Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi also held a mega road show in Varanasi. He also offered his prayer at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple. (ANI) "We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite!," Trump tweeted on Friday along with the photograph in which Schumer and Putin can be seen smiling together. Trump's backlash comes a day after Schumer called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign over reports that he met with the Russian ambassador during the presidential campaign. The New York Democrat also asked if Trump knew about the meetings between Sessions and the Russian ambassador when he appointed him Attorney General, and said an investigation also needed to establish whether Sessions "disclosed these meetings during his FBI background checks". US media reported on Wednesday night that Sessions met with the Russian ambassador to Washington Sergey Kislyak twice during the campaign period, despite giving evidence seemingly to the contrary, under oath, during his confirmation hearing in January. (ANI) The Sugihara Story PASSAGE TO FREEDOM Paul Bao Sugihara is a surname in Japan. It had probably been an ordinary surname before this story happened. However, it has become a very special surname since this story happened. In 1940 Mr. Chiune Sugihara was the Japanese diplomat in Lithuania. He and his family, including his wife and their three children as well as a female relative, lived in Kaunas, Lithuania. One early morning in late July 1940, hundreds of people crowded around the gate in front of the Sugiharas house. These people were Jews refugees escaped from Poland. If they stayed in Lithuania they would be killed by the Nazi soldiers. They had heard that Mr. Sugihara could give them the passage visas to travel to Japan. Once in Japan, they could go to another country. Actually Mr. Sugihara could issue a few passage visas, but not hundreds. Therefore he had to ask for permission from his government in Japan. Mr. Sugihara cabled his government three times but the answers were the same No. At that moment Mr. Sugihara made a historic decision, which was supported by his wife Mrs. Sugihara, i.e., to issue the passage visas to the Jews refugees as many as needed. He said to his family members, I may have to disobey my government, but I must obey my God. Because he thought, saving those refugees lives was the right thing coinciding with Gods will that he should do and could do. In the following about thirty days, there was a line leading to the Sugihares garage everyday. Mr. Sugihara worked from early morning till late night to issue about three hundred visas everyday. More and more Jews refugees came joining the line from different places. The visa issuing had been continuing until Mr. Sugihara was transferred to Germany, until he sat on the train departing for Berlin. The last few visas were issued on the train and handed to the refugees through the train window. Mr. Sugihara saved thousands of lives which later were called the Sugihara Survivors. In 1985 he was chosen to receive the Righteous Among Nations Award. He was the first and only Asian to have been given this great honor. Mr. Sugihara died in 1986. Six years after his death, a monument to him was dedicated in his birthplace of Yaotsu, Japan, on a hill that is now known as the Hill of Humanity. I believe that The Sugihara Story will inspire todays generation to care for all people and to respect life. It is a story that proves that one person can make a difference. (September 20, 2007) With about 70 days left for the holding local polls, the widening gap between political parties is posing a grave threat to them being held, former chief election commissioner Neel Kantha Upreti has warned. In an interview with ANI, Upreti called on all political parties to arrive at a consensus to ensure the success of the mid- May local elections. "Democratic political parties should participate in the elections. So, I would have thought that by this time, not only this time, but before this time, I should say, disputes, dissatisfactions of the political parties, those who are representing in parliament, must have been resolved and the date should have been announced after their acceptance of the Constitution and the amendment bill which has been now tabled in parliament. So, I think, the major obstacle of the election of mid- May is the consensus of the political parties and all parties should participate in the local elections," Upreti said. "I think the government, the political parties and those parties who are still not satisfied with the process and also not satisfied with the Constitution should sit together, resolve and find out the point of compromise because, someone has to give something and other side also should give something in order to come to the point," he added. The government led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, last month declared May 14 as the date for the holding local elections which ultimately has pushed the agitating Madhesh-based parties towards protest. "Democracy is an important thing, more than anything else for the country. So, all should participate and those who are not democratic, I may not like to speak on them. We Nepali citizend are worried about this. It should have been resolved because it has been more than 16 months that we have had the Constitution by the people of this country. So, the first and the foremost challenge is the parties agreement for the electoral process and the garnering of political consensus," said Upreti. Nepal has operated in a vacuum without local bodies for nearly two decades. Upreti said the timing of the elections is questionable. "The timing itself is challenging because we have very limited time. Election Commission has asked for 120 days minimum for the holding of local elections, but then, they accepted it for less than 90 days. The country should be working on the war footing if the election has to be conducted on the given date. So, time is an obstacle and a challenge for preparing for the elections," he added. The election commission is yet to receive the Local Level Restructuring Committee (LLRC)'s report on the basis of which it will hold the election. Upreti said, "The LLRC report is a fundamental document for preparation and implementation of election and the dispute regarding the LLRC report needs to be resolved as fast as possible by the government and the political parties so that the process of preparing for elections can proceed with no problem. There is a question also about the legality of revisiting the LLRC report by the government or the executive because the commission is responsible for making necessary amendments where needed." Campaign for the polls has started and a code of conduct has also been issued and announced. (ANI) China's former diplomat and border negotiator has suggested that India must willingly cede the Tawang region in Arunachal Pradesh and China will reciprocate by giving up its claim over Aksai Chin to solve the border dispute between both countries. The solution to the border dispute between Indian and China was put forward by Dai Bingguo, who has represented China in 15 rounds of talks until his retirement in 2013, in an interview to the Beijing-based China-India Dialogue magazine. Justifying China's claim on Tawang, Dai asserted that the disputed territory in the eastern sector of the China-India boundary, including the Tawang region is an integral part of the Southern Tibet region and is alienable from China's Tibet in terms of cultural background and administrative jurisdiction. He said that China's claim over the disputed region along the eastern sector of the China-India boundary was even recognized by the British colonizers, who drew the McMahon Line. Dai said China will respond and address India's concerns elsewhere if New Delhi addresses Beijing's concerns in the eastern sector. The disputed Aksai Chin is located in China's Xinjiang province, which is apparently China's only Muslim dominated province. Both Asian giants even fought a war in 1962 over the Aksai Chin region, over which China took complete control after claiming victory in the war. Dai noted that India holds the key in solving this issue as the two countries stand in front of the gate towards a final settlement. The Aksai Chin, is claimed by India as part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and region of Ladakh but is controlled and administered as part of the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang. The other large disputed territory, the easternmost, lies south of the McMahon Line. It was formerly referred to as the North East Frontier Agency, and is now called Arunachal Pradesh. The McMahon Line, extends for 550 miles (890 km) from Bhutan in the west to 160 miles (260 km) east of the great bend of the Brahmaputra River in the east, largely along the crest of the Himalayas. It was part of the 1914 Simla Convention between British India and Tibet, an agreement rejected by China. (ANI) The New York hate crime task force has started an investigation into the vandalism of more than a dozen headstones at a Jewish cemetery in Rochester after similar incidents took place in St. Louis and Philadelphia last month. "The families of New York -- people of all creeds, colors and backgrounds -- have witnessed a dramatic increase in acts of hate and intolerance. The State Police Hate Crimes Task Force, in partnership with federal and local authorities, have launched aggressive investigations into reported hate crimes across the state," CNN quoted Cuomo New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as saying in a statement. This comes in the wake of a rise in the attacks on the Jewish community centers (JCCs) and cemeteries in recent weeks across the country. A USD 5,000 reward is being offered by the Anti-Defamation League, an organization dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism, for information about the case. Vice President Mike Pence condemned "vile act of vandalism" at a suburban St. Louis Jewish cemetery, where more than 150 headstones were damaged during last month. The Vice President's statement came a day after U.S President Donald Trump broke his long silence on the reported uptick in anti-Semitic incidents, denouncing threats against Jewish community centers as "horrible" and "painful," and saying more needed to be done "to root out hate and prejudice and evil."(ANI) Reiterating opposition against the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea by the United States, China on Friday urged both the parties not to go further down that "wrong path." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a press briefing, "I want to emphasize again that China's position of opposing the deployment of THAAD in the ROK by the US and the ROK is firm and clear. We urge relevant parties to stop the deployment process and not to go further down that wrong path." Shuang urged the relevant parties to make earnest efforts to help ease the situation and ensure peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. "Safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia serves the common interest of relevant parties and is also their common responsibility. The current situation on the Peninsula is highly complex and delicate. Relevant parties need to make more earnest efforts that will help ease the situation and ensure peace and stability of the region, not the opposite," he said. (ANI) The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) warned Chinese to "seriously and fully study South Korea's entry policy before traveling," read a notice released on the administration's website, reports the Global Times. It added that travelers should have a clear mind about the risk of traveling abroad and cautiously choose their destination. According to the notice, the warning was issued after a rising number of Chinese were denied entry to South Korea's Jeju island, with some of the travelers being stranded in the Jeju airport for a long time. Several Chinese tourists had been denied entry to the island in February for various reasons and were detained in a shabby "tiny dark" room in the Jeju airport, the Beijing News reported. The CNTA has lodged serious representations to related authorities and met with several officials and diplomats from South Korea's embassy in China, according to the notice. Jeju is the only region in South Korea that has a visa-free policy for Chinese visitors, who can stay up to 30 days in the island after entry. The policy was implemented in 2008. The warning was made one day after South Korean media reported that China has set out to ban its people from traveling to South Korea in protest against Seoul's deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. However, travel agencies on Thursday night and Friday said they did not receive any official or non-official notice on a travel ban to South Korea. (ANI) Le Pen, citing her parliamentary immunity, told judges in a letter on Friday that she will accept to answer their questions over the fake job affair after the two-round election scheduled for April 23 and May 7, news channel BFMTV said in the report. In December 2016, French prosecutor opened an investigation for breach of trust, organised fraud scams and forgery after the European Anti-Fraud Office accused Le Pen of paying her France-based chief of staff a total of 298,500 euros ($316,320) for her work as parliamentary assistant between December 2010 and February 2016. Le Pen is also accused of using the funds to pay her bodyguard 41,554 euros for the October- December 2011 period, Xinhua news agency reported. Le Pen, whose presidential bid is gaining momentum, dismissed any wrong-doings and described the affair as "a political plot". Pollsters have said she was likely to win the first round of voting on April 23. However, she would lose the run-off in May to whoever should be her opponent. In a scenario where moderate conservative Alain Juppe will replace scandal-hit Francois Fillon, Le Pen will be kicked out in first round with Juppe and centrist contender Emmanuel Macron would be the presidential contest's finalists, Odoxa poll showed on Friday. --IANS ksk ( 253 Words) 2017-03-04-09:24:07 (IANS) Actress Natalie Portman had a great reason for missing Sunday's Oscar ceremony.She gave birth to her second child last week but kept the new arrival quiet in the days leading up to the Academy Awards show.Portman, 35, gave birth to daughter Amalia on Feb. 22, her publicist said in a statement issued to People magazine on Friday.Portman, who keeps a low public profile, had said through her publicist a week ago that because of her pregnancy, she would not be attending the Feb. 26 Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles, where she was nominated in the lead actress category for her performance in "Jackie.""Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed a baby girl, Amalia Millepied, on Feb. 22," Friday's statement said. "Mother and baby are happy and healthy."Portman and French choreographer Millepied have a 5-year-old son, Aleph. They were married in California in 2012.Portman had been an early Oscar favorite for her performance as former U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in "Jackie" but the best actress Oscar went instead to "La La Land" star Emma Stone. REUTERS JW0552 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1173901.Xml Malaysia today rejected claims it may have violated sanctions imposed by the United Nations on North Korea, after a Reuters report this week said North Korea-linked firms were running an arms network in the country."Malaysia categorically rejects any such insinuation," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.The statement said Malaysia has provided required responses to queries raised by the United Nations Security Council Panel of Experts and will fully cooperate.Reuters reported that North Korean intelligence ran an arms operation out of Malaysia called Glocom, and two companies linked to the trade were International Global System and International Golden Services.Ties between Malaysia and North Korea have been strained following the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13.Glocom is a front company run by North Korean intelligence agents that sells battlefield radio equipment in violation of U.N. sanctions, according to a United Nations report submitted to the Security Council seen by Reuters.This week, Malaysian authorities said they were aware of the two North Korea-linked companies and both were being struck from the Company Registry. REUTERS JW0650 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1173909.Xml Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, presently on a visit to the United States, on Friday expressed confidence about Trump administration's endeavour to bring the perpetrator of the Kansas shooting to justice. "It is a very tragic event which took place in Kansas, which obviously featured in many of our discussions. What we heard from very high levels, cabinet levels, was that one, we should regard this as an act of an individual, two, the American justice system was at work to bring the perpetrator of this act to justice. It is being prosecuted as a hate crime," Jaishankar said during a media conference at the Indian Embassy in Washington. "What we have seen in the last few days whether it has been the White House statement or the President's own reference when he spoke to the Congress or what the Speaker said after we met or the fact that the House of Representatives observed a moment of silence. From almost everybody that we met and perhaps also the people whose responsibility did not directly deal with this, we heard expressions of deep sorrow, deep regret and a sense that we should really treat this as an individual act and the American system, American society as a whole was very much against it," he added. Jaishankar also said they have conveyed to the new administration that Indian partnership is important for the growing American economy to stay competitive. When asked about discussion held with the Trump administration over the H1B visa issue, the foreign secretary said the issue was discussed in a number of meetings with administration officials as well as the Congress. During the meetings, the Indian side conveyed that the HIB was a category of trade and services which actually helps the American economy. "If the Trump Administration's intention is to bring back American companies to America and attract more foreign investment in America therefore there will be more growth then it is important that growing America remains competitive. So, there actually will be a growing need for this partnership," he said. The foreign secretary held meetings with a number of senior U.S. administration officials including Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, House speaker Paul Ryan along with meetings with senior member of the Congress. The foreign secretary also interacted with American business through the US-India Business Council. Jaishankar's four-day visit to the U.S. was aimed at sensitising the Trump administration about India's concerns over the security of Indian nationals in the U.S. following a possible cut in H1B and L1 visas. This is his second visit to the U.S. since the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the U.S. (ANI) Currently on a four-day visit to the United States, along with the Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia has endorsed the plans of the Trump Administration the U.S. economy. She also expected the Good and Service Tax (GST) to have a positive impact on India-U.S. business relations. "The plans represent an opportunity for our businesses in terms of infrastructure and the reform process that is being envisaged. Our investment into the United States, which is coming in the manufacturing and services space, has been growing and it expands across the sectors of chemicals, pharmaceutical, not just the IT sector. There is a large range of companies who are already invested in the United States and we think that the trigger to economy is going to create more opportunities," Teaotia said while addressing a press briefing here. "At the same time, we felt through all the interactions that there is an appreciation of the acceleration of reforms in India. A lot of interest on the impact of the GST, when it rolls out and the outcomes in terms of ease of doing business that people are beginning to see already and some of the American companies who have invested in India are seeing very accelerated growth rates, so there was an appreciation of that," he added. Teaotia further entailed how the trade policy statement and the report attached with it signifies the chances of an increase in trade and investment between the two countries. "The recognition that trade has grown over these years, something like 9 percent, and that the reform process that India has not put in place including things like the IPR policy, the Conciliation and Arbitration Act - all these are known measures that give a sense of comfort to investors. So, we felt that there is a lot of potential to increase both trade and investment between both the countries," he said. Foreign Secretary Jaishankar held meetings with a number of senior U.S. administration officials including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, House speaker Paul Ryan along with meetings with senior member of the Congress. A wide range of issues were discussed during these meetings, while keeping the focus on U.S.-India relationship. While responding to a poser on new targets and ambitions, Jaishankar said the current U.S. administration looked interested in working with India in a number of areas. "At this time a lot of it was conceptual. On the economic basket, we saw a very strong interest in growing our trade, increase in investment, in finding various ways of cooperating with each other," Jaishankar said. The foreign secretary also interacted with American business through the US-India Business Council. He added that his visit overall has been very productive and the new administration had a very positive view of India. Jaishankar also said there was a lot of interest in taking the India-U.S. relationship forward. He also mentioned that he extended an invitation to Tillerson and Ross to visit India at an early date, which they accepted in principal. Jaishankar's four-day visit to the U.S. was aimed at sensitising the Trump administration about India's concerns over the security of Indian nationals in the U.S. following a possible cut in H1B and L1 visas. This is the foreign secretary's second visit to the U.S. since the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the U.S. (ANI) Malaysia today rejected any suggestion it may have violated sanctions imposed by the United Nations on North Korea, after a Reuters report said North Korea-linked firms were running an arms network in the country.Malaysia has for years been one of the few countries in the world to have strong ties with North Korea but their relationship has been damaged by the killing of the half-brother of the North Korean leader, at Kula Lumpur airport, on February 13.Reuters reported on Monday that North Korean intelligence agents used front companies to run an arms sales operation out of Malaysia under a brand called Glocom.The foreign ministry issued a statement today rejecting any violation of UN sanctions."Malaysia categorically rejects any such insinuation," the ministry said.Glocom, which was linked in website registration data to two Malaysian companies controlled by North Korean shareholders and directors, sells battlefield radio equipment in violation of UN sanctions, according to a UN report submitted to the Security Council and seen by Reuters.Glocom is controlled by the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the North Korean intelligence agency tasked with overseas operations and weapons procurement, the UN report said, citing undisclosed information.UN ASKED FOR EXPULSIONReuters found that Glocom advertises more than 30 radio systems for "military and paramilitary" organisations on its Malaysian website, glocom.com.my.The foreign ministry said Malaysia highly valued the work carried out by the UNSC Panel of Experts by ensuring the full implementation of all relevant resolutions.The ministry, which did not name Glocom in its statement, said Malaysia had provided required responses to queries raised by a UN Security Council (UNSC) Panel of Experts and will fully cooperate.The United Nations panel said in its unreleased report that it had asked the Malaysian government if it would expel Glocom's North Korean representative in Malaysia and freeze the assets of the two Malaysian companies to comply with UN sanctions. The UN did not say when it made the request."The panel has yet to receive an answer," said the UN report, which is due to be released later this month.Malaysia's investigation of the killing of Kim Jong Nam, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother, has angered North Korea.Malaysia deported a North Korean suspect in the murder yesterday, and police issued an arrest warrant for another North Korean wanted in connection with the killing.The deported North Korean, Ri Jong Chol, said in Beijing that he was a victim of a conspiracy by Malaysian authorities attempting to damage the honour of North Korea. REUTERS SHS AN1505 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1174316.Xml Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson will go to Moscow in the coming weeks to discuss the differences between the two countries over Syria and Ukraine, the Foreign Office said today, in the first such visit for five years.Britain backed sanctions against Russia in response to its annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the countries have clashed on other issues, including Russia's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war in his country.However, Johnson has accepted the invitation from counterpart Sergei Lavrov and the British government said that it was "clear that the UK will engage with Russia where it is in our national interest to do so"."Discussions will focus on the UK-Russia relationship and current international issues including Syria and Ukraine, where we continue to have significant differences," a Foreign and Commonwealth spokeswoman said."This is not a return to business as usual and the Foreign Secretary will continue to be robust on those issues where we differ."As well as disagreement over Ukraine and Syria, Britain has accused Russia of hacking, with Britain's defence minister saying that Russia "weaponises misinformation".The Kremlin calls the hacking allegations "baseless".The last UK foreign minister to visit Moscow was William Hague in 2012, the Foreign Office said, adding that details of the exact timing of Johnson's trip would be confirmed in due course.REUTERS SHS RK1635 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1174440.Xml Albania's political parties snuffed out hopes today for a compromise that would keep open the Balkan state's path to European Union membership after Brussels warned that an opposition boycott of parliament put accession talks at risk.The Democratic Party's two-week-long protest in a tent outside Prime Minister Edi Rama's office and its boycott of parliament have stalled the creation of bodies that would vet 750 judges and prosecutors. Reform of the judiciary is a key condition set by the EU for starting accession talks.The ruling coalition had offered to sit down for talks with the Democrats, who want a technocratic government to take over before free parliamentary elections on June 18, ahead of a visit yesterday by the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.Rama said on Saturday that the coalition had been elected to govern but welcomed dialogue. "We are ready to answer to every request of the opposition. What converges in the ... national and public interest, we shall do together," Rama told reporters.He was speaking at the launch of a petition supporting plans to vet judges and build a clean judiciary able to fight endemic corruption in one of Europe's poorest countries.Rama has said the Democrats are calling for free elections to hide their real intention of defending corrupt justice officials.Across Tirana's main boulevard on a sunny day, Democrat leader Lulzim Basha said that if Rama did not agree to a technocratic government, "the people's wave will surround you, the people's wave will topple you".The Democrats would never agree to vetting of judges "to protect yourself and your ministers", he said.The tent protest has so far been peaceful even though Basha once called on supporters to puncture car tires, break windows and punch anyone who mistreated them.Mogherini told NATO member Albania it had a real chance of clinching accession talks once the vetting process started."I have been very clear in saying that those who seek to delay and dilute key reforms are putting the European Union integration agenda at risk," she told a news conference."Boycott of the parliament means blocking the establishment of the (judicial) vetting commissions and de facto stops Albania's progress towards the European Union."Her comments were rejected by Basha, who said: "They (the EU) should keep the rubbish to themselves."A European diplomat said western countries were worried by the opposition boycott and had encouraged dialogue, because "there appeared to be no exit strategy for Basha"."Work needs to resume in parliament. It is a crucial year for Albania to make progress but this is much slower than we expected," the diplomat told Reuters.REUTERS SHS BL1929 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1174854.Xml - Northern Irish leaders prepared on Saturday for three weeks of challenging talks to save their devolved government after a snap election that could have dramatic implications for the politics and constitutional status of the British province.The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party narrowly remained the largest party following the closest-ever election for the provincial assembly. But surging Irish nationalists Sinn Fein came within one seat of their rivals to deny unionist politicians a majority for the first time since Ireland was partitioned in 1921.Major policy differences between the sides risk paralysing government and dividing communities just as Britain prepares to leave the European Union. Northern Ireland, the poorest region of the United Kingdom, which has its only land border with the EU, is considered the most economically exposed to Brexit."Everything has changed and we enter into a new political landscape from Monday," outgoing finance minister Mairtin O'Muilleoir of Sinn Fein told national Irish broadcaster RTE.The two largest parties have three weeks to form a new power-sharing government to avoid devolved power returning to London for the first time since 2007.With relations at their lowest point in a decade and Sinn Fein insisting among its conditions that DUP leader Arlene Foster step aside before it will re-enter government, few analysts think an agreement can be reached in that time.An acrimonious campaign also added to the friction. Foster's outright rejection of some Sinn Fein's demands by saying that "if you feed a crocodile, it will keep coming back looking for more" antagonised and rallied nationalists.Michelle O'Neill, the 40-year-old new leader of Sinn Fein whose elevation represented a generational shift within the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, benefited most from the highest turnout in two decades."Foster angered nationalists and made sure they went out to vote but Michelle O'Neill is also a much more acceptable nationalist face than previously," said Gary Thompson, a 57-year-old voter, as he went for a jog near parliament buildings.Pensioner Tom Smyth, a DUP supporter, said Foster had to stand up to Sinn Fein but in doing so probably helped mobilise their rivals' vote."This is terrible," he said. "There will be no living with them (Sinn Fein) now. All my life there has been a Unionist political majority. I feel a bit exposed now and wonder what the future holds."IRISH UNIFICATIONNationalist candidates, traditionally backed by Catholics, also narrowed the gap overall with unionists, who tend to be favoured by Protestants, to just one seat. Smaller, non-sectarian parties captured the remaining 12 percent of the vote.Northern Ireland is still marginally a mainly Protestant province but demographics suggest Catholics could become the majority within a generation. The shift in the election will embolden Sinn Fein in its ultimate goal of uniting Ireland.The party has increased calls for a border poll since Northern Ireland, like Scotland, voted to remain in the EU while the United Kingdom's two other countries, England and Wales, chose to leave.Sinn Fein's O'Muilleoir described Brexit as "the gift that keeps on giving" for those that want a united Ireland."The massive shift towards nationalism in this election completely changes the landscape and most certainly brings the constitutional question to the foreground," said Peter Shirlow, Director of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool.Taking over the administration of Northern Ireland is not a prospect likely to please British prime minister Theresa May, already fighting a renewed independence push from Scotland as she readies her Brexit launch at the end of the month.Her Northern Ireland Minister James Brokenshire urged the parties to engage intensively in the short time available.Former Northern Ireland first minister David Trimble, who was instrumental to the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement that ended three decades of sectarian bloodshed, said the British government should find a way to give the parties more time."If we can't do it in three weeks it could be a prolonged period of direct rule," Jeffrey Donaldson, a senior member of the DUP told BBC Radio."In those circumstances, with Brexit coming down the road, we won't have our own administration to speak for us and offer the best prospect of delivering the kind of outcome we need." REUTERS CJ BL2023 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1174969.Xml "Due to its awful and dark human rights record, either inside that country or at the international level, the US government is in no position to comment on the status of human rights in other countries," Xinhua news agency quoted the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying. Qasemi said that no international organisation or law has authorised the US government to judge the status of human rights around the world one-sidedly and with political motivations. Friday review of human rights by the US State Department on Iran alleged that there have been "severe restrictions on civil liberties" including freedoms of speech, gatherings, religion and press in the Islamic republic in 2016. The review chided the Iranian government for reportedly committing arbitrary or unlawful killings, "including, most commonly, by execution after arrest and trial without due process". Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday that some Western states use the human rights issue as a tool for their political ends. --IANS lok/ ( 198 Words) 2017-03-05-04:16:09 (IANS) MOSCOW, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Russia has invited officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) to a security conference in Moscow next month, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday. "Despite suspended military cooperation, invitations to the forum have been sent to all NATO and EU members as well as the NATO leadership," Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin told a news briefing. Also on Friday, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Peter Pavel discussed by phone the prospects for the restoration of military interaction and the participation of NATO representatives in Russia-sponsored international events. The talk has been the first high-level military contact since NATO decided to freeze relations with Russia in April 2014 over the latter's incorporation of Crimea and its alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis. The sixth Moscow conference on international security will be hosted by the Russian Defense Ministry on April 26 and 27, said Fomin. He said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will address the annual event, which is expected to attract more than 700 security officials and experts around the world. CHICAGO, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) grains futures close higher Friday on profit-taking as the ongoing harvest of big crops in South America continued to weigh on the market. The most active corn contract for May delivery rose 1.25 cent, or 0.33 percent, to 3.8075 dollars per bushel. May wheat delivery rose 0.75 cent, or 0.93 percent, to 4.535 dollars per bushel. May soybeans added 0.25 cent, or 0.02 percent, to 10.375 dollars per bushel. Soybeans notched the biggest declines weekly as the South American export pace was expected to pick up after slowing this week. At least 11 ships are facing delays in loading soybeans at Brazil's northern ports after rains washed out roads and disrupted the progress of trucks carrying beans from the center-west region, Brazilian officials said on Thursday. Private researcher Informa raised its Brazil soybean production forecast to 108 million tons from a prior outlook of 106.5 million tons. The U.S Department of Agriculture has pegged the country's crop at 104 million tons, which would still make it easily the second-biggest producer behind only the U.S. Informa also raised its projection for corn output to 91 million tons from last month's 89 million. Soybean and corn futures rose earlier this week, supported in part by reports of potential changes to U.S. biofuel policy to boost production. Corn is the primary U.S. feedstock for ethanol and soyoil is used in biodiesel. "The biofuel rumors in the U.S. have thrown uncertainty and confusion back into the market. They come as U.S. farmers are deciding which spring crops to grow," said David Sheppard, managing director at UK merchant Gleadell. Russia, among the world's largest wheat exporters, is considering exporting part of its 4-million-ton state grain stockpile to free up storage space before the new crop arrives, industry sources said. LONDON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Britain's population has grown to a record 65.1 million, fuelled by people living longer, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Friday. ONS said the percentage of Britain's population of people aged 65 years or older is growing and has increased from 14.1 percent of the population in 1975 to almost 18 percent. They estimate that the population will grow steadily, passing 70 million people in 2026, and by 2045, it is projected a quarter of the country's population will be aged 65 or over. Meanwhile, the proportion of Britain's child population has declined from over 24 percent in 1975 to less than 20 percent, and is projected to decline even further in future years. The direct effect of net migration has also increased the population of Britain by more than 250,000 people every year on average between 2004 and 2015, a growth five times more than natural changes in population levels. "The growth in population size is partly because the population is aging. This is an important consideration for the provision of health and social care services and pensions," said ONS. Life expectancy over the last few decades has also been steadily increasing. Girls born in Britain in 2015 can expect to live 82.8 years from birth, four years more than girls born in 1991. Males have seen a greater increase in life expectancy of 5.7 years, from 73.4 years for boys born in 1991 to 79.1 years for boys born in 2015. Improved healthcare and lifestyles, especially for those aged 65 years and over, is the main reason for the increase in life expectancy, said ONS. "While living longer is a cause for celebration, an aging population may result in fewer people of working age to support those of pension age. In 2016, there were an estimated 308 people of a pensionable age for every 1,000 people of a working age. By 2037, this is projected to increase to 365 people," said ONS. "This increase means that there will be fewer people of working age to support a larger population over State Pension age. While a larger population increases the size and productive capacity of the workforce, it also increases pressure and demand for services such as education, healthcare and housing," it added. MEXICO CITY, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The southern Mexican state of Guerrero called on Friday for the central government to help investigate the murder of journalist Cecilio Pineda, which took place Thursday in the town of Pungarabato. The state's prosecutor-general Xavier Olea told a press conference that initial investigations have turned up a line of inquiry on those behind the crime, who allegedly belong to an organized crime group. However, he said he needed the help of Mexico's special prosecutor for crimes against journalists so that more investigators will be assigned to the case. Pineda died on Thursday evening when a gunman shot him dead with a pistol as his car was being washed in the town. The gunman then left the crime scene on a motorcycle, driven by an accomplice. Pineda was an editor for the local newspaper La Voz de Tierra Caliente, and covered security matters for other local media, including El Debate de los Calentanos and El Despertar del Sur. The journalist had survived a first attempt against his life when he was shot outside his house. KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia said on Saturday it has fully implemented UN sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after media reports alleged it may have violated such sanctions by allowing DPRK-linked arms dealing companies in the country. Media reported earlier this week that Glocom, a front company run by the DPRK, sold battlefield radio equipment in Malaysia, with a member of Malaysia's ruling party UMNO as its director. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Malaysia viewed with serious concern the reports that indicate Malaysia's non-compliance with sanctions on DPRK by the UN Security Council. "Malaysia categorically rejects any such insinuation," it said. It added that Malaysia has has provided the required responses to the queries raised by the Panel of Experts and will fully cooperate. Bilateral ties between Malaysia and DPRK have been strained since the death of a DPRK man with the passport name of "Kim Chol" at the Kuala Lumpur airport. The DPRK accused Malaysia of "colluding with hostile forces" and said it did not trust Malaysian police's investigation, while Kuala Lumpur has refuted the DPRK ambassador's statement on the case and recalled its ambassador to Pyongyang. The Malaysian police said two companies behind Glocom was being "struck off." Blog Archive Nov 2022 (13) Oct 2022 (64) Sep 2022 (60) Aug 2022 (61) Jul 2022 (55) Jun 2022 (60) May 2022 (73) Apr 2022 (60) Mar 2022 (58) Feb 2022 (65) Jan 2022 (69) Dec 2021 (106) Nov 2021 (84) Oct 2021 (58) Sep 2021 (67) Aug 2021 (62) Jul 2021 (54) Jun 2021 (50) May 2021 (58) Apr 2021 (44) Mar 2021 (57) Feb 2021 (64) Jan 2021 (93) Dec 2020 (82) Nov 2020 (62) Oct 2020 (50) Sep 2020 (45) Aug 2020 (51) Jul 2020 (56) Jun 2020 (53) May 2020 (70) Apr 2020 (66) Mar 2020 (169) Feb 2020 (211) Jan 2020 (184) Dec 2019 (54) Nov 2019 (56) Oct 2019 (55) Sep 2019 (63) Aug 2019 (54) Jul 2019 (69) Jun 2019 (56) May 2019 (65) Apr 2019 (68) Mar 2019 (72) Feb 2019 (76) Jan 2019 (62) Dec 2018 (55) Nov 2018 (69) Oct 2018 (90) Sep 2018 (82) Aug 2018 (58) Jul 2018 (36) Jun 2018 (47) May 2018 (44) Apr 2018 (64) Mar 2018 (63) Feb 2018 (68) Jan 2018 (92) Dec 2017 (85) Nov 2017 (64) Oct 2017 (82) Sep 2017 (54) Aug 2017 (89) Jul 2017 (60) Jun 2017 (86) May 2017 (84) Apr 2017 (62) Mar 2017 (86) Feb 2017 (91) Jan 2017 (113) Dec 2016 (109) Nov 2016 (100) Oct 2016 (82) Sep 2016 (95) Aug 2016 (84) Jul 2016 (84) Jun 2016 (99) May 2016 (93) Apr 2016 (106) Mar 2016 (145) Feb 2016 (125) Jan 2016 (103) Dec 2015 (83) Nov 2015 (80) Oct 2015 (100) Sep 2015 (111) Aug 2015 (94) Jul 2015 (98) Jun 2015 (151) May 2015 (125) Apr 2015 (109) Mar 2015 (122) Feb 2015 (113) Jan 2015 (135) Dec 2014 (131) Nov 2014 (115) Oct 2014 (146) Sep 2014 (112) Aug 2014 (128) Jul 2014 (94) Jun 2014 (104) May 2014 (140) Apr 2014 (132) Mar 2014 (81) Feb 2014 (89) Jan 2014 (141) Dec 2013 (100) Nov 2013 (96) Oct 2013 (99) Sep 2013 (94) Aug 2013 (95) Jul 2013 (95) Jun 2013 (91) May 2013 (139) Apr 2013 (179) Mar 2013 (73) Feb 2013 (76) Jan 2013 (85) Dec 2012 (59) Nov 2012 (71) Oct 2012 (85) Sep 2012 (70) Aug 2012 (71) Jul 2012 (53) Jun 2012 (51) May 2012 (52) Apr 2012 (52) Mar 2012 (69) Feb 2012 (76) Jan 2012 (70) Dec 2011 (60) Nov 2011 (54) Oct 2011 (57) Sep 2011 (75) Aug 2011 (72) Jul 2011 (64) Jun 2011 (76) May 2011 (56) Apr 2011 (73) Mar 2011 (114) Feb 2011 (71) Jan 2011 (80) Dec 2010 (92) Nov 2010 (82) Oct 2010 (73) Sep 2010 (95) Aug 2010 (86) Jul 2010 (81) Jun 2010 (76) May 2010 (71) Apr 2010 (74) Mar 2010 (74) Feb 2010 (82) Jan 2010 (101) Dec 2009 (108) Nov 2009 (182) Oct 2009 (136) Sep 2009 (102) Aug 2009 (120) Jul 2009 (151) Jun 2009 (136) May 2009 (180) Apr 2009 (145) Mar 2009 (113) Feb 2009 (113) Jan 2009 (124) Dec 2008 (108) Nov 2008 (69) Oct 2008 (89) Sep 2008 (76) Aug 2008 (75) Jul 2008 (87) Jun 2008 (80) May 2008 (99) Apr 2008 (93) Mar 2008 (115) Feb 2008 (147) Jan 2008 (162) Dec 2007 (124) Nov 2007 (95) Oct 2007 (67) Sep 2007 (42) Aug 2007 (78) Jul 2007 (75) Jun 2007 (123) May 2007 (110) Apr 2007 (108) Mar 2007 (92) Feb 2007 (136) Jan 2007 (119) Dec 2006 (41) Nov 2006 (34) Oct 2006 (12) Sep 2006 (13) Aug 2006 (13) Jul 2006 (16) Jun 2006 (12) May 2006 (21) Apr 2006 (38) Mar 2006 (27) Feb 2006 (25) Jan 2006 (18) In the previous chapter, Jesus claimed that He as God the Son is equal with God the Father. After the Jews in Jerusalem heard the revelation of the truth about Jesus' identity, they "tried all the harder to kill him". Jesus wished to avoid a confrontation with them before God's time for this had come. So He apparently decided not go to Jerusalem to observe the Passover. He didn't break the rule because He was in Galilee, too far from the temple to be required to travel there for the Passover. Gospel of Matthew, Mark and Luke fill in the background details of why "Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee" with His disciples at first place. It is because that Jesus and disciples needed rest. They had been ministering people so hardly that "they did not even have a chance to eat". They were exhausted and needed a refresh. Jesus planed to take the disciples "to a quiet place and get some rest. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the town and got there ahead of them". The "great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick". Miraculous signs attracted people because they had needs to be met. They wanted to benefit from Jesus. Were they aware of that their needs were both physical and spiritual? Did they know that Jesus could satisfy both? Despite His own need for rest, Jesus saw in this circumstance His Father's signal for Him to work. " He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd." The people had no one who really cared for them. And Jesus knew that He was the only One who understood their needs and was able to help. Jesus laid aside His own desire for solitude and "went up on a mountain and sat down", "began teaching them many things". However, Jesus not only taught the crowd in order to take care of their spiritual need, but also "healed those who needed healing". (Matthew 5, 14, Mark 6, Luke 9) "Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here. Jesus turned to Philip and asked, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" When Jesus asked the question, He "already had in mind what he was going to do". He asked Philip this "only to test him". Jesus did not need Philip's assessment of the situation; It was Philip who needed Jesus' help to realize that he should come to Jesus asking for help. Philip already saw "the miraculous signs " Jesus had performed. Did he have faith in Jesus? Did he know that Jesus was the One who could help? Instead of asking Jesus for help, Philip felt that he needed to help Jesus to see clearly that this particular problem was too much for Him to handle. By quickly computing the number of people and the cost of food, Philip answered in a hopeless tone, "Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" On a merely human level, Philip did a good survey. His assessment was quite accurate. Jesus and other disciples clearly saw the point. Jesus wanted the disciples to remember the survey result for them to later recognize and appreciate the supernatural work of God. They must first recognize that without Him, it is truly impossible. Whereas Philip saw how much the cost was and how large the problem was, another disciple Andrew seemed to have survived how small their resources were. Andrew used their poor inventory to highlight how impossible it would be to feed the crowd. After asked around for food supply, Andrew decided to help Jesus to see even more clearly how impossible the situation was. He said, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Of course, not far! Did Andrew know that Jesus didn't need the boy's lunch? Did he know that Jesus had the supernatural power to feed the thousands out of nothing on that day? But Jesus chose to do His mighty work with the heartfelt offer from an innocent little boy on that day. Nothing is said about the little boy except that he gave what he had to Jesus. His family must be a poor one because only the poor ate bread baked from the cheapest barley flour. I guess that the boy was not the only one who brought lunch with. But the boy was the only one who offered his lunch to Jesus. Did the boy except to go hungry himself? That would be the hardest thing for a growing poor little hungry boy to do at that moment! Whatever the boy hopes or fears, he could not have guessed how Jesus would use his sacrificial gift. Nor could the disciples. Facing the impossible situation, Philip counted the cost, Andrew checked the resources, the little boy offered all he had. Compared our attitudes with theirs, what do we learn? After heard the survey reports from Philip and Andrew, Jesus ordered His disciples, "Have the people sit down." Our Lord is an orderly One. Under His quiet authority, the people sat in orderly groups to avoid the disorder that is usual in such huge crowd. There must have been a feeling of expectancy among the people as they followed Jesus' instruction. Jesus asked the big crowd to sit on "plenty of grass". It was spring, the grass should be green. The good Shepherd led "the sheep without a shepherd" to the green pasture to feed them. The eyes watched as "Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish." As the crowd looking up to Jesus, Jesus, looking up to His Father, thanked His Father for being the Provider, the Giver. The other Gospel accounts make a point of how Jesus gave the food to His disciples to distribute. We as Jesus' followers do have the job to distribute spiritual and physical blessings from God to others. But the sole focus of the Gospel of John is the Lord Jesus. John wanted to emphasize that the praise and glory for all Jesus does through His followers belongs to Jesus. The simple barley loaves and fish the people got from the hands of the Lord were not the boy's cold loaves and dried fish. They must be freshly baked loaves and fish, smells very good. To the hungry people, it must have tasted like the finest meal, a Passover Feast prepared by their loving Shepherd and Lord. Later, the Lord used His body to be their Passover Feast to help them pass the curse caused by sin, over to the eternal life blessed by God. Did the people have the awareness of their real need for the Passover? When the people all had enough to eat, Jesus said to His disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." Jesus gave freely yet refused to waste anything. He made sure that all His Father's blessings were put in use. He also made sure the beautiful green pasture was still beautiful and clean when the crowd left. When we help others, do we display God's character, giving generously, wasting nothing, cherishing beauty and order? The disciples gathered the leftover "and filled twelve baskets". After the crowd could eat no more, they realized that an astounding miracle had occurred right in front of them. They expected more from Jesus. Their stomach couldn't hold more now, but their stomach would soon feel the need again. They showed no sign of thanking God or thinking about what the miraculous sign revealed about Jesus. They focused on their future need. They wanted their next meal to be free. That explained why the thoughts of the crowd jumped easily from the idea "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world" to the intention to "make him king by force". They wanted to force the Prophet to be their king to serve them. They wanted to get their king now so that they could get free food soon. The people were right to see Jesus as the long awaited Prophet God promised to send. Sadly, they didn't intend to listen and obey Him, or serve Him. They only desired the physical blessings He offered. They were blind to the lasting spiritual food Jesus came to give. The intense excitement threatened to turn the orderliness of the feast into a scene of upheaval and confusion. Even a rebel army with 5,000 men was a possibility. The crowd's enthusiasm was temporary and against the Father's purpose for Jesus' life. Jesus could righteously and ably govern Israel and this world as the ideal King. He was king by right. But His Father wanted Him to be on the cross first. Until He rose from death, His only crown would be the one woven from thorns. Jesus understood His Father's heart. But His disciples might not. Perhaps the disciples were caught up in the crowd's enthusiasm, for "immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd". Jesus quickly put an end to the crowd's plan and prevented His disciples from losing their focus. Everyone was being taken cared except Jesus Himself. As the night closed in, and the full Passover moon rose, Jesus "went up on a mountainside to pray". Jesus had no human friend who fully understood His thoughts, emotions and temptations as Him being the Son of Man and the Son of God. In His human nature, where could He get help from to deal with subtle temptations or pressure by being offered a position that promised the ability to do great good? The temptation was real. Jesus poured out His heart in prayer to His Father. Only fellowship with His Father could satisfy His inner being and give Him power to conquer the temptations and quiet the storm. Do we have human friend who fully understand us? I doubt. Where do we get help we need to face our challenge? The answer is from Christ alone. It may seem impossible to spend time alone with the Lord in our daily busyness. The Lord knows our need. He experienced this need when He had His busy life on earth. He does not condemn us but will be quick to answer our prayer to spend time alone with Him. When we meet Him in prayer, we breathe His atmosphere to help us to set our heart and mind "on things above", not only for our own spiritual and physical good, but also for the good of our families and others God has placed in our lives. When I visited the Sea of Galilee at noon, a captain told me the inland freshwater quiet lake was not usually quiet after nightfall when the cooler air racing down to the warmth of the low lying lake which lies about 700 feet below sea water. The strong winds are common and often stir up strom unexpectedly. The city of Tiberias was flooded once by the storm from the lake. There were experienced fishermen among the disciples. They probably againsted the idea to set off across the lake at night. But Jesus made them go. "They got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough." It was pitch dark. They didn't have Jesus on their boat but Jesus was not distant by any definition. Space is not a limitation for the One who created it. The disciples tried their hardest to keep the boat in control. They were scared and exhausted. They knew their danger. At "the fourth watch of the night", almost dawn, even the strong, experienced fishermen probably lacked the strength to battle the waves. Then "they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified." Why they "were terrified" instead of "were relieved or were happy", because "they thought he was a ghost". Sure the darkness was thick, but did the disciples ever prayed when they rowed so hard for long hours in the stromy night? If they prayed, shouldn't they anticipate Jesus to be with them soon and gave no chance for them mistake Jesus as a "ghost". Jesus deliberately delayed His coming but He didn't arbitrarily put them in storm. Jesus was aware of their struggle and He wanted the disciples to be aware of His authority and purposes. At precisely the right time, when the disciples had recognized they had no strength left but fear, Jesus came to them and said, "It is I; don't be afraid." Jesus has authority over all nature. After hearing their Master's voice, the disciples must be so relieved. "They were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading." This passage contains not one, but two miracles: Jesus walked on the water, and the boat instantly reached its destination. There was nothing wrong to feel afraid in a storm. But more importantly, we need to remember that Jesus is never any distance from us when we are in storm. Jesus within us is greater than all that is against us. Let the Lord's voice which recorded in Bible to relief our fears.The Lord wants to mature our faith in storm, to wake up our awareness of His constant presence.The Lord wants us to trust that "all authority in heaven and on earth" belong to Him. His followers are on His boat which will reach the shore. BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab three times after its planned launch in April, sources said Saturday. Tianzhou-1 will be sent into space from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province aboard a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket, according to a spokesperson of China's manned space program. It is scheduled to refuel Tiangong-2 three times and carry out experiments and tests. During the journey, Tianzhou-1 will orbit on its own for about three months and together with Tiangong-2 for about two months after their rendezvous. At the end of the mission, Tianzhou-1 will leave the orbit and fall back to earth while Tiangong-2 will remain in orbit and continue its experiments. The Tianzhou-1 mission will complete the second phase of the country's manned space program. It will be crucial for China in achieving the final step of establishing a space station around 2022. BRUSSELS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) should further its digital cooperation with China to boost cyber security, a European digital expert told Xinhua here recently. Luigi Gambardella is the president of ChinaEU, a business-led international association in Brussels that promotes bilateral digital cooperation. He believed the European Commission should make use of the re-evaluation of the EU Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) and transform it into a Chinese-European agency for network and information security. The consultation on the evaluation of ENISA is now well under way. Until now, no one has come forward with a constructive idea to overcome the dilemma between scrapping ENISA altogether or maintaining it in its current form. Stressing the possibility of using this review to set up a concrete EU-Chinese cooperation project would be timely. "Together, the EU and China can make the Internet a safer place," Gambardella said. ENISA was set up in 2004 to help ensure a high level of network and information security within the bloc. Its current objectives, mandate and tasks were set for a period ending in 2020. The Commission is now holding a public consultation that will close on April 12. It aims to make proposals for the new ENISA mandate by June 2018. Gambardella said that over the past few years, the cyber security landscape had evolved significantly in terms of threats, and technological, market, and policy developments. EU's directive on Network Information Security, adopted last July, fundamentally changed the institutional setting by requiring member states to set up a specialized network of national computer security incident response teams to deal with cyber security threats. Gambardella said the Chinese government pledged to make network and information security a national strategy and introduced a series of policies and other steps to strengthen information security and promote the development of an information security industry. "In his Davos speech, President Xi expressed China's desire to cooperate with Europe. Why not further deepen digital cooperation in the area of cyber security?" Gambardella said. CARACAS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela is going to commemorate its late President Hugo Chavez at the upcoming 14th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), said Culture Minister Adan Chavez on Friday. This Sunday, the opening day of the summit, marks the fourth anniversary of the death of Chavez, who founded the alliance to promote Latin American integration and South-South cooperation. To honor Chavez, some 200 international guests were expected to take part in a series of commemorative events lasting until March 15, Adan Chavez said in a televised press conference. Among the events scheduled is a forum on Chavez and the struggle against imperialism, which the late leader warned was one of the biggest impediments to the development of the region. Founded in 2004, ALBA was designed to reduce Latin America's reliance on western aid by promoting intra-regional alliances and cooperation in key sectors such as energy and trade. BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese currency yuan is experiencing two-way fluctuations and market expectations are stable for its future trend, central bank deputy governor Pan Gongsheng told reporters on Saturday. Pan made the remarks in Beijing before attending a panel discussion during the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, which opened on Friday. CANBERRA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The body of a five year old boy, allegedly drowned by his mother, has been found. Authorities searching for the missing five-year-old boy since Thursday on the Murray River, which runs across the border of Victoria and New South Wales (NSW), found his body on Saturday morning. The 27-year-old mother, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, handed herself in to Victorian Police late on Friday night and was extradited to New South Wales (NSW) where she was charged with one count of attempted murder with more charges expected to follow. Prosecutors will allege that the woman was fishing with her two sons, aged nine and five years old respectively, on the Murray River on Thursday. It is alleged that she asked her nine-year-old son to wade out into the water where she attempted to drown him before doing the same with the five-year-old. The older son managed to escape but was mauled by a nearby dog, the owner of which claims it was trying to save him. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery for the injuries caused by the dog but is expected to make a full recovery. Emergency service workers who discovered the body on Saturday broke down while describing what they found. "He was so little, it was awful, the whole thing has been awful, and everyone here Is devastated," one of the workers told local newspaper the Riverine Herald on Saturday. The woman reportedly picked the boys up from their grandparents, who they lived with for the past 18 months while the woman was in prison, from Deniliquin in NSW on Wednesday. Witnesses of the incident said they heard the mother say that she "had to drown her babies." Victoria Police's Detective Sergeant Trent Swinton told a Victorian court on Friday that the woman had made a full admission to her role in the incident and had told police of her "intention to kill both children." LAGOS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The governor of southwest Nigeria's Oyo State Abiola Ajimobi said Friday his administration welcomes investment from Chinese companies. Ajimobi said was speaking in Ibadan, the state capital while receiving a Chinese delegation led by Lin Jing, minister-counselor with the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria. The governor told his guests that the state government forged business ties with some Chinese groups in its newly-established Free Trade Zone along the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway. He cited the company Polaris as an example, which cooperated with the Nigerian side in establishing the Pacesetter Polaris Group. According to the governor, Pacesetter Polaris has attracted 153 construction companies. "We are planning to construct light rail in the state and I hope the project would be completed in 24 months," he said. Ajimobi added he looked forward to working with more Chinese enterprises in the fields of agriculture, solar energy and infrastructure. The governor said his state decided to strengthen its relationship with China because of the country's phenomenal economic growth. Lin said the visit was to further strengthen ties between the Chinese government and the Oyo State government. The governor has made a number of trips to China in the last three years to seek investment to improve infrastructure in his state. Malaysian national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar (L) answers questions during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Feb. 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung) KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian police issued an arrest warrant for an Air Koryo employee on Friday in connection with the investigation into an airport murder case, Malaysia's Bernama news agency reported. Kim Uk Il, an employee of the national carrier for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), was listed as a person of interest by the police along with a second secretary of the DPRK embassy. The police said earlier that the two were still in Malaysia but declined to confirm whether they are were the DPRK embassy. Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the police also sent a request via the Foreign Ministry to the DPRK embassy to question second secretary Hyon Kwang Song, who is entitled to diplomatic immunity. Also on Friday, Malaysia's Immigration Department said in a statement 47-year-old DPRK man Ri Jong Chol, who was arrested as a suspect after the killing, was handed over to the department from the police for deportation to the DPRK. Two representatives from the DPRK embassy will accompany him, said the statement. Malaysia has indicted two female suspects for murdering a DPRK man with the passport of Kim Chol. If convicted, the two will be hanged. BRASILIA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) demanded Friday the country's prosecutor-general open an investigation into corruption allegations against the government's chief of staff, Eliseu Padilha. According to the Ultimo Segundo news portal, the PSOL request demands the investigation look into whether Padilha received 10 million reais (3.2 million U.S. dollars) from the Brazilian construction company, Odebrecht, in 2014. Padilha was named as a suspect by former Odebrecht executive, Claudio Melo Filho, who said the politician negotiated illicit campaign donations from Odebrecht to his Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB). The minister was also named in corruption allegations made by Jose Yunes, a former advisor and friend of President Michel Temer. According to local media reports, Yunes said Padilha was a mediator in the distribution of illicit funds to electoral campaigns. In their statement, PSOL lawmakers asked the the prosecutor-general "to open new investigation with the needed speed to verify any irregularity." In his testimony from last December, Melo Filho said he had taken part in a 2014 dinner at the Jaburu Palace, where Temer lived as vice-president. At the dinner Temer requested financial help for the PMDB for the 2014 electoral campaign, according to Melo Filho. Melo Filho claimed that one of these payments was made to Yunes' law firm in Sao Paulo via Padilha as an intermediary. His remarks were corroborated in February by Yunes himself. In late February, Padilha requested a leave of absence from his government responsibilities citing medical reasons. Fu Ying (C, rear), spokesperson for the fifth session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC), speaks during a press conference on the session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. The fifth session of the 12th NPC is scheduled to open in Beijing on March 5. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The annual session of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), is scheduled to open Sunday morning in Beijing, a spokesperson told a press conference Saturday. The fifth session of the 12th NPC will conclude on March 15, said Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the session. A 169-member presidium for the session has been elected at a preparatory meeting. The presidium convened its first meeting Saturday morning and adopted the session's agenda, she said. National lawmakers will deliberate six reports including the government work report, draft general provisions of civil law, and three bills concerning the election of deputies to the 13th NPC, according to Fu. UNITED NATIONS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- In recent days, a video clip of Chinese UN envoy's rebuttal against criticisms of China's veto of a UN draft resolution on Syria has gone viral over the Internet and social media. China and Russia voted Tuesday against a Western-backed draft UN resolution aiming to impose sanctions over alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. Matthew Rycroft, Britain's permanent preventative to the UN, blasted the veto as a move that "undermines confidence in the international community's ability to tackle flagrant violations of international law." His words were later echoed by senior diplomats from the United States and Japan in separate remarks. In a seven-minute defense of China's vote, Liu Jieyi, China's permanent preventative to the UN, told the council that investigations on the use of chemical weapons are still ongoing and "it is too early to reach a final conclusion." He said the council should support the joint inquiry to carry out its investigations in a professional manner and make conclusions with accurate, detailed and solid evidence. "We oppose the use of chemical weapons by any state, any organization and any individual under any circumstance," he added. The senior Chinese diplomat also went off his prepared statement, and urged that "some countries should reflect on why the situation in the Middle East and Syria has developed to what it is today." "What roles have these countries played? Which acts are gracious and which are not?" There was plenty of social media response from around the world to China's stance. Njagi Muchangi from Kenya posed on Facebook that it is "the best response by the Chinese diplomat, hope others understand the deep meaning in that statement." Predrag Lazic from Serbia posted on Facebook, "Congratulations to China and Russia on their consistent behavior." The resolution, if adopted, would have imposed asset freezes and travel bans on individuals and entities associated with the Syrian government based on allegations of chemical weapon attacks made by a joint probe of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The vote came when a new round of intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva is underway. Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said the draft was put to a vote based on a doctrine of western states in spite of the efforts taken in Geneva to settle the Syrian crisis. "We see this as an attempt to retard and undermine the current political and diplomatic efforts," he said. The draft resolution would also have banned the supply of helicopters to the Syrian government. Safronkov said the measure would undermine counter-terrorism as well as humanitarian relief efforts in Syria. So, I stumbled across this interesting, but rather poorly written, account of using the A-10 Warthog to attack swarms of small boats. About 35 local boat captains simulated swarming attack maneuvers in fishing boats rigged with machine guns while fighter jets, attack helicopters, and the A-10 "Warthog" simulated attacks from above in Florida's Choctawhatchee Bay. The Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base organized the simulation, called Combat Hammer, to address one of the more pressing threats to the US Navy: attacks from swarming fast-attack craft. In the Persian Gulf, Iran has repeatedly used small, agile attack craft to harass US Navy ships in encounters that could lead to a broader conflict in a moment's notice. US Navy ships have gone as far as to fire warning shots at approaching vessels, but that was before Iranian-backed Houthi militants used a suicide boat laden with explosives to kill two aboard a Saudi navy vessel off the coast of Yemen. Contracting with local boat owners, and visually modifying them with simulated machine guns was pretty innovative. After working with those, a live fire portion of the evaluation was conducted using unmanned target boats. Combat Hammer is the program code name for the Weapon System Evaluation Program for air to ground weapons. It is run by the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group based at Tyndall AFB in Florida. Essentially, after Development Test and Evaluation, and Operational Test and Evaluation, WSEP does Follow On Test and Evaluation. FOT&E is where the tactics, techniques and procedures to use a weapon, or a family of weapons, or even complete weapon systems, are evaluated, to give operational squadrons guidance on how best to address a given threat. Rather than using their own fleet of aircraft, Combat Hammer hosts detachments from the squadrons that will actually be using the weapons and tactics. Thus, in addition to validating TTPs, the squadrons get valuable experience using weapons on a fantastic range complex, training they might not ordinarily be able to conduct. Combat Hammer hosts virtually every type of USAF aircraft with an air to ground capability. In addition, friendly foreign air forces are often invited to participate. On the air to air side, WSEP also runs Combat Archer, and even has the little discussed Combat Sledgehammer, which develops TTPs for nuclear weapons. Fu Ying, spokesperson for the fifth session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC), speaks during a press conference on the session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. The fifth session of the 12th NPC is scheduled to open in Beijing on March 5. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- There is no plan to submit a property tax bill to lawmakers for deliberation this year, a spokesperson for the annual session of China's top legislature said Saturday. "There have been a lot of discussions on this issue, as such a bill involves a wide range of interests," Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), said at a press conference. China's current housing tax mechanism mainly taxes development and sales of a property, without taxing home ownership or the market value of homes. As part of the efforts to cool the property market amid growing public complaints over runaway housing prices, China introduced a trial property tax in cities like Chongqing and Shanghai in 2010. A reform plan approved by the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in 2013 made clear that the legislation of taxes in the property sector would be accelerated. UNITED NATIONS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- In recent days, a video clip of Chinese UN envoy's rebuttal against criticisms of China's veto of a UN draft resolution on Syria has gone viral over the Internet and social media. China and Russia voted Tuesday against a Western-backed draft UN resolution aiming to impose sanctions over alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. Matthew Rycroft, Britain's permanent preventative to the UN, blasted the veto as a move that "undermines confidence in the international community's ability to tackle flagrant violations of international law." His words were later echoed by senior diplomats from the United States and Japan in separate remarks. In a seven-minute defense of China's vote, Liu Jieyi, China's permanent preventative to the UN, told the council that investigations on the use of chemical weapons are still ongoing and "it is too early to reach a final conclusion." He said the council should support the joint inquiry to carry out its investigations in a professional manner and make conclusions with accurate, detailed and solid evidence. "We oppose the use of chemical weapons by any state, any organization and any individual under any circumstance," he added. The senior Chinese diplomat also went off his prepared statement, and urged that "some countries should reflect on why the situation in the Middle East and Syria has developed to what it is today." "What roles have these countries played? Which acts are gracious and which are not?" There was plenty of social media response from around the world to China's stance. Njagi Muchangi from Kenya posed on Facebook that it is "the best response by the Chinese diplomat, hope others understand the deep meaning in that statement." Predrag Lazic from Serbia posted on Facebook, "Congratulations to China and Russia on their consistent behavior." The resolution, if adopted, would have imposed asset freezes and travel bans on individuals and entities associated with the Syrian government based on allegations of chemical weapon attacks made by a joint probe of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The vote came when a new round of intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva is underway. Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said the draft was put to a vote based on a doctrine of western states in spite of the efforts taken in Geneva to settle the Syrian crisis. "We see this as an attempt to retard and undermine the current political and diplomatic efforts," he said. The draft resolution would also have banned the supply of helicopters to the Syrian government. Safronkov said the measure would undermine counter-terrorism as well as humanitarian relief efforts in Syria. Enditem Liu Jieyi (right), China's permanent representative to the UN speaks after the UN Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution aiming to establish a sanctions regime over use of chemicals weapons in Syria, with UK, U.S. diplomats (left, up and down respectively) present, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 28, 2017. UNITED NATIONS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- In recent days, a video clip of Chinese UN envoy's rebuttal against criticisms of China's veto of a UN draft resolution on Syria has gone viral over the Internet and social media. China and Russia voted Tuesday against a Western-backed draft UN resolution aiming to impose sanctions over alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. Matthew Rycroft, Britain's permanent preventative to the UN, blasted the veto as a move that "undermines confidence in the international community's ability to tackle flagrant violations of international law." His words were later echoed by senior diplomats from the United States and Japan in separate remarks. In a seven-minute defense of China's vote, Liu Jieyi, China's permanent preventative to the UN, told the council that investigations on the use of chemical weapons are still ongoing and "it is too early to reach a final conclusion." He said the council should support the joint inquiry to carry out its investigations in a professional manner and make conclusions with accurate, detailed and solid evidence. "We oppose the use of chemical weapons by any state, any organization and any individual under any circumstance," he added. The senior Chinese diplomat also went off his prepared statement, and urged that "some countries should reflect on why the situation in the Middle East and Syria has developed to what it is today." "What roles have these countries played? Which acts are gracious and which are not?" There was plenty of social media response from around the world to China's stance. Njagi Muchangi from Kenya posed on Facebook that it is "the best response by the Chinese diplomat, hope others understand the deep meaning in that statement." Predrag Lazic from Serbia posted on Facebook, "Congratulations to China and Russia on their consistent behavior." The resolution, if adopted, would have imposed asset freezes and travel bans on individuals and entities associated with the Syrian government based on allegations of chemical weapon attacks made by a joint probe of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The vote came when a new round of intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva is underway. Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said the draft was put to a vote based on a doctrine of western states in spite of the efforts taken in Geneva to settle the Syrian crisis. "We see this as an attempt to retard and undermine the current political and diplomatic efforts," he said. The draft resolution would also have banned the supply of helicopters to the Syrian government. Safronkov said the measure would undermine counter-terrorism as well as humanitarian relief efforts in Syria. Enditem Why are Danes happiest people in the world? Xinhua Weibo Facebook Twitter Reddit Diigo Delicious Digg Linkedin MySpace Sina Weibo Kaixin Renren Q-zone Tencent Weibo Sohu Weibo NetEase Weibo Source: Xinhua | 2017-03-04 14:53:04 | Editor: huaxia By Ru Ge Danes are reportedly the happiest people in the world. As a curious Chinese exchange student at Copenhagen University, I wanted to explore some of their secrets to happiness, and have been mingling with Danish people and experiencing Danish culture on a first-hand basis. As time went on, I discovered a few reasons behind Denmark having the highest "happiness quota" in the world. The Little Mermaid.(Xinhua/Shi Shouhe) First and foremost, Denmark has an advanced social safety net to ensure the welfare of its citizens. If people are unable to work due to sickness or other reasons, the Danish government will pay them a fairly decent amount of money monthly, even if their spouses are wealthy enough to support them. In addition, universities are tuition-free and students receive monthly government allowances (two bachelor students at Copenhagen University told me that they each receive 5,500 Danish kroner monthly from the government). In addition to that, pregnant mothers enjoy six months paid leave for each child, and senior citizens who are older than 67 are given adequate pensions. Even though they have to pay a relatively high rate of tax compared to other countries, the safety net designed by the government is so secure that almost no one has to worry about their future. Andersen's fairy tales come to China. (Xinhua/Su Yang) Secondly, there is a concept in Denmark called the Law of Jante. This is a set of ideas that Scandinavians hold to, which place an emphasis on collective good and social solidarity over individual achievements. Because of this, there's not much of a competitive atmosphere within Denmark. People don't compare themselves with others or compete against each other most of the time. For example, if one student is from a prestigious university and the other one is from a lesser counterpart, there are no real differences between them in the Danish mindset. Danes think university is just a place for study, and there is no strong concept of ranking in Denmark. At school, professors are not allowed to single out higher achieving students for praise, and they wouldn' t criticize lower achieving students. Everyone is equal and all are encouraged by teachers despite their academic performance. Another result of this mentality is the lack of an obvious social hierarchy in Denmark. Professors and students often drink beer together and chat, and even service people like electricians maintain equal footing with their boss. This egalitarianism helps create a harmonious society. Thirdly, Danes strike an appropriate balance between work and relaxation. Danis schools start at 9 a.m. end at 2 or 3 p.m. Because of this, students have ample free time to pursue their hobbies and socialize with their friends. Their extra curricular activities are diverse and their lives are colorful. Life is not stressful those who are already employed. On average, each Danish person works for 37 hours a week and has 40 days of vacation per year. Working extra hours is not encouraged, so Danes are rarely stress out. Danish cyclists at the Olympics. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo) Fourthly, Danish society is quite liberal and tolerant. No one has to hide their quirks, uniqueness, or identity, and all are free to live as they wish. Fifthly, Danish food sold in the supermarket is quite safe due to high safety standards. There are no worries about food safety in the country. Finally, the air in Denmark is fresh and clear of pollution. Danes have ample opportunity to exercise outdoors, which allows for a great quality of life. Xinhua Weibo Facebook Twitter Reddit Diigo Delicious Digg Linkedin MySpace Sina Weibo Kaixin Renren Q-zone Tencent Weibo Sohu Weibo NetEase Weibo Back to Top Close KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A member of the Afghan Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the country's parliament, was injured Saturday after gunmen spread bullets on a vehicle in the southern province of Kandahar, a local official said. BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The Central Institute of Socialism (CIS) held its first seminar for Catholic clergy in China to discuss Chinese culture and religious policies. The seminar runs from March 1 to March 7 and 49 Catholic clergy members from Beijing and east China's Jiangxi Province will attend. Scholars, including Canadian professor of politics Daniel Bell, have been invited to lecture on topics including Confucianism, development of Christian culture in China and the history of relations between Chinese politics and religion. The CIS said it will hold a seminar for representatives from the Christian community in China on similar topics. Founded in 1956, the CIS is a political academy for non-communist parties and people without party affiliation. It has offered Chinese cultural education to figures from ethnic and religious circles, new social groups, as well as the private sector. KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A member of the Afghan Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the country's parliament, was injured after gunmen spread bullets on a vehicle in the southern province of Kandahar on Saturday, a local official said. Malim Mir Wali, a representative of the southern province of Helmand, came under attack in Police District 10 in Kandahar on Saturday morning, a source told Xinhua. He was fatally wounded by three bullets in the abdomen and was receiving treatment in Kandahar Regional Hospital, the source said. The provincial police have launched an investigation into the case and more details will be released afterward, he said, adding that the shooters fled the scene shortly after the firing. No group has claimed the shooting, but the Taliban militant group often claims responsibly for targeted killings. More than 650 Afghans were killed and over 560 others wounded by targeted attacks across the country last year, according to latest figures released by the UN mission in the country. TUNIS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Besides strengthening bilateral economic ties, the repatriation of illegal immigrants to their country of origin constituted the central focus of the visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Tunisia on Friday. Addressing to the deputies of the Assembly of Representatives of the People (ARP, Parliament), Merkel said that "Germany is ready to welcome refugees escaping the war, but illegal immigrants will have to leave the country, if necessary by force. " "Many young people, by illegal immigration, hope for a better life in Europe. The European Union is working to cooperate more with Tunisia in this sense," said the German Chancellor, during an extraordinary plenary held in her honor. Earlier in the day, Merkel was welcomed at the Carthage palace in Tunis by the Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi who announced the signing of an agreement between the two countries on the repatriation of 1,500 Tunisians illegally settled in Germany. According to the German Chancellor, Tunisian emigrants illegally settled in Germany will be voluntarily returned to their country with financial assistance to facilitate their social reintegration, in particular their employability. "We found an agreement on the repatriation of 1,500 Tunisians whose residence permit in Germany was refused. Those who want to return voluntarily will benefit from a financial contribution," explained Merkel. "We are concerned about the human tragedy in some countries and we are ready to welcome refugees who suffer the repercussions of conflicts and are threatened by the war," said the German Chancellor. On the economic side, Merkel announced that her government would provide Tunisia with 250 million euros in development aid, besides the launch of a center for development of the capacities of the young people which will have a local and regional scope. The German Chancellor also announced the launch of a training center in Tunisia for the youth in specific fields in order to orient them to specialized sectors and guarantee their employability. An additional 15 million euro will be provided as well by the German government to support development plans in Tunisia. As part of the official visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Tunisia, the first Tunisian-German information center for employment, migration and reintegration was inaugurated by the Minister of Professional Training and Employment, Imed Hammami, and the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller. Financed by the German government, the center will open an open space for jobseekers who will benefit from a platform of information concerning professional integration, with an overview of concrete programs actually existing in Tunisia to facilitate the creation of projects, according to the Tunisian Minister Hammami. According to Merkel, improving Tunisia's growth and its economic situation will save young people of the feeling of despair and, consequently, any attempt to flee to Europe by illegal emigration. During her visit to Tunisia, as part of a tour in the region including Egypt, the German Chancellor expressed her respect at the initiative of the Tunisian President who calls for a "political resolution" concerning the Libyan crisis. "Germany expresses its willingness to support efforts to spare Libya from the conflicts and ensure stability in the region," Merkel reassured at the end of her meeting with the President of The Tunisian Republic. She also expressed her respect for the tripartite initiative between Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt. This initiative pushes for a political resolution of the conflict in Libya in which all the Libyan parties should be involved in a peaceful concession process under the aegis of the United Nations. Tunis had hosted a tripartite meeting in February with Algeria and Egypt at the level of the foreign ministres, after which a summit of the three heads of state will be held soon in Algiers of Algeria. The Tunisian president Youssef Chahed, during his visit in Berlin two weeks ago, categorically refused the installation, on German proposal, of camps of refugees who failed to cross the Mediterranean, which prevents their access to the old continent. In a statement to the German press, Youssef Chahed made it quite clear that "this can not work" for lack of capacity to install such camps on the Tunisian soil. This tension was triggered by the Tunisian Anis Amri, author of the attack of Berlin in a Christmas market last December, killing 12 deaths and about fifty wounded. According to Berlin, Anis Amri had failed to obtain an entry visa to Germany in June 2016, and his deportation had not taken place due to lack of documentation provided by the Tunisian authorities. Tunisia is ready to welcome its emigrant citizens illegally entered to Germany after verifying their identities in full respect of their rights while guaranteeing them the best conditions for a dignified life In their country, said the Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Khemais Jhinaoui. At present, the number of the Tunisian community legally settled in Germany is 94,536, told to Xinhua the General Director of Consular Affairs in the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chafik Hajji. According to him, this number is distributed as following: 7,652 Tunisians settled in Berlin, 42,306 in Born, 22,319 in Munich and 22,259 in Hamburg. KABUL, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A pilotless plane of the NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) coalition forces crashed in Afghanistan's eastern province of Parwan overnight, leaving no casualties, the RS forces said Saturday. "A U.S. unmanned aerial system malfunctioned overnight near Bagram Airfield. Forces recovered key parts of the vehicle. No casualties," they twitted. The Bagram Airfield, some 50 km north of the Afghan capital of Kabul, has been serving as a main U.S. and NATO military base in Afghanistan over the past 15 years. Drones are often used by the coalition forces for reconnaissance missions and to attack militants in remote areas of the mountainous Central Asian country. Fu Ying, spokesperson for the fifth session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC), speaks during a press conference on the session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. The fifth session of the 12th NPC is scheduled to open in Beijing on March 5. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- If challenges are posed to China-U.S. relations, China will take them as they come, a spokesperson said at a press conference Saturday. Policy adjustments by the new U.S. administration will impact the world and Sino-U.S. relations, said Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, which will open Sunday. "We certainly hope the impacts are positive," Fu said, stressing cooperation is widely regarded as the main trend in relations between the two big countries. There have been a lot of high-level exchanges between China and the United States, Fu said, citing two phone conversations between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, which she said had sent a clear message that the two countries should cooperate more and be good partners. Fu also shared her observation that U.S. society does not know China very well. She said she had noticed from the U.S. presidential campaign last year that all presidential candidates had told "old, or not-quite-true stories" about China, which is "not normal in a society where information is highly accessible." Noting limited first-hand information about China in the U.S. press and TV programs, and few articles and books written by Chinese available in the United States, Fu said China will make greater efforts to offer more information on China to the international community, including the United States. She also voiced hope that foreign reporters, who are covering the annual sessions of China's top legislature and top political advisory body,would pay more attention to "new China stories." Ive been thinking a lot about expertise lately . Not just with some happenings within federal government and political changes, but because of eyelash pit vipers. Let me explain. I traveled to Costa Rica two years ago and was super eager to go hiking. I had planned a virtual hiking-palooza. And I felt like I was really prepared to do it. I have probably hundreds of hours of hiking experience. Growing up in Florida, I could tell you at least 10 pointers for hiking in alligator mating season. I had read every field guide and travel guide; I had scoured more articles than I could count. And my husband was an outdoor wilderness major, so we were all set for Costa Rica. Practically experts, right? When we arrived to our first lodge, we were surprised when found out that we couldnt hike without a guide. What? Really? It didnt make sense. We had prepared extensively and were ready to tackle anything Costa Rica could throw our way. But what we really had was a false sense of expertise. Heres why. Within 5 minutes of our first hike-led by an expert guide-we ran into this guy. And we didnt run into him, but our guide carefully pointed him out to us. He was hiding right on the side of trail, about arm level height. So if you were walking on the side of the trail and swinging your arms more widely, you were out of luck. This guy is an eyelash pit viper. He is an ambush predator who has one of the fastest strikes for a snake, because he preys on birds and hummingbirds. His venom is also neurotoxic, affecting both your cardiovascular and nervous system. His venom can also cause loss of limbs and death for adults. But we didnt just meet this one guy. We also met him. And then this venomous fellow. Three eyelash pit vipers. One hike. Not only did our expert guide prevent us from getting hurt or dying, but he was also able to identify these through deep camouflage and teach us how to do so as well. He knew exactly what he was doing, he was trained extensively, and he had many years of experience. Expertise matters outside of education, and it does inside education as well. I just read the Death of Expertise by Tom Nichols , in which he states: Experts come in many flavors. Education enables it, but practitioners in a field acquire expertise with experience; usually the combination of the two is the true mark of expertise. Today Im taking a moment to be thankful for the flavor of expertise that saved my life and taught me a valuable lesson outside of education. Heres to embracing that lesson inside education as well. Expertise matters. Experience matters. Arent the futures of our students just as precious and valuable? Photos courtesy of the author and Mike Flynn Fu Ying, spokesperson for the fifth session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC), speaks during a press conference on the session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. The fifth session of the 12th NPC is scheduled to open in Beijing on March 5. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China's 2017 defense budget will expand by about 7 percent, a spokesperson for the annual session of the country's top legislature said Saturday. Fu Ying, spokesperson for the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) annual session, said the increase is in line with China's economic development and defense needs. The new increase could be the country's slowest defense budget rise in at least a decade, marking the second time for the defense budget increase to dip into the single digits since 2010. In 2009, the figure was about 15 percent. "China's military capacity building will be continued. This is the requirement for safeguarding our national sovereignty and security," Fu told a press conference. Her words came as China's economic growth registered a nearly three-decade low of 6.7 percent. However, the rate still outpaced most other major economies. Premier Li Keqiang will unveil the government's 2017 GDP target on Sunday. The exact figure for this year's defense budget is also expected to be released in a budget report Sunday. According to the budget report of last year's session, China's defense budget in 2016 was set to grow 7.6 percent to 954 billion yuan (about 138 billion U.S. dollars). Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to further strengthen his country's military buildup. In his first address to Congress after taking office, Trump proposed a huge 54-billion-U.S. dollar surge in the country's military spending, up 10 percent from the previous year. Fu, meanwhile, noted that China's defense spending accounts for only about 1.3 percent of the country's GDP, compared with NATO members' pledge to dedicate at least 2 percent of GDP to defense. "You should ask them what their intentions are," Fu told reporters, adding that China has "never inflicted harm on other countries." "Of all the conflicts and wars in the world that have killed and displaced so many people and caused significant losses of property, which one is China to blame for?" she asked. Concerning disputes between China and neighboring countries, Fu said China advocates dialogue and peaceful solutions in addressing those issues. "But in the meantime, we must also have the capability to defend our sovereignty, our rights and interests," she said. "In particular, we must guard against outside forces from interfering with such issues," Fu said without elaborating. "The enhancement of China's capabilities is conducive to safeguarding regional peace and stability, not the contrary," she continued. According to Fu, China and some ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries have already returned to dialogue and consultation, and tensions in the South China Sea have shown trends of easing. "As to the future development [of the settlement of these disputes], I think we also need to take into account the intentions on the U.S. side," she said, calling the United States' actions in the South China Sea a "weather vane" for the region. Fu went on to say that concerns over navigational freedom in the South China Sea are misleading and uncalled for. "In essence ... Washington is perhaps concerned that China could catch up with or surpass the United States in terms of capability," she said, noting that there is still a huge gap between the two countries. Fu said whether a military poses a threat rests on its "strategic intentions." "Thus the key question we should really ask is whether we are pursuing common security or exclusive security," Fu said. "China wants common security for all, and this is the shared consensus of many Asian countries as well," she said. BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China's currency, the yuan, is experiencing two-way fluctuations, and market expectations are stable for its future trend, central bank deputy governor Pan Gongsheng told reporters on Saturday. Pan made the remarks in Beijing before attending a panel discussion during the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, which opened on Friday. Speaking of market concerns over China's waning foreign exchange reserves, which are now below the closely watched 3-trillion-U.S.-dollar mark, Pan said that such a mark is "meaningless" as the value of forex reserve is a "continuous variable." The country's forex reserves dipped to about 2.998 trillion U.S. dollars in January, down from about 3.01 trillion U.S. dollars in December 2016, representing the seventh consecutive monthly contraction, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange data showed. "China's forex reserves are more than sufficient, either by internationally accepted traditional standards or the lastest standards worked out by scholars," said Pan. Yi Gang, another central bank deputy governor, said on the same occasion that an interest-rate increase is not necessary for China for the time being. China has set the tone of its 2017 monetary policy as prudent and neutral, keeping appropriate liquidity but also avoiding excessive liquidity injections. by Fuad Rajeh ADEN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. conducted tens of raids by manned and unmanned aircraft as well as warships targeting AQAP in Yemen in the past 48 hours, in what observers said has marked a change to the U.S. war on terror in the war-torn country. The U.S. has been targeting AQAP with drones in many parts of Yemen for more than a decade. On January 29, a US commando raid was carried out in Baidha province in which 25 civilians and a US navy seal were killed during battles with AQAP militants. That was the first time US forces engaged in a ground fight with militants in Yemen. Nabil Albukiri, a researcher specialized in Islamist groups, said the latest raids either the one in January or those this month marked a major change in the US war on terror in Yemen while expecting further direct US military intervention in the country. However, Albukiri downplayed the impact of direct foreign military intervention to fight militant groups in Yemen. "Actually, military interventions make terrorism change from a containable and individual problem into a very complicated and community phenomenon especially in Arab and Muslim countries," Albukiri said. "Saying the U.S. war on terror is counterproductive is not new. The US has had many experiences in this context including the war in Afghanistan. The result is clear: terrorist groups, latest ISIL, are continuing to grow and strike," he added. The latest raids were carried out in the provinces of Baidha, Abyan and Shabwa where AQAP has been expanding for years. Al-Qaida has been expanding in these regions since unrest swept across Yemen in 2011. With direct support from the US and recently from the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia, the government drove militants out of areas they had seized in Abyan, Shabwa and Hadramout several times. But AQAP has been taking advantage of the ongoing conflict between the government and the Houthi-Saleh alliance as well as security vacuum in southern and southeastern regions liberated from the Houthi-Saleh forces. The Pentagon said it carried out 20 raids in Yemen on March 2. However, locals estimated the raids were between 30 and 40 in the three provinces. At least 11 Al-Qaida militants were killed and several civilians injured in them, local and security sources said. Yaseen Al-Tamimi, a political analyst and writer, said the death of the US navy seal in the January's raid has triggered wide criticism of the US counterterror efforts and "now the US administration is apparently seeking to cover its failure and escape criticism through launching more raids in Yemen." Ahmed Noman, an expert at the Red Sea and East Africa Research Center, said the U.S. is picturing AQAP as an extremely dangerous group in order to intervene and then restore its status and role in the region amid increasing Russian influence. "The results from the latest huge U.S. intervention were so modest with a small number of militants killed. And that is why I say the U.S. is just seeking to make Yemen an open arena for counterterror operations or an alternative place for show after it has lost influence in Syria primarily because of Russia," Noman elaborated. The London-based bureau of investigative journalism has documented at least 186 U.S. air and drone strikes and Special Forces raids in Yemen since 2002. At least 853 people have been killed, 158 of them were reported to be civilians, according to the bureau. The Yemeni government has not commented on the latest raids which the U.S. said had been carried out in partnership with it. Observers ruled out that U.S. military intervention will affect the course of the ongoing conflict between the legitimate government backed by the Saudi-led coalition and the alliance of the former president and Iran-backed Houthi-militants, nor was it a message to any group but Al-Qaida. Saudi Arabia has been bombing Yemen since March 2015 with direct support from the U.S., the UK and other Western and other allies. On the ground, the Saudi-led coalition has been providing direct support to the government forces fighting the Houthi-Saleh forces for two years. BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Over the past three years, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPA) has posted nearly 1,300 pieces of information on major duty-related criminal cases on its official social media accounts. The top procuratorate launched its official microblog account on March 3, 2014 to boost transparency, and it currently runs 12 accounts on microblog platforms, instant messaging app WeChat and other mobile apps, according to an SPP statement. The SPP has also updated information via social media about graft investigations into 86 officials at the ministerial level and above, including Zhou Yongkang, Ling Jihua and Ling Zhengce, as well as about high-profile cases such as the Tianjin warehouse blasts, the Shenzhen landslide and the vaccine scandal. It has broadcasted 38 press conferences live on topics related to the public interest, including corruption, violence in campuses and hospitals and food safety, on its microblog platforms, said the statement. According to the SPP, official social media accounts of procuratorates at all levels now have a total of more than 115 million followers. Yemenis check the site of an air raid that hit a funeral reception in the Arhab district, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the capital Sanaa, on February 16, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) ADEN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. conducted tens of raids by manned and unmanned aircraft as well as warships targeting AQAP in Yemen in the past 48 hours, in what observers said has marked a change to the U.S. war on terror in the war-torn country. The U.S. has been targeting AQAP with drones in many parts of Yemen for more than a decade. On January 29, a US commando raid was carried out in Baidha province in which 25 civilians and a US navy seal were killed during battles with AQAP militants. That was the first time US forces engaged in a ground fight with militants in Yemen. Nabil Albukiri, a researcher specialized in Islamist groups, said the latest raids either the one in January or those this month marked a major change in the US war on terror in Yemen while expecting further direct US military intervention in the country. However, Albukiri downplayed the impact of direct foreign military intervention to fight militant groups in Yemen. "Actually, military interventions make terrorism change from a containable and individual problem into a very complicated and community phenomenon especially in Arab and Muslim countries," Albukiri said. "Saying the U.S. war on terror is counterproductive is not new. The US has had many experiences in this context including the war in Afghanistan. The result is clear: terrorist groups, latest ISIL, are continuing to grow and strike," he added. The latest raids were carried out in the provinces of Baidha, Abyan and Shabwa where AQAP has been expanding for years. Al-Qaida has been expanding in these regions since unrest swept across Yemen in 2011. With direct support from the US and recently from the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia, the government drove militants out of areas they had seized in Abyan, Shabwa and Hadramout several times. But AQAP has been taking advantage of the ongoing conflict between the government and the Houthi-Saleh alliance as well as security vacuum in southern and southeastern regions liberated from the Houthi-Saleh forces. The Pentagon said it carried out 20 raids in Yemen on March 2. However, locals estimated the raids were between 30 and 40 in the three provinces. At least 11 Al-Qaida militants were killed and several civilians injured in them, local and security sources said. Yaseen Al-Tamimi, a political analyst and writer, said the death of the US navy seal in the January's raid has triggered wide criticism of the US counterterror efforts and "now the US administration is apparently seeking to cover its failure and escape criticism through launching more raids in Yemen." Ahmed Noman, an expert at the Red Sea and East Africa Research Center, said the U.S. is picturing AQAP as an extremely dangerous group in order to intervene and then restore its status and role in the region amid increasing Russian influence. "The results from the latest huge U.S. intervention were so modest with a small number of militants killed. And that is why I say the U.S. is just seeking to make Yemen an open arena for counterterror operations or an alternative place for show after it has lost influence in Syria primarily because of Russia," Noman elaborated. The London-based bureau of investigative journalism has documented at least 186 U.S. air and drone strikes and Special Forces raids in Yemen since 2002. At least 853 people have been killed, 158 of them were reported to be civilians, according to the bureau. The Yemeni government has not commented on the latest raids which the U.S. said had been carried out in partnership with it. Observers ruled out that U.S. military intervention will affect the course of the ongoing conflict between the legitimate government backed by the Saudi-led coalition and the alliance of the former president and Iran-backed Houthi-militants, nor was it a message to any group but Al-Qaida. Saudi Arabia has been bombing Yemen since March 2015 with direct support from the U.S., the UK and other Western and other allies. On the ground, the Saudi-led coalition has been providing direct support to the government forces fighting the Houthi-Saleh forces for two years. MANILA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could not hide his grandparental pride when he heard the news about the birth of his newest grandchild late Thursday. "I have to fly home because my daughter gave birth," Duterte, 71, broke the news to guests attending the induction of newly-elected officers of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the central Philippine city of Cebu on Thursday night. Duterte was referring to his daughter, Sara, now the mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao, Duterte's home city. Duterte's daughter gave birth to a healthy baby boy through caesarian section on Thursday. The mayor's spokesman Jefry Tupas told reporters the baby weighed 2.42 kilograms. The new baby, who was named Marko Digong Carpio, is the third child of Sara. "I am very excited to go home. I'd be flying home directly and will go straight to the hospital because I heard that he was named Marko Digong," Duterte said. Digong has been Duterte's nickname since he became a politician three decades ago. Duterte also announced that his newest grandson will be given the nickname Stonefish, eliciting laughter from the audience. "Poor child," he said, eliciting more laughter from the audience. "I am so happy. Thank God!" Sara has two other children: Mikhaila Maria or Sharky, 8, and Mateo Lucas or Stingray, 4. Spokesman Tupas said Sara is known as the "Mother Ocean" and loves to name her children after fish. Sara was pregnant with triplets but lost two to miscarriage in September last year. Duterte at the time said he was emotional when he heard the news. "I cried... These are the things in life you just have to be yourself. I cried all day," an emotional Duterte told a news conference in September, adding he went to the bathroom after he was told about what happened to Sara's babies. Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella told presidential reporters that the arrival of Stonefish fortifies Duterte's resolve "to leave a legacy of a Philippines safe and secure from drugs and heinous crimes to future generation of Filipinos." Sara is Duterte's only daughter to his first marriage. She has two other brothers. Duterte has another daughter with his current partner. Duterte assumed the presidency in June last year. He will be turning 72 on March 28. Tunisian Minister of Justice Ghazi Jeribi presides over the official opening ceremony and presentation of the national body to combat human trafficking in Tunisia on February 8, 2017 in Tunis. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) TUNIS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Besides strengthening bilateral economic ties, the repatriation of illegal immigrants to their country of origin constituted the central focus of the visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Tunisia on Friday. Addressing to the deputies of the Assembly of Representatives of the People (ARP, Parliament), Merkel said that "Germany is ready to welcome refugees escaping the war, but illegal immigrants will have to leave the country, if necessary by force. " "Many young people, by illegal immigration, hope for a better life in Europe. The European Union is working to cooperate more with Tunisia in this sense," said the German Chancellor, during an extraordinary plenary held in her honor. Earlier in the day, Merkel was welcomed at the Carthage palace in Tunis by the Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi who announced the signing of an agreement between the two countries on the repatriation of 1,500 Tunisians illegally settled in Germany. According to the German Chancellor, Tunisian emigrants illegally settled in Germany will be voluntarily returned to their country with financial assistance to facilitate their social reintegration, in particular their employability. "We found an agreement on the repatriation of 1,500 Tunisians whose residence permit in Germany was refused. Those who want to return voluntarily will benefit from a financial contribution," explained Merkel. "We are concerned about the human tragedy in some countries and we are ready to welcome refugees who suffer the repercussions of conflicts and are threatened by the war," said the German Chancellor. On the economic side, Merkel announced that her government would provide Tunisia with 250 million euros in development aid, besides the launch of a center for development of the capacities of the young people which will have a local and regional scope. The German Chancellor also announced the launch of a training center in Tunisia for the youth in specific fields in order to orient them to specialized sectors and guarantee their employability. An additional 15 million euro will be provided as well by the German government to support development plans in Tunisia. As part of the official visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Tunisia, the first Tunisian-German information center for employment, migration and reintegration was inaugurated by the Minister of Professional Training and Employment, Imed Hammami, and the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller. Financed by the German government, the center will open an open space for jobseekers who will benefit from a platform of information concerning professional integration, with an overview of concrete programs actually existing in Tunisia to facilitate the creation of projects, according to the Tunisian Minister Hammami. According to Merkel, improving Tunisia's growth and its economic situation will save young people of the feeling of despair and, consequently, any attempt to flee to Europe by illegal emigration. During her visit to Tunisia, as part of a tour in the region including Egypt, the German Chancellor expressed her respect at the initiative of the Tunisian President who calls for a "political resolution" concerning the Libyan crisis. "Germany expresses its willingness to support efforts to spare Libya from the conflicts and ensure stability in the region," Merkel reassured at the end of her meeting with the President of The Tunisian Republic. She also expressed her respect for the tripartite initiative between Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt. This initiative pushes for a political resolution of the conflict in Libya in which all the Libyan parties should be involved in a peaceful concession process under the aegis of the United Nations. Tunis had hosted a tripartite meeting in February with Algeria and Egypt at the level of the foreign ministres, after which a summit of the three heads of state will be held soon in Algiers of Algeria. The Tunisian president Youssef Chahed, during his visit in Berlin two weeks ago, categorically refused the installation, on German proposal, of camps of refugees who failed to cross the Mediterranean, which prevents their access to the old continent. In a statement to the German press, Youssef Chahed made it quite clear that "this can not work" for lack of capacity to install such camps on the Tunisian soil. This tension was triggered by the Tunisian Anis Amri, author of the attack of Berlin in a Christmas market last December, killing 12 deaths and about fifty wounded. According to Berlin, Anis Amri had failed to obtain an entry visa to Germany in June 2016, and his deportation had not taken place due to lack of documentation provided by the Tunisian authorities. Tunisia is ready to welcome its emigrant citizens illegally entered to Germany after verifying their identities in full respect of their rights while guaranteeing them the best conditions for a dignified life In their country, said the Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Khemais Jhinaoui. At present, the number of the Tunisian community legally settled in Germany is 94,536, told to Xinhua the General Director of Consular Affairs in the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chafik Hajji. According to him, this number is distributed as following: 7,652 Tunisians settled in Berlin, 42,306 in Born, 22,319 in Munich and 22,259 in Hamburg. XI'AN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Shaanxi Province pledged to reduce coal consumption by 10 million tonnes in 2017 to ease smog, the provincial development and reform commission announced on Saturday. It is the province's biggest coal consumption-cutting plan in recent years, the commission said. The plan will mainly focus on the Guanzhong area, which includes six cities and two districts, including the provincial capital Xi'an, Baoji city and Xianyang city, where the coal consumption per square kilometer was twice the provincial average last year, according to statistics. New energy will be promoted to replace coal for both enterprises and households, according to Su Yuanlin, deputy head of the commission. The government will increase investment in natural gas and electric power companies, build more gas pipelines, and offer subsidies for households. Emissions from coal are cited as a cause of the high concentration of breathable toxic particulate matter, known as PM 2.5, which causes smog. PHNOM PENH, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian police arrested a Laotian man on suspicion of trafficking nearly 5 kg of crystal methamphetamine in the northeastern province of Stung Treng on Saturday. The suspect, identified as Maison Saiyakham, 39, was arrested while smuggling the illicit drugs from Laos into Cambodia, the national police said on its website. "Some 4.92 kg of crystal methamphetamine were seized from the suspect during the crackdown," it said. Cambodia has no death sentence for drug traffickers. Under its law, a person who trafficks more than 80 grams of illicit drug will face a life imprisonment. The Southeast Asian country launched a six-month anti-drug campaign on Jan. 1, 2017. According to an Interior Ministry report on Friday, the authorities have arrested 4,823 drug-related suspects in 2,065 cases in the first two months of the campaign. BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese commerce ministry official has rejected a recent U.S. ruling on Chinese steel products imports as "groundless." In the ruling, the United States declared that stainless steel sheet and strip imports from China are subsidized and sold in the United States at less than fair value. The United States failed to take into consideration the evidence and documents provided by Chinese manufacturers, and its ruling is against the facts, said Wang Hejun, head of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC)'s trade remedy and investigation bureau. The United States International Trade Commission said Friday it had determined that U.S. industry is materially harmed by imports of stainless steel sheet and strip from China. Difficulties facing the U.S. steel industry mainly stem from its outdated equipment and low efficiency and are thus not related to products China has sold in the country, said Wang. During the investigation, demand for Chinese-made stainless steel sheet and strip grew, and imports from China have actually helped meet the rising demand, Wang added. China and the United States are complementary in their steel trade, and China not only exports steel products to the United States but also imports U.S.-made steel products, Wang said. China urges the United States to make an objective and fair ruling to avoid negatively affecting the normal economic and trade relations between the two countries, Wang added. Chinese exporters suffered a total of 20 trade remedy probes initiated by the United States in 2016, an 81.1-percent increase year on year, the MOC said in February. The 11 anti-dumping and nine anti-subsidy investigations involved 3.7 billion U.S. dollars, up 131 percent from 2015, the MOC said. Family Therapists Can Diagnose Nonmedical Disorders, TX Court Rules Marriage and family therapists in Texas can breathe a sigh of relief now that the state's supreme court has ruled in their favor. The Texas Therapist's Board was sued by the Texas Medical Association in 2008 in order to prevent therapists from diagnosing patients. After nearly a decade, the case may now finally be over. Last week's ruling overturned the lower trial and appeal courts' decisions, which found that allowing therapists to diagnose patients allowed therapists to engage in the unauthorized practice of medicine. The Texas Supreme Court found that the medical association was being overly semantic by not allowing therapists to diagnose patients. In practical terms, the types of issues diagnosed by therapists generally fall within their area of expertise, and the issues are in a different category of conditions not exclusively diagnosable by medical doctors. What Can a Therapist Diagnose? While diagnosing medical conditions remains the province of medical doctors, the therapist's board successfully argued that licensed therapists only needed to diagnose emotional, behavioral, and mental conditions. Examples of these conditions include: anxiety, anorexia, depression, and addiction. Typically, most state laws require a medical professional of any kind be licensed in order to provide any types of diagnosis in order to avoid the grave danger of misdiagnosis. The board argued, and the court found, that therapists need to be able to diagnose these types of conditions in order to be able to find the appropriate treatment methods or approaches, and also to know when medical intervention may be necessary. Details of the Decision As the Texas Supreme Court noted, the lower courts' decisions made Texas the only state in the country where licensed therapists could not diagnose patients within their specialties. While the court found this, in and of itself, telling, the court did not consider it. After all, when has Texas been known for caring about what the rest of the country thinks about it. The court did consider the fact, and found compelling, that chiropractors' rights to diagnose were not being challenged. Generally, the case focused on resolving a conflict between the Texas laws authorizing marriage and family therapists to do their jobs and the Texas laws authorizing medical doctors to do their jobs. In the end, the court needed to find a balance that would allow both MDs and MFTs to happily co-exist and serve the public. Related Resources: A Maasai woman carries water at Olomayiana West, Kajiado County, Kenya, Feb. 15, 2017. The Kenyan government has declared the drought affecting 23 arid and semi-arid counties and pockets of other areas a national disaster. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo) NAIROBI, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A prolonged drought across the East African region and heavy flooding in some southern African countries are compounding the effects of conflicts to make people's lives difficult. Against the global trend of good harvests, Africa, especially its eastern part, faces the challenge of worsening food security due to drought and conflicts. Some 37 countries require external assistance for food, including 28 African countries, as a result of lingering effects of last year's El Nino-triggered drought on harvests, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In South Sudan, nearly half of the population of 11.3 million are in urgent need of food aid as the UN declared famine in the East African nation last week. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in South Sudan, with over 2 million displaced as unrelenting violence followed despite a peace pact signed in August 2015. In Somalia, some 44 local and international aid agencies have appealed to UN to take urgent action to avert possible famine in the Horn of Africa nation where at least 6.2 million people face acute food shortage. In a joint letter to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the agencies urged the UN chief to encourage international community to step up efforts to ensure that the mistakes made in 2011 are not repeated and push for immediate drought relief transitioning to longer restoration of livelihoods. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also warned that "Severe drought, rising prices, continued insecurity and access limitations, and depressed rain forecasts suggest famine is possible again in Somalia." In the Greater Horn of Africa, the number of severely food-insecure people has increased to 22.9 million in February as a prolonged drought led to failed harvests, said the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a recent report. OCHA warned that drought in the Horn of Africa is expected to intensify in the coming months, with a delayed start to the rainy season and depressed levels of precipitation forecast for March-May in most of the region. Extensive crop failures and record low vegetation, together with significant livestock deaths, are currently observed across Somalia, southern and eastern Ethiopia, and northern and coastal Kenya. While East Africa reels over protracted drought and delayed rainy season, some countries in southern Africa experienced excessive rainfall most recently, incurring heavy human and property losses. In Zimbabwe, the government has declared a state of disaster, saying at least 246 people died and over 2,000 others were left homeless as torrential rains continued to unleash flood. Zimbabwe has received above-normal rain in recent months that has resulted in more that 85 percent of the country's dams spilling. The rains are expected to continue until the end of March. Meanwhile, Mozambique is also going through a rainy season with unusual rains, which swelled rivers in some provinces. Five people died and five others were missing after water from a overflowing river washed away a bus which carried them, Mozambican Authorities said Wednesday. In February, tens of thousands of people living along Mozambique's coastline were affected by cyclone Dineo, killing at least seven and injuring some 50 people, according to official figures. In Namibia, heavy rains started pounding the northern regions of Namibia earlier this week, leaving some towns under water. Giraffes and steenboks are seen at the Etosha National Park, northwestern Namibia, July 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Wu Changwei) WINDHOEK, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China has expressed determination to cooperate with the Namibian government on wildlife protection ahead of the World Wildlife Day that fell on Friday. Speaking at a briefing at the Chinese Embassy in Namibia, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Li Nan said that China would never give cover to lawless poachers and has zero tolerance for poachers. On Thursday, Li also called upon Chinese local community to set up a Wildlife Protection Fund in Namibia to sponsor wildlife projects. The embassy would donate 200,000 Namibian dollars (15,200 U.S. dollars) to Namibia's Environment Ministry to help combat poaching, according to Li. "Although we can not get rid of those illegal activities at one kick, we believe some down-to-earth work shall be done right here," he said. Furthermore Li said China and Namibia would also work hand-in-hand to combat transnational wildlife criminals with the launch of a joint law-enforcement action, involving Namibian Police and China's Ministry of Public Security. Li noted that China also fully supports the Namibian government in amending environmental laws. Namibian Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism Tommy Nambahu also said that law enforcers need to be proactive in dealing with people who poach rhinos and elephants. "It is all of us who are supposed to be ambassadors of preserving wildlife," said Nambahu. China announced late last year a phased schedule to stop part of ivory processing and sales by March 31, 2017, and to eventually stop all ivory processing and sales by the end of 2017. by Xinhua writers Wang Bowen, Ma Mengli BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Several decades ago, the returning Chinese students from overseas studies were mostly out of patriotism to revive the homeland, now they are back for opportunities to fully develop their potential. The reasons behind the back-flow vary. But they all derive from one simple fact: an ever-stronger China, both economically and culturally, is becoming increasingly charming. "LET'S GO BACK TO CHINA!" "I took only 3 minutes to make my final decision," said Zhang Ji, a Chinese returnee from Canada, while recalling the life-changing moment when he made up his mind to return to China to start up his own business. Zhang returned to China in 2009, bringing back a world-leading heart valve implantation system. After a 30-minute presentation, Zhang received an investment of 10 million yuan from domestic entrepreneurs, strong policy support of the local government as well as the green light from the authorities. But opportunities always coexist with challenges. The road to success back in the homeland is not all rosy. Dedicating himself to medical device innovation, research and development in China, Zhang found it hard to update his medical license in Canada in a timely manner, which means he has to give up his well-paid job there. In Canada, he could earn in five days what he gets paid in China in a month. Some of Zhang's friends didn't understand why he chose to return to China, saying he made a "silly" choice. But Zhang thought otherwise. "Yes, I quit an 'iron rice bowl' job, but I get an opportunity to fulfill my dreams, to start up my own business," Zhang said. Confident about the potential clinical and market value to be generated by his advanced technology, Zhang believes his business has a "boundless prospect." In contrast with Zhang's highly efficient "3-minute" decision-making, Li Peixiang took quite some time to make up his mind to go back to China. After all, Li had already made his mark in Canada's biological material industry after over 20 years of endeavor. His ABM company has been identified by the Canadian government as one of the five most promising companies in Vancouver. With a mindset of having a try, Li participated in the Nanjing "321 Talents Program" in late 2012. After being successfully recruited, Li soon received the investment and subsidies from the local government, and the expertise and insights in biological materials of many local officials and investors also impressed him much. After making the first step, Li started to build a bigger ambition for the years to come. He set up another new company in Zhenjiang, a city in the eastern Jiangsu Province. "I hope the company's sales achievement could reach 100 million yuan and be listed on the stock market in five years," Li said. "I HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL!" "I can go home next month," said Cao Zuonan, an ecology graduate student at Germany's University of Tuebingen, while walking out of the supervisor's office joyfully. His graduation design program -- research on the experimental methodology of the nutrient in the Chinese Qinghai-Tibet Plateau soil -- has just been approved by his supervisor and he is about to return to China to collect soil samples. Cao, born in the 1990s, spent the first 18 years of his life in Xining city of Qinghai Province. He had always longed for the magnificent plateau in his hometown during his study in Germany. He made up his mind go to Germany for further studies when he was at college and then to return to China, because it is his unshakable faith to dedicate himself to environmental protection. "I have to be grateful! I have been thinking about how I can pay back to my parents, my fellow countrymen and the land that has brought me up since the start of my college time," said Cao passionately. "LET'S MAKE CORE STRATEGIES!" Ding Xianfeng still relishes his decision of leaving the Silicon Valley to join Huawei. "If I did not quit the job of sensor system platform architect at Intel and returned to serve as director and chief scientist at Huawei's sensor lab, I would not become a leader in the world's sensor industry," said Ding proudly. Huawei, one of the top three research companies for mobile application sensors, enjoys an enormous competitive edge. "Compared to working in the United States, my influence on the development of the sensor industry in the world has grown hundreds of times ... I represent purchaser who needs sensors that worth 2 billion U.S. dollars," Ding told Xinhua. Many returnees said they went back to China because of the "glass ceilings," meaning foreigners can never climb to the top of the ladder no matter how talented and hard-working they are. "Only when you are back in China can you make core strategies," said Ding repeatedly. Things are similar for Huang Xiaobo. "At that time, most of my classmates were studying abroad. But many of them are just doing trivial jobs, their talent wasted," sighed Huang. After years of efforts, Huang has become the director of the Institute of Lithotripsy Application at Peking University and an academic leader of the Department of Urology at Peking University People's Hospital. Huang did not regret his decision. "Urology is one of the popular professions in the United States. It is barely possible that a Chinese can become the head of the urology department at any mainstream U.S. hospital," Huang said. According to the Chinese Education Ministry, around 80 percent of overseas students have returned home in recent years, compared with about a third in 2006. The Chinese governments at all levels are striving to entice students back. For instance, China is now home to over 300 industrial parks aimed at incubating startups led by returnees. Witnessing the ever-growing motherland and government incentives and business opportunities, the returnees, without much hesitation, are packing their bags for their flights home. BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday called on the country's intellectuals to play a bigger part in contributing to its development. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when joining a panel discussion with political advisors from three Chinese non-Communist parties. AMMAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Saturday executed 15 prisoners, including 10 convicted of terrorism charges, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani said ten of the prisoners executed were involved in terrorism plots and attacks. Some of these executed were involved in plotting a terrorist attack in Irbid in the north of the governorate. One of those executed was convicted of killing several intelligence department officers last year. A man who last year killed leftist Christian writer Nahed Hattar was also among those executed. The executed include those involved in attacks on the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad in 2003, on tourists at the Roman amphitheatre in the capital Amman in 2006. The minister said all prisoners executed are Jordanians and that they were hanged at a jail located to the south of the Jordanian capital Amman. Some of those killed were convicted of rape, murder and sexual assaults, according to the minister. JALALABAD, Afghanistan, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Fourteen Afghan civilians kidnapped by the Islamic State (IS) militants in the country's eastern province of Nangarhar were released Saturday, the provincial government said. "The 12 religious teachers and two education employees, who were kidnapped by Daesh (Arabic acronym for IS) militants in Haska Mina district about 40 days ago were released Saturday morning. And they rejoined their families in the district," it said in a statement. The safe release of the abductees took place after mediation of local elders and efforts by the local authorities, the statement said. Provincial Governor Mohammad Gulab Mangal has praised those who had worked for the safe release of the abductees in the province, 120 km east of Kabul, it said. The mountainous province, bordering Pakistan, has been the scene of clashes between security forces and IS militants since the emergence of IS there in early 2015. More than 3,490 civilians were killed and over 7,920 others injured in conflict-related incidents across Afghanistan last year, according to figures released by the UN mission in the country. NEW DELHI, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Eight fishermen from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on Saturday, a government official said. "The fishermen were arrested off the coast while fishing near Neduntheevu in international waters," said the official of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. According to the official, the fishermen were taken to Trincomalee for questioning by Sri Lankan authorities. On Thursday, 13 Indian fishermen were apprehended along with their fishing trawlers in the northern seas, south of Sri Lanka's Delft Island. India's official broadcaster All India Radio said more than 30 fishermen had been detained by the Sri Lankan Navy over the last three days. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palanisamy has sought the intervention of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in securing the release of the fishermen. FARAH, Afghanistan, March 4 (Xinhua) -- At least eight Afghan civilians were killed and 20 others wounded after a vehicle touched off a roadside bomb in the country's western province of Farah on Friday, a local official said Saturday. "The gruesome incident took place in Bala Buluk district late Friday when the victims were fleeing their houses following a ground engagement between security forces and Taliban militants," provincial government spokesman Mohammad Nasir Mehri told Xinhua. The initial information found the blast was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), which was planted by militants along the dusty road, he said, adding the local authorities had conducted a thorough investigation into the incident. "Further information will be shared after the ongoing probe by provincial authorities and military officials," Mehri noted. Many of the injured remained in critical condition and among the victims were several women and children. The province with Farah city as its capital, 695 km west of Kabul, has been the scene of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban militants have been trying to seize control of the restive province. The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of conflicts as more than 3,490 civilians were killed and over 7,920 others injured in conflict-related incidents across the country last year, according to figures released by the UN mission in the country. RIYADH, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Anonymous arsonists burned on Saturday a branch of Al Riyadh bank in Qatif in the eastern province Saudi Arabia, Al Sharq local online news reported. This is the latest attack in the area after the branch of Al Jazira bank was targeted on Feb. 25, while similar arsons were reported recently that targeted money exchange companies and banks. The fire occurred in the early hours of morning on Saturday and damaged the ATM machine and inside parts of the bank. Initial investigation indicated criminal suspicions behind the case. Arsons, rioting and vandalism are common in Qatif and other areas in eastern province by groups of youths, who are part of the minority Shiite community that resides in the district and demand more rights in conservative Sunni state. by Njoroge Kaburo NAIROBI, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The UN relief chief on Saturday urged international support for the estimated 2.7 million people in parts of Kenya who urgently need food and water following the onset of a severe drought. Stephen O'Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement issued in Nairobi that the world must act now to save lives in Kenya and Horn of Africa region ravaged by severe drought. "Famine has reared its ugly head in neighbouring South Sudan, Somalia is at risk for the second time this decade, and more than 2.7 million Kenyans are severely food insecure," warned O'Brien. "Crops are failing, food prices are rising, and families are going hungry. The spectre of hunger and disease is haunting East Africa again. We need to put a stop to this," he added. O'Brien who visited one of the driest areas in northern Kenya on Friday said he saw the devastating impact of drought on rural communities and called for international support for communities affected by conflict and drought in Kenya and the Horn of Africa. The third consecutive year of drought in the Horn of Africa is causing thirst and hunger, decimating livestock, destroying livelihoods, spreading disease and triggering large-scale population movements. Some of the worst-affected communities live along the Mandera triangle, where the borders of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia meet in a region that witnessed outbreaks of chikungunya, dengue, AWD/cholera and measles in 2016. Half of Kenya's 47 counties are affected by drought and the government has declared a national drought emergency. The food insecure population has more than doubled in less than a year, and an estimated 350,000 children, pregnant women and new mothers are acutely malnourished. Kenya has pledged 99 million U.S. dollars to support national drought response efforts and committed to enhancing regional cooperation. But the scale of the crisis is outpacing existing capacity. According to the United Nations, more than 2 billion dollars is required for humanitarian assistance in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia in 2017. What Is a Special Prosecutor? How Does It Relate to Recusal? Criminal prosecutors are generally assigned by jurisdiction -- county, state, and federal. The U.S. Attorney General is the nation's top prosecutor. But newly-appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions has found himself in a bit of a political and legal bind. It was revealed this week that Sessions had two meetings with the Russian ambassador last year, but when asked about such contact during his confirmation hearings, Sessions said under oath, "I did not have communications with the Russians." Amid calls for an investigation into President Trump's administration and the Russian government, Sessions announced yesterday he has recused himself from that investigation, leaving the door open for the appointment of a special prosecutor. So what are special prosecutors, and what's next for the Trump/Russia investigation? Special Prosecutors Generally, a special prosecutor is brought in cases where there is a conflict of interest, or the assigned prosecutor's impartiality has been called into question. This has occurred in recent investigations into police shootings, in-custody deaths, and other high-profile cases, where local or state prosecutors may have too close of a working relationship with the officers or police departments to appear neutral in their investigation and prosecution of the case. Special prosecutors have also been used in the political realm. Archibald Cox was a former law professor and solicitor general under President John F. Kennedy when he was called in to be a special prosecutor in the Watergate scandal. Cox was fired by then-President Richard M. Nixon for refusing to cease his investigation into the president. After that, Congress created the United States Office of the Independent Counsel, an independent prosecutor distinct from the Attorney General and the Department of Justice. It was from that office that former Attorney General Janet Reno assigned Ken Starr to investigate allegations of Bill Clinton's misconduct as president. Recusal and Reassignment Following Sessions's recusal from the Russia investigation, the decision to appoint a special prosecutor would rest with acting deputy attorney general Dana Boente. And three conditions must be met to appoint of a special prosecutor: The attorney general (or acting attorney general) must determine that "criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted"; The investigation by the U.S. Attorney's office or Justice Department "would present a conflict of interest for the department or other extraordinary circumstances"; and "[I]t would be in the public interest to appoint an outside special counsel to assume responsibility for the matter." Calls for a special prosecutor in Sessions's case have already come from Capitol Hill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded swift action yesterday: "If the Justice Department drags its feet and refuses to appoint a special prosecutor or select someone with insufficient independence, there is another route. We will then urge (Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell) and (House Speaker Paul Ryan) to work with Democrats and create a new and improved version of the independent counsel law, which would give a three-judge panel the authority to appoint an independent counsel." Whether that appointment will take place, and especially who will be appointed, remains to be seen. Related Resources: BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A trade war is not a rational choice for China and the United States, former commerce minister Gao Hucheng said on Saturday, expressing confidence in bilateral trade relations. Gao made the remarks before attending a panel discussion during the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, which opened on Friday. "China doesn't want a trade war," said Gao, who was replaced by Zhong Shan as the commerce minister only last month. He said he hoped the U.S. government, entrepreneurs and scholars could focus more on the ever-growing relations between China and the United States, despite the ups and downs in the nearly 40 years since the two countries established diplomatic ties. "China-U.S. trade relations may well face more challenges of one sort or another. Keep calm, since we have lived through grimmer moments," Gao said. Data from the commerce ministry showed China-U.S. trade grew from 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in 1979 to about 519.6 billion dollars in 2016. by Burak Akinci ANKARA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Near the presidential palace in Turkish capital Ankara, a biopic about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was put on show Friday to depict his early political career as he entered his 15th year for serving the country. The film "Reis" comes out weeks before a contentious constitutional reform on April 16 granting Turkey's strongman executive powers and the political campaign is heavily polarizing the country's society. The film traces the early career of Erdogan from his childhood in the popular Kasimpasa neighbourhood in central Istanbul to his meteoric rise to become the biggest city's mayor of Turkey (1994-1998). "Reis" means the chief in Turkish. The feature, the first of its kind to portray a living Turkish leader, shows Erdogan's life up to 1999 when he was imprisoned for several months for reciting a poem deemed to have Islamic connotations, after which his party came to power in 2002. During a gala ceremony in a movie theatre located in one of Ankara's biggest shopping malls on Friday evening, actors and producers of the film explained to the press how "thrilled" they were in taking part in the movie. Turkish actor Reha Beyoglu said that "playing the president is a big responsibility, I hope I have done a good job." The premiere was organized in Istanbul on Feb. 26 which was also Erdogan's 63 birthday. Questions have been raised over the film's timing and critics of Erdogan saw it as an intervention in the on going campaign ahead of the referendum. "This is certainly not a propaganda film, its about the childhood and very early political career of a leader of Turkey," Engin Baturunlu, general coordinator of Kafkasor film based in Istanbul, said. "One should not seek a political motive behind of it all, it all started with the deepest love and respect that the producer's bare toward the president," he explained, adding that his contentment was even not asked. A special screening was held especially for the subject of the movie in the presidential palace after the wrapping of the feature and Erdogan conveyed to the team his "appreciation," said Baturunlu. In the movie, Erdogan is presented as a pious person in defiance of any oppression, namely the staunch secular establishment that he crushed during his leadership. Some moviegoers were quite impressed by what they saw. "It was very interesting to see someone's childhood that you respect. He is an important leader on a global scale and he deserved to have a film about him like Winston Churchill or Ronald Reagan," 24 year-old Ahmed Aslan said to Xinhua. But another audience complained about lacks in the production, thinking that Erdogan deserves better. "I enjoyed it but I think that it could have been better with maybe more anecdotes on the president's childhood," argued Sevin Taskin. With a budget of some four million U.S. dollars, the film was shot in Istanbul and northern Cyprus where a detailed reconstruction of Kasimpasa was built on site. A sequel might be in the works if this movie becomes very popular. The film, screening more than 800 theaters across Turkey, will also be available for Turkish audiences in Europe, namely Germany where there is an important diaspora. Erdogan has dominated Turkey as prime minister from 2003-2014 and now as president since 2014. Erdogan is adored by his millions of supporters but is disliked by many others. Critics say that the constitutional reform that he is backing would concentrate even more power in the hands. Actor Reha Beyoglu, who portrays Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a biopic titled "Reis", or "Chief", poses for photographers during a gala screening of the movie in Istanbul, Turkey, February 26, 2017. Picture taken February 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) ANKARA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Near the presidential palace in Turkish capital Ankara, a biopic about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was put on show Friday to depict his early political career as he entered his 15th year for serving the country. The film "Reis" comes out weeks before a contentious constitutional reform on April 16 granting Turkey's strongman executive powers and the political campaign is heavily polarizing the country's society. The film traces the early career of Erdogan from his childhood in the popular Kasimpasa neighbourhood in central Istanbul to his meteoric rise to become the biggest city's mayor of Turkey (1994-1998). "Reis" means the chief in Turkish. The feature, the first of its kind to portray a living Turkish leader, shows Erdogan's life up to 1999 when he was imprisoned for several months for reciting a poem deemed to have Islamic connotations, after which his party came to power in 2002. During a gala ceremony in a movie theatre located in one of Ankara's biggest shopping malls on Friday evening, actors and producers of the film explained to the press how "thrilled" they were in taking part in the movie. Turkish actor Reha Beyoglu said that "playing the president is a big responsibility, I hope I have done a good job." The premiere was organized in Istanbul on Feb. 26 which was also Erdogan's 63 birthday. Questions have been raised over the film's timing and critics of Erdogan saw it as an intervention in the on going campaign ahead of the referendum. "This is certainly not a propaganda film, its about the childhood and very early political career of a leader of Turkey," Engin Baturunlu, general coordinator of Kafkasor film based in Istanbul, said. "One should not seek a political motive behind of it all, it all started with the deepest love and respect that the producer's bare toward the president," he explained, adding that his contentment was even not asked. A special screening was held especially for the subject of the movie in the presidential palace after the wrapping of the feature and Erdogan conveyed to the team his "appreciation," said Baturunlu. In the movie, Erdogan is presented as a pious person in defiance of any oppression, namely the staunch secular establishment that he crushed during his leadership. Some moviegoers were quite impressed by what they saw. "It was very interesting to see someone's childhood that you respect. He is an important leader on a global scale and he deserved to have a film about him like Winston Churchill or Ronald Reagan," 24 year-old Ahmed Aslan said to Xinhua. But another audience complained about lacks in the production, thinking that Erdogan deserves better. "I enjoyed it but I think that it could have been better with maybe more anecdotes on the president's childhood," argued Sevin Taskin. With a budget of some four million U.S. dollars, the film was shot in Istanbul and northern Cyprus where a detailed reconstruction of Kasimpasa was built on site. A sequel might be in the works if this movie becomes very popular. The film, screening more than 800 theaters across Turkey, will also be available for Turkish audiences in Europe, namely Germany where there is an important diaspora. Erdogan has dominated Turkey as prime minister from 2003-2014 and now as president since 2014. Erdogan is adored by his millions of supporters but is disliked by many others. Critics say that the constitutional reform that he is backing would concentrate even more power in the hands. Iraqi special forces patrol the Al-Quds neighbourhood after recapturing it from Islamic State (IS) group jihadists, on January 3, 2017, during an ongoing operation to retake the city of Mosul. (AFP PHOTO) BAKU, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Eighty-four Azerbaijani nationals in terrorist groups have faced criminal charges, Head of Azerbaijan's State Security Service Madat Guliyev said here Friday. He made the remarks at a conference on the role of youth in the fight against terrorism, extremism and radicalism in Baku. Guliyev said about 900 Azerbaijani nationals have joined terrorist groups in Syria, Iraq and other countries under the influence of radical organizations, and many of them have died in fighting. "Over the past year, Azerbaijan's citizenship was revoked from 54 people", he added. The conference titled "The role of youth in the fight against terrorism, extremism and radicalism" opened in Baku on Friday, bringing together senior officials of the Department of Public and Political Affairs of the Presidential Administration, the Azerbaijani Parliament, State Security Service, some other departments and experts from various organizations. International terrorist organizations including Al Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, Jamaat, Hizb ut-Tahrir and Islamic International Brigade are banned in Azerbaijan. BELFAST, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) retained its position Saturday as the biggest party in Northern Ireland, but only by the narrowest margin of one seat ahead of pro-republican Sinn Fein. Now the parties in the region have several weeks to discuss working together to see the return of a devolved assembly. With all 90 seats allocated, the DUP won 28 seats while Sinn Fein won 27 in what was seen as a major vote of confidence in the party's new leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill. O'Neill went into her first election as leader with a 10-seat gap behind the DUP. Relatively unknown outside the region, she succeeded after Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, one of the party's big-name personalities, resigned in a fallout with the DUP. O'Neill now has just three weeks to discuss forming a power-sharing devolved assembly with Arlene Foster, the re-elected DUP leader. If they fail to reach an agreement, the government secretary of state for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, could order a second election and restore home rule from Westminster. That would be seen as a backward step for Northern Ireland that saw around 3,600 people killed in shootings and bombings in a campaign spanning 30 years by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who demanded the region be reunited with the Dublin-based Irish Republic. "The prospect of a devolved government being formed is very remote," said Jon Tonge, professor at the University of Liverpool and expert on Irish politics. Under governance arrangements in Northern Ireland, the Stormont assembly has to be run by republicans and nationalists under a formula worked out as part of peace talks that ended decades of troubles. The resignation of Deputy First Minister McGuinness automatically meant Foster's role as first minister ended, sparking the snap election, the second within 10 months. The SDLP won 12 seats, the Ulster Unionists (UUP) 10, the Alliance party (APNI) 8, the Green Party 2, and the remaining three went to one independent and two minority parties. The most unlucky in the election was Mike Nesbitt, leader of the UUP, who announced his resignation following the party's poor showing. Just under 65 percent of the voters in Northern Ireland cast votes on Thursday, the highest turnout since the vote which followed the 1998 peace agreement. The size of the assembly was trimmed by 18 seats to 90 as a cost-cutting measure. Belfast's daily newspaper the News Letter commented on Saturday that "Northern Ireland today is waking up to a fundamentally altered political reality: unionism is no longer a majority in the Stormont chamber for the first time since the creation of the Province a century ago." The report said every major unionist party saw big losses with DUP leader Foster giving no indication she is considering resignation, speaking instead about going into negotiations with Sinn Fein where there is "work to be done." TEHRAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran "successfully" tested the Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system, Press TV reported on Saturday. During the test, conducted in the presence of several Iranian military and government officials, the missile system successfully detected, tracked, and intercepted a ballistic missile, the report said. The test was also aimed at analyzing the performance of the S-300 system, assessing the capability of the system in engaging targets with a low radar cross section and ballistic missile threats as well as the ability of Iranian officers to use the system. Iran purchased the system from Russia and integrated into the defense system of the country in 2016. The Islamic republic is now designing and manufacturing an indigenous version of the S-300 system, called Bavar-373, Brig. Gen. Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, was quoted as saying. Bavar-373 would be more technologically advanced than S-300 and would be tested "in the near future," he said. ANKARA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Saturday criticized the Dutch authorities over banning his rally scheduled for next week, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Cavusoglu reportedly planned to attend the March 11 rally in Netherlands' city of Rotterdam, hoping to campaign Netherlands' hundreds of thousands of dual citizens to vote for constitutional referendum. "No one can prevent us. We can go anywhere we want, we can meet our citizens and hold our meetings," Cavusoglu said during a meeting in southern province of Antalya. The Dutch government said it opposed plans by Turkish authorities to hold a referendum campaign rally in Rotterdam, saying it would inform Ankara of its opposition to the "undesirable" move. "The Netherlands is not a place for other countries' election rallies," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on his Facebook on Friday. "We will not cooperate with this. We find this undesirable." "We believe that the Dutch public space is not the place for political campaigns of other countries," he added. The move came after two German cities cancelled similar scheduled events with Turkish officials this week. The municipality of Gaggenau in southwest Germany on Thursday revoked its permission for Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag's meeting due to security concerns and incapacity problems. Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci's planned address on March 5 to a Turkish community in Cologne was also cancelled by local authorities over security concerns. Several Turkish officials as well as opposition parties are planning meetings abroad with Turkish expats this month, ahead of a referendum on April 16. Turkey called the moves "undemocratic" and accused European countries of permitting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rally, while blocking Turkish government's valid campaigning activities. TEHRAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- France is a major political and trade partner of Iran and Tehran seeks to boost ties with Paris in diverse areas, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said here on Saturday. "We regard France as an important economic and political partner" and Iran is determined to enhance relations with France in all fields, Zarif said in a meeting with the visiting French Minister of Finance Michel Sapin in the capital Tehran, Tasnim news agency reported. He also expressed hope for broader joint investment in the auto industry taking advantage of the Iranian market's potentials and the workforce available in the country. For his part, Sapin expressed his country's readiness for closer economic and political ties with Iran. Following the international Iranian nuclear deal, also known the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which came into force in January 2016, Iran signed a major deal to buy 118 commercial planes from France's Airbus and also signed contract with France automaker, PSA Peugeot Citroen, to jointly produce cars in the Islamic republic. KHARTOUM, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector on Saturday announced that it released 130 government army Prisoners of War (POWs). "The SPLM Command, following consultations between the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, the Secretary-General and the Chief of Staff, has decided to release all the 130 POWs held by the movement," said the SPLM/northern sector in a statement Saturday. "The movement command has made contacts with the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to hand over the POWs," it added. According to the statement, President Museveni has actively contributed to making the necessary communications with Sudan and South Sudan to enable the ICRC to transport the POWs to Uganda through external crossings, and with the consent of all parties. The SPLM/northern sector further reiterated its respect of the international humanitarian law and conventions relating to prisoners of war. The SPLM/northern sector has been fighting Khartoum's central government at Blue Nile and South Kordofan areas since 2011. So far 10 rounds of peace talks have been held in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa between the Sudanese government and the SPLM/northern sector, under the patronage of the African Union, but all failed to end the conflict in the two areas. SEONGJU, SOUTH KOREA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Residents living in southeast South Korea, where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is set to be deployed, gathered again on Saturday night to continue their fight against the deployment with candles in their hand. Locals in the Seongju county, North Gyeongsang province held the 235th candlelit rally, which has lasted every night since Seoul and Washington announced the abrupt decision to install one THAAD battery by the end of this year. The protest rally was carried out at a parking lot facing the county office, which the residents managed to earn from the local government after tussles with county officials. At the very beginning of the rally, they rallied inside the office building. Around 150 South Koreans chanted for "Stop THAAD and Bring Peace" by immediately cancelling the closed-door decision to deploy the U.S. missile defense system in their hometown that has a population of about 45,000. Lee Jae-dong, vice chief of the association to oppose the THAAD, composed of Seongju residents, said at the rally that senior South Korean government officials, whom he called as criminals, hurriedly sought to install THAAD in their homeland to help protect the United States and Japan. He said the THAAD in South Korea is aimed at defending the U.S. and Japan, not his country, from missile threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and also at containing China. The vice chief strongly raised questions that there would be no reason for South Korea to deploy the U.S. missile defense system that will place his country in danger and only help protect the U.S. and Japan. THAAD has a very limited capability to intercept DPRK missiles targeting South Korea as it is designed to shoot down incoming missiles at an altitude of 40-150 km. DPRK missiles travel at an altitude of less than 40 km when attacking its southern neighbor. THAAD's X-band radar can peer deep into territories of China and Russia, causing strong backlashes from the two countries. The U.S. missile shield breaks strategic balance and damages the security interests of the two nations. Most of the residents have a deep understanding of what the THAAD is and how it operates. One of the residents explained to the participants in the candlelit rally about the definition of THAAD and its capability. Park Soo-kyu, an official with the protest rally organizer, told Xinhua that the Park Geun-hye government's hurried push for THAAD stemmed mainly from political difficulties, which were caused by a corruption scandal embroiling President Park. Park was impeached by the parliament on Dec. 9 over her alleged involvement in a corruption scandal, in which Park's longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil is alleged to have intervened in state affairs behind the scenes. Some opposition lawmakers raised suspicion that Choi may have affected the abrupt THAAD deployment decision, citing circumstantial evidences such as the undated meeting between Choi or Choi's ex-husband and the chief of Lockheed Martin, the THAAD manufacturer. THAAD in South Korea indicates the country becoming a part of the global missile defense (MD) network of the U.S. together with Japan in the region. The global MD apparently aims to contain China and Russia by sharing the military intelligence gathered from the THAAD radar in South Korea and two X-band radars already deployed in Japan. The participants in the rally chanted for "Send THAAD to the U.S. and Bring Peace to Korean Peninsula," clamoring for a prompt withdrawal from the decision, which the residents said had been made without any explanations and any proper procedures. The parking lot, which they dubbed "Peace Butterfly Square," was crowded with people who still hope to return to a peaceful daily life, which they had enjoyed every day before the THAAD deployment decision. Lee Jae-dong, the vice chief of the anti-THAAD rally organizing committee, said the only thing people want here is to return to the past normalized life. He said the residents will fight until the peace-breaking weapons system is to be ousted from their hometown. Related: Interview: Expert says THAAD could turn into Trojan horse in S. Korea ahead of presidential election SEOUL, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) has become a Trojan horse in South Korea as the conservative bloc is seeking to hold a "THAAD" presidential election on the fall in public support, a South Korean expert said Friday. Full Story S.Korea launches process of providing land for THAAD deployment 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. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), presides over a preparatory meeting for the fifth session of the 12th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, is scheduled to open Sunday morning, top legislator Zhang Dejiang said Saturday. Preparations for the session are complete, said Zhang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, at a preparatory meeting for the session Saturday morning. A 169-member presidium for the session was elected at the meeting, and Li Jianguo was elected secretary-general of the session, said a statement released after the meeting. As of Friday, 2,875 of 2,924 NPC deputies had registered with the session's secretariat. The meeting also adopted the session's agenda. National lawmakers will review six reports, including the reports on government work, the national economic and social development plan, central and local budgets, as well as those from the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. They will also deliberate draft general provisions of civil law and three bills regarding the election of deputies to the 13th NPC, according to the statement. The top legislature will conscientiously perform its duties conferred by the Constitution and laws, give full play to the positive role of deputies, and complete all agenda items, Zhang said while addressing the meeting. The session aims to mobilize people of all ethnic groups to unite more closely around the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, and forge ahead to realize the country's "two centenary goals" and the Chinese dream of great national rejuvenation, Zhang said. Prior to the preparatory meeting, a meeting of chairman and vice chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee was held. The presidium held its first meeting after the preparatory meeting and elected its executive chairpersons. VILNIUS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania plans to install alert sirens in southeastern part of the country concerning a nuclear power plant being built in neighboring Belarus, local media reported Saturday. The Astravets nuclear power plant is being built in Belarus, around 50 kilometers from the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. The Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Department (PAGD) plans to install alert sirens in southeastern part of the country to inform the residents on possible radiological danger in case of an incident, local news agency BNS reported. "Since the power plant will be near the border, the area of impact would be in our territory. We are planning to warn the residents," PAGD deputy director Juris Targonskis told BNS. The sirens would be installed in Vilnius and its surroundings and other regions of the southeastern parts of Lithuania, totaling 150 locations at the distance of 50 kilometers from the nuclear power plant. The launch of the first unit of the Astravets nuclear power plant is scheduled in 2018 with the second reactor to be launched in 2019, according to Lithuanian media. Lithuania has been campaigning against the Astravets nuclear power plant, claiming the project is being developed by violating safety standards. Belarusia rejects the accusations. MOGADISHU, March 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 110 people have been killed and several left in serious conditions after cholera broke out in southern Somalia in the past two days, Prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire said Saturday. Khaire said the deaths occurred in Bay region amid severe drought across the county, while assuring that the government would give it first priority to respond such crisis. Mohamed Hassan Fiqi, Minister of Agriculture for southwest state in Somalia, said the cholera situation was out of their control and demanded emergency aid from the government and international community. "Cholera broke out in Goof-guduud, Awdiinle and Berdale locations in Bay region. Children, women and old people are among the dead, the death toll increases time to time and our administration can't help," Fiqi said. Chinese President Xi Jinping joins a panel discussion with political advisors from the China Association for Promoting Democracy, the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party and the Jiu San Society at the fifth session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, also joined the panel discussion. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday called on intellectuals to make greater contribution to the nation's development. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when joining a panel discussion with political advisors from three Chinese non-Communist parties. During the discussion, nine political advisors from the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and the Jiu San Society shared their insights on soil pollution prevention, basic education, poverty relief and other topics. Xi said, after hearing their reports, that China now needs its intellectuals more than ever to contribute to its prosperity, national rejuvenation and people's well-being as the country embarks on its great course. Intellectuals across the country should take on a sense of urgency and responsibility, and work hard to build China into a moderately prosperous society in all aspects and a major sci-tech power, he said. Xi said the CPC has always valued the importance of intellectuals, who are "elites of the society, pillars of the nation, pride of the people and treasure of the country." The whole society should care for and respect intellectuals, cultivating a favorable environment that honors knowledge and intellectuals, Xi said, adding that authorities must fully trust intellectuals and seek their advice on key work and policies. MOMBASA, Kenya, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers on Saturday killed four suspected poachers at Tsavo East in the coastal region of Tana River. A senior KWS officer was also killed and another injured after a shootout with suspected poachers in Tana River. KWS communications officer Paul Udoto said they recovered guns and ivory during morning operation. He said the officers are pursuing the accomplices who escaped during the raid with gunshot wounds. The latest incident came after two suspected poachers were killed in the Kulalu Galana ranch also in Tsavo East on Friday. Udoto said the two were killed in shootout with KWS rangers patrolling the ranch. He said a KWS ranger was injured during the incident on Friday and was airlifted to Nairobi for treatment. An AK-47 rifle and 28 bullets were recovered from the suspects. On Jan. 19, two suspected poachers were gunned down at Satao in the Tsavo East National Park. It came amid increased poaching in the park with about five killed at the park last year. Fu Ying, spokesperson for the fifth session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC), speaks during a press conference on the session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. The fifth session of the 12th NPC is scheduled to open in Beijing on March 5. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China's 2017 defense budget will expand by about 7 percent, a spokesperson for the annual session of the country's top legislature said Saturday. "China's military capacity building will be continued. This is the requirement for safeguarding our national sovereignty and security," Fu Ying, spokesperson for the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) annual session, told a press conference. The new increase could be the country's slowest defense budget rise in at least a decade. Last year, the country's defense budget rose by 7.6 percent to 954 billion yuan (about 138 billion U.S. dollars), breaking a multi-year run of double-digit increases. The country's 2016 economic growth registered a nearly three-decade low of 6.7 percent. However, the rate still outpaced most other major economies. Premier Li Keqiang will unveil the government's GDP target for this year on Sunday. The exact figure for the new defense budget is also expected to be released in a budget report the same day. At the press conference, Fu said China's defense budget in recent years has been in line with China's economic development and defense needs. Her words were echoed by Major General Chen Zhou, who said China's defense budget increase is reasonable and moderate against the backdrop of "profound changes in China's overall strength, its security environment and the world's strategic situation." "A rise of about 7 percent in defense budget is basically in keeping with last year's GDP output," said Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Yin said China's defense spending per soldier is considerably lower than that of other major countries. The country's entire defense spending last year accounted for less than a quarter of that of the United States. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to further strengthen his country's military buildup. In his first address to Congress after taking office, Trump proposed a huge 54-billion-U.S. dollar surge in the country's military spending, up 10 percent from the previous year. Fu also noted that China's defense spending accounts for only about 1.3 percent of the country's GDP, compared with NATO members' pledge to dedicate at least 2 percent of GDP to defense. "You should ask them what their intentions are," Fu told reporters, adding that China has "never inflicted harm on other countries." "Of all the conflicts and wars in the world that have killed and displaced so many people and caused significant loss of property, which one is China to blame for?" she asked. Yin Zhuo also said China, itself a victim of aggression in the past, would not inflict its own suffering on others. "We know the price for peace," Yin said. Concerning disputes between China and neighboring countries, Fu said China advocates dialogue and peaceful solutions in addressing those issues. "But in the meantime, we must also have the capability to defend our sovereignty, our rights and interests," she said. "In particular, we must guard against outside forces from interfering with such issues," Fu said without elaborating. "The enhancement of China's capabilities is conducive to safeguarding regional peace and stability, not the contrary," she continued. According to Fu, China and some ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries have already returned to dialogue and consultation, and tensions in the South China Sea have shown trends of easing. "As to the future development [of the settlement of these disputes], I think we also need to take into account the intentions on the U.S. side," she said, calling the United States' actions in the South China Sea a "weather vane" for the region. Fu went on to say that concerns over navigational freedom in the South China Sea are misleading and uncalled for. "In essence ... Washington is perhaps concerned that China could catch up with or surpass the United States in terms of capability," she said, noting that there is still a huge gap between the two countries. Fu said whether a military poses a threat rests on its "strategic intentions." "Thus the key question we should really ask is whether we are pursuing common security or exclusive security," Fu said. "China wants common security for all, and this is the shared consensus of many Asian countries as well," she said. WINDHOEK, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A police search team was on Saturday searching for two people who were missing after being swept away by flood in Erongo region, west Namibia. Two grade-12 pupils and a baker from Omaruru about 200 kilometers from Windhoek were swept away on Saturday morning. One pupil was later rescued, police said. Most parts of Namibia that had previously suffered a three-year dry spell received heavy rainfall that left homes and schools flooded. Seven schools have so far been abandoned after classrooms were submerged, while some villagers have to be relocated to higher ground. No deaths or injuries have been reported by now though from the areas in the north of the country. KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia has declared on Saturday night the ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the country as "Persona Non Grata" and asked him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, amid a row over the investigation into a DPRK man's death. SKOPJE, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), which represents ethnic Albanians in Macedonia, Saturday officially decided to join the new government coalition led by the Social Democratic Union party (SDSM), while protests surged on the streets. Analysts said the multiethnic country risked conflicts during the formation of the new government. "The decision was unanimous. We had a long debate which is now concluded and we voted all in favor of the new government," DUI leader Ali Ahmeti announced early Saturday. Macedonia held snap general elections on Dec. 11, 2016. The VMRO-DPMNE party secured 51 seats, the SDSM got 49, and the DUI obtained 10 in the new parliament. Yet the SDSM and DUI, plus other two smaller ethnic Albanian parties,can have a majority of 67 seats in the 120-seat parliament and they are striving to form a new government. President Gjorge Ivanov refused to give the mandate to form the government to SDSM leader Zoran Zaev, claiming that he is making unconstitutional consents to the ethnic Albanian parties in order to get the needed majority. The Macedonian Constitution requests a mandate from the president to form a government, while some experts suggested that the new parliament majority might elect a government without the president's approval. "Zaev, as a representative of the coalition, with the gathered 67 signatures from the MPs, might request the current Parliament Speaker to schedule a parliament session, at which new Parliament Speaker will be elected," Prof. Osman Kadriu told Xinhua in Skopje. "Then he will schedule a new session where the new government will be elected. If the current speaker refuses to schedule the session, then the majority might call the most senior parliamentarian to do this," the professor on Macedonian Constitutional Law said. But some of his colleagues warned that the attempt to work around Ivanov's approval to form the government would risk escalating tensions in the streets where the protests have lasted for days. Constitutional Law Professor Tatjana Karakamisheva-Jovanovska said that the people on the streets might be forced to react because the new coalition attempted to neglect the highest legal act of the country. "If the legal system fails, the people engage to protect the country against this treason being committed. We have to remember that in this country live other nationalities, not only Macedonians and Albanians," the professor added. VMRO DPMNE saw the only solution to the crisis in immediate new elections. Its leader Nikola Gruevski was given a mandate on Jan. 9 to form the new government, but failed as the DUI and other ethnic Albanian parties, formed a joint platform and presented seven requests, including the use of the Albanian language as a second official language in Macedonia. "We have set our position since the beginning of the discussions -- we will have government but not regardless the cost. We refused to accept the joint platform of the Albanian parties ... The ultimate goal of this platform is to redefine Macedonia from multiethnic to a binational state," VMRO DPMNE said in a written statement. The European Union has expressed concern about the developments in Macedonia. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini visited Skopje on Thursday. "All political leaders and everyone that holds institutional responsibility has a duty to withhold and soften the rhetoric in order to prevent that this institutional and political crisis turns into an interethnic or, what is even worse, geopolitical conflict," Mogherini said in Skopje. The political uncertainty in the country is additionally fueled by the nearing deadline for the coming local elections on March 6. File photo taken on Feb. 20, 2017 shows Kang Chol, the ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Malaysia, speaking to media during a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia has declared on Saturday night the ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the country as "Persona Non Grata" and asked him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, amid a row over the investigation into a DPRK man's death. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung) KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia has declared on Saturday night the ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the country as "Persona Non Grata" and asked him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, amid a row over the investigation into a DPRK man's death. The decision was made after the ambassador, Kang Chol, failed to show up at a meeting after he was summoned by Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day, said the Foreign Minister Anifah Aman in a statement, adding no other senior official came to the meeting either. Anifah said the ministry has sent a Diplomatic Note to the DPRK embassy on Saturday evening to inform the DPRK government that Kang should leave Malaysia within 48 hours from the scheduled time of the meeting, which should have taken place at 6 p.m., March 4, according to the statement. The expulsion of the ambassador came after Kang and the DPRK government accused the Malaysian side several times of "colluding with hostile forces" in its investigation into the death of the DPRK man on Feb. 13 in Kuala Lumpur, and refused to trust the investigation. LONDON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to visit Moscow in the coming weeks for talks with his Russian counterpart, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Saturday. Prime Minister Theresa May and Johnson have made clear that Britain's policy towards Russia is to "engage but beware", and the visit is entirely consistent with this approach, said an FCO spokeswoman. The Foreign Secretary has accepted an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit Moscow in the coming weeks, she said. It would be the first visit to Russia by a Britain foreign secretary in more than five years. "Discussions will focus on the UK-Russia relationship and current international issues including Syria and Ukraine, where we continue to have significant differences. "This is not a return to business as usual and the Foreign Secretary will continue to be robust on those issues where we differ. "We have always been clear that the UK will engage with Russia where it is in our national interest to do so," the spokeswoman said. Details of precise timings will be confirmed in due course, she said. "A potential visit has been in the pipeline for some time, with the Prime Minister and President (Vladimir) Putin discussing this when they met in China in September 2016," she added. by Marwa Yahya CAIRO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Coming under heavy pressure after allowing a million refugees into Germany, chancellor Angela Merkel's two-day trip to North African countries were mainly aimed to curb illegal migration to Europe, political analysts said. Merkel started her trip on Thursday visiting Egypt and then Tunisia and had also planned a trip to Algeria last week but it was called off after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika fell ill. WHY EGYPT AND TUNIS "Egypt and Tunisia are main gateways for African migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe," said Tariq Fahmy, professor of international relation with American University in Cairo. "Merkel's visits to Egypt and Tunisia are part of efforts to limit migrant flow to Germany and Europe ahead of parliamentary elections in her country later this year," Fahmy told Xinhua. Her policies allowed a million refugees into Germany in only two years, which put Merkel, who is campaigning to win a fourth term in office in national elections in September, "under fire," Fahmy explained. Merkel's talks in Egypt and Tunisia, two countries neighboring Libya, also covered ways to respond to years of instability exploited by smugglers in Libya. "Without a political stabilisation of Libya, we won't be able to stop the human traffickers operating out of Libya," Merkel said in her latest weekly podcast. In Egypt, the German chancellor said "there are routes for illegal immigration from Libya to Germany. We have a lot of mutual concerns and interests in putting an end to this." Moreover, she told the Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsion Friday that the political situation in Libya is difficult. "No one is more interested in political stability in Libya than its neighbours, but I'll say, because of the migration issue, it's also important for us Europeans," she said in Tunisia. Egypt and Tunisia are important centers for stepping up border control with Libya, the political expert Fahmy noted. According to Fahmy,"the visits also are part of efforts to slow the flow of migrants into Europe and increase intelligence-sharing to combat Islamic State terrorist operations." "Libya is the most dangerous line for Europe, because the largest expansion of smuggling organizations has been going on there in recent years," he pointed out. He deemed joint strategies among the Mediterranean countries in addition to reaching rapprochement in points of views over the region crises are necessary to find a mechanism for dealing with illegal migration. TOO EARLY TO JUDGE MERKEL EFFORTS Merkel said on Friday Tunisia had agreed to take back 1,500 rejected Tunisian migrants from Germany. Merkel also said the German government would provide Tunisia with 250 million euros (265 million U.S. dollars) in aid for development projects. Germany also pledged to provide Egypt with 500 million dollars in support of its economic program. Answering a question on the potentials of success of Merkel's cooperation efforts to push forward for reducing migrant flows, Fahmy said "it's too early to see the fruits, and proactive measures in cooperation with the North African countries should be taken." Egypt, which suffers also greatly from the flows of illegal migration, with nearly five millions living on its land is an essential partner for Europe to solve the problem, he added. Curbing the illegal migration requires deterrent measures and better means for securing the borders as well as intelligence cooperation to unveil the organizations that fund and run the migration operations, he explained. Gamal Salama, political professor with Suez Canal University, also sees tackling the illegal migration as "complicated," considering it's "a security issue in the first place that requires tightening the border control and providing the crossing countries with technological modern equipments for detection." He added that dealing with the migration issue socially and economically will "take long time," because the origin countries of migrations are usually very poor, and only aiding them with simple developmental programs "isn't the solution." Meanwhile, Saeed Lawindy, international relations researcher with Ahram Center for Political and strategic studies, said "Merkel's efforts to stop migration must be associated with joint agreed upon-measures with North African countries." He added besides securing the ground and coastal borders, "the European countries should allocate aid programs to the African countries that suffer destitution." DALIAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Inspection and quarantine authorities in northeast China's Liaoning Province Saturday returned two batches of food imported from the Republic of Korea (ROK) that failed to measure up to required standards. Staff with the Dayaowan Inspection and Quarantine Bureau found the production dates of the food were inconsistent with the dates labelled in the sanitary certificates which were affiliated to the commodity inspection declaration documents. The bureau decided to return the food according to law. The food comprised 18 kinds of products, weighing 2.1 tonnes and valuing 8,789 U.S. dollars in total. In another batch of baked fish products imported from the ROK, the additives failed to meet Chinese standards, said the bureau. The products were destroyed according to law. TEHRAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Iranian private sectors are ready to widen presence in Sri Lankan market and invest in its industry, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by semi-official Fars news agency on Saturday. "The Iranian private companies are interested in boosting their trade exchanges with Sri Lanka and Iranian firms are ready to made investment in that country's technical and engineering sectors," Zarif said in a meeting with the visiting Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya here on Saturday. Beside economic fields, it is necessary for the promotion of ties between the two countries in political and parliamentary levels, Zarif said. Sri Lanka is also interested in the expansion of relations with Iran in all arenas, Jayasuriya said, adding that "Removal of the sanctions (against Iran) has paved the ground for the further development of ties." In a meeting earlier on the day, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and his Sri Lankan counterpart called for the removal of banking barriers impeding trade exchanges between the two countries. "There is a need for finding a solution to the banking issues," Larijani was quoted as saying. The Iranian parliament speaker also said that "The Iranian businessmen should spare no efforts to make of the opportunities created for imports and exports between Iran and Sri Lanka." British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson speaks to the press at the United Nations headquarters in New York, July 22, 2016.(Xinhua/Li Muzi) LONDON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to visit Moscow in the coming weeks for talks with his Russian counterpart, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Saturday. Prime Minister Theresa May and Johnson have made clear that Britain's policy towards Russia is to "engage but beware", and the visit is entirely consistent with this approach, said an FCO spokeswoman. The Foreign Secretary has accepted an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit Moscow in the coming weeks, she said. It would be the first visit to Russia by a Britain foreign secretary in more than five years. "Discussions will focus on the UK-Russia relationship and current international issues including Syria and Ukraine, where we continue to have significant differences. "This is not a return to business as usual and the Foreign Secretary will continue to be robust on those issues where we differ. "We have always been clear that the UK will engage with Russia where it is in our national interest to do so," the spokeswoman said. Details of precise timings will be confirmed in due course, she said. "A potential visit has been in the pipeline for some time, with the Prime Minister and President (Vladimir) Putin discussing this when they met in China in September 2016," she added. CHONGQING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- After less than a year of preparation, Taiwan's baking ingredient producer Namchow Group has entered the final stage of setting up a new branch in Chongqing. It will be the company's sixth branch on the Chinese mainland, but the first in the western regions. Founded in 1952, Namchow Group, which produces and sells oils and fats, cream, frozen dough, and other ingredients, first waded into the mainland market in 1996. It has set up five branches in Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangzhou, all in coastal areas. SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by the country in 2013 to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa, inland regions have sped up the building of infrastructure. In mid-May 2016, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits arranged a business delegation from Taiwan to visit Sichuan, Chongqing and Guangxi. The mazes of cranes and concrete -- all signs of Belt and Road Initiative construction -- astonished the 20-some representatives from Taiwan's business circles. Chen Cheng-Wen, vice president at Namchow Group, said the trip strengthened his confidence in investing in western regions. "Here I saw with my own eyes that western regions are on the rise and more and more areas have shaken off poverty. Cities hustled and bustled just like those in coastal areas," Chen told Xinhua. "The Belt and Road Initiative has made the western regions the new frontline in opening up, offering great opportunities," said Chen. Namchow Group decided to set up a new branch in Chongqing. Chen's confidence in the decision was not only built on what he saw during his tour but also on careful calculations. Over the past several years, southwestern regions on the mainland have taken the lead in regional economic performance amid economic downturn pressure, and Chongqing has maintained double-digit growth for four consecutive years. Last year, with its GDP reaching 1.76 trillion yuan (around 254.36 billion U.S. dollars), Chongqing posted a 10.7-percent growth. However, sales in the southwestern regions accounted for merely 12 percent of Namchow Group's total on the mainland, according to Chen. "There is huge untapped market potential in the western part of the mainland, especially in Chongqing." Location was another top factor for Chen and his company when choosing the city. Situated along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Chongqing is a transport hub with an extensive network of railways, highways, and inland waterways. In 2016, the Yuxinou (Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) Railway opened to connect Chongqing and Duisburg in Germany, which, along with other transportation projects launched under the Belt and Road Initiative, aims to support business and trade along the new silk road. The Yuxinou Railway will carry Namchow's raw dairy materials from European producers to the inland area in around 14 days, compared to more than a month through the existing land-and-sea route. The railway will save the company time and money while helping keep dairy products fresh and improving efficiency, Chen explained, adding that authorities in western regions have offered services that are as good and as professional as their counterparts in coastal areas, if not better. A logistics warehouse for Namchow Groups's Chongqing branch has opened and a technology center has also been set up. The company is also considering building its first factory in western regions in Chongqing. "The Chongqing branch will serve as a pivot for our group in expanding business in the western regions," Chen said. CONFIDENCE AND DETERMINATION Namchow Group's decision to enter the mainland's western market came when Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party came to power and refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle -- a refusal that has sabotaged cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation. "Political factors won't change the fact that the economies of both sides of the Strait are highly interdependent," said Chen, adding political change on the island will not shake Namchow Group's confidence and determination to invest in the mainland. "The mainland market, which has contributed more than half of our total business and profits, is too enormous to be ignored," he said. Chen said the current Democratic Progressive Party administration has encouraged local enterprises to invest in southeast Asia. "We cannot part with the mainland even if we invest in southeast Asia," said Chen. "Even though Namchow Group set up factories in Thailand in 1989, it has always been the mainland market that matters most to us," said Chen. Chou Chien-fu, general manager of TXC (Chongqing) Corporation, was also upbeat about his company's future in the mainland as it had increased investment in western regions. "Mainland has, as always, facilitated Taiwan companies' development here, and helped solve difficulties," Chou said. "We will not give up the mainland market." According to official figures, 81 enterprises with financing from Taiwan were established in Chongqing last year, a year-on-year increase of 58.8 percent. The used investment from Taiwan stood at 200 million U.S. dollars, up 29 percent from 2015. TEHRAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran has seized two boats belonging to the United Arab Emirates off the coast of the southern Iranian island of Kish and arrested nine of its foreign crew, Press TV reported on Saturday. The dhows have been held for illegal fishing in the Islamic Republic's territorial waters, Kish chief prosecutor Mohammad Abbasi was quoted as saying. Nearly one tonne of fish has also been confiscated, said the report without elaborating on the time of the seizure and the nationality of the arrested people. BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China has cleared and settled 1,845 cases involving 4,459 suspects, who were placed in custody for more than three years without being charged, said sources with the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Saturday. The number represents all the cases unveiled in a nationwide rectification campaign on prolonged custody in 2013, said Yuan Qiguo, a senior SPP prosecutor during an online interview. Among the suspects, 3,451 had been placed in custody for less than five years, 926 for five to eight years, and 82 for eight years or above. "Prolonged custody without trial not only infringes upon the suspect and the defendant's litigation rights, but also tarnishes the judicial organ's image and credibility and impairs social harmony and stability," Yuan said. Amid enhanced supervision over the duration of criminal custody in recent years, the number of suspects, placed in custody for more than three years without being charged, had notably decreased, reducing from 4,459 in 2013 to six by 2015, the SPP figures show. The prosecutor said China's procuratorates will continue to make efforts to prevent and settle new cases involving prolonged detention of suspects in order to safeguard the rights of the suspects and the defendants. Media reporters wait outside the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Malaysia, in Kuala lumpur, Malaysia, on March 4, 2017. Malaysia has declared on Saturday night the ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the country as "persona non grata" and asked him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, amid a row over the investigation into a DPRK man's death. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung) KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia has declared on Saturday night the ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the country as "persona non grata" and asked him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, amid a row over the investigation into a DPRK man's death. The decision was made after the ambassador, Kang Chol, failed to show up at a meeting after he was summoned by Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day, said the Foreign Minister Anifah Aman in a statement, adding no other senior official came to the meeting either. Anifah said the ministry has sent a diplomatic note to the DPRK embassy on Saturday evening to inform the DPRK government that Kang should leave Malaysia within 48 hours from the scheduled time of the meeting, which should have taken place at 6 p.m., March 4, according to the statement. The expulsion of the ambassador came after Kang and the DPRK government accused the Malaysian side several times of "colluding with hostile forces" in its investigation into the death of the DPRK man on Feb. 13 in Kuala Lumpur, and refused to trust the investigation. Anifah said the DPRK side also failed to make an apology for the accusations Kang has leveled against Malaysia, and there is no sign of a forthcoming one. Previously, Malaysia has recalled its ambassador in Pyongyang and said it would rescind visa-free entry for DPRK citizens. These measures are part of the process by Malaysian government to review its relations with the DPRK, according to the statement. Malaysia also defended its impartiality in the investigation, citing the release of Ri Jong Chol, a DPRK man arrested as a suspect following the killing. Ri was deported back to DPRK on Friday and during his transit stay in Beijing, he accused the Malaysian police of coercing him to confess his crime. MANILA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A Philippine military official said on Saturday that troops had found the body of the 70-year-old German man who was executed by Islamic militants last Sunday. Col. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu, said in a text message to the media that the body Juergen Gustave Kantner was found at 5:45 p.m. Saturday in a remote village in Indanan, Sulu. He said Kantner's body is now in a local hospital morgue "while completing the documentary requirements prior to the transport" to Manila. He gave no other details. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza confirmed on Monday that the Abu Sayyaf bandits had indeed executed Kantner in the jungles of Sulu. The Abu Sayyaf criminals abducted Kantner in November last year while yachting with his wife off Sabah in Malaysia. His wife was found killed last year. The Abu Sayyaf bandits have demanded a 30 million pesos (598,000 U.S. dollars) ransom for Kantner's release. The kidnappers set 3 p.m. last Sunday as deadline for the payments of ransom. Duterte has said that the Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf group has links with the IS militants in the Middle East. Duterte has ordered the military to launch an all-out offensive against the estimated 500 Abu Sayyaf bandits operating mostly in the hinterlands of southern Philippine provinces of Sulu and Basilan. BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Following are the schedules for the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) and the fifth session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Sunday. NPC: -- The NPC annual session will open at 9 a.m. at the Great Hall of the People. Premier Li Keqiang will deliver a report on the government work. NPC deputies will examine a report on the implementation of the 2016 plan for national economic and social development, and on the 2017 draft plan for national economic and social development. The deputies will also examine a report on the implementation of the central and local budgets for 2016, and on the draft plan of central and local budgets for 2017. The opening will be broadcast live via China National Radio, China Central Television (CCTV), China Radio International and China Global Television Networks. Major news portals will also cover the event. -- In the afternoon, NPC deputies will hold panel discussions on the government work report. CPPCC: -- In the morning, members of the CPPCC National Committee will observe the opening of the NPC session. -- In the afternoon, members of the CPPCC National Committee will hold panel discussions on the government work report. ISLAMABAD, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen shot dead a local leader of ruling coalition in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on Saturday, police said. Muhammad Jan Gigyani, a lawyer and leader of the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), was attacked in Charsadda district when he was heading to courts in his car, a police officer said. QWP is part of the ruling coalition in the province. Gigyani and his nephew received bullet injuries and were shifted to hospital in Peshawar, the provincial capital. Gigyani later died of wounds while his nephew was receiving treatment. The gunmen, riding on a motorcycle, fled after the shooting, eye witnesses said. The Pakistan branch of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar group claimed the attack in a statement sent to the local media. The group is blamed for attacks on the officials of the law enforcement agencies, political leaders and government officers. Lawyers protested against the murder of their colleagues and demanded of the government to arrest the culprits. The police conducted a search operation in the area but no one has yet been arrested. Security officials believe the militants have adopted a policy of target attacks after they were expelled from their previous strongholds in the tribal regions. WUHAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- An artificial intelligence robot made its debut in central China's Hubei Province Saturday, capable of providing legal assistance. The robot, FaGouGou, is backed with 30 million cases and massive legal knowledge data, covering the criminal, labor, marriage and traffic fields, said Liu Qian, a co-developer. It provides consulting service for lawyers as well as customer data mining service. A new version will be developed specifically to offer legal service to the public, according to the developers. The robot is excellent in AI storage, computing power and judicial assistance, said Xiong Minghui, professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong Province. U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division gather around an artillery at a military base north of Mosul, Iraq, February 14, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS) WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Fifty-nine percent of Americans believe that the U.S. currently is spending either the right amount or too much on national defense, found a latest Gallup poll. The Feb. 1-5 poll showed that 28 percent of Americans say the U.S. is spending the right amount on national defense, while 31 percent say it is spending too much. Meanwhile, 37 percent of Americans say the country spends too little on defense, according to the poll. The poll comes as newly-elected U.S. President Donald Trump vows to increase military spending in his first budget. Reports said that Trump is planning to increase the military spending by 54 billion U.S. dollars in his budget. There is a wide partisan gap in the views on the U.S. military spending, as 62 percent of Republicans believe that the country spends too little on defense, compared to only 15 percent of Democrats who hold this view. In the poll, slightly more Americans say the U.S. spends too little on defense than say it spends too much. This has happened somewhat infrequently in Gallup's trend since 1969, Gallup said. Before the 2016 presidential campaign, the last time that Americans were more likely to say "too little" than to say "too much" was 2000-2002, spanning the 2000 election as well as the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001. While Trump's position on defense echoes former Republican President Ronald Reagan's, the percentage of Americans saying the U.S. spends too little on defense is lower now than during Reagan's first month in office. This may be related to fatigue from a continuing war in Afghanistan and the recent Iraq War, according to Gallup. Meanwhile, Americans are nearly equally divided on their assessment of the U.S. military strength. Forty-five percent of Americans say the U.S. military is not strong enough, while 43 percent say it is "about right" and another 11 percent believe it is stronger than it needs to be. These views are almost the same from each of the past two years. Before 2015, significantly more Americans said military strength was "about right" than said it was not strong enough. Trump may face some resistance to increased defense spending from those wary of the continuing war in Afghanistan and the recent war in Iraq, Gallup said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang joins a panel discussion with political advisors from economic and agricultural sectors at the fifth session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and other senior leaders on Saturday joined political advisors in their panel discussions concerning the nation's economic and social development. Meeting with advisors from economic and agricultural sectors during the the ongoing session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the premier highlighted the main theme of "seeking progress while maintaining stability" in economic work. He stressed the need to keep the continuity and stability of the macro-policy with the supply-side structural reform as the focus. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, China witnessed a good start for its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), said Li. Despite economic woes at home and abroad, stabilization and improvement were seen in both social and economic areas, he said, citing progress in employment, structural adjustment, new growth impetus and improvement in people's livelihood. Li pledged to consolidate the trend of economic stabilization and improvement by comprehensively deepening reform. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, joined in a panel discussion of political advisors from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. Zhang said Hong Kong and Macao maintained overall stability over the past year, witnessing new and positive development. Zhang said the central government attaches great importance to elections to be held this year respectively in Hong Kong and Macao, which concern the regions' prosperity and stability. Zhang hoped the election in Hong Kong will be held orderly and in accordance with the law. A chief executive who loves the motherland and Hong Kong, who is trusted by the central government and supported by Hong Kong people, and who is able to govern Hong Kong effectively, should be elected, Zhang said. Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, joined political advisors from the circles of social sciences as well as press and publication in a panel discussion. Yu called for promoting the development of philosophy and social sciences, and media and publicity work, in order to fuel China's drive to build a well-off society and realize its great national rejuvenation with "huge positive energy." In the process, Yu said, Xi's instructions and new ideas, thoughts and strategies on state governance should be implemented. He also stressed upholding the correct political direction, guidance of public opinion and values, and continuing efforts to boost the development of socialist core values. Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, joined political advisors from the literary and art circles in a panel discussion. Liu said confidence in the country's culture is an important issue concerning the independence of ethos, and a significant pillar of confidence in the country's path, theory and system. Liu attributed cultural confidence to the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core, the highly effective political system, as well as shared ideals and aspirations that unite all Chinese. The CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core has opened a new era for state governance, Wang Qishan, head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said at a panel discussion of political advisors from the Communist Youth League of China, the All-China Youth Federation, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the All-China Women's Federation. The CPC's leadership is the essence of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Wang said. Wang added that organizations under the CPC's leadership should unite people around the CPC and consolidate the political basis for the Party's governance. Meeting with advisors from the China Zhi Gong Party, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and the group for friendship with foreign countries, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli called for joint efforts from Chinese people both at home and abroad for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Zhang asked the CPPCC members to step up friendly exchanges with foreign countries. He asked them to help explain China's stories and solutions, and introduce to the world the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative to contribute to the shared future for mankind. File photo taken onJan. 20, 2017 showsU.S. President Donald Trump(L, front) is greeted by former U.S. President Barack Obama after delivering his inaugural address during the presidential inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday accused his predecessor Barack Obama of having his Trump Tower "wires tapped" before the Election Day, but Trump offered no evidence to back the allegation. So far there is no immediate response from the Obama side. It was not immediately clear whether Trump had any proof or was referencing a report. "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump tweeted in a series of five tweets. "Is it legal for a sitting President to be 'wire tapping' a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!" he added in subsequent tweets. "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!" "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad(or sick) guy!" he said on his Twitter account, spelling "tap" as "tapp". Breitbart News on Friday reported on conservative radio host Mark Levin's claim that Obama executed a "silent coup" of Trump via "police state" tactics. White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon had been Breitbart CEO before joining Trump's campaign team in general elections last year. MANAMA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain's public prosecution announced on Saturday the discovery of a terrorist cell of 54 members, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported. Chief of Terror Crime Prosecution Advocate General Ahmed Al Hammadi said that 25 members of the cell who had carried out acts of terror had been arrested and that the investigations by the public prosecution were ongoing. The investigations revealed that the movements of the terrorists to other countries were coordinated by one of the cell leaders based in Germany, he said, adding that the cell leader also made arrangements for several members to go to Iran and Iraq for explosives and firearms training ahead of carrying out their terrorist crimes in Bahrain. The leaders and members of the cell had prepared and made plans for a number of terrorist crimes in order to disrupt public order and endanger the safety of the kingdom, Al Hammadi added. Investigations revealed that the defendants were linked with a series of the seizure of machine guns and explosive devices in the Nabih Salih area late last year, the jailbreak on Jan. 1, the attack of police patrol that injured one police personnel on Jan. 14 and the assassination of a police officer on Jan. 28. Investigations also revealed that one of the organization leaders, currently in Iran, was continuing his criminal and terrorist activities and plots against Bahrain, Al Hammadi added. Bahrain has been accusing Iran of standing behind its instability to achieve its regional expanding goals, such accusations denied by Iran. ADDIS ABABA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A fashion show on qipao, a stylish traditional Chinese dress for ladies, exhibited a beautiful facet of the rich Chinese culture to diplomats of different countries here at the African Union. Hosted by spouses at the Chinese Mission to the Africa Union on the premises of the Mission Head's residence in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, the Qipao Fashion Show event on Saturday featured performances on different themes, including young girls' beauty; wedding; hosting friend; Chinese Romeo and Juliet dance; violin solo: a fishing boat song at dusk; and learning embroidery among others. During the event that also displayed sample qipaos, an eight-year-old Chinese girl, in particular, captured the attention and the heart of the audience with her performance on violin solo: a fishing boat song at dusk. According to Kuang Weilin, Head of the Chinese Mission to the Africa Union, the event was hosted by the spouses at the Mission in connection with the upcoming International Women's Day, aiming to promote the rich Chinese cultural elements to the rest of the world. Kuang told Xinhua after the show that it was a successful event. Stating that many Africans and other nationals do not know about China's qipao, also known as Mandarin gown, Kuang said the event was a very good platform to promote the traditional clothing and related cultural elements to diplomats of different countries. "The event was a great success; it showed the Chinese culture to our friends, to ambassadors. I think, this event is also a very good event for the promotion of better understanding between China and other countries," he said. "Qipao is really one of the most important elements of the Chinese culture. Qipao really is the symbol of the Chinese culture. And interestingly, not many people in Africa really know about qipao; it is our responsibility to introduce qipao to Africans so that African friends, ambassadors will really have better understanding of the Chinese culture," noted the Ambassador. He said the Mission would continue to host such events in future with a view of promoting the rich culture of China to the rest of the world. Participating in some of the performances and making presentation on qipao and its evolution, Wu Hua, spouse of the Chinese Ambassador to AU, noted that qipao is symbolic of Chinese culture. It demonstrates the elegance, grace, and tenderness of the Chinese women, she said. "Its design and style show special features of the woman's figure. However, at the same time, it does not expose too much. It shows Chinese woman's beauty subtlety," she added. Attending the event, African and other diplomats have hailed the event, which featured qipao fashion show, presentation on evolution of the traditional robe (qipao), and performances on the different Chinese customs on different occasions. Susan Sikaneta, Zambian Ambassador to Ethiopia and AU, told Xinhua it was a magnificent event. "I must say that this fashion show has been magnificent, wonderful, and beautiful. I can describe it in all these beautiful words because it has really been magnificent," she said. The fashion show was not only entertaining, but also informative and educative, said the Ambassador. Speaking to Xinhua, Monica Sabatucci, spouse of the Head of EU Delegation to AU, said she admired the event. "It is really, really, nice; it was a new experience for us; we can see how in-depth the perfection is of the Chinese people; it is a different culture you get to understand more; how important perfection is color. It was a different presentation. And it was really, new experience for all of us," said Sabatucci. "It was not the first time; but every new presentation is new experience. Definitely, it was really, really, positive, and I was really, really honored to see all this kind of different presentation; it was not only the fashion show but also the presentation of the different customs that China offers," she said. The event concluded with a banquet, which offers Chinese dishes, and was thrown by the Chinese Mission to the African Union. WINDHOEK, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Namibia needs 115 million Namibian dollars (9 million U.S. dollars) to support its anti-poaching Unit, wildlife conservation and the management of protected areas in the country. This was revealed at the World Wildlife Day celebration held on Friday in the capital Windhoek. Held under the theme: Raising Funds for Anti-Poaching, Human Wildlife Conflict Management and Area Management, the event included a fund raising session for stakeholders in wildlife conservation to pledge money and other kinds of support to fight poaching and manage protected areas. Speaking at the event, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta said commitment towards wildlife conservation is a daunting task with government resources alone. "It is with this understanding that Government would like to partner with the private sector, other institutions as well as multilateral organisations in the conservation of Namibia's wildlife resources." Shifeta said. The minister welcomed other donations and pledges from local companies that committed themselves to donating vehicles. Sniffer dogs, drones and gate monitoring systems for parks also featured during the fund raising session. At the event, the Chinese Embassy in Windhoek pledged 200,000 Namibian dollars(15,400 dollars) while a local insurance company donated five vehicles and drones. TEHRAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday dismissed the recent U.S. State Department annual report over human rights situation in the Islamic republic, Tasnim news agency reported. "Due to its awful and dark human rights record, either inside that country or at the international level, the U.S. government is in no position to comment on the status of human rights in other countries," the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying. Qasemi said that no international organization or law has authorized the U.S. government to judge the status of human rights around the world one-sidedly and with political motivations. Friday review of human rights by the U.S. State Department on Iran alleged that there have been "severe restrictions on civil liberties" including freedoms of speech, gatherings, religion and press in the Islamic republic in 2016. The review chided the Iranian government for reportedly committing arbitrary or unlawful killings, "including, most commonly, by execution after arrest and trial without due process." Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Thursday that some Western states use the human rights issue as a tool for their political ends. File photo shows hyenas looking for food in the Masaimara national reserve of Kenya. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui) ARUSHA, Tanzania, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Villagers in Tanzania's northern region of Simiyu have raised alarm over marauding hyenas that have been killing their livestock for the past three months, authorities said Saturday. The wild animals from the nearby Maswa Game Reserve located near Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area are targeting cattle and goats. Sylas Ngeleja, one of the villagers in Mwabuli village, Kishapu District said: "Our economy and source of livelihood here depends on livestock production but now that is under threat from the hyenas." The 65-year-old man said on Friday night at around 2 a.m. local time, when a group of hyenas stormed his home with the aim of snatching goats. The hyenas normally pounce on the livestock at night. "They killed one goat in my home. I screamed to ask for help from neighbors who responded and we fought with the animals, though I was injured in my left arm," the herder said, adding: "We managed to chase them away that night." Boniface Butondo, one of the local leaders in the area, said that their livestock was in danger of being wiped out if the issue was not addressed urgently. Butondo, who is a ward councilor in Lagana said that the situation is worsening in the area, as hyenas start roaming around the villages. "Worse enough, hyenas have been attacking people," he said, adding that there are more than 10 reports per month of livestock being attacked by the hyenas. Nyabaganga Taraba, Kishapu District Commissioner said that he was aware of the challenge. "We are engaging the relevant authorities so that we find a solution to this problem before we lose a lot of livestock," Taraba said. BUJUMBURA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Following hunger currently hitting several areas in Burundi, the east African country's government has announced that it will remove taxes on some imported food items. "Due to the food shortage reported in some provinces that caused an increase of prices of food items, we realized that it is urgent that the government should remove taxes on some food items so that citizens can get them at a lower price," Burundian Government Spokesman Philippe Nzobonariba said while presenting the minutes of a meeting of the Burundian Council of Ministers held earlier this week. In 2016, drought hit several provinces of the east African nation, reducing tremendously expected food production. According to him, a list of food items that will be exempted from taxes will be soon issued. "As farming activities are going due to the return of the rainfall, the measure will last for three months because the Burundian government believes that food production will be renormalized by that time," Nzobonariba said. Since December 2016, some areas in Burundi have been facing hunger and calls for humanitarian assistance were notably made to come to the rescue of hunger victims in Kirundo and Bubanza provinces considered as main food producers of Burundi. NICOSIA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Steps will be taken in the coming days to overcome a crisis that led to the suspension of negotiations to reunify Cyprus, a United Nations official said on Saturday. Espen Barth Eide, the UN Secretary General's special adviser on Cyprus, made the statement after a three-hour meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. He also said the coming weeks will decide not only the fate of the negotiations process, but will also give an answer to the question whether the island will be re-united. Akinci pulled out of the negotiations after 22 months in which unprecedented progress was achieved to settle one of the longest-standing international problems. Before meeting Eide, Akinci said he would stay away from the negotiations with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades until the Greek Cypriot side "corrects" a vote by parliament to commemorate the anniversary of a 1950 referendum in which they expressed their wish to unite with Greece. Eide said on Friday after meeting Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades that the negotiations were interrupted over "by what is essentially an issue outside of the talks themselves". Eide stated that after meeting both leaders it has become clear what it has to be done. "The next few days will see steps which will be helpful," he added. He said both community leaders remained committed to finding a way out and quickly proceeding forward with the negotiations. He said he could not say whether an international conference on Cyprus in Geneva which had been scheduled in March would be convened for the time being. "I would not like to create expectations for March but we still aim at convening a conference," said Eide. A UN spokesman said in New York on Friday that the UN remains committed to facilitating the leaders' efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement as soon as possible. KHARTOUM, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Abul-Qasim Imam, a prominent rebel leader in Sudan's Darfur, on Saturday arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum after joining Darfur peace deal. Last January, Imam, Leader of Sudan Liberation Movement -Second Revolution (SLM-SR), signed an agreement with the Sudanese government to officially join the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), which was signed in 2011. "We returned to Khartoum today upon the movement's belief in peace," Imam told reporters upon arrival at Khartoum airport Saturday. "We found that the Sudanese national dialogue represents a new road for the peace process in Sudan besides its contribution to discussion of all Sudan's issues," he added. Imam further announced that his movement is making contacts with other armed movements in Darfur to persuade them to join the peace process in Sudan and join the DDPD. Meanwhile, the Sudanese government welcomed Imam's joining of the DDPD. "The Sudanese government welcomes the return of the movement and its joining of the DDPD and the Sudanese national dialogue," Magdi Khalaf, Sudan government's official in charge of Darfur Peace Office, told reporters Saturday. About 10 years ago, Imam signed a peace deal with the Sudanese government in Tripoli, Libya, that stipulated setting up security arrangements, return of the displaced people and disarmament of the armed factions besides increasing the compensation for the affected population in Darfur to 100 million U.S. Dollars and establishing a fund to compensate the affected families. However, in 2010, Imam turned against the deal after losing his post as Governor of West Darfur State and joined the SLM/Abdul-Wahid Nur faction before defecting again. File photo shows hyenas looking for food in the Masaimara national reserve of Kenya. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui) ARUSHA, Tanzania, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Villagers in Tanzania's northern region of Simiyu have raised alarm over marauding hyenas that have been killing their livestock for the past three months. The wild animals from the nearby Maswa Game Reserve located near Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area are targeting cattle and goats. Sylas Ngeleja, one of the villagers in Mwabuli village, Kishapu District said: "Our economy and source of livelihood here depends on livestock production but now that is under threat from the hyenas." The 65-year-old man said on Friday night at around 2 a.m. local time, when a group of hyenas stormed his home with the aim of snatching goats. The hyenas normally pounce on the livestock at night. "They killed one goat in my home. I screamed to ask for help from neighbors who responded and we fought with the animals, though I was injured in my left arm," the herder said, adding: "We managed to chase them away that night." Boniface Butondo, one of the local leaders in the area, said that their livestock was in danger of being wiped out if the issue was not addressed urgently. Butondo, who is a ward councilor in Lagana said that the situation is worsening in the area, as hyenas start roaming around the villages. "Worse enough, hyenas have been attacking people," he said, adding that there are more than 10 reports per month of livestock being attacked by the hyenas. Nyabaganga Taraba, Kishapu District Commissioner said that he was aware of the challenge. "We are engaging the relevant authorities so that we find a solution to this problem before we lose a lot of livestock," Taraba said. File photo shows an outpatient therapeutic feeding centre run by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) partner, DMO (Deegroor Medical Organization) in Baidoa, Bay region, Somalia. (Xinhua/UNICEF/Sebastian Rich) MOGADISHU, March 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 110 people have been killed and several left in serious conditions after cholera broke out in southern Somalia in the past two days. Somali Prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire said on Saturday that the deaths occurred in Bay region amid severe drought across the county, while assuring that the government would give it first priority to respond such crisis. Mohamed Hassan Fiqi, Minister of Agriculture for southwest state in Somalia, said the cholera situation was out of their control and demanded emergency aid from the government and international community. "Cholera broke out in Goof-guduud, Awdiinle and Berdale locations in Bay region. Children, women and old people are among the dead, the death toll increases time to time and our administration can't help," Fiqi said. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (2nd R) attends a meeting of Intra-Syria peace talks with Syrian government delegation at Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 28, 2017. The latest round of peace talks of Syria kicked off on last Thursday in Geneva, seeking to broker a political end to the long time conflict in the war-torn country. (Xinhua/POOL/Xu Jinquan) GENEVA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- With the Syrian conflict entering its sixth-year, the fourth and latest round of intra-Syrian peace talks ended with unusual positivity on Friday, as proximity discussions yielded an agenda for future negotiations seeking to broker a political end to the conflict. While no major breakthrough was achieved in talks mediated by UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, the diplomat lauded the fact that rival delegations agreed on a credible plan to guide the next round of discussions set to kick off later this month. With expectations set to a minimum from the outset, de Mistura commended the "serious discussions" he and his team were able to have with the Syrian government delegation and officials representing opposition factions seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The fact that all invitees stayed until the end was also considered an improvement from past rounds, and added to what was seen as an auspicious start when opposing delegations sat in the same room in a ceremony marking the start of talks on Feb. 23. This was particularly symbolic since the last time parties met under the auspices of the UN was in April 2016, a month which saw negotiations put on hold amid a humanitarian meltdown and systemic violence in the Middle East country. With delegations unable to see eye-to-eye on a range of issues last year, the envoy's comments offered hope that future negotiations will finally be able to focus on substantive political issues that continue to divide opposing delegations. This entails negotiating over what de Mistura called the "four baskets". While the three first "baskets" are directly related to UN Security Council resolution 2254, namely the formation of credible and inclusive governance, UN-supervised elections and the drafting of a new constitution, the inclusion of a "fourth basket" is an important development. Indeed, this final item relates to counter-terrorism issues, and its inclusion on the agenda can be seen as a win for the Syrian government delegation, which has sought to make this controversial topic a priority in the past. Its inclusion on the agenda could also mirror the changing geopolitical context in which this year's talks are taking place. Since the last round was held last year, rebel factions have lost eastern Aleppo, one of their main strongholds in the country, and are increasingly on the back foot as Damascus seeks to consolidate its military gains on the ground. The Syrian army, backed by Russia, has indeed managed to recapture large swathes of territory not only from rebel fighters, but also from extremist factions including the Islamic State (IS). This means that al-Assad is in a significantly better place to impose preconditions on talks, such as making the fight against terrorism a priority, while substantially lowering his willingness to compromise. In light of this, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), which is the Riyadh-based opposition umbrella group, may find it harder and harder to exert pressure on its government counterpart. Its disunity is also a problem, though talks between HNC representatives and the Moscow Platform, one of two moderate opposition groups, could be a sign that unification is in the making. The geopolitical circumstances in which this year's round of peace talks are set also transcend Syrian borders. Both Russia and Turkey not only brokered a ceasefire which came into effect at the end of last year, but also organized, together with Iran, two rounds of talks in the Kazak capital of Astana to monitor the shaky truce. The UN has highlighted that these talks are important, and that they complement the political track in Geneva. While this may be true, they also serve as a tacit reminder that the U.S.' role in Syria is no longer as relevant as it was in the past. With the fifth round of Syria peace talks set to resume in a few weeks' time, the UN reminded that its success is contingent on incremental trust between rival parties, improved humanitarian access and the upkeep of the ceasefire. If this is managed, and pending discussions with the UN Secretary General and the Security Council next week, Syrians will now have to rely on the willingness of parties to end a conflict which has killed as many as 400,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes. A security staff member checks a scanner control monitor at Piraeus cruise port in Athens, capital of Greece, on July 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) ATHENS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Greek authorities have dismantled a criminal ring manufacturing and trafficking drugs extensively used by ISIS for the first time in Greece, the Financial Crimes unit (SDOE) announced on Friday. Two Greek nationals, one Turk and one Albanian were arrested during an operation by SDOE in cooperation with Greek police and Navy at Elefsina and Megara, two towns 17 and 33 kilometers northwest of Athens respectively, according to an e-mailed statement. During a raid in a narcotics lab at Elefsina, authorities discovered and seized 635,000 tablets of Captagon, a synthetic amphetamine which is associated with ISIS fighters in recent years. This is the first time that authorities have discovered a Captagon lab in Greece, the statement said. Some of the pills had been hidden in crypts inside a truck. In another raid at Megara, authorities confiscated a speed boat with crypts to transfer the drugs out of Greece. The market value of the tablets confiscated is estimated at about 10 million euros (10.5 million U.S. dollars), according to SDOE's statement. The investigation continues, and at least three individuals are wanted for the case, including a retired police officer. Captagon was first created in the sixties to treat hyperactivity, narcolepsy and depression, but was banned in the mid-eighties for being highly addictive, Greek national news agency AMNA noted. The drug is believed to be flooding the Middle East. Data from 2010 showed one third of the worldwide Captagon production was consumed in the region, according to AMNA. Local residents wait to collect water in Marsabit, one of the most severe drought regions in Kenya, on March 3, 2017. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday vowed to enhance drought mitigation measures to ensure all those affected are assisted. Kenya government declared drought a national disaster in February, inviting international community to help in addressing the situation. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) by Njoroge Kaburo NAIROBI, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The UN relief chief on Saturday urged international support for the estimated 2.7 million people in parts of Kenya who urgently need food and water following the onset of a severe drought. Stephen O'Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement issued in Nairobi that the world must act now to save lives in Kenya and Horn of Africa region ravaged by severe drought. "Famine has reared its ugly head in neighbouring South Sudan, Somalia is at risk for the second time this decade, and more than 2.7 million Kenyans are severely food insecure," warned O'Brien. "Crops are failing, food prices are rising, and families are going hungry. The spectre of hunger and disease is haunting East Africa again. We need to put a stop to this," he added. O'Brien who visited one of the driest areas in northern Kenya on Friday said he saw the devastating impact of drought on rural communities and called for international support for communities affected by conflict and drought in Kenya and the Horn of Africa. The third consecutive year of drought in the Horn of Africa is causing thirst and hunger, decimating livestock, destroying livelihoods, spreading disease and triggering large-scale population movements. Some of the worst-affected communities live along the Mandera triangle, where the borders of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia meet in a region that witnessed outbreaks of chikungunya, dengue, AWD/cholera and measles in 2016. Half of Kenya's 47 counties are affected by drought and the government has declared a national drought emergency. The food insecure population has more than doubled in less than a year, and an estimated 350,000 children, pregnant women and new mothers are acutely malnourished. Kenya has pledged 99 million U.S. dollars to support national drought response efforts and committed to enhancing regional cooperation. But the scale of the crisis is outpacing existing capacity. According to the United Nations, more than 2 billion dollars is required for humanitarian assistance in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia in 2017. TEHRAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran and German's Siemens have reached a preliminary agreement to jointly manufacture equipment for electricity industry in Iran, semi-official Mehr news agency quoted an Iranian official as saying on Saturday. "During a visit to Germany, an Iranian delegation signed a contract with Siemens under which a plant will be built for manufacturing power equipment under the license of the German firm," Arsalan Fathipour, the official from Iran Electricity Industry Syndicate, said. The agreement with the German company also encompasses the transfer of know-how as well as construction of new equipment for power generation industry, he said. Besides, collaboration with Siemens is aimed at reducing costs and boost of the export of electricity equipment, he added. The official said that the plant will be built in Parand, a town about 65 kilometers southwest of Tehran. MARSABIT, Kenya, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is experiencing a severe drought as the East African nation has declared drought a national disaster, calling for international help to address the situation. Local residents wait to collect water in Marsabit, one of the most severe drought regions in Kenya, on March 3, 2017.(Xinhua/Pan Siwei) A dried-up river is seen in Marsabit, one of the most severe drought regions in Kenya, on March 3, 2017.(Xinhua/Pan Siwei) A woman collects water in Marsabit, one of the most severe drought regions in Kenya, on March 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) A dried-up river is seen in Marsabit, one of the most severe drought regions in Kenya, on March 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) Herders wait to collect relief feed for livestock in Marsabit, one of the most severe drought regions in Kenya, on March 3, 2017.(Xinhua/Pan Siwei) Relief feed for local herders' livestock is seen in Marsabit, one of the most severe drought regions in Kenya, on March 3, 2017.(Xinhua/Pan Siwei) A worker transfers relief food in Maralal town, Samburu County, Kenya, on March 2, 2017. World Food Program (WFP) plans to distribute relief food to stricken people in Kenya, but the food agency has a 22 million dollar revenue shortfall. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) A woman collects water in Marsabit, one of the most severe drought regions in Kenya, on March 3, 2017.(Xinhua/Pan Siwei) Photo taken on March 1, 2017, shows the carcass of a bull in Laikipia County, Kenya. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that Kenya was facing a severe drought and with it a rise in food insecurity. Current estimates show over 2 million people are food insecure. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) A girl collects water at a pond in Laikipia County, Kenya, on March 1, 2017. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that Kenya was facing a severe drought and with it a rise in food insecurity. Current estimates show over 2 million people are food insecure. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) ALGIERS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Defense Ministry on Saturday said counter terrorism troops deployed along the southern border discovered a bunker full of war weapons in the locality of In Guezzam near the border with Niger. The troops retrieved 6 Kalashnikov machine guns, a heavy weapon, an RPG7 rocket-launcher, 17 Kalashnikov magazines, and a load of ammunition of different calibers, said the ministry. Algeria has deployed ten thousand of troops along the southernmost borderline to thwart any intrusion attempt of arms and terrorists. Several arm bunkers have been discovered in recent months along the borderline with Mali, Niger and Libya, many terrorists captured or killed. Located in a region plagued by unprecedented security and political instability, experts believe Algeria faces ongoing terrorist threats. File photo taken on , January 20, 2017 shows U.S. President Barack Obama (R) greets President-elect Donald Trump at inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as president on the West front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, the United States. (Xinhua/REUTERS) WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's accusation that his predecessor Barack Obama had his "wires tapped" in Trump Tower before Election Day is "simply false," Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said Saturday. "A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice," Lewis said in a statement. "As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false," said Lewis. Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser to Obama, tweeted that presidents can't simply order wiretaps as Trump suggests. Earlier Saturday, Trump claimed in a tweet storm that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower before his election victory. It remains unclear whether Trump had any proof or was referencing a report. "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump tweeted in a series of five tweets on Saturday morning. "Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!" he added in subsequent tweets. "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!" "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad( or sick) guy!" Trump said on Twitter, spelling "tap" as "tapp." Breitbart News on Friday reported on conservative radio host Mark Levin's claim that Obama executed a "silent coup" of Trump via "police state" tactics. White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon had been Breitbart CEO before joining Trump's campaign team in general elections last year. Trump's "wire-tapping" accusation came after days of media reports about his campaign team's contacts with Russian Ambassador to Washington Sergei Kislyak. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday he will recuse himself from any current or future investigations into Russia's possible link with Trump's presidential campaign, after admitting he met with Kislyak twice last year but didn't reveal it at the Senate hearings for his confirmation. There have been suggestions that contacts between Trump campaign team and Russia were picked up by intelligence agencies as part of routine surveillance of the Russians. Trump and his aides have denied there were any improper contacts. BEIRUT, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has announced that it donated vehicles and information technology equipment to the General Directorate of the General Security of Lebanon. "The donation is in line with the existing cooperation between UNIFIL and the Lebanese government military and other security institutions, as mandated by the UN Security Council Resolution 1701," a UNIFIL statement said Friday. The donation consists of 11 vehicles and 278 information technology assets, the sixth in a series of donations by UNIFIL since 2011, according to the statement. UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary said that the donation is a "clear and important demonstration of the close and professional working relationship" that exists between UNIFIL and the Directorate. "I sincerely hope that the equipment will facilitate the General Security in the important role they play in protecting the Lebanese state, its institutions and citizens," he added. TEHRAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Japan are in talks to sign a deal worth 2.13 billion U.S. dollars to renew Iran's Abadan oil refinery, the refinery company said Saturday, according to semi-official Fars news agency. Japan's JGC Corporation Engineering Company will develop the refinery, said Esfandiar Daemolzekr, managing director of Abadan Oil Refinery Company, adding that the project will reduce fuel oil output to less than 10 percent. The Abadan refinery, built in 1912, is located in Abadan city near the coast of the Persian Gulf and was one of world's largest oil refineries. It was largely destroyed in 1980s during the Iraq-Iran war. Japan's Inpex Company is also in talks with Iran to sign a deal for the development of Iranian Azadegan oilfield with an in-place reservoir of 42 billion barrels, said Noureddin Shahnazizadeh, managing director of Iran's Petroleum Engineering and Development Company. LONDON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- In his first response Saturday to the results of the Northern Ireland assembly elections, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire called for participants in the process to establish a strong and stable devolved administration at Stormont. "This election has demonstrated the clear desire by the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland for inclusive devolved government. Everyone now has a shared responsibility to engage intensively in the short period of time that is available to us, to ensure that a strong and stable administration is established," James Brokenshire said. The unionists emerged from Thursday's elections for the first time ever without a majority, with the pro-republican Sinn Fein making massive gains. Sinn Fein reduced the margin to just one seat, winning 27 assembly seats, just one less than the 28 won by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein's new leader Michelle O'Neill now have three weeks to establish a government. Under Northern Ireland's power-sharing agreement, the government must be run by Irish nationalists and unionists together. If they fail to establish a working government in Northern Ireland, Brokenshire has the power to call another snap election, or introduce direct rule of the region from Westminster. SKOPJE, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The political deadlock in Macedonia continues to deepen after President Gjorge Ivanov rejected to mandate the formation of a new government led by the Social Democratic Union (SDSM). While the party VMRO-DPMNE led by Nikola Gruevski, which owns most parliamentary seats, Saturday called on SDSM leader Zoran Zaev to accept their proposal of holding new snap elections, SDSM calls for a swift power transfer. Macedonia held snap general elections on Dec. 11, 2016. The VMRO-DPMNE party secured 51 seats, the SDSM got 49, and the DUI obtained 10 in the new parliament. With the most votes, the VMRO-DPMNE was mandated to form a government, but failed the mission within a deadline. Thus, it's the SDSM's turn to make the attempt after it reached an agreement with ethnic Albanian parties. However, President Ivanov on Wednesday refused to grant SDSM leader Zaev a mandate, claiming his government would support "a platform undermining Macedonia's sovereignty." Ethnic Albanian parties, which emerged as the kingmaker after the last polls, have met Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and created a joint platform with demands, including making Albanian an official language. VMRO-DPMNE said Saturday in a press release that the citizens in Macedonia didn't vote for a platform that was drafted in a neighboring country but voted for another platform which didn't aim at making Macedonia a bilingual, bi-national state. In the statement, Gruevksi said VMRO-DPMNE would support Zaev to form the new government if he turned down the ethnic Albanian parties' platform which foresees the making of Albanian language as the second official language in Macedonia. But, SDSM reacted saying that the calls for fresh elections represented an attempt to delay and deepen the political crisis. The democratic processes have begun and the majority will of citizens shown through the 67 parliamentary seats must be reflected through the formation of a new government, SDSM said in a press release also on Saturday. According to SDSM, if the majority will of citizens was not respected this time, it wouldn't be taken into consideration even if new elections were held. SDSM highlighted the country's need for a swift and peaceful power transfer that would pave the way to country's progress towards its integration in EU and NATO. Meanwhile, the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), the largest ethnic Albanian party here, has unanimously decided to support SDSM and take part in the formation of the new government, sources from the party said on Saturday. DUI leader Ali Ahmeti called on President Ivanov to reassess his decision not to give the mandate to SDSM leader Zoran Zaev over the government formation, saying a government vote in the Parliament would be an option if the president still failed to give the mandate. DAMASCUS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Communication with Syrian war jet was lost while the warplane was on a reconnaissance mission near the Turkish borders on Saturday, state TV reported. The report said the search for the pilot is ongoing, spelling no further details. Meanwhile, the Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham movement said its rebels fired at a Syrian MiG-21 in the northern countryside of Idlib near the Turkish borders. A video posted online also purported to show the warplane while being shot at by Ahrar al-Sham. Activists said that after being shot, the warplane continued to fly toward the Syrian-Turkish borders, adding that the plane may have crashed over the Turkmen Mountains in Syria's Latakia province. However, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said earlier that a Syrian military jet has crashed near the Turkish-Syrian border. "There is information that a MiG modeled plane estimated to be belonging to the Syrian regime crashed in the (southern province of) Hatay," he said, adding that the pilot is said to have jumped from the plane, and search efforts are ongoing. SANAA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Vice president of internationally recognized Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi called on the Yemeni troops Saturday to join government forces against Houthi rebels. The vice president, Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, made the appeal in a meeting with commanders of government forces in the liberated city of Marib, said a statement carried by the government news agency Saba. Still, large areas of Marib, the oil-rich province east of rebel-controlled capital Sanaa, are under Houthi rebel control. The government forces are now stationing in eastern part of Nehm district, about 50 km northeast of the rebel-controlled capital, in military preparation backed by Saudi-led military coalition to storm Sanaa. "We welcome the coming soldiers who will join the legitimate government and call on others to join our forces against Houthi rebels," the agency quoted al-Ahmar as saying. Al-Ahmar's move came two days after another military mobilization call made by government foe of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is the main ally with Shiite Houthi rebels. Saleh urged Thursday the Yemeni army to join Houthi fighters in border fighting against Saudi forces, the main ally of Hadi's government. In his speech, Saleh also renewed his call to not conduct further peace talks with exiled President Hadi and his government, describing them as "mercenaries." The move also signaled Yemen's further escalating military tension with neighboring Saudi Arabia, which led a military coalition of mostly Arab countries in support of exiled president Hadi against Houthi rebels. The defense ministry has been under Houthi control since they seized the capital Sanaa in September 2014. However, the Yemeni national army has stayed neutral since then and also remained neutral after Houthis ousted internationally recognized President Hadi and forced him along with his government into exile. Both the government and rebels' moves clearly indicate further military escalation, particularly after repeated rounds of peace talks mediated by the United Nations have failed. LIMA - China, Canada and the US will account for 53 percent of investments in the Peruvian mining sector in the next few years, according to the new guide for mining investments published Wednesday. The guide, which was produced by Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) and Ernst & Young, showed that China will be the leading foreign investor in 2017-2018, with its companies planning to spend $10.189 billion, or 21.6 percent of the total. Canada will come in second place with $8.755 billion, or 18.6 percent, and the US in third with $6.55 billion, or 12.8 percent. Chinese investments include the expansion of the Marcona iron mine in the southern region of Ica at a cost of $1.5 billion, which is to be completed by December 2019. This will increase the mine's production to 3.5 million metric tons. Jinzhao Mining is planning to invest $1.5 billion at Pampa de Pongo mine, to complete an environmental impact assessment and begin production by 2021. Policeman on rape charge Constable Christian Yorke of Sherwood Park, who was assigned to the Scarborough CID Task Force, was not called upon to plead as the charge was laid indictably. The Constable was charged on Thursday afternoon with the rape of the woman, after the investigator got instructions from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). When he appeared before Magistrate Prince, PC Yorke was granted bail in the sum of $100,000 with a surety and instructed to reappear in court on March 31. The charge alleges that at 10.55 pm on Carnival Monday, a woman was raped at her apartment home. She later filed a report and investigations were conducted which led to an arrest. Cattle farmer shot dead Relatives made the discovery at 1.30 pm in a bushy area (State lands) off Coqueran Avenue, Penal Rock Road, Penal, where Georges animals grazed. George lived alone at Church Street, Penal, and was neither married nor had children. Police reported that at 4 am, he went to drop off a male relative at the Marabella Market to sell produce. Hours later when the relative returned to Penal, George was nowhere to be seen. As such, a search was carried out for George with the presumption that he may have gone to tend to his cattle. On arrival, they discovered his body and contacted police. Sgts Victor and Corrie together with a party of officers from both Penal Police Station and the Homicide Investigations Bureau (Region III) visited the scene. Bereaved relatives told Newsday that only a week ago, George and another man had a confrontation in which he had accused the man of allowing his dogs to bite his (George) cow. During that altercation, relatives said, the dog-owner threatened to kill George. Relative Samantha Ferdinand described George as a man who kept to himself. He was normal. He had no dealings with anyone and used to keep to himself, Ferdinand said. An arrest is yet to be made and investigations are continuing. Tobago to New York flights not subsidised Imbert, who is the line minister for CAL, explained the normal route is Piarco International Airport to John F Kennedy (JFK)International Airport in New York (outbound) and JFK to Piarco (inbound). In response to another question, Imbert said Government is examining its role with respect to the disbursement of foreign exchange. He said the Central Bank handles this responsibility in accordance with the Exchange Control Act. However he explained that the Finance Minister is empowered under the Act to give certain directions to the Bank in the exercise of its powers under the Act. House amends Procurement Bill Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, thanked Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh and Caroni Central MP Dr Bhoe Tewarie for their contributions to the debate. Gopeesingh had asked where the parent Act is at regarding proclamation? Tewarie had urged three pillars to build a better country procurement reform, campaign finance reform and upliftment of the Office of the Auditor General. Earlier, after the contribution of Minister of Public Administration, Maxie Cuffie on the Marriage (Amendment) Bill, this controversial debate was adjourned to a future, unspecified date. Finally House Leader, Planning Minister, Camille Robinson- Regis, moved that the House adjourn to Monday at 2.30 pm when it will debate an Act to abolish preliminary inquiries and to provide for the pre-trial procedure in respect of indictable offences and for ancillary matters, to be moved by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi PM, Trump meeting in the works Addressing a post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns on Thursday, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Stuart Young told reporters, If there is to be a visit in the coming months, the coming weeks, whatever...at the appropriate time, you will all be informed. Following a telephone conversation with Rowley on February 19, a statement issued by the Office of the Press Secretary at the White House, indicated that Trump invited Rowley to meet with him in Washington DC, in the coming months. Trump made a similar offer to Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, who he also spoke with on February 19. Rowley has also been invited to make state visits to China and Chile. Young described the conversation between Rowley and Trump as very productive. He said it was instructive that statements issued by the OPM and the White House after both leaders spoke, mirrored each other. Saying there continues to be positive and active conversation between TT and the US at several governmental levels, Young hinted, You may find in the coming time, there will be a continuation of those conversations. Young said like all other countries, TT is monitoring what is happening in the US to see, how things will affect our citizens. He reiterated that the conversation between Rowley and Trump, focused on the continuation and the building of a relationship between our two countries in the areas of trade and security, other areas as well. Young said Government continues to monitor a series of speculative reports with loose figures alleging that TT is a recruiting ground for the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS/ISIL). There is absolutely no correlation between that figure being thrown out and what our official tracking figures are and what we are working along with, with the international agencies, Young stressed that this is a matter which Government is keeping a close eye on, in partnership with local intelligence and security agencies and this countrys international partners, including the US, Canada, France and the United Kingdom. A statement issued by the White House on February 19 identified, terrorism and transnational organized crime, as two issues which Rowley and Trump discussed in their conversation. On January 31, Rowley rejected allegations from former US Navy Petty Officer Malcolm Nance alleging that TT was among a group of countries which had more terrorists than seven predominantly Muslim countries, whose citizens were banned by Trump at that time from entering the US. We are not burying our heads in the sand, Young said. Young also said Government was awaiting a report from State oil company Petrotrin about the status of negotiations with the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU). He said both parties went back to the Industrial Court yesterday and, they may proceed to open court. Young said he was aware Petrotrin made an offer, to the union of an additional one percent. "If it rains today, Alpaca the cart, and you push it." Kevin Wehrer was this week's winner. The winner's name will be put into a drawing for a free month subscription or extension. Look for a new photo Monday. The construction works of a new mosque in Treichville, a neighborhood of the Ivorian capital city of Abidjan, were launched Friday by the Moroccan Monarch, who is on a friendship and work visit to Cote dIvoire, and President Alassane Dramane Ouattara. The Mohammed VI mosque will cover 25,000 m2 and will include two prayer rooms for men and women that can accommodate more than 7,000 worshippers. The project, to be completed in about 34 months, also includes a library, a conference room, a Koranic school, administrative buildings, as well as commercial shops, a parking lot and a Park. The Monarch and his host had earlier performed the Friday prayer at La Grande Mosquee in Abidjan. On this occasion, King Mohammed VI handed President of Cote dIvoires Supreme Council of Imams, Aboubacar Fofana, 10,000 copies of the Holy Quran destined to mosques in the country, including 8,000 copies in French. The King was greeted by Ivorian Murshidins and Murshidates who graduated from the Rabat-based Mohammed VI Institute for Imams Training. The religious preachers and councilors expressed gratitude to the Moroccan ruler for his unwavering efforts to promote the lofty values of moderate Islam and to share his countrys experience with other African countries. The Mohammed VI Institute for Imams Training is part of a Moroccan ambitious program meant to fight radical Islamic militancy and dangerous extremist ideas. The institution provides training to hundreds of imams of various nationalities, mainly from Africa, but also from other countries such as France and Belgium. The center seeks to inculcate in Imams the precepts of a tolerant and non-violent form of Islam based on Maliki rite and teach them how to fight extremism and religious radicalization through sound argumentation and dialog. Morocco has been providing, for years if not for centuries, training to foreign Islamic scholars and Imams, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, in order to disseminate an Islam of the middle path doctrine, a vision of religion based on tolerance, intercultural dialogue and respect of other faiths. A Morocco man was nabbed Thursday for threatening to blow off a train traveling from Barcelona to Figueres. https://twitter.com/SERCatalunya/status/837353944343019520/photo/1 The man who was on the train shouted out he would detonate a bomb, Spanish Europa Press reported citing passengers and train workers. The passengers alerted the Catalonia police which nabbed him at Gerona. Police reported that it was a hoax and that the man was carrying nothing harmful. The search of the train also revealed nothing. False bomb threat in a train traveling from Barcelona to Gerona. We have arrested the man who threatened to blow it out, Police said. The passengers were able to continue their journey after the man was arrested and the police search completed. The man who was under an arrest warrant prior to the Thursday incident was put in custody and a judge on Friday instructed his return in prison. Department of States Report Lauds Moroccos Efforts to Guarantee Civil Liberties The U.S. Department of States 2016 Country Report on Human Rights Practices highlights the efforts led by Moroccan authorities to uphold civil liberties. The annual report highlighted Moroccos commitment to guarantee the freedom of speech and the press noting that in July the parliament passed a new press code that limits punishments for journalistic infractions to fines. Concerning the internet, the report welcomed the fact that the Moroccan government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet, adding that Moroccos new press code stipulates that online journalism is equivalent to print journalism. The report went on to say that according to Freedom Houses current Freedom on the Net report, the government did not block or filter any websites during the year, although laws on combatting terrorism permit filtering websites. Another issue that drew praise from the U.S. Department of State was Moroccos migration policy. The report underscores that Morocco cooperates with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in providing protection and assistance to refugees, returning refugees, asylum seekers, and other persons of concern. The government also provided funding to humanitarian organizations to provide social services to migrants, including refugees, said the report. On Moroccos efforts to protect religious diversity, the report points out to the governments protection and support for the Jewish community. The report also sheds light on the legislative elections that took place on October 7, adding that these polls were described by international and domestic observers as credible and relatively free from irregularities. Despite the headway in promoting human rights in the Kingdom, the report notes that most significant human rights problems continue to be corruption, discrimination against women and disregard for the rule of law by security forces. The Special Representative for the Sahara and Head of the MINURSO, Kim Bolduc met with Polisario officials in their rear base in Tindouf, southwestern Algeria, to discuss the situation in Guerguarat, the southernmost tip of the Saharan provinces in the buffer strip on the borders with Mauritania, where polisario militiamen are still stationed after Moroccos unilateral withdrawal. Bolduc of Canada, who was accompanied by Chinese Wang Xiaojun Force Commander of the MINURSO, visited Tindouf to de-escalate the tensions in the Guerguarat region after the Polisario militiamen refused to withdraw from the buffer strip at the call of the UN Secretary General. The UN Secretary General had urged the two parties to retreat from the buffer zone which is supposed to be demilitarized by virtue of the 1991 cease fire agreement. Yet, the Secretary General special representative returned from her urgent trip to Tindouf empty-handed, with the Polisario refusing to pledge to withdraw from the area, according to local press reports. The Polisario, which acts upon directives from its mentors in the Algerian military junta, has tried to divert attention from Moroccos recent diplomatic headway in Africa by increasing tensions in the Guerguarat area going as far as blocking the free flow of goods. Polisario armed militiamen forced several trucks to turn round in an attempt to provoke Morocco to respond militarily and smear its reputation and undermine its efforts to find a lasting political and peaceful solution to the Sahara issue. The retreat by Morocco from Guarguarat which it entered to clear the area from smuggling and other illegal commercial activities came in response to a recent phone conversation with Antonio Guterres during which King Mohammed VI urged the UN Chief to take immediate measures to halt Polisarios provocations, which are detrimental to the ceasefire agreement and hence to the regions security and stability. Afterwards, the UN Secretary General issued a statement calling all parties to withdraw their forces from the buffer strip and stressing the need to maintain regular commercial traffic unhindered. The withdrawal of Moroccan troops took the polisario militias and their Algerian sponsors by surprise at a moment they were waiting for the Moroccan army to fall in the trap of provocation. Now that it has withdrawn its troops beyond its security walls while the Polisario obstinately maintains its armed men within the buffer zone in an utter disregard for the cease fire agreement, Morocco has scored a major point and evidenced its sincere willingness to safeguard the regions peace and security. However, self-defense is guaranteed by the UN charter and any slight mistake by the Polisario would trigger a commensurate response. By retreating from Guerguarat, Morocco showed that the Polisario and its paymasters in Algiers are the parties seeking chaos in the region. this stuff is why abortion needs to stay legal so shit like this can never happen again Reply Thread Link Thats what anti-abortionists don't get. It's not like people are going to completely stop getting abortions. Why put people at risk like that? So ridiculous. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Yep, this happened to someone I know except she was forced to take the pills by her abuser. She was so ill and was totally alone because she was so afraid to tell anyone. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Yeah, young actress' need their roles! Reply Parent Thread Link Just a clarification: you want to say "accessible"; the Supreme Court decriminalized/legalized abortion in 1973, and it would be extremely difficult for even a right-leaning SC to revert on a new ruling. What the individual states have done, however, is limit the scope of Roe v Wade, and created many barriers to accessing a legal service - TRAP laws make it difficult for clinics to offer abortions, for doctors to gain adequate training and offer the service, for insurance companies to pay for the service, and for patients to undergo the procedure (mandatory waiting periods, forced ultrasounds, etc). Accessibility is the war we need to fight now, and in every state. If we're fighting for legality, we've already lost. :( Reply Parent Thread Link With what dump and his swamp cronies are doing, i am afraid these kind of situations are going to rise significantly again Reply Thread Link At the Womens' March in Austin, there were quite a few ladies with signs bearing pictures of coat hangers that said WE WILL NOT GO BACK and it really got to me. Reply Parent Thread Link sad but i hope this gets a lot of press, ppl really like to black out on the back alley butchers that were tearing women up during these times i used to think it was something most ppl knew until i had 2 explain coat hanger abortions to my dim witted coworker (like a 35 y/o grown ass woman) Reply Thread Link i went to the source and there's also this In her memoirs, Bosworth "tells all" about producers who use actresses for traveling sex and acting teachers who forced actresses to strip in class. ugh @ hollywood/men/everything Reply Thread Link the amount this doesn't surprise me is so depressing. Reply Parent Thread Link ugh @everything in this including the source (I already had red flags going up on the "unborn child" crap and of course it turned out to be an anti-choice website featuring loads of pearl-clutching about "homosexuals") Reply Parent Thread Link It makes me so sad when people are judgy about this Even the first time I got just plan B it took me 4 pharmacies to get someone to give it to me.(this was before it was just on the shelves) the look they gave me was awful when I asked. This is in rural PA though and they backwards af Reply Thread Link I'm in Southern California and I'll never forget the look the pharmacist gave me and my bf at the time when we went in to get it. Also when it was clear he was paying for it she asked to see his ID and made a comment about a guy who apparently came in a lot with different girls to buy it and how they have to check since they "banned" him and didn't have a picture, just a name. Looking back I can maybe see why they'd take that precaution but back then it just totally freaked me out. Reply Parent Thread Link lol he must of had a lot of money cause that shit aint cheap Reply Parent Thread Link They banned him from getting birth control because he was paying for it for too many different women? Is it really a pharmacy's business (or right) to do something like that? I would think that kind of thing would get them sued pdq. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link How disgusting. Like who cares how many women he came in with, at least he was taking care of them so they didn't have a baby neither of them wanted????? Saying that seems so inappropriate. tbh I would have been pissed and asked why they banned someone choosing to be responsible. Sorry they looked at you in any way for choosing not to have a baby. FFS people are gross :( Reply Parent Thread Link That's horrible. I was able to get it relatively easily but the pharmacist was like, "So you didn't use any protection?" and I said, "Well the condom slipped off." And he just kept saying, "So you didn't use any protection." Like bitch, what don't you understand about my protection failing? To me there's a huge difference between having your condom fail versus just not bothering with one. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Working and studying pharmacy in Australia, you are able to go in to any pharmacy and we will give it to you once we counsel you on how to take it, any side effects those types of questions. We do ask have you taken it before and if yes when was the last time. If they say yes and the last time was somewhat recent we tell them it is safer to go on to the Drs and get on the pill rather than constantly get the morning after pill. But we don't have to pay a much as people in the US. The only time I have seen the morning after pill be denied was when a guy come in for it for their gf we dont sell it to them as we need to talk to the gf. I have never heard of someone going to 4 pharmacies to get the morning after pill. That is just crazy. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I've had to get the morning after pill only once, and thank god the pharmacist was super nice and not judgemental at all. It was after my second time having sex (the condom broke) and I was freaking out because of it, but after I told the pharmacist what I needed, she just took me aside, quietly explained to me how to use it, and that was that. No judgement at all. Reply Parent Thread Link EW WTF. I hope that never happens to you again. My bf was a pharmacy tech during college and he basically assumes that's what people are looking for if they come in and are quiet or can't say their request aloud. They just point and if they get a nod, they'll ring it up without a second thought. I think all pharmacy employees should take on that policy. It's already such a fucking stressful situation to be in. Times when I'm grateful to live in Manhattan. Reply Parent Thread Link my first time getting the plan b i was so scared, but the girl checking me out had a similar experienc e and warned me about side effects. i was lucky to have her. i know not everyone is that fortunate. Edited at 2017-03-04 04:08 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link It's this type of mentality that makes me really nervous with getting stuff like that from pharmacies. I've only had to use Plan B once but when I flagged the Walgreens employee to unlock the cabinet for me to grab it (since those types of things are locked in) I guess he noticed that I seemed uncomfortable and shifty and he reassured me and said, "hey hey it's okay, don't feel embarrassed or anything." It was really nice of him. Reply Parent Thread Link I can't remember which actress it was that had like over six abortions. Reply Parent Thread Link Omg Reply Parent Thread Link Judy Garland? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Lots of 'em, really. Bette Davis definitely had several Reply Parent Thread Link Omg I need to listen. Reply Parent Thread Link this sounds interesting. I need to listen to this Reply Parent Thread Link I love that podcast Reply Parent Thread Link I rly enjoy that podcast Reply Parent Thread Link AND THIS IS FUCKING WHY ABORTION NEEDS TO BE LEGAL AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE. Reply Thread Link This is exactly why abortion needs to remain legal. Making abortions illegal will not stop them from occurring many will just start turning to illegal abortions in shoddy creepy places, unsanitary and dangerous conditions. She is so brave to talk about this, it sends chills up my spine. Reply Thread Link The sad thing is, the people who want to make them illegal don't give a shit about the women's safety/health. Basically - 'if she dies, that's one less trollop we have to worry about' Reply Parent Thread Link They've just confirmed bodies of babies and toddlers were hidden in a septic tank on the ruins of what was a Mother's and baby home run by nuns for women who were pregnant outside wedlock between 1921 and 1965. Nearly 800 died there. Yet abortion is wrong!! Yep, coming from a country where abortion is illegal (Ireland) I know all about it.They've just confirmed bodies of babies and toddlers were hidden in a septic tank on the ruins of what was a Mother's and baby home run by nuns for women who were pregnant outside wedlock between 1921 and 1965. Nearly 800 died there. http://www.thejournal.ie/human-remains-found-baby-home-tuam-3268465-Mar2017/ Yet abortion is wrong!! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link What really gets me is the hypocrisy of people who want abortions to be legal, but then also want only abstinence only education. Like ... it's a proven FACT that places with comprehensive sex education have fewer abortions and fewer teenage pregnancies. And yet these anti-abortion people refuse to accept sex ed in schools? That just shows you right there that their stance is more-so based on the morality of a woman having sex (a) before marriage and (b) for any reason other than trying to have children. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Should've just closed her knees!! Obviously Reply Thread Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link omggggggggggg thanks Putin hows ya lover trump? Reply Parent Thread Link This is horrifying. People who want to ban abortion truely do not care about women at all Reply Thread Link It's a pipe dream but I'd love to work for Women on Waves, who try their best to stop things like this from happening. They travel to various countries where abortion is illegal and take women out to international waters and give them pills there so they're protected legally, as well as educate any interested locals on how to induce abortion safely as possible and what to do if something goes wrong ( http://www.womenonwaves.org/en/page/6104/how-to-do-an-abortion-with-pills ). Reply Thread Link have you seen vessel? there's also women on web! Reply Parent Thread Link Not in person-I found out about them through a friend of mine who used to work at Planned Parenthood and then saw a documentary about them. I'd like to help them in any capacity possible! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Omg. That organization sounds amazing Reply Parent Thread Link "I got to the operating room and the doctor sewed me up, and he was very angry at me. He said, 'I've been working with actresses for too many years! Sewing them up! And you're a fool! Why didn't you take precautions!' He really chewed me out." Shit, that part is especially horrifying to me. The doc she went to so she wouldn't bleed out (when she was probably in pain and very scared) is giving her shit. Did he think she wanted to get pregnant accidentally and that she was having the life-endangering abortion for shits and giggles? But sure, blame the desperate woman who just went through hell. Reply Thread Link is he not referring to the part where she didn't take the meds she was supposed to? and didn't call right away? Reply Parent Thread Link Hhmm, is that the same doc as the one who gave her the pills? I read the "why didn't you take precautions" as him berating her for getting pregnant in the first place. Maybe I'm wrong, though. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I think he was referring to her neglecting to do the proper after-care after her procedure which led to needing to get stitched up. but I have no doubt doctors chewed out women all the time for even choosing to get the abortion they were choosing to perform for them. Reply Parent Thread Link There was a very different doctor-patient dynamic then. Doctors did not have to be nice to you and they were entitled to be judgey as hell because they were A Doctor. When my mum had my brother (in 1979 ffs), the midwife delivering was horrible. When mum cried out coz she was about to give birth, the midwife told her that's what you got for being a slut. My mum was barely 17. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link His female companion was Eleanor and apparently she got into a fight with another woman too and was arrested Reply Thread Link last i heard, she hasn't been arrested Reply Parent Thread Link Granted I read it on Twitter so I'm sure it could be false but it was definitely Eleanor like girl wyd.... Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Are you sure it was Eleanor tho? Both she and Harry have brown hair. It's probably Harry. I did the math and it's totally him. Reply Parent Thread Link Girl bye! He's white. Ain't shit happening to him. He's getting a fine on his court date at the most! Lol! Reply Parent Thread Link just a thing for POC-- I just left a town hall with one of our Reps in my very southern county and holy shit, you don't want to be visiting. I'm about to pack my family and run for the hills myself. Reply Parent Thread Link ears of color!!! Reply Parent Thread Link Lmao you're killing me Reply Parent Thread Link lmaoo Reply Parent Thread Link ded Reply Parent Thread Link Dying omg!!!!! Reply Parent Thread Link STOPP LMAO Reply Parent Thread Link i just screamed Reply Parent Thread Link lmaoooo Reply Parent Thread Link LMAO. I reported him for a hate crime against my eyes of black like years ago and the cops have yet to get back to me. Hope you fare better sis! Reply Parent Thread Link omg Reply Parent Thread Link ilu Reply Parent Thread Link lmao Reply Parent Thread Link Paps are assholes. I'm getting flashbacks to "that's your fooking job!" I knew Louis would be the one to finally snap on the paparazzi. He almost got into a fight with them that night after his X Factor performance. Reply Thread Link Yep! They yelled something about Louis' mom last time he almost fought them. Paps do it to all celebs. Most just ignore because the paps are just trying to catch you flipping out in camera. I'm sure Zayn gets all types of racist shit thrown at him. Reply Parent Thread Link People still care about these rats? Only Zayn matters because he's attractive Reply Thread Link Louis has a lot of devoted mainly middle aged stans Reply Parent Thread Link The 1D fandom is loyal. All the ones who released music have gotten the fandom's support. Zayn included. People hoping they will fade quickly are deluding themselves at this point. Lol!! Reply Parent Thread Link Lmaaaaooo! Please no. Reply Parent Thread Link They're writing about conjugal visits as we speak Reply Parent Thread Link nnnn bye Reply Parent Thread Link omfggggg Reply Parent Thread Link lol sadly, disgustingly Reply Parent Thread Link SCREAMING Reply Parent Thread Link sTOP I HATE THIS POST LMAO Reply Parent Thread Link Sis! Pretty sure it already exists. Russia's going to get you for copyright infringement any day now. Reply Parent Thread Link lol irl Reply Parent Thread Link lol Reply Parent Thread Link It says Louis "pulled the photog to the floor by his legs" was he bent down when it did it, did he bend down to do it? I need a video of this. And then it says Eleanor got in a physical fight with someone else, did she just push past the person or like where punches thrown? I'm between 'fuck paparazzi' and 'why would you call them on yourself if you didn't want them around?' If they were in the baggage claim area they were clearly called and celebs go in and out of LAX all of the time without paps being there, just look at Harry and Liam Reply Thread Link i thought tmz (and other media outlets) had paps stationed at lax at all times, it's the one place i believe celebs don't actually call paparazzi Reply Parent Thread Link I can't see that happening like Harry and Zayn are always taking flights in and out of Los Angeles and they're a lot more known than Louis so my guess is his team keeps calling them much like they did when his kid was born and Louis was always seen taking the baby out for a walk Reply Parent Thread Expand Link That's not true, celebs get in and out of LAX undetected all of the time, even Louis does sometimes (not a lot because he calls the paps on himself weekly). It's when they call that they're papped. They probably have people stationed there but they hang out in their car until the celeb calls them. Also people can't just hang out in the baggage claim area all day without security getting called and tsa kicking them out Edited at 2017-03-04 02:41 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link They do, but stars don't gotta go through there if they don't want to. There are many, many ways to avoid the paps on the hunt for pics. Not all celebs use LAX to get to Los Angeles. There are smaller airports and nearby cities just an hour away. Reply Parent Thread Link I'm sure paps are always at LAX with all the celeb traffic coming through though. And running deals with security and some airline like in that TMZ expose. Edited at 2017-03-04 02:48 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link LAX did set up a new wing or s/t like that for celebs to walk out of and its pap free but you gotta pay for it Reply Parent Thread Link I have very little sympathy for paparazzis tbh. After 2007 britney, they're all scummy in my mind Reply Thread Link Mte Reply Parent Thread Link IA Reply Parent Thread Link For me it was Diana's death. Reply Parent Thread Link mte fuck them Reply Parent Thread Link Honestly, once they took out Princess Diana, my sympathies went by the wayside. Reply Parent Thread Link lol mess. i keep saying, he'll end up in rehab sooner than later Reply Thread Link I'm never surprised when a celebrity ends up in an altercation with a paparazzo. Those people are a-holes, seriously. Reply Thread Link they stacked the deck w that photo he looks like shawn spencer Reply Thread Link ew he looks like a rodent Reply Thread Link Edited at 2017-03-04 02:37 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link lmao that's exactly what i thought of Reply Parent Thread Link I'm like 99% this was the paps fault because they're disgusting but I'm so confused about Louis hitting the person's legs or whatever and then Eleanor fighting too. This sounds like something you'd see in a movie. Reply Thread Link Right? I feel like they are adding shit for dramatic effect. Lmaaoo Reply Parent Thread Link Featured Post Human Rights Tribunals: Excessive force and murder -- San Diego Border, Standing Rock and Tohono O'odham Nation Maria Puga and twins Daniela and Daniel near where Anastacio Hernandez Rojas was murdered by U.S. Border Patrol. He was beaten and tasered a... White Mesa Ute Spiritual March to Shut Down Uranium Mill Mohawk Warrior Society Book Launch Lakota Jean Roach: The True Story of Leonard Peltier Justice for Dad: Taylor Dewey Shares the Harsh Road to Justice Justice Dept Files Lawsuit Against Rapid City Hotel Western Shoshone Ian Zabarte Speaks on Radiation Archive Search This Blog About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com Translate The story sounds familiar. For decades, oil and natural gas drilling have been proceeding and creating prosperity for those involved. At some point, significant earthquakes occur in areas where they were formerly very rare or nonexistent. Those quakes are linked to oil and gas drilling and production. The industry denies the link. The quakes continue, get worse and finally get strong enough to do damage. To those living in the United States, this reads like stories coming out of the fracking boom in states that include Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Arkansas. To those living in Europe, it's the story coming out of The Netherlands, home to the Groningen Gas Field, one of the largest natural gas finds ever. The Groningen field has been both a blessing and a curse for the Dutch. Since its discovery in 1959 the Dutch have reaped huge financial benefits from having their own secure and abundant source of natural gas. Beyond that, the country has, until recently, been a major exporter of natural gas to its European neighbors. But the field has also proven to be a drag on the rest of the economy, inflicting what has been dubbed the "Dutch disease." In short, the Dutch disease refers to negative effects that a huge natural resource find can visit upon a society. These include a decline in other sectors of the economy and a strong currency which makes exports less affordable to foreign buyers. The moniker "Dutch disease" results from the fact that The Netherlands was the first place such effects were studied in detail. Related: Oil Prices Rise On OPEC Compliance Data And Plunging Dollar What has caught the Dutch by surprise--and may someday soon catch America by surprise--is the speed with which its decades-long reliance on a large initial endowment of natural gas has turned into a liability. First, there were the earthquakes linked to drilling and production operations in Groningen which have forced the government (part owner of the field) to scale back production to reduce the frequency and severity of those quakes. This production decline of more than 50 percent has meant a serious loss of revenue for the government which used those revenues for decades to supplement the government's budget. Government gas revenues dropped by more than half from 13 billion to around 5 billion from 2013 to 2014. Second, as a result of the production cutbacks The Netherlands is now a net importer of natural gas, instantly losing its self-sufficiency status. Europe's gas now will likely have to come increasingly from Russia whose relations with Europe are replete with complications. Third, the Dutch have failed to prepare for this day. Instead, they blithely made themselves deeply dependent on natural gas for their energy needs. Some 98 percent of Dutch homes use natural gas for heating and cooking. Renewable energy makes up a paltry 5.5 percent of the country's energy mix as of 2014. Fourth, the Dutch are still obliged to honor long-term contracts which force them to deliver substantial quantities of natural gas to customers outside the country. The country is increasingly facing the strange predicament of having to import more and more natural gas to offset what it must ship abroad. This is in a country whose dominant field, Groningen, is now 80 percent depleted. And, here is where the Dutch situation ought to be a warning to the United States. America is entering into more and more long-term contracts to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to customers in Europe and Asia even as the country remains a net importer. There is good reason to believe that most estimates of future natural gas production in the United States are far too optimistic. Let me quote for the second time in three weeks from an independent analysis of U.S. shale gas production trends (the only class of natural gas experiencing production growth in recent years): Shale gas production overall has declined by 4.7 percent 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 percent and 52 percent, respectively. Related: Oil Rig Count Hits A 17-Month High Second, the U.S. electric utility industry has added significant natural gas-fired generating capacity in response to two trends: government regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and the low price and rising availability of natural gas. Despite the election of Donald Trump, who favors a return to coal, the low price of natural gas will probably allow the conversion to and expansion of natural gas-fired capacity to continue...until it can't. At which time, we may be stuck with much higher electricity costs. The promised natural gas deliveries will likely not be available at low prices. Production declines will result in a battle over who gets the remaining supplies, thereby hiking prices for U.S. consumers. The U.S. utility industry may rue the day it chose to make itself so heavily dependent on natural gas. Finally, states that became addicted to money from the natural gas boom are finding the bust difficult to navigate. In comparison, the Dutch had one large boom that lasted for decades. The kind of exploration and development that is taking place in U.S. shale gas fields requires constant drilling just to maintain production at current levels. We can expect boom and bust in short spurts from here forward. That signals that the cost of exploiting the remaining shale gas resource (again, until now the only growth area in U.S. natural gas production in recent years) will almost surely stair step higher as lower-quality deposits are tapped at greater and greater expense. The Dutch have had a very long love affair with natural gas. But, as it turns out, a seemingly comfortable, stable relationship with natural gas can unravel just as quickly as a real love affair, leaving one dazed and asking how it all happened so fast. Americans may not be as dependent on natural gas as the Dutch. But they have rushed into their own torrid love affair with natural gas and lost sight of the fact that affairs which start out torrid are the same ones that tend to flame out quickly, surprising everyone with their sudden demise. By Kurt Cobb via Resource Insights More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: DNV GL, an international consultancy group based in Norway, has claimed to have found the key to implementing grid-connected energy storage networks and systems. What has been called a multi-stakeholder approach involves different parties utilizing battery-stored energy at different times. This research has been conducted in conjunction with Peeks, a commercial aggregator in the business of flexible energy systems, and Alfen, a manufacturing and integrator of such storage systems. The group has committed itself to authoring the framework by which this multi-stakeholder system can be applied to various communities. The application of such a sharing grid can lead to the implementation of renewable and non-traditional energy sources. By creating incentives for all parties involved, it is expected that this model will spread faster than the other potential solutions concerning energy storage. Despite the optimism, DNV GL has issued a disclaimer saying there is no business case for this project yet. As it stands, there are various regulations that would prevent the implementation of such a system. Take for example that grid operators are prohibited from owning storage facilities, limiting their participation in the commercial electricity market. This means that the implementation of such a sharing grid would not benefit the grid operators, and they would chose not to participate. The reasoning behind the regulation is sound, as it prevents price control on the part of the grid operators. However, collaboration between these bodies, as well as between suppliers and customers, can help compensate for periods of slow business and can benefit all who chose to participate. The business model that DNV GL hopes to produce will only be accepted if all parties are better off due to its implementation. Related: The Secret Wealth Of The Worlds Richest Oil Billionaires The example given by DNV GL to demonstrate the benefits of these types of systems is that of grid operators being able to avoid expensive infrastructure upgrades to manage inactivity more efficiently. Currently there exists storage systems that remain on standby for 90 percent of the year. With a change of rules, this business model would allow grid operators to utilize that storage, and help manage supply and demand needs of customers, while also integrating renewable energy. Allowing the storage to unit to be commercially active for trading on the energy markets (APX, primary reserve, secondary reserve) would benefit the grid operators this allows more benefits and higher revenues without additional capital expenditures and without additional investments. Furthermore, it allows for new technologies to be integrated to existing systems. Stakeholders of the grid operators and of the storage facility will benefit from lower operational costs associated with managing the network and a framework by which to increase the network in the future. All these things combined would increase the utility of the parties involved for several reasons. The increased revenue from being allowed to trade in the energy markets, for example, would raise the value of the grid operating firms. Further, the decrease in cost to consumer makes these types of energy more accessible to more people. This is especially relevant if grid operating facilities begin to incorporate renewable energy sources into the grid, as many analysts expect will happen with the rise of battery storage systems. By Michael McDonald of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The EIA outlined the United States energy trade with Canada in a note today, profiling the U.S.s primary energy trade relationship. According to the Census Bureau, energy accounted for about 5 percent of the value of all U.S. exports to Canada and more than 19 percent of the value of all U.S. imports from Canada in 2016. For 2016, the value of U.S. energy imports from Canada was $53 billion, while the value of U.S. energy exports to Canada was $14 billion. (Click to enlarge) Source: EIA The majority of U.S. energy imports from Canada are in the form of crude oil, according to the EIA. Canada is by far the largest source of U.S. crude oil imports, providing 41 percent of total U.S. crude oil imports in 2016. The volume of crude imports has increased since 2014, from around 90 MMBBL/month to around 110 MMBBL/month. The value of these imports has decreased, however, from $83 billion in 2014 to $36 billion in 2016. Virtually all U.S. crude oil exports went to Canada until the export ban was lifted in 2013. Since this time the U.S. has significantly increased exports to other countries. Canada remains the primary export destination, though, receiving 58 percent of U.S. crude oil exports in 2016. (Click to enlarge) Source: EIA The trade in petroleum products between the two nations is relatively balanced, with imported and exported values and volumes similar. The specific products exported and imported by the U.S. is quite different, though. The U.S. imports primarily gasoline from eastern Canada for markets in the northeast. Little of the United States exports to Canada are gasoline, instead pentanes plus, LPG and other oils dominate. Related: Exxon Betting Big On U.S. Shale The vast majority of U.S. natural gas imports, 97 percent, come from Canada. The U.S. imported 8 Bcf/d in 2016, according to the EIA. Western Canadian gas is transported via pipeline to the West, Midwest, and Northeast. The U.S. does export some natural gas to Canada, mostly to Ontario and Quebec, but only about 2 Bcf/d in 2016. The rise of the Marcellus and Utica, though, has had a significant effect on the U.S. natural gas trade balance. The northeast states are much less dependent on Canadian gas, and may export increased volumes in the future. By Oil and Gas 360 More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: By Rep. Mike Nearman For over a decade, weve been engaged in a battle for a secure drivers license in Oregon. Much of the drama has been self-inflicted and its about time we get with the program and move on. It started in 2005 when Congress passed, and President Bush signed the Real ID act, which calls for a more secure drivers license. We dont have a national ID card, so state-issued drivers licenses are accepted by the federal government as identification when boarding a plane or entering a federal building. States have different standards, and so Congress, in response to the 9/11 Commission, set uniform, secure, standards for states to apply. Driven by costs and other considerations, states are in various levels of compliance. For years, Homeland Security has been granting waivers to states, including Oregon, if they make progress. Now, the gig is up. In 2007, Governor Kulongoski issued an executive order mandating comprehensive and meaningful identification to be issued a drivers license, which brought Oregon many steps closer to compliance. This is why you have to practically bring your file cabinet down to the DMV to renew your drivers license. The main shortfall from full compliance with Real ID is that the DMV does not permanently retain an image of the documentation you provide. In eight years, when you have to renew again, youll have to bring the file cabinet back down to the DMV. Indeed, in 2009, the Legislature passed a law which forbids ODOT from expending any resources to comply with the Real ID act. As the Kulongoski executive order made it harder for persons not legally in the country to get drivers licenses, a solution was sought in creating a driver card for those who could not prove legal status in the US. It passed both houses and was signed into law by Governor John Kitzhaber in a front porch ceremony on May 1, 2013. Since it did not have an emergency clause, it could be challenged by a citizens referendum, and it was. In an embarrassment to the legislative establishment, enough signatures were gathered (many by me) and it was put to the people in the form of Measure 88 in 2014. It was repealed by a 2:1 margin and a majority in 35 of Oregons 36 counties. So, as our waiver runs out, I and Senator Chuck Thomsen (R-Hood River) have separately introduced bills in the House and the Senate to repeal the prohibition on ODOT and allow the agency to comply with Real ID. This makes even more sense in light of the fact that the DMV has embarked on a $90 million software upgrade, and this could easily be included. Another bill introduced in the Senate by Senator Bill Hansell (R-Athena) creates a new, Star ID which complies with Real ID but leaves in place the current drivers license as a less secure and I think open to fraud option. Lets not mess this up. Lets have one Oregon Drivers License, compliant with Real ID, and quit making me take my file cabinet down to the DMV each time I have to renew. State Representative Mike Nearman (R-Independence) is on the board of directors of Oregonians for Immigration Reform and wants to make boarding a plane easier and more secure. Welcome to 'OZ' - The 'Other' Side of the Rainbow!! Posting is at 10AM, Noon and 2PM CST daily. Up to 12 days of posts on the main page. The archives have more. You can forward posts by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of the post. Enjoy your stay! *** If you need to contact me, or have a copyright issue, please use the "Contact The Wizard" form on the left side of 'OZ'. Original source and author is cited and credited in each post where possible. *** News / National by Staff reporter MDC-T deputy national youth chairman Shakespear Mukoyi, accused of threatening to assault police officers during a rally, was yesterday acquitted of the charges.He was represented by Gift Mtisi.Mukoyi - charged with inciting public violence - was acquitted by Harare magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta after full trial.Sabarauta ruled that the State had failed to prove a prima facie case against the 40-year-old before granting his application for discharge at the close of the State case.His lawyer had argued that "in the present case, to put the accused person to his defence would be a disservice and wrong approach since the State through its witnesses had failed to lead incriminating evidence"."This was not an incitement nor a threat but more of a reminder of the constitutional duties of the police. The alleged words were a mere fabrication by the witnesses and a gross misinterpretation of what was actually said," Mtisi said.Prosecutor Desire Chidanire called constable Memory Zvenyika, who manned the rally, to the witness stand and said Mukuyu's utterances made her uncomfortable."I was instructed to make sure the rally was conducted peacefully and I felt threatened when the accused person started saying he would assault police in uniform," Zvenyika said.However, Zvenyika confirmed during cross examination by Mtisi that Mukuyu did not incite public violence through his utterances.Zvenyika was in the company of Munyaradzi Mutuzungari, manning the rally on the day.Mutuzungari also confirmed that there was no threat of public violence following Mukuyu's utterances.According to court papers, on October 16 last year, the MDC made an application to hold a political rally at Mukandabhutsu Open Space in Msasa in Harare.The rally was held on October 23 and Mukoyi allegedly said: "Kana mapurisa angotirova ngaachigara kuChikurubi Camp nekuti tikazomuona aine uniform achifamba-famba, tichamurovawo. (If police officers assault us, they must go and live at Chikurubi Camp because we will retaliate and assault every cop we will see walking around in uniform). The Popes special envoy to Ghana for the 60th anniversary and re-consecration of Ghana to the sacred heart of Jesus and for the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ghana and the Holy See, His Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello said he is excited to be back to Ghana, his first love. The one time Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana who arrived in Accra on Thursday night said he feels honoured to be appointed by the Pope to represent him and is excited to be back to Ghana his first love. Cardinal Bertello said this in address to pressmen at the Apostolic Nunciature in Accra on Friday. It is a kind of pilgrimage for me because I was in Ghana some 30 years ago. I feel very honoured because the Pope has appointed me as his special envoy for three events. It is a sign of the Church that we must put in place the re-consecration of Ghana to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and secondly the 4oth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ghana and the Holy See and to participate on behalf of the Pope the 60th anniversary of Ghanas independence. So for me it is an important moment. I am honoured and I am also glad to be with you. I say always that Ghana is my first love. I have spent 25 years as an Apostolic Nuncio but Ghana was my first hence, my first love Cardinal Bertello said. The ceremony to re-consecrate Ghana to the most sacred heart of Jesus will be done in an ecumenical and inter-faith prayer service at the holy spirit cathedral, Accra, on Saturday, march 04, 2017 from 5 pm and will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Guiseppe Bertello, the Popes special envoy to Ghana, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana Most Rev. Jean Marie Speich and the president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Rev. Philip Naameh together with other bishops with the participation of other dignitaries. The ceremony is in commemoration and celebration of the 60th anniversary of the consecration of Ghana to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus which took place on March 3, 1957 at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Accra and 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ghana and the Holy See. Cardinal Bertello is the president of the governatorate of the Vatican City State and the president of the pontifical commission for the Vatican. He holds the 2nd position next to Pope Francis, the rank of a vice president of a country. Source: Ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Thirty-four persons have been arrested by the police for allegedly looting shops and violently attacking some shop owners in the Nungua Traditional Area. According to the purported looters, their victims allegedly did not adhere to the curfew imposed on the area by the traditional authorities. Movements of residents in the Traditional Area in Accra were restricted from Thursday, March 2 as part of funeral arrangements for the high priest of the Ga-Dangme State, Gborbu Wulomor, Wor-lomor Borketey Larweh-Tsuru I. Beginning 10pm Thursday to 4am the following day, residents at Spintex Road, Sakumono, Addogon, Buade, Opkoi Gonno, Baatsonaa, Kotobaabi, Lashibi, Klagon, Oyibi and adjoining towns were restricted from moving about. But some residents and shop owners were said to be unaware of the directive and so opened their shops. The Police Service had indicated that the Nungua Traditional Council had rescinded its decision to impose a curfew on the Nungua township and its environs. The police, in a statement said, After a thorough dialogue between the police and the Nungua Traditional authorities, the Traditional Council has rescinded its earlier decision to restrict movements of persons, vehicles and commercial activities during the period. The suspects are alleged to have coerced some business owners to comply with the directive by the Council as part of the traditional burial rites of the Wulomor. They were alleged to have looted and stolen some items from scores of shops in the area, leading to their arrests by the police. The Council told Citi fm that only some critical institutions such as hospitals and the Electricity Company of Ghana were allowed to operate within the period. While some complied with the curfew order, others reportedly ignored it. But commercial entities like the ADB Bank, Ghana Commercial Bank and other financial institutions closed their doors to the public as a result of the ban. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Vatican has commended Ghana for her continued efforts to bring peace across the world in various ways including diplomacy and contributing troops to UN Peacekeeping missions. His Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State with the rank of Vice President of the State of Vatican, conveyed Pope Franciss appreciation of Ghanas watchdog role when he paid a courtesy call on me at the Presidency on Friday March 3, 2017. Cardinal Bertello is the Popes Special Envoy to the celebration of the 40 years of Diplomatic Relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Ghana. He is also the Popes representative to the celebration of Ghanas 60th Independence celebrations. He was accompanied by Archbishop Jean Marie Speich, Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana and Sir Benedict Batabe Assorow, Managing Editor of The Catholic Standard. Citing in particular Ghanas contribution to the United Nations Peacekeeping troops in various trouble spots, Cardinal Bertello said Ghanas continued support for peace and stability had been noted with appreciation by the international community and the Holy Father. Ghanas stable democracy is also good for Africa. It is an example for all His Eminence Cardinal Guiseppe Bertello added. Vice President Bawumia commended the Roman Catholic Church for the enormous role it has played in the development of Ghana over the decades, through the provision of schools, hospitals and other infrastructure as well as human resources. We value and cherish the relationship between Ghana and the Holy See and we look forward to more years of the special, mutually beneficial relationship, Dr Bawumia said. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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. LIANG LUWEN/CHINA DAILY I almost came to grief the other day in a small park not far from where I live when a boy trying to ride one of those yellow rental bikes you see all around Beijing lost balance and crashed to the ground just in front of me. "Come on, son, try again," a middle-aged man told the boy, who was, I suppose, about 10. "The handle's twisted," the boy replied. "No worries. Let's find another one," the man replied, leaving the bike lying in a flower bed and walking off with the boy. Within a few minutes there the boy was again, astride another shiny new yellow bike, practicing his riding skills. "There are just no standards any more," my friend said. "Essentially his father just told him that it's OK to go around wrecking things." All I could do was sigh in agreement. Over the past couple of years many big Chinese cities have lived through what can only be described as some dire days when it comes to air pollution. However, against that, some very positive things have happened on the environmental front. One of them is the proliferation of bicycle-sharing services, something that can contribute, even if in only a small way, to taking cars off our roads. Beyond environmental considerations, it is the ease of access to the service that attracts commuters. To use the orange bicycles of the company Mobike you download an app and pay a deposit of 300 yuan ($45). It costs 0.5 yuan for half an hour. There are no fixed pick-up or drop-off points for the bikes, which can be located with the help of GPS signals and then unlocked by scanning a QR code. Convenience By the end of last year there were 18.86 million bike-sharing app users in China, says BigData research. Bike sharing service has delivered them convenience and given all of us a little environmental respite but, as with many innovations, there have been nefarious side effects as well. Reports of all kinds of bad behavior abound, of which the following is but a small catalogue: Case 1: Theft. Some thieves have even gone on to brazenly rent out the bikes they have stolen. Beijing Television told of a man who was found in possession of a bicycle belonging to the company Ofo. Ofo's signature yellow paint had disappeared under a coat of black paint and a baby seat had been attached to the bike. The man was said to have a monthly income of more than 10,000 yuan, well above the average salary in Beijing. Case 2: Some people commandeer the bikes, clamping locks on them so that no one else can use them. Case 3: Users lazily deposit bikes anywhere they like, without thinking about any inconvenience to others. Case 4: A huge number of bikes simply disappear or are badly damaged somewhere along the line. In Putian, Fujian province, of 667 bikes that one company deposited in the city before the Spring Festival, 550 went missing. Damaged bikes have been found in various places. Case 5: Some bikes are misused by children, such as for racing. Some children have been seen racing rental bikes on streets. In China children under the age of 12 are barred from riding bikes and tricycles on roads. Last month the Shanghai government called on Mobike, Ofo and the other big bike-sharing app operator, Bluegogo, to make their bicycles less accessible to children. Case 6: The bikes are targeted by fraudsters. In Nanjing, Jiangsu province, and other places fraudsters have glued payment codes to the rental bikes that when scanned transfer money to the crooks. This catalogue of woes spoils what ought to be a good news story in which someone comes up with a commercial idea that benefits the innovator, consumers and the world at large. Positive things So why do these very positive things always have to be tarnished by what is after all probably a small minority - even if the tale of the missing 550 bikes in Fujian strongly points in the opposite direction? Some reckon it comes down to the fact that many people simply lack a moral compass, not knowing the difference between right and wrong. I maintain that badness is innate to all of us, and that it is useless to call on those who lack moral values to practice self discipline. We all need regulations, admonition and the threat of punishment to keep us in line. The man in Beijing who took the bike, repainted it and attached the baby seat was held in detention for two weeks. Two nurses caught outside the Beijing hospital where they worked unlocking rental bikes they had locked were detained for five days. They are said to have claimed that they were unaware that what they did was wrong and said they were sorry. In the economic theory called the tragedy of the commons formulated about 180 years ago, William Forster Lloyd explained how the actions of users in a shared-resource system pursuing their own interests could spell disaster for the group, and he cited the example of a group of farmers grazing cows in a paddock, leading to overgrazing. In modern day China the terrific bicycle sharing system that has sprung up over the past eight months is akin to grass. My fear is that because of the greed and thoughtlessness of a few, before long that grass will be dead. linjinghua@chinadaily.com.cn News / National by Staff reporter The strike by doctors and nurses who were yesterday joined by midwives has paralysed State hospitals where uniformed forces, roped in by government to contain the situation, have been overwhelmed by the chaos as the industrial action widens.This comes as President Robert Mugabe's cash-strapped government is bracing for a mega strike by thousands of miffed civil servants who will stay from work starting Monday unless they have been given their outstanding bonuses.Yesterday, government was scrambling to avoid the strike by the bulk of the civil service while hoping to reach an agreement with the doctors and nurses under the Health Service Bipartite Negotiating Panel.As Chinamasa was negotiating, midwives at Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital - which is part of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals - joined nurses, junior and senior doctors in the strike, protesting over poor working conditions."Midwives would like to inform you that they will not be able to continue discharging their duties with immediate effect due to the following reasons: We are overwhelmed with a continuous inflow of patients with other hospitals not functioning, doing both doctors and midwives' duties," the midwives said in an urgent memo.The midwives said they wanted an upward review of night duty allowance, risk allowance and the grading system.Thousands of patients were being turned away at Harare Central, Parirenyatwa and Chitungwiza hospitals, respectively, as the strike widened.Scheduled operations and outpatient services were cancelled as the strike bit harder.At Harare Central Hospital, relatives of admitted patients were being turned away with reports of widespread deaths being made - although this was not verified through official government channels.Chitungwiza Central Hospital was on Wednesday night forced to close one ward while critical patients were transferred to another wing where they were all housed under one roof.Yesterday, those with sick relatives were denied entry into the hospital as mortuary attendants were busy collecting bodies of the dead, nurse aides and other sources at the hospital, told the Daily News.Junior doctors went on strike three weeks ago to press the government to honour its promises of improving their working conditions.But stung by the strike, the government threatened that it was going to terminate the services of all doctors who continued to stay away from work - a threat that miserably failed to achieve the desired result.Junior doctors want the government to revise upwards, to a minimum of $720 on call allowances for the least paid doctors, and that the Health Services Board urgently implements the agreed duty-free framework for all government doctors.Despite the humongous problems bedevilling the public health sector, Mugabe's misfiring government has once again allocated a measly budget to hospitals and clinics this year.In his budget presentation in December, Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa reduced the vote for Health from $331 million to a disappointing $282 million - a figure that falls way short of meeting the big demands of the public health sector.At the beginning of the year, hospitals warned that they were left with two weeks' supply of a major drug used during surgical operations - after major drug supplier, GSK, pulled out of the Zimbabwean market last year.Last year, major referral hospitals also had to suspend many services as a result of the shortage of drugs, including painkillers - exposing how much things have fallen apart in the country since the early 2000s.United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) and Harare Central Hospital were among the major health facilities that had to suspend normal services as a result of drug shortages, including pethidine - a synthetic compound used as a painkiller, especially for women in labour and during Caesarean operations.And Binga District Hospital, which is situated in one of Zimbabwe's poorest regions, was last year also forced to scale back its services as a result of water and electricity shortages. This blog will focus on political images I have found all around the Internet, though I will intersperse some commentary and quotes that I find interesting. Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America. This website is intended for U.S. visitors only. FORT EDWARD The search for possible savings through consolidation of highway barns is already being met with considerable resistance. Washington County won a $37,000 state grant to study the issue. Officials havent even started the study yet, but town highway workers arent happy. When I showed up at the monthly meeting, they were ready to lynch Steve because they thought he was going to take over all the town barns, said county Administrator Chris DeBolt. They were targeting Steve Haskins, the county superintendent of Public Works, because he wants to consolidate at least some of the 10 county barns. But the study is looking at more than just county barns. The 17 towns each have a barn, as do some of the villages, and DOT has several barns as well. While Haskins has said all along that some barns are too remote to share, he thinks other facilities could consolidate. One retired highway worker told DeBolt that they had looked into it years ago and found there was no way to save money. But current supervisors just dont believe that. Take a small community, like Whitehall, with four barns, said Whitehall Supervisor George Armstrong. Theres got to be a savings. And two of them, the town barn and the state barn, are on really nice property. Hopefully we can do something. After the monthly meeting, DeBolt said half a dozen highway officials argued with him about the study. They told me theyll never let him do it, DeBolt said, referring to Haskins. The prickly thing is theyre all elected officials, as they reminded me several times. Armstrong shot back, None of them are Town Board members or supervisors. We set the budget. And Hartford Supervisor Dana Haff noted the decision to consolidate is outside the highway superintendents purview. I believe the highway superintendents run their department, not decide where it is located, he said. The study is not even close to getting underway. DeBolt is writing a work plan, which must be approved by the state. Then he can write the request for proposals, which also must by approved by the state. When it goes out, the board will choose among the submissions and write a contract. Its not going to move super fast, Haskins said, declining to even say whether it would be finished this year. Some municipalities have already found ways to consolidate. Fort Edward did not join the study because the village and town are already sharing a new facility, said Fort Edward Supervisor Mitch Suprenant. Not that were against it, he added. Participating towns are Cambridge, Dresden, Fort Ann, Granville, Greenwich, Hartford, Hebron, Jackson, Salem and Whitehall. News / National by Staff reporter Opposition parties have slammed President Robert Mugabe for seeking medical treatment in Singapore amid a deepening crisis in the country's health sector following a crippling doctors' strike.Mugabe flew out of the country early Wednesday to the Far East country for health check-up, as senior health consultants and doctors this week joined their junior colleagues' in an all-out strike over poor working conditions and remuneration.Although the recently turned 93 leader's spokesperson, George Charamba, did not reveal what ailment his boss is afflicted with, the nonagenarian has previously visited the exclusive and expensive Gleneagles Hospital and Medical Centre.On Wednesday, Charamba confirmed to the Daily News that Mugabe, who is increasingly getting frail and now struggling to walk, is in Singapore.However, opposition and observers have said the continent's oldest leader's penchant for foreign health facilities is irresponsible because he has failed to upgrade the Zimbabwe's health system to his preferred Singapore world-class level.Former advisor to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Alex Magaisa, said: " . . . as he goes to Singapore for a world-class medical system, he leaves behind a crippled medical system over which he has presided for 37 years, a very poor shadow of what it once was.""Zimbabwean doctors have been on strike for a while now. He has not attended to their concerns. He is only interested in his own health and welfare. He does not care. Why would he care when he can hop onto the plane and fly off to Singapore? Didn't his own daughter give birth somewhere there too; away from Zimbabwe's decrepit health system?" he said.MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu said: "He needs to rest. During his birthday bash . . . in Matobo, he looked jaded, weak and tired"."He was frothing profusely. Surely, that can't be a sign of someone who is enjoying good health," he said."When these people fall sick, they dash off overseas to receive top-drawer medical attention at government expense. When was the last time he visited Harare Central Hospital or Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo just to see for himself the condition of these two public health institutions?" Gutu said.Tendai Biti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson Jacob Mafume said Mugabe has failed to build his preferred Singapore-style medical facilities at home as is the case with South Africa where its founding father Nelson Mandela died at a military hospital."Mugabe does not trust Zimbabwe with his own health but he expects Zimbabwe to trust him to run the country," said Mafume."Zanu-PF and Mugabe are in danger of committing genocide by inefficiency in the health sector. They are allowing the system to collapse while they get treatment in Singapore."Last week, Mugabe rapped Zimbabweans who have been forced by hardships to travel to the United States for greener pastures, saying they returned home empty-handed. News / National by Staff reporter Rights group Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has said President Robert Mugabe's suggestion that the much-dreaded National Youth Service (NYS) be revived could result in violence.The Jestina Mukoko-led ZPP claimed that youths -popularly known as "green bombers" - trained in various camps all over the country under the programme have been involved in acts of political violence.This comes after Mugabe told guests at his 93rd birthday celebrations last Saturday in Matobo that "there must be national youth service; I don't know why we have slowed on this one. We certainly must start the national youth service programme".ZPP said it feared that the youths will be used to violently campaign for the ruling party and Mugabe, especially as the country's 2018 elections approach."The ZPP is concerned that the resuscitation of the youth programme under a politicised and polarised environment such as obtaining now will lead to more cases of political violence and violations of human rights," the group said in a statement.It further called on "Mugabe to reconsider his public utterances and instead, institute an investigation into the human rights violations perpetrated by the youths affiliated to his party in the past".Mugabe's call came after Mountview Vocational Training Centre in Mashonaland East has closed its doors to make way for the youth militia training."This shows that plans to reintroduce the training were already in motion before the president announced the plans," ZPP said.NYS was inaugurated in 2001 by Mugabe at the Border Gezi Training Centre in Mount Darwin and by 2008, the programme had churned 80 000 graduates. Ostensibly aimed at instilling a sense of national identity and patriotism, the youth training programme was later to be shrouded in controversy as cases of physical abuse and torture emerged.The programme was discontinued in 2009 after the formation of the Government of National Unity.A report released in 2005 by the Solidarity Peace Trust revealed that the NYS cadets were being trained in paramilitary style and would readily unleash violence to those who opposed Zanu-PF.At some point, a NYS certificate was critical for one to get employment as the Zanu-PF-led government gave preference for employment in the public service to those who were trained from the Border Gezi training camps. Irans advanced S-300 air defense system, delivered by Russia following a July 2015 nuclear deal after years of delay, is now operational, state television reported on Saturday. Iran had been trying to acquire the system for years to ward off repeated threats by Israel to bomb its nuclear facilities, but Russia had held off delivery in line with UN sanctions imposed over the nuclear program. The S-300 air defense system has been tested in the presence of government and military officials, the television said. It said that the test at a desert base had seen several targets, including a ballistic missile and a drone, intercepted. Irans activation of the defense system comes amid mounting tensions with the new US administration of President Donald Trump, who imposed sanctions after Iran tested a medium-range ballistic missile in January. Russian military expert Viktor Litovkin told Radio Sputnik about the significance of the missile test and why Washington is concerned over Tehran's drills in the Indian Ocean. The Iranian military has tested a brand new Nasir cruise missile during large-scale naval drills in the Indian Ocean that took place from February 26 until March 1. Commenting on the launch, Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan said that the cruise missile has hit the specified target with maximum precision. The final stage of Iran's Velayat 95 drills took place in the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman and North of the Indian Ocean. The area of the drills covered two million square kilometers (over 770,000 square miles). Various naval units, including submarines, missile-launching destroyers, surface and subsurface units, missile and electronic warfare systems, drones, fighter jets and marines took part in the military exercises. Missile tests, intelligence operations, deployment of submarines and rescue operations were conducted as part of the drills, involving a range of naval equipment including submarines and helicopters manufactured in Iran. He added that the Iranian Navy is participating in the large-scale drills near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important "oil corridor" through which lies the main shipping route of Middle Eastern oil export. That's why the drills concern the United States, the expert believes. "Iran wants to be the dominant country in the Middle Eastern region. Iran has 'an axe to grind' against the US allies [in the region], Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Israel. This annoys the US. Iran conducts exercises near the Strait of Hormuz where oil tankers belonging to the US replenish the supply of fuel. Iran, therefore, demonstrates that it can block this area at any time. Moreover, American warships are always in the Persian Gulf area, where a major US military base is located. Iranian boats have repeatedly approached American frigates and destroyers signaling an attack. Americans don't enjoy it," he explained. By standing up for Americans, Trump alienated the global corporations, their executives and shareholders, all of whom benefit from stealing the economic life of Americans and producing abroad where labor and regulatory costs are lower. Neoliberal junk economists describe this labor arbitrage, which reduces the real incomes of the American labor force, as the beneficial working of free trade. These offshoring firms not only have destroyed the economic prospects of millions of Americans, but also have destroyed the payroll tax base of Social Security and Medicare, and the tax base of local and state governments, with the consequence that numerous pension systems are on the verge of failure. The New York Teamsters Road Carriers Local 707 Pension Fund has just failed. This failure, experts predict, is the beginning of a tsunami that will spread into municipal and state pension systems. When you add up the external costs of jobs offshoring that are imposed on Americans, the costs far exceed the value of the profits that flow to the One Percent. Clearly, this is an intolerable situation. Dispossessed Americans rose up. They ignored the presstitute media, or perhaps were driven to support Trump by the hostility of the media. Trump was elected by dispossessed America, by the working class. The working class is out of favor with the elite liberal/progressive/left which abhors the working class as racist, misogynist, homophobic, gun nuts who oppose transgendered toilet facilities. Thus, the working class, and their chosen representative, Donald Trump, are under full assault by the presstitutes. Trump Must Go is their slogan. And well he might. Trump, in a fit of stupidity, dismissed his National Security Advisor, Gen. Flynn, because Flynn did what he should have done and spoke with the Russian ambassador in order to avoid a Russian response to Obamas provocation of expelling Russian diplomats at Christmas. Russians have been demonized and ascribed demonic powers. If you speak to a Russian, you fall under suspicion and become a traitor to your country. This is the story according to the CIA, the Democratic Party, the military/security complex, and the presstitute media. Once Trump put Flynns blood in the water, he set the situation for the sacrifice of other of his appointees, ending with himself. At the present time, the Russian connection black mark is operating against Trumps Attorney General, Jeff Sessions. If Sessions falls, Trump is next. Lets be clear. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sessions met with the Russian ambassador, just as he met with a number of other countries ambassadors. There is nothing unusual or surprising about a US senator meeting with foreign diplomatic representatives. Those who accuse Sessions of lying are misrepresenting the facts. Sessions met with ambassadors in his capacity as a US Senator, not in his capacity as a Trump representative. As a former US Senate staffer, I can attest that it is perfectly normal for US Senators to meet with diplomats. John McCain and Lindsey Graham even fly to the Middle East to meet with terrorists. Despite the facts, the Washington Post, New York Times, CNN and all the rest of the CIAs media whores are consciously and intentionally misrepresenting the facts. Americans do not need any more evidence that the entirety of the American media is totally devoid of integrity and respect for truth. The American media is a collection of whores who lie for a living. The presstitutes are despicable, the scum of the earth. The real question is how has contact with Russian government officials become criminalized, grounds for removing a National Security Adviser, an Attorney General, and impeaching a President himself. President John F. Kennedy had ongoing contact with Khrushchev, the head of the Soviet government, in order to resolve the Cuban/Turkish missile crisis without nuclear war. President Nixon had ongoing contact with the Russians in order to achieve SALT I and the anti-ballistic missile treaty. President Carter had ongoing contact with Russians in order to achieve SALT II. President Reagan worked with the Russian leader in order to end the Cold War. I know. I was there. But if President Trump wants to defuse the extremely dangerous tensions that the reckless Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama regimes have resurrected with a powerful thermo-nuclear state that only wants peace with the US, President Trump and any of his appointees who spoke to a Russian are unfit for office! This madness is the position of the idiot liberal/progressive/left, the CIA, the Democratic Party, the right-wing morons of the Republican Party such as Lindsey Graham and John McCain, and the two-bit whores that comprise the Western media. Dear reader, ask yourself, how did communications with Russians in the interest of peace and the reduction of tensions become a criminal act? Have laws been passed that it is forbidden for US officials to speak with Russian officials? Are you so utterly stupid that a presstitute media that has never in your entire life told you anything that was truthful can convince you that those who seek to avoid a conflict between thermo-nuclear powers are Russian agents? I have no doubt that the vast bulk of Western populations are insouciant. But if there is no intelligence and awareness left anywhere in the population, and most certainly there is none whatsoever in the governments of the West or in the Western media or the Identity Politics of the liberal/progressive/left, then dont expect to be alive much longer. The entirety of the world has been put on the knife edge of existence by the arrogance, stupidity, and hubris of the neoconservative pursuit of American world hegemony. The neoconservative ideology is perfect cover for the material interest of the military/security Deep State that is driving the world to destruction. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: News / National by Simbarashe Sithole The newly transferred Guruve magistrate Mathew Mutiro was involved in a fatal head-on collision at the 46 kilometer peg along Mazowe-Centenary highway on Friday.Eye witnesses allege a Concession council owned Isuzu was trying to overtake a scotch cart full of tobacco there by encroaching into another lane resulting in a head on collision."The Isuzu car tried to avoid the scotch cart there by encroaching into an oncoming traffic and there was a head - on collision," said the source.When Bulawayo24.com arrived on the scene the deceased was still trapped in Mutiro's car and Mutiro who was behind the wheels had been carried to Mvurwi poly clinic and later transferred to Bindura.Speaking to Bulawayo24.com the magistrate complained of back and chest pains."I am in pain my chest and back is giving me problems but the doctor has given me an injection and it is getting better," he said.Victims of Isuzu kb identified as Mazai and Mufandaedza cheated death as they came out with minor scratches.Meanwhile, Mvurwi traffic police attended the scene and sent the deceased to Mvurwi mortuary for safe keeping this morning.The section does not have a car and private cars had to be used to attend the scene.Additionally, fire brigade Bindura reportedly responded late to the incident.According to police road accidents are on the increase in Mashonaland Central province.Efforts to contact Mashonaland Central police spokesperson inspector Milton Mundembe were fruitless as his mobile phone was unreachable up to the time of this writing. Opinion / Columnist Today I want to address the issue of our current leadership on a Christian point of view. What can Zimbabwe and our leaders learn from looking back over the ages at the rise and fall if another to which they have a connection? A wise man searches for understanding from those leaders that have gone before him in order to avoid the same mistakes. I believe that there is a period in history around 1000 BC that has a number of great lessons to be gleaned for leaders today but our current leaders haven't learnt anything. Like King David in the bible, how did he manage to transform a nomadic culture of cattle herders whose had spent hundreds of years as slaves, into a vibrant nation.While mankind is busy looking good, God sees through the facade and straight into the heart. The heart of our current President is hard, selfish, greedy, self centered and evil. He forgets that the reason why he is leading is because God chose him. He is accountable to the higher authority but he doesn't care because he has taken the position of God himself. Every nation and it's people finds successful or failure based on the attitudes and behavior of her leaders. There is a direct correlation between what is in one's heart and one's actions. We all believe that the quest to acquire wisdom and education is crucial to one's success and that wise actions produce prosperous results. This is not the case with our President who has more than 5 college degrees but doing the opposite. If you want to establish a lasting legacy, you have to rule with righteousness ie integrity, justice and compassion but none of the above apply to our President. Recently he celebrated his 93rd birthday spending millions of dollars while the nurses and doctors are on strike. He even decided to fly to Singapore after their birthday bash to seek medical help while at home the Health sector is in total decay. If Zimbabweans fail to judge him,then only God can.How many times has history witnessed the fall and death of a liberator turned tyrant after he has destroyed the country. I remember vividly at the end of1989 seeing the body of Nikolai Ceausescu, the communist leader of Romania and his wife after they had been executed by their own people. For 24 years he had ruled Romania with an iron fist. He had built a personality cult, erecting statues of himself and posting his picture in every building across the country. He awarded himself University degrees and military medals and listened to speeches by his comrades extolling his greatness. The problem was that underneath this propaganda machine was the truth that he and his administration were extremely corrupt. They had raped and pillaged their own people and by using state television for misinformation, thought that they had fooled everyone. Suddenly one day, their inequities reached the tipping point and God unceremoniously removed them overnight,not only from power but from life itself. They were executed by their own people infront of a firing squad and their bodies were buried in simple graves. The mighty Ceausescus were gone from power in a blink of an eye. The name Ceausescu lives in infamy along with the Hitters, Stalins and Pol Pot of the 20th century.Just a few years ago the world watched the downfall of Saddam Hussein who like those before him lost everything he had built,including his life. The people celebrated for days and every statue or image of him was either defaced or torn down. The same scenario has repeated itself across the African continent over the last 20-30 years. Initially celebrated as liberators, leader after leader fell prey to pride, greed and power and in the end were hated by their own people and removed from power. This is the same scenario our President is facing but it seems he hasn't learnt anything from history. Instead of the great legacy they had longed for, then became another footnote in history. I can bet our President is going to find himself on the wrong side of history in Zimbabwe.When one looks across the world stage, which countries are the most respected? It is those countries that attempts to make the moral high ground. It's countries that respects the rule of law, where each member of the society has personal rights that are guaranteed. Exalted nations are found where justice rules and people have a record of helping others in need. Interestingly these nations typically always have a strong christian presence somewhere in their formative years of their history. They had leaders that reminded the nation that God cares about the motivations of the heart. What we do individually with our lives matters, how we treat our neighbors matters. There is an obvious truth that often goes ignored. Good leadership lasts. Even King Solomon gave an interesting observation concerning political job security. He said,"When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order."A good leader does not need military force to stay in power because the people would remain loyal to him by virtue of his strong character. People long to be led by leaders that value and rule by righteousness and justice. If a leader needs to revert to military force to stay in power, he has already lost his nation. And it is only a matter of time before he will be gone as well. Our President relies on his military to stay in power and we all know what will happen to him soon. He is sitting on a time bomb.If leaders choose to deal in lies, inequities and disrespect, those around them will soon take on those very same qualities. Corruption in Zimbabwe starts from the top and everybody follows suit. Their administrations would be polluted from top to bottom with subordinates that were only watching for themselves, lining their pockets with bribes. A good example are the police roadblocks that are stationed after every two kilometers. For the right price they would turn their loyalties to the highest bidder and chaos will ensue. Men once allies will suddenly become mortal enemies as power struggles ensues for the spoils of the government. When this happens, it is long before the nation as a whole slides into chaos, resulting in abject poverty. Under this all too common scenario, the weak and innocent always become the victims and fall prey to the wicked. It is the responsibility of our President to make sure that the poor and the needy are defended but that is not happening in Zimbabwe. Even the courts must rule justly and not be influenced by those with power and wealth on their side. Linda Masarira of the People's Democratic Party and pro democracy activist has been found guilty after she exercised her constitutional right to demonstrate. This is absurd and wrong.No man can rule a nation by himself. Governments with their huge beaurocracies have to be managed by a team of people with skill sets and expertise in a variety of disciplines. The most successful leaders whether in civil or corporate world, are those that are good judges of people. They know how to discern character and capacity and our President has none of the above.Let me conclude by what the the former President of the United States, George Washington said when addressing his countrymen. He said, "Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."George Washington believes, as David, Solomon and Moses did that morality could only come from a heart transformed by God's grace. Unless the current leadership changes course, their days are numbered. Zimbabwe does not belong to black people or white people, it belongs to God. Now it's not the time for blame but for forgiveness. I wish the President a long life so that one day he will see the success of Zimbabwe under another leader. If we are going to turn the course of Zimbabwe around, we must come together, black or white, shona or Ndebele and invest in Zimbabwe's future ---our children. Together another Zimbabwe is possible.----------Tendai Mazenge. PDP Secretary for Policy, Harare Province.tendai.mazenge@gmail.com 13 Best Christmas Gifts for Your Boss Looking to Impress Your Employer This Holiday Season? 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. Product photos from retailer sites. Shopping for loved ones is already a grudging task. Now just imagine the pressure that comes with gifting the executive in your life. The typical gift card or co-worker options probably wont cut it, for only the most prestigious present(s) will win them over. Meanwhile, the pandemic has likely added a new stress factor into the mix, since you're probably seeing less and less of your boss, and the right gift is the perfect opportunity to remind them of your attentive and thoughtful qualities. RELATED: Christmas Gifts for Men 2020 So what exactly is on the docket? Well, how about something that strikes the balance between, form, function, serviceability, and on occasion, personal pleasure? Guiding you on the right path, we weaved through the endless choices on the market to assemble this must-own collection of Christmas gifts that any boss would find pleasure in unwrapping. Whether you're purchasing this present solo or getting together with colleagues as a group gift, there's a gift idea to suit all interests and budgets. Best for the Neat Freak Classic Pigskin Leather Catchall An extremely handsome catchall is made with elegant pigskin leather that will patina over time and holds all manner of desktop bits and bobs, from keys to paperclips to cufflinks. For a personal touch, gold foil monogramming comes at just $12. $99 at Markangraham.com Best for the Wine Lover McBride Sisters Wine Club If you know your boss enjoys a glass of vino, you really cant go wrong with the Christmas gift of a membership to a monthly wine club. In the case of the McBride Sisters Wine Club, you can rest assured that all wines are high-quality and since each shipment is adjusted for the season they wont get bored of the flavors, either. From $40 at McBrideSisters.com Best for the Art Director Deep Sea Sand Art For the boss whose walls are covered with a veritable array of art by name-dropping artists, gift a statement piece that will appeal to their senses. This desktop sculpture highlights shimmering colors of sand that move and weave with each other in a mesmerizing, calming display. $85 at UncommonGoods.com Best for Digital Assistance Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) Every managerial figure can use an extra hand managing their daily tasks. Amazons virtual assistant will help keep them interconnected with their business affairs and afford them common mandates all executed through voice commands. Ask it whats on the calendar, get stock quotes, perform calculations, request an Uber ride, and use it as a media hub to control the playlist through any compatible wireless speaker. $49.99 at Amazon.com Best for the Green Thumb The Sill Plant During these dark winter months they are sure to appreciate the unique gift of greenery. Through The Sill, you can find a wide variety of desk-friendly plants that will thrive even in dimly lit spaces and they all come with a stylish planter, as well. From $25 at TheSill.com Best for a Personalized Gift Minted Personalized Stationery Sure, they likely do most of their communication over email and Slack, but when the occasion calls for something a little more special, they will love reaching for this personalized stationery. No matter if you want something really clean and simple or creative and vibrant, youre sure to find just the right style in Minteds extensive list of options. From $35 at Minted.com Best for Vacation Planning Atlas Obscura So they've explored the catacombs of Europe and enjoyed an omakase in Japan. But the world is full of utterly unique, off-the-beaten tracks, and that is what Atlas Obscura captures in its pages. Expect stunning images of nature's curiosities, many of which you never existed. It's wacky, curious, enthralling, and dares you to book a ticket ASAP. $14.50 at Amazon.com RELATED: Christmas Gifts for Co-Workers Best for the Boss With a Bar Cart James Scott Decanter Set No higher-ups office is complete without a fine decanter set. This crystal-glass vessel with bundled glassware serves as a great gift for the leader who gives pause to hectic workdays by wetting their whistle. Fill the beauty with their favorite spirit and make it the centerpiece of any work suite. $39.98 at Amazon.com Best for On-the-Go Power Mophie PowerStation Plus Executives, like the rest of us 9-to-5ers, are attached to their gadgets. Which makes portable power even more valuable for the guy or gal with a battery in the red zone. Mophies external batteries come to the rescue providing up to 34 hours of battery life for smartphones and tablets (Apple or Android), while featuring a slim profile that sits comfortably in any pocket or purse. $45.59 at Amazon.com Best for the Boss Who Needs a Quiet Workspace Bose QuietComfort 35 II Wireless Bluetooth Headphones While these noise-canceling headphones are great for traveling, they are equally fitting for creating a quiet work atmosphere. Not only will they remain comfortable on the ears for hours on end, but they provide top-of-the-line audio quality for when they need some tunes to fuel productivity. Not to mention, when assistance is required, all they have to do is tap and Alexa is there. $199 at Amazon.com Best for the But First, Coffee Boss Nespresso VertuoLine Coffee and Espresso Maker Every worker needs their morning mug of Joe once stepping into the office. For the heavyweight that demands coffee or espresso, bless them with this caffeinated souvenir. Nespressos java maker requires nothing more than VertuoLine capsules and the push of a button to feed ones caffeine addiction. $178.99 at Amazon.com Best for the On-the-Go Exec Incase Eo Travel Roller While they might not be traveling at the moment, you can get them pumped for future ventures with this Christmas present. Incases duffel keeps things sophisticatedly casual with a soft-touch finish, multiple organizer pockets, and massive compartment storage for all your overnight essentials. It even makes luggage maintenance far more accommodating when flying business class by complying with most international airline carry-on size requirements. $118.74 at Amazon.com Best for Worldly Inspiration Replogle Globes Franklin World Globe Whether they are working from home or back in the office, the thoughtful gift of a globe will not only elevate the aesthetic of their space, but it can help them brainstorm for future travels or global business pursuits. $55.50 at Amazon.com You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. They learn lessons like,"treat others the way you want to be treated;" "don't bully;" and "play nice with others." The Trump trade agenda, which was published this week, violates all of those principles in the name of creating a more prosperous America. Worse yet, it erodes away at the fabric of the global economic order. It claims that Americans on both sides of the aisle "rejected the way in the framework of rules governing international trade operates." These are incredibly complex rules and agreements most Americans have never really considered. So let's stick with the kid's stuff. Treat people the way you want to be treated The White House is constantly saying that the US the richest country in the world with the largest military on the planet is being treated unfairly. And the administration's trade agenda makes pains to establish the US's ability to govern itself, and ignore trade rules set up by the World Trade Organization (WTO), whenever it wants. "Americans are subject to US law not WTO decisions," it says. "What happens to US manufacturing when Boeing can't sell airplanes," Branstetter offered, "Or when GE can't sell industrial equipment? It would be an enormous blow... to the part of manufacturing that has the brightest future." And yes, they can retaliate. Look at everything China alone imports from the US (via Deutsche Bank) below: The can "apply reciprocity" as soon as we do, and that wouldn't be nice at all. Play nice with others Another big part of the trade agenda is ripping up multilateral agreements (like NAFTA) and instead negotiating bilateral agreements. This has largely been panned by trade experts as expensive. Branstetter told Business Insider that it would take decades to renegotiate the deals we've arranged in groups, one on one. "This sort of takes the stupidity we've heard up to now and amplifies it by a factor of 2 or 3 or 10," he said. Worse yet, tearing up trade deals makes the US untrustworthy. People don't want to do deals with people who will just tear them up and walk away later. There are things we do domestically that make us untrustworthy outside too. Last month the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration asked members of the Commerce Department to change trade data to look like the US had a bigger deficit with other countries. The Trump trade agenda rails against countries like South Korea and China, where the US has a trade deficit. "The actions by the Clinton regime and their associates may be among the most extreme examples of human rights violations observed during any election in US history since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was similarly targeted for his anti-war views in the 1960s," Page wrote in a letter addressed to "Members of the Civil Rights Divisions Voting Section" of the Department of Justice. That DOJ division Page shared the letter with Business Insider in response to inquiries about his relationship with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who reports have suggested steered Page on to the Trump campaign's foreign-policy team in early 2016. Page did not respond to questions about his ties with Sessions, calling them "insane." He instead pointed Business Insider to his An unverified dossier about Trump's ties to Russia, written by former British spy Christopher Steele at the request of anti-Trump Republicans, named Page as a liaison between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. US intelligence officials briefed Trump on the dossier's contents in early January, and the FBI reportedly offered to pay Steele to continue his investigation after Republicans and, later, Democrats stopped funding Steele's research. Page, who worked athas strongly denied the accusation that he served as a middleman between Trump's campaign and Russia. He called such claims an "illegal" form of "retribution" for a speech he gave in Moscow at the New Economic School last July, in which he slammed the US for its "I am a lifelong practicing Roman Catholic who attended Catholic schools for 14 years, culminating with my Master of Arts in National Security Studies from Georgetown University in 1994," Carter wrote. "The clear evidence of intolerance against Catholics shown by the 'Hillary for America' campaign and the fact that several of her closest advisors knew of my religion helps to make part of the reason for her attacks more obvious." Carter concluded that he still "remains a believer in the principles" of his religion "despite the harsh repression that I have endured from the Clinton campaign." Page also alleged that the Clinton campaign discriminated against him because he is male. "Although the advancement of womens rights is essential, Mrs. Clinton has shown further evidence of discrimination on this basis as well last year. Although seen throughout her campaign, it was demonstrated most recently with her 'The future is female' speech last week." "For these reasons and in summary, it is essential that a full investigation of the crimes committed against me by the Clinton campaign and their associates should be initiated immediately," Page wrote, arguing that the lack of a full investigation into Clinton's "human rights abuses" against him "could have a negative impact on the future arc of US national security." The DOJ declined to comment. The Clinton campaign didn't respond to request for comment. "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!," Trump said on Saturday. Trump claimed that though the wiretapping took place, there was "nothing found." "This Trump didn't offer any evidence to support his bombastic claims. He may have been referring to a Breitbart report about conservative radio host Mark Levin's allegations that Obama sought to "undermine" Trump's campaign in the final days of the presidential election. Journalists have noted that the wiretaps Trump says he "just found out about" have been reported on for weeks. The FBI reportedly requested a warrant from a FISA court (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance) in October to monitor Trump campaign officials who were suspected of improper ties to the Russian government. A senior US intelligence official told the BBC in January that that warrant had been granted, but that has not been confirmed. Andrew McCarthy, of the conservative-leaning National Review, noted in January that a FISA court doesn't need evidence of a crime to grant a warrant, just evidence amounting to probable cause that the target of the wiretap is an agent of a foreign power. Ben Rhodes, Obama's former deputy national security adviser, also noted that presidents can't unilaterally authorize wiretaps. "Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you," Rhodes said on Saturday, in reference to Trump. two meetings he held with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned in February after revelations that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office. Robert Costa, a Washington Post reporter, said that Trump advisers woke up on Saturday morning "surprised" by Trump's tweets. Administration officials reportedly told Costa they expected Saturday to be a "down day, pretty quiet." Trump's tweets started around 6 a.m. on Saturday, from the Mar-a-Lago. Trump also took a shot at Arnold Schwarzenegger, who announced on Friday that he was leaving "The Apprentice," the show Trump formerly hosted. " "We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin," Trump tweeted. He attached a photo of a younger Schumer drinking coffee and eating what appeared to be donuts with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "A total hypocrite!" Trump added. The photos appear to have been taken at a gas station owned by Lukoil Russia's state-run oil company during a 2003 visit by Putin to New York. Later Friday, Trump demanded a second investigation into House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi after Politico surfaced a photo of her in a meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, following her denials of meeting with him in an interview on Friday morning. "I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for close ties to Russia, and lying about it," Trump tweeted on Friday afternooon. A spokesman clarified that Pelosi had meant she never had a solo meeting with Kislyak. Trump's administration has faced increased scrutiny in recent days over its emerging ties to Russia and amid the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered with the 2016 election. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday recused himself from Justice Department investigations related to Trump's presidential campaign after reports revealed that during his confirmation hearings he did not disclose two meetings he held with Kislyak during the presidential campaign. Schumer called for Sessions' resignation on Thursday, a day after the revelations emerged, and he underscored the need for a further evaluation of the "scope of Russia's interference" in the 2016 election in a tweet. Dan Scavino, the White House director of social media, responded succinctly: "Do it over donuts and coffee." Schumer fired back on Friday: "Happily talk re: my contact w Mr. Putin & his associates, took place in '03 in full view of press & public under oath. Would you & your team?" Schumer said. "And for the record, they were Krispy Kreme donuts," Schumer added. US President Donald Trump has apparently honed in on North Korea as his most serious external challenge, and has reportedly declared them the single greatest threat to the United States. In January, Trump tweeted that North Korean missile hitting the US, as they've often threatened, "" But in reality, taking out North Korea's nuclear capabilities, or decapitating the Kim regime, would pose serious risks to even the US military's best platforms. Business Insider spoke with Stratfor's Sim Tack, a senior analyst and an expert on North Korea, to determine exactly how the US could potentially carry out a crippling strike against the Hermit Kingdom. First, a decision would need to be made. Military action against North Korea wouldn't be pretty. Some number of civilians in South Korea, possibly Japan, and US forces stationed in the Pacific would be likely to die in the undertaking no matter how smoothly things went. In short, it's not a decision any US commander-in-chief would make lightly. But the US would have to choose between a full-scale destruction of North Korea's nuclear facilities and ground forces or a quicker attack on only the most important nuclear facilities. The second option would focus more on crippling North Korea's nuclear program and destroying key threats to the US and its allies. Since a full-scale attack could lead to "mission creep that could pull the US into a longterm conflict in East Asia," according to Tack, we'll focus on a quick, surgical strike that would wipe out the bulk of North Korea's nuclear forces. Then, the opening salvo a stealth air blitz and cruise missiles rock North Korea's nuclear facilities. The best tools the US could use against North Korea would be stealth aircraft like the F-22 and B-2 bomber, according to Tack. The US would slowly but surely position submarines, Navy ships, and stealth aircraft at bases near North Korea in ways that avoid provoking the Hermit Kingdom's suspicions. Then, when the time was right, bombers would rip across the sky and ships would let loose with an awesome volley of firepower. The US already has considerable combat capability amassed in the region. The first targets... Next, the US would try to limit North Korean retaliation. Once the US has committed the initial strike against North Korea, how does Kim Jong-un respond? Even with its nuclear facilities in ashes and the majority of their command and control destroyed "North Korea has a lot of options," said Tack. "They have their massive, massive conventional artillery options that can start firing at South Korea in a split second." But as the graphic below shows, most North Korean artillery can't reach Seoul, South Korea's capital. Additionally, Seoul has significant underground bunkers and infrastructure to quickly protect its citizens, though some measure of damage to the city would be unavoidable. According to Tack, much of this artillery would instead fire on the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, detonating mines so that North Korean ground forces can push through. Also within range would be US forces near the DMZ. Some 25,000 American soldiers are stationed in South Korea, all of whom would face grave danger from North Korea's vast artillery installations. But the North Korean artillery isn't top of the line. They could focus on slamming US forces, or they could focus on hitting Seoul. Splitting fire between the two targets would limit the impact of their longer-range systems. Additionally, as the artillery starts to fire, it becomes and exposed sitting duck for US jets overhead. The next phase of the battle would be underwater. North Korea has a submarine that can launch nuclear ballistic missiles, which would represent a big risk to US forces as it can sail outside of the range of established missile defenses. Fortunately, the best submarine hunters in the world sail with the US Navy. Helicopters would drop special listening buoys, destroyers would use their advanced radars, and US subs would listen for anything unusual in the deep. North Korea's antique submarine would hardly be a match for the combined efforts of the US, South Korea, and Japan. While the submarine would greatly complicate the operation, it would most likely find itself at the bottom of the ocean before it could do any meaningful damage. What happens if Kim Jong Un is killed? "Decapitation" or the removal of the Kim regime would be a huge blow to the fiercely autocratic Hermit Kingdom. Kim Jong-un has reportedly engaged in a vicious campaign to execute senior officials with packs of dogs, mortar fire, and anti-aircraft guns for a simple reason they have ties to China, according to Tack. Jong-un's removal of anyone senior with ties to China means that he has consolidated power within his country to a degree that makes him necessary to the country's functioning. Without a leader, North Korean forces would face a severe blow to their morale as well as their command structure, but it wouldn't end the fight. "Technically North Korea is under the rule of their 'forever leader' Kim Il Sung," said Tack, adding that "a decapitation strike wouldnt guarantee that the structures below him wouldnt fall apart, but it would be a damn tricky problem for those that remain after him." Unfortunately, North Koreans aren't shy about putting their leader first, and at the first indication of an attack, Kim would likely be tucked away in a bunker deep underground while his countrymen bore the brunt of the attack. Then the US defends. "If North Korea doesnt retaliate, theyve lost capability and look weak," said Tack. Indeed few would expect North Korea to go quietly after suffering even a crippling attack. Through massive tunnels bored under the DMZ, North Korea would try to pour ground troops into the South. "The ground warfare element is a big part of this," said Tack. "I think that the most likely way that would play out would be the fight in the DMZ area," where the US would not try to invade North Korea, but rather defend its position in the South. Though its air force is small and outdated, North Korean jets would need to be addressed and potentially eliminated. Meanwhile... US special operations forces, after stealthy jets destroy North Korea's air defenses, would parachute in and destroy or deactivate mobile launchers and other offensive equipment. The US faces a big challenge in trying to hunt down some 200 missile launchers throughout North Korea, some of which have treads to enter very difficult terrain where US recon planes would struggle to spot them. It would be the work of US special forces to establish themselves at key logistical junctures and observe North Koreans' movements, and then relay that to US air assets. So how does this all end? North Korea is neither a house of cards or an impenetrable fortress. Additionally, the resolve of the North Koreans remains a mystery. North Korea has successfully estimated that the international community is unwilling to intervene as it quietly becomes a nuclear power, but that calculation could become their undoing. North Korea would likely launch cyber attacks, possibly shutting down parts of the US or allies' power grids, but US Cyber Command would prepare for that. North Korea would likely destroy some US military installations, lay waste to some small portion of Seoul, and get a handful of missiles fired but again, US and allied planners would stand ready for that. In the end, it would be a brutal, bloody conflict, but even the propaganda-saturated North Koreans must know just how disadvantaged they are, according to Tack. Even after a devastating missile attack, some of North Korea's nuclear stockpile would likely remain hidden. Some element of the remainder of North Koreans could stage a retaliation, but what would be the point? That's according to a report from The Washington Post, which obtained a secret memo the billionaire was circulating around the offices of NASA and President Trump's administration. (Bezos owns the Post and invests in Business Insider.) An early stage of the plan, set to kick off by mid-2020, would begin an "Amazon-like shipment service" to the moon to deliver the cargo astronauts would need to permanently settle the lunar landscape. Bezos confirmed the document's authenticity to the Post. "It is time for America to return to the Moon this time to stay," he reportedly told Christian Davenport of the Post. "A permanently inhabited lunar settlement is a difficult and worthy objective. I sense a lot of people are excited about this." Counting Elon Musk's recent announcement that he'd like to launch two paying customers around the moon in late 2018, Bezos' plans mark the second private lunar mission in the works that's come to light this year. Musk's giant rocket is called "Falcon Heavy" while Bezos' is called "New Glenn" (named after astronaut John Glenn). According to an early comparison of both rockets, the first iteration of New Glenn will be taller than the Falcon Heavy, but the latter may have about 30% more thrust. Both rockets will be partly reusable, theoretically lowering the cost of access to space. "Our vision is millions of people living and working in space, and New Glenn is a very important step. It won't be the last of course," Bezos wrote in an email to Business Insider in September 2016. "Up next on our drawing board: New Armstrong. But that's a story for the future." Whether Trump and NASA will go for Bezos' proposal remains to be seen. But to make Blue Origin's moon colonization scheme possible, Davenport wrote, the company said it must to pair up with the space agency. Read Davenport's full story at The Washington Post. The Lebanese national, whose named has been given as Jihad Chaaban, is alleged to have locked the employee, a 25 year old women in a room after the incident to prevent her from going to the police to report. There have been numerous incidents of abuse of Ghanaians in foreign-owned businesses. In March 2016, Young Gyu Lee, a Korean national and the chief executive officer of the PeterPan restaurant was charged with assault after he slapped a Ghanaian employee with hot pizza. Lebanese businesses have a long history of operation in Ghana, as far back as the colonial era. READ ALSO: Senior MP outraged by assault on Ghanaian workers by foreign employers His comments follow the assault of a 25-year old Ghanaian by Jihad Chaaban, a Lebanese national. Chaaban after the act subsequently locked her up with the burning hurting eye preventing her colleagues to rescue her from the situation. Reacting to the disturbing news on Accra-based Citi FM, the Wa Central MP decried the act while calling on employers to respect their workers. He said:"It is not a promise to do anything but to ensure that this issue is followed to the later. So many of this have happened in this country. "So many of our compatriots have suffered under the hands of people who don't treat them as if were in a country with laws. "I have about some Indian person who maltreated and nearly killed a Ghanaian. I have heard about a Lebanese who did same to a Ghanaian, I have heard another today about another Lebanese who did that. This should not happen in this country. "We have laws in this country, we have laws of engagement. We have laws about how employees and employers relate; Labour law. "So you don't just treat somebody, attack her personality or his personality just because they are working for you. READ MORE:Vexed husband assault corpse of man who had fling with wife This situation that has resulted into an employee being treated this way, turned her face and put into hot pepper, locked her in a room is unacceptable. Mr Pelpuo also urged the police to pursue the matter to the latter by making the perpetrator face the full rigour of the law. READ MORE: Social media campaign to shun restaurant chain grows following employee abuse "Management assures its clients and the general public that it does not and will never condone mistreatment of its workers and therefore condemns in no uncertain terms the alleged assault," the statement added. The branch manager at the centre of the storm is Jihad Chaaban, a Lebanese national, who has been given a police enquiry bail. Chaaban reportedly grabbed the head of the lady (whose name has been withheld) and dipped her face into a blended pepper. Chaaban after the act subsequently locked her up with the burning hurting eye preventing her colleagues to rescue her from the situation. There have been numerous incidents of abuse of Ghanaians in foreign-owned businesses. In March 2016, Young Gyu Lee, a Korean national and the chief executive officer of the PeterPan restaurant was charged with assault after he slapped a Ghanaian employee with hot pizza. Management of Marwako noted in the statement that "it is cooperating fully with and assisting police to establish the true facts for the purposes of allowing the laws of Ghana to be applied accordingly." It said Mr Jihad Chaaban has been interrogated by police and is currently on bail pending further processes. Earlier a senior NDC MP, Rashid Pelpuo, called on the police to see to the logical conclusion of the matter. READ MORE: Senior MP outraged by assault on Ghanaian workers by foreign employers He told Accra-based Citi FM that So many of this have happened in this country. "So many of our compatriots have suffered under the hands of people who don't treat them as if were in a country with laws. "I have about some Indian person who maltreated and nearly killed a Ghanaian. I have heard about a Lebanese who did same to a Ghanaian, I have heard another today about another Lebanese who did that. This should not happen in this country. "We have laws in this country, we have laws of engagement. We have laws about how employees and employers relate; Labour law. "So you don't just treat somebody, attack her personality or his personality just because they are working for you." Meanwhile, a social media campaign to boycott the services of Marwako is gaining traction. According to Tunisian media, "irregularities" tainted two concerts given by Carey in Tunisia in 2006, with some of the profits which should have gone to the National Solidarity Fund ending up elsewhere. Eight people, including Ben Ali and Imed Trabelsi, a nephew of the ex-president's wife, and former ministers were sentenced to six years in prison, the spokesman for the prosecutors' office, Sofiene Sliti, said, without giving further details. Imed Trabelsi was additionally sentenced to five years in prison for fraud. The cheque was presented to the Chief of Staff by the president of the chamber, Kwame Addo Kufuor, on behalf of the entire membership of the Chamber. Mr Addo Kufuor said: A few weeks ago, His Excellency launched the Planning Committee of Ghana 60 Years On and made a specific appeal for support especially from the private sector. "The chamber is: cognisant of the pivotal role we play in the Ghanaian economy we are the leading export earner, we are the top tax payer and we play a very important role in the local communities. "But we aspire to do even more and we aspire to partner government in the development of this country. And, therefore, on such a joyous occasion, Ghana 60 Years On, we cannot sit aside and not play our role. "So we are stepping up to the plate and showing our readiness to partner government in supporting the anniversary. READ MORE: UMB donate towards Ghana at 60 celebrations "We have here a cheque from our membership AngloGold Ashanti, Newmont Ghana, Gold Fields, Chirano, Perseus Miningand our affiliates and contractors. We have come together to support the celebration and to pray that God bless Ghana on its 60th anniversary." READ MORE: UMB donate towards Ghana at 60 celebrations The Controller and Accountant General wishes to inform all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies that an amount of GHS 10,000.00 (ten thousand Ghana cedis) each has been transferred into the Sub Consolidated Fund (Sub CF) account of the assemblies. This amount is to support the district assemblies to celebrate Ghanas 60th Independence Anniversary," the statement said. The statement added: "Management of the assemblies should note that this amount is part of the outstanding disbursement of the District Assemblies Common Fund. "In view of the above, the District Assemblies Common Fund administrator is being requested to deduct same amount from the outstanding payments of the Common Fund for each assembly before transferring the balance to them. A number of organisations and individuals have being contributing towards the Independence celebrations. READ MORE: Chamber of Mines donates GH2m towards Ghana at 60 celebrations The Ghana Chamber of Mines, UMB, OminiBank, Unibank among others have all donated towards the celebration. Supreme Court of North Dakota. John Beckstrand (deceased) by and through his Personal Representative, Julie Beckstrand, Plaintiff and Appellee v. Justin Beckstrand, James Beckstrand (deceased) by and through his surviving spouse, Cynthia Beckstrand, Defendants and Appellants Nos. 20160105 Decided: February 16, 2017 James P. Wang, P.O. Box 211, Minnewaukan, N.D. 58351-0211, for plaintiff and appellee. Theodore T. Sandberg, P.O. Box 5788, Grand Forks, N.D. 58206-5788, for defendants and appellants. Sandstrom, Surrogate Judge. [1] Justin Beckstrand and James Beckstrand, through his surviving spouse, Cynthia Beckstrand, appeal from a judgment awarding $164,202.40 in 2015 farm rental payments to Julie Beckstrand, the personal representative of John Beckstrand's estate. Because the district court's findings are inadequate to explain the basis for its equitable decision to award the farm rental payments to Julie Beckstrand, we reverse and remand for the court to explain the rationale for its decision. I [2] This case involves a family dispute over property located in Benson County. John and Inez Beckstrand were the parents of Julie, James, and William Beckstrand. Justin Beckstrand is James Beckstrand's son and John Beckstrand's grandson. [3] In 2001, John and Inez Beckstrand entered into a contract for deed to sell property to Justin and James Beckstrand. In 2007, John and Inez Beckstrand entered into a contract for deed to sell additional property to Justin and James Beckstrand. Annual payments were to be made on November 1 of each year under both contracts for deed. The last payment on the 2001 contract was due November 1, 2015. The last payment on the 2007 contract was due November 1, 2026. Inez Beckstrand died in 2010. [4] Justin and James Beckstrand made no annual payments during 2013 and 2014 for either contract for deed. James Beckstrand died in 2013 before John Beckstrand executed a will and died in 2014. John Beckstrand's will provided in relevant part: SPECIFIC BEQUEST. At the time of my death, any amount owing on a Contracts or Contract for Deeds which I may have entered into with James Beckstrand and/or Justin Beckstrand, I direct must be paid and divided as follows: 1. Unpaid payments from James Beckstrand shall be paid to Cindy Beckstrand. 2. Unpaid Payments from Justin Beckstrand shall be divided, One half (1/2) to be paid to my daughter Julie Beckstrand; and one half (1/2) to be shared equally between my grandchildren, John Beckstrand, Sandra Beckstrand, Joanna Beckstrand, Justin Beckstrand, Jeremiah White, and Elisha White Miller. Time is of the essence in these payments being made. I further direct my personal representative to enforce time is of the essence standards in these payments being made. [5] In late 2014, Julie Beckstrand, as personal representative of John Beckstrand's estate, sued Justin Beckstrand and James Beckstrand's surviving spouse, Cynthia Beckstrand, to cancel by action the two contracts for deed. Because the bench trial was scheduled for May 21, 2015, after the spring planting season, the district court allowed Julie Beckstrand to rent the property to the highest bidder, giving Justin and Cynthia Beckstrand the right of first refusal if they met the highest bid. They did so and the district court allowed Justin and Cynthia Beckstrand to rent the property during 2015 for $164,202.40, with the rental payment deposited in Julie Beckstrand's attorney's account pending trial on the cancellation actions. [6] The cases were tried together. The district court ruled Justin and Cynthia Beckstrand had defaulted on the contracts for deed. On the basis of John Beckstrand's will, the court found John set forth a distribution (forgiveness) plan for any amount owed on the two Contracts for Deed. His intent to forgive the debt was clear in the will. The court found a reasonable redemption period is equitable for the defendants. The court ordered: 1. Defendants shall pay the personal representative for the 2013 payments on each Contract for Deed plus noted interest from November 1, 2013, to present, all within 90 days of judgment being entered. 2. Upon timely payment of the amounts due in paragraph #1, the remaining debt amounts of the 2001 Contract for Deed are forgiven for both Defendants, under the language found on page 3 of the contract. 3. Upon timely payment of the amounts due in paragraph #1, the remaining amount of the 2007 Contract for Deed owed by the James Beckstrand estate shall be forgiven under the special bequest language of the will. Cynthia Beckstrand shall receive her share of the property described in the 2007 Contract for Deed, and shall owe no further payments. 4. Upon timely payment of the amounts due in paragraph #1, the special bequest language of the will controls as to Justin Beckstrand's 2007 Contract for Deed debt. He shall pay his remaining 1/2 share of the 2007 Contract for Deed debt (principal plus all interest) to the estate of John Beckstrand for division as follows: Unpaid payments from Justin Beckstrand shall be divided one half (1/2) to be paid to Julie Beckstrand and one half (1/2) to be shared equally between Sandra Beckstrand, Joanna Beckstrand, Justin Beckstrand, Jeremiah White, and Elisha White Miller. This payment to be made within 120 days of entry of judgment. Since Justin is entitled to 1/6th of the unpaid payments, he may reduce his total payment by his 1/6th share. As for any remaining payments owed by the Estate of James Beckstrand or Cynthia Beckstrand for their 1/2 share on the 2007 Contract for Deed, are deemed forgiven and waived upon payment under the terms and conditions of Paragraph #1 of these Findings. 5. Any issues relating to the payment of any real estate tax payments for 2013 and 2014 have been resolved. 6. Upon timely payment of all debts, warranty deeds shall be issued by the personal representative of the estate, at the expense of the Estate. 7. The money paid to farm the disputed properties in 2015 was remedial for all parties so is not credited or deducted from the Contracts for Deed obligations herein. The estate may keep these funds located in Mr. Wang's trust account. 8. Based on the default, defendants are responsible for plaintiff's reasonable attorney's fees, which are found to be $11,841.75, plus whatever reasonable additional fees were incurred between September 18, 2015 and December 18, 2015. Judgment was entered on January 28, 2016. [7] The district court had jurisdiction under N.D. Const. art. VI, 8, and N.D.C.C. 27-05-06. Justin and Cynthia Beckstrand's appeal is timely under N.D.R.App.P. 4(a). This Court has jurisdiction under N.D. Const. art. VI, 2 and 6, and N.D.C.C. 28-27-01. II [8] The only issue raised by Justin and Cynthia Beckstrand in this appeal is whether the district court erred in failing to award them the 2015 payment they made to rent the land while the cancellation actions were pending. [9] Their argument begins with the proposition that, when there is a contract for deed, the vendee is the equitable owner while the vendor holds the legal title as security for his claim, see, e.g., Johnson v. Finkle, 2013 ND 149, 18, 837 N.W.2d 132; Woodward v. McCollum, 16 N.D. 42, 49, 111 N.W. 623, 626 (1907), and therefore they are practically in the same position as a mortgagor and mortgagee. See, e.g., In re Faiman, 70 B.R. 74, 76 (D. N.D. 1987); Zent v. Zent, 281 N.W.2d 41, 45 (N.D. 1979); United Accounts, Inc. v. Larson, 121 N.W.2d 628, 634 (N.D. 1963). Justin and Cynthia Beckstrand argue the mortgage foreclosure statutes therefore apply, and because N.D.C.C. 32-19-06 states the debtor is entitled to the rents during the redemption period, they are entitled to the 2015 rental payments. We disagree for several reasons. [10] First, this Court has said N.D.C.C. 32-19-06 applies only to actions for foreclosure of mortgages and land contracts. See Kautzman v. Kautzman, 2003 ND 140, 25, 668 N.W.2d 59. An action to foreclose a land contract is one of three distinct methods for cancelling a contract for deed, the other two being cancellation by a statutory proceeding and cancellation by action. See, e.g., Langenes v. Bullinger, 328 N.W.2d 241, 245 (N.D. 1982); J. Leahy, Cancellation of Land Contracts, 32 N.D. L. Rev. 5 (1956). Foreclosure or statutory cancellation actions are necessarily controlled by statutes. See, e.g., Bendish v. Castillo, 2012 ND 30, 7-9, 812 N.W.2d 398, and cases collected therein. Cancellation of a contract for deed by action, however, is an action in equity, and this Court will not interfere with the district court's decision on equity unless an abuse of discretion is clearly established. Id. A court abuses its discretion when it acts arbitrarily, unconscionably, or unreasonably, or when its decision is not the product of a rational mental process leading to a reasoned determination. Id. at 9. Justin and Cynthia Beckstrand acknowledge that these cases are cancellations by action. They cite no cases applying the mortgage foreclosure statutes to cancellation by action. The mortgage foreclosure statutes do not apply. [11] Second, cancellation by action is not subject to a statutory period of redemption, and a court does not necessarily abuse its discretion by refusing to allow a right to redeem. See, e.g., Johnson v. Mark, 2013 ND 128, 31-32, 834 N.W.2d 291, and cases collected therein. Here the court decided after trial to allow 90- and 120-day redemption periods from the date of entry of judgment. Even if a mortgage debtor is statutorily entitled to rents during the redemption period, the redemption period began in January 2016 when judgment was entered, after the 2015 crop year had ended. [12] Third, although Justin and Cynthia Beckstrand argue the 2015 rental payments awarded to Julie Beckstrand are a money judgment that cannot be awarded in a cancellation of land contract case, see Langenes, 328 N.W.2d at 246, this award was not a money judgment related to amounts owing under the contracts for deed but was a distribution of rents collected during the pendency of the action. Generally, a grantor who is entitled to the cancellation of a deed is also entitled to the fair rental value of the property, or the rents and profits of the land, for the time that the grantee was wrongfully in possession, including rents collected by the defendant while in possession and those accruing during the pendency of the suit. 12A C.J.S. Cancellation of Instruments 178, p. 657 (2015) (emphasis added; footnotes omitted). In an equitable action, a court of equity has the power to adjust the rights of the parties with regard to interest, rents and profits and make complete adjudication of all matters involved in the case. Arhart v. Thompson, 75 N.D. 569, 579, 31 N.W.2d 56, 62 (1948). The district court had discretion to weigh the equities in deciding which of the parties was entitled to the rental payments. [13] A district court's findings of fact, however, must be adequate to understand and explain the basis for its decision. Romanyshyn v. Fredericks, 1999 ND 128, 8, 597 N.W.2d 420. In its written findings and conclusions, the court simply said the rental payment was remedial for all parties and the estate may keep these funds. In its oral findings, the court said: THE COURT: Well, because of the timing, it appeared to me that I wanted to avoid the waste of this land not being utilized. And the complaints alleged default and it appears they were in default at the time of that awarding of a contract to farm the land in 2015. It was affirmed by me after trial. It was open to bidders and the defendants had a choice to bid or not bid to farm the land; they chose to. They were able to harvest the crops and make a profit. It appears to me to be separate and not part of the action that was going on; and, as such, the $164,000 is awarded to the plaintiff. [14] This reasoning does not explain why the district court awarded the rental payments to one party over another, and makes it impossible for us to perform our appellate function. See Empower the Taxpayer v. Fong, 2013 ND 187, 7, 838 N.W.2d 452. We therefore reverse and remand for the court to explain the rationale for its decision. See, e.g., Gratech Co., Ltd. v. Wold Eng'g, P.C., 2007 ND 46, 20, 729 N.W.2d 326. The court may make any additional adjustment of the rights of the parties it considers equitable. III [15] The judgment is reversed and the case is remanded for further proceedings. [16] Dale V. Sandstrom, S.J. I concur in the result. Gerald W. VandeWalle, C.J. [17] The Honorable Jerod E. Tufte was not a member of the Court when this case was heard and did not participate in this decision. Surrogate Judge Dale V. Sandstrom, sitting. [18] I concur in the result. But I respectfully dissent from the majority's dispositive legal holding. I agree we must reverse, but for a far different reason than expressed by the majority. I agree we must remand, but also for a far different reason than held by the majority. [19] The majority correctly concludes that mortgage foreclosure statutes controlling ownership of rentals do not apply. Majority, at 9. The majority also correctly concludes that a district court does not err as a matter of law in not permitting a redemption period in every case. Majority, at 10. I respectfully submit that the majority does not correctly conclude the district court had discretion to decide which party was entitled to the rental payments for the time the purchasers were lawfully in possession of the land. See Majority, at 11. [20] The majority reverses the district court's award of the 2015 rental payment to the property seller. Id. at 11, 13. I agree that holding must be reversed. However, the majority remands for the district court to explain why it awarded the $164,202.40 rental payment to one party rather than the other. Id. at 13. I would remand for the district court to enter judgment for the purchasers because, as a matter of law, they are entitled to receive the payment for rental of the property they lawfully possessed during the 2015 growing season. [21] The outcome here is controlled by both the holding and the underlying rationale in Nearing v. Coop, 6 N.D. 345, 70 N.W. 1044 (1897). Although an old case, the rationale and its underpinnings remain sound. See Johnson v. Finkle, 2013 ND 149, 17, 837 N.W.2d 132. There, Nearing was purchasing farmland from New England Mortgage Security Company on a contract for deed executed in 1891. Id. Nearing grew crops on the land and performed his obligations under the contract in 1892, 1893 and 1894. Id. In 1895 Nearing failed to make his land payment or pay taxes, thereby defaulting under terms of the contract. Id. at 1044-45. [22] In April of 1895 New England Mortgage rented the land to Coop. Id. Nearing objected and advised Coop that he owned the land that was being financed under a contract for deed, Nearing and Coop subsequently agreed that Coop would pay Nearing to rent the land for the 1895 growing season. Id. at 1045. Coop farmed the land during the 1895 growing season but did not pay Nearing any rentals. Id. Nearing sued Coop to recover the unpaid rentals. New England Mortgage intervened as a defendant. Id. This Court held Nearing was entitled to recover the unpaid rentals from Coop because Nearing was entitled to treat the land as his own. Id. at 1046. [23] The Court first noted Nearing was in default at the time of the transaction with Coop. Id. at 1044. The Court dismissed any significance of Nearing's default on his ability to recover rentals from Coop, holding: But we regard the existence or nonexistence of default under the contract of purchase as entirely immaterial for the purposes of this action. It has been frequently held that where land is conveyed by contract specifying the time and manner of future payments therefor, which the grantee undertakes to make, the grantor agreeing that, upon the making of such payments, he will convey to the grantee by deed, the grantee at once upon the execution of the contract becomes the equitable and beneficial owner thereof, and that the grantor holds the legal title in trust for the grantee, and as his security for the performance of the covenants on the part of the grantee. Id. at 1045 (emphasis added). [24] The Court further held that, as long as the contractual relationship between the vendor and vendee existed and Nearing was in possession of the land, Nearing[ ] was entitled to treat the land as his own, to crop or rent the same as he might see proper, and, if rented, was entitled to receive or recover the rent therefor. Id. at 1046. [25] Here, the district court conducted a hearing on April 10, 2015, to address utilization of the disputed property during the 2015 crop year. On April 14, 2015, the court issued its order that the property should be rented on bids with the contract for deed purchasers having a right of first refusal to match the highest third-party bid. Purchasers did that and deposited $164,202.40 with the seller's attorney. Trial was held on May 21, 2015, and the district court made its findings of fact, conclusions of law and order for judgment on September 18, 2015. Those findings, conclusions and order were amended on January 19, 2016. Judgment was entered on January 28, 2016. [26] Under the facts of this case and the law provided in Nearing v. Coop, the purchasers were the legal owners entitled to the use, profits and rentals from the property until at least when their payments were due 90 days and 120 days after entry of the district court's judgment. As the purchasers and owners, they, and not the estate as the seller and contract for deed vendor, were entitled to rentals for the 2015 growing season. [27] Rather than comport with this law and outcome, the majority relies on a general legal encyclopedia and a North Dakota specific performance case that generally describes a court's equitable powers. Neither are controlling and both should be viewed as unpersuasive. [28] The majority cites the encyclopedia Corpus Juris Secundum for the proposition that a party suing to cancel a deed generally can recover rents and profits from the land. Majority, at 11. Unsaid is that the article relates to the cancellation or rescission of a conveyance. 12A C.J.S. Cancellation of Instruments 1-2, p. 497 (2015). Within the article, rescission and cancellation have the same meaning, which is to nullify the underlying agreement. Id. at 3. North Dakota has long recognized that rescission unwinds the transaction and requires that parties be placed back into their pre-contracting positions as if the transaction did not occur. Raymond v. Edelbrock et al., 15 N. D. 231, 107 N. W. 194, 195 (1906) (Rescission of a contract is the act of canceling it by restoring the conditions existing immediately before it was made. Rescission is effected by each party returning to the other what has been received pursuant to the contract or its equivalent.). In that circumstance, logic dictates that a seller rather than a purchaser would be entitled to rents and profits from the land at issue because the sale is being nullified. Here, the transaction is not being rescinded; rather the seller is attempting to foreclose the contract for deed. In this action the contract is being enforced; not rescinded. Therefore, the CJS citation is unhelpful. [29] The majority also cites Arhart v. Thompson, 75 N.D. 569, 579, 31 N.W.2d 56, 62 (1948), for the proposition that a court of equity has the power to adjust the rights of the parties with regard to interest, rents and profits and make complete adjudication of all matters involved in the case. Majority, at 11. However, that general statement was made in an action to specifically enforce a contract for the sale of real estate. 75 N.D. 569, 31 N.W.2d at 57. The Court ultimately held the purchaser was entitled to specifically enforce the purchase contract, and the statement was made to describe the conflicting equities when, during pendency of litigation, the seller had possession of the purchaser's tendered purchase payment and rentals generated from the property but also had expenses for taxes, insurance and upkeep of the property. Id. at 62. In that context, the Court in Arhart held, This court finds that the most equitable adjustment of this matter is to allow to the defendants rents that have been collected or have accrued on this property up to the time title is finally transferred to the plaintiff. Id. [30] The statement of a court's exercise of general equitable authority in a specific performance case has little or no sway in this contract for deed foreclosure action. And, to the extent the district court might have equitable discretion in a contract for deed foreclosure action, that discretion is regulated by judicial decisions made directly in the context of contract for deeds. One such holding is Nearing v. Coop, extensively discussed above. The Nearing holding clearly directs that a contract for deed purchaser is entitled to rents and profits, just as a full legal owner would be entitled. Applied to this case, Justin Beckstrand and James Beckstrand, through his surviving spouse Cynthia Beckstrand, are entitled to rentals from the 2015 growing season and I would remand for entry of judgment accordingly. [31] Daniel J. Crothers [32] I respectfully dissent. I would reverse and direct the district court to amend the judgments in Case No. 03-2014-CV-00090 and 03-2014-CV-00089 to provide the money paid to farm the disputed properties in 2015 and placed in Mr. Wang's trust account was remedial between the parties during the pendency of the case and, in the event of redemption under the terms of the judgment, must be returned to the payors. [33] There are two problems with the district court's decision to unconditionally allow the estate to retain the money paid by Justin and Cynthia Beckstrand to rent the land during the 2015 growing season: 1) the district court did not cancel the contract, but instead allowed a period of redemption, and 2) it is contrary to the express intent of the testator who had made provision in his will for payments under the contracts for deeds. Those provisions are the other payments ordered under the judgments. [34] In paragraph 12, the majority notes the general rule that a grantor who is entitled to the cancellation of a deed is also entitled to the fair rental value of the property, or the rents and profits of the land, for the time that the grantee was wrongfully in possession, including rents collected by the defendant while in possession and those accruing during the pendency of the suit. But this right of the grantor does not apply here, because ultimately it was determined by the court that the grantor was not entitled to cancellation; rather, the grantee was entitled to redeem the property. [35] Cancellation of a contract for deed by action is an action in equity. Moch v. Moch, 1997 ND 69, 19, 562 N.W.2d 558. I acknowledge that during the pendency of an equitable proceeding the district court has the power to adjust the rights of the parties with regard to interest, rents and profits and make complete adjudication of all matters involved in the case, as asserted in paragraph 12 of the majority opinion, citing Arhart v. Thompson, 75 N.D. 569, 579, 31 N.W.2d 56, 62 (1948). See also Bendish v. Castillo, 2012 ND 30, 9, 812 N.W.2d 398. At the time the district court entered its order requiring payment in order to farm the property for the 2015 growing season, it was asserted that the grantee was in default and no decision had been made on cancellation. That interim decision to maintain the equities pending the ultimate decision, however, does not permit the district court to make a final decision that is inconsistent with its determination on cancellation or with the testator's intent. [36] Johnson v. Finkle, 2013 ND 149, 17, 837 N.W.2d 132, contains a succinct statement of the law on contracts for deed: Under a contract for deed, the vendor retains the legal title to the property and holds it in trust for the purchaser and as security for the purchaser's compliance with the conditions of the contract. See Security State Bank of Hannaford v. Harrington, 452 N.W.2d 72, 74 (N.D. 1990); Farmers State Bank v. Slaubaugh, 366 N.W.2d 804, 807 (N.D. 1985); Zent v. Zent, 281 N.W.2d 41, 45 (N.D. 1979); Sadler v. Ballantyne, 268 N.W.2d 119, 124 (N.D. 1978); United Accounts, Inc. v. Larson, 121 N.W.2d 628, 632-33 (N.D. 1963); In re Ryan's Estate, 102 N.W.2d 9, 14 (N.D. 1960). The purchaser holds equitable title and generally has the right to the use and possession of the property. See Slaubaugh, at 807; Zent, at 45; United Accounts, at 632-33; Ryan's Estate, at 14. The equitable title merges in the legal title when the terms of the contract for deed have been completed and the warranty deed is entered. United Accounts, at 633. The full title in fee simple does not vest until the entire purchase price is paid and the terms of the contract have been met. Zent, at 45. The subsequent conveyance under the warranty deed after the terms of the contract for deed have been met does not create a new right, but rather perfects the right existing under the contract and gives effect to the parties' intent by perfecting title relating back to the date of the contract. Ryan's Estate, at 13-14. By not cancelling the contract, but allowing for redemption, the district court recognized Justin Beckstrand's right to the use and possession of the property, conditioned upon his payment of the redemption costs. Therefore, if redemption occurs, an additional payment for the right to rent the property would be inconsistent with his existing interests under the contract for deed. [37] As noted in paragraph 4 of the majority opinion, the will of John Beckstrand made a specific bequest for the contracts for deed. Paragraphs 1 through 6 of the district court's order, as recited in paragraph 6 of the majority opinion, reflected that disposition. Only paragraph 7 of the district court order, which allowed the estate to keep the rental payment regardless of redemption, was inconsistent with the remaining provisions. [38] Section 30.1-01-02 of the Uniform Probate Code notes that its underlying purpose and policy is [t]o discover and make effective the intent of a decedent in distribution of the decedent's property. Except for paragraph 7 of its order, the district court has given effect to the express intent of John Beckstrand with regard to the contracts for deed. I would reverse and direct the district court to amend its judgments to make the provisions of paragraph 7 conditional upon the failure of Justin Beckstrand to redeem to the property. [39] Carol Ronning Kapsner Lisa Fair McEvers Opinion of the Court by Sandstrom, Surrogate Judge. His Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, who is also Vice President of the State of Vatican, conveyed Pope Francis appreciation of Ghanas watchdog role when he paid a courtesy call on Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia at the Flagstaff House in Accra on Friday 3 March. According to him, both Accra and the Vatican have some common goals such as global peace. READ MORE: Nungua residents warned to stay indoors The Ga Traditional Council imposed the curfew in agreement with the police as part of the burial preparation for the late priest of the Ga State. A task force was then set up by the police and the traditional council to enforce strict adherence to the curfew directive. However, some hoodlums took advantage of the situation to harass residents. The development has angered the traditional authorities who have asked the police to deal mercilessly with anyone arrested in connection with the disrurbances. Chief of Protocol for the office of Gborblu Wul)m), Michael Abblor, said in imposing the curfew, clinics, banks, hospitals, schools, Ghana Water and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) workers were excepted. He stressed that nobody has authorised the looting of shops, saying "We set the ground rules together with the police." According to him, the council anticipated "a few recalcitrant people" would disturb the peace of the area during the curfew period. The late Numo Borketey Laweh, the Overlord of the Ga-Dangme State would be laid in state from Tuesday, February 28, to March 4. The Numo Borketey Laweh as he was affectionately called was enstooled on May 9, 1987 and passed on, on November 24, 2015. Addressing a press conference Friday in response to President Nana Akufo-Addo's first budget, the Minority Leader Mr Haruna Iddrisu called on the government to respect the labour law. He said: "President Mils in 2009 extended the tenure of every District Chief Executive because, under the constitution, the decentralised provisions of the constitution are not partisan and, therefore, you come and say go home yet you have not provided an alternative. So as we speak on Monday, we will see the interesting thing that will happen across Ghana. "The lawlessness must stop, the contract of employment must be respected, you cannot just wake up and ask a Chief Executive to hand over by 5 pm. In every contract of employment, you have three months notice that you must give a person in terminating his employment. Mr Iddrisu also presented the number of people he claims have been dismissed from the various government institutions. The list, he noted, include; But according to the minister, the president's daughter has the right to work, adding that her credentials speak volumes. Presidents children have a right to work. It is [in] the Constitution and they are Ghanaians by birth, by right and her credentials speak volumes, she said on Accra-based Joy FM. She added: The people in the industry when they heard her were mesmerized that it is not just being a daughter of a president but [she] is passionate, she is very well respected in the industry worldwide and he has the credentials to back it. I think we also need to stay away from this notion of if you are a child or a relative of a leader and you are qualified you cannot be given a position. "I need to put it and put it very firmly that this is a sector that enjoins all creative people. She is extremely qualified and I am the one to work with her and not her father." On Wednesday, the president daughter was appointed a member of the Creative Arts Council in a private ceremony that was held in a conference room at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in Accra. Mark Okraku Mantey, Music Producer and Programmes Manager of Hitz FM, was appointed to head the new Creative Arts Council as President. Ghanaian actress and a member of the New Patriotic Party, Bibi Bright was also part of the three-member council as secretary. The Vice President made the statement on Friday after a national thanksgiving prayers at the Central Mosque to mark the country's diamond jubilee. He said: At the 60 years of Ghanas independence, Allah has blessed us with a leader of vision, a leader with honesty and integrity, and a leader who is incorruptible and that is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. "The people of Ghana are finding out what some of us who are close to him know. This is a man who keeps his word. When he says he is going to do A, you know Insha Allah he would do A. That is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Dr Bawumia said.He set up his vision for this country to build a prosperous and peaceful country where every Ghanaian will be given an equal opportunity to develop themselves regardless of your tribe and religion and, yesterday, you saw a manifestation after the reading of his maiden budget that he sent to parliament. You saw a manifestation of this vision. In a direct massage to the Muslim community in Ghana, the Dr Bawumia stressed that: Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo told us during the campaign that Insha Allah, when he is president of Ghana he would bring Free Senior High School education. "There were many who said it was not possible, there were many who doubted it, but yesterday we saw a presentation of his budget and he has provided the resources in the budget for the beginning of Free Senior High School in September. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said he would restore teacher and nurse training allowances. There were many who doubted him but again yesterday in the budget he provided the resources to restore the allowances.Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo came to Abossey Okai and told the spare parts dealers that when he is president, he would abolish the import duties on spare parts. "Again, there were many people who doubted him, but yesterday he put it in the budget and he has abolished the import duty on the spare parts.Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said we cannot leave the Zongos the way they are as places inhabited by the poor and with very limited infrastructure, we have to dedicate funds for Zongo development. "So, he is going to set up a Zongo Development Fund. There were people who said he could not do it or it was just politics. Yesterday in the budget, he provided GHS219million for the Zongo Development Fund and this is just the beginning. "And not only that, he appointed for the first time in the history of Ghana a Minister for Inner city and Zongo Development. This is a man who keeps his word.He told the kayayei, You are suffering, you are being taxed GHS1 a day by many local authorities. When Im president I will make sure I abolish this tax, and yesterday he abolished the taxes on kayayei and they are free of taxes today. He kept his word.He said he would remove the VAT on financial services and he did it. Remove VAT on real estate sales and he did it. This is the type of leadership Allah has blessed us with for the 60th year. This is just the beginning. There is more to come from the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo," he concluded. tweeted Thursday morning "AG Sessions should clarify his testimony and recuse himself." Democratic senators have called repeatedly for a special prosecutor, more often called an independent or special counsel, to be appointed. But what exactly is a special prosecutor, how does he or she get appointed, and what happens next? We broke it down. A special counsel could be appointed by either Sessions himself or by Congress to investigate A "special counsel" is a modern day term for a "special prosecutor," according to Banks, and any investigation would likely use the term "special counsel." The term "special prosecutor" was used up through the 1980s, after which the laws around special prosecutors expired and were not renewed, therefore retiring the term. Democratic lawmakers, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have requested Sessions recuse himself from any investigations multiple times, renewing the call on Thursday following news about Sessions' meeting with the Russian ambassador. (After the latest revelations, Schumer said he should resign.) Sessions has previously said that he would recuse himself on anything requiring him to do so, but he has asserted that he sees no need to remove himself from any Trump-Russia investigations. The appointment of a special counsel by the attorney general or deputy attorney general is "unreviewable," according to the Center for Legal and Economic Studies. in the Senate and House intelligence committees, but Banks said he believes it is unlikely a special counsel would be created until those investigations conclude. The other way to establish an independent counsel goes through Congress. Congress could initiate the process to create a different independent counsel for investigations by passing a law, as it did in 1978, when the Ethics in Government Act was passed. The law dictated that a three-judge panel Special counsels tend to be highly respected lawyers or judges. Examples, according to Banks, include: highly experienced private practice lawyers, retired judges, and former Justice Department prosecutors. A special counsel investigation would likely take between six to nine months, according to Banks, who said that such investigations tend to be extremely complicated by nature. With so much classified information, intelligence agency officials that need to be interviewed, and hard to obtain information, it takes a while to sort out. A special counsel investigation would involve arranging access to classified documents. This could be achieved by either declassifying information or creating clearance to classified documents for the purpose of the investigation only. If the latter is done, it is unlikely the public would see the documents obtained. A special counsel would also be expected to interview a vast range of people with knowledge of or connection to the investigation. In the case of the Trump-Russia allegations, a special counsel would look into This would include human or digital intelligence, and the dossier delivered by British intelligence. Extensive interviews would be run with anyone close to the situation, including Trump's inner circle, and anyone who had access to digital or technical related information, said Banks. The special counsel themselves would ultimately determine which evidence to use. What happens next depends in part on who appoints a special counsel. Attorney General Jeff Sessions would decide whether the special counsel appointed under him had enough evidence to prosecute Trump or implicated officials. If Congress created an office for an independent or special counsel, it is likely that the counsel would refer results of the investigation to Congress, though that could change depending on the legislation passed. If Congress initiated an investigation through a commission or committee, it would fall to the attorney general to decide whether to prosecute based on the results provided. Trump and his inner circle have been accused of having close ties to Russia. The White House has denied many of those accusations. Business Insider has previously reported that: Trump and several associates continue to draw intense scrutiny for alleged ties to and communications with the Russian government. A dossier of unverified claims alleged serious misconduct in the final months of the 2016 presidential campaign. The White House has dismissed the dossier as fiction, and most of the claims remain unverified. Trump's campaign aides were accused of having frequent contact with Russia in a report released by the New York Times. A report published on Wednesday by the Washington Post said that Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with the Russian Ambassador twice during the 2016 election. White House press secretary Sean Spicer has argued that Trump and his aides have been sufficiently investigated already, and that no evidence of wrongdoing has been found. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had two conversations with Russia's ambassador to the US during the 2016 campaign, but said he "did not have communications with the Russians" during his confirmation hearing for attorney general, The Washington Post reported Wednesday night. Sessions, then an Alabama senator, reportedly spoke with Russia's US ambassador Sergey Kislyak in July and September, when he was also a Trump campaign surrogate. On Thursday afternoon, Sessions announced he was recusing himself from any Department of Justice investigations into the Trump campaign's connections with Russia. It's fairly common for ambassadors to the US to meet with senators, according to David Engerman, a historian at Brandeis University who specializes in American diplomatic relations and the Cold War. Ambassadors do so because it is crucial that they understand the American political landscape, and know what politicians' plans could affect their countries. Engerman did say, however, that Sessions' connection to Trump would be a major reason for Kislyak's motivations for the meeting. "The principal job of the Russian ambassador in Washington is to advance Russian interests," Engerman told Business Insider. "Some senators are more active than others do I think the Russians were interested in talking to him because they knew of his connections to the Trump campaign? Certainly. That's what a good ambassador should know." Engerman said connections between ambassadors and lawmakers happen other way too. American ambassadors frequently meet with lawmakers in other countries in order to advance US priorities. Throughout history, he said, ambassadors and lawmakers have frequently met to discuss serious issues, but also to exchange diplomatic gossip or build relationships between the two countries. "That doesn't mean Sessions should have engaged in that conversation, on legal grounds, political grounds, or ethical grounds," he said. "What matters about this case is what he said and when he said it. ... Any such conversations like this could go in a direction which is ranging from unfortunate to illegal." Michael McFaul, who was President Barack Obama's US ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, has also said that it is likely Kislyak targeted Sessions because of his relationship with Trump. "Let's not be naive folks. Kislyak obviously was meeting Sessions because of his role in Trump world. That's his job," McFaul wrote on Twitter Thursday morning. "When Putin's foreign policy advisor Ushakov met with me in October 2008, you think he wanted to talk about political science at Stanford?" Attorney General Jeff Sessions has come under fire for what critics say was misleading the Senate about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the US while he was a prominent surrogate for President Donald Trump's campaign. Sessions recused himself Thursday from any investigations pertaining top Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have called for Sessions to step down from his post at the Justice Department. Pelosi has charged that Sessions perjured himself in front of Congress. But experts say that while Sessions' may have misled the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearings, his comments likely don't amount to perjury "A While Franken contended Thursday that Sessions' comments were "extremely misleading," he stopped short of invoking "perjury." It's much more difficult to prove that Sessions, a trained attorney, actually lied with intent. In order to obtain a perjury conviction, the prosecution must make explicitly clear what each specific term in Franken's question means, including what was meant by "affiliated," Stan Brand, senior counsel at Akin Gump and an expert on congressional investigations, told Business Insider. " Sessions met with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, in his Senate office on September 8, at the height of the presidential campaign, and at a Heritage Foundation event in July during the Republican National Convention. Sessions, for his part, said at a press conference Thursday that his response to Franken's question was accurate. There are grounds for perjury only if it can be proven that Sessions made a false statement, said Levenson, the former federal prosecutor and Loyola Law School professor. All of this was part of an effort to learn about controversial 1,000-year-old ruins that appeared to be the remains of an ancient, legendary "lost city" that had been buried in the rain forest for 500 years. While there, Preston and the team uncovered more about the site, including a literal treasure trove of sacred objects that appeared to have been hurriedly gathered and hidden by the area's residents before they hastily vanished. "It was absolutely incredible the things we found," Preston told Business Insider. "We found an untouched city." A flesh-eating parasite But in the weeks after they returned from the jungle, Preston and several other members of his team began to develop some worrying symptoms. Some had trouble breathing; others developed skin sores; still others noticed it was harder than usual to swallow. "We were very popular with the doctors," Preston said. "If you're gonna get a disease and you're a journalist, this is one of the best ones to get. It's so interesting." One person's "interesting" may be another person's "terrifying" if left untreated, leishmaniasis can have horrific consequences, and it has no cure. "Its a flesh-eating parasite," explained Preston. "And if it gets to your face, it eats away at the skin and it gets your nose and your lips first, and they fall off. Then it starts to eat away at the rest of your skin until you have an open sore where your face used to be. Eventually it eats away at the bones of your face, and there's essentially a hole there, and you die." Fortunately, there are treatments for the disease if you can afford them. These typically involve 6-8 hours of intravenous infusions daily, with highly toxic drugs designed to poison the parasite. The treatment typically takes about three weeks, but some people continue to need treatment depending on the progression of the disease. Initially, Preston and his team were all treated at the NIH lab, which Preston said he was "very impressed" by. Preston was fortunate he doesn't feel like the illness hasn't affected him too severely. But some of his colleagues have continued to need treatment. In those cases, the drugs simply weren't enough to tackle the parasite. And in the process of trying to kill it, the regimen essentially poisoned its human hosts as well. One person from Preston's trip now has severely damaged liver. "One of our members is very ill," said Preston. "He will never be the same because of the treatment." Though Preston responded better, he still regularly visits doctors to check in and keep an eye on any changes. "It's a wait and see thing," he said. Where leishmaniasis is found and where it may spread Leishmaniasis (of which there are several different forms) isn't seen too often in the United States for now. It does exist in parts of 90 countries, most of which are in Central and South America, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southern Europe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In those areas, an estimated 900,000 to 1.3 million new cases of leishmaniasis occur each year, according to the World Health Organization. The disease kills 20,000 to 30,000 people annually. Studies suggest leishmaniasis is likely to spread. It's a "climate-sensitive" disease, meaning it's highly subject to changes brought about by human-induced global warming. To help predict how climate change might affect the occurrence of diseases across the globe, researchers frequently create ecological models that combine what we know about trends in the climate with statistical analyses to create a picture of where different parasites or bacteria might flourish in a warmer world. Right now, leishmaniasis is confined to a pretty limited range of areas in the US, which is one of the reasons it's so rare. But in the next few decades, as regional climates shift, the disease could flourish beyond its present confines. One study published recently in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases predicts exactly that. "Even in the most optimistic scenario we found that twice as many individuals could be exposed to leishmaniasis in North America in 2080 compared to today," the researchers write. Another ecological modeling study examined where sandflies (the insects that spread the leishmaniasis parasite) will live in a warmer world, and produced similarly worrying findings that suggest the insects' habitats will spread, increasing human exposure to the disease. In other words, while the horrific disease Preston and his team caught is not a major health concern at present, it may become a much bigger deal in the coming decades. Supreme Court of North Dakota. Willard Burk, Plaintiff and Appellant v. State of North Dakota, by and through its Board of University and School Lands and Ryan Rauschenberger, Tax Commissioner of the State of North Dakota, Defendants and Appellees No. 20160108 Decided: February 16, 2017 Joel M. Fremstad, P.O. Box 3143, Fargo, N.D. 58108-3143, for plaintiff and appellant. Hope L. Hogan, Office of the Attorney General, 500 North Ninth Street, Bismarck, N.D. 58501-4509, for defendant and appellee Board of University and School Lands. Charles L. Dendy (appeared), Special Assistant Attorney General, 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, N.D. 58505, for defendant and appellee Tax Commissioner of the State of North Dakota. McEvers, Justice. [1] Willard Burk appeals from a judgment declaring his claim that the State, through the Board of University and School Lands, and the Tax Commissioner (collectively State), have wrongfully withheld gross production and extraction taxes from his share of oil and gas royalties was frivolous, entitling them to an award of attorney fees. We affirm the district court's decision that, as a matter of law, the State's settlement agreement with Burk did not exempt him from paying gross production and extraction taxes on his royalty interest, but we reverse the award of attorney fees because Burk's claim against the State is not frivolous. I [2] In 1991 Burk purchased a tract of Williams County land from the Bank of North Dakota, which acted as an agent for the State Treasurer. The quit claim deed reserved 50 percent of the mineral interest in the Bank. In 2004 the Board of University and School Lands entered into an oil and gas lease with Powers Energy Corporation for 100 percent of the mineral interest in the property. In 2007 Burk entered into an oil and gas lease with Cody Oil & Gas Corporation. Zavanna, LLC, subsequently drilled a well on the property. [3] A 2008 title opinion informed Zavanna the State owned 100 percent of the minerals because the Bank, acting on behalf of the State Treasurer, was not authorized to convey minerals, and therefore, Burk's lease with Cody was ineffective. See N.D.C.C. 15-08.1-03 (All mineral interests that may be acquired by the Bank of North Dakota must be transferred, assigned, conveyed, and granted to the state of North Dakota, acting by and through the board of university and school lands.) Settlement negotiations ensued between Burk and the State which resulted in a 2011 settlement agreement. The Board, which had the authority to convey the State's mineral interests, agreed to convey the property to Burk through a quit claim deed reserving 50 percent of the mineral interest. Under the agreement, Burk also ratified the Board's lease to Powers. [4] In 2012 Burk sued Zavanna in federal court claiming it was unlawfully withholding gross production and extraction taxes from his royalties. Burk asserted that under the settlement agreement with the State he was entitled to tax-exempt royalties. The federal court granted Zavanna's request under Fed. R. Civ. P. 11 to strike this allegation from the complaint because state regulations leave no room for Burk to argue that he assumed the benefit of the State's tax exemption when he acquired his royalty interest from the State and an interest under the State's existing lease via the Settlement Agreement. The federal court refused to award attorney fees as a sanction, however, because Burk and his attorney acted in good faith. [5] Through a different attorney, Burk brought this state court declaratory judgment action against the State in April 2015, claiming his royalties should not be subject to taxation based on the parties' settlement agreement. The district court granted the State's motion for summary judgment dismissing the action, concluding [t]heir agreement has to do with mineral interests and nothing to do with the tax saying that Mr. Burk wouldn't have to pay the gross production tax. The court also found the claim was frivolous and awarded the State $5,682.18 in attorney fees because it's pretty much the same thing as the federal court action. II [6] Burk argues the district court erred in granting summary judgment dismissing his action against the State. [7] Our standard of review for summary judgments under N.D.R.Civ.P. 56 is well-established: Summary judgment is a procedural device for the prompt resolution of a controversy on the merits without a trial if there are no genuine issues of material fact or inferences that can reasonably be drawn from undisputed facts, or if the only issues to be resolved are questions of law. A party moving for summary judgment has the burden of showing there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Whether the district court properly granted summary judgment is a question of law which we review de novo on the entire record. Tank v. Citation Oil & Gas Corp., 2014 ND 123, 8, 848 N.W.2d 691 (quoting Estate of Christeson v. Gilstad, 2013 ND 50, 6, 829 N.W.2d 453). A [8] There is no dispute in this case that Burk ordinarily would be subject to payment of taxes on the oil produced and extracted from the property covered by his oil and gas lease. See N.D.C.C. 57-51-02 (gross production tax) and 57-51.1-02 (oil extraction tax). The property of the state, however, is exempt from taxation. See N.D. Const. art. X, 5. Therefore, royalty interests owned by the state are exempt from both the gross production tax and the oil extraction tax. See N.D. Admin. Code 81-09-02-15(1)(b) and 81-09-03-01. Burk argues he obtained the state's tax exempt status through the 2011 settlement agreement. [9] A settlement agreement is a contract and the parties' rights and responsibilities are limited by the terms of the agreement. See Kuperus v. Willson, 2006 ND 12, 11, 709 N.W.2d 726. The interpretation of a written contract generally is a question of law for the court, making summary judgment an appropriate method of disposition in contract disputes. See Myaer v. Nodak Mut. Ins. Co., 2012 ND 21, 10, 812 N.W.2d 345. We have outlined the rules for interpretation of written contracts: Contracts are construed to give effect to the mutual intention of the parties at the time of contracting. The parties' intention must be ascertained from the writing alone if possible. A contract must be construed as a whole to give effect to each provision, if reasonably practicable. We construe contracts to be definite and capable of being carried into effect, unless doing so violates the intention of the parties. Unless used by the parties in a technical sense, words in a contract are construed in their ordinary and popular sense, rather than according to their strict legal meaning. If a written contract is unambiguous, extrinsic evidence is not admissible to contradict the written language. However, if a written contract is ambiguous, extrinsic evidence may be considered to show the parties' intent. Whether or not a contract is ambiguous is a question of law. An ambiguity exists when rational arguments can be made in support of contrary positions as to the meaning of the language in question. Kuperus, at 11 (quoting Lire, Inc. v. Bob's Pizza Inn Rests., Inc., 541 N.W.2d 432, 433-34 (N.D. 1995)). When the language of a contract is plain and unambiguous and the parties' intentions can be ascertained from the writing alone, extrinsic evidence is inadmissible to alter, vary, explain, or change the document. See Nichols v. Goughnour, 2012 ND 178, 12, 820 N.W.2d 740. [10] The parties' six-page settlement agreement does not mention taxes of any kind, but provides in pertinent part: WHEREAS, the Parties intend for Willard Burk to receive the royalty payments attributable to 50% of the oil and gas from the Property as determined under the State's Lease and all of the Disputed Royalty Payments currently held in suspense by Zavanna and attributable to the Title Issues, after deductions for amounts due third parties, in exchange for the Burks releasing the State and the Board of University & School Lands from any liability incurred in relation to this matter. NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual promises, covenants and obligations contained herein, the Parties further agree as follows: 1.1 Deed. At Closing, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Board of University and School Lands, shall execute and deliver to Willard Burk the Quitclaim Deed attached as Ex. A (the 2011 Quitclaim Deed). The 2011 Quitclaim Deed states that the Board of University & School Lands conveys the Property to Willard Burk but reserves and excepts to the State 50% of the minerals underlying the Property. This deed is intended to help resolve the Title Issues. Upon issuing the 2011 Quitclaim Deed to Willard Burk, the State of North Dakota owns 50% of the minerals underlying the Property and Willard Burk owns the other 50% of the minerals. The deed is to ensure or confirm that Willard Burk is in the position regarding mineral ownership that he thought he was in under the 1991 Quitclaim Deed, that is, owning 50% of the minerals. The 2011 Quitclaim Deed does not expand Willard Burk's mineral ownership in the Property beyond 50%. Celia Burk is not named as a Grantee in the 2011 Quitclaim Deed because in 2009 she conveyed to Willard Burk her entire interest in the Property and she does not assert and no longer has any interest in the Property. 1.2 The Parties' Leases. The State did not convey mineral title to the Burks by the 1991 Quitclaim Deed. The State owned 100% of the minerals underlying the Property prior to execution of this Agreement and the 2011 Quitclaim Deed. Accordingly, the State's Lease is valid, and the Burks' Lease is not valid. The 2011 Quitclaim Deed is subject to the State's Lease. The interest acquired by Willard Burk under the 2011 Quitclaim Deed is subject to the Burks' Lease; but the Burks' Lease is not the controlling lease for the purpose of determining amounts due Burk as long as the State's Lease is in effect. Burk hereby ratifies the State's Lease as to the 50% of the minerals from the Property to the same effect as if he had originally entered into said Lease. A purpose of this Agreement is for Willard Burk to assume the Board of University and School Land's place for a 50% interest in the State's Lease, but not otherwise disturb the current interest holders (such as working interest and overriding interest owners) under that lease. The 2011 Quitclaim Deed and this Agreement will not otherwise affect the way Zavanna has previously paid the State, the working interest holders, the overriding interest holders, or any other holders of interest in the Well. 2.2 Conditions. The obligations of the Parties under this Agreement are subject to fulfilling (or waiver by the appropriate party) on or prior to the Closing Date the following conditions: (b) Consents. The Parties shall have obtained, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Parties, Zavanna's consent to recognize the 2011 Quitclaim Deed and Zavanna's agreement to release the Disputed Royalty Payments to the parties due them after giving full affect to the State's Lease upon execution of this Agreement. 4.2 Assignment. The Board of University & School Lands assigns and transfers to the Willard Burk (in his individual capacity) 50% of the State's past and future right, title, privilege, and interest to royalties due to the State under the State's Lease. This is intended to have the effect of Zavanna releasing the Disputed Royalty Payments to Willard Burk (in his individual capacity) and any other third parties due any portion of the suspended payments and to assign 50% of all future royalty payments that would have been due to the State under the State's Lease to Willard Burk (in his individual capacity). 5.9 Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the Parties with regard to the subject matter hereof, and contains all the covenants, promises, representations, warranties, and agreements between the Parties. Without limiting the scope of the preceding sentence, all understandings and agreements preceding the date of execution of this Agreement and relating to the subject matter hereof are hereby null and void and of no further force and effect, and this Agreement shall supersede all other agreements, written or oral. Burk also submitted an affidavit in which he explained: In or about June 2011, my attorney provided me the original draft of the settlement agreement that had been prepared by AAG Carvell. At the time this draft was provided, my attorney noted that the State was exempt from production taxes. As such, I understood from this early draft that if I agreed to the settlement, my portion would not be subject to such taxes, because it was not my lease being recognized, but rather for payment purposes the State was to be considered the 100% owner, which then meant I would get half of the State's payment, without any reduction for taxes, because the State's proceeds were exempt. This remained my understanding as additional drafts were circulated and remains my understanding today. The State's actions in regard to me have been difficult mentally, physically, and financially. All told, I estimate I have incurred in excess of $75,000.00 in attorney fees and other damages, not even including the lost royalties due to taxes, and this amount is continuing to increase. In addition, have spent hundreds of hours gathering information, attending meetings, trying to work with the State, and researching. I entered into a Settlement Agreement with the State despite all of this, with the understanding that I would get 50% of its revenues from production and that this would not be subject to a deduction for taxes. It may be that the State did not anticipate this, but I did and I ask that this Court uphold the settlement that has been reached. [11] Burk relies on discussions during settlement negotiations where taxes were not specifically mentioned, but indicated he would receive 50 percent of what the State is entitled to. Burk also relies on the plain language of the settlement agreement, which stated in part Burk would receive royalty payments attributable to 50% of the oil and gas from the Property as determined under the State's Lease (prefatory Whereas statement); the State assigns royalties due to the State under the State's Lease and 50% of all future royalty payments that would have been due to the State under the State's Lease to Willard Burk (Section 4.2); the parties consent to release disputed royalty payments after giving full affect to the State's Lease (Section 2.2(b)); and [a] purpose of this Agreement is for Willard Burk to assume the [Board's] place for a 50% interest in the State's Lease (Section 1.2). Because royalty payments to the State are exempt from the production and extraction taxes, Burk argues the settlement agreement requires that no taxes be withheld from his royalty payments either. [12] We conclude the plain language of the settlement agreement does not provide Burk a tax-free royalty interest. First, and foremost, the State's alleged waiver of taxes is not clearly spelled out in the written agreement. There is no mention of gross production taxes or extraction taxes in the parties' six-page settlement agreement and the settlement agreement has an Entire Agreement clause stating the agreement supersedes all prior written or oral agreements. If tax exemptions were intended to be an important part of the settlement agreement, it defies logic to suggest that taxes would not have been specifically mentioned. Implying a waiver of taxes from language stating Burk assume[s] the [Board's] place would lead to ludicrous results. The agreement cannot be interpreted to provide Burk with all of the unique characteristics associated with the State. [13] Second, we must construe the agreement as a whole to give effect to each provision. See Myaer, 2012 ND 21, 10, 812 N.W.2d 345. Section 1.1 of the settlement agreement states the deed is to ensure or confirm that Willard Burk is in the position regarding mineral ownership that he thought he was in under the 1991 Quitclaim Deed, and section 1.2 states Burk hereby ratifies the State's Lease as to the 50% of the minerals from the Property to the same effect as if he had originally entered into said Lease. Read together, these provisions establish that the parties intended to place Burk in the same position he enjoyed under the 1991 quitclaim deed, when he clearly would have been subject to paying gross production and extraction taxes. [14] Third, Burk all but concedes a tax exemption was not agreed upon by the parties when Burk explained in his affidavit, [i]t may be that the State did not anticipate [his royalties would not be subject to a tax deduction], but I did and I ask that this Court uphold the settlement that has been reached. This is a textbook example of the secret intention concept in contract law: As this court said long ago at paragraph 8 of the Syllabus by the court in Harney v. Wirtz, 30 N.D. 292, 152 N.W. 803 (1915): The secret intention of the parties, if different from the expressed intention, will not prevail, as the law looks to what the parties said as expressing their real intention. See also, Jurgens v. Heisler, 380 N.W.2d 329, 331 (N.D. 1986): [T]he intention recognized by the court is to be ascertained from the acts of the owner, and not from the purpose hidden in his mind [quoting Ramstad v. Carr, 31 N.D. 504, 154 N.W. 195, 199 (1915)]. Westhoff v. Klem, 436 N.W.2d 243, 245 (N.D. 1989). [15] We agree with the district court that the settlement agreement can only reasonably be interpreted as addressing the 50 percent reservation of the mineral interest, not tax exemptions. We conclude the terms of the agreement are unambiguous and do not provide Burk the tax exemption he seeks. B [16] Burk also argues there are questions of fact regarding his estoppel claim against the State because he understood he was not going to have his share reduced by taxes. [17] In the rare circumstances in which government estoppel applies, there must be good faith reliance upon the conduct or statements of the party to be estopped. See, e.g., Blocker Drilling Canada, Ltd. v. Conrad, 354 N.W.2d 912, 920 (N.D. 1984). In his affidavit Burk points to no conduct or statement by a state official or employee that led him to believe his royalty payments would not be subject to taxes. Rather, according to the affidavit, it was Burk's lawyer who suggested to him that his royalties were tax exempt. [18] We conclude Burk failed to raise a genuine issue of material fact to support his claim of government estoppel. C [19] Burk argues the court erred in denying his request under N.D.R.Civ.P. 56(f) for more time to conduct discovery before ruling on the summary judgment motion. [20] A district court's denial of a request for additional time for discovery under N.D.R.Civ.P. 56(f) will not be overturned on appeal absent an abuse of discretion. See Hopfauf v. Hieb, 2006 ND 72, 8, 712 N.W.2d 333. A court abuses its discretion if it acts in an arbitrary, unreasonable, or unconscionable manner, or if it misinterprets or misapplies the law. See Choice Fin. Grp. v. Schellpfeffer, 2006 ND 87, 9, 712 N.W.2d 855. [21] Burk claims further discovery is warranted into whether anyone involved with the Settlement Agreement ever considered N.D.C.C. ch. 57-51 [oil and gas taxes] while the Settlement Agreement was negotiated. Not only has Burk failed to explain why this information was not previously obtained, see Schellpfeffer, 2006 ND 87, 12, 712 N.W.2d 855, but any evidence obtained would not be admissible to alter the plain and unambiguous language of the document. See Goughnour, 2012 ND 178, 12, 820 N.W.2d 740. Consequently, this information would not preclude summary judgment. We conclude the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion. III [22] Burk argues the district court erred in finding his action is frivolous and awarding the State attorney fees. [23] Under N.D.C.C. 28-26-01(2), a claim is frivolous supporting an award of costs and attorney fees if there is such a complete absence of actual facts or law that a reasonable person could not have thought a court would render judgment in that person's favor. An award of attorney fees under N.D.C.C. 28-26-01(2) is within the discretion of the district court and will only be disturbed on appeal for an abuse of that discretion. See Strand v. Cass County, 2008 ND 149, 11, 753 N.W.2d 872. The court here found the claim was frivolous because the federal court found it frivolous and it's pretty much the same thing. [24] The federal and state cases were not the same thing. Burk sued Zavanna, which was the producer, in federal court and that court relied on state regulations to conclude the claim was frivolous. Burk's different attorney here in the state court action relies on the construction of the settlement agreement and the negotiations leading up to it. See Soentgen v. Quain & Ramstad Clinic, P.C., 467 N.W.2d 73, 85-86 (N.D. 1991) (court abused its discretion in concluding breach of contract claim was frivolous). While we conclude the claim is not meritorious, affirmance of a summary judgment on appeal does not mean that a claim is frivolous. See, e.g., Peterson v. Zerr, 477 N.W.2d 230, 236 (N.D. 1991). Given the court's exclusive reliance on the federal court's finding of frivolousness and the State's actions which caused this controversy, we conclude the court abused its discretion and reverse the award of costs and attorney fees. We also deny the State's request for costs and attorney fees for the appeal under N.D.R.App.P. 38. IV [25] In view of our disposition of this case, it is unnecessary to address other issues raised. We affirm the district court's summary judgment dismissing Burk's claim, but we reverse the court's award of attorney fees to the State. [26] Lisa Fair McEvers Daniel J. Crothers Dale V. Sandstrom, S.J. Carol Ronning Kapsner Gerald W. VandeWalle, C.J. [27] The Honorable Jerod E. Tufte was not a member of the Court when this case was heard and did not participate in this decision. Surrogate Judge Dale V. Sandstrom, sitting. Opinion of the Court by McEvers, Justice. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Guaranty Trust Bank is building a reputation for innovation and engagement, traits that have helped them become a favorite among young people in Nigeria, and around Africa. Agbaje began his presentation by outlining the GTBank story, from its beginnings as a wholesale bank through transitions into what it has become now noting that, in recent times, banks have had to be innovative and proactive to keep up with technology and advancements including social media. In the past, banks were linear companies with their businesses restricted to providing simple financial solutions. However, with the advent of mobile money and wallets, companies outside of the traditional financial circle have begun to deal with money in a way similar to banks. According to Agbaje, fintech companies and even brands like Starbucks and Uber are now in the same competitive space as banks adding that to keep up with the times, GTBank has evolved a number of initiatives to provide far-reaching solutions to its customers beyond the regular services. Those initiatives include SME MarketHub, Ndani TV and Art365, among others. The future of banking is beyond brick-and-mortar financial institutions, to a time where banks are full service institutions that cater to needs of their customers. Agbaje says he often needs to remind himself of this fact, as Guaranty Trust Bank develops to stay ahead of the times. The session ended with questions from the audience on issues such as the limit placed on transactions in forex and the state of customer service at GTB branches. According to the Sahara Reporters, the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the PDP's faction have applied for the registration of a new party called Advanced Peoples Democratic Party (APDP). Reportedly, these PDP members were prompted to make this move after the Makarfi-led caretaker committee was sacked by the Port Harcourt High Court and replaced with Sen. Ali Modu Sheriffs faction of the party. A statement from a PDP chieftain in Abuja has confirmed that some members of the Makarfi faction of the PDP are unhappy with the replacement and are definitely trying to convince others of the need to form a new political party. The PDP chieftain said, Right from the beginning, Sheriff was a big mistake; he did eight years as governor on a party platform opposed to PDP and he has never been known for the kind of brotherly compromise that our people are expecting." An anonymous top official of the PDP, who spoke with Daily Trust, has confirmed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received this application and added that the commission is not opposed to the idea. The source said: "We are making alternative efforts to register a new political party ahead of the 2019 elections. Initially, INEC was trying to dismiss it on the ground that the new name had PDP in it but we pointed out to them that our party is different in that it has Advanced added to the PDP, which is not the same as PDP. We have started the process; at least the application is with them. That is the first phase, and they have not contacted us for the second phase, which is the payment of the requisite N1 million and fill their form." In spite of this confirmation, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, has denied any knowledge of the application to register the new party. However, this has not stopped the Ali Modu Sheriff faction of PDP from speaking out against this new party. The Nation reports that the Deputy National Chairman to Sheriff, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, has referred to this as an Advanced Free Fraud. In a telephone conversation, he said:The PDP is a lawful franchise and we wont associate with fraud. He also urged PDP members and the public not to have anything to do with the so called Advanced PDP. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Conde wished Buhari "good health and speedy recovery," the President's spokesman, Femi Adesina disclosed this in a statement. The AU chairman, according to Adesina, said the call was on behalf of African leaders, who are praying for the Nigerian president. The statement said: "President Conde, who said he was calling on behalf of leaders of member countries of the AU, assured the Nigerian President that all African leaders stand with him in prayers at a time like this. "President Buhari, while thanking President Conde for the telephone call, used the opportunity to congratulate him on his recent election as AU Chairperson during the 28th Ordinary Summit of the continental body in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2017. "The Nigerian President, who could not attend the AU Summit, wished his Guinean counterpart a successful tenure. "President Buhari also expressed confidence that Africa will witness improved political stability, security and economic growth during Condes tenure." On Wednesday, March 1, Buhari also had a similar telephone conversation with King Mohammed VI of Morocco. Dogara urged the custodians of the institutions to evolve in order to conform to changing times else extinction is inevitable. The Speaker stated this at the coronation ceremony of the new Tor Tiv, His Majesty, the Begha U Tiv, Orchivirigh Professor Ortese Iorzua James Ayatse, in Gboko, Benue State. "The traditional institution in Nigeria must reinvent itself in order to meet the aspiration of our teeming populace; if it doesnt, it will suffer the fate of so many institutions that were once prestigious but are no longer there," he stated. Dogara stressed that leaders are cultural architects because they create or mould the environment in which individuals thrive and flourish and that same will be a destiny of the Tiv Nation under the new monarch. "We believe that the entire traditional system requires your kind of leadership, people who have seen it all, who have been through it all, in order to provide that reinvention that will make it modern and transform it into an instrument that meets the yearning of our people. "Your Royal Majesty, I went through every line of your speech and Ive seen the picture that you painted, and for me, it reminds me of what Martin Luther King Jr, Dr. King Jr. used to say, that it is midnight. "You talked about despondency, you talked about moral decadence, you talked about falling standard of education, you talked about challenges relating to our citizens living in peace and going about their normal businesses. These are indeed challenges that bother all of us as leaders and Im happy that youre bothered by those and I appreciate the commitment that you have espoused that your reign will be devoted to tackling these challenges, and to me, truly, you speak like the leader that you are," Dogara added. The Speaker expressed optimism that the new Tor Tiv will succeed in his reign. He said "having gone through your biography, I have no doubt that you have received the training necessary for you to occupy this office and to really face these challenges and conquer them." "You will not be remembered for the success of this event; most of us will not remember this fanfare for long, but what we remember will be the battles you will fight against all those evils that you have enumerated, it will be the successes you will be recording that we will celebrate. The group urged NASS delegation to South Africa to look into Okah's situation. He is said to be in solitary confinement. In a statement released by Jomo Gbomo on Saturday, March 4, MEND said Okah's condition is gory and unsavory. The NASS delegation to the country is primarily expected to weigh into xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in the country. ALSO READ: Presidency hails South Africa for Henry Okah's conviction The statement said: "We welcome the decision of both houses of parliament to send delegations to visit South Africa to assess the situation on the ground. "While we commiserate with the thousands of Nigerians who may have suffered one form of attack or the other; we are constrained to draw the attention of the National Assembly delegation to other variants of xenophobic attacks which are not in the public domain. "There are hundreds of Nigerians in South Africa who are serving various prison sentences or awaiting trial. From reports available to us, many of these unfortunate Nigerians are subjected to xenophobic attacks as they were regularly singled out for harassment, on account of their nationality or arbitrarily isolated in solitary confinement, by the South African prison officials. "Henry Emomotimi Okah is a Nigerian who is currently serving term at Korkstad Prison in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province of South Africa. The accounts of few persons who have been privileged to visit him in prison are gory and unsavoury. "He is permanently locked up in solitary confinement; a Korkstad Prison policy which is based purely on xenophobia and jungle justice. The grim reality is that Henry Okah and many of his fellow compatriots in South African prisons are dying in prison. So, we consider this newsworthy. Don't even hate. Well, former Nigeria President, Olusegun Obasanjo, had a raw deal at the hands of some stern looking chaps he hired to keep out the bad guys at his birthday party. Obasanjo is celebrating 80 years of age the entire weekend and Pulse has been at the sprawling Obasanjo presidential library in Abeokuta , the Ogun State capital, where a sequence of events to celebrate the 'Ebora of Owu', have been holding. Saturday's event was massively attended and the bouncers were having a hard time on their hands as guests poured in. Immediate past Nigeria President, Goodluck Jonathan, waltzed past Pulse and whispered a 'hello' our way after we had yelled our pleasantries. He was spotting his trademark bowler hat and Niger Delta attire. And then President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, walked in. And then the embattled Chairman of the PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff, had a moment with Pulse and walked in. Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia, Emeka Anyaoku, Christopher Kolade, Ernest Shonekan, Ben Murray-Bruce, Godswill Akpabio, Femi Otedola, Bola Tinubu, Akinwunmi Ambode, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sule Lamido, you just name them.... Presidents of several African countries and serving Nigerian Governors and Ministers were making a beeline for the adjoining entrance and the bouncers were having a hard time identifying who was who and keeping unwanted guests out. Word probably got to Obasanjo that some of his 'invited' guests were being turned back at the gate. Or being subjected to all kinds of interrogation. In one flash, we saw 'Baba' demanding answers from the bouncers. Once a soldier.... Before you could say '80', Obasanjo and some of the bouncers were roughening themselves up. Obasanjo was forcing himself in or trying to force himself in. But the bouncers were having none of it. What ensued was a mini scuffle and melee. Pulse was caught in the middle of it all. We were ducking blows at this point. It was difficult to know where the punches were emanating from. Obasanjo says he doesn't know his real age, but at 80, we have to say that he still packs a punch and a half. After the melee, Pulse spotted Dayo Adeneye (aka D-one) who is now a commissioner in Ogun State. We wanted help with getting the official media tags since everyone was making such a fuss about them. "You just saw baba being roughened up. Sorry, I can't help you. The tags are exhausted". "Sir", Pulse pleaded, "We can't come all the way from Lagos and not cover this event.... Our bosses will have us for dinner... " "Look, I am only trying to help...wait till after the event". "No... We are..." Pulse was on bended knees at this point. At Pulse, we really don't take No for an answer. We were born that way. This time however, D-one walked out on us in a huff, muttering something about not being able to help. We went for another Obasanjo aide who is a friend of this writer. "Even baba was bounced... What do you want me to do? " The event itself, after we did manage to get in? Fantastic! Pulse was perched on the 1st floor and had a bird's eye view of all that transpired. The roll call of attendees was a star cast of leaders across Africa. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo was in the building. We smiled at Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun who was regally dressed. Let's just say she didn't return the smile. We are in a recession, after all. Smiles are expensive these days. We'll fill you in on other details of the birthday bash subsequently. This was just a story of how celebrants get bounced at their own events.... United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. PATRICK SANTERAMO, Defendant-Appellant. No. 16-12151 Decided: February 28, 2017 Before MARTIN, JILL PRYOR and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges. Patrick Santeramo appeals his 18-month sentence, imposed after he pled guilty to mail fraud. Santeramo asserts that the government breached his plea agreement by failing to affirmatively and timely recommend that his federal sentence should run concurrently with his related state sentence. After careful review, we affirm. I. After a federal grand jury indicted Santeramo on two counts of mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1341, he agreed to plead guilty to one of those counts pursuant to a plea agreement. In exchange for Santeramo's guilty plea, the government agreed to dismiss the second mail fraud count and, as relevant here, to make jointly with defense counsel a number of recommendations to the district court related to sentencing. These joint recommendations included that Santeramo's federal sentence run concurrently with a 60-month state sentence based on the same fraudulent course of conduct and a recommendation by the government that Santeramo should receive a sentence at the bottom of his advisory Sentencing Guidelines range (18 to 24 months' imprisonment). The plea agreement also contained a disclaimer that any recommendation that the government makes to the Court as to sentencing, whether pursuant to this agreement or otherwise, is not binding on the Court and the Court may disregard the recommendation in its entirety. Plea Agreement, Doc. 24 at 5. The agreement also stated that Santeramo understood that he was not permitted to withdraw his plea based on the district court's decision to reject a sentencing recommendation made by either or both parties. The district court held a change-of-plea hearing at which Santeramo confirmed that he understood the details of the plea agreement. Also at the hearing, the government asked that the district court let his sentence, whatever sentence this Court imposes, start at the same time [as Santeramo's state sentence] and be served in state [prison]. Change-of-plea Hearing Transcript, Doc. 29 at 22-23. The district court accepted Santeramo's plea. At the sentencing hearing, Santeramo requested that the district court impose a sentence at the low end of his advisory guidelines range to run concurrently with his state sentence. The government restated its recommendation that Santeramo receive an 18-month sentence, the bottom of his guidelines range. The district court imposed an 18-month sentence to run consecutively to Santeramo's state sentence. Santeramo thereafter objected to the sentences running consecutively, and the government represented to the court that, pursuant to the plea agreement, it agreed that Santeramo should serve his federal sentence concurrently with his state sentence. The district court responded that it had always consider[ed] that to be the government's position, but emphasized that the government's position was not binding on the court. Sentencing Transcript, Doc. 45 at 17. The district court declined to revisit the sentence it had announced. This is Santeramo's appeal. II. We generally review de novo whether the government has breached a plea agreement. United States v. De La Garza, 516 F.3d 1266, 1269 (11th Cir. 2008). If, however, the defendant failed to object to the alleged breach below, then our review is limited to plain error. See Puckett v. United States, 556 U.S. 129, 13643 (2009). Under plain error review, the defendant must show (1) an error, (2) that is plain, (3) that affected the defendant's substantial rights. Id. at 135. If those three prongs are met, we may exercise our discretion to correct the error if it seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Id. The parties dispute whether Santeramo raised a proper objection in the district court. Although he objected to his sentences running consecutively, he did not assert that the government had breached the plea agreement. We need not resolve the parties' dispute because, as we discuss below, Santeramo's argument fails even under a de novo standard of review. III. A material promise by the government, which induces the defendant to plead guilty, binds the government to that promise. Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257, 262 (1971). In determining whether the government breached the plea agreement, we must determine the scope of the government's promises. United States v. Copeland, 381 F.3d 1101, 1105 (11th Cir. 2004). We analyze the plea agreement according to the defendant's reasonable understanding upon entering the plea. United States v. Rewis, 969 F.2d 985, 988 (11th Cir. 1992). Whether the district court considered or was influenced by the government's breach is irrelevant. United States v. Johnson, 132 F.3d 628, 630 (11th Cir. 1998). If the government breaches a plea agreement, we may either require specific performance of the plea agreement or permit the defendant to withdraw his plea. Id. at 631. Santeramo's assertion that the government breached the plea agreement is belied by the record. By agreeing with defense counsel during the sentencing hearing that Santeramo's federal sentence should run concurrently with his state sentence, the government fulfilled its obligation. See Santobello, 404 U.S. at 262; Copeland, 381 F.3d at 1105. Even though the government failed to recommend a concurrent sentence before the district court pronounced the sentence, it previously had made the recommendation at the change-of-plea hearing. And the district court confirmed at sentencing that it had always consider[ed] the government's recommendation to be that Santeramo's federal and state sentences run concurrently but that the court was not bound by the recommendation. Moreover, when the government recommended a concurrent sentence after defense counsel's objection at the sentencing hearing, the district court could still entertain the recommendation and revisit the sentence it had announced. See Puckett, 556 U.S. at 140. The court simply chose not to. Thus, no breach occurred. Accordingly, we affirm the district court's imposition of Santeramo's 18 month federal sentence to run consecutively with his state sentence. AFFIRMED. FOOTNOTES . Doc. refers to the numbered entry on the district court's docket in this case. PER CURIAM: A shocked Nzeribe received his award saying, "I never thought I would be in the same space with cinema Gods, Uncle Olu Jacobs, RMD, I Know that it's with your permission that I win this." Prostrating, the actor said to the other nominees in his category, "I want to greet you all in a special way." ALSO READ: undefined About "Slow Country" A homeless teenage mother, who gets herself trapped in prostitution and drug trafficking for seven years in order to secure a good life for her son, decides to quit but her boss, a ruthless human and drug trafficker is not ready to let go of his most trusted cash cow. The movie starred Nzeribe alongside Ivie Okujaye who was nominated in the Best Actress category for her role in the movie. It also starred Majid Michel, Richards Brutu among others. The governor congratulated the clergyman in a statement signed by Yomi Layinka, his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, and made available to newsmen in Ibadan on Friday. Ajimobi, who described Adeboye as a true shepherd in the Vineyard of God, said that the cleric had healed the broken-hearted and the weary. He said that Adeboye had also turned backsliders to their creator through fervent prayers, prophetic utterances and spiritual guidance. Papa Adeboyes untiring efforts at attending to the welfare and well-being of Christians have resulted in the expansion of RCCG which is undoubtedly the fastest growing church in Africa. His fatherly role has also made him a rallying point for the Christian community in Nigeria, he said. Ajimobi noted that Adeboye played `significant role in stabilizing the polity through his constant prayers and spiritual interventions for Nigeria which had helped in holding the country together. He said: I am particularly fascinated by Papa Adeboyes uncommon humility, simplicity, brilliance and articulation. All these have served as an inspiration to me in the running of the affairs of Oyo State. I have also been encouraged by his periodic visits and prayers for my government and the people of Oyo State, particularly through his regular attendance of our annual Christmas carol. Apart from being a centre of learning, the Federal University, Wukari should add value to the host and neighbouring communities through research and community service. The school is well positioned to help the north-east because it is located in a state that is agrarian in nature, with the largest population of livestock and abundant water resources. What remains is for the scholars to make use of these advantage to arrive at solutions to the myriad of problems that had kept the north-east permanently backward , he said. He identified climate change and the consequent ecological challenges such as drought, desertification and insufficient water for agriculture, human and economic activities as vital areas for research. Others areas could be appropriate irrigation technology to support food security and self sufficiency, as well as marketing and post-harvest management, he said. The program, involving a tool called Greyball, uses data collected from the Uber app and other techniques to identify and circumvent officials who were trying to clamp down on the ride-hailing service. Uber used these methods to evade the authorities in cities like Boston, Paris and Las Vegas, and in countries like Australia, China and South Korea. Greyball was part of a program called VTOS, short for violation of terms of service, which Uber created to root out people it thought were using or targeting its service improperly. The program, including Greyball, began as early as 2014 and remains in use, predominantly outside the United States. Greyball was approved by Ubers legal team. Greyball and the broader VTOS program were described to The New York Times by four current and former Uber employees, who also provided documents. The four spoke on the condition of anonymity. Ubers use of Greyball was recorded on video in late 2014, when Erich England, a code enforcement inspector in Portland, Oregon, tried to hail an Uber car downtown in a sting operation against the company. At the time, Uber had just started its ride-hailing service in Portland without seeking permission from the city, which later declared the service illegal. To build a case against the company, officers like England posed as riders, opening the Uber app to hail a car and watching as miniature vehicles on the screen made their way toward the potential fares. But some of the digital cars they saw in the app did not represent actual vehicles. And the Uber drivers they were able to hail also quickly canceled. That was because Uber had tagged England and his colleagues essentially Greyballing them as city officials. The company then served up a fake version of the app populated with ghost cars, to evade capture. He also called for similar investigation against the House of Representatives Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi. The president, in calling for a probe into Schumers "ties to Russia and Putin" also called the New York Senator "A total hypocrite!" "We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite!" Trump tweeted. Schumer responded on Twitter later writing that he would "happily talk" under oath about his meeting with Putin, which took place "in full view of press and public." The president then posted a second tweet demanding a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and "lying about it." Trump, whose administration has been under siege for contacts with Russian officials, posted a 2010 photo of her with Russian officials at a meeting. "I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it," Trump said on his Twitter handle. Pelosi said on Friday that she had never met the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak but the photo posted showed her sitting at a table with a number of Russian officials, including the envoy and then-president Dimitri Medvedev. Pelosi later clarified that she never had a private meeting with the ambassador. Trump had, in a statement on Thursday, said that the scandal plaguing his Attorney-General over contacts with Kislyak "is a witch-hunt" and blamed Democrats for blowing up the controversy for political reasons. "Jeff Sessions is an honest man. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional. "This whole narrative is a way of saving face for Democrats losing an election that everyone thought they were supposed to win. "The Democrats are overplaying their hand. They lost the election and now, they have lost their grip on reality. Police detained Maolana Abul Kashem, 60, from a hideout in the capital on Thursday night after an investigation linked him to the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) group. Mohibul Islam Khan, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka police counter-terrorism unit, said Kashem had inspired the attack on a Dhaka cafe last July in which 22 people including 18 foreign hostages were killed. "He was the spiritual leader of the JMB," Khan told AFP. "In our primary investigation we have found all (the extremists) were inspired by him." Khan said Kashem had met the alleged mastermind of the cafe attack Tamim Chowdhury"several times". Bangladesh has suffered a spate of attacks on secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities in recent years. Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have claimed responsibility for several of the attacks, but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government has pinned the blame on local extremists. Bangladeshi security forces have launched a nationwide crackdown on Islamist extremist groups since the cafe attack, arresting scores of suspected extremists. Several top leaders of the JMB have also been killed, most in what police said were shoot-outs. Rights groups have voiced suspicions these may have been staged. The attorney general for Amman district, Ziad al-Dmour, said the executions represented a clear message to anyone who tries to undermines the security of the nation. Amnesty International, however, expressed shock at the hangings of 15 prisoners the largest number to be put to death on a single day in Jordan. The horrific scale and secrecy around these executions is shocking, said Amnestys deputy director at the groups Beirut regional office, Samah Hadid. Momani said all those executed were Jordanians and were hanged in Swaqa prison, south of the capital Amman. Among the terrorism offences were a 2006 attack on tourists at Ammans Roman amphitheatre that killed a Briton and a June 2016 attack on an intelligence service base north of the capital that left five agents dead. They also included the September 2016 murder of Christian writer Nahed Hattar as he stood trial for publishing a cartoon deemed offensive to Islam. King Abdullah II had said in 2005 that Jordan aimed to become the first Middle Eastern country to halt executions in line with most European nations. Courts continued to hand down death sentences but they were not carried out. However, public opinion blamed a rise in crime on the policy and in December 2014 Jordan hanged 11 men convicted of murder, drawing criticism from human rights groups. Major step backward Opinion hardened after the murder by the Islamic State (IS) group of captured Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh whose plane had crashed in a jihadist-held region of Syria in December 2014 while serving with a US-led coalition. Grisly footage posted in February the following year of him being burnt alive in a cage outraged the public. Swiftly afterwards, Jordan hanged two people convicted of terrorism offences, one of them Sajida al-Rishawi. She had taken part in a 2005 suicide attack on luxury hotels in Amman organised by ISs forebear, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, but her explosives failed to detonate. According to judicial sources, 94 people remain on death row in Jordan, most of them convicted of murder or rape, following Saturdays executions. Dmour, the Amman attorney general, said executions were the fate of all those who carry out criminal offences. But Amnesty International warned that the death penalty was not the way to improve security. This is a major step backwards for both Jordan and efforts to end the death penalty a senseless and ineffective means of administering justice, Hadid said in a statement. Jordan had for years been a leading example in a region where recourse to the death penalty is all too frequent Hanging people will not improve public security, Hadid added. Jordan, which hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees from the conflict in Syria, carries out air strikes on IS in both Syria and Iraq as a member of the US-led coalition. The pro-Western kingdom fears a spillover of the jihadist threat and closely monitors thousands of Jordanians suspected of being IS or Al-Qaeda sympathisers. "The expulsion of the DPRK (North Korea) Ambassador is... an indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities," the statement added. Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was poisoned last month with VX, a nerve agent so deadly that it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction. The dramatic killing at Kuala Lumpur airport prompted an international probe and lurid stories of North Korea's Cold War-style tradecraft. South Korea has blamed the North for the murder, citing what they say was a standing order from leader Kim Jong-Un to kill his exiled half-brother who may have been seen as a potential rival. North Korea, which has not acknowledged the dead man's identity, has vehemently protested the investigation, saying Malaysia is in cahoots with its enemies. The Diesel Black Gold fashion show during Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2017/18. Photo By Victor Virgile / Gammarapho Via Getty Images And Splash News Denim jeans purveyor reconstructs and deconstructs urban style's iconic looks in latest collection by its high-fashion label at Milan Fashion Week Every year, extravaganza like Milan Fashion Week features legendary Italian brands, and Diesel, a leading denim jean pioneer, is one of the highlights. During Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2017/2018, Diesel presented its luxury ready-to-wear line Diesel Black Gold Fall/Winter 2017 collection with a "new urban attitude" generated from nostalgia to fashion past in early 1990s. Authentic familiar codes are deconstructed and reconstructed for a new repurposed look. Proportions are altered and functions are changed. A biker jacket becomes an elongated shearling coat, turns into a leather trench or into a front zipper maxi skirt. Sartorial staples become a trouser skirt, as well as a pinafore dress. "It is all about the silhouettes, so we decide to go everything long," said Andreas Melbostad, the designer and the creative director of Diesel Black Gold. United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Appellee, v. SIHAI CHENG, Defendant, Appellant. No. 16-1144 Decided: March 01, 2017 Before Howard, Chief Judge, Souter, Associate Justice,* and Stahl, Circuit Judge. Katherine C. Essington for appellant. B. Stephanie Siegmann, Assistant U.S. Attorney, with whom Carmen M. Ortiz, United States Attorney, was on brief, for appellee. Sihai Cheng challenges the reasonableness of the 108-month incarcerative sentence he received for his role in an illicit scheme to export pressure transducers -- sensitive goods with nuclear applications -- from the United States to Iran through the People's Republic of China. We affirm. I. Between 2009 and 2011, Cheng caused at least 1,185 MKS Instruments, Inc. (MKS) Model 722A pressure transducers to be exported from the United States to Iran via China. Cheng placed numerous orders for the pressure transducers, participated in fraudulently obtaining U.S. export licenses for them, and was involved in stripping them of their MKS serial numbers and repackaging them in order to conceal the fact that they were being shipped in violation of U.S. export laws and the U.S. embargo against Iran. Cheng engaged in this course of conduct despite knowing that the MKS pressure transducers would be used at Iran's uranium enrichment facilities to advance the country's nuclear weapons program. Further, at various points, he expressed animosity towards the United States and invoked the specter of WORLD WAR THREE in an apparent effort to drum up sales. After being extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States, Cheng pleaded guilty to six counts of a ten-count indictment, including: conspiracy to commit export violations in violation of 50 U.S.C. 1705; conspiracy to smuggle goods in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371; and four counts of unlawfully exporting U.S. goods to Iran in violation of 50 U.S.C. 1705. The parties and the Probation Office agreed that U.S.S.G. 2M5.1 was the applicable Guideline and that -- after applying a three-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility under 3E1.1 -- the total offense level was 23. When combined with Cheng's Criminal History Category of I, this yielded an advisory Guidelines sentencing range of forty-six to fifty-seven months' imprisonment. During Cheng's sentencing hearing, however, the district court upwardly departed six levels based on Application Note 2 to U.S.S.G. 2M5.1. Application Note 2 provides that an upward departure may be warranted where the following factors are present in an extreme form: the degree to which the violation threatened a security interest of the United States, the volume of commerce involved, the extent of planning or sophistication, and whether there were multiple occurrences. U.S.S.G. 2M5.1 cmt. (n.2). The district court explained that [a]ll of those factors were present to an extreme degree and observed that [i]t's almost as if someone were writing [Application Note 2] for this case. The court therefore determined that the total offense level -- after the six-level upward departure -- was 29 and imposed a sentence of 108 months, the upper end of the Guidelines sentencing range. This appeal timely followed. II. On appeal, Cheng's overarching claim is that this 108-month incarcerative sentence is unreasonable. Specifically, he argues: that the sentencing court erred in departing from the Guidelines under Application Note 2; that his sentence was disproportionate to sentences in similar and related cases; and that his sentence was greater than necessary to achieve the sentencing goals of 18 U.S.C. 3553(a). Claims of sentencing error trigger a two-step inquiry in this court: we first determine whether the sentence imposed is procedurally reasonable and then determine whether it is substantively reasonable. United States v. Clogston, 662 F.3d 588, 590 (1st Cir. 2011). Cheng objects only to the substantive reasonableness of his sentence. Therefore, our review is for abuse of discretion, taking into account the totality of the circumstances. United States v. Zavala-Marti, 715 F.3d 44, 50 (1st Cir. 2013). Although Cheng did not object to the substantive reasonableness of his sentence below, we will assume arguendo that our review is nevertheless for abuse of discretion. Cf. United States v. Nunez, 840 F.3d 1, 7 (1st Cir. 2016) (assuming without deciding that review of unpreserved claims of substantive unreasonableness is for abuse of discretion). Considering Cheng's three arguments in turn, we find them unavailing. A. Cheng contends that the district court erred in upwardly departing under Application Note 2 because (1) neither planning nor sophistication were present in extreme form and (2) the security interests of the United States had already been taken into account in calculating his base offense level. The district court properly considered the entire scope of the illegal scheme, see U.S.S.G. 1B1.3, and could reasonably conclude from the record that Cheng was involved in an illegal procurement network that was both carefully planned and highly sophisticated, as it spanned three countries, involved more than five people, generated thousands of communications, and included circuitous shipping routes and other considerable efforts to evade detection. There was no abuse of discretion, and we need go no further on this particular point. Cheng argues, however, that even if planning and sophistication were present in extreme form, inappropriate double counting is afoot. Yet, contrary to Cheng's claims, the fact that the security interests of the United States are considered in determining the appropriate base offense level under U.S.S.G. 2M5.1 does not mean that those security interests cannot also be used in assessing whether an upward departure is justified under Application Note 2. We have said that [s]ince double counting is often perfectly proper, the guidelines themselves are the most helpful aid in the task of separating permissible double counting from its impermissible counterpart. United States v. Lilly, 13 F.3d 15, 19 (1st Cir. 1994) (citation omitted). The Sentencing Commission has not been bashful about explicitly banning double counting in a number of instances. We believe the Commission's ready resort to explicitly stated prohibitions against double counting signals that courts should go quite slowly in implying further such prohibitions where none are written. Id. at 1920 (collecting cases). The Guidelines do not prohibit double-counting under U.S.S.G. 2M5.1. To the contrary, the Guidelines explicitly instruct courts to consider the degree to which an export violation threatened national security in determining (1) the base offense level for export violations, (2) the appropriate sentence within the Guideline range, and (3) the applicability of a departure. U.S.S.G. 2M5.1. Simply put, Application Note 2 recognizes that export violations pose varying degrees of threat to national security and that those violations posing the most significant threats may warrant upward departure. This is entirely consistent with the principle that a district court may rely on a particular fact for multiple sentencing purposes. United States v. Sepulveda-Hernandez, 817 F.3d 30, 35 (1st Cir. 2016). B. Next, Cheng argues that his sentence was substantively unreasonable because it was disproportionate to sentences in similar and related cases. Cheng complains that some participants in the instant scheme to illegally export MKS pressure transducers faced no consequences: some were not indicted, while others were subjects of a diplomatic arrangement. Therefore, he asserts, it was error for the district court judge to hold Mr. Cheng solely responsible for the illegal export of over a thousand pressure transducers where the export would not have been possible without the assistance of others. In the circumstances of this case, this he did it too! argument is unpersuasive. Stated bluntly, the fact that the sentencing court had no ability to sentence certain of Cheng's co-conspirators does not make Cheng's own sentence substantively unreasonable. Cf. United States v. Wallace, 573 F.3d 82, 97 (1st Cir. 2009) (A 'defendant is not entitled to a lighter sentence merely because his co-defendants received lighter sentences.' (quoting United States v. Marceau, 554 F.3d 24, 33 (1st Cir. 2009)). To hold otherwise would lead to absurd consequences. Second, Cheng points to the thirty-four month incarcerative sentence received by Qiang Hu, who was involved in this same scheme and sentenced by the same district court judge. We have observed that concerns could arise if two identically situated defendants received different sentences from the same judge. Id. No such concerns arise here, however, as the judge confronted the [sentencing] disparity head-on. Id. Unlike Cheng, Hu was not involved in exporting any of the MKS pressure transducers to Iran and was unaware that transducers were being sent to Iran to assist in Iran's nuclear weapons program. Because Hu and Cheng were not identically situated, there is no reason to think that Cheng was entitled to the same sentence as Hu. See id. Finally, Cheng's efforts to establish a national sentencing disparity falter. See United States v. Ayala-Vazquez, 751 F.3d 1, 32 (1st Cir. 2014) (noting that consideration of sentencing disparity primarily targets disparities among defendants nationally). Although Cheng points us to several cases in which others received shorter sentences after committing export violations than he did, those cases are readily distinguishable. For example, defendants in those cases merely attempted to commit export violations, see United States v. Vaghari, 500 Fed. App'x 139 (3d Cir. 2012) (attempting to buy a centrifuge), exported far fewer items, see United States v. Tsai, 954 F.2d 155 (3d Cir. 1992) (exporting 11 items of military electronics), exported less sensitive items, see id., or exported items to end-users in countries other than Iran, see United States v. Zhen Zhou Wu, 711 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2013) (exporting to end-users in China). Disparity analysis is simply not appropriate if a defendant's case 'was not in the same camp' as those he offer[s]. United States v. Reyes-Rivera, 812 F.3d 79, 89 (1st Cir. 2016) (quoting United States v. Garcia-Ortiz, 792 F.3d 184, 192 (1st Cir. 2015)). Therefore, we will not engage in it. Because Cheng fails to show that the sentence imposed resulted in any kind of unwarranted or impermissible disparity, we decline to find that it was substantively unreasonable in this respect. C. Lastly, Cheng argues that his sentence was substantively unreasonable because it was greater than necessary to accomplish the sentencing goals of 18 U.S.C. 3553(a). Both during the sentencing hearing and again in its thoughtful sentencing memorandum, the district court noted that it had considered the 18 U.S.C. 3553(a) factors. Further, the court made specific, detailed findings with respect to the relevant 3553(a) factors -- including both aggravating and mitigating factors -- and adequately explained its sentence. See United States v. Arroyo-Maldonado, 791 F.3d 193, 201 (1st Cir. 2015). As we have said before, [a] sentence will stand so long as there is a 'plausible sentencing rationale and a defensible result.' Reyes-Rivera, 812 F.3d at 89. The district court had plenty of reason to sentence as it did here. Id. Cheng contends in particular that the sentence is greater than necessary to serve a deterrent function -- either for Cheng himself or for others. As part of its sentencing rationale, the district court stated that there is under the 3553(a) factors a need for deterrence You're not the first case I've seen like this, and I think there has to be a deterrent message sent out there, particularly if you know you're helping a nuclear weapons program. We have repeatedly recognized that deterrence is an important factor in the sentencing calculus. E.g., United States v. Diaz-Arroyo, 797 F.3d 125, 129 (1st Cir. 2015). Moreover, a district court can -- as it did here -- consider at sentencing the gravity and prevalence of the crime. See United States v. Madsen, 809 F.3d 712, 720 (1st Cir. 2016). Cheng's claim that he was motivated solely by financial greed does little to help his cause. See id. (affirming sentence as substantively reasonable in light of the defendant's goal of personal profit at the expense of the broader societal good). At bottom, Cheng disagrees with the district court's weighing of the various sentencing factors, but we find no abuse of the court's broad discretion. Cf. Arroyo-Maldonado, 791 F.3d at 200 (finding no plain error when defendant disagreed with the sentencing court's weighing of factors). Criminal defendants are entitled to a weighing of the relevant 3553(a) factors, not to a particular result. United States v. Carrasco-de-Jesus, 589 F.3d 22, 29 (1st Cir. 2009). Under the circumstances, imposition of a 108-month sentence was not substantively unreasonable. Cf. Clogston, 662 F.3d at 592 (There is no one reasonable sentence in any given case but, rather, a universe of reasonable sentencing outcomes.). III. For the forgoing reasons, we affirm. FOOTNOTES . The government invites us to categorize Cheng's claim that the sentencing court erred in departing from the Guidelines under Application Note 2 as an attack on his sentence's procedural reasonableness. Cf. United States v. Torres-Rivera, 661 Fed. App'x 727, 730 (1st Cir. 2016) (reviewing for procedural reasonableness claim that district court erred by relying on the application note to 3B1.1 in imposing an above-guidelines sentence). Cheng did not object below, and our review would, as Cheng concedes, be for plain error if we accepted the government's invitation. However, because we understand Cheng to be arguing that Application Note 2 does not apply to him regardless of the procedures used, we will assume (favorably to Cheng) without deciding that the claim speaks to the substantive reasonableness of his sentence. Therefore, we are choosing to evaluate the entirety of the sentence under the more lenient abuse of discretion standard. This does not change the outcome. HOWARD, Chief Judge. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, UK Permanent Representative to the UN and the Security Councils President for the month of March, stated this on Friday in Cameroon in a remarks on the UN Security Council visit to the Lake Chad Basin. First of all, we came here in order to shine a spotlight on the situation in the Lake Chad Basin. We came to hear the individual stories of people involved, whether they are refugees or displaced people or other victims of Boko Haram. We stand with the government and the people of Cameroon, and the wider region, in tackling the scourge of terrorism. And in encouraging them to look broadly and deeply at the root causes of the set of crises going on here. Whether humanitarian, to do with development, to do with education, agriculture and so on, Rycroft said, in a statement issued by the Communications Team, UK Mission to the UN. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Security Councils delegation leaves Cameroon on Friday for Chad. Jozsef Rasi, the man found dead behind the Pahrump Nugget on June 15, was held by police for nearly 33 hours with easy access to water and food after being arrested for a DUI. Jozsef Rasi, the man found dead behind the Pahrump Nugget on June 15, was held by police for nearly 33 hours with easy access to water and food after being arrested for a DUI. Rasi was released from the Nye County Detention Center nearly 16 hours before his body was found, the police said Monday. Rasi was arrested at 8:52 a.m. on Saturday morning on preliminary charges of driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test, according to the Nye County Sheriffs Office arrest report. Rasi also failed a breathalyzer test, but what the level was, was not recorded on the report. During his detention, Rasi was housed in a cell with a sink and water fountain and received a full day of meals, including liquids, according to a statement from police. After a Pahrump Justice Court judge ordered his release just after 4 p.m. on June 14, Rasi walked out of the detention center approximately two hours later. He was found dead Monday morning behind the Pahrump Nugget after police received a call at approximately 10:15 a.m., roughy 16 hours after his release. His cause of death is under investigation by the Clark County Coroners Office, which said late Tuesday a cause of death has yet to be determined. On June 13, sheriffs deputies were dispatched to the Quick Save Storage and Mini Market on 1280 W. Highway 372, to reference a possible DUI. When Deputy Michael Connelly was en route to the business he received a call about a green Dodge truck that was unable to maintain its lane, almost hitting another vehicle from the oncoming traffic. When the officer arrived at the establishment, he located the vehicle in question with an elderly man, later identified as Rasi, standing next to it. The deputy could smell a strong odor of an unknown alcohol on Rasis breath when speaking with him. Rasi was asked if he was driving the vehicle and he responded, yes. The officer questioned if Rasi had been drinking alcohol, to which he replied that he had drank two shots of vodka. Rasis eyes were bloodshot and watery, and he had slurred speech according to the arrest report. After being asked to step in front of Connellys patrol car, Rasi almost fell over twice, according to police. After failing the field test, Rasi was placed under arrest and booked into the Nye County Detention Center on preliminary DUI charges. Police discovered two empty bottles of vodka located in the back of Rasis vehicle. Two days later the Sheriffs Office was dispatched at approximately 10:15 a.m. to check the welfare of a male laying in the area behind the northeast side of the property. The man turned out to be Rasi, and he was confirmed deceased at the scene. Officials with the Pahrump Nugget have not commented on the discovery. According to sheriffs dispatch traffic, an employee of the Nugget discovered the body and authorities were then notified. Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation is asked to contact the Nye County Sheriffs Office at 775-751-7000 or tips can be emailed to NCSO_Detectives@co.nye.nv.us. Jennifer DeWitt Follow Jennifer DeWitt 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 Hilltop Campus Village director Scott Tunnicliff is all smiles as the central Davenport business district welcomes some new additions: Smile Labs Iowa and soon Hickory Hollow Primitives. Smile Labs Iowa has opened for business at 1519 Harrison St., tucked between Superheroes Comic Store and Flipped Out Furniture. A new branch for the West Des Moines-based Smile Labs Iowa, it provides cosmetic teeth whitening services. Owner Shelana Chamberlain Landers said the Hilltop location "offers visibility, affordability and easy access to clients of all ages. It is so great to be part of a place where so much is happening." Hickory Hollow Primitives will open in mid-March in a storefront at 1525 Harrison St. The retail shop specializes in handmade primitives, country crafts, home decor accents, handcrafted furniture and more. Hickory Hollow also holds make-and-take workshops for personalized signs. Visit hickory-hollow-signs.myshopify.com/. Owners Randy and Loretta Hoogerhyde have already begun getting ready to open, Tunnicliff said. "We are excited about this endeavor and believe it will help spur even more activity in the area," Randy said. Tunnicliff, who is the Hilltop's best cheerleader, said the shops help broaden the offerings in the Hilltop and encourage visitors and residents "to stop and shop." Toalson named RNA Employee of the Year Rita Toalson, who has dedicated her career to highlighting the accomplishments of Royal Neighbors of America, now has earned her own accolade as the Royal Neighbors' 2016 Employee of the Year. As managing editor, the 39-year employee of the Rock Island women-led life insurer, is responsible for corporate and member communications. Toalson is credited with leading several projects of significance, including the acceptance of Royal Neighbors items into the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. She also garnered publicity from the San Francisco Examiner with a newly discovered letter from a Royal Neighbors member detailing the conditions after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Of Toalson, RNA President and CEO Cynthia Tidwell said, "She is often the first to arrive to work, the first to offer creative solutions, and the first to offer a helping hand." Employees are nominated by co-workers and selected by a panel of outside judges. As part of her award, Toalson will be invited to attend a Royal Neighbors' life insurance agent recognition trip in Punta Mita, Mexico, in June. Farmers donate $35K for River Bend Foodbank While their fields may be barren now, a group of Illinois Quad-City farmers used part of last year's harvest to help River Bend Foodbank do its critical work of feeding the hungry. Through the Bushels for Hunger program, the area farmers donated $35,530 to the Davenport food bank. Each year, when the farmers deliver their grain to the elevator, they designate how much they want to donate to Bushels for Hunger. Launched seven years ago when crop prices were at a record high, the program has raised more than $183,421 since its inception. "Thanks to the generous donations of 5,935 bushels of grain to the Bushels for Hunger campaign, local farmers worked together to fight hunger in the Quad-City community with these funds," said Mercer County farmer Jeff Kirwan, the District 3 director for the Illinois Farm Bureau. Bushels for Hunger is a joint program coordinated by the farm bureaus of Rock Island, Henry, Mercer, Whiteside and Stark counties in conjunction with these area grain elevators and ethanol plants: ADM, Atkinson, Big River Resources, Cargill, CHS, Gold Star FS, Hillsdale Elevator, Michlig Grain, River Gulf Grain, River Valley Cooperative and Rumbold & Kuhn. Dr. Nazir Kayali settled into his chair, deep in thought. His hand stroked his chin and a smile grew into a laugh as he considered his circuitous path to the Quad-Cities. The Syrian-born pediatrician's first trip outside his native country was to Ohio in 1990, where his cousins were practicing medicine. Wishing to follow in his cousins' paths, Kayali asked what he might expect from America. They halfheartedly told him a joke that went along with the generalization that Americans are egotistical and care only about money. A stranger comes to America and finds a booth that says Two questions for $100, Kayali began, barely able to get the words past his own laughter. He asks a woman, Is that a lot of money for two questions? She replies Yes. Whats your second question?' But the international medical graduate found the opposite to be true in middle America. Here, he said, he found warmth, compassion and acceptance. Having lived in Bettendorf for the past five years, Kayali boasts that the Quad-Cities is his third stint in Iowa, having secured his H-1B visa to complete his residency from 1993-1996 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Out of all the hospitals in the nation, his first choice was in Iowa's capital city. He then came to the Quad-Cities from 1999 to 2007, returning to Syria so his children could get to know their family in Aleppo. But his Iowa memories and experiences stayed with Kayali. When war made Syria too dangerous, the pediatrician with a soft spot for Iowa was relieved to learn of an opportunity in the safe place he had come to know more than 6,200 miles away. And it called his family back. Ive had a very positive experience, Kayali said. The acceptance and the people, from residents, staff, colleagues and patients; it was all so incredible. Putting down roots The sentiment is the same for many of the international medical graduates who have immersed themselves in the community, including Dr. Sarojini Ratnakar, who joked that she took the easy path to practicing medicine in the United States. The Indian-born and -trained hospitalist for Genesis Health System did not have to jump over the same hurdles that other international medical graduates did. Her husband already had a visa, so she was able to come as a spouse. Ratnakars story, however, is similar in that she, too, came to the U.S. to make a better life and has settled into the void created by the country's physician shortage. In Americas heartland, where the shortage is more pronounced, the challenge isnt so much in finding qualified doctors. The real test is in convincing them to stay. Iowa ranked seventh in medical students per 100,000 population, but the state has one of the lowest physician-to-population ratios in the country. In other words, medical students are graduating in Iowa; they just aren't practicing here. Even more alarming is Iowa's consistently low ranking in retaining physicians who earned their medical degrees in-state. Since 2006, the retention percentage for in-state graduates has fluctuated between 34 percent and 36 percent for physicians, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC. Ratnakar said she struggled when she first came to practice in Iowa in 2004. I moved from Atlanta, because my family was here, but at the beginning, I really wanted to go back, she said. As she immersed herself in the Quad-Cities, however, something changed. Its the people here, she said. I wanted to go back, but now I wont leave, because this place is just fantastic. I would not trade it for anything. Just like Ratnakar, other international medical graduates are starting to form attachments and a sense of place and are not necessarily waiting for a door to open elsewhere. Changing face of medicine Community Health Care CEO Tom Bowman has become familiar with the doctor shortage in his 10 years at the Davenport clinic. Bowman said Community Health Care, or CHC, tries to fill the gaps in medical treatment in the community and, in order to do so, relies heavily on sponsorship of international medical graduates through J-1 or H-1B visas. Foreign graduates accounted for more than 50 percent of CHC recruits in the past decade, and they haven't always been keen on staying in the area. Some of it, even though were not as rural as some parts of country, is that they tend to gravitate to more diverse and urban areas, Bowman said. But were getting better on that front. Statistics indicate Bowman is correct. In the past 15 years, Community Health Care has sponsored and employed 33 international medical graduates, but only 17 have remained here. When narrowing the focus to the past decade, however, the percentage of doctors sticking around increases from 50 percent to about 65 percent. The same can be said of the percentage of active physicians who are international medical graduates, practicing in Iowa. As of 2014, their numbers increased from 17 percent to 18.6 percent, making foreign doctors second only to Iowa-educated doctors in the recruitment pool. From 2006-14, foreign doctors accounted for almost one-third of physician growth in Iowa, according to data from AAMC. In fact, foreign graduates have become such a mainstay in American medical care, they now account for about 1 in 4 physicians. Foreign graduates are very hard workers, so they really dont mind going to any place, Ratnakar said. Help wanted The sprawling city of Kingwood, West Virginia, county seat of Preston County, was home to just more than 3,000 people when Kayali practiced there after his three-year residency in Des Moines. (Its) a small town in the mountains where no one else would go, the Bettendorf pediatrician said. Except for his familys social life, Kayali said, the little town produced a positive experience. But it also was the place in which he first experienced the struggles that strike a community that is medically under-served. Some of the most basic conditions were worsened, he said, by the lack of physicians in the area. I would see really sick kids, and I wouldnt imagine seeing such cases in the United States, Kayali said. For rural areas in the U.S. like Kingwood, its difficult to attract physicians, which is why foreign physicians have become such a vital resource. A study commissioned by AAMC found that the U.S. will have a shortage of 61,700 to 94,700 physicians by 2025, and rural areas can expect to suffer the most. Those regions of the country typically lack the amenities, diversity and financial incentives available in urban areas, making them less desirable to many incoming physicians. As an incentive, foreign graduates can prolong their stay in the U.S. by serving in medically under-served areas with modest populations where other health providers are scarce. With J-1 visas, states can sponsor physicians through the Conrad 30 waiver, which allows 30 international medical graduates to stay in the country as long as they practice their medical specialty in shortage areas for a minimum of three years. J-1 visas typically require participants to return to their home country for two years to apply the knowledge and training they acquired in the U.S. Over the past 10 years, more than 10,000 physicians in the U.S. stayed and served in shortage areas under Conrad 30, according to AAMC President Darrell Kirch. In the same decade, the Iowa Department of Public Health sponsored 292 foreign doctors out of the potential maximum of 300, meaning Iowa used 97 percent of its allotment of Conrad 30 doctors. In comparison, the national average is 59 percent. From 2007 to this year, Scott County ranked eighth in the number of Conrad 30 waivers granted in the state with 18. But the number of state-sponsored waivers has decreased since 2012, when the Department of Health and Human Services took over applications for Federally Qualified Health Centers such as CHC. While Scott County did not receive a single Conrad 30 waiver out of the 30 recommended by the state this year, it does not mean the need isnt there. It means that centers such as CHC have to hope that their applications are among the 110 reviewed annually for the entire country by Health and Human Services. Local perspective In the Quad-Cities, problems with physician recruitment is cyclical, but the general consensus is that there is a need for both primary-care physicians and specialists. My personal opinion is there is a shortage of primary-care providers, Bowman said. We are short and tend to see them in internal medicine, pediatrics and family care. UnityPoint Health Chief Medical Officer Paul McLoone said it wasnt until recently that his organization filled its hospitalist services positions. Other areas have been more difficult to fill, forcing UnityPoint to use locum tenens, which are physicians hired short-term to fill vacancies. The locums for the hospital are when we have had recruiting gaps (that) center around neurology and intensive care, McLoone said. We've had rapid growth in hospitalist services, so we just finished there." A regional study commissioned by UnityPoint found the need for 39 primary care, 19 surgical specialties and 17 medicine sub-specialty positions by 2019 as a result of turnover and retirements in the Illinois Quad-Cities. In the Iowa Quad-Cities, the study found, 15 primary care, 16 surgical and 13.5 medical sub-specialty positions will be needed. To address the recruiting challenges, UnityPoint has adjusted its focus to filling gaps by looking at long-term fit. The types of people we recruited have a connection; somebody whos trained (with the recruit) or have a family connection to them, McLoone said. As such, only three of 22 hospitalists have left in the past 10 years, but McLoone conceded that recruiting will always be a challenge. Bottom line is: Its always a task and an issue were working at, he said. The elephant in the room While Kayali easily finds levity in his journey, the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes change when he thinks of those who wish to follow in his footsteps. Kayali's American dream was realized after following his cousins to the U.S., but anti-immigrant sentiment and policies now threaten the opportunities he enjoyed. If President Donald Trump's travel ban for Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and Kayali's native Syria had been upheld, everything Kayali has grown to love and appreciate would have been lost for the next foreign physician. I imagine myself when I was still in training, and I was here on a visa for 10 years, Kayali said. I was living the dream. For somebody to wake me up from that dream and replace it with a nightmare, its just unbelievable. Kayali's wife wouldn't have been able to join him in the U.S., and he doesn't know what might have happened to his family as a whole, given his three children were born here. Visa reform continues to be a hot-button topic, and any changes to J-1 or H-1B visas could be catastrophic, according to local medical professionals. Bowman and Genesis Media Coordinator Craig Cooper acknowledged the mere mention of the immigration debate has compelled many Quad-City physicians who are here on visas to clam up about the subject. Several declined to be interviewed for this story, because they are fearful that political fallout could come their way. Bowman said the same situation occurred after 9/11. It definitely had a negative impact on the number of medical graduates, Bowman said of the 2001 attack. If something were to happen, it would make it more difficult, because there are less people trying to come into the country. In 2015, the U.S. Department of State reported 2,567 foreign physicians and surgeons came to U.S. on J-1 visas for residency and training. An additional 2,344 started employment on H-1B visas, while 3,428 remained in the country as they continued employment, according to reports from the U.S. Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Between 2011 and 2015, more than 24,000 foreign physicians entered the U.S. on J-1 and H-1B visas combined. While the seven countries named in the executive order aren't the largest recruiting pools for foreign physicians, Kirch, of AAMC, said more than 1,000 foreign medical graduates from the seven countries named in the executive order have applied for residency and training programs this year. The Conrad 30 Waiver program alone has directed nearly 10,000 primary care and specialty physicians to rural and urban under-served communities in the last decade, Kirch said in a statement in response to Trump's since-challenged order. Preventing these physicians from training and practicing in under-served areas in the United States will mean that the most vulnerable patients will face greater difficulty getting access to care when they need it. Drawing on his own experience, Kayali said filling the need in remote areas of Iowa and places such as Kingwood would be close to impossible, which, in turn, would hurt both foreign physicians and the people they want to help. These are areas, if they lose the J-1, they would have no physicians, Kayali said. Their chances of getting a physician are almost zero, and these are the areas where a physician is needed the most. The Spirit of America rally to support President Donald Trump attracted hundreds of supporters to Davenport on a sunny Saturday. Speakers reflected Republican talking points: Supporters of pro-life legislation, gun rights, and all subjects that President Trump has proposed crowded into a large warehouse next to Davenport Guns, 3701 Mississippi Ave., Davenport. Patriotic music played in the loud speakers, and many carried U.S. flags or signs to support Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Davenport Guns owner Jeanelle Westrom welcomed the crowd to the area and the event was emceed by Jeff Kauffman, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. Kauffman welcomed all parties to the rally, including Democratic, Libertarian and the Green Party. But he also offered some controversy for the crowd. The Quad-City Times editorial board should be ashamed, Kauffman said, of various stances it has taken. The crowd, which by then had heard about religious freedom, military buildup, Second Amendment rights and pro-life agendas, got into a new gear. Applause grew as Kauffman called for fair media coverage, of Trump, as well as for Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst. The senator, Kauffman said, was unfairly singled out recently in a Times editorial which criticized the first-term Republican senator for not hosting open town meetings during congressional breaks. There were several evocative speeches, including from Dana Huss, wife of the Rev. Joseph Huss of Northside Baptist Church, Davenport. The Huss family was involved in the program: The minister offered an invocation and the couple's two sons sang the national anthem. Huss, speaking for the Concerned Women of American organization, talked about basic beliefs, including that life begins at conception, on religious freedom, on traditional marriage and on support for Israel. Jeff Godines, Davenport, served as a combat medic for 30 years and retired from the military last spring. He received resounding applause, as he spoke on military spending and the attitudes of members of the Armed Forces. "Those in the military want to know they are appreciated, and that has been missing the last eight years," he said. "But the feeling has returned." Kurt Liske, a native of Scott County, now represents the Iowa Firearms Coalition. Liske cited several success stories, both nationally and in Iowa. One big goal, Liske said, is to get the Iowa Constitution amended to include gun rights. Iowa is one of only six states in the United States that does not have such an amendment, he said. Without this protection, Liske said the right to keep and bear arms could be wiped out by activist judges or a "run-away state legislature." Kauffman urged the crowd to not be complacent about Republican success in government, but to stay active and keep the GOP message on target. The Republican agenda was embraced by Karen Lambert, Bettendorf, and her daughter, Lisa Lambert of Peoria, who attended the rally with their friend, Chris Thornton, Buffalo. The women oppose Obamacare, and have gone to rallies on that topic. Karen Lambert said Trump is the only leader who can save the United States. Jordan Gringer, 20, and his mom, Tracy Gringer, drove to Davenport from Iowa City on Saturday. The two came because so many rallies are anti-Trump, and they feel much differently, Jordan said. Stan and Tina Smith, DeWitt, carried signs, promoting home schools as well as support for private schools. They are parents of a son who is home-schooled. The rally had a festive air, too: Lee Ann Carlson, Moline, played her accordion in the tune, "Happy Days are Here Again." A very peppy Sunday Combs, of Davenport, proudly carried a Trump sign from 2015. Combs supports the president's entire agenda, she said, and has also attended every appearance he's made in Iowa. Bob Quast, Blue Grass, carried his Pomeranian, Mr. Bentley to the rally. The pooch had a shirt on, showing support for Trump and Pence. "I'm a huge Trump supporter," Quast said. "I want him to restore the United States to what is used to be like, when I was growing up." Donald Trump boasts that his "America First" trade and economic policies are bringing well-paid manufacturing jobs back to America. That's probably his biggest "deliverable" to Trump voters. But is this claim true? Trump won the presidency partly because he voiced the anger of American workers about lost jobs and stagnant wages. But in the process, he fundamentally misled the country by claiming that trade is the major cause of job losses, and that renegotiating trade agreements would save the middle class. What Trump is offering is a palliative that has raised false hopes. He implies that a few good trade deals will refurbish the Rust Belt and restore the good old days of manufacturing. It won't happen, and to pretend otherwise is a hoax. Trump campaigned on a false argument that global trade was taking away American jobs. So he killed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) his first week in office, and is now demanding changes in NAFTA and other trade agreements. He has dressed up a few announcements from jittery U.S. corporations to argue that doomed manufacturing plants are being saved and that jobs are "already starting to pour back." Stephen Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, has inflated this economic nationalism into a full-blown ideology that posits a battle between workers who are being hurt by globalization and an elite that benefits. Referencing the TPP at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference, Bannon said that Trump "got us out of a trade deal and let our sovereignty come back to ourselves." But the numbers show that Trump and Bannon are fighting the wrong battle. Manufacturing employment has indeed declined in America over the past decade, but the major reason is automation, not trade. Robots are taking most of the disappearing American jobs, not foreign workers. Rather than helping displaced blue-collar workers, Trump's promises of restoring lost jobs could leave them unprepared for the much bigger wave of automation and job loss that's ahead. The most persuasive numbers were gathered in 2015 by Michael J. Hicks and Srikant Devaraj at Ball State University. They showed that manufacturing has actually experienced something of a revival in the United States. Despite the Great Recession, manufacturing grew by 17.6 percent, or about 2.2 percent a year, from 2006 to 2013. That was only slightly slower than the overall economy. But even as manufacturing output was growing, jobs were shrinking. The decade from 2000 to 2010 saw "the largest decline in manufacturing employment in U.S. history," the Ball State economists concluded. What killed those jobs? For the most part, it wasn't trade, but productivity gains from automation. Over the decade, the report notes, productivity gains accounted for 87.8 percent of lost manufacturing jobs, while trade was responsible for just 13.4 percent. Robotics allows manufacturers to create more output with fewer people. That's not a conspiracy imposed by Bannon's global elite. It's simply a fact of economic life and progress. And it's not just blue-collar workers who are suffering. Smarter machines kill jobs in finance, law and, yes, even journalism. To see how Trump is mislabeling the causes of workers' anger, take a look at job losses in various industries. In motor-vehicle manufacturing, 85.5 percent of job losses came from productivity gains; in steel and other primary metals, 76.7 percent; in paper products, 93.2 percent; in textiles, 97.6 percent. Trump proposes that we "buy American." But in a world of globalized supply chains, what's an American car? Does a Toyota Camry made in Kentucky count? Is a Ford F-150 truck assembled in Kansas City American even if some of its parts were made in Mexico? The interdependence of global manufacturing is part of why Ford and Toyota stay healthy and profitable, for workers and shareholders both. How does Trump propose to unthread this subtly woven quilt? Trump wants to deliver on his campaign promises. Good for him. But by misidentifying the source of the Rust Belt's woes, he is doing his supporters a double disservice. He's giving them false hope that jobs replaced by machines will be reclaimed by people. Alas, economic history doesn't move in reverse. Perhaps worse, Trump is giving people reasons to avoid the job retraining that would prepare them for the next tsunami of automation, which consultants predict could destroy more than half of all current jobs. What will Trump say then to the workers in Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia who believed in him -- who thought the old jobs were coming back -- and are savaged in the next round of job losses? United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. ROBERT L. MORGAN, Appellant v. BOROUGH OF FANWOOD; BOROUGH OF FANWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT; THOMAS JEDIC, Sergeant of the Borough of Fanwood Police Department; UNION COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT; GLEN TRESCOTT, Union County Sheriff's Officer; JOHN DOES 1 to X (fictitious named individuals); ABC I to X (fictitious named entities and/or corporations). No. 16-3113 Decided: March 01, 2017 Before: CHAGARES, RESTREPO, and ROTH, Circuit Judges. OPINION* Appellant Robert Morgan filed this lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. 1983, claiming that police officers violated his constitutional rights by conducting an unlawful investigatory stop of his vehicle and by improperly procuring a search warrant to search the vehicle for controlled substances. The District Court granted summary judgment for the defendants, and we will affirm. I. We write solely for the parties and therefore recite only the facts necessary to our disposition. On the afternoon of January 2, 2010, Sergeant Thomas Jedic of the Borough of Fanwood Police Department pulled over Morgan's vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Jedic noted prior to the stop that the driver's side tail light cover was partially missing and that the front driver's door was not completely closed. Jedic spoke to Morgan, who was the driver and sole occupant of the car. Morgan explained to Jedic that his vehicle had been stolen but then found, and that it had been in an accident recently. Morgan's vehicle had North Carolina license plates, but he had a Pennsylvania license. During the stop, Jedic noticed that the carpeting in Morgan's vehicle was covered by carpet freshening powder. There was also an air freshener on the front console. According to his report, Jedic smelled a strong odor of what my experience and training concluded was raw marijuana. Joint Appendix (J.A.) 40. Jedic returned to his patrol vehicle and told a back-up officer, He's got one of those Renuzit air fresheners in there, and I'm getting old, but I smell something. Dashcam Video 15:17:0315:17:14. Jedic later added, But like you said it's that, that air, that Renuzit thing is so overpowering. Id. at 15:29:3915:29:51. Jedic ran a warrant and license check on Morgan, which revealed an open 2009 warrant for a Robert Morgan with the same Social Security number but a different birthdate. The warrant was issued in Paterson. Morgan stated that his vehicle had been stolen in March 2010 and that he had a previous drug arrest in Newark, but never had a warrant in Paterson. Jedic issued Morgan a summons for violating Section 39:3-66 of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle and Traffic statute, which provides: All lamps, reflectors and other illuminating devices required by this article shall be kept clean and in good working order and, as far as practicable, shall be mounted in such a manner as to reduce the likelihood of their being obscured by mud or dust thrown up by the wheels. N.J. Stat. Ann. 39:3-66 Jedic explained to Morgan that he had a responsibility to maintain the cover on the tail light and that the white light emitted without the cover is blinding. Dashcam Video 15:30:1815:30:50; 15:31:0015:31:40. Although Jedic noted the vehicle door problem to Morgan and in his investigative report, he did not ultimately issue a summons for unsafe driving. After issuing the summons, Jedic told Morgan, I smell something in that vehicle I smell something a little strong in there, Dashcam Video 15:32:5815:33:12, and asked if Morgan would consent to a search of the vehicle. Morgan at first agreed, but then withdrew his consent. Jedic radioed for a K-9 unit from the Union County Sheriff's Department. He stated to the dispatcher, Listen, I gave this guy a summons, but I smell something in the car See if a county drug dog may be available. Id. at 15:32:5815:33:12. While waiting for the K-9 unit to arrive, Jedic commented to a back-up officer, Did you see the amount of carpet freshener? The other officer replied by agreeing that it was everywhere. Id. at 15:52:0318. Officer Glen Trescott arrived about 20 minutes later with a K-9 named Onyx. Before Onyx was deployed, Jedic told Trescott that he could smell something in the vehicle namely, raw marijuana. Id. at 15:52:4015:53:59. Jedic informed Morgan that the K-9 unit arrived. At this point, Morgan again reversed course and told Jedic that he would consent to a search of his car. Trescott then brought Onyx around the perimeter of Morgan's vehicle. Although Onyx's movements near the driver's door were partially obscured on the dashcam video, the video does show him lifting his left front paw to the driver's side of the vehicle. Id. at 15:57:3915:57:42. At this time, two scratch sounds are audible. Id. at 15:57:4015:57:42. Trescott told Jedic that there was a positive indication for the presence of a controlled substance but that the odor was not the strongest. Id. at 15:58:1615:58:21. Jedic then spoke to Morgan again, asking him to verify that he gave the officers permission to search the car. Morgan withdrew his prior authorization and demanded a warrant. Trescott and Jedic applied for a search warrant before the Honorable Robert Mega of the Superior Court of Union County. Jedic testified before Judge Mega that he smelled an odor of, what I believe to be raw marijuana and that he believed the carpet powder and air freshener are often used to obscure the smell of marijuana. J.A. 4849. He added that the smell of the marijuana was a very sweet pungent odor and that [i]t smelled a bit more vegetative to me than it did burnt. And again, it was strong enough to where it in my opinion, overpowered even the air freshener that was in the car. J.A. 49. Next, Trescott testified that he conducted the dog sniff of Morgan's vehicle by running Onyx around the car, and that the dog showed interest towards the driver's door. J.A. 50. Trescott then presented the bottom door seam, driver's door, and the dog gave me a positive indication by scratching. J.A. 50. Trescott testified that through his training and experience, this was an indication of a smell of narcotics coming from th[e] vehicle. J.A. 51. Jedic then confirmed with the judge that based on his observations and the results of the dog sniff, that there was probable cause to believe that controlled substances were within Morgan's vehicle. Judge Mega issued a search warrant to search the vehicle. A search including another dog sniff where Onyx gave a positive indication through repeated scratching revealed no contraband. Morgan was then released. Morgan filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983, alleging that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated because Jedic did not have a constitutional basis to stop his vehicle and to issue a citation for violation of N.J. Stat. Ann. 39:3-66 and because Jedic and Trescott made false statements to Judge Mega in obtaining the search warrant. Morgan, who is African-American, also alleged a violation of his Fourteenth Amendment equal protection rights because the stop was motivated by racial discrimination. The District Court granted summary judgment to the defendants on the claims relating to the investigatory stop and the warrant on June 30, 2015 and on the discrimination claims on June 14, 2016. Morgan timely appealed. II. The District Court had jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1331. This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1291. We exercise plenary review over summary judgment orders. Thomas v. Cumberland Cty., 749 F.3d 217, 222 (3d Cir. 2014). Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56, summary judgment is proper if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. A genuine dispute exists only if there is a sufficient evidentiary basis on which a reasonable jury could find for the non-moving party, and a factual dispute is material only if it might affect the outcome of the suit under governing law. Thomas, 749 F.3d at 222 (quoting Kaucher v. Cty. of Bucks, 455 F.3d 418, 423 (3d Cir. 2006)). We examine the record in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and draw all reasonable inferences in its favor. Id. When opposing parties tell two different stories, one of which is blatantly contradicted by the record, so that no reasonable jury could believe it, a court should not adopt that version of the facts for purposes of ruling on a motion for summary judgment. Scott v. Harris, 550 U.S. 372, 380 (2007). When, as here, there is reliable video footage of the facts in the record, we view the facts in the light as depicted by the videotape. Id. III. Morgan appears to raise three issues on appeal: first, whether Jedic initiated an unlawful seizure by detaining him for a summons under N.J. Stat. Ann. 39:3-66 in violation of the requirement which requires that all vehicle lamps be kept in good working order, and which Morgan argues does not apply to him; second, whether Jedic lacked a constitutional basis for further detaining Morgan because he did not actually smell marijuana in Morgan's car; and third, whether Jedic and Trescott fabricated their testimony regarding the marijuana smell and the K-9 unit's positive indication for controlled substances in Morgan's vehicle when seeking a search warrant from the judge. We will address each in turn. A. We first examine whether the initial traffic stop was lawful. It is undisputed that Jedic pulled over Morgan after observing that the vehicle was missing its driver's side rear tail light cover and that the driver's side door was not fully closed. Morgan contends the District Court erred in holding that Jedic did not have reasonable suspicion to initiate the traffic stop because Morgan did not violate the automobile statute that he was ultimately cited under, N.J. Stat. Ann. 39:3-66. We agree with the District Court. A traffic stop is a seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment, even though the purpose of the stop is limited and the resulting detention quite brief. United States v. Delfin-Colina, 464 F.3d 392, 396 (3d Cir. 2006) (quoting Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648, 653 (1979)). The legality of routine traffic stops are assessed under the reasonable suspicion standard, where a police officer [has] the initial burden of providing the specific, articulable facts' to believe that an individual has violated the traffic laws. Id. (quoting United States v. Cortez, 449 U.S. 411, 416 (1981)); see also Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 2122 (1968). Reasonable suspicion can be established with information that is different in quantity or content than that required to establish probable cause, and reasonable suspicion can arise from information that is less reliable than that required to show probable cause. United States v. Valentine, 232 F.3d 350, 353 (3d Cir. 2000) (quoting Alabama v. White, 496 U.S. 325, 330 (1990)). Courts consider the totality of the circumstances, United States v. Lewis, 672 F.3d 232, 237 (3d Cir. 2012), and whether the facts and circumstances within the officer's knowledge at the time of an investigative stop or arrest objectively justify that action, keeping in mind that the arresting officer need not have contemplated the specific offense for which the defendant ultimately will be charged, United States v. Laville, 480 F.3d 187, 194 (3d Cir. 2007). The totality of the circumstances and facts known to Jedic at the time he pulled over Morgan objectively support the investigatory stop. Morgan's vehicle's tail light was missing its cover and emitted a bright white light. The driver's side door was not fully closed. Based on these undisputed facts, there was reasonable suspicion to conduct an investigatory traffic stop of Morgan's vehicle for violations of New Jersey motor vehicle law. See, e.g., N.J. Stat. Ann. 39:3-66 (requiring that all lamps on vehicles be in good working order); N.J. Stat. Ann. 39:3-44 (prohibiting the operation of motor vehicles in such unsafe condition as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property). Morgan's contention that the mere fact the tail light cover was missing is not a violation of section 39:3-66 is unsupported by law or any other authority. The New Jersey statute requires that lamps, reflectors and illuminating devices must be kept in good working order. N.J. Stat. Ann. 39:3-66. Although the statute does not define lamp, we agree with the District Court's conclusion that Morgan's restrictive interpretation that he has not violated the statute as long as the lightbulb itself is working is unpersuasive. This Court notes that a different statute regulates the color of the light emitted by vehicle lamps and requires that the lamp emit light that is [s]ubstantially red or amber when the lamp is a turn signal or a stop lamp on or facing the rear; [r]ed when any other lamp or any reflector is on the rear or on either side at or near the rear and [a]mber when any other lamp or reflector is on the front or on either side other than at or near the rear. N.J. Stat. Ann. 39:3-50. Not only was there reasonable suspicion to believe that Morgan was independently in violation of the lamp-color statute, but this statute also demonstrates that a tail lamp in good working order would need to emit red light, not white light directly from the bulb as was the case of Morgan's vehicle. Moreover, a third independent basis for the stop was that Morgan's vehicle was in an unsafe condition in violation of section 39:3-44 of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle and Traffice laws because the driver's side door was not closed properly. See N.J. Stat. Ann. 39:3-44. Morgan contends that Jedic must show that he initiated the traffic stop specifically because of the condition of Plaintiff's driver's side door. Morgan Reply Br. 4. Yet the question of reasonable suspicion does not turn on the subjective intent of the officer. United States v. Goodrich, 450 F.3d 552, 559 (3d Cir. 2006); see also Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806, 814 (1996). Thus, we do not ask the question Morgan suggests (Did Jedic initiate the stop solely because of the driver's side door condition?), but rather the question set forth in Terry v. Ohio: would the facts available to the officer at the moment of the [stop] warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that the action taken was appropriate? 392 U.S. at 2122 (quoting Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132, 162 (1925)). Based on the record evidence, the answer is yes. B. We next turn to the question of whether the extension of the traffic stop to conduct a dog sniff of Morgan's vehicle violated the Fourth Amendment. An officer may conduct certain unrelated checks during an otherwise lawful traffic stop [but] he may not do so in a way that prolongs the stop, absent the reasonable suspicion ordinarily demanded to justify detaining an individual. Rodriguez v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 1609, 1615 (2015). Under Rodriguez, Jedic prolonged the stop of Morgan in order to conduct a K-9 sniff. The question before us is whether Jedic had developed a reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal activity that expand[ed] the scope of an inquiry beyond the reason for the stop to justify detaining the vehicle. United States v. Lewis, 672 F.3d 232, 237 (3d Cir. 2012) (quoting United States v. Givan, 320 F.3d 452, 458 (3d Cir. 2003)). While conducting the initial traffic stop, Jedic smelled marijuana and saw and smelled the carpet freshening powder spread throughout the vehicle and air freshener on the console, which prompted him to seek Morgan's permission to search the car. When Morgan declined, Jedic called for a K-9 unit. Moreover, Jedic also learned of an active warrant for an individual with Morgan's first and last name and Social Security number (but different birthdate). These specific, articulable facts, Delfin-Colina, 464 F.3d at 397, viewed under the totality of the circumstances, established reasonable suspicion for the brief period of delay for the K-9 to arrive and to conduct its sniff of the car. Morgan contends that because Jedic acknowledged that the smell of the air freshener was so overpowering that it is so hard to say whether drugs were present, there was no reasonable suspicion to detain him further. Morgan Br. 12. The video and audio recording of Jedic's statements to the back-up officer does not support Morgan's position. Rather, Jedic clearly states that despite the overpowering smell of the carpet and/or air freshener, I smell something. Dashcam Video 15:17:0415:17:11; 15:29:3915:29:50; id. at 15:32:5833:12 (reiterating, I smell something in the car See if a county drug dog may be available). The fact that Jedic acknowledged the additional strong smell of air freshener does not negate his smelling the odor of marijuana. Furthermore, that Jedic was not certain that he smelled marijuana also does not defeat reasonable suspicion, which does not turn on hard certainties, but with probabilities. United States v. Mathurin, 561 F.3d 170, 174 (3d Cir. 2009) (quoting Cortez, 449 U.S. at 41718). In Morgan's case, no marijuana was ever found. But as we draw our conclusions based on the reasonableness of the officer's conduct based on the totality of the circumstances at the time, and not as viewed in hindsight, we cannot conclude that the decision to call for a K-9 unit was unreasonable. See Hill v. California, 401 U.S. 797, 804 (1971) ([S]ufficient probability, not certainty, is the touchstone of reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment and on the record before us the officers' mistake was understandable and the arrest a reasonable response to the situation facing them at the time.). Morgan's objection to Jedic's statement I smell something as insufficiently specific is without merit. First, there is no requirement that Jedic utter with any level of specificity what he observed and smelled to his fellow officers. Morgan seems to suggest that Jedic's failure to specify the something as a specific substance amounts to a triable issue. However, no reasonable jury would conclude that the something referred to non-contraband; it would defy common sense for Jedic to state to the dispatcher, I smell something [that is not contraband] before requesting a K-9 unit. Dashcam Video 15:32:5833:12. Second, when Trescott arrived at the scene, Morgan said to him that he smelled raw marijuana. Id. at 15:53:5015:55:42. Finally, to the extent that Morgan disputes that Jedic actually detected what he believed at the time to be the odor of marijuana, he has failed to raise a triable issue. A party asserting that a fact is genuinely disputed must support such an assertion with record material. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1). Morgan has not done so; in fact, he did not object to Jedic's Statement of Undisputed Facts regarding this issue. In the absence of any record evidence to contradict Jedic's smelling the odor of marijuana which, combined with his experience and training regarding the use of carpet freshening power throughout a vehicle's flooring and the active warrant containing Morgan's name and Social Security number, form the reasonable suspicion for further detention Morgan cannot overcome summary judgment. C. Morgan finally argues that the District Court erred in dismissing his claim that the search warrant was invalid because Jedic and Trescott submitted false testimony to secure the warrant. To successfully challenge the validity of the warrant, Morgan must satisfy the test set forth in Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154, 15556 (1978). The Franks test requires that Morgan prove by a preponderance of the evidence, (1) that the affiant knowingly and deliberately, or with a reckless disregard for the truth, made false statements or omissions that create a falsehood in applying for a warrant; and (2) that such statements or omissions are material, or necessary, to the finding of probable cause. Sherwood v. Mulvihill, 113 F.3d 396, 399 (3d Cir. 1997) (citing Franks, 438 U.S. at 17172). Morgan contends that Trescott committed perjury by stating that the K-9 gave a positive indication for the presence of controlled dangerous substances in the vehicle. However, the dashcam video shows that Trescott was testifying truthfully when he told Judge Mega that [w]hen I came from the front towards the driver's door, the dog showed some interest. I brought him back, I presented the bottom door seam, driver's door, and the dog gave me a positive indication by scratching. J.A. 50. The video shows Onyx raising his paw to the driver's side front door and the sound of scratching. Although Morgan contests this, we adopt the facts as shown in the incontrovertible video evidence. See Scott, 550 U.S. at 380. Nor does Morgan present any evidence to controvert Trescott's testimony that Onyx, who is trained in narcotics detection, exhibited behaviors that indicate a positive result for the smell of narcotics. Although Morgan argues that Trescott should have added that the signal from Onyx was not the strongest, he adduces no evidence showing that this omission was intentional or reckless. Moreover, any such omission would not be material to the finding of probable cause; an indication of the presence of narcotics need not be the strongest signal possible for there to be probable cause, which requires only the probability, and not a prima facie showing, of criminal activity Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 235 (1983) (quoting Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 419 (1969)). Morgan also asserts that Jedic falsely testified that he smelled the odor of marijuana from the car. First, this assertion is insufficient to establish a Franks claim because Morgan has not demonstrated that Jedic's testimony was material or necessary to the finding of probable cause given the evidence of positive dog sniff result. United States v. Pierce, 622 F.3d 209, 213 (3d Cir. 2010) ([A] dog's positive alert while sniffing the exterior of the car provides an officer with the probable cause necessary to search the car without a warrant.). Second, as we have discussed above, there is nothing in the record to render Jedic's testimony that he smelled marijuana a disputed fact. Morgan's assertion that Jedic was untruthful when he told Judge Mega that he sensed the smell of marijuana was a bit more vegetative than burnt and that it overpowered even the air freshener, Morgan Br. 20, does not establish a genuine issue of material fact because it is unsupported by any record evidence and because it is a self-serving statement by Morgan's attorney. See Gonzalez v. Sec'y of Dep't of Homeland Sec., 678 F.3d 254, 263 (3d Cir. 2012). Based on the record, no reasonable jury could find that Trescott or Jedic knowingly, deliberately, or recklessly made false statements or omissions in applying for the warrant, or that any such statement or omission was material to the finding of probable cause. Therefore, we agree with the District Court that Morgan's Franks claims fail. IV. For the reasons stated above, we will affirm the District Court's judgment. FOOTNOTES . Morgan appears to argue that Jedic jumped to conclusions as to the presence of marijuana, but did not object to Jedic's Rule 56 Statement of Undisputed Facts citing Jedic's deposition testimony that he detected what he believed to be the smell of marijuana from Morgan's vehicle. . Although Morgan references the two (2) opinions [the District Court] issued, Morgan Br. 4, he fails to advance any argument as to the Equal Protection claim. Accordingly, he has forfeited that issue. See Free Speech Coal., Inc. v. Attorney Gen., 677 F.3d 519, 545 (3d Cir. 2012). . Morgan appears to challenge the constitutionality of the entire police encounter, but does not clearly distinguish between the different phases of the stop. We have already addressed the officer's reasonable suspicion for the initial stop based on violations of New Jersey motor vehicle law. We now address the subsequent extension of the stop to investigate the presence of narcotics in Morgan's car. CHAGARES, Circuit Judge. PIERRE | The draft version of South Dakotas new management plan for deer will be out soon for public review, a state Game, Fish & Parks Department official said Friday. Tom Kirschenmann, the departments chief for terrestrial resources, said it would be released shortly. He said there would be a public comment period as part of the next state Game, Fish & Parks Commission meeting April 6-7 in Watertown. The deadline for other public comments would be April 17. The final version would be presented to commissioners for approval at the panels May 4-5 meeting in Custer State Park. Kirschenmann said some topics wont be addressed in detail but they will be recognized as matters for future action. There will be some things we all need to work on together to figure out, he said. There will be separate sections on whitetail deer and mule deer. State Game, Fish & Parks Secretary Kelly Hepler said the plan wont make recommendations and those will be left for the commission. Well work on whatever you want us to work on, Hepler told commissioners. Were not filtering things. He added, Well finalize this when youre ready to finalize it. Commission member Scott Phillips of rural New Underwood is serving on the stakeholder group that was assembled to advise on the project. These guys have done a lot of work. It is a good document. I guess I was one of those guys who expected more specifics, Phillips said. Im fine with the way it turned out, he continued. I guess we can make those decisions when the time is right. Phillips acknowledged he was a little disappointed there werent more specific recommendations, but he said he looks forward to discussing them when the time comes. In other GF&P news,commissioners approved a proposal on Thursday that calls for a decrease in elk hunting licenses. The plan would allocate 443 any elk and 1,150 antlerless elk licenses for the 2017 Black Hills firearms elk hunting season. That proposal would be a decrease of 105 antlerless elk tags compared with last year. The commission also proposed archery elk season to run Sept. 1-30 and to allocate 147 any elk and 130 anterless elk licenses for that season. That proposal would be a decrease of 10 antlerless tags from 2016. The commission plans to finalize the elk license proposal at its next meeting in Watertown. Also, the commission received information Friday about two new pieces of land to be purchased for public hunting. They are proposed as game production areas and will go before the commission in April for approval. One is 320 acres in Beadle County that outdoorsman and former state legislator Bob Roe of Brookings developed about 18 miles southeast of Huron. The amount of hunting opportunity will be tremendous, Paul Coughlin said, adding that the habitat is in great condition. The acquisition cost is $1.1 million. It is a pheasant property, and that is what it was developed for, said Coughlin, wildlife habitat program administrator for the GF&P. The second parcel is 103 acres in Stanley County owned by the MTR Land Partnership located off North Brown Church Road north of U.S. 14 and S.D. Highway 34. The acquisition cost is $135,000. The Rapid City surgeon who was slapped with a historic $13.5 million malpractice judgment Thursday was mired in a divorce and other legal battles at the time of his botched 2010 surgery, and public records indicate he has financial problems that could make full collection of the judgment unlikely. The judgment was awarded by U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier after the surgeon, 78-year-old James H. Oury, failed to make timely responses to a malpractice lawsuit while representing himself without an attorney. Court records show that Oury performed heart surgery Oct. 14, 2010, on the plaintiff, Hudson E. Myers, of Georgia, when Myers was 21 years old. Air bubbles known as emboli entered Myers blood stream during the surgery and caused what the lawsuit described as a catastrophic and permanent neurologic injury. The lawsuit alleged that Oury was negligent in his performance of the surgery and had also failed to disclose vital information to Myers before the surgery. An attorney said Myers suffered physical and mental deficits that have left him unemployable. Other individuals who provided care to Myers were originally named as co-defendants, as was Rapid City Regional Hospital. In the end, all of those co-defendants won dismissals from the lawsuit, leaving only Oury and two corporations registered to him as remaining defendants. The lawsuit was filed in October 2012 by attorneys at the Goodsell Quinn law firm in Rapid City, including lead attorney Terry Quinn. David Barari, another plaintiff's attorney on the case, described the judgment as historically large. We dont know that its the largest medical malpractice judgment in South Dakota history, but we think it is, or its very close, Barari said in a Journal interview. Myers was born with a heart condition. He and his family sought out Oury to perform a heart surgery known as a Ross procedure on Myers in 2006. Myers returned for another surgery by Oury in 2010. On the day of the 2010 surgery, Ourys pending court cases included his divorce, an age-discrimination lawsuit that he had filed against Rapid City Regional Hospital, and a malpractice lawsuit filed against him by the estate of a woman who died in 2008 after he operated on her. That woman, Kathy Young, had undergone a Ross procedure, the same surgery Oury performed on Myers. Oury's divorce was finalized about two months after the Myers surgery. Ourys relationship with his ex-wife grew so contentious that she filed for protection orders, and he was convicted of violating a protection order, according to court records. The divorce case was eventually reopened, and court records show that Oury owes $109,516 to his ex-wife as part of a judgment she won in 2013. Oury filed his age-discrimination lawsuit, which he ultimately lost, against Regional Health after Regional Health Physicians did not renew his contract in 2008. That same year, he incorporated Rushmore Heart Institute Inc., and he retained privileges to operate at Regional Hospital until 2012. Regional earned a dismissal from the Myers lawsuit after showing that the hospital did not employ Oury at the time of the botched surgery. The Young estate lost its lawsuit against Oury at a trial in 2011, then appealed to the state Supreme Court and won a second trial in 2013, but that trial also ended in a verdict favoring Oury. Oury has since lost his medical licenses. While he was applying for licensure in 2013, Oury indicated that he had not been subject to any criminal or civil complaints other than minor traffic offenses, which was false on many counts. Investigators for the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners rooted out Ourys extensive criminal and civil court records, and the board reprimanded Oury in 2015 and restricted him from practicing medicine. Then, last March, the board agreed to grant Oury a license if he met a lengthy list of conditions, but the boards website still shows Ourys licenses as inactive. Ourys legal troubles have continued unabated in recent years, including the filing of a number of financial claims against him. Court records show that in addition to the money he owes to his ex-wife, he owes $50,710 to Regional Health Physicians, $24,583 to Ford Motor Credit Co. and smaller amounts to various creditors. In November, a Hot Springs law firm filed a lawsuit against Oury for $51,648 in legal fees that the firm claims he owes for the firms representation in two past cases. That lawsuit is pending, as is a foreclosure action filed against Oury, his ex-wife and other defendants by U.S. Bank National Association on a second-lien mortgage. In June, a restaurant worker obtained a protection order against Oury, and in November he was again convicted of violating a protection order. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. EULOGIO HERNANDEZ-BOX, Petitioner, v. JEFF B. SESSIONS, U.S. Attorney General, Respondent. No. 16-3647 Decided: February 27, 2017 BEFORE: SILER, MOORE, and GRIFFIN, Circuit Judges. Petitioner Eulogio Hernandez-Box, a Quiche-speaking Mayan Indian and native of Guatemala, entered the United States illegally in 2001. Nine years later, in 2010, he applied for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). The Immigration Judge (IJ) denied petitioner's application, and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) dismissed the appeal. We lack jurisdiction to review petitioner's untimely application for asylum, and agree he has failed to meet his burden for withholding of removal or protection under the CAT. Accordingly, we dismiss in part and deny in part the petition for review. I. Under the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), an alien must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he filed his application for asylum within one year of his arrival to the United States. 8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(2)(B). An exception applies, however, if the alien demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Attorney General either the existence of changed circumstances which materially affect the applicant's eligibility for asylum or extraordinary circumstances relating to the delay in filing an application within the [one-year] period. 8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(2)(D). Changed circumstances that may excuse a delay include [c]hanges in conditions in the applicant's country of nationality, changes in applicable U.S. law, and activities the applicant becomes involved in outside the country of feared prosecution that place the applicant at risk. 8 C.F.R. 1208.4(a)(4)(i)(A) & (B). If the IJ agrees that changed circumstances exist, the alien bears the additional burden to demonstrate that he filed for asylum within a reasonable period given those changed circumstances. 8 C.F.R. 1208.4(a)(4)(ii). Hernandez-Box concedes that he applied for asylum well outside the one-year window, but maintains the IJ erred in declining to apply the changed circumstances exception based on his testimony regarding increased crime and political violence in his home municipality of Aguacatan. This issue is beyond our jurisdictional reach. Under the REAL ID Act of 2005, we have jurisdiction to review asylum applications denied for untimeliness only when the appeal seeks review of constitutional claims or matters of statutory construction, not when the question is discretionary or factual. Khozhaynova v. Holder, 641 F.3d 187, 191 (6th Cir. 2011) (quoting Shkulaku-Purballori v. Mukasey, 514 F.3d 499, 502 (6th Cir. 2007)). Challenges to the denial of an asylum application as untimely are often dismissed for lack of jurisdiction because they ask the court to reweigh the evidence in the petitioner's favor. Mandebvu v. Holder, 755 F.3d 417, 42526 (6th Cir. 2014). Hernandez-Box asks us to do just that. Specifically, he contends the IJ should have more thoughtfully considered his testimony concerning an ongoing dispute between two Aguacatan political opponents, Pablo Escobar and Simon Gaspar. Petitioner testified that Escobar's supporters attacked his father on two separate occasions after he voted for Gaspar in the 2000 mayoral election. Hernandez-Box, then only fourteen years old, witnessed one of the beatings: They arrived, they beat the hell out of my father, they hit him, they threatened that if my father does not support [Escobar], they are going to kill all of his children. Asked about the current state of affairs, Hernandez-Box explained that Escobar's followers now target[ ] people walking on the street by themselves and ask for money. If you do not give them money, they hit you then leave you. Petitioner feared that if he returned to Aguacatan, he would be an attractive target. They know I come from the United States and they are already there to demand money from me or they will kidnap me. Although the IJ did not make an adverse credibility finding, she declined to credit petitioner's claim that he would face persecution if returned to Guatemala. She observed that while petitioner alluded [to] some increase in violence, he provided no specifics as to how that related to his claim, nor did he corroborate any increase in violence with any supporting documents. Further, when asked why he did not petition for asylum earlier, Hernandez-Box testified he did not file sooner because he did not know how. Ignorance of the law, she noted, does not excuse late filing. A finding of changed circumstances is generally a predominantly factual determination, which will invariably turn on the facts of a given case. Almuhtaseb v. Gonzales, 453 F.3d 743, 748 (6th Cir. 2006) (citation omitted). Challenges based on evidence of increased violence and unfamiliarity with the legal system fall comfortably within the category of predominantly factual determination[s]not claims based on constitutional rights or matters of statutory construction. See id. (claims concerning escalated violence would require us to consider the evidence regarding the nature of the violence, and are therefore unreviewable); see also Khozhaynova, 641 F.3d at 19192 (addressing unfamiliarity with immigration law); Shkulaku-Purballori, 514 F.3d at 502 (declining to consider as issues of fact petitioner's assertion that the cause of his late filing was not his own fault, but the fault of scheduling at the immigration court in Detroit, and his mistaken belief that an asylum application had to be filed in front of a judge). Similarly, here, evaluating petitioner's claim that the IJ conducted a less-than-thoughtful review of the evidence would invariably turn on the facts presented before her and is therefore left to the agency's sole discretion. Almuhtaseb, 453 F.3d at 748 (citation omitted). Hernandez-Box attempts to recast his claim as a question of statutory interpretation based on our decision in Mandebvu. There, our court determined it had jurisdiction to consider the denial of an asylum application as untimely because the IJ improperly required that [the petitioners] prove something not required by the statute. 755 F.3d at 426. In particular, the IJ interpreted the changed circumstances exception to require that an asylum applicant, in order to excuse a delay in filing demonstrate that he would not have been eligible for asylum had he applied before the change in country conditions. Id. The Mandebvu family argued they could satisfy the changed circumstances exception even if they would have been eligible for asylum before the events that changed their circumstances. Id. We found this issue reviewable as a matter[ ] of statutory construction, id. at 425 (quoting Khozhaynova, 641 F.3d at 191), because the court could resolve it while accepting as true the IJ's factual conclusion that there [had been] only an incremental change in the conditions of the petitioners' home country of Zimbabwe, and the Mandebvus' claim that they were eligible for asylum both before and after the events of [the] 2008 [Zimbabwe election]. Id. at 426. Thus, the Mandebvus' appeal was within our jurisdiction because it d[id] not require this court to revisit the evidence submitted in support of their claim. Id. But reviewing petitioner's appeal in this case does. The IJ here did not make any factual findings in Hernandez-Box's favor, and, as a result, no statutory question remains if we accept her findings as true. Even under Mandebvu, if an applicant's claims of escalated violence would require us to consider evidence regarding the nature of the violence to determine whether, as a matter of fact, violence had indeed increased and may excuse the delay, the appeal is outside our jurisdiction. Id. (quoting Almuhtaseb, 453 F.3d at 748). We will not entertain a challenge that requires us to reweigh the evidence in [Hernandez-Box's] favor. Id. Because [petitioner's] claim relies on contesting these sorts of factual determinations rather than on statutory construction or a constitutional claim, we are without jurisdiction to review the BIA's determination denying [him] asylum. Almuhtaseb, 453 F.3d at 748 (footnote omitted). Accordingly, we dismiss in part Hernandez-Box's petition for review. II. Petitioner next contests the agency's decision denying him withholding of removal and protection under the CAT. On these issues, we review the IJ's and BIA's legal determinations de novo and their findings of fact for substantial evidence. Mandebvu, 755 F.3d at 424. Substantial-evidence review is highly deferential, meaning that this court may overturn the IJ's factual findings only if the evidence not only supports reversal, but compels it, such that no reasonable factfinder could have made the finding that the IJ did. Yousif v. Lynch, 796 F.3d 622, 628 (6th Cir. 2015) (quoting INS v. Elias-Zacarias, 502 U.S. 478, 481 n.1 (1992)) (brackets omitted). Where the Board affirms the IJ's ruling but adds its own comments, we review both the IJ's decision and the Board's additional remarks. Id. (citation omitted). There are two provisions under which an alien can request withholding of removal: 241(b)(3) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1231(b)(3), or the CAT. Almuhtaseb, 453 F.3d at 749 (footnote omitted). We begin with Hernandez-Box's INA petition. A. To qualify for withholding of removal under the INA, petitioner must establish it is more likely than not that he will be persecuted upon returning to Guatemala on account of [his] race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Umana-Ramos v. Holder, 724 F.3d 667, 674 (6th Cir. 2013) (quoting 8 U.S.C. 1231(b)(3)(A)). Hernandez-Box can make this showing in two ways. First, if he demonstrates past persecution on account of a protected ground, we must presume his life or freedom [will] be threatened in the future. 8 C.F.R. 208.16(b)(1)(i). Second, if he cannot demonstrate past persecution, he must show it is more likely than not that his life or freedom will be threatened in the future on account of a protected ground if he is returned to Guatemala. 8 C.F.R. 208.16(b)(2). In this case, the IJ found Hernandez-Box did not demonstrate either. Regarding past persecution, the IJ noted it was [petitioner's] father who was harmed in the past and he himself experienced no harm. And even on this point, evidence demonstrating the attacks were politically motivated was weak and somewhat implausible. For example, Hernandez-Box testified his father was harmed by Pablo Escobar supporters due to the fact that Pablo Escobar lost the 2000 election, when, in fact, the record reflects that Pablo Escobar won the 2000 election. Turning to likelihood of future harm, the IJ found that although petitioner identified several grounds for protection (his race as a Quiche-speaking Mayan, his membership in a social group opposed to Escobar, and his political opinion opposed to Escobar), his testimony regarding each protected ground was inconsistent, confusing, and unsupported. The BIA agreed with both assessments. Petitioner does not dispute the agency's finding that he is not entitled to a presumption of future persecution. He instead contends the IJ erred in finding that he failed to demonstrate a well-founded fear of future persecution based, in part, on evidence of the politically-motivated attacks against his father. We disagree. At the outset, the mistreatment [petitioner] allegedly suffered might not be severe enough to constitute persecution. Bonilla-Morales v. Holder, 607 F.3d 1132, 1136 (6th Cir. 2011). Persecution entails more than a few isolated incidents of verbal harassment or intimidation, unaccompanied by any physical punishment, infliction of harm, or significant deprivation of liberty. Id. (quoting Mikhailevitch v. INS, 146 F.3d 384, 390 (6th Cir. 1998)). Its future likelihood must also be more than a generalized or random possibility. Almuhtaseb, 453 F.3d at 750 (citation omitted). [A]n alien must show that she is at particular riskthat her predicament is appreciably different from the dangers faced by her fellow citizens. Id. (citation and brackets omitted). Here, Hernandez-Box witnessed only one of two attacks on his father, during which Escobar's supporters threatened that if [his] father does not support [Escobar], they are going to kill all of his children. While we do not make light of the impact this event had on petitioner, then only fourteen years old, we cannot conclude the IJ erred in acknowledging that he was not the primary target[ ]. See Bonilla-Morales, 607 F.3d at 113637 (declining to find past persecution where the petitioner's family members were the primary targets of gang violence). Petitioner's own testimony supports a finding that this was an isolated incident of intimidation, unaccompanied by any physical punishment directed at him personally. Mikhailevitch, 146 F.3d at 390. Petitioner's claims were also inconsistent with his own documentary evidencegiving the IJ another reason to discount his testimony. Under the REAL ID Act, if an IJ concludes an applicant for withholding of removal should provide corroborating evidence, then corroborating evidence is requiredeven where she finds the applicant otherwise credible, as the IJ did in this case. Urbina-Mejia v. Holder, 597 F.3d 360, 367 (6th Cir. 2010). Hernandez-Box's documentary evidence did more to contradict his testimony than corroborate it. For example, he claimed Escobar's supporters beat his father twice after losing the 2000 election, elaborating further that fighting broke out due to Escobar's refusal to giv[e] up his office to Gaspar, the winning candidate. Yet, as the IJ noted, petitioner submitted an article stating Escobar won that election. Petitioner also testified that Gaspar won the 2004 election, when the same article indicates Escobar won reelection that year. Other articles he submitted also characterized Escobar as a target of political persecution, not a perpetrator. Still, [g]iven his young age at the time of the 2000 election, the IJ gave [petitioner] the benefit of the doubt and found him generally credible. But this finding did not permit her to overlook the fact that petitioner's father failed to confirm his story: There was an affidavit in Exhibit 4 from [Hernandez-Box's] father; however, that affidavit included no details about the harm inflicted on [his] father in 2000 or 2001 and, frankly, provided no details that corroborated the [petitioner's] claim. This omission is significant. The attacks on petitioner's father are the base upon which he founds his claim of political persecution, and the failure to discuss th[ose] incident[s] in any detail is an important missing piece of information. See Lin v. Holder, 565 F.3d 971, 977 (6th Cir. 2009). Moreover, petitioner submitted no evidence corroborating his assertion that violence, politically-based or otherwise, was on the rise in Aguacatan. As for the non-political ground for protection, petitioner's race as a Quiche-speaking Mayan, substantial evidence supports the IJ's finding that petitioner's testimony was inconsistent and unsupported. Hernandez-Box did at times attribute the political hostility toward his family to their identity as Quiche speakers: Well, they threatened the Quiche speakers by saying, you should come help us and Pablo Escobar so we can remove Simon Gaspar from office. If not, we will kill you. Later, however, petitioner explained that community members and local police are currently protecting his fathera fellow Quiche speakerfrom further harm. Yet Hernandez-Box also believed these same forces could not protect him, because he is at heightened risk as an individual who has left the country. I fear returning because they will hear that I am back in town. They know I am from the United States and they [will] demand money from me or kidnap me. Petitioner's fear of crime and economic and environmental problems may be legitimate, but it is not relevant to his fear of future persecution based on his Quiche-speaking Mayan ancestry. Koliada v. INS, 259 F.3d 482, 488 (6th Cir. 2001); see also Almuhtaseb, 453 F.3d at 750 (finding fear of shootings, bombings, lack of infrastructure and access to medical care too generalized to constitute persecution). Insofar as returning from the United States increases the risk of harm to Hernandez-Box, this fact is also irrelevant because criminal exploitation motivated by the perceived wealth of former inhabitants of the United States is not persecution based on a protected ground. Sanchez-Robles v. Lynch, 808 F.3d 688, 692 (6th Cir. 2015) (citation omitted). Finally, apart from his contradictory testimony, Hernandez-Box offered no corroborating evidence to support the only claim that is relevant: his assertion that Quiche-speaking Mayans are mistreated in Guatemala. On the whole, this evidence does not compel the conclusion that Hernandez-Box will more likely than not face persecution if deported to Guatemala. Accordingly, we deny his petition for withholding of removal under the INA. B. To prevail on a petition for withholding of removal under the CAT, petitioner must prove it is more likely than not that he would be tortured if removed to Guatemala. Shkulaku-Purballori, 514 F.3d at 503 (citation omitted). Torture is the intentional infliction of severe mental or physical pain upon an individual by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. Alhaj v. Holder, 576 F.3d 533, 539 (6th Cir. 2009) (quoting 8 C.F.R. 208.18(a)(1)). Acts amounting to torture are extreme; they do not include lesser forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Almuhtaseb, 453 F.3d at 751 (quoting 8 C.F.R. 1208.18(a)(2)). Hernandez-Box's fear that he may become the victim of an extortion attempt does not establish a particularized threat of torture. Id. (citation omitted). Crime victimization by a non-government actor is not an extreme form of cruel and inhuman treatment. 8 C.F.R. 1208.18(a)(2); see also Palma-Campos v. Holder, 606 F. App'x 284, 287 (6th Cir. 2015) ([A] general fear of crime and economic problems is not sufficient for withholding of removal under the CAT. (internal quotation marks omitted)). Nor is it clear from the record that the Guatemalan government instigates or tolerates such conduct. Petitioner in fact testified it does not. He stated police now protect his father and other Quiche speakers from Escobar's supporters. The only other evidence he offers is the State Department's 2012 Human Rights Report on Guatemala, which indicates indigenous Mayan communities face economic and social marginalization, as well as a lack of public infrastructure, poor roads and limited access to running water and electricity. Again, these concerns may be legitimate, but they bear no relevance in proving a threat of persecution, see Koliada, 259 F.3d at 488, to say nothing of torture. Because the evidence does not compel the conclusion that petitioner will more likely than not be tortured if removed, we deny his petition for protection under the CAT. III. For these reasons, we dismiss in part, and deny in part, Hernandez-Box's petition for review. FOOTNOTES . Insofar as Hernandez-Box argues he has demonstrated extraordinary circumstances excusing his delay, this argument is not properly before us. A court may review a final order of removal only if the alien has exhausted all administrative remedies available [to him] as of right. 8 U.S.C. 1252(d)(1). Exhaustion of administrative remedies requires the petitioner to first argue the claim before the IJ or the BIA before an appeal may be taken. Csekinek v. INS, 391 F.3d 819, 822 (6th Cir. 2004). Further, the petitioner must have reasonably developed the claim in his brief before the BIA. Khalili v. Holder, 557 F.3d 429, 433 (6th Cir. 2009). With respect to his extraordinary circumstances claim, Hernandez-Box did neither. The same goes for his claim that the IJ should have conducted further inquiry into his competency to participate in removal proceedingsan assertion petitioner makes for the first time on appeal. Because Hernandez-Box failed to exhaust his administrative remedies, we are precluded from reaching these issues. . Corroborating evidence may not be required if the applicant cannot reasonably obtain it. Urbina-Mejia, 597 F.3d at 367. Hernandez-Box, however, did not invoke this exception. . Beyond failing to mention the attacks, petitioner's father dated Aguacatan's political infighting back to 2004, giving that year as the date his son fled to the United States as a consequence of the violence and insecurity. GRIFFIN, Circuit Judge. WASHINGTON | President Trump's main achievement in his first address to Congress was to make the phrase "President Trump" seem more plausible to more Americans. The event had all the reassuring signs of normalcy the familiar ovations, the teleprompter, the policy proposals, the attempts at inspiration. International alliances were reaffirmed rather than questioned. A Gold Star family was honored instead of criticized. Trump made at least the attempt to present his nationalist, law-and-order views in the best light rather than the starkest contrast. His convictions, while still vivid, were not painted in his typical, jarring neon. In all this, Trump made use of conventions rather than smashing them. And that provided some assurance that conventions could matter to the president and his team, at least for one winter's evening. None of this represented a substantive change; it was a triumph of the speech-writing department, not the policy shop. But even some of Trump's toughest critics found encouragement in his attempt to be encouraging. And still. The actual purpose of a president's first speech to Congress is not to burnish his image; it is to clarify his budget priorities. And here, Trump is on more familiar, less coherent, ground. The Trump budget which still only exists in its barest outlines would increase defense spending by more than $50 billion, cut discretionary spending by a similar amount, and leave entitlement programs alone. All of these elements represent the fulfillment of campaign pledges. But, taken together, they seem like the liberal caricature of a Republican budget: Cut poverty-fighting programs and international aid in order to fund more ships and tanks, but leave programs for the elderly (who disproportionately vote Republican) untouched. Republicans clearly foresee a division of labor in the budget process. Trump will do the big-picture persuasion while House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell take care of the details. But the problem here is the big picture. Even in outline, the Trump budget is impractical, cold-hearted and unsalable. It offers little by way of outreach to Democrats, some of whom will be needed to pass appropriations bills requiring 60 votes in the Senate. The proposal to slash discretionary spending which means cuts in things like education, environmental protection, AIDS drugs and medical research is enough to embitter any liberal heart. Discretionary spending has been steadily shrinking as a portion of the budget and has already taken considerable hits over the years. Trump is asking for gallons of blood from a pale and anemic patient. Trump's budget does little to please Republican budget hawks. They have also proposed similar levels of cuts in the past. But they always planned on using the saved money for deficit reduction. Trump is proposing to shift spending into defense and law enforcement, with no net cut in spending. "He seems to be arguing," says Yuval Levin, editor of National Affairs, "for keeping the same budget trajectory we are on now, but still taking the political pain and human cost of big discretionary cuts." That is not an easy sell to Republicans. Trump's budget does little to please entitlement hawks. Under Ryan's leadership, congressional Republicans staked out the position that it is irresponsible to leave Social Security and Medicare on the path to insolvency and crisis. Ryan and company have now been undermined by another president who refuses to confront the mathematics of entitlement instability. The president is likely to find resistance to elements of his budget in unlikely places. Some of the strongest opponents of cuts in foreign aid have backgrounds in the military. They understand that health and development spending can be a strategic tool, encouraging stability and decreasing the need for future interventions. Perhaps Trump should pause a moment in his praise of military leaders and actually listen to them. The Trump budget outline is underdeveloped, compared with those of other presidencies; it leaves the trajectory of deficits unchanged; it imposes cruel and indiscriminate cuts in discretionary spending; it is cowardly, especially on the main drivers of future debt; it is injurious to elected Republicans who will risk the wrath of the Trump base in order to make rational budget choices; it is an indication of governing unseriousness and a preference for positioning over leadership. But the speech was nice. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy ELLENDALE, ND A full day cattle workshop held in Ellendale, ND, looked at the Circle of Life that each animal encounters starting with birth and ending with death. The morning portion focused on those beginning stages, including calving and the economics of raising cattle.However, the afternoon session concentrated on those final stages of life, which is the segment little thought is usually given to, yet is very important to each cattle operation.The art of cow culling The first portion of the programming, led by Dickey County Extension Agent Breana Kiser, stressed culling strategies reasons for culling and the best time to remove a cow from the herd.There are two main reasons for culling a cow if the cow is old and/or open, and poor performance.Cattle will normally breed consistently through eight years of age.Once they hit 10 years, their pregnancy rate will start declining, and when they hit 12 they decline sharply, said Kiser. So, keeping good records of your cattles ages is important.Some of the factors to look for in the category of poor performance include:Poor milk productionCalf sicknessNot taking care of the calf properlyPassing on inferior geneticsCow is becoming structurally unsound with hoof, udder, shoulder or mouth problemsOther health problems such as cancer eye or Johnes diseaseDisposition problems that show up either in the cow or her calfDisposition problems include more than just being difficult to handle, Kiser said. Studies have shown that excitable calves have a lower rate of gain in the feedlot, and they usually have a darker carcass when slaughtered, which results in a discounted price.Once the decision to cull is made, the higher the body condition score (BCS) the higher price the cull cow will bring, since its carcass yields more beef. If feed supply is not an issue and the health of the cow warrants, a producer could consider feeding a potential cull cow with a BCS of 4.0 to a 5.0-6.0 BCS. This is usually well worth the investment in feed.Sometimes euthanasia is necessary Sometimes an animal will become severely ill or break a leg and euthanasia becomes the humane way to address the problem.Lisa Pederson, NDSU Extension Beef Quality Assurance specialist, tackled the euthanasia problem, noting that it is one of the toughest challenges a livestock producer faces, but with a little understanding it might end up not being one of the most difficult decisions a producer makes.She said most livestock producers fall into the category of animal welfarists, meaning they understand humans need animals for use, but producers are also concerned about cattle care and husbandry. Most producers, veterinarians and consumers fit into that group, she noted.There is a symbiotic relationship between humans and domesticated livestock. Humans provide food, water, shelter and protection against extremes, and livestock provide food, toil (work), fiber and power.We provide for them, so they can provide for us, Pederson said. It is also important to note that wildlife dont have the same rights as domesticated animals under our care.I think that most of mainstream America believes in what we have called an Ancient Contract, which means we can use animals for our use if we provide for them and the way they should be cared for.The word euthanasia comes from the Greek term good death, she noted. The definition of euthanasia means death is induced with no pain or distress and requires immediate loss of consciousness, followed by cardiac and respiratory arrest.Those with livestock should be trained and have the proper tools for euthanasia, she said.Sometimes the best thing we can do is euthanize an animal, but that is hard for us, since we are in livestock production and care immensely about animals and want to save them, she said. But sometimes it is okay to make that tough decision to euthanize an animal.There are several ways this can be accomplished; however, using a firearm is the most common way on a farm or ranch setting. This requires a proper selection of firearm and bullet, the combination which will provide sufficient velocity, energy and size to pass through the skull and cause massive brain destruction. Euthanasia of bulls, adult cows or horses require a larger caliber firearm, however a .22 caliber long rifle solid point bullet fired from a rifle or pistol is sufficient for young or smaller animals.No matter what method of euthanasia is used, there must be confirmation of death before disposal of the animal. These four areas should be checked: 1) Lack of a heartbeat; 2) Lack of respiration; 3) Lack of a corneal reflex; and 4) Presence of rigor mortis.Disposing of the carcass The final step in this process is disposing of the dead animals carcass. Mary Berg, Extension Livestock Environmental Management specialist at the Carrington Research Extension Center, discussed carcass composting and other ways to handle livestock carcasses.North Dakota law requires that within 36 hours of a livestock death composting, burial, incineration, rendering or landfilling are approved methods of handling those carcasses, Berg noted.The focus of her presentation was composting.When we are composting, not only the soft tissue like the hide and the organs are taken care of, but also a lot of the bones, Berg said.To be successful, certain procedures must be followed when composting larger animals. It starts with a foundation base of 12- to 24-inches of material high in carbon, such as straw, old hay, wood chips or corn stalks. This material should be a little bit coarse so air can move up though the compost pile, and yet dry enough to absorb the material leaking out of the pile.The carcass is then placed on this base and at least two feet of material is then placed all around the carcass. Try to get a layer of material immediately over the carcass that contains an active culture already, such as spoiled silage or Distillers grain, and then cover that with a layer of straw, spoiled hay or sawdust.If you put enough cover material on top, the heat will stay in, which is really important to the process, and the smell is going to stay in too, she said. And if the smell stays in, the coyotes stay out.Composting times vary. A young animal composted properly can completely disappear in as little as three months, while an older and larger animal may take many more months to go through the compost process and some of the larger bones will not disappear during composting.Finally, Berg said there are a few situations where composting should not be done, such as in the case of anthrax, where the carcass must be incinerated, if the animals are under a state quarantine, or BSE is suspected in the cow.More detailed information on composting is available by contacting Berg at the Carrington Research Extension Center or by emailing her at Mary.Berg@ndsu.edu. Unlocking Public Lands Landowners have until Thursday, March 30, to submit applications to Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks for enrollment in Unlocking Public Lands, a new program that may qualify a landowner for up to $3,000 in annual tax credits, according to a news release. Through Unlocking Public Lands, landowners who enter into a contractual agreement with FWP and allow public recreational access across private land in order to reach a parcel of otherwise-inaccessible state or federal Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service-owned land, will be entitled to receive a $750 annual tax credit per contract, with a maximum of four contracts per year. This program is a product of the 2015 Legislature, which expanded a program called Unlocking State Land passed by the previous Legislature. While Montana contains nearly 31 million acres of federal Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service land, as well as state land, much of this land requires landowner permission to cross private land to reach the state or federal land. Offering a tax credit in exchange for allowing public access across private land to reach public land is a unique and innovative way to increase public access, said Ken McDonald, FWP wildlife division administrator. We hope these new opportunities and incentives may appeal to landowners throughout the state. More information about the program, including enrollment criteria and the application form, can be found at fwp.mt.gov/hunting/hunterAccess/unlockingPublicLands/. *** Outdoor burning March 1 marked the opening of outdoor burning by permit in western Montana, according to a news release. All burns require a permit, which Montanans can obtain at the County Burn Permit System online at app.mt.gov/burnpermit/. Permits are also available at local fire department stations. Contact your local fire department for the hours that they will be issuing burn permits; generally on Saturdays. Or you can obtain a permit by visiting the Ravalli County Sheriffs Office from 1 p.m.to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Before lighting a fire, Montanans must activate their permits online or by calling the automated activation phone-line at 1-866-212-6318. When dispersion is poor, burn restrictions are required to protect public health. Due to weather or other applicable conditions, burning may be closed on any given day. When burning is closed, the website and automated phone system will prevent you from activating your permit. To prevent burns from spreading to surrounding vegetation and structures, burners should take every precaution. Knowing what and how to burn is as important to the process of applying for a Burn Permit and activating it online or by phone the day that you burn. All General Outdoor Burns must begin after 9 a.m., and must be fully extinguished by 4 p.m., unless the local fire department has granted an extension. If a fire loses control, burners will be liable for fire suppression costs as well as any damage the fire causes to the surrounding community. For additional information, contact Lt. Zae Hudson with the Ravalli County Sheriff's office at 406-375-4020, your local fire chief, or visit https://goo.gl/5akyDS. *** Trout Unlimited The WestSlope Chapter of Trout Unlimited will host a special program on Idaho's Kelly Creek and the North Fork of the Clearwater on Wednesday, March 8, according to a news release. Joe DuPont, of the Idaho Fish and Game, will be presenting on these two rivers just a few hours from Missoula and over the hill from Superior. Kelly Creek has been catch and release since 1970 and is full of fat west slope cutthroats. There will be beautiful country, great fishing and camping. The group will be meeting at Ruby's Inn on Reserve Street to avoid the congestion from the Elton John concert. Join us for fly tying at 6:30 with the program at 7. Free Trout Unlimited memberships will be available. *** Clark Fork Coalition On Wednesday, March 8, the Clark Fork Coalition will host an informal presentation about the threat of invasive mussels and other aquatic invasive species in Montana waterways, according to a press release. The presentation is from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. at the Clark Fork Coalition office, 140 South Fourth St. W., Missoula. Caryn Miske, executive director of the Flathead Basin Commission, will share her extensive knowledge of aquatic invasive species (AIS) and what can be done to stop their spread to the Clark Fork watershed. Invasive mussels likely arrived in the United States as tiny passengers in the ballast water of ocean-going barges from Eastern Europe. They first appeared in the Great Lakes in the 1980s and have spread to at least 30 states by hitching rides on watercraft. Invasive mussels strip the food web of plankton, promote nuisance algae growth, harm native fish populations, ruin beaches and damage infrastructure, including drinking water pipes, irrigation infrastructure and recreation facilities. Once established, theyre impossible to eradicate. The first discovery of mussel larvae in Montana occurred in November 2016 in the Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs. Both of these reservoirs drain to the east part of the state. Still, the discovery has dramatically upped the ante in the battle to keep mussels out of the Clark Fork watershed, which forms the eastern headwaters of the Columbia River basin. As weve seen in other states, mussels and other invasive aquatic species have the potential to wreak havoc once theyre established, both ecologically and economically, said Karen Knudsen, executive director of the Clark Fork Coalition. So its critically important to block any outbreaks on the east side of the state and stop them from entering the Clark Fork watershed. In the case of AIS, an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. This spring, Montanas lawmakers are evaluating a series of recommendations for preventing, detecting and containing mussels and other AIS. The March 8 event is part of the Coalitions Water Walks and Talks learning series, which keeps citizens informed about hot topics and recent developments in the Clark Fork River watershed. For more information on the Walks & Talks series, and the Clark Fork Coalition, please visit clarkfork.org. *** Fly Fishers of the Bitterroot The monthly meeting of FFB will be Tuesday, March 7, at BJ's Restaurant in Hamilton. The social hour is 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm with cocktails/dinner optional. There will be a raffle and the usual fish stories. The month's presenter is Willi Cannell from Solitude River Trips. Willi was chosen as one of the 'Best Outfitters on Earth' by National Geographic Society's Adventure Magazine and 2006 ORVIS endorsed 'Expedition of the Year.' The Middle Fork of the Salmon River is the west's most rugged wilderness cutthroat trout fishery. Willi has been a guide on the Middle Fork and Main Salmon rivers for 10 years. His topic 'Native Cutthroat of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River' will be accompanied by beautiful images provided by his wife, Kat. For more information call 363-0744 Dorreen. Seating is limited and this program will have a lot of interest. DARBY Esther L. 'Brownie' Foss was born on Aug. 2, 1925 in Missoula to Thyra and Charles Ott. Always the free spirit, deeply tanned 'Brownie' could be found as a teenager on the back of a horse, riding the hills, and swimming the river, on a ranch in Miller Creek, south of Missoula. The lure of nature filled her life with adrenaline producing whitewater float trips to: The Grand Canyon, the Tatshenshini in Alaska, Australia's Snowy River and the world's wildest commercially run whitewater - Chile's Bio-Bio. She said "I believe you should scare yourself witless at least once a year. It'll build your self-confidence." Brownie trekked 5 days in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness equipped with only fishing line and hooks, a knife, tin cooking can, matches and a space blanket. She lived off the grid north of Darby in a log cabin she and her sons built. She was articulate, tough and genteel, a retired bank teller, a former veterinarian's assistant, and a wonderful mother to three children. She was an avid rock collector, always wondering "How do all these rocks keep crowding my home when I give them away regularly?" She enjoyed music and dancing and dearly loved her friends with whom she hiked the Bitterroot trails. In fact, she hiked to the tops of all the valley's mountains! Her spirit lives on in those mountains. Her enthusiasm for living fully is carried in the hearts of those left behind. Brownie is survived by sons Steven Foss and Allan Foss; daughter Donna Banning; brother Tom Ott; grandsons Michael Russ and Nathan Foss; granddaughters Angie Musilla, Kim Kinzer, Pam Critenden and Crystal Banning and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents Charles and Thyra Ott and lifelong friend, Marilyn Miller. Family and friends are planning a private gathering at a later date. We are so grateful for the support from Hospice of Missoula and for the kindness of those at Brothers Mortuary. United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. United States of America Plaintiff - Appellee v. Judith Renfrow Defendant - Appellant No. 15-3792 Decided: February 28, 2017 Before COLLOTON, BEAM, and GRUENDER, Circuit Judges. Judith Renfrow was charged with four counts of distribution of methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841 in 2013. Renfrow entered a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1)(C). In the plea agreement, Renfrow agreed to plead guilty to one count of distributing methamphetamine in exchange for dismissal of the three other counts and a sentence of 90 months. The agreement stated that it was based on the defendant's role in the offense, criminal history, and acceptance of responsibility. The plea agreement did not otherwise reference any calculations made as a result of applying the Guidelines. Renfrow's presentence investigation report (PSR) indicated that Renfrow's suggested Guidelines range would have been 97-121 months, but the plea agreement did not reference the PSR. Subsequently, Renfrow filed a motion for a sentence reduction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2) and Amendment 782 to the Sentencing Guidelines. Amendment 782, which became effective November 1, 2014, retroactively lowered most base offense levels in the drug quantity tables in the Guidelines. See United States v. Thomas, 775 F.3d 982, 982 (8th Cir. 2014) (per curiam). The district court denied Renfrow's motion, concluding that Renfrow's sentence was not based on the Guidelines because her Rule 11(c)(1)(C) plea agreement made no reference to the Guidelines range and contained no information about how any particular Guidelines range might have been calculated. Renfrow appeals. Where a defendant's term of imprisonment [is] based on a sentencing range that has subsequently been lowered by the Sentencing Commission the court may reduce the term of imprisonment. 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2). The district court, however, concluded that Renfrow's sentence was not based on a sentencing range but instead was based upon a negotiated agreement between the parties. A Rule 11(c)(1)(C) agreement may be reduced under 3582(c)(2) if the agreement call[s] for the defendant to be sentenced within a particular Guidelines sentencing range or provides for a specific term of imprisonment and make[s] clear that the basis for the specified term is a Guidelines sentencing range applicable to the offense to which the defendant pleaded guilty. Freeman v. United States, 564 U.S. 522, 538-39 (2011) (Sotomayor, J., concurring). In making this eligibility determination, we look to the language of the plea agreement itself. Id. at 539-40. Renfrow argues that the plea agreement's reference to her role in the offense, criminal history, and acceptance of responsibility brings it within the purview of one of the two types of cases described by Freeman. This argument, however, is not consistent with our cases construing Rule 11(c)(1)(C) agreements and the application of 3582(c)(2). The plea agreement must do more than opaquely refer to concepts usually embodied in Guidelines calculations. See United States v. Johnson, 697 F.3d 1190, 1191 (8th Cir. 2012) (per curiam) (holding that where the Rule 11(c)(1)(C) agreement stated that the agreed upon sentencing range takes into account all of the factors to be considered under the advisory sentencing guidelines that apply to this offense, the language was not sufficiently clearly based upon the Guidelines so as to entitle the defendant to a 3582(c)(2) reduction). Even where a Rule 11(c)(1)(C) agreement specified a drug quantity and base offense level, we have determined that without more obvious Guidelines calculations, the agreement was not based upon the Guidelines and instead was based upon a bargain between the parties. Long, 757 F.3d at 764. This was because it was impossible to calculate the range based solely on the plea agreement. Id. In contrast to Johnson and Long, in United States v. Logan, 710 F.3d 856, 858 (8th Cir. 2013), the Rule 11(c)(1)(C) plea agreement specifically stated that the parties agreed to 'the sentencing guideline computation' in the PSR, including the advisory guidelines range of 151 to 188 months. Because the basis for the sentencing rangethe PSR calculationwas evident in the agreement itself, we held the Logan defendant was eligible for a reduction because the range was based upon a guideline that was subsequently lowered by the Sentencing Commission. Id. at 859-60. Here, the plea agreement's language is quite similar to the language we examined in Johnson and not even as explicit as the language in Long. There is no Guidelines range as there was in Logan. Nothing in Renfrow's agreement makes clear that the basis for her 90-month sentence was any particular Guidelines calculation. And indeed, it would be impossible to calculate her Guidelines range based on the language of the agreement. Long, 757 F.3d at 764. Accordingly, we affirm the district court's denial of Renfrow's 3582(c)(2) motion for reduction of sentence. I agree with the final result reached by the court. However, the court fails to cite applicable Supreme Court precedent. Dillon v. United States, 560 U.S. 817, 827 (2010), sets forth the two-step process a district court shall follow when considering a sentence-reduction motion pursuant to 3582(c)(2). At step one, 3582(c)(2) requires the court to determine the prisoner's eligibility for a sentence modification and the extent of the reduction authorized. Dillon, 560 U.S. at 827. If the defendant is eligible, the district court must analyze the 3553(a) factors and use its discretion to decide whether to allow the reduction. Dillon, 560 U.S. at 827. I believe that even though this case ultimately turns on the Freeman analysis, the two-step rubric of Dillon and 3582 nonetheless sets forth the framework to be used in sentence reduction cases such as this, even when a Rule 11(c)(1)(C) agreement is involved. Several of our sister circuits agree. E.g., United States v. Leonard, 844 F.3d 102, 106-07 (2d Cir. 2016); United States v. Benitez, 822 F.3d 807, 810-12 (5th Cir. 2016) (per curiam); United States v. Thompson, 714 F.3d 946, 948-50 (6th Cir. 2013); see also United States v. Gordon, No. CR 98-71-3, 2016 WL 4074123, at *2 (D. D.C. July 29, 2016) (unpublished) (Here, the defendant fails to pass the first step of the Dillon test [because] defendant's sentence of 276 months was imposed pursuant to a binding plea agreement with the government, under Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(e)(1)(C) (sic), and was not a sentence 'based on a sentencing range that has subsequently been lowered by the Sentencing Commission ' 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2).). Because Renfrow's plea agreement, and not a Guidelines calculation, was the basis for her original sentence, she fails Dillon's eligibility step. Accordingly, I concur only in the court's judgment. FOOTNOTES . The Honorable Laurie Smith Camp, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. . Justice Sotomayor's opinion is the controlling opinion in Freeman. See Long, 757 F.3d at 764. . The district court did not discuss the two-step approach described in Dillonv. United States, 560 U.S. 817, 826-827 (2010), and there was no need to address the two questions identified thereinnamely, whether a sentence reduction would be consistent with USSG 1B1.10 or whether an authorized reduction would be warranted according to the factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a). Accord UnitedStates v. Bogdan, 835 F.3d 805, 808-09 (8th Cir. 2016); United States v. Bailey, 820 F.3d 325, 328-29 (8th Cir. 2016) (per curiam); United States v. Long, 757 F.3d 762, 764 (8th Cir. 2014); United States v. Browne, 698 F.3d 1042, 1044-47 (8th Cir. 2012); United States v. Johnson, 697 F.3d 1190, 1191 (8th Cir. 2012) (per curiam). PER CURIAM. The decision to set the election date for Montanas lone congressman on the Thursday just before Memorial Day weekend has sent election administrations scrambling. Ravalli County Clerk and Recorder Regina Plettenberg said the governor selected one of the three worst dates possible for the election to fill the seat vacated by now Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke. I know the train of thought was to get it done as quickly as possible so the state can have a replacement in Congress, Plettenberg said. Election administrators across the state did ask for June 6, but unfortunately that wasnt the date selected. Instead, Gov. Steve Bullock selected Thursday, May 25 to hold the special election. For Plettenberg, that means the countys largest polling place wont be available. Hamilton High School will be preparing for its graduation ceremonies that day, she said Friday. At this point, Im still searching for another location. This is really bad. I cant blame the school. Normally we have elections planned two years out and the schools are able to plan their graduations around primary elections. They didnt have the opportunity to do that this time around, Plettenberg said. My schools felt awful. The Missoula election administrator told Plettenberg that seven of that countys 28 polling places wont be available on that Thursday. And the challenge in finding substitute polling places doesnt even take into account that many of the election officials already have other plans and wont be available to work that day. Its right before a long holiday, Plettenberg said. There are graduations, weddings, vacations and people out town attending to loved ones gravesites. When election officials from across the state considered the upcoming special election, they all agreed the three worst days to hold it were May 25, May 26 or May 30 due to the holiday. When I sent out emails to schools informing them of the date, some thought I was confused and had given them the wrong date, she said. They pointed out that was a Thursday. We begged for it to be held on a Tuesday. Plettenberg said election administrators are still hopeful the Legislature will offer counties the option of holding a mail ballot for this one election. SB 305 would allow that. The proposed legislation has already cleared the Senate by with a vote of 36-13. It was a good strong vote, Plettenberg said. It went though the committee with strong support. Plettenberg worries there might be more opposition in the House, where Majority Leader Ron Ehli of Hamilton has already said he believes his constituents would prefer an opportunity to vote at the polls. Plettenberg who knows her fellow Republican well sent Ehli an email asking him if he had a suggestion for an alternate polling place in Hamilton. Not all Republicans are opposed to this, she said. There is a good base of Republicans and Democrats who understand why were asking for the mail ballot for this one election. But there is a fraction, unfortunately, who are opposed and a lot of them are in leadership. The bill is set to be heard by the House Judiciary Committee, which Plettenberg said seems odd to her. Most bills involving election matters are heard by the State Administration Committee. I dont know why that committee was selected, she said. Im guessing its a less favorable committee. If history is any indication, Plettenberg said she doubts that many people would opt to come to the polls for the special election. In 2007 the county held a special election for the county commission. The turnout was dismal, she said. At the primary, only 19 percent of the electorate voted. In the general election, it was 30 percent. With a high percentage of county voters already signed up to receive absentee ballots, Plettenberg said this election will be decided by the mail ballots in Ravalli County even if the state chooses to require the polls be open. The county currently mails out 13,000 absentee ballots. We no longer really run poll elections, Plettenberg said. They are more of a hybrid between mailing absentee ballots and poll locations, except voters who are casting absentee ballots are outnumbering the voters who are casting ballots at the polls. Right now, all I can do is plan for the worst and hope for the best, Plettenberg said. To me, it just doesnt make any sense to not allow this election be held by mail ballot. I think there are many more reasons in the light of day to hold this election by mail than holding it by poll. The government has been mulling the process to withdraw the names of two ambassadorial nominees Aasha Lama and Sharmila Parajuli, thanks to the widespread criticism over their credentials controversies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has decided to withdraw their names even though the government has yet to made formal decision over the issue. It is said that the MoFA has dropped Parajuli and Lama while preparing the final list of nominees. However, the decision of the MoFa does not deserve the official meaning until and unless the government makes formal decision to withdraw their names. The government has not responded to the widespread criticisms leaving to the space to be suspicious that the controversial names would be forwarded for the hearing in the parliamentary committee. As almost all the names, but not only Parajuli and Lama, were recommended on the basis of share among the parties, it is likely that the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee (PHSC) would endorse even to the controversial persons as the committee is also a part of the political share. Appointment of persons on the basis of political share is not only becoming a common phenomenon in the context of Nepal but also transforming as of the chronic diseases as no institutions are there which are kept in distant of the political influence. As most nominees have zero experience in the area, there is a sufficient space to suspect that the incumbent government or leaders of the government allies would have either profited from the nominees or pleased to their nearer and dearer by appointing the relatives. The principle of inclusion is also dam cared while recommending the ambassadors. For a stance, there is just a single Madheshi and there is no even a single person from the minority community wile recommending 14 names for the ambassadors. Meritocracy is fully abandoned in almost all the appointments of now and then. The blame not only goes to the CPN Maoist Center led incumbent government but also to the previous one too as CPN UML led erstwhile government had also attempted to appoint to the same tainted figures in the ambassadorial position. Sharmila Parajuli, who was recommended from the Oli led government is continued as Bijayakumar Gachchhadar led Madhesi Janadhikar Forum get share in the position. As appointments are made on the basis of payment or relation of any powerful leaders, there would be common to appoint the manpower agents, corrupts or the persons who had suppressed even to the popular peoples movement of 2006 too. Considering to the acts and the activities of the government of now and then, it can easily be guessed that the political parties and the leaders have no sensation of ignominy to share the government positions on the basis of political share. The opposition parties used to consider as the shadow government to correct the mistakes of the government but it used to voice against of any wrongdoing only if the shares are not granted to it. As all the political parties have indulged o the partisan interests, all the professional institutions including the universities and the medical institutions are not left apart from the political interference. We dont expect that our ambassadors or other appointees to have completely detached from politics as our society are thoroughly politicized. Since incompetent ambassadors send only a damning message of the country and any country used to be judged on the basis of performance of the ambassadors, there should be at least a consideration to select the competent ambassadors even if the parties have the compulsion to the politically -inclined persons. As the government has already recommended the persons and left no signals to be corrected, the ball has now fall in the court of the PHSC to decide not only the fate of 14 envoy nominees but also the country. Kathmandu, Nepal: The Government of Japan has decided to extend financial assistance of US Dollar 81,729, equivalent to approximately Nepalese Rupees 8,714,000, to Smile Nepal under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) scheme of the Government of Japan, in Japans Fiscal Year 2016. Smile Nepal, a Nepali NGO with its head office in Kathmandu District, will implement the Project for the Construction of Childrens Home in Nuwakot District. A Grant Contract relating to this project was signed and exchanged today at the Embassy of Japan, between Mr. Masashi OGAWA, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, and Mr. Radhesh Pant, President of Smile Nepal. This grant assistance will be used to implement the project in Samundradevi Kholagaun VDC in Nuwakot District and aims to assist children in difficult situations by providing a safe and educational environment in a childrens home. According to an NGO report, it is estimated that there are about 1,500 street children in Kathmandu. These children came from rural areas hoping to get a job, but could not obtain one. Some became street children, others became unaccompanied children. They, in general, do not have an access to education and basic health service. Additionally, they face the dangers of drugs, sexual harassment, mental, and physical violence on the streets. Smile Nepal, with the aim of supporting those street children, managed a care home in Nuwakot by renting rooms in a local house. However, due to the earthquake of 2015, the care home was almost demolished and could not continue. The organization also worked with the Annapurna Hotel to feed street children. The childrens home which will be build with the support of Japan, could accommodate up to 30 poor urban children who are constrained to live on the street. The Embassy of Japan in Nepal expects the success of this project will benefit poor urban children who will gain an environment where they can feel physically and mentally safe and will also gain an opportunity to grow into good citizens. Finally, it is felt that this project will also enhance the cordial friendship between the peoples of Japan and Nepal. Kathmandu, Nepal: The Government of Japan has decided to extend financial assistance of US Dollar 80,532, equivalent to approximately Nepalese Rupees 8,587,000, to Nepal Social Development and People Empowerment Centre (NESPEC) under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) scheme of the Government of Japan in Japans Fiscal Year 2016. NESPEC, a local NGO in Udayapur District, will work with Small Farmer Women Agriculture Cooperative Society, Rampur Thoskila, to implement the Project for the Construction of Training Center for Womens Cooperatives in Udayapur District. A Grant Contract relating to this project was signed and exchanged today at the Embassy of Japan, between Mr. Masashi OGAWA, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, and Ms. Ganga Rai, President of Nepal Social Development and People Empowerment Centre. This grant assistance will be used to implement the project in Thoksila VDC in Udayapur District and aims to promote income generation of female farmers in the area. In Nepal, about 60 percent of the total population is engaged in agriculture. Among that, more than 70 percent are women. However, very few, about one tenth, of these females own a house or land. Therefore, females lack cash income and are dependent on their family and income earners. Especially, the poverty level of small-scale female farmers in the rural area is severe, and needs to be improved. Small Farmer Women Agriculture Cooperative Society, established in 2012 in Udayapur, has 600 registered members. Their aim is to support small scale female farmers by providing loans with minimum interest and also renting and selling agricultural tools, fertilizer and seeds. However, due to the remoteness of the area, female farmers face difficulties in finding an opportunity to participate in trainings related to agriculture and cooperative management skills. In this way, earning a living continues to be a challenge. The recipient of this fund, NESPEC, was established in 1997. Since then, the NGO is devoted to the development of Udayapur and the surrounding area, by supporting socially and economically disadvantaged people. With the construction of the training center, female farmers in this remote area can participate in various trainings for income generation and cooperative management, which would lead to the improvement of their lives. The Embassy of Japan in Nepal expects the success of this project will benefit the rural female farmers to improve their living, and will also enhance the cordial friendship between the peoples of Japan and Nepal. LOS ANGELES, March 4: Arnold Schwarzenegger says he doesn't dwell on the affair that cost him his marriage to Maria Shriver and is focused on having a great relationship with his kids. Schwarzenegger and Shriver separated in 2011 after she discovered he had fathered a child with the family maid in 1997. The actor and former California governor tells Men's Journal he would have done things differently, but beating himself up it isn't going to change anything. Schwarzenegger also opened up about his running feud with fellow Republican President Donald Trump, whom Schwarzenegger succeeded as host of "The Apprentice." Schwarzenegger refused to support Trump during the campaign, and Trump has since lashed out at Schwarzenegger over "Apprentice" ratings. Of Trump, Schwarzenegger says he was tempted to "smash his face into the table," but instead settled on a Twitter response. Guwahati: The city based Institute of Dental Science & Research Center organized a free dental screening camp at Guwahati Press Club (GPC) on 4 March 2017 under the series of Evening with a Doctor programs for the benefit of its member-journalists. Representing the States first low cost dental care center, Dr Deep Sharma and Dr Nirmala K Roy checked the oral & dental health status of around 50 participants. Neelam Shukla from the institute assisted the participants in the clinic. They were also offered necessary medicines. Many participants were advised for further course of dental treatments. Earlier Assams well known Rahman Hospitals conducted 25 February clinic at the press club premises, where Dr Hemen Ch Goswami and Dr P Rojer Singh checked the health status of over 30 participants and provided them necessary consultations. Senior physicians Dr Muhammad Liaquat Ali Rahman and Dr MMMKazi from the city based hospital also graced the camp. It may be mentioned that the GPC initiated healthcare program was launched last year and till date practicing doctors from Medanta-The Medicity Hospital, Apollo Hospitals Chennai, Narayana Super-Specialty Hospitals, GNRC Group of Hospitals, Down Town Hospitals, Dispur Hospitals, Swagat Super-Surgical Institute, Wintrobe Hospital, Barthakur Clinic, Nemcare Hospital, Sun Valley Hospital, Sight First eye-clinic, Sankaradeva Nethralaya, Guwahati Ayurvedic College etc attended the camps. JHAPA, March 4: CPN (UML) today launched the Mechi Mahakali National Campaign coinciding with the 'Sukhani Martyrs' Day'. UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, senior leader Jhalanath Khanal, leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, vice chairmen Bamdev Gautam and Bhim Bahadur Rawal and Standing Committee member Subas Nembang arrived in the district to launch the 15-day campaign for constitution's implementation, election, prosperity, self-reliance, national unity and social harmony. Lawmaker Rabin Koirala said separate programmes will be held in Sallbari, Sukhani, Garamani and Jyamirgadhi where the leaders will pay tributes to the martyrs. UML Chair Oli, who took part in the 'Jhapa Rebellion', among other leaders visited Sukhani Park and offered tributes to the martyrs to officially launch the nationwide campaign. On Falgun 21, 2029 BS (March 4, 1973), five leaders associated with the Jhapa rebellion arrested by the then 'Panchayat state system' were shot and executed in broad daylight at a jungle in Sukhani, Ilam after being brought their from Chandagadhi, Jhapa under the pretext of shifting them to another prison. Ramnath Dahal, Netra Ghimire, Biren Rajbanshi, Krishna Kuinkel and Narayan Shrestha were executed in the jungle by a firing squad. The campaign, which started from Kakarbhitta of Jhapa, will conclude on March 18 in Surkhet. The campaign's slogans include constitution implementation, election, prosperity, self-reliance, national unity and social harmony. Publicity materials for the campaign have been distributed in Nepali, Maithali, Tharu, Doteli and Bhojpuri languages. RSS Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Democratic) chairman Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar Biratnagar, Nepal: One of the major party from the Madhes has left a clear hint that it would participate in the local level elections declared by the government for May 14. Underlining the need of the elections, Chairman of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Democratic), Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar has said that the election was indispensable in the country for successfully implementation of the constitution and to institutionalize political achievements. Forum Democratic chairman Gachchhadar has made the statement in favor of the elections while talking to media persons at Biratnagar Airport on Saturday. The constitution should be implemented by holding three tiers of elections within the stipulated time frame, Gachchhadar said. Responding to the concerns of the media persons, he also underlined the need of dialogue among the partiers to address the concerns of the agitating disgruntle parties. Jhapa, Nepal: CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli said on Saturday that three tiers of election is essential to take the country in the path of prosperity . As the elections are essential our party has exerted pressure to the government for the timely elections, former Prime minister Oli said claiming the pressure from his party was the reason to announce the date for local level elections. "The government had announced the date for local polls under the direction of his party," Oli said. Inaugurating the Mechi-Mahakai campaign that kicked off from Jhapa on Saturday, Oli also urged all to support to make success the elections. Third Gender Column on Job Application Form Makes a Difference More than 600 transgender people applied for civil service jobs in Nepal last year, according to a government report released last week. LGBT rights activists hail the announcement as practical progress toward implementing Nepals identity-based legal third gender category. However, the civil services hiring numbers for transgender people who frequently face employment discrimination remain unknown. Nepal moved toward recognizing a third gender when the Supreme Court, in 2007, ruled that individuals should have their gender legally recognized based on self-feeling and that they should not have to limit themselves to female or male. Since then, activists have fought successfully to have a third category added to citizenship documents, public bathrooms, and even the federal census. In 2015, the government began issuing passports in three genders. Transgender people appear in the constitution in the enumeration of disadvantaged groups that are guaranteed participation in state mechanisms. But even with legal progress obtaining appropriate documents, many transgender Nepalis struggled to find jobs. Since 1993, Nepals Civil Service Act has mandated that some jobs be reserved for people from certain castes, ethnic minorities, and women but never for transgender people. So it was a welcome inclusive signal that civil service application forms included three genders in 2015. Other countries in the region namely Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan now legally recognize more than two genders in some way. But while legal proclamations can be promising, implementation has been piecemeal. For example, Bangladesh in 2014 recognize a third gender hijra category, but a program designed to provide government jobs to hijras instead resulted in abusive and humiliating experiences for them. Nepals example of coupling policy and pragmatic change is an important one. Inclusion is not achieved in court cases and legal change alone, but when participation is encouraged and guaranteed for all. United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. Leonard N. Anderson; Carol D. Berg; Carol D. Berg LLC Plaintiffs - Appellants v. City of St. Paul, Minnesota, a Minnesota Charter City; Steven Magner, both individually and in his official capacity as an employee of the City of St. Paul, Minnesota; Kathy Lantry; Melvin Carter; Dave Thune; Pat Harris; Russ Stark; Lee Helgen; Don Bostrom, both individually and in their capacities as members of the City Council of the City of St. Paul; Kamish Excavating, Inc., a Minnesota corporation Defendants - Appellees No. 16-1661 Decided: March 01, 2017 Before BENTON and SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges, and STRAND, District Judge.1 Leonard Anderson appeals the district court's order dismissing his federal and state law claims arising from a nuisance abatement carried out on his land. For the reasons discussed below, we affirm. I. Mr. Anderson owns a 2.3-acre lot in St. Paul, Minnesota where he collects and stores, among other things, vehicles, trailers, commercial storage units, barrels, boats, and broken lawn mowers. Branding the collection a public nuisance, the City of St. Paul has tried for years to make Mr. Anderson clean up his lot. Indeed, this appeal is only the latest development in an ongoing struggle between Mr. Anderson and the city, one that has spawned property inspections, nuisance abatements, city council hearings, and now both state and federal lawsuits. Just before Christmas 2011, the city issued a notice to proceed with nuisance abatement instructing city contractor Kamish Excavation to remove and dispose of various items of personal property stored on Mr. Anderson's lot. A month earlier, the city had ordered Mr. Anderson to cure the nuisance on his own and warned him that failure to do so could lead to an abatement by the city. Mr. Anderson did not cure the nuisance but appealed to the city council. When he failed to attend his legislative hearing, the council denied the appeal but granted an extension for Anderson to clean up the nuisance himself. The deadline arrived and the nuisance remained, so Kamish, in accordance with the city's instructions, entered Anderson's land and completed the abatement. Mr. Anderson promptly sued the city and two of its officials in the Ramsey County District Court, alleging violations of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, along with state constitutional claims, trespass, and conversion. In addition to Mr. Anderson, the plaintiffs were Anderson's long-term companion Carol Berg and her business, Berg LLC. Ms. Berg and Berg LLC were included partly because one of the items removed from Mr. Anderson's property, a commercial shipping container, belonged to Berg LLC. The trial court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment on all claims and entered final judgment against the plaintiffs. The Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed, and the Minnesota Supreme Court denied review. Unsuccessful in state court, Anderson, Berg, and Berg LLC (collectively, Appellants) next filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, again challenging the 2011 abatement. They named the city, a city employee, seven city counselors, and the city contractor as defendants. The complaint alleged violations of the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, as well as state constitutional claims, conversion, negligence, and violations of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. The district court held that claim preclusion prevents the Appellants from relitigating their federal claims arising from the 2011 abatement because those claims already were or could have been adjudicated in the 2012 state court action. In doing so the district court rejected Anderson's argument that his federal claims are for continuing wrongs, that is, failure to return the abated property, which Anderson claimed did not occur until after the state litigation ended. The court noted that Anderson's federal complaint did not raise a continuing wrong claim and, even if it had, the claim would fail because it does not allege ongoing conduct but rather ongoing harminterrupted use of propertywhich could have been redressed by the state court had Anderson prevailed. Having disposed of the federal claims arising from the 2011 abatement, the district court declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the remaining state law claims and dismissed the case. II. A district court's grant of a motion to dismiss is reviewed de novo, with all reasonable inferences construed in favor of the nonmovant. E-Shops Corp. v. U.S. Bank Nat'l Ass'n, 678 F.3d 659, 662 (8th Cir. 2012). Minnesota law governs the preclusive effect of a prior Minnesota state court judgment. See Restatement (Second) of Judgments 86 (A valid and final judgment of a state court has the same effects under the rules of res judicata in a subsequent action in a federal court that the judgment has by the law of the state in which the judgment was rendered ); see also Hillary v. TransWorld Airlines, Inc., 123 F.3d 1041, 1043 (8th Cir. 1997) ([T]he res judicata effect of the first forum's judgment is governed by the first forum's law, not by the law of the second forum.) (internal quotation marks omitted). Under Minnesota's claim preclusion doctrine (also known as res judicata), claims that were or could have been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction cannot be relitigated in another court. Hauschildt v. Beckingham, 686 N.W.2d 829, 837 (Minn. 2004). The doctrine applies as an absolute bar to a subsequent claim when (1) the earlier claim involved the same set of factual circumstances; (2) the earlier claim involved the same parties or their privies; (3) there was a final judgment on the merits; [and] (4) the estopped party had a full and fair opportunity to litigate the matter. Id. at 840. Applying these elements to the case at hand, we hold that Appellants' federal action challenging the 2011 nuisance abatement is precluded by the summary judgment granted in the Ramsey County District Court and affirmed by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Accordingly, we affirm. A. Same Set of Factual Circumstances The common test for determining whether a former judgment is a bar to a subsequent action is to inquire whether the same evidence will sustain both actions. Id. at 840-41 (internal quotation marks omitted). It follows that, if facts giving rise to a claim in the second action did not occur until after the first action terminates, claim preclusion would not bar the subsequent claim. See Mach v. Wells Concrete Prods. Co., 866 N.W.2d 921, 925 (Minn. 2015) (Claims are not considered the same cause of action if the right to assert the second claim did not arise at the same time as the right to assert the first claim.) (internal quotation marks omitted). Appellants argue that their federal complaint was entirely based on a new set of facts occurring after the dismissal of the [state court suit]. Though not a model of clarity on this point, Appellants' brief indicates that, while litigating in state court, Appellants did not and could not have known that city employees retained Mr. Anderson's abated property for personal use. These recently discovered facts, according to Appellants, gave rise to two new claimsnever before litigated in any courtthat the abated property was fraudulently concealed and part of a continuing violation. The supposedly new facts and causes of action that Appellants argue enable their federal suit to survive are visibly absent from their federal complaint. Indeed, neither fraudulent concealment nor continuing tort are stated as bases for relief, and no facts are set forth suggesting that Appellees' conduct satisfied either of the unstated claims. Rather, as the district court observed, at its core this litigation challenges the taking and destroying, not the concealing or retaining, of the property removed from Mr. Anderson's land. For instance, the complaint specifically asks for a finding that (1) no authority existed that would allow for the destruction of personal property in the manner Defendants destroyed the personal property of the Plaintiffs; and that (2) the Defendants' actions permanently deprived Plaintiffs of their personal property. Because the federal complaint does not identify any new facts that would support fraudulent concealment or continuing tort, we fail to see how those claims distinguish present from prior proceedings in any meaningful manner. In sum, the relevant factual circumstances of the former and current actions are those surrounding the December 22, 2011 nuisance abatement carried out on Mr. Anderson's property. The record does not point to a single factual development that occurred after the state court litigation ended. We therefore conclude that both actions involve the same set of facts. B. Same Parties or Privies Four of the thirteen parties to the current action were also parties to the state suit: Anderson, Berg, and Berg LLC as plaintiffs, and the City of St. Paul as a defendant. As to the seven city counselors and city contractor Kamish Excavating, who were not parties in state court, Appellants' counsel has expressly conceded that those defendants are in privity with the city. Mot. Hr'g Tr. 11-12, Sept. 16, 2015, ECF No. 94. The only remaining party is Steven Magner, the city manager of code enforcement who, according to Appellants' complaint, supervised the abatement on Mr. Anderson's property in 2011. Thus, we must determine whether Mr. Magner is in privity with a party to the prior state court action. Privity exists where a non-party's interests are represented by a party to the action, or where a party is otherwise so identified in interest with another that he represents the same legal right with respect to a previously asserted claim. Rucker v. Schmidt, 794 N.W.2d 114, 118 (Minn. 2011) (internal quotation marks omitted). It is not enough that two individuals both wish to prevail in litigation; their legal interests must be aligned to the point of being similarly affected by the outcome of a legal proceeding. Id. at 120. The Minnesota Supreme Court has emphasized that privity has no per se definition and that privity determinations require[ ] a careful examination of the circumstances of each case. Id. at 118. The district court concluded that Minnesota law generally recognizes privity between the government and its employees. In support, the court cited Vizenor v. Hoffman, an unpublished decision from the Minnesota Court of Appeals. No. A070646, 2008 WL 933480, at *3 (Minn. Ct. App. Apr. 8, 2008). Though we do not adopt the district court's generalization regarding employer-employee privity, we find the facts and analysis of Vizenor instructive to our determination that Mr. Magner and the City of St. Paul are in privity. Vizenor involved a challenge to a taking and forfeiture of the plaintiff's personal property by county deputies. Id. at *1. The plaintiff first sued the county and, after settling those claims, initiated a second suit against the sheriff's department and the two deputies involved in the property seizure. Id. at *1, *3. In finding that the deputies, as county employees, were in privity with the county, the court noted that the deputies' interests were affected by the [prior lawsuit] because it was their job to seize the property and carry out the forfeiture. Id. at *3. Like the deputies in Vizenor, Mr. Magner is a government actor charged with enforcing provisions of the city code. It was his job to order the city contractor to carry out the nuisance abatement on Mr. Anderson's land, and his interests were therefore affected by the prior suit challenging that abatement. As a result, Mr. Magner is in privity with the City of St. Paul. See Rucker, 794 N.W.2d at 120. C. Final Judgment on the Merits The Ramsey County District Court granted summary judgment against Anderson, Berg, and Berg LLC and entered judgment accordingly. It is well established that summary judgment is a final judgment on the merits for purposes of res judicata. Dicken v. Ashcroft, 972 F.2d 231, 233 n.5 (8th Cir. 1992). Accordingly, there was a final judgment on the merits in the prior litigation. D. Full and Fair Opportunity to Litigate the Matter The question of whether a party had a full and fair opportunity to litigate a matter generally focuses on whether there were significant procedural limitations in the prior proceeding, whether the party had the incentive to litigate fully the issue, or whether effective litigation was limited by the nature or relationship of the parties. State v. Joseph, 636 N.W.2d 322, 328 (Minn. 2001) (internal quotation marks omitted). According to Appellants' brief, Leonard Anderson has never had an opportunity to challenge the constitutionality of St. Paul's nuisance abatement ordinance. This assertion is belied by the state court record. Appellants' complaint to the Ramsey County District Court specifically requested a declaratory judgment that the defendants' actions, customs, and policies have violated the United States and Minnesota Constitutions. Both the trial court and the state court of appeals analyzed the state and federal constitutionality of the defendants' conduct and determined that the plaintiffs were not entitled to relief. While Appellants may object to the outcome of the state court proceedings, a litigant's disagreement with a legal ruling does not necessarily mean that the court denied the litigant a full and fair opportunity to litigate a matter. Joseph, 636 N.W.2d at 329. The record reveals no barriers to Appellants' ability or incentive to challenge the 2011 nuisance abatement in Minnesota's state courts. We therefore conclude that Appellants had a full and fair opportunity to litigate this matter in the prior action. III. We hold that Appellants' claims arising from the 2011 nuisance abatement on Mr. Anderson's land are precluded under the doctrine of claim preclusion. Accordingly, the district court's order dismissing those claims is affirmed. FOOTNOTES . The Honorable Patrick J. Schiltz, United States District Judge for the District of Minnesota. . The federal complaint also challenged a separate nuisance abatement that occurred in 2010, although this appeal involves only the 2011 abatement. Litigation surrounding the 2010 abatement has its own convoluted procedural posture. Anderson first challenged the 2010 abatement order in a legislative hearing before the St. Paul City Council. When he failed, he appealed to the Ramsey County District Court. The court dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, concluding that the city council's decision was quasi-judicial and therefore appealable only to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Anderson then appealed to that court, seeking a writ of certiorari requiring the district court to review the city council's decision. The appeals court refused to issue the writ, instead affirming both the abatement order as well as the district court's jurisdictional decision. Anderson v. City of St. Paul, No. A09-1269, 2010 WL 1850648 (Minn. Ct. App. May 11, 2010). The Minnesota Supreme Court denied review. . The Minnesota Supreme Court has indicated that privity is not established by virtue of an employment relationship alone. Kaiser v. N. States Power Co., 353 N.W.2d 899, 904 (Minn. 1984). SHEPHERD, Circuit Judge. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Well known in these parts as the writer of Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher, Denmark's Jens Dahl moves behind the camera with his feature directing debut 3 Things. And he's got a little bit of high profile help in front of the camera as well in the form of Games Of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Borgen's Birgitte Hjort Srensen. 3 THINGS centers in and around a hotel where the police are negotiating the terms of a witness protection deal with the prime suspect of a big money deposit robbery and an expert on explosives, Mikael (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). In order to agree to the deal Mikael demands three things from the police: that his former girlfriend is brought to him, that the police bring the contents of a box he has stored, and that he is served butter chicken from his favourite restaurant. The police, under heavy time pressure to get him to witness the following day, agree. With theatrical release coming in May the first trailer has arrived online and while there are no English subtitles included there are really none required to see that Coster-Waldau's charisma plays just as well in his native language as in English and that Dahl is just as talented with a camera as with a pen. Take a look below. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. ARCHER WESTERN CONTRACTORS, LTD., an Illinois Corporation, Plaintiff-counter-defendant-Appellant, v. NATIONAL UNION FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, a Pennsylvania Corporation, Defendant-counter-claimant-Appellee. No. 15-55648 Decided: March 02, 2017 Before: SCHROEDER, DAVIS ** and MURGUIA, Circuit Judges. MEMORANDUM * This appeal arises out of an insurance coverage dispute between Plaintiff-Appellant Archer Western Contractors, Ltd. (AWC) and Defendant-Appellee National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (National Union). AWC served as the general contractor for the San Diego County Water Authority's (Water Authority) emergency water storage project. After settling a construction defect lawsuit brought against it by the Water Authority, AWC filed the instant action against one of its insurers, National Union, for failing to indemnify portions of its settlement obligations. The district court determined that two exclusions barred coverage for the underlying construction defect claims, and it granted summary judgment in favor of National Union. AWC timely appealed the judgment. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1291, and we affirm. 1. We review de novo a district court's grant of summary judgment. Botosan v. Paul McNally Realty, 216 F.3d 827, 830 (9th Cir. 2000). We also review de novo a district court's analysis of contractual language and its application of principles of contract interpretation, Sentry Select Ins. Co. v. Royal Ins. Co. of Am., 481 F.3d 1208, 1216 (9th Cir. 2007), as well as its interpretation of state law, Wash. Pub. Power Supply Sys. v. Pittsburgh-Des Moines Corp., 876 F.2d 690, 692 (9th Cir. 1989). Under California law, an insurer's duty to indemnify runs only to claims that are actually covered [by the policy], in light of the facts proved. Buss v. Superior Court, 939 P.2d 766, 773 (Cal. 1997) (citations omitted). Where, as here, a case settles prior to trial, the duty to indemnify is determined on the basis of the settlement, i.e., the undisputed facts set forth in the underlying complaint and those known to the parties. Sentry Select Ins. Co., 481 F.3d at 1215 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). 2. The district court properly concluded that exclusions e(5) and e(6) of National Union's insurance policy precluded coverage of the underlying construction defect claims. The e(5) exclusion precludes coverage for property damage to that particular part of real property on which [the contractor] [is] performing operations, if the Property Damage arises out of those operations, and the e(6) exclusion precludes coverage for property damage to that particular part of any property that must be restored, repaired, or replaced because [the contractor's] Work was incorrectly performed on it. Under California law, exclusionary clauses are interpreted narrowly against the insurer. Reserve Ins. Co. v. Pisciotta, 640 P.2d 764, 768 (Cal. 1982). However, given that [t]he risk of replacing and repairing defective materials or poor workmanship has generally been considered a commercial risk which is not passed on to the liability insurer, Maryland Casualty Co. v. Reeder, 270 Cal. Rptr. 719, 722 (Cal. Ct. App. 1990) (citations omitted), California courts have consistently adopted broad interpretations of the phrases that particular part and arises out of when applied to a general contractor. See Health Net, Inc. v. RLI Ins. Co., 141 Cal. Rptr. 3d 649, 673 (Cal. Ct. App. 2012), as modified on denial of reh'g (June 12, 2012) (broadly defining arising out of). Specifically, California courts have construed that particular part to encompass the entire project on which a general contractor is performing operations. See Clarendon Am. Ins. Co. v. Gen. Sec. Indem. Co. of Arizona, 124 Cal. Rptr. 3d 1, 11 (Cal. Ct. App. 2011); George F. Hillenbrand, Inc. v. Ins. Co. of N. Am., 128 Cal. Rptr. 2d 586, 601-02 (Cal. Ct. App. 2002); Toll Brothers, Inc. v. OneBeacon Ins. Co., No. G042196, 2011 WL 883000, at *7 (Cal. Ct. App. Mar. 15, 2011). Cf. Western Employers Ins. Co. v. Arciero & Sons, Inc., 194 Cal. Rptr. 688, 690 (Cal. Ct. App. 1983) (interpreting work product exclusions that were drafted without the particular part language but finding that the purpose of liability insurance policies is to make the contractor stand its own replacement and repair losses). Federal courts interpreting identical exclusions under California law are in accord. See Arroyo v. Unigard Ins. Co., No. 14-16878, --- F. App'x ---, 2016 WL 6156045, at *1 (9th Cir. Oct. 24, 2016) (unpublished); Am. Home Assurance Co. v. SMG Stone Co., 119 F. Supp. 3d 1053, 1062-63 (N.D. Cal. 2015). Here, the alleged property damage was to the pump house and turbine generators, discrete portions of the property for which AWC was partially if not fully responsible, and the damage flowed from its allegedly defective work on the property. We therefore agree with the district court that the above exclusions precluded coverage, and we find that summary judgment was properly entered in favor of National Union. 3. To the extent AWC relies on Eichler Homes, Inc. v. Underwriters at Lloyd's, London, 47 Cal. Rptr. 843 (Cal. Ct. App. 1965), and Blackfield v. Underwriters at Lloyd's, London, 53 Cal. Rptr. 838 (Cal. Ct. App. 1966), for the proposition that the exclusions' plain meaning is ambiguous, this reliance is misplaced. The question before the Eichler court was whether an insurer's broader duty to defend was triggered by damage to property well outside the scope of the project on which the contractor had worked, such as damage to the homeowner's personal appliances and furniture. Eichler, 47 Cal. Rptr. at 847. The Eichler decision is therefore materially distinguishable and does not alter our conclusion. We note that Blackfield was decided over fifty years ago, and no California state court has reaffirmed its extremely narrow interpretation of the phrase that particular part as applied to a general contractor. In light of the California courts' consistently broad reading of this phrase following Eichler and Blackfield, there is no indication that the exclusionary language is ambiguous. AFFIRMED. I concur in the majority's decision to affirm the judgment. However, I note that no California court has expressly abrogated or overruled the relevant holding in Blackfield v. Underwriters at Lloyd's, London, 53 Cal. Rptr. 838, 840-41 (Cal. Ct. App. 1966), which narrowly interpreted the phrase that particular part in the context of a general contractor. This narrow interpretation by the First District of the California Courts of Appeal, which formally remains good law, is clearly at odds with the broader interpretation adopted in more recent cases. Notably, however, none of the above cases cited by the majority were decided by or in the First District. Clarendon Am. Ins. Co. v. Gen. Sec. Indem. Co. of Arizona, 124 Cal. Rptr. 3d 1, 11 (Cal. Ct. App. 2011) (Second District); George F. Hillenbrand, Inc. v. Ins. Co. of N. Am., 128 Cal. Rptr. 2d 586, 601-02 (Cal. Ct. App. 2002) (Third District); Toll Brothers, Inc. v. OneBeacon Ins. Co., No. G042196, 2011 WL 883000, at *7 (Cal. Ct. App. Mar. 15, 2011) (Fourth District); Western Employers Ins. Co. v. Arciero & Sons, Inc., 194 Cal. Rptr. 688, 690 (Cal. Ct. App. 1983) (Second District). Given this inconsistency within California's intermediate appellate courts, as well as the high financial stakes at issue in this case, I would certify this question of law to the California Supreme Court. See Cal. Rule of Ct. 8.548; Nordyke v. King, 229 F.3d 1266, 1270 (9th Cir. 2000) (certifying a question of law where there is tension in the reasoning underlying several decisions of the Courts of Appeal of the State of California.). Nonetheless, I understand we have a duty to [certify questions of law] sparingly and sensibly, especially given the realities of certification and docket congestion. See Kremen v. Cohen, 325 F.3d 1035, 1044, 1050-51 (9th Cir. 2003) (Kozinski, J., dissenting) (noting that the California Supreme Court is burdened by a heavy docket and has rejected a significant number of cases certified by this Circuit). Where there is no convincing evidence that the state supreme court would decide differently, a federal court is obligated to follow the decisions of the state's intermediate appellate courts, Ryman v. Sears, Roebuck and Co., 505 F.3d 993, 995 (9th Cir. 2007) (alteration marks, internal quotation marks, and citation omitted), and the majority identifies the California Courts of Appeal's more recent and consistent efforts to broadly interpret the relevant language. In light of these considerations, I concur in the majority's decision to affirm the judgment. FOOTNOTES . Until oral argument, AWC did not dispute that it was (and in fact affirmatively characterized itself as) the general contractor on the project. "The Return of the Firing Squad" | Main | Deep dive into litigation over Chicago Stash House Stings Lauren-Brooke Eisen has this notable new commentary in Fortune headlined "How President Trump and Jeff Sessions Can Fix Americas Private Prisons." Here are excerpts: Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ... issued a memo reversing the Obama administrations decision to phase out its use of private prisons at the federal level. This memo followed the release of a U.S. Justice Department report in August concluding that privately-operated prisons experienced more safety and security incidents than facilities operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons did. Since Sessions appears determined to move forward regardless, now is the right time to evaluate how to improve upon how the Justice Department contracts with private corporations to run some of its prisons. With a businessman in charge of the White House, this provides an opportunity to change private prisons for the better. A good first step would be to restructure contracts to make private facilities more accountable, effective, and strategic in their use of resources.... Although the new attorney generals shift in policy only affects a little more than 21,000 inmates out of 126,300 inmates housed in state and federally contracted private prison facilities across the country, it points to the Trump administrations likely reliance on the private prison industry over the next few years. Currently, the federal government primarily uses private prisons to house non-citizens convicted of crimes, and most face deportation upon release. The presidents recent executive actions cracking down on unauthorized immigration will likely swell the private prison rolls even more, further expanding the industry.... With an expansion of for-profit prisons on the horizon, it is more important than ever that the government restructure contracts with the private prison industry to boost performance and change incentives. Conducting field research for my upcoming book, I found that it is rare for contracts with private prison companies to demand fresh thinking, recidivism reduction, and outcomes that outperform the public sector. Most contracts require the private operator to simply replicate the government prison systems procedures. Rather than repeat this approach, both the federal government and state governments should write contracts to ensure that economic incentives focus on reducing recidivism and improving outcomes for the nations inmates, not just warehousing as many people as possible.... In 2013, former Republican Gov. Tom Corbetts administration announced it would cancel all the states Department of Corrections contracts with private community corrections companies and rebid them on a performance basis. Providers were then evaluated on and paid according to their success at reducing the recidivism levels of those who had just been released from prison. The state could cancel a contract if the recidivism rate increased over two consecutive year-long periods. After these contracts were implemented, the recidivism rate for private facilities fell 11.3 percent in just the first year. Restructuring contracts around the nations public policy goals would ensure that private operators provide more educational programming, job training classes, and work with their inmates to ensure they are set up for optimal success once they are eventually released. Providing incentives to private firms to exceed baselines such as improved recidivism rates is an effective carrot, versus creating penalties for basic contract breaches like failing to receive basic accreditation or meet minimum standards. Reimagining how private prisons operate and are held accountable does not need to be an academic exercise. Building the proper incentives into their contracts has the power to move the for-profit prison industry away from focusing on cost-cutting and filling its beds to make an extra dollar. Imagine a world where private prison operators earned bonuses if their inmates received top-tier educational programming and vocational skills classes instead of guaranteed bed occupancies. Its possible that private prisons could begin marketing themselves to directors of corrections as leaders in recidivism reduction and reentry preparation. Private prisons are here to stay under the new administration. Lets at least make them work better. In a first of its kind challenge to the "settled law" of marriage equality, the Texas Supreme Court this week heard arguments in a case that questions to what extent Texas has to treat same-sex couples equally. The case, Pidgeon v. Turner was brought by a pair of ahem, bigoted Houston taxpayers and "religious conscientious objectors" by the names of Jack Pidgeon and Larry Hicks who don't like the fact that the city of Houston provides spousal benefits to all couples, gay and straight. As Slate explains, their attorneys are pointing to a state law, Texas's all but defunct gay marriage ban, that specifically bars state entities from providing benefits to same-sex couples. Furthermore, they argue that the two Supreme Court cases that most legal experts would say settle the issue of marriage quality, 2013's United States v. Windsor and 2015's Obergefell v. Hodges, don't relegate Texas's law to the history bin. Hopefully, judges at the Texas Supreme Court will shut this down quickly, however they tried to avoid hearing the case already, last September, and have now been compelled to do so by anti-gay activists and Republican officials. This despite the fact that the SCOTUS ruling in 2015 was quite sweeping and specific in saying same-sex couples deserved "equal dignity", and prohibiting states from denying "all the benefits" associated with marriage to all couples. The argument these two Houston jerks put forth, though, is that while the state and its cities may have to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, they don't have to go any further than that in providing benefits. Justice John Devine, a conservative on the Texas Supreme Court, issued a dissent with some bizarre logic to the court's decision not to hear the case back in September, agreeing with the idea that spousal benefits aren't guaranteed under the SCOTUS rulings. Devine wrote: After all, benefits such as health insurance provide financial security as couples decide whether to have a child. An opposite-sex marriage is the only marital relationship where children are raised by their biological parents. In any other relationship, the child must be removed from at least one natural parent, perhaps two, before being adopted by her new parent(s). This does not diminish any childs inherent dignity, a fact the City presumably recognizes by extending benefits to their employees children regardless of the employees marital status. But it does explain why the State might choose to direct resources to opposite-sex couples. I guess he missed the whole in-vitro fertilization phenomenon? Pidgeon and Hicks's attorney, Jonathan Mitchell, argued in court on Wednesday that health insurance, for instance, is not a fundamental right. And "We dont know if Obergefell compels equal treatment with regard to nonfundamental rights." And, unfortunately, because this is Texas, some of the justices are sympathetic to the idea of withholding benefits from gay couples some of them, perhaps, with a view toward not being voted off the bench by conservative constituencies. But, as Slate explains, the court is like to side-step having to rule on the merits of this case by dismissing it on standing grounds instead, because "taxpayers are rarely allowed to challenge laws they dislike just because they help fund them." Stay tuned. San Francisco-based ratings company Yelp is getting five stars from LGBTQ advocates today. After stepping up yesterday to participate in an amicus brief supporting trans student Gavin Grimm in his lawsuit against a Virginia school that wants to force him to use the restroom of the gender he was assigned at birth making it one of 53 US companies such as Apple and Airbnb to do so according to the Associated Press Yelp's head of Diversity and Inclusion, Rachel Williams, revealed a new feature to highlight gender neutral bathrooms for the help and safety of all its users. As Williams writes to the company's official blog, Yelp will soon show users what stores, bars, and restaurants offer single-stalled bathrooms identified as gender neutral. "On desktop and mobile versions of Yelp, users will be able to see whether or not a business offers gender-neutral bathrooms to patrons," writes Williams. "We will also be rolling out the ability to search for businesses on Yelp by the Gender Neutral Restrooms attribute in the weeks to come." Yelp explains that it will collect this information via users, as through the above questionnaire, and it will allow business owners to edit the gender neutral restrooms attribute on their business user account. Yelp is the latest, but far from the only, technology company to embrace inclusivity when it comes to nonbinary and transgender users. In December, for example, Tinder consulted with trans advocates to overhaul its gender identity options and make room for users who wish to identify their gender in a way other than "male" or "female" on the app. Related: SF To Designate Nation's First Transgender Historic District In The Tenderloin SOUTH SIOUX CITY | On Tuesday, Michelle Helt ended her science class by asking an age-old question: Is squishy slime a liquid or is it actually a solid? "You'd be surprised at how often slime comes up in conversation when you're teaching third-graders," she noted as students filed out for their lunch break. This particular day, Helt's classroom was quite different than others at Cardinal Elementary School. Her room was being used as one of the locations for a new documentary highlighting innovative public schools across the state. While a film crew positioned video cameras and microphones around Helt's room, Brittany Mascio explained that South Sioux City was the first northeast Nebraska school district to be profiled in the on-going series of documentary called "Nebraska Loves Public Schools." Since 2011, "Nebraska Loves Public Schools" has produced more than 50 films, exploring a range of topics important to education. "We had first heard about South Sioux City schools last fall," Mascio, the production company's marketing director, explained. "What drew us to the district was that the teachers were trained to adapt to the needs of their students." "Teaching in a public school should never be a one-size-fits-all model," she added. "At South Sioux City, teachers are keenly aware of that." Indeed, documentary director Sally Nellson Barrett and her film crew were filming portions of a Professional Learning Communities (PLC) meeting inside Helt's room. PLC groups allow teachers to collaborate with one another while adapting strategies that can increase the effectiveness of their teaching in the classroom while focusing on individual student achievement. According to Principal Dan Swatek, such meetings sometimes occur on a daily basis. "If there's a need for it, meetings can occur more often that that," he said. Such PLC discussions are used to gauge the effectiveness of both math and English curricula. This is important, Swatek said, since nearly 72 percent of Cardinal's school population is made up of Hispanic kids. "We have to always work hard to increase the learning opportunity for every student," he noted. "This is a district that really understands the importance of PLCs." Mascio nodded her head in agreement. "Teamwork enhances teachers' voices while giving them some autonomy," she said. "Whether discussing curriculum or individual students, teachers can implement changes in real time." Which, in the end, Swatek said, benefits the kids the most. "By prioritizing standards, teachers can directly increase the learning opportunities of every student," he added. "Giving students a road map of goals and achievements will allow them to make improvements." The documentary -- which Mascio said will features interviews with administrators, teachers and students at both Cardinal Elementary School and South Sioux City Middle School -- will premiere online at nelovesps.org on May 1. SIOUX CITY | Exiled to a deserted island, revenge-minded sorcerer Prospero -- actually the Duke of Milan -- schemes to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place in society. Willing to manipulate foes while kicking up a (literal and figurative) storm, Prospero was a character made famous in William Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest." This story of a manic magic man has been reimagined in "Hag-Seed" by Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood. However in Atwood's 2016 novel, an ambitious production of Shakespeare's 17th century tragic-comedy is being staged inside a Canadian correctional facility by Felix, the wrongly fired artistic director of a theater festival. Oh, and did we say that Felix wanted this version of "The Tempest" -- enacted by a cast of prisoners -- to heal his ruined reputation as well as ease the torment he experienced by memories of his lost daughter whose name also happens to be Miranda? Well, nothing could possibly go wrong with this scenario, right? Um, think again. Already a fan of Atwood's previous work, longtime Sioux Cityan Bonnie West was intrigued by "Hag-Seed's" play-within-a-play (or, more accurately, play-within-a-book) concept. "Felix's living a 'Tempest'-type of existence while staging his own version of 'The Tempest' seemed like a wonderful literary device," she said. Indeed, West was so impressed by "Hag-Seed's" audacious Shakespearean theatrics inside a medium-security prison, that she recommended it to her book club. But what does the novel's unusual title mean? West said Felix banned regular profanity from the rehearsals attended by his prisoner students. Instead, they had to rely on the antiquated swear words Shakespeare used in his play. "You can find the term 'hag-seed' right there in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest,'" she said. "That's why it was acceptable to Felix." You've read the works of Margaret Atwood in the past. What is her appeal to you? "While it's true I've read plenty of Atwood but I haven't always liked what I read. For instance, when she gets too much into science fiction, she loses me. However, 'Hag-Seed' was the type of novel that I could really get into." Why? "Because Felix was the the literature teacher every student wished he had. Felix had a manic energy but he got his students to connect with Shakespeare. The reader knew he wasn't a 'good' character but the reader also couldn't help but root for him." Still, the connection between Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and Felix's desire to rewrite history isn't readily apparent at the beginning, right? "That's what made this book special to me. (Atwood) isn't the type of writer to beat you over the head with a concept. Instead, she's quite subtle when developing the parallel stories. It's only in retrospect that you fully see what's going on." This week on the podcast, reporters discuss President Donald Trump's first time addressing a joint session of Congress, the happenings at the Iowa Legislature during funnel week, and legislative forums around the state. On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast which re-creates the conversations that happen when Iowa's political reporters get together after deadlines have been met. This week's show features James Q. Lynch, Christinia Crippes, Ed Tibbetts, Erin Murphy and Todd Dorman. This week's show was produced by Max Freund and the music heard in the podcast is courtesy of Porch Builder. Chat with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @OnIowaPolitics, and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher. Know an Iowa musician who should be on our show? Send their band sound files to oniowapolitics@gmail.com SIOUX CITY | A 29-year-old man whom police say is tied to a string of crimes against women in the tri-state area -- including three in Sioux City -- was arrested Thursday. Douglas County (Neb.) Sheriff Tim Dunning said during a news conference Friday that Zachary Lee Person has been charged with false imprisonment and second-degree sexual assault after he allegedly groped a female hotel worker in west Omaha Wednesday. The Norfolk, Nebraska, man is booked into the Douglas County Jail and has a bond amount of $1 million. Dunning said that throughout the investigation license plate numbers, cellular data, and physical descriptions linked Person to three similar crimes in Sioux City, where charges have not yet been filed. On Feb. 12, police said that a female Morningside College student was grabbed from behind by a man while walking up to the Hindman-Hobbs Center on campus. The student screamed and fought off the attacker, who had his face covered. A short time later that day, a female desk clerk at the Comfort Inn, 4202 S. Lakeport St., said she had been grabbed by a man with a similar appearance. The woman said the attacker came behind the counter and tried to put his hands down her shirt. After a brief struggle in which the woman received some scratches, he fled. Then early Wednesday, Dunning said a suspect entered a hotel in west Omaha wearing a ski mask. Security footage shows the man waiting in the lobby before he attacked and dragged a female desk clerk into an unoccupied hallway. There, the victim said she was groped in a sexual manner. She ripped off the attacker's mask during the assault, which caused him to flee. Dunning said the man was also seen on camera coming back into the building to retrieve the mask. Hours after the west Omaha attack, an incident took place in Sioux City where a man in a ski mask was spotted inside the women's bathroom of a Morningside College dorm trying to watch girls shower. Afterward, the school sent an email to students alerting them of the suspect's description and the direction he fled. Dunning said the suspect's descriptions in the Sioux City and Omaha incidents were identical, as were vehicle descriptions. "The Sioux City PD was able to provide a crucial plate number to the investigation," the sheriff said, adding that cellular evidence also linked the crimes to the suspect. Person, a registered sex offender in Nebraska, was arrested Thursday night at his mother's home in Norfolk. Person was awaiting sentencing for similar attacks on female joggers, students and gas station employees in South Dakota and Nebraska between 2007 and 2017. In addition to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, agencies in Sioux City, Vermillion, S.D., Fremont, Neb., and the Dodge County (Neb.) Sheriff's Office assisted in apprehending Person. A Friday Sioux City Police press release said that the alleged crimes in town are under investigation, and any future charges will be sent to the Woodbury County Attorney's Office for prosecution. NORTH SIOUX CITY | Rick Law fears a Sioux City bridge project that's in the works could mean the end of his two North Sioux City gaming businesses. A proposed resurfacing on the Military Road Bridge, the only way for motorists to cross the Big Sioux River for miles, is projected by city engineers to close it down for four to five months in 2018 or 2019, rerouting traffic along a more than six-mile detour. Based on car counts at his businesses, Law, who owns Casino Monaco and VIP Gaming Lounge, estimates about 75 to 80 percent of his revenue could be lost to the extended closure. "In my case, we would not be able to withstand a 75 percent drop," he said. "We would close, the property would be up for sale, and I suspect there would be others." Kimberly Luken, owner of Beano & Sherry's Casinos at 200 Military Road in North Sioux City, estimates she receives about 80 percent of her business from the Sioux City side of the river. She said she's also nervous about her employees and customers who rely on transit to get there and would need to find an alternate route. "I have employees here who take the bus every day," she said. "Its going to impact a lot of people." Law and Luken said based on conversations with other business owners, the closure will have quite an effect on the North Sioux City "strip," where more than 300 video lottery machines can be found in a two-block area just across the Big Sioux River along Military Road. The bridge links Sioux City's Riverside neighborhood with the southeast South Dakota city. Joan Christiansen, owner of Skyline Bar & Casinos, agreed that it will be "devastating." "The fact of the matter is, its going to be detrimental to everyone," she said. The closure is anticipated as part of a proposed multimillion-dollar project that would include resurfacing the road and bridge going into North Sioux City. Construction on the full project is tentatively projected to begin in April 2018 and to conclude May 2019. Senior city civil engineer Brittany Anderson said preliminary designs show a four- to five-month closure of the bridge to complete the re-decking. Engineers will meet with business owners during a 3 p.m. public meeting Monday at the North Sioux City Hall to discuss the project. "Monday's meeting is in North Sioux just to kind of discuss with North Sioux businesses that would be impacted what the purpose of the project is, the duration and what potential construction impacts will be," she said. Anderson said while the route around a closed bridge would be inconvenient, the alternatives are costly. "Being able to keep it open half at a time is going to come at an extremely high cost and delays to traffic," she said. "Those delays could be just as long as taking a route around." Anderson said the department plans to present on Monday the pros and cons of different scenarios, such as partial or full bridge closures or construction of a temporary bridge. Sioux City has budgeted $3 million in the upcoming fiscal year for inspection and re-decking of the bridge. The city will receive as much as $1 million in funding from the Iowa Department of Transportation and is pursuing other partnerships. Luken said she heard of the project just a couple weeks ago. Thursday, she distributed letters to about 30 businesses. She said she is hoping for a large turnout on Monday and hopes the project will at least leave one lane open. Law is also hoping people show up, saying he believes it would be worth the extra money to keep one lane open, which he thinks wouldn't be as much of a deterrent. In a January public meeting, residents gave mixed reviews to a proposed roundabout on the other side of the project, at the convergence of Military Road and Highway 12. Anderson said the city is conducting a traffic study to compare a signal intersection and a roundabout. She anticipates the department will present the study to the City Council in March and hold another public meeting in Sioux City to discuss the results. SIOUX CITY | Travelers departing from Sioux City's airport should now be able to pass through the terminal's security checkpoint quicker. Screening technology added this week at Sioux Gateway Airport is also expected to make it easier for federal security officers to do their jobs. Travelers flying through larger airports are familiar with stepping inside a machine and holding their hands above their heads while they're screened for prohibited items. Known as Advanced Imaging Technology, one of those screening stations was installed at Sioux Gateway Wednesday. Transportation Security Administration officials showed off the new equipment to the media on Friday. Sioux City's airport has been equipped with what's called the AIT-2, a second generation of AIT systems that have been deployed in airports across the United States since 2009. The scanning system can detect metallic and nonmetallic items, including weapons, explosives and other items not prohibited on airplanes. The newer model also works well in airports the size of Sioux Gateway, TSA spokeswoman Carrie Harmon said. "One of the good things about this machine is it has a smaller footprint so it works better at smaller airports," Harmon said. The new scanner is an improvement over the previous walk-through metal detector, she said, because it can detect where on a traveler's body the questionable item is located so security officers need only pat down that area rather than the whole body. Airport director Mike Collett said the TSA informed him last fall that it would be installing the screening equipment. It's another step in modernizing the airport, making travel more convenient and increasing security. "I think it was already safe before," Collett said. "It's an added convenience for our passengers." A number of GPS students qualified for state competition by virtue of several wins at the Southeast Tennessee Region National History Day 2017 Contest held on Thursday, at the Museum Center at 5ive Points in Cleveland. GPS freshmen competed against all levels of high school students through the Southeast Region. The theme of this years contest was Taking a Stand in History, and the students were given the option of creating a project of their choice in a website, documentary, exhibit, paper, or performance category. GPS freshmen competed against all levels of high school students through the Southeast Region. The theme of this years contest was Taking a Stand in History, and the students were given the option of creating a project of their choice in a website, documentary, exhibit, paper, or performance category.The projects used primary source research. Winning first place in a senior group website, Simon Bolivar Liberating South American Countries, were Ruchika Rathi, Ella Ensign, Erin Maxwell, Elizabeth Rowe, and Kat Ingle. Taking third with a website on the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests were Meredith Bevill and Isabelle Torrence. Claire Lindeman received a second place award for her individual website, The Singing Revolution. In the documentary category, GPS groups won first and second place. The first place group of Jadyn Matthews, Isabel Hester, Olivia Hoodenpyle, Katie Millican, and Sana Nisar presented a documentary on American Womens Dress Reform, 1850-1920. The second place documentary on Cherokee Nation: Trail to Tribal Rights was produced by Mary Beth Propes, Astra Burke, Katherine Bell, Sarah Foropoulos, and Komal Patri. Those winning the top two awards in each category will present their projects in state competition on April 8, at the State Capitol Complex in Nashville. The National History Day organization invites the top two state finalists to the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. During the last days of February, two GPS Mock Trial teams competed at the Hamilton County Courthouse and proved their talent in the legal field. Both teams, Blue and White, will vie in the upcoming regional final rounds on Tuesday, at the City County Courts Building at 600 Market Street from 6-8 p.m. GPS Blue won each of its previous four rounds. In three of the rounds, Brianna House was named Best Attorney. In the first round, Hannah Brotton received special recognition from Circuit Court Judge Jeff Hollingsworth for her portrayal of a defense witness. GPS Blue won each of its previous four rounds. In three of the rounds, Brianna House was named Best Attorney. In the first round, Hannah Brotton received special recognition from Circuit Court Judge Jeff Hollingsworth for her portrayal of a defense witness.The Blue team will defend their client against the State of Tennessee as represented by McCallie in order to advance to state competition. The White teams Amal Ali also won Best Attorney in previous rounds in which that team claimed two victories. In one, Emily Wu was named Best Witness, and in another, Isabel Hester received special recognition for her portrayal of the States expert witness. Rounds were won in verdict and in scoring points. That team will also be in the finals. In each round, the judge and jurors (practicing judges and lawyers) talked about how much they enjoyed watching the teams and recognized their hard work, said Tammy Combs, advising attorney for the GPS teams. Members of the two GPS teams are Brianna House, Lilly Allbright, Hannah Brotton, Bennett Burns, Gabrielle Cox, Olivia Combs, Carmen Resnick, Amal Ali, Komal Patri, Briana Griffith, Emily Wu, and Isabel Hester. Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Portfolio Monitoring Top Stock Lists Premium Reports Stock Screeners Live News Feed Premium Support Free for your first month. In his recent book, Will the Church Bells Ring Tomorrow?, Philippe de Villiers notes the disappearance of churches in France, and their replacement by mosques. Pictured above: On August 3, 2016, French riot police dragged a priest and his congregation from the church of St Rita in Paris, prior to its scheduled demolition. Front National leader Marine Le Pen said in fury: "And what if they built parking lots in the place of Salafist mosques, and not of our churches?" (Image source: RT video screenshot) Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author. Two years ago, the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, Dalil Boubakeur , suggested converting empty churches into mosques, to accommodate the growing Muslim community in abandoned Christian sites. Now, many people in France seem to have taken the idea so seriously that a report released by the foundation Terra Nova , France's main think tank that provides ideas to the governing Socialist Party, suggests that in order to integrate Muslims better, French authorities should replace the two Catholic holidays -- Easter Monday and Pentecost -- with Islamic holidays. To be ecumenical, they also included a Jewish holiday.Written by Alain Christnacht and Marc-Olivier Padis, the study, "The Emancipation of Islam of France," states: "In order to treat all the denominations equally, it should include two important new holidays, Yom Kippur and Eid el Kebir, with the removal of two Mondays that do not correspond to particular solemnity".Thus, Easter and Pentecost can be sacrificed to keep the ever-elusive multicultural "peace".Terra Nova's proposal was rejected by the Episcopal Conference of France, but endorsed by the Union of Islamic Organizations of France, close to the Muslim Brotherhood, which would also like to include the Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in the calendar. The idea of replacing the Christian holidays was also sponsored by the Observatory of Secularism, an organ created by President Francois Hollande to coordinate secularist policies. The Observatory of Secularism also proposed eliminating some Christian holidays to make way for the Islamic, Jewish and secular holidays. "France must replace two Christian holidays to make way for the Yom Kippur and Eid," said Dounia Bouzar , a member of the Observatory."France is no longer a Catholic country", wrote Frederic Lenoir , editor-in-chief of. The newspaper Le Figaro wondered if Islam can already be considered "France's prime religion." Instead of fighting to save what is savable, French opinion-makers are already writing the terms of surrender. That is the meaning of Terra Nova's proposal.A similar shocking idea came from another think tank, the Montaigne Institute, which provides ideas to another presidential candidate, Emmanuel Macron. In its report, written by Hakim El Karoui, the Montaigne Institute proposed the creation of a " Grand Imam of France ", no less, as if Paris and Cairo would have the same historic roots. Macron recently apologized for French colonialism , feeding a defeatist sense of guilt that fuels Islamic extremists in their demands.The Montaigne Institute has also suggested teaching Arabic in public schools. This idea was also sponsored by Jack Lang, president of the Institute of the Arab world, who stated , "the Arab world is part of us". By hybridizing cultures and rejecting Christianity, France will soon end up not even teachingArabic, butArabic, and Ramadanof Easter.If the goal is accommodating Muslims in the French Republic instead of assimilating them, why not ban pork in the schools , avoid sensitive subjects such as the Crusades and the Holocaust , separate men and women in swimming pools , call cartoonists to "responsibility," and allow Islamic veils in the public administration? In fact, all these things are taking place in France today. And the result is not "emancipation," but religious segregation.It is in this Apartheid that Islamic extremists grow and permeate hearts and minds. France's director-general of intelligence, Patrick Calvar, has been clear: "The confrontation is inevitable," he said . There are an estimated 15,000 Salafists among France's seven million Muslims, "whose radical-fundamentalist creed dominates many of the predominantly Muslim housing projects at the edges of cities such as Paris, Nice or Lyon. Their preachers call for a civil war, with all Muslims tasked to wipe out the infidels down the street".The Socialist front-runner for the Presidential elections, Benoit Hamon, to whom the Terra Nova's report was directed, even justified the disappearance of French women from the cafes in Muslim-majority areas: "Historically, in the workers' cafes, there were no women," he said.Instead of wasting their time trying to organize an "Islam of France", French political leaders, opinion-makers and think tanks should look for ways to counter the creeping Islamization of their country. Otherwise we may soon be seeing not only a "Grand Imam de France", but also lashes and stonings on the Champs Elysees. 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. The Chattanooga Down Syndrome Society invites the public to celebrate World Down Syndrome Awareness Day at the fourth annual Dash for DS on March 18 at Tennessee Riverpark, Shelter 4 (C.B. Robinson Bridge), 4301 Amnicola Hwy. in Chattanooga. "This is the perfect way to show your support for those in our community who are more alike than they are different, as we help raise awareness for our loved ones with Down syndrome in the Chattanooga area. Proceeds stay in the greater Chattanooga area to provide educational opportunities, support, and grants for families with a loved one with DS," officials said. Race times are: 10K- 8:45 a.m.; 5K- 9 a.m.; 1 Mile Walk/Fun Run- 9:15 a.m.; and Kiddie K (ages 12 and under) - 10 a.m. Awards will follow the events at approximately 10:30 a.m. Register at https://dash4ds.redpodium.com/dash-for-ds "We appreciate your support and look forward to dashing with you in our 4th annual Dash for DS," officials said. Botswana ESA/NASA Sentinel-2A takes us over part of Botswanas Central District in this false-colour image captured on 22 March 2016. Rivers and roads cut through the landscape, while the bright, circular areas represent villages where the vegetation has been cleared away. Areas of thicker vegetation appear red, such as in the fields or along the bottom of the image in the Tswapong Hills south of the Lotsane River. On the river we can see a large reservoir with a dam at its eastern end. Completed in 2012, this dam was built to provide drinking water to the local people and irrigate some 250 hectares for a horticultural project. Last month, the dam nearly reached its capacity following seasonal downpours. The multispectral instrument on the Sentinel-2A satellite can provide measurements of sediment and chlorophyll content of the water and detect changes, and can therefore support the sustainable management of water resources. The circular structure in the upper-right corner of the image is a crater formed when a meteorite hit Earth up to 180 million years ago. It measures about 3.4 km across. Sentinel-2 is a two-satellite mission for Europes Copernicus environment monitoring programme. The first satellite, Sentinel-2A, has been in orbit since June 2015, and its twin, Sentinel-2B, is set for launch on 7 March. Larger image A trainer has received suspensions totalling 16 years after a number of out-of-competition blood samples tested positive for a fragment of erythropoietin (EPO). On July 29, 2016 Harness Racing New South Wales (HRNSW) Stewards, acting under the provisions of Australian Harness Racing Rule 183, suspended the Trainer and Driver licences of Shaun Simiana after receiving advice from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Racing Laboratory (ARFL) that Peptide VNFYAWK had been detected in the Out Of Competition blood sample taken from FRANCO TIAGO NZ at the registered training establishment of Mr Simiana on April 17, 2016. HRNSW Stewards commenced an Inquiry on October 5 2016 into the results of the following out-of-competition blood samples taken from horses in the care of trainer Mr Shaun (Anthony) Simiana: FRANCO TIAGO NZ - Sample collected on April 17, 2016 WALKABOUT CREEK - Sample collected on April 17, 2016 FRANCO TIAGO NZ - Sample collected on April 18, 2016 WALKABOUT CREEK - Sample collected on April 18, 2016 WALKABOUT CREEK - Sample collected on May 3, 2016 Those samples were reported to contain the prohibited substance Peptide VNFYAWK. Peptide VNFYAWK is known to be a highly-specific fragment of recombinant human erythropoietin or darbepoetin alpha or methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta or recombinant human EPO-Fc. On October 5, 2016, HRNSW Stewards issued eight (8) charges against Mr. Simiana and adjourned the Inquiry to allow Simiana to consider those charges. The Inquiry resumed on December 7, 2016 at which time Mr. Simianas legal representatives made a number of requests and further applications. Following correspondence between the parties, due to the fact that no submissions were received from Mr. Simiana in response to the charges issued by January 20, 2017, HRNSW Stewards considered the matter on the evidence that was before them, in the absence of any submissions. Mr. Simiana was found guilty of all charges and advised through his legal representative of that decision. Simiana was provided with an opportunity to provide submissions in relation to the matter of penalty by February 3, 2017. Following an extension until February 7, 2017, no submissions were received and HRNSW Stewards considered the matter of penalty. Mr Simiana was issued with the following penalties: In relation to Charges 1,2,3,4 & 7, pursuant to Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 190A(1)(a), Mr Simiana was disqualified for a period of six (6) years to be served concurrently; In relation to Charges 5,6 & 8, pursuant to Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 196A(1)(i) & (2) Mr Simiana was disqualified for a period of ten (10) years to be served concurrently. HRNSW Stewards ordered that the two (2) periods of disqualification imposed be served cumulatively. Therefore Mr. Simiana was disqualified for a total period of 16 years to commence from July 28 2016, the date upon which he was stood down. HRNSW Stewards also considered the disqualification of the subject horses pursuant to Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 190A(1)(b) as follows: AHRR 190A (1) When a sample taken at any time from a horse being trained or cared for by a licensed person has detected in it any prohibited substance specified in sub-rule (2):- (b) The horse may be disqualified from any race in which it has competed subsequent to the taking of such a sample where, in the opinion of the Stewards, the prohibited substance was likely to have had any direct and/or indirect effect on the horse at the time of the race. Consequently, Stewards ordered the following disqualifications: FRANCO TIAGO NZ be disqualified as the winner of Race 5 at Tabcorp Park Menangle on April 19, 2016; FRANCO TIAGO NZ be disqualified as the winner of Race 2 at Tabcorp Park Menangle on April 30, 2016; WALKABOUT CREEK be disqualified from its fourth place at Tabcorp Park Menangle on April 19, 2016; WALKABOUT CREEK be disqualified from its second place at Dubbo on April 29, 2016; WALKABOUT CREEK be disqualified from its third place at Tabcorp Park Menangle on May 14, 2016. In addition, HRNSW Stewards ordered that Mr. Simiana pay to HRNSW within 14 days of being advised of the Stewards Decision, the sum of $15,000 as costs pertaining to the analytical tests that were costs borne by the Controlling Body in relation to the prohibited substances from his horses, pursuant to NSW Local Rule 256A as follows: NSWLR256A (1) The Stewards, having determined after an inquiry or investigation to impose a penalty upon a person for a breach of, or offence under, these Rules, may make such order as they think fit as to the payment of costs by that person in part or full of any costs and expenses incurred by the Controlling Body in connection with that inquiry or investigation. (2) A costs order made under this Rule is additional to, and does not form part of, any penalty imposed upon the person. However the order as to costs does form part of the decision made by Stewards, and is not intended to be protected from any rights of Appeal the person may have. (3) A costs order is payable as a debt to the Controlling Body within 14 days of notification of the quantum of the order, whether orally or in writing, to the person. Failure to comply with the terms of payment, or to enter into a payment arrangement satisfactory to the Controlling Body, may lead to the person being placed on the Unpaid Forfeit List. Mr. Simiana has lodged an appeal. (with files from HRNSW) The USA has been a bit of an island in terms of the global markets. It continues to push above previous all-time-highs and usually leads global markets higher. This week is an interesting week as Germany, India, Canada, and Australia are all trying to break through to new highs. Notice the spike in the German market on the last high in 2015. It rolled over the next week and it has taken two years to get back there. India in the lower panel is trying to close at new 52-week highs. India is about a 1100 points from all time highs. I like to follow Australia and Canada as two important commodity exporters to the global market. Canada recently broke out to new highs and fell back which is the same sort of price action Germany made back in 2014. The close for this week (red line) is slightly below the 2014 highs. For Australia in the lower panel, it continues to work toward the 6000 level. One chart that came to light looking at monthly closes was France which is interesting on a longer timeline. The monthly chart below shows France approaching a 17-year trendline across the highs. Both the RSI and MACD are moving higher which is very positive. On the chart below, this is the first time the MACD has turned up around zero after coming down from higher levels. I find it odd that so many global charts have been unable to take out the previous years highs while the US continues to push higher. I like to watch the global markets to see if they can confirm the bullish posture of the US markets. In this global environment, the world is one big trading partner. Watching other markets take out the 2014 or 2015 or 2016 highs would finally confirm the bulls on Wall Street. Arthur Hill wrote an article recently about the changes inside an index that make the previous data a different kettle of fish. The $SPX changes the components due to mergers and companies outperform so they move in and push out weaker performers. While that is all true, seeing a market like France with lower highs for 17 years or the Japanese market with lower highs for 25 years still suggests a weak market. Breakouts on indexes to new 52-week highs or all time highs is a bullish sign. In Canada's case, the market has stalled in this 14500 - 15700 range ten times. Follow this link to see a zoomed in view highlighting the last three years. The breakout in February above the previous highs was very bullish, but the market rolled over the next week and fell back below the previous highs. When a commodity, a currency, a bond price, a yield or an index stalls at previous highs, it is an important level for technicians to be aware of. With all these important markets poised to push through meaningful levels on their respective charts, its reasonable to suggest if they all stall here, that is concerning. If they push through, this will give investors a good reason to consider investing in these markets and diversifying. Time to watch! You can click on these charts at any time in the future for live updates relative to the lines I have drawn. It is going to be a busy week for live webinars. I will be hosting Martin Pring for his Market Roundup Live which is only once a month in our new webinar format. Market Roundup Live Webinar 2017-03-07. I'll try to get Martin to show his $VIX indicator! I will also be hosting a special live webinar for members only with Arthur Hill on Saturday March 11, 2017 at 11 AM ET. Members can find the link on the home page in the webinar section early next week. With Arthur and I moving to prerecorded videos rather than live webinars, this will be an exclusive for members to listen live. If you are not a member and would like to get access to the webinars, click here to sign up for a free one-month trial that will also give you access to ALL our member only content. Thank you for choosing us as your technical commentary team! Good trading, Greg Schnell, CMT, MFTA. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser Major general Li Ming leads his formation during the military parade in Beijing, Sept 3, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] China's defense budget has always made headlines during the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee. This year the defense budget will increase by about 7 percent, and the military spending will account about 1.3 percent of GDP, according to the NPC press release on Saturday. The fact is, the moderate increase in China's defense spending is a necessity. The modernization of the military is in line with China's security needs and its responsibility as a major power to maintain global stability. Started in 2015, China's deepening national defense and military reform, from the reorganization of certain military services to the relocation of some troops, costs money. Plus, raising the pay of military personnel and funding research in advanced weapons, which are also part of the reform, warrant a well-balanced defense budget. China's invaluable contributions to world peace, particularly its participation in more United Nations peacekeeping missions in recent years, would not have been possible if it stuck to a stingy defense budget. Offering public goods to the international community, be it combating pirates in Somalia or protecting civilians in South Sudan, comes at a great cost in terms of equipment maintenance and personnel training. For years, China has kept its defense budget around 1.3 percent of its GDP below that of Western countries in terms of percentage and is likely to keep it that way. And it remains true to its defense-oriented military strategy and independent diplomacy. In contrast, US Defense Secretary James Mattis urged NATO members less than a month ago to consider increasing their military budgets to the "benchmark goal" of 2 percent of GDP. Moreover, China faces a series of uncertainties. The United States has stepped up efforts by enhancing its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region and strengthening its alliances with countries such as Japan and the Republic of Korea. Apart from deploying the cutting-edge F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II stealth warplanes at its military bases in China's neighborhood, the US is also sending its aircraft carrier strike groups and other warships more frequently to patrol the South China Sea in the name of "defending freedom of navigation". And President Donald Trump seeks to increase the US' defense spending by 10 percent, or $54 billion. The geopolitical situation in Northeast Asia is plagued by tensions and risks of confrontations. The nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has become increasingly complicated, while the US and the Republic of Korea hold frequent joint military drills. Despite China's strong opposition, the ROKs defense ministry signed a land swap deal with Lotte Group on Tuesday for the deployment of the US' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system. That is not all. Having managed to muscle through the controversial new security bills two years ago, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration has also unveiled plans to reinforce the country's missile defense system and increase its budget in the next fiscal year. China has a defensive defense strategy, and it is not willing to join in any arms race or flex muscles. The rising nation always cherishes dialogues to resolve many thorny issues. However, given the increasingly complicated international situation and security risks, China has to build up its military to better protect its interests. The author is former director of the Institute for Strategic Studies at the People's Liberation Army National Defense University. Dr. John D. McCarley of Chattanooga was among the appointments the Tennessee Medical Association announced in the results of its 2017 Leadership Elections held during the month of February. TMA members have chosen a new president-elect and filled several positions on the TMA Board of Trustees and Judicial Council. President-Elect: Matthew L. Mancini, MD, Knoxville TMA Board of Trustees: Region 1: James K. Ensor, Jr., MD, FACP, MemphisRegion 3: Peter J. Swarr, MD, BrentwoodRegion 6: John D. McCarley, MD, ChattanoogaRegion 8: Tedford S. Taylor, MD, Johnson CityTMA Judicial Council:Region 2: Pamela D. Murray, MD, JacksonRegion 4: Richard G. Soper, JD, MD, NashvilleRegion 6: Shauna Lorenzo-Rivero, MD, HixsonRegion 8: Charles E. Leonard, MD, TalbottPolls closed at 5 p.m. Central on Tuesday, Feb. 28, and results were certified this week by the TMA Election Committee.Formal installations for all new officers will take place during the annual meeting of the TMA House of Delegates on April 29 in Nashville. TMA members can register for the meeting at tnmed.org/HOD More than 60 businesses have benefitted from the program, which was extended through May 1 while a permanent program is in the works. tech2 News Staff Reliance Jio announced its new strategy recently for its customers where it is offering Jio Prime Membership for an introductory price of Rs 99 for the first year. The company also announced Jio Prime Membership plans wherein the Rs 303 plan is quite an attractive offer as it gives customers the same benefits that were made available in the Happy New Year offer. This means trouble for other mobile network operators and as expected, they have responded. Airtel, Vodafone and Idea have announced their own offers to counter Jio's competitive offers. Airtel's new plan offers 1GB 4G data per day and unlimited voice calls to any operator at Rs 349 for a month. The catch is, the daily cap is 50oMB during day and 500MB during night (3 AM to 5 AM) and is valid for all 4G users. Vodafone is offering a similar plan where at Rs 346, customers get 1GB of 3G/4G data per day and unlimited calling valid for a month. Additionally Vodafone is offering double data (56GB) and double validity (56 days) the first time a user activates this pack. As for Idea, at Rs 345 it is offering 14GB of data with similar unlimited calling for new 4G customers through My Idea application. Current users get data benefits of 500MB of data per day for 28 days. Here is a comparison of all the offerings: Airtel 345/349 Vodaone 346 Idea 345 Jio Prime 303 Voice calls Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Data 28GB 28GB (56GB for first month) 28GB 28GB FUP 1GB (500 MB day, 500 MB night) 1GB 1GB for new customers (500MB for existing) 1GB per day Validity 28 Days 28 Days 28 days 28 Days Disclaimer: Reliance Jio is owned by Reliance Industries, who also own Network18, the publisher of Firstpost and tech2. Trump Looks To Chop Great Lakes Restoration Funds By 97 Percent: Report By Stephen Gossett in News on Mar 3, 2017 10:16PM Getty Images / Photo: Chip Somodevilla Funding for the Great Lakes restoration initiative may soon a gargantuan cut. An initial proposal from the Trump administration would chop funds for the environmental effort from $300 million per fiscal year all the way down to $10 million, according to reports. A copy of the plan obtained by Oregonian reporter Rob Davis illustrates the drastic, 97 percent reduction. The proposed cut reportedly comes from the White House Office of Management and was also confirmed to the Detroit Free Press by the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. The Great Lakes initiative, launched in 2010, cleaning up toxins, combats invasive species, works to restore wetlands and other habitats in the region, among other priorities, according to the GLRI website. Areas of funded focus in Illinois have included cleanup in the Waukegan Harbor. While Great Lakes funding is the most dramatic reduction, the program is hardly alone on the chopping block. The plan would eliminate funds for the Environmental Protection Agency's San Francisco Bay program and certain state grant programs, such as the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. The EPA cuts would strip its budget by $2 billion and its staff by some 3,000 employees, the Oregonian reports. Biggest losers in Trump's @EPA budget? * S.F. Bay * Great Lakes * Endocrine disruptor research * Education * Chesapeake Bay * Puget Sound pic.twitter.com/78xGL3OYVr Rob Davis (@robwdavis) March 2, 2017 The cuts are drastic but, in a sense, no a surprise. "We're going to have little tidbits left but we're going to get most of it out," Trump said of the EPA last year. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that details of a budget plan obtained by the paper showed the elimination of dozens of environmental programs as the administration looks to dramatically reallocate domestic spending toward military and defense. Trump has said he aims to increase security spending by $54 billion. The huge spending reductions would ultimately need to be approved by Congress, but as Vox points out, several GOP members of Congress have been angling for a diminished EPA budget in recent years. However, according to the Detroit Free Press, the Great Lakes initiative has seen support in the past from some Republican legislators from the affected region. The DFP writes: "Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania Great Lakes states that backed Trump in the election last year have all received funding under the initiative, which many lawmakers of both parties in the region have steadfastly supported even when other Republicans have moved to reduce it." About me I'm Avi Green From Jerusalem, Israel I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best. My profile Archives - Archives - July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010 August 2010 September 2010 October 2010 November 2010 December 2010 January 2011 February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013 November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 March 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 August 2014 September 2014 October 2014 November 2014 December 2014 January 2015 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 September 2015 October 2015 November 2015 December 2015 January 2016 February 2016 March 2016 April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 July 2016 August 2016 September 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 August 2017 September 2017 October 2017 November 2017 December 2017 January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018 December 2018 January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 April 2019 May 2019 June 2019 July 2019 August 2019 September 2019 October 2019 November 2019 December 2019 January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 September 2020 October 2020 November 2020 December 2020 January 2021 February 2021 March 2021 April 2021 May 2021 June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021 October 2021 November 2021 December 2021 January 2022 February 2022 March 2022 April 2022 May 2022 June 2022 July 2022 August 2022 September 2022 October 2022 November 2022 Chinese defense budget to rise by about 7 pc in 2017 Delegates from China\'s People\'s Liberation Army (PLA) share a light moment as they arrive to attend a plenary session of the National People\'s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Saturday. AP, Beijing : China will raise its defense budget by about 7 percent this year, a government spokeswoman said Saturday, continuing a trend of lowered growth amid a slowing economy. Total defense spending would account for about 1.3 percent of projected gross domestic project in 2017, said Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the legislature. She was speaking at a news conference on the eve of the opening of the body's annual session. The precise figure will be provided by Premier Li Keqiang in his address to the National People's Congress on Sunday morning. Fu reiterated China's contention that its military was purely for defense and constituted a force for stability in Asia. "We advocate dialogue for peaceful resolutions, while at the same time, we need to possess the ability to defend our sovereignty and interests," Fu said. "The strengthening of Chinese capabilities benefits the preservation of peace and security in this region, and not the opposite." Depending on the final figure, this year's budget could mark the third consecutive year of declines in defense spending growth rates. The budget grew by 7.6 percent last year and 10.1 percent in 2015. The increase of about 67 billion yuan ($9.7 billion) would push the total defense budget past the 1 trillion yuan ($145 billion) mark for the first time. The percentage increases do not track in U.S. dollar figures because of variations in the exchange rate. China's defense budget has for years been the world's second largest, although still lagging far behind the U.S. President Donald Trump has asked for a 10 percent increase in U.S. defense spending this year, adding $54 million to the budget that topped $600 billion last year. China points out that, as a developing country with a population of 1.37 billion, its defense spending per capita is a fraction of those of other nations. Fu also said the percentage of GDP China spends on defense is below the 2 percent the U.S. calls on NATO allies to spend. "The gap in capabilities with the U.S. is enormous, but China's military development and construction will continue in keeping with our need to defend our national sovereignty and security," Fu said. While China insists its military is purely for domestic purposes, it has been spending heavily on technologies allowing it to project power far from shore, including aircraft carriers, long-range bombers and its first overseas military base located in the East Africa nation of Djibouti. NAOGAON: A rally was brought out in Naogaon marking the 4th founding anniversary of Nityajholi Academy, a cultural organisation on Friday. One fourth people suffering from obesity in Bangladesh Health experts at a roundtable held at the Jatiya Press Club in the city on Friday said one fourth people in Bangladesh are suffering from obesity while one third people in the world are overweight. Citing the statistics of World Health Organization (WHO), they said the people die from diseases caused by overweight or over eating is much more than die from malnutrition. The health experts revealed the information at the roundtable on "Kidney Disease and Obesity: Healthy lifestyle for healthy kidney". Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society (KAMPS), a voluntary organization, organized the roundtable on the occasion of the World Kidney Day. Chairman of Kidney Foundation Prof. Dr. Harun or Rashid, Executive Director of BELA Rezwana Hasan, Executive Editor of Daily Ittefaq, Shaheen Reza Noor, Secretary General of Bangladesh Renal Association Prof. Dr. Mohibur Rahman, addressed the roundtable. Head of the Department of Kidney, Labaid Specialized Hospital and Chairman of KAMPS, Prof. Dr. MA Samad presented keynote paper at the roundtable. The experts said more than 3 lakhs of people die untimely in USA every year due to diseases caused by overweight, it costs $150 billion or Tk. 14 lakh 40,000 crore for their treatment which is about four times higher than our national budget. They said reducing risk of at least 68 percent of death is possible only by changing lifestyle, the habits include regular walking, consuming sufficient fruits and vegetables, keeping weight under control, avoiding smoking etc. Prof. Harunur said there are huge numbers of kidney patients in the country while it has only 96 dialysis centers where 18,000 patients undergo dialysis twice a week. In his keynote paper, Dr. Samad said the main objective of the World Kidney Day is to aware people world-wide about kidney disease and habituating people in sound life style. Referring to the WHO study, Prof. Samad said obesity is one of the 10 death risks. Once upon a time the communicable disease was the main reason for death worldwide, but now in Bangladesh more than 65 percent deaths caused by non-communicable disease and obesity originates lot many life killing diseases. He said obesity is directly linked with Kidney disease, overweight directly cause harm of Nephron of kidney and indirectly cause harm of kidney by high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Dr. Samad said "Worldwide prevalence of kidney disease is very high. In Bangladesh about two crore of people are suffering from any sorts of kidney diseases." DU medical centre itself is sick ON Saturday when Dhaka University was celebrating its 50th Convocation and Jubilant crowds were emitting shouts of glory, a national daily reported on the sorry state of its medical center. The medical center is facing multiple problems, like shortages of medicine, equipment, funding and inadequate professionals that reduces the quality of service delivery to the 20,000 students of the University. The teachers, staff and the wards - some thousands in number - also use this centre for health needs. Most of the time the patients, with even common diseases or minor injuries, have to turn to nearby hospitals as the medical center fails to cater to their needs. The situation appears to have worsened progressively over the past few years. While one reason is the increasingly higher number of students getting admitted to the university annually, another and a more worrying one is that the authority is not doing anything conducive to the development of the center, that leaves the lone medical center of the highest echelon academic institution of the nation in a dreadful situation. It is alleged that the center which started in 1922 is unable to provide even the first aid treatment due to inadequate manpower and facilities. Over 400 patients, including students, teachers, and staff go to the medical center daily for treatment, but they fail to get the service for lack of medical facilities. Only 24 doctors serve in the medical center where eight of them are part-timers. Despite the grave shortage and inadequacy, physicians are often absent at their respective chambers during office time. And, most of the time painkillers are offered to patients as free medicines for the shortages in medicine stock while the unavailability of nurses acts as the barrier towards the provision of proper health services. The report said many important medical instruments lie inoperative, while facilities for diagnosis and medical tests are nil. There is also a provision of supplying bed sheets and mosquito nets to the patients but patients are hardly provided with such items. It is observed that dirt and filth at the center give it the appearance of being nothing more than an abandoned building. The centre is really poor in look and service delivery. There is no reason to believe that the center is a part of the country's historic university and able to provide medicare to the students, teachers, and officers. Unpleasantly, the DU budget, though the biggest in the country's public university, has made little allocation for the medical center. Following the ranked universities in Europe and America, the University Authority must establish a full-fledged hospital where ordinary people can get specialized care and treatment. For that, besides the government, the alumni of the oldest university and businesses should extend their hand for setting up a full hospital that provides treatment not only to the DU family only but to ordinary citizens also. Nathan Lyon picks eight to put Virat Kohli & boys on back foot Nice Garry: Nathan Lyon holds the ball aloft up claiming 8 for 50 on the 1st day of 2nd Test between India and Australia at Bengaluru on Saturday. Virat Kohli and his boys' woes against quality spin bowling continued on the opening day of the second Test against Australia in Bengaluru. If Steve O'Keefe wreaked havoc in the first Test, it was the turn of his spin partner Nathan Lyon to rip through the Indian batting on Saturday as he finished with figures of 8/50 to bundle out India for a paltry 189 in the first innings. KL Rahul was the only Indian batsman who looked to apply himself on a wicket that had no demons in it. It was unfortunate that he missed out on a well-deserved century as Lyon dismissed him for 90, the ninth Indian wicket to fall on the day, caught by Matt Renshaw at mid-off. At stumps, Australia were placed at 40 for no loss, trailing by 149 runs in the first innings with David Warner (23) and Matt Renshaw (15) at the crease. The advantage clearly lies with the visitors at the end of the first day's play. Earlier, Kohli won the toss and decided to bat first on a wicket that looked tailor-made for batting. But then, his faith wasn't reposed by the batsmen as Australia struck early. Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc struck in the third over of the morning as he removed Abhinav Mukund for a duck. Picked in place of an injured Murali Vijay, Mukund failed to make it count as he missed a full delivery on his legs to be adjudicated leg-before with India's score reading 11. Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara looked to consolidate after the loss of the early wicket as the Aussie bowlers kept bowling a disciplined line and length. With skipper Steve Smith looking to restrict the flow of runs, he waited till the 22nd over of the innings to introduce Lyon to the bowling crease. And Lyon struck in his fourth over. Bowling a tight line, Lyon got one to bounce after pitching, only for Pujara to inside edge it straight to Peter Handscomb at forward short-leg. With Pujara (17) dismissed at the stroke of lunch, India went into the break with the score reading 72/2. Back after lunch, Kohli and Rahul started defensively as both looked to play the Australian bowlers with respect. But there was no stopping Lyon as he struck again. And this time, it was the all-important wicket of Kohli (12). Playing for the turn and bounce, Kohli shouldered arms to one that thudded onto his pads after pitching. Even though it looked pretty plumb, Kohli decided to use the DRS. The end result was a wasted review as the third umpire decided in favour of the on-field umpire. A dejected Kohli walked back as Ajinkya Rahane came in to join Rahul. Having had a torrid time in recent games, Rahane started cautiously as he looked to bide time in the middle. Rahul on the other hand looked composed as he played every ball on merit. He was particularly severe on anything pitched up, as he unleashed the cover drive with elan. But a sudden rush of blood saw Rahane trying to jump down the track and hit Lyon over the in-field. The end result was a simple stumping for Matthew Wade, as Lyon picked his third wicket. Wade did fumble to collect one that didn't turn after pitching, but Rahane (17) was so far down the track that Wade had all the time in the world. Karun Nair's dismissal was almost a repeat as the Karnataka batsman jumped down the track to miss the line of the ball and get stumped. Only this time, the bowler was Steve O'Keefe. Playing beautifully, Nair (26) suddenly decided to jump down the track and missed the line completely. India's score read 156/5 as Ashwin walked in to join a hapless looking Rahul. Ashwin's stay at the crease was again cut short by a beautiful delivery from Lyon that turned and bounced just enough to kiss his glove and land into the safe hands of David Warner at leg slip. Wriddhiman Saha too followed Ashwin back to the pavilion as he managed just one run after facing 14 deliveries. While Ashwin was done by one that turned and bounced, Saha was foxed by one from Lyon that held its line after pitching. Saha looked to play for the turn and ended up giving an easy catch to Smith at first slip. After that it was a clear case of just cleaning up the tail as Lyon dismissed Ravindra Jadeja (3) and Ishant Sharma (0) in quick succession. In between he also dismissed Rahul as the opener looked to pick up some quick runs with the tail showing no signs of wagging. Tsurenko reaches WTA final after top seed Lucic-Baroni retires AFP, Acapulco : Seventh-seeded Lesia Tsurenko booked a WTA title showdown with France's Kristina Mladenovic in Acapulco on Friday after illness forced top-seeded Mirjana Lucic-Baroni to retire while trailing against the Ukrainian. Croatian veteran Lucic-Baroni, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open, had been in strong form all week, reaching the semi-finals without dropping a set. But she looked out of sorts from the start against Tsurenko, who raced to a 5-0 lead before the top seed retired complaining of gastrointestinal illness. "I was really shocked on court when she decided to retire," Tsurenko said. "I wish that she feels better. I'm pretty happy to be in the final, but it's a shame that she's not feeling well." Lucic-Baroni was dismayed with the end to her week. "I was really unlucky," she said. "I picked up a virus, I vomited just before I went on the court. "I tried. Because I'm not the type to retire, ever. I'll just put on more tapes and play, and I can play through anything really. "But I just felt extremely dizzy and like I was going to vomit all the time, and I just couldn't continue. I'm really upset, because this is such a great tournament and I'm playing so well." Mladenovic made it into her second final of the year, holding off fifth- seeded American Christina McHale 7-5, 4-6, 6-2. The two traded breaks to start the final set, but Mladenovic took charge with a strong service performance and powerful forehand. She won three straight games to close out the match to give herself a chance to add another title to the first career trophy she lifted in St. Petersburg last month. NI Assembly polls: Sinn Fein toasts vote surge Michelle O\'Neill (right), Sinn FAin\'s northern leader, celebrating with the party\'s deputy leader Mary-Lou McDonald. Internet photo The Democratic Unionist Party has been narrowly returned as the largest party but Sinn Fein was the biggest winner in the NI Assembly election. The party has come within a seat of drawing level with the DUP, which came into the election with 10 more seats. Only 1,168 first preference votes separated the two parties and, for the first time, Unionists will not have an overall majority at Stormont. Amid the fallout, Mike Nesbitt said he would resign as Ulster Unionist leader. The election was called after the collapse of a coalition led by Arlene Foster's DUP and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness. Sinn Fein and the DUP now have three weeks to establish a government: Under Northern Ireland's power-sharing agreement, the government must be run by Irish nationalists and unionists together. If a government cannot be formed within that time then, under law, another election will be called. The DUP's Jeffrey Donaldson said it would be unfair to focus on "just one individual" when asked about the party's loss of seats and Mrs Foster's future as its leader. The party would have to "listen to the concerns expressed during the election", but was focused on forming a government, he added. Ultimately, if no power-sharing government is formed, devolved power could return to the UK parliament at Westminster for the first time in a decade. However, Theresa Villiers, a former Northern Ireland secretary of state, said that the UK government could legislate to give the DUP and Sinn Fein more time to negotiate or to introduce of direct rule. "Ultimately, if at the end of three weeks they haven't [agreed], then legislation is one option to give them more time or to return to direct rule." David Trimble, a former Ulster Unionist Party leader who also served as first minister of Northern Ireland, suggested the parties would need more time to reach an agreement. "If there isn't an administration put in place then the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is on a legal obligation to dissolve the assembly and have another general election, which I doubt will get us anywhere." Sinn Fein's northern leader Michelle O'Neill said voters had responded positively to her party's message of equality, integrity and respect. "Sinn Fein is ready to enter negotiations on those principles and we want to see those negotiations start as soon as possible," she said. Apparel buyers for quick delivery of samples from HSIA to factories Staff Reporter : The international apparel retailers in a meeting have demanded quick delivery of garment samples from the Dhaka airport to the factories to reduce the prolonged lead-time in shipment of goods abroad. They placed the demand in the meeting held recently with the apparel manufacturers in Dhaka, said Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). The garment makers highly rely on samples sent by the international retailers to produce apparel items for timely shipment, he said. Representatives of nearly 20 global retailers which directly or indirectly purchase around $10 billion worth of garment items from Bangladesh attended the meeting, Delayed delivery of samples from the airport is a concern not only for the international retailers, but also for us and for the country, Mahmud Hasan said after attending the meeting. He said the retailers and the manufacturers have long been complaining about the incidents of missing and delayed delivery of samples from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), but the services at the airport are still poor. The service quality at HSIA in Dhaka has improved a bit in recent times, but this is not enough to satisfy the international customers like the garment retailers, the BGMEA vice president said. The garment makers complain that sometimes it takes nearly 10 days to deliver the apparel samples from the airport whereas it was supposed to be delivered within one or two days of arrival from abroad. The retailers also queried about the tripartite agreement that was signed last week among the government, union leaders and factory owners to give legal support to the workers and unionists arrested during Ashulia unrest in December last year. At the meeting, the retailers were informed that the garment makers will not follow the additional standards the engineers of Accord are now trying to apply during the factory inspections in Bangladesh, he said. More than 30 preschoolers at a Warsaw kindergarten had their first contacts with the Chinese culture on Friday, as the kindergarten staged "Chinese Day" activities with assistance from the Chinese embassy. The children, aged between 3 and 7, were from the 16th Warsaw kindergarten -- "Zaczarowany Zakatek" (an enchanted corner). Children listened to the story of "Nian" (year in Chinese), and the origins of the Lunar Chinese New Year traditions recounted vividly by Chinese embassy staff. They also enjoyed a cartoon over the Chinese New Year. Following it was games and contest checking on the newly acquired China-themed knowledge. The kids strived to outdo each other and joyfully shouted the answers to questions. The whole classroom was full of laughter and enthusiasm. The "Chinese Day" event was organized after Beata Mizerska, headmaster of the kindergarten, wrote a letter to the Chinese Embassy in Warsaw. "We would like to bring the Chinese culture closer to our kids, allow them get to know the life of foreign kids from faraway, therefore help them arouse interest in the other cultures," Mizerska wrote. "We really care for introducing the immense cultural wealth and heritage of China to our children," Mizerska said. The embassy actively responded to the initiative and helped organize the activities, saying that it was significant to help grow interest and understanding in foreign cultures since childhood. Trump`s son-in law also met with Russian envoy:WH The New York Times, Washington : Michael T. Flynn, then Donald J. Trump's incoming national security adviser, had a previously undisclosed meeting with the Russian ambassador in December to "establish a line of communication" between the new administration and the Russian government, the White House said on Thursday. Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump's son-in-law and now a senior adviser, also participated in the meeting at Trump Tower with Mr. Flynn and Sergey I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador. But among Mr. Trump's inner circle, it is Mr. Flynn who appears to have been the main interlocutor with the Russian envoy - the two were in contact during the campaign and the transition, Mr. Kislyak and current and former American officials have said. But the extent and frequency of their contacts remains unclear, and the disclosure of the meeting at Trump Tower adds to the emerging picture of how the relationship between Mr. Trump's incoming team and Moscow was evolving to include some of the president-elect's most trusted advisers. The White House has repeatedly sought to play down any connections with Mr. Kislyak. Attorney General Jeff Sessions acknowledged this week that he had met twice with him during the campaign, despite previous denials. The New Yorker reported this week that Mr. Kushner had met with Mr. Kislyak at Trump Tower in December. Hope Hicks, a White House spokeswoman, confirmed on Thursday that Mr. Flynn was also at the meeting in response to questions from a New York Times reporter. It is common and not improper for transition officials to meet with foreign officials. But all meetings between Trump associates and Russians are now significant as the F.B.I. investigates Russian interference in the American election and whether anyone close to Mr. Trump's campaign was involved. The meeting in December came at a crucial time, just as the Obama White House was preparing to sanction Russia and publicly make its case that Moscow had interfered with the 2016 election. What is now becoming clear is that the incoming Trump administration was simultaneously striking a conciliatory pose toward Moscow in a series of meetings and phone calls involving Mr. Kislyak. "They generally discussed the relationship and it made sense to establish a line of communication," Ms. Hicks said. "Jared has had meetings with many other foreign countries and representatives - as many as two dozen other foreign countries' leaders and representatives." The Trump Tower meeting lasted 20 minutes, and Mr. Kushner has not met since with Mr. Kislyak, Ms. Hicks said. When first asked in January about Mr. Flynn's contacts with Mr. Kislyak, the White House said that there had been only a text message and phone call between the men at the end of December, and that both came before the United States imposed sanctions. Malaysia expels N Korean envoy after Kim Jong Nam murder Reuters : Malaysia on Saturday expelled the North Korean ambassador to the country, declaring him "persona non grata" and asking the envoy to leave Malaysia within 48 hours. The move comes nearly three weeks after Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was murdered at Kuala Lumpur's airport with a toxic nerve agent. U.S. and South Korean officials have said he was killed by agents of the North Korean regime. Kang Chol, North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, said last month his country "cannot trust" Malaysia's handling of the probe, and also accused the country of "colluding with outside forces" in a veiled reference to bitter rival South Korea. Malaysian foreign minister Anifah Haji Aman said in a statement on Saturday that Malaysia had demanded an apology from the ambassador for his comments, but none was forthcoming. Keep children away from wrong path UNB, Dhaka : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged mothers to take good care of their children so that they do not go to the wrong path. "Parents need to pay extra attention to their children so that don't walk on the wrong path of militancy and terrorism, and resort to drug addiction...mothers have the greater responsibility...I want mothers to pay extra attention to their children," she said. The Prime Minister said this while addressing the national council of Bangladesh Mohila Awami League as the chief guest at Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh. She said, militancy has emerged as a new menace across the globe and it was very much regrettable that girls are being involved in it. "Islam is a religion of peace, Islam never permits killing people, I don't know how these people are maintaining Islam through killing." Putting emphasis on united efforts of all to eliminate militancy and terrorism, Hasina advised mothers to behave like friends with their children from their tender age and educate them about the ill effects of these menaces. The Prime Minister reiterated zero tolerance stance of her government against terrorism and militancy saying there would be no room for these social vices on Bangladesh soil. She asked the leaders and workers of Mohila Awami League to portrait her government's development activities among the country's womenfolk so that the party could win the next national election to maintain the existing pace of development. She also asked them to supplement the government steps for the development of women alongside strengthening their organisation. The Prime Minister said all the leaders and workers should work with sincerity, honesty and dedication so that the government could turn the country into a middle-income digital nation by 2021 and a prosperous and developed one by 2041. Praising Mohila Awami League for its glorious role in every movement from its inception, Hasina said they should work for removing the sufferings and miseries of the womenfolk. The Prime Minister said, she understands the problems of women, and the government is implementing various programs to remove those, including giving them various allowances like widow allowance and allowance for the women abandoned by husbands. Presided over by Mohila Awami League President Ashrafunnesa Musharraf, the function was addressed, among others, by its General Secretary Fazilatunnesa Indira. Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the council through raising the national flag. No existence of Al Qaeda, IS in BD: Asad BSS, Bhola : Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday reiterated that there is no existence of Al Qaeda and IS in Bangladesh. "There are some home-grown terrorist groups (in the country). But our security forces have been able to tackle them properly," he said addressing as chief guest a meeting of civil society at Upazila Government College at Charfashan here. Deputy Minister for Environment and Forests Abdullah Al Islam Jakob addressed the meeting as special guest while college principal Kaisar Ahmed Dulal was in the chair. Barisal Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Sheikh Md Maruf Hasan, Bhola Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Selim Uddin, Police Super Md Moktar Hossain, Upazila Chairman Abedin Akhon and Poura Mayor Badal Krishna Debnath, among others, addressed the meeting. The minister said, the people of Bangladesh do not like militancy. They are pious but not fanatics, he added. Kamal said the people are resisting the terrorists with unity, responding to the call of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. "Now, Bangladesh is safer than any other country in the world," he said. The country is marching ahead under the dynamic leadership of Sheikh Hasina, the home minister said, adding, "We are becoming a poverty-free country under her leadership." Several hundred thousands of foreigners are working in Bangladesh, which proves that the country is going ahead, he added. The minister called upon the students to avoid all types of drugs. Militants trying for fresh attacks 409 killed in last 11 yrs Md Joynal Abedin Khan : The top leaders and motivated activists of different banned militant organizations are now trying to reorganize to operate their destructive activities amid 'cops' zero tolerance policy', intelligence sources have said. Many militants belonging to banned New Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (New-JMB), Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (HUJI) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) have become active after getting bail from jail as law enforcers have no idea about their whereabouts, they said. They suspect that the JMJB militants have gone into hiding and trying to collect new members and fund to operate their destructive activities. Now militants are emerging from various classes of society. Earlier, it was thought that only Madarsa-based students were getting radicalized, but now militants are coming with higher educational backgrounds and high-profile families. Thus, the militant groups are now capable of adopting and using modern and cutting-edge technologies to execute their grisly plans, according to them. It was in 1991 that the police first arrested a group of HUJI members from Cox's Bazar, although the outfit came to light by organizing a programme on April 30, 1992 at the National Press Club in Dhaka. Mentionable that HUJI attacked a cultural programme in Jessore in 1999 that left ten people dead. On April 14, 2001, the outfit conducted another attack during the Bangla New Year celebrations. Its attacks continued until 2005. In April, 2004, JMB came to light in Rajshahi. Its first action was a series of bomb blasts in 61 districts on August 17, 2005. Members from JMB also attacked a court in Jhalakathi, killing two judges. Ansarullah Bangla Team's presence was known in 2013, after the death of blogger Rajeeb Haider. Investigators discovered later that the outfit was originated in the country. In latest, the sacked army Major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque and Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury established New JMB unit in last year. The JMB took only nine years to reorganize. The other listed organisations are Lashkar-e-Taiba, Tehrik-e-Jehad-e-Islami-Kashmiri, Harkat-ul Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jehadul Islami, Hizbul Mujahideen, Hezbe Islami, Jamiatul Mujahideen, Harkatul Ansar, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and Jaish-e-Mohammed. According to media reports, at least 16 people were killed in different militant attacks in several districts in the country in last seven months. On the other hand, a data of the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) shows that about 393 people were killed in terrorist attacks in the last eleven years. Among the dead 360 were civilians and 33 security personnel. In addition, 243 terrorists were also killed during the period, it said. The data shows that the highest number of killings occurred in 2013, when 246 civilians and security personnel and 133 terrorists were killed. Twenty five were killed in 2005, six in 2006, one in 2007, one in 2008, three in 2010, one in 2012, 38 in 2014, 25 in 2015 and 46 in 2016. The number of deaths has thus been increasing since 2013. Data from the SATP shows that the first major militant attack in Bangladesh was reported in 1996, when Shanti Bahini rebels abducted and killed 30 Bengali settlers in Rangamati district on September 11. Since then, incidents have increased and so have fatalities. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal claimed in a programme in Bhola on Saturday that there was no existence of Al Qaeda or IS in the country. However, some terrorists are here those can be stopped by law enforcing agencies. Stating that the people do not like militancy, the minister said Bangladeshi people is religious but not fanatic. They also prevent militancy responding to the urge of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Contacted, Professor Dr Zia Rahman, Chairman of Dhaka University's Criminology Department, told The New Nation on Saturday that the rise of militancy starts since the 1990s. The problem can be solved if gaps in the intelligence agencies are plugged and social, familial and educational changes are brought about, he said. Security analyst Major General (Retd) Abdur Rashid said, "The early militant attacks in the country were inspired by the HUJI. Later, JMB came into being. As a result of the drives by law enforcers, the JMB split and the ABT, was born." AKM Shahidul Hoque, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), said they had found involvement of the New-JMB members in a good number of murder incidents since last year, especially in the city and the country's northern region. "Although JMB's top leaders, including Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai, were executed, the JMB is still active," he said. Monirul Islam, chief of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit, said that they were collecting information from the grassroots about the Neo-JMB and other militant organizations. Patients return unattended Govt hospitals hit hard as interns join strike action against fellows who beat patients Patients at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital being taken back without treatment on Saturday as the intern doctors joined the on-going strike across the country\'s govt hospitals protesting action against 4 intern doctors for beating patient at Bogra Ziau Staff Reporter : Country's most government hospitals were hit hard as the intern doctors joined strike on Saturday protesting steps against the punishment to fellows who beat patients at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) in Bogra on February 19. Patients writhed in pain and many had to go back without treatment as the government hospitals reeled from an indefinite strike launched by intern doctors throughout the country. The strike is causing immense sufferings to the patients as only government employed doctors are serving in the wards. Earlier, the Health Ministry has suspended four interns of SZMCH for six months for assaulting a patient's relative. The intern doctors vowed to continue their strike until the suspension order against the four -- Nurjahan Binte Islam Naz, Md Ashiquzzaman Asif, Md Kutub Uddin and MA Al Mamun -- are withdrawn. On the call of the interns at SZMCH, the trainee young physicians of Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH), Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College, Khulna Medical College Hospital, Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barisal, Dinajpur Medical College Hospital and other government medical college hospitals also enforced the strike and held protest rallies on the hospital premises. According to reports pouring in from different metropolitan cities and district towns, the patients in these hospitals continued to suffer throughout the day as work remained suspended due to intern doctors' strike. There was also low presence of doctors in emergency wards of these hospitals. In Bogra, interns of SZMCH continued their work abstention for the third consecutive day yesterday, causing immense sufferings to the patients. Kutub Uddin, spokesperson of the demonstrating intern doctors, hinted that they would continue their ongoing protest programme until the authorities cancel the suspension order. Sources at the SZMCH said, on February 19, four interns of the Medicine Department beat up and abused the relatives of a patient over an altercation. Following media reports on that incident, the authorities launched a probe into the matter. In Rangpur, RMCH interns have stopped working since Saturday morning and demonstrated in front of the hospital. The protesters demanded withdrawal of the punishment meted out to four interns at Bogra's SZMCH for assaulting a patient's relative. "Now the nurses are also taking advantage of the situation. No doctor is coming to attend to my brother, who was admitted to the hospital following an accident. He is now writhing in pain," his brother said. "We will continue with the protests until the penalties are withdrawn," Rangpur Intern Doctors' Council President Farhan Rahman told journalists. Hospital authorities said they were trying to negotiate with the interns. "They cannot be forced to work; we are trying. The doctors are working extra hours to manage the situation," said an official of RMCH Shafiqul Islam. Lame duck Election Commission will be a sitting duck Commission Free election is not the full answer for democracy to work. We shall need political reform to have democratically credible opposition. Continuing with the past and failed undemocratic leadership is not the way to save democracy. Threatening the opposition of dire consequences if they boycott the election cannot be the assurance of free election. But unless we view the election crisis as a challenge to restore democratic accountability of the government and safety in public life. We shall not know the extent of our responsibility as a free nation determined to live in freedom.There is too much police power and very little political leadership. We shall not be honouring the heroic achievement of Bangladesh as an independent country if we cannot prove our heroism in saving free election. We cannot be unmindful that it was over the sanctity of election that sparked off our liberation war. Basking in the past glory and betraying with the past glorious achievements is the meanest of hypocricy. When we talk of free and fair election, we are talking of rights and ability to live together in peace and safety. The issue of free election means securing our right to choose our government on our own free will. Above all, we mean to establish the core value and spirit of our Liberation War. We have not liberated ourselves to live in fear of our own government. To understand the depth of the challenge concerning the National Election it is very important in my view to assess the crisis of free and fair election in the context of accelerating chaos and corruption. We have a government that does not listen or care and is surviving within a self-built wall that has detached the government from the people. Refusing a level playing field is not free election. To have some competitors as sitting ministers and MPs while others as ordinary candidates is discriminatory wrecking the very foundation of a free election. The cause of free election is not an isolated single issue. Free and fair election is not itself democracy but it is the moving engine or the oxygen of democracy. The essential body-parts of democratic good governance decay and die in the absence of oxygen of free election. The Election Commission was born as a lame duck and will be a sitting duck before the all powerful government in election time. Expecting everything from the lame duck Election Commission is not honesty. We the citizens have lost the voting power, we the citizens must win back our voting power for us and for the nation to have good governance we deserve. There is doubt if the Chief Election Commissioner knows how impossible it is for him to promise free and fair election yet he is asking everyday to have confidence in him when he needs all the assurances of the government to be free and independent. Under any functional Parliamentary System it is absurd to think that the parliament's election will be held without dissolving the Parliament and making the seats vacant. After the parliament is dissolved no government can remain elected. A system of government has to be followed all the way or not at all. Not following any system is the cause of disarray within the government. Signs of power without responsibility to be seen everywhere. So the election time government itself competing to win in the election is the major stumbling block to the functioning of the Election Commission forcefully, independently and effectively. Relying too much on the lame duck Election Commission is disowning our own responsibility. As citizens it is for us to neutralise the government for the Election Commission to act freely. So we have to seek assurances from the incumbent government how it proposes to remain neutral for the Election Commission to be free to hold free election. The Chief Election Commissioner must move and must call on the government to discuss how to neutralise the government during election time. He must place some ideas of his own. To hold election but offering no free choice to the people in a situation ripe for fire and furies could be disastrous. Our foreign funded NGOs are interested in elections to show their activities, democracy or no democracy. They give facts and figures of bad governance and there they end their responsibility. A closed government is no government. The government for its own good must open itself up to let in fresh air and fresh ideas. It is with greatest of sadness, I note that our journalists and lawyers have forgotten the glory days when they were the best allies of democracy and devoted selflessly to defend the people. Our people feel adrift and uprooted in their own country living in an era of raw and shameless dishonesty. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe You are here: Home A passenger uses the car-hailing app, Didi Chuxing, in Shanghai. [Xinhua] Chinese ride-sharing platform Didi Chuxing strengthened government recognition of its business by obtaining its first local online operating license. The one-stop mobile transportation platform received the Online Car-Hailing Operating License from Tianjin Municipality, where DiDi is registered, meaning its online car-hailing service is legal in the city, the company announced Thursday evening. Tianjin authorities also granted DiDi formal accreditation of its car-hailing services, which is recognized nationwide. The Ministry of Transport decided last year that car-hailing service operators need formal accreditation of online and off-line operating qualifications. Other market players such as Shouqi Limousine & Chauffeur and UCAR have also obtained official online operating licenses and accreditation. DiDi said it will continue to work closely with other localities and expects to see significant acceleration of the overall licensing process. DiDi offers online car-hailing services in over 400 cities and completes more than 20 million rides daily. If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs. The circumstances surrounding Candyce Gagnard Perrets 2004 arrest which has sparked a war of words between her campaign and her former fiance on one side and Florida law enforcement officials on the other raise questions about her judgment and, potentially, her character and suitability for the appeals court. Photo by Robin May Charges and counter charges about a 2004 arrest report filed by the Walton County Sheriffs Office have erupted into a full-scale war of words with the Candyce Gagnard Perret campaign for the Third Circuit Court of Appeal and her former fiance on one side and that Florida sheriffs office on the other. Candyce Perret, then Candyce Gagnard, was arrested in Seaside, Fla., in 2004 for an incident on a beach in which she was nude in the company of at least two other people, one of whom was identified in court records as a judge. Gagnard Perret, who was 33 at the time, was charged with a single count of indecent exposure (the actual charge in Florida is exposure of sexual organs). The charge was later dismissed in 2005 at the request of Florida prosecutors after Gagnard completed the terms of a deferred prosecution agreement. The Daily Iberian broke the story on the candidate's 2004 arrest today, noting that the Perret campaign informed its reporter that other media outlets are pursuing the story. The arrest report has been circulating like wildfire in the legal community in recent weeks, and The Independent has had information about it for as long, looking into various aspects of the circumstances surrounding the incident and arrest. The arrest raises questions of Gagnard Perrets judgment and, potentially, her character and suitability for a seat on the appeals court. It also calls attention to a conspicuous gap in her resume in 2004. In the June 11, 2004, arrest report filed by Sgt. Brian Schultz of the Walton County Sheriffs Office, Gagnards job title is listed as Assistant District Attorney. In his report of the arrest, Schultz wrote, At this time, Ms. Gagnard stepped out the front doors of the residence and stated to me, you better have all your ts crossed and your is dotted because Im an assistant district attorney and I also do civil litigation for false arrest. On Feb. 16, The IND asked for the resumes all three candidates for the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal seat on the March 25 ballot. Marie Centanni, Candyce Perrets campaign manager, replied by email that they did not have a resume on hand, adding that Perrets LinkedIn page is current and should have everything you need. In a Feb. 20 email exchange between Centanni and this reporter, the question of whether Gagnard Perret had served as an assistant district attorney was raised. Centanni writes, No, she was Marksville City Prosecutor. Why? When told that a 2004 arrest report lists Gagnard Perrets occupation as assistant district attorney, Centanni asks, She listed or the officer listed? Centanni continued to push that line of response in The Daily Iberians story. It is a fact that while Gagnard Perret served as a city prosecutor in Marksville from 1998 to 2001 several years before her 2004 arrest she has never been an assistant district attorney, which Centanni confirms to The IND. The campaign manager instead insists that the offense report is incorrect, that the candidate did not say she was an ADA. The Daily Iberian article cites Loyola Law professor and legal ethicist Dane Ciolino to explain the importance of the ADA claim contained in the arrest report. That misconduct, if proven, could subject Gagnard Perret to disciplinary action, he tells the New Iberia paper: Such a statement [that Perret was an assistant district attorney], if false, would violate Louisiana Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4(c), which prohibits a lawyer from engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation, Ciolino said in an email Thursday afternoon. Misconduct is broadly used in the rules, and could result in anything from a reprimand to disbarment, depending on the severity of the offense. John W. Houghtaling II, Gagnard Perrets fiance at the time of her arrest, was one of the two men with Gagnard on the beach in the wee hours of the morning on June 9, two days before the arrest warrant was executed. Gagnards arrest took place at a house owned by Houghtaling in Seaside. Houghtaling and Gagnard both graduated from Loyola College of Law in New Orleans in 1997, according to the university. Houghtaling joined the fray on Friday morning in a telephone interview with The IND, confirming that he and Gagnard were engaged at the time of her arrest but also claiming that the officers fabricated the ADA job description. She was a city prosecutor in Marksville; some people say thats the same thing, Houghtaling offers. Houghtaling says he remembers the arrest as clearly as if it happened yesterday and claims that the arrest report is chock full of intentional falsehoods. I really feel I let [Candyce] down by not doing what I had said I was going to do, which is to sue the officers for false arrest, Houghtatling says. But, I got busy and learned recently that the statute limits for filing have passed. Seaside Security officer Linn Stalbosky's statement on the incident that led to the arrest of Candyce Gagnard Perret in 2004. Houghtaling heads the New Orleans-based Gauthier Houghtaling firm, having taken over not long after the 2001 death of its founder, noted class action lawyer Wendell Gauthier. The IND reached out on Facebook to the arresting officer, retired Walton County Sheriffs Maj. Brian Schultz, for comment on the Perret campaigns insistence that Gagnard Perret never claimed to be an ADA and Houghtalings assertions that the arrest report contains deliberately false statements. Schultz immediately contacted the public information officer at the Walton County Sheriffs Office, Corey Dobridnia, who then called this reporter. Dobridnia describes Schultz as a highly decorated retired law enforcement officer and says the statements made against Schultz smack of politics. Gagnard Perret's mugshot from her 2004 arrest Speaking personally, I think its disgraceful that a politician would attack a law enforcement officer in an attempt to hide something in their past that theyre ashamed about, Dobridnia says. Schultz and The IND spoke briefly by phone just before press time. He says he will consider commenting on the matter once hes had a chance to review the nearly 13-year-old arrest report Dobridnia was forwarding to him. THE RESUME GAP Candyce Gagnard Perrets LinkedIn page shows that she was living and working in the New Orleans area in the first part of the first decade of this century. From 2001 to March 2004, the profile shows her working at New Orleans-based Gainsburgh Benjamin David, a long-established firm with practice areas that include personal injury, medical malpractice, maritime law and class action lawsuits, according to the firms website. Gagnard Perrets LinkedIn bio lists no place of employment between March 2004 and October 2004, the period that covers the Seaside incident and her arrest. In October 2004, she began working as a senior law clerk at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans, where she was employed for two years. The Louisiana Secretary of States Business Filings records show that Gagnard filed an LLC in April 2004, after leaving Gainsburgh Benjamin David. The Law Offices of Candyce Gagnard LLC lists as its address 3500 North Hullen, the same address as her then-fiances firm, Gauthier Houghtaling. Houghtaling says he leases the bulk of the space in the North Hullen building and subleases it to other attorneys. He says Gagnard Perret leased space from him there in 2004 and did some project work for his firm until October 2004 when she began clerking at the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal. Why she chose to leave her private practice off her LinkedIn profile remains a mystery. In the arrest report, Gagnard lists as her address 7400 Marconi Drive, a home in the Lake Vista area situated between New Orleans City Park and the Lakefront that is owned by Houghtaling. SEASIDE INCIDENT AND ARREST The June 9, 2004, incident on the beach that led to Gagnards arrest began when two Seaside security guards were drawn to the beach by loud music at around 2 a.m., according to online public records in the case, which are all available for public viewing here. The IND obtained an official copy of the Walton County Sheriffs Office arrest report from the department on Feb. 13. The incident and arrest reports are based on sworn statements of two Seaside security guards and two Walton County Sheriffs Office deputies. The arrest report was written by Schultz, who was a sergeant at the time but recently retired with the rank of major. According to Schultzs report, he and fellow deputy Cullen Coraine were called to Seaside by security officers in the community at 2:15 a.m. on June 9. (Seaside served as the backdrop for the movie The Truman Show and the inspiration for River Ranch.) According to Houghtaling and the arrest report, music from a radio on the beach drew the attention of the Seaside security officers. The first security officer, identified in the arrest report as Linn Stalbosky, requested that fellow security officer Thomas Jones accompany her to help her. But Jones actually encountered the group on the beach before Stalbosky did, according to the incident report. Officer Jones located the several subjects on the beach at the Ruskin Pavilion and did make contact with the subjects in regards to the music. Officer Stalbosky joined Officer Jones in a timely manner and did witness a large white male subject in the face of Officer Jones yelling at him and threatening him. Officer Jones and Stalbosky also stated that they did witness glass bottles and wine glasses on the beach with the subjects towels, also noted by the two officers was that the female was naked on the beach. Officer Jones attempted to tell the subjects about the glass on the beach ordinance and the no nudity issue but was afraid of further problems from the larger gentleman. Both officers left the beach and contacted the Sheriffs [sic] Office. Schultz writes in his report that by the time he and Deputy Coraine arrived at the beach, the party had moved on from the beach to what was later identified as Houghtalings Seaside home. Schultz and Coraine walked there. On arrival at the residence there was a lot of noise coming from the residence, that sounded like slamming of doors. The front gate to the stairs was open along with the front doors of the residence. Deputy Coraine and myself walked up the stairs and onto the front porch, at this time we made contact with a male subject that was identified as the smaller subject on the beach. We then spoke with him in regards to the events on the beach and advised him that there was no glass allowed on the beach and that nudity was not allowed as well. And then asked him who the larger male subject was that threatened Security Officer Jones. He then stated that the big guy was Judge Barron and that he could not comment on whether anyone on the beach was nude and that he did not think there was any glass down there. [T]here was a white female present at the residence at the time Deputy Coraine and myself were talking with the male subject. After advising him of the county ordinance and the state statute regarding nudity Deputy Coraine and myself turned and started to leave. According to his report, Schultz accidentally knocked over a candle on the porch on the way out. The report says that upset Houghtaling, the owner of the house. Houghtaling, in his telephone interview with The IND, claims the candle was knocked over intentionally. THE MYSTERY JUDGE ON THE BEACH Houghtaling maintains that there was no Judge Barron on the beach. The judge was actually Judge Reggie Badeaux, he tells The IND in a phone interview Friday. Badeaux, of the 22nd JDC in St. Tammany Parish, was censured by the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2011 for not recusing himself from a divorce case involving two close friends. Badeaux has served as a district court judge in the 22nd JDC since 1997. Photo by Robin May Houghtaling, who says he and Candyce never married but declined to say when they broke up, also disputes the statement in the arrest report that the deputies got confirmation from the two Seaside security guards that the nude woman on the beach was the same woman present in the house when the deputies spoke with him. However, one of the security officers, Linn Stalbosky, says in her statement that she personally identified Gagnard Perret at the residence. A portion of then-Sgt. Schultz's statement from the original arrest report, which The IND obtained from the Walton County Sheriff's Office Feb. 13. All records in the case are available on the Walton County Clerk of Court's website. Gagnard was arrested by deputies Schultz and Coraine at Houghtalings Seaside home two days later, on June 11, 2004. Houghtaling answered the door, according the arrest report, which indicates Houghtaling stated that this whole issue was complete harassment. The report continues: At this point Ms. Gagnard did come to the door at which time I advised Ms. Gagnard that I had a warrant for her arrest. At this time Mr. Houghtaling and the other gentleman known only as judge became very aggravated [and] started to question my investigation of the case and demanding that I show them the signed warrant and stated to them that I was under no obligation at this time to show them a warrant. They stood as to block the door way into the residence and advised that I was not going to take her until they were shown the warrant. At this time both subjects were advised that if they interfered with the execution of the arrest warrant they would both be arrested for interference with a law enforcement officer. [A]t this time Ms. Gagnard was given the opportunity to collect some of her personal effects and remove any jewelry she might be wearing and leave it at the residence. During this period of time both Mr. Houghtaling and the subject that only identified himself as a judge continually question my investigation along with my knowledge of the law and continued to act my personal integrity as if to bait me into saying or doing something that would compromise my law enforcement position. It was during the actual arrest that Gagnard Perret is reported to have told the officers, You better have all your ts crossed and your is dotted because Im an assistant district attorney and I also do civil litigation for false arrest. Houghtaling posted a $1,000 cash bond to secure Gagnard Perrets release from the Walton County Jail. Public records indicate that Candyce Gagnard Perret was not prosecuted for indecent exposure because she completed a pre-trial diversion program. For his part, Houghtaling says there were three couples on the beach, not three people, as contained in the police report. He also acknowledges that he got a call from Gagnard Perret recently, saying that "desperate opponents" were trying to use the arrest against her. But despite Houghtalings claim that the arrest report was riddled with inaccuracies and that the arrest of Gagnard was retaliatory against me and Judge Badeaux, there are no records to indicate that the arrest report was ever challenged during the process in which Gagnard Perret completed the pre-trial diversion program before she could have the charge dismissed. Contact Mike Stagg at [email protected] Read more on the candidates in the Third Circuit Court of Appeal race here, where you will find links to all of the stories in our series. The election is March 25. Stop the Clock Cowboy Jazz Band performs at the Feed & Seed on Sunday, March 5. Doors open at 6 p.m. IND L!VE offers highlights of the many live music events taking place around Acadiana this weekend. CAPTURED! BY ROBOTS Friday, March 3 Steam Press Cafe Doors: 9 p.m. The touring musical comedy troupe consists of robots and only one human member. The human, in an attempt to make his own band, created the robots, but instead of following him, they revolted and enslaved him. Video footage of CBR performing Journeys Dont Stop Believing can be seen below. PHOTOTAXIS + PARAHELION + SANNAH HANDOZ Friday, March 3 Poets Doors: 9:30 p.m. Enjoy a small show for small people as Poets hosts a night of solo and acoustic acts. HANK WILLIAMS TRIBUTE SHOW Friday, March 3 Blue Moon Saloon Doors: 9 p.m. "A Tribute To Hank Williams" will take place March 3rd at Blue Moon Saloon with folk rockers The Rayo Brothers, honky tonk band Gal Holiday, and country crooner Blayze Viator. In Lafayette for one night only, this show will feature the songs of country music legend Hank Williams. POODOO SOUL FEST 3 Friday, March 3 Artmosphere Bistro Doors: 9 p.m. Cover: $10 The third incarnation of the musical anomaly know as Poodoo Soul Fest part 3 returns to Artmosphere this Friday with The Good Dudes, Brass Mimosa, Dustin Gaspard and the Freetown Sound. MICHEL JOSEPH BAND + HONEY ON THE RAIL Saturday, March 3 Artmosphere Bistro Doors: 9 p.m. Artmosphere welcomes Michel Joseph Band and Honey on the Rail to its stage this Saturday. WE ARE THE ASTEROID + THE ELVIS DEPRESSLEES + EAT US FEED US Saturday, March 4 Poets Doors: 9 p.m. Cover: $5 This Saturday come check out We are the Asteroid visiting from Austin, accompanied by Lafayette's own The Elvis Depresslees and EatUs FeedUs. STOP THE CLOCK Sunday, March 5 Feed & Seed Doors: 6 p.m. Stop the Clock Cowboy Jazz band plays classic Western Swing tunes from Bob Wills, Cindy Walker, Spade Cooley, Fats Waller, Hank Thompson, Ray Price, and Patsy Cline, among others. A collection of iconic musicians and vocalists from all over Acadiana combine to create a swingin, dancin time to remember. See past posts! October 2020 (1) October 2019 (1) June 2019 (1) May 2019 (1) April 2019 (3) March 2019 (1) February 2019 (2) January 2019 (5) December 2018 (13) November 2018 (11) October 2018 (14) September 2018 (14) August 2018 (16) July 2018 (16) June 2018 (18) May 2018 (20) April 2018 (21) March 2018 (7) February 2018 (20) January 2018 (16) December 2017 (20) November 2017 (16) October 2017 (19) September 2017 (19) August 2017 (17) July 2017 (23) June 2017 (17) May 2017 (21) April 2017 (20) March 2017 (24) February 2017 (18) January 2017 (17) December 2016 (20) November 2016 (21) October 2016 (23) September 2016 (21) August 2016 (21) July 2016 (21) June 2016 (20) May 2016 (24) April 2016 (24) March 2016 (20) February 2016 (22) January 2016 (21) December 2015 (21) November 2015 (22) October 2015 (23) September 2015 (18) August 2015 (24) July 2015 (20) June 2015 (21) May 2015 (24) April 2015 (22) March 2015 (23) February 2015 (21) January 2015 (21) December 2014 (22) November 2014 (25) October 2014 (25) September 2014 (27) August 2014 (24) July 2014 (27) June 2014 (27) May 2014 (30) April 2014 (29) March 2014 (24) February 2014 (26) January 2014 (35) December 2013 (43) November 2013 (32) October 2013 (28) September 2013 (28) August 2013 (31) July 2013 (32) June 2013 (31) May 2013 (31) April 2013 (32) March 2013 (30) February 2013 (29) January 2013 (31) December 2012 (27) November 2012 (25) October 2012 (27) September 2012 (28) August 2012 (18) July 2012 (19) June 2012 (18) May 2012 (15) April 2012 (18) March 2012 (15) February 2012 (15) January 2012 (15) December 2011 (17) November 2011 (15) October 2011 (15) September 2011 (18) August 2011 (14) July 2011 (15) June 2011 (12) May 2011 (14) April 2011 (16) March 2011 (16) February 2011 (18) January 2011 (15) December 2010 (16) November 2010 (17) October 2010 (16) September 2010 (16) August 2010 (14) July 2010 (14) June 2010 (13) May 2010 (15) April 2010 (15) March 2010 (18) February 2010 (14) January 2010 (16) December 2009 (16) November 2009 (18) October 2009 (20) September 2009 (22) August 2009 (20) July 2009 (18) June 2009 (21) May 2009 (20) April 2009 (15) March 2009 (24) February 2009 (20) January 2009 (26) December 2008 (26) November 2008 (21) October 2008 (24) September 2008 (23) August 2008 (22) July 2008 (22) June 2008 (21) May 2008 (26) April 2008 (25) March 2008 (26) February 2008 (27) January 2008 (31) December 2007 (30) November 2007 (31) October 2007 (32) September 2007 (29) August 2007 (29) July 2007 (27) June 2007 (26) May 2007 (26) April 2007 (27) March 2007 (25) February 2007 (27) January 2007 (30) December 2006 (18) November 2006 (14) October 2006 (4) The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. MURPHYSBORO In the aftermath of the derecho that had toppled a tree on the Tierney property n May 2009, Mary Ellen Tierney was more concerned about the triple-bypass heart surgery her husband was undergoing. She spent countless time by his bedside and at the hospital where he was undergoing surgery. During that time, a fellow church member visited her and her husband each day, sitting with Mary Ellen, listening to her share her heart and concerns. One of the things she was concerned about was the cleanup at her property; some fallen trees and branches had been picked up an deposited curbside, but then Tierney said she learned the county would not be picking them up. Her sitting-buddy told her about a Mennonite chainsaw ministry, who could help her; Tierney said she contacted them, and four of them showed up at her home, with their backhoe, spending an entire day clearing away fallen trees and other debris from her yard, storing it behind her home where it could be removed later. The whole experience made such an impression upon her, that Tierney said when she heard her church was organizing a new ministry that might offer such hand-holding during crisis times, she thought to become involved. She and her husband are among the eight people pioneering a Stephen Ministry at First Methodist Church in Murphysboro. The charter group is being led by Michelle Parker-Clark, the church's minister of visitation who went through her own training in April 2016 in St. Louis. "It's a distinctive care-giving, Christian care-giving ministry, and individuals are paired up, one-to-one, with individuals who are going through crisis," Parker-Clark said. "We acknowledge that we are the caregivers, and God is the Cure-Giver." The Stephen Ministry was founded in 1975 and is in more than 170 Christian denominations in the United States, Canada and 29 other countries. The "Stephen Ministry is the one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the Stephen Series system," according to the organization's website. "Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers called Stephen Ministers to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting." The adults involved have committed to 50 hours of instruction, meeting this past week and the upcoming week from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Friday, they sat in a large circle on the lower level of Murphysboro United Methodist Church off Pine Street, going over lessons provided as part of the Stephen Ministry series. They are going through models in the Stephen Ministry training manual, reviewing a scenario in which a man is alternately upset and saddened about a back surgery he needs and having to get public assistance to help while he is out of work and talking about maintaining the confidentiality of the care-recipient with whom they are partnered; among other issues. During a break during the lesson, Tierney's husband, Richard, the only male in this group, shares why he decided to become a charter member of the ministry. "I just wanted to give back to the people who gave to me when I was in crisis," Richard Tierney said. For more information about this ministry, contact Murphysboro United Methodist Church at 618.687.2317 or visit www.stephenministries.org. SANTEE -- It wasn't the "signing day" sportswriters get excited about, but it was a huge deal nonetheless. Lake Marion High School senior Zavier Crump on Wednesday afternoon signed his letter of intent to attend Clemson University on a full military scholarship from the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. Students, faculty and Crump's mother were on hand to witness the ceremony. The moment was celebration worthy as the scholarship is worth $100,000, meaning a full ride at Clemson for the young man. Upon completing his college education, Crump will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. It is a very proud moment for me, Crumps mother Natalie Glover following the signing. I always knew my son was destined for greatness. Hes always been a good kid. Im so very proud of him. Crump said he wasnt thinking of a military career when he joined the LMHS JROTC program. But that began to change as he rose through the ranks, ultimately earning the rank of cadet battalion commander. When I started off doing JROTC, I wasnt planning to go into the military after high school. I was more focused on college, then work. But as I began completing courses in JROTC, I decided that I could make a career out of this and still get a secondary education, he said. Crump had a choice of three schools at which to use the scholarship to continue his education. He selected Clemson over the College of Charleston and Howard University. I did college tours of College of Charleston and Clemson, he said. It was really the atmosphere at Clemson that I enjoyed. I felt that I could make a big contribution there. Crump added, "Im thinking about trying out for the color guard or the drill team there because I do both here at Lake Marion High School. Maybe even the Ranger team. News of the scholarship came at an especially good time for Crump and his mother. Glover, who served as an educator in South Carolina for 19 years, including nine years in Orangeburg Consolidated School District Three, is currently in a fight for her life. Im at home right now because Im battling cancer, and (Zavier's) helped me out tremendously, Glover said. Hes an only child, and it was amazing to me that he kept his grades up, making As, and he helps me out when Im really sick from chemo. Its been a tough time, but he persevered through all of it with me, she said. He really made me really proud," she said. "Im going to win my fight against cancer because I have to see my son grow up and be there when he gets his commission. All of you can be a Zavier Crump, Sgt. Major Howard Brown, LMHS JROTC director, told students at the signing ceremony. You have to put in the work. Zavier has done that. Hopefully, in years to come, more of you will be up here for the same type of ceremony. Crump said, I expect to continue working hard and I plan to make my dreams come true while living my life." I expect him to maintain integrity, morals and values that have been instilled in him, embedded in him all of his life, his mom said. I look forward to seeing great accomplishments with him and taking that journey with him. Flash Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday waded into the latest spat with Germany, saying Berlin has to be judged for helping and acting as an accessory to terrorism. "Hundreds of terrorists are currently in Germany terrorizing," Erdogan was quoted as saying in a meeting in Istanbul. "And we are going to reveal all." He criticized Germany for allowing Cemil Bayik, a leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party outlawed by Ankara, to speak freely but prevent the Turkish justice minister to address Turks living in Germany, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Minister Bekir Bozdag was scheduled to speak at a rally in the southern German town of Gaggenau to call for Turkish voters to vote yes in the upcoming referendum slated for April 16 over whether to adopt a presidential system in Turkey. The authorities in Gaggenau canceled the rally on Thursday, citing a lack of space, prompting strong reactions from Ankara. The German city of Cologne has also turned down a speech request by Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci. Ankara-Berlin ties have hit an all-time low over not a few happenings, including Germany's repeated rebuke of Turkey's ongoing clampdown on the press and others in the wake of a coup attempt in July last year and Turkey's arrest on Monday of a German journalist charged with propaganda in support of a terrorist organization and inciting public violence. A 30-year-old Vance man admitted he was trying to murder someone else when he shot into a residence near Santee on Aug. 2, 2015. Keon Jerome Rivers of 147 Peach Orchard Road pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder and two counts of first-degree assault and battery on Thursday at the Orangeburg County Courthouse. Circuit Judge Brooks Goldsmith sentenced Rivers to two consecutive terms of 10 years in prison, suspending the sentence to five years of probation. Goldsmith credited Rivers for having already served 577 days at the Orangeburg County Detention Center. The following charges were dismissed because he pleaded guilty to other charges: attempted murder, first-degree burglary and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. The Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office arrested Rivers on Aug. 2, 2015 and charged him with four counts of attempted murder. The OCSO received a call around 7:40 p.m. that shots had been fired into a residence on Old Number Six Highway, about four miles west of Santee. Among the injured were: A 25-year-old Vance man, Rivers brother, who was shot twice in the side. A 27-year-old man who lived at the home. He was shot twice in the stomach. A 20-year-old Orangeburg man who was shot in the hand. The 25-year-old and the 27-year-old were airlifted to a Columbia hospital. A woman who was also in the home when Rivers opened fire was not injured. I make it a point of not missing the annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, and this year was/is no different as it's a street pho... We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Flash Theresa May launched her strongest attack Friday since becoming prime minister against the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), accusing them of playing politics as though it were a game. May made the remarks against the SNP in the very heart of Scotland, in a keynote speech to Scottish Conservatives at their conference in Glasgow. The prime minister also hit out at the "feeble and incompetent" Scottish Labour opposition "for nothing to scrutinize the SNP for their failures". But it was the SNP led by Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon that bore the brunt of May's criticism. She described the SNP government as interested only in stoking-up endless constitutional grievance and furthering their obsession with independence, at the expense of Scottish public services like the NHS and education. "Scottish schools, which once led the world in setting the highest standards of attainment, are now outperformed in every category by schools in England, Northern Ireland, Estonia and Poland," said May. She said standard have fallen in education which has been under the SNP's stewardship for 10 years, saying young Scottish people were losing out. "The SNP's neglect and mismanagement of Scottish education has been a scandal, but sadly it doesn't stop there," added May, accusing the party of other failings. She accused the SNP as a party resolutely focused on just one thing, Scottish independence, saying: "The SNP play politics as though it were a game." "I am confident about the future of our United Kingdom and optimistic about what we can achieve together as a country. But we all know that the SNP will never stop twisting the truth and distorting reality in their effort to denigrate our United Kingdom and further their obsession of independence. It is their single purpose in political life," added May. She said as Britain leaves the European Union the opportunity must be taken to bring Britain closer together. "Ours is not a marriage of convenience, or a fair-weather friendship, but a true and enduring union," said May, "there is no economic case for breaking up the UK, or of loosening the ties which bind us together. We cannot allow our United Kingdom to drift apart." "I am determined to ensure that as we leave the EU, we do so as one United Kingdom, which prospers outside the EU as one United Kingdom." That means achieving a deal with the EU which works for all parts of Britain -- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for Britain as a whole. "When the UK Government begins negotiations with the EU on Brexit, we will do so in the interests of all parts of the UK and of the UK as a whole." "As we bring powers and control back to the United Kingdom, we must ensure that right powers sit at the right level to ensure our United Kingdom can operate effectively and in the interests of all of its citizens, including people in Scotland." In last June's Brexit referendum, the people of Scotland voted by 62 percent to 38 percent in favor of remaining in the EU. This prompted Sturgeon to say a second referendum for Scottish independence could not be ruled out. By Trend The international visits of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev show the countrys place on the international arena and the attitude towards it, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administrations foreign relations department, told reporters March 4 in Baku. Mammadov added that these visits show the great need for cooperation with Azerbaijan and development of relations with the country both through events and within bilateral relations. Thats to say, there is a need for cooperation with Azerbaijan. The place and position of Azerbaijan is apparent. In this context, the presidents recent visits are of great importance, said the top official. Mammadov pointed out that the current status of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Qatar in various spheres, as well as the prospects for these relations were discussed and relevant decisions were made during the official visit of President Aliyev to Qatar. I believe that there are very good opportunities for further developing the cooperation between the two countries in the spheres of agriculture, energy, tourism, mutual investment making, intensifying the flights and other fields, he said. During the visit, the sides held discussions on these issues and we will see the results soon. Mammadov noted that one of the main goals of the Azerbaijani president is to further strengthen the interstate relations, because nowadays, a country can't support itself purely on its own. Mutual relations contribute to ensuring the issues I mentioned. In this regard, the 13th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) held in Islamabad was of great importance, he added. By Trend The EU has said it does not recognize the "referendum" in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, occupied by Armenia, which was held on Feb. 20. This statement was made at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council. According to the statement, the EU does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework of the "referendum". The results of the "referendum" can not under any circumstances affect the status of Nagorno-Karabakh region and the talks, the statement said. The EU reiterated its support for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. 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. Move from Goodison to stadium on banks of Mersey edges closer Friday, 3 March, 2017 There's nothing really new for Evertonians in this piece on the Daily Mail website but a capacity of 52,000 and a price tag of 350m is mentioned for a proposed relocation to Bramley-Moore Dock. Liverpool Mayor, Joe Anderson, is quoted as saying: We know how such a development can act as a catalyst for regeneration. We will provide as much support as we can, as we did with Liverpool when they looked to rebuild their main stand. The new Anfield gave us a platform to look at the wider regeneration of the community and that is exactly what we have done, with new homes, a new high street and very soon a new hotel. Everton's new stadium has arguably greater potential in its impact to regenerate what is a key part of north Liverpool.' Read the full article at MailOnline Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer About these ads Adnoc Distribution is advancing its mission to offer alternative low-emissions fuels through its plan to construct the Arabian Gulfs largest natural gas for vehicles (NGV) service station in Mahawi on the Abu Dhabi to Al-Ain road. The mega station will have an hourly pumping capacity of 2,850 standard cubic metres (SCM), the highest in the region. The new station will raise the number of NGV-enabled service stations in Abu Dhabi emirate to 31 by the end of this year. The current expansion builds on Adnoc Distributions opening of seven new NGV stations in Abu Dhabi in 2016, with the total number of NGV service stations in Abu Dhabi, Al-Ain and the Western Region now totalling 28. Abu Dhabi already has the largest number of stations servicing gas-powered vehicles in the entire Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Adnoc Distributions focused marketing campaigns and successful ongoing expansion of supporting NGV infrastructure led to a 50 per cent increase in Natural Gas for Vehicles (NGV) usage in the Abu Dhabi emirate in 2016. With over 5,500 NGV-converted vehicles now being run in Abu Dhabi, this figure constitutes the highest number of such vehicles among all of the emirates of the UAE, said the statement. NGV is an alternative vehicle fuel that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) as a cleaner alternative transportation. It can be used in all types of transportation applications including vehicles, buses, trucks, cranes, vans, and also in forklifts. Vehicles running on petrol can be converted to bi-fuel. Conversion takes six to eight hours and doesnt require any engine modification. Bi-fuel vehicles run on NGV and petrol, stored in separate tanks. NGV is a clean, safe, economical and convenient alternative fuel, it said. Saeed Mubarak Al Rashdi, acting chief executive officer of Adnoc Distribution, said: Adnoc Distributions CNG stations are helping Abu Dhabi to reduce the carbon footprint of private, business and government vehicles while also providing customers an efficient and cost-effective solution for running their vehicles. Through our expansion of NGV network, we are playing our full part in helping the Abu Dhabi government meet its target to require 25 per cent of government vehicles to run on low-emissions CNG in line with Abu Dhabis Economic Vision 2030. The rapid expansion of Abu Dhabis NGV network has also been assisted by the fact that NGV prices have been held substantially lower than conventional fuels such as gasoline and diesel on energy equivalent terms. A new pricing scheme that will come into effect from March 1 will set the tariff for NGV at Dh1.40 per SCM, compared to Dh1.32 previously. With this, the fuel cost per 100 km for a passenger car with NGV is about Dh13 as against approximately Dh19 with gasoline. - TradeArabia News Service The Saudi government has announced development projects worth SR2.65 billion ($703 million) - mostly in the housing, roads and water and electricity sectors - in Al Dawadmi, a town in Riyadh province, said a report. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, governor of Riyadh, inaugurated these projects during his visit to Al Dawadmi. A number of additional ongoing projects are valued at SR7.35 billion ($1.95 billion), reported Arab News. The new and ongoing projects include health, municipal, housing, education, social, water, and electricity works, alongside charity and vocational training projects, it stated. Prince Faisal had recently visited the governorates of Hotat Bani Tamim and Al Hareeq where he inaugurated development projects worth SR280 million ($75 million), stated the report. He said that many priority projects, including roads and hospitals, will be completed after the financial allocations are secured, it added. Flash A man was arrested on Friday in the state of Missouri in connection with recent threats targeting Jewish community centers (JCCs) across the United States, according to local media reports on Friday. Juan Thompson, 31, is accused of what federal prosecutors called a "campaign to harass and intimidate." He is charged in New York with cyberstalking a New York City woman by communicating threats in the woman's name. Prosecutors said Thompson appears to have made those threats "as part of a sustained campaign to harass and intimidate" the woman after their romantic relationship ended. According to a federal complaint, Thompson dated the woman until last summer, when they broke up. The following day, her boss received an email purporting to be from a national news organization saying that she'd been pulled over for drunken driving. The harassment got worse from there, federal officials said. The Anti-Defamation League received an email on Feb. 21 that said she was behind the bomb threats to JCCs and there'd be more the next day. On Feb. 22, it received a phoned-in bomb threat. He also claimed she was responsible for placing a bomb in a Jewish center in Dallas, and he also emailed a JCC in San Diego saying she wanted to "kill as many Jews asap." New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill confirmed Thompson's arrest and said, "The defendant caused havoc, expending hundreds of hours of police and law enforcement resources to respond and investigate these threats. We will continue to pursue those who pedal fear, making false claims about serious crimes." Olam International, a leading agri-business, is set to showcase its sustainable products at the 12th edition of Dubai WoodShow which kicks off on Tuesday (March 7) and runs for the next two days. Olam International has extensive global experience in the agri-business. With over 60,000 employees, the company provides its services to over 16,000 clients in more than 70 countries. Announcing its participation, Darshan Raiyani, the senior VP of Olam International, said: "It is an honour to be associated with the prestigious Dubai WoodShow. At the event, we will display a range of our sustainable, high quality, certified products that we manufacture in Africa, Asia and Latin America." "The objective in participating at the Dubai WoodShow is to network with like-minded individuals and increase our market share in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. As one of the most prominent industry events, the Dubai WoodShow is an ideal platform to showcase our high quality products and meet potential clients." "As specialists in logs, air dried and kiln dried lumber, mouldings, wooden houses and furniture, we aim to connect and build a lasting relationship with the vast audience that will visit the show," he added. According to him, Dubai is the best market in the Mena region as it utilises a range of wood products across varied sectors. "It is an evolving market and is open to explore new categories ofwood products. Though this is our first stint at the Dubai WoodShow, we are positive that the results will be remarkable. At the show, we look forward to meeting new potential clients and also reinforce our presence in the region," noted Raiyani. "As an organisation, we may be new to the show, however our relationship with Dubai dates back several years," he stated. The Dubai WoodShow is one of the biggest events of the industry and the first destination for all the international companies aiming to set up their presence in the Mena region, according to the organisers. This years edition of the Dubai WoodShow is expected to generate huge success, with the industry experiencing a vibrant growth in past few months. The companies participating at the show will certainly have access to an increased market share, they stated. "Olam Internationals participation at Dubai WoodShow adds value to the show," remarked Dawood Al Shezawi, the chairman of Strategic Marketing & Exhibitions. "With more than 25 years of experience, Olam International has always focused on quality and sustainability. Their participation at the event is a testament to their enduring quest for excellence," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Emiratis have strong potential to enjoy a lucrative career in the facilities management (FM), if they are given proper knowledge and opportunity to better understand the sector and its contribution to national development, said a top Dubai-based company. Imdaad, a leading player in the regional integrated facilities (FM) sector, stated that spreading further awareness and providing training for nationals could help them secure a job in the FM sector, thereby creating a positive impact on the countrys Emiratisation and economic diversification programmes. The company pointed out that difficulty in finding UAE nationals suitable for key positions and lack of interest in pursuing a career in FM continue to be some of the major challenges for the industry across the region in terms of human resources development. There is a strong need to encourage nationals to see the value of having a career in FM and how it can contribute to their future and the countrys progress, said Imdaad in a statement. Honing national talent can significantly contribute to GCC countries goal of diversifying its economies, which has been largely dependent on oil and gas sector, according to a regional survey by London Business School. Conversely, the FM sector has ample opportunities to contribute to the sustainable development of the region given the continuing expansion in the infrastructure and property sector, it stated. The demand for high standards in facilities management continue to grow in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE, given that the country is a major hotspot for international events, including the upcoming Expo 2020, said the statement. Imdaad CEO Jamal Abdulla Lootah said the country's FM sector is expected to grow by 8.5 per cent in the next five years. "We need to ensure the industrys efforts are directed towards securing jobs to meet this growth demand by equipping the sector with highly professional human talents and provide the necessary services in the years to come. This is a unique chance to contribute to the national economy and become part of highly-growing and technologically-driven sector," he explained. "Our current efforts are centred on meeting their needs by seeking for ways to get the right training and qualification programmes as we raise the level of standards across the sector," he added. According to him, Imdaad has been keenly incorporating training and encouraging UAE nationals to become part of the FM sector through Elham, its Emiratisation initiative which targets young Emiratis particularly female talents to join the organization and become part of the growth in the sector. "The UAE talents are integral to the growth of facilities management in the country, and we have taken it as part of our social responsibility through Elham, which has been effectively attracting many new young talents to work for Imdaad," stated Lootah. "As we move ahead with our programme, we hope to provide young Emiratis with the essential training and qualification to elevate the professionalism in the sector at par with global standards, as the UAE endeavours to become a world-class environment for businesses, tourists, residents and citizens to enjoy," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Twelve civilians have been injured in Mosul in what appears to be the first chemical weapon attack in the battle for the IS stronghold, according to a report. An 11-year-old boy has severe respiratory and skin problems and a month-old baby was also injured in the attack, reported BBC. A doctor from the International Red Cross (ICRC), based in nearby Irbil, confirming the incident, said the substance used was still unknown, but it was being treated as a chemical attack. The injuries were apparently caused in two separate incidents when mortar fire hit houses in east Mosul and victims complained of a foul smelling chemical. The victims' symptoms suggested exposure to a "blistering chemical agent", ICRC Middle East director Robert Mardini said. They included blisters, redness in the eyes, irritation, vomiting and coughing. The use of chemical weapons is forbidden under international law, he added. It is not yet known who is to blame for the attack, but the mortars were apparently fired from west Mosul - which is still held by so-called Islamic State (IS). The World Health Organization meanwhile said it was aware of the case and was working with the ICRC to prepare for further cases. US President Donald Trump has accused Barack Obama of tapping his phones at Trump Tower in a flurry of tweets early Saturday morning. Trump tweeted that the former president had been spying on him in October, a month before his election victory, reported Daily Mail. 'Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!' McCarthyism, which the president used in his first tweet, is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. Trump started tweeting shortly after 3.30am ET and posed the question: 'Is it legal for a sitting President to be 'wire tapping' a race for president prior to an election?' In another tweet Trump said it was a 'new low' for the former president and compared it to 'Nixon/Watergate'. Trump also linked Obama to Attorney General Jeff Sessions's meetings last year with Russia's US ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. 'The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs,' he tweeted. Trump's team has sought to push back over its connections to Russian officials by pointing out instances of Democrats meeting with Kislyak. A former senior intelligence official told The Washington Post that 'it's highly unlikely there was a wiretap'. The president, who is currently vacationing at his private Mar-a-Lago estate, did not provide any additional evidence to back up his claims. A huge fire that broke out at the Lamcy Plaza shopping mall in Dubai, UAE, on Friday was contained by the Civil Defence team within two hours without any casualties, said a report. Thick black smoke billowing out of the building could be seen from across the city but the quick response from Dubai Civil Defence and Dubai Police teams averted a disaster as they effectively controlled the raging flames in the mall building according to Gulf News. The mall, which had only a few visitors when the fire started shortly after 11am, was immediately evacuated by the mall management. Civil Defence officials said the fire seems to have broken out in fans on the roof of the mall. The fire started at the rooftop of Lamcy Plaza and spread to other parts of the mall, they stated. Firefighters battled the flames for about two hours until it was contained. It took the teams three extra hours for the cooling down operations, said the report. A probe has been launched into the incident, it added. Qatar-based retail major Al Meera Consumer Goods Company said its group net profit attributable to equity holders of the parent company for the financial year 2016, surged 23 per cent to QR199.2 million ($55 million) over QR162.1 million ($44.5 million) the previous year. Announcing its results for the year ended December 31, 2016, Al Meera said it has recorded its highest annual sales figure to date which increased 6.3 per cent from QR2.44 billion to QR2.6 billion. Meanwhile, the groups gross shop rental income recorded a substantial 37.6 per cent growth to hit QR 69.3 million in 2016 compared to QR50.3 million in 2015. Earnings per share equated to QR9.96 compared to QR8.10 in 2015. On the performance, Sheikh Thani Bin Thamer Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Al Meeras chairman of the board of directors, said: "We crossed several key milestones in 2016 apart from continued growth, and solid financial results. As part of the companys current 5 branch expansion phase, Al Meera also signed an agreement with contracting companies in 2016, to build six new stores across various regions in Qatar." "This not only brings progress to 11 out of the 14-branch expansion plan, it more importantly contributes to the urban development of the countrys various territories as well as its economic progress, in line with the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030," he stated. By the end of 2016, Al Meera boasted a network of 47 branches with 42 in Qatar (endowed with a total retail space of approximately 68,000 sq m, including its Geant Hypermarket at Hyatt Plaza) and five branches in Oman. "However, our achievements didnt stop there," stated Sheikh Thani. "Al Meeras fruitful community development efforts and initiatives throughout the year were proudly translated in winning the 2016 Qatar Social Responsibility Award for the Large Enterprises category," he said. Going forward, we will continue to set the benchmark for retail industry in the country and the region, through an ambitious growth strategy, continuous improvement in our facilities and service standards, and unwavering commitment to both our customers and stakeholders, as well as the welfare of the communities in which we operate, noted Sheikh Thani. Impressed with the results, Al Meera's board of directors has recommended distributing a cash dividend of QR9 per share, which is equivalent to 90 per cent of the nominal share value, amounting to QR180 million for the shareholders, he added.-TradeArabia News Service CHEYENNE A conference committee between the Wyoming Senate and House of Representatives failed Friday to resolve the chambers respective differences over House Bill 197, which sought to close a loophole in state law pertaining to marijuana edibles. HB 197 originally sought to provide felony provisions for possession of marijuana edibles and similar non-plant derivatives, since current law makes no clear distinction for felony amounts beneath quantities large enough to be prosecuted for intent to distribute. But the bills original incarnation also provided sentencing reform for the plant form of marijuana, which was a key compromise to win the support of Democrats and some civil libertarian-minded Republicans in the House. However, the Senate voted to strip those provisions out of the bill, refocusing it on edibles only. That proved a bridge too far for the House, which on Thursday rejected the Senates changes on a 30-28 vote. A conference committee was formed with three members each from the House and Senate, and its members met briefly Friday morning. But committee co-chairman, and the bills main sponsor, Rep. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, said neither side of the committee had been willing to budge on their respective positions. Olsen said both the House and Senate took the unusual step of selecting three aye votes each to represent their interests on the committee. Generally, he said, each chamber will name two members who voted in favor of their chambers version and one member who voted against it, with the latter typically providing an opening for finding compromise. Without that element, however, Olsen said neither side could find that opening, and the bill was effectively killed. The Senate position was very clear, and that was we want to close a gap in (the law concerning) edibles, and the House shared that same position, Olsen said. But the House also took a position that it was probably prudent to reform possession of marijuana under three ounces while were providing penalties for edibles, to kind of match them up, and the Senate did not agree with that position. Despite the failure to reconcile the bill, Olsen said he was hopeful that the Senates willingness to agree to a stair-step approach to sentencing for edibles offenses could be leveraged in the future to consider the plant form of marijuana as well. The bill that came out of the Senate did provide, for first possession of eight ounces or less of pot edibles, a misdemeanor with a 20-day jail sentence, Olsen said. Thats pretty significant, and thats some indication they are willing to talk about sentence reform. Womens Ministry meets RiseUpAndSoar Womens Ministry will meet the second Saturday of March at Bethel Baptist, 3030 Poplar. This ministry is nondenominational and all women, teenage to vintage are welcome. Guests may come for coffee and stuff fellowship at 8:45 a.m. For any questions, please call at 307-258-8293. Re-formation Lenten services Good Shepherd Lutheran welcomes the community to special Re-Formation Lenten services that were 500 years in the making. The Wednesday night, 7 p.m. services after Ash Wednesday (beginning on March 8) will start with a 6 p.m. fellowship hour. During the Wednesday night services, we will observe The Paths Where Luther Walked as we see images from the monasteries, castles and villages where Luther was born, ordained, taught or nailed the famous 95 Theses on the chapel door. The Sunday morning, 9:30 a.m. services following Ash Wednesday, will focus on images of The People Who Shook the World, including Martin Luther, Pope Leo X, Prince Frederick, Katie Luther, and Friar Johann Tetzel. All are welcome for this exciting and festive Lenten season. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is located at 51 Primrose Street in Paradise Valley, behind Shepherd of the Valley Healthcare Community. For more information, call the church office at 237-3503. Bethel Baptist Studies Beginning Saturday, March 25 through April 15 Bethel is hosting a special film series entitled Who was Jesus? This is a 4-part series with discussion including an ice cream/pop corn social. A great way to prepare for Easter! Starts at 5 p.m. and a warm welcome is guaranteed for all. Phone the church office for more information at 234-8812. Evangelical Free Church of America president to visit Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church, 4100 Casper Mountain Road welcomes Kevin Kompelein, President of the Evangelical Free Church of America, and his wife Becky to Casper. He will speak at worship services at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11 and at 9 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday, March 12. President Kompelein has served as a pastor in California and Minnesota, along with being the ReachGlobal director of missions in Africa. The Evangelical Free Church of America has 350,000 constituents in 1,500 churches in the United States, as well as over 600 missionaries serving in 80 countries. The public is welcome and nursery will be provided at all services. For more information call 235-6363 or visit www.cornerstonefree.org. Financial Peace course St. Marks Episcopal Church, 7th and Wolcott, will have classes on money management, using the Financial Peace plan, starting in February. The classes will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the church from Feb. 18 to April 25, 2017. To register, please contact Dorothy Brown at 307-377-3509 or via e-mail Wyo_nana@yahoo.com. Christ Episcopal Lent schedule Christ Episcopal Church, 415 West Cedar in Glenrock, announces our Lent schedule. On Sunday, March 5, celebrate Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday at the 9:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist service. Services on the Sundays in Lent are at 9:30.m. The Palm Sunday liturgy with participatory Passion Gospel will be at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 9. For info, call Deacon Leigh Earle at 258-2524. The Episcopal Church welcomes you! UU Casper Events The public is invited to attend the Unitarian Universalist Community of Casper services and other events at 1040 West 15th Street, just north of the CY Avenue Albertsons. UU Casper is a welcoming, doctrine-free church that fosters individual spiritual growth, ethical living, and inclusive fellowship. UUs are people of many beliefs and backgrounds, but are aligned in the desire to make a difference for the good. Services are Sundays at 10:00 a.m. On March 12, guest speaker Nurieh Glasgow will present The Bahai FaithPrinciples, Fasting, and Questions, introducing the Bahai faith, discussing its principles, and offering reflections on a season of starvation and surrender. On March 19 the community will host guest speaker Barb Watters from Caspers Reform Jewish Community, Congregation Kol Haam, and on March 26 Erich Frankland will lead a discussion forum on the monthly worship theme World Community. On April 2 Rev. Leslie Kee will introduce the April worship theme, respect for all existence. A special service, an Ostara Festival celebrating the coming of spring, will be held Saturday, March 18 at 2 p.m. Learn about the origins of eggs, rabbits and other familiar Easter time symbols, and about Eostre, the Lady of springtime and the namesake of the modern holiday. The festival will include fun activities for children, refreshments, dancing, fellowship and merrymaking, with Athne Machdane as service leader. The UU weekly coffee talk is held Tuesdays at 10 a.m., and the weekly meditation group meets Sundays at 4 p.m. The next session of the Kindred Spirits discussion series is scheduled for Friday, March 10, at 7 p.m. The next Care N Share potluck will be held Wednesday, March 15, at 6 p.m., and participants are asked to bring a dish to share and donations of craft and learning supplies for the Child Development Center of Natrona County. For more information about these events or about Unitarian Universalism, visit uucasper.org, email info@uucasper.org, visit us on Facebook, or call Laura at 307-259-4469. Celebrate Recovery every Friday Looking for a nontraditional approach to recovery from your hurts, habits and hangups? Celebrate Recovery meets at 5:30 p.m. every Friday at Highland Park Community Church, just south of Elkhorn Valley Rehabilitation Hospital on East Second Street. We start with a family meal, followed by praise and worship. At 7 p.m., theres either a lesson from Celebrate Recoverys planned curriculum or a testimony by a person who has found recovery through Christ. Then, people go to gender-specific small groups until 8:30 p.m., when dessert and fellowship conclude the evening. Child care is available at no cost. For more information, contact Chris at 265-4073. So when they butt-stroked me to the head from an AK-47 and I was bleeding down the side of my face and they threw me back in the cell I could A former Billings Senior High School teacher convicted of raping a 14-year-old student who later killed herself may be released from the Montana State Prison on parole. Stacey Dean Rambold, 57, was sentenced in September 2014 to 15 years in prison, with five years suspended, after the Montana Supreme Court overturned a lower courts sentence of 31 days in prison. Rambold was parole eligible on Feb. 25, 2016. Rambold had a hearing before the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole on Jan. 30, said Department of Corrections Communications Director Judy Beck on Thursday. During the hearing, Rambold proposed a plan to be paroled to California, which the parole board accepted. The proposal was submitted to the Interstate Compact Unit, which sent the request to California. The unit is waiting for approval from California, Beck said. Rambold has spent about two and a half years in the Montana State Prison. The teens mother, Auliea Hanlon, was not aware Rambold was up for parole, she said. He should still be in jail, Hanlon said Thursday. Two years. I spent longer than that trying to put him in jail. If the request is approved, Rambold must register as a sex offender in California, comply with court conditions of release and wear a GPS monitor for a time, Beck said. Montana Board of Pardons and Parole Executive Director Kristy Cobban said Rambold was denied parole in 2016 so he could complete sex offender treatment. He returned in 2017 after completing the treatment and submitted a plan to be paroled to California, Cobban said. If California does not want to supervise him, he will have to come before the board again and have a new parole plan approved, Cobban said. Typically, California determines whether the state has the resources to supervise a parolee from another state, Cobban said. If paroled, Rambold must enroll in chemical dependency counseling and sex offender treatment and must stay away from casinos and places where alcohol is the main item of sale, Cobban said. The VINE network, which provides information about an offenders custody status and location in real time, sent out notifications about Rambolds parole hearing in December. The VINE network made four successful deliveries by email and four successful deliveries by text, but two phone messages did not get delivered, Beck said. It is not clear who the phone numbers belonged to, Beck said. Hanlon does not want Rambold released. Rambold, a former business and technology teacher at Senior High, was charged in 2008 with raping Cherice Moralez. The girl reported she had sexual contact with Rambold three times, including once in Rambolds office. Prior to Rambold being sentenced, Moralez died by suicide on Feb. 6, 2010, 20 days before her 17th birthday. After Moralezs death, Rambold signed a deferred-prosecution agreement that required him to attend a sex-offender treatment program. He was booted from that program for not disclosing a sexual relationship with an adult woman and having an unauthorized visit with the children of his relatives. He was prosecuted for these violations. In 2013, Judge G. Todd Baugh sentenced Rambold to 15 years in prison, with all but 31 days suspended, for sexual intercourse without consent. During Rambolds sentencing, Baugh made statements suggesting the victim may have been partly responsible. It was a troubled youth, but a youth who was probably as much in control of the situation as the defendant, one that was seemingly, although troubled, older than her chronological age, Baugh said. Baugh was roundly criticized, including being the target of a protest on the courthouse lawn. The judge was later censured and suspended for 31 days over his handling of the case. Soon after, he retired under public pressure after almost 30 years on the bench. The Montana Supreme Court reversed Baughs order after the court determined Baughs sentence was improper and went on to criticize Baugh for comments he made about the victims age and his misunderstanding of the relationship that existed between an adult teacher and a minor pupil. Another judge in Yellowstone County District Court resentenced Rambold to 15 years with five suspended. Hanlon sued School District 2 over her daughters death and in 2012, settled the suit for just under $91,000. About 252 million years ago Earth experienced whats sometimes called the Great Dying the largest mass extinction our planet has ever known. Blamed on massive volcanic eruptions in Siberia, the event wiped out about 70 percent of all land species and 96 percent of ocean life. Now some scientists are questioning previously held notions about how long it took for ocean life to rebound from the cataclysmic die-off. The new information comes from a recently published scientific paper based on analysis of fossils found years ago in southeastern Idaho by a teen rockhound. Amateur Now 37 years old, that Blackfoot, Idaho, teenager L.J. Krumenacker for years kept seeking help in identifying one of the curious fossils he had unearthed in the late 1990s from a place called Paris Canyon. No one knew what the creature was. They look like little worms long, tubular, flattened, wrinkled things, he said. His curiosity followed him to Montana State University where hes now a doctoral student in the MSU Department of Earth Sciences. Every time Id meet a new paleontologist, Id ask them what they thought they were. Connection Then a few years ago he sent a photo to his Facebook friend, Kevin Bylund, an independent paleontologist. Bylund showed the photos to French paleontologist Arnaud Brayard of Universite de Bourgogne, who identified the fossil as a sponge. What makes the sponge so unusual is the time period from which it came about 1 million years after the Great Dying. Previously scientists had believed that it took much longer about 5 million years for marine life to rebound from the extinction event that left the oceans acidic and inhospitable to aquatic life. Three years ago Krumenacker led Brayard and others to examine the Idaho canyon where he had also found shark teeth and shrimp fossils. Those excavations and research led to the recently published paper, Unexpected Early Triassic marine ecosystem and the rise of the Modern evolutionary fauna. ... The unexpected composition of this exceptional assemblage points toward an early and rapid post-Permian diversification for these clades, the paper noted. Overall it showed a marine ecosystem that was nutritionally multileveled, diverse in the organisms evolutionary history, and functionally complex, from primary producers up to top predators and potential scavengers, the paper noted. Among the 30 different lifeforms that have thus far been identified from the Paris Canyon site are leptomitid sponges, mollusks, starfish, ammonoids, shrimp, lobsters, shark teeth and squidlike mollusks with numerous hooks on their tentacles. This type of squidlike mollusk was previously thought not to have originated until 50 million years later. It kind of upends things, Krumenacker said. The find is significant in that the sponges, shrimp, echinoids, gladius bearing coleoids, and other fossils are very seldom preserved except at sites with exceptional preservation such as that in Paris Canyon, Bylund said. This opens a window, so to say, on the diversity of life at that specific time and place that otherwise would have gone unseen. Still seeking One question I still have is: Does this represent what was happening globally, or did this just happen in one little area? The fact that Krumenacker, an untrained teen, led to such a remarkable finding gives him hope that other amateurs can make great contributions to science. Krumenacker said he returns to the site every year to see what other discoveries he can make. When I found the shark teeth, shrimp and sponges, I knew we had something significant, he said. We have put together a large group of researchers, and I think there are a lot of discoveries still to be made in these rocks in Idaho. Last year, Krumenacker was among a team of paleontologists who identified several new types of dinosaurs through fossils found in eastern Idaho, including an ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. On his first full day in office, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued an order Thursday reversing a last-minute action by the Obama administration to ban lead ammunition and fish tackle used on national wildlife refuges. Gun-rights supporters condemned the earlier order issued a day before Obama left office Jan. 20 as nakedly political. The order was intended to protect birds from lead poisoning, the Obama administration said. Zinke, a former Montana congressman and avid hunter, said the new order would increase hunting, fishing and recreation opportunities on lands managed by Fish and Wildlife Service. The order reverses a decision by the Obama administration to phase out use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on wildlife refuges by 2022. Zinke, who rode to work on a horse Thursday as a sign of solidarity with U.S. Park Police, said the hunting order and another order directing agencies to identify areas where recreation and fishing can be expanded were intended to boost outdoor recreation in all its forms. Outdoor recreation is about both our heritage and our economy, he said in a statement. Between hunting, fishing, motorized recreation, camping and more, the industry generates thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity. Over the past eight years, hunting and recreation enthusiasts have seen trails closed and dramatic decreases in access to public lands across the board, Zinke said. It worries me to think about hunting and fishing becoming activities for the land-owning elite. This package of secretarial orders will expand access for outdoor enthusiasts and also make sure the communitys voice is heard. Environmental groups slammed the new directive on lead ammunition, arguing that spent lead casings cause poisoning in 130 species of birds and other animals. Switching to nontoxic ammunition should be a no-brainer to save the lives of thousands of birds and other wildlife and to prevent hunters and their families from being exposed to toxic lead and protect our water, said Jonathan Evans, environmental health legal director at the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity. Evans called it ironic that one of the first actions by Zinke a self-described champion of hunters and anglers leads to poisoning of game and waterfowl eaten by those same hunting families. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said Zinkes order represents an important check on executive abuse and reverses what was a deliberate attack on Americans fundamental rights and privileges by the Obama administration. What was your impression of this session of the Wyoming Legislature? What is this? Each Sunday we ask you a question about an issue important to Wyoming, then print what you think the following Sunday. We call it Open Air because its a chance to examine a topic from all sides wide open like Wyomings sky. How do I submit a reply? You can reply through our website or by email, postal mail, Facebook or Twitter. Be sure to specify youre responding to the Open Air question. Please keep your responses to 350 words and include your full name, town and contact information so we can verify your submission. Be sure to submit your comment by Tuesday, or it might not make our deadline. On our site: Our letter submission page trib.com/letters Twitter: @CSTribune Mail: Opinion Editor Mandy Burton, c/o Casper Star-Tribune, P.O. Box 80, Casper, WY, 82602 Highly anticipated flights from Tucson to Guaymas/San Carlos, Sonora, have not materialized more than a year after they were announced, and some customers are mulling legal action for advanced travel vouchers that have not been refunded. Six months ago, the owner of Paradise Air, which was coordinating the air service with a California carrier, told the Star the delay was due to adding code-sharing agreements with other U.S. airlines. Now, the Paradise Air office has closed and the staff has been laid off. More than 20 people told the Star that they gave Paradise Air between $500 and $2,500 for travel vouchers and have been trying to get their money back for months. Owner Frank Jackson said he accepts full responsibility for the situation, but said he did not swindle anyone. He said the money from the vouchers was placed in the same account as the flight-guarantee money and he didnt have access to it. Once his Canadian investors give him promised money, he can reimburse everyone, he said. He sold $70,000 worth of vouchers. Im not trying to shirk responsibility, Jackson said. I made two errors in judgment: doing the voucher program without having started the flights and putting the money in the same account as the flight-guarantee pot. On Friday, Jackson said his Canadian investors had come through with the funds and he was in the process of issuing refunds. One woman confirmed that she had received a refund. Meanwhile, the status of the flights is still in flux We havent heard anything at all that indicates that anything is progressing, said David Hatfield, a Tucson International Airport spokesman. It just never moved along. A company visited Tucson in the fall, on behalf of Paradise Air, but theres been no communication since, he said. GET IN THE REFUND LINE Some customers who bought tickets feel theyve been had, while others are still hopeful the flights will happen. Adrian and Carolyn Skinner, of Castle Rock, Colorado, have a home in San Carlos and were looking forward to the convenience of the flights. The couple bought eight vouchers for $2,000 from Paradise Air. Like others, we have been attempting to recover our funds for a couple of months, the couple wrote via email. We have been led on and promised funds would be wired into an account if we provided an account number and routing number. We did so. We even received an attachment, showing the request for a wire, but no confirmation of any such wire has followed, nor have any funds been deposited. Ron and Irene Igo, from Gillette, Wyoming, also bought eight tickets for $2,000 hoping to facilitate a visit from their children and grandchildren to their home in San Carlos. Working folks with budgets and limited vacation times are nearly prohibited from driving or flying down, Ron Igo said. We are still hoping for the service and have demanded nothing from Frank, as you can see, but maybe its time for us to get in the refund line as it is a lot of money to us. When Bob Sternfels heard about the flights last year, he figured the 18-hour round-trip drive from his home in San Carlos to Scottsdale for chemotherapy treatments would soon be a thing of the past. He deposited $2,000 in a trust account that he was told would be applied toward ticket purchases at a discounted price. We were repeatedly assured by Frank that they would be flying soon, however, the time for starting service came and went time after time, Sternfels said. We requested a refund of our deposit (and) received numerous promises from Frank that our refunds will be sent to us, Monday, then next Monday, then tomorrow. He never denied that he was obligated to return them to us, he said. All he does now is give us excuse after excuse as to why he is not returning our funds. Assured that the flights would start in November, Joe Carnevale of Indianapolis bought $2,500 worth of travel vouchers and flew family members to Phoenix to catch the flight south. The day before the flight, he received a message from Paradise Air that the flight would not be happening and that he should make other travel arrangements and would be reimbursed. Carnevale ended up booking his family on another flight from Phoenix to Hermosillo, driving to San Carlos, then driving them back to Phoenix after the holidays to catch a flight home. We have made multiple attempts to recover the promised reimbursements along with trying to collect refunds on the vouchers we purchased, and all we have received is excuses, Carnevale said. San Carlos concert promoter Leslie Sahlen puts on music festivals on the beach and was one of many people awaiting the flights to begin in order to get visitors from Tucson to the events. The last official word from Paradise Air is that he expects to be in the air April 2017, she said. There are a lot of us here in San Carlos rooting for that to happen. It was heartbreaking when he did not get airborne in November. Working with the former Paradise Air staff, Sahlen got to work on a Plan B. For her February music festival, guests from Tucson were booked on a flight to Hermosillo and then transported to San Carlos on a bus with complimentary margaritas and beer. The plane was almost full and a lot of folks drove down, Sahlen said. She and many of her neighbors continue to be hopeful that flights between Tucson and Guaymas will still happen . Canadian visitor Cheryl Howell has spent five years wintering in San Carlos and was thrilled to hear about the flights. She bought two vouchers for $500. Attempts to get her money back had been futile until this past week, when Jackson did reimburse her. Two others who had bought vouchers told the Star Friday afternoon that they had received partial refunds. MOVING FORWARD Jackson said the flights will still happen and that he wants to be involved with the airline. Obviously my reputation is tainted, he said. Ill still be involved in it, but behind the scenes. The mess-up with the voucher program is on me. I dont know how you spin that. He said less than half of the people who bought vouchers have requested a refund. The rest still want to fly, Jackson said. Asked why he took the risk of selling vouchers before the flights started, he said it was his way to thank San Carlos regulars. When an airline opens, typical you give discounts for, say, a month, Jackson said. My thinking was to give the discount to the people in San Carlos who had supported it. I never guessed that we wouldnt fly in November. On Thursday, he said if the Canadian partners did not come through with the funds, he would close the flight-guarantee account and give everyone their money back and start from scratch. On Friday, he said the partners had sent him the money and he had begun issuing refunds. We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some March 4 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. Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection have identified a man who escaped from agents at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson on Friday. 37-year-old Carlos Erazo-Velasquez from Honduras has a criminal history of drug offenses and was previously removed from the U.S., according to a Saturday morning news release from Arizona CBP. Erazo-Velasquez is facing charges of illegal entry into the country and assaulting a federal agent, the release said. On March 1, Border Patrol agents located Erazo-Velasquez near Nogales, and "at the time of the encounter (he) attempted to evade arrest," assaulting an agent and fleeing on foot, the release said. During the foot chase, Erazo-Velasquez collapsed and Agents from Air and Marine Operations and Border Patrol rendered first aid until he was transported to Banner-University Medical Center in Tucson. Agents, along with Tucson Police officers and Pima County Sheriff's deputies were searching a neighborhood west of North Campbell Avenue and north of East Speedway Friday evening, authorities said. An Air and Marine Operations Blackhawk helicopter crew also assisted in the search. "The man fled the hospital during a medical evaluation subsequent to his arrest near Nogales, Arizona for illegal entry," said Agent Daniel Hernandez, a Border Patrol Tucson Sector spokesman. "He was last seen wearing a hospital gown with gray pants," Hernandez said. The man is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. He has short, curly black hair. No further information was immediately available. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or Tucson Sector Border Patrol at 748-3000. From February History: This was the newly opened restaurants first regular inspection. What the inspector saw: During the Feb. 8 inspection, the county observed 13 priority violations, far above the minimum five required for a probationary rating. Among the numerous violations were the absence of a manager with food safety knowledge, an employee eating while washing dishes, an employee picking things up off the floor and returning to work without washing hands or changing gloves, an employee handling ready-to-eat foods in the sushi area with bare hands, raw chicken stored above cooked chicken, no sanitizer being used in either the automatic dishwasher and three-compartment sink, a number of food items kept at unsafe temperatures, an employee working with raw and cooked meats on the same surface, among several other violations. Follow-up: The restaurant failed a Feb. 21 follow-up inspection after the county found that six priority violations had not been resolved in the interim. Items such as hand washing, cleaning of food contact and prep surfaces and prevention of food contamination remain out of compliance, the follow-up report reads. Additionally, the person-in-charge failed to provide a corrective action plan, as requested in the Feb. 10 probationary letter. During the follow-up, the county observed an employee handle dirty dishes then handle clean utensils without washing hands, several employees contaminating a food prep surface with raw chicken juices and proceeding to use surface to work with ready-to-eat cooked foods, and another employee drop a raw potato on the floor and then put it in a fryer. All of the remaining violations were resolved by a second follow-up inspection on March 3, according to online county records. Response: Restaurant partner Frank Lam said that a number of the first-round violations were due to the fact that there was no documentation indicating that the buffet was using time control, as opposed to temperature control, for the buffet foods, an issue that has since been remedied. Lam chalked some of the cross-contamination issues up to space limitations, but said additional prep tables were added to prevent future violations. Other problems could be addressed with more of a knowledge basis for all of our employees and that some negligence on the part of employees did play a role. A second follow-up was scheduled for Friday, and Lam said this time we will not have any problems at all. I made sure my kitchen manager is well aware of whats going on. If we have any other issues, Ill make sure everything is corrected, he added. We're in the middle of a warming trend so the temperatures will keep climbing, but along with this weekend's above normal highs will come some breezy conditions. Heres how members of Congress from Arizona voted on major issues in the week ending March 3. HOUSE Review of Presidential Tax Returns: The House on Feb. 27 killed, 229-185, a Democratic push for the Ways and Means Committee to review President Trumps tax returns for 2006 through 2015 and report its findings to the full House, in a check for any information on financial conflicts of interest and ties to Russians. A yes vote was to kill the motion. Voting yes: Martha McSally, R-Congressional District 2, Paul Gosar, R-CD4, Andy Biggs, R-CD5, David Schweikert, R-CD 6, Trent Franks, R-CD 8. Voting no: Tom OHalleran, D-CD1, Ruben Gallego, D-CD7, Kyrsten Sinema, D-CD9. Not voting: Raul Grijalva, D-CD3. Commission to Prune Regulations: The House on March 1 voted, 240-185, to set up a commission with subpoena powers and a $6 million annual budget to review federal regulations and target for repeal those seen as outdated and too costly. A yes vote was to pass a GOP bill (HR 998) aimed mainly at repealing federal regulations on U.S. companies. Yes: OHalleran, McSally, Gosar, Schweikert, Franks, Sinema. No: Grijalva, Biggs, Gallego. Presidential Conflicts of Interest: The House on March 1 refused, 190-235, to exempt from the reach of HR 998 (above) any regulations aimed at preventing financial conflicts of interest by employees and officials of the executive branch, including President Trump. A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion. Yes: OHalleran, Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema. No: McSally, Gosar, Biggs, Schweikert, Franks. Oversight of Independent Agencies: The House on March 1 voted, 241-184, to require independent federal agencies, for the first time, to submit proposed regulations to review by the White Houses Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. A yes vote was to send HR 1009 to the Senate. Yes: McSally, Gosar, Biggs, Schweikert, Franks, Sinema. No: OHalleran, Grijalva, Gallego. Office of Government Ethics: The House on March 1 defeated, 193-234, a Democratic bid to exempt the Office of Government Ethics, an independent agency, from the reach of HR 1009. The office was created in 1978 in response to the Watergate scandal. A yes vote backed the motion. Yes: OHalleran, Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema. No: McSally, Gosar, Biggs, Schweikert, Franks. Worker Injury Records: The House on March 1 killed, 231-191, a rule on the length of time firms must keep updated worker injury records for review by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A yes vote backed retention for six months rather than the five years set by the rule. (HJ Res 83) Yes: McSally, Gosar, Biggs, Schweikert, Franks, Sinema. No: OHalleran, Grijalva, Gallego. Clampdown on Regulations: The House on March 2 voted, 246-176, to impose new transparency and disclosure obligations, including internet postings, on federal agencies as they gather public comments on proposed new regulations. A yes vote was to send the bill (HR 1004) to the Senate. Yes: OHalleran, McSally, Gosar, Biggs, Schweikert, Franks, Sinema. No: Grijalva, Gallego. Transparency for Presidential Finances: The House on March 2 defeated, 189-232, an attempt by Democrats to hold President Trump to the same transparency and disclosure standards in his personal finances as HR 1004 would require of federal agencies as they develop new regulations. A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion. Yes: OHalleran, Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema. No: McSally, Gosar, Biggs, Schweikert, Franks. Senate Wilbur Ross Confirmation: The Senate on Feb. 27 confirmed, 72-27, Wilbur L. Ross as the 40th U.S. secretary of commerce. Ross, 79, became a billionaire by restructuring troubled firms in fields such as textiles and coal, often sending jobs abroad and utilizing foreign trade deals he now will help to rewrite. A yes vote was to confirm. Voting yes: John McCain, R, Jeff Flake, R. Ryan Zinke Confirmation: The Senate on March 1 confirmed, 68-31, Ryan Zinke, 55, a GOP congressman from Montana, as the 52nd U.S. secretary of the interior. A yes vote backed Zinke over criticism of his anti-environment voting record and support of expanded oil and gas drilling on federal land. Yes: McCain, Flake. Ben Carson Confirmation: The Senate on March 2 confirmed, 58-41, Ben Carson, 65, a retired neurosurgeon and former GOP presidential candidate, as secretary of housing and urban development. A yes vote backed Carson over objections to putting a newcomer to government who questions the social safety-net in charge of HUDs $47 billion annual budget and 8,300 employees. Yes: McCain, Flake. Rick Perry Confirmation: The Senate on March 2 voted, 62-37, to confirm Rick Perry, a former Texas governor, as secretary of the Department of Energy. Perry, 67, now leads a department he wanted to eliminate when he ran for president in 2012. A yes vote was to confirm Perry. Yes: McCain, Flake Help India! By Soroor Ahmed for Twocircles.net The year of 2017 started with a grand Prakash Utsav, the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh in Patna, the year would be remembered for various other centenary celebrations. Support TwoCircles This year also marks a century of the then US President, Woodrow Wilsons decision on April 6 to join World War-I in favour of Britain and allies and against Germany and Austria-Hungary empire. The United States abandoned neutrality after German submarines started sinking its commercial ships in North Atlantic. Exactly a hundred years later, the United States has a new President, Donald Trump, whose foreign policy is a significant departure from the past. He believes in befriending Russia, which incidentally witnessed two revolutions in 1917. The second revolution in November of that year brought Communists to power and was subsequently followed by over seven decades of Cold War. It ended after the collapse of Communism and disintegration of the then Soviet Union on December 25, 1991. The year, 1917 is also famous for Balfour Declaration (Nov 2), which led to the creation of the Jewish homeland in Palestine. Thus Israel came into existence on May 14, 1948, after three decades of British and French mandate on Palestine and Syria respectively. They were part of Ottoman Empire till Allied forces occupied them at the height of World War-1. The United States too played a key role in the creation of Israel. But US-Israel relationship deteriorated a bit under President Obama. Trump is likely to restore the old bond. These related developments in 1917 paved the way for the US intervention outside the western hemisphere and its subsequent involvement in rest of the world. As Europe was embroiled in World War-I, in India, Gandhi posed the first big challenge to the British by launching his Satyagrah movement from Champaran (Bihar) in 1917. It established Gandhi as the mass leader of the country. Thirty years later, he led India to independence. What is not much highlighted is that Gandhi, who had witnessed first-hand the sufferings of indentured labourers in South Africa, campaigned against this practice of bonded servitude which started after the abolition of slavery in England in 1834. Once again it was in 1917 that the system of indentured labours was officially abolished. During these years, lakhs of labourers from the sub-continent were taken to work as plantation workers in Caribbean islands, South Africa, Pacific island countries, Mauritius etc. Many perished while others could never return home. A hundred years later, their descendants, living in the far away land, are celebrating the centenary year with a touch of nostalgia for the land of their roots. Over the years they have risen to top in respective countries. On November 19, 1917, that is just 12 days after the Russian Revolution, Indira Gandhi, who later went on to become the third prime minister of India, was born. A century later her party, the Indian National Congress, is at its weakest level. The irony is that she has been remembered more in the last two and a half years of the Narendra Modi government than the previous three decades (1984-2014) after her death. This is so in spite of the fact that Congress was in power for 20 out of 30 years. The reason is simple: critics find some traits of her in the present prime minister. Modis rivals allege that while Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency there is an undeclared Emergency in India under him. Not to miss, 2017 marks the 200th birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (Oct 17), who in 1875 established Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College, which in 1920 became Aligarh Muslim University. While critics do appreciate his contributions towards introducing British system of education among post-1857 Muslims, they are also of the view that AMU later in 1940s went on to become the nursery of the Pakistan movement. Post-independence, Maulana Azad as the first education minister of India, tried to restore its secular credentials. Help India! Lucknow, (IANS): Hundreds of thousands of voters came out to cast their ballots in the penultimate phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on Saturday, with around 57 per cent turnout recorded. However, officials said that the percentage could go up as those waiting in line at the formal end of polling at 5 p.m. would be allowed to cast their vote. Support TwoCircles The electorate in the phase, covering 49 constituencies in seven eastern districts of the state, comprised 1.72 crore people, while there were 635 candidates including 175 Independents in the fray. The turnout, marginally lower than that seen in the first five phases, was however higher than the 55.04 percent recorded in the last polls in 2012. According to officials, 58.67 per cent polling was logged in Kushinagar, 58 per cent in Azamgarh and Gorakhpur while in Ballia, 57.27 per cent voters exercised their franchise. With Saturdays polling, elections to 363 constituencies of the sprawling states total 403 has come to an end. Prominent candidates in the fray in Saturdays round included Swami Prasad Maurya, who had last year switched from the Bahujan Samaj Party to the Bharatiya Janata Party, and former BJP state chief Surya Pratap Shahi. While Maurya is contesting from Padrauna, Shahi was fighting from Pathardeva. Voting in Azamgarh, the Lok Sabha constituency of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, picked up considerably after recording the lowest turnout in the first few hours. Mulayam Singh did not campaign in his constituency following a fallout with his son Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who replaced him as the party President. Mau, where mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was fielded by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), reported steady polling through the day. A minor scuffle was reported from the Sadar area in Mau where police had to resort to a baton-charge. This phase of polls has around 20 percent of candidates with criminal record, with 109, or around 17 percent having serious criminal charges like murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women according to Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Party wise, 18 out of 45 candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 24 out of 49 candidates from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), 5 out of 36 candidates from Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), 15 out of 40 candidates from Samajwadi Party (SP), three of 10 candidates from Congress, and 22 out of 175 Independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits as per ADR data. Meanwhile, Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modis Lok Sabha constituency and is set to vote in the last phase of polls on March 8, saw road shows being conducted by Modi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and ally Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, and also a rally by BSP supremo Mayawati. The National funding formula (NFF) for schools in England was proposed in 2016, following the additional sum of 390 million provided by the Coalition Government, in 2015-2016, to help the least fairly-funded local authorities. The proposal is to ensure that school funding across England is fairer. Prior to the proposal, critics illuminated the unfair funding of schools, whereby one school was receiving less than another school, in the same area, due to different levels of per pupil funding. What does the NFF include? The National funding formula will take into consideration; a basic per-student amount, as well as, pupil characteristics, school, and area costs. Justine Greening, the education secretary, said that theres a need for a system that funds schools according to the needs of their pupils rather than their postcode. Greening wishes to level the playing field to ensure that parents are confident that every child will have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. Cuts across the system It is estimated that mainstream schools in England must make 3 billion of savings by 2019-20, to counteract the cost pressures. Adrian Prandle, director of economic strategy at the Association of Teachers and Lecturer, said The government has not put the needs of children first in failing to come up with any additional funding for schools. Prandle said that without additional funding, schools will struggle to recruit enough staff, many must cut staff, the subjects they teach, IT upgrades, the upkeep of classrooms and extracurricular activities. Disadvantaged children will suffer most. Researchers, from Child Poverty Action Group and National Union of Teachers, fear that the schools where over 40% of students are entitled to free meals will be hit the worst by the National funding formula proposal, which will be launched in 2018-2019. The six unions representing school staff suggested that over 90% of schools are to face a real terms funding cut for every pupil. This subsequently means that there would be an annual loss of 477 for every secondary school pupil and 339 for every primary school pupil. Kevin Courtney, general secretary at National Union of Teachers, said that the government will be seriously threatening the poorer childrens life chances. Right or wrong? Whether the National funding formula will benefit schools is anyones guess. However, the fact remains that the educational system is undermined when it comes to funding and the impact it makes on the future. And this must change. In the Disadvantage report, by Jo Hutchinson, John Dunford and Mike Treadaway, they hit the nail on the head by summarising; [that] allowing a significant number of children to fail to reach their educational and economic potential is a waste of human capital on a grand scale, resulting in lower economic growth and increased costs to the tax-payer. As Seth Meyers said, the last few weeks of Donald Trumps Presidency have felt more like a few years, as hes tried to do too much without really thinking any of it through. Trump came in with big plans to go guns blazing (literally) to Capitol Hill and shake the whole political system up and tweak it in his own favour, but even for the President of the United States, there are rules to follow, and it doesnt seem like he read the rulebook. Trump wants to rewrite the rulebook Trump has banned any lobbying for five years, meaning all reason and conflicting arguments and Miss Sloane type characters have been thrown out the window, bringing him a little bit closer to getting his way every time. Hes approved construction on a bunch of pipelines that desecrate sacred Native American land, which Barack Obama had previously blocked from being built. And hes made many more mistakes in addition to these. As much as he might not want to, Trump is going to have to operate within the restrictions and limitations put in place by the US Government. Theyre there to stop him from making these mistakes, and so far, theyve been doing a good job of that. When Trump tried to ban Muslims (and, as it just so happens, everyone else in the Muslim-majority countries) from entering the United States, despite their valid travel documents, airlines and customs officials paid it no attention and let them in anyway while the federal courts worked to have it blocked. When they had it blocked and the White House appealed the block, the court of appeals rejected them, and the ban was pretty much lifted. Then Trump angrily told Americans to blame the federal court system for any future terrorist attack that took place on US soil. What a bold leader. Trumps policies require legislation Everything Trump thinks he can just go ahead and do is going to require legislation. He cant just get rid of the Affordable Care Act. He cant just spend a ton of money to build up Americas infrastructure. He cant just cut taxes without thinking about how hes going to handle having less money. He cant just beef up the military. He needs coalitions and he needs Congress to like them. Right now, Congress think that Trumps tax cuts will never work if he also plans to increase spending, which by the way, he does. Trumps angry rants arent helping either. Obama calmly and powerfully took down the Supreme Court in a fantastic State of the Union address in 2010. Trump tweets in all caps that allowing Muslims into America is the same thing as allowing terrorists into America. The next step is Trump following in Franklin D. Roosevelts footsteps with a plan to pollute the Supreme Court with like-minded Justices to get his politics through the system. Trump is not open to compromise Trumps biggest problem and his most fatal flaw is that he is not open to compromise. Trump will continue to take big losses if he isnt willing to compromise, but if he was willing to go for slight compromises like Obama was, he could achieve small successes, which isnt exactly what he wants, but at least its something. Donald Trump has been making a lot of easily avoidable mistakes during the first few weeks of his Presidency in a bid to shake up the Washington rulebook. But the thing is, that rulebook is here to stay, and he needs to find a way to shake things up within the confines of how things work, otherwise hell never get anything done and his executive orders will keep getting blocked by the federal court system. Carter tried to do a Trump back in the day Trump isnt the first President to show up at the White House with dreams of being the guy to change everything and not play by the rules and be remembered as the greatest President who ever lived for it. Jimmy Carter did the exact same thing and Congress didnt like it, so he could never get anything that he wanted done. He wanted to cut taxes to help the American people, but they changed it so that it would instead profit greedy corporations. After Carter, Ronald Reagan was much more successful in doing the same thing. He cut taxes whilst increasing military spending which is crediting with winning the US the Cold War. However, like Trump, Reagan failed to cut Government spending and America got into more debt (so no surprises there). The UK is heading towards an existential housing crisis, where, per the Office of National Statistics (ONS), house prices have more than trebled in the last 20 years. Fewer under-25s are buying homes, whilst house prices are very expensive for first-time buyers, with low income families having little to no help to get onto the Housing Market. Social housing waiting lists have risen whilst rents are becoming increasingly expensive, housebuilding is at its lowest peacetime position since the 1920s. However, the UK still compares well internationally on overcrowding and unaffordability. An impending crisis The housing bubble will burst and it will come crashing down sooner rather than later. But whilst many say there is a Housing Crisis, I am inclined to believe there is almost a crisis. The reason being is the cost of the average house, per the ONS is 265,000, but this only considers a figure from a sample of mortgages agreed by regulated lenders. But the Land Registry, who keep a record of every sale (mortgage or otherwise), say the average house price is 180,252. Whilst the figures suggest there is not a crisis, the bubble will burst soon anyway. Despite these figures, fewer under-25s are buying houses, this is mostly down to the fact that relative to income, house is far more expensive. Housebuilding is at its lowest, social housing waiting lists have risen and rents have become more expensive. The UK though still compares well internationally to overcrowding and unaffordability. But per ONS figures house prices have more than trebled in the last 20 years. Concerning statistics The Economist compiled a comparative house pricing index and they found that the value of British homes had seen an increase of 2000% within the last half a century, significantly higher than our global counterparts. With German house prices doubling and US house prices increasing 650% within the same period. Eurostat (the European Unions statistical arm) state 7.4% of Brits were overburdened by housing costs, spending more than 40% of their income to keep a roof over their heads. Surprisingly this is below the EU average of 11.2%, with Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands at 16.6, 14.3 and 14.4 per cent respectively. The UK still compares well when looking at the wider picture. Even though the statistics push towards the idea that there is a housing crisis, there is considerable evidence that it hasnt quite hit crisis levels just yet. Despite the sharp rises in prices and fall in house building, the UK still fares comparatively well with overcrowding and affordability. A wider issue Last year, Housing Minister, Gavin Barwell, said that grandparents should hand inheritance directly to their grandchildren. He has suggested that this is a viable way to tackle the impending housing crisis. This underlines how out of touch Tory MPs are with the public. Some are lucky, most arent but what makes this statement worse is the lack of understanding to the issue. If we look at the statistics it is fair to say that they are mixed, however, it is apparent that housing is going to have a crisis if something isnt sorted soon. More houses are required to be built and the disastrous Right-to-Buy scheme has failed. Social housing is needed and private landlord rent controls need to be reintroduced. If you look at the Land Registry stats this tells us that it is possible to buy well, but it is wider issues that makes it difficult for younger people. With wages, comparably lower in relation to house prices, and private landlords able to buy out entire streets and set the rents as high as they want. This makes housing an issue that is far wider than just building more houses. Donald Trump is accusing Barack Obama of tapping the wires in Trump Tower back in October, right before he was elected President of the United States. When he started to get paranoid about this at around 6:30am, The President began sending out rampant tweets accusing him. He claims Obama has found nothing yet and wrote, This is McCarthyism! Trump comparing it to Watergate Trump is comparing this with the Nixon White Houses Watergate scandal, which led to Nixon leaving his post as President. Funny, considering Trump has been compared with Nixon recently by a former Nixon adviser. He called Obama a bad or sick guy for supposedly tapping the wires in his office. If it was in the Oval Office where he actually was for eight years, that would be one thing, but how did he get into Trump Tower? And in the final month of The Donalds hectic election campaign? The place would be crawling with bouncers. Threatening legal action, Trump said that he bets a good lawyer could make a great case out of what Obama allegedly did. The fact he needs a good lawyer to get Obama convicted suggests that maybe he isnt as sure about this as he lets on. If Obama actually tapped Trumps wires, a terrible lawyer could make a great case out of it. The BBC and Channel 4 look set to lock horns and do battle later this year, as they look to attract cookery fans to their rival television shows. After the switch away from the Beeb by the hugely successful The Great British Bake Off, the BBC are keen to bounce straight back with a new show featuring former Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and the effervescent Zoe Ball. Hussains growing popularity Hussain has become a familiar face on British TV screens since capturing the top prize on the 2015 edition and BBC bosses will no doubt hope that her subsequent popularity makes The Big Family Cooking Showdown a smash hit as well. Not only as she been a judge on CBBC's Junior Bake Off, viewers were also able to witness a return to her familys homeland in a recent two-part programme entitled The Chronicles of Nadiya. Self-educated in the art of cooking through reading recipe books and watching YouTube videos, she will hope to inspire others to take to the kitchen and demonstrate their creative culinary skills. BBC back diversity The Luton-born champion baker and author certainly ticks most of the boxes with her Bangladeshi family roots, as the BBC looks to back up its recently announced diversity drive with solid action by the end of the present decade. Director- general Tony Hall has made it perfectly clear that he wants to see increased visibility in the corporation of women, ethnic minorities and disabled people. Zoe Ball to co-host Radio and TV presenter Ball is set to host alongside Hussain, as plans for the expected Autumn launch of the search to identify the best family of cooks in the UK take shape. Sixteen families are set to take part in the new BBC2 show, as they showcase their favourite family recipes before the viewing public. Families face challenges The twelve hour-long episodes will feature a series of cooking challenges in both the studio kitchen and the families home kitchens, as the contestants are whittled down before the grand finale. Joining the two hosts will be two formidable judges with a wealth of cooking knowledge at their fingertips, in the form of the Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli and Rosemary Shrager (Soapstar Superchef). It's been a rocky week in the White House, and that shows no signs of slowing down. At Palm Beach this morning, President-elect Donald Trump sent off a rapid-fire series of tweets claiming that Barack Obama had spied on him with wiretapping whilst he was in office. How people respond to Trump's wire tapping assertions Ben Rhodes, former senior national security aide to ex president Barack Obama, relayed on Twitter to Mr Trump on Saturday that no president can order a wiretap and also wrote, Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you. Democrat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wrote in a tweet that trump was trying to deflect focus on the contacts made between members of his election campaign and Russia. The Deflector-in-Chief is at it again," Pelosi smartly tweeted. "An investigation by an independent commission is the only answer. Meanwhile, #Oregon Senator Ron Wyden wondered whether the president had accessed information from the FBI or whether "Trump is making it up." Either way, we all deserve an explanation, the Democratic senator wrote. Over the last week, President Donald Trump has been forced to deal with the growing scandal of Russian interference in the election. As news continues to be released, Trump is now going after former President Barack Obama. Trump on Obama Earlier this week, the Washington Post broke the story that current Attorney General Jeff Sessions had met with a Russian offical twice during the election last year during his time as a senator from Alabama. In addition, the information was never disclosed during Sessions' confirmation hearing in the Senate, which has resulted in Democrats calling for his resignation. In response, Donald Trump reacted in defense, quickly bashing the Democrats, while denying any wrongdoing or relationship with the Kremlin. As seen on his Twitter account on March 4, Trump is now going after Obama. Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found," Donald Trump wrote on Twitter early Saturday morning, before adding, "This is McCarthyism!" Not stopping there, the former host of "The Apprentice" continued his attack on the former commander in chief. Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 "Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone," Donald Trump continued on Twitter. "Is it legal for a sitting President to be 'wire tapping' a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier," he tweeted, while also noting, "A NEW LOW!" I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Trump's new low "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!" Donald Trump wrote in yet another social media attack. In conclusion, the billionaire real estate mogul then compared Obama to Richard Nixon for his dealings in Watergate. "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate," Trump tweeted, before adding, "Bad (or sick) guy!" How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Next up As the pressure continues to pile on the White House, Donald Trump is now acting out in ways that have never been seen before by a sitting president. Despite no evidence to back up claims, the president is making serious allegations that could have ramifications moving forward. On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump reached a new low with his attacks on Twitter. In what appeared to be a distraction from the growing scandal involving Russia, Trump made serious allegations against Barack Obama. Obama speaks Taking to his Twitter account early Saturday morning, Donald Trump made allegations about Barack Obama that he compared to Watergate. "Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory," Trump tweeted, before continuing on a multiple-tweet rant, labeling the former president a "bad" and "sick" guy for going to a "new low" in attacking him. The allegations made by Trump come without evidence, but seem to suggest that they were based of an unverified report from Breitbart News. As reported by CBS News on March 4, Obama has finally addressed the issue with a statement of his own. JUST IN: A spokesman for former Pres. Obama says accusation of wiretapping is "simply false" https://t.co/NRwuO9s6be pic.twitter.com/5T4EMKZa40 CBS News (@CBSNews) March 4, 2017 In a statement released on behalf of Barack Obama, spokesman Kevin Lewis quickly shot down the claims made by Donald Trump. "A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House offical ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice," the statement reads. Continuing, the statement then addresses the allegations head on. "As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House offical ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen," it continued, before concluding that "Any suggestion otherwise is simply false." MORE: Spokesperson for former Pres. Obama responds to Trump wiretap allegation, calls it "simply false." https://t.co/cXyQHeSvNy pic.twitter.com/se2gno6wxz ABC News (@ABC) March 4, 2017 Russian trouble Donald Trump's attack on Obama comes just 24 hours after the former host of "The Apprentice" called for separate investigations into Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Trump took to Twitter once again and posted photos of the two Democratic leaders showing their interaction with Russian officials in the past, in what has been interpreted as a clear deflection from the growing scandal with the Kremlin. As of press time, the White House has not offered any proof to back up the claims made in Trump's earlier tweets, nor have they responded to the statement released by Obama. After just over a month with Trump in the White House, only time will tell what the next step is. On Wednesday night, the Washington Post broke a bombshell story that exposed Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his communication with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign. In response, the White House is coming to Sessions' defense. Spicer on Sessions During the election, speculation grew on an almost daily basis about the ties Russia had to the Donald Trump campaign. That speculation became confirmation when it was revealed that Russia had hacked into the Democratic National Committee with the goal of helping Trump become the new commander in chief. Since then, both Kremlin officials and the White House have denied any wrongdoing, despite crippling information that has been released, including the aforementioned story over Jeff Sessions and his conversations with the ambassador to Russia. These issues were discussed with White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer during the March 2 edition of "Fox and Friends" on Fox News. EXCLUSIVE: @seanspicer responds to calls for AG Jeff Sessions to resign | @HuntsmanAbby pic.twitter.com/dLZ7XSiRz1 FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) March 2, 2017 Joining Fox News host Abby Huntsman was Sean Spicer, who quickly came to the defense of Jeff Sessions. "Sen. Sessions did his job," Spicer said, before adding, "He was 100% straight with the (Judiciary) committee. When asked if Sessions should recuse himself, Spicer fired back, "There's nothing to recuse himself." "There's nothing to recuse himself [from]. He was 100% straight with the committee." -@seanspicer to @HuntsmanAbby on AG Jeff Sessions pic.twitter.com/kDU9lrgvZX FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) March 2, 2017 Not stopping there, Sean Spicer then shifted his focus to the Democrats, who he believes are using the latest story as a political tool against the White House. "I think this is Democrats continuing to push a false narrative for political purposes," he said. Jeff Sessionss denials of contact with Russians are falling apart quickly https://t.co/pASmBO39WW Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 2, 2017 Sessions defense On Thursday morning, reporters caught up with Jeff Sessions, who continued to deny any communication with Russia. Sessions labeled the Washington Post story "false" and "unbelievable," which continues the same theme being pushed by the administration. Not long after Sessions' remarks to the press, the White House doubled down on Sean Spicer's comments, stating, "This is the latest attack against the Trump administration by partisan Democrats." Moments ago Jeff Sessions responded to reports on Russia. pic.twitter.com/iZKIsSPDpX Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) March 2, 2017 Moving forward As questions continue to remain unanswered in regards to Donald Trump and his possible ties back to Russia, backlash has grown by the hour. Congressional Democrats have called for Jeff Sessions to resign as Attorney General for allegedly lying during his Senate confrontation hearing, which, if it happens, would mark the second cabinet member to do so. Last month, retired Gen. Michael Flynn was forced to step down after his communication with Russia was exposed to the public. After a tumultuous week in which his administration was both praised and scorned in equal measure, Donald Trump on Saturday accused former president #Barack Obama of wire tapping his phones at Trump Tower for a whole month before the 2016 election. Without giving any evidence or offering the source of his information, Mr Trump wrote a series of tweets that claimed that Obama had my wires tapped. He compared the alleged tapping to the #Watergate episode and also to McCarthyism. President Trumps aides failed to elucidate whether #Trump's volatile allegations were based on intelligence briefings from security or law enforcement officials or on something else. This comes after a rocky week of action at the #White House, where Trump's speech to congress praised by some and noted by others for being more presidential than ever was followed by the bombshell claims that his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, had met with a Russian official during the election campaign. Sessions, a former Alabama senator, had sworn under oath that he had not met with any #Russian proxies. He is now facing demands from the Democrats and others within his party to step down. He already recused himself from an investigation into Russian interference in the election. Shocking attack came with rapid-fire insistence The unparalleled attack by a sitting president on his predecessor, tweeted early on Saturday morning, had many looking at stories gaining traction in the right wing media. An article in #Breitbart, the alt-right publication that White House senior advisor Steve Bannon used to edit, claimed Obama is attempting a "silent coup against President Trump. Kevin Lewis, a spokesperson for Barack Obama, issued a widely announced statement dismissing the claims. A #cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice, he said. Lewis went on to explain that neither President Obama nor any other official from the White House had ever instructed that surveillance be carried out on any American citizen. Others respond to the allegations Many others from the Obama administration called the #unparalleled accusations shocking and simply not true. They highlighted and referenced longstanding edicts and measures intended to ensure no president can wiretap or spy on a rival for partisan reasons. Mr. Trumps decision to tweet and build attention around his claims, without offering any proof, is remarkable and has never happened before in US political history. In one of his earlier tweets at 6:35 am from Palm Beach, the President claimed he had discovered that his phones had been tapped before the election. People online began to speculate that Trump had read an article on the alt-right Breitbart News site, or had listened to conservative radio personality #Mark Levin who have both embraced this unsubstantiated theory in the past few days. The article in Breitbart on Friday had claimed that there had been a series of known steps taken by #President Barack Obamas administration in its last months to undermine Donald Trumps presidential campaign and, later, his new administration. A former law enforcement official who worked with Obama's team said that it was 100 percent untrue, and said Trump should be pushed to give any evidence for his allegation. The old narrative about George W. Bush was that he was a bloodthirsty war monger who sent us into war in Iraq by telling lies about WMDs to enrich his oil baron buddies and let New Orleans drown because he hates black people. The new narrative about Dubya is that he is a wise, moderate elder statesman who would never do any of those terrible things that Donald Trump is doing. The conclusion about the strange new respect that the younger Bush is getting comes in a Wall Street Journal piece by Kim Strassel. The left had finally bought into the Miss me yet? meme that everyone else did when Obama was in power. Mind, Bush never deserved the grief he got while the president and, lets face it, he is far more of a gentleman that Trump ever could be. One could never imagine Bush engaging in midnight tweeting to excoriate his enemies in quite the same way that the current president has. President Reagan got some of the same treatment. During his presidency, the Gipper was a mad man who despoiled the poor, gave gay people aids, and was hell bent on destroying the planet in a thermonuclear war. That narrative began to change about the time the Berlin Wall fell followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Only the most fervent leftist now denies that Reagans policies won the Cold War and lifted the threat of nuclear obliteration from the planet. Both Bushes have gained strange new respect in retrospect. Just as people now note that Bush the Younger didnt say alarming things like Trump, back in the 1990s people realized that Bush the Elder did not chase interns around the Oval Office like Clinton did. Donald Trump is likely to get strange new respect as well. One wonders what President Ted Cruz is going to do in 2030 that will cause people to get nostalgic about the Trump years when we had a president who was plain spoken, thought outside the box to fix the economy, defeat terrorism, and take Americans back to the moon. Past Republican presidents are as much loved as current ones are hated. In a week dominated first by President Donald Trumps first address in Congress and then by the revelations involving Attorney General #Jeff Sessions, the public has almost lost sight of the other major issues dogging the White House Controversial order Candidate Donald Trump made Immigration a major part of his presidential campaign, initially in relation to illegal Mexican migrants, but particularly towards limiting Moslem migration into the country. So it was no surprise when one of the first executive orders signed by newly inaugurated President Donald Trump was to sign an order effectively banning Moslem immigration into the United States from seven at risk countries in the Middle East. Ostensibly the reason for the ban was to allay the risks of terrorism even though no migrants from these countries had been involved in terrorist activities in the United States and, even more strangely, the order did not affect those countries from which the 9/11 terrorists had come. Court challenges This order took effect immediately and caused instant disruption at the airports around the world as people were not allowed to board flights and those who made it into American airports were not allowed entry, even those who already held green cards. Just as quickly legal challenges were begun against the order and soon the order was suspended and is awaiting the final outcomes in the courts. The challenges on the order were not only procedural, but also constitutional as the President had stated in an interview that Christian refugees would have been given priority which potentially made the order a de facto religious test which is not permitted under the Constitution. New order? In the weeks since then President Trump and members of his staff have stated that a new order addressing the issues would be signed. This would have avoided the possibility of a Supreme Court ruling on the original ban order. So far, despite repeated statements to it would occur the new order has not yet been signed. This issue, like others, has been lost in the confusion caused by the continuing scandal regarding the allegations of Russian interference in the presidential campaign which this week saw Attorney General Jeff Sessions embroiled and which led to his decision to recuse himself from the investigations of the allegation by the intelligence community. Distractions The obvious question is when will the new order be signed? In this way we will know whether or not the contentious issues that were the reasons that the courts have suspended the original order have been addressed. Even more important, the country and the world are also wondering whether or not the White House will finally be able to resolve all the controversies hanging over its head. The Moslem ban is not the only important issue that is not gaining the attention it deserves. The confession by President Trump that he was surprised at the complexity of repealing Obamacare, particularly without a replacement ready, is an admission that the campaign promises were made without consideration of the political and bureaucratic realities of running a modern Democracy. All the country can now do is wait and see when the Oval Office will finally begin to truly address issues and abandon the rhetoric of the presidential campaign, or even finally fill in all the places of the Administration yet to be assigned. Up to now there has been little evidence of solid decisions and much of continued rhetoric. We are still wondering when the buck will stop and in front of whom. Hey, "Vampire Diaries" peeps. The wonderful people over at The CW, recently dropped their latest press release spoilers for the upcoming episode 12 of season 8. They sound quite interesting too as we've got Damon working tirelessly trying to rescue Stefan's soul from Cade, but runs into a major snag in the plan. We'll also be seeing Caroline, trying to get through to Stefan before it's too late, and more! He needs the Maxwell journal They decided to go the question route with their title for this one, naming it: "What Are You?" Getting into the synopsis, we'll go ahead and start with this whole Damon situation. The tables have definitely turned with this one as Damon is now trying to save Stefan instead of the other way around. They tell us that he's going to try to strike up a deal with Cade to save Stefan's soul. However, in order to do so, he'll have to retrieve the Maxwell journal. The problem with that, actually leads us into our next storyline scoop. It turns out that Matt and Alaric are going to ,flat out, refuse to hand over the journal, because it contains the vital key that is necessary to destroying Cade. So, wow. Will Damon be able to eventually get his hands on that journal? Or will Matt and Alaric's resistance be to great? These are the burning questions that pop up for this situation. Hopefully, we'll see them get answered in this episode, but something tells me this storyline might stretch over a couple more weeks. Caroline tries to get through Next, we've got this final reveal for this synopsis. It turns out that we're going to see Caroline be in an absolute desperate state when it comes to saving Stefan. Apparently, Cade is going to have a plan that's set in motion, and Caroline is going to try extra hard to get through to Stefan before the plan gets fully carried out. The big questions, here, is will she be able to get through to him before it's too late? Or will the clock just be too damn fast for her? One thing's for sure, this situation should definitely feature some very intense and suspenseful scenes to say the very least. Some production credits, reveal that we have Darren Genet to thank for directing this installment, and the writing team of Chad Fiveash & James Stoteraux for penning the script. Alright, that's all that their latest synopsis revealed, but don't forget to look for the new promo clip that should be dropping after episode 11 airs tonight. It's also been confirmed that episode 12 is scheduled to show up next Friday night, February 10th,2017 at 7pm central time. Stay tuned. Stassi Schroeder isn't happy with her dating life. After splitting from patrick meagher last summer after years of on and off, the "Vanderpump Rules" star failed to make a love connection in Montauk, where she and her friends went for vacation, and months later, she's proclaimed that "2017 dating sucks." During an episode of "Vanderpump Rules" season five earlier this year, Schroeder was seen visiting a couple of her friends on the east coast and during her visit, one lucky guy, Kyle Cooke, caught her eye. However, after hitting it off with some light conversation, things went downhill in a major way when Cooke, who stars on Bravo TV's "Summer House," forgot Schroeder's name and compared her one-piece swimsuit to something Steve Jobs would have worn. Stassi Schroeder split from Patrick Meagher in 2016 After splitting from Jax Taylor years ago, Schroeder moved on from Los Angeles and moved in with Meagher in New York City, where he was working as a radio host. At the time, "Vanderpump Rules" fans assumed she was done with the show but after she and Meagher relocated back to Los Angeles just as production began on season three, she returned to filming. Although Schroeder and Meagher continued with their relationship throughout season three, she refused to discuss the romance on the show and Meagher was not seen at all. During "Vanderpump Rules" season four, Stassi Schroeder did talk about her relationship with Meagher, but unfortunately, it wasn't anything good. Instead, she opened up to Kristen Doute about the troubles they were having with one another and later moved out of her home with Meagher and into Doute's apartment. One season later, the couple called it quits, and during an episode of her Podcast series, Schroeder admitted to being heartbroken over the breakup. She also said that while she loved Meagher, they simply fought way too frequently to make their relationship work. To see more of Stassi Schroeder and her attempts at finding love, check out new episodes of "Vanderpump Rules" season five on Monday evenings at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV. Less than a day after Arnold Schwarzenegger quit the "Celebrity Apprentice," Donald Trump took him to task on Twitter. In response, the star of "Terminator" decided to hit back. Arnold on Trump After Donald Trump officially announced his candidacy for president, he was forced to give up his role of hosting "The Apprentice." With the position vacant, the producers decided to hire Arnold Schwarzenegger to fill the spot. Despite having a high-profiled name to lead the show, the "Celebrity Apprentice" has been hit with low ratings, which many believe is due to Trump remaining as an executive producer. On Saturday morning, the billionaire real estate mogul attacked Schwarzenegger on social media, accusing him of lying about quitting the show, and instead claiming he was fired. On his on Twitter account on March 3, Schwarzenegger offered his response. You should think about hiring a new joke writer and a fact checker. https://t.co/SvAjuPdHfa Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 4, 2017 After Donald Trump tweeted that Arnold Schwarzenegger had been fired due to "pathetic" ratings and causing the show to be canceled, the former governor of California responded. "You should think about hiring a new joke writer and a fact checker," Schwarzenegger tweeted out. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Despite Arnold Schwarzenegger being a well-known Republican, he made it clear that he wouldn't be supporting Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. After his first choice for president, Ohio Gov. John Kasich was eliminated in the primary, the action movie star went on to back Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the general election. In recent months, the feud between the two has escalated, with Trump going so far as to smear Schwarzenegger at the National Prayer Breakfast last month in Washington, D.C. Next up While Donald Trump takes time to blast Arnold Schwarzenegger and other Celebrities on Twitter, he also has bigger problems to worry about. In addition to his tweet about "The Apprentice," the president also went on a lengthy rant on social media, this time accusing former President Barack Obama of engaging in Watergate-like wire tapping of Trump Tower during his campaign for president. Danny Masterson is under investigation for rape. The former "That 70s Show" star has been accused of three cases of raping fellow members of the Church Of Scientology beginning in 2001. The shocking details described in a recent Gossip Cop report are brutal and claim that Masterson was allegedly involved in sexually attacking three women, one his former longtime girlfriend. Church of Scientology accused of threatening Danny Masterson's alleged rape victims In 2001, Danny Masterson, 40, was accused of anally raping his unconscious girlfriend. Three years later in 2004, another female came forward claiming that she was raped by Masterson while unconscious at a party. The unknown female reveals that during the attack she came to and was choked back into unconsciousness by the actor. 'That 70s Show' actor denies rape claims Journalist Tony Ortega, best known for his Church of Scientology blog titled "The Underground Bunker" reports that Masterson has been investigated by the LAPD in three cases of sexually abusing women of the church, and that the women were allegedly threatened by members of the church not to come forward. Masterson, who currently stars alongside pal Ashton Kutcher in the Netflix series "The Ranch" denies all allegations. No official charges have been filed at this time according to his rep, who spoke with Gossip Cop stating, "We are aware of Chrissie's [last name redacted] 16-year-old allegations. It was only after Chrissie was in contact with Leah Remini that she made allegations of sexual assault by Mr. Masterson. Based on reading the anti-Scientology blog that posted this story, these false allegations appear to be motivated to boost Leah Remini's anti-Scientology television series since Chrissie only came forward after connecting with Leah Remini." Danny's rep added that during the victim's long relationship with the actor she had made several other rape accusations alleging she had been raped by three other actors and musicians. At this time the Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that they are currently conducting an investigation involving Masterson. GC also reports that they have attempted to contact Remini's people for comment, but at this time they have offered no response. One more interesting fact, according to the police report obtained by Ortega, Jenni Weinman, Masterson's publicist, just so happens to be listed as a witness to one of the alleged sexual assaults. This story is still developing. Check back for further updates. On Saturday afternoon, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he was quitting the "Celebrity Apprentice." Less than 24 hours later, President Donald Trump decided to chime in. Trump on Arnold For over a decade, Donald Trump was the host of "The Apprentice," which helped bring his name back into the mainstream. With his popularity back on the rise, Trump was able to use that momentum to start his campaign for president, which he ended up riding to the White House. In Trump's absence, the show needed to find a replacement, and went on to hire Arnold Schwarzenegger to fill the role. Since the start of the new season, ratings have dipped to new lows, which many, including Schwarzenegger, attribute to the backlash and low approval of the president who is currently sitting with less than a 40 percent approval for his job as president. After the former "Terminator" star decided to call it quits, Trump took to his Twitter account on March 4 to lash out. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 In response to Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to quit the "Celebrity Apprentice," Donald Trump wasted no time accusing the actor of lying. "Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me," Trump wrote on Twitter early Saturday morning, before adding, "Sad end to great show." The war of words between Donald Trump and Arnold Schwarzenegger has increased over the last few months. The president took time out of his busy schedule to attack the former governor of California for the show's drop in success, going as far as using the annual National Prayer Breakfast to call for a prayer for the show to increase its ratings. In his own rebuttal, Schwarzenegger released a video on social media where he proposed that the two could switch jobs so Trump could try to get the ratings to increase. Moving forward Despite the increased backlash and growing scandal involving Russia, Donald Trump is somehow finding time to attack an action movie star and current host of a reality show. While it's unknown if Trump will continue his social media rants against Celebrities, it's expected that he won't be slowing down anytime soon. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could get engaged in the coming months! Sources close to the youngest son of Prince Charles and the late great Princess Diana say that he's very much in love with his actress girlfriend and believe that Harry will get down on one knee by the end of the summer. Will Meghan Markle live in Kensington Palace? The couple hasn't had the easiest time seeing each other but they have been doing the best they can, both taking trips across the pond to see each other whenever they have time. The former Apache helicopter pilot and the "Suits" star will have to figure out where they will live if an engagement and a wedding are the next steps in their romance. Sources say that Markle will more than likely move to London -- officially -- if she and Prince Harry end up getting married. She has reportedly been staying at Kensington frequently. Will Meghan Markle become a princess? Many people thought that Kate Middleton would become a princess but the world quickly learned that Queen Elizabeth II has the ultimate say on which royal titles go to her newly married relatives. When Middleton married Prince William, the Queen made them the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Since Prince Harry is His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, a marriage would make Harry's wife Her Royal Highness Princess of Wales. However, Queen Elizabeth will more than likely make Harry a Duke. Those who follow the royal family closely believe that Prince Harry will become the Duke of Sussex and his wife would become the Duchess of Sussex. What kind of royal wedding can we expect? There is no doubt that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will have an incredible wedding. While it may not outdo the wedding of his big brother and sister-in-law, it will undoubtedly be a lovely affair attended by hundreds of guests -- and yes, it will be televised. The best part? Harry's nephew, Prince George, and his niece, Princess Charlotte, will likely take part in the ceremony! Do you think Harry and Meghan will end up getting married? An episode of the American animated sitcom, The Simpsons has been banned in New Zealand due to censorship issues. The ban has been controversial among fans in the country due to it also being a milestone episode. What happened with the ban in New Zealand? Local network TVNZ has announced that they will skip to episode 601 after airing episode 599. Episode 600 was one of the show's popular "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween episodes, which featured parodies of "The Hunger Games" and the "James Bond" film franchise. It had originally been believed that the episode was aired out of order due to the timely nature of being a Halloween special, but a spokesperson for the network later confirmed that it was due to censorship issues. While it is unconfirmed at this time what exact content caused the episode to be pulled from airing, depictions of death and violence, including depicting children being killed, is speculated to be the reason. In the first short, Dry Hard, a parody of the aforementioned Hunger Games series revolves arounds children being killed in battle. The second short BFF R.I.P. features an imaginary friend of Lisa killing the kids who want to be friends with her out of jealousy. Fans had become upset with the ban of the episode due to the fact that the show was a milestone 600th episode. The episode, which already aired last year in the United States, would have played this upcoming Sunday. Has the show ever been censored like this before? For a show as long-lived as The Simpsons, foreign broadcasts of the show censoring content, including outright banning entire episodes from airing, is nothing new. In the United Kingdom, for example, in addition to jokes often being cut from broadcast, entire episodes that were pulled from airing in their original time-slots, respectively, include "A Streetcar Named Marge," "The City of New York Vs. Homer Simpson," "The Cartridge Family," "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken," "Day of the Jackanapes," "Weekend at Burnsie's," and "Love, Springfield Style." Many of these episodes were later permitted to air within the United Kingdom, either with heavy censorship or by airing it in a late-night time-slot. Episodes featuring the family visiting foreign countries have also often been banned from airing in countries being depicted. This had been the case with the episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo," which has currently never aired in Japan, or been released with an official Japanese language dub. Residents of Toronto's waterfront neighborhoods have been complaining about a controversial newsletter for more than two years now. Your Ward News is a simply-produced, newsletter-style publication calling itself an "anti-Marxist publication," while critics say it is filled with anti-LGBT, anti-women, and Islamophobic rhetoric. On Friday, it was made public that the minister in charge of Canada's postal service has banned both the editor and publisher of the paper from sending any mail using that national service. Both the men are also forbidden from having others send mail on their behalf. Under the Canada Post Act, the Hon. Judy M. Foote has the ability to make such decisions, but this is only the third time the order has been issued in the country's history. Paper investigated for hate crimes When it first started nearly 10 years ago, Your Ward News was delivered by independent carriers to a small number of homes. In early 2015, publishers contracted Canada Post to deliver to a greater number of residences on its behalf, but almost immediately, letter carriers complained about having to deliver the papers. June 2016, the government ordered Canada Post to end its contract with Your Ward News, less than 18 months after it began. At the time of that decision, Editor-in-Chief James Sears was undeterred and said the loss of Canada Post delivery would only affect distribution to the area's apartment buildings, as the paper had its independent carriers to fallback on. "We're just a satirical, offensive newspaper," he told CBC News at the time. "...we're not breaking any hate speech laws." However, a coalition of residents calling themselves Standing Together Against Mailing Prejudice (STAMP) welcomed the government's decision, saying the offensive paper had already been delivered to some 300,000 Toronto homes for far too long. "We are ecstatic about the minister's decision," Lisa Kinsella, founding member of STAMP, told CBC. She added, "Minister Foote's swift and decisive action means that this disgusting material will no longer be landing in the mailboxes of people who don't want it." However, in late January this year, police began receiving complaints from residents still receiving Your Ward News. On January 30, Toronto Police confirmed they were investigating the publication for possible hate speech crimes. Previous legal issues This is not the first time James Sears has been in the news in Canada. In 2008, he advertised himself as "Dimitri the Lover," a self-help guru who charged men nearly $3000 for two-day workshops where they could learn to seduce women. Sears was a doctor in the early 1990s before having his medical license revoked in 1992 amid allegations of sexual misconduct by female patients. Initially pleading guilty to two charges of sexual assault, he successfully appealed his convictions, claiming his lawyer at the time had "pressured" him to enter a guilty plea. To date, neither Sears nor publisher Lawrence St. Germaine have been able to defend themselves, or Your Ward News, in court. They have hired prominent Toronto-based defense attorney Frank Addario to represent them, should a hearing date to appeal Minister Foote's decision be issued by the Crown. Around 110 people have died in somalia over starvation issues in the past two days. The deaths have also been tied to a severe drought plaguing the area that is reportedly risking the health of millions still. What does the situation look like right now? Somalia's government has already declared the drought to be a national disaster in a released statement since last Tuesday. Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire had also appeared during a meeting with the Somali National Drought Committee. Thousands have reportedly entered Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, in hopes of finding aid, especially food, and have overwhelmed both local and international agencies. To place this into context, one feeding center recently checked in 7,000 people. Around 363,000 children need treatment, according to a statement from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Famine Early Warning Systems Network, and around 71,000 of them are said to be malnourished. The tragedy is believed to be the first major crisis for President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who has been recently elected, and who has reportedly appealed to the international community and Somalia's diaspora for aid during the drought. It is also feared by the government that the struggles installed by the crisis can lead to exploitation, human rights abuses and to criminal and terrorist networks, according to a released statement from officials. The United Nations and aid for Somalia According to reports, The United Nations currently estimates that 5 million people in the area need aid. Somalia had been one of four regions singled out by a United Nations representative last month in a $4.4 billion aid appeal that had aspired to prevent serious hunger and famine. The appeal project would have also aided Nigeria, South Sudan, and Yemen, as the four are also connected to violent conflicts. United Nations humanitarian coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, was also expected to visit the area in the upcoming days. The United Nations World Food Program had also requested a new $26 million plan in response to the drought. Brian Wu, founding faculty director of China initiatives at the Ross School of Business within the University of Michigan. Provided to China Daily China should utilize the power of its existing industries and its unique circumstances to drive progress, expert says China should not underestimate the power of its existing industrial capability while Chinese manufacturing firms move up the value chain amid the country's structural shift, says Brian Wu, founding faculty director of China initiatives at the Ross School of Business within the University of Michigan. Efficiently maintaining the country's industrial base, while globalizing through the intelligent use of young talent with international perspectives, is crucial for China's long-term growth, said Wu, who is also an associate professor of strategy at the university. Wu, who has extensively researched the way in which low-cost suppliers climb the value chain to beat mature incumbents, says China can now significantly benefit from this value chain climb - if it plays its cards right. "We have learned many lessons in the process of supplying Western companies in a hardworking and patient manner. It is important to not lose our industrial base after accumulating so much experience," he says. Wu was born in 1976 in Pingdu, a city in Shandong province with an extensive manufacturing sector. While growing up, he saw the hard-working culture of factory employees in his home city at a time when China was rising to become the world's factory. He wondered why Chinese factory workers earned so little, despite their tremendous efforts. His curiosity served as the foundation for Wu's academic research, first in Beijing and subsequently in the United States. Three years ago, he led the establishment of a new training program for China Development Bank executives at the Ross School of Business. "My thoughts on this topic were greatly enhanced through discussions with the executives," he says. Wu's observations come as Chinese President Xi Jinping strongly champions the benefits of free trade and US President Donald Trump threatens to close his nation's doors to globalization and foreign investment. Wu expressed support for China's stance on globalization and suggested that the next major breakthrough could come from finding a way to efficiently utilize overseas-educated Chinese people in helping Chinese companies with their global expansion efforts, especially in the case of growth through acquisitions in advanced economies. "The question is, how do you capture the intrinsic value of what you acquire? And in advanced industries, human capital is key," he says. "Through acquisitions, Chinese firms could send their existing management abroad to the acquired firms to build experience, while recruiting overseas-educated Chinese people to take on key positions." In 2015, more than 300,000 Chinese students attended US colleges and universities, and in excess of 90,000 learned at UK higher education institutions, making them the largest contingent of international students in both countries. Wu says it is important for Chinese firms to attract and motivate those talented people by giving them opportunities to execute their ideas. The opportunities afforded by the management style of Chinese white goods maker Haier are a good example, he says. At Haier, the company's management structure pivots around ZZJYTs (zi zhu jing ying ti, which means independent operation units). This unprecedented management structure was first brought to international attention in academic circles by Bill Fischer, a professor of innovation management at Switzerland's IMD business school. Each new project or market opportunity leads to the formation of a ZZJYT, a dedicated small team of workers with a separate budget, functioning almost like an independent company. Within this structure, young Chinese graduates could set up their own projects, such as setting up a subsidiary for Haier in an overseas market. "I've spoken to many young Chinese graduates, who are incredibly motivated, and entrepreneurial in their mindsets," Wu says. "The incentives system at Haier is perfectly suited to people like them, because for them, the experience of setting up a business operation overseas for Haier gives them entrepreneurial experience, and they will work hard to make it successful." Turning to the policies of the Trump administration, Wu says various proposed protectionist policies are counterproductive for the US domestic market. He believes Trump has incorrectly blamed globalization for problems of domestic inequality. "It is not globalization that has taken away jobs in the US, but rather inefficient wealth distribution. The US government could create re-education programs to help domestic workers improve their skills and find new job opportunities, rather than forcing companies to re-shore production to the US just for job creation purposes." However, Wu points out that one potential justification for Trump's efforts to re-shore production is to build up industrial capability in the US, after witnessing the challenges of losing this capability. "Although outsourcing production to more cost-efficient countries generates good profits, not having a big manufacturing industry could also lead to businesses losing touch with market demand. It is often through the manufacturing process that innovative ideas are generated," Wu says. He offers the example of the Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD. Founded in 1995 as a rechargeable battery manufacturer, the company slowly used its battery technology in the making of its own electric vehicles. "Although batteries are not high-value-adding products, BYD discovered a new direction in the making process. Without the manufacturing infrastructure, you risk becoming out of touch with consumer needs." If China maintains its manufacturing capacity, Wu believes the country will benefit from moving its manufacturing industry inland, away from the traditional manufacturing hubs of the East China's coastal cities. He suggests they be relocated to Western cities, which would also reduce wealth inequality across the country. Meanwhile, putting more emphasis on quality manufacturing and recognizing domestic opportunities when they arise out of market inefficiencies are also important components of the process of moving up the value chain. "We often hear companies vowing to venture overseas due to saturation of the domestic market, but really there are still many opportunities within China, particularly arising out of China's regulatory and market inefficiencies," says Wu. Examples of innovative firms that have made the most out of such opportunities include the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and its fintech affiliate Ant Financial, as well as Wechat Pay, the payment arm of the Chinese version of Twitter, Wechat. Both payment firms rose as solutions to challenges within China's financial markets. For instance, Ant Financial runs a Sesame Credit rating system, which assesses borrowers' credibility by drawing on Alibaba buyers' and sellers' transaction data, hence solving the challenge for Chinese borrowers of having no official credit history. This innovative credit rating system allows individuals and small and medium-sized companies to access lending that they could not otherwise obtain from banks. Meanwhile, Wechat Pay's road to success in China was quicker and easier than those of Western counterparts Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, because Wechat Pay became available in the Chinese market at a time when China was quickly transitioning from a cash to a cashless society, and because credit card ownership is not as common as it is in mature Western economies. "Those market inefficiencies precisely created fertile soil for innovation, and fostered the growth of a wave of Chinese tech firms," says Wu. This trend of Chinese tech giants surpassing their Western counterparts by making good use of China's unique situation has been well documented in recent academic books, Wu says. "There is still lots of innovation to be unlocked that will provide the solution for China to maintain both innovation and production capacity," he says. cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com China attaches great importance to protecting wildlife and is committed to advancing the country's wildlife preservation goals, said China's ambassador to the UN in observance of World Wildlife Day. "Wild fauna and flora an integral part of the ecosystem plays a huge role in ecology, genetics, social and economic development, science, and education, and has a direct bearing on the continuity of human civilizations and future development," said Liu Jieyi at the UN on Friday. China announced late last year that it will stop commercial processing and sale of ivory tusks and manufactured goods made from ivory by the end of 2017, a move hailed by conservationists. Liu said that ecological preservation is important not just for biodiversity, but goes in tandem with social and economic development, which he said governments consider when implementing policies. "All countries should drive economic and social development through ecological development, and encourage green development and green lifestyle, creating job opportunities, eradicating poverty, and improving livelihood will help reduce poaching," he said. The international community should also combat illicit trafficking by punishing those involved and strengthening law enforcement from production to sales to trafficking, Liu said. "In particular, illicit online wildlife trade must be cracked down. As the saying goes, no trade, no killing," he said. International cooperation should also be deepened, with countries not only honoring the relevant UN General Assembly resolutions and their obligations, but also conducting joint efforts to train law enforcement, share information and protect wildlife, he said. Government agencies, international organizations, and the private sector should be "brought in for enhanced synergy," he said. Peter Thomson of Fiji, who is president of the UN General Assembly, said that raising global awareness of biodiversity also requires acknowledging that the dramatic decline in global wildlife is largely due to human activity, including population growth, climate change, pollution, poaching and illicit trafficking. "With illicit trafficking of wildlife generating billions of dollars each year, the proceeds of this transnational crime are fueling armed conflicts and terrorism and posing serious challenges to sustainable development," Thomson said. World Wildlife Day was established in 2013 at the 68th session of the UN General Assembly after the signing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which recognizes the importance of biodiversity and invites member states and organizations to raise awareness of wildlife to ensure that international trade does not threaten endangered species' survival. According to a 2014 World Wildlife Fund report, in the last 40 years approximately 50 percent of all wildlife has been lost, and more than 16,000 species are considered endangered and threatened by extinction. African elephant mortality rates surpass their birthrates, and one elephant is killed very 15 minutes; the polar bear population is expected to decline by two-thirds by 2050, the report said. amyhe@chinadailyusa.com KUALA LUMPUR - Families of passengers on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on Saturday launched a campaign to privately fund a search for the aircraft. Flight MH370, carrying 239 people, went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, nearly three years ago, on March 8, 2014. Australia, Malaysia, and China jointly called off a two-year underwater search for the aircraft in January. Grace Nathan, a Malaysian lawyer whose mother, Anne Daisy, was on the plane, said the familes hope to raise $15 million to fund an initial search north of the previous search area. "We won't start fundraising until we're sure that the governments are not going to resume the search and until the current data has been fully reviewed and analysed," she said at the campaign launch and MH370 memorial event held at a mall in Kuala Lumpur. The three governments have said they will resume the search if any credible evidence on the whereabouts of the plane emerges. International experts last year assisted Voice 370, a support group for MH370 next-of-kin, in mounting their own search along the East African coast where debris had been discovered. "They pinpointed to us accurately where the debris would have made landfall. They've been very helpful both on a personal level and to the investigation," Grace said. The memorial event, the first held since the search was suspended, featured musical and dance performances, while family members and friends of those aboard made impassioned pleas for the search to continue. Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the plane, recounted his experience discovering a piece of potential MH370 debris in Madagascar last year. "I thought it was very miraculous and fortunate when I found the piece of debris that day, but I thought it was useless because this sort of searching activity should have been done by the government," said Jiang, who travelled from China to attend the memorial. "It should not be us, the family members, who should have been subjected to this pain, to go and face this cruel reality." Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, who attended the event, said authorities had analysed 27 pieces of potential MH370 debris along the East African coastline, including two new pieces found in South Africa two weeks ago. The government has also signed several agreements with countries along the East African coastline to coordinate searches for debris, Liow said. Reuters NEW YORK - US President Donald Trump disputed Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement about quitting as host of the reality show "The Celebrity Apprentice," saying on Saturday that Schwarzenegger was leaving involuntarily after drawing few viewers. Schwarzenegger had announced on Friday that he would not return for a second season of the NBC show. He blamed Trump, an executive producer and former host of the show, for low ratings, describing the president's involvement as "baggage." Trump sees it differently. "Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me," Trump wrote in a message on his personal Twitter account. "Sad end to great show." The squabble then continued on Twitter. "You should think about hiring a new joke writer and a fact checker," a message on Schwarzenegger's Twitter account read, responding to Trump. NBC, a unit of Comcast Corp on Friday, did not comment on Schwarzenegger's decision not to return for another season, or on the show's future. Schwarzenegger, a movie star and former California governor, took over as host of "Celebrity Apprentice" last year. His first season premiered in January, and was watched by around 4 million to 5 million viewers. Trump faced criticism over potential conflicts of interests after winning the presidency last November when he said he would retain an executive producer credit on the show. On at least one occasion, he has used part of a public appearance as president to scornfully discuss Schwarzenegger's ratings. Trump was a celebrity businessman long before he became president, and hosted "The Apprentice" and "The Celebrity Apprentice" for 14 seasons, overseeing contestants competing in business challenges before deciding which ones to fire. Reuters Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. The term inclusive economy was used for the first time at APEC 2017 to highlight the roles of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Viet Nam News reporter Nguyen Khanh Chi spoke on this development and its implications with some delegates on the sidelines of the first Senior Officials Meeting (SOM 1) in Nha Trang City. Dr. Alan Bollard Dr. Alan Bollard, APEC Secretariats Executive Director One of Viet Nams priorities is the modernisation of micro, small and medium enterprises using new electronic technologies, electronic commerce, new digital possibilities and using supply chains because all of these things make it possible for small and very small businesses to actually integrate more into the regional economic growth in a way they havent been able to do in the past. So some of them can become like many multinationals. We could see small Vietnamese businesses, for example, exporting, branding, and protecting their intellectual property and doing marketing the way they couldnt do five years ago. The practical reality in the past was that it was very difficult to be an international trader, but now, with the Internet, it has become a lot easier and we try to ensure that regulations in economies around the region all help that and work for small businesses, not just big ones. Regarding specific actions that need to be taken to help MSMEs, a couple of things are important. First, make information available in a way that small businesses can get it. Second, make sure we have regulations that work for small businesses and set the best practices. Tsutomu Koizumi The role of MSMEs is one of the important issues to be discussed, especially for APEC, and even for Japan. MSME development will play a key and inclusive role in APECs future. In the past, there was just one representative from Japans MSMEs attending APEC events, that is no longer true now. From my personal point of view, one issue for Japan is to reflect the voice of MSMEs in Japan during APEC discussions. I know some economies have chosen representatives from MSMEs for the APEC meeting, that is very important and we have to continue this. This is about how to consolidate the basics for APECs future, trade and investment, macroeconomic growth and so on. Can Van Luc Vietnamese finance and banking expert, member of VNCPEC Can Van Luc MSMEs are left on the side of the global value chain for four main reasons. First, mechanisms and policies havent facilitated a linkage between domestic and foreign enterprises, and ministries, sectors and localities typically treat foreign-invested businesses more favourably than local ones. Second, local enterprises havent really been proactive, creative and attempting to engage themselves in the local value chain and satisfy foreign enterprises demands. In other words, their qualification, capacity and efforts remain inadequate. Third, the role of ministries, sectors and localities remains weak. They need to proactively connect local and foreign businesses, or at least inform local businesses of co-operation opportunities. Fourth, enterprises sometimes lack information because foreign partners provide insufficient information or Viet Nam does not have an information and data supply system that functions well. As the host of APEC 2017, Viet Nam must be proactive in realising proposed priorities [including one that targets MSMEs]. MSMEs account for over 97 per cent of all businesses and 60 per cent of jobs across APEC economies but are highly vulnerable due to certain restrictions, especially under the increased protectionist trends and the 4th industrial revolution. That strengthening MSMEs development is on the APEC 2017 agenda demonstrates the commitment of Viet Nam and other APEC member economies. It is an action plan to connect action plans previously set by APEC in Mexico and then in Perus 2016 Leaders Declaration, for example. Viet Nams priority regarding MSMEs is very practical. In Viet Nam, MSMEs play an essential role as they account for 40 per cent of the GDP, 77 per cent of jobs and 97 per cent of businesses. The Vietnamese Government has been introducing quite a few policies to support them, including Resolutions 35 and 19. Four measures must be taken to assist the competitiveness of local enterprises, particularly the small and medium ones: fortify linkages between local and foreign enterprises; promote dialogues and public-private partnerships; improve connections within APEC in terms of mechanisms, infrastructure, and human resources; and encourage the start-up spirit and enhance womens leadership. Marcela Otero Marcela Otero, Director of Multilateral Economic Affairs, General Directorate of International Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile APEC 2019 host We have been talking about better communicating the benefits of trade, liberalisation, trade and investment. In APEC, we all need to promote trade liberalisation. Having said that, there are some sectors of society that havent received the benefits of globalisation. We have to discharge our responsibility for those sectors now. So we have to make sure: first, to communicate better the benefits that are there for those sectors like MSMEs, women, and youth; and second, to have a special focus on those sectors: how to include better the MSMEs in the global value chain, how to include better women in economic activities, how we make it easier for them to get access to finance, how to develop better infrastructure, and so on. All these issues will help small actors in trade to participate better in the global value chain. ABAC is one main pillars of APEC. We work from the government perspective, we are government officials of APEC, we work for the business community, our work in APEC is to respond to the necessities of the private sector because they are the ones that do business. Today we heard that non-tariff barriers is one of the issues of concern, because tariff is not their main issue, tariff is low. Today we have SPS measures, TBT and other barriers that are not necessary as tariffs. We need to listen to the private sector and work together with them, and try to find ways of collaboration so we can find solutions, because in the end what they do benefits society in the APEC region. In Chile, there are lots of different policies established to enhance inclusion, and to help MSMEs become part of the global value chain, become part of trade, and part of winners. Chutintorn Sam Gongsakdi Chutintorn Sam Gongsakdi, Director-General, Thai Foreign Ministrys Department of International Economic Affairs Even one-person operation can be micro, usually micro is too small to go for banking, for example. We dont have an agreed definition in APEC about MSMEs. Because a multinational company in your country might be an MSME in the US. So the point is that we get more players to engage in international trade, in goods and services, that is the main thing. So that during the Viet Nam APEC Year, they can feel that APEC is relevant to them, it is not just about big multinational companies. All the APEC economies recognise that MSMEs are important players who make up more than 90 per cent of all businesses in the region. The APEC response, actually a global response, to that is to make trade and investment more relevant to more people, thats why we have had an agenda for the MSMEs. For example, from last year, Peru and Thailand have been working on green and sustainable MSMEs because it is not always possible for them to compete on cost, or have sophisticated production processes, and so on. This year, Thailand is working with Viet Nam and Peru to come up with policy frameworks to guide the growth of green and sustainable MSMEs. Big companies can have a role to play because they might have technology, or they can help with the marketing, online and offline. The governments can reduce taxation or help with financing. In Thailand we have multinational companies that have offices in many places, for example, Big C of the Central Group, so they have signed agreements with the Government to help MSMEs market their products through Big C outlets. Thats the concept we are trying to promore. The other aspect is green procurement. For example, if you want to buy photocopying paper you can choose companies that are more green. So big companies or governments, by engaging in green procurement, can help create a market for this. We are also doing other things in APEC to help MSMEs export, just as I just mentioned with Big C. We also help them learn about marketing, financing and so on to go outside and to benefit from the APEC market. - VNS The Government Inspectorate of Viet Nam has revealed that mismanagement in tax collection between 2012 and 2014 caused mounting arrears and losses of trillions of ong to the State exchequer. Photo dautuchungkhoan.vn HA NOI The Government Inspectorate of Viet Nam has revealed that mismanagement in tax collection between 2012 and 2014 caused mounting arrears and losses of trillions of ong to the State exchequer. In an announcement published early this week, the Government Inspectorate said there were discrepancies in the inspection and post-inspection supervision of tax watchdogs, as well as in compliance to the established laws. The tax watchdogs were found to have applied differing punishments for the same violations, triggering unfair practices among businesses, the inspectorate said. In addition to these, the Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Taxation did not manage the collection of taxes properly, resulting in mounting arrears, from VN55 trillion (US$2.4 billion) in 2012 to VN68.9 trillion in mid-2014. It also failed to maintain a close watch on the tax obligations of firms. Tax avoidance remained rampant and complicated, especially the illegal use of bills, causing losses to the State budget. The Ha Noi Department of Taxation was found to have been irresponsible in its tax management, collection of tax arrears, especially land-use arrears, causing rising debts. The Government Inspectorate also said that the municipal tax watchdog was found to have violated land and construction management rules, pointing out that many developers used land for a long time without paying fees. By the end of 2015, arrears for the use of land totalled more than VN7 trillion. Criminal investigation proposed The Government Inspectorate has recommended a criminal probe into two cases. The first case concerns the construction of ai Thanh Complex in Ta Thanh Oai Commune, Ha Nois Thanh Tri District. The State management and the executors of the project have committed serious violations, the inspection reported, adding that the developer, at the time of the inspection, had not paid land-use fees but had already started the construction in March 2012. The Government Inspectorate also found signs of illegal land transaction in the project and violation of rules during its construction. The project including six apartment buildings at prices ranging from VN11 million to VN15 million per square metre, developed by Lai Chau Construction Private Enterprise No 1, had been in operation for around four years. The second case was the alleged illegal use of bills by 21 companies for tax declaration, deduction and refund with a total value of VN822 billion. The Government Inspectorate said that there were signs of tax evasion. - VNS HCM CITY Enterprises must adopt new business models and create value beyond the expectations of customers to succeed in todays competitive, fast-changing environment, delegates said at a forum held in HCM City on Thursday. Tran Anh Tuan, CEO of Pathfinder, who specialises in market research, brand strategy and communication, said the IT boom had transformed many aspects of daily life, including the way consumers interact with businesses. The world changes every day, especially marketing tools. If we only use traditional marketing tools, it will be difficult for us to grow, he said. The marketing strategies recently focus on an omni-channel since customers interact with businesses via multiple channels, he said. Previously, customers visited brick-and-mortar shops to buy products. Now, consumers can engage with a company in a physical store, on an online website or mobile app, or through social media. The problem is how to turn them into loyal customers, he said. The term omni-channel strategy refers to a significant shift in which marketers enhance the customer experience, regardless of channel or device. Though many new Vietnamese businesses have been established, many of them face difficulties because their branding is weak, according to Tuan. They have not developed a long-term strategy and their business models have no competitive edge. In addition, distribution systems are a crucial weakness of Vietnamese enterprises due to financial limitations Businesses are losing customers because they have not caught up with new trends and have not applied modern management technologies, among other reasons. An Ha, CEO of AntBuddy, said that businesses had not employed effective measures to retain customers. "The trend today in business is to reach customers at any time or any place," Ha said. Tuan pointed out that businesses were still only focusing on products and services and not their business model. Since products and services can be similar among businesses, companies need to clearly differentiate their offerings to attract more customers. Traditional enterprises should look at their business models to improve their competitiveness, he said. Nguyen Phi Van, a global franchise expert, said businesses must strive to be different and not settle for the same experiences that competitors are offering. Companies need to use digital technologies with their existing products and services to create value that extends beyond customer expectations, she said. Our internal capacity and management still lag behind foreign firms, but technologies can help us have greater advantages in the future, she said. Tuan said that while inexpensive digital tools have been created for small enterprises, the most important thing is to make the right investment in technologies, process and people. Organised by the Business Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Products, the forum included a talk show on young businesspeople, digital technology used in business management, and a discussion on startups. VNS HA NOI Viettel was the only Vietnamese company to attend the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain from February 27 through Thursday. It was the second time the military-run telecom firm attended the worlds biggest telecommunications event. With the message Technology solutions for smart society, Viettel brought to the MWC telecom-based apps and gadgets for a smart society that have been successfully implemented by the firm in Viet Nam and abroad. These included the V-Wallet, e-government and the Distribution Management System. Viettel also introduced solutions that provide protection for mobile users against malicious attacks, overcharges, junk messages, missing devices, or leaked information. The participation in MWC 2016 opened many big co-operation opportunities to Viettel, said Tao uc Thang, the groups deputy general director. Thang added that many countries had actively accessed and invited Viettel to join in their telecommunication markets. We have an opportunity to enter into the 100 million population market in Africa. If the venture succeeds, Viettel will have a big customer-base worldwide. Viettel is currently serving 100 million customers, including 35 million abroad in 11 markets. It has also launched 4G in five markets to develop intelligent applications to customers. It is among the worlds top 30 telecoms companies in terms of number of customers. MWC has drawn participation of 85 leading companies in the telecommunication industry. VNS The deputy governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV), Nguyen Kim Anh, noted at a conference on information security in the banking sector on Wednesday that the Vietnamese banking system has always prioritised investment in resources for IT infrastructure security. Photo npc.com.vn HA NOI The deputy governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV), Nguyen Kim Anh, noted at a conference on information security in the banking sector on Wednesday that the Vietnamese banking system has always prioritised investment in resources for IT infrastructure security. In order to improve the quality of banking services and e-banking products, and in order to protect assets of customers and banks from hi-tech crime, the sector will continue to invest. The conference aims to assess the status of online crime and cyber security issues in Viet Nam and discuss network security trends in the banking sector to set out measures to protect the banks in Viet Nam against new threats and strengthen the management of e-banking activities. "However, work on ensuring security and confidentiality is becoming more complicated. Thus, the exchange of information and experiences between experts and relevant agencies working in the field is critical to develop best practices," said the deputy governor. Delegates attending the conference also focused on assessments of works of information security in the banking operations, risk of information security in e-payment and card payment around the globe. The delegates also discussed coordination in preventing, detecting and remediating incidents on information security in order to actively cope and reduce impacts of new cyber attack methods. The delegates also gave many practical solutions to ensure high information safety and effectively prevent e-banking security risks. Based on the results of the conferences discussion, the deputy governor has instructed relevant agencies to actively coordinate with other agencies and international organisations to actively deploy specific tasks to ensure information safety, boost the development of e-bankings and contribute to the implementation of the non-cash payment plan approved by the Vietnamese Government. - VNS HA NOI Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh yesterday praised the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) for being a bridge between the Government and the European business community. The delegation meeting with the Deputy PM was led by Eurocham Chairman Michael Bahren. Also at the meeting were the Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Viet Nam and representatives of leading European enterprises doing business in Viet Nam. Eurocham has also sucessfully acted as an advisory and supporting body for European enterprises in their development process in Viet Nam, Minh said. He said EuroCham and the EU Delegation had also played a positive role in promoting economic ties between Viet Nam and European countries. Minh appreciated EuroChams efforts in publishing its White Book on business and investment environment in Viet Nam. He said the Vietnamese Government was determined to build a constructive Government to better serve the people and businesses, a Government of integrity, transparency and efficiency, one that says no to corruption, negativity and wastefulness. Minh suggested that EuroCham and the EU Delegation in Viet Nam continues to stand beside the Vietnamese Government as it strives to become an attractive investment market. Bahren affirmed EuroChams commitment to support and promote European businesses link with the Vietnamese economy. He said publication of the White Book was an important activity of EuroCham in carrying out its commitment. This is the 9th year that EuroCham is publishing the White Book which gathers evaluations, analysis and recommendations of the European business community about the investment and business climate in Viet Nam. Bahren said a recent EuroCham survey of 950 members on the business environment in Vietnam found European investors optimistic about the Vietnamese market and wanting to continuously expand investment here. One of the main factors for this optimism is that the Viet Nam-EU Free Trade Agreement would be signed and come into effect in 2018. He said EuroCham would actively support and accelerate the process of ratification of this agreement in the member states. Bahren also thanked Vietnamese Government for maintaining dialogue with the foreign business community. At the meeting, EuroCham outlined some orientations for activities in the coming period, including strengthening of links between Vietnamese localities and carrying out projects to promote European enterprises, including small- and medium-sized enterprises, to explore investment and business opportunities in Viet Nam. - VNS A woman in the northern province of Quang Ninh has not let things get in the way of her dreams. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen always wanted to become a teacher but things became very difficult for her when she lost both legs in an accident. Now, she teaches other people who are disabled. Not only does she teach them English, she is also there to make them feel good about themselves. by Nghia Hieu As a child, Nguyen Thi Hai Yen of ong Trieu town in the northern province of Quang Ninh province dreamed of becoming a teacher. A serious accident, in which Yen lost both legs, threatened to end that dream. She was 18 years old, full of confidence and hope for the future. The accident proved to be a challenge for Yen, and she was determined that it would not stop her. She would go on to inspire and encourage others to overcome similar fates. And eventually, after much sweat and tears, Yen managed to see her dream come true. We visited one of Yens classes, and saw both students and teacher engrossed in a lesson. Yen was teaching English pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, illustrating points with her hands. The students, aged between 25 to over 50, were all engaged in taking notes and practising the language. After class, Yen told us her life story, in her living room which doubles as a classroom. When Yen was 18 she had an accident and lost her legs, making her dream of becoming a teacher seem impossible. Waking up in the hospital, I felt desperate, hopeless. I would have to stop my studies, and my ambitions seemed so far away. Many times I contemplated killing myself. But thinking of all the things my parents gave me, I chose to live, she said. Yen had to take a vocational training course but three years later she was determined to return to her studies and graduate from high school. Initially, I learned to sew and read a lot. But even three years later I still held onto the dream of becoming a teacher, said Yen. After a lot of effort, Yen passed the entrance exam and was admitted into Viet Nam National Universitys English Studies Major. I chose English Studies because I had been passionate about English when I was in high school, she said. Yen was not only an exemplary student, but was also active in social work. Yen gathered other disadvantaged people to share difficulties and provide support. Moved by the strong will of Yen, a man fell for her and defied disagreements from both of their families. They married in 2003, and moved to settle in the south of Viet Nam, eventually starting a family with one son and one daughter. At that time, Yen worked as an editor for travel magazines and newspapers. Unfortunately, 10 years later, Yen and her husband divorced, and she brought her four-year-old son back to her hometown of ong Trieu. Seeing that there was no club or organization for the disabled in the locality, Yen founded the ong Trieu Disabled Club. A year later, she opened the first free English class in her own house with the aim of improving local peoples communication skills, and developing their social networks. As word spread, the class grew, with more students attending and parents starting to send their kids. She has taught about 800 students over the past 10 years. Tran Thi Vinh, a student said Attending class, I have the chance not only to acquire new knowledge but also make friends with other people in the same circumstances. We share life experiences as well as consult each other to overcome difficulties. I can see that my communication has improved a lot since attending Yens class. I no longer feel inferior like before, said Vinh. Teacher Yen said that most of her students showed significant progress, and their English communication skills were getting better every day. Even now, I still dream of being a high school teacher, standing in front of the class and teaching English, said Yen. VNS GLOSSARY She was 18 years old, full of confidence and hope for the future. Confidence means belief in yourself. She would go on to inspire and encourage others to overcome similar fates. To inspire somebody means to encourage them to want to go out and do something positive. To overcome a problem means to win over it. A fate is something that happens that you can do nothing to stop from happening. And eventually, after much sweat and tears, Yen managed to see her dream come true. When something is done with sweat and tears, lots of effort and emotion is involved. We visited one of Yens classes, and saw both students and teacher engrossed in a lesson. Engrossed means absorbed. Yen was teaching English pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, illustrating points with her hands. Pronunciation is the way words are spoken. Vocabulary is made up of the words of a language. Grammar is the way sentences and words fit together. Illustrating means showing. The students, aged between 25 to over 50, were all engaged in taking notes and practising the language. To be engaged in something means to be busy with it. After class, Yen told us her life story, in her living room which doubles as a classroom. If a living room doubles up as a classroom, the room has two uses. Waking up in the hospital, I felt desperate, hopeless. I would have to stop my studies, and my ambitions seemed so far away. Ambitions are aims you want to achieve. Many times I contemplated killing myself. But thinking of all the things my parents gave me, I chose to live, she said. To contemplate doing something means to think seriously about doing it. Yen had to take a vocational training course but three years later she was determined to return to her studies and graduate from high school. Vocational training means training for a certain job. Initially, I learned to sew and read a lot. Initially means at first. Yen was not only an exemplary student, but was also active in social work. An exemplary student is a perfect student. Yen gathered other disadvantaged people to share difficulties and provide support. Disadvantaged people are those without luck or wealth on their side. Moved by the strong will of Yen, a man fell for her and defied disagreements from both of their families. A will is a desire. To defy a disagreement means to ignore it and do your own thing in spite of it. Seeing that there was no club or organization for the disabled in the locality, Yen founded the ong Trieu Disabled Club. Founded means started. Tran Thi Vinh, a student said Attending class, I have the chance not only to acquire new knowledge but also make friends with other people in the same circumstances. Your circumstances are the situations you find yourself in because of what is happening around you. I no longer feel inferior like before, said Vinh. Inferior means of less importance than others WORKSHEET Find words that mean the following in the Word Search: The status of people after they choose to end their marriages. A person who is in charge of a newspaper or magazine. A language that comes from England that many people all over the world learn. Liquids that come out your eyes when you cry. Nguyen Thi Hai Yens job. v s o n b o m d s u i c b t e a r s n i y b s a n e i k o n a v d u s t a a r i z a d o h r o a c c v i p a c r f i c e y h a s a a o c a n l a i e c n l t n e p d g e a r o h i w a d i i i t u d t d u c h j s a e s r p e n g l i s h n t s ANSWERS: Duncan Guy/Learn the News/ Viet Nam News 2017 1. Divorced; 2. Editor; 3. English; 4. Tears; 5. Teacher. HA NOI The world-renowned London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) has arrived in Ha Noi and is ready for their tonight concert the first ever concert by a British orchestra in Viet Nam, the LSO managing director Kathryn McDowell said at a press conference in the capital yesterday. Its a huge pleasure for the LSO to come to Viet Nam. As we know that we are the first British orchestra to perform in this country, all the musicians of the LSO, its the real joy to visit your very beautiful country, she said. McDowell also expressed her appreciation for the concert organisers, including the sponsor national carrier Vietnam Airlines, and concert producer Thanh Viet Production. There is a growing link between our two countries and we are thrilled that you have been the ones to bring the orchestra and celebrate the culture exchange between Great Britain and Viet Nam, McDowell said. That is the way we look forward to the future by sharing our cultural experiences together and enhance our understanding through culture, she added. McDowell stressed that the LSOs aim is to bring the greatest music to the widest possible audiences, and here in Ha Noi, the orchestra will be able to extend that idea to audiences in Viet Nam. Each year we have a large open-air performance in Trafalgar Square in London, so this is a similar event that we hope will bring musical passion to thousands of people in Ha Noi. For health reason, Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan will not be able to conduct tonights performance as announced in an earlier press release. Instead, Niklas Benjamin Hoffmann German winner of the 14th Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition in 2016, will take up the baton. Attending the press conference yesterday, the 27-year-old conductor seemed shy when speaking with local media. He expressed his delight to be in Ha Noi together with the famous LSO. Under Hoffmanns baton, who has experience working with some of the most important orchestras in Germany, including the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Weimar, and the Leipzig Central German Radio Symphony Orchestra, the 95-member LSO will open the concert with Vietnamese national anthem, Tien Quan Ca (The Marching Song) by Van Cao. The concert will continue with the overture Festive by Russian composer Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich, following by interludes Four Sea (Movements 1, 2, 4) by British Benjamin Britten. The repertoire will also feature Symphony No 2 by Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff, with which conductor Hoffmann won the LSO Conducting Competition last November. According to the concert organiser, alongside the main stage which has been set up on Ly Thai To Square by Hoan Kiem Lake, the concert will be shown to an even larger audience via three 400-inch screens placed at both ends of inh Tien Hoang Street and in ong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square. Weve got a fantastic set up in the square, a wonderful sound system, so I think everyone will be able to enjoy it, said LSO managing director McDowell. Before the performance by the LSO, which will start at 7.45pm and last until 9.30pm, the Ha Noi-based Maius Philharmonic Viet Nams only private symphony orchestra, conducted by Luu Quang Minh, will take to the stage for a 30-minute show. VNS HA NOI Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a reception yesterday for Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, who are on a week-long State visit to Viet Nam. The Party General Secretary stated that the visit, which is the first ever made by a Japanese Emperor to Viet Nam, carries historic meaning and marks a new development in the friendly relationship between the two countries. He affirmed Viet Nam very much treasures the ties with Japan and wishes to further strengthen the friendship. General Secretary Trong took the occasion to thank Japan for giving Viet Nam valuable assistance in socio-economic development and national construction in the past. Emperor Akihito recalled the vivid impressions that he got during the meetings with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Japan in 2008 and 2015. He thanked the Party General Secretary, other leaders and people of Viet Nam for the respectful and warm welcome. The Japanese Emperor and Empress and General Secretary Trong discussed in depth the cultures and cultural exchange between Viet Nam and Japan, highlighting the cultural similarities and long-time cultural exchange between the two nations. Emperor Akihito expressed deep sympathy for Viet Nams great losses caused by wars, noting that he is impressed by the great achievements the country has achieved in its reform process and reconstruction. The Emperor appreciated Viet Nams contribution to world peace and wished that people of the two countries continue cooperation for peace. Party General Secretary Trong and Emperor Akihito shared the view that the Viet Nam-Japan friendship and cooperation is now at its best in history, and the hope that the visit of the Emperor and Empress will help promote the bilateral relations across many fields.-VNS Lao National Assembly Chairwoman Pany Yathotou (R) will pay a six-day official visit to Viet Nam starting tomorrow. VNA /VNS Photo Trong uc HA NOi A high-ranking delegation from the Lao National Assembly (NA) led by Chairwoman Pany Yathotou will pay a six-day official visit to Viet Nam starting tomorrow. The visit is being made at the invitation of NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, the Parliamentary Committee for External Relations announced yesterday.-VNS National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (R) receives Kamal Malhotra, new UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam yesterday. VNS/VNS Photo Trong uc HA NOI National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan yesterday praised the UN and UNDP for promoting sustainable development in Viet Nam. Receiving Kamal Malhotra, new UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam, she said the international agencies helped the country through assistance in poverty alleviation, HIV/AIDS control, child protection, disease prevention and climate change response. The UN also helped Viet Nam with administrative reform and supported the National Assembly (NA) in enhancing legislators capacity in policy-making and supervision, Ngan said. She stressed that the NA was making efforts to ensure that the country fulfills the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set under the UNs 2030 Agenda, and assigned the Government to prepare a national action plan for achieving the targets. She proposed that the UNDP continues providing further technical support for Viet Nam as its strives to realise the SDGs, adapt to climate change challenges and tackle socio-economic problems. Ngan also called for the UN to assist in implementing tripartite or tripartite plus co-operation between Viet Nam, the UN and a third party. Viet Nam looks forward to receiving more macro-policy advice from the UN on socio-economic development, the NA chairwoman said. She expressed her belief that Kamal Malhotra, with his rich experience, would help elevate Viet Nam-UN ties to new heights. Close collaboration Kamal Malhotra said that he would press ahead with close collaboration with the NA and other bodies in Viet Nam in his new post. He took note of a strategic co-operation plan for 2017-2021 agreed between the UNDP and the Vietnamese Government, saying he expected that the pact would be signed by the two sides soon. He lauded Viet Nam fore being an active participant of the One UN initiative. He said the UN would be willing to co-perate with the NA in promoting implementation of SDGs, as also help Viet Nam enhance governance efficiency and quality of law-making. Malhotra also said he would help with inviting international speakers to the annual economic forums held by the NA in spring and autumn. VNS HA NOI The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has ordered the Department of Overseas Labour to withdraw the licence of Civil Engineering Construction Joint Stock Corporation 8 (CIENCO 8) that allows the export of labour to foreign countries. The order was issued on Thursday after the ministrys inspectors confirmed that CIENCO 8 violated regulations on running labour export services. Inspectors said that despite a warning from the ministry last month, the corporation was found to have not yet fulfilled its commitment to dealing with wrongdoings and was not ready to co-operate with labour authorities in ensuring both administrative and financial procedures to be adhered to in labour export services. The services had been halted for two months due to violations in organising, managing and training labourers overseas. The corporation also had to pay administrative fines of about VN120 million for their violations. Inspectors from the ministry said the corporations activities in training and managing labourers before and after travelling overseas to work, had not been improved. Particularly, during an urgent inspection in mid-February, the corporation was found not to have any centre or representative office to maintain relations between employers and employees. Workers who had received contracts to work overseas, were not provided with adequate information about their employers, their work or life in foreign countries. Some of the workers even had to pay a brokerage fees much higher than those regulated. Viet Nam has advocated "labour export" as the means to alleviate unemployment and boost domestic labour skills. Last year, more than 126,000 workers were sent overseas against the target of 100,000. This year, about 105,000 workers are projected to be sent overseas, with the most popular destinations continuing to be Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, according a report from the Department of Overseas Labour. However, labour export services are operating under poor management by companies and authorities, and lack knowledge on labour laws. In the latest case, local media reported that people often had to pay brokerage fees much higher than those regulated. Under the ministrys regulations, a person has to pay a maximum fee of US$4,000 to a labour export company to work in Taiwan. The fee includes expenses for the agency, recruitment, passport and other legal procedures. However, many labour export businesses continue to collect higher fees from workers. Some labour export enterprises in Ha Noi were found to be collecting fees of between $5,000-6,000 from workers who wanted to work in Taiwan. VNS NORA SPRINGS -- A Nora Springs man has been ordered to spend up to five years in prison for possession of a firearm as a domestic violence offender. Aron Bierl, 30, pleaded guilty to that felony charge in November. He was sentenced this week in Floyd County District Court. Bierl's attorney, Nellie O'Mara, has filed a notice of appeal. Bierl had two separate protective orders filed against him at the time a gun was found in his home on March 13, 2016, according to court documents. Under Iowa law those who have a protective order filed against them or have been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence are not allowed to have firearms. Bierl worked as a correctional officer for the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office from July 2012 until his resignation in July 2015, according to Sheriff Kevin Pals. In an interview during a protest outside the Pole Barn exotic dance club in Nora Springs nine days before the gun was found in his home, Bierl identified himself as a part-time bouncer at the business. Before pleading guilty to the firearms charge, Bierl's attorney filed a motion to suppress evidence, claiming an officer located the gun during an illegal search. Two Nora Springs police officers went to Bierl's home after an anonymous caller reported two children were there alone, according to court documents. One of the children let them in. One of the officers went to the Pole Barn to get the children's mother, who was reportedly working there. The other officer, Chuck Bengtson, who said he had heard other individuals had been seen coming in and out of the house, did a sweep of the residence for safety reasons to see if anyone else was present, court documents state. Bengtson found a gun in a closet that he said had a partially opened door. The motion to suppress stated Bengtson did not have the right to search the home because he didn't have a warrant and the door to the closet was completely closed and had to be opened, which meant the gun was not in plain view. The defense claimed safety concerns were used as an excuse to search the house, noting officers were at the home for a considerable amount of time before the sweep was conducted. In his motion denying the motion to suppress, District Associate Judge Peter Newell stated Bengtson's search of the home was limited in scope. He stated the need to ensure officer safety and determine if the children were in fact home alone "greatly outweighed" the minimal intrusion on Bierl's privacy. WATERLOO Waterloo Community Schools has signed onto a statewide campaign focusing attention on the future of Iowa public school students and rallying support for their education. The Promise of Iowa public education campaign was launched earlier this year by the Iowa Association of School Boards. Waterloos Board of Education last week approved a resolution of support. At least 200 other school boards across the state, including many in northeast Iowa, already have done the same. Several board members spoke in support prior to the unanimous vote. I wouldnt feel comfortable sitting on the Board of Education if I didnt support the very system that Im here to work with, advocate for and to create policy for, said Shanlee McNally, board president. So, it definitely is something that is important to me as an individual board member, to be supportive of public education in Iowa for the success of our state. Board member Sue Flynn added, Were not against any other type of school, but were in support of public schools. Superintendent Jane Lindaman noted public schools educate 93 percent of all Iowa children in kindergarten through 12th grade, which amounts to about 480,000 students. Thats a lot of students, she said. Thats why this is coming forward at this time, just making a strong statement. She pointed to one of the statements in the resolution as key: We believe funding a strong system of public education is the best investment Iowans can make to strengthen our economy, create thriving communities and improve the quality of life for every Iowan. It goes on to call for making a case to the Legislature more public resources are needed to ensure this happens. Were talking about the sustainability of (our) economy and of our democracy as a whole, said Lindaman. This is a bi-partisan campaign, it is not a partisan campaign. It is truly talking about the importance of our children and the importance of public education and what it does for our state. She added, I think with the political lay of the land, we heard a lot about vouchers, otherwise known as ESAs or educational savings accounts. The one thing is this is not about those, its not about private schools. Its saying that we know that public education is critical because thats where the majority of kids are. WAVERLY An improperly hung flag on the property of a Wartburg professor has led a Waverly city councilman to question his employment and publicly call for the flag to be taken it down. Bret Billet, a professor of political science at Wartburg College, allegedly hung a U.S. flag upside-down at his own house on Iowa Street in Waverly, according to Wes Gade, a Waverly city councilman. Billet told The Courier he had no comment, but did say in an email this has absolutely nothing to do with my employer Wartburg College. Gade disagreed in a public Facebook post on Friday. Is this how you want Waverly represented? Having one of your College Professors hang the American Flag upside down outside his house on display? he wrote in his post. Gade, who noted he was a student of Billets when Gade attended the college, said he disagreed politically with Billet, whom he termed a raging liberal Democrat. He said he hadnt spoken to Billet but assumed his flag was improperly hung due to his opposition to President Donald Trump. In his Facebook post, he encouraged residents to call the president of Wartburg regarding Billets flag. I know as a citizen you have free speech, but as an employer you also have the right to hold your employees to a certain standard that upholds the image of your company/college, Gade told The Courier. People associate Wartburg with Waverly and vice versa, so this is giving both bad press and a bad image. Iowa, like many states, still has a law on the books making desecration of the flag a crime, but the law was declared unconstitutional by an Iowa judge in 2014. A Somers Army veteran was arrested in 2016 for hanging his flag upside-down, but the charges were dismissed because of the 2014 ruling. The Supreme Court of the United States has twice ruled, in 1989 and 1990, flag burning or desecration is protected under the First Amendments right to free speech. Justin Scott, director of Eastern Iowa Atheists who monitors local government activity, said he was concerned when he saw Gades Facebook post. I went, OK, wait a minute buddy, thats a little extreme, Scott said. If the professor was doing something on behalf of the university or on behalf of his position, I could totally understand Wes postition. But the fact that hes doing it at his private residence, this enters into some scary territory. Scott said he was concerned the average Waverly citizen might misinterpret Gades post as an official Waverly City Council stance, and said he thought calling for Billets employment at Wartburg to be questioned was crossing the line. To come out and say, Hey, heres the Wartburg presidents name and phone number, call him and complain about this professor thats tough, he said. Covering more than 21 acres along the Red Cedar River in Dunn County is the worlds only source for a hot, steaming cup of Swiss Miss Cocoa. Well, make that 1.2 billion cups. Thats how many servings of cocoa are produced annually at the Conagra Brands plant in Menomonie, the birthplace of the world-famous brand. Along with Swiss Miss Cocoa, the other consumer brands the plant produces are Swiss Miss Pudding packs (refrigerated), and shelf-stable Snack Pack GELS and Pudding packs. It also delivers dry, condensed and evaporated milk products to industrial clients. All this is made possible from the massive amount of milk processed there every day milk provided by 70 farms in the area. The fact 600,000 pounds of raw milk come here every day and within three days become pudding, cocoa and other products is still, after all these years, just fun, says Jeff Stevens, plant manager. The sheer volume of cocoa powder, sugar, milk,and other raw goods moving through here is just incredible. Examples of that sheer volume include the 432 million servings of pudding and gels the plant produces a year. In addition to the millions upon millions of cocoa mix packets filled there annually, 50,000 pounds of the 600,000 pounds of raw milk arriving daily leaves the plant as cream. The cream is sold far and wide on the open market, with much of it purchased by ice cream manufacturers. Turns out the comfort food center of the universe is right here in the Chippewa Valley. As for the Swiss Miss side, it all started by accident. Born in 1917 The plant opened its doors as the John Wildi Evaporated Milk Company in 1917, enjoying success for a number of years before eventually closing, according to local historian John Russells column in the Dunn County News. The building was purchased and rehabilitated by Nestle Food Co., employing up to 200 people at its height of operation, but was one of many businesses to close during the Depression. After World War II, Sanna Dairies purchased it. With the Sanna purchase, the evaporated milk plant started drying milk. The Sanna brothers invented our spray dryer, says Toby Auth, processing lead. It is one-of-a-kind, as they were on the leading edge of this technology. We still use it today. The brothers reportedly developed the dairys dried-milk products based on a process first created by their father, Anthony R. Sanna, a Sicilian immigrant. Sanna Dairies, founded in the 1930s in Madison, initially concentrated on fluid dairy products and distribution. Their new drying process allowed them to introduce their first nationally-marketed product, Sanalac, in the mid-1940s. It was said to be the first instant dry milk on the market. Many more consumer products followed, including Swiss Miss, the first instant hot cocoa mix. The story goes that one of the dryers sometimes went into hyper-dry, resulting in milk that appeared specked. So the Sanna brothers asked, What do we do with this? says Aaron Richartz, human resource manager at Conagra. It tasted fine. The quality standards were fine. So they started mixing cocoa and sugar with it, and a few other ingredients that are now trade secrets, and that was the invention of the dried, hot-cocoa mix business. Worldwide reach Initially they sold the mix exclusively to commercial airlines as a luxury drink. Today it is distributed across the globe, with the most recent interest emanating from less-wintry climes. It has really taken off in the Philippines, where its earning a reputation as a comfort drink, says Auth. Our sales group is enjoying great success there. In fact, the Facebook page Conagra started a couple years ago has more than 700,000 likes, whereas the U.S. page (where hot chocolate has long been a winter staple) has only 42,000. One of the things that has made the Swiss Miss brand successful is quality and taste, says Jonathan Kruesi, senior brand manager, Sweet Snacks, Conagra Brands. The fresh Wisconsin milk delivers a rich, creamy taste, while being made easily with hot water. The highly skilled Menomonie workforce helps ensure the consistency and quality that enables Swiss Miss to now expand globally. Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa is now sold in Latin America as well as Asia. Sanna Dairies was sold to Beatrice Foods in 1967, but the Menomonie plant continued to produce products under Sanna brands, such as Swiss Miss and Sanalac. The pudding lines were added in the 1980s, evolving over the years to add the Snack Pack GELS. The plant was sold to ConAgra Foods in 1990. Conagra Brands is an $8 billion company that moved its headquarters from Omaha, Neb., to Chicago last year. A Nebraska family founded the company in 1919 after purchasing four grain mills. The new business, Nebraska Consolidated Mills, eventually expanded into milling flour and invested in the development of Duncan Hines cake mixes as a new market for its flour. In 1970 the company name changed to ConAgra Foods, and 10 years later purchased its first private label, Banquet Foods. Today it has 40 plants across the country, employing more than 13,000 people. Two years ago the company changed its name from ConAgra Foods to Conagra Brands and spun off its private-label brands to focus on its well-known consumer brands, including Healthy Choice, Slim-Jim, Reddi-wip, Hunts, Banquet, Marie Callenders, and the Menomonie-based brands. Menomonie connection This plant is a strategic site for Conagra Brands, says Stevens. We have unique capabilities within the corporation, especially with our dairy operation that includes blending, the spray dryer, filling dry powders or aseptic packaging. Another recent change at the corporate level is a new commitment to producing more natural products by avoiding artificial growth hormones and replacing artificial flavors with real ingredients, such as Menomonie-made cream. Menomonie employees and farms that supply the plant are featured prominently on the Swiss Miss website. Most of our products off-the-dryer are sold within Conagra to other Conagra plants, says Auth. For example another plant uses our dried milk to make the crust of a Banquet chicken pot pie. The volume of product produced at this plant is better appreciated when taking a plant visual or two into account. We mix pudding and gels in 18,000-pound batches, says Chris Larson, Conagras continuous improvement manager. The Menomonie High School swimming pool holds 300,000 gallons of water. We can fill that pool 90 percent full every week with the pudding and gels we make. The plant is also able to store two millions pounds of fluid product at a time, with 900,000 pounds of that as raw milk. Snack Pack pudding is made at two Conagra plants, the one in Menomonie and another in Waterloo, Iowa. All the milk for both plants is supplied by the Menomonie plants milk suppliers. Both plants together produce about 28 million cases of Snack Pack pudding a year, says Larson. Some of the area farms that supply the plant are second- and third-generation farms. Even some of the employees cross generations. We have multiple employees who have been here more than 40 years, says Richartz. There are also two generations from the same family working in different areas. Among locals, the plant is still often referred to as the Sanna Dairy or the Swiss Miss plant. For the nearly 300 full-time employees and their families, the Conagra plant which runs three shifts a day, seven days a week is continuing to provide a solid living for them with product lines that are fairly recession proof. Long gone are the days of employees having to hand-fill each Swiss Miss carton with packets, as the plants fastest line in that division now fills about 1,000 packets a minute. Robots now palletize cases of product work that once had to be done by hand. Updating the plant with new technology, automation, is a journey for any business like ours, says Auth. Were always seeking ways to make things more efficiently. Stevens says that the emphasis on safety, quality, customer service and managing cost is helping to position the plant for new projects in the coming years. We are always looking to attract further innovation through our performance as a plant and earn the right for the investment. We are working on a couple of different projects that we hope will secure our future. As we think about celebrating our 100-year anniversary in 2017, I would say it is our people and our culture that make the difference, he said. At every level in this plant, this team is the best Ive had the privilege of working with, and I think that is just a reflection of the entire Menomonie community. past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) Mexico City is ready to welcome architects, urban planners, designers, students, tourists and all people interested in visiting Mextropoli-the International Festival of Architecture and City, which will take place in the downtown area of the Mexican capital, from March 11th to March 14th. Multiple venues have been assigned for this festival, as there will be different activities scheduled during the four days of the festival, some indoors, such as workshops, conferences, exhibitions and lectures; and some others outdoors, like guided architectural walking tours, installations and pavilions. Among the international architects invited to take part in this festival are Francis Kere, recently appointed to design the Serpentine Pavilion 2017; Peter Zumthor, Pritzker Prize 2009; Reinier de Graaf, director of AMO, the Think Tank of OMA; and Junya Ishigami, from Junya.Ishigami+associates as well as Odile Decq, Jane Drew Prize Winner 2016; WOHA, Aga Khan Prize Winner 2007-Singapore, and many more... As a warm up, some cultural activities will take place in the city on March 9th and 10th. Mextropoli positions Mexico City as the most important and diverse scenario for thinking, creating, designing and enjoying the city by encouraging creative, critical and participatory exercise through conferences, dialogues, workshops, routes, exhibitions, pavilions and activities. Outdoors activities create the most vibrant city in America. Mextropoli is the only forum in Latin America that gathers in 4 days more than 52,000 people designing city: students, citizens, professionals, tourists, creative, public servants, artists, opinion leaders and experts generate knowledge, exchange and a new vision of city through architecture. This is the fourth time that the Festival takes place in Mexico City. You can see detailed program here and tickets for the conferences and lectures are available. All images courtesy of Mextropoli. > via Mextropoli What birder doesnt get excited about raptors? Sort of like the mega birds, these arent your average worm-eating, seed-feeding, chirping guys with brightly colored plumage. Instead of being little brown jobs, most are large, in charge, and always ready to sink their talons into prey. By merit of their dimensions and fierce appearance, even non-birders throughout history have taken note of the raptors. I took note of this Swallow-tailed Kite at San Vito. In Costa Rica, we have more than our fair share. In keeping with high diversity in other aspects of the avian kingdom, including falcons and excluding owls, this small country has a raptor list that tops fifty species. Its a fine selection of birds for a place the same size as West Virginia but it also comes with a catch commonly found in tropical forest ecosystems. There might be a lot of species, but competition and other factors result in fewer individuals of each species. This basically means that its not easy being a raptor in Costa Rica. While theres a lot of protected habitat, with so many other raptors and birds to compete with, each species has a pretty small population. In fact, because the numbers are so small, I bet we could get a fair estimate about the numbers of every raptor species in Costa Rica with a bit of effort. To throw another monkey wrench into the raptor situation, clime change isnt doing them any favors. The hotter, drier weather in Costa Rica might be helping the caracaras and a few other open country species, but the ones that rely on healthy humid forest environments are being seriously challenged. As with so many other bird species in Costa Rica that require humid tropical forest, various raptors seem to also be in decline. A few, like the Ornate Hawk-Eagle, are probably out-competing other species and thus on the increase but the numbers for most seem to be going down. The shrike-like Pearl Kite might also be on the increase. So, to make a long story short, its getting even harder to see raptors in Costa Rica and thus that much more pertinent to know about the best places for seeing them. In general, the best spots arent going to be wide open fields because those are recent, human-made habitats much more suited for cattle than forest birds. Instead, spend more time in protected areas with humid forest where you can see the sky and canopy. This way, you can spot that White Hawk making a bright exclamation point against the green wall of forest. This White Hawk was at Virgen del Socorro, one of the best sites for raptors in Costa Rica. Watching the sky above forest also increases chances at seeing such birds as King Vulture Barred Hawk Black Hawk-Eagle Ornate Hawk-Eagle and even the rare Black and white Hawk Eagle. Away from good forest, we can still get looks at three of the more commonly seen, non-vulture raptor species in Costa Rica: Broad-winged Hawk Gray Hawk and Short-tailed Hawk. But dont take my word for it, come to Costa Rica to check out the raptor situation for yourself. Youll see a few hundred other bird species while looking for hawks, hawk-eagles, and kites anyways. Sara Jo Schneider and Hickle, along with fellow Girl Scouts Jayna Kelley and Autumn Helgeson, were killed when a pickup truck crashed into them as the scouts cleaned up debris on the west side of Highway P at about 11 a.m. Nov. 3, 2018. All four were killed at the scene. A fifth girl was injured but later recovered. The girls attended Southview Elementary and Halmstad Elementary in Chippewa Falls. On Wednesday, a 20-foot-tall memorial was dedicated at the crash site, honoring the three scouts and mother killed that day. Mar 4, 2017 | By Julia This past week was an exciting one for the 3D printing industry. In case you missed it, here are six news stories that have been generating buzz in the world of additive manufacturing. 1. Aetrex footwear acquires SOLS 3D printed orthotics company The 3D printed orthotics business is continuing to boom, as evidenced by footwear specialist Aetrexs recent acquisition of SOLS Systems Inc, a New York-based startup. SOLS was founded in 2013, and has since proven to be a pioneer in medical and consumer grade 3D printed orthotics and software geared towards mass footwear customization. The newly acquired SOLS has also garnered attention for being the first company to generate 3D imaging models of patient anatomy using smartphones. Aetrex sealed the deal on February 22. The SOLS team will begin integrating its product line immediately, and is expected to work with Aetrexs engineers on the newly launched Albert 3D foot scanner. 2. 3D printed metal specialist Sintavia awarded $15M finance deal from Neff Capital Management Metal additive manufacturing heavyweight Sintavia has announced that it has closed a $15 million round of equity financing from primary investors Neff Capital Management LLC. The new funding package comes in addition to Neff Capitals original $10 million investment, secured back in July 2015. No details yet on how Sintavia intends to roll out the new investment, but in an official statement the metal additive manufacturer announced that the Neff Capital equity will go towards additional production capacity and facility expansion over the next two years. Up until now, the 3D printed metal producer has been best established in the aerospace, defence, oil, natural gas, industrial turbine, and automotive industries. And with this next round of investing secured, its safe to assume Sintavia will continue to dominate in those fields. 3. 3D printed metals and electronics company Optomec to release hybrid 3D printer with Taiwanese machine tool supplier Tongtai Albuquerque-based 3D printed metal and 3D printed electronics company Optomec has partnered with leading Taiwanese machine tool supplier Tongtai Machine & Tool Company. The new partnership will see Tongtai integrate Optomecs acclaimed LENS Print Engine into the AMH-350, a 3D printing-hybrid vertical milling machine, thereby adding 3D printing metal capabilities. The new hybrid additive manufacturing machine is expected to accelerate Asias industrial adoption of 3D printed metal, and will first be demonstrated to the public at the TIMTOMS show in Taiwan, March 7-12. 4. First ever standardization roadmap for 3D printing published by America Makes and the American National Standards Institute This week the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and America Makes, best known for funding 3D printing innovators in the US, co-published the first ever road map for standardizing the 3D printing industry. The new Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing (Version 1.0) marks a years worth of work by the two organizations and provides a snapshot of where the 3D printing industry is currently lacking in standardization. The report identifies 89 gaps, 19 of which are high priority, where no published standard or specification currently exists. The document also lists which standards are relevant for the issues discussed, including standards for design, process and materials, qualification and certification, nondestructive evaluation, and maintenance. Over 260 individuals from over 150 public- and private-sector groups actively supported the Standardization Roadmaps development. 5. U.S. Naval Research Lab incorporates 3D metal printing by Concept Laser The US Navys full-spectrum corporate lab, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), has announced plans for acquiring 3D metal printing technology from Concept Laser. The new expansion will see the NRL purchase its first ever laser powder-bed metals machine: the M2 cusing machine for printing in stainless steel. Alongside Concept Lasers M2, the NRL will also be using the QM Meltpool 3D to monitor quality, as well as the CL WRX Parameter 2.0 to design and develop custom parameters. The Concept Laser technology will go towards the NRLs rapid prototyping and materials research, and will be integrated into the Labs ongoing program of maritime applications. 6. University of Surrey researchers discover how to mimic natural light reflection using 3D printed ceramics Researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK have reached a breakthrough in their study of the photonic band gap in structured photonic materials. In attempting to explain the physics behind this natural phenomenon, the researchers effectively devised a new method of replicating light reflection using the 3D printing of ceramics. Via a 3D ceramic printer, the research team was able to successfully test their findings by developing the first ever amorphous gyroid structure with band gaps, a structuring similar to that found in some butterfly wings. The discovery will impact how we design materials in the future to manipulate their interaction with light, heat, and sound, says the university's Dr. Marian Florescu. Possible applications could include heat-rejecting window films and paints that improve the energy efficiency of buildings and vehicles. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow in The Nation: In 1956, Jane Jacobs was 39 years old, working as a staff writer at Architectural Forum. Her boss, unable to attend a conference at Harvard, asked her to go in his stead and give a talk on land banking. Jacobs, skittish about public speaking, reluctantly agreed, on one condition: that she could speak on a subject of her choice. That subject, it turned out, was the utter wrongheadedness of many of the ideas cherished by her audience, the eras luminaries of urban planning. The prevailing wisdom at the time held that urban renewal required clearing slums and starting over. The rebuilt cities would tidily disentangle residential and commercial areas and include plenty of open space. These ideas may have looked good in architectural drawings, but in real life, Jacobs had come to believe, they were a formula for lifeless monotony. In East Harlem, she noted, 1,110 stores had been razed to make way for housing projects. Jacobs argued that these little shops couldnt simply be replaced by supermarkets. A store is also a storekeeper, she said. Stores were not just commercial spaces; they were also social centers that help make an urban neighborhood a community instead of a mere dormitory. Even empty storefronts had a function, often sprouting into clubs, churches, or hubs for other civic activities. When these spaces were destroyed, the community was gravely wounded. This speech, a turning point in Jacobss career, appears in Vital Little Plans, a new collection of her short works; Robert Kanigels new biography of Jacobs, Eyes on the Street, fills in the context. The men in the roomincluding the mayor of Pittsburgh, the head of the New York City Housing Authority, and The New Yorkers architecture critic, Lewis Mumfordtook the rebuke remarkably well, and Jacobs won some distinguished admirers. The speech was also the germ of what became her masterpiece, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), one of the seminal books of the 20th century. More here. Ed Yong in The Atlantic: A few Fridays ago, Tracy Van Houten drove to a registrars office to pick up the paperwork she would need to run for Congress. Doing so would mean giving up her role as an aerospace engineer at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratorya dream job that she had held for 13 years. Her plan was to pick up the papers, think about them over the weekend, and make a decision afterwards. Sitting outside the building, she wavered, and decided to call her senators to voice her opposition against Betsy DeVosthe since-confirmed nominee for Secretary of Education. She got a busy tone. She tried again. Another busy tone. It was at the fifth one that I thought: Okay, I need to get to Washington and get a seat at the table, she says. That motivated me to get into the building and get on with it. Van Houten is now officially running to represent the 34th Congressional District of California in the U.S. House. The seats former occupant, Xavier Becerra, was appointed as attorney general of California last December, and 23 candidates are now vying to replace him in a special election, to be held in April. The roster includes experienced politicians, activists, and lawyers. Van Houten, who is something of a wildcard, is the only rocket scientist. More here. Plitzuweit's return, 'GATA' mindset has USD's expectations high Despite the added talent, the Coyotes still remain committed to the same defensive-based energy and team-based basketball that has carried it to some promising seasons in recent years An unusual legal contortion is being proposed in Jackson County by attorney Tom Lister. He is suggesting a legitimately approved permit for AllEnergy Hixton should be denied although there has been no wrongdoing by the company. Listers gambit centers around the highly suspect notion of an anticipatory nuisance. First, a little background. AllEnergy Hixton has proposed a sand-mining facility in Hixton. AllEnergy completed the process of getting all permits and approvals by both the town of Hixton and Jackson County. The process to receive the permits is time-consuming and requires great detail. AllEnergy was more than willing to work through the process and they did. Following the approvals, Attorney Lister filed a number of lawsuits. None of them have been successful. In a final Hail Mary attempt, Lister filed the case Krueger vs. AllEnergy using the rationale of an anticipatory nuisance. An anticipatory nuisance simply says your business will create problems. No proof is needed. Attorney Lister is demanding the court shut down AllEnergy because they might violate their local agreement. That is like getting a speeding ticket for driving your car at the speed limit because an officer says you might drive 80 miles per hour. It is an absurd interpretation of the law. Lets look at other real-world implications. Towns and counties are doing their best to keep local roads in good shape. Having active quarries as a ready source of gravel is vital to maintaining local roads. Sighting quarries could become extremely difficult, if not impossible, for some communities if a neighbor claims an anticipatory nuisance. The cost of maintaining roads and the taxes you pay will increase, perhaps significantly. Or how about a local tavern? Local bars and restaurants are the social centers of many small communities in Wisconsin. A neighbor could stop a building project in its tracks by claiming an anticipatory nuisance when an applicant is seeking a building permit for an establishment. As you can see, almost anything could be defined as a nuisance if a similar business had problems in the past. A business should be judged on its own merits, not the actions of others. Legislators sometimes point to Minnesota as a model for Wisconsin to follow as a guide to grow our economy. On the issue of certainty for land use and zoning they are correct. If allowed to stand as law, the legal theory of anticipatory nuisances will be the same as putting a Closed for Business sign at our borders. It will also undermine local control in Jackson County. 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! JBLE welcomes President Trump President Donald J. Trump greeted a crowd of service members, their families and friends as he made his first official visit to Joint Base Langley-Eustis and the Tidewater military community, March 2, 2017. Trump was welcomed by Maj. Gen. John K. McMullen, the Air Combat Command vice commander,, Col. Caroline M. Miller, the 633rd Air Base Wing commander and Col. Pete M. Fesler, the 1st Fighter Wing commander. As Americas vanguard air dominance provider, the 1st Fighter Wing delivers F-22 Raptor airpower worldwide, Fesler said. As the oldest wing in the Air Force, the 1st Fighter Wing continues its tradition of air superiority which began in World War I and continues with current fifth-generation operations across the global spectrum of conflict. Anytime we can showcase our first-class raptor fleet to the president and his staff, were proud to do so. Trump was accompanied by James Mattis, the secretary of Defense. Shortly after their arrival at the Langley Air Force Base flight line, both Trump and Mattis boarded Marine One for a short helicopter ride to the Newport News shipyard for a tour of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the newest class of Navy aircraft carriers. Trumps visit comes following the release of the administrations 2018 budget proposal, which included a $54 billion increase to the Defense Department budget. According to the JBLE economic impact analysis from 2016, the installation generated $2.1 billion in economic impact, including more than $470 million of annual job creation value. Joint Base Langley-Eustis is a strategic hub for national defense, right here in Hampton Roads. The 633rd Air Base Wing is an Air Force-led mission support wing which serves more than 60 U.S. Air Force and Army units. Joint basing promotes and fosters a more cohesive operational partnership between the Air Force and Army while preserving mission capabilities and unique service identities, said Miller. The city of Hampton is home to a higher percentage of military veterans than any other U.S. city according to census data. The JBLE community hopes Trump will make a return visit in the near future to see firsthand how its Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines contribute to America's safety and freedom. (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.) Theres an old joke that points out the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad. The same can be true regarding deployments. Knowledge may come after a few years on the job, but wisdom comes after a career full of deployments.Currently serving his ninth deployment to the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility, Chief Master Sgt. Kelly Delaney, a 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron loadmaster, has plenty of wisdom to share from his 36-year career with the Air Force.Since joining the service in 1981, Delaney has worked on a variety of C-130 models everything from A models up to H's.In addition to knowing the ins and outs of loading various models of the C-130, he has racked up significant combat experience as well. At 676 combat sorties, his career has taken him to the Middle East, Europe and Central America in support of various operations, including Inherent Resolve, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Desert Shield, Providing Promise and others.When we first got to Sarajevo, it was on fire. We landed at Sarajevo airport and all the glass was blown out and there were houses on fire; it was definitely a war zone, Delaney said, recalling Operation Providing Promise. Ive been back into Sarajevo afterwards and all that is rebuilt now.Change is a common element of his career. Not only have the countries he once flew into evolved, but the Air Force as well.Delaney said the one thing that has remained the same is the pride Airmen have in getting the work done to complete the mission.Taking pride in your work and the mission is probably the same, Delaney said. Were key components of moving all the cargo.He has also learned how to be a good leader and take care of his people throughout his career. His leadership style is modeled off of lessons he learned from role models he had early on as well as lessons hes learned along the way, such as finding as much time as possible to get from behind the desk to interact with his team and find out what issues theyre facing firsthand.I learned from my boss, a senior master sergeant who later made chief, if as a noncommissioned officer you take care of your people, theyll take care of you, said Delaney.For Delaney, this means ensuring other loadmasters thoroughly know their job, because there is a lot on the line and they cant afford to make mistakes.As a loadmaster, you can crash that airplane as well as the pilot can if you dont do your job right, he explained. I try to push them so that they know their job better.Additionally, he and the rest of the leadership divvy out responsibility as much as possible to help Airmen become better NCOs, Delaney said.He advises Airmen at the beginning of their careers to take cues from the Air Force Core Values to build a successful career.They require you to do everything you can do to be the best you can be and I think youll get rewarded that way with your career, he explained. As long as you did your best at anything you do, you get the best satisfaction.The wisdom gained from a 36-year career as a loadmaster goes beyond simply knowing how to properly distribute weight on an aircraft. Its knowing how hard to push your people, and how to afford them the best opportunities to expand their knowledge so that when its their turn to move into leadership positions, they too will be ready to demonstrate the difference between knowledge and wisdom in building a successful career. Bangladesh police have arrested a spiritual leader of a banned Islamist outfit blamed for the countrys worst terror attack at a cafe as they intensified a crackdown on militants. Maulana Abul Kashem was arrested from a hideout in the capital last night. Officials of the polices elite counterterrorism and transnational crime unit said Kashem was the spiritual leader of the reconstituted Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (neo-JMB), which is believed to be inclined to the Islamic State terror group. He (Kashem) was a madrassa teacher in (northwestern) Joypurhat, Monirul Islam, the chief of the unit, said. Islam said that the neo-JMB recruited Kashem to inspire its operatives to become extremists. Kashems arrest comes after a leading neo-JMB operative was killed in police custody in northwestern Bogra while another, who supplied weapons for the July 1 cafe attack, was arrested in the capital. Islam said their investigations found that nearly 30 militants were directly linked to the attack on the Holey Artisan restaurant in Dhaka last year, killing 22 people, including an Indian girl. Three top leaders of the outfit were subsequently killed in gunfights with police. Bangladesh witnessed a spate of attacks on secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities since 2013. The country launched a massive crackdown on militants specially after the Dhaka cafe attack. The JMB is a Bangladesh-based radical Islamist group, which also operates in the northeast of India. It was established in 1998 in Palampur Abdur Rahman. On August 17, 2005, the JMB exploded about 500 bombs at nearly 300 locations in Bangladesh within a campaign to establish Sharia law in the country. In 2005, the radical group was officially banned and six of its leaders, including Rahman, were arrested. First time in history of Varanasi incumbent MP who is PM of India is spending three consecutive days in Varanasi. Looking at the challenges for winning in state, Modi has put all his efforts by campaigning for the party. Modi started his campaign in Varanasi with a roadshow along the route to Shri Kashi Vishwanath temple and Kaal Bhairav temple. 49 constituencies in the state vote in the sixth phase. Varanasi is also playing host to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati. The battle for Uttar Pradesh will converge on the banks of the river Ganges. According to reports, Congress and Samajwadi party supporters also showed up and waved their party flags at Bhadaini area. They shouted slogans supporting Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi and Modi supporters responded with louder chants. It was like a battleground, but all the rallies were packed with huge crowd. The SP-Congress alliance was in panic as it faces a certain rout in the assembly polls. The public response in Varanasi was worth seeing when parallel programmes of Modi and Akhilesh and Rahul were going on. Meanwhile Mayawati has her typical vote share and they were there by her. Varanasi, the Prime Ministers Lok Sabha constituency, is one of the closely watched contests of the polls seen as a bellwether for the 2019 national elections. The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance hopes to cause an upset in three of the five Assembly segments falling under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency currently held by the BJP. Fighting separately in 2012, the two parties had together polled more votes than the BJP in all the three seats, with the Congress finishing as the runner-up in two of these, Varanasi South and Varanasi Cantt. It is very interesting to see that the PM, along with his entire cabinet, has left all essential work in Delhi and camped in Varanasi to save himself from the awkwardness of defeat. When the entire elected central government leave their job for which the taxpayers are paying money and involve in the election campaign for the state assembly elections for a few seats, the level of insensitivity and insecurity of the ruling party can easily be identified. If the initial phases the UP assembly election were a completely seat-by-seat contest driven by local arithmetic so far, it is now turning into a larger competition driven by the Modi factor. Upper castes, particularly Brahmins, are playing a key role in constructing the Modi waves. The SP-Congress alliance acknowledges the shift in dynamics, has a counter-strategy for the next three phases, and believes its advantage in the first two phases will still make it the single largest formation. Meanwhile BJPs own calculation, a top strategist says, is that 83% upper castes are voting for the party, and there is unprecedented consolidation. Top strategists of the SP-Congress alliance led by Prashant Kishor have closely been monitoring the shifts in preferences on a daily basis, and acknowledge there is indeed an increase in support. BJP gaining it support from typical upper cast voters, Mayawatis all rallies are over loaded with people, whereas Akhilesh and Rahul are giving their best. Uttar Pradesh elections are always thrilling, this time its more exciting. Lets see Modi can bring win in UP or not. (Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com) Then we heard from scientists studying Parkinsons, asthma and cancer. None of these diseases have experienced the meteoric rise of autism. It is also worth noting that vast majority of people with these diseases marry and have children. 99% of people with autism (I do not know about Asperger's) do not procreate. Autisms number should be falling, not rising. Dr. Hertz-Picciotto specifically studied the 600% increase in ASD cases from 1990 to 2001. Dr. H.P. argued that surprisingly little of the astronomical rise of autism could be explained by better diagnoses or greater awareness. She found that maternal and paternal age accounted for just 4% of the increase in ASD cases. Clearly there are major environmental factors involved in the rise of autism that must be identified. After that we heard some insightful presentations from Dr. Durkin and Dr. Hertz-Picciotto. Durkin spoke about the massive unexplainable increase in ASD between 1994 and 1998. Durkin found that maternal and paternal age were minor contributors in the rise of autism, explaining only 3-4%. Dr. Paul Shattuck and Dr. Peter Bearman gave their usual stump speeches about why the ASD increase is mainly due to greater awareness and parental age. Right. They are weirdly obsessed with this parental age issue. More on that later. Bearman also hypothesized that some of the increase could be the result of a virus. Thank you to Dr. Geri Dawson of AS for opening this meeting to the public and for arranging for the meeting to be available on the internet. Dr. Rice did a nice job of re-iterating questions that were posed off mike. I received a comprehensive outline of the days discussion a week in advance, well done. Unfortunately some parents could not listen into the meeting after the 250 limit on listeners was reached. Maybe in the future, lines not being used, by those who reserved them, can be made available to parents on the waiting list. The purpose of this meeting was to bring together a diverse group of scientists, stakeholders and autism organizations in order to discuss ASD prevalence trends and opportunities for further research. This is certainly a worthwhile endeavor given the skyrocketing increase in autism spectrum disorders. Unfortunately, highly conservative groups and thinkers were over represented while parents and innovative scientists were in short supply. Afterwards the groups divided into panels to discuss specific epi questions. Thank God for Mark Blaxill of SafeMinds. There was no way I could have withstood the torture of listening to the group 4 scientists had Mark not been present. Most of these scientists do NOT believe the increase in autism is real. I have no idea why but many of these researchers in group 4 were not specialists in the field and seemed to possess little knowledge of autism. Why not give those seats to the perpetually under-represented autism stakeholders? These groups have tens of thousands of dues paying members. I was amazed that the NAA, TACA, the Autism Research Institute or Generation Rescue were not invited to participate in this workshop, yet so many non ASD experts were? NAA, TACA, GR and ARI all finance cutting edge research. Together these organizations represent 50,000 stakeholders! These groups work with families everyday. They know all about ASD clusters and on the ground prevalence issues. These organizations finance huge academic, clinical and ASD parent conferences at which scientists present the latest and most innovative research. ARI even trains pediatricians how to better recognize, diagnose and treat children with autism! Autism Speaks, one parent from SafeMinds and members of the neurodiversity movement were the only stakeholders invited to this CDC meeting. Why are Dr. Coleen Boyle and Catherine Rice unwilling to allow these Moms, who representing 50,000 families, participate? But guess who Rice and Boyle did invite to represent the public? Get ready for this Roy Grinker and Eric London. I mean, please, together do Grinker and London represent 100 stakeholders, 200? Dr. Lawler said that maybe now, just maybe autism is increasing, but wait, that it wasnt true 5 years ago. I know, delusional. Dr. Lawler also gave herself a pat on the back for all progress they have made. Doubly delusional. For the past decade Dr. Lawler has been in a position to support meaningful and game changing autism research. Obviously that has not happened. President Obama promised that autism and cancer were his top medical research priorities. Obama wants to see the best and brightest minds invested in cutting edge cancer and autism research. We desperately need to see new scientific leadership. Dr. MacMahon expressed great frustration regarding the community of families. MacMachon asked for the groups help in persuading parents to stop disagreeing with him because he knows the science and research best. MacMahon went on to explain that he was at the end of his professional career and is tired of dealing with parents questions. As if that were not enough, MacMahon said he was done studying autism and immune issues because and there is no relationship. I mean where does one even begin addressing this? Mark Blaxill responded that it was exactly that condescending attitude that has created the vast divide between parents and researchers. He challenged the researchers to actually listen to the families rather than lecture them. Blaxill expressed disbelief that they were having a prevalence debate at all. There are more cases with autism because there are more children with autism. This is not a big mystery. Blaxill continued by stating that the CDC has known about this problem for 20 years and has done precious little to investigate or stem the tide of the biggest childhood healthcare disaster of our time. Lets get going by embracing the most innovative science and a meaningful stakeholder presence. It very disappointing to hear Dr. Craig Newschaffer talk about how we can never know if the increase in autism is real. We can never know. Of course we can know! Look at the 1,000% increase over the past decade. We can never know, please. I can never know if one day Christian will wake up in the morning singing The Star Spangled Banner but I am 99.99% betting on no. When AS lobbies Congress for more federal funds for autism research they most certainly do not say, we can never know if the increase is real. Dr. Newschaffer is one of a handful of scientists who have the final say in millions of dollars of AS grant selections. His uncertainty over whether a 1,000% increase in ASD is real astounds me. After that I listened to a bizarre litany of advice from non autism experts. They called for (wait for it) more genetic research, more genetic databanks, and more research into diagnostic substitution. Dr. Diane Schendel offered both bizarre and offensive advice. She argued again for more databanks. For Petes sake, has anyone heard of AGRE, Simons, CHARGE, IAN or the National Childrens Health Study? We are already up to our necks in databanks! Dr Schendel then encouraged the group to examine 20 yr old Canadian data for clues. Why and who cares? Schendel spoke about the long and sordid history of fake epidemics. Schendel stated there was a fake epidemic of anorexia in the 1990s traced to the unrealistic image of women as portrayed by Playboy magazine. Then further research found that Playboy magazine was not responsible after all. Ah-ha- a fake epidemic! I mean what are we even talking about here? Dr. Rice and Dr. Boyle can you seriously tell me that these insights are more valuable that that of a stakeholder representing 10,000 families? Then things got even weirder. Some panelist, who forgot to announce her name before speaking, said that she was sure autism was more genetic than not because in her experience she has noticed strange personality characteristics throughout ASD families. Another researcher argued that autism diagnostic tests were culturally biased and her experience with Native Americans proved that to her. By this point I felt more pessimistic about the state of autism research than I have in years. Fortunately things did get better. A non-panelist, I believe it was the CDC program manager, suggested keeping track of gaps in under-researched epidemiology issues. Truly a great idea! The program manager said, for example there have been so very many parental age studies, isnt there another area of epidemiology research that needs our attention? Thank you for pointing that out. After hearing the final wrap-up of all 4 research groups I was pleased to hear some very good ideas for the other 3 groups. These open-minded and innovation-friendly researchers proposed many interesting projects and welcomed greater and more representative stakeholder participation. If only we could separate the wheat from the chaff and move forward! -- Katie Wright is Contributing Editor to Age of Autism. Written by: Michael Krause, Vice President Sales Central & Eastern Europe, ASC (News - Alert) Technologies AG The acceleration of information technology poses major challenges for the business world. But now a sword of Damocles is poised above financial institutions and contact centers handling investment products: MiFID II. Scheduled for full implementation on January 3, 2018, this regulatory directive commands all interactions leading to a sale must be preserved for a minimum of five years. Regardless of the channel: voice, email, video or chat, even advice about investment products provided in response to customer inquiries must be recorded and archived for easy retrieval. MiFID II affects all organizations conducting business in Europe, and its 2,000 pages of regulations must be strictly followed. Minor changes to the regulations may be enacted at any time, with companies failing to comply receiving major fines. Top executives at contact centers, banks, insurance companies and security firms are haunted by this impending reality, and those who have meticulously studied their options have come to the same conclusion: adoption of the Cloud represents their only chance of survival. Cloud Technology The Cloud is following in the tradition of exponential adoption of new technologies. While it took electricity 46 years to reach 25 percent adoption in the United States, that number has steadily declined, according to the Pew Research Center: Telephone: 35 years Radio: 31 years Television: 26 years Personal Computer: 16 years Mobile Phone (News - Alert): 13 years The Internet: seven years Moreover, the Cloud is transformational in its ability to provide the latest technology like water from a tap, so each user can only select the features they really need. Then, when requirements change, either internally due to consolidation or growth, or externally due to new capabilities or regulatory mandates, the user is not stuck with a complex infrastructure needing a complete overhaul. For financial institutions and contact centers handling investment products, MiFID II has only accelerated the need for Cloud technology in an ultra-competitive environment. The quality of customer service has become a driver in consumer decisions, and the power of the Cloud to affect that service is undisputed. Related Features Though driven by MiFID II, the Cloud can be used for many related functions as well. Workforce optimization encompassing communications recording, quality assurance, speech analytics, eLearning, workforce management and customer feedback is now available as both on-premise solutions and via the Cloud. These capabilities may be applied in an automated manner, especially for high-volume organizations with an otherwise unmanageable number of interactions. For compliance with MiFID II, fail-safe operation and redundant architecture must be included as any system failure could result in major fines. Also, to meet PCI (News - Alert)-DSS mandates, some elements must NOT be recorded, such as credit card security codes. Encryption must be included for security purposes while tamper-proof recording will assist in any investigations. Technology in all these areas is rapidly developing another reason why the Cloud is essential. Conclusion The full enactment of MiFID II on January 3, 2018 demands immediate attention by financial institutions doing business in Europe to avoid substantial monetary fines. The only forward-looking approach to this development involves implementation of Cloud technology. The Cloud enables scalability and adaptation to new requirements without costly changes to your existing infrastructure and ensures you are only using the most advanced versions of the features you really need. About the Author Michael Krause joined ASC (News - Alert) Technologies AG in mid-2007. He initially worked as a vertical sales manager for the retail division and was responsible for sales in Germany in the Mitte region. As Vice President of Sales Central & Eastern Europe, he now serves all Central Eastern Europe partners and end-customers. As a trained IT salesman and skilled business manager with more than 15 years of professional experience, Michael Krause has become invaluable to ASC in sales and service management, business development and ITK solution sales. ASC Technologies AG is a leading global provider of innovative solutions to record, analyze and evaluate multimedia-based communications. ASCs solutions reveal vital information, enabling companies and organizations to considerably improve their value creation: contact centers enhance customer service, efficiently deploy staff and increase productivity. For more information, visit www.asc.de; call 917-475-9200; email [email protected]; or write ASC Americas L.P., 69 Charlton Street, New York, NY 10014. Edited by Alicia Young Skylar Wittenborn, left, and her brother and sister, Jimmy and Sara, find some especially interesting book at the Books 'n' Things book fair sponsored by the Aiken Chapter of the American Association of University Women. The annual sale moved from Aiken to a new location in North Augusta this year. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close This Nov, 16, 2016 photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a Jaguar photographed by a motion-detection cameras in the Dos Cabezas Mountains in southern Arizona. Wildlife officials say they have evidence of a rare jaguar sighting in the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a photo Thursday, from a trail camera that was taken in November and recently retrieved. Suspended State Rep. Chris Corley, right, waits for his arraignment to begin at the Aiken County Judicial Center on Wednesday Jan. 18, 2017. This Wednesday, photo shows an exterior view of the headquarters of Uber in San Francisco. A combative CEO leading a fast-growing company with ambitions to dominate ride-hailing across the globe gave rise to Ubers latest public image nightmare, a videotaped clash with a driver over prices thats become a viral video. March 2, 2017 BAGHDAD On Feb. 28, hundreds of pro-Sadrist university students in Kut attacked Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's procession with stones and water bottles. Abadi's security forces fired tear gas and live bullets at the protesters, injuring three. Subsequently, Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadr apologized to Abadi for the breaches. Though he called on his followers to stop the protests in Kut until further notice, he accused former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of being behind the breaches to try to distort the Sadrist movement's image. The incident reflects the intense competition among Iraq's Shiite leaders. There are currently three main Shiite figures competing for power: head of the Islamic Supreme Council Ammar al-Hakim, head of the State of Law Coalition Maliki, and Sadr himself. Each has his own plan to remain in power and remove the others or limit their influence. On Feb. 20, Sadr announced a 29-point initiative: Initial Solutions his vision for the future of Iraq once the Islamic State (IS) is forced out. Holding local primary elections was among the points. Sadrs keenness on holding elections is likely to further deepen the Shiite split as the leaders fight for a majority position. About a month ago, the Sadrist movement started calling for electoral reforms, seeking to reduce Malikis strong chances of winning the election as long as no radical changes are made to the electoral law and commission. Sadr has often called for massive demonstrations, which have resulted in many deaths and injuries. Jasem al-Halafi, a leader in the civil movement allied with Sadrists who participated in the demonstrations, said the movement is calling upon the UN to supervise formation of a new electoral commission and a new electoral law with the cooperation of Iraqi experts. However, UN Envoy to Iraq Jan Kubis, who is in favor of the current electoral commission, responded negatively Feb. 13 to such demands. Maliki is banking on his alliance with main groups within the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in the framework of the Shiite leadership competition. The State of Law Coalition includes the Badr Organization, which is seen as the PMUs main political and combat force. Hadi al-Amiri, the head of the organization, previously stated that Maliki founded the PMU, further cementing relations between the two parties. It's also been reported that Maliki is close to some other main PMU components, namely the ones that are close to Iran. However, there was no rapprochement between Maliki and the volunteer fighters affiliated with Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who answered the call of the fatwa for jihad after IS took control of Mosul in June 2014. Perhaps the most critical point for the PMU now is to preserve the momentum of the popularity it gained after defeating IS, which would guarantee Maliki a wide electoral base, secure him a majority and block his opponents' calls for him to be held accountable for accusations of corruption and negligence in Mosul in 2014. In light of this tense situation, Hakim drew up his own initiative, which he named the Historical Settlement, away from the other two Shiite leaderships. The initiative is inspired by the classic discourse of the Islamic Supreme Council, led by Hakim himself, based on flexible political solutions that he believes could align some camps and secure him a place at the forefront of events. Some see Hakims initiative as merely an attempt not to lose his spot in a muscle-flexing parade. Although his initiative is ambiguous at many levels, his strategy is based on lenient rhetoric and good relations abroad. Hakim's positive relations with neighboring countries are an extension of his predecessors' relations in the Islamic Council, since the days of the opposition to the former Iraqi regime. However, Hakim's traditional alliance with Iran did not prevent him from visiting Gulf countries whose policies are hostile toward Iran. Hakim and Maliki are unable to rally the Iraqi public's support in political battles. Sadr is keen on stripping his two opponents of their strategic tools and adopting them. For example, it is true that Hakims initiative is aimed at reconciliation, but Sadr's is more comprehensive and has been welcomed by some Sunni leaders, such as Osama al-Nujaifi and Khamis al-Khanjar. The reconciliation between Sadr and the predominately Shiite PMU leaders, when they appeared in a joint press conference in October 2016, helped bring Sadr closer to Maliki. The rapprochement with the PMU also helped Sadr build bridges, albeit in a limited way, with the pro-Iranian side, which has expressed reservations about Sadrs latest moves. However, Sadrists still lack the trust of other political components, which is needed to forge future alliances, especially in light of the escalatory positions of all parties since the storming of parliament incident. Therefore, the Sadrist movement has been making overtures to the Islamic Dawa Party and the Supreme Islamic Council, more than ever before. There are no signs of rapprochement between the Sadrists and the Kurds, whether at the level of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which is close to Maliki and a friend to the Iranians, or the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which is close to Turkey and has escalated its rhetoric against both Maliki and Sadr. The Sadrist movement still has a chance to make overtures to Ayad Allawi, a former Iraqi vice president and an interim prime minister, and some Sunni leaders. There could be other opportunities as well that haven't revealed themselves yet. However, Malikis major influence in parliament and his success in sacking several ministers and the Sadrist-affiliated governor of Baghdad make it difficult for the Sadrist movement to advance its proposed legal changes. In sum, there's no end in sight for the Shiite rivalry to determine the strongest leader in the Iraqi arena. Costco Sneak Peek Store officials allow a sneak peek photographic tour of the new Costco Wholesale store location Wednesday, June 3, 2015, a day before the opening at McGowin Park shopping center in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Brantley/mbrantley@al.com) Here are some of today's top AL.com business headlines: Zea Rotisserie & Grill, located on Airport Boulevard just west of University Boulevard in Mobile, closed Saturday, Feb. 25. -- The man behind The Original Public House and Beauregard's is bringing a new hospitality development to downtown Huntsville next year. -- The Mobile-based shipbuilder Austal failed in a bid Friday to block a lawsuit that alleges it forced its employees to use a dangerous tool that has injured dozens of workers over the last six years. -- The Women's Business Center of North Alabama (WBCNA) hosted the second-annual Entrepreneur Awards luncheon March 3 at Campus No. 805 as part of Innovate Huntsville. -- The price of a Costco membership will go up this summer. -- Supporters of raising Birmingham's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour have filed an appeal that seeks to continue the case after a judge dismissed it earlier this year. -- A public meeting will be held next week to discuss the future of downtown Huntsville as it embarks on a 10-year master plan update. -- Polaris is recalling several recreational off-road vehicles because they pose burn and fire hazards to users. -- In a non-descript 40,000-square-foot building not far from the popular Tuscaloosa restaurant Waysider, a group of chemists and engineers are finding uses for the world's industrial food-related waste. -- For more news, visit AL.com/business. The man behind The Original Public House and Beauregard's is bringing a new hospitality development to downtown Huntsville next year. Rahul Arora is working with Chef Lee Gregory, Old Town Beer Exchange Managing Partner Matt Fowler and his Director of Operations Missy Davis to launch a new 15,000-square-foot project where the old CityScapes building stands on 127 Holmes Ave. The facility will be home to a new upscale Italian concept, Retaggio, another mid-tier restaurant and a rooftop cocktail bar. Arora said they are utilizing local and outside expertise to make the development as successful as possible. "The idea is we want people to feel comfortable coming to a place downtown where they can get anything, from a $10 good-quality burger to a $35 knock-your-socks-off tastefully done meal," he said. Retaggio, one of Gregory's concepts at the project, will span about 3,500 square feet and feature a hybrid of casual and fine dining. Arora said the restaurant, which will have outdoor seating and a banquet area, will offer a casual lunch before converting to a white tablecloth, fine dining experience at night. Click here to "like" the restaurant on Facebook. The second restaurant does not have a confirmed name or concept at this time, but Arora said Gregory's menu will be driven by fresh, scratch-made food. Gregory, who went to elementary school with Arora nearly 30 years ago, opened The Roosevelt in Richmond, Va., in 2011. The eatery was named "Restaurant of the Year" by Style Weekly, "2012 Best New Restaurant" by Richmond Magazine, "2014 Restaurant of the Year" from Richmond Magazine's Elby Awards, one of the "100 Best Restaurants in the South" by Southern Living, and one of the "13 Best Restaurants in the South" by Thrillist. Gregory, a South Carolina native nominated for "Best Chef Mid-Atlantic" by The James Beard Foundation three years in a row, went on to open another seasonally-driven, upscale eatery known as Southbound in Richmond. "Bringing somebody of (Gregory's) caliber to Huntsville is really important to the success of this project," Arora said. Arora is developing the rooftop bar. The bar, inspired by concepts in California, New York City, Chicago, and Arizona, will have a "hipster modern" vibe and feature high-quality cocktails crafted by a mixologist from New Orleans. About 4,000 square feet of office space will operate above Retaggio, while a 1,700- to 1,800-square-foot end cap with a possible drive-thru will be available. Construction on the project should commence this summer. Arora expects the development to open by summer 2018. Colliers International is handling leasing. Gregory, who hosted a sold-out dinner at The Original Public House last August, is excited about taking on new challenges in Huntsville. "We look forward to adding to the already thriving downtown restaurant scene," he said. "It's exciting to be a part of something new in a new city. We hope we help enhance the area with what we are doing." More than 100 people are displaced after a fire occurred inside an independent living facility in north Birmingham. Birmingham fire responded to the two-alarm call at Birmingham Towers located on 2712 31st Avenue North around 3:30 p.m. Friday. Capt. Bryan Harrell said the blaze started on the seventh floor and the cause of the fire is unknown. Harrell said two firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation as they combated the blaze for about 45 minutes. One of them didn't want to go to the hospital. The other firefighter ran out of air while he was in the room where the fire originated. Harrell said the firefighter was hanging his head out the window until he was removed from the scene. Both were treated on scene. Harrell said three who were trapped in the fire were rescued. Only one of them was taken to the hospital with some burns and severe smoke inhalation. Harrell did not know the victim's condition at this time. All the residents had to be evacuated because the elevator is not working, Harrell said. Many of the residents are elderly and handicapped. The American Red cross sent buses to transport people to Boutwell Memorial Auditorium for shelter, but that can only hold about 75 people. Harrell said the remaining residents may receive hotel vouchers so they will have a place to stay. Authorities have released the name of a man found shot to death in a Birmingham street, and said a woman is in custody in connection with the deadly shooting. Birmingham police identified the victim as Willie Burrell. He was 34. West Precinct officers responded about 7:30 p.m. Friday to the 2300 block of Cullman Avenue on a report of a man down in the roadway. When they arrived, they found Burrell lying on the ground with a gunshot wound. Birmingham Fire and Rescue pronounced Burrell dead on the scene. Sgt. Bryan Shelton said investigators learned that Burrell and a woman had been in an altercation earlier Friday. The woman fired shots at him, and then fled the area. At that time, Burrell wasn't injured. Later in the evening, about the time Burrell was killed, shots were heard coming from the street. Those were the shots that killed the victim, he said. Investigators were able to identify a person of interest, a black female, and she was taken into custody. Her name is being withheld pending formal charges. Shelton said Burrell and the suspect allegedly had a history involving an incident with a member of the suspect's family. Burrell is Birmingham's 22nd homicide victim this year. Of those, at least two have been ruled justifiable. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 31 homicides, including the 22 in Birmingham. This case is still under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. voters Voters waiting in line outside Little Indian Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Monrovia outside of Huntsville, Alabama. (Bob Gathany/bgathany@AL.com) More than 100,000 registered voters in Alabama can't vote because they don't have the photo identification required by the state, an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund said Friday. And most of those who don't have the photo identifications are poor, black or Latino, the lawyer says. A federal lawsuit challenging Alabama's requirement that voters present photo identification before they can cast a ballot was filed in 2015 on behalf of the Alabama NAACP and Greater Birmingham Ministries. The lawsuit alleges the 2011 photo ID law is racially discriminatory, violating the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. A trial has been set for December in the case. The Alabama attorney general's office, which represents Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill in the lawsuit, declined comment Friday. "Plaintiffs' (the NAACP LDF and ministries) recently submitted expert reports estimated that over 100,000 Alabama registered voters lack photo IDs that can be used to vote and that black and Latino voters are nearly twice as likely as white voters to lack such IDs," said Deuel Ross, a lead LDF attorney. LDF experts compared the list of the 2.8 million registered Alabama voters to three federal databases of photo identifications -- passports, veteran identifications and military IDs, Ross said. The experts also reviewed the database of driver's licenses and non-driver's license identifications issued by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, he said. Overall, LDF estimates 118,000 registered voters in Alabama did not have the correct photo identification, Ross said. Ross said he could not provide the reports. The reports are not public because they have confidential voter information, he said. A survey sampling some of the 118,000 voters was also conducted, Ross said. Based on the experts review and survey, LDF estimates 3 percent of white voters, about 5.5 percent of black voters and 6.1 percent of Latino voters did not have a photo ID that would allow them to cast a ballot, Ross said. Voters who did not have the required voter identifications were largely poor, making less than $10,000 a year, and don't have vehicles nor driver's licenses, Ross said. The cost of a state of Alabama driver's license or photo ID through ALEA is $36.25. The Alabama Secretary of State website, however, says a free photo ID is available through local registrar offices. More than 1,000 voters tried, but were unable to have their ballots counted because of voter ID law in the November election, Ross said. Those voters were given provisional ballots on Election Day, but were unable to come back and present a photo identification, he said. Others didn't bother to vote because they knew they didn't have a photo ID, Ross said. The Alabama secretary of state's office, however, had originally estimated that a higher number of voters would be blocked from voting under the new photo ID law. The lawsuit cites a statement from the secretary of state's office made in March 2014 that a check of Alabama registered voters against the ALEA database revealed 560,000 people lacked an ALEA-issued driver's license or non-driver ID card. But the secretary of state also stated about half of those 560,000 voters possessed another one of the required photo IDs, according to the lawsuit. "Thus, Defendant Secretary of State concluded that approximately 280,000 registered voters lack any form of the required photo ID," the lawsuit states. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Scott Coogler dismissed all claims in the lawsuit against Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, Attorney General Steve Marshall and ALEA director Stan Stabler. The NAACP LDF and Greater Birmingham Ministries' controversy in this case is with Secretary of State John Merrill, who is especially designated to implement all aspects of the photo ID law, Coogler wrote in his opinion. Merrill has not contested he is a proper defendant, he wrote. "Plaintiffs do not have standing to sue the Governor, the Attorney General, and the ALEA Secretary. Further, these Defendants and the State of Alabama are protected by Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity," Coogler wrote. Ross disagreed with the decision. ALEA should be in the lawsuit because it gives out the most common form of photo ID, driver's licenses, Ross said. The attorney general should be in the lawsuit because the photo ID law includes criminal repercussions for those who violate it, and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley should be included because he was involved in the 2015 closure of some driver's license offices. "While we respectfully disagree with Judge Coogler's reasoning, his decision does not change the nature of our case," Ross said. "Nor does it change LDF's and our co-counsel Covington & Burling and Herman Johnson Jr.'s commitment to seeking justice for our clients and all Alabama voters." Changed at 9:35 a.m. March 5 to correct spelling of Ross's first name NGOs in Lebanon have been using art therapy to help children to deal with the horrific events they witnessed in Syria. Beirut Some Syrian refugee children process the trauma of war by drawing tanks and bloodshed; others focus their art on rainbows and flowers, images of happier times. This is what art therapists working in Lebanon have found after years of working with Syrian children fleeing war in their home country. Art is a very effective way to work with kids, said art therapist Dania Fawaz, who has collaborated with a number of NGOs that work with vulnerable youth, including Tahaddi, Himaya, Intersos and Caritas. Verbalising a traumatic event for a child or even for an adult sometimes can create so much anxiety that it hinders their capacity to express, she told Al Jazeera. A lot of children, especially the younger ones, havent developed the verbal skills they need to describe such horrific events, especially if youre speaking about war. Art is a less directive and more natural tool for children to express themselves. READ MORE: Painting away the trauma of Syrias war Half a million school-age Syrian refugee children are registered in Lebanon and, although they are safe from war, they are now grappling with a lack of access to education and inadequate psychological care. Many have suffered extreme trauma, witnessing brutal violence and the loss of their homes, schools, friends and family members. Art therapy is one strategy for dealing with this unprocessed trauma. Qualified art therapy is a relatively new field in Lebanon and requires practitioners to study abroad, as no degree is offered locally. Myra Saad, the founder and director of Artichoke Studio, a registered art therapy centre in Beirut, said that it tends to follow a series of steps common to different branches of psychotherapy: one, to have a safe space where you can express yourself; two, to become more aware of what youre feeling and where its coming from; and three, to eventually change. The primary goal is to give participants the space and time to be children again, Saad told Al Jazeera. Especially with children who have been through a lot, they start to act out all the anger on others, and bringing them back to a place where no ones going to hurt you and youre not going to hurt anyone is a big change, she said. During the sessions, we give them time to grieve, because they lost a lot. We want to help them to regain a sense of control, so that theyll be able to manage their anxieties better. Fawaz says that it is important to not pressure children to talk about the war, but instead allow them to come to it in their own time, or to approach it through metaphor. Some children become extremely hyperactive after trauma, and some become extremely withdrawn, so I try to allow the children to decide at their own pace when they would like to start to revisit these memories, she said. [Some] children whove recently arrived in Lebanon from Syria very quickly begin to draw images of chopped heads and the army tanks coming closer very graphic images for a child to have seen [Others] have lived through a lot and all they want to draw is rainbows and flowers, and this is what they need. The aim of the art therapy sessions is to help children to overcome symptoms such as anxiety, anger and behavioural difficulties. Fawaz recalled how one young boy, having recently arrived in Lebanon from Syria, was constantly afraid to be alone. If there was the sound of a plane, he would react the way he did in Syria, which was to duck for cover and scream in terror, she said. His mum was telling me that [since doing art therapy], he is able to go out alone. He is able to sit in class and listen. Hes able to make friends. Another boy, a 12-year-old who had been living in an area occupied by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS), reacted to the trauma of the extreme violence he had witnessed by becoming very aggressive. When he first came, it was image after image of war, and I allowed it to go on for as long as he needed it to go on for, Fawaz said. We would always discuss these images, and he would tell me about his memories. Eventually, through engaging in this process, his drawings were still of Syria, but became about the times when he used to play with his friends We moved on recently to him drawing his current classroom and his current interactions with people. So it shows this real transformation. READ MORE: Coding classes open new doors for Syrian refugees Although an increasing number of NGOs have been utilising art therapy, funding is often very limited and therapists are expected to work miracles in a short time. Saad and Fawaz both emphasise that they require at least eight sessions with each patient, ideally a dozen. Children with severe symptoms of trauma might need up to a year of therapy. But even shorter, intensive blocks of treatment can have a positive effect. Art therapist Mona Shibaru worked with a group of teenage Syrian girls over 10 days in July 2016 as a volunteer for the Singapore-based organisation The Red Pencil, which runs art therapy courses worldwide. There was a lot of imagery of war, of course a lot of trauma, Shibaru told Al Jazeera. Images of yearning to go back home, images of death, loss of homes, displacement, separation from family members and a lot of verbal processing of how to integrate into a community here while being displaced. Even though theyve been interacting together for four years, they had never spoken about their experiences of leaving home or what they witnessed during the war So this was not only a healing process, but also a process of bonding. No matter how long the treatment, Saad said, it is important to leave patients with a message of hope. We try to build some kind of resiliency that will stay with them even after the group finishes We focus a lot on the power of imagination, because imagination and memories are things that no one can take away from you. No matter what happens, no matter where you move, you can still dream and imagine and envision. Examining the alt-rights ideological and historical origins, its internal divisions and what to expect from it now. Although largely confined to websites, online media forums and social media, the alternative right, or alt-right, came into the spotlight during the US election campaign and appears to have been energised by Donald Trumps electoral victory. In November, media attention honed in on the alt-right when, during a speech at the National Policy Institute Conference in Washington DC, white supremacist Richard Spencer chanted Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory! as the audience gave Nazi-like salutes. Steve Bannon, Trumps chief strategist who is on the National Security Council, was previously the executive chair of the far-right Breitbart News blog, which he has described as the platform for the alt-right although they were late to champion it and many alt-right supporters describe them as alt-light. But what is the alt-right? Al Jazeera asked Matthew Lyons, a researcher of American far-right movements and author of the title essay in the new book Ctrl-Alt-Delete, about this loosely knit populist group of white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Here, he explains their ideological and historical origins, internal divisions and what to expect from them in the near future. READ MORE: White Lives Matter A new US hate group shows its face Al Jazeera: There has been a public discussion within the media and among activists about the use of the term alt-right and whether it is a euphemism for Nazism or white supremacy. What do you make of this conversation? Matthew Lyons: You cant reduce the alt-right ideology to white nationalism, white supremacy or neo-Nazism. Those are all important elements within the alt-right, but there are other elements within the movement that are also important. If you erase the term alt-right, you miss those. The campaign to stop calling them alt-right comes from an overemphasis on the power of language. There is this notion that the movement will be weakened if we change the label as if the label is where their power comes from. For example, misogyny has also played a very important role within the alt-right. Its a kind of misogyny that, in many instances, is even more extreme than what you see in a lot of neo-Nazi groups because its based on the total exclusion of women from any kind of political space. That idea comes primarily out of the so-called Manosphere, an online anti-feminist subculture that arose in parallel to the alt-right. Theyre not completely merged, but there is a lot of overlap between the two. The kind of patriarchal politics you find in the Christian right, for example, which is very much about promoting the so-called traditional family in which men are in charge and women are subordinate, but have a very crucial role. Within the Manosphere, you have this whole drive toward a very non-family-centred model of male-female relations. That version of patriarchy has flowed into the alt-right. This is a whole dimension of the alt-right that gets lost if you just call them neo-Nazis. For those of us who want to combat this movement, its important to understand those specific tensions and vulnerabilities because they can help us develop better strategies for fighting. Al Jazeera: What are the most divisive issues within the alt-right as a movement, and how significant are those internal conflicts? Lyons: It depends on how you define the parameters of the alt-right. I make a distinction, as do others, between the alt-right itself and the so-called alt-light. A lot of that distinction has to do with the relationship with the existing political system in the United States. Within the alt-right proper, there is a general sentiment, if not a unanimous sentiment, that the United States as it exists is not a viable political entity or an entity that enables them to achieve the goals they want to achieve. So, you see a lot of alt-rightists talking about breaking up the United States and forming one or more white ethno-states. The alt-light, generally speaking, doesnt go that far, doesnt call into question the existence of the United States as a political order. Often the people identified with the alt-light will hold back from explicitly white nationalist or white supremacist ideology, although they play into the dog-whistle racism thats fairly common. Within the alt-right in the narrower sense, there are also important points of disagreement. A couple of them have to do with the relationship of the movement toward Jews and the question of homosexuality. There is a general climate of anti-Semitism within the alt-right, but it takes different forms. There is a hardline version promoted by the neo-Nazis within the alt-right and others, but there are other viewpoints. That disagreement leads to a real disagreement about policy, for instance, about whether the United States should strengthen its relationship with the Israeli state or not. That could have a big effect on how alt-rightists relate to the Trump administration. Al Jazeera: You argue that, for most of the alt-right, Trump represents a necessary step in their political programme and not necessarily the realisation of a goal. How much did the alt-right benefit from Trumps election? Lyons: The Trump campaign and his election have dramatically increased the visibility of the alt-right. Not everyone in the alt-right has supported Trump, but certainly a large majority has. They got behind Trumps candidacy early on and helped him in terms of their skilful use of internet activism. In return, they got a big boost in their media visibility and their ability to wield influence. READ MORE: US anti-fascists We can make racists afraid again Its been a complicated relationship between the alt-right and a wider circle of sympathisers and supporters. I would put Steve Bannon in that [category]. Bannon has used the label of the alt-right, keeping it at arms length but also riding their wave of media interest. He also has his own agenda, and it only partly aligns with theirs. There is definitely ambivalence. A lot of what we will see in the next few years will depend on what the Trump administration does and how that administrations relationship with the alt-right plays out. If they see his administration moving in a direction they like, it will have very different implications than if they see him as selling them out and caving in to establishment forces. Al Jazeera: With more and more anti-fascist groups emerging to confront the alt-right, what can we expect from that movement in the future? Lyons: The alt-right has been very effective at using the online medium. They have made various efforts to broaden their scope and to develop more of a physical presence, to hold political rallies, to have more of an impact outside of the internet; theyve had some impact but its been more limited. There has been a lot of pushback from anti-fascists. It remains to be seen how effective [anti-fascist tactics] are, but it is important that its happening and has at least given right-wing forces pause. The political terrain is different from how it was 20 years ago because of the increased role of the internet in politics and in culture. That has been central to the alt-right developing where it has. That has also been important for anti-fascists to address and broaden out beyond traditional tactics, which focused more on physical confrontation or no-platform strategies, which cant be applied online. The themes the alt-right is promoting will continue to be important themes in the political sphere one way or another, whether the alt-right continues in its current form or evolves into something else. *This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_ As it gears up to host a huge US overseas base, the city is a window on to fraught relations between locals and troops. Pyeongtaek, South Korea The commercial area adjacent to the main entrance of the United States Camp Humphreys military base, is a slice of Americana in the Korean countryside. Most of the signs are in English, the streets are lined with fast-food restaurants, and the street stalls sell french fries and chicken wings beside Korean staples such as blood sausage and rice cakes in red pepper sauce. Park Kyung-chan remembers skipping through these streets as a child in the early 1970s, when, he says, there were fewer buildings and most of the roads were not paved. Park, 47, credits the US presence with breathing economic life into his hometown of Pyeongtaek, a city of 470,000, the only place he has ever lived. More than 90 percent of the development in this area is because of the US base. We appreciate them being here, not just for that, but for their contribution to our national security. Pyeongtaek, located about an hour south of Seoul, the South Korean capital, is currently in the midst of a plan to relocate military personnel and their families there from elsewhere in South Korea. When the relocation is complete, Camp Humphreys will occupy three times its current area and its population will swell from its existing size of about 11,000 troops to more than 40,000 service members, making it one of the USs largest overseas bases an anchor for defending against North Korea and a focal point of the US military presence in Asia. READ MORE: North Korea warns of merciless response amid drills Ban on local businesses The relocation is bringing new commercial activity to Pyeongtaeks otherwise dreary economy. Around the base are posters for new property developments and businesses aiming to take advantage of the cash influx coming from US military personnel and their families. At the same time, there are some long-lingering tensions in Pyeongtaek. Authorities are trying to scrub away the citys reputation as a shady place, plagued by prostitution and human trafficking. In South Korea, there is a long history of prostitution near US bases, and fraught relations between locals and US military personnel. One infamous case is the 1992 murder of Yun Geum-yi, a 22-year-old bar waitress. Yuns murder catalysed local camptown consciousness about the disproportionate burdens that the villages and towns housing US bases in Korea have borne for decades, wrote Katherine Moon, who holds the chair of Korea Studies and is a senior fellow at the Centre for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution. US soldier Kenneth Markle was convicted of the murder and served 15 years in a South Korean prison. More recently, US soldiers were accused of sexually assaulting women at a water park near Seoul in 2014. That same year, a US soldier died in Pyeongtaek of a brain haemorrhage after being involved in a bar fight. Those incidents prompted the South Korean government to call on the US to more strictly control the behaviour of soldiers. READ MORE: The debate over South Koreas comfort women Last December, the US military issued a notice prohibiting US military personnel from patronising a number of drinking establishments, tattoo shops and massage parlours on the grounds that they may be venues for illegal activities such as prostitution, human trafficking and underage drinking. Park has spent his adulthood running bars and other businesses which cater mostly to US military personnel, and says that the ban is hurting his and other merchants livelihoods. Around here, the US soldiers are the main clientele for most of the establishments. If the soldiers arent allowed to go there for six months or a year, its like a death sentence for those businesses. Park disputes the claims that the businesses that have been designated off-limits due to concerns over commercial sex actually have prostitution on the premises. He says the establishments are just places where customers can drink with female staff. They make these allegations without proof. If theyre going to make accusations of prostitution, they need to provide details of when such acts took place and who was involved otherwise, its unfair, Park said. United States Forces Korea did not respond to a request for comment about clarifying the criteria used in deeming particular establishments off-limits. Resistance Perceptions of the US in South Korea are generally positive, according to the results of public opinions polls by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, but there is some resentment of the US military presence. While Park and other merchants welcome the US presence, there is a long history of local resistance to the expansion of Camp Humphreys. In nearby Daechu Village, the South Korean government acquired more than 80 hectares of land from farmers for the bases expansion. The countrys defence ministry compensated farmers for their land, but some refused to sell and were forcibly removed. That led to a violent standoff in 2006, when more than 15,000 riot police and soldiers faced off against thousands of farmers and activists who refused to vacate plots of farmland in Daechu Village. There were 120 reported injuries and more than 500 protesters were arrested. Andrew Yeo, an associate professor of politics at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, says that the split between business owners and farmers is an old feature of life around Camp Humphreys. The anti-base faction were primarily farmers and the pro-base faction were merchants and, based on my observations, there was bad blood, Yeo wrote in an email. Yeo added that in South Korea it is often protesters from outside the communities where US military bases are located who are the most committed to campaigning against them. There was still strong resistance from residents and local activists in Pyeongtaek, but national level activists are driven by a strong ideological commitment and long-term goal for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula, Yeo said. He added that residents and activists see the US presence as an impediment to direct dialogue between South and North Korea, and thereby an obstacle to unification. Countering China The expansion of Pyeongtaek is taking place as the US military makes East Asia a larger priority. The US has around 28,500 soldiers stationed on 83 bases in South Korea and 800 bases in the world. In addition to South Korea, the US also maintains a large presence in Japan, and has bases in Australia and on the Pacific island of Guam. The US has been increasing its military spending and presence in East Asia to counter the growing size and power of the Chinese military and its influence in the region, said David Vine, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at American University in Washington, DC, and author of Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World. WATCH: South Koreas Hangover (24:59) Vine added, [M]y fear is that boosting the already very sizable US military presence in the region to counter growing Chinese power may become a self-fulfilling prophecy in only encouraging China to further boost its military spending, making a military conflict and war more likely rather than less likely. The bulk of Camp Humphreys expansion will consist of relocating Yongsan Garrison, a massive facility that accommodates more than 21,000 personnel, from Seoul to Pyeongtaek. Though that move was announced more than a decade ago, it has been delayed repeatedly. Local media reported in late 2016 that the move had been delayed again, to 2018. Al Jazeera did not receive a response to a request to US Forces Korea seeking confirmation or denial of the delay. We have our own laws Those military ambitions matter little to Pyeongtaek residents. On a chilly Thursday night in January, the area around Camp Humphreys was mostly quiet, the snow-dusted street illuminated by the bars neon signs. Jasmine, a 23-year-old from the Philippines, stood behind a bar, opening bottles of Budweiser for a group of factory workers from Thailand. Jasmine said she had been in South Korea for just over a year, and that she alternated one-month stints of work as a bartender near Camp Humphreys with seasonal work on farms, harvesting onions and cabbages. I dont mind it here; theres always work to do, she said. Mostly, the people around here are nice. You see a lot of the same people every day. Park is hoping that before the expansion is complete, an agreement can be reached to allow US military personnel to freely visit any of the establishments around Camp Humphreys. On behalf of the local merchants association, Park has monthly meetings with officials on the US base, hoping to convince them to rescind the ban on particular bars and clubs. The fact is, this is still the Republic of Korea, and we have our own laws, Park said. We have to find a way of living and working together. What seems to be a win for the Israeli prime minister could, in fact, be chaos in the long-term. The election of Donald Trump was eagerly greeted by Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Coming after a rocky eight years in US-Israel relations under President Barack Obama, their recent meeting in Washington, DC, was intended to signal a reset in relations between the two sides. For Netanyahu, this also offered an occasion to move the United States away from the two-state solution and bury what was left of future prospects of Palestinian statehood. The Israeli prime minister may well have succeeded in this, but his victory brings with it new problems. Winning is not a win for Netanyahu Israel-US relations have indeed got off to a good start. As anticipated, the US president indicated a willingness to roll-back his countrys long-standing commitment to the two-state. With his almost casual remarks Trump seemed to have given Netanyahu enough political space to finally legitimise what the Israeli leader wrote in his 1993 book A Place Among Nations, that was meant to launch him as Likud leader and eventually prime minister. In it he envisaged Israel controlling the whole area between the Mediterranean and the Jordan river, while allowing the Palestinians some control over their major population centres and giving them economic peace. But Netanyahus opposition to two states does not make him a one-stater. In fact, he has at times been quite open about his vision for solving the Palestinian conflict through the creation of Palestinian state minus. In many ways, this dream of his had already come true well before Trumps election. As he wrote in 1993, the Palestinian territories are already an archipelago of semi-autonomous cities in a sea of Israeli security control. Later in his political career, Netanyahu explained that if the Palestinians wanted to call this archipelago of semi-autonomous cities a state, have their flag and sing their anthem, then so be it. Moreover, the demise of the two-state solution leaves a vacuum that will increasingly be filled by advocates of a one-state solution that encompasses both Israel and the Palestinian territories. by The Israeli prime ministers ability to realise his vision for the Palestinians was made possible thanks to the 1993 Oslo accords. These have underpinned most of his political career and created a system in which Israel has control over the West Bank but no responsibility for the wellbeing or even the stability of its Palestinian inhabitants. A mix of US and European money and security assistance provides for that, and in doing so, relieved Israel of the financial and military burden of controlling the Palestinian population, along with its responsibilities under international law as an occupying power. OPINION: US and Israel join forces to bury Palestinian statehood But maintaining this reality has depended on the semblance of a diplomatic process to ensure a modicum of stability in the Palestinian territories and deflect international criticism over Israeli actions. This has also been vital in maintaining the illusion that Israel intends its control over the territories to be only temporary, despite evidence to the contrary. In many ways, the political space created by Trumps shift on the Palestinian issue and his rupturing of the Middle East Peace Process myth might therefore become a problem for Netanyahus long-standing strategy of maintaining an ambiguity over the future of the occupied territories. Losing the cover of the two-state solution It is hard to see how Palestinian leaders would be willing to forgo sovereignty and basic freedoms that perpetual Israeli security control would entail as preconditions to enter peace talks. Such a vision would be at odds with Palestinian aspirations to fulfil their right to self-determination through an end to Israels occupation, and put the Palestinian Authority in an unsustainable position. Without the prospect of statehood, the PA would find it difficult to shake their image as the administrators of Israels occupation, something that would further aggravate their current crisis of domestic legitimacy at a time when President Mahmoud Abbas succession is feeding political and security instability. For Israels relations with Arab partners, the waning of a viable independent Palestinian state poses more problems. The prospect of a two-state solution has acted as important cover for Israels backdoor normalisation of relations with Arab states some of which do not officially recognise it. Removing the possibility of future Palestinian sovereignty from the table would complicate this process and frustrate Israels ability to find common ground with regional partners on issues outside its conflict with the Palestinians, particularly on containing Iranian regional influence. OPINION: Dont blame Trump for tiring of the two-state solution It would also be strongly resisted by neighbouring states, not least since they would be faced with the prospect of having to integrate or indefinitely segregate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians within their population, either of which would risk of further destabilisation. Losing the cover of the two-state solution could pose additional challenges for Israeli relations with the outside world, in particular Europe, whose policy of differentiating between Israel and the settlements would clash head on with a more openly annexationist Israel. Closer to home, a US shift away from the two-state solution could empower political rivals on Netanyahus right flank calling for the formal annexation of Palestinian territory, and those on his left warning of the dangers of the emerging one state reality. It is an irony that many of these politicians started off their careers under Netanyahu. What kind of a one-state solution? Moreover, the demise of the two-state solution leaves a vacuum that will increasingly be filled by advocates of a one-state solution that encompasses both Israel and the Palestinian territories. Israels President Reuven Rivlin has long advocated granting Palestinians full rights within a Jewish state, although in practice the emphasis on Jewish identity would sit difficultly with what would be a majority Palestinian population. For their part, growing numbers of Palestinians are discussing equal rights within a binational state. President Trumps apparent openness to a one-state solution will lend further weight to these voices. Trump could, therefore, have inadvertently done something past US presidents have struggled to do. By effectively, though unintentionally, calling Netanyahus bluff, he has fed an Israeli debate on the alternatives to a two-state solution and the potential consequences of Israels current trajectory in the occupied territories. In hindsight, Netanyahu may conclude that he could have done with a less accommodating US president, perhaps even reminding Trump of his famous remarks on the campaign trail: Mr President, we cant take it any more were winning too much! OPINION: Donald Trump and the death of the two-state solution Mattia Toaldo is a senior policy fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations Middle East and North Africa Programme where he focuses on Libya, Israel/Palestine and migration issues. Hugh Lovatt is a policy fellow and Israel/Palestine project coordinator at the European Council of Foreign Relations based in London. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Bombing of livestock market in ISIL-held Oqayrabat village possibly carried out by Russian fighter jets, monitor says. Air strikes have killed at least 11 civilians and wounded dozens more in an ISIL-held central Syrian village in Hama province, according to a monitor. Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the raids targeted a livestock market in the village of Oqayrabat that is held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. They are probably Russian air strikes, he said. Al Jazeera could not independently confirm the report. The British-based Syrian Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. Abdel Rahman said the raids on the village were part of new military operations by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally targeting jihadist positions in Hama province. Syrian and Russian jets on Saturday were heavily bombing ISIL fighters north and east of Palmyra, which has changed hands several times in Syrias nearly six-year war. Oqayrabat lies northwest of Palmyra, the ancient desert city that was recaptured by Russian-backed government forces from ISIL on Wednesday. The road between the two had often been used by ISIL to travel between the provinces of Hama and Homs, where Palmyra lies. READ MORE: Syrias civil war explained Also on Saturday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the government recaptured eight villages from ISIL in northeast parts of Aleppo province supported by the Russian air strikes. According to the Syrian Observatory, the target of the operation was ISIL-held Khafsah, the main station pumping water into Aleppo. Residents of Aleppo, Syrias second city, have been without mains water for 47 days since ISIL cut the supply. The fighting over the past week has sparked an exodus of more than 30,000 civilians, most of them women and children, the Syrian Observatory said on Saturday. Most of the displaced went to areas around Manbij, in Aleppo province, held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters who are also fighting ISIL. An AFP correspondent in Manbij saw dozens of families speeding towards the relative safety of the city on motorcycles and in small buses and cars. Many looked exhausted as they lined up at a checkpoint manned by the Manbij Military Council, the SDF unit that controls the town, to be searched and receive permission to enter. Ibrahim al-Quftan, co-chairman of Manbijs civil administration, told AFP that as many as 40,000 displaced had arrived in recent days. The numbers of displaced people here are still rising because of the clashes between the Syrian regime and Daesh [ISIL], Quftan said. These people are suffering very difficult circumstances. WATCH: The boy who started the Syrian war (47:00) Manbij already plays host to tens of thousands of displaced people that fled previous clashes in the area and are living in difficult circumstances, said the observatorys Abdel Rahman. This will make it difficult [for local authorities] to welcome a new wave of displaced people, given their inability to tend to their pressing needs. Also on Saturday, Turkey said a MiG-23 fighter jet, probably belonging to the Syrian air force, had crashed on the Syrian side of the border. There was no pilot in the wreckage. The MiG-23, believed to have been owned by the Syrian regime, crashed on the Syrian side of the border, Binali Yildirim, Turkeys prime minister, said. The pilot may have bailed out and come down on either side A search-and-rescue operation is under way. Its not clear why the plane crashed. It may be due to weather conditions. Investigation urged into possible use of toxic agents as Iraq hospital chief says he is certain chemical gas was used. Twelve people, including women and children, are being treated for possible exposure to chemical weapons agents in Mosul, where ISIL is fighting off an offensive by US-backed Iraqi forces, according to the UN. The UNs World Health Organization said in a statement on Saturday that with partners and local health authorities it activated an emergency response plan to safely treat men, women and children who may be exposed to the highly toxic chemical. Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, called for an investigation. This is horrible. If the alleged use of chemical weapons is confirmed, this is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime, regardless of who the targets or the victims of the attacks are, she said in a statement. The UN said all 12 patients had been received since March 1 for treatment which they are undergoing in Erbil, the capital of Iraqs Kurdish region, east of Mosul. Four of them are showing severe signs associated with exposure to a blister agent. The patients were reportedly exposed to the chemical agents in the eastern side of Mosul. Reporting from Erbil, Al Jazeeras Stefanie Dekker, who visited the hospital where the patients were being treated, said: I saw a young boy, about eight or nine years old, and his entire body had burn marks, black and brown marks, all across his body. The manager of the hospital told us when these patients came in, the emanated a very strong odour, which is one of the side effects of being affected by these chemical gases. The hospital manager was certain that some form of chemical gas has been used, our correspondent said. So far, no investigation into the use of chemical weapons has been launched. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday that five children and two women were receiving treatment for exposure to chemical agents. The ICRC statement did not say which side used the chemical agents that caused blisters, redness in the eyes, irritation, vomiting and coughing. Iraqi forces captured the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris River on February 19. The eastern side remains within reach of ISIL fighters rockets and mortar shells. Humanitarian crisis Defeating ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, in Mosul would crush the Iraqi wing of the armed group. ISIL, also known as ISIS, which holds the majority of west Mosul, has periodically used rudimentary chemical weapons in the course of its more than two-year war with Iraqi forces. The suspected use of chemical weapons comes as rapidly increasing flow of people pours out of western Mosul, fleeing fierce battles between Iraqi security forces and ISIL fighters. More than 50,000 people have fled the citys west since the push to retake it was launched on February 19, according to Jassem Mohammed al-Jaff, Iraqs minister of displacement and migration. On Saturday, Jaff criticised the UNs efforts in helping the displaced. Unfortunately, there is a clear shortfall in the work of these [UN] organisations, he said. The United Nations talks a lot but the efforts being made are little, despite the huge amount of money in their possession. For its part, the UN said it is working as fast as possible to help those displaced. UN agencies have been providing shelter, food and other assistance to Iraqis since the battle for Mosul began. The top priority for humanitarians is to make sure that there is sufficient capacity at emergency sites to deal with the number of civilians who are fleeing western Mosul, said Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator. In the past several weeks, we have been rushing to construct that capacity, and we are redoubling our efforts now. Chief prosecutor blames international group of 54 including suspects in Iran, Iraqi and Germany for killings of police. Bahrain says it has uncovered an international terrorist cell comprising 54 members, with police arresting 25 suspects in the Gulf country. The group includes 12 based in Iran and Iraq, one in Germany and 41 including 10 who escaped prison in January from Bahrain, the information ministry said on Friday in a statement sent to Al Jazeera. The statement did not disclose the suspects nationalities. Authorities said that they confiscated machine guns and explosive devices from the group, which is accused of carrying out and plotting deadly attacks on police in the country. The group was blamed for killing at least two police officers and injuring another one in three separate attacks in January in and around the capital Manama. Ahmed al-Hammadi, a chief prosecutor, told state news agency BNA that in total there are 41 alleged members. Sixteen of the suspected members in Bahrain remain at large, he said. Investigations revealed that the movements of the terrorists to other countries were coordinated by one of the cell leaders based in Germany, Hammadi said. He made the arrangements for several members to go to Iran and Iraq to receive training in the use of explosives and firearms at the Revolutionary Guard camps ahead of carrying out their terrorist crimes in Bahrain. The groups members smuggled weapons from Iran and Iraq, and committed other terrorist crimes, Hammadi said. Prosecution levelled 16 charges against the group. Four of the 25 detainees denied the charges, while the others confessed to them, Hammadi said. READ MORE: Bahrain police raid target clerics supporters Bahrain has been rocked by unrest since its Sunni authorities crushed Shia-led protests in 2011 which were demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister. Hundreds of Shia have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations. Shia protesters continue to clash with security forces in areas outside Manama. The Bahraini government blames Al-Wefaq, the countrys largest opposition movement, for the upheaval, accusing the party of pursuing an Iranian agenda. Al-Wefaq, for its part, denies the allegations, saying it wants to see the establishment of a constitutional government in the small Gulf kingdom. The Associated Press news agency said Iran has not yet responded to the chief prosecutors claims. Hotel in Bethlehem offers worst view in the world with rooms facing grey concrete. Secretive British street artist Banksy has opened a hotel next to Israels separation wall in Bethlehem, his latest artwork in the Palestinian territories. The Walled Off Hotel is only four metres from the wall which cuts through the occupied West Bank and all the rooms face it. It has the worst view of any hotel in the world, Banksy said in a statement. The artist himself was not in attendance, though dozens of his new works adorn the walls. Above one bed an Israeli soldier and Palestinian protester fight with pillows, while a television supposedly showing CNN is cracked and backwards. In the presidential suite, a working jacuzzi is fed from a leaking water tank similar to those that adorn the roofs of many Palestinian homes. There is also a gallery selling Palestinian art and a museum highlighting the history of the region and Western interference in it. At a push of a button, a moving statue of Arthur Balfour signs the decree which promised Jews a homeland in the land at that time called Palestine. Seven of the bedrooms were designed by Banksy himself. Two others were dreamed up by Canadian and Palestinian artists. The wall is one of the most striking symbols of Israels 50-year occupation, and has become a major focus for demonstrations and art work. READ MORE: Israel An inspiration for Trump Israel began construction on the wall in 2002, saying it was meant to keep out would-be attackers. But critics argue the wall serves as a de facto annexation of Palestinian land. According to the International Court of Justice it is in clear violation of international law. The Banksy statement said the hotel offers a warm welcome to people from all sides of the conflict and across the world. Banksy has maintained his anonymity despite numerous theories and attempts to reveal his identity since he started stencilling on walls in his native city of Bristol in southwest England more than a decade ago. His artwork comments on war, child poverty and the environment, and has a long history in the Palestinian territories. In February 2015, he allegedly sneaked into the Gaza Strip through a smuggling tunnel and painted three works on the walls of Gaza homes destroyed in Israeli air strikes during the previous years conflict. In 2007, he painted a number of artworks in Bethlehem, including a young girl frisking an Israeli soldier pinned up against a wall. In 2005, he sprayed nine stencilled images at different locations along the eight-metre-high wall. They included a ladder reaching over the wall, a young girl being carried over it by balloons and a window on the grey concrete showing beautiful mountains in the background. Tourism companies have long complained that the wall and Israels occupation have crippled the tourist industry in Bethlehem, considered the birthplace of Jesus. But Banksy art has attracted visitors, and Walled Off Hotel manager Wisam Salsah said he hoped the new project would continue this trend. Since 2008, we didnt have many tourists coming into Bethlehem, but there were more Banksy tourists coming than any other type of tourists, Salsah told Al Jazeera. Actually, there were more Banksy tourists coming to Bethlehem than Nativity Church tourists. We say more Banksy tourists than Jesus tourists. The announcement comes before the Communist Partys annual parliamentary and political meetings in Beijing. Defying pressure for a strong increase in defence spending, China said on Saturday that its military budget this year would grow by about seven percent, its slowest pace since 2010. Last year, with the economy slowing, the defence budget recorded its lowest increase in six years, 7.6 percent, the first single-digit rise since 2010 after a nearly unbroken two-decade run of double-digit increases. With the administration of new US President Donald Trump planning a 10 percent boost in military spending in 2017, and worries about potential disputes with the US over the South China Sea and the status of Taiwan, some in China had been pressing for a forceful message from this years defence budget. READ MORE: Trump assures Abe over disputed East China Sea islands Its not enough, a source with ties to senior Chinese officers told the Reuters news agency. A lot of people in the military wont be happy with this. Chinas military build-up has rattled nerves around the region, particularly because Bejing has taken an increasingly assertive stance in its territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas and over Taiwan, which it claims as its own. But there are concerns for Chinas military, including how to deal with the 300,000 troops President Xi Jinping announced in 2015 would be cut, mainly by the end of 2017. Last month, Chinese veterans demonstrated in central Beijing for two consecutive days, demanding unpaid retirement benefits in a new wave of protests highlighting the difficulty in managing demobilised troops. Its not yet certain what is going to happen to these people and the military is clearly hoping for more money to deal with them, one senior Beijing-based Asia diplomat said before this years defence budget was announced. READ MORE: Donald Trump wants constructive ties with China A seven percent rise for this year based on last years budget would bring the figure to 1.02 trillion yuan ($147bn), still only a quarter or so of the US defence budget. Graham Ong-Webb, a research fellow at Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told Al Jazeera that Chinas military spending tended to focus on procurement and on modernising its capabilities. So, even though its a relatively small amount, this amount is fielding new capabilities for contingencies in the South China Sea, Ong-Webb said. The defence spending figures will be published in full on Sunday. WHO says eight tonnes of aid delivered for first time since onset of war to hospitals in countrys third-largest city. Eight tonnes of medicine have been delivered to hospitals in government-held Taiz, Yemens third largest city under Houthi rebel siege, according to the UN health agency. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was the first time since the conflict began that the UN negotiated access by direct route to Taiz city. The truck arrived in Taiz city yesterday. The medicines have been distributed to hospitals today, Tarik Jasarevic, WHO spokesperson, told AFP news agency. More than 350,000 people are in need of urgent medical aid in Taiz, he said. The medical supplies included trauma kits, emergency medicine and pneumonia kits. Jasarevic also said that previously the UN had only been able to get some medical supplies to Taiz via smaller, side roads in the Arabian Peninsula country. The 23-month-long Houthi rebel siege of Taiz has caused shortages of food, water and medicines. At least 37 of the citys 40 hospitals and medical institutions have been forced to close, and the doctors and nurses brave enough to remain are forced to operate without essentials such oxygen which doctors require to put patients under general anaesthesia. During his latest visit to Yemen, Stephen OBrien, the UN humanitarian affairs chief, discussed with Houthi leaders the question of aid entry into areas such as Taiz. The meeting happened after he was stopped from delivering aid to the city, according to the UN News Centre. READ MORE Yemens war: No one knows when he is going to die The latest UNICEF report says that more than 400,000 children were at risk of starvation in Yemen with nearly 2.2 million in need of urgent care. The report mentions Taiz as one of the main governorates affected. Yemen has been torn apart by conflict since 2014, when Houthi rebels, allied with troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, captured large expanses of the country, including the capital Sanaa. A coalition of Arab countries assembled by Saudi Arabia launched an air campaign against the rebels in March 2015. Seven ceasefire accords have failed to end the war, which has left more than 7,500 dead and 40,000 people wounded, according to UN tally. Prime minister calls on citizens to help as hunger resulting from drought leads to rise in deaths in the Bay region. Somalias prime minister has announced the deaths of at least 110 people due to hunger and diarrhoea in the country over the past 48 hours amid a drought in the Bay region. The announcement by Hassan Ali Khaire on Saturday followed the Somali governments warning last week that the drought amounts to a national disaster. It is a difficult situation for the pastoralists and their livestock. Some people have been hit by [hunger] and diarrhoea at the same time. In the last 48 hours, 110 people died due to [hunger] and diarrhoea in Bay region, Khaires office said in a statement. The Bay region is in the southwest part of the country. READ MORE: Dying of hunger What is a famine? The Somali government will do its best, and we urge all Somalis, wherever they are, to help and save the dying Somalis, said the statement, released after a meeting of a famine response committee. Mostly children and elderly people died in villages surrounding the town of Baido, Abdullahi Omar Roble, the governments regional humanitarian chief, told the DPA news agency. There was not enough medication to treat all of the patients, Roble said. The drought has led to the spread of acute watery diarrhoea, cholera and measles and nearly 5.5 million people are at risk of contracting waterborne diseases. The cholera outbreak has killed at least 69 since Friday, a local government official said. More than 70 others have been treated in hospital. Thousands flock to Mogadishu UN experts have sounded a warning on deaths related to cholera and other diseases that arise from a lack of clean water. The UN estimates that five million people nationwide need aid, amid warnings of a full-blown famine. Thousands have streamed into the capital, Mogadishu, in search of food aid, overwhelming local and international aid agencies. More than 7,000 internally displaced people checked into one feeding centre recently. READ MORE: Somalia drought forces children out of school About 363,000 acutely malnourished children in Somalia need urgent treatment and nutrition support, including 71,000 who are severely malnourished, the US Agency for International Developments Famine Early Warning Systems Network has said. The Somali government has said the widespread hunger makes people vulnerable to exploitation, human rights abuses and to criminal and terrorist networks. Somalia was one of four regions singled out by the UN secretary-general last month in a $4.4bn aid appeal to avert catastrophic hunger and famine, along with northeast Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen. In 2011, an estimated 260,000 people starved to death in Somalia. The UN humanitarian appeal for 2017 for Somalia is $864m, to provide assistance to 3.9 million people. But the UN World Food Programme recently requested an additional $26m plan to respond to the drought. IN PICTURES: Drought in Somalia Time is Running Out The drought is the first crisis for Somalias newly elected Somali American leader, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who is also known as Farmajo. Mohamed has appealed to the international community and Somalias diaspora of two million people for help. Previous droughts and a quarter-century of conflict, including ongoing attacks by al-Shabab, have left the country fragile. Prisoners, all Jordanians, convicted of terrorism offences and rape hanged in Suaga prison, south of the capital. Jordan hanged 15 death row prisoners at dawn on Saturday, in a further break with a moratorium on executions it had observed between 2006 and 2014. Ten were convicted of terror offences, including attacks on tourists, a writer, and security forces. Five others were convicted of crimes including rape, Mahmud al-Momani, Jordanian information minister told the official Petra news agency. The group of 10 were part of the so-called Irbid terror cell, which was responsible for several attacks. In 2005, King Abdullah II said Jordan aimed to become the first Middle Eastern country to stop carrying out executions, in line with most European countries. Courts continued to hand down death sentences, but they were not carried out. But public opinion blamed a rise in crime on the policy and in December 2014 Jordan hanged 11 men convicted of murder, drawing criticism from human rights groups. Opinion hardened after the murder by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group of captured Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh whose plane had crashed in a rebel-held region of Syria in December 2014. Grisly footage posted in February the following year of him being burned alive in a cage outraged the public. READ MORE: Will Jordan lead ISIL to the gates of hell? Jordan swiftly hanged two people convicted of terrorism offences, including Sajida al-Rishawi. She had taken part in a 2005 suicide attack on luxury hotels in Amman organised by ISILs forebear, al-Qaeda in Iraq, but her explosives failed to detonate. Jordan is part of a US-led military coalition that has been carrying out air raids against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. More than 100 other threats remain unsolved after Juan Thompson is arrested, accused of cyberstalking. A former journalist fired for fabricating details in stories made at least eight of a recent slew of threats against Jewish institutions across the United States, as part of a campaign to harass and frame his ex-girlfriend, federal officials have said. Juan Thompson was arrested in St Louis and appeared there in federal court on Friday on a cyberstalking charge. But that left unsolved more than 100 other threats made since the beginning of the year, some of which forced the evacuation of Jewish community centres (JCC) and schools. The Anti-Defamation League has tabulated a total of 121 threats reported since January 1, labelling them an epidemic. Law enforcement authorities are also investigating attacks on Jewish cemeteries in three cities which saw hundreds of gravestones tumbled and broken. The latest took place in Rochester, New York late on Wednesday. Just because theres been an arrest today doesnt mean that threats have disappeared or will stop, Evan Bernstein, New York regional director for the Anti-Defamation League also a target of the bomb threats told a press conference on Friday. There are many more JCC bomb threats that have not been solved and we hope all law enforcement will continue to be diligent. Bomb threat Thompson started making threats on January 28, a criminal complaint said. It is unclear why Jewish organisations were targeted. The first threat was in an email to the Jewish History Museum in New York written from an account that made it appear as if it were being sent by an ex-girlfriend. Juan Thompson put 2 bombs in the History Museum set to go off Sunday, it said. He followed that up with similar messages to a Jewish school in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and to a school and community centre in Manhattan, authorities said. In another round of emails and phone calls, he gave the womans name, rather than his own, the court complaint said. READ MORE: Muslims raise $55,000 to fix vandalised Jewish cemetery The Council on American-Islamic Relations received an anonymous email saying the woman put a bomb in a Dallas Jewish centre. Thompson, who is black, then took to Twitter: Know any good lawyers? he wrote. Need to stop this nasty/racist #whitegirl I dated who sent a bomb threat in my name. He later tweeted to the secret service saying he had been tormented by an anti-Semite. She sent an antijewish bomb threat in my name. Help. But police say it was a hoax created to make the woman look guilty. Thompson also made threats in which he identified the woman as the culprit, authorities said. Fabricating stories Thompson was fired from the online publication The Intercept last year after being accused of fabricating several quotes and creating fake email accounts to impersonate people, including the Intercepts editor-in-chief. One of the stories involved Dylann Roof, the white shooter of black worshippers at a Charleston, South Carolina, church. Thompson had written that a cousin named Scott Roof claimed the gunman was angry that a love interest chose a black man over him. A review showed there was no cousin by that name. The story was retracted. The Intercept wrote Friday it was horrified to learn of Thompsons arrest. According to the criminal complaint, Thompson and the ex-girlfriend, a social worker, broke up last summer. The following day, her boss received an email purporting to be from a national news organisation saying she had been pulled over for drunken driving. Her company, a nonprofit that works to end homelessness, also got faxes saying she was anti-Semitic. The Federal Communications Commission said on Friday it will grant an emergency waiver allowing Jewish community centres and their phone carriers to track the numbers of callers who make threats, even if the callers try to block the numbers. Unlike Thompsons emailed threats, the majority were made by a person or people by telephone using voice-masking, automated calling and spoofing technologies to hide their identity and location. All proved to be hoaxes and no one has been injured. On February 16, police in South Carolina arrested a man with suspected ties to white supremacist groups for allegedly planning to attack a synagogue. Suspect in the murder of North Korean leaders brother points finger at Malaysian authorities as he denies involvement. A suspect in the murder of the North Korean leaders estranged half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, has said he was a victim of a conspiracy by Malaysia aimed at damaging North Koreas honour. Speaking to reporters outside the North Korean embassy in Beijing, Ri Jong-chol, a North Korean, accused the Malaysian government on Saturday of using coercion to extract information from him in detention. I realised that this is a conspiracy plot to try to damage the status and honour of the republic, he said, adding that he was presented with false evidence while in Malaysia. Ri, who was deported to China on Friday after being released by Malaysian police a day earlier, denied knowing anything about an accusation that his car was used in the case and said he was not at the airport on the day of the killing. READ MORE: Who produced the VX poison? I had no reason to go. I was just doing my work, he said, adding that he worked in Malaysia trading ingredients needed for soap manufacturing. Kim was murdered on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where he was allegedly attacked by two women who, according to Malaysian police, smeared his face with VX, a chemical classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. South Korean intelligence and US officials say the murder was an assassination organised by North Korean agents, though the only suspects charged in the case so far are an Indonesian woman and a Vietnamese woman. North Korea on Thursday denied accusations that it was involved, saying the victim died from heart failure. The incident has undermined North Korean-Malaysian relations, which had been friendly. Malaysia announced on Thursday that it was stopping visa-free travel for North Koreans. READ MORE: Meet the Kims Whos who in North Koreas first family The suspects, Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, were formally charged with murder in a Malaysian court on Wednesday. If convicted, they will face the mandatory death penalty. Although he had criticised his half-brothers regime, Kim was not known to be seeking political power. French presidential candidate says she will answer judges questions about alleged fund misuse after election. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has refused to attend a summons by judges over allegations of misuse of European Union funds, according to her lawyer. Marcel Ceccaldi said on Friday Le Pen had told the judges she would not attend before the end of the presidential campaign, to be held in two stages in April and May. Of course, she wont go, Ceccaldi said, citing Le Pens parliamentary immunity. A day earlier, EU politicians lifted Le Pens EU parliamentary immunity on Thursday in a separate case involving tweeting pictures of violence by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). Florian Philippot, a vice president of Le Pens National Front Party, told French broadcaster LCI that Le Pen herself requested a judicial investigation be opened more than a year ago and they waited until a year later, the presidential campaign, to do it. Its a bit much so, shell respond after [the elections], he said. Political interference Le Pen was called in for questioning for wrongfully claiming aides salaries from the European Parliament. She has already seen her earnings as a member of the European Parliament cut in connection with the case. The far-right leader has denounced the legal proceedings against her as political interference in the election campaign, where she is the leading candidate. She is expected to win the first of the two election rounds, but likely to lose in a runoff, according to polls, which also show that her legal battles seem to have little effect on her supporters. Le Pens immunity has been lifted before, in 2013. She was prosecuted in 2015 for incitement to discrimination over peoples religious beliefs, for comparing Muslims praying in public to the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. Prosecutors eventually recommended the charges be dropped. Benghazi Defence Brigades says in control of five cities and two major oil producing areas in the east of the country. The Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) says it has captured five cities and two major oil-producing areas in the east of Libya after opposing forces carried out air raids around major oil ports overnight, seeking to regain control of the area. At least nine men were killed in the fighting on Friday as the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) and allied forces retreated from the oil ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, two of Libyas largest export terminals, following the attacks by the BDB. The forces of eastern Libyas military strongman Khalifa Haftar conceded the loss on Saturday. The attackers were armed with modern tanks, spokesman for Haftars forces, Colonel Ahmad al-Mismari, said. We lost two men. But the battle is ongoing. The situation in the Oil Crescent remains under control. The assault raised the prospect of a new escalation of violence around the ports, and put at risk a sharp boost to Libyas oil production achieved after the LNA took over four ports in September, ending a blockade at three of them. Though Es Sider and Ras Lanuf have been reopened for exports, they were badly damaged in past fighting and are operating well below capacity. It was not clear to what extent the BDB had gained control over the ports, or whether operations at the terminals had been affected. Haftar claims to control most of the eastern part of Libya around Benghazi, Oliver Miles, former British ambassador to Libya, told Al Jazeera. But, control is a loose word. Hes been fighting for a long time to deal with them and it has taken a long time time to clear them up. Hes repeatedly said theyve dealt with the problem but they keep reuniting. In response to the BDB advance, air raids were carried out in Ras Lanuf, Es Sidra, Ben Jawad and Harawa, Mismari added. READ MORE: Amid Libyas chaos, human traffickers have free rein A resident in Ras Lanuf said they heard fighter jets over the town at dawn on Saturday, followed by explosions. Residents posted pictures of fires and damage to buildings apparently caused by the strikes. Libyas oil production has recently been fluctuating around 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), more than double its output last year but still well under the 1.6 million bpd the OPEC member was producing before a 2011 uprising. The Benghazi Defence Brigades are composed partly of fighters who were ousted from Benghazi by the LNA. That battle is linked to a wider conflict between political and armed factions based in eastern and western Libya. Kang Chol declared persona non grata following the alleged murder of North Korean leaders half-brother in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has declared North Koreas ambassador persona non grata over the alleged murder of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns half-brother and ordered the diplomat to leave the country within the next 48 hours. Kang Chols expulsion came on Saturday, just weeks after Kim Jong-nam was allegedly poisoned at Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13. The expulsion of the DPRK [North Korea] ambassador is an indication of the governments concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities, Malaysias foreign ministry said in a statement. The decision was made after he failed to appear at Malaysias foreign ministry at 6pm local time on Saturday despite being summoned, said Al Jazeeras Florence Looi, reporting from Kuala Lumpur. [Authorities] were also expecting North Korea to issue an apology because of the accusations they were making against Malaysia. But that also didnt happen, so they took this drastic measure they said. Kim Jong-nam died after falling suddenly ill at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where he was allegedly attacked by two women who, according to Malaysian police, smeared his face with VX, a chemical classified by the UN as a weapon of mass destruction. He was at the airport to fly to Macau, where he had a home. In late February, Kang Chol accused Malaysia of colluding with hostile forces to harm North Korea, after rival South Korea said North Korea had orchestrated the attack that killed Kim Jong-nam. Following the incident, Malaysia summoned Chol as well as cancelled a rare visa-free travel deal with North Korea and recalled its ambassador to Pyongyang. South Koreas spy agency believes North Korea was behind the alleged murder, but has produced no evidence. A conspiracy plot In another development on Saturday related to the case, one of the suspects said he was a victim of a conspiracy by Malaysia aimed at damaging North Koreas honour. Speaking to reporters outside the North Korean embassy in Beijing, Ri Jong-chol said: I realised that this is a conspiracy plot to try to damage the status and honour of the republic. He said he was presented with false evidence while in Malaysia. Ri, who was deported to China on Friday after being released by Malaysian police a day earlier, denied accusations that his car was used in the case. Insisting that he was not at the airport on the day of Kim Jong-nams death, he said: I had no reason to go. I was just doing my work. Ri said he worked in the soap-manufacturing industry. Kim Jong-nam and Kim Jong-un are sons of former leader Kim Jong-il, who died in late 2011, but they had different mothers. Analysts in Seoul say Kim Jong-un probably had his brother killed because he could be a potential challenger to his rule in a country. North Korea has a history of ordering killings of people it views as threats to its government. While Kim Jong-nam was not thought to be seeking influence, his position as the eldest son of the family that has ruled North Korea since its founding could have made him appear to be a danger. Unionist DUP now has just a one-seat advantage as nationalist parties achieve best result in history of province. The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party narrowly remained Northern Irelands largest party after edging nationalists Sinn Fein by a single seat in a snap election called after the government collapsed. It was the closest nationalists, traditionally backed by Catholics, have ever come to becoming the biggest party in the Protestant-majority province. Unionist candidates, who tend to be favoured by Protestants, captured less than half of the seats for the first time. Voters turned out in their highest numbers for two decades in the first regional election in the UK since its vote to leave the European Union as nationalists who favour a united Ireland and unionists who want the province to remain British jostled for influence. READ MORE: Northern Ireland holds snap assembly election Final results from Thursdays assembly elections showed the DUP had won 28 seats and Sinn Fein 27 in the provinces semi-autonomous 90-seat parliament after all ballots were counted on Saturday. Let us now move forward with hope, hope that civility can return to our politics, outgoing first minister Arlene Foster of the DUP told supporters after her re-election on Friday. There is work to be done to quickly mend the relationship which has been frayed by the discord of this election. Sinn Feins leader Michelle ONeill told journalists it was an amazing day as her party benefited from a jump in turnout to 65 percent, the highest since the first elections held after the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement. Al Jazeeras Lawrance Lee, reporting from Belfast, said the nationalist party managed to recast itself successfully in the recent months. Michelle ONeill has no direct link to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and they have been campaigning as entirely non-sectarian, what they would call it as progressive issues like gay marriage and womens rights, he said. They have very successfully managed to portray the DUP as a dinasaur party stuck in a sectarian past which no longer exists. The DUPs failure to win at least 30 seats also means it no longer has the power to veto legislation on its own, something the conservative party had used to block extending gay marriage to the province. Power-sharing The two largest parties now have three weeks to form a new power-sharing government to avoid devolved power returning to the British parliament at Westminster for the first time in a decade. But with relations at their lowest point in a decade, Sinn Fein insists among its demands for re-entering government that Foster must step aside while months of investigations begin into a botched green energy scheme that she established. READ MORE: May Northern Ireland crisis mustnt jeopardise peace The former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, who accused the DUP of not treating it as equals before collapsing the previous administration in January, will be further buoyed by their strong showing. Brexit factor No one predicts the impasse will bring a return to the violence that killed 3,600 people in the three decades before the peace agreement. But some are warning there could be a deterioration in community relations, coupled with government paralysis as Brexit talks determine the provinces political and economic future. Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU, but was overruled by a majority vote to leave in Britain as a whole. Britain has signalled its intention to leave the EUs customs union after Brexit, raising fears of a new hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is an EU member state. READ MORE: Why a hard Brexit will cost the UK more than Europe Negotiation are due to begin Monday and they have three weeks to try to work out what they are going to do to keep the executive going, if they cant do that then power returns to London and it will be disaster in the northern Irish politics, given that majority of politicans are against brexit, Al Jazeeras Lawrance Lee said. London, Dublin and Brussels have all insisted they want to keep free movement across the Irish border a key component of the Good Friday agreement. But the possibility of a return to checkpoints has stirred memories of The Troubles when cross-border smuggling was rife and British outposts along the frontier became targets for IRA fighters. One-third of children in Somalia could drop out of school as the country is threatened with famine. A third of children in Somalias drought-affected areas are at risk of dropping out of school, the UN says, as a shortage of food and water has left more than 6.2 million people needing urgent help. The drought is threatening the lives of millions and almost three million are going hungry. Three million children in the country are missing school and more than 100,000 could join them, according to the UN. On Tuesday, Somalias newly elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared a national disaster due to the drought. The Horn of Africa nation is one of three countries along with Yemen and Nigeria that the aid agencies say are on the verge of famine. The desperate search for water and food proving particularly difficult for children. Id love to go back to school, but Ive been forced to leave because Im the eldest child in my family and I need to work at home, Sadia Omar, a former student, told Al Jazeera. I fetch water and grass for the animals, but now because of the drought there is more work. Al Jazeeras Fahmida Miller, reporting from Dollow in southern Somalia, said severe drought was forcing families to migrate in search of help. The number of children at this school [in the Dhuma Dhuma area] has halved in just three months, she said. Families here live off their livestock and theyre doing all they can to keep their animals alive. If that means keeping their children out of school to look after them, many families are prepared to make the sacrifice. READ MORE: 40 percent of Somalis dont have enough food to eat, says UN On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Somalia was at risk of its third famine in 25 years. The last one, in 2011, killed almost 260,000 people. The drought has led to a spread of acute watery diarrhoea, cholera and measles and nearly 5.5 million people are at risk of contracting waterborne diseases. According to the WHO, more than 363,000 acutely malnourished children and 70,000 severely malnourished children need urgent, life-saving support. If the drought continues, these children will continue missing school and it will also impact their future learning and they wont come back, Abdihakim Ahmed, the headteacher at the school in Dhuma Dhuma, said. US president takes to Twitter to accuse predecessor of spying on his communications, but does not provide evidence. US President Donald Trump accused his predecessor Barack Obama of tapping his phones during the late stages of the election campaign, but offered no evidence to support the allegation. Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to make the allegations. How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!, Trump tweeted to his 25.9 million followers. In another post, Trump said the alleged tapping took place in October at his Trump Tower skyscraper in New York, but there was nothing found. How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Obamas spokesman Kevin Lewis denied the claims, saying: Neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false. Trumps administration has come under pressure from FBI and congressional investigations into contacts between some members of his campaign team and Russian officials during his bid to become the US 45th The US. Trumps tweets came a day after he fiercely criticised Democrats over their demands for Jeff Sessions, attorney general, to resign for failing to disclose meetings with Russias ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak. READ MORE: Donald Trump: Total witch-hunt over attorney general Trump called allegations that Sessions lied under oath during a confirmation hearing a total witch-hunt. Obama imposed sanctions on Russia and ordered Russian diplomats to leave the US in December over the countrys involvement in hacking political groups in the November 8 US presidential election. Michael Flynn, Trumps national security adviser, resigned in February after it became apparent that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with Kislyak before Trump took office. Intercepted communications Flynn had told Vice President Mike Pence he had not discussed US sanctions with the Russians, but transcripts of intercepted communications showed that the subject had come up in conversation. Trump has often used his Twitter account to attack rivals. For years, he led a campaign alleging that Obama was not born in the US, but later retracted that claim. Despite the hostility, though, Trump has offered some kind words about his predecessor as he settled into the White House. In November, after winning the election, Trump said Obama was a very good man. US president tweets picture of Democrat senator eating doughnuts with President Putin, questioning his links to Russia. US President Donald Trump has labelled his Democrat opponents hypocrites after they called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign over his contacts with Russia. Trump on Friday tweeted a photograph of Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer eating doughnuts with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite! Trump wrote. A second Trump tweet showed House minority leader Nancy Pelosi at a large table across from top Russian officials and called for her to be investigated, too. On Thursday, Schumer and Pelosi led calls by opposition Democrats in Congress for the resignation of Sessions, who during confirmation hearings in January failed to disclose 2016 meetings with the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak. We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite! pic.twitter.com/Ik3yqjHzsA Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2017 Responding to Trump, Schumer pointed out that the 2003 meeting at a Russian-owned Lukoil gas station in Long Island, New York, was in full view of press & public. The New York senator said he would happily talk under oath and asked if you & your team would do likewise. The Schumer photo had circulated on pro-Trump websites before being tweeted by the president. OPINION: How Jeff Sessions should remind Americans of the past In the tweet about Pelosi, Trump linked to a 2010 photo in which she and other lawmakers are shown meeting with Russian officials, including then-President Dmitry Medvedev and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Pelosi had initially denied ever meeting Kislyak; her spokeswoman later clarified that they never had a one-on-one meeting. After Trumps tweet, Pelosi replied that Trump doesnt know the difference between an official meeting photographed by the press and a secret meeting that Sessions lied about under oath. Sessions said on Thursday he would disqualify himself from justice department decisions on investigations related to 2016 presidential campaigns. The FBI is reportedly probing ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, but the justice department does not routinely acknowledge investigations. Sessions and the Kremlin denied that there had been any inappropriate contact. I never had meetings with Russian operatives or Russian intermediaries about the Trump campaign, Sessions said on Thursday. In Moscow, a Kremlin spokesman called it normal practice for diplomats to meet foreign officials. Sessions said the ambassador meetings were part of his role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and not linked to his role as an adviser in the Trump campaign. In his January 10 confirmation hearing, Sessions said: I did not have communications with the Russians. Trumps national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned last month after it emerged that he had been in contact with Kislyak about US sanctions against Russia. The FATF has found that there is a high risk that criminals will try to launder money or finance terrorism through the UAE. We examine the medias softening criticism of President Trump. Plus, Peru launches first Quechua-language news show. On The Listening Post this week: Isnt it time for the media to stop playing victim and double down on reporting Trumps America? Plus, Perus newest news show is in one of its oldest languages. The two faces of Trump In the space of five days, Donald Trump presented two very different versions of himself to the American public and the media. How the media reacted to both told a tale of its own. Contributors: Callum Borchers, reporter, The Washington Post Michael Calderone, senior media reporter, The Huffington Post Barbie Zelizer, professor, author, former journalist Hamid Dabashi, academic, Colombia University Jeff Mason, white house correspondent, Reuters On our radar: German news magazine discovers nearly two-decade-long campaign of spying on foreign journalists Editor of a leading Turkish newspaper steps down following a controversial headline Crackdown on protests over media freedom in Togo turns violent Nuqanchik: First Quechua-language newscast launches in Peru The Listening Post travels to Peru to speak to journalists behind a new show broadcast in Quechua one of the regions oldest languages. With around eight million speakers across the South American continent, and 13 percent of the Peruvian population itself fluent in the language, Quechua is the most widely spoken indigenous language in the Americas. And its appearance on Perus public broadcaster Canal Peru is being seen as a significant moment in the countrys media history. Contributors: Clodomiro Landeo, presenter, Nuqanchik Marisol Mesa, presenter, Nuqanchik Hugo Coya, director, National Institute of Radio and Television Raul Castro, media anthropologist Patricia del Rio, host, Radio Television Peru English News China accelerates reform to boost senior service industry Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 3 Mars 2017 At the end of last year, the Chinese State Council released a guideline on widening the access of the senior service market and improving the quality of senior service, requiring the service to orient towards community, rural areas as well as incapacitated and semi-incapacitated senior citizens. By Li Ning from Peoples Daily By further streamlining administration and delegating power, strengthening supervision and improving the service level, China will mobilize social forces to participate in the development of elderly care industry, lower the institutional cost for entrepreneurship and create a fair development environment, according to a policy paper released by relevant Chinese authorities recently. The Notice on Accelerating the Reform on the Entry, Supervision and Service Level of the Senior Service Industry was released by thirteen departments, including Ministry of Civil Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Land and Resources and National Elderly Work Committee Office. Now entering into an aging society, China has huge demands for the elderly nursing industry. In 2015, the number of senior aged over 60 in China reached 220 million, accounting for 16.1 percent of the total population. The quality of the industry concerns over 200 million senior citizens, especially the over 40 million incapacitated or semi- incapacitated elderly. However, the sheer quantity and quality of Chinas senior service supply still fall short of the increasing demand for the industry. China is now still headache with inaccessibility of urban and rural public facilities, as well as insufficient supply of senior products. Other than a livelihood project involving the welfare of billions of people, the senior service industry is also a rising business with great potential. At the end of last year, the Chinese State Council released a guideline on widening the access of the senior service market and improving the quality of senior service, requiring the service to orient towards community, rural areas as well as incapacitated and semi-incapacitated senior citizens. Nursing care resources should be further expanded and the development of small-sized and professional chain service agencies should be vigorously supported, read the guideline. To address the short boards in senior service, the guideline also pointed out that for community senior service, China will speed up the construction of a comprehensive service information platform and provide such home service as meal assistance, cleaning assistance, walking aid, bathing assistance and medical assistance. Small-sized community nursing homes are encouraged to meet the needs of senior citizens within close proximity as well. Pic: On Oct. 8, 2016, the day before Chinas traditional Double Ninth Festival when people show respect to the elderly, resident troops made dumplings and watched shows with senior citizens at a nursing home in Qingdao, Shandong province. (Photo by Peoples Daily) Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News China's economic transformation to enter new phase Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 4 Mars 2017 Chinas investment into other markets is surging. Official data shows that non-financial outbound direct investment increased 44.1 percent year on year to $170 billion in 2016, far outweighing the around 15 percent growth of previous years. By Zhu Jianhong from Peoples Daily Chinas economic transformation has entered a quality improvement phase following a period of slower growth, a Chinese economist told the Peoples Daily in a recent interview. Last year, the economy experienced slower but stable growth, while the producer price index (PPI), which measures the cost of goods at the factory gate, increased, ending a four-year streak of decline, said Li Wei, director with the Development Research Center of the State Council. The economist further explained that in the same period, businesses reported growth, and urban employment also registered a better-than-expected number. All these signs show that Chinas economy is moving towards more healthy growth in terms of both quality and efficiency, leaving less risks for a sharp fall, he added. Dragged down by weak global demand, Chinas exports slumped 7.7 percent year on year in 2016, the second annual decline in a row. A key troublemaker of the dismal exports is less foreign direct investment in manufacturing. But Chinas investment into other markets is surging. Official data shows that non-financial outbound direct investment increased 44.1 percent year on year to $170 billion in 2016, far outweighing the around 15 percent growth of previous years. It on one hand means more domestic businesses are now improving their competence and profitability by expanding overseas markets, and on the other hand implies that Chinas reforms to build an open economy are reaping harvests, Li pointed out. The Chinese government, in its annual Central Economic Work Conference which sets the national agenda for economic work, has prioritized revitalizing the real economy. To fulfill the mission, Li suggested that China first boost demand by rebuilding consumer confidence in the Made in China brand. To realize this goal, relevant departments need to tighten supervision on product quality, strengthen protection of consumer rights, and improve the overall institutional environment, he elaborated. According to Li, Made in China 2025, a national plan to boost the manufacturing sector, has to be strictly implemented to improve business innovation. The scholar explained that although Chinese companies have strong manufacturing capability, most of them must become more.competitive. We need to foster a host of strategic industrial clusters with core competence as soon as possible, and create more famous brands recognized in the overseas market, the scholar continued. He said that downward pressure remains in 2017, but China should focus on its reform and development amid challenges from the global economy. Facing the arduous task of supply-side structural reform, China will secure stable growth this year as soon as it can prevent systematic risks, Li concluded. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News China's poverty eradication among the greatest human rights achievements: expert Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 3 Mars 2017 Discriminatory words concerning Chinas human rights record are heard in almost every human rights session of the UN. It is believed some organizations and individuals with ulterior motives always turn a blind eye to Chinas human rights progress, but make a judgment via blinkers. By Zhang Mengxu from Peoples Daily China's poverty eradication is among the greatest human rights achievements, experts pointed out, dismissing voices smearing Chinas human rights record at the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. Discriminatory words concerning Chinas human rights record are heard in almost every human rights session of the UN. It is believed some organizations and individuals with ulterior motives always turn a blind eye to Chinas human rights progress, but make a judgment via blinkers. However, over the past years, China has made great achievements in human rights undertakings. For instance, food and clothing are no longer a problem for the 1.3 billion Chinese people. Over the past three decades, over 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty, accounting for more than 70 percent of the global poverty reduction. China is the first country to have realized the Millennium Development Goal of halving its poor population. At present, 770 million Chinese are employed and nine-year compulsory education has achieved universal coverage. Rights of 230 million senior residents and 85 million handicapped people are well protected, and the basic life of over 60 million low-income residents in urban and rural areas is supported by the government. Prior to the founding of PRC in 1949, China's per capita life expectancy was only 35, and for now the number has been raised to 76. China is hailed by the UN as having the best record of improving life expectancy during the past three decades. Tom Zwart, director of the Netherlands School of Human Rights Research, ranked Chinas record of poverty relief among the greatest human rights achievements of all time. He didnt hesitate to show his anger towards false speeches belittling Chinas progress. I sincerely congratulate on the remarkable success of the CPC and Chinese government in eradicating poverty, added Zwart, also a human rights professor with Utrecht University. China has been actively engaged in international human rights cooperation based on the spirit of equality, mutual trust, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit, so as to push forward with a just and objective international human rights system. In 2016, China was elected to the UN Human Rights Council by 180 votes, becoming one of a few countries which have sat in the Council for four times. China has joined 26 international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and five other core human rights covenants. It also shoulders its international human rights responsibilities by accepting multiple human rights reviews. In addition, China has held human rights dialogues and exchanges with almost 40 countries, launched technical cooperation on human rights with UN agencies, injecting great energy into global human rights governance. Zamir Akram, chair-rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development at the United Nations Human Rights Council, commented that China is the only social and economic entity that has ever achieved such a rapid development. Over 700 million Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty in such a short period, he hailed, adding that the country also has offered big amount of aid to other developing countries. Pic: Villagers from Guangan, Sichuan province hold a housewarming banquet after they were relocated to new houses before the Spring Festival this year. (Photo by Peoples Daily) Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News China to have 74 more airports by 2020 Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 4 Mars 2017 By 2020, six airport clusters encompassing Chinas northern part, northeast, central and southern part, southwestern area as well as northwest region will be completed, read the report, adding that new airports for cargo transportation will be deployed as well. By Huang Fahong from Peoples Daily China plans to have 74 more civil transport airports to bring the total number in the country to around 260 by 2020, said the latest report released by civil aviation regulator. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), by then, number of air passengers in China will grow to 720 million. It means that China will complete its construction of a traffic network in air in the near future after the convenient high-speed railway network takes shape. Civil airlines have constituted Chinas most important transportation tools together with railways and roads. Latest data from the CAAC revealed that during the week-long 2017 Spring Festival holiday, over 80,000 flights were operated by domestic airlines and 9.84 million passengers were transported by them, up by 11.9 percent and 15.1 percent over the previous year respectively. In addition, 12.83 million seats were available, with an average load factor of 83 percent. But the countrys aviation industry needs a more balanced structure. To this end, the plan, by putting more emphasis on short-distance transport, would make passenger trips easier to those remoter areas that regional aircraft hard to cover. By 2020, six airport clusters encompassing Chinas northern part, northeast, central and southern part, southwestern area as well as northwest region will be completed, read the report, adding that new airports for cargo transportation will be deployed as well. Of the 74 civil transport airports, 30 ones are under construction and 40 ones will be new. Upon completion, the total number would reach about 260. The airports located in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are requested to improve their competitive edges to build themselves into international hubs after complementing their advantages with neighbors but differentiating their positioning. These airports will be upgraded to world-class airport clusters that meet the development demands of the cities in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta. The country's airline on-time arrival rate was 67 percent in 2015, but the regulator asked the carriers to increase that figure to 80 percent by 2020, as an effort to reduce the customer complaints resulted from flight delay. Pic: Terminals of Maotao airport, an airport located in Yaoba village, Maotai county to serve the county-level city of Renhuai under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zunyi in Guizhou Province, is under construction on January 18. With a total investment of 1.573 billion yuan, the new branch airport can accommodate Boeing 737 series, A320 and other models. (Photo by Peoples Daily Online) Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Chinese diplomat unmasks hypocritical slams against Chinas veto on Syria sanctions Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 4 Mars 2017 We still remember the huge disasters brought by some countries after they waged wars against the region by alleging the latter of possessing large amount of weapons of mass destruction, and the Middle East still has not shaken itself from its after-effects, Liu underlined. By Huan Xiang from Peoples Daily As Russia and China vetoed it, the UN Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution on Syria sanctions on 28th February. But what impressed is the seven-minute-long explanation given by a Chinese diplomat on the reasons behind the decision, in which he unmasked the extremely hypocritical faces of some powers. The defeated resolution, drafted by Britain, France and the US, aimed to impose sanctions over alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. If adopted, the draft resolution would have imposed asset freezes and travel bans on individuals and entities associated with the Syrian government. The British, US and Japanese representatives pointed blame at China and Russia after their veto against the draft. UKs permanent representative to the UN Matthew Rycroft told the council that he was astonished by Russias abuse of veto power, and was surprised and disappointed that China had also cast a veto. Chinese permanent representative to the UN Liu Jieyi fought back those denouncements with a rare seven and a half minutes long speech. We oppose the use of chemical weapons by any state, any organization and any individual under any circumstance, and support the punishments against all instances of chemical weapons use,"said Liu. As a victim of chemical weapons back in those days, China has more right than any other country to condemn its use, the diplomat added. He also called on relevant countries to reflect on history to prevent from repeated catastrophes, citing the Middle East region as an example. We still remember the huge disasters brought by some countries after they waged wars against the region by alleging the latter of possessing large amount of weapons of mass destruction, and the Middle East still has not shaken itself from its after-effects, Liu underlined. He stressed that "it is too early to reach a final conclusion" since investigations on the use of chemical weapons are still ongoing, adding that a forcible vote amid serious disagreements of members did not help solve the chemical weapons issue in Syria, let alone the political settlement of the Syrian crisis. In his last seconds of off-script remarks, Liu asked relevant stakeholders to reflect on how Syria and the Middle East were allowed to degenerate to their current situations, and what parts they played in this process. Which actions are good and which ones are ulterior? It is extremely hypocritical to take the interests of the public only in words, the ambassador emphasized. Zheng Qirong, a UN studies expert at China Foreign Affairs University, said that Lius relatively long statement is the latest case of Chinese representatives sending detailed, timely and clear-cut messages refuting slams or misunderstandings from the outside world. But he pointed out that as the US and Russia are now wrestling their influence in Middle East affairs, the outside world will focus more on Chinas positions. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Chinese strategy offers solution to global cyberspace governance Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 4 Mars 2017 Chinas first strategic document in the subject demonstrates its firm determination to push ahead international cooperation, Peoples Daily pointed out in its commentary under the byline of Zhongsheng. By Li Ning from Peoples Daily China on Wednesday released its strategy on cyberspace cooperation, with an aim to build a community of shared future in cyberspace around the globe. The roadmap offers the Chinese solution to difficulties the world is now facing in cyberspace governance. The International Strategy of Cooperation on Cyberspace, issued by Foreign Ministry and State Internet Information Office, is the first document China has released regarding the virtual domain. Themed with peaceful development, win-win cooperation, the strategic guideline illustrates China's approach to cyberspace cooperation. It is the first comprehensive and systematic policy paper China wrote about international cooperation on this subject. The strategic document called for an international cyberspace collaboration based on peace, sovereignty, shared governance and shared benefits. In the paper, China urged the international community to ensure peace and security in cyberspace by observing the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter in real earnest, persist in equal-footed sovereignty, never pursue cyber hegemony or interfere in other countries internal affairs, and put in place a multilateral, democratic and transparent global governance system based on international cyber rules drafted by all stakeholders. All countries should strive for complementarity of strengths and common development of all countries in cyberspace, in a bid to bridge the digital divide and ensure that people across the world can share the benefits of internet development, the guideline advised. In order to realize the final common community, actions speak first. The document listed Chinas actions plans in terms of formulation of international rules, partnership, governance system, protection of human rights, security cooperation, cultural exchanges, and other three perspectives. The remedies the guideline offered are based on Chinas experience in Internet security and informationization undertakings, as well as the worlds cooperation fruits. International cyberspace cooperation has been high on Chinas agendas. Chinese President Xi Jinping, while addressing the second World Internet Conference in late 2015, proposed an accelerated reform of global Internet governance system as well as a cyberspace community of shared destiny. Chinas first strategic document in the subject demonstrates its firm determination to push ahead international cooperation, Peoples Daily pointed out in its commentary under the byline of Zhongsheng. The guideline not only declares Chinas cyber policies in an all-round manner, but also depicts a prosperous and secure future for world cyber security, the article added. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Over 36 million Chinese students benefit from nutrition improvement program Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 4 Mars 2017 It has so far reached 1,590 counties in 29 provinces, according to the progress report released by the MOE. Thanks to five years of efforts, the students have been freed from hunger malnutrition. By Zhang Shuo from Peoples Daily More than 36 million students from 134,000 primary and junior high schools in impoverished rural regions have benefited from China's nutrition improvement program since its implementation in 2011, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said recently. The program was initially launched by the MOE, the Ministry of Finance, and 13 other departments on a pilot basis in a bid to address malnutrition of rural students receiving compulsory education. It has so far reached 1,590 counties in 29 provinces, according to the progress report released by the MOE. Thanks to five years of efforts, the students have been freed from hunger malnutrition. The Chinese Center For Disease Control And Prevention, after tracking the students in piloted areas, found that children who benefited from the program are taller amd heavier than the rural average. Data shows that from 2012 to 2015, male students on average increased in height and weight by 1.2 cm and 0.7 kg respectively while female students increased by 1.4 cm and 0.8 kg. In the given period, anaemia rates dropped to 7.8 percent from 17 percent. Better nutrition has also aided their efficiency and enthusiasm for their studies. Since the plan was launched in 2011, nearly 160 billion yuan in subsidies were allocated to support the national plan, reward piloted areas, improve students meals and subsidize impoverished children. Pic: Children at a kindergarten in Dingwei county, Guizhou province are having their nutritional meals. A total of 181 pre-school children in the county, which is among the 20 poorest in the province, have been offered nutritional meals each day since the fall semester of last year. (Photo by Peoples Daily Online) Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Robot industry key in China's manufacturing sector Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 4 Mars 2017 The stagnancy of China's manufacturing industry, if persists, will cause loss to factories with low efficiency or financial deficit. Therefore, the industry, pressed with the waning demographic dividend and rising labor cost, is in urgent need to be transformed and upgraded. By Qiang Wei from People's Daily Microsoft founder Bill Gates recent calls for income tax on robots triggered a public debate on whether the workers will be threatened by robots or artificial intelligence. Realizing the dilemma years earlier, China has given its prescription by prioritizing the robot industry in manufacturing sector. Right now, the human worker who does, say, 50,000 dollars worth of work in a factory, that income is taxed . . . If a robot comes in to do the same thing, youd think that wed tax the robot at a similar level, Gates said in a recent interview. The world's wealthiest man suggested that tax be used as a way to fund other types of employment, such as retraining of workers replaced by robots. Expert believed that the billionaires odd idea was, in essence, seeking for a balance between rising efficiency brought by automation and the care for human interests, especially for the vulnerable groups. Li Xiaohua, a research fellow with the Institute of Industrial Economics under Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), at the same time pointed out that if a certain country imposes tax on robots, its manufacturing industrys competence will be impeded because of slower rise of efficiency. The export will then be affected by lower manufacturing efficiency, and more jobs will be slashed as a result, he added. A new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is emerging, so its not a wise move to tax on robots and artificial intelligence since such decision will slow down the intellectualization process, Li explained. Both robots and artificial intelligence are core of new economy represented by smart manufacturing, he added. The stagnancy of China's manufacturing industry, if persists, will cause loss to factories with low efficiency or financial deficit. Therefore, the industry, pressed with the waning demographic dividend and rising labor cost, is in urgent need to be transformed and upgraded. The farsighted Chinese government has realized the challenges earlier. In the "Made in China 2025" plan rolled out by State Council in 2015, industry robot was defined as a key player to shift the country away from low-end manufacturing. It also listed robot industry a direction of future development, in a hope to upgrade the manufacturing sector into a digitized, intelligent industry with large sizes and completed system. In addition to the efforts, China introduced more policies to guarantee employment. The government is tasked with creating at least 50 million new urban jobs, and capping unemployment rate at 5 percent by 2020, in the guidelines on promoting employment during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) issued by the State Council at the end of January. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) My young(er) friend Jack Kerwick, who is a well-known website columnist, is also a contentious professor of philosophy, and in his latest published anthology of essays, Misguided Guardians (Las Vegas: Stairway Press, 2016), Kerwick tackles political theoretical questions. He leaves no doubt that he is coming from a classical conservative perspective and appropriately subtitles his reflections the conservative case against neoconservatism. Kerwick is concerned with opposing worldviews and as case studies, looks at various political commentators, including black journalists and academics identified with the American Right. The conservative view as presented in this book combines a respect for tradition and prejudice as expounded by Edmund Burke with the critique of rationalism in politics offered by British political thinker Michael Oakeshott. Kerwick treats these two positions as complementary. What he is defending, among other things, is the kind of state that is devoted to a limited number of absolutely necessary tasks and sympathetic to a traditional concept of community. Kerwick emphatically affirms the value of inherited gender roles, the subordination of children to parents and the maintenance of traditional authority structures, where they still havent been deconstructed. He also stresses the virtue of loyalty to the family as ones blood kin and to the nation as a historic-cultural entity, as opposed to a propositional attachment to a society that embodies supposedly universal human rights. Kerwick cites the Catholic Aristotelian Alasdair MacIntyre who defends in his moral cosmology particularistic ties. Like MacIntyre, Kerwick is upholding a class of loyalty-exhibiting virtues as integral to his understanding of the traditional Right. The author sets apart conservatism from what he sees as having supplanted this worldview in the current authorized conservative movement. Not surprisingly, he turns neoconservatism into the polar opposite of what he associates with Burkean-Oakeshottian conservatism (assuming his attempted synthesis is valid). He has zero patience for Allan Blooms philosophic vision in The Closing of the American Mind and argues effectively that this bestseller, which was long a favorite among self-styled American conservatives, features leftist political teachings. Bloom does not preach loyalty to a nation in any traditional sense or to a religious tradition but to The Enlightenment ideal of American democracy. According to Bloom: There is practically no contemporary regime that is not somehow a result of the Enlightenment and the best of modern regimes -- liberal democracy -- is entirely its product. Further, this is a regime of equality and liberty, of the rights of man and America is the first country to have been founded on rational principles. According to Bloom, Irving Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, and other neoconservative spokesmen whom Kerwick quotes, the American regime cannot be true to itself unless it tries to convert other peoples to its universal rational principles. Bloom famously interprets American wars as an educational experiment that was intended to bring others outside of our community of values closer to our universal principles. Kerwick maintains that Right and Left think differently about moral conduct on the basis of their basic premises about rights and responsibility. While the Left derives standards of moral conduct from abstract universal judgments and expanding lists of human rights, the Right arrives at them by proceeding from the duties practiced in ones own small platoon. Arguably particularistic loyalties do not necessarily lead to the acceptance of duty toward other human beings outside of ones kin group. Of course, MacIntyre, Oakeshott, Burke, and other defenders of particularities would not deny this. Rather what they stress is that without particularistic loyalties and the example they provide of moral behavior, it is impossible to learn to be responsible. The devotion to humankind that the Left glorifies focuses on an abstract humanity, not a situated group of people who are bound together by a network of responsibilities. One learns responsibility first and most importantly in relation to those with whom one shares real bonds. Perhaps even more significantly, the effort to export ones preferred rights to other cultures is an invitation to perpetual war and international chaos. Fortunately the call to global democratic conversionary efforts that Kerwick justly criticizes has not (yet) been translated into a justification for perpetual war. Even Krauthammers statement about democratic globalism adduced as evidence of neoconservative belligerence is hedged in by references to the possible. Krauthammer (as far as I can tell) does not want to declare war on other countries simply in order to convert them to his propositional nationalism. He tries to limit his missionary zeal to political enemies that exhibit real hostility. Clearly what Kerwick is contrasting are opposing worldviews, and I wont dispute the proposition that what hes examining illustrates the difference between the archetypal Left and the archetypal Right. Although he cites me nowhere in his text, he is repeating arguments that Ive been stating for more than forty years; and so Id be the last to disagree with him on a theoretical level. But he should have taken a closer look at the personal and historical context through which his archetypes are filtered. For example, he defines the black social economist Walter Williams tout simplement as a classical liberal, by which Kerwick means a libertarian influenced by the social contract theory of John Locke. Kerwick differentiates Williams from more traditionally conservative blacks like George Schuyler and Thomas Sowell, who appeal to tradition and value social stability, Williams, as characterized by Kerwick, follows Locke in viewing civil society as an artificial construct. He believes the state has been created to protect certain natural rights and has no other justified function except for administering rights-bearing individuals. This may all be true, but it is hard to think of anyone who has been more consistently on the Right than Williams. Moreover, academic leftists, like John Rawls and William Galton, have also decked themselves out in Lockean rhetoric and concepts, but have used their Lockeanism to defend very different political positions from those taken by Williams. Perhaps where people stand on current issues may be as important as where one places them in terms of definable worldviews. One also encounters appeals to Burkean tradition coming from political commentators like Peter Viereck and George Will that are intended to defend the democratic welfare state status quo. Although classical conservatives stressed the importance of historical continuity and an established class system, these reference points have served more than one master. One of Kerwicks favorite thinkers of the Right, MacIntyre, is a social democrat who still fully accepts Marxs moral and sociopolitical brief against liberal capitalism. Wendell Berry, the poet and venerator of traditional rural life, was an enthusiastic supporter of former president Obama. Berry went so far as to accuse critics of Obama of being racists. Kerwicks main point is correct, as my writings also demonstrate, that the conservative establishment has been drifting leftward on the social front for decades. But it may be inadequate to judge this development in the U.S. mostly by the abandonment of classical conservative positions. It is questionable that the post-World War II conservative movement ever had much to do, beyond rhetoric, with the affirmation of Burkean ideas about hierarchy and authority. The American political tradition has generally been liberal in the eighteenth century sense but also leavened by a bourgeois Christian (predominantly Protestant) culture that once decisively shaped our moral and political thinking. Although there is much to be said for classical conservatives (whose understanding of social man and the formation of moral character was brilliant), their tradition, with some notable exceptions, has not been the dominant one in American history. And Im not sure its the dominant one in a thinker and work that Kerwick deeply admires, Russell Kirks postwar classic The Conservative Mind. Many of Kirks conservatives were nineteenth-century liberals or Whigs. One can be on the current Right without having to embrace the classical conservative worldview that Kerwick delineates. Serious, fundamental opposition to leftist elites may suffice to provide one with a right-wing identity, or at least membership in Donald Trumps basket of deplorables. And in this confrontation one can still recognize older lines of division, between those who value particularity in the form of family and community and those who seek to dissolve American and other Western societies into gathering places for Muslims, state-sponsored advocacy organizations for LGBT and havens for multinational corporations without any allegiance to a national work force. A clear ideological difference between the two poles still exists, although it may not be entirely reducible to those distinctive worldviews that Kerwick and I have discussed in books. Worldviews are only relevant to the extent that they determine historical practice. President Trumps moving and deserved tribute to the memory and sacrifice of Navy SEAL William Ryan Owens, delivered as his widow, Carryn Weigand Owens, sat in the gallery as his guest, has attracted praise from those that love the country he died for: Of all the moments from President Trumps first address to Congress, the most riveting piece of political theater was his tribute to the widow of fallen Navy SEAL William Ryan Owens. The presidents critics and supporters alike admired it. Midway through his speech, the president gestured to Owens widow, Carryn, who was a guest in the balcony seated with presidential daughter Ivanka Trump. We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, Mr. Trump said. Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero -- battling against terrorism and securing our nation. Ryans legacy is etched into eternity. For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down ones life for ones friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom -- we will never forget him. Mrs. Owens, tears streaming down her cheeks, rose to acknowledge a lengthy standing ovation and raised her eyes to the heavens. Unfortunately, the moment has also attracted the scorn and hypocrisy of those for whom patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels, accusing President Trump of using her grief as a political pawn and even accusing Owens widow of being an idiot for giving her own tribute to her husband, raising her hands and eyes to a Heaven he now occupies in thanks for his life and his love, both of her and his country. Typical was the vitriol tweeted by Dan Grillo, former volunteer for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama: A former Hillary Clinton volunteer drew swift condemnation -- and lost his job -- after mocking the widow of a fallen Navy SEAL who was honored by the president during his congressional address Tuesday night Our veterans have delivered for this nation -- and now we must deliver for them, Trump said, eliciting an extended standing ovation from the entire chamber for a visibly emotional Owens. Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero -- battling against terrorism and securing our nation, Trump said. While widely regarded as the most powerful moment of the night, Grilo was not impressed. Responding to a tweet from L.A. Times reporter Matt Pearce, who noted that Owens was crying and overwhelmed, Grilo tweeted:Sorry, Owens' wife, youre not helping yourself or your husbands memory by standing there and clapping like an idiot. Trump just used you. Democrats and the liberal media have mocked the survivors of our war heroes before. Witness their shabby treatment of Charles Woods, father of Ty Woods, and Patricia Smith, mother of Sean Smith, heroes who died, along with Glen Dougherty and Ambassador Christopher Stevens in the terrorist attack on our Benghazi compound. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lied to them in front of their sons caskets, with Hillary doubling down later to call the Benghazi families liars. Of course, liberals had no trouble exploiting the grief of Gold Star family of Ghazala and Khizr Khan at the Democratic National Convention to attack Donald Trumps proposed restrictions on immigration. As the kerfuffle about Donald Trumps reaction to the speech by Khizr Khan at the Democratic National Convention gathered steam over the following weekend, Hillary Clinton repeated her slander that somehow the families of the Benghazi dead were lying when they said she told them in front of their sons caskets they died because of a video. This time she didnt say liar, but that their grief made them misunderstand her: Over the weekend, Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton accused two Benghazi families of "not understanding her" the day bodies of the Americans killed in Benghazi were returned home. This wasn't the first time Clinton essentially called Charles Woods, father of Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, and Pat Smith, mother of information officer Sean Smith, liars. Woods and Smith say Clinton told them a video was to blame for the Benghazi attack, not terrorism. Clinton disagrees but "doesn't hold any ill feeling for someone who in that moment may not fully recall everything that was or wasnt said." In her patronizing monotone, Hillary essentially said the Benghazi families were not only liars but stupid as well, badly in need of a remedial English course. Now, Khizrs wife Ghazala Khan, whose son gave his life for his country in Iraq, is a Gold Star mom deserving of our respect. Her silence at the convention should be interpreted as nothing more than grief, and Donald Trump would have been wise not to rise to the media bait. But Patricia Smith, Charles Woods, and other members of the Benghazi dead belong to Gold Star families as well. Where is their respect and media condemnation of Hillary Clintons callousness and serial lying about them and the terrorist attack that killed their sons? As Howard Kurtz, Fox News media analyst, points out: There is no question that Khan, whose soldier son was killed in Iraq, provided a heartbreaking moment in Philadelphia. Trump had nothing to do with his sons wartime death, of course, but Khan took his proposed temporary ban on Muslim immigrants and used it to question whether the candidate has even read the Constitution (which Trump says he has). The media have given this man and his wife an enormous platform -- in a way they conspicuously declined to do when Patricia Smith blamed Hillary Clinton at the Republican convention for the death of her son in Benghazi. Charles Wood, the equally grieving father of Tyrone Woods, who died in the Benghazi terrorist attack, says he did not misunderstand what Hillary told him in front of his sons casket: This morning on America's Newsroom, Charles Woods again explained his version of events and didn't hold back about what Clinton did or said. "She stood in front of my son's casket and blamed the rage directed at American embassies on a video she said we had no part of," Woods said. "When they had the casket ceremony she also lied to the American public. These are her words as best as I can recall, 'rage was directed at American embassies as a result of that awful video that we were not responsible for. She said basically the same thing in private to the families that were grieving and then a half hour later she said basically the same thing as far as causation to the American public." Jim Geraghty, writing in National Review, notes the glaring disparity in the treatments of Ghazala Khan and Patricia Smith: Patricia Smith was said to be a grieving unhinged mother that was exploited for political gain. Ghazala Khan was treated as the second coming of Cindy Sheehan, the Code Pink poster mom who the media slavishly covered as she encamped outside the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas. Patricia Smith understood Hillary perfectly. As Patricia Smith said in her riveting convention speech: I know a few things couldve been done to prevent it. But nobodys admitting to anything. Right now, my understanding is Hillary didnt do a damn thing. And I wonder what she did as Secretary of State, because she disavows everything. She disavows the fact that she even got any call for security... If this is her Department, she certainly doesnt know how to run the Department. And she lied the whole time. She lied to me and called me a liar on TV, Smith continues. She said One of us is a liar, and it wasnt me, Smith recalls Hillary saying on air later... I am not a liar! I know what Hillary told me! In fact Ive spoken to quite a few different people -- Hillary and Obama, Panetta, Susan Rice, and several others every one of them told me it was the fault of the video, including Obama -- and he denies it! Please, tell the world. Tell the world what shes really like. The Democrats have no trouble mocking the likes of Patricia Smith, Charles Woods, and now, Carryn Owens, people whose grief and sacrifice is real and deserve every tribute coming their way. Nor do they have any trouble exploiting such grief when it suits their political purposes. Neither Carryn Owens nor President Trump exploited the death of Ryan Owens for political purposes. The Democrats and the Khans did. They are the idiots. Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications. While mainstream media may provide wide coverage of Irans recent military drills on the ground and at sea, including a variety of missile test launches, they represent nothing new. A new administration taking the helm in Washington has engendered widespread reactions from inside the mullahs apparatus on how to respond. Senior Iranian regime officials have been discussing recent developments and rest assured they are weighing a variety of different scenarios on how to respond with the least possible collateral damage. One scenario currently being evaluated is a possible foreign military attack against Iran, and the solution provided is similar to the policy Iran adopted regarding its nuclear program: giving in to negotiations with the international community and providing concessions in order to maintain their face while taking advantage of possible loopholes, to thus defuse or neutralize any military assault. The recent visit to Kuwait and Oman by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is evaluated in such a perspective. A second scenario, pursued by the so-called hardliners in Iran and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), is focused on the argument that the new U.S. administration, despite all its aggressive posture, is unable to launch a new military offensive due to the lack of appetite in the American society and the White Houses adherence to the U.S. bipartisan structure and strategy. What is clear in Tehrans decisions and policymaking is the current pursuit of saber-rattling by means of recent missile test launches and military drills scheduled for a variety of military forces, especially the IRGC. Through missile tests and a colorful array of military maneuvers that merely showcases a force barely able to meet any true challenge against its Middle East rivals, Iran is desperately seeking to keep face, domestically speaking. It is quite obvious to any realistic military analyst that if the United States and its Arab allies sought to respond to Irans unconventional methods, they would hardly have any tough planning to think about. However, the intention of this piece is far from advocating another unnecessary war in the Middle East. The only difference is that Iran continuously presses the pedal on propaganda warfare, and unfortunately enjoys the support of a conglomerate of pro-appeasement advocates in the West, which also must come to an end. Such chest thumping by Iran was also seen during the George W. Bush administration, especially following the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, where Iran desperately sought to prevent a similar fate. To sum it up, Tehran resorts to saber-rattling in an attempt to quell any possible Washington military option, and to lift the spirits of a dwindling social base suffering from serious loss in numbers. In this regard, IRGC Ground Forces commander Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour -- before becoming famous for his slap in the face remarks -- had announced the ground drills staged from February 20th to the 22nd involving an initial phase of missile tests in Irans central desert lands, resembling a defensive scenario in the face of threats posed by foreign forces. The second phase consisted of the IRGC special forces, known as the Saberin Unit, troops of the 5th Nasr Division and paramilitary Basij conscripts. The later forces were preparing for missions to quell popular protests, the prospect that Tehran fears the most. As mentioned already, Irans military drills are focused only on creating a military boogieman out of nothing in comparison to the conventional forces of other states, focusing on keeping rivals and international correspondents at a certain distance. However, these preposterous and truly ridiculous measures -- such as speedboats firing rockets and sinking a mock U.S. aircraft carrier -- no longer has anyone buying this story. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence recently issued a staunch reminder to Tehran: Iran would do well to look at the calendar and realize theres a new president in the Oval Office. And Iran would do well not to test the resolve of this new president. Yet more important is Tehrans desperate attempt to keep a straight face after the end of Obamas presidency when it enjoyed too many concessions. Iran even boasts of using precision accurate rockets, that are in fact nothing but a remodeled version of the Russian 122mm Katyusha rocket (a WW II design) with a range of no more than 75 kilometers. Iran has even claimed of testing anti-helicopter mines, which deserves only ridicule in todays world of advanced warfare. To respond best to Irans measures is to target the mullahs Achilles Heel. The mullahs rely on the IRGC for their domestic crackdown, foreign warmongering, and their ongoing nuclear/ballistic missile drive. To this end, blacklisting the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization -- under discussion as we speak in the White House and Congress -- would be the silver bullet against the regime ruling Iran. This is the right next step in a roadmap to bring an end to 38 years of misery both for the Iranian people and nations across the Middle East. There have been many interpretations concerning the mysterious bloc of women Democrats robed in white -- all the while pointedly ignoring President Trumps speech to the joint session of Congress. Some critics compared the ladies to devotees of the Ku Klux Klan. Photoshopped images of them wearing the pointed hoods of the KKK almost immediately appeared, as some recalled the Democrat Partys commitment to the Klan, particularly in the 1920s. The women themselves have said they were honoring the suffragettes of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries while indicating their ongoing commitment to womens rights issues such as equal pay for equal work. But not many conservatives believe the white wall of women was intended to be a merely symbolic gesture of solidarity with suffragettes. Whatever each intended to convey by her choice of clothing, the entire bloc of women in white was virtue signaling. That is one reason they chose white clothing. The choice of white garments has long signified the sacred. Being dressed in white indicates being set apart, dedicated to sacred ideals, spiritually separated from the crowd as seeking to attain righteousness and purity. Whether Vestal virgins or, in the Christian tradition, the scared rituals of baptism and first communion, white is the garment of choice. It indicates purity of life and deeds which the rest of the world should seek to attain. In the case of many, if not all of the feminists who sat on their hands and refused to stand as a gesture of support for Carryn Owens, widow of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, the garments indicated they are the chosen priestesses of the pious Left, the defenders of the feminist faith. To look at the bloc of white garbed Democrat women was to look at oracles of Delphi who have mystically discerned the most sacred right of women is the right to sacrifice their own offspring. To look at the high priestesses dedicated to the religion of radical feminism is to see leaders of a cult, the chief sacrament of which is abortion. For nearly all leftist feminists, abortion is a holy rite, a religious ritual to be conducted in the cathedrals of Planned Parenthood and to be blessed by faith leaders. Yes, you read that correctly. Blessed. High priests and priestesses inside and outside the Beltway have committed to blessing abortion both by law and by religious rituals. According to a recent Huffington Post article entitled Religious Leaders Bless Planned Parenthood Health Center, an group of clergy representing Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and secular leaders gathered inside Planned Parenthood Metro Washingtons new Carol Whitehill Moses health center on Tuesday to perform a blessing of the space. The article goes on to cite Dr. Laura Meyers, President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, who told the Huffington Post that progressive voices of faith should speak up for women: Having a group of interfaith clergy perform a ceremony focused on unity and wholeness therefore takes on special meaning to empower and celebrate rather than to stigmatize, control and dehumanize. Having such a ceremony take place at this moment in history is especially powerful for us as we seek to mobilize our communities of different faiths to come together to affirm and support the reproductive freedoms we cherish and have fought so hard to achieve. In the midst of all Meyers Newspeak, the most significant term is reproductive freedom, which is actually the Lefts code word for abortion on demand throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy. Abortion on demand is the freedom to be cherished and blessed. According to HuffPo, Rev. Dr. Christine Y. Wiley, participant in the sacred blessing ceremony and co-pastor of Washington, D.C.s Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ, stated her Christian faith inspired her to support abortion: Many people do not understand that there are many kinds of Christians. Conservative Christians dominate the television and Radio media and influence people to think that this brand of Christianity is Christianity. Although they have great influence, this stance is far from representing the true tenets of the person of Jesus Christ. As a progressive Womanist Christian who is concerned about wholeness in the community, especially for those who are marginalized and disenfranchised, my task is to do what Jesus did, to meet people where they are with love and understanding, and bring healing and freedom to them. For Reverend Wiley, Jesus, being filled with love and understanding, is all for abortion. Is the reverend aware of the Jesus who said that if anyone harmed little ones, he or she should be cast into the sea with a millstone around his neck? Does she recall that Jesus said to his disciples, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Is she aware the Christian Church she claims to represent has been against abortion from its founding in the first century? Is Wiley, who is black, aware that Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in America, targets blacks? Has she looked at the facts: 78% of Planned Parenthoods clinics are in minority communities. Blacks make up 12% of the population, but account for 35% of the abortions in America. But to the clergy of the Left, be they black or white, within or outside congress, neither statistics indicating black genocide nor the horrors of sex select abortion nor the death sentences passed on Down Syndrome babies will ever temper their support of abortion on demand. It is an inalienable right that transcends the actualities of the abattoir that is the church of Planned Parenthood, whose representatives have been filmed bargaining over the sale of baby body parts. Most of the women in white belong to an essentially pagan death cult that elevates abortion to a sacred right and rite that is impervious to the claims of science and Christian morality. That is why Nancy Pelosis claim that she is a Roman Catholic while she is a leader of the women in white is laughable. Her prime allegiance is to another faith altogether. The allegiance to the ritual of child sacrifice is why the bloc of white robed women will fight the Trump administration tooth and nail when it comes to defunding the temples of Planned Parenthood. That is why they will wage war on any pro-life justice who might threaten to overturn Roe. v. Wade. That is why they will not do anything to defend the rights of little women in the womb. That is why they will continue to support the extermination of the handicapped within the womb. Abortion is the sacrament that unites the Democrats women in white as surely as the sacraments of the Christian Church unite believers. Christians are often dressed in white for sacred occasions: baptisms, confirmations, and weddings. Being dressed in white is a sign of new life, new beginnings, being born again, being redeemed. That is why those who are believers are depicted in the book of Revelation as being given a white robe, the sign of the redeemed who have believed in the blood sacrifice of the God Man Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God whose innocent blood was given for all who believe. They are transported with joy. What will this same Christ will say to those who unrepentantly and proudly wear robes soiled with the blood of innocents? What will he say to those who bless death? Will he bless them, or will he say, Depart from me. I never knew you. Fay Voshell holds a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, which awarded her its prize for excellence in systematic theology. A frequent contributor to American Thinker, her thoughts also have appeared in many online magazines, including Fox News, CNS, National Review, RealClearReligion and Russia Insider. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com Women's History Month 2017 comes at a disappointing time for American women and girls. I'm talking not about the election of Donald Trump, but about the behavior of some women in response to his election. From the intolerant, disrespectful Women's March to the ruthless bullying of women who don't support progressive values, today's feminist movement has not only lost its way, but has found itself in an unpleasant place. Despite the pessimism, 2016 was, in fact, a great year for women. We saw Carly Fiorina stand out among her male contenders for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, we saw Hillary Clinton become the first woman to win her party's nomination, and Kellyanne Conway became the first woman to head a successful presidential campaign. All of these women earned their distinctions with their intellects and hard work. They made history, broke down barriers, and are now evidence we can point to of what is possible for women and girls to achieve. Unfortunately, 2017 revealed an alarming and unfortunate push on the part of the modern feminist movement to disparage, attack, and ostracize some women for their opinions and their choice to support, or at least vote for, Donald Trump. Feminism has certainly gone wrong when it advocates against respect and equality for all, especially when it targets women for thinking independently and standing up for their convictions. The vicious attacks on businesses like L.L. Bean and on Ivanka Trump's brand are certainly sad, given the work women have done to prove their capability and value in the business world. Quotas, carve-outs for women-owned businesses, and "equal pay for equal work" campaigns have been taken up as crusades by left-leaning groups, but Ms. Bean and Ms. Trump have handily proven them unnecessary by competing and succeeding in the marketplace. It's sad to see groups like Grab Your Wallet claim that their war on Donald Trump is a stand against sexism while they take on tactics that aim to destroy women's careers and businesses. Co-founder of Grab Your Wallet Shannon Coulter told the Bangor Daily News that "everybody is hoping that the company is really seriously evaluating whether or not Linda Bean's presence and contributions to the company are worth the damage she continues to inflict on L.L. Bean's brand and reputation." Coulter pledged to call an end to the boycott if Ms. Bean is removed from L.L. Bean's board of directors. How ironic that so-called feminists constantly complain about the lack of women in executive positions. It's clear they mean only some women. Even more discouraging are the bizarre sexual portrayals of Kellyanne Conway by Saturday Night Live. There is certainly no basis for such mean-spirited mocking. Ms. Conway holds opinions that spark controversy and even anger, but in her numerous interviews, she shows herself to be a strong, well spoken, intelligent woman. She is most often gracious and polite, but she evinces resolve and strength when challenged. Conway deserves respect her behavior and accomplishments are exactly the kind of progress the women's movement should want to see. Ms. Conway's statements and positions are certainly fair game for criticism just like men, women who put themselves in positions of leadership should be challenged on their views and actions. That's not sexism; that's equal treatment. But demeaning a woman on her appearance is inappropriate, and as Fox News's Harris Faulkner pointed out, it sets women back. Women have fought objectification for decades. Saturday Night Live mocking Ms. Conway like this is sexist and shameful. International Women's Day on March 8 was established, according to History.com, "as a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women." That means all women. The reality is that 42% of women voted for Donald Trump, and 54% voted for Hillary Clinton. That leaves approximately 12% 4% [corrected ed.] who voted for someone else and millions of women who didn't vote at all. The point is that women are not a monolithic group. We think independently, make our own decisions, and craft our lives the way we see fit. And isn't that what feminism is all about? The meanness we've seen over the last few months is unfortunate and certainly not what the founders of the women's rights movement had in mind when they fought for equality and respect. This Women History Month can be an opportunity reserve course from the push we've seen by a very vocal faction of women unhappy about the election results. The "contributions" women have made to society should not be a selective term. Let's send a message to young girls that they truly can think for themselves and won't be attacked for it. Christine A. Goss is founder and president of Pixton Public Relations. "Fruit of the poisonous tree" is a legal term used in the United States. According to the Cornell University Law School's Legal Information Institute, "This doctrine holds that evidence gathered with the assistance of illegally obtained information must be excluded from trial. Thus, if an illegal interrogation leads to the discovery of physical evidence, both the interrogation and the physical evidence may be excluded." Something serious has been overlooked in the current brouhaha over Jeff Sessions and the Trump campaign's "links to Russia." Interestingly enough, Al Franken exposes the "poisonous tree" that all the other "fruit" has subsequently produced. Franken: "CNN just published a story alleging that the intelligence community provided documents to the president-elect last week that included information that quote, 'Russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump.' These documents also allegedly say quote, 'There was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump's surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.' "Now, again, I'm telling you this as it's coming out, so you know. But if it's true, it's obviously extremely serious and if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russians." CNN's (fake news) story was based on the since discredited Buzzfeed hit piece. Or, in legal jargon, "the poisonous tree." So let's map this out. Buzzfeed posts a fake news story that CNN runs, asserting that "there was continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump's surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian Government." This story was determined to be false, and yet, now, Michael Flynn, Jeff Sessions, and the whole of the Trump administration are presumed guilty and are having to "disprove" their associations with intermediaries for the Russian government. We are faced with a crass adversary (no, not the Russians). The Democratic Party, and their surrogates in the media, has glommed onto this tree and is intent to shake it for all it's worth. They neutralized Michael Flynn (who had damning evidence about the Iran deal). They've neutered Jeff Sessions (who likely had a handful of cases on the docket to bring against high-ranking Democrats, up to and including Barack Obama). If we think they're done, we're sadly mistaken. This fight has nothing to do with the Russians. This fight is about our country's trajectory. Will Donald Trump and Republicans be given the opportunity to implement their agenda, or will Democrats derail our agenda, or worse, take down "by its root" our current system of government? How often in our party's recent past has the Democratic Party (or their media acolytes) launched an attack, using half-truths or blatant misrepresentations, only to have our side buckle, or worse, attempt to defend the false premise? By defending the falsehood, you give it credence. I had hoped that Donald Trump's example of pushing back would have stiffened the spines of those in our caucus. As we see events play out regarding this "fake news story," it appears that my hopes are, so far, ill placed. While we are fighting using Marquess of Queensberry Rules, the left are heeding Barack Obama's advice: "If they bring a knife, you bring a gun." Once upon a time, people lived out their fantasies on "Fantasy Island." Today, they wear a black robe and fantasize about being president. We've discussed judicial activism often in these pages. However, I think we are now beyond "activism." This is more like "black robes out of control," or judges who have decided to live out their presidential fantasies from the bench. After all, if you can't run for president, then why not play one from your bench? Even Mr. Roarke didn't think of this. Tattoo would have responded: "Are you kidding, boss?" This is from the Miami Herald: Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch wrote that the policy violated the Tenth Amendment, which limits the reach of the federal government over states. "Of course we must protect our country from the problems associated with unregulated immigration," Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch wrote. "We must protect our country from a great many things; but from nothing so much as from the loss of our historic rights and liberties." The immediate impact of the ruling was unclear. For one thing, the judge did not explicitly order Miami-Dade jailers to stop honoring requests by the federal government to hold people marked for deportation, or suspected of violating immigration laws. Hirsch's ruling also could be delayed by more litigation. The county immediately filed a notice of appeal with the Third District Court of Appeal. "It is Miami-Dade County's position that immigration is a federal issue which should be handled in federal court," according to a mayor's spokesman. Since 2013, Miami-Dade County had stopped honoring most requests by federal authorities to hold undocumented or deportable jail inmates, even though their sentences were up or their cases closed. County officials expressed concern because the feds were not reimbursing the cost of detaining them. But when President Trump took office in January, he threatened to cut federal funding from so-called "sanctuary" cities that did not cooperate with federal immigration authorities; Miami-Dade's political leaders had long resisted labeling itself that. "Miami is not, and has never been, a sanctuary city," Hirsch wrote. "But America is, and has always been, a sanctuary country." I guess America is now a "sanctuary country," a shocker to most of us who came here legally. Yes, the U.S. opened its arms to our family and gave us sanctuary from communism. At the same time, it was legal. Furthermore, it looks as if the long forgotten 10th Amendment is suddenly cool now that the Democrats have been reduced to California and a couple of other states. I wonder how Judge Milton Hirsch feels about the 10th Amendment and the U.S. Supreme Court overturning state bans on same-sex couples being treated exactly as married ones and on abortion? This is insane, and I hope that Chief Justice Roberts calls this judge, and a few others over in 9th Circuit, for a continuing education class on the U.S. Constitution. We need it, and very badly. It's time to require some "C.E." for judges, because their ignorance of the Constitution is getting scary! P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. We often hear feminists complain that women are being too often sexualized or, as I prefer to say, objectified. As a Christian, I agree with their complaints, but I despise their fake solutions to the problem. To be honest, they never proposed any solution at all. After Harry Potter actress and feminist activist Emma Watson went topless for Vanity Fair earlier this week, many people on the conservative side have accused her of being a hypocrite. British journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer tweeted: "Emma Watson: 'Feminism, feminism, gender wage gap why oh why am I not taken seriously feminism oh, and here are my [breasts]!'" Emma Watson isn't the first famous feminist to contradict herself this year. Ariana Grande publicly commented on a situation in which she felt objectified: Went to pick up food with my boyfriend tonight and a young boy followed us to the car to tell Mac that he is a big fan. He was loud and excited and by the time M was seated in the drivers seat he was literally almost in the car with us. I thought this was all cute and exciting until he said 'Ariana is sexy as hell man, I see you, I see you hitting that!'. Hitting that? What the f---? This many not seem like a big deal to some of you but I feel sick and objectified. I was also sitting right there when he said it. I've felt really quiet and hurt since that moment. But don't feel sorry about Ariana Grande. In one of her most famous songs, "Side to Side," she not only sings about making deals with the devil, but also mentions a bicycle in a profoundly lewd way. In another song, "Bang Bang," she sings, "She got a booty like a Cadillac." Ariana Grande complains about being objectified after publicly objectifying herself. She and Emma Watson would make good friends. Yes, they are being hypocrites, just like any other feminist out there. I believe that most women who attend the March for Life are never seen as objects. They dress with modesty, they believe in God, and they are not willing to kill their unborn children for the sake of their careers. The most objectified women are, without a single doubt, precisely those who practice casual sex or have many partners before marriage. It's never chastity that causes objectification, but the lack of it. When women dress badly, our male brain sees only their bodies as guess what bodies. The University of Princeton found just that in a scientific study of 2009. According to the study, the areas of the male brain that deal with objects light up whenever viewing women in bikinis. Today, I visited the Instagram page of a feminist. She was almost naked in the pictures. Her sister, also a feminist, had just posted on her Twitter's timeline: "I am not a thing." It shouldn't be difficult to see the hypocrisy (or the stupidity). All feminists I know make the exact same mistake. They behave in a way that only makes things worse. No, I am not excusing men who treat women badly. I am just saying, based on scientific evidence, that liberal sexuality only makes things worse. Feminists believe in the ugly idea that human beings aren't born with a God-given purpose. They consider people as just neutral biological creatures that decide who they are going to be based on experience and will. Such a vision is deeply wrong, even from a biological perspective (science tells us that there are real biological differences between men and women and that those differences do create different social behaviors). If there is no God, and we are all just pieces of meat, why do feminists complain when they are treated as such? Again, a contradiction. What conservatives need to do is emphasize the positivity of female conservatism. We need to be the men they need. We need to show young girls the beauty of motherhood, the beauty of love and compassion. Iohanan A. Carvalho is a Brazilian writer. Whoops! There goes the liberal narrative again! So called "minorities" (and aren't we all some type of minority?) are joining the rush to build Trump's wall. You know: the one that President Donald J. Trump (R) promised to build to prevent illegal (that word means "against the law") aliens (and no, they are not the sanitized and misnamed "undocumented" or "unauthorized immigrants") from illegally (there's that word again) entering the USA. But there is nothing like the free market otherwise known sneeringly in some circles as capitalism to bring out the best in people offering to do the work. So far, 300 companies have expressed an interest in building all or part of The Wall, including those owned by those originally from Spanish-speaking countries and those owned by women. Beginning next week, the Department of Homeland Security will begin soliciting bids to design and build wall prototypes, and well over 300 businesses have already expressed interest in taking part. This "presolicitation" stage is something of a testing of the waters for the government, according to Myra Cisse of the Government Contractors Association, a group that works with businesses seeking government contracts. ... Businesses wanting a piece of the job include construction and logistics firms, technology companies, plus designers and architects. Several dozen Hispanic-owned businesses are hoping to get some of the work as well. Angie Goral started Martinez Construction Services with her sister about 10 years ago and said her company has been working with partners to jump on the opportunity. "We've been talking to them, trying to come up with some ideas of things that would be easy to install [along the border]," she said, "because some of these locations are very hard to get to, hard to get materials to." Goral believes her small project management firm with its staff of nine people has an advantage in that they already do work with several government agencies, including Customs and Border Protection, and the company has experience working on the border. Nevertheless, she knows the competition will be stiff. "Realistically, there's going to be some huge companies that go after this," Goral said. "We can't even compete with some of these guys. But it's worth a try." That's the spirit! Even Mexico wants a piece of The Wall. President Trump's vows to make Mexico pay for a promised border wall estimated to cost up to US$20 billion has stirred resentment there, where the country's leader has repeatedly said there will be no such payment. But the chairman of a Mexico's largest cement company said he would "gladly" consider bidding on the project. Rogelio Zambrano Lozano, chairman of Mexico-based Cemex, told the newspaper Reforma on Wednesday (Thursday NZ Time) that if asked for a quote, his company would be willing to offer one. So far, no one has asked, a spokesman confirmed. And again...that's the spirit! Two Columbia University professors sent a letter to the school's president that links the "political suffering" of students and faculty to a "cluster of suicides" on campus. The culprit? None other than the president of the United States, Donald Trump. Washington Times: Professors Robert Pollack and Letty Moss-Salentijn, the co-chairs of the Columbia Faculty Affairs Committee, contacted Columbia President Lee Bollinger on Feb. 24 about the need to help "faculty to reach into themselves and find strength to express themselves." The two mentioned student suicides before requesting venues for quiet conversations and easy access to websites dedicated to preserving freedom. "We know no one at Columbia who is not upset, chronically and deeply, since the election," the letter reads. "We know this is true of the Administration, and your letter [on executive orders] certainly embodies this distress. We know it is true of our students, and the cluster of suicides this month can have no other meaning." "No other meaning"? It could never be coincidence, or the enormous academic pressures at Columbia, or bad breakups with lovers, or any other normal reason for suicide among young people away from home for the first time and trying to get by without the emotional support structure they've enjoyed their entire lives. Perish the thought. Dr. Pollack contacted the educational watchdog Campus Reform on Wednesday to protest its coverage. "Speaking for both himself and Moss-Salentijn, [Dr. Pollack ] sent a belated response to Campus Reform denying that the letter was intended to insinuate that recent student suicides have been a result of distress over Trump's election, even though the sentence in question came in the context of describing the universal 'distress' at Columbia ever since the election," the website reported. We've seen this response a thousand times. A liberal educator makes an outrageous statement, and when a backlash happens, he denies that the statement meant what he clearly wanted it to mean. "We agree with you that we cannot know the cause of the recent spate in [sic] suicides, but even if it has been wholly a coinicdence [sic], it nevertheless has added to what we call the 'fog' that has effected [sic] so many of us at this complicated but caring community of faculty, students, and administrators," the professor wrote. But they didn't say they "cannot know" the cause of the suicides. They said in no uncertain terms that the suicides "can have no other meaning." Whom are they trying to fool? So let me get this straight. Liberals have spent the entire time since the election ginning up outrage and hysteria against what President Trump might do, or could do, or maybe even dreams of doing. Each successive accusation becomes more hysterical, with specific threats to minority students, illegal aliens, and women. So they blame Trump instead of themselves for generating the hysteria that leads kids to take their own lives? This may be a first even for liberals: answering a question by inventing the circumstances that led directly to the accusation. I give the profs an "A+" for originality in their political attack but only a "C" for implementation. The recent arrest of a Muslim convert for the rash of anti-Semitic bomb threats throughout the United States points to an interesting gap in the FBI statistics on hate crimes. Religiously motivated hate crimes include data on the religion of the victim, but not of the perpetrator. This means that while we know that anti-Semitic attacks are increasing, we do not know who is perpetrating them. Liberals have claimed that it was precipitated by Donald Trump's election, but according to the FBI, the increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes began in 2014. It would be difficult for anyone but the most delusional Democrat to blame Trump for an increase in hate crimes that began before he even declared himself a candidate (not that there is any shortage of delusional Democrats), but the question remains: why have the number of anti-Semitic hate crimes been increasing? Is there another trend whose correlation matches this increase? Anti-Trump lunatic arrested for Jewish center threats was apparently a Muslim convert. pic.twitter.com/wNTJgDinkX Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) March 3, 2017 Yes. There is. Since 9/11, the number of Muslim immigrants admitted to the United States averaged approximately160,000 per year, but in 2013, the Obama administration admitted 280,276, an increase of almost 90%, and continued to do so until he left office. At the same time, Obama's position toward Israel became increasingly hostile, culminating in his attack in the U.N. Security Council on Israeli settlements. The increase in Muslim immigration and the ratcheting up of Obama's attacks on Israel almost perfectly coincide with the increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes in the United States. Of course, without the data on the perpetrators' religions, this is simply speculation, but it can be resolved by having the FBI investigate the religious affiliations of those who commit religiously inspired bias crimes. Given that we already collect racial data on those whose crimes are motivated by race, it would seem perfectly logical to collect religious data on those whose crimes are motivated by religious bias. Since the Trump administration has recently directed the FBI to collect and report crimes committed by illegal aliens (a category previously left unreported), it's clear that the president is already thinking along those lines. Perhaps his next executive order can compel the collection of this potentially illuminating data. Thus far, I've not seen an analysis of the Jeff Sessions matter that gets it quite right. Here is my attempt. During his recent Senate confirmation hearings, then-Senator Sessions's response to Sen. Al Franken was not as complete as it should have been. To begin, meetings between senators and diplomatic officials are common. Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill immediately attacked Sessions on Twitter: I've been on the Armed Services Com for 10 years.No call or meeting w/Russian ambassador. Ever. Ambassadors call members of Foreign Rel Com. She was quickly shown to have done exactly that from her own prior tweets: Off to meeting w/Russian Ambassador. Upset about the arbitrary/cruel decision to end all US adoptions, even those in process. And here: Today calls with British, Russian, and German Ambassadors re: Iran deal. #doingmyhomework Likewise, we know that Rep. Nancy Pelosi has similarly "lied" when asked if she had ever met with the Russian ambassador. The point is, there is nothing improper or uncommon about such meetings though apparently it is common to say they never occurred. Here is the full question to Senator Sessions from Sen. Franken: CNN just published a story alleging that the intelligence community provided documents to the president-elect last week that included information that quote, 'Russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump.' These documents also allegedly say quote, 'There was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump's surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.' Now, again, I'm telling you this as it's coming out, so you know. But if it's true, it's obviously extremely serious and if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do? Let's parse this. Franken started with a recitation about the just surfaced documents containing outrageous allegations regarding Russian possession of Trump's personal and financial information. Franken continued, indicating that the documents alleged a "continuing exchange of information" between the Russians and the Trump campaign, with the obvious implication that Trump's "surrogates" would be actively working to silence these allegations, creating great indebtedness to the Russians. That was the topic collusion to silence wild allegations and frankly, I believe that is all Franken was asking about. Importantly, however, the way he later posed the question allows the belief that he was asking about a much broader topic to wit: Now, again...if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do? You can see that there are really two divergent parts of a single question. Had that last "now, again" been the only question asked, from a blank slate, we have a different conversation. But that's not what happened, and in fact there were two parts: Did Trump surrogates have "continuing exchanges" regarding compromising personal and financial information? What would you do about anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicating during the campaign with the Russians? Note how the subject of Part 2 is subtly adrift from the topic of Part 1. Taken by itself, it's reasonable to think Part 2 is not limited to Part 1. But the question was not asked by itself. It was asked as a continuation of Part 1. And the answer by Sessions was: Senator Franken, I'm not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I didn't have did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it. Do we really think Franken was asking about the type of meetings that senators such as Pelosi, McCaskill, et al. have as part of their normal duties? Or do we think Franken was asking Sessions if he had knowledge of any meetings regarding and resulting from the highly salacious allegation of personal and financial information? Why, after all, would Sessions seek to hide the type of meetings that are so common by Senators and those in such places? It would indeed be foolish to try (hence the interesting denials of McCaskill and Pelosi, given the ease of their unmasking). Let me be clear: there is nothing at all wrong with Sen. Franken wanting answers about these things. Nor do I think he intentionally asked the question in a misleading way. Watching the video of the event makes this evident. Indeed, Franken even seemed to offer some condolence to Sessions and surprise himself for needing to ask. Next, let me iterate that Sessions did not answer the multifaceted question with the precision that we ought to expect of our nation's top lawyer. He has admitted as much. It is a surprising gaffe from a bright attorney. And it's also likely the type of intellectual compartmentalization that allowed Bill Clinton to confidently (and I presume honestly in his mind) state that he did not inhale or had sex with that woman. I'm not making excuses for Sessions. He should have taken more care in his answer. But perjury this is not. Mr. Reddy's legal and gun rights thriller, By Force Of Patriots, is a prescient story of Americans rising up against a leftist federal government. He is building realalternativefacts.net. During the Civil War, New York city threatened to secede from the union because so much of its economy was dependent on shipping exports of cotton and other products from the South. Obviously, nothing ever came of the threat. But you have to wonder if San Francisco really wants to be part of the U.S. anymore. The city refuses to help enforce immigration laws. It is so anti-military that residents actually voted to prevent the National Guard from recruiting in high schools. The city's politics are so far left that if it were any more liberal, it'd be drowning in the Pacific Ocean. So it's hardly surprising that the city has announced that it will withdraw from the FBI's task force on terrorism, putting the rest of us in danger. Fox News: San Francisco has taken its defiance of the feds to a new level, ending its cooperation with the FBI in an anti-terror initiative begun after 9/11 a move crtitics [sic] say could get innocent people killed. Critics say the sanctuary city by the bay's latest decision to forego cooperation with Washington, by dropping out of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, could put lives at risk. The JTTF has been credited with foiling 93 Islamist terrorist attacks and plots against the U.S. since 2001, including 12 this year, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation. There are another 1,000 investigations into suspected terror activity nationwide. These staggering statistics make the recent decision by the San Francisco police department to end the city's partnership with the JTTF, at the behest of local activist groups that alleged Arabs and Muslims are wrongly targeted by the FBI and will be more so under the Trump administration, all the more concerning, said retired federal law enforcement officials. "In my opinion, the decision by the mayor and the police chief to withdraw the San Francisco Police Department from the JTTF is really narrow-minded," said Mark Rossini, a retired FBI special agent, and founding executive of the National Counterterrorism Center, who served as a representative to the CIA's Counterterrorist Center. "Politics aside, and the mayor and leaders of San Francisco have their right to their opinion, political opinion and beliefs. But when you're working in law enforcement, law enforcement should know no politics." The FBI leads the 104 Joint Terrorism Task Force units across the country, but the majority of intelligence about crime and terror comes from local sources, said Claude Arnold, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations, who worked in California. "There is less chance of uncovering networks, plots, missing pieces of a puzzle, without cities participating in the JTTF," Arnold said. The "let's not hurt the feelings of Muslims" narrative could end up costing American lives. And it opens an interesting possibility. Suppose San Francisco is hit by a mass-casualty terrorist attack. Why should the rest of the country help it recover? When it gives what amounts to an open invitation to terrorists to hit the city, why should the rest of us indulge its conceits? The same might be said if a major quake destroys much of the city. Why should the military and National Guard give San Franciscans a hand when the city fathers have done nothing except trash our men and women in uniform? Actions have consequences. And more than any other city in the U.S., San Francisco's actions speak volumes about their rejection of the idea of collective security except, of course, if they were to get into trouble and desperately need the rest of us to bail them out. The Trump White House is looking to slash the budget of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by 17%, eliminating most programs that track climate change. The cuts are part of an overall 18% reduction in the budget for the Commerce Department. Politico: The funding slash would hamper NOAAs research funding and satellite programs while eliminating altogether funding for smaller programs on coastal management and estuary reserve efforts, among others, according to a memo obtained by the Washington Post Friday. The Commerce Department, which NOAA is a part of, is facing an 18 percent funding cut under the proposal by the Trump administration. Among the satellite programs facing the largest cuts is the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, which houses climate and environmental information through the National Centers for Environmental Information. Researchers in that program have studied the continuing rate of global climate change. Another would be the Sea Grant program, which currently supports university research programs at 33 institutions nationwide. The proposal highlights the Trump White Houses continued effort to undermine environmental research funding and regulations. Since taking office President Donald Trump and his administration have moved swiftly to push back against the environmental agenda, repealing Clean Water Act protections for wetlands, proposing signifcant cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and considering roll backs for President Barack Obamas signature climate change regulations. The cuts will not hamper the NOAA's important mission of predicting and tracking severe weather like hurricanes and tornadoes. But there are several satellites dedicated almost exclusively to measuring temperatures in the atmosphere as well as the amount of CO2 pumped into the stratosphere on an annual basis. This information is used to "predict" the rise in temperatures, although lately, those predictions have been wrong. The cuts would also affect satellite programs that track air pollution, including the amount of particulates spewed into the atmosphere. The cuts would also affect the study of the world's oceans at a critical moment in history, when over-fishing and rising ocean temperatures have drastically affected the major source of food for a majority of the people on the planet. This is a case where applying a scalpel to the NOAA budget would be better than eviscerating it with an ax. There are programs that cannot be turned over to private industry, although a decent case can be made that most weather forecasting except the severe weather center can be done as well by private contractors. Even without the programs dedicated to climate change (a very small percentage of the NOAA budget), there are functions of the agency that simply cannot be duplicated by anyone else. These are programs that are vital to farmers, the shipping industry, and urban planners, who rely on NOAA data to prosper and even survive. Cut the programs that promote global warming, yes. But greater care should be taken than slashing the NOAA budget willy-nilly, without much thought given to the consequences. A cemetery might seem like an odd destination on a tourist circuit, but the one in Key West, Florida, has a lot of history and some rather interesting tombs. This 19-acre graveyard was founded in 1847 after a terrible hurricane in October 1846 washed away the old cemetery that was located near the coast. After this, the new cemetery was built on the highest point in Key West, and the old graves that survived the hurricane were moved here. Because of the high water table, most of the graves lie above the ground in vault like structures giving the cemetery the appearance of a small town with narrow streets and rows of whitewashed rectangular boxes for houses. The cemeterys only living residents are chickens and iguanas. Photo credit: Cali4beach/Flickr One of Key West cemeterys most famous graves is the one belonging to B.P. "Pearl" Roberts, whose inscription humorously declares "I told you I was sick". Another tombstone, that of Gloria M. Russel, states, "I'm just resting my eyes". The marker on the gravestone of Thomas Romer, a 19th century privateer from the Bahamas, attests that he was a good citizen for 65 years of his 108-year life. Edwina Lariz was a devoted fan of Julio Iglesias and Martha M. Perez was "the best flan maker", as their respective tombstones testify. The gravestone of Alan Dale Willcox says, "If you're reading this, you desperately need a hobby". Another states, "I'll always remember my so-called friends". "I always dreamed of owning a small place in Key West," reads yet another. The epitaph on Georgio Aversas gravestone says, "Jesus Christ, These People Are Horrible." The words were chosen by his wife, who said that her husband often used to say that when they went out together on social gatherings. Each of these one-liners on the rest of the graves must also have their own story we dont know about. The cemeterys most famous residents is Sloppy Joe Russell (1889-1941), who was Ernest Hemingways fishing guide and a famous bartender whose Sloppy Joe's Bar, now Captain Tony's Saloon, is well known throughout Key West. The graveyard also has a memorial to victims of the USS Maine, that sank in Havana Harbor in the late 1800's and a section devoted to those who died during the Cuban Revolution. Floridas first millionaire, William Curry, is also buried here. There are also graves for 3 Yorkshire terriers and a pet deer named Elfina. Another strange grave is that of Archibald John Sheldon Yates, whose headstone is adorned with a statue of naked women with her hands tied behind her back. Photo credit: Peter Dutton/Flickr Photo credit: Stephen Weppler/Flickr Photo credit: Jeff Kern/Flickr Photo credit: Cayobo/Flickr Photo credit: www.findagrave.com Photo credit: Stephen Weppler/Flickr Sources: WLRN / Florida Rambler / Cult of Weird / Phil Philcox, Beverly Boe / Road Trippers The current Columbus Public Library is a very well-used community asset. On Feb. 23, The Columbus Telegrams Tyler Ellyson wrote an article titled, People use library, say numbers. Ellyson highlighted several statistics from Columbus Public Librarys annual report that indicate the continuing and increasing popularity of library services. What the numbers do not show is the depth of impact the library makes in peoples lives. There are people who really need the library. For certain people in our community the library provides their only access to information, in all of its many forms. There are even more people who simply enjoy the librarys collections, services and programs. All library users benefit from the significant money saved by being a patron of the library. Columbus parents enjoy a virtually unlimited supply of new books with their free library card. The expense of providing that level of access to educational materials for children would be insurmountable for nearly all Columbus families. Many retired Columbus residents are also avid readers who take full advantage of the librarys collections and services. In addition to collections, the library provides free access to educational and entertaining programs. This past year the library hosted 461 programs attended by more than 21,000 people. The number is impressively high, and what we cannot see in that number are all of the positive outcomes from those 21,000 experiences. Children enjoyed new lessons, ideas and language through stories. People learned about other cultures and places. Connections were made through book club discussions. These positive experiences facilitated by the library extend into the community and make Columbus a better place to live and work. One of the unique things about Columbus Public Library is its inclusion of access to the visual arts, performing arts and extensive programming in its goals. The art gallery in the basement of the library drew in 8,000 visitors last year. By providing traditionally non-library services, both as Columbus Public Library and with the help of the not-for-profit Columbus Arts Council, the library building becomes a multipurpose facility. Library Journals Marta Murvosh (2012) writes that mixed-use library developments can transform a neighborhood ... Libraries built with partners in Boston, Milwaukee, and Rifle, CO, have been credited with helping spur economic development and bringing a sense of community to their neighborhoods. Columbus Public Library is ahead of its time, nearly 30 years ago the library created a gallery on the lower level of Columbus Public Library. The creation of the gallery prompted the partnership with Columbus Arts Council. That partnership is making it possible to provide the public with access to the arts. The art gallery, located in the basement of the library, fosters creativity, critical thinking, cultural awareness and positive economic impact. Last year, Columbus Public Library helped bring 137,683 visitors to the historic downtown shopping district. While Platte County, including Columbus, gained 181 new residents last year the library gained 1,180 new users. If you have not been to the library in a while come see what you have been missing. The library is free to try and always will be. Additional information about current Columbus Public Library use and services is available on the city of Columbus website, www.columbusne.us. COLUMBUS Platte County Treasurer Theresa Gabriel will submit her resignation next week. Gabriel said the decision, made for family reasons, came after discussing it with her husband, Leonard. I had originally planned to be in the position from eight to 12 years, but my husband and I began to discuss it more recently. Hes nine years older than me, and will be 67 this summer. Weve decided to take our retirement time now, while were both healthy, and while my mother (is) still healthy and very independent, Gabriel wrote in an email. Her resignation, which could be effective immediately, will be submitted Tuesday to the Platte County Board of Supervisors. If accepted, the board is expected to take action to fill the position by appointing an interim county treasurer. Once we have an official resignation, then the deputy treasurer will be named interim treasurer. From the date of the official resignation, we have up to 45 days to advertise for applications, interview and appoint a new treasurer for the balance of (Gabriels) term, said county board Chairman Jerry Engdahl. Patti Renken is the deputy county treasurer. Gabriel, a Republican, took office after beating Democrat Marietta Newman, who was county treasurer for 40 years, during the 2010 general election and was re-elected in 2014. She told employees in the treasurer's office about her decision to step down a couple of weeks ago. They all have a good outlook to the future and transformation of the office. They are a great bunch. They work together well. I will miss them the most, Gabriel said. Engdahl said he was surprised to hear about the resignation and considered it short notice, but said Gabriel has done a good job in her role as county treasurer. Originally, Gabriel planned to leave mid-term on June 30, but felt now is the right time. It is quite common for Nebraska county treasurers to leave mid-term when qualified candidates are available in-house in order to ensure a seamless continuity. Ive decided to take this path because our office is in that position, she said. Gabriel said she is taking a career break," but not retiring. She plans to take time to travel with her husband and become more involved at church. I have accomplished what I came to do in this office. Our office is positive, friendly and very hardworking, she said. STRATTON, Colo. A Columbus teenager linked to an armed gas station robbery was shot by a law enforcement officer Wednesday in eastern Colorado. According to the Kit Carson County Sheriffs Office, the incident started around 11 a.m. Wednesday when a masked subject robbed a Conoco station in Stratton, which is located about two hours east of Denver on Interstate 70. The suspect reportedly fled in a blue/gray car, and a vehicle matching the description provided to law enforcement officers was located at a gas station in Seibert, about 20 minutes west of Stratton on the interstate. The sheriffs office says the suspect identified by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation as a 16-year-old male from Columbus got out of his vehicle with a weapon and was shot by a sheriffs officer. The teen, whose name has not been released by the CBI, was transported to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado, for medical treatment. His condition was not available. The officer was not injured in the incident, which is being investigated by the CBI. Columbus Police received a report of a missing 16-year-old Monday evening and verified the teen was located Wednesday in Colorado. However, the department wouldnt confirm a connection between the missing teenager and Wednesdays incident. The police department declined to release the name of the local teen reported missing. Additional details about the case, including the type of weapon used in the robbery, were not provided by the CBI or Kit Carson County Sheriffs Office. (ANSAmed) - Foggia, March 3 - Two Mali nationals are dead after a massive blaze overnight at a migrant camp called the 'Gran Ghetto' (the big ghetto) in the countryside between the southern towns of San Severo and Rignano Garganico. The fire spread to many shacks in the camp in a matter of minutes, destroying them. The victims were identified as Mamadou Konate and Nouhou Doumbia, aged 33 and 36 respectively. Hundreds of migrants working as crop pickers lived at the camp. Firefighters, Carabinieri and State police were already on the scene due to a clearance operation that started on March 1. The clearance was ordered in relation to a Bari probe into alleged criminal infiltration, although it was not completed as many migrants refused to leave. "It was too violent and sudden," a firefighter told ANSA. Prosecutors in the southern city of Foggia have found no evidence that the blaze was caused by arson, sources said Friday. RENO, Nev. Charlotte Mary Smith passed away on Thursday, March 2, 2017, surrounded by her loving family. Charlotte was born in Columbus in 1925 to Daniel and Helen Greisen Campbell and moved to Las Vegas when she was 5 years old. Her family moved to Nevada during the Depression as her father was to work on the construction of Hoover Dam in order to feed his family. She attended school in Las Vegas and after graduation from high school decided to work for Manganese Ore, a defense plant in Henderson, Nevada. It was in the middle of World War II and her three brothers had enlisted to defend the United States. She worked there as a secretary until the end of the war. After the war ended she became the secretary to the president of the Bank of Nevada and it was there where she met her future husband, Arthur M. Smith Jr. Art was a Navy pilot and after the war he started his career as an entry-level officer at the Bank of Nevada. He later he became president and CEO of that bank. They married shortly after he came to Las Vegas and had four children, Barbara, Debbie, Matt and Blake. After Barbara was born she was very fortunate and happy to become the "managing director" of their home while Art ran the bank. In 1967, Art became the chairman of the board and CEO of First National Bank of Nevada, which was headquartered in Reno. It was then when they moved to Reno. Today, we know First National Bank as Wells Fargo Bank. Art enjoyed being appointed to many board and director positions, one of which was director of Master Card International. In his capacity on that board Art and Charlotte enjoyed many international travels to Asia and Europe attending board meetings. Art and Charlotte loved to travel and spent six summer vacations in Switzerland, which was their favorite foreign destination. Stateside they loved Montana and they spent many summers with family friends in Yellowstone and on Flathead Lake. Charlotte still loved to travel after the passing of Art, and her children used to kid her that she always had a bag packed ready to go. All she needed was the destination and the airline tickets. Charlotte enjoyed supporting the community in which she lived. She was one of the founding members of KNPB-Public Television, a founding member of Assistance League of Nevada, a board member of Sierra Stars, a member of Junior League of Reno and volunteered on various other projects. Her most treasured moments in life were spent with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There was never a time when her thoughts were not totally focused on the needs of her family. Charlotte was preceded in death by her husband Arthur M. Smith Jr. in 1999; and she is survived by her four children, Barbara Smith Campbell (Donald Cassidy MD), Debbie Castello (Victor), Arthur Matt Smith III and G. Blake Smith (Ruth), 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. At the request of Charlotte, a private service will be held. The family requests that in lieu of flowers please send donations to Carmel of Reno, 1950 La Fond Dr., Reno, Nevada 89509. If youre considering a subscription to the Disney Plus streaming service, you may be wondering how much it costs. The service is available on both Last month, I had the honor of attending the Community College National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C., along with two members of the CCC Board of Governors and representatives of the other five Nebraska community colleges. We were there to learn about proposed changes and opportunities for partnership with the new administration, visit members of the Nebraska congressional delegation and hear from other national leaders about their views of how community colleges can continue to address national workforce priorities. A few highlights follow. We learned Congressman Don Bacon attended a community college in Illinois and understands the important role community colleges play in preparing veterans for the workforce. In that context, I am proud of CCCs continued No. 1 ranking as Best for Vets among the nations community colleges by the Military Times. We later heard from Sen. Deb Fischer, who appreciates how community colleges work directly with businesses to meet their workforce needs. Congressman Adrian Smith mentioned the agility of Nebraskas community colleges in meeting the needs of the students and communities we serve. Smith regularly encourages high school students to consider community colleges to limit student loans and future debt. Finally, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry was optimistic about the role and opportunities for community colleges to help transform higher education as we address the cost of college and accountability for workforce skills and knowledge. Betsy DeVos addressed our group after one week as the new U.S. secretary of education. She shared her support for the important work of community colleges to fill expanded jobs requiring education beyond high school. At the same time, DeVos was encouraging of early college programs with high schools. She was familiar with the American Association of Community Colleges national priorities that include year-round Pell grant opportunities for low-income students and continued reauthorization of funds for career and technical education programs through the federal Perkins Act. Absent from her remarks were indications of President Donald Trumps possible actions concerning Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) students and their ability to stay in the country to finish their education and participate in the careers they have been educated to fill. Perhaps the most pointed speaker was Chuck Todd, national journalist and host of NBCs "Meet the Press." He said that while workforce education has widespread bipartisan support, traditionally the U.S. Education Department has been underfunded through both Democratic and Republican administrations, as the overwhelming preference has been leaving control to states and locally elected decision makers. Todd predicts the most recent presidential election may be the change needed to further U.S. democracy by engaging more people and better defining the roles of the three branches of government formed by our Constitution. The summit provided me the opportunity to engage with community college leaders and trustees who are setting priorities to help students prepare for jobs and communities to thrive. While the federal government can assist, it will take involvement and ideas locally to continue growing our local economy. YEREVAN, MARCH 4, ARMENPRESS. Iran has successfully tested the Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system, which the Islamic Republic has purchased from Russia and integrated into the defense system of the country, Armenpress reports, citing Iranian PressTv. The Iranian Fars news agency reported on Sunday that the missile system successfully detected, tracked, and intercepted a ballistic missile during the test launch. The test-firing was conducted in the presence of several military and government officials at a shooting range in one of the countrys defense units, whose location was not publicized. The military exercise was carried out with the aim of analyzing the performance of the S-300 system, assessing the capability of the system in engaging targets with a low radar cross section and ballistic missile threats as well as the ability of Iranian officers to use the system. Russia committed to delivering the S-300 systems to Tehran under an 800-million-dollar deal in 2007 but stopped the process in 2010, citing the fourth round of the UN Security Council sanctions, which barred hi-tech weapons sales to the Islamic Republic. Moscows move prompted Iran to file a complaint against the relevant Russian arms manufacturer with the International Court of Arbitration in Geneva. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted the ban on the delivery of the S-300 in April 2015 and months later, Tehran dropped the lawsuit against Moscow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARTESIA POLICE DEPARTMENT March 2 ALARM 12:18 a.m. Officer dispatched to 1406 W. Briscoe Ave. in reference to an alarm. VANDALISM 12:57 a.m. Officer dispatched to 702 N. 14th St. in reference to vandalism. March 1 ARRESTS 11:51 a.m. John R. Jackson, 36, of Artesia, arrested and charged with two counts of failure to pay fines. 1:29 p.m. Jacob E. Salcido, 20, of Artesia, arrested and charged with failure to appear. 3:12 p.m. Shun C. Hernandez, 32, of Artesia, arrested and charged with unlawful use of a license. 3:49 p.m. Katrina R. Montes, 29, of Artesia, arrested and charged with three counts of failure to pay fines. SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 9:20 a.m. Officer dispatched to the 100 block of West Richardson Avenue in reference to suspicious activity. BURGLARY 9:48 a.m. Officer dispatched to 2402 N. Freeman Ave. in reference to a burglary. ALARM 10:16 a.m. Officer dispatched to 910 N. Sixth St. in reference to an alarm, FRAUD 11:20 a.m. Officer dispatched to 101 N. First St. in reference to fraud. ALARM 12:27 p.m. Officer dispatched to 710 Catalina Drive in reference to an alarm. WANTED SUBJECT 2:54 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 1500 block of West Main Street in reference to a wanted subject. DOMESTIC 4:17 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 1300 block of South First Street in reference to a domestic dispute. HARASSMENT 5:10 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 800 block of West Cleveland Avenue in reference to harassment. VANDALISM 5:18 p.m. Officer dispatched to 2011 N. Freeman Ave. in reference to vandalism. LARCENY 5:27 p.m. Officer dispatched to 609C W. Chisum Ave. in reference to larceny. 5:37 p.m. Officer dispatched to 1203 W. Dallas Ave. in reference to larceny. SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 6:51 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 1500 block of West Yucca Avenue in reference to suspicious activity. ACCIDENT 7:34 p.m. Officer dispatched to North 26th Street and West JJ Clarke Drive in reference to an accident. ARMED SUBJECT 9:16 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 900 block of West Bush Avenue in reference to an armed subject. UNWANTED SUBJECT 9:34 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 1400 block of West Champ Clark Avenue in reference to an unwanted subject. LOUD NOISE 11:17 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 900 block of West Lolita Avenue in reference to a loud noise. EDDY COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE March 2 LIVESTOCK 6:43 a.m. Deputy dispatched to U.S. 82, mile marker 139, in reference to livestock in the roadway. March 1 WANTED SUBJECT 10:15 a.m. Deputy dispatched to Billy Drive in reference to a wanted subject. VANDALISM 5:07 p.m. Deputy dispatched to 2011 N. Freeman Ave. in reference to vandalism. SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 6:04 p.m. Deputy dispatched to the 1700 block of North Pine Street in reference to suspicious activity. DWI 7:50 p.m. Deputy dispatched to South 26th Street and Tumbleweed Road in reference to DWI. ARTESIA MAGISTRATE COURT Judge Daniel Reyes Jr. Felix Castillo, 29, of Artesia, scheduled to appear April 5 for sentencing on charges of battery against a household member and two counts of criminal damage to property of a household member. Fernando D. Cabral Jr., 35, of Artesia, scheduled to appear April 12 for pretrial conference on charges of DWI and unlawful use of a license. Nathan Hernandez, 37, of Artesia, found guilty of larceny. Sentenced to 126 days in ECDC. Total fines and fees $123. ARTESIA MUNICIPAL COURT Judge Kaye L. Kiper Bobby L. Wilder found guilty of two counts of trespassing. Sentenced to 20 days in the Artesia Detention Center. Total fines and fees $58. A charge of shoplifting was dismissed. In a separate ruling, Wilder was found guilty of trespassing. Sentenced to 10 days in the Artesia Detention Center. Total fines and fees $29. Kyla R. Salmon found guilty of contempt of court. Released to make payment agreement. After his speech to a joint session of Congress last week, where President Donald Trump successfully managed to read, from a teleprompter, a speech that someone else had written for him and not sound barking mad, some members of the Beltway punditocracy fell all over themselves to declare thusly: It had happened -- that magic moment we'd all been waiting for: Trump had, finally, and at long last, made the presidential pivot. He'd finally moved past reality TV host and become something approximating statesmanlike. Please. By the weekend, Trump was back to his old tricks, ranting on Twitter, without a shred of evidence, that former President Barack Obama had ordered a wiretap of Trump Tower. As expected, Trump's thus-far groundless complaints devoured the weekend's news cycle and deflected attention away from the woes of embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the endless drumbeat of questions about Trump's -- and his inner circle's -- ties to Russia. But it also provided formal confirmation of something that should be screamingly obvious to anyone who doesn't spend their weekends hurtling up and down the Acela corridor: Donald Trump will never "pivot" and become presidential. Ever. The sooner the Beltway punditocracy accepts this and stops crediting him for getting through a speech without saying something completely unhinged, the safer and better off we're all going to be as a nation. Since exploding onto the public stage more than 18 months ago, someone, somewhere has declared a pivot to the presidential at least a dozen times. Donald Trump is 70 years old. If he'd actually pivoted that sharply that many times, he'd need a double-hip replacement. In case you're skeptical, the good folks at Slate, last August, compiled a list of alleged Trumpian pivots and resets. It's worth reading in full. But here are a few highlights: The earliest such instance was last March where Trump finally embraced the teleprompter during a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He was hailed for his sober embrace of policy. Two days later, he made fun of Ted Cruz's wife on Twitter, Slate reported. Or, there was that time last May where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell supposedly performed a magical intervention, telling Trump to "cool it." Three days later, Slate recounted, Trump suggested Bill and Hillary Clinton were killers and he followed it up by accusing an Indiana-born judge hearing a fraud case against Trump of being biased against him because he was of Mexican descent. Last July, Trump picked now-Veep Mike Pence as his running-mate, which apparently signaled some kind political maturity. During their first public appearance, Trump ignored him for 15 minutes and then reminded the crowd that Pence had backed Ted Cruz over him during the primary season. Pence, readers will remember, was also apparently last to know about former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's Russia problem. Perhaps only Ben Kingsley's Vice President Jim Nance in the 1993 presidential spoof "Dave" has suffered more indignities. Which brings us to the most recent alleged Trumpian pivot. The proximate cause, we were told, was Trump pausing to honor war widow Carryn Owens, whose husband, Navy SEAL, William Ryan Owens, was killed in a botched raid in Yemen earlier this year. Owens is a hero, no doubt about it. And his wife and family have endured an unspeakable tragedy. But the sustained ovation Trump prompted came only hours after he threw his generals under the bus and tried to evade responsibility for the botched raid. It was an act whose political cynicism knows few parallels. It also managed to deflect attention to a speech, while calm and measured in its tones, that actually offered little variance from the standard Trumpian script: Tough talk on immigration and an ongoing fear of the other. Yes, there were some things to like about it - such as a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal. But that glossed over Trump's creation of an office focused on crimes by undocumented immigrants, a move that was straight-up fear-mongering. "Trump, dare I say, gracefully handed the spotlight to Owens -- even taking a few steps back to let her have that moment," Washington Post columnist Chris Cillizza wrote. "For a candidate, a man and a president who has shown a stunning inability to ever make it about anyone other than him, it was a very deft move." In other words, he didn't completely bungle it. Which may be the best we can ever expect from him. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said these trains could travel at a speed of 600 km per hour. Chennai: Discussions by the Railway Ministry with top six global companies for the launch of very high speed trains in India that can travel at a speed of 600kms per hour was in the advanced stage, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said today. "We called for six top global companies who have technology that can travel beyond the 350km/hour speed. These trains can travel upto 600kms/hr speed. We called them and we told them that we will develop with you", he told reporters on the sidelines of a conference here. "Six companies have come forward and the talks are in advanced stages". If they could manufacture such high speed trains, the county would also be able to export it, he said. Prabhu was here to take part in the Tamil Nadu Business Leaders Conference organised by CII. To a query on the timeframe for the launch of such high trains, Prabhu said "it may happen in 10 years. These are new areas which we are working on". On the launch speed trains, he said "Japanese companies are investing almost Rs one lakh crore into high speed railways." On the investments taken up by his Ministry, he said, "including the Rs 8.50 lakh crore proposed to be invested, we are investing an additional amount of Rs 85,000 crore for dedicated freight corridor project. We expect that to be completed in 2019. In the last two years, contracts has been issued, tenders have been finalised", he said. On developing the railway network in the country, he said, the Ministry has undertaken a vision plan for Railways 2030. "For the first time we are preparing a strategic plan to invest and decide on how railway network should be developed.", he said. Earlier, Prabhu unveiled a series of initiatives at the Railway Station here including launch of fifth and sixth track line between Moore Market Complex-Basin Bridge junction, dedication of free wi-fi service at Chennai Egmore Station, double discharge platform at Mambalam Railway Station, and also an elevated booking office at Kodambakkam railway station. With this, govt hopes it was now possible to meet secondary deadline of July 1 for implementation. Mumbai: The all-powerful GST Council at its eleventh meet today cleared crucial Central GST and Integrated GST laws two of the four supporting legislations that will now be tabled in Parliament. According to ET Now, Council headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told states that the government has accepted all 26 points related to pan-India taxation raised by them. The government is now poised to implement GST from July 1 provided it got necessary approval from Parliament, he said. "CGST, IGST and UT-GST law to be taken to Parliament in second half of Budget session starting March 9," he said. The Council has agreed to empower state tax officers on par with their central counterparts. Besides, the finance minister has reportedly accepted cross empowerment of states, a demand raised by them earlier. Hotels with an annual turnover of less than Rs 50 lakh will pay at the lowest tax slab of 5 per cent incorporated under the new indirect tax regime. The Council is meeting again on March 16 to further take up pending issues. The issue of assigning tax slabs for different categories of goods and services would be taken up for redressal after March 15. The GST Council has fixed a four-tier tax system under GST. Lower 5 per cent, two middle range tax slabs of 12 and 18 per cent and one peak tax rate of 28 per cent were included for GST implementation across the country. However, the Council on March 2 said that it would insert an enabling provision in GST draft bill before tabling it in Parliament for a peak tax rate of 40 per cent. This would make things easier as the Council will not have to approach parliament again in case it wanted to increase peak rate in future. The actress was nominated in the Best Actress category for her performance in 'Jackie'. The actress had won the award for her performance in 'Black Swan'. (Photo: AP) Mumbai: Jackie actress Natalie Portman and husband Benjamin Millepied have welcomed their second child. Portman, 35, gave birth to a baby girl on February 22, just days before the Oscars in which she was nominated for best actress, reported People magazine. "Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed a baby girl, Amalia Millepied, on Feb. 22," her representative said. "Mother and baby are happy and healthy." It's the second child for the 'Black Swan' star and her husband, who is a French choreographer. Their first son named Aleph was born in June 2011. A year later, they tied the knot in an intimate Jewish ceremony in Big Sur, California. The couple recently moved from Paris to Los Angeles. Ryan Reynolds has been avidly pursuing Hugh Jackman for a cameo in 'Deadpool 2'. An appearance is close to impossible as Jackman is adamant that he will not be returning to the role. (Photo: AP) Mumbai: Actor Ryan Reynolds sent cupcakes to Hugh Jackman in a bid to persuade him to return as Wolverine in a Deadpool movie. The 48-year-old actor has decided to bid adieu to Wolverine, but Reynolds is keen to persuade him to return to his clawed mutant alter ego one more time to appear in the highly-anticipated second outing for wise-cracking anti-hero Wade Wilson, reported Female First. Asked if his phone is off the hook because of calls from Reynolds, Jackman replied, "Not only is it off the hook, cupcakes! I mean, come on dude, cupcakes?" The Australian actor said the gift was a way of the Deadpool star suggesting he would not have to be as toned as usual in his film. "Which is also his way of saying, come on, fatten up buddy," Jackman quipped. However, it seems an appearance is close to impossible as Jackman is adamant that he will not be returning to the Marvel role in the future. "This is it; there were many days on set where I'm like, 'Good choice!' I feel like the athlete who has had a 17-year career and announced his retirement," he said. We get celebrities to give their take on a current issue each week and lend their perspective to a much-discussed topic. In a recent interview, Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman, whos announced his retirement from X-Men franchise, said that if anyone had to fill his shoes as Wolverine, it had to be Shah Rukh Khan. Can SRK actually succeed Hugh as Wolverine? What other Indian stars could take on Hollywood franchises convincingly? We find out: I think we need someone like Ajay Devgn Vivek Dahiya, actor Im very sad that this a goodbye for Hugh Jackman as the first and mighty Wolverine. I love him for bringing the character alive and making us believe in his nasty yet strong claws. I cant imagine Wolverine without him. However, Id like to differ about SRK replacing him. I think we need someone like Ajay Devgn with intense eyes to play the Wolverine. Shah Rukh will put his own charm into Wolverine when its not needed at all. And if I have to see another Indian actor taking part in an Hollywood franchise, I would like to see Hrithik Roshan in the Fast and Furious series. Akshay Kumar as James Bond Aakanksha Singh, actress I cant imagine anyone else as Wolverine. He has left such a lasting impact that even if Im asked to rethink or reimagine the character it has to be Hugh. I would love to see Akshay Kumar play James Bond though. I think he will make for an amazing, suave and good looking James Bond with his physique. Our stars will be easily accepted Ragini Dwivedi, actress I think it would be fabulous to see Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan or Tiger Shroff in some fun adaptations because they would be able to carry some of these films with ease. It would be fantastic to see them play these iconic characters like Hugh Jackman in X-Men or James Bond. Our stars are at par with any other stars across the world and will be accepted easily. Hrithik can nail the role with his Greek God looks Yuvika Chaudhary, actress It has to Hrithik Roshan for me, to play a superhero. He fits the bill perfectly in every way. I cannot imagine any other actor who can play the role perfectly. He can nail the role with his Greek God looks and rugged fitness. If it is about an Indian superhero, it has to be him. Make Indian EPICS an inspiration Adah Sharma, actress Rather than having Indian actors and actresses star in Hollywood franchises, I would love to see the film industry take inspiration from our own epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and have superhero films made out of them. We have our own superheroes in these tales and it would be exciting to have the world see the greatness in these stories. Whether it is the superhero flying or levitating, we have our Lord Hanuman, as an inspiration. I would also love to see Ranveer Singh or Varun Dhawan play such superhero roles. SRK is a good choice Shakun Batra, director I agree with Hugh Jackman and there is no doubt about it Shah Rukh Khan will be a good choice to play the character of Wolverine, after the formers retirement from the X-Men series. Other Indian stars who are good with action scenes can also be a great choice if they want to venture into Hollywood franchises. At the end of the day, it is absolutely their choice. The police has conducted raids at several places including the official residence of Prajapti but has failed to trace him so far. New Delhi: Security agencies across airports and exit points in the country have been put on alert following reports that Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapti, an accused in a rape case, may escape. Intelligence sources said they had received inputs from the UP police and as a result have sounded an alert asking authorities at airports and other security forces to be on the lookout for the tainted leader. Following directions from the Supreme Court, the police lodged an FIR against Prajapati in connection with a rape case. The police has conducted raids at several places including the official residence of Prajapti but has failed to trace him so far. Police sources said Prajapti will be arrested once he is questioned. The minister is contesting Assembly elections from Amethi as a Samajwadi Party candidate. Police has already recorded the statement of the victim girl who is said to be undergoing treatment at AIIMS. The Sashtra Seema Bal too has has been alerted. The poll body said that a response should be submitted by Sasikala herself and it should come in by March 10. New Delhi: The Election Commission has rejected the response filed by AIADMK on V.K. Sasikalas elevation as interim general secretary of the party. The reason cited was that the reply was submitted by Ms Sasikalas nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran, who is not on the poll panels list of party office bearers. The poll body said that a response should be submitted by Ms Sasikala herself and it should come in by March 10. Since Mr Dinakaran is not on the list of party office bearers, hence the reply should either be submitted under your own signature or you may duly or you may duly authorise somebody to do so in your behalf, the EC notice said. The AIADMK has defended the decision to appoint Ms Sasikala as its interim general secretary, saying the general council of the party has the authority to make such an appointment. The party had said that those who later complained against her elevation had initially signed the resolution in her support. It further said that the functioning of the party would have come to a standstill had a new general secretary not been appointed after the demise of Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. In its response to the February 17 notice by the Election Commission, the AIADMK also said the reply was signed by T.T.V. Dinakaran, Ms Sasikalas nephew, who was hurriedly reinducted into the party and nominated AIADMK deputy general secretary just before she left for a Karnataka prison to serve her remaining term in a disproportionate assets case. The poll panel had on February 17 asked Ms Sasikala to respond to a petition filed by the rival O. Panneerselvam camp against her appointment as AIADMK interim general secretary. Indus commission is a bipartisan body entrusted with implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty. It is mandated to meet at least once every year, alternately in India and Pakistan. New Delhi: India has accepted Pakistans invitation to attend a meeting on the 1960 Indus Water Treaty in Lahore later this month. The meeting does not amount to talks between the two governments and there is no shift in Indias position, people in the government who are familiar with the matter said. New Delhi may be downplaying the acceptance of the invitation, they said. Regular meetings of the Indus commissioners are only to discuss technical matters and not political ones, they added. After the Uri terror attack last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an internal meeting to review the treaty last September that blood and water cannot flow together. The government then reportedly decided to suspend further talks and increase use of rivers flowing through Jammu and Kashmir to fully exercise Indias rights under the pact. While sovereigns (represented by governments) are signatories to the treaty, the Indus commission is not concerned with political aspect, and deals only with technical matters, the people said. Indias participation in the forthcoming Indus Treaty deliberations, however, is significant, particularly in the view of some improvement in ties this year after Pakistan released an Indian Army soldier from captivity and with both sides releasing captured fishermen as a goodwill move. As it is Pakistans turn to host the next meeting, the Indian commissioner has accepted his counterparts invitation. Mutually convenient dates and agreeable agenda are being worked out directly by the commissioners themselves, with the government having no role on this, people familiar with the matter said. Maybe I'm channeling Donald Trump. Or maybe he's been reading my columns or my mind. All I know for sure is that when he gave his great speech to Congress Tuesday night he did exactly what I suggested he should do that morning in my column in The Hill stop being Donald Trump. Quoting my father, I wrote that there comes a time when the president-elect has to become the president and then start acting like one who represents the whole country, even his enemies. I said the president should be a conservative, make conservative appointments and run a conservative government. But I also suggested that he immediately stop catering only to his base and tell us in his speech where he wants to take the country and how he plans to take us there. President Trump did all that and much more in his widely applauded speech Tuesday night, which was a great turning point for his administration to move forward on his agenda. By spelling out his core goals, and asking the House and Senate to create the legislation to put them into place, Trump proved to Congress he wants to lead. On Tuesday night he set the cornerstone for his administration's agenda. Like Trump Tower, he now has to begin rebuilding and rehabilitating America from the infrastructure up. Many of our bridges and roads are in shambles. We take off and land at airports that would shame a Third World country. In Studio City, California, not far from my house, a 90-year-old pipe burst and caused a sinkhole that swallowed cars but thankfully no people. President Trump is absolutely right to want to throw a trillion public and private dollars at the crumbling infrastructure of the country the more private the funding, the better. He is also absolutely right to want to rebuild and build-up our military after eight years of neglect by the Obama administration. As my father used to say, we fought four wars during his lifetime none of which were fought because America was too strong. President Trump understands that. So does Secretary of Defense James Mattis. So does his disgruntled fellow Republican, Senator John McCain, who'll someday applaud the president if he stays on course to rejuvenate the Army, Air Force and Navy. The president's signature campaign issue, enforcing and reforming our awful immigration policy, will face a huge political fight and a lot of compromising. He'll need to find the area where we can all come together. Nobody is going to get 100 percent of what they want, so everyone including the president's base has to be willing to give a little. President Trump's other aims lowering taxes on people and corporations, cutting regulations on businesses and repealing and replacing ObamaCare are goals conservatives have been dreaming about for years. He has a real chance of accomplishing many of his goals and the goals of conservatives in the next 200 days, but he can't do it alone. He's going to need the advice and help of thousands of people. So if I could give one more bit of advice to President Trump, which comes from a placard that was on my father's desk, it is, "There's no telling what a man can accomplish or where he could go if he doesn't worry about who gets the credit." My father knew it's never about taking credit, Mr. Trump, it's all about getting things done. Highlights of the Budget were mailed by an official accidently. Thiruvananthapuram: An official at the finance ministers office was sacked on Friday on charges of leaking Budget highlights that triggered Opposition protest in the Assembly. They demanded finance minister Dr T.M. Thomas Isaacs resignation. Assistant private secretary K. Manojkumar was removed from the ministers office. Dr Isaac said that though it seemed to be a slip on the part of the official, it could not be taken lightly. Dr Isaac started his Budget presentation at 9 am and it went on smoothly till 11.18 am when the UDF MLAs raised the allegation that portions of the Budget proposals yet to be announced were being flashed by TV channels and circulated on social media. The LDF camp, especially Dr Isaac, was taken aback at the charges. Though chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and finance minister said that the allegations would be looked into, the Opposition insisted on an immediate explanation from the government. Later, the Opposition walked out of the House saying that the Budget lost its sanctity. Meanwhile, sources said that the highlights of the Budget were mailed by the assistant private secretary accidently. The mail was meant for distribution to the media after the presentation of Budget. Manojkumar had set the mail containing highlights ready on his email and kept in the drafts folder. But it accidentally got sent. Earlier, the row unfolded in the Assembly after former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was seen going out of the House and coming back after a few minutes with a bunch of papers. He called Congress MLA V.D. Satheesan to his seat and briefed something. Subsequently, Mr Satheesan went to Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and few minutes later the row erupted. Govt plans to enforce equivalent of Sec 144 at anti-terror operation sites. People attend the funeral of Mohammad Ayoub Wani, who was killed in a grenade blast, in Goosu, south of Srinagar. (Photo: AP) New Delhi: Concerned over increasing incidents of residents disrupting counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir valley, the state government along with the Union home ministry is considering a proposal to impose prohibitory laws around the site of military or police operation. They plan to use Section 144 of the CrPC, or its equivalent provisions under the Ranbir Penal Code or the Jammu and Kashmir Code of Criminal Porcedure. The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) bans gathering of more than four people. Since CrPC and the Indian Penal Code do not apply in Kashmir Valley, security forces want their equivalent under the RPC or the J&K CrPC to be used in such situations. Sources said both the J&K government (BJP-PDP coalition) and the Centre are examining the issue thoroughly in order to ensure that the move does not evoke reaction from locals in the Valley. The two main security forces, Army and the CRPF, operating in the Valley have informed the Centre that residents, who are often under pressure from terror groups, come out in large number whenever an operation is on. The security forces also want to ensure that civilians do not get injured. In the last few weeks, there have been instances, particularly in south Kashmir, when militants who were cornered by security agencies managed to escape by taking cover of protesting mobs. A huge crowd gathered around the encounter site, pelting stones at the security forces and taking advantage of the chaos two of the militants managed to escape, a senior security official posted in Srinagar said. Had the crowd not diverted the attention of security forces, these militant would surly have been killed, the official said. What is more disturbing is that protesters keep women and children in the front, making it difficult for the forces to disperse the crowd, the official said. This is a deliberate ploy by overground workers (insurgents supporters) to ensure that the militants get a safe escape route. Recently, Army chief Bipin Rawat said those helping terrorists in the Valley would also be treated as anti-nationals. Government sources said Islamabad has not allowed New Delhi consular access to Jadhav despite requests. New Delhi/Islamabad: After Pakistan Friday asserted that it will not extradite former Indian Naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav accused of being an Indian spy and said more information on him has been sought, Indian government sources hit back, saying the allegations against him were baseless. Government sources said Islamabad has not allowed New Delhi consular access to Mr Jadhav despite requests. India also asked Pakistan to follow well-established international practices in this regard. Pakistan PMs adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz earlier said, India has been asked for more information. India had earlier said that Mr Jadhav became a businessman after retirement from the Navy, and suspects that he was abducted from Iran by Pakistani intelligence agencies. Congress MP Kapil Sibal said that it is only the BJP that has benefited from the note ban. Old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes placed in an order that reads BAN in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Congress on Friday hit out at the BJP over issue of demonetisation. Speaking at a seminar organised by the party legal cell, former ministers P. Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and former Chairman of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, questioned the rationale behind the governments decision. Mr Chidambaram denounced the governments criticism of noted economists like Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen for questioning governments growth data post demonetisation. We have the most anti-intellectual government in the world, he said, adding that going by the Gross Value Addition (GVA) figures it is clear the economy has slowed down and the Q4 data of national income will further confirm the economy has been hit very very badly by the note ban. To recover from this interruption, in my assessment, it will take between 12 and 18 months to recover. So, you will see its impact in 2017-18, Mr Chidambaram said. Congress MP Kapil Sibal said that it is only the BJP that has benefited from the note ban. He demanded a high-level investigation into the demonetisation exercise. This is a conspiracy, and the biggest scam... if anybody has made money in all this, it is the BJP. One day this will come out and there should be a complete probe by the Joint Parliamentary Committee, he said, questioning the GDP data released by the government. All this data is being given out for polls in Uttar Pradesh. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has not collected the rural data. Mr Sibal also accused the government of undermining the institutions like Reserve bank of India and the CSO. For the first time in the history of this country, institutions like CSO and RBI have become suspect in the eyes of people. Mr Ahluwalia also said the effect of demonetisation will be felt in the coming quarters. There seems to be a deceleration in growth. The effect of demonetisation is in the informal sector, not on the formal sector, including the government, he said, adding that the revised estimates of Q-3 will show bigger decline in growth. Kerala CM Vijayan had rejected the threat with contempt and said that the RSS indulged in murders in several places. New Delhi/Hyderabad: The RSS Friday sacked its Madhya Pradesh functionary Kundan Chandravat a day after he sparked a controversy by announcing a Rs 1 crore bounty for beheading Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Chandravats controversial statement has created a wrong impression about the Sangh. He has been removed from all posts, RSS Madhya Pradesh head Prakash Shastri said. Mr Chandravat had announced the reward to avenge the killing of RSS workers in Kerala, allegedly by workers of the ruling CPM. He was Sah Prachar Pramukh of RSS in Ujjain. Kerala CM Vijayan had rejected the threat with contempt and said that the RSS indulged in murders in several places. Meanwhile, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu hit out at the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala, saying state-sponsored terror and barbarism have been let loose in the state. ...See how bitter and violent they (Left parties) are in Kerala. How many hundreds of people they killed in Kerala including in the CMs own district. And our nationalist boys are fighting. Many of them are losing their lives. No other party is condemning it, Mr Naidu said in Hyderabad. Kerala has been witnessing a series of political clashes between BJP-RSS cadres and those from the ruling CPI(M). Both parties have blamed each other for the cycle of violence, which has claimed several lives. Mr Naidu said the biggest example of intolerance is the violent events in Kerala. They are talking about intolerance. The greatest and biggest example of intolerance is what is happening in Kerala. Teachers are beheaded in school, children are killed in front of their parents. Parents are dragged and murdered in front of their children, he said. When asked if the Centre will intervene, Mr Naidu said, ...They are failing (in doing their job). Lets see what is going to happen. In a fresh incident of violence in the southern state, a crude bomb was hurled at the RSS office near Nadapuram in Kozhikode Thursday night, injuring four workers. Travelling in an SUV, Modi concluded his massive road show by offering prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to supporters as he campaigns for his party in the Uttar Pradesh state elections in Varanasi. (Photo: AP) Jaunpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an election rally in Uttar Pradeshs Jaunpur after the grand roadshow in Varanasi. Here are the highlights: History has been created in the womb of Jaunpur. I salute the land. From the land of sacrifice, even today, soldiers die fighting terrorists. It was cool, but the temperatures have been since soaring in the elections in UP. People sometimes forget their ethics and culture and commit such sins that are unforgivable. When the Army conducted surgical strikes, it destroyed enemy camps and before sunrise came back to our mother land. This was a very courageous and planned to the very minute detail. Surgical strikes by India is being studied by the world over. But there are some who lost in their political greed started questioning the Army, said Modi should give proof. I want to tell them, go to Jaunpur and meet the mothers of whose sacrificed their lives for the motherland. And you dare question them? For 40 years our forces demanded One Rank One Pension but nothing happened. I had promised that BJP government will deliver OROP and we did. Chief Minister says kaam bolta hai, so I thought I should read the UP state government's website and I read it in public. The bad condition that UP is in courtesy SP was made public. The SP was exposed. The election results will be out soon. It will be a wipe-out for SP, BSP and Congress. The BJP will win. UP will celebrate Holi on March 13. I promise that at the first meeting after BJP is voted to power, the work to forgo farmer loans will be taken. Modi hit the campaign trail in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi on Saturday by embarking on a road show from the gate of Banaras Hindu University. Travelling in an SUV, Modi concluded his massive road show by offering prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi. Huge crowd gathered on the streets to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister. People were seen on both sides of the road, standing on balconies and rooftops of buildings. Supporters also raised slogans shouting Har har Modi, Ghar ghar Modi and showered flowers at him. According to reports, Congress and Samajwadi party supporters also showed up and waved their party flags at Bhadaini area. They shouted slogans supporting Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi and Modi supporters responded with louder chants. Modi also garlanded the statue of freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, who was also the founder of the BHU. The Prime Minister is scheduled to address another election rally in Varanasi. Meanwhile, a total of 37.85 percent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm in the sixth phase of polling in the state. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi during their road show in Varanasi. (Photo: AP) Lucknow: As the politically crucial state Uttar Pradesh gets ready for the penultimate phase of polling in the ongoing Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance is leaving no stone unturned to ensure their popularity amongst the voters. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will hold a grand road show today here, expected to run parallely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally, following a road show in the city. The SP-Congress roadshow is scheduled to begin at 'Kachehri Chauraha' and culminate at the 'Girjaghar Chauraha'. It's expected to pass through Nadesar, Chaukaghat, Doshipura, Gol Ganj, Peeli Kothi, Maidagin, Chauk and Gudaulia. With this, the crucial Varanasi region is slated to witness a slew of high-profile rallies by Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati. Prime Minister Modi will also address a rally in Jaunpur. Meanwhile, a total of 37.85 percent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm in the sixth phase of polling in the state. The counting of votes will take place on March 11. Mahaveer allegedly dragged her inside the rented flat, locked the doors, and molested her. The incident came to light when the student approached the China embassy that immediately took up the matter with the jurisdictional police. New Delhi: Despite claims by the Delhi police, the national capital continues to see a spurt in crime against women and misbehaviour against foreign nationals. In a recent incident, a foreign student of Lady Shri Ram College, who had come to the national capital for strengthening ties between the two nations during an exchange programme, was allegedly molested and misbehaved with by a 50-year-old florist in South Delhi on last Tuesday. Based on her complaint and the description given, the police made sketches of the accused and managed to arrest Awaneesh alias Mahaveer, a resident of Gautam Puri in Badarpur, in this connection. The police said that the victim, who lives in a rented accommodation in Greater Kailash, used to buy flowers from Mahaveer. He used to sell small flowerpots on his bicycle. On February 27, while the victim was standing outside her house, Mahaveer allegedly came there with the plants and asked her to buy a few. When the victim was buying the plants, Mahaveer allegedly dragged her inside the rented flat, locked the doors, and molested her. In her plaint, the student alleged that the accused was misbehaving with her and had touched her inappropriately. The incident came to light when the student approached the China embassy that immediately took up the matter with the jurisdictional police. The victim, who is said to be disturbed by the incident, is undergoing counselling. The student didnt have any number or other information which could help us nab the culprit. We counselled her, following which she gave us the description of the accused and accordingly his sketch was made. The team circulated the sketches and on Thursday he was identified. Mahaveer used to come daily to Greater Kailash to sell flowers and it led to his arrest, said a police officer. A case in this connection is registered in the Greater Kailash police station. The gang allegedly stole valuables from vehicles after distracting the drivers. New Delhi: With the apprehension of a juvenile and the arrest of a man, Delhi Police on Friday claimed to have busted a gang which allegedly stole valuables from vehicles after distracting the drivers. The accused persons allegedly ran an organized gang known as the 'Thak-Thak' gang. "The members of the gang distract the car driver either by knocking hard ('Thak-Thak' in Hindi) on the car windows or by puncturing tyres or by minor accidents. "While the driver is distracted, one of the gang members flees with the valuables kept in the car. Juveniles are used for puncturing tyres as well as stealing valuables," said Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (crime). A Chandni Chowk-based jeweller approached police with a complaint alleging that a bag containing gold and diamond jewellery worth Rs 1 crore was stolen from his car. His car was allegedly punctured by the members of the gang near Barapullah flyover at Sarai Kale Khan. A man, allegedly from the gang, knocked on his window to tell him that his car tyre was punctured and while the victim got down to change the wheel, a member of the gang fled with the bag, police said. A Crime Branch team led by ACP Ishwar Singh was deputed to investigate the case under the supervision of DCP (Crime) Ram Gopal Naik. The team gathered information about gangs with similar modus operandi and their active members. On February 28, information was received that some of the accused persons had gone to Chandigarh to commit similar crimes. A team was sent to Chandigarh and it was found that the accused have returned to Delhi, said Yadav. The raiding team arrived in Delhi and the accused were apprehended on March 1 from near Sarai Kale Khan Bus Terminal. One of the accused, Deepak (35) told police that he got associated with the 'Thak-Thak' gang for easy money and has been involved in 50 thefts across northern India. The articles worth Rs 1 crore have been recovered. The accused could not sell the jewellery items since they are expensive and if they went out to sell them it would have attracted attention, police said. Some AIIMS faculty members had met the principal secretary to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet secretary over the matter. New Delhi: The Prime Ministers Office (PMO) has sought a clarification from the health ministry on the process followed in shortlisting of names for the post of AIIMS director. The PMO asked for the explanation after several senior faculty members of the prestigious institute approached it with a complaint that seniority has been bypassed in choosing the names for the top job. The Institute Body, which is the AIIMS top decision-making body headed by Union health minister J.P. Nadda, has recommended HOD of paediatrics Dr V.K. Paul, HOD of pulmonary medicine and sleep disorder Dr Randeep Guleria and professor of cardiology Dr Balram Bhargava for the top post, out of 53 applicants. A meeting was held between top health ministry officials and the PMO on Wednesday and a final decision in the matter is expected in a few days, said the sources. According to a senior health ministry official, some AIIMS faculty members had met the principal secretary to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet secretary over the matter. They claimed that people who are higher in seniority have been ignored, said an official. The PMO has sought to know what criterion was adopted in shortlisting the names of three candidates and why names of Dr S.C. Sharma, HoD of ENT, Dr S.K. Panda, HOD of Pathology and Dr Subrata Sinha, who is the Director of National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Manesar, were dropped, an official said. The official also said a final call in the matter will be taken by the Prime Minister. The selection-cum-search panel in its meeting on January 24, in addition to Dr Paul, Dr Guleria and Dr Bhargava had also considered Dr Chitra Sarkar, professor of pathology, Dr Sharma and Dr Sinha for the post. The SIT has already submitted a report to the Supreme Court about the progress of its probe. New Delhi: Continuing their probe into the 1984 anti-sikh riots, the probing agency SIT which is re-investigating 58 cases has questioned Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in connection with the murder of a father-son duo in West Delhi. According to the officials, Kumar was interrogated in the case of murder of Jaswant Singh and his son during the riots in Punjabi Bagh in November 1984. Earlier, Kumar was questioned about the allegations that he instigated a mob in Janakpuri on November 1, 1984, which led to the killing of two Sikhs Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh. This particular case was earlier closed by CBI, citing lack of evidence against Kumar. Apart from Kumar, the SIT also examined several other persons, including some Delhi Police officers, who had earlier handled the probe. The SIT has already submitted a report to the Supreme Court about the progress of its probe. It is said to have conveyed to the Supreme Court that investigation in most of the cases has almost been completed. The SIT was set up on February 12, 2015 following a recommendation by the Home Ministry-appointed Justice (retd) G.P. Mathur committee to re-investigate appropriately serious criminal cases filed in the National Capital Territory of Delhi relating to the 1984 riots. There were around 650 cases registered in Delhi for anti-Sikh riots. A total of 3,325 people were killed in the riots in which Delhi alone accounted for 2,733 deaths, while the rest took place in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states. Delhi Police had closed 241 cases citing lack of evidence. Justice Nanavati Commission had recommended reopening of only four of them. The CBI had reopened and re-investigated only four cases. In two of them, the probe agency had filed a chargesheet and in one, five persons, including a former MLA, were convicted. The incident was reportedly witnessed by Singhs wife, who had claimed that she saw Kumar allegedly instigating mob, sources said. Delhi Police had filed a case at Punjabi Bagh police station in the matter in 1991 but closed the probe in 1993. The three-member Special Investigation Team, comprising IPS officer Anurag, retired district judge Rakesh Kapoor and Delhi Police DCP Kumar Gyanesh, questioned the Congress leader on Thursday. Kumar has been questioned four times since last year for the anti-Sikh riots cases. Krishna Kirvale was found lying in a pool of blood inside his bedroom. Mumbai/Pune: Former head of Marathi department of Shivaji University, Dr Krishna Kirvale, a renowned scholar and leading figure in the Ambedkar movement and writer of several books was found dead in pool of blood in his home at Kolhapur on Friday around 3 pm. Kirvale stayed at Arihant Colony near Shivaji University, Kolhapur. He was found lying in a pool of blood inside his bedroom. Vishwas Nangare Patil, IG, Kolhapur, said, We got a call from Kirvales neighbour at 3.30 that Kirvale was found dead. We sent his body for post-mortem to the government hospital. According to him, Kirvales wife was at home, when Pritam Patil, a carpenter had a verbal fight with Kirvale, following which he allegedly killed him. Patil is absconding. We will catch him and will be able to find out why he killed Dr Kirvale. As of now, we do not see any social aspect in the murder, Mr Nangare Patil said. Kirvale was the head of the Marathi department and chief of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Centre for Research and Development. He had retired from the university a few months ago. He was known as a progressive scholar and researcher. He had written several books on Ambedkar and the movement started after him. Besides, he had written many books enriching Marathi literature. He was a scholar and researcher of Dalit literature as well. He had made a dictionary of English words used in literature by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. The Shivaji University, Kolhapur had even published the dictionary. He was originally from Sirsala, Beed district in Marathwada. This is the second murder of a scholar in Kolhapur. Earlier, rationalist Govinda Pansare was killed near his house in Kolhapur in February 2015. Meanwhile scholars, lecturers from Shivaji University and his students rushed to Dr Kirvales house. Megha Pansare, daughter in law of late Govinda Pansare said, The police needs to find out whether this murder is born out of ideological differences. Ajoy Mehta has revoked the permission given to three political parties for installing selfie spots at Shivaji Park. Mumbai: In a severe jolt to political parties, which were jostling with each other over the selfie point issue, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Ajoy Mehta has revoked the permission given to three political parties for installing selfie spots at Shivaji Park. Public spaces cannot be allowed for such activities, Mr Mehta has warned them sternly. In a please-all decision, the BMC had decided to allot space to all three political parties MNS, Shiv Sena and BJP, who had sought permission to install their own selfie points at Shivaji Park. After the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had decided to shut down its point, a dispute had erupted among these parties on who would erect the selfie spot at Shivaji Park. As it snowballed into a controversy, G-North ward assistant commissioner Ramakant Biradar decided to allot separate places to all three parties to install their own selfie points. However, local residents have complained to the civic body about the inconvenience caused due to the selfie point at Shivaji Park. Taking note of this, Mr Mehta directed ward officials to remove the point at Shivaji Park and also not to give permission to start selfie points in the future. In a letter to outgoing MNS corporator Sandeep Deshpande, who had requested to the BMC to continue with the selfie point at Shivaji Park, Mr Biradar said, Due to stiff opposition from local residents and hurdles caused in their morning and evening walks, the BMC chief has directed not to give permission to any individual/organisation or political party for starting a selfie point. The permission should also be revoked if it has already been given. Speaking to The Asian Age, Mr Mehta said, Shivaji Park is a public space and should be used prudently. We cant allow such activities at a public place. The selfie point at Shivaji Park was the first-of-its-kind in the city. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will appoint deputy ombudsman for Mumbai. Mumbai: In a back-to-back blow to the spectators, after announcing the BJPs withdrawal from the BMCs mayoral race, chief minister Devendra Fandnavis on Saturday indicated that he would keep Shiv Sena on a tight leash by appointing a deputy ombudsman (Upalokayukta). The appointment will be made exclusively for Mumbai. He also appointed a three-member committee of former bureaucrats to monitor and give reports of transparency in other municipal corporations. We contested the BMC elections on the issue of transparency and received overwhelming support of the people. Our number of corporators increased from 32 to 82. Now we have decided not to contest election for the mayor, deputy mayor or any other post. The Shiv Sena and BJP, both will have 10 members each in the 27-member BMC standing committee. But there, too, we will not claim any post. We will not stand in the opposition either, Mr Fadnavis announced. He said that the Upalokayukta would act as an anti-corruption ombudsman for Mumbai alone. The committee of bureaucrats including Gautam Chatterjee, Sharad Kale and Ramanath Jha will prepare a report on transparency in municipal corporations. The committee has been given three months to submit the report to the government. Social activist Vivek Korde has questioned the sudden need of Upalokayukta, terming it a political move against Shiv Sena. What is the need for appointing (the Upalokayukta) when we already have a Lokayukta? Shiv Sena and BJP were in alliance for 20 years but did not appoint a Upalokayukta and neither talked about corruption in the BMC before the polls. The BJP is now going to appoint officials against Shiv Sena. This is a political move. Also, the autonomy of local bodies is threatened by such appointments, Mr Korde Korde said. This is for the first time in 15 years that the Congress is faced with a real Opposition that is threatening to unseat the party. The discourse during the run-up to the state Assembly elections in Manipur has confined itself to critical local issues like corruption, the ongoing four-month-long economic blockade by a frontline Naga group, fears on whether a deal with Naga rebels could see the state losing some of its Naga-inhabited territory, development or the lack of it, and, of course, insurgency and law and order. But what is brand new for Manipurs politics is that two national parties the Congress and the BJP are battling it out, the only two parties contesting all the 60 seats. The other major player is the Naga Peoples Front (NPF), a BJP ally which is the dominant ruling coalition partner in adjoining Nagaland. The NPF had contested 12 seats in Manipur in 2002 and had won four. This time, the NPF has put up candidates in 15 seats. Adding interest to the contest is Manipurs iron lady and rights activist Irom Sharmila and her party, the Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA), which is engaged in a symbolic fight, contesting only three seats. Ms Sharmila, who had ended a 16-year-long fast against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, is pitted against veteran Congress leader and chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh in Thoubal constituency. There are a host of other regional and Left parties in the fray. The Congress in the state, led by its mascot Ibobi Singh, had a near free run for the past 15 years in a row, having won three elections in the absence of a strong or determined Opposition. This is for the first time in 15 years that the Congress is faced with a real Opposition that is threatening to unseat the party. For the BJP, the Manipur elections are extremely important because if it manages a win, it would add one more north-eastern state in its kitty after the decisive victory in Assam in April last year. Arunachal Pradesh too has a BJP government now, but that has not come about after an electoral verdict. In Nagaland too, the BJP has a presence in the state government by way of the party being a part of the ruling NPF-led coalition. A victory for the BJP in Manipur will help the party establish its claim as a pan-Indian entity that is there to stay, and drive home the message that it is a party that appeals to Indians across the length and breadth of the diverse nation. Similarly, for the Congress, retaining Manipur is vital to rejuvenate the party whose electoral fortunes have not been on the high for long now. It is not surprising, therefore, to see leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Union home minister Rajnath Singh and other bigwigs campaigning in Manipur, braving security threats from insurgents. As the BJP geared up its efforts to wrest Manipur, and vested the responsibility on master strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Cabinet minister and convenor of the BJP-led North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), chief minister Ibobi Singh came up with a masterstroke. In early December last year, the state government created seven new districts, six of which were carved out from the existing hill districts inhabited by Nagas, Kukis and other ethnic groups. The Congress must have done this with two objectives in mind enlist the support of the tribes people in the new districts as elevating these areas to districts would bring them some development and additional infrastructure, besides jobs, and to possibly alter the district-wise demographic balance. The Nagas got highly agitated by this move. Manipurs apex Naga body, the United Naga Council (UNC) had already launched an economic blockade on November 1, 2016 after the Manipur government announced plans to grant full-fledged district status to two subdivisions in the hill areas. When the Ibobi government went a step further and created seven new districts, the UNC intensified the blockade that is still on. The genesis of this lies in the deep divide between the people in the hills and the Imphal Valley dominated by the Meiteis. The valley has 40 Assembly seats although it comprises only 11 per cent of Manipurs total geographical area. The hills with an area of 89 per cent have only 20 seats. Therefore, a section of Nagas in both Nagaland and Manipur has been hoping to break away from Manipur and perhaps merge with adjoining Nagaland. Politics, not surprisingly, has come into play with the Congress and Mr Ibobi Singh himself saying Manipur could be dismembered if the BJP comes to power because the NDA government at the Centre, he alleges, has entered into a secret pact with the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM). That is the reason why Rahul Gandhi too demanded in his Manipur campaign tour that New Delhi should make the August 2015 framework agreement with the NSCN(I-M) public. This forced Mr Modi to clarify in Imphal that Manipurs territorial integrity is under no threat and is not linked to a possible deal with the NSCN(I-M). Aside from intricate issues as this, the Congress is facing a strong anti-incumbency wave. Charges of nepotism and favouritism by the Ibobi Singh government in matters of recruitment to state government jobs are flying thick and fast. Questions are also being raised on the degree of development that the Congress could usher in during the past decade and a half. Most importantly, the issue of fake encounter deaths (a case is pending at the Supreme Court on 1,528 such deaths in Manipur during Congress rule) will also weigh heavily on the mind of voters. The Congress has certainly conceded some ground to the BJP over all these, but the fact also remains that the BJPs organisational base in Manipur is not really strong so far. Moreover, the party has been forced to bear in mind that several of its candidates have been senior leaders in the Manipur Congress until recently. The BJPs only claim to success in the state in recent times was when it won 12 of the 30-odd seats in the Imphal municipal body. The Modi magic will be subject to scrutiny on Saturday when 38 seats go to the polls in the first phase. The second and last phase of voting on March 8 will determine whether the lotus blooms in Manipur or whether Mr Ibobi Singh is going to be fourth time lucky. The 43-year-old victim, identified as Harnish Patel, was shot dead while returning home from work. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. (Photo: Twitter) New York: A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in the US has been shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner's Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11:33 PM after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," Faile said Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patel's home to offer condolences to his family. "Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody," Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patel's store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. "If you didn't have the money, he'd let people have food," Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before, and did anything he could to help out in tough times. "He's watched my kids grow up, which is why it's painful. From day one he's been amazing, just awesome, and I just don't understand the sense behind it," Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his family's life, and did that. Patel's death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling "get out of my country." The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an enviornment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting. He had said America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms. According to a study, there are about 5 mn children under the age of 18 are living with at least one parent who is in the country illegally. San Francisco: From two requests a month for guardianship, to over 10 requests a month, the 'Trump' effect is now forcing parents to disassociate themselves with their children and pick guardians for them. Parents who immigrated illegally to the United States now fear deportation under the Trump administration and are inundating immigration advocates with requests for help in securing care for their children in the event they are expelled from the country. So how many of these children are there? According to a 2016 study by Migration Policy Institute, there are about five million children under the age of 18 are living with at least one parent who is in the country illegally, most of the children, 79 percent, were U.S. citizens. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) advocacy group has been receiving about 10 requests a day from parents who want to put in place temporary guardianship for their children, said spokesman Jorge-Mario Cabrera. Last year, the group said it received about two requests a month for guardianship letters and notarization services. At the request of a nonprofit organization, the National Lawyers Guild in Washington D.C. put out a call this week for volunteer attorneys to help immigrants fill out forms granting friends or relatives the right to make legal and financial decisions in their absence. In New Jersey, immigration attorney Helen Ramirez said she is getting about six phone calls a day from parents. Last year, she said, she had no such calls."Their biggest fear is that their kids will end up in foster care," Ramirez said. President Donald Trump's administration has issued directives to agents to more aggressively enforce immigration laws and more immigrants are coming under scrutiny by the authorities. For parents of US citizens who are ordered removed, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency "accommodates, to the extent practicable, the parents' efforts to make provisions" for their children, said ICE spokeswoman Sarah Rodriguez. She said that might include access to a lawyer, consular officials and relatives for detained parents to execute powers of attorney or apply for passports and buy airline tickets if the parents decide whether or not to take the children with them. Randy Capps of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a Washington-based non-profit that analyzes the movement of people worldwide, said that while putting contingency plans in place is a good idea, he does not think the level of fear is justified. During the previous administration of President Barack Obama, a Democrat, the likelihood of both parents being deported was slim, Capps said. He doubts there will be a huge shift under Republican Trump toward deporting both parents. "The odds are still very low but not as low as they were - and this is just the beginning of the administration," he said. In the second half of 2015, ICE removed 15,422 parents who said they have at least one U.S.-born child, according to ICE data. Obama was criticized for being the "deporter in chief" after he expelled more than 400,000 people in 2012, the most by any president in a single year. In 2014, the Obama administration began focusing on a narrower slice of immigrants, those who had recently entered the country or committed serious felonies. Trump has said he would still prioritize criminals for deportation. 'Worried all the time' In rural New Jersey, Seidy Martinez and her husband Jose Gomez have begun the difficult conversations with their 10-year-old daughter about what would happen if her parents were deported. Martinez, a house cleaner, and Gomez, who works on a horse farm, are both from Honduras. They entered the United States illegally, and do not have papers, unlike their daughter, who has been granted asylum, and their 3-year-old son, a U.S. citizen. "Now we are worried all the time. We don't have anything that would allow us to stay here," said Martinez. "Our main concern is what will happen to our children." She has told her daughter that she could live with her aunt in Miami and is considering drafting paperwork that would give her relative some legal rights if she and her husband are deported. The 10-year old tries to comfort her mother. "She tells me, 'Mami, tranquila. Don't be afraid, I am scared too but don't worry everything will be OK.'" Rebecca Kitson, an immigration attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says she advises her increasingly nervous clients to have the kind of conversations Martinez and her husband are having with their children. She said she urges parents to be specific in their instructions. "If Mom doesn't come home by a specific time, who do [the kids] call?" said Kitson. Immigration groups are offering low-cost services. CHIRLA, for example, offers a free sample letter and help filling it out, which then must be notarized at a cost of about $10. But some parents here illegally say they have had trouble finding affordable help. Melvin Arias, 39, a New Jersey landscaper from Costa Rica who entered the United States illegally 13 years ago, said he decided after hearing news of stepped-up immigration enforcement to take legal precautions for his five-year-old son and six-month old daughter, who are both U.S. citizens. But when he asked for help from two different lawyers, Arias was told preparing legal documents would cost him between $700 and $1,250. He is looking for a cheaper way to obtain the paperwork he needs. "If there comes a time when both of us have a problem, I want there to be a responsible person who can come and get [the children] for us, to take them to wherever we might be," Arias said. China on Friday expressed concern over India granting permission to the Dalai Lama to visit the Arunachal Pradesh. China's relations with India and the US were the only foreign policy related questions dealt by Fu in the nationally televised press conference. (Representational image/ Reuters) Beijing: China and India should be "more sensitive" to each other's concerns to address contentious issues and they should not allow differences to stop their "pretty close" relations from moving forward, a top Chinese official said Saturday. Being big developing countries facing multiple challenges China and India "need to be more sensitive to each other's concerns so that we can better address them," Fu Ying, spokesperson of the China's parliament, the National People's Congress, said responding to questions on India-China ties. "For some issues that cannot be worked for the moment, we cannot allow them to stop us from moving forward. We must proceed with whatever we can and advance good cooperation," she said at a crowded press conference here ahead of NPC's annual session starting on Monday. China's relations with India and the US were the only foreign policy related questions dealt by Fu in the nationally televised press conference which is otherwise dominated by the defence budget and pressing domestic issues like recurring pollution. When asked about differences over India's admission into the Nuclear Supplies Group (NSG), declaring JeM leader Masood Azhar as terrorist by the UN and India's concerns over USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor going through PoK, she said the two sides are addressing them through dialogue. Fu, 63, praised the depth and extent of the February 22 upgraded strategic dialogue in Beijing co-chaired by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar during which both sides discussed the whole gamut of their relations. "I have read the report of India-China strategic dialogue. From what I can see it is wide ranging and goes deep and positive. I feel that when we look at the India-China relations we need to see the tree and we also see the woods," said Fu, who was former Vice Foreign Minister. "Of course there are also some differences, some have been around for years and you mentioned some of them. I also hear China's concerns. Between our two foreign ministries they are covered in detail and plans have been made," she said. China on Friday expressed concern over India granting permission to the Dalai Lama to visit the Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as part of South Tibet. Fu said that despite the differences, the relations are progressing well. "China-India relations have been advancing pretty rapidly," she said. A notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy at around 6 p.m. declaring Ambassador Kang Chol "persona non grata." Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia said it expelled North Korea's ambassador on Saturday for refusing to apologize for his strong accusations over Malaysia's handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy at around 6 p.m. declaring Ambassador Kang Chol "persona non grata." The notice said Kang must leave Malaysia within 48 hours. Earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea formally apologize for Kang's accusations over the investigation into the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport, including that "the Malaysian government had something to hide and that Malaysia has colluded with outside powers to defame" North Korea, Anifah said in a statement. He said no apology had come and that none appeared forthcoming. North Korean Embassy officials also failed to turn up for a meeting at the foreign ministry on Saturday, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador, he said. "It should be made clear - Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," Anifah said. Kim's death has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Kang's expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah said this was an "indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities." Earlier Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong Chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang. Ri said he wasn't at the airport the day Kim was killed but police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with fake evidence." He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," Ri said. "This is when I realized that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Ri was detained four days after the attack, but police never said what they believed his role was. Two women - one Indonesian, one Vietnamese - have been charged with murder, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to respond to Ri's comments. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. Police on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but didn't say why he is a suspect. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on Jan. 29, about two weeks before Kim was killed. North Korea earlier rejected Malaysia's autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is leader Kim Jong Un's half brother. Park was impeached by parliament last December over a major influence-peddling scandal. Seoul: Thousands of South Korean protestors held rival mass rallies Sunday over the impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye as judges prepare to rule on the scandal that has rocked the country. Park was impeached by parliament last December over a major influence-peddling scandal that prompted millions to take to the street for months to call for her resignation. The case has also engulfed South Korea's biggest business, with the heir to the Samsung empire and four other top executives indicted Tuesday on multiple charges including bribery and embezzlement. Park -- currently holed up in the presidential palace with her power suspended -- expressed "belated regret", as the Constitutional Court wrapped up its hearings on Monday, with a decision expected in March. Her lawyers maintain that she was not aware of any wrongdoing and blamed her secret confidante Choi Soon-Sil, who is accused of using her presidential ties to force local firms to "donate" nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations. The case has bitterly divided Park's supporters and detractors, who have regularly taken to the streets. Tens of thousands of anti-Park protesters rallied in Seoul Saturday, some waving banners of the president in prison uniform and chanting in unison "Constitutional Court, impeach Park immediately!" Several blocks away, another much smaller demonstration demanded the court reject the impeachment against the "poor innocent president". The mostly middle-aged or elderly supporters waved signs urging the military to "rise up" and dismantle parliament. While the court's deliberations could technically take up to six months, local media reports predict the judgement could come as early as next week. The impeachment motion needs approvals from at least six judges to take effect, after which a presidential election will be held within 60 days. If it is rejected, Park could return to work and stay until the end of her term in February 2018. Choi is on trial for coercion and abuse of power. The two women became close through Choi's father, a shady religious figure who was Park's mentor for years. Park's own father, dictator Park Chung-Hee, was assassinated in 1979 by his intelligence chief. The 65-year-old president is accused of colluding with her friend to extract money from local firms as well as letting her handle a wide range of state affairs including nominations to senior posts, despite having no official title or security clearance. A number of former presidential advisors and cabinet members have been arrested or charged for their involvements in the scandal, including allegedly leaking secret state documents to Choi at Park's order. 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. It will be the first time a British minister has been to Moscow for an official visit in more than five years. London: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to travel to Russia in the coming weeks for high-level political talks, his office said on Saturday. It will be the first time a British minister has been to Moscow for an official visit in more than five years and could signal a potential thaw in Anglo-Russian relations after years of antagonism. A Foreign Office spokeswoman stressed that the visit was not a return to "business as usual", saying Britain's approach to Russia was "engage, but beware". Relations with Russia soured after Britain sought to prosecute suspects in the killing of Kremlin critic and former spy Alexander Litvinenko, murdered by radiation poisoning in London in 2006. Britain has also been one a fervent supporter of Western sanctions against Moscow over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis. Johnson was invited by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, and more detailed timings will be announced later. "Our policy towards Russia is to 'engage but beware' and the visit is entirely consistent with this approach," the spokeswoman said. "Discussions will focus on the UK-Russia relationship and current international issues including Syria and Ukraine, where we continue to have significant differences. "This is not a return to business as usual and the foreign secretary will continue to be robust on those issues where we differ." The spokeswoman said a visit had been in the pipeline since British Prime Minister Theresa May met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China in September 2016. Johnson and Lavrov held their first telephone talks in August the same year. Johnson has described Putin as a "ruthless and manipulative tyrant", and compared his looks to the Harry Potter character Dobby the House Elf. Yet he has called for greater cooperation with the Russian leader in the battle against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria. Johnson has recently hinted at a shift in Syria policy, saying President Bashar al-Assad could be allowed to run for re-election and mentioning a possible "arrangement" with regime ally Russia. Britain has been one of the harshest critics of Russia's Syria policy and the Assad regime, saying the president's departure is a precondition for any resolution to the conflict. Ankara and Berlin have been locked in acrimony over the last few days after German towns blocked events. Ankara: Turkey hit back at German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday for not criticising the decision by authorities in Germany to ban rallies in support of expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers. Ankara and Berlin have been locked in acrimony over the last few days after German towns blocked events where Turkish ministers sought to address Turks living there about the April 16 referendum. Turkish voters will be asked whether to approve constitutional changes to create an executive presidency giving more power to the head of state. "Mrs Merkel says they (the Germans) respect freedom of expression; the foreign minister says we have no impact on this decision, but if you look carefully at both, they do not criticise the decision" of the German towns, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. "They do not say the decision taken by the authorities is wrong," the minister added, speaking to reporters in the central province of Yozgat. Merkel said on Friday that the decision was "taken by municipalities, and as a matter of principle, we apply freedom of expression in Germany". In the run-up to next month's referendum, trips by Turkish politicians to Germany have come under heavy criticism as the government seeks a "Yes" vote from the huge community of Turkish expatriates. Bozdag was due to speak at a rally on Thursday in Gaggenau in western Germany but it was cancelled, while Cologne city authorities also withdrew permission for a hall to be used for a speech by Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci. A third town, Frechen on the outskirts of Cologne, scrapped a rally that had been scheduled for Sunday. . "I ask, not allowing the Turkish justice minister to speak, does it adhere or not to German human rights, Mrs Merkel?" Bozdag asked. The turmoil in relations between the two countries has been ongoing since Germany criticised the largescale crackdown on suspected coup-plotters and those alleged to have links to Kurdish militants following last July's failed coup. And ties have worsened following the formal arrest of Turkish-German Die Welt journalist Deniz Yucel on Monday who is accused of "terrorist propaganda". Referring to Germany's elections later this year, Bozdag invited German politicians to come to Turkey to campaign in front of their citizens "wherever they wanted". Turkish pre-vote rallies have also come under scrutiny in the Netherlands where Dutch premier Mark Rutte said a planned pro-Erdogan rally in Rotterdam on March 11 would be "undesirable" When asked about Rutte's comments, Bozdag said politicians in Europe were being anti-Turkey in their quest for votes ahead of elections -- the Dutch vote on March 15 -- which he said was a "big mistake". The justice minister accused "several" European Union countries of being against changing Turkey's governing system because they did not want it to be a strong and stable nation. by Victoria Ma The proposal was contained in the electoral program of Catholic candidate for Chief Executive, Carrie Lam. Fears of Catholics and Protestants for a possible control over religions. Card. Tongs message for Carrie Lam. The diocese: China government is atheistic; in Hong Kong there are free channels of communication between religion and government. John Tsang, a Catholic, also a candidate for chief executive: does not support such an office. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - The Catholic diocese of Hong Kong has voiced outresolute oppositionagainst chief executive candidate (see photo) Mrs Carrie Lam's suggestion of studying the possibility of setting up areligious affairs unitto coordinate religious policies in Hong Kong. Lam's suggestion was mentioned in her election platform, which has aroused oppositions and worries from Protestant and Catholic groups in Hong Kong, who see it akin to measures to control religions already in place in China. The Catholic diocese issued a public statement on March 3, urging Lam, also a Catholic, to remove those points from her election platform because that idea willdefinitely cause local Christians to have worries about the freedom of religion in Hong Kong", noting the Basic Law guarantees the freedom of religious belief in Hong Kong. Cardinal John Tong, bishop of Hong Kong, wrote to Lam on March 2, expressing the diocese's resolute opposition of a possible setting up of a religious affairs unitor similar institutions in Hong Kong. In a response to Cardinal Tongs concern, Lam said sheregrettedthe idea hadcreated misconceptions and misunderstandings. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings in society and among religious bodies in particular, she indicated that she would not examine such idea within governmentif she got elected the chief executive. The Catholic Diocese's statement said that local government officials havesufficient channels to contact religions directly, without any need to have such a 'religious affairs unitor department for contacts. The suggestion of setting up areligious affairs unitcan easily give people an impression that the local Government isdirecting and controlling religionsand willcreate unnecessary confusion and conflicts in society, it continued. The statement mentioned an instance of Basic Law Drafting Committee in April 1986, where a suggestion of including religious policy into the Draft Basic Law was not accepted after strong opposition from drafters of the religious sector from Hong Kong. The statement also pointed out the mainland is led by an atheist and communist government, whose officials may involve religious affairs units or departments to grasp the situations of religious organizations, but there is no need of having such unit or department in Hong Kong as communication channels between the local government and religions are sufficient. Another chief executive candidate John Tsang, a Catholic, said he did not agree to the idea of setting up a religious affairs unit in Hong Kong to coordinate religious matters as each religion has its own tradition and viewpoints. by Wang Zhicheng Armed Forces budget below 10% for two consecutive years. China must defend itself from "external interference" in territorial disputes. Retired General: We should overtake the US and increase military spending by 12%. The escalation between all the countries of the region. Beijing (AsiaNews) - This year, China will increase military spending by "around 7%", to contain the "external interference" in its territorial disputes. This was stated by the spokesman Fu Ying, at a press conference ahead of the National People's Congress, which opens tomorrow. The spokesman also pointed out that the future of China's military spending will depend on what the US will do in the region. The reference is to the tensions in the South China Sea, and the islands that China claims as its own. This is why it is implementing the militarization of some of them, to the point of planning the installation of launch pads for surface to air missiles. Beijing says it wants to defend its sovereignty and safeguard the freedom of navigation in the area. But the militarization raises concerns and criticism from other countries in the region, which also claim their sovereignty over some of the islands. Among them are Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan. These see US military strength as a guarantee against the abuses of China. Days ago US President Donald Trump proposed an increase of 10% in military spending in his country and the tension is leading to a military escalation in all countries of the region. Fu said that China calls for "a peaceful solution through dialogue and consultation [of the territorial disputes]. At the same time we need to safeguard our sovereignty, our interests and our rights. " In particular, he added, "we need to be vigilant against external powers meddling in disputes." The increase in military spending this year is in line with the past. Until two years ago the increase was 10-12%. But there is pressure for China to increase the funds for the army. On the sidelines of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which takes place almost simultaneously with the NPC, a retired general, Wang Hongguang, said that "since the military budget of the USA increased by 10%, we also need to increase in double figures. The ideal would be a 12% increase". A cautious optimism from Geneva after UN talks. Pastor of Aleppo: "60 days without water, or electricity." The Church projects: food, electricity, health. Reconstruction of homes and businesses in the medium term. Aid to young couples, "the future" of the city. Aleppo (AsiaNews) - The diplomatic meetings are always "a sign of hope for us" and certainly the talks that took place in Geneva "have something positive for us. Of course, the different opinions have clearly emerged, the way ahead is very long, there are obstacles, but it is always a sign of hope, Fr. Alsabagh Ibrahim, a 44 year old Franciscan, guardian and parish priest of the Latin parish of Aleppo, comments to AsiaNews on the latest round of peace talks on Syria, under the UN auspices, which concluded yesterday in Geneva. "Here in Aleppo we continue to cultivate this hope - adds the priest - holding fast to the path indicated by the Church even before the conflict. We have to change many things, but you can do it only through dialogue, not arms ". "The clearing of armed groups from Aleppo - said Fr. Ibrahim - is a successful result of the dialogue, a compromise reached through mediation by all parties involved. And it was a crucial turning point for the city's inhabitants. " "We also know - he adds - that there are many agreements on the ground between the fighting groups here, we hope that these agreements and dialogue in Geneva, together, are positive signals for the good of the people." According to reports from the UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, the peace talks in Geneva (Switzerland) concluded "on a more positive note" with respect to past meetings. Of course, from the meetings this week - the first in about a year under the aegis of the United Nations - there were no substantial new or significant advances. However, the senior UN official claims the atmosphere was better than the "indirect talks" of the past. These small steps forward were also favored by the Astana meetings in January, mediated by Turkey, Russia and Iran. These talks gathered government representatives on one side and "all" the main opposition groups on the other for the first time. "The train is ready - said de Mistura it is in the station, warming up the engine. It just needs to depart". Government delegates left the venue of the talks without comment. Nasr al-Hariri, lead opposition negotiator stated: "Despite having closed this round of talks without specific results ... I can say that this time they were more positive." "For the first time - he concludes - we have discussed Syria and the future of the political transition in Syria in sufficient depth." Now the goal is to hold a new series of meetings [the fifth] by the end of March or the first days of next month. At the center of the discussions four key elements: the form of government, a draft constitution, elections and the fight against terrorism. This last point was inserted under pressure from the government delegation, which also considers all rebel groups and fighters "terrorists". For the United Nations terrorist groups, excluded from peace talks, include: the Islamic state (IS) and the former Nusra Front, once the al-Qaeda branch in the Arab country. While international diplomacy struggles to find a way out of a conflict now in its seventh year that has caused more than 310 thousand deaths and millions of refugees, Aleppo is experiencing a slow return to normal. "We are doing much better than before with the missiles - says Fr. Ibrahim - although in different areas of the periphery fighting continues and injured are still arriving in hospitals on a daily basis." The main problem is the lack of electricity and water energy, people are forced to queue day and night to fetch it from wells or from tanker trucks. "There is no water for almost 60 days - says the priest - and the situation is beginning to become dramatic." Some people are trying to re-open their businesses, to rebuild their daily life from the pre-war period. "These are personal initiatives - he says - but they are drops in the ocean of need and the city's economy is still subsistence... We have to rebuild from scratch." Faced with the need, the local Church has launched a number of projects that look to the medium term. "We continue to provide food, water, medicine - says Fr. Ibrahim - to meet the emergency needs. Added to this are redevelopment projects of houses demolished or damaged in the conflict. To date we have 700 repair requests, last year we repaired 268 homes and in January alone 30. The goal is to get to 2 thousand by year end." The projects, however, collide with real difficulties: "For example - says the priest - the project of arrangement of the houses: we can count on the work of six engineers from various Christian denominations, however, we lack manpower. Young people have fled or were subjected to compulsory military detention and sent to war. A dramatic situation." The Church has promoted two projects: the first concerns the economic support for small businesses, with the approval of the project. "If they are valid - says the priest - we fund them to allow the reopening of the activities." And then the young couples who got married during the war: "This initiative - said Father. Ibrahim is very important for the future of Aleppo: we have more than 750 families with small children or just married. We give them support for food expenses, electricity, health care coverage. We want to protect the primary core and the base of society, interacting with them we discover how great the needs really are."(DS) by Mathias Hariyadi Increasingly important to network and raise awareness of social media, often a battleground between opposing "factions." The story of the Christian governor of Jakarta example of online lynching. Event organized by the dioceses involved56 young people. The invitation to the parents to supervise their children's activities on the Internet. Jakarta (AsiaNews) Fostering a "responsible" use of social networks among young people, which often turn into a battlefield for opposing "factions"; a phenomenon particularly apparent in the "division" between "radical and moderate Muslims" on one side and "Christian world" on the other. In this spirit, the diocese of Ketapang, West Java, recently held a seminar attended by 56 young Catholics at the parish church of St. Paul in Tumbang Titi. The phenomenon of online radicalization and confrontation between "opposing camps on social networks emerged in its full extent in the story involving the Christian Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama. Involved in a controversial "blasphemy case", he has become a symbol and victim of online lynching campaigns. Furthermore, this online war revealed, more clearly than ever before, the polarization of Indonesian society that, in the constitutional dictates, should be plural and united. However the clash between opposing factions is increasingly evident, with a clear predominance of radical groups and Islamic fundamentalists. Thus, the Indonesian Church has decided to promote awareness campaigns and proper use of the web. This first seminar (annual) promoted by the diocese of Ketapang involved dozens of Orang Muda Katoli, OMK [young Catholics in the local language, ed], from all parishes. Interviewed by AsiaNews, Maria Rosa, the parish of the Holy Family of Sungai Daka Station, said the theme of the event was: "OMK smart use of social media." The seminar was addressed by the Indonesian Ministry of Information and Communication, which distributed in-depth material on some discussion topics. "The topic is very important - said Maria Rosa, diocesan coordinator for the second day of the Indonesian Youth, which took place in North Sulawesi last October - also considering the current political landscape in Indonesia, where social media are commonly used among people, including OMK [young people] ". The meeting also served to outline some programmatic lines that diocese and young people will have to follow for the future. The initiative was also attended by the parish priest of the Church of Saint Paul Fr. Eltara three other priests: Fr. Damas Jehaut, Fr. Karel Pr and deacon Basri. The priests urged young people to use social media for the benefit of society and of the entire population. Fr. Eltara finally called on parents to pay attention to their childrens use of social media, especially smaller children. The deportations took place in the early 1900. About 200,000 people, 40,000 died during forced migrations. The descendants have returned to South Korea. Among them, 70,000 are threatened with expulsion. The fourth generation is not guaranteed a life in their homeland. Seoul (AsiaNews) - In recent years, many Koreans have decided to return to South Korea from Central Asia. They are the descendants of those who in the 1930s were forcibly deported by the Soviet authorities in the regions now part of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Some, however, are threatened with expulsion from their country of origin, since Seoul refuses to grant them the status of citizens. The current immigration law and the legal status of Koreans abroad, approved in 1992, recognizes the Korean citizenship to all Russian emigrants to the east before the formation of the Korean State. But for their descendants, the law recognizes only those with at least one parent or grandparent who have maintained Korean citizenship, and only until the third generation. Thus the younger generation are excluded and now are facing the risk of expulsion and separation from their families. According to some non-governmental organizations, there are about 70,000 Koreans who now risk being deported, 10,000 alone in the northwestern city of Ansan. Many in the country wonder about their fate and ask for change in the law so that everyone can obtain the status of permanent residence. Between 1850 and 1860, many Koreans migrated to the far east of Russia to seek their fortune. After the Russian-Korean treaty of 1884, the Korean immigrants could obtain citizenship of the Russian Empire. In 1937, however, relations between the Soviet Union and Japan declined and people of Korean ethnicity were labeled as "unreliable" by Joseph Stalin. Korea was then under Japanese colonial rule, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. The tensions led to the massive deportation of Koreans. In 1937 alone, the Soviet authorities deported about 200,000 Koreans aboard overcrowded trains to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Each carriage was carrying four to five families, and the trip lasted a month. Many died of hunger or cold, and their bodies were thrown from the train. Forced migration has cost the lives of about 40,000 people, half were children. It was very difficult for Koreans to adapt to life in Central Asia. Many of the deportees took their own lives. The only way to survive was to assimilate the new culture. At a distance of eighty years, however, many Koreans are now facing discrimination in their own homeland. Yes if you entered on tourist visa then applied for partner visa and then it was granted I am pretty sure you can use that time towards citizenship but If you want to count any other time just let me know I can double check before confirming. Bridging visa E is granted when normally people seize anytime on their existing visa to get benefits of the visa they applied e.g A has granted a tourist visa for 12 months with no work condition but after 6 months in Australia A applies for student visa which comes with certain work rights and A found a job in a factory but cannot because the tourist visa still have 6 months so applies to get his tourist visa cancelled and issued a bridging visa E to wait a decision on student visa. Hope it answers the query. I have a question for you as well doesn't tourist visa come with a condition of no further stay 8503 ? I am applying for a PMV 300 soon. I have been screenshotting particular conversations between my fiance and myself for every month since we physically saw each other. Do you think screenshots between me and my sister talking about the wedding etc. count for something too? Or if I want her's to mean something, get her to write a stat dec instead? thank you I have recently applied for the 820 Visa and am in the waiting process now. I haven't done my FBI check yet for the US police clearance requirement, I am waiting a few more months to do that still. My recent conundrum has to do with my credit card from the US. I had a US bank account that I was making payments from for this CC and all was well, but I used up the rest of my savings ( I transferred much of it over here to my bank here). I closed my US bank account because otherwise they charge you for keeping it and that can cause overdrafts etc. etc. I did not realize the my US credit card company would make it pretty much impossible to make payments from here. I have stumped their customer service on how to pay them back. I have the money, but they won't take payments from AU. At this point I am thinking of just letting it go unpaid (only about 4,000). I have called the company and tried to work something out with nothing working out. Their customer service tried ever department and no one could help me and they all were left a bit baffled. (You'd think in this day in age with technology this wouldn't be an issue, we can but things from abroad but can't make payments?). My big concern though is that if I let it go unpaid and let the whole US process take its course, will that negatively affect my visa application? Can unpaid credit card debt from your home country impact your visa application? Anyone have any experience with this sort of issue? Image courtesy of Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz USA is recalling 354,434 vehicles so dealers can address a fire risk tied to the starting current limiter in these cars, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall involves 2015- to 2017-model year C300 4Matic, C300, CLA250, CLA250 4Matic and CLA45 AMG vehicles; 2017-MY C300 4Matic Cabrio, C300 4Matic Coupe, C300 Cabrio, C300 Coupe, E300, E300 4Matic, E400 4Matic Wagon, E43 AMG 4Matic, GLA250, GLA250 4Matic and GLC300 4Matic Coupe vehicles; 2016-MY C350e and GLC300 vehicles; and 2016- and 2017-MY C450 4Matic AMG Sport and GLC300 4Matic vehicles. If the engine or transmission in these cars cannot turn over, the starting current limiter may overheat from repeated attempts of the starter motor attempting to start the vehicle. If the starting current limiter overheats, the surrounding components can melt, increasing the risk of a fire, NHTSA warned on its website. Mercedes-Benz dealers will install an additional fuse in the electrical line to the starter to remedy the problem. There will be no charge for this service. However, the necessary replacement parts arent yet available, NHTSA said. As a result, vehicle owners will be sent two separate recall notifications the first one informing them of the need for the recall, the second one informing them that the remedy parts are available at dealerships. Parts are expected to become available in July. Vehicle owners can reach Mercedes-Benz at (800) 367-6372. Angered by noise from Pilatus PC-12s operated by Surf Air, residents of San Mateo county have taken a new tack in their fight to shut down the operation. A proposed curfew ordinance, drafted by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, would limit any operator to one takeoff and one landing of a noisy airplane between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and prohibit all operations after 9 p.m. In a thinly veiled attempt to target Surf Airs PC-12 specifically, the definition of noisy airplane is one whose FAA certificated noise level exceeds 74.5 dB. There are several PC-12 configurations, but the quietest one is rated at 74.6 dB. Surf Air has 19 departures from San Carlos on an average day. Five of those flights depart after 6 p.m. If a judge were to decide that the ordinance was specifically targeted at Surf Air that may make it illegal under a federal law prohibiting municipalities from enacting noise ordinances that are unjustly discriminatory. Larry Ellison famously battled the City of San Jose over a curfew that prevented him from landing his Gulfstream V at San Jose International after 11:30 p.m. on the grounds that a restriction based on aircraft weight was unjustly discriminatory. He won. The proposed San Carlos ordinance has an exclusion for jet aircraft and helicopters regardless of noise. Mr. Ellisons flight operations company, Wing and a Prayer, has a prominent hangar on the field housing a smaller jet, which would be exempt from the noise ordinance and free to operate at night. Oracle Corp is the largest employer in San Mateo County with its headquarters located less than a mile from San Carlos Airport. The proposed ordinance also excludes government, medivac, emergency and pilot proficiency operations. Update: A previous version of this article attributed information to an employee of the San Mateo County Supervisors. That employee felt the attributed information mischaracterized his statement. AVweb volunteered to remove that text to ensure the factual accuracy of the article. Photo credit: Richard Silagi, Surf Air Pilatus PC-12NG N809SA landing at KSQL on December 2, 2014 4 March 2017 10:04 (UTC+04:00) It is necessary to build the Kars-Igdir-Nakhchivan railway in addition to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway in order to transport cargos from east to west, Ahmet Arslan, Turkeys minister of transport, maritime and communication, said Mar. 3, Turkish media reported. The Kars-Igdir-Nakhchivan railway will be an additional corridor connecting Turkey with Iran and Pakistan, Arslan noted. The minister added that the prospect of development of these railway corridors was discussed during the 13th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) held in Pakistan. Arslan said the construction of the BTK has neared its final stage, adding that new railway projects will attract additional investments to Turkey. The BTK railway is being constructed on the basis of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey intergovernmental agreement. Peak capacity of the railway will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At the initial stage, it will serve one million passengers and transport 6.5 million tons of cargo. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 March 2017 15:03 (UTC+04:00) Minister of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan Samir Sharifov received a delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Azerbaijan led by the Mission Chief Mohammed El Qorchi on March 3. At the meeting, the views were exchanged on the measures implemented by the authorities to ensure macroeconomic stability and resumption of sustainable economic growth in the country. The IMF mission was informed about the policies on fiscal consolidation, monetary tightening as well as recent efforts made by the authorities for the rehabilitation of the banking sector of Azerbaijan. Underlining importance of public financial management reforms, as well as actions aimed at the soonest recovery of banking sector of the country, El Qorchi expressed the missions full support to these measures. There were also held discussions on the prospects of cooperation in provision of technical assistance to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan on streamlining monetary and exchange rate policies, as well as to the Ministry of Finance on development of medium-term budgetary planning capacity and macro-fiscal framework. It was agreed to hold a regular Article IV consultations between the IMF and the Government of Azerbaijan in November 2017. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 March 2017 17:52 (UTC+04:00) An export mission of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs will visit Astana and Almaty cities of Kazakhstan on April 23-26, said the Azerbaijani Economy Ministry on March 4. The mission will include entrepreneurs operating in the spheres of production of construction materials, cosmetics, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, fruit and vegetables, canned food, tea, as well as machine building, chemical and light industry. Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan amounted to almost $124.4 million in 2016, including more than $26 million that accounted for the export to Kazakhstan, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee. Azerbaijan started organizing export missions to various countries since November 2016 in order to increase the export volume and promote the Made in Azerbaijan brand. As of today, Azerbaijani entrepreneurs have already visited Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, China, Pakistan and other countries. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 March 2017 12:22 (UTC+04:00) There is a reason behind frequent provocations of the Armenian authorities, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administrations foreign relations department, told reporters March 4 in Baku. For now, I wouldnt want to say anything about that. We should wait for a while, said the top official. During the meetings held in Vienna and St. Petersburg last year, halting of such provocative steps, that is, maintaining stability on the line of contact, was put forward as the main principle, he said. Nevertheless, the fact that Armenia takes these steps shows that they have an insidious plan. Therefore, we need to wait for a while," added Mammadov. The situation has recently escalated on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops due to the provocations of the Armenian side and has resulted in casualties. 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. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 March 2017 13:01 (UTC+04:00) Non-accession of Kyrgyzstan to the political clauses of the declaration, adopted at the 13th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Islamabad, causes surprise and misunderstanding, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administrations foreign relations department, told reporters in Baku March 4. Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan has always been at a good level and it will continue, he said, adding that Azerbaijan rendered assistance to the country in certain issues. There was nothing unusual in the declaration. It stated the issues of territorial integrity and sovereignty of states, as well as peaceful settlement of conflicts in line with the principles of international law based on the compliance with principles and requirements set by the UN. Non-accession of Kyrgyzstan to these issues surprised us, said Mammadov. He noted that in today's complex and tense world, countries are not secure against certain problems, and given that, head of states must be wise and farsighted. In the declaration, the member states of the ECO openly declared that the existence of conflicts in the ECO space hinders economic development and regional cooperation. At the same time, the declaration emphasizes that progress, peace and security in the region are directly related to sustainable development and stability. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 March 2017 11:02 (UTC+04:00) The fourth round of UN-backed intra-Syrian talks between the government and opposition factions kicked off in Geneva last week and concluded on Friday, Sputnik reported. On the basis of the indications that I will be getting both from the Secretary General [UN] and the Security Council, I am planning to invite the Syrian invitees back here in March for a fifth round, De Mistura said at a press briefing. In this round of talks, de Mistura said, the participants agreed to discuss at settlement negotiations all four "baskets" of topical issues for crisis resolution governance, constitution, elections and counterterrorism in parallel. "We have a clear methodology to proceed and we have agreed on that within the intra-Syrian talks process the baskets will be addressed in a parallel way," de Mistura told reporters. He added he had no plans to invite new participants to a fresh round of Syria proximity talks in Geneva in March. "My inclination is not to invite new groups in order to make my job more complicated, but actually to stimulate those who would like to be part of it to come into one common umbrella," de Mistura said at a news briefing following the closure of the fourth round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Russian officials are coming under pressure to check if Disneys new film Beauty and the Beast breaches the countrys law against gay propaganda. One MP described it as shameless propaganda of sin and Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said action would be taken after the checks. Under Russias 2013 legislation that bans homosexual propaganda and has angered human rights activists and the international gay community, the Rusian law suggests that homosexuality described as non-traditional sexual relations is alien to life in Russia. Director Bill Condon has spoken of an exclusively gay moment in Beauty and the Beast. It involves LeFou, who is a sidekick of the films main antagonist Gaston. LeFou, played by US actor Josh Gad, tries to come to terms with feelings for Gaston that swing between lust and admiration, as a side-plot to the main story. The movie is due to be released in Russia on 16 March. But Vitaly Milonov, an MP of the governing United Russia party, urged the culture minister to hold a screening of the film before it is released to see if it complies with the law and to take measures to totally ban it if he found elements of propaganda of homosexuality. His colleague Alexander Sholokhov said that if the scenes violated the law, the film should be banned from cinemas. As soon as we get a copy of the film with relevant paperwork for distribution, we will consider it according to the law, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said. I will not take my kid to this movie, Russian actor Pavel Derevyanko told state-run TV Russia 24. Who knew Alabama and Russia had so much in common. Share this: Tweet More Email Print Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty Vallarta-Nayarit Tel: (322) 223-0055 US & Canada toll free: 866-978-8060 Email: info(at)cblacosta.com Webite: cblacosta.com Facebook Twitter Instagram Share Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty is a leading real estate and rental agency with over 30 years experience specializing in the Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay region of Mexico. At Coldwell Banker La Costa we instill the solid values of constant training, hard work, timeliness and a belief in unshakable ethical standards in all of our seasoned agents so that they are able to perform at optimal levels for you, our valuable customer. With office locations in the Romantic Zone, Marina Vallarta, Punta Mita and Rincon de Guayabitos we feel that we are strategically positioned to provide our customers a unique perspective backed up by current market data and on-the-ground insightfulness unmatched in the area. Coldwell Banker La Costa has been through thick and thin markets over the past 30 years in Puerto Vallarta, and is supported by over 86,000 agents working in approximately 3000 Coldwell Banker offices in 43 countries and territories. No other real estate agency sells more property in Mexico, and no other real estate agency sells more property world-wide. We invite you to experience the Coldwell Banker difference! No matter how small or how complex your query, contact us at Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty so we can turn your real estate experience into an effortless one. Old Town Puerto Vallarta Olas Altas #361, Col. Emiliano Zapata 322-222-2604 Old Town Puerto VallartaOlas Altas #361, Col. Emiliano Zapata322-222-2604 Marina Vallarta Calle Ancla Local 24 Marina Vallarta 322-223-0055 or 322-221-1122 Punta Mita Av. Punta de Mita #640, Centro 322-228-9652 Rincon de Guayabitos Av. Sol Nuevo #25 - 1 CP 63724, Nayarit For more information, call 866-978-8060 toll free from the U.S. and Canada, email B E L O W T H E F O L D Coldwell Banker Real Estate Unveils Global Luxury Program Brock Squire - Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty The world is more interconnected than ever before, and luxury real estate is evolving to remain ahead of the curve. Coldwell Banker Real Estate's Global Luxury program reflects the globalization of modern luxury. Fabulous Fishing in Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty When you are ready to land some seriously impressive fish, whether you're a novice or a seasoned fishing enthusiast, Banderas Bay - home to Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and Costa Alegre - is among the best places in the world to catch 'The Big One.' Living the Dream - The Puerto Vallarta Lifestyle Brock Squire What better way to find out the truth about the Puerto Vallarta lifestyle than straight from the mouth of an expat who has lived here for more than 30 years. Brock Squire, founder of the Coldwell Banker La Costa franchise in Vallarta, shares his impressions about life on Banderas Bay. Enjoy a Carefree Lifestyle in Marina Vallarta Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty If you enjoy a carefree lifestyle yet still crave the finer things in life, the Marina Vallarta area is the place for you! Sophisticated while maintaining a relaxed and casual vibe, the Marina offers a blend of scrumptious dining, tempting boutique shopping and jaw-droppingly beautiful real estate. Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty Wins National Award Arturo Trujillo At the Coldwell Banker National Award Event held at the Hilton Hotel Reforma in Mexico City this past weekend, Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty, specializing in Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay area real estate, achieved third position amongst the 80 Coldwell Banker offices in Mexico. Record-Breaking 1st Quarter for PV Real Estate Market Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty Real Estate Sales statistics for the Puerto Vallarta area covered by the FLEX/MLS System are showing record numbers of real estate closings during the First Quarter of 2017. The statistics basically cover everything from Boca de Tomatlan to Rincon de Guayabitos. For more information, call 866-978-8060 toll free from the U.S. and Canada, email info(at)cblacosta.com, or visit cblacosta.com. The world is more interconnected than ever before, and luxury real estate is evolving to remain ahead of the curve. Coldwell Banker Real Estate's Global Luxury program reflects the globalization of modern luxury.When you are ready to land some seriously impressive fish, whether you're a novice or a seasoned fishing enthusiast, Banderas Bay - home to Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and Costa Alegre - is among the best places in the world to catch 'The Big One.'What better way to find out the truth about the Puerto Vallarta lifestyle than straight from the mouth of an expat who has lived here for more than 30 years. Brock Squire, founder of the Coldwell Banker La Costa franchise in Vallarta, shares his impressions about life on Banderas Bay.If you enjoy a carefree lifestyle yet still crave the finer things in life, the Marina Vallarta area is the place for you! Sophisticated while maintaining a relaxed and casual vibe, the Marina offers a blend of scrumptious dining, tempting boutique shopping and jaw-droppingly beautiful real estate.At the Coldwell Banker National Award Event held at the Hilton Hotel Reforma in Mexico City this past weekend, Coldwell Banker La Costa Realty, specializing in Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay area real estate, achieved third position amongst the 80 Coldwell Banker offices in Mexico.Real Estate Sales statistics for the Puerto Vallarta area covered by the FLEX/MLS System are showing record numbers of real estate closings during the First Quarter of 2017. The statistics basically cover everything from Boca de Tomatlan to Rincon de Guayabitos. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Pop off about Donald Trump while away from work and those comments won't get you fired under a proposal by a Texas lawmaker. State Rep. James White, R-Hillister, is pushing a measure that would ban employers from dismissing or disciplining employees for expressing political beliefs during their off hours. If passed, the measure would give political beliefs the same legal protection in Texas as race, color, disability, religion, sex, national origin and age. OUTDATED LAW: It is still illegal to be gay in Texas, but a lawmaker seeks to change that White said the measure gives people to speak more freely while off the job and employers who hire folks with unpopular opinions. "I think that we would empower and free up political discussion in our country," White said. Basically, if someone wanted to sound off on Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton and it got back to the boss, they couldn't be fired. ANIMAL PROTECTIONS: Panhandle town seeks to outlaw human-animal sex Kalandra Wheeler, a Dallas-based employment attorney at Rob Wiley, P.C., said she hasn't seen many cases of employees fired for voicing political opinions off the job. In this case, Wheeler said, the measure also puts private businesses on an even legal field with public employees. "It feels like it is an expansion of rights here," Wheeler said. >>>Scroll through the gallery to see who the key players are in the ongoing legislative session in Austin Oh boy... Via CIDRAP, Lisa Schnirring writes: H5N6 outbreak in Greece is first outside of Asia. Excerpt: Greek agriculture officials today reported the country's first highly pathogenic H5N6 avian flu outbreak, which signals the first detection of the virusknown to infect peoplein birds outside of Asia. Elsewhere, Nigeria reported six more highly pathogenic H5N1 outbreaks, and four European countries reported more H5N8 detections, according to the latest reports from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Follow-up tests confirm H5N6 in Greek poultry The outbreak in Greece involves backyard poultry in a village in Western Macedonia region in the northwestern part of the country, officials said today in an OIE report. The event began on Feb 6 and was mistakenly reported on Feb 16 as H5N8 rather than highly pathogenic H5 other than H5N8 and H5N1. Further lab testing confirmed H5N6 yesterday. Control measures had already been put in place on Feb 9 after initial tests showing H5 were reported. The virus wiped out the flock of 60 poultry. H5N6 outbreaks in poultry were first reported by China, Laos, and Vietnam in 2014, and the virus has been linked to 17 human infections in China, 10 of them fatal. Eight Asian countries have now reported H5N6 outbreaks, most recently Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, and Taiwan. To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below Domestic gas customers of Belfast's biggest supplier have been hit by a price increase of nearly 8% - with its competitor expected to follow suit next week Domestic gas customers of Belfast's biggest supplier have been hit by a price increase of nearly 8% - with its competitor expected to follow suit next week. The Consumer Council said the rise of 7.6% by SSE Airtricity for 140,000 gas users was "disappointing". With 73% of the market, SSE Airtricity Gas is the city's main player. Rival Firmus has a 27% share. Firmus confirmed that it would be making an announcement to its customers next week, and is expected to hike prices by up to 10%. SSE's increase comes into force at the end of the month and will push the average bill to 501 a year, up 36. It said the move followed a surge of more than 50% in the wholesale price of gas over the last year. Richard Williams, head of energy at the Consumer Council, said: "Consumers consistently tell us the cost of energy is their top concern, so it is disappointing to see prices increase." Andrew Greer, general manager of SSE Airtricity Gas, said: "We're sorry we have to increase gas prices at this time. "However, in the last year wholesale natural gas prices on global markets have increased by more than 50%. "Despite the scale of these external cost increases we've been able to use our expertise and buying power on wholesale energy markets to help reduce the impact of these global cost changes on our customers' bills. "In addition, we're passing back over-recovered costs to customers in line with the regulatory mechanism that applies, helping to further reduce the impact of this price change." The increase has been approved by the Consumer Council, the Department for the Economy and the Utlitity Regulator, the body that scrutinises energy pricing in Northern Ireland. Kevin Shiels, the Utility Regulator's director of retail and consumer protection, said: "Increases in energy prices are never welcome. We therefore only approve a tariff increase after extensive scrutiny. "The main reason for this tariff change is due to the increase in international wholesale energy, which has resulted in significant cost increases for SSE Airtricity." He added the rise in wholesale costs had led to price hikes for petrol and home heating oil. St Paddy's Day on March 17 is a perfect excuse to imbibe the Irish spirit and dabble in some Gaelic fun. Here are cocktails and spirits of Irish descent to get you in the green groove. 1. MOLLY MALONE MULE With a good kick and plenty of cheer, try this simple serve using the aptly named The Dubliner Irish Whiskey (23.72, 70cl, www.masterofmalt.com) - a perfect introduction to Irish whiskey, it's 'approachable, warm and smooth', much like the welcoming manner of the Irish. Ingredients: 50ml The Dubliner, juice of a quarter of a lime, ginger beer, lime wedge and a slice of ginger (optional) Method: Add ice to a copper julep cup. Pour in the whiskey lime juice. Top up with ginger beer and garnish with a sprig of mint, wedge of lime and ginger. 2. BUSHMILLS SPICED MARMALADE SOUR With a long history - Bushmills is Ireland's oldest working distillery - and triple distilled for a light, pure spirit, Bushmills Black Bush Whiskey (23.50, 70cl, Sainsbury's) is the front runner of Irish blends with its fruity, spicy, nutty notes, silky smooth palate and long, sweet finish. Here's a zesty cocktail to try at home. Ingredients: 50ml Bushmills Black Bush, 20ml lemon juice, 20ml marmalade, 1ml angostura bitters 2 individual ginger slices, 1 orange Method: Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the ingredients, shake vigorously and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with shredded orange zest. 3. TAKING LIBERTIES Named after one of the oldest (and most raucous) streets in Dublin, 'tis the luck of the Irish to have this limited release as only 31 sherry casks of The Dublin Liberties Copper Alley Irish Whiskey (65, 70cl, www.harveynichols.com) have been produced. A 10-year-old single malt that's finished in 30-year-old oloroso sherry casks, it's the second release in The Dublin Liberties range of premium Irish whiskies. 4. PRAISE THE LORD An innovative spirits brand, Glendalough are reviving the heritage of craft distilling and Ireland's 'golden age of whiskey distilling'. Try their Double Barrel Irish Whiskey (32.95, 70cl, www.31dover.com) which romped home with a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits competition and is extremely pleasant to drink. 5. A GIN FOR ALL SEASONS Don't have a nose for whiskey? Don't worry, Ireland's first craft distillery have unveiled their new all-seasons gin, Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin (33.95, 70cl, craftgins.co.uk). Having foraged for Wild Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Botanicals in previous bottlings, this latest release is beautifully fresh and uplifting and created to capture the changing seasons. 6. FEENEY'S ESPRESSO MARTINI Cream of the crop, Feeney's Irish Cream Liqueur (12.45, 70cl, www.dover.com) is dreamy dairy delight. Fresh and sweet with a whisper of chocolate, it's been named the 'best and most luxurious Irish Cream Liqueur in the World', and contains Irish grain whiskey matured for at least three years. He's long labelled himself a 'young fogey' but now he's approaching middle age, broadcaster Ryan Tubridy is coming over all boyish - a bit like his idol, JFK, about whom he has written a new book. Just don't expect him to open up about his own love life, writes Kirsty Blake Knox. There's something about Ryan Tubridy, host of RTE's long-running Late Late Show, that seems out of time. When he first bounced onto the TV screens and airwaves, he seemed old beyond his years and went to great lengths to stress that he was the broadcaster's resident "young fogey". Now that he actually is middle-aged, he has a giddiness that makes him seem positively boyish. This makes it rather difficult to place him. His silhouette is the sort that you don't see much of these days: all angles and ends. He looks as if he should be standing on a street corner, in an old movie, wearing a trench coat and a slouch hat. "I'm a monochrome person, living in a technicolour world," he says taking a seat beside me. "I look like I belong anywhere - the 1940s, '50s, or '60s. Anywhere but now." I am with him to chat about his new children's book, Patrick and the President. It sees him return to his favourite subject - JFK and his historic 1963 state visit to Ireland. It's been a bountiful source of inspiration - or, perhaps more accurately, obsession - for Tubridy. In 2010, he produced a television documentary about the trip, and the following year his book JFK in Ireland: Four Days That Changed a President hit the shelves. "Yes, it's becoming a bit of a Mastermind specialist subject at this stage," he admits. But this one is different: a children's picture book exquisitely illustrated by Belfast-born PJ Lynch (right). Tubridy relished working on it because, as he loves to tell anyone who is listening, he is a big kid at heart. "I love what they love," he says enthusiastically. "I like cartoons and sweets and silly things. I prefer to err on the side of fun rather than seriousness." The book came to fruition in a roundabout way - he met with some children's book publishers in London to talk about a different project centring around "two non-human characters inhabiting my head". They listened politely before telling him to park that idea. Instead, they wanted him to revisit JFK's trip and tell it through the eyes of a child. "It comes to life because of PJ's drawings," Tubridy says, of the work of award-winning illustrator and Laureate na nOg PJ Lynch. "He makes the past breathe again." Lynch, who was born in Belfast 55 years ago, was appointed Irish children's literature laureate in May last year, a post funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Irish Arts Council along with other partners. He lives in Dublin with his wife Barbara and their children Ben, Sam and Evie. As well as illustrating and writing books, he also designed a huge mosaic for the Marian Shrine at Knock. He has won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal twice and the Christopher Medal three times for his work. Lynch has played the part of Time Lord and drawn Tubridy, in the guise of a news reporter, into the book's pages. "It's a sort of Where's Wally? and here he is," Tubridy says, pointing at his own illustrated face. As research for his book, Tubridy made his way to New Ross to meet people who were still in short pants and school skirts when JFK came to town. "I put my recorder down and asked them to be kids again. They described how the plane came out of the sky like a flying saucer," he says. Tubridy was a child himself when he made his telly debut - at the age of 12 - after writing a letter to a newspaper complaining about the Irish state broadcaster's film output. He appeared on Anything Goes reviewing films, while on Scratch Saturday and Poparama he rated and slated various books. After studying history and classics at UCD, he started working as a runner and roving reporter in the radio building. In fact, he has spent practically his entire teenage and adult life working within the confines the broadcaster's headquarters, Montrose, or, as he calls it, "Montrosia". "RTE is a madhouse," he says. "Totally bonkers, but I love it". September marks Tubridy's 10th season on the juggernaut that is The Late Late Show. "A lot has happened," he says. "As a host, I have been really good at times and really not so good at other times." Even after half a century on air, The Late Late Show remains one of the country's favourite topics to give out yards about. Last month, for example, there were two separate Late Late scandals that got the country talking. The first was the Valentine's Day special. The programme featured 200 "single and salivating men and women" (Tubridy's words) leering at each other and making copious and laboured risque jokes. There were more than 300 emails and phone calls complaining and wondering if there was anything holy and good left in the world. The following week, news that a researcher on the show had reached out to drug dealer John Gilligan - the man widely suspected of being behind the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin - made headlines. When asked if he thinks approaching Gilligan was a good idea, Tubridy switches into PR autopilot. "The Late Late Show has always invited controversial guests onto the programme," he begins. But does he think it's appropriate? "It's not an issue. My comfort with it is not an issue because it isn't happening... I don't have to confront or deal with it because he's not coming on the show. It's not an issue. And that's it." The subject of his own love life sees Tubridy turn coy. Tubridy's last serious relationship was with Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain, the 2005 Rose of Tralee and an academic scientist, with Disney princess eyes and dimples. They dated for five years, shared a house and looked all set up for happily-ever-after. But then things changed. In interviews, Tubridy talked about how he was a "gobshite with women", and said you would need "the patience of Job and his extended family" to live with him. She said she wasn't ready for children and he told reporters he had no plans on proposing. They announced their separation before Christmas in 2014, via their agent, Noel Kelly, promising to "remain friends". So, a few years older and wiser, is he seeing anyone new? "No," he says flatly. "I am not. I'm a busy man. A busy man doing my own thing." Right, well, are you on Tinder? "No, I'm not on Tinder I can hear laughter echoing around the walls at just the suggestion of it," he says. But would you like that now? "Like what?" he says, before putting on a mocking voice and chiming "to find a nice girl and settle down". No, not that. Just a bit of companionship, maybe? There's a pause. "Look, if it happens, it happens. But I don't think I would particularly enrich anybody's life." That strikes me as rather a sad thing to say, and I tell him he's selling himself short. "I think I'm selling myself tall," he laughs awkwardly and brushes the material of his trousers. Has going through a high-profile break-up made him wary to publicise a new relationship? "But I've never done that," he says emphatically. "Look, I am a private person in a public job. I think that element of my life is for me and I keep myself to myself. Like I said, if something happens - wouldn't that be lovely? But for now, I just march on but thank you for asking," he adds. We move on. Several years ago, a move to the BBC seemed imminent, with Tubridy filling in for Simon Mayo and Graham Norton during the summer months. "There was a time about four years ago when there was a lot of work on the table and, if I didn't have major commitments, I would have thought about going," he says. He's referring to his two daughters, Ella and Julia, from his marriage to RTE producer Ann-Marie Power. I presume the death of his father, Patrick, in 2013 must have also jolted him back home? "There are just moments in life when things changed and I found myself re-engaging. You have those moments in your life where you think, 'Okay, I'm back in the room'. For me, it's family first, then work. I think I realised I had a good thing going on here" Tubridy has tried his hand at many different types of show in RTE - from cameos on fashion shows to The Full Irish and hosting The Rose of Tralee. But everything has been aimed at the lighter end of the telly spectrum. Given his academic and family background - his paternal grandfather was Fianna Fail TD Sean Tubridy, while his maternal grandfather was Todd Andrews, a political activist and former director of RTE as well as heading other public bodies - it's surprising he didn't end up in current affairs. "Would I want to do a Jon Stewart Show? No. I'm far too polite for it. But I love politics and watch it the way other people watch sport or soap operas." The publisher wanders about in the background and talk returns to the book. The importance of JFK's visit to Ireland - which was still something of a fledgling republic at the time - was seismic. Ireland was defined by emigration and unemployment and there was, to say the least, an acute shortage of glamour. Suddenly, the most powerful man in the world was touching down, with his milky-white smile and honeyed skin. He hung out with Dean Martin and Sinatra, was the most powerful man on earth - and, above all, he was one of our own. JFK wasn't just going to Dublin to walk around Trinity College and look at The Book of Kells. He was travelling back to his ancestral home, an old farmhouse in Dunganstown, Co Wexford. "There was the feeling: if he can come from here and go on to the White House, then anything's possible." The book centres around schoolboy Patrick - who shares the same Christian name as Ryan's late father, Dr Patrick Tubridy. It's also the name of Jackie and John F Kennedy's baby son, who died just three days after he was born. "It was right after his visit to Ireland," Tubridy explains. "I liked that circle. There was famine, destitution, emigration. Then climb, ascend, pinnacle, White House, return home - bang! Patrick." Tubridy starts chattering about the 1960s and the States. That vintage Archie comic Americana is a dream-scape for him. "It's everything," he says. "The era, the music, the clothes, the beautiful women and their fashion and style. It was the most extraordinary time. And then JFK." When I later talk to illustrator PJ Lynch about Kennedy, he is more reserved in his praise. "He was no Lincoln," he says. "But he was Catholic and Irish. And young and glamorous." But for Tubridy, Kennedy is the embodiment of all the best bits of the 1960s. "He was in the White House with Sinatra floating around, and Marilyn Monroe We had these auld fellas running the world and in comes this movie star, this rock star - and he was Irish! How cool is that?" Kennedy had a perfect presidential CV - a good-looking war hero from a good-looking (if slightly disreputable) family, with a good-looking wife. A wealthy white man who oozed confidence and looked great on a yacht. But, as we now know, he was no angel. JFK had a voracious sexual appetite. His infidelity was widely known, and he would chase any and all women. "But Kennedy could quote Latin and poetry," Tubridy counters. "He had such a mind. And his speeches! His speeches and his words are too good to focus on the other stuff." Oh, baloney, he didn't write his speeches. His adviser Ted Sorensen did. JFK's sex life is also something that Tubridy prefers to gloss over. That and the assassination. "So all the interesting stuff, then?" I say. "The salacious element and the assassination bore me senseless," he insists. "I don't look at that side of the story with any interest". To have studied JFK in such depth, and then to overlook a huge element of his character seems strange. Not just from a gossip's point of view, but also from a historian's. Shouldn't we paint Kennedy in the full picture, "warts and all"? Perhaps Tubridy thinks this is a cliched approach to the subject. Or maybe there are other, more personal, reasons for his reluctance to focus on JFK's personal life. It's clear that Tubridy thinks there are certain things that should remain under lock and key when you are "a private person in a public job". The spectacular success story of the last Assembly election was that of one woman and her party. The same was true again yesterday, except it was Michelle O'Neill and Sinn Fein who were crowned the undisputed champions in the Stormont poll this time. O'Neill arrived at the Belfast count to a movie-style reception, surrounded by camera crews, photographers and cock-a-hoop supporters. While it wasn't the Armageddon for Arlene Foster that some predicted, there was hardly cause for celebration either. The DUP held onto its position as Northern Ireland's biggest party by the skin of its political teeth. That it secured 225,413 votes in the face of the 'cash for ash' scandal was in some ways impressive. But at just 1,168 votes behind, Sinn Fein came so close to overtaking the DUP that unionists will be seriously spooked. In the space of just 10 months, the lead of Mrs Foster's party over Sinn Fein was reduced from 5.2% to just 0.2%. She has only herself to blame. By talking of 'crocodiles' and the like in language that belongs to the last century, she turned herself into a hate figure and energised many nationalists who had become disillusioned with Sinn Fein and politics generally. Last night, it looked unlikely that the DUP would secure the magic 30 Assembly seats needed to lodge a petition of concern. While there is as yet no threat to Mrs Foster's position, confidence in her within the party has been seriously undermined. The voters who came out for the DUP on Thursday did so despite her leadership, not because of it. Many canvassers reported how voters had told them in no uncertain terms that they were appalled by her "arrogance". Candidates had to stress that it was a vote for them personally, not a vote for Arlene, for which they were asking. Many voted DUP not out of any great love for the leadership but because they saw no plausible alternative. The weakening of the DUP hasn't been accompanied by a strengthening of any other unionist party. The UUP is leaderless and in chaos. It's almost impossible to see them becoming competitive with the DUP again. For all his undoubted ability, Jim Allister hasn't been able to transform the TUV into a credible party. The conditions couldn't have been more favourable for him in this election yet even in his North Antrim stronghold, his party's share of the vote fell. The Progressive Unionist Party failed to make any impact and its future seems restricted to council seats. The election makes it clear that the DUP is the only show in town for unionists and there will be immense soul-searching in coming weeks and months. A unionist majority in the Assembly last night looked unlikely. In Belfast, unionists hold just six out of 20 Stormont seats. Several unionists last night complained that Sinn Fein had been ultra-organised during the election, laying on buses to bring voters to polling stations. They should grow up. Rather than moaning about such occurrences, they'd be better doing the same themselves in order to maximise their vote. Rarely has there been a resignation as dignified and statesmanlike as Mike Nesbitt's. His voice quivering with emotion, he oozed grace and elegance to the very end. He could teach Mrs Foster a lesson or two in terms of taking responsibility for his actions and not blaming others. His problem from the very start has been that most unionists don't see him as one of themselves. "You just can't imagine Mike at a Twelfth parade or having one of his kids playing in an accordion band," a DUP candidate told me yesterday. "He just doesn't get our community." Before the Assembly election, UUP sources were predicting that Danny Kennedy would be the next party leader. The Belfast Telegraph was told that a meeting was held last week at an Orange hall at which it was agreed that if the UUP secured less than 13 seats, Mr Nesbitt would be told to stand down. With Mr Kennedy's defeat, Steve Aiken is the only name circulating as a replacement but he is seen as too liberal and too inexperienced by many. Whoever takes over, there is no chance that they will be continuing Mr Nesbitt's bromance with Colum Eastwood. The idea of a UUP-SDLP administration has been exposed as pie in the sky. Mr Eastwood didn't put a foot wrong in the Assembly campaign and completely outperformed Michelle O'Neill in both the UTV and BBC leaders' debates. And yet it mattered little as nationalists voted en masse for Sinn Fein. The SDLP's problem is that it just doesn't have a credible story to tell nationalists. It is also tarred with the loser tag and that's very difficult to shake. Yet it was far from all gloom and doom for the party. Nichola Mallon's vote was impressive, Pat Catney's win was the shock of the election, and Dolores Kelly's comeback was miraculous in a tough constituency where Sinn Fein looked a racing certainty to take two seats. But the SDLP also has reasons to worry. Sinn Fein edged ahead of its rival in both South Down and in Foyle. History suggests that once the Shinners are in front, they're virtually unstoppable. They will now be making a concerted effort to snatch Margaret Ritchie's and Mark Durkan's Westminster seats. The SDLP also need to watch out for Alliance, which now strongly appeals to their voters. Under Naomi Long, the party pulled off its best election result in decades. Alliance will be most pleased with its performance West of the Bann where a raft of new candidates doubled or trebled its previous vote. People Before Profit, by contrast, had an underwhelming election, losing Eamonn McCann in Foyle and coming nowhere near a second seat in West Belfast where its vote fell by 8%. The party's young, enthusiastic members still talked up its performance yesterday. While PBP has proved that it's not a flash-in-the-pan, Sinn Fein will certainly be breathing a sigh of relief that it has, for now, neutered the party. There can be no detracting from the fact that yesterday was Michelle O'Neill's day. But the challenge for Sinn Fein is how to reconcile its vote with reaching a deal with the DUP. Sinn Fein's election success was based on a hardening of opinion among nationalists who don't want a return to the rollover republicanism they have seen at Stormont. But are the red lines red hot for Sinn Fein or will they start cooling down now the election is over? That's what will be most fascinating in the weeks and months that lie ahead of this intriguing election. xxxxxxxx Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams talks to the media as he arrives at the count centre Nationalists in Northern Ireland have voted to oppose Brexit, Gerry Adams has said. With the prospect of a hard land border dividing the island of Ireland, the Sinn Fein president said the Stormont Assembly poll was a mandate for Northern Ireland to receive special designated status within the EU. Mr Adams said it was the only way to prevent a land frontier between the Republic and Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein will remain the largest nationalist party in the next Assembly if the power-sharing institutions can be resurrected. Mr Adams said: "It is also a re-assertion of our position on Brexit, that this part of Ireland should have a special designated status. "Whatever your position is on the constitutional issue, that the only way to stop a land frontier between a European state and the British state on this island is to make sure there is a special designated status within the European Union for this part of Ireland." Northern Ireland voted remain in the June EU poll by 56% to 44%. However some largely unionist areas voted leave and the DUP, the largest party, campaigned for Brexit. There are concerns among some businesses that the move will damage the economy of Northern Ireland, with pharmaceuticals moving to the Republic of Ireland, even though proponents point to benefits like freedom from EU regulation. The border at present is porous and invisible, with people and goods passing freely back and forth. The British Government has said it wants to create a frictionless frontier post-Brexit. Mr Adams said it was a vote of confidence in his party's position. "It is a vote for Irish unity, a vote for us together as a people. "As Ian Paisley famously told Martin McGuinness, we don't need Englishmen to govern us." He said it was about agreements which had already been made being implemented as well as a little bit of manners, respect and treating others the way you would want to be treated by unionists. Mr Adams said: "It is a vote and a mandate, and it will have to be respected by the other parties and the two governments, for a step-change, for an end to the old status quo, for a new beginning to how we do our business." Once deemed the SDLP's stronghold constituency, Foyle was firmly placed in the hands of Sinn Fein, who not only topped the poll, but saw both candidates safely home before teatime. At the Foyle Arena count, the success of the Sinn Fein campaign was evident when Elisha McCallion was elected on the first count with an impressive 9,205 votes. Her running mate, Raymond McCartney, didn't have to wait too long to join her, and a jubilant roar went up from the declaration hall when he reached the quota of 7,437 with a surplus of 171. Elisha McCallion had dedicated her campaign to former deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who she replaced on the ballot paper for Foyle after he retired from front line politics. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, she said: "We are absolutely ecstatic about the result but not entirely shocked. "It was a great delight to me to come in first and to top the poll - it is certainly something that I am very, very proud (of). I said I was dedicating my campaign to Martin McGuinness whose seat I am filling. I wanted to do him proud and I think we have done him proud. I will continue on now in the legacy of Martin McGuinness." The success of Sinn Fein in Foyle stung the SDLP and party leader Colum Eastwood who, although re-elected, said: "There was only so much we could do - we maintained our two seats, our vote numbers across the North are up and our vote share is exactly where it was. "Given the really difficult poisonous atmosphere that has been created in Northern Ireland, I think we did that in a very difficult space. "The context didn't suit us. Sinn Fein has had a fantastic election, there is no doubt about that." As the evening rumbled on, the writing was already on the wall as far as People Before Profit's Eamonn McCann was concerned and he conceded that he was not going to take the fifth seat. He said: "It is a disappointing outcome - there is no question about that. It was a vote that polarised, it was very much an orange and green election. It makes it very difficult for us to fight." As the curtain fell in the Foyle Arena, the SDLP's Mark H Durkan reached the quota after transfers - something of a gift for him on his birthday. The battle for the fifth seat appeared to have almost certainly been won by the DUP's Gary Middleton, very relieved to be the "voice of unionism" in Foyle. He said: "Not reaching the quota doesn't make you any less elected. I am relieved that we achieved what we set out to do and that was to secure the only unionist seat in Foyle. A constituency such as this, with the demographics it has, Sinn Fein were always going to take two seats and SDLP take two seats. "We always felt it would be down to myself and Eamonn McCann and I don't take any great pleasure in seeing any candidate lose their seat. I wish him well." Results centre - every count as it happened - North Antrim - East Antrim - South Antrim - North Belfast - East Belfast - South Belfast - West Belfast - Strangford - South Down - Lagan Valley - Upper Bann - Newry and Armagh - Fermanagh & South Tyrone - West Tyrone - Mid Ulster - East Londonderry - Foyle - North Down Counting begins at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Friday March 3, 2017. Counting begins at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Friday March 3, 2017. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale and Paul Rankin pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Sammy Morrison pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies.The boxes are opened for the count. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Counting continues at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. This is the second contest in less than a year and early indications are that turnout has been higher than expected. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire BALLYMENA, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Counting gets underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout was considerably higher than in May last year. The first declarations are expected around lunchtime today. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. DUP Councillor, Darryn Causby and SDLP hopeful Dolores Kelly pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Verification of the Strangford and North Down vote starts. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Counting underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Jim Allister TUV candidate pictured at the count. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. PACEMAKER BELFAST 0303/2017 Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - Counting gets under way at the NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Paul Givan pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Pic Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon and MP Francey Molloy Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP arriving at the Omagh Leisure Complex for the results of the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Thomas Buchanan, DUP pictured after the West Tyrone results were announced. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Michaela Boyle, Sinn Fein and Barry McElduff, Sinn Fein pictured after the election results for West Tyrone. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. People before Profits Gerry Carroll at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast on Friday for Belfast North, South East and West constituencies Assembly Election Count. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Carla Lockhart elected for Upper Bann, pictured with her husband Rodney Condell and mother and father Valerie and kenneth Lockhart. Picture Matt Bohill pacemaker Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Danny Kennedy (UUP Newry/Armagh) pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister during the counting of ballot papers at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Elisha McCallion and Raymond McCartney, Sinn Fein, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Eamonn McCann, People Before Profit Alliance, and partner Goretti Horgan, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by John McIlwaine / Press Eye Sinn Fein candidates Linda Dillon and Ian Milne are congratulated by party leader Michelle O'Neill and Francey Molloy after their election to Mid Ulster on the third count Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Left to right. SDLP candidate for north Belfast Nichola Mallon and SDLP candidate for west Belfast Alex Attwood. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams talks to the media as he arrives at the count centre. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood pictured at the count. Phoo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP pictured during the announcement that she has been re-elected. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Belfast west successful candidates are officially announced. The SDLP's Alex Attwood, who was elected, pictured on the declaration podium after the successful candidates were officially elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for south Belfast Emma Little-Pengelly(left) with DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Old And The New...Outgoing DUP MLA, Sydney Anderson, left, and his replacement, Jonathan Buckley celebrate. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Mark Cosgrove with John Stewart UUP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Dup's Jonathan Buckley, left, celebrates being elected with fellow MLA, Carla Lockhart and Upper Bann MP, David Simpson. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. UUP leader Mike Nesbitt pictured at the Park Avenue hotel in Belfast as he announces that he will be stepping down as party leader. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland pictured after he is eliminated from the count and fails to be elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Dolores Kelly of the SDLP celebrates after being elected. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Sean Lynch, Sinn Fein pictured at the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster makes her acceptance speech as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein Leader in the North Michelle O'Neill (right) speaking at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena. Niall Carson/PA Wire Returned DUP MLA Paula Bradley (centre) speaking with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned SDLP MLA Alex Attwood during his declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast during the Northern Ireland Election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates in Belfast West MLA's celebrate with Fra McCann, Orlaith Flynn, Pat Sheehan, and Alex Maskey holding up four fingers during their declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Mark H. Durkan and his wife Anne celebrate after he is re-elected, on his birthday, as an MLA for Foyle at the count in the Foyle Arena. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan, DUP elected for South Antrim Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan DUP with his wife Mandy (Centre) and Daughter Victoria Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Danny Kinahan MP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 03 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Rosemary Barton, UUP speaking after her election result. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance Party candidate for south Belfast Paula Bradshaw pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. UUP candidate for east Belfast Andy Allen pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster consoles Lord Morrow who lost his seat in the Northern Ireland Stormont election count. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill speaks to members of the media after arriving at the count centre for the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL MCERLANEPAUL MCERLANE/AFP/Getty Images UUP Party Leader Mike Nesbitt, followed by his wife Lynda Bryans and son PJ Nesbitt, after announcing his resignation at the Park Avenue Hotel, after his party failed to make a breakthrough in the Northern Ireland Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire DUP candidates William Humphrey and Nelson McCausland at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the Northern Ireland Election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Orlaithi Flynn stands for a photograph after Sinn Fein won four seats in West Belfast in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout yesterday was considerably higher than in May last year. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Leader Arlene Foster celebrates as she is elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly at the count centre in Omagh, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images Returned UUP MLA Andy Allen speaks with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates for Fermanage South Tyrone Jemma Dolan (left), Sean Lynch and Michelle Gildernew at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew (R), Sean Lynch (C) and Jemma Dolan (L) celebrate winning their three seats in the Fermanagh South Tyrone election as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Returned SDLP MLA Nicola Mallon celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (centre) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (right) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Sinn Fein candidate for Fermanagh South Tyrone Sean Lynch celebrates at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (left) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (right) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PA Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill, Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill and Gerry Adams speak to the media during a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Pacemaker Press Belfast 06-03-2017: DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont in Belfast on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Sinn Fein President and Michelle O'Neill with Party MLA's during a media Call at Stormont DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Pictured Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Michelle O'Neill looking towards the image of the late Ian Paisley hanging in the Great Hall before holding a press conference. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams pictured going past a portrait of the former First Minister and DUP leader Ian Paisley as he leads his party to talk to the media on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Tom Elliott and Mike Nesbitt from the UUP speak to the media at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood with Party MLA's speak to the media at Stormont on Monday, following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry speaks to the Media with party members Kellie Armstrong and Stewart Dickson at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Sinn Fein holding a press conference on the first working day after the recent Election. Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is to meet Stormont party leaders later to try to persuade them to form a new power-sharing executive. Pictured Gerry Adams waves to a group of Chinese tourist from Shanghai visiting Stormont as the Sinn Fein Electoral team pose for photos of the steps of Parliament Buildings. Picture: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Secretary of State James Brokenshire pictured at Sormont Castle in Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker Press Belfast DUP Leader Arlene Foster and Simon Hamilton pictured at Sormont Castle in Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison - Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-03-2017 DUP leader Arlene Foster and party member Simon Hamilton MLA speak to the media before talks at Stormont Castle. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Wednesday 8th March 2017 It was difficult for die-hard DUP supporters in North Antrim to lose one of their seats in the heartland of the late Ian Paisley - but perhaps even harder to watch on as Sinn Fein topped the poll in the constituency for the first time. For the first time ever, a Sinn Fein candidate - Philip McGuigan - spoke first at the end of the election count at Ballymena's Seven Towers Leisure Centre, one of the benefits of coming home first. Former Derry GAA player McGuigan, now a keen amateur cyclist living in Dunloy, was happy to make history. He said: "I am delighted, it's a tremendous result, it's historic in North Antrim, Sinn Fein topping the poll in what would be considered a DUP heartland. "This was a big election, the issues at stake were big issues. "The people of North Antrim understood all of that." However, Mr McGuigan left the platform before the DUP's re-elected Mervyn Storey launched into the party's traditional election hymn in North Antrim, followed by the National Anthem. Mr Storey said the Sinn Fein result in the constituency had been "a wake up call for unionism". The reduction in seat numbers from six to five meant the DUP's Phillip Logan - elected only last year - departs the scene. Ulster Unionist Robin Swann was swept back into Stormont with the help of transfers from the SDLP and Alliance. TUV chief Jim Allister will also be back in the corridors of power but his party's ambition of getting a second seat in North Antrim was thwarted again. Mr Allister said he would continue to be "a thorn in the flesh" of Sinn Fein and the DUP. The TUV leader added: "This is a poor day for unionism, a day that need not have arrived but for the arrogance and the bungling of Mrs Foster which has delivered for the first time in Northern Ireland's history the absence of a unionist majority at Stormont." The DUP's Paul Frew from Broughshane also retained his seat for the DUP. Full break down NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. There was a major blow for the DUP in North Belfast with the loss of former Culture Minister Nelson McCausland. It came after a long and uncertain wait for candidates when none reached the quota following stage after stage of counts. The DUP's Paula Bradley was first elected at stage 6 at around 9pm following the elimination of Mr McCausland. She said she was delighted to be returned but very disappointed that he would not be rejoining her in the Assembly. "He is a massive loss. He is a friend, we all work together very closely as a team in North Belfast along with our MP Nigel Dodds and a great team of councillors," she said. Ms Bradley said her vote was up and insisted that her message at the doorsteps had resonated strongly with the electorate. "I spoke with thousands of people, I knocked every door in my section of the constituency and I'm delighted the people turned out and put their trust in me," she added. At the first count Sinn Fein candidate Gerry Kelly topped the poll, closely followed by party colleague Caral Ni Chuilin, however neither reached the quota at that stage to be deemed elected. Progress was slow throughout the day and evening as a number of candidates were eliminated, with not enough transfers to bring any in the front of the pack across the line. However, there was drama at stage 5 when Mr McCausland was eliminated. He had been an MLA since 2003 and served as Culture Minister as well as Social Development Minister at Stormont. He said he was disappointed, but rallied in the knowledge that the DUP had increased its vote in the constituency. "Unfortunately it did not translate into seats. I am disappointed to a degree, obviously. There was a bigger increase in the vote on the nationalist side. There will be an opportunity to have a review of what happened and how it came about," he said. "There is life beyond politics, there are lots of other things I want to do." Mr McCausland did not rule out a return to politics, refusing to directly answer that question as he left the Titanic Exhibition Centre where the Belfast counts took place shortly after the announcement that ended his Assembly career. "I am quite relaxed about the whole thing. There are a lot of things to think about. I won't make any predictions," he added. PUP candidate Julie-Anne Corr-Johnston said she was delighted by her performance despite disappointment among her supporters when she was excluded at stage three of the count. She told the Belfast Telegraph she had increased her party's vote in the constituency by almost 800 since last year, when leader Billy Hutchinson stood. "Watch out for me in the future. We are slowly building our vote. I know some of our supporters may feel disappointed but we will get there," she said. At stage five Ulster Unionist candidate Robert Foster was excluded, while Sinn Fein's Mr Kelly and SDLP candidate Nichola Mallon were last night believed to be safe bets for seats two and three. Results centre - select a constituency - North Antrim - East Antrim - South Antrim - North Belfast - East Belfast - South Belfast - West Belfast - Strangford - South Down - Lagan Valley - Upper Bann - Newry and Armagh - Fermanagh & South Tyrone - West Tyrone - Mid Ulster - East Londonderry - Foyle - North Down It will go down in the history books of Northern Ireland as the RHI election. What began as a row that had nothing to do with the constitution of this country and all to do with bungling incompetence at Stormont has turned into a defining moment for the very future of all of us who live here. The RHI issue remains unresolved, but restoring some political stability in this historically unstable place is far more important. As the biomass boilers continue to burn the public's money for the next 20 years, of much greater consequence is whether Northern Ireland has the will to be a sharing, peaceful society, where unionist, nationalist and republican pull together for the greater collective good of this divided community. The British and Irish Governments need to wake up from their respective slumbers, accept that Northern Ireland is far from sorted, and reinvigorate the level of interest they showed in the years before and immediately after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. If they don't commit more effort and understanding, then inevitably the gains of the past 19 years will slip away. Do the DUP and Sinn Fein really want to share power with one another or do they not? Does the lack of trust and respect between them mean they have nothing left in their lockers upon which they can agree? The harsh truth about power-sharing is that it was never conceived in the first place with either of these two parties in mind, but now we know that things are not going to change. The political carve-up between the DUP and Sinn Fein brings to mind the old Stormont parliament of the 1950s and 1960s, when unionist and nationalist power blocs stared one another out across the chamber. Respect. That one word sums up the challenge posed by this election result. Where is respect to be found now between Arlene Foster and new Sinn Fein northern leader Michelle O'Neill? On the face of it, there is little likelihood, but the reality is there is no alternative, unless either Foster or O'Neill are happy to let Stormont drift in direct rule. Surely not, and surely a formula can be found whereby the stark red lines both leaders have drawn can be blurred. It should not be beyond the bounds of imagination to create a negotiating formula between the parties in the aftermath of an election which, like it or not, has seen both women confirmed as leaders. Foster's red line on never having an Irish Language Act looks open to question, and possibly review also. If the two parties were to spend less time hurling insults at one another and more mutually examining the costings and practicality of any Irish language proposal, a resolution would be more likely at a price Stormont could afford. O'Neill, for her part, needs to review her assertion that she will not do business with Foster. That is simply impractical and undemocratic in the aftermath of an election result which reaffirms Foster's position as DUP leader. Something has to give on either side, and it is a test of both Foster and O'Neill to show that they can open rather than close doors between them. As for the RHI scandal, all the politicking is over. Now it is for the public inquiry of Sir Patrick Coghlin (below) to examine the role of Foster, as well as everyone else involved, and to reach his conclusions. The parties should leave it to him and ensure that everyone co-operates to find the truth, and also to reduce the 'cash for ash' bill as much as possible. The DUP party faithful have stood by their beleaguered leader. The fact that she retained support and saw off the challenge of the Ulster Unionists does not absolve Foster, whose words and manner surely stirred and galvanised the nationalist electorate to cast their votes. The election results show that Foster has survived all the criticism; the abuse which was thrown at her. However, she also played the role of recruiting agent for Sinn Fein, as evident by the surge in voting amongst annoyed nationalists. Foster has achieved quite a feat. First, she marched the DUP to the top of the Stormont hill last May. And now she has taken Sinn Fein to the top as well. Results centre - select a constituency - every result as it happened - North Antrim - East Antrim - South Antrim - North Belfast - East Belfast - South Belfast - West Belfast - Strangford - South Down - Lagan Valley - Upper Bann - Newry and Armagh - Fermanagh & South Tyrone - West Tyrone - Mid Ulster - East Londonderry - Foyle - North Down The result of the Assembly election is that the future of power-sharing in Northern Ireland is left hanging by the slimmest of threads. The opportunity of a lifetime for middle-ground unionist and nationalist parties is lost. The Ulster Unionists failed to grasp the moment. Questions will abound about its leadership and Mike Nesbitt's controversial strategy of transferring votes to nationalists. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood and Alliance's Naomi Long were the outstanding media performers among the five main party leaders. The SDLP struggled, while Alliance more than held its ground. But both - along with the Ulster Unionists - have a role, albeit diminished, to play in the forthcoming quest for a new political settlement. When Sinn Fein said it had a shopping lists of demands, Foster responded by saying the DUP had one also. Let's see what these are. Rather than sweep these issues under the table again, the opportunity has arrived for another proper and full-scale review of the Good Friday Agreement, as happened in 2006 at the St Andrews talks. The choice facing Stormont today is fairly obvious. Direct rule, or a quick sticking-plaster solution somehow cobbled together before Easter. Or a new, comprehensive agreement, which will take much longer to achieve, but should stand the test of time and not bring Northern Ireland back to where it is today. Prime Minister Theresa May has a lot on her Brexit plate these days, but she will have even more to worry about if she doesn't take seriously the political dangers of an unstable Northern Ireland in the middle of her negotiations with Brussels. She might be well-advised to apply the best minds she can find in her administration, along with their counterparts in Dublin, to focus on post-election Northern Ireland. Stormont now needs all the help it can get if it is to survive at all. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale and Paul Rankin pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Sammy Morrison pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies.The boxes are opened for the count. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Counting continues at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. This is the second contest in less than a year and early indications are that turnout has been higher than expected. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire BALLYMENA, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Counting gets underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout was considerably higher than in May last year. The first declarations are expected around lunchtime today. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. DUP Councillor, Darryn Causby and SDLP hopeful Dolores Kelly pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Verification of the Strangford and North Down vote starts. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Counting underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Jim Allister TUV candidate pictured at the count. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. PACEMAKER BELFAST 0303/2017 Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - Counting gets under way at the NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Paul Givan pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Pic Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon and MP Francey Molloy Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP arriving at the Omagh Leisure Complex for the results of the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Thomas Buchanan, DUP pictured after the West Tyrone results were announced. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Michaela Boyle, Sinn Fein and Barry McElduff, Sinn Fein pictured after the election results for West Tyrone. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. People before Profits Gerry Carroll at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast on Friday for Belfast North, South East and West constituencies Assembly Election Count. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Carla Lockhart elected for Upper Bann, pictured with her husband Rodney Condell and mother and father Valerie and kenneth Lockhart. Picture Matt Bohill pacemaker Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Danny Kennedy (UUP Newry/Armagh) pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister during the counting of ballot papers at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Elisha McCallion and Raymond McCartney, Sinn Fein, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Eamonn McCann, People Before Profit Alliance, and partner Goretti Horgan, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by John McIlwaine / Press Eye Sinn Fein candidates Linda Dillon and Ian Milne are congratulated by party leader Michelle O'Neill and Francey Molloy after their election to Mid Ulster on the third count Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Left to right. SDLP candidate for north Belfast Nichola Mallon and SDLP candidate for west Belfast Alex Attwood. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams talks to the media as he arrives at the count centre. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood pictured at the count. Phoo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP pictured during the announcement that she has been re-elected. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Belfast west successful candidates are officially announced. The SDLP's Alex Attwood, who was elected, pictured on the declaration podium after the successful candidates were officially elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for south Belfast Emma Little-Pengelly(left) with DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Old And The New...Outgoing DUP MLA, Sydney Anderson, left, and his replacement, Jonathan Buckley celebrate. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Mark Cosgrove with John Stewart UUP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Dup's Jonathan Buckley, left, celebrates being elected with fellow MLA, Carla Lockhart and Upper Bann MP, David Simpson. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. UUP leader Mike Nesbitt pictured at the Park Avenue hotel in Belfast as he announces that he will be stepping down as party leader. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland pictured after he is eliminated from the count and fails to be elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Dolores Kelly of the SDLP celebrates after being elected. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Sean Lynch, Sinn Fein pictured at the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster makes her acceptance speech as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein Leader in the North Michelle O'Neill (right) speaking at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena. Niall Carson/PA Wire Returned DUP MLA Paula Bradley (centre) speaking with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned SDLP MLA Alex Attwood during his declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast during the Northern Ireland Election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates in Belfast West MLA's celebrate with Fra McCann, Orlaith Flynn, Pat Sheehan, and Alex Maskey holding up four fingers during their declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Mark H. Durkan and his wife Anne celebrate after he is re-elected, on his birthday, as an MLA for Foyle at the count in the Foyle Arena. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan, DUP elected for South Antrim Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan DUP with his wife Mandy (Centre) and Daughter Victoria Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Danny Kinahan MP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 03 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Rosemary Barton, UUP speaking after her election result. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance Party candidate for south Belfast Paula Bradshaw pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. UUP candidate for east Belfast Andy Allen pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster consoles Lord Morrow who lost his seat in the Northern Ireland Stormont election count. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill speaks to members of the media after arriving at the count centre for the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL MCERLANEPAUL MCERLANE/AFP/Getty Images UUP Party Leader Mike Nesbitt, followed by his wife Lynda Bryans and son PJ Nesbitt, after announcing his resignation at the Park Avenue Hotel, after his party failed to make a breakthrough in the Northern Ireland Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire DUP candidates William Humphrey and Nelson McCausland at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the Northern Ireland Election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Orlaithi Flynn stands for a photograph after Sinn Fein won four seats in West Belfast in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout yesterday was considerably higher than in May last year. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Leader Arlene Foster celebrates as she is elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly at the count centre in Omagh, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images Returned UUP MLA Andy Allen speaks with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates for Fermanage South Tyrone Jemma Dolan (left), Sean Lynch and Michelle Gildernew at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew (R), Sean Lynch (C) and Jemma Dolan (L) celebrate winning their three seats in the Fermanagh South Tyrone election as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Returned SDLP MLA Nicola Mallon celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (centre) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (right) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Sinn Fein candidate for Fermanagh South Tyrone Sean Lynch celebrates at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (left) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (right) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PA Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill, Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill and Gerry Adams speak to the media during a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Pacemaker Press Belfast 06-03-2017: DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont in Belfast on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Picture By: Arthur Allison. DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Pictured Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Michelle O'Neill looking towards the image of the late Ian Paisley hanging in the Great Hall before holding a press conference. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams pictured going past a portrait of the former First Minister and DUP leader Ian Paisley as he leads his party to talk to the media on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Tom Elliott and Mike Nesbitt from the UUP speak to the media at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood with Party MLA's speak to the media at Stormont on Monday, following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry speaks to the Media with party members Kellie Armstrong and Stewart Dickson at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Sinn Fein holding a press conference on the first working day after the recent Election. Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is to meet Stormont party leaders later to try to persuade them to form a new power-sharing executive. Pictured Gerry Adams waves to a group of Chinese tourist from Shanghai visiting Stormont as the Sinn Fein Electoral team pose for photos of the steps of Parliament Buildings. Picture: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker Press Belfast DUP leader Arlene Foster and party member Simon Hamilton MLA speak to the media before talks at Stormont Castle. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Wednesday 8th March 2017 The DUP's Trevor Clarke lost his South Antrim seat as he and his two party colleagues battled it out to the end. It was a disappointing night for the DUP, who returned Paul Girvan and Pam Cameron in stage eight, when Mr Clarke was also eliminated. Mr Girvan laughed: "There is a saying that never has so much been done by so few for so many - that was probably a reference to me." Ms Cameron paid tribute to Arlene Foster, who she said she was "very proud to call my friend and leader - she has my support always." Mr Clarke, who lost out to Ms Cameron by a difference of 150 votes, said: "I am disappointed, but it was either Pam or me and she won, and that's just how it goes." Turnout in South Antrim was up by an impressive 11% compared to last May, with 42,726 votes polled out of an eligible electorate of 68,475. The victor's laurels went to Sinn Fein's Declan Kearney, who topped the poll and came home at stage four. Mr Kearney said that his success was due to the electorate seeking the values of "equality, respect and integrity". "We need to move forward on the basis of proper power-sharing, there is a need to work properly with the Good Friday Agreement," he said. Mr Kearney was followed by UUP favourite and former submarine commander Steve Aiken, who reclaimed his Stormont seat in the fifth stage of the count. Mr Aiken paid tribute to Mike Nesbitt, who stepped down as UUP leader, calling him "one of the most visionary people in Northern Ireland". Next to be elected was former Alliance leader David Ford, at the seventh stage. Following a lacklustre performance last May, some had predicted that Mr Ford's seat could be in peril. However, he defied the naysayers to return to Stormont for the sixth time in 19 years. "Last year I was Justice Minister and party leader, this year I had more time to get out into the constituency. This time I had more opportunities to connect with my constituents," he said. Results Centre - every count as it happened: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Belfast West successful candidates are officially announced. The SDLP's Alex Attwood, who was elected, pictured on the declaration podium after the successful candidates were officially elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. A new rising star was hailed by Sinn Fein in West Belfast yesterday as an SDLP veteran was rejected by the voters after a 31-year political career. Orlaithi Flynn was the first of the Assembly's 90 new MLAs to be returned yesterday at the Titanic Exhibition Centre count. There was joy for the 28-year-old daughter of a veteran west Belfast republican as she topped the poll with a total of 6,918 first preference votes, surpassing the quota of 6,725. Only a short time later, Alex Attwood, one of the SDLP's longest serving politicians, was eliminated from the race, though he put on a brave face. He said: "Obviously it's a blow, but my real disappointment is for the SDLP and for the people of West Belfast who have no (SDLP) representatives in the Assembly." Mr Attwood, who narrowly held on to win in West Belfast after a last-seat dogfight 10 months ago, said the defeat this year spelled the end of his political ambitions. He said he felt as if he had let the SDLP down, but party leader, Colum Eastwood, said Mr Attwood had served the party, and the people within his community, magnificently. Mr Attwood said: "Although it's unlikely that I will ever stand for election again, I will still support the values and the policies of the SDLP. And the party are by no means finished." Referring to the former First Minister and the RHI scandal, Mr Attwood would only say that the way Arlene Foster 'spoke to people like him was not the way that anybody should be spoken to.' For Ms Flynn, it was a stunning electoral debut, as were the victories of other young women in the party. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close DUP leader Arlene Foster and party member Simon Hamilton MLA speak to the media before talks at Stormont Castle. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Wednesday 8th March 2017 DUP Leader Arlene Foster and Simon Hamilton pictured at Sormont Castle in Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison - Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-03-2017 Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker Press Belfast Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Secretary of State James Brokenshire pictured at Sormont Castle in Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast Pictured DUP Leader Arlene Foster addresses the media accompanied by party deputy Nigel Dodds Picture: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Sinn Fein holding a press conference on the first working day after the recent Election. Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is to meet Stormont party leaders later to try to persuade them to form a new power-sharing executive. Pictured Gerry Adams waves to a group of Chinese tourist from Shanghai visiting Stormont as the Sinn Fein Electoral team pose for photos of the steps of Parliament Buildings. Picture: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry speaks to the Media with party members Kellie Armstrong and Stewart Dickson at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood with Party MLA's speak to the media at Stormont on Monday, following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 Tom Elliott and Mike Nesbitt from the UUP speak to the media at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams pictured going past a portrait of the former First Minister and DUP leader Ian Paisley as he leads his party to talk to the media on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Pictured Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Michelle O'Neill looking towards the image of the late Ian Paisley hanging in the Great Hall before holding a press conference. Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Sinn Fein President and Michelle O'Neill with Party MLA's during a media Call at Stormont Pacemaker Press Belfast 06-03-2017: DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont in Belfast on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill and Gerry Adams speak to the media during a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill, Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (right) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PA PA DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (left) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Sinn Fein candidate for Fermanagh South Tyrone Sean Lynch celebrates at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (right) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA PA Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (centre) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA PA Returned SDLP MLA Nicola Mallon celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew (R), Sean Lynch (C) and Jemma Dolan (L) celebrate winning their three seats in the Fermanagh South Tyrone election as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images Sinn Fein candidates for Fermanage South Tyrone Jemma Dolan (left), Sean Lynch and Michelle Gildernew at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Returned UUP MLA Andy Allen speaks with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Leader Arlene Foster celebrates as she is elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly at the count centre in Omagh, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Orlaithi Flynn stands for a photograph after Sinn Fein won four seats in West Belfast in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout yesterday was considerably higher than in May last year. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images DUP candidates William Humphrey and Nelson McCausland at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the Northern Ireland Election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA UUP Party Leader Mike Nesbitt, followed by his wife Lynda Bryans and son PJ Nesbitt, after announcing his resignation at the Park Avenue Hotel, after his party failed to make a breakthrough in the Northern Ireland Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill speaks to members of the media after arriving at the count centre for the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL MCERLANEPAUL MCERLANE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster consoles Lord Morrow who lost his seat in the Northern Ireland Stormont election count. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. UUP candidate for east Belfast Andy Allen pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance Party candidate for south Belfast Paula Bradshaw pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 03 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Rosemary Barton, UUP speaking after her election result. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Danny Kinahan MP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan DUP with his wife Mandy (Centre) and Daughter Victoria Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan, DUP elected for South Antrim Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Mark H. Durkan and his wife Anne celebrate after he is re-elected, on his birthday, as an MLA for Foyle at the count in the Foyle Arena. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com Sinn Fein candidates in Belfast West MLA's celebrate with Fra McCann, Orlaith Flynn, Pat Sheehan, and Alex Maskey holding up four fingers during their declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Returned SDLP MLA Alex Attwood during his declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast during the Northern Ireland Election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Returned DUP MLA Paula Bradley (centre) speaking with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Sinn Fein Leader in the North Michelle O'Neill (right) speaking at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena. Niall Carson/PA Wire PA OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster makes her acceptance speech as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images DUP leader Arlene Foster speaking at Omagh count centre during the Northern Ireland Assembly elections. Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Sean Lynch, Sinn Fein pictured at the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Dolores Kelly of the SDLP celebrates after being elected. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland pictured after he is eliminated from the count and fails to be elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. UUP leader Mike Nesbitt pictured at the Park Avenue hotel in Belfast as he announces that he will be stepping down as party leader. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Dup's Jonathan Buckley, left, celebrates being elected with fellow MLA, Carla Lockhart and Upper Bann MP, David Simpson. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Mark Cosgrove with John Stewart UUP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Old And The New...Outgoing DUP MLA, Sydney Anderson, left, and his replacement, Jonathan Buckley celebrate. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for south Belfast Emma Little-Pengelly(left) with DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Belfast west successful candidates are officially announced. The SDLP's Alex Attwood, who was elected, pictured on the declaration podium after the successful candidates were officially elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP pictured during the announcement that she has been re-elected. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood pictured at the count. Phoo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Lorcan Doherty NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams talks to the media as he arrives at the count centre. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Left to right. SDLP candidate for north Belfast Nichola Mallon and SDLP candidate for west Belfast Alex Attwood. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by John McIlwaine / Press Eye Sinn Fein candidates Linda Dillon and Ian Milne are congratulated by party leader Michelle O'Neill and Francey Molloy after their election to Mid Ulster on the third count Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Eamonn McCann, People Before Profit Alliance, and partner Goretti Horgan, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Lorcan Doherty Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Elisha McCallion and Raymond McCartney, Sinn Fein, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Lorcan Doherty Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister during the counting of ballot papers at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PA Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Danny Kennedy (UUP Newry/Armagh) pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Carla Lockhart elected for Upper Bann, pictured with her husband Rodney Condell and mother and father Valerie and kenneth Lockhart. Picture Matt Bohill pacemaker People before Profits Gerry Carroll at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast on Friday for Belfast North, South East and West constituencies Assembly Election Count. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Michaela Boyle, Sinn Fein and Barry McElduff, Sinn Fein pictured after the election results for West Tyrone. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Thomas Buchanan, DUP pictured after the West Tyrone results were announced. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. Lisburn Leisure Plex - Election Count - 3rd march 2017 Photograph by Declan Roughan Paul Givan elected - (L-R) Edwin Poots, Paul Givan, Uel Mackin and Alan Givan. Lisburn Leisure Plex - Election Count - 3rd march 2017 Photograph by Declan Roughan Paul Givan elected, arm raised by Uel Mackin. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Mairtin O'Muilleoir celebrates his win in South Belfast PACEMAKER BELFAST 03/03/2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP arriving at the Omagh Leisure Complex for the results of the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon and MP Francey Molloy Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Pic Pacemaker Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Paul Givan pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Philip Magowan Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - Counting gets under way at the NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. PACEMAKER BELFAST 0303/2017 Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Philip Magowan NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Jim Allister TUV candidate pictured at the count. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Counting underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Verification of the Strangford and North Down vote starts. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. DUP Councillor, Darryn Causby and SDLP hopeful Dolores Kelly pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. BALLYMENA, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Counting gets underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout was considerably higher than in May last year. The first declarations are expected around lunchtime today. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images Counting continues at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. This is the second contest in less than a year and early indications are that turnout has been higher than expected. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire PA NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies.The boxes are opened for the count. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Sammy Morrison pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Philip Magowan Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale and Paul Rankin pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Philip Magowan Counting begins at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Friday March 3, 2017. PA Counting begins at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Friday March 3, 2017. PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DUP leader Arlene Foster and party member Simon Hamilton MLA speak to the media before talks at Stormont Castle. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Wednesday 8th March 2017 "I am overjoyed," said Ms Flynn, with Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams by her side. "I am very humbled that so many people in West Belfast put their trust and their faith in me and in the party. "We fought a good campaign on our principles of integrity, respect and equality." She said that there could be no return to the status quo at Stormont. Ms Flynn, who was co-opted to replace Jennifer McCann when she stepped down as an MLA, graduated from Queen's University, Belfast, with a Masters in Irish politics. She worked as a political adviser to former MLAs Rosie McCorley, Alex Maskey and Sue Ramsey, and Sinn Fein insiders said she was seen as an invaluable strategist within the party. Three other Sinn Fein candidates were elected in West Belfast along with Ms Flynn: Alex Maskey (7,036), Fra McCann (7,067) and Pat Sheehan (5,903). Last year, Gerry Carroll of the People Before Profit Alliance scored a remarkable victory, topping the West Belfast poll. His votes this time around were down, but he was eventually elected to the Assembly with a total of 6,725 votes. Mr Carroll said his election success in 2016 was like 'storming the Winter Palace', but he added: "This campaign felt more like Custer's last stand because the establishment parties in West Belfast threw a hell of a lot of resources against People Before Profit." DUP candidate Frank McCoubrey was eliminated after transfers saw him finish sixth with a total of 4,521. Results centre - select a constituency - North Antrim - East Antrim - South Antrim - North Belfast - East Belfast - South Belfast - West Belfast - Strangford - South Down - Lagan Valley - Upper Bann - Newry and Armagh - Fermanagh & South Tyrone - West Tyrone - Mid Ulster - East Londonderry - Foyle - North Down Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale and Paul Rankin pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Sammy Morrison pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies.The boxes are opened for the count. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Counting continues at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. This is the second contest in less than a year and early indications are that turnout has been higher than expected. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire BALLYMENA, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Counting gets underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout was considerably higher than in May last year. The first declarations are expected around lunchtime today. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. DUP Councillor, Darryn Causby and SDLP hopeful Dolores Kelly pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Verification of the Strangford and North Down vote starts. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Counting underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Jim Allister TUV candidate pictured at the count. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. PACEMAKER BELFAST 0303/2017 Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - Counting gets under way at the NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Paul Givan pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Pic Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon and MP Francey Molloy Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP arriving at the Omagh Leisure Complex for the results of the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Thomas Buchanan, DUP pictured after the West Tyrone results were announced. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Michaela Boyle, Sinn Fein and Barry McElduff, Sinn Fein pictured after the election results for West Tyrone. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. People before Profits Gerry Carroll at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast on Friday for Belfast North, South East and West constituencies Assembly Election Count. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Carla Lockhart elected for Upper Bann, pictured with her husband Rodney Condell and mother and father Valerie and kenneth Lockhart. Picture Matt Bohill pacemaker Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Danny Kennedy (UUP Newry/Armagh) pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister during the counting of ballot papers at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Elisha McCallion and Raymond McCartney, Sinn Fein, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Eamonn McCann, People Before Profit Alliance, and partner Goretti Horgan, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by John McIlwaine / Press Eye Sinn Fein candidates Linda Dillon and Ian Milne are congratulated by party leader Michelle O'Neill and Francey Molloy after their election to Mid Ulster on the third count Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Left to right. SDLP candidate for north Belfast Nichola Mallon and SDLP candidate for west Belfast Alex Attwood. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams talks to the media as he arrives at the count centre. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood pictured at the count. Phoo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP pictured during the announcement that she has been re-elected. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Belfast west successful candidates are officially announced. The SDLP's Alex Attwood, who was elected, pictured on the declaration podium after the successful candidates were officially elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for south Belfast Emma Little-Pengelly(left) with DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Old And The New...Outgoing DUP MLA, Sydney Anderson, left, and his replacement, Jonathan Buckley celebrate. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Mark Cosgrove with John Stewart UUP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Dup's Jonathan Buckley, left, celebrates being elected with fellow MLA, Carla Lockhart and Upper Bann MP, David Simpson. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. UUP leader Mike Nesbitt pictured at the Park Avenue hotel in Belfast as he announces that he will be stepping down as party leader. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland pictured after he is eliminated from the count and fails to be elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Dolores Kelly of the SDLP celebrates after being elected. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Sean Lynch, Sinn Fein pictured at the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster makes her acceptance speech as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein Leader in the North Michelle O'Neill (right) speaking at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena. Niall Carson/PA Wire Returned DUP MLA Paula Bradley (centre) speaking with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned SDLP MLA Alex Attwood during his declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast during the Northern Ireland Election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates in Belfast West MLA's celebrate with Fra McCann, Orlaith Flynn, Pat Sheehan, and Alex Maskey holding up four fingers during their declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Mark H. Durkan and his wife Anne celebrate after he is re-elected, on his birthday, as an MLA for Foyle at the count in the Foyle Arena. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan, DUP elected for South Antrim Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan DUP with his wife Mandy (Centre) and Daughter Victoria Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Danny Kinahan MP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 03 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Rosemary Barton, UUP speaking after her election result. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance Party candidate for south Belfast Paula Bradshaw pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. UUP candidate for east Belfast Andy Allen pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster consoles Lord Morrow who lost his seat in the Northern Ireland Stormont election count. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill speaks to members of the media after arriving at the count centre for the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL MCERLANEPAUL MCERLANE/AFP/Getty Images UUP Party Leader Mike Nesbitt, followed by his wife Lynda Bryans and son PJ Nesbitt, after announcing his resignation at the Park Avenue Hotel, after his party failed to make a breakthrough in the Northern Ireland Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire DUP candidates William Humphrey and Nelson McCausland at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the Northern Ireland Election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Orlaithi Flynn stands for a photograph after Sinn Fein won four seats in West Belfast in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout yesterday was considerably higher than in May last year. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Leader Arlene Foster celebrates as she is elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly at the count centre in Omagh, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images Returned UUP MLA Andy Allen speaks with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates for Fermanage South Tyrone Jemma Dolan (left), Sean Lynch and Michelle Gildernew at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew (R), Sean Lynch (C) and Jemma Dolan (L) celebrate winning their three seats in the Fermanagh South Tyrone election as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Returned SDLP MLA Nicola Mallon celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (centre) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (right) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Sinn Fein candidate for Fermanagh South Tyrone Sean Lynch celebrates at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (left) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (right) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PA Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill, Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill and Gerry Adams speak to the media during a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Pacemaker Press Belfast 06-03-2017: DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont in Belfast on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Picture By: Arthur Allison. DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Pictured Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Michelle O'Neill looking towards the image of the late Ian Paisley hanging in the Great Hall before holding a press conference. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams pictured going past a portrait of the former First Minister and DUP leader Ian Paisley as he leads his party to talk to the media on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Tom Elliott and Mike Nesbitt from the UUP speak to the media at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood with Party MLA's speak to the media at Stormont on Monday, following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry speaks to the Media with party members Kellie Armstrong and Stewart Dickson at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Sinn Fein holding a press conference on the first working day after the recent Election. Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is to meet Stormont party leaders later to try to persuade them to form a new power-sharing executive. Pictured Gerry Adams waves to a group of Chinese tourist from Shanghai visiting Stormont as the Sinn Fein Electoral team pose for photos of the steps of Parliament Buildings. Picture: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker Press Belfast DUP leader Arlene Foster and party member Simon Hamilton MLA speak to the media before talks at Stormont Castle. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Wednesday 8th March 2017 Defiant DUP leader Arlene Foster has brushed off suggestions shes poised to quit - saying she is ready to lead her party in talks with Sinn Fein tomorrow. Writing in todays Sunday Life, Mrs Foster she said she will seek to work with other parties to get the Stormont Executive up and running again. I am listening not just to those who voted for the DUP but to those who cast their votes for other parties, said Mrs Foster who has faced fierce criticism of her leadership style after her party lost 10 seats in the Assembly election. Sinn Feins northern chief Michelle ONeill also struck a postive note yesterday, saying hammering out an agreement wont be easy but is achievable. Meanwhile, Emma Little Pengelly has opened up a war of words with her running mate Christopher Stalford. She claimed leaflets for him to get a first preference were handed out wrongly in some areas. Read more Read More Follow our election live blog below >>Results centre - select a constituency - every result as it happened - North Antrim - East Antrim - South Antrim - North Belfast - East Belfast - South Belfast - West Belfast - Strangford - South Down - Lagan Valley - Upper Bann - Newry and Armagh - Fermanagh & South Tyrone - West Tyrone - Mid Ulster - East Londonderry - Foyle - North Down "Isn't Northern Ireland depressing?" wrote a Dublin friend in an email, as the election results began to come in yesterday. "I'm devoid of words, apart from 'a plague on both their sodding parties,'" is what I regret to say was my response, since I was feeling extremely unfriendly towards both the DUP and Sinn Fein. I've been following Northern Irish elections for decades and have regularly been deeply depressed by the tendency of Catholics to vote for murderers and Protestants to vote for bigots. But, somehow, my natural optimism makes me think that things will be better this time. But they rarely are and certainly aren't today. Having split, but not shared, power for a decade, the two big parties have claimed to care about the people of Northern Ireland, but in fact, in the end, always put their own party interests first. Hence, this completely unnecessary election, in which both parties - who deserved to be heavily punished by the electorate - instead used squalid tactics to help them scramble yet again to the top of their respective tribal mounds. I expected nothing better of Sinn Fein, a party which, after all, exists to make Northern Ireland ungovernable, but I was very disappointed with the DUP, and particularly Arlene Foster, for throwing away an opportunity to win respect from moderate nationalists. The party could have put a dent in sectarianism by attracting traditional Catholics, who have felt very alienated by the social radicalism adopted by both nationalist parties and whose traditional views on, for instance, abortion and same-sex marriage, fitted comfortably with those of most of the DUP. But it didn't. As the shape of the results became clear in mid-afternoon, BBC Radio Ulster's Seamus McKee suggested to the DUP's Paul Girvan that the party would be privately thinking, "Is this what we've achieved?" Mr Girvan delivered the standard bluster about how it was entirely Sinn Fein's fault and the DUP had been given a vote of confidence. Asked similar questions, Sinn Fein spokespeople also produced the same kind of guff, but with more justification. This election has been bad for moderates and bad for the DUP, but it's been helpful for Sinn Fein in getting them out of a tight spot. Let's remind ourselves how this happened. Sinn Fein - hit hard by Martin McGuinness's illness - turned it to their advantage. Mr McGuinness, by far the most respected republican leader, for years has been assiduously keeping disillusioned hardliners onside. Gerry Adams has far less credibility, so the only way he could keep them happy was to do a Samson, pull the temple down around his ears and send activists onto the streets for a sham fight with the traditional enemy. He couldn't have done that if the DUP had not been unbelievably stupid in its handling of the RHI scandal. All Arlene Foster had to do was to admit candidly that she was one of those primarily responsible for the mess, to apologise, to agree to step aside during the investigation and to promise to learn from her mistakes and do better next time. Quite apart from anything else, there's every reason to think that the investigation will reveal that Sinn Fein also has much to be embarrassed about. I'm one of many people who have never held any brief for the DUP, but who liked Arlene Foster and believed she could make it a better and friendlier party. We have been watching her slow-motion car-crash with disbelief and horror. Like many unionists before her, through obstinacy, she has walked straight into a Sinn Fein trap, shouting "No Surrender". On top of that, if Mrs Foster had set out to insult moderate nationalists, she couldn't have done a better job. Mostly, nationalists don't care about the Irish language, but if they think it's being insulted, they get upset. Sinn Fein, of course, are much better at getting words right, but their language on the doorstep was as geared to stirring up ethnic tension ("We mustn't go back to being second-class citizens" was a refrain) as was that of the DUP. So, once more, we had a "my-tribe-right-or-wrong" polarised vote. "Same old, same old," said many tweeters. Yep. Today, Northern Ireland is depressing. Mike Nesbitt quit as Ulster Unionist leader after the party suffered an election meltdown - one of a series of big-name casualties on a day of high drama. Mr Nesbitt said it would be "the height of hypocrisy" if he were to stay on following a disastrous showing for the UUP. He announced his resignation after the party suffered a series of losses in an election he predicted would deliver major gains. Former deputy leader Danny Kennedy lost in Newry and Armagh, with Jo-Anne Dobson, Philip Smith, Sandra Overend, Harold McKee and Jenny Palmer also out. Away from Mr Nesbitt's departure, the story of the election was a surge in support for Sinn Fein. The final tally of seats will not be known until today but the party is set to close the gap on the DUP. It was possible last night that both parties could finish on 28 seats, but the DUP would select the First Minister because they had marginally more votes - albeit at 0.2% it was the slimmest of leads. Aside from the UUP meltdown, several major figures lost their seats on a day of shocks, including former Executive Ministers Alex Attwood, Nelson McCausland and Jonathan Bell. DUP chairman Lord Morrow missed out in Fermanagh-South Tyrone. With both the DUP and Sinn Fein emerging as the dominant parties, Stormont seemed to be facing stalemate for some time to come. And there is confusion over when the Assembly might hold its first meeting for the 90 MLAs to register, although it appeared that it will not be next week. DUP leader Arlene Foster said it had been "a very good day for Sinn Fein". Michelle O'Neill's performance as new Sinn Fein leader in Northern Ireland was hailed by Gerry Adams - the man Mrs Foster had put at the centre of her party's campaign. He said it was time for a "step change". Mr Adams warned it was time for "a new beginning to how we do our business." But the main focus of the day was on the UUP and Mr Nesbitt, who quit as leader after five years. He said he had to take "full responsibility" for his party's results having spent three months lecturing Mrs Foster about how she should take responsibility for her actions over the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme. He added: "My only regret is that the results seem to indicate that this society is now more polarised than ever, rather than more united in a shared future, which was my aspiration." A despondent Mr Nesbitt said the electorate appeared to have rejected his hope for a post-sectarian vote. "We will get there," he said. "Some day Northern Ireland will vote as a normal democracy. We will vote in a post-sectarian election but it's now clear it will not happen during the duration of my political career." Mr Nesbitt is to stay on as leader until a successor is appointed and will remain a Strangford MLA, at least until the party's annual general meeting, which is due to take place in around two weeks. Sinn Fein, meanwhile, threw down the gauntlet to the DUP. With an initial period of three weeks before legislation says an Executive must be formed, Ms O'Neill said: "We have to have fundamental change from the DUP. "There is a hard road in front of us in the next three weeks but Sinn Fein is coming at it trying to find a way forward." Mrs Foster said: "(Sinn Fein) have to respect the mandate given to me not just here but across Northern Ireland because they are always very keen to point out that they want their mandate respected." Mr Adams said the vote was "also a re-assertion of our position on Brexit, that this part of Ireland should have a special designated status" and "a vote for Irish unity". He added: "As Ian Paisley famously told Martin McGuinness, we don't need Englishmen to govern us." After her first election as Alliance leader, Naomi Long said she hoped some of the more inflammatory statements made during the last few weeks could be "put to one side" to allow progress to be made. Damien McLaughlin at an earlier court appearance in Belfast last September A man charged in connection with the murder of prison officer David Black appeared at Dublin's High Court yesterday on foot of a European Arrest Warrant. Damien Joseph McLaughlin (40), with an address at Glenties Road in west Belfast, was arrested on Thursday in Co Donegal. He is wanted by local authorities to face allegations that he aided and abetted in the murder of Mr Black on November 1, 2012, and that he was in possession of an article suspected of being for the commission of the act of murder. Mr Black (52) was shot dead on the M1 motorway by dissident republicans as he drove to work in Maghaberry jail. McLaughlin is also charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism and of being a member of a proscribed organisation. Garda detective sergeant Padraig Boyce, of the force's special detective unit, told counsel for the State Fiona Murphy yesterday that he had arrested McLaughlin. Under cross-examination, det sgt Boyce told David Leonard, acting for the defendant, that the accused man was a passenger in a vehicle when seized. The court heard that McLaughlin was dragged out of the car and his legs were crossed and cable-tied. Det Sgt Boyce did not agree with the defence barrister that McLaughlin had been treated with more force than was necessary. The detective said that the defendant was "a high-risk person" and that there was therefore a "strong and real possibility" he had a firearm. McLaughlin was "dealt with in a prompt and appropriate fashion" and "not treated with any more force than necessary", the detective added. Mr Leonard submitted to the court that excessive force was used and that "either disregard or insufficient weight was placed on the presumption of innocence". In these circumstances the arrest was invalid, he said. Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly rejected the application. She said that Mr McLaughlin was accused of offences of terrorism. "It is also alleged that he had been released on bail in Northern Ireland and he failed to abide by the conditions of his bail," she explained. She added it was important that gardai carry out risk assessments before arresting somebody and that she did not consider that excessive force was used or that there was a breach of the presumption of innocence Mr McLaughlin was remanded in custody until March 20. Counting begins at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Friday March 3, 2017. Counting begins at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Friday March 3, 2017. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale and Paul Rankin pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Sammy Morrison pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies.The boxes are opened for the count. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Counting continues at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. This is the second contest in less than a year and early indications are that turnout has been higher than expected. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire BALLYMENA, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Counting gets underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout was considerably higher than in May last year. The first declarations are expected around lunchtime today. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. DUP Councillor, Darryn Causby and SDLP hopeful Dolores Kelly pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Verification of the Strangford and North Down vote starts. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Counting underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Jim Allister TUV candidate pictured at the count. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. PACEMAKER BELFAST 0303/2017 Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - Counting gets under way at the NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Paul Givan pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Pic Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon and MP Francey Molloy Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP arriving at the Omagh Leisure Complex for the results of the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Thomas Buchanan, DUP pictured after the West Tyrone results were announced. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Michaela Boyle, Sinn Fein and Barry McElduff, Sinn Fein pictured after the election results for West Tyrone. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. People before Profits Gerry Carroll at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast on Friday for Belfast North, South East and West constituencies Assembly Election Count. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Carla Lockhart elected for Upper Bann, pictured with her husband Rodney Condell and mother and father Valerie and kenneth Lockhart. Picture Matt Bohill pacemaker Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Danny Kennedy (UUP Newry/Armagh) pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister during the counting of ballot papers at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Elisha McCallion and Raymond McCartney, Sinn Fein, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Eamonn McCann, People Before Profit Alliance, and partner Goretti Horgan, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by John McIlwaine / Press Eye Sinn Fein candidates Linda Dillon and Ian Milne are congratulated by party leader Michelle O'Neill and Francey Molloy after their election to Mid Ulster on the third count Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Left to right. SDLP candidate for north Belfast Nichola Mallon and SDLP candidate for west Belfast Alex Attwood. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams talks to the media as he arrives at the count centre. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood pictured at the count. Phoo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP pictured during the announcement that she has been re-elected. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Belfast west successful candidates are officially announced. The SDLP's Alex Attwood, who was elected, pictured on the declaration podium after the successful candidates were officially elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for south Belfast Emma Little-Pengelly(left) with DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Old And The New...Outgoing DUP MLA, Sydney Anderson, left, and his replacement, Jonathan Buckley celebrate. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Mark Cosgrove with John Stewart UUP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Dup's Jonathan Buckley, left, celebrates being elected with fellow MLA, Carla Lockhart and Upper Bann MP, David Simpson. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. UUP leader Mike Nesbitt pictured at the Park Avenue hotel in Belfast as he announces that he will be stepping down as party leader. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland pictured after he is eliminated from the count and fails to be elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Dolores Kelly of the SDLP celebrates after being elected. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Sean Lynch, Sinn Fein pictured at the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster makes her acceptance speech as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein Leader in the North Michelle O'Neill (right) speaking at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena. Niall Carson/PA Wire Returned DUP MLA Paula Bradley (centre) speaking with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned SDLP MLA Alex Attwood during his declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast during the Northern Ireland Election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates in Belfast West MLA's celebrate with Fra McCann, Orlaith Flynn, Pat Sheehan, and Alex Maskey holding up four fingers during their declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Mark H. Durkan and his wife Anne celebrate after he is re-elected, on his birthday, as an MLA for Foyle at the count in the Foyle Arena. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan, DUP elected for South Antrim Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan DUP with his wife Mandy (Centre) and Daughter Victoria Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Danny Kinahan MP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 03 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Rosemary Barton, UUP speaking after her election result. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance Party candidate for south Belfast Paula Bradshaw pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. UUP candidate for east Belfast Andy Allen pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster consoles Lord Morrow who lost his seat in the Northern Ireland Stormont election count. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill speaks to members of the media after arriving at the count centre for the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL MCERLANEPAUL MCERLANE/AFP/Getty Images UUP Party Leader Mike Nesbitt, followed by his wife Lynda Bryans and son PJ Nesbitt, after announcing his resignation at the Park Avenue Hotel, after his party failed to make a breakthrough in the Northern Ireland Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire DUP candidates William Humphrey and Nelson McCausland at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the Northern Ireland Election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Orlaithi Flynn stands for a photograph after Sinn Fein won four seats in West Belfast in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout yesterday was considerably higher than in May last year. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Leader Arlene Foster celebrates as she is elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly at the count centre in Omagh, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images Returned UUP MLA Andy Allen speaks with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates for Fermanage South Tyrone Jemma Dolan (left), Sean Lynch and Michelle Gildernew at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew (R), Sean Lynch (C) and Jemma Dolan (L) celebrate winning their three seats in the Fermanagh South Tyrone election as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Returned SDLP MLA Nicola Mallon celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (centre) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (right) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Sinn Fein candidate for Fermanagh South Tyrone Sean Lynch celebrates at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (left) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (right) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PA Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill, Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill and Gerry Adams speak to the media during a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Pacemaker Press Belfast 06-03-2017: DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont in Belfast on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Sinn Fein President and Michelle O'Neill with Party MLA's during a media Call at Stormont DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Pictured Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Michelle O'Neill looking towards the image of the late Ian Paisley hanging in the Great Hall before holding a press conference. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams pictured going past a portrait of the former First Minister and DUP leader Ian Paisley as he leads his party to talk to the media on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Tom Elliott and Mike Nesbitt from the UUP speak to the media at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood with Party MLA's speak to the media at Stormont on Monday, following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry speaks to the Media with party members Kellie Armstrong and Stewart Dickson at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Sinn Fein holding a press conference on the first working day after the recent Election. Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is to meet Stormont party leaders later to try to persuade them to form a new power-sharing executive. Pictured Gerry Adams waves to a group of Chinese tourist from Shanghai visiting Stormont as the Sinn Fein Electoral team pose for photos of the steps of Parliament Buildings. Picture: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Secretary of State James Brokenshire pictured at Sormont Castle in Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker Press Belfast DUP Leader Arlene Foster and Simon Hamilton pictured at Sormont Castle in Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison - Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-03-2017 DUP leader Arlene Foster and party member Simon Hamilton MLA speak to the media before talks at Stormont Castle. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Wednesday 8th March 2017 The political landscape of Fermanagh and South Tyrone has been dramatically reshaped. The DUP suffered a devastating blow with the loss of one of its longest serving representatives, Lord Morrow. Party leader Arlene Foster now faces difficult decisions as she returns to the Assembly as a lone DUP ranger in the now Sinn Fein led constituency. Despite topping the poll, Mrs Foster's votes took a slight dip from last year's election. Her once soft edges appeared even more hardened as she hit out at the "intimidating" atmosphere at the Omagh count centre. "We have tricolours thrust about the place, crocodiles walking about. It doesn't surprise me - this is the sort of attitude that prevails in the west of the province to the minority unionist community in Northern Ireland. "It's sad to see that people talk about respect but they don't practice it." Earlier in the night, things appeared to be going well for the DUP. Mrs Foster was giving a live TV interview when her name was called as the first elected. But it wasn't the party's night and as the realisation they were losing Lord Morrow set in, party supporters and members retreated back to a room which was being exclusively used by the DUP. Mrs Foster, who has faced major criticism over her handling of the RHI controversy, admitted that the results were "incredibly close" and that she was "devastated" to see Lord Morrow out, adding: "This is an incredibly sad day for me." Another casualty was the SDLP's Richie McPhillips, who lost his seat only 10 months after he was elected and it was this loss that saw Ulster Unionist Rosemary Barton retain her seat. Meanwhile, in the Sinn Fein camp the atmosphere was more relaxed and jovial with party members confident from the start that they would see a successful result across the constituency. Early indications suggested the party had polled well but the three elected candidates, Michelle Gildernew, Sean Lynch and newcomer Jemma Dolan, appeared shocked they had achieved such success. Their supporters cheered and waved an Irish flag and toy crocodile as they hugged and congratulated the newly elected candidates. As Mr Lynch was making his victory speech on the podium, Mrs Foster led her loyal band of supporters out of the hall before Mr Lynch shouted Gerry Adams' infamous line: "See you later alligator." A life-size alligator then made its entrance into the hall and joined in on the Sinn Fein led celebrations which also included party deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald. The high security at Omagh Leisure Centre was an unusual sight for an election. It was similar to that seen at an airport with a scanner placed at the entrance and every bag carefully checked over. While it wasn't the DUP's night, Mrs Foster reiterated that they are still "the largest unionist party" in Northern Ireland. Full break down The lesson that Sinn Fein will have seen affirmed by this election is that the party thrives when a unionist leader is angry. Deadlock between the big ideologies of unionism and nationalism is a vote-generator for both sides, so there is little for either to gain by moving beyond the constitutional quarrel. Sinn Fein insists that it wants equality, respect and integrity for everybody; that it is not a sectional party, but a champion of real democracy. That's a good line, but republicans know now that they have every incentive to go on presenting unionism as the only problem, an anti-democratic, ethnic monolith that is genetically incapable of according equality to others. The same lesson was illustrated in the past by the experience of a great stand-off with Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble, when he was the top unionist and the issue between them was IRA decommissioning. Ostensibly, that appears to be an issue that Sinn Fein lost after years of being worn down by Trimble's insistence. In fact, in the only sense that any party ever wins, by expanding its electorate, that crisis produced a huge victory for Sinn Fein in the overtaking of the SDLP. It was Trimble who lost out by trying to be the compromiser. So, the old factionalism still works better than anything else with the nationalist electorate, as with the unionist electorate, too. After 10 years of unbroken devolution, this old principle is now affirmed beyond doubt. If Sinn Fein is to continue growing then its past experience tells it that it will do so by positioning unionism as an arrogant and unyielding oppressor; as an enemy, not an ally or partner. And, luckily for it, unionism seems eager, at times, to oblige. This is the most depressing prospect for our politics here: the old conflict is alive and well. Worse, it is the very engine of the whole political machine. And it heaps such rewards on parties that play by the old sectarian rules that they would be reckless to think of putting it behind them. Unionists who have fallen because they tried to be reconcilers go back to Faulkner and Trimble. Mike Nesbitt last night joined their ranks. But the same logic is true within nationalism. The SDLP is a victim, too. So, also, is Martin McGuinness, who, though he was much honoured by Sinn Fein speakers in the media yesterday, is viewed within republican circles as having been too nice to the DUP and too compliant; a bit of a walkover. When the party reframed its political mission away from conciliation towards putting manners on the DUP, support that was draining away surged again. While the current structures stay in place future leaders of nationalism will know that the best way to revive their fortunes and call people back to them is to lock horns with unionism - not to sidle up to it. McGuinness had tried to avoid this crisis, but the cynical political judgment will be that that was a bad call. The decision to confront Arlene Foster delivered more to Sinn Fein than any effort to cut her more slack would have done, not that she ever conceded that she needed, or wanted, any. The problem at the heart of this is a political structure based on the St Andrews Agreement that incentivises sectarianism. So, the future is inter-communal contention, hopefully contained at the level of inter-party acrimony, with both sides of the quarrel content that they are at least pleasing their voters. This puts all thought of reconciliation and a shared future behind us, though parties will continue to pretend that that is what they want. Yet the geography in Stormont has changed in ways that undermine the St Andrews plan to give power to parties rather than communities. We are approaching the day when the nationalist community will have more MLAs than the unionist, yet the biggest party will be the DUP. By the St Andrews formula, that entitles the DUP to the First Minister's seat, but in the original Agreement of 1998, it would have ruled that a nationalist would have it. The case now for total equality between the First Ministers will be irrefutable and there will be no case for retaining the title of Deputy First Minister. The decline of nationalism, detected after last year's election, has been reversed by the Sinn Fein call to stand up to the DUP, and Sinn Fein is now proportionally stronger than ever in the Assembly. That gives it more clout in the coming talks. And while Gerry Adams says that he only insists on past agreements being delivered on, his tone and humour suggest a desire to humiliate the DUP and prolong the crisis. Brexit plays into this for nationalists, too. Part of the reason they are angry with the DUP is that party's support for taking the UK out of the European Union. Nationalists feel that as a betrayal. Having accepted that there could not be a united Ireland without unionist consent, they feel that the courtesy was not reciprocated when it came to the prospect of constitutional change that nationalists didn't want. Sinn Fein, the SDLP and the Alliance Party have already been meeting with European governments to urge a special status for Northern Ireland. That is the big battle to come - much bigger than the quarrel over an Irish Language Act. And Brexit will now be presented as an imperial imposition on the Irish, endorsed by the British puppets the unionists. And on those terms, judging by this election, Sinn Fein will make an impressive case and win a lot of support for it. Feasibility study Those two words appear often in reference to media reports of major school building projects. But what exactly goes into the timing of a study and what does it examine? How is the information collected, interpreted and used by school boards weighing options on costly improvements that garner long-term debt? Ripple vs. red flag Fred Withum III is superintendent of Cumberland Valley School District where enrollment growth is pushing the development of a new campus with an elementary school and middle school. But outside his role as chief executive of a district of almost 9,000 students, Withum teaches a course at Shippensburg University on how administrators should interpret data and match building needs with changes in demographics. We go through exercises and discussions on what happens if enrollment changes up or down, Withum said. You cant be reactive to planning and maintaining your facilities. You have to constantly be proactive. Fact is, a strategic facilities plan is every bit as important to a school district as a strategic financial plan. Major building projects often require millions of dollars in long-term financing in the form of bond issues that can take up to 20 years to pay down. To justify that kind of debt, the school district has to show proof of a need and evidence that a project addresses a growth trend or some kind of deficiency. Periodically school districts contend with ripples in enrollment where a particular class with a larger number of students moves up through the grade levels. Districts usually adjust by shifting staff around or by temporarily increasing the student-to-teacher ratio in classrooms. Local superintendents agree the ripple becomes a red flag when projections show larger class sizes in multiple years moving through the system. Districts often use feasibility studies to confirm what they already suspect may be a trend. When to drill The frequency in which a school district commissions an outside study depends on the activity level within that district, said Rick LeBlanc, director of design for the architectural firm of Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates of Mechanicsburg. As a matter of practice, local school districts monitor enrollment on a monthly basis internally with a closer analysis taking place during certain key times of the fiscal year for example, the winter months leading up to the preparation of next years budget. Significant development activity would prompt a district to drill down deeper and monitor more closely what plans exist for new housing within the geographic borders of each school attendance area, LeBlanc said. He said it is common for most growth to be localized to a specific area while other parts of a district experience little to no growth. An attendance area is the territory from which a school building draws its students. As a rule, attendance areas for elementary schools are smaller and greater in number while those of the secondary schools are smaller in number but overlap more territory. Information on the number of units, types of housing and location and phasing of new residential developments can be obtained through the local municipalities served by the district, county planning offices and regional planning commissions. While feasibility studies draw on information from all levels of government, local data tends to produce the most accurate reading of actual conditions on the ground. This is because school districts need to be attuned to what is going on in their community, said John Beddia, director of operations for Crabtree Rohrbaugh. Enrollment drives a significant amount of their planning and staffing. For example, the local school district would have a better handle on the number of students a particular type of housing in a particular residential development generates. Depending on what the numbers show, the district may have to build an addition onto the building or buildings most impacted by a population flux or reconfigure the attendance area to shift students to where there is spare capacity. Enrollment is more than just carrying over from year to year the number of students from one grade level to the next, Withum said. It also involves an analysis of live birth rates and the migration patterns of families relative to a region, a district and its attendance areas. Sources of this information include the U.S. Census, the Pennsylvania Economy League and the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education. Not always growth However, feasibility studies are not always driven by growth. Sometimes districts with declining enrollment commission studies to determine the best way to reduce or consolidate excess building capacity, LeBlanc said. Yet another reason for a feasibility study may be long-term financial planning where districts are trying to assess the condition and capacity of buildings to decide how to fund and prioritize capital improvement projects, Beddia said. But he added, beyond growth, aging facilities would be a very close second among the top reasons for conducting a study. The term aging facilities could apply to a building with worn-out systems or one where the design is so outdated it hampers the ability of staff to meet current standards in public education. Such an example once existed in the South Middleton School District. Iron Forge Elementary School in Boiling Springs is in the midst of a $22 million renovation and expansion project. Since it opened in 1923 as a high school, this building had been renovated seven times before. In August 2013, then district business manager the late Rick Vensel said Iron Forge had several problems that made the building ill-suited for present-day demands. For one, the old Iron Forge had classrooms that were substandard in size to the 800- to 850-square feet common in more modern elementary schools. Vensel said the mechanical systems of the building were so obsolete it was becoming harder for the district to find replacement parts for repairs. The layout of the building presented a challenge when it came to security and student flow while the configuration of the driveway was becoming a problem for parents and school buses dropping off and picking up students. Lastly there is a push in South Middleton to transfer the third grade from the W.G. Rice Elementary School to Iron Forge to relieve crowding at Rice and to equalize the grade structure between the buildings. All those factors combined with a state mandate that any new construction requires a feasibility study prompted the South Middleton School Board to hire Crabtree Rohrbaugh, which outlined as one option the $22 million expansion and renovation project. Ultimately the feasibility study should be a tool for school boards to make a decision, Beddia said. Common elements of a study include an overview of how enrollment trends affect the district education program along with an evaluation of the capacity and condition of each school. We put together an analysis for every building, said LeBlanc, adding that the study outlines the maintenance needs and the breakdown of costs to upgrade and bring systems up to current codes and educational standards. We provide the district with a whole series of options they can consider to address their circumstances, LeBlanc said. This could include new construction, renovations, additions and demolition. For every option, district staff and school board members have to weigh the cost in time and money. Generally, it takes a new building two to three years to move from planning and design to ready for occupancy. Unknowns No matter how closely or how thorough enrollment trends are looked at, there are always unknowns that come into play that could force school districts to adjust. Recently Crabtree Rohrbaugh completed a feasibility study for Central Dauphin School District. Within a week after the study was complete, it was announced that a local country club was to be converted into a housing project. That housing was not included in the study. John Friend, superintendent of the Carlisle Area School District, learned to interpret enrollment data earlier in his career as a central office administrator. He remembers working with district staff to gather information from local municipalities on what subdivision plans had been approved or proposed. Much of that new housing never materialized due to a downturn in the market and because developers had overextended themselves, Friend said. However, some of that housing came back and ended up being developed. In spring 2014, Carlisle Area School District commissioned a $20,000 study to forecast population and enrollment trends. School board members were briefed that October on the results by Jerome McKibben, an expert on demography. If reality holds to the assumptions, the school district will be riding the wave of a slight enrollment increase that could move through the grade levels over the next 10 years only to dissipate after 2025. Mark Leidy, superintendent of the Mechanicsburg Area School District, received training on the interpretation of demographic information while earning his masters and doctorate degrees. Mechanicsburg conducted a study in 2006 that was updated in 2011. Based on the projected increase in the 2006 study, classrooms were added at the middle school. Projecting enrollment is not an exact science given the fact that any household may enroll a different number of children than predicted, Leidy said. Components of the economy such as housing and job markets all play a role in predicting what needs built. The family of a woman suspected of being shot dead by the military in west Belfast 45 years ago have been let down for decades by the criminal investigation system, a High Court judge has ruled. Mr Justice Maguire also ruled that the PSNI lacks the necessary independence to oversee further enquiries into the killing of Jean Smyth. He granted her family a declaration that a proposed probe by the force's Legacy Investigations Branch would breach human rights requirements. In a withering critique of investigations by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET), the judge further raised the possibility of perceived bias and a culture of preferential treatment for soldiers linked to civilian deaths. The verdict came in a legal bid by relatives of Mrs Smyth to ensure a fully impartial new probe by an outside agency with no links to the Ministry of Defence. The 24-year-old mother-of-one was killed by a single shot to the head as she sat in a car on the Glen Road in June 1972. At the time the RUC told her family that it was probably an IRA gunman who opened fire. But records uncovered at the National Archives in Kew, London, in 2014 suggest the British Army's Military Reaction Force (MRF) fired shots in the area and was allegedly involved in her killing, the court heard. Delivering judgment yesterday, Mr Justice Maguire stressed that she was a wholly innocent person in the wrong place at the wrong time. He said: "The awkward truth in this case is that the system for investigating serious crime has let her and her family down over a period of decades now." In a speech in Glasgow, Theresa May will tell Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP that 'politics is not a game'. Theresa May has warned the Scottish Government that control over policy areas such as fishing and agriculture might not come to Holyrood in the wake of Brexit. The Prime Minister said while no powers will be taken away from Scottish ministers as a result of the decision to leave the European Union, responsibilities that transfer back to Britain from Brussels "must sit at the right level to ensure our United Kingdom can operate effectively". She used her speech to the Scottish Conservative conference in Glasgow to make clear her support for the Union, insisting it is "not simply a constitutional artefact". Mrs May declared: "The United Kingdom we cherish is not a thing of the past, but a Union vital to our prosperity and security, today and in the future." Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been demanding substantial new powers are transferred to Holyrood following Brexit. SNP ministers are also seeking a separate deal for Scotland which could see the country remain in the European single market even after the UK leaves - with Ms Sturgeon having warned the Tories that failure to achieve this could spark a second independence referendum. Mrs May made clear: "I am determined to ensure that as we leave the EU, we do so as one United Kingdom, which prospers outside the EU as one United Kingdom. "That means achieving a deal with the EU which works for all parts of the UK - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - and for the UK as a whole." On the issue of where powers should rest after Brexit, the Prime Minister said: "As we bring powers and control back to the United Kingdom, we must ensure the right powers sit at the right level to ensure our United Kingdom can operate effectively and in the interests of all of its citizens, including people in Scotland. "In short, we must avoid any unintended consequences for the coherence and integrity of a devolved United Kingdom as a result of our leaving the EU." She said the UK must not become a " looser and weaker Union", adding: " We cannot allow our United Kingdom to drift apart. "Our aim will be to achieve the most effective arrangements to maintain and strengthen the United Kingdom, while also respecting the devolution settlements, and we will work constructively with the devolved administrations on that basis." While her speech did not mention the prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum, Mrs May did mount a sustained attack on both the SNP and its core policy. She accused Ms Sturgeon's SNP Government of treating politics "as if it were a game", and pursuing policies "not in the best interests of Scotland but in the political interests of the SNP". She accused nationalists of "neglect and mismanagement" of education, "abysmal failure" on farm payments, "starving the health service", and replacing stamp duty with a tax which costs home buyers more but brings in less revenue than expected. "Politics is not a game and government is not a platform from which to pursue constitutional obsessions," Mrs May said. "It is about taking the serious decisions to improve people's lives. A tunnel-vision nationalism, which focuses only on independence at any cost, sells Scotland short. "We all know that the SNP will never stop twisting the truth and distorting reality in their effort to denigrate our United Kingdom and further their obsession of independence. "It is their single purpose in political life. "We need to be equally determined to ensure that the truth about our United Kingdom is heard loudly and clearly." SNP depute leader Angus Robertson said: " This was an ironic, hypocritical and surreal speech from Theresa May, who before the EU referendum supported a campaign warning that leaving Europe would be a disaster, but is now determined to pull us over the cliff-edge of an economically catastrophic hard Brexit. " Theresa May is guilty of mind-boggling hypocrisy - it is her Government's constitutional obsession with a hard Brexit which is directly threatening Scottish jobs and livelihoods. "In those circumstances, we have a duty to stand up for Scotland and to have a plan in place to protect our vital national interests. "The Prime Minister's claim the UK is a family of nations rings especially hollow, when the Scottish Government's genuine offer of compromise has been repeatedly rebuffed and ignored." Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: "The Prime Minister has undermined the Union at every turn since entering Downing Street. "With her dangerous pursuit of a hard Brexit that threatens to harm our economy, Theresa May has created the deep divisions in our society that the SNP thrives upon." Former SNP leader Alex Salmond branded Mrs May's speech a "power grab". He told BBC News: "She's actually proposing that if Brexit goes ahead the powers that should come back to Scotland on fishing, farming and a range other issues - she's going to retain them at Westminster, because she likes the look of the Scottish economic zone. "That's a fundamental attack on the very principle and foundation in statute of the Scottish Parliament of 1999, which said specifically that anything that wasn't reserved to Westminster should be run in Scotland. This is Prime Minister who is attacking the very foundations of the Scottish Parliament, and she'll do it to her cost." Chris Harris, left with co-stars Matt LeBlanc, middle, and Rory Reid, says the issue with the Top Gear reboot is 'chemistry' (BBC/PA) Top Gear has made a return to screens after its last series suffered plummeting ratings and poor reviews. The BBC Two motoring show is back with former Friends star Matt LeBlanc in the driving seat and Chris Harris and Rory Reid joining him as co-hosts, following the departure of Chris Evans. The last series was savaged on social media, with much of the criticism levelled at Evans's hosting style, and many wondered whether Top Gear had many miles left in the tank. But Sunday's instalment, which featured a trip to Kazakhstan and an interview with actor James McAvoy, fared much better, with viewers saying on social media that it was a "massive improvement" and it had made "a promising start". "Top Gear is back how it should be!" enthused one viewer on Twitter. "Top Gear is back and it was so sweet I could have licked it," said another. LeBlanc, 49, was called "a natural" as a presenter and several people said the programme was better without Evans, who quit after the last series saying he gave it his best shot but that it was "not enough". One person wrote: "5 Seconds in and new #TopGear without Chris Evans looks 9,999,999 times better already." Another said: "Just watched new #TopGear. Sooo much more better now that Chris Evans isn't on it! Well done, good choice!" "The new series of #TopGear is very watchable, well done lads!! More car focused, entertaining, funny and beautifully filmed," wrote another pleased viewer. But although there was plenty of good will for LeBlanc, the first non-British host in the programme's 40-year history, it seems there is no replacing the old trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in the audience's hearts. One person tweeted: "Top Gear will never be the same without @JeremyClarkson & co but new series def better than last one." "Still doesn't compete with Jeremy et al, but #TopGear is heaps better without Chris Evans," said another. "Thought the new #TopGear was decent. Much better without the unbearable Chris Evans. Still not a patch on clarkson and co though," said another. The findings prompted an official watchdog to raise the alarm over the "potentially perilous" state of British policing Victims are being let down, criminal cases shelved and suspects left untracked as police fail to carry out basic functions, a damning report reveals. The findings prompted an official watchdog to raise the alarm over the "potentially perilous" state of British policing. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) also issued an unprecedented warning that a shortage of detectives and investigators amounted to a "national crisis". And it was revealed suspected murderers and rapists were among thousands wanted by forces around the country. Inspectors said the public was being left at unacceptable risk as a minority of services artificially suppressed demand. They uncovered evidence of emergency calls being downgraded in order to justify a slower response and failings in responding to vulnerable victims. Fewer arrests were made, a large number of crimes were effectively "written off", suspects were not always pursued and inexperienced officers were left to carry out complex investigations, the review found. HM Inspector Zoe Billingham stopped short of saying the service was in crisis, but warned: "We are leading to a very serious conclusion regarding the potentially perilous state of British policing in this report. "Over the last few years, HMIC has said consistently that police forces were managing well in increasingly difficult circumstances. "Nonetheless, today, I'm raising a red flag to warn forces of the consequences of what is, to all intents and purposes, an unconscious form of rationing of police services." Brian Paddick, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman and a former senior police officer, described the findings as "totally unacceptable", adding: "How long will it be before someone dies because there is no police officer to respond?" The wide-ranging report found: :: I nitial risk assessments made by call handlers being downgraded because of a lack of available officers to respond immediately :: A lack of focus directed to apprehending wanted individuals, with the details of 67,000 suspects not placed on the police national computer (PNC) :: As of August there were 45,960 wanted suspects on the database, including those being sought for offences including terrorism, murder and rape :: In too many cases "insufficient action" was taken to actively track down wanted suspects once their details had been circulated on the PNC :: Limited capacity within many forces to manage the risk posed by the most dangerous offenders :: Neighbourhood policing, described as "the bedrock" of the service, continues to be eroded :: Gangs of violent and dangerous criminals not formally classified. HMIC said it was warning for the first time of a national crisis in the shortage of detectives and investigators in many forces. This was leading to excessive workloads, while complex investigations were being led by those who lacked appropriate experience. In one instance, inspectors saw a uniformed officer investigating rape. The report highlighted the extent to which forces were not taking inquiries further because the victim did not support police action. In some areas, more than one in five cases were not investigated fully for this reason and the issue was particularly acute for domestic abuse. The watchdog examined the effectiveness of forces in England and Wales, and said that most provided a largely good service in keeping people safe and preventing crime. Overall, one force was judged to be "outstanding", 28 forces were "good", 13 "require improvement" and one was rated "inadequate". Michael Barton, National Police Chiefs' Council lead for crime operations, noted that the inspection found that most forces were "good overall" but said it was "disappointing" that HMIC also had concerns that some were "falling short". He cited budget reductions and the loss of thousands of officers and staff, adding: " It's a simple reality that we are required to prioritise more. "Difficult decisions are being made between resourcing neighbourhood teams, response units, specialist investigations and digital and cyber enabled crime." Policing minister Brandon Lewis welcomed the report's rating of two-thirds of forces as either good or outstanding, as well as improvements in the response to vulnerable people. "But a number of forces clearly still have more work to do to ensure they are providing the level of service which communities expect and deserve," he said. Mr Lewis said the Government has protected police funding, adding: "There can be no excuse for any force that fails to deliver on its obligations - those identified as inadequate or requiring improvement must take HMIC's findings very seriously and I expect to see rapid improvements." Mr Barton, who is also chief constable of Durham Constabulary, said that pay and conditions need to be looked at as he is "concerned" that there are not got enough detectives. He told Good Morning Britain: "You now get paid more if you are in uniform and working nights than if you are a detective having passed a lot of exams with a lot of responsibility - that is something we are seriously looking at." He also felt that police chiefs will have to make some "tough decisions to prioritise differently over the next 12 months", adding: "Over the last five years, we have lost 22% of our money and 34,000 staff so this is not against a backdrop where we are doubling our workforce. "This is against a backdrop of increasing work, more sophisticated different work, for example cyber crime, and with a significant reduction in staff." Sir Peter Fahy, former chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, told BBC Breakfast: "If you want the police to do more with less you have to actually then do things differently, use technology in a different way and sometimes impinge on the civil or human rights of some of these criminals to make it easier for the police to catch them." He described the problem of morale as one of the most "worrying" things in the report at a time when there is a shortage of detectives and police are being asked to do "more and more" when there have been cuts. He pointed out that police have to step in when other services - like health, ambulance and social services - are struggling. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale and Paul Rankin pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Sammy Morrison pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies.The boxes are opened for the count. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Counting continues at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. This is the second contest in less than a year and early indications are that turnout has been higher than expected. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire BALLYMENA, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Counting gets underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout was considerably higher than in May last year. The first declarations are expected around lunchtime today. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. DUP Councillor, Darryn Causby and SDLP hopeful Dolores Kelly pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Verification of the Strangford and North Down vote starts. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Counting underway in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre for the North Antrim and Mid Ulster seats in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Aurora Leisure Complex in Bangor for Strangford and North Down constituencies. Steven Agnew (second right) leader of the Green Party watching the verification of the North Down vote. Photo by Brian Little / Press Eye. Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Jim Allister TUV candidate pictured at the count. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Brenda Hale pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. PACEMAKER BELFAST 0303/2017 Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - Counting gets under way at the NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn for Lagan Valley and South Down constituencies. Paul Givan pictured at the count. Photo by Philip Magowan / Press Eye. Counting gets underway at the Titanic Exhibition centre. Results for Belfast East, North, South and West are expected in by mid afternoon on Friday. Pic Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon and MP Francey Molloy Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Ballots are counted in Ballymena, County Antrim for North Antrim and Mid-Ulster. Sinn Fein's Michelle ONeill arrives at the count centre with candidates Ian Milne and Linda Dillon. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP arriving at the Omagh Leisure Complex for the results of the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein candidate for west Belfast Orlaithi Flynn(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she is elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Michelle O'Neill pictured after topping the poll in Mid Ulster with 10258 votes. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance party leader and eat Belfast candidate Naomi Long(centre) celebrates with party colleagues after she tops the poll. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Thomas Buchanan, DUP pictured after the West Tyrone results were announced. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Michaela Boyle, Sinn Fein and Barry McElduff, Sinn Fein pictured after the election results for West Tyrone. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. People before Profits Gerry Carroll at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast on Friday for Belfast North, South East and West constituencies Assembly Election Count. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Carla Lockhart elected for Upper Bann, pictured with her husband Rodney Condell and mother and father Valerie and kenneth Lockhart. Picture Matt Bohill pacemaker Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Danny Kennedy (UUP Newry/Armagh) pictured at the count. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister during the counting of ballot papers at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Elisha McCallion and Raymond McCartney, Sinn Fein, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. Eamonn McCann, People Before Profit Alliance, and partner Goretti Horgan, pictured at the count. Photo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena for North Antrim and Mid Ulster constituencies. Photo by John McIlwaine / Press Eye Sinn Fein candidates Linda Dillon and Ian Milne are congratulated by party leader Michelle O'Neill and Francey Molloy after their election to Mid Ulster on the third count Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Left to right. SDLP candidate for north Belfast Nichola Mallon and SDLP candidate for west Belfast Alex Attwood. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams talks to the media as he arrives at the count centre. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Foyle Arena in Derry for Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood pictured at the count. Phoo by Lorcan Doherty / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Arlene Foster, DUP pictured during the announcement that she has been re-elected. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Belfast west successful candidates are officially announced. The SDLP's Alex Attwood, who was elected, pictured on the declaration podium after the successful candidates were officially elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for south Belfast Emma Little-Pengelly(left) with DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Old And The New...Outgoing DUP MLA, Sydney Anderson, left, and his replacement, Jonathan Buckley celebrate. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Mark Cosgrove with John Stewart UUP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. The Dup's Jonathan Buckley, left, celebrates being elected with fellow MLA, Carla Lockhart and Upper Bann MP, David Simpson. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. UUP leader Mike Nesbitt pictured at the Park Avenue hotel in Belfast as he announces that he will be stepping down as party leader. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. DUP candidate for north Belfast Nelson McCausland pictured after he is eliminated from the count and fails to be elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 3 March 2017 - NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Banbridge Leisure Centre for Newry & Armagh and Upper Bann constituencies. Dolores Kelly of the SDLP celebrates after being elected. Photo by Tony Hendron / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Sean Lynch, Sinn Fein pictured at the count. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster makes her acceptance speech as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein Leader in the North Michelle O'Neill (right) speaking at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena. Niall Carson/PA Wire Returned DUP MLA Paula Bradley (centre) speaking with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned SDLP MLA Alex Attwood during his declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast during the Northern Ireland Election count. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates in Belfast West MLA's celebrate with Fra McCann, Orlaith Flynn, Pat Sheehan, and Alex Maskey holding up four fingers during their declaration speech at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire Mark H. Durkan and his wife Anne celebrate after he is re-elected, on his birthday, as an MLA for Foyle at the count in the Foyle Arena. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan, DUP elected for South Antrim Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Paul Girvan DUP with his wife Mandy (Centre) and Daughter Victoria Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 3 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey for East Antrim and South Antrim constituencies. Danny Kinahan MP Photo by Freddie Parkinson / Press Eye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 03 March 2017 NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Omagh Leisure Complex for West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituencies. Rosemary Barton, UUP speaking after her election result. Picture by Trevor Lucy / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. Alliance Party candidate for south Belfast Paula Bradshaw pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. NI Assembly Election 2017 Count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast for Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West constituencies. UUP candidate for east Belfast Andy Allen pictured after being successfully elected. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Democratic Unionist party leader and former First Minister Arlene Foster consoles Lord Morrow who lost his seat in the Northern Ireland Stormont election count. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill speaks to members of the media after arriving at the count centre for the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL MCERLANEPAUL MCERLANE/AFP/Getty Images UUP Party Leader Mike Nesbitt, followed by his wife Lynda Bryans and son PJ Nesbitt, after announcing his resignation at the Park Avenue Hotel, after his party failed to make a breakthrough in the Northern Ireland Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire DUP candidates William Humphrey and Nelson McCausland at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast for the Northern Ireland Election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Orlaithi Flynn stands for a photograph after Sinn Fein won four seats in West Belfast in the Northern Ireland assembly election on March 3, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A snap election was called following the resignation of the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, with indications showing that voter turnout yesterday was considerably higher than in May last year. Voters went to the polls yesterday for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Leader Arlene Foster celebrates as she is elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly at the count centre in Omagh, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on March 3, 2017. Northern Ireland has voted in snap elections to resolve a political crisis fuelled by bad blood and Brexit, which is testing the delicate peace in the British province. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images Returned UUP MLA Andy Allen speaks with media at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein candidates for Fermanage South Tyrone Jemma Dolan (left), Sean Lynch and Michelle Gildernew at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire OMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND - MARCH 03: Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew (R), Sean Lynch (C) and Jemma Dolan (L) celebrate winning their three seats in the Fermanagh South Tyrone election as the Northern Ireland Stormont election count takes place on March 3, 2017 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Voters went to the polls for the second time in 10 months after the collapse of the power sharing executive government. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Returned SDLP MLA Nicola Mallon celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (centre) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Returned Green Party MLA Clare Bailey (right) celebrates with supporters at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly election count. PA Sinn Fein candidate for Fermanagh South Tyrone Sean Lynch celebrates at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 3, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Election. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (left) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Brian Lawless/PA Wire DUP party chairman Lord Morrow (right) with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Omagh count centre as he failed to be re-elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. PA Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 4 March 2017 - Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill, Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams take a selfie following a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Sinn Fein's leadership team , Michelle O'Neill and Gerry Adams speak to the media during a press conference on the Falls road in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Pacemaker Press Belfast 06-03-2017: DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont in Belfast on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Picture By: Arthur Allison. DUP Leader Arlene Foster pictured with Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds at Stormont on the first day back to the Assembly after the Elections. Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye. Pictured Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Michelle O'Neill looking towards the image of the late Ian Paisley hanging in the Great Hall before holding a press conference. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams pictured going past a portrait of the former First Minister and DUP leader Ian Paisley as he leads his party to talk to the media on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Northern Ireland parties return to Stormont after last eek's Assembly election. Sinn Fein's president Gerry Adams meets school children on the steps of Stormont's Parliament Buildings, east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. Tom Elliott and Mike Nesbitt from the UUP speak to the media at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood with Party MLA's speak to the media at Stormont on Monday, following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press 06/03/2017 Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry speaks to the Media with party members Kellie Armstrong and Stewart Dickson at Stormont on Monday , following the recent election results at the weekend. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Sinn Fein holding a press conference on the first working day after the recent Election. Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is to meet Stormont party leaders later to try to persuade them to form a new power-sharing executive. Pictured Gerry Adams waves to a group of Chinese tourist from Shanghai visiting Stormont as the Sinn Fein Electoral team pose for photos of the steps of Parliament Buildings. Picture: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Sinn Fein's leadership team pictured talking to the media at Stormont Castle, in Belfast. Sinn Fein MLAs left their brief meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire. Picture By: Arthur Allison: Pacemaker Press Belfast DUP leader Arlene Foster and party member Simon Hamilton MLA speak to the media before talks at Stormont Castle. Photo by Peter Morrison / PressEye Wednesday 8th March 2017 Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has said the "perpetual unionist majority" at Stormont has been "demolished" following the result of the Northern Ireland Assembly election. A jubilant Mr Adams said it was a "watershed" moment after his party closed to within a solitary seat of the Democratic Unionist Party. He also said Sinn Fein's new leader in the north, Michelle O'Neill, will be holding talks with Prime Minister Theresa May and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny about the impact of Brexit on Ireland north and south over the next few weeks. Speaking outside the party's West Belfast office, Mr Adams said Sinn Fein wants to quickly engage in a process with other party leaders to ensure powersharing in the region is restored. But he again insisted that the party will not support DUP leader Arlene Foster as Northern Ireland's first minister until she has been cleared of any wrongdoing related to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scandal. However, it could leave the executive in limbo for up to a year, as it emerges that the inquiry into RHI will not supply any preliminary findings to speed the process along. "There is a need for this inquiry to come to conclusions before we can nominate (Arlene Foster) for a position of first minister," said Mr Adams. He added: "The first position we put was that Arlene Foster stand aside until a preliminary report. Now we are being told there will be no preliminary report. "Our position is very straightforward. We will not be consenting to Arlene Foster being first minister until this issue is cleared up." He added that "what was good enough for Peter Robinson (who twice stood aside as first minister amid controversy) is good enough for Arlene Foster". Ms O'Neill, who replaced Martin McGuinness in January, said she is to hold talks with both the British and Irish governments to discuss the way forward for the region's political institutions. "I also made contact with the leaders of all the political parties to talk about next week and how we are going to conduct ourselves in the time ahead. "We obviously have a period of three weeks in front of us and whilst the task isn't going to be easy it is achievable if people come at it with the right attitude. "On Monday morning I will lead our team into the assembly where we are ready to deal with all the issues," she added. The pro-Brexit DUP narrowly remained the region's largest party by just one seat as a Sinn Fein surge saw the republican party make major gains over the DUP. Having entered the election 10 seats ahead of Sinn Fein, the DUP's advantage was slashed to a solitary seat. DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has insisted there is no question over Ms Foster's future as party leader despite the party's disappointing performance. Mr Donaldson said that despite the bruising election the DUP is still the largest party and their focus now "is on Arlene and the party getting a government up and running again at Stormont". "I must say, I am not aware of any election in the past where the leader of the largest party resigns because they have won the election. "We need to learn the lesson and understand what people were saying in this election and what the key messages are. "We have been given the responsibility as the main party to take the lead at Stormont and that is what we intend to do so we are not going to get bogged down on what some people want to focus on, which is personalities. "Arlene is leading the largest party and we need to get on with the job of forming a government that works for us all," said Mr Donaldson. Sinn Fein and the DUP now have three weeks to establish a government. If a government cannot be formed between the two main parties within that time then, under law, another election will be called. However, Mr Donaldson said he does not believe Westminster will want another election. "If we can't get a government formed within three weeks I don't think the Westminster government will allow another election. I think they will introduce direct rule. "We are determined to work to achieve (a powersharing government) but if it doesn't happen I fear we could be looking at a lengthy period of direct rule." Only 1,168 first preference votes separated the DUP and Sinn Fein and, for the first time, Unionists will not have an overall majority at Stormont. Amid the fallout, Mike Nesbitt said he would resign as Ulster Unionist leader. It was a positive campaign for both the SDLP and Alliance who both maintained their seats. The election was called after the collapse of a coalition led by Arlene Foster's DUP and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness. Mr McGuinness resigned over Ms Foster's refusal to step aside as first minister pending an inquiry into the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, which could cost the Northern Ireland taxpayers 490m. A White House official said the meeting between Mr Trump and Mrs Merkel with take place on March 14 President Donald Trump will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House later this month. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders says the meeting will take place on March 14. It will be the first face-to-face meeting between Mr Trump and the German chancellor since the US election. Mr Trump frequently criticised Mrs Merkel during his presidential campaign, accusing her of "ruining Germany" by taking in large numbers of refugees. Mrs Merkel, who wields significant sway in Europe, was critical of Mr Trump's refugee and immigration travel ban, which was blocked by the courts. Sanders did not offer details on what the two may discuss. AP Rescue teams have been sent to the area An aircraft believed to belong to the Syrian military has crashed near the Turkey-Syria border, with the Syrian opposition claiming they were responsible for shooting the plane down. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters that "we have information that a MIG model plane belonging to the Syrian regime" had crashed near the town of Samandag in Hatay province. Hatay governor Erdal Ata told state-run Anadolu news agency that rescue teams had arrived at the wreckage and reported that the cockpit was empty, confirming earlier reports by villagers that they had seen the pilots ejecting. Ata added that there had been no airspace violation and no intervention by Turkish forces. Syrian helicopters were shot down for violating Turkish airspace in 2013 and 2015, and a Syrian MIG jet was shot down in 2014 for the same violation. A Russian military plane was similarly shot down by Turkey for violating airspace in 2015, leading to months of tension between Ankara and Moscow. Syrian opposition military group Ahrar al-Sham claimed it shot down the plane on Saturday. The group's spokesman, Ahmed Karali, told Anadolu that it was shot down by a 23 millimetre anti-aircraft gun as it was bombing the countryside in the north-western Syrian town of Idlib. Turkish media said earlier that villagers had called authorities to report the crash at around 6.30pm local time. AP Bill Cosby is set to go on trial in June in another case (AP) Three women who accused Bill Cosby of the intentional infliction of emotional distress have had their claims dismissed. A document filed on Friday in federal court in Massachusetts shows the claims were dismissed after Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz and Joan Tarshis conferred about the viability of the claims. The women are among dozens who have alleged Cosby molested them decades ago. Cosby is set to go on trial in June in another case, accused of sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Prosecutors had hoped to call Ms Serignese and a dozen other women to give evidence at the trial. A judge blocked all but one of them from testifying. Cosby has pleaded not guilty. Dear Sentinel readers: I wrote this reflection four year ago. Sharing my thoughts and listening to the experience of others who have been down this path helped me immensely. Our mother Lorraines journey came to an end on Feb. 5 with her children at her bedside: We long suspected before receiving the doctors diagnosis. With each visit over the past few years, my sisters would tell me, Mom is a little different than the last time you were here. Sure, she moved a little slower and didnt stand as tall, but hey, she was in her late 70s. My brother, who is her caretaker, also told me that Mom didnt want to go outside of the home nor did she want to take part in the senior citizen activities of the local community center that she so pushed for as a volunteer. I chalked it up to a couple of things. For one, she always operated on her on own schedule and would be hard pressed to be on time when the senior citizens van came to pick her up at home. We often kidded that Mom was born late and would be so to her own funeral. The second item was her struggle with incontinence. I assumed that personal pride kept her from partaking in situations in which she might be embarrassed. Mom seemed comfortable and very content to sit in her favorite bedroom chair and spend the time watching television. That is usually where she was when I called on the telephone and where I found her during visits to the house. The indicators became stronger when she would ask, in relatively short spans of time, the same questions about my wife and son. She would chuckle when I told her so and say, I guess Im losing some memory. But when I asked her about events of over a half-century ago, she was lucid with details of people, names, locations, events, and, more importantly, feelings. It really hit me last summer when my sister and I took Mom to visit her cousin-both were good friends throughout their lives and were approaching eightieth birthdays. In the space of the hour-long visit, they had the same conversation over a half-dozen times and neither was aware of it. It brought about an uneasy humor between my sister and me. We scheduled a series of doctor appointments for the following weeks. My last visit was to celebrate Moms 80th birthday. We surprised her with an outing that brought together family, friends, and members of her church community. She was deeply touched but her comments throughout the event reinforced what most of us already knew. Last week the doctor confirmed the diagnosis of Alzheimers dementia. The two dominant symptoms are a decline in memory and in the ability to focus and pay attention. The doctor said there were no other medical issues of concern she was happy and not depressed. Mom often says, Im in pretty good shape for the shape Im in. I have several friends and colleagues who have been down this path with their loved ones. I can more fully appreciate their experiences and will reach out to them for their wisdom on how to take this journey with my mother. Participants attend a Sanskrit class at the Sanskrit Samvadshala on the outskirts of New Delhi. Nov. 25, 2015. A move to make Sanskrit a language considered holy in Hinduism a mandatory subject in schools in northeastern Assam state has provoked controversy with critics calling it a conspiracy by Indias ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to advance its rightwing ideology. Lawmakers decided Wednesday to make Sanskrit a compulsory subject until the eighth standard in Assam, which has a population of more than 10 million Muslims or more than 34 percent of the states population. And it is not just Muslim groups protesting this move. It is a well orchestrated conspiracy to micro manage and monitor the education system, Biraj Talukdar, of the influential Asom Jatiyatabadu Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) Hindu student body, told BenarNews. Within months of sweeping to power in May 2014, the BJP spoke of popularizing Sanskrit. It also mandated a Sanskrit week to celebrate the ancient language in thousands of government-run schools nationwide. The move brought about sharp reactions from the Muslim community, which makes up more than 14 percent of the countrys 1.2 billion people. Sanskrit, mostly relegated to religious ceremonies, is used by less than 1 percent of Indians, according to official figures. The decision was taken in haste. The BJP is trying to impose its ideologies, obviously for its own vested interests, Aminul Islam of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), a minority party, told BenarNews. According to the government, Sanskrit is the mother of all languages that encapsulates history, mythology and science. Sanskrit is a powerful Indian language. We want Sanskrit to regain its glory, BJP lawmaker Keshab Mahanta told BenarNews. Sanskrit is one of 22 languages that the constitution mandates the government to preserve out of more than 1,500 languages spoken in India. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), BJPs ideological mentor, said it backed the governments decision. Even in London, they are teaching Sanskrit, in Germany there is a school for Sanskrit. In India, the problem is that a few people are trying to destroy the culture and ethos of Indian civilization. So, they are opposing development of the most scientifically advanced language of the world, Rakesh Sinha, spokesman for the RSS, told BenarNews. Language politics has been one of BJPs main thrusts to advance its rightwing ideologies, according to analysts. The politics of thrusting Hindi or Sanskrit on a majority of the population with such a diverse nature and language is a pointer toward the fact that BJP wants to create its ideological political hegemony and indoctrinate young minds, Monirul Hussain, a Guwahati-based political observer told BenarNews. The most recent 2011 census shows 14,000 people in India responded that Sanskrit is their primary language. Of those, nearly none came from northeast India, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat. Police escort Maulana Abul Kashem, the alleged spiritual leader of militant group Neo-JMB, to court following his arrest, March 3, 2017. Bangladeshi police Friday announced the arrest of the alleged spiritual leader of a militant faction blamed for carrying out a terrorist attack at a Dhaka cafe last year, saying he preached violence against foreigners in sermons to his followers. Maulana Abul Kashem (alias Boro Huzur), 60, was arrested late Thursday in Dhakas Senpara neighborhood, Monirul Islam, Bangladeshs counterterrorist police chief, said Friday. He denied that Kashem was in custody before Thursdays arrest, despite the suspects claim that police have held him for months. Police described Kashem as the spiritual leader of Neo-JMB, an offshoot of militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh that authorities blame for an attack in July 2016 that killed 20 hostages mostly foreigners at the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant. Maulana Abul Kashem in his speeches and statements ruled that killing of foreigners is justified, Islam told a press conference at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Department. It is not known whether he sanctioned the Holey Artisan cafe attack. According to the penal code, he must shoulder the responsibility. But he has yet to confess to his role, Islam said. Investigators sought a 10-day remand to question Kashem about the Holey Artisan attack, but the court ordered seven days. Islam said Kashem would boost the morale of Neo-JMB leaders, activists and supporters through his sermons. Additionally, Kashem wrote three books on holy war and hardline ideology that were used to train extremists. He used to visit the militant dens to deliver an extremist lecture, Islam said. Appearing in court on Friday, Kashem said he was detained and confined at the detective branch (DB) beginning in May 2016, months before the Holey Artisan attack. He pointed to lawyer Ziaul Haque and said he met him while confined at the DB office. Haque confirmed to reporters that he saw Kashem in custody in January when police took him and his wife to the DB office and put him in a cell with Kashem. Haque did not discuss why he and his spouse were taken into custody, but said no charges were filed. When asked about Kashems alibi, Islam told reporters, Accused people tell many things. Most of their statements cannot be accepted. He was arrested last night. Meeting with Canadian Islam discussed Kashems path to leadership in Neo-JMB, which follows Islamic State ideology. After Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen, came to Bangladesh in October 2013, he met with Kashem in Rajshahi, a foreign intelligence agency told Bangladesh police. Chowdhury became a senior leader of Neo-JMB, according to police. We did not know Tamim by name; we heard the words a Canadian citizen. We arrested one suspect after the killing of blogger Rajib Haider. He disclosed that two foreigners of Bangladeshi origin had been with him, Islam said, adding that one was a Canadian. In the middle of 2015, police determined that Chowdhury was the Canadian, Islam said. Chowdhury and two other suspected Neo-JMB members were killed by police and security forces during a raid near Dhaka on Aug. 27, 2016, nearly two months after the Holey Artisan attack. We could not sense the gravity of the meeting and we could not apprehend that an attack like the one on the Holey Artisan cafe would take place, Islam said. He (Kashem) had been the principal of a madrassa in Ranirbandar, Dinajpur, Islam said, adding that Kashem and Chowdhury met sometime in late 2013 or early 2014. Conflicts and rivalries over leadership led to the breakup of the JMB. Abul Kashem took leadership of the new faction, he said. An unidentified man enters the grounds of the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, March 4, 2017. Malaysia on Saturday declared North Koreas ambassador persona non grata and said it was expelling him for publically criticizing a Malaysian investigation into the assassination of Kim Jong Uns half-brother. The foreign ministry gave Ambassador Kang Chol 48 hours to leave the country, a deadline that is set to expire at 6 p.m. Monday (local time) according to a statement from Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman. The ministry also barred Kang from re-entering Malaysia. The move to further downgrade bilateral relations with North Korea following the Feb. 13 assassination of Kim Jong Nam at a local airport happened after Ambassador Kang Chol failed to show up Saturday night at the Malaysian foreign ministry, where officials had summoned him for a 6 p.m. meeting, the minister said. Kangs expulsion came about because North Korea did not meet a deadline on the evening of Feb. 28 to respond to a Malaysian demand for an apology over the envoys critical remarks, Anifah indicated. On Tuesday, a senior representative of the ministry and other foreign affairs officials met with a high-level delegation that had been sent from North Korea, and demanded that Pyongyang provide a written apology for the criticism made by its ambassador, according to Anifahs statement. Almost four days have passed since the deadline lapsed. No such apology has been made, neither has there been any indication that one is forthcoming. For this reason, the Ambassador has been declared Persona Non Grata, Malaysias top diplomat said. This status is the most serious form of disapproval that the country can apply to foreign diplomats, he said, adding it was also often used to express displeasure at the conduct or policies of the sending State. The minister also sent North Korea a warning. It should be made clear Malaysia will react strongly against insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation, he said. Diplomatic note sent At around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, an unidentified official from the Malaysian foreign ministry was seen by reporters delivering an official letter to the North Korean embassy informing Pyongyang that Malaysia was expelling Ambassador Kang. Officials at the embassy did not pick up phone calls from BenarNews and none appeared at the embassys gate, outside which reporters had gathered, to comment on Malaysias expulsion of the ambassador. The announcement followed Malaysias deportation a day earlier of a North Korean man, Ri Jong Chol, after he was released from police custody for lack of evidence as a suspect in Kims assassination. Malaysian authorities have arrested and charged an Indonesian woman and a Vietnamese woman as suspected assassins, and have identified seven other North Korean citizens wanted for questioning by police in the case. The seven include Hyon Kwang Song, 44, a second secretary who is stationed at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur. On Friday, two senior Malaysian officials told BenarNews that the government was weighing the possibility of declaring both Hyon Kwang Song and Ambassador Kang persona non grata in connection with Kims assassination. After Saturdays announcement, the government could also declare the second secretary persona non grata if the North Korean embassy failed to respond to an earlier request by Malaysia that Hyon Kwang Song assist local police with the investigation, another senior Malaysian official who is close to the case told BenarNews. Experts praise move On two occasions since Kim Jong Nam died in the attack in which his assassins poisoned him with a banned nerve agent, according to Malaysian police, Pyongyangs ambassador appeared before reporters to question the integrity of the investigation. He also accused Kuala Lumpur of colluding with hostile forces to malign North Korea an obvious reference to South Korea. U.S. and South Korean officials have blamed North Korean agents for masterminding Kims murder, according to Reuters. I think it is the right time that the Malaysian government took the persona non-grata action. The North Korean ambassador was seen as attempting to interfere with the police investigation and gave press statements that were slanderous against Malaysia, Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani, a professor of international relations at Universiti Utara Malaysia, told BenarNews late Saturday. The criticism leveled against Malaysia by the ambassador challenges the sovereignty of the country, commented Azmi Ibrahim, a professor of geo-politics. The allegations had violated diplomacy norms and were expressed publicly through media and not through diplomatic means. In order to defend the dignity of the country and to avoid further accusations, the decision of expulsion matches the outspokenness of the ambassador, Azmi told BenarNews. So far, the diplomatic fallout from Kims assassination has seen the Malaysian government recall its ambassador to Pyongyang and cancel a policy allowing North Koreans to enter Malaysia without a visa. The decision to scrub the policy is an indication of the governments concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities, Anifah Aman said in his statement Saturday. The ministry issued a separate statement earlier in the day, in which it rejected allegations insinuating that Malaysia had not complied with U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Pyongyang, by allowing two North Korean-controlled companies to use a Malaysian front company to sell battlefield radio equipment in violation of those sanctions. Malaysia categorically rejects any such insinuation and highly values the important work being carried out by the UNSC Sanctions Committee regarding North Korea, the ministry said, responding to allegations contained in a story broken by Reuters. Malaysia was fully cooperating with a panel of Security Council experts and had provided it with required responses to its queries, the ministry added. Tourists walk along Chulia Street, a road in George Town, Malaysia, where hotels and hipster cafes are moving in to replace old shop-houses, Feb. 11, 2017. George Town, capital of the Malaysian island-state of Penang, oozes a bygone colonial charm that draws tourists to this jewel of a city on the Strait of Malacca. Yet local preservationists worry the allure of old shop-houses in George Towns historic quarter, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and where ethnic Malay, Chinese and Indian traders live and do business is fading and giving way to upscale boutiques, hipster cafes and other modern commercial properties. For preservationist Mark Lay, efforts by city officials and developers to attract more revenue from tourism by bringing in new projects and taking advantage of the heritage listing as a selling point threaten to undermine the towns living heritage, as he put it. Local authorities seem more concerned with tourism and investments than preserving George Towns Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), Lay told BenarNews. OUV is a term used by the U.N.s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to describe urban attributes such as streets with rows of old shop-houses that led to the citys listing in 2008 as a World Heritage Site. Tourism has taken over in some heritage areas like Armenian Street and Keng Kwee Street. Left unchecked, we foresee a huge part of the heritage site given over to tourism, warned Lay, who is with the local watchdog group George Town Heritage Action (GTHA). He cited cases where building owners in the heritage zone evicted old tenants and allowed high-paying new occupants to gut and renovate old structures in ways that did not comply with the heritage guidelines. It goes against what the UNESCO listing stands for the ultimate goal seems to be developing a touristic heritage theme park, rather than safeguarding the OUV criteria for which George Town was awarded the UNESCO status in the first place, he said. A trishaw sits outside Choo Choon Yews shop, the only trishaw craftsmen left in Penang, Feb. 11, 2017. [S.C. Lei/BenarNews] A boost for tourism George Town a former Straits Settlement created from more than 500 years of trade and cultural exchanges between East and West became a World Heritage Site nine years ago along with Melaka city, a Peninsular Malaysia city that lies on the strait. George Towns heritage zone makes up about 260 hectares (642.4 acres). The listing has boosted tourism, drawing 6.31 million tourists since 2008, according to the Penang Institute, a think-tank in the state. The international prestige that comes with a listing often helps raise awareness among citizens and governments for heritage preservation, according to Paris-based UNESCO. Greater awareness leads to a general rise in the level of the protection and conservation given to heritage properties, the U.N. agency said. It noted that countries could also apply for financial aid and expert advice from UNESCOs World Heritage Committee to support preservation of listed sites. But not enough is being done to preserve the citys heritage site, and a conservation management plan known as the George Town Special Area Plan (SAP), was delayed for five years until it was finally gazetted last September, according to Lay. There was lack of political will to manage, monitor and enforce the contents of the document for fear of scaring away the tourism sector and future investment, Lay said. He has urged the Penang Island City Council and George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) the bodies that manage, monitor and promote the citys World Heritage features to work with UNESCO and the National Heritage Department to enforce regulations outlined in the special area plan. Visitors come Ang Ming Chee, general manager of GTWHI, took issue with Lays claim that the heritage site was becoming Disneyfied, saying that tourism growth is normal for World Heritage Sites. Visitors come to see the townscape, architecture, cultures and local lifestyle. There are investors who are here because they appreciate the architectural heritage, she told BenarNews. Tourism revenue benefits and empowers communities in the city, who are encouraged to play active roles and sell Penang-made products that promote local culture, she said. Noorhanis Noordin, who leads the city councils heritage conservation department, said safeguarding George Towns architectural heritage is an ongoing process. Authorities have been clamping down on building owners who dont comply with the strict heritage guidelines, she said. The city council, from time to time, organizes workshops and seminars to educate property owners, contractors and the public on heritage-related development rules, she added. If they fail to comply, they will have to stop and remove the illegal work, or risk being taken to court, Noorhanis told BenarNews. ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern. neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke. Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten. Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen. NGT fixes norms for camping along Ganga in Uttarakhand Published: March 4, 2017 The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has prohibited all camping activity on beaches which fall within 100 meters along the River Ganga from Shivpuri to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. The 50 km stretch of River Ganga between Shivpuri to Rishikesh is a hub of eco-tourism and river rafting. The judgment came on a petition which had highlighted pollution caused by unregulated camping in the river and its adjoining areas. It also highlighted pollution caused to the river and the soil due to leftovers of tourists. Key Facts NGT bench gave this ruling by relying on various studies conducted by the Uttarakhand government and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). It held that river rafting is one of the significant components of eco-tourism, but it needs to be encouraged but with a clear mandate so that it does not cause any environmental and biodiversity degradation It clarified that the portion of the identified beaches which fall outside the restriction of 100 meters should only be used for effective camping activity. The remaining part of the beach should not be permitted for any activity including tenting, toilets and other incidental requirements. NGT held that the illegal and improper activities at the camping sites led to the pollution of River Ganga. I ordered implementation of management plan prepared by State government. About National Green Tribunal NGT is a special fast-track court to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues. It was established under National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act, 2010 enacted by the Parliament, under Indias constitutional provision of Article 21, which assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy environment. Month: Current Affairs - March, 2017 Topics: Eco Tourism Environment Ganga river NGT States Uttarakhand Latest E-Books It can be tough to be a vegetarian. You have to work harder than everyone else to make sure youre getting all the nutrients your body needs. So, when its time to take a West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Bill, 2017 passed Published: March 4, 2017 The State Legislative Assembly has passed the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Bill, 2017, by a voice vote. It repeals the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010. It aims to overhaul private healthcare in state and take stringent measures against health institutions accused of medical negligence and corrupt practices. Key Facts The legislation seeks to bring transparency, end harassment of patients and check medical negligence in private hospitals and nursing homes. It brings clinics, dispensaries and polyclinics under its ambit. It makes mandatory for private hospitals to pay compensations in case of medical negligence. Hospitals violating this law will be liable to pay fine of Rs. 10 lakh or more. Compensation in case medical negligence : Rs 3 lakh for minor damages, Rs 5 lakh for big damages and minimum Rs. 10 lakh in case of death. This compensation will be given within six months. The compensation amount will not be more than Rs 50 lakh. : Rs 3 lakh for minor damages, Rs 5 lakh for big damages and minimum Rs. 10 lakh in case of death. This compensation will be given within six months. The compensation amount will not be more than Rs 50 lakh. Regulatory Authority : Establishes 13 member West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission to monitor activities of private hospitals. : Establishes 13 member West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission to monitor activities of private hospitals. The high-powered commission will be headed by sitting or former judge. It will have status of a civil court. It will be empowered to summon both parties in case of a dispute and examine case before passing an order. Penal measures: It ranges between compensation and scrapping the licence of the physician/hospital. The commission can put offender behind bars up to 3 years. It can also order trying the offender under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provisions if it deems fit. It ranges between compensation and scrapping the licence of the physician/hospital. The commission can put offender behind bars up to 3 years. It can also order trying the offender under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provisions if it deems fit. Fair Pricing: Hospitals with more than 100 beds must start fair price medicine shops. They are mandated to declare bed charges, ICU charges and package costs which cant be altered. Month: Current Affairs - March, 2017 Topics: Bills and Acts Medical Sector Public health States Latest E-Books Applications are now being accepted for the BJC Scholars Fund, a new scholarship opportunity for college-bound high school seniors who plan to pursue a two- or four-year degree. BJC created the scholarship in response to regional community needs identified by the Ferguson Commission. The BJC Scholars Fund is funded by BJC and administered by The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis. Scholarships will be awarded annually to up to 14 students in communities served by BJC hospitals: St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Boone County, St. Francois County and Crawford County in Missouri; and St. Clair County and Madison County in Illinois. Scholarships will be renewable through graduation or a maximum of 10 semesters, resulting in 50 to 60 BJC Scholars being funded each year when the program reaches full implementation. Each scholarship will be a need-based award of up to $10,000 per academic year at a public Missouri or Illinois state college or university in the state where the student resides, or at a public university in another state offering in-state tuition reciprocity. The annually renewable scholarship will be applicable toward tuition, fees, room and board, transportation and incidental costs. The Scholarship Foundation will support students and parents in taking full advantage of other state, federal and institutional funds to which students are entitled, to ensure that the BJC scholarship award completes the funding required for full year attendance. Interested students can access more information about the scholarship criteria and the application on the Scholarship Foundation website at https://stlouisgraduates.academicworks.com/opportunities/1773. BJC is funding the scholarship program to help increase college access and affordability. The scholarship fund also aligns with BJCs strong advocacy for education, in recognition of the connection between education and improved health and longevity. The Scholarship Foundation will provide outreach services to promote the scholarship opportunity and will administer all aspects of the application and selection process, as well as ongoing support that includes advising, workshops, financial aid counseling, participation in paid internship programs and additional funding opportunities if relevant. The BJC Scholars Fund submission deadline is April 17. Recipients will be announced in July 2017 for the 2017-2018 academic year. The Scholarship Foundation is also reaching out to high schools in eligible communities. Local businesses and organizations are still reaching out in a number of ways to help the community of Perryville following the Feb. 28 tornado. Qdoba, Steak-n-Shake and Cicis Pizza in Farmington will donate 10 percent of the sales on Tuesday to the Perryville relief efforts. Counselors in the Farmington R-7 School District are collecting toiletry items, non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies, buckets, shovels, tarps, wheelbarrows and other items useful for clean-up purposes. The donations can be dropped off at any of the districts locations. The Farmington Regional Chamber of Commerce launched Perryville Twister Relief to assist the numerous victims of the tornado. The chamber is asking area residents, businesses and organizations to purchase gift cards at local establishments. The cards can be brought to the chamber office, located at 302 N. Washington St. in Farmington and runs through March 10. All gift cards collected will be delivered to the Perryville Chamber of Commerce for distribution to those affected by the tornado. The release states suggested gift cards include locations for food, lodging, personal items and daily needs. Cards of any value will be accepted and utilized. Tickets are also on sale for a Tough as Diamonds raffle. According to the chamber, tickets will be available to win a prize package containing a $999 Steal Her Heart diamond necklace from Krekeler Jewelers in Farmington, $50 gift certificate from Mary Janes Burgers & Brew in Perryville, $75 gift certificate from 15 West in Perryville and a $75 gift certificate from 12 West in Farmington. The cost for tickets is $5 each or 6 for $25 and available at the above donating retailers and Marisa Zaricor (on Facebook or m_zaricor@att.net). The drawing will be held the weekend of March 18. A live Facebook auction page is being hosted on the Farmington Regional Chambers Facebook page with the highest bidder winning a soft-side Hopper 40 YETI cooler valued at $299.99 and containing several hundred dollars worth of additional YETI merchandise. Items for the Facebook auction are donated by KREI/KTJJ and Gifford Lumber Company in Farmington. Ophelia in Farmington is giving 10 percent of any purchase to those affected by the Perryville tornado. Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION Each review score is between 1-10. To get the overall score that you see, we add up all the review scores weve received and divide that total by the number of review scores weve received. In addition, guests can give separate subscores in crucial areas, such as location, cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities, value for money and free Wi-Fi. Note that guests submit their subscores and their overall scores independently, so theres no direct link between them. You can review an Accommodation that you booked through our Platform if you stayed there or if you arrived at the property but didnt actually stay there. To edit a review youve already submitted, please contact our Customer Service team. We have people and automated systems that specialise in detecting fake reviews submitted to our Platform. If we find any, we delete them and, if necessary, take action against whoever is responsible. Anyone else who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team, so our Fraud team can investigate. Ideally, we would publish every review we receive, whether positive or negative. However, we wont display any review that includes or refers to (among other things): Politically sensitive comments Promotional content Illegal activities Personal or sensitive information (e.g. emails, phone numbers or credit card info) Swear words, sexual references, hate speech, discriminatory remarks, threats, or references to violence Spam and fake content Animal cruelty Impersonation (e.g. if the writer is claiming to be someone else) Any violation of our review guidelines. To make sure reviews are relevant, we may only accept reviews that are submitted within 3 months of checking out, and we may stop showing reviews once theyre 36 months old or if the Accommodation has a change of ownership. An Accommodation may choose to reply to a review. When you see multiple reviews, the most recent ones will be at the top, subject to a few other factors (what language a review is in, whether its just a rating or contains comments as well, etc.). If you like, you can sort and/or filter them (by time of year, review score, etc.). We sometimes show external review scores from other well-known travel websites. We make it clear when weve done this. Guidelines and standards for Reviews These guidelines and standards aim to keep the content on Booking.com relevant and family-friendly without limiting expression of strong opinions. They are also applicable regardless of the sentiment of the comment. Contributions should be travel related. The most helpful contributions are detailed and help others make better decisions. Please dont include personal, political, ethical, or religious commentary. Promotional content will be removed and issues concerning Booking.coms services should be routed to our Customer Service or Accommodation Service teams. Contributions should be appropriate for a global audience. Please avoid using profanity or attempts to approximate profanity with creative spelling, in any language. Comments and media that include 'hate speech', discriminatory remarks, threats, sexually explicit remarks, violence, and the promotion of illegal activity are not permitted. All content should be genuine and unique to the guest. Reviews are most valuable when they are original and unbiased. Your contribution should be yours. Booking.com property partners should not post on behalf of guests or offer incentives in exchange for reviews. Attempts to bring down the rating of a competitor by submitting a negative review will not be tolerated. Respect the privacy of others. Booking.com will make an effort to obscure email addresses, telephone numbers, website addresses, social media accounts, and similar details. The opinions expressed in contributions are those of Booking.com customers and properties and not of Booking.com. Booking.com does not accept responsibility or liability for any reviews or responses. Booking.com is a distributor (without any obligation to verify) and not a publisher of these comments and responses. By default, reviews are sorted based on the date of the review and on additional criteria to display the most relevant reviews, including but not limited to: your language, reviews with text, and non-anonymous reviews. Additional sorting options may be available (by type of traveller, by score, etc.). Translations disclaimer This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, express or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. The Leadwood woman accused of murdering her husband Frank Ancona was granted a bond reduction, of sorts, on Tuesday. After being arrested last month and charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse, Malissa Ancona was being held without bond. Her attorney, Public Defender Wayne Williams, subsequently filed a motion for a bond setting hearing. The hearing was held Tuesday before Associate Circuit Judge Joseph Goff Jr. Malissa Ancona, who did not appear for the hearing, was represented by Assistant Public Defender Ayla Chadbourne who appeared on behalf of Williams. The state was represented by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Campbell. Judge Goff ordered bond to be set at $1 million, cash only. The case was continued to March 16 at 1:30 p.m. for setting of a preliminary hearing. Commenting on the bond, Prosecuting Attorney Jerrod Mahurin remarked that, without bond, per Missouri statute, Malissa Ancona could have invoked her right to a speedy trial and requested that her case be tried within 120 days. Setting a bond, therefore, gives the state more time to properly prepare its case for trial. Malissa Anconas son Paul Jinkerson Jr. has also been charged in the killing of his step-father Frank Ancona. Both defendants entered pleas of not guilty during their separate arraignments on Feb. 21. According to a probable cause statement, the homicide occurred on Feb. 9 at the Ancona home, located at 1124 Mill St. in Leadwood. Frank Ancona was shot and killed inside the Anconas bedroom. Investigators believe he was shot with a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun. His body was then placed in Jinkerson's vehicle and taken, along with Frank Ancona's car, to Washington County and dumped. His car was found in the Mark Twain National Forest on a service road. His body was found in the Belgrade area near Big River off Route C. A search warrant was served at the Ancona home on Feb. 11, which revealed extensive blood evidence in the master bedroom as well as on the sidewalk outside of the residence. An autopsy conducted Feb. 12 confirmed Frank Ancona died as result of a gunshot wound to the head. Because of Frank Ancona's association with the Ku Klux Klan he was known as the Imperial Wizard of the Traditionalist American Knights of the KKKK, a group he reportedly formed in 2009 as a modern successor of the KKK the case has drawn international attention despite the fact that there are no indications his murder was related in any way to his involvement with the group. Reportedly the Mineral Area Community Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center wants to renovate a facility at 510 W. Pine St. in Farmington to form the Bridge Tree Behavioral Hospital in Farmington, a 16-bed in-patient psychiatric unit for adults. According to a recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the cost of the project is estimated at $833,000. On Friday, Candy Zarcone, the president of the St. Francois County Mental Health Board, said the area has been in need of such a facility since the closing of the adult psychiatric unit at the former Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in early 2016. The 10-bed unit did not make the move when the facility was closed and services were transferred to BJCs Parkland Health Center after Mineral Area was purchased by BJC in 2015. Shortly after the announcement of the closing in 2015, officials with Parkland said the cost-prohibitive fixes and regulations for the Weber Road campus led to the decision to close the facility and, with that, the closure of the emergency department and 10-bed adult behavioral unit. Word of this possible opening in Farmington has been good news to Zarcone and brings a need to not only St. Francois County, but many of the surrounding counties as well. We have 2,071 inpatient psychiatric beds in the entire state, Zarcone said. Out of those 2,071, a big percentage of them are geriatric beds. They are only reserved for ages 55 and older. A smaller fraction of those are reserved for youth and children. So, the actually number of general psychiatric beds is a fraction of that. You consider our county alone is about 65,000. Every other county that adjoins St. Francois County other than Jefferson County does not have a mental health facility, either. A February 2017 report from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services shows the number of licensed psychiatric beds available in the eastern region which included Farmington, Crystal City and Sullivan at 68. Sixteen of those are the geriatric beds at Parkland Health Center in Farmington. Mercy Hospital Jefferson is Crystal City is the closest facility since the closing of Mineral Areas facility with 42 beds. Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital has 10. One program Zarcone would like to see made available is an emergency diversion clinic specialized care for someone experiencing a mental health crisis. Its kind of a holding clinic the patients have to be medically stable, she said. They could stay there instead of having to stay at an emergency department. Facilities such as this, however, are complicated when it comes to funding for a facility. In the meantime, however, Zarcone said she has not heard a timeline on the opening of a local facility but knows the process can take time. There are a lot more regulations to comply with if they go over 16 beds, she said. Thats why a lot of them dont go over 16 beds. Vicky Winick, president of Mineral Area Community Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center, did not return phone calls for comment on Friday. Residents are asked to be on the look-out for a scam appearing to come from a government office. Candy Zarcone is a Medicare counselor with the CLAIM/State Health Insurance Assistance Program. On Friday, Zarcone said she received an email from CLAIM warning of a serious fraud scam. The email states the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirmed that the HHS OIG Hotline telephone number is being used as part of a telephone spoofing scam targeting individuals throughout the country. According to the alert, the scammers represent themselves as HHS OIG Hotline employees and can alter the appearance of the caller ID to make it seem as if the call is coming from the HHS OIG Hotline 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). The perpetrator may use various tactics to obtain or verify the victims personal information, which can then be used to steal money from an individuals bank account or for other fraudulent activity. HHS OIG takes this matter seriously. The office is actively investigating this matter and intend to have the perpetrators prosecuted. The office reminds the community it is important to know that HHS OIG will not use the HHS OIG Hotline telephone number to make outgoing calls and individuals should not answer calls from 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). We encourage the public to remain vigilant, protect their personal information, and guard against providing personal information during calls that purport to be from the HHS OIG Hotline telephone number, the email alert states. We also remind the public that it is still safe to call into the HHS OIG Hotline to report fraud. We particularly encourage those who believe they may have been a victim of the telephone spoofing scam to report that information to us through the HHS OIG Hotline 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) or spoof@oig.hhs.gov. Individuals may also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). Zarcone said there are no reports of the scam locally. A link to the offices Consumer Alerts webpage can be found at oig.hhs.gov/fraud/consumer-alerts/alerts/phone-scam.asp. ** 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. My bill, HB655 was sent to the Senate this week with 122 yes votes from the House. HB655 extends the expiration date of tax credits for donations to pregnancy centers. I am excited to continue to push this bill through the legislature this session. I believe this bill will help women get the help they need and also encourage others to donate to womens health. We sent 11 bills to the Senate this week. The Senate has been spending much of its time on Senator Romines bill on discrimination. SB43 modifies and creates new provisions relating to unlawful discriminatory practices. Currently, under the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA), a practice is unlawful when the protected trait is a contributing factor in the decision to discriminate. This act changes that standard to the motivating factor. The motivating factor is defined to mean that the employee's protected classification actually played a role in the adverse action or decision and had a determinative influence on the adverse decision or action. The person must further prove that such action was the direct proximate cause of the claimed damages. Today at the Capitol, we had a special guest speaker, former Governor Jeb Bush. Mr. Bush was here to talk about education reform. It was a pleasure to meet and visit with him. Thank you to my many visitors this week. I had the pleasure of speaking with Christina Jackson of Farmington and Audrey Yates of Potosi this week. Both women are teachers with the Missouri State Teachers Association. I also had the chance to meet with members of the Missouri Cattlemans Association, East Missouri Action Agency and members of Missouri Farm Bureau. Thank you all for taking the time to travel to Jefferson City. I would like to send my regards to all those in Perryville and the surrounding areas that were affected by the tornado this week. My grandpa used to say to me you can always tell us Germans, but you cant tell us much. And you cant tell me that the fine people of Perryville will let this tragedy keep them down. I believe Perryville will work together to endure and to work together to rebuild their community. There are many resources offered to those affected by the tornado. The Multi-Agency Resource Center is offering disaster-related assistance on Saturday, March 4th at the Perry Park Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are offering services such as a sign-up for debris removal service, insurance and legal services, and health and wellness services. Please bring a proof of address if you attend. Also, Jeannie Brandstetter of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys will be offering free legal advice. Please contact her at (573)635-5215 and she will refer your situation to an attorney volunteering his or her services. Already have an account? Log in here We need your support! Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canada is known as a country with a policy of open doors for immigrants and especially refugees. Interestingly enough, that hasnt been always the fact. With the current global refugee crisis bigger than anything we have seen in the last few decades, its interesting to look at past refugee crises. For instance, lets take a look at the refugee crisis of Jewish people that exploded as a consequence of the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany, and subsequent Second World War and horrible Holocaust. The history of Jewish immigration to Canada could be one of the factors that helped shape the modern Canadian government immigration policy. Before the war, the Canadian government held varied positions regarding the entrance of Jewish immigrants from accepting those who helped in British or French military campaigns in the last part of the 19th century to rejecting a ship full of Jews in a climate of growing anti-Semitism in 1939. Unlike many other immigrant groups, Jewish immigrants didnt come to Canada from a country where they were the majority. Since ancient times, the Jewish population suffered a diaspora that took them to several places in the world, such as North Africa, the Middle East and several countries in Europe. The earliest documentation of Jews entering what is now Canada is British army records from the French and Indian War, which took place between 1754 and 1763. Among the members of the regiment were five Jews. After that first arrival, the first significant arrival of Jews to Canada was a consequence of the colonization of the territory by British forces. Between 1850 and 1900, approximately 15,000 arrived. This is a small number when compared with a second wave of Jewish immigration between 1900 and 1920, when 120,000 Jews arrived, mainly from Eastern Europe. By 1930, the Jewish population of Canada had grown to more than 150,000. Between 1933 and 1945 Canada, along with many countries considered traditional countries of immigration, imposed migratory restrictions that affected Jewish migrants. In 1939, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King infamously stated that a ship full of more than 900 Jewish refugees, the MS St. Louis, was not a Canadian problem. Sadly 254 Jewish passengers on that ship died during the Holocaust in concentration camps. Mackenzie Kings administration refused to expand immigration opportunities for Jewish refugees from Europe. Canada accepted only 5,000 Jews during the 1930s. These policies changed after the Second World War, leading to more approximately 40,000 Holocaust survivors arriving in Canada during the last part of the 1940s. The refugee crisis that the war generated can be compared with the current crisis that is causing thousands of people to flee from Africa and the Middle East. The result of the Holocaust in how the Canadian government saw and acted on Jewish immigration can be seen in the liberalization of policies that became almost a pattern in modern Canada. After the Holocaust, the government supported the establishing of labour immigration programs and initiatives directed to attract and settle Jewish immigrants, such as the Workmens Circle and Jewish Labour Committee started in 1947. Canadas response to the present crisis is undoubtedly informed by other large refugee and immigrant crises, such as the one caused by the Second World War. However, responses from other countries to both crises could not be more dissimilar. While the United States and European countries are closing their doors and making their refugee and immigrant policies stricter and less welcoming, Canada is still promoting its territory as one of open doors. According to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the country received 40,081 Syrian refugees from November 2015 to February 2017. Manitoba alone has received has welcomed 1,996 refugees for the same period. This is significant considering that is comes at the same time as U.S. President Donald Trumps attempt to restrict anyone from seven Middle East and African countries, including Syria, from entering the U.S. Canada is very careful with its immigration policies. Long-term projections, economic interests and geopolitical strategies have informed the migratory regulations. However, one thing is certain: Immigration and refugee acceptance boosts the sustainability of the nation in terms of its multicultural identity, but especially of its economic performance. Pensions, production, taxes, population growth and many other measures of Canadas success are linked to how Canada deals with refugees and immigration. So far, Canada keeps benefiting from the crisis by accepting valuable newcomers. Jaime Chinchilla is part of Brandons Latin American community and a member of the popular Son Latino Band. His column appears monthly. Country Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Update 6.30pm: Nurses and midwives who are members of the INMO have deferred industrial action planned for next Tuesday, March 7. More Update 4.20pm: The Executive Council of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is meeting this afternoon to discuss the outcome of recent talks at the Workplace Relations Commission on staff recruitment and retention. More than 30,000 INMO nurses and midwives are due to begin a work-to-rule at hospitals across the country on Tuesday, if agreement cannot be reached beforehand. Siptu has said it will also consider a proposal put forward at the WRC. The union's health division organiser Paul Bell said: "We will be bringing back this document for discussion to our executive and hopefully over the next 24 hours we will have a position where we understand whether we can go any further through dialogue." Earlier: With Monday's Bus Eireann strike suspended, it remains to be seen whether nurses will take part in their planned industrial action next week. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is meeting today ahead of a work-to-rule on Tuesday. Talks among the Executive Council of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization will get underway shortly, to try to resolve a long-running dispute. It comes ahead of planned industrial action by more than 30,000 nursing and midwifery staff on Tuesday. Negotiations have been taking place between the union and the HSE at the Workplace Relations Commission in recent days in a bid to find a resolution to the dispute centering on staff recruitment and retention. The executive council will review the discussions at today's meeting in a bid to avert the industrial action. Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has said the "perpetual unionist majority" at Stormont has been "demolished" following the result of the Northern Ireland Assembly election. A jubilant Mr Adams said it was a "watershed" moment after his party closed to within a solitary seat of the Democratic Unionist Party. The DUP had previously held a 10-seat majority. He also said Sinn Fein's new leader in the north, Michelle O'Neill, will be holding talks with Enda Kenny and Theresa May about the impact of Brexit on Ireland north and south over the next few weeks. Speaking outside the party's West Belfast office, Mr Adams said Sinn Fein wants to quickly engage in a process with other party leaders to ensure powersharing in the region is restored. But he again insisted that the party will not support DUP leader Arlene Foster as Northern Ireland's first minister until she has been cleared of any wrongdoing related to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scandal. However, it could leave the executive in limbo for up to a year, as it emerges that the inquiry into RHI will not supply any preliminary findings to speed the process along. "There is a need for this inquiry to come to conclusions before we can nominate (Arlene Foster) for a position of first minister," said Mr Adams. He added: "The first position we put was that Arlene Foster stand aside until a preliminary report. Now we are being told there will be no preliminary report. "Our position is very straightforward. We will not be consenting to Arlene Foster being first minister until this issue is cleared up." He added that "what was good enough for Peter Robinson (who twice stood aside as first minister amid controversy) is good enough for Arlene Foster". Ms O'Neill, who replaced Martin McGuinness in January, said she is to hold talks with both the Irish and British governments to discuss the way forward for the North's political institutions. "I also made contact with the leaders of all the political parties to talk about next week and how we are going to conduct ourselves in the time ahead. "We obviously have a period of three weeks in front of us and whilst the task isn't going to be easy it is achievable if people come at it with the right attitude. "On Monday morning I will lead our team into the assembly where we are ready to deal with all the issues," she added. The pro-Brexit DUP narrowly remained the region's largest party by just one seat as a Sinn Fein surge saw the republican party make major gains over the DUP. Having entered the election 10 seats ahead of Sinn Fein, the DUP's advantage was slashed to a solitary seat. DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has insisted there is no question over Ms Foster's future as party leader despite the party's disappointing performance. Mr Donaldson said that despite the bruising election the DUP is still the largest party and their focus now "is on Arlene and the party getting a government up and running again at Stormont". "I must say, I am not aware of any election in the past where the leader of the largest party resigns because they have won the election. "We need to learn the lesson and understand what people were saying in this election and what the key messages are. "We have been given the responsibility as the main party to take the lead at Stormont and that is what we intend to do so we are not going to get bogged down on what some people want to focus on, which is personalities. "Arlene is leading the largest party and we need to get on with the job of forming a government that works for us all," said Mr Donaldson. Sinn Fein and the DUP now have three weeks to establish a government. If a government cannot be formed between the two main parties within that time then, under law, another election will be called. Direct rule However, Mr Donaldson said he does not believe Westminster will want another election. "If we can't get a government formed within three weeks I don't think the Westminster government will allow another election. I think they will introduce direct rule. "We are determined to work to achieve (a powersharing government) but if it doesn't happen I fear we could be looking at a lengthy period of direct rule." Only 1,168 first preference votes separated the DUP and Sinn Fein and, for the first time, Unionists will not have an overall majority at Stormont. Amid the fallout, Mike Nesbitt said he would resign as Ulster Unionist leader. It was a positive campaign for both the SDLP and Alliance who both maintained their seats. The election was called after the collapse of a coalition led by Arlene Foster's DUP and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness. Mr McGuinness resigned over Ms Foster's refusal to step aside as first minister pending an inquiry into the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, which could cost the Northern Ireland taxpayers 490m. A new opinion poll shows almost half of Fine Gael voters would prefer Simon Coveney to replace Enda Kenny as leader, if it were a head-to-head contest with Leo Varadkar. According to today's Irish Times/MRBI poll 49% would choose the Housing Minister, compared to 44% for the Social Protection Minister. Firefighters belonging to SIPTU will hold a protest outside 12 firestations in Dublin today. Members of the union say they are taking the action against an attempt to break up the DFB emergency medical service. The union say senior management at Dublin city council propose to remove the ambulance service 'call and dispatch function' from them. SIPTU organiser Brendan O Brien says the removal of this service will reduce effectiveness and cause delays in response times. "We've balloted our members for industrial and strike action, and we're campaigning at the moment and seeking public support." Former US President Barack Obama has flatly rejected a claim by President Donald Trump that he - Obama - tapped Trumps phone in the run-up to Novembers election. Mr Trump made the sensational claim over twitter in the early hours of this morning, and called Mr Obama a "bad (or sick) guy", using his favoured medium of twitter and not citing any evidence or source for the claim. Barack Obama has now issued a reply through spokesman Kevin Lewis, which amounts to a flat rejection of the claim. Kevin Lewis said a "cardinal rule" of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered in any Justice Department investigations, which are supposed to be conducted free of political influence. "As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen," Lewis said, adding that "any suggestion otherwise is simply false". The White House did not immediately reply to inquiries about what prompted the president's tweets. Trump compared the alleged activity to behaviour involving president Richard Nixon and the bugging of his political opponents. Earlier, former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes responded to Mr Trumps tweet by saying No President can order a wiretap. No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you. https://t.co/lEVscjkzSw Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) March 4, 2017 Trump's tweets came days after disclosures that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, during his Senate confirmation hearing, did not disclose his own campaign season contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States. Sessions, a US senator at the time, was Trump's earliest Senate supporter. Trump's opening tweet on Saturday mentioned Sessions and claimed the first meeting Sessions had with the Russian diplomat was "set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs." US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the campaign with the goal of helping elect Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton, findings that Trump has dismissed. The FBI has investigated Trump associates' ties to Russian officials. Congress is also investigating. Trump has blamed Democrats for leaks of information about the investigation and the contacts. It was unclear what prompted Trump's new charge. The president often tweets about reports he reads on blogs and conservative-leaning websites. After tweeting Saturday about Obama, as well as about Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to leave The New Celebrity Apprentice, Trump went to his golf club in nearby West Palm Beach. US attorney general Jeff Sessions is to provide amended evidence on Monday regarding his contacts with Russia's ambassador during the presidential election. Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said Mr Sessions will also respond to questions raised by Democratic senators. The nine Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee had asked that Mr Sessions appear again before the committee to discuss the subject. They said significant questions remain unanswered. The committee's Republican chairman Chuck Grassley rejected the request. Mr Sessions has recused himself from any probe that examines communications between President Donald Trump's aides and Moscow. His decision came after revelations that he spoke twice with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign and failed to say so despite questioning from Congress. Mr Trump has accused Democrats of conducting a "witch hunt" in their criticism of Mr Sessions. The president said the attorney general "could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional". Mr Sessions rejected any suggestion that he tried to mislead anyone about his contacts with the Russian, saying: "That is not my intent. That is not correct." But he did admit he should have been more careful in his evidence during his confirmation hearing, saying: "I should have slowed down and said, 'But I did meet one Russian official a couple of times'." One of the conversations with Mr Kislyak occurred at a July event on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. At the same event, the ambassador also spoke with Carter Page, who briefly advised Mr Trump's campaign on foreign policy, according to a source. PA 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!) A North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia has accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to the assassination of the half-brother of North Korea's leader, calling it a plot to tarnish his country's honour. Ri Jong Chol spoke to reporters in Beijing, China, while on his way to Pyongyang. Malaysian authorities have said there is insufficient evidence to charge him over Kim Jong Nam's killing at Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13. Mr Ri was detained four days after the attack but police never said what they believed his role was. Two women - one Indonesian, one Vietnamese - have been charged with murder after police said they smeared Mr Kim's face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Mr Ri said he was not at the airport the day Mr Kim was killed but police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with "fake evidence". He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," he said. "This is when I realised that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Immigration director-general Mustafar Ali said Mr Ri has been banned from re-entering Malaysia. The country's police are looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. Police on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but did not say why he is a suspect . Police said he arrived in Malaysia on January 29, about two weeks before Mr Kim was killed. The death has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysia said it was scraping visa-free entry for North Koreans, while the Foreign Ministry said it was "greatly concerned" about the use of the nerve agent. Malaysia has not directly accused North Korea of being behind the killing, but the ministry statement came hours after a North Korean envoy rejected a Malaysian post-mortem finding that VX killed Mr Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said the victim probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from cardiac disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. He said that if VX had been used, others besides Mr Kim would have been killed or injured. The two female suspects were caught on surveillance video smearing what Malaysian authorities say was VX on his face and eyes, though both reportedly said they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Mr Kim died within 20 minutes, authorities say. No bystanders reported falling ill. Police said the women had been trained to go immediately to the toilet and wash their hands. Police said the four North Korean suspects who had left the country put the VX liquid on the women's hands. Police cannot confirm whether the two women may have been given antidotes before the attack. Atropine can be injected after exposure and is carried by medics in war zones where weapons of mass destruction are suspected. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Mr Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Mr Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Un's half brother. AP Two gang members who are in the US illegally held three teenage girls against their will in Houston, Texas, and killed one of them in a satanic ritual, authorities have said. Miguel Alvarez-Flores, 22, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera, 18, members of the notorious MS-13 gang from El Salvador, have been arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and murder - both first-degree felonies punishable by up to life in prison. Bonds totalling 300,000 dollars have been set for each, but an order from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will keep them behind bars. A 15-year-old girl's body was found on February 16 with gunshot wounds to the face and chest. Homicide detective Sergeant Chris Sturdivant said the girl's identity has not been officially determined but investigators are confident they know who she is - a girl reported missing in January in nearby Jersey Village. The captives were three "young, impressionable women" aged 14 to 16 who succumbed to the allure of gang life before being taken to an apartment and held against their will, Sgt Sturdivant said. A 14-year-old girl told investigators they were fed drugs and alcohol and forced to have sex. She said the 15-year-old was killed in a satanic ritual because she had struck the gang's shrine to a satanic saint, according to investigators. She told investigators that Alvarez-Flores made a peace offering to the figure in the form of a cigarette. "He returned from the statue and told the entire group that the beast did not want a material offering but wanted a soul," District Judge Maria Jackson said during the men's initial court appearance. The 14-year-old said she later woke to find the 15-year-old gone, according to investigators. The case comes as President Donald Trump promotes concerns over criminal immigrants in the US illegally. He has announced that he plans to create an agency, called Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement or Voice, to serve victims of immigrant crime and their relatives. It will be part of the Department of Homeland Security. "The majority of the MS-13 members we come into contact with are here illegally," Sgt Sturdivant said. He said both men had admitted their involvement in the abductions and killing after their arrests on Monday. MS-13, also called Mara Salvatrucha, is believed to have been founded in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s by immigrants fleeing civil war in El Salvador. It is now a major international criminal enterprise. The Houston case emerged the day after federal prosecutors in New York state said they had charged 13 MS-13 members with killings in the Brentwood area of Long Island. The dead included three high school students, including two girls, who were killed with a machete and baseball bats as they walked through their suburban neighbourhood. Thirteen members of local cliques of the MS-13 gang were charged with a series of violent crimes and seven killings over a five-year period. Among the dead were Brentwood High School students Nisa Mickens, 15, and Kayla Cuevas, 16, who were ambushed by a carload of other teenagers on September 13, and their former schoolmate Jose Pena-Hernandez, 18, whose corpse was found in the grounds of an abandoned state psychiatric hospital after his disappearance in June. Prosecutors revealed 10 of the 13 indicted people were citizens of El Salvador or Honduras who were in the US illegally. AP In contrast, the overseas critics who are so alarmed claim no experience in this area and appear ill-informed about KHV in general. KHV is present in more than 30 countries worldwide, so adding Australia to the list won't greatly alter the imagined risk of it "spreading into the world's oceans and harming other species in the long term". If commentators from England had been trying to eradicate KHV from English and Welsh lakes on that basis, their criticism of work here might be more believable. Brian Cooke, Waramanga Rough ride ahead The piece by Europe correspondent Nick Miller ("Sweden beyond the Trumpverse", Sunday CT, February 26) would only convince those who have read nothing about Sweden's growing problem with increasing numbers of Islamic immigrants. Perhaps the most telling development was a recent government-sponsored advertisement that implored Swedes to not only welcome the unauthorised arrivals but to adapt to the new reality which ended with the image of a Muslim woman in a hijab. Among other things this enraged many Swedes who are not ready to jettison their culture and simply roll over to the new chaotic order prescribed by out of touch politicians. Sound familiar? I suspect that unless Sweden gets a grip of this issue, they will be in for a very rough ride in the coming years. H.Ronald, Jerrabomberra, NSW Indonesian ties I was heartened to read Mark Kenny's article ("Indonesia key to Australian prosperity", Sunday CT, February 26). While Indonesian President Joko Widodo's weekend visit to Australia didn't have all the soft power razzmatazz of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Australians should take note of the significance of this relationship reset. With both leaders on the weekend focusing on stronger economic relations and setting an example for people-to-people ties, we can only hope this signals a much larger positive shift. With the foreign policy white paper just months away, let's hope a new Australian foreign policy reorientation advances Australia's longer-term interests. I am confident Mark Kenny is attuned to when we might expect the dominant security and conflict narrative vis-a-vis Indonesia to be more counterbalanced with a wider focus on opportunity and co-operation. It is well overdue for Australia to lead, not lag, on tapping into the dynamism and growth of Indonesia. So far news of an Australian consulate opening soon in Surabaya is reassuring. I now look forward to the day when there will be more business analysts sitting on flights to Surabaya than security analysts behind desks in Russell. Equally, I look forward to the day when there will be more curious Australian students on Indonesia campuses than incurious Australian protesters at anti-Muslim rallies. Craig Hodges, Kingston Tram plan a dog The Chief Minister plans to can the Convention Centre project because the benefit cost ratio (BCR) is only 2.4. I wouldn't complain about that. If it needed federal funding it wasn't much of a project anyway. But it is clear and irrefutable proof that the tram which, on normal criteria, has a BCR of 0.47 and, using the inflated methodology of the government, could only generate 1.2, really is a dog. The pity is Shane Rattenbury cannot also see the point. What really is required is an apology to the Can the Tram group, which the government criticised as out of touch when, now, it is clear that they were right. Stan Marks, Hawker Public pay price The easy solution for this drama of the scientists having to move to Armidale ("Scientists reject move to Armidale", CT, March 1, p5) (and) to placate both Andrew Barr and Barnaby Joyce in one move, is to build the new National Convention Centre in Armidale. That way Mr Barr can get on with his pet project "the tram" and Barnaby Joyce still gets to pork barrel in his electorate with a $900million construction. Either way the ACT rate/tax payer cops the brunt of politically inept decisions. Are you a feminist? Do you believe women are human beings and deserve to be treated as such? That women deserve all the same rights and liberties bestowed upon men? If so, then you are a feminist, or so all the feminists keep insisting. Despite the simplicity and obviousness of the dictionary definition of feminism, and despite years of working at feminist non-profits and decades of advocacy, I am disowning the label. If you asked me today if I am a feminist I would not only say no, I would say no with a sneer. Jessa Crispin is done with the f-word, but not for the reason most give for rejecting the label. Don't worrythis is not where I insist I am not a feminist because I am afraid of being mistaken for one of those hairy-legged, angry, man-hating feminists that are drawn up like bogeymen by men and women alike. Nor will I now reassure you of my approachability, my reasonable nature, my heteronormativity, my love of men and my sexual availabilitydespite the fact that this disclaimer appears to be a prerequisite for all feminist writing published in the last fifteen years. If anything, that poseI am harmless, I am toothless, you can f--- meis why I find myself rejecting the feminist label: All these bad feminists, all these Talmudic "can you be a feminist and still have a bikini wax?" discussions. All these reassurances to their (male) audiences that they don't want too much, won't go too far"We don't know what Andrea Dworkin was on about either! Trust us." All these feminists giving blowjobs like it's missionary work. The mother of the two boys has been charged with attempted murder. She can not be identified because of legal reasons. Credit:Facebook The five-year-old was recovered after a search by local police, SES, Maritime Rescue and the Victorian police air wing and divers. The search began about 7pm on Thursday after a 27-year-old woman is alleged to have taken the boy and his nine-year-old brother to the river in Moama to kill them, and continued through Friday during daylight and then started again Saturday morning. The mother, who allegedly admitted to trying to drown the children, has already been charged with attempted murder of the older boy who remains in hospital in a serious condition. A court on Saturday heard she is likely to be charged with more offences. She did not appear for the brief hearing that was held in Deniliquin, where the boys lived, and where she was extradited to from Victoria on Friday evening. She has been remanded until another hearing on Monday in Deniliquin. "We anticipate there will another charge," the police prosecutor told the court earlier on Saturday. The mother is expected to be transferred from Deniliquin police station to Junee Correctional Centre later on Saturday. She has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly taking the two boys to the river in Moama, on the NSW-Victoria border. Peter Hebbard, the Legal Aid duty solicitor for the 27-year-old, said the woman was "confused" and "upset". "She's pretty upset. I get the distinct impression she really doesn't know what's going on, not in terms of the legal side of it but, in terms of just what's happened with her children," he said outside court. "She told me I know these are serious matters and I'm not going to make a bail application." Mr Hebbard said he had no idea whether his client would fight the charge. "At these stage she certainly hasn't given me instructions on how she will plead." Her aunt was standing outside the court grounds in Deniliquin with some friends waiting for her niece to arrive. "We're all asking: Why, why? We want answers," she said. The mother can not be identified because of legal reasons. Her aunt said the Department of Human Services, police and corrections authorities "have a lot to answer for" in how the tragedy unfolded and why it wasn't prevented. "Nothing was done when the family was calling for help," she said. The father of the boys has spoken of his devastation and said he was numb after learning about what had happened. The children had been in the care of their grandparents and their grandmother remains by the nine-year-old's side at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. Dale Brooks, representing the children's grandmother, said the boys' mother had been living in a caravan on the back of the grandparents' property in Deniliquin since she was released from jail in February. Mr Brooks said he understood the woman had served roughly six months' jail time for breaking and entering. The grandparents last year took out an apprehended violence order against the woman, who underwent a mental health assessment after a decline in her mental state on Wednesday. "What's really, really troubling about it was neither the police nor the Department of Corrective Services or Family and Community Services actually considered the risk to these little fellers," Mr Brooks said. On Friday, police told a Victorian court that she had told her eldest son to get in the river where she held his head under the water before he escaped and was then attacked by a pit bull dog that happened to be in the area. The woman then allegedly turned to her younger son, who had been screaming, and held his face under the water. Detective Sergeant Trent Swinton told the Victorian court on Friday that the woman made full admissions to her role in the incident, and told police of her "intention to kill both children". The court also heard she allegedly told witnesses the night before that she "had to drown my babies". A neighbour outside the court on Saturday said it was impossible to imagine what the grandmother of the children was going through. "This was her daughter and it happened to her grandchildren. And the child [in hospital] has lost his mother and ... his brother, it will change his life forever. It's awful," they said. Deniliquin locals say the grandparents were well-respected. Others said that while they did not know the mother personally, they knew of her and her "problems". A father who lost control of his car after he swerved to avoid a kangaroo has been hailed a hero after pulling his children from the wreckage. Police say the man's four-wheel drive was travelling east along the Western Freeway in Wendouree, Ballarat, at around 3am when the driver allegedly veered off the road when a kangaroo ran into its path. The vehicle on the railway line at Wendouree. Credit:Heidi Murphy / 3AW The driver lost control of the car and ran down an embankment onto a railway line several hundred metres away, landing on its roof. A passing train driver raised the alarm. About 100 people have been evacuated from stores at Abbotsford after shoppers reported feeling nauseated by a pungent smell. Shoppers were evacuated from Woolworths, Aldi, Chemist Warehouse and Saigon Village Fresh Food Centre on Saturday afternoon after reports of a chemical smell about 12.45pm. MFB crews evacuate an Abbotsford shopping centre on Saturday. Credit:7 News Melbourne The stores, at the corner of Nicholson and Victoria streets, were emptied by firefighters. Melbourne Fire Brigade Commander Rick Gili said several people felt unwell as a result of concrete-sealing works at Dimmeys. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up to our daily newsletter for the latest local and breaking news in Bristol. The Mayor of Bristol has told a special conference aimed at bringing together tenants, housing associations and council chiefs that he wants the city to get the power to introduce rent caps. Speaking at the Big Housing Conversation, Marvin Rees said of all the different measures to take to tackle the Bristol housing crisis, providing more social and council housing was the most important. But he said another part of the steps to take would be to get more powers from central Government to be able to take more action and that might well include capping the amount of rent people pay to private landlords. Already, Bristol City Council is at the forefront of local authorities taking action on housing, particularly with a controversial landlord licensing scheme that has been introduced in three different areas of the city so far. The council has also endorsed a version of an 'ethical lettings charter', drawn up by tenants campaign group Acorn, which co-organised the conference last night at City Hall. The conference saw both private and council tenants join with housing association chiefs, council housing officers and politicians to talk through a wide range issues. Almost 100 people attended the conference, with another planned later this year to follow up on the work done. Speaking at the start of the conference the second one organised since Marvin Rees was elected mayor almost a year ago the mayor said Bristol would demand the money and the power from central government to see substantial house building, which would also mean a new generation of council homes. "What came out of the first gathering was the need to get that supply line of social and affordable housing coming on," he said. "We also know we need to bring protection in the private rented sector. This is about building balanced communities, and if we can do that, we can sow resilience and community collectively. "The Government tell us they want a million homes built nationally by 2020, and it's about the nature of that deliver. It's no good just building homes, we need to build communities," he added. Mr Rees said there would be controversy over some of the things that were needed to help people remain in their communities. He said: "It's going to be sensitive, but we are asking that city government powers catch up with where housing issues are with rent caps and so forth. "People talk about gentrification, and certainly Easton looks nothing like what it was like when I was a kid growing up there. "In some ways that's a good thing, but it's about keeping communities together. We have to get the powers we need" Giving local councils the power to cap rent would be another huge step by central Government, which is currently consulting on a promise to ban lettings agencies from charging fees to tenants. One initial measure, previously raised by council housing chief Paul Smith, is for the council to effectively cap the rents it allows the housing associations it works with to charge tenants. Nick Ballard, from Acorn, welcomed the pledge on rent caps, even if it could only happen if central Government allowed it. He said: "It's good to hear Marvin Rees raising the need to look at rent caps to help deal with Bristol's housing crisis. "(It's) not something local government has the power to introduce at the moment but certainly something that we're crying out for. "A large groundswell of public support, plus the political will to argue the toss in Westminster, would be a powerful force." Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. From things to see and do, to in-depth features of those who make up our thriving, eclectic and buzzing city - with the BristolBuzz, get your weekly dispatch of what's going on in Bristol city centre straight to your inbox Many of us are proud to live in Bristol, and its surrounding areas. There must be a reason why so many residents have moved here from other parts of the UK - it has a lot going for it. Of course no where is perfect. The traffic we could all do without, and the bus service leaves a lot to be desired, but overall it's not a bad place to live. (Image: Michael Lloyd) People reviewing the area on 'I Live Here' a website dedicated to residents reviews of the area they live has made Bristol sound like a crime hotspot, Weston-super-Mare as an area without hope and people in Portishead are bitter about the people who move to the area since the docks were redeveloped into the marina. What did they say about Bristol? The reviewer of Bristol, who remained anonymous, said: "Arson was a problem with garages being burnt down in the night, my 80yr old neighbour had his double glazing removed and house burgled twice, the spotlight of the police helicopter often shone round our way. "I fondly remember the pavements covered in spit and discarded gum, and sometimes used needles, smeared with s***, and having to clean the wheels on the kids pram before it came in the house." He ends the review with a bizarre anecdote about a murdered colleague - which you might think would be too memorable to be an afterthought, but obviously not. "One of my colleagues didnt come to work one day as his wife murdered him. Women dare not walk around at night without a rape alarm." What did they say about Weston-super-Mare? (Image: Steve Roberts) Referred to as Weston-hellhole-Mare, the reviewer goes on to say it is the place "where you can eat skanky fish and chips cooked in hydrogenated oil from last summer season." They continue: "Have a walk on the beach but watch for the dog mess,broken bottles,condoms and sick from the night drinkers. "The best thing about Weston... Junction 21 on the way out." What did they say about Portishead? (Image: Barbara Evripidou) This review begins with a rather philosophical 'Pose yourself a question'. A step up in composition compared to the other reviews on the site. It continues: "What kind of house and householder would you expect to find next door to a grizzly coal fired power station, a phosphorus factory and a fertiliser processing plant? "Now pose yourself another question. How happy and how lucky do you think that person in their 'chavilla' would be if the power station and associated heavy industry was to be replaced, over a ten year period, by a lovely spanking new marina, complete with bars, restaurants and fishing boats. "They are bitter. Bitter bitter bitter. Their town, their lovely seething cesspit of phosphorus, ash and dust has been robbed from them. And now theres outsiders. And they dont like outsiders. With their trendy eateries, with their yachts and their Audis." Do you agree? All the reviews on ILiveHere.co.uk can be edited so you can always go and have your own say. HS Football: North Penn upsets Pennsbury in instant playoff classic With the game on the line, North Penn coach Dick Beck opted to go for the win with a two-point conversion attempt against Pennsbury. Everything you need to know for MLS Cup 2022 In the first nine months of this fiscal, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) has sold over 60,000 cars to cab aggregators, which constitutes approximately 6 per cent of the companys sales. For the full fiscal 2015-16, MSIL had sold 48,000 units to cab aggregators. Indian solar cells and modules manufacturers have not able to cash in on the opportunity of rising solar power installations thanks to Chinese competition. Between April and October 2016, India imported solar power material worth more than $1 billion. Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app. Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006. Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more. Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them. 26 years of website archives. The traders association boycott on Pepsi and Coca-Cola products in Tamil Nadu entered the fourth day, but response continues to be mixed. While small retailers are partly supporting the boycott, biggies and hotel chains have decided to adopt a wait and watch approach. The two multinationals, whose market here is around Rs 1,600-2000 crore, continues to remain silent on the issue. Coal Indias fourth largest mining subsidiary, Ltd (WCL) is likely to abstain from partially extinguishing its own shares in the ongoing buyback process and thereby will not transfer any of its free reserves to its mother company. 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. Three years ago, I was working as a fellow at a non-profit organisation based in New Delhi. At one point, I felt the need to flag the management about some coordination issues I was facing with my superior. I took my problems to another programme manager. But he started making unwanted overtures the moment I walked into his office. He suggested that we go to Connaught Place for a chat. I agreed but then he later insisted that I accompany him to his place. Although I resisted, he persuaded me to agree. On the way, he started touching me inappropriately and commented on what I was wearing. When we reached his place, he asked me if I drink and when I said no, he asked me to sleep with him. Despite a clear no, he continued to force himself on me. My colleagues encouraged me to file a complaint. I found that although my contract mentioned a committee to investigate sexual harassment, there were no details. There was mention only of a panel that would be constituted in rare instances of sexual harassment. If you work in a desk-bound job and spend too much time sitting down, you may have a bigger waistline and increased risk of heart disease, a new study has warned. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on Saturday approved two crucial Bills the Central and the Integrated . The Union Territory (UTGST) Bill, however, is yet to be approved. The Maharashtra government on Saturday released a draft defence and aerospace policy to attract investments of $5 billion and create 100,000 jobs in the next five years. In New Delhi to discuss decade-long negotiations with India, Canadian Minister of International Trade, Francois-Philippe Champagne tells Subhayan Chakraborty and Sahil Makkar that while pension funds in his country are waiting to invest more in India, they are awaiting clarity in rules of ties between the two countries. Edited excerpts: Cab aggregator on said it has signed MoU with Government of Madhya Pradesh to create 25,000 entrepreneurs in the state. The MOU is focused towards training, skill development and empowerment of 25,000 driver partners in the next two years, said in a release. It said the MoU has been signed with Madhya Pradesh State Skill Development Mission (MPSSDM) and Directorate of Skill Development (Technical Education & Skill Development Dept). The company has set a goal of nurturing micro-entrepreneurship and skilling 50 lakh drivers by 2020. said as part of this initiative, it will work closely with the State's Skill Development Department in providing essential training infrastructure, utilities and technology framework that will ensure an improved employment scenario for the youth of Madhya Pradesh. Along with skilling and training thousands of men and women, Ola said it will also organise on-ground events, build communication modules and create a conducive ecosystem for aspiring driver partners to get requisite training and skills. Ola is successfully operational in 5 cities Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh with various offerings including the likes of Micro, Mini, Prime and Auto-rickshaws. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is examining several dubious companies and they would be removed from the website of Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) if found to be shell firms. "We will not allow any company to be operated as a shell firm. We will take action against such firms," chairman Sushil Chandra said yesterday. He said several such companies were under the scanner of the statutory authority, working under Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance. "There are many companies which are currently being examined by the through a committee to check if they are legitimate or are being operated as shell companies. "If a firm is found to be a shell firm, we will strike it off from Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) website and serve it a notice," said Chandra told reporters here. Chandra was invited here by the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) for felicitation. In his speech at the function, Chandra said does not believe in intrusive action when it comes to the ordinary tax-payers. However, he warned that the Income Tax Department will take action if people did not volunteer information. "Each and every bank account is under our scanner to find out tax evasion. We urge people to come forward and declare their sources. If that does not happen, we have to take intrusive action against such persons who will then be called tax evaders," he said. Tamil Nadu, which initially had issues with the goods and services tax (GST), has said that the state is fully committed to the rollout and its successful implementation. The state has also submitted its views on specific provisions of the draft laws in writing. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Fourteen months after lifting the ban on groundnut imports from India, Vietnam has imposed a temporary restriction on the commodity over quality issues. Groundnut contributes a little over five per cent to India's overall agri trade registered with the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda). Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has organized a national conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan in New Delhi on March 07,2017.Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti will inaugurate the conference. . . Union Ministers of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan and Shri Vijay Goel will also attend the conference. About 700 participants representing various stakeholder groups such as farmers, Panchayat members, officials, NGOs and students will be attending the daylong conference. . . Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti launched Jal Kranti Abhiyan on June 05,2015 to consolidate water conservation and management in the country through a holistic and integrated approach involving all stakeholders making it mass movement. One of the main objectives of the Jal Kranti Abhiyan is strengthening grass root involvement of all stakeholders including Panchayati Raj institutions and local bodies for Participatory Irrigation Management." . . There are four important components of Jal Kranti Abhiyan viz. Jal Gram Yojana, Development of Model Command Area, Pollution Abatement and Mass Awareness Programme. Under Jal Gram Yojana two water stressed villages in each district of the country are to be selected and a comprehensive water security plan is formulated to achieve water security for these villages. So far 726 such villages have been identified against the total target of 828. Integrated Water Security Plan for 180 Villages have been prepared and 61 of them have been approved. . . Samir/jk Union Govt brought Nuclear programme to North India: Dr Jitendra Singh Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that in the recent years the Union Government has brought the country's nuclear programme to North India, whereas it was hitherto confined mostly to the southern and western parts of the country or to some extent in the central parts. During his visit to the Central Regional Headquarter of the Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) for Exploration and Research in Nagpur yesterday, Dr Jitendra Singh said, during the last two years, a nuclear installation has been established in Gorakhpur, Haryana which, when functional after two to three years, will be able to produce cost-effective energy at the rate of around Rs. 6 per unit. Similarly, he said, in a new initiative undertaken last year a Hall of Nuclear Power was set up at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi with the idea that since the headquarters of Department of Atomic Energy were in Mumbai and most of the activity confined to western and southern parts, the people living in the National Capital should be exposed to the enormous new initiatives taken by the present government in the expansion of India's nuclear programme. The nuclear programme started by its founding father, Dr Homi Bhabha, primarily for peaceful purposes, said Dr Jitendra Singh, has found its true vindication during the present Government and the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi takes it upon himself as a priority agenda to engage in discussions and finalize agreements during each of his visits abroad, which has given a big boost to Indias nuclear programme and also lifted the morale of the Indian nuclear scientists. Not only this, he added, in a path-breaking decision the Union Cabinet recently also passed a proposal for PSUs to enter into partnership with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) for setting up joint-venture nuclear plants. This, he said, is bound to give a push forward to future endeavours, with the PSU from another sector providing financial resources and NPCIL providing technical know-how to achieve the nations common goal. Work on Shahpur Kandi Dam to Resume Soon Punjab and J&K sign agreement to this effect In a major step today towards utilization of Indias rights on Eastern rivers of Indus basin, the mediation efforts of Ministry of Water Resources , RD&GR persuaded the States of J&K and Punjab to reach an agreement to resume works on Shahpur Kandi Dam project in Pujab/ J&K. The agreement to this effect was signed by Shri KS Pannu,Secretary (Irrigation),Punjab and Shri Saurabh Bhagat, Secretary ( Irrigation),J&K in the presence of Union Water Resources Secretary Dr. Amarjit singh in New Delhi last evening. The project was being built with an estimated cost of Rs. 2285.81 crore (April, 2008 price level) and is included in the Scheme of National Projects by Government of India. Under the scheme, MoWR,RD&GR provides central assistance @ 90% of the balance cost of works component of irrigation and water supply. The construction of Shahpur Kandi project was taken up in May 1999 but later halted in 2014 due to dispute between Punjab and J&K. The Ministry of WR,RD&GR had been making all out efforts to resolve the issues and resume construction which resulted in yesterdays agreement. The design of the project shall be as already agreed by both the states while concurrently model studies will be done to ensure that the mandated share of 1150 cusecs of water is available to the State of J&K, which will be binding on both the States. The project will continue to be implemented by the Government of Punjab. However, there will be a tripartite team headed by Member, CWC and consisting of Chief Engineers of two States to monitor the project as and when required but atleast once in three months to ensure that the construction is as per the agreement. The balance costs on account of compensation for land acquisition in respect of Thein Dam, as per the agreement would be paid for by the Government of Punjab promptly. In addition, jobs to the oustees would be given by the State Government of Punjab as per the agreed R&R policy of both the State Governments. The Government of Punjab would be making available to the Govt. of J&K 20% share in the total power generated at the Thein Dam at the mutually agreed rate of Rs. 3.50 per unit immediately, subject to the confirmation of the rates by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. Both the States agreed that other issues will be referred to Arbitration mechanism provided in the agreement signed between two states of 1979 without affecting the progress of work. It was unanimously agreed that the work on the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project would resume as soon both the State Governments formally approve the agreed decisions. The 55.5 high Shahpur Kandi dam, located in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, will help in providing irrigation facility to 5000 hectares of land in Punjab and 32173 hectares in J&K besides generation of 206 MW power. Samir/jk China needs to put new regulations and financial subsidies in place to quicken the development of autonomous cars or risk getting left behind, the billionaire co-founder of the nations largest search engine said. A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in the US has been shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner's Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11:33 PM after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," Faile said Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patel's home to offer condolences to his family. "Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody," Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patel's store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. "If you didn't have the money, he'd let people have food," Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before, and did anything he could to help out in tough times. "He's watched my kids grow up, which is why it's painful. From day one he's been amazing, just awesome, and I just don't understand the sense behind it," Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his family's life, and did that. Patel's death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling "get out of my country." The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an environment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting. He had said America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms. US President stunned Sweden recently when he invoked a mystery event that happened in the country furing on of his campaign rallies in Florida. Look at whats happening last night in Sweden, he said . They took in large numbers. Theyre having problems like they never thought possible. What was he talking about? Swedens US embassy was so concerned they asked the Trump administration for an explanation. The president later said it was related to a report he had seen on Fox News about immigration. A federal judge in Seattle granted a two-week extension to the Justice Department in a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump's immigration order is blocking efforts by legal residents to reunite with their children who are trapped in war-torn countries. US District Judge James Robart, who halted enforcement of Trump's immigration order nationwide in February in a separate case brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota, said in his order that the federal government could have more time before responding to plaintiff's efforts to have the case certified as a class-action lawsuit. The Justice Department argued that Trump intends to rescind the order and replace it with a new, substantially revised executive order that may "influence the shape of the legal issues ... In ways relevant to the class certification question." After being repeatedly postponed, a White House official said Thursday a replacement order now won't be unveiled until next week at the earliest. Robart also said he understood the frustrations of the parents and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, who filed the lawsuit, over Trump administration statements that seemingly contradict those made by federal government lawyers. "The court understands Plaintiffs' frustrations concerning statements emanating from President Trump's administration that seemingly contradict representations of the federal government's lawyers in this and other litigation before the court," the order said. Nevertheless, Robart said, the court will continue to rely on statements coming from the federal attorneys. The lawsuit filed in Seattle's US District Court in late January claims Trump's order barring people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US is unconstitutional. It asked for a judge to intervene and stop the application of the part of the order that suspends visas to citizens of those seven countries. Juweiya Abdiaziz Ali, one of the plaintiffs, is a US citizen living in Seattle who started the process in August of bringing her son from Somalia. But Trump's order has her worried that her son's visa process will be indefinitely suspended, she said. Like thousands of others, those named in the lawsuit pursued the immigrant visa process that includes hundreds of dollars in filing fees, security screenings, medical examinations and interviews, Matt Adams, the group's legal director said previously. Three years ago, President Barack Obama ordered Pentagon officials to step up their cyber and electronic strikes against North Koreas missile program in hopes of sabotaging test launches in their opening seconds. Around 50 top B-schools offering courses on Saturday discussed the fallout of the Indian Institute of (IIM) Bill, 2017, which allows the IIMs to award degrees to their students. In yet another tweet defending Attorney General Jeff Sessions, President Donald Trump said that Sessions first met the Russian ambassador during a meeting set up by the Obama Administration for 100 envoys. "The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs.....," the President tweeted. The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs...... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 The President added in another tweet, said the same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the White House 22 times under the previous administration. "Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone," tweeted Trump. Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Sessions is presently being accused of misleading the Congress by failing to disclose pre-election meetings with the Russian ambassador to Washington Sergey Kislyak. Earlier on Thursday Trump said in support of the Attorney General that he was an honest man and had not said anything wrong. Accusing the Democrats of creating the fuss around Jeff Sessions, Trump said the Democrats are overplaying their hand as they lost the elections and now they have lost their grip on reality. "Jeff Sessions is an honest man. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional. This whole narrative is a way of saving face for Democrats losing an election that everyone thought they were supposed to win," Trump said in a series of tweets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Patiala House Court on Saturday granted bail to two Indian associates of alleged middleman Christian Michel James in connection with the R. 3600 crore VVIP AgustaWestland Chopper scam. Earlier in February, the Delhi High Court had adjourned the hearing over the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) bail cancellation plea against former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief S.P. Tyagi and others in the Agusta Westland case till March 15. On January 4, a CBI special court granted bail to the former air chief's cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and his lawyer Gautam Khaitan. The court had then directed Sanjeev and Khaitan not to contact any witnesses and not to leave the Capital Region (NCR) without prior permission. The court had earlier granted bail to the 72-year-old former air chief, citing the CBI had failed to state the alleged bribe amount and the day it was paid. The former air chief, who retired in 2007, his cousin Sanjeev and Khaitan were arrested on December 9, 2016, by the CBI in connection with the case which relates to the procurement of 12 VVIP choppers from the U.K.-based firm during the UPA-2 regime. Tyagi has been accused of influencing the deal in favour of Agusta Westland during his tenure as the IAF chief. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following the controversy over the appointment of the grandson of pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Anees-ul-Islam, last year in November, while Kashmir was seeing the unrest and violence, Conference has voiced its concern over the matter. Anees bagged the job of a research officer in Sher-e-Kashmir International Convection Complex (SKICC), which comes under PDP-BJP coalition government. Allegedly, for Anees' appointment, the rules were bent and he received out-of-turn job. Conference leader Devender Singh Rana told ANI, "A back door was provided for the appointment. Everybody has a right on government job, but the way that has been taken is wrong. While, lakhs of people are unemployed in Kashmir, this appointment will hurt the people." Another leader of Conference, Junaid Mattoo also expressed concern over Anees' appointment. "Some senior bureaucrats are working as PDP functionaries. If the grandson of Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been appointed because of Geelani's influence, then this is questionable. We will demand an independent enquiry not just on this case, but on all the back-door appointments," he told ANI. However, Jammu and Kashmir's tourism secretary Farooq Shah, who was also the chairman of Senior Selection Committee claimed that all the rules were followed in the appointment. He said, "We invited applications from candidates; he was found fit for the post." Sohail Bukhari, advisor to Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has also denied the allegations. He asserted, "There is no single rule that has been bent. SKICC is an autonomous body. They published a notification for the job. Many applications came and based on merit, 35 were called for interview. One individual was selected finally. The allegation is purely fabrication. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Coming down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for pulling out of Mayor race, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday said the saffron party has cheated the people of Mumbai. "Till yesterday the BJP was claiming to free the Mumbaikar from mafia raj. The BJP was doing the job of putting allegations of corruptions. The way today the Chief Minister got surrendered...he must have done it to save his government. It is a fresh example of the way that the BJP can do anything for power. The BJP has cheated the people of Mumbai," NCP leader Nawab Malik told ANI. In a development indicating a major victory for the Shiv Sena, the BJP has announced that it will not serve as Opposition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) by pulling out of the race for Mayor, adding that it respects the mandate of Mumbai. Addressing the media here, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the BJP will not contest for Mayor or Deputy Mayor. "At the end of the day Shiv Sena did win by more seats than us, so we respect the mandate of the people. We will not contest for Mayor or Deputy Mayor, nor will we play the role of Opposition in BMC. BJP will support Shiv Sena for the sake of development, and we won't compromise on transparency," the Chief Minister said. He also noted that the decision was taken by the party heads after cabinet meeting was held at Chief Minister's residence in Mumbai. This development which comes after the Shiv Sena announced its candidates for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, is a complete u-turn by the BJP in Mumbai which had earlier accused Shiv Sena of corruption. The election for BMC's Mayor post will be held on March 8 and after the latest announcement by Fadnavis, it is now clear that the BJP which won 82 seats in BMC Elections will not vote in BMC. Sena's candidate for Mayor is Vishvanath Mahadeshwar and Hareshwar Worlikar is Deputy Mayor nominee. The results of BMC Elections were declared on February 23, in which Shiv Sena had won 84 seats, BJP had 82 seats, Congress had won 31 seats, Samajwadi Party - 6, AIMIM - 3 seats, ABS - 1, others - 5. BJP's announcement comes as an olive branch to Shiv Sena, as ties between both parties were severely strained, even before the BMC polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China on Friday reiterated its stand on Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama's visit to India and said it was 'gravely concerned over this information.' Though China had earlier opposed the Tibetan leader's visit, citing it will seriously 'damage' bilateral ties, India facilitated the visit and deputed a government official to assist the Dalai Lama, who is expected to visit Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang monastery after eight years between April 4 and 13. "China is gravely concerned over this information. Our position on the eastern section of the China-India border dispute is consistent and clear. The Dalai group has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities and has put on dishonorable acts in the past on the boundary question. The Indian side knows very well the seriousness of the Dalai issue and the sensitiveness of the boundary question. Under such circumstances, India's invitation to the Dalai Lama to the disputed areas between China and India will bring severe damage to peace and stability of the border areas and China-India relations," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press briefing. Shuang further urged the Indian side to honour its commitments on the Tibet-related issues. He said, "We urged India to follow the important agreement between the two sides on the boundary question, refrain from actions that would further complicate the question, not provide a stage for the anti-China separatist activities of the Dalai group, and ensure the sound and steady growth of China-India relationship." Answering a poser on how the concern was expressed, Shuang said a representation was made through formal diplomatic channels. This development comes a week after a strategic dialogue was held between the countries to shore up bilateral ties. China had earlier claimed the border dispute between the two countries can be resolved if New Delhi accepts Beijing's claim over the Tawang region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French far-right leader and a prospective presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, has been summoned by judges over allegations of misusing European Union funds. The meeting will take place on March 10. However, Le Pen's lawyer informed that she would not meet the judges before the end of the presidential campaign. This comes a day after the European Parliament lifted Le Pen's EU parliamentary immunity from prosecution over a separate case for posting graphic photos of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) victims on Twitter in December 2015. Le Pen got into a controversy last month after several members of her staff were accused of being paid for nonexistent jobs at the European Parliament, reports CNN. Le Pen's chief of staff, Catherine Griset, has been charged as part of investigations into the allegations. Officials are also investigating Le Pen's bodyguard, Thierry Legier, in this matter. According to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Le Pen had primarily accepted that they had been paid while not working. However, Le Pen later denied saying this. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Days after Hyderabad-origin Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead in Kansas in an alleged hate attack, another Indian-origin businessman was shot dead outside his home in South Carolina, local U.S. media has reported. According to police officials, Harnish Patel, 43, owner of a Lancaster convenience store was found dead with gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home late Thursday. The owner had reportedly locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead. "Investigators believe he drove from the store directly home, where he was confronted by his killer when he got out of the vehicle," a police statement said. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," Sheriff Barry Faile said. Patel was the owner of the Speedee Mart on Pageland Highway in Lancaster, media reports said. Last month, Kuchibhotla was killed in a cafe by a gunman, who was heard shouting "get out of my country" in Olathe, Kansas. Gunman, Adam Purinton also wounded Kuchibhotla's collegue Alok Madasani. Purinton was arrested after fleeing the spot of incident and was charged with one count of premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi [India], Mar.4 (ANI): Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandh on Saturday i gave a miss to a joint road show of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, in Varanasi, sparking off rumours that the move may be long-term strategy of the Congress. According to Congress insiders, Priyanka's has been kept as a 'trump card' for general in 2019. Earlier, Priyanka was set to campaign across Uttar Pradesh as her name figured in the list of 40 star campaigners released by the Congress. Party workers were quite enthusiastic about Priyanka's participation but the party decided to keep her behind the scenes. She is believed to be monitoring the election campaign and determining the venues of road shows and analysing the response thereafter. According to Congress sources, she was expected to appear in a Amethi rally along with Rahul Gandhi, but when she heard that Samajwadi Party Cabinet Minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati was planning to campaign in the district, she opted out. Prajapati is pitted against Ameeta Singh of the Congress Party and Garima Singh of the the Bharatiya Janata Party (B JP) and is involved in a alleged case of gangrape and attempt to rape a woman and her minor daughter. His appearance in Amethi would have upset Priyanka. Priyanka joining active politics or not has kept India guessing for more than a decade, but her journey in the Congress Party is well documented. Be it about negotiating the pre-poll alliance with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, persuading Navjot Singh Sidhu to join the Congress as a star campaigner or her role as a leader who stands by her elder brother in his political journey. But as of now, with the elections about enter the last phase, Priyanka Gandhi would be unaffected as whosoever wins the credit or blame would go to Rahul Gandhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jordan executed 15 prisoners on Saturday, including 10 who were convicted of terrorism, said officials. According to the CNN, the other five prisoners were found guilty of major criminal offenses, including incest, government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani told state-run Petra news agency. Among those executed were prisoners charged in last year's assault on a Jordanian intelligence agency office in the Baqaa refugee camp that left five dead and in an attack against security forces in the northern city of Irbid that killed one soldier. The other convicted inmates were responsible for separate attacks and bombings dating back to 2003, Petra news agency reported. Meanwhile, Samah Hadid, deputy director at Amnesty International's Beirut regional office, said, "The horrific scale and secrecy around these executions is shocking." The men were hanged at a correctional center south of Amman. Jordan had previously imposed a nine-year moratorium on the death penalty. It was lifted in January 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wooing the electorate in his constituency here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that he has made Kashi his 'Karya Kshetra' so that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can regain the pride of the region, which has lost its shine under the current Samajwadi Party (SP) Government. Expressing full confidence in his party's chances in the state polls, the Prime Minister said that even if he had not visited Kashi, his own constituency, BJP would have emerged victorious, however, he still wanted to come and address the people as they were close to his heart. "Back in 2014, I could not visit Varanasi as the Election Commission did not allow me to carry out a rally. Since then I have always wanted to come and speak to you. Kashi for me is not a political area, but I wanted to work here because I wanted to bring back its lost heritage," the Prime Minister said. Further stating that Kashi is not just a city but a symbol of humanity, he noted that the Centre has undertaken several infrastructure projects for the city. "I will provide 24 hours electricity. LED bulbs which used to cost around Rs 300-400 now costs between Rs 50-60. They (Opposition) spread lies about 24/7 power supply, but during their temple visit today, there was a power outage," Prime Minister Modi said. The Prime Minister also noted that his government is working for development of Kashi at mission mode. He said, "We want Varanasi to be a bridge between the ancient and the modern era. Lot of development works that were pending in Kashi have been resumed & are progressing at fast rate." Meanwhile, the Congress has alleged that the Prime Minister Narendra violated the model code of conduct by holding a road show in Varanasi without permission of poll authorities and asked the Election Commission to take action against the Prime Minister and other senior BJP leaders. In a letter addressed to Chief Election Comissioner Nasim Zaidi, and Commissioners OP Rawat and AK Jyoti, Congress alleged that Prime Minister Modi conducted a road show between Bharat Hindu University (BHU) to a destination about seven kilometres far from the starting point. The letter further stated that the road show covered at least three constituency. "It is requested that action may be taken and FIR registered against all BJP leaders including Narendra Modi who were part of the road show," said K C Mittal, AICC secretary incharge of legal and human rights cell. Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi took out a road show, offered prayers at the two historic temples and paid tributes to Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya today. Following suit, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav offered their prayers at the temple. Meanwhile, a total of 57.03 percent voter turnout was recorded till 5 p.m. today in the sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia is mulling upon banning Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' movie, due to a subplot in it showing a man discovering himself as gay. The subplot in the movie shows a character, Josh Gad's LeFou, discovering that he is gay. Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has ensured that checks will be carried out to ascertain that the movie does not oppose the country's laws against "spreading gay propaganda among minors," the Telegraph quoted the BBC as saying. An MP, Vitaly Milonov, has also called for a government screening of the movie a day before its official release, in order to let ministers decide whether to permit it for a general release. The film's director Bill Condon, last week, in an interview to a magazine revealed the movie's 'gay moment.' Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, is scheduled to release in the UK on March 17. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chhattisgarh Director General of Police (DGP) has sent a show cause notice and issued a warning letter for indiscipline to former Bastar inspector general of police (IG) S.R.P. Kalluri for attending a private function in Jagdalpur without informing his superiors. DGP A.N. Upadhyay sent the warning letter to Kalluri after he circulated a WhatsApp post in this regard. Kalluri has been served two notices and a response has been sought from him for the same in three days. It is the same private function where former Sukma Superintendent of Police, IK Elesela allegedly said that human rights workers should be run over by vehicle. Kalluri has been facing flak for alleged fake encounters and targeting local journalists, social and human rights activists in Bastar. The 1994-batch officer, who was IG of police Bastar Range, was earlier sanctioned 90-day leave with effect from February 1. However, instead of availing leave, he requested the DGP for a fresh posting and was subsequently sent to police head quarters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Does any of your relatives, friends or acquaintances in India wish to go to Canada, USA, Australia, England or any other country? Are they facing difficulties in getting Visa? Do they find themselves making innumerable visits to the Visa office without any result? There is no need to get disappointed or depressed at all. There is only one place that you must visit i.e. "Chamatkarik Shri Hanumanji Na Charan". A large number of worshippers come to the temple before going to any foreign embassy. A devotee said he has observed numerous instances of success due to the temple. "Any devotee who comes to our lord's temple, with great honour and reverence, and makes a wishes to lord Hanuman to get a visa, it has been my observation that none of the wishes have failed," said the devotee. There are many such 'visa temples' in India offering thousands of hopefuls a site to pray and seek divine help in fulfilling their wishes. A temple in southern Hyderabad city, called the 'Chilkur Balaji' temple, as well as a Sikh Gurudwara (temple) in northern Punjab state are among other go-to places for visa aspirants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Relentless in his barrage on his predecessor, U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday accused Barack Obama of having tapped the Trump Tower before the election victory. "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!," the President tweeted. Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Asserting that this development was a "new low", Trump questioned the legality of the entire situation. I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 The fresh accusation comes after Trump alleged that Obama was responsible for the leaks within the present U.S. administration. Reiterating that Obama's 'people' were definitely behind the leak, Trump stated that some of the leaks are really serious as they are related to national security. However, Trump did not offer any evidence for his claim. Last month, Trump told Fox News that reports of his calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia were caused by leaks from "Obama people." Trump's administration has claimed to have been plagued by leaks within his administration to the media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Accusing his predecessor Barack Obama of tapping the Trump Tower before the election victory, President Donald Trump likened the action to being as bad as the Watergate scandal. "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!," Trump tweeted on Saturday. How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Watergate was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s, following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. in 1972 and the then president Richard Nixon's administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement. When the conspiracy was discovered and investigated by the U.S. Congress, the Nixon administration's resistance to its probes led to a constitutional crisis. Relentless in his barrage on his predecessor, the incumbent U.S. President accused Obama of having tapped the Trump Tower before the election victory. "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!," the President tweeted. Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Asserting that this development was a "new low", Trump questioned the legality of the entire situation. I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 The fresh accusation comes after Trump alleged that Obama was responsible for the leaks within the present U.S. administration. Reiterating that Obama's 'people' were definitely behind the leak, Trump stated that some of the leaks are really serious as they are related to national security. However, Trump did not offer any evidence for his claim. Last month, Trump told Fox News that reports of his calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia were caused by leaks from "Obama people." Trump's administration has claimed to have been plagued by leaks within his administration to the media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday held a road show in Varanasi on the sidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. Political heat picked up in Varanasi as Akhilesh's wife Dimple Yadav joined in the medga road show, which witnessed a huge crowd cheering for both the leaders. The Samajwadi Party-Congress road show began from 'Kachehri chauraha' area and will culminate at the 'Girjaghar chauraha'. Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati also held a rally at Jaunpur where Prime Minister Modi also addressed a rally. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Varanasi this morning and offered prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple after a massive road show. He also visited the Kaal Bhairav temple before leaving for Jaunpur where he held an election rally. "Uttar Pradesh's voters have already given majority to BJP. We will form government in Uttar Pradesh, will waive loans of small farmers," he said. Mayawati, while holding a rally on the outskirts around Rohaniya said, "BJP and Samajwadi-Congress are competing for second and third places in Uttar Pradesh." Security forces have been deployed in large numbers to stand guard over the high-profile rallies. The results of the elections, along with those in four other states, will be announced on March 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his massive road show by offering prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple here. The Prime Minister's road show, which started at the main gate of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), met with a horde of people shouting slogans in his praise. Men and women were dressed in saffron, ahiglighting the primary colour of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) flag. Modi also garlanded the statue of freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, who was also the founder of the BHU. On his way, Prime Minister Modi also offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The Prime Minister will address public meetings both in Varanasi and Jaunpur ahead of the seventh-phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will also hold a joint road show later in the day here. The seventh-phase of Assembly polls is scheduled to take place on March 8, in which as many as 46 constituencies covering seven districts of Uttar Pradesh will cast their vote. Meanwhile, a total of 37.85 percent voter turnout was recorded till 1 p.m. in the sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence on Friday said that the Trump administration will repeal Obamacare once and for all Speaking in Wisconsin, he said, "We will repeal Obamacare once and for all-eliminating its mandates, taxes, and intrusion into businesses and lives. We will replace Obamacare with a better law that lowers the cost of health insurance without growing the size of government." He asserted that President Donald Trump from day one has been working has been "undoing the job-destroying policies and executive orders of the last eight years." Pence said that businesses are reacting to Trump's "Buy American, Hire American" vision with optimism and investment in our country. He said that Obamacare is a job killer and is weighing down job creators and hurting small business owners. "Endless price hikes and red tape eat up time and money better spent growing businesses and benefitting workers. This administration will get our economy moving by passing the biggest tax reform since Ronald Reagan and cutting taxes across the board," he tweeted. Earlier this week, addressing his first joint session of Congress, Trump has urged them to replace and repeal Obamacare with reforms to expand choice, increase access, lower cost and, at the same time, provide better health care. Trump asserted that mandating every American to pay government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America. Trump on his first day in the Oval Office had signed an executive order declaring that the official policy of his administration will be "to seek the prompt repeal" of Obamacare. The executive order directed the secretary of health and human services and the heads of other agencies to use their discretion to help individuals, health care providers, insurers and others avoid any burdens stemming from the Affordable Care Act, which remains in effect. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least eight civilians were killed and 20 others injured after a vehicle touched off a roadside bomb in the country's western province, a local official said on Saturday. "The gruesome incident took place in Bala Buluk district late Friday when the victims were fleeing their houses following a ground engagement between security forces and Taliban militants," provincial government spokesman Mohammad Nasir Mehri told Xinhua. The initial information found the blast on Friday was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device, which was planted by militants along the dusty road in Farah province, he said, adding the local authorities had conducted a thorough investigation into the incident. "Further information will be shared after the ongoing probe by provincial authorities and military officials," Mehri noted. Many of the injured remained in critical condition and among the victims were several women and children. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Afghan lawmaker was injured on Saturday after unidentified gunmen opened fire at his vehicle in Kandahar city, police said Malim Mir Wali, a member of the Afghan Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of parliament, was attacked in the 10th Police District of the city, Khaama Press news reported. Mir Wali has been hospitalised and his health condition was satisfactory, the police added. Provincial officials said the gunmen were riding a motorcycle. No group has claimed responsibility so far. --IANS ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alabama Theater cancelled screening of "Beauty and the Beast" because the film features Disneys first openly gay character. The Henagar Drive-In Theatre in DeKalb County has cancelled its screenings of "Beauty and the Beast" because the film will feature Disney's first openly gay character, reports hollywoodreporter.com. Director Bill Condon earlier this week told Attitude magazine that Josh Gad's LeFou -- villain Gaston's (played by Luke Evans) eccentric sidekick -- will be Disney's first-ever LGBTQ character -- a way of honouring the original 1991 animated film's late lyricist Howard Ashman. Opened in 1999, the Henagar Drive-In screens family-friendly double features. The theater's shift away from "Beauty and the Beast" was decided by the business' new owners, who took over in December. "When companies continually force their views on us we need to take a stand. We all make choices and I am making mine," the business said in a statement on Facebook. The statement further read: "If we cannot take our 11-year-old grand daughter and eight-year-old grandson to see a movie we have no business watching it. If I can't sit through a movie with God or Jesus sitting by me then we have no business showing it. "I know there will be some that do not agree with this decision. That's fine. "We are first and foremost Christians. We will not compromise on what the Bible teaches. We will continue to show family oriented films so you can feel free to come watch wholesome movies without worrying about sex, nudity, homosexuality and foul language." Disney hasn't responded on the matter. --IANS sug/rb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following the visit of an official of the Ramsar secretariat, the West Bengal government has decided to come up with a "wise use" plan on how to best manage the ecologically fragile East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) in the future, an official said on Saturday. The Ramsar secretariat carries out the day-to-day coordination of the Ramsar Convention, which is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971. The move comes in the wake of reports that the state government is attempting to "legalise illegal constructions" in the fast-shrinking wetlands, a designated Ramsar site. This has prompted concerned citizens to start an online petition as well. "The idea is to come up with this plan on how best to manage the EKW in the future," said senior advisor for Asia-Oceania at Ramsar secretariat Llewellyn Young. Young said that in the absence of a management plan, the Ramsar authorities cannot consider a request for modification of rules. Principal Secretary of the State Environment Department Arnab Roy told IANS that a "wise use" plan would be created. The Ramsar Convention defines wise use of wetlands as "the maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development". Wise use can be seen as the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and all the services they provide, for the benefit of people and nature. The EKW located on the eastern fringes of Kolkata forms one of the largest assemblages of sewage-fed fish ponds. It nurtures the world's largest wastewater-fed aqua culture system. On August 19, 2002 the EKW was included in the Ramsar list of 'Wetlands of International Importance'. Spread over an area of 12,500 hectares, it encompasses nearly 254 sewage-fed fisheries distributed across the districts of South and North 24 Parganas. Besides, there are small agricultural plots, solid waste farms and some built up areas also. A recent report released by citizens (based on satellite data) claims water bodies shrank from over 80 per cent to 19 per cent in the last few years within the EKW. State Environment Minister and city mayor Sovan Chatterjee said a scientific management plan will be designed in consultation with Ramsar authorities, environmentalists and local residents. Chatterjee, who also holds the chairmanship of East Kolkata Wetland Management Authority (EKWMA), had said he wants to set up a garbage dump in a part of the wetlands, which triggered apprehension among environmentalists about attempts to legalise illegal construction. The ecosystem services provided by the EKW includes, in addition to fisheries, a very cheap, efficient and eco-friendly system of solid waste and sewer treatment system for Kolkata, habitat for waterfowl and home for a large number of flora and fauna. --IANS sgh/ssp/vgu/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major climb down, the BJP has withdrawn from the race for post of Mayor of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced here on Saturday. Fadnavis said his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ready to offer support to the Shiv Sena but would not take any post, including of Deputy Mayor, Leader of Opposition, or chairmanship of any committees in the country's richest and biggest civic body. "However, if they require any votes, the BJP is ready to offer support to the Shiv Sena and will always vote in favour of progress and development," he told media persons here. The BJP decision would pave the way for a Shiv Sena mayor to sail through easily at the elections scheduled on March 8. The Shiv Sena immediately welcomed the BJP decision with Transport Minister and party leader Diwakar Raote saying the BJP has recognised the mandate of the people of Mumbai. On the other side, Congress spokesperson Raju Waghmare said this was expected since the match between the BJP and the Shiv Sena was "fixed", while Nationalist Congress Party state President Sunil Tatkare said the BJP move was not surprising, as his party had maintained all along that the Shiv Sena would not implement its threat of leaving the central and state governments. Meanwhile, Fadnavis added that the BJP corporators would serve as "soldiers of transparency" and keep a watch over the BMC administration - which will now be solely in the hands of the Sena. "We will appoint a three-member coordination committee which will submit its report in three months on how to bring about transparency in the BMC functioning," he said. He also announced he would request the Maharashtra Lokayukta to appoint a Deputy Lokayukta exclusively for Mumbai to ensure a transparent city administration. Fadnavis also made it clear that the Shiv Sena is very much an ally in the Maharashtra government "which doesn't face any threats". The sudden developments came even as both the Shiv Sena and the BJP continued to adopt a tough public stance with claims that the next mayor for the civic body, which had a budget of a whopping Rs 37,000 crore plus last year - would be from their party. Until Friday evening, hectic efforts were underway on both sides to muster adequate numbers for the mayoral polls after Mumbaikars gave a sharply fractured verdict in last month's elections. In the 227-member BMC House, the Shiv Sena secured 84 seats, the BJP got 82, the Congress 31, the NCP nine, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena seven, the Samajwadi Party six, the AIMIM two, the Akhil Bharatiya Sena one while five Independents also won. Four independents had extended support to the Shiv Sena, while the ABS had offered to support the BJP, which were yet still far away from the magic figure of 114 for electing their Mayor. --IANS qn/vd/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar's opposition BJP took to the streets on Saturday and organised sit-ins across Bihar against Congress minister Abdul Jalil Mastan, demanding his dismissal for asking people to throw shoes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph. Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar said the BJP will continue to protest against Mastan and would intensify it in the coming days to put pressure on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to sack the Excise and Prohibition Minister. "Nitish Kumar is not sacking Mastan to save himself," he said. Thousands of BJP leaders and workers staged sit-ins at all district headquarters in the state. Mastan is the only minister from the backward and under-developed Seemanchal belt, which comprises of Purnia, Kishanganj, Araria and Katihar districts with a sizeable Muslim population. While addressing a gathering in Purnia district's Amour constituency, Mastan kicked up a controversy after he asked the crowd to protest the central government's demonetisation move and to beat Modi's photograph with shoes. A video showing the minister's remarks was aired on a Hindi news channel on February 22 and also went viral on social media. Mastan apologised on Wednesday to put an end to the row. The Congress, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) make up Bihar's ruling Grand Alliance. --IANS ik/vgu/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Boris Johnson will become the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Russia in half a decade to pressure the Kremlin into abandoning its involvement in Syria and Ukraine, the Foreign Office has announced. Johnson will fly out to meet his counterpart Sergey Lavrov for talks in Moscow within weeks, The Telegraph reported on Saturday. It comes just months after Johnson accused Russia of committing war crimes in Syria and called on protesters to demonstrate outside its London embassy. The Foreign Office has insisted the trip does not represent a "return to business as usual" and that Johnson will be "robust" in defending existing British policy. A Foreign Office source, according to a BBC report, insisted that the visit did not signal any shift in Britain's policy towards Russia. "He is not going in order to reset the relationship. He has been clear in his calls with Lavrov that this can't happen till they change course on issues such as Ukraine." Johnson's visit would be the first at this level since then Foreign Secretary William Hague went to Moscow in 2012. In the intervening five years Russia has been accused by British ministers of murdering a critic, Alexander Litvinenko, on British soil and escalating the Syrian civil war. Russia has also faced international sanctions over the "illegal annexation" of Crimea and military intervention in Ukraine, as well as accusations of intervening in the US election through cyber attacks. Johnson has been at the forefront of such criticism since becoming Foreign Secretary last July. He accused the Russians of committing a "war crime" in Syria, where the country helped prop up President Bashar al-Assad, and called for protects at the country's embassy. Johnson also mocked his counterpart Lavrov at the Tory Party conference last year, revealing he asked for a "show of hands" for who was "in favour of democracy" during a meeting between the pair at the UN General Assembly. According to the Telegraph report, a source close to Johnson said that Johnson's "hawkish" stance on Russia had given him political space to make the trip. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), will continue exchanges with the US Congress this year to boost communication and understanding, a top official said on Saturday. "There are a lot of exchanges between the NPC and the US Congress," the legislature's spokeswoman Fu Ying told a press conference a day ahead of the session. Fu recalled her visit to the US late 2016 as an NPC delegation member, saying such exchanges are mutually beneficial and are conducted on an equal basis, Xinhua news agency reported. "We should deal with the trade deficit through expanding the trade volume," the spokesperson said, noting many US lawmakers were concerned about the issue. Fu also stressed that adherence to the one-China principle is an important basis for the stable development of China-US relations. Earlier this week, Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi visited the US, where he had a brief informal meeting with Trump after meeting with several senior officials at the White House, among them National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. The spokeswoman added that if challenges are posed to China-US relations, "Beijing will take them as they come". "We certainly hope the impacts are positive," Fu said, stressing cooperation is widely regarded as the main trend in relations between the two big countries. There have been a lot of high-level exchanges between China and the US, Fu said, citing two phone conversations between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump, which she said had sent a clear message that the two countries should cooperate more and be good partners. She noted that US society does not know China very well observing from the US presidential campaign last year that all the candidates had told "old, or not-quite-true stories" about China, which is "not normal in a society where information is highly accessible". Noting limited first-hand information about China in the US press and TV programmes, and few articles and books written by Chinese available in the United States, Fu said China will make greater efforts to offer more information on China to the international community. --IANS ksk/rn (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.) Nepal Investment Summit, the biggest investment summit in Nepal, has garnered nearly $13.51 billion (around NRs 1,446 billion) in foreign investment commitment, with northern neighbour China leading the pack of investment from six countries. The Ministry of Industry (MoI), during the two-day event which concluded on Friday, signed Letters of Intent (LoI) with foreign investors for $13.51 billion, which is more than half of the country's GDP structure of $22.49 billion. "This is the beginning of glorious days for Nepal," an elated Industry Minister Nabindra Raj Joshi, who played a key role in making the Nepal Investment Summit 2017 a success, told the Kathmandu Post. The current investment pledge made by foreign investors in the summit also exceeds the budget ceiling of Rs 1,156.04 billion fixed by the National Planning Commission for fiscal year 2017-18. Investors from China alone signed Letters of Intent with the government to inject $8.3 billion in different sectors. Investors from Bangladesh pledged $2.4 billion, from Japan and the United Kingdom signed LoIs to bring $1 billion investment each, while Sri Lankan and Indian investors pledged to invest $500 million and $317 million, respectively. However, domestic investors have pledged to invest only $11.5 million in different sectors. According to officials of the Investment Board Nepal, foreign investors have signed LoIs to invest in several sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture and tourism. Addressing the concluding session of the mega-event, Industry Minister Nabindra Raj Joshi said that the summit was able to pave a glorious path for Nepal's development. "Such an encouraging commitment from foreign investors will surely give Nepal a major boost as the country moves on the path to prosperity. MoI is committed to materialising this commitment from foreign investors and facilitate additional foreign investment into the country," Joshi said. According to him, all potential investors who were in wait-and-watch mode have jumped on the bandwagon to do business in Nepal. State Minister for Industry Kanchan Chandra Bade said the government would reform all the existing policies and laws and make them business and environment-friendly, the Himalayan Times reported. Maha Prasad Adhikari, Chief Executive Officer of IBN, said a number of committees had been formed to review the commitments and outcomes of the summit. "These committees will constantly follow up to materialise the outcomes of the summit and turn all investment pledges into reality," Adhikari said. --IANS sm/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Saturday demanded that the Election Commission take action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders for allegedly not taking permission from the authorities to conduct a road show in Varanasi. The complaint was submitted to the poll panel by Congress' Legal Cell Secretary K. C. Mittal. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted road show in Varanasi from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for about 7 km without the necessary permission from the competent authority," read the complaint. "During his road show, he also went to Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Kaal Bhairo Temple without any requisite permission for conducting the road show from the competent authority of the Election Commission," it added. The complaint also said: "The entire video recording of the road show has been shown by various channels and the election authorities must also have recorded the same. It is requested that action may be taken and FIR registered against all the BJP leaders including Narendra Modi who were part of the road show." Deputy Election Commissioner Vijay Dev said: "We have just received the complaint. We are going to ascertain the facts." --IANS sid/vd/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is conducting an ongoing investigation on sexual assault allegations against "That 70s Show" star Danny Masterson, which the actor has vehemently denied. According to journalist Tony Ortega, best known for his extensive reporting on the Church of Scientology, the Church allegedly covered up the allegations -- stemming from the early 2000s. The LAPD didn't comment on Scientology's involvement with the investigation, reports variety.com. "The Los Angeles Police Department Robbery Homicide Division, Sexual Assault Section, is conducting an investigation involving the actor Danny Masterson," read a statement from the LAPD obtained by Variety on Friday. It further read: "Three women have come forward and disclosed that they were sexually assaulted by Masterson during the early 2000's." Masterson denied the claims in a statement sent by his representative to Variety, saying the "false allegations appear to be motivated to boost Leah Remini's anti-Scientology television series". The accuser's name has been edited from the below statement. "We are aware of (the alleged victim's) 16-year-old allegations. It was only after (the alleged victim) was in contact with Leah Remini that she made allegations of sexual assault by Mr. Masterson. The alleged incident occurred in the middle of their six-year relationship, after which she continued to be his longtime girlfriend. "Significantly, during their long relationship she made numerous inconsistent claims that she was previously raped by at least three other famous actors and musicians. "When Danny ended the relationship she continued to pursue him, even making threats to beat up his current wife Bijou Phillips unless she left him. In fact, we are informed by the Church that the only demand (the alleged victim) made of the Church after Danny broke up with her was asking for their help to intervene so the breakup would not be permanent." The statement added: "These false allegations appear to be motivated to boost Leah Remini's anti-Scientology television series since (the alleged victim) only came forward after connecting with Leah Remini." According to a police report obtained by Ortega, Masterson's publicist, Jenni Weinman, who sent Variety the above statement, is listed as a witness to one of the sexual assaults. Masterson played Steven Hyde in sitcom "That '70s Show". He currently stars opposite Ashton Kutcher, another "'70s Show" alum, in the Netflix comedy "The Ranch". The 40-year-old is married to Bijou Phillips. --IANS sug/rb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday inaugurated three night shelters for the city's homeless in different parts of the national capital. The night shelters, built by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), are located at Ghazipur and Yamuna Pushta areas in east Delhi and Rohini Sector 22 in the north. While the Ghazipur shelter can accommodate 160 persons, the Rohini and Yamuna Pushta shelters have capacities of 200 and 100 persons respectively, a government statement said. The Delhi government also announced two shelter homes to be built in Geeta Colony of east Delhi and Dwarka in west Delhi. During the inauguration ceremony at Ghazipur shelter, Jain, who also holds the Transport portfolio, announced free travel in DTC buses for senior citizens. "The DTC monthly pass costs Rs 1,000, but soon we are going to reduce it to Rs 250 per month for all women," Jain said. --IANS vv/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ridhima Chopra, 25, once with a NGO in New Delhi is among the growing number of Indian women encouraged to complain -- without an end-result -- about harassment at work by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, promulgated in the wake of the 2012 Delhi gangrape. Yet, 70 per cent women said they did not report sexual harassment by superiors because they feared the repercussions, according to a survey conducted by the Indian Bar Association in 2017 of 6,047 respondents. An IndiaSpend analysis of available data and conversations with working women showed there was an increase in reported cases of harassment-to 2015, the year for which latest data are available. Between 2014 and 2015, cases of sexual harassment within office premises more than doubled -- from 57 to 119 -- according to National Crime Records Bureau data. There has also been a 51 per cent rise in sexual harassment cases at other places related to work-from 469 in 2014 to 714 in 2015. In the year before, between 2013 and 2014, the National Commission for Women reported a 35 per cent increase in complaints from 249 to 336, according to a December 2014 reply filed in the Lok Sabha. Despite the rise in numbers, women, like Chopra, are finding that their complaints are not redressed effectively by employers. Employers are either unaware of the law's provisions or have implemented them partially and even those that do set up internal panels have poorly trained members. Above all, there is little gender parity in organisations even today. The high profile case of the woman employee at The Energy & Resources Institute who had to fight a case of harassment against its then director general, R.K. Pachauri, for two years despite clear evidence illustrates this inequity. As will become clear in later sections, these problems apply not just to private and public sector establishments but also to relatively younger information technology (IT) companies. Why Riddhima failed to get justice: Redressal system is still flawed An internal complaints committee (ICC) is mandatory in every private or public organisation that has 10 or more employees, according to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. However, 36 per cent of Indian companies and 25 per cent of MNCs had not yet constituted their ICCs, the 2015 research study, Fostering Safe Workplaces, by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) showed. About 50 per cent of the more than 120 companies that participated in the study admitted that their ICC members were not legally trained. Private problem: 40 per cent of IT and 50 per cent of ad and media companies oblivious to law All ministries and departments in the government of India have constituted ICCs, the ministry of women and child development told the Lok Sabha in December 2016. The ministry of corporate affairs -- along with industry bodies ASSOCHAM, FICCI, Confederation of Indian Industry, Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and National Association of Software and Services Companies -- was requested to ensure its effective execution in the private sector. The law imposes a penalty of upto Rs 50,000 on employers who do not implement the Act in the workplace or even fail to constitute an ICC. But, the number of employers who do not fully comply with the law indicates that there is little monitoring of their redressal machinery. There is a high rate of non-compliance in the private sector, as is evident in the 2015 study, Reining in Sexual harassment at Workplace, by Ernst and Young. Two in five IT companies were oblivious to the need to set up ICCs and 50 per cent of advertising and media companies had not conducted training for ICC members, the study found. Three years ago, Meera Kaushik (not her real name) had started working in a Pune-based media and advertising company as a copywriter. She had an uneasy time during her job interview when her future employer insisted that she smile. "One day, when I was at work and feeling restless, my boss demanded to know why I was upset. He forced me to smile and leave my hair open. I didn't realize that this was harassment. Such expressions of concern are often considered a part of the work culture. I didn't object because I feared losing my job," she said. Kaushik finally did leave her job. Why women fail to report workplace harassment Anagha Sarpotdar, a researcher who works on sexual harassment at workplace and an external member appointed to monitor such trials by Mumbai city, was of the view that employers are wrong to discourage reporting in order to protect their image. "Low or no reporting speaks volumes about the gender sensitivity of a particular organisation," she said. "Further, women may not know where to go to report harassment or it could be that the cases may not have been dealt with sincerely. Often, women go to committees believing them to be independent and find that they are actually puppets in the hands of their superiors." "Under the law, there are guidelines to display information at a conspicuous place in the workplace, list the penal consequences of sexual harassments. There is also an order directing the ICC to create awareness regarding sexual harassment in all government departments and ministries. But these don't exist," said Shikha Chhibber, a Delhi-based lawyer. Kunjila Mascillamani, a freelance writer, had filed a complaint against sexual harassment while she was a student at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata. During the hearings on her case, Mascillamani said she was blamed for the incident. "All the faculty members and the administration had turned against me and I was slut-shamed on social media. It was at this juncture that I approached an NGO to appoint an external member to oversee the procedure and ensure a fair trial," she said. As Sarpotdar pointed out, for many organisations, training sessions on workplace harassment is only a box to be ticked. "They lack the perspective on gender equality to put the law into action," she said. (In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform. Manisha Chachra is an MPhil student at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has previously worked at the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. Feedback at respond@indiaspend.org) --IANS/IndiaSpend manisha/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), India's apex fashion body, has partnered with Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW) to enable a cross-cultural exchange of designer talent between the two nations and platforms. As part of the first year of the exchange, Indonesian designer Novita Yunus, with her brand Batik Chic, will showcase her creations at the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn Winter 2017 in association with Maybelline New York, read a statement issued by FDCI. Yunus will present her collection in the capital on March 15. FDCI President Sunil Sethi says the exchange between the two countries will make a "spectacular rendition of cross-cultural understanding". "We hope to create more avenues of engagement for designers, to explore the creative potential of both the countries. We would like to thank the Ambassador of India to Indonesia, Nengcha Lhouvum Mukhopadhaya in Jakarta, who has facilitated this partnership," Sethi added. Even organisers of JFW are excited to explore the collaboration. "The rapid business growth of Indonesian designers has encouraged our international partners, such as FDCI and Embassy of India in Jakarta, to initiate a collaboration, especially with Indonesian fashion forward designers," Lenni Tedja, Director of JFW, said. "JFW, Embassy of India in Jakarta and FDCI share similar mission, to develop the fashion industry in respected countries, and to bring forth designers from both countries to international stages," Tedja added. The fashion extravaganza is a four-day event which will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and end on March 18. --IANS ks/rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Giving a clear roadmap for its implementation, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was on track and July 1 was going to be the likely rollout date of the new indirect tax regime. "It (GST) looks on track. Subject to Parliament approval, it looks like the possible date of implementation of GST is July 1," Jaitley said after the 11th GST Council meet concluded here. The Council approved the central cGST (cGST) and integrated GST (iGST) draft laws on Saturday. "Consensus on cGST, iGST law. Both the final draft laws were discussed today. Council has approved both the drafts," Jaitley said. With the compensation draft law having already been approved in the Council's previous meeting -- held on February 18 in Udaipur -- there are two more draft laws remaining for approval. The Union Territory GST (UTGST) and state GST (sGST) draft laws will be taken up for discussion and approval at the Council's next meeting on March 16, Jaitley told reporters at a press briefing. The sGST and UTGST are replica of cGST and the settlement of their drafts is only a formality, he said. "Once these are approved, the four laws - compensation, UTGST, cGST and iGST - will be approved by Cabinet and placed in Parliament in the coming session," Jaitley added. Meanwhile, the sGST draft law will have to be approved by the legislative assemblies of states and union territories (Delhi, Puducherry). The UTGST draft law is for the union territories like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, which do not have legislative assemblies. With the approval of the five draft laws, the legislative action of the GST Council will be over, post which there will be another meeting for fitment of the goods and services in the tax slabs - 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent, 28 per cent. Clearing the air on reports of GST tax rate being increased up to 40 per cent, he said there would not be higher rate of taxation. "The four rates have already been decided by the Council. There will be no higher rate of taxation, but the capped rate is always higher to leave some space. Bound rate and applied rate is different," Jaitley said. The Council has approved raising the cGST, sGST peak tax rate from 14 per cent to 20 per cent each, amounting to a peak rate of 40 per cent. Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, who was also present at the briefing, told reporters, "The slabs are already decided and there is no change in slabs. But to provide the maximum ceiling, the Council felt the need to leave some scope for higher GST for after five years, when compensation to states is not required and cess is likely to be merged with GST rate." Some of the main features of GST: -- A state-wise single registration for a taxpayer for filing returns, paying taxes,and to fulfil other compliance requirements. Most of the compliance requirements would be fulfilled online, thus leaving very little room for physical interface between the taxpayer and the tax official. -- A taxpayer has to file one single return state-wise to report all his supplies, whether made within or outside the state or exported out of the country and pay the applicable taxes on them. -- A business entity with an annual turnover of up to Rs 20 lakh would not be required to take registration in the GST regime, unless he voluntarily chooses to do so to be a part of the input tax credit chain. The annual turnover threshold in the special category states (such as Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and the other states of the north-east) for not taking registration is Rs 10 lakh. -- A business entity with turnover up to Rs 50 lakh can avail the benefit of a composition scheme under which it has to pay a much lower rate of tax and has to fulfil very minimal compliance requirements. The composition scheme is available for all traders, select manufacturing sectors and for restaurants in the services sector. -- In order to prevent cascading of taxes, input tax credit would be admissible on all goods and services used in the course or furtherance of business, except on a few items listed in the Law. -- In order to ensure a single administrative interface for taxpayers, a provision has been made to authorise officers of the tax administrations of the Centre and the states to exercise the powers conferred under all Acts. -- An agriculturist, to the extent of supply of produce out of cultivation of land, would not be liable to take registration in the GST regime. -- An anti-profiteering provision has been incorporated to ensure that the reduction of tax incidence is passed on to the consumers. -- In order to mitigate any financial hardship being suffered by a taxpayer, Commissioner has been empowered to allow payment of taxes in instalments. --IANS mm/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The acting chief of Gurugram's Sadar Police Station was found shot dead in his office on Saturday under mysterious circumstances. Earlier it was stated that officer Kuldeep Kumar committed suicide but a top cop denied the suicide theory. Additional chief of Sadar Police Station Kuldeep Kumar, who was currently acting chief as regular SHO Vijay Kumar was on leave, had reached the police station in routine manner. According to the staff there, he was looking happy and met his juniors in a normal manner. The policemen posted at the Sadar Police station heard a gun shot around 2.35 p.m. and found Kumar lying in a pool of blood in the room. Earlier it was believed that he committed suicide but later in the day, Gurugram Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar said that it could not be stated that it was suicide without a proper investigation. "This is to clarify that Inspector Kuldeep's death cannot as of now be categorised as a suicide. This will need investigation before a conclusive finding is arrived at," Khirwar said. Kumar was rushed to nearby Medicity Medanta hospital but was declared brought dead by doctors. --IANS pradeep/sm/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China and India should not let disputes hinder the bilateral cooperation, one of the highest-ranking Chinese officials said on Saturday. Fu Ying, spokesperson for China's parliament, also urged India to join Chinese-proposed One Belt One Road project, which New Delhi views with suspicion. The powerful Fu was speaking on the eve of the annual session of National People's Congress, China's ceremonial parliament. "China and India both face different challenges in development. The two countries should understand each other more and not let disputes stand in the way of bilateral cooperation," Fu was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. Addressing a crowded press conference, Fu said the world's two largest developing countries should focus on enhancing mutual understanding and boosting cooperation rather than dwelling on disputes. Fu said India stands to benefit from the One Belt One Road project, which aims to link Asia with Europe. "Ultimately, India will also benefit from it. We must bear in mind the bigger picture when looking at issues." Fu said the project is for economic development, but India sees it a Chinese design for geo-strategic purpose. Speaking of the China-India strategic dialogue held in Beijing in February, Fu said the dialogue had been extensive and deep. "I felt it was quite positive," she added. The ties between India and China have taken a hit over a host of issues. Beijing's opposition to New Delhi's entry into Nuclear Supplier's Group and its proposal to have Pakistani militant Masood Azhar declared as international terrorist are some of the latest irritants. Fu said the two countries have a lot of consensus on regional and international issues. While some disputes remain, the issues have been discussed properly through diplomatic channels. Fu said China and India have over the past decades witnessed rapid development of bilateral trade, which surged from two billion US dollars in the 1990s to last year's more than 70 billion dollars. Air connectivity has improved remarkably, with 40 direct flights between the two countries every week, Fu said. There have also been frequent exchanges of visits by leaders of the two countries, and the two militaries visit each other every year, the spokesperson said, adding China and India have also established a mechanism to jointly combat cross-border crimes and terrorism. --IANS gsh/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and Mali, during the visit of Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar to the west African nation, have agreed to cooperate at all levels in the fight against terrorism the External Affairs Ministry said on Saturday. "Both parties identified terrorism as a grave threat to peace and prosperity and agreed to cooperate at a bilateral, regional and multilateral level to combat this menace," the ministry said in a statement following Akbar's visit to Mali on March 2-3. "Both sides also exchanged views on issues of common interest such as UN reforms, development issues, South-South cooperation and promotion of renewable energy," it stated. During his visit to Mali, Akbar co-chaired the first ever Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between India and Mali along with Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop. "The cordial discussions reviewed the bilateral engagement between the countries in various sectors like agriculture, energy etc and laid out areas of future co-operation, particularly in security and technology," the statement said. "Both parties expressed satisfaction at the enhancement of bilateral relations and progress achieved in implementation of outcomes from the visit of Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari to Mali in September 2016." Akbar also reiterated India's commitment to Mali's geographical and ideological integrity and assured India's support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Diop thanked India for its assistance of $500,000 for the reconstruction of the world heritage site of Timbuktu. India will host the largest exhibition of Timbuktu manuscripts titled "When Taj Mahal meets Timbuktu" later this year. Both parties identified terrorism as a grave threat to peace and prosperity and agreed to co-operate at a bilateral, regional and multi-lateral level to combat this menace. Both sides also exchanged views on issues of common interest such as UN reforms, development issues, South-South co-operation and promotion of renewable energy. "Minister Akbar's visit would be followed by a series of high-level visits from Mali to India including the visit of Minister of Culture and Minister of Investment Promotion and Private Sector," the ministry statement said. --IANS ab/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian companies can find opportunities in US President Donald Trump's massive $1 trillion plan for infrastructure development, according to Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia. There was optimism in the new administration for the growth of trade and investment, she told reporters after meetings with senior US official during her visit here with Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar to scope out the new Washington power structure and to present India's perspectives. Teaotia met with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who has had investments in India and was a member of the Chairman's Circle of the US-India Business Council. She said that India's pro-growth policies and the accelerated pace of reforms was appreciated and the administration noted that trade with India has been growing at nine percent every year. There was now a sense of ease of doing business in India and US companies that have invested there have had good results, she said. Indian measures in areas of protection of intellectual property rights and dispute resolution have further strengthened the case for investments in India, she said. Investments have not been a one-way street and Indian companies have also invested in the US in manufacturing, chemicals and technology, she said. And more opportunities were being created for them. Jaishankar said that there was no contradiction between India's 'Make in India' policy and Trump's 'Buy American'. Every country has its own interests, he added. If there was more robust growth in the US, it would also work to the advantage of India and produce more opportunities for it, he said. --IANS al/ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the nation still in shock from the killing of an Indian engineer in the US last week, another Indian-origin businessman has been shot dead outside his home in South Carolina, media reports said. On Thursday night, Harnish Patel had closed his shop at 11.24 p.m. and barely ten minutes later he was shot dead outside his house in Lancaster, a media report said. Patel's death comes two days after President Donald Trump had condemned as "hate and evil" the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, the previous Wednesday in a Kansas bar. Local officials in Lancaster, however, did not believe that Patel's killing was a bias crime as investigations are on, The Herald reported "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," County Sheriff Barry Faile said on Friday. In the February 22 Kansas killing, Kuchibhotla was shot dead by a man screaming, "Get out of my country". Another Indian Alok Madasani, who was with the victim at a bar, and an American, Ian Grillot, who tried to stop the shooting, were also shot and injured. Adam Purinton, a white and a former Navy SEAL was arrested and charged with murder. He had reportedly said that he had shot two Iranians after shooting the Indians. The hate crime was condemned by leaders in both the US and India. In his State of the Union address to the joint session of the Congress on February 28, Trump said: "Last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a Nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms." Local WSOCTV said that in Lancaster there was a lot of anger over the killing of Patel, who was considered an important member of the community and a kind person who treated his customers as friends and helped law enforcement. His store was close to the Sheriff's office and deputies often frequented the store. Faile said on TV that Patel was a "great family man" and a friend. The station said that Patel was survived by his wife and child in elementary school, who were at home when he was killed. People had created an impromptu shrine outside Patel's Speed Mart store by leaving balloons and flowers in his memory, the station said. A sign on door read, "Store closed for few days because of family emergency. Sorry for the inconvenience." A tearful customer, Nicole Jones, told the station that when someone didn't have money, Patel gave them food. "I would have no idea who would do this to him as good as he is to everybody," she said. A store employee, Keira Baskin, said that he only wanted the best for his employees and his family. On Thursday night a woman called the police and said that she heard screaming and gunshots and when sheriff's deputies arrived there they found Patel dead from apparent gunshot wounds a few feet from his house, WBTV reported. Police found two shell casings at the crime scene. A police dog could not pick up any scent to follow from there, WSOCTV reported. --IANS al/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Days after the killing of an Indian engineer in an apparent hate crime, an Indian-origin businessman who was well-liked in his neighbourhood was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster, South Carolina, on Thursday night. Harnish Patel, 43, had closed his shop at 11.24 p.m. and barely 10 minutes later was shot dead outside his house, according to media reports. Patel's death comes two days after President Donald Trump had said the nation condemned as "hate and evil" the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was shot dead in a pub the previous Wednesday in Olathe, Kansas, by a white man who screamed, "Get out of my country". Local officials in Lancaster said they do not believe that Patel's killing was a bias crime and that investigations are continuing, according to The Herald. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," County Sheriff Barry Faile said on Friday. Patel's store was near the sheriff's office and deputies often frequented the store. Faile said on TV that Patel was a "great family man" and a friend. The station said that Patel is survived by his wife and child in elementary school, who were at home when he was killed. People had created an impromptu shrine outside Patel's Speedee Mart store by leaving balloons and flowers in his memory, the station said. "Investigators believe he drove from the store directly home, where he was confronted by his killer when he got out of the vehicle," a police statement said. The store is between three and four miles from the house. In the February 22 Kansas incident in which Kuchibhotla was killed, another Indian, Alok Madasani, who was with him at a bar, and an American, Ian Grillot, who tried to stop the shooting, were shot and injured. A white Navy veteran Adam Purinton, 51, was arrested and charged with murder. He had reportedly said that he had shot two Iranians after shooting the Indians. The hate crime has been condemned by leaders in both the US and India. In his State of the Union address to the joint session of the Congress Trump said, "Last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a Nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms." WSOCTV said that in Lancaster there was a lot of anger over the killing of Patel, who was considered an important member of the community and a kind person who treated his customers as friends and helped law enforcement. A sign on the shop door read, "Store closed for few days because of family emergency. Sorry for the inconvenience." A tearful customer, Nicole Jones, told the station that when someone didn't have money, Patel gave them food. "I would have no idea who would do this to him as good as he is to everybody," she said. A store employee, Keira Baskin, said that he only wanted the best for his employees and his family. On Thursday night a woman called the police and said that she heard screaming and gunshots and when sheriff's deputies arrived there they found Patel dead from apparent gunshot wounds a few feet from his house, WBTV reported. Police found two shell casings at the crime scene. A police dog could could not pick up any scent to follow from there, WSOCTV reported. --IANS al/rn/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jordan on Saturday executed 15 prisoners, including 10 convicted on terrorism charges, in a further break with a moratorium on executions it had observed between 2006 and 2014. Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani told the state-run Petra news agency that 10 of the prisoners executed were involved in terrorism plots and attacks. Five others were convicted of other crimes, including rape. The prisoners were hanged at dawn on Saturday in a jail south of Amman. Some of the executed men were involved in plotting a terrorist attack in Irbid city in the north of the governorate, Xinhua news agency reported. One of those executed was convicted of killing several Intelligence Department officers last year. A man who last year killed leftist Christian writer Nahed Hattar was also among those executed. The executed include those involved in attacks on the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad in 2003 and on tourists at the Roman amphitheatre in the capital Amman in 2006. The minister said all executed prisoners were Jordanians and that they were hanged in a jail located to the south of Amman. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kerala police are on the lookout for five nuns and two others who were involved in an alleged rape case of a 17-year-old girl by a Catholic priest, authorities said on Saturday. The suspects comprise a doctor and an administrator of a hospital where the victim gave birth to a baby boy. Speaking to IANS, Sunil Kumar the investigating officer in the case, said they will arrest all the accused. "In all there are eight accused and the main suspect is 49-year-old Robin Vadakkanchery, a parish vicar near Kannur. He has already been arrested," said Kumar. The case surfaced with the arrest of the priest earlier this week who was caught on his way to the Kochi airport to fly out of the country. The arrest was made following an anonymous call that a 17-year-old school girl gave birth and the Catholic Church authorities in Wayanad are doing their best to cover up the case. Following the arrest of Robin, who also held the post of the manager of the Church-backed school where the girl was a Class 11 student, the hospital authorities and the orphanage all run by the Catholic church came under the scanner. --IANS sg/ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A quality of bleak brilliance cuts through the narrative of this riveting road epic. Set in the barren aftermath of a nuclear and other damnation and ruination, the US stares in the year 2029, at a time of abject self-doubt and adversative compromises. "Logan" gives us a new vulnerable ill and dying superhero. Hugh Jackman plays the fading saviour of civiliisation (who will save the saviour???) with a haunting wariness. He personifies T S Eliot's image of things falling apart and the centre unable to hold. When we first meet Logan (who moonlights with tireless steadfastness as Wolverine), his car is smashed by hoodlums while he sleeps smashed and ruined inside. This is no superhero spectacle. It is a metaphor on the closure of amplified heroism also 'celebrated' vis-a-vis Batman in the recent Lego movie where we saw the superhero as a weak, lonely, vulnerable and redeemed by the sudden appearance of an unlikely offspring. This is exactly what happens in "Logan" too, when 9-year old Laura (Dafne Keen) shows up claiming mutative kinship with . The two unlikely co-travellers, joined by the wizened Charles Xavier (veteran Patrick Stewart) make an unlikely trio of mutants on the run from the government baddies cheer-leadered by Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook). The combat between the two sides we really can't call them the Good and Evil as the two components that make the world go around are so mixed up they are country cousins is swift and brutal. Somewhere, as drives through a shattered wasteland of burnt-out despair and disembodied disrepair, his savage twin comes out of the genetical disorder. The two Hugh Jackmans are not used to create a visual splendour of heightened mayhem. The brutality is never used to augment the bestial energy which resides at the core of all action-driven superhero films. Dammit, "Logan" is not an action film at all. Outwardly, it exudes a sense of exaggerated bravado. But look closer. You will see the heart of darkness as Hugh Jackman's suffers for his lost agility and weeps for his daughter's future. "Logan" is like a serenely played symphony broken by strings of uncharted shrillness that are not brought in to distract but complete the portrait of despair. I was specially stunned by the savagery that destroys the Black American family that invites Logan, his mentor and daughter for a meal and night of rest, and by how Logan and his companions walk away from the mess unharmed unaffected. Laura even uses the iPhone that the slain family's dead son had lent her. Memory is not a distraction here. It is a reminder of how close we all are to dying. It is here that the old Charles Xavier admits this is how life was meant to be family life, a warm bed to sleep on, a support system to fall back on. Minutes later, it's all wiped out with a rude dismissive abruptness. I don't know whether it is deliberate. But there is an unevenness and inconsistency in storytelling. One minute it is harsh and unforgiving, but in no time the mood changes to one of tenderness and tranquility. Jackman's Logan/Wolverine rides the tides of fluctuating moods with an ease that indicates his character's and perhaps his own, acceptance of mortality as the only certainty and reality. "Logan" is an excursion that embraces the eclectic and elegiac aspects of existence. It makes room for a great deal of discourse and doubt on what constitutes a desirable life. It is also plagued by a lot of predictable emotions. The last act is specially cliched, replete with manipulative images of innocent children being helped to cross into safety by the dying Logan who is none the worse for the wear and tear. Logan humanises the superhero to a level of supreme surrender. We have never seen a comicbook hero who is so vulnerable and so challenged by a 9-year old girl who is played by a child who has the ability to project herself as much older than she actually is, without seeming precocious. We've never seen a hero so ready for the fall. We probably never will. Malaysia on Saturday declared the ambassador of North Korea to the country as "persona non grata" and asked him to leave the country within 48 hours, amid a row over the investigation into the death of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The decision was made after the ambassador, Kang Chol, failed to show up at a meeting he was summoned to by Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day, said Foreign Minister Anifah Aman in a statement, adding no other senior official came to the meeting either, Xinhua reported. Anifah said the ministry has sent a diplomatic note to the North Korean embassy to inform them that Kang should leave Malaysia within 48 hours from the scheduled time of the meeting, according to the statement. The expulsion of the ambassador came after Kang and the3 North Korean government accused the Malaysian side several times of "colluding with hostile forces" in its investigation into the death of Jong-nam on February 13 in Kuala Lumpur, and refused to trust the investigation. Anifah said Pyongyang also failed apologise for the accusations Kang has levelled against Malaysia, and there was no sign of one forthcoming. Previously, Malaysia had recalled its ambassador in Pyongyang and said it would rescind visa-free entry for North Koran citizens. These measures were part of the process by the Malaysian government to review its relations with Pyongyang, according to the statement. Malaysia also defended its impartiality in the investigation, citing the release of Ri Jong Chol, a North Korean man arrested as a suspect following the killing. Ri was deported back to North Korea on Friday and during his transit stay in Beijing, he accused the Malaysian police of coercing him to confess his crime. --IANS ahm/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday once again blamed opposition parties for politicising the September 29 cross-LoC surgical strikes. "It is unfortunate that some political parties are questioning the Army out of political motives. For them even national security is a political tool," Modi said at an election rally here. "It is unfortunate that some parties, in their greed for power, are just focusing on of opposing. But the people of the nation will not forgive this..." he said. He also said the Congress "made fun" of the soldiers by sanctioning just Rs 500 crore for One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. "They announced Rs 500 crore for OROP, and tried to cash in on it during the Lok Sabha polls. When we calculated, we found that Rs 12,000 crore is needed for OROP," Modi said. "Announcing just Rs 500 crore was cheating the Army," he said. --IANS ao/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) No conservation effort would be successful without involving women, believes Pramod Tandon, the CEO of Biotech Park, Lucknow, batting for scaling up of initiatives that link women's empowerment and conservation efforts, particularly in northeast India. "Women are more focused and when they are given task related to conservation, they put all their efforts into it. In northeast India, because of the matriarchal system, it is very important," Tandon told IANS here ahead of International's Women's Day. The former Vice Chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, was attending the national symposium on "Plant Biotechnology: Current Perspectives on Medicinal and Crop Plants" & 38th Annual Meeting of Plant Tissue Culture Association (India) at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology. Known for his work in understanding the genetic makeup of rare, endangered and threatened (RET) plants in northeast India, Tandon has made seminal contributions in micropropagation, re-establishment in nature, and recovery of critically endangered endemic plants of the region. Recounting initiatives led by his team at NEHU (by colleague Suman Kumaria), Tandon said the varsity conducted training for women in Meghalaya in hardening and cultivation of tissue culture- raised orchid plants in their villages. "We would take thousand of plants to the villages. They were trained in hardening and cultivation and once they grew (in their backyards) they were able to sell them in the market," the Padma Shri awardee said. Tandon hopes the programme would be re-started and scaled up by the local government. He also advocated the conservation of plant genetic resources and the integration of biodiversity considerations into mitigation and adaptation plans given the threat of climate change. "To conserve declining plant populations, efforts have to be made to protect them in their natural habitats," he added. --IANS sgh/sm/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) RLV Ramakrishnan, brother of late actor Kalabhavan Mani, on Saturday began a three-day fast here to protest against the fact that the police continue to grope in the dark to find out the cause of Mani's death even after a year. It was on this day last year, Mani was taken to a hospital in Kochi from his farm house near Chalakuddy and breathed his last two days later on March 6. "The scientific reports have come that two different poisonous substances were there in his body, but even as a year has passed since the probe began, the police are not able to crack the case," Ramakrishnan told the media at the protest venue. Hugely popular 45-year-old Mani, who acted in 200 films in Malayalam and other languages, had an untimely death, leaving the film industry as well as those in his hometown in Chalakuddy, shocked. A CBI probe into the death was sought soon after the new Pinarayi Vijayan-led government assumed office in May last year, but nothing has happened yet. State Congress President V.M. Sudheeran told the media that his party also supports the need for a CBI probe into Mani's death. A few of the actor's close aides who were present at his farmhouse when he collapsed, had undergone the lie-detector test earlier, but nothing has happened after that. A public meeting is to be held here on the first death anniversary of the actor. Vijayan, as well as leading names from the film industry, will be taking part. --IANS sg/rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Joining a protest march of students here against what they called "bid to curb freedom of speech and expression in academic institutions", the Opposition on Saturday attacked the government accusing it of "fascist politics". The opposition parties also said that they would raise the issue in Parliament. A large number of students walked from Mandi House to Parliament in the national capital, raising slogans against alleged violence by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its student body Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on the campus. The protesters were joined by CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI National Secretary D. Raja, Janata Dal Chief General Secretary and National Spokesperson K.C. Tyagi, Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India Party and professors of Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Raja attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying these "fascists (BJP) never believed in democracy". "It is our country and we have to fight against these fascist and dictatorial forces," he said. "They (BJP) have no respect for constitutional morality. We cannot expect it from ABVP and BJP. We will ask government what they want to do with the student community. "You are not just students, you can vote. You have a right to decide who should rule. We will continue our fight against fascist forces for the sake of our country," Raja said. Yechury said this issue would be raised in Parliament. "Whatever you decide, it's your right. No one can take it away from you. You are the future. You will have to decide tomorrow the kind of nation you want." Tyagi assured the students that their concerns would be raised in Parliament "more forcefully". Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid, accused of seditious speech, also slammed the government saying "fascist politics" was going on in the nation. "Today, fascist based on lies is going on in the nation. M. Venkaiah Naidu (union minister) is saying they will bring 'Azadi' slogan under sedition law. "These are the people who said why students indulge in politics, they should study. They should then first shut down their student wing ABVP," said Khalid. "The government does not have any problem with politics, but they just can't tolerate of resistance, of dissent," he said, adding that they did not have any problem with the politics of those who agreed with their ideology. "If they take away our rights, we will indulge in politics. We have our differences. If we don't unite, we won't survive. If we do, they won't," Khalid said during the protest. This was part of a series of protests being organised by different student organisations in the wake of the February 22 disturbances at Ramjas College. Clashes had erupted at the college between two student bodies after the ABVP forced suspension of an event to be addressed by Umar Khalid. --IANS vv-gt/nir/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gunmen shot dead a local leader of the ruling coalition in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, police said. Muhammad Jan Gigyani, a lawyer and leader of the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), was attacked in Charsadda district when he was heading to the court in his car, a police officer said. The QWP is part of the ruling coalition in the province. Gigyani and his nephew received bullet injuries and were shifted to hospital in Peshawar, the provincial capital. Gigyani later died of wounds while his nephew was receiving treatment. The gunmen, riding on a motorcycle, fled after the shooting, eyewitnesses said. The Pakistan branch of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar group claimed the attack in a statement sent to the local media. The group is blamed for attacks on the officials of the law enforcement agencies, political leaders and government officers. Lawyers protested against the murder of their colleagues and demanded that the government arrest the culprits. The police conducted a search operation in the area but no one has been arrested so far. Security officials believe the militants have adopted a policy of target attacks after they were expelled from their previous strongholds in the tribal regions. --IANS ahm/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Health Ministry has granted permission to increase 39 postgraduate seats in two state-run medical colleges in Himachal Pradesh, an official said on Saturday. Thirty one additional seats have been created in the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla, while eight seats have been added in the Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Tanda town, a government spokesperson told IANS. He said the extra seats would be filled from this session. State Health Minister Kaul Singh informed the assembly on Friday that efforts were on to start the first batch of MBBS with 100 seats in the ESI Medical College near Mandi town. Himachal Pradesh is facing an acute shortage of doctors, especially specialists, particularly in tribal areas. --IANS vg/gsh/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Election Commission on Saturday extended the ban on exit polls for the assembly elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh by a day to March 9, following the death of two candidates. "Conducting of exit poll and disseminating result of any exit poll now stands prohibited till 5.30 p.m. of March 9, 2017," the poll panel said, as it adjourned, to March 9, the poll in Uttar Pradesh's Alapur and Uttarakhand's Karna Prayag. The adjournment came after the deaths of Chand Shekhar, the Samajwadi Party candidate from Alapur (SC) and Kanwasi, the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate in Karna Prayag. The Commission on January 27 had notified the period of prohibition of conduct of exit polls for the ongoing assembly polls from February 4 (7 a.m.) to March 8 (5.30 p.m.). --IANS sid-vd (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.) Protesters for and against the embattled South Korean President took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday as the anticipated Constitutional Court's verdict on whether to approve Park Geun-hye's impeachment nears. Kept apart by large police barriers, thousands of detractors and sympathisers of Park, who is at the centre of the so-called "Korean Rasputin" corruption scandal, took to the streets, with the court's decision only a week away. An estimated 16,000 police officers were deployed to keep the peace between the opposing factions, Efe news reported. Detractors gathered for the "March for a future without Park", whilst Park's supporters wore national flags and sang the national anthem as well as military songs associated with Park's father, who ruled the country from 1961 to 1979. "We came to defend our President and our country from North Korea. If we lose the battle against the others, we will be in a very dangerous situation," a supporter of Park told Efe, who said he was convinced that the election of a liberal President would lead the country to a "disastrous" unification attempt with the North. The South Korean Parliament on December 9 approved a decision to impeach Park, whom the state attorney considers an accomplice in the corruption case of Choi Soon-sil, known as the "South Korean Rasputin" due to her close relationship with the President. Choi, 60, is accused of taking advantage of her close friendship with Park to interfere in state affairs, despite not holding public office, and of conspiring to extort companies and force them to donate large sums of money to various foundations to appropriate part of the funds. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) RSS leader Kundan Chandrawat, who had announced a Rs 1-crore bounty for beheading Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleged on Saturday that his Facebook account has been hacked and he is receiving death threats. Chandrawat told IANS: "I received death threats on Facebook and later my account was hacked. I am also getting threats over phone...will lodge a case with police after consulting my lawyer." The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader was on Friday "relieved" of his duties as the Sangh's Ujjain Sah Prachar Pramukh (Regional Deputy Publicity Head) over his statement that drew widespread condemnation. Earlier in the day, police said they had lodged a case against Chandrawat. Madhavnagar Police Station in-charge M.S. Parmar said: "Taking cognisance of the statement of Kundan Chandrawat, police on Friday night filed a case against him under Section 505 (apprehension of breach of peace and fear of communal tension)." At a demonstration by the Jan Adhikar Samiti here on Wednesday, Chandrawat had said: "The Hindus no more have the zeal of Shivaji Maharaj. I announce Rs 1 crore from my pocket to anyone who brings me the severed head of the Kerala Chief Minister." "... such traitors don't have the right to live in this country," he added. His statement came in the wake of continuing violent clashes between the CPI-M and the RSS cadres in Kerala, with many political killings on both sides. --IANS hindi-nir/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The under-construction house of a prominent RTI activist was vandalised by unidentified persons in Meghalaya, a police official said on Saturday. The house, belonging to Curtis Rani, was damaged on Friday night at Mawkneng village, the assembly constituency of Home Minister Horju Donkupar Roy Lyngdoh. "I have no idea who dismantled the walls of my house, but prior to this incident, village chief of Hima Nongspung Patrick Syiemiong issued a letter on March 2 instructing me to stop the construction of my house," Curtis told IANS. Curtis said Syiemiong's threat came after the former filed an RTI seeking information on various issues relating to the rules and regulations of the office of Syiem of Hima Nongspung in administering the villages besides financial expenditure. "A day later, I was verbally informed that Syiemiong wanted me to choose between the house and the RTI," he said. The RTI activist, who has been threatened in the past for filing an RTI relating to the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), has filed an FIR at Sohiong police station. "We have received the FIR and investigation has started in the case," the district police chief of East Khasi Hills Mariahom Kharkrang said. --IANS rrk/vgu/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of people on Saturday gathered at the home of noted Dalit litterateur Krishna Kirwale, who was murdered by a carpenter over a petty financial matter. Police teams have swung into action to trace out the 30-year old accused, Pritam G. Patil, who had made some furniture at the Kirwale residence. Police said the Dalit scholar, researcher, writer and activist was murdered over dispute of Rs 25,000 at his Bindu Chowk residence in Rajendra Nagar area of this erstwhile princely city on Friday evening. Investigators said Patil had a dispute over the outstanding amount that allegedly triggered the attack and the murder. Kirwale's body was found in a pool of blood near his residence. He is survived by his wife Kalpana and daughter Anagha, a Ph.D student at the Fergusson College in Pune. His last rites are scheduled for later on Saturday at the Panchganga Ghat crematorium, his close associate Alok Jatratkar said. In view of a shutdown call issued by some organisations, the police have deployed tight security in the city and urged people to exercise restraint and remain calm. --IANS qn/in/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump needled House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for claiming she had never met the Russian ambassador and called for an "investigation" into her Russia "ties", after ribbing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for eating doughnuts with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The California Democrat told Politico on Friday that she had never met Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. A file photo from Pelosi's 2010 meeting with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, however, shows Kislyak at the table across from her. "I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it," Trump tweeted on Friday, flubbing the spelling of "hereby" twice before nailing it on the third try. Caroline Behringer, Pelosi's deputy communications director, said the Democratic leader's response "was clearly about private, one-on-one meetings" and added that Kislyak's presence was "incidental". "Clearly, one needs to remind that Attorney General Sessions lied under oath about a secret meeting amidst Russia's hacking of our election, which he also didn't disclose in a written questionnaire," she said. Pelosi herself suggested in a tweet that there's a big difference between her situation and that of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who came under fire this week for not disclosing two meetings he had last year with Kislyak during his confirmation hearing. "@realDonaldTrump doesn't know difference between official meeting photographed by press and closed secret meeting his AG lied about under oath," she wrote. Trump had earlier called for a swift probe into Schumer. "We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin," Trump tweeted. "A total hypocrite!" That tweet included a 2003 image of Schumer having coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New York. According to the caption, Putin was visiting the first New York gas station of Lukoil, a Russian company. Schumer shot back on Twitter that he would "happily talk" about his contact with Putin and the Russian leader's associates. It "took place in '03 in full view of press & public under oath," he said. "Would you & your team?" --IANS soni/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Trump administration is expected to begin rolling back stringent federal regulations on vehicle pollution that contributes to global warming, marking a U-turn to efforts to force the American auto industry to produce more electric cars, a media report said. The announcement - which is expected as soon as Tuesday next week and will be made jointly by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt and Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao - will immediately start to undo one of former President Barack Obama's most significant environmental legacies, the New York Times reported on Friday. Trump is also expected to direct Pruitt to begin the process of dismantling the Clean Power Plan, Obama's rules to cut planet-warming pollution from coal-fired power plants. The regulatory rollback on vehicle pollution will relax restrictions on tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide and will not require action by Congress. It will also have a major effect on the United States auto industry, the daily said. Under the Obama administration's vehicle fuel economy standards, American automakers were locked into nearly a decade of trying to design and build ever more sophisticated fuel-efficient vehicles, including electric and hybrid models. The EPA will also begin legal proceedings to revoke a waiver for California that was allowing the state to enforce the tougher tailpipe standards for its drivers, the New York Times reported. On February 21, a coalition of the 17 largest companies that sell cars in the US sent two letters to Pruitt, asking him to revisit the tailpipe rules. They complained about the steep technical challenge posed by the stringent standard, noting that only about 3.5 per cent of new vehicles are able to reach it. That even excludes some hybrid cars, plug-in electric cars and fuel cell vehicles, the automakers wrote. The automakers estimated their industry would have to spend a "staggering" $200 billion between 2012 and 2025 to comply and said the tailpipe emissions rule was far more expensive for the industry than enforcing the Clean Power Plan. Former Obama administration officials and environmentalists denounced Trump's expected announcement. "The rest of the world is moving forward with electric cars. If the Trump administration goes backward, the U.S. won't be able to compete globally," said Margo T. Oge, a former senior EPA official. The tailpipe pollution regulations were among Obama's major initiatives to reduce global warming and were put forth jointly by the EPA and the Transportation Department. They would have forced automakers to build passenger cars that achieve an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, compared with about 36 miles per gallon today. --IANS soni/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have detained an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was in the country for two decades, a media report said on Saturday. Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, 48, was picked up by the ICE on Tuesday while he was dropping his daughters off at a school in Los Angeles, Time magazine reported. Los Angeles TV station KABC reported that Gonzalez's daughter, Fatima Avelica, used her phone to record the agents taking him into custody. Avelica-Gonzalez is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico and has lived in the US for over 25 years, according to CNN. "I never thought we'd actually go through something like this," another daughter, Brenda Avelica, told KABC. "It's terrible to feel and see your family being broken apart." A statement from ICE said Avelica-Gonzalez received a driving under the influence (DUI) notice in 2009, and had an outstanding order of removal that was over two years old. An incident involving an incorrect car registration from 20 years ago contributed to agents putting Avelica-Gonzalez into custody, KABC said in its reports. This has come amidst Mexico's consulate in Miami inaugurating a new section to enhance protections for Mexicans in the US as they face new challenges posed by the policies of President Donald Trump. --IANS in/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Vijay Antony, last seen in Tamil political thriller "Yaman", will be seen playing dual roles in upcoming family drama "Annadurai". "It's the story of two brothers. Vijay Antony plays dual roles. Contrary to rumours, the film is not a biopic on popular Tamil leader Annadurai," a source from the film's unit told IANS. To be directed by debutant Srinivasan, this will be the second time after "Saithan" that Vijay Antony will be seen in a dual role. With the pre-production work already underway, the principal shooting is expected to commence from April. The film will be produced by star couple Sarath Kumar and Radikaa Sarath Kumar. --IANS hp/rb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telugu film actor Nikhil Siddhartha, fresh from the success of Telugu romantic thriller "Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada", says he is ready to explore opportunities in Tamil filmdom. "My Tamil film debut was supposed to happen with 'Karthikeya', which was simultaneously made as a bilingual. Unfortunately, the Tamil version still hasn't released for reasons unknown. Whenever I go to Chennai, people refer to me as the guy holding a spade from the poster of 'Karthikeya'. It feels nice to get noticed," Nikhil told IANS. Keen to explore more opportunities in Tamil films, he said: "I'm in the process of stabilizing my career in Telugu. I wouldn't want to jeopardize it at any cost. But if there's any interesting Tamil project, I would love to do it." How much of the Tamil language does he know? "I'm picking up the language. I know a few words already," he said. Nikhil is currently shooting for Telugu actioner "Keshava". --IANS hp/rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 11 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded today in air strikes on a central Syrian village that a monitor said were likely carried out by Russia. "The raids targeted a livestock market in the village of Oqayrabat, held by the Islamic State group in Hama province," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Samajwadi Party president and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to list out the work done by him. "I told you about 10 works done by my government. Can he (Modi) list 10 works? I am ready to give the performance report of my five year government. But, he should give the report of three years of rule at the Centre," he said at an election rally here. Taking a jibe at his political rivals, he said, "I heard that voters are being given money. My advice to you is to keep the money and vote for the bicycle (SP's election symbol)." On giving a significant number of seats to its alliance partner Congress in the ongoing state Assembly elections, the SP national president said friendship cannot run by being a miser. The SP is contesting on 298 of the total 403 Assembly seats in the state elections, with Congress trying its luck in remaining 105 seats. Mounting attack on BSP supremo Mayawati, Akhilesh said, "She got her memorials made even when she was alive. Now her language has undergone significant change, she is also speaking the language of development. But, since she reads out her speech, people listening to her tend to fall asleep." "She (Mayawati) is my bua (aunt), but she may go for Rakshabandhan (possible post-poll alliance with BJP). Hence, you have to be very careful," he alleged. Akhilesh asserted that his government had performed in the past five years, and if voted to power again, the quantum of work would certainly increase. He assured the audience that poor women would get Rs 1,000 pension. "Apart from this, Bhadohi-Mirzapur Road would be made in such a way that it effectively lasts for 40 years," he added. Meanwhile, a wall on which a large number of people had perched themselves, collapsed after the meeting, damaging around 25 bicycles and eight motorcycles. Around five persons were injured in the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bahrain says it has arrested 25 suspected members of a terror group allegedly backed by Iran on the island nation. A government statement Saturday alleged the 54-member group went to Iraq and Iran to "receive training in the use of explosives and firearms at Revolutionary Guard camps." It said police seized firearms, bombs, cars, boats and a drone. The statement linked the group to a series of attacks, including a January prison break. It said the group's leader was in Germany, without elaborating. Iran's government had no immediate comment. Sunni-ruled Bahrain, like other Gulf Arab nations, remains suspicious of Shiite power Iran. Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, has seen the low-scale unrest present since its 2011 Arab Spring protests escalate recently amid a government crackdown on dissent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After protesting in Bihar Houses for three days, BJP today organised dharna across the state demanding sacking of minister Abdul Jalil Mastan's for his "uncharitable" remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In Patna, state BJP president Nityanand Rai led the dharna demanding immediate removal of Mastan, the Excise and Prohibition Minister, for asking his supporters to hit the PM's photograph with shoes, as shown in a video telecast on television. "The party would not pardon the minister despite regrets expressed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, RJD president Lalu Prasad and state Congress chief Ashok Choudhary," Rai said in his address at the dharna site. "The state government should sack Mastan from the ministry without losing any further of time," he added. Rai, who is also an MP from the state, said BJP would continue to stage protest in Legislature as well on streets for removal of the minister. BJP Rajya Sabha member R K Sinha said that Mastan has no right to continue on the post of a minister. The dharna was addressed by a host of state BJP MLAs including its chief whip in Legislative Assembly Arun Sinha and Nitin Navin, who has registered an FIR against Mastan. Similar sit-ins were organised in other districts also in support of the demand to sack Mastan. Today's dharna came after members of BJP and other NDA allies staged protest in the Assembly as well Legislative Council for three days in a row till yesterday. Mastan was caught on camera asking a crowd at Amour in Purnea district to hit the photograph of Modi with shoes. He made the remarks during a protest against demonetisation on February 22. Subsequently, some of the protesters were seen hitting a photo of Modi, kept on the stage, with shoes in Mastan's presence. The video was telecast by television channels on February 28, triggering a protest by the NDA in and outside the Houses since March 1. NDA members also submitted a memorandum to Governor Ramnath Kovind demanding removal of the minister from cabinet. BJP MLA Nitin Navin also lodged an FIR against Mastan on March 2 at the Kotwali police station. In his complaint, Navin sought slapping of sedition charges against the minister, his arrest for disturbing communal harmony and also a probe into his citizenship as he hails from an area bordering Bangladesh. Though Mastan apologised, but it did not satisfy the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to travel to Russia in the coming weeks for high-level political talks, his office said today. It will be the first time a British minister has been to Moscow for an official visit in more than five years and could signal a potential thaw in Anglo-Russian relations after years of antagonism. A Foreign Office spokeswoman stressed that the visit was not a return to "business as usual", saying Britain's approach to Russia was "engage, but beware". Relations with Russia soured after Britain sought to prosecute suspects in the killing of Kremlin critic and former spy Alexander Litvinenko, murdered by radiation poisoning in London in 2006. Britain has also been one a fervent supporter of Western sanctions against Moscow over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis. Johnson was invited by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, and more detailed timings will be announced later. "Our policy towards Russia is to 'engage but beware' and the visit is entirely consistent with this approach," the spokeswoman said. "Discussions will focus on the UK-Russia relationship and current international issues including Syria and Ukraine, where we continue to have significant differences. "This is not a return to business as usual and the foreign secretary will continue to be robust on those issues where we differ." The spokeswoman said a visit had been in the pipeline since British Prime Minister Theresa May met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China in September 2016. Johnson and Lavrov held their first telephone talks in August the same year. Johnson has described Putin as a "ruthless and manipulative tyrant", and compared his looks to the Harry Potter character Dobby the House Elf. Yet he has called for greater cooperation with the Russian leader in the battle against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria. Johnson has recently hinted at a shift in Syria policy, saying President Bashar al-Assad could be allowed to run for re-election and mentioning a possible "arrangement" with regime ally Russia. Britain has been one of the harshest critics of Russia's Syria policy and the Assad regime, saying the president's departure is a precondition for any resolution to the conflict. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Darjeeling District Child Protection Officer and a member of the district Child Welfare Committee have been arrested by the CID in connection with the Jalpaiguri child trafficking case. Their arrest comes days after BJP women's wing leader Juhi Chowdhury, Chief Adoption Officer of an NGO Sonali Mondal, its Chairperson Chandana Chakraborty and Chandana's brother Manas Bhowmik were arrested by the CID team probing the case. The CID and district police officials said the Darjeeling District Child Protection Officer Mrinal Ghosh and the district Child Welfare Committee member Debasish Chandra were initially detained and questioned at length at Pintail village in Siliguri yesterday. The duo were then arrested for their alleged involvement in selling of babies and children in India and abroad in the last few months from the NGO 'Bimala Sishu Griho'. Sonali, Chandana and Manas were charged with selling about 17 children, aged between 1 and 14 years, to foreigners by entering into shady adoption deals. The CID had unearthed a child trafficking racket during raids at homes and nursing homes in Baduria area of North 24 Parganas district, in Behala in the southern fringes of Kolkata and some other parts of south Bengal in November last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China today announced that it will increase its defence spending by around seven per cent this year, the slowest hike since 2010, even as it vowed to guard against "outside forces" interfering in its territorial disputes. The increase in defence spending announced by Fu Ying, the spokesperson of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), is expected to take the country's defence budget to about 1.02 trillion yuan, which is three times bigger than India's new defence budget of USD 53.5 billion. The exact figure for this year's defence budget will be announced in Premier Li Keqiang's work report to the NPC tomorrow when China's largely rubber-stamp parliament begins its annual session. The nearly seven per cent increase could be China's slowest defence budget rise in at least a decade, marking the second time for the defence budget increase to dip into the single digit since 2010, state-run Xinhua agency reported. Last year, China increased its defence spending by 7.6 per cent, allocating about 954 billion yuan (around USD 143.7 billion). A year before that, China increased the defence spending by about 15 per cent as part of its efforts to modernise the world's largest military of 2.3 million troops. China's announcement to increase defence spending comes after US President Donald Trump vowed a 10 per cent increase in America's military spending of about USD 600 billion. Much of China's budget this year was expected to go for the development of navy as the second largest economy looks to expand its influence beyond its shores. China's claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea have caused a lot of concern in the region. China currently has one aircraft carrier and is building another. Chinese defence officials say that the third is also in the pipeline to match the growing strength of US navy in hotspots like the disputed South China Sea. "China's military capacity building will be continued. This is the requirement for safeguarding our national sovereignty and security," Fu told media. She said China's defence budget accounted for 1.3 per cent of the country's GDP, compared with NATO members' pledge to dedicate at least two per cent of GDP to defence. "You should ask them what their intentions are," Fu told reporters, adding that China has "never inflicted harm on other countries." "Of all the conflicts and wars in the world that have killed and displaced so many people and caused significant losses of property, which one is China to blame for?" she asked. On China's disputes with neighbouring countries, Fu said China advocates dialogue and peaceful solutions in addressing those issues. "We call for a peaceful settlement through dialogue and consultation (of the disputes). But at the same time, we must also have the capability to defend our sovereignty, our rights and interests," Fu said. "In particular, we must guard against outside forces from interfering with such issues," Fu said. The NPC spokesperson, however, did not elaborate on what "interfering" she was referring to and also did not mention the disputes in question. "The enhancement of China's capabilities is conducive to safeguarding regional peace and stability, not the contrary," she said. On the South China Sea issue where US has deployed an aircraft carrier to assert its freedom of navigation, she said China and some ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries have already returned to dialogue and consultation, and tensions in the area have shown trends of easing. "As to the future development (of the settlement of these disputes), I think we also need to take into account the intentions on the US side," she said, calling the US' actions in the SCS a "weather-vane" for the region. Fu went on to say that concerns over navigational freedom in the SCS are misleading and uncalled for. "In essence...Washington is perhaps concerned that China could catch up with or surpass the US in terms of capability," she said, noting that there is still a huge gap between the two countries. Fu said whether a military poses a threat rests on its "strategic intentions." "Thus the key question we should really ask is whether we are pursuing common security or exclusive security," Fu said. "China wants common security for all, and this is the shared consensus of many Asian countries as well," she said. China's economic growth continued to slowdown as last year it registered a nearly three-decade low of 6.7 per cent declining from 6.9 in 2015. Premier Li will unveil the government's 2017 GDP target tomorrow. The exact figure for this year's defence budget is also expected to be released in a budget report. The increase in China's military expenditure, especially for the navy, is aimed at safeguarding the country's fast expanding overseas interests and is in response to the unstable security situation in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese military experts were quoted as saying by the state- run Global Times last week. Chu Yin, associate professor at the University of International Relations, said, China's rapid military development is a recurrent trend with the country's rising economic power, and is entirely legitimate and reasonable. "It doesn't need Trump as an excuse," he told the daily. Curfew was today relaxed for 12 hours in Lakhimpur city where tension had prevailed following clashes over an objectionable video. "Curfew has been relaxed from 6 AM to 6 PM today. Banks and offices will be allowed to open. However, schools and colleges will remain closed," District Magistrate Akashdeep told reporters. He said security will remain in place in sensitive areas. There were reports from some areas of burning of makeshift shops by miscreants. The authorities yesterday held a peace committee meeting and took out a peace march in which people from different communities participated in large numbers. Shops and markets are open and normal movement was witnessed on roads. However, heavy police security arrangements remain in place on roads. Mobile police vans have been deployed at all crossings and sensitive localities. IG (Lucknow Zone) A Satish Ganesh and DIG Pravin Kumar are camping in the city. District Magistrate Kheri said the situation would be reviewed later and appropriate decision would be taken. Tension had prevailed in the city after the video, which allegedly hurt religious sentiments, went viral on social media. It was allegedly circulated by two students who were arrested. The police later produced them before the court which remanded them to judicial custody. Despite the prompt action by the police, the protests started on roads and markets were closed in panic. Curfew was imposed on the night of March 2 and was relaxed for three hours yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The NCP today termed the Shiv Sena's demand to allow opposition leaders and journalists at the cabinet meetings of Maharashtra government as "laughable". "Shiv Sena's demand is laughable and is constitutionally wrong. For the past one month we were witnessing a 'Mahabharat' (the war of words between the ruling alliance partners BJP and Shiv Sena). Now we see this childishness," the state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare said here. In yesterday's cabinet meeting, the first after the Mumbai civic elections, Sena ministers demanded that opposition leaders and journalists should be allowed to attend these meetings for more "transparency". "For the first time in 30 years the state has a government which has the strength in numbers, with 190 legislators supporting it. But its weakness otherwise is evident," Tatkare said, when asked if the opposition would bring a no-confidence motion in the coming Budget session. Congress and NCP will join hands for the elections for Zilla Parishad presidents on March 21, he said. "Congress will have to have a tie-up with us in Osmanabad and Raigad. It had a pre-poll alliance with Shiv Sena in these two districts," Tatkare said. At a meeting of NCP leaders chaired by the party president Sharad Pawar here today, it was decided that party organisation should be strengthened at the booth level, Tatkare said. Claiming that NCP emerged as the second-largest party in the ZP and municipal elections of last month, he said it had "done fairly well compared to the performance in the 2014 Assembly polls". Party MPs Supriya Sule and Praful Patel were among those who attended today's meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to the assassination of the half-brother of North Korea's leader, calling it a plot to tarnish his country's honor. Ri Jong Chol spoke to reporters in Beijing early Sunday while on his way to Pyongyang. Malaysian authorities have said there's insufficient evidence to charge Ri over Kim Jong Nam's killing at Kuala Lumpur's airport on February 13. Ri was detained four days after the attack but police never said what they believed his role was. Two women one Indonesian, one Vietnamese have been charged with murder after police said they smeared Kim's face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Ri said he wasn't at the airport the day Kim was killed but that police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with "fake evidence." He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," Ri said. "This is when I realised that it was a trap ... They were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment today. Immigration Director-General Mustafar Ali said Friday that Ri has been blacklisted from re-entering Malaysia. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. Police yesterday issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but didn't say why he is a suspect. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on January 29, about two weeks before Kim was killed. Kim's death has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysia said it was scraping visa-free entry for North Koreans, while the Foreign Ministry said it was "greatly concerned" about the use of the nerve agent. Malaysia has not directly accused North Korea of being behind the killing, but the ministry statement came hours after a North Korean envoy rejected a Malaysian autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Egyptian police have killed four suspected Islamist militants believed to have been planning a "major attack" in a shootout near Cairo, the interior ministry said. The "takfiri" cell -- an Arabic word for extremists who declare other Muslims disbelievers -- had been meeting when police raided their hideout in Giza province, southwest of Cairo, the ministry said in a statement yesterday. "When the terrorist cell sensed the police drawing near they began shooting at them, which prompted the police force to fire back," the statement said. The suspects' affiliation was not immediately clear but police often describe jihadists with links to the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda as "takfiris". They were "preparing to execute a major attack in the coming period," the statement said. The Islamic State group's Egyptian branch has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in attacks, mostly in the Sinai Peninsula but also in Cairo. The country has witnessed a deadly insurgency since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and police cracked down on his Muslim Brotherhood movement, killing hundreds of protesters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JEFFERSON Supporters of a bond measure for a new middle school and expanded elementary school in Jefferson are hoping the third time's the charm. Voters in the Jefferson School District will be asked this May to approve a bond measure for $14.375 million to build a new middle school adjacent to the high school, construct an eight-classroom addition and gym at Jefferson Elementary School and make various repairs to Jefferson High School. If the bond passes, Jefferson has been approved to receive $4 million in matching funds from the state, giving the district $18.375 million to spend. If approved, the 30-year bond will cost an estimated $1.48 per $1,000 of assessed value. For a home valued at $150,000, that's an extra $222 per year. Voters have turned down bond requests in Jefferson twice in recent years. This third request is down more than $2 million from the previous bond measure, which voters narrowly defeated last November. Paul Terjeson, chairman of the bond support committee, said the school district cut most of the cost by changing plans at the elementary school. By eliminating a plan to remodel elementary school classrooms, the district could reduce the construction timeline from three years to 18 months, which meant no extra contingency plans had to be made for shortages in labor and materials. Students also can continue going to class during the work on the addition instead of being rehoused at the old middle school during the work. The district also made a slight reduction to the total square footage for the proposed middle school, he said. Like the last bond, the plan is to build the new school and the classroom addition and gym using dome-shaped structures. The bond committee found the dome shapes are more cost-effective than more traditional buildings, resulting in a structure that's roughly $100 cheaper per square foot and rated better in terms of earthquake, fire and tornado safety. The new classrooms at Jefferson Elementary will replace temporary classroom buildings. The gym will be the school's first: Right now, it has only a multipurpose room, which is used both as a cafeteria and a P.E. classroom. The middle school, parts of which date to 1952, suffers from roof leaks, failing plumbing systems and an overloaded electrical system, among other problems. District estimates indicate it would cost more to fix the building than to start over. The idea is to build the new school on the west side of the high school campus so the two buildings could share resources. Bond money would be used to fix the heating and cooling system at Jefferson High School and work on other issues, including the track and grandstands, depending on how much can be saved from the major construction projects. Even though the total bond is down $2 million, voters are expected to have to pay the same amount they would have for the last bond. That's because bond rates have gone up since November, which cost the district $2 million in buying power, Terjeson said. Costs are expected to keep rising, he added, which makes him worry that if Jefferson doesn't pass a bond soon, eventually it won't be able to afford to build anything. Also, with Oregon facing a budget deficit under current spending plans, Terjeson feels it's unlikely bond matching grants will be available in the future. "Something has to happen, and it has to happen this time," he said. Vijayawada police has arrested eight persons and seized Rs 7.23 lakh in the demonetised notes from them. These men were members of a gang which offered to exchange old notes for commission, said the police. Two more members of the gang were absconding. Police arrested the gang members on suspicion as they were moving around the Rythu Bazar (farmers vegetable market) yesterday, offering to take old notes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thirteen boxes of emails from Vice President Mike Pence's term as Indiana governor have been turned over to state government, about two months after an earlier attempt didn't work, a spokesman said. Attorneys for Pence delivered the emails Thursday to be archived for public review as required under Indiana law, the Indianapolis Star reported. The emails are from government accounts as well as Pence's private email account used for government business, spokesman Marc Lotter said. That AOL account was disclosed Thursday. "It's been expressed to us that a lot of what's in those boxes, if not everything, we already have. But we haven't verified that," said Stephanie Wilson, a spokeswoman for the new governor, Eric Holcomb. Lotter said attorneys for Pence tried to deliver boxes of emails on January 9, his last day as governor, but they returned to the law firm with them due to a "lack of clarity (about) what to do" with the emails. Pence said yesterday that he has "fully complied" with Indiana law. Critics, however, say emails from Pence's private account should have been disclosed earlier. "We shouldn't be accidentally discovering that officials from the governor down to school board members are conducting public business on private communication channels," said Gerry Lanosga, an Indiana University professor and past president of the Indiana Coalition for Open Government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French presidential candidate Francois Fillon suffered new blows to his scandal-hit campaign, while veteran conservative Alain Juppe stood ready to replace him in the race. Fillon's spokesman and campaign manager quit and the leader of a small centrist party confirmed it was withdrawing its backing over an expenses scandal. Pressure has been building on the rightwing former prime minister, who turns 63 today, since he revealed this week that he is to be charged over allegations he paid his wife Penelope hundreds of thousands of euros for fake parliamentary jobs. The 71-year-old Juppe, also an ex-premier and a one-time foreign minister, was beaten by Fillon in the conservative primary in November after beginning the contest as a clear favourite. Juppe has kept a low profile since. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen has taken the lead in opinion polls and centrist Emmanuel Macron has also benefited from Fillon's woes. With the March 17 deadline for the collection of signatures necessary to launch a candidacy fast approaching, a member of Juppe's entourage told AFP he was prepared to take over -- under certain conditions. Juppe "will not refuse if all the conditions are met -- Francois Fillon has to take the decision to pull out himself and the rightwing and centre camps... Have to be united behind him", the unnamed source said. The leader of the centrist UDI party said it was definitively withdrawing its support for Fillon after it suspended its backing on Wednesday. "We ask the Republicans (Fillon's party) to change candidate and if they do not, we will not be able to continue our alliance," UDI leader Jean-Christophe Lagarde told Ouest France newspaper. Fillon has been hit by a stream of defections, with his campaign manager Patrick Stefanini announcing Friday evening that he was quitting, following the departure earlier in the day of his spokesman Thierry Solere. They join a growing list which includes two deputy directors, the campaign treasurer and foreign affairs point man Bruno Le Maire. One opinion poll yesterday showed that Juppe -- who is viewed as more centrist than Fillon -- would go straight into the lead if he took over. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Google India and Telangana government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at supporting the digitisation efforts of the state. Google India will provide Google Cloud credits and access to all cloud platform products to eligible startups engaged with Telangana government's T-Hub initiative and through its Developer Relations team provide technical mentorship and advisory support to various startups, a release issued by the government said here today. The MoU was signed yesterday in the presence of Telangana Minister for IT and Industries K T Rama Rao and Google India representatives, it said. Other initiatives as a part of the agreement include, making all government websites mobile friendly and introduce programmes to help local small and medium businesses go online and stay safe online. Google India will introduce Android Fundamentals courses for students pursuing engineering and MCA to skill them on mobile app development. "Additionally Google as part of Google Cultural Institute project will work with the Culture and Tourism Department of the state to create a digital repository of the architectural and cultural heritage of the state, its history and imagery and make it accessible globally," it said. As part of the MoU, Google India and the Telangana government will also work on promoting digital literacy among rural women through programme 'Internet Saathi'. Speaking after the meeting, Chetan Krishnaswamy, Director -- Public Policy, Google India, said, "We are delighted to support the government of Telangana in its vision of a digitally empowered state. We look forward to work with the state government to create an enabling environment and ecosystem to help women, students, small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs." "Google is a valuable partner of Telangana and we are excited to launch many initiatives with them that will benefit women, small businesses, youth, and others across the state. Our mission is to Digitise Telangana and a partnership with Google will go a long way in ensuring our plans under the Digitise Telangana programme are achieved," Rao said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On a whirlind day in his Lok Sabha constituency to rally voters around the BJP in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a road show, offered prayers at two historic temples and paid tributes to Hindutva ideologue Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya today. His road show was scheduled on a day when 49 constituencies went to the polls in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. BJP leaders believe that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. The road show started from the Banaras Hindu University after Modi paid tributes to the statue of Malviya. People turned out in large numbers as the prime minister's cavalcade moved at a snail's pace. 'Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras' and 'Modi, Modi' slogans were raised by the supporters as he waved at them. Modi later offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples, two foremost Hindu holy places in the ancient city. The BJP, which is locked in a tight electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh with the SP-Congress alliance and the Mayawati-led BSP, hopes that a good performance in the eastern parts of the state will take it past the majority mark in the 403-member state Assembly. The only other time Modi held a road show here was in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls after he picked Varanasi as one of his seats. The BJP swept the 2014 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, along with its ally Apna Dal. Three years later, the saffron camp is once again relying heavily on Modi to deliver the goods in Uttar Pradesh where it has been out of power for 15 years. It has organised many more public meetings of the prime minister than was anticipated earlier. Quite a few public events of Modi are lined up in the region tomorrow and the day after, the final day of campaigning for the seventh and last phase of polling on March 8. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi are also holding a road-show in the city. BSP chief Mayawati too addressed a public rally at Rohaniya, around 20 km from Varanasi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Darjeeling District Child Protection Officer Mrinal Ghosh and member of Child Welfare Committee Debasish Chanda were today remanded to a six-day police custody by a local court in connection with the child trafficking and illegal adoption racket. The order was passed by the court of Jalpaiguri Chief Judicial Magistrate Himalin Bhattacharya. Their arrest yesterday was part of a widening probe into the adoption racket at 'Bimala Shishu Griho', a children's home in Jalpaiguri town in West Bengal. The court also sent the home's chairperson, Chandana Chakraborty, her brother Manas Bhowmik and its chief adoption officer Sonali Mondal to 14-day jail custody. They are accused of selling about 17 children, aged between 1 and 14, to foreigners by entering into shady adoption deals. Police have charged them under IPC sections 417 (cheating), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 370 (buying or disposing of any person), 120 (b)(criminal conspiracy), 468 (forgery) and various sections of the Juvenile Justice Act. The probe into the case had also led to the arrest of state BJP women's wing leader Juhi Chowdhury, who is in CID custody at Pintail village. The CID had unearthed the child trafficking racket during raids in Baduria area of North 24 Parganas district, Behala in the southern fringes of Kolkata and some other parts of south Bengal in November last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A senior district leader of ruling JD(U) was arrested today on the charge of assaulting a television journalist in the wake of a raid at an eatery in his name from where liquor was found. JD(U) leader Dinesh Kumar Singh was arrested from Patna and would be brought to Chapra, Superintendent of Police Anysuya Ran Singh told PTI. Following a tip off, an Excise department team last night raided the eatery in the name of Dinesh Kumar Singh, and recovered a half filled liquor bottle and some empty bottles of alcohol, the SP said. Singh, former Saran district president of JD(U), has given the eatery, located in the compound of the Divisional Commissioner's office, to another person on lease. The journalist, Santosh Gupta, alleged in an FIR that Singh suspected he had given the tip off to the Excise department and assaulted him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said on Saturday that the Kansas shooting, in which an Indian engineer was killed, should be treated as an "individual act" and the American society was very much against it. Jaishankar, who along with the Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia, held a series of meetings with top officials of the Trump's administration and Congressional leaders, said the tragic incident in Kansas featured in many of their discussions. "What we heard from very high-level, Cabinet-level that we should regard this as an act of an individual. Two, the American justice system was at work, it could bring the perpetrators of this act to justice. It is being prosecuted as a hate crime," Jaishankar said. "What we have seen in the last few days, whether it is White House statement, or President's reference to it in his address to the Congress or what the (House) Speaker said after he met us...Almost everybody we met, even people perhaps whose responsibility did not directly deal with this, we heard expressions of deep sorrow, deep regret and a sense of that we should really treat this as an individual act. And the American system and the American society was very much against it," he said. The incident, which is being investigated as a hate crime by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has sent shockwaves among the Indian-American across the country. Members of the community met Kansas Governor Sam Brownback seeking his assurance in protection of Indian-Americans in the State. Several Indian-Americans from in and around Washington DC and its suburb gathered at Dupont Circle in the capital to hold a candle light vigil in memory of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, who was shot dead in Kansas City last week. "Every tragedy brings us Americans closer. We as a nation have always risen from adversities and we stand together this evening to make sure that we don't lose another American to hate or violence. It does not matter what your race, religion or colour is. We all bleed the same," said Indian-American Republican leader from Virginia Puneet Ahluwalia. Utsav Chakrabarti of the World Hindu Council said the tragic incident shows the need for an honest discourse at grassroots level about the fact that radical Islam is a religious ideology, not a "racial identity", because continued normalisation of the latter, perpetuates such heinous and barbaric hate crimes against "people of colour" including Hindus and Sikhs. "Srinu would have been 33, six days from now on March 9, had he not fallen victim to blind hate on that dark and deadly night of February 3 in Kansas. A gentle Hindu life cut short because of bigotry," said Ahmar Khan in his remarks. Washington DC Mayor Offices representative expressed solidarity at the vigil. A day earlier, a delegation of Indian-Americans in Kansas along with the Hindu-American Foundation joined the Indian Consul General in Houston, Anupam Ray, in meeting the Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and Lt Governor Jeff Colyer. "The hateful actions of one man don't define us - KS welcomes & supports Indian community," Brownback said in a tweet shortly after the meeting. "Unique contributions of the Indian-community make KS a better place. We stand with them in the face of this crime," Colyer said. Brownback gave assurances that the perpetrator in custody, Adam Purinton, currently facing first-degree murder and attempted first degree murder charges, would be prosecuted to "furthest extent of the law". He further gave commitments that state officials would cooperate with federal authorities officially investigating the incident as a hate crime. "The meeting yesterday with Governor Brownback and Lt. Governor Colyer was very fruitful in my opinion," said Sridhar Harohalli, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Indian Association of Kansas City. "The delegation got an assurance that this incident will be prosecuted effectively. Governor Brownback's commitment help to get Srinivas' widow Sunayana Dummala back to her home and career in Kansas was also heartening. We look forward to working with his office on initiatives such as the Indian Heritage Month to further enhance awareness about our community in the state," Harohalli said. The delegation requested the governor to ensure that the attacker is punished to the fullest extent under the law and serve justice to the victim's families. The Governor also sent a personal message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the Counsel General. At the meeting, a message sent through a family friend from Sunayana, the widow of Kutchibotla, was read out. Eight people, including five nuns, have been booked for their role in hiding facts related to the alleged rape of a minor girl by a vicar of a church in the district. The in-charge of the private hospital at Kuthuparamba in the district, where the 16-year-old girl gave birth to a boy on February 17, and two others, besides the nuns, have been booked under non-bailable sections of POCSO Act and Juvenile Justice Act, Peravoor Circle Inspector, Sunilkumar, who is the investigating officer in the case, said today. A report has also been submitted to the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Kannur district police superintendent against the Chairman and a member of the Child Welfare Committee of Wayanad district for hiding facts in the case, he said. The report recommends action against them for concealing details of the newborn from the authorities. Based on a complaint lodged by the victim's mother with the Childline that Fr Robin alias Mathew Vadakkancheril had "sexually exploited" her daughter last year, the vicar was arrested on February 28. He was also removed from office by church authorities. The offence came to light after the girl, a resident of Neendunokki in the district, gave birth to a baby boy at a private hospital in Koothuparamba on February 7. The 11th standard student was studying in the school in which the accused was also the manager, police said. Robin had attended a public programme on February 25 and left the place the next day, after police lodged a case against him under IPC section 376 (Rape) and the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He was picked up from Chalakkudy in Thrissur district and brought here. (Reopens MDS3) Meanwhile, Mananthavady Bishop Mar Jose Porunnedom today tendered an apology to the 16-year-old victim, her parents and parishoners. In a letter to the parishoners, the Bishop said Robin, who has been arrested, had "inflicted a huge loss to us spiritually and to our self-respect." "It unacceptable that the priest who was supposed to be the protector, turned out to be one who has harmed her like a fence eating the crop. How can I console the victim, her parents and relatives?, he asks in the letter which also announced the appointment of a new vicar. "I have only one thing to say- sorry," he said. The External Affairs Ministry today said the county sheriff in Lancaster in the US has suggested that the killing of a 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner there may not be a hate crime. Condoling the death of Harnish Patel, an official in the ministry said the local authorities were investigating the case and the government will remain in touch with them. The Indian Consulate General in Atlanta is in touch with the victim's family, he said. It is deputing a consular official to meet the family and offer condolences and any required assistance, the official said. It is also in touch with the local community organisation of expat Indians, including those from Gujarat, he added. Patel, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead with gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, the local coroner and police officials had said. The incident comes just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dec. 6, 1923 March 2, 2017 Opal Irene Brubaker, 93, of Sweet Home went to be with her Savior on Thursday. She was born in Hubbard to Floyd and Grace (Burkholder) Emmert. In 1938, her family moved from Molalla to Sweet Home where she graduated from Sweet Home High School in 1941. She married Amos E. Brubaker on July 27, 1941, in Sweet Home and they raised their three children in Sweet Home. While Opal was raising her children, she also did the bookkeeping and taxes for her husbands logging company. In 1969, Amos became paralyzed in a logging accident, and for the next 20 years until his death, Opal faithfully cared for him. Opal was a charter member of Sweet Home Mennonite Church, but when the family was young, they also helped minister at a small church in Cascadia for seven years. She was involved as a Sunday school teacher, VBS teacher, Bible study leader and various ladies ministries. She also loved being involved in Child Evangelism Fellowship as she went into different schools to give young children an opportunity to learn about her Jesus. Over the years, she taught many children in her church and community and the memories of her teaching stayed with them into adulthood. After she retired from that, she graded Bible lessons from prisoners through Gospel Echoes. She didnt hesitate to get involved in the lives of others as she became a foster parent, and substitute parent to many others that needed that influence in their lives. As she got older, she had great concern for her ladies, who were actually women her own age she ministered to. Her mind was always active even up to the end as she planned new projects for herself and others to carry out. She designed and helped construct a 6,000 square-foot duplex to be used for foster care, and loved working outside in the yard or on the 100-acre ranch spraying the hated tansy, thistles and briars. It was a very normal sight to see her out on the farm on her John Deere 5-wheel gator, or the Whoopie, as her family knew it by. She was able to do all this until age 90. Opal is survived by two sons, Arnold (Donna) Brubaker of Sweet Home and Dennis (Alice) Brubaker of Harrisonburg, Virginia; daughter Anita (Amos) Kropf of Albany; grandchildren Tonia (Eric) Whisman, Phil Brubaker, Jeff (Patty) Brubaker, Michael (Angela)Brubaker, Eric (Peggy)Brubaker, Daryl (Rebekah) Brubaker and Deanna Brubaker, Jonathan (Jane) Kropf and Lorenda (Cody) Stoltz; 12 great-grandchildren; brothers Marvin (Mabel) Emmert, Calvin (Beverly) Emmert; and sister Ethel Yoder, all of Sweet Home. She was preceded in death by her husband, Amos; her parents; sister Margaret; and brothers Wayne and Willis. A viewing will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, March 10, at Sweet Home Funeral Chapel. A funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at Sweet Home Mennonite Church, 1266 44th Ave. Final burial will be at Gilliland Cemetery. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements (www.sweethomefuneral.com). The Madras High Court has made it clear that a Magistrate has power under Section 173(8) Cr.Pc. to grant permission for further investigation of a case. The Full Bench comprising Justices S Nagamuthu, P N Prakash and N Authinathan however acquitted one Chinnathambi Subramani, who challenged the Judgment of conviction and life sentence awarded to him by the Principal Sessions Judge, Tiruppur, in connection a murder and theft case. The judges acquitted him on the ground that the finger prints of the accused were not tallied. Also refusing the conviction of Subramani on the grounds that he was involved in several other cases, the bench in its recent order said "unfortunately the trial court has referred to previous cases against the accused and convicted. Such procedure denotes fair procedure which in turn demands proof of guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubts." "In other words, choked with emotion or driven by local sentiments, out of mere surmise or suspicion, a court of law cannot afford to convict the accused." The matter was referred to the Full Bench as the legal issue raised by the counsel for Subramani with regard to grant of permission by the Magistrate for further investigation after accepting the final report filed earlier by police that the crime could not be deselected as illegal and thus vitiates the conviction of the accused. The matter was referred to the full Bench because of the conflicting Judgments of a Division Bench of Madras High Court and by a Single Judge to resolve the legal issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Malaysia expelled North Korea's ambassador today, giving him 48 hours to leave the country as a diplomatic row deepened over the assassination of the half-brother of Pyongyang's leader. Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was poisoned on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with VX, a nerve agent so deadly that it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction. The dramatic killing has sharply soured relations between Malaysia and North Korea, which has not acknowledged the dead man's identity, vehemently protested the murder investigation and accused Kuala Lumpur of being in cahoots with its enemies. Arch-rival South Korea has blamed the North for the murder, citing what they say was a standing order from leader Kim Jong-Un to kill his exiled half-brother who may have been seen as a potential rival. "The expulsion of the DPRK (North Korea) Ambassador is... an indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities," Malaysia's foreign ministry said in a statement today. "The ambassador has been declared persona non grata" after Malaysia demanded but did not receive an apology over Pyongyang's attack on its investigation of the case, the statement added. "He is expected to leave Malaysia within 48 hours." The row erupted last month when Malaysian police rejected North Korean diplomats' demands to hand over Kim's body. Ambassador Kang Chol reacted by saying that the investigation was politically motivated and that Kuala Lumpur was conspiring with "hostile forces". Malaysia then summoned Kang for a dressing-down over his accusation, with Prime Minister Najib Razak describing the ambassador's statement as "totally uncalled for (and) diplomatically rude". Malaysia also recalled its envoy to Pyongyang and has cancelled a rare visa-free travel deal with North Korea, putting the skids under once cozy ties. The rift widened on Thursday when a senior North Korean diplomat leading a delegation to Kuala Lumpur reiterated Pyongyang's assertion that Kim had died of a heart attack, dismissing the use of a nerve agent. The foreign ministry statement said that on February 28 the government had already issued Pyongyang a same-day deadline for a written apology over Kang's accusations. "No such apology has been made, neither has there been any indication that one is forthcoming," it added. "For this reason, the Ambassador has been declared Persona Non Grata." Kang's expulsion order came the same day that the only North Korean arrested over the assassination denounced Malaysia's probe as "a conspiracy to impair the dignity of the Republic (North Korea)". Ri Jong-Chol, who was released and deported yesterday due to lack of evidence, said that police had offered him a comfortable life in Malaysia in return for a false confession. Ri's release came days after two women -- one Vietnamese and one Indonesian -- were charged with murdering Kim Jong-Nam. Airport CCTV footage showed the women approaching the heavyset 45-year-old and apparently smearing his face with a cloth. Police say he suffered a seizure and died less than 20 minutes later. Swabs of the dead man's face revealed traces of VX nerve agent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 38-year-old real estate developer was today stabbed to death in suburban Jogeshwari by the estranged husband of a woman, whom the victim had married a fortnight back, a police officer said. The victim, Ali Asgar Bahanpurawala, was taken to a private hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The accused, Umar Shamiulla Shaikh (37), is the estranged husband of Bismillah (30), whom Bahanpurwala got married on February 17, a police officer said. "Shaikh had developed a grudge against Bahanpurawala after he married his estranged wife. This morning, he went to Bahanpurwala's residence at Jogeshwari and attacked him with a knife," he said. The victim lived with Bismillah on the 15th floor of Iris Park building on Patel Estate Road in Jogeshwari West. Bismillah, who tried to intervene, received minor injuries in the scuffle. After the attack, Shaikh fled from the spot. Bahanpurwala was taken to the hospital, but was declared brought dead, the officer added. "An offence is being registered at Oshiwara Police Station on the basis of complaint lodged by the wife of the deceased," Mumbai pollice spokesperson DCP Ashok Dudhe said. Further investigation into the case is on, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Details about Nelson Mandela's private life and "numerous indiscretions" were expunged from his biography written by Indian-origin author, according to the anti-apartheid icon's former wife Winnie Mandela. In a foreword of a new book containing the memoirs of author Fatima Meer, Madikizela-Mandela wrote how she had been called urgently by her husband to Victor Verster Prison in 1988. The former South African President had been moved there from Robben Island as the minority white apartheid government of F W De Klerk prepared the country for his release after 27 years as a political prisoner. "On that occasion (Mandela) said he wanted to see Fatima to ask her to write his biography, 'Higher Than Hope'," Madikizela-Mandela recalled. "Fatima agreed, but this would have consequences for both her and me. We had to send every chapter to the ANC President in exile, Oliver Tambo (known as OR), for his approval," she wrote. Fatima had followed Madiba's (Mandela's clan name by which he is affectionately known) instructions to be "brutally honest and had researched Madiba's private life and his numerous indiscretions", she wrote. OR was furious and demanded that all the chapters dealing with this be expunged, she wrote. "Fatima and I did just that, but she later told me she kept those pages somewhere in a vault in the bank," Madikizela-Mandela said. The book 'Fatima Meer: Memories of Love and Struggle' has been edited by her daughter Shameem Meer, who completed it from an autobiography started by her mother before her death in 2010. Madikizela-Mandela explained how the two families had been very close for decades, from the time that she first met Mandela while she was a junior social work student. "Both Fatima and Ismail (her husband) were part of the core of the ANC that defied the segregational ideology of the oppressive regime of the time that forced our organisation to be splintered into the Indian Congress, the Congress of the Democrats, the Coloured (mixed-race) People's Congress and the African National Congress," she said. Madikizela-Mandela reminisced about the assistance that Meer had always provided to her during the "trying days" when she was frequently harassed and jailed by the security forces of the apartheid government, including banishment and house arrest in her birth town of Brandfort in the then Orange Free State province, far from the home she and their daughters had shared with Mandela in Soweto. "Fatima was born before her time. She was passionate about human rights, she was a sociologist and a born worker," Madikizela-Mandela wrote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Police rescued a 27-year-old mentally unstable woman from Assam who was allegedly held captive here by three men. Subham Gosai (25), Sagar Rout (25) and Ranjan Koiri (28) have been apprehended for allegedly operating an organised gang involved in trafficking of girls from Assam to Delhi and other states, said Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (crime). The Crime Branch received information from Assam Police about a 27-year-old missing girl said to be in Delhi. The woman was missing from February 24 and her parents had filed a complaint in Assam. During analysis of the mobile phone location, it was found to be somewhere in northwest Delhi's Shakurpur area. A team led by ACP Shweta Chauhan was constituted under the supervision of DCP (Crime) G Ramgopal Naik to trace and rescue the woman. The three accused were detained in connection with the case. During further investigation, it was found that the victim had been brought to Delhi from Guwahati on February 26, while she was waiting for a train on February 24 from Assam. "Since she was not mentally sound, her parents kept her in quite a protected environment and would not allow her to venture out. She wanted to work and earn money like others of her age, so she ran away from her house," said another police officer. On the way, she met the accused who convinced her to travel to Delhi with them. They lured her on the pretext of providing her a good job but she was forcefully kept in a rented house at Shakurpur and made to work as a maid. When she resisted, she was beaten, her SIM card was broken and her money and gold chain were snatched from her. "Due to her extreme resistance and the fear that they might be caught if something happened to her, they abandoned her at New Delhi Railway Station on February 28 around 1.30 PM," said the officer. Efforts were made to trace the victim in the area of the railway station and inquiry was made from auto and taxi drivers, coolies and shopkeepers in the area, police said. She was traced at the railway station on March 2 around 4.30 AM. "She spent her days sitting in the waiting room or roaming around in the area. A rag picker identified her and told us that she had been seen roaming in the area," police said. All three accused have previous criminal backgrounds and further legal action against them is being taken by Assam Police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress today alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi had violated the model code of conduct by holding a road show in Varanasi without permission of poll authorities and asked the Election Commission to take action against the Prime Minister and other senior BJP leaders. In a letter to the EC, the Congress alleged that Modi took out the road show in Varanasi from BHU (Banaras Hindu University) "without the necessary permission from the competent authority". "It is requested that action may be taken and FIR registered against all BJP leaders including Narendra Modi who were part of the road show," said K C Mittal, AICC secretary incharge of legal and human rights cell. The opposition party said the entire video recording of the road show has been shown by various channels and election authorities must also have recorded the same. Mittal said the road show covers three assembly seats of Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt and Varanasi North and Modi also visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Kaal Bhairo Temple during the event. "All this was done without any requisite permission for conducting the road show from the competent authority of the Election Commission," Mittal told PTI. On a whirlwind day in his Lok Sabha constituency to rally voters around the BJP in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Modi took out a road show, offered prayers at the two historic temples and paid tributes to Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya today. His road show was held on a day when 49 constituencies went to polls in the sixth phase of UP Assembly elections and people in large numbers turned out as Modi's cavalcade moved at a snail's pace. BJP leaders believe the event, broadcast live on most regional TV channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to polls in the final phase on March 8. The seven-phase assembly polls in UP end on March 8 and results will be out on March 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korea warned today that the US will "pay dearly" if it relists Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism following the murder of leader Kim Jong-Un's half-brother in Malaysia last month. Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was killed on February 13 at a crowded Kuala Lumpur airport in an attack with VX nerve agent, which is considered a weapon of mass destruction. Seoul has said from the start that the isolated North is behind the Cold War-style assassination. South Korean and Japanese media, citing diplomatic sources, have since reported that the US has been mulling placing the North back on its terror list, which includes Iran and Syria. "The US will keenly realise how dearly it has to pay for its groundless accusations against the dignified" North if it relists it, the regime's foreign ministry spokesman told state-run newswire KCNA. The spokesman maintained that Pyongyang opposed "all forms of terrorism" and accused the US of trying to tarnish its reputation. "Gone are the days when the US could stigmatise at random to oppress those countries incurring its displeasure, while having the world under its control," the official added. The nuclear-armed North was first designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1987 when its agents bombed a South Korean plane killing all 115 on board. But it was taken off the list in 2008 after Pyongyang took steps toward freezing its nuclear facilities. However, since then the North has resumed its activities, conducting four atomic tests and numerous missile tests despite the fact that they are banned under several UN Security Council resolutions. The North has denied any involvement in Kim Jong-Nam's murder, accusing the South, the US and Malaysia of a "smear campaign". Two women, one Vietnamese and one Indonesian, have been arrested over the murder. The only North Korean to have been detained, Ri Jong Chol, was released this week due to lack of evidence. Ri has denied any role in the assassination and accused of Malaysian police trying to frame him with "fabricated evidence" to defame the North. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to visit Japan, China and South Korea later this month to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes, local media reported today. Tillerson has so far kept a low profile and it will be his first visit to the region since he became President Donald Trump's top diplomat last month. The former oil executive is expected to visit Japan on March 17 and 18 on the first leg of his Asian tour and hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida as well as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Nikkei business daily said. Abe has spent more time with Trump than any foreign leader, and while ties had initially been strained by Trump's rejection of a trans-Pacific trade deal and his readiness to question defense commitments, the US president has since pledged full support to Tokyo. During the Beijing leg of the Asia trip, Tillerson plans to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and possibly also with President Xi Jinping, Kyodo said, quoting unnamed diplomatic sources. The two major powers are expected to arrange a meeting between Xi and Trump in the United States as early as April, they said. Tillerson first met with counterpart Yi at a G20 meeting in Germany last month, and urged Beijing to help rein in North Korea. Their talks, the highest level Sino-US encounter since Trump was elected, had appeared unlikely after the US leader infuriated Beijing by calling into question Washington's long-standing "One China" policy. Trump however later reaffirmed the position in a conciliatory phone call to Xi. Several of Trump's cabinet, including Tillerson, have also warned Beijing against throwing its weight about in the South China Sea, insisting the US would intervene if necessary to preserve international rights of navigation. However, China shares US concerns about Pyongyang's nuclear weapons -- though it prefers negotiations to new sanctions, which it fears could destabilise North Korea. In Seoul, Tillerson plans to hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se at which North Korea's weapons development as well as the February murder of the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Malaysia are likely to be discussed, Kyodo said. On Monday, senior US, South Korean and Japanese officials met in Washington to discuss how better to enforce international sanctions against the North. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first phase of polling in Manipur assembly held in 38 seats today recorded a high turnout of nearly 80 per cent till 3 pm. Election Commission said the turnout figure would go up as long queues are still seen outside various booths. "In the last two elections it was around 80 per cent. This time it is likely to increase. We are waiting for the final figures, which we will get after 5.30 pm," OSD to Chief Electoral officer Manipur, Karam Bono Singh told PTI. In all, 168 candidates are in the fray in this phase. Prominent among them are Speaker Th Lokeswar Singh, ministers I Hemochandra Singh, Govindas Konthoujam, Kh Ratankumar Singh and T Manga Vaiphei, Manipur PCC President T N Haokip, former ministers Phungzathang Tonsing, and Y Erabot Singh and BJP leader Th Chaoba Singh. While the polling was by and large peaceful, Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance(PRJA) convener Erendro Leichombam filed a police complaint that he was attacked by some unidentified men at Sinam Leikai. "Two persons pelted stones at my car at Sinam Leikai when I was travelling in it around 11 am," Leichombom told newsmen. Sinam Leikai falls in Thangmeiband assembly constituency where polling was held today and Leichombom, a Harvard graduate and former World Bank Fellow who also served in UNDP, is contesting from the seat. The officer-in-charge of Imphal police station confirmed that a complaint had been registered and said Leichombom was not injured in the attack, police said. "He had lodged a police compliant and he had also lodged a complaint with us," Manipur Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan told PTI. PRJA founder and human rights activist Irom Sharmila also cast her vote at a polling booth in Khurai assembly constituency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taxi-hailing app Ola has signed an agreement with the Madhya Pradesh government to impart training to about 25,000 people. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Madhya Pradesh State Skill Development Mission (MPSSDM) and Directorate of Skill Development (Technical Education and Skill Development Department) today. The move is part of Ola's target of skilling 50 lakh drivers by 2020. "The MoU is focused towards training, skill development and empowerment of 25,000 driver partners in the next two years," Ola said in a statement. As part of this initiative, Ola will work closely with the state's Skill Development Department in providing essential training infrastructure, utilities and technology framework that will ensure an improved employment scenario for the youth of Madhya Pradesh, it added. In addition, Ola will organise on-ground events, build communication modules and create a conducive ecosystem for aspiring driver partners to get requisite training and skills. "We are confident that our partnership with Ola will accelerate government's efforts towards economic development along with effectively creating entrepreneurial opportunities for tens of thousands of men and women across the state," Madhya Pradesh State Skill Development Mission CEO Sanjeev Singh said. Kiran Brahma, Business Head Madhya Pradesh at Ola, said the partnership will be instrumental in advancing its mission of enabling mobility for a billion Indians. Ola is operational in 5 cities in Madhya Pradesh - Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Ujjain. Ola has similar partnerships with NSDC and RISE India. It has also signed MoUs with several state governments including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Maharashtra for skilling of people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Local chapter of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly with TiE is organising a Start-up Conclave here on March 11. The JumpStart2017 will showcase speakers from a wide array of domains like technology, funding, banking, food and dairy, representing a heterogeneous group of entrepreneurs and professionals, chamber president Vanitha Mohan told reporters here today. With Coimbatore being one of the most fertile grounds for entrepreneurship, the outcome of the conclave will be a first step towards many goals to foster entrepreneurship in the city, she said. The time is right to launch such initiatives as the government too is very actively promoting start-up and small business, TiE Coimbatore president G Karthikeyan said. To begin with an Incubation Centre will be set up at the Chamber to assist the young entrepreneurs, Vanitha said, adding about 600 persons, majority being students, are expected to participate in the conclave. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Danfoss Industries, President, P Ravichandran was elected as the Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry, Tamil Nadu State council for the period 2017-18. Prior taking up the new role, Ravichandran was the Vice-Chairman for the period 2016-17, a press release said. Ravichandran also serves CII National Council on Agriculture as its Member. Similarly, the Chairman and Managing Director, Chennai-based Pon Pure Chemical Ltd, M Ponnuswami was elected as the Vice-Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council. Ponnuswami an active member of CII, was serving CII-Chennai Zone as its Chairman in 2016-17, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fast food restaurant in Pakistan has become the first eatery in the country to use a robot 'waitress' for serving the diners. Pizza.Com, located in the city of Multan in the Punjab province, is seeing unusual rush of customers after the local media reported about the robot serving food. Dawn newspaper reported that the robot has been developed by pizzeria owner's son, an electrical engineering graduate from National University of Science and Technology in Islamabad. "Soon after the of the robotic waitress spread, there is a long queue of customers outside the shop who want to dine here," said Syed Aziz Ahmed Jafari, the owner. He said his son, Syed Osama Aziz, gave the unique idea of making a robotic waitress to give a boost to the business. "My son was interested in going to the United States for further studies, but I asked him to do something for our country, particularly this city (Multan). I am also feeling proud as a Multani; we have left Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad behind," Jafari said. He said the people were coming to his pizzeria not only from Multan but even from the adjoining districts. While Jafari was interested in introducing four more robotic waitresses, he said he would not reduce the number of human waiters as he did not want to make anybody jobless. He also urged the government to come forward and help his son in improving this technology. The robot is able to navigate to the customer's table, greet the customer, serve the meal and come back to the counter, said Aziz, the developer. Weighing 25 kilograms and capable of carrying up to five kilograms of food, the robot also detects and requests the obstacle in its way to give way. "Much is needed to improve it. I took the basic idea from China where robots are working and serving in restaurants already," he said. "The female body shape is helping the machine to maintain the weight it is carrying. We have put a scarf in her neck to make clear that it is a female robot," Aziz said. He said that all the components, both electrical and mechanical, used in the machine were made in Pakistan. He has also received calls from businessmen who expressed their interest in such machines, he said. Aziz said at present the waitress was unable to take orders, but he would enhance her functionality. "People are asking it to take orders. They don't give orders until the machine comes to their table. Moreover, the robot doesn't have a name as yet. But I am thinking to give her a name," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seeking to rally voters around the BJP in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today led a road-show through the winding roads of his Lok Sabha constituency here amid a huge crowd of supporters. He also paid obeisance at two temples. The prime minister's road-show was scheduled on a day when 49 constituencies went to the polls in the sixth phase of the state Assembly election. BJP leaders believe that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. The road-show started from the Banaras Hindu University after Modi paid tributes to the statue of noted Hindutva ideologue Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya there. People turned out in large numbers as the prime minister's cavalcade moved at a snail's pace. 'Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras' and 'Modi, Modi' slogans were raised by the supporters as he waved at them. Modi later offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples, two foremost Hindu holy places in the ancient city. The BJP, which is locked in a tight electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh with the SP-Congress alliance and the Mayawati-led BSP, hopes that a good performance in the eastern parts of the state will take it past the majority mark in the 403-member state Assembly. The only other time Modi held a road-show here was in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls after he picked Varanasi as one of his seats. The BJP swept the 2014 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, along with its ally Apna Dal. Three years later, the saffron camp is once again relying heavily on Modi to deliver the goods in Uttar Pradesh where it has been out of power for 15 years. It has organised many more public meetings of the prime minister than was anticipated earlier. Quite a few public events of Modi are lined up in the region tomorrow and the day after, the final day of campaigning for the seventh and last phase of polling on March 8. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi are also holding a road-show in the city. BSP chief Mayawati too addressed a public rally at Rohaniya, around 20 kms from Varanasi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Polling in 49 Uttar Pradesh Assembly seats, with SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's Azamgarh being in focus, started today amidst tight security arrangements. Assembly segments of Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency of firebrand BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, and Mau, where jailed gangster-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari is in fray, also figure in this penultimate phase of polling that will also cover some districts bordering Nepal. Around 1.72 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, are eligible to cast their votes in this round to decide the fate of 635 candidates including 63 women. The districts where polling is going on in the sixth phase are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency has 10 assembly seats, of which SP had won nine in 2012, but this time Mulayam has not addressed a single meeting in his parliamentary constituency. LIVE UPDATES: 6.00 pm: Polling endsin 49 Assembly seats in Phase VI. 3.15 pm: Polling time for the first phase of Manipur Election 2017 ends. 2.01 pm: Manipur Elections 2017: 69% voting recorded till 1 pm in the first phase 1.40 pm: 37.85% voting recorded till 1 pm in the sixth phase of UP elections 2017. 11.50 AM: 23.28% voting recorded till 11 am in the sixth phase of UP elections 2017 11.00 AM: Other parties have been in UP for far too long now but they haven't been able to bring any change: Rajyavardhan Rathore, BJP 10.00 AM: ALSO READ: Stars descend on Varanasi for super Saturday 9.51 AM: UP Elections 2017: 11% voting recorded till 9 am 9.47 AM: Yogi Adityanath casts his vote at booth no. 3705 in Gorakhpur. 9.00 AM: UP Elections 2017: Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh & Ballia are voting today The prestige of Union minister Kalraj Mishra, who represents Deoria in the Lok Sabha, too is at stake, besides that of Adityanath. BJP is contesting 45 seats and its ally Apna Dal one. Another BJP partner Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party is contesting 3 seats. While BSP has fielded candidates on all 49 seats, SP is contesting 40 seats and Congress 9 seats under an alliance. Prominent candidates in this phase include BSP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya from Padrauna (Kushinagar), former BJP state president Surya Pratap Shahi from Pathardeva (Deoria), Shyam Bahadur Yadav (SP), son of former Governor Ram Naresh Yadav from Fulpur Pawai (Azamgarh), SP turncoats Ambika Chowhdury and Narad Rai, who are contesting on BSP ticket from Fefna (Ballia) and Ballia Sadar. Mukhtar is contesting from Mau and his son Abbas is in fray from adjoining Ghosi seat in Mau district. In the 2012 Assembly polls, of the 49 seats, 27 were won by the SP, 9 by BSP, 7 by BJP, 4 by Congress and 2 by others. There will be 17,926 polling booths and 10,820 polling centres in this phase. The highest number of 23 candidates are contesting from Gorakhpur and the least candidates, numbering seven are in pitted for Mohammadabad Gohna seat in Mau district. Central Para Military Forces have already reached the constituencies and carried out flag march in sensitive areas. Indo-Nepal border with Maharajganj and Gorakhpur, and border with Bihar have been sealed. Police patrolling has been intensified along inter district borders and barriers have been erected on highways to keep an eye on movements of vehicles. Maoists and the porous Indo-Nepal border are the two biggest challenges before the police in Maharajganj. The 84 km-long Indo-Nepal border has been sealed by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and only emergency vehicles will be allowed to cross the border, District Electoral Officer Virendra Kumar Singh said. Cameras have been installed on trade and transit points along India's border with Nepal to prevent illegal movement of people during polling. He said two such cameras have already been set up at Sonauli Indo-Nepal Border of Maharajganj district on India-Nepal border. The polling percentage on these 49 seats in sixth phase was 55.04 in 2012 assembly polls. Prosecutors said a New York man repeatedly travelled to the Middle East to try to join the Islamic State or al-Nusra Front extremist groups and told authorities he'd been prepared to sacrifice himself for jihad. Elvis Redzepagic is being held without bail after appearing in a Brooklyn federal court today. The 26-year-old US citizen is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation. His lawyer hasn't immediately responded to an email seeking comment. There was no immediate answer to phone or email messages to Redzepagic's relatives. Prosecutors say the Commack (KOH'-mak) resident communicated with a cousin he believed was an extremist fighter in Syria, then travelled to Turkey in July 2015 and tried to cross the border. Prosecutors say he then went to Jordan last August. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A service rifle of a CRPF jawan on duty was today snatched allegedly by unidentified people during a clash between security forces and protesters in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. A group of youth indulged in stone-pelting on police and paramilitary forces at bus stand in Tral, 33 kms from here, this afternoon after security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Hafoo-Zameenpora village following information about presence of militants, a police official said. He said security forces deployed in the area chased the protesters resulting in a clash which was still continuing when last reports were received. Although there was no report of any casualty in the clashes, the official said an INSAS rifle of a CRPF jawan was reportedly snatched and taken away by some youth. A hunt has been launched to recover the stolen weapon, the official said. He said reinforcements have also been rushed to the besieged village and efforts are on to locate and flush out the hiding militants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Education minister Vasudev Devnani has received a threat letter over renaming of the Akbar Fort in Ajmer, police said. The Akbar Fort in Ajmer was renamed as Ajmer Museum some time back by the Rajasthan government. "The minister received the letter by post on December 12, informed about it to the Superintendent of Police (SP) office and handed over the letter on February 21," Station House Officer, Ajmer Kotwali, B L Meena said. The complaint was referred from the SP's office to the local Kotwali Police Station for probe, he said. In the letter, the sender, who identified himself as Tarannum Chisty, threatened the minister saying, "stern action will be taken against him" for renaming the fort, Meena told PTI and added that efforts were on to trace the sender. Built by Mughal emperor Akbar in 1570 AD, the Fort is situated at Naya Bazaar in Ajmer. The Fort was once the residence of Prince Salim, the son of Akbar, and presently houses a collection of Mughal and Rajput armour and sculpture. Emperor Jahangir had read out the 'farman' permitting the British East India Company to trade with India from this Fort. Devnani, MLA from Ajmer north constituency, is state minister (independent charge) for Primary and Secondary Education, Rural development and Panchayti Raj. Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said the matter was being probed. "The letter has been received by the Inspector general of Police (Ajmer Zone) and the SP and the matter is being probed. Appropriate action will be taken in the matter," Kataria had said in the assembly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A state level leader of ruling RJD and two others were arrested with 16 bottles of liquor in Purnea district of Bihar where total prohibition was imposed last year, police said today. Police searched a car carrying RJD's state Panchayati Raj unit Vice-President Renu Yadav and two others and seized 16 bottles of liquor from it last night, Subdivisional Police Officer (Dhamdaha) S K Fakri said. The others arrested with woman RJD leader were identified as Ajit Kumar Yadav and Shyam Kumar, both residents of Rambagh locality of Purnea district. On questioning, it came to light that the bottles of liquor were brought from neighbouring West Bengal's Dalkhola and was meant to be taken to Madhepura district of Bihar, the SDPO said. In the wake of complete ban on liquor in Bihar, police have been conducting search across the state particularly on entry point from neighbouring states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and also Nepal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa today denied allegations of threatening one of the two women who had accused her husband and son of sexual harassment. Bhanumathi, a domestic help who was employed by Pushpa, had filed a police complaint last year alleging that she and her sister were sexually harassed by Pushpa's husband T Lingesvara Thilakan and son L Pradeep Raja. "Bhanumathi, who had gone missing, reached the DGP office and filed a complaint against me for threatening her to withdraw the sexual harassment case. This is false and fabricated. I am not involved in the episode as I am in Delhi on Parliament work," Pushpa claimed in a complaint to the Tamil Nadu DGP. Bhanumathi (22), a resident of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, had reportedly been missing since Wednesday night. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) has acknowledged the use of a secret software program to steer drivers away from trouble, including sting operations by local authorities to catch law-breakers. In the latest in a streak of damaging news for the ridesharing giant, came forward about its "Greyball" software yesterday after a New York Times report which said the program aimed to deceive authorities in markets around the world. According to an statement, the tool was used in cities where it was not banned from operating, and the main intent was to protect drivers from disruption by competitors using the smartphone application to interfere instead of summon legitimate rides. "This program denies ride requests to fraudulent users who are violating our terms of service," an Uber spokesperson said in an email reply to an AFP inquiry. "Whether that's people aiming to physically harm drivers, competitors looking to disrupt our operations, or opponents who collude with officials on secret 'stings' meant to entrap drivers." Uber said the program was used in locations where drivers feared for their safety, and "rarely" to avoid law enforcement. The New York Times report, which said Greyball was used in several countries, cited interviews with current and former employees whose names were cloaked. The report said Greyball was part of a part of a broader program created to reveal people trying to us Uber in "violation of terms of service" and had the blessing of the company's legal team. According to the report, the program raised ethical and potential concerns, and had been a closely guarded secret in Uber's toolbox as it expanded around the world, clashing with regulators and traditional taxi groups. The "Greyball" disclosure comes as accusations of sexism, cut-throat management, and a toxic work environment have Uber trying to pull its image out of a skid as competition revs in the on-demand ride market. Uber chief Travis Kalanick this week apologized, acknowledging that "I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up," after a video showed him verbally abusing a driver for the service. The incident which circulated on social media was another hit for the image of the global ridesharing giant, which faces accusations of sexual harassment and a lawsuit contending it misappropriated Google's self-driving car technology. In the message to employees later, Kalanick wrote "To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement." Uber is one of the largest investor-backed start-ups with a valuation estimated at USD 68 billion, and has operations in dozens of countries and hundreds of cities, even as it battles regulators and an established taxi industry. Kalanick also faced criticism for agreeing to be part of a business advisory panel for President Donald Trump, but then quit the panel amid a campaign by Trump opponents to delete the application. The Shiv Sena today announced its candidates for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, where the elections resulted in a hung house. The announcement of the candidates by Shiv Sena for the election slated for March 8 indicates that the party is not willing for a post-poll alliance with the BJP. Vishvanath Mahadeshwar will be Shiv Sena's candidate for the Mayor's post and Hareshwar Worlikar is Deputy Mayor nominee, senior Sena leader Anil Parab told PTI. Neither the Sena, which emerged as the single largest party with 84 seats, nor the BJP, a close second with 82 corporators, has enough numbers to touch the half-way mark in 227-member council. However, the party with the highest number of corporators can get its candidates elected for the two posts so long as other parties do not come together and put up joint candidates. After Geeta Gawli, who won as the candidate of the local outfit Akhil Bharatiya Sena pledging support to the BJP, the party's effective strength has gone up to 83. The party-wise strength in the 227-member council now stood at Shiv Sena - 84 plus 4 (independents), BJP - 82 plus 1, Congress - 31, NCP - 9, MNS - 7, Samajwadi Party - 6, AIMIM -2, ABS - 1, Independent - 1. After Geeta Gawli, who won as the candidate of the local outfit Akhil Bharatiya Sena pledging support to the BJP, the party's effective strength has gone up to 83. The BJP-Sena relations, as partners in the state and central government, hit a new low in the backdrop of civic elections across Maharashstra, which saw the saffron parties contesting separately and hurling charges at each other. The two parties have been together for nearly three decades but after the recent split, the Sena has even threatened that it may pull out of the BJP-led government in the state any time. Meanwhile, Bala Nandgaonkar, former MLA of Raj Thackeray-led MNS, said that his party would be happy if a Sena Mayor gets elected. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today urged the Bar Association to join hands with the state government to educate people about law so that they enjoy their democratic rights with dignity. "A strong and a robust judiciary system is of paramount importance to the society and advocates have to play a significant role in this regard," Sonowal said while addressing a workshop on Criminal Trial and Bail Procedure organized by of Gauhati High Court Bar Association here. All four pillars of the democratic society must be equally active in performing their duties and the society must a keep a strict watch over the government's functioning to ensure good governance at every level, he said. "These workshops would enlighten the law practitioners about ways to expedite the justice delivery system and speed up the judiciary process to lessen the burden of pending cases," Sonowal said. There is a strong public perception of politicians being dishonest which the present state government is trying to change through sincere governance and lawyers also need to change their image from mere law practitioners to public servants who help people, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Students and faculty of the Boston-based Massachusetts College of Art and Design in the US have visited the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) to explore possibilities for crossovers between different art disciplines. Ahead of their recent tour of Aspinwall House, the primary venue, KMB co-founder Bose Krishnamachari briefed the 17-member group on the Biennale and Sudarshan Shetty's curatorial vision. For Megan Nash, a student of illustration, the artworks on display are heavily conceptual. "It has prompted me to think a lot about the art practice. These works itself have a power in impact. They are vastly different from what I practice. The variety of artworks at this Biennale has inspired me." "I will attempt to incorporate different media into my works and move forward with a new perspective. The visit has enlightened the artist in me," she is quoted as saying a KMB release here. Jonathan Koppel, a sculpting student, said he was moved by the art being showcased here. "It seems that art has pervaded the city. Spaces that were not designed to be galleries have been transformed, especially these venues that were once warehouses. It is interesting to see art transforming the spaces," Koppel said. Art history student Andrew Grimanis also discerned a relationship between art and space. "The works leave a deep reflection after experiencing it and that is the toughest part in art practice. I have been keenly observing here how space reflects the artwork and that is what I will be concentrating more once I get back to Boston," he added. Prof Lois Hetland, a faculty member at the college, said he was most impressed by the many art education, outreach and community engagement initiatives undertaken by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF). "In Boston, we carry a lot of outreach initiatives for different age groups. I was delighted to see that the KBF is also carrying out engagement programmes along similar lines and in a more efficient way. The results of these programmes are evident in the huge public participation and turnouts at the Biennale," Prof Hetland said. Some of the visiting students also toured the Students' Biennale, the second edition of the KBF's flagship art education programmes, which is running parallel to the KMB and features the works of 465 art students from 55 art schools across India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tens of thousands of Syrian civilians have fled ferocious fighting between Russian-backed regime forces and Islamic State group jihadists over the past week in the country's ravaged north. Supported by Russian air power and artillery, Syrian government forces have waged a fierce offensive against IS, seizing around 90 villages from the jihadists since mid-January. Their aim, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, is IS-held Khafsah, the main station pumping water into Aleppo. Residents of Syria's second city have been without mains water for 47 days after the jihadists cut the supply. The fighting over the past week has sparked an exodus of "more than 30,000 civilians, most of them women and children," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Saturday. Most of the displaced went to areas around Manbij, under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by the United States that is also fighting IS, the monitor said. An AFP correspondent in Manbij saw dozens of displaced families speeding towards the relative safety of the town on motorcycles and in small buses and cars. Many of them looked exhausted as they lined up at a checkpoint manned by the Manbij Military Council, the SDF unit that controls the town, to be searched and get permission to enter. Ibrahim al-Quftan, co-chair of Manbij's civil administration, told AFP that as many as 40,000 displaced people had arrived in the town in recent days. "The numbers of displaced people here are still rising because of the clashes between the Syrian regime and Daesh (IS)," Quftan said. "These people are suffering very difficult circumstances." Manbij is already hosting "tens of thousands of displaced people that fled previous clashes in the area and are living in difficult circumstances," according to Abdel Rahman. "This will make it difficult (for local authorities) to welcome a new wave of displaced people, given their inability to tend to their pressing needs," he said. Since civil war broke out in Syria in March 2011, more than half of its pre-war population has been forced to flee their homes. The northern province of Aleppo hosts tens of thousands of displaced Syrians, many in camps near the border with Turkey. Rebel backer Ankara sent its own troops into Syria in August to fight IS jihadists as well as Kurdish units in an operation dubbed "Euphrates Shield." Turkey considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which makes up most of the SDF, a "terrorist" group because of its ties to outlawed Kurdish militia in southeast Turkey. On February 23, the Turkish-backed rebels of Euphrates Shield captured the town of Al-Bab, which had been IS's last remaining bastion in Aleppo province. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of people marched in Niger's capital of Niamey today against the government of President Mahamadou Issoufou, calling for improved living conditions and the release of "political prisoners". The west African country has been buffeted by falling prices for both oil and uranium, two of its main exports, as it struggles against jihadist attacks. Protesters flooded the streets of Niamey chanting anti- regime slogans before holding a meeting in front of parliament, where they shouted "Life is too hard" and "Leave, that's enough". The march was called by an alliance of 11 opposition groups. "This mobilisation is additional proof that we have had enough," said Soumana Sanda, a former health minister who is now an MP for the Nigerien Democratic Movement (MODEN). "Instead of taking care of our citizens' problems, they're more interested in taking care of their own affairs," he said. MODEN is the party of Hama Amadou, who lost a run-off election against Issoufou last March. That vote that was boycotted by the opposition after Amadou was jailed on charges of baby trafficking, which he claims are politically motivated. The demonstrators also called for the release of "political prisoners", referring to several senior government figures arrested by the regime, some in connection with a failed coup in December 2015, others accused of embezzling public funds. They also condemned the French, German and US military bases in the country, calling them a "liquidation of the country's sovereignty". Niger's government says the bases are necessary for combatting the jihadist threat, in particular in Mali and Libya. UN Security Council envoys are currently on a mission to the Lake Chad region, including a visit to Niamey, to focus global attention on the humanitarian emergency triggered by the Boko Haram insurgency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of protesters marched in London today in support of England's state-run National Health Service (NHS). The march called for "no cuts, no closures, no privatisation" in the NHS and demonstrated against pay restraint. The campaigners, who say the NHS is at breaking point, hope the march will put pressure on the government ahead of next week's budget. A pillar of the post-World War II welfare state, the NHS is a beloved institution in Britain, but quality of care and funding have become hot political issues. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, addressed the crowds outside parliament. "Defending the NHS is defending a basic human value and a basic human right," he said. "The NHS is in crisis, in crisis because of the underfunding in social care and the people not getting the care and support they need. "It is not the fault of the staff. It is the fault of a government who have made a political choice." People carried placards reading "Health care not profit" "Save our NHS", "Keep our NHS public" and "NHS faces humanitarian crisis". David Wrigley, a family doctor from Carnforth in northwest England and deputy chair of the British Medical Association council, said: "Today's march is a cry for help for anyone who uses the NHS because it is in such a desperate situation. "I see day-to-day the serious pressures in the NHS. "Patients are not getting the care they deserve. We are a country that can afford the funding that is required." NHS doctor Kai Robinstein told AFP: "We know from working at the coal face how close to breakdown the NHS is. "My department has large staff vacancies that mean we can't even fill our duty rosters." Lesley Mahmood, co-founder of the Save the Liverpool Women's Hospital Campaign, told AFP: "There's actually plenty of wealth in this country, it's not being put into public services, we believe there's enough money to solve all of the issues." The government says it has increased spending on the NHS. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump today accused his predecessor Barack Obama of "wire tapping" his office in New York just before the 2016 presidential elections and likened the alleged surveillance of his communications to the "Watergate" scandal. Trump made the allegations in a series of tweets, but did not provide any evidence to substantiate his claims. "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump said. "Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!," he said, claiming that Obama had defied a court rejection to tap his office. Trump also called Obama a "Bad (or sick) guy!" and compared the alleged tapping of his New York office to the "Watergate", the scandal in the early 1970s which brought down President Richard Nixon. "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!" he said. "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!" Trump tweeted. There was no immediate reaction from the office of the former US president. He also tried to defend Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general facing questions over his meeting with the Russian ambassador to Washington during the 2016 presidential election campaign. "The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs......," he said. "Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone," Trump said in another tweet. Trump's top administration officials have been facing charges of contacts with Russian officials during and after elections. One of his close aides Gen (rtd) Michael Flynn had to resign following such allegations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said today a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel was "productive", after the nations clashed over rallies canceled in Germany ahead of an upcoming vote in Turkey. "Our conversation was good and productive," Yildirim told reporters, adding that German and Turkish foreign ministers would meet next week to discuss the issue. In the runup to Turkey's referendum on boosting the president's powers, controversy has flared over Turkish politicians' trips to Germany to campaign for a "Yes" vote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The International Monetary Fund said it has reached a preliminary agreement with Ukraine that could see the war-scarred and cashed-starved nation receive fresh aid in the first half of the year. "The IMF staff has reached agreement with the Ukrainian authorities on an updated Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies," the Fund's Ukrainian mission chief Ron van Rooden yesterday said in a statement. "This paves the way for consideration of the third review of the arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) by the IMF's Executive Board ... In the second half of March." The was particularly good for the ex-Soviet republic because it referred to a loan of $1 billion (0.9 billion euros) and not the lesser sums discussed in earlier months. Ukraine also gets the reprieve of not having to go though the unpopular measure of raising its pension age to get the cash. The measure had been initially demanded by the IMF but strongly opposed to by Ukrainian lawmakers who want to avoid a voter backlash. The IMF's board usually follows through with such preliminary agreements and disburses aid once all the details have been hashed out. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korean weapons barred by UN sanctions ended up in the hands of UN peacekeepers in Africa, a confidential report says. That incident and others in more than a half-dozen African nations show how North Korea, despite facing its toughest sanctions in decades, continues to avoid them on the world's most impoverished continent with few repercussions. The annual report by a UN panel of experts on North Korea, obtained by The Associated Press, illustrates how Pyongyang evades sanctions imposed for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes to cooperate "on a large scale," including military training and construction, in countries from Angola to Uganda. Among the findings was the "largest seizure of ammunition in the history of sanctions" against North Korea, with 30,000 rocket-propelled grenades found hidden under iron ore that was destined for Egypt in a cargo vessel heading toward the Suez Canal. The intended destination of the North Korean-made grenades, seized in August, was not clear. A month before that, the report says, a UN member state seized an air shipment destined for a company in Eritrea containing military radio communications items. It was the second time military-related items had been caught being exported from North Korea to Eritrea "and confirms ongoing arms-related cooperation between the two countries." Eritrea is also under UN sanctions for supporting armed groups in the Horn of Africa. Discovering such evasions is challenging because Africa has the world's lowest rate of reporting on monitoring UN sanctions on North Korea. Just 11 of its 54 countries turned in reports to the panel of experts last year, the UN report says. "African enforcement tends to be lax," Marcus Noland, an expert on North Korea at the Petersen Institute for International Economics, wrote last month, adding that "North Korea may deliberately target African countries as a circumvention strategy." He said North Korea's long military involvement in Africa, and its growing interest in trade there to reduce its deep dependence on China, "bring the continent's relationship with North Korea into increasing conflict with tightening UN sanctions." A year ago, the United States led an effort to impose the toughest UN sanctions in two decades against North Korea after the country's latest nuclear test and rocket launch. African nations then were pressured to cut ties with Pyongyang, with South Korean President Park Geun-hye making a three-nation African tour to press for its isolation. But North Korea continues to train and equip some African militaries, the new UN report says. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Asenior lawyer and leader of Qaumi Watan Party was today shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen in an apparent targeted killing in restive northwestern region of Pakistan. Muhammad Jan Gagyani was killed after gunmen fired indiscriminately on him while he was on his way to court in Charsadda district bordering Mohmand agency, police said. Gagyani came under firing in Hijizai area of Shabqadar tehsil, they said, adding that the lawyer was rushed to a hospital in Peshawar where he succumbed to his injuries. The armed men escaped after killing the senior lawyer and the security forces have started a search operation, police said. An FIR has been registered under anti-terrorism law against unknown persons. Qaumi Watan Party, headed by former Pakistan Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, is an alliance partner in the ruling coalition government headed by Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lusty slogans resonated through the narrow lanes and flag-waving supporters cheered heartily as top leaders of major contenders for power in Uttar Pradesh descended on this ancient temple town in a last gasp effort to swing the voters in their favour. Leading the virtual parade of the top guns was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned his visit to the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples into an impromptu roadshow, a day ahead of the one planned for tomorrow. Before beginning the roadshow through the winding streets of the city, Modi also paid floral tributes at the statue of Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya at the Banaras Hindu University, in moves loaded with symbolism in a campaign which saw BJP revive the divisive talk of Ram temple and the PM seemed appealing to religious sensibilities by his 'graveyard and crematorium' remark. Modi's roadshow came on a day when the sixth phase of polling in 49 constituencies, including Gorakhpur and Azamgarh in the state was underway. BJP leaders feel that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. Slogans like 'Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras' and 'Modi, Modi' greeted Modi as he waved from an open top vehicle covered with marigold. The only other time Modi held a roadshow here was in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls after he picked Varanasi as one of his seats. The BJP swept the 2014 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, along with its ally Apna Dal. Down in the dumps in the politically crucial cow belt state for the last 15 years before its spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which has not declared its chief ministerial candidate for UP, is banking on the personal charisma of Modi to catapult the party back to power again. Samajwadi Party president and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, also led a roadshow with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the 'Kashi Vishwanath' temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi. Amid chanting of 'shlokas', Akhilesh, sporting the red Samajwadi Party cap, was seen kneeling at the temple and seeking the blassings of the priests. Akhilesh's MP wife Dimple, who has of late emerged as a star campaigner of the party after the sulking Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav decided to largely keep away from the fiercely fought electoral battle, joined the roadshow midway. Mulayam has so far addressed only a few election meetings for his brother Shivpal and younger daughter-in-law Arpana in their Jaswantnagar and Lucknow (cantonment) seats. The alliance partners mustered thousands of supporters for their parallel show of strength. Their supporters lined the streets and showered flower petals as the roadshow inched its way through crowded streets. Posters proclaiming 'Akhilesh Again' with the image of a smiling Chief Minister were seen along the route. An incident of stone-pelting was reported near Chowka Ghat as the convoy passed by, but police denied it, saying supporters of rival parties came face-to-face over hoisting flags but a clash was averted. BSP leader Mayawati, seeking a fifth term as Chief Minister, did not visit Varanasi but held an election rally at Rohaniya, about 20 km from here, where she claimed the people at Modi's roadshow were "mere spectators" brought from neighbouring states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Mayawati said the joint roadshow by Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi reflected they had "reconciled to defeat". She said prayers being offered at temples and shrines "will be of no avail". NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India moved a step closer on Saturday towards launching a new national sales tax from July after a panel of federal and state finance officials finalised two key bills to be put before parliament. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) has missed several launch dates. On Saturday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the measure is on track for a rollout from July 1 with the bills set to be discussed in parliament after it reconvenes next week. To meet the deadline, parliament must pass the bills, which spell out the operational details of the new tax, before its current session concludes in mid-April. After a meeting with state officials in New Delhi, Jaitley told media that the panel would meet again on March 16 to complete two more bills on the GST that require approval from state legislatures. "This is a very welcome development and signifies that we are on track for (the) GST on July 1," said M.S. Mani, a senior director at tax consultancy Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP. "It is now essential that all businesses are adequately prepared to face the new era of (the) GST." The long-awaited GST is hailed as India's biggest tax overhaul since independence in 1947, which would replace a slew of federal and state levies, transforming Asia's third largest economy into a single market for the first time. Proposed tax rates range from 5 to 28 percent, with 12 percent and 18 percent being the standard rates. It has not been decided yet which tax rates will apply to which categories of goods. (Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Clelia Oziel) (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.) As the politically crucial state Uttar Pradesh gets ready for the penultimate phase of polling in the ongoing Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance is leaving no stone unturned to ensure their popularity amongst the voters. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi are holding a grand road show today here. The SP-Congress roadshow began at 'Kachehri Chauraha' and culminated at the 'Girjaghar Chauraha'. It passed through Nadesar, Chaukaghat, Doshipura, Gol Ganj, Peeli Kothi, Maidagin, Chauk and Gudaulia. TO READ THE FULL STORY, SUBSCRIBE NOW NOW AT JUST RS 249 A MONTH. Already a premium subscriber? Key stories on business-standard.com are available to premium subscribers only.Already a premium subscriber? LOGIN NOW MONTHLY 249 Select ANNUAL 1799 Select Best Offer SMART ANNUAL 1499 1799 Opt for auto renewal and save Rs 300 Select What you get on Business Standard Premium? Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app. Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006. Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more. Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them. 26 years of website archives. Preferential invites to Business Standard events. 5 ARTICLE PACK PAY AS YOU GO 150 /for 5 articles * Terms 1. Lorem Ipsum is dummy Text 2. Lorem Ipsum is dummy Text VIEW ALL FAQs With focus shifting to the final phase of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be hitting the campaign trail in his Lok Sabha constituency on Saturday. "Modi will arrive in the morning at around 9 o'clock and offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples before leaving for Jaunpur where he is scheduled to hold an election rally. "The Prime Minister will be back in his parliamentary constituency in the evening to address a public meeting," BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said. Earlier, there were reports that Modi was to arrive in the evening and, after visiting the temples, head straight for his first rally in the city during the Assembly polls. ALSO READ: LIVE Battle in Varanasi: At PM's roadshow, supporters chant 'Har har Modi' The Prime Minister is expected to hold two more election meetings here, one each on Sunday and Monday. Top leaders of the party and members of the Union council of ministers have been camping in the city to galvanise public support in favour of the BJP, which is aiming at a revival in the state where it had been in decline for more than a decade before making a dramatic comeback in the 2014 general elections when it won a stunning 71 Lok Sabha seats in UP, its best-ever performance till date. The ancient temple town is bracing for hectic electioneering on Saturday as besides Modi's visit, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to hold a joint road show criss-crossing through a major part of the city while BSP supremo Mayawati will be holding a rally on the outskirts. Heavy deployment of forces is in place in the district where voting will be held for all the seven Assembly segments, five of them falling in the PM's Lok Sabha constituency, on March 8. In a bid to enhance its combat capabilities in the virtual domain, the defence ministry is working towards establishing a new cyber agency to tackle attempts by Chinese and Pakistani hackers to break into its systems and networks. "The tri-services integrated defence staff (IDS) is coming up with a unit to tackle the cyber warfare domain and it will be staffed with personnel from all the three services," senior government sources told Mail Today. The IDS is a tri-services organisation that works directly under the defence ministry but has officers and men from the army, navy as well as air force, and is responsible for tasks and projects involving the assets and men from all three services. "The forces have already started pooling in their resources in the cyber domain under the new agency, which would be headed by a major general-rank officer. The organisation will have both offensive and defensive capabilities in cyber warfare," said the sources. The development comes against the backdrop of around 22,000 pages of data purportedly related to submarines that a French government-owned company was building for the Indian navy being leaked to the media last year. There have been thousands of online attacks on various government websites and systems including defence-related ones in recent years, with fingers often pointing towards China and Pakistan. Till now, the army, navy and air force have their own separate cells dealing with cyber issues and they have also developed individual networks for safe communication and data exchange. The information networks created by the forces are state of the art and are capable of detecting any violation at centralised locations within a few microseconds. "If anybody puts in a pen drive in a computer of the military network, our men sitting in Delhi and other centralised locations can detect it within no time and prevent any leakage or attack immediately," said the sources. "This step of creating a new cyber agency, which would be a precursor to a cyber command, is in the right direction. Now the focus should be on creating infrastructure for manufacturing totally indigenous information and communication technology equipment," said information warfare expert Pavithran Rajan. To test its capabilities, the new agency has also carried out its first cyber warfare exercise under which Indian forces carried out attacks on their own networks to check for loopholes and steps required to strengthen the system, the sources informed. "The forces deduced that cyber should be the first agency to be raised for dealing with the increasing instances of attacks on military networks and systems," they said. The command of the new agency would be on rotational basis for the three services, which means that if it is first headed by an army officer, he would be succeeded by navy and air force officers. The head of the unit would report to the chief of integrated defence staff Lt Gen Satish Dua who heads the organisation at present. The government had deferred the demand for creation of new commands for cyber, special forces and space under senior lieutenant generalrank officers and asked the forces to first create capabilities for such commands. The decision to put off the creation of new commands was taken soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told senior military commanders that while global powers were reducing the number of their personnel, Indian forces were continuously demanding expansion in size. The armed forces had initiated the demand for creation of three new commands during the UPA government where the three services had decided to take one command each for themselves, setting up three army commander-equivalent positions. The country has only two operational tri-services commands including the strategicallylocated Andaman and Nicobar command in Port Blair, which will now likely have an officer from the navy as its head permanently. The other tri-services organisation is the strategic forces command, which looks after the nuclear arsenal including the Agni-series missiles for the nuclear command authority headed by the Prime Minister. The government is now considering a four-star officer appointment in the form of permanent chairman for the chiefs of staff committee. All tri-services issues are expected to go to him once the office is created. Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata on Friday called all the employees of Tata Group the 'inheritors and custodians of the Trusts' and of its 'belief in making a sustainable change' in society. Tata said this in a letter written on the occasion of 178th birth anniversary of Tata Trusts founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. The year also marks 125th year of Tata Trusts. The charitable trust owns 66 per cent of Tata Sons, the holding entity of all group companies. While addressing the employees of the 148-year-old Group, Tata thanked them for their hard work. "You bring your zeal, your vigour, your integrity and most importantly your hard work. It is because of you that we can derive and obtain the opportunity and the privilege to serve our community and through that, our nation," Tata wrote. Ratan Tata is known for informing employees and stakeholders about the company's developments. In recent past, he wrote quite a few letters especially after the removal of Cyrus Mistry as the group chairman. Immediately after taking over as the interim chairman, Tata wrote to the employees saying the decision was taken 'in the interest of the Tata Group'. "The decision to change the leadership of Tata Sons was a well-considered and serious one for its board members. This difficult decision, made after careful and thoughtful deliberation, is one the board believes was absolutely necessary for the future success of the Tata Group," Tata had said. Ratan Tata also said that the Tata Group is in the safe hands of N Chandrasekaran, who would take it to a new level of progress and growth. Introducing Chadrasekaran to the people of Jamshedpur, Tata expressed confidence that Chandra (Chandrasekaran) will take the group as well as the city to a new level of progress and growth. "The Group and Jamshedpur city is in safe hand and it was a matter of pride that Chandra being an internal person of the group and had an impeccable record," Tata said after paying floral tributes to Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata on his 178th birth anniversary. Chandra has an immense record in term of performance and the progress made by TCS under his leadership, he added. Speaking on the occasion, Chandrasekaran said, "I have been here in the steel city of Jamshedpur for last 36 hours witnessing, observing and feeling the impact of the city on human lives." You can witness the Iconic brand Tata Steel and Jamshedpur almost inseparable being as one, which probably you could not have seen anywhere in the world, the Tata Sons Chairman said. (With inputs from PTI) It will be a "very dangerous venture" if China adopts an arrogant attitude towards India's manufacturing surge and ignores the country's competitiveness, state-run Chinese media warned. China should pay more attention to India's increasing manufacturing competitiveness, an article in the website of the state-run Global Times said, cautioning the Chinese industry against complacency. "Scholars should make a careful analysis about the soaring growth to find out whether this is merely a flash in the pan or a result of subtle changes in competition in the manufacturing sector," it said. "Although it is too early to say that India will replace China as a manufacturing giant, as it is not easy to form a complete industry chain from screw to commercial airliner in a short time, increased competitiveness from Indian-made products should be closely watched," it said. Official data showing India's January exports to China soared 42 per cent year-on-year which was overlooked by most Chinese analysts, but it will be a "very dangerous venture" if attention is being paid to bright points in the country's economy, the article said. "What cannot be overlooked is the increasing competitiveness of the manufacturing sector in India," it said. The sudden increase in India's exports is a surprise for the Chinese as India's trade continued to jump year on year. It soared to over USD 46 billion in over USD 70 billion bilateral trade. The Global Times article said that the rapid growth in India's manufacturing sector is likely to continue. "The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index grew to 50.7 in February from 50.4 in January, suggesting an expansion of activity in the sector," it said "Although India is still in its initial stage of developing export-oriented manufacturing industries, the country has great potential to emerge as a regional hub for labour-intensive industries," it said, pointing to the survey that China's manufacturing hourly wage in last year was roughly five times that in India. Sixteen members of USU's Rotaract Club will spend spring break building an adobe brick home in Agua Prieta, Mexico. They are accompanied by members of the Logan Rotary Club. Sixteen members of Utah State Universitys Rotaract Club, the collegiate affiliate of Rotary International, will spend spring break (March 3-8) in Agua Prieta, Mexico, building an adobe brick home for two women who use wheelchairs. The home will be modest in size, totaling just 260 square feet, but Sherman Sanders, a member of the Logan Rotary Club, said it will change its occupants lives. This is going to be a castle for these ladies, Sanders said. They kind of live in a shack, dirt floors. This will be easier for them to roll around, be more warm, more secure. Agua Prieta is 1,000 miles away from Logan, located just over the Arizona border near Douglas. The Rotarians partner with the Wings of Angels Foundation to coordinate the annual trip, and 2017 marks the groups 15th spring break service project in the impoverished Sonoran region. In addition to building the home, participants will also deliver an ambulance. The ambulance is a unique thing, said Sanders, because they have hardly any ambulances there. The nearest could be hundreds of miles, and so theyre really excited to get it. Candace Berthong, Logans Rotary Club president, said the ambulance was donated to the club by the Cache County EMS Authority. The Rotary Club invested several thousand dollars to refurbish the vehicle and was able to equip it with $4,000 worth of medical supplies, purchased for just $700, from Globus Relief in Salt Lake City. Berthong played a key role in coordinating the ambulances donation to Agua Prieta and will be visiting the area for the first time. She looks forward to serving with the students throughout the trips duration. I just think its powerful to be able to help, she said. I think the whole trip is changing lives. Several participants, like Sanders, who is traveling with his son, Michael, and his daughter, Ashley, have visited Agua Prieta multiple times. Sanders appreciates how deeply the opportunity impacts the members of the Rotaract Club. Having raised the funds to build the home, these service-minded students will now see the project through. The thing about this trip, he said, is its not so much what they do. Its the experience theyll bring back. Theyll see poverty, theyll see the outhouses, the dirt floors, houses with no windowstheyll have a wood crate for their window. I mean, its life-changing for a lot of them. It builds character for the rest of their life. This is not just a vacation to have some fun on spring break, Sanders said. Its a lot more than that. jennifer@cvradio.com | BY Lynchy | Ferrari has launched a short-film starring the Ferrari California T in Australia from the city of Sydney to the outback surrounding Broken Hill. Sydney and Broken Hill were chosen for their starring role in Ferraris State of The Art global film series that explores the essence of the California T in iconic locations around the world. Australia is the fourth country to be featured in the series. The film, titled Night into Day, the short film was created by Australian film director Benjamin Gartland at Bengar Films in Melbourne. It is a psychological and cinematic interpretation of the sportiness, versatility and exclusivity of the Ferrari California T; Ferraris successful front-engine V8 with retractable hard top and 2+ seating configuration. Taking inspiration from the versatility of the vehicle, the Australian landscape, and pure driving emotion, the film amplifies the relationship between car and landscape to highlight the driving performance of the Ferrari California T. The film embodies Ferraris deeply embedded core brand values of passion, excitement, and performance. Australians and Ferrari owners the world over love spirited driving and unique driving experiences. In Australia we are lucky enough to have a diverse array of iconic landscapes perfectly suited to exhilarating driving, said Ferrari Australasia CEO, Herbert Appleroth. This film showcases the thrill of driving and evokes the true driving emotion of the Ferrari California T. It will appeal to our discerning clients for whom fun behind the wheel is a priority, but who also demand a Grand Tourer they can use every day. The 60-second film was funded by Ferraris international team, along with support from Broken Hill City Council. It was produced entirely in Australia by an Australian team and has been in development for several months. It tells a visual story on the Ferrari California T slipping through Sydney CBD at night before breaking through to daylight in the dramatic red desert surrounding Broken Hill. Broken Hill, traditionally a mining town securely isolated and enclosed by hundreds of kilometres of desert, was specifically chosen to depict the diversity of the Australian landscape. It provides as stark contrast to the bright lights and sophistication of Sydneys CBD and featured landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Centrepoint Tower, and The Australian Heritage Hotel. It was important to showcase the versatility of the iconic California T through iconic Australian landscapes, and punctuate the undeniable performance of this vehicle, says film director Benjamin Gartland. The feeling of Ferrari is unique; its guttural, it smacks you in the face and reaches deep within the personal self. So, with this film we aimed at appealing to one person only the driver. The iconic outback of Broken Hill, with its sandy red earth and harsh terrain, provided the perfect backdrop for the hero shot of the film, as car drives towards unknown horizons. The Broken Hill community and location property owners embraced our team and made the filming for Ferrari an unforgettable experience, said Gartland. Broken Hill is known as the Hollywood of the Outback and the city has had a long relationship with film, said Councillor Darriea Turley, Mayor of Broken Hill. Like Ferrari, Broken Hill is a unique global brand, instantly recognisable for beauty and innovation that provides enhanced experiences designed to excite the senses. It made perfect sense for Council to provide support to Ferrari to produce this short film in a location that has often been recognised as a star in its own right. Ferrari will share the film with both national and international audiences. It will form part of the State of The Art global film series that explores the essence of the California T; highlighting its form not just as aesthetics, but as design and innovation that drives performance. The film will be made available to audiences through the Ferraris global website, Ferrari.com. Night into Day Production: Bengar Films Director: Benjamin Gartland, ADG Director of Photography: John Wheeler, ACS Executive Producer: Catherine Gunn Producer: Melina Flood Editor: Adam Wills First Assistant Director: Greg Cobain Camera Operator: Chris de Souza Drone Operator: Tony Driver Original composition: Ben Frost Sound Design: Stevo Williams Colour Grade: David Goldsmith Special Effects: Nick Weller | BY Lynchy | The annual CB AgencyCreativity/Billings Index (or Hot+Cold Chart) is a must for all agency CEOs and ECDs plus marketers on the look-out for a new agency or to see where their agency is placed in the industry. There is a chart for Melbourne/Sydney, plus Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, as well as New Zealand. Request your FREE hi-res PDF , which you can print out and pin on your wall or blow up to A2 or A1 and frame. About the CB Hot+Cold Chart: While size may be important to some big clients (Ive got a bigger agency than you), it is by no means the only measure of an agencys worth. Which is why Campaign Brief introduced in 1997 a new way of measuring our agencies: by relating their size to their creative product. That way, clients seeking a big, creative agency know where to look. Some may prefer a small, creative shop. Others may seek a big, conservative operation. Or a small shop that pumps out what they want, when they want it, at the right price. Whatever their tastes, CB make it easier to see where a selection of agencies in Australia and New Zealand sit in our 21st Annual Big vs Small Hot vs Cold cross-analysis. Transcription 1 Atlas Gold / Silver Project: A new generation precious metal project in the Mio-Pliocene volcanic arc of northern Chile Authors Stephen Nano 1, Daryl Nunn 2, Tim Heenan 1 Leandro Echavarria 1, Mauricio Nerach 1 Pablo Frutos 1 1. Mirasol Resources Ltd 2. Global Ore Discovery - Consultancy Presenter: Stephen Nano President & CEO January 2015 TSX.V: MRZ 2 MIRASOL RESOURCES Cautionary Statement This presentation contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, projects, potential and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could or should occur. Information inferred from the interpretation of drilling results and information concerning mineral resource estimates may also be deemed to be forward looking statements, as it constitutes a prediction of what might be found to be present when and if a project is actually developed. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company s management on the date the statements are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. This presentation may use the term indicated resource. The Company advises investors that although this term is recognized and required by Canadian securities regulations (under National Instrument Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ), the US Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize this term. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part of or all of the mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. Stephen Nano, President and CEO for the Company and a Qualified Person under National Instrument , has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this presentation. 2 3 Mirasol Resources: Project Generator Gold Silver Copper Chile Argentina Well funded Approx. $25.6 M CAD (cash & receivables to 2016) Conservative capital structure 44.2 million shares outstanding Discovery focused management & exploration team 47.4 million fully diluted (3.2 m options) Delivered on business model via discovery & with sale of project High-calibre project portfolio: o Five Headline Projects large system / multiple targets / drill ready o Rubi JV First Quantum Minerals copper-gold porphyry Chile New generative program & parallel project acquisition search Core Shed Virginia Core High Grade Silver deposit Atlas Gold Silver Project hand samples 3 4 Mirasol Resources Mio-Pliocene Arc Program - Chile Mirasol Atlas Project Choquelimpie Gold Deposit Chile-Argentina world class Mio-Pliocene arc for Cu/Au mineralization 950 km of under explored Miocene volcanic arc Mirasol Gorbea Gold Belt Atlas Gold/Silver Project Pirquitas Silver Deposit Diabillos Gold Deposit Bolivian Silver Tin Belt Teniente (13Mt Cu*)- Southern Porphyry Belt Pascua (22Moz Au, 674Moz Ag*) El Indio Belt Alumbrera (17Moz Au, 3.4Mt Cu*) Farallon Negro District Caspiche (25Moz Au, 60Moz Ag*) Maricunga Belt Maricunga Epithermal Porphyry Gold Belt El Indio Epithermal Gold Belt Southern Porphyry Copper Belt Alumbrera Agua Rica Porphyry Copper Gold District Large Mio-Pliocene Gold Copper Silver Deposits Gold Silver Copper Copper / Gold Mio-Pliocene Volcanic Arc Until recently no large Mio-Pliocene gold deposits north of the Maricunga Belt for 950 km to the Choquelimpie deposit Large extension of under-explored Mio- Pliocene Arc with potential for new world class Au, Ag & Cu discoveries. * Global Resource = Reserves + Resources + Historic Production 4 5 New Gold Silver Discoveries North of the Maricunga Belt MIRASOL CHILE PROJECTS MIRASOL GORBEA GOLD BELT ATLAS TITAN North of La Coipa/Esperanza new precious metal discoveries 2013 Mirasol announces new outcropping discoveries Atlas & Titan high sulphidation gold silver systems in Gorbea Gold Belt - Chile MIRASOL FQM RUBI JV Salares Norte 3.1 Moz Au & 34 Moz Ag 2014 Goldfields announce discovery & initial resource Salares Norte 3.1 Moz 4.2 g/t Au & 34 Moz 44.8 g/t El Salvador Potrerillos La Coipa 2.7 Moz Au & 115 Moz Ag Esperanza 0.3 Moz Au & 77.2 Moz Ag Marte 6.9 Moz Au Lobo 4.0 Moz Au Northern Maricunga Belt Demonstrates extension to productive mineralization cycle northwards New Discoveries - Why Now? Improved geological understanding New exploration technologies Test high risk targets 0 Maricunga 11 Moz Au Caspiche 24 Moz Au & 57 Moz Ag Co. Casale kilometres kilometres Moz Au & 4 Mt Cu Zoom Window kilometres 5 6 Mapping Productive Mineral Belts with Geochronology MIRASOL CHILE PROJECTS MIRASOL GORBEA GOLD BELT MIRASOL FQM RUBI JV La Coipa 20.2 Ma & 17.3 Ma ATLAS 19.9 Ma TITAN 17.1 Ma Salares Norte? Ma Esperanza 20.7 Ma & 18.6 Ma Two (three?) productive mineralization cycles in the Maricunga Belt Early ~22-26 Ma Caspiche Santa Cecilia La Pepa Middle ~ Ma La Coipa Esperanza Atlas Titan 25.38Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Santa Cecilia 24.1 Ma & 24.3 Ma La Pepa 22.3 Ma Caspiche 25.4 Ma Maricunga 22.2 Ma Marte 13.3 Ma Lobo 13 Ma Volcan 11.1 Ma & 11.4 Ma Co. Casale 13.5 Ma & Ma kilometres kilometres Late ~11-14 Ma Marte Volcan Cerro Casale 13.3Ma Ma Ma 6 7 Gorbea Gold Belt: Atlas & Titan Projects, Chile 2 New outcropping gold-silver systems / large system footprints / district play 9 projects ASTER satellite Alteration system Magnetic Depletion Titan Project 100% Mirasol Owned Atlas Project 100% Mirasol Owned ASTER Alteration System Magnetic Depletion 25 km 2 alteration 6 km 2 area with multiple prospects No previous drilling El Dorado Project 100% Mirasol Owned Crustal scale structural trends Extensive strong ASTER satellite alteration zones Large partially covered zones of magnetite destruction Widespread outcropping Au/Ag mineralization New Discoveries Mirasol 100% owned Properties Frontera JV properties Preferential Exploration right 2 nd Tier Exploration rights Large gold system Recon drill intersections Up to 1.21 g/t Au Including 3.85 g/t Au Analytical Signal ground magnetics on ESRI World Imagery 7 8 Atlas - Geology, Alteration & Geochronology ASTER Alteration System Boundary ASTER Alteration Alunite Illite / Smectite 18.2Ma K/Ar1 17.8Ma Kaolinite K/Ar1 Mixed Andesitic/Dacitic Flows Dos Hermanos Domes 17.6Ma K/Ar2 21.1Ma K/Ar2 18.6Ma K/Ar1 20.7Ma K/Ar1 13.7Ma K/Ar1 Pyrophyllite 18.1Ma K/Ar Ma Ar/Ar3 Mixed Andesitic/Dacitic Flows domes Ignimbrites, Tuffs & Pyroclastic Breccias Andesite-dacite dome field 20.7,18.6 & 17.6 Ma Andesite Large advanced argillic alteration zone focussed SE of domes Published K/Ar alunite alteration dates 18.1 & 21.1 Ma Colluvium New Ar/Ar alunite alteration date / Ma Post mineral Basalt Age Date Reference: Geochron Age Data 1. Servicio Nacional De Alunite Geologia y Mineria, 2012 Plagioclase 2. Naranjo y Cornejo, 1992 Whole Rock Biotite 3. Forster, Ma K/Ar1 Labelled with age, dating technique and reference Mirasol Atlas Project Middle Maricunga Cycle La Coipa age/min. style & geological setting 8 9 Atlas - Surface Gold Silver Assays & Geophysics New large high sulphidation gold-silver system / high grade rock chip assays & geophysical anomalies 0.01/ / /377 Atlas Rock Chips ATLAS GOLD ZONE Rock Chips up to 50.3 g/t Au IP Resistivity 50m Depth Slice 0/70.7 0/56.5 0/ /14 Atlas Gold Zone 50.3/ / /43.9 NEW OCULTO ZONE covered resistive zone. Outcrops of strong quartz-alunite alteration ATLAS SILVER ZONE Rock Chips to 639 g/t Ag Atlas Silver Zone 0.08/ / / /0.1 NEW PAMPA ZONE Anomalous Rock Chip to 2.91 g/t Au & 421 g/t Ag Pampa Zone By Gold Pleiades Base Imagery 2.91/ / /2.1 By Silver 0.06/ / / m Pleiades Base Imagery AGZ ASZ Rock Chip Assays by Gold Equivalent Au+Ag/55 1 to to to to to to 0.01 BDL to 0 Areas of Gold/Silver Anomalous Rock Chips IP 50m Depth Slice: Resistivity (Ohm-m) Labelled Rock Chip Results / 5. 2 Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) Best 3 Rock Chip Samples From beginning of project to June 2014 Gold / Silver (g/t) By Gold / / / 43.9 By Silver 0.01 / / / 592 9 10 Atlas Gold Zone Prospect Geochemistry & IP Drill Targets AGZ prospect surface rock chip samples define an 800 by 500 m area with anomalous gold/silver 55 samples in the range g/t Au outline multiple NW trending vuggy silica structures. AGZ gold structures traverse 1.1 km long trend with highly resistivity bodies Location Overview: Antofagasta Mirasol Atlas Project Santiago Tenure Overview: Mirasol Atlas Project-7020 Ha AGZ Magnetic Structure Rock Chip Assays by Gold (g/t) 1 to to to to to to 0.01 BDL to 0 Labelled Rock Chip Results, greater than 5.0 g/t Au / Gold (g/t) Trench Collar & Trace 50m IP Resistivity Contour Line Silver (g/t) 50m IP (ohm meters) Resistivity Depth Slice New trench channel of vuggy silica structures & breccias, assay: g/t Au, g/t Au & g/t Au 10 11 Atlas Gold Zone Trench & Sampling Photos Vuggy silica structures with quartzalunite halos & a barite late vein in the middle with 3.27 g/t Au in trench TR-01 Late stage barite vein common in vuggy silica structures with up to 3.27 g/t Au in trench TR-01 Cubic barite in vuggy silica structures with 8.85 g/t Au/ 45.8 g/t Ag in trench TR- 03 Technician sampling Vuggy Silica Structure oblique (290 strike / 2 m thickness) to trench TR-02 with 7.28 g/t Au Hydrothermal brecccia zone exposed over 25 m in trench TR-02 Tambo like breccia vuggy silica clasts rebrecciatiation & leach clasts with late fill pink alunite with up to 5.07 g/t Au in TR-02 11 12 Atlas Gold Zone - Spectral Alteration Mapping - Alunite Atlas Gold Zone (AGZ) Atlas Project Boundary AKI_TR_02 >2000 PSM* spectra TSG software (& human interp.) Rock samples / lab coarse rejects Identify alteration mineral vectors gold / silver Trenches project level paleotemperature maps Na rich Alunite + vuggy silica spatially correlate with elevated Au in trench assays Alteration Mineral AKI_TR_02 ATLAS TRENCH 2 Au Grade 7.28g/t Au 1.84g/t Au Incl. 2.33g/t Au 0.94g/t Au Incl. 1.52g/t Au 1.46g/t Au Incl. 2.63g/t Au 0.3g/t Au Incl. 0.51g/t Au LEGEND Trench Surface Trace Primary Alteration Mineral Secondary Alteration Mineral Gold Assays from Trenching * PSM = Spectral Evolution - Portable SpectroMeter (PSM) 13 Atlas Gold Zone Spectral Alteration Mapping Kaolin Group Atlas Project Boundary Atlas Gold Zone (AGZ) 1415nm Depth Histogram Alteration Mineral AKI_TR_02 Areas of strong absorption in the 1415nm feature, indicating an increase in Dickite & Nacrite / temperature indicators AKI_TR_02 ATLAS TRENCH 2 Au Grade 7.28g/t Au 1.84g/t Au Incl. 2.33g/t Au 0.94g/t Au Incl. 1.52g/t Au 1.46g/t Au Incl. 2.63g/t Au 0.3g/t Au Incl. 0.51g/t Au LEGEND Trench Surface Trace 1415nm depth histogram Primary Alteration Mineral Secondary Alteration Mineral Gold Assays from Trenching 13 14 Atlas Paleotemperature Map of Mineralization Vectors Au/Ag mineralization is coincident with higher temperature Kaolin group polymorphs open Kaolin group minerals absorption feature depth map paleotemperature map open ATLAS GOLD ZONE (AGZ) Higher temperature dickite / nacrite assemblage correlates to increasing gold/silver grades in trenches open ATLAS SILVER ZONE (ASZ) Buried Oculto Target AGZ Prospect good correlation with high temperature dickite / nacrite ASZ Prospect temperature increase in NE towards the edge of cover Oculto Geophysical Target indications of high temperature dickite / nacrite permissive temperature window AGZ ASZ 14 15 Atlas Silver Zone & Oculto Target Priority Drill Targets Defined AKI-TR-06 Oculto target Metres Mineralization with breccia & silica sulphide replacement Length weighted average channel sampling at end of trench : g/t Ag Best individual channels : g/t Ag, g/t Ag, g/t Ag Large scale covered drill targets indicated by geology & geophysics paleotemperature mapping supports priority drill targets ASZ & Oculto 15 16 Atlas Silver Zone Trench & Sampling Photos Laminated ash with bands of intense advanced argillic alteration with 609 g/t Ag in trench TR-06 Cinnabar wisps in the zone of the phreatic breccia with intense advanced argillic alteration (TR-06) Sulphur vein (dipping SW) in the middle of a phreatic vent breccia with intense advanced argillic alteration, trench TR-06 Ignimbrites with pervasive quartz opaline silica & sulfide/sulfosalt veinlets in trench TR-06 with 519 g/t Ag Upward flaring phreatic-hydrothermal breccia with clast samples up to 542 g/t Ag Polylithic hydrothermal breccia clasts of quartz vein fragment with bands of acanthite Suggest ISE or LSE 16 17 Atlas New Drill Ready Gold Silver Project, Mio - Pliocene Chile New precious metal discoveries in under-explored segment of world class Mio- Pliocene age Au, Ag Cu belt in Chile Mirasol - Two new large outcropping Au / Ag HSE systems (Atlas & Titan) in belt play of 9 x 100% owned projects Gorbea Belt Alteration age dating indicates Atlas & Titan correlate with productive mineral cycle potential La Coipa analogy Atlas Gold Zone - significant area of outcropping gold bearing vuggy silica-alunite structures Atlas Silver Zone high grade silver / anomalous gold in trenches with geophysical anomalies vectoring under cover Oculto - high priority geophysical target supported by paleotemperature vectors Priority drill targets defined Mirasol is seeking JV partners / strong offers received 17 Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 1:35AM Lucas Jackson / Reuters Following the release of Microsofts Creators Update later this spring, the sizes of the operating systems updates will be significantly smaller. Microsofts Unified Update Platform is set to shrink sizes of future updates to save you the trouble of downloading an entire build of your system every time. The feature theyre using is called differential download packages, which basically means it just downloads what you need. Itll look at what files are on your system and use these to rebuild the new OS version from there. It seems simple but it needed a lot of work in the background given the decades of legacy code and patches. Of course, the major release like Creators Update will need the download of the full build. But after that, the next smaller updates will be about 35 percent smaller, according to Microsofts Director of Program Management Bill Karagounis. Source: Engadget "We know how important mowing of public land is to the community, particularly for people who love to get outdoors, visit our parks and walk their dogs around Canberra's suburbs. We also want to make sure our bush capital looks its best," Ms Fitzharris said. "We know that pet ownership is a barrier to leaving for a variety of reasons including concern over the safety of the pet if the pet's safety has been threatened, and concern that the pet might not be cared for if the person leaving is the primary carer," she said. "There's a big hype about Black Opal this weekend so I think there'll be a lot of women and men who will definitely go out there and try and look really good and give it a red-hot go." "We didn't want to imagine another parent having to lose their child, and if we could help even one parent spend more time with their child, it would be worth it," she said. "It did unsettle [the patients], but we did assure them that once there was more traffic to the village that it wasn't as vulnerable as being empty," she said. "What we have to find is a path that ensures that a development, whether it's one house or three houses on a block, falls in line with community expectation. Some work and some don't so we're trying to get an understanding of that." The data showed what websites we had visited on iPhone as well as where the phone had been, able to note details of what section of the centre the device was in, for how long and on what floor. Transcription 1 survey of all the areas, fields and installations on the Norwegian continental shelf. It also describes developments in these waters since the 1960s, including why Norway was able to become an oil nation, the role of government and the rapid technological progress made. In addition, the book serves as an industrial heritage plan for the oil and gas industry. This provides the basis for prioritising offshore installations worth designating as national monuments and which should be documented. The book will help to raise awareness of the oil industry as industrial heritage and the management of these assets. Oil and gas fields in norway Industrial Heritage plan This book is a work of reference which provides an easily understandable Oil and gas fields in norway industrial heritage plan Harald Tnnesen (b 1947) is curator of the Norwegian Petroleum Museum. With an engineering degree from the University of Newcastle-uponTyne, he has broad experience in the petroleum industry. He began his career at Robertson Radio Elektro before moving to Rogaland Research, and was head of research at Esso Norge AS before joining the museum. Gunleiv Hadland????????? Photo: yvind Hagen/Statoil????????? Photo: yvind Hagen/Statoil (b 1971) is a researcher at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum. He has an MA, majoring in history, from the University of Bergen and wrote his thesis on hydropower development and nature conservation. He has earlier worked on projects for the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) and others. 2 165 The area Together with the Snorre and Statfjord areas, the area lies in the Tampen region of the northern North Sea and embraces the, South, Gimle and Tordis fields. South also embraces the Rimfaks, Skinfaks, Gullveig and Gulltopp deposits. Installations on represent an important part of the infrastructure in the Tampen region. While the Tordis wellstream is transferred to and processed on the C platform, stabilised crude from Vigdis and Visund are stored on and shipped from A. was the first wholly Norwegian offshore development project. Norway s Statoil, Norsk Hydro and Saga Petroleum companies were awarded block 34/10 known as the Golden Block (Gullblokken) in As on Statfjord, was developed with three Condeep concrete platforms. This project was particularly important for operator Statoil, which initially had an 85 per cent interest. As the first large field where a Norwegian company held the operatorship from the start, was important for Statoil s growth as an operational oil company. The company could also build on experience from the Statfjord development. Esso served as technical United Kingdom Norway Denmark Sweden assistant in the exploration phase, but this agreement terminated in December A technical assistance deal was later concluded with Conoco Norway. Locating the operations organisation for in Bergen was important for building up an oil community in that city. The world s first full-scale subsea separation facility became operational on Tordis in Gas Vigdis / Snorre A Tordis Gimle Oil Gas + oil Oil + condensate Visund Oil tanker South Statpipe Statfjord / Karst Karst 3 166 The area with neighbouring fields in the Tampen region. Installations and pipelines. Illustration: Statoil This oil field lies in metres of water in the northern North Sea. Ranked as a giant by world standards, is one of the largest discoveries on the north-west European continental shelf. Reservoir and recovery strategy Several separate geological structures containing oil and gas are found in the block, which lies on the western flank of the Viking Graben. The main reservoir comprises sandstones in the Brent group of middle Jurassic age. Oil-bearing sandstones are also found in the deeper Cook, Statfjord and Lunde formations of early Jurassic and late Triassic age. These strata were deposited million years ago. Source rocks are the Draupne and Heather formations deposited during the Jurassic rift phase. Located at depths of metres, the reservoirs are built up from a series of small tilted and rotated fault blocks to the west and a structural horst on the east, with a strongly faulted area in between. Because they lie at a fairly shallow depth, the structures are poorly cemented Block 34/10 Production licences 050 and 050 B Awarded 1978 and 1995 Total recoverable reserves mill bbl oil 24.2 bn scm gas 3 mill tonnes NGL Remaining at 31 Dec mill bbl oil 1.5 bn scm gas 0.2 mill tonnes NGL Discovery year 1978 Approved for development 9 Oct 1981 On stream 22 Dec 1986 Operator Statoil Operations organisation Bergen Main supply bases Sotra and Flor Licensees Statoil 70% Petoro 30% 4 167 A with loading buoy (foreground), B and subsea installations. Illustration: Statoil and relatively unconsolidated. This means that sand can easily be produced together with the oil. The geology is complex and has required extensive mapping. More than 200 wells and a number of seismic surveys provide the database for plotting the structures and stratigraphy in the area. Oil is produced though pressure support from water, gas and water alternating gas (WAG) injection. Although the drive mechanism varies between the various drainage sections of the field, waterflooding represents the main strategy. Some small fault blocks are produced through pressure reduction. gas from South, Gimle and Tordis. These platforms are also used to transport oil from Vigdis and Visund. Tordis output is processed in a separate facility on C. B has a simplified processing plant confined to first-stage separation. Transport Oil ships from A and C via loading buoys to shuttle tankers. Rich gas not injected into the reservoir is carried in an export pipeline tied into Statpipe. Development solution The field has been developed with three integrated production, drilling and quarters platforms, each with a concrete GBS and a steel module support frame. A and C receive and process oil and The B loading buoy with the Polytraveller shuttle tanker. Photo: yvind Hagen/Statoil 5 168 A. Photo: yvind Hagen/Statoil B in Photo: yvind Hagen/Statoil 6 C. Photo: yvind Hagen/Statoil 169 7 170 South Incorporating the separate Rimfaks, Gullveig, Gulltopp and Skinfaks structures, South is a satellite to. These reservoirs lie in the same water depth as the main field, from 130 to 220 metres. The licensees have pursued a phased development. Phase I comprised a total of eight subsea installations tied back to A for processing, storage and loading of oil and condensate. The second phase covered the production and export of gas resources and associated liquids, which began in the autumn of Gas is processed to rich gas and carried via a pipeline tied into Statpipe to Karst. After NGL separation, the dry gas is piped on to continental Europe. Oil and condensate are stabilised, stored and loading from existing facilities on the platforms. In connection with phase II, C has been upgraded to increase its gas processing and export capacity. A corresponding upgrade has been carried out on the A platform. Skinfaks is incorporated in South, and came on stream in January Gulltopp is produced through an extended-reach well from A, drilled in April Reservoir and recovery strategy Permeability in the South reservoirs is poor, but reservoir properties in the Rimfaks, Gullveig, Gulltopp and Skinfaks structures are fairly good. Oil and condensate from South are partly produced with pressure support in the form of gas injection and partly through pressure reduction. Rimfaks Brent produces through full pressure maintenance with the aid of injected gas, while South and the Statfjord formation in Rimfaks have limited gas injection. Gullveig is produced through pressure reduction, with its output also influenced by production from Tordis and. Gulltopp and Skinfaks are produced with the aid of gas lift. Transport Oil is piped to A for processing, storage and onward transport in tankers. After processing on C, rich gas gets exported via Statpipe to Karst for further processing and transmission as dry gas to continental Europe. Development solution South has been developed with a total of 10 subsea templates tied back to A and C. South Blocks 32/12, 33/12 and 34/10 Production licences 037 B, 037 E, 050, 050 B and 152 Awarded 1978, 1988, 1995, 1998 and 2004 Total recoverable reserves mill bbl oil 45.7 bn scm gas 6.1 mill tonnes NGL Remaining at 31 Dec mill bbl oil 21.7 bn scm gas 3.2 mill tonnes NGL Discovery year 1978 Approved for development 29 Mar 1996 On stream 10 Oct 1998 Operator Statoil Operations organisation Bergen Main supply bases Sotra and Flor Licensees Statoil 70% Petoro 30% satellites, with South in the foreground. Illustration: Statoil 8 171 Gimle This small oil field lies in 220 metres of water due north of, and was proven in 2004 with well 34/10-48 S drilled from C. Following test output in 2005, Gimle was carved out into a separate production licence in It produces via C. Reservoir and recovery strategy The Gimle reservoir comprises middle Jurassic sandstones in a down-faulted structure on the northeastern side of. Its properties are very good. Production is based on water injection to support pressure in the reservoir. Transport Gimle production is processed on C and exported together with oil and gas from. Gimle Block 34/10 Production licence 050 DS Awarded 2006 Total recoverable reserves Remaining at 31 Dec mill bbl oil 1.1 bn scm gas 0.2 mill tonnes NGL 14.5 mill bbl oil 1 bn scm gas 0.2 mill tonnes NGL Discovery year 2004 Approved for development 18 May 2006 On stream 19 May 2006 Operator Statoil Operations organisation Bergen Licensees Statoil 65.13% Petoro 24.18% ConocoPhillips 5.79% Total E&P Norge 4.90% Tordis The Tordis oil field lies in 200 metres of water between Snorre and in the northern North Sea. Proven in 1987, it came on stream in June Production from the Tordis East, Borg and Tordis South-East deposits began in December 1998, July 1999 and December 2001 respectively. Reservoir and recovery strategy Located metres down, the reservoir sandstones are middle Jurassic in Tordis and Tordis East, late Jurassic in Borg, and both middle and late Jurassic in Tordis South-East. Tordis and Tordis South-East are produced through pressure maintenance with the aid of water injection and through natural water drive. Production utilises full pressure maintenance with water injection from Borg, and pressure support from natural water drive on Tordis. Transport The wellstream from Tordis is transported to C for processing and export. with the Tordis subsea installations in the background. Illustration: FMC Technologies 9 172 Development solution Tordis has been developed with a central subsea manifold for seven separate satellite wells and two seabed templates. Two pipelines tie the field back to C, 10 kilometres away, for processing the wellstream. Most of the output is oil, but gas and condensate are also produced. The world s first fullscale facility for subsea separation of water and sand from a wellstream became operational on the field in Tordis East, Borg and Tordis South-East have been developed with subsea-completed wells tied back to the Tordis production installation. Tordis Block 34/7 Production licence 089 Awarded 1984 Total recoverable reserves mill bbl oil 5.3 bn scm gas 1.7 mill tonnes NGL Remaining at 31 Dec mill bbl oil 1.5 bn scm gas 0.3 mill tonnes NGL Discovery year 1987 Approved for development 29 Mar 1996 On stream 21 Apr 1999 Operator Statoil Operations organisation Bergen Main supply base Flor Licensees Statoil 41.5% Petoro 30.0% ExxonMobil 10.5% Idemitsu Petroleum Norge 9.6% Total E&P Norge 5.6% RWE Dea Norge 2.8% Tordis subsea installations. Illustration: FMC Kongsberg Subsea 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 ... Transcription 1 Market Opportunities in Czech Republic* Background At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, having rejected a federal system, the new country s predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Slovaks, the Sudeten Germans, and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). On the eve of World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the Czech part of the country and Slovakia became an independent state allied with Germany. After the war, a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country s leaders to liberalize Communist rule and create socialism with a human face, ushering in a period of repression known as normalization. The peaceful Velvet Revolution swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent velvet divorce into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in Capital: Prague Geography: Area: Total: 78,867 sq km Land: 77,247 sq km Water: 1,620 sq km Location: Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters Natural resources: hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber Geography - note: landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe Population: 10,177,300 (July 2012 est.) 2 Economic Indicators GDP (purchasing power parity): $286.7 billion (2012 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $193.5 billion (2012 est.) GDP - real growth rate: -1% (2012 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $27,200 (2012 est.) GDP - composition by sector: Agriculture: 1.8% Industry: 39.6% Services: 58.6% (2012 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry Industries: motor vehicles, metallurgy, machinery and equipment, glass, armaments Industrial production growth rate: 6.9% (2011 est.) Electricity - production: billion kwh (2010 est.) Electricity - consumption: billion kwh (2009 est.) Electricity - exports: billion kwh (2010 est.)) Electricity - imports: billion kwh (2010 est.) Crude Oil - production: 9,162 bbl/day (2011 est.) Crude Oil exports: 420 bbl/day (2009 est.) Crude Oil imports: 143,700 bbl/day (2009 est.) Exports: $134.1 billion (2012 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuel, chemicals Exports - partners: Germany 32.4%, Slovakia 9%, Poland 6.3%, France 5.5%, Austria 4.6%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.2% (2011) Imports: $129 billion (2012 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuels, chemicals Imports - partners: Germany 29.6%, China 7.6%, Poland 7.1%, Slovakia 7%, Netherlands 5.7%, Russia 4.8%, Austria 4.4% (2011) Exchange rates: koruny (CZK) per US dollar (2012 est.), (2011 est.), (2010 est.), (2009), (2008) Economy Overview The Czech Republic is a stable and prosperous market economy closely integrated with the EU, especially since the country s EU accession in While the conservative, inward-looking Czech financial system has remained relatively healthy, the small, open, export-driven Czech economy remains sensitive to changes in the economic performance of its main export markets, especially Germany. When Western Europe and Germany fell into recession in late 2008, demand for Czech goods plunged, leading to double digit drops in industrial production and exports. As a result, real GDP fell 4.7% in 2009, with most of the decline occurring during the first quarter. Real GDP, however, slowly recovered with positive quarter-on-quarter growth starting in the second half of 2009 and continuing throughout In 2012, however, the economy fell into a recession due to a slump in external demand. Foreign and domestic businesses alike voice concerns about corruption especially in public procurement. Other long term challenges include dealing with a rapidly aging population, funding an unsustainable pension and health care system, and diversifying away from manufacturing and toward a more high-tech, services based knowledge economy. 3 India Czech Republic Relations India s relations with the former Czechoslovakia, and with the Czech Republic, have always been warm and friendly. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited Prague in 1938, and subsequently influenced the strong condemnation of the 1938 Munich Pact by the Indian nationalist movement. Diplomatic relations with Czechoslovakia were established on November 18, Presidents Dr S Radhakrishnan, Giani Zail Singh and R Venkataraman visited Czechoslovakia in 1965, 1983 and 1988 respectively. Foreign Minister Jiri Dienstbier made the first high level contact after the Velvet Revolution in November Indian Minister of State for External Affairs R L Bhatia was the first non-european Minister to visit the Czech Republic following the dissolution of CSFR. High level visits have been maintained after the Czech Republic came into existence after bifurcation of Czechoslovakia on 1 January From the Indian side President Shankar Dayal Sharma visited in October 1996.; Shri Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for External Affairs visited in February 2002; Shri Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in September 2002; Shri Anant Geete, Minister of Power in June 2003; Shri George Fernandes, Defence Minister in October 2003; Shri Digvijay Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs in September 2003; Shri M Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India in June 2010; Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, Chairman, Chiefs of Staffs Committee in November 2010 and Shri Shriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of Coal in June From the Czech side President Vaclav Havel visited India in February 1994; Prime Minister Milos Zeman in March 2001; Minister for Industry and Trade Mr. Vladimir Dlouhly in March 1993; Foreign Minister Josef Zieleniec in June 1993; Minister of Industry and Trade Dr Karel Kuehni in October 1997; Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Cyril Svoboda in April 1997; Minister of Defence Mr Vladimir Vetchy in February 2001; Minister of Industry and Trade Mr Miroslav Gregr in March 2001; Minister of Finance Mr Pavel Mertlik in March 2001; Minister of Agriculture Mr Jan Fencl in March 2001; Minister of Industry and Trade Mr Jiri Rusnok in August 2002 and February 2003; Dr Miroslav Somol, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade in January 2003; Minister of Defence Mr Jaroslav Tvrdik in February 2003; Dr Miroslav Somol, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade in December 2004; Mr Martin Simonovsky, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport in February More recently, President Vaclav Klaus paid a State Visit to India in November Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek visited India in January Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg visited India in Shri Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for External Affairs Shri Anand Sharma visited Czech Republic in September, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Riman visited India in November, Minister for External Affairs Shri S M Krishna visited Czech Republic in June Minister of Coal Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal visited in June Czech Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Mr Milan Hovorka visited India in May 2010, November 2010, January 2011 and May 2011; President of the Senate of Czech Parliament Mr Milan Stech in May 2011; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Tomas Dub in June 2011 and Mr Martin Kocourek, Minister of Trade and Industry led a trade delegation to India in October 2011 which included Mr Milan Urban, Chairperson of Committee on Economic Affairs of Czech Parliament. Indian companies have invested in Czech Republic in sectors like IT, vehicles, tea, textile, pharmaceutical, auto-components. Indian companies like Infosys, Ashok Leyland, Tata Tea, 4 Alok Industries, Spentex Industries, Motherson Sumi Systems Limited, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Lloyd Group, Lloyd Electric and Engineering Ltd., PMP Components Ltd. have made investment in Czech Republic. Following on the original investments of Skoda Auto, Skoda Power and Tatra, there are a number of new and prospective Czech investment projects in India in the machinery, transportation, power and automotive sectors. The two countries enjoy Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, which was signed in October During the visit of Vice President of India in June 2010, Social Security Agreement between India and Czech Republic and Protocol on Amendments to BIPPA Agreement as well as Agreement on Economic Cooperation were also signed. Indology has a very old tradition in Prague, starting with the establishment of a Chair in Sanskrit in the prestigious Charles University in The period between the two World Wars witnessed a very rapid expansion in Indian studies under the guidance of Vincenc Lesny, who was a personal friend of Rabindranath Tagore. The Institute of Indian Studies at the Charles University has many students being imparted education in Indian languages, literature, history and culture. The Oriental Institute which was set up in 1922 under the auspices of the Czech Academy of Sciences has a long tradition of research in Indian languages, literature, history, culture, politics, etc. An MOU on establishment of ICCR s Chair of Indian Studies / Hindi Language between ICCR and Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague was signed in June There has been some cooperation for educational and scientific exchanges. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Czech Academy of Sciences (CzAS) has an agreement of cooperation. CzAS also has an agreement for cooperation with Indian National Science Academy (INSA). Indo-Czech Joint Commission meeting was held in New Delhi on 29 November 2010, which was led by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade from Czech side. The discussion centered around the areas of Renegotiation of aspects of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, Visa, greater sourcing from India, Investment, Czech proposal to establish a Joint Working Group on energy related matters, establishment of fund to finance R&D and a host of other issues. Programme of Scientific and Technological Cooperation between DST and the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and a Work Plan for support of India Czech joint projects for the were signed during the DST team s visit to Prague in April The 9th Session of Indo-Czech Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation was held from 7-11 September 2012; In pursuance of the protocol on the 9th Session of Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation between India and the Czech Republic, a Joint Working Group (JSW) on Advance Manufacturing and Heavy Engineering has been recently constituted by the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI). The First Meeting of the Joint Working Group (JSW) on Advance Manufacturing and Heavy Engineering was held on 15th March Sources: 1. CIA World Fact book 2. Department of Commerce Ministry of External Affairs4. The Czech Republic s National Report on the Electricity and Gas Industries for 2010 Website - 5 Bilateral Trade Export Import Data Bank Values in US $ Millions Year EXPORT %Growth India s Total Export 163, , , , , %Growth %Share IMPORT %Growth India s Total Import 251, , , , , %Growth %Share TOTAL TRADE %Growth India s Total Trade 414, , , , , %Growth %Share TRADE BALANCE India s Trade Balance -88, , , , , Note: Since , Petroleum figures are being computed from Import Daily trade Returns (DTRs) to generate country wise/portwise tables. Up to consolidated petroleum import figures were being received from the Petroleum Ministry. Electricity Note In 2010, the installed capacity of thermal power stations, including cogeneration, increased by 49 MW in comparison with 2009, and the installed capacity of gas-fired and combined cycle plants increased by 89.5 MW. The installed capacity of plants that use renewable and alternative resources also went up by 1,399 MW; the installed capacity of hydroelectric power stations increased by 19.7 MW. Wind power plants capacity increased by 24.6 MW. Most of the increase in generating capacity, more than 1,355 MW, is attributable to the growth of photovoltaic capacity. The total annual increase in the generating capacity installed in the electricity grid amounted to 1,608.1 MW. On 31 December 2010, the total installed capacity in the Czech electricity grid was 19,033.8 MW. The country s total electricity consumption, including network losses, increased to almost 71 TWh (70,961 GWh) in This 2.3 TWh (3.4 percent) growth in demand was caused by a slight recovery of the country s economy in Important Address The Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi 50-M, Niti Marg, Chanakyapuri New Delhi, India Tel.: Fax: : (general) and (commercial) and delhi. (consular) Website: Html Embassy of India in Czech Republic Milady Horakove 60/93, Hole?ovice, Praha 7, Czech Republic Website: commercial-and-economic-relations/ *All inputs collected for consolidated info by Dr SK Mukherjee Transcription 1 General A Rehearsal of Inadequate Performances The political trial as a cultural artifact Klaas van Gorkum Essay November 14, 2014 Iratxe Jaio and Klaas van Gorkum s experiences during the making of the video Ultimas Palabras in Argentina in 2013 have allowed them to reflect on the historical and didactic nature of the political trial. The video published at the bottom of this text focuses on the trial and closing argument of exnaval Commander Alfredo Astiz (aka The Blond Angel of Death during Jorge Rafael Videla s dictatorship). It is presented here as a case study that demonstrates how Astiz s final plea can be read as an expression of power relations in society. page: 1 / 7 A Rehearsal of Inadequate Performances 2 page: 2 / 7 A Rehearsal of Inadequate Performances 3 Proceed, said the newly elected president of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner. It was the 24th of March 2004, and an audience of ministers, high-ranking military officers and journalists watched a man in uniform step forward onto a small ladder, propped against the wall of the gallery in the Military Academy. Cameras flashed, as he took down the stately portraits of General Videla and General Bignone, almost 20 years after the fall of their violent regime. It was a powerful, symbolic gesture that indicated a clean break with those page: 3 / 7 A Rehearsal of Inadequate Performances 4 institutions and policies that had failed to address the lingering legacy of the military junta. Just a couple of years earlier, at the peak of the economic crisis in Argentina, the streets were filled with people shouting Que se vayan todos! ( They all must go! ). People were banging pots and pans and burning down the banks, and they managed to topple four presidents in less than three weeks. Popular power was reconstituting itself outside of traditional party politics in the form of neighbourhood assemblies, arts collectives, bartering clubs and occupied factories. Kirchner had been elected with a bare twenty-two percent of the votes and faced the task of recuperating the state s lost credibility. By taking down these photos, he demonstrated that he was willing to dismantle the establishment and take on the powerful actors who controlled it from behind the scenes. Before his first term as president was over he had purged the armed forces and the police, impeached judges from the Supreme Court on charges of corruption and repealed the two infamous amnesty laws that had protected the perpetrators of human rights abuses during the dictatorship. A historical process had been set in motion. But to fully understand the instrumentality of this moment would be like removing the front of a clock to reveal an obscure mechanism of contradictory movements behind the straightforward logic of the turning hands. Everything is connected but each turn of the interlocking cogs only appears to result in the rotation of another one in the opposite direction. It would take a few more years before Alfredo Astiz finally stood before the court in Argentina to hear the judge sentence him to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity. Known as the Blond Angel of Death, this ex-naval Commander had participated in the kidnapping, torture and disappearance of those who resisted the military regime s dictatorial rule and in the death flights and crimes committed at the notorious School of Naval Mechanics. His trial put an end to the years of impunity he had enjoyed under the old amnesty laws. In his closing statement, a bitter speech that took hours to complete, Astiz showed no intention of either apologising for his crimes or proving his innocence. In a theatrical attempt to reverse the situation, he disputed the legitimacy of his prosecutors and described himself as a military hero who had been persecuted merely for following orders. With an ominous appeal to history, he cautioned his judges of the judgment that would befall them in the future and then denounced the proceedings as a political show trial. Jacques Verges, a French lawyer who became notorious for defending so-called terrorists and war criminals, would have identified this approach as a defense de rupture. This was his central tenet in his 1987 legal defense of Klaus Barbie, an old Nazi who had been put on trial for crimes including torture and killing that he committed as a member of the Gestapo in Lyon. Rather than try to prove Barbie s innocence or seek a reduced sentence, Verges courtroom strategy consisted of challenging the legality and morality of the state that had built the case against him. His approach could be regarded as a form of immanent critique in the sense that it wasn t formulated from an externally normative position. By accepting the law s claims to objectivity, neutrality and universality, the lawyer was aiming for a collapse of the institutional framework under the pressure of its own moral principles, by relentlessly exposing its contradictions and by revealing the hypocrisy from within. In dramatic speeches addressed to both the court and the media, Verges consistently shifted the attention towards the collaboration of the French themselves in helping to implement the Final Solution, as well as their own brutal legacy of torture and counter-terrorism during the Algerian war. page: 4 / 7 A Rehearsal of Inadequate Performances 5 This strategy, however, did not succeed in exonerating his client who was sentenced to life imprisonment. But it did successfully disrupt the trial s dominant narrative, which many expected would be a triumph for the prosecution and a tribute to the suffering and heroic resistance of the French under the Nazi occupation. With his indictment of Western imperialism, Jacques Verges had managed to reconfigure the historical and didactic nature of the trial, and, as a result, was able to force the French into confronting a part of their past that had up until that time been repressed. The lawyer often compared the justice system to theatre. He understood that there was a performative logic to the nature of law, which was the result of the fundamental indeterminacy of legal discourses. It allowed him to transform a political trial from a mere instrument of power into a cultural artefact that was capable of provoking a public reflection on hegemonic norms and transforming the law itself. A trial is a place of metamorphosis, he was known to say, Joan of Arc wouldn t have been a saint without her trial. In 2013, we received a Dutch grant for the artists-in-residence program at the LIPAC, the Laboratory of Investigation into Contemporary Art, in Buenos Aires. During our research into Argentina s recent history, we came across a copy of Astiz s final speech at his trial and decided to use it in a kind of forensic experiment. We hired an actor and asked him to play the part of Astiz by sitting him in front of a camera and asking him to read the transcript aloud. A speech instructor guided him through the text and encouraged him to attain its full rhetorical breadth. The actor was not given the opportunity to read the speech beforehand and the instructor was rigorous and unsparing with his pupil. A fascinating power game developed between the two men as the actor grew into the imposing character we had asked him to play. The resulting video Ultimas Palabras should be seen as a case study demonstrating how Alfredo Astiz s discourse can be read as an expression of power relations in society. It neither attempts to resolve the antithetical relation between the ex-commander and the constitutional democracy in which he was convicted, nor does it present its audience with an unambiguous moral standpoint. It is up to the viewers themselves to work their way through the work s internal contradictions, essentially turning every screening into a performative iteration of the ceremony of judgment. Of course, there is a certain predisposition to read the work as critique when it is shown within the consecrated walls of cultural and academic institutions. But how would, for example, a viewer who sympathises with the former military regime view the video? Could it be interpreted as a vindication of Alfredo Astiz and be co-opted by a reactionary political agenda? An opportunity to put this to the test was provided, unexpectedly, by the Dutch ambassador, right before we left Argentina. Having heard of the video s success at the premiere, he had summoned us to present it to the embassy s staff and guests. Diplomats, secretarial staff, and a number of gentlemen in impeccable suits (bankers and corporate executives, the captains of industry) were all convened around a table. Among the heads turned attentively towards the screen, there was one of an Argentine man who early on could be seen nodding enthusiastically with the line of argument of the actor-defendant s speech. But eventually his face darkened and, as the final credits appeared, he could no longer contain his indignation. The man worked at the consular department of the embassy and was a former Army officer, he would have us know, and a personal friend of the Astiz family. He had closely followed the actual court case with his former colleagues. He pointed angrily at the screen and said that he might as well have been the one on trial back then. If he had received the page: 5 / 7 A Rehearsal of Inadequate Performances 6 order to infiltrate the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo instead of Astiz, he would have complied immediately, without hesitation. The diplomats and executives sitting around the table played dumb, but they must have known how, in 1977, Astiz had passed himself off as a victim of the repression in order to gain access to the human rights organisation. Shortly thereafter, twelve members of the organisation, including its founders, were kidnapped and never seen alive again. This former Army man then went on to declare that he felt violated by the video. He was offended by the irreverence with which the speech instructor provoked the actor to overact his part. He felt that the performance was inadequate because it failed to capture the dignified composure with which Astiz, a man of discipline and military honour, would have pled his case. He then started fulminating against foreign interference in domestic affairs, referring to the French who had initiated the case against Astiz and, in striking imitation of Verges s rupture defense, invoked their conduct during the Algerian war. At this point, however, he was cut short by one of the Dutch gentlemen, who, with an air of condescending paternalism, announced that the video should not be shown in Argentina again because the people were simply not ready for it. The ambassador then began to inquire about who had funded our stay in Buenos Aires and whether they were aware of what we were doing. The meeting ended and our audience hurried back to their offices. On the way out, the man who had advised against further screenings asked us whether we were afraid we might be detained at Schiphol airport back in the Netherlands for having this video in our possession. We guessed he meant it as a joke, although a rather unsavoury one in light of the recent discovery of the blacklists of artists and intellectuals that the military regime had collected, classifying them based on their perceived threat to the state on a scale from F1 to F4. What this episode at the embassy taught us is that, even in the so-called enlightened Western democracies, values such as civil liberty and political freedom aren t written in stone but are constantly subject to various opposing interests. On 30 April 2013, a day before we flew to Argentina, thousands of people dressed in Dutch royal orange filled Dam Square in front of the palace in Amsterdam. They were waiting for a glimpse of their new king, who was to be crowned that day. The few lone protesters who had been holding cardboard signs declaring their opposition to the monarchy had by then already been removed by the police, only to be released a few hours later, after the festivities, with the excuse that they had been arrested due to a misunderstanding in the chain of command. A loud cheer went up in the square when the monarch finally stepped out onto the balcony. Flanked by his wife, Maxima Zorreguieta, and his three daughters, the new king of the Netherlands gazed out over the gilded balustrade, and waved at the enraptured crowd below. The controversy over his marriage to an Argentine investment banker, the daughter of a man who had served as a minister under Videla, seemed but a distant memory. The public prosecutor s office in the Netherlands had already announced that it was unlikely to follow up on the charges that had been brought against Jorge Zorreguieta by two Dutch lawyers on behalf of relatives of those who had been forcibly disappeared from his department during the regime. By the time our plane landed on Dutch soil three months later, Maxima had settled into her role as a public figure. Art institutions who have all seen their budgets cut by the rightwing coalition government are hoping to take advantage of her unprecedented popularity by inviting her to open exhibitions and award prizes, hoping that this will turn her into a patron of the arts. The Royal House has, meanwhile, commissioned the organisation that page: 6 / 7 A Rehearsal of Inadequate Performances 7 funded our trip to Argentina to select artists to create the official portraits of King Willem Alexander. At what cost, we wonder, as we wait in the arrivals hall, listening to the rattling sounds of the luggage carousel, hoping that it will bring us our suitcases from behind the scenes. Iratxe Jaio & Klaas van Gorkum are artists. They have worked together since 2001, producing performances, videos, publications and installations. Using documentation as their work methodology, they analyse and question social and political issues concerning the everyday. Their work is often said to be political, as it brings to the surface contradictions and conflicts that may exist between individual and collective experience. In 2010 they wrote a monthly article reflecting on the relationship between art and politics for Mugalari, the cultural supplement of the Basque newspaper Gara. A selection of these texts can be read online at Tags Activism, Aesthetics, Biopolitics This text was downloaded on March 1, 2017 from Open! Platform for Art, Culture & the Public Domain page: 7 / 7 A Rehearsal of Inadequate Performances Transcription 1 Vietnam s Green Future About the VNFF The Vietnam forest protection and development fund (VNFF) was established on 28 November 2008 under the management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). VNFF mobilizes social resources to protect and sustainably develop Vietnam s forests, support capacity-building and awareness-raising activities, and contributes to the management and implementation of the Vietnam forest development strategy (VFDS) VNFF strives to become by 2020 a pioneer State financial institution in Vietnam and in the Southeast Asia region. It aims to effectively support the development of the forestry sector through the mobilization of social resources for forest protection and development, sustainable forest management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and livelihood improvements for local people engaging in forestry activities and biodiversity conservation. Contact Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund Address: Building A5, No. 10, Nguyen Cong Hoan Stress, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam Phone: +(84) Fax: +(84) Website: References 1. Loft L, Pham TT and Luttrell C Lessons from payments for ecosystem services for REDD+ benefit-sharing mechanisms. Infobrief No. 68. Bogor, Indonesia: CIFOR 2. Pham TT, Bennet K, Phuong VT, Brunner J, Dung LN and Tien ND Payments for forest environmental services in Vietnam: From policy to practice. Brief No. 22. Bogor, Indonesia: CIFOR 3. [VNFF] Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund PFES implementation report. Hanoi, VNFF Photo Credits Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund, Neil Palmer (Top page), Ricky Martin (Page 2) This publication was published with the support of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the financial support of the Greater Mekong Subregion Core Environment Program (CEP) of Asian Development Bank (ADB). 2 Payments for forest environmental services (PFES) in Vietnam Findings from three years of implementation August 2014 The sustainable management and protection of Vietnam s forests and landscapes is vital for the health and well-being of its rural communities. Forests play a crucial role in protecting watersheds, preventing soil erosion, maintaining the water cycle, and fighting climate change. Timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are an important source of income and nutrition. But economic development and growing demand for food, energy and wood resources are putting increasing pressure on Vietnam s forests and landscapes. Vietnam s payments for forest environmental services (PFES) policy aims to incentivize individuals and communities to sustainably manage and protect their forests by providing compensation for their efforts. To protect these vital ecosystem services, in 2010 the Government of Vietnam became the first country in Asia to institutionalize a nationwide policy on PFES. Mandated through Government Decree No.99, the PFES policy requires users of forest environmental services to make payments to suppliers of these services. Services, as outlined in Decree 99 include: watershed protection; natural landscape beauty protection and biodiversity conservation for tourism; forest carbon sequestration and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through the prevention of deforestation and forest degradation; and the provision of the forest hydrological services for spawning in coastal fisheries and aquaculture. Vietnam s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), which is responsible for implementing PFES, has successfully issued procedures andestablished fixed payments for watershed and landscape beauty protection services. In addition, they have identified forest environmental service users as water supply companies, and hydropower plants and tourism companies; and suppliers as forest owners individuals, households, communities or organizations who hold forested land titles. Currently, MARD is developing a framework to capture payments for the forest s hydrological services provided the aquaculture sector, and is linking payments for forest carbon sequestration services to the UN-led REDD+ scheme (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), which is moving into the pilot phase. vnff.mard.gov.vn Suppliers of forest environmental services are forest owners individuals, households, communities or organizations who hold forested land titles. 3 PFES in Practice The relationship between suppliers and users Water supply companies Users of forest environmental services Hydropower plants Tourism companies Pay 40vnd/m 3 of clean water Pay 20vnd/kwh of commodity electricity Pay 1-2% of gross revenue Industrial production facilities Facilities using services for carbon sequestration and aquaculture Above-ground biomass Co 2 Sinks Co 2 Sinks In development In development Suppliers of forest environmental services Forest Protection and Development Funds Payments for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) Forest owners Individuals, households, communities or organizations who hold land titles Forestry Management Agencies 4 Provincial Forest Protection and Development Funds in Vietnam Bac Giang Ho Chi Minh City 5 2008 Decision No.380/QD-TTg dated 10 April Decree No.99/2010/ND-CP dated 24 Sep Year Pilot policy for PFES in Son La and Lam Dong provinces Implementation and expansion PFES The PFES policy aims to improve forest quality and quantity, increase the forestry sector s contribution to the national economy, reduce the State s financial burden for forest protection and management, and improve social well-being. 6 Achievements The establishment of a legal PFES framework reinforces political commitment for PFES and strengthens the capacity of implementing agencies More than twenty legal instruments Decrees, Prime Ministerial Decisions and Circulars form the legal basis for PFES implementation in Vietnam. Forest protection and development funds (FPDFs) have been established at both central and provincial levels with provincial FPDFs dominating the institutional setting for PFES. Provincial FPDFs sign contracts with buyers and collect payments, prepare payment plans, monitor and release payments to service suppliers and report to the central FPDF. To date, 40 provinces have established steering committees, of which 36 provinces in Vietnam have established provincial FPDFs,and 31 provinces have established fund management units to oversee PFES implementation (VNFF 2014) PFES revenue is supporting the forestry sector s contribution to the national economy Since its implementation in 2009, PFES has generated a total revenue of more than VND 3.44 trillion or approximately USD 162 million (VNFF 2014). Such mobilization of financial resources has meant that PFES has not only increased the contribution of Vietnam s forestry sector to the national economy but it has also reduced the financial burden of the State to protect and manage its forests. Communities benefit from increased financial support, job creation and greater awareness of forest protection and sustainable forest management In several provinces, such as Lam Dong, Lai Chau and Kon Tum, PFES payments to individuals, households, communities and companies exceed the financial support of VND 200,000 per ha per year provided by the government to forest owners for forest protection and development through the State budget (VNFF 2014). The PFES policy is also beginning to raise awareness among communities about the role of forests for ecosystem services. This combination has encouraged local communities to more actively protect and manage their forests sustainably. In provinces such as Quang Nam and Dak Nong, villages have even used PFES payments to establish patrol teams to support forest protection. PFES is contributing to the protection of the environment In recent years, the Vietnam forest protection and development fund (VNFF) has witnessed a reduction in the number of violations against the Forest Protection and Development Law and a reduction in the area of degraded forests. Violations almost halved between 2008 and 2013 and the area of degraded forests in 2013 is less than one-quarter of the area of degraded forests recorded in 2008. 7 Continued challenges and recommendations Limited technical and communications capacity of implementing agencies slow down PFES payments and keep transaction costs high Although PFES has successfully mobilized financial resources, a number of organizational and technical constraints have delayed the disbursement of PFES payments. Overall, FPDFs have disbursed to service suppliers 81% of total revenues collected in 2012, and 76.2% of total revenues collected in 2013 (VNFF 2014). Challenges that have hindered payments include: incomplete forest inventory, slow land allocation processes, lack of technical and financial capacity at central and provincial levels, and weak coordination among government agencies. Transaction costs also tend to be high due to the large number of forest owners, complex administrative structures and the limited capacity of officials to communicate and raise awareness of the benefits of PFES (Pham et al. 2013). Recommendation: Long-term capacity building and awareness-raising of all stakeholders is essential for the effective and efficient implementation of PFES. This could include prioritizing technical support for improving data on forest areas and forest quality, and training officials on the benefits of forest protection and the potential value of PFES for improving livelihoods. PFES payments are comparatively low compared to high opportunity costs PFES payments continue to be too small to cover the inevitable economic gains of clearing forest for highly profitable activities such as planting maize or coffee, or converting mangrove forests into shrimp farms (Pham et al. 2013). Recommendation: To combat high opportunity costs, PFES could be combined with other forestry or economic support programs to direct additional funding for forest protection initiatives. To enhance community commitment to PFES, direct cash payments could also work alongside non-monetary benefits such as education and long-term poverty-alleviation programs. When designing payments, trade-offs exist between effectiveness, efficiency and equity (Loft et al. 2014) Benefit-sharing under PFES is designed to meet Vietnamese expectations and ideas of equity. In Vietnam, equality can be seen as a form of equity. Everyone is currently paid the same amount, regardless of their legal, social or economic status and regardless of the condition of the forest they are paid to conserve. This may create situations of unfairness if, for example, certain groups work more on forest protection than others. This reduces incentives to protect the forest or enhance its quality, thus reducing the effectiveness of PFES. Similarly, if each household only manages a small area of forest, they receive only a small PFES payment, thus reducing the efficiency of the program. Current PFES payments are calculated in such a way that watersheds with a higher percentage of forest area receive a smaller PFES payment per hectare, thus offering little deterrent to people for converting land in these areas (Pham et al. 2013) 8 Recommendation: Equal payments are considered to be equitable in the Vietnamese context, but local perceptions of equity should be taken into consideration. Accounting for forest quality and using group/community contracts would improve PFES effectiveness and efficiency, whilst combining PFES with other conservation programs could enhance overall watershed protection. A clear monitoring and evaluation system is needed to enhance transparency and accountability The Vietnam forest protection and development fund (VNFF) is focusing efforts to build a clear monitoring and evaluation system to enhance current monitoring and evaluation guidelines, which remain ambiguous. One matter that needs addressing is the difficulty that local forest owners face in accessing the current grievance system. This is due to a variety of reasons, including a lack of understanding of the system and/ or their rights, and illiteracy or insufficient support by village leaders or officials to forward local groups concerns (Pham et al. 2013). Recommendation: Transparency and accountability must be embedded across the whole PFES process, including opportunities for inclusive community participation. This includes the monitoring of PFES contracts and financial flows, and the establishment of an accessible grievance procedure for local forest owners. Technical support is needed to assist government agencies and partner organizations to establish environmental and socioeconomic baselines that will help evaluate the target outcomes of PFES. Next steps To further enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of the PFES policy, the VNFF will continue to develop a framework for the remaining environmental services that are yet subject to payments, namely carbon sequestration - through continued work on REDD+ in Vietnam and spawning and aquaculture services; increase communication activities to raise awareness and build the capacity of government, households, communities and organizations to realize the environmental and socio-economic benefits of PFES; enhance the technical and financial capacity of government officials to collect forest inventory data, speed up the land allocation process, and improve coordination and knowledge sharing within and between agencies to improve efficiency; increase cooperation and build on relationships with related partners; develop a clear monitoring and evaluation system to ensure transparency, inclusive participation, equity and effectiveness across the PFES policy and implementation process. Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Transcription 1 Puerto de Gran Escala The case for a new container terminal in central Chile Port Investment and Container Shipping Markets International Transport Forum Roundtable Alexis Michea Head Logistic Development Programme Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications 7 8 november 2013 2 Agenda Part I: The chilean state port system Part II: Puerto de Gran Escala 3 Agenda Part I: The chilean state port system Part II: Puerto de Gran Escala 4 A rough country profile 17.5 million inhabitants Life expectancy: 76 years (men), 82 years (women) Approximately 4,300 km long, but 180 km wide on average North In very approximate terms: 1,800 km of desertic or semi desertic north mining 500 km of mediterranean centre agriculture 2,000 km of green south wood related, fish farming 38% of GDP generated by exports (OECD average 27%) Centre South Insular nature (Los Andes, deserts, etc) 110 million ton/yr of foreign trade, 94% of which goes through seaports 5 State owned ports (I) System modernisation in 1997 (Law 19,542), which subdivided the former Empresa Portuaria de Chile (Emporchi) into 10 autonomous and local Empresas Portuarias (EP) EPs: landlord model Have a mandate to ensure good quality infrastructure and efficient port operation, whilst maintaining a sound financial position Not allowed to carry out freight transfer operations or develop pier infrastructure 6 State owned ports (II) Terminal operation down to the private sector under two alternative regimes: Mono operator : sole concessionaire operates an entire terminal; or Multi operator : multiple agents operate within a terminal administered by the EP Tonnage transferred in 2012 Currently, 7 out of 10 EPs have concessioned at least one terminal under mono operator regime At least 2 of the remaining 3 are planning concessions for the mid term Approximately 75% of total tonnage is transferred by the main three ones 7 Roles within the system Port companies: Autonomous, accountable, expected to turn a profit But: board of directors appointed by the Government Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications (MTT): Central/systemic role Defines and approves yearly management plans (i.e. goals), port Master Plans, modifications to port authority domain Produces non binding opinion on tender projects Sistema de Empresas Publicas (SEP): oversees and safeguards financial perfomance of state companies in general 8 Agenda Part I: The chilean state port system Part II: Puerto de Gran Escala 9 Central Chile 66% of the population 60% of national GDP 60% of public ports tonnage (V+SA) Among others, significant volume of imported retail goods and agricultural produce for export. Important container volumes: average traffic in the last three years ( ) totalling 1.9 millions TEU/yr. By throughput, Valparaiso ranks 15 th along the WCLA, San Antonio 13 th 10 Valparaiso 11 San Antonio 12 Connectivity with Santiago 13 Balance between demand and capacity 14 Balance between demand and capacity At some point in the first half of the decade, more capacity will be needed 15 But nominal GDP 4% Current capacity Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones Subsecretaria de Transportes Programa de Desarrollo Logistico 15 16 But nominal GDP 4% Current capacity Exhaustion of nominal capacity in 2015 Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones Subsecretaria de Transportes Programa de Desarrollo Logistico 16 17 But nominal GDP 4% Current capacity Exhaustion of nominal capacity in 2015 But that is on average, without seasonality Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones Subsecretaria de Transportes Programa de Desarrollo Logistico 17 18 But nominal GDP 4% Current capacity Exhaustion of nominal capacity in 2015 But that is on average, without seasonality So port congestion will be experienced earlier Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones Subsecretaria de Transportes Programa de Desarrollo Logistico 18 19 But nominal GDP 4% Current capacity Exhaustion of nominal capacity in 2015 But that is on average, without seasonality So port congestion will be experienced earlier In 2011, average waiting time (at STI and TPS), as percentage of total service, was 16.8% --but best practice calls for 10% Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones Subsecretaria de Transportes Programa de Desarrollo Logistico 19 20 Balance between demand and capacity At some point in the first half of the decade, more capacity will be needed 21 Balance between demand and capacity A final reflection on this Demand curves will certainly not curl up indefinitely, at some point they will start looking s-shaped At some point in the first half of the decade, more capacity will be needed 22 Balance between demand and capacity A final reflection on this Demand curves will certainly not curl up indefinitely, at some point they will start looking s-shaped The question is when (and we need to study this in more detail) At some point in the first half of the decade, more capacity will be needed 23 Balance between demand and capacity A final reflection on this Demand curves will certainly not curl up indefinitely, at some point they will start looking s-shaped The question is when (and we need to study this in more detail) but also, does it really matter at this stage of the planning process? At some point in the first half of the decade, more capacity will be needed 24 The need to advance rapidly (I) Scale and complexity: engineering challenges, environment permit approvals, port-city relations, etc long time until inauguration of the first terminal First time since the early 1900s that new breakwaters will be built in the country, so no recent experience on this type of project, and certainly not with the environmental regulation now in place Existing terminals might face a degree of obsolescence: not only will you need longer docks but also deeper waters (current draft in Valparaiso is 11.4 m, in San Antonio 12.4 m) 25 The need to advance rapidly (II) Exact (but potentially catastrophic) consequences of severe port congestion on foreign trade are uncertain but, for example, could include: Ships being diverted 500 km south to ports in the Concepcion Region additional cost of longer journeys by truck, and/or The introduction of congestion fees such as those imposed in Chennai (India) in 2011, where charges between USD 75 and USD 145 per TEU were reported. The unknown economic and strategic consequences of a potentially significant fraction of Chilean exports being forced to rely on feeder services to Callao (Peru). 26 A world of pain? Example Hypothetical 5,500 TEU ship Long Beach - Valparaiso, transferring 1,200 TEU and currently facing total port costs of approximately 74,000 USD. A surcharge of 75 USD/TEU would result in an additional cost of 90,000 USD, thus more than doubling the total port cost of calling at Valparaiso. In the case of a hypothetical post-panamax vessel of 10,000 TEU capacity, assuming a transfer lot of 2,500 TEU, the 75 USD surcharge would result in an additional 187,500 USD per port call. 27 A world of pain? Example Hypothetical 5,500 TEU ship Long Beach - Valparaiso, transferring 1,200 TEU and currently facing total port costs of approximately 74,000 USD. A surcharge of 75 USD/TEU would result in an additional cost of 90,000 USD, thus more than doubling the total port cost of calling at Valparaiso. In the case of a hypothetical post-panamax vessel of 10,000 TEU capacity, assuming a transfer lot of 2,500 TEU, the 75 USD surcharge would result in an additional 187,500 USD per port call. OK, but, does it really matter? 28 Logistic costs are a barrier to foreign trade Example: ad valorem logistic cost of chilean manufacturing trade: Fletes = 4x aranceles Fuente: La era de la productividad: como transformar las economias desde sus cimientos, BID 2010. 29 Countries on a commercial agreement with Chile Chile has 22 trade agreements with 59 countries From its 16,8 million inhabitants to more than 4,000 million potential consumers (86% of world GDP and 62% of world population) In practice, 93% of chilean exports occur under some agreement Fuente: DIRECON; International Investment Commission (Chile) 30 Logistic costs are a barrier to foreign trade Example: ad valorem logistic cost of chilean manufacturing trade: Fletes = 4x aranceles Chile has already made the big gains in competitiveness regarding tariffs, we now need to concentrate on the logistic cost of our exports Fuente: La era de la productividad: como transformar las economias desde sus cimientos, BID 2010. 31 Ad valorem logistic costs how significant are they? 50% % US$ Como porcentaje As percentage 25% US$ % 23% 16% 15% 13% 9% Por unidad de peso (US$/ton) Per unit weight (USD/ton) 0% Manzanas Celulosa Uvas Vinos Papeles y cartones Carnes de cerdo Salmones Apples Cellulose Grapes Wine Paper Pig meat Salmon 0 Fuente: LBO Consulting Group, 2010 32 Enter PGE: 4 possible locations La Ligua Ritoque Yolanda San Antonio 32 33 Profile of the two finalists 34 PGE: so what next? From a technical point of view, port companies could probably be ready for tendering within a year or so. Hurdles lie elsewhere: Decision and instruction about which project to start with Pronouncement from anti trust authorities Contractual committments made by the port companies not to tender new terminals before 2017 (San Antonio) and 2018 (Valparaiso) Some key questions: Could a 30 year concession provide efficient funding and financing for the breakwater, itself a large and potentially risky expenditure? Would it be it better to jointly tender the breakwater and port terminal, or to do it separately? Would the current bid winning system, i.e. by lowest composite transfer rate offered (in $), work well in this case? Is four operators just enough? Is it in a scenario where everyone has to compete with (big and fancy) PGE? 35 Thank you 36 First time since the early 1900s Proyecto Kraus 1905 (parcial) Proyecto Otaegui et al Proyecto Pearson 1911 If Bugatti is to be believed, the incredible Chiron will not be offered as a roadster at any stage during its production run. Its therefore safe to assume that no body styles other than the exiting coupe will see the light of day. Even so, its easy to imagine the possibilities if the French marque ever decided it wanted to provide Chiron customers a little extra choice beyond exterior paint/carbon finishes and interior upholstery. With this in mind, YasidDESIGN has dreamed up two intriguing Chiron body styles, a four-door and a Shooting Brake. Given the standard proportions of the Chrion, the car looks rather strange when rendered with four doors as the rear doors are incredibly small and would be totally impractical for real-world use. The Shooting Brake however, that is a slightly different story. The standard roofline of the hypercar has been extensively modified to now incorporate a small luggage area over the 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine and is surprisingly pleasant on the eye. As good as this variant looks, itll never come to fruition largely because there would be very little demand for such a model and somehow providing the engine with enough cooling that it could be sandwiched between the cockpit and trunk like the Cayman would be an engineering nightmare. PHOTO GALLERY Transcription 1 Ayubowan Sri Lanka The Official Newsletter of Projects Abroad Sri Lanka I S S U E O C T O B E R IN A NUTSHELL Gishan takes the helm as the country director Volunteers engaged in social outreach Medical camp in Wadduwa a great success Volunteers' role plays win hearts of the kids at medical awareness program INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Volunteer Story Medical camp story Social outreach snaps Projects Abroad Sri Lanka FIND US Adieu Shyamalee! After a decade long service to Projects- Abroad Sri Lanka, the country director, Shyamalee Wijesinghe bid farewell to the office on 31st October. She was the pioneer setting up the Sri Lankan office and steered to achieve its goals. Sri Lanka staff is indebted to her sublime service to the destination for which all the staff extended the gratitude. Her friendly demeanour with ever-green smile will always be missed!!! Good luck Shyamalee :) WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER NEWSLETTER.! Yet another hectic month for all the volunteers and the staff!!! There were plenty of things that took place with the volunteers during the month. There were a couple of cultural workshops and medical seminars to educate the volunteers. Several awareness programs were also held to educate about good health practices for the students in the rural schools and pre-schools. This month also highlighted the social outreach on the 25 th where all We had a wonderful time with the social outreach at Dutch Anne pre-school a n d Welipitiya Montessori. Before leaving to the place of happening, Volunteers gathered under the clock tower in Panadura town which is now a usual place to meet the volunteers on regular basis. It was drizzling and it was amusing to see the volunteers enjoyed it and finally all went by Tuk-Tuks. The task was to paint the murals on the walls at each place. At the start, it was a small competition between the two teams as both teams wanted to finish it with a style. Julie, French volunteer was a real gem as her hidden potentials shined as an able artist 5 Editor s Note by Manjula Meemanage PROJECTS-ABROAD VOLUNTEERS CONDUCT OCTOBER SOCIAL OUTREACH IN PANADURA Amelie and Jula with their Mickey Mouse! the volunteers gathered to paint the murals in two pre-schools in Panadura followed by the medical outreach program on the following day. It should be emphasized that the enthusiasm of the volunteers to participate in these activities. Above all, Shyamalee s farewell to the office at the end of the month and Gishan taking over the helm as the country director were also a limelight of the month. I wish both of them a good luck!!! Coming back to the newsletter, we who drew the outlines of the murals. Others helped with paintings at Dutch-Anne preschool. Team Welipitiya drew wall arts of Mickey-Mouses and painted the English letters on inside walls. At the end of the day both teams were rewarded with the fascinating murals. Well done all. see more pictures on page 04 Julie showing her drawing skills encourage everyone to join us in making it interesting and exciting by sending in your own written articles and pictures of your experiences. These will help others to understand and learn more about Sri Lanka. As always, we highly appreciate your time and effort you have extended to us by sending your stories and photos. I am looking forward to receive more articles for the next issues. Enjoy reading.. me: 2 PAGE 2 Volunteer Story Francesca (Italy) I wanted to experience a different culture and to do something worthwhile in another country I wanted to experience a different culture and to do something worthwhile in another country said 28 year old Francesca Meoni; a nurse graduated from Degli Studi di Firenze University in Italy who is now volunteering in Sri Lanka at a medical placement with Projects Abroad. Francesca was placed in a general hospital in Kalutara, a sub-urban township. Amidst limited facilities Francesca finds herself immersed with the new life. medication, shadowing the doctors on the ward round, admissions and discharge of the patients, measuring the blood pressure and blood sugar level and so on. It was a big responsibility for me to work as a nurse in a different country. I got enough responsibility of my own to work in the hospital. It was challenging. But I am happy that everyone helped me when I had questions at the placement she added. She finds herself well with the cultural differences. -Francesca It was a remarkable experience for me to work under limited facilities. Now I am very confident to work in my country or anywhere in the world with less or different facilities. I find it amusing how they are able to treat so many things here with way less facilities. I got to insight in several tropical deceases and took part in treatments of dengue fever and snake bites. says Francesca who completed her volunteering spell in a high note. Francesca s daily routine involved everything that a nurse generally does such as giving medicine to the patients, administering IV Francesca being the good example in a role play Everything was different. The hospital itself was entirely different from what we see in my country. Especially the nursing uniforms were different. The streets, the busses, the trains, honking Tuk- Tuks, the shops to be continued on page 05 Demonstrating how to dress a wound at a medical awareness program AYUBOWAN SRI LANKA 3 ISSUE 103 Medical Camp a great success at Sri Nagarukkarama Temple Jula and Lena measuring the blood pressure of the chief monk Every month a medical outreach program is arranged for the volunteers with the aim of detecting diabetes and hypertension to prevent its related complications among the rural communities in Sri Lanka. This month s medical camp was held in Sri Nagarukkarama temple in Wadduwa on 26 th of October. The event started with the lighting of traditional oil lamp and community leaders welcoming all the people gathered there. The outreach started at 9 am and by the time, patients were lined up to register and check the blood pressure and blood sugar level. Then the patients were directed to the doctors. Eight volunteers participated and they had a good interaction with the patients. The outnumbered patients kept them busy all the time till we finished the program. It was surprising that patients came even after we packed our stuff and volunteers were kind enough to do necessary checks again! The chief incumbent of the temple also among the patients and he was also examined by the volunteers. The chief monk also blessed for the success of the program. The villagers prepared lunch for the volunteers and they all enjoyed the traditional Sri Lankan dishes. It was also a great experience for the volunteers. All enjoyed the day at their most. It was a successful program overall. Well-done all!!! by Manjula Meemanage What we do for ourselves dies with us -what we do for others remains and immortal Albert Pike PAGE 3 Medical camp stats & pics... 4 Social Outreach-memorable snaps 5 ISSUE 103 PAGE 5 Francesca s story continued. and food were all different; I cannot literally describe them! a thrilled Francesca said. Apart from the hospital work, Francesca found the medical outreach programmes organized by the Projects Abroad were very helpful for the village communities. These programmes provide free consultations and medicines to communities and volunteers have the opportunity to interact with the patients at these outreaches. During her one month stay in Sri Lanka, Francesca stayed with a local host family along with other volunteers. I really liked the host family. They were very kind to me and my fellow house mates. We ate Francesca at a medical camp in Kalutara, Sri Lanka The People in Sri Lanka are incredibly hospitable and they always appear happy and friendly -Francesca a lot of different foods at my place. I loved the egg hoppers that my host mom cooked! Sri Lanka is a blissfully amazing country. I have seen so many beautiful places and landscapes. The People are incredibly hospitable and they always appear happy and friendly even though some are very poor. I am really much delighted that I was able to be a volunteer in Sri Lanka, Francesca said joyously. She didn t forget to tip the future volunteers at the placement: It can be tough in the beginning, but please be patient and active and try to understand the cultural differences. Be friendly all the time and it will work out in your favor like it did for me. We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us Anonymous We are Projects-Abroad Sri Lanka. Projects-Abroad Sri Lanka 5A Austin Place. Colombo 08, Sri Lanka IMPORTANT CONTACT DETAILS Gishan Charley Manjula Nicky Auni Anu Projects Abroad is the leading global organizer of overseas voluntary work placements. Our wide range of projects, including Teaching, Care, Conservation & Environment, Medicine & Healthcare, Sports, Culture & Community projects and Journalism, are designed specifically for the needs of the communities in which we work, whilst giving our volunteers the very best experience of volunteering abroad. In Sri Lanka you can join one of our care, medical electives, IT projects, Nursing electives, language or teaching projects or a combination of them. If any of are interested in volunteering in Sri Lanka with Projects Abroad please log on to: Photo: Contributed Third-year UBC Bachelor of Management students are squeezing out every ounce of their knowledge to help SunRype Products Ltd. as part of the sixth annual Live Case Challenge. Sponsored by Argus Properties Ltd., the Live Case Challenge is the UBCO Faculty of Managements signature experiential learning competition, which sees competing students attempt to to solve a real life problem, or live case, on behalf of a client. Students have six weeks to break down the case and develop solutions drawing on their management knowledge of operations, marketing, supply chain, sustainability, regional development and more. Teams present their analysis and proposals to expert judges in an intensive tournament format on April 6. From there, successful teams advance through multiple rounds to the final presentations. Students compete for prizes as well as grades, with Live Case Challenge submissions and teamwork directly impacting their performance in class. Many students say the Live Case Challenge is a transformative experiencethe moment when their undergraduate education comes to life, and they can see how they are capable of leading, managing and thriving in a rapidly changing world, says Roger Sugden the dean of UBCs Faculty of Management. This year, SunRype is challenging students to provide an independent review of their business opportunities. Todays food and beverage market is highly competitive and overflowing with many consumer options. SunRype is using the Live Case Challenge to ask students for recommendations on where it could prioritize or invest going forward. We are excited to partner with the UBC Faculty of Management on this project, says Dave McAnerney, president and CEO of SunRype Products. We welcome fresh thinking and new ideas [and] are really looking forward to engaging with students as part of Live Case Challenge and hearing their insights." The winning team will receive the coveted Argus Cup and a $5,000 prize, with runners-up pocketing a cool $1,500. Hundreds of elementary school students packed Kelowna's Okanagan College campus Friday to explore the world of trades and test out their spaghetti bridges but, unfortunately, only one of those things happened. The annual spaghetti bridge building competition has been going on for decades at the college, and the "Fettuccine Fault Line," a hydraulic system that applies force to the bridges, has been used for the past nine years. On Friday, it malfunctioned, forcing the competition to be postponed, possibly to next weekend. Its important for the students to know their hard work is taken seriously, so we must ensure their bridges are tested accurately using the proper equipment," said head judge Dr. Andrew Hay. There were plenty of other things going on at the college though, as hundreds of young students tried their hand at a variety of trades, while those in Grade 12 and older competed at the SkillsBC regional trades and technologies competition. Stations were set up where young kids used drills, tried automotive painting, learned about internal combustion engines and welding. Bringing them in now gives them a little taste of what it's like to be a tradesperson down the road, said Diane Holm of Okanagan College. Anything to give them an insight into the variety of careers that are out there. The SkillsBC competition pits students in Grade 12 and post-secondary school against each other in a variety of trades, including carpentry, automotive, sheet metal, aerospace, cabinet making and welding. Winners in Friday's regional competition will go on to the provincials in April, and possibly onto the nationals in Winnipeg in June. Photo: Christine Cyrenne A Canadian at the head of an international body fighting wildlife smuggling says a three-week investigation resulted in more than 1,300 seizures worldwide including some in Canada. "Wildlife crime is a worldwide phenomena," said Sheldon Jordan, head of Environment Canada's wildlife enforcement and chairman of the wildlife crimes working group for Interpol, the international agency that co-ordinates law enforcement. "We're all destination countries, but we're all source countries as well." Working with law enforcement in 43 countries, Jordan's group mounted Operation Thunderbird, which ran from Jan. 30 to Feb. 19. Speaking at a meeting in New York on Friday, he said the operation was designed to provide a snapshot of what was happening in the illegal trade of wildlife and forestry products. So far, he said, investigations have led to 89 individuals being jailed with terms ranging from several days to seven years. In Canada, the hides of polar bears and other animals were seized, as was walrus ivory. Elephant ivory was found coming into the country. So were hundreds of kilograms of illegal shark parts. The list from other countries includes 60 tonnes of illegal wood, 4,700 birds, 100 wild cats including jaguars and ocelots and 1,240 reptiles. Investigators found 25 tonnes of meat and wildlife parts and more than 37,000 individual processed animal parts and derivatives. Jordan said Operation Thunderbird was mostly designed to gather and collate information on investigations that were already occurring. "We got the world together and reported what we were doing on wildlife crime for three weeks," he said. Even without special efforts, about $6 million worth of illegal shipments were seized during that time. "This gives you a little bit of a taste of what was going on during a three-week period," Jordan said. "This is just a snapshot of what was happening." A U.N. report suggests the total value of illegal worldwide trade in wildlife and forestry products is more than $1 billion a year. That puts it fourth on a list of organized crimes, behind only drugs, counterfeiting and human trafficking. Photo: The Canadian Press A British Army bomb disposal team has been called in to dispose of a 500-pound Second World War bomb found buried on a building site in northwest London. Schools, businesses and homes were evacuated and roads closed as experts from the Army's Royal Engineers worked from early Friday to make the German bomb safe. London was heavily bombed in the war, especially during the Blitz of 1940 and 1941 which concentrated on civilian and industrial targets. Unexploded devices are still occasionally uncovered. The bomb was found on Thursday by construction workers clearing the site in preparation for putting up an apartment block. Some residents living near the site spent the night in a local church while the engineers worked. Photo: UBCO Innovative research projects at UBC Okanagan are attracting national attention. From advances in chronic disease interventions to improving wireless communications, the university is leading the way in many areas. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) recently awarded $1 million to a diverse range of emerging initiatives across the Okanagan campus. UBC Okanagan is hosting its annual Celebrate Research Week March 6-11 to recognize the achievements. These awards reflect the hard work, commitment and vision in our research community. Our campus continues to excel and the recent funding announcement is testimony to this. I congratulate everyone involved, said Philip Barker, UBC Okanagan vice-principal of research. Events throughout the celebration week include various labs, the Three Minute Thesis - where current graduate students have three minutes to explain the depth, significance and wider impact of their research to the judges and audience for a chance to win top honours and prize money, Breaking the Cycle of Chronic Pain, a high school science fair and other events. A full list of activities, times and places can be found online. Photo: Thinkstock.com A 45-year-old man could be facing a drug charge after an elementary school student handed out methamphetamine pills on a Quebec school bus last month. Provincial police spokesman Marc Tessier says the suspect was arrested Thursday and could be charged with possession. The man was released on a promise to appear in court in July. Police opened an investigation after a young child handed out the tablets Feb. 20, apparently thinking they were candy. The incident occurred on a school bus near Saint-Paul, about an hour north of Montreal. Tessier says one child consumed part of a pill but nobody was harmed. Photo: Facebook Two young New Jersey brothers have become internet sensations after a video was posted of them tossing a rubber pizza. Their father, Carmine Testa, says he has posted numerous videos over the years of 12-year-old Nicholas and 10-year-old Michael tossing the rubber dough in Carmine's Pizza Factory in Jersey City. He just can't figure out why the latest video, posted to Facebook in February, has generated more than 14 million views in less than two weeks. The post has been shared on Facebook more than 175,000 times. While their parents hope the boys will consider becoming doctors or veterinarians, Carmine says there's nothing wrong with them getting their hands dirty in his business. Photo: Twitter An author fighting ovarian cancer who may not have long to live has offered up her husband in a tear-jerking essay: "If you're looking for a dreamy, let's-go-for-it travel companion, Jason is your man." Amy Krouse Rosenthal described her illness and her marriage in a "Modern Love" column published Friday in the New York Times. It didn't take long for her essay to go viral online. Rosenthal, 51, wrote that she's gone weeks without real food and falls asleep mid-sentence because of the morphine she needs. Despite feeling weak, she said she had to write the essay while she still could, because she wanted him to fall in love again after she is gone. "He is a sharp dresser," Rosenthal wrote. "Our young adult sons, Justin and Miles, often borrow his clothes. Those who know him or just happen to glance down at the gap between his dress slacks and dress shoes know that he has a flair for fabulous socks. He is fit and enjoys keeping in shape." Rosenthal, who has authored two dozen children's picture books and a recent memoir, said she has been married to Jason Rosenthal for 26 years. She lives in Chicago, according to her website . She wrote that on Sept. 5, 2015 when their daughter had just left for college, making them empty-nesters, they went to the emergency room, believing she had appendicitis. Instead, it was ovarian cancer. Soon, she said she began existing only in the present. Then, she thought about the future. "I have never been on Tinder, Bumble or eHarmony, but I'm going to create a general profile for Jason right here, based on my experience of coexisting in the same house with him for, like, 9,490 days," she wrote. Her husband is a lawyer and excellent cook who paints in his spare time, she wrote. He loves listening to music, and showed up at their first pregnancy ultrasound with flowers. "If he sounds like a prince and our relationship seems like a fairy tale, it's not too far off, except for all of the regular stuff that comes from two and a half decades of playing house together," she wrote. "And the part about me getting cancer. Blech." Photo: Interior Health Environmental Health Officers are hand delivering notices to residents near Bridesville today, reminding them of a Do Not Use water order. They are also providing safe drinking water at a filling station at the Rock Creek fairgrounds. About 25 properties are affected by the Interior Health order, following RCMP notification that a clandestine drug lab had been depositing solvent and other hazardous materials onto the soil of a property in the area, possibly contaminating the local water table. Access to the contamination site has been restricted during the investigation. The area covered by the Do Not Use order spans a three-kilometre radius from the intersection of Sanders Road and Johnstone Creek Road West between Bridesville and Rock Creek. The communities of Bridesville, Rock Creek, and Midway are not impacted. Although the risk is considered low, the precautionary ban will remain in effect until water testing can be completed. Affected residents can call 250-449-1991 to co-ordinate water pick-up. Meanwhile, RCMP say the suspected methamphetamine lab has been dismantled. Members of the RCMP federal Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response team and other officers executed a search warrant on the rural property, Wednesday. They seized a significant quantity of illicit drugs, numerous weapons and arrested two men. We believe the sophisticated lab had the potential to produce significant amount of methamphetamine, said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Annie Linteau. As disturbing though, was the dumping of hazardous chemicals on the property, which potentially could have harmed innocent people living in the area. Police and hazardous material contractors are expected to remain on the site for several days as the investigation continues. Photo: Castanet Staff An 18-year-old girl was sent to hospital after being hit by a car in Kamloops this afternoon. The teen was struck on Columbia Street about 2 p.m. Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Jodi Shelkie says the pedestrian was crossing Columbia Street in a crosswalk near Sahali Terrace when she was struck. The teen suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Royal Inland Hospital in an ambulance. Transcription 1 Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Fact Sheet: Food Waste in the Netherlands May 2010 Food is essential for our health, our way of life and our perception of the world. It greatly influences our society in terms of the economy, animal welfare and ecology. The important economic value of food is demonstrated by the figures in the Netherlands, with consumers spending over EUR 27,000 million a year on food and a turnover of more than EUR 42,000 million in the agrochain as a whole, from production to retail. The agrochain in the Netherlands generates app. 27% of total industrial turnover and 20% of employment. The Netherlands is also an important player on European and global markets in terms of the associated export and transport activities. At the same time food, after transport and housing, represents the greatest environmental impact (environmental impact worldwide 20%-30%, for the Netherlands over 50%) (source: EIPRO-study by ESTO & IPTS). This is generated in CO2 emissions, energy and water usage, transport kilometres and waste processing. If this food is not consumed, the impact on the environment has been unnecessary and this conflicts with our values and (shared) responsibility for the planet. Food is thrown away throughout the whole agrochain. It is estimated that Dutch consumers throw away, at least EUR 2,400 million worth of edible food per annum, that is 8%-11% of the food they buy. In kilograms that amounts to at least 50 kg per person and app. 120 kg per household. In the agrochain there is a loss of app. EUR 2,000 million per annum. This is 30% up to even 50% in some sectors. Of this, 10% to 20% is lost in production, 2% to 10% in industry and trade and 3% to 6% in the retail and out-of-home market. 75% to 90% of this involves fresh products (source: Milieu Centraal). If food is thrown away it does not necessarily mean that it is not used at all. In the food processing industry for instance, many waste flows are partially used for composting, biomass or animal feed. It does however mean waste if the residuals are not fully utilised, preferably as food for human consumption 1. Food waste is a complex issue, because chain parties, consumers and government are all involved. Also, the individual and public interest differ greatly, and the consequences for each single party 2 are relatively small. In addition, no one party is capable of taking the large-scale actions required to alleviate the matter substantially. Many people are now recognising that food waste is not a single issue. It is, e.g., related to efficiency in the agrochain, to reduction of the environmental impact and energy use and to responsible business practices. It could also serve as a strong stimulus to innovation. Food waste is a good example of the increasing recognition of the importance of the interaction between people, planet and profit, and that innovation and sustainability of production methods go hand in hand with economic benefits and more responsible consumer behaviour. In 2006 a Consumer Platform, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, made clear that the issue of food waste was considered highly important. However, it was uncertain to what extent the partners in the agrochain were concerned about this issue. A study indicated that stakeholders did not deny the facts on waste, but dealing with this issue was not high on their list of priorities. To further explore the possible role of the Dutch Government, further discussions were held in 2007 with representatives of different Ministries, representatives of the agrochain sectors, knowledge institutions and intermediaries. Shortly after these discussions, the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment started a pilot project on food residues in the agrochain, as part of the development of a new national waste management policy ( Project Ketenaanpak Afval beleid ). The goal was to explore the possibility of collaboration with the agrochain to develop practical solutions to reduce the environmental impact caused by food waste. For this approach, the cradle to cradle-concept was an important motive. The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality participated in this pilot from the start and has continued to stimulate projects to reduce food waste after the pilots were ended. An important stepping stone for these activities was the publication of the Policy Paper on Sustainable Food in In this policy paper the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, together with her colleagues the Minister of Housing, Planning and the Environment and the Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport presented the Dutch food policy up until Food waste is an important topic in this paper. It even states the ambition to reduce the food waste by 20% in Herewith food is considered wasted if food which is intended to be eaten by humans is not actually eaten by humans. This implies that not only food is wasted when it is thrown away by consumers or in the agrochain, but also when food residues are not reused (preferably as food for humans) or when processes in the agrochain reduce the quality of food which leads up to not using the food for human consumption. The policy is to raise awareness on the topic. The instruments the Ministry wants to use are not direct intervention, but indirect inducement. The Ministry s role is one of initiating, facilitating, and, where useful and feasible, supporting the process. Current activities are directed at: today s consumer (increase awareness and promote behaviour to prevent waste), the consumer of the future (general information in schools and targeted education for specific professions), the market place (retail and food service sector; information to consumers, promoting desired consumer behaviour, reducing wasteful behaviour), the agrochain parties (prevent food waste in the agrochain, promotion of innovations to prevent or reduce waste and encourage useful use of food residues) the food system (e.g. regulations which induce food waste or which prevent reuse of food residues, pricing system of food) building a better understanding of food waste (research program, e.g. a monitor on food waste). Currently a implementation plan is being drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to provide a more systematic approach to the issue of food waste. This will give concrete form to how the reduction in food waste can be achieved by In the pilot project Useful applications for organic residue flows (Nuttige toepassingen van organische reststromen), the cascade of uses of food residues was elaborated in the Ladder van Moerman (an analogy to Lansink s waste ladder used in waste management). In descending order of utilisation: Prevention of food waste Applications for human food (for example food banks) Conversions for human food (for example, processing and reprocessing of food) Applications in animal feed Raw materials for industry (biobased economy) Processing to manure through anaerobic digestion (and energy production) Processing to manure through composting Applications for sustainable energy (aim: energy generation) Burning as waste (aim is destruction with energy as by-product) Landfill 3 Table: Current activities on reducing food waste involving the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Activities Education implementation plan Food waste, Value of Food in the Chain Study Food waste, Value of Food in the Agrochain Pilot Meat quality assessment Project Bread of Tomorrow / Fast return Project Bread of Tomorrow / Anaerobic digestion of day-old bread Impulse programme on sustainable agrochains ( ) Prizes for successful examples in reducing food waste Incentive for business initiatives Gerichte impuls LNV (SBIR Food waste) Public Innovation Agenda: sustainable agro and fisheries chains Government fund for strengthening of economic structure (FES): application Food and Nutrition Delta ( ) Waste-Free Restaurant Policy Document on Sustainable Food Description Development of an education plan across all levels of education. Two tracks: raising awareness of food waste in all secondary and higher education (from pre-vocational to university) raising awareness of food waste in general education (primary and secondary) Collaboration between: EduDelta Onderwijsgroep (Wellant College, INHolland Delft, Wageningen UR and others) Study by LEI Wageningen UR. Gives a comprehensive picture of the many aspects of food waste in the Netherlands (including a research agenda to support the education agenda). Commissioning body: Green Knowledge Cooperative (Groene Kennis Cooperatie) and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Project aimed at application (and possible later rolling-out) of a new quality assessment method to determine the quality of meat in slaughterhouses. The estimated reduction of losses in the meat sector is up to 30%. Collaboration between: VanDrie Group, Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Project to make better use of returns of day-old bread within the industrial bread chain. Collaboration between: Stichting Bakkerij Imago (SBI) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Project to study whether it is possible to recover leavening agent from day-old bread to make new bread. Collaboration between: European Bakery Innovation Centre (EBIC) and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Impulse programme by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to realise politically sensitive sections of the Minister s policy programme. One of the sections is Reducing food losses in high-value agrochains. Initiator: The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Competition to highlight existing initiatives in which businesses and consumers can submit good practises on how to reduce or avoid food losses. The 5 or 6 best examples will receive a prize from the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality with extensive media attention. Part of Impulse programme for sustainable agrochains. Initiator: The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality By means of a Small Business Innovation Research -instrument support for new initiatives to reduce or prevent waste that are important to the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature And Food Quality. Support may be used for a research or training project, feasibility study, reimbursement of organisational or collaboration costs, pilot projects, etc. Part of Impulse programme for sustainable agro-chains. Initiator: Ministry of Agriculture, Nature And Food Quality Innovation agenda aimed at fundamental long-term innovation in agricultural and fisheries chains and at new bio-based processes and products. To induce breakthroughs on important topics. Food waste is an action point in this agenda. Food Chain Sustainability and Dynamics as theme under the Food and Nutrition Delta programme. Aimed at developing knowledge and valorisation to improve efficiency in the fresh food chain. Initiators: Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and Ministry of Education, Culture and Science Support of the initiative for a waste-free restaurant. Collaboration: entrepreneur and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Research by Wageningen University and Research Centre. Governmental vision on sustainable consumption and production of food. The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality is aiming to achieve a 20% reduction in food waste by 2015, targeting the consumer and the agrochain. 4 Activities Public campaign to promote awareness about food and food losses (e.g. VersWijzer ) Best Practices in agrochain collaboration Knowledge and research agenda Food waste Mass media campaign on Food waste Research on regulation which induces food waste or which prevent reuse Research on consumer target groups Experiments for sustainable catering ( LNV als Duurzame Proeftuin ) Salvation Army Project LNV-innovation impulse Working Group on the theme of Food Waste (under Dialogue Sustainable Food system) Monitor on Food Waste Experiment Last 15 minutes in the restaurant of Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Research on company working lunches Factsheet on facts an figures of food waste by consumers Description Public campaigns by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality itself ( Hollandse Tapas ) and, with support of the Ministry, by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre and Milieu Centraal. Aimed at consumer behaviour and raising awareness. Paying special attention to: informed food purchasing, storage, preparation en reuse of food residuals. This has e.g. resulted in the development of the fresh food information brochure, VersWijzer Wageningen University and Research Centre has recorded a number of best practices of agrochain collaborations that were successful in reducing food losses. These have been included in the Experience box developed to promote innovation in the agrochain sectors. Special attention has been given to activities initiated by the collaboration. Drafting of a research agenda on food waste, systematic implementation of this knowledge agenda in de forthcoming years as well as the dissemination of the results. Preparations for campaign on food waste in 2011 for the continuation of the mass media campaign in Study on the relation between food safety-regulations and food waste. An inventory of legislations and rules that provokes food waste as well as an inventory of legislations and rules that hinders the prevention and reduction of food waste. The industry is highly interested in this survey and will be involved in several phases of the survey.. With support of VDC/Dier, AKV, Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (VWA), Ministry of Housing, Planning and the Environment. Study on possible different approaches to differences in age group and lifestyle for media campaigns on food waste aimed at consumers. Pilots to explore possibilities for sustainable catering e.g. to reduce food waste within governmental offices. Study of possibilities to support business operation in the kitchen, using by-products from the Food chain. Collaboration between: INHolland catering college, the Knowledge centre for society and religion, Salvation Army and others 4 Experiments to generate concrete solutions to food waste in specific sectors. The industry is enabled to develop feasible solutions (including a business plan) to prevent/reduce Food waste. As part of the Programme Sustainable Food systems, working group to induce all kinds of initiatives to reduce food waste in catering and the agro chain which leads up to this. Collaboration between: entrepreneurs, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Ministry of Environment and Agentschap NL A set of Food waste-indicators throughout the whole Food chain (including consumer and (re)use of food waste) that shows to which extent the Dutch food system leads up to food waste. The first results will be expected in June of Part of the assignment is to initiate a public and scientific debate on the combination and choices of the indicators. Regular renewal of the monitor and consistent validation of parts of the monitor are planned. Research by Wageningen University and Research Centre and LEI Project as part of LNV als Duurzame Proeftuin. Food waste is reduced by 25% by not offering the complete assortment in the restaurant of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in the last fifteen minutes before closing time. Existing contracts will be changed accordingly and results will be promoted. Collaboration between: entrepreneur and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Project as part of LNV als Duurzame Proeftuin. Research on possibilities to prevent/reduce food waste at working lunches. General factsheet with facts and figures on Dutch Food waste by consumers. Participants: Netherlands Nutrition Centre, Milieu Centraal, Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. 5 Activities Research on stimulants that induce food waste Project Meals on Wheels Project Reduction of food waste in regional settings Project Reduction of food waste in foodservices Database of good practices to reduce/avoid food waste Support on activities to reduce food waste by (participants of) Platform Sustainable Food Description Research on the stimulants in our economy based food system that have an unintentional and unwanted effect on food waste. Part of the activities of the Working Group on the theme of Food Waste (under Dialogue Sustainable Food system). Collaboration between: entrepreneurs, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Ministry of Environment and Agentschap NL Research to determine the results objectively of a new method of food distribution in two hospitals (e.g. vast reduction of food waste). This project is also connected to activities in the field of food and health because it is assumed that this method of food distribution has several positive health effects on the patients. Collaboration between: entrepreneur and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Research by Wageningen University and Research Centre. Start up of the project Reduction of Food waste in regional settings : experiments in several cities to reduce food waste (in co-operation with communities, supermarkets, education, etc.). Commissioning body: Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning. With involvement of Agentschap NL and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Research. Start up of the project Reduction of food waste in foodservices Commissioning body: Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, With involvement of entrepreneurs, Agentschap NL and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Research. Preparatory work for a database of good practices on the reduction and avoidance of food waste.. Involvement with activities of participants of the Platform Sustainable Food to reduce food waste.. Collaboration between several organisations of food suppliers. For further information please contact Roland Thonissen (Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality): +31 (0) , Further information/useful links: Agentschap NL: AKK: EIPRO-study (ESTO & IPTS): Experience box: Green Knowledge Cooperative: LEI Wageningen UR: Milieu Centraal: Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality: (eg. Policy Document on Sustainable Food) Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment: (e.g. National Waste Management Policy) Netherlands Nutrition Centre: Wageningen University and Research Centre: 6 Photo: Twitter Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the opioid crisis is devastating communities and families across Canada. After going on a ride-along on Friday with Vancouver police in the city's Downtown Eastside, Trudeau said the number of drug overdose deaths is particularly high in British Columbia but the problem isn't unique to the province. "The impact has been devastating. Families ripped apart. Communities forever altered. Loved ones lost too soon," he told a news conference after meeting with first-responders and health-care workers. "This is a crisis that seems, for most Canadians, to be very far away. Something that's limited to certain tougher parts of town, to the West Coast, but we are seeing a spread of opioids across the country and we're seeing it spread far and wide across socio-economic levels, across communities. "We need to come together as a country to help our most vulnerable." Asked if the government would help fund heroin treatment programs, as has been recommended by officials in British Columbia, Trudeau said there is no one solution to the problem. Social policies that tackle mental health, housing and economic opportunities are also key components in the fight against the overdose crisis, he said. Trudeau said the government has reintroduced harm reduction as "a pillar of our comprehensive drug strategy" by expanding access to the opioid antidote naloxone. Ottawa is also trying to streamline the application process for communities that want to open safe consumption sites. The illicit drug overdose crisis claimed 922 lives in British Columbia last year. Trudeau says he discussed the issue with Premier Christy Clark on Thursday night and has been speaking to big city mayors as well. Photo: The Canadian Press Paleontologists at the University of Alberta have a new theory explaining why some dinosaurs stood on two feet instead of four their ancestors' need for speed. Earlier creatures called proto-dinosaurs originally walked on all fours, but at one point evolved to stand upright. That trait was passed on to their much larger dinosaur descendants. The going theory had been that proto-dinosaurs became bipedal so that their forelimbs were free to catch prey. Scott Persons, lead author of a paper published this month in The Journal of Theoretical Biology, said that theory doesn't stand up. "While that works for some of the very, very early dinosaurs, which were certainly carnivorous, you see a bunch of herbivorous dinosaurs evolve later on and a good many of those groups actually keep their bipedal stance, which is a little strange," said Persons. The key, he said, were strong muscles at the base of the tail that helped power the hind legs of the proto-dinosaurs, which enabled them to run faster and further. Back legs evolved to become longer, while front limbs became shorter to reduce body weight and improve balance. Some proto-dinosaurs gave up walking on all fours entirely. Later on, some dinosaurs reverted back to a four-legged stance. These were primarily creatures with heavy horns and plates around their heads that would have made it tough to balance upright. Herbivores evolved over time to have bigger guts to break down cellulose in the plants they ate. "That means you're adding on weight to the front half of the animal and so that tends to tip you down. It's harder to balance on just your back legs," said Persons. "In the groups where speed was no longer a concern, they often went back to being quadrapedal." Photo: Bloomberg Libyan militias occupied major oil terminals on Friday after clashes with armed forces based in the east and commanded by army chief Gen. Khalifa Hifter, military officials said, amid fears the facilitates could sustain serious damage if the clashes escalate. At least nine soldiers were killed. Faisal al-Zwei, the spokesman for the 101 Brigade, based at the so-called oil crescent region, told The Associated Press that some 1,000 militiamen in 200 vehicles clashed with the eastern armed forces over the oil terminals of al-Sidra and Ras Lanuf on Friday, forcing the army units to retreat. He said the militias were joined by fighters loyal to eastern militia commander Ibrahim Jedran, the secessionist fighter who took over and oversaw the terminals until Hifter's forces seized them last year. Mohammed al-Basit, the brigade's commander, confirmed the report. The militias, known as Benghazi Defence Brigades, are comprised of Islamic militants and former rebels who were recently defeated by Hifter's forces in Benghazi, Libya' second largest city. They were joined by militiamen from the western city of Misrata. Al-Zwei said that the militias advanced on four fronts, despite airstrikes waged by Hifter's air forces. Hifter's army is allied to the internationally-recognized parliament based in eastern Libya. The internationally-recognized government based in the capital Tripoli which is opposed to Hifter condemned the fighting and said it has no role in it, according to a statement released by the so-called Presidency Council the United Nations-brokered body tasked to form the government and which enjoys presidential powers. Army spokesman Ahmed al-Mosmari said that the forces' decision to retreat was taken to avoid destruction of the oil facilities. The commander of the oil guards Mufah al-Megarif said that a total of nine soldiers were killed in the fighting. Al-Mosmari said one of the wounded soldiers was shot to death by the militias. Photo: Google Maps Human remains have been found near a highway rest stop on Vancouver Island. Police and the B.C. Coroners Service are investigating the discovery off the Malahat Highway, near Victoria, Friday. Emergency vehicles converged on the scene at the Split Rock rest stop at the highways summit. Its not known how the body came to be there or how long it has been there. with files from CTV Vancouver Island Two men from Fort St. John have been ordered to pay a total of $8,000 in fines in connection in the infamous moose rider viral video. Bradley Crook, 32, and Jaysun Pinkerton, 33, entered guilty pleas on Friday to a count each of harassing wildlife with a boat. The incident took place in July 2014 on a lake near Fort Nelson. A video showing a man jumping off the front of a boat onto the back of a swimming moose calf was published by a conservation group in June 2015, attracting over two million views and national attention. Each man will pay $2,000 in fines, and another $2,000 to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation according to a Facebook post from the BC Conservation Officer Service. The Alaska Highway News is reporting that the Crown dropped charges of attempting to capture wildlife and hunting big game while swimming as the result of a joint application in Fort St. John provincial court on Friday. Photo: Contributed www.vancouverpaddlewheeler.com A Williams Lake man is facing charges in connection to what police believe may have been the attempted theft of a paddlewheeler tour boat docked in the Lower Mainland. The New Westminster Police Department were called to the M.V. Native shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, and say a male suspect forced his way onto the vessel and started the engine. The man also allegedly fired a flare at two witnesses in a nearby boat. No one was injured. Officers arrived shortly afterwards and arrested the suspect. Brendan Fediuk, 39, has been charged with break and enter a vessel, possession a weapon, a marine flare, for a purpose dangerous to the public peace and attempt to commit theft of a motor vessel. Photo: Troy Ryder UPDATE 7:45 p.m. Power has been restored. FortisBC says 600 homes were impacted. The outage in #dilworth #kelowna has now been restored. We appreciate your patience. FortisBC (@FortisBC) March 4, 2017 ORIGINAL 7:00 p.m. Residents in the Dilworth Mountain area of Kelowna are in the dark. Fortis BC says the outage is due to a motor vehicle accident that took place at about 6:15 p.m. A spokesperson was not able to comment on when power will be restored or exactly how many customers are impacted. There is a motor vehicle crash on Dilworth Drive between Cascade Place and Omineca Place that could be behind the blackout. Fortis BC was spotted at the scene, but workers were unable to confirm if it was the crash in question. Castanet will post more information as it becomes available. Photo: The Canadian Press Elise MacIntyre, who is organizing a letter campaign asking for a judicial review of Judge Gregory Lenehan, poses in Halifax on Friday, March 3, 2017. There is growing anger over the acquittal of a Halifax taxi driver charged with sexually assaulting a young woman in his cab, with some demanding the judge behind the decision be removed from the bench. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese There is growing anger over the acquittal of a Halifax taxi driver charged with sexually assaulting a young woman in his cab, with calls for the judge behind the decision to be removed from the bench. Two marches have been scheduled for next week to press for a review of the ruling by Judge Gregory Lenehan, while others are organizing a weekend gathering to compose letters of complaint seeking a judicial council review. As well, a coalition of 12 women's agencies from across Nova Scotia is calling for him to be removed from the bench. Lenehan ruled Wednesday that the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman did not consent to sexual activity with cab driver Bassam Al-Rawi. In his 20-minute ruling, Lenehan said bluntly, "A drunk can consent." The 40-year-old man was charged after police found the woman, in her 20s, passed out and partially naked in his car in the early hours of May 23, 2015. The decision prompted an immediate backlash and a renewed discussion about alleged sexual assault, inebriation and consent all factors in another recent case involving a Newfoundland police officer who was acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman who was drunk. "Lenehan's judgement in this case demonstrates a clear disregard for and lack of understanding of sexual assault and definitions of consent as defined in the criminal code," said a press release issued Friday by the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre Sexual Assault Services on behalf of multiple groups including Halifax's Avalon Sexual Assault Centre. "Judge Lenehan has demonstrated he is incapable of fairly applying the law in cases of sexual assault and, therefore, must be removed from the bench." CTV aired excerpts of an interview with a woman it said was the complainant in the case. Her face was concealed to protect her identity. She said she was angered at the judge's decision. "The comment that I heard that filled me with rage was 'a drunk can consent,'" she told CTV. "I had a lot of faith in the court process before I became involved in it," she added. A spokesperson for the public prosecutions service said Friday an appeal of the ruling was under consideration. Elise MacIntyre, a 27-year-old Halifax automechanic, plans to gather a group on Sunday to compose letters of complaint requesting a judicial council sanction or remove Lenehan from his job. "We want an inquiry for his fitness for the position he holds," she said during an interview. "I think he lacks empathy and understanding for the issues he's overseeing." MacIntyre said she was struck by a police constable's testimony that Al-Rawi was seen shoving the woman's pants and underwear between the front seats. In addition, the court heard evidence that Al-Rawi's pants were undone around his waist and his zipper was down. The woman's wallet, purse and shoes were in the front passenger area, and her pants and underwear were tangled inside out and wet with her urine. "If the kind of evidence that presented in this case is not substantial enough for a guilty verdict, then what is?" said MacIntyre. She also argues the judge's comments on consent go too far, and that a judicial council should consider "at a minimum" whether he should continue to hear sexual assault cases. In his decision, Lenehan had remarked the woman lacked any memory of what happened in the taxi, and he concluded his decision by saying: "What is unknown is the moment (she) lost consciousness. That is important." "It would appear that prior to that she had been able to communicate with others. Although she appeared drunk to the staff at (the bar) ... she had appeared to make decisions for herself.'' The judge, while noting evidence indicated that Al-Rawi had removed the woman's pants, said he didn't know if Al-Rawi had done so with the woman's consent. Photo: CTV Police are working to identify a man who was caught on camera punching a UBC professor in the head this week in East Vancouver. Dr. Ray Tsu was hit during an altercation near Main and King Edward on Thursday. According to Tsu, they both stepped off the bus when the man shoved him from behind. In response, he then pulled out his phone and took a picture. "The person sees me snapping the photo and knocks the phone out of my hand and then that's when he starts punching me," Tsu told CTV Vancouver. "I was calling for help when this was happening, when I was being punched, and there were people around but nobody really did anything." A passerby managed to capture the attack on camera and the footage is being investigated by the Vancouver Police Department. "We've got good video as well as photographs of the person we believe was involved," Staff Sgt. Randy Fincham said. "It's only a matter of time before we identify who he is." But Fincham would rather the individual turn himself in and share his side of the story. "We know there's always two sides and we want to determine exactly what took place yesterday," he added. with files from CTV Vancouver Photo: Facebook There has been a tragic end to the search for a missing dog near Oyama. The owner of Buck, a three-year-old black lab, posted a $3,000 reward in an effort to bring his pet home after it went missing in January. The search for Buck brought out significant community support, with over 1,500 people joining the Bring Buck Home Facebook page. However on Friday, that Facebook page made a sad announcement. It is with deep sadness, that we must inform you all of Buck's passing. He was found today by neighbours, and must have fallen through the ice, not far from home. This is a very hard discovery, but we may all have peace knowing he is not out there, scared or alone. Cody Walsh, Bucks owner, would like to thank the community for the outpouring of support over the past several weeks. Anyone that sees a Buck flyer or poster is asked to take it down and dispose of it. Photo: BC Green Party The B.C. Green Party has nominated a doctor in sustainability and local business owner, Dr. Alison Shaw, as candidate for Kelowna-Lake Country. A media release from the Green Party states Shaw worked on the Nobel-Prize winning United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, researching the relationship between scientists and policymakers. She is also the founder of Flipside Sustainability, a local business that uses research to help clients account for people and planet alongside budgets and profit. As an academic and business owner, Ive never considered politics, Shaw said. That has changed. BC Politics has been stuck in a cycle of celebrating the professional politician for too long, Shaw said in a release. We have amazing natural and intellectual resources in this Province and yet too many people are struggling and communities aren't feeling the benefits of this bounty. With my experience as a business owner and researcher, I believe I can help." Leader of the B.C. Green Party, Andrew Weaver says he is ecstatic to have Shaw running in the riding. Photo: Revelstoke Snowmobile Club Search and rescue teams retrieved an injured snowmobiler from an incident on Boulder Mountain near Revelstoke, Friday night. The rider went off the edge of a drop at a bridge and landed on a creek bank about 20 feet below. Luckily, the 51-year-old man did not go into the water, but he was hurt in the crash. Revelstoke RCMP Cpl. Thomas Blakney says fellow sledders acted swiftly to ensure the man was safe and performed first aid until SAR members and paramedics arrived on scene about 8:45 p.m. He was transported down the mountain on the search team's side by side sled before being taken to Queen Victoria Hospital in Revelstoke with non-life-threatening injuries. Photo: File photo At least eight Afghan civilians, including four children, were killed in an attack late Friday night in western Farah province, according to Afghan officials. However there is disagreement over what exactly caused the deaths. Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Saturday that the incident was a roadside bomb explosion which took place in the Bala Buluk district. But family members of the victims are claiming they were hit by an airstrike. Gen. Dawlat Waziri, a Defence Ministry spokesman, told The Associated Press that an investigation of the incident is underway. "We are aware of the allegations made by the local people, right now an investigation is going on into the incident in Farah," Waziri said. Dr. Abdul Hakim Rasouli, director of Farah Hospital, said that 22 others are wounded in the attack. Three of the wounded are in critical condition and will be transferred to another hospital in neighbouring Herat province for their further treatment, he said. Farah's Bala Buluk district has been the site of several recent clashes between Afghan security forces and armed insurgents. One resident, a 30-year-old mother of four named Salima, said two of her children were killed and a third wounded. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Salima, who like many Afghans goes by only one name, said her family was attacked by a helicopter. "I don't want to be alive anymore while I don't have my children with me," she said, crying. The Afghan security forces operate helicopter gunships, as does the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan. Meanwhile a parliamentarian from Helmand province was wounded after he was attacked by gunmen in neighbouring Kandahar province, said Samim Khpolwak, spokesman for the provincial governor. Khpolwak said that the lawmaker, Mir Wali, was shot by two attackers on a motorcycle who escaped afterward. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Wali is a close ally of the United States. This was the second attack on Wali in recent months. In December 2016, three gunmen stormed Wali's home in the capital, Kabul. Eight people were killed in the attack and Wali was wounded. Photo: The Canadian Press A libertarian author who has been called a white nationalist said college students who protested his guest lecture this week were "scary." Middlebury College said a professor was injured by a protester following a demonstration against guest speaker Charles Murray on Thursday. The Southern Poverty Law Center considers Murray a white nationalist who uses "racist pseudoscience and misleading statistics to argue that social inequality is caused by the genetic inferiority of the black and Latino communities, women and the poor." Protests of Murray's lecture forced the college to move it to another room. The college said Murray and professor Allison Stanger were surrounded by a group of protesters who became violent after the talk and a protester pulled Stanger's hair, twisting her neck. It said the group climbed onto the hood of a car carrying Murray and Stanger and threw a traffic sign in front of it. The college's public safety officials cleared a path for the car to leave campus. Stanger was treated at a hospital and was released. Murray, who wrote "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life" and "Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010," tweeted that the Middlebury College administration "was exemplary." "The students," he tweeted, "were seriously scary." College president Laurie L. Patton said she was "deeply disappointed" by the events she witnessed and said members of the college community had "failed to live up to our core values." She said she believed many of the protesters were "outside agitators" but there were indications Middlebury students also were involved. She apologized to people who attended the lecture in good faith, to Murray and to Stanger "for the way they were treated during the event and, especially, afterward." "Today," she wrote in a letter to the college community, "our community begins the process of addressing the deep and troubling divisions that were on display last night." Photo: Contributed A South Texas woman who says she gave up beer for Lent won a case of Budweiser delivered to her home by a team of Clydesdales. The Valley Morning Star reports Leandra Ruiz received the beer Thursday in a special drop-off, via the huge horses, at her neighbourhood in Harlingen. The 35-year-old Ruiz says that several weeks ago she entered an online contest for a chance at home delivery of some beer. Ruiz, who says she was surprised to learn she won, was on hand with family and friends to watch the Clydesdales pull up to her home. The Budweiser carriage drivers also took Ruiz for a ride around the block. The Clydesdales were in South Texas for this weekend's BorderFest celebration in Hidalgo. Photo: CTV Researchers at the University of Victoria are working on development of hand-held drug-testing technology that could save lives. Staff at STS pharmacy in Victoria, the only location in the city that tests street drugs for the presence of deadly additives, say theyre finding fentanyl in 95 per cent of cases. Right now, there is only a test that can tell you whether or not fentanyl is present, pharmacist Jared Aasen told CTV. But it cannot tell you how much, and that is really the money question. Dennis Hore and his team at UVic are looking to solve that problem. The goal is to create an affordable, compact tester that can tell a user if their next hit could be their last. They're working on a hand-held laser device that could identify the chemical makeup of drugs and the quantities that are present. The team hopes to have a working prototype in less than a month. It can't come soon enough 914 people were killed by overdoses in B.C. last year. with files from CTV Vancouver Island Photo: The Canadian Press A jury has found an Edmonton man guilty of first-degree murder for stabbing two co-workers to death in a bloody attack at a Loblaws grocery warehouse. Jayme Pasieka, 32, was also been convicted on four counts of attempted murder and four counts of aggravated assault in the attack three years ago. Pasieka looked blankly ahead as the jury declared the 10 guilty verdicts in court. Relatives of the victims hugged, cried and held hands. One woman whispered "yes" as she clenched her fist. Loblaws' employees, some wearing blue hoodies with the corporation's logo, sat in quiet support of their colleagues who were killed or wounded in the stabbings. Pasieka faces two automatic life sentences. Crown prosecutor Kim Goddard said she will consider asking that Pasieka have no parole eligibility for 50 years. "With a jury trial you never know what to expect but I am sure the families are satisfied with the verdict," she said outside court. Thierno Bah, 41, and Fitzroy Harris, 50, were killed in the stabbing attack. Four other men were injured. Much of the case focused on whether Pasieka, who has schizophrenia, was capable of planning the attack and intended to kill his co-workers. He testified in his own defence and said he had given up on life, was hearing voices in his head and hoped that if he stabbed people he would get the help he needed. Defence lawyer Peter Royal said during closing arguments that Pasieka had severe schizophrenia and told police after the attack that he didn't plan to kill and that he felt sad about what happened. Goddard told the jury that Pasieka's mental-health symptoms were mild and evidence showed he planned to end his own suffering by killing others. The jury heard that on the day of the attack Pasieka wore a military-style vest, dressed all in black and left his Edmonton home armed with two knives. Before going to work, he went to a store at West Edmonton Mall to buy two extra knives and had a normal conversation with a clerk. He testified that he purchased the additional knives in case the first two became dull. When Pasieka arrived at the Loblaws warehouse, he signed in for his shift and put on a sweatshirt to hide the weapons. Goddard said Pasieka then walked slowly toward a group of co-workers before stabbing people multiple times, aiming for the chest and head. A forensic psychiatrist testified that Pasieka would have understood that inflicting severe injury on someone would have led to death. The psychiatrist also said Pasieka was capable of exercising free will and making choices. Goddard said this trial was not the first time that she has prosecuted someone with schizophrenia that used their mental health as part of their defence Photo: Contributed Facing a new wave of questions about his ties to Russia, President Donald Trump is telling advisers and allies that he may shelve at least temporarily his plan to pursue a deal with Moscow on the Islamic State group and other national security matters, according to administration officials and Western diplomats. In conversations with diplomats and other officials, Trump and his aides have ascribed the new thinking to Moscow's recent provocations. But the reconsideration of a central tenet of the president's foreign policy underscores the growing political risks in forging closer relations with Russia, as long as the FBI investigates his campaign associates' connections to Moscow and congressional committees ramp up their probe of Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. The controversy has already led to the firing of Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who misled officials about his contacts with the Russian ambassador, and to calls by Democrats for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign after he failed to disclose his own meetings with the envoy. Trump's new skepticism about brokering a deal with Moscow also suggests the rising influence of a new crop of advisers who have taken a tougher stance on Russia, including Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and new national security adviser H.R. McMaster. During his first meeting with National Security Council staff, McMaster described Russia as well as China as a country that wants to upend the current world order, according to an administration official who attended the meeting. Michael McFaul, who served as President Barack Obama's ambassador to Russia, said that while Trump has been open about wanting warmer relations with Russia, "he hasn't picked people to the best of my knowledge at senior levels that share that view." European allies also have been pushing the Trump administration not to make any early concessions to Russia. To bolster their case, European officials have been tailoring their rhetoric to appeal to Trump's business background, including emphasizing the risks of negotiating a bad deal, rather than more nuanced arguments, according to one Western diplomat. Given Trump's "America First" mantra, foreign officials emphasize how U.S. standing in the world could be diminished by making concessions to Russia instead of focusing on the importance of the U.S. and Europe sticking together to counter Moscow. Trump, who spoke favourably about Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout the campaign, is said to have shown interest in a broad deal with Russia that could address co-operation in fighting the Islamic State, nuclear arms control agreements and Russia's provocations in Ukraine. But in recent days, the administration has signalled that the moment for such a deal may not be right. In an Oval Office meeting last week, Trump told advisers that Russia's recent violation of a Cold War-era arms control treaty was among the complicating factors. In February, the Trump administration accused Russia of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by deploying a cruise missile. A White House official confirmed the discussion, saying that Trump believes the treaty violation is making a diplomatic and security agreement with Russia "tougher and tougher to achieve." Top administration officials have also echoed that message in conversations with some allies, according to diplomats. Photo: Contributed The Kelowna Gospel Mission is inviting people to take a hike to help others. The sixth annual Strides to End Homelessness event takes place today and people are being asked to walk five or 10 kilometres to raise money for the mission. Registration starts at 3 p.m. with the walk beginning at 4 p.m. at the mission, 259 Leon Ave. Hot chili, chicken stew, homemade biscuits and special treats will be served after the walk in the mission dining room. This year's goal is to raise $45,000 to support KGMs men and women at the emergency shelter and at Harmony House, the womens transitional house. Services include meals, shelter, life skills training, Bible studies and more. Im so excited for our sixth annual walk to raise funds for programs that help men and women get back on track with their lives. Although this has been a very busy year, we have celebrated with many individuals who have found their own homes and their new place in our community, said Randy Benson, mission executive director We are working hard to make sure every person has the opportunity to improve their situation and are so grateful for the support of people taking part in our walk. Nancy Tordiffe, director of Harmony House, said, The ladies in the Harmony program not only benefit from the fundraising for programs but also volunteer for this walk, at the Thrift Store and for many other events the Mission puts on. They are at Harmony House to regain their lives, but also love the opportunity to give back to others. When the ladies first come to Harmony House, they never imagine that soon they will be in the position of helping others. It means the world to them." Photo: The Canadian Press President Donald Trump on Saturday accused former President Barack Obama of having Trump Tower telephone lines "wire tapped" during last year's election, but Trump didn't offer any evidence or say what prompted the allegation. Trump, whose administration has been under siege over campaign contacts with Russian officials, said in a series of early morning tweets that he "just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!' Trump said the wiretapping occurred in October. Trump ran the presidential transition largely out of Trump Tower in New York, where he also maintains a residence. The White House did not immediately reply to inquiries about what led to the president's tweets. A spokesman for Obama did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump's tweets came days after revelations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, during his Senate confirmation hearing, didn't disclose his own campaign-season contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States. Sessions, a U.S. senator at the time, was Trump's earliest Senate supporter. Trump's first tweet Saturday mentioned Sessions and claimed the first meeting Sessions had with the Russian diplomat was "set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs ..." U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the campaign with the goal of helping elect Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton findings that Trump has dismissed. The FBI has investigated Trump associates' ties to Russian officials. Trump has blamed Democrats for leaks of information about the investigation and the contacts. It was not clear what prompted Trump's new charge. The president often tweets about reports he reads on blogs and conservative-leaning websites. In recent days, the Breitbart News website has published reports citing other anonymously sourced or unconfirmed reports about the Obama administration's attempts to investigate Trump campaign ties to Moscow. The Associated Press has not confirmed those reports. Trump wants to build up the military and cut taxes for the wealthy, so he's busy slashing budgets. One victim is funding for Great Lakes cleanup-- by a phenomenal 97% ! Is that what he meant by Making America Great Again? That's a fifth of the world's freshwater! The White House is proposing to slash Environmental Protection Agency funding that pays for Great Lakes pollution cleanup by 97 percent, according to a budget document obtained by the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. The potential cuts are part of President Donald Trump's initial 2018 budget proposal, detailed in a U.S. Office of Management and Budget "passback" to the EPA that outlines drastic cuts to an agency Trump has called a "job killer" and promised to reduce to "tidbits" as a candidate. The proposal would virtually eliminate annual Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding, slashing it from $300 million to $10 million among other cuts that would altogether reduce the EPA's total budget by a quarter. ...The GLRI funds state and local projects that combat invasive species, restore wildlife habitats and clean up watersheds polluted by a Rust Belt economic legacy across the eight-state Great Lakes region. It has traditionally enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Congress, who in the past have restored smaller, $50 million cuts proposed under President Barack Obama. In December, Congress authorized the GLRI at $300 million a year through 2021 with standalone authorization, meaning Congress could choose to restore funding up to that level each year even if Trump holds to the proposed cut. Brian Patrick, spokesperson for U.S. House Great Lakes Task Force Chair Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, said the White House could expect Republican pushback from the delegation if the proposed GLRI cuts remain. ...A coalition of environmental and conservation groups that advocates for GLRI funding said the cuts would devastate a working program. I bet this isn't something the Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania voters who gave us Trump had in mind! Nor what voters in upstate New York near Lakes Ontario and Erie had in mind-- nor the voters in MN-08 along the western shores of Lake Superior. Huizenga's district, (MI-02) stretches along Lake Michigan from Macatawa, past Grand Haven, Muskegon right up to the shore of Hamlin Lake. People are serious about lake living-- deadly serious. I wonder how many are having an "oops" moment. After all, Trump won MI-02 by a wide margin-- 55.8% to 38.2%. It was one of the districts that gave Trump his 11,692 votes win (out of 4.5 million votes cast statewide) in Michigan. Four New York districts bordering on Great Lakes went for Trump, including Chris Collins' district, NY-27, which is the only congressional district that is located along both Lake Ontario and Lake Erie... and gave Trump his widest margin anywhere in the state-- 59.7% to 35.2%. These are how many people in the Lake shore counties that are part of NY-27 voted for Trump: Erie- 188,303 Niagara- 51,961 Orleans- 10,936 There are 10 Republicans on the House Great Lakes Task Force-- Jack Bergman (R-MI), Chris Collins (R-NY), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), David Joyce (R-OH), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Paul Mitchell (R-MI), Jim Renacci (R-OH), Fred Upton (R-MI) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN). Trump won all their districts. Virulent anti-environment congressman Peter Roskam chose not to join the Task Force even though the social and economic importance of the Illinois coast is gigantic, bordering, the most populous part of the state and including some of the most valued real estate in the Midwest. It's the most densely populated coastal area in the entire Great Lakes region, extending 63 miles along the southern reach of the western shore of Lake Michigan. The states jurisdiction extends across a portion of the lake, covering approximately 1,500 square miles. Roskam's likely opponent in 2018 is Geoff Petzel , who has a very different perspective on environmental protection than Roskam. And Petzel has been very outspoken about Trump's threats to the EPA. Friday he told us that "unfortunately, Trump's proposal to cut EPA funding is consistent with the overall position of his administration. It is remarkably pro-business and racist. First and foremost, his proposal would eliminate the environmental justice programs the EPA administers in generally low income, high minority, heavily polluted urban areas. These programs are intended to reduce pollution and avoid new pollution sources from being placed in low income and minority communities where these populations are often unable to fight back and already have a disproportionally high concentration of polluting facilities. Trump's proposal also ensures that environmental enforcement budgets will be slashed and large companies will be able to pollute more without fear of enforcement. Donald Trump promised to drain the swamp his recent decision to overturn an Obama Administration rule that protects wetlands and streams ensures that Donald Trumps decisions will literally cause the draining of swamps. Now with his budget cuts, we will also be faced with dirtier waters, dirtier air and a less healthy environment." I wonder how many Republican congressman with districts along the shores of the Great Lakes are going to lose their seats in 2018 over this. And seperately, the Washington Post reported yesterday that the Regime is slashing the budget of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which would also "eliminate funding for a variety of smaller programs including external research, coastal management, estuary reserves and coastal resilience, which seeks to bolster the ability of coastal areas to withstand major storms and rising seas." This is one of the country's top climate science agencies and the Regime is eager to deliver "steep cuts to research funding and satellite programs." UPDATE: It's Not Just The Great Lakes, Of Course This morning Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) explained this catastrophic budget proposal to her Seattle constituents, because Trump's plan envisions a 93% cut to critical efforts to restore Puget Sound. Photo: Contributed The Coquihalla may now be open, but that does not necessarily mean smooth driving for motorists. The northbound lanes of the Coq were closed for several hours last night due to weather conditions, but are now open. Environment Canada said 35 cm has fallen on the pass since Friday morning, with another 10 to 15 cm expected before the system moved east early Saturday morning. There are currently no weather alerts in effect from Environment Canada. However, DriveBC said motorists can expect a delay of two to four hours for avalanche control from Hope to Merritt between noon and 5 p.m. Saturday March 4. Photo: Contributed The Vancouver Police Department is at the scene of a suspicious death. Police were called to a condominium complex, after a body was found inside one of the units. Staff Sgt. Randy Fincham said around 8 a.m., police were called to 438 Seymour Street after a deceased person was found inside the building. Detectives from the VPD's Major Crime Section have been called to the scene and the investigation is ongoing. Photo: Contributed The co-chairman of the Save Hullcar Aquifer Team (SHAT) felt a meeting with government officials about the ongoing water woes of some Spallumcheen residents was sidetracked by political posturing. Al Price said an Inter Ministry Working Group meeting at the Hullcar Hall Friday evening was a bit of a gong show. Shortly before the information session opened, the Province announced it is providing $950,000 to support alternative drinking water sources, fund treatment for domestic well users and support sustainable, environmentally appropriate farming in the Hullcar Valley. Residents that draw water from the Hullcar Aquifer have been under a water-quality advisory since 2014 because of elevated nitrate levels in their drinking water source. The meeting on Friday was supposed to address residents' concerns and look for solutions, but Price said the meeting missed the mark. Price said most of the meeting was taken up by ministry staff explaining studies in minute detail and people were only allowed one or two questions following the presentations. Price said the funding announcement was welcome news, but he has some concerns as well. As a spokesman for SHAT I am concerned this funding will deflect the government from actually proceeding with plans to remediate the aquifer. The aquifer must be remediated, he said, adding the funding must be considered a temporary solution. That (funding) helps with what we are looking for and that is the protection of people's health, but it is not a long-term solution. Price said SHAT and the Splatsin First Nation, which is also impacted by the nitrates, are working on a memorandum of understanding on the issue and he expects it will be signed in the coming weeks. We are quite honoured by that, said Price, adding there is no easy solution to the problem. A farm in the area is believed to be the main source of the nitrate contamination. Photo: CTV Supporters of President Donald Trump plan to convene at Trump Tower, the Washington Monument and scores of other places around the country in marches to show their pride in his presidency. Saturday's "March 4 Trump" demonstrations are also intended to show unity in the face of what organizers call "a seditious fringe" aiming to sabotage his vision for the country. Trump supporters have held rallies in recent weeks to counter demonstrations against him, including women's marches the day after his inauguration and protests over his since-blocked executive order halting acceptance of refugees and temporarily barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from travelling to the U.S. There were pro-Trump demonstrations on Monday in cities ranging from Denver to Atlanta. Trump himself also held a campaign rally in Florida Feb. 18. Photo: Google Street View UPDATED 12:23 P.M. Kamloops RCMP have cleared the McDonalds Restaurant which has reopened their business. The investigation is continuing. As in past bomb threat events, police are not ruling out a computer-generated swatting call hoax. Kamloops RCMP are currently at the scene of a bomb threat. Sgt. Bob Fogarty said police are at the Aberdeen McDonalds Restaurant in the 1400 Block West TCH, investigating a complaint of a bomb threat received over their phone. Restaurant management have evacuated the premises as a safety precaution and police are in the early stages of the investigation, said Fogerty, adding police expect to be at the scene for some time. Photo: Getty Images A Washington state man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing an Oregon man he mistakenly believed impregnated a 13-year-old girl. Yoset Dominguez-Serrano, 21, of Outlook, Washington, received the sentence Friday in Yakima County Superior Court, the Yakima Herald reported. Dominguez-Serrano in January pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the February 2015 killing of Antonio Hernandez-Ledezma, 24, of Boardman, Oregon. Dominguez-Serrano told police he believed Hernandez-Ledezma had impregnated Dominguez-Serrano's 13-year-old relative and killed the Oregon man to protect his family's honour. But DNA tests showed Hernandez-Ledesma wasn't responsible for the pregnancy. "You honoured no one," Judge Richard Bartheld told Dominguez-Serrano. "You dishonoured your family by committing a heinous crime." Yakima County sheriff's detectives say Dominguez-Serrano lured Hernandez-Ledezma to a meeting by pretending to be interested in buying his car. Investigators later found the car abandoned with the front passenger window broken and blood on the passenger seat along with a spent bullet cartridge under the emergency brake lever. In September 2015, a hiker found Hernandez-Ledezma's skeletal remains near an orchard. DNA tests confirmed they belonged to Hernandez-Ledezma. Defence attorney Aaron Dalan said Dominguez-Serrano isn't a sophisticated criminal. "He believed he was acting, at least in his mind, to protect his family and the honour of his family," Dalan said. Claudia Hernandez, Hernandez-Ledezma's sister, spoke with other family members in court about their loss. "I just want to say that he left a big family, a family that never got to say goodbye for the last time," Hernandez said. Dominguez-Serrano faces deportation to Mexico once he completes his sentence Photo: The Canadian Press There were some tense moments in the streets of Montreal on Saturday as there were some clashes between supporters and opponents of a Parliamentary motion condemning Islamophobia. There was a heavy police presence outside city hall keeping the two sides apart as a demonstration by critics of the motion was met by an equally large counter-protest. On one side, some protesters carried signs calling for free speech and waved the flags of right wing groups that have sprung up in Quebec recently, while their opponents chanted anti-fascist slogans and expressed support for immigrants and Muslims. The two groups, which each appeared to be between 100 and 200 people, then held parallel marches through the streets of Montreal. Despite police efforts to keep the two sides apart, some isolated scuffles occurred between the two sides as tempers flared. Police say there were no arrests or injuries. An Ontario Liberal backbencher, Iqra Khalid, brought forward the motion in Parliament last year, and since then she has received numerous racist and sexually derogatory emails that were laced with expletives. Heritage Minister Melanie Joly, who prominently backed the motion, also found herself on the receiving end of similar kinds of messages. The Opposition tried to pass an amendment last month removing the word "Islamophobia'' from the motion, saying it singles out one religious group over others. But the Liberals used their majority to block the effort. Protests against the motion were expected to take place in several Canadian cities including Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto. Dinosaurs were spotted at the Okangan Science Centre, much to the delight of hundreds of people. Dinosaurs Unearthed opened Saturday with numerous dinosaurs, interactive displays and more. People were lining up to be the first to see the Jurassic attraction. The exhibition questions what people think they know about dinosaurs and shows prehistoric creatures in a new way. It will show a life-sized juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex sporting a coat of heat-regulating feathers and give the inside scoop on the ancestors of Triceratops. This exhibition brings key new discoveries to the forefront, and shows guests how fossil discoveries translate into conclusions about dinosaur appearance and behaviour. New discoveries are happening every day, so its a fascinating time to introduce kids to paleontology, said Jim Swingle, the science centre's executive director. The display, that runs from March 4 to Aug. 31. It also featrues fossils from China and North America, including skulls, eggs, claws, teeth and a giant forelimb and scapula, plus a full-scale Gasosaurus skeleton. Photo: Contributed The B.C. Teachers' Federation says they've reached a tentative deal with the province that if approved would end a 15-year battle over bargaining rights. The union issued a news release Saturday saying the two sides have agreed to restore contract language from a previous agreement that called for smaller class sizes. The federation says this means families can expect the next school year to start with thousands more teachers and the restoration of services such as school libraries and counselling. The announcement comes less than four months after a Supreme Court ruling that a law imposed by the province that blocked teachers' ability from bargaining class sizes was unconstitutional. The decision ended a 14-year legal battle over bargaining rights that started when the province imposed a settlement that blocked discussions of issues like class size. The federation's president Glen Hansman says the new agreement will mean students can expect to receive the individual care and attention they deserve. Union members will be voting on whether to accept the agreement next week. In January, the province announced it would provide $50 million to hire 1,100 new teachers while negotiations over the agreement continued. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... Not always that easy to tell who's worse, Crist (D) or Rohrabacher (R) Yesterday the House passed ( 246-176 ) a cockamamie bill by Tim Wahlberg (R-MI) called the Regulatory Integrity Act, the purpose of which is to prevent the public from finding out what rules are being worked on by federal agencies to protect the public. The only Republican to vote against it was Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), while 15 Democrats joined the rest of the GOP in backing it, primarily the regular suspects from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, like Kyrsten Sinema (Blue Dog-AZ), Lou Correa (Blue Dog-CA), Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX), Josh Gottheimer (Blue Dog-NJ), Stephanie Murphy (Blue Dog-FL), Jim Cooper (Blue Dog-TN), Tom O'Halleran (Blue Dog-AZ)... you know the names, all the worst congressional garbage who consistently vote for the Republican agenda. (Oops, I almost left off Charlie Crist, but he voted for it too, of course.) In fact, ole Charlie-- like Tom O'Halleran-- was a Republican who found it politically expedient to switch to an independent and then even more expedient to switch to a Democrat just before an election. Charlie eventually (this past November) won a Pinellas County, Florida congressional seat and O'Halleran won an unlikely open seat in Arizona, having lucked into a race with a somewhat scandal-ridden and crazy gay Republican opponent. Both Crist and O'Halleran have reverted to their Republican instincts and are reliable votes for the Ryan/McCarthy agenda pretty much across the board. As are the other fake Democrats mentioned above. O'Halleran, in fact, is one of the last House Democrats with ProgressivePunch crucial vote scores of... ZERO. (Hey, even Louie Gohmert has a better score-- 16.67!) But O'Halleran is down in the sewer with the worst of the worst-- the zeroes-- like Sinema, Cuellar, Cooper, Collin Peterson, Ami Bera, Dan Lipinski, John Delaney. What do we even need Republicans for with Democrats like these? (And Delaney wants to run against Ben Jealous for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Maryland!) Anyway, back to Rohrabacher for a minute. Like I mentioned, he was the only Republican to vote with the Democrats yesterday against that Regulatory Integrity Act, a total coincidence. Coincidental to what, you may be wondering? When I started writing this post, hours and hours ago, it was going to be about the race to beat Rohrabacher in CA-48, a northwest Orange County district that Trump lost and is, suddenly, being targeted by the DCCC. CA-48 starts up at Seal Beach and runs down through Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel and ends at Three Arch Bay where Darrell Issa's district begins. It's the 31st richest congressional district in the country. It's about 58% white, 21% Hispanic and 18% Asian. Rohrabacher was first elected in 1988 and has never once been challenged by the DCCC, which has given him 14 free passes. You can may recall that in 2008 Blue America backed Huntington Beach mayor Debbie Cook, who came closer than anyone to ever beating him, but was undercut by the DCCC and lost 53-43%. It's a pretty red district and the national Democrats have abandoned it entirely and done ZERO work to try to turn it blue. In 2008 McCain beat Obama 51-46% and in 2012 Romney won 55-43%. But last year, voters found Trump too offensive to support, so while Rohrabacher, an outspoken Trump and Putin enthusiast , was reelected 165,987 (58.5%) to 117,716 (41.5%%) against completely un-funded Democrat, Sue Savary, Hillary inched by Trump 47.9% to 46.2%. lose CA-48 for Rohrabacher... but not because of anything the DCCC does. So far there are 2 candidates who have declared-- might have been a different Boyd Roberts-- and Rouda gave just one contribution to a federal candidate ever-- $1,000 on January 31, 2016, not to Hillary Clinton or to Kamala Harris or Sue Savary, but to... John Kasich. So now the DCCC thinks they can jump in and win the rich, white Republican (11 point registration advantage) district in one cycle with no setup. What a joke! Maybe Trump and Ryan will be toxic enough toCA-48 for Rohrabacher... but not because of anything the DCCC does. So far there are 2 candidates who have declared-- Boyd Roberts , a real estate broker who moved to Laguna Beach from the Inland Empire last year, and Harley Rouda , also a real estate guy (a big one) who lives in Emerald Bay. I checked their records of political contributions and neither was active in that area. Roberts donated a couple times to the Tea Party Express in 2011-- although ithave been a different Boyd Roberts-- and Rouda gave just one contribution to a federal candidate ever-- $1,000 on January 31, 2016, not to Hillary Clinton or to Kamala Harris or Sue Savary, but to... John Kasich. I haven't spoken to Roberts yet but the stuff I'm reading hasn't inspired me to find his number and call him. I guess I should. I did speak to Rouda though, a couple of hours after he declared yesterday. Very nice guy-- former Republican who turned independent and more recently, registered as a Democrat. The worst of the let's-turn-Congress-Republican-lite DCCC staffers, Kyle Layman (former chief of staff for conservaDem Raul Ruiz, now DCCC West Coast director), seems to have been involved with recruiting him. If the Republicans were desperate to find a way to prevent the Democrats from winning seats in California in 2018, they couldn't outdo giving Kyle Layman this job. As for Rouda, maybe I'm wrong, but if you want another Charlie Crist or Tom O'Halleran... you have your man. He didn't want to talk about any issues when I brought up Social Security and Medicare, but did tell me that he's "socially progressive and fiscally conservative." Theres a lot of turmoil in global health governance these days, and it looks like its only getting more chaotic. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is hitting the reset button in its quest to identify a new leader due to issues in the recruitment processprecisely at a moment when there are real fears about the future of funding for global health initiatives. Whats happening within the Global Fund may at first glance speak to dysfunction within that specific organization, but its better to think of the problems as emblematic of larger questions about legitimacy and the future of multilateralism under the Trump Administration. The need for a new Executive Director of the Global Fund is not a surprise. Mark Dybul, an American physician who directed PEPFAR between 2006 and 2009, has served in the role since January 2013 and announced two years ago that he would step aside when his contract ends this coming May. The Global Fund manages nearly $4 billion annually and has more than 450 active grants in more than 100 countries, so its role in global health governance is incredibly important. (UPDATE: the Global Fund named Marijke Wijnroks as interim executive director when Dybuls contract ends. Wijnroks is currently Dybuls #2 and previously served as the Netherlands Ambassador for HIV/AIDS.) In mid-February, word came out that there were three finalists for the position: Helen Clark, the former prime minister of New Zealand, former director of the United Nations Development Program, and previous candidate for UN Secretary-General; Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, a former Nigerian health minister widely praised for his efforts to combat polio; and Subhanu Saxena, the former CEO of the Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer Cipla. Over the next two weeks, concerns emerged about all three candidates. Pate came under fire for his Twitter feed. Saxena raised questions about conflicts of interest, given that Cipla holds multi-million dollar contracts to supply the Global Fund with anti-AIDS drugs. Clark withdrew her nomination after she expressed concerns about the selection process and others questioned whether her UN background with the UN would antagonize a Trump Administration skeptical about the UNs value. On February 20th, countries and organizations that receive money from the Global Fund sent a letter to the Board raising grave concerns about the candidates and the process for selecting them. Other leaders of health and development organizations said they were not wildly enthusiastic about the finalists and wondered whether the lack of a US candidate among the finalists would decrease the countrys support for the Global Fund. A week lateron the day that the Board had planned to announce who the new Executive Director would bewe got an announcement that the process would be reopened. What exactly that new process will look like is entirely unclear at this point. The Global Funds process for selecting a new Executive Director is odd for at least two big reasons. First, even though the organization had long known that Dybul had announced his intention to return to his position at the ONeill Institute for National and International Law at Georgetown University, it did not begin its process until this past November. That did not give them a lot of wiggle room for identifying, selecting, and inaugurating a new leader for such an important global health institution, and instead led to a rushed process. Second, and even more curious, at a time when multilateral institutions are increasingly moving toward more open and transparent processes for selecting their leaders, the Global Fund opted for something more opaque. It created a committee of 9 current and former Board members and hired an executive search committee to recommend no more than four finalists to the Board, which would then vote during a retreat in late February. This is a process similar to the one used to hire Dybul. There was no plan for any public element to the process or transparency in the voting processsomething that grant recipients have called for. This private process is directly the opposite of what the World Health Organization is using to identify its next Director-General. As Ive written about on here previously, WHO is using a highly public process with candidates openly campaigning and states casting public ballots. This is part of a larger effort to re-establish WHOs legitimacy and credibility in the wake of its inadequate response to Ebola. It also provides a degree of public influence on the processes. In the Global Funds case, the only reason we even know who the finalists were is that the information was leaked to the New York Times. This does not suggest that transparency is high on the Global Funds list of priorities and works against the organizations ability to demonstrate that it remains a demand-driven body that emphasizes country ownership over projects. Then again, the Global Fund is not structured like other international organizations. Its a conduit for funding from public and private sources, not a traditional membership organization. That fact raises the question of to whom it should be accountablethose who fund it, or those who receive the funds from it? At the same time, the Global Fund is trying to navigate the uncertain terrain of multilateralism with Trumps election. The new US administration has adopted an America First foreign policy, which may leave international organizations severely weakened. The United States is the largest donor to the Global Fund, and losing its support (and $4.3 billion pledged over the next three years) would seriously imperil the organizations operations. Is it a mark of political savvy or political cowardice to shun candidates who may not be in line with Trumps foreign policy? Nothing has come out so far to suggest that the United States directly influenced the selection process; rather, its a case of candidates being questioned because of their potential for upsetting the American administration. The first effort to find a new leader of the Global Fund failed, so theres only one answer moving forward: a Eurovision-style contest complete with formulaic songs, costume changes, and back-up dancers. You want to lead one of the largest funders of infectious disease programs in the world? You better make sure you can sing. In his recent speech to a joint session of Congress, President Donald Trump laid out his vision for protecting the United States from terrorist attack and defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS: Our obligation, is to serve, protect, and defend the citizens of the United States. We are also taking strong measures to protect our nation from radical Islamic terrorism. The vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 have come to the United States from outside the country. In order to guard against this reality, President Trump said he is proposing improved vetting measures in order to keep out those who would do Americans harm: It is not compassionate, but reckless, to allow uncontrolled entry from places where proper vetting cannot occur. Those given the high honor of admission to the United States should support this country and love its people and its values. We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America -- we cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists. ISIS also poses a threat to American friends and allies. In order to defeat that threat, President Trump directed the Department of Defense to develop a plan to demolish and destroy the radical Islamic terrorist organization. ISIS, said President Trump comprises a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women, and children of all faiths and beliefs. We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet, he said. President Trump has also imposed new sanctions on entities and individuals who support Iran's ballistic missile program, and reaffirmed the United States unbreakable alliance with the State of Israel. Going forward, said President Trump, American leadership, will be based on vital security interests that we share with our allies across the globe. Chino, CA (91710) Today Partly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low near 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low near 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Uber has had a rough few weeks, capped by a report Friday that the company has taken extraordinary measures to evade government regulators. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) Uber, the ride-hailing service that has become one of the tech industry's most emulated companies, has smashed into a painful wall of reality in recent weeks, capped by a report Friday that the company has taken extraordinary measures to evade government officials in areas where the service was restricted or banned. The revelation, which Uber did not dispute in a statement, follows high-profile allegations of sexual harassment, questions about customer privacy and a "#deleteUber" campaign on Twitter, sparked by accusations that the company was not respecting a driver strike at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City in January. Advertisement The company, based in San Francisco, was founded in 2009 and operates in hundreds of cities in dozens of nations, though many city governments in the United States and elsewhere have banned it. After a video emerged this week of Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick arguing with an Uber driver over pay rates, Kalanick issued a public apology and announced that he was seeking help managing the company. Advertisement Friday's twist came from a story in The New York Times about how Uber worked to identify and defeat government officials in a yearslong game of cat and mouse that spanned several nations. Uber mined customer geolocation data, credit-card information, app-usage habits and even social-media profiles to identify those working for city governments or driving for rival ride-hailing services. The series of problems is all the more striking because of Uber's long-running status as a proudly disruptive Silicon Valley darling to the point that a remarkable range of businesses offering everything from baby-sitting to lunch delivery to massages got described as "the Uber of" whatever market they were targeting. Business schools, meanwhile, studied the future of the "sharing economy" that Uber seemed poised to lead. "This is a really bad month. The number and kind of problems they have is an unusual array of bad luck and bad behavior combined," said Paul Argenti, professor of corporate communication at Dartmouth University's Tuck School of Business. Though he and other experts suggested the company could recover its momentum with better management, "Ultimately, your reputation is a complex thing," he said. "There has to be a lot of bad stuff going on for this to make a difference. I still think they're not there." Even in cutthroat Silicon Valley, the company is known for its aggressive, win-at-all-costs culture. Uber also has gradually pushed into other businesses, such as food delivery, while pioneering research into driverless cars. Though not publicly traded, the company is estimated to be worth at least $60 billion. But like many fast-growing tech companies, Uber has long had a contentious relationship with government officials, especially in the cities where it thrived, by upending the heavily regulated world of taxi services, whose incumbent companies and drivers complained that Uber sidestepped regulations. Uber's insistence that its drivers, no matter how many hours they worked, were contractors rather than employees proved controversial even as it saved the company from paying costly benefits. "Uber is so visible, and the question is how Uber can come back from this from the cultural and recruiting perspectives let alone ever be seen as a moral industry leader," said Chris Messina, a former Uber and Google executive who left the ride-sharing company in January. Uber used a tool, code-named Greyball, in 2014 to identify Portland, Ore., officials who posed as regular customers to request rides to gather evidence that the company was operating illegally in the city, according to the Times report. But rather than procuring a driver for the "customer," the service showed officials fake versions of the Uber app, complete with fake drivers. Any real ones who did respond to the requests for rides would quickly cancel, sometimes after direct intervention from Uber officials to drivers, allowing the service to avoid detection in a city where it was banned. "This program denies ride requests to fraudulent users who are violating our terms of service, whether that's people aiming to physically harm drivers, competitors looking to disrupt our operations, or opponents who collude with officials on secret 'stings' meant to entrap drivers," Uber said Friday in a statement. Advertisement Greyball reportedly began as a tool to flag abusive riders in countries where violence against Uber drivers was happening, sometimes incited by rival taxi services. But the company eventually discovered that it could help identify government officials who were scrutinizing the company, the Times reported. To determine if a user might be a government investigator, Uber reportedly looked at roughly a dozen factors, such as whether the user spends a lot of time around government offices and frequently activates the app near those buildings. The tool is still being used today, according to the Times. Uber had the ability to tag suspicious users with coding that led to special treatment afterward. Greyball also has been used to prevent taxi drivers from tracking the locations of Uber drivers. This practice was approved by Uber's lawyers, according to the Times. This is not the first time Uber has covertly taken aim at rivals. News reports in 2014 described how the company had engaged in corporate warfare with its U.S.-based competitor, Lyft, by secretly poaching drivers and sending bogus ride requests to drivers. Uber has also run grass-roots organizing campaigns designed to influence state legislatures. In other cases, Uber executives have suggested digging up opposition research on journalists. Revelations about another information-gathering tool, called God View, sparked controversy in 2014 when news reports said it allowed Uber to track the location of users in ways they did not expect. In Portland, officials sought to gather evidence for Uber's illegal operations by having the authorities request rides on the app. But having been flagged by Greyball, law enforcement officials were left hanging as the fake version of the app failed to get them any rides. In 2015, the city began to allow Uber to operate legally in the city. Security analysts said that with the amount of personal information freely available on the web, it is almost inevitable that a company such as Uber would move to exploit it. Uber has also gathered data on drivers' habits, such as how quickly they brake or cut corners. "Greyballing is an acceptable business risk in the poorly governed realm of cyberspace," said Kenneth Geers, a former analyst at the National Security Agency and a senior research scientist at Comodo, a global cybersecurity firm. Advertisement Now that policymakers are aware of Greyball, other analysts say, they could take steps to make the tool illegal forcing Uber to adapt again in its push to expand into new markets. The Washington Post's Hayley Tsukayama and Elizabeth Dwoskin contributed. Federal law enforcement agents enter the headquarters of Caterpillar in Peoria, Ill., on March 2, 2017, after a search warrant was executed at three Caterpillar facilities in central Illinois. (David Zalaznik / Journal Star via AP) A day after federal authorities raided Caterpillar's headquarters, surprising executives, agents were concluding an on-site investigation Friday, and the heavy machine-maker's share price hadn't fully recovered. Nevertheless, experts say the Caterpillar brand will likely emerge largely unscathed. Advertisement Authorities from three agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, descended on three of the Peoria-based company's facilities Thursday morning to gather information tied to a parts subsidiary based in Switzerland and other records. That subsidiary has drawn scrutiny for eight years, sparking a whistleblower suit, a Senate investigation, shareholder lawsuits, and billions of dollars in proposed taxes and penalties that Caterpillar continues to fight. But besides snagging national headlines and causing a slight dip in its share price, the raid seems to have had little immediate impact on the company's reputation. Advertisement "They're a strong company with an iconic brand, and this doesn't change," said Harlan Loeb, global chair of public relations firm Edelman's crisis and reputation practice. CEO Jim Umpleby told employees in a memo sent Thursday that he was not expecting federal agents at the company's doors. "We were surprised by today's actions primarily because we have been so cooperative with the authorities in this investigation," he wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Tribune. "We have acted in good faith and as a good corporate citizen. That will not change." A raid like the one conducted at Caterpillar is uncommon, said Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor now a partner at law firm Thompson Coburn's Chicago office. Such actions are inefficient for the government agencies and messy for the company involved, and large corporations tend to comply with investigations, said Mariotti, who is not involved in the investigation. There are two reasons why federal agents might seek a search warrant: if the agency does not believe it will receive the records if it sends a subpoena or if it believes the records could be destroyed or disappear, he said. A sealed search warrant leaked to the media said it sought documents relating to its Swiss affiliate, exports and sales outside the U.S. In 2014, a Senate investigation found the company had used the Swiss affiliate, Caterpillar SARL, or CSARL, to take advantage of a corporate tax rate it negotiated and avoided paying at least $2.4 billion in U.S. taxes. The IRS proposed to tax, in the U.S., profits earned from CSARL and impose a penalty, which together amounted to $2 billion. In its most recent annual report, filed last month, the company said it will continue to fight that sum. Advertisement Despite media attention on previous investigations and mentions in annual reports, it can be hard to see the warning signs for something like this, said Keith Schoonmaker, a Morningstar analyst who follows the company. "Companies disclose risk like pharmaceutical products disclose side effects," he said. "When you look at the filing, they're sort of going to list everything that could possibly go wrong." Morningstar decreased its fair value estimate for Caterpillar to $64 a share, from $67 a share, Friday. Steve Settingsgaard, head of North American security for Caterpillar Inc., walks past the entrance to the company's world headquarters on March 2, 2017, in Peoria, Ill. (Matt Dayhoff / AP) Shares closed at $94.36 Thursday, down 4.28 percent. Friday, shares closed at $95.12. Being "a good corporate citizen," as Umpleby put it, could help bolster the company's reputation, said Ron Culp, a veteran corporate communications consultant and instructor at DePaul University. "As a result of investing and doing things right for so many years, even if something was done that might be against the law, they're still going to be given the benefit of the doubt," Culp said. "They really have banked a lot of goodwill." Advertisement Shortly after Caterpillar announced its plans to relocate its headquarters and 300 employees to the Chicago area in January, suburbs began rolling out the welcome mats for the company. For example, DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin sent a letter to Umpleby touting his west suburban area, and the city of Naperville plopped toy excavators and dump trucks on City Council desks to send Caterpillar a message. Officials from DuPage and Naperville said Friday that their interest in winning the company's headquarters has not changed. Take a look at some of the equipment Caterpillar produces. The company is planning on moving its headquarters from Peoria to the Chicago area. (Phil Geib/Chicago Tribune) But not everyone is shrugging off the raid. At least two lawsuits have been filed against the company, alleging Caterpillar and its executives misled shareholders. The raid also comes as the Trump administration has promised tighter scrutiny on companies' import and export practices. Thursday's searches also included agents from the U.S. Commerce Department's Office of Export Enforcement. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed on CNBC on Friday that the raid was part of an ongoing investigation. Advertisement "We're going to be even stricter on enforcement, particularly on inbound goods that shouldn't be," Ross said. amarotti@chicagotribune.com Twitter @AllyMarotti Escarole becomes a hearty dish when cooked with prosciutto and hot pickled peppers, then topped with Parm and breadcrumbs. Food styling by Joan Moravek. (Bill Hogan, Chicago Tribune) The melting pot, once a staple of the social-studies classroom, has been retired. And a good thing too. Our regional cuisines, stewed together, would yield a mess. Better to dine at the Great Smorgasbord. To wit: Utica greens. Advertisement Menus in Utica, N.Y., and nearby Ithaca and Syracuse are dominated, not, as their names might suggest, by classical Greco-Roman recipes chiseled in stone, but by a local version of Italian-American comfort food. Three dishes dominate: chicken riggies (chicken and rigatoni in a tomato cream sauce), tomato pie (like pizza, with the sauce on top) and Utica greens. The green in question is escarole, cousin to Belgian endive, which looks something like lettuce and tastes something like radish. The escarole is cut down, blanched tender and tossed with prosciutto, peppers and Parmesan. Delightful. Delicious. And well worth a detour. Advertisement Crave more Leah? Find all your favorite stories and recipes in Leah Eskin's memoir, "Slices of Life: A Food Writer Cooks Through Many a Conundrum." Available wherever books are sold. leahreskin@aol.com Utica greens Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 30 minutes Makes: 4 servings 2 large heads escarole Advertisement 1 quart chicken broth 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 pickled hot cherry peppers (no need to seed), or other pickled peppers, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped Advertisement Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cup toasted breadcrumbs 1. Wash: Roughly chop escarole, discarding tough flat bottom. Toss into the salad spinner; soak and drain twice (escarole can be gritty). 2. Boil: Heap escarole into a big pot. Set aside cup chicken broth. Pour the rest of the broth over escarole. Add enough water (about 2 quarts) to barely cover the greens. Bring to a boil; lower heat a little, cover and cook until dark green and tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Cool under cold running water. Advertisement 3. Soften: In a wide skillet, heat butter and oil over medium. Toss in onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add peppers and cook until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Scrape in garlic; cook another 30 seconds. Add greens and reserved cup broth. Increase heat; cook, stirring, until greens are hot and sauce thickens a bit, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Toast: Stir in prosciutto. Heap greens into a shallow heatproof casserole. Sprinkle on cheese. Spread breadcrumbs over cheese. Slide under the broiler just until crisp, about 1 minute. Provenance: Inspired by Francesca's Cucina in Syracuse, N.Y., with a little help from feelingfoodish.com. In this image released by FX, Matthew Rhys, left, and Keri Russell appear in a scene from "The Americans." (Craig Blankenhorn / FX via AP) Before the Democrats hang Attorney General Jeff Sessions from the yardarm as a Russian spy, will they at least have the decency to treat him with some respect? Sessions isn't a tall man. In fact, he's a rather short fellow, with short legs. Yet Democratic leaders U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Charles Schumer seem determined to hang him high. Advertisement Sessions is only 5-foot-7, about as tall as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. And as Democrats push their Russians-under-every-bed scenario, which will no doubt lead to the public taking of loyalty oaths, and all of us denying we've ever knowingly eaten borscht or touched a beetroot, Pelosi and Schumer should realize something: Advertisement A yardarm is just too high for a gentleman like Sessions with his stumpy legs. It's undignified. Have you no sense of decency, Pelosi and Schumer, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency? Of course, decency has nothing to do with the Democratic Party's Russians-under-the-beds drama or their Manchurian Candidate in the White House scenario. And for weeks now, it's been Russians everywhere. Russians in the pantry, Russians in the guest closet, Russians in the garage, the evergreens, behind the water heater, Russians, Russians everywhere. If we don't stop this right now, the Russians may feel bold enough to insolently munch Krispy Kreme doughnuts with Senate Democrats in public. And smirk while they chew. For all the talk about national security and Russian baiting and whether Sessions lied in his Senate testimony, most Americans know this for what it is. Politics. And politics is not decent. Yet, if there is a sense of decency left, the hunt for the Russians will take a time out on Tuesday so Americans can watch the premiere of a new season of "The Americans" on FX. Even a war with Russia could wait a few more days, can't it? I'm sure Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham could wait that long before we start a shooting war with Vlad, no? Just a few days, until everyone can binge-watch the last several seasons and catch up. Advertisement Then start the war. But don't ruin the TV show. "The Americans" begins its fifth season. The Washington Post, a leading authority on espionage dramas lately, says the program about a Russian sleeper cell spy family is still the best show on TV. Who wouldn't like a soap opera about Soviet-born spies, trained to fit in and act as Americans, living in a suburb of Washington, D.C. at the end of the Cold War? Remember the Cold War? No? Of course not. No one wants to remember the Cold War now. Yet for those who do want to remember, think of it as strange time, when Republicans hated the Russians, and Democrats loathed the CIA. It was a time when liberal pundits hated witch hunts where the loyalty of Americans could be questioned. And they hated it when Democrats who sided with Soviet client states in the Western Hemisphere were regularly denounced as "a bunch of commies." Advertisement Things change. "The Americans" is a guilty pleasure, yes, but Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as Elizabeth and Philip Jennings do an excellent job as the boring suburbanites with license to kill for the Kremlin. And Russell gets to wear '80s clothes and change her hairstyle every 30 seconds, and there are commercials, but that's what a DVR is for. Yes they murder people and wear disguises and steal our nation's secrets. But not for fun. They're professionals. And travel agents. And, yes, they occasionally use sex to lure American fools into their Soviet spy webs, compromise them, turn them and ruin their lives. And the best the fools can expect is to live in some cinder block hut in Russia and wait for a bullet. But these "Americans" have morals. They didn't spill the stolen bio-weapons in Alexandria and kill thousands, if not millions. They're decent, caring parents who take their children to Disney World. Also, they stay awake at night sometimes, just the two of them, Elizabeth and Philip whispering, arguing quietly, worrying about their kids just like real American parents who aren't spies or Republican puppets of spymasters like Vladimir Putin. Advertisement Elizabeth and Philip have also been quite patient with their teen-age drama queen, Paige, who might become a master Russian spy or maybe a fundamentalist Christian minister if she would only stop complaining that no one ever listens to her. That Paige. She seems difficult. But she has the talent necessary for spies or reporters: empathy. And that makes her dangerous. The show's creator, Joe Weisberg son of the late Chicago City Hall queen of culture Lois Weisberg knows that the current Washington storyline about the Trump administration and the Russians helps his show. "There's something, in a twisted way, that's kind of fun about seeing all this stuff in the headlines that we're trafficking in all the time," Weisberg was quoted as saying at a Television Critics Association panel. "On the other hand, as you all recall, when we sat here many years ago, the initial idea of the show was really to say, 'Hey look, these people who we think of as enemies are really just like us.' And that was at a more peaceful time in U.S.-Russia relations. "To see things spiral so out of control, frankly, just doesn't feel so good." It feels good to some people. The Russians must love this. Advertisement Listen to "The Chicago Way" podcast -- with John Kass and Jeff Carlin -- at http://wgnradio.com/category/wgn-plus/category/thechicagoway. jskass@chicagotribune.com Twitter @John_Kass An Illinois Department of Corrections van carrying Drew Peterson arrives at the Randolph County Courthouse in Chester, Ill., on May 23, 2016. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) Drew Peterson once described his daily existence inside Menard Correctional Center in downstate Illinois as "a living hell." The maximum-security prison was so unbearable, Peterson told a judge last summer, that he contemplated suicide as his only way out. Advertisement The convicted killer, though, just got a new address. Without warning or explanation, Illinois corrections officials transferred him late last month to an all-male federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind. More than a week later, even his longtime attorney said he doesn't know the reason behind the transfer, but he isn't too concerned. Advertisement "I have confirmed that the move is not a sign of future charges and not in response to any wrongdoing, real or imagined, on Drew's part," defense attorney Steven Greenberg said. He has not yet spoken directly to his infamous client, but Greenberg said he suspects Peterson is probably better off in the federal facility, which is far less crowded and has more resources. "Club Fed," said the attorney, referring to the federal prison system's occasional nickname, "is a whole lot better than Menard." Neither the U.S. Bureau of Prisons nor the Illinois Department of Corrections, citing safety, security, and privacy concerns, will explain the move. It's not that uncommon, experts say. There are about 200 inmates from states across the country who are housed in the federal system as part of similar interstate compact agreements, according to federal prison officials. Still, the location of Peterson's transfer and timing seven months after he was sentenced for trying while at Menard to have Will County's top prosecutor killed has some experts wondering. The Terre Haute correctional campus includes one of only two prison administrative housing units across the country reserved for inmates whose words are considered so dangerous, so menacing, that every phone call, visitor, letter and email requires tighter controls and constant monitoring. The communications management units opened in federal prisons in Terre Haute and Marion, Ill., in 2006 and 2008, respectively, to keep a closer watch on those convicted of terrorism-related offenses. But federal inmates also may be designated there for violating communications privileges while harassing victims, judges and prosecutors. Those housed in the unit have limited access to the outside world. For example, visits are "non-contact" only through a glass wall. "The reason why he's probably going there is he plotted to murder a prosecutor," said Patrick Boyce, a former New York stockbroker who founded Federal Prison Alternatives in Columbus, Ohio, after serving a short federal prison term for conspiracy to commit fraud. "The state facility obviously didn't have the ability to monitor his communications the way (federal authorities) can." If inmates are assigned to the communications management unit, "it's usually because you have done something to earn it," said John Webster, a former attorney who served a stint in federal prison and later started the Nashville, Tenn.-based National Prison and Sentencing Consultants. Based on the limited information he's received so far, Greenberg said he doubts Peterson will be placed in the communications management unit. As of Friday, federal prison officials said Peterson was next door in a high-security prison. Advertisement The Terre Haute complex is sprawled across 1,200 acres in Indiana, about three hours south of Chicago, and includes three buildings that house inmates with a combined population less than Menard. The complex also has a medium-security federal correctional institute and a nearby minimum-security camp that has housed several high-profile offenders, including former Illinois Gov. George Ryan and former Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak. Federal prison officials would not confirm in which building the communications management unit operates, but civil rights attorneys who have sued to improve the due process and other constitutional rights of those inmates and a former federal prisoner once housed there said the unit is in the medium-security facility next to where Peterson currently is listed. Peterson began serving his original 38-year sentence in 2013 for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Her 2004 bathtub drowning initially was ruled an accident, but after the October 2007 disappearance of Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, authorities exhumed Savio's body and ruled her death a homicide. Stacy Peterson remains missing, and the Illinois State Police long ago named Drew Peterson a suspect in her disappearance. Then, late last July, a judge in downstate Randolph County sentenced Peterson to serve an additional 40 years in prison for trying to hire a hit man while incarcerated at Menard to kill Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, whom Peterson has accused of railroading him in the Savio case. Glasgow, through a spokesman, declined to comment when asked if he pushed for the transfer. But he urged the judge in the solicitation case last summer to mete out a tough punishment. "It's critical that a message be sent that this will never be (allowed) in Illinois," Glasgow said at the time. Advertisement Peterson, 63, is eligible for parole in 2081. He denied intending to have Glasgow killed and, instead, portrayed it as a ruse to help a fellow Menard inmate get time cut off his sentence by giving him a story to use as leverage with authorities. Peterson said he was suicidal at the time and described Menard as "the third-worst prison in the country." "I'm sure there are worst places," he said, "but for a guy who lived high and worked hard, it's a living hell." Kathleen Savio's stepmother, Marcia, said the family learned about Peterson's recent transfer while watching television news. She has no sympathy for Peterson, even if he ends up with few ties to the outside world. "You know what, I don't have any pity for him," she said. "We're not going to be doing any violin playing for him over here. If he's miserable now, he deserves that and more. He did what he did and now he has to pay the price." Cassandra Cales, whose sister, Stacy, still is missing, learned of Peterson's move from media reports as well. Advertisement "It's sad that everything I find out is through the media. You think they would call me." She continued, "Do I care (where Drew Peterson serves time)? No. But, it piques my curiosity. I want him to suffer. But, he's not really my focus. My focus is my sister and bringing her home." At Menard, the second-oldest Illinois prison and most populated, Peterson was among more than 3,200 male inmates, more than half of whom had been convicted of murder and were serving life sentences. A massive compound of stone and brick about 50 miles southeast of St. Louis, the prison opened in 1878 and is known for its poor ventilation, pest-control issues and sanitation problems. Jennifer Vollen-Katz, executive director of the John Howard Association of Illinois, said of the more than 3,000 complaints the prison watchdog group received last year from state inmates, those at Menard were the most vocal. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "Living hell, to me, doesn't seem to be an unfair description," she said. Even if the former Bolingbrook police sergeant doesn't end up in the communications management unit, his life in federal custody will be tightly controlled, the experts agreed. Peterson will wear prison-issued khaki pants, a khaki button-up shirt and prison-issued gym shoes. If medically able, Peterson will be expected to work during the day, with potential jobs ranging from cooking food in the kitchen to sweeping floors. Advertisement And, though experts say federal facilities are typically better funded and staffed than state prisons, Webster disputes the "Club Fed" myth. "There are no (federal prison) country clubs any more," he said, especially regarding Terre Haute. "It's a terrible place. It's a maximum security facility, lots of gangs and lots of violence. I really can't think of a worse place for anyone to go within the federal system. It's about as horrible as a federal prison can be." Kate Thayer and Matthew Walberg contributed. cmgutowski@chicagotribune.com Twitter @christygutowsk1 Garrett Glover, who is awaiting trial on murder charges in a Chicago slaying and was erroneously released from state custody, was arrested outside Atlanta late onMarch 3, 2017. (Cook County sheriff's office) The murder suspect whose erroneous release from state custody sparked finger-pointing between law enforcement agencies was arrested in Georgia late Friday, Cook County officials said. Authorities found Garrett Glover asleep on the floor of a suburban Atlanta apartment believed to belong to a relatives girlfriend, according to a news release from the Cook County sheriffs office. He was arrested and will be extradited to Cook County. Glover is awaiting trial in the Sept. 5, 2012, fatal shooting of Larry Porter, 25, near 87th Street on the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago. In addition, on Feb. 23, he was sentenced to four years in prison in a 2014 attempted armed robbery case from Country Club Hills. Under the state's truth in sentencing laws, he was due to serve two years but had already spent more time than that in jail, so he would be released on parole if there were no active warrants or other charges pending, officials said. When Glover recently was taken by sheriff's officers to IDOC's processing center near Stateville Correctional Center outside Joliet, the officers did not have any paperwork indicating he was being held in lieu of $2 million bail for a 2012 murder, IDOC spokeswoman Nicole Wilson said earlier this week. Neither was he on a list that officers brought listing turnarounds defendants who have already served all or more of the time they were sentenced. So IDOC staff reviewed the handwritten mittimus indicating Glover had been sentenced to two years and then checked a law enforcement database to see if he had any active warrants before releasing him on parole. "By law we have no authority to hold him," Wilson said, referring to the staffers' belief that no other charges were pending. The mistake wasn't caught until Monday, when a prosecutor discovered he'd been freed, officials said. That discovery prompted a dayslong manhunt involving sheriffs office personnel and U.S. Marshals Service teams in both Illinois and Georgia, according ot the news release. Kia Walker, Tommy Schaefer's mother, speaks to the media regarding her son and also her granddaughter, Stella, at O'Hare International Airport Terminal 5 in Chicago on Nov. 3, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Two weeks before a little girl is set to leave her parents' custody in the Bali prison where she has lived since birth, the child's paternal grandmother is trying to beat the clock halfway around the world in Chicago to become legal guardian. A Cook County judge on Friday denied Kia Walker's emergency petition. The judge cited procedural issues, such as whether proper legal notice had been given to the imprisoned parents and the need for a standard child welfare background check of the grandmother, both of which are required before the request could be considered. The more difficult legal hurdle, though, may be distance. Advertisement "How am I supposed to have jurisdiction over a child in Bali?" Judge Susan Kennedy Sullivan said. Walker, of River Forest, argues it is in the best interest of the toddler, named Stella, that the grandmother be allowed to bring her to the U.S. and raise her. The child was born in Indonesia on March 17, 2015, as her parents, Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer, faced charges in the slaying of Mack's mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, whose battered body was discovered in a suitcase outside a luxury Bali resort during an August 2014 vacation. Advertisement The former couple later were convicted and sentenced to prison, but Indonesian custom allows them to care for their daughter behind bars until she turns 2. Stella, 2, daughter of Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer, who were convicted of killing Macks mother in Bali, is due to leave her parents' custody in two weeks. Schaefer's mother, Kia Walker, was denied an emergency custody petition. March 3, 2017. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune) Just hours before Walker appeared Friday in the Richard J. Daley Center in downtown Chicago, another judge in the building's chancery division who presides over a $1.56 million trust the slain woman left for Mack also had Stella's welfare on his mind. A lawyer who Judge Neil Cohen appointed to serve on the child's behalf said Mack has made plans for Stella to stay with an Australian couple who live near the Bali prison and who long have been involved in the child's life. Mack, 21, wants her daughter to remain in Bali so that she may see her regularly while serving a 10-year prison sentence. But the girl's father, Schaefer, wants his mother to have guardianship, according to attorney Michael Goldberg, who represents Walker. The grandmother has had regular contact with her imprisoned son and has visited him and the child in prison. Schaefer has indicated he wants his daughter to be raised by Walker in the U.S. Goldberg said Schaefer also has reached out to the U.S. Consulate in Indonesia for assistance. Although Stella was born in Indonesia, Goldberg argues she is a U.S. citizen through acquisition because both her parents are U.S. citizens and resided here before traveling abroad on a tourist visa. Indonesian law says a child born there to non-Indonesian parents would not automatically be considered an Indonesian citizen, the lawyer said. "We're trying to stop that," Goldberg said of Mack's plans for Stella. "Our position is, this is an American citizen with American parents, and we have a grandparent here in the United States petitioning for guardianship." Heather Mack, with her baby, Stella, has cared for her daughter since she gave birth to her in March 2015 while behind bars in Bali. She is serving a 10-year sentence for her mother's murder. (Courtesy of attorney Michael Elkin) Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Von Wiese-Mack, 62, named her brother to serve as trustee of the $1.56 million fund shortly before her death. He argues his niece should not be permitted to profit financially from her crime under Illinois' slayer statute, which states that a person who unjustifiably causes the death of another person cannot receive property as a result of that death. Stella would be next in line for the money. Lawyers have been trying to hammer out a settlement with Mack in the trust matter, but their efforts have been unsuccessful. Advertisement Schaefer, 23, formerly of Oak Park, is serving an 18-year prison term. He testified during his trial that von Wiese-Mack became angry when he went to her hotel room and told her that Mack was pregnant; he said he struck her with a heavy metal fruit bowl handle after she threatened to harm the unborn baby and then began strangling him. But emails obtained by the Tribune as well as interviews with von Wiese-Mack's siblings and friends show she was aware of her daughter's pregnancy before the trip to Bali. After court Friday, Goldberg said they'll be back before the probate judge March 14 seeking permanent guardianship on Walker's behalf. cmgutowski@chicagotribune.com Twitter @christygutowsk1 Hundreds of full-time professional and administrative staff members at Northeastern Illinois University will be required to take furlough days starting this month, school officials announced Thursday. Administrators and nonunion employees will be required to take off one unpaid day each week starting March 14. Some unions also have agreed to the furloughs following negotiations with the university. Others, including those representing some faculty and professional staff, are still in talks about how their members will participate in the spending cuts. Advertisement School officials project the furloughs will save between $225,000 and $250,000 per week and affect about 1,000 employees. The decision comes as Illinois continues to operate without a budget, denying regular funding and financial aid dollars to public universities. NEIU President Sharon Hahs said the institution in Chicago's North Park neighborhood is well-situated for the rest of the 2015-16 school year, but the furlough was needed to keep operations going past the summer. Advertisement "The decisions we are forced to make are incredibly difficult and certainly painful both economically and personally," Hahs said in a statement. "This is an action that we all regret having to take, but for the sake of our students and Northeastern, it is a necessary one to assure fall semester." Eastern Illinois University leaders said a similar move is imminent for the Charleston-based campus. EIU President David M. Glassman wrote in February the school would have to lay off about 200 civil service employees and require furloughs until June for administrative and professional employees if the state budget was not implemented by March 10. cdrhodes@tribpub.com Twitter @rhodes_dawn Hundreds of people in favor of transgender rights rally at Trump Tower in Chicago on Friday, March 3, 2017. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) About 1,000 protesters met across the river from Trump Tower late Friday to rally in defense of transgender rights and against what they called President Donald Trump's "heinous" actions. Protesters ranged from a mother holding a sign declaring she has gay, transgender and straight children who she loves, to young activists packed tightly into the space from the river to the sidewalk. The group chanted to start, switching off between numerous refrains including "Trans lives matter," "Protect trans youth," and "We're here, we're genderqueer, we're fabulous, don't (expletive) with us." Advertisement Stephanie Skora, an organizer with the Trans Liberation Collective, read a statement emphasizing "the need to keep trans voices at the front and center of all conversations about liberation." In a reference to the Trump administration's rescinding of an Obama directive granting public school students transgender protections, Skora said the organizers "decry the heinous actions of the presidential administration in targeting trans students, who are some of the most vulnerable members of our community." Advertisement "Here in Chicago, this direct attack on our trans siblings will not go unanswered," Skora said. "We will take to the streets, and loudly, proudly, and fiercely make our voices heard as we struggle for our own liberation, and the liberation of all oppressed peoples!" Skora also called out the names of seven transgender people murdered this year, and an eighth who was killed by police: Mesha Caldwell, Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow, Jojo Striker, Jaquarrius Holland, Keke Collier, Chyna Doll Dupree, Ciara McElveen, and Sean Hake. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > After each name, the crowd shouted, "Say their name!" Organizers praised inclusion, and the Facebook event declared "We will not tolerate transphobia, transmisogyny or misogyny, homophobia, racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, classism, ableism or antisemitism!" Speakers called for an end to solitary confinement and more affordable access to transgender health care needs. Speakers also spoke in favor of cutting prisons, police and the military. Crispin Torres, who identified as a trans man and the grandson of a Mexican immigrant "who came here almost 60 years to the day today," called for better treatment. "We all demand this country do better for all of us!" he said, to cheers and applause. gpratt@chicagotribune.com Advertisement Twitter @royalpratt Jonathan Morales, a University of Illinois student from Franklin Park, died after falling off a fourth-floor balcony at this apartment complex in Champaign March 3, 2017. (Angelica LaVito / Chicago Tribune) When she heard the screams coming from the balcony next to hers Friday night, Jessica Covaci, a student at the University of Illinois in Champaign, started down the stairs. From her fourth-floor apartment on East John Street, she ran. Advertisement It was 10:30 p.m. and she'd been watching the Chicago Blackhawks-New York Islanders game with two friends at her place. Moments earlier she'd noticed two to three people on the balcony to her right one with his hand on the railing. Then, screams that someone had fallen from the balcony. The three girls bolted out the door. They took step after step, flight after flight, taking about 30 seconds to get to bottom, to the side of the man who'd fallen over the edge of the balcony next to hers. Advertisement His friends called "Jonathan" from the balcony after he fell and landed on the concrete in the complex's atrium, with grills and picnic benches. He was bleeding from his head, and he didn't respond. "It was just really, really traumatic," said Covaci, a sophomore studying special education. "I won't ever forget what I saw, you know?" Covaci remembers giving the address to someone trying to call 911, getting to the man's side and making sure someone was with him, then rushing to contact security in the lobby. She called the memory a blur. Paramedics responded and took the man to Carle Foundation Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 11:50 p.m., according to a statement from Sgt. Dennis Baltzell of the Champaign Police Department. He was later identified as Jonathan Morales, a 23-year-old communication major originally from Franklin Park, a western Chicago suburb. An autopsy was performed Saturday by Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup, and the fall initially was believed to have been an accident, police said. "Preliminary autopsy results indicate Mr. Morales died from multiple traumatic injuries he received from the fall. Toxicology tests are pending," a statement from Northup's office read. Friday was so-called Unofficial St. Patrick's Day, a tradition typically paired with alcohol. Covaci said she did not see anyone outside drinking alcohol when Morales fell. She described the gathering next door as loud but not crazy. Baltzell said Saturday night that there were five people in the apartment Friday and that they had been drinking. Advertisement "Yes, the investigation showed that he had been reportedly drinking that evening," Baltzell said. "I know he went out earlier in the day, and I'm sure he partook in some of the 'Unofficial' events." But Baltzell said even though events such as Unofficial are difficult for police at best, and prompt death investigations like Morales' at their worst, he recognizes tragedies like Friday's can happen at any time in any area with a large student population. "I'm not saying that drinking wasn't a contributing factor, but to attribute this directly to Unofficial would be difficult," he said. The balcony faces an open atrium in the center of the building that is visible from some of the hallways inside the four-story complex. Covaci said residents flooded the hallways when they heard the fall. She saw people crying and holding their heads. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "It was so traumatic," Covaci said on Saturday. "I'm still shaking." In Champaign, the "annual day of drinking" is best known simply as "Unofficial," a St. Patrick's Day celebration that was started by a local bar, according to Tribune archives. (St. Patrick's Day is March 17.) Advertisement The "Unofficial" event includes two fatal accidents in its history, according to an article reporting that U. of I. had been named the No. 1 party school for 2016 in the Princeton Review's annual list of top party schools. The article also reported that the university tries to keep the event under control, often beefing up the police presence and, in 2013, even asking parents to help them tone down the partying. "The event has a pretty nasty reputation," Baltzell added. This year, the school's newspaper, The Daily Illini, did real-time updates "for live coverage of the holiday." It noted a separate Chicago event for alumni, a "booze cruise" happening Saturday on Lake Michigan from noon to 3 p.m. Anyone with information about Friday's fatal fall is encouraged to call the Investigations Division of the Champaign Police Department at 217-351-4545. @312BreakingNews An Avondale woman who was missing since Monday has been found, police said. Ashley Dabney-Barnes, 32, was reported missing after she did not return from an appointment in the 8400 block of West Bryn Mawr Avenue, according to a news release from Chicago police. She was missing from the 3100 block of West Belmont Avenue. Police said in a release Saturday that she was found by a friend and had returned home. From Colorado's state Capitol to Trump Tower in New York and the Washington Monument, groups of hundreds of people rallied for President Donald Trump on Saturday, waving "Deplorables for Trump" signs and even carrying a life-size cutout of the president. Chelsea Thomas, an accountant from Thornton, Colorado, brought her family to the March 4 Trump rally in Denver and the life-size cardboard cutout of Trump. She said the family has taken it with them on camping trips, boat rides and a country music festival. "It's nice to be surrounded by people who share your morals and opinions," said Thomas, as her son walked back and forth across the grass with a Trump flag. Many in the crowd held American flags or wore red, white and blue and held signs with messages like "Veterans before Refugees." Police in Berkeley, California, say 10 people were arrested after Trump supporters and counter-protesters clashed during a rally that turned violent and left seven people injured. None of the injured was hospitalized. A dagger, metal pipes, bats, pieces of lumber and bricks were confiscated, police said. Six people protesting the rally in St. Paul, Minnesota, were arrested on felony riot charges after they lit fireworks inside the Minnesota State Capitol and fled, police said. About 400 people attended the event, and about 50 showed up to protest it. In Nashville, two people were arrested as protesters clashed with Trump supporters at the Tennessee Capitol. In Olympia, Washington, the state patrol says four demonstrators were arrested at a rally in support of Trump, KOMO-TV reported. Authorities did not say if the people arrested were pro-Trump or anti-Trump. The station reports that the demonstrators are accused of assaulting a police officer. Near Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach Post reported that people on both sides exchanged profanity. Trump's motorcade briefly stopped so he could wave at supporters. In Ohio, Trump supporter Margaret Howe, 57, of Pataskala, said she increasingly fears civil war. "We did not want to have something like this happen," she said, adding, "We came out today because Trump deserves to see he still has people for him. It's just all sad." A group of counter protesters gathered nearby, separated from the rally by police tape. They chanted "No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA" and held signs with messages like "Your vote was a hate crime." Hundreds gathered in rallies on both ends of Pennsylvania to show support for Trump. Supporters waved signs and flags and listened to speeches during Saturday's "Spirit of America" rally in Bensalem's Neshaminy State Park in eastern Pennsylvania's Bucks County. "They love their country and they love what Donald Trump represents, which is about making America first," organizer Jim Worthington said. In northwestern Pennsylvania, the Erie Times-News reported that about 100 people gathered at a square in downtown Erie for a similar demonstration. "We've got to get the whole country united behind this man," said Richard Brozell, 75, who along with his wife braved the mid-20s temperatures and stiff wind chill to attend In Augusta, Maine, more than 100 people turned out for the event that was supposed to last three hours, but ended early because of freezing temperatures. In Miami, supporters continued a rally while sipping espressos outside a Cuban restaurant, the Miami Herald reported. At a North Carolina rally, speakers said the dishonest media and left wing politicians were bordering on sedition in their opposition to the Republican president. Some men were seen walking through the Raleigh crowd carrying a Trump flag as well as a Confederate flag. Gathered just behind the rally was a handful of protesters, some of whom blew air horns in an attempt to disrupt the event. "We're gonna take our country back and we're gonna establish borders and have legal immigration and law and order," said Cherie Francis, of Cary, North Carolina. In Indianapolis, about 30 Trump supporters rallied at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis to denounce what they see as unfair treatment of the Republican. A local organizer, 61-year-old Patty Collins, of Indianapolis, said Trump's critics "aren't giving him a chance." Trump supporters turned out Saturday in Phoenix. Media outlets reported that several hundred people participated in the Phoenix event held on a lawn at the State Capitol. In Texas, Austin police say about 300 people rallied in support of Trump in a gathering outside the Capitol during rain. Organizer Jennifer Drabbant said there have been so many protests against Trump that she and others wanted to show there are people who support him. Scores of people have rallied in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in a show of support for Trump. The Virginian-Pilot reports around 200 Trump backers showed up Saturday for the event at a park. Some held American flags and others wore "Make America Great Again" hats and Trump T-shirts. In Lansing, Michigan, about 200 Trump supporters rallied on one side of the state Capitol while 100 critics gathered on another side. "Agree with President Trump or not, he is our president, and I think what I see happening in D.C. and with the Democrats it can't stand," said Gary Taylor, 60. ACAPULCO, Mexico A journalist was murdered in the troubled southern state of Guerrero, Mexican authorities said Friday, adding to a long list of reporter killings in what is considered one of the world's most dangerous countries for media professionals. The Guerrero state prosecutor's office said in a statement that Cecilio Pineda Birto was shot dead Thursday evening in Ciudad Altamirano while in a hammock at a car wash waiting for his car to be serviced. Prosecutors said two attackers arrived on a motorcycle and one of them fired a handgun, according to eyewitness accounts. Authorities were investigating, and there was no immediate word on whether his killing may have been related to his work. Pineda was the founder of La Voz de Tierra Caliente, collaborated with various other media outlets and also published reports via Facebook, said Carlos Lauria, senior program coordinator for the Americas at the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists, who has been working to document the case. Lauria told The Associated Press that according to a witness, Pineda was shot at least 10 times, including once in the neck and four times in the chest. Pineda was apparently receiving threats on a weekly basis, mostly through social media, according to Lauria. He added that Pineda escaped a previous attempt to kill him in September 2015 when a gunman shot at him at his home. The man who shot at him then had apparently told Pineda's wife he was there to warn him that his boss didn't like what he was writing. Shortly after, Pineda said he received a phone call from the local organized crime boss nicknamed "El Tequilero" again warning him to lay off, according to government records. One week after that attempt, a federal government unit that protects journalists had arranged for federal police to relocate Pineda and his family after judging his risk level to be "extraordinary," according to documents provided by the government. On the day of his scheduled departure, Pineda sent an email saying he was ill and unable to travel. Several more attempts were made to relocate him over the next year, but he never left. Pineda told authorities that he had mainly covered crime and local politics since 2008. He complained of receiving threats from organized crime and politicians and began leaving names out of his stories. In October 2016, officials from the unit met with Pineda again. He said he had changed homes and cars and had not received new threats. He declined to move to the government safe house because he said he would not be able to support his family. The unit decided to close his case. Two weeks later, Pineda told them one of the Tequilero's hit men had called to tell him to be careful. Pineda said he was holed up in his house afraid to leave. The unit again offered him and his family shelter outside the area, but he declined again and the case was closed. Patricia Colchero, head of the interior ministry's human rights protection unit, said her entity had not found a way to protect Pineda if he would not leave the area. "The area is very difficult and he was doing journalism calling out organized crime, calling out politicians who were tied to organized crime," Colchero said. "He received major threats." Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez Heredia called the Pineda "a model journalist" who "was very exposed" for his work reporting in a dangerous area. According to the CPJ, at least 37 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992 for motives confirmed as directly related to their work. Forty-nine more were slain during the same period in circumstances that have not yet been fully explained. "Mexico is clearly the worst, most dangerous place for journalists in the Western Hemisphere," Lauria said. "And what makes it worse is the impunity surrounding most of these cases that perpetuates a climate of violence where journalists are left wide open to attacks." Ciudad Altamirano is in one of the most conflicted parts of Guerrero, an area where heroin-producing poppy crops are grown in a region disputed by several drug gangs. Associated Press writer Jose Antonio Rivera reported from Acapulco and Peter Orsi reported from Mexico City. AP writers Maria Verza and Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed. First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia Obama watch as President Barack Obama delivers his farewell address at McCormick Place in Chicago on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) WASHINGTON When former first lady Michelle Obama walked into a District of Columbia high school classroom, the stunned students erupted in tears. One student even darted out of the classroom to regain her composure before she could sit next to her. Obama, who still lives in Washington, made a surprise visit Tuesday to Ballou STAY High School to speak with 14 students for two hours. Upon arriving, she hugged each of them before taking her seat in the circle. Advertisement "Once she came in, it was an inspirational feeling," said Alliyah Williams, 18. "She was so sweet and warm. She was like a mom." After visiting the public alternative high school in Southeast Washington, she tweeted "Always love visiting DC schools. Thank you for hosting me today @BallouSTAY. Stories of students #reachinghigher continue to inspire me." The tweet referenced the White House initiative "Reach Higher" she launched to encourage students to continue their education. Advertisement "Mrs. Obama had an emotional and heartfelt discussion with the students," Caroline Adler Morales, a spokeswoman for the former first lady, wrote in an email. "There were tears, laughs and lots of hugs." While the Obamas shared a close rapport with D.C. Public Schools, the relationship with the Trump administration has had a rocky start. Protesters greeted Education Secretary Betsy DeVos when she visited a D.C. school last month. DeVos later criticized teachers, prompting the school to send 11 tweets defending itself. The previous White House occupants are still D.C. residents, renting a house in the Kalorama neighborhood at least while their youngest daughter finishes high school. Ballou STAY principal Cara Fuller said she learned of the visit an hour before, although the students didn't know until Obama walked in. Students had been expecting a discussion with new D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson, so Fuller had selected the students to participate. Fuller said the students ranged in age from 16 to 23. Four have children, some live in shelters, and others had been expelled from previous schools. "I think she really just wanted a school and a group of students who are typically counted out to know that they themselves are amazing and wonderful and have the talents that they need to be successful," Fuller said. Fuller said Obama led an informal discussion, with students asking her how she met the former president and how she survived as first lady. In response to one question, Obama said she has no presidential aspirations, saying that she didn't have the freedom to crack open a window in the White House because of security. Students also asked for her thoughts on Trump. "They just asked what her thoughts were on the current president and they were deeply concerned about the rhetoric that has been going around," she said. Advertisement At one point, a student told Obama of her struggles living in a shelter, and Obama walked the student through steps she could take to achieve her goals. Another student, Williams, told the former first lady she wants to be an anesthesiologist. "She told me not to let anything get in the way, and she said don't go back and help everyone until you get where you want to be," said Williams, who has a 2-year-old son. Fuller said one student, 18-year-old Vonte Walker, had never talked about his ambitions in school. Since Obama's visit, he's been telling the staff of his college plans. "She motivated me," Walker said. Fuller recalled Obama calling a young mother in the class a "superstar" and listening to a student who said his biggest fear was making minimum wage at 40. "These are students, students who no one says positive things to you generally, and it was really just to affirm their journey," Fuller said. INDIANAPOLIS Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly stonewalled media requests to view public records when he was Indiana's governor, including emails about state business distributed from a private AOL account that was hacked last year. Revelations Pence used the account to discuss homeland security and other official matters, first reported Thursday by the Indianapolis Star, are just the latest in a series of transparency battles involving the Republican's tenure as governor. Advertisement The Star obtained the AOL emails through an open records request after new Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb agreed to release 29 pages from his predecessor's AOL account. The Associated Press filed a similar records request last July seeking the emails and followed up with a complaint against the governor's office in January when there was no response. Earlier this year, lawyers for Pence argued unsuccessfully in a civil case that Indiana courts had no authority to force him to comply with public records law. His administration also has repeatedly delayed or denied the release of records that could shed light on his tenure as governor. Advertisement Pence's efforts stand in stark contrast to the image he had previously sought to cultivate, presenting himself as a champion of a free press and the First Amendment. The hacking of Pence's private emails also raises questions of hypocrisy for some of his attacks against Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. He argued Clinton's use of a private server when she was secretary of state could have jeopardized national security if the emails got into the wrong hands. "There's no comparison whatsoever between Hillary Clinton's practice of having a private servers, mishandling classified information, destroying emails when they were requested by the Congress and by officials," Pence said Friday. "We have fully complied with all of Indiana's laws. We had outside counsel review all of my private email records to identify any emails that ever referenced or mentioned state business-related activities. As Indiana laws required we transferred all of those to the state of Indiana subject to the public access laws." Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, have used their private accounts mpence1314@aol.com and kspence1314@aol.com to conduct official business dating back to at least 2013, according to separate records obtained by the AP. Richard Painter, former President George W. Bush's chief ethics lawyer, said even if Pence wasn't handling state secrets like Clinton, his use of an AOL account still jeopardizes national security because hacked information could be used as leverage. "The Russians aren't Democrats or Republicans," Painter said. "They would love to find anything they can get on Pence or (President Donald) Trump." Pence's AOL account was subjected to a phishing scheme last spring, before Trump chose him to join the GOP presidential ticket. Pence's contacts were sent an email falsely claiming that the governor and his wife were stranded in the Philippines and needed money. "Those are the very low-level hackers," Painter said. "If that kind of joker can get in, there are Russian hackers that are a lot higher up the food chain." Advertisement The governor moved to a different AOL account with additional security measures, Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said, but has since stopped using the new personal account since he was sworn-in as vice president. The 29 pages of Pence's AOL emails, which were released to the AP on Friday, show Pence was given FBI updates on arrests made in a terrorism case. They include details about Pence's attempts to bar Syrian Refugees from resettling in Indiana, efforts that were ultimately blocked by a federal judge. In one email, former Pence spokeswoman Kara Brooks told her boss "good job" for conducting himself well in a local TV news story. Holcomb declined to release an unspecified number of additional emails, which he said are confidential. Public officials are not barred from using personal email accounts under Indiana law, but the law is interpreted to mean that any official business conducted on private email must be retained to comply with public record laws. The state requires all records pertaining to state business to be retained and available for public information requests. Emails involving state email accounts are captured on the state's servers, but any emails that Pence may have sent from his AOL account to another private account would need to be retained. Advertisement At the end of his term, Pence hired the Indianapolis law firm of Barnes & Thornburg to conduct a review of all of his communications and that review is still ongoing, Lotter said. Any correspondence between Pence's AOL account and any aides using a state email account would have been automatically archived, he said. Associated Press reporters Scott Bauer in Janesville, Wisconsin; Ken Thomas in Washington; and Tom Davies in Indianapolis contributed to this report. President Donald Trump on Saturday angrily accused former president Barack Obama of orchestrating a "Nixon/Watergate" plot to tap the phones at his Trump Tower headquarters in the run-up to last fall's election, providing no evidence to support his explosive claim and drawing a flat denial from Obama's office. Leveling the extraordinary allegation about his predecessor in a series of four early morning tweets, Trump said Obama had been "wire tapping" his New York offices and suggested that the former president had meddled with the "very sacred election process." Obama's supposed actions, Trump said, amounted to McCarthyism. "Bad (or sick) guy!" the 45th president tweeted about the 44th, insisting that the surveillance efforts resulted in "nothing found." Senior U.S. officials with knowledge of a wide-ranging federal investigation into Russian interference in the election, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified information, said Saturday that there had been no wiretap of Trump. Kevin Lewis, a spokesman for Obama, said in a statement: "A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false." Officials at the FBI and the Justice Department declined to comment. According to senior administration officials, White House Counsel Donald McGahn and his office are inquiring about possible surveillance of then-candidate Trump while being sensitive to legal and national security considerations. "They will handle appropriately," one official said. It could not be immediately determined whether there had been wiretaps of anyone in Trump's orbit who might be a subject of the Russia probe. Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., told MSNBC on Friday that he believes "transcripts" exist that would show whether Russian officials colluded with Trump's campaign. Wiretaps in a foreign intelligence probe cannot legally be directed at a U.S. facility without probable cause - reviewed by a federal judge - that the phone lines or Internet addresses at the facility were being used by agents of a foreign power or by someone spying for or acting on behalf of a foreign government. Ben Rhodes, a longtime national security adviser to Obama, tweeted at Trump: "No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you." Neither Trump nor his aides offered any citation to back up Trump's accusation about Obama. Trump may have been prompted by a report on the conservative website Breitbart and commentary from talk radio host Mark Levin suggesting that the Obama administration used "police state" tactics to monitor the Trump team. The Breitbart report circulated among Trump's senior aides Friday and early Saturday, and Trump may have simply been reacting to the piece when he took to his preferred megaphone, Twitter, to trumpet his claim. Trump's tweets punctuated a general feeling shared by the president, his advisers and allies that Obama and the "Deep State" of critics within the intelligence community - who they think are fueling stories on Trump and Russia - have been conspiring to derail his presidency. At the heart of each of the president's tweets is Trump's apparent belief that Obama himself - as opposed to members of his administration - had been personally overseeing surveillance of Trump Tower. The conservative media landscape - including Sean Hannity's show on Fox News and Infowars, the conspiracy website run by Alex Jones, outlets on which Trump has appeared - has in recent days given birth to tales of Obama and his closest confidants trying to spur Trump's impeachment or force his resignation. But separately, the president is furious that a slow churn of revelations about communications between Attorney General Jeff Sessions, ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn and other Trump associates and Russian officials has overshadowed the early weeks of his administration. And he has grown fixated on identifying leakers. "He's angry, and he thinks that the leaks - even forgetting the rhetoric on politics - are a significant problem that hurts the security of the country," said Thomas Barrack Jr., a close friend who chaired Trump's inauguration. "He feels if he can't rely on his team, if he were negotiating with North Korea on something sensitive and death by a thousand leaks continued, he views that as really being disruptive to the security of America." Trump has directed his aides to investigate employees across the federal government, with a particular focus on holdovers from the Obama administration and career intelligence officers, who Trump believes are trying to sabotage him. White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon has been in close touch with the president about what he has called the Deep State. Bannon's remarks in a recent speech about the "deconstruction of the administrative state" were designed in part to raise alarm among activists on the right about entrenched bureaucrats in the intelligence and defense agencies, according to White House officials. Roger Stone, a longtime political adviser to Trump who does not work in the administration but still talks with the president, said he is urging Trump to fire and prosecute anyone who leaks damaging information. "What the president doesn't understand is he has more power than he knows," Stone said. "He needs to clean house. Just clean house! Hand the pink slips to everybody. . . . Lock them out of their offices and tell the FBI to start going through their emails and phone messages." Trump was incensed overSessions' decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe after The Washington Post reported that Sessions had met twice with the Russian ambassador but then testified falsely at his Senate confirmation hearing that he "did not have communications with the Russians." In the Oval Office on Friday morning, Trump fumed at his senior staff about the Sessions situation and told them that he disagreed with the attorney general's move, according to senior White House officials who were not authorized to speak publicly. Trump told aides that he thought the White House and Justice Department should have done more to counter the argument that Sessions needed to step away. Trump said he wanted to see his staff fight back against what he saw as a widespread effort to destabilize his presidency, the officials said. Trump then departed for Palm Beach, Florida - in what one associate described as "a [expletive] bad mood" - to spend the weekend at his private Mar-a-Lago Club, where he fired off Saturday morning's tweets alleging wiretaps. Trump amended his public schedule Saturday to add an early evening meeting with Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, as well as dinner with both men and other advisers, including Bannon. If the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approved a wiretapping order on one of Trump's associates, that would mean the federal judge involved had decided there was probable cause that the person was colluding with a foreign government. Some current and former intelligence officials cast doubt on Trump's wiretapping assertion. "It's extremely unlikely that there would have been any sort of criminal or intelligence surveillance of Trump," said Jennifer Daskal, a former senior Justice Department national security official. "There's no credible evidence yet to suggest that that happened. It would be an extraordinary measure for the FBI to ask for and the court to grant a surveillance order on a presidential candidate of the opposing party in an election year." Most Republican leaders were quiet on the issue Saturday, but Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., vowed at a town hall meeting with constituents to "get to the bottom of this." He said it would be "the biggest scandal since Watergate" if Obama illegally spied on Trump or if a judge approved a warrant to monitor Trump's campaign for possible communications with Russia. "I'm very worried that our president is suggesting that the former president has done something illegally," Graham said. At the same time, because of what it would signal, "I would be very worried if in fact the Obama administration was able to obtain a warrant lawfully about Trump campaign activity with foreign governments." Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., called for Trump to provide the public more information about his charges. "We are in the midst of a civilization-warping crisis of public trust, and the President's allegations today demand the thorough and dispassionate attention of serious patriots," Sasse said in a statement. Democrats, meanwhile, blasted Trump. Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said the president leveled a "spectacularly reckless allegation" against Obama without evidence. Referencing Trump's description of Obama as a "bad (or sick) guy," Schiff said in a statement, "If there is something bad or sick going on, it is the willingness of the nation's chief executive to make the most outlandish and destructive claims without providing a scintilla of evidence to support them." Daskal, who now teaches law at American University, agreed. "It is extremely dangerous for the president to be suggesting that he was being surveilled for political purposes, when there is absolutely no evidence of that fact," she said. The Washington Post's Jenna Portnoy in Palm Beach, Fla., and David Weigel and Matt Zapotosky in Washington contributed to this report. The recklessness of President Donald Trump's proposed funding cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency should be apparent to anyone familiar with what the EPA actually does in the real world, as mentioned in the Wednesday article "White House proposes big staff, program cuts to EPA." The funding that the federal government provides the EPA is used at the state level to clean up contaminated sites that are already polluted and need to be cleaned up immediately. If Trump succeeds in cutting this funding, it will set back cleanup efforts for years needlessly prolonging harmful pollution in our environment. Advertisement Reduced funding will also necessitate cutting staff at the EPA who monitor current pollution levels to ensure they are within limits allowed by law. Enough is enough. We should be restoring the harmful cuts of the past, not making new ones. Advertisement By enabling current polluters to avoid monitors and by delaying the cleanup of existing pollution sites, Trump, through his proposed funding cuts, has revealed his true colors. Anyone who enables polluters becomes a polluter. In spite of what Trump thinks, the U.S. deserves a strong, fully funded Environmental Protection Agency. Trump's proposed funding cuts should be soundly rejected by Congress. Mark Kraemer, Wilmette The recent rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the United States doesn't end with today's revelation that bomb threats phoned into Jewish Community Centers was the work of a deranged former boyfriend. Plaudits to President Trump for saying recently, "The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful, and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil," But the thing that gives me hope, that reminds me that bigotry, of any kind, is anti-American is a tweet quoted in a Chicago Tribune editorial a Chicago resident wrote: A federal judge has shot down one of the primary legal arguments that College of DuPage trustees used to justify firing embattled President Robert Breuder. Trustees declared Breuder's contract void in September 2015 based on the theory that his first extension was approved in April 2009 four months after he began by a lame-duck board that knew it was handcuffing incoming trustees with a long-term contract. The trustees insisted that boards in Illinois cannot legally bind future boards to lengthy employment agreements and based that argument on 19th-century case law. Advertisement Without a valid contract, trustees said they were no longer obligated to award Breuder the $763,000 severance package that a prior board had promised in exchange for retiring in March 2016, three years early. The board later fired Breuder and listed eight reasons for the decision, including excessive spending, poor financial oversight and failing to respond to requests made under the state's open records laws. He filed a wrongful termination lawsuit the next day, alleging breach of contract, defamation and violation of Breuder's due process rights. Advertisement In refusing to dismiss many of Breuder's claims, U.S. District Court Judge Andrea Wood rejected the college's argument that boards cannot handcuff future boards to lengthy contracts. The case law used to justify the COD board's actions has been overridden by current Illinois state law, she said. "The power of community college boards to establish tenure and dismissal policies for administrative personnel remains broad and, most relevantly, includes the power of a community college board to make contracts with such personnel that go beyond its term," Wood wrote in a ruling issued Friday. As is typical at this stage in the litigation, Wood did not render an opinion on the board's other reasons for firing Breuder. She did, however, rule that prior boards did not violate the state's Open Meetings Act when trustees decided in secret to extend the employment contract of the school's controversial president. That contradicts a finding by DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin, who last year determined that the board broke the law in 2014 when it voted by hand, outside of public view, to extend Breuder's contract an additional year, taking it to 2019. Berlin did not find that the illegal vote invalidated Breuder's contract. It's unclear how Wood's ruling will affect the lawsuit, which some trustees previously have signaled they would be open to settling. Breuder is suing four current and former trustees as individuals, as well. "We are pleased that the Court dismissed several of Dr. Breuder's claims with prejudice," college spokesman Joseph Moore said in a statement. "As to the remaining claims, the college's policy remains not to comment on ongoing litigation." Breuder's attorney Melissa Eubanks said the ruling makes clear that former college Chairwoman Katharine Hamilton and the three other members of the board majority - known as the Clean Slate - had no legal basis for firing Breuder. Advertisement "The Court's decision highlights that Kathy Hamilton and her Clean Slate Trustees acted foolishly and recklessly in their unjust plight to terminate Dr. Breuder's employment with COD," Eubanks said in a statement. "These wrongful actions have resulted in significant costs to COD and the DuPage County taxpayers and we hope that this ruling shows that such costs could have been avoided had Mrs. Hamilton and her Clean Slate Trustees acted according to the terms of Dr. Breuder's employment contract and the law." Trustee Dianne McGuire, who opposed voiding the contract and firing Breuder, warned the board in 2015 that it would face an expensive legal challenge if it attempted to void the contract. After Friday's ruling, she accused the board majority of recklessly exposing the college to the litigation. "A contract is a contract, and most folks understand the importance of that concept," she said. sstclair@chicagotribune.com twitter @stacystclair Health care, mental health services and homelessness were some of the issues veterans discussed Friday at a forum with U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren hosted by the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission. Hultgren, R-Plano, and two veterans recently appointed to two key posts Steve Braverman, director of Edward Hines VA Hospital in Maywood and Hughes Turner, executive director of the VA Regional office in Chicago were panelists at the forum held at the American Legion Fox River Post 75 in Geneva. Advertisement Hultgren, whose father is an Army veteran, stressed that the country needs to keep its obligations and promises made to veterans. "We will never forget what you have done or those who continue to serve our country bravely and honorably," he said. Advertisement Hultgren acknowledged the servicemen and women who have returned many of whom served in multiple tours of duty now face challenges in their civilian lives. A woman in the audience asked what is being done to help veterans who are homeless and suffer from addictions. "It's overwhelming," the woman said. About 100 people attended Friday's veterans forum that featured U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Plano. (Linda Girardi / The Beacon-News) Hultgren said Congress last year passed legislation to expand mental health coverage but there are local efforts that support veterans as well. "There is so much more we need to do," Hultgren said. One veteran inquired if there ever will be changes that would allow veterans to go to local doctors for care rather than have to travel to Hines Hospital. "I would like to see it opened up where you would be able to see any doctor close by. We have more work to do to get the support," Hultgren said. Braverman, who retired in October with 29 years in service, said he is aware of the challenges at Hines Hospital and accepted the position as an opportunity to make a difference. "This is personal for me, not just on a professional level as a physician trying to be a leader of an organization that takes care of veterans but because I am a member of the group as well," Braverman said. Braverman said they are making progress with the VA hospital; they've developed a new governance structure that was unveiled earlier this year and a newly released strategic plan; he said they've also developed a community and outreach program. Advertisement "We continue to have challenges in access the one we hear the most about is the eye clinic. Wait-times for new appointments are up to 30 days for an eye clinic," he said. Steve Braverman, director of Edward Hines VA Hospital near Maywood, and Hughes Turner, executive director of the VA Regional office in Chicago, address questions at Friday's veterans forum in Geneva. (Linda Girardi / The Beacon-News) "Where we fall short is it can be up to 60 days for a follow-up exam; for urgent issues everybody gets in right away the same for pulmonary," he said. He said veterans who need mental health and primary care can get it at Hines and at VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics, such as the one in North Aurora. Turner, who retired from the military with 30 years in the service, told the audience, "I can't think of a nobler mission than to serve veterans." "The higher up the ladder you go, the further you get from the people you serve," said Turner, who accepted the post last December. "It's becoming increasingly clear we do have challenges," he said. The VA Regional Office is in charge of administering $1.6 billion in annual benefits to veterans across Illinois. An estimated $39 million in annual benefits are administered in Kane County. Advertisement Turner said a backlog in claims has been reduced but at the same time there has been an uptick in the number of claims that can be attributed to the word getting out about benefits available to veterans. Jacob Zimmerman, Superintendent of the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission, which advocates for the area's veterans, said the purpose was to have a dialogue and allow for veterans to speak-out on issues of concern to them "It's an interesting time," Zimmerman said. He said both Hines hospital and VA Regional office have had issues in recent years. "The administrative part of the VA has been a headache filled with bureaucratic-related issues in recent years. On the health-care front, "I have seen both sides of the issues," Zimmerman said. "There are veterans who like their VA health care and others say they don't think they should have to go all the way to the VA Hospital for therapy or for emergency treatment." "The pulse of veterans that I have spoken to for the most part are satisfied with the VA health-care with the exception of the bureaucratic issues they have to deal with," he said. Advertisement Hines hospital near Maywood is the third busiest VA hospital in the country. There are U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Community Based Outpatient Clinics, including one in North Aurora. Zimmerman said the Veterans Choice Act gave veterans options for receiving care outside of the VA hospital system. He said the general idea is a veteran has to live 40 miles from a VA facility or has to wait more than 30 days for a medically necessary appointment in order to be authorized to go to a physician outside of the hospital. "There are clinics that do not cover a certain type of medical treatment such as cardiac care. The 40 miles is from the Hoffman Estates Clinic or North Aurora clinic where there is not a cardiologist. It's one of the areas that could be fixed in the Veterans Choice Act," Zimmerman said. Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter. Aurora officials are considering a plan that would move along the potential widening of North Aurora Road, including the Canadian National railroad bridge and tracks. The project is multi-jurisdictional, between Aurora, Naperville and the Naperville Township Road District. Advertisement While most of the project is in Naperville, and largely benefits Naperville, it also affects Aurora and is a key regional project. "It's good for us, too," said Alderman Rick Mervine, 8th Ward. Advertisement Mervine is a member of the Aurora City Council Finance Committee that recently recommended the city make a second amendment to its agreement with Naperville and Naperville Township to keep the project going. North Aurora Road is four lanes most of its way from the intersection with Ogden Avenue in Naperville, to the intersection with Eola Road in Aurora, where it becomes Indian Trail. The logjam is between just west of Weston Ridge Drive in Naperville to just east of Pennsbury Lane in Aurora, where it narrows to two lanes. The project to widen that section of the road actually started as far back as 2006 with Phase 1 engineering. That was completed and accepted by the Illinois Department of Transportation in 2016. That same year, the Aurora City Council approved the first amendment to the intergovernmental agreement that covered the right-of-way acquisition for the project. The project is currently in the process of land acquisition. "The offers to the property owners are ready and have gone out," Eric Gallt, Aurora's traffic engineer, told Finance Committee members. The current boundary agreement between the Aurora and Naperville commits the City to the Phase 2 engineering process covered under the proposed second amendment to the intergovernmental agreement. By completing the Phase 2, the project will be in a better position to apply for grant funding as it becomes available for final construction, Gallt said. The estimated construction costs for the overall widening are about $30 million. The boundary agreement limits the Aurora contribution to a little over $3 million of the total cost and construction would not move forward without mutual consent of both cities. Advertisement The third phase of the project is the design of the project. The design would include a five-lane section with sidewalk on one side and a multi-use path on the other. This would require a lengthening the of the Canadian National tracks over North Aurora Road. Gallt said Aurora would be required by this agreement to contribute $400,000 in 2017 and an additional $310,000 in early 2018 for a total of $710,000. The funds are available in the 2017 budget. Gallt pointed out that Aurora still needs to decide where this project goes in the line of necessary Aurora road projects. "There is no doubt this is a good regional traffic improvement," Gallt said. "But it does benefit Naperville a little more than Aurora." Mervine pointed out that there is a referendum on the April 4 ballot that could have Naperville take over responsibilities for the Naperville Township Road Commission. Gallt said Naperville Township has been saving money for its part of the project, and that they are "protected funds." Advertisement "I just want to make sure if we've got money to get out, let's get it out," Mervine said. slord@tribpub.com Make your voice heard These last couple of Tuesdays, I've had the great pleasure of joining some of my fellow citizens in rallies near U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren's offices in an effort to convince him of the importance of taking time to listen to his constituents. I wasn't sure what to expect the first time, but I couldn't have asked for a friendlier bunch than the people I met at the rally. Advertisement Despite the fact that I knew almost no one there, they were instantly welcoming to me. A fun, passionate and unfailingly polite group of folks. It's been a joyous and positive experience. If you, like me, are concerned at the way this country has recently been heading, I invite you to come join us and make your voice as an American heard. Dan Jeremy Brooks, Montgomery Advertisement Share your views Submit letters to the editor via email to suburbanletters@tribpub.com. Please include your name and town of residence for publication. Please include phone number and email address for confirmation. Letters should be no more than 250 words. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart visited the Prayer Center of Orland Park Feb. 24, 2017, to promote his discrimination hotline and answer questions from mosque-goers concerned about their place in Trump's America. (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown) Hate crimes in Chicago hit a five-year high in 2016 and this year are out pacing last year's reports of bias incidents, according to Chicago Police Department data. The 72 crimes that CPD categorized as hate crimes in 2016 because they were believed to have been motivated by bias of some kind represent a 20 percent increase over 2015. There were 60 such reports that year, data show. Advertisement In the three months following the presidential election in November, CPD tallied 22 hate crimes, including 13 in the first five weeks of the new year more than triple the number of hate crimes reported to Chicago police over the first five weeks of 2016. The uptick in hate crimes being reported locally mirrors national figures, which indicate a hate crime spike following the election. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which has tracked bias incidents since the election on its Hatewatch blog, tallied 1,372 post-election reports nationwide, as of Feb. 7. Advertisement "The numbers are going up around the country, and the (marginalized) individuals I've worked with for years, they've told me categorically that things are different now and they feel it," said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who in December started a hotline that victims of bias can call for assistance. "The way they've been treated by some people has changed. Objectively, there are different dynamics now." A majority of the hate crimes reported in Chicago every year between 2012 and 2015 have targeted blacks and gay men, according to CPD data. Hate crimes against Hispanics, Arabs and Muslims also occurred over that span but were rare, police data show. That pattern changed in 2016, as anti-black and anti-gay crimes did not make up a majority of all reported hate crimes for the first time since at least 2012, when CPD began compiling hate crime data as it does now. Meanwhile, anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Hispanic hate crimes all hit five-year highs in 2016, doubling from 12 total incidents in 2015 to 24 last year, according to CPD data. The early data for 2017 show the distribution of hate crimes reverting to historical norms, however, with anti-black and anti-gay hate crimes making up the majority so far. Police declined to make anyone available to comment on the data or the city's increase in hate crimes over the past 14 months. Outside of annual FBI reports, which rely on local agencies voluntarily tracking and reporting figures, hate crimes are not tracked in any systematic way at the national level. For that reason, it's difficult to make direct comparisons between how the number of hate crimes being reported now and in the past. Organizations focused on combating hate and discrimination like the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League, however, report anecdotal spikes in hate crime activity since the election. "The day after the election, we came into work and we were just suddenly flooded with all kinds of reports Over the course of the morning, it was clear something was happening in this country that we hadn't seen for years," said Ryan Lenz, a senior writer for the SPLC and editor of its Hatewatch blog. "It was a sea change." Advertisement According to the latest data available on SPLC's Hatewatch tracker, "anti-immigrant" hate incidents a category that CPD does not expressly track have far outnumbered other types of bias incidents since the election. Anti-black incidents rank second followed by reports of swastikas, anti-LGBT, anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic incidents, all of which have been reported in about equal numbers. "The frequency of the reports has started to slow," Lenz said in mid-February. "But in those immediate days after the election, it was a frightening staccato ticking clock to our day. Every minute seemed to bring another." SPLC released a report last month on the growing number of hate groups popping up across the country, including a near tripling of anti-Muslim groups, which went from 34 in 2015 to 101 in 2016, according to the report. Reports of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate crimes remain quite rare in Chicago but did jump last year in step with the national growth in anti-Muslim hate groups. Chicago police recorded twice as many hate crimes targeting Muslims and Arabs in 2016 six as there had been over the last four years combined, data show. ThinkProgress, a political news blog, also has tracked hate crimes since the election. The project of the progressive think tank Center for American Progress set a higher bar for what constitutes a hate crime than did SPLC, and thus has recorded far fewer incidents than its counterpart. Advertisement ThinkProgress, which counts only incidents targeting individuals or communities that were backed up by news articles, police reports or original investigations, totaled 261 hate crimes in the three months following the election. Anti-Jewish and anti-black incidents combined to make up nearly half of the reports, followed by anti-LGBTQ, anti-Muslim and anti-Latinx incidents, the blog reports. The outsized number of anti-Jewish crimes reported since the election also tracks with local figures compiled by CPD. Anti-Semitic hate crimes in Chicago have increased each of the last three years, reaching a five-year high of 12 in 2016, according to police data. Jessica Gall, a Chicago-based associate regional director at the Anti-Defamation, said she and her local colleagues have been busier responding to bias incidents since the election. She cited an uptick in reports of hateful rhetoric and bullying at schools and an increase in anti-Semitic vandalism, citing the recent incident at the Chicago Loop Synagogue, where a man was charged with breaking a window and placing swastikas on the building's door. "I would definitely say that we've seen a rise in the rhetoric since the election, but also leading up to the election," Gall said. "Generally speaking, it still has remained pretty high. Judging just from the busyness of my office, of my colleagues, of myself, it definitely is something we all are still responding to and still working to support the community on." While consensus exists that hate crimes are on the rise, there's a reticence among elected officials, law enforcement agencies and anti-discrimination advocacy organizations to speculate on the cause. "A lot of theories have tied it to the forces that have come about due to this past election, but I'm not sure if anyone has nailed that down to a scientific thing," Dart said last month. "This type of behavior is going on all around the world. Look in virtually every country you can think of, there is a lot of anti-immigrant movements that are going on everywhere. It's hard to pinpoint." Advertisement Lenz said it appears that over the course of the election season hatred and extremism moved from the fringe to the mainstream of our culture. "As a result of that movement," he said, "those who were just witnessing it suddenly felt vindicated, or at least free to express their deepest and darkest biases without fear of repercussion. "Why that is? I can't say," he continued. "Did (President) Donald Trump blowing a dog whistle for 18 months energize them? Yes. But did his election create people with those ideas or just make them feel more free to come public with them? The answer is unknown." Gall said it's tough to say whether hate crimes will remain at elevated levels or begin to drop over the coming months, but that it's important for community leaders and organizations to make efforts to bring together groups of people who may look, act or believe different things than one another. "Really thinking about how you can remove that 'other' stigma from people, and look at them as folks who are trying to live their lives and raise children and find jobs," is essential, she said. "We don't want people to feel there's nothing they can do, because there are things," Gall continued. "It starts with conversation, both inside families and being open to conversation with folks who look and practice religiously different from you." Advertisement The Southwest Chicago Diversity Collaborative is one local group attempting to do just that. The group, founded in 2014 by residents of Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood following two racial bias incidents in the 19th Ward, was re-invigorated last summer by "racially-motivated" shootings, board member Scott Smith said. "There are racial issues in our ward that need to be addressed and unfortunately what I've seen is that the leadership in our area has been reactive and not proactive," he said. "The Diversity Collaborative exists because we don't see that there are larger programs in the neighborhood that are advancing some of these issues. "If there's a larger understanding and a larger conversation across different groups, we're less likely to look for somebody to blame, and we're more likely to work together." The group, which Smith said has about 100 active members, facilitates discussions about diversity and inclusivity through movie nights and book clubs; holds meetings, letter writing campaigns and vigils in response to racially-charged incidents like the police shooting of a black man in Mount Greenwood last November; and has begun reaching out to local organizations and businesses to encourage "the benefits of diverse thinking and diverse actions." Its next event, coming up on March 11, is a workshop focused on using the non-violent techniques of Martin Luther King Jr. to demonstrate and organize for more diverse communities. Advertisement Smith, who lives in Morgan Park, said he's seen an increase in the level of hateful speech online within his community since the election, and attributes it to people feeling emboldened by Trump's election victory. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > "Where people might before have spoken more in code, they're now able to come right out and use hateful rhetoric and say this group is specifically to blame for this particular problem," Smith said. "There's really no other way to explain the kind of atmosphere we're seeing other than when somebody campaigns on a platform of hate and demonizing groups of people, and that person wins the presidential election, that sends a signal that the way that that person speaks is OK. Even if the majority of people didn't endorse that person with their vote." Smith, a member of St. Barnabas Church in Beverly, said an interfaith event held there Thursday night, while not organized by the SCDC, is the type of event he thinks needs to occur more often across the city. The "You Are My Neighbor" event brought together residents from the surrounding communities for discussion and prayer with the goal of achieving a better understanding of the challenges faced by immigrant and refugee communities. Speakers included a Catholic priest, a female rabbi, the leader of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network and two Syrian refugees. "We need to hear from each other, we need to talk about our experiences together in the world," Smith said. "Once we actually start to listen and be neighbors together and live around each other and talk with each other, we realize that we're all coming here to seek a better life. "[Thursday] night was sort of a call to build a night around that purpose: we are here to watch out for each other and here to support each other across ethnicity and religious beliefs and work together to build a better life for ourselves." Advertisement zkoeske@tribpub.com Twitter @ZakKoeske A Homer Township Independent Party candidate for clerk will remain on the April 4 ballot, according to a recent ruling in Will County Circuit Court. The court March 1 overturned a 2 to 1 decision by the township's electoral board to remove Marcela Cuevas from the ballot. The board included Supervisor Pam Myers, and Trustees John Kruczek and Vicki Bozen. Bozen, who opposed Myers in the primary, voted against Cuevas' ballot removal. Advertisement Myers and Kruczek and the rest of their slate, including Township Clerk Linsey Sowa, will face the Independent Party candidates in April. Cuevas appealed the electoral board's decision in court. She said Friday it has been an "extremely overwhelming" experience, but she is excited to be on the ballot, get her campaign started and "give people a chance to vote for someone else." Advertisement According to Jim Orban, who heads the Independent Party as a candidate for supervisor, said, "this whole deal was questionable from the start," and a "waste of time and money." Renea Wojnowski filed an objection to Cuevas' nominating petition, claiming she violated township code, which stated that to hold any office, a person must be a legal voter and a township resident for one year, according to court records. Wojnowski claimed that Cuevas moved into the township on Dec. 17, 2015 but signed her statement of candidacy on Nov. 23, 2016, according to court records. Judge Roger Rickmon ruled that Cuevas satisfied the residency requirement because her candidacy was not official until she filed her statement of candidacy on Dec. 16. Orban said that Clerk Sowa "conspired with her friend," Wojnowski, to object and bring this matter before the local election board, knowing that Myers and Kruczek would vote Cuevas off the ballot. He cited township attorney bills that were over $5,200 for the month of January to handle this case. "This was frivolous. I am so glad the judge saw through this," Orban said, adding that he was "very happy" for Cuevas. "I know the rules in Illinois call for local officials to sit on election boards, but the legislature needs to change how these issues are litigated. The process is built to keep incumbents in power. Having your political opponents sit in judgment of your right to full suffrage is just not fair," Orban said. Advertisement Myers said she "respects the judge's ruling and will abide by it." It was her first time participating in an electoral board, and she said she took the duty "seriously." The relationship between Wojnowski and Sowa is "not relevant," she said. Wojnowski is a resident, and "residents are entitled to their opinion," she said. "I understand that this costs money, but it costs money to do the things that citizens want to do," she said. Bozen, who just lost the primary to Myers, said she supported Cuevas' right to be on the ballot because "people have a right to choose." She said Cuevas also made a "substantial deposit" on her new home in July 2015, and entered the race with the "best of intentions." "She did not just move to Homer Township to run," Bozen said, explaining the reason for the law. Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Challenging Cuevas was a "waste of taxpayer dollars," she said. "This money should have come out of (Wojnowski's) pocket or (Sowa's), not the township's. The two are best friends." "There are a lot more shenanagins than this going on in Homer Township," said Bozen, a current township trustee. "We have a lot more serious issues than this." Both Orban and Bozen claimed that Myers does not listen to her constituents and that is why they have challenged her. Cuevas said she decided to get involved after attending her first township meeting. Shortly after moving to Homer Township, she and her new neighbors voiced concerns to the board about issues such as parks and street lights. "Our questions were not being answered in a professional manner, if at all," Cuevas said. "We were really concerned, seeing how residents were treated. It was very clear there needed to be a change." Advertisement slafferty@tribpub.com Lockport officials discussed a proposal last week for an even swap of about 14 acres of city land just north of the downtown area for land slated for development by Chevron Corp. The city would give up land along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in exchange for land just to the east along the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal and Trail. Advertisement Mayor Steve Streit suggested the exchange would be beneficial to the city because the land it would be receiving is adjacent to the Heritage Village historic site at Second Street and the I&M Canal. Heritage Village is a public attraction containing several of the area's historic buildings that were moved or built on the site in 2011, such as the Wells Corner schoolhouse, Greenho farmhouse and the Mokena Jail. Advertisement Streit said the new land would allow city planners to possibly design recreational areas further extending downtown amenities along the trail. Although aldermen still have to discuss and approve what should be built on the land it would receive from Chevron, Streit said some of it could be used for an extended parking lot for Heritage Village and some of it could be used for a band shell for summer concerts. Mark Gershon, of Chevron Corp, said the move also would be beneficial to the company he represents. He said the land along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which is used for commercial traffic, would make the site more marketable for potential industrial developers. "We have far more options with what we can do with the new property than with the old," Gershon said. He added the city would likely have had to given up part of the old property, anyway, for a storm water easement. Chevron and its partners plan to develop about 170 acres of the former Texaco oil refinery along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The refinery which sat on 500 acres has been abandoned since it closed in 1981. Advertisement Chevron has been working on cleaning up the site since the early 2000s and is nearing approval to market about 98 acres known as the Star Business Park, according to the city's web site. The city also is offering incentives to developers in the form of tax increment financing. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > During the meeting last week, Streit said city officials previously had been counting on the redevelopment of the former Texaco site to help spur the revitalization of Lockport's historic downtown area, but that's not the case anymore. "We've moved forward in the downtown without this being developed," he said. Streit pointed to the redevelopment of the 120-year-old Volz building which now features a 5,000 square-foot restaurant called Embers. He also mentioned the upcoming road and downtown streetscape improvements in a joint effort by the city and the Illinois Department of Transportation. Advertisement And Streit mentioned that the proposed construction of a new building downtown would soon be before the city council. He previously told the Southtown that a developer was looking to build a Dunkin Donuts cafe downtown which would be the first new construction in the district for several decades. Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Just in time for spring, the Forest Preserve District of Will County's Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve reopened March 1, after being closed for four months to allow ComEd to remove 150 utility poles. Lockport Prairie is located on Division Street, east of Route 53/Broadway Street in Lockport, and is home to rare dolomite prairie. (Forest Preserve District of Will County) Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve reopened Wednesday after being closed for four months, according to the Forest Preserve District of Will County. It was closed to allow ComEd to remove its utility poles from the 320-acre site to improve conditions for the federally endangered Hine's emerald dragonfly and clear the way for a $15 million erosion control project. Advertisement The Lockport Prairie, at Division Street east of Route 53, is the site of rare dolomite prairie, which attracts specialized plant and animal communities. This preserve and the adjacent Prairie Bluff Preserve on the west side of Route 53, have a total of 900 acres that are home to several uncommon plant and animal species, many of which are endangered or threatened, according to forest preserve officials. The utility poles were installed in the area more than 70 years ago before it was designated a prairie preserve. Maintenance crews would have to spray herbicides to clear the thick brush around the poles to access them, officials said. Advertisement About 150 poles were removed by helicopter to limit the impact on the preserves. ComEd built a replacement power line system on the right-of-way along Route 53 west of the preserve, which has easier access for maintenance workers, and improved power reliability for its customers. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > The Army Corps of Engineers has partnered with the forest preserve district to seek federal funds to restore these adjoining sites, which are connected by ground water that flows from Prairie Bluff, east to Lockport Prairie, which is mostly a wetland along the banks of the Des Plaines River. The Lockport Prairie habitats are of the "highest quality," and its dolomite prairie is one of the rarest globally, Ralph Schultz, the forest preserve district's chief operating officer, previously stated. The restoration plan, which could begin next year, will restore wetlands, solve erosion, improve drainage, control invasive species, enhance habitats and restore the ecosystem. Crews will replace invasive species with native plants, disable drain tiles that were used for farming at Prairie Bluff, preserve the groundwater discharge rain that supplies the important dragonfly habitat at Lockport Prairie, and bring back rare plants, officials said. Of the $15 million, the forest preserves' share is 35 percent, or $5 million, which is the value of its land at these sites. To allow for that contribution, ownership of the land was transferred in 2016 from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to the forest preserve district, which had been leasing it from the state. The forest preserve district paid $1 to the state for the land. Advertisement Since it began leasing the land in 2007 for free, the forest preserve district has invested $1.3 million at the site for drainage, trails, picnic access and prairie restoration. The single track rail bridge over the Fox River that carries 54 Metra commuter trains and up to 8 Canadian Pacific Railroad freight trains daily was built in the late 1800s. While the Milwaukee West Line Fox River bridge had some improvements done in the early 1900s, the steel piers date back to 1881, said Andy Roth, a Metra engineer. Advertisement Metra is now planning to make the bridge a two-track rail and officials talked about the plans at a public hearing outlining its Environmental Assessment. "It's long overdue," Elgin Mayor David Kaptain said. He was among the people attending the public hearing where Metra collected comments about the project. Kaptain recalled playing on the railroad bridge as a teen, back when there wasn't as much train traffic, he said. It is one of Kane County's oldest bridges, he said. Advertisement The $34 million project is funded in part by a U.S. Department of Transportation grant U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth helped secure, according to Metra officials. Metra's share is $14 million and Canadian Pacific Railroad is contributing $6 million, officials said. As part of the project, Metra had to complete an Environmental Assessment but, "there are very minor impacts in the plan, and there are ones that we can mitigate," said Michael Gillis, a Metra spokesman. There are no permanent impacts to threatened and endangered species, Gillis said. The Environmental Assessment states there is a plan to remove and relocate any spike mussel found at the construction site but the project isn't expected to have a negative impact on the species. Some of the impacts include temporary noise, vibration, dust and temporary utility disruption, according to the Environmental Assessment. The 500-foot bridge will be expanded to two tracks, which would help alleviate bottle necks up and down the line, Gillis said. It is challenging to schedule commuter trains with the one rail so that trains don't arrive at the bridge at the same time, he said. The improvements will "make the line more flexibility and it will greatly improve the operation of the line," Gillis said. It would benefit not only Elgin train stations, but stations all along the line, he said. There will be no impact on service during construction, he said. Anyone interested in viewing the Environmental Assessment can see it on Metra's website and the deadline for comments is March 15. Comments can be made on the website. Glen Holland, of Elgin, was on hand to provide his comment. He favors the project. "I'm surprised Metra got along this far without making this investment," he said. Advertisement Gillis said Metra hopes to start construction by the fall once the Environmental Assessment is approved. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. Elgin police officers fire a 21-gun salute Saturday at the funeral of Sgt. Tom Linder, who retired from the Elgin Police Department five years ago and died Feb. 8 after suffering a stroke. (Janelle Walker / The Courier-News) Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent are the 12 points of the Boy Scouts of America Law, but they also described Sgt. Tom Linder, one of his longtime scouting friends said. Linder, who retired from the Elgin Police Department five years ago, was remembered at a celebration of his life Saturday at Christ Community Church near St. Charles. Linder, 61, who had a stroke months after his retirement, died Feb. 8. Advertisement His funeral ceremony included the presentation of colors by the Elgin Police Department's Color Guard and a 21-gun salute. It began at 10:07:34 a.m. as a nod to the way Linder wrote his police reports during his 27 years on the Elgin force. In his hand-written police reports, Linder always noted the time of an incident to the second, when possible. When asked for stories regarding the 20 years he worked with Linder, Elgin police Chief Jeff Swoboda said, "I have a Rolodex of stories." Advertisement "Tom liked to talk," and a simple question would often lead to a very complete answer, Swoboda said. But that willingness to talk to someone often led simple police calls for service into longer talks with those he was serving, Swoboda said. From Linder, he learned "there is nothing more important than what you are doing at that moment," and that as a police officer, Linder always found more ways to help those who needed his service, Swoboda said. "He was a peace officer in every sense of the word," Swoboda said. He also shared a humorous story about Linder putting out a request on police radios for badge No. 136 on a slow afternoon. That was Linder's old badge number which is why no one responded until another officer pointed it out. At a recent Boy Scouting event, said Doug Horton of Elgin Boy Scouts Troop No. 2, he asked those who were there for stories about Linder to share at the funeral. From all corners of the room, the answer was "tree talk," Horton said. Linder would never admonish or embarrass a Scout in front of his peers, Horton said. Instead, they would go outside, and Linder would place one hand on the boy's shoulder and use the other to point at a nearby tree as he smiled. Anyone passing by would think Linder an avid outdoorsman was telling the boy about an oak or an elm, Horton said. Advertisement "But no Scout ever had to have more than one 'tree talk,' " Horton said. Linder was also remembered for his faith. He made many mission trips with his church to the Amazon River in Brazil, the Czech Republic and West Africa. He co-founded a mission organization that helped provide glasses and dental care to people in developing nations. Once, while speaking to a group of homeless people about a trespassing complaint, one of the men asked if Linder "knew Jesus as his lord and savior," said the Rev. Carl Ball, the Elgin Police Department chaplain. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," was Linder's response, Ball said. Linder's daughter, Annie, also read a story about him and his wife, Dawn. Set as a fairy tale, Annie Linder's story told about how, before the two started dating, Tom would send Dawn pink carnations anonymously. When they started dating, they would often go to their favorite Chinese restaurant, always ordering the same dish to share. Advertisement One Valentine's Day, Dawn opened a fortune cookie to find a slip of paper inside that read, "The man across the table loves you." A year later, after they were married and at the same restaurant, the slip read, "The man across the table still loves you," Annie Linder said. The tradition continued for their marriage, she said, with Dawn once getting the slip of paper into Tom's fortune cookie, reading "After 25 years, the girl across the table still loves you." After Tom Linder's death, someone sent takeout from that same Chinese restaurant. The message inside the fortune cookie read, "The man up here will always love you. The table is just a little farther away." Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen is urging county residents to call their state representatives and senators and voice their opinions on proposed income tax increase and sale tax on services. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News) The latest budget failure in Springfield has Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen issuing a call to action, asking county residents to contact their state senators and representatives to oppose efforts to increase the personal income tax and create sales taxes on services. "They said, 'We will reform government, then properly fund a reformed government,' " Lauzen said. "Where are the real reforms?" Advertisement Lauzen spent 20 years as a state senator and watched a potential budget agreement Senate Bill 9, labeled the "grand bargain" fall apart. What dismayed him more, he said, was an amendment to the bill calling for a higher personal income tax and new sales taxes on services. If approved, the amendment would increase the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.99 percent and raise the corporate rate from 5.25 percent to 7 percent, according to www.ilga.gov. Advertisement Sales tax would be added to services that have never had state taxes, including laundry, cable and satellite TV, manicures, tattoos, pest control and personal care items, such as skin care and manicures, the amendment said. The state has collected a 6.25 percent tax on retail sales since 1990, according to The Associated Press. Of that amount, 1.25 percent goes to local governments. Sales tax revenue is the state's second-biggest revenue source, the AP reported. The income tax increase and taxes on services would generate an estimated $6.5 billion in revenue for the state and would cost a family of four an additional $2,000 a year, Lauzen said. "That is a staggering amount of money," he said. The amendment also has a temporary property tax freeze and term limits for leaders that is "practically laughable if they weren't so pathetic," Lauzen said. The term limits would not apply to some legislators, such as Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, he said. Legislators pledged to straighten out Illinois' troubled financial situation, but "it's a false promise," Lauzen said. Lauzen is encouraging people to contact their representatives about the budget impasse, the proposed taxes and other issues. The Kane County Board's Legislative Committee has scheduled a Legislative Breakfast to talk about legislative priorities from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Monday in the first-floor auditorium of the Kane County Government Center, Building A, 710 S. Batavia Ave., Geneva. Advertisement Lauzen plans to discuss his concerns with legislators at the breakfast, he said. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. The Associated Press contributed. Joseph Laudicina, who was shot by an officer after they say he lunged at police with a butter knife, was sentenced March 3, 2017, to four years in prison for crimes related to the 2015 incident. (Crystal Lake Police Department) A man who authorities said lunged at a Crystal Lake police officer with a knife during a domestic disturbance and then was shot by the officer was sentenced Friday to four years in prison for crimes related to the 2015 incident. Joseph Laudicina, 31, who had been charged with the attempted murder of the officer, pleaded guilty last month to lesser charges of aggravated assault and residential burglary. He is required to serve at least 50 percent of the sentence. Advertisement Laudicina, formerly of Addison, also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of aggravated domestic battery for a 2013 incident. For that crime, he was sentenced Friday to 364 days of jail time. In both cases, he will receive credit for time he has served since July 2015. Laudicina apologized to McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather at Friday's sentencing hearing. Advertisement "I'm sorry you (have to) take your time out to deal with me and my issues," Laudicina told the judge. Authorities said Laudicina had an altercation with a family member at a Crystal Lake home in June 2015. Police were called to that house, but Laudicina fled before they arrived. Police later were called to another home, where residents said Laudicina came in without their authorization. Crystal Lake police Officer Krzysztof Krol said when he arrived at that home, Laudicina was armed with a knife and "lunged" at him in a "threatening manner." The officer said he then shot Laudicina in self-defense. Laudicina's lawyer said it was a butter knife. Krol shot Laudicina, whose wound was not life-threatening. Krol later was recognized as officer of the year by the McHenry County Chiefs of Police Association for his non-lethal handling of the situation. Assistant State's Attorney Michael Combs noted Laudicina was out on bond for the 2013 crime at the time he committed the 2015 offenses. Assistant Public Defender Angelo Mourelatos said the incident has left "a permanent mark" on Laudicina. Advertisement "The bullet is still in his (abdomen), and it cannot be removed," said Mourelatos. The attorney said Laudicina still has relationships with relatives, and Prather agreed to lift the order that had prevented Laudicina from having contact with two female members of his family. Mourelatos said that at the time of the 2015 incident, Laudicina was drinking heavily and grieving the death of his brother. Laudicina told Prather he no longer has the desire to drink alcohol and has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Mourelatos said Laudicina is aware he needs "to take proper steps to cope" with alcoholism and mental health issues. Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter. A Waubonsie Valley High School senior said she is thankful she attends a school that is willing to take whatever steps are necessary to help students feel safe and supported, especially for transgender students like herself. The 17-year-old, whose parents asked that her name not be used, said that while the road to achieving an appropriate comfort level was a bit rocky at first, she knew the staff at the Aurora high school always tried to do whatever possible to make her and other transgender and nonbinary students feel supported. Advertisement "Ultimately your main goal is to be comfortable in your own body," the Naperville resident said during a recent interview. Indian Prairie School District 204's approach has been to ensure no student is bullied, harassed or discriminated against, district officials said, even at a time when the rights of transgender students are being questioned at the federal level. Advertisement The Trump administration recently ended federal protection for transgender students under which schools were required to allow students to use restrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identities. District 204 officials said that despite the president's decision, Indian Prairie schools will continue to deal with all students' needs on a case-by-case basis. The Waubonsie student said she approached her teachers and school counselors about her desire to identify as a female at the end of her sophomore year and found they were very supportive. "That was even before I told my parents," she said. While Waubonsie students are allowed to use the restroom of the gender with which they identify, the use of the locker rooms required compromise. The student said she no longer felt right dressing for physical education in the boys locker room but also didn't feel comfortable changing in the girls locker room. In addition, her mother said her family didn't want to create too much disruption in the school day for either her child or the teacher and other staff. "We didn't want to upset the good relationship we had with the school," her mother said. Advertisement For the 2015-16 school year, the school settled on a plan where the student and other transgender and nonbinary students could change for physical education classes in the nurse's office. Although a compromise, the student said the nurse's office plan had a few flaws. Besides being far from the gymnasium, the nurse's office often was filled with students or people from the public picking up ill students. She said she'd have to bring a gym bag to change, and she often felt like strangers were questioning why she was there. As a result, she often did not dress for PE and was docked in the grade book as a result of it. Her mother said she wasn't happy with her child's choice not to participate. Advertisement "Gym should be a class to boost your GPA; no one should get a B in gym," her mother said. The situation changed this school year because Waubonsie Valley was able to transform staff restrooms near the gym into small, gender-neutral locker rooms. The student said she feels much more comfortable with the current situation. Not only is she able to lock up her clothing, but she also earned an A in the first semester because she didn't miss a day of physical education, she said. She said she is saddened knowing there are students who attend schools where the teachers, counselors and administrators aren't as encouraging as at Waubonsie Valley. "If the staff isn't supportive, I don't think it's possible to do what I've done," she said. Advertisement This week Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan joined 18 other attorneys general who signed onto a brief sent to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a transgender teenager who wants to use the boys restroom at his Virginia high school. The friend-of-the-court brief, filed with the court Thursday night, cites the "shared experience" among the states that allowing transgender people to use restrooms matching their gender identity creates no public safety, privacy or financial burdens. The brief supports high school senior Gavin Grimm in a lawsuit against his school board in Virginia's Gloucester County. Grimm is challenging the board's policy that prohibits him from using the school's boys bathroom, which he says matches his chosen gender. "The amici states have important interests in ensuring that their transgender populations, including students, college faculty and other state employees, do not experience indignity and discrimination when they travel to other states," the brief said. Not having the same rights and freedoms in other states is a concern for the Waubonsie student, she said. Right now her plan is to study video gaming at Columbia College in Chicago. Advertisement But where she'll live and find a job after college could depend on which states are supportive of transgender rights, she said. The brief by the attorneys general was written by New York's Eric Schneiderman and Washington's Bob Ferguson. Signing on were their counterparts in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont and the District of Columbia. The National Women's Law Center and a group of education organizations, including the National PTA, National Association of Independent Schools and American School Counselor Association, also announced they have filed briefs supporting Grimm, joining businesses such as Apple, IBM, eBay and Williams-Sonoma. Tribune wire services contributed. Crown Point First United Methodist Church: 352 S Main St. The church is hosting a book signing and brunch event at 11 a.m. March 11 to benefit St. Jude House. The cost is $25 per person. Award-winning local author Trent D. Pendley will be there to sign his new book, "Toys in the Closet." Reservations are required. Call 219-662-9500 or 708-785-2249. St. Jude House, a family violence prevention center and shelter, provides residential and nonresidential services to adult and child victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. All the services there are free of charge. Advertisement East Chicago St. Patrick Catholic Church: 3800 Grand Blvd. The Annual Fish Fry will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, March 17, 24, 31 and April 7. The menu includes fish, shrimp and combo dinners with fries; salad bar with cold and hot items; beverages; and dessert. Dinner tickets are $9 or $10, depending on the seafood choice. Salad bar ticket is $9 for dine-in only. Children's menu includes six-piece chicken nugget dinner or pizza puff dinner with fries for $3 or $6 with salad bar. Information: 219- 398-1036. Advertisement Gary Mt. Zion Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ: 4937 Massachusetts St. The Overcomer Revival will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Elder Lamas Alexander, of Bolingbrook, Ill., will be the guest speaker. Information: 219-980-1647. Marquette Park United Methodist Church: 215 N. Grand Blvd. Senior yoga will be at noon Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Cost is $3 Tuesday and Friday and $4 Thursday, which includes lunch. First Saturday Outreach Lunch is at noon the first Saturday of each month. Sunday School is at 9:15 a.m. and services at 10:15 a.m. Information: 219-938-4106. Christ Temple Church of Christ (Holiness) USA: 4201 Washington St. The 92nd anniversary of the church will be celebrated at 11 a.m. March 12. The theme is "Our 2017 Homecoming: A Time to Refresh, Reconnect & Recommit." Information: 219-884-1837. The Church of God in Christ Inc.: 5718 W. 9th Ave. The Food Pantry will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Information: 219-949-2626. Merrillville St. Andrew's Church: 801 W. 73rd Ave. An all-you-can-eat fish fry will be served from 4 to 6:30 p.m. every Friday of Lent to April 7. In addition to fried or baked fish, there will be pierogis, french fries or baked potato, salad, bread, a bake sale, and free coffee and ice cream. Cost is $10 for adults, $6 for children 12 and younger. Carryout is available for $8. More information is at 219-769-8534. Staff report Darian Robinson talks about the stress of moving his mother and grandmother from the West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago. Robinson has been a resident since he was born. (Suzanne Tennant / Post-Tribune) East Chicago's West Calumet Housing Complex is not the same place as it was eight months ago. In July, people roamed the streets, kids played outside; all unaware of the danger that surrounded their homes. Advertisement That all changed later that month when they all received a letter from Mayor Anthony Copeland detailing the high levels of lead and arsenic in the soil, triggering an exodus from the complex that was once home to more than 300 families. The streets are nearly vacant as house after house empties. Plywood blocks the entrances to homes throughout the complex and crews remove appliances from now vacant homes. Advertisement "It's strange," said Akeeshea Daniels, who has lived at West Calumet for more than a decade. "It feels like a ghost town now." Cars still dot driveways throughout West Calumet and people occupy many town homes and apartments, but that will soon change. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gave the East Chicago Housing Authority permission to start emergency relocation for the residents who remain at the contaminated West Calumet Housing Complex. The plan will vacate the complex by April 1. While housing officials plan to move the nearly 100 families who remain at the complex to other units in East Chicago, Chicago or suburban Cook County, questions still remain about how that process will work. Residents scramble to find new homes but the lack of available units has plagued the process since relocation efforts began last fall. "I'm between a rock and a hard place," Daniels said. "It's a problem." Neither representatives from HUD or the East Chicago Housing Authority responded to comment on the relocation process Friday. HUD and the Shriver Center, which helped a group of residents file a complaint about the relocation process last year, reached an agreement in November to make it easier for the people in West Calumet to move in a more organized and safer way. Advertisement HUD agreed to ensure all eligible residents of the West Calumet Housing Complex have access to relocation benefits, including housing vouchers; waiving any rent owed by residents from July 22 to March 31, or until their tenancy ends; and reimbursing rent paid for November 2016. The agreement aimed to bolster support staff to help residents find new housing. While the accord was heralded for giving residents some breathing room, the emergency relocation has once again left them gasping. Darian Robinson, 36, has spent his whole life in the Calumet neighborhood and faced with being moved out of the complex adds to an already challenging search for housing. "It's rough," Robinson said, and both his mother and grandmother need to find a house that's handicap accessible. "It's hard to find a place that's accessible." Robinson said he's tried to find a new place but it's not easy. Advertisement "We're going to figure it out," Robinson said. Though many are still actively looking for new housing, advocates say the emergency relocation could disrupt efforts to safely move people the whole point of the November settlement with HUD and the housing authority. "It's becoming an impossible situation," said Kate Walz, the Shriver Center's director of housing justice. Mobility counselors only set up at West Calumet on Feb. 14, Walz said, and are just now starting to take appointments and identify housing options for residents. Walz said that with residents being forced to leave at the end of the month they did not have access to meaningful mobility counseling. Residents now have a chance to get real counseling, Walz said, but are being moved out and losing access to those services. One subcontractor simply processed reasonable accommodation requests for residents, Walz said, but did not provide strong mobility counseling. Walz said residents were often given a list of housing options off the Internet and got little support. Advertisement "That's not housing counseling," Walz said. Daniels said she hasn't gotten any information about how services will be made available to residents once they move or how long housing vouchers will stay active. "We're not sure," Daniels said. It should be the goal to move residents to strong and supportive communities, Walz said, but displacing them when waiting a couple more months could find people better homes. "That's what the families deserve," Walz said. Daniels is still looking at places in neighboring Hammond or elsewhere in East Chicago but the options she is faced with by the emergency relocation are not ideal. Advertisement Some West Calumet residents came from Chicago and want to move back, Daniels said, but not those who want to stay near East Chicago. "We're not going to Chicago," Robinson said. "It's already rough here." Daniels said she's not comfortable moving to the city's harbor neighborhood and doesn't think it's safe for her family. Copeland said, during a recent media briefing after meeting with Gov. Eric Holcomb, that crime is declining in East Chicago and the harbor neighborhood. The East Chicago Police Department installed cameras and other equipment to help respond to and address crime in the city, Copeland said. While residents question the safety of the places they'd have to move, security is the reason housing officials say closing the complex is needed. HUD officials argued that given the size of the complex and dwindling number of residents, it's difficult to keep the area safe. Advertisement In other cases where residents have been moved out of a complex en masse, people who still live there are gradually consolidated in one area instead of remaining spread out, Walz said. Daniels said children are in the middle of the ISTEP tests at school and it's difficult to ask people to make a sudden transition and possibly move again. Children are in school until May 30, Walz said, but now be forced to potentially move to another district with only months left in the school year. Many residents have jobs in the area, rely on Medicaid or social services through the state that they will be cut off from. "It is entirely unclear how they will also manage those issues," Walz said. The housing authority has the right to not do the emergency relocation, Walz said, even though HUD granted them that power. "It is not a mandate," Walz said. Advertisement Daniels said she thinks housing officials had their minds made up about closing the complex and getting the residents out. Walz said she hopes the housing authority consider the adverse effects that emergency relocation will have on the residents. "Just delay by a couple of months," Walz said. clyons@post-trib.com Twitter: @craigalyons Pastor Carlos Martinez presides over a Spanish language service at Our Lady of Guadalupe in East Chicago on Friday. (Meredith Colias / Post-Tribune) Many nights, Michael Matiscik sits in his church office, shuts out the world and prepares to learn. Tucked behind his desk, with hundreds of religious books shelved along the walls, he studies his Greek bible, trying not to think too much about the secular world. Advertisement Matiscik, the pastor of Christian Fellowship Church in Hammond, said he understands the social climate has changed, but he prides himself on being a man of God, and for him, the gospel will always reign supreme. But Matiscik, like many other religious leaders across Northwest Indiana is working to understand and adapt in this ever-changing world. Advertisement Matiscik said he believes people want to have a convenient relationship with Christianity, adding that a lot of churches also alter their message to cater to people's desires. Matiscik not only laments how society has changed over the last few decades, but pastors for preaching primarily about acquiring wealth. He calls it "prosperity gospel." "As I see it in Gary, East Chicago and somewhat in Hammond you're dealing with impoverished people and if you dangle the carrot that God will make you rich it allows them to combine their desire to get out of their economic hole." Matiscik said he's appalled by the increased acceptance of secular behavior, citing society being desensitized to seeing violence and sexual activity on television. "There isn't a main TV station sitcom I can let my children watch," he said. "Most of them are sleeping around and showing sexual relationships between people who aren't even married. People don't even think two things about that anymore." As society becomes more liberal, Matiscik said it isn't the church's duty to evolve with society. And that churches can't allow the pressure of social issues to water down their message. "It has to stay the same," he said referring to the church. "The church has to get the gospel out. And once we get off course and we use social issues to try and change society then we're never going to impact society." Matiscik said the church used to be the epicenter of the community, and despite its waning influence, he remains dedicated to helping the people in his community. Advertisement "We work to service the people in this area," Matiscik said. To help the community the church has a clothing outlet in the basement with racks of used clothing. It looks like Goodwill. Items are free and are open to the public on the second Friday of every month. Other parishes catering to ethnic congregations said staying true to God's message and providing a sanctuary in stressful times is the key to maintaining their relevancy. A 2015 Pew Research Report polling 35,000 people between 2007 and 2014, found the number of adults that considered themselves "religiously affiliated" dropped to 77 percent from 83 percent. But, the number of religiously affiliated people polled stated that they believed in God remained steady at 97 percent, according to the report. Just blocks from an ArcelorMittal steel mill in the East Chicago's Indiana Harbor section, the 90-year-old Our Lady of Guadalupe parish currently has at least 700 parishioners, holding the majority of its Masses in Spanish. "Every human being that comes or doesn't come to church, we all have a necessity in our heart...to approach the Lord," said the Rev. Carlos Martinez, the church pastor, who chose to be interviewed through a translator. Advertisement "There's a lot of people in this world that are so busy with their jobs...that at times they feel the need to stop" and find sanctuary in the church, he said. On Friday morning, Maria "Lucha" Quiroz, 54, joined a morning congregation of about 30 people there for her birthday. At 7, she moved with her family from Mexico, settling in East Chicago when her Kansas-born father got a job at the former Inland Steel. Her family has been attending since 1970. Her own faith helped her through good times and bad, including when her husband died in 2004 and when her now 19-year-old son was born with spina bifida. "You have to be devoted," she said. "You need that devotion." At the St. Iakovos Greek Orthodox Church in Valparaiso, Father Jim Greanias, the son of another Greek priest, said the role of the church was to provide stability to its 155 families. Advertisement "The biggest way is to remain an oasis in the desert for people," he said. "I think for a lot of people, they hunger for that. Especially in this day of confusion, they hunger for a place to connect with God." "When you have that kind of authenticity behind you, it helps," he said. Founded in 1981, the church has adapted to offer services mostly in English and he works to regularly make contact with parishioners in need in his role as a priest and uses Facebook to help spread the gospel. "We are living in a world where we are getting battered around. So we need that sense of healing," Greanias said. "We are all struggling in life, we are all struggling to survive." "The last thing you need is the church to come out and say you're wrong you're bad, you're terrible," he said. "You need the church to say, 'Hey, you're loved.'" "But you do need to follow this game plan to find that sense of healing," he said. Advertisement jaanderson@tribpub.com mcolias@post-trib.com Twitter @JavonteA @Meredithcolias Pueblo state Senate candidates dispute claims made in 'dark money' ads Incumbent Nick Hinrichsen and GOP challenger Stephen Varela have denied claims made by outside groups spending big money on competitive races In the same boat [By Zhai Haijun / China.org.cn] In assessing the recently concluded China-India strategic dialogue, the common expression "glass half full and glass half empty" can come very handy. While this crucial dialogue between two neighbors was viewed very positively by the officials of both countries, the usual crowd, especially India's strategic community, security experts and media analysts with some exceptions, choose to paint the outcomes of the meet in extremely negative terms. They termed the much publicized dialogue "nowhere talks" and "meaningless rituals." What makes it worrisome is the fact that some analysts and opinion makers have had their verdicts out even before the officials exchanged a word on many contentious bilateral issues. While the pessimists evaluated the entire deliberation through the narrow prism of two irritants: China's continued reluctance to back India's entry into coveted Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and name Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar in the sanctions list under United Nation Security Council Resolution 1267, the optimists of China-India relations found the day-long dialogue very promising and full of positive takeaways. To them, notwithstanding these irritants the dialogue was conducted in free and frank manners and there was an atmosphere of cordiality and genuine acceptance of each other's sensitivities and concerns. Led by two astute diplomats Ambassador Subramanyam Jaishankar, India's foreign secretary, and Zhang Yesui, China's vice foreign minister, the day-long deliberation in Beijing saw free flowing discussions on many contentious issues including China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and negotiation with Taliban. Both countries had very "open" and "purposeful" exchanges on Afghanistan, U.N., Iran, Africa, nuclear issues and counter-terrorism. While a few contentious issues, particularly India's NSG membership and Masood Azhar case, saw no major breakthroughs, the host country expressed its readiness to engage in the debate. This made India's Foreign Secretary to note "On the NSG issue the Chinese side underlined that they were open to India's application for membership but they had their view of procedures and processes and these were somewhat different from where we are at the moment and where we think most of the group is at the moment." Further, two neighbors expressed common concerns on evolving geopolitical disruption and policies and approaches followed by President Donald Trump. Both countries agreed to hold "substantive discussion" to strengthen "a stable and open international system" in a time of great volatility. As a proof of maturity in the relations, Chinese officials were appreciative of India's role in Afghanistan. They expressed their "admiration" for India's work on development projects particularly Salma Dam in Herat. On the whole, the strategic dialogue saw a positive convergence of Chinese and Indian interests on range of global issues particularly Iran, Afghanistan, free trade, open international system among other. To sum up, the outcomes of the strategic dialogue between two ancient neighbors combining more than one-third of humanity should not be gauged by a handful of irritants. Never forget the fact that the two neighbors have not had durable successes in resolving border disputes since the 1950s. Yet, the relationship between two close neighbors has been through dramatic transformation in the last two decades. Not only now India and China are members of BRICS, G20, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and East Asia Summit, they deliberate and exchange views more often than any point of their bilateral history. In a period of less than three years, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have met on record nine occasions. These are unmistakable signs of thaw in China-India relationship. The right way to further strengthen the relationship is to work on positives and pay no heed to these critics. Incidentally, the two large neighbors are world's economic powerhouses, but the annual trade turnover volume is a meager $70 billion. The way to soar up the relationship is steer exchanges and dialogues to work on thrust areas such as smoothening of trade cooperation, easing business environment, greater flow of goods and people. This does not mean both countries should not engage in sorting out contentious bilateral issues. They must, but positive elements should drive the relationship. In this regard, the recently concluded strategic dialogue is a step forward. Niranjan Sahoo is Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash Israeli soldiers stationed on the borders between northern Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire and wounded on Friday evening three Palestinians, one of them in critical condition, medics said. Ashraf al-Qedra, Gaza health ministry spokesman told reporters that two of them were shot and wounded close to the fence of the borders with Israel and the third one was injured near the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia. Eyewitnesses said that clashes broke out on Friday evening between dozens of young Palestinian stone throwers and the Israeli soldiers stationed near the fence of the borders, adding that the soldiers opened fire and wounded the three. A wave of tensions has been ongoing between Palestinians and Israelis since October 2015, leading to the death of over 354 Palestinians, one Jordanian and over 46 Israelis, according to official data. Tension on the borders between Israel and the Gaza Strip Hamas-led militants had been mounting over the past few days after unknown militants fired rockets into Israel and the Israeli army war plans and tanks fired back. Flash French presidential election candidate Francois Fillon gestures during a political rally in Paris, France, Jan. 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Thierry Mahe) An Odoxa poll released on Friday showed that three quarters of French respondents believed scandal-hit presidential candidate Francois Fillon was wrong to stick to his presidential bid despite being under legal investigation, with the majority saying he should be replaced. In a separate survey, the pollster predicted the Republican Party's Alain Juppe would top voting intentions in first round if he replaced the embattled former prime minister. In a defiant speech on Wednesday, Fillon stressed to fight "to the end" to defend his chances to win the presidential ticket. He called supporters and senior members of his right-wing party to resist "a political assassination." Once the favorite to become France's new head of state, he is now the third man according to the country's pollsters. "He must realize that he is no longer able to carry the voice of those who believe in the right," Gerald Darmanin, deputy secretary general of the Republican Party told the regional newspaper La Voix du Nord. In a further sign of Fillon's worsening crisis, key figures of his campaign, including Thierry Solere, Fillon's chief spokesman, and political advisor Dominique Busserau joined the list of those who resigned following the news of a judicial summon. Adding insult to injury, the country's center-right UDI party suspended its support for the presidential campaign of the conservative nominee. Fillon was placed under formal investigation this week as part of an inquiry into misuse of public funds and the misappropriation of assets. Fillon has been under fire since French satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine reported on Jan. 25 that he had paid his wife and two of his five children about one million euros (1.06 million U.S. dollars) for their jobs as parliamentary assistants. However, there was no evidence showing that Fillon's wife had really worked. In a fresh attempt to defend his image as an honest and morally-irreproachable candidate, the ex-premier said he would go before judges and tell them "my truth, which is the truth," he said on Wednesday. He rejected any wrongdoing and denounced a bias in the judicial system in relation to the investigation into his wife's allegedly fake job. "From the start, I have not been treated like anyone else facing the justice system," he said To Alain Duhamel, a political analyst, Fillon "prepares the right for a failure and a division," what Duhamel called "a form of egotism." "The crisis in the right-wing party will be less bad with a Plan B even if the person who will replace Francois Fillon will start a late campaign with extremely difficult financial, moral, and political conditions," he told RTL radio. As the investigation into Fillon's wife's fake job deepens, the candidate's camp planned a rally on Sunday in what the ex-premier's backers hope will prove a big enough show of force to regain voters' confidence. A worker inspects the nose cone of the second Boeing 737 Max airplane being built in Renton, Washington. AP Boeing Co plans to deliver some of its new fuel-efficient B737 Max aircraft directly to Chinese customers from its fledgling completion and delivery center in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, after the plant begins operations, the company said in Beijing. The US aircraft manufacturer, which held a news conference in Beijing on Thursday, did not disclose when the new Zhoushan plant would start operating. In October, Boeing revealed the city of Zhoushan, near Shanghai in eastern China, as the location of its first overseas B737 completion and delivery center, as it aims to meet the strong demand for single-aisle aircraft in China and international markets. Boeing said it will deliver its first B737 Max jet around May this year and it has so far received more than 3,600 orders from over 80 customers globally. Airlines are attracted to the Max because it consumes significantly less fuel than existing models. Compared with B737, the company says its B737 Max series will help save 14 percent on average on fuel bills and reduce noise by 40 percent, and the plane has a more spacious interior with more storage space for passengers. Darren Hulst, Northeast Asia marketing managing director of Boeing's commercial airplanes group, said the B737 Max would have a flying range of 1,000 kilometers more than the B737. "China has seen the fastest growth rate of short-haul domestic market and the B737 Max will help Chinese airlines to launch more direct routes to second- and third-tier cities and further stimulate market growth," Hulst said. "Currently, one-third of the orders for the B737s come from China, our largest customer for the model. We could expect a similar proportion of 737 Max orders from China in the near future." Boeing has forecast that China will need about 5,000 single-aisle aircraft in the next two decades. Meanwhile, Boeing's European archrival Airbus Group SE is bullish on the growth potential of the single-aisle aircraft market in China. The company said it is on target to deliver its first A330 in September 2017 from its new completion and delivery center in Tianjin, the company's first overseas completion and delivery site for the A330. By 2019, the center aims to reach a stable production rate of two A330 aircraft a month. An employee works at a Chint Group solar panel production plant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. LIANG ZHEN / FOR CHINA DAILY Chairman hints at M&As for tech in the Belt and Road markets this year Chint Group, China's leading industrial electrical equipment and new-energy company, will definitely be making new investments in 2017particularly in economies along the Belt and Road Initiativeas part of its aggressive globalization strategy, its chairman told China Daily on Friday. "Our globalization strategy is to go abroad for mergers and acquisitions, bring in advanced technologies and go abroad again to produce high-end manufacturing products," said Nan Cunhui, chairman of Chint Group. "There are many good high-tech deals in Europe and their valuations are reasonable, so we can bring their technologies to the Chinese market and achieve win-win results," said Nan. In 2016, Chint Group acquired a 25 percent stake in Spain's grapheme polymer battery company Grabat Energy SL. Nan said the group's working relations with Grabat since then had been very smooth and they have made some technological breakthroughs. The chairman said that in the current year Europe and the United Kingdom would continue to be Chint Group's main destinations for mergers and acquisitions, followed by the United States and Japan. "Most developing countries and regions along the Belt and Road are still at the early stage of industrialization, and they have strong demand for our high-end products," said Nan. "We will definitely set up factories in these countries this year. " The company has already established factories in countries along the Belt and Road including Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Iran and Egypt. In February Chint Group opened its first factory for low-voltage switchgear manufacturing in Cairo, in the company's first move abroad in 2017. "We need to respect local culture when engaged in M&As or making direct investments," Nan added. Alan Wang, a partner in international law firm Freshfields based in Beijing and Shanghai with extensive experience in M&As, said there were a number of key challenges facing Chinese investors abroad. He said these included a lack of understanding of local laws, particularly related to labor, environment and taxes; inadequate infrastructure, particularly power supply, transport and logistics; a lack of political stability, bureaucracy and corruption. To date, Chint Group has established factories, research and development centers and marketing branches in about 80 countries and regions in Europe, North America, Russia, South America, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. The group says it has constructed more than 30 photovoltaic power plants overseas and sold its products to over 130 countries and regions. McConnell promoted at Morgan Stanley ELKO Morgan Stanley announced this week that Joel McConnell, a financial advisor, CFP and ChFC in its Wealth Management office in Elko has been promoted to associate vice president. McConnell has worked at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management since 2007. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, cash management and lending products and services, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 42 countries, the Firms employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, visit www.morganstanley.com. Sampsons join Angus Association ELKO Logan and Adriane Sampson of Ruby Valley are new members of the American Angus Association, reports Allen Moczygemba, CEO of the national breed organization headquartered in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The American Angus Association, with more than 25,000 active adult and junior members, is the largest beef breed association in the world. Its computerized records include detailed information on over 18 million registered Angus. The Association records ancestral information and keeps production records and genomic data on individual animals to develop industry-leading selection tools for its members. The programs and services of the Association and its entities Angus Genetics Inc., Angus Productions Inc., Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus Foundation help members to advance the beef cattle business by selecting the best animals for their herds and marketing quality genetics for the beef cattle industry and quality beef for consumers. Stone attends Retail Jewelers show ELKO Chip Stone from Stonecraft Jewelers recently attended the 2017 Retail Jewelers Organization Winter Buying Show in Tampa, Florida. The event, themed Buying Frenzy, allowed jewelers the opportunity to share business ideas, purchase new items at pre-negotiated prices and network with peers. Purchasing jewelry at pre-negotiated prices at the Retail Jewelers Organization show is critical because we are able to pass along the savings to our customers, said Stone. We also bring home a better understanding of current trends and marketing strategies. Hundreds of jewelers learned about business strategy and effective communication, among other topics while enjoying the attractions of the host city that included a Super Bowl themed party benefitting the Retail Jewelers Association foundation. Visit the store at 2560 Mountain City Hwy., No. 3 or www.stonecraftjewelers.com. NV Energy gives $5.4 million RENO NV Energy and the NV Energy Foundation continued its tradition of giving back to the communities it serves by donating more than $5.4 million last year to support 335 nonprofit organizations statewide. The NV Energy Foundation addresses key community needs in the areas of education and youth, protection of the environment, arts and multicultural outreach, and health and human services. The NV Energy Foundation is funded by NV Energy, not its customers. Grants were awarded to 82 northern Nevada nonprofits, including the Women & Childrens Center of the Sierra, Boys & Girls Club of Winnemucca, UNR Foundation for the College of Engineering Building, Girl Scouts of Sierra Nevada and KNPB Channel 5 Public Broadcasting. Sixty-five southern Nevada organizations, including Opportunity Village, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Three Square Food Bank and the Public Education Foundation also received grants. Charitable giving is important to me and my colleagues, said Paul Caudill, NV Energy President and Chief Executive Officer. Were proud to further the important missions of nonprofit organizations in our communities through financial support and volunteerism. Not only do we have a lot of fun volunteering, but it is very rewarding. Standing behind NV Energys philanthropic efforts are its employees. Last year, employees volunteered more than 37,500 hours to organizations they care about in their communities. YANGON - Myanmar is believed to benefit significantly from China's Belt and Road initiative which Myanmar is taking part in. The Belt and Road initiative, comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime silk Road, was proposed by China in 2013. It envisions a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. In an interview with Xinhua on Friday, U Mya Than Zaw, managing director of Truly Myanmar Travel and Tour, said bordering with China and being rich with natural resources and tourist heritage, Myanmar will attract more visitors from the neighbor by taking part in the initiative. As both countries practice the same Buddhism, it is expected that the two countries will have better cultural exchanges between them, the managing director said. He spoke highly of the high quality of Chinese products entering the Myanmar market such as Huawei and ZTE, noting that mini stores which sell quality products from China are currently very popular in his country. U Win Tin, who works as a chief editor for Union Daily, also said in an interview that China has become the second economic giant in the world, recalling that he had been to China for 14 times between 1991 and 2016 and witnessed China's development. Myanmar and China have the good legends of enjoying good bilateral relations, the chief editor noted, adding he appreciates China's way of development. China practices the market economy which suits with its own conditions amid a population of 1.3 billion, which creates a large consumer market where the products of each province can be exchanged to meet the demands, he said. China enjoys rich natural resources and wide country area as well as good transportation, he noted. The Belt and Road initiative is expected to expand and strengthen the market globally, based on the legendary main trade route--the Silk Road, he said. The initiative is a great idea as it is expected to boost international trade by enhancing transportation in many kinds of ways such as railways, highways and ports, he said, believing that the initiative will be absolutely successful. Through the participation in the initiative, Myanmar has an advantage of bridging China's southwestern gate with the India Ocean, he said, pointing out that China can easily link other ASEAN countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore through Myanmar which lies on the main point for trade transitions in the marine route of the initiative with good location on the route of BCIM economic corridor. However, he stressed that the Belt and Road initiative would not be accomplished in Myanmar if the conflicts in northern and western parts of the country are still going on. In 2016, Chinese investors spent A$2.4 billion purchasing residential land in Australia, accounting for 35 percent of all Australian real estate trade, according to Knight Frank, a global real estate consultancy company. That's an increase of 9.4 percent on the previous year. Knight Frank's report said the amount of real estate bought by Chinese consumers was seventeen times greater than in 2012. In 2012, the average area of trading plots was 1,200 square meters, with every plot having 103 living units. In 2016, the number had risen to 502 units with an average area of 21,000 square meters. Interest isn't limited to real estate companies, reports the Paper. In June 2016, Bank of China paid $95 million to buy an office building in Sydney. China's New Hope Group, which is involved in the agriculture and food sector, has also established its Australia and New Zealand headquarters in Sydney. "We are going to build a 43-floor landmark in northern Sydney", said a New Hope official. "The two safe ports, Sydney and Melbourne, are still the first choice for Chinese investors, and that trend will continue. China will focus on other cities in Australia when competition for real estate becomes too fierce", said Lin Rongjie, managing director of Cushman & Wakefield's Research Department in China. "The three most popular cities in Australia among Chinese investors are Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane", said Yang Dong, general manager of an investment company in Shanghai. A WeWork office in Shanghai, Nov 17, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] The vast market for co-working spaces in China has welcomed a new, highly competent candidate in WeWork, a leading co-working space company from the US. WeWork is striding confidently into China, equipped with unique services and an ambition to serve more people. WeWork was founded in New York City in 2010 by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey, with the intention of creating a workspace centered on the idea of community. It now serves over 90,000 members in more than 120 locations across 30 cities and 12 countries. The company provides both working and living spaces, in addition to community services. China's capital city is just its latest stop. Connecting China In March 2016, the American company received an investment of over $400 million from Chinese investors led by Legend Holdings and Hony Capital a move that was widely seen as the official starting point of WeWork's China strategy. Four months later, the first Chinese WeWork location was opened in Shanghai. Less than a year later, the company is ready to open two new locations in Beijing, putting its total number of spaces in China at four. In addition, four more locations in Beijing and Shanghai are to be announced in 2017. Nevertheless, McKelvey denied that the company's expansion into China was contingent on its multimillion-dollar investment. "We were interested in China before we had investment from HONY capital. It was our plan to come here whether we had it or not But obviously having them as a partner facilitates our entry. We still have our ability to follow our business plan," the WeWork co-founder and chief creative officer said in an exclusive interview with People's Daily Online. While he stressed that WeWork remains independent from investors' influence, McKelvey did give credit to the Chinese investors for helping his team to understand the Chinese market and make business connections. He said the investors have been helpful in the sense of "[knowing] someone who can give you feedback on decision-making and informal conversation about what's happening and how to navigate certain situations. When we have meetings with government officials, they've been there and taken part. That gives us a little credibility, to have a local partner." Chinese investors also helped to assemble an investment round and facilitated WeWork's partnership with Sino-Ocean Group (SOG), which McKelvey called "a great partner." He also said the company is looking to expand the partnership and pursue additional partnerships with real estate groups in China. Although WeWork gave no specific number for the company's 2017 expansion goals, McKelvey pointed out that the company expects to double in size in the new year, and "we see a lot of that growth coming in China." "We approach the market in a very humble way, feeling that we know how to do it and we will work with people to learn as much as we can about the local market," he added. Booming industry The Chinese market is "very big and interesting" in terms of how quickly business evolves within it, but also in terms of entrepreneurship, McKelvey noted. Business models are indeed changing rapidly, and co-working spaces are on the rise in China, especially as the nation calls for expanded entrepreneurship. In addition to early birds such as UrWork, Nashwork and SOHO 3Q, which were all built by real estate giants, China's major internet companies, including Alibaba and Tencent, are also reportedly considering an expansion into the co-working industry. McKelvey declined to comment on those potential competitors in China. Rather, he said the market still has a lot of room for different companies to try to support the new way of working more flexible, more interesting, more engaged and more connected to neighbors, friends and businesses. "We believe that work is changing so quickly what people want from their work life is changing much more quickly than any individual company could support. We think that as we grow, as other companies grow, they are inviting more businesses to think about the new way working space operates," he stated. Unique offer During the interview, McKelvey repeatedly expressed his confidence in the company's role in the Chinese market, despite the fact that several US companies such as Amazon and Uber encountered serious obstacles while competing with Chinese counterparts. "We have great confidence in the China market and the future of China's economy. Certainly we are only touching a small part of business at this point. We believe there is so much room for us to grow, no matter how the market conditions are. So we have nothing but confidence. We believe we offer something unique in the market. We are super excited and we will continue to push forward with the same excitement and speed," McKelvey said, firmly pushing back against concerns over WeWork's future battles. Over 50 percent of companies under the WeWork network engage in collaboration with other WeWork companies a unique and valuable service that is an undeniable advantage compared to domestic Chinese brands. It is almost routine for co-working spaces to provide coffee or tea in addition to the rented space. Some also attract renters by offering free education for entrepreneurs. But that is not enough for WeWork, according to Fred Lu Shucheng, the general manager of WeWork China. Lu noted that the company comes up with various ways to strengthen ties within the network, including offline interests groups and an exclusive global WeWork member network. Through the network, which connects thousands of companies, WeWork members are able to build both personal and business ties in an economical way that allows both sides to feel trusted. Developing "glocally" across the world, the company also boasts specialized services that vary from country to country and custom location designs for each city. WeWork designers try to meet even the tiniest requests, from unconventional working habits to coffee consumption. WeWork also tries to localize their designs so that each building is instantly recognizable as a WeWork facility, yet also entirely unique, according to Lu. Lu offered the example of seat arrangement. "In the US or other international markets, people are less sensitive [when it comes to] whether people work next to each other or facing each other or back to back. But for us, we have strong cultural awareness that we want to work face to face," he said, also noting that WeWork China furnishes its locations with espresso machines, while US locations generally offer drip coffee. Future of working space Nearly a decade has passed since WeWork's launch, and already there is a clear ripple effect in co-working. As a co-founder, McKelvey said that he and Neumann imagine their company 100 years in the future, and believe that WeWork will remain competitive. "What we see is people are becoming more mobile, defining work in a more diverse way. But at the same time, you need places for human connection. There is potential for more decentralized organization for people to only come together at specific times, rather than [how it is done in] large corporate offices. I think especially as people become more interested in moving to cities, the efficiency must be greater. The solution must be more flexible and responsive to human connection," the CCO said. Trip to disputed area could cause 'severe damage' to India relations China has formally expressed serious concern to India regarding the Dalai Lama's planned visit to disputed areas along the China-India border, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, cautioning the "severe damage" it could do to bilateral ties. Indian media reported that the so-called Arunachal Pradesh government, which is illegal, has invited the Dalai Lama to visit the eastern section of the China-India border in March. "China's position on the eastern section of the China-India border is clear and consistent. The Dalai clique has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities. Its record on the China-India boundary question is not that glorious," ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily media briefing in Beijing. Since India is fully aware of the severity of the Dalai Lama issue and the sensitivity of the China-India boundary question, he said, the invitation will only damage the peace and stability of the border areas, and bilateral relations as well. According to Geng, China firmly opposes the Dalai Lama's trip to the disputed territory and has expressed its concerns to India many times. "We, once again, urge India to adhere to its commitments on Tibet-related issues, follow the important consensus between the two sides on the boundary question, refrain from further complicating the question and providing a stage for the Dalai clique to carry out anti-China separatist activities so as to maintain the sound and stable development of China-India relations," he added. Fu Xiaoqiang, an expert on South Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said India is trying to reinforce its actual control over the disputed area by inviting the Dalai Lama to visit there. "But this will not help solve the problem, or change the fact that it is a disputed territory," he said. He also said that since China and India have agreed to solve the border issue through negotiations, India should stop what he described as petty moves and respect the consensus the two countries have reached. "The Dalai Lama's acceptance of the invitation only demonstrates that he is not a purely religious figure as he claims, but a political exile who has been engaged in secessionist activities," Fu added. mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn China's top tourism authority has warned tourists of the risks regarding South Korea's change of its entry policy for Chinese citizens. "The number of incidents involving Chinese citizens' entry to Jeju Island of South Korea has risen sharply recently. Some of them were denied entry and waited a long time at airports before they were repatriated, which has attracted wide public attention," said a statement on the website of the China National Tourism Administration on Friday. It said the administration attached great importance to the matter. The administration met with officials from the South Korean embassy in Beijing as well as officials from the country's cultural organizations and "lodged serious representations", said the statement. The administration warned Chinese citizens to be aware of the risks of overseas trips and asked them to carefully choose their destinations. It advised them to get to know the entry policy of South Korea and prepare documents as required. "If you are caught in an emergency or unfairly treated or involved in a dispute, contact the local Chinese embassy or consulates immediately. Evidence of the matter should be gathered and saved in case complaints or legal suits are lodged in the future," the administration said. Some tourist agencies in China have stopped providing tours to South Korea over the past week. Wanzhong Tourism Travel Service issued a statement on Friday and canceled all South Korean tourism products. "For those who had signed up and paid for the South Korean tours, we can arrange tours to other destinations or we will rearrange the tours after the tension in relations between China and South Korea have eased," the company statement said. Guo Jinming, head of online sales of Wanzhong, said his company thought it was the right decision to cancel recent trips to South Korea and regarded it as a patriotic move by a tourist company, as South Korea has provided land to the US forces stationed to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. Guo said his company is busy refunding clients and will cover all their losses from canceling the trips. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday that China adopts a positive and open attitude toward exchange and cooperation between China and South Korea. "But this requires proper popular support and appropriate public opinion, as we have stated repeatedly," he told a daily press briefing in Beijing. Contact the writers at zhang_yi@chinadaily.com.cn An image sent back by an accompanying satellite shows Shenzhou XI (top) and Tiangong II (bottom) in space on Oct 23, 2016. The satellite took the photo at a distance of 419 meters from Tiangong II and Shenzhou XI. [Photo/CCTV] BEIJING - China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou I is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong II space lab three times after its planned launch in April, sources said Saturday. Tianzhou I will be sent into space from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province aboard a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket, according to a spokesperson of China's manned space program. It is scheduled to refuel Tiangong II three times and carry out experiments and tests. During the journey, Tianzhou I will orbit on its own for about three months and together with Tiangong II for about two months after their rendezvous. At the end of the mission, Tianzhou I will leave the orbit and fall back to earth while Tiangong II will remain in orbit and continue its experiments. The Tianzhou I mission will complete the second phase of the country's manned space program. It will be crucial for China in achieving the final step of establishing a space station around 2022. On-time flights still a priority Feng Zhenglin, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, tells reporters in Beijing on Friday that "there is still space to improve" the rate of commercial flight punctuality. WANG ZHUANGFEI / CHINA DAILY The nation will continue to improve the punctuality of commercial flights, Chinas top civil aviation official said on Friday. "I was not happy with the punctuality rate of scheduled flights before, nor am I happy with it now. But we are working to improve it," said Feng Zhenglin, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. He made the remarks ahead of the opening ceremony of the annual meeting of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, Chinas top advisory body. The punctuality rate of scheduled flights was 76.4 percent last year, a rise of 8.4 percentage points from 2015. The punctuality of commercial flights can be affected by such factors as weather, military activity, airport and airline management, and air traffic control, he said. The administration took many steps to improve the situation last year, including strictly carrying out the evaluation of airlines punctuality and reducing delays caused by controllable factors, such as air traffic control, Feng said. Some factors that cause delays are not controllable, such as weather and military activities, he added. Last year, about 56 percent of delays were caused by weather conditions, compared with 29.5 percent the previous year, he said. Meanwhile, flight delays caused by airlines poor management and air traffic control have been reduced to less than 10 percent each. "Although weather has been the major reason for flight delays, there is still space to improve," he said. In January, a national regulation took effect that requires domestic airlines to disclose policies about delays and cancellations. Forty-two domestic airlines have announced policies for compensating passengers in the event of flight cancellations or delays. Eight offer no reimbursement to customers under any circumstances. According to the regulation, when a delay or cancellation is the result of weather or air traffic control, rather than the fault of airlines, the companies should help arrange accommodations for passengers, although the cost is to be covered by the passengers. Harness AI to help tackle tough issues, says Baidu's Li Artificial intelligence-enabled technologies should be boosted and used to address such thorny issues as tracking lost children and easing traffic congestion, Robin Li, chairman and CEO of leading Chinese search engine Baidu, said on Friday. Robin Li In his proposal to the fifth session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Li, a member of the CPPCC National Committee, called for preferential policies for development of AI through institutional innovation, data sharing and project support. The proposal echoed China's push for AI research, just weeks after Baidu was nominated by the National Development and Reform Commission to lead the first national lab on deep learning, a leading algorithm of AI. "Like the profound impact of the Industrial Revolution, today we've reached a tipping point where AI gets to bring sweeping changes to our lives, with so many achievable applications to be rolled out," Li said. A facial recognition model should be developed to record the biological features of children to help curb the problem of lost or kidnapped children, he said. It would then be connected to a national database, where information on missing or kidnapped children could be matched with the biological features of children later found under various circumstances. AI-backed applications could also be used to route drivers around traffic jams. An intelligent traffic light would be able to guide traffic if an obstruction was detected or likely farther down the road. Conventional traffic lights have preprogrammed timing that is updated every few years. Li proposed developing AI-based traffic signals that could adapt to changing traffic conditions. China has launched a three-year initiative led by the NDRC and the Ministry of Science and Technology to boost the AI industry through 2018. Under the initiative, the country aims to achieve breakthroughs in core AI technologies. Baidu has designated AI as its business cornerstone, setting up a deep learning lab in the Silicon Valley in California, hiring AI experts and making inroads on driverless cars. China is already in a leading position in certain AI applications, yet more attention should be paid to the most fundamental groundbreaking work, now largely dominated by US researchers, said Wang Guanchun, a former Silicon Valley expert on AI and chief executive officer of Beijing-based AI company Laiye. "The scenarios mentioned in these proposals are quite likely to be realized, since some of the technologies are already quite mature," Wang said. "But as AI becomes the new darling of the capital market, we should refrain from seeking short-term gains," he added. Tencent's Ma envisions Chinese 'Silicon Valley' Ma Huateng, chairman of Tencent and deputy of the National People's Congress, answers reporters' questions ahead of the fifth plenary session of the 12th NPC in Beijing on Friday. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY China should introduce favorable policies to turn the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area into the cradle of China's "Silicon Valley", national legislator Ma Huateng said on Friday. Constructing a world-class high-tech Bay Area is critical to implementing China's innovation-driven strategy, said Ma, who also chairs internet giant Tencent, at a news conference ahead of the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress, which begins on Sunday. The proposal is also conducive to the long-term prosperity of the region, he said, especially for Hong Kong and Macao, which have untapped potential to deepen economic interdependence with the mainland. Ma said the area is home to China's leading tech industries and financial services, as well as being a manufacturing hub, perfectly positioning it to become a global innovation center. "Hong Kong will take the lead among these cities in international transportation, as well as in accounting and financial, legal and other commercial services. Dongguan specializes in manufacturing. And Shenzhen hosts China's tech giants, such as Tencent and Huawei, as well as drone maker DJI," he said. To bolster growth, Ma encouraged the adoption of preferential tax rebate policies in the area and loosening entry permission between the mainland and Hong Kong to retain talent. Guangdong Governor Ma Xingrui, speaking during the local political consultative and legislative sessions, said the three places will work together on building a world-class city cluster in the region this year. The Bay Area is one of China's most affluent regions. In 2016, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong each either reached or neared 2 trillion yuan ($290 billion) in gross domestic product. Construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the world's longest cross-sea bridge, connecting Zhuhai in Guangdong with Hong Kong and Macao, is expected to be finished by next year, further integrating the region, he added. Lin Jiang, an economics professor at Sun Yat-sen University, said Ma's idea to turn the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area into China's "Silicon Valley" is "realizable", as regional cooperation is becoming closer with preferential policies from the Guangdong Free Trade Zone. "The Bay Area can serve as the country's experimental field for new technologies and emerging industries." Contact the writers at xujingxi@chinadaily.com.cn and hewei@chinadaily.com.cn Look to grassroots, advisers told Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, speaks during the opening of the CPPCC plenary session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday.[Photo/ Xinhua ] CPPCC session opens with call for democratic oversight and research China's political advisers were told to strengthen democratic oversight and conduct thorough research at the grassroots level to offer more valuable suggestions this year, a top official said on Friday. Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, set the requirements while giving a work report to more than 2,200 national political advisers. The CPPCC National Committee began its annual plenary session on Friday in Beijing, ushering in a political high season that will continue with the opening of the country's top legislature on Sunday. Top Communist Party of China and State leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli also attended the opening meeting at the Great Hall of the People. Yu said CPPCC democratic oversight is a type of consultative oversight exercised under the leadership of the CPC and on the basis of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the CPPCC, it is participated in by political parties, people's organizations and people of all ethnic groups and sectors of society through a variety of activities organized by CPPCC committees. It is carried out through comments, criticism and proposals in accordance with the CPPCC's Charter. "The CPPCC is not a body of State power. Its oversight work does not rely on mandatory or binding force but on political influence," Yu said. "Its purpose is to help the Communist Party of China and the government to resolve problems, improve their work, build solidarity and gather support." Yu said political advisers need to take a problem-oriented approach, focus on major problems and the issues at their core, and accurately identify any difficulties or weak links. This requires improvement of the CPPCC committee members' capabilities in research and studies. "When offering suggestions, empty and general comments with no research to support them must be avoided. Speeches and criticism should get straight to the point," Yu said. "Arrangements for CPPCC democratic oversight work should be submitted to Party committees and incorporated into the overall plan, and key topics should be included in the annual consultation plans and reported to Party committees for approval." Pan Qinglin, a national political adviser and standing committee member of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, said he visits lower-level organizations and develops an understanding of the actual situation before drafting and submitting his proposals each year. "Oversight is very important, but it has to be based on research, study and responsibility," he said. Ling Feng, another national political adviser and a neurosurgeon at Xuanwu Hospital in Beijing, said he used to misunderstand the influence of democratic oversight. In 2014, Ling proposed, along with 89 other CPPCC National Committee members, to combat violence at hospitals and against doctors. Parts of the proposal were adopted into law in August 2015. "I truly felt the power behind one proposal, as well as the attention and importance attached to it by government agencies," he added. CPPCC National Committee members submitted 5,769 proposals over the past year, covering such issues as the economy, politics, culture, society and the ecosystem, according to the CPPCC. Ma Peihua, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, said more proposals from members of the CPPCC National Committee that exercise democratic oversight will be listed as priorities this year. Contact the writers at suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn and sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn The Nevada State Museum, where I am a volunteer tour guide, has an option to take tours of the old Nevada State Capitol building on Carson Street. I have not yet given any of these tours, but I observed one given by Ron Roberts, who gives an excellent presentation. Visitors are taken to see the old Nevada State Supreme Court, the governors offices and the bronze statue of Sarah Winnemucca. They can see the gallery of portraits of all the Nevada State governors from James Nye to the present. While on the tour, you can observe the substantial iron fence that surrounds the building that has an interesting history of its own. Hannah Clapp was a former school teacher from New York. She settled in Carson City where she convinced the Territorial Legislature to fund a private co-educational school known as the Sierra Seminary. In this effort, she had the support of Governor James Nye and Comstock mining baron William Stewart. By 1864, the Sierra Seminary needed additional professional staff and Hannah Clapp hired Miss Eliza Babcock from Maine to be her Vice Principal. Together Miss Clapp and Miss Babcock built a very nice home in northwest Carson City and made the Sierra Seminary one of Nevadas most outstanding schools. Mark Twain twice visited the school and observed the teaching and final examination methods of Hannah Clapp. These observations inspired Twain to use this information in some of the scenes in his novel Tom Sawyer. When the new University of Nevada was moved from Elko to Reno in 1887, President Leroy Brown hired Hannah Clapp as the Universitys first staff member, to teach history and English, in addition to overseeing the University Library in newly-constructed Morrill Hall. Because there was no electricity or gas in the campus first building when classes began, as she later recalled, they literally burned the midnight oil in the rooms to make the blackness more palatable. She founded Renos first kindergarten but she was replaced as a professor at the University due to her lack of qualifications. The two educators made investments in the Belcher mine to help fund their many ventures. In 1875, The Nevada State Legislature decided to fund grounds improvements at the State Capitol. It had become unsightly with stray cows, loafers and garbage. When bids were requested to furnish iron fencing materials to construct the new fence around the building, Hannah Clapp and Miss Babcock saw an opportunity to make a profit for the Sierra Seminary. They submitted a bid of $5,500 in gold. Being the low bidder, she ordered the wrought iron from Philadelphia and had it shipped to Carson City by railroad. When the fencing material arrived, a local contractor and his crew of workmen laid out a footing of sandstone blocks from the state prison quarry. They drilled holes in the sandstone for the posts and set them in place with molten sulphur. When completed, the handsome fence surrounded the capitol grounds and is still in place today, just as sturdy as it was the day it was completed. Since the cost of the materials was substantially less than what Hannah and Eliza had paid for it, they made a profit of $1,000. For many years after, a rumor circulated among many local newspapers and word-of-mouth that the two women did the actual construction of the fence. I have seen written accounts that tell about the two women toiling in the hot summer sun wearing their long woolen skirts as they built the fence themselves. The story that no one knew that the bid submitted by H.K. Clapp was actually from a woman was simply not true. The myth persisted until 1996, when Guy Rocha and Dennis Myers put it to rest in their Historical Myth a Month series, which tells the true story and sets the record straight. The fence building story was just one small incident in the life stories of Hannah Clapp and Eliza Babcock. Hannah was profoundly distressed when her lifelong companion, Eliza Babcock, became ill and died in 1899. Hannah moved to Palo Alto, California to retire and died there in 1908 at the age of 84. She was known for her work as a feminist and suffragette and an advocate for aid to abused women. She worked on tree planting programs in Reno and worked to outlaw spitting in the streets of Reno. Ambassadors: China's decisions influence world China Daily | Updated: 2017-03-04 07:37 Editor's Note: With the two sessions beginning, seven ambassadors discuss what they see as the major issues, including China's economic performance, its role in the international arena and the Belt and Road Initiative. Their views highlight the importance of the event on a global stage. Masood Khalid, Pakistan's ambassador The annual two sessions will continue to provide new solutions to increasing protectionism and provide ideas to accelerate the Belt and Road Initiative, said Masood Khalid, Pakistan's ambassador to China. The diplomat described what intrigues him most when it comes to the annual gathering of the country's lawmakers and political advisers. "Like most international observers, I will watch with keen interest the proceedings of the two sessions, especially on the economy and connectivity," he said. He noted China's continued focus on reform and opening-up, innovation, social development and environmental protection. "We will be interested to know the guidance the Chinese leadership provides on economic development in light of this year's Government Work Report," he said. "President Xi Jinping's visionary Belt and Road Initiative provides an innovative solution to the challenges being faced by the global economy through inclusiveness, mutual trust and win-win cooperation, and building a community of shared destiny," he added. The ambassador noted that the Chinese economy in 2016 beat expectations and achieved its GDP growth target of 6.7 percent. "Industrial output, fiscal revenue and foreign investments have increased, creating more jobs and increasing average incomes. The critical social sectors of education, health and social security have also seen considerable improvement. These are encouraging signs and will have a positive impact on the global economy," he said. Khalid said China's Western Development Strategy is closely linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which has added a new chapter in the long history of the close and comprehensive partnership. "I am confident that as we move forward, the Chinese economy will continue to achieve stable growth and sustainable development." he said. Lela Mani Paudyal, Nepal's ambassador The Nepalese ambassador to China said he hopes the two sessions will see policies that maintain China's economic growth and stability, allowing the country to play a constructive role for international prosperity. Lela Mani Paudyal said China is a major contributor to global economic growth, the second-largest contributor of foreign direct investment, the largest tourist generating country and a major contributor of assistance to the developing world. "I hope the meeting will bring about pragmatic and effective policies to protect the environment while augmenting economic development, and adopt pragmatic policies to help peacefully resolve conflicts around the globe," he told China Daily. The diplomat said he was most impressed by China's efforts over the past years in poverty alleviation, anti-corruption, and the Belt and Road Initiative. "Bringing hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in the past 30 years is a highly commendable job," he said. He also said the initiative provides alternative development models that aim at bringing global prosperity with inclusion and harmony among people of different countries, ethnicities and cultures. In his opinion, the major priorities of the Chinese government this year should be to further enhance its constructive engagement in global governance in the areas of prosperity, harmony and peace. Shakhrat Nuryshev, Kazakhstan's ambassador The two sessions will draw the attention of the world, given the continued strength of the economic growth in China, despite the many global uncertainties, said Shakhrat Nuryshev, Kazakhstan's ambassador to Beijing. He told China Daily that China's economy is actively seeking new growth drivers. Nuryshev said China, despite the status of a developing country, is one of the largest economies in the world and a key player in the international arena. In recent years, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has demonstrated an active foreign policy and is boldly seeking out new foreign markets. The role and place of China, as a responsible world power, is growing day by day, he said. "Therefore, I can firmly state that the issues at the two sessions will not be minor issues for us. All questions will be important in terms of the need for an in-depth study of China's future plans and strategies for further development," he said. "How successful China will be in overcoming the existing difficulties and in ensuring economic growth within the 6.5 to 7 percent range has attracted the attention of the entire world community," he said. "This is primarily because China provides about a quarter of global economic growth and has a direct impact on the economic situation of countries that are its trade and economic partners." The ambassador said Kazakhstan is a close neighbor, a reliable friend and strategic partner of China and occupies one of the most important places in the Silk Road Economic Belt. The Silk Road Economic Belt was announced by Xi during a visit to Kazakhstan in September 2013. It has a deep symbolic and practical meaning, as the main transport corridors from China to Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf have already been built, put into operation and tested in Kazakhstan, according to the ambassador. Diego Ramiro Guelar, Argentina's ambassador Argentine Ambassador to China Diego Ramiro Guelar said he expects China to be supremely capable of planning for the benefit of its people, while fully considering its international responsibility during the two sessions. Guelar said the two sessions have enormous potential as an example of the diversity and complexity of the Chinese leadership, including a meeting of some 5,000 people who are deputies to the National People's Congress and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who are from all walks of life, including economists, academics and artists. "I think that, once again, China will show, to both the ambassadors posted here and the international community, a great capacity for planning for the benefit of its people. But this opportunity will happen within a new scenario," in which China fully realizes its potential for an international role, he said. According to Guelar, last year was crucial for both China and the international community, because China has become a powerful state that participates in the most pressing global issues. "A clear example is environmental issues. A few years ago, China was globally perceived as trying to avoid facing such problems, but the country has now become one of the leaders in this field," he said. The ambassador thinks one of the main challenges for the Chinese government in 2017 is to ensure that the world fully understands the political and economic processes that are taking place in China. "Therefore, policies focused on both communication and culture are crucial," he added. Jean-Jacques de Dardel, Switzerland's ambassador Switzerland is looking forward to China renewing its commitments to multilateralism, open economies and free trade during the two sessions, Swiss Ambassador to China Jean-Jacques de Dardel said. ambassador "Chinese foreign policy is geared toward multilateralism, openness of market and free trade," de Dardel told China Daily. "The creation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is welcome proof that China is ready to not only focus on bilateral relations, but to operate in a multilateral sphere," he added. Speaking highly of speeches made by President Xi Jinping in January during his trip to Switzerland, de Dardel said that he hopes China will continue to be dedicated to openness and free trade. "The two sessions will bring more substance to what Iheardin Davos, Geneva and Bernrecently," he added. The Swiss ambassador hailed China's Belt and Road Initiative as "a clever move", which he said shows China's "openness, wish to engage the world and the desire to take on responsibility that goes beyond self-serving aspects of the development of trade". During his visit to Switzerland, Xi invited Swiss President Doris Leuthard to attend the Belt and Road Initiative International Cooperation Forum Summit in Beijing in May. The two leaders also witnessed the signing of 10 cooperative agreements. "This is obviously a golden age in our relations," the Swiss ambassador said. Out of the Chinese government's development priorities - innovation, coordination, a green economy, openness and sharing - three are of particular interest to Switzerland: innovation, a greener society and openness, de Dardel said. "We see on both sides how important we are to each other in so many different fields - all economic areas, trade and finance," he said, adding that the two countries could also cooperate on international affairs. Karunasena Kodituwakku, Sri Lanka's ambassador Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Karunasena Kodituwakku said he is interested in discussions at the two sessions on China's international role. "The volume of China's international trade and foreign direct investment in other countries is becoming a critical factor for many countries," Kodituwakku said. He added that China is likely to become the most important development partner of many emerging countries in Asia, Africa and Europe in 2017. "The Chinese government's encouragement of its entrepreneurs to go global should lead to an expansion in Chinese foreign investment in Asia, Africa and Europe," he said, adding that banks such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China will continue to finance projects in various countries. Kodituwakku said that the most important challenge facing the Chinese government in 2017 is to sustain the country's economic growth in a time when large economies, such as the United States, are turning to "more inward-looking trade and investment policies", which may have a negative effect on China's trade with these countries. However, the Sri Lankan ambassador expressed optimism over China's ability to reach its economic growth goal for this year, pointing out that its Belt and Road Initiative has attracted the participation of a number of economies. John McKinnon, New Zealand's ambassador New Zealand Ambassador John McKinnon said that his country is particularly interested in how free trade and climate change are reflected and discussed in the annual meetings of China's top legislature and political advisory body. McKinnon said he expects China and New Zealand to upgrade their existing free trade agreement, which was signed and took effect in 2008 to boost bilateral trade. New Zealand was the first developed economy to sign such an agreement with China. The New Zealand-China relationship is very strong and is characterized as a comprehensive strategic partnership as announced by President Xi Jinping and former prime minister John Key in 2014, McKinnon said. "One of the most important ways we've been building on the partnership is to look at how to upgrade the free trade agreement. Since then, there's been a huge growth in the trade between our two countries. And that is continuing and now we are reaching new areas such as services, e-commerce and many other aspects of trade," he said. Of the two sessions, the ambassador said: "There are two areas that are particularly of interest to us: One is to follow President Xi's speech at Davos, when he presented China's strong position on globalization, international trade and an open economy. "These are things we very much welcome and we will be interested to see how they are reflected in Premier Li Keqiang's Government Work Report and also in the subsequent discussions at the congress." He said the second area covers climate change. A few weeks ago, Zhang Yong, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, met with New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett in New Zealand during the first ministerial-level dialogue on climate change. "That will be the focus of our follow-up discussions between officials and between our leaders," the ambassador said. (China Daily 03/04/2017 page5) Searching for signals on climate change policy US think tank representative says she looks to Beijing for 'safety net' amid White House's indifference Melanie Hart, senior fellow and director of China policy at the Center for American Progress think tank, has spent much of the past year studying how to sustain and broaden China-US collaboration on climate change. She wants to find out what signal China will send out on the climate front in the upcoming two sessions, given US President Donald Trump's lack of enthusiasm in this area. The two sessions are the annual gatherings of the National People's Congress, the highest organ of state power, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top political advisory body. Hart said observers will be looking for answers to two questions from the gatherings: "How much of China's role as a global leader depends on the US and China standing side by side?" and "If the US becomes more quiet, or less engaged, (on the climate front) what will China's actions be?" She said she will keep pushing the US government on the issue. "We look at the Chinese leaders as a kind of safety net," she said. From her conversations with her Chinese counterparts, Hart has found that the country is still very determined to combat climate change despite a slowing economy. She believes China will have no problem hitting its emission reduction targets for 2030. China has the capacity to be a global leader in climate change, she said. In her view, the nation's role is critical, because it is a developing country and much of the growth in global emissions emanates from developing countries. Hart pointed out that China has already taken a step forward in the field of economic development with the launch of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The nation is helping to build infrastructure that developing countries need, and can pair that with climate leadership by ensuring projects are built sustainably "I think it is a natural pairing," she said. Hart, who speaks fluent Chinese, went on a clean energy fact-finding mission around China in December. "I think China's growth in clean energy is outstanding, (there's been an) unbelievable growth rate every year," she said. But she also found that the best clean technologies still struggle to gain market share and access to the grid because of coal's dominance. During her trip, Hart visited some of the "cleanest coal plants in the world", she said, yet they were only running at 50 percent capacity. "So, I am watching to see when Chinese leaders start to shift more support toward those amazing new technologies, so the cleanest plants in China can run at 100 percent," she said. Hart noted that the Trump administration might moderate its attitude on climate change in the future, but she believes that in the years ahead, any action the US takes on the climate front will be mainly at the state, rather than federal, level. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com TCM coming to more schools to reinforce time-tested science China is set to promote traditional Chinese medicine's culture and skills in primary and middle schools to help boost and preserve the ancient medical science, the country's top TCM chief said. Wang Guoqiang, head of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and also a member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress, spoke to China Daily on Friday on the sidelines of the political advisory body's meeting. "It should be a bottoms-up approach, like we've already seen with schools adding TCM courses for students. We are working closely with the education authorities for preparatory work like course design, setting training targets and teaching methods," said Wang, whose responsibilities also include being deputy director of the National Health and Family Planning Commission. The initiative would help enhance their health awareness and ability to lead a healthy lifestyle, he said. It also would "help with the nation's long-term strategy to train more quality TCM talent", he said, adding that the supply of TCM practitioners is falling short of the demand. Wang Jie, president of Guang'anmen Hospital, which specializes in TCM, said that while they have millions of patient visits a year, "we only have several hundred doctors, and they are very overworked". Wang Jie, whose hospital is one of the top TCM institutions in Beijing, said he would be happy to see more young people interested in TCM studies and medical careers. Wang Guoqiang urged TCM and education experts to work together to come up with an approach that is appealing to students. He suggested activities like lectures and a chance to experience TCM techniques such as massage and acupuncture. "Young students are the future of TCM," he said. While he didn't set a timetable for the initiative, some campuses already are doing pioneering work in the field. At Dafangjia Kindergarten in Beijing's Dongcheng district, TCM-related exercises have been provided for over a month, according to Wang Guoqiang. The effort is paying off: The student attendance rate has increased by 10 percent, he said. It will have long-range benefits in terms of disease prevention and health preservation, he added. Wang Guoqiang added that China would open more TCM-themed Confucius institutes or classes overseas to better promote TCM abroad. There are now four such institutes and they are well received by the locals, he said. shanjuan@chinadaily.com.cn Ambassadors: China's decisions influence world Editor's Note: With the two sessions beginning, seven ambassadors discuss what they see as the major issues, including China's economic performance, its role in the international arena and the Belt and Road Initiative. Their views highlight the importance of the event on a global stage. Masood Khalid, Pakistan's ambassador [Photo/China Daily] The annual two sessions will continue to provide new solutions to increasing protectionism and provide ideas to accelerate the Belt and Road Initiative, said Masood Khalid, Pakistan's ambassador to China. The diplomat described what intrigues him most when it comes to the annual gathering of the country's lawmakers and political advisers. "Like most international observers, I will watch with keen interest the proceedings of the two sessions, especially on the economy and connectivity," he said. He noted China's continued focus on reform and opening-up, innovation, social development and environmental protection. "We will be interested to know the guidance the Chinese leadership provides on economic development in light of this year's Government Work Report," he said. "President Xi Jinping's visionary Belt and Road Initiative provides an innovative solution to the challenges being faced by the global economy through inclusiveness, mutual trust and win-win cooperation, and building a community of shared destiny," he added. The ambassador noted that the Chinese economy in 2016 beat expectations and achieved its GDP growth target of 6.7 percent. "Industrial output, fiscal revenue and foreign investments have increased, creating more jobs and increasing average incomes. The critical social sectors of education, health and social security have also seen considerable improvement. These are encouraging signs and will have a positive impact on the global economy," he said. Khalid said China's Western Development Strategy is closely linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which has added a new chapter in the long history of the close and comprehensive partnership. "I am confident that as we move forward, the Chinese economy will continue to achieve stable growth and sustainable development." he said. NPC to enhance anti-corruption legislation China will push forward its anti-corruption legislation by drafting a national supervision law this year, Fu Ying, spokeswoman of the Fifth Session of the 12th National People's Congress, said on Saturday. Amending the Administrative Supervision Law into a more powerful national supervision law is underway and the revised version is scheduled to be submitted to the NPC Standing Committee for review within the year, Fu said at a press conference. "This is a substantial measure to push forward China's anti-corruption legislation," she said, adding that strengthening supervision is a systematic project. China started to pilot a new supervision system last year to integrate separate corruption control authorities. Three provincial-level supervisory commissions have been assembled for testing in Beijing, Shanxi and Zhejiang provinces following approval by the Standing Committee of the NPC in December. "The pilot practice will offer valuable experience for the future expansion of the new supervision system," Fu said. In response to reporter's question about whether China will amend the Constitution as the supervision system reform is a fundamental political reform, Fu said that amending the Constitution is a key issue of the State, and it should be carried out under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and must follow stipulated procedures laid out in the Constitution. "We'll timely inform the public if there's any information in this sector," she said. The press conference on the fifth session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC) was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Saturday. Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the session, answered questions from media at home and abroad. Here are the highlights of the press conference. National People's Congress spokeswoman Fu Ying speaking at a news conference in Beijing, March 4, 2017. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily] China to raise defense budget by about 7 percent China will increase its defense budget by about seven percent in fiscal year 2017, and overall military spending will account for about 1.3 percent of GDP. Fu said these figures were decided by the Chinese government based on economic conditions and national defense requirements. Fu said there is no need for other countries to take caution against China's defense measures because the nation has never caused any harm to others. The spokeswoman said China's improvement of its defense capabilities is in the interest of regional peace and security. JAKARTA - Saudi Arabia's King Salman has embraced the "selfie", taking part in a number of lighthearted self-shot pictures and videos during his tour of Asia that contrast with the pomp of the monarch's trips abroad. In the first days of a lengthy regional tour, the king has appeared with top-ranking officials in Indonesia and Malaysia in pictures and clips that have been shared online millions of times. Indonesian President Joko Widodo shared on internet a video of himself dining with the king at the presidential palace in Bogor, near the capital Jakarta. Saudi Arabia's King Salman (center), Indonesian Cabinet member Puan Maharani (left) and her mother, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, pose for a selfie, as Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (right) looks on, at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. Indonesian Presidential Palace In the video, both men comment on the visit, the first to Indonesia by a Saudi king in nearly five decades, and give viewers a rare peek into a state event. As Widodo holds what appears to be a phone camera, the king is seen dining on soup and using gold-colored cutlery before commenting in Arabic on his 12-day visit to Indonesia, the longest leg of his monthlong tour of Asia. "I'm very happy to be here in Indonesia and with the Indonesian people," King Salman said to the camera. The king was also photographed posing for a selfie with former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and her daughter Puan Maharani, who is a member of Widodo's Cabinet. Indonesia has a high concentration of social media users, and selfies are a mainstay of social media in the world's fourth most populous country. Earlier this week, Salman was seen in a selfie posted on social media with Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia, during the first stop on his sweep across Asia. Vacation in Bali Though rare, Salman has made occasional appearances on social media before, including when he posed last year for a selfie in Qatar with a teen who survived cancer. The king is traveling with an entourage of several hundred people and nearly 500 tons of luggage, including two gold-colored escalators. The king and his entourage of 1,500, including 25 princes and 10 ministers, were scheduled to fly to Indonesia's Bali island on Saturday aboard nine passenger jets for a private vacation. They will be guarded by at least 2,500 police and military personnel, as well as naval vessels parked offshore. The king's Boeing 747-jet will be met at the airport by his gold colored escalator. Flown in ahead of the visit were two plane loads of cargo, including plates, carpets and two bulletproof Mercedes, said customs official Budi Harjanto. Salman was also set to visit Brunei, China, Japan, the Maldives and Jordan. Reuters KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police issued an arrest warrant for an Air Koryo employee on Friday in connection with the investigation into an airport murder case, Malaysia's Bernama news agency reported. Kim Uk-il, an employee of the national carrier for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, was listed as a person of interest by the police along with a second secretary of the DPRK embassy. The police said earlier that the two were still in Malaysia but declined to confirm whether they are were the DPRK embassy. Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the police also sent a request via the Foreign Ministry to the DPRK embassy to question second secretary Hyon Kwang-song, who is entitled to diplomatic immunity. Also on Friday, Malaysia's Immigration Department said in a statement 47-year-old DPRK man Ri Jong-chol, who was arrested as a suspect after the killing, was handed over to the department from the police for deportation to the DPRK. Two representatives from the DPRK embassy will accompany him, said the statement. Malaysia has indicted two female suspects for murdering a DPRK man with the passport of Kim Chol. If convicted, the two will be hanged. DPRK on Thursday brushed off Malaysia's investigation result that shows the DPRK man died here was killed by chemical weapon, saying he likely died of heart attack. Ri Tong-il, spokesman of a DPRK delegation to Malaysia, said the DPRK man had a history of heart decease, had received treatment from time to time and normally could not travel without medicine. Ri claimed that medicine for heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure were found in the man's belongings. Malaysia said the man was killed by nerve agent VX. Describing the chemical as highly toxic, Ri raised questions over how the man died on the spot while the two suspects survived and police and medics who attended to the man were not contaminated. He said samples should be sent to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for verification. Ri said his delegation had met with Malaysian officials to settle the issue. "The DPRK's request is simple, that is the return of the deceased body of the DPRK citizen as soon as possible," he said. Malaysia on Friday said that it will cooperate with the OPCW to bring the perpetrators of the VX nerve agent attack to justice. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Malaysia "does not produce, stockpile, import, export or use any" toxic weapons listed in the convention concerning prohibition of the chemical weapons. The ministry said it strongly condemns the use of the VX nerve agent by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances. "Its use at a public place could have endangered the general public," it said. Xinhua China's Global Newspaper Sorry, the page you requested was not found. Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Chinadaily.com.cn, try visiting the Chinadaily home page ELKO The Nevada Highway Patrol, Winnemucca and West Wendover Police Departments, Humboldt, Lander, Elko, and White Pine County Sheriffs Departments are joining Forces to crack down on drivers exceeding speed limits or driving too fast for road conditions through March 14. Speeding is a contributing factor in approximately one-third of fatal crashes on the nations roadways, stated the NHP. Exceeding the speed limit is considered aggressive driving just as weaving in and out of traffic and failing to yield to other motorists. The highway patrol said most motorists do not believe speeding is as risky as other behaviors, but according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the consequences of driving too fast include: Greater potential for loss of vehicle control Reduced effectiveness of occupant protection equipment Increased stopping distance when the driver perceives a danger Increased degree of crash severity leading to more debilitating injuries Unexpected economic and psychological implications of a speed-related crash Trooper Natalie Hernandez reminds drivers to slow down and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination. Driving too fast for weather and roadway conditions is a major factor in crashes that happen in the winter months, she added. Joining Forces enforcement is paid for by Nevada Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety. For resources and laws pertaining to impaired driving and riding, visit http://www.zerofatalitiesnv.com/dont-drive-impaired. Follow Zero Fatalities Nevada on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and @Zero FatalitiesNV on Instagram. US President Donald Trump delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress in front of Vice-President Mike Pence (left) and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.[Photo/Xinhua] Most of the world's hopes for the outcome of the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee can be summed up in three words: stability, stability, stability. Global uncertainties prompted by the election of Donald Trump as US president and the rise of nationalism in Europe have spread beyond the West to ruffle an already shaky international order. Amid the garbled messages of Trump's first 100 days in office, it is impossible to predict how far his threats of a return to protectionism will be put into practice and to what extent it will cause US-China relations to deteriorate. The danger of US isolationism is that its effects will not be isolated; it will affect the rest of the world in terms of trade, economic growth and security. Trump's victory has prompted a revival of the well-worn cliche that when the US sneezes, the world catches a cold. It is borrowed from 19th century Austrian politician Klemens von Metternich, who coined the original phrase when it was France doing the sneezing and Europe catching the cold. The modern adaptation of Metternich's phrase is a reminder of the fate of empires. A 21st century Metternich might say the continued good health of China is the determining factor in the well-being of its global partners. Therefore, the guidance on future policy that will emerge from the two annual sessions will be closely watched in foreign capitals. Western politicians have already welcomed President Xi Jinping's renewed commitment to globalization and international trade, while Asian leaders have welcomed Beijing's moves to fill the vacuum created by the US' abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. As Pakistan's Ambassador to China, Masood Khalid, told China Daily recently, "China's march toward progress and prosperity will not only improve the lives of Chinese people but also provide valuable impetus to global development." In the West, current attention on the evolution of policy in China is focused overwhelmingly on economic issues. Economists and analysts will dissect the speeches of Chinese leaders to study such issues as the effects of domestic stimulus measures and the outlook for growth. And overseas investors will look for further details in the assurances given by China that it will focus on stable development of its capital markets in 2017, while further opening up its markets to overseas companies. There has been no shortage of predictions about what is in store. A survey of economists by Bloomberg revealed a shared expectation that China would set lower economic growth and monetary expansion targets this year as part of the efforts to curb excessive credit growth. The report quoted Yao Wei, chief China economist at Societe Generale, as saying: "Beijing will try to stay on the growth path in 2017. Stability will be once again the main focus." Goldman Sachs, predicting modest deceleration of growth in 2017, said: "Chinese policymakers are focused on stability ...." There's that comforting word "stability" again. Some observers have suggested that, in light of policy developments in the US, the "Chinese model" may replace the one the US has sought to impose on other economies. Sebastian Heilmann, president of Mercator Institute of Chinese Studies in Berlin, recently told The New York Times that he had changed his mind on the issue of whether China could serve as a model for others. "For many years, I would have said no," Heilmann said, "but many countries are struggling with how to deal with pressing basic problems like maintaining internal security, building physical infrastructure and providing jobs. These are the basis of populist movements around the world." China, he said, was now often cited as an example of how it can deal with things differently. "China's experience is thus a permanent question mark for the world when they ask if the Western model is the best." The writer is a senior media consultant for China Daily. editor@mail.chinadailyuk.com (China Daily 03/04/2017 page8) Policemen march across Tiananmen Square in Beijing, capital of China on February 28, 2017. China's armed police, SWAT teams and other police units have strengthened patrol at Tiananmen Square and nearby areas to ensure the smooth running of the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) and the fifth session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), or the two sessions.[Photo/CFP] During the ongoing annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, China watchers scrutinize them all - the official speeches, press conferences, policy announcements, sideline comments, personnel positioning or actions. How is the economy tracking? New policies? Any surprises? What's "in the air"? Personally, I'm watching five areas: commitment to economic reform, political governance, intensity of social concerns, moves with respect to senior personnel, and relative importance of international affairs. On economic reform, the headliner is an overarching policy called "supply-side structural reform" that tackles deep-rooted problems, especially industrial overcapacity and excessive corporate debt. What are those mysterious "interest groups" that oppose these essential reforms? Perhaps the biggest challenge is how to implement supply-side structural reform while maintaining an adequate GDP growth rate. Given China's political system, one concern is that local government officials used to be conditioned to regard economic growth as the major criterion of success and hence the bellwether of their careers. Changes are being made so that senior officials should be evaluated - promoted or demoted - based on diverse criteria, primarily people's satisfaction and sustainable development, not GDP. On political governance, China's emerging supervisory system increasingly oversees State organs and civil servants. For example, just recently, new supervisory commissions in three localities chosen as pilots in trial operations - Beijing, and Shanxi and Zhejiang provinces - had their leaderships elected by local legislatures, a milestone in the long journey to curb corruption and curtail illicit behavior. On social concerns, the focus is on which issues generate the most heat, the most passionate pleas from grassroots delegates. Previously, environmental pollution has been hot, triggered no doubt by air pollution in Beijing. This year, which social issue, if any, will stand out? How will delegates react to the draft general provisions of civil law, the first step in establishing a civil code? How will they react to a tough, new law to tax polluters, particularly heavy industry? On senior personnel, first are the appointments. The new heads of the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planning body, and the Ministry of Commerce, both come from within their organizations. Yet the new head of the China Banking Regulatory Commission was previously governor of East China's Shandong province. Second are the so-called "key minorities", the small group of officials at provincial and ministerial level who have significant power and responsibilities. This was exemplified recently when the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China's top disciplinary body, announced that it had uncovered serious problems during inspections of four provincial-level regions. It named the regions as well as the problems: weakening of Party leadership, promotion of corrupt officials, violations of frugality rules, and alarming space for corruption at State-owned enterprises and other sectors. Will these disciplinary actions be discussed openly at the two sessions? Will further actions be taken? On international affairs, will China's increasing engagement globally yield a greater emphasis? President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative is especially relevant, with a grand meeting of leaders from the countries along the Belt and Road routes to be held in May. Moreover, with Donald Trump leading the United States, will China-US relations, particularly regarding trade and sovereignty, command more attention this year? Finally, we cannot watch this year's two sessions without seeing on the political horizon the force of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, to be held in the second half of this year. Convened every five years, the CPC National Congress sets leadership and policies for the ensuing five years (and beyond), and in the run-up period, officials position their work and themselves as they deem personally optimal. To watch this year's two sessions perceptively is to view it through the lens of the forthcoming 19th CPC National Congress. We have a crucial year. The author is a public intellectual, political/economics commentator, and international corporate strategist. (China Daily 03/04/2017 page8) A girl chooses diary products at a supermarket in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, August 9, 2016. [Photo/VCG] The year 2020 is critical to the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), as the country's leadership has pledged to build a well-off society in an all-round way by then. Almost every industry has its individual (as well as collective) five-year plan with specific objectives and ways to implement it. And unlike many others, the dairy industry has a qualitative-oriented, rather than quantity-oriented, five-year plan. "China will have a world-class, advanced dairy industry by 2020", says the national dairy industry development plan jointly released by relevant ministries recently. The plan has detailed blueprints for the next three years of development, covering the entire industrial chain, from cattle farms to quality inspection. It promises that, by 2020 every drop of milk produced in China will be as safe as milk produced in any foreign country. The plan would have evoked a spirited response from the public had it been released during the melamine scandal in 2008. Back then melamine, an industrial compound added to milk to increase its protein content, left more than 50,000 infants ill and claimed the lives of six. Today, however, the dairy industry's rejuvenation plan has hardly drawn consumers' attention. And without consumers' support and trust "a world-class advanced dairy industry" cannot be developed. Even though the dairy industry has made remarkable progress in terms of production, food safety watchdogs have strengthened quality inspection, and a stricter food safety law has come into force after the melamine scandal, domestic dairy products are yet to regain Chinese consumers' trust. The way the melamine and other food safety scandals have been handled - arresting the officials responsible for the scandals but releasing them after they had served a few years in prison - hasn't fully convinced the people that the authorities have "zero tolerance" for those involved in food safety scandals. The relationship between the adulterators and supervision officials today is more like that between mice and cats. The authorities, for example, hoped the melamine scandal will prompt the dairy industry to make a new beginning. Instead, the 2008 scandal opened a Pandora's box. To ensure that the food industry is not hit by another scandal, therefore, the supervision officials have to be on constant alert and take preemptive actions. Another worrisome factor is that dairy industry associations claim sensational media reporting has given them a bad name. Even at the peak of the milk scandal, the associations stressed that isolated cases do not represent the whole sector. This kind of self-centered public relations tactics have exactly the opposite effect on the public. What the dairy industry development plan should have elaborated on, but regretfully has not, is the competition from less-expensive but good-quality foreign dairy products that have flooded China's market. The other blow for the domestic dairy farms is the import of milk from overseas by more and more Chinese companies. So no matter what the government's policy agendas and promises are, industries must be not only prudent, but also practical and realistic in making plans. Not all industries in a big economy such as China's can achieve advanced levels of production at the same time. Each industry should draw its plan according to its real situation, instead of trying to jump on the modernization bandwagon because of its enthusiasm and idealism. The author is a writer with China Daily. liyang@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily 03/04/2017 page8) Models walk the runway at the Fendi show during Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2017/18. Photo By Antonio De Moraes Barros Filho / Wireimage The world's top fashion brands are doing some serious courting of social media-savvy youngsters, with Italy's Fendi the latest to unveil a hip website designed for millennials. The Roman fashion house is one of many hoping to build up a loyal support base among the generation born after 1980, who came of age in the 21st century and have the last word on what's cool. "F is for ..." is a new section on Fendi's website that offers tips on where to hang out in Rome and New York, has interviews with "freaks" who talk about their passions, and features photoboards of vintage items and new Fendi designs. Cristina Monfardini, Fendi Vice President of Communication, told AFP the idea was to find a way to talk the same language as a generation that may not have the cash to splash on top brands but has massive power to pass the word. Sometimes dubbed "the Y Generation" and often maligned by grumbling older generations as variously lazy or smartphone-obsessed, they have different values from traditional fashionistas and "move very fast" from trend to trend, Monfardini says. "Fashion is a very structured world under certain points of view, and I think in order to get to know them (millennials) and get very close to them you need to be very humble," she said in an interview on the sidelines of Milan Fashion Week. The trick is to avoid appearing to dictate fashion to them but "put them on the same level, just be open and listen to them". Dont blame DC for racial hate attacks Editor: On Wednesday evening, February 22nd, 51-year-old Adam Purinton, in a racially motivated attack shot two Indian nationals in Olathe, Kansas, while exclaiming Get out of my country! For some reason the attack on people because of their race, gender or creed appears to be gaining momentum. No, I do not believe that it is because of the new people in D.C. and I am sure there are plenty of people who want it that way but racial hatred has been a disease for quite a while. Get out of my country! Wow, just seems as if that statement will never go away but now it is being used by descendants of the Europeans, when in fact the Sovereign Nations hollered that very statement for almost 500 years, didnt work, seemed as if it just encouraged more illegal immigrants to flow into the homeland of the American Indian/Native American. Doesnt matter if youre Asian, African, Hispanic or whomever, someone is going to look down upon you no matter what, its in their nature to do so, been that way for decades, even hundreds of years, America it seems was built on Hate Crimes. You can be Christian or Atheist, even a Traditional Indian, the hate is there, sadly this disease has been and probably always will be a growing cancer that will never go away and to simply blame it on D.C. would be just wrong, the countrys views against one another need to change. Even within Indian Country there has been problems of hate towards one another, something that was seen during the protest and occupation of the North Dakota Access Pipeline. What with the world looking on, it didnt matter how the North Dakota Governor attacked the situation or how law enforcement violated civil and human rights, the prejudice was obvious to some extent? Prejudice, discrimination, racism and racial profiling are issues, concerns and interest that every community must be prepared to accept but most of all, every community should try to find resolution and solve these matters constructively and in a positive manner. Larry Kibby Elko (Photo : TUSAS) The Turkish spy satellite, Gokturk-1, in orbit (illustration). Advertisement Turkey will organize its own space agency, the Turkish Space Agency, within the year not only to manage its growing space industry but to free itself from an overdependence on foreign technology. The bill creating the Turkish Space Agency has been finalized and is expected to be quickly approved by the Turkish Parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, after a debate and a vote to be led by the ruling Justice and Development Party. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The bill will also authorize the Turkish Space Agency to form companies at home or abroad; buy shares in existing companies or acquire companies. The creation of the Turkish Space Agency is part of an effort by the dictatorial government of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to nationalize Turkey's satellite industry. Turkey has spent over $1 billion on its space program, with the Turkish Armed Forces accounting for a fair share of this investment. An important step in developing a nationalized space industry was the opening in 2015 of the Space Systems Integration and Test Center operated by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), which is owned by the Ministry of National Defense. Up to two satellites, each with a mass of five tons can be assembled, integrated and tested at one time at the $122 million center. Turkey's newest satellite, Gokturk-1, is a military spy satellite orbited in December 2016 and described as "20 percent Turkish." The military said its Gokturk-1 will help the country in its anti-terror efforts, mostly against Kurdish militants fighting to secure the independence of their homeland from Turkey. Gokturk-1 is a high-resolution optical Earth observation satellite for military and civilian use. It was designed and developed for the Ministry of National Defense by the Italian space service company Telespazio with technological input from TUSAS. Its camera can take clear photos of a surface object only 50 centimeters in size. It also carries an onboard X-band digital imaging system to handle data compression, storage, and downloading. One of the key projects of the Turkish Space Agency will be ensure Turkey operates a fleet of 10 satellites by 2023. The Turkish Space Agency will determine basic policies and strategies in space and aviation technologies. It will also be expected to help develop a competitive local space industry "not dependent on foreign (technology)." It other aims are to coordinate work for space platforms, launching facilities and systems, and helping develop, integrate, launch, monitor and operate aerospace systems. Advertisement TagsTurkey, Turkish Space Agency, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Gokturk-1 (Photo : Reuters) U.S. Navy FA-18 Hornets on the flight deck of the USS George Washington. Advertisement China and not Russia is the United States' main foe as can be seen from the U.S. packing Asia with more military hardware and bases as part of its unrelenting rebalancing of military forces begun by former U.S. president Barack Obama, said an analysis by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The analysis by the Sino-US Defense Relations Research Center under the PLA Academy of Military Science also commented the U.S. is also "rebalancing" its military deployments from northeast Asia (Japan and South Korea) to Southeast Asia. The U.S. has so far deployed four offshore combat ships to Singapore; obtained the rights to operate four air force bases and an army base in the Philippines, and deployed 2,500 U.S. Marines to Australia. These moves have formed "a comprehensive containment posture" ... "from north to south along China's coastline," said the report. The American rebalancing, also called the Pivot to East Asia, has also redeployed U.S. troops "from the first island chain to the second island chain with Guam as the center, which also harbors the considerations of China." The report argues the rebalancing is continuing under Donald Trump, and shows signs of being accelerated. The PLA noted that since the implementation of the Pivot, the U.S. has been increasing the number of troops stationed in Asia and the Pacific, "making the Asia-Pacific region an area with the most stationed troops and the most overseas military bases of the U.S." It said the ultimate U.S. goal is to achieve the "three 60%." This goal includes deploying 60% of all U.S. Navy forces to the Asia-Pacific; deploying 60% of the U.S. Air Force's fighting power to the Asia-Pacific region and deploying 60% of the U.S. Marines' fighting strength to the Western Pacific. The U.S. "Third Offset Strategy and Defense Innovation Initiative" announced in 2014 aims to develop disruptive military technologies that will trigger a new round of military technological revolution and consolidate the military advantages the U.S. now enjoys. Advertisement Tagschina, United States, Sino-US Defense Relations Research Center, PLA Academy of Military Science, Pivot to East Asia, rebalancing to Asia, People's Liberation Army (Photo : Getty Images) In an article titled "China should pay more attention to India's increasing manufacturing competitiveness," the nationalistic tabloid took a special note of India's export rebound to China in the month of January. Advertisement China's popular state-owned tabloid The Global Times has warned the Chinese government against reposing over-confidence in its tradition manufacturing sector in the wake of increasing competition from India. In an article titled "China should pay more attention to India's increasing manufacturing competitiveness," the nationalistic tabloid took a special note of India's export rebound to China in the month of January. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "Official data showing India's January exports to China soared 42% year-on-year was overlooked by most Chinese analysts, but it will be a very dangerous venture if China adopts an arrogant attitude toward India's increasing competitiveness," it said. The state-owned English tabloid urged Chinese scholars to make a thorough analysis of the recent surge in Indian export to ascertain whether this "is merely a flash in the pan" or is the result of some serious changes in the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector. The article also lauded India's manufacturing sector's growth of 8.3 percent in the third quarter of 2016 and said that it was "......great achievement for India, even if the growth figure may be exaggerated as some analysts suggest." This praise, however, came with a dash of criticism as it cast serious suspicion on whether "India's higher-than-expected economic growth of 7% from October to December 2016 is authentic and reliable." On what could help India to surpass China in the manufacturing sector, the article claimed that New Delhi and also other emerging economies like Vietnam have an advantage over China with low labor costs. It cited a recent report that showed hourly wages in Chinese factories last year were roughly five times that in India. Make in India Campaign The "Make in India campaign" started by India's Narendra Modi government in 2014 has brought an unprecedented focus on the country's manufacturing sector. The ambitious campaign aims to promote India's manufacturing sector as a favorable destination for investment. The Indian government is believed to have spent a huge amount of money and resources on the "Make in India campaign." The efforts seem to have yielded some initial results, with the Indian government inking agreements with some very big multinational corporations including well-known Chinese companies like Xiaomi and Foxconn. Indian economists claim that the idea behind "Make in India" is to make India a global manufacturing hub, similar to China. Most economists, as well as Indian corporate houses, have unilaterally lent their support to the ambitious campaign. Advertisement Tagschina, Indias Manufacturing Sector, India and China, India (Photo : Getty Images. ) China on Saturday announced that it will raise the military budget by only 7% this year. This is second year in a row that Chinese military expenditure has not increased in double digit. Advertisement China on Saturday announced that it will increased the military spending by merely 7% this year, marking smallest increase in seven years and second year in a row that the military expenditure has not increased in double digit. The decision on China's military budget comes just ahead of the Chinese parliament's annual meeting. The decision also comes during the ongoing THAAD tension with South Korea and also days after President Donald Trump announced that there would be a huge boost in U.S. defence expenditure. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The National People's Congress (NPC) spokeswoman Fu Ying said that the proposed military budget is based on the "defense needs as well as the national economy" and would account for 1.3% of China's projected GDP in 2017. Ms Fu underscored the fact that China's military was purely focused on defending its sovereignty and maintaining stability in Asia. "We advocate dialogue for peaceful resolutions, while at the same time, we need to possess the ability to defend our sovereignty and interests," she said. Until last year, China's military budget has been increasing in double digit, a trend that particularly started from 2010. The double digit growth was partly propelled by last decade's impressive economic growth rate, which gave Chinese government the financial muscle to lavishly spend on modernizing the country's military hardware. Beijing's military ambitions are equally been driven by geo-political concerns, especially with regards to South China Sea and East China Sea. The Chinese government has spent billions of dollars on building artificial islands and conducting military drills in the disputed region of South China Sea. However, China's military budget is still a far cry from America's annual military budget, which in 2015 accounted for 36% of global military spending, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Meanwhile, the precise figures about China's military spending for 2017 will be known when Premier Li Keqiang addresses the National People's Congress on Sunday. Advertisement Tagschina, China's Military Budget, Chinese military, Chinas Military Spending (Photo : Getty Images. ) China has issued warning to Indian government that the Dalai Lama's planned visit to the disputed Arunachal Pradesh state will affect their bilateral relationship. Advertisement China has upped the antic against India for allowing the controversial spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to visit the disputed state of Arunachal Pradesh next month. The Asian giant warned its neighbour that the result of such an undesirable move won't be good for stability of the entire region. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "India is fully aware of the seriousness of the Dalai Lama issue and the sensitivity of the China-India border question. ....if India invites the Dalai Lama to visit the mentioned territory, it will cause serious damage to peace and stability of the border region and China-India relations," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. What is also irking China is the fact that New Delhi is sending a special representative to meet the Tibetan spiritual in Arunachal Pradesh. Mr Kiren Rijiju, India's union minister of state for home affairs, is slated to hold talks with the Dalai Lama when he visits the disputed north eastern state in April. The Modi government's engagement with the Dalai Lama at public platform is a stark departure from the previous governments, which maintained a distance from the Tibetan leader purely to maintain sound relations with Beijing. "It's a behavioural change you are seeing. India is more assertive," Rijiju told Reuters in an interview. The Indian minister said that the 81 year old spiritual leader is visiting Arunachal Pradesh as a revered religious leader and his presence in the region won't cause any harm. Analysts say that New Delhi now wants to use whatever little political tool it has in hands to exert pressure on economically and diplomatically superior China. Understandably, the Indian government sees the Dalai Lama, whom China considers a dangerous insurgent leader, a solid bargaining chip that can be used against its Asian rival. Both the Dalai Lama and Arunachal Pradesh Issues are highly sensitive issues in New Delhi - Beijing's bilateral relationship. The former issue represents a delicate issue of Tibetan insurgency, while the latter is symbolic of unresolved border issue that has vexed relationship between the two Asian countries for several decades. The Indian government cleared the Tibetan leader's visit to Arunachal Pradesh in October last year, when the NSG and Masood Azhar issues had considerably strained its relation with China. Advertisement TagsIndia, china, Dalai Lama, Arunachal Pradesh, India and China Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT Google Ad 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 home World American pastor partners with underground rescuers in Iraq to liberate ISIS captives An American pastor, who has visited Iraq multiple times, has joined forces with an underground network of smugglers in order to help people escape from the Islamic State. For the past year, Bill Devlin, a pastor at Infinity Bible Church in the Bronx, has been aiding the underground network set up by Yazidi lawyer Khaleel Khaleel al-Dakhi, his wife, Ameena Saeed Hasan, and their other colleagues. The smugglers meet the enslaved girls at an arranged time and place and lead them through ISIS territory so that they would have the best chance of escaping undetected. Devlin told The Christian Post that he first partnered with the network last April when he donated around $1,500 to help liberate the female relatives of a displaced Yazidi husband and son. The pastor provided funds for more rescue missions when he returned to Iraq in August and December. "I was introduced to them about two years ago and when I went back last April 2016, I had dinner in their home. They asked me, 'Would you be interested in rescuing Yazidi girls and women from ISIS?' I said, 'Absolutely, I'm in,'" he said. Devlin stated that he was compelled to get involved because he has three daughters of his own. He said he would want someone to help him if his daughters were captured by terrorists. Hasan said she is grateful for private donors like Devlin because sometimes there are families who are not able to pay for the costs of smuggling missions. The Kurdish government provides some of the funding, but families often have to raise the money themselves. "If we wait [for the funds], maybe the girl will lose her opportunity to be rescued. When I send [Pastor Devlin] a message, he helps," said Hasan. "He helped us many times. One week ago, he sent $1,000 and before that, he again sent $1,000. Many times he has helped," he added. The rescue missions often put the smugglers and guides in risky situations, and at least three smugglers associated with the network have been killed or executed by ISIS. Devlin said that he has lined up American donors who are willing to fund the efforts to rescue more captives. He maintained that the network uses the funds to reimburse costs for the rescuers, not to pay ransom to ISIS. In September, The Christian Post reported that Devlin spent $4,000 of his own money to buy weapons for the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, a militia that is largely made up of Assyrian Christians who want to reclaim and defend their homelands from ISIS. ISIS' Destruction Of Jonah's Tomb Leads To Discovery Of Biblical King's Ancient Palace In destroying the tomb of an Old Testament prophet, the Islamic State (ISIS) unwittingly unlocked a Biblical treasure: the historical proof of a king mentioned in the Bible. Following the Iraqi army's liberation of some parts of the ISIS-occupied city of Mosul recently, Iraqi archaeologists announced their discovery of the palace of the Biblical King Sennacherib. The palace turned out to be buried underneath the tomb of the prophet Jonah in the Biblical city of Nineveh, Breaking Israel News reported. The discovery would not have been made had the ISIS militants not destroyed the burial site of Jonah, who is known as Nabi Yunis in the Quran, in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in July 2014. At first, the archaeologists expressed dismay that ISIS militants demolished the site using dynamite. The jihadists also dug tunnels underground and carried away hundreds of precious artefacts to sell on the black market. But upon entering the tunnels, the archaeologists were stunned to find an unexpected treasure: the 2,300-year-old palace of Assyrian King Sennacherib, who reigned from 720 BC to about 683 BC. The Bible says that during the reign of the Jewish king Hezekiah, Sennacherib tried to conquer Jerusalem, but "the Angel of the Lord (The Lord Himself)" slew 185,000 of his invading Assyrian soldiers. "When he returned to Assyria, his own sons murdered him," according to Bible History. The tomb that the ISIS destroyed was that of Jonah, a prophet of the Lord who was called to deliver a message of repentance to the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. According to the Bible, Jonah refused to heed the Lord's bidding and tried to escape by way of the sea. However, a violent storm developed, and the men aboard the boat had no choice but to cast Jonah overboard, at his request. "Jonah was then suddenly swallowed by a great sea monster which had been prepared by the Lord for this purpose," according to Bible History. The archaeologists acknowledged that ISIS' destructive efforts produced positive results, however ironic that may sound. Before the Islamist militants came to the site, it was largely unexplored, they said. The last excavation made to explore the site was made way back in the 1950s, but the explorers never reached as far as Sennacherib's palace. "There's a huge amount of history down there, not just ornamental stones," Iraqi archaeologist Layla Salih, who is supervising the team carrying out the unscheduled exploration, told The Telegraph. "It is an opportunity to finally map the treasure-house of the world's first great empire, from the period of its greatest success," she added. ISIS Militants Drilled Bullet Hole In Bible To 'Desecrate Symbol Of Christianity' When the Islamic State (ISIS) invaded the city of Batnaya in Nineveh province, Northern Iraq, in 2014, the militants murdered many of the 6,000 Christians living there, according to The Rebel. The militants also took many of the women there and turned them into sex slaves, according to The Rebel's Ezra Levant in his video blog. Some of the residents managed to flee to the nearby region of Kurdistan, where they now live in refugee camps. Some of them hoped to migrate to Canada, but it has not been easy, according to Levant. Kurdish and Iraqi forces finally liberated Batnaya last year. The liberation forces found out that one of the structures the militants destroyed was the city's lone church, which was burned and the cross on its roof toppled. Going through the rubble inside the church, Iraqi soldiers found a desecrated Bible written in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and the Chaldean Christians who live in that city. One of the ISIS militants must have tried to rip it into shreds, but failed because of its thickness. The militant then just fired his gun, drilling a bullet hole through the centre of the Bible. "A symbolic target to desecrate the symbol of Christianity; a symbolic murder of Christ himself, perhaps," Levant commented. The ISIS has made it a point to destroy historic sites that are associated with religious minorities such as Christians, Yazidis, and even Shiite Muslims. Back in 2015, they even released a video showing its militants destroying statues and other priceless relics housed in Mosul's central museum. Experts believe the ISIS is in pursuit of cultural cleansing in the hopes of dominating the world with their extremist Islamic beliefs. In doing so, they are erasing whatever trace of sectarian coexistence there was in the past. "The destruction is not just of physical structures it's the texture of the city and the lives of its different communities," Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, told the L.A. Times. "The big spectacular events that they showed in the video are basically propaganda, to give the idea that they can act with impunity," added Amr al-Azm, a professor of Middle East history and anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio. Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Release Date, Specs News: New Hybrid Tipped For Release Spring 2017 Although it has been speculated that Microsoft will launch the Surface Pro 5 at the recent Mobile World Congress in Spain, there was no mention of the upcoming hybrid device in the event. However, leaks of the product's specs and release date keep surfacing online. According to some leaks circulating on the internet, the new device is said to run on the Windows 10 operating system and will come with an updated version of the Surface Pen, which may have a wireless charging feature. According to Telegiz, the new two-in-one device is expected to sport a 4K wide screen display, a 16-MP rear camera and an 8-MP front camera, and have up to 1 TB of storage. It might also come in three different display sizes. Recently, it has been discovered that Microsoft may have already pulled out the Surface Pro 3 from all online retailers. It was announced some time in 2016 that the product will be discontinued, but it was only earlier this year that the product started to become unavailable for purchase. This could signify that the launch of the Surface Pro 5 is near. Although many people expected the Surface Pro 5 to be released in October 2016, based on Microsoft's usual pattern of launching new products at their annual event, it didn't happen. Instead, they released other products like the Surface Studio, Surface Book i7, and Surface Dial, to mention a few. According to PC Advisor, the possible release of the Surface Pro 5 could be this spring. This theory stems from the upcoming major update for Windows 10, the "Creators Update," which won't be released until spring as well. So, this has resulted in speculations that the new device won't be launched until then. Microsoft has yet to announce the official release date of the Surface Pro 5, as well as its price. However, tech experts think that it will have a similar price range with the previous model, the Surface Pro 4. Shocking Rise In Religious Persecution Of Christians Unveiled In China Aid Annual Report A 'seismic shift' in China's approach to religion has led to a massive rise in persecution of Christians and other faiths, according to one of the main human rights charities. China Aid, in its 2016 Annual Persecution Report, describes a 'deviation' in the Chinese government's ideological approach to religion. Christians are being persecuted 'at a frequency unseen since the Cultural Revolution', says China Aid. Persecution cases went up by more than 20 per cent last year compared to 2015, number of people detained increased by nearly 150 per cent, arrests went up 11 per cent, those sentenced increased by a third, abuse cases went up more than 40 per cent and the actual number of people abused increased by nearly 70 per cent. The persecution of Christians were stepped up at China's national conference of religious work in April last year. Chinese President Xi Jinping stated then that Christianity and other religions must 'persistently following the path of Sinicization'. As a result of this, many departments in central and provincial governments have already begun increased attempts to prevent independent religious thought - such as banning reincarnation for Tibetan Buddhists. Even before this, however, dozens of churches had crosses forcibly removed or were demolished. In one horrific case, a Christian woman died after she and her husband were buried alive by a bulldozer as they attempted to protest their church demolition in Henan. Many are being detained. Just one example is the two women still in detention simply for hanging a cross in their home. According to China Aid, underlying the persecution is an assumption by China's government that 'other countries are using foreign-based religions to undermine their authority.' 'This forces religious practitioners, especially Christians, to choose between comprising their deeply-held beliefs and risking being treated as violators of the law,' says the charity. Increasingly in recent months, house churches have been targeted in an attempt tp coerce them to join China's official church, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, or face closure. 'This data illustrates China's alarming regression into a more Maoist regime, and conditions are expected to worsen this year as the revised regulations on religious affairs go into effect nationwide. These new regulations seek to further limit religious activity and indicate a catastrophic potential to place more Christians behind bars,' said the charity. Bob Fu of China Aid said: 'The key findings of what happened last year and the reports from these first two months of 2017 have shown the situation of religious freedom is rapidly deteriorating. We call upon both the persecuted faithful in China and the international community to be increasingly vigilant and persevere in facing this harsher year. China Aid will continue to walk closer with the persecuted and oppressed faithful in China by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused, and equipping the leaders.' Teacher Suspended After Reading Bible Verses To His Students A primary school teacher in France was suspended after he reportedly read passages from the Bible to his students aged nine to 11. The teacher, 40, was working for a school in Malicornay in the department of Indre in central France, according to France Bleu. His Bible-reading activity came to the attention of the school's headmaster, Pierre-Francois Gachet, after a "team of parents" wrote an anonymous letter complaining about the incident. The parents accused the teacher, whose name was not revealed, of "proselytism," or trying to convert his students to his own religious beliefs. Gachet subsequently suspended the teacher for his alleged failure to observe France's strict secularism laws that require separation of religion in education. The national school board is now conducting an inquiry into the teacher's case. Gachet said results of the investigation will be known "before mid March." Gachet told La Croix that the aim of the investigation is to "determine whether the professor has poured into proselytism or whether he simply lacked discernment." "At the very least, he showed a very strong taste for religious teaching," he added. But as far as the local mayor is concerned, the suspension was a "disproportionate measure" since the teacher was actually "very much appreciated" by the pupils and parents. Meanwhile in California, a seven-year-old boy upset his school so much for distributing Bible verses during lunchtime that school authorities even resorted to calling on a deputy sheriff to send the boy home to stop him from what he was doing, Fox News reported. "This is a clear, gross violation of the rights of a child," said Horatio Mihet, a Liberty Counsel attorney representing the first-grader from Desert Rose Elementary School in Palmdale. The boy's parents, Christina and Jaime Zavala, made it a point to write an encouraging note and leave a Bible verse in the boy's lunch bag every day. Their son loved the verses so much that he read it aloud to all of his friends. It wasn't long before kids asked him for copies of the notes, and the Zavalas happily obliged. However, they were forced to stop after getting a phone call from a teacher telling them that they are "not allowed to share such things while at school." 'The Shack' Star Sam Worthington Shares His Faith Journey, Says He Came To God 'By Choice' Some people are fortunate enough to have grown up with a good Christian background, but actor Sam Worthington, who starred in "The Shack," said he actually came to his faith very late in life. Worthington grew up in Australia, and it was only when he reached adulthood that God was introduced to him. "I came to my faith very late," he told CBN News. "I was about in my 20s when I was given a Bible to read by a friend, to tell me to calm down." "It was never something that was put upon me as a kid. It is something I have been journeying on by choice," he said. Worthington's faith journey had not been easy, since his life was a mess prior to making it big in Hollywood. He was a college dropout without any plans for his future, so his father gave him $400 and a one-way ticket to the opposite side of the country. "Work your way back home and grow up a bit," his father told him. Worthington said he understood his father's motive. "I didn't know what to do with my life, and my dad didn't want me sitting around watching TV, and wasting this precious gift," he said. The tough love worked, because Worthington enjoyed a successful acting career in Australia when he moved out. However, he was not happy with his success. Worthington then sold all of his possessions and lived in his car temporarily. "I had a solid career in Australia, making movies. But I looked around at everything that I owned and felt that it was defining me, and I didn't like who it was defining and what it was saying," he shared. "I looked in the mirror one day, and I decided I didn't like what I saw, so I thought I'd sell the mirror." During that time, Worthington had a lot of questions about life, and his questions brought him to God. "When I reached out to God, I found someone who listened for the first time. And He wasn't judgmental," he recalled. "And I may not have gotten the answers back, but I had a comforting ear." "So, when I reached out and I am sitting in the back of a car in the middle of the snow, angry at everything, what I got back was, 'It is OK.' And that love helps you through it," he added. Now, Worthington is enjoying a thriving career in Hollywood, not to mention a happy personal life with his wife, Lara Bingle Worthington. They have two kids together, reported PEOPLE. US Seeks End To UN Rights Council's 'Obsession' With Israel President Donald Trump's administration is reviewing United States participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council, seeking reform of its agenda and an end to its 'obsession with Israel', according to a senior US official. Washington has long argued that the Geneva forum unfairly focuses on Israel's alleged violations of human rights, including war crimes against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The United States 'remains deeply troubled by the Council's consistent unfair and unbalanced focus on one democratic country, Israel', Erin Barclay, US. deputy assistant secretary of state, told the UN Human Rights Council. Barclay said that no other nation had a whole agenda item devoted to it and that 'this obsession with Israel' threatened the council's credibility. Barclay questioned whether focusing on Israel was a sensible priority, adding that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government was bombing hospitals while North Korea and Iran deny millions of their people of freedoms of religion, peaceful assembly and expression. 'In order for this Council to have any credibility, let alone success, it must move away from its unbalanced and unproductive positions,' said Barclay. 'As we consider our future engagements, my government will be considering the Council's actions with an eye toward reform to more fully achieve the Council's mission to protect and promote human rights.' The United States is currently an elected member of the 47-state Geneva forum where its three-year term ends in 2019. There was no immediate reaction from the UN human rights office, but spokesman Rolando Gomez told a briefing this week: 'The US been a very active and constructive partner in the Council for many years, spearheading a number of important initiatives, such as DPRK (North Korea), Iran, Syria, LGBT rights ... and many issues that are certainly on the agenda today.' He said that any country that wished to revoke its membership of the council would have to go through the General Assembly in New York. Why No Justice Yet For Murdered Pakistani Christian Shahbaz Bhatti? Pakistai is not doing enough to secure justice for murdered Christian cabinet member Shahbaz Bhatti, say Pakistan's Chrstians, according to World Watch Monitor. The Christian community says the Pakistani political leadership is not doing enough to ask the police and the judiciary to ensure his killers are brought to justice Bhatti, a Catholic, aged 42, was leaving his Islamabad home when gunmen peppered his car with bullets, hitting him several times six years ago. His murderers left leaflets describing him as a 'Christian infidel' at the scene. The leaflets stated that he was murdered for heading a committee to review Pakistan's punitive blasphemy laws, often used to persecute Christians. His support for Asia Bibi, the mother of five who is still on death row after she was convicted of blasphemy against Muhammad in 2010, also made him a target. Last month, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper quoted religious affairs minister Sardar Mohammad Yousuf as saying that the federal government would reject any reform of the legislation. 'The law will remain as it is and those blaspheming ... will face the gallows,' he said. Four years ago, a Taliban-affiliate suspect arrested for an attack on a Shi'ite mosque confessed in police custody that he was among those who had killed the minister. Pakistan needs two witnesses to mount a successful prosecution. The single witness to the shooting has fled to Thailand and, in fear for his life, has applied for asylum. Bhatti had been an activist for most of his life, reports World Watch Monitor. As a student he founded the Christian Liberation Front, which became the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, which formed an alliance with the Pakistan People's Party, which then won general elections in 2008 and set up a government. The PPP created a ministry of Minority Affairs in November 2008 and appointed Shahbaz Bhatti as its first minister. They are waiting for pretence to send us his body The health condition of Hrachya Harutyunyan, an Armenian driver imprisoned in Russia, is deteriorating. Swelling appeared under his arm, which is connected with heart and he has spinal hernia, Victor Martirosyan, father-in-law of Hrachya Harutyunyan told A1+. He says that Hrachya Harutyunyan was transferred to the hospital of the prison, stayed there for 15 days, was injected with painkillers and was again transferred to the prison Yet he must have undergone surgery. They are waiting for his death to send us his body, noted angrily Victor Martirosyan. Hrachya Harutyunyans father-in-law says that as a punishment he was transferred for 15 days to a separate cell as he is not able to work. Now he is in a dark and cold cell, and his health condition is deteriorating. The relatives are advised to wait for his extradition to Armenia. To remind, on July 13, 2013, near Podolsk, just outside of Moscow, the breaks of the truck Hrachya Harutyunyan was driving gave out, and the truck hit a bus, killing 18 passengers. More than 30 people were hospitalized. He was sentenced to 6 years and 9 months in prison. During these years the relatives have never met with Hrachya Harutyunyan. Dickinson Police Department A La Marque man is in jail after he allegedly shot a 29 year-old man in the chest Monday, Feb. 27, at a friend's house in Dickinson. According to Dickinson police, Austonio Dwayne Justice, 38, arrived at a residence in the 2100 block of Greenlee Lane around 8:30 a.m. where the victim was visiting a mutual friend. When the victim opened the door, Justice reportedly pulled out a gun and fired a single shot into the man's upper chest and then fled before police arrived. The staff of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office will include 200 teddy bears next week. The bears are being donated by members of the National Honor Society chapter at Montgomery High School, 22825 Texas 105 in Montgomery, officials said. The teddy bears will be used to help comfort children who were put in danger as a result of someone driving while intoxicated, officials said. The bears will be presented to sheriff's deputies March 6 at 2 p.m. at the high school's 9th grade campus. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Tatum MacNaughton sees a reminder on her mirror every day. "Our lives serve a purpose that is greater than ourselves," reads the sticker. MacNaughton said she has a heart to serve and was honored Thursday, Feb. 23, with the Volunteer of the Year award from the Crosby-Huffman Chamber of Commerce. MacNaughton has been a realtor for 18 years, which she said has helped here develop a clear vision for Crosby to thrive. She announced she would be seeking public office. Several community leaders were honored Friday night at the chamber's annual awards banquet. Citizen of the Year Chamber President Kim Harris presented Crosby Independent School District Keith Moore with Citizen of the Year award. Moore has had such an impact on the community, Harris said, that he is sometimes known as "the mayor Crosby." Moore, Harris said, exceeded the qualifications for the award and is part of every community organization Crosby has. Moore took the time to thank his wife, the principals and staff at the school district and board members. "I want to take it one level further," Moore said. "This district and this community - and I'll include Huffman in this as well, our great neighbors - we're recognizing great parents and great kids and great businesses that support our schools. "If I'm being recognized, my wife and my staff and my principal and my board members being recognized, again, I say that you're recognizing each other and you're recognizing the businesses, the communities, the parents and everybody else that have really come together to make this a special place." Nonprofit of the Year Eastside Veterans Celebration was honored as the Nonprofit of the Year, and the award was presented by Carol and Chuck Thompson, with the Crosby Lions Club, last year's winner. "The thing about this particular award is that they're not getting paid," Chuck Thompson said. "They volunteer their time, they volunteer their effort, and many cases they volunteer their money." Eastside Veterans raises money and gathers sponsors to feed hundreds of veterans each year and throw a parade. Eddie Foster, a volunteer with the organization, said they currently are working to raise money to build a veterans memorial in downtown Crosby. "This is not going to be just a little memorial," Foster said. "This is going to be a big, beautiful memorial for the veterans. "We just don't think that there's enough done for (veterans), he later added. "And we wanted to make sure that they were fed, and we do a parade for them and we do a big shindig for them every year, and that's what we've been doing the last five years." Employee of the Year Last year's recipient, Justin League, presented the Employee of the Year award to Jessica Watkins, with Neighbors Emergency Center, who later said she was too shocked when she received the award to give a speech. League said he understands what it takes to receive that kind of award. "I first want to thank the company that this person works for," League said in introduction. "No person can win this without working for a great company that allows their employees to get out and spend countless hours in the community." Business of the Year Turner-Chevrolet was honored at the Business of the Year, an award presented by Macie Schubert, of Community Resource Credit Union, last year's winner. "If all you had to do is buy a business that nobody wanted, hire a bunch of people that really want to work there and put a lot of cash at risk to win this award, I think we're going to try that again," said owner Robert Turner. " We've only been in this community a short period of time - obviously we came here to try and make a positive impact." David Mendez, general manager at the dealership, vowed to never take the community's trust for granted. He starts every Saturday sales meeting with a prayer, and that prayer is for everyone to win. "I want everybody to win, not my sales people, but my customers, my community, our dealership, and by the grace of God, our prayers have been answered," Mendez said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Draped in American flags and chanting "lock her up," dozens of Houston-area supporters of President Donald Trump gathered Saturday morning in Katy to rally around the new commander-in-chief - even as counter-protesters demonstrated against him. The enthusiastic gathering at the Fry Road Park and Ride was part of a nationwide series of similar events intended to strike back at anti-Trump sentiment. "We won," Houston Area for Donald Trump organizer Cooper Jackson said before the event kickoff. "That's a point we're going to try to make." SAFE SPACE: Texas lawmaker seeks to protect off-work political opinions from retaliation Bob Holden, a veteran from Willis, came out to stand up to protesters who have vocally opposed the new president. "Any anti-Trump rally is really a criticism of poor and middle-class working people," he said. "It is time to stop attacking working class people. Every time they criticize Trump they are criticizing the people who voted for him." Some in the crowd also came out to oppose mainstream media coverage of the Trump administration. WALL PROTEST: Mexican lawmaker scales 30-foot fence to troll Trump about border "You people are absolutely horrible," offered one rally-goer. Bob Davidson, a former Democrat, drove over from the nearby Energy Corridor to join in with the chanting crowd. "The reason I'm here is to support these people," he said, gesturing toward more than 75 Trump supporters on the scene. "The media make him out to be a bad person for saying his job is to be for America." FESTIVAL FEARS: SXSW may alert authorities to international artists playing unofficially As the rally started gathering steam, Jackson led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem before handing off the megaphone. One speaker decried newly elected Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez' decision to cut ties with the ICE 287(g) program, a partnership with immigration authorities that trained county deputies to determine the immigration status of jailed suspects and hold those selected for deportation. Other speakers touched on the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya; refugees; Trump's proposed border wall; and crimes committed by immigrants. At one point, Jackson asked for a moment of silence in memory of Genesis, a Houston teen killed last month in a satanic ritual by two gang members who were in the country illegally. As rally-goers dressed in red, white and blue lined up along the side of the road with their Trump signs, a small group of counter-protesters set up shop at an intersection, waving a Mexican flag and toting multilingual signage. ON VIDEO: Social media spreads recording of Walmart customer taunting employee Victor Ibarra, a Latinos Inmigrantes Triunfadores organizer known for hauling oversize Trump pinatas to protests last fall, held a "Resist Trump" sign up for passing motorists to see. "He is attacking our race very often," Ibarra said of the President. "As an immigrant, I think that we are not all criminals. I think there are more American criminals than Hispanic criminals," he continued. "We are resisting Trump." >>>Scroll through the gallery to see how the Texas delegation votes when it comes to Trump's signature issues so far This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A driver lost control early Saturday morning, slamming into a house in Jersey Village, authorities said. The driver lost control for unknown reasons around 2 a.m., slamming into the front of the house on Delozier at Rio Grande Street, and knocked out the front living room wall. The house residents were asleep, but awoke after hearing the noise of the crash. The homeowner also told police they heard gun shots shortly after the crash. Jersey Village police searched the area with a helicopter and K-9, but could not find the suspect. Police are unsure if there was another car involved because of the gun shots. It's possible the car could've been involved in a chase. No one was injured at the scene. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A congregation of over 3,000 travelers rode onto the ceremonial campgrounds of Memorial Park Friday, the final rest stop of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail ride marking the beginning of rodeo season. The ride started in 1952 as a means of preserving the Texas cattleman tradition. This year's 13 groups ride from all directions, including Louisiana, Mexico and southwest Texas. "Many of the groups are made up of multi-generational families riding to preserve Western heritage," said Susan Buddeke, a longtime member of the rodeo's Trail Ride Committee. Spanish Trail riders were the first to arrive at the park Friday, merging onto Memorial Drive around 1:15 p.m. to initiate the incoming parade of wagons. After filing into the park, the riders joined family, friends and judges for an awards ceremony. Spanish Trail veteran rider Joe Cantrell, marking his 40th year as trail boss, was presented with a silver belt buckle by his family. Born in Saint Angelo, Cantrell joined the Houston Rodeo in 1974. "This trail ride was great," Cantrell said. "We had real good weather this week. Our group was really small; we only had about 75 people with us. We had about 100 over the weekend." Cantrell's ride is traditionally a family affair with his sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren spearheading the party each year. His 7-year-old great-grandson Clay was thrilled to be a part of this year's group. "I ride all the times that I can do it, when you-know-who doesn't keep me away from it: school," Clay said. A judging team from the Trail Ride Committee, the Junior Rodeo Committee, made up of 17-20 year olds, and the five judging teams that critiqued the rides on their journey were responsible for determining "Best Trail Ride" in each of the three rider divisions: large, medium and small rides. The quality judges look for most in rides is authenticity. From riders' sunglasses to their cowboy boots, everything must coincide with the traditional garb worn on rides past. Spanish Trail has won "Best Trail Ride" for the small division in previous years. Cantrell is hopeful they'll win again this year. The Prairie View group also boasted a member celebrating a trail ride anniversary: Mary Mayfield, known as "Mrs. T." Mayfield awaited her party's arrival with high energy, as it was her 60th year participating in the trail ride. "I raised my children, my great-grandchildren my son's 7-month-old preemie is out here and it's just something you can do with the family and bond more," Mayfield said. "I just love it. All the kids I put diapers on are on the wagon. They've got their own children now." Originally from Louisiana, Mayfield joined the Prairie View trail ride in 1962, five years after the group's formation in 1957. She's known among her family for her cowboy boots, which she has in every color. Her grandchildren now ask to borrow them for the rides. "I just hope that they carry it on when I'm gone," Mayfield said. Alongside Mayfield on the Prairie View campsite was a young horseman named Brian, who wouldn't give his last name. Although many of the horses on the rodeo's trail rides are rescues, Brian and his uncle take the job one step further: over the past several years, they've seized hundreds of abused or neglected animals from their owners alongside law enforcement, then rehabilitated the animals out of their own pocket. The horses are then put up for adoption to ranchers that are able to care for them. "Some owners just don't care anymore, or they don't have the money. It's a lot of things. We've had so many different incidents: one case, we had a guy that was traveling 10 miles every day to take care of his horse. It just got too expensive, with gas. So he'd go maybe twice a month instead." They adopted one of their rescues, a Fox Trotter show horse named DJ. Brian's uncle gave her a grooming as another ride came through the park. "I could put a child on that horse, unhook her and walk off," Brian said. "She wouldn't leave that tree." Clara Harris, the Friendswood dentist who made national headlines a decade ago after she ran over her cheating husband, will spend at least another two years behind bars after her bid for early release was turned down Thursday. "I was extremely disappointed when I heard she was denied parole," said Emily Detoto, Harris' former attorney and now close friend. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles made the decision Thursday, citing the nature of the offense as the reason. "The record indicates that the inmate committed one or more violent criminal acts indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety or property of others; or the instant offense of pattern of criminal activity has elements of brutality, violence or conscious selection of victim's vulnerability such that the inmate poses a continuing threat to public safety; or the records indicates use of a weapon," according to a release from the parole board. "That sounds like boilerplate language," Detoto said. She acknowledged the odds were stacked against Harris being paroled on her first attempt. "But, we always remained hopeful," Detoto said. Harris has served half of her 20-year sentence for the July 24, 2002, manslaughter of 44-year-old David Harris. In 2002, Harris and her orthodontist husband were a successful couple with a string of dental offices when she became suspicious of his philandering. Harris tracked her husband and his mistress to the Nassau Bay Hilton, where the attacked occurred. David Harris' then-17-year-old daughter from another marriage was in the car when he was run over. She testified against her stepmother in her trial. A private investigators hired by Clara Harris to investigate her husband was in the hotel parking lot and videotaped the crime. The bizarre nature of the incident later spawned true-crime books and a made-for-television movie. "Everybody's been praying that she would be granted parole but everybody understood what she was up against," Detoto said. Harris is in the Mountain View Unit outside Gatesville in Central Texas. She has a job there converting school textbooks into braille for blind students. "She's been a model prisoner," Detoto said. Harris told the Chronicle in 2005 that she hoped to be paroled as soon as possible because of her twin sons, who were 3 when their father was killed. Her sons are now living with family friends after a custody battle with their paternal grandparents. They visit her in prison about once a month. "She's worked hard and she's had a lot of support," Detoto said. The next parole review for Clara Harris is set for April 2015 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When it comes to Donald Trump's proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexican border, some folks will go to great heights to either mock it or disprove the usefulness. One Mexican congressman did both. Rep. Braulio Guerra climbed atop a 30-foot-high fence at Tijuana beach and made a video of his time there talking about how a wall running the length of the border would be pointless. LIFE ON THE WALL: A border wall exists, here's what life along it looks like I was able to scale it, climb it, and sit myself right here, said Guerra, who represents the state of Queretaro. Guerra noted it would be easy for him to jump into the United States from a wall, which he calls "absurd." During the two-minute video posted online, the Pacific Ocean can be seen and heard in the background, but no sign of a border patrol is in sight. Its easy, and it shows how unnecessary this project, this political rhetoric from Donald Trump, is," Guerra said. >>>Scroll through the gallery to see what the U.S.-Mexico border currently looks like and where there's already a barrier For one West Texas city, the proposition may be simple: Take a contract to work on Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico and give up any work with the city. An El Paso city councilman is pushing the idea of prohibiting the city from awarding any kind of contract to a vendor or company working on the proposed wall. The issue will come up Tuesday during a regular meeting of the council. A Texas Panhandle town wants to ban people from getting to know animals in a biblical sense. Officials in Amarillo are weighing an ordinance to outlaw bestiality - sex between humans and animals. Apparently, it's not currently illegal in the city of about 200,000 people. Russia has become the slow burn of President Donald Trump's administration. It is the issue that he and his team cannot get beyond. They cannot get beyond it because they are skittish about accepting what is already known. They cannot get beyond it because they have not been as forthcoming as they could be about what they did. And they cannot get beyond it because they don't know what they don't know. It's important to remember that much isn't yet known about the whole controversy, particularly the contacts between Trump campaign officials or advisers and the Russians. That there were contacts is not in dispute. Some appear routine, but the circumstances and the content of all those contacts is far from fully known. It's possible they will add up to little or nothing. It's also possible they will add up to something significant. The controversy involving Attorney General Jeff Sessions provides the latest example of why the issue won't go away soon. Sessions failed to tell the truth during his confirmation hearings about meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, and allegedly no one in the White House knew of those meetings until The Washington Post broke the story last Wednesday. During his confirmation hearing, Sessions was asked one question but answered another, and in so doing, did not tell the truth. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., asked Sessions, "If there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?" This was a prospective question, with Franken asking the likely next attorney general how he would handle such allegations if intelligence officials produced such evidence. Sessions chose to answer it this way: "I'm not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it." Sessions was neither responsive to Franken's question nor was he forthcoming about having met with Kislyak, first in passing at the Republican National Convention last July and then for a fuller conversation in September in his Senate office. It was a double error. When the real story came out, he announced that he would recuse himself from any investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 election. Something similar happened Thursday night. Sessions was asked by Tucker Carlson of Fox News, "Did the [Trump] campaign believe that the Russian government, the Putin government, favored Trump over [Hillary] Clinton?" Sessions replied, "I have never been told that." Carlson then asked, "Do you think they did?" Sessions responded: "I don't have any idea, Tucker. You'd have to ask them." A Justice Department spokeswoman said that Sessions was answering to the literal question, by saying that no one in the Trump campaign had ever told him anything like that and that he didn't know whether anyone in the campaign thought the Russians were favoring Trump over Clinton. But when he said, "You'd have to ask them," was the "them" in reference to Trump campaign officials, of which he was one, or the Russians? Whichever, that answer was not adequate, given the supercharged nature of the situation and the controversy he had created by not having volunteered that he had met with Kislyak. Sessions easily could have said that, while no one in the campaign had told him that they thought the Russians were trying to help Trump, the intelligence community in fact had reached that conclusion and that he accepted those findings. After all, the FBI, which Sessions now oversees, was one of three main signatories, along with the CIA and the National Security Agency, on that January intelligence document. Sessions also could have added that he did not think that Russian interference changed the outcome of the election and that Trump was duly elected president. This is a pattern that has compounded the administration's problem. Trump apparently sees the entire issue as an attempt to delegitimize his presidency. The president also has continued to equivocate on the question of whether he truly believes the intelligence community's findings. As a result, he and others have tried to wish away that something significant happened. With Sessions under fire and more reports about contacts between Trump officials and Russians, the president on Thursday labeled calls for further investigation of the Russia issue a "witch hunt." On Saturday, in classic fashion, the president sought to create a new controversy. In a tweet, he accused the Obama administration of a plot to wiretap Trump Tower. He cited no evidence to back up the accusation. There are several elements to the Russia investigation. The overarching issue is the attempt by a foreign government to disrupt an American election and thereby undermine confidence in the world's leading democratic government. Just as important is answering the question of whether there was any collusion or cooperation between the Trump campaign and the Russians in attempting to undermine Clinton's campaign. Ambassadors routinely meet with elected U.S. officials. They are especially keen to learn as much as they can about someone who could become president and about the people around the candidate. Sessions' meeting with Kislyak last September easily falls into that category. Similarly, the more recent meetings between Kislyak and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner could be seen in that way as well, or as an effort during the transition to develop necessary contacts. But Flynn was never forthcoming about his conversations until revelations by The Post, and he was forced to resign after misleading Vice President Mike Pence. Just as Sessions was unwilling to volunteer his contacts with the Russian ambassador during his confirmation hearings, the administration has rarely volunteered who met with whom and what was discussed. That's fed suspicions that have intensified calls for more investigation. The president could begin by ordering an internal investigation, led by someone not now in the administration, of all those contacts. This could force every member of his team to come clean. The administration's credibility on all this, however, has been weakened because, as one Republican put it, "They keep fanning those flames by denying it so vociferously." That means any such public report would be viewed with some skepticism, but at a minimum it would provide an inventory that doesn't exist and the appearance of cooperation. One vulnerability for the president is his own role in stirring up questions. His posture during the campaign of embracing policies that were in Russia's interests and his positive comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin put him at odds with Republican orthodoxy and raised questions about his motivations and possible business links with Russia. He has denied having any. Another vulnerability comes from the nature of the Trump campaign, which for much of the election cycle was loosely structured. A variety of people claimed access or influence. The full extent to which Trump advisers, associates or even campaign hangers-on were in contact with Russians remains a mystery. All are legitimate questions aimed at trying to understand whether there was cooperation or collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign writ large. As much as Trump would like to wish all this away, he can't. The reality is that the investigations are at an early stage. Congress hasn't even begun to call witnesses. The prospect of a special prosecutor looms. This, with health care and tax policy and other initiatives, is now part of Trump's first-year agenda. The president needs a new strategy, one that treats the Russia issue as the serious problem that it is. Spirit Airlines, a budget airline for those who are used to traveling with just the essentials, is holding a one-day flash sale on Friday, March 3, ending at 11:59 p.m. It's a crazy good deal, but as with all things airlines, there's a catch. In this case, there are a few. For starters, you can only use the deal on a flight taking off on a Tuesday or Wednesday between March 14 and April 11, and some routes, unfortunately, are excluded from the promotion. (However, it appears that no routes from the San Francisco/Oakland area fall into this category.) Second, and this is a big one, the deal doesn't apply to any of the additional fees tacked onto the flight. That's important because Spirit adds more to your tab for all sorts of things: seat assignments, carry-on bags, checked bags, and even for checking in at the airport as opposed to online ahead of time. Lastly, the "99 percent off" deal doesn't exactly equate to 99 percent, though it's pretty close. The base listing fare includes the Passenger Usage Fee (whatever that is), costing up to $17.99 each way, and the DOT Unintended Consequences Fee, which is $4 each way. The discount isn't applied towards either of these. Let me demonstrate: in a test run of booking a flight between Oakland International and O'Hare in Chicago, the full base price before the add-ons is $359.20, but that includes $35.98 in Passenger Usage Fees and $7.44 in DOT fee. Once you subtract those fees from the base fare, you can apply the 99 percent discount to the $315.78 that remains. That means the resulting price of your flight is roughly $3, though you'll still have to pay for your bags, seats, and taxes. That can really add up and in this case, it does, with a carry-on bag, a checked bag, and all the other fees adding up to over $280. So is it really a good deal? Maybe not. A search for a last-minute flight on another airline between the same destinations at similar hours yields ticket prices on airlines like Delta and American that are actually comparable. If you don't check a bag, it could be worth the flash sale booking, but if not, you may want to spend your cash elsewhere. 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. People want to appear in parliament at all costs Countrys economy will not develop, if there is war situation in the country, says Congress-HZhK (Peoples Party of Armenia) alliance candidate Zoya Tadevosyan. Thats the reason the alliance has chosen peace as a slogan, Peace is the chance, which will let the country develop. When the economy is in hard situation, during the recent 10 years, USD 10 billion has flown out of the country, 500 thousand people have migrated, everything cannot be good, noted Mrs. Tadevosyan, adding that the alliance will aim at stopping the war situation, Only after achieving peace, we will reach a state, when an educated, intelligent person will be a value, and after that the people, who have plundered the country since 1991, will be held accountable, and their property must be seized and returned to the state. Susanna Muradyan, representative of ORO alliance notes that Seyran Ohanyan, Vartan Oskanian and Raffi Hovannisian, uniting and making an alliance, aim at taking the country out of shameful economic and political crisis, We try not to criticize any opposition party or alliance. The only target is the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), as a result of its policy annually 50 000 people have left the country, and USD 10 billion have been withdrawn from the country. We say in advance that we rule out any cooperation and alliance with the HHK, we dont want to be engaged in any games, we want to carry out our realistic programs, which are anthropocentric, she said. Armenian Renaissance Party (HVK) candidate Marianna Frunjyan thinks that civilized elite should be formed in the parliament. While expressing this opinion, representative of ORO alliance reacted, Wont they put eyes out anymore ( she meant the expression of HVK representative Heghine Bisharyan-edt.) Marianna Frunjyan explained that using folk sayings is normal, People show aggression with their actions, not words; if you are careful with her gestures, you can see that it wasnt aggressive and it wasnt a threat. The participants of the press conference started debating more passionately, when the issue came to the army, How can the army strengthen? By plundering? said Congrerss-HZhK alliance representative Zoya Tadevosyan addressing the representative of the ORO, Seyran Ohanyan said that he is ready to stand before a lawful court, as he is sure that he is not guilty, but for that first of all fair court must be established, noted Susanna Muradyan and posed a question, Why do you throw mud at ORO alliance. Initially we called on all the political forces to jointly struggle against the monster; our main target is the HHK, with which we will never cooperate or form an alliance. In reply to the question of A1+, whether this time the opposition representatives hope that the elections will proceed in a fair way, Zoya Tadevosyan answered, For fighting against vote rigging and having fair elections, we should have a joint headquarters and concentrate forces in the polling stations. Political expert Levon Shirinyan said that if the country isnt a normal organism with its party-political system, it is impermissible to shift to a parliamentary model, Recent stabbings and brawls can prove it; people want to appear in the parliament at all costs. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Voting booth Homeless advocates have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review their case pertaining to Ohio's absentee and provisional voting rules (Lisa DeJong/The Plain Dealer) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Advocates for the homeless who have waged a multi-year legal battle to challenge Ohio's provisional and absentee ballot rules are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their case. The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless and the Ohio Democratic Party filed its petition Friday. The groups say large groups of minority voters have been disenfranchised solely because of technical errors and omissions on voter ballot forms for absentee and provisional ballots. The petition says a federal appeals court in Atlanta has ruled differently than the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on whether private citizens can sue to enforce a certain provision of federal law pertaining to voting. The provision prohibits denying the right to vote based on missing or incorrect information on applications that do not prevent election workers from confirming a voter's eligibility. Both a federal judge and the 6th Circuit ruled that citizens, unlike the U.S. attorney general, do not have that right. Their rulings were based on existing circuit case law, the petition says. (You can read the petition here or at the bottom of this story.) The groups argued in their lawsuit that a pair of 2014 laws adding requirements for absentee and provisional ballots unfairly disenfranchised minority voters and unconstitutionally burdened the right to vote. The law required all fields on absentee ballot envelopes to be complete; previously, they only had to be "sufficient." Columbus federal Judge Algenon Marbley ruled in June that the rules had been applied inconsistently across the state and ballots from homeless, black and Latino voters were disqualified more than others. Marbley made this ruling on different claims than the one the advocacy groups are asking the Supreme Court to review. But the 6th Circuit reversed large portions of Marbley's ruling in September. It upheld the federal judge's ruling as it applied to birth dates and addresses on absentee ballots, but reversed the rest. For example, ballot envelopes with an incorrect Social Security number, a variation of a name such as "Bill" instead of "William," or cursive writing would have been counted under the lower court decision but are invalid under the appellate court decision. The advocates argued the appeals court's decision will cause confusion and inconsistency with elections employees in different counties. If the Supreme Court were to take up the case and find in favor of the homeless advocates, the case would go back to the federal court in Columbus, which could decide whether the state violated the federal voting laws in not counting certain ballots, attorney Subodh Chandra said. Cleveland police car.png A man was shot dead Friday evening on Cleveland's East Side. (File photo) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 42-year-old man was shot dead Friday evening on Cleveland's East Side, police said. The shooting happened shortly after 7:30 p.m. in the 3400 block of East 51st Street near Dalton Avenue, according to Cleveland spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia. No arrests have been made. The victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside of a home. He was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Preliminary investigation shows a man and his wife were in an argument and she left the home, Ciaccia said. A short time later, a small gray vehicle drove up to the home and three men got out of the vehicle and went inside of the home, according to Ciaccia. Gunfire could be heard by the neighbors, Ciaccia said. The men left the scene. The Homicide Unit and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office responded to the scene for investigation. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section. Superman_Earth-One_001.jpg The impact of superheroes on real world society will be discussed at a Tri-C lecture. (DC Comics) PARMA, Ohio - A University of Texas anthropologist will discuss the modern mythology of superheroes and how they reflect modern society at the Cuyahoga Community College western campus. Jamon Halvaksz will talk about superheroes in a free program, "Superheroes and Supermyths: Towards an Anthropology of our Multiverse," from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. March 30, at Tri-C's Western Campus Theatre in Parma. To reserve a seat at the free event, go to trictickets.com and click on the link to the Social Science Speaker Series. A reception will follow the presentation. Halvaksz is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he has recently been developing coursework examining superheroes, myths and human diversity. For more information, call 216-987-5508. Western Campus is at 11000 Pleasant Valley Road in Parma. CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center said Friday that it has severed ties with its advertising agency after the agency produced a promotion unrelated to the center that used Donald Trump's infamous line about grabbing women. "We are extremely disappointed at the lack of judgment that flourish has shown in this matter, and we hope this is a learning moment for flourish," the center's President and CEO Sondra Miller said in an email. "We have terminated our relationship with flourish, and will not work with them moving forward." After winning 26 advertising awards at the local American Advertising Awards, flourish, a Cleveland-based a marketing and branding company, created a mini campaign on its website to promote the accolades. The campaign parodies several Donald Trump lines, including: "Huuuuge Win. And that ain't fake news!" The agency also used Trump's claim about how he treats women, which was captured on tape years ago and leaked last fall during his bid for the White House. Trump's language has been universally denounced as promoting sexual assault. Miller praised the work of flourish and said the agency's work for the center "resulted in many more survivors of rape and sexual abuse reaching out to us for help and getting connected to our services." But Miller said in her statement that "jokes about rape are never funny." "They diminish the traumatic experiences of far too many women, children and men in our community," she said. "It is not OK." Christopher Ferranti, flourish's CEO, posted a comment Friday morning on cleveland.com apologizing for using the Trump line. The comment appeared below a story about the agency's use of the line. "We're proud of and grateful for the accolades, as well as the clients who enable flourish to do bold work," he said. "We may have pushed the envelope too far with our recent, satirical, online ADDY Award self-promotion. The post was edited days ago. We regret any inadvertent offense caused." You can see images from the flourish's campaign in the video above. You can find Ferranti's full statement below: "Thanks for sharing your opinion Mr. Naymik. I appreciate you broadening the dialog. With all due respect, reporting on all the great work produced by all the great agencies represented at the ADDY Award Show would have been significantly more newsworthy. As many people are aware, for more than 18 years, flourish has prided itself on pushing the envelope. Case in point, our approach resulted in significant recognition at this year's ADDY Award Competition. We're proud of and grateful for the accolades, as well as the clients who enable flourish to do bold work. We may have pushed the envelope too far with our recent, satirical, online ADDY Award self-promotion. The post was edited days ago. We regret any inadvertent offense caused. Please see the current post here: http://flourishagency.com" Sincerely, Christopher Ferranti CEO flourish republican-gov-prospectspng-6cb6db48ff090d8c.png The likely Republican candidates for governor. From left, Mike DeWine, Jon Husted, Mary Taylor and Jim Renacci. (AP photos) SHARONVILLE, Ohio -- The 2018 starting line for Ohio Republicans formed here Saturday. The Northeast Hamilton County Republican Club's annual pancake breakfast drew hundreds of grassroots activists -- and a full stack of contenders to succeed term-limited Gov. John Kasich. Attorney General Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Jon Husted, U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor -- the party's top gubernatorial prospects -- each addressed the crowd. At this early stage, Taylor is the only Republican who has formally established a campaign. But DeWine, Husted and Renacci are likely to follow soon. Democrats, meanwhile, are looking at an even bigger jumble, with as many as a dozen possible hopefuls but no obvious frontrunner. On their side, Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni is the only declared candidate. President Donald Trump in his early days at the White House has provided some stressful moments for Republicans and, given the dynamics of midterm-year elections, has provided hope for Democrats. But all but one of those who spoke at the breakfast treated Trump as an asset, at times competing for who could heap the most praise on his new administration. Here's a scouting report on the party's Big Four, in order of their Saturday speaking slots. Mary Taylor The lieutenant governor has one very big thing going for her: backing from Kasich, who remains popular with voters. But many party activists were unhappy that Kasich refused to endorse or vote for Trump last year. So Taylor has tried to play both sides. She split with Kasich in a fractious Ohio Republican Party leadership battle earlier this year -- a decision that likely will cost her support from some of the governor's allies but endear her to Trump's. On Saturday, she attempted to find common ground. "On his seventh business day in office, President Trump signed an executive order requiring the federal government to cut two regulations before enacting any new one," Taylor said. "That is bold action that warms this accountant's heart. Cutting red tape is about returning government to the people. ... So what President Trump is doing in Washington, we've actually been doing here in Ohio for over 2,000 days. We are making sure government is accountable to the people." Taylor added a shot at Hillary Clinton, last year's Democratic nominee for president. "Hillary Clinton represented what Ohio was tired of," she said. "Out of touch politicians saying whatever the polls are telling them to say without listening to what you are actually saying." Mike DeWine On paper, he is the field's early frontrunner. Decades in public service and numerous statewide campaigns place his name-recognition high above everyone else's. His challenge will be to convince Republicans that being the careerist of career politicians is not a bad thing. DeWine seemed determined here to link himself closely with the Trump administration. He offered a full-throated defense of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an old friend from their days together in the Senate who is under fire for communications with a Russian ambassador. "I had the opportunity to go the White House this week. President Trump invited all the attorneys general across the country to go," DeWine told the audience. "I had the chance to see my friend, Jeff Sessions. I know Jeff has been in the news the last few days. I had the opportunity to serve with Jeff for 10 years on the Senate Judiciary Committee. ... "When you sit with someone for 10 years on a committee like the Judiciary Committee, you get to know their heart, you get to know their soul, and you get to know their mind. And let me just tell you, this is a man of great, great integrity," DeWine said of Sessions as the crowd applauded. "This is a man who's going to be a great attorney general." Jon Husted The secretary of state, who is locked in a tight fundraising race with DeWine, was the only one of the foursome to not make an explicit overture to the president or his supporters. Husted offered a traditional -- and notably polished -- stump speech rooted in his personal story. "I focus every morning on waking up and being thankful for all that I have," Husted said. "And I have a good reason for that. Because I'm lucky to be here at all. I was adopted." The crowd was at its most attentive as Husted talked of the biological father who didn't want him, the biological mother who had him anyway and two months in a Detroit foster home. Eventually, "two people who gave me everything you could want" adopted him. For a party that prides itself on pro-life, anti-abortion messaging, Husted was able to touch on those values without the highly charged rhetoric that can hurt the GOP in general elections. Husted closed by noting that Trump's victory last fall showed how frustrated Ohio voters are and how concerned they are with issues such as job automation and rising health care costs. "Any of the four of us that are going to run for governor or any of us that are running for anything else, if we want to be successful in 2017 and 2018, we've got to think about them," Husted said. "We've got to think about those folks -- those folks that feel like the ground is eroding under them as they seek the American dream. Those are the people who are counting on us. We took it over in 2016, and they're darn well counting on us to fix this." Jim Renacci The congressman from Wadsworth is by far the least known of the four prospects. So his speech more than others had an introductory vibe. Renacci, despite being in his fourth term in the House and a mayor before that, presented himself repeatedly as a businessman and outsider. A former car dealer, Renacci targeted and unseated Democrat John Boccieri in 2010 after being angered by the federal government's rescue of the auto industry. The bailouts are widely credited with saving a key piece of Ohio's economy. But Renacci's Chevrolet dealership was closed during General Motors' restructuring. And he didn't believe Boccieri did enough to help. "I'm going to remove you from that seat," Renacci recalled saying in a message to Boccieri's office. "I'm going to do whatever I have to do to get you out of that seat." His political origin story earned perhaps the loudest applause of the morning. Renacci closed by characterizing himself as the candidate most like Trump. "We've got to put people in office who understand what it means to sign the front of the paycheck and not the back of the paycheck," the congressman said. "That's why I was so happy to see a businessman step into the arena to run for president." The board of PSA, which makes Peugeot and Citroen cars, approved the deal on Friday, with an announcement planned for Monday, one of the people said. France's PSA Group struck a deal with General Motors to buy the U.S. carmaker's loss-making Opel division, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Spokespeople for PSA and Opel declined to comment. The two carmakers, which already share some production in an existing European alliance, confirmed last month they were negotiating an outright acquisition of Opel and its British Vauxhall brand by Paris-based PSA, sparking widespread concern over possible job cuts. Earlier on Friday, Opel managers had adjourned a town hall meeting with workers until Monday morning, saying they could not yet discuss details of the proposed deal. Sources close to the GM-PSA talks had said on Thursday they were progressing well after the carmakers narrowed differences on about $10 billion in Opel pension liabilities and other issues. GM's European arm recorded a 16th consecutive year of losses in 2016. The talks had also encountered difficulties over GM demands that a PSA-owned Opel be barred from competing against its own Chevrolet lineup in China and other overseas markets, they said. The "non-compete" issues were finally resolved as GM agreed to inject "substantially" more into the pensions than the $1 billion to $2 billion it had initially offered, another person said on Friday. The sources declined to give any further details. PSA boss Carlos Tavares said last week a full acquisition of Opel offered an "opportunity to create a European car champion" and quickly exceed 5 million annual vehicle sales. The French carmaker also expects savings of up to 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) from the tie-up, sources have said. Tavares told his board that PSA would redevelop the core Opel lineup with its own technologies to achieve rapid savings, according to people with knowledge of the matter. No matter how smart you think you are about your money, at some point you will need to entrust someone else with some aspect of your finances. It could be a banker, a bookkeeper, a tax preparer or a financial planner. And no matter how much you trust them, any one of them has the ability to rip you off. The McNutt family of Corsicana, Texas, found that out the hard way. Their business, the Collin Street Bakery, has been in the family since 1946. Its claim to fame: deluxe fruitcakes. They are world famous. But the business has never strayed far from its roots. "We have a great history of longevity," President and CEO Bob McNutt told CNBC's "American Greed." "I can't tell you how many husbands and wives have worked here together. It's really a family atmosphere." In 1998, the McNutts welcomed bookkeeper Sandy Jenkins into the family. He eventually worked his way up to a $50,000-a-year position as controller, just in time for the bakery to launch an aggressive expansion in 2004. As told in the latest episode of CNBC's "American Greed," that is when Jenkins decided to go for his piece of the pie. He embezzled an estimated $16.5 million before he finally got caught with his hand in the cookie jar in 2013. He is serving a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to three felony counts. "When I learned about the theft, it really made me sick in my stomach," McNutt said. "How can you look at people in the eye and betray trust like that?" A product of Mexico label on a box of vegetables at the Ciruli Brother's CCMV Warehouse in Nogales, AZ. Nohe Garcia stands atop a hill in Nogales, Arizona, a sweeping vista of rugged terrain and imagines what could be. He bought 215 acres the last parcels of land here to be zoned for light industrial development. Garcia leans over a rough map and traces the outlines for the road and how it will connect from the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales to Interstate 19, part of the international "Canamex corridor." "So here what we envision is to build thirty 100,000-square-foot warehouses," he said, calculating quickly, "so the numbers are in the thousands of jobs." Garcia's already graded down a 40-acre lot, doing much of the work himself to save money. A dual citizen of Mexico and America, with family on both sides of the border, he says President Donald Trump's talk of border taxes, doing away with the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a massive border wall, and a crackdown on immigration is scaring Mexican investors. "We had a couple of vegetable and fruit growers that wanted to establish here," he said. "There are Mexican investors here that own warehouses for distribution, but they have backed out and are waiting to see what happens." President Donald Trump sparked a firestorm by leveling a stunning and unsubstantiated accusation against his predecessor, suggesting Barack Obama ordered surveillance on his residence at New York's Trump Tower at the height of the contested 2016 general election a claim that an aide to the former president flatly rejected. In a series of pre-dawn posts on Twitter Saturday, the current president said that he just discovered that he was "wire tapped" just before the November elections, but nothing had been discovered. In blasting Obama as "sick" and sinking to "a new low," Trump invoked the specters of former President Richard Nixon and Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Trump Tweet1 In a statement, Kevin Lewis, a spokesperson for Obama, rejected Trump's assertion. "A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice," he said. "As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false," he added. Trump did not cite the source of his information, but the brash accusation may constitute an acknowledgement that officials at the highest levels of government were at one time probing his business and financial dealings. Last year, a few conservative-leaning publications reported that the FBI had obtained a Foreign Intelligence Service Act (FISA) court warranta request that would have been routed through the Justice Department but not the White House. Favreau tweet Trump's remarks also come in the middle of a raging controversy over potential contact his campaign and its surrogates may have had with Russian officials. Russia stands accused of having interfered in the election, which has widened a rift between Trump and the intelligence community. Lawyer tweet On Friday, Fox's Brett Baier asked House Speaker Paul Ryan whether he was concerned "that the Obama Administration may have been surveilling members of the Trump campaign in a pretty detailed investigation during the election?" Ryan responded by saying: "I don't think that's the case." In response to Trump's comments, Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat who sits on the House Select Committee on Intelligence and is the ranking member on the CIA subcommittee, wrote on Twitter that the president was "not credible." The president has spoken favorably about Russian president Vladimir Putin, while most Democrats and even some Republicans accuse Putin of having "hacked" the election. Last month, Republican Senator John McCain, who has emerged as Trump's chief intra-party antagonist, publicly rebuked the president for an interview in which he suggested the U.S. was not morally superior to Russia. Fallout from the political firestorm forced newly confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from Russia-related inquiries, amid questions over whether he had met with a Russian ambassador. Last month, the White House's top national security advisor, Michael Flynn, was forced to step down for similar reasons. Last October, The New York Times reported that the FBI pursued a broad inquiry into Trump's links to Russia and Putin, but the investigation failed to yield any incriminating evidence. However, that hasn't stopped speculation from festering, particularly as Trump has repeatedly gone out of his way to praise Putin. --NBC News contributed to this article. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, considered one of the leading candidates for chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, has over the course of his campaigns received more than $60,000 in contributions from tech companies such as Facebook , Microsoft and Google . That means if President Donald Trump appoints Reyes to the FTC, there's a chance Reyes would have to recuse himself from cases involving those companies, according to a source close to the FTC. Other FTC experts said the federal agency had little or no experience in dealing with commissioners who have received campaign contributions and if that would put him under pressure to recuse himself from cases. More from Recode.net: Uber's VP of product and growth Ed Baker has resigned Headspace is putting its old CEO in charge of the company again How Trump's FCC is quickly working to undo network neutrality It's still unclear if ethics regulations would apply in the case of campaign contributions, but experts say the issue for Reyes would come down to any appearance of conflict. As Utah's attorney general, Reyes reported $2.2 million in campaign contributions going back to his first campaign in 2012, according to the office of the Utah Lieutenant Governor. He received roughly $1.9 million of those donations between 2014 and 2016. Of contributions between 2014 and 2016, he received a total of $25,000 from Facebook, $15,000 from Comcast *, $7,200 from Microsoft, $3,000 from Yelp , $2,500 from Google and at least $10,000 from a batch of other tech companies, according to campaign finance disclosures. Google and Yelp declined to comment for this story. Comcast and Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment. Facebook directed Recode to its political engagement report. What makes this a potentially unusual circumstance for the FTC is it typically hasn't seen former politicians serving on the agency. If appointed, Reyes' past political life could complicate FTC cases going forward. Reyes' campaign consultant, Alan Crooks, told Recode, "We haven't reviewed any of those things at this time," referring to the contributions from tech companies. "We'll take a look at it if he's actually called to be FTC chair." The FTC declined to comment for this story. The commission is one of two key federal institutions, alongside the Department of Justice, with the authority to pursue antitrust action against companies, making it a focal point in watching how the Trump administration handles regulatory policies and actions of significance to the tech industry. Reyes gained attention after sources told Politico he was a top candidate for the role of chairman of the commission. Acting chair Maureen Ohlhausen has also gained support as a possible permanent appointee. Both are Republicans. In recent years, lobbyists have aggressively pursued attorneys general with campaign contributions to act in favor of their corporate clients, according to a 2014 investigation in the New York Times. The draw is that attorneys general typically face fewer restrictions and disclosure requirements than other elected officials. A commissioner involved in cases pertaining to companies that contributed to his political campaigns would create "an appearance of impropriety," a source close to the FTC told Recode. "The issue of running campaigns and the political contributions that are part of those campaigns presents some unique issues for the Federal Trade Commission in terms of recusals on the one hand, and in terms of appearances on the other hand," this person said. But another source, a Washington D.C. lawyer who used to work for the commission, told Recode campaign contributions are "just part of the fabric of our political system." The person pointed out that appointed roles at other federal institutions have been filled by former politicians. Hillary Clinton, for example, was appointed Secretary of State after serving as senator from New York. "Suggesting that there's a problem with this is really taking on the issue [of campaign contributions] generally," the source said. This isn't the first time questions have been raised about Reyes having an appearance of bias regarding tech companies. As attorney general, Reyes signed a letter a year ago suggesting the FTC revisit an investigation closed in 2013 into whether Google unfairly skewed search results to favor Google products. In the run-up to the nomination of an FTC chairman, companies engaged in conflicts with Google, including Yelp, have made efforts to promote his appointment, according to the Wall Street Journal. It should be noted that in addition to taking money from Google, Reyes has also taken money from Yelp, which has criticized Google for what it sees as anticompetitive practices. Whether Reyes would be pressured to recuse himself in cases involving companies that have contributed to his campaigns depends on an interpretation of the Code of Federal Regulations. The code's ethics standards for executive branch employees requires them to "avoid an appearance of loss of impartiality" in doing their jobs. Failure to avoid the appearance of bias could result in a court decision being tossed, according to Wayne State University law professor Stephen Calkins, who served as general counsel to the FTC in the late '90s. "At some point an affected party could claim that due process rights were violated," he wrote in an email. In Reyes' case, if the rule applied, Calkins said it would likely involve a part of the code which he describes as "vague, more general." The line states: "An employee who is concerned that circumstances other than those specifically described in this section would raise a question regarding his impartiality should use the process described in this section to determine whether he should or should not participate in a particular matter." A previous FTC commissioner recently recused himself in cases involving Google, but for different reasons. Joshua Wright, who left the FTC in 2015, recused himself from matters involving Google because he had accepted funding from the company for some of his previous research papers. The Law and Economics Center at George Mason University, where Wright was a professor, received $762,000 in donations from Google from 2011 to 2013, according to Salon. But Wright's recusal likely stemmed from a different part of the federal code and may not apply to Reyes, according to Calkins. It's difficult to predict how ethics standards would be applied to Reyes because the FTC has rarely, if ever, had to consider ethics surrounding campaign contributions, Calkins said. Historically, it's rare for the commission to appoint members who have held elected office. Seattle University School of Law professor John Kirkwood, who worked for the FTC for 25 years, said he couldn't recall a single commissioner who had previously been an elected official. "I doubt the FTC has much, if any, experience deciding whether a political contribution requires recusal," he wrote in an email to Recode. Calkins identified one commissioner who held a seat in Congress before joining the FTC John Gwynne, who was appointed to the commission in 1953. Calkins did not look into earlier commissioners. Reyes has faced questions about the impact of campaign contributions on his actions as attorney general in Utah. In 2015, critics raised concerns about a $5,000 contribution Reyes received from contact lens company 1-800 Contacts, which benefited from a law he was defending. Reyes' campaign consultant Crooks told the Associated Press the contribution was consistent with past donations from the company, and that Reyes was required as attorney general to defend any laws passed in the state. The company, 1-800 Contacts, is currently fighting a lawsuit waged against it by the FTC alleging anticompetitive practices, as the New York Post previously reported. By Tess Townsend, Re/code.net. CNBC's parent NBCUniversal is an investor in Recode's parent Vox, and the companies have a content-sharing arrangement. Types of obituaries The Missourian publishes two types of obituaries family obituaries and life stories. A family obituary is the version submitted by a funeral home or family. Please see the submission form for details on cost and deadlines. Family obituaries A life story is a closer look at a person's life and involves a reporter contacting family and friends. Life stories are based on newsworthiness and consent of the family. Life stories. Christian Fellowship students fill shoeboxes with Christmas gifts "After they get it, we can be friends," Lucy said. Close Jennifer Garner seems to have decided to take a step forward. Reports of her dating a mysterious man are making rounds right now. Currently, Ben Affleck is allegedly going through some personal, as well as professional crisis. If this is true, news about Jennifer Garner and her supposed new found love could affect the "Batman" star badly. According to StarzPost, Jennifer Garner is gearing up to complete the formalities of their divorce. The source said that she is confident that her new relationship can lead to engagement or marriage. Hence, Jennifer Garner wants to reportedly clear all legal formalities related to her previous marriage to Ben Affleck. Jennifer Garner Wants To Avoid Ben Affleck And Her Mystery Man Bumping Into Each Other Ben Affleck moved out of their home because Jennifer Garner requested so. Reportedly, she did not want her mysterious man to confront Ben Affleck as of yet. The Boston-native actor is allegedly emotionally troubled, as his latest movie did not do well at the box-office. He even opted out of the latest "Batman" flick. So career-wise, things are not going the way he wanted. Personally, Jennifer Garner reportedly wanted him out of her life now that she has a new man, with whom she is thinking of having a future. And it is quite justified because Ben Affleck ditched his wife for the nanny of their kids and never accepted his wrong actions. Recently the "Daredevil" star wore a black top with a broken heart at the center, per Mail Online. It thus indicates that the actress is not at all happy with the way things happened and Ben Affleck's breach of trust. It could be the reason why the 44-year-old actress decided to separate from him. Jennifer Garner And Ben Affleck Pose United Front For Children After a marriage of more than a decade, the couple has a better understanding of each other and hence can put up a front whenever needed. And that is what Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are allegedly trying to do right now. Despite being hurt by her estranged husband, Jennifer Garner decided to stay close to him for the sake of their three kids. But that does not mean that she will stop dating a new man - and if that is indeed happening, it is certainly bad news for Ben Affleck, who has been trying to win his estranged wife back. The couple have yet to give their comments about the reports. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close JoJo bows are the latest trend in accessories after JoJo Siwa wore the oversized hair clips in "Dance Moms". They looked harmless but schools in United Kingdom are banning them like guns. Much to the dislike of parents, JoJo bows are considered a distraction according to a number of school chiefs. "I really can't see any problem with the JoJo bows," one mother complained according to Manchester Evening News. She accuses the school for making something bad out of hair clips. Since JoJo bows are now banned in school, kids can now only wear the oversized bows during weekends and on parties. Moms feel that the craze from the "Dance Moms" show does not interfere with children's school work. "It was just the latest fashion and the trend the girls wanted to wear," the mom said. One teacher who banned the JoJo bows in the classrooms is Chris Ashley, head teacher of Fairfield Community Primary in Bury, Greater Manchester. Though there are lots of parents who resisted the ban, majority supported the ruling. "Our attitude is quite traditional and we allow things like this until it become a problem," Ashley said in a report by Mirror. He added that the school is very strong on letting kids wear school uniforms. It means that they are part of the school family. Kids are in the school to work. If they are not in uniform, it causes a problem and kids get distracted according to Ashley. "We have a massive curriculum now in primary schools and there simply is no time for added distractions like this," he added. Only bobbles associated with the school colours - blue and yellow - are allowed. Other school that banned JoJo bows in the classroom is Victoria Park Junior School in Stretford. However, the school said that they have comment to make about the issues on JoJo bows. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare 2-in-1 Showdown Samsung is showing just how serious it is about competing with Microsoft in the 2-in-1 space. In connection with Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017, the company launched its biggest challenge yet to the dominant Surface Pro 4 -- the Galaxy Book. Samsung is hoping the Windows 10 tablet plus detachable keyboard will lure in productivity-focused users looking for the latest and greatest in the 2-in-1 category -- being as the Surface Pro 4 actually debuted nearly a year and a half ago at this point (October 2015). In the following slides, the CRN Test Center compares the specs and price of the Samsung Galaxy Book versus the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate There's a vast landscape out there for nightlife. So when you're in the mood to head out for a night on the town, it's important to know what you're getting into. We talked to podcast host and local bar expert Ken Tuccio to find out the different types of bars you'll encounter in the area. Fairfield County "Fairfield County is the most competitive market in the state. People want quality beer and cocktails and bar tenders who know what's up. They want to be able to walk into a bar and have the bartender give them advice," Tuccio said. Fairfield County is known for being where the fancy people liveand to an extent that's true when it comes to the bar scene. As Tuccio said, New York City is the place from which all trends trickle down, and Fairfield County is right next door. So, it's no surprise that many of NYC's nightlife trends have been adaptedfrom craft cocktails, to knowledgeable mixologists, sophisticated lounge atmospheres and boozy brunch. "A lot of the bars you see in Fairfield County are bars that were popular in NYC years ago," he said. The Valley Tuccio, who now lives in Norwalk, grew up in The Valley and said there's a unique culture there. They even have special drinking nights like Valley New Year, which is the night before Thanksgivinga huge night for bar hopping. "These are meat and potato, salt of the earth people. They want to have a good time and hang out with friends," he said. "Some places have really high quality beer on tap, but people are also content going out with buddies and getting a Bud light. It's so different from Fairfield County." Tuccio said the Hartford area has a similar vibe. Though West Hartford has adapted a vibe more similar to Fairfield Countycase in point, they have a bartaco and a Barcelona. Greater Danbury Area Champagne taste or not, the Danbury area has something for everyone. Tuccio likes the Greater Danbury area because you can find fancy cocktail bars as well as local watering holes where the locals have been coming for years. "The Danbury area is nice because it's a combo of educated people who know what they likeand like qualitybut you also have that home-town feel. You can go to a local bar and see people you grew up with. It's the best of both worlds," he said. An empty-nester couple knew if they wanted to sell their house quickly, they had to make their house as attractive as possible to a potential buyer. After 35 years in North Salem, N.Y., they intended to move to the Danbury area in Connecticut. Although their colonial had strong bones, the interior was dark, with bold colors on the walls and dated carpeting. Nothing had been done to renovate or freshen up the home in more than 30 years. The savvy wife understood that she would need to do some updating, a daunting task. Thats when she turned to Patti Stern, a professional stager, for help. The woman thought she had to do some major renovations, a new bathroom, for example. But you dont have to go overboard in preparing your house for sale, Stern says. I had to rein her in. Instead, Stern suggested new flooring, a change of paint colors and brushed-nickel lighting. The home sold in one day. It was one of my favorite jobs, Stern says. A number of the houses Ive staged have sold one day after going on the market. The old adage of location, locati on, location as the be-all and end-all of selling a house may still work in some communities, but, for the most part, there are three other components just as important, Stern says: the right price, lovely esthetics and a Realtor with a proven record of selling houses for close to the original asking price. More than 60 percent of home buyers are millennials, especially in Fairfield County, and they are looking for a house in move-in condition, Stern says. They want that wow reaction on seeing a house for the first time. That means no leaking faucets, bold colors on the walls, thread-bare rugs or broken shutters. Homeowners know if they want to sell their homes quickly, they need a fresh coat of paint throughout the house and rooms that are bright and inviting. You have to present a lifestyle in step with todays buyer, she advises. While professional staging has been around for quite a number of years, its only in the last dozen or so that Realtors and homeowners alike consider staging a necessity. An accredited home stager and decorator, Stern launched her company, PJ & Company Staging and Interior Decorating, 11 years ago. Stern, who hails from Cheshire, estimates she has staged hundreds of homes in Connecticut and in New Yorks Westchester County, from New Haven and Guilford to Danbury and Stamford. She stresses decorating a home for sale is very different from designing a home for personal enjoyment. She points out five key distinctions: Staging neutralizes a homes decor by removing the homeowners personality to attract a broad buying audience. Decorating creates a decor that focuses on personal taste and preferences. Staging uses neutral colors for the walls, and furnishings that are clean-lined. Decorating veers toward on-trend designs, such as beautiful wallpaper patterns and bold paint colors to add distinctive style and personality. Staging edits and declutters a home. Decorating uses accents and accessories to enhance a room. Staging replaces tired, clunky furniture with neutral-style furniture and modern accessories. Decorating emphasizes your personality. Staging stresses a clean look with accessories kept at a minimum. Decorating is more about creating an overall design theme by adding color, lighting, furniture and accessories. A stager is going to take out all your personality so buyers can envisage your home as their home, Stern says. While she is a decorator (Im a visual person. I like to rearrange furniture.), she does have an interior designer on board, Katie Samuelson, who does the specifications. Like others in her profession, Stern owns a huge inventory of such essentials as bedding, pillows, rugs, lighting, art for the walls, oversize mirrors and chairs, even plates and glasses, about 5,000 pieces in all that are stored in a warehouse. What she doesnt have she rents from vendors. Sometimes she has to advise her clients to replace dated appliances in the kitchen with new stainless steel ones, a not insignificant cost, but worth every penny, she says, if you want to attract a buyer. And dont overlook the importance of the internet, Stern says. Prospective buyers will scan communities, then neighborhoods and finally zero in on houses that appeal to them from what they see online. In one survey, she says, researchers found more than 97 percent of homes are sold online. Its a staggering statistic. The internet listing is the first point of engagement, she says. Since those posted photos of your house need to look beautiful they are going to sell your house Stern urges owners to make sure their Realtor hires a professional photographer. While Stern can pull all the components of a job together within two weeks prior to the listing of a house, she suggests the homeowner begin the refurbishing process at least six months in advance of listing. In most cases, with all the preliminary work done, staging can be accomplished in one day. If much has to be done, she has a cadre of insured and vetted craftsmen at her disposal, from painters and plumbers to carpenters and electricians. Her fee is 1 percent of the sale price; in some cases, 1.5 percent, depending on the scope of the project. The more rooms involved, the higher the fee, plus cost of rentals. Buyers want a home that is bright, fresh, uncluttered, cleaner, yet with a splash of flair, Stern sums up her successful credo. No wonder that her company just won Best of Houzz Award for Customer Satisfaction for the third year in a row. My goal, she says, is to have people engage with a property and visualize what it would be like living there and buying that home. And thats what staging is all about. Rosemarie T. Anner is a frequent contributor to Sunday Arts & Style. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An escalating battle between Bridgeport and suburban school districts over magnet school tuition may be causing application casualties. The number of suburban students applying to the freshman class at Fairchild Wheelers three inter-district magnet schools is off by 23 percent from last year. The city schools still have more students applying than seats to offer and enough to satisfy a 30 percent suburban quota yet there is rising concern that access to these science-themed schools just starting to make a name for themselves may be in jeopardy. I worry for the kids coming up in the future because I think its very important that students have a choice as to where they go to school, said Laura Wallon, of Shelton, whose daughter Olivia is a junior at Fairchilds Bio-technology school. Others say more is at stake than the $3,000 per student Bridgeport is attempting to collect from some 18 suburban districts. We are just the tip of the spear here, Stratford school board Chairman James Feehan said. Bridgeport, so far, is the only district allowed to charge tuition for its magnet schools. More Information Fairchild Wheeler Freshmen Recruitment District 2016-17 2017-18 Freshmen seats available Bridgeport 1,038 990 262 Easton/Redding 20 12 Fairfield 25 21 Milford 41 22 Monroe 12 9 Shelton 55 37 Stratford 76 75 Trumbull 46 41 Other towns 30 19 112 Suburban applicants total 285 217 Total applicants 1,323 1,207 See More Collapse Feehan said if others try what Bridgeport is doing it will pit community against community and ultimately sabotage the states ongoing efforts to create more diverse schools. Is that the kind of state we want? Feehan asked. Its not the kind of state I want. Bus battles In a situation that promises to end up in court, battle lines were drawn very soon after Bridgeports cash-strapped school board decided last spring to access a law that allowed it to apply to the state Commissioner of Education to charge tuition. Bridgeport already gets about $8.3 million from the state to run its inter-district magnet schools. That averages out to $14,040 for each of the 597 suburban students enrolled in 2015-16 at Fairchild and the citys Discovery Magnet School. State education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell determined that the $17,040 per student Bridgeport would get by charging suburbs an additional $3,000 per student appeared reasonable and approved the request. In 2017-18 it is set to generate $1.7 million from surrounding districts. Letters went out to the districts advising them tuition would be charged starting in the Fall of 2017. The bills will range from $3,000 for Ansonia which has one student attending a Bridgeport magnet school to $576,000 for Stratford, which sends 192 students. Under state law, districts cant stop parents from sending their children to inter district magnet schools. But they can make it harder. Bridgeport magnet school recruiters haves have been barred from visiting Stratford middle schools. Stratford parents with children in the Bridgeport magnet schools received letters informing them that Stratford school buses next year will no longer take students to meet up with Bridgeport school buses at Stratford high schools. Bridgeport next year will also have to find another place to pick up Stratford students. In November, Shelton stopped letting Bridgeport pick up students at Shelton High for transport to its magnet schools a move Shelton Schools Superintendent Chris Clouet said is unrelated to the tuition issue. The Shelton School board also has vowed not to pay the tuition bill when it comes due for the 119 Shelton students attending Bridgeport magnet schools. Stratford school board Chairman James Feehan is leading the charge against what he describes as a money grab. He said his board is days away from filing for an injunction. He also promises a lawsuit will follow; and he expects other districts to join in the suit. Feehan maintains magnet schools were created to correct a state problem, so it is up to the state to pay for them. Still, he said it is Bridgeport that will be sued. We believe that while Bridgeport is allowed to bill under one law, they have been violating two to possibly three other laws, Feehan said. Feehan doesnt buy the claim that Bridgeport needs more money than it gets now to run its inter-district magnet schools but instead is attempting to make a profit that can be used to subsidize other schools in the district. Stratford hired Norman Pattis, the attorney successful in getting the State Supreme Court to reverse the state replacement of the elected Bridgeport School Board with an appointed board five years ago. Ten lawmakers from Stratford, Trumbull, Fairfield, Shelton, Monroe and Newtown banded together to file legislation to prohibit districts from charging other districts tuition for inter-district magnet schools. Their bill is said to have died in committee. Marlene Siegel, chief financial officer for the Bridgeport School District, told her board this week she has been in touch with state Rep. Andre Baker, D-Bridgeport, about introducing legislation to add an enforcement provision into law that allows tuition to be charged. We remain hopeful, Siegel said. Baker, on Thursday, said he he had no information on the matter.. In the middle Patti Law, a Stratford parent whose son Owen is a junior in Fairchilds Aerospace school, was furious when she got an email from Stratford informing her of the transportation changes. It was stunning, Law said. There was an assumption we all knew what was going on. For most of us it was the first we were hearing of the possibility of losing our free transportation to what is a free public school. Until then, Law had no idea about the tuition battle. She has mixed feelings on whether Bridgeport should charge other towns tuition particularly for students already at the school but said towns like Stratford need an alternative to Bunnell and Stratford High. Kim Wokanovicz of Shelton, said her daughter Lauren also was looking for something different when she heard about Fairchilds bio-technology school. She wanted to break out of her Shelton box, Wokanovicz said. When she saw the program it was the right fit for her. Lauren likes the longer classes, the project-based learning and the rigor. A sophomore, the 15-year-old is taking precalculus. I think I am better equipped for college, Lauren said. Wokanovicz said the battle between the towns is a political one that stands to make students the casualties. I do basically think its on the state (to pay), Wokanovicz said. Magnet schools serve a purpose. They built this school for a reason and Bridgeport went through the proper channels. To Wallons way of thinking, Shelton is getting a bargain. You are looking at a cost of $3,000, she said. I would find it very hard pressed to educate my child in her home district for $3,000. Sheltons average per pupil cost is $13,401 per student. Jay Lipp, principal at Fairchilds Aerospace School, called the situation unfortunate but said, thus far, he has been able to reassure parents whose children have won slots at the school that things will be okay. After I talk to them I havent had a parent say no, Lipp said. One hundred percent of the students who got in are coming. Michael Watson, principal at the Bio-technology school, said there is still a suburban wait list for every surrounding town but Easton. The three Fairchild schools combined have 1,459 students this year, of which 451 are from the suburbs. Discovery has 495 students, 176 from the suburbs. Feehan said he expects that will change. You know there are ways this could have been worked out, Feehan said. We didnt have to go this far. Unfortunately, the Bridgeport Board of Education has decided money is more important than the relationship with suburbs." lclambeck@ctpost.com; @lclambeck This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate President Donald Trumps plan to gut the federal Environmental Protection Agency and dismantle clean water and air rules is prompting environmentalists to gear up for a legal and political battle not seen in a generation. They are planning massive cuts and the impact would be significant, said Roger Reynolds, legal director for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment and Save the Sound. We will fight this, Reynolds said, referring to lawsuits against the federal government and political activism to reverse Trumps course. We have made an awful lot of progress. This is an attempt to unravel that. A variety of news reports last week, many citing unnamed sources, revealed Trump administration plans to cut billions from the EPAs budget and slash thousands of workers from its workforce. Trump last week signed an executive order directing the EPA to overturn a rule protecting clean water and signaled intentions to dismantle another rule protecting clean air. The impact of those actions could reach deep into Connecticut, placing at risk grant money for state environmental cleanup initiatives and eliminate federal staff who issue permits for remediation and redevelopment of contaminated properties, and oversee cleanup of polluted property. Federal funds account for 25 percent of the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protections $176 million annual budget, with $31 million coming directly from the EPA. More Information Hed here Here are some of the cuts and rollbacks proposed at the Federal Environmental Protection Agency: Overturn a clean water rule reducing pollution in small brooks and streams that flow into larger waterways such as Long Island Sound Remove a rule establishing stricter limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants EPA's $8.1 billion budget could be cut to $6.1 billion, a 24 percent reduction or $2 billion. EPA workforce of 15,000 employees cut by 5,000 workers The impact on Connecticut could include: Less environmental cleanup money Delay or backlog in issuing permits to remediate and redevelop contaminated property Cancel or delay of EPA commitment to a $95 million cleanup of Stratford's contaminated Raymark Industries property Lower funding and priority for nitrogen reduction efforts in Long Island Sound Less incentive to close Midwestern coal burning power plants that are the source of airborne pollution in the state See More Collapse The $95 million in EPA grants pledged to re-mediate and redevelop the Raymark Industries Superfund Site in Stratford is surrounded by questions, along with future efforts to further improve Long Island Sound. A range of climate control initiatives could also be scrapped, including partnerships with local governments, climate change research and funding to help companies produce more energy efficient products. The threatened reduction in funding for EPA is a big deal and something that causes serious concern in Connecticut, said Dennis Schain, a spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. We need to see further details about exactly what cuts may be put in place and how they would be accomplished, but there is no doubt that without a strong, vibrant and properly funded EPA there could be risks to the quality of life we enjoy, Schain said. Cuts and consequences Environmentalists and state regulators agree that Connecticuts environment has steadily improved over the decades, thanks in part to the EPA. Rivers that once turned strange colors are now clear and filled with fish. Long Island Sound is again swimmable, and progress is being made in reducing the man-made nitrogen that robs the waterway of oxygen and chokes off life. Forty years ago, the Connecticut River and Housatonic Rivers were very contaminated, but today they are a center of economic development and tourism, said Chris Collibee, a spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. The eagles and fish have returned and so have people that come to witness them. Numerous news organizations last week reported Trump administration plans to cut the EPAs annual budget to $6.1 billion a more than $2 billion reduction. As many as 5,000 of the agencys 15,000 workers could be eliminated, leaving less staff to research climate change, issue permits and enforce existing law. Its been decades since the EPAs budget was that low, said Donald Strait, president of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment and Save the Sound. Such a cut would devastate the agencys ability to fulfill its core functions, Strait said. We urge the administration to rethink this approach, and allow the EPA to continue protecting Americans air and water. Reynolds said the impact of fewer EPA staffers and funding would mean less grants for cleanup projects and longer wait times for permits for construction and remediation projects seeking to return contaminated properties to tax generating use. Everything will get locked, Reynolds said. Businesses wont get the permits. If [EPA] cant process permits, things cant move forward. The Stratford cleanup hangs in the balance. You hear different things on different days. But we do know there will be substantial cuts. Glenn Pricket, chief external affairs officer for the Nature Conservancy of Connecticut, said deep cuts in environmental programs that protect the health of our families, communities and businesses would undermine the administrations goal of enhancing our nations security. We all rely on healthy lands and waters for jobs, food, security and prosperity. The $31 million in federal funding for DEEP goes a long way to protect the states environment. These funds support a wide range of staff and programs on the environmental quality side of our agency, Schain said. There are also many special efforts we are involved in with EPA, such as the Raymark Remediation in Stratford, where EPA has developed and approved a cleanup plan. Collibee said the governor opposes the EPA reductions, noting proper environmental management leads to economic growth. We urge [Trump] to not undo all the great work the EPA has helped to accomplish, not only here in Connecticut but nationally, he said. Brooks and wetlands The EPA has long been criticized by the farming, gas, oil and coal industries over regulations deemed bad for business, and many within those sectors backed Trumps candidacy. As Oklahomas attorney general, Scott Pruitt, Trumps EPA administrator, sued the EPA 13 times over regulations he viewed as overly burdensome. Despite pledging to promote clean air and clean water during his address to Congress last week, Trump signed an executive order to rollback a clean water rule known as Waters of the United States put in place by former President Barrack Obama. Trump called the rule one of the worst examples of federal regulation and said EPAs regulators were putting people out of jobs by the hundreds of thousands and regulations and permits started treating our wonderful small farmers and small businesses as if they were a major industrial polluter. They treated them horribly. Horribly. Many disagree with Trumps assessment and say the clean water rule is an essential tool that protects large and small waterways. The Waters of the U.S. regulations were designed to bring protection to parts of the nation where it is lacking, Schain said. The presidents executive order leaves the door open to continued pollution and contamination of smaller water bodies and tributaries across our nation. The rule resulted from a U.S. Supreme Court decision that empowered the EPA to regulate pollution flowing from rural brooks and wetlands because contaminants in those waters, as they travel through streams and rivers and into oceans or waterways like Long Island Sound, can impact a much larger ecosystem. These small waterways flow to the Connecticut River, the Hudson, the Pequonnock, the Thames and eventually to Long Island Sound, Strait said. We must fight these ill-advised attempts to roll back protections every step of the way. Another Obama-era EPA rule targeted by Trump for removal limits climate change damage by setting stricter caps on greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas powered plants. The smog from Midwestern plants is carried by prevailing winds to Northeastern states such as Connecticut, endangering public health and prompting officials to declare bad air days when concentrations rise to dangerous levels. It is unconscionable to turn our back on the Clean Power Plans well-crafted approach, Schain said. Still, environmentalists said overturning the EPA rules is not as easy as signing an executive order. Creating a rule, or removing one, can take years of research and scientific proof, and require public hearings and detailed environmental impact statements. Final EPA rules are also often backed by court decisions upholding their validity. Reynolds said it could take years to dismantle the rules targeted by Trump. These are final rules, he said. There will be [court] challenges. But its highly unlikely it could occur in a presidential term. Donald Trump vowed to stick up for Main Street over Wall Street that line helped get him elected. But the new president has already hit a roadblock, with fellow Republicans who control Congress balking at Trumps pledge to close a loophole that allows hedge fund and private equity managers to pay lower taxes on investment management fees. Many of them are based in Connecticut. While Trump foreshadowed GOP plans to cut corporate taxes during his first speech in front of Congress on Tuesday, he avoided mention of what is known as a the carried-interest loophole. The tax break has long been a bone of contention for liberal Democrats such as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, but not Republicans. Those close to Trump expect that the resident, looking to burnish his populist credentials, will keep pushing majority Republicans to eliminate the giveaway. I think President Trump would like to say, Were taking some goodies away from the richest, said Larry Kudlow, a CNBC senior contributor and one-time Ronald Reagan budget adviser. The Redding resident endorsed Trumps economic plan during last years campaign. The White House declined to comment on the status of negotiations between Trump and congressional Republicans over the carried-interest provision. The schism over how much in federal taxes fund managers pay coincides with a push by liberal House Democrats in the state Legislature to create a 19 percent hedge fund surcharge in Connecticut, a measure opposed by Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. More Information Carried interest It's the fees private equity and hedge fund managers earn for managing clients' money, which can include the managers' own investments. It's taxed at lower capital gains rate instead of as personal income. Personal income: top tax rate is 39.6 percent. Capital gains: the rate is 23.8 percent, including a 3 percent investment tax that is a component of the Affordable Care Act. See More Collapse Gold Coast Connecticut has the third-highest concentration of hedge funds after New York City and London, part of a $3 trillion industry overall that invests in stocks, commodity futures, options and emerging-market debt for an elite clientele of individuals, pension funds and endowments. Most of Connecticuts hedge funds are along Fairfield Countys Gold Coast, which is also a major private equity hub. Bruce McGuire, founder and president of the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association, a trade group with 3,000 individual members, said carried interest is low hanging fruit for optics-minded politicians. Thats good populist politics, said McGuire, a Darien resident. We would be in favor of keeping the carried-interest provisions the way they are. Hopefully thats in line with the Republican Congress. Carried interest is currently taxed at the capital gains rate of 20 percent, plus an additional 3.8 percent investment tax that is a component of the Affordable Care Act. The top tax rate for personal income is 39.6 percent, which supporters of eliminating the carried-interest loophole say could raise up to $17 billion in revenue over the next decade from an industry that has gotten special treatment from the Internal Revenue Service for too long. By bringing down corporate taxes from the current rate of 35 percent to 15 or 20 percent and reducing the capital gains tax rate on investment income, Kudlow said, it could be a wash for the biggest losers if the carried interest loophole goes away. That should make the private equity partners happy, Kudlow said. So either way, theyll do very well. Tax reform kind of takes carried interest off the table. Thats my view and that was candidate Trumps point of view. Widespread disagreement U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., a House Financial Services Committee member and former Goldman Sachs executive, said there is chaos on the tax reform front. Thats on the list of dozens of things where there is disagreement between the president and the Republican majority in Congress, Himes said. Requests for comment were left for both House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Himes contends that investment fees earned from managing other peoples money should be treated as personal income. Only if private equity and hedge fund managers have their own money at stake, he said, should they get to pay the capital gains rate. Capital gains treatment of carried interest is profoundly unfair to working people around the country, Himes said. I see no evidence that it significantly increases investment, so I believe it should be done away with. McGuire said there is merit to the argument that money management fees are personal income. Yes, its probably fair to tax those kinds of earnings as ordinary income, as opposed to capital gains, McGuire said. (The carried-interest provision) was written to give entrepreneurs incentive to put their own capital at risk. nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy Peter Holley Washington PostMarch 3, 2017On social media, Markeith Loyds persona documented in dozens of Facebook Live videos was as fluid as his latest mood. Sometimes, he was a down-to-earth, God-fearing boyfriend who was eagerly looking forward to fatherhood. Other times, he was a weightlifting, womanizing street legend whose goal was to be on the television show Americas Most Wanted.More than a month after he was arrested and accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend and an Orlando police officer, Loyd made a court appearance this week in which he debuted another version of himself: Markeith Loyd, apparent sovereign citizen.A far-right, anti-government group whose adherents believe theyre constitutionally exempt from U.S. laws, sovereign citizens have killed police officers, clogged courts with paperwork and refused to pay taxes.In 2011, the FBI labeled it a domestic terrorist movement.This week, Loyd who has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder appeared in an Orlando courtroom and refused to enter a guilty or innocent plea when asked to do so by Chief Judge Frederick J. Lauten of the 9th Judicial Circuit.A heated exchange ensued, with Loyd interrupting Lauten and telling the judge that the government lacks jurisdiction to bring charges against him.For the record, I want to state that I am Markeith Loyd, Loyd told the judge. Flesh and blood. Im a human being. Im not a fictitious person. Im not a corporation.And therefore, I am going to tell you the fact, I am in due court, I accept the charges value, he added. And I want to use my UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) financial statement, my number, to write these charges off.Loyd appeared to be under the impression that the court was responsible for leveling charges against him, but Lauten told him that the state of Florida represented by the state attorneys office had brought the charges against him.For the record, Mr. Loyd wants to talk about the UCC and corporate status, which is a position that certain citizens that are sometimes called sovereign citizens take in courts of law, oftentimes misguided, Lauten said. But it is not the first time the court has heard that position.Loyd refused to enter a plea, telling the judge: Yall cant do nothing to me.Lauten entered a not-guilty plea on Loyds behalf and tried to impress upon him the value of being represented by a lawyer during discovery, jury selection and the entire trial process. Though Loyd decided to represent himself, Lauten appointed the public defenders office as a standby lawyer for Loyd after determining that he was competent to represent himself, according to video footage recorded at the hearing.Loyd is due back in court on March 20 for a status hearing.His statements in the courtroom this week as Lauten noted included some of the hallmarks of typical sovereign citizen speech, such as attempting to distinguish himself from his corporate status and trying to write the charges off using a financial statement.Loyds Facebook page makes no explicit mention of the sovereign belief system, but that doesnt mean he isnt immersed in the movements ideas, according to Bob Paudert, a 35-year law enforcement veteran who trains police departments around the country on how to identify and avoid violent confrontations with sovereign citizens in their communities.Judging the references in his statement, Paudert said, Loyd used the language of a hardcore sovereign and speculated that he may have come into contact with the ideology in jail.Theres plenty of sovereigns in jail, Paudert said. Theyre just like gangs. Theyre in prison as well, and once they get there, they try to recruit while theyre incarcerated. Its not uncommon for people to become radicalized once theyre behind bars.So what did Loyds statements mean?Paudert said many sovereigns believe the U.S. government sells its citizens future earnings to foreign investors when they are born. Adherents often believe the funds are secretly kept by the U.S. Treasury in a secret trust that is only accessible to those who opt out of their corporate status, which splits them off from their flesh-and-blood self in the eyes of the government and keeps them subject to U.S. and international law, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The amount of money sovereigns believe theyre owed is based on their lifetime earning potential and can range from a few hundred thousand dollars to tens of millions, depending on the particular strain of sovereign precepts they follow, Paudert said.They believe that if you renounce your citizenship, then you can get into that account and draw out all the money that the government owes you, he added. It can all sound very unusual to people who are not familiar with their ideas.Using information from government reports and the trials of tax protesters, the Southern Poverty Law Center estimated in 2011 that the number of people testing out sovereign techniques nationwide was about 300,000, with one-third of those being hardcore sovereign believers. Among the movements best-known acolytes is Terry Nichols, who helped plan the Oklahoma City bombing, according to the FBI.David Fussell, a criminal trial expert based in Orlando, told News 13 that Loyd using sovereign-citizen language in court will have no effect on his conviction or defense.It comes up when someone doesnt want to pay a particular debt to the government, he said. And they will go into court and will say I am a sovereign citizen, and you have no authority over me. But in criminal court, what usually ends up is they end up in jail, prison. Because there is no such thing as a sovereign citizen in the court system.Almost two months ago, Loyd was working at a fast-food restaurant and expecting a child with his girlfriend Sade Dixon, whom he is accused of shooting Dec. 13, police said.Loyds co-workers at Texas Fried Chicken told the Orlando Sentinel in January that they never considered him violent and that there was nothing negative to say about him.He was one of those guys you wanted to work with, a co-worker told the paper. He was always around to give a hand. We are heartbroken about all the families who lost loved ones.On Jan. 9, police said, Loyd fatally shot Orlando police officer Debra Clayton as she tried to apprehend him outside a Walmart near the Pine Hills area west of Orlando.Loyd was captured after a massive manhunt several days later, but not before a second law enforcement death.Deputy Norman Lewis, 35, was struck and killed by an SUV while responding to the shooting, and another deputy took fire while trying to stop Loyds presumed getaway vehicle.OPD @ChiefJohnMina It is with such a heavy heart that I have to tell you Master Sgt Debra Clayton a 17-year veteran of OPD, died at 7:40 am pic.twitter.com/owWHyuaOtj Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) January 9, 2017Clayton was shot twice in the chest and once in the abdomen, WFTV reported. Her heart stopped in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Paramedics briefly revived her, but a flag-covered gurney was later wheeled out of the hospital as police officers lined up to salute it.Lauten said Loyd also faces charges for wearing a bulletproof vest and performing a carjacking as he ran from police. We must rethink the U.S. response to infectious disease. Here's why. Building bridges: Theresa May and Indian PM Narendra Modi For a moment, imagine France is the kingpin of a huge international body made up of 53 sovereign states, containing a third of the worlds population. Imagine, too, that all these countries feel a deep affection for France and share a common history dating back centuries. In addition, suppose these countries, including many of the most dynamic and fast-growing nations in the world, had adopted the French legal system, and that their business and political elites speak fluent French. If this were the case, you could be certain the French would make the most of such a brilliant national asset, treating it with respect and continuing to forge the closest possible alliance. Unfortunately for the French, who over the years cruelly mistreated their colonial subjects, no such organisation exists. However, the British are part of such a body. It is called the Commonwealth. Yet our leaders are guilty of treating it with scorn and contempt. Over the past four decades, our governments have shamefully ignored the benefits of the Commonwealth. Successive Prime Ministers from Edward Heath onwards have been blind to its economic, cultural and social value. It is no coincidence that those decades of disgraceful neglect have coincided with Britains membership of the EU. Part of the reason for this lies with the ridiculous sense of self-loathing felt by British liberals on account of our former Empire. Crippled by a post-imperial cringe, they have idiotically preferred the sclerotic, statist conformity of a German-dominated Europe to the exciting potential of the Commonwealth that shares many of our beliefs. Only the Queen, as Head of the Commonwealth, has taken the organisation seriously. Indeed, she considers her nurturing of this magnificent institution her greatest achievement. She knows all of its members leaders and their families personally. In many cases, she knew their parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents. She takes an intense interest in their countries and their people. Compare her affection and respect with the institutional contempt of the Foreign Office. Despite its official title as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, its personnel have long behaved as if the Commonwealth were unworthy of their attention. A tiny number of officials manage Commonwealth affairs. How telling that they are dwarfed by the number involved with the EU. Responsibility for the Commonwealth is often given to obscure, low-ranking ministers who carry little clout in Whitehall. The current Minister of State for the Commonwealth is Baroness Anelay, a former history teacher who was ennobled after working in a senior post with the Citizens Advice Bureau. Though a thoroughly decent and hard-working peer, I bet 99 per cent of the population have never heard of her. Her low profile is a great pity because, as the Government prepares to navigate a post-Brexit world, it will be vital to exploit our relationship with our true friends. For Britains future wellbeing will depend greatly on the booming Commonwealth. Indeed, its economy overtook the eurozones in 2013 and all the core so-called Anglosphere countries are witnessing excellent growth. Yet British ministers consistently sideline our Commonwealth colleagues. For example, a group of education ministers from around the world recently attended a two-day meeting in London. Instead of welcoming them, Education Secretary Justine Greening rudely sent her deputy, who stayed an hour or so, then left. Such narrow-mindedness and bad manners makes me want to scream. This short-sighted attitude was, I believe, inherited from the Cameron government. Typical was George Osborne. Once, he attended an International Monetary Fund meeting when Commonwealth finance ministers were gathering for an important summit nearby. Yet Osborne refused to acknowledge their presence. Brexit will inevitably involve a complicated divorce from the EU, which is why it would be insanity not to cherish our ancient ties to the Commonwealth. Next week offers a perfect opportunity to build bridges. Thirty-five Commonwealth trade ministers are due to meet 60 chairmen and chief executives from leading British companies in London (typically, Im told the Foreign Office tried to obstruct the event). Meanwhile, it seems that Theresa May, for her part, has wisely made a move that could greatly improve Britains links with our fellow Commonwealth states. She has appointed a senior official to take charge of Commonwealth affairs from inside the Cabinet Office taking over responsibility from the Foreign Office, which has proved unfit for the job. Pressure for the change came from Lord Marland (a successful businessman) and Tory former ministers Lord (Richard) Luce and Baron (David) Howell. Significantly, next week sees the republication of the memoirs of Howell (who is George Osbornes father-in-law and was abruptly sacked by David Cameron as Commonwealth Minister despite being asked to repair relations between the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth). His book is the culmination of his lifetime mission to put the Commonwealth at the heart of British foreign policy. Howell attacks the Foreign Offices genuflection to the U.S., its obsession with Europe and, above all, the terrible neglect of the rest of the world, the emerging markets, the great booming economies and gigantic new cities of Asia. With Mrs May as Prime Minister, I am convinced that after years of neglect, Government policy is changing and it is ready to seize the opportunities the Commonwealth can provide to Britain. Indeed, countries such as India, Nigeria, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand offer the UK much more long-term potential than continental Europe. Crucially, they are better attuned to the demands of the 21st century than is the EU, which is suffocated by regulation. The Commonwealths diverse membership is bound together by informal networks and shared values rather than by stifling rules imposed by a corrupt and unaccountable Brussels Commission. It celebrates free markets, not trade barriers. It stretches right across the globe. Thanks to Brexit, Britain has a huge opportunity to engage properly again with this vast and booming trading bloc that represents most of the worlds leading English-speaking democracies. This has been a truly dreadful week for the reputation of the House of Lords. First, a BBC documentary cast a deeply unattractive light on the arcane ways of the best club in London. A peer was depicted whining about the loss of a television room, now converted into an office, in which he liked to watch the Cheltenham races. Another was said to have kept a taxi waiting outside, so he could nip in to register and claim his 300 daily attendance allowance. Then came Wednesday nights attempt by this unelected chamber to hinder Brexit, by voting for an amendment insisting formal negotiations cannot begin before guarantees are given to EU citizens settled in the UK. If made law, this will seriously undermine the Governments bargaining hand. It also risks betraying British expats on the Continent, who have yet to be given any assurances by Brussels. The House of Lords was packed on Wednesday as peers pushed for guarantees over the rights of EU nationals living in the UK after Brexit Adding to the embarrassing farce, it next emerged that the Lib Dems who, never let it be forgotten, were strongly in favour of an EU referendum have ordered 90 camp beds for their 102 peers (an absurd overrepresentation for a party with only nine MPs). Thus, they can continue their campaign to thwart the peoples will without losing their beauty sleep. And now, to cap it all, comes news of a wildly eccentric election to fill a vacancy among the hereditary peers following a death, with 27 candidates all male 11 of whom are Old Etonians. Yes, there are weighty figures among the rabble of political has-beens, cronies, fossilised aristocrats and dodgy donors who make up this hugely overcrowded chamber. But every man and his dog knows that the Upper House, as presently constituted, has had its day. It cannot, surely, be beyond the wit of ministers to devise a means of clearing out the time-servers and filling a slimmed-down chamber with the best brains in business, science, academia, medicine, engineering and the arts. Parliament is crying out for men and women with solid experience of the real world, who have something worthwhile to offer, perhaps as they enter retirement. For far too long, successive governments have shied away from Lords reform. If the second chamber persists in defying ministers on Brexit, it will give this administration the perfect excuse to grasp the nettle. Scots need the Union Nationalist First Minister Nicola Sturgeon should stop playing silly games In her impassioned and eloquent defence of the Union with Scotland, Theresa May was right to say: We are four nations, but at heart we are one people. She was right, too, to insist the economic case for independence simply does not add up. And she was right, again, to proclaim: The United Kingdom we cherish is not a thing of the past but a Union vital to our prosperity and security, today and in the future. Indeed, nationalist First Minister Nicola Sturgeon should stop playing silly games, with her threat of a second independence referendum after Scots voted by 62 per cent to 38 per cent to remain in the EU. As Mrs May points out, it is time to face the reality that the UK domestic market is worth four times more to Scottish firms than the rest of the EU. And there are two more truths the Prime Minister was perhaps too polite to mention. One is that if Scots had broken away in 2014, falling oil revenues and the RBS crisis would have driven the nation to bankruptcy. And the other? The last thing the EU wants on its hands is an independent, financially precarious Scotland, which might inflame separatist movements across the Continent. There is little anyone can do to stop Miss Sturgeon calling a second referendum, if she insists (though democracy surely demands that Scottish expats should be given a say). But she mustnt be surprised if, once again, Scots vote with a mind to their wallets. Changing rooms. They're an inescapable rite of passage for anyone who enjoys a trip to the shops and an essential part of finding the perfect outfit. Except, more often than not, the image you see in the mirror doesn't reflect the reality of the situation. Whether it's harsh overhead lights that amplify those lumps and bumps or a strangely slimline silhouette that leaves you thinking you're 10 kilos lighter, it seems mirrors have an uncanny ability to change how we feel. But can every changing room mirror be trusted? In a bid to get to the bottom of just what a difference a mirror can make, FEMAIL writer Hannah Moore headed to Sydney's Pitt Street Mall. There, she checked out change room mirrors in nine popular retail stores - on the same day, in the same dress. 'The difference is astounding,' she said. 'While I looked as though I was smuggling a swim ring around my stomach in some stores, others left me feeling a million dollars'. Here, Hannah gives her verdict on the best... and the worst. Slide me Best and worst: I took these pictures just minutes apart, but I could not look more different STORE ONE: BARDOT Verdict: This seems normal - but what happened to my legs? This picture felt normal to me, it seemed to portray fairly accurately what I think I look like, unbrushed hair and all (sorry Mum). One thing I did find quite jarring was the shadow between my legs. Looking down, my thighs don't appear to protrude forward like that, so I'm not too sure what's going on there. As for the change room itself, I was very satisfied with how much space I had. Flowing dresses are more my thing, so I appreciate a change room with space to test the spin of the skirt. Strange shadows: The Bardot change room was very spacious, but shadows from the light make my legs take on a very strange shape STORE TWO: FOREVER NEW Verdict: My legs look different again, but this time they're long! I've been bemoaning my short legs for an eternity, but Forever New put an end to my struggle on Thursday with their magic mirror. In general, I look a little longer, but it's much more evident in my legs I think. No complaints here, I'm delighted. Going home and discovering my legs were not in fact that long after being on such a high would have been devastating. Luckily I had braced myself for the heartbreak this story would inevitably bring me. Smoothed out: Even my skin looks smoother in the Forever New change room, and my legs definitely look longer STORE THREE: GENERAL PANTS Verdict: I appear to have smuggled a flotation ring in under my dress... I genuinely fail to understand how anyone can feel good about themselves after a visit to this change room. The lighting not only makes it hard to see the clothes properly - but is by far the most unflattering I have stood under. As I readied myself for my perfect mirror selfie, every curve on my body became a lump, and I finally worked out what a T-Zone is - because I could see the T on my face. The change room was small - no room for spinning - and the lighting was terrible. They should be offering counselling at the door. Yikes! General Pants had me questioning if I had stuffed something under my dress and forgotten. This was by far my least favourite change room STORE FOUR: DAVID JONES Verdict: My skin colour has darkened about three shades, but I'm not complaining Some women pay for a spray tan to look like they've just come off the beach, but for those who can't afford it, David Jones has you covered. The department store's lighting left me looking like I'd just come back from a tropical holiday, as opposed to the reality of my week spent mostly in the office or indoors, sheltering from the rain. Not only does my skin appear much darker, but I also seem a lot smoother from head to toe. Saving on a spray tan: David Jones made my skin look significantly darker than before, as though I had just returned from a tropical holiday STORE FIVE: WITCHERY Verdict: Feeling fine - even my hair looks smoother! If Witchery were selling this mirror, I would probably buy it. My lighting-tan has faded a bit, but everything looked smooth and a little stretched out - even my head, which appeared larger than usual. Overall I was quite happy with how I looked in the room. It wasn't the best change room, but it certainly wasn't the worst. Not bad: Witchery's change room was flattering, but the only real difference was the smoothing effect, presumably from the mirror STORE SIX: SEED Verdict: I've lost my tan... and regained my belly Kind colleagues have told me this photo isn't as bad as I think it is, but I wasn't delighted by my experience in this change room. I found the light too bright, and its placement in the room threw shadows onto my dress in the most unflattering of places. Looking at my face, I reconnected with my recently discovered T-Zone, and resolved to do something about that when I get home tonight. I've come to the conclusion that lights should never be forward facing. No hiding in these shadows: The light in the change room at Seed threw unflattering shadows onto my dress, and bounced off my shiny forehead STORE SEVEN: MYER Verdict: I'm moving in. Immediately. I strutted out of Myer after spending three minutes in this change room. My lighting tan was back, things were smooth, and my waist appeared to have shrunk! One small concern I had was that my change room appeared to actually be a storage unit. When I walked in, I was met with boxes and a rack of clothing across the mirror. But that extra space will just make my new favourite room of all time easier to live in. Home is where the heart is: Changing in what appeared to be a storage cupboard had its perks - I felt like I could definitely fit my whole life into the spacious room with very flattering lighting WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY Dr Melissa Kao, director of Magic Mirror, previously told the Daily Mail: Shops sometimes employ tiny tricks to make you look as good as possible, which include tilting mirrors upwards. This elongates the look of the body. The mirror may appear flat against the wall but even a tilt of just a couple of millimetres can be enough to give a bit of extra length to the legs. Dr Kao also says mirrors may have slightly different tints, some of which will give the face a more healthy glow: Shops often use a ring flash where strip lighting creates a halo effect much like youd see in those old-fashioned make-up mirrors set with bulbs. 'It gives a shadow-free reflection and an even complexion.' Advertisement STORE EIGHT: PORTMANS Verdict: Not bad, but it's no Myer I think it's unfair any store had to go after Myer, but Portmans did a good job in keeping up. The light was flattering on my skin, and the while the mirror wasn't as kind as I had hoped, it appeared fairly realistic. The room was a bit small, but the soft carpet and heavy curtain in place of a door gave it a luxurious feel. Changing in luxury: The small changing room felt like a small escape from reality with its plush carpet and heavy, light curtain. The resulting image was not overwhelmingly flattering or unflattering STORE NINE: SPORTSGIRL Verdict: Was this a change room or a cave? Needs more light While the heavy curtain felt like a treat at Portmans, the experience at Sportsgirl was a little different. The curtain appeared to drown out all the light, leaving me in a very dimly lit room with my skin appearing to absorb the colours around me. The mirror had a lengthening effect, which I appreciated - but it was hard to turn my attention from the bizarre colouring of my skin in the lack of light. When I finally emerged, recoiling in the natural light, I did not feel good about myself or confident, I just felt relieved. I'm changing colour! Something about the combination of the colours in this change room seemed to affect the way my skin looked in the photo. Gone was my fake lighting-tan and in was a concerning green undertone THE TRUTH: BACK AT WORK Finally freed from my afternoon of small enclosed spaces and back in the office, I asked a colleague to take a photo of me for comparison. My first observation is it's much better when someone takes the photo for you. Reality seemed to lie somewhere in the middle of my change room photographs - I'm not as tanned or slender as I was in the Myer change room, but I'm not as shiny and lumpy as I was at General Pants. In this age of hyper-convenience, weekly recipe boxes have never been more popular. These subscription services deliver crates full of all the ingredients you need for wholesome home-cooked meals directly to your door every week. Most have a focus on organic, fresh produce, and healthy but hearty meals that you can whip up in less than 40 minutes - ideal, then, for a time-poor family. But do these boxes really represent good value? With some crates as pricey as 70 for five meals, FEMAIL investigated to find out if it's cheaper or more expensive to buy the same ingredients at the supermarket. The 39.95 Riverford Organic Farmers box came top in FEMAIL's calculations to see if buying a recipe box was cheaper than buying all the same ingredients at the supermarket It was cheaper with all but one of the five recipe boxes FEMAIL tested to buy the same ingredients you get in a crate at the supermarket instead. Riverford Organic Farmers box was the one exception. Buying the ingredients for three Riverford recipes would cost 46.88 at a mid-range supermarket - but you can have all the ingredients delivered to your home for 39.95. It was by far the best value, though the popular Hello Fresh box - one where the recipes and ingredients are a surprise each week - also did well in our test. Buying the ingredients at the supermarket was only 3.74 cheaper than buying a 49 five-recipe Hello Fresh box - and when you factor in the inconvenience and petrol cost of taking groceries home, it could even work out cheaper to subscribe. THE BEST (AND WORST) VALUE RECIPE BOXES Recipe box Price of box for two Meals Cost of buying ingredients at supermarket Cost difference Riverford Organic Farmers Box 39.95 (three meals incl delivery) Sweet and Sour chicken Moroccan Spiced Lamb Pie Spring Green and Wasabi Fritters 46.88 6.93 cheaper to buy meal subscription box Hello Fresh 49 (five meals incl delivery) Beef meatballs Caribbean spicy sausages Chickpea pancakes Spaghetti with broccoli and salmon Paprika pork 45.26 3.74 cheaper to buy at supermarket Abel & Cole 39 (three meals incl delivery) Thai fried beef with sticky coconut rice Toasted buckwheat polenta with mushrooms and fried eggs Harissa chicken skewers with roast veg couscous 29.67 9.33 cheaper to buy at supermarket Gousto 41.99 (four meals incl delivery) Harissa Chorizo with white bean mash Linguine Con Funghi Speedy Minted Lamb & Feta Bulgur Two-Lentil Dal & Spiced Aubergine 28.75 13.24 cheaper to buy at supermarket Mindful Chef 70 (five meals incl delivery) Cashew chicken curry & black rice Pork chilli, avocado and sweet potato wedges Za'atar & hazelnut crusted squash with quinoa Courgette, mushroom & bechamel lasagne Rosemary lamb with Italian beans & kale 54.57 15.43 cheaper to buy at supermarket Mindful Chef, which can cost 70 for five meals for two, came last in our study as it would be 15.43 to buy the ingredients you get in the box at the supermarket, despite the service featuring the most obscure ingredients of all the boxes tested. Pictured: Mindful Chef co-founders Myles Hopper, right, and Giles Humphries Hello Fresh (left) also did well in the study as it works out about the same price to buy ingredients at the supermarket as a five-meal box for two. With Abel & Cole, it worked out more expensive to buy the box than buying the ingredients separately But with the other three recipe boxes, it was much cheaper to simply buy all the ingredients for the same recipes at the supermarket. Gousto had the cheapest set of ingredients - it would only cost 28.75 to buy everything for the four sample recipes we chose for our 41.99 box. Mindful Chef's ingredients would cost shoppers the most - a whopping 54.57 to be able to make the five recipes we chose for their 70 box. For the test, we selected three to five recipes based on the most popular dish for each service, making sure to include a range of meat and vegetarian dishes. Recipes ranged from simple mushroom linguine in the Gousto box to the exotic and extravagant za'atar spice and hazelnut-crusted squash with quinoa in the Mindful Chef box. Calculations are based on these sample recipes which change from week to week, so the cost of buying the same ingredients at the supermarket will vary according to which recipes you choose. It works out cheaper to buy the same ingredients at the supermarket than to buy Gousto's 41.99 box There's no doubt it is possible to make family meals for much less than the price of one of these boxes. Meals cost between 5 and 7 per person using the subscription services - which adds up to a hefty weekly grocery bill. But there are significant upsides to ordering a recipe box instead of buying all the ingredients at the supermarket. As well as the money and effort you'll save on a trip to the supermarket, meal subscription boxes tend to give you exactly the amount of ingredients that you need for the recipes you will make - significantly reducing food waste. What are recipe boxes? Recipe boxes range from just below 40 up to 70 for two people - with prices increasing if you add more meals or more family members. The idea is that the box contains exactly what you need for three to five recipes which are also included in your crate. Not only is it delivered to your door - saving you a trip to the supermarket - but it also cuts down on food waste as most ingredients are portioned so you only receive what you need for that week. Advertisement And many of the meal subscription box services offer customers the chance to experiment with rare or unusual ingredients that are hard to find at the average supermarket. Though the price of ingredients in our calculation was based on Tesco prices, on a few occasions we had to source some rare ingredients, such as tricolour quinoa and nutritional yeast in the Mindful Chef box, from health food shops. And with all the meal subscription boxes we tested, all of the services boast that the ingredients inside the crates are fresh, often organic, and of the highest quality. In contrast, for our calculations we opted for the cheapest possible version of each ingredient when adding up how much it would cost to buy what you need for the recipes at the supermarket. MailOnline has contacted all the meal subscription box services for comment. Mindful Chef co-founder Giles Humphries said: 'We are confident that the quality of our ingredients - from Farmison heritage grass-fed British beef to Farmer Govier's organic kale - offers our customers exceptional value for money. We have 9 different price points and are proud to offer the UK's lowest priced recipe box at just 27.' A spokeswoman for Gousto said: 'Our ingredients are of the highest standard. From creating our own hand-blended spice mix to using artisan producers, many of our products cannot be found in supermarkets. We champion 100% British meat and work with trusted suppliers, who share our values. We put our customers first and offer free delivery without the requirement of a minimum spend, removing the time and money spent travelling to the shops as well as the temptation of buying unnecessary extra items. Delivering on quality, taste and convenience we believe our service provides great value for money.' An Abel & Cole Recipe Boxes representative said: 'Our customers love our Organic Recipe Boxes as they inject foodie inspiration to meal times and bring together all of the ingredients required for tasty dishes, making it much easier for people to cook nutritious, seasonal, 100 per cent organic food. The contents, which are already weighed out into as little packaging as possible, have been ethically sourced from our network of organic suppliers and a step-by-step recipe card is included for each of the recipes in the box, which is delivered direct to the customers home each week.' A spokeswoman for Riverford said: 'So many people aspire to cook from scratch but dont quite manage it, or end up cooking the same few meals each week. Our recipe boxes are a simple way to make inspiring organic dishes where seasonal veg is always the star, and a great chance to expand your recipe repertoire and learn a few new skills in the kitchen while youre at it. As we are farmers ourselves we cut out the middleman too, so you get truly great value food.' Two pharmaceutical giants have been accused of striking an illegal deal to double the price of a lifesaving NHS drug. The competition watchdog said that Actavis and Concordia had agreed to fix a price for hydrocortisone tablets, used to treat hormone deficiencies. This led to a pack of tablets almost doubling in price from 49 to 88 between 2013 and 2016 when the deal was struck. Around a million prescriptions of hydrocortisone were distributed last year The accusations were made by the Competitions and Markets Authority and at this stage they are provisional, as it will need to consider representations made by the firms. But both companies will face hefty fines if the CMA concludes they broke competition law. The watchdog alleges that the firms struck a deal in 2013, in which Concordia agreed not to launch its own version of the tablets. Actavis UK the only manufacturer then supplied Concordia with its own tablets at a very low price. Concordia then resold these on to the NHS at a profit, the CMA alleges. The CMA also accused Actavis in December of raising the price of packs of 10mg hydrocortisone tablets by 12,000 per cent in eight years, from 70p to 88. Around a million prescriptions of hydrocortisone were distributed last year. The drug is prescribed to patients whose adrenal glands do not produce enough steroid hormones, such as those suffering from Addisons disease, which affects around 8,400 UK patients. The investigation is part of a wider probe by the watchdog into the deals of the pharmaceutical industry. In December, it fined Pfizer a record 84.2million after finding it had raised charges to the NHS for an epilepsy drug by 2,600 per cent overnight. The competition watchdog said that Actavis and Concordia had agreed to fix a price for the drugs Andrew Groves, the CMAs senior responsible officer for the investigation, said: Anti-competitive agreements can cost the NHS, and ultimately the taxpayer, by stopping competition bringing down the cost of lifesaving drugs like hydrocortisone tablets. We allege these agreements were intended to keep Actavis UK as the sole supplier of a drug relied on by thousands of patients and in a position which could allow it to dictate and prolong high prices. Yesterday it was revealed that pharmaceutical firms have lowered the prices of 14 cancer medicines after the NHS threatened to stop paying for them. The treatments faced being withdrawn from use after a review of the Cancer Drugs Fund found that they cost too much. But because of the discount they can now be employed in routine NHS use. Both Actavis and Concordia declined to comment on the ongoing investigation. Its exactly a year now since I had brain surgery to cure my epilepsy a right parietal resection for a focal cortical dysplasia if you must know. In plain English, a brain tumour gave me four fits a night and seizures powerful enough to throw my shoulders from their sockets 43 times in 12 months. I got to know my local A&E night-shift staff pretty well. There were never any guarantees with the surgery no one could say I would make it through, or make it back as me. There were just percentages. The percentage chance of not making it back? Less than ten. Percentage of making it back with some damage to the left arm and left leg? Much higher. Percentage of being changed? Certain. Its exactly a year now since I had brain surgery to cure my epilepsy. A brain tumour gave me four fits a night and seizures powerful enough to throw my shoulders from their sockets 43 times in 12 months I remember the brilliant psychologist at the hospital testing me before the operation and telling me: Loss of brain function is the door price you pay to roll the dice at the casino of neurosurgery. It is one of my favourite quotes of all time, purely because of the overwhelming fear it inspires. Just two months before I was scheduled to go in, I was honest with her. Honest that I still didnt know if I could go through with it. I was terrified, sweating at even the thought of it. Not so much the thought of dying, but about coming back damaged. Or coming back not me, or only some fraction of me, or even with some other person in my body. I am not unique. Yesterday I had a message from a lady whose brain surgery to remove a tumour was just two days away. Not feeling very brave, she wrote. But Ive learned. Before having surgery that could take your life, you dont need to be brave, or pretend its OK. Its fine to say you are scared; to say you are terrified, even. Your only job is to hold on, by your fingertips if necessary. To hang on and keep sane until you get on that trolley and the cold rushes up your arm. There were never any guarantees with the surgery no one could say I would make it through, or make it back as me DO I TELL MY CHILDREN? I wasnt brave enough to tell my three children, India, 11, Poppy, ten, and little Max, seven, what was happening, despite all my lectures to them, despite always promising to be honest and despite imagining how they would feel if I popped off and never even said goodbye. I just couldnt fill their little heads up with worry. We mums want to seem invincible to our kids. Id told mine I would always be there for them, I would never leave them. What if they looked back and realised I had lied? In the weeks before surgery, I started cuddling them at night and telling them a slightly different message: Ill always be here for you, no matter what. And even when, one day, I pop off, Ill still be watching, wishing you to be safe. Even if you cant see me, Ill be just next door. Listening Im not sure if it was for me or them, that impulse to stay part of their brilliant lives even if I was gone. I didnt have the emotional courage to say goodbye to my own mum. We agreed when she came to my house to take over the children and our world for a bit, we wouldnt even try to talk. We would pass each other outside the garage, and the children wouldnt see us get upset. And we did. I wasnt brave enough to tell my three children (pictured four years ago), India, now 11, Poppy, ten, and little Max, seven I MAKE A FOLDER OF DOOM As I left for hospital still terrified I wondered if that would be the last time I got to smell my childrens hair. Or see my mum. In advance, to help me hang on, I had made plans. What I couldnt face emotionally, I handled practically with my husband, Mark. We met financial advisers and put money into accounts for the children and Mark to access without me. We centralised any savings or old pensions under his name. I made a folder of doom with all the paperwork Mark might need: birth certificates, wedding certificates, divorce statement, dull statements stuff that helps sort a life from death. And I organised ahead. I sent mum her Mothers Day and birthday cards, writing all the things I couldnt bring myself to say. Before I left for hospital still terrified I wondered if that would be the last time I got to smell my childrens hair Made sure I said thank you to everyone who had helped me in life. Popped my head in here and there, not mentioning the operation but making sure I had signed off with a smile. Its a curious thing, tidying up your life in case it might be over. But sometimes the act of coping amounts to nothing more than getting things done. Even if my children hated me for leaving, they would see Id tried my best to make sure they had everything they needed when I was gone. Looking back, I would do all this again. When things seem very dark, knowing you left things tidy feels nice. Like the way we get the ironing done and the kitchen tidy before a holiday, so you can return to a nice house. Looking back, I would do all this again. When things seem very dark, knowing you left things tidy feels nice IM CALM AND READY I slept on the ward the night before my operation, with my husband in a hotel round the corner. It felt better being there; the leaving the big dread was over. In the morning I felt calmer than Id felt for months, as if all the worry had gone. No more trying to pretend to be tough, just listening to the doctors, the anaesthetists, the surgeons. Listening, nodding, saying thank you. I sat there calmly, having disinfected myself in the shower, with support tights rolled high and my neck marked to show it was my right side that needed the knife. Hair waiting to be shaved. I wondered if this same calm comes over people preparing for death. The strange wash of inevitability that makes you fearless because you are suddenly powerless. I suspect its the same for all of us who have faced life-threatening surgeries and diseases. THE THINGS IVE LEARNED Surgery was meant to last eight hours. Twelve hours and 30 minutes later I was out and in intensive care. It struck me, as I looked up at my husband, that hed suffered more than me. The journey to recovery has, at times, felt long. Post-surgery bacterial meningitis didnt help. I had to have my skull reopened twice more and the flap of bone protecting my brain was removed to stop the infection squashing the life out of me. I have felt like a freak, and endured peoples sympathetic stares. My brain no longer speaks to my left leg and I have had to relearn the stairs. When Im anxious, I cant remember anything I just said. When I went back to the psychologist six months later to test how much function I had lost, I cried before I even started the test, knowing she was about to expose how stupid I had become. My shame was absolute. No hiding now. No pretending I was OK. But despite some tears, I have learned a few things about life after surgery, things I share with hundreds of men and women who have trodden the same path in different ways: I had to have my skull reopened twice more and the flap of bone protecting my brain was removed to stop the infection squashing the life out of me 1. Architects are IDIOTS Stairs that curve, are uneven, are at an angle, or have no handrail are all a curse. To a******e architects, these details are about aesthetics. To me, they initiate a complete collapse of confidence. I will never tut at an old person moving slowly on stairs ever again. If anything, I will carry their bag and hold their hand. 2. Having hair matters I pretended I was bigger than my hair, better than vanity. Me? Katie Hopkins? I dont need hair! I do. Having no hair is really chilly. Bald men are actually hard as nails. Never tell a bald woman you can get really realistic wigs these days. You can get really realistic strap-on penises too, but that doesnt mean all women want one. What we want is our hair back. 3 It's OK not to be OK Even if you spent 25 years pretending you are doing great, dont do it in hospital just to get home. I pretended I was feeling better, when actually spinal fluid was leaking from my head, and I ended up with bacterial meningitis. Doctors dont need brave. They need you to be polite but honest. 4 Dont make your pain the benchmark When people want to moan to you about toothache, dont give them the face that says: I survived brain surgery and meningitis. Look as if you care, make ouch faces, and offer them drugs. Dont play top trumps with suffering. 5 Don't go shopping while on morphine I did. This top was the result. I rest my case. I bought this top while I was on morphine. I rest my case as to why you should avoid doing the same 6 Dont settle for survivor status There comes a point, a few months after surgery, where you become proud that you survived, can dress yourself and dont have to pee through a tube or in a shower sitting down. Do not let this be your new standard. My young radio producer looked at me one day (no make-up/ mud-coloured hair) and said: Will you stop being such a f****** cancer patient and step up. She had a point. I came back the following week with pink hair and make-up. And felt like a new woman. 7 Finally: tiptoeing the high-wire of life will make you a better person You will love your family more, respect your husband for what he saw and cleaned up, and have a new perspective on what really matters. Youll still get angry when no one changes the toilet roll, but you will love life because you got a second chance. And you cant buy that in John Lewis. Thousands of younger people with osteoarthritis could be spared the ordeal of having a knee replacement by having a nail driven into their shin. The surgery, called intramedullary high tibial osteotomy (IMHTO), sees the surgeon remove a wedge of bone in the tibia in order to straighten out the bone. This alleviates pressure on the knee joint. A magnetic nail is then driven straight through the shin bone and held in place with screws below the cut in the bone. The length of the nail can be adjusted by an external remote controller, so the size of the gap and alignment of the bone can be fine-tuned post-surgery. A similar operation is currently used to treat the problem, involving plates and screws, but as these are fixed during the operation, any adjustments require additional surgery. The UK patients having magnetic nail surgery are part of an international trial looking to establish whether this could become the new gold standard treatment. The new magnetic nail operation being carried out by surgeons at Southampton General Hospital does not completely eliminate the need for replacement, but it can save younger people with worn-out knees from having to undergo full knee-replacement surgery until they are much older. Amir Ali Qureshi, a consultant knee and limb reconstruction surgeon at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust who is using the magnetic nail, said: The population of younger people with worn or damaged knees is growing. They may well have damaged their knee taking part in sport, so we want to keep them active but avoid a knee replacement until they get to about 60. Mr Qureshi, who has performed IMHTO surgery on three patients as part of the trial, said: This is potentially a fantastic development in our options for patients with early-stage arthritis of the knee as it enables us to control the amount of opening throughout the course of treatment and to fine-tune as needed. If the knee is not corrected fully it can lead to symptoms persisting 'While standard high tibial osteotomy using a plate enables us to avoid replacement surgery and prolong the life of the joint, the fact that it is fixed means that any issues with the angle of the bone require further operations. If the knee is not corrected fully it can lead to symptoms persisting, while over-correction can cause premature wearing of the undamaged side of the knee. At least eight million Britons suffer from the degenerative joint disease where the protective cartilage wears out, causing pain, swelling and stiff joints. It is commonly caused by wear and tear over time, and affects the most frequently used joints in the knees, hips and hands. In knee osteoarthritis, the lack of cushioning cartilage leaves bone to grind on bone, causing it to thicken and grow, forming bony spurs. This puts pressure on the joint and also causes the tibia bone the large bone in the shin to become bent. About 90,000 Britons every year need to have an artificial knee fitted to address the problem. However, these can wear out and need to be replaced. Multiple operations can worsen the situation for the patient as well as adding to the NHSs annual 585 million knee-replacement surgery bill. Sarah Preece, a 32 year-old former netball player, became the first patient to undergo magnetic nail surgery a year ago. The new magnetic nail operation being carried out by surgeons at Southampton General Hospital (pictured) does not completely eliminate the need for replacement The mother-of-two from Salisbury, Wiltshire, suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in the knee at the age of 18, and after many operations on damaged cartilage in the knee she was forced to quit playing four years ago. She said: I had crippling pain walking, and even when I was not putting weight on it when I was sitting down or in bed at night. My kids are small and quite demanding and my husband was having to take charge quite a lot of the time. If they ran off while we were out walking, I couldnt chase after them. She added: The operation has transformed my life. I am no longer in pain and I am able to go out on long country walks with the family once again. Pregnant women have been warned against using hairspray, as new evidence suggests that chemicals they contain may be linked to an increasingly common birth defect in boys. Paediatricians have suggested that using sprays and also some colouring shampoos could raise the risk of the genital condition hypospadias. The alert comes after a study showed that mothers who had used hair cosmetics during pregnancy were nearly twice as likely to have a boy with the condition. One theory is that chemicals in the products disrupt male hormones and interfere with the developed of the male genitalia in the crucial first three months of the pregnancy. Scroll down for video Pregnant women have been warned against using hairspray, as evidence suggests it is linked to an increasingly common birth defect in boys (file image) This is the first study to demonstrate a link between maternal household exposure to these two hair cosmetics during early pregnancy and the incidence of hypospadias, say the researchers, whose study is published in the International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health. The precautionary principle should apply to pregnant women and they should be advised to limit their use of hair cosmetic. Hypospadias affects about one in 250 men, often blighting relationships and causing lifelong physical and emotional trauma. One of the main features is that the urine opening called the meatus emerges on the shaft or even the base of the penis, instead of at the tip. The condition is also linked with undescended testes and fertility problems. About 1,500 operations to correct hypospadias are carried out each year and experts claim the incidence is increasing, with the number affected more than doubling in a generation. The team of doctors who carried out the research say that exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the womb could adversely affect the development of genitalia during early pregnancy. The study at Amiens University Hospital in France involved comparing the use of hair cosmetics, chemicals and pesticides in 250 women who had given birth to boys with and without hypospadias. No association was found between hypospadias and the use of chemicals such as paint, solvents, gasoline, ink, glue and household products, but the use of hair cosmetic was found to raise the risk by 80 per cent. A study showed that mothers who had used hair cosmetics during pregnancy were nearly twice as likely to have a boy with the condition (file image) Support for the theory comes from previous research. One study reported a significant association between maternal occupational exposure to hairsprays in manufacturing plants and risk of hypospadias, while a second found an increased risk of newborns with hypospadias in women hairdressers. Paul Anderson, consultant urologist at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust who specialises in genito-urethral reconstructive surgery, including adults with hypospadias, said: The causes of the condition are not known, but hormones are very obviously involved, and the theory suggested in this new research is very plausible. At a very early stage in the pregnancy, the urethra is flat but at a critical point in development, it becomes a tube. If the hormonal mix in the womb is not right, that development may not happen or may be abnormal. Heather Graham is recalling the difficulties of acting while roller-skating around a house in the Hollywood Hills. She was immersing herself in the character that made her a star, teen porn queen Rollergirl in Boogie Nights. I thought maybe I could skate everywhere, never take them off, so I could really get into the role. But at the time I was living right up on a steep mountain. I thought I should just try it! Then I was like, No, I will actually kill myself. It was just not a good neighbourhood to practise in... I mean, Bam! and she mimes a career-ending collision of flailing limbs and skidding skates. Graham hasnt roller-skated for a long time and shes not sure how good shed be these days. Regardless, shes never been able to get rid of those career-defining boots, bought off the shelf, a US size eight, and worn in the movie for everything from serving drinks to having skinflick sex. Heather Graham is a longtime devotee of transcendental meditation, a habit she picked up from director David Lynch when she worked on Twin Peaks in the Nineties I think about Boogie Nights so lovingly that I used to keep them on show in an alcove at home. Now theyre in my closet and Ive put a Buddha head there instead, she smiles. It was as Rollergirl in 1997 that Graham found global acclaim. It remains her favourite out of all the characters she has played, although Felicity Shagwell, Austin Powers CIA sidekick in 1999s The Spy Who Shagged Me is probably her fans favourite. It says much about the impact of Boogie Nights that Mark Wahlberg, who starred opposite her as porn stud Dirk Diggler, kept his huge prosthetic penis as a memento too. Despite the current vogue for sequels, there has never been one to Boogie Nights and most likely wont be since director Paul Thomas Anderson believes most of the characters would be dead. They were a pretty degenerate bunch the wasters and waifs caught in the death throes of the Seventies porn industry on the West Coast of America. Yet Graham is horrified when I tell her this. Ohhhh, thats sad: obviously I want a better end for Rollergirl, though shes not likely to be living behind a white picket fence in suburbia. When we were making Boogie Nights we went onto several porn sets and I met a female porn star who had quit acting and gone behind the camera to reinvent herself as a porn director. I think that might be Rollergirl, living life on her own terms, doing something interesting. Graham with Mark Wahlberg in the classic film Boogie Nights The same could be said for the quirky Californian blonde who has cast off the mantle of Hollywood sex kitten and is moving, albeit very prettily, towards middle age. When we meet, a huge bouquet of pink roses, a gift for her 47th birthday, is scenting the air of her private room. Shes been in Britain filming Bliss, a comedy about bigamy that will be shown on Sky later this year. It is set in Bristol and co-stars Stephen Mangan as Andrew, a travel writer with a double life. She plays Kim, Andrews wronged wife and mother of their teenage daughter, a woman who knows nothing of his other family living a few miles away. Its a co-production between Merman, which makes Sharon Horgans Channel 4 Bafta-winning sitcom Catastrophe and Big Talk Productions, best known for Cold Feet. Graham's role as Felicity Shagwell is a favourite with her fans Is Graham finally embracing a midlife role? I dont like the term middle-aged, she asserts. Kims an older character, not glamorous, a normal woman and I think there is something fun about the freedom to be a different character and not feel you have to be this one thing. People dont always see you for who you are, they see you for your looks, even though thats not necessarily how you feel inside. I have always related to Renee Zellweger and her big pants in Bridget Joness Diary. I remember hearing an interview with Dustin Hoffman about Tootsie where he said, I just wished I was prettier... and I thought, Yep, thats the problem with being a woman! 'Every woman I have ever met, no matter how pretty, is insecure and has a flaw she obsesses about. As she ages, Graham is keen to take her cues from older Hollywood sexpots such as Charlotte Rampling and Helen Mirren, and the septuagenarian Susan Sarandon in particular. Susan Sarandon is a very cool and sexy actress who does not buy into the cultural conditioning put on women, says Graham. She just says Yeah, Im hot and I like that. It helps that Graham has never settled down, married or had children, and maintains a youthful lifestyle in which she can please herself. She loves her sleep, rarely drinks, does yoga and grows vegetables at her home in Los Angeles. Graham makes no secret of her passion for tantric sex, which she discovered while filming The Guru in 2002 She is also a longtime devotee of transcendental meditation, a habit she picked up from director David Lynch when she worked on Twin Peaks in the Nineties. He was really into meditating and I went to his teacher. I do it twice a day, every day. She has never had a party lifestyle but has been serially monogamous with heart-throbs including Heath Ledger, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. She makes no secret of her passion for tantric sex, which she discovered while filming The Guru in 2002. You can take a bath, massage your partner, listen to music... the idea is that you let the whole thing build very slowly until you merge with your partner. It works for me! She is currently romancing film producer Tommy Alastra, but feels no need to formalise it or rush to motherhood through surrogacy or IVF as many Hollywood stars of her generation have done. Graham with Heath Ledger at the premiere of A Knights Tale Part of women evolving is not needing to abide by what other people think is right or wrong. One day I might have a family but I am an unconventional person, I really dont feel the need to conform. Since shes a long-standing patron of a Cambodian childrens charity, might she consider adoption in the manner of Angelina Jolie or Madonna? Sure! I totally think that could be a possibility, and she is at her most animated when she whips out her phone to show me the birthday messages she has received from the five children she sponsors. Her own family is, however, an off-limits subject. Graham was born in Milwaukee to an FBI agent and a childrens author who objected when she dropped out of university in favour of acting. Staunch Catholics, they opposed some of her raunchy early roles, leading to a lengthy rift. I ask if they have now been reconciled. Hollywood A lister Heather Graham wears a dapper Paul Smith suit as she shows off her latest role. The Hangover star is being unveiled as the stunning face behind the fox for Foxy Bingo and Foxy Casino in a major TV advertising campaign designed to give the brand a 10m refresh Graham says: My family is great, they are good people. We are not close and I am not going to talk about it, which sounds like a no. While in Britain shooting Bliss she has become the face behind the fox for Foxy Bingo and Foxy Casino, a role which dovetails with her passion for poker. I love poker. I play with friends for small stakes. My problem is that I get really obviously excited when I have a good hand! So does she have a poker face? No, she admits, and makes us both laugh as we see the irony of an actress whose face has been her fortune on film not being able to make money out of it at the gaming table. Heather Graham is the face of Foxy Bingo and Foxy Casino, foxybingo.com, foxycasino.com Viceroy's House Cert: 12A 1hr 46mins Rating: Finally, the last envelopes both the right ones and the wrong ones have been opened, the gongs handed out and the awards season come to a close. Its ending marks the beginning of the spring season of commercial cinema, a change of tack that we will no doubt have ample opportunity to regret over the coming months but also, from time to time, to celebrate. Which is certainly what we must do today because Viceroys House is very good indeed. Set mainly in the pre-independence, pre-partition India of 1947, its often stunning to look at, is very nicely acted and manages to make a difficult subject relatively easy to understand Set mainly in the pre-independence, pre-partition India of 1947, its often stunning to look at, is very nicely acted and, perhaps most impressively of all, manages to make a difficult, challenging subject both moving and relatively easy to understand. Maybe in the last respect, Gurinder Chadha, who directs and co-writes, has also been helped by the passing of time. After all, we now live in an era when more societies than ever including our own are divided, often very violently, by religion. So today we have little problem in recognising the all-too-familiar in this bloody last chapter of British imperial history, a chapter that pitched Hindu against Muslim and Muslim against Hindu as two new nations an independent India and Pakistan emerged from the carnage and chaos. The main story is obviously balanced by a below-stairs love story that sees a young Hindu valet (Manish Dayal) falling in love with Aalia (Huma Qureshi), a beautiful Muslim secretary Put like that, it doesnt sound like your ideal night out, does it? Which presumably is why Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville has been brought in to play the man responsible for negotiating the transfer of power, the last Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten. Nobody oozes privilege, pulls on a silk dressing gown, or orders breakfast two poached eggs, tomatoes, sausage, tea quite like Lord Grantham sorry, I mean, Bonneville. And here he provides the amiable, intelligent, well-intentioned heart of the film, aided and considerably abetted by his co-star Gillian Anderson, who ensures that Mountbattens wife, Edwina, is a powerful character in her own right: often, indeed, the power behind the throne. Shes constantly urging her husband to take more time thats why youre such a bad chess player and not to rush into decisions that will affect 400 million people. But with India already aflame by the time he arrives, time is the one thing Mountbatten doesnt have. Nobody oozes privilege, pulls on a silk dressing gown, or orders breakfast two poached eggs, tomatoes, sausage, tea quite like Lord Grantham sorry, I mean, Bonneville Born in Kenya but raised in Britain, Chadha is best known for lightweight but classy comedies such as Bend It Like Beckham and Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging. But she makes the step to the larger, historical scale with hugely impressive ease, helped by the fact that, for her, partition is both real and personal. Her grandmother survived it, but only just, losing an infant in the bloody contraflow of refugees that saw Muslims heading towards Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs towards India. Chadhas depiction of life within the enormous Viceroys House in Delhi is extraordinary, with armies of servants both for indoors and out to ensure everything was well, as the British wanted. Spotless, orderly, on time. So when Edwina issues the instructions, shortly after her arrival, that half the dinner guests should henceforth be Indian, that more Indian dishes should be served, and that she wants to meet more Indian women, feathers are definitely ruffled. IT'S A FACT Nearly two million people were killed in the appalling violence that followed partition in 1947. The division displaced up to 12 million citizens. Advertisement This is not a subtle film, with the main story about how India and Pakistan were divided along religious lines being rather obviously balanced by a below-stairs love story that sees a young Hindu valet (Manish Dayal) falling in love with Aalia (Huma Qureshi), a beautiful Muslim secretary. Others have used a similar plot structure before, with Deepa Mehtas partition-era drama, Earth, coming particularly to mind. Here, the clumsy device of crucial diplomatic conversations being overheard by Viceroy House staff is somewhat over-used, while all the chat between so-called masters and their servants is pure Downton. Both, however, are likely to go down well with a large section of the potential audience. With cinematography that makes you want to book the first flight to Delhi, and music from the great A R Rahman of Slumdog fame, there is so much to enjoy. Look out for one of the last performances from the unmistakable Om Puri, who died in January, and for fine supporting performances from Denzil Smith, Tanveer Ghani and Neeraj Kabi as that trio of pioneering politicians Muhammad Jinnah (the father of Pakistan), Jawaharlal Nehru (the first prime minister of an independent India) and Mahatma Gandhi, the latter with notably far fewer teeth than Sir Ben Kingsley ever essayed. Of course, Richard Attenboroughs multiple Oscar-winning masterpiece comes repeatedly to mind, and while Viceroys House doesnt have the epic sweep of Gandhi, its shorter, less demanding and more entertaining. Im pretty sure Dickie would have loved it. I did. SECOND SCREEN Logan (15) Rating: Trespass Against Us (15) Rating: Fist Fight (15) Rating: Certain Women (12A) Rating: Theres something wrong about X-men growing old, especially the hitherto immortal-seeming Wolverine, who, according to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, has fought in just about every battle since the American Civil War. But as Logan gets under way, somewhere in a future near enough to look familiar but also encompass driverless trucks, hes definitely feeling his age. Hes slower, not as strong, and regularly ends up on the wrong end of a whupping until, of course, he gets really angry, and then the normal pecking order is bloodily restored. Even Logan (Hugh Jackman, above) pops in every now and again, that is when hes not drinking or driving hen-night parties around Las Vegas in his stretch limo Poor Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) is in an even worse state. Locked away in an upturned grain silo, he appears to be in the early stage of dementia, which, for a mutant of his telepathic and telekinetic powers, is bad news all round. When he has a seizure, everybody knows about it. Thank goodness hes got the albino Caliban (Stephen Merchant) to look after him. Even Logan (Hugh Jackman) Wolverines name when hes not in his bullet-proof, razor-knuckled mode pops in every now and again, that is when hes not drinking or driving hen-night parties around Las Vegas in his stretch limo. The X-men have clearly fallen on very hard times indeed. Poor Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart, above with Jackman) is in an even worse state. Locked away in an upturned grain silo, he appears to be in the early stage of dementia And then a Mexican woman with a rather strange little girl in tow appears asking for help. And theres something about the intense, volatile little girl that seems oddly familiar. Now, the lovely Jean Grey notwithstanding, Logan and Prof X are two of my favourite X-men characters but this third spin-off directed by James Mangold, who also did the second, The Wolverine from a main franchise now 17 years old, is, right from the outset, too unrelentingly dark and violent for me. Ive never known Prof X swear as much as he does here even when lucid; while the moment a gun-wielding security contractor pistol-whips a young boy crystallised a thought that had been coming for a while. If this is some sort of a farewell, then, sad to say, its too nasty for me. Trespass Against Us is like a cross between Jez Butterworths stage play Jerusalem and Guy Ritchies Snatch, with Brendan Gleeson and Michael Fassbender playing father-and-son Gloucestershire-based travellers who, in between lounging about in caravans and telling tales around the camp fire, relieve local stately homes of their many treasures. Being pursued by the police is just part of the fun, especially as Chad (Fassbender) is one of the best getaway drivers in the business. For a while, I thought this wasnt going to work, especially with the demands of the accent carrying the constant risk of bringing a touch of the Ricky Gervais to proceedings. In Trespass Against Us Brendan Gleeson and Michael Fassbender (above) play father-and-son Gloucestershire-based travellers who relieve local stately homes of their many treasures But Gleeson who plays the bullying patriarch, Col and Fassbender are class acts who bring an ever-mounting intensity to well-written and cleverly observed proceedings that turn out to be about education, defiance and power. With car chases that are both imaginative (like the Dukes of Hazzard, Chad prefers to go cross-country) and exciting, and Lyndsey Marshal terrific as the wife who might just have had enough, director Adam Smith, who makes his feature-film debut here, is clearly one to watch. Fist Fight is a vehicle for the high-pitched comedy talents of Charlie Day, who I suspect is little known over here despite his appearances in the Horrible Bosses films. This crude, frantic, would-be high-school comedy about two feuding teachers (the other is played by Ice Cube), who arrange to have a fight after school on the last, prank-filled day of term, will do nothing to change that. Barring one funny 911 call, its awful. Certain Women is so low-key that you find yourself wondering whether anything is ever going to happen in the small, Midwestern town where three professional women played in dull succession by Laura Dern, Michelle Williams and Kristen Stewart are quietly going about their slightly frustrating lives. So let me spoil the surprise and save 107 minutes of yours by telling you it doesnt. Whether youre enjoying John le Carres latest thriller or Sebastian Faulks new heart-wrenching novel, do you ever wonder what the writers are reading as youre poring over their latest classic? Theres a new app called Alexi to tell you just that, and it also provides a digital library curated by some of our finest authors. Subscribers receive a selection of six or seven titles a week. The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (left) and So Youve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson (right) Christie Malrys Own Double-Entry by B S Johnson (right) and the Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake (left) Each list lasts for four weeks and members can have 12 books at a time on the app on their phone or tablet. Alexi costs 1.99 a week and is currently available for iPhone and iPad; an Android version is due later this year. Julian Barnes The Booker Prize-winning author of The Sense Of An Ending recommends: The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (Vintage). We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson This is one of my favourite great novels. It tells the spellbinding story of a decadent, dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of democracy and revolution. The author was thought of by us as this irrelevant Sicilian aristocrat who gave English courses and ate pastries; then he came up with this masterpiece. Alice Sebold The author of The Lovely Bones recommends: We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson (Penguin). Shirley is one of my monsters a female writer who has blown my mind. And this novel is perhaps the crowning achievement of her brilliant career: a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the dramatic struggle that ensues when an unexpected visitor interrupts their unusual way of life. Sebastian Faulks (left) and Tracy Chevalier (right) Mark Haddon The author of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time and The Pier Falls recommends: The Illustrated Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake (Vintage) Mervyn Peakes fantasy masterpiece set in the vast, crumbling castle to which the 77th Earl, Titus Groan, is lord and heir is a major influence on George RR Martins Game Of Thrones. Make sure you read the one with Peakes amazing pictures of his gothic nightmare in it. The Long Good-bye, by Raymond Chandler and The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy Jonathan Coe The author of What A Carve Up! and The Rotters Club recommends: Christie Malrys Own Double-Entry by B S Johnson (Picador). Sebastian Faulks recommends A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler This dark, comic master piece is one of the books that has influenced me most. Christie evolves a unique way of taking his revenge on society: for every offence society commits against him, Christie feels entitled to exact recompense... The novels distinctive tone arises from the tension between its high spirits and the vision of society Johnson offers. Sebastian Faulks The author of Birdsong, Charlotte Gray and, most recently, Where My Heart Used To Beat recommends: A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler (Vintage). This sharp, funny novel tells the story of Barnaby Gaitlin a lovable loser whos trying to get his life in order. Abandoned by his wife, the black sheep of an affluent family whod rather not know him, Barnaby must now make his own way in life. Tyler is a masterly writer whose love stories make you think as well as feel. Tracy Chevalier The author of Girl With A Pearl Earring recommends: The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy (Flamingo) If Im not careful I find I read the same kind of book over and over, so its good to shake it up occasionally. This novel, imagined entirely from the perspective of African elephants, puts you right inside an elephant herd and keeps you there until you start looking, smelling, thinking and feeling like one. Its a rare feat to get inside something so different from us, and to maintain that difference. Bret Easton Ellis recommends: The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler Bret Easton Ellis The author of American Psycho recommends: The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (Penguin) Chandler is most famous for creating Philip Marlowe, and here, after helping a friend whose wife has been found dead, the private detective finds himself drawn into a sordid crowd of adulterers and alcoholics in LAs Idle Valley. A classic whodunit but the solution doesnt matter because the mood is so enthralling. Sophie Hannah The author of A Game For All The Family and the new Hercule Poirot novels recommends: So Youve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson (Picador) This shines a crucial light on our use of online spaces for the vilification of others, and on the tendency of Good People to cause even more harm in their righting of perceived wrongs. Ronson makes a powerful case for compassion and forgiveness as the way forward. The first books we fell in love with World Book Day, the annual celebration of childrens reading, marked its 20th anniversary last Thursday. So we asked five grown-up celebrity bookworms to tell us about the first book they owned. Julian Fellowes Downton Abbey and The Wind In The Willows musical writer I was given Orlando The Marmalade Cat: A Seaside Holiday by Kathleen Hale for my third birthday. My mother (correctly) thought the clever illustrations would encourage me to read. I found the text just as interesting. Hales writing was subtle, accessible yet sophisticated and gave me a glimpse into adult humour. Jacqueline Wilson Author I bought Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild with my pocket money when I was about seven or eight. I devoured it in one go that Saturday afternoon. I loved how it featured three sisters who seemed to be such utterly real children, loving each other deeply but also forever squabbling. Hansel and Gretel arrive at the witch's cottage. Drawing, 1891, by Henry J. Ford for the fairy tale by Brothers Grimm. Nick Robinson Radio presenter Anatole, written by Eve Titus and illustrated by Paul Galdone, is a story about a French mouse who is sick of being seen as a scavenger by humans so decides to make himself useful by breaking into a cheese factory, tasting the cheese and leaving notes on how to improve it. My godfather gave it to me when I was about seven. I loved the uplifting tale of Anatole turning himself into the celebrated hero of the factory. Gyles Brandreth Writer and broadcaster My parents gave me Noddy Goes To Toyland by Enid Blyton for my fourth birthday. I loved the characters, but what I remember best were the colours. I became a Noddy groupie with a Noddy costume, and I was taken to see the Noddy stage show at Christmas, which was the highlight of my year. Jennifer Kirby Actress I still vividly recall the bit when Aslan is sheared and killed in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by CS Lewis. The description of how small and sad he looked stuck with me. For me, Aslan was less the Christ-like figure hes seen as, more a symbol of what it means to be dignified and kind in the face of adversity. Gwendolyn Smith My favourite pizza joint, Da Michele in Naples, is opening in London. Tom Parker Bowles recommended it to me, a choice that was heartily endorsed by my old chef mate James Martin. Youll love it, he said. Its either with cheese, or without. I ordered both when I last visited Naples. But the real question for me isnt so much which topping as what to sip with these discs of deliciousness. Italian wines generally rule the roost, unless its an American-style pizza which, with far more richness, allows for a deviation into deeper drops such as Zinfandel from the USA Ravenswood is a top producer to seek out. But for a decent all-rounder, Italian Chianti is the way to go. Its trademark tang pairs so superbly with tomato. For the real deal, look for Chianti Rufina or Chianti Classico. Fontodi remains one of my absolute favourite producers at The Wine Society Ive singled out a bottle below thats outrageously good. Another option for richer pizza such as a meat feast is Italian Brunello, but it costs a fair few quid. On the high street your best bet is Asdas Orbitali Brunello di Montalcino 2010 (14.5%). It scooped gold at the International Wine Challenge, beating off competition from bottles costing even more cash its yours for 17.98. For bargain red Sicilian Nero DAvola is the way to go and theres a cracker in Asda blended with Syrah (see graphic). As for seafood pizzas, Pinot Grigio is popular but remember Verdicchio, Falaghina, Gavi and Fiano, all top bets with Neptunes bounty. Or perhaps pop a bottle of Prosecco, a brilliant pairing with mozzarella. The richest bottles are labeled Cartizze try La Giacosa Valdobibiadene Superiore di Cartizze NV (11%) in Majestic from 15.99. Pop it for your next pizza party with cheese, or without. Delhi's top cop Amulya Patnaik is clamping down on illegal gun-runners, after the use of firearms in street crime and murder has soared. Even children are brazenly supplying and using illegal firearms, according to chief officers at the police headquarters. Areas like Khargone, Pachori and Datepahari in Madhya Pradesh and their neighbouring districts are fast turning into manufacturing hubs, according to a senior officer in the special cell. Countryside districts in India are fast turning into firearms manufacturing hubs, according to a senior officer in the special cell Allegedly, a tribe called the Sikligars is smuggling guns to crime riddled states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The blacksmith Sikh community once specialised in the craft of making and polishing weapons, and has made guns for generations. According to police sources, the Sikligars' expertise lies in making exacts replica of a Mauser pistol - a semi-automatic firearm, originally made by a German arms manufacturer of that name. A police officer in Delhi. Alongside the district police, the special cell and crime branch have been asked to track down gun-runners. 'Various lathe machines are being used by these manufacturers to make these illegal firearms,' said a senior police officer. 'Pistols manufactured by them are of high quality and sophisticated and it is difficult to differentiate these illegally manufactured pistols from imported ones. 'They send the weapons to Delhi through their carriers and at times they use children and women to deliver arms.' Delhi's top cop Amulya Patnaik (centre) is clamping down on illegal gun-runners, after the use of firearms in street crime and murder has soared Many illegal weapons manufacturers have been arrested in Madhya Pradesh over the years, and the Naxals are allegedly one of their biggest clients. Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik, who took charge about a month ago, apparently ordered the Madhya Pradesh Police to conduct a joint operation in the area. But officers from Madhya Pradesh's special task force apparently say dense forest and treacherous terrain makes it hard to pursue the gun-runners. Sources say Patnaik has also instructed his department's licensing unit to be careful about issuing and renewing arms permits. Since then, the process has become more stringent. 'The capital should be free from the tag of being a transit point and consumption point of illegal arms,' a senior officer quoted Patnaik saying to his men. India has some of the strictest gun laws in the world - a remnant of British rule, which aimed to disarm its subjects. But illegal weapons are prevalent. Mail Today has seen evidence revealing last year 775 illicit firearms and 7,251 rounds of ammunition were seized in the city. The figures are up considerably from 2015 when 431 firearms and 5,153 rounds of ammunition were confiscated. Use of guns in murders also increased from 13 per cent to 15 per cent. Sources say a locally produced pistol can be purchased in Delhi for Rs 3,000 to Rs 40,000. The price of an AK-47 is around Rs 2.5 lakh, Walther PPK pistols come for about Rs 3 lakh, Mauser pistols for Rs 50,000 and self-loading rifles (SLRs) for around Rs 1.5 lakh. Alongside the district police, the special cell and crime branch have been asked to track down gun-runners. An anonymous senior officer told Mail Today: 'A special team has been formed in each district to keep tabs on the entire chain of illegal firearms supply. 'Comprehensive details will then be shared with the senior officials and accordingly plans will be made to put an end to the supply of illegal firearms in the city.' The Supreme Court has spoken out against the indiscriminate slaughter of stray dogs. No authority has the power to issue directions for blanket culling, and any cull must be in accordance with law, it was said on Friday. Judges made it clear that only 'rabies afflicted, incurably ill or mortally wounded dogs' can be culled, according to the Animal Birth Control Rules formulated under the 1960 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Campaign groups lashed out at vigilante groups in Kerala who have promoted dog culls Petitioner Sabu Stephen of Kerala, who favours the elimination of dogs, accused the apex court of giving too much importance to strays. But Justice Dipak Misra told him: 'When did this court say dogs have bigger fundamental rights than human beings? Who said that? But culling should only be carried out in accordance with law.' Regarding troublesome dogs, the Act states that on receiving a complaint animal welfare board activities should take them away and sterilise them. The Supreme Court has dismissed calls for all street dogs across the country to be killed Though the comments were referring to the stray dog menace in Kerala, there are implications in Delhi with nearly three lakh stray dogs amidst calls for their elimination. Senior lawyer Dushyant Dave, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, said that he felt lakhs of strays in Delhi are an eyesore and urgent measures should be implemented to remove them from the streets. On January 17 the court expressed shock at a call for every stray dog in the country to be exterminated. Street dogs are commonplace in Kerala - here, they can be seen sunbathing alongside tourists at Varkala beach It was said that strays too have a right to live, and there cannot be any blanket order for culling. 'Look, there cannot be any such blanket order. Though culling of stray dogs is permissible, there has to be a balance and a proper method,' the bench observed. Lashing out at vigilante groups in Kerala indulging in the culling of dogs and also encouraging the act, the court had recently asked the government to take strict action against them including lodging criminal cases. Anti stray-dog activist, Jose Maveli says growing numbers of the animals are putting people in danger and promoting the spread of disease, but welfare charities have condemned the culls The bench had also banned imparting training to children or distribution of subsidised air guns to kill strays or publicly propagate that there is war against them. The Supreme Court bench has clubbed petitions filed by dog lovers and the Animal Welfare Board of India challenging the orders of Kerala (2006) Bombay (2009) and Karnataka (2013) allowing local authorities to cull stray dogs. On March 10 last year, the court had ordered every state to sterilise and vaccinate all stray dogs in a bid to control their population and spread of rabies. The court is reviewing rules which allowed municipal commissioners in most states to order killing of troublesome stray dogs. Justice Misra had said that the court's task would be to end the 'anomaly and incongruity' between different central and state rules on the issue of stray dog culling. Strict new guidelines promoting eco-tourism could be introduced in India. The Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) is drawing up new guidelines for responsible tourism in the country's 733 different wildlife sanctuaries and national parks which include alpine and flower valleys, bird habitats, and marine, reptile and coastal parks. The move could see tourists banned from Odisha's Gahirmatha Beach in March when the Olive Ridley Turtles come to lay eggs. New guidelines for responsible tourism are being drawn up for India's 733 different wildlife sanctuaries and national parks Picking even one blade of grass from the Rhododendron Sanctuary in Sikkim, where the large and showy pink flowers bloom en masse, would also be barred. And in certain Himalayan protected areas the number of vehicles and tourists allowed and at what time will be reassessed. The MoEF is considering the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) guidelines - the only existing model - which has laws as strict as allowing not more than 20 per cent area of a tiger reserve to be used for tourism. There are 50 tiger reserves under the jurisdiction of the NTCA, including the Jim Corbett, Dudhwa, Melghat, Bandhavgarh and Periyar. The Duchess and Duke of Cambridge meet baby rhions during a visit to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation at Kaziranga National Park in April last year A senior MoEF officer said there is no 'ecotourism' guideline in place at present. 'Chief wildlife wardens of protected areas have control over the admission and regulation of visitors,' he said. 'However the lack of guidelines leaves room for discretion and associated issues. 'There are two related existing laws - one, the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980, which says any non-forestry activity in a jungle is unlawful and has to be compensated by afforestation or money. 'Now, if a road is built for tourism purpose, does it amount to diversion or management? 'Similarly, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, says a wildlife habitat must not be disturbed. 'But without allowing the youth or nature enthusiasts to visit the area, how do we expect them to appreciate conservation? 'So various states started posing these questions and we had to look into framing 'eco-tourism' guidelines,' he said. Earlier there were very few tourists visiting sanctuaries. But now wildlife safari amounts to one third of tourism in India An MoEF officer Another officer said, 'Earlier, there were very few people visiting sanctuaries. But now, wildlife safaris amount to one-third tourism in India. In such a scenario, we need to regulate it. 'We are also considering financial controls such as increasing the fare of visiting such parks.' NTCA's guidelines currently divide each tiger reserve into three zones - core, buffer and corridor. Visitors are not allowed into the core tiger habitat and in the other two as well, it is strictly moderated. Locals are also trained as guides, and provide home-stays to earn a living, which encourages them to develop a stake in conservation. Black market bones and hides incinerated at Delhi Zoo A huge consignment of poached animal skins which would fetch millions of dollars on the black market were incinerated at Delhi Zoo to send the message poaching will not be tolerated. An astonishing 100 leopard hides, five tiger skins, two lion skins, 1,451 snake skins, 10 elephant tusks and 30 kilogram tiger bones were reduced to ashes. Union Minister for Environment and Forests (MoEF) Anil Madhav Dave supervised the incineration to mark World Wildlife Day. Five tiger skins, two lion skins, 1,451 snake skins, 10 elephant tusks, 100 leopard hides and 30 kilogram tiger bones were incinerated to send the message poaching is unacceptable An MoEF officer said the articles will continue to burn for three days. A committee has been formed to oversee the burning. The state governments have also been asked to organise inviolable programmes, including the incineration of seized wildlife articles on the occasion. PM Modi (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping The end of the first round of the strategic dialogue between India and China, co-chaired by Chinese vice-foreign minister Zhang Yesui and Indian foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, The Global Times commented in a paternalistic tone: 'One lesson India may learn from China is to be honest with oneself. Asymmetry in economic and geopolitical power is natural for any bilateral relations.' While the 'asymmetry' may be in China's favour in many fields, there is one domain where India is far in advance on the Middle Kingdom; it is the people's participation in the state's governance through fair and open elections. Police state Though Indian elections may look 'chaotic' from Beijing, the process brings an obvious stability to India. This is absent in China, which is fast becoming a police state. Take Tibet, for instance. A couple of weeks ago, it was announced that police dogs would be patrolling the streets of Lhasa. For the first time on February 16, the Public Security Bureau (PSB) used dogs in the Tibetan capital. According to China News Network, the dogs will 'enhance the actual capacity and level of the Tibetan police force.' The same source reported that the dogs will patrol areas such as the Potala Palace Square, the Jokhang Temple or the railway station. Some may be tempted to say that a similar situation exists in the Kashmir Valley, but let us not forget that despite the constant incitation from the other side of the LoC, J&K has its own elected government and Legislative Assembly, its own Constitution and even its flag. Would Beijing agree to offer this to the Uyghurs in Xinjiang or the Tibetans, the situation would certainly not be so explosive. In January, the Chinese media reported that eight people were killed in a violent attack in Pishan county of Hotan Prefecture in Southern Xinjiang. Indian foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar co-chaired the first round of strategic dialogue between India and China, with Chinese vice-foreign minister Zhang Yesui According to the local government, three knife-wielding men attacked and stabbed several people. Subsequently, the police shot dead the three attackers and 10 others were injured. The Chinese media asserted: 'Order has been restored and an investigation is ongoing. The identity of the attackers was not disclosed,' but they were obviously Uyghurs. A few days earlier, Radio Free Asia (RFA) had reported that Uyghurs had been called to several meetings to confess their 'crimes'. The Indian foreign secretary met his Pakistani counterpart According to RFA, this was part of a campaign called 'Revealing Errors'; the meetings were held in Aksu Prefecture 'to uncover behaviour considered politically destabilising.' The same source added: 'Residents are called to a podium one-by-one to confess these errors after they have listed them on a 39- question form. They are also told they will face legal consequences if they attempt to cover up their own or anyone else's anti-state activities.' Does it not sound like the return of the Cultural Revolution? Here, there is certainly a great asymmetry between India and China. While during the Sino-Indian Strategic Dialogue, Beijing refused to make a step forward and support the UN ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar, China keeps complaining that it is threatened by Muslim fundamentalists. Is it not a contradiction? The fast development of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) may bring more trouble for Xinjiang as the state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan is bound to percolate north. Border control Associated Press (AP) reported that China was already 'tightening border controls in its northwestern Xinjiang region amid rising terrorism threats.' According to The China Daily, the crackdown 'seeks to prevent suspected insurgents both from leaving Xinjiang to fight abroad and from returning to the region after receiving military training overseas.' Beijing seems more and more nervous, especially ahead of the crucial 19th Congress, which may witness big political changes at the end of the year. The situation in Xinjiang is so tense that the Chinese authorities have ordered all motor vehicles in Bayingol Prefecture to have mandatory satellite tracking devices installed. On February 4, the Bayingol traffic police announced via its Weibo microblog account: 'Cars are the main transportation means for terrorists, and are also a frequently chosen tool to carry out terrorist attacks.' All vehicles are required to install GPS connected to Beidou navigation satellite by June 30, 'so they can be tracked wherever they go.' Rising unrest But that is not all, on February 27, more than 10,000 Peoples' Armed Police (PAP) paraded in the streets of Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital. The authorities spoke of a rapid-response system to quell unrest. During the rally, helicopters hovered around the city, while armoured vehicles threateningly patrolled the streets of the capital. It was the fourth such massive display in one year. On the occasion, Xinjiang's Party Secretary Chen Quanguo told the PAP that they must realise the 'grim conditions' facing the region. The Indian foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar He ominously told the police to 'bury the corpses of terrorists and terror gangs in the vast sea of the people's war.' Chen also dispatched 1,500 PAP to the 'frontlines' in Kashgar, Hotan and Aksu, not far from the Indian border. For Beijing, the present show of force in Xinjiang goes along with the strengthening of China's border defence; the Western Theater Command facing India is of great concern for Beijing. It was recently announced that Beijing has started building a second highway between Tibet and Xinjiang, linking the National Highways 219 (cutting across Western Tibet and the Aksai Chi) and 315, running towards Qinghai province (via the 'nuclear' sites in Lop Nor). When completed, it will be a big game-changer for Xinjiang and Tibet and here the asymmetry is clearly in favour of China. Is India prepared to take on this new challenge? The writer is an expert on Tibet and China The streets of Varanasi were flooded on Saturday as both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Akhilesh, Rahul SP-Congress partnership descended on the holy city ahead of the final phase of voting for the state assembly. On a whirlwind day in his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi in eastern UP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a road show and offered prayers at two historic temples, paying tribute to Hindutva ideologue Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya. Rival supporters clash The opposite camp was boosted by the presence of Akhilesh Yadav's wife and MP Dimple Yadav, who drew huge applause. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the road show for final phase of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh at his Lok Sabha constituency in Varanasi Hundreds of supporters wearing the SP's red caps and waving flags and banners with Congress party's 'hand' and SP's 'cycle' symbols lined the narrow streets. The SP-Congress alliance's show of strength took off from Kutchery Chauraha and passed through Nadesar, Chaukaghat, Doshipura, Gol Ganj, Peeli Kothi, Maidagin, Chauk and Gudaulia. However, it was not smooth sailing as clashes broke out between SP and BJP workers with the two joint road shows jostling for space. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi along with Dimpal Yadav during the road show in Varanasi As the Rahul-Akhilesh procession reached Chaukaghat, with the two perched atop an open bus and a swarm of supporters marching on foot, SP workers came face to face with members of BJP which has set up a media centre nearby. Tempers flared and workers of both parties started yelling and hurling stones at each other. The situation was brought under control as police deployed along the route resorted to lathi charge. Samajwadi MP from Kannauj Dimple Yadav (file pic) BJP hope for 2014 repeat Earlier in the day, PM Modi too held a road show. BJP leaders believe that the event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. The procession started from the Banaras Hindu University after Modi paid tributes to the statue of Malviya. People turned out in large numbers as the cavalcade moved at a snail's pace. 'Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras' and 'Modi, Modi' slogans were raised by the supporters as he waved at them. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife MP Dimple Yadav waves during distribution of laptops to students (file pic) Congress moves poll panel Modi later offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples, two foremost Hindu holy places in the ancient city. The PM slammed the opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) for 'questioning the country's army and the surgical strikes' and called the SP 'corrupt and good-for-nothing' and a party that has 'scant regard for the safety of women' during a campaign rally in the evening. Meanwhile, the Congress urged the Election Commission to book PM Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders for alleged violation of the model code by holding a road show in Varanasi without prior permission. The EC, on its part, has sought a detailed report on the issue from state poll authorities. A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in the US has been shot dead outside his home just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in an alleged hate crime shooting. Harnish Patel, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Patel is believed to have closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his home where authorities believe he was then confronted by his killer. Scroll down for video... Harnish Patel, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday Community in shock: The sign on the front of his shop read, 'Store closed for a few days because of family emergency, sorry for inconvenience' The store is about 6km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner's Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11.33pm after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. 'I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated,' Faile said. Activists from the right-wing Hindu Sena group conduct Hindu rituals to ensure a win for U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump in New Delhi Friends and customers were in shock and many are reported to have visited Patel's home to offer condolences to his family. 'Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody, Nicole Jones,' a frequent customer at Patel's store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was a kind member of his community and not always worried about the bottom line of his business. 'If you didn't have the money, he'd let people have food,' Jones said. Hindus for Trump: Before Donald Trump was elected Indians around the world were optimistic that his term in the White House would be positive Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before, and did anything he could to help out in tough times. 'He's watched my kids grow up, which is why it's painful. From day one he's been amazing, just awesome, and I just don't understand the sense behind it,' Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his family's life, and did that. Patel's death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32- year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla. Kuchibhotla was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire on him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before allegedly yelling, 'get out of my country'. The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concern over the increasing xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting, and claimed that America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all forms. Indians hold placards in front of Kuchibhotla's cremation pyre in Hyderabad, India on Tuesday Pet shop owners from across India congregated at Jantar Mantar on Saturday to protest against Ministry of Environment and Forest's (MoEF) recent guidelines on breeding of animals such as birds, dogs and fishes. They raised slogans against the international NGO, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, saying the rules framed by them will 'suffocate their business and take away livelihoods of five crore people'. They also claimed support from senior Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Sandeep Dikshit, both dog lovers, though Mail Today could not ascertain this independently. Pet shop owners from across India congregated at Jantar Mantar on Saturday to protest against new guidelines on the breeding of animals such as birds, dogs and fishes Their leader, a businessman, Ashok Pratap Rai, said, 'They have simply picked up legislations from the UK and the US, which are cold countries with entirely different environmental conditions, and imposed them on India.' The MoEF in December 2016 had released new 'pet shop rules' and in January 2017, 'dog breeding and marketing rules' to regulate the widespread business in India involving both indigenous and exotic species. 'They (the new rules) say we need to keep a 6x6 feet space for each dog and in air condition. We need to give him water and food 24x7. 'Puppies need to be sterilised as soon as they turn four months and sold only then. Are these practical? Dog lovers buy puppies which are one to two months old so that they develop an attachment with them,' Rai claimed. Another member of the Pet Shop Owners Association, Ashok Khurana, said, 'The rules say keep one fish in 15 litres of water and one employee to attend to 10 birds each. 'In a poor country like India, people from the low-income groups work in the pet shop business. How do you suppose they will sustain their trade?' Rai said, 'Nobody cares for stray dogs, for the welfare of which Rs 80 crore is given to NGOs by Government of India annually; but for us, there are endless rules.' Who has proved themselves to be one of the 10 best UK Equity Income managers of the past decade? They might not all be household names, but the top two income investors would have netted you a compelling income of almost 50 per cent of your original investment, according to a new report. Francis Brooke, manager of the Troy Trojan Income fund has made an impressive 127 per cent return over the past 10 years. Had you invested 10,000 in his fund at the end of 2006, you would have generated a whopping income of 4,549. Dark horse: Trojan's Francis Brooke may not be a household name but he has topped the table Standard Life Investment's Thomas Moore is hot on his heels in second place, with a return of 122.8 per cent and 4,571 income. In third place is Invesco Perpetual's Mark Barnett, who took over Neil Woodford's funds at the asset manager when the latter left to set up his own company in 2014. Woodford, who recently announced the launch of a high income fund, came in at a respectable sixth place. The Hargreaves Lansdown UK Equity Income Report praised Brookes' income offering: 'The fund takes a conservative investment approach which focuses on sheltering investors capital in tough times. The manager does this by picking companies with stable earnings and high barriers to entry, while occasionally using cash and gilts to protect investors from market falls,' It noted that Thomas Moore, Martin Cholwill and Clive Beagles - in second, fifth, and seventh place respectively - have been given a 'leg up' through a high exposure to medium-sized companies. This boosted performance as over the 10 year period the FTSE 250 returned 113.5 per cent compared to 66.7 per cent for the FTSE 100. Top 10 UK Equity Income managers over the past decade Manager Current fund Total return Capital return Income on 10,000 Francis Brooke Trojan Income 127.0% 48.3% 4,549 Thomas Moore SLI UK Equity Income Unconstrained 122.8% 52.2% 4,571 Mark Barnett Invesco Perpetual High Income 117.1% 54.8% 3,685 Richard Colwell Threadneedle UK Equity Alpha Income 116.2% 47.5% 4,020 Martin Cholwill Royal London UK Equity Income 108.2% 34.2% 4,270 Neil Woodford Woodford Equity Income 104.2% 40.9% 3,784 Clive Beagles JOHCM UK Equity Income 102.5% 24.7% 4,551 Chris White Premier Monthly Income 95.1% 25.5% 4,469 Matt Hudson Schroder UK Alpha Income 91.8% 24.7% 4,220 Michael Clark Fidelity MoneyBuilder Dividend 89.9% 21.2% 4,333 Source: Hargreaves Lansdown/Reuters Damningly for actively managed funds however, a simple FTSE All Share tracker has actually produced a better total return than the average produced across the Investment Association's UK Equity Income sector - 16,367 compared with 15,799. Another aspect highlighted by the report is that UK Equity Income funds don't dominate the investment universe like they used to. Today they account for 6.1 per cent of funds under management, half the proportion of a decade ago. However, the asset class still makes up almost a quarter of the typical Do-It-Yourself investor's portfolio. The report was compiled by analysing the performance of income managers with long-term track records, both in terms of total return and and income generated between the beginning of 2007 and the end of 2016. In cases where fund managers have moved between fund groups, their performance history has been stitched together. Hargreaves Lansdown admits this has led to some 'survivorship bias' - as managers with less than a 10 year record don't qualify, and any that are still investing after that length of time are probably doing a good job. Best to worst: How the top manager would have made you twice as much money Investment Type Income produced 10,000 invested over 10 years Top manager 5,649 22,697 Average manager 4,010 17,796 Bottom manager 2,925 11,849 FTSE All-Share Tracker 2,903 16,367 IA UK Equity Income sector - 15,799 Cash 1,292 11,361 Source Hargreaves Lansdown/Reuters The report found that on average, income funds returned four times more than cash over the 10 year period. Even the worst manager surveyed had offered a better return than those generated from savings in cash. Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown says: If on the eve of the financial crisis, you had put your money into an equity income fund, you still would have significantly outperformed cash over 10 years, despite the huge falls in the market witnessed in 2008 and 2009. 'This demonstrates that while cash is the best place for short-term savings, investors squirreling their money away for the long-term should make sure they have a healthy amount invested in the stock market.' The analyst pointed out that while some 'income booster' funds had offered a particularly attractive yield over the last ten years, 'this has been at the expense of investors capital'. 'This is all well and good if you are prioritising jam today over jam tomorrow, but a total return strategy is a more sustainable way of generating income over the long term,' he added. Federal law enforcement officials raided three central Illinois facilities of manufacturer Caterpillar as part of an investigation the company said may be related to business with its Swiss subsidiary CSARL. Officials from three federal agencies searched the headquarters of Caterpillar in Peoria, Illinois, on Thursday. The company is one of the world's largest makers of construction and other heavy equipment. Facilities in East Peoria and Morton also were raided under a federal warrant, U.S. Attorney's office spokeswoman Sharon Paul said. Officials from three federal agencies searched the headquarters of Caterpillar in Peoria, Illinois, on Thursday 'We believe the execution of this search warrant is regarding, among other things, export filings that relate to the CSARL matter,' Caterpillar said in a statement, referring to its Swiss subsidiary. Caterpillar spokeswoman Corrie Heck Scott said in an email that the company was cooperating with law enforcement. Paul said the agencies involved included the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigation unit, the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s office of inspector general. She declined to comment further on the details of the investigation. The exact reason for the raid was unclear, but Caterpillar told the Securities and Exchange Commission in a filing last month that the IRS had notified the company it owed $2 billion more in taxes for the years 2010 to 2012 because of profits from its Swiss unit. Caterpillar said it would 'vigorously contest' the tax bill. 'We believe that the relevant transactions complied with applicable tax laws and did not violate judicial doctrines,' Caterpillar said. Two years ago the SEC notified Caterpillar that it was conducting an 'informal investigation' relating to CSARL and asked the company to preserve relevant documents. SEC spokesmen in Washington declined to comment. Federal officials gather at their vehicles as they continue to execute a search warrant at the Caterpillar facility in Morton, Illinois on Thursday Steve Settingsgaard (right) head of North American security for Caterpillar was pictured standing outside of the company's world headquarters on Thursday A 2014 report by U.S. Senate Democratic staff said that Caterpillar had avoided paying $2.4 billion in U.S. taxes since 2000 by shifting profits to the affiliate in Switzerland. The report said Caterpillar paid PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP $55 million to develop the tax strategy. Under the strategy, Caterpillar transferred the rights to profits from its parts business to a wholly controlled Swiss affiliate called CSARL, even though no employees or business activities were moved to Switzerland, the report said. In exchange, CSARL paid a small royalty, and the income was taxed at a special rate of 4 to 6 percent that Caterpillar negotiated with the Swiss government, the report said. Before the arrangement, 85 percent of the profits from the parts business were taxed in the U.S., the report said. Afterward, only 15 percent of the profits were taxed in the U.S. The rest was taxed at the special rate in Switzerland, the report said. Last month, Caterpillar said in a filing with the SEC that it was 'vigorously contesting' a notice from the IRS that it owed $2 billion more in U.S. taxes for the years 2010 to 2012 from profits earned by the Swiss unit CSARL. 'We believe that the relevant transactions complied with applicable tax laws and did not violate judicial doctrines,' Caterpillar said. A placard identifies an unmarked vehicle parked in front of the world headquarters of Caterpillar Inc. Steve Settingsgaard, head of North American security for Caterpillar Inc., walks past the entrance to the company's world headquarters on Thursday as officers executed a warrant Shares of Caterpillar, which have risen 35 percent over the past year, went into steep decline just before noon as word of the raid on company headquarters and other facilities began to spread, falling almost 5 percent before recovering slightly to close at $94.36. The case could have a substantial impact on Caterpillar, especially if the government were to secure a criminal conviction. 'There are collateral consequences that can be as significant, if not more significant, than the fines themselves' that companies must pay in such cases, said Thomas Cooke, professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. One potential consequence that could be huge, Cooke noted: The company could be stripped of its ability to bid for federal contracts. If that happened, it would come just as President Donald Trump's $1 trillion plan to shore up the nation's roads, bridges and airports - and create jobs - is being put forward. Caterpillar would normally be a major player in a national infrastructure plan. The company's chairman and former CEO, Doug Oberhelman, was among two dozen manufacturing CEOs who met with Trump at the White House last week, committing to restoring factory jobs lost to foreign competition. In January, Caterpillar announced it plans to move its global headquarters and about 300 top jobs to the Chicago area after decades in Peoria. Caterpillar also scrapped plans to build a new headquarters in downtown Peoria, which is located about 175 miles southwest of Chicago. Grammy-winning artist Chance the Rapper met with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner on Friday to press for immediate funding for cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools, but said he left 'flustered' over 'vague answers'. Chicago native Chance, real name Chancelor Bennett, has advocated for the city's schools, which he attended himself. The Republican first-term governor, meanwhile, vetoed $215 million in school pension help in December. The one-on-one meeting came amid a two-year budget fight between Rauner and the Democrat-controlled Legislature, who are deadlocked on a state spending plan. The conversation was scheduled after the 23-year-old rapper won three Grammys last month, including best new artist. Rauner tweeted congratulations and Chance asked for meeting. Grammy-winning artist Chance the Rapper (pictured) met with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner on Friday to press for immediate funding for cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools The Republican first-term governor (pictured after Friday's meeting) said he'd had a 'good exchange of views' with Chance - but the rapper said he was 'flustered' by 'vague answers' The two men were initially scheduled to meet on Wednesday but had to reschedule due to storms in southern Illinois. Chance finally got his chance to talk with the governor on Friday but the artist emerged visibly agitated from Chicago's Thompson Center after almost 40 minutes. 'That went a little different than it should have,' he told reporters. 'I'm here because I just want people to do their jobs.' Rauner had a different take, calling it a 'good exchange of views.' 'Having a dialogue with someone who's passionate about a better future for the young people in Chicago and Illino$215 million in school pension helpis, I'm with him 100 percent,' Rauner said. 'We may not agree on everything, that's OK.' Chance said they talked about the $215 million budget that Rauner vetoed in December, saying 'kids are on the table.' He said he gave Rauner his cellphone number and that he'd monitor developments as state lawmakers meet in Springfield. Chance emerged visibly agitated after nearly 40 minutes, telling reporters: 'That went a little different than it should have. I'm here because I just want people to do their jobs.' The Chicago native rapper, real name Chancelor Bennett, has advocated for the city's schools, which he attended himself. Rauner meanwhile vetoed $215 million if funding in December Chance indicated later on Twitter that he'd keep defending Chicago's public schools and pledged to return on Monday morning with a plan The rapper, who has been civically involved before and led a rally to the polls ahead of the November election, tweeted after his meeting with the governor: 'The fight has just begun' Rauner meanwhile offered a milder account of his meeting with the rapper, saying the two had talked about the importance of getting more funding for all school children in the state He indicated later on Twitter that he'd have a plan, writing: 'The fight has just begun.' 'Chicago Public Schools and I did not lose today,' Chance added in another message. 'Please don't let that become the narrative. Monday morning I'll have a plan.' The artist has been civically involved before, leading a rally to the polls ahead of the November election. His father, Ken Bennett, served as a deputy assistant to former President Barack Obama and has worked for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration. His mother, Lisa Bennett, previously worked for Illinois' attorney general. Rauner has said he wants longer-term and pro-business reforms in conjunction with a budget. He's said the $215 million should've been tied to broader pension reforms. The governor said he looked forward to future discussions with the rapper. When asked his favorite Chance song, Rauner didn't name any, but said he'd listened to his music. 'It's innovative and distinctive and creative,' he said. The Trump administration has suspended an Obama-era proposal designed to probe a long-time practice by some airlines to prevent travel websites from showing their fares and whether to require transparency in airline baggage and other fees. The U.S. Transportation Department said in a notice on Friday it was suspending a public comment period on the review of the practices to 'allow the president's appointees the opportunity to review and consider this action.' Airlines generated $3.8 billion in baggage fees in 2015 and the Obama administration said in October it was formally exploring requiring airlines and ticket agents to provide consumers with prices that include service fees for baggage and other services alongside fares at points of sale. The Trump administration suspended an Obama-era proposal on Friday, which was designed to investigate whether to force airlines to be more transparent with baggage and other fees Separately, the Trump administration is also extending the compliance date for a new regulation requiring reporting of data for mishandled baggage and wheelchairs in aircraft cargo compartments for one year - until January 1, 2019. Airlines for America, the industry trade group representing American Airlines Group Inc, United Continental Holdings Inc, Southwest Airlines Co and others, praised the decision. 'Today's action is a common sense measure reinforcing that the airline industry is capable of making the decisions that best serve our customers, our employees and the communities we serve,' the airlines' group chief executive Nicholas Calio said in a statement. The group added the 'airline industry operates under 13,000 regulations across 13 agencies, many of which are outdated, obsolete and in need of reform.' It comes after President Donald Trump met with airline chief executives last month and asked them to identify regulatory hurdles preventing job growth in the industry Airlines generated $3.8 billion in baggage fees in 2015 and the Obama administration wanted to formally explore requiring airlines and ticket agents to provide consumers with full prices President Donald Trump met with airline chief executives last month and asked them to identify regulatory hurdles preventing job growth in the industry. A study commissioned by a travel agencies' trade group, the Travel Technology Association, in 2014 found that restricting the ability to comparison-shop would result in ticket prices increasing more than 11 percent. Airline shares rose on the news. JPMorgan said in a research note on Friday that the 'the protections never mattered in the first place - the financial impact of the Obama protections was largely irrelevant, in our view.' The Obama administration efforts were very modest, JPMorgan said, and did not propose limiting airlines' ability to pursue ancillary revenue, such as an outright ban on bag fees. But JPMorgan added: 'U.S. airlines appear to increasingly have the ear of a sympathetic, regulatory-averse administration.' Banks are urgently trying to close a dangerous security loophole in millions of contactless debit and credit cards. Virtually all tap and pay cards which can make purchases under 30 without the need for a PIN can be used by thieves after they are reported stolen. In some cases, criminals have been able to use cards for up to eight months after they were cancelled, say watchdogs. The problem stems from the fact contactless cards can authorise purchases offline. This means payments are automatically approved without the till connecting to the customers bank to check a card is valid. The use of contactless cards has soared in recent years and tap and pay', accounting for one in four payments Banks have refused to say how many times a card can be used after it has been cancelled, citing security reasons. Some indicated the cards could only be used for a low number of purchases up to the value of 50. But lawyers say banks failure to warn customers about the security risk means they could be breaching industry regulations. Watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority said it was urgently working to solve the problem. A spokesman told the Daily Mail: In a limited number of circumstances, it is possible for a cancelled contactless card to be used by fraudsters. While there are controls in place and the overall risk is low, the FCA has been urgently working with card schemes and banks to ensure this issue is fixed. The use of contactless cards has soared in recent years and tap and pay now makes up one in four of all card payments. There is a grey area regarding who takes responsibility for money that goes missing from a customers account after a contactless card is stolen. In theory, the bank should pick up the transactions and refund the money automatically, but it seems some expect the customer to spot them. In some cases, banks do not even tell customers when their stolen card has been used. Andy Stamp, 34, a local councillor from Medway in Kent, said around 50 of transactions including in McDonalds and KFC went through after he reported his debit card stolen. Banks have refused to say how many times a card can be used after it has been cancelled Lawyers claim most customers have no idea about the security loophole. Cindy Dorrington, of London firm Bivonas Law, said: The cards need to come with a warning. By not providing one the providers are being reckless. Financial institutions are meant to have systems in place to prevent fraud but the way contactless payment cards are set up at the moment makes it very easy. It seems to me that banks are in breach of their contract with the individual customer: that they should be doing everything they can to prevent fraud. Data from industry body Financial Fraud Action shows that 152,727 cards were lost or stolen in the UK in 2015. The longest recorded gap between cancellation and fraudulent contactless use was eight months. The UK Cards Association, which speaks for banks and card firms, said: Every card has an in-built security check which triggers the need to enter a PIN at certain points. While opportunistic fraud for a handful of low value payments remain rare, we are not complacent and are working with our members, the FCA and the card schemes, on ways to improve the already-robust security features for contactless cards. Customers ... will never be left out of pocket if they are the victim of this type of fraud. Islamic students at a Sydney public school threatened to behead non-Muslim staff and declared themselves ISIS sympathisers, staff alleged. Police feared students at Punchbowl Boys High School were being radicalised after principal Chris Griffiths did not cooperate with a de-radicalisation program. Mr Griffiths and deputy principal Joumana Dennaoiu were removed from their roles at the Muslim-majority school after an investigation by the Education Department. Punchbowl Boys High School Principal Chris Griffiths (pictured) was stood down on Thursday The pair were stood down for allegedly stopping female teachers from participating in official events such as the Year 12 graduation ceremony, along with other issues. Several employees claimed non-Muslim staff were verbally attacked, including with threats of beheading, by Muslim students declaring themselves ISIS sympathisers, according to The Australian. There was no suggestion either of the pair condoned the threats, but the incidents were not reported to police. The 'actively hostile' relations were so bad police liaison officers couldn't access the government school for the past 2.5 years. Officers said Mr Griffiths converted to Islam in 2014 and claimed relations between police and the school broke down after he was appointed two years ago. Islamic students allegedly threatened to behead non-Muslim staff and claimed to be ISIS sympathisers, staff claimed 'Students were being told that if "the pigs" stop you, to film them and refuse their directions,' a senior constable told the Daily Telegraph. 'The students were being led down a dangerous path by the principal. We had concerns about radicalisation,' they said. The Education Department said it conducted an 'extensive appraisal of the schools policies, procedures and management', prompted by a series of serious staff complaints in 2016, before removing the pair. It said the investigation revealed 'a high level of staff disunity and disharmony' and 'increased disengagement' of the school from the community. 'The former principal and deputy principal are still employed by the department but are currently on leave and will not return to the school,' it said. The pair were stood down for stopping women teachers from participating in official events such as the Year 12 graduation ceremony, along with other issues Mr Griffith's predecessor Jihad Dib, who is now the NSW state MP for Lakemba, said exclusion of any kind was wrong as public schools were there for everyone. Under Mr Dib's leadership, the school was transformed from a campus controlled by Middle Eastern gangs where violence and drug dealing were rife, to a high performer with much better literacy and numeracy rates. The Department told Daily Mail Australia new principal Robert Patruno, who previously ran the education unit inside Reiby Juvenile Justice Centre, and a deputy principal started work on Friday. 'Importantly there is no disruption to teaching and learning and the education opportunities provided to students,' it said. The three children of fallen Whittier police Officer Keith Wayne Boyer saluted their father's coffin as it was brought in for his funeral on Friday. The veteran police officer was shot dead last month after he went to help a driver involved in a car crash and the driver opened fire. Family, friends and thousands of police officers gathered to honor the 54-year-old officer who was described as the 'best of the best,' who was killed in the line of duty last month. The children of slain Whittier police Officer Keith Wayne Boyer, from left, Ashley Sheleretis, Joshua and Joseph Boyer, salute his casket during funeral services at Calvary Chapel Downey Police honor guard stand by the casket of Whittier police Officer Keith Lane Boyer Michael Mejia, 26, shot dead veteran police officer Keith Boyer, 54, last month Sons Joshua Boyer, left, Joseph Boyer, daughter Ashley and her husband Mike Sheleretis sing Amazing Grace at the funeral services of their father Son Joseph Boyer, left, daughter Ashley and her husband Mike Sheleretis sing Amazing Grace. Their father was also in a classic rock tribute band Whittier police chief Jeff Piper, second from right, and other fellow officers attend the funeral service of slain Whittier police officer Keith Boyer Police stand at attention during the funeral services A teary eyed volunteer police officer and others attended the funeral with 3,000 others Thousands of law enforcement officials and community members gathered to pay tribute Boyer, who joined the department in 1989 played the drums in a classic rock tribute and cover band. Before the funeral service a procession was also held in his honor. Bagpipes played and Whittier police officers removed their hats at the service at Calvary Chapel Downey. 'As I see the badges out there I see heroes,' said Pastor James Kaddis. 'When you come against law enforcement you come against God.' He was the first Whittier officer in 37 years to be killed in the line of duty and at least the fifth law enforcement officer shot and killed in California since October of last year. More than 3,000 police chiefs, officers and deputies and other mourners squeezed into the church. The casket of Whittier police Officer Keith Lane Boyer is brought into Calvary Chapel Downey before funeral services. More than 3,000 police chiefs, officers and deputies squeezed in An honor guard escorted the flag-draped casket of slain Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer before a crowd of law enforcement officers Whittier police officers removed their hats and took their seats as the coffin was placed just a few feet away from Boyer's gloves and hat 'As I see the badges out there I see heroes,' said Pastor James Kaddis. 'When you come against law enforcement you come against God.' Whittier police officers struggle to hold back their emotions at the funeral Family at the funeral services officer Keith Boyerwho was killed last month Whittier police chief Jeff Piper, front left, and other fellow officers at the funeral service Joseph Boyer, left, Pastor James Kaddis and Joshua Boyer huddle together as Ashley Sheleretis pays tribute to her slain father Slain Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer's mother Nancy Boyer, second from left, daughter Ashley Sheleretis, sons Joshua and Joseph Boyer attend the funeral 'I cannot find the words to adequately describe the magnitude of our loss, which transcends Keith's family, the entire law enforcement community and his friends,' Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper told the gathered crowd. 'In his nearly 27 years as a police officer, Keith remained completely committed to his profession. He simply loved his job, he loved his coworkers and he loved his community,' Chief Piper said. 'Keith's memory will live forever in the halls of our department and in the minds of everyone who knew him,' Chief Piper continued. 'For you see, Keith is a hero and heroes never die. They live forever. Keith would tell us not to be sad, for he's in a better place.' Boyer, who joined the force as a dispatcher in 1989 and became a full-time officer in 1990, had recently talked to the chief about retiring. A divorced father who played the drums, he was 'the best of the best' who was sought for advice by his colleagues and superiors, the chief said. Boyer, who authorities say was gunned down by a reputed gang member, was 53 years old and a father of two grown sons and a daughter Joseph Boyer, Ashley Sheleretis and Joshua Boyer pay tribute to their father Law enforcement personnel attend a funeral service and let their emotions flow Boyer was killed on February 20, by a recently paroled gang member while investigating a minor car accident Boyer was the first Whittier officer in 37 years to be killed in the line of duty and at least the fifth law enforcement officer shot and killed in California since October of last year. Los Angeles County Sheriff officers salute the casket as it is wheeled into a hearse On Wednesday, Michael C. Mejia, 26, was charged with capital murder in the deaths of his cousin, Roy Torres, and Officer Boyer. Mejia is accused of killing Torres before fleeing in his cousin's car and crashing into two other vehicles. It was when officer Boyer, 54, approached him at the scene of the crash, that he was shot. Mejia had been released from prison days earlier after spending four years behind bars for a felony robbery conviction then another two for grand theft. He shot Boyer and his colleague as they patted him down, pulling a gun from his waistband suddenly while they searched him. Whittier police officers overcome by emotions comfort each other as the funeral procession of slain Whittier police officer Keith Boyer leaves the Calvary Chapel Law enforcement officers stand in line to salute a police motorcade honoring Boyer, as it arrives at the Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California A police motorcade to honor slain Whittier police Officer Keith Wayne Boyer Boyer was the third Whittier police officer slain in the line of duty in the departments 100-year history People wave flags at a procession to honor Officer Boyer Boyer was responding to a report that the gangster had crashed into another car when he was killed. Mejia was in a stolen car that he took after allegedly murdering his cousin earlier Mejia had crashed in to the back of another car at around 8am, prompting police response Police said the officers thought they were responding to a routine traffic incident when they were shot at in the middle of the road They returned fire and wounded him too. He is also in hospital but is in a stable condition. Mejia was released early from county jail at the start of February after an arrest for violating his parole. He'd earlier been in state prison but was moved out as part of a scheme implemented by Governor Jerry Brown to reduce prison populations. Witnesses say that before he shot the police officers on he also killed his 46-year-old cousin Roy Torres at a house in east Los Angeles. The police officer was a 27-year veteran with the Whittier Police Department. His relatives are seen above being escorted away from the coroner's office Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper leads the fallen cop's body out of the coroner's office A memorial was set up for the police officer after his death outside the Whittier Police Station Frances Bertrand views a growing memorial for Police Officer Keith Lane Boyer in Whittier Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper said he had 'no more tears left' and was still grieving his friend 'It's extremely tragic,' he said. 'You just never know when officers respond to a call what they are going to run into.' Of Mejia, he said: 'We're still trying to determine why he shot. Obviously, he was in a stolen car. He is a gang member. We're trying to determine if anything else sparked that.' Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnel added: 'They walked up on the vehicle believing the motorist was in need of medical help and then they ended up in a gunfight for their lives.' After the shooting, a long line of police cars escorted the slain officer's body from a hospital in Irvine to the coroner's office. Mourners placed candles and flowers outside police headquarters, and fellow police officers saluted his casket, honoring the first officer from Whittier killed in the line of duty since 1979. Ruben De Los Santos, the North Carolina police officer captured on video slamming female high school student Jasmine Darwin to the floor at school, has resigned The male North Carolina police officer captured on video slamming a female high school student to the floor has resigned. Officer Ruben De Los Santos, who in early January threw a Rolesville High School student to the ground who was trying to break up a fight involving her sister, submitted his resignation letter Thursday. The video Ahunna Akpuda recorded on the early morning of January 2 showed De Los Santos lifting and dropping Jasmine Darwin, 15, on her left side, then pulling her to her feet and leading her away. Scroll down for video Santos was an officer at Rolesville High School in NC when he threw Jasmine Darwin, 15, to the ground. Darwin said she was trying to break up a fight between her sister and another female student De Los Santos was initially placed on paid administrative leave. The Darwin sisters's mother, Desiree Harrison, pulled both her daughters out of the school and hired a lawyer. Pictured: Darwin on the ground. She was then lifted up by the officer Akpuda said two girls including Darwin's sister had been fighting. Darwin said she was trying to break up a fight between her sister and another female student. She added that she thought De Los Santos should lose his job. She said: 'I don't think he should work there anymore with kids....It's not safe there at Rolesville anymore while he's working there.' De Los Santos was initially placed on paid administrative leave. The Darwin sisters's mother, Desiree Harrison, pulled both her daughters out of the school and hired a lawyer. She also made an official complaint against De Los Santos. Fredy Rabner, the attorney hired by the family, described the actions of the under-fire cop as excessive. The footage shows a crowd gathered around De Los Santos and Darwin, with some spectators standing on furniture. De Los Santos then scoops up the pink-clad girl and drops her to the floor, where she lies prone, The News & Observer reported. The cop, who is assigned to the school, then drags up the pink-clad girl, who appears groggy, before hauling her away with one arm behind her back. The girl who posted the clip - and claims to attend the school - said De Los Santos's violent throwdown spiraled out of a previous altercation. 'The girl in the pink was trying to defend her sister who was fighting another girl,' she told another Twitter user. 'Then the cop came outta nowhere.' She did not make clear what the earlier fight was about. The video Ahunna Akpuda recorded showed the fallout from what she said was a previous altercation involving Darwin's sister and another teenager WRAL-TV in Raleigh reported that Harrison was called to the high school about her other daughter and had no idea what had happened to the other girl. 'When I'm looking at this video, I'm like "Oh, my god, this cannot be happening to my child" because I was just up at the school and they didn't even tell me what happened to her. 'They were so busy trying to get rid of the one who was in a fight but didn't even say something about the one that was not involved in anything.' A second video, which emerged later on the day of the altercation, showed the fight leading up to the girl being body-slammed. Two other girls are shown flinging each other around the floor, surrounded by a quickly widening group of watching students. An adult in a white shirt is seen struggling with the two students. In the chaos, exactly what happens is unclear, but the pink-shirted girl appears to intervene briefly before being pulled off. Her brutal drop to the floor is seen shortly afterward, from a different angle. The white-shirted adult also appears to pull one of the other two girls forward, onto her knees, although it is possible she has fallen or been shoved from behind by a third party. The officer had been working at the school since it opened in 2013. It is attended by about 2,200 students in 9th through 12th grades. Rolesville's mayor, Frank Eagles, had previously defended the officer. He said: 'We've got people involved in the PTA and in the Boosters Club...that know (De Los Santos), how nice and respectful he is, and the kids like him.' The local sheriff also appeared to defend De Los Santos, saying that all officers are forced to make 'split-second decisions'. 'We don't know what precipitated him doing what he did,' Wake Sheriff Donnie Harrison said. 'I'm not saying that it is right or wrong, but when you go into a situation, that training kicks in and you do what you can to preserve and keep people from getting hurt.' The State Bureau of Investigations is also looking into the incident. Boost Juice founder Janine Allis has offered some controversial advice for budding entrepreneurs - marry well. The 52-year-old mother of four who boasts a net worth of $66 million, credits some of her success to her husband Jeff, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Ms Allis gave the advice at the Sage Summit in Melbourne on Friday and said she was grateful for her husband's continued faith and support in her and the business. Boost Juice founder Janine Allis has offered some controversial advice for budding entrepreneurs - marry well 'The tip I give is marry well, I'm not meaning the traditional marriage. I mean when you partner, partner well,' she said. Allis who along with Jeff started Boost juice in Adelaide in 2000 after noticing that there wasn't very many healthy fast food choices in the Australian market. Since then then Ms Allis and the company have thrived and she has managed to add Salsas Fresh Mex Grill, Italian espresso bar franchise CIBO Espresso and recently added chicken shop Hatch to her impressive portfolio. Boost Juice alone has over 350 stores internationally and in Australia, while combined the companies have sold over $2 billion worth of products. Boost juice also boasts stores in 12 countries. Ms Allis said that at the beginning it was great to have someone who had faith in her vision and someone she could bounce her ideas off. The 52-year-old mother of four who boasts a net worth of $66 million, credits some of her success to her husband Jeff Ms Allis said husband Jeff (pictured) had more belief in her then she did herself and was someone who could help her switch off from the business world It all hasn't been smooth sailing for the Telstra Business Women of the Year, as the pair have previously had to sell the family home to help fund the business It all wasn't smooth sailing for the Telstra Business Women of the Year, as the pair had to sell the family home to fund the business. 'Jeff was the type who often had more belief in me than I had in myself,' she said 'I used to come home and be this stressed wreck and he'd go 'No you'll be fine', he just had that way of helping me and when he comes home stressed I help him turn off.' Ms Allis also said that the fact that she had no business ownership experience didn't worry her as she was focused and passionate about the product. It was a case of third time's a charm for President Donald Trump after he was caught out repeatedly misspelling the word 'hereby' on Twitter on a day he also pledged to fix America's education system. The president's spelling blunders came as he called for an investigation into House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and her ties to Russia on Friday afternoon. The first time he misspelled the word 'hereby' as 'hear by.' He hastily deleted it and tried again with 'hearby'. First attempt: Donald Trump was caught out misspelling the word 'hereby' on Twitter on Friday Second try: Trump hastily deleted the tweet and replaced it with this version, which still contained the incorrect spelling It wasn't until his third attempt that managed to get out his tweet without any spelling errors. 'I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it,' his third tweet read. But in the moments between his misspelled tweets, Trump was ironically tweeting about how the education system was failing American children. 'We must fix our education system for our kids to Make America Great Again. Wonderful day at Saint Andrew in Orlando,' he wrote. The president's spelling blunders came as he called for an investigation into House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and her ties to Russia on Friday afternoon In the moments between his misspelled tweets, Trump was ironically tweeting about how the education system was failing American children Merriam-Webster Dictionary was among those to mock Trump over his spelling blunder Twitter users were quick to mock Trump over the spelling blunder, including the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 'OK, OK. Here. Bye,' the dictionary's Twitter account posted alongside a definition of the word hereby. 'I like how the tweet about improving our education system (for our kids!) is between two misspellings,' another Twitter user wrote. '@realDonaldTrump I would never delete a tweet that had a typo if it already had a thousand retweets, lol,' one user wrote. Another wrote: 'I hear by demand a beer, you guys. It's been a long week.' That '70s Show actor and Scientologist Danny Masterson is under investigation in three separate cases of sexual assault. Masterson, who played Steven Hyde on the popular show, is being accused of the assaults by three victims and the Los Angeles Police Department announced they were investigating the actor on Friday. The women claim they were sexually assaulted by the 40-year-old in the early 2000s and one said the Church of Scientology attempted to cover up the incident, due to the church's nature to protect its celebrity members, according to actress Leah Remini. In a statement released by Masterson's team, the actor denied the accusations and said the claims were brought against him because of Remini and her recent series that targeted the church. Danny Masterson, 40, is under investigation by the Los Angeles police for three sexual assault allegations, the department announced on Friday Masterson (second row, left ) is a member of the Church of Scientology and played Steven Hyde on That '70s Show (pictured). The victims claim they were assaulted in the early 2000s One of the women who filed claims against Masterson dated him for several years. The actor's team said she only brought the case forward because of Remini's recent A&E miniseries, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, that targeted the church. Remini is an outspoken former Scientologist and has been very public in her criticism of the church, even encouraging members to walk away from it. The statement from Masterson's team to The Hollywood Reporter said: 'We are aware of [the alleged victim's] 16-year-old allegations. It was only after [the alleged victim] was in contact with Leah Remini that she made allegations of sexual assault by Mr. Masterson. 'Based on reading the anti-Scientology blog that posted this story, these false allegations appear to be motivated to boost Leah Reminis anti-Scientology television series since [alleged victim's] only came forward after connecting with Leah Remini.' Masterson denied the accusations in a statement and said 'these false allegations appear to be motivated to boost Leah Reminis (left) anti-Scientology television series' Remini is an outspoken former member of the church and she said it would do anything to protect its celebrity members. One of the victims said the church 'threatened her' and if she told the police she would 'lose everything and everyone' The police report detailing the alleged assault from one victim were obtained by The Underground Bunker. The woman claimed that the church had 'threatened her' and if she told the police she would 'lose everything and everyone'. She added in her statement to police: 'Then they put me on a massive ethics program as punishment. My rapist was not punished at all. 'They didnt even call him to talk about it. I ended up breaking up with him two months later.' Remini told the Underground Bunker that because of her TV series, she was contacted by several people who said they were mistreated by the church, including one of the women who made the sexual assault claim against Masterson. Masterson (bottom right corner) dated one of the victims for several years. She said she was punished by the church. The actor is currently married to Bijou Phillips since 2011 Remini said she told the victim to file a police report and then after she became involved, the two other women came forward against the actor. Masterson started his career as a child model and actor and got his break-out role in the 1998-2006 Fox television comedy series That 70s Show, in which he played the rebel adolescent Hyde. He is currently appearing in the Netflix comedy The Ranch and has been married to actress Bijou Phillips since 2011. They may have moved in only three months ago, but the Prudham family are already well acquainted with the neighbours on their housing estate in Warrington, Cheshire. At any time of day, the sound of shrieking children and barking dogs resonates from their five-bedroom, pebble-dashed property. Walking past, youre likely to catch sight of the family matriarch, Cheryl, out front puffing on a cigarette, standing next to a mound of plastic rubbish sacks and family detritus. Ask anyone for directions to the Prudham house, and youll get an answer without any hesitation. Cheryl's brood ranges from 17 years to 19 months-old - and one of them is expecting For this family is the closest you get to famous around here. Cheryl Prudham recently announced she was expecting her 13th yes, thats right, her 13th baby. The rest of her brood, aged from 17 years to 19 months, are packed into the council property, along with the familys boisterous dogs three Dobermans and a bulldog. And one of them is expecting, too. A wannabe reality TV star who, it is estimated, claims close to 50,000 in benefits, and who quite openly sees babies as a meal ticket, Cheryl, 34, has a growing notoriety. But she isnt the slightest bit ashamed about raiding the public purse. Im just taking what the Government gives me, she said. If you find a tenner in the street youre going to pick it up, arent you? No wonder shes earned herself the moniker of the most shameless mother in Britain. The father of the latest baby is 29-year-old Lee Ball, who is covered in tattoos on his arm, neck and shaven head. Cheryl feels very fortunate to have met Lee. For the past year or so, shes been desperate for another child to complete her family. So desperate, in fact, that following the exit of her fourth husband, Robert father to six of her brood a year ago, she resorted to signing up to a sperm donor website to find a suitable man to get her pregnant again. Cheryl's latest beau is 29-year-old Lee Ball who moved in with Cheryl after a week But then Lee came along, and within a week hed moved in. Within a few weeks of that, she was pregnant the old-fashioned way. At present, Cheryls benefits amount to an estimated 47,000 a year, and will go up by nearly a thousand pounds after she gives birth to baby number 13. This is tax-free, remember. If she were in actual employment, that would be equivalent to a salary of nearly 70,000 an amount earned by an airline captain of a mid-sized airline, for example. Its all paid for by you, with your taxes. And theres more. With impeccable timing, Cheryl and her estranged husband, Robert Prudham, have been in a spot of bother with the police of late. At his most recent court appearance on February 20, Robert Prudham admitted stealing money from parking meters a total of 4,788 from machines across South-East London and Kent while working as a meter collector. At an earlier hearing last November, Cheryl admitted handling stolen cash. Her barrister told the court she has previous convictions dating back to 2004, but gave no further details. In April, the pair are due to appear at Medway Magistrates Court in Kent to learn whether they will face a custodial sentence. Cheryl's previous husband Robert Prudham appeared in court recently after admitting stealing nearly 5000 from parking meters while working as a meter collector Cheryl has previously been photographed outside a high-end Mulberry store. Just how she could afford a handbag costing up to 1000 is anybody's guess If she is locked up, who will look after her 12 children or, indeed, the new litter of puppies? The answer to that question doesnt seem to be bothering Cheryl at the moment. Rest assured, shell find another way of turning it into someone elses problem or a money-spinning enterprise she has made numerous TV and magazine appearances. Cheryl loves to parade her children around, but tends to avoid in her many interviews the subject of her own background, explaining only once that she has nothing to do with her family. Given her circumstances, youd be forgiven for thinking that Cheryl comes from a disadvantaged background. As incredible as it sounds, youd be wrong. Her father, Zimbabwe-born Alastair Wilford, is a former Lance Corporal turned security officer who lives in an attractive 500,000 property on a private estate in West Malling, Kent. Cheryl's father, a former Lance Corporal, says he wants 'nothing to do with the family' He married Cheryls mother, Barbara Hills, in 1979, but they are divorced and he is remarried. When the Mail called on Mr Wilford this week to ask his opinion on his daughters ever-growing brood, he rather confusingly said he wasnt her father and that he now wanted nothing to do with the family. Cheryls birth certificate names Mr Wilford as the father, and he is named as the informant on the document. She also names him as her father on her marriage certificates. How you fund her lifestyle Cheryl Prudham receives an estimated 47,238.23 tax free, which will rise to 47,950.63 upon the birth of her 13th child. Her biggest perk comes from Child Tax Credit at 2,609.47 every four weeks, which is 33,923.11 a year. She receives 8,912.80 in Child Benefit (1,076.40 for the first child and 7,836.40 in total for all children born after that). Then there is housing benefit at 50p a week which is capped totalling 26 a year, and council tax support at 11.06 per week making 575.12 a year. Income support at 73.10 a week amounts to 3,801.20 a year. Advertisement It would seem Mr Wilford has washed his hands of his daughter. Since leaving Maidstone, Kent, where she grew up with her parents and elder sister, Emma-Louise, 38, Cheryl has moved about a lot. In November, she turned up in Warrington. The house there has five bedrooms, but its a small property and it would seem a couple of bedrooms must have been divided in two to accommodate the children. Meanwhile, after just three months acquaintance, the family are already well known to their neighbours. The police have been called because Cheryl has been having some trouble with her ex-husband, says one, unemployed Richard Currie, 46. She isnt bothered what anyone thinks. The house is disgraceful and dirty. My wife offered to do some washing for her because her daughter had a dirty uniform. The kids have spent a lot of time out of school. Its scandalous. Cheryl, her ex-husband and her kids on a day out in Bournemouth. In 2014 they went on holiday to Menorca with nine children His wife Charlene, a 35-year-old carer, adds: Cheryl said to me that she has kids just to get extra money and avoid having to work. She asked me if the council would find her children school uniforms I told her to speak to social services. Despite the appearance of poverty, as well as her benefits, Cheryl has access to a considerable amount of money from different sources. According to Mrs Currie, another source of income is dog-breeding. She buys the dogs online. They are pedigree dogs so she must be paying a lot for them. Theyre barking at all hours of the morning. The ever-resourceful Cheryl also has an intermittent income from interviews and photographs its believed she has an arrangement with a picture agency, which takes staged-looking photographs of her and the kids out and about. In 2015, for example, the family were photographed at Westfield in Stratford, East London, all looking suspiciously smart. At one point, Cheryl emerged from Mulberry carrying a store bag. It wasnt clear what was in it, but in a designer shop where an average-sized handbag can cost up to 1,000, nothing comes cheap. In 2014, there was also a holiday to Menorca with their then nine children in tow. When asked what he thought of his ex-wife Mr Prudham (pictured centre) said, 'I f****** hate her' On this occasion, too, a picture agency mysteriously happened to be on hand to take photographs. The financial aspects of these arrangements are kept close to Cheryls chest. She has her benefits to bear in mind, after all. Despite previous attempts at playing happy families, all is far from civil regarding Cheryls relationship with estranged husband Robert. When the Mail caught up with him this week at his sisters house in Maidstone, Kent, his response to the news that there is another baby on the way was blunt. Yeah, good, let her have it. I f****** hate her, he said. The relationship has always been of the love-hate type. In the past, Cheryl has accused Mr Prudham of serial adultery. In one interview, she claimed he had been unfaithful more than ten times and he admits to at least one affair. Cheryl, ever-resourceful, also has an intermittent income from interviews and photographs Not that Cheryl is a one-man woman. For Robert is husband number four. Indeed, as well as being addicted to having babies, Cheryl is also a serial bride. At 17, she began going out with Phillip Weeks, a 17-year-old factory worker. Their wedding ceremony in October 1999 was held at the Archbishops Palace in Maidstone, a splendid 14th-century building overlooking the River Medway. Cheryls family splashed out on a lavish affair, thinking it would be the only one. How little they knew. A son, George, now 17, was born in February 2000; a second son, Jack, arrived in April 2001. But the union did not last, and in September 2003 Cheryl married lorry driver Michael Ring, then a 45-year-old widower who happens to be Robert Prudhams stepfather. Again, the marriage was short-lived. Cheryl, for once, did not become pregnant. She moved on to husband number three, Richard Moss, a butcher. Four daughters followed in quick succession: Caitlin, now 12, in February 2005, Maisie, ten, in March 2006, Millie, nine, in December 2007 and Madison, eight, in November 2008. But this marriage also broke down and Richard moved away to Suffolk. By 2009, Cheryl was in a relationship with Robert Prudham, the stepson of her ex-husband Michael Ring. They married in April 2010; their son, Leon, was born a month later. In 2015 Cheryl was star of the Channel 5 documentary entitled Benefits: Britain's Most Shameless Mum Another son, Lenny, was born in October 2011. A daughter, Lainey, arrived in January 2013. In August 2014, twin daughters, Lacey-May and Lexi-Rose, were born, followed by Tillie-Grace in July 2015. Perhaps understandably, Cheryl couldnt face going through a natural birth yet again and requested a caesarean. I know a caesarean costs more, but I dont care, she explained. I know more about giving birth than most people, and I dont want to put my body through labour again. Its so much easier to have a caesarean. Some celebrities say they are too posh to push, so why cant I? For a time, the family lived in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and for a couple of years they were in Gravesend, Kent. In 2015, Cheryl decided it was about time she capitalised on her unusual circumstances. She appeared as the star of a Channel 5 documentary entitled Benefits: Britains Most Shameless Mum, in which she spoke about life with her 12 children and five dogs at their eight-bedroom home in Bootle, Liverpool. It transpired shed told the housing association accommodating them that they only had eight children, so they were evicted for breaking tenancy rules by squeezing too many people into one property. Last year, the Prudhams were reportedly back in Greater Manchester, and are now living in Warrington. Cheryl booted Robert out last February. Three months later, she was broody again and announced in Closer magazine her chosen media mouthpiece that she was planning to have a child by a sperm donor. Cheryl says that baby number 13 is only one of 'many, many more to come' As my youngest is nearly a year old, I miss having a newborn in my arms. Id love a boy next, she said at the time. Signing up to a donor website is the perfect solution. I want a smart, good-looking man wholl donate sperm for artificial insemination I want nothing to do with him after that. Ive had a few offers, but Im choosing carefully. This baby will be all mine theres no need for a dad. I dont know if Ill have more, but I never say never! She certainly doesnt. In the event, Cheryl was able to get pregnant by conventional means after a whirlwind romance with Lee, who has just one other child of his own to date. Knowing she may be facing a prison sentence did not, evidently, give her pause for thought. In a message on Facebook, she wrote: Yes we are having a baby and are so happy and proud f*** what people think baby 13 for me and many, many more to come. And, as brazen as it sounds, you can be sure she means it. They are a phenomenon of modern urban life, springing up as if from nowhere, on the sites of old petrol stations, in supermarket carparks or on disused land somehow dodging local planning laws. For as little as 5, they will transform your mud-spattered runabout, with its discarded crisp packets and upholstery covered in crumbs, into a gleaming chariot, pristine inside and out. There are about 19,000 car-wash operations in Britain now, a vast, unregulated industry, employing up to 200,000 people. Car washes are everywhere but some of the workers have been trafficked by gangs, tricked into deals that turn them into victims of a modern form of slavery, operating in plain sight Many are from Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa: some are legal entrants to this country, some not. Some have been trafficked by gangs, tricked into deals that turn them into victims of a modern form of slavery, operating in plain sight. Most of the cleaners who wash and polish the vehicles cannot speak English and are easily ignored by motorists in a rush except for that moment when something happens. On Sunday, a suspected drink-driver, smashed into five Romanian workers at a car-wash in South-East London after an alleged row as they washed his car. One man is fighting for his life, another man and a woman were seriously injured and remain in hospital, while two others suffered minor injuries. The incident has refocused attention on these businesses, few of which adhere to UK employment laws, and the plight of those who work there. Dawn Frazer, of the Car Wash Advisory Service (CWAS), says only 1,000 hand car-wash businesses observe any regulatory requirements and that many staff are paid below the minimum wage, usually cash in hand. 'They do not know what their rights are,' she says. There are about 19,000 car-wash operations in Britain now, a vast, unregulated industry, employing up to 200,000 people 'Very often you will find out in some way or another that they are a victim; these are the types of jobs they can actually get. There is an awful lot of organised crime trafficking and abuse of staff.' At one car-wash in the car park of a Tesco store in London this week, the Mail and a Romanian interpreter met Stefan (not his real name). The 27-year-old works from 8am to 6pm every day, earning 40 per shift, but he has worked for less 25 for 12-hour shifts at other car-washes. 'It is slavery, like 150 years ago,' he says. 'We are asked to clean hundreds of cars each day. 'We are not allowed to smoke or have breaks. Sometimes we are asked to stay for two or three hours' overtime.' He knows his pay is illegally low but says: 'We have no choice.' His friend Marius, 25, adds: 'It is making a bit of money to send home.' Both have partners and children in Romania where wages for unskilled workers are barely viable; about 200 a month. On Sunday, a suspected drink-driver, smashed into five Romanian workers at a car-wash (pictured) in South-East London after an alleged row as they washed his car 'The clients normally are fine, but in terms of money we are treated as slaves,' says Stefan. 'You do get arguments, people shouting at you if you have your lunch.' Last night a spokesman for Tesco said that that it operates a franchise system for car-washing services in its carparks. 'It is important to us that everyone associated with Tesco is treated fairly and paid in accordance with the living wage,' he said. 'We are looking seriously into these alleged breaches of the agreed franchise terms.' While working at another car-wash, in a different part of East London, Stefan was paid for only two days after working five. When he asked for the rest he was threatened with a beating. He says some of his co-workers became so ill due to the terrible working conditions that they had to cease work: 'It is very cold, wet all day so you are prone to getting ill. You cannot complain, otherwise they will sack you. Many of the workers are from Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa: some are legal entrants to this country, some not 'I have seen fights between bosses and employees. A boss was giving us less and less money each day, and when we tried to confront him he got three or four men to come and beat us up. 'We tried to reason with them but we couldn't. One of my friends got his nose broken. I remember two guys from the job centre came to our car-wash and tried to question us about how many hours we work and how much we get paid. 'The manager threatened that if we spoke we will get in trouble big time. So, I lied and said that I was working part-time.' Such harsh working environments are not unknown in other businesses, including construction, care, cleaning, catering, nail bars and taxi firms, but the car-wash sector is particularly brutal. They are also often used as venues for drug-dealing and prostitution by criminals who sit in the background, harvesting fat profits on the backs of their wage-slaves. Their greatest value to traffickers, however, is in money laundering. Detective Chief Inspector Phil Brewer of the Metropolitan Police's Anti-Human-trafficking operation says it can be difficult to secure convictions as the people working in the car-washes are often reluctant to back prosecutions. 'There are many grey areas around modern slavery,' he says. 'When you look at some of the conditions they come from, you can understand why they put up with what they put up with.' Numerous Romanian websites offer plentiful work but the pay rarely exceeds 50 for at least eight hours a day, which is illegal because UK law says workers over 25 must be paid 7.20 an hour; 57.60 for an eight-hour day Numerous Romanian websites offer plentiful work but the pay rarely exceeds 50 for at least eight hours a day, which is illegal because UK law says workers over 25 must be paid 7.20 an hour; 57.60 for an eight-hour day. One advert calls on 'extremely hard-working' people to work ten-hour days for 35 up to seven days a week an hourly rate of 3.50. It also demands a 100 commission fee for arranging the job. The Mail's interpreter, Mrs Mirela Watson, who has accompanied police on raids, has encountered worse: workers earning as little as 10 a day and living on sites in 'sordid' accommodation. 'Initially they were quite reluctant to speak to police because as a part of their upbringing they fear authorities but after some time they opened up and told us what was going on,' she says. 'We found slavery; human exploitation. The workers felt trapped and believed they couldn't do anything better, mainly because of a lack of English. They didn't know where they could turn for help. 'They weren't provided with any protective clothing, and their hands were horribly cracked. The wages were so low they couldn't afford gloves. 'They were working all day in wet boots. They barely get time to eat and the boss keeps the tips. They weren't allowed proper breaks.' Anne Read, the Salvation Army's Director of Anti-trafficking and modern slavery, met cleaners who had been rescued after police raided a car-wash and saw the consequences of days spent standing unprotected in trade effluent used car-wash water. 'One of them seemed reluctant to remove his shoes,' she says. Over time the harsh chemicals in the cleaning fluids had fused his shoes on to his feet 'When we asked if he was OK, he showed us his feet. He had been wearing just his own lightweight shoes to work. 'Over time the harsh chemicals in the cleaning fluids had fused his shoes on to his feet, which meant that he had not been able to take them off for weeks. They had to be surgically removed.' Yet, for many it remains a job that is a gateway to a better life. Mrs Watson says posters at the international airport in Bacau in Romania advertise car-wash jobs in London with exactly that message 'Are you looking for a better life? Come to England and work in a car-wash.' It is a vicious circle, she says. Most of the time they advertise in Romanian newspapers and social networks Come and work, you get accommodation and you get paid". It makes it very tempting.' 'But when they get here the situation is completely different. They are living on site in caravans without running water or cooking facilities. They live their lives at the car-washes.' Sandu Laurentiu, 40, was one of six Romanians working at a car-wash called Bubbles in Bethnal Green, East London. He was paid 40 a day, and forced to pay 40 a week for nearby accommodation provided by his Kosovan employer. It was later described as 'dilapidated, cramped, rat-infested'. An employee the Mail spoke to said he worked from 8am to 6pm every day, earning 40 per shift, but he has worked for less 25 for 12-hour shifts at other car-washes It was also a death trap. One day in August 2015, Sandu took a shower and was electrocuted due to faulty wiring. The owner of Bubbles, Shaip Nimani, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey and was jailed for four years. The independent antislavery commissioner Kevin Hyland said the case was 'one of the worst examples of modern slavery to be seen on the High Street'. And so it continues, desperate people we may see only in the rear-view mirror as we drive away. It takes public anger to motivate governments and councils, and with voters worried by housing, the health service and austerity, exploited Eastern Europeans garner little general sympathy. At a car-wash in Kent, one worker unaware at the time that he was being filmed by an undercover news outlet summed it all up in one single sentence of despair. 'We are treated worse than slaves,' he said. 'At least the rats are free.' The father of two young boys at the centre of an alleged attempted river drowning has spoken for the first time about losing one son, while the other fights for his life in hospital. The children's 27-year-old mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly tried to drown her nine-year-old son the Murray River near Moama on Thursday and has been charged with attempted murder. Her youngest son, aged five, was found dead in the river on Saturday. 'It hasn't really sunk in for me it's like a dream. What hurts most is I've never met [the five-year-old boy], now I [may] never [meet] him,' the father told The Sydney Morning Herald. The father of two young boys at the centre of an alleged attempted river drowning has spoken for the first time about losing one son, while the other fights for his life in hospital The mother is pictured with her two boys, aged nine and five, who were involved in the horror incident on Thursday The search for a missing five-year-old boy resumed on Saturday in Moama, in southern NSW A five-year-old boy was found dead in the Murray River on Saturday (search for boy pictured) The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he separated from the mother when the older child was about two-years-old, but had an on and off relationship with her in the years after. They tried to reconnect in 2011 for the sake of the older child, but by the time the five-year-old was born, whom he also claims is his child, he was no longer in the picture, the father said. 'It's really hard because I haven't been in their life for years,' the man said. 'I'm numb, I'm calm, I'm letting the authorities deal with it,' he said. The boys were put in full-time care of their grandparents about 18 months ago, a court heard on Friday. The older son is in hospital recovering from serious dog bites he sustained as he fled the scene near Moama, southern New South Wales. The children's mother (pictured) has been charged with attempted murder after the incident at Moama on the Murray River on Thursday night A nine-year-old boy is in hospital with serious dog bite injuries- his five-year-old brother was found dead in the Murray River on Saturday (search for boy pictured) The owner of the dog involved in the incident said her four-year-old pit bull (pictured) was likely reacting to the drama happening at the banks of the river The mother, who lives near Deniliquin in southern New South Wales, has been charged with the attempted murder of her nine-year-old son. She allegedly took her nine-year-old son into the river in Moama, about 75km south of Deniliquin, and held his head under the surface as her younger boy, five, screamed from the water's edge, Bendigo Magistrates Court heard. The nine-year-old was able to free himself and escaped, only to be mauled by a pitbull, called Buddy, that also went on to attack the mother, 9 News reported. The body of a five-year-old boy was been found in Murray River on Saturday (search for boy pictured) Moama is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, close to the Victorian boarder New South Wales emergency services personnel search the Murray River Police said the mother took her sons to a property near Moama at about 4pm on Thursday where they were fishing in the Murray River (search for boy pictured) The court was told that she then took her five-year-old boy into the water. Moama police were called to the scene and found the boy with dog bite injuries before discovering his younger brother was missing. He was transferred to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne where he required surgery. He remains in a serious condition. Moama police were called to the scene and found the boy with dog bite injuries before discovering his younger brother was missing. 'It is very unclear at this stage what happened at the riverbank,' Superintendent Condon said. 'The dog has been involved. The dog has bitten the 27-year-old mother and the nine-year-old. The actual circumstances are unknown.' Victorian Emergency services personnel search the Murray River at Moama Victorian Emergency services personnel search the Murray River- a five-year-old boy's body was found on Saturday The mother knew the owners of the property at Moama, where the nine-year-old was found with serious injuries on Thursday evening, Superintendent Condon said. Superintendent Condon said the 'devastating' incident would have a widespread impact. 'I think it will rock the community of Australia,' he said. The woman has been charged with attempted murder of her nine-year-old son. The woman didn't appear before Deniliquin Local Court as expected on Saturday after requesting to stay in the custody cells at Deniliquin police station. NSW police confirmed the mother currently only faces one charge. Police divers were called in on Friday morning to search for the five-year-old boy (search for boy pictured) Dashcam footage has been obtained that shows the moment a teen who led deputies on a car chase in 2015 was tased and handcuffed in an altercation that resulted in his death. Nicholas Dyskma, 18, led police on a 10-mile pursuit that took place on August 31, 2015, at around 2am just south of Atlanta. He died in the early-morning incident in Harris county. Video shows police grab Dysmka out of his car and pull him onto the ground They then all get around him and tase him before attempting to handcuff him The dashcam video was originally obtained by the Dyskma family's attorney, and is being released to the media as a 'way to show the public what happened and potentially prevent other police stops from turning so tragic,' reported NBC News. Dyskma's father, Greg, told NBC: 'A police chase isn't the reason to execute somebody. Police attempted to wake the 18-year-old up, but he sped away toward Harris County 'I understand running from the police was wrong, but his crime didn't equal the punishment he got. It's not the police's job to be the judge, jury and executioner on the side of the road'. The deadly pursuit began when Columbus police were investigating a suspicious vehicle at a convenience store being driven by Dyskma, who was asleep in the front seat. Police attempted to wake the 18-year-old up, but he sped away toward Harris County. Chief deputy Neil Adams told the Columbus Ledger- Enquirer that they began to pursue him, driving as fast as 90mph during the chase. Dyskma's truck hit a patrol vehicle as deputies tried to box the driver in, and used tire deflation devices to stop his truck on the highway, reported NBC. Investigators then approached the truck and ordered Dyskma to turn the vehicle off. Adams explained that the tires were still spinning as the teen tried to get away. The dashcam video was originally obtained by the Dyskma family's attorney, and is being released to the media as a 'way to show the public what happened and potentially prevent other police stops from turning so tragic,' reported NBC News Nicholas Dyskma, 18, led police on a 10-mile pursuit that took place on August 31, 2015, at around 2am just south of Atlanta Deputies said in an incident report that they gave 'loud verbal commands' to the teen, but he failed to comply. Police reportedly broke the truck's windows after he wouldn't obey orders to turn the car off, and a deputy deployed his taser before taking the man into custody. However, dashcam video shows deputies dragging Dyksma from the car on and tasering him while he was on the ground, before handcuffing him. According to the video, and the family's lawsuit filed on February 14, 'Defendants held Nicholas down, pinning him to the ground with their weight of their bodies and continued to do so after he was handcuffed'. It further described that their weight cut off Dyskma's air supply so he could not breathe, and did not stop doing so until he lost consciousness, reported NBC. On the video, one of the officers can be heard asking 'is he alive?' The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said his death was primarily caused from a combination of stun gun, 'compression of the neck and torso' and 'acute' methamphetamine intoxication. Deputies claim that they called an ambulance to the scene when they realized Dyksma's breathing was shallow, Adams told the Ledger-Enquirer. He was pronounced dead in the hospital about an hour after the incident started. While they attempted to handcuff him, and for minutes after, video footage and the family's lawsuit show that the police used their full weight on Dysmka, which cut off his air supply His father, Greg Dyskma, explained that the family is asking for a jury trial, and that while his son had drugs in his system and fled the police, didn't deserve to die. 'My son was 115 pounds. h wasn't moving, he wasn't fighting, he wasn't doing anything. That's an execution,' the father said to NBC. He further explained that his son's alopecia, which causes hair loss, led him to get picked on growing up, explaining that his reaction would have been to flee. Dyskma's mother, Tammy, said her son's death should prompt the Sheriff's office to rethink how they make arrests. Royal Mail has introduced rules to protect the elderly and vulnerable from letter frauds after the scam was exposed by the Daily Mail. In a major victory for the newspaper, the company unveiled new terms and conditions last night aimed at stopping fraudulent letters from being delivered under its bulk-mail contracts. Conmen employ firms abroad to print millions of copies of their scam letters, which are carried to the UK by other companies before being sorted and put into the Royal Mail system for delivery. Royal Mail will now allow postmen to open, delay or refuse to process any item they have reasonable suspicion contains scam mail Because they fall under Royal Mails bulk-mail contracts, they have the companys branding on them and vulnerable victims believe they are genuine But under the new rules, the firm will be able to open or refuse to deliver post believed to be part of a con a measure that the Daily Mail called for. Fraudulent mass mailings aimed at elderly and vulnerable victims such as those with dementia include fake prize draws and scam catalogues for illegal unlicensed medicines. Victims have been conned out of vast sums through frauds carried out through the post, with some losing more than 100,000. Others have even lost their homes and been sent threatening letters saying they are at risk of harm. The sweeping changes come after a major campaign by the Daily Mail to help protect the elderly and vulnerable Postal workers had told the Daily Mail of their anxiety about having to deliver piles of letters they knew were designed to scam vulnerable people out of huge sums. But the new terms say that if there is reasonable suspicion that an item contains material that we consider to be scam mail or any other material, we may open that item, delay processing, refuse delivery and/or return the items. The identity of those suspected of sending such letters could also be sent on to third parties. Royal Mail has come under growing pressure since the Daily Mail revealed how the firm was making millions delivering scam post. Campaigners and charities have accused the Royal Mail of 'knowingly profiting from fraud' The newspaper revealed the conmen involved, with undercover footage showing how they boasted of ripping off their suggestible victims and openly traded suckers lists of the most vulnerable. In addition to getting Royal Mail branding on their envelopes, the firms involved also benefited from the companys discounted bulk postage rates. After the revelations, the Prime Minister warned Royal Mail it must do more to stop the practice, while MPs, campaigners and charities accused the company of knowingly profiting from fraud. Royal Mail has demanded an industry-wide code of conduct to help regulators stamp out fraud Royal Mails new rules, which will take effect from March 27, are designed to stop scam letters from the source and prevent them from reaching customers, bosses say. The rules say: You must not send items that contain scam mail or any other similar material, including but not limited to items or mail sent in furtherance of a fraudulent or criminal act, or which in our reasonable opinion is intended to deceive the recipient into parting with money or other assets. Royal Mail has also demanded that all operators sign an industry-wide code of practice and commit to working with regulators to help stop frauds. This includes sharing information about companies that may be distributing scams, a move that some postal operators have resisted in the past. Other operators are expected under the new code to refuse to do business with those found to be sending scam mail. In one case scam letters defrauded 100,000 from a vulnerable mother, while others have lost their homes A spokesman for Royal Mail said the company introduced a process in November to identify and stop scam mail entering the postal system from abroad. He said: This process, which remains confidential to defeat the scammers, has enabled us to identify and return scam mail which would have previously entered the UK postal system. Two of Royal Mails biggest partners have signed up to the code of practice. One is Whistl, which the Mail found had been distributing thousands of scam letters. The Royal Mail spokesman said last night it took the Daily Mails allegations very seriously, adding: We understand the suffering that scam mail causes. A Gold Coast man has told the peculiar tale of how he came home to find three backpackers swimming in his pool and allegedly stealing food from the fridge. Terence O'Sullivan told 9 News that he received a rather strange phone call from his wife on Friday telling him that a number of men had broken into his multi-million dollar property and were swimming in his pool and had raided his refrigerator. The three men aged in their 20s had been partying on one side of the canal when they decided to swim across into Mr O'Sullivan's home. Scroll down for video The three men have since been charged by Gold Coast police with burglary and assault occasioning bodily harm Reports say the American, New Zealand and British men broke in, used the pool, the toilet and stole food from the refrigerator before fleeing Three backpackers have been charged for breaking into a Gold Coast mansion and swimming in the pool and allegedly stealing food from the fridge Reports say the American, New Zealand and British men broke in, used the pool, the toilet and stole food from the refrigerator before fleeing. While in the home the men are also said to have played loud music and taken a bamboo pole. Mr O'Sullivan said that he took several photos of the alleged thieves who took offence to be photographed. 'They realised what the purpose of the photos were and then the three of them came after me,' he said. 'They just sort of grabbed me and I grabbed them and we just sort of rolled around, one of them was swinging a flare at me.' The three men have since been charged by Gold Coast police with burglary and assault occasioning bodily harm. A hospital has refused to ban smoking on its grounds amid fears smokers are putting their lives in danger by standing near busy roads. Despite mounting pressure from Public Health England to go smoke-free, the Royal Bournemouth Hospital defended its decision to keep its smoking shelters. The trust said it had tried to ban smoking but it simply resulted in smokers standing precariously close to an adjacent 50mph road. Royal Bournemouth Hospital has decided to keep its smoking shelters to stop smokers having to stand near busy roads Last night anti-smoking campaigners criticised the move warning that 100,000 people a year die prematurely from smoking, compared with less than 2,000 deaths from traffic accidents. The row comes just days after PHE chief Duncan Selbie said he wanted every hospitals buildings and grounds to be completely smoke-free. But Richard Renaut, the chief operating officer for the Royal Bournemouth, said it was not practical to get rid of designated smoking areas. If we ban smoking on our grounds all-together, as we have previously tried, it pushes staff, patients and visitors to smoke close to the main roads around the hospital which compromises their personal safety, especially at night, he said. With feedback from the public, staff and the fire service, designated smoking shelters were located around both hospital sites. The trust remains smoke free and smoking is only permitted within these shelters. Tobacco is the single biggest cause of premature death in England, costing the NHS an estimated 2billion every year and another 1.1billion in social care, according to PHE. Around 100,000 people die prematurely from smoking every year Under new proposals from the government health agency, smoking patients who are admitted for long stays will be given nicotine replacement therapy and staff may also be banned from smoking on hospital grounds. Some trusts have even employed wardens to patrol for smokers. The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it encourages and supports staff and patients to stop smoking with a specialist programme and regularly hosts events urging smokers to quit. But Deborah Arnott, chief executive of anti-smoking group Ash, said it should be actively discouraged. Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable premature death in Britain, she said. The single most important change that smokers can make to improve their health is quit Bournemouth should be doing more to support quitting not facilitating smoking. One Bournemouth resident said last night: Presumably, by the same token, anyone entering the hospital either as a visitor or patient should not be allowed to leave for fear that their safety is compromised. Theresa May yesterday heralded the UK as 'the world's greatest family of nations' as she warned Scots their security could be put at risk if they break away. In an impassioned defence of the Union, the Prime Minister argued it was not a 'marriage of convenience or a fair-weather friendship', stating: 'We are four nations, but at heart we are one people. Speaking at the Scottish Tory party conference in Glasgow, Mrs May said the economic case for independence 'simply does not add up and we should never stop saying so'. The Prime Minister said strengthening the United Kingdom was a 'personal priority' for her and told the Tory faithful she was 'confident' and 'optimistic' for the future 'The United Kingdom we cherish is not a thing of the past, but a Union vital to our prosperity and security, today and in the future,' she said. 'The Union I am determined to strengthen and sustain is one that works for working people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A UK which everyone can feel secure in.' Mrs May argued that together the UK is better able to fight against threats such as Islamic State because of the country's security services and armed forces. 'The national security of the Union in a changing world has never been more important,' she said. 'The United Kingdom has led the world in developing a strategy for preventing violent extremism, and we are working with our allies to take on and defeat the ideology of Islamist Extremism. 'It is firmly in our national interest to defeat Daesh and the ideology of Islamic extremism that inspires them and many others terrorist groups in the world today. Theresa May has condemned the SNP's 'obsession' with breaking up the Union and accused Nicola Sturgeon of neglecting public services The Prime Minister vowed to protect the Union from the nationalists as she delivered Brexit in her keynote speech, pictured 'In this task, we are fortunate to draw on intelligence provided by the finest security agencies in the world and the greatest armed forces anywhere.' She dismissed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's argument that Scotland should split from the rest of the UK and instead remain a member of the EU as foolish. 'What the SNP don't point out is that the UK domestic market is worth four times more to Scottish firms,' she said. 'They think independence is the answer to every question in every circumstance, regardless of fact and reality. It simply does not add up and we should never stop saying so. 'There is no economic case for breaking up the United Kingdom, or of loosening the ties which bind us together.' Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, has claimed the SNP case for independence is 'weaker' than it was in 2014 But Mrs May said 'the economics are only part of the story'. She added: 'Ours is not a marriage of convenience, or a fair-weather friendship, but a true and enduring Union, tested in adversity and found to be true. 'And the great institutions which we have built together, the pillars of our national life, are the result of common endeavour. 'The National Health Service, the BBC, our armed forces, our Parliamentary democracy, our constitutional monarchy, our commitment to the rule of law, our respect for fundamental human rights. Despite opposing a new referendum, Mrs May insisted: 'We should never be shy of making that positive case for the Union, because logic and facts are on our side.' 'All have been admired and imitated around the world, and all were created here as a consequence of our common life together. 'These achievements are the fruits of our Union. They are the signs which signify its deep and fundamental strengths.' Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson yesterday said Miss Sturgeon has no mandate to call a second independence referendum in Scotland, despite spending the last nine months 'ramping up' support for such a ballot. Scots rejected independence by 55 per cent to 44 per cent in September 2014, but since the Brexit vote last year - in which Scotland voted to remain in the European Union (EU) despite the rest of the UK voting to leave there has been constant speculation that Ms Sturgeon will seek to hold another ballot. Mrs May rejected the SNP demand for Scottish membership of the Single Market, insisting she would get the 'best possible access' for the whole of the UK. Delegates listened carefully as Theresa May gave her impassioned speech in Glasgow The First Minister insists she has a 'cast iron mandate' for such a vote, after the SNP Holyrood election manifesto in 2016 said a second referendum could be held if there was a material change in circumstances from the 2014 vote, such as Scotland being removed from the EU against its wishes. However, Miss Davidson told BBC Radio Scotland: 'They didn't return a majority, they lost their majority in Parliament. She also said she would only have a right to call one if she changed public opinion. 'Not only has public opinion not changed, but public opinion over whether to call a referendum has gone down and down and down.' Britain can legally walk away from the European Union without paying a penny, Government lawyers have concluded. Eurocrats have threatened that Britain will face a 'divorce bill' of up to 52billion to cover liabilities the EU believes it is owed. Most of the money is for projects that Britain signed off as a member but has not yet paid for. It also includes funds for the pensions of Brussels officials. Eurocrats have threatened that Britain will face a 'divorce bill' of up to 52billion to cover liabilities the EU believes it is owed. But there is no law or treaty that will compel Britain to make payments But the Government's legal advice states that there is no law or treaty that will compel Britain to make payments to the EU after Brexit. The position is a significant boost to Theresa May as she prepares to begin negotiations with the EU after triggering Article 50 within the next couple of weeks. Britain can argue there is no basis in European or international law for payments to continue after Brexit, unless there is an agreement to do so between both sides. The advice sets the stage for an early confrontation with the European Commission's negotiating team, which is led by Michel Barnier. He has already made it clear that he expects the early focus of the talks to be on Britain's apparent financial liabilities. Mrs May's official spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister has been clear that the days of paying large sums of money into the EU are over. We're at the beginning of a negotiation process. Let's see what happens.' Downing Street's stance was backed yesterday by the House of Lords EU financial affairs committee, which said the UK would be in a 'strong' legal position to pay nothing if the two-year Article 50 withdrawal negotiations ended without a deal. The peers said, however, that this could undermine Mrs May's aim of securing continued favourable access to EU markets. The Lords report said: 'Although there are competing interpretations, we conclude that if agreement is not reached, all EU law ... will cease to apply, and the UK would be subject to no enforceable obligation to make any financial contribution at all. The position is a significant boost to Theresa May as she prepares to begin negotiations with the EU after triggering Article 50 within the next couple of weeks 'This would be undesirable for the remaining member states, who would have to decide how to plug the hole in the budget created by the UK's exit without any kind of transition. It would also damage the prospects of reaching friendly agreement on other issues. 'Nonetheless, the ultimate possibility of the UK walking away from negotiations without incurring financial commitments provides an important context.' It has been claimed Mr Barnier is seeking a 52billion 'exit bill' from Britain, but the committee said all estimates of the cost of withdrawal were 'hugely speculative'. Some member states could seek to bring a legal action against the UK for outstanding liabilities if it refused to pay, although the committee said it was 'questionable' whether any international court could have jurisdiction. Peers will next week continue to debate the Bill that will give Mrs May the authority to begin the UK's formal exit from the EU. A college professor was injured by a 'seriously scary' and violent student mob as she escorted a conservative guest speaker off campus. Professor Allison Stanger at Middlebury College in Vermont suffered a neck injury after her hair was yanked by unruly demonstrators while she was escorting author Charles Murray off campus on Thursday. The screaming crowd, made up of students and 'outside agitators', were protesting Murray's visit and attempted to stop his car by climbing on the vehicle, hitting its windows and throwing a stop sign at it, a college official said. Murray, who has been called a white nationalist, had to have his lecture moved to a private room because of the commotion, and later said in a tweet the students, some of which who were wearing masks, were 'seriously scary'. Scroll down for video Professor Allison Stanger (left) suffered a neck injury after a protester yanked her hair as she was escorting speaker Charles Murray (right) off the Middlebury College campus on Thursday The violent mob of students and 'outside agitators' were protesting Murray's visit to the Vermont college's campus. After the protesters disrupted Murray's lecture, Stanger and Murray were moved to a private room to record the talk After the incident Murray tweeted that the students 'were seriously scary' The conservative is the author of the controversial book The Bell Curve, which makes an argument that blacks are intellectually inferior to whites because of genetics, reported the New York Times. Hundreds of demonstrators turned up to Murray's lecture and protested for 25 minutes. They were so disruptive, he was moved to another room to have his talk recorded. Middlebury College students turned their backs on Murray just as he started to speak and chanted 'Who is the enemy? White supremacy!', 'Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Charles Murray, go away!' and 'Your message is hatred. We cannot tolerate it.' A Middlebury communications official called the protesters a 'mob', reported Seven Days. He said: 'The demonstrators were trying to block Mr. Murray and Professor Stanger's way out of the building and to the car. The protesters inside the student center turned their backs on Murray and chanted. Later a spokesperson for the college said a screaming crowd threw a stop sign at Murray's vehicle as it was leaving. It's unknown if the students pictured inside were part of the protesters outside Video courtesy of Will DiGravio 'It became a pushing and shoving match, with the officers trying to protect those two people from demonstrators and it became violent. This was an incredibly violent confrontation.' College president Laurie L. Patton said she was 'deeply disappointed' by the events she witnessed and said members of the college community had 'failed to live up to our core values.' The college added: 'We do respect the right of people to protest, to make their views heard, but ultimately not to disrupt an event to the point where it can no longer continue as designed.' This is not the first time Murray has been protested and criticized by a college campus. Murray (right) has been called a white nationalist and protesters chanted 'Who is the enemy? White supremacy' among other things for 25 minutes College president Laurie L. Patton said she was 'deeply disappointed' by the events and said members of the college community had 'failed to live up to our core values' Murray began his lecture at the college's student center (pictured). More than a hundred people turned up to protest his talk Before a visit to Virginia Tech, the president of university issued a statement in March of 2016 that said: 'Dr. Murray is well known for his controversial and largely discredited work linking measures of intelligence to heredity, and specifically to race and ethnicity a flawed socioeconomic theory that has been used by some to justify fascism, racism and eugenics.' Middlebury student and protest organizer Elizabeth Dunn said: 'Both students and other community members came out to show that we are not accepting these kind of racist, misogynistic, eugenist opinions being expressed at our college. 'We don't think that they deserve a platform because they are literally hate speech.' The student group American Enterprise Institute Club invited Murray, believing it's important to bring speakers from all intellectual and ideological backgrounds to campus, said Alexander Khan, its vice president. 'Our goal really was to get a conversation started, whether you believe in what Dr. Murray has to say or whether you vehemently disagree with him,' he said. There was heartache for the Duchess of Cambridge's Girl Friday, Rebecca Deacon, when her romance with fellow courtier Nick Loughran ended. Happily, Kate's loyal private secretary has finally found her own Prince Charming. Two years after splitting from love-rat Loughran, Rebecca, 34, will tie the knot with Adam Priestley in London later this month and Kate has made every effort to make her big day a success. The Duchess has given the nod for the marriage to take place at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace, which can only be used by those with a connection to the Royal Family. Kate's loyal private secretary Rebecca Deacon has finally found her own Prince Charming The intimate ceremony at the chapel where Prince George was christened in 2013 will be followed by a champagne reception at St James's Palace, and dinner and dancing for 120 guests at the Westminster Boating Base. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to attend. Prince William invited Rebecca (above left, with Kate) to work for his private office in 2007, after she helped run the Concert for Diana. She was promoted to Kate's private secretary three years later. My source tells me: 'Rebecca feels William and Kate have pulled out all the stops for them. Rebecca is down to earth, unpretentious and completely charming.' The one sadness for Rebecca is that her father, Major Michael Deacon, cannot walk her down the aisle. He died when she was three, and his death inspired Rebecca's mother to become a vicar. In 2007, the Reverend Selina Deacon officiated at the wedding of Rebecca's elder sister Hannah, the middle of her three daughters but she declines to say whether she will marry her youngest daughter too. 'It's all very exciting,' she tells me. Rebecca split from Loughran in 2015 after a two-year relationship. He started courting Prince Harry's blonde assistant, Clara Madden, before quitting the Palace for a career in PR. No doubt his wedding invitation has got lost in the post. Cash Jr joins Conservatives Thrice-married William Cash has joined the Conservative party Thrice-married William Cash has joined the Conservative party for the first time in his life. The writer fell out with his father, ardent Eurosceptic Tory MP Sir Bill Cash, after joining Ukip back in 2014 as Heritage and Tourism spokesman, and the pair didn't speak for several months. 'I resigned from Ukip soon after the Brexit victory mission accomplished,' says Cash junior, editor-in chief of Spear's. 'It cost 25 to join the Tory party and took less than a minute online. 'There are rumours in Westminster of George Osborne and the likes of Anna Soubry and Peter Mandelson forming a new party in Britain called the Democrat party. 'Personally, I would welcome such a breakaway, as the likes of Osborne and Heseltine have no place in today's Tory party.' What will Sir Bill and son have to argue about now? The Bank of England's deputy chairman, Bradley Fried, is to be questioned next week by the Commons Treasury select committee as it inquires into the workings of the Bank's old-fashioned management structures. Wits at the Commons predict that, depending on how the meeting goes, it will be a question of 'Fried grilled' or 'Fried roasted'. A 36-year-old man who killed a mother and injured her two children in a car crash while he was drunk and speeding has been jailed for more than four years. Philippa Kylie Haigh, 27, died in the crash near Perth last year, and her 10-year-old daughter Savannah and 18-month-old son Corey were also hurt. Outside court on Friday, Ms Haigh's mother held up pictures of her, according to Perth Now. Philippa Kylie Haigh, 27, died in the crash near Perth last year, and her 10-year-old daughter Savannah and 18-month-old son Corey were also hurt 'Shavanah still remembers the crash,' the child's grandmother said. 'Kauri always wants to kiss photos of mum.' Pictured, Philippa Kylie Haigh, who died in a car crash last year 'She was always trying to make the best out of life, she loved her kids,' she said, adding the children are going through a 'hard struggle every day.' 'Shavanah still remembers the crash,' she told Perth Now. 'Kauri always wants to kiss photos of mum.' Teck Chai Lim had been been drinking with workmates on January 8 last year before he drove along Mirrabooka Avenue in Landsdale, clipping kerbs and hitting a light pole and a guard rail as he swerved and struggled to maintain control of the vehicle. His car's rear bumper was half hanging off and dragging along the road when he sped up to about 83km/h and crashed head-on into the car driven by Philippa Kylie Haigh, who died from her injuries. The District Court of WA heard that Lim had drunk about six bottles of beer over a three-hour period after finishing work and had a blood alcohol reading of 0.104. The court heard Lim was extremely remorseful, which Judge Vicki Stewart accepted, noting jail time would be particularly hard because his young family lives in Malaysia. She sentenced him to four-and-a-half years behind bars. Britain's most committed pub-crawlers have chalked off their 20,000th boozer - three decades after setting off to tour just 300 inns listed on a brewery map. Members of the Black Country Ale Tairsters - who dossed down in a graveyard following their inaugural visit to a pub in Wales in 1984 - arrived in a minibus to toast their latest milestone at the Knot and Plough in Stafford. The group's co-founder Pete Hill was among those who considered calling time on the epic odyssey in 1985 after successfully ticking off hundreds of ale houses run by Wolverhampton-based Banks'. Britain's most committed pub-crawlers have chalked off their 20,000th boozer. Members of the Black Country Ale Tairsters (pictured) arrived in a minibus to toast their latest milestone But the friends decided to press on - darkening the door of more than 1,000 pubs in Herefordshire and Worcestershire before embarking on a tour of Britain's coastline and then every bar in Wales. As more than a dozen members of the group raised a glass to their 20,000th pub, Mr Hill celebrated with a pint of Marston's 61 Deep pale ale. The retired engineer - whose father Joe died in 2014 after fulfilling his ambition of 'conquering' Wales - has knocked back 46,632 pints during the Tairsters' journey. The 60-year-old said: 'Last May when we'd done 19,000 I took my lump sum out of my pension to get to 20,000 and I have spent the bloody lot. 'Today is a bit emotional to be honest because it was my dad's ambition to get to 20,000 and it would have been his birthday tomorrow.' Mr Hill, who has collected around 24,000 for charity from licensees around Britain by asking for a 1 donation at each pub, joked: 'I am the Samuel Pepys of my day. On every pub crawl everything is documented - from the beers in the pub to the decor. Every detail is recorded.' The ability to drink a gallon of beer is as a minimum requirement for membership and drinkers are advised to make a will before joining up. L-R Mark Abraham, John Drew, Peter Hill, enjoy a tipple at the Knot and Plough in Stafford The West Bromwich-based Tairsters (Black Country dialect for tasters) moved its focus to 12 Midlands counties in 1991 before embarking on a seven-year tour of Wales in 2006 The unofficial group leader regards an ability to drink a gallon of beer as a minimum requirement for membership and advises drinkers to make a will before joining up. 'You never know when you might go the way of Oliver Reed,' he said. 'He's the hero - though I try not to go over 1,500 pints a year. 'If I'm in danger of going over the annual limit I stop in for a couple of days. 'And I had to keep to my local for the past two weeks to make sure today was the 20,000th different pub.' The group's co-founder Pete Hill (pictured) was among those who considered calling time on the epic odyssey in 1985 after successfully ticking off hundreds of ale houses run by Wolverhampton-based Banks' But the friends decided to press on - darkening the door of more than 1,000 pubs in Herefordshire and Worcestershire before embarking on a tour of Britain's coastline and then every bar in Wales. Pictured: Members Joe Hill, Peter Hill and John Drew The West Bromwich-based Tairsters (Black Country dialect for tasters) moved its focus to 12 Midlands counties in 1991 before embarking on a seven-year tour of Wales in 2006. Several veterans of the group, including stalwarts John Drew, 53, and 72-year-old Malcolm Maynard, attended the event at the Knot and Plough, where they were given free beer. A spokesman for Marston's, which runs the two-year-old pub, said: 'Pete and his friends' journey is a brilliant achievement. 'The fact he's raised thousands for good causes while having a great time is a tribute to him and the Great British pub.' For the two dozen senior African-American academics filing into the Oval Office this week, the meeting was an invaluable opportunity to discuss with President Trump how to get more black students into American universities. However, for Kellyanne Conway, it was just a photo opportunity for which she couldnt even be bothered to climb off the sofa. Pictures of one of Mr Trumps most senior advisers kneeling in her high heels on the cream settee as she photographed the gathering were widely seen as an appalling breach of etiquette even for a Trump administration determined to tear down many Washington traditions. But you tell Conway, Trumps 50-year-old former campaign manager and now counsellor to the President, to take her feet off the furniture at your peril. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway checks her phone after taking a photo as US President Donald Trump and leaders of historically black universities and colleges The ever-smiling mother-of-four may look like the soft, acceptable face of the Trump revolution, but shes arguably the most powerful woman in America and more formidable some would say plain terrifying than most of the hatchet-faced men in his top team. A veteran political operative whos spent decades advising unreconstructed Republicans on how to appeal to female voters, she could now do with a bit of advice herself. As the cheerleader-in-chief for a president who once boasted of grabbing women by their private parts, shes become a divisive figure. So what lies behind her rise to the top? BROUGHT UP BY WOMEN WHO SHUNNED POLITICS Born Kellyanne Fitzpatrick in a working-class neighbourhood in New Jersey, her father was a lorry driver who divorced her mother when Conway was two. She didnt see him again until she was 13. She was raised by a family of Italian-American women her mother, grandmother and two aunts. It was like the South Jersey version of The Golden Girls, she says. Her mother later worked at a casino. The family was Catholic and non-political, with pictures of the Pope on the wall rather than the Kennedys or Reagans. We never had a political conversation that I can remember, she recalls. But in high school she saw Ronald Reagan speak and fell for the uplifting, aspirational yet tough guy kind of thing. FRIGHTENING OVER-ACHIEVER Family say Conway could read by the age of three. Her mother, Diane Fitzpatrick, put her in nursery school when she was four. She went one week and said, Im not going back. All they do is play all day, said Diane in one interview. At high school, where she was a cheerleader, she was hard-working and competitive. She had to be first. Shed stay up until 1am studying, sleep, then get up at 3am to study more, said her aunt Angela. Her former teacher, Maddy Gold, added: She would argue her point relentlessly. You would pray to God that the bell would ring. Conway earned money by working every summer for eight years picking blueberries on a farm in nearby Hammonton, the self-proclaimed Blueberry Capital of the World. She was a motivated worker, says her ex-boss. Conway could pack 300 crates of blueberries a day so fast people would visit the warehouse to watch her at work, and so keen she entered a speed-packing contest. When it ended in a tie she demanded a recount and became the World Champion Blueberry Packer. She spent a year at Oxford University where she met a future Republican pollster who inspired her despite studying at George Washington University Law School to go into politics instead. She started her own polling firm. Political consulting was an aggressively male world and she said she had to contend with unwanted sexual advances always by older men, often in positions of power, with some fancy title. She took it in her stride, saying: I was raised to be a strong woman without anybody saying the word feminist. Kellyanne Conway smiles as she arrives for a party at the home of Robert Mercer, one of Trump's biggest campaign donors in December FAMILY VALUES AND LATE MOTHERHOOD She was once romantically linked with Fred Thompson, a Republican politician and former star of the TV drama Law & Order. But for 16 years shes been married to George Conway III, a New York litigation lawyer who was involved in drawing up the impeachment of Bill Clinton. In 1998, he asked a mutual friend to introduce him to Conway after seeing her picture on a Washington society magazine. They married in 2001 and have four children 12-year-old twins Claudia and George, Charlotte, eight, and Vanessa, seven. Conway had her first child at 37, her last two at 41 and 43. They say there are no eggs left in your 40s, but there were two rolling around in there somewhere, she has said. I was surprised both times. The Conways live in a $6 million home in Alpine, New Jersey, a town Forbes once dubbed Americas most expensive zip code. Despite her fearsome reputation, she can be incredibly generous with her family, giving her twin cousins a Mercedes for their 16th birthday. DEVOUTLY CATHOLIC, ARDENTLY PRO-LIFE A committed Catholic, she is fervently anti-abortion. Once asked what she would do if she wasnt in politics, she said she would want to run a crisis pregnancy centre to discourage women from terminating pregnancies. Its very important to me, she says. I have been pregnant. Early on, you look at pictures and see that thats not uterine material, thats a head and eyes and heartbeat. Her presence in the White House is fuelling widespread speculation that the Trump administration will move to make abortion illegal in all but the most extreme circumstances. In January, she told abortion opponents at a Washington rally: Allow me to make it very clear we hear you, we see you, we respect you, and we look forward to working with you. TRUMP WHISPERER WHO KEEPS HER COOL Conway insists she alone is prepared to be frank with Trump, albeit by speaking in a friendlier way. The first woman to run a Republican presidential campaign, some dismissed her as window dressing. But she is credited with turning around Trumps election chances, which were floundering when she took over last August, persuading him to tone down his bombastic approach. An old family friend claims Conway doesnt have a stress level, which must come in handy when it comes to the President. She got to know him when she and her husband moved into Trump Towers in New York in 2001. She joined the buildings residents board and Trump, who had seen her on TV and admired her gutsiness, would regularly ask her about politics. In last years election, she worked for Trumps rival Ted Cruz, and the internet is full of swipes she took at her current boss before switching sides after Cruz pulled out. SIX TV APPEARANCES BEFORE 9AM SHE was a ubiquitous presence on U.S. TV during the election campaign, with producers desperate to find Republican pundits who werent men in dark suits. She still sometimes manages to appear on six shows before 9am, using a mix of cunning and shameless obfuscation that impresses even seasoned Democrats to explain away her bosss latest Twitter outburst. Critics have dubbed her Trumps liar-in-chief. Of Trumps four closest advisers the others are his son-in-law Jared Kushner, banker- turned-film producer Steve Bannon, who ran Right-wing Breitbart News, and White House Chief-of-Staff Reince Priebus Conway is by far the most visible. As Trump explains, There is no den she will not go into. When my men are petrified to go on a certain [TV] network, I say, Kellyanne, would you do it? Then she gets on, and just destroys them. But being, as she calls herself, the face of Donald Trumps movement has its drawbacks. She has become a hate figure for Trump opponents and some broadcasters are calling for her to be banned from TV news shows. Washington insiders insist that off-camera Conway is pleasant and thoughtful, always remembering peoples birthdays. Still, she seems to relish the monstering she gets, happily describing how Twitter users see her as an ugly, stupid, liar, meth queen. Kellyanne Conway and Donald Trump at the Candlelight dinner in Washington DC SHE WON'T CALL HER BOSS DONALD Critics usually female have questioned how a woman is prepared to work so closely for a man accused of misogyny, particularly in an election against Hillary Clinton. Conway counters that Trump is not fully understood for what a great boss he is to women. To her, feminism is a dirty word. She boasts that when Trump offered her a job, she said she would never call him by his first name as she didnt consider herself his equal. Some of the feminists may go crazy, she added, but its called respect and hierarchy. In return, Trump dotes on her, once calling her baby. As one of her former clients was a Republican politician who talked about legitimate rape, she probably sees defending Trump as a doddle. FUNNY GIRL IN A FEATHER BOA Washington is hardly a barrel of laughs but Conway did her bit to lighten the mood as a stand-up comic. Her routine for the 1998 Funniest Celebrity in Washington DC contest has resurfaced and, unsurprisingly, its not very funny. The clip features Conway by then a pundit on cable news making jokes that barely evoke more than a titter. The best is her definition of a pundette (she includes herself as one) someone who says the same thing again and again on TV but never wears the same outfit twice. Prophetic words. Her routine ends with Conway singing Ive got the pundit blues in a feather boa. Suffice to say, comedy fame did not beckon. GUCCI COAT THAT CAUSED A HOO-HA Nothing about Conway is more colourful than her outfits. They have attracted as much attention as those of clothes horse First Lady Melania Trump but rarely in a good way. The 3,000 red, white and blue Gucci military-style coat she wore for the inauguration was meant to signify the Trump revolution, but cemented her reputation on social media as the most lambasted member of the presidential cabal. She later witheringly said she was sorry to offend the black-stretch-pants women of America with a little colour. LOOSE CANNON WITH 'ALTERNATIVE FACTS' Conway's many enemies are sharpening their knives after a string of public gaffes, including her high heels on the sofa blunder. They started with her insistence that Trumps press secretary, Sean Spicer, didnt trot out falsehoods about the size of the inauguration crowd. They were simply alternative facts, countered Conway. The phrase has stuck, used by critics every time the White House comes out with a new fib or inaccuracy. One example was Conways claim that two Iraqi immigrants had once masterminded the Bowling Green massacre. Given no such massacre occurred, she later had to admit she was talking about two Iraqi men who had plotted to send weapons to Al Qaeda in Iraq. In another major faux pas, she recently tried to persuade TV viewers to buy products made by the Presidents daughter, Ivanka. The tacky outburst amid a row about the Trump familys commercial interests was an apparent breach of federal ethics laws and earned her a rebuke from an embarrassed White House. Could her star be fading, her critics ask. But as long as she dutifully does battle for her beloved President, it seems unlikely. A massive sewage spill from Mexico's Tijuana River that polluted miles of coastland and shut down beaches in Southern California is under investigation by federal authorities. U.S. officials have said the spill that caused about 143 million gallons of sewage to leak across the border was deliberate, while Mexican authorities believe it was an accident caused by heavy rain. The pollution closed beaches and kept surfers and swimmers out of the ocean, drawing outrage from residents of the cross-border region who say they weren't told of the leak until weeks later. U.S. officials have said the spill that caused about 143 million gallons of sewage to leak across the border and contaminate Californian beaches was deliberate The tidal wave of raw sewage ran for 18 days and only stopped last week on February 23. The public didn't learn about it until the next day. The spill is believed to have occurred during repairs to Tijuana's sewage system. U.S. officials, including Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, believe the spill was deliberate to cut corners during repair work on a sewer pipeline in Mexico. Despite high tensions between Mexico and the U.S. after Donald Trump promised to build a border wall, authorities do not believe the spill was politically motivated. 'It was intentional,' Dedina told Reuters. 'The big picture is we need to work to support Mexico's effort to improve the sewage infrastructure system in Tijuana so this doesn't happen again.' The Tijuana River (pictured) flows across the border near San Ysidro, California At a raucous public hearing on Thursday night in Imperial Beach, angry residents said they were fed up with continued problems with sewage from Mexico that fouls beaches and endangers their health. A spokeswoman at the Tijuana State Public Service Commission said the spill was an accident that resulted from heavy rains collapsing a sewage interceptor in the city. They said they notified the International Boundary and Water Commission, which is a joint U.S.-Mexico agency. The commission, which is leading the investigation, was notified on February 23 but U.S. officials believe the spill started at least two weeks earlier and dumped roughly 143 million gallons of sewage into the Pacific Ocean. Contact with raw sewage can cause serious infections and illnesses such as diarrhea. The sewage spill polluted 20 miles of coastland from the areas of Rosarito in Mexico to Coronado in California. The notorious green SUV that Notorious B.I.G. was shot dead in is on sale for $1.5million, complete with a bullet hole in the seat belt where the legendary rapper was sitting. The 1997 Suburban that Biggie Smalls was riding in when he was murdered nearly 20 years ago is up for grabs, according to a California record submitted on Thursday. Once bullet-riddled, the Los Angeles family who put 114,000 miles on the car's clock is looking to make a sale of $1.5million, a price that rivals the price of Tupac Shakur's BMW. The GMC vehicle comes complete with a bullet hole in the passenger seat belt, the same spot the famous rapper was sitting in when he was shot. Scroll down for video The notorious green Suburban that Notorious B.I.G. was shot dead in is on sale for $1.5million. A Los Angeles owner made the sale public on Thursday Notorious B.I.G., whose real name is Christopher Wallace, was 24 years old when he was killed in March of 1997. It is speculated the East Coast rapper was killed in retaliation for the unsolved murder of West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur, only six months earlier The car is complete with a bullet hole in the passenger seat belt where Biggie Smalls was sitting when he was murdered According to the current owner, the family had purchased the car in October of 1997, a few months after Biggie was killed in March, TMZ reported. They only realized the car's history when a detective called in 2005 and said they would need the car for the wrongful death trial. After seeing that Tupac Shakur's BMW, complete with bullet holes in the black car doors, was on sale for $1.5million she decided to sell the car, for the same price. The owner added that she requested that the Los Angeles Police Department would return the car doors, which still have bullet holes, when the investigation was closed. Moments In Time, the same seller of Biggie's Suburban, listed Tupac's car on sale on the website in late February. Tupac was riding in the front passenger seat of the car when he was shot four times in September of 1996. He died six days later on September 13. The owner has requested that Los Angeles police return the bullet-riddled car doors when the investigation is finally closed. It has remained unsolved for nearly 20 years The luxury car has had a number of owners and racked up 92,000 miles. A normal model of the vehicle would be only worth around $2,500 today. The deaths of the two icons of the hip-hop world rocked the rap community. It is speculated East Coast rapper Biggie was killed in retaliation for the unsolved murder of West Coast rapper Tupac, only six months earlier. Biggie's murder has often been put down to a 'war' between the two rival groups. Today, a 1997 GMC Suburban with the same mileage wouldn't be worth more than $2,000. The black 1996 BMW 750iL (pictured) Tupac Shakur shot dead in is being sold off for $1.5million, it was announced in late February Tupac Shakur was shot four times on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas. He died six days later Thousands of dollars in cash and a number of exotic animals have been seized at the home of former NRL player Martin Kennedy. Kennedy, 28, was arrested on Friday over his alleged involvement in an illegal international animal smuggling ring. Dramatic pictures show several snakes and other wildlife being seized at his Bondi home, as the former Rooster is led away in handcuffs by police. A federal police investigation into the trafficking of reptiles overseas, a multi-billion dollar industry, culminated in Kennedy's arrest on Friday. Former NRL player Martin Kennedy being led away from his Bondi home by police after being arrested for alleged involvement in a wildlife smuggling ring Embattled NRL star Martin Kennedy, 28, has been arrested over his alleged involvement in an illegal international animal smuggling ring A Federal Environment officer posed in front of large shelf containing the reptiles while large wads of seized cash were exhibited by police officers. Police allege the former Sydney Roosters and Broncos player was responsible for 16 packages sent from Thailand to Australia containing more than 200 animals. Animals in the alleged smuggling ring included Chinese soft-shell turtles, alligator snapping turtles, snakehead fish, sugar gliders, veiled chameleons and freshwater stingrays, the Daily Telegraph report. Six packages containing more than 40 native Australian shingleback lizards, bound for Sweden were also intercepted. Kennedy was charged with 40 offences, 37 counts falling under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and three offences under the Biosecurity Act 2015. Large wads of seized cash are counted by police officers Police officers lay the cash on a table The cash is counted, sorted into piles and exhibited by police officers A seized snake is handled by a Federal Environment officer A Federal Environment officer poses in front of large shelf containing reptiles Kennedy was charged with 40 offences, 37 counts falling under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and three offences under the Biosecurity Act 2015 A shingleback lizard, like that seized in the Friday raid, can be sold for up to $400 in Australia and even more if sold in overseas markets The embattled NRL player faces a maximum of 10 years behind bars for his alleged offences. Mr Kennedy's arrest comes after he was suspended from playing NRL in 2016. He was suspended for two years and nine months for breaching the NRL's anti-doping policy. Kennedy was found guilty of ordering performance-enhancing drugs during the 2012 season. The embattled NRL player faces a maximum of 10 years behind bars for his alleged offences He was later found guilty of trying to delete evidence from his phone and was suspended for a further nine months. Mr Kennedy is just one of a number of people caught up in the alleged wildlife smuggling ring, where rare reptiles are caught in the outback and sold on the international black market, according to the Daily Telegraph. A shingleback lizard, like that seized in the Friday raid, can be sold for up to $400 in Australia and even more if sold in overseas markets, a wildlife specialist told the Daily Telegraph. The specialist said the alleged wildlife racket endangered the animals and put them at great risk of injury and even death. '(Smugglers) often just take a risk that the animals will survive the flights and they are heavily packaged,' he told the Daily Telegraph. Federal police also seized large amounts of cash and evidence during their Friday raids. Australian Federal Police crime operations manager Chris McDevitt told the Daily Telegraph the wildlife ring was part of a multi-billion dollar black market industry. 'This has been a complex investigation and the scale of criminality involved in the matter has been astounding,' he said. An accused cop murderer acted defiantly during his arraignment Wednesday in Orlando, using arguments that a judge called similar to that of sovereign citizens, who believe they are exempt from US laws. Markeith Loyd, 41, appeared in the Florida courtroom wearing an eyepatch - the result of what he previously said was the result of police behavior during his arrest. He is accused of fatally shooting 17-year-veteran Orlando officer Debra Clayton, 42, in January and of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon, 24, in December. But Loyd denied to enter either a guilty or innocent plea and instead told the court, 'Y'all can't do nothing to me.' The boastful remark was part of a rant during which Loyd mentioned the Uniform Commercial Code - one obsession of sovereign believers, a conspiracy-fueled movement whose members believe they can choose which laws to obey and shouldn't comply with certain duties, such as paying taxes. Scroll down for video Accused cop murderer Markeith Loyd (pictured), 41, appeared in court in Orlando wearing an eyepatch on Wednesday and refused to enter a guilty or innocent plea Loyd didn't specifically say he was a sovereign believer, but his arguments included a reference to corporate status, another familiar theme for subscribers to the movement. Some believers are convinced the government has set up secret Treasury accounts in their names, which they can access if they somehow stripped themselves of their corporate identities. 'For the record, I want to state that I am Markeith Loyd,' Loyd said according to the Washington Post. 'Flesh and blood. I'm a human being. I'm not a fictitious person. I'm not a corporation.' 'And therefore, I am going to tell you the fact, I am in due court, I accept the charges' value,' he added. 'And I want to use my UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) financial statement, my number, to write these charges off.' Loyd's arguments prompted Chief Judge Frederick J Lauten to directly refer to sovereign citizens, whom the FBI called a 'domestic terrorist movement' in 2011. 'For the record, Mr Loyd wants to talk about the UCC and corporate status, which is a position that certain citizens that are sometimes called sovereign citizens take in courts of law, oftentimes misguided,' Lauten said. 'But it is not the first time the court has heard that position.' The suspect (pictured) tried to write off the charges against him using arguments that a judge deemed similar to that of sovereign citizens, who believe they are exempt from US laws Loyd is accused of fatally shooting 17-year-veteran Orlando officer Debra Clayton (pictured), 42, in January while she tried to apprehend him The 41-year-old is also accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon (pictured). He faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder The judge eventually entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Loyd after he refused to plead either guilty or innocent. Lauten tried to tell Loyd about the advantages of having a lawyer to defend him, but Loyd opted to represent himself. Law enforcement veteran Bob Paudert told the Washington Post Loyd had used the words of 'a hardcore sovereign' in court. It is not uncommon for believers to rely on the movement in a legal context, criminal trial expert David Fussell told News 13. 'It comes up when someone doesn't want to pay a particular debt to the government,' Fussell said. 'And they will go into court and will say "I am a sovereign citizen and you have no authority over me." But in criminal court, what usually ends up is they end up in jail, prison. Because there is no such thing as a sovereign citizen in the court system.' Loyd, who faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, has previously defied authority in court, yelling 'f**k you' at a judge during a previous hearing in January. The 41-year-old is accused of fatally shooting Master Sergeant Clayton while she was trying to apprehend him over the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend. Loyd was working as a delivery driver for a fast-food restaurant at the time, with a coworker telling the Orlando Sentinel they had 'nothing negative' to say about him. He is due back in court in March. Three women who had accused Bill Cosby of the intentional infliction of emotional distress in a Massachusetts case have had those claims dismissed. A federal court dismissed the claims after Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz and Joan Tarshis conferred about the viability of the claims, according to a document filed on Friday. The 79-year-old comedian's official Twitter account celebrated the news, retweeting the court document and declaring it as 'another win' and 'fabulous'. The women are among dozens who've alleged Cosby molested them decades ago and the three are still moving forward in their lawsuits of defamation and invasion of privacy, Law Newz reported. Three women who had accused Bill Cosby of the intentional infliction of emotional distress in a Massachusetts case have had those claims dismissed, according to a federal court document released on Friday After the decision, the 79-year-old entertainer's official Twitter account celebrated the news, calling it 'another win' and 'fabulous' Serignese was the fourth women who came forward against the elderly actor. She said she had met Cosby in Las Vegas as an 19-year-old and he gave her pills. She claims she later awoke and found he was having sex with her. Seringese later said in a message to Cosby: 'I want an apology. I want you to apologize for hurting me. I want you to apologize for taking advantage of me.' Traitz said she was offered a ride home from Cosby after she finished a shift at a restaurant he was a regular at. She accepted but instead of driving her home, he drove to the beach, offered the 19-year-old pills to 'relax' and became 'sexually aggressive' before she insisted he take her home, according to Traitz. Therese Serignese (pictured) Linda Traitz and Joan Tarshis had their emotional distress claims dismissed. They are all still moving forward with their defamation lawsuits. Serignese was the fourth women who came forward against the elderly actor. She said she met Cosby in Las Vegas at 19, he gave her pills and when she awoke she found he was having sex with her Traitz (left) said she was offered a ride home from Cosby but he drove her to the beach, offered her pills to 'relax' and became 'sexually aggressive' with her. Tarshis (right) was also 19 when she claims the entertainer sexually assaulted her twice in 1969 Tarshis was also an 19-year-old when she said she was sexually assaulted twice by Cosby in 1969. She later said she never came forward because she didn't think anyone would believe her. Cosby is set to go on trial in June in another case. He's accused of sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Prosecutors had hoped to call Serignese and a dozen other women to testify at the trial. A judge blocked all but one of them from testifying. Cosby has pleaded not guilty. There is a slew of cases brought against the actor, best known for playing the father in the 1980s television hit The Cosby Show, by about 50 women who say he sexually assaulted them, often after plying them with drugs and alcohol The news is hailed as another win by Cosby, who recently won in a defamation case in February. A federal judge in Massachusetts dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby by actress Katherine Mae McKee - who claimed that Cosby raped her. The judge ruled that the comedian acted within his rights when he proclaimed himself innocent of the crime. Ben Keita (pictured), 18, went missing in November and was found dead in woods in Lake Stevens, north of Seattle, in January A Muslim teenager who was found hanged from a tree six weeks after he had vanished was not a murder, the FBI determined. The bureau said it so far has seen no evidence of a crime in its review of the case of 18-year-old Ben Keita, who was found hanging from a tree in Washington state. The FBI issued a statement on Friday saying it concurs with the conclusions of local police that 'evidence collected to date does not provide any indication of a criminal act,' but that it would reevaluate its position if new evidence develops. Ben went missing in November and was found dead in woods in Lake Stevens, north of Seattle, in January. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office initially labeled the death a suicide, but it later changed that finding to undetermined, saying there was not enough information to make a ruling. FBI investigators had agreed to review the case after a request from the teenager's family, who said he had no history of depression or anxiety and seemed happy before his disappearance. The teenager's body might have been in a 'semi-frozen' state for several weeks in the Lake Stevens area (file picture) before he was found, according to the autopsy report Ben wanted to become a medical doctor and work as a medical examiner, according to his father. His family said he had no history of depression or anxiety A spokeswoman for the bureau had told the Daily Herald newspaper of Everett the review doesn't necessarily mean the agency will open an investigation. Lake Stevens Police Chief John Dyer said investigators believed it was a suicide but conferred with the FBI and had awaited laboratory results. 'Originally the manner of death in this case was classified as suicide,' associate medical examiner Stanley Adams wrote in an autopsy report published by KUOW. 'Although at autopsy I did not see any evidence of trauma beyond the evidence of hanging, the circumstances of the very high tree branch, uncertain location of the decedent for the six weeks prior to discovery (with a report that the area where the body was found had been previously searched), and lack of any reported suicidal ideation or attempts makes a definitive classification of the manner as suicide uncertain.' The teen's father, Ibrahima Keita (pictured), said his son wanted to become a medical doctor and work as a medical examiner The teenager's body might have been in a 'semi-frozen' state for several weeks before he was found, according to the report. Ben, a Running Start student allowed to begin their college education while still in high school, had stopped going to class a few weeks before he went missing, police said. He wanted to become a medical doctor and work as a medical examiner, according to his father, Ibrahima Keita. 'Ben was a happy, young man,' the father told Q13 Fox. 'We believe that somewhere, someone must know something about this case and we urge people to come forward and contact the police.' For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 A Sydney man who bought his small Surry Hills house for $800,000 six years ago, has sold it for $1.5 million at auction. The late 19th century two-storey Victorian terrace at 35 Lansdowne Street in the inner-city suburb was bought by Ed Crawford in 2011, reported Domain. Mr Crawford made $110,000 a year on the property while he was renting it out. A Sydney man who bought his small Surry Hills house (pictured) for $800,000 six years ago, has sold it for $1.5 million at auction The late 19th century two-storey Victorian terrace at 35 Lansdowne Street in the inner-city suburb was bought by Ed Crawford in 2011. Pictured is the living room He lived in the property for two years before moving to New York in 2013 and later to New Zealand. He flew in from Auckland for the auction and said apart from a fresh coat of paint, he hadn't altered the property since he originally purchased it. He told Domain he was initially attracted to the house because of its location and close proximity to Crown Street, including access to shops, bars and restaurants. The house is also a short distance to Central Station, Prince Alfred Park and the Belvoir Street Theatre. The owner flew from Auckland for the auction and said that apart from a coat of paint, he hadn't altered the property since he initially purchased it in 2011. Pictured is the dining room After an opening offer of $1.3 million, the auction turned into a battle between a first-home buyer and an investor. The investor, a woman from Strathfield, won with a bid of $1.47 million - $70,000 over the reserve. The living room, dining room and upstairs bedroom have original fireplaces, while high ceilings and polished wooden floorboards feature throughout. The entrance opens straight onto the living room, which has wooden shuttered windows and built in shelving framing the fireplace. The open plan dining area adjacent to the living room, has space for a dining table and chairs. Upstairs, the two bedrooms are separated by a storage area. The master bedroom (pictured) features an original fireplace and a spacious balcony overlooking the street below A door in the rear corner leads out into a courtyard, while the small kitchen is also accessed from the living area. The modern kitchen features granite benchtops, the latest appliances and The bathroom opens out onto a sunny, grassed back courtyard, with a raised wooden deck at the far wall providing space for outdoor dining. Upstairs, the two double bedrooms are separated by a storage area, with both featuring built in wardrobes. The master bedroom also opens out onto a spacious balcony with street views. A grassed outdoor area is accessed from the downstairs bathroom, with plants and a raised wooden deck for an outdoor dining area A peculiarly shaped cyclone is threatening to bring strong winds and impressive amounts of rain to the Northern Territory. Sunday and Monday could see up to 30cm of rain on the Top End coast, raising the possibility of flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology warned on Saturday morning. The United Kingdom's equivalent to BOM, the Met Office, are also tracking the storm - and one of the graphs the office produced happened to show the storm looking slightly phallic. 'That's... pretty interesting,' an amused Met Office spokesperson said when asked about the obtrusive storm chart. A peculiarly shaped cyclone is threatening to pound the Northern Territory with strong winds, and impressive amounts of rain Sunday and Monday could see up to 30cm of rain on the Top End coast, raising the possibility of flash flooding. This photograph shows a stormy day in Darwin earlier this year 'Looks like we have some interesting weather heading towards Darwin.' She explained that the bright green shows the start of the forecast with a tight grouping of 'model ensemble members'. 'The image then shows the likely track of the storm south-westwards, and the purple colour indicates the ensemble members become less concentrated and further spread apart, showing the possible spread in the storm track,' she said. The south-western tip is where the storm is projected to be by March 10. 'If the storm lasts longer than 4 hours better call a doctor,' one person commented after seeing the graph on social media. 'It's gonna be a big one hopefully it's not too hard on em,' another one wrote. 'Looks like it'll have a good 10 inches in it!' wrote another jokester. A man braves strong winds as a cyclone approached Darwin last December. This weekend, the Northern Territory could be pounded by another cyclone Parts of the Northern Territory could see up to 30cm of rain over the weekend. Pictured, a stormy day in Darwin last year At 11am on Saturday, a Tropical Cyclone Warning was issued for the coastal and island communities from Cape Fourcroy to Croker island, a BOM meteorologist said. Those communities will be impacted by the storm within the next 24 hours. The storm system will move close to Darwin on Sunday. 'Gales may develop along coastal areas between Point Stuart and Darwin later in the day, and extend down the west coast of the Top End to Wadeye early on Monday,' BOM forecasters wrote in a weather update. 'Longer term, the system is expected to maintain a south-westerly track through the Timor Sea, and start impacting the north Kimberley coast later on Monday and into Tuesday.' Maldonado was also allowed back into the cub scouts earlier this year He has now been awarded $18,000 and issued a formal A nine-year-old New Jersey boy has been awarded $18,000 and issued a formal apology after being kicked out of the Cub Scouts last year because he is transgender. Joe Maldonado joined Pack 87 in Secaucus in October of 2016, hoping for adventures in camping and science projects. But he was asked to leave about a month later - because of complaints by parents, his mom says. He was allowed back into Scouting earlier this year when the Boy Scouts issued a statement that they would begin allowing transgender children. Scroll down for video Joe Maldonado was awarded $18,000 and issued a formal apology after being kicked out of the Cub Scouts last year because he is transgender The nine-year-old was hoping for adventures in camping and science projects. But he was asked to leave about a month later - because of complaints by parents, his mom says His mother said in a statement: 'Joe is happy that they admitted they were wrong,' reported NorthJersey.com. According to director of communications Effie Delimarkos, the organization is 'happy to welcome Joe and the Maldonado family back into the scouting community. Along with the money and apology, the Northern New Jersey Council aggreed to revise their policies and procedures related to admitting transgender children. 'I'm way more angry than sad,' Joe told to The Record after he was originally kicked out. 'My identity is a boy. If I was them, I would let every person in the world go in. It's right to do.' Joe was born female but has identified as a boy for more than a year. And while the kids at his school don't have a problem, their parents are a different matter, says his mom, Kristie Maldonado. 'Not one of the kids said, "You don't belong here,"' Maldonado said. Instead, she says, their parents leaned on the scout troop to kick the hopeful young scout out of the club. His mother said in a statement: 'Joe is happy that they admitted they were wrong,' reported NorthJersey.com Joe lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, and was kicked out of Scout Cub Pack 87 in December one month after joining His mom, Kristie Maldonado, says that the other children had no trouble accepting her son - it was the other parents who objected to him being a member of the troop The Boy Scouts of America endured years of controversy before ultimately lifting bans on gay Scouts and leaders in recent years. Delimarkos said in a statement in December that the organization considers transgender children to be a separate issue. 'No youth may be removed from any of our programs on the basis of his or her sexual orientation,' she said, adding: 'Gender identity isn't related to sexual orientation.' She declined to directly address Joe's situation or say if there's a written policy on transgender participants. The statement said Cub Scout programs are for those identified as boys on their birth certificates. The Boy Scouts of America is not known to have rejected any Scouts over gender identity before the Secaucus case, said Justin Wilson, the executive director of Scouts for Equality. A spokesperson originally said they only accept the sex on birth certificates, but the scouts have since changed their policies Wilson said he knows of at least two transgender boys who are Cub Scouts, one in a southern state that he did not name and the other in New York. He does not know of any instances where Scouts asked for a birth certificate as a condition of membership. Maldonado said she was not aware that anyone had a problem with her son being a member of the pack, which is hosted by Immaculate Conception Church, until she received a phone call from the Northern New Jersey Council of Boy Scouts. A spokesman for the Newark Roman Catholic Archdiocese said it had nothing to do with the Boy Scouts' decision. He declined further comment. Council executive Eric Chamberlin acknowledged calling Kristie Maldonado in November but declined further comment. He referred questions to the Scouts' national office and said the issue involved 'our membership standards.' The national Girl Scouts organization, which is not affiliated with the Boy Scouts, has accepted transgender members for years. More than 100 shoppers have been evacuated from a supermarket after a hazardous chemical scare. People at Richmond Woolworths on Nicholson Street in Melbourne were forced to leave about 1pm. It is believed a toxic smell could have been due to a flammable lacquer that was applied to the floor, 9 News reported. People at Richmond Woolworths on Nicholson Street in Melbourne were forced to leave about 1pm Five trucks and 16 firefighters attend the scene. A nearby Dimmeys discount store was also evacuated. 'Arriving on scene firefighters received positive readings on their gas detectors at a nearby premises where it is understood some concrete sealing works has been done,' Metropolitan Fire Brigade said in a statement. 'As a precaution MFB took the decision to evacuate approximately 100 people from Woolworth's and Dimmeys as the smell had permeated into the stores and car park, and the stores have been temporarily closed.' It is not yet known when the stores will reopen. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Woolworths for comment. Hunter Biden is now demanding his estranged wife Kathleen turn over any evidence that she cheated on him as part of a bitter divorce battle, Page Six reported on Friday. Joe Biden's son made the request in his own divorce papers, according to the website. His wife accused him in her own filing of reckless spending on drugs, prostitutes and gifts for other women. He and Kathleen, 48, separated in October 2015 and she filed for divorce in December last year, after two decades of marriage. Hunter, 47, confirmed on Wednesday that he is now dating his late brother Beau's widow, Hallie Biden. Hunter Biden (pictured) is now demanding his estranged wife Kathleen turn over any evidence that she cheated on him as part of a bitter divorce battle, Page Six reported on Friday Kathleen and Hunter (pictured in April last year) separated in October 2015 and she filed for divorce in December 2016, after two decades of marriage Hitting the slopes: Photos taken in Aspen over President's Day weekend appear to show Kathleen Biden on a ski trip with the Obama girls (Kathleen and Sasha above) Getting away: Kathleen's daughter Maisy is a big skier and best friends with Sasha, who travels to Aspen every President's Day weekend with her family (Sasha far right next to Kathleen with guests) Hunter has asked Kathleen to turn over evidence of any act of cheating, 'including but not limited to, letters, cards, notes and e-mails between you and any person that you had a romantic or sexual relationship with other than your husband during the marriage,' according to Page Six. The lawyer also blames his estranged wife for their breakup, saying in his filing their marriage ended because she kicked him out, the website reported. Kathleen asked him to leave on July 5, 2015 because of 'his conduct the night before', according to her own divorce papers - three months before the pair separated. The 48-year-old, who chairs the Eleanor Roosevelt Dialogue, then filed for divorce in December last year citing 'irreconcilable differences between the parties concerning defendant's [Hunter's] conduct'. She said in her court filing that Hunter at one point had $122,179 of their joint income sent into his own bank account and spent the sum in 'less than two months', and that the family now had at least $313,970 worth of tax debt. Kathleen asked to limit Hunter's allowance to $5,000 a month and is seeking a monthly allocation of $20,000 for her and their three daughters, Naomi, 23, Finnegan, 18, and Maisy, 16. The estranged wife also asks for sole custody of Maisy with 'reasonable visitation' with Hunter. Hunter, 47, confirmed on Wednesday that he is now dating his late brother Beau's widow, Hallie Biden (both are pictured in August last year) Her husband however is fighting back against her request for an allowance, Page Six wrote. 'Ms Biden is college-educated and, as demonstrated by the substantive volunteer work she performs, she is capable of working, earning an income and contributing to her own support and the support of the parties' children,' his lawyer Sarah Mancinelli said in court papers according to the website. Hunter on Wednesday confirmed he was dating his brother's widow, telling Page Six: 'Hallie and I are incredibly lucky to have found the love and support we have for each other in such a difficult time, and thats been obvious to the people who love us most. 'Weve been so lucky to have family and friends who have supported us every step of the way.' Beau died in May 2015 aged 46 of brain cancer. Kathleen is close to the former first family and appears to have joined Sasha and Malia Obama in Aspen with her daughter Maisy over President's Day weekend. Photographs obtained by DailyMail.com show a woman who appears to be Kathleen standing by a car at the bottom of the mountains after a day of skiing along with Sasha and a group of her friends. Pauline Hanson wants to slash immigration - but has thrown her support behind a British family facing deportation. Angela and David Wilson-Stone will be sent packing in two months, along with with their 15-year-old daughter Heather, after exhausting all appeals and their life savings. But the One Nation leader is fighting hard for Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to intervene and allow the family to stay. Senator Pauline Hanson (at left) has thrown her support behind Angela and David Wilson-Stone (pictured right), a British family facing deportation from Australia David and Angela Wilson-Stone have lived in Australia since 2011 Senator Hanson told a party rally in Brisbane on Saturday she only wanted 'worthwhile people' like the Wilson-Stones in Australia. 'All I can say is that things are looking more positive for you then what they were a few days ago,' she said, according to the Courier Mail. 'Nothing's finalised at this stage but with me on your side you've got someone fighting for you.' The family arrived in Australia in 2011 and moved to Redbank Plains, about 35 kilometres southwest of Brisbane. However, the area was not covered by their regional sponsored visa that required them to 'reside in a designated regional or low population growth area'. In 2013 they applied for residency and were refused because they lived outside the list of postcodes approved by the visa program. Angela and David Wilson-Stone have been described by Senator Pauline Hanson as 'worthwhile people' Ms Wilson-Stone, pictured with daughter Heather, said the family is in 'a state of devastation, panic and worry' because they are facing deportation from Australia A few months later they moved to Rosewood, just outside Ipswich, and the next year to Springfield Lakes - inside one of the required postcodes. They sold their property in Britain and bought car repair shop Auto Motive Magic, but were still denied - even when Ms Wilson-Stone was diagnosed with breast cancer and asked for a medical visa. The family spent $30,000 on rejected visa applications and burned through their life savings - left with no money and no time on their tourist visa. 'We've been told that if we don't get a visa application in the system by the first of May, we're done,' said Ms Wilson-Stone told the Courier Mail. 'We're in a state of devastation, panic and worry. We don't know what to do.' Daughter Heather, 15, faces being sent back to Britain with her parents Assistant Immigration Minister Alex Hawke rejected the latest application after intervening to grant a three-month tourist visa late last year. The Immigration Department said he did not have to give a reason for his decision and could not be compelled to act. 'This family's case has been comprehensively assessed... the department will continue to engage with the family as they work to resolve their visas status,' it said. Genesis Lizbeth Cornejo, 15, disappeared on January 19 from Jersey Village, just outside of Houston, but authorities initially said she had run away from home The mother of a missing 15-year-old claims she is the unidentified girl allegedly murdered in Texas by two illegal immigrant gang members from El Salvador. Genesis Lizbeth Cornejo disappeared on January 19 from Jersey Village, just outside of Houston, but authorities initially said she had run away from home. Her mother Rosmeri Cornejo took to Facebook on Friday to say she was shattered that her daughter had been allegedly kidnapped and killed by two members of the MS-13 gang. Police have not yet confirmed if the body they found shot dead in a remote area of Houston on February 16 is that of Genesis Cornejo. They had previously released a facial reconstruction image of the victim in a bid to identify her. Authorities described the girl as Hispanic and around five feet tall. They said she had dark, wavy hair and pierced ears. Many of the details match the description in Genesis' missing person's report. The Cornejo family had only just moved to Houston after previously living in New York, ABC 13 reports. Police released a facial reconstruction image of the victim (right) in a bid to identify her after her body was found in Houston on February 16. Genesis Cornejo (left) has been missing from the area since January 19 Two known MS-13 gang members, formerly of El Salvador, Miguel Alvarez-Flores, left, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera appear in court in Houston on Thursday Rosmeri, who can only speak Spanish, said one of her daughter's friends had told her she was being held against her will. The two men suspected of killing the teenager and kidnapping another faced Houston court on Wednesday. MS-13 gang leader Miguel Angel Alvarez-Flores, 22, who also goes by 'Diabolico,' and 18-year-old Diego Alexan Hernandez-Rivera laughed, smiled and waved in court. Prosecutors said the two kidnapped a 14-year-old girl after she left school around February 2, holding her in an apartment where she was raped by a gang member. After four days, the girl said she was taken to a different apartment where six gang members lived, and Flores kept a makeshift Satanic shrine. Authorities say she was held against her will there for two weeks, given drugs and alcohol to keep her disoriented, and sexually assaulted by some of the men. She also said she was held down while Flores tattooed a giant grim reaper from her knee to her foot, the Houston Chronicle reported. Miguel Alvarez-Flores (right) smiles and waves at news cameras in Houston court on Wednesday, as the gang leader known as 'Diabolico' and his partner 18-year-old Diego Hernandez-Rivera (left) faced charges of aggravated kidnapping and murder The 14-year-old victim told police that the two MS-13 gang members kept her prisoner for weeks, drugged her, raped her, and gave her a tattoo by force She told investigators that a second girl she only knew as 'Genesis' also was held at the apartment. Genesis lashed out at their captors by destroying the makeshift Satanic shrine, the first victim told police. Flores responded by sacrificing a cigarette to the gang's shrine, but then said the 'Beast' required a soul sacrifice, according to the court hearing. When the 14-year-old girl woke up the next day, Genesis was gone. That girl was found shot dead in the head and chest on February 16, and has not yet been identified. Police said Rivera had confessed in the shooting. Police investigate the scene where the second girl was found dead on February 16 Miguel Alvarez-Flores, 22, (left) who also goes by 'Diabolico,' and 18-year-old Diego Hernandez-Rivera appeared in Houston court Wednesday on charges of aggravated kidnapping and murder The gang member says crew boss Flores told him 'Prepare yourself, it's your turn,' according to police. The two men then took Genesis from the apartment on the pretense of meeting a dealer to buy weed. Rivera shot the woman in the head, killing her, and the older gang member Flores then took the gun and fired a second shot in her chest, police believe. Rivera and Flores are each being held on $150,000 bond in Harris County Jail. However, federal authorities have placed a hold on the illegal aliens, meaning they would be taken into federal custody if released on bail. Both men have requested a court-appointed lawyer. They are scheduled to appear in court on April 18. Terrified swimmers were forced from the water after a shark was spotted at a popular Melbourne beach. It was seen lurking just metres from shore at Elwood Beach in the city's south at about 8.30am on Saturday. One man took a snap of the shark as its dorsal fin protruded from the shallow water. One man took a snap of the shark as its dorsal fin protruded from the shallow water 'Literally just saw a shark at Elwood beach,' he wrote on Twitter. The shark was reportedly netted by fisheries crews who took it out to sea. Witnesses told the Herald Sun beachgoers were warned not to enter the water. The sighting comes after nearby St. Kilda Beach was closed on Monday after a shark was spotted close to shore. The animal was seen lurking just metres from shore at Elwood Beach in the city's south at about 8.30am on Saturday The shark was reportedly netted by fisheries crews who took it out to sea Life Saving Victoria general manager Paul Shannon told The Age the shark captured on Saturday may have been the same animal. 'The shark hasn't really posed a threat to anybody,' Mr Shannon said. 'Hopefully that will be the last we see of sharks this season.' 'But you can never say never,' he added. Roger Stone, a stout supporter and confidant of Trump, has echoed the president's claims that the FBI's investigation into the president's staff ties with Russia was becoming a 'witch hunt'. The former adviser during Trump's election campaign also resolutely denied allegations that he had any connection to Russia in an interview on Friday. Stone said he had no knowledge that Wikileaks was going to publish hacked Clinton campaign emails during a pivotal time in campaigning, allegedly delivered to the website by Russian intelligence in order to influence the presidential election. Roger Stone, a confidant of Trump, claims the FBI's investigation into the president's staff ties with Russia during the election was becoming a 'witch hunt' on Friday He also denied having any knowledge that Wikileaks was going to publish hacked Clinton campaign emails, despite a tweet that predicted the leak months beforehand Stone's cry of a witch hunt is a direct echo of Trump's defense of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who removed himself from the investigation after it was revealed he had met with a Russian ambassador twice. Although Stone denies knowing Wikileaks was set to publish the hacked emails, he had tweeted in August 2016 a prediction about the leaked information. He said that it would 'soon' be 'Podesta's time in the barrel', shortly before the website rolled out the controversial emails. The political consultant told a CBS News reporter he suspected the bureau was looking into him as well. He said: 'Sure they'll get my grocery lists, they may get the emails between my wife and I, but here's what they won't get -- any contact with the Russians. It's a witch hunt. I know it is.' Stone is using the same rhetoric as Trump to criticize the FBI investigation, both calling it a 'witch hunt'. The president said in a tweet on Thursday: 'Jeff Sessions is an honest man. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional. Stone echoed Donald Trump's term of a 'witch hunt', regarding the FBI's investigation. Trump defended Attorney General Jeff Sessions using the same wording on Thursday 'This whole narrative is a way of saving face for Democrats losing an election that everyone thought they were supposed to win. The Democrats are overplaying their hand. They lost the election and now, they have lost their grip on reality. 'The real story is all of the illegal leaks of classified and other information. It is a total witch hunt!' Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, also declared the investigation as a witch hunt on Friday, Politico reported. FBI Director James Comey was appointed to his position by former President Barack Obama in 2013. In the series of tweets, Trump was defending Sessions after the attorney general announced he would recuse himself from the investigation after it was revealed he had met with a Russian ambassador twice After the article was published about Stone, he tweeted that he was tired of Russian ties accusations He wasn't forthcoming with details when asked about the investigations into any Russian meddling in the U.S. election on Thursday during a closed-door meeting in Congress, the leading Democrat on the House intelligence committee said. 'At this point we know less than a fraction of what the FBI knows,' U.S. Representative Adam Schiff told reporters after Comey briefed the Republican-led committee. The White House has dismissed the controversy, several times, over ties to Russia as a scam perpetrated by sore losing Democrats. Moscow has also denied the claims. Advertisement Australia's biggest gay pride festival of the year has come to an end, leaving pools of glitter in its wake. Hundreds of thousands of people converged on Sydney's Oxford Street on Saturday night to celebrate the city's 39th annual Mardi Gras parade - one of Australia's most famous and well-loved events. The LGBTIQ rights parade kicked off at 7pm - with 184 floats contributing to the massive-scale event. Scroll down for video The 39th annual Mardi Gras parade draws thousands of revellers out to the streets of Sydney in elaborate, dazzling costumes Imogen Anthony (right) appears in a flower-inspired costume with a long-blonde wig reaching down past her knees, as she poses alongside another reveller on Saturday evening Bright and bold colours! Parade participants take part in the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2017 in Sydney With just small pieces of material covering her intimate areas, this woman appears to be wearing more on her head than her body Bold and gold! One man is pictured completely painted in gold paint, and showered in glitter, with a feather-inspired head piece Suns out buns out! One festival goer celebrates the event in a pair of flesh-coloured fishnet stockings and a beaded gold skirt This woman appears to have embraced a bondage themed costume, with a leather face mask and leather whip 'Seeing a childhood friend in his tighty whities will be just one of the feasts for the senses this evening i'm sure!' one woman captioned her picture High spirited revellers embraced the theme of colour, decking themselves in bright, bold and dazzlingly elaborate costumes. While some dressed up for the event, others appeared to have dressed down - boasting extremely skimpy, barely-there outfits. In one photo posted to Instagram on Saturday, a woman appeared to be completely nude, with just a slick of paint ensuring her modesty. She was pictured alongside two men wearing only white under-garments, paired with white angel wings. In another photo, one of the men was pictured from behind, angling his body towards the camera in a fun-loving, cheeky pose. In another photo, one of the men at the party is pictured from behind, angling his body towards the camera in a cheeky pose This woman is pictured with a smile plastered across her face as she poses for the camera, showing off her elaborately spray-painted body Posing with a hula-hoop, this woman exhibits all the colours of the rainbow spray-painted from head-to-toe on her body Rainbow hair was not the only colour this woman exhibited, as she went out covered in paint that appears to have been splashed on The girl on the right appears to have showered in glitter and paint before hitting the town with her friend for the annual parade Three girls pose together, linked arm-in-arm, as the 39th parade kicks off on Sydney's Oxford Street on Saturday night Two girls dressed in white shirts, rainbow coloured tutus and suspenders are pictured leaning in for a kiss as the night gets underway 'Ok Mardi Gras, hit me with your best shot baby,' this woman captioned her photos posted to Instagram on Saturday Suns out buns out! Many of the participants and those watching the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade have dressed up for the occasion 'Happy Mardi Gras, Sydney,' this man captioned his photo - as he dressed down with colourful angel wings on his back Group of men strip down to their swimmers to pose for a photo in front of Sydney's Opera House in celebration of Mardi Gras Members of the Tiwi Islands transgender community pose ahead of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Leather-bound and proud! Group of men covered in leather-inspired costume prepare for the night's festivities Running shoes paired with colourful tassels was the costume of choice for these three revellers - pictured before the parade 'Happy Mardi Gras, lovers,' this photo was captioned - as a woman in a pink leotard poses alongside two men in brightly coloured shirts Sequence, colour and feathers appear to be the theme in this photo which shows two immaculately dressed festival goers posing for a photo While an excuse to dress up and have fun with friends on the streets of Sydney, the Mardi Gras parade also promotes a serious message. The community event celebrates and supports Australia's LGBTIQ culture which includes people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer. The event was born in 1978, when the first LGBTIQ group took to the street to protest for equal rights. The protest was met with unexpected police violence when it marched down Oxford Street from Taylor Square to Hyde Park. The march was stopped when police swooped in on the 1,500 large group, ultimately arresting 53 men and women many of whom were met with police brutality. More protests were born in its defence, and 39 years later the event transformed into what it was today. A women with just stars to cover her nipples participates in the Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday night This group of revellers appeared to be enjoying the festivities as the parade wore on on the streets of Sydney Pink hair don't care! This woman appears in high spirits as she participates in the Saturday night parade This group of revellers appeared to be enjoying the festivities as the parade wore on on the streets of Sydney Two men in just undergarments and fairy wings walk arm in arm down the streets of Sydney during the parade Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten seen taking part in the 39th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, in Sydney A man decks himself in an embelished costume ahead of the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade in Sydney A surprise marriage proposal takes place at the start at the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday, as the parade gets underway The surprise marriage proposal appears to have gotten a positive response, as the two men appear to embrace each other Bachelorette star Georgia Love poses in a white mini-dress and knee-high boots, with a rainbow flag draping over her shoulders as she throws her support behind the gay pride parade Bright, bold and loud! One man sticks his tongue out enthusiastically as the parade gets underway Two men draped in leather, both with metal deadlocks around their necks, lean in for a kiss at the parade on Oxford Street 'Australian Leatherman 2017,' one man's sash reads - pictured alongside a group of leather-loving festival-goers A man is seen posing along side a man dressed as a clown, in heels and a white tutu with red sequence as Sydney counts down to the festival There appears to be no lack of rainbow coloured flags at the 2017 event, as swarms of people embrace the rainbow theme Masquerade! One festival-goer opts for a mask and stream of gold, silver and black beads to dress up for the pride event 'Our annual pic! Look out for the Glamcocks float tonight at Sydney Mardi Gras, have fun all!' these men captioned their photo 'Pat me on the fanny' this lady captioned her photo - which shows her stressed down in just underwear as she gears up for the annual festival 'Happy Mardi Gras! Cannot wait to see all the fabulous glitter-filled costumes and performances tonight! To all my loves marching, stay safe, party hard and most importantly, be proud!' one woman captioned her photo These three men embrace matching multi-coloured leggings and brightly coloured beads for their Mardi Gras costumes 'Happy Mardi Gras! Rowdy fans in full force this weekend!' this group captioned their picture which depicts them in barely-there outfits Blue paint! This man is seen covered top to toe in blue and white paint with white angel wings on his back at the parade Members of the Tiwi Islands transgender community pose ahead of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras The festival promises to celebrate equality and unbridled self-expression, with the help of bold colours and enthusiastic revellers. The event kicked off on Saturday afternoon as swarms of brightly-dressed revellers took to the streets in preparation for the long-awaited parade. Photos of the Tiwi Islands transgender community also emerged online ahead of the parade. After a successful crowd funding campaign, a group of 30 transgender women from the remote Northern Territory Tiwi Islands travelled over 4,000 kilometres to Sydney to represent their community. Their appearance at the Sydney Mardis Gras, was the first ever for their community. After a successful crowd funding campaign, a group of 30 transgender women from the remote Northern Territory Tiwi Islands travelled over 4,000 kilometres to Sydney After a successful crowd funding campaign, a group of 30 transgender women from the remote Northern Territory Tiwi Islands travelled over 4,000 kilometres to Sydney to represent their community for the first time at the Sydney Mardis Gras The transgender group embraced the Mardi Gras spirit, showering themselves in glitter and adopting brightly-coloured clothing After a successful crowd funding campaign, a group of 30 transgender women from the remote Northern Territory Tiwi Islands travelled over 4,000 kilometres to Sydney to represent their community for the first time About 12,000 people marched in the parade, which kicked off with Dykes on Bikes, one of Australia's most long-running LGBTI groups. The Australian Marriage Equality group, the Gay Nomads and dozens of other gay pride groups joined the march. Up to 500,000 people converged on Oxford Street to show their support - including a group of people who participated in the 1978 protest. The parade itself ran for about three-and-a-half hours, but the party continued into the night and early hours of Sunday morning. Feather boas, glitter and tight bike shorts! The costumes vary, but the theme of bright and fun-loving appears to be a constant 'R U Ok?' This group of men and women dress up in matching black and yellow outfits to spread their message of support Queens! Two brightly dressed revellers embrace the opportunity to wear their finest dresses, and most vibrant make-up Dancing their way down Oxford Street in the famed parade, this group of revellers appear to be enjoying themselves Headpieces paired with blue singlets and puffy tutus, this group of men are well-dressed as they jive their way through the night Blue lipstick finished off this woman's outfit superbly - pictured striking a pose for the camera in the middle of the parade Members of the Tiwi Islands community, together with friends, make their way through Oxford Street ahead of the parade Members of the Tiwi Islands transgender community pose as they make their way towards the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade Top Labour figures including Ed Miliband had been warned for 10 years that an equality chief who quit this week was 'unfit for office'. Birmingham City Council's Labour cabinet member for equalities Waseem Zaffar quit his role this week after wading into a row between a Catholic school and a Muslim family after a four-year-old girl was told she couldn't wear a headscarf in lessons. St Clare's School in Handsworth, has a strict uniform policy, including no headwear or scarf and told the girl's parents to respect the rule. Waseem Zaffar quit his role on the cabinet at Birmingham City Council after wading into a row between a Catholic school and a Muslim family But Councillor Zaffar waded into the row and said it broke equalities legislation, failing to publicly reveal he was a relative of the little girl. Now it's emerged that top figures in the Labour party like the former leader Ed Miliband and Iain McNicol, the party's general secretary, were told that he was unfit for office as many as 10 years ago, according to the Times. Sion Simon, the Labour choice to be the inaugural West Midlands mayor in May, is a friend and supporter of Mr Zaffar, and supported his bid to become a councillor, ignoring a campaign to stop him getting elected. Documents from the Labour party dating back to 2009 show concerns that Cllr Zaffar was not a fit and proper person Cllr Zaffar waded into the row between the school and family without declaring he was a relative of the little girl According to the paper, a group of 14 party members calling themselves 'the Activist Women of Lozells and East Handsworth', accused Labour's national executive committee of 'endorsing and trying to protect a candidate who is of unfit character'. They said Mr Zaffar had married his cousin Faraz in Pakistan in 2003 and lived with her in Birmingham. St Clare's School in Handsworth, has a strict uniform policy, including no headwear or scarf and asked parents of the girl to respect it The marriage broke down and claimed that 'in 2014, while still married, Waseem married again . . . The question to the Labour Party is: how can you support and protect such an unfit character?' The Times has now seen an internal Labour report from 2009 which declared Mr Zaffar 'not a fit and proper person'. There is also evidence Mr Zaffar was due to be interviewed as a Labour candidate in 2006 but failed to appear after issues involving transparency. His lawyers, Farooq Bajwa & Co, told the Times that he disputed the status of the leaked Labour document and rejected all the allegations. Up to six local constituencies could be forced into hurried by-elections following a police investigation into expenses fraud, senior Tories fear. It is possible that party officials could face charges. The police probe centres around allegations that the Conservatives spent more than they were legally allowed campaigning for marginal seats during the 2015 General Election, and did not declare full expenses. Files are set to be passed to the CPS within the next few weeks, The Times reports, and it is believed half a dozen seats could be affected. Number 10 is reported to be 'deeply worried' about the outcome of the police investigation into election fraud A party insider told The Times: 'The problem for No 10 is that they do not know where this will end and they do not know who is leaking against them. They are deeply worried about this.' Among the seats where police are investigating overspending is South Thanet, a constituency the party contested against Nigel Farage. A Channel 4 News investigation claimed to have proved that 33,989 was spent on the successful campaign to elect Craig Mackinlay in the constituency. This is more than double the declared spending of 14,838. Kent Police and the Electoral Commission are currently investigating whether the Conservatives broke the law by failing to declare tens of thousands of pounds of hotel bills. Conservative candidate Crag Mackinlay (right) won the South Thanet seat in the 2015 General Election, but it has been alleged that campaign spending was more than twice the declared sum of 14,838 One of the hotel bills is from the Royal Harbour Hotel in Ramsgate where, according to Channel 4 News, Theresa May's chief of staff Nick Timothy stayed. There is no suggestion that Mr Timothy acted improperly himself. Under election law, expenses for the 'promotion' of a candidate in a constituency must be declared locally and are subjected to tight limits. Following the serious allegation, The Daily Mirror highlighted 23 cases where Conservative MPs omitted spending on RoadTrip battlebuses in their local spending. The party denied any wrongdoing and said all spending had been properly declared. It is thought the 24 allegations have been narrowed down to around six cases that warrant further investigation by police, and Kent Police have nine staff members in its economic crime unit investigating expenses. In relation to the South Thanet investigation, Kent Police said in a statement in November: 'The Kent Police investigation into this complex matter is ongoing and officers continue to follow lines of inquiry. Therefore it would not be appropriate to comment further. 'A number of police officers continue to work on this investigation. Officers from Kent Police continue to work with the Electoral Commission as the investigation continues. 'Kent Police will not give details of live investigations or confirm lines of inquiry. To speculate on a live investigation is unhelpful and could have a detrimental impact on the outcome of the inquiry.' A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'We continue to co-operate with the Electoral Commission's investigation. The Conservative Party has always acted entirely in accordance with the law.' Muslim swimmers are now allowed to wear burkinis while taking part in amateur swimming competitions. The ASA (Amateur Swimming Association) has announced it has changed it rules regarding full body swimwear to 'allow more people to participate in events across England.' Currently, the rules do not apply to Swim Wales or the SASA (Scottish Amateur Swimming Association). The ASA has announced a change in its rules allowing female swimmers to wear burkinis when taking part in competitions Prior to the change in guidelines, swimwear that covered the whole body, in particular suits worn by Olympians due to their 'performance enhancing characteristics', were banned, according to the Times. However, after a request from the Muslim Women's Sport Foundation, the association relaxed its rules on March 2 to allow women to wear loose-fitting tops and trousers. New criteria outlined by the ASA The new guidelines outlined by the ASA is as follows: Suits shall be made of a textile material as per the current FINA Rules There is no limit to how many pieces the suit is made up from (i.e. 'Trousers/bottoms', top and head covering) Suits which the referee believes would be capable of enhancing a swimmers performance will not be permitted Swimmers wishing to swim in such a suit shall (either themselves or their representative) present the suit to the event referee for inspection prior to their swim The referee's decision shall be final Once the referee has been informed of a swimmer wishing to wear a suit, as described above, there is no requirement for the referee to question the swimmer further, the ASA Swimming Management Group do not want athletes being asked why they wish to wear the suit. Advertisement The new guidelines state: 'Swimmers who wear full body suits for religious beliefs or a pre-existing medical condition, are now able to compete in all ASA licensed swimming meets and national events.' Chris Bostock, chairman of the ASA Sport Governing Board, said: 'This is a very positive step forward for competitive swimming in England and one that we hope will encourage many more people to take part. 'We want everyone to be able to reach their potential. Representing your club at a national swimming competition is very special. 'By changing these rules we hope to encourage a new generation of swimmers.' Rimla Akhtar, of the Muslim Women's Sport Foundation (MWSF), said: 'Participation in sport amongst Muslim women is increasing at a rapid pace. It is imperative that governing bodies adapt and tailor their offerings to suit the changing landscape of sport, including those who access their sport. 'The MWSF is glad to have requested a review of competition laws in relation to full body suits by the ASA and are extremely pleased at the outcome. 'We thank the ASA for their leadership in this matter. We look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that this ruling is also adopted at the elite level both nationally and internationally.' Furious Jetstar passengers have blasted the airline after they were stuck on a stationary plane for two hours only to be told it wasn't flying anywhere. Flight JQ7 was due to depart Melbourne Airport at 12pm on Saturday, headed for Singapore, until an engineering fault delayed boarding by an hour. Passengers were then stuck inside the aircraft for two hours as it sat idle on the tarmac while engineers continued to work on rectifying the problem. When it couldn't be fixed, passengers were ordered off the plane, told the flight was cancelled and forced to endure another lengthy wait, having already been at the airport for seven hours. A Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Singapore was cancelled on Saturday, leaving passengers stranded for hours (stock image) Passengers have told of how they were left stranded at Melbourne Airport for seven hours thanks to a delayed Jetstar flight, which turned into a cancellation 'After waiting at the airport for 7 hours, we were given a measly $30 voucher for "refreshments",' one passenger said on Facebook. 'Good news is we were put onto the Emirates flight to Singapore with accommodation and then we fly out to Phuket tomorrow morning... we are very exhausted but relieved that there was a solution.' Another passenger posted: 'After disembarking we had to go through all the rigmarole of immigration and collection of bags, we were then directed back to where we started'. 'Waiting for what seemed ages, they had found us flights on Emirates...an upgrade of sorts you could say. Waiting at the Emirates counter for 3 hours. We finally were given seats.' One passenger told of how he was 'stuck at Tullamarine airport overnight' and had to cancel a pre-booked tour as part of a 10th wedding anniversary celebration. Furious Jetstar passengers took to Facebook to vent their fury about the cancellation of a flight from Melbourne to Singapore Jetstar has been forced to apologise after a flight from Melbourne to Singapore was cancelled (stock image) Jetstar passengers posted updates of the delay and cancellation on Facebook Affected passengers were offered alternative flights and hotel accommodation, or a refund. Jetstar has apologised for the flight cancellation. 'A flight from Melbourne to Singapore was cancelled due to an engineering issue with the aircraft,' a Jetstar spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. 'Passengers have been accommodated on alternative flights tonight and tomorrow, and we apologise for the inconvenience this delay has caused.' A father of a pregnant woman who died in 2016 after being hit by a car driven at high speed by a joyrider, has called for tougher penalties for people who evade police. Sarah Paino had just dropped her partner Daniel Stirling off at work in the early hours of January 22, 2016 when her car was hit by teens in a stolen car driving at high speed through Hobart. Although Sarah died, paramedics and doctors saved their son, Caleb, by emergency cesarean section. Michael Paino (pictured) whose daughter Sarah Paino was killed in 2016 after being hit by a car driven at high speed by a joyrider, has called for tougher penalties for people who evade police Sarah Paino (pictured) had just dropped her partner Daniel Stirling off at work in the early hours of January 22, 2016 when her car was hit by teens in a stolen car driving at high speed through Hobart The government has since unveiled tough new laws to ensure it doesn't happen again, including raising the maximum jail term from one to two years, and increasing the maximum fine for a third offence to $38,500, reported the ABC. But Sarah's father Michael Paino has questioned who would pay the huge fine, calling for the minimum jail term to be 10 years. 'Who's going to pay, are these kids going to pay, they don't have the money, they don't have the means to pay this money,' he said. 'These kids will just laugh at it, they laugh at the system now.' Although Sarah died in the crash, paramedics and doctors saved her son, Caleb (pictured), by emergency cesarean section Mr Paino said the changes to the law wouldn't bring children back to their parents and the main goal should be deterrence. He said he believed longer jail sentences were the answer. Ms Paino's death shocked the Tasmanian community and lead to a push for a 'Sarah Paino's law' to deter joyriders. Michael Paino (right) has called for the minimum jail term for offenders evading police to be 10 years. Pictured left is Sarah's mother Jane Paino The proposed changes to the law would increase the maximum fine for a first offence from a $7,700 fine to $15,400. The maximum disqualification period would also rise from two years to three years, and a maximum jail time would increase from one to two years. The driver of the car that killed Sarah Paino was sentenced to five years detention and will be eligible for parole in 2018. Sarah's partner Daniel Stirling (pictured) said in an interview with Sunday Night in 2016 that Sarah's death had 'crushed' him A two-month-old baby is being treated in hospital for possible exposure to Chemical Weapons after an attack in Mosul thought to have been carried out by ISIS. The baby is one of 12 people, including women and children, who have been treated since March 1 after the attack where Islamic State is fighting off an offensive by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces, the United Nations said on Saturday. Although it is not known who is to blame for the attack, the mortars were apparently fired from ISIS held west Mosul. Scroll down for video A mother comforts her daughter Ranmea as they spend time in hospital after the chemical weapon attacks in Mosul Dima Nazim, two-years-old, is a victim of IS chemical attack receives treatment in a hospital in Irbil, Iraq Yasser Hamid Nadm, 11 years old is treated for possible exposure to chemical weapons agents in a hospital in Mosul It is the first chemical attack in the battle for the ISIS stronghold. The U.N.'s World Health Organisation has activated 'an emergency response plan to safely treat men, women and children who may be exposed to the highly toxic chemical,' with partners and local health authorities, the agency said in a statement. It said all 12 patients had been received since March 1 for treatment which they are undergoing in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region, east of Mosul. Thaier Hamed Nadm, 10 years old is treated for possible exposure after what is the first chemical weapons attack in the battle for the ISIS stronghold Dima Nazim is among the youngest victims of the attacks, with a month-old baby also being treated for exposure Yasser Hamid Nadm, 11. The attack appears to have come from the western side of Mosul, which is still an ISIS stronghold A doctor in western Irbil said on Saturday that 10 people with injuries caused by chemicals have been admitted to his hospital over the last two days. Above, Yasser, 11 Thaier Nazim, 10. A UN World Health Organisation health plan has been activated following the attack Four of them are showing 'severe signs associated with exposure to a blister agent'. The patients were exposed to the chemical agents in the eastern side of Mosul. According to the BBC, ISIS have long been suspected of making and using crude chemical weapons in territory it controls in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday that five children and two women were receiving treatment for exposure to chemical agents. The ICRC statement did not say which side used the chemical agents that caused blisters, redness in the eyes, irritation, vomiting and coughing. Ekhlas Meshal, 30, holds her injured two-month old child Ranmea, as she sits next to her injured two-year old daughter Dima Ekhlas becomes emotional as she tries to comfort her young daughters who have both been hit by chemicals. The patients are showing severe signs associated with blister agents The chemical agents cause blisters, redness in the eyes, irritation, vomiting and coughing Nazim Hamid stands next to his injured son Yasir, 11, one of the young victims of the attack Iraqi forces captured the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris river on February 19. The eastern side remains within reach of the militants' rockets and mortar shells. Defeating Islamic State in Mosul would crush the Iraqi wing of the caliphate declared by the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2014, over parts of Iraq and Syria. The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, called for an investigation. 'This is horrible. If the alleged use of chemical weapons is confirmed, this is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime, regardless of who the targets or the victims of the attacks are,' she said in a statement. ICRC's regional director for the Middle East, Robert Mardini said: 'During the past two days, the hospital has admitted five children and two women showing clinical symptoms consistent with an exposure to a blistering chemical agent. 'The use of chemical weapons is absolutely prohibited under international humanitarian law. We are deeply alarmed by what our colleagues have seen, and we strongly condemn any use of chemical weapons, by any party, anywhere.' An Iraqi man carries a girl as they walk down a road to flee Mosul today during an offensive by security forces to retake the western parts of the city from ISIS Iraqi families walk down a road as they flee Mosul during the battle for the remaining ISIS stronghold A woman carries her child as she seeks to get them both to a place of refuge away from the battle As the battle continues to regain the ISIS stronghold, tens of thousands of people have fled west Mosul since Iraqi forces launched an operation to retake it from the Islamic State jihadist group on February 19, pushing into the area from the south. An Iraqi minister sharply criticised UN efforts to aid civilians fleeing fighting in west Mosul, even as the United Nations insisted that providing such assistance was the 'top priority'. Jassem Mohammed al-Jaff, the minister of displacement and migration said: 'Unfortunately, there is a clear shortfall in the work of these (UN) organisations. 'The United Nations talks a lot but the efforts being made are little, despite the huge amount of money in their possession.' More than 50,000 people have fled west Mosul since the push to retake it was launched, Jaff said. The UN, which has been providing shelter, food and other assistance to Iraqis who have fled Mosul during the nearly five-month-long battle, said it is working as fast as possible to help those displaced. An Iraqi special forces soldier mourns his colleague and friend after Islamic State militants shot dead another Iraqi special forces soldier during a battle in Mosul, Iraq The battle for the ISIS stronghold is still being fought, displacing families and leaving hundreds of casualties Grande, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq said: 'The top priority for humanitarians is to make sure that there is sufficient capacity at emergency sites to deal with the number of civilians who are fleeing western Mosul. 'In the past several weeks, we have been rushing to... construct that capacity, and we are redoubling our efforts now.' IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and other assistance have since regained most of the territory they lost to the jihadists. The battle to retake Mosul - the last IS-held city in Iraq - was launched on October 17. More than 190,000 people are currently displaced as a result of the battle for Mosul, while more fled but have since returned to their homes, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Iraqi forces recaptured east Mosul in January, and have now set their sights on the smaller but more densely-populated western side of the city. South African president Jacob Zuma has called on lawmakers to help seize white-owned land without compensation - to establish 'pre-colonial' patterns. But he has been warned that the measure would trigger a racial war in a country historically blighted by racial tensions. Speaking to parliament, he called for unity between black parties. The controversial move would require a change to the constitution. South African President Jacob Zuma has called for the country's constitution to be changed to allow land seizures without compensation Zuma's comments echo those of his rival Julius Malema, who said earlier this week: 'So, we are saying black people, all of us must unite so that we can change the constitution so that we can expropriate land without compensation. 'There is no white man that will understand it.' Zuma told the Council of Traditional Leaders: 'The black parties should unite on this issue. We cannot fight about nothing.' Despite his ANC party having voted down a motion by the opposition EFF, headed by Malema, calling for land expropriation without compensation, Zuma spoke about his great-grandfathers, whose land had been confiscated. He said: 'It is now time for action. The time for talking, writing and analysis is over.' Zuma's comments echo those of his rival Julius Malema (centre), who said earlier this week: 'So, we are saying black people, all of us must unite so that we can change the constitution so that we can expropriate land without compensation' The president has revealed that an audit of 'pre-colonial land ownership', and said: 'Once the audit is completed, one law should be written so that we can handle land restitution without compensation. The necessary constitutional changes will be made. The black parties should unite on this issue.' His populist remarks follow a campaign by Malema, who has called on black South Africans to reclaim land taken by 'Dutch thugs'. A racial breakdown of land ownership is not available in South Africa, but there is a widespread belief that it largely favours the country's white population. Following Zuma's comments, The Telegraph reports, Andries Breytenbach, who heads the Boer Afrikaner Volksraad, described it as 'a declaration of war'. He stated: 'We are ready to fight back. We need urgent mediation between us and the government. If this starts, it will turn into a racial war which we want to prevent.' The devastated grandmother of a five-year-old boy found dead in the Murray River after he was allegedly drowned by his own mother has spoken out. The grandmother revealed her heartbreak at the discovery of the boy's body on Saturday, who she had taken care of for 18 months before he was killed. 'I'm simply heartbroken,' she told the Herald Sun. Scroll down for video Emergency crews carry the body of a five-year-old boy out of the Murray River on Saturday The grandmother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, revealed her anguish as she sat with her surviving nine-year-old grandson who was recovering at the Royal Children's Hospital. A 27-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with the attempted murder of her nine-year-old son after she allegedly tried to drown him in a river at Moama in New South Wales on Thursday. She faces an attempted murder charge as it stands, but police say more charges are likely after authorities confirmed the discovery of the younger child's body on Saturday. The body of a five-year-old boy has been found in the Murray River A mother, 27, (pictured) has been charged with attempted murder She allegedly took her nine-year-old son into the river, about 75km south of Deniliquin, and held his head under the surface and her younger son screamed from the water's edge, Bendigo Magistrates Court heard. The nine-year-old was able to free himself and escape, only to be mauled by a pitbull called Buddy. The boys' mother is alleged to have taken her children from their grandparents home on Wednesday, a day before the tragic incident. The grandparents had full-time care of the two boys for close to 18 months before their mother allegedly snatched them from the Deniliquin home in southern New South Wales. The search for a missing five-year-old boy resumed on Saturday in Moama, in southern NSW The mother is pictured with her two boys, aged nine and five, who were involved in the horror incident on Thursday A nine-year-old boy is in hospital with serious dog bite injuries as police discover the body of a five-year-old boy (search for boy pictured) The mother was arrested after she handed herself in at Echuca Police Station in Victoria on Thursday night. Police divers discovered the body of the five-year-old boy on Saturday, two days after the incident, the Riverine Herald reported. Veteran emergency workers broke down after finding the five-year-old's body on Saturday morning. 'He was so little, it was awful, the whole thing has been awful, and everyone here is devastated,' one worker said. 'All of us have been hit so hard.' The child's body was reportedly found near the banks of the river, but may have been disturbed by a passing boat. Divers discovered the body about 11.35am on Saturday. His body is yet to be formally identified but police believe it to be that of the five-year-old son. Victorian Emergency services personnel search the Murray River at Moama The body of a five-year-old boy has reportedly been found in the Murray River The 27-year-old mother didn't appear before Deniliquin Local Court as expected on Saturday after requesting to stay in the custody cells at Deniliquin police station. Her lawyer Peter Hebbard said the woman was 'confused and upset' while speaking to reporters outside court, theDaily Telegraph reported. 'She's pretty upset and really, I think, I got the distinctive impression she doesn't know what's going on, not in a legal side of it, just what's happened with her children,' Mr Hebbard said. 'She didn't ask for bail, she told me "she knows there are serious matters, and I'm not going to make a bail application".' Mr Hebbard said it was too early to say if his client plans to fight the charges. Moama is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, close to the Victorian boarder The owner of the dog involved in the incident said her four-year-old pit bull (pictured) was likely reacting to the drama happening at the banks of the river 'At this stage she certainly hasn't given me instructions about which way she's going to plead.' Mr Hebbard also clarified his client had only been charged with attempted murder as of Saturday morning following confusion about the charge being upgraded to murder. The older son remains in hospital recovering from serious dog bites he sustained as he fled the scene near Moama. She allegedly took her nine-year-old son into the river in Moama, about 75km south of Deniliquin, on Thursday and held his head under the surface as her younger boy, five, screamed from the water's edge, Bendigo Magistrates Court heard. Police divers discovered the body of the boy, who had been missing since Thursday afternoon The nine-year-old was able to free himself and escaped, only to be mauled by a pitbull, called Buddy, that also went on to attack the mother, 9 News reported. The court was told that she then took her five-year-old boy into the water. Moama police were called to the scene and found the boy with dog bite injuries before discovering his younger brother was missing. His mother has been charged with 'attempt to drown person with intent to murder', according to a charge sheet. The woman didn't appear before Deniliquin Local Court as expected on Saturday after requesting to stay in the custody cells at Deniliquin police station (pictured) 'We anticipate there will be a further charge,' sergeant Miles Rogers told the court on Saturday. The mother was formally refused bail and will return to court via video link on Monday. Superintendent Paul Condon said police spoke with the older boy on Thursday night after he was taken to a Moama home with the serious bites. He was transferred to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne where he required surgery. 'It is very unclear at this stage what happened at the riverbank,' Superintendent Condon said. 'The dog has been involved. The dog has bitten the 27-year-old mother and the nine-year-old. The actual circumstances are unknown.' Sinn Fein has moved to within just one seat of matching the DUP in Northern Ireland following snap elections in Northern Ireland. The NI Assembly election saw 27 seats returned for Sinn Fein, just one less than the Democratic Unionist Party. It means that for the first time, Unionists do not have the overall majority at Stormont, with just 1,168 first preference votes between the top two parties. The snap election was called after the collapse of the coalition led by DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, the Deputy First Minister who stepped down in January. But a further election could be called if a new coalition government is not formed at Stormont within three within three weeks. Scroll down for video Sinn Fein's party leader for Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill celebrates with party members Francie Molloy, left, and Ian Milne, right A jubilant Michelle O'Neill celebrated in Ballymena today after she was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly on the first count. The Northern topped the poll in Mid-Ulster and declared she wants to see Stormont working Historic: For the first time unionists do not have the overall majority at Stormont Sinn Fein's new leader in Northern Ireland, 40-year-old Michelle O'Neill, was mobbed by supporters as the results rolled in. O'Neill, the daughter of an IRA veteran with childhood memories of the conflict that claimed 3,700 lives, represents a leadership shift within Sinn Fein to the first post-war generation following the IRA's 1997 cease-fire and 2005 disarmament. If Sinn Fein still refuse to work with the DUP's leader Arlene Foster (pictured), the assembly could be suspended and the province fully governed from London The DUP clung on as the leading party after it polled 225,413 votes to Sinn Fein's 224,245 - the closest ever race for the Stormont Assembly. The SDLP claimed 12 seats, the UUP 10, the Alliance Party eight, the Greens two, People Before Profit one, the Traditional Unionist Voice one and one independent unionist. The two leading parties now have three weeks to set up a government. Northern Ireland's power-sharing agreement stipulates that government must be run by nationalists and unionists in partnership. If no agreement can be reached, another election will be called. That leaves 40 unionists and 39 nationalist/republicans, with the remainder of the 90 MLAs affiliated to neither tradition. Their first preference votes were down 1.11 percentage points on last year's Assembly vote compared to Sinn Fein, up 3.89 percentage points. BOTCHED ENERGY SCHEME THAT LED TO ELECTION BEING CALLED Martin McGuinness quit as deputy first minister over a bungled energy subsidy scheme The election was triggered when Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness quit as deputy first minister over a costly, bungled green energy subsidy scheme rolled out by first minister Foster when she was economy minister. Sinn Fein wanted her to step aside during an investigation and say they will not enter government if the DUP nominates her to become first minister again. Michelle O'Neill, who took over from the retiring McGuinness as Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland, told AFP she was willing to find 'a way forward' with the DUP. The parties have three weeks to strike some sort of deal, otherwise the Belfast legislature is likely to be suspended and its powers returned to London. 'After a brutal and divisive campaign there is no real expectation that the institutions will be up and running in the next few weeks,' The Irish News newspaper said in an editorial. Advertisement Michelle O'Neill, leader of Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, is greeted by Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, Mary Lou McDonald and Orlaithi Flynn as she arrived at the count UUP leader Mike Nesbitt quits after poor showing in Assembly election. His party failed to make any ground on Democratic Unionists Party losing a number of high-profile seats. Mr Nesbitt has pledged to remain at his post until a successor can be found Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt has quit after his party's poor showing in the Assembly election. With the UUP failing to make any ground on the Democratic Unionists, and losing a number of high-profile seats, the former TV anchor fell on his sword. The jubilant Sinn Fein leader secured her seat in the Assembly on the first count. DUP leader Foster led the poll in her own constituency but did not win on the first round. Sinn Fein has said it will not share power with Mrs Foster and wants her to stand aside for an inquiry into her botched renewable energy scheme. The political row forced the snap election and if the two parties cannot heal their political differences within two weeks, Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire will be forced to either order another round of elections or return to direct rule from London. Arriving at the Belfast count centre, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said: 'It is a vote and mandate that will have to be respected by the two governments (UK and Irish), by all the other parties, for a step change, for an end to the old status quo, for a new beginning as to how we do our business here.' Soaring viewing figures for the two main TV leaders' debates had hinted at a surge in voter engagement, something that appears to have been borne out on polling day. The Assembly poll was the second in 10 months. The DUP clung on as the leading party after it polled 225,413 votes to Sinn Fein's 224,245 - the closest ever race for the Stormont Assembly. The DUP first preference votes were down 1.11 percentage points on last year's vote compared to Sinn Fein, up 3.89 percentage points After resigning Mr Nesbitt said the electorate had rejected his hope for a post-sectarian vote. 'We will get there some day Northern Ireland will vote as a normal democracy.' DUP leader Arlene Foster, pictured voting yesterday, has refused to step aside to allow an inquiry into her handling of a botched renewable energy scheme If no deal can be struck, Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire (pictured ordering the election in January) will have to choose between holding yet another election or returning to direct rule from London for the first time in a decade Derry McCann raped a stranger in a park hours before marrying Harry Kane's pregnant cousin A bridegroom who raped a stranger hours before marrying Harry Kane's cousin was freed from prison for an earlier offence because appeal judges said he was too young. Derry McCann, 28, attacked a 30-year-old trainee lawyer in May 2006 as she was making her way home through an east London park. McCann, then aged 17, was originally handed a life sentence with a minimum of nine years, but an appeal court overturned it in 2008, according to The Sun. His lawyers argued he should be given a maximum sentence of 15 years, with parole being considered after seven years. McCann's sentence was later reduced by Judges Lord Justice Pill, Mr Justice Blair and Sir Richard Curtis because 'progress had been made' while he was incarcerated and he was released in December 2015. But hours before McCann married Kerry Hogg, 27, at The Vestry in Bromley-by-Bow in January, he attacked a 24-year-old woman in Victoria Park, Hackney, east London. He pleaded guilty to three counts of rape, one count of assault by penetration and one count of robbery at Snaresbrook Crown Court earlier this week. Detectives believe he planned to rape a different woman but 'lost track' of her so grabbed the eventual victim as she walked home after a night out with friends in the early hours of January 13. First dance: Derry Flynn McCann, 28, pictured with his new wife on their wedding day - the groom has since admitted rape, robbery and assault carried out that day After repeatedly raping her he also stole her phone and bra telling the victim: 'Youre lucky I didnt video it'. Kerry, who had no idea about the attack and has recently given birth to McCann's son, is a cousin of England and Spurs striker Harry Kane. Her father and his mother are siblings. She was not at the hearing when her husband admitted rape. Honorary Recorder Martyn Zeidman told the rapist he had carried out a 'terrible' crime and faced a 'very, very long time' in prison. McCann played 'mind games' with his victim after dragging her into the undergrowth, taunting her by asking what she thought he would do next, Snaresbrook Crown Court was told. Kate Bex, prosecuting, said: 'It was about midnight, just a little after, and the victim was walking a short distance home having been out to an art gallery, socialising with friends. Kerry Hogg, McCann's wife, is cousins with Tottenham striker Harry Kane (pictured) 'She was almost within sight of her own front door when she skirted round the side of the park on her usual route home. 'She avoided walking through the middle of it because that was too dangerous, she walked around the side, but unfortunately when near the exit of the park the defendant grabbed her arm and pulled her to one side. 'He began a sustained and systematic attack, best described as mind games in an attempt to control her. Asking the victim what she thought he was going to do to her before actually carrying out the acts. 'He behaved oddly in other respects in interacting with the victim concerning the condom he used when he penetrated and ejaculated.' McCann will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on April 28. The attack took place in Victoria Park, Hackney, pictured, in which a 24-year-old woman was sexually assaulted The attacked mirrored his earlier offence in 2006 when he dragged his victim down to the secluded banks of a pond in Mile End Park to inflict a string of disturbing sexual assaults. McCann began his assault by biting her on the cheek before alternately beating and raping her. During the prolonged assault he told her she was his girlfriend and he wanted her to have his child before saying he was going to chain her up in his basement where he kept other women. A detective at the time said he put his victim through a 'life-changing trauma that will haunt her for the rest of her life'. Judge Lindsay Burn had expressed deep concern over his 'clinical enactment of a catalogue of sexual desires', which amounted to 'torture'. Snaresbrook Crown Court where McCann will return for sentencing on April 28 after admitting rape and assault The judge said: 'Some of the most bizarre and worrying features of the evidence was your repeated threats to kill the complainant and your change of mood. 'On the one hand you were a sexual aggressor, then you almost completely switched to the role of boyfriend, talking to her in a normal way.' Judge Burn was so concerned about him he ordered a transcript of his sentencing remarks to be sent to the governor of the prison. He said: 'In my judgement there's a very substantial risk that you will commit further serious offences in the future and your conduct will cause serious harm to your victim or victims.' As McCann was given a life sentence, with a minimum of nine years before he can be released on parole, he yelled out: 'B*******, you don't know me. F*** all you c****.' He also warned the prison guards not to touch him as he was led away. McCann's furious family were then escorted out of the building by 12 officers after shouting at the judge for jailing their 'innocent' son. Crown Prosecution Service London reviewing lawyer Andrew Held said: 'This was a terrifying, violent and prolonged attack involving rapes committed by a man intent on inflicting fear and psychological suffering. 'The strong prosecution case which led to today's guilty pleas included victim testimony, an ID parade, CCTV footage, and bad character evidence based on a similar rape committed by McCann in 2006. 'I would like to thank McCann's victim for her courage in helping bring this prosecution and hope his conviction provides some sense of justice for her.' Two of the three people killed in a fire at a factory in Melbourne have been identified as mother and daughter Tanya Burmeister and Zoe Elizabeth Burmeister. The pair were squatting in the former Kinnears rope factory on Ballarat Road in Footscray when the owner Darren Clover allegedly set it on fire on Wednesday. The third person in the factory at the time is yet to be identified. Scroll down for video Two of three people who were killed in a fire at a factory in Melbourne have been identified as mother and daughter Tanya Burmeister (left) and Zoe Elizabeth Burmeister (right) Zoe's aunt Shaylee Tennyson told the Herald Sun she was struggling to comprehend the loss of Zoe, who was only a few weeks away from her 16th birthday. 'Zoe was extremely loving, she had an infectious laugh, she was intelligent and she was just so beautiful,' she said. Ms Burmeister, 32, shared an 'indescribable' bond with her daughter, Ms Tennyson said. Darren Clover (pictured) has been charged with three counts of murder and arson The pair were squatting in the former Kinnears rope factory on Ballarat Road in Footscray (pictured) on Wednesday when the owner Darren Patrick Clover allegedly set it on fire On Friday the Melbourne Magistrate's Court heard Clover, who has been charged with murder and arson, has depression. The 52-year-old did not front court on Friday and instead chose to stay in his cell. Legal Aid lawyer Katie Powell appeared on his behalf during the Melbourne Magistrates' Court filing hearing, saying there were 'significant concerns' her client would harm himself in custody. On Friday the Melbourne Magistrate's Court heard Clover, who has been charged with murder and arson, has depression. Pictured is clothing and furniture found in the factory after the fire Clover had a formal diagnosis of depression and was taking prescription medication, Ms Powell said. She asked for a mental health assessment to be conducted. Police arrested Clover on Thursday after firefighters discovered the bodies of three people, believed to be squatters, in an old Footscray ropeworks factory. The court heard police will be formatting CCTV footage related to the incident, and will be lodging forensic and DNA evidence for analysis The factory site had been recently sold and was set to be developed into apartments. Plans for the redevelopment had been approved by the council the night before the fire. Police will be formatting CCTV footage related to the incident, and will be lodging forensic and DNA evidence for analysis, the court heard. The factory site had reportedly been recently sold and was to be developed into apartments The police prosecution asked for more time for the hand-up brief to be compiled, considering the complexity of the investigation and the severity of the alleged crimes. No application for bail was made. Clover is due to appear via video link for a committal mention on June 9. Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78. Christopher Stokes was killed in Jordan in 2006 when a gunman opened fire at a tour group A gunman convicted of firing at a group of Western tourists in Amman in 2006, killing one Briton is among 15 people executed on Saturday by Jordan. Christopher Stokes, from Littleborough near Rochdale, was killed in September 2006 when gunman Nabeel Ahmed Issa al-Jaourah opened fire in a Roman amphitheatre in Amman. Al-Jaourah had been sentenced to death in December 2006 when he was found guilty of the murders in a Jordanian court. Speaking at the time, Rod and Norma Stokes, Christopher's parents, said the decision helped them 'move on a little bit'. A total of 15 people were executed on Saturday including 10 convicted on terrorism charges ranging from the attack a decade ago to the slaying of a writer, a judicial source and the government spokesman Mohammad al Momani said on Saturday. Al Momani said those executed included one man who was convicted of an attack last year on an intelligence compound that killed five security personnel. Another five were involved in an assault by security forces on a militant hideout in Irbid city in the same year that led to the death of seven militants and one police officer, while the rest related to separate incidents that go back as far as 2003. Scroll down for video The prisoners were hanged at dawn at Swaqa Prison, about 50 miles from Amman, on Saturday Rod and Norma Stokes, the parents of Christopher, who was killed more than a decade ago. They said the killer getting the death sentence in December 2006 helped them move on It was the largest number of people executed in one day in Jordan's recent history, according to a senior judicial source. Jordan intensified its campaign against suspected Islamic extremists after IS released a video in early 2015, showing its militants as they burned to death the fighter pilot trapped in a cage. In response to the video, Jordan executed two prisoners linked to the al-Qaida terror network, a precursor of IS. Hundreds of Jordanians have been detained or sentenced to prison since then, including those expressing support for IS on social media. The prisoners were hanged at dawn Saturday at Swaqa Prison, about 47 miles (75 km) south of the capital of Amman, said government spokesman Mohammed Momani. All had links to Islamic militant groups, he said. Human rights group Amnesty International condemned the executions by hanging saying they were carried out in 'secrecy and without transparency'. 'The scale of today's mass executions is shocking and it's a big step backwards on human rights protection in Jordan,' said Samah Hadid, deputy director of Amnesty International's Beirut regional office. Jordanian policemen outside the theatre after the gun attack in Amman in 2006. The gunman was killed today Hadid said the death penalty was 'problematic because in some cases confessions in Jordan were extracted under torture or duress', echoing widespread complaints by human rights activists. Amnesty said in a statement earlier: 'Jordan had for years been a leading example in a region where recourse to the death penalty is all too frequent.' Jordan in the past refrained from executing political detainees and either reduced or suspended death sentences handed to fundamentalist Islamists on terror-related charges. International human rights activists say militants are put on trial in military courts that are unconstitutional and lack proper legal safeguards, adding that there are growing cases of mistreatment and of extracting confessions under duress. Swaqa prison, where the executions took place. The gunman who killed Mr Stokes had been sentenced to death in 2006 The government denies it tortures prisoners or mistreats detainees, saying its courts abide by human rights laws. A judicial source said the authorities also executed a gunman who last year shot dead outside a court a Christian writer who was standing trial for contempt of religion after sharing on social media a caricature insulting Islam. The five other executions were for rape and sexual assault. Jordan restored the death sentence by hanging in 2014 after a moratorium on capital punishment between 2006 and 2014. Speaking in 2006 after the death of their son, and the sentencing of his killer, Christopher's father, Rod Stokes said: 'It feels like closure for us in one part. We can move on a little bit. His wife, Norma, 60, continued: 'We're just relieved that the verdict has come quickly. It's what we were expecting.' Mr Stokes added: 'We've no strong revenge feelings at all. We take the view that if it was an act of terrorism as they say and if it's the law of the land that the guy be executed then that's it. 'We're not saying this is how it should be, but we don't feel we're in a position to judge the laws of another country.' Relatives and activists of Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar, who was shot dead, take a farewell look during his funeral in the town of Al-Fuheis in September Nahad Hattar, the writer, had been on trial for posting a cartoon deemed offensive to Islam on social media when an assailant killed him outside the courthouse. The shooter was a former mosque prayer leader motivated by anger over the cartoon, officials said at the time. Saad Hattar, a cousin of the victim, said Saturday that while the killer was punished, those who instigated such attacks with hateful rhetoric were not. 'The murderer was just a tool, and our society needs the uprooting of the ideology and the culture behind him,' Hattar, a journalist, told The Associated Press. Analyst Labib Kamhawi said he believes the executions were meant to send a triple message. They signaled to potential attackers that they can expect harsh punishment and reminded ordinary Jordanians buckling under price increases that their country faces a serious security threat, he said. The message to the outside world, particularly the Trump administration, is that 'Jordan is on top of things and that Jordan can be considered one of the allies in fighting terrorism,' Kamhawi said. The Pope wants couples to avoid having more children than they can bring up properly, a Vatican panel has been told. Environmentalist Peter Raven made the comment at a workshop on biodiversity, which discussed Catholic Church attitudes toward environmental issues. Pope Francis has previously said avoiding pregnancy is not an 'absolute evil', but the church remains unwavering in its opposition to artificial birth control. Pope Francis has previously stated that avoiding pregnancy 'is not an absolute evil' Dr Raven stated, LifeSiteNews reports: 'We need at some point to have a limited number of people which is why Pope Francis and his three most recent predecessors have always argued that you should not have more children than you can bring up properly.' But he continued: 'We do not endorse any of the artificial birth control [methods] that the Church does not endorse.' Dr Raven stated, according to the site's account of the workshop, that 'we need a more limited number of people in the world'. At the same Biological Extinction workshop, a paper was presented by Dr Paul Ehrlich, who argued that Catholic teachings had resulted in 'collective failure' to reduce the world's population. Dr Peter Raven told a Vatican panel that the pope wants people to have fewer children in order to lessen the damage being done to the planet In a press conference onboard a flight last year, Pope Francis said abortion is a crime and 'absolutely evil', but he added: 'Paul VI, a great man, in a difficult situation in Africa, permitted nuns to use contraceptives in cases of rape.' He later stated that 'avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil'. The Pope said: 'In certain cases, as in this one, or in the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear.' Following Pope Francis' remarks, Dr Melissa Moschella, a philosophy professor at The Catholic University of America, told the Catholic News Agency this did not amount to a change in policy. She said that for Catholics, sex is an act in a relationship that would be fulfilled by having children together, but added: 'In the case of rape, there has been no voluntary sex act on the part of the woman.' A 65 million Kandinsky painting which is owned by a German bank is the subject of a lawsuit after a family claims it was stolen from them during the World War II. The heirs of art collector Emanuel Lewenstein filed a lawsuit against the bank Bayerische Landesbank, claiming they are the rightful owners of painting Das Bunte Leben, also known as Colourful Life. In the suit, which was filed in Manhattan, New York, it says the painting was stolen from a museum in the Netherlands in the 1930s after the Jewish Dutch family loaned it for safe keeping, according to The New York Times. Das Bunte Leben, also known as Colourful Life, is the subject of lawsuit after the family of a Jewish collector claimed it was stolen from them. It is currently owned by German bank Bayerische Landesbank The painting is currently hanging in the Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus gallery in Munich, Germany, where it has been on loan for 40 years But after the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in the 1940s, the painting disappeared. It was then taken to the Frederik Muller & Co auction house in Amsterdam, where it was sold for 250 Dutch Guilders (114), which was only 10 to 20 per cent of its then market value, The Guardian has reported. The painting, which was created in 1907, was then bought by the bank in 1972. According to the filing, it has an estimated value of 65 million. The painting is currently hanging in the Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus gallery in Munich, Germany, where it has been on loan for 40 years. A spokesperson for Bayerische Landesbank said: 'In 1972, BayernLB legally acquired the painting "Das Bunte Leben" (A Motely Life) by Kandinsky at the instigation of the City of Munich. The purchase negotiations were handled by the Lenbachhaus museum, where the painting has been publicly displayed on permanent loan ever since. 'Nonetheless, BayernLB is willing to take part in a review by the so-called Limbach Commission. BayernLB feels, however, that the commissions decision should be binding on all parties. BayernLB has expressed its desire that the painting remain on public display at the Lenbachhaus rather than be taken away. 'This proposal was put to the claimants in writing by BayernLB in the summer of 2016. To date, the claimants have not reacted or made a counterproposal.' President Tran Dai Quang (R) shakes hands with outgoing Ambassador to Vietnam Alfonso Tena Garcia at the reception (Photo: VNA) He expressed his pleasure at the positive development of the bilateral strategic partnership and recognised the ambassadors remarkable contributions to the enhancement of the two countries relations during his working tenure. Two-way trade has been developing in recent years with an average annual growth of 15 percent in recent years, he noted. Spain is running 35 projects worth USD36 million in Vietnam. However, the figure is still modest and yet to match the potential and strength of Spain the fourth biggest economy in the EU. The President suggested the two sides increase all-level delegation exchanges and implement activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2017. He also took the occasion to invite the Spanish King to visit Vietnam soon. Vietnam and Spain should build an action programme as the foundation for their cooperation in the years to come, he said, adding prioritised areas include renewable energy, infrastructure building, tourism, and hi-tech ecological agriculture. He called on the two nations to continue close coordination at international forums, especially the United Nations, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and ASEAN-EU. He suggested Spain support Vietnam in its run for the post as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020 2021 tenure, and Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau to be the UNESCO Director General for the 2017 2021 term. President Quang hoped the ambassador, in his new position, will always be a close friend of Vietnam as well as a bridge to promote the bilateral friendship and multi-dimensional cooperation. The Spanish diplomat said during his four-year working tenure in Vietnam, he recognised that Vietnam has a lot of potential to reap more successes in the cause of national building and development in the time ahead. He added that Spain always supports Vietnam in running for important positions at international forums and organisations. The enforcement of the Vietnam EU Free Trade Agreement will create a driving force for the bilateral trade, which has enjoyed high growth in recent years, he said. He evaluated that the investment environment in Vietnam is favourable for investors, and believed that there will be many new projects run by Spanish businesses in the Southeast Asian country./. Russia's foreign ministry says it would be happy to play matchmaker between American actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Moscow's ambassador to the United States. Parker on Thursday posted a meme on Instagram showing her Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw typing at a computer. Above the image were the words: 'I couldn't help but wonder ... had the Russian ambassador been meeting with everyone but me?' Parker captioned the image: 'I had to. Don't know the provenance however whoever you are, thank you. X, sj.' Sarah Jessica Parker on Thursday posted a meme on Instagram showing her Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw typing at a computer As Bradshaw, Parker uttered the words 'I couldn't help but wonder' numerous times throughout the HBO series. Questions have arisen in Congress and the media about Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak's meetings with members of the Trump administration. The controversy has already led to the resignation of Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who misled officials about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. There have also been calls by Democrats for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign after he failed to disclose his own meetings with the envoy. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova is shown at a computer in this photo tweeted on Friday by the ministry's English-language account On Friday, a photo tweeted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' English-language account showed Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova seated at a computer, with her hands on the keyboard. Underneath the image were the words: 'Sarah, if you want it so much we can help you meet Russian Ambassador.' The ministry tweeted: 'Zakharova: If #SarahJessicaParker desperately wants to meet Russian Ambassador to US -anything is possible. 'Sergey Ivanovich will be happy.' The family of a nine-year-old boy who is alleged to have died from an allergic reaction are desperately trying to confirm what ended the young boy's life. Paramedics were called to Al-Hijrah School in Small Heath, Birmingham on Friday after Ishmael Ashraf collapsed. But they failed to resuscitate him and he was pronounced dead at the school. West Midlands Police have launched an investigation into the tragedy, following initial reports that the pupil had collapsed after 'suffering a suspected allergic reaction'. Paramedics were called to Al-Hijrah School in Small Heath, Birmingham on Friday after a boy fell ill Ishmael's father was mourning for his son in prayer with dozens of friends and family who turned out in remembrance of the schoolboy at a mosque in Sparkbrook, Birmingham. Ishmael's uncle, who didn't want to be named, said: 'This has hurt the family deeply, and we're now praying to get through this. 'There are a lot of untruths in what has been said about my nephew's death, nobody was even there to see what happened.' 'He was a lovely boy and we're now speaking closely with the authorities to find out what ended his life.' His grieving father could not bear to share his feelings with anyone about his loss and was ushered in and out of the Jamia Masjid Sparkbrook, UKIM mosque. The mosque's Imam and the boy's uncle were united with friends in saying how devastated the family are and they hope to be given time and space to come to terms with their loss. Tonight mourners at Sparkbrook Mosque (pictured) paid their respects to the young boy who has not been officially named The Imam said: 'This is a tragic loss for the community, and especially for the family of Ishmael. 'Everybody is shaken at the passing of such a lovely boy and we are working with the police to find out what really happened.' Ishmael, a year five pupil at Al-Hijrah School in Birmingham was taken by ambulance at 2.20pm to Heartlands Hospital where he died. Ishmael's relatives have denied claims made by a father at the school that he died from a reaction to his well-known fish allergy after being served fish and chips. Police said they are working with the school and Birmingham City Council to establish the circumstances surrounding his death. A parent whose son was in the same class as Ishmael said: 'Fish and chips Fridays is a weekly thing at the school but why this boy was served when it is known by everyone that he has a fish allergy, I really don't know. 'The teachers couldn't find his epi-pen kept at the school in accordance with his Special Educational Needs statement which says he has a fish allergy. He said: 'All the parents are mortified and furious that this has been allowed to happen.' West Midlands Police have launched an investigation into the tragedy, following initial reports that the boy had collapsed after 'suffering a suspected allergic reaction'. Al Hijrah School has been at the centre of controversy The Al Hijrah School in Small Heath, Birmingham, has been at the centre of controversy over the years. It was placed into special measures by Ofsted in December 2013 after a damning report labelled it as 'inadequate'. A Government-backed interim executive board (IEB) took over running the school in May 2014, after the council forced out the old governors and sacked its headteacher. In August 2014, former chairman of governors at the school, Waseem Yaqub, was sued for 100,000 over his conduct. He was accused of harassment, intimidation and trespassing, but denied the claims, according to the Birmingham Mail. Birmingham City Council also launched an inquiry in 2015 after claims were made that 1 million of public money sent to the Bordesley Green school found its way to funding construction of a school in Pakistan. The council later revealed the school was 'in excess of 3 million in debt' in February 2015. The latest Ofsted report into the school, published on Jan 5, 2016, said the school had improved, and classed it as 'requires improvement'. Advertisement Police are working with the school and Birmingham City Council to establish the circumstances around his death - a post mortem will take place, and the child's family are being supported by specially trained officers. Colin Diamond, executive director for education at Birmingham City Council, said the school was 'doing all it can to support the family through this terrible time'. A parent at the school, who didn't want to be named, said: 'There was a choice of pizza or fish. 'He went for the fish even though he was allergic as he didn't fancy the pizza. 'Being Friday they then went into prayers but he collapsed in front of everyone. 'He was so popular with teachers and pupils. Everyone was devastated. 'He has a sister at the school too.' Another parent, Azra Ali, said: 'My kids attend that school - they are eight, seven, five and four - and we've never had any problems with the school at all. 'They have learnt a lot in that school, teachers are really good and always at home time tell us how the kids have been I'm proud for my kids to go to that school. 'As for the death of that poor soul I cannot believe it, I'm still shaken. All the kids played in the same playground. 'My son did see the ambulance, and some teachers were crying. But I do not blame the school for his death.' Al-Hijrah school which educates 780 children from ages five to 16 has been in special measures since its last Ofsted inspection, and there is also an investigation into financial irregularities. Although it is funded and managed by Birmingham City Council, it is not a faith school but all of its pupils are Muslim and the curriculum follows an Islamic ethos. The controversial Al-Hijrah school has come under fire in the past - the school was placed in special measures by Ofsted in May 2014, after a damning report branded it 'inadequate.' A month later the entire governing body was sacked after financial troubles were revealed, which included a 900,000 budget deficit, and a new interim board took over. A source said at the time: 'The school in Birmingham is falling apart, its roof is leaking and there is little space for outdoor play. Yet the Trust has used 1 million to build a new school in Pakistan. It beggars belief.' In June 2014 it was caught up in the Trojan Horse scandal, and protests broke out as parents and students fought a Department for Education takeover, amid claims their school was subject to a secret Islamist infiltration. Six months later, in December 2014, an investigation was launched after claims 1million of taxpayers' money had been used to fund a state-of-the-art sister school in Pakistan. In 2015 the school was in the spotlight again, after Birmingham's education commissioner said the debt-riddled and dilapidated building should be bulldozed and replaced. The Imam of Sparkbrook Mosque and the boy's uncle said the family are devastated, as they've lost a 'lovely boy'. The Imam said earlier: 'This is a tragic loss for the community, and especially for the family. A parent said he died after suffering an allergic reaction, and his allergies are 'known by everyone' 'We are working with the police to find out what really happened.' The boy's uncle added: 'This has hurt the family deeply, and we're now praying to get through this.' People on Facebook have paid tribute to the young pupil as they slammed the school and branded it a 'shambles'. Mohammed Rashid said: 'May Allah give his family patience in this difficult time. 'That school needs to be shut down!' Another Facebook user wrote: 'I worked in Al Hijrah as a teaching assistant, it's a complete shambles, no wonder they are under special measures!' Another parent said distraught teachers were crying as the boy collapsed during post-lunch prayers. A Birmingham City Council spokesman confirmed that a child had died. According to a father at the school where the boy died, parents are outraged that he was fed fish in the first place. But the boy's uncle denied he had a fish allergy. He said: 'At the moment the death is a mystery and we won't know the reason until there has been a proper investigation. 'My nephew had a dairy allergy but was not allergic to fish as far as is known, so it is wrong to suggest that is what happened. 'He was a bright, very happy child and he was loved by his school. 'But there has been nothing yet to confirm how he died. 'We have been left in the dark, we don't know the cause of his death and we won't know until an investigation has been completed.' He also said that the tragic boy had been very close to his younger brother and sister and that his death had devastated the whole family. According to another father, whose child also attends Al-Hijrah School, parents are outraged that he was fed fish in the first place He was not willing to identify the boy or his parents. He said: 'It's too soon for that'. A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police told the MailOnline: 'Police are investigating after a nine year old child died after being taken ill at school yesterday. 'Emergency services were called to the Al Hijrah School in Burbidge Road, Bordesley Green at 2.20pm Friday 3 March, following reports a pupil had collapsed after suffering a suspected allergic reaction. 'The boy was rushed to Heartlands Hospital, where he tragically later died. 'A post mortem will take place and the child's family are being supported by specially trained officers. 'Police are working with the school and Birmingham City Council to establish the circumstances around his death.' The MailOnline has contacted Al-Hijrah for a comment. A principal who was stood down from a government-funded Sydney high school allegedly only wanted Muslim students let into the school. Punchbowl Boys High School principal Chris Griffiths and female deputy principal Joumana Dennaoiu were recently removed from their roles following an investigation by the NSW Education Department. It was reported the pair were initially sacked for stopping women teachers from participating in official events such as the Year 12 graduation ceremony. According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Griffiths was also trying to turn the school into a Muslim-only school. The principal of Punchbowl Boys High Chris Griffiths (pictured) was removed from his position at the Sydney school after allegedly excluding female teachers from a Year 12 graduation ceremony. There are also reports he only wanted Muslim students let into the school Police were reportedly concerned about Mr Griffiths and 'some of his rhetoric' at the school (pictured). Police allege he stifled attempts by police community liaison officers trying to gain access to the school, since he became principal in 2015 He also allegedly prevented police community liaison officers from entering the school and monitoring prayer sessions held on its grounds. Mr Griffiths is also alleged to have referred to police officers as 'pigs' to students, a senior constable told the Daily Telegraph. Prior to him becoming principal in 2015, police say they had a good relationship with the school. 'As a result of a recent appraisal of Punchbowl Boys High, there has been a change in the leadership of the school,' a NSW Department of Education spokesman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia. Mr Griffiths was appointed principal at the school in 2015, taking over from Jihad Dib. The Education Department said it conducted an 'extensive appraisal of the schools policies, procedures and management', prompted by a series of serious staff complaints in 2016, before removing the pair, according to the Telegraph. It said the investigation revealed 'a high level of staff disunity and disharmony' and 'increased disengagement' of the school from the community. A toddler who was believed to have been kidnapped by her babysitter has been found safe after Louisiana State Police issued an endangered child media advisory early Saturday morning. Three-year-old Helainia Planinsek was reported missing after she was last seen with her babysitter Erin Streho on Friday. No details as to where the girl was found or who she was found with were immediately available. Three-year-old Helainia Planinsek (left) who was reported missing after she was last seen with her babysitter Erin Streho (right) on Friday has been found safe. No details as to where the girl was found or who she was found with were immediately available Initially, police believed Helainia was with Streho and that the child could have been in 'immediate danger'. Streho was believed to be traveling with the child in a gray 2015 Nissan Sentra with North Carolina license plate BFM9387. Police issued a Level II Endangered/Missing Child Media Advisory around 3am Saturday morning. Authorities had initially asked the public to come forward if they had any information on Helainia's whereabouts. The New Orleans Police Department is leading the investigation into the incident, which is ongoing. Authorities asked the public to contact the New Orleans Police Department at 504-658-6030 or Louisiana State Police Sgt. Stacey Pearson at 337-962-2605 if they have any information regarding the case. The cost of sending a child to boarding school looks set to top 40,000 this year for the first time. A headteacher has warned top schools 'charge too much', attracting attracting children from super-rich families around the world, but becoming out of reach for British families. Analysis by The Times found that even parents with six figure salaries will struggle to meet the rising cost of sending youngsters to boarding school. The headteacher at King's College School in Wimbledon, Andrew Halls, has warned British families are unable to afford boarding school fees Discussing the findings, Andrew Halls, the headteacher at King's College School in Wimbledon, South London, said he wanted to offer places to anyone who qualifies, not based on ability to afford fees. He told The Times: 'We have allowed the apparently endless queue of wealthy families from across the world knocking at our doors to blind us to a simple truth: we charge too much. 'First the nurses stopped sending children to us, then the policemen, then armed forces officers, then even the local accountants and lawyers.' Dulwich College in London charges 39,480, and a 3.75 per cent increase - the amount it went up by last year - would take it to 40,960 next year At the moment, The Times reports, Dulwich College in London charges 39,480, and a 3.75 per cent increase - the amount it went up by last year - would take it to 40,960 next year. Similarly Abingdon School in Oxfordshire could rise to 40,363 if it goes up by the 4.5 per cent it did last year. Tim Haynes, headmaster of Tonbridge School, told The Times that families earning 100,000 a year would still struggle, but said bursaries make it more accessible. A British family are battling deportation from Australia after their bid to stay in the country failed because they are living in the wrong postcode. Angela and David Wilson-Stone will be sent packing in two months, along with their 15-year-old daughter Heather, after exhausting all appeals and their life savings. The family arrived in Australia in 2011 and moved to Redbank Plains, about 35 kilometres southwest of Brisbane. However, the area was not covered by their regional sponsored visa that required them to 'reside in a designated regional or low population growth area'. Angela and David Wilson-Stone will be sent packing from Australia in two months, along with their 15-year-old daughter Heather, after exhausting all appeals and their life savings In 2013 they applied for residency and were refused because they lived outside the list of postcodes approved by the visa program. A few months later they moved to Rosewood, just outside Ipswich, and the next year to Springfield Lakes - inside one of the required postcodes. They sold their property in Britain and bought car repair shop Auto Motive Magic, but were still denied - even when Ms Wilson-Stone was diagnosed with breast cancer and asked for a medical visa. The family spent 24,300 on rejected visa applications and burned through their life savings - left with no money and no time on their tourist visa. Daughter Heather, 15, faces being sent back to Britain with her parents They sold their property in Britain and bought car repair shop Auto Motive Magic, but were still denied - even when Ms Wilson-Stone was diagnosed with breast cancer and asked for a medical visa 'We've been told that if we don't get a visa application in the system by the first of May, we're done,' said Ms Wilson-Stone told the Courier Mail. 'We're in a state of devastation, panic and worry. We don't know what to do.' But the One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is fighting hard for Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to intervene and allow the family to stay. Senator Hanson told a party rally in Brisbane on Saturday she only wanted 'worthwhile people' like the Wilson-Stones in Australia. 'All I can say is that things are looking more positive for you then what they were a few days ago,' she said, according to the Courier Mail. Ms Wilson-Stone, pictured with daughter Heather, said the family is in 'a state of devastation, panic and worry' because they are facing deportation from Australia 'Nothing's finalised at this stage but with me on your side you've got someone fighting for you.' Assistant Immigration Minister Alex Hawke rejected the latest application after intervening to grant a three-month tourist visa late last year. The Immigration Department said he did not have to give a reason for his decision and could not be compelled to act. 'This family's case has been comprehensively assessed... the department will continue to engage with the family as they work to resolve their visas status,' it said. Australia's first gun amnesty since the Port Arthur massacre will pull more than 250,000 illegal firearms from the streets, according to the Federal Government. Australians who illegally hold guns will be allowed to hand in their weapons without fear of prosecution for a period of three months starting in July. The amnesty will not include a buyback scheme, Justice Minister Michael Keenan told The Sunday Mail. Australia's first gun amnesty since the Port Arthur massacre will pull more than 250,000 illegal firearms from the streets, according to Justice Minister Michael Keenan (pictured) Australians who illegally hold guns will be allowed to hand in their weapons without fear of prosecution It will be Australia's first gun amnesty since the Port Arthur massacre, when Martin Bryant (pictured) gunned down and killed 35 people in south-eastern Tasmania 'This is the first Australia wide gun amnesty since 1996, when the Howard government took action following the devastation of the Port Arthur Massacre,' Mr Keenan said. In a statement released last month, Mr Keenan said one illegal gun on the streets of Australia is one too many. 'Just one illegal firearm is deadly. In the wrong hands illegal guns are a threat to every Australian,' he said. Ministers agreed to conduct the gun amnesty late last year. Mr Keenan said one illegal gun on the streets of Australia is too many The amnesty will not include a buyback scheme, Justice Minister Keenan (pictured) said 'This is not a buy-back, and is not targeting law-abiding firearm owners,' Mr Keenan said at the time. 'While Australia has some of the strongest firearm controls in the world, illicit firearms remain the weapon of choice for criminals.' It will be the first national amnesty since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, when Martin Bryant gunned down and killed 35 people in south-eastern Tasmania. Former Prime Minster John Howard was responsible for destroying about one million firearms after he launched a controversial buy-back scheme. Ministers agreed to conduct the gun amnesty late last year. Pictured, Port Arthur gunman Martin Bryant Former Prime Minster John Howard was responsible for destroying about one million firearms after he launched a controversial buy-back scheme after Port Arthur A New Jersey man who goes by 'NJ Weedman' captured the moment police raided his girlfriend's apartment and arrested him on Facebook Live. Marijuana enthusiast Edward Forchion livestreamed a group of police officers entering the home in Parisppany-Troy Hills on Friday. Forchion streamed two separate videos moments before they entered. He is seen speaking into the camera after he realized the officers were outside of his home. The man was arrested and charged for second and third-degree witness tampering. Police raid: Ed' NJ Weedman' Forchion livestreamed the moment police raided his room and arrested him on Friday In a 16-second long video, Forchion is seen sitting on a bed at 1.20pm, awaiting his arrest before officers enter the room. Officers are heard shouting: 'Police department!' with their guns drawn. The Weedman had posted an earlier status saying: 'The police are at Debbie's house ..... wtf. Help.' Minutes before his arrest, he spoke on the livestream saying he believed he was going to be apprehended. 'Everybody knows I'm a peaceful pothead, I have no weapons in here, I have nothing,' he said. 'But I've gotta warn you a couple weeks ago, somebody told me that the prosecutor's office is trying to get me arrested for intimidating a witness. Forchion was arrested for witness-tampering after he allegedly exposed the name of a confidential police informant on social media who he claims reported his drug sales to the police Forchion was arrested last year for selling marijuana at his Trenton Restaurant, NJ Weedman's Joint 'But I didn't intimidate nobody, (sic) I just exposed him,' Forchion said. Last April, Forchion was arrested for allegedly selling marijuana in his Trenton restaurant called, NJ Weedman's Joint, during a police raid, NJ.com reported. Police arrested him after a confidential informant had reportedly bought pot from Forchion multiple times and then reported the drug deals to the police, Mercer County prosecutors said. Forchion later learned the name of the person believed to be the confidential informant and reportedly began to spread the information on social media. Prosecutors eventually filed a motion for him to stop. In 2012, Forchino's pot farm in California was also busted where federal agents confiscated 600 plants. Nearly two years after a Colorado teen's controversial death, an investigation has concluded that she did in fact commit suicide. The parents of Holly Moore, who died just a week after her 19th birthday, maintain that she was murdered, and hired professional private investigators to examine further. It was revealed on Friday that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation agreed with the original autopsy, believing that Holly hung herself in her closet. Nearly two years after a Colorado teen's controversial death, an investigation has concluded that she did in fact commit suicide Her mother and father, Ray and Shelly, of Castle Rock, Colorado, told Denver Channel that it didn't make any sense that Holly would commit suicide. Her friends and ex-boyfriend, however, painted a different picture - saying that they'd noticed Holly with fresh self-inflicted cut wounds and even once caught her writing a suicide note. She was discovered with the names of several people written on her body, including her sister April and ex-boyfriend. Her ex-boyfriend was a suspect in her death, after friends and family reported that their relationship was at times violent. They claim he choked her on more than one occasion and threatened to kill her. He was never arrested or charged. Her sister April and father Ray both maintain that she was murdered, and hired professional private investigators to examine further Handwriting specialists brought in by the family believed that the names on her leg were written by two different people. The family's independent investigative team raised a number of concerns with the original decision from the medical examiner who determined her death. They've asserted that the Douglas County Coroner Jill Romann was not a licensed medical doctor, and they found her claims unreliable. She was discovered with the names of several people written on her body, including her sister April and ex-boyfriend The family also believe that police botched the crime scene and failed to collect proper evidence. Their theory is that Holly was murdered and her body was staged to look like a suicide. Holly's father Ray was one of the last to see her alive when the two had ice cream that night. He claims that he received text messages from the person he believes killed her. 'Then there's a few messages that get sent out that are bad grammar and bad spelling unlike Holly,' Ray said told Denver Channel. 'Then there's another 15-minute break, a couple of more messages, a 20-minute break, and then the last one that shows a picture of her leg with the handwriting on it.' Holly's mother Shelly has since passed away due to complications from MS. When Holly was alive, she was a full-time caretaker for her mother. However, it was James A. Wilkerson IV, M.D., who conducted the autopsy on Holly the day after she passed, and he ruled her death a suicide. He is the chief coroner at Larimer County, but was working in Douglas County that day. The family also pointed to some aspects of the crime scene that they felt made her death suspicious. X-rays showed that Holly had a broken collar bone post-mortem, her hand was found tangled in the cord used to hang herself, and the way the cord was fashioned was not consistent with a hanging suicide. The private investigators hired by the family, Drs Richard and Selma Eikelenboom-Schieveld, have both had substantial experience working in forensic science, including the cases of Jon Benet-Ramsey and Peggy Hettrick. As was the case for Hettrick, they believe they could overturn the authorities' decision based off of DNA evidence. They collected a number of swabs from the scene which they are encouraging the family to have processed. The DNA testing, however, costs a significant amount of money, and the family has tried to raise it by selling their house. X-rays showed that Holly had a broken collar bone post-mortem, which Wilkerson said was due to his autopsy Wilkerson said that it's important to take all of the aspects of the case into account, but that the evidence in his opinion still pointed to a self-inflicted death. He said: 'What do I have to gain by calling this a suicide if it's not a suicide? 'I mean, I'm looking for the truth, and if somebody did this, then I'm looking to get [the family] justice. But I think that Holly did it herself, and it's a tragedy.' Wilkerson said that it was his responsibility that Holly's collarbone was broken - as is a typical procedure when conducting an autopsy. Medical examiners cut through the bone during the process, as well as the ribs and clavicles. As the cord was wrapped around her neck several times, he said it was likely that her hand got caught beneath the cord by accident. He also found no signs of a struggle. 'It tells us that she wasn't beaten, she wasn't subdued, she wasn't manually strangled,' he said. 'There weren't any marks on her neck that would indicate that she tried to pull the cords off while somebody else was holding them there.' The family, however, still believes that Holly's death was a homicide and plan to file a wrongful death suit. Their group, 'Justice for Holly Moore' will hold a march on Sunday to commemorate the two-year anniversary of her death There were also parts of her body that were touching the floor when she was found. This indicated to examiners that the action was intentional, as she could have stood up to relieve pressure from her neck if she wanted to. Wilkerson said said he was open to the interpretation of new evidence if it was compelling, but that for him it was a 'pretty clear cut suicide'. The family, however, still believes that Holly's death was a homicide and plan to file a wrongful death suit. Their group, 'Justice for Holly Moore' will hold a march on Sunday to commemorate the two-year anniversary of her death. Advertisement Explosive experts have successfully detonated a 500lb German World War Two bomb which forced schools and homes to be evacuated. A four-man team from the Royal Navy's Southern Diving Unit destroyed the bomb in a controlled demolition at Shrewburyness Range near Southend, Essex, at 11.30am on Saturday after defusing it. A school, nursery and homes were evacuated on Thursday after the unexploded device was found in north-west London, forcing local residents to shelter in a church overnight. Explosive experts have successfully detonated a 500lb World War Two bomb which forced schools and homes to be evacuated The Royal Navy's Southern Diving Unit destroyed the bomb in a controlled demolition on Saturday in Essex after making the bomb safe A school, nursery and homes were evacuated on Thursday after the unexploded device was found in north-west London, forcing local residents to shelter in a church overnight The Ministry of Defence tweeted a photo of the massive explosion, writing alongside it: 'After the @BritishArmy made the fuse safe, the bomb was destroyed by the @RoyalNavy Southern Diving Unit in a controlled demolition today.' An Essex Police spokesman said: 'Essex Police assisted the Metropolitan Police and the Ministry of Defence in escorting an unexploded World War Two bomb found at a site in north London through the county to a secure MoD site for safe disposal on Friday. It arrived at its destination at around 11.30pm.' The Southern Diving Unit has up to 60 clearance divers and supporting specialists in two area clearance diving units which are located in Plymouth and Portsmouth. They are committed to bomb disposal, aid to the Home Office, police and coastguard, as well as counter IED support in the south-eastern and south-western parts of the UK. The bomb was discovered buried deep at a site in Brondesbury Park, Brent, where construction workers were preparing to build an apartment block, according to reports. A four-man team from the Royal Navy's Southern Diving Unit worked together to detonate the device The bomb, which was placed in the middle of a field, let off massive black plumes of smoke when it exploded The Ministry of Defence tweeted a photo of the massive explosion, writing alongside it: 'After the @BritishArmy made the fuse safe, the bomb was destroyed by the @RoyalNavy Southern Diving Unit in a controlled demolition today.' A Royal Navy Bomb Disposal expert prepared for the safe disposal of the German bomb Army bomb disposal teams worked through the night and police said on Friday evening the bomb had been defused and was being removed from the site. Police initially set up a large exclusion zone, with schools, businesses and homes evacuated and roads closed. British Red Cross volunteers were drafted in to support affected locals and more than 50 people had to stay at a rest centre set up in a church in nearby Kensal Green. The cordon has been relaxed but road closures in the area are still in place. Many local residents were forced to stay overnight and told of 'scary' scenes as police knocked on their doors and told them to leave their homes on The Avenue, which has an average house value of 850,000. Army bomb disposal teams have been working through the night to prepare for the removal of a Second World War device discovered on a building site in north west London yesterday, pictured Experts from the Royal Engineers and Logistics Corps were constructing a blast protection layer around the device The Army said: 'The Army's Royal Engineer bomb disposal experts continue to work through the night with the emergency services and partner agencies in Brent where an unexploded German WW2 bomb was discovered yesterday. 'The soldiers are constructing a blast protection layer around the device before they can begin work on rendering it safe.' According to Brent Council, work on the site is expected to continue until at least Friday afternoon. In the early hours of Friday morning, experts from the Royal Engineers and Logistics Corps were constructing a blast protection layer around the device. The structure had to be put in place before they could begin work to make the device safe to move. A school, nursery and homes were evacuated yesterday after the device, pictured, was found in Brondesbury Park Work on removing the explosive, pictured, is expected to continue throughout the day and local residents were forced to take shelter in a nearby church overnight The device is believed to be a German bomb that would have dropped in the area during the Second World War Police set up a large exclusion zone after the bomb was found on Thursday morning, with schools, businesses and homes evacuated and roads closed. British Red Cross volunteers were drafted in to support affected locals and more than 50 people had to stay at a rest centre set up in a church in nearby Kensal Green. Scotland Yard said it was called to The Avenue, near Brondesbury Park, at around 11.30am. Superintendent Nigel Quantrell said: 'I would like to thank the community for their continued support as we and our partners deal with this incident. 'I can assure you that we are working very hard to resolve the situation. The public's understanding and co-operation is deeply appreciated.' Workers were at the site, pictured, preparing to build an apartment block before the discovery of the bomb Residents spoke of their fear after police were 'banging on their doors' and a helicopter was 'flying above the road' after the discovery The emergency services have thanked locals for their patience and support while the bomb disposal work takes place, pictured Roxanne Landripet, 24, told the Evening Standard: 'There were police banging on people's doors and then I started to hear a helicopter flying around above the road.' 'A police officer knocked on my door and told me we had to leave because an unexploded World War Two bomb had been found. 'There were fire engines, ambulances and police cars everywhere. People were a bit panicky.' Another resident tweeted: 'There's an unexploded World War Two bomb on a construction site near my house! Scary!' And a third said: 'Police have just knocked and told us we must evacuate they have found an unexploded WW2 bomb opposite the building.' A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: 'The brigade is currently assisting police at the scene of a suspected World War Two bomb on a building site on The Avenue. Discovery: Two fire engines and 14 firefighters were sent to the site following the discovery of the bomb yesterday Close up: The suspected unexploded Second World War bomb was found on a building site 'Police have put cordons in place and there are road closures in the area. Some local buildings have been evacuated as a precaution. 'The brigade was called at 11.50am. Two fire engines and 14 firefighters and officers from West Hampstead fire station are at the scene.' Property developer Regal Homes is building 74 one, two and three bedroom homes on the site, and said excavations had unearthed 'an object of concern'. It added: 'We would like to thank the local authorities, police, army and emergency services for their extraordinary professionalism and bravery in the face of adversity. 'We would also like to extend our gratitude to our internal team who have worked throughout the night alongside all the aforementioned services to achieve a safe outcome and minimalize inconvenience to residents. 'We thank the public for their patience and understanding over the last 24 hours.' Local residents told of 'scary' scenes as police knocked on their doors and told them to leave their homes on The Avenue, which has an average house value of 850,000 And Brent Council tweeted: 'A suspected unexploded WW2 bomb found near the junction of Willesden Lane. Army are on their way, residents advised to avoid area.' Unexploded bombs are still being found in the present day across London following the Blitz, which was the most intense bombing campaign Britain has ever seen. Between September 7, 1940 and May 21, 1941 there were major raids with more than 30,000 tonnes of high explosives dropped on 16 British cities. London was attacked 71 times and bombed by the Luftwaffe for 57 consecutive nights. More than one million London houses were destroyed or damaged. More than 40,000 civilians were killed, almost half of them in London. Birmingham, Liverpool and Plymouth were also hit eight times, and Bristol six. Plans are underway to line Bourke Street with concrete flowerbeds or boulders as a counter measure for future protection against vehicle attacks. The horrific mayhem that gripped Melbourne's CBD in January earlier this year has prompted Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton to seriously consider protection for pedestrians along Bourke Street. The chief commissioner said permanent environmental design fittings such as concrete flowerbeds or boulders would add security for pedestrians, while not restricting movement, Herald Sun reports. Victorian Police have outlined their intent to add a layer of protection to the streets of Melbourne's CBD after Dimitrious Gargasoulas allegedly killed six people when driving into pedestrians in January Six people were killed in January when Dimitrious Gargasoulas, 26, allegedly ran through Bourke Street hitting people with his car 'We just want to make sure that the CBD itself is as good as it can be in terms of people hopping into vehicles and doing damage with vehicles,' Mr Ashton told the Herald Sun. 'But there's a challenge with that, because you've also got to move people around. Victoria Police are in advanced talks with the Melbourne city council and the state government since Dimitrious Gargasoulas, 26, allegedly drove into pedestrians in Bourke Street, killing six people in January. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle told the publication he expects that the coronial inquiry will have outcomes that will impact their considerations. A farmer who dumped five tons of muck outside a court room during a battle with a law firm has been evicted by bailiffs after failing to make mortgage payments. Charles Hirons, 49, was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in January after spraying Derby Crown Court with five tonnes of manure, in protest at law firm Walter Scott & Ross, which closed suddenly in 2009. The Derbyshire firm was shut by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after a probe into 'serious financial irregularities' found that its partners, Alistair Ross and Darrell Holmes, had used clients accounts for their own benefit. Scroll down for video Charles Hirons with his note and tractor after he sprayed Derby Crown Court with five tonnes of manure in January Street cleaners working on the steps to remove the huge piles of manure, which turned out to be dirt More than 60 clients were left in limbo, including many who had employed it to draw up house deeds and trust funds. Mr Hirons, of Derbyshire, had used the firm to represent him in the disputed division of a family estate. But the sudden closure left the father-of-four who is well known in British Eventing, hundreds of thousands of pounds out of pocket and he has not been able to make the monthly mortgage payment on the home. On Friday morning the protestor was greeted by bailiffs and police men looking to evict him from his 410,000 country house, where he lives with his wife. On Friday morning, the farmer was evicted from his 410,000 house, where he lives with his wife and four children Standing in front of a 10ft tall pile of boxes full of paperwork that he claims was 'missing' and not returned to him until 2010, called for 'respect' and claimed 'this country is a joke.' After calling on officers to step forward and speak to him, the father decided to leave the property peacefully. He has been left with no place to stay, and it is possible that he will have to leave behind his huge collection of animals - which includes seven dogs, three horses and dozens of cows. The father has been left with nowhere to stay and it is possible he will have to leave behind his animals, including his three horses Hirons apologised to the public for the inconvenience and vowed to pay for the clear up cost himself As part of his protest outside the court, a printed cardboard sign on the front of the red Massey Ferguson tractor left at the scene said: 'What a shame!!! 'What a shame to have to resort to this, today is a personal protest against the severely flawed judicial system that has consitantly (sic) failed to listen to simple truth & reason. 'Sorry for any inconvenience caused (to the general public).' He called for a legal inquiry into the law firm, but the SRA claimed its intervention had concluded in 2010. Speaking at the time, he said: 'When the intervention took place in 2009, I was in the middle of a heavyweight court case at the High Court in London and 31 boxes of my paperwork disappeared for three months. 'I want to apologise to anybody who was inconvenienced by what I did. I said I would pay for the cost of what I did and I will stand by that. 'I've been through such a difficult time and this was a chance to show what I thought of the legal and justice system.' This Roma baby was covered in 250 worth of banknotes during a christening estimated to cost 25,000. Milan Krvel and Lenka Krvelova from the town of Michalovce in eastern Slovakia's Kosice region threw the opulent christening party for their son Marcel. The party resembled the reality show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, with the men sporting gold chains as thick as ropes and the women in plush ballgowns. This Roma baby was covered in 250 worth of banknotes during a christening estimated to cost 25,000 According to Slovak Gypsy Television, the baby was dressed in a black and gold suit that cost 550. Proud father Milan told Gypsy Television that all his three children had received similar splendid christenings. He did not want to say how much he spent on the whole party but the TV channel estimated it at a mammoth 25,000. The guests gave 200, 100, 50 Euro banknotes to the baby as well as sheets of 20 notes stuck together and other presents, queuing up to present their gifts. Milan Krvel and Lenka Krvelova from the town of Michalovce in eastern Slovakia's Kosice region threw the opulent christening party for their son Marcel. Pictured: Guests arriving with gifts for Marcel Milan Krvel and Lenka Krvelova (left, right) did not want to say how much he spent on the whole party but the TV channel estimated it at a mammoth 25,000 Although little Marcel (pictured being held by his mother, Lenka) looks like he will want for nothing in life, most Roma in Slovakia and Romania are less lucky Although little Marcel looks like he will want for nothing in life, most Roma in Slovakia and Romania are less lucky. More than 70 percent of Europe's gypsies live in dire poverty, are often marginalised in society. Europe is estimated to have 10-12 million Roma, many of them concentrated in eastern, former communist countries. In a 2013 survey by the EU's Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), 27 percent of Roma men complained of ethnic discrimination when looking for work. Jacqueline Watts's car was found running with the emergency flashers on in Columbus, Indiana A 33-year-old Indianapolis woman was found dead on a sandbar by Flatrock River Saturday morning. Jacqueline Watts's car was found abandoned near a wooded area hours after she was set to fly to Washington, D.C. with her husband. She dropped off her pet rabbit and dogs at her parents' house before the trip. But she did not meet her husband at home before they were supposed to head to the airport Friday afternoon according to The Republic. Her disappearance was considered 'suspicious'. Police found Watts's car running with the passenger door open near a wooded area in Columbus, which is an hour drive outside Indianapolis. Her purse and cellphone were inside the vehicle and the emergency flashers were on. Columbus Police searched the area near where her car was found and held a press conference Saturday morning. Officers looked over the area overnight and reached out to the Louisville Metropolitan police department to search with a helicopter At 8.30am found her body on a sandbank an hour after police started searching the area Saturday. They did not disclose where along the river her body was found. It is not clear how she died at this time. Her cause of death will be released after her autopsy which is scheduled for Monday. Officers found Watts's body (pictured right and left with her husband) less than 12 hours after she went missing The investigation is ongoing and the police spokesman urged the public to not jump to conclusions or post rumors on social media. The press officer referenced a false rumor about a bloodied woman walking out of the woods. This also may have been in reference to rumors surrounding the two teens who were found murdered along Deer Creek in Delphi, which is about an hour north of Indianapolis. Police confirmed there have not been any arrests in this case. The investigation is ongoing and the police spokesperson urged the public to not jump to conclusions or post rumors on social media Liberty German and Abigail Williams were found near Monon High Bridge Trail which is 121 miles away from where Watts's car was found on Riverside Drive in Columbus, according to Fox59. Watts's sister in law Jen Watts Barrie posted on Facebook the details about what Jacqueline was doing before she went missing. She wrote: 'My sister in law, Jackie, has been missing since this afternoon. She and my brother were flying to DC tonight for a visit, and she didn't come home to meet Michael and go to the airport. 'She dropped their dogs off at my parents' house and rabbit off at her parents' house and no one heard from her afterward. Her car has been located in Columbus, IN, running, with her cell phone and purse inside and the passenger side door open.' 'PLEASE PLEASE view her picture, jog your memories and ask others to take a look. Please pray and send good thoughts. We love her and need her home safe and sound.' Jacqueline Watts's car was found abandoned near a wooded area hours after she was set to fly to Washington, D.C. The sound of howling dogs filled downtown Anchorage on Saturday as mushers from around the world gathered for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. About 2,000 dogs belonging to 72 mushers are waiting their turn to hit the trail this year. The race spans nearly 1,000 miles along Alaska's frozen Bering Sea coast, ending in the community of Nome. The ceremonial start is a fan-friendly event designed to show off mushing to fans in Alaska's largest city. Spectators can pet the dogs, mingle with mushers and even grab an autograph or two. Scroll down for video Big day: Alaska Gov. Bill Walker tweeted this photo of dogs wearing green boots on Saturday Event: Walker shared this photo of people outside for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Competitor: Walker shared this photo, writing: 'Everyone know's DeeDee Jonrowe's dogs with those famous pink boots! Go DeeDee go! #Iditarod' Fashion statement: The adorable dogs are seen wearing their pink boots on Saturday while out in the snow Racers then leave the downtown area every two minutes in a staggered start with an Iditarider - people who won auctions for a prime spot in a competitor's sled - for an 11-mile course on city trails and streets. City crews trucked in snow overnight to make the streets ready for the dog sleds. Anchorage had more than enough snow to stage the ceremonial start. But just a few hundred miles north, the Alaska Range - a mountain span that includes Denali - has little snow and open-water conditions. That has prompted race officials to move the competition's official start from the Anchorage area, over the mountain range to Fairbanks to avoid the dodgy spots. It's the second time in the past three years, and third in the past 14, that the race has had to move to Fairbanks to find suitable winter conditions to start. Here we are! A dog team is seen during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday Crowd: Onlookers are pictured gathered in Anchorage, Alaska, for the ceremonial start Greetings! This photo shows people performing a welcome song before the ceremonial start of the race, according to Instagram user Finn Ryan But there is good news for mushers and dogs making the journey to Nome. 'There's lots of snow on the trail,' race marshal Mark Nordman said after surveying the route late last week. 'Lots of deep snow. And when we're on the (Yukon) river, it's a freeway.' The official start of the race is Monday. Dallas Seavey, who turned 30 on Saturday, has won four of the last five Iditarods. He's looking to join Rick Swenson as the race's only five-time winners. Five other mushers have four wins, but no one in the past quarter-century has captured the elusive fifth title. A rule change this year will allow mushers to carry satellite or cellphones for the first time ever. The rule change was prompted after a drunken man on a snowmobile last year charged at two teams in separate attacks, killing one dog and injuring others. Off they go! A team of dogs is seen trekking through the snow in Alaska on Saturday Snowy adventure: Dogs are pictured wearing boots while out and about in Alaska on Saturday, in a photo from KTVA Trek: The race spans nearly 1,000 miles along Alaska's frozen Bering Sea coast, ending in the community of Nome Dallas Seavey, who turned 30 on Saturday, has won four of the last five Iditarods. Seavey is pictured in a March 2016 photo after finishing the race Elsewhere on Saturday, more than a dozen mushers departed amid a cacophony of barking dogs and cheering spectators for a 250-mile dash across the wilderness of northern Maine. The Irving Woodlands Can-Am Crown, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, takes dog sled teams through forests and over hills near the Canadian border. The grueling course is tough enough to serve as qualifier for the 1,100-mile Iditarod across Alaska. 'We cross one mountain to the other. You just feel like you're climbing them, never descending them,' Martin Massicotte said in French, which his wife translated for him. The seven-time winner from St. Tite, Quebec, was among more than a dozen mushers who will make their way to Portage Lake and then to the town of Allagash before looping back to Fort Kent by Monday morning. There is a combined purse of $44,000 for the 250-mile race, along with two shorter races. Each race is different. Dress to impress: One person was pictured on Saturday dressed in a very colorful outfit in Alaska Brr! A dog's breath is visible in this photograph taken Saturday The temperature plummeted to minus-38 during the first Can-Am Crown, and winner Andrew Nadeau, of Sainte-Melanie, Quebec, had 6- to 7-inch icicles dangling from his beard at the finish line. A year later, the temperature soared to 61 degrees, and the race had to be cut short at 200 miles. This year, there has been recent record-breaking warmth in New England, but there is still 2 feet of snow on the ground in the woods in northern Maine. High temperatures in single digits Saturday and in the teens Sunday should be perfect for the mushers and their dogs, said Beurmond Banville, race spokesman. Fun: The ceremonial start is a fan-friendly event designed to show off mushing to fans in Alaska's largest city Massicotte works in the paving business when he is not mushing. While he has won seven times, the competition is fierce and victory is never a sure thing, he said. His most memorable moment came three years ago, when he broke Nadeau's record of four victories with a comeback on the last stage to win by a mere one minute, five seconds. In 2008, he was down to eight dogs but managed to overtake Don Hibbs 15 miles from the finish. 'I do not remember winning any of these races easily,' he said. Two unidentified bodies that were found in a Fairfax County, Virginia park are believed to be connected to the violent street gang MS-13, it was announced on Friday. The gang has been highlighted in the media in recent weeks after two men were arrested in connection to the 'satanic' killing of a 14-year-old girl in Houston, and 13 people were arrested in the murder of three teens in Long Island. A young couple with ties to MS-13 were also allegedly killed by gang members in the Fairfax area in recent months. Sixteen people total, at least ten of whom are minors, have since been arrested for their murders. Two unidentified bodies that were found in a Springfield, Virginia park are believed to be connected to the violent street gang MS-13, it was announced on Friday Police believe the two new bodies announced on Friday had been in Holmes Run Park in Fairfax County, Virginia for less than a year. One was found buried at the top of a hill, and the other at the bottom. They were recovered just a few hundred feet away from a residential cul-de-sac, the Washington Post reported. Damaris Alexandra Reyes Rivas, 15 was reportedly murdered on February 11 by MS-13 In 2014, the bodies of two different unidentified people killed by MS-13 were found in the same park. In January and February, Damaris Reyes Rivas, 15, and Christian Alexander Sosa Rivas, 21, were also both killed by gang members in Fairfax County. The area is considered a 'hot-spot' for MS-13 activity. Damaris' mother said she left home in December and began to hang around gang members. Christian Sosa Rivas, who Damaris had been dating, was reportedly part of the MS-13, and had fallen into bad graces after claiming to be a leader of the local sanction. Damaris' cousin Angelica Ivania Barahona-Rivas, 18, was reported missing last week after failing to return home from work. She was later found safe and unharmed. Damaris' body was discovered in an industrial park on February 11. Authorities believe she was led to the woods under the pretense of smoking marijuana. The scene of the murder is seen above in this photo shared to Twitter by Alexandra Limon She was then removed from the car and reportedly shouted, 'I've been set up'. Police believe she was questioned by gang members about he relationship with Christian Sosa Rivas, with whom one member had previously had a relationship. She was then stabbed with a bowie knife and died of 'multiple forms of trauma to the upper body'. Video evidence has reportedly played a role in the reconstruction of events. Christian Sosa Rivas' body washed up along the shoreline of the Potomac River in Dumfries, Virginia in January. Police believe that the suspects arrested in connection to his death used social media to lure him to the area. Angelica Maria Blanco, 19, and Keyri Sujey Portillo Gonzalez, 18, were charged as co-conspirators in his killing. Four more people have also been charged with murder in the case. The bodies announced to have been found on Friday, the murders of Damaris Rivas and Christian Sosa Rivas, and the two unidentified bodies found at Holmes Run Park in 2014 all have ties to MS-13 and took place in Fairfield County, Virginia. Angelica Maria Blanco, right, and Keyri Sujey Portillo Gonzalez, left, were charged as co-conspirators in the killing of Christian Sosa Rivas 'This problem is horrible,' Fairfax Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. said. 'This is four murders in this park. Obviously, we've had other murders in the region in the past few weeks. This is getting out of control.' He asked parents to be aware of possible signs of children becoming affiliated with gangs. MS-13 is notorious for recruiting young middle and high-school aged children to do their bidding and breed into violent criminals. Gang experts believe the wave of unaccompanied minors entering the United States are particularly at risk and make up a large proportion of new inductees to MS-13. The MS-13 is the first and only criminal organization in the United States to be named as 'transnational' by the FBI and operates on the motto of 'Kill, Rape, Control,' Massachusetts Attorney Carmen Ortiz said. The group was started nearly 20 years ago in Los Angeles after millions of immigrants from El Salvador came to the United States after a violent civil war left over 100,000 dead. The gang has since spread all over the country, and are known widely as the best killers - due to their exceedingly brutal weapon of choice, a machete. Islamic extremists claim to have shot down a Syrian air force plane close to the Turkish border. Militant group Ahrar al-Sham claimed that one of its anti-aircraft units shot down the warplane with a homemade Manpad system known as 'Olive one'. Turkey's state-run news agency also reported that a plane has crashed near the Syria-Turkey border. Islamic extremists claim to have shot down a Syrian air force plan close to the Turkish border The Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) confirmed it had lost contact to a plane, which flying low in Idlib province, but denied it had been shot down. A source said the warplane had encountered technical difficulties, which had caused it to rapidly drop in altitude. The Syrian pilots reportedly eject safety from the fighter jet, landing on Turkish soil in the country's Hatay province. The pilots are believed to be in custody in Turkey. Hatay province governor Erdal Ata told Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency that the plane was 'likely' a military aircraft, but that there was no airspace violation and no intervention by Turkish forces, adding that it might have been a technical problem. Rescue teams have been sent to the area. Private Dogan news agency reported nearby villagers had called authorities reporting a crash at around 6.30pm local time Saturday. They also told authorities that the pilots had allegedly ejected before the crash. The Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) confirmed it had lost contact to a plane, but denied it had been shot down Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters that 'we have information that a MIG model plane belonging to the Syrian regime' had crashed near the town of Samandag. Mr Ata said rescue teams had arrived at the wreckage and reported that the cockpit was empty. Ahmed Karaali, spokesman for the opposition military group Ahrar al-Sham, told Anadolu that they shot the plane down because it was bombing the countryside in the north-western Syrian town of Idlib. Al-Masdar News claims to have obtained a leaked recording of a conversation between the pilot and a Syrian aerial command center. The recording revealed that radar issues meant that the plane was unable to turn back. Islamist militants in Idlib have previously downed several jets that have flown over rebel-held areas. The extremists have captured and executed Syrian and Russian pilots after their planes were brought down behind enemy lines. As Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill's claims that she had never met with Sergey Kislyak were proven to be untrue, six more Democrats have been revealed to have met with the Russian Ambassador. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Robert Casey of Pennsylvania and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island sat in on the meeting with Kislyak and McCaskill, Fox News reported. The seven Democratic leaders met with the ambassador to discuss the blockade of US adoptions in Russia in 2013. Six more Democrats have been revealed to have met with the Russian Ambassador Senator Claire McCaskill after she denied ever meeting with Sergey Kislyak A spokeswoman for Sessions claimed the ex-senator's contact with Kislyak was not unusual because he sat on the Senate's Armed Services Committee at the time. Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill pushed back on Twitter - her claim was later found to be false McCaskill's claims were quickly disproved after Charles C.W. Cooke of the National Review discovered tweets saying otherwise Klobuchar said in a statement that she was at the meeting to tell Kislyak about the families she met in Minnesota. McCaskill was one of the slew of Democratic lawmakers demanding Attorney Jeff Sessions' head after it was revealed he had met with Kislyak twice last year. The Missouri senator had denied meeting him saying in her ten years serving on the Armed Services Committee, she was involved in 'no call or meeting' with the Russian diplomat. Her claims were quickly disproved after Charles C.W. Cooke of the National Review discovered tweets saying otherwise. 'Off to meeting w/Russian Ambassador. Upset about the arbitrary/cruel decision to end all US adoptions, even those in process,' she tweeted on January 2013. That same year in August, McCaskill tweeted again: 'Today calls with British, Russian and German Ambassadors re: Iran deal. #doingmyhomework.' She told USA Today the meeting was with around a dozen other senators. She said: 'The Russian ambassador has never called me. 'The Russian ambassador has never requested a meeting. I have never met with the Russian ambassador one-on-one.' Among the Democratic leaders calling for Sessions's resignation, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was also accused of meeting with Kislyak in the past after she had denied meeting him. Photos show Pelosi and other lawmakers seated at a dinner table with Kislyak in 2010. Then-senator Sessions had a private conversation with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak (pictured above) last September in his office - but did not disclose it. That did not stop the Russian from being at the Joint Session of Congress addressed earlier this week by the president President Donald Trump went after Democratic Senator Charles Schumer by retweeting this photo of Schumer and Russian President Vladimir Putin President Trump demanded an 'investigation' of House minority leader Nancy Pelosi after a photo emerged showing her seated at a table with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. On Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any investigations involving the presidential election after it was revealed he twice met the ambassador during the campaign. WHAT SESSIONS SAID WHICH STARTED LIES ROW - AND COULD COST HIM HIS JOB During Jeff Session's Attorney General confirmation hearing on January 10 he was questioned about the Trump campaign's relations with Moscow. Sen. Al Franken: 'If there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign, communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what would you do? Jeff Sessions: 'Sen. Franken, I'm not aware of any of those activities. 'I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.' Advertisement Pelosi appeared to give a gift to the Trump White House, which has been sent reeling by reports of Trump's Russia ties, when she fielded a question about at a Politico interview Friday about whether she had ever met the current Russian ambassador, Sergey Kisliak. 'Not with this Russian ambassador, no,' was Pelosi's response. Within hours, a photo surfaced showing Pelosi seated around the same table as the peripatetic ambassador. Trump called for an investigation on the Democratic leader on Twitter. Pelosi's spokesman, Drew Hammill, told Politico, which published the photo, that Pelosi had meant she'd never met solo with the ambassador. Donald Trump also called for an investigation of Senator Chuck Schumer after tweeting an old photo of Schumer and Russian President Vladmir Putin smiling and eating doughnuts. The 2003 photo was taken in New York, as Schumer welcomed Putin for an event commemorating Lukoil's first gas station in Manhattan, Gateway Pundit revealed. Schumer had said at a press conference and on Twitter, 'DOJ must appoint a special prosecutor who is beyond reproach, completely impartial, w/out any significant ties to either political party.' On Saturday, protesters gather outside of the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. to march against Donald Trump and the government ties with Russia. Protesters march against President Trump outside the Russian Embassy on March 4 Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday morning that while he twice met with Russia's ambassador during the presidential campaign season, he was speaking with him in his capacity as a senator, not as a campaign adviser to Donald Trump The Trump administration has come under fire for Russia contacts, at a time when the Kremlin was under sanction following the country's invasion of Ukraine. DEMOCRAT SENATOR GOING AFTER SESSIONS WASN'T TRUTHFUL EITHER Missouri Democratic senator Claire McCaskill lead the charge against Sessions - saying she had never met the Russian ambassador. But that position was contradicted by her own Twitter account. It showed that she had met him once and called him once. Surprisingly, McCaskill brazened out the apparent hypocrisy. She told USA Today the meeting was with around a dozen other senators. And she said: 'The Russian ambassador has never called me. 'The Russian ambassador has never requested a meeting. I have never met with the Russian ambassador one-on-one.' Advertisement In 2003, at the time the Schumer meeting occurred, Putin had not yet fully emerged into his role as perpetual adversary to U.S. policy goals. In 2001, President George W. Bush famously said after meeting Putin, 'I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul.' In the intervening years Putin cracked down on the free press, helped engineer his departure and return to power, put down a rebellion in Chechnya, and interfered in the politics of its neighbors. The U.S. intelligence community has concluded that Russia hacked the U.S. elections. Schumer has called for a special prosecutor to investigate Trump Russia ties and whether an investigation has already been compromised. He has called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign, and was among the first to call for Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation something Sessions did on Thursday in a dramatic announcement. 'Because the Department of Justice should be above reproach, for the good of the country, Attorney General Sessions should resign,' Schumer said. In addition to Kushner, former national security advisor Mike Flynn met with Russia's ambassador. The Daily Caller reported at least 22 visits by ambassador Sergey Kislyak to the White House during the Obama administration. The number of advisors linked to President Donald Trump who met with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. has grown to five with two more acknowledging the contacts Thursday night. Police arrested North Korean Ri Jong Chol who worked in Malaysia as a chemist A North Korean chemist suspected of masterminding the murder of Kim Jong-un's brother has claimed he is the victim of a Malaysian conspiracy to tarnish his country. Kim Jong-nam was killed at Kuala Lumpur International airport by two female assassins who rubbed a deadly nerve agent on his face in the departure lounge on 13 February. Police arrested Ri Jong Chol who worked in Malaysia trading ingredients needed for soap but he was released due to insufficient evidence. Today he accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri said that he was not at the airport the day Kim was killed, but that police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with 'fake evidence'. He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. 'These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia,' Ri said. 'This is when I realised that it was a trap, they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation.' He said he knew nothing of the accusation that his car was used in the murder, adding: 'I didn't go (to the airport), and I had no reason to go. I was just doing my work. Shocking pictures show Kim Jong-nam slumped in a chair having been poisoned. He later died on his way to the hospital 'I realised that this is a conspiracy, plot, to try to damage the status and honor of the republic.' Meanwhile, the Malaysian government has expelled North Korea's ambassador for criticising the investigation into the killing of Kim Jong Nam. Foreign minister Anifah Aman said in a statement that a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy on Saturday saying ambassador Kang Chol must leave the country within 48 hours. He said that earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded North Korea apologises for criticising the investigation into the February 13 killing of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. He said no apology had come and none appears forthcoming, so Malaysia has decided to expel the ambassador. 'It should be made clear, Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation,' Anifah said. Vietnamese suspect Doan Thi Huong (left) leaves court on Wednesday after being charged with the murder of Kim Jong-Nam. She could also be hanged if she is found guilty Indonesian suspect Siti Aisya leaves court after being charged with the murder of Kim Jong-Nam. She could also be hanged if she is found guilty The death of Kim, the half brother of Kim Jong Un, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Ambassador Kang Chol's expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah had said this was an 'indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities'. Two women, one Indonesian, one Vietnamese, have been charged with murder in the case, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. North Korea earlier had rejected Malaysia's post mortem finding that VX killed Kim. Seven other North Koreans are wanted in connection with the killing, including a diplomat and an airline employee who are believed to be in Malaysia Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Un's half brother, as Malaysian government officials have confirmed. Kim Jong Nam reportedly fell out of favour with his father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. The Federal Aviation Administration has reported 27 violations of airspace restrictions near Trump's Mar-A-Lago estate in the last month. Aircraft pilots flew across South Florida's skies violating the restrictions that go into effect when the president is in town, The Sun Sentinel reported. In one instance, two Air Force F-15s jets speeding to intercept an aircraft caused a sonic boom that rattled Palm Beach and Broward counties. Scroll down for video Presidential Airspace: Aircraft pilots flew across South Florida's skies violating the restrictions that go into effect when the president is in town Coral Springs Mayor Skip Campbell said he thought it was a bomb that shook his home. Janet Marnane a former Navy flight officer told the paper the pilots are not used to the regulations in the area, but it will need to become the 'new normal.' The names of the pilots who received the violations weren't released. Agency officials told the newspaper they're investigating each case. The FAA said it will reach out to South Florida pilots to educate them about the restrictions activated within 30 miles of the estate when Trump visits. The agency recently held briefings for pilots at airports in Boca Raton and Palm Beach. Fighter jets enforce a no-flyzone around Trump's Palm Beach home Pilots must abide by restrictions activated within 30 miles of the estate when Trump visits In 2001, pilots would also inadvertently fly out near President George W Bush's ranch near Dallas in the beginning of his presidency, according to aviation attorney and former US Air Force officer David Norton. Norton said pilots may be subjected to license suspension for violating presidential restrictions. Fighter jet pilots will try to intercept the planes and get the other pilot's attention with hand signals,' Michael Kucharek, a spokesman for North American Aerospace Defense Command told the Sentinel. They also use alternative methods such as 'rocking the wings' which includes flying in front of the plane for attention. If that fails, Kucharek said shooting down the plane 'is an option'. Yoset Dominguez-Serrano pleaded guilty in January to first-degree murder in the February 2015 killing of Antonio Hernandez-Ledezma, 24 (pictured), of Boardman, Oregon A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in a Washington State court for acting as a vigilante and murdering another man who he mistakenly believed impregnated a 13-year-old girl. Yoset Dominguez-Serrano pleaded guilty in January to first-degree murder in the February 2015 killing of Antonio Hernandez-Ledezma, 24, of Boardman, Oregon. Dominguez-Serrano, of Outlook, Washington, received the prison sentence Friday in Yakima County Superior Court, the Yakima Herald reported. The 21-year-old told police he killed the Oregon man because he believed he had impregnated his 13-year-old relative and wanted to protect his family's honor. Following the murder, DNA tests showed Hernandez-Ledezma was not responsible for the pregnancy. 'You honored no one,' Judge Richard Bartheld told Dominguez-Serrano. 'You dishonored your family by committing a heinous crime.' Yakima County sheriff's detectives say the Washington man lured Hernandez-Ledezma to a meeting by pretending to be interested in buying his car. Investigators later found the car abandoned with the front passenger window broken, blood on the passenger seat and a spent bullet cartridge under the emergency brake lever. Yakima County sheriff's detectives say the Washington man lured Hernandez-Ledezma to a meeting by pretending to be interested in buying his car (pictured) Investigators later found the car (pictured) abandoned with the front passenger window broken, blood on the passenger seat and a spent bullet cartridge under the emergency brake lever In September 2015, a hiker found skeletal remains near an orchard. DNA tests confirmed they belonged to Hernandez-Ledezma. Defense attorney Aaron Dalan said Dominguez-Serrano isn't a sophisticated criminal. 'He believed he was acting, at least in his mind, to protect his family and the honor of his family,' Dalan said. Claudia Hernandez, Hernandez-Ledezma's sister, spoke with other family members in court about their loss. 'I just want to say that he left a big family, a family that never got to say goodbye for the last time,' Hernandez said. Hernandez also said that her brother wanted to return to Mexico to visit his parents and five-year-old child who live there. Dominguez-Serrano faces deportation to Mexico once he completes his sentence. Supporters of President Donald Trump are convening near Trump Tower, the Washington Monument and several other places around the country in marches to show their pride in his presidency. Saturday's 'March 4 Trump' demonstrations are also intended to show unity in the face of what organizers call 'a seditious fringe' aiming to sabotage his vision for the country. A couple hundred supporters gathered in New York City near Trump Tower, chanting 'U-S-A' on Friday. At Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a smaller group gathered in a field lined with Trump campaign signs and flags. Scroll down for video Supporters of President Donald Trump are convening near Trump Tower, the Washington Monument and several other places around the country in marches to show their pride in his presidency Saturday's 'March 4 Trump' demonstrations are also intended to show unity in the face of what organizers call 'a seditious fringe' aiming to sabotage his vision for the country At Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a smaller group gathered in a field lined with Trump campaign signs and flags One held a sign reading: 'I am not a Democrat anymore.' Another read: 'Yes he is our president.' The event's GoFundMe page, which accrued $360 of their $5,000 goal, said: 'The Grass Roots of Pennsylvania ...the forgotten people, who were silent no longer on November 8, 2016 and voted RED for Donald J Trump are facing more challenges today. 'We cast our vote and now we must stand up and STOP THE FIGHT AND UNITE all Americans! OUR fight against these liberal paid rioters who want nothing but to destroy our democracy and LAW AND ORDER. 'Patriots, we cannot stay quiet! Those who want to interfere by bullying people especially those who voted Trump, by blocking highways, airports and beating people. ENOUGH! We need to stand tall as a nation and with OUR PRESIDENT and show the nation we will not be bullied into submission.' Once again Trump's route to Mar-a-Lago was met with supporters A couple hundred supporters gathered in New York City near Trump Tower, chanting 'U-S-A' on Friday As the president returned to Mar-a-Lago this weekend, his route was lined with dozens supportive signs and messages from fans donning American flags Trump supporters have held rallies in recent weeks to counter demonstrations against him A rally at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus turned into a clash of words when Trump protesters shouted 'No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA' over the supporters' 'U-S-A' chants. Trump supporters have held rallies in recent weeks to counter demonstrations against him. As the president returned to Mar-a-Lago this weekend, his route was lined with dozens supportive signs and messages from fans donning American flags. Last night, however, there were arrests outside the Four Seasons in Palm Beach where Trump was attending an event with Republican donors, the Palm Beach Post reported. Police confirmed at least one person was arrested and one was detained and questioned by the Secret Service. Advertisement Riverbanks along the Feather River in California have collapsed, after state officials shut off the Oroville Dam's damaged main spillway. The river level dropped suddenly, with almond farmer Brad Foster telling the San Francisco Chronicle: 'The damage is catastrophic.' He said: 'When the bank pulled in, it pulled the pumps with it. It busted the steel pipes.' Water officials announced Monday that they were closing the floodgates at the top of the spillway, stopping the release of water from Lake Oroville and showing that much of the concrete spillway is now gone. It's been replaced by a deep gash in the earth on both sides. State Department of Water Resources officials told the Chronicle they're keeping an eye on the Feather River for erosion. Most of the collapsed riverbanks have been reported in Sutter and Yuba counties, the newspaper said. Oroville Dam's crippled spillway is inspected via helicopter after it was shut off Monday, with the reduced water levels revealing the true extent of the damage. When the authorities shut off the water supply from the spillway, it revealed for the first time the gaping hole in the concrete passage that could cost hundreds of millions to fix A bird's eye view taken on Monday shows the massive pile of grey rubble that has settled at the bottom of the spillway What can be seen is the result of the massive collapse (pictured) when 100,000 cubic feet of water per second was rushing down the spillway This image provided by KCRA shows Oroville Dam's crippled spillway on Monday after California water authorities stopped the flow of water down the spillway, allowing workers to start clearing out debris Oroville Dam's crippled spillway is inspected via helicopter after it was shut off on Monday Monday's main spillway slowdown started at 6:45 a.m., going from 50,000 cubic feet per second to zero. The water was shut off by 2 p.m. Prune farmer Phillip Filter told the Chronicle: 'Most of the time, they'll give us three to five days, maybe even a week to lower the river. But what they did to this Feather River now is just ridiculous.' Yuba County emergency operations manager Scott Bryan told the newspaper: 'The landowners understand that the water will come up and do damage to their trees, but this is different. This is actual loss of their land due to sloughing.' He told the paper: 'I can't tell you 100 per cent it was because the Department of Water Resources allowed the water to drop too rapidly. But it's consistent with that.' Crews worked Tuesday to clean up dirt and debris from the base of Oroville Dam and biologists rushed to save stranded fish. Officials brought in extra heavy equipment to remove sediment, concrete and debris that washed down the eroded hillside and collected at the bottom. The decision to shut off water releases has severely curtailed the flow of water downstream on the Feather River, leaving fish stranded in pools of water separated from the main river channel. State biologists scrambled Tuesday to collect stranded fish and move them back to the river before they're eaten by birds, the water evaporates or it warms to lethal levels. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, about 1,900 trapped salmon and steelhead were saved between Tuesday and Thursday, with rescue efforts continuing Friday. Crews began restarting a power plant Friday at the base of Oroville Dam, allowing them to release water from the Northern California lake without having to send it over a badly damaged spillway, officials said. The move is a major milestone in the race to protect Oroville and downstream communities from the threat of flooding, said Bill Croyle, acting director of the California Department of Water Resources. Several days of dry weather allowed construction crews to remove part of a massive debris pile that trapped water at the base of the dam, threatening to flood the Hyatt Power Plant. Waters levels dropped about 30 feet from their peak Friday, far enough below the power plant's intake for electricians to reconnect the plant to the grid. One of six turbines was restarted, allowing dam managers to release 1,700 cubic feet per second through the power plant. After the water from the Oroville Dam's crippled spillway was shut off, construction workers dredge the river bed and remove debris in this Monday photograph Images reveal the steep passage that water from Lake Oroville, which is 75 miles north of Sacramento, one of Californias largest man made lakes About 14,000 cubic feet of water can be released through the power plant each second once five turbines are going - the sixth is undergoing more intensive repairs out of state - allowing officials to release much of the water flowing into the lake and prevent it from rising substantially. 'This is a pivot point in how we are managing the inflows to the river,' Croyle said. Even with the power plant operating, Croyle said he may still have to use the damaged spillway if heavy storms or spring snowmelt raise the lake level too high. He said crews will spray a substance on the hillside to limit further erosion if the spillway is used. As the spillway is reinforced and the situation gets less dire, engineers will begin transitioning from the emergency response to planning a permanent fix, Croyle said. It will likely take several weeks for officials to develop options for a long-term solution, which may include a temporary fix for next winter. The Monday photo reveals a huge hole in the top of the spillway, with a large chunk of the top edge missing from the crumbling waterway in California After the water from the Oroville Dam's crippled spillway was shut off, construction workers are shown clearing the rock debris Monday The problems at Lake Oroville began early last month when officials discovered a massive crater in the main concrete spillway used to release water during wet winter months. Water releases were curtailed so experts could investigate, followed by stronger-than-expected storm that filled the lake to capacity and sent water overflowing onto a hillside for the first time in the dam's five-decade history. Nearly 200,000 people were ordered to evacuate from parts of three counties when experts discovered severe erosion and feared it could cause the collapse of a concrete weir holding water in the lake. Crews opened the floodgates to more rapidly drain the lake, sending 100,000 cubic feet of water - enough to fill any Olympic swimming pool - each second down the damaged spillway. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Friday that he expects to release detailed evacuation plans next week that will show which homes are at risk in the event of a future failure at the dam, limiting the mass chaos that ensued when people rushed to higher ground when the blanket evacuation order was given. An estimated 1.7million cubic yards of rock, sediment and other debris washed down the hillside and collected at the base. Construction crews worked around the clock this week to haul debris to five nearby locations and clear a path for pooled water to drain. By Friday morning, about 10 per cent of the debris had been cleared. Photos from this angle reveal that the entire inside edge from a huge section of the spillway has been eroded following the near-disaster after record rainfall levels for February Lake Oroville, which is 75 miles north of Sacramento, is one of California's largest man made lakes and swelled after a month of heavy rains following five years of drought. Erosion created a 200ft-long, 30ft-deep hole in the main spillway, a large concrete chute off to the side, so officials stopped using it. As more water amassed in the lake, it began to pour over the emergency spillway to the side, which is a hill with no concrete chute. Officials then saw a gash forming below the lip of the emergency spillway meaning that it could burst at any minute. Officials said that the dam was structurally sound but 188,000 people in the cities of Oroville, Gridley, Live Oak, Marysville, Wheatland, Yuba City, Plumas Lake and Olivehurst were ordered to evacuate. Residents were left scared and confused and some likened the scenes - deserted towns and jammed highways - to a zombie apocalypse. A human tower team member has been killed and two others injured in a freak accident in Spain. The 51-year-old man died when he was crushed by a metal structure which was being dismantled in his team's Tarragona training room. His two colleagues, aged 50 and 52, were rushed to hospital, one of them in a serious condition. The 51-year-old man died when he was crushed by a metal structure which was being dismantled in his team's Tarragona training room. Pictured: An example of the event Human tower building is a long-held Catalan tradition that involves layers of people climbing on to each other's shoulders to create the most unusual shape possible. Contestants are split into teams, known as 'colle', and compete to build the tallest and most complex tower. They are famed for reaching up to ten 'human' layers, with a minimum of six, but are only deemed successful if they can keep their balance and get down again without any falls. The main human tower competition for Tarragona takes place each October and attracts thousands of spectators. Police said the fatal accident happened when the three men were dismantling the very heavy metal training structure which had been supporting a safety net. For some unknown reason, it collapsed on top of them. Emergency medics tried without success to revive the fatally injured man. The other two suffered severe bruising but were said to be conscious throughout the rescue. The main human tower competition for Tarragona takes place each October and attracts thousands of spectators The training room is used by the team known as the Xiquets del Serrallo. It is understood one of the men injured is the club president whilst the victim and the other man belong to another club, one of them also being its president. The Mayor of Tarragona, Josep Felix Ballesteros said the three men were dismantling the structure to take it to new training premises. 'We feel very sad, it is an accident of bad luck. I would like to express the deepest sympathy for both groups, that we are with them in these difficult times,' he said. In a statement, Xiquets del Serrallo council said it had been a 'terrible accident' and offered condolences to the family of the dead man and wished the injured pair a speedy recovery. Other teams say it is the most tragic day in the history of the tradition of human tower building. Police have confirmed an investigation is now underway. Advertisement Revellers remained in high spirits as they kept the party going well into the early hours following Australia's biggest gay pride festival. More than 12,000 parade participants and 185 floats made their way along Liverpool, Oxford and Flinders Streets in the 39th Mardi Gras parade on Saturday evening, with rain not dampening the enthusiasm of those attending. Many took to the streets to enjoy the party topless, although some appeared worse for wear as the night went on. More than 1,000 police had been on patrol across the route for this year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade and surrounding areas on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Acting Assistant Commissioner Tony Crandell, the policing operation's commander, said in a statement that police had worked closely with event organisers to ensure a safe and successful night for everyone involved. Scroll down for video Revellers remained in high spirits as they kept the party going well into Sunday following Australia's biggest gay pride festival A woman took her top off on the streets of Sydney following this year's Mardi Gras parade on Saturday evening Some appeared worse for wear as the night went on. Above, a woman is seen resting on the street in Sydney A party-goer dressed as pop singer Sia is seen taking a rest on the pavement after the celebrations More than 50 searches of people were conducted with the assistance of the dog squad at the parade's after party, leading to 15 arrests for alleged drug possession and three people being charged for supplying illicit drugs He said that police were pleased with overall crowd behaviour following this year's event. 'I'm pleased to report this was achieved with few exceptions,' he said. 'While there were a minority who refused to heed police advice, they were quickly identified and dealt with accordingly.' Police arrested a small number of people for offences including assault, malicious damage, drug possession and refusing to comply with police directions. More than 50 searches of people were conducted with the assistance of the dog squad at the parade's after party, leading to 15 arrests for alleged drug possession and three people being charged for supplying illicit drugs. Ambulance paramedics took about 30 people to hospital, with alcohol and drugs playing a significant role in a number of cases, police said. More than 50 searches of people were conducted with the assistance of the dog squad at the parade's after party Some ended up slumped over on the streets or were missing their footwear as the party continued into Sunday morning A man is pictured attempting to make his way into a taxi after a night of revelry at the Mardi Gras after party People in Sydney attempt to hail a taxi to get home after partying for Mardi Gras in the city on Saturday night Police are pictured patrolling the streets of Sydney, left, and right, a man in fancy dress gets emotional on the streets This woman wore a mask on her face paired with a revealing Spandex outfit during the celebrations Some of the parade's participants looked rather worse for wear as the night went on Glitter covered the streets as people took part in the annual celebration that lasted well into Sunday night A man in clad in just a pair of jeans and suspenders was pictured riding through the parade on the back of a car Women bared their breasts as they danced on the streets in glittery garb in the early hours of Sunday morning Authorities appeared to be turning a blind eye to topless women participating in the Mardi Gras Parade Crowds of people lined Oxford Street to see the 184 floats in the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney The weather didn't stop many from stripping down to barely anything as they took to the streets for the annual parade Ambulance paramedics took about 30 people to hospital, with alcohol and drugs playing a significant role People are pictured enjoying food at the end of a night's partying following the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade A woman splattered in paint and very little clothing blows a kiss to the camera during the revelry on Saturday The 39th annual Mardi Gras parade draws thousands of revellers out to the streets of Sydney in elaborate, dazzling costumes Imogen Anthony (right) appears in a flower-inspired costume with a long-blonde wig reaching down past her knees, as she poses alongside another reveller on Saturday evening Bright and bold colours! Parade participants take part in the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2017 in Sydney With just small pieces of material covering her intimate areas, this woman appears to be wearing more on her head than her body Bold and gold! One man is pictured completely painted in gold paint, and showered in glitter, with a feather-inspired head piece Suns out buns out! One festival goer celebrates the event in a pair of flesh-coloured fishnet stockings and a beaded gold skirt This woman appears to have embraced a bondage themed costume, with a leather face mask and leather whip 'Seeing a childhood friend in his tighty whities will be just one of the feasts for the senses this evening i'm sure!' one woman captioned her picture The LGBTIQ rights parade kicked off at 7pm - with high spirited revellers embracing the theme of colour, decking themselves in bright, bold and dazzlingly elaborate costumes. While some dressed up for the event, others appeared to have dressed down - boasting extremely skimpy, barely-there outfits. In one photo posted to Instagram on Saturday, a woman appeared to be completely nude, with just a slick of paint ensuring her modesty. She was pictured alongside two men wearing only white under-garments, paired with white angel wings. In another photo, one of the men was pictured from behind, angling his body towards the camera in a fun-loving, cheeky pose. In another photo, one of the men at the party is pictured from behind, angling his body towards the camera in a cheeky pose This woman is pictured with a smile plastered across her face as she poses for the camera, showing off her elaborately spray-painted body Posing with a hula-hoop, this woman exhibits all the colours of the rainbow spray-painted from head-to-toe on her body Rainbow hair was not the only colour this woman exhibited, as she went out covered in paint that appears to have been splashed on The girl on the right appears to have showered in glitter and paint before hitting the town with her friend for the annual parade Three girls pose together, linked arm-in-arm, as the 39th parade kicks off on Sydney's Oxford Street on Saturday night Two girls dressed in white shirts, rainbow coloured tutus and suspenders are pictured leaning in for a kiss as the night gets underway 'Ok Mardi Gras, hit me with your best shot baby,' this woman captioned her photos posted to Instagram on Saturday Suns out buns out! Many of the participants and those watching the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade have dressed up for the occasion 'Happy Mardi Gras, Sydney,' this man captioned his photo - as he dressed down with colourful angel wings on his back Group of men strip down to their swimmers to pose for a photo in front of Sydney's Opera House in celebration of Mardi Gras Members of the Tiwi Islands transgender community pose ahead of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Leather-bound and proud! Group of men covered in leather-inspired costume prepare for the night's festivities Running shoes paired with colourful tassels was the costume of choice for these three revellers - pictured before the parade 'Happy Mardi Gras, lovers,' this photo was captioned - as a woman in a pink leotard poses alongside two men in brightly coloured shirts Sequence, colour and feathers appear to be the theme in this photo which shows two immaculately dressed festival goers posing for a photo While an excuse to dress up and have fun with friends on the streets of Sydney, the Mardi Gras parade also promotes a serious message. The community event celebrates and supports Australia's LGBTIQ culture which includes people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer. The event was born in 1978, when the first LGBTIQ group took to the street to protest for equal rights. The protest was met with unexpected police violence when it marched down Oxford Street from Taylor Square to Hyde Park. The march was stopped when police swooped in on the 1,500 large group, ultimately arresting 53 men and women many of whom were met with police brutality. More protests were born in its defence, and 39 years later the event transformed into what it was today. A women with just stars to cover her nipples participates in the Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday night This group of revellers appeared to be enjoying the festivities as the parade wore on on the streets of Sydney Pink hair don't care! This woman appears in high spirits as she participates in the Saturday night parade This group of revellers appeared to be enjoying the festivities as the parade wore on on the streets of Sydney Two men in just undergarments and fairy wings walk arm in arm down the streets of Sydney during the parade Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten seen taking part in the 39th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, in Sydney A man decks himself in an embelished costume ahead of the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade in Sydney A surprise marriage proposal takes place at the start at the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday, as the parade gets underway The surprise marriage proposal appears to have gotten a positive response, as the two men appear to embrace each other Bachelorette star Georgia Love poses in a white mini-dress and knee-high boots, with a rainbow flag draping over her shoulders as she throws her support behind the gay pride parade Bright, bold and loud! One man sticks his tongue out enthusiastically as the parade gets underway Two men draped in leather, both with metal deadlocks around their necks, lean in for a kiss at the parade on Oxford Street 'Australian Leatherman 2017,' one man's sash reads - pictured alongside a group of leather-loving festival-goers A man is seen posing along side a man dressed as a clown, in heels and a white tutu with red sequence as Sydney counts down to the festival There appears to be no lack of rainbow coloured flags at the 2017 event, as swarms of people embrace the rainbow theme Masquerade! One festival-goer opts for a mask and stream of gold, silver and black beads to dress up for the pride event 'Our annual pic! Look out for the Glamcocks float tonight at Sydney Mardi Gras, have fun all!' these men captioned their photo 'Pat me on the fanny' this lady captioned her photo - which shows her stressed down in just underwear as she gears up for the annual festival 'Happy Mardi Gras! Cannot wait to see all the fabulous glitter-filled costumes and performances tonight! To all my loves marching, stay safe, party hard and most importantly, be proud!' one woman captioned her photo These three men embrace matching multi-coloured leggings and brightly coloured beads for their Mardi Gras costumes 'Happy Mardi Gras! Rowdy fans in full force this weekend!' this group captioned their picture which depicts them in barely-there outfits Blue paint! This man is seen covered top to toe in blue and white paint with white angel wings on his back at the parade Members of the Tiwi Islands transgender community pose ahead of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras The festival promises to celebrate equality and unbridled self-expression, with the help of bold colours and enthusiastic revellers. The event kicked off on Saturday afternoon as swarms of brightly-dressed revellers took to the streets in preparation for the long-awaited parade. Photos of the Tiwi Islands transgender community also emerged online ahead of the parade. After a successful crowd funding campaign, a group of 30 transgender women from the remote Northern Territory Tiwi Islands travelled over 4,000 kilometres to Sydney to represent their community. Their appearance at the Sydney Mardis Gras, was the first ever for their community. After a successful crowd funding campaign, a group of 30 transgender women from the remote Northern Territory Tiwi Islands travelled over 4,000 kilometres to Sydney After a successful crowd funding campaign, a group of 30 transgender women from the remote Northern Territory Tiwi Islands travelled over 4,000 kilometres to Sydney to represent their community for the first time at the Sydney Mardis Gras The transgender group embraced the Mardi Gras spirit, showering themselves in glitter and adopting brightly-coloured clothing After a successful crowd funding campaign, a group of 30 transgender women from the remote Northern Territory Tiwi Islands travelled over 4,000 kilometres to Sydney to represent their community for the first time About 12,000 people marched in the parade, which kicked off with Dykes on Bikes, one of Australia's most long-running LGBTI groups. The Australian Marriage Equality group, the Gay Nomads and dozens of other gay pride groups joined the march. Up to 500,000 people converged on Oxford Street to show their support - including a group of people who participated in the 1978 protest. The parade itself ran for about three-and-a-half hours, but the party continued into the night and early hours of Sunday morning. Feather boas, glitter and tight bike shorts! The costumes vary, but the theme of bright and fun-loving appears to be a constant 'R U Ok?' This group of men and women dress up in matching black and yellow outfits to spread their message of support Queens! Two brightly dressed revellers embrace the opportunity to wear their finest dresses, and most vibrant make-up Dancing their way down Oxford Street in the famed parade, this group of revellers appear to be enjoying themselves Headpieces paired with blue singlets and puffy tutus, this group of men are well-dressed as they jive their way through the night Blue lipstick finished off this woman's outfit superbly - pictured striking a pose for the camera in the middle of the parade Members of the Tiwi Islands community, together with friends, make their way through Oxford Street ahead of the parade Members of the Tiwi Islands transgender community pose as they make their way towards the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade Max Hill QC is now the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation The top barrister just appointed as the new terrorism watchdog is accused of an alleged cover-up of vital evidence that could cause one of Britains biggest terrorist cases to collapse the convictions of four men jailed for the 21/7 attempted London bombings. Max Hill QC, who has acted as lead prosecutor in many terrorist trials, was chosen last month by Home Secretary Amber Rudd to be the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation. He started the high-profile role last Wednesday it requires him to monitor whether Britains terror laws are working fairly and to report to Parliament. But The Mail on Sunday can today reveal that when Mr Hill presented the 21/7 bombings case to Woolwich Crown Court in 2007, the prosecution team, of which he was an important member, had been warned that forensic evidence against the four defendants and another member of the gang might be deeply flawed. Government scientists from the Ministry of Defence Forensic Explosives Laboratory (FEL) set out their concerns about the questionable evidence in a report before the trial. This should have been disclosed to the defence under rules to guarantee fair trials but the report stayed hidden. Mr Hill has said he was not aware of the FEL report before the trial. But other documents, obtained by this newspaper, show he did know serious issues about the forensic evidence had been raised by FEL experts. These documents, published here for the first time, were also not disclosed before the trial. They include the minutes of a secret case conference held on November 22, 2006, eight weeks before the trial began, with Mr Hill, Scotland Yard officers and other prosecution lawyers. There Mr Hill personally quizzed Dr Stuart Black, an associate professor in Reading Universitys archaeology department, who conducted forensic tests critical to the prosecutions case. It is highly unusual for an archaeologist to be consulted in this capacity. Dr Blacks evidence demolished the claims by the bombers that their devices were not designed to kill and maim. His tests supposedly proved that the devices were viable, and their chemical make-up was sufficient for them to detonate with destructive force. A video image released by police shows two of the alleged July 21 bombers Muktar Said Ibrahim (left) and Ramzi Mohammed during their arrest in London on July 29, 2005 But the case conference minutes, seen by the MoS, show Mr Hill pointed out to Dr Black that he had made a crucial mistake about the chemical composition of the home-made bombs and that a correction had to be made over their concentration. Earlier that day, another document seen by this newspaper reveals that one of Mr Hills prosecution colleagues, who also attended the conference, had visited the FEL, which had been asked by investigators to review Dr Blacks work. Astonishingly, the document a copy of notes taken by one of the lawyers shows FEL chief scientist Clifford Todd told them Dr Black had used the wrong method to test the explosives. Moreover, Mr Todd expressed concern that Dr Black was not a forensic scientist, he is an academic and had a lack of experience in forensic work. The MoS has established that Dr Black had never, before this time, been involved in a terrorism case. According to the note, Mr Todd told the lawyers he could pick lots of holes in Dr Blacks work, especially re quality systems. He had made a basic error in calculating the proportions of chemicals in the explosive mixture, and had got his figures back to front. When it came to the trial, Mr Hill did not disclose anything about the problems raised by Mr Todd and the FEL, nor did he mention the case conference to the defendants lawyers. Four of the convicted bombers have now submitted a dossier to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), asking it to order a fresh hearing at the Court of Appeal. In further documents seen by this newspaper, their lawyers claim Mr Hills failure to disclose documents relating to Dr Black amounts to a bad faith abuse of process so casting a potential shadow over Mr Hills role as Terrorism Reviewer. Last night, leading counter-terrorism expert Professor Anthony Glees, director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham, said Ms Rudds decision to appoint Mr Hill was bizarre. He added: This is an extremely important job, but the right person would be a lawyer who has never been involved in terrorism cases at all not one who has been prosecuting them for years. Its completely unacceptable to choose someone like Mr Hill, and it amounts to a conflict of interest. The doubts over his role in the 21/7 case are a further reason to question the wisdom of appointing him, and Im surprised hes accepted it. Mr Hill has denied he was party to any cover-up. Last night he refused to comment on the case, but his spokesman said he places the highest value on personal integrity and the maintenance of his professional reputation. The reason why Dr Blacks evidence was so important was that the 21/7 devices, carried in rucksacks by Muktar Ibrahim, Yasin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman on to three Underground trains and a bus, did not explode. They claimed in their defence that this was deliberate, telling the court they had intended only to terrify people to make a political point against Britains invasion of Iraq. Dr Stuart Black made a crucial mistake The 2005 incident took place just two weeks after the 7/7 bombings in which 52 people were killed by devices of an apparently similar type. The fifth member of the 21/7 gang, Manfo Asiedu, who abandoned his device on wasteground, eventually pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause explosions. During the manhunt for the 21/7 bombers, police shot dead the innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes on a Tube train. There was little doubt that all five men arrested were guilty of serious offences, which could have sent them to prison for many years for example, conspiracy to cause explosions or possessing explosives. Having pleaded guilty to these offences, Asiedu was jailed for 33 years. He will be eligible for release on licence in 2023. But to convince the jury they were guilty of conspiracy to murder the most serious offence for which they were charged the prosecution, led by Mr Hill and Nigel Sweeney QC, now a High Court judge, had to prove the devices had been viable as bombs. For this, they relied on Dr Black. Dr Black told the court that his tests on the devices, using an innovative technique known Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), proved the devices were viable and capable of causing explosions strong enough to kill and maim. He contended that the homemade explosive from which they were made had not, as the defendants claimed, been deliberately diluted with tap water. At the trial, Dr Blacks evidence went largely unchallenged. The defence instructed an expert witness, but in court he admitted he was not an expert in IRMS. Ibrahim, Mohammed, Omar and Osman were found guilty and sentenced to life, with a combined total of 160 years in jail. They were told they had to serve a minimum term of 40 years before they could be considered for release. In 2008, they fought and lost an appeal. Then, in 2010, an FEL whistleblower contacted Stephen Kamlish QC, who had been Asiedus barrister. The whistleblower, Sean Doyle, had been the FELs chief research scientist, and is one of the worlds leading experts in Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry. He told Mr Kamlish that long before the 21/7 trial, using a formal miscarriage of justice procedure imposed in response to wrongful convictions in IRA bomb cases in the 1970s, senior FEL scientists had written a report that was highly critical of Dr Black. It not only drew attention to flaws in his methods and calculations, but also stated IRMS should not have been used to determine whether the unexploded devices had been viable bombs at all. It was, the report said, the wrong tool. The FEL miscarriage of justice procedure states that if scientists invoke it, their report must normally be given to the defence and prosecution teams in a criminal case in order to ensure fair trials. No mention was made of the miscarriage report at the 21/7 trial. In the wake of Mr Doyles revelations, Asiedu tried to appeal, claiming that bad faith had infected the entire prosecution, and that the failure to disclose the FEL report amounted to a cover-up. However, the Court of Appeal ruled that while there may be criticisms which can properly be made of Dr Black the failure of disclosure had no impact on Asiedus case, nor did it affect the voluntary nature of his guilty plea. As a prosecuting barrister in the 21/7 bomb trial, Max Hill took part in a conference call with Dr Stuart Black. While reviewing Dr Blacks forensic evidence, Mr Hill is quoted in the minutes of the meeting (above left) as saying a mistake has been made. Prosecution lawyers also met with scientists of the Forensic Explosives Laboratory who pointed out serious failings in Dr Blacks evidence and questioned his credentials. This is recorded in the handwritten note by a junior barrister (above right) Several Appeal Court hearings took place over three years. Mr Hill admitted the FEL miscarriage of justice report should have been disclosed, but maintained that neither he nor the Crown Prosecution Service ever saw it before the trial. A CPS spokesman repeated this assertion yesterday. He denied there had been a cover-up. Pressed by the court, Mr Hill said in 2014 that all records of prosecution case conferences before the trial had now been reviewed, including those with Dr Black. There was, Mr Hill insisted, nothing [more] to disclose. It was not until the last of the Asiedu hearings, on February 10, 2015, two days after this newspaper published details of Mr Doyles fresh evidence, that Mr Hill finally disclosed the minutes of the case conference on November 22, 2006. After the hearing was over, one of his colleagues also disclosed the records of the visit to the FEL earlier that day, saying her notes had been in deep storage. It went unreported because the court imposed a gagging order. We can report them now as it has been lifted. The court rejected Asiedus appeal. It said in its ruling that the FEL miscarriage of justice report plainly should have been disclosed before the trial, but added there was no evidence of a cover-up and found no bad faith or abuse of process. The case conference note is on an official Metropolitan Police form. The case conference minutes from 2006 suggest that Mr Hill had been briefed about the FELs concerns. The minutes quote him as saying to Dr Black a mistake has been made about a critical forensic issue the ratio of flour to the chemical hydrogen peroxide, the two main components of the 21/7 devices. Bombs of this type will explode only if this ratio is exactly right. In terms of ratio, a correction has to be made, Mr Hill said. Following this, Dr Black made an amendment to his statement, which admitted a number of errors in the original report. It was the information in this amended statement that formed the basis of his trial evidence. Nasas Professor Max Coleman, an IRMS expert and former colleague of Dr Black at Reading, said: Stuart doesnt have this experience, but the police seem wedded to him. I cant work out why. Scotland Yard and the CPS refused to comment last night, except to say that in the Asiedu appeal, the court found no evidence of a cover-up. A spokesman for the CPS said: The Court of Appeal highlighted the good faith of the prosecution team. Dr Black did not respond to requests for comment. Jeremy Corbyns Labour leadership was hanging by a thread last night after details of two extraordinary showdowns with rebel Labour MPs were leaked. Nine prominent Labour MPs, including senior figures who have hitherto remained loyal to him, joined forces to warn him that the Party was heading for disaster under his leadership. There was fury when Mr Corbyn brushed aside a protest by Halifax MP Holly Lynch, 30, who told him she had a wafer-thin 428 majority and faced losing it at the next Election because of his unpopularity. Scroll down for video When confronted with protesting Halifax MP Holly Lynch, one eyewitness said Corbyn 'couldn't care less about her because his job was safe' The Labour leader shrugged his shoulders and rebuked her: I have just been re-elected by Labour members. One eyewitness said: It was shocking. He more or less said he couldnt care less about her because his job was safe. And Corbyn cheerleader, film director Ken Loach who made I, Daniel Blake, was dragged into the row, accused of fuelling the revolt by launching his own attack on rebel MPs in a newspaper article. Stoke North Labour MP Ruth Smeeth told Mr Corbyn it was outrageous for Mr Loach to claim that Labour MPs were to blame for the Partys dismal showing in the recent Copeland by-election. Shadow Brexit minister Keir Starmer (left) and PLP chairman John Cryer (right) have been two of Corbyn's most vocal critics The scale of the revolt that threatens to engulf Mr Corbyn was reflected in surprise comments yesterday by his close ally, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. He said Labours defeat in Copeland, Cumbria, previously a Party stronghold, had left it looking over the cliff edge, adding that powerful and anonymous figures were out to destroy Mr Corbyn because of his socialist beliefs. The confrontations with rebel MPs took place at two separate meetings; at Tuesdays Shadow Cabinet and Wednesdays Labour Parliamentary Committee, a small group of MPs and peers. Rebel MPs including shadow trade minister Barry Gardiner (pictured) confronted Corbyn at Tuesday's Shadow Cabinet and Wednesday's Labour Parliamentary Committee Voter engagement spokeswoman Cat Smith (left) and Stoke North MP Ruth Smeeth (right) have struggled to put a brave face on Labour's woes Shadow Brexit Minister, lawyer Keir Starmer, urged Mr Corbyn to follow his own lead when he had been head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). When I led the CPS I always carried the can when things went wrong, he said. That is what you should do. You cant keep making excuses. Shadow Trade Minister Barry Gardiner, who has supported Mr Corbyn in public, said the Labour leader and the Shadow Cabinet should be in no doubt about the widespread opposition to him from his MPs. Labours election campaigns chief Andrew Gwynne, who led the Partys unsuccessful bid to retain Copeland, said he feared the Tories were on course for a landslide Election victory with Labour losing up to 50 seats. I, Jeremy Corbyn... or the attack by Ken Loach that incensed MPs Jeremy Corbyn attended the premiere of Ken Loach's film 'I, Daniel Blake' The incendiary article by pro-Corbyn filmmaker Mr Loach in Wednesdays Guardian said: Why dont we hear Labour MPs promoting his [Corbyns] programme? Do they remain silent to isolate him? He and his group fight the Tories in front and deal with the silent mutiny behind them. The MPs are doing immense damage. It was their Labour party, not Corbyns, that lost Scotland, lost two elections and seen Labours vote shrink inexorably. Yet they retain a sense of entitlement to lead. Advertisement And Lancaster and Fleetwood MP Cat Smith, Labours spokeswoman on voter engagement and a former policy aide to Mr Corbyn, protested at having been mocked for putting a brave face on the Copeland defeat on TV, describing it as an incredible achievement for Labour. Lords Leader Baroness Angela Smith has said said that she is 'fed up' with Corbyn supporters attacking New Labour I got monstered for saying Copeland was a great result but it was Labour officials who told me to say it, said Ms Smith. Meanwhile, Labours leader in the Lords, Baroness Angela Smith, revealed she was fed up with Mr Corbyns supporters attacking the last Labour Government. We did some great things, she said. Mr Corbyns lone defender was Wansbeck MP and ex-union leader Ian Lavery, who said: We have to learn lessons from the by-elections but it is absurd to say it is all the leaders fault. Middlesbrough MP Tom Blenkinsop put it bluntly, saying Corbyn had 'the worst electoral record of any Labour leader in history' Mr Corbyn was subjected to another onslaught 24 hours later at a meeting of the Partys Parliamentary Committee. Ms Smeeth tore into Mr Corbyn over an article by Mr Loach in that days edition of the pro-Labour Guardian newspaper, in which the filmmaker berated Labour MPs for a silent mutiny against their leader. The MPs are doing immense damage, said Mr Loach. It was their Labour Party, not Corbyns, that lost Scotland, lost two elections and seen Labours vote shrink inexorably. But Middlesbrough MP Tom Blenkinsop told Mr Corbyn bluntly: You have the worst electoral record of any Labour leader in history. MPs like Holly Lynch (left) and campaign managers such as Andrew Gwynne (right) have repeatedly warned about how dire Labour's electoral prospects are John Cryer, chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, added that Mr Corbyn must stop rubbishing people who have given their lives to this party. Mr Corbyn said: I intend to keep reaching out. An MP who was present said: He seemed to be on another planet. Chuka Umunna recruits thousands of new party members as part of secret bid to overthrow Corbyn Labour leadership hopeful Chuka Umunna is planning to orchestrate a drive to recruit tens of thousands of new party members as part of a secret putsch to overturn Jeremy Corbyns leadership. The former Shadow Business Secretary has told friends that the time has come for Labour moderates to challenge Corbyns power base among ordinary party members. Corbyn has clung onto power despite being opposed by the overwhelming majority of his MPs because the partys grassroots, which plays a pivotal part in leadership elections, is packed with his supporters: around 300,000 out of the 528,000 party members back Corbyn. Chuka Umunna is hoping to recruit thousands of new members to out-muscle the hard Left But now Umunna, pictured right, is urging his colleagues to launch a membership campaign to out-muscle the hard Left. It comes as new figures suggested that Corbyns supporters are starting to drain away from the party. Almost 26,000 Labour members have deserted since last summer, with about 7,000 alone leaving after the Labour leader forced his MPs to vote for the Governments Brexit bill last month. Two-thirds of Labour voters backed Remain in the referendum. Sources expect there to be a further exodus in the wake of Corbyns humiliating loss of the Copeland by-election the first time the party has not held the seat since 1931 and the only gain by a sitting Government in a by-election since 1982. A senior source said: Chuka thinks that now is the time to strike. The moderates are in despair at the supposed iron grip of the hard Left but, as disillusionment sets in among the ordinary membership, he thinks we can eat into the 62 per cent of the vote Corbyn claimed in last years leadership election. Corbyn's loss at the Copeland by-election was the first time the party had not held the seat since 1931 Another option being considered by moderates is to force through changes to the leadership rules to return it to the previous system. Prior to changes introduced by former leader Ed Miliband, the votes of full party members made up just one of three electoral colleges that chose the new leader. Now the leader is elected using a one-member, one-vote system. But any rule change would have to be agreed by the partys ruling National Executive Committee, which is in the grip of Corbyn supporters. Umunna withdrew from the 2015 Labour leadership contest at an early stage, complaining that his then girlfriend felt hounded by the press. But the 38-year-old former lawyer, who is now married, has told friends that if the leadership became vacant again and he could secure enough support among MPs then he would enter the race. Umunna declined to comment. A three-alarm house fire that ripped through a rural Massachusetts home has taken the lives of a mother and four of her children. Firefighters in Warwick rushed to the scene at 405 Richmond Road around 12:45am on Saturday when they were told a blaze began from a wood stove. Upon their arrival to the remote home they found it engulfed in fire with members of the family trapped inside. Firefighters in Warwick rushed to the scene at 405 Richmond Road around 12:45am on Saturday when they were told a blaze began from a wood stove Two people were able to escape, but the family's mother and three children perished. Sixteen fire crews made up of mostly volunteers worked through the night until 9am to put out the blaze. Warwick Fire Chief Ron Gates said there was nothing they could have done differently. The victims have not yet been identified. People gathered at the Town Hall where Gates held the press conference, and many brought food and comforted each other through the community-wide loss. Two people were able to escape, but the family's mother and three children perished. Sixteen fire crews made up of mostly volunteers worked through the night until 9am to put out the blaze Stephen Ruggiero, also a resident of Richmond Road said: 'It's so upsetting, nothing like this happens like this around here. It's so completely rural and peaceful.' Large portions of Warwick's 55-mile surface area are unpaved, and a 2010 population estimation by the US Census counted less than 1,000 inhabitants. It is located about 30 miles north of Amherst. One resident John Bradford said: 'It's horrific,' 'It's not something that's easy to wrap your head around.' The photograph of a smiling Tony Blair, thumbs tucked in jean pockets, strolling alongside newly elected President George Bush at his Camp David retreat in 2001 came to define Blairs Premiership. Just over two years later, the pair defied world opinion and invaded Iraq. It was a disaster which, arguably, destroyed the reputation of both. And many experts say it was a major factor in the rise of the so-called Islamic State terror group. Such history will make many despair at the idea Blair may be given a new role in ending the Middle East chaos whose flames he fanned. Notorious: Tony Blair and President George Bush at his Camp David retreat in 2001 But the former Prime Minister has always been a political chameleon. And he has usually found a way of schmoozing his way into the White House. In 1998, he teamed up with fellow left-of-centre showman Bill Clinton before delivering his famous liberal intervention speech in Chicago. Both were subsequently hailed as heroes when their military action ended the bloody Bosnian civil war. But the same doctrine ended in disaster when Blair and Bush attempted to intervene in Afghanistan and Iraq, amid claims that they lied about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. By rights, Democrat Barack Obama was a far more natural political ally for Blair than Right-wing cowboy Bush. But Obama, keen to distance himself from his predecessor, kept Bushs warmonger British pal at arms length. Despite pledging a $54 billion (44 billion) increase in defence spending and vowing to wipe out IS, Trump has also said he intends to focus on rebuilding the US economy rather than getting involved in foreign wars. On her recent visit to the US, Theresa May went out of her way to echo Trumps foreign policy move. She did so by disowning the failed policies of the past an obvious reference to Bush, Blair, Iraq and Afghanistan and the clearest possible public repudiation of Blairs liberal intervention. Now the predecessor she publicly disowned in a speech to Trumps supporters could be back in the White House advising the Trump team on foreign affairs. And doing it behind her back. Asked how she would get over personal differences with flamboyant Trump, vicars daughter Mrs May coyly replied: Opposites attract. Wily charmer Mr Blair is more than capable of using precisely the same chat-up line to weave his way into the affections of Donald Trump. After all, following Brexit, Mrs May will no longer be able to act as a bridge between the White House and Brussels. Blair is on first-name terms with most EU leaders including Angela Merkel. Having made millions from business dealings with all manner of super-rich world leaders, Blair will get on with Trump like a house on fire. 'OUTSTANDING MASTER': Simon Warr won high praise during his 32-year career Jerked from sleep by the trill of the doorbell at his Suffolk home one crisp December morning, Simon Warr felt puzzled. At just after 7am, it was still dark outside and too early for a delivery. Never in his wildest dreams could he have predicted who would be at the door: five police officers who proceeded to place him under arrest. The charge? Historical child abuse. The complainant was a former pupil at a school where Warr, now in his early 60s, had taught 30 years previously. Warr had never met him and had certainly never taught PE, the lesson during which the 'abuse' supposedly happened. He says: 'I was horrified, of course, but it was clearly a ridiculous mistake. I thought it would all quickly be cleared up.' Yet that rude dawn awakening would mark the start of a two-year ordeal which would, to Warr's bafflement and despair, take him all the way to court in a case driven by a police force apparently determined to build a case against him. A jury would later find him not guilty in less than 40 minutes. But by then the damage had been done: the man once labelled 'one of the outstanding school masters of his generation' had lost not only his profession and his livelihood, but his good name. He says: 'Two hundred years ago if you were a criminal, they'd paint the word "criminal" on your forehead. 'Now, due to the internet, you just need to be accused of a crime to be for ever branded.' How, then, could a man of unimpeachable character have found himself subjected to almost two years of agony on such flimsy 'evidence'? It is possible that Warr's profile as a 'TV headmaster' in a successful Channel 4 series made him more vulnerable to false accusations. Then there is Warr's concern that Suffolk police officers effectively 'canvassed' for evidence to build a case against him. He says: 'If it was not actually a witch-hunt, it feels pretty close.' Most of all, however, he believes that our system of criminal justice has been seized by a collective madness following the exposure of Jimmy Savile, and that the innocent are paying the price Warr arrived to teach O-level languages at St George's in Suffolk, pictured, a boys' boarding school (now Finborough School) Warr loved teaching, and in June 1981 he arrived to teach O-level languages at St George's in Suffolk, a boys' boarding school (now Finborough School) whose grand Georgian facade gave no hint of its somewhat austere atmosphere. Nearly 30 years later, the headmaster, Derek Slade, would be sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for sexual and physical abuse of children in his care. It is this, Warr believes, that laid the groundwork for his own subsequent arrest. After two years at St George's, he moved to the Royal Hospital School, also in Suffolk, where he remained for what he calls '30 very happy years', dividing his time between school accommodation and a flat he owns in Osterley, West London. 'I loved my time there,' he says, and it seemed the school loved him back. In 2007, the then headmaster, Howard Blackett, labelled him 'one of the outstanding school masters of his generation'. Warr was, then, wholly unprepared for the knock on the door of his house at the school that chilly December morning. At the police station, he was told that a former pupil, known as 'A', had alleged that after a PE lesson at St George's, when Warr was supervising showering, Warr had asked the pupil to part his buttocks to check they were dry. The former pupil, who said he was 11 at the time, would also claim that Warr had once touched his genitals. 'The first thing I said was that I had never taught a single lesson of PE in my life,' Warr says. 'I also didn't teach juniors. I'm a senior teacher my pupils were 14 and over and even with them I never supervised showers. It was patently nonsense.' Basic checks, he assumed, would corroborate his account. Yet after an exhausting 13 hours in the police station, he was released on bail and told he could not return to his school quarters at the Royal Hospital School. It was to prove only the start of his ordeal. Initially bailed for three months, it would be nine agonising months before Warr would learn his fate. In the meantime he was left in limbo: temporarily suspended from school while the investigation proceeded, he struggled to fill his days. With his name now made public, he found himself the victim of vicious trolling by a small number of former pupils and their parents. He was called a 'f****** paedo' and told to kill himself in a sewer. He says: 'I can't describe the desperation. I couldn't eat and, though I was dead tired, I couldn't sleep. I felt utterly alone.' TV ROLE: Warr, second right, with fellow 'teachers' in the Channel 4 show That'll Teach 'Em At his lowest moment, two weeks after his arrest, he recalls contemplating jumping in front of a Tube train, and was only stopped by the thought of the impact on the driver. The climate was febrile: a month after the arrest, the then Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, announced that people reporting child abuse 'must be believed'. Warr says: 'I knew then I was in trouble. It is not for police to believe or disbelieve. Their job is to collect evidence.' The case against Warr was flawed from the start. Police documents would later reveal to him that 'A' had first approached the police in 2011 when he made the allegation that Warr had asked him to part his buttocks. The police declined to act until eight months later, when 'A' returned and now said Warr had touched his penis. Warr says: 'In police documents it says they arrested me following further evidence. 'In fact it was an embellishment of his original statement, which was translated by the police into further evidence. How can a totally uncorroborated allegation be put forward as evidence?' He now knows that, in the wake of Derek Slade's imprisonment, website forums were openly making accusations, mainly unsubstantiated, against all kinds of former teachers, himself among them. Warr says: 'The police had approached the man who ran one of the websites to canvas for more information regarding my case.' He accepts that his parallel career as a broadcaster might have marked him out as a target. By 2003 he had been given the role of headmaster in Channel 4's That'll Teach 'Em, in which 30 children experienced life as it would have been at a 1950s boarding school. Nine months after his arrest, Warr was told that he would be charged and that the accusations against him had multiplied. Another ex-pupil, 'B', a very close friend of 'A', was making similar claims which Warr also vehemently denies. And a third boy, 'C', a former pupil at the Royal Hospital School, had alleged that Warr had chased him and attempted to pinch his bottom and had, on occasions, endeavoured to remove his towel in the changing rooms. Warr accepts he may, on occasion, have done the latter in full public view and in nothing more than teasing locker-room spirit. It is an interpretation accepted by 'C', who told police he felt it had been done as a joke. Nonetheless, Warr now faced seven charges of abuse against three different children four counts of indecent assault and three counts of indecency with a child. 'It was an effective strategy,' says Warr. 'A case of a few teaspoons of truth mixed with a whole ladle full of falsehoods, suggestions and innuendo.' By the time the case came to court, nearly two years later, Warr had resigned of his own volition, believing that as he was near retirement age, it was in the best interests of the school. On the day of his trial, in October 2014, Warr set eyes on his accuser, 'A', for the first time. 'A' was not a convincing witness. Warr says: 'His testimony was an embarrassing shambles, full of inconsistencies.' Asked what Warr had been wearing to supervise the showers, 'A' stuttered that it was red tracksuit bottoms and white T-shirt. 'B', in his testimony, said he was wearing a suit and gown 'an odd thing for me to wear to supervise PE', as Warr points out. An astonishing courtroom revelation was to follow: 'Y', a witness produced by the prosecution to corroborate the accounts of 'A' and 'B', would inadvertently dismantle a key part of the case. 'One of the first things he said was, "Everyone knows Simon Warr didn't teach PE,"' Warr explains. 'If the stakes weren't so high it would be comical.' After a seven-day trial, he was declared not guilty on all counts. 'The relief was indescribable,' he says. 'I'd waited 672 days for that moment. I'm not ashamed to say I cried.' But he remains incandescent at the way he was, in his words, 'hung out to dry'. 'It seems that all that is now required to devastate someone's life, because these public arrests do exactly that, is an uncorroborated allegation. The only thing that kept me sane and prevented me from killing myself during the period after my arrest was the knowledge that I was innocent. 'But this didn't stop agents of the state stripping me of my good name, my home, my career, my happiness. 'From the start the onus was on me to prove my innocence, not for the police to prove my guilt,' he says. It is one reason he has written a book in which he lays bare the devastating nature of his ordeal and makes an impassioned plea for us to reconsider how our police handle historical child abuse cases. Warr says: 'The furthest thing in my mind when writing this book was to drive victims of sexual abuse back into the shadows for fear they will not be believed. 'My purpose is to convey a clear message that all state agencies must also be mindful that there is a possibility that the complainant might not be telling the truth. 'I may have been exonerated by the court but the damage to my reputation is irreversible while the identities of the people who peddled untruths remain protected by the courts.' A spokesman for Suffolk Police said: 'We carried out a thorough investigation after receiving complaints of alleged child abuse. 'We collated the evidence and presented it to the Crown Prosecution Service who chose to charge the individual with the respective charges. 'They also shared our view that it was in the public interest to prosecute the individual. 'The evidence was presented to a jury who returned their verdict. This is how the criminal justice system operates.' Presumed Guilty: A Teacher's Solitary Battle To Clear His Name, by Simon Warr, is published by Biteback at 20. To get your copy for 15, order at www.mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640 until March 12, 2017. Ukraine and Pakistan start the practical implementation of the agreements in defense industry aimed at expanding cooperation in armored vehicle production under the Pakistani T-80UD tanks upgrade program. State-run enterprise Ukrspecexport said that at the 13th International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) 2017 (the United Arab Emirates), the top managers of the Ukrainian enterprise met with representatives of Armed Forces of Pakistan. Ukraine and Pakistan signed two contracts to overhaul first five T-80UD tanks of the Pakistani Armed Forces (a pilot project) and to supply 88 tank sights to Pakistan. The contracts were signed as part of agreements confirmed in the memorandums of cooperation signed at the IDEAS 2016 (Pakistan) in November 2016 with the participation of Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak, the press service said. The IDEX 2017 was held from February 19 through February 23 in Abu-Dhabi. It is the only international defense exhibition and conference in the MENA region demonstrating the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defense. At the IDEAS 2016 International Defense Exhibition in November 2016 Ukrspecexport and Heavy Industries Taxila (Pakistan) signed a memorandum of understanding to expand defense cooperation in repair and modernization of armed vehicles of Pakistan. The agreements achieved envisage the $600 million defense contract for Ukrainian production facilities. The parents of missing Madeleine McCann were almost duped into handing over 25,000 from their charity to Karen Matthews. Kate and Gerry McCann believed Matthews' 9-year-old daughter Shannon had vanished and were planning to send money to the search effort in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Shannon disappeared in 2008, less than a year after Madeleine, three, was snatched from a holiday apartment in Portugal. Kate and Gerry McCann believed Matthews' 9-year-old daughter Shannon had been kidnapped and were planning to send money to the search effort It is believed the Matthews hatched the plan after they saw the McCann's raise more than 1million in the search for their daughter A source close to Mrs McCanns, 48, told The Sun: 'She was deeply upset by Shannon's abduction and felt sorry for the family. She wanted to help.' A man claiming to represent Matthews even visited the McCann's home in Leicestershire to demand money. But it was all a rouse as Matthews had drugged her daughter and hidden her at the house of friend Michael Donovan. Shannon was found by police in the base of a divan bed 24 days after she went missing. Shannon (right) disappeared in 2008, less than a year after Madeleine (left), three, was snatched from a holiday apartment in Portugal It is believed the pair hatched the plan after they saw the McCann's raise more than 1million in the search for their daughter. A spokesman for the McCann's said charity trustees were tipped off when they contacted police about who they should make a cheque out to. Clarence Mitchell told the Sun: 'Police advised us not to hand over money. We heard things had come to light in investigations. 'It is beyond belief anyone could've sought to exploit poor Madeleine's plight.' They're not just for the yachting set. Yes, owning a holiday home is a pricey option in hotspots such as Padstow in Cornwall and Salcombe in Devon, but there are plenty of tempting, cheaper alternatives. After all, the UK has 11,000 miles of coastline. Better-value areas are often less well served by road or rail and can be quiet in the winter, but have better value homes. 'If you're prepared to travel, your money will go further. You might pick the next fashionable place and see a greater return on your investment,' says Robin Gould, of the buying agency Prime Purchase. Coastal charm: Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire offers a pretty harbour and unspoilt scenery on your doorstep. And the case for buying a UK holiday home is growing. You're lucky to get 1.2 to the pound now. A year ago it was nearly 1.4. You could also let your property: Leisure firm VoucherCodes says 51 per cent of Britons took one or more breaks in this country last year. Holiday homes do incur a 3 per cent stamp duty surcharge when you buy, but many letting costs can be offset against tax. Here are six great spots with prices that won't make waves. EXMOUTH Old-school treats aplenty here a two-mile prom and sandy beach and fossil-hunting along the Jurassic Coast. A 10million seafront makeover is under way to improve leisure facilities while leaving the mix of Victorian cottages, Regency terraces and marina apartments unchanged. The average house price is 275,672 it's 627,070 in Salcombe. BOGNOR REGIS It's no longer God's waiting room as low house prices have attracted the sailing, windsurfing and kayaking crowd. It's also near the South Downs, the cathedral city of Chichester and Goodwood. Zoopla says a typical Bognor home costs 292,864 in nearby West Wittering, it's 578,882. HASTINGS Perfect for weekend escapees from London (but not a major commuter town), Hastings has handsome white terraces, a pier that's just seen a 14million refit and offers everything from art exhibitions to family fun days. On the western fringe sits St Leonards: regarded as scruffy a decade ago, it's now a smart mix of period and modern homes. A typical Hastings home costs 251,388, says Zoopla head west to Brighton and you pay 383,784. EASTBOURNE The pier and bandstand are classic seaside landmarks, but the population is changing owing to good-value house prices. The 2011 Census says the average age is 43. There's a town centre regeneration programme under way, improving shopping but leaving Regency terraces and Victorian villas intact. In the pretty port of Seaford a few miles away, homes fetch 341,608, on average, but Eastbourne's are just 282,920. GREAT YARMOUTH This is a brash unreconstructed resort with a seafront fun fair, including a restored Thirties roller coaster. But it offers East Anglian coast at a fraction of the price of posher areas such as Southwold. Local agents say Gorleston, just south of the town centre, is best for views of the River Yare and the sandy beach looking to the sea. Average price is 179,068 in Aldeburgh it's 515,834. STONEHAVEN Scotland has nine of the ten best-value coastal resorts in Britain according to the Halifax because it's a long way from the South of England, where most holiday home buyers reside. Stonehaven near Aberdeen is high priced by local standards: its average 236,057 follows a 79 per cent rise since 2006. It offers unspoilt scenery and wildlife. Advertisement Scientists have created a massive database of fossils discovered all around the world in a painstaking project that covers 165 million years of dinosaur evolution. The Paleobiology Database encompasses all known dinosaur species, with more than 2,000 types represented across every continent on Earth. And, its steadily growing, as researchers continue to discover new dinosaurs to the tune of a new species every month or two. A remarkable interactive map visualizing the data allows users to explore nearly 8,000 discovery sites, revealing information on what could be as many as 25,000 dinosaur fossils. Click here to visit the interactive map Scientists have created a massive database of fossils discovered all around the world, in a painstaking project that covers 165 million years of dinosaur evolution. A remarkable interactive map visualizing the data allows users to explore nearly 8,000 discovery sites, revealing information on what could be as many as 25,000 dinosaur fossils HOW TO USE IT In the map, dots of different colours can be seen scattered around the globe, representing different periods in Earths history. The data, which for now excludes birds, covers the Middle Triassic through the latest Cretaceous periods, about 235 to 66 million years ago. Users can choose to browse based a particular type of fossil or era, or simply choose a location and zoom in. For example, You can select Cretaceous and the map will show you the continents during the Cretaceous Period and you can see where todays Cretaceous dinosaur fossils would have been when those animals were alive,' Carrano told Dailymail.com. Advertisement Dr Matthew Carrano, Curator of Dinosauria at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, first began contributing to the database in 2000 and, the work continues to grow today. Right now there are about 7,900 localities with dinosaur fossils represented, Carrano told Dailymail.com in an email. That means 7,900 holes in the ground where someone has found a dinosaur fossil and published a scientific paper documenting that. So far, this accounts for more than 15,000 individual fossils but, according to Carrano, its likely more like 25,000. Many localities have just a single dinosaur fossil, but others are very rich bonebeds of thousands of fossils, Carrano explained. In the map, dots of different colours can be seen scattered around the globe, representing different periods in Earths history. The data, which for now excludes birds, covers the Middle Triassic through the latest Cretaceous periods, about 235 to 66 million years ago. Users can choose to browse based on a particular type of fossil or era, or simply choose a location and zoom in to learn more. Zooming in on New York City, for example, reveals the discovery of a type of clam that dates back to the Pleistocene. In the map, dots of different colours can be seen scattered around the globe, representing different periods in Earths history. The data, which for now excludes birds, covers the Middle Triassic through the latest Cretaceous periods, about 235 to 66 million years ago Users can choose to browse based a particular type of fossil or era, or simply choose a location and zoom in to learn more. Zooming in on New York City, for example, reveals the discovery of a type of clam that dates back to the Pleistocene Basically, we use present-day locations to place fossils on a modern map, and then use geological calculations to determine where these places would have been back in the day when the dinosaurs were alive, Carrano told Dailymail.com. So you can select Cretaceous and the map will show you the continents during the Cretaceous Period, and you can see where todays Cretaceous dinosaur fossils would have been when those animals were alive. Over the years, Carrano has had help from students and colleagues, but still, organizing the data has been a lot of work, he explained. Determining where some of the historically older sites are located has been a major challenge, he said, as is the act of gathering the published data itself, since theres no central place to get it. Names of places have changed, even changed countries, and older paleontologists often did not provide very precise data, Carrano told Dailymail.com. Over the years, Carrano has had help from students and colleagues, but still, organizing the data has been a lot of work, he explained. 'Basically, we use present-day locations to place fossils on a modern map, and then use geological calculations to determine where these places would have been back in the day when the dinosaurs were alive, Carrano told Dailymail.com But sometimes people have revisited the old sites, or we can use geological maps to narrow down where the fossils might have come from. Sometimes the papers are not in English, and it takes time to translate and understand them in enough detail to include the information here. Many others have joined the effort as well, including UK-based researchers Richard Butler, Roger Benson, and Philip Mannion. The expansive dataset comes from basically any and all scientific publications on dinosaur fossils, Carrano explained, as long as they include enough geologic, geographic, and fossil information to accurately place each discovery. While its extremely comprehensive, Carrano says theres still much work to be done as new discoveries continue to pop up every year. Facebook helps users find new friends, jobs and nearby Wi-Fi and now, it is helping them find their next vacation spot. The social media giant has introduced a feature that recommends cities for its members to visit based on their friends' travels. Called City Guides, the functionality shows a list of friends who have been to the location along with the places they checked into while they were there. Scroll down for video Facebook has introduced City Guides, which can be found in the 'More' menu below 'Discover People'. The function recommends places for you to visit based on where your friends have traveled - and it shows you who has been where HOW DOES IT WORK? City Guides can be found in the 'More' menu, beneath 'Discover People'. The feature lists cities your friends have visited in the past. Profile icons show which friends have been there and when you click it, a list of the attractions, hotels and restaurants they checked-in while on their travels will appear. Each place or event includes a bookmark icon that lets user save to a favorites list, which they can view at any time. These items are kept in a 'Saved' section at the top of the City Guides page. And there is a Popular Attractions section for users scroll through. Advertisement City Guides was first spotted by TNW, which said the feature was seen earlier this year, but it seems Facebook wants to try it out again. 'We're testing a redesigned surface on city Pages that showcases information about your city,' a Facebook spokesperson told DailyMail.com in an email. 'This content already exists on Facebook, and during this test we'll be centralizing it in a way that is more personalized and relevant to you.' 'So, this new feature can help people get a better sense of their city, or a city they're visiting through their friends' eyes.' In addition to showing users the wonders of the world, City Guides will also recommend local events that it thinks you would be interested in attending. And also includes a list of friends who are attending allowing you to make plans together. City Guides can be found in the 'More' menu, beneath 'Discover People'. When you click into the function, a list of cities your friends have visited will be presented that you can scroll through. And there will be profile icons of your friends who have been there. Tapping on a friend's icon will pull up all of the places they checked-in while on their travels. This includes bars, restaurants, shops and more. Each place or event includes a bookmark icon that lets user save to a favorites list, which they can view at any time - items are stored in 'Saved' at the top of the City Guides page. A Popular Attractions section shows users the best places to live in town- such as Time Square in New York City. Tapping on a friend's icon will pull up all of the places they checked-in while on their travels. This includes bars, restaurants, shops and more And there is a Popular Attractions section for users scroll through. For example, if you choose to see what is happening in New York City, places like Time Square, Central Park and Rockefeller Center will be listed. It seems Facebook is shifting towards more of a recommendation site, instead of just a social media network. Earlier this month, the social media network revealed a new service to help firms find qualified employees, aimed at an area overlooked by LinkedIn - finding qualified employees for small to midsize businesses. The tool lets users search through help-wanted posts on business pages, News Feed and a new 'Jobs' bookmark. The feature is a way to help the 40% of US small businesses that reported filling jobs was more difficult than they expected. 'We know that finding the right talent can be a challenge,' Facebook shared in an announcement. Earlier this month, the social media network revealed a new service to help firms find qualified employees, aimed at an area overlooked by LinkedIn - finding qualified employees for small to midsize businesses '40% of US small businesses report that filling jobs was more difficult than they expected, which is surprising when you consider that these small businesses also employ nearly half of the country's workforce.' 'We're focused on building new ways to help make it easier for businesses to interact with the over 1 billion people visiting Pages every month.' 'Businesses and people already use Facebook to fill and find jobs, so we're rolling out new features that allow job posting and application directly on Facebook.' Jobs is rolling out Thursday in the US and Canada, and can be found in the 'More' option nestled between 'Fundraisers' and 'Instant Games'. Jobs can be found in the 'More' option nestled between 'Fundraisers' and 'Instant Games'. All you have to do is click on the 'Apply Now' button and a form will open, which will be asked for i about education, work experience and why you would be a good fit for that specific company Facebook has also provided all the tools Page admins need to create a job posting, track incoming applications and communicate with potential employees. After posting a job, Page admins will be able to review applications and contact applicants on Messenger, all on mobile and all in one place. And as with other posts, they can boost job posts to reach a larger or more relevant audience. 'We've tested the new jobs experience in parts of the US, and while it's still early, businesses are already filling roles,' explained Facebook. Facebook has also provided all the tools Page admins need to create a job posting, track incoming applications and communicate with potential employees 'It was great because it was easy,' said Wendy Grahn, co-owner of the Chicago-based Lakeview Kitchen and Market. 'It took three minutes to fill out the information and put it out there. Then someone saw the post, we talked, and it was done.' And the firm assures the process is just as easy for applicants. Users will see job listings in their News Feed, the new bookmark for Jobs and other posts on business Pages. Business can share detailed information of what type of potential employees they are looking for to the location of their company. They can also add pictures to make the post more interesting All you have to do is click on the 'Apply Now' button and a form will open, which will be pre-populated with information you have provided in your Facebook profile but information can be changed if necessary. Applicants will be asked for the traditional information such as education, work experience and why they would be a good fit for that specific company. Facebook has started using a new artificial intelligence (AI) system to identify users showing warning signs of suicide. The AI has been trained to spot status updates and subsequent comments that could indicate someone was at risk. The algorithm would immediately send a report to a real reviewer, who could then contact the user with suggestions and resources to help if appropriate. Facebook has started using a new artificial intelligence (AI) system to identify users showing warning signs of suicide. Pictured is co-founder Mark Zuckerberg At the moment, Facebook relies on a human reporting system regarding potential suicides, where friends of users can click a button to tell the company about concerning updates. But it is hoped more people will be helped by an automated system. The AI will look out for statuses that suggest the user is sad or in pain, as well as responses from friends expressing concern. Facebook is also adding suicide prevention tools to Facebook Live after several deaths have been broadcast since the feature was introduced. This would give viewers the option to report a friend if they are concerned, and gives the reporter resources to help. The broadcaster at risk will also be given the option to contact a friend, mental health helpline or see tips. At the moment, this is only being trialled in the United States. Head of media for the charity Samaritans Lynsey Pollard said: Its great that Facebook are showing such commitment to keeping people safe online. Samaritans was involved in the consultation for their UK safety features and we would hope to have the same involvement if they bring this latest development to the UK. She's rumoured to have split with girlfriend Megan Marx, having met on The Bachelor Australia. And following the reports, Tiffany Scanlon looked to be enjoying quality me-time, in clips shared to her Instagram story on Friday. The 30-year-old stripped down to a bikini, documenting a getaway in Perth's Rottnest Island with her 105,000 followers. Scroll down for video Quality me-time? The Bachelor's Tiffany Scanlon, 30, enjoyed an adventure-filled vacation in Perth's Rottnest Island, in clips shared to her Instagram story on Friday, after rumours of a split with girlfriend Megan Marx, 27 The beginning of the clip saw Tiffany announce with her followers that she was headed to Rotto, or Rottnest Island in Perth. Sporting a striped halterneck-style shirt, tucked into a pair of minuscule white denim shorts, the reality star showed off her lithe arms and bronzed complexion. Allowing her blonde locks to fall effortlessly behind her toned shoulders, Tiffany accessorised with a delicate necklace, over-sized sunglasses and a felt hat. The Western Australia native appeared to have gone makeup-free, showing off her natural beauty. Bikini babe: A later clip saw Tiffany flaunt her svelte frame in a skimpy white bikini top with the same pair of denim shorts Thirsty work: The Western Australia native was seen enjoying a cool beverage while drawing attention to her natural beauty and striking facial features A later clip saw Tiffany flaunt her svelte frame in a skimpy white bikini top with the same pair of denim shorts. Standing in front of an ocean landscape, the star looked to be enjoying alone time, beaming for the camera. While another moment captured to Instagram saw the social media star enjoy a cool beverage and prepare for a bike ride, no doubt taking in Perth's stunning landscape. Ready for action: Tiffany captioned another moment to her Instagram story, that saw her preparing to go on a bike ride 'Love my rotto': The reality star shared several stunning snaps of Perth's landscape The getaway comes shortly after both Tiffany and Megan hinted that things could possibly be over for them. Megan and Tiffany - who connected after failing to find love with The Bachelor's Richie Strahan - recently moved to Bali together. But as they hit the eight month mark of their relationship, Tiffany surprisingly returned to Australia last month, sharing a cryptic post to Instagram. No longer? The getaway comes shortly after both Tiffany and Megan hinted that things could possibly be over for them Challenging time: Tiffany shared a cryptic post to Instagram last month, stating that she was 'back home' and 'lost in life' The blonde said she was 'back home' and 'lost in life,' calling her two pet dogs her 'creature comforts.' And she was later seen belting out Adele's Rolling in the Deep, singing the lyrics: 'we could of had it all.' Megan also shared a snap a week ago to her Instagram, that saw her posing on a boat and claiming she needed 'solitude.' Going it alone: Megan also shared a snap a week ago to her Instagram, that saw her posing on a boat and claiming she needed 'solitude' Not shy: The pair, who met on The Bachelor Australia, are known for their very public displays of affection Fans took to both ladies' comments section to share their thoughts on the perceived break-up. 'Im broken-hearted,' one supporter wrote to Tiffany. 'Hard to assume but the sign says you arent together anymore. I really thought you were my #relationshipgoal.' While Tiffany is yet to comment on the rumoured split, Megan did reveal exclusively to Daily Mail Australia this week that it's been a tough time. 'I've had a pretty rough couple of weeks,' she said. She recently returned from a sun-filled holiday with her Love Island beau Scott Thomas. But it was back to business for Kady McDermott who dazzled at the launch party for her new make-up brand in Manchester on Friday night. The 21-year-old displayed her incredible physique in a plunging gold sequin jumpsuit, as she was supported at the event by glamorous pals Jessica Wright and Danielle Armstrong. Scroll down for video Dazzling: Kady McDermott displayed her incredible physique in a plunging gold sequin jumpsuit by Nadine Merabi at the launch party for her new make-up brand on Friday night Glamorous pals: The 21-year-old was supported at the event by pals Jessica Wright and Danielle Armstrong Wearing her long brunette locks down over her shoulders, Kady showed off her golden complexion at the party and accentuated her eyes with lashings of mascara. Meanwhile, TOWIE star Jessica, 31, opted for a sophisticated midnight blue bodycon dress, boosting her height with a pair of nude heels. Danielle, 28, also chose blue for the occasion, showing off her curves in a tight-fitting ribbed dress, teamed with black peep-toe heels and a boxy black bag. Supportive friends: Danielle showed off her curves in a tight-fitting ribbed dress, while Jessica opted for a sophisticated midnight blue bodycon dress Sophisticated: Danielle threw on a black leather jacket for warmth, while Jessica boosted her height with nude heels Show-stopping: Wearing her long brunette locks down over her shoulders, Kady showed off her golden complexion at the party and accentuated her eyes with lashings of mascara Make-up artist Kady's fellow Love Island stars were out in full-force to offer their support at the launch party. Cally Jane Beech, who is expecting her first child, showed off her growing baby bump in a red skin-tight dress as she attended the event with partner Luis Morrison. Also at the event was Zara Holland, who opted for a daring plunging orange mini-dress paired with sparkly silver heels. Fellow Love Island star Katie Salmon displayed her curves in a nude PVC dress, while Rachel Fenton displayed her pert posterior in a skin-tight white midi-dress. Loved up: Cally Jane Beech showed off her growing baby bump in a red skin-tight dress as she attended the event with partner Luis Morrison Blossoming: Cally Jane Beech proudly displayed her huge bump while flashing her legs in the burgundy minidress Belly cupping! Kady excitedly placed a hand on Cally's huge bump Hour glass: Love Island star Katie Salmon was a sight for sore eyes in her nude strapless PVC dress which hugged every inch of her curvaceous figure Islanders: Zara Holland, Cara De La Hoyde, Katie Salmon and Rachel Fenton were at the event Opting for a monochrome look, Cara De La Hoyde showed off her pins in a black and white mini dress with a sheer neckline. Big Brother star Sam Giffen also went to the event, looking dapper in a cream blazer worn over a black polo neck and tailored black trousers. Kady, who is launching her By Kady beauty range, showed her romance with boyfriend Scott is stronger than ever as they jetted away to Fuerteventura last weekend. The pair began dating on last year's second series of the renewed show and hit it off right away - despite an array of arguments threatening their romantic bliss. Double date: Cally and Kady took time to pose for a picture with their respective partners Scott and Luis Best friends: Kady and Cally happily posed together outside the event Bumping along nicely! The foursome shared a giggle as Kady excitedly rubbed her friend's baby bump Besotted: Kady and Scott, who met on the 2016 series of Love Island, appeared to be stronger than ever at the bash as they headed in hand-in-hand Proud parents-to-be: Cally looked petite as she walked beside her partner Luis Monochrome: Cara showed off her pins in a black and white mini dress with a sheer neckline as she posed with Big Brother star Sam Giffen Keeping it simple: Rachel went for a fitted white dress featuring a choker neckline Earlier in the day, Cara and Rachel were spotted looking slightly less glamorous as they left Mac Aesthetics, a cosmetic clinic in Manchester. Cara sported a tan shearling lined jacket and ripped jeans as she walked alongside her Love Island buddy. She donned jeans which were ripped at the knees and paired them with toeless vertiginous lace-up booties. The brunette reality TV star toted a massive Louis Vuitton sack bag as she enjoyed a day out with her gal pal. Three's a crowd: Danielle and Jessica were joined by a similarly glamorous pal The moody blues: Danielle clutched Danielle's arm as the two voluptuous stars hit the streets of Manchester on their night out In the mood to party: Danielle looked keen to keep the night going as she rocked her figure-hugging sleeveless blue dress Gal pals: Cara De La Hoyde and Rachel Fenton were spotted looking slightly less glam earlier in the day as they left Mac Aesthetics, a cosmetic clinic in Manchester Casual style: Cara sported a pair of ripped jeans, a tan shearling-lined jacket and vertiginous lace-up booties which did not protect her toes from the drizzle Cara sported a pair of black jeans which were slashed across her thighs and a pair of cream-coloured loafers. The blonde wore an oversized pale blue cotton shirt and tied a black ribbon around her neck. She left her long blonde locks to fall naturally and was spotted giggling in the clinic. Animated: Cara looked disgusted at one point as she sat in the cosmetic clinic It's been eight months since she secretly married a man 12 years her senior, behind her famous mum's back. And Rosie O'Donnell's teenager daughter Chelsea says she hopes to 'some day' make peace with her mum. The 19-year old told Inside Edition on Friday that she hopes they are back in each other's lives in the future, after she 'shocked' Rosie by wedding 31-year-old Nicholas Alliegro on July 1 last year. Rocky relationship: Rosie O'Donnell's teenager daughter Chelsea says she hopes to 'some day' make peace with her mum Shocked: Rosie O'Donnell's (pictured Feb 23) daughter Chelsea and her plumber boyfriend had a hush-hush ceremony because they were worried about Rosie's reaction 'I would just want her to know that we're doing great,' she said when asked, adding: 'We're happy.' 'Would you like to make peace with your mom?' Inside Edition's Diane McInerney asked. 'Some day I hope,' she replied. Controversial: The 19-year old told Inside Edition on Friday that she hopes they are back in each other's lives in the future, after she 'shocked' Rosie by wedding 31-year-old plumber Nicholas Alliegro on July 1 last year Chelsea and her plumber boyfriend had a hush-hush ceremony because they were worried about Rosie's reaction, as revealed by DailyMail.com last year. 'She was upset that we got married without telling her, which I totally get,' Chelsea told Inside Edition, adding: 'She was shocked.' The pair have a famously rocky relationship - Chelsea sparked a nationwide alert after she ran away in August 2015. Tough times: They reconciled last summer, but Chelsea told Inside Edition that they've since had another falling out Fights: 'The last time we got into an argument, we ended up screaming at each other and I left the room,' she said Surprised: Rosie apparently only found her daughter was married to Nicholas Alliegro when Chelsea was hospitalized last Labor Day and she called the hospital to check up on her Interview: Chelsea spoke for the first time about the dramas Tempestuous: She previously said her mom had kicked her out the house, a claim Rosie denies Rosie raised the alarm with police and on August 18 2015 she posted on her website: 'Chelsea stopped taking her medicine and is in need of medical attention. Any information please contact authorities.' When she turned up safe days later, she said her mom had kicked her out the house, a claim Rosie denies. They reconciled last summer, but Chelsea told Inside Edition that they've since had another falling out. PDA: The couple were seen hugging in the street Young love: She looked smitten with her older boyfriend, whom she met in a Dunkin Donuts 'The last time we got into an argument, we ended up screaming at each other and I left the room,' she said. The former View star only found her daughter was married to Nicholas Alliegro when Chelsea was hospitalized last Labor Day and she called the hospital to check up on her. A source told DailyMail.com that the former View star attempted to find out about her daughters medical condition but was informed by a hospital staff member that they could only release this information to Chelseas husband. When Rosie argued that her teenage daughter wasnt married, she was corrected by the medical worker. Fractious: The pair have a famously rocky relationship - Chelsea sparked a nationwide alert after she ran away in August 2015 (pictured June 2016) A source close to the couple revealed to DailyMail.com last summer that they married before an official at Islip Town Hall on Long Island, New York after eight months of dating. They first met at a Dunkin Donuts last November. The couple wore casual clothes for the ceremony before going out to a local burger joint to celebrate. Two days after her daughter's hospitalization, Rosie Tweeted: 'She is ok #RealLife #chillymy'. At first, the TV star also suggested that the 19-year-old move back with her at her compound in Nyack - which Chelsea agreed to. 'When Chelsea took her up on that offer, she changed her mind,' the source said. 'Rosie said she was worried Chelsea would be a danger to Dakota.' Now it appears that Chelsea is no longer on speaking terms with Rosie or much of the rest of her family. In the weeks following her release from hospital, Chelsea decided to reconnect with her birth mother, Deanna Micolley, who lives in Wisconsin. Chelsea told DailyMail.com previously that Rosie had kicked her out before her 18th birthday and denied Rosie's claims that she was mentally ill. Chelsea was found around a week later in New Jersey with a 25-year-old man, Steven Sheerer, whom she had met on Tinder. He was charged with endangering the welfare of a child in Chelsea's disappearance and third-degree distribution of obscenity to a minor. The latter was the result of a nude photo Sheerer sent the teen on Tinder when she was underage. Rosie is currently a vocal critic of Donald Trump's presidency, and Chelsea said that the star is distressed by the situation. 'She's out of her mind upset,' Chelsea told the program. Chelsea told them that when her mom found out Trump had won the election, it made her physically ill. 'She was very depressed,' she said, 'She was in bed sleeping all day.' The first-ever Real Housewives Of Sydney series premiered with seven outspoken and glamorous ladies on Foxtel's Arena last week. And there appears to be a rift forming between two cast members with fireworks predicted next week. A sneak peek of Sunday's episode shows Athena X Levendi slamming fellow housewife and beauty therapist Matty Samaei as 'fake'. 'Who are you calling fake?': Real Housewives Of Sydney star Athena X Levendi slams Matty Samaei for being fake during heated argument on Sunday night's episode, as hinted to within a promo released this week The clip featured the tease: 'You've met The Real Housewives of Sydney, but the party is just getting started.' Within the video, the ladies can be seen heading out to lunch in Sydney where a heated argument irrupts. 'All she talks about is spirituality, which I've had enough,' Matty is seen announcing to the group about jewellery designer Athena. Fighting back! After Athena is called out for over-sharing her spiritual views by Matty, she quickly dished the beauty therapist her own opinion of the housewife: 'Maybe you should become a little more spiritual and less fake!' Let the fireworks begin! The clip shows Matty's reaction, as the left of the argument is set to play out on-screen during Sunday's episode Matty is seen leaning on the table in frustration to point the finger at Athena, while the other woman looked shocked. Athena had no qualms with fighting back and dishes Matty her own opinion of the housewife: 'Maybe you should become a little more spiritual and less fake!' Former nineties pop star and actress Melissa Tkautz is seen recoiling at the comment, raising her hands towards her shocked wide-open mouth. 'Fake? Fake? Who are you calling fake?' the clip shows of Matty's reaction, as the left of the argument is set to play out on-screen during Sunday's episode. Firecracker! During the luncheon outspoken businesswoman Lisa Oldfield also makes some controversial statements regarding the women's dress sense and dishes on one of the women who she thinks has a low IQ During the luncheon outspoken businesswoman Lisa Oldfield also makes some controversial statements regarding the women's dress sense. 'When privileged white people get together dressed in white, it's like the K.K.K,' she said to an undesired reaction from her co-stars. The raven-haired firecracker also will dish on one of the women who she thinks: 'The girl's got an IQ of room temperature.' The Real Housewives Of Sydney airs on Foxtel's Arena on Sundays from 8.30pm. See more from the Sydney socialite stars: The Real Housewives Of Sydney airs on Foxtel's Arena on Sundays from 8.30pm He was left shattered in a previous episode of Bride and Prejudice, after his traditionalist father Geoff rejected an invitation to his same-sex wedding. And in a clip shared to the show's Facebook page on Friday, Chris' emotions were at an all-time high, as he prepared for his Palm Springs nuptials to partner Grant, 32, scheduled to air Monday. 'It would be massive if my dad turned up,' the 39-year-old shared to camera. Scroll down for video 'It would be massive if he turned up': Bride and Prejudice's Chris, 39, revealed his heartache on a clip shared to the show's Facebook page on Friday, after father Geoff refused to acknowledge partner Grant, ahead of his Palm Springs wedding The beginning of the clip saw Chris pacing around his home. Looking clearly distressed, the New South Wales-based star says: 'Turn it off, turn it off,' referring to the cameras. The short video then posed the question as to whether Chris' parents Yvonne and Geoff will have a change of heart, and support their son's upcoming marriage. Anxious: The beginning of the clip saw Chris pacing around his home. Looking clearly distressed, he said: 'Turn it off, turn it off,' referring to the cameras On an episode aired just last week, another emotional plea to his father Geoff, left Chris shattered. Working up the courage to have a heart-to-heart with his father, Chris began: 'So I wanted to talk to you about something. 'It's what I talked to you about the last time I was up (at the family home).' However Geoff, refused to budge, responding: 'Won't be any change in the answer.' Heartache: Chris was left shattered on a previous episode aired last week, after father Geoff still refused to acknowledge his partner Grant Raw emotions: Working up the courage to have a heart-to-heart with his father, Chris began: 'So I wanted to talk to you about something. It's what I talked to you about the last time I was up (at the family home)' As Chris admitted that he felt his parents did not truly know him, the reality star was left shattered by his father's next comments. 'I probably don't. The Chris we knew is long gone.' 'I don't hate you. It's just, some of your choices work me up the wrong way. It's not the way I was brought up. 'I don't wish you bad but there's some things I can't accept,' he continued. Refusal: However Geoff, refused to budge. 'Won't be any change in the answer,' he responded, in reference to acknowledging Chris' partner Grant Emotional: As Chris admitted that he felt his parents, Geoff and Yvonne, did not truly know him, the reality star was left shattered by his father's next comments: 'I don't hate you. It's just, some of your choices work me up the wrong way' Meanwhile, fans of the Channel Seven series would be surprised to hear of the family's refusal, with the revelation concerning mother Yvonne's wild past. Speaking to Kyle and Jackie O on KIIS 1065 last month, Chris explained that his mother, who is now a devout Jehovah's Witness, was once a 'wild child' who 'found religion.' 'I think that whole religion gives my mum some structure in her life, I think she found it at a time when she was a bit of a wild child,' he explained. 'No one knows this but mum used to work in gay bars back in the day.' Revelation: Chris revealed on KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show last month, that his devout Jehovahs Witness mother Yvonne (right), worked in 'gay bars back in the day' but STILL doesn't want to attend his wedding to partner Grant 'I think that whole religion gives my mum some structure in her life': Chris explained to Kyle and Jackie O that his mother had found religion after years of wild living and hard times A shocked Kyle speculated whether Chris' mother's lack of acceptance spun not from her religious beliefs, but from witnessing wild antics at the bars. But Chris disagreed, saying: 'I think it is more so along the beliefs side - I don' t think it has much to do with what she experienced there.' Chris and partner Grant told KIIS they decided to share their heartbreak on television because the prejudice they face is still common for homosexual couples. 'It's still happening and that was one of the main reasons why Grant and I wanted to do the show, to tell the story, tell it right,' Chris explained. While invites have been given to Chris' parents for his March Palm Springs wedding, it's unknown as to whether Geoff and Yvonne will attend. The U.S. Department of State has published an annual report on human rights in the world. According to the report, the most significant human rights problems during the year related directly to conflict in eastern Ukraine. "Russian-backed separatists in Donbas engaged in abductions, torture, and unlawful detention, employed child soldiers, stifled dissent, and restricted humanitarian aid," reads the report. A separate section is devoted to occupied Crimea of the report on Ukraine. The most significant human rights problems in Crimea during the year related directly to the Russian occupation, it says. "Russian security services engaged in an extensive campaign of intimidation to suppress dissent and opposition to the occupation that employed kidnappings, disappearances, physical abuse, political prosecution, repeated interviews, and interrogations by security forces. Russian security forces routinely detained individuals without cause and harassed and intimidated neighbors and family of those who opposed the occupation," reads the Crimea section of the report. According to the report, Ukrainian authorities have problems with the judicial system and this violates human rights. "The government generally failed to take adequate steps to prosecute or punish most officials who committed abuses, resulting in a climate of impunity," reads the report. Since Peter Capaldi announced last month that he was stepping down as the current Doctor Who, the rumour mill has been spinning about who will fill his shoes. And despite initial titterings that it would be former My Family actor Kris Marshall, fans turned their speculation back to female replacements - namely Tilda Swinton and Olivia Colman. But things have turned around, once more, as Marshall - who coincidentally quit his role on Death In Paradise around the time the Doctor Who news broke - has overtaken the ladies in the betting stakes. Scroll down for video All bets are off! Bookies are FORCED to halt punters betting on Kris Marshall taking over from Peter Capaldi as the next Doctor Who thanks to the huge number of people backing him In fact, so convinced are those placing their bets, that Ladbrokes have had to close the book. Alex Donohue, of the betting organisation, said: 'A surge of punters have backed Marshall so weve had no choice but to close the book.' He added, with a jaunty nod to the sci-fi series: 'If he does get the gig, the bookies will be exterminated first.' Marshall said that he is leaving his long-running series Death In Paradise after four years on the BBC show, so that he can spend less time away from his family. Time to go: Peter Capaldi announced his decision to quit as the twelfth Doctor on Monday night And almost immediately, speculation began to spin on social media as to the real reasons behind the decision. Avid BBC viewers seemed to immediately conclude that Marshall is transferring his skills as a Detective to a Doctor - and is in the running to play Doctor Who in the wake of Capaldi. 'Maybe a coincidence but since Doctor Who needs a new lead, interesting that that Kris Marshall has now quit Death in Paradise. New doctor?' came a theory from one fan on Twitter. Another typed 'Kris marshall should play doctor who...' as a further tweeter concurred: 'Kris Marshall will be the 13th Doctor. Calling it. He'd be perfect. #doctorwho!' The theory proved popular as the news spread that Marshall is leaving the role of Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman. Speculation: Avid BBC viewers seem to be under the impression that Marshall is transferring his skills as a Detective to a Doctor - and is in the running to play Doctor Who in the wake of Peter Capaldi's decision to leave 'So Kris Marshall leaves #DeathInParadise, just as they're starting to look for a new #DoctorWho... #Coincidence...?? ;-)' a fourth person theorised. 'Huh so Kris Marshall leaves Death in Paradise around the same time Peter Capaldi leaves Doctor Who. Hmm, interesting...' a fifth wrote. Some didn't seem too keen on the idea. 'If Kris Marshall is the new #DoctorWho they might as well cast a toilet brush. Dull,' a fan seethed. The 43-year-old actor - whose big break came in the form of BBC sitcom My Family - revealed on Thursday's episode of Good Morning Britain that the decision was made in order to spend more time with his family after his daughter was born last year, leaving him 'bereft' while away filming in the Caribbean. Pastures Who? Kris said of the decision to quit - 'I've loved it. It's time to move on and give someone else some sun. I'm still thinking whether I've made the right decision' It has been confirmed that after he departs the show, he will be replaced by Father Ted funnyman Ardal O'Hanlan, who will play Detective Inspector Jack Mooney, a role he debuts in Thursday night's episode of the show. Kris said of the decision to quit: 'I've loved it. It's time to move on and give someone else some sun. I'm still thinking whether I've made the right decision. 'It is amazing and I've been filming in London since and there's a moment when you stand in the cold and think why am I not in flips flops in the Caribbean?' He admitted he struggled being away from his family for filming, saying: 'For the last few years I have been able to take them with me but we had a daughter and this last series I did on my own. Skyping leaves me bereft.' She's the favourite: Olivia Colman has become a hot bet among punters hoping to predict the new Doctor And while playing The Doctor would certainly keep him closer to home, he's not the only name floating around for the role. Olivia Colman, who recently received an Emmy award nomination for her role in The Night Manager, has even been tipped for the job by her Broadchurch co-star David Tennant who played the tenth Doctor. 'Olivia would clearly be a magnificent choice. If you have the right people telling the right stories then its absolutely a possibility,' he said. Other favourites with punters include Broadchurch actor Andrew Buchan, Game Of Thrones star Iwan Rheon, James Bond's Q Ben Whishaw and and The IT Crowd's Richard Ayoade. Capaldi himself joined in the name-dropping for the next Time Lord - and is giving his backing to Rising Damp veteran Frances de la Tour. Bizarrely, she was considered to be the first female Doctor in the 1980s, when producers were desperate to change the sex of the time-travelling alien in a bid to keep it on the air - but it was cancelled, only to return again in 2005. Rising dame? Exiting Doctor Who Peter Capaldi has joined in the name-dropping for the next Time Lord - and he wants a woman to take over from him, Rising Damp star Frances de la Tour Announcing his decision to step down from his Time Lord role, Peter said: 'This'll be the end for me. I feel sad. I love Doctor Who. It's a fantastic programme to work on.' 'It's been a huge pleasure to work with... a family. I can't praise the people I work with more highly. 'I've never worked the same job for three years, and I feel like now is the right time to move on. I'll still be the Doctor for a while.' Twelve actors have played the time-travelling Doctor since William Hartnell first adopted the role in 1963, and so far all of them have been men. Billie Piper, who played the Doctor's assistant when the show was brought back in 2005, tweeted that it would be a 'welcome turn' for a woman to take the role. It's hard to believe, but Modern Family's Luke and Manny are graduating. The cast of the hit series was seen filming a graduation scene on Thursday at an LA high school. Spotted on set was Sofia Vergara, Ariel Winter, Sarah Hyland and Julie Bowen. Back to school: Ariel Winter is seen on set at an LA high school while filming a graduation scene for Modern Family Walk this way: Sofia Vergara was seen warming up between takes with a cup of coffee, while accompanied by a bodyguard and her onscreen son, child actor Jeremy Maguire The long-running hit series first debuted in 2009, and follows the slightly unconventional Pritchett and Dunphy families as they navigate life in a modern world. Aware the hilarious series may be nearing its use-by date, Sofia has confessed the thought of the show ending makes her 'very sad'. 'It's my favorite thing to do of work. It's so easy,' she told E! Online in 2015. 'We know the set. I know the character so well. Ed O'Neill is amazing. I'm going to be very sad.' Gang's all here: 'Ed O'Neill is amazing. I'm going to be very sad,' Sofia has said of the imminent end of the hit series Joining the cast: Also spotted on set was Julie Bowen, who plays frazzled mom Claire Dunphy on the hit show Family time: Actress Sarah Hyland was seen chatting with cast members in between takes at an LA high school The Colombian beauty even credits Ed - who plays her onscreen husband - with inspiring her to get into shape. 'Ed is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, and he works out every day,' the 44-year-old actress told SELF magazine in February. 'He's 70 years old and moves like a 40-year-old man. It's impressive to see what exercise has done to him.' Meanwhile, after a challenging childhood, 19-year-old Ariel credits Sofia with helping her transform into a confident young woman. Growing up onscreen: Ariel with co-stars Nolan Gould, Sarah Hyland, Julie Bowen, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson 'I had a great role model in Sofia growing up, with her being a curvy woman that was super proud of who she was and what she looked like,' the voluptuous actress told SELF magazine in January. 'She could see that I was struggling a little bit with how to deal with my body, and was always trying to give me advice, like, "Here are some brands that would look good on our body type," or "Wear whatever you want, and feel good about yourself."' Also a role model was her older sister, Shanelle Workman. 'It was really helpful for me when I moved in with my sister, because shes the type of person that is confident in her body,' she added. 'I look up to her so much.' He has presented the show since 2002, with his bubbly co-host joining him in 2009. And Phillip Schofield, 54, has revealed he made a pact with Holly Willoughby, 36, about hit morning show This Morning. The presenters both agreed to leave the show if one of them goes - because it just wouldn't be the same without their friendship. Scroll down for video Loyal: Phillip Schofield, 54, has revealed he made a pact with co-host Holly Willoughby, 36, about hit morning show This Morning Speaking to TV magazine he admitted: 'Holly and I have both said that if one of us left, the other would leave too and I think we'll stand by that. 'It's a great partnership; I can't imagine we'd do it with anyone else.' Phillip also discussed how the buxom beauty keeps him in check - especially on social media. 'I have a pretty thick skin and I always want to reply to the trolls, but Holly [Willoughby] tells me not to', he explained. Double act: The presenters previously both agreed to leave the show if one of them goes Meanwhile Phillip recently revealed he met his wife, Stephanie when she worked in the business. Talking to Christine Lampard on Lorraine on Friday, about brand new series Schofield's South African Adventure, he said he was so pleased she joined him for filming. Christine asked him if we would do another series with Stephanie and he said: 'She worked in television years ago, that was how we met, so she can do it, she just doesn't want to these days. 'I never forget how lucky I am': Phillip told Christine Lampard on Lorraine on Friday that he met wife Stephanie when she worked in TV Sweet: Talking to Christine Lampard on Lorraine on Friday, about brand new series Schofield's South African Adventure, he said he was so pleased she joined him for filming 'She told me, 'I do trust you', so she will only film with me. She got more into it as we went along.' Stephanie met Phil when she worked as a BBC production Assistant and he was working for the BBC Children's television. He said at the time: 'You'd have thought someone wouldn't be attracted to a man with a puppet and dodgy jumpers!' He said of his wife: 'She worked in television years ago, that was how we met, so she can do it, she just doesn't want to these days' He said at the time: 'You'd have thought someone wouldn't be attracted to a man with a puppet and dodgy jumpers!' - pictured in 1986 Lovely: Phillip and Stephanie have been keeping viewers abreast of their antics on social media They married in 1993 and have two daughters together called Ruby and Molly. The couple went diving with sharks for one instalment of the show which was intended for use on This Morning but was so successful, it has gone primetime. Phillip said he wasn't at all scared at all and said it was important for him to highlight the sharks' beauty as well as their plight. Doing good: On next week's episode, Phillip and Stephanie visit rhinos and help them That's brave: Phillip also abseils down Table Mountain in the series He also went diving with sharks and said he 'wasn't scared' He said: 'They get a really bad press. There is a catastrophe happening in the seas with the killing that goes on. 'We could see a world without them in the future. They are very important to the food chain and very majestic.' He also said playfully of their filming experience: 'I learned she can't drum. She is a very poor drummer. On tonight's episode, I abseil off Table Mountain and she said, 'no thanks' to that. 'Next week, we do some work with rhinos. I really never forget how lucky I am.' Back in the day: Stephanie met Phil when she worked as a BBC production Assistant and he was working for the BBC Children's television His love: Phillip and Stephanie married in 1993 and have two daughters together called Ruby and Molly He concluded: 'Next week, we do some work with rhinos. I really never forget how lucky I am' How lovely: Phillip said Stephanie agreed to film with him because she 'trusts' him Her boundless enthusiasm carried an all-star cast through xXx: Return of Xander Cage. And on Friday, Ruby Rose, 30 flaunted the same charisma, but this time appeared to have some help on hand to do the carrying for her. The Australian actress was spotted being escorted through Sydney airport by bodyguards, as a pair of smiling airline attendants followed closely behind her with several bags of giant baggage. Touchdown! Ruby Rose was spotted walking with her hands free through Sydney airport, as bodyguards escorted her through the terminal Helping hand? Closely behind her, smiling airline attendants wheeled three large bags of luggage that may belonged to the 30-year-old The Orange Is The new Black actress looked fresh despite her longhaul flight, casually strolling through the terminal upon arrival for a short trip to her home country. The Melbourne-born star wore a flat-brim Nike cap atop her short raven-haired locks, layering a two-tone white and black bomber jacket over a button-down flannel shirt. Having just left a sunnier American spring, Ruby would have been confronted with an overcast Sydney day upon arrival. The brunette beauty dressed appropriately for the occasion, completing her outfit with skin-tight acid wash jeans and clean white sneakers. Still fresh! The Orange Is The new Black star looked fresh despite her longhaul flight, casually strolling through the terminal upon arrival Two-tone! She wore a flat-brim Nike cap atop her short raven-haired locks, layering a two-tone white and black bomber jacket over a button-down flannel shirt Stone cold stunner! The beauty dressed appropriately for Sydney's overcast weather, completing her outfit with skin-tight acid wash jeans and clean white sneakers One member of airline staff was snapped rolling two large hard-shelled luggage bags closely behind Ruby, Next to her, another smiling attendant breezed along with a much smaller grey bag. They both wore black tailored suits with distinctive red scarves wrapped around their necks. Rough deal? The attendants both wore black tailored suits with distinctive red scarves, with one tasked with carrying two large bags, while the other breezed along with much smaller grey luggage At one point, a well-built man in a blue button-down shirt placed his hand on the star's leather-clad back, seemingly clearing a path through fans and media. Ruby flaunted a flawless complexion as she opted for flight-appropriate makeup that consisted of a natural skin-tone base and a small amount of eyeliner. A second smaller man dressed in all-navy flanked the actress on her other side, who clutched her phone tightly with her free hands. Guards up? At one point, a well-built man in a blue button-down shirt placed his hand on the star's leather-clad back, seemingly clearing a path through fans and media How does she do it! Despite the longhaul flight, Ruby's skin looked glowing as she opted for flight-appropriate makeup that consisted of a natural skin-tone base and a small amount of eyeliner Flanked! A second smaller man dressed in all-navy flanked the actress on her other side, who clutched her phone tightly with her free hands Ruby has flown home after a hectic week in Los Angeles filled with Oscars events, photo shoots and filming scenes for upcoming flicks Meg and Pitch Perfect 3 that prevented her being in Sydney to collect her LGBTI Celebrity Of The Year Award on Thursday. The star will be reunited with the woman who's stolen her heart, Jessica Origliasso, 32, just in time for Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival. Her equally stunning girlfriend will be bolstered by the busy actresses appearance as her band The Veronicas perform as part of the pride festival. Gettin' busy! Ruby has flown home after a hectic week in Los Angeles filled with Oscars events, photo shoots and filming scenes for upcoming flicks Meg and Pitch Perfect 3 Wouldn't miss it for the world! The star will be reunited with the woman who's stolen her heart, Jessica Origliasso (L) just in time for Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival Alec Baldwin won't let a couple of accusations stand in his way. The dad of four was seen strolling with his wife, Hilaria, and two of his kids, Carmen and Rafael, in LA on Friday. Dressed in a navy T-shirt and grey trousers, the bespectacled actor appeared nonplussed as he walked down the street with his 33-year-old wife, who was pushing their kids in a double pram. Hitting the streets: Alec Baldwin was seen out walking with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin in LA on Friday Family outing: Joining the couple on their outing was their two eldest children, Carmen, three, and Rafael, one The trip comes amid allegations he stole his famous Donald Trump impersonation from comedian Anthony Atamanuik. The feud with Anthony started after Alex was asked whether he would do his Trump impersonation at the White House Correspondents' Dinner during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week. 'Well, I wouldnt say Im not lobbying,' he told the hilarious host. 'People would say, "Would you do it?" And there's a couple of guys on the internet who say, "No, please. I'm the only man who should play Trump." And there's a lot of Trump competition sucked into this.' Anthony considered it a dig at himself and promptly tweeted the 58-year-old to let him know. Not a care in the world: Despite a recent Twitter feud with comedian Anthony Atamanuik, Alec seemed at ease Keeping it in the family: The couple appeared to be enjoying their day out with their kids, with Hilaria smiling as she pushed the pram 'No one's lobbying Alec. I think it was @midnight that did that for me,' he tweeted. 'But thank you for the f@%k you on Kimmel.' Determined to get the last word in, the former 30 Rock star responded, 'You're welcome.' Meanwhile, Alec has confessed he never had any aspirations to play Trump before tackling the role on Saturday Night Live. Making America hate again: While highly praised for his Trump impersonation, the actor has also received backlash online Pictured: Comedian Anthony Atamanuik doing his Trump impression at the UCB presents Trump Dump event in Austin back in March 2016 'I never imitated him or had anything to do with him,' he told Jimmy Kimmel. 'Any time you have some sort of mimicry, its usually someone you appreciate. I didnt hate Trump, I just said, "Eh, I dont want to do that." And Tina [Fey] and Lorne [Michaels] kind of pushed me.' He said he had 'no idea what I was going to do' before the first dress rehearsal, and started repeating the words 'China, China, China' while in the makeup chair. '[It was] like a scene from a mental hospital,' he confessed. She's the lawyer-turned-Instagram sensation with an impressive 1.7 million followers. And Pia Muehlenbeck reminded onlookers of her appeal, as she attended dating app Bumble's End of Summer Party, at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Friday. The 25-year-old flaunted her toned legs in a silk orange frock, as she posed for photos inside eastern suburbs haunt, The Bucket List. Thigh's the limit! Pia Muehlenbeck, 25, flaunted her toned legs in a silk orange frock, as she attended dating app Bumble's End of Summer Party, at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Friday Pia drew attention in the vibrant frock, as she worked her best angles for the camera. Covering her petite upper frame, a strategic band just underneath the bust accentuated her slender waist. Layering of fabric from the hips down added a dramatic flair, while a short hemline at the front highlighted her slender legs, elongated with a pair of black strappy heels. Showing off her penchant for style, Pia carried her belongings in an embellished clutch and sported a pair of gold statement drop earrings. Leggy lady: Layering of fabric from the hips down added a dramatic flair, while a short hemline at the front highlighted Pia's slender legs, elongated with a pair of black strappy heels The man behind the snaps: Pia was accompanied to the event by her photographer boyfriend Kane Vato, who cut a casual figure in a pair of black jeans, a round-neck T-shirt, distressed tan lace-up boots and a white patterned cap Styling her dark locks into a sleek style at the nape of her neck, the Sydney-based personality opted for a glamorous makeup palette of a bronzed complexion, defined brows, subtle kohl-rimmed eyes and a matte nude lip. Pia was accompanied to the event by her photographer boyfriend, Kane Vato. Kate cut a casual figure in a pair of black jeans, paired with a round-neck T-shirt emblazoned with the letter B. Finishing off the look with distressed tan lace-up boots and a patterned white cap, the man behind Pia's stunning snaps was sure to have his own equipment on hand. Stylish crowd: The Sydney-based star attended the exclusive event with other notables including model and influencer Michaela Wain (right) Pia attended the exclusive event with other notables including model and influencer Michaela Wain. The blonde beauty showed off her delicate decolletage and trim pins in a black off-the-shoulder top, teamed with a leather mini-skirt. Khaki strappy heels, gold drop earrings and a denim jacket carried in hand, worked as stylish accessories. Guests were treated to tacos and finger food by Bondi's The Bucket List, with plenty of PIMMS cocktails at the ready. She's the blonde beauty who captured the heart of one of Australia's biggest movie stars. And Elsa Pataky, 40, has wasted little time settling back into her adopted beachside home of Byron Bay, New South Wales. The wife of hunky actor Chris Hemsworth, 33, flew back into Australia just last week and on Friday was pictured walking barefoot through the popular tourist destination with a friend. Scroll down for video Boho style: Elsa Pataky has wasted little time settling back into her adopted beachside home of Byron Bay, New South Wales As she enjoyed the stroll through the tropical town, Elsa showed off the boho-style that has become her trademark. In a flowing floral dress, a huge white necklace and countless pieces of jewellery, the mother-of-three looked set for a walk in the sun. A plunging neckline hid her cleavage, but ensured her svelte physique was on show. Walking and talking: The 40-year-old wife of hunky actor Chris Hemsworth was pictured walking barefoot through the popular tourist destination with a friend on Friday Fashionista: In a flowing floral holtar neck dress, a huge white necklace and countless pieces of jewellery, the mother-of-three looked set for a walk in the sun While also adding elegance with a luxurious Chanel backpack, she kept things low key by opting to go barefoot for her stroll. Tying her blonde locks up into a ponytail she held an iPhone in her hand as she and her friend walked and talked. Alongside her Elsa's friend mimicked her hippy style, opting for a dark floral dress. Back home! Just days earlier Elsa, husband Chris and their three children had flown in after spending three months in the United States Casual! The mother-of-three kept things low key by opting to go barefoot for her stroll Tech savvy! Tying her blonde locks up into a ponytail she held an iPhone in her hand as she and her friend walked and talked Hiding her eyes from the shade with a pair of large sunglasses, she chose to protect her feet from the blistering heat by wearing a pair of thongs. Just a few days earlier Elsa and Chris arrived in Australia with their children after a three-month trip to the United States. The Thor superstar and the rest of his family were spotted stepping off a plane at Brisbane airport and hopping into a helicopter which ferried them to Byron. Stunner: A plunging neckline and back hid her cleavage, but ensured her svelte physique was on show The Hemsworth's made the tropical paradise their home in 2015, leaving their former US pad behind once Chris became easily able to secure work. Chris and Elsa began dating in early 2010 and just months later tied the knot. In 2012 the couple welcomed a daughter India Rose, while twin boys Tristan and Sasha were born in 2014. She rocked some voluminous giant curls on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday. And Halle Berry seemed to have tamed her tresses to step out in Beverly Hills on Friday. The 50-year-old star wrapped a head scarf around her longer soft beach waves, as she parked up for lunch in the exclusive district. Less volume: Halle Berry seemed to have tamed her tresses to step out in Beverly Hills on Friday She looked effortlessly on trend in pale blue ripped mom jeans. They were teamed with a black top which also featured holes, and black leather ankle boots. The Monster's Ball beauty carried her belongings in a giant leather tote. Stylish: The 50-year-old star wrapped a head scarf around her longer soft beach waves, as she parked up for lunch in the exclusive district The X-Men beauty appeared to be make-up free, and covered her eyes with tinted sunnies. She appeared to generously tip the car valet attendant $20, before hopping in her ride. The Catwoman star can afford it - with a reported net worth of $70million. Striking! She rocked some voluminous giant curls on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday Halle is currently filming romance Kings, with Daniel Craig. He plays a South Central recluse helps a woman's working-class mother during the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles. She has two further movies out this year - thriller Kidnap, which she also executive produced, and Kingsman: Golden Circle which is due out in the fall. They both announced splits from their long-term boyfriends in recent months. But on Saturday, Natalie Roser and former Big Brother star Aisha Jade looked like they'd found their perfect match in each other. The 26-year-old Australian model and her reality star pal both put on a busty display in matching crochet bikinis as they posed for a shoot at the lavish Skybar in West Hollywood. Perfect match! Natalie Roser (R) and Big Brother star Aisha Jade (L) put on a busty display in matching crochet bikinis as they posed for a shoot at the lavish Skybar in West Hollywood on Saturday Former Miss Australia contestant Natalie exuded effortless beauty as she casually tossed her luscious blonde locks to one side. Her purple-toned crocheted two-piece exposed her ample assets, the skimpy bottom half containing barely enough strategically placed material. Aisha, 25, broke the pair's matching streak, opting not to brave a pair of the daring bikini bottoms, while still flaunting her trim pins in a slightly larger salmon brief. Adding to the twinning look was the beauty's similarly parted hair and matching aviator shades. Bikini babe! The 26-year-old has been regularly snapped flaunting her assets in skimpy bikinis since relocating to Los Angeles to further her modelling career Being of near identical height to her Australian pal simply added to the light-hearted fun of the snap. 'Bikinis and Rose,' Natalie wrote in the caption. It's not just stunning bikini bodies the pair have in common, having both announced separations from their long term partners in recent months. News of the blonde model's split with personal trainer beau Dan Adair broke in early January, while Aisha's 18-month relationship with fellow Big Brother contestant Travis Lunardi ended in April last year. More in common: It's not just stunning bikini bodies the pair have in common, having both announced separations from their long term partners in recent months. Natalie and personal trainer beau Dan Adair (L) broke the news of the split in January this year More time to recover: Aisha has been afforded a bit more time to recover, her 18-month relationship with fellow Big Brother contestant Travis Lunardi ended in April last year Ever the go-getter, Natalie has apparently already moved on after a well-intentioned Valentine's Day post from hunky model Harley Bonner outed the couple. After speculation broke when the couple were spotted catching up soon after the Newcastle-born beauty's split, her Melbourne-based actor beau seemingly confirmed the relationship. The smitten snap pictured the pair kissing, with Harley adding 'love you' in the accompanying caption. Moving on! Regardless, Natalie has apparently already moved on after a well-intentioned Valentine's Day post from hunky model Harley Bonner seemingly outed the couple He called her a 'beautiful angel' and referenced her new life in America as he emphasised she lived 'across the DAMN SEA!!' The story adds up, as Natalie recently relocated to Los Angeles to further her modelling career. Meanwhile, news of a new man in Aisha's life is yet to be publicly announced. Big brother beau: After falling for each other on Big Brother season 11 in 2014, Aisha, 26 announced the split on Instagram, saying they are still 'great friends' Announcing her split with Travis on Instagram, the reality star wrote: 'Trav and I have decided to part ways and will always remain great friends!' 'Our relationship played out in front of the nation and in its ending we hope you can respect our decision and our privacy.' Aisha has deleted all photos of Travis from her Instagram account. She's documented her heartbreaking and brutal battle with breast cancer since being diagnosed in February 2015. And Shannen Doherty looked like a different person as she put on a dance display on Friday. Just one week after completing her chemotherapy, the 45-year-old actress bust out some moves to Missy Elliot - and shared it with Instagram followers. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Fighting back: Shannen Doherty looked like a different person as she put on a dance display on Friday The former Beverly Hills 90210 star put on the energetic routine, as she captioned: 'This is one way to spend your Friday.... new routine Neda came up with today. She gave me 20 to learn it. Love my @jammalibu #cancerslayer.' Her followers were inspired by the transformation, lynnjilinskiI wrote: 'I don't say this lightly but this is so so inspiring,' while kandbbunny wrot: 'Newly diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Hope I am as strong and positive as you are. You are amazing.' Her trainer Neda Soderqvist reposted the video clip, with the caption: 'This girl is my #hero Not only do I love torturing her ... oops I mean training her...but on a serious note -who she is deep inside her beautiful heart and soul is even more remarkable. It's an honor to call her my friend! #cancerslayer.' Cancer slayer! Just one week after completing her chemotherapy, the 45-year-old actress bust out some moves to Missy Elliot - and shared them with Instagram followers One week ago, she took to Instagram to share the good news that she had completed her chemo. The 'exhausted' actress posted a selfie of herself looking pale and frail in bed, as she got some well-deserved rest. She wrote: 'Last day of chemo. Exhausted. Now that I'm done with chemo and radiation, the waiting game is here. 'Waiting for test. Waiting to see if I'm clear or not. Waiting for reconstruction. Waiting. I think when one gets cancer, they are always waiting to a certain extent. 'To those who know...I'm waiting with you. #cancerslayer.' Inspirational: The former Beverly Hills 90210 star put on the energetic routine, as she captioned: 'This is one way to spend your Friday' Strong: Her followers were inspired by the transformation, lynnjilinskiI wrote: 'I don't say this lightly but this is so so inspiring' Achievement: Her trainer Neda Soderqvist reposted the video clip, with the caption: 'This girl is my #hero' The 45-year-old actress was diagnosed with the disease in February 2015 and within a year found out that it had spread to her lymphatic system. She has bravely shared her journey with fans to help people better understand what those with cancer go through and support others who are fighting it. The animal rights activist told People in 2015: 'Yes, I have breast cancer, and I am currently undergoing treatment. I am continuing to eat right, exercise and stay very positive about my life. Exhausted: One week ago, she took to Instagram to share the good news that she had completed her chemo Raw: She has bravely shared her journey with fans to help people better understand what those with cancer go through and support others who are fighting it 'I am thankful to my family, friends and doctors for their support and, of course, my fans who have stood by me.' The star is married to photographer Kurt Iswarienko, who recently paid a sweet tribute to the star on a Valentine's Instagram post. He wrote: 'Got to spend a beautiful valentines day with my beautiful wife @theshando who's strength and depth of character are daily reminders to me of what life is really about.' (sic) Head of Ukraine's State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov has been transported to another hospital, the press service of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has reported. "He was transported to another hospital with the purpose of confirming his diagnosis. Depending on the conclusions of the doctors the decision on the terms and way of holding the [court] bail hearing will be made," the press service of NABU told Interfax-Ukraine, adding that the bail hearing is to take place no later than the Sunday evening, March 5. Josh Gad says portraying the first ever transparently gay character in a Disney film is 'incredible'. The 36-year-old takes on the role of LeFou in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. He has said the plot alteration that allows the character - who is the bumbling side-kick of antagonist Gaston, played by Luke Evans - to become Disney's first ever LGBTQ character is 'subtle' but 'effective'. Scroll down for video Speaking up: Josh Gad says portraying Disneys first ever openly gay character is 'incredible' Speaking at the world premiere of the movie in Hollywood on Thursday (02.03.17), Josh said: '[Director] Bill Condon did an amazing job of giving us an opportunity to create a version of Le Fou that isnt like the original, that expands on what the original did, but that makes him more human and makes him a wonderfully complex character to some extent. 'Its an incredible moment and its subtle, but I think its effective.' Exact details of the plot alteration have not been revealed so as to avoid spoiling the movie, but director Bill Condon recently described one scene as offering a 'nice, exclusively gay moment'. Large shoes to fill: The 36-year-old takes on the role of LeFou in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast He said: 'LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston. 'He's confused about what he wants. It's somebody who's just realizing that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. 'And that's what has its payoff at the end, which I don't want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.' Josh took to Twitter shortly after the news of his characters sexuality was announced on Wednesday to reply to a fan who had asked him to confirm the news. Filling in the details: He has said the plot alteration that allows the character - who is the bumbling side-kick of antagonist Gaston, played by Luke Evans - to become Disney's first ever LGBTQ character is 'subtle' but 'effective' Quoting the tweet which included a link to an article, Josh simply said: 'Beyond proud of this.' In the new version, Emma Watson will play leading lady Belle, voiced in 1991 by Paige O'Hara, while Dan Stevens will be the Beast, succeeding Robby Benson. Other cast members include Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Evans, Gad, Kevin Kline and Emma Thompson. The film enjoyed its world premiere in London last Thursday and will open to a wide release in both America and Britain on March 17. They're both the children of musical icons. So perhaps it's no surprise that friends Paris Jackson and Sofia Richie were hanging out together on Friday night. Sofia, 18, seemed to take the lead as the duo held hands while walking into the tony nightspot Catch LA in West Hollywood. Time for fun! Perhaps it's no surprise that friends Paris Jackson and Sofia Richie were hanging out together on Friday night The daughter of Lionel Richie also seemed to opt for the dressier clothing combination, versus Paris' more bohemian attire. She wore a long black tunic coat with white piping, which was apparently layered over a bright cherry top. On the bottom, tight black trousers were tucked into some chic midnight blue velvet boots. Some spangly silver earrings and a small olive green handbag rounded out her wardrobe for the evening. Just a peek: Sofia wore a long black tunic coat with white piping, which was apparently layered over a bright cherry top Her caramel tresses were parted on the right and swept back, and a dash of pale rose lip gloss made the young model's visage glow. In contrast, Paris opted to keep her ensemble quite a bit more casual, despite the upscale setting. Michael Jackson's daughter, 18, donned a taupe top under a burgundy jacket, which she paired with some forest green capris. She decided on a pair of flat strappy sandals to finish off her more laid-back look. Nothing fancy: In contrast, Paris opted to keep her ensemble quite a bit more casual, despite the upscale setting Classic: The accessories were quite appropriate, and featured a retro pair of shades, which she hung off her shirt, and a large peace sign necklace Beauty: Sofia sported a subtle slick of bronzer which contoured her striking face Wrapping up in style: Her oversized outerwear kept her warm Her blonde locks, in keeping with her outfit, were messily parted in the middle and were otherwise unmolested. The accessories were quite appropriate, and featured a retro pair of shades, which she hung off her shirt, and a large peace sign necklace. While some might question their hand-holding, the pair have quite a close bond, which they demonstrated at the Golden Globes back in January. They took to the red carpet together, and Sofia even planted a kiss on her friend's cheek. What happened? Something seemed to have caught Paris' attention as she sported a surprised facial expression Tatt's cool: One of her many tattoos was visible on her arm The next generation: Paris and Sofia both boast exciting rising modelling careers ahead Two of a kind: While some might question their hand-holding, the pair have quite a close bond, which they demonstrated at the Golden Globes back in January 'Mama' June Shannon learned her ex Mike 'Sugar Bear' Thompson planned on marrying Jennifer Lamb during the premiere episode last week. So the 37-year-old vowed to show her former flame what he's missing on her reality show Mama June: From Not To Hot and even had gastric sleeve surgery on Friday night's episode of the WE tv series. Before going under the knife, the mother-of-four declares Sugar Bear is 'gonna be so jealous' after seeing the results from her life-altering surgery. The episode also sees June recovering from the procedure and eventually meeting her drill sergeant-style personal trainer to help achieve her weight loss goals. WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW 'He's gonna be so jealous': 'Mama' June Shannon vowed to show her ex Mike 'Sugar Bear' Thompson what he's missing on her reality show Mama June: From Not To Hot on Friday 'Everybody in the family might not agree with this gastric sleeve surgery but this is what I want for me,' she says in an interview session. 'I've been dealing with this weight all of my life and I want to show me, and the kids, that I can change and live a healthier life. 'And when Sugar Bear sees the new and improved me at his wedding, he's gonna be so jealous about what he's missing out on.' 'This is what I want for me': The 37-year-old even had gastric sleeve surgery to help shed the unwanted pounds' 'I could die': June's weight is shown at 352 pounds at the begin of the episode as she confesses, 'This surgery is the scariest thing I've ever done in my life' June's weight is shown at 352 pounds at the begin of the episode as she confesses, 'This surgery is the scariest thing I've ever done in my life, I could die from it.' As she undergoes the procedure by Dr. Michael Feiz, daughters Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson, 11, and Lauryn 'Pumpkin', 16, patiently wait for her. 'The hardest part is over, the surgery has happened and I'm excited to go home, and watch the fat just come off of me and in a couple months from now I'm going to be sitting back, relaxing and dating hot men,' June says as she recovers in her hospital room. 'The hardest part is over': The life-altering procedure was performed by Dr. Michael Feiz Upon returning home after surgery, June is greeted by her niece Amber, saying: 'I feel like I'm five months pregnant and fixing to explode.' Amber then tells her aunt that she has a 'welcome home present' for her. The clip transitions to Amber chatting with her mom - and June's sister - Doe Doe. 'Come on, I had to give her some kind of motivation. She's gotta be looking good at Sugar Bear's wedding.' Doting daughters: As she undergoes surgery, Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson, 11, and Lauryn 'Pumpkin', 16, patiently wait at the hospital When Amber presented her aunt with a gift, June believed it to be 'sexy lingerie,' but her niece said she 'wouldn't do that in front of the girls.' 'Whoa,' June says as she pulls it from the bag. The present was revealed to be a 'revenge dress'; a red, long-sleeve gown that featured a sparkly brooch on the side. 'This is for Sugar Bear's wedding. This is what you're working towards. To go, "ooh, baby baby, look at me."' 'Revenge dress': Upon returning home after surgery, June is greeted by her niece Amber, who has a 'welcome home present' for her 'What size is that?' asked June. 'Size four,' Amber responded. 'I'm a 22/24 right now,' her aunt shot back. 'This is like, 20 sizes smaller than me.' 'You gonna look better than the bride,' said Amber. 'Oh I'm gonna look better than her any d*** way. Any day of the week' June shot back. 'This is for Sugar Bear's wedding': The present was revealed to be a 'revenge dress'; a red, long-sleeve gown that featured a sparkly brooch on the side Meanwhile, as 12 weeks goes by, the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star manages to drop over 60 pounds throughout the episode. But this doesn't seem to be enough for her manager, Gina Rodriguez, who wants to book 'Skinny Mama June' for a photo shoot the same week as Sugar Bear's wedding to show off her amazing transformation. So Gina enlists the help of a militant-style personal trainer named Kenya who is introduced to June with a loud air horn as she's sleeping first thing in the morning. Recruiter: Meanwhile, June's manager, Gina Rodriguez, enlists the help of a drill sergeant-style trainer to help with the reality star's transformation Rude awakening: Kenya is introduced to June with a loud air horn as she's sleeping first thing in the morning As she stumbles downstairs he is in her face and enforces a strict workout regimen with her which she immediately refuses. But Gina does not take 'no' for an answer and Kenya places June's hand on a scale as he calls it her new 'Bible.' 'I am your favorite babysitter,' the self-entitled 'world's greatest weight loss expert' tells her. 'What the f***?': As June stumbles downstairs she is forced into a strict workout regimen which she immediately refuses 'I mean holy s**t , what the hell did I get myself into? There is literally a loony bin person in my house. What the f***?' June gripes. 'I am not feeling the love,' Kenya replies. Mama June: From Not to Hot airs Fridays on WE tv. He's the popular comedian who will finally host Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, for the first time on Saturday. And just hours away from the annual event, Joel Creasey took to Instagram, sharing a hilarious yet inspiring message for his 69,700 followers. A snap of the 26-year-old tucking into a hearty meal was captioned: 'You are so much more than a hot shirtless babe on a podium.' 'You are more than a hot shirtless babe on a podium': Joel Creasey, 26, took to Instagram on Saturday, posting a hilarious message alongside a snap of the comedian tucking into a hearty meal, reminding fans to know their worth ahead of Mardi Gras celebrations 'Happy Mardi Gras! As a w**reish, foul-mouthed representative of the younger gay community, I'd just like to say that please remember this: whilst abs and muscles are nice - they're not necessary,' Joel began. 'There is so much "shredding", "carb loading" and "party pumping" going on around Sydney right now. That's totally cool. I'll probably try kiss you all later. 'But remember that you are so much more than a hot shirtless babe on a podium. And more importantly: personality, attitude, style and humour trump a v-line and a massive chest any day. So love yourselves for who you are, homos. 'Personally, I'm preparing for tonight with a big breakfast, coffee, juice, pastries and probably a milkshake. See you at the parade!' the personality continued. At last: The Perth-born star will finally see Sydney's famous Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday night - as host of SBS's coverage Joel will host SBS' coverage of the event alongside Em Rusciano, Patrick Abboud and Faustina Agolley. The Perth-born recently admitted to Star Observer, that he landed the gig despite having never attended the Mardi Gras showpiece. 'I've never actually been to the parade which is crazy considering I'm hosting it, and I've only ever been to Mardi Gras one other time,' he told the publication. Big moment: Joel (pictured at the LGBTI Awards) told Star Observer that he landed the gig despite never having attended the Mardi Gras showpiece Co-hosts: The comedian, a proud member of the gay community, will host SBS's coverage of the event alongside Em Rusciano (pictured), Patrick Abboud and Faustina Agolley Fond memories: While he missed the main event during his only previous visit to the LBGT festival, Joel did meet his ex-boyfriend there While he missed the main event during his only previous visit to the LBGT festival, Joel did meet his ex-boyfriend there. And as he's currently single, the blonde is hoping to meet someone special on his second visit to Sydney's famous celebration. He said: 'Because I missed the parade I went straight to the after party which is where I met my ex-boyfriend so Mardi Gras is hopefully an opportunity to meet a husband.' On the prowl: As he's currently single, the funnyman is hoping to meet someone special on his second visit to Sydney's famous celebration Moment of truth: The stand-up comic, who shot to national attention on the first season of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, also told Star Observer about coming out to his parents The stand-up comic, who shot to national attention on the first season of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, also told the publication about coming out to his parents. Joel said his mum and dad were 'cool' about the revelation he made at 16-years-old, and says he'd known for a long time about his sexuality. He said: 'I think I always knew from a young age. I had a girlfriend for a week in grade nine but then I dumped her via text on my Nokia 3315.' Joel has been performing gigs in the build-up to Mardi Gras in aid of just.equal, an organisation protesting for the legalisation of same-sex marriage. You can see Joel and his co-hosts presenting live coverage of the parade on SBS On Demand from 7:30pm Saturday, or you can catch the full broadcast at 8:30pm Sunday on SBS. Mariah Carey was spotted on Friday exposing quite a bit of her generously endowed cleavage while out and about in Los Angeles. The 46-year-old had squeezed into a seemingly airtight white top, sliding a short-sleeved peach leather jacket over it. Zips ran up the sleeves, and she'd accessorized with a large red snakeskin patterned purse, a large chain necklace and black-rimmed purple sunglasses. When you got it: Mariah Carey was spotted on Friday exposing quite a bit of her generously endowed cleavage while out and about in Los Angeles White hoop earrings dangled on either side of her face, and she'd popped massive glistening bracelets around both her wrists. An enormous ring encircled the middle finger of her right hand, and she'd painted her claw-like nails a gleaming silver. Form-fitting blue jeans strained against her, and her nude stilettos featured a stretch of glistening metallic tassels draped over her heels. Stylish: The 46-year-old had squeezed into a seemingly airtight white top, sliding a short-sleeved peach leather jacket over it In the middle of last month, the Associated Press ran an article in which she confirmed she's dating her backup dancer Bryan Tanaka. Yet she was reticent to divulge much more about the romance, saying: 'I'm just going to be like "I really don't talk about my personal life."' She explained her tactic by pointing out that 'that's what I used to do and it really worked for a minute, back, a while ago.' Garnishing the look: Zips ran up the sleeves, and she'd accessorized with a large red snakeskin patterned purse, a large chain necklace and black-rimmed purple sunglasses Adding in some glitz: An enormous ring encircled the middle finger of her right hand, and she'd painted her claw-like nails a gleaming silver Quoth she: 'I just don't feel comfortable talking about my personal life,' adding that 'Me and my boyfriend don't want to do that.' Before this new relationship, she'd spent 1993 until 1998 tethered in matrimony to Tommy Mottola, then married Nick Cannon until 2008, producing twins. Though the divorce began early in 2015, it wasn't finalized until last November, a stretch of time during which she'd managed to affiance and then break up with Australian billionaire James Packer. It's been a rough week for Roxy Jacenko on the home front. But it seems the PR queen has had a better start to her weekend, after her two-year-old son Hunter was all smiles for a day out with mum after having been struck down with a virus all week. The 36-year-old spent the day at Westfield Bodi Junction with him, but before leaving home she took to her son's Instagram to share a photograph him with the caption 'dressed myself'. 'Dressed myself': Roxy Jacenko took to her son's Instagram to share a snap of his outfit of the day Fans of the young sneaker enthusiast liked and paid a compliment to his 'outfit of the day' post. One commented: 'Such a little boss man! He looks much better too!' Another wrote: 'Such a handsome little man glad to see his feeling better now.' While another fan said: 'Great to see you happy & well again Hunter. What a little cool dude you are.' Meanwhile, on her account she posted a selfie from her car holding up the peace sign, with Hunter looking bright eyed and excited in his car seat - she captioned the picture 'he's back!'. He's back! Roxy posted a selfie from her car holding up the peace sign, and with Hunter looking bright eyed and excited in his car seat in the back before heading out to the shopping centre Mummy's hugs: Earlier in the week Roxy stayed home to tend to her young son who was struck down with a virus It was only a few days before that the tot was unable to get out of bed, open his eyes or even sit up on his own. Roxy told Daily Mail Australia: '[It's] very hard to see and not know how to solve for me,' the Sydney socialite said, adding that they had even sought the assistance of two doctors. 'He spent this morning in emergency after last night but come this afternoon and after seven terrible days he is finally getting colour back,' she added. Treat after a terrible week: After spending the day in hospital, PR maven Roxy Jacenko has taken her two-year-old son Hunter, who has been struck down with a virus all week, to McDonald's to get a Happy Meal Amid the hustle between home, the hospital, work and a meeting, she said she stopped by McDonald's to get Hunter a Happy Meal to lift his spirits. 'I think the McNuggets certainly did the trick,' she said. 'He is finally smiling again! They say a mother's work is never done heck thats certainly true!' Doting mum: She told Daily Mail Australia, 'He spent this morning in emergency after last night but come this afternoon and after seven terrible days he is finally getting colour back' Roxy took to Instagram to share an adorable snap of Hunter belted into his car seat with his favourite blanket on his lap, while digging into his nuggets and chips. His hospital band is clearly visible on his wrist. Sadly missing out on the treat was her eldest child, daughter Pixie, five, who was busy at school. Just the trick! She said that the McNuggets put a smile back on his face after spending the day in the hospital Her legions of followers liked and comended the mother for doing what she can to help Hunter feel better. One said: 'Nuggets makes everything better! feel better Hunty xxxx' Another commented: 'Best recovery food. Always know when they are on the mend if the can get it down!!' While someone else wrote: 'A happy meal solves everything! I hope he improves quickly.' Meanwhile, the busy mum of two couldn't resist sneaking in a quick selfie showing off her trademark blonde locks styled by her new client Toni And Guy Salons. Sorry Pixie! Sadly missing out on the Happy Meal treat was her eldest child, daughter Pixie, five, who was busy at school Roxy also posted a picture herself with Hunter in her arms and holding his favourite blanket at Rose Bay's South Head Medical Centre. She also shared snippets of her day with her social media followers and even tried to get him to wear the cute panda face mask to try and stop it from spreading to herself and Pixie. 'He thought it was so ridiculous it didnt last very long,' she said. She recently debuted a much shorter haircut. And on Thursday Catherine McNeil continued to show off her new hairdo, strutting her stuff on the runway for Isabel Marant. The Australian model's appearance at Paris Fashion Week was a far cry from other appearances which have seen her flaunt long brunette locks. Scroll down for video Strutting her stuff! Catherine McNeil walks the runway for Isabel Marant at Paris Fashion Week after debuting new Beatles-esque bowl cut hair The 27-year-old channeled Twiggy for the fashion event, wearing her page boy haircut with a pair of oversized drop earrings. The brunette beauty paired the look with a plush velvet coat and thigh high black boots. Catherine showed off her flawless complexion wearing minimal makeup which accentuated her natural beauty. New look: Catherine McNeil shocked her fans by sporting a Beatles-esque bowl cut on the runway at Paris Fashion Week On Wednesday, Catherine McNeil shocked her fans by sporting a Beatles-esque bowl cut on the runway at Paris Fashion Week. She strutted her stuff for designer Lanvin in a flowing white dress and matching fishnets. She added an edgy twist to the ensemble with leather ankle boots and a matching vest. The stunner also walked in designer Dries Van Noten's 100th show. Work it: The 27-year-old also walked in designer Dries Van Noten's 100th show For that, she switched up her look with an over-sized fur coat and brown corduroy pants. This isn't the first time that Cat has shown off her new bowl cut to the world. Last month, at New York Fashion Week, the beauty flaunted her new 'do at the Alexander Wang show. Her usual look: Catherine's usually known for sporting long flowing brown hair The 27-year-old found fame after winning the Girlfriend Magazine model search at fourteen and was part of the top 30 models of 2000 in Vogue Paris. Cat is also known for her colourful love life, having previously been engaged to model Miles Langford and actress Ruby Rose. She's hosting one of Sydney's biggest nights of the year in a dress inspired by Nicole Kidman's polarising SAG Awards gown. And Em Rusciano has taken to Instagram to share how she got ready for the Mardi Gras parade. The 38-year-old uploaded photos of her 'subtle drag' look for the LGBTI community's night of nights. Scroll down for video Bringing on the subtle drag: Em Rusciano has taken to Instagram to share how she got ready for the Mardi Gras parade She thanked celebrity makeup artist Craig Beagle Hole for 'nailing the 'subtle drag' brief she gave him, which emphasised bold, dramatic eyes, thick lashes and shimmery eyeshadow. Her outfit was an Australiana take on Nicole Kidman's 2017 SAG award gown. In an interview with The Morning Show's Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur she told them: 'I've re-created that with white sequins and cockatoos, because it's Australiana themed.' Bold and drama! Craig Beagle Hole nailed the 'sublte drag' brief' she gave him, which emphasised on bold, dramatic eyes, thick lashes and shimmery eyeshadow Kopying Kidman: Em's outfit was an Australiana take on Nicole Kidman's 2017 SAG award gown 'I am a gay man trapped in a straight woman's body who looks like a lesbian, so I cover all territories,' she joked. Em said that she was honoured to be taking part in the LGBT weekend festivities. 'Marriage equality is something close to my heart and I'm just so proud to be part of the day,' she said. Between two hunks: She also recently shared a photo with herself and comedian Bob Downe, alongside hunky men in tight yellow sequenced briefs Honoured: 'Marriage equality is something close to my heart and I'm just so proud to be part of the day,' she said 'The whole LGBTQR community has always embraced me, they've told me I'm pretty,' the pixie haired beauty said. She also took to Instagram to share a photo of herself with comedian Bob Downe, alongside hunky looking guys wearing tight yellow sequenced briefs and white sneakers. Em will be hosting alongside Patrick Abboud, Faustina Agolley and comedian Joel Creasy. They're both acclaimed Australian actresses who can boast of chameleon-like performances and extraordinary beauty. But just don't call Elizabeth Debicki 'the next Cate Blanchett' as the 26-year-old actress insists 'we could not be more dissimilar.' The statuesque blonde told The Sunday Telegraph that 'I am my own person' and she finds comparisons made between female actresses sexist, because men aren't scrutinised in the same way. Scroll down for video 'I am my own person':Elizabeth Debicki rejects comparisons to Cate Blanchett as sexist saying 'we could not be more dissimilar' The Night Manager actress said while there were both differences and some similarities that her and Cate shared, they were above all individuals. 'It is a huge compliment [to be compared to Blanchett], Ill never deny it and I think Cates a genius actor. Shes a unique, amazing creature, but its also not who I am. I am my own person,' Elizabeth told News Corp Australia. The actress remarked that male actors were 'allowed to be their own creature', women weren't given the same treatment. Double standards? The actress remarked that male actors were 'allowed to be their own creature', women weren't given the same treatment The Kettering Incident star insisted that women are compared to each other, because it was safer for men to see them as fitting into existing labels. 'If someone presents themselves in a way weve never seen before, heaven forbid, we dont like it or it challenges our idea of femininity.' Elizabeth and Cate do share some obvious similarities however, and appeared together in a Sydney Theatre Company production of The Maids. Worked together: Elizabeth and Cate do share some obvious similarities however, both appearing together in a stage production of The Maids The striking blonde made her screen debut in the 2011's Baz Luhrmann production of The Great Gatsby alongside Carey Mulligan and Leonardo DiCaprio. After her performance was widely praised she went on to score roles internationally, starring in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Night Manager. Elizabeth has also wrapped up filming roles in The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 and The God Particle. She has been seen on the FROW at a number of Paris Fashion Week shows. But Zoe Kravitz decided to take an evening off from the stylish event on Friday, as she instead headed out to explore the French capital with her boyfriend Karl Glusman. The actress, 28, looked casually chic in a checked black maxi skirt and chunky winter coat as she and her beau enjoyed an afternoon at the Palais de Tokyo and a romantic stroll by the River Seine. Scroll down for video Date day: Zoe Kravitz decided to take an evening off from Paris Fashion Week on Friday, as she instead headed out to explore the French capital with her boyfriend Karl Glusman Chic: The actress, 28, looked casually chic in a checked black maxi skirt and chunky winter coat as they enjoyed an afternoon at the Palais de Tokyo and a stroll by the River Seine The daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz kept things low-key for the cultured outing in a billowing maxi skirt of monochrome check and a grey knitted vest on top. Wrapping up warm in the chilly weather but still remaining stylish, the actress then layered a traditional full-length dark blue coat on top, shrouding her slim figure. She kept her hair in her trademark white dreadlocks and accessorised with a red satin clutch, for a splash of colour as a glamorous finishing touch. Casual cool: The daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz kept things low-key for the cultured outing in a billowing maxi skirt of monochrome check and a grey knitted vest on top Cosy: Wrapping up warm in the chilly weather but still remaining stylish, the actress then layered a traditional full-length dark blue coat on top, shrouding her slim figure Painting the city red: She kept her hair in her trademark white dreadlocks and accessorised with a red satin clutch, for a splash of colour Meanwhile her boyfriend, who she has been linked with since October, matched her casual appearance in a simple jumper and jeans combo. Proving his own quirky style however, the actor then removed his black beanie hat after their museum visit for the walk - revealing his bright pink dyed hair underneath. The pair spent a relaxing afternoon at the art establishment, before they soaked up the city sights by the river hand in hand. Low-key: Meanwhile her boyfriend, who she has been linked with since October, matched her casual appearance in a simple jumper and jeans combo Romantic: The pair spent a relaxing afternoon at the art establishment, before they soaked up the city sights by the river hand in hand. Bronx-born actor Karl has starred in Nocturnal Animals and The Neon Demon, and was first spotted with Zoe in October 2016 - following her relationship with recording artist Twin Shadow. Meanwhile Zoe has been getting rave reviews for her most recent acting role in hit TV series Big Little Lies. The HBO drama, which features a star-studded cast of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Alexander Skarsgard and Laura Dern, tells the tale of three mothers whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder. Still going strong: The couple were first spotted together in October 2016 - following her relationship with recording artist Twin Shadow However, the Fantastic Beasts actress was also recently announced as having a larger role in the second Harry Potter spin-off. Director David Yates told CinemaBlend about Zoe's character return: 'Yes. Leta Lestrange comes into the second movie.' 'Shes quite complicated and damaged and confused, and Newt (Eddie Redmayne) is absolutely still in love with her.' He added: 'So, she has a kind of power over him, and she, yeah, shes a kind of tragic figure, so we will see a bit more of her in the second movie.' Former head of the department of public affairs Ihor Tarasiuk has been notified of being suspected in the criminal case related to the illegal seizure of the state property of the Puscha Vodytsia complex of the Mezhyhirya Tract by Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's head of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Yuriy Lutsenko has said. "On March 2, 2017, Tarasiuk was notified of being suspected in this criminal case," Lutsenko wrote on Friday on his Facebook page. The place where Tarasiuk lived was raided by law enforcers during the pretrial investigation. Documents, EUR 1 million, gold and other things important for the investigation were seized during the raid. Lutsenko said that PGO is investigating a criminal case where Viktor Yanukovych, his son Oleksandr, former energy minister Eduard Stavytsky and other officials are suspected of creating a criminal group and seizing the state-owned property of the Puscha Vodytsia complex of the Mezhyhirya Tract worth UAH 540 million. She was the centre of an international scandal after a prank call to an English hospital went horribly wrong. And Mel Greig has opened up about the depths of her despair at being labelled a 'nurse-killer' following the suicide of Jacintha Saldanha, the hospital employee who answered the prank call Mel and 2Day FM radio co-host Mike Christian made to the Duchess of Cambridge. The 34-year-old media personality told The Sunday Telegraph she considered ending her own life due to the fallout after Jacintha's death. Scroll down for video 'Is suicide an option for me?' Mel Greig reveals depths of depression and being labelled a 'nurse-killer' after royal hospital prank In December 2012, Mel and Mike took part in a radio segment for their night time radio show, pretending to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles to be successfully put through to nurses looking after Kate Middleton. Days after the prank aired on radio, Jacintha, who had transferred the call, committed suicide. The incident drew international outrage against the radio station, resulting in a 2014 inquest into the mother of two's death which did not lay criminal blame on Mel and Mike. Hard times: Mel quit the organisation, went on a three year hiatus and struggled with depression for years. Investigated: A 2014 inquest into the mother of two's death which did not lay criminal blame on Mel and Mike But while her male co-host went on to continue working for the radio station, Mel quit the organisation, went on a three year hiatus and struggled with depression for years. Mel said the negative scrutiny around the scandal saw her branded a 'nurse-killer' by some media and the subject of attacks from trolls. 'I had one persistent troll who would not go away; he was from London and was very organised and structured. He would do a monthly attack on me on social media, contact me on email and Facebook, he got my mobile number from someone and he went next level. He really got to me,' Mel told News Corp Australia. Abused: Mel said the negative scrutiny around the scandal saw her branded a 'nurse-killer' by some media and the subject of attacks from trolls She also became dangerously close to taking her own life during her battle with depression. Mel managed to pull herself out only after asking herself to make a choice. 'The turning point was when I chose life; when I sat there and said, 'Is suicide an option for me?' and it's not,' she said. 'You handle things differently after you make that choice. You get to know what you stand for and who you are deep down.' Lifeline 13 11 14 Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 Mensline 1300 78 99 78 He's the hunky veterinarian who keeps quite about his private life. But it seems like Dr Chris Brown has welcomed a friendly face at the campsite where I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here is currently filming. Dr Chris was spotted showing his rumoured girlfriend, Kendall Bora, around the set of the jungle reality show, according to a report by The Daily Telegraph. At work: Dr Chris Brown has welcomed a friendly face at the campsite where I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here is currently filming Channel Nine Staffer Kendall Bora is believed to have flown to the set to visit the blonde hunk. Their alleged romance is believed to have been kept out of the public eye for the past six months. However, the report suggested that Chris is getting a little more comfortable with opening up about their relationship. Absent hearts: It's believed his new flame, Channel Nine Staffer Kendall Bora (middle), flew to South Africa to visit the blonde hunk while he's hosting I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here The pair was also reported to have ventured out in Cape Town with Chris's father Graham and his older brother Tim, according to the publication. In the past Dr Chris has been romantically linked to Hannah Thomas, a project manager from Bondi. 'He's lovely, just like he is on TV, what you see is what you get...he's a very nice positive person,' she said in a report by Woman's Day. Meet the parents: The pair was also reported to have ventured out in Cape Town with Chris's father Graham and his older brother Tim, according to the publication Old flame: In 2015, he dated Home And Away actress Kassandra Clementi - before ending things soon after It's believed they met through mutual friends - but their relationship did not eventuate. He also dated Home And Away actress Kassandra Clementi - before ending things in 2015. The handsome presenter has had a full plate of work to fill his time over that period with his regular commitments on I'm A Celebrity, The Living Room, The Project and Bondi Vet as well as running his veterinarian practice and other endeavours. She has made an appearance at both the prestigious New York and Milan Fashion Weeks this year so far. And Sara Sampaio certainly showed no signs of stopping on Saturday, as she once again stormed the runway in Paris for the Mugler AW17 show. The model, 25, showcased her famously statuesque figure as she modelled a striking one-shoulder top and high-waisted trousers for her fierce appearance on the catwalk. Scroll down for video In demand: Busy model Sara Sampaio showed no signs of stopping on Saturday, as she once again stormed the runway in Paris for the Mugler AW17 show The Portuguese beauty captivated all attention as she pounded down the catwalk with ease in her futuristic but chic ensemble. Cutting in one statement pointed shoulder, her navy top then clung to her body with its ribbed material - enhancing her enviably slim figure and giving a flash of her smooth skin on one side. Mixing the modern and classic styles of the collection, the brunette then paired the top with simple high-waisted cigarette trousers, which lengthened her already long and slender pins. Striking: Cutting into a statement pointed shoulder, her navy top then clung to her body with its ribbed material - enhancing her slim figure and giving a flash of her smooth skin on one side Adding to the work-wear feel of the look, Sara took to the catwalk in a pair of leather ankle boots, which cut into a low V on top, before adding a single gold star earring to retain the clothing's intergalactic theme. Slicking her brunette tresses back, the beauty left her naturally stunning features and defined cheekbones on full display - which she accentuated with a dramatic sweeping of bronzer and a dark, smoky eye. Having found success in the fashion world in recent months, Sara stormed the catwalk with ease - after revealing recently that her journey to a modelling career had not been a smooth road. Stunning: Slicking her brunette tresses back, the beauty left her naturally stunning features and defined cheekbones on full display - which she accentuated with a sweeping of bronzer She confessed to Women's Fitness: 'Even though I was shooting catalog for Victoria's Secret it still took me three tries to get the Victoria's Secret fashion show and almost 4 years to become an angel.' Sharing her fitness regime, she added: 'I try to work out about 3 to 4 times a week, and I like to change up my workouts. 'If Im by the ocean I love to swim or surf, so for me it is really about changing it up and making it fun.' Green dream: Actress Olivia Culpo put on an incredibly sexy display in a green leather midi dress, which featured a daring V plunge at her chest to flash her delicate cleavage Peekaboo! Not afraid to bare more skin, the frock then cut into a racy thigh-high split on one side, to show off the former beauty queen's svelte legs beneath While Sara led the glamour on the catwalk itself, the guests on the FROW also made chic appearances for the French designer's much-anticipated show. Actress Olivia Culpo put on an incredibly sexy display in a green leather midi dress, which featured a daring V plunge, to give a saucy glimpse of her delicate cleavage. Not afraid to bare more skin, the frock then cut into a racy thigh-high split on one side, to show off the former beauty queen's svelte legs beneath. Sexy: She slicked her hair into a wet look to display her glowing, dewy make-up to all Fashionable affair: Olivia was sure to show off plenty of skin as she posed with fashion designer David Koma backstage (R) Keeping her look muted for the show, she accessorised with a silver box clutch and matching heels, and slicked her hair into a wet look to display her glowing, dewy make-up to all. Also making an effortlessly stylish appearance at the show was Joan Smalls, who confidently displayed her toned midriff in vintage flared jeans and a skimpy crop top. Upping the glamour of the look, the Puerto Rican model added a striking khaki utility jacket - which she then layered beneath a fluffy brown cropped coat, proving her natural sense of style. Joan pulled her dark tresses into a tight bun, and tied her look together with a pair of clear Aviator sunglasses, to complete the retro vibe. Vintage vibe: Also making an effortlessly stylish appearance at the show was Joan Smalls, who confidently displayed her toned midriff in vintage flared jeans and a skimpy crop top Double trouble: Upping the glamour, the model added a striking khaki utility jacket - which she then layered beneath a fluffy cropped coat, proving her natural sense of style Gorgeous: Caroline Vreeland showed off her sensationally slender figure and impossibly long legs in a form-fitting silver skirt and retro roll neck She was on a mission on a break from shooting her latest film. But Keira Knightley looked effortlessly good as she went makeup-free while rushing through the terminal at Berlin airport on Friday. The 31-year-old was bundled up in layers and appeared focused as she made her way to back to London. Working woman: Keira Knightley was all business as she quickly made her way through the Berlin airport on Friday The Pirates of the Caribbean actor wore muted neutrals for her travel day. She had on a classic sweater with a repeating geometric design in shades of beige and brown. Loose denim boyfriend jeans hung off her thin frame. The Love Actually star had on work boots which made her speedy walk all the easier. She was bundled up in a thick peacoat with wool lining. Classic beauty: The Pirates of the Caribbean actor wore muted neutrals for her travel day Knightly has been in Europe filming for her new WWII drama The Aftermath in Prague. The Collateral Beauty actor's timeless looks have been perfect for the shoot. The classic beauty has been spotted about town in vintage-style green coats and chic beret costume, often laughing animatedly between takes on the streets of the Czech Republic's capital. On the move: Knightly has been in Europe filming for her new WWII drama The Aftermath in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic The beauty was first seen filming beside an old-fashioned car, where she appeared to be left shocked by someone catching her attention in the distance. She has also been seen filming in the Hotel Atlantic, where she embarked on more vocal scenes with her extended cast. However, with Prague currently enduring a wintry period of weather, the Atonement actress had to continually wrap herself in a puffy coat as the snow began to fall. She became a household name when she appeared in nineties cult series, wearing the iconic red figure-flaunting swimsuit. Despite the show finishing nearly two decades ago, it appears Pamela Anderson still isn't shy flaunting her enviable figure as she put on an eye-popping display alongside Rita Ora at Vivienne Westwood's AW17 show at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday. The 49-year-old looked sensational as she slipped on a plunging lace print maxi dress as she arrived at Intercontinental Paris Grand Hotel for the style presentation. Scroll down for video Eye-popping: Pamela Anderson still isn't shy flaunting her enviable figure as she put on an eye-popping display at Vivienne Westwood's AW17 show at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday The Canadian beauty's plunging dress managed to contain her surgically enhanced assets to avoid a possible wardrobe malfunction, although it was sure to display plenty of sideboob with it's backless detail. Her daring garment featured a racy thigh high slit which flashed her toned pins as she arrived to the FROW. She highlighted her narrow torso with rope detail that wrapped around her waist, before falling stylishly towards the floor for eye-catching detail. Combating the Parisian chill, she draped a coordinating blaze over her shoulders while she adorned her feet in a pair of purple knee-high boots. Sensational: The 49-year-old looked sensational as she slipped on a plunging lace print maxi dress as she arrived at Intercontinental Paris Grand Hotel for the style presentation alongside Rita Ora Bombshell: The Canadian beauty's plunging dress managed to contain her surgically enhanced assets to avoid a possible wardrobe malfunction FROW-tastic: Her daring garment featured a racy thigh high slit which flashed her toned pins as she arrived to the FROW with the British singer Getting along famously: The pair appeared on top form as they waited for the show to start Adding to her glamorous appearance, she let her golden locks fall to her shoulders in a natural wave, which teased at her eclectic statement earrings. Not alone on the FROW, the screen siren was joined by British pop star Rita Ora in a check short suit. Copying Pam's plunging look, she teased at her ample cleavage in the ensemble as she showcased her toned pins in a pair of statement knee-high camel coloured boots. The Fifty Shades Darker arrived at the presentation looking striking alongside pal Kyle De'Volle while Vivienne Westwood's muse model Dasha Denisenko walked the Paris show. Style mavens: Caroline Tillette sat beside the stylish duo for the highly awaited presentation Dare to bare: Pamela was sure to display plenty of leg in her racy maxi dress Fashion friends: Pamela and Rita were joined by model Louise Wong on the British designer's FROW Walk this way: Not alone on the FROW, the screen siren was joined by British pop star Rita in a check short suit Hot right now: The Hot Right Now hitmaker protected her glamorous look under her heavily printed umbrella Styling it out: The trio were dressed to impress for their fashionable appearance in Paris Meanwhile, it looks like whispers of Pamela dating Wikileaks founder Julian Assange could be much more than just speculation, with the blonde beauty all but confirming the relationship during an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show. 'I've spent more time talking to Julian than all of my ex-husband combined!' exclaimed the star, who has been married four times to three different people. When asked if she'd 'kissed' the Australian journalist, the blonde beauty burst into a coquettish giggle before composing herself. 'It was never the intention to become romantic,' she said diplomatically. 'It was just to join forces to do something important.' Sartorially savvy: She looked sensational in a midriff-cinching checked blazer over a matching playsuit Pin-credible: Rita sported a pair of skin coloured tights Going for gold: Rita accessorised her looked with a statement gold watch Man attraction: She left her blonde mane fall down her shoulders for the show Fast friends: The Fifty Shades Darker arrived at the presentation looking striking alongside pal Kyle De'Volle The Baywatch beauty then added cryptically: 'Things happen, for sure.' If that wasn't obvious enough, Pam then revealed a fantasy in which she would become First Lady to 'world leader' Julian. 'He's wonderful,' gushed the busty activist. 'I always thought I'd make a good First Lady. If I had to pick a world leader to stand beside it'd be Julian Assange.' 'Wouldn't that be great?' she added. Risky: French-Swiss actress Caroline Tillette hinted at her toned legs in a double slit orange skirt Chic: Model Louise Wong arrived to the show in frame shaping silk turquoise blazer Blondes unite! Vivienne Westwood and Rita Ora posed at her show Backstage! Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler posed with the models Vivienne's favorite: Model Dasha Denisenko has walked many of Vivienne Westwood shows Busty: Pamela put her famous assets on display in a plunging patterned number Bright display: Rita Ora and Andreas Kronthaler certainly turned heads in their bright ensembles FROW favourites: The girls took pride of place to watch the new collection's grand debut He will step up as the face of Italian fashion label Dolce & Gabbana this September. And on Friday, Kit Harington was spotted in Naples, Italy, shooting a commercial for the brand's The One for Men fragrance. The 30-year-old Game of Thrones star could be seen leaning out of a balcony, waving to his fans, who chanted 'King in the North' as their favorite actor keenly looked down upon them in between takes for the new campaign. Scroll down for video Royal welcome: Friday, Kit Harington was spotted in Naples, Italy, shooting a commercial for the brand's The One for Men fragrance Supportive fans: His Italian fans waited down below chanting 'King in the North' Kit - full name Christopher Catesby Harington - fondly snapped photos of his Italian fans dubbing him the king. A Kit Harington fan account posted the video to Instagram. He wore a casual, black, long-sleeve shirt that buttoned at the neck paired with tight. light blue denim jeans and a brown belt. Harington - best known for his role as Jon Snow on the popular HBO series Game of Thrones - had his thick, raven mane and facial hair styled in his character's signature look. Amused: Kit - full name Christopher Catesby Harington - fondly snapped photos of his Italian fans dubbing him the king Loving his fans: The actor keenly looked down upon his fans in between takes for the new campaign Taking a break: He wore a casual, black, long-sleeve shirt that buttoned at the neck paired with tight. light blue denim jeans and a brown belt A young woman in a puffer coat joined him on the balcony, talking on her cell phone and enjoying the commotion beneath them. His girlfriend and co-star Leslie Rose was nowhere to be seen during the Italian work vacation. The onlookers all pulled out their cellphones and recorded the British actor's every move as he took a break between shooting. Action! The concept for the shoot is yet unknown, but photos will likely be released ahead of the actor taking his place as head of the brand's image Set life: The set for the D&G commercial showed numerous woven baskets, chairs, and even a pretty brunette receiving a huge platter of pizza pies The set for the D&G commercial showed numerous woven baskets, chairs, and even a pretty brunette receiving a huge platter of pizza pies. The concept for the shoot is yet unknown, but photos will likely be released ahead of the actor taking his place as head of the brand's image. On Thursday, the luxury haute couture house released a statement announcing the actor's ascension in the fashion world. Commotion: The concept for the shoot is yet unknown, but photos will likely be released ahead of the actor taking his place as head of the brand's image Friends in high places: A young woman in a puffer coat joined him on the balcony, talking on her cell phone and enjoying the commotion beneath them He's ready: 'There could be no other face for The One for Men. We are happy to have him joining the Dolce & Gabbana family,' said the designers in a statement Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana commented: 'Kit Harington is exactly how we see the Dolce & Gabbana man; young, naturally charming, charismatic with a personality rich in traits.' 'There could be no other face for The One for Men. We are happy to have him joining the Dolce & Gabbana family.' Meanwhile, Kit has already finished up filming for season seven of GoT. The hit HBO series is set to return this summer. She appeared on EastEnders back in 2010, when she was just eleven years old. But Brittany Papple, who played the adorable Louise Mitchell on the soap for 35 episodes, is now all grown up, and looks completely unrecognisable. The actress, now 18, has matured into a glamorous young drama student - leaving fans dumbfounded by her transformation. Scroll down for video Transformed: Brittany Papple, who played the adorable Louise Mitchell on the soap for 35 episodes (L), is now all grown up, and looks completely unrecognisable (R) The blonde actress, who has not appeared on the beloved BBC soap for seven years, is now in her third year at the Millennium Performing Arts school in London. A keen user of Instagram, the Brentwood native often shares photos of herself and her friends all dolled up in dresses and heels before a night out - looking worlds away from her days in Albert Square. Brittany was the third of four actress to play Phil Mitchell's daughter Louise on the soap, and appeared in 35 episodes back in 2010. Matured: The blonde actress, who has not appeared on the beloved BBC soap for seven years, is now in her third year at the Millennium Performing Arts school in London The youngster's most famous story line on the soap followed her troubled relationship with her father's half-brother Ben Mitchell, played by Charlie Jones at the time. One of her most dramatic scenes saw Ben burning her and locking her up in the shed, after he discovered her reading his diary. Her mother Lisa Fowler then contacted the social worker with intention to regain care over Louise - which Phil denies. However Peggy at the time could see that Phil was not fit to be a father to a youngster, so the little girl was returned to Lisa and was not scene on the soap again until last year, when she was played by Tilly Keeper instead. Back in the day: The youngster's most famous storyline on the soap followed her troubled relationship with her father's half-brother Ben Mitchell Since her stint on the soap, Brittany has bagged a lot of voice over roles in both TV and video games - and even made an appearance in a short film called Little Devil. While Brittany did not make a return to the soap as Louise, the BBC series has signed up a number of new cast members recently. On Friday it was announced that Lisa Faulkner will be heading to Albert Square this Spring in the exciting new role of Fi Browning. The actress, 45, is expected to play a 'no-nonsense but sophisticated business woman', who has her 'sights' set on another Walford resident, according to executive producer Sean O'Connor. She's been one of the most in demand models this fashion week. And Sara Sampaio made yet another appearance in Paris as she strutted down the catwalk for Elie Saab's AW17 show on Saturday. The Portuguese model, 25, took to the runway in a gothic-inspired black dress featuring a sheer panel neckline and polka dot tulle skirt. Scroll down for video Gothic: Sara Sampaio made yet another appearance in Paris as she strutted down the catwalk for Elie Saab's AW17 show Kooky: The Victoria's Secret model showcased her endless pins in a black furry mini-skirt teamed with a multi-coloured sequin jacket The fierce ensemble was finished off with studded tights and fur-trimmed black ankle boots. Smoky eye make-up accentuated her sultry features, while her enviable cheekbones were highlighted by a dash of blusher. The Victoria's Secret model also showcased her endless pins in a black furry mini-skirt during the show. Queen of darkness: She wore a gothic-inspired black dress featuring a sheer panel neckline and polka dot tulle skirt Making her stamp: Sara has been one of the most in demand models this fashion week The kooky skirt was paired with a belted multi-coloured sequin jacket on top, adding a touch of fun to the chic ensemble. Her brunette locks were scraped back off her face with a studded hair band, drawing attention to a single feather earring. Earlier in the day, Sara walked the Mugler AW17 show, showcasing her statuesque figure in a striking one-shoulder top and high-waisted trousers. The futuristic ensemble was finished off with a pair of leather ankle boots, which cut into a low V on top, and a single gold star earring in keeping with the intergalactic theme. Dazzling: Her brunette locks were scraped back off her face with a studded hair band, highlighting a single feather earring Sultry: Smoky eye make-up accentuated her features, while her enviable cheekbones were highlighted by a dash of blusher Having found success in the fashion world in recent months, Sara stormed the catwalk with ease - after revealing recently that her journey to a modelling career had not been a smooth road. She confessed to Women's Fitness: 'Even though I was shooting catalog for Victoria's Secret it still took me three tries to get the Victoria's Secret fashion show and almost 4 years to become an angel.' Sharing her fitness regime, she added: 'I try to work out about 3 to 4 times a week, and I like to change up my workouts. 'If Im by the ocean I love to swim or surf, so for me it is really about changing it up and making it fun.' Striking: Sara walked the Mugler AW17 show, showcasing her statuesque figure in a striking one-shoulder top and high-waisted trousers She recently put on a chic display at the Elle Style Awards. And Arizona Muse continued to showcase her fashion credentials as she attended the Elie Saab show for Paris Fashion Week on Saturday. The American model, 28, turned heads in a glitzy blazer ensemble as she sat in the FROW. Scroll down for video Model behaviour: Arizona Muse continued to showcase her fashion credentials as she attended the Elie Saab show for Paris Fashion Week on Saturday The mother-of-one showed off her credentials in the sequin-encrusted piece, which showed a glimpse of her cleavage and taut stomach. Making the most of her long lean pins she teamed it with a pair of fitted trousers and elongated her stature with peep-toe sandals. Adding a quirky touch she carried a tassel embellished bag and left her shoulder-length hair in loose tousled waves. Edgy: The American model, 28, turned heads in a glitzy blazer ensemble as she sat in the FROW Taking advantage of her natural beauty, she went for minimal make-up showcasing her enviable bone structure. Arizona is mother to seven-year-old Nikko, with ex partner Manuel Quintana. The pair had a tumultuous relationship since they first met in New Mexico when Quintana was 21 and Muse was just a teenager still in high school before her career took off. Sizzling: The mother-of-one showed off her credentials in the sequin-encrusted piece, which showed a glimpse of her cleavage and taut stomach Statuesque: Making the most of her long lean pins she teamed it with a pair of fitted trousers and elongated her stature with peep-toe sandals Arizona is now an industry icon who has appeared on countless international Vogue covers and even landed the much-coveted September issue of US Vogue in 2014 alongside Delevingne, Karlie Kloss and Joan Smalls. She has also fronted campaigns for the likes of Fendi, Yves St. Laurent, Louis Vuitton and David Yurman. In addition, Muse is one of the rare few in the business to land a multi-million dollar beauty contract, which she did when she joined the Estee Lauder family back in 2012. Detail: Adding a quirky touch she carried a tassel embellished bag and left her shoulder-length hair in loose tousled waves FROW: (L-R) Caroline Vreeland and Arizona Muse sat together in the front row Last month she announced her engagement to 'Boni Boveca' on Instagram, writing: One month ago today you asked me to marry you. I haven't stopped smiling since. I have never been happier than I am now I know I will be your wife @boveca #LifeIsBeautiful #Beloved. Meanwhile Alice is daughter to Brazilian model mother, Andrea and Iraqi-British born father, Guy Dellal. She started out her career with the likes of Mango and Agent Provocateur, before being chosen by Karl Lagerfield to front his 2011 Chanel Boy Bag campaign. Stylish trio: Caroline (m) the granddaughter of style icon Diana Vreeland, put on very busty display in a sheer shirt She has an enviably slender physique. And Sofia Vergara showed off just a flash of her toned and tanned tummy as she and her hunky husband Joe Manganiello left celebrity restaurant Osteria Mozza in the tony Hancock Park district of Los Angeles on Friday evening. The loving couple, who celebrated their whirlwind romance with a white wedding in November 2015, walked back to their car arm in arm. Date night: Sofia Vergara flashed her tummy in a cropped T-shirt as she and hunky husband Joe Manganiello walked back to their car after dinner at Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles Friday The 44-year-old Colombian beauty smoldered in a cropped black v-neck T-shirt which didn't quite meet her low-rise distressed skinny jeans plus black high-heeled sandals. Sofia, who stars as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in ABC comedy Modern Family, also wore a long black St. John coat with white tassels around the cuffs and hem that she left open. Her beautiful brunette hair was left straight to cascade over her shoulders and frame her perfectly made up face. Keeping it cool: The 44-year-old actress - sporting a St. John maxi-coat - and the 40-year-old Italian stallion were both casually dressed for their night out And she accessorized with a pair of statement earrings. Joe, 40, was casually dressed in a black leather jacket over a white T-shirt, black jeans and suede shoes. The Magic Mike star sported his usual salt and pepper beard and moustache. 'Friday night with friends': The couple were joined at Osteria Mozza by music producer and hitmaker John Feldmann, 49, and his wife Amy. Sofia shared the moment on Instagram The couple were at the restaurant with pals music producer and hitmaker John Feldmann, 49, and his wife Amy. And both Sofia and John posted similar Instagram snaps of their party enjoying dinner at the restaurant. The actress captioned hers: 'Friday night dinner with friends @johnfeldy #osteriamozza.' Government provides UAH 500,000 to each family of Stepova coalmine blast victim, UAH 75,000 to each injured miner Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has provided UAH 500,000 of assistance to families of coalminers killed in the Stepova coalmine blast in Lviv region and UAH 75,000 to injured miners. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the decision was made at a government meeting on Friday. A total of UAH 5.05 million will be provided from the reserve fund of the national budget to Lviv Regional Administration. As reported, the rock collapsed in a blast at the Stepova coalmine of the Lvivvuhillya company in the village of Hlukhiv, Sokal district, Lviv region in the afternoon on March 2. As many as 172 miners were worked in the coalmine at the time, eight of them died in the explosion. She is an acclaimed actress known for her eccentric sense of style and once sported a Union Jack garter on the red carpet. Helena Bonham Carter showed that age has not mellowed her inimitable style as she wore two pairs of glasses while waiting to board a plane at Heathrow Airport with her mother, Elena Propper de Callejon, on Saturday. The 50-year-old actress was seen with two pairs of glasses - sunglasses and reading glasses - perched on top of her head as she waited with Elena. Scroll down for video She came prepared: Helena was pictured wearing both sun glasses and reading glasses as she joined her mother Elena Propper de Callejon at Heathrow Airport on Saturday Helena didn't disappoint in a typically mismatched outfit which consisted of a scarlet tartan scarf, a black floral dress, thick tights and flat brogues. She wore a patched tweed overcoat and carried a brown leather doctor's bag. The star went fresh-faced but did paint her nails scarlet to match her scarf. Her blonde hair looked a little unkempt pushed back into a messy bun and secured with a scrunchie. Mother-daughter time: The pair were waiting for a flight together and each rocked a typical bohemian outfit with Helena wearing a patched tweed overcoat, floral dress and tartan scarf The Harry Potter actress looked happy to be with her mother about to fly off on a girly holiday together. Helena has always enjoyed a close relationship with Elena. The movie star lived at home with her parents in their house in Golders Green, North London, until she was 30 years old. Elena, who is a French-Spanish psychotherapist, matched her daughter in the style stakes, donning a blue and white striped flaring skirt and a fuchsia scarf. Let's fly away: Helena wore thick black tights, brogue shoes and toted a brown leather doctor's bag. She had painted her nails to match her tartan scarf Helena has made a point to pay tribute to her mother throughout her illustrious movie career. She dedicated her BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress, which she received for her performance in The King's Speech, to Elena. 'This is for all the best supporting wives - the Queen Mother herself, and my mum,' the Harry Potter actress said. 'There is no doubt that if my father were alive, he would have given it to her. Yeehaw cowgirl: Helena showed off her inimitable style in a pink gingham corset-style top, a mustard petticoat skirt and black and white striped leggings at a charity event on Thursday 'She was the best supporting wife you could ever have wished for.' Helena was last seen showing off her unique sense of style at a Save The Children Western-themed evening on Thursday. The Sweeney Todd actress donned a midnight blue cowboy hat, a pink gingham corset-style top and a mustard yellow petticoat skirt at the the glitzy party. She even donned a holster and mucked about with imitation guns. She has been busy promoting her latest hit flick Lion. And Nicole Kidman took some time out of her busy schedule to attend the Golden Camera Awards in Hamburg on Saturday. The Australian actress, 49, was joined by American film star Jane Fonda, 79, as they led the glamour on the red carpet. Scroll down for video Ethereal: Nicole Kidman took some time out of her busy schedule to attend the Golden Camera Awards in Hamburg on Saturday Nicole Kidman worked fairy-tale glamour in a flower-embellished chiffon gown. The cream frock skimmed the floor, and featured pretty frill-embellished sleeves and neckline detail. With a statement pattern embossed to the front of the gown, it was cinched in at the waist making the most of her slender midriff. Leading leadies: The actress, 49, was joined by fellow American film star Jane Fona, 79, as they led the glamour on the red carpet Elegant: Nicole Kidman worked fairy-tale glamour in a flower-embellished chiffon gown Showing off her translucent porcelain skin and flawless complexion, she added a touch of lipstick and lashings of mascara to her blue peepers. Accessorising with a diamond bracelet and drop earrings, she left her blonde hair in loose waves, completing her look. And in a nod to her acting abilities, the mother-of-four won Best International actress on the night. Pretty: The cream frock skimmed the floor, and featured pretty frill-embellished sleeves and neckline detail Toned: With a statement pattern embossed to the front of the gown, it was cinched in at the waist making the most of her slender midriff And acting legend Jane put on an equally head-turning display in a bright Naeem Khan gown and a Hayward clutch. The seemingly ageless actress showed off her long lean figure in a red and black geometric-print dress. Wearing her hair in an elegant bob and accentuating her enviable bone structure with a touch of blusher and lipstick, she certainly turned heads. Success! In a nod to her acting abilities, the mother-of-four won Best International actress on the night Excited: The blonde beauty accepted her award happily as she gave a speech on stage Adding her own touch to the dress, she wore a statement necklace and carried a miniature box clutch. And she would soon be carrying something extra special, as she was later awarded a Golden Camera International Lifetime Achievement Award.Colin Farrell also put in an appearance, looking dapper in a black three-piece suit. Teaming it with a crisp white shirt and black tie, the 40-year-old Irish actor looked quite the cheeky chap. Greeting her fans: Acting legend Jane put on an equally head-turning display in a bright gown and black coat Elegant: The seemingly ageless actress showed off her long lean figure in a red and black geometric-print dress Beauty: Wearing her hair in an elegant bob and accentuating her enviable bone structure with a touch of blusher and lipstick, she certainly turned heads Posing on the red carpet, the Fright Night star was happy to sign autographs for fans. Colin had a reason to be in good spirits, as he won Best International Actor at the ceremony. Ed Sheeran also put in an appearance, fresh from the triumph of his hit album Divide. Suave: Colin Farrell also put in an appearance, looking dapper in a black three-piece suit People pleaser: Posing on the red carpet, the Fright Night star was happy to sign autographs for fans Happy: Colin had a reason to be in good spirits, as he won Best International Actor at the ceremony Dapper: He looked suave in his three-piece suit and matching tie as he held his thank you speech Yes it's yours: Host Steven Gaetjen handed Colin the coveted award Fan love: He stopped for selfies with adoring fans on the red carpet The 26-year-old Shape Of You singer put on quite the double act with fellow British singer James Blunt on the red carpet. Both looking dapper in black suits, Ed wore a funky tie emblazoned with what looked to be tiny skulls. Shaking it up James, 43, wore a quirky bow tie as the duo larked about on the red carpet. Busy man: Ed Sheeran also put in an appearance, fresh from the triumph of his hit album Divide Brits abroad! The 26-year-old Shape Of You singer put on quite the double act with fellow British singer James Blunt on the red carpet Making a scene! Shaking it up James, 43, wore a quirky bow tie as the duo larked about on the red carpet Blunt vs Sheeran: Perhaps taking a stab at auditioning to be the next Bond, the duo put on quite the amusing display for the cameras Perhaps taking a stab at auditioning to be the next Bond, the duo put on quite the amusing display for the cameras. Ed's album Divide has been the talk of the town all week, with lead single Shape of You streamed 53 million times in under seven days. The Daily Mail's Adrian Thrills gave the record a strong four stars, declaring that Ed 'looks sure to maintain his upwards trajectory' with his new music, adding that this time around, 'the quality control shows'. The Telegraph awarded it with four stars, writing: 'This is a set of direct, punchy, melodic, catchy, meaningful songs, with verses and choruses in all the right places.' It was a view echoed by the Independent, who also gave four stars, though like the Guardian's review, singled out Sheeran's evident commercial ambitions with the record. And Ed's success continued on the night as he scooped the Golden Camera award for Best International Musician. Success: Ed's album Divide has been the talk of the town all week, with lead single Shape of You streamed 53 million times in under seven days FROW! Ed and James looked in good spirits as they sat FROW in the crowd Never a moment's rest! Ed performed one of his hit songs after accepting his award She hit fame after proving her fashion credentials in 2009 reality show The City. And Olivia Palermo has continued to prove she is a leader in the fashion stakes, put on a chic display at Saturday's Nina Ricci show for Paris Fashion Week. The American model, 31, clashed textures and patterns in a bold outfit as she sat in the FROW. Scroll down for video Model behaviour: Olivia Palermo has continued to prove she is a leader in the fashion stakes, put on a chic display at Saturday's Nina Ricci show for Paris Fashion Week Wearing a purple satin striped shirt, she teamed it with a glitzy gunmetal grey wrap skirt, cinched in at the waist with a buckle belt. And adding stature to her height, she wore a pair of gold detail velvet shoe boots with tights. Able to carry off any colour combination, she added an emerald green pea coat embellished with bold flowers. Adding a bit of glitz with a gold cuff bracelet and red manicure, she went for minimal make-up, letting her ensemble do the talking. Driving fans green with envy: The American model, 31, clashed textures and patterns in a bold outfit Breaking the fashion rules! Wearing a purple satin striped shirt, she teamed it with a glitzy gunmetal grey wrap skirt, cinched in at the waist with a buckle belt Earlier in the day she attended the Elie Saab show in a similar ensemble. Opting for business chic, the fashionista wore a grey blazer and whites shirt with billowing sleeves, teaming it with a black velvet skirt and Dr Martens. Talking about her passion for fashion in a recent interview with The Daily Telegraph newspaper, she said: 'My mother taught me at a very young age to look your best at all times.' Olivia is married to German model Johannes Huebl, 39, who she met through mutual friends nine years ago, before tying the knot in June 2014 in a low-key ceremony in Bedford, upstate New York. FROW: Adding stature to her height, she wore a pair of gold detail velvet shoe boots with tights Smart: Earlier in the day she attended the Elie Saab show in a similar skirt blazer ensemble Discussing the secret to the couple's happy marriage, Olivia told Harper's Bazaar Australia: 'We try not to ever be separated more than seven days. Its just something we have always done.' But it doesn't look as though the couple will be hearing the pitter-patter of tiny feet any time soon, with the socialite admitting she is 'very focused on work' at present. She added in an interview with the Daily Mail's YOU magazine: 'Im really focused on work. I have my hands full and I have to prioritise.' 'My mother taught me at a very young age to look your best at all times,' she said of her mum's fashion advice Off the market: Olivia is married to German model Johannes Huebl, 39, who she met through mutual friends nine years ago She welcomed Dusty Rose Levine in September 2016. And on Saturday morning, Behati Prinsloo was feeling sentimental as she shared a throwback photo of herself when she was pregnant with her baby girl. The 27-year-old international supermodel posed tastefully for the sepia-toned, monochromatic shot, taken by Victoria's Secret Angel favorite photographer Jerome Duran. Time flies: Saturday morning, Behati Prinsloo, 27, was feeling sentimental as she shared a throwback photo of herself when she was pregnant with her baby girl The South African beauty was around 24 weeks along in the totally nude photo, where she hid her modesty with her hands and strategic placement of her legs. She captioned the gorgeous picture: 'Time flies.' Behati, whose baby daddy and husband of two years is Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, may be itching for baby number two. Another baby? Behati, whose baby daddy and husband of two years is Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, may be itching for baby number two The blonde bombshell visited her friend Jaime Hindlin, who just welcomed a newborn baby girl called Kate. And beneath the photo, there was a not-so-subtle hint to her spouse. She posted a photo with the tot and captioned it: 'Ugh so In love with baby Kate. We need another one @adamlevine lol @jacobkasher and @jemaime she's PERFECT can't wait for the play dates.' Recently, the model spoke to Vogue about rocking runways while being a new mom. The stunner revealed she choose to walk for Versace during Milan Fashion Week as she made her last catwalk appearance for the brand when she was five weeks pregnant. Gorgeous: Prinsloo posted another shot from the photoshoot while still pregnant with Dusty Behati added that she had been in talks with the fashion house nearly a month ago about the show, explaining she's enjoying slowly getting back to work. She said: 'I wasn't sure if I could pull it together. Pregnancy was such a nice break for me, it was so fun. But it's also nice to slowly get backI feel ready.' She told the fashion publication about her flying schedule while working: 'Literally in and out, so I'm not away from her for too long. What I'm focused on now is to be a good mom. Everything shifts.' The iconic film was shot more than 13 years ago and almost all the stars are reuniting for a one-off Comic Relief sketch. Colin Firth, who plays Jamie, was spotted on the set of the eagerly awaited Love Actually sequel at the BBC Langham Place Piazza in central London on Saturday. The Oscar winner beamed as he reprised his character Jamie, the English would-be novelist who fell in love with Aurelia, his Portuguese housekeeper. Scroll down for video The return of Jamie: Colin Firth reprised his Love Actually character as he was spotted filming the Comic Relief sketch in London on Saturday, more than 13 years since the film was released The 56-year-old movie star looked in good spirits as he got back into character. The Bridget Jones's Diary actor wore a comfortable grey knitted jumper and donned a pair of thick-framed spectacles as he rehearsed his lines and waved to the waiting photographers. In the original film, Jamie is heartbroken after catching his girlfriend in bed with another man. He moves to France to recover from the betrayal and write his novel. It is here that he meets Aurelia, played by Lucia Moniz, his Portuguese housekeeper. Despite the fact that Aurelia cannot speak English and Jamie cannot speak Portuguese, he falls in love with her and the film follows their tentative romance. Back in the swing of it: Colin, 56, looked thrilled to be back on the set of the Richard Curtis-directed reunion sketch for Red Nose Day A lot has changed for Colin since he first appeared in the beloved film in 2003. The dashing Mr Darcy actor has gone on to win a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The King's Speech, been nominated for his role in A Single Man and starred in the smash hit Mamma Mia. The Love Actually reboot has sent fans into a frenzy, with a host of stars confirming their return, including Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Colin Firth, Lucia Moniz, Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Olivia Olson, Bill Nighy, Marcus Brigstocke and Rowan Atkinson. Mr Darcy: The actor, whose big break came with his portrayal of Mr Darcy in Pride And Prejudice, donned a comfortable knitted jumper and thick framed glasses A scene from the film? Colin was snapped looking pensive in a car with an unidentified woman. Perhaps it was Lucia Moniz, the actress who played his love interest Aurelia in the original film Glad to be back: Colin grinned and waved to the waiting photographers as he arrived on set The film follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London. Director and screenwriter Richard Curtis revealed that he thoroughly enjoyed working on the script for the 10-minute sequel. He said: 'Over the years, I've enjoyed doing Red Nose Day specials of TV things I've worked on - Blackadder, The Vicar Of Dibley and Mr Bean. 'It seemed like a fun idea this year to do a special sketch based on one of my films, since Red Nose Day is now in both the UK and America. Heartbreak: Colin played Jamie in Love Actually, who caught his girlfriend in bed with another man and moved to France to write a novel and recover from his heartbreak Love in translation: Jamie fell for Aurelia, played by Lucia Moniz, his Portuguese housekeeper who, in a famous scene, stripped to her underwear and dived into a river to fish out the pages of Jamie's manuscript Unlikely love: Despite the two not sharing a common language, Jamie returned to declare his love for Aurelia in a particularly humorous scene in the 2003 smash hit 'I would never have dreamt of writing a sequel to Love Actually, but I thought it might be fun to do 10 minutes to see what everyone is now up to. 'Who has aged best? I guess that's the big question... or is it so obviously Liam?' Richard added that he was thrilled that so many of the big stars from the movie were available to shoot the mini-movie. He added: 'We've been delighted and grateful that so many of the cast are around and able to take part - and it'll certainly be a nostalgic moment getting back together and recreating their characters 14 years later. 'We hope to make something that'll be fun... '...Very much in the spirit of the original film and of Red Nose Day - and which we hope will help bring lots of viewers and cash to the Red Nose Day shows.' Red Nose Day Actually will air as a part of BBC One's Red Nose Day coverage on March 24 and on March 25 in the US on NBC. Dire ratings and a mauling by critics have forced ITV executives to consider axeing their flagship new chat show after just one week unless the last-ditch recruitment of former Bake Off hosts Mel and Sue can change its fortunes. Launched by comedian David Walliams, the US-style The Nightly Show promised 'a high tempo of topical monologue and celebrity guests'. But more than half its viewers abandoned the show within days, despite it being handed the coveted 10pm slot, bumping the rebranded flagship news bulletin back to 10.30pm in the process. WANTED: Former Bake Off hosts Mel and Sue (pictured above) are in the sights of producers who desperately want them to appear on the show The Mail on Sunday can reveal that a series of tense meetings were held last week at ITV and Second Act Productions, the company responsible for the show. Unkindly dubbed 'The Sh***ly No' by frustrated ITV executives, The Nightly Show has lost half of its 2.2 million viewers since its debut last Monday night. ITV is now poised to move it away from the 10pm slot or axe it altogether unless the ratings improve. Faced with that threat, producers are now in 'deep discussions' with former Bake Off duo Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins in an attempt to get them on the programme later this month. The Nightly Show is recorded 'as live' at 6pm in a Central London studio, with a different celebrity hosting the programme every week. Martin Clunes and David Walliams on the opening show, pictured - Clunes was the star guest after Hollywood A-lister Russell Crowe pulled out Comedian John Bishop is due to take the hot seat from tomorrow and an ITV source said last night that 'the producers are talking to Mel and Sue about taking part in the show, and they are desperately hoping they will pull it off as the feeling is that they can turn this around. 'They are two of the most popular people on television so they could do this. Everyone has their fingers crossed.' The Mail on Sunday has learned that the problems began with the very first show, when Hollywood A-lister Russell Crowe pulled out and Doc Martin actor Martin Clunes was promoted to the star-guest slot. A source close to the show said: 'It was a massive disappointment. 'Who starts a series like this with Martin Clunes? He is hardly A list.' An ITV spokesman said: 'We are just five shows into a 40-episode run with The Nightly Show and it's therefore still very early days as we try something new that extends the primetime entertainment feel of ITV beyond 10pm.' Ri Jong Chol (C), a North Korean suspect in the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, has been deported from Malaysia A North Korean suspect in the murder of the half-brother of the country's leader Saturday denounced Malaysia's probe into the airport assassination as a "conspiracy" to harm Pyongyang, reports said. Ri Jong-Chol, who is among eight North Koreans suspected of involvement in the killing of Kim Jong-Nam, made the comments to journalists in Beijing, after Malaysia released him citing insufficient evidence. The investigation was "a conspiracy to impair the dignity of the Republic (North Korea)," the 47-year-old said in comments carried in Japanese and South Korean media. He denied any involvement in the murder, saying that police had presented him with "fabricated evidence" and said he would be rewarded with a comfortable life in Malaysia if he confessed. "V" for venom "But no way. No matter how good a life it could be, it is still not as good as my own motherland. How could I forget the motherland that raised me and fed me to this point?" television footage broadcast in South Korea showed him as saying. Ri, who was the only North Korean detained over the attack, was released and deported two days after two women -- one Vietnamese and one Indonesian -- were charged with murdering Kim. Malaysia's police chief earlier told AFP he was frustrated by Ri's release and that he still believed the North Korean played a part in the murder. It is expected Ri will return to Pyongyang from Beijing. He was arrested days after Kim suffered an agonising death after he was attacked as he waited to board a flight to Macau. CCTV footage shows two women approaching the heavyset 45-year-old and apparently smearing his face with a cloth. Police say he suffered a seizure and died less than 20 minutes later. Swabs of the dead man's face revealed traces of VX, a synthetic chemical so deadly that it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction. South Korea has pointed the finger of blame at North Korea, citing what they say was a standing order from leader Kim Jong-Un to kill his exiled half-brother who may have been seen as a potential rival. North Korea, which has not acknowledged the dead man's identity, has vehemently protested the investigation, saying Malaysia is in cahoots with its enemies. The accusation has fuelled a diplomatic rift, which has seen Malaysia recall its envoy to Pyongyang and cancel a rare visa-free travel deal with North Korea. Former Tunisian president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, living in exile in Saudi Arabia since fleeing in 2011, has been convicted in absentia in several cases Former Tunisian president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali has been sentenced in absentia to six years in prison for corruption in connection with concerts given by US pop diva Mariah Carey, the prosecutors' office told AFP late Friday. Ben Ali, who is living in exile with his wife in Saudi Arabia since fleeing the north African country during the 2011 revolution, has already been convicted in absentia several times. According to Tunisian media, "irregularities" tainted two concerts given by Carey in Tunisia in 2006, with some of the profits which should have gone to the National Solidarity Fund ending up elsewhere. Eight people, including Ben Ali and Imed Trabelsi, a nephew of the ex-president's wife, and former ministers were sentenced to six years in prison, the spokesman for the prosecutors' office, Sofiene Sliti, said, without giving further details. Imed Trabelsi was additionally sentenced to five years in prison for fraud. Ben Ali, who ruled Tunisia with an iron fist for 23 years until he was deposed in 2011, has since been convicted in several cases, including for corruption, and was also sentenced to life imprisonment over the bloody crackdown on demonstrations during the uprising against him, in which more than 300 people were killed. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is expected to visit Japan on March 17 and 18 on the first leg of his Asian tour US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to visit Japan, China and South Korea later this month to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes, local media reported on Saturday. Tillerson has so far kept a low profile and it will be his first visit to the region since he became President Donald Trump's top diplomat last month. The former oil executive is expected to visit Japan on March 17 and 18 on the first leg of his Asian tour and hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida as well as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Nikkei business daily said. Abe has spent more time with Trump than any foreign leader, and while ties had initially been strained by Trump's rejection of a trans-Pacific trade deal and his readiness to question defense commitments, the US president has since pledged full support to Tokyo. During the Beijing leg of the Asia trip, Tillerson plans to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and possibly also with President Xi Jinping, Kyodo News said, quoting unnamed diplomatic sources. The two major powers are expected to arrange a meeting between Xi and Trump in the United States as early as April, they said. Tillerson first met with counterpart Yi at a G20 meeting in Germany last month, and urged Beijing to help rein in North Korea. Their talks, the highest level Sino-US encounter since Trump was elected, had appeared unlikely after the US leader infuriated Beijing by calling into question Washington's long-standing "One China" policy. Trump however later reaffirmed the position in a conciliatory phone call to Xi. Several of Trump's cabinet, including Tillerson, have also warned Beijing against throwing its weight about in the South China Sea, insisting the US would intervene if necessary to preserve international rights of navigation. However, China shares US concerns about Pyongyang's nuclear weapons -- though it prefers negotiations to new sanctions, which it fears could destabilise North Korea. In Seoul, Tillerson plans to hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se at which North Korea's weapons development as well as the February murder of the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Malaysia are likely to be discussed, Kyodo said. On Monday, senior US, South Korean and Japanese officials met in Washington to discuss how better to enforce international sanctions against the North. The isolated regime has continued to thumb its nose at the world with a series of missile launches and two nuclear tests in 2016 alone. Manipur in northeast India has long been plagued by sporadic separatist unrest and ongoing feuds between different tribal and ethnic groups The body of Pausuan Lian has lain in a hospital mortuary for more than 500 days since he was shot dead during a land protest in India's Manipur state but his family is still refusing to allow his burial. "All nine martyrs, including my son, will stay in the morgue until justice is done," his mother Hau Lian Ching told AFP ahead of a two-phase state election in Manipur which begins on Saturday. "The demands of our people must be met before we can bury them." The 18-year-old was one of six people who were killed in August 2015 when police opened fire at a rally in the mainly tribal Churachandpur district against three land bills that had been introduced in the state assembly. A subsequent flare-up in violence left another three locals dead and further highlighted the tensions in the remote northeastern state, a three-hour flight from New Delhi. Like much of the northeast, Manipur -- which shares its eastern border with Myanmar -- has long been plagued by sporadic separatist unrest and ongoing feuds between different tribal and ethnic groups. Land bills introduced to the Manipur state assembly are the core issue in elections on March 4, 2017 But the deaths in Churachandpur have heightened the anger of tribal groups who had already come to regard the land bills as part of a plot by the majority Meitei community to deprive them of their ancestral rights. A group from one of the state's largest minority tribes, the Naga, launched a blockade of the main highway into the state capital Imphal in November, leading to shortages and big price hikes for basic commodities. - Military airlifts - The government has even had to deploy military aircraft to deliver fuel and other essential supplies. But the most poignant protests have been at Churachandpur hospital morgue where relatives such as Haulian Ching and her other son Kailunlai steadfastly refuse to leave the side of their loved ones. Officials distribute electronic voting machines in Manipur: election results are expected March 11, 2017 "Until we receive guarantees that our land will not be touched we will continue with our vigil," said Kailunlai, a farm labourer. "The government tried to steal our land and take away our rights ... We are only asking for what we are entitled to under the Indian constitution." Supporters of the bills at the centre of the controversy say the legislation will regularise a system of buying and selling land. But opponents say it will effectively end the tribal groups' sovereign rights over their land which they argue is enshrined in the Indian constitution. While the bills have been passed by the Manipur state legislature, where the centre-left Congress party has a majority, they have yet to be approved by President Pranab Mukherjee. Opponents are pinning their hopes on the elections as a way to get the bills blocked for good. The main threat to Congress comes from the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has pledged to end the blockades without clarifying his position on the land bills. "Congress will have to answer for all the sufferings of the people due to blockade," Modi said at a rally in Imphal last weekend. "When the BJP forms the next government in Manipur, we will not allow any blockade and show how to run a government." The Hindu nationalist BJP's main support base has traditionally been in northern and western India, but it won power in the largest northeastern state, Assam, last year. But while Congress is struggling on a national level, the three-time Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh remains Manipur's most popular politician which could help his party get over the line. - Demand for justice - H. Mangchinkhup, a leader of the campaign against the legislation, said the state's rulers not only had to address the concerns about the legislation but also bring the killers of the protestors to justice. "Our condition for burying the dead -- who gave up their lives for our dignity, ancestral lands and rights -- remains the same," Mangchinkhup told AFP. "The government needs to assure they will safeguard our rights and justice should be done to those who shot our people." The elections in Manipur are being held in two phases -- the second round is on Wednesday -- and are part of a flurry of polls in five Indian states. Results of all the contests are expected on March 11. Investigators of Kyiv's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) jointly with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on March 2 synchronously raided 15 places related to the abuse of power at public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia, the spokesperson for Kyiv's PGO Nadia Maksymets has said. "Ukrzaliznytsia, places of resident of persons involved, offices of contractors and an insurance company have been raided," she wrote on her Facebook page. Deputy Kyiv Prosecutor Andriy Andreyev told UNN that the raids are linked to the criminal case related to the abuse of office in cooperation of Ukrzaliznytsia with Inter-Policy insurance company (Ukrzaliznytsia is a key shareholder in the company). Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan said on NewsOne late on Thursday that he submitted documents about abuse of office at Ukrzaliznytsia to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and confirmed the raids. Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Wojciech Balczun said that the work of law enforcers in some cases against officials at Ukrzaliznytsia is normal practice in a state governed by the rule of law. Kang Chol, North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, is expected to leave the country before a Monday 6pm deadline Malaysia has expelled North Korea's ambassador, giving him 48 hours to leave the country in a major break in diplomatic relations over the airport assassination of the half-brother of Pyongyang's leader. Kim Jong-Nam was poisoned February 13 with deadly nerve agent VX. North Korea has not acknowledged the dead man's identity but has repeatedly disparaged the murder investigation, accusing Malaysia of conniving with its enemies. "The ambassador has been declared persona non grata" after Malaysia demanded but did not receive an apology for Pyongyang's attacks on the investigation, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Haji Aman said. "Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," he said in a statement released late Saturday. Ambassador Kang Chol failed to present himself at the ministry when summoned and "is expected to leave Malaysia within 48 hours," the statement added. The expulsion deadline expires 6pm on Monday. Arch-rival South Korea has blamed the North for the murder, citing what they say was a standing order from leader Kim Jong-Un to kill his exiled half-brother who may have been seen as a potential rival. The foreign ministry said the expulsion is "part of the process by the Malaysian government to review its relations" with North Korea, which before Kim's assassination were unusually cosy. Members of the media pictured outside the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur on March 5, 2017 "North Korea must learn to respect other countries," Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Sunday. The expulsion shows "we are serious about solving this problem and we do not want it to be manipulated," he added. On Sunday evening, a senior government official who did not want to be named said Kang was still in the country and was expected to leave on a flight to Beijing on Monday. -- 'Diplomatically rude' -- The diplomatic spat erupted last month when Malaysian police rejected North Korean diplomats' demands to hand over Kim's body. Kang then claimed the investigation was politically motivated and said Kuala Lumpur was conspiring with "hostile forces". Malaysia summoned Kang for a dressing-down, with Prime Minister Najib Razak saying the ambassador's statement was "diplomatically rude". Malaysia issued a February 28 deadline for an apology, but "no such apology has been made, neither has there been any indication that one is forthcoming." Malaysia has also recalled its envoy to Pyongyang and cancelled a rare visa-free travel deal with North Korea. Police are seeking seven North Korean suspects in their probe but on Friday released the only North Korean arrested for lack of evidence. After Ri Jong-Chol was deported, he claimed police offered him a comfortable life in Malaysia for a false confession, saying the investigation was "a conspiracy to impair the dignity of the Republic (North Korea)". Two women -- one Vietnamese and one Indonesian -- have been charged with murdering Kim Jong-Nam, with airport CCTV footage showing them approaching the heavyset 45-year-old and apparently smearing his face with a cloth. Police say he suffered a seizure and died less than 20 minutes later. Swabs of the dead man's face revealed traces of VX nerve agent. -- End of cosy ties -- North Korea had few friends even before the assassination, but the fallout from the killing looks set to further isolate the nuclear-armed state. Malaysia formally established diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1973 and opened an embassy in Pyongyang in 2003. It has provided a conduit between Pyongyang and the wider world in recent years, with Kuala Lumpur serving as a discreet meeting place for talks between the regime and the United States. A recently released report by a UN Panel of Experts reviewing compliance with sanctions against Pyongyang identified a front company run by North Korean intelligence out of Malaysia, selling military communications equipment to Eritrea, with suppliers in China and an office in Singapore. Up to 1,000 North Koreans currently work in Malaysia and their remittances are a valuable source of foreign currency for the isolated regime. North Korea imports refined oil, natural rubber and palm oil from Malaysia, which buys electrical and electronic items, chemicals as well as iron and steel products from North Korea. Last week Malaysia's trade minister Mustapa Mohamed said the spat would have no impact on Kuala Lumpur as trade with the reclusive country is "insignificant". Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, seen in February 2017, said he and other top officials in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's administration had a "very interesting and informative" visit to the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson The Philippines' defence secretary on Saturday visited a US aircraft carrier patrolling the South China Sea, hailing the "strong relationship" with Washington despite President Rodrigo Duterte's pivot away from Manila's traditional ally. The US Navy said the USS Carl Vinson had been engaging in "routine operations in the South China Sea" since last month to assert freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway claimed by Beijing, Manila and a host of other Southeast Asian nations. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he and other top officials in Duterte's administration had a "very interesting and informative" visit to the aircraft carrier. "We have a strong relationship with the US on account of our mutual defence treaty," he added, referring to the cornerstone 1951 agreement. Duterte has thrown the Philippines' 70-year-old alliance with the US into question, threatening a "separation" from Washington last year and calling for the withdrawal of American troops from his country. After angrily rejecting US criticism of his deadly war on drugs, the firebrand president has shifted his nation's foreign policy more towards China and Russia. Duterte has made overtures to Beijing despite a long-running territorial dispute over the South China Sea. Lorenzana said the Philippines had "nothing to do" with America's naval patrols through Chinese-claimed waters but said he was "impressed" by the aircraft carrier and its some 70 aircraft. "They have more combat planes than the (Philippine Air Force)," he told AFP. Under previous governments, Manila tried to improve defence ties with its former colonial ruler Washington to boost one of Asia's weakest armed forces. Duterte has said he plans to source weapons from Beijing and Moscow instead. At least 220 civilians have been unintentionally killed since coalition operations to defeat the Islamic State group started in late summer 2014 Twenty-one civilians were killed in US-led coalition air strikes against Islamic State group targets in Iraq and Syria in recent months, officials acknowledged Saturday. The deaths bring to at least 220 the number of civilians unintentionally killed since operations to defeat IS began in late summer 2014, though critics say the real number is a lot higher. A statement from the coalition said investigators had probed a series of reports alleging civilian deaths from air strikes. In a January 13 strike on IS fighters in a house, investigators determined that eight civilians were unintentionally killed. "During post-strike video analysis, civilians were identified near the house who were not evident prior to the strike," the coalition said in a statement. Unintentional deaths also can occur when a civilian enters a bomb's zone of destruction after the munition has been released from a plane or drone circling high overhead. It can take about 30 seconds for a bomb to reach its target. Airwars, a London-based collective of journalists and researchers, uses local sources, photographs and media accounts to keep a detailed list of every known coalition air strike. They have praised Pentagon efforts at accountability compared to other players in Syria such as Russia and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, but the group says the number of likely civilian deaths from coalition strikes is 2,463 at a minimum. "Although the coalition makes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimizes the risk of civilian casualties, in some cases casualties are unavoidable," the coalition statement read. Iraqi security forces have recaptured the eastern side of Mosul and are making inroads into the more densely populated west Iraqi security forces are progressing as planned in their battle to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State group but the fighting will get tougher as they approach the city center, a US general said Saturday. "We are on (a good) timeline and we are fairly confident that the Iraqis are learning every day, and we are fairly confident they are going to continue to progress well," said Brigadier General Rick Uribe, a deputy commanding general for coalition land forces. The US-led coalition has been providing training and continual air support for Iraqi security forces as they fight to remove IS from the nation, and some of the bloodiest battles have taken place in Mosul since operations began there in October. The Iraqis have recaptured the eastern side of the former IS bastion and are making inroads into the more densely populated west. But "make no mistake about it, as we get closer to the center of the city, it just gets tougher and tougher because of the terrain that the Iraqi security forces are about to enter," Uribe told AFP in a phone interview from Baghdad. The oldest parts of the city are packed with buildings and crisscrossed with narrow streets that will make fighting more intense. Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, who heads the anti-IS coalition, this week said about 2,000 jihadists remain in and around western Mosul. The coalition and Iraqi air force sometimes strike jihadists as they try to flee the city, many of them seemingly headed west toward Tal Afar near the border with Syria. Uribe said IS retains control of that city. "There's significant numbers that are still able to defend that city," he said. Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, seen in February 2017, failed to cross the 50 percent re-election threshold, so the election will go to a runoff, according to officials The race for governor of Jakarta will be decided in a run-off, election authorities said Saturday, after incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama failed to cross the 50 percent threshold. Purnama, who is on trial for blasphemy, topped the first round with 43 percent and will go head-to-head with Anies Baswedan who came second with 40 percent. Stakes in the vote have been raised by allegations that Purnama -- the city's first non-Muslim governor for half a century and its first ethnic Chinese leader -- insulted the Koran. The claims drew hundreds of thousands of conservative Muslims onto the streets of Jakarta in major protests last year, but the case has been criticised as unfair and politically motivated. Purnama will face former education minister Baswedan on April 19. Jakarta election commission head Sumarno, who goes by one name, said a run-off would be held because no candidate "reached more than 50 percent of votes". Agus Yudhoyono, the son of the former president, trailed the first round with just 17 percent and must now drop out. Kang Chol, North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, seen in February 2017, has said that the Malaysian police cannot be trusted to investigate the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam fairly Malaysia expelled North Korean ambassador Kang Chol on Saturday, giving him 48 hours to leave the country after Kuala Lumpur said Pyongyang had failed to offer an apology over accusations about the investigation into Kim Jong-Nam's murder. Here are the key accusations made by North Korea since the killing on February 13: - No trust in Malaysian police - Kang has said that the Malaysian police cannot be trusted to investigate the assassination fairly: "There is no clear evidence on the cause of death and at the moment we cannot trust the investigation by the Malaysian police." - Colluding with enemies - The ambassador tested Malaysia's patience by alleging it was in cahoots with its arch-rival Seoul: "This incident is politicised by Malaysia in collusion with South Korea." - Smear campaign - North Korea's official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) condemned the Malaysian autopsy on the body of Kim Jong-Nam as "illegal and immoral" and demanded the remains be handed over. The North maintained there was no clear evidence linking it to the murder and accused the South, the US and Malaysia of framing Pyongyang as part of a "smear campaign". - Police brutality - Kang accused Malaysia of police brutality against the North Korean suspect who has since been released, and said the country was violating human rights: "They even pointed the guns to his family members to threaten their lives and beaten his teenage son in the face. This is the human rights abuse that can be seen only in the US gang film." Members of the Niger Front for the Restoration of Democracy and the Defence of the Republic, hold a placard reading "Rebirth, corruption, injustice, looting", as they protest in Niamey on March 4, 2017 Thousands of people marched in Niger's capital of Niamey on Saturday against the government of President Mahamadou Issoufou, calling for improved living conditions and the release of "political prisoners". The west African country has been buffeted by falling prices for both oil and uranium, two of its main exports, as it struggles against jihadist attacks. Protesters flooded the streets of Niamey chanting anti-regime slogans before holding a meeting in front of parliament, where they shouted "Life is too hard" and "Leave, that's enough". The march was called by an alliance of 11 opposition groups. "This mobilisation is additional proof that we have had enough," said Soumana Sanda, a former health minister who is now an MP for the Nigerien Democratic Movement (MODEN). "Instead of taking care of our citizens' problems, they're more interested in taking care of their own affairs," he said. MODEN is the party of Hama Amadou, who lost a run-off election against Issoufou last March. That vote that was boycotted by the opposition after Amadou was jailed on charges of baby trafficking, which he claims are politically motivated. The demonstrators also called for the release of "political prisoners", referring to several senior government figures arrested by the regime, some in connection with a failed coup in December 2015, others accused of embezzling public funds. They also condemned the French, German and US military bases in the country, calling them a "liquidation of the country's sovereignty". Niger's government says the bases are necessary for combatting the jihadist threat, in particular in Mali and Libya. UN Security Council envoys are currently on a mission to the Lake Chad region, including a visit to Niamey, to focus global attention on the humanitarian emergency triggered by the Boko Haram insurgency. The Pentagon said it carried out "somewhere over 30" strikes against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in two days A US drone strike killed two suspected members of Al-Qaeda in southern Yemen on Saturday, a security official said, as Washington steps up a campaign against jihadists. The raid came after two days of intensive air strikes by US warplanes on jihadists in the war-torn country. The raid in Ahwar, in the southern province of Abyan, killed two suspected jihadists on a motorbike, the security official said. The Pentagon said on Friday it carried out "somewhere over 30" strikes against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in two days, conducted in partnership with the Yemeni government. "This is part of a plan to go after this very real threat and ensure that they are defeated and denied the opportunity to plot and carry out terrorist attacks from ungoverned spaces," Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said on Friday, noting America would continue to attack AQAP. Yemeni officials and tribal sources said at least 20 jihadists were killed in the air strikes on Thursday and Friday in the southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa and the nearby central province of Baida. The increased bombing comes a little more than a month after a botched American raid against AQAP left multiple civilians and a US Navy SEAL dead. The January 29 raid was the first authorised by President Donald Trump, and he drew criticism after he blamed "the generals" for having "lost" Navy SEAL Ryan Owens. Al-Qaeda has exploited a power vacuum created by two years of war between Yemen's government and Shiite rebels who control the capital to consolidate its presence, particularly in the south and east. The United States periodically sends small teams of commandos into Yemen, primarily to gather intel, but Davis said no Americans had been involved in any ground combat operations as part of the strikes. Successive American administrations have kept up a drone war against Al-Qaeda in Yemen since soon after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Washington regards the Yemen branch to be the jihadists' most dangerous, and holds it responsible for several plots to stage attacks in the West. PPhilippines President Rodrigo Duterte has apologised for failing to save Jurgen Kantner and said the military had stepped up operations against the militants The body of an elderly German hostage who was beheaded by Islamic militants has been found, the Philippine government said on Sunday. The Abu Sayyaf, a kidnap-for-ransom network that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, murdered Jurgen Kantner, 70, last week after its demands for 30 million pesos ($600,000) were not met. Military officials said marines found Kantner's body on Saturday evening in the militants' remote southern island stronghold of Sulu. "The Philippine government is deeply saddened but resolved as ever to respond to the recent discovery of the body of Mr. Jurgen Kantner," President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement. Troops have clashed with the Abu Sayyaf in recent days, leaving 29 soldiers injured and 14 militants dead, according to the military which says it has been unable to recover the bodies of slain guerrillas. "It was not easy to find it because of the fighting with the Abu Sayyaf kidnap group that resulted in the wounding of 29 of our men and in the wounding of many of the enemy," said Colonel Cirilito Sobejana, head of an anti-terror task force in the southern islands. He said the government was arranging with the German embassy to repatriate Kantner's body for burial. Kantner's yacht, the Rockall, was found drifting on November 7 off the southern Philippines with the body of his female companion, Sabine Merz, who had been shot. The Abu Sayyaf claimed the kidnapping. Kantner's remains are in a military hospital morgue in Sulu while officials prepare documentation for transporting the body, authorities said. President Rodrigo Duterte has apologised for failing to save Kantner and said the military had stepped up operations against the militants. The Abu Sayyaf, established with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, has been kidnapping foreigners and locals for decades and holding them for ransom. It is believed to still hold at least 19 foreigners and six Filipino hostages. The group, blamed for the nation's worst terrorist attacks, has used the support of local communities, millions of dollars in ransom and collusion with corrupt local officials to defy decades of military operations. Chad is one of several countries battling the Boko Haram jihadist insurgency, which has driven thousands from their homes and plunged areas into hunger and poverty UN envoys on a mission to the Lake Chad region said Saturday that a conference would soon be held in Paris aimed at easing the humanitarian crisis gripping Chad. The country is one of several battling the Boko Haram jihadist insurgency, which has driven thousands from their homes and plunged areas into hunger and poverty. "The international community must respond to the moral and political obligation to support Chad's efforts," Francois Delattre, France's permanent representative to the UN, said in the capital, N'Djamena. Senegal's UN representative, Fode Seck, said Chad "has been on the front lines when it comes to helping Mali or fighting against Boko Haram." "It's normal that the Paris Conference, which we are all preparing, comes to Chad's aid." The 15 envoys from the UN's top decision-making body began their mission in Cameroon, and also plan to visit camps in Nigeria sheltering some of the 2.3 million people displaced in the Lake Chad region. Famine threatens Lake Chad Region Chad, a country of 12 million people, has imposed austerity measures to cope with the economic strain from falling oil prices and the cost of foreign military operations. "Chad has committed its own resources against jihadists in Mali, and against the Boko Haram sect in Cameroon, in Niger and in Nigeria," Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke told the envoys after a meeting Saturday. "Chad is being confronted with these social difficulties because it is bearing these military costs and the care of refugees," he said. In 2016, Chinese investors spent 2.4 billion Australian dollars purchasing residential land in Australia, accounting for 35 percent of all Australian real estate trade, according to Knight Frank, a global real estate consultancy company. That's an increase of 9.4 percent on the previous year. Knight Frank's report said the amount of real estate bought by Chinese consumers was seventeen times greater than in 2012. In 2012, the average area of trading plots was 1,200 square meters, with every plot having 103 living units. In 2016, the number had risen to 502 units with an average area of 21 thousand square meters. Interest isn't limited to real estate companies, reports thePaper. In June 2016, Bank of China paid 95 million US dollars to buy an office building in Sydney. China's New Hope Group, which is involved in the agriculture and food sector, has also established its Australia and New Zealand headquarters in Sydney. "We are going to build a 43-floor landmark in northern Sydney", said a New Hope official. "The two safe ports, Sydney and Melbourne, are still the first choice for Chinese investors, and that trend will continue. China will focus on other cities in Australia when competition for real estate becomes too fierce", said Lin Rongjie, managing director of Cushman & Wakefield's Research Department in China. "The three most popular cities in Australia among Chinese investors are Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane", said Yang Dong, general manager of an investment company in Shanghai. US President Donald Trump (C) signs the the Waters of the US (WOTUS) executive order, aimed at killing the Obama administration's contentious Clean Water Rule at the White House in Washington, DC, February 28, 2017 President Donald Trump is expected to sign a revised travel ban on Monday, just over a month after his original decree sowed controversy across the United States and chaos at airports, US media reported. The president will sign the new executive order at the Department of Homeland Security, according to Politico, which cited senior government officials. It was unclear what changes Trump planned to make, according to the publication. Trump's original 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. The order, which temporarily barred people from seven Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States for 90 days, as well as all refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees permanently -- triggered worldwide outrage as well as protests in the United States. It also caused chaos in the first days of its implementation as people arriving at US airports from targeted countries were detained and sometimes sent back to where they came from. However,, the order was halted after two judicial setbacks -- a nationwide freeze on Trump's ban by a US district judge in Seattle and a subsequent ruling by San Francisco's Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the suspension. Miriam Colon, a pioneering actress in U.S. Latino New York theater who starred in films alongside Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, died Friday. Her husband, Fred Valle, said Colon died early Friday in a New York hospital because of complications from a pulmonary infection. She was 80 years old. Colon - whose image appeared on posters throughout the American Southwest for her role in the 2013 movie adaptation of quintessential Chicano novel 'Bless Me, Ultima' - had been active as late as 2015 with a cameo appearance on the AMC-TV series 'Better Call Saul.' President Barack Obama is pictured awarding the 2014 National Medal of Arts to Miriam Colon in September 2015 Miriam Colon is widely known as the Cuban-American mother of Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino, in the 1983 movie 'Scarface' (pictured) Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Colon participated in the theater during her school years and was allowed to audit classes in the drama department at the University of Puerto Rico before she graduated from high school. She came to New York City in the 1950s to study at the Actors Studio and later moved to Los Angeles where she earned small roles in various television shows and films, Valle said. Her roles included appearances in 'One-Eyed Jacks' with Brando and in 'The Outsider' with Tony Curtis. In 1967, she founded the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in New York, where she helped cultivate young Latino actors and writers and staged work that would later be read in Latino Studies classes across the Americas. During her career, she appeared in more than 90 films and more than 250 television episodes on programs including 'Bronco', ''Bonanza' and 'Law & Order'. But Colon is widely known as the Cuban-American mother of Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino, in the 1983 movie 'Scarface'. Miriam Colon is seen with Marlon Brando in a scene from the 1966 movie 'The Appaloosa' Miriam Colon played Angel in the 1981 movie Back Roads, which also starred Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones Her voice later appeared in underground hip hop songs as her character chided Pacino for his role in the drug trade. Colon would go on to star as Tejana restaurateur Mercedes Cruz in the 1996 film 'Lone Star'. In that film, she played a former immigrant living in the country illegally who lived near the Rio Grande and was quick to call federal immigration authorities on immigrants crossing the border. Colon earned wide acclaim for her role as the New Mexico Hispanic healer Ultima in the movie 'Bless Me, Ultima' based on the novel by Rudolfo Anaya. Her character mentored a young boy and taught him about traditional methods of healing and the New Mexico desert. Posters advertising the popular movie with Colon's image were seen throughout New Mexico. When the movie finally was screened in Albuquerque, audiences were heard crying in reaction to one of the film's final scenes as the film's young boy asked Colon, 'Bless me, Ultima'. Miriam Colon and husband Fred Valle attend Paseo De La Fama in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in December 2015 where she was honored with star Colon died early Friday in a New York hospital because of complications from a pulmonary infection. She was 80 years old 'That was her most beautiful role in my opinion,' Valle said. 'I saw the movie three times. She was la gran madre in the film.' In 2015, President Barack Obama presented the National Medal of Art to Colon for her work as an actress and theater founder. It was an honor Colon cherished, Valle said. 'We were married more than 40 years,' Valle said. 'I was so proud of everything she accomplished.' LAS VEGAS (AP) - A federal prosecutor has snuffed out plans by pot fans to celebrate Nevada's new recreational marijuana law by lighting up on an American Indian reservation near Las Vegas. U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden took a hard line in a letter to organizers of a weekend cannabis festival, saying federal law applies and pot smokers could be prosecuted. Bogden wouldn't comment Friday beyond referring to the Feb. 16 letter he sent to the Moapa Band of Paiutes. Rick Cook, right, and Dalton Brown move a sign while setting up for the High Times Cannabis Cup festival, Friday, March 3, 2017, near Moapa, Nev. A federal prosecutor has snuffed out plans by pot fans to celebrate Nevada's new recreational marijuana law by lighting up on an Indian reservation near Las Vegas. U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden took a hard line in a letter to organizers of a cannabis festival this weekend, saying federal law applies and pot smokers could be prosecuted. (AP Photo/John Locher) The warning from the top federal prosecutor in Nevada came while several U.S. senators are airing concerns about the possibility of a Trump administration crackdown on marijuana use in states that have legalized pot for recreational or medicinal purposes. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada joined nine other Democrats and one Republican, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, in signing a Thursday letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., sent a similar letter to Sessions on Wednesday. Organizers of the High Times Cannabis Cup festival said there will still be music, T-shirts and souvenirs at the event at a Moapa Band of Paiutes festival site. But spokesman Joe Brezny said it will essentially be just a concert this year. "We've removed the marijuana," he said. "There will be no smoking area, no edibles competition, no cannabis topicals or lotions." Brezny said more than 10,000 tickets were sold this week for the two-day event Saturday and Sunday at a site about 35 miles north of the Las Vegas Strip. The concert is headlined by hip-hop artist Ludacris. Robert Capecchi, federal policies chief at the Marijuana Policy Project advocacy group in Washington, D.C., said a lot of attendees might be disappointed or upset that they can't smoke on site. But he noted that laws are different in federal areas within the eight states that have legalized recreational marijuana and the 28 states and the District of Columbia where medical marijuana is legal. "There's a different balance between the federal government and Indian tribes and the federal government and the states," Capecchi said. Nevada is still getting its enforcement footing after recreational marijuana became legal Jan. 1. Voters approved allowing adults to possess and use up to an ounce of pot, but consumption isn't allowed in casinos or public places. Bogden said a 2013 Obama administration directive that was seen as relaxing enforcement on tribal lands in states where pot is legal might have been misinterpreted. Pot is still illegal in Indian Country and on federal land, he said. The sentence in his letter to the tribe was underlined, along with the warning that "federal investigation and prosecution may still be appropriate." That was enough to prompt the tribe to declare that its police and event security won't allow smoking, selling or transporting marijuana at its festival grounds near its fireworks stand, liquor outlet and smoke shop just off Interstate 15. "We hope that attendees enjoy themselves and comply with applicable law," Darren Daboda, chairman of the tribe with about 350 members and a sprawling 112-square-mile reservation, said in a statement. The festival is modeled after a Cannabis Cup event held since 1988 in Amsterdam, which now has offshoots in pot-friendly states including Washington, California, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan. FILE--In this April 20, 2016, Shane Kinoshita smokes marijuana in Golden Gate Park as people gather at the park to smoke pot for the annual 4/20 celebration in San Francisco, Calif. A first-ever event sponsored this weekend by High Times magazine at a tribal events center near Las Vegas, Nev., will be smokeless after a U.S. attorney in Nevada warned the host Moapa Band of Paiutes that federal law applies on Indian reservations--the tribe declared that smoking, selling, trading and transporting marijuana won't be allowed. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, file) LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles police are investigating after three women reported being sexually assaulted by actor Danny Masterson in the early 2000s, but the actor denies the allegations, which he says are motivated by the producer of an anti-Scientology television series. The probe was launched after three women came forward and reported they were sexually assaulted by Masterson in the early 2000s, Officer Drake Madison, a Los Angeles police spokesman, said Friday. He declined to provide any further details, citing the ongoing investigation. The 40-year-old actor is best known for his role as Steven Hyde on "That '70s Show," which aired from 1998 until 2006. He's currently starring in a Netflix series called "The Ranch." FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2012 file photo,actor Danny Masterson poses for a portrait in Park City, Utah. Los Angeles police are investigating after three women reported being sexually assaulted by Masterson in the early 2000s, but the actor denies the allegations, which he says are motivated by the producer of an anti-Scientology television series. A Los Angeles police department spokesman confirmed the investigation Friday, March 3, 2017, but declined to provide additional details. (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri, File) A representative for Masterson, who has not charged with a crime, denied the allegations in a statement Friday. The representative said one of the accusers was Masterson's longtime girlfriend, who continued to date him after the alleged incident. "The alleged incident occurred in the middle of their six-year relationship, after which she continued to be his longtime girlfriend," the statement said. Masterson's statement also said another one of the accusers had brought the same allegations to the LAPD about 14 years ago but police "determined the claim had no merit." The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they are the victims of sexual assault. Masterson, who has identified himself as a practicing Scientologist, said in the statement that he believes the "false allegations" are an attempt to boost a television series featuring former members of the Church of Scientology. He says one of the women only came forward after speaking with one of the show's producers. __ Follow Michael Balsamo on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1. After years of prep work, Gov. Jerry Brown's finance department decided that California's $64billion high-speed rail project is ready to lay some track, but the project still has a long way to go. The administration approved the rail authority's request to spend $2.6billion on work in the Central Valley on Friday. However, the first 29-mile segment of track isn't expected to be completed until at least August 2019. The bullet train's long-term prospects remain clouded because of uncertainty over funding and several pending lawsuits. Significant federal help is required, and the Republican-controlled Congress does not support the project, despite Trump speaking positively of the plan. After years of prep work, California Governor Jerry Brown's administration decided it was time to begin work on the state's high-speed rail in the Central Valley on Friday. Pictured: A full-scale mock-up of the fast train displayed at the Capitol in Sacramento, California Private money also is needed but none has been secured yet. The decision lets the authority ask the state treasurer's office to sell a portion of the nearly $10billion in bonds voters approved in 2008 for a bullet train. The treasurer previously issued $1.15billion of the bonds that went for administration and on work to connect the new system to existing tracks, leaving the bulk of the money unspent. Finance Director Michael Cohen approved the Central Valley plan while downplaying a Federal Railroad Administration risk analysis that included a worst-case scenario for the costs of the project. He instead cited the authority's more optimistic analysis and an independent consultant's review that he said found that 'the cost estimates and contingencies in this plan are reasonable.' The decision made on Friday would see work done in the Central Valley and $2.6billion was approved to begin the work. The proposed first phase of the plan is for the route to stretch from San Francisco to Anaheim Gov. Jerry Brown discusses his 2017-2018 state budget plan he released at a news conference in Sacramento, California. Although congressional Republicans oppose the plan, Trump has previously spoken positively about high-speed rail Brown is a vocal advocate of the rail project, and his administration includes the finance department, so Friday's decision is not surprising. The authority will ask the state treasurer to sell a portion of the bonds this spring to help pay for construction of 119 miles of rail in the Central Valley from Madera to Shafter, authority spokeswoman Lisa Marie Alley said. Cohen delayed a decision on the authority's related request for $600million for Caltrain in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bullet trains travel on electrified rails, and the California authority's business plan calls for the two systems to share lines along the Peninsula Corridor in the Bay Area. The supports for a 1,600-foot-viaduct to carry high-speed rail trains across the Fresno River are seen under construction near Madera, California Cohen said in a separate letter that he is waiting because the Federal Transit Administration last month delayed a decision on whether to approve a $650million federal grant for electrification. 'The state's substantial investment in this critical infrastructure improvement project is ready to move forward, the only remaining piece is action by the federal government on their contribution,' Alley said in a statement referring to the Federal Transit Administration's delay. Congressional Republicans have urged the administration to reject the application, and the agency said last month that it is deferring a ruling until the project is considered as part of President Donald Trump's budget. Although congressional Republicans oppose the plan, Trump has previously spoken positively about high-speed rail. ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A woman who livestreamed the fatal police shooting of her boyfriend during a traffic stop in Minnesota last year was charged Friday in a reported assault. Diamond Reynolds and two other women were arrested Thursday after a woman reported being attacked and hit in the head with a hammer on Tuesday morning, police spokesman Steve Linders said. The victim was hospitalized with serious injuries but was able to identify the three suspects, he said. Reynolds, 27, was charged in Ramsey County with two felony counts of assault. Interim bail was set at $90,000, and Reynolds is scheduled to make her first court appearance Monday. FILE - In this July 25, 2016, file photo, a memorial including a photo of Philando Castile adorns the gate to the governor's residence where protesters continue to demonstrate in St. Paul, Minn., against the July 6, 2016, shooting death of Castile by St. Anthony police Officer Jeronimo Yanez during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minn. Yanez is expected to enter his plea on manslaughter charges during a hearing Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) According to the criminal complaint, Reynolds struck the victim in the head with a hammer, knocking her to the ground. Reynolds continued hitting the woman in the head with the hammer, then smashed the windshield of the victim's car, the complaint said. Online court records do not list an attorney who could comment on Reynolds' behalf. A lawyer Reynolds hired after the shooting, Larry Rogers, didn't immediately reply to a phone message seeking comment. Reynolds used Facebook Live to stream the bloody aftermath of the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, 32-year-old Philando Castile. Castile, who was black, was shot by a police officer during a July 6 traffic stop in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights. Prosecutors say the Latino officer, Jeronimo Yanez of the St. Anthony Police Department, shot Castile seven times after the elementary school cafeteria worker told him he was armed. Authorities later discovered Castile had a permit to carry a weapon. After the final shot, Reynolds frantically yelled: "You just killed my boyfriend!" Castile moaned and uttered his final words: "I wasn't reaching for it." Yanez pleaded not guilty Monday to manslaughter and other charges. His trial is scheduled to begin May 30. His attorneys say he had no choice but to shoot Castile after he saw a gun and perceived a threat to his life. Prosecutors dispute whether the officer saw the gun. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - An outcast from North Korea's ruling family was killed with a weapon believed to belong to North Korea's chemical arsenal and several North Koreans are wanted for questioning. But with Malaysia deporting the only North Korean it detained in the airport assassination of Kim Jong Nam, many in South Korea see the secretive, dictatorial regime in Pyongyang escaping punishment for another mysterious killing. The government in Seoul and human rights groups say Pyongyang has for decades acted to silence its perceived enemies, sending assassins after South Korean government officials, North Korean defectors and anti-Pyongyang activists. And yet North Korea often takes out the targets without leaving evidence that would indisputably prove its involvement, South Koreans say. FILE - This Feb. 16, 1996, file photo, shows Lee Han-young, a nephew of one of the former wives of North Korea's second leader, Kim Jong Il, is seen in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea almost immediately blamed the 1997 death of Lee on North Korean agents sent to the South on a revenge mission. But police failed to catch the assailants before they allegedly returned to the North. (Yonhap via AP, File) When suspicions were expressed, North Korea responded with silence or with wounded indignation. Some of the mysterious deaths suspected of being carried out by North Korea: ___ DIPLOMAT IN RUSSIA Choi (pronounced Chwey) Duk-kun, a South Korean diplomat stationed in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, just north of North Korea, was found dead in front of his apartment in 1996. He had head wounds, but his passport and money were still in his pockets. South Korea is almost certain North Korea organized a hit job on the diplomat who had been monitoring the North. The biggest evidence Seoul offers? He was stabbed with a sharp object on his right side, and investigators later found in his bloodstream traces of neostigmine bromide, a chemical that attacks the nervous system and was known to be frequently used by North Korean operatives. The timing of Choi's death was also suspicious. It came weeks after a North Korean submarine beached on South Korea's east coast. Twenty-two North Koreans were killed by South Korean forces or were later found dead, prompting the North to vow "hundredfold and thousand-fold" retaliation. Choi's assailants were never caught. North Korea denied involvement and claimed it was framed by Seoul. ___ MISSIONARIES IN CHINA North Korea hates South Korean activists, many of them evangelical Christians, who smuggle out defectors and send anti-Pyongyang literature and Bibles into the North across the border from China. South Korea believes Pyongyang killed at least one of them, Patrick Kim, a 46-year-old pastor who died in August 2011 after collapsing in the Chinese border city of Dandong. South Korea said Kim was likely attacked by a North Korean agent using a poisoned needle. Investigators detected in Kim's body neostigmine bromide, the same chemical found in the diplomat in Vladivostok. A day after Kim's attack, Kang (pronounced Gahng) Ho-bin, another South Korean missionary who helped defectors, was stabbed in the back with what officials believed was a poisoned needle in another Chinese city, Yangji. The assailant wasn't captured. Kang survived the attack, but was killed in 2012 after his car collided with a bus in the Chinese city of Longjing. There are suspicions that North Korea also assassinated Han Chung Ryeol, a Korean-Chinese pastor who was found dead in the Chinese county of Changbai last year with slash wounds to his neck. ___ TURNCOATS IN THE SOUTH South Korea almost immediately blamed the 1997 death of Lee Han-young, a nephew of one of the former wives of North Korea's second leader, Kim Jong Il, on North Korean agents sent on a revenge mission. But police failed to catch the assailants before they allegedly returned to the North. Lee died of gunshot wounds after being attacked in front of his apartment near Seoul in 1997. According to his neighbors, Lee after the shooting said, "spy, spy," and held up two fingers, perhaps indicating the number of attackers. Police said a woman purporting to be a magazine reporter called the apartment to ask when Lee would be home before the attack. Lee had defected through Switzerland in 1982, but Seoul kept his arrival secret until 1996, when his mother also fled the North. He had harshly criticized the country and his dictator uncle. South Korean officials said that Lee's killing might have also been North Korea's way of sending a message to Hwang Jang-yop, a former North Korean Workers' Party secretary who defected to the South earlier in 1997. Hwang, who once tutored Kim Jong Il and remains the highest-level North Korean to seek asylum in South Korea, survived what the South said was an assassination attempt by the North in 2010. He died six months after his would-be assailants were arrested, at the age of 87. ___ Follow Kim Tong-hyung on Twitter at www.twitter.com/KimTongHyung HAGATNA, Guam (AP) - The leader of Guam's Catholic Church says financial settlements could be a good solution for the archdiocese, which is facing $115 million in civil lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse at the hands of priests. Archbishop Michael Byrnes told The Associated Press Friday that settling with the alleged victims would be a "promising option," but he did not elaborate. In 2016, the Rev. Louis Brouillard told the AP that he molested about 20 boys while he was a priest in Guam over a 30-year period, starting in the 1940s. Byrnes said the 95-year-old Brouillard is the main figure in the 23 lawsuits, and that the church will pay for a lawyer in the priest's deposition. Byrnes says the archdiocese has revamped its sexual abuse policies and will have greater financial transparency. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Natalie Portman has given birth to a healthy baby girl. A representative for the Oscar-winning actress said Friday that Portman and husband, Benjamin Millepied, welcomed daughter Amalia on Feb. 22. This is the second child for Portman and Millepied, who wed in 2012. Their son, Aleph, is 5. FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2017 file photo, Benjamin Millepied, left, and Natalie Portman arrive at the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. A representative for the Oscar-winning actress said Friday, March 3, that Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed daughter Amalia Millepied, on Feb. 22. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) Portman, 35, was celebrated during Hollywood's recent awards season for her starring role in "Jackie." She was nominated for best actress at Sunday's Academy Awards, but she did not attend the ceremony. Millepied, 39, is a dancer and choreographer who worked on the film "Black Swan." He is the founder and director of L.A. Dance Project, a contemporary dance company that works with emerging and established artists. LAS VEGAS (AP) - Georges St. Pierre has officially returned to the UFC, and the longtime mixed martial arts hero already has a villainous new foil. St. Pierre and middleweight champion Michael Bisping traded insults Friday in a lively news conference announcing their matchup for St. Pierre's return to mixed martial arts after a 3 1/2-year absence. The rambunctious Bisping showed up 30 minutes late and immediately began launching profane trash talk at the punctilious St. Pierre, who responded with his own jabs. Bisping impugned St. Pierre's height, toughness, reach and mental fortitude - and that was before anyone even asked a question. FILE - In this March 16, 2013, file photo, Georges St. Pierre, left, lands a blow to Nick Diaz, from the United States, during their UFC 158 welterweight mixed martial arts title fight in Montreal. Although St. Pierre has been out of the UFC for 3 1/2 years, the Canadian is still one of the biggest names in MMA. The longtime welterweight champ's comeback fight later this year will be for Michael Bisping's middleweight belt. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP, File) "Hey Georges, where's your belt?" Bisping asked, looking down at his own glittery strap. "You don't have one. The sport moved on, buddy." St. Pierre was one of the UFC's biggest stars and pay-per-view draws during his long reign atop the 170-pound division, but the Canadian star walked away in November 2013. After a lengthy sabbatical, he is returning for a 185-pound bout with Bisping, the gritty English veteran who won his title in a shocking upset of Luke Rockhold last year. "I'm not going to be the old GSP," St. Pierre said. "If I come back as just the same guy I used to be, I'm going to have a very bad night. If I come back, it's because I and my training partners are all convinced I'm a better version than I was. I feel I've reached a better version as a fighter, and I'm going to prove it to everyone." The UFC hasn't set a date for the fight, and St. Pierre must clear hurdles in medical examination and drug testing first. But UFC President Dana White acknowledges he would like the bout to headline UFC 213 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8 as the culmination of International Fight Week. If not, UFC 214 in Anaheim, California, could be another candidate on July 29. Bisping lives in Orange County, and he is eager to add another big name to his improbable late-career surge of victories. Bisping defended his belt against Dan Henderson last year, and St. Pierre is a second straight opponent who isn't among the top middleweight contenders for his title. Bisping boasted that he will agree to fight No. 1 contender Yoel Romero six weeks after he beats St. Pierre, since the ex-champion simply can't hurt him. "I know why you picked me" for an opponent, Bisping said to St. Pierre. "You think I'm an easy fight. Just like Anderson (Silva) did. Just like Luke Rockhold did when I knocked him out. This is the greatest of all time, (and he) didn't want to fight Anderson, but he wants to come out of retirement to fight me." St. Pierre mostly laughed at Bisping's personal attacks, repeatedly wondering whether Bisping had been late because of a long night out in Vegas. "I'll go out on an all-night bender and still beat you, pal," Bisping replied. "Georges, listen, while you were away because you were so scared of everybody taking steroids, I was man enough to still be fighting those guys. ... Coming back, the sport is a different place. Game over." St. Pierre wouldn't reveal his career goals beyond claiming Bisping's middleweight title, prompting Bisping to suggest he doesn't have any. "I have a general long-term goal and a general direction where I want to go," St. Pierre said. "I'm 36 years old. I don't have a lot of fight left, but I want to make it as big as possible." Internet Photo China's top tourism authority has warned tourists of the risks regarding South Korea's change of its entry policy for Chinese citizens. "The number of incidents involving Chinese citizens' entry to Jeju Island of South Korea has risen sharply recently. Some of them were denied entry and waited a long time at airports before they were repatriated, which has attracted wide public attention," said a statement on the website of the China National Tourism Administration on Friday. It said the administration attached great importance to the matter. The administration met with officials from the South Korean embassy in Beijing as well as officials from the country's cultural organizations and "lodged serious representations", said the statement. The administration warned Chinese citizens to be aware of the risks of overseas trips and asked them to carefully choose their destinations. It advised them to get to know the entry policy of South Korea and prepare documents as required. "If you are caught in an emergency or unfairly treated or involved in a dispute, contact the local Chinese embassy or consulates immediately. Evidence of the matter should be gathered and saved in case complaints or legal suits are lodged in the future," the administration said. Some tourist agencies in China have stopped providing tours to South Korea over the past week. Wanzhong Tourism Travel Service issued a statement on Friday and canceled all South Korean tourism products. "For those who had signed up and paid for the South Korean tours, we can arrange tours to other destinations or we will rearrange the tours after the tension in relations between China and South Korea have eased," the company statement said. Guo Jinming, head of online sales of Wanzhong, said his company thought it was the right decision to cancel recent trips to South Korea and regarded it as a patriotic move by a tourist company, as South Korea has provided land to the US forces stationed to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. Guo said his company is busy refunding clients and will cover all their losses from canceling the trips. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday that China adopts a positive and open attitude toward exchange and cooperation between China and South Korea. "But this requires proper popular support and appropriate public opinion, as we have stated repeatedly," he told a daily press briefing in Beijing. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Investigators say smoke inhalation killed all 36 victims of a fire at a party at an Oakland warehouse. The Alameda County coroner confirmed the causes of death Friday for the Dec. 2 fire at the warehouse and artists' colony known as the Ghost Ship. Autopsies were performed in December, and the cause of death has been known for weeks, but came to light Friday when the San Francisco Chronicle called the coroner to check on the status of the investigation. FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2016 file photo, Oakland fire officials walk past the remains of the Ghost Ship warehouse damaged from a deadly fire in Oakland, Calif. Investigators say it was smoke inhalation that killed the multiple victims of a fire at a party at an Oakland warehouse. The Alameda County coroner confirmed the causes of death Friday, March 3, 2017, for the Dec. 2 fire at the warehouse and artists' colony known as the Ghost Ship. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) The result, while striking in its uniformity, is not surprising. Smoke inhalation is the most common cause of fire fatalities. The blaze broke out during a dance party and quickly ripped through the cluttered warehouse. Oakland fire officials have yet to announce the cause of the blaze. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - At least eight Afghan civilians, including four children, were killed in an attack late Friday night in western Farah province, according to Afghan officials. However there is disagreement over what exactly caused the deaths. Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Saturday that the incident was a roadside bomb explosion which took place in the Bala Buluk district. But family members of the victims are claiming they were hit by an airstrike. Gen. Dawlat Waziri, a Defense Ministry spokesman, told The Associated Press that an investigation of the incident is underway. "We are aware of the allegations made by the local people, right now an investigation is going on into the incident in Farah," Waziri said. Dr. Abdul Hakim Rasouli, director of Farah Hospital, said that 22 others are wounded in the attack. Three of the wounded are in critical condition and will be transferred to another hospital in neighboring Herat province for their further treatment, he said. Farah's Bala Buluk district has been the site of several recent clashes between Afghan security forces and armed insurgents. One resident, a 30-year-old mother of four named Salima, said two of her children were killed and a third wounded. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Salima, who like many Afghans goes by only one name, said her family was attacked by a helicopter. "I don't want to be alive anymore while I don't have my children with me," she said, crying. The Afghan security forces operate helicopter gunships, as does the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan. Meanwhile a parliamentarian from Helmand province was wounded after he was attacked by gunmen in neighboring Kandahar province, said Samim Khpolwak, spokesman for the provincial governor. Khpolwak said that the lawmaker, Mir Wali, was shot by two attackers on a motorcycle who escaped afterward. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Wali is a close ally of the United States. This was the second attack on Wali in recent months. In December 2016, three gunmen stormed Wali's home in the capital, Kabul. Eight people were killed in the attack and Wali was wounded. AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Jordan on Saturday executed 10 prisoners with ties to Islamic extremism who carried out five shootings and a bombing since 2003, the government spokesman said. It was the largest round of executions in the kingdom in at least a decade. Among those killed in the attacks were a British tourist, an outspoken Jordanian critic of Islamic extremism and members of the Jordanian security forces. Saturday's executions were the first since pro-Western Jordan launched a crackdown on Islamic militants two years ago, in response to the killing of a captured Jordanian fighter pilot by the Islamic State group. Jordan is a part of a U.S.-led military coalition against IS, which holds territory in Syria and Iraq. FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, file photo, relatives of Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar hold up signs protesting his death, in front of Jordanian Prime Ministry in Amman, Jordan. Nahad Hattar, the writer, had been on trial for posting a cartoon deemed offensive to Islam on social media when an assailant killed him outside the courthouse. The shooter was a former mosque prayer leader motivated by anger over the cartoon, officials said at the time. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) The prisoners were hanged at dawn Saturday at Swaqa Prison, about 75 kilometers (47 kilometers) south of the capital of Amman, said government spokesman Mohammed Momani. All had links to Islamic extremism, he said. Momani said the executions signal that "those who commit terrorism and threaten our national security will find the same destiny." Five others were hanged Saturday for other crimes, including incest, Momani said in a statement carried by the state news agency Petra. The assailants executed Saturday for terror convictions had been involved in six different incidents, from a 2003 bombing attack that killed 19 at Jordan's embassy in Iraq to the September 2016 shooting of local writer Nahed Hattar on the steps of an Amman courthouse. Also listed were a 2006 shooting attack on a group of tourists at a Roman theater in Amman in which a 30-year-old British man was killed; a December 2015 shooting attack that killed two police officers; a March 2016 shootout between police and IS militants at their hideout in which an officer was killed; and a June 2016 attack by a lone gunman on an office of Jordan's intelligence agency that killed five. Nahad Hattar, the writer, had been on trial for posting a cartoon deemed offensive to Islam on social media when an assailant killed him outside the courthouse. The shooter was a former mosque prayer leader motivated by anger over the cartoon, officials said at the time. Saad Hattar, a cousin of the victim, said Saturday that while the killer was punished, those who instigated such attacks with hateful rhetoric were not. "The murderer was just a tool, and our society needs the uprooting of the ideology and the culture behind him," Hattar, a journalist, told The Associated Press. Analyst Labib Kamhawi said he believes the executions were intended as a deterrent and also as a message to ordinary Jordanians buckling under price increases that their country faces a serious security threat. The message to the international community, particularly the Trump administration, is that "Jordan is on top of things and that Jordan can be considered one of the allies in fighting terrorism," Kamhawi said. Jordan intensified its campaign against suspected Islamic extremists after IS released a video in early 2015, showing its militants as they burned to death the fighter pilot trapped in a cage. In response to the video, Jordan executed two prisoners linked to the al-Qaida terror network, a precursor of IS. Hundreds of Jordanians have been detained or sentenced to prison since then, including those expressing support for IS on social media. Jordanian authorities have dismissed support for IS in the kingdom as a fringe phenomenon and said security forces can contain any threat. However, there has been a rise in attacks in Jordan linked to Islamic extremists over the past year. Previously, Jordan had executed 11 people in December 2014, in cases involving murder. This ended what had been a de facto eight-year moratorium on the death penalty. Two human rights groups, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, said Saturday that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent. The "horrific scale and secrecy" of Saturday's executions was shocking, said Samah Hadid, deputy director of Amnesty International's regional office in Beirut. "This is a major step backward for both Jordan and efforts to end the death penalty, a senseless and ineffective means of administering justice," she said. ___ Associated Press writers Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, and Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report. IRBIL, Iraq (AP) - The United Nations warned that the alleged use of chemical weapons in Mosul, if confirmed, would be a war crime and a serious violation of international humanitarian law, according to a statement released Saturday. "This is horrible," Lise Grande, the humanitarian coordinator in Iraq said in the statement, "there is never justification - none whatsoever - for the use of chemical weapons." The alleged attack occurred this week in eastern Mosul, an area declared fully liberated by Iraqi forces in January. The attack hit a neighborhood along the Tigris River - which roughly divides the city in two. Doctors in an urgent care hospital in the nearby city of Irbil say they began receiving patients showing symptoms of chemical weapons exposure on Thursday. "The mortar hit our house, right inside the living room where we were sitting," said Nazim Hamid, whose children had burns to their faces, arms and legs. The family was being treated in the Irbil hospital. "There was a very bad smell, it was some kind of gas," he said. "My kids were affected, some of them were burned and some of them had difficulty breathing." Hussein Qader, the deputy director of the hospital, said all 10 patients admitted for exposure are in stable condition and will be discharged in the coming days. IS has used chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria at least 52 times according to a report published late last year by IHS conflict monitor, a London-based research and intelligence gathering group. The report said that at least 19 of the 52 attacks took place in and around Mosul. Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition officials have repeatedly expressed concern regarding IS chemical weapons attacks. However IS-claimed insurgent attacks in Iraq and attacks targeting civilians attempting to flee Mosul cause far greater numbers of injuries and deaths to civilians. Most of western Mosul is still under Islamic State group control despite a handful of recent gains on the city's southwestern edge by Iraqi forces over the past two weeks. The U.S.-led coalition campaign of airstrikes has been pivotal to securing those territorial gains, but has also resulted in civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. Coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria between November and January killed 19 civilians and wounded 2, according to a statement from the Pentagon Saturday. The report brings the total number of civilian casualties acknowledged by the coalition to at least 220, according to the Pentagon. Independent monitoring organizations put the number of civilian casualties much higher. Airwars, an independent monitoring group based in London estimates the minimum number of civilian casualties caused by airstrikes to be at least 2,463. The Pentagon report added that 19 reports of strikes resulting in civilian casualties were still being assessed, 11 of which occurred in and around Mosul. Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake Mosul in October and began a push to retake the city's western half last month. After more than two years of slow territorial victories against IS by Iraqi ground forces backed by U.S.-led coalition air power, western Mosul is the last significant urban area IS controls in Iraq. MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippine defense chief and two other Cabinet members on Saturday toured a U.S. aircraft carrier patrolling the disputed South China Sea on the invitation of the Navy, U.S. Embassy officials said. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II visited the USS Carl Vinson along with three Philippine security officials, said U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina. The visit shows continuing top-level engagements between Philippine officials and the U.S. military despite Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's threat to scale back engagements with American forces while reaching out to China and Russia. There was no immediate reaction from China, which had opposed U.S. patrols in waters it has claimed virtually in its entirety. A U.S. Navy F18 fighter jet from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) for a patrol off the disputed South China Sea Friday, March 3, 2017. The U.S. military took journalists Friday to the carrier on routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea, sending a signal to China and American allies of its resolve to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in one of the world's security hotspots.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) The U.S. ambassador to Manila, Sung Kim, accompanied the Philippine officials to the Carl Vinson, where they watched F18 fighter jets land and take off on catapult on the flight deck and met U.S. navy commanders in charge of the 95,000-ton carrier as it sailed in the disputed waters, Koscina said. U.S. Navy officials told a small group of journalists who were flown to the Carl Vinson on Friday that the U.S. warship deployment was aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, a key waterway for global commerce and security. "We will be here," Rear Adm. James Kilby told the journalists, including those from The Associated Press. "We're going to continue to demonstrate that international waters are waters where everyone can sail, where everyone can conduct commerce and merchant traffic." Kilby's comments and the presence of the carrier in the South China Sea are aimed at reassuring American allies, who have expressed concerns over China's aggressive actions to assert its claims to virtually all of the South China Sea. The nuclear-powered Carl Vinson, which is manned by about 5,500 military personnel, has sailed through the contested region several times and other U.S. warships have routinely patrolled the waters for decades, Kilby said. Sailors expressed confidence and pride in what they do, stepping aside to give way to visitors in narrow corridors. "Are you enjoying your time on board?" Navy Lt. Charlotte Benbow, who was in charge of the navigation bridge, asked journalists touring the mammoth ship. "Flight ops is pretty cool." In recent years, China has turned seven mostly submerged disputed reefs into islands where Beijing is now reportedly installing a missile defense system. Chinese officials have stressed that they have a right to carry out those constructions in what they say are their territories and add they have no hostile intentions in the region. But worries over China's actions have grown. Governments fear its actions could later restrict movement in a key waterway for world commerce with rich fishing grounds and potential undersea deposits of oil and gas. "There is a lot of worry about what China's intentions are," said Ernest Bower, a senior adviser for the Southeast Asia program of Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. "I think the question everyone has is, '(are) the Chinese trying to shut down access to the South China Sea?'" Boyer told reporters in Manila. "The Americans are saying under no circumstances would that be acceptable to the international community." Duterte, who took office in June and describes himself as a left-wing politician, has declared that he would chart a foreign policy independent of the U.S., his country's longtime treaty ally. Last year, he lashed out at then-President Barack Obama and the State Department, which has raised concerns over Duterte's deadly anti-drug crackdown. Duterte has ordered the Philippine navy not to proceed with previous plans to carry out joint patrols with U.S. forces in the contested waters, although his administration has agreed to continue a considerable number of joint military exercises with U.S. forces in the country. There have also been questions if America's role as a counterweight to China, particularly in the disputed waters, would change under President Donald Trump. After Obama ended his term, Duterte has moderated his language toward the U.S., allowing an opportunity for military engagements to continue to flourish, Boyer said, adding that he believed Trump's security team may take a firmer stance on the territorial disputes. "I would actually suspect we'll see more determination from the Americans on the South China Sea, sort of a bit of a harder edge towards the Chinese," Boyer said. "I think that's going to ... cause a little bit of a bumpy road, to be honest with you." With smoke created by a F18 fighter jet taking off crewmen prepare the next one aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) off the disputed South China Sea Friday, March 3, 2017. The U.S. military took journalists Friday to the carrier on routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea, sending a signal to China and American allies of its resolve to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in one of the world's security hotspots.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) A U.S. Navy F18 fighter jet lands on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) following a routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea Friday, March 3, 2017. The U.S. military took journalists Friday to the carrier on routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea, sending a signal to China and American allies of its resolve to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in one of the world's security hotspots.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) A row of F18 fighter jets on the deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) is prepared for patrols off the disputed South China Sea Friday, March 3, 2017. The U.S. military took journalists Friday to the carrier on routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea, sending a signal to China and American allies of its resolve to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in one of the world's security hotspots.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) A U.S. Navy F18 fighter jet lands on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) following a routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea Friday, March 3, 2017. The US military took journalists Friday to the carrier on routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea, sending a signal to China and American allies of its resolve to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in one of the world's security hotspots.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) A commercial ship sails across the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) which is on patrol off the disputed South China Sea Friday, March 3, 2017. The U.S. military took journalists Friday to the carrier on routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea, sending a signal to China and American allies of its resolve to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in one of the world's security hotspots.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) LYON, France (AP) - Jose Evrard's left-wing credentials were impeccable. His great-uncle Victor, he recounts with pride, was a French communist executed by the Nazis; his father worked in a coal mine; Evrard himself was a card-carrying French communist for 36 years. So the former postal worker is the least likely person one would expect to see basking in adulation at a congress of France's far-right National Front. Yet there he was, in a grey suit and patterned tie, sharing the stage where party leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen would later reduce followers to tears vociferating against immigration and the European Union. In this Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 photo, former communist, Jose Evrard, who is now a member of the Far Right, distributes campaign flyers at Billy Montigny market, northern France. Ex-communists and others who converted from the political left are among those campaigning for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in France's presidential election. Her party is highlighting their switch of sides to push home its argument that traditional left-right politics are dead and to convince more voters to make a similar leap. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler) To cries of "Bravo!" from the audience, Evrard recounted his pendulum swing - from communist organizer to star convert for the populist Le Pen. "We are no longer seen as carriers of plague," Evrard said. "At markets, our presence is welcome." To jump from election front-runner to president, Le Pen needs legions of voters to similarly cross the Rubicon and switch camps. Polls suggest her core supporters should be enough to put her top in the first-round vote on April 23. But Le Pen won't win the decisive May 7 runoff unless large numbers break with past voting habits and, like Evrard, abandon traditional, even life-long, allegiances. Converts like Evrard are valuable to the National Front because they lend weight to its argument that old-school French politics, the left-right duopoly of post-war France, is collapsing. The party plays up their example to show that it has become more acceptable to vote Le Pen since she won 18 percent of the ballot in 2012, placing third in the presidential election's first round. Looking to rally voters of all stripes, Le Pen speaks of a new landscape pitting "patriots" against "globalists" - the Paris political elite she accuses of surrendering France's power and sovereignty to European bureaucrats and opening it to culture-destroying mass immigration. "We enlist all patriots from the right or left to join us," Le Pen thundered at the congress where she launched her 144-point platform in February. "Elected officials or simple citizens, wherever you come from, whatever commitments you made, you have a place at our side." Evrard and other converts were given stage time at the two-day gathering in Lyon. Showcasing people who abandoned Le Pen's political enemies to join her serves the National Front's strategy of "detoxification," its effort to rid the party of its image as a home for racists and neo-fascists. The strategy has included Le Pen sidelining her father, Jean-Marie, to distance the party from the cantankerous ex-foreign legionnaire who founded the FN in 1972 and his repeated court convictions for minimizing Nazi atrocities. Supporters in Lyon said they now feel more comfortable showing their National Front colors. "I never dared tell my parents that I voted FN," said Mireille Dumas, a retired beautician, referring to the party by its French acronym. She said she used to avoid discussing her politics with clients for fear of losing their business. "I voted in secret," she said. "Now I'm happy to have been freed, because we can talk about it." She and her husband, Thierry, were among those who sought out Evrard for selfies and handshakes after his speech, as they might a TV celebrity. Thierry Dumas said he, too, was a card-carrying communist from 1976-1982. He switched his vote to the FN in 1988 and became a party member in 2010. If Le Pen wins in May, he said, it will be "only because (other) people will have trodden this path." Evrard said it took him 13 years to complete his journey from one political extreme to the other. Having quit the French Communist Party in 2000, he says he walked into a National Front office in 2013 and said, "I want to take part in the fight, so I have come to ask for membership." He stood as a National Front candidate and beat a communist rival in 2015 local elections. Ideologically, the gulf between far-left and far-right isn't as unbridgeable as it might outwardly seem, he argued. In the National Front, Evrard said he has rediscovered values drilled into him by his left-wing family - "notions of sovereignty, independence, the defense of the Tricolor flag and all of that" - but also faced hostility from former comrades. "It's hard when you have been a (communist) member for a long time," he said in an interview. "You feel the looks saying, 'traitor,' 'phony' and what not, because people don't accept that you can change ideas." FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2015 file photo, a defaced poster of French far-right party leader Marine Le Pen is seen in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. Ex-communists and others who converted from the political left are among those campaigning for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in France's presidential election. Her party is highlighting their switch of sides to push home its argument that traditional left-right politics are dead and to convince more voters to make a similar leap. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File) FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2015 file photo, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen hands out leaflets in a marketplace, in Arras northern France, as part of her municipal campaign. Ex-communists and others who converted from the political left are among those campaigning for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in France's presidential election. Her party is highlighting their switch of sides to push home its argument that traditional left-right politics are dead and to convince more voters to make a similar leap. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File) In this Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 photo, former communist, Jose Evrard, who is now a member of the Far Right, distributes campaign flyers at Billy Montigny market, northern France. Ex-communists and others who converted from the political left are among those campaigning for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in France's presidential election. Her party is highlighting their switch of sides to push home its argument that traditional left-right politics are dead and to convince more voters to make a similar leap. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler) In this Feb. 5, 2017 photo, Davy Rodriguez, a former hard-left activist, talks on the National Front for Youth stand in Lyon. Ex-communists and others who converted from the political left are among those campaigning for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in France's presidential election. Her party is highlighting their switch of sides to push home its argument that traditional left-right politics are dead and to convince more voters to make a similar leap. (AP Photo/John Leicester) FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2015 file photo, a member of the far-right National Front party puts up a campaign poster, in Lille, northern France, as part of the municipal campaign. Ex-communists and others who converted from the political left are among those campaigning for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in France's presidential election. Her party is highlighting their switch of sides to push home its argument that traditional left-right politics are dead and to convince more voters to make a similar leap. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia said it expelled North Korea's ambassador on Saturday for refusing to apologize for his strong accusations over Malaysia's handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader's half brother. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy at around 6 p.m. declaring Ambassador Kang Chol persona non grata. The notice said Kang must leave Malaysia within 48 hours. Earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea formally apologize for Kang's accusations over the investigation into the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport, including that "the Malaysian government had something to hide and that Malaysia has colluded with outside powers to defame" North Korea, Anifah said in a statement. In this Monday, Feb 20, 2017 photo, North Korea's Ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol speaks to the media outside the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia's foreign minister said Saturday, March 4, 2017 that the government has expelled North Korea's ambassador for refusing to apologize for criticizing investigations into the murder of the exiled half-brother of Pyongyang's leader. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) He said that no apology had come and none appeared forthcoming, and that North Korean Embassy officials also failed to turn up for a meeting Saturday at the foreign ministry, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador. "It should be made clear - Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," Anifah said. The death of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Kang's expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah had said this was an "indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities." Earlier Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong Chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang. Ri said that he wasn't at the airport the day Kim was killed, but that police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with "fake evidence." He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," Ri said. "This is when I realized that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Malaysia's national police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to respond to Ri's comments. Ri was detained four days after Kim died, but police never said what they believed his role in the attack was. Two women - one Indonesian, one Vietnamese - have been charged with murder in the case, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. On Friday, police issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but didn't say why he is a suspect. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on Jan. 29, about two weeks before Kim was killed. North Korea earlier had rejected Malaysia's autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Un's half brother, as Malaysian government officials have confirmed. Kim Jong Nam reportedly fell out of favor with his father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. North Korean Ri Jong Chol criticizes Malaysian government's investigation, at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. Malaysian authorities on Friday deported the only North Korean detained in the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader after releasing him because of a lack of evidence to charge him. (Minoru Iwasaki/Kyodo News via AP) North Korean Ri Jong Chol speaks in front of reporters at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. Malaysian authorities on Friday deported the only North Korean detained in the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader after releasing him because of a lack of evidence to charge him. (Naohiko Hatta/Kyodo News via AP) North Korean Ri Jong Chol speaks to reporters from behind a fence at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. Malaysian authorities on Friday deported the only North Korean detained in the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader after releasing him because of a lack of evidence to charge him. (Naohiko Hatta/Kyodo News via AP) North Korean Ri Jong Chol, right, speaks to reporters from behind a fence at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. Malaysian authorities on Friday deported the only North Korean detained in the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader after releasing him because of a lack of evidence to charge him. (Minoru Iwasaki/Kyodo News via AP) North Korean Ri Jong Chol speaks to reporters from behind a fence at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. Malaysian authorities on Friday deported the only North Korean detained in the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader after releasing him because of a lack of evidence to charge him. (Naohiko Hatta/Kyodo News via AP) North Korean Ri Jong Chol detained in the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader, arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. Malaysian authorities on Friday deported Ri after releasing him because of a lack of evidence to charge him. (Minoru Iwasaki/Kyodo News via AP) In this Friday, March 3, 2017 photo, North Korean Ri Jong Chol, center, waits for the departure inside a plane bound for Beijing, China, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia. Malaysian authorities on Friday deported the only North Korean detained in the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader after releasing him because of a lack of evidence to charge him. (Daisuke Sato/Kyodo News via AP) RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina's new Democratic governor and majority Republican legislature are charging at each other in a constitutional game of chicken over their powers, a confrontation that could shape the recent conservative direction of state policies and spending. The confrontation continues Tuesday, when the two branches of state government appear for a court hearing before the third. A panel of three trial judges will gather in Raleigh to hear lawyers for Gov. Roy Cooper dispute attorneys for the state House and Senate leaders over whether new laws are constitutional. "This is a fight that involves really the three branches of government. It's one of a series of possible contests that we can see as the governor serves his term in office about who is going to make what decisions," High Point University political scientist Martin Kifer said. "It also has to do with the pace of policymaking. This isn't speeding things up." GOP lawmakers passed several provisions that reduced the incoming governor's powers during a surprise special legislative session two weeks before Cooper took office Jan. 1. The laws: - require Cooper's choices to run 10 state agencies to be approved by the GOP-led Senate. - strip Cooper's control over administering elections and gives Republicans control over state and local elections boards during even-numbered years when elections for major statewide and national office are held. - slash Cooper's patronage hiring discretion and gives civil service protections to hundreds of political appointees hired by former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, who narrowly lost to Cooper last fall. Cooper might not like the increasing number of limits Republicans impose, but he'd better get used to it, attorneys for legislative leaders said in a court filing. The state's constitution and legal precedents have created one of the country's weakest governors, and makes the General Assembly the dominant branch, attorneys for state House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger wrote. Cooper, who is called the plaintiff because he filed the lawsuit, "continues to argue that the Office of the Governor needs less legislative interference and more power to faithfully execute the laws," legislative attorneys wrote. "Plaintiff is wrong." Cooper's attorneys contend that if the laws are allowed to stand, the foundational idea of American democracy - that there should be a balance of powers between the competing legislative, executive and judicial branches - are out the window. "Separation of powers restricts the power of the legislature," the governor's attorneys wrote. "It is so fundamental to the government of North Carolina that it was enacted in the Declaration of Rights, the portion of the state constitution that predates the constitution itself and contains key provisions to protect our popular, democratic government and the people who empower it." The determination of Republican lawmakers to diminish Cooper's authority continued last week. The state House passed along party lines two bills eliminating Cooper's ability to choose board members at more than a dozen community colleges. General Assembly leaders would make those appointments instead. A proposed bill would strip Cooper of the ability to fill vacancies on the state District Court, where most criminal and civil cases get heard, and give selections to legislative leaders. ___ Follow Emery P. Dalesio at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/emery-p-dalesio PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - Alexander Bjork and Scott Jamieson will fight it out again as they retained a share of the lead heading toward the final round of the Tshwane Open on Saturday. The second-round co-leaders were still top of the leaderboard after 54 holes, both moving to 13-under-par 200 at Pretoria Country Club in the South African capital. Bjork, seeking a maiden European Tour title, opened a two-shot lead at one point but slipped up with bogeys at Nos. 13 and 15. He and Jamieson carded 68s and birdied their last hole to open a one-shot lead over Jorge Campillo and Dean Burmester, and break a four-way tie for the lead. Campillo and Burmester put themselves in contention with 6-under 65s at the par-71 layout. ISTANBUL (AP) - Turkish officials said that an aircraft believed to belong to the Syrian military crashed near the Turkey-Syria border Saturday, with the Syrian opposition claiming to Turkish media they were responsible for shooting the plane down. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters that "we have information that a MIG model plane belonging to the Syrian regime" had crashed near the town of Samandag in Hatay province. Hatay governor Erdal Ata told state-run Anadolu news agency that rescue teams had arrived at the wreckage and reported that the cockpit was empty, confirming earlier reports by local villagers who claimed to have observed the pilots ejecting. Ata added that there had been no airspace violation and no intervention by Turkish forces. Syrian helicopters were shot down for violating Turkish airspace in 2013 and 2015, and a Syrian MIG jet was shot down in 2014 for the same violation. A Russian military plane was similarly shot down by Turkey for violating airspace in 2015, leading to months of tension between Ankara and Moscow. Syrian opposition military group Ahrar al-Sham claimed it shot down the plane Saturday. The group's spokesman, Ahmed Karali, told Anadolu that it was shot down by a 23 millimeter anti-aircraft gun as it was bombing the countryside in the northwestern Syrian town of Idlib. Turkish media said earlier that local villagers had called authorities to report the crash at around 6:30 p.m. (1530 GMT; 10:30 EST). Ma Huateng, chairman of Tencent and deputy of the National People's Congress, answers reporters' questions ahead of the fifth plenary session of the 12th NPC in Beijing on Friday. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY China should introduce favorable policies to turn the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area into the cradle of China's "Silicon Valley", national legislator Ma Huateng said on Friday. Constructing a world-class high-tech Bay Area is critical to implementing China's innovation-driven strategy, said Ma, who also chairs internet giant Tencent, at a news conference ahead of the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress, which begins on Sunday. The proposal is also conducive to the long-term prosperity of the region, he said, especially for Hong Kong and Macao, which have untapped potential to deepen economic interdependence with the mainland. Ma said the area is home to China's leading tech industries and financial services, as well as being a manufacturing hub, perfectly positioning it to become a global innovation center. "Hong Kong will take the lead among these cities in international transportation, as well as in accounting and financial, legal and other commercial services. Dongguan specializes in manufacturing. And Shenzhen hosts China's tech giants, such as Tencent and Huawei, as well as drone maker DJI," he said. To bolster growth, Ma encouraged the adoption of preferential tax rebate policies in the area and loosening entry permission between the mainland and Hong Kong to retain talent. Guangdong Governor Ma Xingrui, speaking during the local political consultative and legislative sessions, said the three places will work together on building a world-class city cluster in the region this year. The Bay Area is one of China's most affluent regions. In 2016, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong each either reached or neared 2 trillion yuan ($290 billion) in gross domestic product. Construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the world's longest cross-sea bridge, connecting Zhuhai in Guangdong with Hong Kong and Macao, is expected to be finished by next year, further integrating the region, he added. Lin Jiang, an economics professor at Sun Yat-sen University, said Ma's idea to turn the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area into China's "Silicon Valley" is "realizable", as regional cooperation is becoming closer with preferential policies from the Guangdong Free Trade Zone. "The Bay Area can serve as the country's experimental field for new technologies and emerging industries." SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Police in Puerto Rico say two men have been killed and five other people wounded in a shooting on an oceanside boulevard in the Isla Verde tourist area near San Juan. Officers say more than 20 shots were fired beginning around 2:40 a.m. Saturday near a popular food truck and ended in front of a luxury beachfront condominium. They said the bullet-ridden bodies of two men were found inside a vehicle when they arrived at the scene after a computerized detection system alerted them to the shooting. The five wounded were described as bystanders and one was in critical condition. One of the victims is female. Additional details were not immediately available. PARIS (AP) - French presidential candidate Francois Fillon, fighting for political survival, called on supporters Saturday not to "abdicate" to those trying to destroy him as the Socialist mayor of Paris asked him to cancel a scheduled rally that would test his staying power. The conservative Fillon, whose campaign has been unraveling over impending corruption charges, vowed to remake France in a speech on Saturday, a day before what amounts to his last stand. He will hold a rally Sunday near the Eiffel Tower widely seen as a way to measure support via the numbers he can muster. In a video tweeted Friday, Fillon called on his supporters to show up. Conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon delivers his speech during a campaign meeting in Aubervilliers, outside Paris, France, Saturday, March 4, 2017. Fillon, whose campaign has been unraveling over impending corruption charges, vowed to remake France in a speech on Saturday, a day before what amounts to his last stand, a rally near the Eiffel Tower widely seen as a test of his staying power via the number of supporters he can muster. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Fillon, once the leader in polls, is increasingly alone as backers defect. Two campaign heavyweights, campaign director Patrick Stefanini and campaign spokesman Thierry Solere deserted the Fillon team on Friday - though the director promised to stay on until the end of the rally. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted that the event "endangers" French values, claiming its real goal is to demonstrate against investigative judges, police and journalists "bringing to light the truth." "Our ties to liberty force us to denounce this rally as a grave act of moral and political failure, contrary to our values," Hidalgo's tweet said, noting that the event was being held at the Esplanade of Human Rights. She wasn't the first to denounce the rally, in which a group linked to an ultra-conservative political movement, Common Sense, has "associated" itself. Financial prosecutors are investigating allegations that Fillon gave his wife and two of their children taxpayer-funded jobs as his parliamentary aides that they never performed. Fillon initially said that he would step down if charged, but decided to maintain his candidacy even though he's been summoned to face charges on March 15. His family members were paid more than 1 million euros ($1.1 million) over a number of years for work as his parliamentary aides. It is legal in France to hire relatives for public jobs, if they actually work. Fillon proclaims his innocence, insisting his wife and children worked for their pay. Fillon isn't the only candidate in the firing line of judicial investigators. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is at the center of several judicial inquiries along with her anti-immigration National Front party, but unlike Fillon she has refused a summons to appear before investigative judges on March 10 in a case concerning her European parliamentary aides. And unlike Fillon, Le Pen hasn't suffered in polls. She and independent centrist Emmanuel Macron share first and second place in recent soundings. In his speech on Saturday, Fillon called liberty the guiding force of his platform, meant to unlock new energy, risk-taking and a new mindset for the French, reducing the role of the state and making success a value. Fillon wants to slash 500,000 civil servant jobs, reduce by a total of 50 billion euros taxes and charges for small businesses, shops and farmers, "significantly" reduce taxes for companies and end the 35-hour work week, among other measures. "In the first three months, we'll have created a positive shock and launched the powerful dynamic favoring employment," he said. Fillon's party, The Republicans, meanwhile, said it was holding a meeting of its political committee on Monday evening to evaluate the situation after Sunday's rally. The committee was initially to meet Tuesday, but the stakes are high and the situation urgent. With the two-round presidential election set for April 23 and May 7, time is pressing for Fillon and his party, which needs to find a new candidate should Fillon decide, or be forced, to step down. Former Prime Minister Alain Juppe, now mayor of Bordeaux, is seen by many as a Plan B to replace Fillon, though he has rejected the idea in previous weeks. Juppe was convicted in 2004 for an illegal party funding scheme while serving as finance director at Paris City Hall during Jacques Chirac's tenure as mayor, from 1977 to 1995. He received a 14-month suspended prison sentence on appeal, and was barred from elected office for a year. Conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon waves as he arrives to deliver his speech during a campaign meeting in Aubervilliers, outside Paris, France, Saturday, March 4, 2017. Fillon, whose campaign has been unraveling over impending corruption charges, vowed to remake France in a speech on Saturday, a day before what amounts to his last stand, a rally near the Eiffel Tower widely seen as a test of his staying power via the number of supporters he can muster. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon leaves after delivering his speech during a campaign meeting in Aubervilliers, outside Paris, France, Saturday, March 4, 2017. Fillon, whose campaign has been unraveling over impending corruption charges, vowed to remake France in a speech on Saturday, a day before what amounts to his last stand, a rally near the Eiffel Tower widely seen as a test of his staying power via the number of supporters he can muster. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Bracelets are on sale as conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon gestures as he delivers his speech during a campaign meeting in Aubervilliers, outside Paris, France, Saturday, March 4, 2017. Fillon, whose campaign has been unraveling over impending corruption charges, vowed to remake France in a speech on Saturday, a day before what amounts to his last stand, a rally near the Eiffel Tower widely seen as a test of his staying power via the number of supporters he can muster. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon waves as he arrives to deliver his speech during a campaign meeting in Aubervilliers, outside Paris, France, Saturday, March 4, 2017. Fillon, whose campaign has been unraveling over impending corruption charges, vowed to remake France in a speech on Saturday, a day before what amounts to his last stand, a rally near the Eiffel Tower widely seen as a test of his staying power via the number of supporters he can muster. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) FORT KENT, Maine (AP) - More than a dozen mushers departed Saturday amid a cacophony of barking dogs and cheering spectators for a 250-mile dash across the wilderness of northern Maine. The Irving Woodlands Can-Am Crown, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, takes dog sled teams through forests and over hills near the Canadian border. The grueling course is tough enough to serve as qualifier for the 1,100-mile Iditarod across Alaska. "We cross one mountain to the other. You just feel like you're climbing them, never descending them," Martin Massicotte said in French, which his wife translated for him. This photo provided by Beurmond Banville shows Gen Raymond of St. Jacques Le Mineur, Quebec, Canada heads down Main Street to begin the Irving Woodlands 250 on the 25th anniversary of the Can-Am Crown race on Saturday, March 4, 2017, in Fort Kent, Maine. . The mushers will work their way to Allagash before hooking back to the starting point by Monday morning. The race serves as qualifier for the Iditarod across Alaska. (Beurmond Banville via AP) The seven-time winner from St. Tite, Quebec, was among more than a dozen mushers who will make their way to Portage Lake and then to the town of Allagash before looping back to Fort Kent by Monday morning. There is a combined purse of $44,000 for the 250-mile race, along with two shorter races. Each race is different. The temperature plummeted to minus-38 during the first Can-Am Crown, and winner Andrew Nadeau, of Sainte-Melanie, Quebec, had 6- to 7-inch icicles dangling from his beard at the finish line. A year later, the temperature soared to 61 degrees, and the race had to be cut short at 200 miles. This year, there has been recent record-breaking warmth in New England, but there is still 2 feet of snow on the ground in the woods in northern Maine. High temperatures in single digits Saturday and in the teens Sunday should be perfect for the mushers and their dogs, said Beurmond Banville, race spokesman. Massicotte works in the paving business when he is not mushing. While he has won seven times, the competition is fierce and victory is never a sure thing, he said. His most memorable moment came three years ago, when he broke Nadeau's record of four victories with a comeback on the last stage to win by a mere 1 minute, 5 seconds. In 2008, he was down to eight dogs but managed to overtake Don Hibbs 15 miles from the finish. "I do not remember winning any of these races easily," he said. EMERSON, Manitoba (AP) - Canada is enforcing border laws and is willing to put more resources in place to deal with the influx of asylum-seekers from the United States, federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Saturday. Goodale visited Emerson, Manitoba, a small border town that has seen some 200 illicit crossings so far this year. "We all need to work together. We have to have good communication with one another. This is a set of issues that span national, provincial and local responsibilities," Goodale told reporters at a conference Saturday. Goodale announced US$22,000 (CA$30,000) to cover extra costs borne by Emerson-Franklin's volunteer fire department and other agencies in the community, saying more resources will become available. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada Border Services Agency have shifted some resources in southern Manitoba to the Emerson area. The border services agency recently set up a trailer to help process the border-crossers. The number of illicit border-crossings has jumped in recent months, following the U.S. government's plans to limit immigration and step up deportations. The Manitoba government has said the influx has created more demand for housing and other support services. Migrants have been crossing through fields and ditches because, under the Canada-United States Safe Third Country Agreement, they are turned back at official border crossings if they have already made refugee claims in the U.S. If they get onto Canadian soil before being apprehended, they are allowed to stay in Canada and go through the normal refugee-claim process. Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel has called on the government to ensure migrants who sneak across the border are charged with crossing illegally, but Goodale said they cannot be charged if they make a refugee claim, at least until the claim is dealt with. "Charges in relation to the crossing of the border cannot be laid until after the case of the particular individual under immigration rules has been finally disposed of," Goodale said. He also said the government is examining requests for more aid from refugee support agencies, but did not provide specifics. TULSA, Okla. (AP) - An Oklahoma lawmaker who once likened Islam to cancer required Muslims to answer several written questions - including, "Do you beat your wife?" - before agreeing to meet with them. Republican state Rep. John Bennett's office distributed the questionnaire on Thursday as the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations organized its annual Muslim Day at the Capitol. The lawmaker's office gave the list of questions to three Islamic school students who came to his office and asked to speak with him. "(The prophet) Mohammed was a killer of pagans, Christians and Jews that did not agree with him," read one of 18 questions on the form. "Do you agree with his example?" FILE - In this Friday, April 12, 2013 file photo, Oklahoma state Rep. John Bennett, R-Salisaw, speaks during a news conference in Oklahoma City. Bennett, who once likened Islam to a cancer, has handed out a form asking Muslims to answer questions that include, "Do you beat your wife?" (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File) The questions asked Muslims whether they would denounce terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah and whether they believed former Muslims should be punished for leaving Islam. One question asked Muslims if they agreed that Islamic law, known as Sharia, should rule over non-Muslims. The questionnaire drew a swift rebuke from civil rights groups and Oklahoma's CAIR chapter, which represents about 40,000 Oklahoma residents who are Muslims. "Nobody should be vetted with stupid, Islamophobic, hateful, bigoted questions before they can meet with their representative," said Adam Soltani, the executive director of CAIR-Oklahoma. Bennett did not return a message seeking comment on the questionnaire Saturday. The lawmaker has previously referred to Islam as "a cancer in our nation that needs to be cut out." At an interim study Bennett convened in October to study the religion, he suggested that CAIR and a local imam were terrorists. Recently, Bennett came under fire when he posted a news story on Facebook critical of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and added the comment, "2 words ... firing squad." "It's frustrating that Representative Bennett keeps pressing the issue in the way he does," said Anna Facci, the government affairs director for CAIR-OK. "It certainly is frustrating but it's not surprising." Boris Johnson is to be the first Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in more than five years. However, the Foreign Office has stressed the move does not signal a change in Britains attitude towards Russia regarding sources of tension like Ukraine. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: The Foreign Secretary has accepted an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit Moscow in the coming weeks. .@BorisJohnson accepts invitation to visit Russia. Part of UK policy to engage robustly on issues inc Syria, Ukraine https://t.co/8pHBxJEqcV pic.twitter.com/3jIVtw5HwG Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) March 4, 2017 The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have made clear that our policy towards Russia is to engage but beware, and the visit is entirely consistent with this approach. Discussions will focus on the UK-Russia relationship and current international issues including Syria and Ukraine, where we continue to have significant differences. This is not a return to business as usual, and the Foreign Secretary will continue to be robust on those issues where we differ. We have always been clear that the UK will engage with Russia where it is in our national interest to do so. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Pavel Golovkin/AP) Details of precise timings will be confirmed in due course. A potential visit has been in the pipeline for some time, with the Prime Minister and President Putin discussing this when they met in China in September 2016. Government sources told the Press Association the visit does not represent an attempt to reset relations with Russia. They said that could not happen while Moscow maintains its current stance on the situation in Ukraine. Sources said Mr Johnson will not cosy-up to his hosts during the trip, and the Foreign Secretary has given personal assurances to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko that Britain is not changing its position towards Russia and he will convey a tough message on the situation in the country to Moscow. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged tens of thousands of demonstrators to defend the NHS with all of your might. He made his rallying call to cheering crowds, of all ages, at the national demonstration to oppose NHS cuts. He told them in a speech in Parliament Square: Defending the NHS is defending a basic human value and a basic human right. Save the NHS demo - people of all ages - chants of "no cuts to funding" pic.twitter.com/99u2o8WwFW Helen William (@PAHelen2) March 4, 2017 You dont walk by on the other side when somebody is in difficulties or needing help. He called for next weeks Budget to properly fund the health service, social care and crucial mental health services. Demonstrator Felix Ramos with coffin on the national defend NHS march. "I have to be here. NHS is far more important than anything else." pic.twitter.com/AOeLh3dOua Helen William (@PAHelen2) March 4, 2017 He said: The NHS is in crisis, in crisis because of the underfunding in social care and the people not getting the care and support they need. There are those waiting on trolleys and those who are desperate to get into an A&E department waiting hours for treatment. It is not the fault of the staff. It is the fault of a Government who have made a political choice. Early start for Devon marchers.Up at 5am.Ruth Funnell, 62, of Torrington, "They are closing community hospitals.Anger levels are going up. " pic.twitter.com/2mIETd1Iba Helen William (@PAHelen2) March 4, 2017 Organisers said the national demonstration is particularly needed now because more austerity in the NHS represents a real risk to the safety of patients and the service. Backing came from presenter Sue Perkins who tweeted: Love & support to all those marching for the NHS today, with a special shoutout to KONP, West Cornwall Health Watch & the gang in Penzance. Unions, frontline staff and children were among those who took part as the march peacefully moved from NHS England, through Londons West End and into Westminster. Demonstrators carried signs during the rally (Victoria Jones /PA) Organisers said that 250,000 people were at the protest. Scotland Yard said there had not been any arrests. Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union, tweeted: Im marching because I am furious. Tories destroying the greatest gift the people of this country have created #SaveOurNHS. He said: What an unbelievable demonstration we have been on here 250,000 people from all over our nation fighting to save our national health service. Protesters came dressed for the occasion. A doctor held a banner which read The blood on my hands washes off, and a member of the public had mocked up a head wound with blood dripping down her face. Messages on home-made banners read SOS Englands NHS while messages such as NHS4Ever were written on T-shirts , bags and umbrellas. Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, made his first public speech since having a heart transplant at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire last year. He told the crowds: I wouldnt be here today and neither would many, many others if it wasnt for the dedication of the most marvellous public sector workers we have known, who are our NHS staff. After contracting a virus in 2010, his heart failed and over the last two years he has been kept alive by a mechanical pump. Mr Corbyn, shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Mr McCluskey all welcomed him back to grassroots campaigning. Australia full-back Kurtley Beale ran in two of Wasps three tries as the Aviva Premiership leaders cruised to a straightforward 24-3 win over Bath in front of a sell-out crowd of 14,509 at the Recreation Ground. The hosts, on the back foot throughout, could only muster a penalty by Tom Homer and their prospects of finishing in the play-off places stayed looking slim. The rest of the visitors points came from an early try by Christian Wade and three conversions and a penalty from Jimmy Gopperth. Kurtley Beale (David Davis/PA) FT: @bathrugby 3 - 24 @WaspsRugby. Wasps send out another statement with a fine win at Bath! #AvivaPrem pic.twitter.com/ugHlT8ona1 Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) March 4, 2017 Bath soon found themselves on the defensive and were fortunate not to concede more than one try in the first quarter. That came on 13 minutes when Danny Cipriani wrong-footed the Bath defence with Alex Rieder in support. The number eight had a simple job to send Wade in for his 12th Premiership try of the campaign, and Gopperth converted. Home supporters hoped Dave Denton had crossed in the corner on 21 minutes but, as against Bristol last weekend, the Scotland flanker could not get the ball down before being bundled into touch in goal. Wasps went straight back on the offensive and added a second try through Beale. Centre Tommy Taylor was involved twice, first setting up a ruck and then stepping though the Bath defensive line to connect with the Wallabys angled run across the posts to the try-line. Congratulations to MOM @kurtley_beale - 2 tries for him today, with 2 minutes to play here at the Rec. 3-24 pic.twitter.com/4HwTG7P4TM Wasps Rugby (@WaspsRugby) March 4, 2017 Gopperths conversion made it 14-0 a perfectly fair reflection of Wasps gaining fully two thirds of territory and possession. The visitors wasted a good opportunity from a scrum after Adam Hastings knocked on trying to gather another of Beales searching kicks out of defence, and Gopperth had a score ruled out when Alapati Leiuas return pass was ruled forward after being referred to the television match official. Baths only real advantage was in the scrum. When Wasps again folded under pressure on the stroke of half-time, Homer raised hopes with a penalty from 20 metres. Highlights of the 1st half. More of the same in the 2nd half please! 3-14 pic.twitter.com/Chi9SoUBKS Wasps Rugby (@WaspsRugby) March 4, 2017 There was certainly more eagerness about the home sides efforts after the break, while Wasps had to contend with the loss of second row James Gaskell with a leg injury. Taulupe Faletau was one of the few bright sparks in the Bath performance but his team-mates could not capitalise on the Wales number eights pace and strength as a ball-carrier. Instead, Wasps ramped up the pressure in the last 20 and fingertip passing put Beale over in the corner for his second try on 65 minutes, converted by Gopperth. A bonus-point try eluded them, however. HELSINKI, March 3 (Reuters) - The European Union should not be split into groups of states that increase their cooperation at different speeds, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila said on Friday. He outlined the Nordic euro zone country's stance as a response to options presented on Wednesday by the EU's chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker for reforming the bloc to shore up its unity after Britain's decision to withdraw. "The main line is that we should all proceed together ... unity is now important, and all members should take part in future decisions as much as possible," he told Reuters. Juncker has outlined a possible "multi-speed Europe", in which some member states could deepen their integration without the whole bloc following suit. Germany and France have spoken positively of that scenario while some governments, especially in the poorer east, fear it could entrench division to their disadvantage. Sipila said "formation of different political cores" was not in Finland's interests. However he singled out common defence as a policy which would need approval from all member states, but that could allow for enhanced co-operation for willing countries. Sipila said he did not support Juncker's most dramatic scenarios of the EU scaling back to just policing a common market, or taking a major leap forward in pooling states' sovereignty. "Many of the proposed changes would require the re-opening of the EU Treaties. This would mean a multi-year negotiation process with no certainty about its results. The Union cannot afford this," he said in a column earlier on Friday. Finland, a net contributor to the bloc's budget, usually follows Germany's line on European issues. It took a hard line against bailing out countries during the euro zone debt crisis, and the eurosceptic Finns party is now part of Sipila's three-party coalition. Leaders of the 27 states other than Britain will discuss the scenarios outlined by Juncker when they meet to celebrate the bloc's 60th anniversary in Rome on March 25. (Reporting by Tuomas Forsell; editing by Jussi Rosendahl and Andrew Roche) By Laura Zuckerman March 3 (Reuters) - Wolves in Wyoming should be stripped of Endangered Species Act protections and management given to the state rather than the U.S. government, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday, a decision that opens the door for hunting of the animals. U.S. wildlife managers in 2012 determined that wolves in Wyoming had rebounded from the threat of extinction and that the state plan to oversee the creatures was adequate to ensure their survival. But conservation groups sued, contending the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had acted in an arbitrary and unlawful fashion in finding Wyoming's plan acceptable. They argued the state would fail to maintain the animals at certain population levels and would subject a portion of them to being shot on sight. A U.S. district judge sided with environmentalists in a 2014 decision and the several hundred wolves in Wyoming were once again placed under federal safeguards. The state, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency and others appealed that ruling and, on Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia reversed the lower court, finding that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had indeed "exercised its judgment in a reasonable way" in concluding that Wyoming's management plan would provide wolves with sufficient protections. "The record demonstrates that the Service reasonably and adequately responded to concerns about the reliability of Wyoming's management plan," the court said in the opinion. The decision was quickly hailed by Wyoming's Republican governor, Matt Mead, who said in a written statement, "This is the right decision for wolves and for Wyoming." Mead said the state will once again assume management of wolves once the 2012 delisting rule is formally reinstated but the time frame was not immediately clear. Conservationists decried the ruling, which they said they were still reviewing. "But we're going to continue to fight to protect wolves from hostile and extreme state management policies where they exist," Tim Preso, attorney for the environmental law firm Earthjustice, told Reuters by telephone on Friday. Wolves were hunted, trapped and poisoned to near extinction in the Lower 48 states before coming under federal protections in the 1970s. They were re-introduced to the Northern Rockies in the mid-1990s over the objections of ranchers and sportsmen, who feared wolves would prey on livestock and game animals favored by hunters. In 2011, wolves in Idaho and Montana were delisted through an unprecedented act of Congress. Both of the Northern Rocky Mountain states have liberal hunting and trapping seasons tied to wolves. (Reporting by Laura Zuckerman; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Sandra Maler) Trip to disputed area could cause 'severe damage' to India relations China has formally expressed serious concern to India regarding the Dalai Lama's planned visit to disputed areas along the China-India border, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, cautioning the "severe damage" it could do to bilateral ties. Indian media reported that the so-called Arunachal Pradesh government, which is illegal, has invited the Dalai Lama to visit the eastern section of the China-India border in March. "China's position on the eastern section of the China-India border is clear and consistent. The Dalai clique has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities. Its record on the China-India boundary question is not that glorious," ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily media briefing in Beijing. Since India is fully aware of the severity of the Dalai Lama issue and the sensitivity of the China-India boundary question, he said, the invitation will only damage the peace and stability of the border areas, and bilateral relations as well. According to Geng, China firmly opposes the Dalai Lama's trip to the disputed territory and has expressed its concerns to India many times. "We, once again, urge India to adhere to its commitments on Tibet-related issues, follow the important consensus between the two sides on the boundary question, refrain from further complicating the question and providing a stage for the Dalai clique to carry out anti-China separatist activities so as to maintain the sound and stable development of China-India relations," he added. Fu Xiaoqiang, an expert on South Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said India is trying to reinforce its actual control over the disputed area by inviting the Dalai Lama to visit there. "But this will not help solve the problem, or change the fact that it is a disputed territory," he said. He also said that since China and India have agreed to solve the border issue through negotiations, India should stop what he described as petty moves and respect the consensus the two countries have reached. "The Dalai Lama's acceptance of the invitation only demonstrates that he is not a purely religious figure as he claims, but a political exile who has been engaged in secessionist activities," Fu added. AMMAN, March 4 (Reuters) - A Syrian army source told state television on Saturday that the air force had lost contact with a fighter jet on a mission near the Turkish border and that a search was underway to find the pilot. Earlier, Turkey said that a MiG-23 warplane probably belonging to the Syrian air force had crashed on the Syrian side of the border and that the pilot had probably bailed out and may have come down on Turkish soil. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Hugh Lawson) By Ralph Boulton and Andrea Shalal ISTANBUL/BERLIN, March 4 (Reuters) - Turkey said on Saturday it would keep holding rallies in Germany and the Netherlands to urge Turks living there to back a vote to boost President Tayyip Erdogan's powers, despite opposition from authorities in both countries. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticised German and Dutch restrictions on such gatherings as undemocratic, and said Turkey would press on with them in the run-up to the April 16 referendum. "None of you can prevent us," he told a campaign event in southern Turkey. "We can go anywhere we want, meet our citizens, hold our meetings." The defiant Turkish comments highlight the importance Erdogan places on securing the new powers, especially since a failed military coup last July, in what could turn out to be a close vote. The disagreement has led to sharp exchanges between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners. Adding to the tensions, Germany has demanded the release of a German journalist arrested in Turkey on Monday, while Erdogan on Friday called him a "German agent." Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone on Saturday with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, a German government spokesman said, without providing details of the conversation. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who will meet with his Turkish counterpart in Berlin this week, warned against stirring up tensions between the two countries, but also said Berlin would not refrain from criticism where warranted. "The German-Turkish friendship runs deeper than the diplomatic tensions we are experiencing today," he wrote in an essay published in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday. "We cannot allow hate and misunderstanding to grow out of political differences." Gabriel said Turkish politicians who wanted to campaign in Germany should respect the "rules of law, as well as decency." Several members of Merkel's coalition voiced concerns on Saturday about Turkish politicians rallying support among Germany's 1.5 million Turkish citizens. Juergen Hardt, foreign policy spokesman for her conservative Christian Democratic Union, told Reuters: "We don't want marketing for the undemocratic and illegitimate Turkish referendum on German soil." Several events have already been blocked for security reasons, sparking anger among Turkish leaders who accused Germany of a double standard. Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci has had two events cancelled, but plans to speak at events on Sunday in Leverkusen and Cologne in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), which has a large Turkish population. The state premier of NRW and local politicians want the federal government to provide guidance about such campaign events, something that Merkel and Gabriel would like to avoid as they struggle to balance the broader issues at hand with Turkey, including migration and the fight against Islamic militancy. Critics of Erdogan fear the proposed new powers, including freedoms to govern by executive orders, would entrench autocratic trends. Erdogan says they are vital in tackling Kurdish rebels, Islamist militants and other political enemies in a land with a history of unstable coalition governments. The Dutch government said on Friday it would inform Ankara of its opposition to "undesirable" proposals to hold a referendum rally in Rotterdam. "The Netherlands told us 'You can't campaign in our public spaces.' What do you mean, we can't? Where is democracy ... where is freedom of expression?" Cavusoglu said. (Reporting by Ralph Boulton, Andreas Rinke, Gernot Heller, Reuters TV and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Richard Chang) Four policemen formerly including a former Officer-In-Charge attached to the Wadduwa Police Station were remanded till March 6 after being arrested by the CID yesterday over the death of a suspect in police custody in 2012. Police Media Spokesman DIG Priyantha Jayakody told the Daily Mirror yesterday, the then OIC of Wadduwa Police Station retired Inspector Nimal Karunaratne and three other policemen were arrested by a special CID team following an investigation. The four policemen were arrested following a probe over the death of a male suspect in the Wadduwa Police custody in April, 2012. The suspect policemen including the retired officer were produced before the Panadura Magistrate yesterday afternoon over the charges pertaining to Convention against Torture and other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Act No.22 of 1994. The Magistrate ordered the four suspects to be remanded till March 6. (Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana) Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has organized a three-day exhibition at Air Force Camp Ratmalana from yesterday in view of its 66th anniversary. A group of school children are seen having a look at the MI-24 and Bell-212 Helicopter squadron at the base. The exhibition will be held today and tomorrow from 2.30 pm featuring air displays, parachute displays, mock attacks, cultural and musical shows. Pix by Pradeep Dilrukshana The Russian embassy in Sri Lanka expects to have secured the release of Russians detained in the country by Tuesday, Russian media reported. On Friday, media reports emerged about nine Russians having been detained in Sri Lanka. According to the embassy, some of the detained Russians were charged with violation of rules of stay in the country, the Sputnik International reported. "The embassy is working for the people who violated the law of Sri Lanka to leave the country and return home. We are hoping it will have happened by Tuesday," the diplomat said. According to the embassy, some of the Russians had come to the country on tourist visa but were doing business in violation of visa conditions, some others were clients of that illegal business. The diplomat said that all of these people would have to leave Sri Lanka. At the end of the first round of the strategic dialogue between India and China, co-chaired by Chinese vice-foreign minister Zhang Yesui and Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar, The Global Times commented in a paternalistic tone: One lesson India may learn from China is to be honest with oneself. Asymmetry in economic and geopolitical power is natural for any bilateral relations. While the "asymmetry" may be in Chinas favour in many fields, there is one domain where India is far in advance on the Middle Kingdom; it is the peoples participation in the states governance through fair and open elections. Police state Though Indian elections may look "chaotic" from Beijing, the process brings an obvious stability to India. This is absent in China, which is fast becoming a police state. Take Tibet, for instance. A couple of weeks ago, it was announced that police dogs would be patrolling the streets of Lhasa. For the first time on February 16, the Public Security Bureau (PSB) used dogs in the Tibetan capital. According to China News Network, the dogs will enhance the actual capacity and level of the Tibetan police force. The same source reported that the dogs will patrol areas such as the Potala Palace Square, the Jokhang Temple or the railway station. Some may be tempted to say that a similar situation exists in the Kashmir Valley, but let us not forget that despite the constant incitation from the other side of the LoC, J&K has its own elected government and Legislative Assembly, its own Constitution and even its flag. Would Beijing agree to offer this to the Uyghurs in Xinjiang or the Tibetans? Would Beijing agree to offer this to the Uyghurs in Xinjiang or the Tibetans, the situation would certainly not be so explosive. In January, the Chinese media reported that eight people were killed in a violent attack in Pishan county of Hotan Prefecture in Southern Xinjiang. According to the local government, three knife-wielding men attacked and stabbed several people. Subsequently, the police shot dead the three attackers and 10 others were injured. The Chinese media asserted: Order has been restored and an investigation is ongoing. The identity of the attackers was not disclosed, but they were obviously Uyghurs. A few days earlier, Radio Free Asia (RFA) had reported that Uyghurs had been called to several meetings to confess their "crimes". According to RFA, this was part of a campaign called "Revealing Errors"; the meetings were held in Aksu Prefecture "to uncover behaviour considered politically destabilising. The same source added: Residents are called to a podium one by one to confess these errors after they have listed them on a 39- question form. They are also told they will face legal consequences if they attempt to cover up their own or anyone elses anti-state activities. Does it not sound like the return of the Cultural Revolution? Here, there is certainly a great asymmetry between India and China. While during the Sino-Indian Strategic Dialogue, Beijing refused to make a step forward and support the UN ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar, China keeps complaining that it is threatened by Muslim fundamentalists. Is it not a contradiction? The fast development of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) may bring more trouble for Xinjiang as the state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan is bound to percolate north. Border control Associated Press (AP) reported that China was already tightening border controls in its northwestern Xinjiang region amid rising terrorism threats. According to The China Daily, the crackdown seeks to prevent suspected insurgents both from leaving Xinjiang to fight abroad and from returning to the region after receiving military training overseas. Beijing seems more and more nervous, especially ahead of the crucial 19th Congress, which may witness big political changes at the end of the year. The situation in Xinjiang is so tense that the Chinese authorities have ordered all motor vehicles in Bayingol Prefecture to have mandatory satellite tracking devices installed. On February 4, the Bayingol traffic police announced via its Weibo microblog account: Cars are the main transportation means for terrorists, and are also a frequently chosen tool to carry out terrorist attacks." All vehicles are required to install GPS connected to Beidou navigation satellite by June 30, so they can be tracked wherever they go. Rising unrest But that is not all, on February 27, more than 10,000 Peoples Armed Police (PAP) paraded in the streets of Urumqi, Xinjiangs capital. The authorities spoke of a rapid-response system to quell unrest. During the rally, helicopters hovered around the city, while armoured vehicles threateningly patrolled the streets of the capital. It was the fourth such massive display in one year. On the occasion, Xinjiangs Party Secretary Chen Quanguo told the PAP that they must realise the "grim conditions" facing the region. He ominously told the police to bury the corpses of terrorists and terror gangs in the vast sea of the people's war. Chen also dispatched 1,500 PAP to the "frontlines" in Kashgar, Hotan and Aksu, not far from the Indian border. For Beijing, the present show of force in Xinjiang goes along with the strengthening of Chinas border defence; the Western Theater Command facing India is of great concern for Beijing. It was recently announced that Beijing has started building a second highway between Tibet and Xinjiang, linking the National Highways 219 (cutting across Western Tibet and the Aksai Chi) and 315, running towards Qinghai province (via the nuclear sites in Lop Nor). When completed, it will be a big game-changer for Xinjiang and Tibet and here the asymmetry is clearly in favour of China. Is India prepared to take on this new challenge? The recent flutter created on social media by videos circulated by soldiers from the BSF, CISF and Indian Army paint a poor picture of how jawans are treated while in service. Subedar Tej Bahadur talked about the poor quality of food being served to BSF jawans, while CRPF jawan Jeet Singh aired pension-related grievances, and in a video sting, Lance Naik Roy Mathew lay bare his heart about harassment by senior officers. The Army has always protected itself and hung anyone who doesnt conform out to dry. Now, with Lance Naik Mathew being found dead hanging, it is becoming difficult to shake off the feeling that something is amiss in our armed forces. While there will numerous television debates on One Rank One Pension and other financial allowances which the Army gets or doesnt get, when will the Army fraternity begin a dialogue about the urgent need for internal reforms? The Army has always been shy of any type of external scrutiny - preferring to draw conclusions through their own court of inquiry. External scrutiny aside, the Army also tends to shun any discussion on the existing system of functioning. Indira Gandhis constant use of the foreign hand card comes to mind when I hear Army veterans mouthing the usual dont create discord between officers and soldiers and this is what Pakistan wants and the new its an ISI-sponsored controversy. Army veterans with this tirade have always been able to sweep major issues under the rug. Under the Army Act, soldiers and officers are not allowed to interact with the media or air their views in public. They are liable to face severe disciplinary action. Though the terminology of social media wouldnt have existed at the time when the Act came into force, the Army would consider itself well within its rights to punish offenders under this Act. Once you have broken the mould that the defence forces tries to train you in, you could be labelled a black sheep. Promotional prospects would go down the drain for both soldiers and officers. Living in the tight community of the Army can become a living hell if you dont conform. For civilians, they can go home after a tough day at office, but the faujis cannot - for the Army is not a profession, it is a way of life. The sahayak system is a British-era tradition, being followed blindly as is the 60 days' leave policy. Soldiers would get 60 days leave because it allows them to go home to their villages and plan a family. While this extended leave may still make sense in todays era, the system of sahayaki has genuinely become outdated. With more literates and graduates being commissioned into the Army as jawans, the more they are refusing to do "menial" jobs. As an Army wife, I have heard many accounts of jawans being admonished for refusing to do "sahayaki". Previously being a sahayak was a coveted job by most newbie jawans, as it allows a jawan close proximity with an officer, which he wouldnt otherwise enjoy. This proximity allows soldiers to request for leave when they want and gives them free time when the officer is on leave. A sahayak close to an officer learns more about the different promotional exams and courses that the Army has for its jawans. He would do better than his colleagues as the officer is sure to guide him on how to prepare. The security concerns that the Army raises regarding civilians working in an officers' home are genuine. That is not debatable. If the Army can be self-sufficient by employing soldiers in trades such as cooks, waiters, cleaners and sweepers, then why not as helpers or sahayaks? On most occasions, an officer and his buddy get along well. There is genuine camaraderie between them. When an officer is a bachelor, the sahayak system works without any hiccups! When the officer gets married and the lady wife comes into the picture treating the sahayak as her own personal butler or batman - thats when the problem begins. But can you really, really blame the women? They have their own problems as they have to spend copious amounts of time preparing for frivolous Ladies Meets and Welfare Meets - another Army system that is ripe for reform. Lance Naik Roy Mathew was found dead. Every time a General is to visit a "station", a plethora of dances, songs and skits are performed for his wife. While General sahab is usually busy attending important briefings, it would be a scandal if the lady wife were to be left unattended. Wives of junior officer are asked to perform for the occasion. If they refuse, one can be sure that her husband will not receive a favourable ACR (annual confidential report) which can make or break his career. She will have to leave her young toddler in the hands of the sahayak - the same sahayak who has no time from these duties to look after his own children - to go and attend a Ladies Welfare Meet - which the sahayaks wife would also be unwillingly attending! Isnt it laughable? What is sad is that same junior wife is just waiting for her husband to pick up the ranks. The "sahayak" system is not the only problem plaguing the Army. Recruitment scams, siphoning of rations, procurement scandals, land grabs, bribery in MES and BRO - the Army needs to take a hard long look at all these allegations. Veteran organisations like IESM are doing their bit in fighting for pay anomalies for war widows and retired soldiers. Even the humble "civilians" are doing their bit. While the defence ministry keeps filing objections to disabled soldiers pensions, Akshay Kumar has plans to launch an App where anyone can donate to a martyrs family. Udchalo.in and EZMove.in are trying to make travel and move management easier for the uniformed men, while the Army is unable to ensure that jawans even get a berth on the train home. However, anyone on the outside can only do so much. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attends a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland on March 3, 2017. The UN Special Envoy for Syria said Friday that the latest round of Syria peace talks has yielded tangible progress, and that he plans to reconvene with delegations later this month for a fifth round of negotiations seeking to broker an end to the six-year conflict. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) GENEVA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The latest round of intra-Syrian peace talks wrapped up on Friday, with UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura commending the progress made since negotiations kicked off last week. "I really want to express my gratitude to the Syrian invitees for engaging with me and my colleagues in serious discussions during these last nine days," the special envoy told press. "We did discuss procedure, which is unavoidable after ten months, but we also discussed substance," he added. According to de Mistura, who acts as mediator between rival delegations, bilateral meetings produced an outline which will form the backbone for future rounds of talks. "I think and believe that we have a clear agenda now in front of us," de Mistura highlighted. This entails addressing what he called the "four baskets", which relate to key elements laid out in Security Council resolution 2254, namely the formation of a credible and inclusive governance, UN-supervised elections and the drafting of a new constitution. The inclusion a fourth and final "basket", related to counter-terrorism issues, can be seen as a win for the Syrian government delegation, which has sought to make this controversial topic a priority in past rounds "We have discussed the substance of all these baskets, stimulated by UN inputs. We have been able to actually see the informed positions of the parties and we have been submitting some thoughts based on previous rounds," de Mistura continued. The special envoy lauded the fact that opposing delegations sat face-to-face in the same room at a welcome ceremony marking the start of talks on Feb 23., an event which could be seen as a sign that direct discussions are in the pipeline. He also said that progress has made in forming a unified Syrian opposition, though more work needs to be done to achieve this. While direct talks between Syrian government and opposition delegations have yet to happen, de Mistura reminded that this remains an objective for discussions seeking to broker a political end to the six-year conflict. As well as incremental trust, the upkeep of a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey last December and improved humanitarian access in the war-torn country are seen as key factors if future talks are to avoid an early breakdown. "It's not snow, it's not rain, it is not an earthquake, the non-access of humanitarian aid is caused by the conflict," de Mistura said. "If there is a ceasefire that means there should be no reason for not giving a chance for humanitarian aid to reach everyone," he added. For this reason, de Mistura saw past and future talks in the Kazak capital of Astana as an important factor complementing the political track in Geneva. He also said that pending discussions with the UN Secretary-General as well as the UN Security Council next week, he hopes to reconvene with warring Syrian parties at the end of the month. Fu Ying, spokesperson for the fifth session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC), speaks during a press conference on the session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. The fifth session of the 12th NPC is scheduled to open in Beijing on March 5. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) BEIJING, March 4 -- There is no plan to submit a property tax bill to lawmakers for deliberation this year, a spokesperson for the annual session of China's top legislature said Saturday. "There have been a lot of discussions on this issue, as such a bill involves a wide range of interests," Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), said at a press conference. China's current housing tax mechanism mainly taxes development and sales of a property, without taxing home ownership or the market value of homes. As part of the efforts to cool the property market amid growing public complaints over runaway housing prices, China introduced a trial property tax in cities like Chongqing and Shanghai in 2010. A reform plan approved by the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in 2013 made clear that the legislation of taxes in the property sector would be accelerated. Morgan Advanced Materials plc operates as a materials science and application engineering company primarily the United Kingdom. It offers high-temperature insulating fibers, microporous, firebrick and insulating firebrick, monolithic, heat shields, and fired refractory shape products; crucibles, foundry and ferrous products, and furnace industries furnace ranges; and seals and bearings, such as face seals, split and segmented seals, sliding bearings, shafts, rotary vane pump components, and sliding valve components. The company also provides carbon brushes and collectors, brush holders, power slip rings, terminal blocks, diagnostic equipment, carbon current collection strips, shaft grounding rings, and linear transfer systems. In addition, it offers components, ceramic cores, ceramic to metal brazed/metallized assemblies, mass spectrometry components, wax injection, ceramic injection molded, extruded, laser, machinable glass ceramic, semiconductor, and zirconia products, as well as tubes, laboratory porcelain products, and kiln furniture under the Haldenwanger name. The company serves customers in the industrial, transportation, petrochemical and chemical, energy, semiconductor and electronics, healthcare, and security and defense markets. It also operates in the United States, China, Germany, France, other Asian countries, Australasia, the Middle East and Africa, other European countries, other North American countries, and South America. The company was formerly known as The Morgan Crucible Company plc and changed its name to Morgan Advanced Materials plc in March 2013. Morgan Advanced Materials plc was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in Windsor, the United Kingdom. Entravision Communications Corporation operates as an advertising, media, and technology solutions company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Digital, Television, and Audio. It reaches and engages Hispanics across acculturation levels and media channels. The company's portfolio encompasses integrated end-to-end advertising solutions, including digital, television, and audio properties. It also offers a suite of end-to-end digital advertising solutions, including digital commercial partnerships services, as well as advertising customers billing and technological and other support services, including strategic marketing and training; and Smadex, a programmatic ad purchasing platform that enables advertising customers or ad agencies to purchase advertising electronically and manage data-driven advertising campaigns through online marketplaces. In addition, the company provides a branding and mobile performance solutions, such as managed services to advertisers looking to connect with consumers on mobile devices; and digital audio advertising solutions for advertisers. Further, it sells advertisements and syndicated radio programming solutions through its Entravision radio network. As of March 3, 2022, the company had 50 television stations; and 46 Spanish-language radio stations. It serves advertisers from various industries, such as e-commerce, retail, entertainment, gaming, delivery services, financial technology, communications, lifestyle, and travel. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Fu Ying, spokesperson for the fifth session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC), speaks during a press conference on the session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2017. The fifth session of the 12th NPC is scheduled to open in Beijing on March 5. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) BEIJING, March 4 -- If challenges are posed to the relations between China and the United States, China will take them as they come, a spokesperson told a press conference Saturday. Policy adjustments by the new U.S. administration will have impacts on the world and Sino-U.S. relations, said Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, which will open Sunday. "We certainly hope the impacts are positive," Fu said, stressing cooperation is widely regarded as the main trend of the relations between the two big countries. There have been a lot of high-level exchanges between China and the United States, Fu said, citing two phone talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, which she said had sent a clear message that the two countries should cooperate more and be good partners. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 4 Trend: There is a reason behind frequent provocations of the Armenian authorities, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administrations foreign relations department, told reporters March 4 in Baku. For now, I wouldnt want to say anything about that. We should wait for a while, said the top official. During the meetings held in Vienna and St. Petersburg last year, halting of such provocative steps, that is, maintaining stability on the line of contact, was put forward as the main principle, he said. Nevertheless, the fact that Armenia takes these steps shows that they have an insidious plan. Therefore, we need to wait for a while," added Mammadov. The situation has recently escalated on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops due to the provocations of the Armenian side and has resulted in casualties. 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. Before automobiles started navigating the roadways of America, the national thoroughfares were the domains of wagons and carriages. Most towns of any size had shops that made and repaired these vital carriers of people and commerce. In the years after the Civil War, and into the 20th century, J.J. Utz was the man to see in these parts when one needed to purchase a high-quality wagon or carriage. In 1866, Utz and a partner with the last name of Wingfield opened a wagon- and carriage-making factory at 247 W. Main St. in Charlottesville. The building covered 4,550 square feet and included separate areas for blacksmithing and woodworking. It didnt take long for the employees of Wingfield & Utz to build a reputation for making top-quality products. One can imagine what the senses might have encountered during a working day at the shop. There would have been the smell of freshly cut wood mingling with the odor of grease and the metallic scent of glowing hot iron. The cacophony of pounding mallets, rasp of cutting saws and human grunts of exertion would have been the likely soundtrack. A customer could kick the wheels of the finished products in the showroom, or even watch his purchase being made. And its easy to suppose that people frequently would drop by the factory just to shoot the breeze with the bespectacled Utz. The man with the full beard would have had plenty of stories to tell. If a visitor mustered the courage to inquire about the two nasty scars on his head, quite a tale would unfold. Utz was born in Rappahannock County. He lived there until 1861, when he raised his right hand and became a member of the Culpeper Minutemen. This unit was a militia group that formed in 1775 and went on to fight in the American Revolution. Soon after the Civil War started in the spring of 1861, the Minutemen became Company B of the 13th Virginia Regiment. A year into the war, Utz transferred to Company A, 7th Virginia Cavalry. He would have good reasons to regret it. On Aug. 2, 1862, Utz and his unit were bivouacked at Orange Courthouse. Things got serious in a hurry when Maj. Gen. John Pope and a sizable contingent of federal cavalry came riding into town. The Rebels had just enough warning to give them time to saddle up and engage the Yankee cavalrymen. Utz found himself in the thick of things and well within the reach of a Union saber that cleaved two deep cuts on his head. The wounded Virginian, with blood likely covering his face, retreated with the others when the Union troops drove them out of town. He was so incapacitated by his injuries that he was no longer fit for field duty. Utz had been a skilled mechanic prior to the war, and he was assigned the task of making artificial limbs. He proved to be so good at this that he was soon earning $100 a week, which was an amazing amount of money for the times. Its likely that Utz used some of the money he earned making prosthetic limbs to get into the wagon and carriage business. In 1896, Wingfield sold out his interests in the factory to Utz, who then became the sole owner. Like motorized vehicles of the modern era, 19th-century carriages could serve as status symbols. In the United States, the golden age for carriages was from about 1850 to 1910. The wagons and carriages assembled in the local factory were renowned for their variety, quality and appearance. Buyers traveled considerable distances to purchase the products that Utz backed with his name. Utzs beard had turned white with age by 1906, when J.P. Dry Goods Ellington drove the first automobile down a street in Charlottesville. During the early years of the 20th century, he could look out a shop window and occasionally see a motorized vehicle rumble by. Because the speed limit in town was 8 miles per hour, the Civil War veteran would have time to contemplate his upstart competition before it left his view. At first, it was easy to dismiss the unreliable and expensive automobiles as a passing fad. But as the price tags dropped and reliability rose, the motorized carriages began leaving the horse-drawn models in the dust. According to Kinney A. Thomas, author of The Carriage Trade: Making Horse-Drawn Vehicles in America, by 1914 there still were more than 4,600 carriage factories in the U.S. A decade later, a person would have been hard pressed to find 150 carriage makers still in business. By 1930, that number had dwindled to fewer than 90. One only can speculate about what it was like when the last Utz carriage rolled out of the West Main Street factory. Its reasonable to think that at least the older workers felt adrift in a changing world as their boss handed out the final paychecks. The glum, unemployed workers heading home that day would have been heartened to know that, like the proverbial buggy whip, the making of top-quality carriages wouldnt end completely. And they would have been proud to know that modern-day carriage makers strive to emulate the high standards of workmanship they had labored so hard to establish. David A. Maurer can be reached at dmaurer@dailyprogress.com or (434) 978-7244. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 4 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 125 times violated the ceasefire in various directions along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend March 4. The Azerbaijani army positions located in the Kamarli, Bala Jafarli, Gushchu Ayrim villages and on nameless heights of the Gazakh district of Azerbaijan underwent fire from the Armenian army positions located on nameless heights and in the Dovekh, Voskevan, Barekamavan villages of the Noyemberyan district, in Paravakar village and on nameless heights of the Ijevan district of Armenia. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani army positions located in the Aghbulag village of Azerbaijans Tovuz district, as well as on nameless heights of the Gadabay and Tovuz districts, were shelled from the Armenian army positions located in the Chinari village and on nameless heights of Armenias Berd district. Moreover, the Azerbaijani army positions were shelled from the Armenian army positions located near the Armenian-occupied Marzili village of the Aghdam district, Gorgan village of the Fuzuli district, as well as from the positions located on nameless heights of the Goygol, Goranboy, Tartar, Khojavand and Fuzuli districts of Azerbaijan. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. ORANGE Before he lived in Orange and before he owned a business there, Hugh Wright knew the town by its coffee cup. An 8-foot metal sculpture of a coffee cup perched atop the towns Old Livery Building lit up the night sky a green cup with orange rising steam. Id drive through at night from my home in Lynchburg to work in Northern Virginia and it was always there, so nice and all lit up, he said. But the cup has lost its glow over time. When the sculpture was created by Jim Bosket about 20 years ago, locals congregated at his coffee shop, Not the Same Old Grind, in the Old Livery Building. The shop was not on a main thoroughfare and needed something to draw people in, so Bosket came up with the idea of a giant cup. He spent days sitting on a 5-gallon bucket, welding the sculpture from the inside. He traded a local man 100 cups of coffee to mount it on the building. These days, many residents get their morning cup of coffee at a kiosk off Madison Street at The Light Well restaurant, and Orange County Roasters sells coffee beans. Bosket now owns Charlottesville-based Stellar Remodeling and Design and teaches pottery classes in Orange. Two decades after the big cups installation, a movement is underway to restore the sculpture as a local landmark. The effort is being led by Jeff Curtis, director of the Orange Downtown Alliance. Its a shame to let something so unique go to waste, Curtis said. Restoring this sculpture is an easy way to market the town. The better it looks, the better it is received. And we hope the project will restore some of the pride people have in the town. Several weeks ago, Curtis got the idea to work on the sculpture to spruce up the building, which is available for lease by owner David Purdue. Curtis called around and got some initial support from local residents and businesses. Among those he talked to was Hugh Wright of Wright Iron Works, who agreed to clean the piece and rework the structure. Hugh Wright Jr., who is taking over the business from his father, called a friend at Dominion Virginia Power, and a bucket truck and crew arrived to take the sculpture down within an hour. Its a really fun thing to do for the community, Hugh Wright Jr. said. Its something we dont get to do every day. He called the sculpture a landmark and topic of conversation and said hes excited to see it lit up again. You wont be able to miss it, he said. The sculpture is being worked on at Wrights shop and will be shipped to Manassas for painting. When it returns to Orange, Wright will add some final touches and attach LED lights that will once again make the sculpture glow at night. Curtis said the next challenge is securing the chimney the sculpture sits atop. Hes looking for a brick mason to do some work, as well as funds to buy LED lights. He expects the sculpture will be back up in early summer. Its nice to see someone appreciating something from the past that is quirky, and embracing something lighthearted and fun, Bosket said. I just assumed it was going to end up scrap metal somewhere. It really makes you smile. A former Greene County Public Schools employee has been arrested on three felony charges. Sasha Brown, 45, of Greene County, has been charged with grand larceny of money belonging to the school system, possession of a controlled substance and wrongfully using, disposing of, concealing or embezzling medications belonging to students. The charges stem from an investigation at one of the county schools involving money and prescription medications. The school systems website still lists Brown as being on the nursing staff for Nathanael Greene Elementary School. It is still unclear when Brown left that position. Brown is being held at the Central Virginia Regional Jail on a $5,000 secure bond. The Greene County Sheriffs Office released the information at 4:30 p.m. Friday, minutes after Greene County Public Schools main office closed; as such, the school systems superintendent did not return requests for comment. About six weeks into Donald Trumps presidency, immigration activists and legal experts say theyre still not sure how the new administrations policies will affect international students. Early on, two issues are dominating the headlines travel restrictions on people from seven countries considered high risk for terrorism and a policy, adopted during Barack Obamas time in office, shielding people who arrived illegally in the United States as children from deportation. But both of these issues cover a small portion of the population. Trumps presidency could have a wider impact in the long term, said Doug Ford, director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Virginia School of Law. In general, Trump is talking about restricting numbers of visas, Ford said. For students that dont have a future job with an employer thats going to sponsor them, thats going to make it very tough. Both Trump and his advisers have hinted that they want to reduce the number of foreign worker visas especially the H-1B visas used by technology companies to recruit skilled workers. Critics of the visas have always argued that companies use them as a source of cheap labor, cutting out American workers in the process. Advocates insist the visas help fill a shortage of qualified workers. Many students who come to the U.S. on student visas actually intend to stay, Ford said. Usually, these students apply for jobs while still in college and seek out an employer who will sponsor them. If the Trump administration lowers worker visa quotas or tightens restrictions on hiring foreign workers, that will affect many people who are in school now, Ford said. That situation doesnt sound like its going to get any easier, he said. Legal experts are hesitant to make any more specific predictions even in the short term. Trump recently reaffirmed his intention to restrict travel for people from seven Muslim-majority countries that the administration considers high risk for terrorism. Although a federal court blocked the order, Trump is said to be signing a revised executive order on Monday. For now, UVa and Piedmont Virginia Community College are still advising students from the affected countries not to travel outside the U.S. In February, UVas International Studies Office began maintaining a Post-Election FAQ page containing the latest updates on immigration-related executive orders. Although the government has agreed to continue processing visa applications submitted before the ban, Ford said he wonders how people from the seven listed countries who are hoping to renew their visas will be affected. The question going forward is, what are they going to be able to do at the end of the semester? Ford said. The at-risk population includes students who are in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children to stay as long as they have not been convicted of a serious criminal offense. Its unclear whether Trump will honor this Obama-era policy, which is not a binding order, but a case of prosecutorial discretion in the arrest and detention of people in the country illegally. So far, at least three people who previously had qualified for DACA have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Among DACA students and their advocates, the current mood is one of uncertainty. Hannah Borja, a third-year student who is part of the organization DREAMers on Grounds, said the group is asking for UVas help in protecting students who are vulnerable. Borja herself a U.S. citizen said she wants the university administration and police to guarantee that they will not put undocumented students in a position to be detained and deported by ICE for minor offenses. An underage drinking citation or traffic violation should not get a student deported, Borja said. Getting UVa officials on the same page is a priority for us, she said. And if a student is deported, Borja said, the university should be prepared to help them work through their degree using distance learning. If that worst-case scenario happens, we think UVa is positioned to help students complete their degree online, she said. Whatever UVa does to protect its students, their fate is still in the hands of the government. And no one is really sure what Trump plans to do. Edward Summers, an immigration attorney in Charlottesville, said undocumented immigrants who have not applied for relief should not try to do so now. Although Trump campaigned on the immigration hard line, it is possible hell take more moderate ground, while repudiating Obama-era policies in order to score a political victory. [It could be] somewhere between deport em all or save em all, Summers said. At this point, I dont know which way Trump is going to go. But Summers said hes stuck in the wait-and-see phase. I dont think anybody has except Donald Trump perhaps a clear idea of whats going to happen, he said. Several area restaurants are pitching in to help out a local chef who is recovering from a severe workplace accident. A GoFundMe page has been established for Allie Redshaw, a chef who suffered a traumatic injury Wednesday when her right hand was caught in a meat grinder at Lampo Neapolitan Pizzeria. According to the page, Redshaw was rushed to the University of Virginia Medical Center, but doctors were unable to save her hand and had to amputate it up to her wrist. Described as a phenomenal chef and mother to a 16-month-old girl, Redshaw is facing mounting medical expenses and a long road to recovery, the page reads. With hopes of raising $150,000 to cover bills, therapy, child care, a future prosthesis and more, the page has been able to raise more than $75,500 as of Friday evening. Some of the highest donations to the fund have been made in the name of other area restaurants: Continental Divide on West Main Street and The Virginian on the Corner appear to have dished out hundreds of dollars to support their industry peer, for example. Asked about whether Lampo had noticed the support coming from other eateries, co-owner Andrew Cole responded absolutely. Weve had contact with almost everyone in town as far as scheduling meals and making sure that shes got the support that she needs right now, said Cole. Pearls Bake Shoppe, Baggbys Gourmet Sandwiches and the Barbeque Exchange in Gordonsville also have contributed, according to a quick scan of the nearly 800 donations logged on the GoFundMe page. A former sous chef for Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards and head chef for Timbercreek Market, Redshaw formed her own catering company, Sobo Catering & Production. Redshaws husband, Ian, is head chef at Lampo. Lampo closed Wednesday after the accident but since has reopened. Our only focus is her recovery, and our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family, Cole said. Details added (first version posted on 11:31) Baku, Azerbaijan, March 4 By Seba Aghayeva - Trend: The international visits of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev show the countrys place on the international arena and the attitude towards it, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administrations foreign relations department, told reporters March 4 in Baku. Mammadov added that these visits show the great need for cooperation with Azerbaijan and development of relations with the country both through events and within bilateral relations. Thats to say, there is a need for cooperation with Azerbaijan. The place and position of Azerbaijan is apparent. In this context, the presidents recent visits are of great importance, said the top official. Mammadov pointed out that the current status of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Qatar in various spheres, as well as the prospects for these relations were discussed and relevant decisions were made during the official visit of President Aliyev to Qatar. I believe that there are very good opportunities for further developing the cooperation between the two countries in the spheres of agriculture, energy, tourism, mutual investment making, intensifying the flights and other fields, he said. During the visit, the sides held discussions on these issues and we will see the results of this visit and these discussions soon. WASHINGTON Heres how area members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending March 3: House President Donald Trumps tax returns. Voting 229 for and 185 against, the House on Feb. 27 blocked a push by Democrats for the Ways and Means Committee to review President Trumps tax returns for 2006 through 2015 and report its findings to the full House. As a privileged resolution, the measure was not debatable. It stated, in part, that such a review would reveal whether Trump is operating under conflicts of interest related to international affairs, tax reform, government contracts and could help those investigating Russian influence in the 2016 election understand the presidents financial ties to the Russian Federation and Russian citizens ... A yes vote was to kill a Democratic bid for public disclosure of the presidents tax returns. Voting yes: Tom Garrett, R-5th; Dave Brat, R-7th. Commission to prune regulations. Voting 240 for and 185 against, the House on March 1 passed a bill (HR 998) that would establish a nine-member outside commission with a $6 million annual budget and subpoena powers to review masses of federal regulations and target for repeal those judged to be outdated or overly costly to the economy. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. Voting yes: Garrett, Brat. Presidential conflicts of interest. Voting 190 for and 235 against, the House on March 1 refused to exempt from HR 998 (above) any regulation aimed at preventing conflicts of interest by employees and officers of the executive branch, including the president. Sponsored by Democrats, the motion also sought to fence off regulations concerning financial disclosures and bribery in the executive branch. A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion. Voting no: Garrett, Brat. Clampdown on regulations. The House on March 2 passed, 246 for and 176 against, a GOP-sponsored bill (HR 1004) that would impose additional transparency and disclosure requirements on agencies, including internet postings, as they gather comments from stakeholders and the general public on proposed regulations. The bill would affect the hundreds of major rules agencies put into effect each year to implement the broadly worded laws passed by Congress. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. Voting yes: Garrett, Brat. Transparency for presidential finances. Voting 189 for and 232 against, the House on March 2 defeated an attempt by Democrats to hold President Trump to the same transparency and disclosure standards in his personal finances as HR 1004 (above) would require of federal agencies in their rulemaking processes. A yes vote was to adopt the motion. Voting no: Garrett, Brat. White House control over agencies. By a vote of 241 for and 184 against, the House on March 1 passed a bill (HR 1009) that would require independent agencies, for the first time, to submit proposed regulations to review by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which reports to the White House. The bill potentially would affect rules proposed by agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Federal Communications Commission and Commodities Futures Trading Commission. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. Voting yes: Garrett, Brat. Independent Office of Government Ethics. Voting 193 for and 234 against, the House on March 1 defeated a Democratic motion to exempt the Office of Government Ethics, an independent agency, from the reach HR 1009 (above). The office was established in 1978 in response to the Watergate scandal, and in 1988 it was given independent status. Presidents appoint its director to a five-year term subject to Senate confirmation. A yes vote was to keep the Office of Government Ethics independent of the White House. Voting no: Garrett, Brat. Employer retention of injury records. Voting 231 for and 191 against, the House on March 1 nullified an Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule concerning the obligation of employers to keep updated records of employee injuries and illnesses. Under the rule, employers could be fined for record-keeping infractions for up to five years after the date of the incident. If the rule were to be nullified, the liability span likely would be reduced to six months from the date of the incident. A yes vote as to send the nullification measure (HJ Res 83) to the Senate. Voting yes: Garrett, Brat. Senate Ross, secretary of commerce. Voting 72 for and 27 against, the Senate on Feb. 27 confirmed billionaire investor Wilbur L. Ross as the 40th secretary of the Department of Commerce. Ross, 79, a specialist in restructuring troubled companies in fields such as textiles and auto parts, will help lead administration efforts to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement. Democrats criticized the nominee over his existing business ties with associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin at entities such as the Bank of Cyprus, which Ross controls, and for his failure to divest his interests in shipping firms partially owned by the state-owned China Investment Company. A yes vote was to confirm Ross. Voting yes: Mark R. Warner (D); Tim Kaine (D). Zinke, secretary of the interior. The Senate on March 1 confirmed, 68 for and 31 against, Ryan Zinke, 55, a Republican congressman from Montana, as the 52nd secretary of the Department of the Interior. Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, drew Democratic criticism over his anti-environment voting record and support of expanded oil and gas drilling on federal lands. A yes vote was to confirm Zinke. Voting yes: Warner, Kaine. Carson, secretary of housing and urban development. The Senate on March 2 confirmed, 58 for and 41 against, Dr. Ben Carson, 65, a retired neurosurgeon and onetime GOP presidential candidate, as the 17th secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Democrats objected to putting a nominee with no governmental experience who questions the social safety-net in charge of HUDs $47 billion annual budget and 8,300 employees. A yes vote was to confirm Carson. Voting yes: Warner. Voting no: Kaine. Perry, secretary of energy. Voting 62 for and 37 against, the Senate on March 2 confirmed former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 67, as the 14th secretary of the Department of Energy. He now leads a department he proposed to eliminate when he ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. A yes vote was to confirm Perry. Voting yes: Warner. Voting no: Kaine. The Daily Progress front-page story superbly written by Lauren Berg about Mr. Alex-Zan (The world needs a hug, Feb. 23 in print) is a solid step forward against racism. That brought to mind the black historian who spoke at Monticello about a decade ago to a room almost full of people termed African-Americans. There were also three whites, of whom I was one. Upon completion of his talk, one of the black audience members demanded: You are an African-American, why dont you support us in our NAACP projects? The black history speaker immediately stated: I am not an African-American, I am an American! Harry Michael, a now deceased local federal judge, often stated that every citizen is an American, which reminded me about Black Lives Matter, a today phrase used by many who should be recognizing Mr. Alex-Zans attempts to stimulate schoolchildren of all ages and colors that The world needs a hug. Instead of giving people a piece of your mind, give them a piece of your heart. Charles H. Smith Jr., Albemarle County Culpeper County will argue its motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit alleging religious discrimination against local Muslims at a hearing March 22 in the federal courthouse in Charlottesville before U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon. The U.S. Dept. of Justice filed the civil suit against the county in December, claiming the board of supervisors bowed to public pressure when it denied a utility permit requested by the Islamic Center of Culpeper to serve a planned mosque site on Route 229. The county vehemently denies the claim and argues that it denied the sewer permit for procedural reasons and issues of public health. The ACLU has since joined the suit and will help the Feds argue the case against the county. In a 29-page brief filed Feb. 17 responding to the federal response opposing the countys original motion to dismiss, Culpeper County Attorney Bobbi Jo Alexis furthered laid out the countys defense. The DOJ submitted a lengthy brief in opposition containing much innuendo but it cannot bolster its deficient complaint, she wrote. Upon a close examination of the facts alleged in the complaint, try as they might with conclusory or speculative statements, the DOJ simply has no case supporting its claim of violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The permit that was denied does not fall under the Acts purview, Alexis argued, claiming the matter at hand relates to health and sanitation laws. Instead of seeking information on alternative sewage methods or providing a current study of the property, the Islamic Center of Culpeper went immediately to the last resort of the pump and haul, she wrote. The land in question will not support a traditional drainfield, according to the local health department, and is out of reach of public utilities. Islamic center representatives said they were willing to connect to public sewer when available and opted for the pump and haul method to serve a bathroom in the prayer house. The county argued that the Islamic Center should have investigated alternative systemssome of which can be very costlyand said it could have resubmitted its application. The federal contention that denying the pump-and-haul permit creates a hardship because it delays mosque construction would be hard to argue, Alexis said, when the DOJ claims that it cannot be ready for trial until next year. In addition, she said, if the Islamic Center waits for a trial instead of exercising one of the foregoing options, it will miss an entire construction year. A bench trial in the matter has been set for Jan. 9-12, 2018 in Charlottesville. The Islamic Center of Culpeper issued a response to Star-Exponent shortly after the federal lawsuit was filed saying the dispute was between the United States of America and Culpeper County. Its board declined to comment on specifics of the case. We have faith in the judicial system of our country and complete confidence that the laws of the United States and the constitutional rights of its citizens will be upheld, said Dr. Nabeel Babar, an imam for the Islamic Center in the statement. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech and peaceful assembly are basic and inalienable rights of all Americans. We as patriotic citizens of this country should vigorously defend these freedoms and never take them for granted. In her recent brief, Alexis said the county did not force the Islamic Center of Culpeper to modify its ability to build a mosque or sell its property. She added, This matter involves the denial of a permit, for a now antiquated sewage system to be only use in emergency situations, which required an applicant to qualify for the permit by presenting objective information. As stated, the (Islamic Center of Culpeper) did not meet those requirements. Alexis argued that transcripts from the meeting last April at which the permit was deniedthat are part of the court recordprove that the action was not religiously motivated. One highlighted transcript section quotes Stevensburg Supervisor Bill Chase, a Vietnam veteran: But Im dead-set against it, not because of religion or anything. In the service, I served with all nationalities, all religions and never had a problem with anybody. But its because of the use that says that has it to be used basically and generally on a temporary basis. That and for emergencies. Three of seven members of the board voted against denying the permit; according to the then board chairman, many constituent calls and messages were received protesting the proposed mosque. Alexis argued in her recent brief, Further alleged discriminatory actions of private citizens cannot be imputed to the board, and in another section, It is pure speculation that alleged discriminatory private persons emails or that people clapped in the audience, caused the county to discriminateIn reality, the county has no control over the statements of private citizens. (Incendiary comments seem to proliferate in this day and time). Any attempt to shut down public comment to government other to avoid meeting disruption would likely to place the board in jeopardy of illegally impinging on the freedom of speech. And in a footnote, Alexis writes, This is a concept which the champion of free speech, good or bad, the ACLU, conveniently ignores in its amicus, despite its past participation in other cases addressing this very issue. THE VIRGINIA Board of Medicine and the General Assembly have taken encouraging steps in the battle against an epidemic. The state board recently approved emergency rules that will let it regulate the prescription of opioids for pain. Around the same time, the legislature passed four bills that activate needle-exchange programs, increase access to the overdose-reversal drug Naloxone, tighten opioid prescription policies and give aid to infants exposed to opioids in utero. By now, most of us are painfully aware that opioids have nothing to do with Sheriff Taylors son on The Andy Griffith Show. Opioid overdose deaths have become a plague in Virginia and across the nation. It is probable that more than 1,000 Virginians died of heroin and opioid overdose last year, compared with 811 in 2015 and 504 in 2009. According to a story in The Free LanceStar last fall, more people in the Fredericksburg area died from opiate overdoses in 2015 (75) than died in auto accidents (59). Last April, Spotsylvania County prosecutors threw out five criminal cases because each defendant had died of a drug overdose before the case got to court. In addition to overdose deaths, the turn toward opioids led to more than a four-fold increase in hepatitis C cases in Virginia between 2010 and 2016. And the number of children exposed to drugs in utero is rising every year. Under the new Board of Medicine rules, patients will have to undergo thorough physical examinations before being prescribed opioids. If the doctor determines that there is a history of substance abuse or other overdose risk factors, Naloxone must also be prescribed. Naloxone already was made available at all pharmacies last December without a prescription, at a cost of about $70. Unfortunately, there always seems to be a new opportunity to abuse drugs. The board also is trying to get a grip on buprenorphine. Thats a drug designed to treat opioid addiction, but its now part of the problem. In Southwest Virginia, buprenorphine has become a very popular street drug. It is being prescribed at eight times the national average. Before the opioid scourge that seemed to begin in Virginia around the turn of the century, there was crack cocaine. Some might have naively thought that the trend from crack to heroin and other opioids was a step in the right direction. Murder rates related to crack were soaring in the 1980s and 90s. Now, the murder rate in Virginia and elsewhere has fallen from the highs of those years (Richmonds murder rate last year was barely half what it was in 2003), but overdoses are soaring. Treating addiction should be a top priority for communities here and elsewhere. Putting addicts in regional jails and prisons without treatment and recovery programs isnt likely to stem the problem. Been there, tried that. Eventually (and sadly), something else will come along to replace opioids, and health officials, law enforcement agencies and legislators will try to stop another epidemic. In the meantime, though, we fight the battle in front of us with the tools we have. Kudos to the Virginia Board of Medicine and the General Assembly for providing some useful tools. First, I would like to invite everyone to my presentation of The Knee and Its Conditions at the Culpeper Library, 4 p.m. on March 15. There will be a book signing at a discounted $15. Hope to see you there. Okay folks, lets calm down. President Donald Trump has not banned Muslims from entering our country, period. The off-the-wall hysterical reaction at airports, in the media and everywhere else in the last month has been a knee jerk reaction of the left to something they have not even taken time to read about or understand. You would think that this meltdown witnessed by every MSM outlet with their 24/7 videos and interviews of people affected by President Trumps executive action was a rampant reaction of the majority of Americans. Well, for starters, it isnt. Sixty-six percent of people polled are in favor of his order. Next, lets all step back and realize that President Barack Obama ordered a hold on the Iraqi refugee program in 2011, and there was absolutely no hysterical screaming and sign post reactions at airports then. Americans, at that time, didnt see a reason to protest since this action was to ensure terrorists werent invading our country. Sure, Trumps order goes beyond that of Obamas, but he is also using the same countries listed in the order that Obama used when he declared themcountries of concern! Whats so painfully obvious here is that the meltdown reaction of this special group of Americans at this time is only possible because, after eight years, they are used to a leader who did little to protect the national security of America. Thats why they consider Trumps orders so disruptive to their consciences. Lets ask the real question of these protesters. What should we do with immigrants from Somalia, Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, et al? These countries have been havens for terrorists for years, hotbeds of indoctrination and training to kill Westerners and anyone, even Muslims, who dont believe in their ideology. It really does seem rational to take a break and stop, think, and react reasonably before we continue on a dangerous course of admitting terrorists who we cannot successfully vet. Lastly, this is not a ban! There are only seven countries involved. There are 43 other Muslim majority countries that are not involved, consisting of 90 percent of the Muslim world. These countries actually train, arm and export terrorists. It is insanity to allow this. The spigot that pours out these killers needs to be turned off to the U.S. We need to take a good long look at the immigration allowing terrorists to thrive here. If Christian countries were doing the same thing, this executive order would have included them, too. With all this said, I agree the order was handed down too quickly and without enough guts inside it for the worker bees to actually carry it out correctly. Peoples lives were interrupted, families separated and fear instilled. Trump did not do himself a favor with the suddenness of this action. A judge halted the process based on misinformation. Judge James Robart believes that there have been no attacks on America from these countries; however, 72 different people have been prosecuted and jailed for terrorist activity from these countries. Did he not know this, or is it that he doesnt want to know this? I laugh at the expert MSM pundits expressing their outrage and stating this horrendous order will inspire more terrorism against America. If Muslims arent prone to violence, the basis of the leftist protesters beliefs, then why would this order entice them to be more violent? Iran has banned Americans as retaliation. Do we see Americans driven to violence, protesting, disrupting Iranian embassies or committing violent acts against Iran? None of the nations in the west will start training, arming and exporting terrorists because of political actions against America. Ultimately, we must come to this conclusion: If Muslims are peaceful, which I believe most are, then I would expect them to respond peacefully to Trumps orders; if they are violent, then, thats even more evidence that Trumps orders are rational. So, protesters and disbelievers, calm down, think rationally if you are able. This is not a ban on Muslims, it is a timeout on the immigration of murderous terrorists into our country! Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 4 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistans President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed dissatisfaction with the results of work of the State Committee for Tourism during a governmental meeting, the national TV channel Altyn Asyr reported March 4. Berdimuhamedov noted that tourism is one of profitable spheres in the world. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the tourism industry takes a special place in Turkmenistans strategic plans The Great Silk Road passed through Turkmenistan. The country has a rich culture, diverse natural landscapes, unique archaeological monuments, including those that were included in the list of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, March 4 By Demir Azizov Trend: Uzbekistans President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a state visit to Turkmenistan March 6-7 at invitation of the countrys President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Uzbekistan National News Agency (UzA) reported. The sides will discuss the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan relations and exchange views on topical issues of the international and regional agenda. Following the talks, the two presidents are expected to sign a joint statement, a strategic partnership agreement and a number of bilateral documents aimed at further development of cooperation in various areas. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, March 4 By Demir Azizov Trend: Uzbekistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed loan agreements worth $573 million, Uzbekistan National News Agency (UzA) reported. In particular, the ADB allocated a $100-million loan for a project on financing small businesses in rural areas and for businesses of women entrepreneurs. Also, a $121-million loan was allocated to develop water supply systems in Uzbekistans Tashkent region. The agreements were signed during the three-day visit of ADB President Takehiko Nakao to Uzbekistan. Nakao visited the countrys Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent regions and got acquainted with the results of implementation of the investment projects co-financed by the ADB. Nakao has earlier met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. During the meeting, Mirziyoyev noted strengthening of the mutually beneficial partnership between Uzbekistan and the ADB in the implementation of programs and projects aimed at modernization of Uzbekistans economic sectors and infrastructure. Uzbekistan joined the Asian Development Bank in 1995. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Mar. 3 By Demir Azizov Trend: Uzbekistan postponed construction of the fourth leg of a gas pipeline running to China for an indefinite term, the national holding company Uzbekneftegaz told Trend March 3. "The project was delayed by agreement with the Chinese side," an official with the company said, not specifying the reason for this decision. "We did not abandon the project but a decision on it will most likely be made in 2017," said the company official. The start of construction of the fourth leg of the gas pipeline was repeatedly put off initially, the construction was planned to be started in 2015 but then it was postponed to 2016. The change in plans was explained by a delay in preparation of the project feasibility study and creation of an operating company. The Uzbekistan-China gas pipeline is a part of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline running through the territory of Uzbekistan. An agreement to construct and operate the gas pipeline with a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year was signed between Uzbekistan and China in 2013. The projects operator on the Uzbek section of the pipeline is the Uzbekistan-China joint venture Asia Trans Gas LLC, created by Uzbekneftegaz and CNPC. Asia Trans Gas LLC has constructed three legs of the pipeline running through Uzbekistan. Currently, the total length of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline is about 7,000 kilometers and the capacity of its three legs is 55 billion cubic meters of gas. Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 3 By Emil Ilgar Trend: Germanys Siemens and Iran has reached an agreement to establish a joint venture to produce power industry equipment in Iran, Arsalan Fathipour, a member of Power Industry Syndication, told Mehr Mar. 3. He added that various types of transformers will be produced in the joint firm, based on Siemens license, to be sold inside and outside of Iran. He added that a final agreement is expected to be signed in two months. The firm will be established in Tehrans Parand region. Iran and Siemens have already signed an agreement to manufacture F and H-class power turbines. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 4 By Fatih Karimov Trend: Iran sees France as an important political and economic partner, the Islamic Republics Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said. Zarif made the remarks during a meeting with Frances Minister of Finance Michel Sapin in Tehran March 4, IRNA news agency reported. The top Iranian diplomat said that the Islamic Republic is after developing ties with France. Zarif further underlined the Iranian markets potential and the workforce available in the country, hoping for broader joint investments in the automotive industry. He also said that holding Tehran-Paris joint economic commissions meeting was an important step in boosting the mutual ties between Iran and France, adding that the two countries have political will to develop all-out bilateral cooperation. Sapin, for his turn, said that Iran and France have taken successful steps in the field of economic relations. France as a member of the EU and the P5+1, has made efforts to safeguard success of the nuclear deal signed between Iran and the six world powers in 2015, he added. Sapin also expressed willingness of French politicians and companies to use potentials and opportunities for closer bilateral ties with Iran. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Friday gave a strongly-worded reaction after Turkish ministers were barred from holding public rallies in two German cities ahead of the April 16 referendum in Turkey, Anadolu reported. They need to be put on trial for aiding and abetting terror, Erdogan said, slamming German authorities for letting terrorist PKK leaders hold rallies while preventing Turkish leaders from addressing their communities. On Thursday, the municipality of Gaggenau in southwest Germany revoked its permission for Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag's meeting, citing concerns about overcrowding. This prompted Bozdag to cancel his planned visit to Germany altogether. Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekcis planned address on Sunday to a Turkish community in western city of Cologne was also cancelled by local authorities over security concerns. The measures follow calls from German opposition parties and media for a blackout on Turkish politicians ahead of the referendum on constitutional reforms, including the crucial change to a presidential system of governance. The German Foreign Ministry has denied involvement of the federal government. Chancellor Angela Merkel has said her country supports freedom of speech. Erdogan noted how Germany blocked his planned speech via video conference at a July 2016 rally in Cologne in the wake of last years failed coup attempt in Turkey. "I was to participate at a rally via video conference, but Germanys Constitutional Court took a decision in two hours -- which is a phenomenon not seen anywhere in the world -- and prevented me from making a speech. "But they are connecting Cemil Bayik [a leader of the PKK terrorist group] from Qandil [in Iraq] and he is making his speech there [Germany]," Erdogan said. Ties between Ankara and Berlin have been strained in recent months. Turkish leaders have criticized their German counterparts for turning a blind eye to terrorist organizations such as the PKK and FETO, which they say use Germany for their activities targeting Turkey. Tensions between the two countries further escalated last week after German media and politicians sharply criticized Turkey for the pre-trial detention of Die Welts Istanbul correspondent Deniz Yucel on charges of terror propaganda. Among Germanys 3 million-strong Turkish community, nearly 1.5 million of them are eligible to vote. They will cast their votes at Turkish consulates in Germany between March 27 and April 9. New Delhi: Taxi-hailing app Ola has signed an agreement with the Madhya Pradesh government to impart training to about 25,000 people. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Madhya Pradesh State Skill Development Mission (MPSSDM) and Directorate of Skill Development (Technical Education and Skill Development Department) today. The move is part of Ola's target of skilling 50 lakh drivers by 2020. "The MoU is focused towards training, skill development and empowerment of 25,000 driver partners in the next two years," Ola said in a statement. As part of this initiative, Ola will work closely with the state's Skill Development Department in providing essential training infrastructure, utilities and technology framework that will ensure an improved employment scenario for the youth of Madhya Pradesh, it added. In addition, Ola will organise on-ground events, build communication modules and create a conducive ecosystem for aspiring driver partners to get requisite training and skills. "We are confident that our partnership with Ola will accelerate government's efforts towards economic development along with effectively creating entrepreneurial opportunities for tens of thousands of men and women across the state," Madhya Pradesh State Skill Development Mission CEO Sanjeev Singh said. Kiran Brahma, Business Head Madhya Pradesh at Ola, said the partnership will be instrumental in advancing its mission of enabling mobility for a billion Indians. Ola is operational in 5 cities in Madhya Pradesh - Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Ujjain. Ola has similar partnerships with NSDC and RISE India. It has also signed MoUs with several state governments including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Maharashtra for skilling of people. Mumbai: The all-powerful GST Council at its eleventh meet today cleared crucial Central GST and Integrated GST laws two of the four supporting legislations that will now be tabled in Parliament. According to ET Now, Council headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told states that the government has accepted all 26 points related to pan-India taxation raised by them. The government is now poised to implement GST from July 1 provided it got necessary approval from Parliament, he said. "CGST, IGST and UT-GST law to be taken to Parliament in second half of Budget session starting March 9," he said. The Council has agreed to empower state tax officers on par with their central counterparts. Besides, the finance minister has reportedly accepted cross empowerment of states, a demand raised by them earlier. Hotels with an annual turnover of less than Rs 50 lakh will pay at the lowest tax slab of 5 per cent incorporated under the new indirect tax regime. The Council is meeting again on March 16 to further take up pending issues. The issue of assigning tax slabs for different categories of goods and services would be taken up for redressal after March 15. The GST Council has fixed a four-tier tax system under GST. Lower 5 per cent, two middle range tax slabs of 12 and 18 per cent and one peak tax rate of 28 per cent were included for GST implementation across the country. However, the Council on March 2 said that it would insert an enabling provision in GST draft bill before tabling it in Parliament for a peak tax rate of 40 per cent. This would make things easier as the Council will not have to approach parliament again in case it wanted to increase peak rate in future. Mumbai: The Maharashtra government today announced setting up of a Rs 1,000 crore fund for helping manufacturers in defence sector and said it expects an investment of USD 5 billion in this area in the state. "We are setting up a fund of Rs 1,000 crore for helping all such manufacturers in defence sector," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters at a joint briefing along with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar here. The fund will support MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) in the defence sector, he said. "Maharashtra is the first state to frame a policy for defence manufacturing after private investment has been allowed," Fadnavis said. The Chief Minister also announced unveiling of a defence and aerospace policy. "When we presented our draft policy before the investors and manufacturers at the 'Defence and Aerospace: Make with Maharashtra' conference here today, their response was positive. We will finalise it soon after incorporating today's discussions," he said. "They (manufacturers in private sector) made a few suggestions, including one on treating this sector as essential services. We will take a decision on this demand after consultations with the Defence Minister," he said. "We have moved a step forward in this sector. Today defence manufacturers got to know about opportunities in Maharashtra," Fadnavis said. Almost 25 per cent of the total ordnance factories of India are in Maharashtra alone, the CM said. "We already have an edge over others," he added. Meanwhile, the Defence Minister said Maharashtra's fund to support defence manufacturers would be a game changer. Mumbai: Leading actress Amy Jackson announced her new mobile app Amy Jackson Official App, set to be released on 4th March, 2017 in collaboration with New York based startup Escapex. The new app will let fans access Amys social handles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and interact with her directly through the in-app social feed. This provides an unparalleled experience for fans, who will be able to enjoy unique & exclusive content from Amy and will be able to be an integral part of Amys world. The app will provide unique features like push notifications, featured videos, superstar posts, contests, superfan badges, subscription and live broadcast. An exciting, patented feature will transform how fans interact with Amy by giving them the option to boost their or their peers comments to increase visibility and actually be seen by the star herself. By turning recognition into virtual currency, the entire fan base can trade their earned or purchased in-app currency to promote themselves and others to the top of the comments feed and become top fans. This one of a kind tool also increases fan-to-fan engagement, while giving users a true sense of community. The future is going to be very exciting for me with a number of projects in the pipeline, and you will be the first to know about them here on my official app. The app allows me to move to the next level in social media engagement and I look forward to a deeper interaction with my fans, says Amy Jackson. For stars like Amy Jackson, this kind of independent digital route offers a major advantage. Being completely free for fans, the app will display the same advertising content sold by big networks. The same targeted ads these users see on Facebook, Twitter and Google are now bringing revenue to the person who produces the content that drives people to these apps and websites in the first place. An artist-owned app garners the star a greater slice of ad revenue, while also scooping up data on which content fans like most and being able to directly sell all sorts of merchandise. By creating her own branded app, Amy hopes to provide her massive fan base with a better social experience and closer connection. Sephi Shapira, CEO Escapex We are honored to partner with Amy Jackson one of the most innovative stars on the raise today. Alongside her acting and a modelling career Amy features as a brand ambassador for Yardley of London and Ponds Beauty. Together, we strive to start a new era in social media where control is put back in the hands of models, actors and creators who will finally be able to fully engage with their fans. Amys phenomenal rise to fame started out in the quiet streets of Woolton, Liverpool, where she was working as a successful model within the UK and across Europe. In 2009, Amy was spotted by Tamil film director A. L. Vijay in America when she was crowned Miss Teen World. Within a few years, Amy has gone from Liverpool beauty queen to one of the most in demand actresses in Indian cinema. Alongside her acting, Amy continues to carve out a successful modelling career working with top level photographers for shoots and appearing in internationally renowned magazines. Away from work, Amy promotes special causes close to her heart such as 'Girl Child' education in India and as a spokesperson for St Judes Childrens Hospice raising awareness. Amy is currently shooting in Chennai for one of the biggest movie to be released in 2017. The name of the movie is '2.0'. The film is starring the Demi God of Indian cinema Rajnikanth along with Superstar Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson. Immediately after her App launch Amy Jackson will leave for UK to shoot for a British film 'Boogie Man'. Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks to Hafthor Julius Bjornsson of Iceland after he won the Arnold Classic Professional Strongman competition during the 2016 Arnold Classic on March 19, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo : Getty Images/Quinn Rooney) Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed on March 3, Friday, that he is leaving "The New Celebrity Apprentice" after one season. He did not directly mention President Donald Trump but it appears that the former host of the NBC reality show has something to do with it. In a statement released to CNN, Schwarzenegger said he loved every second of working with NBC and "The New Celebrity Apprentice" executive producer Mark Burnett. The former California governor explained, "Everyone, from the celebrities to the crew to the marketing department, was a straight 10, and I would absolutely work with all of them again on a show that doesn't have this baggage." Advertisement Trump previously criticized the former California governor over the low ratings of the NBC reality show. The former responded to the president by suggesting that they should switch jobs. NBC has yet to comment of Schwarzenegger's decision. Neither has the TV network confirmed that "The New Celebrity Apprentice" will have another season in 2018. "American Ninja Warrior" host Matt Iseman won "The New Celebrity Apprentice," which aired on NBC from Jan. 2 to Feb. 13. The comedian defeated Among Schwarzenegger's advisors in the rebranded "Celebrity Apprentice" were his nephew Patrick M. Knapp Schwarzenegger, Warren Buffet, Steve Balmer, former "Celebrity Apprentice" winner Leeza Gibbons, "America's Next Top Model" creator Tyra Banks and Jessica Alba. Before appearing in the NBC reality show, Alba starred in "Mechanic: Resurrection" opposite Jason Statham. While the former California governor is leaving "The New Celebrity Apprentice," he is reprising his role as Trench in "The Expendables 4." There are still no details about the fourth installment of the film franchise except that it will be released in 2018 and Arnold is reuniting with Statham and Sylvester Stallone, who are reprising their respective roles as Lee Christmas and Barney Ross. Currently, Statham is filming "Meg" with Ruby Rose, Bingbing Li, Masi Oka, Winston Chao, Tim Wong, Tawanda Manyimo, Yoson An, Jeremy Tan, Leand Macadaan, Christian Hipolito and Page Kennedy. The action sci-fi film being directed by Jon Turtletaub was originally scheduled to be released on March 2, 2018 but it will be moved to Aug. 10, 2018, Variety has learned. Watch a video of Arnold's blueprint training program here: Mumbai: Irrfan Khan is one of the most versatile artists in our film industry, who has lined up projects that are coming up this year, including a few of the most intriguing ones like The Song of The Scorpions with Golshifteh Farahani, Hindi Medium starring Saba Qamar, along with an untitled film he is working on, directed by Tanuja Chandra. The film is said to be a romantic travelogue which reportedly has Irrfan sporting a new look. The shoots have been wrapped up in Rewari, Bikaner and Hrishikesh and have now moved over to Gangtok. The team is expected to move to Mumbai and complete the final schedule by the end of the month. In Gangtok that historically has never been too exposed to Bollywood films Irrfan got an opportunity to meet new people and visit places in Gangtok. Surprisingly enough for the star, the response from the people was overwhelming. Despite not really being an active filming zone for the Bollywood industry, Gangtok welcomed Irrfan and the team with a stunningly huge crowd, which took the cast by surprise. The people embraced Irrfan warmly. The erstwhile uninitiated on Bollywood crowd surprisingly knew about his contribution to the film industry globally. A source from the sets revealed, The crowd went absolutely hysterical upon spotting Irrfan. The commotion was so much so that the shoot had to be stalled. Irrfan was tongue-tied when he was welcomed by such an excitable crowd. He said, ''The welcome in Gangtok was fantastic. In a place where access to movies is very limited, to see such a response was great. Much like the place, the people of Gangtok are wonderful and beautiful. Jaipur: A Rajasthan minister today said Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming film Padmavati will not get a release in the state till it is shown to the Rajput community leaders who have objected to the movie. Addressing a protest organised by Savarna Adhikar Aarakshan Manch near the assembly building here, Energy Minister Pushpendra Singh assured a section of the Rajput community that the film will not be released in the state. "We will not allow the release of the film in Rajasthan till it is screened to our community members," the minister told the gathering. A complete ban on the upcoming film in Rajasthan, quota for economically backward upper castes, including Rajputs, Brahman and others, formation of a board for upper castes, a CBI probe into the murder of a Rajput community member -- Chatur Singh Sodha in Jaisalmer -- were the demands of the protesters who were led by national president of Shree Rastriya Rajput Karni Sena Sukhdev Singh. Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena is an offshoot of Karni Sena which had hit headlines sometime back for staging protest against Bhansali's film alleging distortion of historical facts by the filmmaker. The brothel charges 126 dollars for any of the four dolls named Katy, Aki, Lili and Leiza after they are sanitized with special anti-bacterial soap. (Photo: AFP) Men like visiting brothels and looking for paid sex but now that is an act of the past because sex dolls and sex robots are being used to derive pleasure. A brothel in Spain lets men visit them but not for sex with humans, they have sex dolls. According to a report in the Mens Health, Spain now has a brothel that has sex dolls for men to have sex with. It is called LumiDoll and is staffed with four sex dolls but a human receptionist and they also have a site for more information. Being the first of its kind in Europe, the sex dolls are said to be quite realistic and the charge depends on the number of hours. For one hour, the brothel charges 126 dollars for any of the four dolls named Katy, Aki, Lili and Leiza after they are sanitized with special anti-bacterial soap. The brothels website talking about their brothel said the dolls allow men to will allow men to fulfill your fantasies without any limits. They also assure people that they have an anal, oral and vaginal cavity, so men dont need to worry about anything. Srinagar: Amid the encounter, underway between security forces and terrorists in Tral, Jammu and Kashmir, an incident of a weapon being snatched from a CRPF jawan has emerged, sources report. Earlier on Saturday, the Army launched a cordon and search in Tral at around 6:30 pm on the basis of information of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Srinagar. Sources further state that a terrorist named Aqib of Hina village is reported to be holed-up along with two more terrorists. Attempts are underway to smoke out the terrorists. More details are awaited. New Delhi: Airports across the country have been alerted about the possibility of UP Minister Gayatri Prajapati, accused of rape, trying to flee the country. A Letter of Cancellation (LC) will soon be opened against him and all airports have been alerted to prevent the 49-year-old Prajapati from fleeing the country, official sources said. A letter of cancellation is a technical term used for alerting immigration authorities about any possible move by a suspect to leave the country. Whenever passport of the suspect comes for immigration clearance at any exit point of the country, the computer screen warns the official to not let the person leave. The Sashtra Seema Bal (SSB), guarding Uttar Pradesh's border with Nepal, has also been alerted about the possibility of such a move by Prajapati. The UP Police has registered an FIR against the ruling Samajwadi Party politician, who continues to elude them, for allegedly gang-raping a woman and molesting her daughter with his aides. The FIR was filed recently following a directive of the Supreme Court after the alleged victim woman approached it. A relative of the woman has alleged that a UP Police officer, who had come to AIIMS to record the victim's statement, threatened to kill them in a fake encounter. In a complaint filed at Hauz Khas police station, one of their kin has alleged that a DSP-rank officer of the UP Police yesterday barged into a ward at AIIMS, where the victim's 16-year-old daughter is admitted, threatened them and snatched their mobile phones. The victim's daughter, who was also allegedly sexually assaulted by the minister, is undergoing treatment in a restricted ward of AIIMS. "The lady officer pushed the girl who is undergoing treatment and pestered the mother to record the statement. "When we objected to it, the officer threatened to get us killed in a fake encounter," alleged the complainant, who claimed to be a cousin of the victim. Delhi Police sources said that policemen had gone to AIIMS yesterday upon receiving a PCR call from the victim's family. However, they found nothing that substantiated their allegations about their phones being snatched and they being threatened by the UP Police. "We have received a complaint from them and it is being examined. In case something comes out in the investigation, we will register an FIR," said a senior Delhi Police officer. Deputy Superintendent of Police Amita Singh had yesterday recorded the statement of the victim and her daughter amid opposition by their family members at AIIMS. The statement was videographed as per the rules under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they added. The statement of the victim was recorded before a chief metropolitan magistrate in Lucknow last week. "The complainant has requested for protection from the UP Police and necessary action against the police personnel. "An inquiry into the complaint revealed that the UP Police official had got the nod from AIIMS authorities to examine the minor," a senior Delhi Police officer said. The victim, who had some doubts about Singh recording the statement, called lawyer Mahmood Pracha, who is representing the minor in the Supreme Court. Pracha arrived at AIIMS and the remaining statement was recorded in his presence. The girl, who was earlier staying with her mother at a hotel in Nabi Karim in central Delhi, had gone missing on February 11 before her medical examination at AIIMS. Her mother had then lodged a complaint, following which an FIR under section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of IPC was registered at Nabi Karim police station, police said. The victim, however, had returned after a few days and said she was fine, Delhi Police said. BJP accused Akhilesh Yadav of hiding Prajapati at his residence and said the chief minister had become a "patron" of criminals in the state. "The chief minister has hidden Gayatri Prajapati in his residence and the police is enacting the drama of carrying out raids to arrest him," state unit president of the BJP Keshav Prasad Maurya claimed. "Can Akhilesh take a pledge in the name of the mother Ganga that Gayatri has not been kept at the CM's residence...if the Chief Minister really wants, Prajapati can be caught in ten minutes," he said. The BJP leader alleged that Akhilesh had become a patron of big criminals in the state, adding that CM house should not be allowed to become a "haven for criminals". Senior BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak also charged the chief minister with campaigning for the gangrape accused and describing him as a capable leader before people. Besides, another minister Azam Khan had described the rape case as a conspiracy, he said. "...such an attitude encourages people with criminal mentality. They show scant regard for women's safety and blatantly indulge in heinous crimes," Pathak said. Acting on the Supreme Court's orders, police said they have been making efforts to nab him and they might even apply for cancellation of his passport so that the minister cannot escape from the country. Interestingly though, the minister was seen moving freely from one place to other in his constituency seeking votes. The last time Prajapati was seen in public was on February 27, when he spoke to the media saying he will win with a huge margin and will work under Akhilesh once again. Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav today promised full cooperation with regard to the case. "The matter is in the Supreme Court...The government will fully cooperate and go by its order," Yadav said in response to a question at a hurriedly-convened press conference. When his attention was drawn to the tweet by state BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya that Prajapati has been hiding in the Chief Minister's house, Akhilesh asked the mediapersons to follow him with their cameras to check for themselves. Akhilesh has been facing severe attack from the BJP over the Prajapati episode, especially since he is contesting as a Samajwadi Party candidate from Amethi and the Chief Minister had campaigned in that constituency. New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Saturday asked a local court to pass an order against real estate tycoons Gopal Ansal and Sushil Ansal to get permission from the court before leaving country. The police, in an application, said it is demanding that the Ansal brothers involved in the case of the 1997 Uphaar cinema hall fire tragedy in which 59 people were killed should get permission from the court before leaving country. The next hearing for the case will on March 16 in the Patiala House Court. The duo also accused of tampering with evidence in the case, pending since 2006. The apex court sentenced Gopal Ansal to one-year jail term on February 9 where on the other hand, elder borther Sushil was ordered to skip prison term citing old age and ill-health. At least 59 people died of asphyxia and over 100 others were injured in the stampede after fire broke out in Uphaar cinema on June 13, 1997, during the screening of J.P. Dutta's film "Border". Officials leave for election duty on the eve of voting for the Assembly polls at Porompat, Imphal East. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday night ordered registration of an FIR against office bearers "concerned" of Manipur BJP for publishing an advertisement without the requisite approval from the certification panel. On the basis of a report by poll authorities in Manipur, it also directed the state chief electoral officer get FIRs filed against eight newspapers for publishing the election advertisement. The ads were published a day before the first phase of elections in the state today. The Commission identified the papers as Sangai Express -- Manipuri and English editions -- Poknapham, People's Chronicle, Naharolgi, Thoudang, Imphal free press, Echel Express and Huiyen Lanpao. While there is no bar on the publication of election advertisements 48 hours before the polling, a rule introduced by the Commission during the Bihar assembly polls says that such advertisements should be cleared by a certification committee. It states that without approval no newspaper will publish such advertisements. The new rule came after the BJP brought out some controversial advertisements during the Bihar elections. Srinagar: The security forces have called off the night-long operation launched on Friday evening in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmirs Shopian district, as militants who were holed up in a house escaped. The security forces, who entered the house around 9 AM on Saturday, did not find any militants. There was no response to the security forces firing on Saturday morning and when the Armys paratroopers entered the premises it was empty, said a police official. The search continued for an hour, following which the operation was called off. Apparently, the militants escaped during the night time, said a police official on the condition of anonymity. The police sources here said that the security forces including Army, the J&K polices counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) and the CRPF had launched a cordon-and-search operation in Shopians Chillipora Heff village on Friday evening after receiving information about the presence of a group of militants. Two to three militants were reported to have been holed up in a residential house which was encircled by the security forces. The locals said that the militants hurled a grenade towards the security forces and also opened fire as the latter approached their hideout, triggering the encounter. The two sides exchanged gunfire for a couple of hours, but the security forces suspended the operation on Friday night to avoid collateral damage. Also, a parallel operation was launched by the J&K police to evacuate the civilians from the area. Floodlights were installed around the encounter site to ensure that militants dont escape the security dragnet. Also, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with cameras were pressed into service to locate the militants. Reportedly, hundreds of civilians gathered at the encounter site on Saturday morning chanting pro-freedom slogans and hurled stones at the security forces. Roy Mathew, the jawan from Kerala who was found dead after a sting video on the abuse of buddy system in the army. (File photo) Thiruvananthapuram: A fresh autopsy was on Saturday ordered on the body of a jawan from Kerala, found dead after a sting video on the "abuse" of buddy system in the army, after his family insisted on it, raising doubts over this demise. The fresh post-mortem of Roy Mathew, 33, a native of Karuvelil in Ezhukon in Kollam district, was underway at the Government Medical College Hospital Thiruvananthapuram, hours after the body was brought to the city this morning by a flight, a senior police official said. Mathew was found hanging from the ceiling of a room in an abandoned barrack in Deolali cantonment in Maharashtra's Nashik on Thursday. Alleging that there were marks of beating on his feet and blood had clotted in some parts, his relatives, including wife Finy, refused to accept the body until a fresh post-mortem was conducted in Kerala. Finy has filed a complaint with Kollam District Collector and the police raising suspicions over her husband's death, SP (Kollam Rural) S Surendran, told PTI. After receiving her complaint, the postmortem was ordered and it is going on, he said, adding that the Revenue Divisional Officer was also present. A sobbing Finy, who was at the airport, said, "I need to get justice. I want to know how it happened. I want to see him." The relatives have also alleged that disrespect was shown to the body when it was brought here. It was left unattended in a trolley for nearly half-an hour after it landed at the airport, they charged. Mathew had gone missing on February 25 after he purportedly figured in an expose by a news portal on the "abuse" in the orderly system in the army. Army has said it had not questioned Mathew after the video surfaced, which showed soldiers, working as sahayaks, walking dogs of senior army officials or taking their children to school. Mathew had joined the army 13 years ago and was working as artillery gunner with the Rocket Regiment 214 in Nasik camp since the last one year. He had contacted his wife on February 25 after which he went missing. New Delhi: Pakistan boycotted a two-day meeting of the SAARC grouping on animal diseases held here earlier this week, apparently in response to similar action by India last year. The first SAARC Epidemiology Networking Forum meeting, held in the national capital on February 27-28, was attended by the representatives of all member countries with the exception of Pakistan. The epidemiology focal points "from the 7 member states, except Pakistan, participated in the meeting", the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, which is under the agriculture ministry, said in an official statement. The SAARC summit in September last year was cancelled after five member states, including India, decided against attending the meet. The objective of this first meeting was primarily to operationalise a sustainable and functioning veterinary epidemiology network among the eight SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) member states to build collaboration to achieve a more effective and efficient control of trans-boundary animal diseases, including zoonoses. The meeting was jointly organised by the Government of India, the SAARC Secretariat and FAO. During the meeting, Animal Husbandry Secretary Devendra Chaudhary emphasised on the economic upgradation of SAARC member states through control of TADs (Trans-boundary Animal Diseases) and suggested to make disease-free zones. He highlighted the significance of harmonising the reporting systems of the member states of the SAARC. Chaudhary also expressed India's commitment towards strengthening this forum and building collaborations through joint R&D programmes and joint disease surveillance and control programmes. In the meeting, it was decided to hold regular meetings using ICT tools to develop specific agenda and build further trust till the next physical interaction. The forum agreed to make India as Secretariat for the forum for one year till the next face-to-face meeting of the forum. Build Series Presents Hugh Jackman And Patrick Stewart Discussing 'Logan' (Photo : Getty Images) The last Wolverine movie Logan just made history in China for being the first film to be given by the countrys censors a parental advisory reminder. China does not have a film rating system, so the censor enforced The Film Industry Promotion Law of the Peoples Republic of China. Advertisement Posters in Cinema Lobbies The law took effect on March 1, Wednesday, when the movie premiered, although regular showing began on March 3, Friday. The law said that movies with physically and mentally uncomfortable contents for minors must have clear reminders for parents, China.org reported. In the U.S., Logan was given an R rating. As a result there was a poster in cinema lobbies that said, Pupils and preschool children should watch it in the company of parents. The censors also reduced the movies running time by 14 minutes to take away the violent scenes and a brief nudity scene, despite Logan being given high ratings by movie critics. Last Time as Wolverine Logan star Hugh Jackman is in Beijing to promote the movie. He and fellow actor Patrick Stuart, who appears as Professor X in the film, showed up on stage to meet their fans on Wednesday at the 798 Art Zone in Beijing. It is an emotional time for Patrick and I. This is our last film playing characters of Logan the Wolverine and Professor Xavier, and I'm very proud of the film, Jackman said. Jackman recalled that when he saw the movie at the Berlin International Film Festival, he grabbed Stuarts hands and they cried together. Stuart and Jackman later signed autographs and took selfies with fans. In the U.S., where Logan had a same-day opening as China, the movie earned $28 million on Friday, its first day of exhibition in 4,071 cinemas. The amount includes $9.5 million earned during Thursday night previews. Variety reported that Logan would likely earn up to $74 million during opening weekend in the U.S. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the RSS leader who offered bounty for his head (Photo: PTI/ANI) Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's security cover has been strengthened after an RSS functionary from Madhya Pradesh had announced a Rs 1 crore bounty for beheading him. Four commandos have been included in the chief minister's security team after the state security review committee, which met here, decided to take the threat seriously, sources said. Presently, a team of six police personnel are providing security cover to the chief minister. The RSS had on Friday sacked its functionary, Kundan Chandravat, who had sparked a controversy by announcing the reward on Thursday to avenge the killing of its workers in Kerala, allegedly by CPI(M) workers. Now, getting an H-1B visa in a stipulated time frame would depend on destiny Hyderabad: The temporary suspension of premium processing of H-1B visas will cause some uncertainty for Indian software companies. Although the suspension will be in force for six months from April 3, the IT industry feels that the impact will last an entire year. Premium processing allowed companies to jump the queue by paying an extra $1,225 (nearly Rs 80,000), and helped them plan better as the waiting period for employees going to the US was shorter. While standard processing takes three to six months, premium processing takes a fortnight or three weeks. Reputed IT firms like Google, Microsoft, IBM, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Deloitte, Capgemini use this facility. According to National Association of Software and Services Companies, the suspension of premium processing will pose a challenge for software firms. Former Nasscom chairman B.V.R Mohan Reddy said IT companies preferred premium processing because, for an extra Rs 60,000-Rs 80,000, the company and the employee had clarity about when the employee could start work. Now, getting an H-1B visa in a stipulated time frame would depend on destiny, he said. Meanwhile, the Bill introduced in the US Congress to stop grants and guaranteed government loans to companies that outsource call centre jobs would not impact India in a big way. Mr Ramesh Loganathan, former president of the Hyderabad Software Exporters Association, said, Over the last decade, business and knowledge processing has come to the forefront. India gets projects from European and English speaking countries. The impact would be more on countries like the Philippines. However, it is still too early, since the Bill has to pass through the House of Representatives and the Senate, where it could be modified. Leaders of employees associations say that unless the Presidential Order is amended, it wouldnt be possible to transfer employees of urban local bodies under this Act. (Representational image) Hyderabad: The TS governments decision to implement the Unified Service Rules Act has led to simmering discontent among employees of urban local bodies. The employees are preparing for a legal battle against the Act. Leaders of employees associations say that unless the Presidential Order is amended, it wouldnt be possible to transfer employees of urban local bodies under this Act. However, the government insists that such a drastic step is not needed, it can transfer employees of urban local bodies from one place to other. By reshuffling employees of civic bodies, the government hopes to rein in the rampant corruption that plagues the municipalities, especially the GHMC. The government believes that reshuffling employees by way of transfers will not only end corruption, but ensure the employees are always on the edge, and hence more active. Employees say that the government wont find making transfers that easy as recruitment and service rules are different. They cite the example of the GHMC Act being vastly different from the TS Municipalities Act. MAUD secretary Navin Mittal said that there was need to amend the Presidential Order. We discussed all these issues before bringing in the Act, he said. Hyderabad: In a shock to the ruling TRS, the Congress clinched the Tandur municipality chairpersons seat from the TRS-MIM combine after MIM councillors revolted and supported Congress-TD combine. TRS and MIM had entered into post-poll alliance for the municipal council in May 2014, agreeing to share the posts of chairman and vice-chairman for 2.5 years each. After TRS chairperson Vijayalaxmi and the MIM vice-chairperson completed 2.5 years in the post, it was turn of the MIM to take over the chairmans post. The election for electing the new chairperson and vice-chairperson was held on Saturday. In a dramatic development, MIM councillors revolted against TRS and supported Congress for the chairpersons post. This happened in the presence of transport minister Patnam Mahender Reddy. The minister was embarrassed to see Congress candidate Sunitha winning the chairpersons post and MIM winning vice-chairman post. The TRS and MIM had won 10 seats each in Tandur municipality in May 2014, while Congress had got eight seats and two seats each going to the TD and BJP. The groundwater was reported at record levels in many districts. Hyderabad: About half the state is expected to face a drinking water shortage. Collectors of 15 of the states 31 districts have sent an SOS to the government over the rapid depletion of groundwater. The groundwater was reported at record levels in many districts. With the India Meteorological Department predicting a hotter summer, the collectors sought an immediate contingency plan to tide over the crisis. They wanted flushing, deepening and hydro-fracturing of borewells, repairing of wells and provision for tankers to ensure water supply. The districts that could face water shortage include Asifabad, Adilabad, Bhupalpally, Jagtial, Kamareddy, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nirmal, Nalgonda, Nagarkurnool, Ranga Reddy, Suryapet, Siddipet, Wanaparthy and Vikarabad. Telangana to ask Centre for water funds The government has directed the muncipal administration and urban develpment, panchayat raj and rural development departments to devise an action plan. Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said, The government had conducted a survey ahead of summer to identify districts which could face severe water crisis. The survey found that 11,712 habitations, which include towns and villages, would be worst hit. The government has approved sanctioning of `370 crore, which would be disbursed to collectors soon. The government has decided to seek funds from the Centre under Contingency Relief Fund. In Mahbubnagar district, 746 wells have to be repaired, followed by Nagarkurnool (550), Siddipet (386), Nalgonda (278), Nizamabad (203), Warangal (166), Medak (166), Kamareddy (118) and Bhoopalapally (116). As many as 8,030 borewells need removal of silt and sand and 3,076 require redrilling or deepening. Another 417 wells require repairs. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, while speaking on his latest book 'Inglorious Empire', pointed out that there is historical amnesia in Britain about the British rule in India and the atrocities of the empire. Speaking to Channel 4, Tharoor, who known as an outspoken politician, said that Britain does not teach its students about its colonial history. There is so much historical amnesia about what the empire really entailed. The fact that you dont really teach colonial history in schools; children doing A-levels in history dont learn a line of colonial history, he told the presenter. There is no real awareness of the atrocities, the fact that Britain financed its industrial revolution and its prosperity from the depredations of empire. If fact, Britain came to one of the richest countries in the world (India) in the early 18th century and reduced it, after 200 years of plunder, to one of the poorest, he said. Speaking about Indians' response to the British Empire, Tharoor mentioned that Indians have largely forgotten it. He also objected to the attitude of Indians, i.e. forget and forgive. Indians are very good at forgiving and forgetting which is what I object to. Let them forgive, but let them not forget, he said. During the short interview, Tharoor also made a point that Indias economy is as big as Britains, while further adding that there is still a need to be aware of the history. Tharoors latest book, 'Inglorious Empire: What the British did to India', tells the story about the rise of the British Empire and its devastating effect on India. New Delhi: Two Indian associates of alleged middleman Christian Michel James were Saturday granted bail by a special court in a money laundering case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal. Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of accused R K Nanda and J B Subramaniyam, who were earlier summoned by the court. The court granted them the relief on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of the like amount. It also directed them not to leave the country without the court's prior permission and not to tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses. Advocate N K Matta, who represented the Enforcement Directorate, opposed the bail applications saying there was enough evidence on record to show the involvement of the two accused in the case. The court had last year issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against James, a British national, while summoning his Indian associates and M/s Media Exim Private Limited in the case. The firm was created by James, along with Nanda and Subramaniyam who are directors of the firm. The ED had pressed for an open-ended NBW to bring James from the UK to face trial. An open-ended NBW does not carry a time limit for execution. In June last year, the ED had filed a 1,300-page prosecution complaint (equivalent of a charge sheet) in connection with its money laundering probe in the case. It had claimed that its probe had found that James had allegedly received Euro 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from M/s AgustaWestland and alleged that this was nothing but kickbacks paid by the company to execute the deal for sale of 12 helicopters to India in favour of the firm in the guise of genuine transactions for performing multiple work contracts. James is one of the three alleged middlemen being probed by the ED and the CBI in the case, apart from Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. Both the agencies have also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice or a global arrest warrant against him. The complaint delved into the detailed role of James in the deal, his multiple visits to India and his transactions. The first complaint in the case was filed in November 2014. According to sources, the ED has already sought extradition of James from the UK. In its complaint, the ED also claimed that the three middlemen "managed" to make inroads into the Indian Air Force in order to influence and subvert the force's stand regarding reducing the service ceiling -- the altitude at which a helicopter can fly from 6,000 to 4,500 metres in 2005 after which AgustaWestland became eligible to supply the dozen choppers for VVIP flying duties. It had said the remittances made by James through his Dubai-based firm M/s Global Services, FZE to the firm he had floated here, were made from the funds which he got from M/s AgustaWestland SpA through "criminal activity" and corruption being done in the chopper deal. Jaunpur: After massive roadshow in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses an election rally in Uttar Pradeshs Jaunpur on Saturday. Here are the highlights: History has been created in the womb of Jaunpur. I salute the land. From the land of sacrifice, even today, soldiers die fighting terrorists. It was cool, but the temperatures have been since soaring in the elections in UP. People sometimes forget their ethics and culture and commit such sins that are unforgivable. When the Army conducted surgical strikes, it destroyed enemy camps and before sunrise came back to our mother land. This was a very courageous and planned to the very minute detail. Surgical strikes by India is being studied by the world over. But there are some who lost in their political greed started questioning the Army, said Modi should give proof. I want to tell them, go to Jaunpur and meet the mothers of whose sacrificed their lives for the motherland. And you dare question them? For 40 years our forces demanded One Rank One Pension but nothing happened. I had promised that BJP government will deliver OROP and we did. Chief Minister says kaam bolta hai, so I thought I should read the UP state government's website and I read it in public. The bad condition that UP is in courtesy SP was made public. The SP was exposed. The election results will be out soon. It will be a wipe-out for SP, BSP and Congress. The BJP will win. UP will celebrate Holi on March 13. I promise that at the first meeting after BJP is voted to power, the work to forgo farmer loans will be taken. BJP is winning the first five phases of UP elections, it's your job to give us an absolute majority. Give the BJP enough votes so that five years later you can question me. You give me a majority government and I will give you accountability. Do you get electricity 24/7? Tell me the truth. SP says you do. They are not interested in giving electricity in Jaunpur but only in Saifai In Jaunpur, after the sun sets, can your mother and sisters step out of the house? Should they not have the right to live peacefully as men do? Modi hit the campaign trail in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi on Saturday by embarking on a road show from the gate of Banaras Hindu University. Travelling in an SUV, Modi concluded his massive road show by offering prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi. Huge crowd gathered on the streets to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister. People were seen on both sides of the road, standing on balconies and rooftops of buildings. Supporters also raised slogans shouting Har har Modi, Ghar ghar Modi and showered flowers at him. According to reports, Congress and Samajwadi party supporters also showed up and waved their party flags at Bhadaini area. They shouted slogans supporting Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi and Modi supporters responded with louder chants. Modi also garlanded the statue of freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, who was also the founder of the BHU. The Prime Minister is scheduled to address another election rally in Varanasi. Varanasi: The BJP stands for "Bahut Jhoot Paathshala" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was its principal, as he failed to deliver on the promises he made to the people, the Congress said on Friday. It also accused the Prime Minister of lowering the dignity of his office and indulging in politics to divide people on religious grounds. Coining a new acronym, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the BJP stands for "Bahut Jhoot Paathshala"?with Modi as its principal. "Modi has lowered the dignity of his office and it was not expected from a Prime Minister that he would stoop so low that he who would indulge in cheap politics and make remarks about graveyards and cremation-ground," Surjewala said. Addressing a news conference here, he accused the Prime Minister of "spreading hatred" in the society and "dividing people on religious grounds". Recalling that PM Modi in a recent rally had accused the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh of discriminating in power supply on religious grounds, saying "electricity is provided on Ramadan but not on Holi or Diwali". Lashing out at the PM for "not doing" anything to benefit the farmers, he said, "Modi tells the farmers you leave your crops as when you (farmers) will suffer crop losses then we will give insurance and he provokes countrymen saying when they will die then he will give them insurance." Surjewala asked, "Do our farmers need to wait for their crop loss to get insurance and our countrymen need to die to get their insurance from him (Modi)?" He slammed the central government following the steep hike in LPG cylinder prices saying the international crude and gas price were not so high that the government needed to hike the LPG cylinder prices. Surjewala also hit out at BJP over "gender bias" in Banaras Hindu University (BHU), saying girls do not get the facilities given to boys. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari took a jibe at PM Modi saying the BJP had not declared its chief ministerial face in UP election as "PM would take the additional charge of UP CM". He added that Modi "landed as a superman" but turned into a "supertax man". Taking dig at PM for his jibe at Rahul for coconut remark, he said Modi's English was weak as he could not understand the meaning of pineappale and coconut. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah listens to public grievances during the Janata Darshan at Krishna, his home office in Bengaluru on Friday. The migration season has set in early in Karnataka with several leaders of the ruling Congress and JD (S), including a minister, set to cross over to the BJP well ahead of next year's elections to the Legislative Assembly. While former minister V. Srinivasa Prasad was the first to join the BJP on January 2, this list will grow with former minister and MP of Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency, K. Jayaprakash Hegde, former minister and late Chief Minister S. Bangarappa's son, Kumar Bangarappa, and former MLA J.D. Nayak and Parimala Nagappa are set to join the BJP in a couple of days. Sources in BJP said minister for fisheries and ports, Pramodh Madhwaraj, has sent word that he will join the BJP and contest Assembly elections in 2018 on its ticket. Leaders of the state unit of BJP, however, have not taken a call with regard to the minister as the party's caste calculations could go awry in Udupi district. Mr Pramodh Madhwaraj belongs to Mogaveera community, just like former BJP MLA, Lalaji Mendon, who has been contesting from Kapu constituency. Besides, some local leaders are averse to his entry into the party as his mother and former BJP MP Mrs, Manorama Madhwaraj, ditched the BJP and voted in favour of the civilian nuclear deal during the UPA-I rule in 2008. Former minister and MP, Ms Shobha Karandlaje, and associate member and Kundapura MLA, Haladi Shrinivasa Shetty, however, are keen to induct Mr. Madhwaraj into BJP, sources added. Meanwhile, Mr. Hegde would join the BJP in Bengaluru on March 8. Former deputy chief minister R. Ashok, who played a key role in wooing Mr. Hegde, told Deccan Chronicle that Mr. Hegde would join the BJP without any riders but the party would use his services and reward him. "Since he is the most respected leader in undivided coastal district, it is a honour for us to invite him to join the BJP", added Mr. Ashok. Mr. Hegde told Deccan Chronicle: "It is inevitable for me to take a decision due to pressure from my supporters. I have not decided about my future, but I am interested to continue in national politics instead of returning to state politics." Sources said the party leaders seem keen to field Mr. Hegde from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 elections as he has represented the constituency after winning a Lok Sabha bypoll. The leaders plan to field Kumar Bangarappa, who quit the Congress on Friday, in the event of a bypoll in Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency. DR G wants to stick to his KPCC post, meets Kharge After losing the battle to secure the Deputy Chief Ministers post, KPCC president Dr G. parameshwar on Friday met Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, M. Mallikarjun Kharge fuelling speculation in political circles that he was lobbying for his continuation as the PCC president till Assembly polls next year. Speaking to reporters after his hour long meeting with Mr Kharge in Bengaluru, Dr Parameshwar said, "I have been a loyal soldier of this party. I will abide by the party high command's decision and whatever they ask me to do. It is upto the high command to decide whether to appoint me PCC president. But, prior to taking a final decision, the high command will surely consult Mr Kharge. He is our central leader." He added in the same breath that there are leaders who want him to continue and there are others who want him to give up the post as he has completed two terms as PCC president, but all these views are personal. "These are not my views but theirs. As far as I am concerned, I will abide by what the party high command says," he reiterated. Trying to project his meeting with Mr Kharge as "purely professional" as the latter wanted to discuss issues related to Kalburgi revenue division, Dr Parameshwar said, "I met him today as Home Minister to discuss developmental issues as he had suggested a few schemes for police personnel." On his part, Mr Kharge retorted that he was not aware of any move to change the incumbent PCC president. "I am not aware of this. I do not answer hypothetical questions on this subject," he snapped. Song Joong-Ki and Park Bo-Gum laugh during the fan meeting of the latter in Bangkok, Thailand on Feb. 11, 2017. (Photo : YouTube/Ruhi Le) Song Joong Ki and Jin Goo won the Best Bromance award at the 12th Annual Soompi Awards. The actors played soldiers named Captain Yoo Si Jin, also known as Big Boss, and Sergeant First Class Seo Dae Young, also known as Wolf, respectively, in the KBS2 srama series "Descendants of the Sun." Advertisement The winners of the annual survey with 29 categories were announced on March 2, Thursday, by Soompi. With Fuse and ZANYBROS as partners, the United States-based online news provider specializing in Korean pop culture received almost 100 million votes from hallyu fans from 139 countries across the globe from Dec. 19, 2016 to Jan. 16. In the Best Bromance category, Song and Jin defeated nine other pairs. They were the "Reply 1988" crew, Seo In Guk and Ma Dong Seok, Park Bo Gum and Kwak Dong Yeon, Lee Min Ho and Con friends, Lee Joon Gi and Nam Joo Hyuk, Lee Jong Suk and Lee Tae Hwan, Jo Jung Suk and Go Kyung Pyo, Hongbin and Lee Hyun Woo and Eric Mun and Sound Crew. Watch the 12th Annual Soompi Awards here: Mumbai: The Shiv Sena nominee is all set to become the Mayor of Mumbai as the BJP today announced it would not enter the race, putting to rest speculations of a fierce contest between them for the post after a fractured verdict in the BMC polls. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP will not have its nominees for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts, shortly after Shiv Sena declared its candidates for the two slots in the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Fadnavis, who ruled out any threat to his ministry due to ruptures in relations with Shiv Sena in the wake of the civic polls, said his party would also not field candidates for Deputy Mayor's post as well as for the post of chairpersons of other civic panels, including the key standing committee. Fandavis, who led the BJP's civic poll campaign on the plank of 'transparency', said his party would rather remain the 'watchdog' in BMC. "People in Mumbai voted overwhelmingly for the BJP since they believed in our agenda for transparency in the civic administration," he said. "Shiv Sena has emerged as the single largest party, while the BJP is two seats behind. So, we did not get the numbers to install our Mayor. We would have needed to take support of other parties for that," he said. Fadnavis said the BJP did not want to compromise on the issue of transparency by seeking outside support. So, the party chose the option of respecting the faith the voters had reposed in it and added that it should not be construed as a "surrender" for the sake of the stability of his government, in which Shiv Sena is a partner. "My government is stable. Yesterday, Shiv Sena ministers attended the cabinet meeting and we agreed on various issues," he said. The Shiv Sena has welcomed the BJP's decision and thanked Fadnavis for "respecting the sentiments of the people". Hours before the BJP spelt out its stance, the Shiv Sena had announced Vishvanath Mahadeshwar as its nominee for the Mayor's post and Hareshwar Worlikar as Deputy Mayor candidate. Neither the Sena, which emerged as the single largest party with 84 seats, nor the BJP, a close second with 82 corporators, has enough numbers to touch the half-way mark in 227-member council. However, the party with the highest number of corporators can get its candidates elected for the two posts so long as other parties do not come together and put up joint candidates. The next Mayor will be elected during the first meeting of the new House on March 8. Today was the last day for filing nominations for the post. The local body polls across Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai, had seen the BJP and Sena campaigning bitterly against each other, even casting doubts about the stability of the state's first BJP-led government. The BJP put up a sterling performance in all parts of the state and shook Sena's citadel Mumbai, its political heartland land right from its formation in 1960s. After Geeta Gawli, who won as the candidate of the local outfit Akhil Bharatiya Sena (ABS) pledging support to the BJP, the party's effective strength has gone up to 83. The party-wise strength in the 227-member council stands at: Shiv Sena 84 plus 4 (independents), BJP 82 plus 1, Congress 31, NCP 9, MNS 7, Samajwadi Party 6, AIMIM 2, ABS 1, Independent 1. The BJP-Sena relations, as partners in the state and central government, hit a new low in the backdrop of civic elections across Maharashtra, which saw the saffron parties contesting separately and hurling charges at each other. The two parties have been together for nearly three decades, but after the recent split, the Sena had even threatened of pulling out of the BJP-led government in the state any time. Meanwhile, the Mumbai unit of the Congress claimed that the BJP's decision to withdraw from the mayoral election was a complete U-turn from its earlier stand of targeting the Shiv Sena over the issue of corruption and transparency. "Devendra Fadnavis's decision is a complete sell-out by the BJP and the Chief Minister has surrendered before the corrupt regime of Shiv Sena (in BMC), which he had targeted during the civic poll campaign," Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam told PTI. Later this month, an Indian delegation will travel to Pakistan for talks under the aegis of the Permanent Indus Commission. This commission was set up following the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), signed by India and Pakistan with the cooperation of the World Bank. Some have interpreted the Indian governments decision to agree to the meeting of the commission as a softening of its approach on the Indus waters in particular and Pakistan in general. They have already started reading it as a foreign policy shift by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Is such breathtaking analysis warranted? That the meeting of the commission is taking place is welcome news. Yet, the fact is differences on the functioning of the treaty continue. Specifically, Pakistans veto on allowing India to build water projects that India says are within the ambit of the treaty continues to rankle in New Delhi. The decision to go ahead with the talks does not change that. Of course, neither does this mean precipitous action is necessary. Even if India were to ignore those Pakistani objections and go ahead with the projects, these would take years to build. As such, one expects this story is far from over. Since Indias Pakistan policy is now inextricably linked to its China policy, one also expects India will wait for what Beijing does or doesnt do in the coming months before making its moves vis-a-vis Islamabad. What signals the Chinese leadership sends on the Nuclear Suppliers Group membership application and on United Nations sanctions against Masood Azhar will be indicative of whether it has in any way re-thought its approach to India, even if tactically and in the short run. Given this, India has to await the consequences of the foreign secretarys recent visit to China to see if Beijing gives New Delhi that much more space, if it gives any space at all. That will inevitably influence the India-Pakistan dynamic. Either way, room for a new India-Pakistan dialogue would appear to be fairly limited. Pakistan has a relatively new Army chief. He succeeds a popular and hardline predecessor who was tough on India and who is still an active presence in Pakistani power circles. The new general cannot be seen to be walking away from his predecessors positions, even if he would want to, and specially not on India policy. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has taken advantage of the transition in the Army to enhance his relative strength. He has chosen a politically lightweight candidate as Pakistans foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua, the first woman to be appointed to the post. He has managed to bypass the Armys favoured man, Abdul Basit, the current high commissioner to India. While an accomplished diplomat, Ms Janjua has spent much of her career in multilateral institutions and has not overseen relations with or served as ambassador in major countries that Pakistan deals with. Notwithstanding this tactical advantage, Prime Minister Sharif is focused much more on domestic politics than foreign policy innovation or outreach to India. He will be seeking a fresh term in the general election in the summer of 2018, just over a year for now. India too will be in election mode by then, with a new government due to take office in May 2019. Neither country will allow its Prime Minister the political capital for a recalibrated move towards the neighbour. Any such endeavour, if it comes at all, will be deferred till after the electoral furies are spent. Even then it will boil down to what can realistically be achieved but that is a matter for a future date. The year 2017 is going to be one of wait-and-watch on the India-Pakistan front. For India, there are three evolving and not entirely predictable factors that will shape its assessment of Pakistan. First, President Donald Trumps views on the future of Americas Afghan policy and exactly where and how he is going to take a potential trade war with China with its economic and political disruptions remains imponderable. If Mr Trumps actions are in keeping with his campaigns rhetorical extremes, then how will the Chinese respond in, among other geographies, South Asia: with renewed adventurism or a tactical pause? Second, the domestic security situation in Pakistan is undergoing another shift. The arrival of an inchoate Islamic State (IS) and its appeal to breakaway elements of the Tehreek-e-Taliban as well as promotion of a new Islamist and Sunni supremacist group, the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, is pregnant with possibilities. The immediate challenge is to the Pakistani state and also, through the IS and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar strongholds on the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier, to China. Here, the IS has threatened to ignite the Uyghur movement in Xinjiang. Xinjiang, or East Turkestan to give it one of its traditional names, has been under Chinese occupation since 1949. It has both peaceful and violent Uyghur Muslim separatists but China has been dextrous in isolating it from regional Islamist currents by leaning on Pakistan and, in the pre-9/11 period, even making contact with the Taliban dictatorship in Afghanistan. The arrival of IS and IS-like tendencies which are not amenable to Pakistani state direction poses an unprecedented risk to China, and of course to Pakistan too. Third, somewhat linked to the factors above is the ability of the Chinese to spare resources for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, many of the individual projects of which do not seem to be commercially viable. In parallel, Pakistani disaffection with the terms of the CPEC is growing. The murmurs are manageable but not altogether absent. What happens if they conflate with the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar-type thinking and activism in any meaningful way? Kishwar Naheed is one of the most respected Urdu poets in the subcontinent. She was the lone Pakistani poet at the Jashn-i-Rekhta festival in New Delhi from Feb 17 to Feb 19. She had to leave midway when informed that she was invited only as a guest. The explanation that the founder of the Rekhta Foundation, Sanjiv Saraf, gave to a correspondent shows him and the Indian government in poor light. It is self-contradictory and disingenuous. We took a decision in the light of the prevailing atmosphere in the country. But, since the purpose of this festival is to promote bonding, we thought of inviting a few Pakistanis as guests. Oblivious to the contradiction, he added: This festival is about bringing people together and we did not want that to be taken away by some incident. We did not even apply for the permission that is required from the government whenever a Pakistani is invited as a participant. Surely, the dreaded incident might have been sparked by the presence of the Pakistani guest without her reciting any of the poems that have earned her fame. It is equally hard to understand why he did not apply for the permission that is required for a Pakistani participant. Apparently, since no permit is required if the Pakistani sits as a mute spectator. But the government can still grant a visa. Did it give orders after the guest had arrived? Under an official circular in force over the last few decades, prior permission of the home ministry and the external affairs ministry is required for holding an international conference/seminar/workshop, etc. on a subject that is political, semi-political, communal or religious in nature, or is related to human rights. A mushaira does not fall in any of these. However, permission is required from both ministries for holding an international conference if participants are invited from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. A mushaira or a musical concert is neither a conference nor a seminar nor a workshop. The Modi government follows the old circular with zeal. Sarafs reference to the prevailing atmosphere in the country reveals more than he intended. Missing in the entire discourse is one decisive aspect the citizens right to hear the foreigner. The State has a right to bar the entry of a foreigner. But it is not an absolute right. It can be exercised only on valid grounds such as defence. Article 19(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights says that the right to freedom of expression shall include freedom to seek, receive and import information of all kind, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of print, or through any other media. The courts allow the government considerable latitude in matters of national security and in the admission of foreigners. But the onus is on the State to establish that the acts are so related. In Kleindienst vs Mandel (1972), the US supreme court upheld attorney general Richard Kleindiensts refusal of a visa for Ernest Mandel, a Belgian journalist and Marxist theoretician, to participate in an academic conference sponsored by Americans. The court split 6-3. Justices Douglas, Marshall and Brennan dissented. More, the majority rejected the governments plea that Mandels books were available, after all. This argument overlooks what may be particular qualities inherent in sustained face-to-face debate, discussion and questioning. In 1952, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists devoted an entire issue to the problem of Americas visa policy and its effect on the interchange of ideas between American scholars and scientists and their foreign counterparts. The general conclusion of the editors supported by printed statements of such men as Albert Einstein, Hans Bethe, Michael Polanyi and Raymond Aron was that American visa policy was hurting the continuing advance of American science and learning, and was harmful to our prestige abroad. Justice Thurgood Marshall said, It is undisputed that Dr Mandels brief trip would involve nothing but a series of scholarly conferences and lectures. The progress of knowledge is an international venture. As Mandels invitation demonstrates, individuals of differing worldviews have learned the ways of cooperation where governments have thus far failed. What illiberal visa policies do is to prevent civil society from acting independently of the State, to plead for change in its policies and advocate a conciliatory approach. By arrangement with Dawn Evidently no trick is too low for the poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh. The political stakes are specially high for the BJP, and for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular. This is conceded by all sides. In light of this, the tone of the campaign is not just getting worse, there appears to be an element of distortion of facts as well. This is a new element in the annals of electioneering in this country. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is fighting hard in alliance with the Congress to retain his government, on Friday referred to what appears to be a case of wilful distortion of facts, with the probable intention of giving the campaign a communal tinge. The PM had said in a recent election speech that the train accident in Kanpur on November 20, which took more than 150 lives, had been a case of terrorism from across the border a broad hint at conflating terrorism with Muslims. However, the UP railway police chief, at a high-level conference later, noted in the course of his talk that there was not the slightest suggestion of terrorist activity in the Kanpur disaster. He also said that the facts which have emerged suggest track fatigue. This has certainly put Mr Modi in an awkward situation. It is to be seen if the government attempts to manipulate the data on the table to give the PM a clean chit. In another speech, the PM made fun of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. He said that in Manipur Mr Gandhi told his audience while electioneering that if his party returned to power in the state, the government would open a plant to package coconut juice from the state. In an effort to make the Congress leader look foolish before a UP crowd, Mr Modi said that Mr Gandhi did not even know that coconut is not grown in Manipur, and was making wild promises out of ignorance. But in a written statement, the Congress Party spoke of malicious distortion by the PM. It said Mr Gandhi had spoken of fruits grown in Manipur, and did not refer to the coconut at all. The otherwise very active communications cell of the BJP has not responded to either the SP leaders comment on the Kanpur railway accident or the Congress challenging the PM. This is not a BJP versus Congress or SP matter. The issue here is of the credibility of the office of the Prime Minister. Junior political figures are prone to exaggerate or underplay, and sometimes resort to plain falsehood. But higher standards are expected the higher one travels. Its time India stops paying too much attention to what China may say about the Dalai Lama. For almost as long as the religious leader has lived in India since 1959 as a refugee from Tibet, China has harped on his so-called dissident activities and separatist agenda. It objects to his meeting any world leader, even Indias President Pranab Mukherjee. But the Dalai Lama has shown not the least inclination to pursue political ends, though he had to abandon his homeland 50 years ago after China began repressing Tibetans. The latest objection is to the Dalai Lamas planned visit to Arunachals famous Tawang Gompa monastery, the largest in India and one of Mahayana Buddhisms holiest sites. How anyone can protest against a religious leader praying as a monk is beyond comprehension. Chinas claim to Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet is an old one. Beijing ignores New Delhis objections to joint projects with Pakistan through Indian territory, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, but keeps stressing its claims to land that belongs to another nation, and comes up with bizarre propositions over visas from people of that region. Given the state of relations with China over issues like Indias NSG entry and foiling efforts by leading world powers to put the Jaish chief Masood Azhar on a UN terrorism blacklist it should be the least of Indias concerns that China has a bone to pick over the Dalai Lama. As far as India is concerned, the Buddhist monk is a renowned champion of world peace and is free to travel anywhere in this country. I have very often been asked (mostly by men) how I like being called a feminist. And my reply is, well, compared to the other names Ive been called, I like it very much. These are people who have never understood the definition of the word feminist, which is just the radical notion that women are human. Feminism believes that women are treated differently and unequally, simply because they are women and for no other reason and that, society needs to remedy this inequality. In our country, this inequality is carried to ridiculous heights, whether its the poor household where girls are not sent to school in favour of the sons. That is if they are allowed to be born at all. In wealthy families, things are not much better. Often, the female foetus is aborted so that the wealth is kept to the sons. In art too, women are classified into whores, sluts, dayans if they express their desires or try and fulfil them. Just recently, the film Lipstick Under My Burkha was refused a certificate by the Censor Board, which really is there only to rate a film and not censor it. This too, by a man who has admitted on television that he had not watched many of the classic movies one needs to see before he can be considered an authority on the subject. One of the most hilarious objections I read about the film in the papers was that Indian women dont masturbate. Somewhere, it seems, this has touched a raw nerve with some not-able-to-perform, illiterate males. Censorship takes away my constitutional right as a citizen to choose what I wish to view. Bollywood films are full of item numbers and I have no grouse against that. But what I do object to is this one girl dancing, surrounded by a bunch of buffoons trying to paw her. This gives the men on the streets a mixed message and we all know how they love to emulate their stars. Also, in films, books by Indian authors, TV serials, etc., sex is treated in a most degrading way. We are hypocritical about our outlook and are constantly told that to portray a womans sexual desires, needs and pleasure are taboo and vulgar. India sells everything from vacuum cleaners to paan masala through sex. And yet, we cannot have a sensible discussion with our children on this vital subject. We cannot explain to them that sex is wonderful but along with that, comes great responsibilities We are a tremendously repressed society, and it is this repression that is leading to sexual violence. India does have laws to protect rights of women but the enforcement of these laws is difficult; especially in rural areas, where traditions and superstitions are deep-rooted. There is indeed a big difference between having laws and having justice. It is true that Indias women have made great strides, but there is still so much stacked against us by a system threatened by our empowerment. The issue is not whether progress has been made, but rather how much progress still remains to be made. It is so easy to become complacent by a few examples, when what we really need to focus on is why there are not many more. This is half-joking and half-serious but perhaps, women will attain true equality when the incompetent among us will be promoted as often, as high up and in as great numbers as incompetent men are. The writer is a theatre personality The Sentinel-2B satellite will blast off on a Vega rocket from Europe's space port in Kourou, French Guiana (Photo: AFP) Europe is set to launch a fourth satellite next Tuesday for its ambitious Copernicus Earth monitoring project to track changing land cover and pollution, launch firm Arianespace said. Dubbed Sentinel-2B, the satellite will blast off on a Vega rocket from Europe's space port in Kourou, French Guiana, at 0149 GMT, the company said. "The Sentinel-SB Earth observation satellite primarily focuses on monitoring land masses and coastal zones around the world," Arianespace said in a statement. Its data will be used to monitor changes in forest cover and pollution in lakes and coastal waters, for example. The orbiter will be positioned directly opposite Sentinel-2A, launched in June 2015. "The pair of Sentinel-2 satellites will cover the Earth's entire surface in five days," said Arianespace, which launches satellites for the European Commission and European Space Agency. "This high frequency means they will capture brand-new views of the Earth, driving considerable progress in monitoring and predicting changes in vegetation and aquatic pollution." Sentinel-1A was launched in April 2014 and Sentinel-1B two years later. They are equipped with special cloud-penetrating radar with which to monitor Earth's surface by day and by night, regardless of the weather. The twins should spot anything from icebergs and oil slicks to illegal logging. Other satellites yet to be launched will focus on ocean data and Earth's atmosphere. By mapping areas stricken by flood or earthquake, Copernicus will also be able to help emergency teams identify worst-hit areas and locate passable roads, railway lines and bridges. The programme is named for the 16th-century Polish astronomer who determined that the Earth orbited the Sun, and not the other way round, as convention had it at the time. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The vest is made of layers that look like a contoured map and will be tailor-made for each astronaut. Non-metallic protective materials will be positioned on each shield to cover the organs of each astronaut. (Representational image) A vest designed to shield astronauts from deadly solar particles in deep space is set for trials on a lunar mission ready for deployment on any manned mission to Mars, its Israeli developers said. The AstroRad Radiation Shield has been devised by Tel Aviv-based StemRad, which has already produced and marketed a belt to protect rescue workers from harmful gamma ray radiation emitted in nuclear disasters, such as Chernobyl and Fukushima. The vest will protect vital human tissue, particularly stem cells, which could be devastated by solar radiation in deep space or on Mars, whose sparse atmosphere offers no protection, StemRad's CEO Oren Milstein said. US space agency NASA has said it hopes to send astronauts to Mars in the mid-2030s. The vest is made of layers that look like a contoured map and will be tailor-made for each astronaut. Non-metallic protective materials will be positioned on each shield to cover the organs of each astronaut. "This product will enable human deep space exploration. Our breakthrough has come in creating the architecture of the multi-layered shield to accurately cover the most important organs," Milstein said. "Based on our simulations, we're sure it works but to be 100 percent sure, we're sending it up on EM-1," he said, referring to NASA's Exploration Mission-1, the first flight of the combined Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule. The Orion will have its own small shelter for solar storms or flares that have dangerous bursts of radiation, and the vest, Milstein said, will offer the same degree of protection so astronauts can keep safe in other parts of the spacecraft. Astronauts in Earth's orbit, such as those on the International Space Station, do not face the same risk because they are protected by the planet's magnetic field which acts as a shield, he added. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The pre-orders for Samsungs next flagship Galaxy S8 will reportedly start from April 10, however, phone will go on sale worldwide only from April 21, as reported earlier. Samsung will be releasing two models of its next flagshipGalaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. At a press conference held in Barcelona this week, the firm confirmed to unveil Galaxy S8 on March 29, which is speculated to be held in New York. The Galaxy S8 and S8 +, are said to be available at a price of $950 (approx. Rs 64,000) and $1050 (approx. Rs 70,000) respectively. Also read: Samsung Galaxy S8 rumour round-up: Specs, price, release date Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Washington: A bipartisan group of four US lawmakers, including Indian-American Ro Khanna, on Saturday introduced legislation in the Congress to reform the current H-1B and L1 work visas and end its abuse by foreign companies. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2017 introduced by Congressmen Bill Pascrell, Dave Brat, Khanna and Paul Gosar is in addition to the nearly half a dozen similar legislations pending in the US Congress either the House of Representatives or the Senate all of whom seek to close loopholes in the H-1B and L visa programmes to reduce fraud and abuse, provide protections for American workers and visa holders. Interestingly the latest move from four Congressmen come a day after a NASSCOM delegation concluded its trip to US during which they met a number of US lawmakers to sensitize them about the importance of H-1B and L1 visas. A significant chunk of US political leadership believes that Indian companies are major beneficiaries of this foreign guest worker programme and allege that this resulted in displacement of American workers. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2017 has the endorsement of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The bill, a companion to the Senate's version sponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), would restore Congress' original intent for the H-1B and L-1 visa programs, a media release said. The bill, if passed by both the House and the Senate and signed into law by the US President, would require employers to make a good faith effort to recruit and hire American workers before bringing in foreign workers and prohibits employers from replacing American workers with H-1B and L-1 workers or giving preference to H-1B visa holders when they are filling open positions. It will modify existing H-1B wage requirements, and establish wage requirements for L-1 workers. The bill proposes to prohibit employers from outsourcing H-1B and L-1 visa holders to other sites unless the employer obtains a waiver which is available only in limited circumstances when the rights of American workers are protected. It gives more authority to the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor to investigate fraud and abuse in the H-1B and L-1 programmes by requiring the two departments to audit employers and share information, ensuring visa petitions are more effectively scrutinized. Among others it proposes to prohibiting companies from hiring H-1B employees if they employ more than 50 people and more than 50 per cent of their employees are H-1B and L-1 visa holders. This provision of the bill would majorly impact Indian companies. The bill calls for creation of a new H-1B visa allocation system that gives top priority to workers who have earned advanced science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degrees from US institutions. It recommends increasing penalties on those who violate the law, and provides visa holders with a list of rights before they enter the US to ensure they are better protected against mistreatment or underpayment of wages. "This legislation will offer reforms that eliminate the abuse of the H1-B visa programme. As the son of immigrants, I know that immigrants strengthen our nation and economy. But we cannot allow for companies to underpay foreign workers and use them to replace American workers," Khanna said. "Instead, we need American companies to invest in our own workforce. The bill will prevent the exploitation of foreign workers while still recognising the contributions immigrants make to our economy," he said. Congressman Pascrell said abusing the visa system to get cheap labor hurts the American middle class and is something he cannot accept. "The critical reforms in this bill will support American workers and create safeguards against the exploitation of visa workers," he said. "Too often companies capitalise on the loopholes in our immigration system to displace high-skilled American workers in search of cheap labor. This bipartisan legislation presents a real opportunity to prevent fraud and abuse in our visa system so it better serves the American worker," Brat said. According to the Congressman, the legislation would close loopholes in the H-1B and L visa programmes to reduce fraud and abuse, provide protections for American workers and visa holders, and require more transparency in the recruitment of foreign workers. "This bipartisan legislation would overhaul the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes to protect workers and crack down on foreign outsourcing companies which deprive qualified Americans of high-skill jobs," the media release said. A passenger uses app on the phone to check mileage of a yellow rental bike at the service points of Zhoujiazui Road. (Photo : Getty Images) Ofo, a bike-sharing startup at China, announced that it has completed a 3.1 billion yuan D-round financing that is led by global investment institution Digital Sky Technology. World's largest ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing, investment institution Matrix Partners China, and private equity fund CITIC Private Equity Funds Management Co. Ltd., also contributed in the largest single deal investment in the bike-sharing industry. Advertisement The Ofo D-round financing made the company the most valued among the bike-sharing competition. "Ofo is devoted to becoming a global influential company. We thank the choice and trust from global top-notch investors We will continue to lead the rapid and sound growth of the industry, and provide convenient short-distance traveling services for global users," said founder and CEO of Ofo Dai Wei. The data from a third-party research institution show that Ofo has taken up 51.2 percent of shares in the bike-sharing market, the company stated in a press release. The data also show that Ofo grew 218 percent in three months, which is the fastest growth in the bike-sharing industry. The Ofo mobile app has also recently reached the top charts of free applications in the AppStore of Apple Inc. Ofo has connected more than 1 million bicycles with more than 20 million registered users since June 2015. The company has provided more than 300 million travel time services for users in nearly 40 cities that are located in China, Singapore, Britain, and the United States. Digital Sky Technology also backed the fund-raising of famous global internet companies such as Airbnb and Facebook. Besides this, they also have financed a lot of Chinese companies such as Xiaomi Corp., Alibaba Group and JD.com. Yuri Milner, the founder of Digital Sky Technology, said: "DST chose the investees that will obviously become a leader of its sector, can be listed right away in theory and can sustain development in the long run." "Commentators have pointed out that companies you own have sought to import at least 1,000 foreign guest workers while turning away hundreds of qualified American workers," Durbin said. Washington: A powerful Democratic Senator and a key proponent of H-1B visa reforms has slammed US President Donald Trump for not acting on his campaign promise of protecting American workers by cracking down on H-1B visa abuse. The Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, who is also a Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, in a letter to Trump said the American people deserve an explanation for his decision not to pursue H-1B reforms on his first day in office. "Commentators have pointed out that companies you own have sought to import at least 1,000 foreign guest workers while turning away hundreds of qualified American workers," Durbin said. "I note with concern that in recent weeks one of your largest campaign donors has promised that you will not crack down on H-1B abuses and instead will seek to increase the number of H-1B visas granted each year. Just last week, your spokesman Sean Spicer suggested H-1B visa reform is not a top priority for your administration," he wrote. "On Tuesday night, I listened in vain to your address to a Joint Session of Congress for any mention of H-1B visa reform to protect American workers. Instead, I heard more scaremongering about immigrants and immigration," the Senator from Illinois said. With the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announcing that it would start accepting H-1B petitions for the next fiscal from April 3, Durbin urged Trump to "act immediately" to prevent further harm to American workers. "In early April, the government will conduct its annual lottery to decide which employers will receive Fiscal Year 2018 H-1B visas. So if you do not take action in the next few weeks, outsources will secure the right to import tens of thousands of low-wage foreign guest workers to replace American workers. This is in addition to hundreds of thousands of H-1B workers who are already employed by outsourcing companies in the United States," Durbin said. Durbin urged Trump to use his authority as President to protect American workers from H-1B abuses. For example, the Departments of Justice, Labor, and Homeland Security should investigate the replacement of American workers by H-1B workers, he said. "In April 2015, I led a bipartisan letter with then-Senator Sessions and eight other Senators requesting such an investigation. You also should immediately revamp the annual distribution of H-1B visas, which is currently done by random lottery, to instead prioritise the highest-paid workers and the best and brightest graduates of American schools," he said. "This would make it much more difficult for outsourcing companies to game the allocation of H-1B visas, which currently results in these companies obtaining tens of thousands of additional visas every year," Durbin urged the US President. Noting that the H-1B visa is commonly known as the "high-skilled immigration visa," he said the reality is often very different. Instead of sophisticated tech companies hiring top-notch computer engineers for top dollar, the biggest users of H-1B visas are outsourcing companies that use loopholes in the law to displace qualified American workers and offshore American jobs, he alleged. "Recent media reports have documented the replacement of hundreds of American workers by H-1B visa holders across the country. In the most recent year for which data is available, the top 10 recipients of new H-1B visas were all outsourcing companies that specialise in offshoring American jobs," he said. Durbin reminded Trump that last year, he campaigned with American workers who were replaced by H-1B visa holders and pledged to end H-1B abuses, saying, "I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor programme, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers for every visa and immigration programme. No exceptions," Trump had said according to Durbin. "As one step towards keeping your campaign promise, you should endorse bipartisan legislation to reform the H-1B visa programme that I have sponsored for more than a decade with Senator Chuck Grassley. Our legislation, which was cosponsored by your Attorney General, then-Senator Jeff Sessions, would end the use of the H-1B visa for outsourcing and require employers to hire American workers first, no exceptions," he said. Washington: The US has assured India that the H-1B visas issue was not a priority for it and would be part of the larger immigration reforms package that the new Trump administration is working on. The assurance came amid an ongoing debate in the US and reported moves by the Trump Administration to bring out an executive order to curtail the use of H-1B visas. "There was a sense that there is recognition of the contribution of the Indian tech sector. Certainly this is not very much...not a priority of the government. They are concerned with the immigration issue...most of the issues are quite different," visiting Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia told reporters at a news conference in Washington. "Nevertheless when it is addressed, it would be part of the overall immigration package," Teotia said. Teotia, along with Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, is currently in the US meeting top officials of the Trump administration and the Congressional leadership. India has been strongly taking up the case of H-1B visas with the Trump administration. During their meetings with the top administration officials, including Commerce Secretary William Ross, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and with the Congressional leadership, the visiting Indian officials conveyed that H-1B is a "category of trade and services" which actually helps American economy to be more competitive. "If the Trump Administration's intention is to bring back American companies to America and attract more foreign investment in America and therefore have more growth in the near term, then it was important growing America remains competitive. So, there would actually be (a) growing need for this partnership," Jaishankar said. H-1B, he noted, was a trade and business issue and not an economic issue, even though in the US context it was seen as part of the immigration basket. "What I would remind you that the President himself in his address to the Congress preferred a merit-based approach to the subject. We heard across the board a lot of respect expressed for Indian skills in the United States," Jaishankar said. "We have certainly made our point quite forcefully both in the Congress and the Administration. We believe it has been met with a degree of understanding," he said in response to a question. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. (Photo: Twitter) New York: A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in the US has been shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner's Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11:33 PM after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," Faile said Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patel's home to offer condolences to his family. "Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody," Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patel's store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. "If you didn't have the money, he'd let people have food," Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before, and did anything he could to help out in tough times. "He's watched my kids grow up, which is why it's painful. From day one he's been amazing, just awesome, and I just don't understand the sense behind it," Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his family's life, and did that. Patel's death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling "get out of my country." The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an enviornment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting. He had said America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms. Seattle: A federal judge in Seattle granted a two-week extension to the Justice Department in a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump's immigration order is blocking efforts by legal residents to reunite with their children who are trapped in war-torn countries. US District Judge James Robart, who halted enforcement of Trump's immigration order nationwide in February in a separate case brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota, said in his order that the federal government could have more time before responding to plaintiff's efforts to have the case certified as a class-action lawsuit. The Justice Department argued that Trump intends to rescind the order and replace it with a new, substantially revised executive order that may "influence the shape of the legal issues ... in ways relevant to the class certification question." After being repeatedly postponed, a White House official said Thursday a replacement order now won't be unveiled until next week at the earliest. Robart also said he understood the frustrations of the parents and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, who filed the lawsuit, over Trump administration statements that seemingly contradict those made by federal government lawyers. "The court understands Plaintiffs' frustrations concerning statements emanating from President Trump's administration that seemingly contradict representations of the federal government's lawyers in this and other litigation before the court," the order said. Nevertheless, Robart said, the court will continue to rely on statements coming from the federal attorneys. The lawsuit filed in Seattle's US District Court in late January claims Trump's order barring people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US is unconstitutional. It asked for a judge to intervene and stop the application of the part of the order that suspends visas to citizens of those seven countries. Juweiya Abdiaziz Ali, one of the plaintiffs, is a US citizen living in Seattle who started the process in August of bringing her son from Somalia. But Trump's order has her worried that her son's visa process will be indefinitely suspended, she said. Like thousands of others, those named in the lawsuit pursued the immigrant visa process that includes hundreds of dollars in filing fees, security screenings, medical examinations and interviews, Matt Adams, the group's legal director said previously. Family members perform the final rites during Srinivas Kuchibhotlas funeral in the city. Kuchibhotla was murdered in a race crime on February 22, in Kansas, United States (Photo: DC) Washington: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said on Saturday that the Kansas shooting, in which an Indian engineer was killed, should be treated as an "individual act" and the American society was very much against it. Jaishankar, who along with the Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia, held a series of meetings with top officials of the Trump's administration and Congressional leaders, said the tragic incident in Kansas featured in many of their discussions. "What we heard from very high-level, Cabinet level that we should regard this as an act of an individual. Two, the American justice system was at work, it could bring the perpetrators of this act to justice. It is being prosecuted as a hate crime," Jaishankar said. "What we have seen in the last few days, whether it is White House statement, or President's reference to it in his address to the Congress or what the (House) Speaker said after he met us...almost everybody we met, even people perhaps whose responsibility did not directly deal with this, we heard expressions of deep sorrow, deep regret and a sense of that we should really treat this as an individual act. And the American system and the American society was very much against it," he said. The incident, which is being investigated as a hate crime by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has sent shockwaves among the Indian-American across the country. Members of the community met Kansas Governor Sam Brownback seeking his assurance in protection of Indian-Americans in the State. Several Indian-Americans from in and around Washington DC and its suburb gathered at Dupont Circle in the national capital to hold a candle light vigil in memory of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, who was shot dead in Kansas City last week. "Every tragedy brings us Americans closer. We as a nation have always risen from adversities and we stand together this evening to make sure that we don't lose another American to hate or violence. It does not matter what your race, religion or colour is. We all bleed the same," said Indian-American Republican leader from Virginia Puneet Ahluwalia. Utsav Chakrabarti of the World Hindu Council said the tragic incident shows the need for an honest discourse at grassroots level about the fact that radical Islam is a religious ideology, not a "racial identity", because continued normalisation of the latter, perpetuates such heinous and barbaric hate crimes against "people of colour" including Hindus and Sikhs. "Srinu would have been 33, six days from now on March 9, had he not fallen victim to blind hate on that dark and deadly night of February 3 in Kansas. A gentle Hindu life cut short because of bigotry," said Ahmar Khan in his remarks. Washington DC Mayor Offices representative expressed solidarity at the vigil. A day earlier, a delegation of Indian-Americans in Kansas along with the Hindu-American Foundation joined the Indian Consul General in Houston, Anupam Ray, in meeting the Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and Lt Governor Jeff Colyer. "The hateful actions of one man don't define us KS welcomes & supports Indian community," Brownback said in a tweet shortly after the meeting. "Unique contributions of the Indian-community make KS a better place. We stand with them in the face of this crime," Colyer said. Brownback gave assurances that the perpetrator in custody, Adam Purinton, currently facing first-degree murder and attempted first degree murder charges, would be prosecuted to "furthest extent of the law". He further gave commitments that state officials would cooperate with federal authorities officially investigating the incident as a hate crime. "The meeting yesterday with Governor Brownback and Lt. Governor Colyer was very fruitful in my opinion," said Sridhar Harohalli, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Indian Association of Kansas City. "The delegation got an assurance that this incident will be prosecuted effectively. Governor Brownback's commitment help to get Srinivas' widow Sunayana Dummala back to her home and career in Kansas was also heartening. We look forward to working with his office on initiatives such as the Indian Heritage Month to further enhance awareness about our community in the state," Harohalli said. The delegation requested the governor to ensure that the attacker is punished to the fullest extent under the law and serve justice to the victim's families. The Governor also sent a personal message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the Counsel General. At the meeting, a message sent through a family friend from Sunayana, the widow of Kutchibotla, was read out. People carry posters during a rally in support of Muslim Americans and protest of President Donald Trump's immigration policies in Times Square, New York. (Photo: AP) Mexico: Not only is the Mexican government not building a wall; its spending $50 million to beef up its legal aid to migrants who fear deportation, a response to President Donald Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration. All 50 Mexican consulates in the U.S. on Friday launched legal assistance centers to form partnerships with nonprofit groups and tap lawyers to help those fearing Trumps policies. The diplomatic effort comes as the two countries are in a rift over Trumps plans for a border wall. While Trump says Mexico will pay for it one way or another, Mexico says it wont. It was also unveiled less than two weeks after new guidelines came out aimed at aggressively detaining and deporting immigrants by increasing the number of federal agents and strengthening cooperation with local law enforcement. Miamis Mexican consul general, Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia, said Friday that these centers would become authentic advocates of the rights of Mexican migrants. What changes today is that we are prioritizing legal matters over everything. Previously, we didnt have the need to seek so much legal support for our people, he said. But now, we need to protect them against an eventual deportation. Mexican consulates are forming partnerships with law schools, immigration clinics and nonprofit groups that litigate on behalf of immigrants. The centers are staffed with Mexican lawyers who can refer cases to organizations or clinics. They are also reaching out to private law firms interested in taking on pro-bono work. Mexican foreign minister Luis Videgaray visited New York Citys consulate Friday and called the effort a moral imperative. It is something that we will continue to do by obligation and conviction, Videgaray said. Consulates from Mexico and other Central American nations have been juggling numerous inquiries in recent months from migrants concerned about their fate and that of their U.S.-born children. Zabalgoitia said the increase in requests for documents and help is enormous, as he pointed to a waiting room with dozens of people carrying folders of documents in need of birth certificates, Mexican passports and other identifications. I used to sign two birth certificates a week. Only yesterday, I signed 15. The increasing demand comes from people like Gloria Portillo, who went to the Mexican consulate in Phoenix on Friday to renew her passport. Her visa expired three years ago, and now she is trying to start the process of becoming a legal resident after marrying a U.S. citizen but fears something could happen in the meantime. Weve been here all of our lives, we have kids, and of course were afraid to be deported, she said, also speaking of friends and relatives living in the U.S. illegally. Dozens of people visited the consulate in St. Paul, Minnesota, some lining up along the walls and asking the consul general questions. In the Philadelphia mission, which also covers Delaware and southern New Jersey, daily appointments at the consulate have doubled to 400 people, Consul General Alicia Kerber-Palma said. Near Boston, Mexican diplomats have been meeting with families at churches and community events to explain the challenges of claiming U.S.-born children, without dual nationality, after deportation. Mexican diplomats in Houston, where half a million Mexican immigrants live, said requests for Mexican birth certificates at the consulate are up 50 percent since Trump begin announcing tough measures to curb illegal immigration. The tolerance is gone. I think thats the best way of describing it, said Oscar Solis, a first secretary of the Mexican consulate in Houston. Its like in wars. They come for one person and many who are innocent or not really involved end up paying. Divina Ciriaco, a 45-year-old housekeeper who lives in the Miami area, said she is gathering all the Mexican documents she would need for her U.S.-born boy to go along with her if she is deported. We live in fear of going back to Mexico, to the violence, the poverty we suffered, said Ciriaco, who migrated along with her husband and two children 20 years ago from the state of Guerrero. She gave birth to her third child in Miami. Now, its just a matter of waiting for that day to come. Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday accused his predecessor Barack Obama of wire-tapping Trump Tower ahead of the presidential election. Trump made the allegations, without citing the source of the information, in a series of tweets and said that the former president found nothing against him. Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! he tweeted. Obama administration tapped his office even though a court had earlier turned down its request for the same. Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! he tweeted further. The US President, in an attempt to defend Jeff Sessions, also claimed that the Russian Ambassador who met Jeff Sessions had also visited Obama in the White House 22 times; 4 times last year alone. The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs..., he tweeted. Trump leveled the charges amid an avalanche of recent revelations about communications between Russian officials and some of his senior aides, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump repeatedly has denied having any personal ties to the Kremlin, and his aides have denied or played down contacts with Russian officials. But the accusations have continued amid almost daily leaks to the press that have revealed new details about links between Moscow and senior Trump officials. One such revelation earlier this week in the Washington Post about a meeting between Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak prompted the Republican former US senator to recuse himself from any investigations into the Trump campaign's possible Russia ties. Sessions had told a Senate committee under oath that he "did not have communications with the Russians," but reporters found that he had actually met the Russian ambassador twice in the months before taking up his post as attorney general, America's top law enforcement officer. Trump has expressed his displeasure over the charges -- and the barrage of leaks that led to them -- lashing out in tweets Friday directed at the top Democrats in the Republican-led Congress -- Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Nancy Pelosi. The businessman-turned-politician, who has accused his political foes of conducting "a total witch hunt" on Saturday directed his Twitter tirade at his Democratic predecessor. "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump wrote a day after departing Washington for a weekend getaway at his Mar-a-Lago Florida resort for the fourth time in five weeks. Since US intelligence took the unprecedented step of publicly accusing Russia of trying to swing the November election in Trump's favor, questions have swirled about whether some in Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow. But it has now emerged that a slew of associates aside from Sessions and already fired national security advisor Michael Flynn met Kislyak before Trump took office. The meetings have raised red flags for Democrats, who have called for Sessions to resign and be investigated for perjury. "Optimistic" about the continuation of the upward trajectory of the bilateral relationship, Jaishankar told Indian reporters here that the India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which was started under the previous Obama administration, would be held later this year. (Photo: AP) Washington: The Trump Administration has a "very positive view" of the Indo-US relationship and a lot of interest in taking the ties forward, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said on Saturday after his wide-ranging talks with senior Cabinet members and top officials in Washington. "Optimistic" about the continuation of the upward trajectory of the bilateral relationship, Jaishankar told Indian reporters here that the India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which was started under the previous Obama administration, would be held later this year. Dates were being worked out for the India visit of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to hold the first India US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue under the Trump administration. "Overall, (the) sense was that the Administration has a very positive view of the relationship, positive view of India," said Jaishankar, who along with Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia, is on a visit here to engage with the new Trump administration. "We saw a lot of goodwill and a lot of interest in taking the relationship forward," he said. Jaishankar, during his visit, held a number of key meetings here, including with Secretary of State Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security Gen (retd) John Kelly, National Security Advisor R McMaster, and Deputy Assistant to the President, Ken Juster. The visiting Indian officials, accompanied by the Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Sarna, also met the top leadership of the US Congress, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker and his House counterpart Congressman Ed Royce. They also met Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate India caucus, and Co-Chairs of India Caucus in the House Congressman George Holding and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Jaishankar and Teotia, during their visit, interacted with US businesses through the US India Business Council. "The (US) Congress has been extraordinarily supportive of the growth of this relationship. Since there has been a change in the political landscape, we thought engaging them was something which was important," Jaishankar said. "Broadly with the (US) administration, we explained to them the progress that the India US relation has made in the last many years. So it was a full spectrum (of) discussions," he said. With Tillerson, Jaishankar discussed bilateral strategic relationship as well as the situation in Afghanistan and the Asia Pacific region. Discussions with Secretary Ross were more focused on bilateral trade and economic cooperation, and with the Homeland Secretary, to some extent, issues related to immigration and also welfare of the Indians and Indian American community in the US were discussed. Jaishankar's discussions with the Homeland Secretary assume significance in the backdrop of the death of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed in a shooting by an American navy veteran. Another Indian man Alok Madasani was critically injured while an American, who tried to intervene during the shooting, also sustained injuries. "Yes, we have a strong sense of optimism. I think, the current Administration has a very strong sense of optimism about the relationship," Jaishankar said in response to a question. Ross' own business experience with India has been very positive, he said. "What we heard across the board in the Administration, whether it was business, security, defence cooperation, whether our engagement in the region or working together on international issues, overall a very positive sense of India as a partner," he said. "Also, a lot of respect for the economic changes which have taken place in India. An acknowledgement that there has been a very robust growth and that this has made India a particularly attractive partner. So a lot of appetite for working on economic cooperation," Jaishankar said. Referring to the last three US administrations, the Foreign Secretary said all of them were significantly different from the other. "And yet, India-US relations with each administration actually grew to a higher level. The sense is, this is a good relationship that this administration is inheriting. India is seen as a good solid economic partner, a country with which it has a strong security and foreign policy convergences," Jaishankar said. "At the same time given the fact that the Trump administration looks at the world quite differently than its predecessor, we need to absorb that and adapt to it and look at new possibilities of cooperation. Certainly, the sense was that we would like to do more with India," he said. Responding to a question on Trump administration's policy with regard to China and Pakistan, the Foreign Secretary said they did discuss the global strategic landscape and exchanged ideas. "In the meetings with the Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor, we discussed Asia Pacific, we discussed Afghanistan, we discussed the challenge of terrorism," he said. Jaishankar said he got the impression that the current administration was envisaging expanding their discussion with India in a number of areas. "At this time, a lot of it was conceptual. When we have ministerial visits then people would deal with it in greater detail," he said, adding that on the economic side there was great interest in growing trade, increasing investment and in finding various ways of cooperating with each other. Teotia said the plans being announced by Trump presents an opportunity for Indian companies in the US. "Our investment into the US gas (has) been growing," she said. The growth in American economy would present more opportunities to Indian companies, she asserted. "At the same time, we felt through all interactions that there is an appreciation of the acceleration of reforms in India," she added. Responding to questions, Teotia said there was no specific suggestion on a free trade agreement with India. "At this moment, I think, the focus of the administration would be in immediate neighbourhood, NAFTA. At this point of time (there was) no such suggestion," she said responding to a question on a possible bilateral free trade agreement between India and the United States. Teotia acknowledged that there was a mention of the hefty import duty in India on Harley-Davidson motorcycles. "Just an enquiry. We too are informed that Harley Davidson has set up its own plant in India already. Its their first plant in Asia and they service much of Asia from this place. As of now, we do not think it's an issue," she said. Jaishankar said he does not see any contradiction between Make in India and Hire America and Buy America. "If there is a more robust growth in America, I don't see how it is to the detriment of India. In fact, it can offer opportunity. We heard a sense of appreciation today that American companies are investing more strongly in India as well as an invitation to Indian companies to come and invest here," he said. he flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson shakes as a succession of F-18 fighter jets are catapulted into take-off, emitting a thunderous noise and leaving white mist in their wake. (Photo: AP) Aboard the USS Carl Vinson: The flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson shakes as a succession of F-18 fighter jets are catapulted into take-off, emitting a thunderous noise and leaving white mist in their wake. Crewmen aboard the aircraft carrier scramble to prepare for the next arrival in a frenetic cycle of take-offs and landings involving dozens of aircraft, a dramatic display of American power in the hotly contested South China Sea. The USS Carl Vinson led a carrier strike group on Friday in waters some 400 nautical miles east of China's Hainan Island and northeast of the Paracels, the island chain occupied by Beijing since it seized control from Vietnam in the 1970s. China claims most of the South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. China's growing military presence in the waters has fuelled concern in the West, with the United States criticising its militarisation of maritime outposts and holding regular air and naval patrols to ensure freedom of navigation. Tension between the United States and China over trade and territory under U.S. President Donald Trump has been stepped up of late, with fear in the region that the South China Sea, vital to global trade, could become a battleground between the two rival powers. Some 30 fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft took to the sky on Friday and crew in colour-coded uniform raced to service them, check their instruments and fit weapons. An overpowering smell of aircraft fuel lingered in the air. At any given time, between eight and 25 aircraft are in the air, day and night, with 15-20 on standby. USS Carl Vinson has been on patrol since Feb. 19 in the South China Sea, amid some confusion about U.S. staying power in the region under a Trump administration with policies skewed heavily towards a domestic agenda. Comments so far by Washington have caused alarm, most notably those by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who suggested during his Senate hearing that China be blocked from accessing the islands it has built and fortified with surface-to-air missiles. Rear Admiral James Kilby, the strike group commander, said the patrol was not a show of power, but a demonstration of U.S. commitment to the Asia-Pacific. "We wanted to reassure our friends and allies and our belief in the freedom of navigation and security operations that we always conducted," he reporters flown out to the carrier on Friday. "We have operated in the past, and we will continue to operate in the future. We continued to demonstrate that the international waters are waters where everyone can sail." Testing the waters Under former President Barack Obama's pivot to Asia, Washington sought to challenge China's growing assertiveness through FONOPS, or Freedom of Navigation Operations, which routinely riled Beijing, particularly those close to its seven artificial islands. Some critics say the FONOPS have been both provocative and fruitless, having failed to deter China from building up what it considers legitimate defences. A top Chinese official last year warned that FONOPS could "end in disaster". Friday's exercise was far from the disputed areas of the waterway, rich fishing grounds which contain largely unexplored oil and gas deposits. Kilby there were "contacts" with merchant, fishing and military vessels in the past two weeks, though no "incidents". He did not elaborate. China has been guarded in its response to the latest U.S. mission, which started one day after Beijing finished its own aircraft carrier exercises. It said it respected freedom of navigation and hoped the United States could "contribute positive energy towards this good situation". The crew aboard Carl Vinson will spend five months in Asia. During Friday's drills, one fighter missed its landing, or "recovery", and was made to repeat the exercise, circling the vast ship before making a perfect landing. Captain Douglas Verissimo, the skipper of Vinson, said the exercises included rigorous checks. Aircraft were simulating combat and bombing runs, performing over and over until flaws were ironed out. "Every time they land, there's someone grading them," he said. Beijing: China and India should be "more sensitive" to each other's concerns to address contentious issues and they should not allow differences to stop their "pretty close" relations from moving forward, a top Chinese official said Saturday. Being big developing countries facing multiple challenges China and India "need to be more sensitive to each other's concerns so that we can better address them," Fu Ying, spokesperson of the China's parliament, the National People's Congress, said responding to questions on India-China ties. "For some issues that cannot be worked for the moment, we cannot allow them to stop us from moving forward. We must proceed with whatever we can and advance good cooperation," she said at a crowded press conference here ahead of NPC's annual session starting on Monday. China's relations with India and the US were the only foreign policy related questions dealt by Fu in the nationally televised press conference which is otherwise dominated by the defence budget and pressing domestic issues like recurring pollution. When asked about differences over India's admission into the Nuclear Supplies Group (NSG), declaring JeM leader Masood Azhar as terrorist by the UN and India's concerns over USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor going through PoK, she said the two sides are addressing them through dialogue. Fu, 63, praised the depth and extent of the February 22 upgraded strategic dialogue in Beijing co-chaired by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar during which both sides discussed the whole gamut of their relations. "I have read the report of India-China strategic dialogue. From what I can see it is wide ranging and goes deep and positive. I feel that when we look at the India-China relations we need to see the tree and we also see the woods," said Fu, who was former Vice Foreign Minister. "Of course there are also some differences, some have been around for years and you mentioned some of them. I also hear China's concerns. Between our two foreign ministries they are covered in detail and plans have been made," she said. China on Friday expressed concern over India granting permission to the Dalai Lama to visit the Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as part of South Tibet. Fu said that despite the differences, the relations are progressing well. "China-India relations have been advancing pretty rapidly," she said. Founder and CEO of Chinese hotel group Huazhu, Ji Qi (R), French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (C) and Accor hotel group CEO Sebastien Bazin (L) give a press conference following their meeting. (Photo : Getty Images) China Lodging Group Ltd. one of the China's top hotel companies, agreed in acquiring Crystal Orange, a boutique hotel operator for 3.65 billion yuan. This is the latest sign of consolidation in the fragmented hotel industry. Advertisement China Lodging has been buying an array of smaller brands over the last five years in order to complement its HanTing budget brand. This made the company the biggest consolidators of its sector. Although the company did not provide additional details regarding this acquisition, it said that it will discuss the specifics on an upcoming earnings call that is set on March 14. The shares of China Lodging have doubled over the last year. After announcing its plan to acquire Crystal Orange, their share grew more by about 1.2 percent. The acquisition will give the company Crystal Orange's portfolio of more than 100 hotels that are located in first and second-tier cities throughout the country. China Lodging also has a major strategic relationship with Accor, the world's leading hotel operator. This strategic relationship gave China Lodging major franchising rights to both Mercure and Ibis brands. Accor currently owns 11 percent of China Lodging. China is currently one of the world's largest hotel markets as it attracts most of the world's biggest operators such as U.S. giant Marriott International Inc., France's AccorHotels, and Britain's InterContintental Hotels Group PLC. According to Euromonitor, a data tracking firm, the hotel market grew at double-digit rates at 2012 but slowed sharply in the last 2 years due to China's slowing economy. The market grew only by 2.3 percent in 2014-2015. Although China Lodging and its rival Homeinns Hotel and Management Co. Ltd. were the two leading players in 2015, they only controlled 4 percent of the overall global market. Shanghai Jin Jiang Holdings Co.Ltd., another major local player, became the market's largest company last year after buying a stake of Plateno. This made the company control 6 percent of the current market. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia said it expelled North Korea's ambassador on Saturday for refusing to apologize for his strong accusations over Malaysia's handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy at around 6 p.m. declaring Ambassador Kang Chol "persona non grata." The notice said Kang must leave Malaysia within 48 hours. Earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea formally apologize for Kang's accusations over the investigation into the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport, including that "the Malaysian government had something to hide and that Malaysia has colluded with outside powers to defame" North Korea, Anifah said in a statement. He said no apology had come and that none appeared forthcoming. North Korean Embassy officials also failed to turn up for a meeting at the foreign ministry on Saturday, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador, he said. "It should be made clear - Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," Anifah said. Kim's death has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Kang's expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah said this was an "indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities." Earlier Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong Chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang. Ri said he wasn't at the airport the day Kim was killed but police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with fake evidence." He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," Ri said. "This is when I realized that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Ri was detained four days after the attack, but police never said what they believed his role was. Two women - one Indonesian, one Vietnamese - have been charged with murder, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to respond to Ri's comments. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. Police on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but didn't say why he is a suspect. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on Jan. 29, about two weeks before Kim was killed. North Korea earlier rejected Malaysia's autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is leader Kim Jong Un's half brother. Hotel Carmen restaurant in Bembibre in northern Spain, where over 100 people partied and then fled without paying. (Photo: Twitter) Madrid: Spanish police were on Friday hunting more than a hundred restaurant customers who fled without paying the bill. The party enjoyed a 2,000-euro ($2,100) banquet on Monday at the Hotel Carmen restaurant in Bembibre in northern Spain, before promptly doing a runner. They were dancing, then suddenly they had disappeared. In one minute, a hundred people had left, restaurant boss Antonio Rodriguez told Cadena Ser radio. They didnt leave in little groups -- no, they went all at once. Restaurant staff were unable to stop them, Rodriguez said. You cant do anything when theres so many of them. The Guardia Civil police declined to confirm media reports that the fleeing diners were from Eastern Europe, but an official from the force said they were not Spanish nationals. We know roughly where they are, he added. Ankara: Turkey hit back at German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday for not criticising the decision by authorities in Germany to ban rallies in support of expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers. Ankara and Berlin have been locked in acrimony over the last few days after German towns blocked events where Turkish ministers sought to address Turks living there about the April 16 referendum. Turkish voters will be asked whether to approve constitutional changes to create an executive presidency giving more power to the head of state. "Mrs Merkel says they (the Germans) respect freedom of expression; the foreign minister says we have no impact on this decision, but if you look carefully at both, they do not criticise the decision" of the German towns, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. "They do not say the decision taken by the authorities is wrong," the minister added, speaking to reporters in the central province of Yozgat. Merkel said on Friday that the decision was "taken by municipalities, and as a matter of principle, we apply freedom of expression in Germany". In the run-up to next month's referendum, trips by Turkish politicians to Germany have come under heavy criticism as the government seeks a "Yes" vote from the huge community of Turkish expatriates. Bozdag was due to speak at a rally on Thursday in Gaggenau in western Germany but it was cancelled, while Cologne city authorities also withdrew permission for a hall to be used for a speech by Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci. A third town, Frechen on the outskirts of Cologne, scrapped a rally that had been scheduled for Sunday. . "I ask, not allowing the Turkish justice minister to speak, does it adhere or not to German human rights, Mrs Merkel?" Bozdag asked. The turmoil in relations between the two countries has been ongoing since Germany criticised the largescale crackdown on suspected coup-plotters and those alleged to have links to Kurdish militants following last July's failed coup. And ties have worsened following the formal arrest of Turkish-German Die Welt journalist Deniz Yucel on Monday who is accused of "terrorist propaganda". Referring to Germany's elections later this year, Bozdag invited German politicians to come to Turkey to campaign in front of their citizens "wherever they wanted". Turkish pre-vote rallies have also come under scrutiny in the Netherlands where Dutch premier Mark Rutte said a planned pro-Erdogan rally in Rotterdam on March 11 would be "undesirable" When asked about Rutte's comments, Bozdag said politicians in Europe were being anti-Turkey in their quest for votes ahead of elections -- the Dutch vote on March 15 -- which he said was a "big mistake". The justice minister accused "several" European Union countries of being against changing Turkey's governing system because they did not want it to be a strong and stable nation. Yemen this month marks two years since a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in support of government troops in the conflict. (AFP) Geneva: The UN health agency on Saturday said it had delivered eight tonnes of medications to hospitals in the third largest city under siege in Yemen's war. It marked the first time since the start of the conflict that the United Nations negotiated access by direct route to Taiz, crossing Yemen's frontline to distribute the vital medical supplies, the World Health Organisation said in a statement. "The truck arrived in Taiz City yesterday. The medicines have been distributed to hospitals today," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said. More than 350,000 people are in need of urgent medical aid in Taiz, where pro-government forces are fighting back a rebel assault, the Geneva-based agency said. Jasarevic added that previously the UN had only been able to get some medical supplies to Taiz via smaller, side roads in the war-ravaged country. Yemen this month marks two years since a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in support of government troops in the conflict. UN mediation efforts and seven ceasefire accords have failed to end the war, which has left more than 7,500 dead and 40,000 people wounded. Islamabad: Pakistani police have arrested a 6-year-old boy for allegedly raping a 3 and half-year-old girl in Khanpur district. However, a local court asked the police to release the boy since he was still a minor. The identities of the boy and the girl were withheld. The father of the girl told police that his daughter was returning home from school on February 23, when the alleged rapist intercepted and sexually abused her. The man further told police that he had taken his daughter to a private lady doctor who examined the minor and told him that it was a medico-legal case since the girls body bore marks of violence. Based on that report, the Khanpur police registered a criminal case against A under section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The section prescribes punishment for committing rape and carries a maximum term of either death or life in prison. After vehemently, but totally irrationally, defending its proposal to build a hugely expensive steel flyover in Bengaluru city for months, the Siddaramaiah government has at last decided to cancel the project, bowing to public pressure opposing it. The project idea lacked transparency from the beginning and the government remained indifferent and unresponsive to criticism. Even as there was a spontaneous and sustained campaign from the people against the project, allegations of corruption flew thick and fast, putting the government on the defensive, though it denied the same. But, just a few days ago, when the BJP came out with a purported diary, allegedly exposing bribery charges against the government in connection with the project, there was no convincing reply rebutting it. But, ultimately, the decision to scrap the project is a huge victory for peoples power in a democracy and it needs to be welcomed. The government finally saw reason in junking the project by positively responding to the voices of criticism, and as a senior Congress leader put it, avoided building, what would have been a monument to corruption. Looking back at this unpleasant episode, there are many lessons to be learnt. Apart from the prohibitive costs of construction and maintenance, the steel bridge elicited all-round criticism because of its environmental impact, both in terms of cutting down over 800 full-grown trees and the heat the bridge would have perennially generated once completed. Besides, experts pointed out that the 6.7 km-long monstrous structure estimated to cost Rs 1,791 crore (and likely to go up) in the heart of the city would have merely transferred the traffic bottleneck from one point to the other, without solving the problem of vehicular congestion. No public hearing was conducted before announcing the project. Deccan Herald was the first newspaper to report on the ill-conceived flyover on June 12, 2016 and raise some pertinent questions, which were followed up by the other media, leading to a huge public debate. It was refreshing to see citizens organise themselves, hold peaceful protest meetings and get experts to question the viability of the project. A voluntary group called Citizens for Bengaluru mobilised an impressive human chain opposing the project and when the government claimed that around 200 people had supported the steel flyover, the NGO collected some 50,000 signatures opposing it. It needs to be stressed that while citizens should remain vigilant about the use of taxpayers money and usefulness of the projects being taken up, the government the present and the future ones should adopt transparency and public hearing as the mantra for accountability and good governance. Instead of arrogating all the powers to themselves, the government functionaries should understand that they have much to gain from co-opting people in the development process. Prominent candidates in this phase include BSP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya from Padrauna (Kushinagar), former BJP state president Surya Pratap Shahi from Pathardeva (Deoria), Shyam Bahadur Yadav (SP), son of former Governor Ram Naresh Yadav from Fulpur Pawai (Azamgarh), SP turncoats Ambika Chowhdury and Narad Rai, who are contesting on BSP ticket from Fefna (Ballia) and Ballia Sadar. While gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is contesting from Mau, his son Abbas is in the fray from adjoining Ghosi seat. In the 2012 Assembly polls, of the 49 seats, 27 were won by SP, 9 by BSP, 7 by BJP, 4 by Congress and 2 by others. A total of 17,926 polling booths and 10,820 polling centres have been set up in the sixth phase. The highest number of 23 candidates are contesting from Gorakhpur and the least (seven) are from Mohammadabad Gohna seat in Mau district. The Central paramilitary forces assisted the local police in ensuring free and fair polls and carried out flag march in sensitive areas. The Indo-Nepal border with Maharajganj and Gorakhpur, and that with Bihar were sealed to prevent mischief makers from sneaking into the Indian territory or escaping. Police patrolling was intensified along inter-district borders and barriers were erected on highways to keep an eye on movement of vehicles. Possible trouble from Maoists and the porous Indo-Nepal border were the two biggest challenges before the police in Maharajganj. "The 84-km-long Indo-Nepal border was sealed by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and only emergency vehicles were allowed to cross the border," District Electoral Officer Virendra Kumar Singh said. Cameras were installed on trade and transit points along India's border with Nepal to prevent illegal movement of people during polling. Singh said two such cameras have already been set up at Sonauli in Maharajganj district on the India-Nepal border. An estimated 57.03 per cent voters cast their ballots today in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections covering 49 Assembly seats, including Mau, where gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is in the fray. "The polling was approximately 57.03 per cent and passed off by and large peacefully," office of UP Chief Electoral Officer said here.The polling percentage on these 49 seats was 55.04 in the 2012 state assembly polls. The poll percentage in the first phase of the current state polls was 64.22. It was 65.16 in the second phase, 61.16 in the third phase, 60.37 in the fourth phase and 57.37 in the fifth phase.Around 1.72 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, were eligible to cast their votes in today's round. A total of 635 candidates, including 63 women are in the fray in this phase.Besides SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's Azamgarh being in focus, Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency of firebrand BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, and Mau, where jailed gangster-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari is in fray, also figured in the penultimate phase of polling. This phase also covered some districts bordering Nepal.The districts where polling is going on in the sixth phase are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency has 10 assembly seats, of which SP had won nine in 2012, but this time Mulayam has not addressed a single meeting in his parliamentary constituency.The prestige of Union minister Kalraj Mishra, who represents Deoria in the Lok Sabha, is also at stake in this phase of the crucial state polls. BJP is contesting from 45 seats, while its ally Apna Dal is trying its luck in one seat in this phase.Another BJP partner Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party is contesting from three seats. While BSP fielded candidates on all 49 seats, SP is contesting from 40 seats and Congress from nine seats under an alliance. The United States today identified instances of restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs and religious freedom along with corruption and police and security force abuses as the most significant human rights problems in India. The annual 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices the first under the Trump administration - said other human rights problems in India last year included disappearances, hazardous prison condition and delay in justice due to court backlogs. "The most significant human rights problems involved instances of police and security force abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape; corruption, which remained widespread and contributed to ineffective responses to crimes, including those against women, children, and members of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes; and societal violence based on gender, religious affiliation, and caste or tribe," the report said. "Other human rights problems included disappearances, hazardous prison conditions, arbitrary arrest and detention, and lengthy pretrial detention. Court backlogs delayed or denied justice, including through lengthy pretrial detention and denial of due process," it said. It also criticised Indian government's restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs. "The government placed restrictions on foreign funding of non-governmental organisations, including some whose views the government believed were not in the 'national or public interest,' curtailing the work of civil society," it said. Observing that there were instances of infringement of privacy rights, the report said the law in six states restricted religious conversion, and there were reports of arrests but no reports of convictions under those laws. Some limits on the freedom of movement continued, it alleged. Rape, domestic violence, dowry-related deaths, honour killings, sexual harassment, and discrimination against women and girls remained serious societal problems, the report said. Child abuse, female genital mutilation and cutting, and forced and early marriage were problems. Trafficking in persons, including widespread bonded and forced labour of children and adults, and sex trafficking of children and adults for prostitution, were serious problems, it said. Societal discrimination against persons with disabilities and indigenous persons continued, as did discrimination and violence based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and persons with HIV, the State Department said in the report. "A lack of accountability for misconduct at all levels of government persisted, contributing to widespread impunity. Investigations and prosecutions of individual cases took place, but lax enforcement, a shortage of trained police officers, and an overburdened and under resourced court system contributed to infrequent convictions," the report said. "Separatist insurgents and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeastern states, and the Maoist belt committed serious abuses, including killings of armed forces personnel, police, government officials, and civilians," it said. Blaming Akhilesh Yadav for "sleeping over" the demand for justice by a "beti" in the rape case against Gayatri Prajapati, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the voters in Uttar Pradesh have got an opportunity to perform the "pind daan" (last rites) of their "tormentors". He also said that unlike the BJP, its opponents believed in "kuch ka saath, kuch ka hi vikas (with a few, development of a few)". "In this country, when we do something good, we chant the Gayatri Mantra. But, the SP-Congress alliance is chanting the Gayatri Prajapati Mantra. "A case has been lodged against him (but) the chief minister went to campaign for him while he (Gayatri) was present there...Now, the police cannot trace him," Modi told an election rally here. "A daughter is seeking justice and the chief minister is shielding the gunehgaar (guilty)...What bigger blot can there be than this that in Uttar Pradesh, when a buffalo goes missing, the government runs to find it. "But, a girl is crying for justice and the police and chief minister are sleeping...Such a government needs to be punished," he added. Prajapati was present at a poll meeting addressed by Akhilesh at Amethi, from where he is re-contesting on an SP ticket, even after he was booked at the behest of the Supreme Court in the cases of alleged rape of a minor girl and alleged gangrape of her mother. Modi's buffalo remark was in the context of the Uttar Pradesh police running from pillar to post to track down the milch animals of state minister Azam Khan which were stolen. Modi alleged that while the BJP went by the "sabka saath, sabka vikas" mantra, the aim of its political opponents was "kuch ka saath, kuch ka hi vikas" and stressed that peace, unity and brotherhood alone could usher in development. Calling on the electorate to vote for the saffron party, the prime minister said, "You have got an opportunity to perform the pind daan (last rites) of your tormentors in the last phase of polling on March 8. "...You are getting an opportunity to perform the pind daan of those, who have committed sins with Uttar Pradesh and ruined the state, by voting for the BJP, Apna Dal and Bhartiya Samaj Party, and send them packing," he said. On Akhilesh's 'kaam bolta hai' (work speaks) slogan, Modi alleged that after he "exposed" the state government at his Deoria and Maharajganj poll meetings by referring to the "poor" state of affairs in UP as mentioned in the government website, the content was removed. "The SP government is saying kaam bolta hai...I want to ask whether it is kaam (work) or karnama (misdeeds) which is speaking. "They felt bad as to why is Modi saying this...When I talked about the state of affairs as mentioned in the government website, they got frustrated that they have been exposed and their 'karname' have come out. Orders were issued to remove that page...Is there a bigger example of karnama?" he asked. On the Centre's offer to provide electricity to Uttar Pradesh, which was not accepted by the state government, Modi asked the crowd about the power scenario here. "Your chief minister says you are getting power...Is he telling the truth...He is trying to mislead the voters at the time of election. "Will you believe such people...They want power only in Saifai (the native place of the Yadavs), not in Jaunpur...Their favourites and their areas will get it but not you," he alleged. Noting that the condition of the roads in the area is poor, Modi targeted the "new friendship" between Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi and said, "Akhileshji tells me if I travel on the Lucknow-Agra expressway, I will vote for the SP. "I am asking him to ride a bicycle on the Kheta Sarai-Khuthan road in Jaunpur with his new yaar (friend) on the pillion...He himself will not vote for the SP." The prime minister assured the people that if they gave his party a majority in the Assembly, he will give them accountability. "There are reports that the BJP is getting a full mandate. Now, it is your turn to ensure heavy polling to give us a bonus, so that no one gets the excuse not to develop the state...You can take an account from me in the 2022 (next Assembly) election," he said. Starting his speech by saluting the land of Jaunpur which has given many soldiers and describing it as the "land of sacrifice", Modi regretted that people at times forget their ethics and culture and commit sins that are unforgivable. "When the army conducted the surgical strikes, it destroyed the enemy camps and came back to our motherland before sunrise. This was very courageous and every minute detail (of the operation) was planned. "The surgical strikes by India are being studied the world over," he said, alleging that there were some, "lost in their political greed", who asked the army for proof. "I want to tell them, go to Jaunpur and meet the mothers of those who have sacrificed their lives for the motherland. And you dare question them?" Modi asked. "The election results will be out soon and it will be a wipeout for the SP, the BSP, the Congress and the BJP will win...Uttar Pradesh will celebrate Holi on March 13," he said. Referring to the law-and-order situation in the state, the prime minister said, "In Jaunpur, after the sun sets, can your mothers and sisters step out of the house? Should they not have the right to live peacefully as men do?" Modi's speech was disrupted a couple of times due to the over-enthusiasm of the crowd. He also had to ask a man to come down from a scaffolding, saying, "If you fall, I will be blamed for it." Ibrahim al-Quftan, co-chair of Manbij's civil administration, told AFP that as many as 40,000 displaced people had arrived in the town in recent days. "The numbers of displaced people here are still rising because of the clashes between the Syrian regime and Daesh (IS)," Quftan said. "These people are suffering very difficult circumstances." Manbij is already hosting "tens of thousands of displaced people that fled previous clashes in the area and are living in difficult circumstances," according to Abdel Rahman. "This will make it difficult (for local authorities) to welcome a new wave of displaced people, given their inability to tend to their pressing needs," he said. Since civil war broke out in Syria in March 2011, more than half of its pre-war population has been forced to flee their homes. The northern province of Aleppo hosts tens of thousands of displaced Syrians, many in camps near the border with Turkey. Rebel backer Ankara sent its own troops into Syria in August to fight IS jihadists as well as Kurdish units in an operation dubbed "Euphrates Shield." Turkey considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which makes up most of the SDF, a "terrorist" group because of its ties to outlawed Kurdish militia in southeast Turkey. On February 23, the Turkish-backed rebels of Euphrates Shield captured the town of Al-Bab, which had been IS's last remaining bastion in Aleppo province. Tens of thousands of Syrian civilians have fled ferocious fighting between Russian-backed regime forces and Islamic State group jihadists over the past week in the country's ravaged north. Supported by Russian air power and artillery, Syrian government forces have waged a fierce offensive against IS, seizing around 90 villages from the jihadists since mid-January.Their aim, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, is IS-held Khafsah, the main station pumping water into Aleppo. Residents of Syria's second city have been without mains water for 47 days after the jihadists cut the supply.The fighting over the past week has sparked an exodus of "more than 30,000 civilians, most of them women and children," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Saturday.Most of the displaced went to areas around Manbij, under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by the United States that is also fighting IS, the monitor said. An AFP correspondent in Manbij saw dozens of displaced families speeding towards the relative safety of the town on motorcycles and in small buses and cars.Many of them looked exhausted as they lined up at a checkpoint manned by the Manbij Military Council, the SDF unit that controls the town, to be searched and get permission to enter. Experimental particle physicist Yifang Wang arrives at the 3rd Annual Breakthrough Prize Award Ceremony at NASA Ames Research Center. (Photo : Getty Images) The jury of the International Bruno Pontecorvo prize awarded the Bruno Pontecorvo Prize for 2016 to Professor Wang Yifang for his outstanding contribution to both the study of neutrino oscillation phenomenon and the measurement of the Theta13 mixing angle in the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino. The prestigious Pontecorvo Prize was instituted in 1995 in the memory of Bruno Pontecorvo, an Italian nuclear physicist that authored numerous studies in high energy physics, especially on neutrinos. He is an early assistant to Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist who created the world's first nuclear reactor. Advertisement Bruno is considered the "father of neutrino physics." The prize is awarded mainly for breakthrough experiments on neutrino physics. The Pontecorvo Prize is awarded by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia. Professor Wang is from the Institute of High Energy Physics and is the first Chinese scientist to win this award. He proposed the Daya Bay neutrino oscillation experiment in China. Wang's proposal includes a detailed detector design and experimental plan in order to precisely measure Theta13, a neutrino mixing angle. He was elected co-spokesperson of the experiment after assembling its large international collaboration. Besides the 2016 Pontecorvo Prize, Wang received multiple awards within the last three years, which includes the Wolfgang K.H. Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics in 2014, the Nikkei Asia Prize in 2015 and the Fundamental Physics Breakthrough Award in 2016. Wang received the prize along with Professor Koichiro Nishikawa from KEK Japan and Professor Kim Soo-Bong from Seoul National University, South Korea. Nishikawa worked on the Tokai to Kamioka long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment and Soo-Bong worked on the Reactor Experiment for Neutrino Oscillations. The prize list for the 2016 Bruno Pontecorvo Prize will be held in September this year. It was approved by the JINR Scientific Council at its 121st session on Feb. 24. "Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!," he said, claiming that Obama had defied a court rejection to tap his office.Trump also called Obama a "Bad (or sick) guy!" and compared the alleged tapping of his New York office to the "Watergate", the scandal in the early 1970s which brought down President Richard Nixon."How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!" he said. "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!" Trump tweeted.There was no immediate reaction from the office of the former US president. He also tried to defend Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general facing questions over his meeting with the Russian ambassador to Washington during the 2016 presidential election campaign."The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs......," he said."Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone," Trump said in another tweet.Trump's top administration officials have been facing charges of contacts with Russian officials during and after elections.One of his close aides Gen (rtd) Michael Flynn had to resign following such allegations. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 The year 2016 saw many women directors leaving their mark on cinema across the world. A spin-off from this was several women-centric films, and others that were enriched by the feminine perspective. In the interest of brevity, only a choice few can be listed here, and though the preferences are subjective, the German film, In Love with Lou A Philosophers Life, must get top billing. Director Cordula Kablitz-Post chooses as her protagonist, the pioneering psychoanalyst, Lou Andreas Salome (1861-1936), and fleshes out her life and times with great depth and sensitivity. Lou succeeds in straddling the worlds of psychology, philosophy and literature, leaving her mark in all the three areas. The romantic inclinations of Lou, as also her close friendships with Nietzsche, Rilke and Freud are explored at length. The enigma of Lou as a femme fatale, and also as one who chooses to live in a platonic marital relationship for 33 years, has the audience in a state of suspense. Director Cordula uses three female actors to delineate the role of Lou Salome at different points in her life, and cleverly succeeds in bringing out the dilemma of autonomy versus intimacy, which, whilst being true to the original story, becomes the central theme of the film. When Nietzsche presses his case for marriage, Salome argues that marriage puts the woman in a subordinate role whilst a sexual relationship has to be based on equality. Kudos to Kablitz-Post for delineating the sensibilities of this brilliant woman for an audience of another century, who might wind up realising that Lou Salome was ahead even of present times. Of liberated lives The saga of the Arab-Israeli conflict is given a new dimension in the film, In Between, directed by Maysaloun Hamoud. The film has garnered many prizes, including the best debut feature film at the Haifa Festival. Under Hamouds baton, the movie winds up as a revealing portrayal of three Arab women living in Tel Aviv, who are caught between the restrictions of their traditional societies and the liberated lives they opt to live, whilst being looked upon as second-class citizens. This film, and a few others directed by Arab women, reflect societal changes and originality in their attempt at putting the individual at the centre of the narrative, even as they break out of the male Palestinian filmmaking mould of Israeli occupation themes. At the Haifa Film Festival, the jury justified its choice by calling this film a powerful creation about women fighting to shape their fate by coping with challenges through friendship, courage, victory, and by breaking free of shackles, and the price they pay. Resonating stories Who would ever imagine that the Scandinavians practised colonialism and racism? But this is exactly what Sami Blood, the debut film by Amanda Kernell, the Swedish-Sami writer-director, reveals in this collaborative venture by Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The race, commonly known as Laplanders, were dismissively referred to as Sami folks and other worse epithets like circus animals and dirty, smelly Lapps by their well-heeled Swedish neighbours. Whilst this coming-of-age story can resonate across geographical boundaries, the film also reveals the shocking socio-cultural prejudices prevailing in the 1930s, and even worse, the almost Nazi-like genetic notions that prompt physicals, where the Sami children are poked, prodded in degrading fashion. But most importantly, this is the story of 14-year-old Elle Marja, who despite all the ills heaped upon her, is determined to fight the system in her quest to garner an education. The Bulgarian-Greek film Glory, though a collaborative effort between director Kristina Grozeva and her colleague Peter Valchanov, deserves a mention because of its relevance to present times where the media creates heroes/ villains in the twinkling of an eye. This is the fate of railway worker Tsanko Petrov who, finding huge sums of money strewn across the railway tracks, decides to return it, and the drama that unfolds next. Significantly, in 1937, India put a heroine, Shanta Apte, at the centre in V Shantarams Kunku (Marathi) and Duniya Na Mane (Hindi) where the young bride shuns the marital bed after being tricked into marrying an elderly widower; a bold theme reverberating with that of Lou Salome around the same time frame. Lusty slogans resonated through the narrow lanes and flag-waving supporters cheered heartily as top leaders of major contenders for power in Uttar Pradesh descended on this ancient temple town in a last gasp effort to swing the voters in their favour. Leading the virtual parade of the top guns was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned his visit to the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples into an impromptu roadshow, a day ahead of the one planned for tomorrow. Before beginning the roadshow through the winding streets of the city, Modi also paid floral tributes at the statue of Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya at the Banaras Hindu University, in moves loaded with symbolism in a campaign which saw BJP revive the divisive talk of Ram temple and the PM seemed appealing to religious sensibilities by his 'graveyard and crematorium' remark. Modi's roadshow came on a day when the sixth phase of polling in 49 constituencies, including Gorakhpur and Azamgarh in the state was underway. BJP leaders feel that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. Slogans like 'Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras' and 'Modi, Modi' greeted Modi as he waved from an open top vehicle covered with marigold. The only other time Modi held a roadshow here was in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls after he picked Varanasi as one of his seats. The BJP swept the 2014 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, along with its ally Apna Dal. Down in the dumps in the politically crucial cow belt state for the last 15 years before its spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which has not declared its chief ministerial candidate for UP, is banking on the personal charisma of Modi to catapult the party back to power again. Samajwadi Party president and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, also led a roadshow with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the 'Kashi Vishwanath' temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi. Amid chanting of 'shlokas', Akhilesh, sporting the red Samajwadi Party cap, was seen kneeling at the temple and seeking the blassings of the priests. Akhilesh's MP wife Dimple, who has of late emerged as a star campaigner of the party after the sulking Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav decided to largely keep away from the fiercely fought electoral battle, joined the roadshow midway. Mulayam has so far addressed only a few election meetings for his brother Shivpal and younger daughter-in-law Arpana in their Jaswantnagar and Lucknow (cantonment) seats. The alliance partners mustered thousands of supporters for their parallel show of strength. Their supporters lined the streets and showered flower petals as the roadshow inched its way through crowded streets. Posters proclaiming 'Akhilesh Again' with the image of a smiling Chief Minister were seen along the route. An incident of stone-pelting was reported near Chowka Ghat as the convoy passed by, but police denied it, saying supporters of rival parties came face-to-face over hoisting flags but a clash was averted. BSP leader Mayawati, seeking a fifth term as Chief Minister, did not visit Varanasi but held an election rally at Rohaniya, about 20 km from here, where she claimed the people at Modi's roadshow were "mere spectators" brought from neighbouring states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Mayawati said the joint roadshow by Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi reflected they had "reconciled to defeat". She said prayers being offered at temples and shrines "will be of no avail". Its a bit like viewing the Taj Mahal. Even if you have seen a thousand picture-postcard versions and read about it in a hundred travel stories, standing in front of it is an unparalleled experience. The same is true of Machu Picchu. For most people, this famous landmark is the first thing that comes to mind when Peru is mentioned. And for most travellers to this country, being amidst these remarkable ruins marks the highlight of their trip. Indeed, it was difficult not to gasp in wonder, in delight when after a short, steep climb, I caught my first glimpse of this lost Incan city in the distance. All around me, all I could hear was, This is a dream come true. And I thought, Yes, for me too. An air of mystery surrounds Machu Picchu, since most of what we know about the site now was derived by historians and archaeologists largely through conjecture. The most accepted theory is that it was created by the Inca civilisation sometime in the 15th century. But was it meant to be a city for everyone? Was it a military citadel? Or, was it an elaborate set of palaces, and religious and ceremonial enclaves for the kings? There are still more questions than answers about these ruins. Whatever it was, the UNESCO, which granted it world heritage status in 1983, says, The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is among the greatest artistic, architectural and land use achievements anywhere and the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilisation. A citadel survives While the Spanish invaders wiped out a large part of Peruvian heritage in the 16th century, Machu Picchu survived. It was only because it remained hidden under an overgrown forest for centuries, discovered by American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911. As it happens, even Bingham stumbled upon it by accident during his search for another Incan city. The name Machu Picchu means Old Mountain in the local Quechua language, which is how the peasants who first pointed the way to Binghams group, described it. When I first shared a few photos of Machu Picchu on social media, friends immediately asked if I had done the Inca Trail. An arduous four-day trek of 43 km on a relentlessly steep territory? No, thanks. This might be the most popular trek in South America, with bookings filling out months in advance (only 200 trekkers are issued permits per day), but it was not for me. Instead, I took the plush Hiram Bingham train from Cusco, the gateway town, to Aguas Calientes, the nearest railway station. It proved to be a delightful journey, with a three-course brunch, and the craggy Andes providing company all the way through. Andean might After a bus from Aguas Calientes deposited me at the site, I huffed and puffed my way up on the tall, uneven stone steps towards the sentrys hut. It was all for that unbroken view of the ruins, bounded by the lush Andean mountains. In fact, it felt like the complex itself was carved out of sheer rock face, as if in extension of the mountain. And framing the ruins from behind was the smaller Huayna Picchu (Young Mountain), which also beckons the more adventurous. I could also see the dozens of rough steps criss-crossing through the site, steps that I would have to negotiate to get around the various structures. If the Incas indeed braved these ups and downs on a daily basis, they must have been an extremely fit lot. That was not the only reason I found my admiration for the Incas growing. The grand scale on which this had been planned and built over 80,000 acres; the clever control of precious water through fountains and terrace farming practices; the Intihuatana rock that served as an astronomical clock or calendar; the skill involved in interlocking the huge rocks together without mortar, helping the site withstand several earthquakes all of this was revealed bit by bit as our guide Irma walked us through the different areas. Smug with the satisfaction of having finally experienced Machu Picchu, half-way across the world, I returned to Cusco for the night. The next morning, I woke up to a charming town, with a languid European air marked by narrow cobblestoned lanes, old-fashioned boutiques, large open spaces and ornate cathedrals. To break the browns of these ancient buildings were the colours of local Quechua women in traditional costume, casually walking on the streets, leading a llama or alpaca on a rope. I could have easily spent the day sitting on a bench at the Plaza de Armas, opposite the main cathedral, watching locals and tourists enjoy the city in their own way. In their rush to reach Machu Picchu, most travellers overlook Cusco, using it just as a temporary base. Mores the pity. As for me, I found Cusco attractive in its own right, and was delighted to discover a Peru beyond Machu Picchu. Fact file Getting there: Fly to Lima from any major Indian city, connecting via the US or Europe. From Lima, it is best to take a domestic flight to Cusco, nearly 1,100 km away. And from Cusco, there are daily luxury and economy trains to Aguas Calientes, and connecting buses for the 20-minute journey up to Machu Picchu. Accommodation: The Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel is located in a 16th-century colonial mansion in the heart of the town. There is only one accommodation option at the base of Machu Picchu, the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge. Good to know: Start and end your Machu Picchu trip with a day at Cusco, first to acclimatise to the altitude (11,150 feet), and then to explore the town, before heading off to explore the city or surrounds. How about the fragrance of our own sandalwood transcending boundaries, touching a small nation in South Eastern Africa? A farmer from Tarikere in Chikkamagaluru district has made this possible with a farmer in Malawi evincing interest in taking up sandalwood cultivation on a large scale. T N Vishukumar from Tarikere, who has 1,800 sandalwood trees to his credit at his farm, had recently visited government-owned Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM) and national tree seed centre, Zomba, South Eastern Africa, to share his expertise. Kumar attributes it to a report published in DH throwing light on his sandalwood farming, in May 2009. The report had caught the attention of African country, that has fructified with his recent visit. Agri activities Kumar had gone on invitation from Pacific Limited Company, a firm involved in large-scale agricultural activities. He shared the knowledge on sandalwood plantation, with African farmer Ismail, who is planning to plant the saplings on a large tract of 5,000 acres at Zomba city - also the administrative capital of Zomba district in that country. The officials at FRIM collected sandalwood seeds from Kumar, to conduct some experiments before giving permission to Ismail. Kumar has also brought home soil of Malawi and has sent the same for test at institute of wood science and technology, Malleswaram in Bengaluru. It is a research centre working under the Union ministry of Environment and Forests. An eternal rebel always hides in a students mind. They believe, as French philosopher Albert Camus wrote 66-years ago in The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt, to remain silent is to give the impression that one has no opinions, that one wants nothing, and in certain cases it really amounts to wanting nothing. And Indian students do not want to remain bullied, scared or imprisoned to silence any more. What do they face? An insensitive police, an unimaginative political leadership of post-truth era, a restrictive society that wants to decide what will they wear and whom will they fall in love with. The rebel in the student is not willing to take it lying down and campuses are on fire again. Delhi University is the latest to be added to the list, as the Sangh-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarti Parishat (ABVP) is at loggerheads with their opponents. If Rohith Vemula stood up and was later silenced into suicide last year, Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid rose to fill the gap. Now, 20-year-old Gurmeher Kaur has become the rallying point after she used just 25 words to oppose the ABVP whom several have accused of indulging in violence. The trigger was an invitation to Khalid, who was in the eye of a storm over a function on Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru to a seminar Culture of Protests in Delhis Ramjas College. Some say the fight is for controlling university campuses where the Right-wing has not had much hold. They cite protests and resistance that have been triggered in Hyderabad Central University (HCU), IIT-Madras, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and elsewhere since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014. The campus has turned into a laboratory to test whether students are patriotic enough and not whether they have assimilated critical thinking ability. The university campuses have not made headlines for some months now, but the lull was broken on February 21 in Ramjas College where the seminar was organised by the English Department. Violence broke out in the campus and the hands-tied police added fuel to the fire through its inaction. The ABVP made the invitation to Khalid a contentious issue. After ABVP-controlled DU Students Union (DUSU) raised objections about Khalids presence and the police said they cannot assure protection, the invitation was recalled. The seminar was held without Khalid but all was not over. The ABVP activists continued the protest which later turned violent as they pelted stones and bottles at students and teachers who took out a silent march to protest against the Sangh outfit. The ABVPs point was that they would not allow anti-nationals to propagate their views. The two-day seminar was called off. Had the violence been nipped in the bud, it would not have spiralled into a wider protest. The next day, Delhi Universitys North Campus was tense and police were deployed. Students, including those belonging to the Left-affiliated All India Students Association (AISA), wanted to take out a march from Ramjas, but ABVP activists had other ideas. They blocked the entry and exit points and targeted students. Clashes broke out between both groups of students. An assistant professor had to be taken out in an ambulance. Later, students went out to protest as police formed a human chain. Still they were attacked, and the police suddenly decided to clear the area and resorted to caning the students. Journalists, too, had to bear the police fury. Some of them removed their nameplates, punched and kicked protesting students and mediapersons who were covering the incident. An inspector was heard lamenting to a journalist later that his juniors did not listen and targeted students. Partisan police The police were accused of partisan behaviour. An FIR was filed on the basis of the ABVP complaint of raising anti-national slogans, which included demands for azadi for Kashmir and naxal-affected Bastar. But complaints from the other side were not turned into cases, students allege. The police did not take proactive steps to defuse the tension or ensure security of students, rather they beat them up. Girls were physically targeted by the police and some section of the students. The police van stationed outside Ramjas became a platform for ABVP activists to pelt stones at their opponents. The police are supposed to uphold Constitution and not just law and order. It is their duty to ensure that freedom of expression, a vital right ensured in the Constitution, is protected. An imagined fear should not be the reason for restricting someone from speaking his mind. One of the highlights of the protests came on February 24 when Gurmeher, a BA English Honours student at Lady Shri Ram College and the daughter of a martyred soldier, tweeted her photo with a poster, which read, I am a student of Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me. #StudentsAgainstABVP. It struck a chord with many students. But Gurmeher had to face more. Someone dug out an anti-war video made by her a year ago in which she says Pakistan did not kill her father, but war did. Some chose to twist the message or refused to understand what she meant. The troll machinery was on a roll and rape threats were issued online. Not just students or BJP supporters but Union ministers and senior BJP leaders and sportspersons jumped on to troll her and give her unsolicited advice on nationalism and how she was influenced by the Leftists. Whether it was Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju or senior ministers like M Venkaiah Naidu, all waded into the controversy abandoning nuance. Campuses were once again pictured as den of criminals and anti-nationals while issuing warnings that no subversive action would be allowed. Curiously, all these comments were made while not a word was said against the country as they believe. Khalid had a point when he said ABVP indulged in violence though he did not participate and their problem is with dissent in democracy. If a country fears a student with an independent mind, the problem is not with the student. As President Pranab Mukherjee said in Kochi recently, these temples of learning must resound with creativity and free thinking and those in universities must engage in reasoned discussion and debate rather than propagate a culture of unrest. It is important that our campuses do not slide into such an abyss. Frothing and on fire, Bengalurus biggest waterbody, the Bellandur lake has shot off another warning sign of its terminal illness. Polluted beyond half-hearted redemption efforts, the lakes message is unquestionably clear: Long stuck in planning, the revival plans have to take off. Now! In its wide expanse of 379 hectares, the lake under the Koramangala Challaghatta Valley receives over 40% of the citys mostly untreated sewage. This has triggered pollution so extreme that it has turned the water toxic, contaminated the groundwater all around and played havoc with the ecosystem. Incessant sewage inflow Incessant inflow of heavy metals through sewage and storm water drains has pushed the lake to almost a point of no return. Every settlement around the lake is at risk, the water and air around thick with health hazards. Death and despair looms in its vicinity. But the danger goes beyond. Irrigated with the toxic water, vegetables cultivated on the banks of Bellandur and Varthur lakes find their way to the citys markets. So do the fish. Enriched by the pollutants, the proliferating water hyacinth on the lake surface is a clear sign of the decay, both visible and underneath. As Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) informs, the hyacinth blocks sunlight from penetrating the surface, dramatically reducing the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels. Alarming water quality Water quality parameters monitored at three different locations in Bellandur lake by KSPCB in December 2016 gave out alarming results: Except water temperature, pH and lead, all other parameters were beyond the tolerance limits, analysed the Board. The DO levels had dipped to 2.20, 2.36 and 2.66 milligrams / litre at the three points, way below the > 4 mg/l optimum range. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) concentration, at 10.96 to 12.28 mg/l was at least four times higher than the limit of less than 3 mg/l. The Carbon-dioxide (CO2) concentration was also extremely high, while Nitrate Nitrogen and Phosphate Phosphorus were two times higher than the optimum range. In its report, an expert committee on rejuvenation of Bellandur lake, has acknowledged the poor management of waste water flowing into the lakes. The lakes have come to suffer abnormal levels of pollution, it said. Multiple pollutants The pollutants were linked to septicity, obnoxious odour, aerosols with toxic volatile organic compounds, eutrophication, breeding of mosquitoes, disappearance of native fish species, algal bloom, and profuse growth of invasive exotic aquatic macrophytes. The local community had also complained to the panel about water-borne diseases and contaminated borewell water. The committee is convinced of the problems faced by the local biological entities (humans, livestock, etc.) of serious water and soil contamination and consequent impacts in the food chain. The biggest cause of pollution was clearly the release of untreated sewage, poorly treated industrial effluents and domestic sewage into the lake. Inefficient STPs Over the years, 252 residential apartments have sprung up in the Bellandur catchment area. Many of them have installed Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), although treatment efficiency is questionable. An estimated 480 MLD of total waste water flows in the catchment area, partly treated by the STPs, the report says. So, what has been done so far to translate plans to action? The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) says tenders are being floated for deweeding and installation of aerators in the lake. These measures are critical to remove the macrophytes /hyacinth and boost dissolved oxygen levels inside the waterbody. Community consensus For years, the local community, lake activists and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers have been campaigning hard to work out some action plan to stem the lakes decay. But differences had cropped up on the method to be adopted. This has now been resolved, says Elangovan from Whitefield Rising. An active citizens collective, Whitefield Rising now wants the short-term measures recommended by the expert panel to be immediately and simultaneously implemented for both Bellandur and Varthur lakes. The panel had mandated that macrophytes have to be regularly harvested to curtail accumulation of nutrients, dumping of municipal solid waste halted and all waste processing units in the vicinity of the lakes evicted. Jakkur lake model The survey sketch for both Bellandur and Varthur lakes, says Elangovan, should be published immediately and the water bodies fenced. These two lakes need to be desilted, macrophytes removed and treated waste water let in through the wetlands and shallow algae ponds, as is done for Jakkur lake. Not everyone is convinced that the lake panel's report will lead to concrete action unless the symptoms are identified and well-documented. Researcher Nagesh Aras suggests that the fire spots and garbage/construction debris dumping sites should be mapped. Crowd-source evidence Simply put, the need is to crowd-source the evidence by marking all the black spots on a map. Volunteers could take photographs of each black spot and upload them through their smartphones. This could be an anonymous exercise, says Aras. The data thus collated with GPS-positioning could be furnished to the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Only then can a properly structured remedial action work. Or else, he warns, the attention sparked by the fire and smoke will subside without a whimper. A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces on Saturday in the volatile Tral area of south Kashmirs Pulwama district. A source said security forces had inputs that Sabzar Ahmad Dar, who replaced the slain Burhan Wani as commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, was among the three militants who were hiding in a house in Hafoo Nazneenpora village of Tral. As soon as the security forces approached the house, the militants opened heavy fire which was retaliated, triggering an encounter. While Sabzar managed to escape, a local and a Pakistani militant continued to fire on the search party. A police officer confirmed to DH that one militant has been killed in the ongoing encounter. However, his identity was not known immediately. Sabzar, also known as Sab Don, became the new poster boy of militancy in Kashmir after Burhan Wanis killing on July 8. A native of Tral, 26-year-old Sabzar is among the fresh breed of militants who followed Burhan in south Kashmir since 2010. In December 2015, the police announced a cash reward on a group of militants and Sabzar was among them. Reports stated that during the encounter, hundreds of civilians from adjoining villages tried to march towards the site to help militants escape. Security forces used tear gas shells to disperse protesters, who did not relent and in the melee, a service rifle of a Central Reserve Police Force trooper was snatched, reports added. A police officer confirmed that a youth armed with sticks attacked the CRPF trooper at Tral Bus Stand before fleeing with his INSAS rifle. Despite army chief Gen Bipin Rawats warning last month, that those trying to disrupt anti-militancy operations in Kashmir will be treated as overground workers of terrorists and can be fired on, several incidents of stone-pelting during encounters have been reported. Later, during a visit to Kashmir in the last week of February, Gen Rawat had said that coordinated efforts by security forces were needed to deal with the problem of stone-pelting in the Valley. Alibaba's Jack Ma (Photo : Getty Images) Daraz, an online store that operates in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, is seen as a likely target for Jack Ma's expansion, following the $1 billion deal to acquire Lazada last year. Advertisement The Express Tribune said that after the Lazada deal, Jack Ma wants to provide "e-commerce training" for small businesses in six countries where Lazada operates. He also wants to teach Lazada on how to sell directly to consumers without the need for middlemen. But before Alibaba can trade across Asia, it must first find a solution to logistics issues before it dominates consumer purchases in the region. The e-commerce giant has already made headway into its expansion as Ant Financial had made investments in India, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines. It also bought Moneygram, a U.S. remittance company, for $880 million. Alibaba's bigger aim is to dislodge Amazon in the region, even without physically entering the market, which it will do by acquiring assets or making investments to reach its goal. According to the report, Daraz fits into Alibaba's vision and the Chinese government's goal to become the hub of global trade, through the "One Belt, One Road" initiative. China considers Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka as important parts of the Silk Road. In fact, the Chinese government has pledged to spend about $50 billion to help improve logistics, communication, power generation and build schools and hospitals in Pakistan. In addition, China also helped build Hambantota port in Sri Lanka to integrate logistics and secure sea lanes. Alibaba wants to sell goods to the world and the Silk Road initiative provides the opportunity for the company to realize it. Having Daraz would give Alibaba access to the frontier markets of Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, although AliExpress is already present in these countries. Bjarke Mikkelsen, CEO of Daraz Group, is reportedly spending more time in China to study products they could sell to its markets. Although he denied rumors that Alibaba is interested in buying the company, he said that they are "constantly in touch with friends in Lazada". Another reason that fuels speculation on Alibaba's acquisition is the report that Daraz has hired Zain Suharwardy, a former senior Lazada VP based out of Malaysia, to manage its operations in Pakistan. Another hint is the January meeting between Jack Ma and Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Ma expressed interest in helping small business in developing countries and that they are monitoring e-commerce development in Pakistan. The report said that Daraz would be worth about $100 million to $150 million, in case Jack Ma decides to buy the company. If that happens, Alibaba will not only have access to about 450 million people in the four countries but will help China improved its ties as well. The body of Lance Naik Roy Mathew (33), who was found dead near an army camp in Nashik in Maharashtra, was on Saturday buried with full state honours in his home town of Ezhukone in Kerala. His family members reiterated their demand for a probe into his death on Saturday. Earlier, a second autopsy was conducted at the Government Medical College Hospital following a request from his family members. The Kollam Rural Police had passed on the request to the district administration. Mathew, a gunner, was reported missing from the Deolali cantonment on February 25. On Thursday, his family was informed that he had committed suicide. Sometime before his death, Mathew had appeared in a media sting operation video, in which he had complained of harassment while performing his sahayak duties. Some of Mathews relatives said that the jawans body was disrespected at the airport here after it arrived around 9 am. They said that the body was left unaccompanied for about 30 minutes. There was confusion regarding the permission for the second autopsy, that led to arguments between the jawans relatives and the police at the airport. Speaking to reporters, Finy, Mathews wife, demanded justice for the family and a probe that revealed incidents that led to the jawans death. After the autopsy, Mathews body was taken to Kollam by road. Hundreds paid respect to the departed soldier before his body was buried. A students march against the RSS-affiliated ABVP on Saturday featured issues beyond free speech, such as the simmering discontent against the Centre finding expression through colours, posters and poetry. What was billed as a citizens march against the ABVPs role in the North Campus violence on February 22, turned into a forum where issues ranging from assault on Dalits to the missing JNU student, Najeeb Ahmed, came up. Najeeb needs support like Gurmehar (Kaur) has received. Keep fighting for him. The entire Delhi Police force cant find Najeeb as it is busy lathi charging students.... the ABVP is the biggest anti-national organisation in the country, Najeebs mother Fatima Nafees said. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday visited Kansas hate crime victim Srinivas Kuchibhotlas family and spent almost an hour at their Bachupally residence. The chief minister assured Srinivas widow, Sunayana Dumala, that he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about issues related with her dependent visa and protection of all Telugus in the US. Srinivas Kutchibhotla was murdered in a bar in Kansas in the US on February 22. Sunayana has a much bigger role now in her hand. She must unite and inspire immigrants in that country as immigrants brought prosperity to that nation, Naidu said, after meeting Srinivas kin. Following Srinivas fathers request, Naidu said that he will direct TDP MPs in New Delhi to provide all possible assistance to Sunayana to help her return to Kansas and pursue her dreams. She must continue to do what Srinivas always wanted to do, to excel in the chosen field, she must fulfil his dream, the chief minister said, adding that Telugus must forgo regional feelings and unite for a common good. Reacting to the killing of Indian-origin businessman Harnish Patel in South Carolina, USA, the chief minister said that the problem of racial attacks on Indians must be dealt with at the national-level. While local courts handed 136 death sentences last year, almost twice the numbers given in 2015, acquittals by higher courts tripled, a new study has found. The Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistics 2016 prepared by the Delhi-based National Law University (NLU) also said that there are 397 prisoners on the death row in India. The countrys sessions courts appeared more inclined to award death sentences as there was a 94% rise in death penalties in 2016, a substantial jump compared to 2015 when there were only 70 judgements awarding the capital punishment. Also, considering the significant number of acquittals and commutations by the higher courts, questions have been raised over the local courts rationale in handing death sentences. In 2016, high courts commuted 44 death sentences, as against 15 in 2015, while the Supreme Court commuted seven death sentences against just one in the year before. Also, the high courts acquitted 14 people last year -against three the year before- and confirming the sentences of 15, while the apex court freed three death convicts as against none in 2015. A Private Members resolution moved by CPI MP D Raja in the Rajya Sabha earlier had said that the Supreme Court itself has admitted to errors and miscarriage of justice due to arbitrary application of death penalty. The Sangolli Rayanna Brigade, under the patronage of BJP leader K S Eshwarappa, has once again begun its activities. On Saturday, the Brigade held a programme in Bengaluru where Eshwarappa said that despite instructions from party president Amit Shah, state president B S Yeddyurappa has failed to convene a meeting to sort out differences in the party. Eshwarappa, interacting with the media, said, The fight would continue till the party revokes the suspension of those who attended the Brigade programmes. They should also be given suitable positions in the party. He said that on the directions of Shah, a committee of four members has been formed to find solutions to the problems in the party. But so far, the panel has not met, he added. When I held talks with Shah and Yeddyurappa, I was told to ensure that the Brigades activities are apolitical. The instructions were followed. The Brigades activities would not be stopped as it is not against anyone. The Brigade will work towards bringing the BJP back to power. The BJP leader said the Brigade would hold its programme on the 4th of every month. The next meeting would be in Davangere, he pointed out. He also released the Brigades office-bearers list. The president is K Virupaksha, working president is K Mukadappa and former mayor D Venkatesh Murthy is among the four general secretaries. The highly battered and bloated body of a 19-year-old man floated up in the Vrishabhavathi canal in Kengeri, west Bengaluru, on Friday. Passersby found the body around noon and called the jurisdictional Kengeri police. His legs and hands were tied with a rope and the body bore several injury marks. Police later identified the deceased as Suri, a resident of Chikkalasandara near Subramanyapura. They suspect that he was murdered elsewhere at least three days ago and his body was dumped in the canal. Preliminary investigation showed that Siris parents had disowned him almost 12 years ago and did not maintain any contact with him. He did odd jobs to make a living, police said and added that they were hunting for the killers. People cheated by TGS Properties, Dreamz Infrastructure and Gruha Kalyan will take out a march from Bengaluru City railway station to the Freedom Park on Sunday and Monday, demanding action against the real estate companies. A blood donation camp also has been organised as part of the protest. At least 7,000 families are said to have been duped by the companies in the last four years, said Rajani Nair, one of the victims. The worst affected are the lower middle class and senior citizens, who invested their lifes earnings in the housing projects. Govt should intervene People broke their fixed deposits, used up their pension, and pawned and sold jewellery to have a roof over their heads. The government should help us get our money back and bring the guilty to book, Nair said. Taking a leaf out of India's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, West African nation Senegal has decided to launch 'Swachh Senegal', by installing precast toilets developed by Bengaluru-based retired Isro chief engineer H Raja Simha. Seydon Sane, Mayor of Ziguinchor, the second largest city of Senegal, watched the live demonstration of the construction of precast toilets in the city on Saturday. Speaking to DH, Sane said: We saw Raja Simhas invention on social media and got in touch with him as we found it cost effective, long lasting and easy to build. The precast toilet can be built within a few hours. We will instal 100 units at Ziguinchor under a pilot phase and later across the town, depending on the requirements. Sane said he will launch the Swachh Senegal programme by installing toilets in rural pockets of the town and at required households within 3-4 months. Simha, who has been a technical advisor to BBMP, Bescom and various government departments, said the patented twin pit, pour flush, prestressed and precast rural toilet kit comes with concrete walls, nuts and bolts, two soak pits, door, junction box and other features and costs Rs 12,000 as against the normal construction cost of Rs 35,000. Anyone can instal the toilet by just following instructions that come with the kit. Sane and another African delegate Ndeye Fatou honoured Simha with the Outstanding Engineer award and signed an MoU with him for the pilot project that would be executed through the World Bank and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). State shows no interest Karnataka, which has just three open defecation free cities, however, has not shown interest in adopting the affordable toilet kit developed by Simha. Simha said Gujarat and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu have replicated his design. It has a life span of 50 years and is compact. I chalked out the idea a year ago and so far, these models have been replicated at Daman and in Gujarat with the installation of more than 1,000 precast toilets. The Karnataka government has not shown interest in the project so far, he said. According to the Swachch Bharat Mission, only three cities in the state Mysuru, Udupi and Mangaluru are open defecation-free while the rest of the state, including Benglauru, still practises open defecation. A Bengalurean, whose wife went to Saudi Arabia to work as a domestic help eight months ago but has been kept in illegal confinement since, has approached the Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, seeking help to bring her back to India. Advocate B T Venkatesh has written to the minister on behalf of his client, R Baskaran, a mason by profession. He has also contacted Swaraj on her Twitter handle and the MEAs e-mail ID. Baskaran, a resident of Thotagere village, Railway Gollahalli, said his wife, Ranjitha, was sent to Saudi Arabia by two employment agents Kavitha, from Bengaluru, and Meeran Nagur, from Chennai. She is under the control of a contractor named Lati. She is physically and mentally abused, starved, made to work for 18 gruelling hours a day and not being paid anything. In the last eight months, she has worked in more than 37 places. Ranjitha speaks only Tamil and Kannada, and can barely sign her name. On March 2, Ranjitha managed to escape the illegal confinement and approached a police station in Dammam. Lati is trying to contact her but she is scared to go back to him. On March 3, around 7.15 pm, police asked Ranjitha not to complain against anybody as she may not be able to return to India. They have taken her in a vehicle without saying where she is being taken. 2017 International Nanomechanical Science and Technology Forum to Be Hosted In China Image shows the NanoFlip Nanoindenter of Nanomechanics, Inc. (Photo : Facebook) Nanomechanics Inc., a designer and producer of advanced nanoscale metrology products, will host the 2017 International Nanomechanical Science and Technology Forum in China from March 13 to March 17, 2017. Advertisement The company comprises of world-class scientists and engineers with unparalleled expertise in advanced instrumentation software, precision mechanical design, and materials science. Over the last three decades, nanomechanical science has developed as the technique of choice for measuring the mechanical properties of small volumes of materials such as thin films. The free forums will be held in Ke Chieh Tech Limited Company and National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering of Taipei on March 13, Tsinghua University in Beijing on March 15, and Shanghai Jiaotong University in Shanghai on March 17. Professors, scientists, and students that deal with biomaterials, nanocomposites, metal alloys, polymers, and plastics are encouraged to attend the forum. Attendees will be able to receive theoretical and practical knowledge about thin-film modeling, dynamic indentation, the Oliver-Pharr method and contact mechanics. Sebastian Ward, the vice president of sales and marketing at Nanomechanics Inc., said: "Our goal for the forum is to provide the most current information to those working in this field and enable them to engage with pioneers of the industry and ask questions on these topics." "We also want to encourage the Chinese and North American scientists to research and work together," he added. Dr. Warren C. Oliver, the president of Nanomechanics. Inc., will be presenting "Recent Advances in Materials Characterization Using Instrumented Indentation Tests," which covers three new instrumented indentation techniques in materials characterization. Dr. Yujie Meng, the business development manager of Asia at Nanomechanics, Inc., will be presenting 'Nanomechanics: Unbridled Innovation', which covers how the products, key technologies and technical expertise of the company can benefit research. In addition to this, professors will present interesting topics on the forums. Prof. George M. Pharr will discuss "Measurement of Power Law Creep Parameters by Nanoindentation," Prof. Qiang Guo will present "Strengthening and Toughening Mechanisms in Graphene-al Nanolaminated Composite Micro-pillars," and Prof. Qunyang Li will deliver "Understanding and Tuning Frictional Properties of Graphene at the Nanoscale." The state government is seriously considering a proposal on Metro link to Kempegowda International Airport from Gottigere via Nagawara, said Bengaluru Development Minister K J George. During an interaction with the residents welfare associations of Sarvagnanagar Assembly constituency on Saturday, George said, The discussions are underway on providing Metro link to KIA. The Metro line between Gottigere and Nagawara will be totally underground. Officials from the BDA, BWSSB, BBMP and BMRCL attended the meeting. He said, The government has released Rs 16 crore to the Railways to construct a bridge in Maruthiseva Nagar. A feasibility report on providing a vent near Lingarajapuram is being readied. On the proposed HBR Layout ground-level reservoir, he said the BDA had already given the required land to BWSSB and the water board would commence work in April. The minister also stressed the need for upgrading the KPTCL Sub Station in the area. Kannada movie Eradanesala has run into a controversy with the producer accusing the director of breach of agreement over the films promotion. Producer Yogesh Narayan has filed a complaint before the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) seeking action against director Guruprasad. The movie was released on March 3 and stars Dhanajaya and Sangeetha Bhat. Guruprasad has stayed off promotional activities of the movie. He has not been responding to calls. He has breached many conditions of the agreement including his presence in promotional activities. Hence, I have lodged a complaint with the KFCC, the producer told DH. He said the deadline to complete the project was nine months, but Guruprasad took four years to complete it. The movie is running to full houses and there are additional shows in multiplexes in Bengaluru on Sunday. Guruprasads absence in promotional activities may adversely hit the movies prospects, he said. KFCC president Sa Ra Govindu said he was yet to go through the complaint. KFCC will hold a meeting and take action against Guruprasad if found guilty, he said. Narayan said he would lodge a police complaint if KFCC fails to act against the director. Guruprasad said he would reply to charges against him on Monday. An unidentified man lured a 13-year-old girl with the promise of wedding leftovers, took her to a eucalyptus grove and then raped her repeatedly. The incident occurred in Rajanukunte near Doddaballapur, Bengaluru Rural district, on February 24 but the girls parents filed a police complaint on Saturday. The man had approached the girls parents, who are roadside vendors in Sanjaynagar, north Bengaluru, saying he had plenty of leftovers from a wedding and was distributing it among people. He asked them to come with him and collect the food. The couple sent their teenage daughter with him. The man took her in his vehicle and drove to a eucalyptus grove in Rajanukunte. But instead of giving her the food, he pounced on her and raped her repeatedly. He dropped her off at her house at 9 pm and drove off. When her parents asked the girl about the food, she kept quiet. Finally, she spoke up on Saturday. Her parents then approached the Sanjaynagar police and filed a complaint. A Pocso case has been registered and police are checking CCTV camera footage to identify the culprit and track him down. Held for colleagues rape A 32-year-old man was recently arrested for raping his colleague several times after promising to marry her. The Hanumanthanagar police arrested Ravi Kumar, a resident of Jayanagar 7th Block, based on the complaint filed by a 30-year-old woman. Kumar was working with her at a private company in KR Puram. A couple of years ago, they developed intimacy. Kumar proposed to her and the woman accepted his proposal. Both of them had a physical relationship. A couple of months ago, Kumar started ignoring her and told her he would not marry her. She tried to convince him but in vain, said police. The woman, who felt cheated, approached the police and filed a complaint claiming that Kumar had raped her several times. Both Kumar and the woman were subjected to medical examination, police added. Bizman accused of rape A 39-year-old woman has accused a Gujarat-based businessman of sexually harassing her on the false promise of marriage. In a complaint at the Sanjaynagar police station, the woman said she was in a live-in relationship with the 59-year-old man for more than 10 years. The businessman had promised to marry her. But whenever she broached the subject with him, he shrugged it off, giving one excuse or another. The couple quarrelled recently and started living separately. Later, the woman approached the police and filed a complaint of rape. A police officer refused to reveal the businessmans identity, saying the complaint was still being verified. He said they would arrest the man if the rape allegation was found to be true. A land dispute in the family and sorcery are believed to have led to the killing of Ayesha (10), a resident of Magadi town in Ramanagaram district. Magadi town police on Saturday detained seven people, including an astrologer from Bengaluru, in connection with the murder. On Friday, a highly decomposed body of the fourth standard girl was found in a gunny bag behind a mosque in Magadi. The police had suspected that the girl had been sacrificed in a black magic ritual. Police said, during interrogation, the suspects confessed that a property litigation between Ayeshas father Mohammad Noorullah and his relatives made them commit the crime. The relatives approached an astrologer, seeking remedy to the land dispute as well as health problems plaguing one of Noorullahs brothers. The astrologer advised them to sacrifice Ayesha, police said. She was abducted on March 1, but the murder came to light on Friday. Passersby noticed the body and informed the police. MLAs H C Balakrishna and Zameer Ahmed Khan met members of Ayeshas family and handed over a compensation of Rs 2 lakh. They said they would request Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to order a CID probe to bring the culprits to book. Drunk man murders wife A man murdered his wife by hitting her head with an axe at his house in Sompur village near Sarjapur on Friday night. The deceased has been identified as Rajamma (35). According to police, Rajamma was married to Anand for 15 years and the couple had no children. While Anand was a labourer, his wife used to work as a housekeeping staff at an office in Sarjapura. Anand was addicted to liquor and the couple used to fight frequently over this issue. On Friday night, Anand returned home inebriated and picked a quarrel with Rajamma. In a fit of rage, he hit her head with an axe. Rajamma fell down and started bleeding profusely. Neighbours shifted her to a nearby hospital where she died after some time. After coming to know of the incident, the police arrested Anand early on Saturday morning. He has been remanded in judicial custody, the police added. Postgraduate medical and dental students staged a protest outside the office of Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) on Saturday, demanding admission to post-graduate (PG) medical and dental seats in all colleges in the state should be through a common counselling. Hundreds of candidates had gathered on the first day of the document verification at KEA. The protesters said that though the Union government has done away with multiple tests through NEET-PG, private colleges and deemed universities are exploiting them by holding multiple counsellings. Students demanded that the state government should hold talks with the colleges part of Consortium of Medical Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (Comed-K) and deemed universities and, ensure common counselling this year. Students also demanded that seven years domicile should be made mandatory for candidates to be eligible for the PG seats in the state quota. They want to prevent students who have completed MBBS and BDS from outside the state getting a PG seat in Karnataka. The protest was later withdrawn after senior officials from the medical education department intervened. According to a senior official with the department of medical education, the state is yet to finalise on the method of counselling. As of now, counselling would be conducted separately by the deemed universities, private colleges (Comed-K) and KEA. Dr Sharanprakash Patil, minister, department of medical education said, The government is considering several factors such as concession of seats and deciding on a form of counselling accordingly. To ensure transparency, we are looking at a common platform for counselling. It would be conducted by separate entities as planned before. However, this would be done at a common place on different dates to help the students. The entire process would be monitored by the government," he added. The Shanghai Jaio Tong University logo. (Photo : Twitter) A research institute of Jiao Tong University in Shanghai is seeking to build a "scientific talent team" and aims to draw in more than 600 applicants from various fields from home and abroad in three to five years, local Chinese state media reported on Thursday. Ji Xiangdong, a senior professor at the Tsung-Dao Lee Insititute, told China Daily that the center has already handed out invitations to young scientists worldwide, many of whom are China-born. Advertisement The Tsung-Dao Lee Institute was established in November last year after its namesake, the renowned Chinese-American physicist T.D. Lee, who proposed its construction. Lee was one of the youngest Nobel laureates, having won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956 with Franklin C.N. Yang for their work on the violation of the parity law in weak interactions. They were also among the first people of Chinese origin to receive the prize. The institute is modeled on world-famous research centers such as the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark and Princeton University's Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and focuses on particle physics, quantum physics, astronomy and astrophysics, according to a report from the state-owned China Internet Information Center. The report noted that the institute has already made great strides in the field of quantum physics and dark matter research. Ji said that team members will be given benefits that will match those in similar institutes, including salary, educational assistance for their children and health insurance. The center is going to serve as a place where top scientists can gather and as a platform for international communication, he said, adding that the institute may soon become a leader in scientific discoveries particularly in the field of physics. Ji hopes that the Jiao Tong research institute will become a popular base for scientists and make science a more attractive and "down to earth" amongst the public. In February, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that chairwoman Matviyenko and her delegation will mainly discuss resuming air flights between Russia and Egypt Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is scheduled to meet with chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko Saturday in Cairos Ittihadiya presidential palace, state news agency MENA reported. Matviyenko arrived in Egypt Friday along with a delegation from the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of Russias Federal Assembly. The meeting will discuss ways to boost cooperation between Egypt and Russia in various fields in the upcoming period, MENA added. It will also include touch on the latest developments in regional crises, as well as possible solutions. In February, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that Matviyenko and her delegation would mainly discuss resuming air flights between Russia and Egypt. Egypt is in talks with Russia to resume flights to its popular Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, over a year since the bombing of a Russian passenger jet that killed all 224 on board and prompted a suspension of Russian air traffic. Nearly three million Russians, out of 9.6 million tourists of all nationalities, visited Egypt in 2014, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism. Egyptian tourism, a pillar of the country's economy and a key source of hard currency, has taken a blow since the passenger plane crash. The economy of Sinai's Sharm El-Sheikh is believed to have suffered the most. Egypts revenues from tourism dropped from $6.1 billion in 2015 to $3.4 billion in 2016, according to statements made by Central Bank Governor Tarek Amer. Search Keywords: Short link: October 30, 2022 Holidays are about making memories and there are so many reasons why visiting Walt Disney World during the holidays is a must-do. Now more than ever, in this fast-paced world, its so important to take that time to give experiences to your families because in doing so, you will be creating memories that will last a PM Modi to visit Israel, but not Palestine in July Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Israel in July, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, will not see him travelling to Palestine, a decision that underscores his India's 'de-hyphenating' its West Asian policy. Modi's visit is a significant step in openly embracing a relationship that his predecessors fostered while avoiding public displays. Contrary to expectations that Modi would include Palestine in his itinerary, like many ministers did in the past, he will be travelling only to Israel. In a balancing act though, India is likely to host Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before Modi sets off for Israel. "Modi is not visiting Palestine on this occasion. Inshallah, our President will be here this year," Palestinian ambassador to India Adnan Abu Alhaija confirmed to TOI. The reworking of ties between the two states has seen India set up a joint commission co-chaired by minister of state for external affairs M J Akbar. The cooperation is expected to lead to the setting up of a tech park in Ramallah. During Akbar's visit to Palestine last year, Tel Aviv was informed that a visit to Israel was not a necessity either. Modi is expected to visit Israel on his way back to India from the G20 summit in Hamburg in the second week of July. The government believes a standalone visit to Israel would further underline the significance of India's special ties with the Jewish nation. This year, the two countries mark the 25th anniversary of full diplomatic relations. Acknowledging the fact that Modi and his government have been much more open about New Delhi's engagement with Tel Aviv, Israel's ambassador to India Daniel Carmon told TOI on Thursday that "high visibility" to ties was leading to more activities between the two nations. In a departure from past policy, the NDA government has looked to bifurcate its relations with Israel and Palestine. It was Union home minister Rajnath Singh who first broke from the practice of clubbing high-level visits to the countries by not travelling to Palestine when he visited Israel in 2014. However, President Pranab Mukherjee in 2015 and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj a year later visited both. Modi's visit to Israel was first announced two years ago by Swaraj. The government has used this period to intensify engagement with the Arab world to dispel the notion that under Modi, there might be a shift in India's Israel-Palestine policy. These efforts include visits by Modi to countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. Since the Modi government assumed office, India has reiterated on several occasions that its support to the Palestinian cause remains intact even as it maintains good relations with Israel. Its decision to abstain from voting on an anti-Israel resolution at the UN Human Rights Council, which called for accountability for killings and violations of international law in Gaza, came as a setback to the Palestinians. India defended the decision by saying that it abstained because of the reference in the resolution to the International Criminal Court, of which India is not a member. Ambassador Alhaija had reacted to India's decision by describing it as shocking. A newspaper had quoted him as saying that India's departure from its "traditional position" was the fallout of its burgeoning military ties with Israel. Airtel, Vodafone, Idea unveil 4G plans to counter Jio Bharti Airtel, the country's largest telecom operator, has come up with new revamped plans to offer 1 GB of 4G data per day bundled with unlimited calls to counter Reliance Jio Prime plans. Airtel's Rs345 plan now offers 1GB of 4G data per day along with local and STD voice calls free per month. This 1GB data will be available as 500MB on day time and 500MB on night hours. The promotional offer is available for 4G handset users who opt for it before 31 March. Customers opting for this plan before the offer expiry period will be able to recharge with the same offer for the next 11 months. The telco has also modified Rs145 plan, which now offers unlimited Airtel to Airtel calls (local + national) and 2GB of data with a validity period of 28 days. Vodafone and Idea Cellular, India's second and third-biggest telecom operators, have also come up with new plans with daily data and free unlimited voice calls for prepaid customers to counter Reliance Jio Infocomm's data-rich offers starting 1 April. Vodafone India's new Rs342 plan gives users unlimited calls and 28 GB of data per month, subject to a limit of 1 GB a day, as per the fair usage policy, according to text messages sent by the company to some subscribers. A Vodafone spokesperson said the company offers ''various segmented propositions'' that are valid only till 15 March. Idea, an Aditya Birla Group telco, is offering unlimited voice and 500 MB of data a day for 28 days at Rs348. A company spokeswoman said this offer is for non-data users with 4G handsets. Jio has offered free voice and data services since it started operations in September, helping the new entrant to net 100 million subscribers in record time. Starting 1 April, the company's existing users and those coming on board in March will get data benefits under 10 plans listed on its Prime service, while voice calls will continue to be free. To make its Prime plans more attractive, Jio launched a buy-one-get-one-free offer on Friday for those recharging before 31 March. Customers recharging with Rs303 will get an add-on of Rs 201 which will give them 5 GB of free data. For Rs499 and above, customers will get a free add-on of Rs301 giving them 10 GB of free data. Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko said on Saturday that Egyptian authorities have met 90 percent of the required procedures to resume the Russian flights to Egypt. Matviyenko said that Russian and Egyptian aviation authorities have done colossal work to implement the new security measures at Egypt's airports. I can say that this plan is more than 90 percent complete, and only four items remain before the plan is fully completed, Matviyenko said. Matviyenko arrived in Egypt on Friday for a two-day visit to include meetings with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Sherif Ismail. The Russian government signed in February an aviation safety protocol with Egypt to monitor the implementation of airport safety measures as part of a series of steps to pave the way for the resumption of flights between the two countries. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said earlier this year that the date of the resumption of flights depends on the implementation of aviation safety requirements by the Egyptian side. Russia has carried out a series of inspections of Egyptian airports since the flight suspension in October 2015, when a Russian passenger plane crashed in Sinai after taking off from Sharm El-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board. The Russian Federal Security Service classified the air disaster, the deadliest in Russian history, as a terrorist attack. The crash has been claimed by the Islamic State militant group. Egyptian investigations have not yet determined the cause of the crash. Search Keywords: Short link: Algorithm identifies Trump as 'not-married' Scientists from Russia and Singapore created an algorithm that predicts user marital status with 86 per cent precision using data from three social networks instead of one. While testing, the program identified Donald Trump, the 45th US President who is actually married, as single. According to the developers, this inconsistency came up because of Trump's abnormal activity in the media: the businessman and his assistants use Twitter like a bachelor. The study was reported at the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence in San Francisco. Mathematicians from ITMO University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and National University of Singapore found out that profiling users through several social networks rather than just one makes it possible to learn specific details about individuals. In particular, the researchers focused on such a characteristic as marital status. Combining the data from Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare, they taught the algorithm to predict this parameter with 86 per cent precision, 17 per cent higher than using just one social network. The algorithm can examine any English-speaking account. To demonstrate how the program operates, Andrey Filchenkov, associate professor of Computer Technology Department at ITMO University, collected and analysed tweets of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, the 44th and 45th Presidents of the United States. Based on this data, the algorithm confirmed Obama's marital status, but concluded that Donald Trump is a bachelor. This irregularity can be explained by the fact that Trump himself does not update his social media accounts. "We all know about his wife Melania," says the researcher, "But in this case, we are studying whether all Trump's assistants are married or not. We are not guessing who Trump is, but who runs his social media." To train the algorithm to understand the data input, the scientists turned the activity of users from New York, Singapore and London into sets, or vectors, of such parameters as an average tweet size, the most frequent objects in the photo, check-in distribution and so on. Then developers used these vectors in basic machine learning models. Co-author of the paper, Kseniya Buraya, researcher at ITMO University's International laboratory "Computer technologies", is doing an internship at National University of Singapore, where she studies approaches for describing human personality through social networks. She processes user data with this algorithm and then adapts the information to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a scale of psychological types based on Jung theses. The scale describes a person in terms of how he or she interacts with the world which, in turn, is easiest to learn from social media. Kseniya Buraya explains: "Many scientific sources associate a person psychological type with his marital status. So, we decided to check how precisely we can predict this parameter to use it for making human psychological portraits in the future". User profiling, according to the scientists, can have a wide range of applications. For example, recruiters can learn more about people who are applying for a job. More generally, characterising personality through activity in social media will help discover illegal groups as well as find people prone to depression or suicide and support them. The article won a student contest of the most affluent scientific event in its field - AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, thus the scientists got an opportunity to present a 3-minute thesis about the research. The authors regard the report as a kind of "reservation" for further work. They are going to continue the study to achieve publication in a peer-reviewed international journal. District Attorney Tom Anderson, Twelfth Judicial Circuit, announced Friday the indictment and arrest of three individuals in connection with what is believed to be the largest theft case ever reported in Pike County. Marjorie Duffell Beasley, 75, of Troy, Jeannette Holliday, 73, of Honoraville, and Karron White, 43, of Honoraville were each arrested following an investigation by the Troy Police Departments Investigative Division. The women are all related. The Troy PD alleges that while Beasley and White were employed at Whaley Construction Co. of Troy, they participated in a scheme that resulted in $1,803,805 being stolen over the last four years based on an audit of the companys books. Honoraville is a small community in Crenshaw County, about 12 miles northwest of Luverne. Using the figures established during the specific audit years it has been estimated that the thefts will exceed $5.5 million. Holliday, the sister of Beasley and the mother of White, utilized the Whaley Construction Co.s Employee Insurance program with the business paying the premiums which were in excess of $78,000, according to the investigation report. Company employment records show that Holliday has never worked for Whaley Construction Co. All three were charged with Theft of Property 1st Degree. Beasley is also charged with Theft of Property 1st Degree in connection with monies allegedly taken from Alec and Jane Whaleys personal finances. According to the audit records, Beasley took in excess of $500,000 while handling the victims account. Beasleys bond was set at $100,000, while Holliday and White had bonds of $25,000 each. All three women have been booked into the Pike County Jail in Troy. The investigation is still ongoing and has the potential for additional charges. There is also the potential for additional suspects. District Attorney Anderson thanked the Troy Police Department for its professionalism and efforts put forth during the investigation. Local contractor Barlovento, LLC recently won multi-million dollar contracts to perform construction work and renovations on military installations throughout the country. Joey Katz, a spokesperson for the company, said that Barlovento, along with about 10 other contractors, has won about $930 million worth of government contracts to build new facilities and renovate existing facilities. Katz described the award as a big milestone for the company, which started as a small business in Dothan about 20 years ago. This gives us more of a foothold in the industry, Katz said. Typical projects will include airfields, drainage/sewer systems, utility systems, fuels, military housing and community buildings and more. The contracts cover a five-year period with one-year extensions available. Barlovento formed in 1996 and is headquartered in Dothan. The locally-owned and operated company works mostly with Department of Defense clients to build and renovate facilities. Jane Solomon is the owner of Barlovento, which won the U.S. Small Business Administrations 2003 Prime Contractor of the Year Award. The company also won an Excellence in Safety Award in 2017 at the Associated General Contractors of Americas BuildSouth Awards Banquet. According to the company website, Barlovento provides a full range of program management, planning, design and engineering, construction and construction management, operations and maintenance, and decommissioning for federal, industrial, and commercial projects and programs. Katz said Barlovento directly employs 50 to 80 people. The new contracts could lead to more hiring, he said. While there are valid reasons why Niantic removed a number of Pokemon GOs PokeStops, some gamers complain there are some removed without reason. In 2016, complaints from residents of too many players crowding their streets, causing a traffic jam and littering the area prompted Niantic to remove some PokeStops. Among those removed were in Atlanta and Toronto. Complaints Rise Otakukart reports that a trainer on The Silph Road on Reddit complained that many PokeStops in Atlanta were removed without reason. The situation also happened recently in Toronto Harbor, although the report acknowledges there were complaints of many players loitering the area and causing too much traffic for ferries. On top of that, the Pokemon GO players leave a large amount of garbage around. However, even in rural areas or other regions where there were no complaints or problems, Niantic nevertheless removed some of the Pokemon GO PokeStops. In August 2016, Niantic put in place a reporting tool where people could report locations of PokeStops which Niantic could potentially remove. Among those places reported were spots not suited for chasing the monsters such as graveyards, Holocaust memorials, and nuclear power plants, Forbes reports. Governor Reacts To Missing PokeStops But in some cases, the removal of the PokeStops was because of other reasons other than the usual complaints logged through the reporting tool. It cited a story shared online wherein a college gamer reported all of the Pokemon GO stops at a competitor school and got the PokeStops successfully removed. Once, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley tweeted a complaint about all the PokeStops in the state capital building being removed, even in areas where foot traffic was encouraged. However, there are cases when the missing Pokemon GO PokeStops are caused not by requests to remove it but due to problems with wireless carriers. The solution, according to Heavy, is to get on Wi-Fi and try to connect which would often result in the PokeStops popping up again on the map. The forces of eastern Libya's military strongman Khalifa Haftar have lost control of a key oil export terminal they had seized last year, a spokesman conceded on Saturday. Colonel Ahmad al-Mismari said that the rival forces had overrun the main airfield in the oil port of Ras Lanuf and identified them as Islamists of the Benghazi Defence Brigades. An array of forces, most of them loyal to the UN-backed government in Tripoli, have been involved in efforts to oust Haftar from the oil ports, whose seizure enabled him to pose a major challenge to its authority. Search Keywords: Short link: DkIT Bachelor of Arts in Video & Film Production short film Strawberry will be shown at The Capital Irish Film Festival in Washington D.C this weekend. The festivals runs from the 2th 5th March. The film is about a man called Stephen who is a gormless man in his early 20s. He reluctantly has to work at the family Strawberry stall, ruining his plans for the day. He carries out his shift, but not as he expects. Throughout the day Stephen is pestered by various characters, changing his day in a way he could have never imagined. The film was filmed around various Dundalk locations such as Shore road and Oriel Centre Dundalk Gaol. The cast includes Kieran Boland, David OBoyle, Pat Deery, George Bracebridge & Patrick Fitzsimons. The crew includes Robert McCabe, Jessica Young, Daniel OToole, Eleanor Bell, Nicholas Fitzsimons & Daniel Faulkner. Extended crew are Kornelia Rybacka, Aoife McEvoy, Katie Ball, Lorraine Kelly & Robert McCabe. Strawberry had its premiere at Fis Exhibition 2016 along with more 3rd and 4th year short films. It has been screened so far at the Underground Cinema Monthly screenings in July 2016. The Underground Cinema Film Festival 2016. O.I.C media shorts in The Lighthouse Cinema. And this weekend at The Capital Irish Film Festival. The team are very excited for Strawberry to be screened in America. If only they had time and money to attend it. The film could not have been completed without the support of family, friends, DkIT staff which two staff members who were heavily involved in the making of the short film, Programme Director, Marina Hughes and Strawberry supervisor, Kenneth Sloane. The team are grateful for the continued support and the success of Strawberry. Watch out for upcoming short films by 3rd year Film and Television Production (Hons) students and 4th Video and Film Production (Hons) students which is expected to have their premiere at DkIT Fis Exhibition in late May. Tens of thousands of Syrian civilians have fled ferocious fighting between Russian-backed regime forces and Islamic State (IS) militant group over the past week in the country's ravaged north. Supported by Russian air power and artillery, Syrian government forces have waged a fierce offensive against IS, seizing around 90 villages from the Islamist militants since mid-January. Their aim, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, is IS-held Khafsah, the main station pumping water into Aleppo. Residents of Syria's second city have been without mains water for 47 days after the Islamist militants cut the supply. The fighting over the past week has sparked an exodus of "more than 30,000 civilians, most of them women and children," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Saturday. Most of the displaced went to areas around Manbij, under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by the United States that is also fighting IS, the monitor said. An AFP correspondent in Manbij saw dozens of displaced families speeding towards the relative safety of the town on motorcycles and in small buses and cars. Many of them looked exhausted as they lined up at a checkpoint manned by the Manbij Military Council, the SDF unit that controls the town, to be searched and get permission to enter. Ibrahim al-Quftan, co-chair of Manbij's civil administration, told AFP that as many as 40,000 displaced people had arrived in the town in recent days. "The numbers of displaced people here are still rising because of the clashes between the Syrian regime and Daesh (IS)," Quftan said. "These people are suffering very difficult circumstances." Manbij is already hosting "tens of thousands of displaced people that fled previous clashes in the area and are living in difficult circumstances," according to Abdel Rahman. "This will make it difficult (for local authorities) to welcome a new wave of displaced people, given their inability to tend to their pressing needs," he said. Since civil war broke out in Syria in March 2011, more than half of its pre-war population has been forced to flee their homes. The northern province of Aleppo hosts tens of thousands of displaced Syrians, many in camps near the border with Turkey. Rebel backer Ankara sent its own troops into Syria in August to fight IS as well as Kurdish units in an operation dubbed "Euphrates Shield." Turkey considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which makes up most of the SDF, a "terrorist" group because of its ties to outlawed Kurdish militia in southeast Turkey. On February 23, the Turkish-backed rebels of Euphrates Shield captured the town of Al-Bab, which had been IS's last remaining bastion in Aleppo province. They have since set their sights on Manbij, with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu this week threatening to bomb YPG fighters unless they leave the town. The Observatory on Saturday reported escalating violence and shelling between Euphrates Shield rebels and the SDF. More than 310,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict broke out with protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, but international efforts at stemming the violence have thus far failed. Another round of UN-brokered peace talks ended Friday in Geneva, with the opposition and regime figures agreeing on a "clear agenda" for future diplomatic efforts. Veteran envoy Staffan de Mistura said he hopes to invite both sides back to Geneva later this month for a new round of talks, which will include the issue of counter-terrorism at the request of Damascus and its ally Moscow. Russia began its air war in support of Assad's forces in September 2015, helping the Syrian army retake key territory. Its help was instrumental in the recapture of the ancient desert city of Palmyra from IS on Wednesday, and it continued to strike Islamist militant positions north and east of the city on Saturday, the Observatory said. The Britain-based monitor said Syrian government forces were working inside the city on Saturday to clear mines left behind by retreating IS fighters. At least 115 members of pro-regime forces and 283 Islamist militants were killed in the more than month-long fight for Palmyra, which has traded hands several times in the war, the Observatory said. Search Keywords: Short link: The UN health agency on Saturday said it had delivered eight tonnes of medications to hospitals in the third largest city under siege in Yemen's war. It marked the first time since the start of the conflict that the United Nations negotiated access by direct route to Taiz, crossing Yemen's frontline to distribute the vital medical supplies, the World Health Organisation said in a statement. "The truck arrived in Taiz City yesterday. The medicines have been distributed to hospitals today," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told AFP. More than 350,000 people are in need of urgent medical aid in Taiz, where pro-government forces are fighting back a rebel assault, the Geneva-based agency said. Jasarevic added that previously the UN had only been able to get some medical supplies to Taiz via smaller, side roads in the war-ravaged country. Yemen this month marks two years since a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in support of government troops in the conflict. UN mediation efforts and seven ceasefire accords have failed to end the war, which has left more than 7,500 dead and 40,000 people wounded. Search Keywords: Short link: Donald Trump, in a moment of rich irony, appears to have been caught just a bit off guard with just how complex the American health care system really was last week. Now, I have to tell you, its an unbelievably complex subject, he added. Nobody knew health care could be so complicated. Notwithstanding the fact that nearly every American who has been paying attention to the Obamacare/ACA debate (spoiler alert: they are the same thing!) could have let Donald know the situation was a little trickier than he seems to have thought it was, youve got to give credit where its dueyes, Mr. President; the health care system is both complex and complicated, and a lot of very smart persons have been working on it for a very long time. It took those very smart people quite a while to come up with a policy solution that has reduced the number of uninsured to historic lows, provide coverage for those with preexisting conditions, and extend coverage to children under 27 years of age. And even though I know these words Im typing will fall on deaf ears, please dont screw it up by repealing it only to replace it witha nonexistent plan that the members of your own party cant even seem to find. Now, in another not-so-surprising bit of irony, its looking like Mr. Trumps new Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, has also been laboring under the misconception that this education thing is actually pretty simpleand is about to receive a similarly rude awakening. Ms. DeVos, who as it has been widely reported, never attended a public school, never sent her children to a public school, and has never taught anyone anything, now finds herself in charge of the American education systemwhich includes nearly 100,000 public schools educating over 50 million children. It should go without saying that such a huuuge system would be, by definition, extremely complicated and complexand yet by all accounts, Ms. DeVos appears to believe that our nations educational system can be described as the somewhat simple interaction of three things: children, parents, and schools. [The complete and utter lack of any mention of teachers in the rhetoric of Mr. Trump and Ms. DeVos has been conspicuous by its absence, especially to the nations teachers. Even worse, Ms. Devos frequent mentions of the virtues of online learning and virtual schools hint at her preferred vision of the future of educationa world of public school classrooms populated by huge numbers of children monitored by classroom aides, and children tethered to laptops and personal learning devices in virtual classrooms or being educated via homeschooling. Teachers have been trained to listen for their absence in these sorts of statements, and arent being fooled by empty rhetoric and false promises. They know that if youre not at the table, youre probably whats being served for dinner.] Here is Ms. DeVos simple equation for how schools work: 1. Take one poor child, trapped by zip code into attending a failing public school 2. Add the freedom of school choice that allows parents to send their child to the private or religious school of their choice*. (note: private schools not required to accept all children) 3. Cut in conservative-approved curriculum of revisionist history (slavery was a side issue to the Civil War, and Young Earth creationism taught in science classes instead of evolution) 4. Mix with vouchers* (note: offer not constitutional in most states) 5. Bake in Congressional oven controlled by Republicans eager to privatize public school system 6. Remove child when test scores reach pre-determined levels* and learning is complete (note: target scores may be changed without notice, and learning is never complete) As much as Ms. DeVos might believe that this is the way that education works, any teacher dragging home on a Friday afternoon would have a couple of things to say about whats wrongreally wrongwith this vision of schooling. For one, kids come to school with a host of talents, skills, problems, challenges, and issues that contributein ways positive and negativeto their ability to learn. Simply plopping them down in a new school, with new classmates, teachers, classes, cafeterias, lockers, gyms, restrooms, etc., just isnt going to magically improve their academic achievement. In fact, according to recent research from Jennifer Warlick, professor of economics and policy studies at the University of Notre Dame: Student mobility is creating academic problems for the students who move, but its also a problem for those who remain. While students who change schools, especially frequent movers, can suffer psychologically, socially and academically, another important finding is that academic achievement of the stable corethe 30 percent of students who stay in one schoolis also negatively affected by the schools mobility rate. New students coming into the classroom require more time from the teacher, decreasing teacher availability for the rest of the class, they note; routines are disrupted as the pace of instruction slows to accommodate new students, who may be behind in the curriculum. The negative correlation between academic achievement and school switching is crucial information, Warlick notes. Further, for students whose learning is negatively impacted by factors outside the schools walls a simple change of scenery is unlikely to have the desired effect. In 1966, the Coleman Report concluded that student background and out-of-school factors are significantly more important than in-school resources in influencing educational outcomes, and organized these factors into the following categories: Student risk factors, such as emotional and/or learning difficulties, English-language proficiency, and racial/ethnic minority background Student motivation and desire to do well on tests Parents attitudes toward education Domestic stability and support, including access to books, technology, and other resources Access to adequate health care and proper nutrition Access and exposure to arts, culture, and travel, which are correlated with families socioeconomic backgrounds and poverty levels Its Complicated Stella is 7. She arrives at school most days not having eaten breakfast, and many days the school lunch is the only meal she gets all day. She didnt have a winter coat when the weather turned cold this Fallfortunately, the school maintains a supply of spare coats and boots for children like Stella, of which there are many. Stellas parents divorced when she was 5her father died the following year, and her mother is currently serving a prison sentence for substance abuse. After spending a year living with various relatives in the area, Stella now lives with her grandparents, both of whom are retired due to disabilities. Stellas attendance at school is spotty, and when she does come to school she often exhibits behavior problems in her classes. Her teacher says that she suffers from anger problems, and doesnt respond well to discipline. Yesterday, she greeted her teacher with smiles and a hug, and seemed excited to be at schoolthen, just moments later, Stella was taken to the principals office for hitting one of her classmates in the hallway. Stella would benefit greatly from working with a counselor, but the school district was forced to eliminate all counselor and social worker positions the previous year due to a state budget cut. The special education teacher recently recommended Stella for remediation, as she is struggling in both reading and math, but her grandparents have hesitated in agreeing to this plan because they dont want Stella to be labeled. At this point in the year, Stella is in danger of being retained in 2nd grade for another year due to a combination of her poor academic progress and attendance problems. To think that simply moving a child from one school to another will provide the silver bullet that will overcome the effects of poverty, family or home dysfunction, learning challenges, and a myriad other obstacles and issues is a special brand of magical thinking about learning that only a person who has never been a teacher could seriously consider possible. A person like Betsy DeVos. The truth is that building and maintaining a public school system responsible for educating over 50 million children is a tremendously complicated operation, and requires experienced oversight and leadership from all involved. To have a Secretary of Education who persists in believing that the solution to all of the problems in American education can be solved by expanding school choice and voucher programs doesnt help address these problems in a serious way. If the point of school choice and vouchers is to allow kids from poor schools to attend schools with more resources, how does that address the problem that the choice rhetoric acknowledges? Its like saying that when your roof is leaking, instead of fixing the roof, you just move to a new house. If we all followed this policy, eventually wed have entire cities with decrepit, run-down homes. And the only folks left behind in the leaking homes would be those who couldnt afford a new house. Sound familiar? Welcome to American education under Betsy DeVos. President Donald Trump on Saturday accused Barack Obama of "tapping" his phone during last year's White House campaign, without providing evidence of the explosive charge, in his most virulent attack yet on his predecessor. "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!" Trump wrote on Twitter. "How low has President Obama gone to tapp (sic) my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!" he wrote in another tweet, referring to the political scandal that toppled president Richard Nixon in 1974. Top Obama advisor Ben Rhodes issued a searing response on Twitter. "No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you," Rhodes wrote. A spokesman for Obama did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Trump leveled the charges in a flurry of tweets shortly after dawn, as his administration remains mired in controversy over communications between Russian officials and some of his senior aides, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump and Obama frequently traded barbs on the campaign trail, and the Republican real estate magnate was a driving force behind the so-called "birther" movement that questioned whether Obama was born on US soil and eligible to be president. The two men initially adopted a cordial tone as Trump took office, though the president has stepped up accusations against Obama in recent weeks, blaming his predecessor for being behind damaging leaks to journalists. Since US intelligence took the unprecedented step of publicly accusing Russia of trying to swing the November election in Trump's favor, questions have swirled about whether some in Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow. A slew of associates, including Sessions and already fired national security advisor Michael Flynn met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak before Trump took office. The businessman-turned-politician, who has accused his political foes of conducting "a total witch hunt," on Saturday directed his Twitter tirade at his Democratic predecessor. "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found," Trump wrote a day after departing Washington for a weekend getaway at his Mar-a-Lago Florida resort for the fourth time in five weeks. The president compared the alleged action to Senator Joe McCarthy's campaign in the 1950s to root out alleged Communists and sympathizers, which was marked by improper investigative techniques. "Is it legal for a sitting President to be 'wire tapping' a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!" Trump said, again providing no proof of Obama's efforts to seek a court order to spy on the then-candidate. Trump delivered a well-received address to Congress late Wednesday, but the White House was plunged back into turmoil the following morning after it confirmed a news report that Sessions failed to disclose two meetings with ambassador Kislyak during last year's election campaign. Trump has repeatedly denied having any personal ties to the Kremlin, and his aides have denied or downplayed contacts with Russian officials. But the accusations have continued amid almost daily leaks revealing new details about connections between Moscow and senior Trump officials. One such revelation in the Washington Post about a meeting between Sessions and Kislyak prompted the Republican former US senator to recuse himself from any investigations into the presidential election campaign. Sessions had told a Senate committee under oath that he "did not have communications with the Russians," but reporters found that he had actually met the Russian ambassador twice in the months before taking up his post as attorney general, the top US law enforcement officer. Trump has expressed his displeasure over the charges and the leaks that led to them. On Friday he lashed out in tweets directed at the top Democrats in the Republican-led Congress, Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Nancy Pelosi. Search Keywords: Short link: To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020. Thousands of South Korean protesters held rival mass rallies Sunday over the impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye as judges prepare to rule on the scandal that has rocked the country. Park was impeached by parliament last December over a major influence-peddling scandal that prompted millions to take to the street for months to call for her resignation. The case has also engulfed South Korea's biggest business, with the heir to the Samsung empire and four other top executives indicted Tuesday on multiple charges including bribery and embezzlement. Park -- currently holed up in the presidential palace with her power suspended -- expressed "belated regret", as the Constitutional Court wrapped up its hearings on Monday, with a decision expected in March. Her lawyers maintain that she was not aware of any wrongdoing and blamed her secret confidante Choi Soon-Sil, who is accused of using her presidential ties to force local firms to "donate" nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations. The case has bitterly divided Park's supporters and detractors, who have regularly taken to the streets. Tens of thousands of anti-Park protesters rallied in Seoul Saturday, some waving banners of the president in prison uniform and chanting in unison "Constitutional Court, impeach Park immediately!" Several blocks away, another much smaller demonstration demanded the court reject the impeachment against the "poor innocent president". The mostly middle-aged or elderly supporters waved signs urging the military to "rise up" and dismantle parliament. While the court's deliberations could technically take up to six months, local media reports predict the judgement could come as early as next week. The impeachment motion needs approvals from at least six judges to take effect, after which a presidential election will be held within 60 days. If it is rejected, Park could return to work and stay until the end of her term in February 2018. Choi is on trial for coercion and abuse of power. The two women became close through Choi's father, a shady religious figure who was Park's mentor for years. Park's own father, dictator Park Chung-Hee, was assassinated in 1979 by his intelligence chief. The 65-year-old president is accused of colluding with her friend to extract money from local firms as well as letting her handle a wide range of state affairs including nominations to senior posts, despite having no official title or security clearance. A number of former presidential advisors and cabinet members have been arrested or charged for their involvements in the scandal, including allegedly leaking secret state documents to Choi at Park's order. Search Keywords: Short link: Search All categories Advertising General Aerospace General Agriculture General Airlines General America - Post 9/11 General Apparel General Apple Products General Architectural General Architecture Architecture Art & Entertainments Books Celebrities Country Music Dance Magazines Movies Museums Music Music Downloads News & Talk Shows Performing Arts Photography Television Web Sites Arts/Culture General Auction General Automotive Aftermarket Classic Autos Consumer Publications General Motorcycle & Bike Racing Recreational Vehicle Repair & Service Trade Publications Blogging & Social Media Blogging & Social Media Business Advertising / Marketing Books Consumer Research Direct Marketing e-Commerce Entrepreneurs Finance Franchise Human Resources Insurance Investment Management Markets Network Marketing Online Marketing / SEO Payday Loans Public Relations Publications Real Estate Retail Stocks Supermarkets Women in Business Careers/HR General Chemical General Coaching / Mentoring Coaching / Mentoring Computers Apple Products Databases Games & Entertainment General Hosting Instruction Linux / GNU "Open Source" Macintosh Microsoft Windows PC Operating Systems Programming Security Software Tablet PCs Utilities Construction General Consumer Gifts and Collectibles Hobbies Web sites / Internet Design Graphic Design Industrial Web E-Cigarette General eCommerce General Economy General Education College / University General Home Schooling K-12 Post Graduate Technical Electronics General Email Marketing General EmailWire Press Releases Press Release Tips Employment/Careers General Engineering General Entertainment General Environment General Events / Trade Shows General Finance General Food General Franchise General Fraud / Identity Theft General Gaming General Government General Judicial Law Enforcement Legislative Local National Public Services Security State Transportation Healthcare General Home and Family Banking / Personal Finance Bereavement / Loss Home Furnishings / Interiors Landscaping & Gardening Marriage / Relationships Money Parenting Payday Loans Pets Taxes Wedding / Bridal Home Schooling General Hotels/Resorts General Household General Industry Aerospace / Defense Agriculture Apparel / Textiles Broadcast Construction / Building Electrical Food Funeral Healthcare Leisure / Hospitality Logistics / Shipping Manufacturing / Production Mining / Metals Oil / Energy Paper / Forest Products Plumbing, Heating & AC Print Media Printing Publishing Radio Restaurants Tobacco Toy Insurance General Internet/Online General Legal General Leisure General Lifestyle Beauty Dating / Singles Diet / Weight Loss Fashion Food / Beverage Health & Fitness Hotel / Resorts Pastimes Restaurants Retirement Travel & Tourism Machinery General Maritime General Medical Addiction Allergies Alternative Medicine Asthma Cancer Cardiology Chiropractic Dental Dermatology Diabetes Emergency Family Medicine General General Geriatrics Hospitals Infectious Diseases Internal Medicine Managed Care / HMO Medical Products Mental Health Neurology Nursing Nutrition OB / GYN Pediatrics Pharmaceuticals Physical Therapy Plastic Surgery Psychology Radiology / Imaging Research Sports Medicine Surgery Vision Military General Mining/Metals General Miscellaneous General Nanotechnology Nanotechnology Non-profit General Occupational Safety Occupational Safety Oil/Energy General Opinion / Editorial Opinion / Editorial Paper Products General Paper/Forest General Pharmaceuticals General Podcasting Announce Tools and Services Politics Politics Print Media General Public Utilities Public Utilities Publishing General Radio General Real Estate General Religion Christian General Islam Jewish Other Restaurants General Retail General RSS & Content Syndication RSS & Content Syndication Science and Research Science and Research Self-Help / Personal Growth Self-Help / Personal Growth Shipbuilding General Society African American Interests Asian Interests Childrens Issues Disabled Issues / Disabilities Gay / Lesbian Hispanic Mens Interests Native American Senior Citizens Social Services Teen Issues/Interests Womens Interest Software General Sports Baseball Basketball Bicycling Boating / Maritime Bowling Boxing Fishing Football Golf Hockey Hunting Martial Arts Outdoors Rugby Soccer Tennis Water Winter/Snow Sports/Fitness General Stocks General Supermarkets General Technology Biotechnology Computer Electronics Enterprise Software Games Graphics/Printing/CAD Hardware / Peripherals Industrial Information Internet Multimedia Networking Public Sector/Government Robotics Semiconductor Software Telecommunications Webmasters Telecom General Wireless Television General Tobacco General Trade General Transportation General Travel General Utilities General Volunteer Volunteer Weather Weather Former US president Barack Obama never ordered surveillance on any US citizen, a spokesman said Saturday, after current President Donald Trump accused his predecessor of tapping his phones during last year's campaign. "President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen," Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said in a statement. Search Keywords: Short link: The decision also enforces merchants to write the prices of sugar on the product's packaging Egypt's Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali El-Meselhy decided Friday to decrease the price of unsubsidised sugar to EGP10.50 per kilogramme in order to end the disparity in prices that appeared after an acute sugar shortage that started last September. According to a statement on the ministry's website, El-Meselhys decision also forces retailers to write the prices of sugar on the product's packaging. The decision also includes selling a ton of sugar to merchants at a price of EGP 9.25 per kg and a ton of sugar for industrial purposes at EGP10.50 per kg. The statement also said that the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) will be the entity to hold tenders for importing raw sugar from international companies instead of the supply ministry. The imported raw sugar will be refined domestically. Egypt has been facing a shortage in sugar supplies since September, as the foreign currency crisis crippled imports. The sugar crisis eased following the countrys decision to float its currency in November as well as the supply ministrys decision to import 120,000 tons of sugar from Brazil and France. The subsidised sugar distributed through ration cards sold at a price of EGP 8 per kg. According to supply ministry figures, 71 million people use the government's ration cards to buy essential food goods at subsidised prices. Egypt consumes more than three million tons of sugar a year. Search Keywords: Short link: A lot of gaming enthusiasts are now pitting the two highly anticipated, next-generation consoles, PlayStation 5 VS Xbox Project Scorpio, against each other. Fans, through speculations and rumors, are trying to determine which one is the superior in terms of features. Luckily, it seems like the latter has upper hand this time as Microsoft announces its Windows Mixed Reality headset. The Redmond-based tech giant has officially announced the Windows Mixed Reality headsets at the recent Games Developers Conference (GDC 2017) this week, The Verge reported. The headsets, previously called Windows Holographic, is set to come out on Xbox One as well as on Xbox Project Scorpio, according to the company. This latest news is certainly uplifting, especially for fans who have been rooting for the latter in the PlayStation 5 VS Xbox Project Scorpio battle. But what about those who are following Sony's next-gen console? Sadly, no new information has surfaced yet. Industry analyst from Wedbush Morgan, Michael Pachter, has predicted earlier in 2017 that Sony may improve the 4K capabilities of its future console, GamePur reported. This is still unclear, though, as the company is allegedly waiting for new announcements made by Microsoft before it releases new details for PlayStation 5. So far, the only head-mounted display that Sony has in store for its consoles is the PlayStation VR, which was released in late 2016. That being said, it's safe to presume that Microsoft would most likely win in the PlayStation 5 VS Project Scorpio fight for VR. Unless, of course, the Japan-based company releases an improved headset for the next-gen gaming unit. It should be noted that the details for PlayStation 5 are still subject for confirmation. With that in mind, it's best to take these with a pinch of salt and consider them as mere rumors until proven otherwise. As for its release dates, rumor has it that Sony's console is likely to come out at a much later time frame than Microsoft's. Enstarz reported that the gaming port is being expected to hit the market sometime in 2020. This, again, gives Microsoft the upper hand in the PlayStation 5 VS Project Scorpio battle. Prince William just spilled Kate Middleton's solution when it comes to coping on her parenting struggles. According to the Duke of Cambridge, his wife is using the internet to solicit tips and pieces of advice from other mothers in order to deal with the hardships of being a mother. Kate might be employing online sites like Mumsnet which is a parenting site that offers help to parents who are encountering issue to parenting their children. If this is true, then the Duchess is indeed facing difficulty when it comes to dealing with Prince George and Princess Charlotte. As suggested by some reports, both William and Kate have been very vocal about the challenges that modern-day parenting is giving them. The royal couple revealed this during their royal engagement at the new Ronald McDonald Evelyn House in London as per PEOPLE. That was the event where Prince William and Kate Middleton met Justine Roberts, co-founder of Mumsnet, a popular online chat site for mothers. And reports were swirling that William told and shared to Roberts that his wife, Kate is also using the said online site. The Duke also presented Justine Roberts with an award for her contribution of the economy of Britain. With a report from Mirror, Justine Roberts shared that they have speculated as to whether Kate Middleton is a user of Mumsnet. Since there are a lot of conversations on the website, it will be very hard to determine if she is one among hose mothers asking for advice and for help. A lot of mothers are using the said website to complain and share about their lives, children, marriages as well as everyday struggles. The best part in using this website is that mothers can do it anonymously. So, someone like Kate Middleton can just log on to Mumsnet then share her struggles like what other mothers have been doing in the said site. According to some, it will not be surprising anymore if Kate Middleton would resort to internet for parenting help with Prince William. A lot of mothers mostly her age would look for help in forums, mom blogs and other sites for their parenting questions. Artem Vaulin, the Kickass Torrents owner might lose his battle against the United States government over charges of copyright infringement that was slapped on him. The Polish Supreme Court is yet to give its final decision but it is being speculated that the Polish court might reject his appeal and give the decision on his extradition. Kickass Torrents owner, Artem Vaulin is on the losing side of his battle against the United States government as the Polish Court has paved the way for extradition to the United States on charges of copyright infringement with his popular torrents site, Kickass Torrents, Torrent Freak reported. The charges levied against him include copyright infringement with illegal distribution of movies, money laundering and also criminal indictment. Notably, his website, Kickass Torrents had a net worth of $54 million prior to its permanent closure and functioned in 28 languages. However, it is worth mentioning that the legalities for extradition in Poland have two stages. And, currently, Artem Vaulin has passed through the first stage only, wherein the Warsaw District Court has ruled that the Kickass Torrents owner be extradited, RP.PL reported. But, it is the second instance that will be decisive and if the same rule is given at that time, the Minister of Justice will issue the final decision. It is worth mentioning here that it was last year that Artem Vaulin, the owner of the popular torrents website, Kickass Torrents was detained in Poland and charges like US criminal indictment was levied on him. His defense lawyer, Ira Rothken has said that they would be appealing "on the grounds that so-called torrent files cannot constitute a criminal infringement of copyright." Now, if the appeal from Artem Vaulin is rejected and if the Polish Supreme court repeats its first rule, then Kickass Torrents stand to be extradited to the United States. It was decidedly odd that a government that has remained silent about hate crimes in its own country, India, should demand that the head of another country, the United States (US), denounce such crimes just because the victim was an Indian. On 22 February, Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead in Olathe, Kansas by a white man who shouted at him and another Indian to get out of our country. The fact that both were legal immigrants made no difference. For a week there was not a word of condemnation by the US government of what was clearly a hate crime. It was passed off as disturbing by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Then on 28 February, in his joint address to the US Congress, President Donald Trump mentioned the Kansas shooting in his opening remarks. The press in India went into overdrive, using adjectives like slam and condemn to describe his mild comments. All Trump said was that the threats and vandalism against Jewish community centres and Jewish cemeteries, and the shooting in Kansas remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms. What he did not say or acknowledge was that his administrations policies and pronouncements, including the ban on immigrants from seven Muslim majority countries that has since been withdrawn because of legal interventions, have created the climate for such hate crimes. Although no country, including the US, is bereft of deep prejudice and anger between social groups, in every country governments can and do exacerbate societal divides by their refusal to acknowledge the fallout of some of their policies. What is happening today in the US is mirrored in events in India in the last two and a half years. After May 2014, when Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Lok Sabha elections, we have seen a steady rise of not just hate crimes targeting individuals, but the deliberate and diabolic othering of the Muslims in India. From lynchings and accusations of love jihad, to Modis thinly veiled communal rhetoric during the current election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, there is a visible increase in the sense of insecurity in growing numbers of Muslims about their place in Indian society. This cannot be achieved by the actions of stray individuals who are full of hate, or small groups and organisations that believe in the same Hindutva agenda as the party in power. It happens when the message goes out from the top that actions against the minority in whatever form will not be frowned upon, or disowned, or condemned. After each incident of a hate crime, such as the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, there has been a thunderous silence from the top. Even the little that Trump has said now is a lot more than anything that Modi has uttered after hate crimes. As we await the 7th edition of Hakawy festival, you can read about its past editions in articles published by Ahram Online The 7th edition of Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children will take place between 7 and 16 March. Facts The Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children is the brainchild of the festival's president and artistic director Mohamed El-Ghawy. Organised by AFCA for Arts and Culture, the festival aims at bringing arts to children through theatre and other activities. The first edition of the festival took place in June 2011 at the College du Sacre-Coeur in Heliopolis, and it brought together troupes from Egypt, Croatia, Ireland and Finland. The festival's second edition took place in March 2012 at Al-Ghad, Al-Gomhoreya and the Cairo Puppet theatres in AFCAs first large-scale cooperation with the Ministry of Culture. Starting in 2013, Hakawy started taking place at Hanager Arts Centre with chosen troupes visiting other venues, such as the Childrens Cancer Hospital (57357). INTERVIEW: Egyptian cultural manager Mohamed El-Ghawy on children, arts and education Check articles published by Ahram Online about Hakawy, including those republished from Al Ahram Weekly: 3rd edition: 2013 Hakawy Festival calls for greater awareness of art PHOTO GALLERY: Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children [2013] 4th edition: 2014 Theatre festival for children to brighten Cairo's art and culture scene Hakawy Festival for children kicks off with a bang Hakawy: Nurturing children with valuable theatre and arts 5th edition: 2015 This year's Hakawy to offer more than theatre plays for children PROGRAMME: Fifth Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children Charter of the imagination: On all values brought by the 5th Hakawy festival Hakawy to launch charter for childrens rights to art & culture exhibition Hakawy festival stimulates young Egyptians' imagination VIDEO: Highlights of Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children 6th edition: 2016 Countdown to sixth edition of Egypt's Hakawy theatre festival for children Irresistible warning sign 'Do not touch' opens Egypt's Hakawy Festival for children Stick Stones Broken Bones: Australia's puppet theatre performs in Cairo Swiss Saddorn Balance captivates audiences at Egypt's Hakawy Festival PROGRAMME: 6th Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children PHOTO GALLERY: Rediscovering a child within us at Egypt's 6th Hakawy theatre festival 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 Search Keywords: Short link: Written by ACM *Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Mainstream French MEP and Chair of EU Parliament's Delegation to the Arab Peninsula, Experienced former Minister of Defense, JHA and Foreign Affairs, Michelle Alliot-Marie's (MAM : Center-Right) Lawyer, Francois Greffe, officialy asked Today in a Letter to Emmanuel Macron (Center-Left), former Minister of Economy, to Stop what looks as Plagiarism in his Program's Leaflet, (published Yesterday), of MAM's own Logo and Party denomination, already Published since Last Year (2016), in view of the forthoming Presidential Election of April/May 2017, where they are Both Candidates. - In particular, with his Letter, Dated 3.3.2017, (a Full Copy of which "Eurofora" received from well-informed sources), Lawyer Greffe formaly gave to Macron a "Notice to Stop Using her (MAM's) own (Electoral) Campaign's Mark ("Signature"), and to Immediately WithDraw and Destroy the inscriminated Documents". - Indeed, "Mrs Alliot-Marie, ... adopted, Last December (2016), as her Campaign Slogan : "Let's Recover the Spirit of Conquest", and observed, Yesterday, (2 February 2017), that you use "Let's Recover our Spirit of Conquest...", which is even mentioned at the Cover Page of your Program", the Lawyer's Letter notes. + "Moreover this also Picks up the Name of her (MAM's) own Party "New France", by inversing its wording", the Lawyer attested, pointing at Macron Program Leaflet Cover's call to "build a New France", (in the Original in French : "nouvelle France" or "France nouvelle", respectively). ++ Macron's Program Leaflet, as distributed to the Press, in Addition uses Both Parts of MAM's Campaign, in Big Capital Letters, at its FrontPage Headlines, for the Introduction to the Full Text which presents his Campaign for the Presidential Elections, (on p. 3), as it's easy to attest, (See relevant Photo). - Already, "this was Noted by (French) Medias, which underlined that this Mark "curiously Reminds Michelle Alliot-Marie's Campaign Slogan", etc., Lawyer Greffe's Letter points out. The move includes initial Articles Published Yesterday f.ex. by mainstream Radio "Europe 1", followed by the Weekly Magazine "Le Point", as well as through several "Twitter" Accounts at the Internet, etc. - Therefore, "such an Imitation, could not have been misregarded by your Communication Counselors", the Lawyer wrote to Macron. Macron himsel, had reportedly accused of "Plagiarism" another FrontRunner to the Presidential Elections, former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, (of the Center-Right "Republican" Party), on 1 among many points of their Electoral Programs, Last Month (at the End of February 2017), according to several mainstream Medias, (f.ex., "Liberation", "Closer", "Europe 1", etc). - Meanwhile, Alliot-Marie had initialy joked, in a "Tweet" adresssed to Macron, by asking him : - "Hey, ...are you Joining my Campaign for the Presidental (Election) of 2017, or it's merely about Borrowing the Slogan of my Campaign ?" Radio "Europe 1" observed that Macron's "sentence's 1st Part curiously Reminds her (MAM's) Campaign Slogan for the Presidential of 2017, (even if Macron didn't necessarily adopt that for his official Slogan formally, as it says), while its "2nd Half evokes, without any doubt, the Name of MAM's (New) Party : "New France"". But that Media appeared Alone, at least for the moment, to find, Yesterday, that " the Second Option proposed by Michelle Alliot-Marie", (i.e. to "Join" her, in her own Campaign : Comp. Supra), might also sound "Reasonable"... MAM has also served as Head of France's Governing, main Center-Right Party, formerly "UMP", when it Won the Elections which confirmed Jacques Chirac's Presidency and Parliamentary Majority on 2002, followed by Top Ministerial Jobs at Defense, JHA and Foreign Affairs (including during Nicolas Sarkozy's Presidency, between 2007-2011). She notoriously was, also, one of the 2 Personalities considered by President Chirac for the Job of Prime Minister on 2005, and already Campaigned as a pre-Candidate for the Presidency on 2007 (in UMP's Primaries), before creating her own Party "New France" on 2016 and Campaigning also in the forthcoming Presidential Election of 2017 as an Independent Candidate of Neo-"Gaullist" inspiration. Macron has worked at Rothschild Bank, was Member and appointed 2nd Secretary of the Socialist Party, served as Socialist President Francois Hollande's Counselor, and afterwards Economy Minister. He currently is one among the FrontRunners, according to Medias' Polls, for the 2017 Presidential Elections, claiming a stance "beyond the Left or the Right", reportedly "Social-Liberal", now. In it's Headlines, initialy, "Europe 1" had Diplomaticaly said that Macron "Discreetely Pumped" MAM's Campaign Slogan. On the Contrary, a subsequent Article on the Weekly "Le Point" clearly Raised the Question whether "Macron Plagiarized MAM ?" Plagiarism, (i.e. when someone steals the ideas, expressions, symbols or artwork previously created by another person, and presents them as if they were his own), is generaly considered as Immoral, a Fraud, and is often Sanctioned. But CopyRight infringement is Allways sanctioned, and MAM's Lawyer's Letter (a Specialist on Intellectual Property) uses a carefuly selected language which seems to point also at this direction. Recently, 2 Important Ministers had been pushed to Resign in Germany, after being Accused for Plagiarism allegedly committed before Many Years, in one case even about 30 Years in the Past. In the Primaries for US Presidential Elections of 1988, former vice-President Biden had reportedly used in a Speech the words of a Brittish Political Leader, without citting him, but the subsequent Controversy Obliged him to Quit his Campaign. Macron had been notoriously Criticized by many for allegedly Delaying to Reveal a fully-fledged Program until now, so that the above mentioned Document of 30 Pages distributed Yesterday to the Press during a special Press Conference attracted a lot of Public Attention and was widely, even if diversely, commented, just before this apparent Plagiarism Issue suddenly pops up. Pending all that, Today, MAM's Lawyer kindly but firmly asks Macron to inform him about his "Intentions", regarding the "Notice" that he sent him Now, and suggested that, "according to our (Lawyers') Customs, you could inform us about the Name of your (Legal) Counselor, whom I would Contact". Greffe's Cabinet, Headquartered in France, has Contact-Offices also in Brussels, Germany (Munich), Italy (Milan), Spain (Vamencia), Portugal (Lisbon), and South Korea, claiming also functional "Partners" throughout Europe and even at the "American Continent". It is Specialized mainly on Intellectural Property, particularly on Advertising, including at the Internet, where its Senior staff uses to contribute in Legal Publications as well as at Paris' higher School on Political Science, and at the International Studies' Centre for Intellectual Property of Strasbourg's University. The latter had been inaugurated by Michelle Alliot-Marie when she served as JHA Minister, (Comp. relevant MAM's Statements to "Eurofora" then too, f.ex. at : ....). "Eurofora" has already Published various Statements that gave us, at Differend Occasions on Topical Issues, both Michelle Alliot-Marie and Emmanuel Macron, here and/or elsewhere. (.../...) *** ("NDLR" : Includes Fast Translations from Original Texts in French). + ("DraftNews", as already send to "Eurofora" Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, full Final Version, might be published asap). *** Illustration: Pete Ellis There are few topics Abdul Hafiz Mansour will not address, but ask him if his line of work regularly makes him the target of threats and he will likely fall silent. That should come as no surprise. As the head of Lebanons Special Investigation Commission (SIC), the countrys anti-money laundering unit, Mansour is seen as an enemy by those who have sought to use Lebanons financial institutions to hide illicit funds. Just last year, the SIC froze more than 60 bank accounts and investigated hundreds of suspicious transactions. Asked again if he faces pressures because of his work, Mansour replies, evasively: Sometimes the nature of the business puts you through situations. A stocky, austere man, Mansour meets Euromoney in early February, at a conference in Dubai dedicated to the fight against financial crime in the Middle East and north Africa. As the head of the Middle Easts first anti-money laundering unit, he is well-known to the conference delegates: regulators, lawyers and bank compliance officers from across the region. The unit he leads is said to be the most powerful in the region. Santander Brasils CFO Angel Santodomingo Angel Santodomingo, Santander Brasils CFO, has had a ringside seat for the latest round of consolidation in the countrys retail banking sector. As HSBC and then Citi put their Brazilian retail operations up for sale, the Spanish-headquartered bank (although it is listed in Brazil) participated in both auctions. It was not to be successful in either of its bids, with the countrys two dominant private-sector banks each taking one apiece. Analysts had been quick to point out that either would have been better for Santander, which is currently ranked third-largest private bank with its 12% market share, than it was for Itau or Bradesco. For these domestic players, neither acquisition can be labelled transformational. But as Santodomingo greets Euromoney on the 27th floor of a shiny tower that casts its shadow over one of Sao Paulos newest, most expensive and not coincidentally emptiest shopping malls, he appears far from dismayed at being priced out of these opportunities for acquisitive growth. Between 12 and 17 February, the musicians from the European Egyptian Contemporary Music Society held workshops for the talents enrolled in the Aldeburgh Young Musicians programme, Suffolk, UK The young people move swiftly in between the red-brick buildings with high wooden roofs. Though it is February, the wide blue skies, the bright sun, the vast fields and the cool wind coming in from the banks of the River Alde bespeak the warmth of a musical and creative heritage of which this lands are proud. Visitors of the area seem more relaxed as they contemplate the fields, admire the sculptures scattered among the nature and wander past the small gift shops. As I entered the main alley where the renowned Snape Maltings concert hall stands to the left, I noticed young people swiftly moving ahead and disappearing into the building on the right. Following them, I began to hear musicians tuning their instruments, repeating a few bars over and over again. In this curious cacophony, an Arabic rhythm on tabla reached my ears, yet before I realised its source, my attention was arrested by a maqam emerging from a violin trying to engage into a dance with a more distant ney. The short melodies and repetitive rhythms entwined and amplified, and though they did not seem to converse on a musical level, they all formed an astoundingly homogeneous creative atmosphere. Suddenly, all the sounds quietened down and I was left in silence wondering if all the melodies and rhythms that seemed to echo against the walls were but a product of my imagination. But, slowly opening the door of one of the rooms, I found a group of very young musicians surrounding their tutor. Egyptian musicians in Benjamin Brittens lands It was the third day of the workshop led by the European Egyptian Contemporary Music Society: qanun player Saber Abdel Sattar, percussionist Nesma Abdel Aziz, violinist Hossam Shehata, ney player Hany Al-Badry, composers Rosilla Adel and Bahaa Al-Ansary which also brought in two British musicians, Tom Coult and Jan Hendrickse. They have all been working with young talents enrolled in the Aldeburgh Young Musicians (AYM) programme. And, in addition to the Egyptian teams work, another group was enrolled in the AYMs Brass Camp. The workshops were held between 12 and 17 February at the Snape Maltings in the village of Snape on the coast of Suffolk. The neighbourhood is proud of being home to the renowned British composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), and of providing inspiration for his many compositions and activities. In 1944, together with tenor Peter Spears, Britten made Snape his home and studio, and by incorporating other historical buildings that served as malting locations of barley for the brewing of beer, he expanded the area to an art complex. A few years later, the composer moved to Aldeburgh, a small coastal town dotted with colourful houses and located a few miles from Snape. Britten and Spears settled in the Red House (now a museum commemorating the composer and run by the Britten-Spears Foundation), yet Snape remained the composers creative centre. Constantly expanding the area, it was much later, in 1967, that Britten turned one of the edifices into an over 800-seat concert hall which could finally adopt the Aldeburgh Festival Britten had launched in 1948 one of the worlds most prestigious classical music festivals. The festival was only one of several activities through which Britten practised his strong belief that a composer should be useful to the community, constantly drawing plans of how to engage with the local, regional and international scene through music. In 2012, marking the composers jubilee and paralleling the London Olympics as part of the Cultural Olympiad, Snape Maltings was home to the one-time Aldeburgh World Orchestra, an ensemble consisting of over 120 young professional musicians from 30 countries including Egypt. Today, Snape Maltings is run by an eponymous company that until late last year was known as Aldeburgh Music. The company continues to hold to Brittens values through sustaining the festival and engaging in activities that draw the community together through music. It also embraces young composers and musicians giving them an opportunity to develop their talents. AYM: An alternative to a junior conservatoire In this context, among Snape Maltings youngest programmes is the Aldeburgh Young Musicians (AYM), the only endeavour that focuses uniquely on the UKs brightest young talents. Funded in large part by the government, the Aldeburgh Young Musicians programme is an alternative to a junior conservatoire, explains Colin Virr, head of the Aldeburgh Young Musicians at Snape Maltings. The programmes mission is to embrace the most remarkable talents aged eight-18, instrumentalists, vocalists and composers, and allow them to develop professionally. At the moment, the AYM has 60 young musicians under its umbrella. The programme we offer is like a jigsaw; it is tailor-made and everyone follows an individual programme, Virr adds. It is not easy to reach Snape (or Aldeburgh for that matter), the journey often requiring several connections. All of our young musicians come to Snape during long weekends or holidays and work intensively. They stay here, live together, build a creative community. Yet apart from those sessions, we also organise individual lessons, which take place throughout the year and more locally, close to where the students live. Since they are a relatively small group, we can focus better on their needs, find the right teachers, meet their parents and plan their individual professional development. In short, we manage their musical lives, Virr explains, adding that he also takes care of the funding, acts as a mentor, even a father while the musicians are at Snape Maltings. His involvement in their musical progress also extends to being an agent since Im getting them the performance opportunities. With the AYM programme offering an alternative musical education, Virr expects the young people to be dedicated to music. They all go through the rigorous auditions during which I have to work out who could be an amazing musician if they get a good teacher. I have to make sure that they have passion and musicality. The technical things can be sorted out, but you cannot teach musicality. So when we find a passionate and musical young person, we try to nurture him. We also expect the musicians to be very open minded, inquisitive and ready to step out of their comfort zone. Through a variety of sessions, the AYM programme exposes the young talents to all possible musical genres so they can become very rounded. Even if many of them are focused on their preferred genre, some are amazing orchestra players and others prefer jazz improvisations, we also want them to use their instruments in different kind of musical settings, Virr explains, pointing to the vision behind his collaboration with the European Egyptian Contemporary Music Society (EECMS), a body founded and managed by Sherif Al-Razzaz. The British Council Egypt had been asked to suggest a regional ensemble which could benefit from taking part in an AYM creative residency where the visiting ensemble would get a unique and inspiring opportunity to share knowledge and experience of regional musical culture with the next generation UK musicians, Cathy Costain, Head of Arts at the British Council Egypt explains. Having provided a few options, the AYMs choice of EECMS seemed the most suitable, since the EECMSs hallmark activity lies in creating bridges between heritage and contemporary classical music. The EECMS was asked to demonstrate new styles and techniques to the young students while they had an opportunity to develop collaboratively and artistically, making useful connections and building a profile in the UK, Costain adds. And, indeed, during the week of sessions, the Egyptian musicians have added a new segment of musical practice to the AYM, gaining the students interest and generating enthusiasm. The workshops have allowed the AYM to introduce the students to Arabic musical idioms. While the students explored samples of the Arabic traditions, they could grasp their presence as well as adaptability to contemporary musical realities. At the same time, the students had an opportunity to explore the instruments brought along by the Egyptian musicians such as the ney, qanoun and Egyptian tabla, and learn about Arabic modes and rhythms. The final outcome was a fusion of experiences with an Open Session performed to the audience at the Britten Studio, a small hall at Snape Maltings, on 17 February. Maqamat in Snape During the workshop with young students, the Egyptian musicians introduced several elements of the Arabic music canon. Percussionist Nesma Abdel Aziz focused on the dialogue which can be developed between the Western and Arabic percussions. She encouraged the students to move out of their comfort zone and explore the adaptability of their percussions to repertoires coming from other cultures. She also demonstrated the Oriental percussive instruments ability to participate in Western repertoires. The qanun player Saber Abdel-Sattar, who worked with students playing guitar, harp and double bass, prepared exercises that challenged their particular preference for jazz music, as he noticed and incorporated a few Arabic modes (maqamat). I created melodies that would adapt the chosen maqamat to the jazz rhythmic patterns. It is through speaking the language of the students that I could introduce new musical material into their practice. The ney player Hany El Badry, who worked with woodwinds, began with listening sessions, allowing the students be soaked in music by Arabic composers such as Abdel-Wahab before they proceeded to playing. While El-Badrys preliminary plans were to introduce a broad scope of purely scientific aspects of the Arabic music to the AYM, having met the students, he decided to focus on four maqamat through which he taught the students the Arabic technique of playing ney or flute. It was not easy at first, but they are all very talented and determined. By the time of the Open Session, they had mastered the technique, even if it was not yet completely spontaneous, El-Badry explains. For his part Hossam Shehata invited his violinst students to tune their violins for Arabic music. This allowed him to explore different maqamat, including those that incorporate the quarter tones. Holding the differently tuned instruments, at first the students were surprised, even shocked, as they had to reposition their mindset. However, with a little bit of practice, they managed to follow the exercise and enjoy the new level of musical experiences, Shehata comments. The two composers, Bahaa Al-Ansary and Rosilla Adel found themselves in what they considered a rather tricky situation. At the beginning, I was not sure what was expected from us, Al-Ansary comments. Operating on intuition, however, both composers started by exploring Arabic musical idioms, pulling them into a contemporary language. I tried sketches. Through cooperation with the British composers-tutors, I explored the sound painting territory, Bahaa clarifies the process, adding that the composition, 15 minutes in Snape performed during the final Open Session was written entirely during his stay in Snape Maltings, a unique and restricted timing that I am not used to. This in itself was a new and creativity-provoking experience for me. In her turn, Rosillia used some Arabic modes that the other musicians presented to the students during their instrumental sessions as a base for improvisation. The workshop sessions culminated in Open Sessions at Britten Studio, during which the young musicians joined on stage by their tutors performed a range of works, from original compositions generated during the workshop to creative improvisations on Arabic melodies. It was in the final session that the creative energy gave voice to an amalgam of scales and rhythms, bearing testimony to a professional meeting of musical minds. The evening opened with Farah, a composition by Saber Abdel Sattar, named after his daughter and representing her character: childish vitality interspersed by pensive segments. Then came Oriental Impressions, an arrangement by Nesma Abdel Aziz which infused the hall with strong rhythms and a sense of overwhelming musical joy, while Rosilla Adels Dance (Un)Chained communicated a sense of freedom. Many other compositions were created by the young musicians during their sessions with the Egyptian tutors. Towards the end of the concert, Hossam Shehata directed the students through Longa Ajam by Abdu Dagher, while Hany El-Badry led them in Longa Hijaz. Lessons taken home As the audience showered the young musicians with applause, they left the stage carrying a load of musical discoveries. However, as Abdel Sattar notes, as much as we gave to the AYM, we have also learned a lot from this experience. The young musicians are very talented and brave. The latter quality is the result of the intelligent direction they are offered by the AYM programme. They are allowed to explore and experiment, a strategy that allows the musicians to build musical confidence while remaining within the framework of professional musical values. As a music teacher, this is an important lesson Im taking home with me. I hope to implement some of those academic approaches with my students, giving them more space to experiment and improvise. Abdel Sattar also points to the value of several practical exercises that the students and the tutors followed prior to each session and the concert, which helped them ease the tension. Shehata agrees that the AYM programmes unique philosophy embraces and directs the young talents, while encouraging self-motivated explorations. The AYM students have a passion for learning and this is what makes working with them very inspiring. They are extremely dedicated and serious about what they do. It reflects the AYMs approach to music education and to culture in a broader sense. It is a community that makes music together but also enjoys doing it, with its members supporting one another. Its definitely a model to follow, Shehata says. And while Rosilla Adel found in Snape Maltings a unique family atmosphere, Shehata underlines that the Egyptian tutors too had to cooperate with one another on many levels, just like the students. As workshop providers, each of us arrived at Snape Maltings and the Aldeburgh Young Musicians programme with a plan of what we wanted to implement and achieve. The actual work with young musicians in this environment pushed us towards many adaptations and changes. But it also opened doors to closer communication between us, the Egyptian musicians. This article was first published in Al Ahram Weekly 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 Search Keywords: Short link: This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Paleontologist Thomas Adams jokes that he worries visitors to the new Susan Naylor Center at the Witte Museum wont make it past the entryway. Thats because the airy space dubbed the H-E-B Lantern features a high-tech installation overhead that virtually is guaranteed to stop visitors in their tracks. Karen Carrs video animation depicting several Quetzacoataluses swooping and flying across the sky is projected against a screen just below the ceiling, and a life-size and eerily lifelike sculpture of one of the winged reptiles is suspended below that. Its going to be spectacular, said Adams, the museums curator of paleontology and geology. Im afraid were going to have a hard time getting people (past it). The sculpture is just one of the prehistoric showstoppers in the building, which also houses the big-buzz Naylor Family Dinosaur Gallery. The Quetzacoatalus was created by Gary Staab, whose Missouri-based Staab Studios makes life-size sculptures of all sorts of creatures, both prehistoric and contemporary, for museums and other sites around the world. Staab installed the Quetzacoatalus which he described as the largest Pterosaur he has ever made on Monday morning in advance of Saturdays grand opening of the building, the biggest component of the $100 million expansion and renovation of the Witte campus. Experience the Witte in 360-degrees here. More Information The new Witte What: The Susan Naylor Center of the Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway, is opening. Public opening: Saturday; ribbon cutting, 9:30 a.m. Weekend activities: Face painting, craft projects, cooking demonstrations, nature walks through the campus gardens and storytelling by Carolina Quiroga-Stulz. Admission: Free for members and children ages 3 and younger; $9 to $12 nonmembers. Available in advance at wittemuseum.org Information: wittemuseum.org or 210-357-1910. See More Collapse Just like the real thing had, the Quetzacoatalus sculpture has a massive wingspan extending from a skinny body covered in brownish gray something or other. Its not fur, and its not feathers, Staab said. Scientists call it hairlike. It gives it a really wild look. He noted that the creature seems like a bat, but its not. It seems like a mammal, but its not. Technically, its a flying reptile. Staab said it took a team of five about five months to craft the creature. The process began with a trip to the University of Texas at Austin, where they studied fossils of Quetzacoataluses, measuring the bones so that the sculpture would come as close as possible to the real thing. It has really strange proportions, he said. That makes it hard to make it believable for a museum visitor. When visitors are able to tear their eyes away from the ceiling and look toward the first floor galleries, theyll find more beasts in the dinosaur gallery, including a replica of a Quetzacoatalus skeleton soaring overhead. There also are full-size replicas of the skeletons of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Acrocanthosaurus atokensis, which were, respectively, the largest and second-largest carnivorous animals ever to walk across North America. One corner of the gallery deals with coastal critters such as the mosasaur, fish and turtles, some suspended in midair to depict how they would have moved in the water. All of them could once be found in what eventually would become Texas. There are no random dinosaurs, said Marise McDermott, CEO and president of the Witte. Its a guiding philosophy (of the museum). Though there are actual fossils in the gallery, the skeletons on display are replicas. Each one was cast from actual bones discovered at multiple sites. The Acrocanthosaurus atokensis, for example, is comprised of bones cast from four partial skeletons, Adams said. Each one has elements that some of the others dont. Together, they make a whole, he said. In other words, that opening scene in Jurassic Park, in which a largely intact dinosaur skeleton is unearthed, isnt how it usually happens. Oh, if it was only that easy and they were always that complete, said Adams, who added that the movie inspired him and many others to pursue paleontology as a career. A lot of times, we find one bone or a handful of bones. A lot of times, we have skeletons with no head. And we have a lot of dinosaurs that are heads and no skeleton. The poses are drawn from scientific research into how the animals moved and stood. That kind of care extends to every element in the gallery and explains why the fleshed-out T-Rex depicted in a mural has feathers, which generally are absent whenever the fearsome giant pops up in the movies because they dont think they look scary enough, Adams said. T-Rex would have had feathers. The desire for scientific correctness also is why flowers are included among the gallerys greenery. We did a lot of research to make sure we were as accurate as possible. So there are no plants in there that would not have been there (at the time), Adams said. We were talking to the landscapers, and they said Were going to put in ferns, were going to put in some palms, and make it look prehistoric. I was like, Where are the flowers? This would have been full of flowers. At this particular time, they would have been white and they would have been yellow they wouldnt have been red or blue but in this time period, when T-Rex was walking around, flowers would be taking over. So flowers are really important. We have new insects because they have to pollenate new flowers. So theres a whole world to discover that is not just dinosaurs and bugs. So its very exciting. In the past, Adams said, museums with dinosaur exhibitions did not update them often. That wont be the case with this space. New discoveries will be reflected in the large display case in the gallerys lab, and the touch screens located throughout the gallery also can be updated. Its an evolving exhibit space, he said. If we have some new discoveries that are really important and change our understanding of all the animals in here, then we need to talk about it and bring that to the public. We need to make sure that its not a static exhibit. It is about the advancement of knowledge. It is about discovering the world we live in, and science doesnt stand still. We have to move forward. dlmartin@express-news.net Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN San Antonio-based health care technology company CaptureRx is scheduled to receive more than $1 million in tax breaks, fee waivers and cash incentives next week from San Antonio and Bexar County to expand its headquarters by moving to the Kress Building on Houston Street downtown. The company, founded in San Antonio in 2000, employs 114 people and plans to create another 200 jobs over the next six years as part of its agreements with the city and county for the tax incentives. The new jobs must pay more than $50,000 each to qualify for the incentives. Developer GrayStreet Partners plans to spend more than $10.5 million renovating the building, according to the tax-abatement agreement with the city of San Antonio. The citys draft agreement calls for CaptureRx to receive an Economic Development Program grant of $614,000. San Antonio Water System fees of $158,160 would be waived. A 100 percent property tax abatement would apply for up to six years; it then would phased out over the next four years. The city also plans to nominate CaptureRx for the Texas Enterprise Zone Program that would give the company cash for employing veterans and workers from low-income areas. City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on the incentive package. On Tuesday, Bexar County Commissioners Court is scheduled to vote on a $120,000 cash incentive from the countys Innovation Fund and a 10-year, 90 percent property-tax abatement valued at $281,000, said Bexar County Economic Development Executive Director David Marquez. CaptureRx, which provides services to pharmacies and hospitals to manage prescription inventory and financial flows, plans to occupy the top five floors of the six-story Kress Building, considered part of the downtowns emerging Tech District. The building is being renovated by owner GrayStreet Partners. CaptureRx had considered expansion sites in Kansas City and Naples, Florida. 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. The company plans to move from its existing location at the San Antonio Entrepreneur Center at 219 E. Houston St. to the Kress Building a block away in early 2018. The Kress Building, along the 300 block of East Houston Street, was built as part of the S.H. Kress & Co. five-and-dime store chain in the art moderne style by architect Edward Sibbert in 1939. We focus on business retention and expansion, and CaptureRx is a perfect example of our economic development efforts to accomplish our goals for talent attraction, entrepreneurial development and high wages in targeted industries, said San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley in a prepared statement. Its a real sign the downtown momentum has shifted, Marquez added. dhendricks@express-news.net After decades of outsourcing customer call centers to Asia and other continents, corporations across the globe are starting to move their telephone operations back to U.S. where costs have dramatically dropped in recent years. San Antonio where J. Crew placed its new call center in 2011 is poised to capitalize on the trend, according to a study by consulting firm of The Boyd Co. Inc. in Princeton, New Jersey. The Alamo City is the third-cheapest city out of 10 U.S. markets that dominate the call center industry, according to the report. Companies (needing call centers) are finding hidden costs in the Philippines, India and China in training and high rates of turnover, John Boyd, a principal at The Boyd Co, said during a recent San Antonio visit. Wages also are rising in developing countries, he added. While most of President Donald Trumps emphasis on creating jobs and bringing work back to the U.S. has centered on the better-paying manufacturing sector, the call center industry will follow in the same footsteps, Boyd said. In addition to J. Crew, Marriott International operates a large call center here, as well as Southwest Airlines, Allstate Corp., Bank of America, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Humana, Alorica Inc., Ibex Global and Transcom Worldwide. Columbus, Ohio-based Alliance Data recently announced it will hire 150 people this year for its San Antonio credit-card services center that already employs 75 people. There is branding value in coming back to the United States. Companies in highly regulated industries like finance, information technology and banking, have incentives to bring jobs back on shore under President Donald Trumps administration. They want government contracts, and they want to influence regulatory policy, Boyd said. U.S. companies that have re-shored call centers include IBM, Microsoft Corp. and General Electric, Boyd said. Foreign-based companies that have chosen the U.S. for call centers include Germanys Deutsche Bank, Australias Macquarie and the Netherlands Monster.com, he said. Mergers and acquisitions will likely surge if corporate income taxes are cut from 35 percent. New deals and mergers will mean more brick-and-mortar call centers, Boyd said. The question with call centers is: Where will they go? It will be the low-cost markets that are not unionized. Texas and South Carolina will be at the top of the lists, Boyd said. The Boyd Co. study compares costs in 10 markets for labor, electric power, office rents, amortization and sales tax and telecommunications. The study ranked the 10 markets by adding up the costs for a 40,000-square-foot call center employing 400 people, or one employee per 100 square-feet. Philadelphia has the highest total costs at $24.2 million per year. The cheapest market is Myrtle Beach/Cheraw, South Carolina, at $20.5 million. The second least expensive market is Omaha, Nebraska, at $22 million with San Antonio just above that. The breakdown of costs show that labor wages are the biggest factor in the cost differences. Only 4 percent of nonexempt workers in Texas are in unions. South Carolina has the lowest union percentage in the country at 1.6 percent, Boyd said. San Antonio is particularly well-positioned for the industry because of its bilingual workforce, corporate-friendly labor laws, low taxes, advanced telecommunications infrastructure and ready access to labor pool pockets such as military spouses, seniors and students. Another draw for San Antonio thats less widely known is a broad tourism industry. Hospitality workers develop customer service skills that translate well for call center jobs. Its an advantage that San Antonio shares with Myrtle Beach, Boyd said, as well as other cities, including Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas; and Phoenix. But San Antonio city and county officials have generally had little interest in attracting call centers. Theyve been trying to lure other, higher-paying industries with tax breaks and other incentives, specifically targeting information technology, cybersecurity, new energy, bioscience, aerospace, financial services and advanced manufacturing. We have limited resources to lure business investments, said David Marquez, Bexar County economic development executive director, so we have narrowed our focus to the target industries. We welcome call centers if they are offering good jobs, putting folks to work, but we will not be proactive in pursuing them. The local economic development foundation would assist call centers relocating here in finding office space and cutting red tape. But prevailing wages in the call center industry usually fall below the wage levels that trigger cash incentives from the city and Bexar County. Call centers have played a role in San Antonios economy, but the city is not actively targeting or recruiting call centers, said Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, CEO and president of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. Jobs are jobs, Saucedo-Herrera stressed. We would never turn away investments in San Antonio. Were charged with diversifying the local economy, so we are shifting to our target industries, Saucedo-Herrera said. Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot. The city and county both help fund SAEDF under a contract. New and incoming jobs become eligible for incentives if they pay $50,000 or more for county incentives and 5 percent above that for city incentives, Saucedo-Herrera said. The Boyd Co. operating costs survey lists average pay at San Antonio call centers at $18.12 an hour, or about $37,000 a year. Of the more than 100 active business investment prospects that SAEDF now is working with, there are no call center proposals now. The biggest number of prospects now are in the manufacturing and financial services sectors, Saucedo-Herrera said. A few, but not many, call center jobs can qualify for cash incentives, such as those in information technology and banking, Boyd said. But the noncash incentive that call centers crave are job-training programs. Texas is a Cadillac state in workforce training, Boyd said, along with South Carolina and Georgia. Community colleges have access to job-training funding, Boyd explained. Marquez said call centers would get more attention if they locate operations in areas that have fewer employers. Call centers, he said, tend to cluster in San Antonio along Interstate 10 and Texas Hwy. 151. Because of San Antonios large population, a segment of the areas workforce is suited to call centers more than other sectors requiring higher skills. San Antonio has a large density of call centers. For some, its a good way to start a career, Marquez said. dhendricks@express-news.net San Antonio private equity firm Texas Next Capital and its three co-founders have been sued by a local investor who accuses them of violating state securities laws. Wayne Harwell accused Texas Next in a lawsuit of making numerous false and and misleading representations to get him to invest with the firm. He says he was told Texas Next would use investor money to purchase controlling interests in six to eight companies, but its currently invested in just one environmental management company Enviro Clean Group of Oklahoma City. Harwell also said Texas Next committed a bait-and-switch play by initially valuing its stake in Enviro Clean at $3.9 million but later lowering it to $804,000. Texas Next co-founders and partners Steve Hassmann, John Kerr and Matthew Murphy also are accused of paying themselves an annual management fee greater than the value of Enviro Clean. Mark Oakes, an Austin lawyer representing Texas Next, disputed the allegations. The claims are without merit and the company will conduct a vigorous defense, Oakes said in an interview. Harwell wants to cancel his investments and get his money back. He signed agreements in 2014 to purchase $1.5 million of limited partnership interests in Texas Next, his lawsuit states. Neither he nor his lawyer could immediately be reached for comment. The suit was filed Wednesday in Bexar County district court. On its website, Texas Next lists Enviro Clean as its only current investment. Past investments listed include Rackspace Hosting Inc., Texas Capital Bank and Summit Air Ambulance. Texas Nexts team of senior advisers includes some heavy-hitters, the website shows. They include former Texas Instruments Chairman James Adams, former Los Angeles Times publisher Richard Dick Schlosberg, and James Collins of Rioco Partners, a McAllen-based real estate investment and private equity firm. It couldnt be determined how much capital Texas Next has raised since it launched in 2012. But Harwells suit says an Internal Revenue Service filing shows there were 47 partners in Texas Next. Almost all of them received cash distributions in amounts significantly larger than what was credited back to Harwell even though many contributed less capital than he did, the suit adds. Texas Next investors had committed to invest $22 million but had only contributed about $13 million as of 2013, the suit says. Harwell said Hassmann led him to believe the general partners would receive a 2 percent management fee on amounts actually contributed. But Harwell says that in 2015, Texas Nexts general partners changed the calculation of the management fee and based it on the amounts committed rather than contributed. The three general partners charged an annual fee of $812,000 to manage assets, more than the $804,000 that they said Enviro Clean was worth, the suit says. Texas Next also didnt hold a controlling stake in Enviro Clean, the suit further alleges. The firm owned about 37 percent of Enviro Clean, according to a 2015 IRS form, the suit says. Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot. A 2014 Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows Enviro Clean raised $4.5 million from investors. Harwell also says in his suit that he was assured that none of the money deployed by Texas Next would be for turnaround companies. But Enviro Clean was a turnaround project, he alleges. Harwell cited a lawsuit filed by Brett Matlick, Enviro Cleans former chief operating officer, against Texas Next in December. Matlick says in his lawsuit that he was hired at the beginning of last year in a bid to turn around Enviro Clean. But Matlick, who lives in Comal County, said he was given the boot just nine months into the job. Matlick alleges in his suit that he was terminated in violation of his employment agreement and seeks more than $333,500 in damages. Texas Next never disclosed that Enviro Clean was a turnaround in need of the services of a turnaround specialist, Harwell alleged in his suit. Harwell also said the Texas Next partnership interests he was solicited to invest in werent registered for sale as securities in Texas, and Hassmann was not registered to sell securities in the state. pdanner@express-news.net Twitter: @AlamoPD The Texan who heads the House Committee on Agriculture said he understands why farmers and ranchers fear President Donald Trumps promise to overhaul foreign trade agreements, especially when Trumps pick to lead the office of U.S. trade representative has yet to be confirmed. Time is of the essence, U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, told farm reporters gathered Friday at the 2017 Commodity Classic in San Antonio. China is not standing on the sidelines while we get our act together. Theyre going to move forward to do whatever deals they can get done, and to the extent they can cut us out, they will certainly do that. Threats from Mexico that theyre not going to import our corn, all those type of things that uncertainty is not doing us any good, he added. The Commodity Classic, which runs through today, is an annual meeting that brought together roughly 9,000 farmers, ranchers, policymakers and agri-business executives. Mexico, the top buyer of U.S. corn, has thumbed its nose at Trumps idea of taxing U.S. imports from Mexico initiating talks to instead buy corn from Argentina and Brazil. While it may take a long time for South America to match the existing U.S.-Mexico network of highways, railways, and inland shipping routes, the prospect has some of the very farmers and ranchers who supported Trump nervous theyll lose foreign markets. Many had also counted on the 13-nation Trans Pacific Partnership as a way of opening Pacific rim markets to commodities like cotton, soy and beef. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the TPP, which hed called a potential disaster, his fourth day in office. Farmers and ranchers are anxious to see what the multitude of bilateral deals Trump favors will look like for agricultural exports. I was in a conversation with one of Trumps top economic advisers two or three weeks ago, Conaway said. I said, We need to talk about trade because its vital to production agriculture When are you going to get this done? How soon are you going to start? Conaway said he didnt know because Robert Lighthizer hasnt been confirmed yet as U.S. trade representative. But Conaway said he was encouraged to hear a change in tone on import taxes, which Trump has floated and which has come out as part of a Republican tax plan. Conaway said his advice was to keep your powder dry about proposals such as a border-adjustment tax that Republicans are tying into a larger corporate tax plan. (The adviser) did say one thing that made me feel better, and that is most of the focus on trade and the trade deficits have been on imports and that most of the White House has suddenly discovered that the exports play a role in trade deficits, Conaway said. They dont want to do anything to screw up the exports. Conaways appearance at the conference comes as agricultural producers and their lenders try to wait out farm incomes that have dropped some 50 percent since 2013, making for conditions that to some are reminiscent of the U.S. farm crisis of the 1980s, when thousands lost their farms to low prices and high debt. Economists urged producers from around the nation to think long term about emerging markets in Asia and Africa they said will be more than able to consume current oversupplies. Agricultural producers are eager to see a replacement to the farm bill passed in 2014, which was negotiated when commodity prices were at record highs. The wish list for the 2018 farm bill, which will set price supports for commodities as well as standards for the USDAs food stamp program, is being laid out now by powerful lobbying groups. Those include the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association and National Wheat Growers Association, which held meetings during the conference. Farm bill negotiations can turn into prolonged battles, with urban food stamp interests and rural production agriculture representatives all fighting for a share of the USDA budget, Conaway pledged to get the bill passed on time. 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. With a constituency thats heavily invested in cotton, Conaways own priority is to restore cotton as a farm bill crop eligible for subsidies, a provision that was lost in the 2014 provision due to a trade dispute with Brazil. Former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he didnt have the authority to get cotton back in the farm bill by classifying it as an oilseed. Conaway said Friday that the proposal was still live. Cotton folks got bailed out this year in a sense by having monster yields but thats a hard policy to put into place, he said. The groundwork for the farm bill is being laid with vacancies in key positions in the Trump administration, most significantly leadership of the Department of Agriculture. Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, Trumps nominee for USDA secretary and a likely ally to cotton, has yet to be assigned a confirmation hearing. Rumors have been circulating that the nomination is facing roadblocks, possibly due to conflicts with Perdues grain and fertilizer businesses. Conaway sought to allay those suspicions Friday, saying it was a paperwork issue and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, was working on a date. Hes filling out the paperwork, Conaway said of Perdue. He has extensive business interests and those require disclosure and the FBI has to do a background check and all of that He should be uncontroversial, quite frankly. lbrezosky@express-news.net In a bit of kismet, one of the first major exhibitions to open at the McNay Art Museum since Rich Aste became director in September is a show he co-curated while he was still at the Brooklyn Museum. Now on view in the newly reconfigured Tobin Exhibition Galleries, Monet to Matisse: A Century of French Moderns was put on the McNays schedule by Astes predecessor, Bill Chiego, long before he interviewed for the job. The show features nearly 60 paintings and sculptures from Brooklyns renowned collection selected by Aste, then curator of European painting and sculpture at the institution, and Lisa Smalls, who now occupies that position. For San Antonio the traveling exhibitions first stop Monet to Matisse has been augmented with more than a dozen works from the McNays holdings, among them bequests from the museums founder, the forward-thinking collector Marion Koogler McNay. (Chiego) was very aware of the power this could have here, Aste said. And you see that dialog very naturally throughout the exhibition Mrs. McNay and the Brooklyn Museum same artists, same moment, same passion for avant-garde, progressive painting and sculpture. Spanning the period between the mid-19th to mid-20th century, the exhibit takes viewers from realism to surrealism, showcasing works by artists who were either born in France or studied and showed there. Between the titular bookends of Claude Monet and Henri Matisse, that includes Pierre Bonnard, Mary Cassatt, Paul Cezanne, Camille Corot, Edgar Degas, Jean-Francois Millet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Auguste Rodin. The show features wall text in English and Spanish, the new normal at the McNay, which is making an effort to reach a larger Latino audience. Though laden with works by artists who are much-beloved by todays audiences, Monet to Matisse reminds viewers that many of them were viewed as radicals and subversives in their time. In anticipation of the show, the semi-permanent walls that until recently divided the Tobin Exhibition Galleries were removed, leaving the 7,500-square-foot space open, as architect Jean-Paul Viguier intended. The exhibit itself is broken up into four sections: portraits and the figure, still life, the nude and landscape. At the far end of the gallery, Monets Water Lilies, one of the works migrated from the McNays permanent galleries, beckons. For this show in particular, you can see these stories unfold down the gallery, said Rene Paul Barilleaux, curator of contemporary art, who organized the exhibition with Heather Lammers, director of collections and exhibitions. The way each room is conceived you move in a somewhat clockwise direction around each individual space and follow a chronology. The subtle murmur of voices speaking in different languages greets visitors as they enter the show. The audio is intended to reference how diverse, how pluralistic Paris was in the 1850s on, Aste said during a walk through of the exhibition. At the beginning of our period, the population was 1.2 million in Paris, and the faces that surround you are a reflection of how diverse the city was. Among the works in the first section, Millets Shepherd Tending His Flock from the 1860s and Jules Bretons The End of the Working Day from 1886-87, are examples of different philosophies with regard to the depiction of peasants and laborers. Though dignified in stature, Millets central figure is weathered and weary, leaning on his staff for support as his charges graze nearby. According to the exhibition catalog, works such as this were scorned by the conservative critics of the day as too uncompromising in their depiction of the cycle of rural misery. Meanwhile, Bretons idealized pastoral images in this case of three young women crossing a potato field under a twilight sky tinged with pink reassured collectors with their unchanging landscapes and laborers who remained satisfied with their God-given lot. I caution you as you go through, were not seeing snapshots in every case, Aste said. The artists have their own agenda and so do their collectors. (Breton) was wildly popular with middle-class French, particularly Paris-based mercantile collectors who didnt really want to know the type of oppression the labor force were enduring. Also among the portraits and figures is the McNays suite of Mary Cassatt drypoint and aquatint prints of everyday upper-middle-class life in Paris from 1890-91. It has not been shown as a whole in several years because the pieces are light sensitive. Its a series that she completed in the winter of that year, and only seven museums in the world have a complete set, Aste said. We are one of them. From portraits and the figure, the exhibition moves on to still lifes. In this section, a small oil painting by Renoir that depicts a blue china cup and saucer, peaches and a handful of green figs on a white tablecloth, is juxtaposed with At Breakfast, a painting from 1937 by Lois Mailou Jones on loan from the Harmon and Harriet Kelley Foundation for the Arts. Wall text describes Jones as one of several prominent African American artists drawn to France by both developments in modernist painting and Paris contrast to strong racial and gender discrimination in the United States. Unlike Renoirs tidy scene, Jones painting has the quality of a photo snapped by a diner who has only just risen from the table. It depicts two hard-boiled eggs on a blue and white plate, an orange and a loaf of bread on a rumpled table cloth. One of the key works in the exhibition is also in this section. Flowers by Matisse from 1906 was one of the first paintings by the artist to enter private American collections. It also was in the landmark 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art, better known as the Armory Show, in New York City. In the painting, a round vase filled with wildflowers loosely rendered in dabs of red, yellow, orange and green sits on a table or windowsill. It is surrounded by irregular patches of color interrupted in places by unpainted canvas. Continuing on, the section on nudes features several sculptures, among them Jean-Baptiste Carpeauxs striking Woman of African Descent, a bust from 1868. Ropes bind the figures torso, and an inscription on the base reads, Why born a slave? Also on display, small scale bronzes cast from wax models discovered in Degas studio after the artists death. The sculptures give dimension to Degas work, also represented by Nude Woman Drying Herself, a painting dated to 1884-1886. Done in sepia-brown, the image has a quality of a sketch. Debate continues as to whether the piece is finished, Aste said. Among the landscapes, Cezannes The Village of Gardanne is clearly a work in progress. The piece in oil and conte crayon from 1885-86 is a view of the Provencal town where the artist lived at the time. Unfinished portions reveal graphite underdrawing for a church bell tower and spindly trees at the base of a hill. This section of the exhibition is dominated by Monets Water Lilies, a large-scale study in oils for the panels that hang in a circular room at the Orangerie des Tuileries in Paris. Its the culmination of our story here, because what were looking at, hes going abstract. Hes paving the way for todays artists, even in 1914, Aste said. Are we looking at the water lilies in the pond or are we looking at a reflection of them? Thats all very intentional by the artist. Its a celebration of what painting can do in 1914. Through June 4. McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave. $10 surcharge in addition to regular admission. 210-805-1754, mcnayart.org lsilva@express-news.net A new Mexican bistro and top-tier cocktail destination from of the group behind Hot Joy, Barbaro and the late The Monterey, Chisme raises the bar for Mexican food at this North St. Marys Street address, the former home of Teka Molino. The kitchen, run by San Antonio and Chicago veteran Mara Serna, turns out dressed-up quesos and guacamoles, a handful of tacos on handmade corn and flour tortillas and larger plates of grilled steak, chicken, barbacoa, shrimp and cochinita pibil. Weekday happy hour from 4-6 p.m. features $5 margaritas and micheladas, $3 beers and free housemade tortilla chips with queso and a trio of salsas. Tacos: Ill fight anybody who says Mexican cheeseburger tacos with ground beef patties, sliced ham, avocado, queso and fresh jalapenos arent the best bar-food mashup since chili fries. If $12.50 for two of them seems steep, consider that they come with rice and charro beans on the side. Q: Having lost a lot of my plants this winter and with spring coming on, I would like to plant milkweed for the monarch butterflies. I keep hearing how the monarch butterfly is disappearing and folks are encouraging citizens to plant milkweed. In spot checking on the computer, I notice that some are poisonous to animals. Can you recommend a type that would not hurt my dog and cats? Sally A: Im not a plant expert, so I called the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. There are many species of milkweed, like butterfly weed, blood flower and pleurisy root that are part of the Asclepia genus family. Apparently, you cant have a milkweed plant without the sappy milk inside, so all cultivars are toxic to pets, but the levels of toxicity can be different from plant to plant, according to the Wildflower Center. There is no way to know how each plant will impact every dog. Some pets may get contact dermatitis simply from brushing up against the plant; some may not. Pets ingesting the plant can suffer from gastric symptoms to seizures and death, depending on the amount of the plant that they ingested. Ironically, while the plant is safe for the butterflies and caterpillars who feast on it, the dogs that ingest those butterflies and caterpillars are still susceptible to poisoning. If you want to plant one to attract monarch butterflies, look for ways to keep your dog away from the bush. I used to have one in my backyard and kept a wire fence around it to keep it out of reach of my dogs. Make your voice heard Animal Care Services (ACS) will host a series of public meetings through mid-May to solicit feedback on potential revisions to San Antonios Chapter 5 animal ordinance and ACSs overall strategic plan. San Antonio residents can offer input at any of the meetings, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the following dates and locations: March 9: Claude Black Community Center, 2805 E. Commerce St. March 15: Animal Care Services, 4710 Texas 151 March 28: Central Library, 600 Soledad St. April 11: Hardberger Park Urban Ecology Center, 8400 NW Military Highway April 18: Millers Pond Community Center, 6075 Old Pearsall Road May 4: Harlandale Community Center, 301 Sussex Ave. May 16: Melendrez Community Center, 5909 W. Commerce St. ACSs year-to-date live-release rate is 90.7 percent, but with no reduction in intake. As for enforcement, ACS has issued more than 4,400 citations to animal law violators since Oct. 1, 2016. If you have ideas on how to make improvements to the Chapter 5 animal ordinance or ACSs strategic plan, show up at one of these public meetings to share your ideas. Send your pet tips, stories and questions to cathy@petpundit.com. You can read her blog, Animals Matter, at blog.mysanantonio.com/animals. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate On a clear Texas day in front of the state capitol in Austin, veterans gathered around a boxcar to celebrate a war a century earlier. The Texas Merci Boxcar moved to the state capitol for one day on Feb. 18. In 1917, boxcars like it had transported American troops to the front lines of World War I. These cars could hold either 40 soldiers or eight horses. As a result, they were called 40 & 8ers. Veterans such of La Societe des Quarant Hommes et Huit Cheveax, or Forty and Eight, celebrate the shared experience of those who rode to battle in these boxcars. This uncomfortable mode of transportation was familiar to all who fought in the trenches, the groups history states. A common small misery among American soldiers who thereafter found 40/8 a lighthearted symbol of the deeper service, sacrifice and unspoken horrors of war that bind all who have borne the battle. These cars served again in World War II, transporting troops and food. One of the boxcars, the Texas Merci Boxcar, arrived from France in 1949, after the end of World War II. A French gratitude train traveled to every state in America at the time. Since 2014, the boxcar has been on display at the Great Hall of the Texas Military Forces Museum in Camp Mabry in Austin. One of the speakers, State Representative Diana Arevalo is now sponsoring a resolution to celebrate the Texas Merci Boxcar. The boxcar is a unique treasured piece of world history we must preserve for its symbolic significance and a promise our nation upheld as alliance to France and valued friendship, Arevalo said. Lowell J. Mix, 76, said the boxcar in Austin is more than 120 years old and comes from the late 1800s. Mix is a San Antonio member of the Forty and Eight. David Knutson, 57, of Leander, said he joined the group when he was stationed in Germany because he was fascinated by the history behind the boxcars. I thought it was very fascinating, Knutson said. He remarked how the American soldiers who rode in the cars had no heat, no air conditioning, no electricity. It wasn't much fun back then, Knutson said. So they took this bad experience and celebrated it. Wearing a new hunting frock and new coonskin cap, Ryan Badger played Davy Crockett at the Alamo on Friday night, delighting a group of about 25 excited visitors, many of whom pulled out their phones to snap pictures and take video during a special nighttime tour of the icon of Texas liberty. Badger was just one of several volunteers recreating the last night before the final attack on the Alamo was launched by Mexican Gen. Santa Anas army. The tour, a guided candle-lit journey, highlighted seven scenes and included soldiers from Santa Anas army as well as heroes of the Alamo. The reenactors wore period clothing and carried period firearms and bladed weapons. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate RIGA, Lativa The 22 soldiers in a chilly, darkened seating area toward the rear of the C-5M Super Galaxy bounced and jerked as its rear wheels hit a rain-slicked runway in this small Baltic country bordering Russia. Air Force Reserve Capt. Mike Raggio of San Antonio adjusted the rudder to align the 28-wheel landing gear with the center line. Thrust reversers slowed the aircraft to an approach speed, then it rolled to a stop and the soldiers began unloading three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The arrival here of the 10th Mountain Divisions 2-10 Assault Helicopter Battalion last week mostly was unnoticed in the United States. But it was a major event in Latvia, a member of NATO and a former Soviet republic whose Russian border neighborhood has grown increasingly tense in recent years. The battalion, ferried from Fort Drum, New York, by the giant transport planes based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, is part of a brigade that has sent 2,200 soldiers to Latvia, Germany and Romania for a nine-month training tour. That deployment is part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a multinational mission whose American footprint throughout Europe is 5,800 soldiers so far, including a 400-strong 1st Armored Division aviation regiment from Fort Bliss. Added to the 70,000 U.S. troops permanently assigned to Europe, Atlantic Resolve is NATO s biggest military buildup along Russias borders since the Cold War, military observers say. Its a message to Moscow in the wake of a resurgent Russias annexation of the Crimea in 2014, combat clashes within Ukraine and support for other pro-Russian separatists in nations once part of the Soviet Union. Estonia, a neighbor of Latvia, accused Russians of kidnapping a senior security official in 2014; Russia said it detained him on the Russian side of the border. Russian President Vladimir Putin has positioned nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad, a piece of Russia that borders Poland and Lithuania, and has sent warships armed with cruise missiles to the Baltic Sea. And Russian warplanes have buzzed NATO aircraft this year. So the arriving Super Galaxies and the Black Hawks they unloaded were a welcome sight to Latvians unnerved by President Donald Trumps criticism of NATO, particularly its member nations that arent paying their share to support the alliance. In a pre-inauguration interview with the Times of London and Bild, a German newspaper, Trump stunned some observers by saying NATO was obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago. Trump also hinted during last years campaign that he might not honor the alliances Article V, which treats an attack on one member nation as an attack on all. But Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary James Mattis, at a recent conference in Europe, tried to reassure NATO of Americas commitment while making it clear its nations had to meet their financial obligations. Soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division wouldnt address Trumps comments but said their deployment should be a clear signal to Russia and its worried neighbors. Messaging is very important. And thats our goal, to reassure in the Baltic region our NATO and our partner forces and allies of the commitment, said Capt. Lewis Hudson, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland, a pilot and commander of an assault helicopter company now based in Latvia. Weve thought about the message, added the battalions commander, Lt. Col. Joshua Ruisanchez, 40, of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. And its simple: Its truly our commitment and resolve to the NATO countries. Part of the reassurance, he said, comes from the size and power of the training force, by sending an entire combat aviation brigade over to Eastern Europe to demonstrate what NATO commanders call interoperability among member nations armed forces. Youve got the British, the French, the Germans, the Canadians, so well be operating with them, with much of the 10th Mountain brigade, joined by the Fort Bliss contingent, based in Germany and working with the partner nations, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary and Poland, Ruisanchez said. Well be a task force the moment we hit ground. As his soldiers waited in an adjacent room at Fort Drum to board their Riga-bound flights, Hudson spoke of them as helicopter air assault professionals. We want to be able to help (the Latvians) be able to work alongside us to the same level of proficiency that our forces are, he said. Its a relationship and a message that doesnt ring hollow when you show up and youre a capable force and then train them to become their own capable forces, said Sgt. Maj. Ronnie Littler, 42, of Tucson, Arizona. Different kind of mission Something else was being demonstrated speed of assembly, a byword of the integration of Army and Air Force operations, exemplified by the battalions airlift, Hudson said. Thats what the Air Force really provides, for the Army to be able to go into (Europe) expeditiously, Hudson said. In less than eight hours, we can go from the East Coast to anywhere in Europe and start setting up our forces to support any NATO country that needs the support and reassurance, and to help deter any aggression, regardless of where it comes from. The battalions 1,800 troops were moved to Riga in a combination of military and civilian contract aircraft. The Lackland-based C-5s moved the heavy stuff three Black Hawks on one flight, big trucks, a couple of smaller vehicles and pallets on the second. The missions high geopolitical profile was unusual for the Air Force Reserves 433rd Airlift Wing, which spans the globe in any given month without fanfare, supplying the military from South Korea to Afghanistan. Raggio, 30, became a command pilot at the unusually young age of 26. Starting Tuesday, his C-5 twice flew the 8.5 hours from Fort Drum to Riga weighing 720,000 pounds at each takeoff and stopped at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on the way home. By the time theyre done, the planes 14 crew members will have crossed the Atlantic four times and burned 120,000 gallons of jet fuel over 20,080 miles. The fuel economy? Six gallons per mile. Nothing ever goes quite as planned for the Alamo Wing, a unit with a long history of flying the C-5, whose cargo bay is longer than the Wright Brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Super Galaxy can be as temperamental as it is big. Given the potential for mechanical issues and revised orders, airmen tell their families never to count on them returning on time. The make frequent grocery runs while en route to buy more food than theyll likely need. And they have rituals and superstitions. Master Sgt. Eric Mungia, 33, stops at the Little Taco Factory in Kirby before a mission and always orders huevos rancheros, a side of bacon and black coffee. And the crew wont jinx things by putting on flight suits at the hotel until the alert order has been given to head to the air base unless were in Hawaii and I want to stay longer, said Master Sgt. Will Jalomo, 45, of Lytle, the primary C-5 loadmaster on this trip. This time the five pilots, five loadmasters, two engineers and two flying crew chiefs fell behind schedule on the first day, thanks to a faulty electrical circuit and the idiosyncrasies of international air travel a 15-minute diplomatic clearance window over southern Norway. One of the three Black Hawks brought to the plane wasnt on Mungias original plan. As loadmaster, he had to determine its weight and compute its center of gravity, as he does for each item. It ensures a safe flight and saves fuel. A mistake can be disastrous. A 2013 crash of a Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft carrying a load of improperly secured Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles killed all seven crew members at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. They blamed it on a load shift, said Maj. Jeremy Hooper, a veteran pilot with the wing who began flying in the ninth grade and took the next load of MRAPs out of Bagram following the incident. After seeing that, I wanted to hold Loadmaster Appreciation Week because if they dont do their job correctly, were all dead. C-5 history in San Antonio Motorists on Texas 151 or fans at a San Antonio Missions home game who see a lumbering C-5 taking off or landing at Lackland might know its one of eight M model planes assigned to the 433rd. More powerful and fuel-efficient versions of the old C-5A, they arrived last June. The wing came to the now-closed Brooks AFB in 1955, moved to Kelly AFB five years later and became part of Lackland after Kellys closure. A lot of people in San Antonio think we do touch-and-goes, and nothing else, said one loadmaster, Tech. Sgt. Bryan Stone, referring to takeoff and landing runs done by the wings 733rd Training Squadron. Stone, 34, is a firefighter and paramedic in civilian life. The 356th Airlift Squadron logged 220 sorties last year, while the 68th Airlift Squadron flew nearly twice as many, flying anywhere American troops may be posted. Hooper, 37, flies Boeing 767 jets for Delta Air Lines and has 5,500 hours in civilian and military aircraft. He can tell you how long the C-5 has been flying in San Antonio because his dad, then-Maj. Victor Hooper, flew one of the first A models into Kelly in 1984. Raggio, a Dallas native who flew in Afghanistan and Iraq and now flies for American Airlines in civilian life, manages every facet of the C-5 mission, from mapping out each legs flight plan and fuel requirements to contingency planning and caring for the crew. Mungia takes pride in helping carry out national policy. Hes due to fly to Kuwait later in the month, and after that to Afghanistan. We have some pilots and some loadmasters who say, I remember when I used to fly with your dad, and now some fly with their own kids, who are loadmasters, engineers or pilots, Mungia said. So its a family affair. sigc@express-news.net Manuel Medina is against the future. On Thursday evening, the ostentatious chairman of the Bexar County Democratic Party argued at a mayoral debate that City Council is too focused on tomorrow, a critique aimed at his opponents onstage Mayor Ivy Taylor and Councilman Ron Nirenberg. They keep talking about the 1 million people coming to San Antonio over the next 25 years their jobs, their safety, their infrastructure, Medina continued. Well, how about the 1.5 million people that already live here today? Our jobs, our safety, our infrastructure. He was responding to a question by KSATs Steve Spriester, who moderated the debate at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts: How does your vision of the future of San Antonio differ from your opponents on the stage here? Medinas vision of the future, unfortunately, is blocked by the present day. How about doing something about problems that have plagued our community for too long? he said. Generational poverty on the West Side, institutional violence on the East Side, nightmare traffic on the North Side, and the lack of basic infrastructure on the South Side. No one expects the mayor to change these things overnight. But they do want a mayor thats focused on today, addressing the issues that you and I face today. Theres one problem with that argument: Tomorrow becomes today, er, tomorrow. It happens literally every day. You go to sleep, wake up and boom there you are. The future: Pretty soon, its now. Dividing future residents from current residents ignores the fact that tomorrow, everyone is a resident (unless you flee the city due to lack of adequate planning, which might be what Medina is advocating.) The past has a role to play, too. The ills that Medina likes to list poverty, violence, gridlock might have been lessened had previous leaders paid them more mind. Taylor and Nirenberg spent much of the debate sniping at each other, but at least they agree that a mayor must plan. Not doing that is an abdication of your responsibility as an elected official, Taylor told me on Friday. I think we can look around at many major American cities and see severe impacts of not looking at the future. As examples, she mentioned Detroit and Austin: An over-reliance on the auto industry in Detroit tanked its economy, and a lack of transportation planning in Austin produced gridlock. I guess they thought if they dont build it, the people wouldnt come, Taylor said. Guess what? The people came anyway, and Austin faces crippling traffic. Nirenberg mentioned gridlock in San Antonio to illustrate the same point. The reason why people are stuck in gridlock is because 30 years ago we didnt have adequate plans for the influx of people and vehicles onto our roadways, he said. These problems just didnt arrive on San Antonios doorstep all of a sudden. Theyre the result of years and decades of disinvestment because people were far too focused on today. The real question in this election isnt whether city officials should plan for the future, but whether theyre planning effectively. Nirenberg has argued that they arent, and surprise he blames the mayor. For years, Nirenberg led a council committee charged with overseeing SA Tomorrow, a plan meant to guide development in anticipation of an additional 1 million people in Bexar County by 2040. On Thursday at the debate, the councilman accused Taylor of co-opting his leadership on the document. By that, he meant the mayor failed to push back against the San Antonio Planning Commission, a nine-member body of residents who watered down the documents environmental measures before it reached the full council. Its a nice document, he told me on Friday. Its attractive and its well-written. But when we pass the plan and remove some of the vital provisions that will help us to grow a more sustainable San Antonio that defeats the purpose of the plan. Taylor blamed the planning commissions changes on Nirenberg. Frankly, she said, I was a little bit disappointed in the lack of robust communication and leadership on his part. bchasnoff@express-news.net Her desire to march to the beat of her own drum came from a secure upbringing. My father (actor Anil Kapoor) is a feminist. He has always appreciated the parenting that Serena and Venus Williams received, and wanted to be that ambitious for his daughters. I was never treated like a girl. And I would never insult women by saying that I was treated like a boy. All three of us (one brother, two sisters) were treated equally. And yes, my dad and mum tried to protect me and my siblings as much as they could. THERE IS NO SAFE HAVEN FOR WOMEN. Yet, Kapoor was molested by a stranger. Before I became a celebrity, I was just a regular pretty girl in public. This happened when I was at a movie hall. I was groped by a guy who I couldnt see in the dark. I was only 13 years old and deeply disturbed by the whole episode. I remember going to my teacher and school counsellor, and telling them about it. They said that everybody is groped; that groping is not molestation. They thought rape was molestation. Even at 13 I knew what it wasthat if somebody gropes you or squeezes your breasts, it is molestation. I spoke to my mum about it in order to deal with it. The level of awareness in our schools is so low; there is no sex education and teachers are not equipped to handle such cases. Our education system just does not know any better. Girls slip into depression. They blame themselves and its a horrible place to be in. The first step towards self-protection, Kapoor believes, is awareness. She wants girls to be informed about the various forms of unwanted sexual advances that they can come across: Its important for all of us to know that be it India or any other country, there is no safe haven for women. Somebody can grab your behind in a nightclub or a crowd and you need to know that its serious, its molestation. Eve-teasing is more verbal somebody making unwanted remarksbut molestation is when somebody touches any part of your body without your consent, and rape is non-consensual sex. The next step, she articulates, is absorbing the enormity of what happened and knowing that it didnt happen because of you. It is never your fault; what happened doesnt make you less beautiful or pure. The person who did wrong is the bad guynobody can blame you and make you carry the burden of shame. Responding to the notion that the most superficial of things like a deep neckline or a short hemline are the villains of the piece, Kapoor says, How can clothes define a person? I know its not comparable, but at some point I was told that due to the fact that I dress a certain way I wasnt getting the jobs I wanted. I was clear if people couldnt see beyond my clothes, it was not my problemit was theirs. If somebody labels you or calls you a tart for what youre wearing, its a reflection on them, not you. Its your body, your right to dress the way you want, and your sexuality. Be who you want to be. Daraz, the pioneer of e-commerce in Pakistan, has appointed Zain Suharwardy as the managing director. Suharwardy joins Daraz from Lazada, where he served as vice president. Suharwardy, a startup maverick, media personality and all around multi-hyphenate, will bring on board his experience in building e-commerce ventures from the ground up. Daraz, the pioneer of e-commerce in Pakistan, has appointed Zain Suharwardy as the managing director. Suharwardy joins Daraz from Lazada, where he served as vice president. Suharwardy, a startup maverick, media personality and all around multi-hyphenate, will bring on board his experience in building e-commerce ventures from the ground up.In his role...# In his role, Suharwardy is keen to bring his signature managerial oversight and intuition that he has gained from the years of experience at Lazada, the biggest South East Asian e-commerce companies to Daraz. "It is an exciting time to be at Daraz and I look forward to steering the company toward new growth opportunities, capitalizing on my experience in the ecommerce industry. I strongly feel the next success story in ecommerce will be from Pakistan. When you have 200 million people, which include the brightest minds, to serve you can't go wrong, but to win you need to be efficient, fast, structured and above all Customer centric, and that is what I, along with the team, will be hoping to achieve, " said Suharwardy. Daraz, the pioneer of e-commerce in Pakistan, has appointed Zain Suharwardy as the managing director. Suharwardy joins Daraz from Lazada, where he served as vice president. Suharwardy, a startup maverick, media personality and all around multi-hyphenate, will bring on board his experience in building e-commerce ventures from the ground up.In his role...# His vast regional expertise in South East Asia has taken him from growing companies like Lazada Malaysia (part of Alibaba Group) and 11 Street to networking with a cluster of sea countries like Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam while being involved in the growth of Rocket Internet venture Zalora in Malaysia. Daraz, the pioneer of e-commerce in Pakistan, has appointed Zain Suharwardy as the managing director. Suharwardy joins Daraz from Lazada, where he served as vice president. Suharwardy, a startup maverick, media personality and all around multi-hyphenate, will bring on board his experience in building e-commerce ventures from the ground up.In his role...# Suharwardy is an excellent millennial networker, who would not let borders or barriers of brick and mortar restrict his entrepreneurial vision. It is this vision that led Lazada experience exponential growth under his stewardship and ultimately leading to the company's acquisition by Alibaba. Lazada is the largest online shopping mall of Southeast Asia and is also part of the world's largest ecommerce company, Alibaba Group. Daraz, the pioneer of e-commerce in Pakistan, has appointed Zain Suharwardy as the managing director. Suharwardy joins Daraz from Lazada, where he served as vice president. Suharwardy, a startup maverick, media personality and all around multi-hyphenate, will bring on board his experience in building e-commerce ventures from the ground up.In his role...# Similarly, Suharwardy's dynamic career has led him from the boardroom to the studio; having headed the business news operations of a commerce-centered channel, all the while accumulating and updating in-depth knowledge of best practices and business solutions.(PA) Daraz, the pioneer of e-commerce in Pakistan, has appointed Zain Suharwardy as the managing director. Suharwardy joins Daraz from Lazada, where he served as vice president. Suharwardy, a startup maverick, media personality and all around multi-hyphenate, will bring on board his experience in building e-commerce ventures from the ground up.In his role...# Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Encouraged by the good business climate of the country, two Turkish companies have expressed interest in investing in its textile sector. A Serbian government statement quoted its trade minister Rasim Ljajic as also adding that 136 Turkish companies were registered in Serbia last year. Ljajic was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with the apparel sector.According to Ljajic, the country offers the best business environment in the region, a highly skilled workforce and very good conditions for foreign investors. Fibre2Fashion News Desk India DUBLIN, Mar 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "United States Insulin Pump Market Insights, Opportunity, Analysis, Growth Potential & Forecast 2017 - 2022" report to their offering. Market growth can be attributed to factors such as increasing number of diabetic patients, growing awareness towards diabetes, improved glucose control and flexible, lifestyle-compatible treatment options and technological advancement in insulin pump devices. However, high cost of the insulin pumps is hampering the growth of this market. The research report titled United States Insulin Pump Market Insights, Opportunity, Analysis, Growth Potential & Forecast 2017 - 2022 examines the market, competitive landscape and trends of the United States Insulin Pump Market. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the type 1, type 2 and newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes and overall diabetes population. It provides essential insights into insulin pump users with more focused on type 1 and type 2 diabetes insulin pump users. Market outlook in value terms for the forecasted period for Insulin Pump Market has been detailed in the report. It also covers reimbursement pattern and offers a clear view of the regulatory landscape. Additionally, the report includes assessment of clinical trials and preferred insulin pump brand by the patients. Key trends in terms of collaborations, partnerships and licensing agreements are analysed with details. The report also explores detailed description of growth drivers and inhibitors of the United States Insulin Pump Market. The report concludes with the profiles of major players in the Insulin Pump Market such as Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Roche, Animas Corporation and Tandem Diabetes Care. The major market players are evaluated on various parameters such as company overview, product outlook and sales analysis of the Insulin Pump and Diabetes Market from 2011 to 2022. Key Companies Covered in the Report are as follows: - Insulet Corporation - Medtronic - Roche - Animas Corporation - Tandem Diabetes Care Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. United States Diabetes Population (2011 - 2022): An Analysis 3. United States Insulin Pump Market Analysis (2011- 2022) 4. Key Drivers and Inhibitors of the United States Insulin Pump Market 5. United States Insulin Pump Preferred Brand - By Product 6. United States Insulin Pump Market: Reimbursement & Regulation System 7. United States Insulin Pump Market - Major Deal Types 8. Insulin Pump Market Clinical Trail Insight by Phase, Company & Country 9. Key Companies Analysis For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/r5znkm/united_states Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/03/17 -- K92 Mining Inc. ("K92" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: KNT)(OTCQB: KNTNF) announces, as a result of a review by the British Columbia Securities Commission, we are issuing the following news release to clarify our disclosure. In the Company's news release dated March 1, 2017 (the "News Release"), the Company provided certain production updates without including additional disclosure regarding the risks associated with the production decision, which is required by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. In addition, the News Release contained numerous references to the word "ore". The use of the word "ore" in the context of mineral resource estimates to be potentially misleading because "ore" implies technical feasibility and economic viability that should only be attributed to mineral reserves. The News Release also contained references to a "Mine Plan" and a "budget". The Company advises that its decision regarding production at the Kainantu Gold Mine was based on the conceptual mine plan described in the Company's technical report titled "Independent Technical Report, Preliminary Economic Assessment of Irumafimpa and Kora Gold Deposits, Kainantu Project, Papua New Guinea" dated November 25, 2016. On March 2, 2017, the Company filed an amended technical report titled "Independent Technical Report, Preliminary Economic Assessment of Irumafimpa and Kora Gold Deposits, Kainantu Project, Papua New Guinea" dated March 2, 2017 (the "Technical Report") and details of the conceptual mine plan a can be found in the Technical Report. The Company's decision regarding production at the Kainantu Gold Mine was not based on a feasibility study demonstrating economic and technical viability and, as a result, there is increased uncertainty and multiple technical and economic risks that are associated with this decision. These risks include areas that are analyzed in detail in a feasibility study, such as applying economic analysis to resources and reserves, more detailed metallurgy, and a number of specialized studies in areas such as mining and recovery methods and environmental and community impacts. In addition, there are certain specific risks associated with the Kainantu Gold Mine (as described in the Technical Report) including, but not limited to, inadequate water access and access to power. Project failure may adversely impact K92 and future profitability. As such, K92 cautions the reader that where projects are put into production without first establishing mineral reserves, as opposed to mineral resources, supported by a technical report and completing a feasibility study such projects have historically had a higher risk of economic or technical failure. With respect to the references to "budget", as the Company does not have a formal budget that is based on a feasibility study or similar study, readers should not rely on such references. The preliminary economic assessment (the "PEA") contained in the Technical Report is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. The Technical Report contains a full description of all underlying assumptions relating to the PEA. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Company is retracting the disclosure made in the News Release and replacing it with the disclosure set out below. Readers should not rely on information in the News Release. K92 Provides Operational Update With Production Rates -- As at February 24th, 2017, almost 8,000 tonnes of material mined for the month, and the Company expects to achieve over 10,000 tonnes for the month -- As at 24th February, 2017, almost 5,000 tonnes processed and the Company expect to achieve 7,000 tonnes for the month -- Over 200 tonnes of concentrate produced to date, with the first containers currently being filled for shipment to the port of Lae. First shipment of concentrates from the port of Lae to smelter scheduled for early to mid-March K92 Mining Inc. ("K92" or the "Company") is pleased to report mining production has shown a steady ramp up over the last 3 months. The Company mined over 8,000 tonnes of material by February 24th, 2017, and the Company expects to achieve 10,000 tonnes by month end. The increased material production is in part due to significant lower grade material being identified outside of the planned material envelope, which was identified by our ongoing grade control program, highlighting the importance and success of this program. All current February production has come from material development headings and the Company currently anticipates the first stope mining to commence on schedule by the end of March. The commissioning of the drum scrubber at the process plant has now been completed and production is ramping up to meet the mine production, with 5,000 tonnes processed as at February 24, 2017. The product from the drum scrubber has met the required specifications and has allowed the crushing plant to operate satisfactorily, with all of the fines portion, accounting for approximately 30% of the feed, bypassing the crusher and reporting directly to the milling classification circuit. The process plant has produced in excess of 200 tonnes of concentrate, with current grades averaging approximately 150 g/t Au. This material is currently being loaded into containers for transport to the port of Lae, with the first shipment scheduled to depart the port of Lae early to mid-March, 2017. As at February 24, 2017, there were approximately 12,000 tonnes of material stockpiled on surface at an average grade of just over 5 g/t, which included some lower grade development material mined from outside the targeted material envelope. The Company anticipates that this stockpile will allow the plant to achieve over 80% of the design throughput in March, 2017. Based on performance to date, the Company anticipates that both mine production and process plant throughput will meet the Company's expectations. The above production has been achieved despite unusually high rainfall during January and early February, with January recording 700 mm of rain on site against a long-term average of 240 mm. This rainfall has also caused some disruption to the power supply from PNG Power which has had some adverse effect on operations, primarily the process plant. The Company does have standby power installed for the mine, camp and offices and is in the process of upgrading the installed standby power to also provide sufficient power to run the entire processing plant. The diesel generators for this upgrade are currently on site and their installation is due to be completed shortly. Ian Stalker, K92 Chief Executive Officer and Director, states, "It is encouraging to report to all stake-holders the current operational status of the Kainantu Mine. Progress has been made in all aspects of our business, in excess of our own expectations. Our first concentrate is being loaded into containers ready for onward shipping to the Smelter facility, and the grade being recorded at +150 gpt Au., is coming from treatment of our lower grade development material This is hugely encouraging for the operation forecast when we start processing our mined stope material later in March. The performance of the underground mine has been excellent, with material production being ahead of schedule. This is all the more remarkable against the background of re-starting an old mine in weather conditions that are the wettest recorded for many years. I think this is testament to the skills and dedication of the entire team that is K92, and I wish to record my thanks to them." On behalf of the Company, Ian Stalker Chief Executive Officer and Director K92 Advisor, Brian Lueck, P.Geo, a qualified person under the meaning of Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and is responsible for the technical content of this news release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements that address future plans, activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur are forward-looking information, including statements regarding potential ongoing production which may or may not occur and the generation of further production assessment work at deposits, which may or may not occur. The Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") issued by K92 is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the market price of the Company's securities, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, and regulations and other matters. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Contacts: K92 Mining Inc. (604) 687-7130 (604) 608-9110 (FAX) DUBLIN, Mar. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Exploring Data Integrity To Include FDA, WHO and EMA's Latest Guidance for Industry (2015/2016)" conference to their offering. Several documents have recently been published by the FDA, MHRA and WHO. The FDA Guidance for Industry, "Data Integrity and Compliance with CGMP" was published as a DRAFT guidance in April 2016. This Guidance was issued to clarify the role of Data Integrity in CGMP for drugs. In March 2015, the MHRA published a Guidance entitled "MHRA GMP Data Integrity Definitions and Guidance for Industry" which mirrored the 2016 FDA document. Various source documents to include 21 CFR 210/211, FDA Guidances for Industry, Standard Industry Practices and other International sources will be used to support the conclusions developed by each team during this two day seminar. The objective of this two day seminar is to explore and define the necessary elements in the development and implementation of a Data Integrity program and how to maintain Quality Systems that minimize these issues. This seminar is designed to assist in assuring that your organization is maintaining itself within cGMP compliance. Case studies to include Warning Letters will be discussed to illustrate the wide array of issues that continue to arise and how to find them within your organization and your vendors before the regulators find them for you. This seminar represents a great opportunity for a team from your Corporation to attend and mutually benefit each other. Learning Objectives: - Assure your understanding of the fundamental causes of Data Integrity issues - Be able to identify these key elements - Understand how cGMP regulations impact Data Integrity issues - Understanding the various inspection approaches to monitor for Data Integrity - Learn how to determine the regulatory requirements required to assure Data Integrity - Understand the consequences of questionable data and how they may lead to seizures, import alerts, etc Who Should Attend: - Quality professionals - Regulatory professionals - Compliance professionals - Manufacturing engineers - Quality engineers - Quality auditors - Quality Control - Microbiology - Document control specialists For more information about this conference visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5s6j9b/exploring_data Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/03/17 -- WPC Resources Inc. (the "Company" or "WPC") (TSX VENTURE: WPQ) is pleased to report an amendment to the Purchase Agreement dated October 31, 2016 with Mandalay Resources Corporation ("Mandalay") to acquire Mandalay's 100%-owned subsidiary, Lupin Mines Incorporated. Under the amended terms the transaction will now close on March 31, 2017, or such later date as agreed upon in writing by WPC and Mandalay. All other terms of the Purchase Agreement remain the same. For additional information regarding the Purchase Agreement and Lupin Mines Incorporated please see the WPC's news release dated November 1, 2016 and the Company website www.wpcresources.ca. PDAC 2017 The Company will be attending the annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange from Sunday March 5 to Wednesday March 8, 2017 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Please visit us at booth #2949 of the Investors Exchange for information on our 2017 plans and a chance to meet our team. About WPC Resources Inc. WPC is a Vancouver, Canada, based gold exploration company focused on mineral exploration and development. The Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the past producing Lupin Gold Mine and the advanced Ulu Gold Project from Mandalay Resources Corporation. In addition, the Company has entered into an agreement to acquire Inukshuk Exploration Inc., the owner of a 100% interest in the 8,000 ha Hood River property located contiguous to the Ulu Gold Project. The Company is listed on the TSX-V with the trading symbol: WPQ. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the Policies of the TSX-Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Release. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking information. All information included herein, other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Contacts: Stephen Wilkinson President (778) 379-1433 Wayne Moorhouse CFO & Secretary (778) 379-1433 info@wpcresources.ca SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/03/17 -- (NYSE: CWT) -- Following today's release of a draft maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 5 parts per trillion (ppt) for 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board), California Water Service (Cal Water) explained how it is preparing to meet the new water quality standard when compliance monitoring begins in 2018. As TCP is currently unregulated at both the federal and state levels, water utilities are not required to monitor for it at this time. Cal Water, however, has been actively monitoring its groundwater supplies and evaluating potential treatment methods in anticipation of an eventual regulation, according to Cal Water President and CEO Martin A. Kropelnicki. Cal Water has determined that TCP in its service areas will be most efficiently and effectively removed using granular-activated carbon (GAC) technology. The company plans to install GAC vessels where necessary to meet the new regulation. "Protecting our customers' health and safety is our highest priority, and we have been proactive in researching our options and preparing so that we can more quickly and efficiently meet whatever MCL is ultimately set by the public health experts," Kropelnicki said. "This is part of our commitment to our customers, communities, and stockholders to provide excellent quality, service, and value." The State Board's Division of Drinking Water (DDW) issued the draft standard after studying TCP for regulation for a number of years. After a 45-day public comment period, DDW will either modify the draft standard and recirculate it for additional comment or continue the adoption process. The MCL is expected to be finalized in the summer of 2017. TCP is a manmade organic chemical that has been detected in some of the groundwater supplies in the company's Bakersfield, Visalia, Selma, Stockton, South San Francisco, and Chico service areas. The source of the TCP contaminating Cal Water wells is believed to be soil fumigants that were used extensively in California from the 1940s through the 1980s. Cal Water is currently a plaintiff in litigation against the manufacturers of the TCP-containing soil fumigants seeking to recover the costs for treating the contamination. California Water Service serves about 2 million people through 480,300 service connections in California. The company, which has provided water service in the state since 1926, was ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Water Utilities in the West" in 2016 by J.D. Power in its inaugural Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. Additional information may be obtained online at www.calwater.com. 1720 North First St., San Jose, CA 95112 Contact: Yvonne Kingman 310-257-1434 VIENNA, March 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Bracco Imaging S.p.A., a leading global company in the diagnostic imaging business, today announced at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) the launch of the "Bracco Fellowships", a new, unique initiative to promote excellence among European radiologists in partnership with the European Society of Radiology (ESR). This educational program, devoted to the professional development of young radiologists, has been created on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of Bracco, in continuity with the company's long-lasting commitment to support the diagnostic imaging community. "I am particularly proud to partner with the ESR for this important educational program," said Fulvio Renoldi Bracco, Head of the Business Unit Imaging at Bracco Imaging. "For decades, we have been supporting the development of the radiological community with continuous efforts in education. This year, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of Bracco, we are confirming our commitment to the values that have been at the core of our attention: education for the talents of the future and development of the radiology profession," he added. "I am very happy that Bracco and ESR share a common vision of radiology education, and this convergence of ideas, and joining of forces, will open up the world of international education for a new generation of young radiologists," said Prof. Paul M. Parizel, ECR 2017 and ESR President said. With the "Bracco Fellowships" program, which will be coordinated by the European School of Radiology (ESOR), Bracco will provide 90 grants that will be used to support the training of young radiologists with high leadership potential at leading healthcare centres. About Bracco Imaging Bracco Imaging S.p.A., part of the Bracco Group, is one of the world's leading companies in the diagnostic imaging business. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Bracco Imaging develops, manufactures and markets diagnostic imaging agents and solutions that meet medical needs. Bracco Imaging offers a product and solution portfolio for all key diagnostic imaging modalities: X-ray Imaging (including Computed Tomography-CT, Interventional Radiology, and Cardiac Catheterization), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS), Nuclear Medicine through radioactive tracers, and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. The diagnostic imaging offer is completed by several medical devices and advanced administration systems for contrast imaging products in the fields of radiology. The Company operates in more than 100 markets worldwide, either directly or indirectly, through subsidiaries, joint ventures, licenses and distribution partnership agreements. With an on-going research covering all key modalities, Bracco Imaging has a strong presence in key geographies: North America, Europe and Japan operating through the Joint Venture Bracco-Eisai Co. Ltd. The Company also operates in Brazil, South Korea, and China through the Joint Venture Bracco Sine Pharmaceutical Corp. Ltd. Operational investments have been made in order to achieve top quality and compliances with a sustainable eco-friendly production. Manufacturing activities are located in Italy, Switzerland, Japan, China, and Germany. Bracco Imaging is an innovative Research and Development (R&D) player with an efficient process oriented approach and a track record of innovation in the diagnostic imaging industry. R&D activities are managed in the three Research Centres located in Italy, Switzerland, and USA. To learn more about Bracco Imaging, visit www.braccoimaging.com. About ESR and ESOR Founded in 2005, by merging the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) and the European Association of Radiology (EAR), the European Society of Radiology (ESR) is an apolitical, non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening and unifying European radiology. With more than 69,300 members across the globe, it has grown to become the largest radiological society in the world and hosts one of the biggest and most innovative scientific meetings in Europe, the European Congress of Radiology, in Vienna each year. The Society works closely with national radiological societies across Europe and further afield, while establishing relationships with major international organisations from other related fields. It also monitors developments on the EU level which could have an impact on research and practice in radiology, with the best interests of the patient as its overriding goal. The European School of Radiology (ESOR) is an institution, fulfilling the mission of the European Society of Radiology (ESR) in the field of education. One of its main goals is to assist in harmonising radiological education in Europe. With its wide range of activities ESOR additionally aims to raise standards in the field of scientific radiology, to extend and coordinate teaching resources worldwide and to help young radiologists to achieve the knowledge and skills to fulfil tomorrow's requirements. ESOR is celebrating its 10th anniversary on the occasion of ECR 2017. To learn more about the ESR and its activities, visit www.myesr.org Press contact: Roberto Cattaneo Bracco Imaging Media Relations mediarelations.imaging@bracco.com +39-02-21771 Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474743/Bracco_90th_Anniversary_Logo.jpg Logo- http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474742/ESR_Logo.jpg The government moved a step closer towards the likely roll-out of the crucial indirect tax reform, the Goods and Services tax (GST), starting 1 July, as the GST Council today approved the draft central GST and integrated GST laws. The GST Council headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley approved the compensation, iGST (integrated GST) and cGST (central GST) at the eleventh council meet on Saturday. For the legally vetted laws for State GST and Union Territory GST (UTGST) bills, which was also expected to get the clearance, will now be finalised by the legal committeee in the next three days, said Jaitley. "The legal committee will finalise the SGST and UTGST bills in the next three days and circulate it to the state assemblies for approval," Moneycontrol report said quoting Jaitley. Following the GST Council's approval, the Centre now seeks to present these bills in the second half of Budget session that begins next week in order to meet the stated goal of implementing the GST from 1 July. West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra expressed satisfaction after Council cleared the iGST and cGST. "We are very happy that the Centre has agreed to 26 recommendations of the states,"said West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra told reporters and added, "Parliament passing the CGST and IGST are the first parts. States will have to pass their law and then the process of fitment will take place." NDTV report said. In the last meet held in February, the council had cleared the draft compensation law which will requires the Centre to fully compensate states for any revenue loss for five years after migrating to the new tax system. The central and state officials will soon start the exercise to determine which goods and services should fall in which tax bracket and the same will be taken to the Council for approval soon. The GST Council has agreed to keep the upper band of the rate in the law at 20 percent from the existing 14 percent, which may lead to a peak GST levy move up to being as high as 40 percent (20 percent central and 20 percent state). Another step remaining is to slot all the commodities under the GST tax slabs: 5 percent, 12 percent, 18 percent and 28 percent. Each item has to be fitted under a particular slab. After the 4-5 March meeting, GST officers will do the slotting. The live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast starring Luke Evans and Emma Watson, will, for the first time in Disney history, feature a gay aspect, the films director Bill Condon said. Condon said Belle's suitor Gaston has an admirer in the form of his sidekick LeFou (essayed by Josh Gad) in the musical film. "LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston," Condon told Attitude magazine. "He's confused about what he wants. It's somebody who's just realising that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that's what has its pay-off at the end, which I don't want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie," he added. It looks like Disney and Condon's move might have been welcome for many, but for a drive-in theatre in Alabama this twist to the human-beast love story meant that the film will not be screening in the theatre. "It is with great sorrow that I have to tell our customers that we will not be showing 'Beauty and the Beast,'" read a message on the Facebook page of the Henagar Drive-In Theatre in the northeast portion of the state. The message was removed after it garnered negative response, but WHNT news has it here. Carol Laney, who owns the theater with her husband, cited their religious beliefs as she explained why they opposed the film. "I have family members that are homosexuals. I have a relationship with them. I love them. It does not mean Im a bigot," she said in a telephone interview with The New York Times. "I'm not judging them when I tell you that God's word says this, thats not me. That's Gods word." Here is is seen for the first time in the song 'Gaston:' The live action remake of Beauty and the Beast will be released on 16 March 2017 in India. It stars Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as The Beast, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Babette, Kevin Kline as Maurice and Audra McDonald as Wardrobe. But if early reviews of the film are to be believed, Henegar Theatre and Ms Laney need not be worried: there is just an implied suggestion of LeFou's sexuality in the film. (With inputs from agencies) Marathi theatre actor Sagar Shantaram Chougule died on Friday night, 3 March after suffering cardiac arrest while performing a drama on stage. The 38 year old actor fainted when he was delivering a dialogue, sending co-artistes and audience into panic. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead reports the Hindustan Times. The actor is survived by his mother, wife and a daughter and his body will be taken to Kolhapur, where he hails from today. His late father also used to work in the same industry. This is the second time when an artiste died in Pune while performing on stage. Classical danseuse and Marathi actress Ashwini Ekbote passed away on Saturday night after suffering a massive heart attack while performing on stage in Pune on 23 October 2016. The versatile actress who has earned accolades on stage and on screen was 44-years-old when she passed away. Ashwini was performing at the Bharat Natyamandir in Pune on Saturday evening when she collapsed suddenly. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared brought dead. Actress Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied have welcomed a daughter. The Oscar-winning actress, 35, gave birth to a girl named Amalia on February 22, her representative told people.com. The statement read: "Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed a baby girl, Amalia Millepied, on February 22. Mother and baby are happy and healthy." Portman and French choreographer Millepied, 39, are already parents to 5-year-old Aleph. They were married in 2012. Amalia, pronounced ah-MAH-lee-a, comes from the Germanic amal that means 'work' or 'activity.' The Israeli-born actress may have chosen it because it is also a Hebrew name that means 'work of God.' The star made her baby bump debut in September at the Venice Film Festival while promoting her movies Planetarium and Jackie. Although she attended the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards while expecting, Portman skipped the Oscars ceremony on Sunday due to her delivery. Though Swara Bhaskar is a huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan and has been waiting to work with him, the actor has turned down an opportunity to be a part of Aanand L Rai's next venture with King Khan. According to a report in DNA, when the director of Tanu Weds Manu offered Bhaskar the role of Shah Rukh Khan's mother, she turned it down, saying that she would rather play Shah Rukh's romantic interest instead of playing the role of mother, sister or daughter. To Swaras utter misfortune, she was told that director Aanand L Rai offered her the role of mother as that was the only role left vacant. This led the 29-year-old actor to withdrew her name immediately. Incidently, Bhaskar came into focus because of meaty roles in Aanand L Rai's films Tanu Weds Manu in 2011 and Raanjhanaa in 2013. Off late, she is busy with her upcoming release Anaarkali of Aarah, which is being promoted by Karan Johar and Sonam Kapoor. The film, which will release on 24 March will clash with Anushka Sharma's Phillauri. Bhaskar was in the news recently when three scenes from Anaarkali of Aarah had leaked online. Here is the trailer for Anaarkali of Aarah: By Michael Martina and Philip Wen | BEIJING BEIJING Defying pressure for a strong increase in defence spending, China said on Saturday its military budget this year would grow about 7 percent, its slowest pace since 2010.Last year, with China's economy slowing, the defence budget recorded its lowest increase in six years, 7.6 percent, the first single-digit rise since 2010, following a nearly unbroken two-decade run of double-digit increases.With the administration of new U.S. President Donald Trump proposing a 10 percent jump in military spending in 2017, and worries about potential disputes with the United States over the South China Sea and the status of Taiwan, some in China had been pressing for a forceful message from this year's defence budget.This week influential state-run tabloid the Global Times called for a rise of at least 10 percent to deal with the uncertainty brought by Trump, and a retired senior general told Hong Kong and Taiwan media that 12 percent would be needed to match the U.S. rise."It's not enough," a source with ties to senior Chinese officers told Reuters. "A lot of people in the military won't be happy with this."Parliament spokeswoman Fu Ying, who announced the increase, said defence spending would account for about 1.3 percent of GDP, the same level as the past few years.The actual number for defence spending will be released on Sunday, when China's largely rubber-stamp parliament begins its annual session.China's economic growth target for 2017 is expected to be lowered to around 6.5 percent from last year's 6.5-7 percent when Premier Li Keqiang gives his work report to parliament.Last year normally talkative military delegates to parliament largely declined to talk to foreign media about the slowing rate of military spending, saying they had been ordered not to speak to foreign reporters. NERVES RATTLED China's military build-up has rattled nerves around the region, particularly because China has taken an increasingly assertive stance in its territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas and over Taiwan, which China claims as its own.Taiwan's defence ministry expects China to continue to strengthen its military, spokesman Chen Chung-chi told Reuters, while a senior official at Japan's defence ministry said the spending rise was still large and lacked transparency. Takashi Kawakami, professor of international politics at Japan's Takushoku University, said the small rate of increase showed China was taking a cautious approach with the new U.S. government, especially as Presidents Trump and Xi could meet soon."There was a view that China would increase its defence budget in line with the rise of the defence budget in the United States. But the fact China kept it at this level means it's in a wait-and-see mode regarding the Trump administration."Spokeswoman Fu dismissed concerns about China's military."Look at the past decade or so; there have been so many conflicts, even wars, around the world resulting in serious, large numbers of casualties and loss of property, so many refugees destitute and homeless. Which one has China caused?" she said.There are other concerns for China's military, including how to deal with the 300,000 troops President Xi Jinping announced in 2015 would be cut, mainly by the end of 2017. Last month Chinese military veterans demonstrated in central Beijing for two consecutive days, demanding unpaid retirement benefits in a new wave of protests highlighting the difficulty in managing demobilised troops."It's not yet certain what is going to happen to these people, and the military is clearly hoping for more money to deal with them," one senior Beijing-based Asia diplomat said before this year's defence budget was announced.The defence budget figure for last year, 954.35 billion yuan ($138.4 billion), likely understates its investment, according to diplomats, though the number is closely watched around the region and in Washington for clues to China's intentions.A 7 percent rise for this year based on last year's budget would bring the figure to 1.02 trillion yuan, still only a quarter or so of the U.S. defence budget.The White House has proposed a 10 percent increase in military spending to $603 billion, even though the United States has wound down major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is already the world's pre-eminent military power. ($1 = 6.8954 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Additional reporting by J.R. Wu in Taipei and Nobuhiro Kubo in Tokyo; Writing and additional reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Will Waterman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: Two Indian associates of alleged middleman Christian Michel James were on Saturday granted bail by a special court in a money laundering case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal. Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of accused RK Nanda and JB Subramaniyam, who were earlier summoned by the court. The court granted them the relief on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of the like amount. It also directed them not to leave the country without the court's prior permission and not to tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses. Advocate NK Matta, who represented the Enforcement Directorate, opposed the bail applications saying there was enough evidence on record to show the involvement of the two accused in the case. The court had last year issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against James, a British national, while summoning his Indian associates and M/s Media Exim Private Limited in the case. The firm was created by James, along with Nanda and Subramaniyam who are directors of the firm. The ED had pressed for an open-ended NBW to bring James from the UK to face trial. An open-ended NBW does not carry a time limit for execution. In June last year, the ED had filed a 1,300-page prosecution complaint (equivalent of a charge sheet) in connection with its money laundering probe in the case. It had claimed that its probe had found that James had allegedly received Euro 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from M/s AgustaWestland and alleged that this was nothing but kickbacks paid by the company to execute the deal for sale of 12 helicopters to India in favour of the firm in the guise of genuine transactions for performing multiple work contracts. James is one of the three alleged middlemen being probed by the ED and the CBI in the case, apart from Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. Both the agencies have also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice or a global arrest warrant against him. The complaint delved into the detailed role of James in the deal, his multiple visits to India and his transactions. The first complaint in the case was filed in November 2014. According to sources, the ED has already sought extradition of James from the UK. In its complaint, the ED also claimed that the three middlemen "managed" to make inroads into the Indian Air Force in order to influence and subvert the force's stand regarding reducing the service ceiling the altitude at which a helicopter can fly from 6,000 to 4,500 metres in 2005 after which AgustaWestland became eligible to supply the dozen choppers for VVIP flying duties. It had said the remittances made by James through his Dubai-based firm M/s Global Services, FZE to the firm he had floated here, were made from the funds which he got from M/s AgustaWestland SpA through "criminal activity" and corruption being done in the chopper deal. Of the countless intriguing stories that emerge out of Varanasi (Banaras), an eternal centre of the Hindu universe, one of the more fascinating tales involves Maharaja Chait Singh and the first governor general of British India, Warren Hastings. In 1781, Hastings visited Varanasi to collect more taxes from Chait, but instead of overpowering the Raja, he met with stern resistance and was forced to run for his life. Varanasi, as the tale suggests, does not easily bow down or accept authority, be it god or a king. The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) serves as a microcosm of Varanasis spirit. Much before other universities experienced it, students of BHU were known for challenging authority. Though it is not something to be proud, there have been instances when the vice-chancellor (VC) of the university was garlanded with shoes. A more violent example of the students' attack on authority came when a group threw petrol bombs at the VCs lodge, leading to the closure of the university sine die. It was the first time that this author had heard the words sine die, as a student of BHU in 1981, and understood its meaning. But students of the university have always felt liberated on campus. Back then, women were respected in unparalleled terms. One could easily spot respected music teacher N Rajam buying vegetables at Lanka, the BHU gate market, with her daughter. Similarly, just before election time, Veena Pandey, of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), could be seen interacting with boys in the hostel and shaking their hands. Many left liberals were bowled over by Pandeys charm and voted for her in the student union election in complete contrast to their ideological position. To hell with ideology, she is very charming, they used to murmur. There are similar stories about the charming and feisty Anjana Prakash, challenging the state authority at the peak of the Emergency and there after. The manner in which she challenged Indira Gandhi's authority was the stuff of legends. Prakash comes from an illustrious political family, that is deeply rooted in Lohiaite socialism. The culture of female students taking an active part in politics and running shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts was certainly extraordinary. In the seventies and the eighties, girls in the university could be seen riding cycles and scooters, a sight that could be the envy of many other university campuses across the country. Just like in the past, BHU still attracts many students from all across India and abroad. Perhaps those who saw merit in circulating #BHUshame on social media are blissfully oblivious to the institutions unique resilient characteristics, its history and cultural heritage. At BHU, it is unthinkable to intimidate girls and threaten them with physical harm. Only those who don't have an iota of understanding of the society in Varanasi would read the aberration as a rule and generalise the issue. Recently, media reports had argued that BHU had become an RSS fortress because of rampant gender divide and moral policing on campus. However, there is no denying that BHU has been witness to many illegal activities. Hostels were used in the past as safe havens by gangsters, who often fought on campus, much to the chagrin of other students. But it would be next to impossible to imagine, in BHUs cultural context, that a female student received threats of physical harm for expressing her opinion on the lack of facilities on the campus. Needless to say, certain tweets with #BHUshame are looking at the university through an 'Oxford university prism'. Of course BHU lacks many facilities and needs improvement in its infrastructure. But, the campus is still one of the safest ones for female students. And the debate about serving vegetarianism vs non-vegetarianism food on campus is as old as the campus itself. The sprawling campus houses almost all branches of science, ranging from engineering, medical science and Ayurveda, along with every disciple of social science. It is a unique ground for inter-discipline interaction and is unparalleled in stature in the country. In an interaction with former BHU student union president and Union minister for communication, Manoj Sinha, said that, the time I spent in BHU were the best six years of my life. As an ex-student of the institute, this author concurs with that viewpoint. Those who still continue to promote the #BHUshame campaign can perhaps seek redemption in the words of Christ, who said, Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. The Rashtriya Ulama Council (RUC), a political party established in the wake of the Batla House encounter of 2008 in which names of several Muslim youths from Azamgarh district figured has backed the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. There are indications to suggest that RUC-backed BSP candidates are likely to win in Didarganj, Nizamabad and Gopalpur constituencies of Azamgarh, a traditional stronghold of the Samajwadi Party (SP). The RUC's fear in the SP camp can be attested by the fact that on 3 March, a day before polling in Azamgarh, copies of the Urdu daily Roznama Inquilab disappeared from newsstands. "The SP might have prevented the newspaper from reaching here because we had given an advertisement in it," RUC president Maulana Aamir Rashadi told Firstpost. In the past, the RUC has tried to establish its footprint by contesting elections in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Bihar. In the current UP elections, it did not field its own candidates and is instead backing the BSP. However, it's not the RUC's electoral footprint but rather the intellectual orientation of its leader, Rashadi, which acquires significance in India's national politics. "In our politics, BJP is neither our enemy nor are the so-called secular parties our friends," the RUC chief declared, speaking at the Jameatur Rashad madrassa in Azamgarh. "Political parties which support us in the achievement of our rights are our friends," he said and added, "Why has Modi become our enemy because of just one riot and why is Akhilesh not our enemy despite hundreds of riots during his tenure?" Rashadi believes that the SP-Congress alliance is a saazish (conspiracy) against Muslims of Uttar Pradesh. The RUC was first established as an NGO to address the entanglement of Azamgarh's Muslim youths in the state's local violence and later in terror cases. It organises events in Delhi on the anniversary of the Batla House encounter each year. Rashadi claims that all terror cases involving youths from Azamgarh district are framed by the governments to suit the politics of the ruling parties. Even when reminded of a video statement released by Indian jihadis from Syria, he refused to believe that any Muslim youth can be involved in terror cases and, to buttress his point, Rashadi argues that the government has tried to implicate Muslims in terror cases and later, to compensate, have slapped bogus charges against Hindus, and vice versa. "In this country, neither the Hindus are terrorists nor are the Muslims... only the governments are terrorists, which implicate Hindus and Muslims to fit their politics," he said. Rashadi's views resonate with many, more so since former home minister of India, P Chidambaram, was recently accused of allegedly doctoring an affidavit to suit the Muslim sentiments in the Ishrat Jahan case. Although the RUC is a Muslim party, Rashadi's intellectual outlook defies the dominant thinking among many Indian Muslims. He criticises Islamic clerics who support political parties for power and pelf, lambasts the pseudo-secularism being practised in India's politics and declares the Sachar Committee report as bogus. His intellectual thinking sets him apart from other Muslim leaders and Islamic clerics. "There is no truth in the Sachar Committee report. It was put together to usher Muslims into siege mentality, to create fear and to engender a psychosis among them. The secular parties are deriving benefits by making us enemies of the BJP. We have to demolish this practice," Rashadi said, stressing that these parties are practising pseudo secularism. He refuses to accept that there are intellectuals among Muslims, adding: "I am searching for them. Where are they? The so-called intellectuals among Muslims have undertaken a contract to create ehsas-e-kamtari (a feeling of being weak)." Rashadi said that Muslims are not as backward as they are made out to be. His argument is that Muslims are 100 percent literate because every Muslim, rich or poor, ensures that their children study the Quran, which ensures total literacy. In Rashadi's vision, a true Muslim leadership is one in which a Hindu can become a chief minister or a leader, unlike the so-called secular parties who envision Muslims as satraps, a minister or anything but a leader. His views are considered to be revolutionary, given the fact that Islam doesn't conceive of non-Muslims sharing power, a key reason why Pakistan has constitutionally barred non-Muslim Pakistani citizens from becoming the heads of state. There were Muslim leaders eligible to become the chief minister of Bihar but Nitish Kumar did not allow them, Rashadi points out, adding that the RUC will contest the next Assembly elections in Bihar. "How is Nitish secular? Does he not offer puja (prayer)? "Rashadi asked, as he stressed the atheistic meaning of secularism. Rashadi is essentially an Islamic cleric, who runs the Jameatul Rashad madrassa in Azamgarh and leads prayers at his mosque. The madrassa runs a number of institutions within its building complex: a mosque; two middle schools up to grade VIII through English and Hindi mediums; an English-medium high school; and two Arabic madrassas, separately for boys and girls, which offer courses till Alamiat (grade XII) and Fazeelat (BA) degrees. In total, about 2000 students are enrolled in the madrassa. Although Rashadi is essentially an Islamic leader, his politics offer a totally new vision for Indian Muslims. His key argument is that Muslims should be true Muslims, whose good character alone will be sufficient for non-Muslims to rally around them. "A Muslim should look up to himself, be a good Muslim, and other nations (non-Muslims) will coalesce around him," he said. When reminded that politicians cannot make their way by the force of good character alone, Rashadi reminds this writer that 'much like you carve out a name for yourself by your work, despite being a freelancer, the RUC leaders too will carve out a place by their good politics alone.' When asked if his arguments can benefit the BJP and harm the calls for unity of Muslims by Islamic leaders in India, Rashadi said: "If the divided Hindu leadership can form governments, why can't the divided Muslim leadership too form a government?" The author, a former BBC journalist, is a contributing editor at Firstpost and executive director of the Open Source Institute, New Delhi. He tweets @tufailelif Washington: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said on Saturday that the Kansas shooting, in which an Indian engineer was killed, should be treated as an "individual act" and the American society was very much against it. Jaishankar, who along with the Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia held a series of meetings with top officials of the Trump's administration and Congressional leaders, said the tragic incident in Kansas featured in many of their discussions. "What we heard from very high-level, Cabinet level that we should regard this as an act of an individual. Two, the American justice system was at work, it could bring the perpetrators of this act to justice. It is being prosecuted as a hate crime," Jaishankar said. "What we have seen in the last few days, whether it is White House statement, or President's reference to it in his address to the Congress or what the (House) Speaker said after he met us...almost everybody we met, even people perhaps whose responsibility did not directly deal with this, we heard expressions of deep sorrow, deep regret and a sense of that we should really treat this as an individual act. And the American system and the American society was very much against it," he said. The incident, which is being investigated as a hate crime by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has sent shock waves among the Indian-American across the country. Members of the community met Kansas Governor Sam Brownback seeking his assurance in protection of Indian-Americans in the State. Several Indian-Americans from in and around Washington DC and its suburb gathered at Dupont Circle in the national capital to hold a candle light vigil in memory of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, who was shot dead in Kansas City last week. "Every tragedy brings us Americans closer. We as a nation have always risen from adversities and we stand together this evening to make sure that we don't lose another American to hate or violence. It does not matter what your race, religion or colour is. We all bleed the same," said Indian-American Republican leader from Virginia Puneet Ahluwalia. Utsav Chakrabarti of the World Hindu Council said the tragic incident shows the need for an honest discourse at grassroots level about the fact that radical Islam is a religious ideology, not a "racial identity", because continued normalisation of the latter, perpetuates such heinous and barbaric hate crimes against "people of colour" including Hindus and Sikhs. "Srinu would have been 33, six days from now on March 9, had he not fallen victim to blind hate on that dark and deadly night of February 3 in Kansas. A gentle Hindu life cut short because of bigotry," said Ahmar Khan in his remarks. Washington DC Mayor Offices representative expressed solidarity at the vigil. A day earlier, a delegation of Indian-Americans in Kansas along with the Hindu-American Foundation joined the Indian Consul General in Houston, Anupam Ray, in meeting the Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and Lt Governor Jeff Colyer. "The hateful actions of one man don't define us - KS welcomes & supports Indian community," Brownback said in a tweet shortly after the meeting. "Unique contributions of the Indian-community make KS a better place. We stand with them in the face of this crime," Colyer said. Brownback gave assurances that the perpetrator in custody, Adam Purinton, currently facing first-degree murder and attempted first degree murder charges, would be prosecuted to "furthest extent of the law". He further gave commitments that state officials would cooperate with federal authorities officially investigating the incident as a hate crime. "The meeting yesterday with Governor Brownback and Lt Governor Colyer was very fruitful in my opinion," said Sridhar Harohalli, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Indian Association of Kansas City. "The delegation got an assurance that this incident will be prosecuted effectively. Governor Brownback's commitment help to get Srinivas' widow Sunayana Dummala back to her home and career in Kansas was also heartening. We look forward to working with his office on initiatives such as the Indian Heritage Month to further enhance awareness about our community in the state," Harohalli said. The delegation requested the governor to ensure that the attacker is punished to the fullest extent under the law and serve justice to the victim's families. The Governor also sent a personal message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the Counsel General. At the meeting, a message sent through a family friend from Sunayana, the widow of Kutchibotla, was read out. Six Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured after their vehicle was turned upside down in Heff village of South Kashmirs Shopian district. The CRPF contingent, returning after an encounter operation in the neighbouring village of Chillipora, came under a torrent of bricks and stones thrown by angry villagers, who had gathered to protest against the anti-militancy operation. The encounter, which started late on Friday night, had to be called off midway after the militants managed to give a slip to the security forces, taking advantage of the dark. It is noteworthy here that the protests recurred even after a warning was issued by Indian Army Chief, Bipin Rawat, against the hampering of anti-militancy operations by civilians, earlier this month. Several youth were also injured after forces resorted to aerial firing to disperse the protesters who had gathered in Heff village since early Saturday morning. A youth was hit by a bullet in his hand during the protests. He is undergoing treatment and is in a stable condition, according to locals who accompanied him to the hospital. Locals alleged that the forces damaged their houses during the clashes. According to IG Operations, CRPF, Zulfikar Hassan, the driver of a CRPF vehicle lost control when it was confronted by protesters in Heff village which is four to five kilometers away from the encounter site. Six of our men received minor injuries after their vehicle turned upside down in Heff Village. The vehicle was returning from the encounter which was led by Army, Hassan told Firstpost over phone. All of them are stable and are undergoing treatment, he said. According to the local police, militants and a joint team of forces exchanged fire last night before the operation was halted. The police said that, following specific intelligence inputs, a joint team of security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Chillipora village, late on Friday night, where two to three militants were believed to be present. Locals said that when the operation was restarted Saturday morning there was no exchange of fire from the militants. The militants, it looks like took the benefit of dark and managed to flee from the encounter site, Rafiq Ahmad, a resident of Chillipora village, told Firstpost over phone. The Jammu and Kashmir Government has issued prohibitory restrictions within a radius of three km from the site of any counter-insurgency operation. The Kashmir Police have also been asked to impose Section 144 against unlawful assemblies in areas where an encounter is on. Earlier this month, Rawat issued strict warning against the people trying to help militants escape by disrupting forces engaged in anti-militancy operations. He said such people would be treated as Over Ground Workers (OWG) of militants and will be dealt strictly. Earlier this month, the forces had to call off an operation in a Urivan village in Pulwama district after the people of almost five villages gathered to confront the forces who had launched a search-and-cordon operation. The security forces had to face intense resistance from protesters, some of whom were injured in clashes with the forces. "It's a big problem, a challenge for us to conduct anti-militant operations now. Frankly speaking, I'm not comfortable anymore conducting operations if large crowds are around," former Northern Command head, Lt. Gen. Hooda, told Associated Press last year. The recurring protests suggest that Gen. Rawats warning has fallen on deaf ears in Kashmir. People continue to risk their lives by confronting forces so that they can disrupt live encounters and help the trapped militants escape. The phenomenon of confronting forces during an encounter by civilians has posed a tough challenge to forces and the way the anti-militancy operations are conducted in Kashmir. The disturbing chain of events that led to the eventual death of Lance Naik Roy Mathew raises some crucial questions on media ethics and moral framework that journalists work under. In this case, the reporter of a news portal performed a sting operation on jawans to expose the vagaries of Indian army's British-era 'sahayak' or buddy-system. The purported aim was to show how senior officers taking advantage of the colonial legacy exploit their orderlies. If getting a 'scoop' was the short-term goal, the larger objective seems to have been a desire to force social justice into military ranks. Before we examine the feasibility of such an attempt, it is important to make a distinction between raising a debate over the sahayak system and the way in which a journalist attempts to do so. Sting journalism has long been the subject of fevered debates because it operates in a grey area between legal and illegal, moral and immoral, ethical and non-ethical and has at its motive the dubious parable of 'end justifying the means'. In the 2012 Leveson Report on the general culture, practice and ethics of British media following the News International phone hacking controversy, Lord Justice Leveson commented on the "journalistic dark arts" that have been employed by some British tabloids to gather information. In defence of sting journalism, however, there is a case to be made that sometimes free media needs to "apply dark arts" to serve public interest, as UK's former information Commissioner Christopher Graham told the Leveson Inquiry in a hearing. But the operative word in this case is 'public interest'. Even if we are to justify sting journalism in the limited case of public interest, the question to ask is which 'wider public interest' was being served when a journalist decided to sting an army jawan to "expose the sahayak system"? Did the practice, regressive or useful as it may be, involve a criminal act? Was this a case of misleading the public? Did it go against public interest or pose any grave risk to people at large? If the sting operation does not satisfactorily answer these questions, then the moral shield no longer exists. The act then becomes part of an ethical quagmire. Moreover, stings are done to show truth to power. In this case, the individuals at the receiving end of the covert ploy were jawans from the lowest rung of the army who were said to be 'victims' of the system with neither the agency nor power to combat a negative fallout of events. "Unless," as Shiv Aroor rightly points out in his piece for Daily O, "a person is being stung to establish his or her own activities, what happened to protecting the identity of your subject? In this case, the jawan was an oblivious individual who had no idea he was speaking to a journalist, about a topic that was very much part of his world. Stinging a jawan, in my view, is to manipulate a vulnerability with no application of sense or heart." Was the identity of the jawans adequately protected a basic necessity? The video uploaded on 23 February by the news website along with an accompanying report and subsequently removed showed several jawans performing menial jobs for their superiors. Though it appears that an attempt was made to conceal the identities of soldiers who unknowingly spoke to the journalist, according to Roy Mathew's brother John, it was not enough. Speaking to the Indian Express from their ancestral house in Kerala's Kollam district, John said although his brother's face was not visible, "one could easily identify Roy from the visuals". He told the newspaper that Mathew was "under severe tension" after the video was uploaded, and added, damningly: "The media cheated him His family has lost their sole breadwinner Roy never knew that the journalist was secretly shooting him." From the accounts of his family members, it is clear by now that Roy was mortally afraid of being identified in the sting video. His wife Fini said that the soldier had called up his family members after the clip went viral. "He called me about what was being shown on the TV channels and was crying. I told him that everything will be alright and not to worry. After that I tried calling him again but his phone was switched off. I need to know what happened to my husband," Fini had told news agency ANI before the soldier's partially decomposed body was discovered from an abandoned barrack in Deolali Cantonment of Maharashtra on Thursday. Was this the 'death of a whistleblower', as a section of the media has claimed? Who is a whistleblower? According to Oxford Dictionary, 'whistleblower' is "a person who informs on a person or organization engaged in an illicit activity." Lance Naik Roy Mathew did not wish to be a whistleblower. The 33-year-old gunner was distraught that his name was revealed. Tomas Kutty, who identified himself as Mathew's uncle, told Daily Mail: "Our son lost his life by speaking to a journalist. He called on 23, 24 and finally on 25th February, around 8 pm. He called his wife and was crying. He felt harassed. He feared his career would be ruined because his conversation with the journalist was broadcast and he was asked to explain his actions by the army." This is a heavy cross for the media to bear. It also raises questions of the Army which has claimed in a official statement that the identities of the army personnel in (video) clipping were hidden, and thereby not known to the army. Hence, there is no question of any enquiry that could have been ordered against the deceased." Not surprisingly, the Army has put the onus of Mathew's suicide on the media, adding in the communique that "preliminary investigations have now revealed that the suicide may be the result of a series of events which were triggered by media personnel managing to video-graph the deceased by asking leading questions on his duty as buddy without his knowledge. It is very likely that the guilt factor of letting down his superiors or conveying false impression to an unknown individual led him to take the extreme step." The truth of Lance Naik Roy Mathew's tragic death can only be known after a thorough inquiry is conducted but the article will remain incomplete if we don't discuss the 'sahayak system'. How feasible is media's attempt to introduce social justice amid military ranks? Driven by a desire to install top-down libertarian values in every sphere of Indian polity, the media seems to be suffering from either a staggering ignorance or indifference about the way state's institutions function. The Army operates within the strict code of a rules-based system. It places the greatest importance on a hierarchical chain of command. By doing the sting, the media upset this delicate balance and interjected an element of insubordination which could be a fatal flaw in any army. When your life depends on your superior or subordinate through a coordinated chain of action under a situation of extremely high pressure, even the whiff of insubordination is lethal. Therefore, it calls for a different set of standards than the one that governs civil society firmaments. The military establishment cannot be equated with any other civil society institution and exceptions must be made for the different paradigm they work under. The much vilified buddy system (unless abused) fosters teamwork, increases camaraderie and accountability within the ranks. Whether or not it is outdated needs to be decided by the army itself. It is robust and conscientious enough to deal with the issue honestly. Trying to introduce social justice into this structure is not libertarianism but extreme callousness. Here we go again. Protectionism in the name of patriotism has always been a given. Thats why three post independence generations paid top dollar for crummy and cheap cars like the Ambassador and the Fiat. And drank Vimto and Rooh Afza. Now, we want to attack Pepsi and Coca-Cola (Tamil Nadu being the battlefield) for exploiting groundwater resources and harming the human body). So, add the sauce of saviourhood to the patriotic fervor and then replace the phoren pests with local fizzy drinks which miraculously will exploit the same water sources but, somehow, will be less harmful to the digestive system. What a load of baloney. Using this sudden surge of care because sugar laden drinks will harm public health to create political capital through disturbances is so unnecessary. Sending these two iconic brands to the guillotine but doing nothing about gutka, paan, cigarettes, beedis, a range of churans, chuna, paan bahar, monosodium glutamate, rotgut, saturated fats, cooking oils of dubious pedigree, adulterated foodstuffs, colour-injected fruits and vegetables, hormone-treated meats is hypocritical in the extreme. Commerce does not know boundaries: it is universal and cannot be turned into a monopoly. India suffered that closed-door policy right to the eighties where only four or five families controlled consumerism for nearly a billion people. Here we are calling on the world to join us in multiple ventures and opening our doors to the best. And then we send out a message so contrary in spirit: our commercial considerations are predicated to chauvinism of the most naked kind. Does this old and tired trick of attacking western companies still work? Will we, as a nation, continue to fall for it? Surely, by now we can see through the gimmicks and resist being, once again, called upon to settle for local products of questionable quality. If, for one moment, one believed that goodness of heart is the engine behind the intent and thatthe Indian equivalents to replace foreign goods, whatever they may be, are competitive and neither environmentally hostile nor harmful to the consumerand have, by some miracle, discovered a magical formula for safe consumption, it would be worth dumping the foreign option. But to simply whip up resentment and twist the jingoistic knob to the right in the hopes that the public will settle for a second-rate alternative is a policy that should be stopped in its tracks. Today, Pepsi and Coke. Tomorrow, McDonald's and KFC. What about pizza parlours and roadside Chinese food cooked in recycled oil? Might as well get rid of all the new range of cars and bikes and go back into that five family nest where we were mutely enslaved in our buying rights. Once governments start determining whats good for us the red flag is already whipping in the ill wind. But add to that the deceit and the deliberate flavor of nationalism by targeting only foreign companies and we might as well just surrender on this Make in India dream. People who feel strongly that the devil is not Indian and often stir up emotions with xenophobia better get one fact straight. If we become isolationist again, there may be no coming back from that. Safeguard the environment. Lay down strict rules. Follow procedures. Keep a watchful eye on water use and pollution. But stop with the arbitrary jaccuseIndians have gotten a lot smarter and a lot more global. If they want an international fizzy drink full of sugar and fat that's harmful to their health then so be it. Especially when there is nothing local to match it. Editor's note: In the run up to International Womens Day on 8 March, we profile little known women in South India who have fought against all odds in their local communities to bring forth change and transformation. While some of these women stand out as shining examples of the power of determination, there are others who must battle misogyny and harassment. With this series, we highlight not just the trials and tribulations faced by women in all walks of life, but also how individual women are triumphing against caste, patriarchy and discrimination. Part I looks at S Ranganayaki, a farmer's widow who brought water to her entire village with her unstinting efforts. If not for a series of unfortunate events, from the death of her husband, to a poor agricultural yield, S Ranganayaki may never have become the person she is today. This farmers widow took a pledge to take care of her family when her husband died, and today an entire community of farmers looks up to her as the woman who brought water to their villages and their lands. The Raja Vaaikal is a canal that draws water out of the Veeranam Lake, in the Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu. There are over 30 canals that source water from the lake, but this is the longest, spanning a distance of 9.6 km, and feeding over 1400 acres of agricultural lands, and providing water to over 13 villages. For decades, there was no water in this canal, depriving the villages and fields surrounding it of fresh water. The single-handed efforts of Ranganayaki, fondly called Raja Vaaikal Ranganayaki, ensured that the canal was desilted and the agricultural yields in the area increased several-fold. Ranganayaki, 65, hails from the Vadamoor village, around 13 km from the Veeranam Lake. I thought I was destined to be yet another farmers wife, but fate had other plans for me, she says. In 1993, her husband died of lung cancer. After his death, she was distraught. I had three children, including a special needs daughter, to take care of, and we had no income, she explains. She learnt how to manage a farm from her father, and in 2001, she started managing a portion of his lands. With 23 acres to her name, she quickly realised that there was very little water in her village, both for drinking and for irrigation. The source of the problem was a block in the Raja Vaaikal, which carried water from the lake to the villages and the farms. When I enquired with other farmers, they all said they could not remember when water last flowed through the canal, and without water supply, the villagers had to travel several kilometers for good drinking water, and the farms were not being irrigated, Ranganayaki explained. Several villages had taken to sinking borewells, but this was not enough for their agricultural needs. This was when Ranganayaki decided to approach the authorities to de-silt the canal. I first approached the Public Works Department and submitted a petition to clear the canal, she says. Despite several letters, there was no action from the government, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. For the first year, she used her own tractor and paid for labourers to clear a part of the canal, which would allow water from the lake to reach the villages. It was harrowing work. We could see a lot of hospital waste, used syringes, waste from nearby slaughterhouses and sewage waste, all blocking the canal. A large chunk of the money I spent went towards medical expenses for the workers, she said. Through her efforts, she managed to de-silt around 3 km of the canal, bringing water to five villages, and to over 400 acres of land. Eventually, the authorities caught on, and the Cuddalore Collector at the time, Rajendra Ratnoo, sanctioned Rs. 1.75 lakh to clear the canal in 2007-08. Once that happened, the annual release of water to the Radha Vaaikal during the agricultural season became an official event, with even ministers visiting our village, she says. Since then, Ranganayaki has become a household name in the Veeranam area. According to R Kaviarasu, a landowner in the nearby Kaduvuli Chavadi village, without the efforts of Ranganayaki, there would have been several farmer suicides in the area over the past 10 years. We have been suffering because of inaction of the government, and while most farmers are happy to just blame the government, Ranganayaki took matters in her own hands and made a difference, he says. Most people blame the droughts of this year, but in reality, there have been poor agricultural yields in the past year, he added. Over the past few years, Ranganayaki has been invited to speak at a number of events. I am a school dropout, and I only finished Class Seven. To see several professors and other farmers listen to what I have to say makes me realise what I have achieved, she says. Although she has achieved success in her endeavour, she says that life is still not easy for a woman landowner. I am a part of a number of agricultural associations, and I was also declared the president of the Veeranam Lake Radha Vaaikal Protection Association, but even today most men find it difficult to accept me as a member, she says. For many of her awards, she has had to sneak away to receive them, and made sure that she does not display them publicly. There is a lot of misogyny amongst farmers, and sometimes even farm labourers will charge more money to work for a woman, she says. Despite this, she managed to make a profit from her lands, and it seemed that life was returning to normal. That was when, in 2013, tragedy struck her family again. Her eldest daughter died of cancer, and her son-in-law passed away soon after, leaving their two daughters in Ranganayakis care. It took me a while to recover from the death of my daughter, but I think it was a sign from the heavens that something I was doing was wrong, she said. That was when she decided to cultivate only organic crops in her fields. I attended a seminar in Chidambaram, where one of the speakers gifted me around 20 kg of organic seeds. It struck me then that pesticides may have caused my daughters cancer, so I decided to grow only organic crops, she said. She was one of the first in her area to convert entirely to organic produce, and now she donates seeds to nearby farms to ensure that they also make the switch. Unless the farms around are also organic, it is possible for pesticides to leach into my lands as well. This way, I am helping the entire community, she says. In the last two years, along with her campaign to turn organic, she also took the lead in uprooting the Karuvelam tree (Prosopsisjuliflora). A professor I met a couple of years ago explained to me how the Karuvelam tree was causing water bodies to dry up, and so even before the Madras High Court ordered the uprooting of the trees, I ensured that none of the villages along the Radha Vaaikal had any of these trees, she says. S Shekar, a farmer from a nearby village talks of how Ranganayaki has been a trailblazer. She is always innovating, and finding ways to turn her losses into profits. Whether it is fighting with the authorities to get water to her village, or roping in local labourers to uproot harmful trees, she is always in the forefront. Even at 65 years of age, she is one of the most active landowners in the area, he says. Although she has been fighting for the rights of the farmers around her area for the past decade, this year was another bad one for her. The drought ensured I had almost no yield from my farm. We hoped that Karnataka would send us some water, but that did not happen. The ground water in our villages is drying up, and unless there are rains, the future looks bleak, she said. Instead of worrying about her problems, she says she is looking for new ways to improve the crop yield, and ensure that her land is fertile again. In the meanwhile, she is fighting for the rights of widows and elderly people in her area. Many of them do not receive their pensions. Since I know how the government works, I help them get their money, she says. I want every widow in the country to realise that life does not end with the death of their husband. In fact, that is when they need to find their true purpose in life, she says. Also read parts two, three, four, five and six of the series. Editor's note: In the run up to International Womens Day on 8 March, we profile little known women in South India who have fought against all odds in their local communities to bring forth change and transformation. While some of these women stand out as shining examples of the power of determination, there are others who must battle misogyny and harassment. With this series, we highlight not just the trials and tribulations faced by women in all walks of life, but also how individual women are triumphing against caste, patriarchy and discrimination. Part II looks at women who were trafficked to the Gulf to work as maids. Inakoti Venkatalakshmi. Age: 43. Trafficked, duped and deserted. Venkatalakshmi, who hails from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, is living in fear of agents who trafficked her to Bahrain. I am at home in my village. But I am afraid of them. They are powerful people. They can endanger my life and take away my daughters," she told Firspost. Venkatalakshmi has grit. Deserted by her husband a few years ago, she had to take financial responsibility for her family daughters Vinakoti Dally, 21, and Vinakoti Hebsiba, 12, and her mother V Laxmi, 72. There were no jobs available in her village and no way to make ends meet. It was in December 2016 that she got a lucrative offer to migrate to Bahrain as a housemaid from an agent in her own village. Additionally, the agent also offered housemaid jobs for her daughters with decent pay and stay in the agents house itself. What else is needed? It all sounded good. They agreed to pay my elder daughter Rs 5,000 and the younger one Rs 3,000. The salary offered to me in Bahrain was also good. Moreover, I felt that when I leave for Bahrain, my daughters would be safe in the agents house rather than staying with my aged mother, said Venkatalakshmi. But everything changed when I landed in Bahrain. The salary and working conditions were not the same as what I was told in India. The working conditions were quite tough. I had to work continuously for at least 18 hours. I felt I would die. Meanwhile, they were forcing me to go to a hospital. I felt something was fishy. So, one day, when I got a chance I ran away, Venkatalakshmi said. With the help of Indian social workers in Bahrain, she took shelter in the Indian embassy there and returned empty-handed on 18 February. As she broke the job contract and had reportedly incurred losses for the agent, she was not allowed to meet her elder daughter. The agent in India kept my elder daughter in captivity. She was threatening that she will send my daughter to Bahrain to complete my job contract. I lost all hope. I was scared. Thats when somebody told me about Sister Lissy Joseph. Through her and with the help of police and a good advocate, I rescued my daughter, Venkatalakshmi said. Venkatalakshmis younger daughter had left the agents home in December 2016 as she couldnt cope with the hostile working conditions, after earning just two months of wages. As we took police help to rescue my daughter, I am afraid that they will put us in danger. We dont know where to hide. I dont know any other places where we could go, Venkatalakshmi added. Exploiting Poverty Advocate Nalli Ravishankar, who helped Venkatalakshmi to rescue her daughter with the help of police, said that he comes across such cases frequently. Agents are exploiting poor women and men. We have to be more vigilant, the advocate said. Lissy Joseph from National Domestic Workers Movement in Hyderabad agrees with Ravishankar. On average, hundreds of women who struggle to find a livelihood, are duped by agents and trafficked to Gulf countries annually, skipping all official recruitment channel procedures, Joseph said. Kakinada was known for agriculture in Andhra Pradesh. However, none of the women or men from the lower strata of society like Venkatalakshmi own any land. They all are bonded labourers. When the economy changed, land owners moved into industrial projects. Those who continue with farming also moved to use technology, leaving people like Venkatalakshmi jobless pushing them to fall prey to traffickers, Joseph added. Since 2014, the Indian government has initiated a safe and official recruitment channel named eMigrate for those who want to migrate abroad for a job, especially to Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) 17 countries. United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Thailand and Iraq (emigration banned currently) are the 17 ECR countries. The system was launched to ensure safe migration. In addition to this, the Indian government also has inked bilateral agreements with the Gulf countries to ensure protection of women domestic workers and nurses who are more prone to exploitation. eMigrate and bilateral agreements demand minimum salary, proper job contract and also a financial deposit from the employer to ensure salary for the worker. Officially, recruitment of women can be done only through six government registered recruitment offices in India. As the rules are quite tight when it is done with the Indian governments knowledge, foreign employers circumvent the official channels with the help of agents in their own country and India and traffick women. Bending The Rules Rafeek Ravuther, director at Centre for Indian Migrants Studies, said that women who are trafficked through unofficial channels at some point go missing too. I handled 60 such cases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in 2016. Some have been traced and have come back. But at least two dozen are missing, Rafeek said adding that women are trafficked to Dubai on a visit visa and then sold to other countries. Rules are not that strict in UAE. So traffickers are using that route, he added. Like Kavita, wife of Sajimon PJ, a trafficked domestic worker, who went missing in Saudi Arabia and finally returned on 28 February. My wife Kavitha went on a visit visa to Dubai and then was trafficked to Saudi Arabia by agents in August 2016, Sajimon told Firstpost. We were told that she will be doing cleaning jobs at a small home. But the fact is that she was forced to work as a housemaid at a home with 25 members, he said. Sajimon had filed an official complaint and was trying his best to rescue his wife as he lost contact with her for the last few weeks. "Finally, she came back home yesterday. She returned empty handed. It is not at all a problem. At least she is back. Thats enough for me, Sajimon added. After missing cases came to light, MC Luther, Protector General of Emigrants in India, had tweeted openly on his official Twitter handle advising women not to travel on tourist visas. In 2016, only 520,960 Indians have migrated to ECR countries though eMigrate. Unfortunately, the Indian government doesnt have separate numbers on how many of them are women. Meanwhile, the migrants rights activists in Gulf countries quoting the locally available data differ on the number. The number from Indian government doesnt tally with what we know. Agents skip official channel and traffick women. Daily, we come across such cases, an Indian activist in UAE said on condition of anonymity due to security reasons. Recently also, we came across a woman who was trafficked to Oman from UAE, the Indian activist added. According to Josephine Valarmathi from National Domestic Workers Movement in Chennai, Gulf countries are doing only little to combat trafficking. They are least bothered about our women or men being trafficked. They want cheap labour. And that without much hassles. So, they circumvent rules and get trafficked women. Interestingly, there will be an Indian hand also helping the perpetrators in Gulf countries in trafficking, Valarmathi said. Read parts one, three, four, five and six of the series. After days of speculations and backdoor negotiations, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a surprising announcement on Saturday. The chief minister said that the BJP will not be fielding any candidates for the post of mayor, deputy mayor or standing chairman in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Shiv Sena won 84 seats in the 21 February election to the 227-member BMC, the country's richest civic body. BJP was close behind, winning 82 seats, while Congress was a distant third with 31 seats. The two major parties had failed to achieve the majority of 114 seats, which led to a deadlock over election of Mumbai mayor. Fadnavis also said that his party will not be in the Opposition, but will be supporting the ruling party (Shiv Sena) and will be committed to their poll promise of maintaining transparent governance in the BMC, for which the Maharashtra government will appoint a deputy Lokayukta. Also, a three-member coordination committee will be set up which will submit its report in three months on how to bring transparency in the BMC, he said. Fadnavis further assured that his party's vote will go to Shiv Sena's mayoral candidate. Brushing aside any signs of trouble, he said that his government is stable. "We don't want to be the remote control of anyone, we want to handover the remote control to the Mumbaikars," he said. By allowing the Shiv Sena to hold the post of the mayor with outside support from the BJP, the chief minister delivered a masterstroke ahead of the state Budget which commences next week. This move will ensure that his government in the state is safe as the support of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is critical for its survival. Despite being allies for over two decades in the Mumbai civic body and in the state and at the Centre, relations between the two parties were severely strained ahead of the municipal polls. The alliance in the civic body had crumbled with Shiv Sena ministers in the state government announcing ahead of the municipal polls that they have their resignation letters in their pockets and only waiting for a nod from Thackeray to submit them. The Shiv Sena supremo not too long ago had said that the Fadnavis government was in a "notice period" and speculations were rife that the party would have pulled out of the government had they got absolute majority in the recently concluded BMC polls. Exhibiting his political acumen, Fadnavis in a calculated decision made it clear that the BJP won't contest for the post of mayor, deputy mayor and would not seek any membership in the four crucial committees standing, education, BEST and improvement thereby, leaving the entire accountability with the Shiv Sena. With this deft move, Fadnavis has put the Shiv Sena in pretty much the same situation as the latter sought to put the BJP in the state government. The chief minister also ensured that the Shiv Sena won't have an easy run in the next run in the Mumbai civic body by appointing a deputy Lokayukta who will keep a daily tab on the transparent functioning of the BMC. The three-member committee comprising of three former IAS officers Ramanath Jha, Gautam Chatterjee and Sharad Kale will recommend ways for the BMC to function in a transparent manner. By choosing not to sit in the Opposition and by opting out of a direct participation in the corporation, Fadnavis paved the way for the BJP to keep a check on the Shiv Sena in the next five years. Although the chief minister nicely disguised his step as the party's respect for the public mandate and its zeal towards the development of Mumbai, for those politically alert, it was a clear underlying message to the Shiv Sena to refrain from its ballistic behaviour. Although BJP national president Amit Shah wanted the BJP to seek the mayor's post in the BMC under any circumstance, it was his tete-a-tete with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that resulted in giving the Shiv Sena the top executive post in the country's richest civic body. Caught unaware by this political dexterity of the chief minister, the Shiv Sena now stands checkmated charting its course in the new term while the BJP added a few more points to its clean image along with the chief minister's. The next mayor of Mumbai will be elected during the first meeting of the new House on 8 March and 4 March is the last date for filing nominations for the post, and the election will be held four days later. Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM on Saturday asked the party-led Kerala government to register a case against Madhya Pradesh RSS leader Kundan Chandrawat, who declared a Rs 1 crore bounty for beheading Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Addressing reporters here after a meeting, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the Vijayan government has no option but to register a case as he did not expect any action from the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, where the speech was made. "Even the NIA (National Investigation Agency) can go forward and register a case, but that also won't happen because the country is ruled by the BJP and hence no case would be registered," Balakrishnan said. "So, we (the CPM) have asked the Kerala government to register a case against the RSS leader given the graveness of his comment, as it could have an impact in our state," said Balakrishnan, a former home minister. He said that the RSS taking action against Chandrawat was not enough and in the larger interest, a case should be registered. Following a huge public outcry, the RSS leader was stripped of his posts on Friday. On 1 March, Chandrawat declared the bounty in the presence of BJP MP Chintaman Malviya, BJP MLA Mohan Yadav and other Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders. The Ujjain video went viral. On Thursday, Chandrawat said he did not regret his remarks even as the Kerala unit of the RSS claimed Chandrawat did not speak for the organisation. Chandrawat, RSS Ujjain's Sah Prachar Pramukh (regional deputy publicity head), had on Wednesday announced a reward of Rs 1 crore to anyone who brought the severed head of the Kerala chief minister. Auto refresh feeds Autorickshaw rally for Congress party in Thoubal district, Manipur. The state goes to polls on 4 and 8 March. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, speaking in Manipur ahead of the Assembly polls, accused the Congress and Chief Minister Okram Singh Ibobi of creating confusion and vowed that the territorial integrity of Manipur would not be affected. Singh said that there was no law and order situation in Manipur and the major evil was the corruption by the Congress. Manipur goes to the polls on 4 and 8 March. The BJP has been on a tear in Manipur, on the last day of campaigning before the first phase of polling. Campaigning in Manipur officially ends at 3 pm. Activists of Kangleipak Students Association on Thursday, demanding justice for extra-judicial killings in Manipur, burned effigies of Manipur Chief Minster Okram Ibobi Singh, Addl SP AK Jaljit and ex DGP Y Joykumark on Thursday. The Kangleipak Students Association (KSA) is demanding the repeal of Afspa and justice for fake encounter cases, including the 23 July, 2009 case, in which a pregnant woman and a former PLA militant were killed in broad daylight. On Wednesday, a group of irate student activists belonging to the association allegedly vandalised the state unit office of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) situated in the heart of Imphal city after being denied a meeting with BJP leaders. The 33-year-old Harvard-educated Erendro Leichombam, was attacked by unknown people in Manipur on the day of the first phase of polls in the state. This US-returned former World Bank Fellow, who also served in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is the convener of People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA), a party started by Irom Sharmila. Trained in Economics at the Soka University of America and in Mathematics at the University of California, Irvine, Erendro refused to live the life of an NRI and joined Irom Sharmila's party to bring about a social change in his home state. Over 80 percent voter turnout was recorded in the first phase of polling in Manipur in 38 constituencies spread across six districts in the hill state. Officials said the final figure would go higher as this was only the preliminary report at 3 pm when polling officially ended. The second and final phase of polling will be held on 8 March. The second and final phase of polling will be held on 8 March. Haokip also said he was confident of the Congress winning 40 seats in Manipur Assembly polls. The second and final phase of polling will be held on 8 March. State unit Congress president TN Haokip has said that the BJP and the United Naga Council are the two faces of the same coin. A troop of 25 Assam Rifles apprehended four Kuki National Front (P) militants at Churachandpur on early Sunday morning. The militants were nabbed at 5.30 am. Two AK-56 rifles, two pistols, four cell phones and 148 rounds were recovered during the counter-insurgency operation. The militants were then handed over to the Churachandpur police. HuffPost-CVoter poll has predicted that the Congress will win fewer seats than the BJP in Manipur. According to the poll, the BJP's voteshare in the state will see a huge increasefrom 2.1 percent in 2012 to 32.1 percent in this electionmeanwhile, the Congress' voteshare is estimated to fall from 42.4 percent in 2012 to 31.3 percent. At least six persons including four women sustained injury in an IED blast near Kasturi Bridge in the hear of Imphal city on Wednesday evening at about 5.40 pm as the last phase Manipur polls ended. The police said that the two women among the five injured in the blast, which took place in the Kasturi Thong area in Imphal, were admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Science, a government hospital. Manipur unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to file a counter-FIR against the State Election Commission (SEC) for "mentally harassing" the party's office bearers, and for allegedly creating confusion with regards to advertisements that were published in local dailies in Imphal, Manipur, on 3 March. There was tight security at the polling stations to ensure that there was no untoward incident. Voters stand in queues at a polling booth in Manipur. PTIVoters stand in queues at a polling booth in Manipur. PTI State Chief Election Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan disclosed that the repolls were being held as per directives of the Election Commission. Peaceful repolls were reported in 34 polling stations in eight districts of Manipur on Thursday. Voter turnout of 67% recorded till 1 pm in second & final phase of voting in #ManipurElection2017 pic.twitter.com/1QXIUaMmve Polling ends at 3 pm in the second and last phase of #ManipurElection2017 pic.twitter.com/miuhmwwktJ State Chief Electoral Officer VK Dewangan has ordered repoll in 34 polling stations which went to the hustings in the first phase on 4 March. The re-poll will take place on 9 March from 7am till 3pm in the 34 polling stations. CEO Manipur Vivekumar Dewangan said re-polling would be held in five polling stations of Andro AC, one each in Uripok, Saikot and Singhat AC, 12 in Saikul, three in Saitu, six in Thanlon and five in Henglep. At least six persons including four women sustained injury in an IED blast near Kasturi Bridge in the hear of Imphal city on Wednesday evening at about 5.40 pm as the last phase Manipur polls ended. The police said that the two women among the five injured in the blast, which took place in the Kasturi Thong area in Imphal, were admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Science, a government hospital. Manipur unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to file a counter-FIR against the State Election Commission (SEC) for "mentally harassing" the party's office bearers, and for allegedly creating confusion with regards to advertisements that were published in local dailies in Imphal, Manipur, on 3 March. There was tight security at the polling stations to ensure that there was no untoward incident. Voters stand in queues at a polling booth in Manipur. PTIVoters stand in queues at a polling booth in Manipur. PTI State Chief Election Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan disclosed that the repolls were being held as per directives of the Election Commission. Peaceful repolls were reported in 34 polling stations in eight districts of Manipur on Thursday. Elections in Manipur will be held in two phases on 4 March and 8 March with the results being declared on 11 March. Representatives from 60 constituencies will be elected. The previous Assembly election, held in 2012, resulted in a landslide victory for the Congress, giving them 42 seats and allowing Okram Ibobi Singh to be re-elected as chief minister for an unprecedented third consecutive term. While Manipur has been a Congress stronghold for over a decade, thanks to the leadership of Ibobi, a savvy political operator, the BJP has been upbeat about its chances, buoyed undoubtedly by its success in last year's Assam elections. All eyes are also on Irom Sharmila, who shocked many political observers by giving up her 16-year fast against the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa), and decided to enter politics. Manipur's Iron Lady has formed the People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) and will be taking on the chief minister in his own den Thoubal constituency only time will tell if this is a masterstroke or a blunder. Sharmila, while announcing her decision, had said: "During his 15 years of leadership he has not done anything to repeal Afspa. Since I realise that no politician shall repeal it, I am planning to contest the election, become the chief minister and repeal it." Here are some quick facts about the state: Number of Parliamentary Constituencies: 2 Number of Assembly Constituencies: 60 The present ruling party: Indian National Congress Opposition Party: Trinamool Congress Chief Minister: Okram Ibobi Singh Governor: Dr. Najma A. Heptulla Chief Electoral Officer: Oinam Nabakishore Singh Political Parties in Manipur The Indian National Congress (INC) The Bharatiya Janata Party The Rashtriya Janata Dal The Nationalist Congress Party The main regional political parties are : Democratic Revolutionary Peoples Party Manipur State Congress party Lok Jan Shakti Party All India Trinamool Congress Manipur People's Party (MPP) Federal Party of Manipur Manipur National Conference Naga People's Front National People's Party (India) Nikhil Manipuri MahasabhaManipur Assembly Election 2017 Imphal: Over 80 percent polling was recorded in the first phase of elections to the Manipur Assembly on Saturday. Voting in the 38 constituencies, which went to polls on the day, came to a close at 3 pm, as per the Election Commission (EC) schedule. Although the preliminary reports at 3 pm put the polling figure at 80 percent, the commission officials said the final figure could be a little higher. "There were some technical problems in the EVMs, so the polling started a few hours late at some polling stations. There were long queues in these polling stations even after the official time for closing of voting," the EC officials said. #ManipurElection2017: 87% voting in Imphal East, its highest ever for the constituency. ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 The police heaved a sigh of relief as voting ended, with no major law and order problem being reported from anywhere. It was widely feared that there could be violence, since there were minor clashes, bomb blasts, gun attacks and torching of at least four vehicles in the pre-election violence. For the first time, women security personnel and polling officials were deployed at 10 polling stations in Imphal east district and six polling stations in Bishnupur district. In all, there were 168 candidates in the fray for Saturday's polls, out of which seven were women. Prominent among the candidates are: Speaker Th Lokeswar Singh, ministers I Hemochandra Singh, Govindas Konthoujam, Kh Ratankumar Singh and T Manga Vaiphei, Manipur PCC President T N Haokip, former ministers Phungzathang Tonsing, and Y Erabot Singh and BJP leader Th Chaoba Singh. Polling took place at 1,643 polling stations in the 38 constituencies. Altogether 8,408 personnel of the central paramilitary forces were deployed for peaceful conduct of the election. Although candidates from several parties and Independents contested in the first phase of election, the main fight is between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. The BJP had fielded candidates in all the 60 constituencies in the state, while the Congress did so in 59. Irom Sharmila casts her vote Irom Sharmila cast her vote in Khurai Assembly constituency around 10 pm. Sharmila, who was on hunger strike for over a decade for the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa) from Manipur, formed the Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA). The party has fielded five candidates, although it has little money or organisation. Sharmila, speaking to CNN-News 18, expressed confidence about bringing change in Manipur. She said, "People want to see change and we are confident to bring this change in Manipur. The response from youngsters is also positive. We are confident to win from Khangabok Constituency against the state CM on March 8. We dont believe in muscle and money power." Around 11 pm there was a scuffle at the Keirao Kendra polling station over the alleged buying of votes by Congress candidate Thamarjit Singh. Former minister and heavyweight Phungzathang Tonsing, who had been given a Congress ticket, resigned and joined another party. Without explaining his move, he just said: "People know what the Congress has been doing since it is a small state." Nearly 30 percent polling was reported until lunch. On expected lines, the polling gained pace from 12 noon. PRJA candidate assaulted Polling was by and large peaceful, except one incident, in which a candidate, Erenedo, of Irom Sharmila's People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance, was allegedly assaulted by some persons. "My ear is damaged and I have pain in the chest...will lodge a complaint against the miscreants," he said. Leichombam filed a police complaint that he was attacked by some unidentified men at Sinam Leikai. "Two persons pelted stones at my car at Sinam Leikai when I was travelling in it around 11 am," Leichombom told newsmen. Sinam Leikai falls in Thangmeiband assembly constituency where polling was held on Satuday. Leichombom, a Harvard graduate and former World Bank Fellow who also served in UNDP, is contesting from the seat. The officer-in-charge of Imphal police station confirmed that a complaint had been registered and said Leichombom was not injured in the attack, police said. "He had lodged a police compliant and he had also lodged a complaint with us," Manipur Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan said. Election Commission orders FIR against BJP office-bearers, newspapers Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) on Friday ordered an FIR against office-bearers of the BJP's Manipur unit and certain newspapers for publishing advertisements without its approval. In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur, the EC has ordered that the FIRs under Section 188 of IPC against be lodged against BJP state unit office-bearers and the newspapers which carried the advertisements on Friday in contravention of its orders and violation of RP Act. The EC had instructed all stakeholders to not publish any advertisements on 3 and 4 March without pre-screening and subsequent approval by state-level MCMC committee. The newspapers which carried the advertisements are: Sangai Express (Manipuri and English editions), Poknapham, People's Chronicle, Naharolgi, Thoudang, Imphal Free Press, Echel Express and Huiyen Lanpao. The poll panel has also sought a compliance report by Monday. The second and final phase of polling will be held on 8 March. With inputs from agencies Imphal: Union Minister for Road Transports and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on Saturday canvassed for the BJP candidate in Noney, a hill district of Manipur. Addressing an election rally at Longmai (Noney) Common Ground, the Union minister said that an amount of Rs 22,000 crore have been sanctioned for development of the road Infrastructures in Manipur. "The BJP-led government at the Centre, which gives the highest priority for the development of the North East states, created the National Highway Infrastructure Development Company Limited exclusively for northeastern states. Rs 60,000 crore have been sanctioned for road connectivity in North East, out of which Rs 22,0000 crore have been sanctioned for the road infrastructure in Manipur," said the minister. He said the BJP is committed towards the eradication of poverty, creating more employment avenues for the unemployed youths, giving good infrastructure, good roads network and a good rail network. The minister said Manipur needs the right leadership who has the capability for development, right decision-making capacity and give a corruption-free and transparent administration. The state is rich but the population is poor because of the wrong economic policies, bad and corrupt governance and visionless leadership. Gadkari also quoted former US president John F Kenndy, "The American Roads are not good because American is rich but America is rich because American roads are good. The prosperity is coming from the road." Lashing out at the Congress, the minister said, "For the last 70 years, the Congress got maximum opportunity to rule the country and the state but both the country and state are still underdeveloped. Congress gave lot of promises like garibi hatao (remove poverty)." Launching a scathing attack on Congress, he questioned, "Where is the poverty alleviated by the Congress government for the tribals and the weaker sections, villagers, and farmers? Where is the good dwelling houses provided to the poor? Where are the schools and hospitals? There is a school but no buildings and teachers and so there is no teaching. There are no doctors and medicines in the hospitals." Lusty slogans resonated through the narrow lanes and flag-waving supporters cheered heartily as top leaders of major contenders for power in Uttar Pradesh descended on the ancient temple town, Varanasi, in a last gasp effort to swing the voters in their favour. Leading the virtual parade of the top guns was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned his visit to the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples into an impromptu roadshow, a day ahead of the one planned for Sunday. Before beginning the roadshow through the winding streets of the city, Modi also paid floral tributes at the statue of Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya at the Banaras Hindu University, in moves loaded with symbolism in a campaign which saw BJP revive the divisive talk of Ram temple and the prime minister seemed appealing to religious sensibilities by his 'graveyard and crematorium' remark. Modi's roadshow came on a day when the sixth phase of polling in 49 constituencies, including Gorakhpur and Azamgarh in the state was underway. BJP leaders feel that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on 8 March. However, some felt differently, like Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha, who took exception to Modi holding a roadshow, saying it is not appropriate for his high office and he should address rallies only. Kushwaha, who is the chief of the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, a BJP ally, said in a statement. His comments hinted at unease between the BJP and some of its junior partners and sources said discontent is not limited to the Bihar-based party. It is noteworthy that Kushwaha's party was keen on contesting a few seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls as a BJP ally and had joined hands with some small parties in the state after the saffron party ignored its wish. Meanwhile, the prime minister would have had little reasons to doubt the wisdom of his decision to launch an impromptu road show as outpouring support in his constituency and t his Jaunpur rally made for a heady mix for his party. Slogans like Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras and 'Modi, Modi' greeted the Prime Minister as he waved from an open top vehicle covered with marigold. Visuals, streets after streets and twisty alleyways streaked saffron in Varanasi as people donning BJP stamped paraphernalia were everywhere to be seen. The only other time Modi held a roadshow in the city was in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls after he picked Varanasi as one of his seats. The BJP swept the 2014 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, along with its ally Apna Dal. Apart from this, the prime minister also addressed a rally in the neighbouring town of Jaunpur, where he took a dig at his opponents in his signature style. He said the voters in Uttar Pradesh have got an opportunity to perform the pind daan (last rites) of their "tormentors". He also said that unlike the BJP, its opponents believed in kuch ka saath, kuch ka hi vikas (with a few, development of a few)." He also sought to corner the Samajwadi Party over the issue of tainted UP minister Gayatri Prajapati. "In this country, when we do something good, we chant the Gayatri Mantra. But, the SP-Congress alliance is chanting the Gayatri Prajapati Mantra," Modi said. Prajapati was present at a poll meeting addressed by Akhilesh at Amethi, from where he is re-contesting on an SP ticket, even after he was booked at the behest of the Supreme Court in the cases of alleged rape of a minor girl and alleged gangrape of her mother. "A daughter is seeking justice and the chief minister is shielding the gunehgaar (guilty)...What bigger blot can there be than this that in Uttar Pradesh, when a buffalo goes missing, the government runs to find it," Modi added. Modi's buffalo remark was in the context of the Uttar Pradesh police running from pillar to post to track down the milch animals of state minister Azam Khan which were stolen. Down in the dumps in the politically crucial cow belt state for the last 15 years before its spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which has not declared its chief ministerial candidate for UP, is banking on the personal charisma of Modi to catapult the party back to power again. Samajwadi Party president and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, also led a roadshow with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the 'Kashi Vishwanath' temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi. Amid chanting of 'shlokas', Akhilesh, sporting the red Samajwadi Party cap, was seen kneeling at the temple and seeking the blessings of the priests. Akhilesh's MP wife Dimple, who has of late emerged as a star campaigner of the party after the sulking Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav decided to largely keep away from the fiercely fought electoral battle, joined the roadshow midway. Mulayam has so far addressed only a few election meetings for his brother Shivpal and younger daughter-in-law Aparna in their Jaswantnagar and Lucknow (cantonment) seats. The alliance partners mustered thousands of supporters for their parallel show of strength. Their supporters lined the streets and showered flower petals as the roadshow inched its way through crowded streets. Posters proclaiming 'Akhilesh Again' with the image of a smiling Chief Minister were seen along the route. An incident of stone-pelting was reported near Chowka Ghat as the convoy passed by, but police denied it, saying supporters of rival parties came face-to-face over hoisting flags but a clash was averted. BSP leader Mayawati, seeking a fifth term as Chief Minister, did not visit Varanasi but held an election rally at Rohaniya, about 20 km from the main city, where she claimed the people at Modi's roadshow were "mere spectators" brought from neighbouring states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. She also asserted that the BJP and the SP-Congress combine were fighting for second and third place in the UP polls. Mayawati said the joint roadshow by Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi reflected they had "reconciled to defeat". She said prayers being offered at temples and shrines "will be of no avail". With inputs from PTI Varanasi: The BJP stands for "Bahut Jhoot Paathshala" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was its principal, as he failed to deliver on the promises he made to the people, the Congress said on Friday. It also accused the prime minister of lowering the dignity of his office and indulging in politics to divide people on religious grounds. Coining a new acronym, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the BJP stands for "Bahut Jhoot Paathshala" with Modi as its principal. "Modi has lowered the dignity of his office and it was not expected from a prime minister that he would stoop so low that he who would indulge in cheap politics and make remarks about graveyards and cremation-ground," Surjewala said. Addressing a news conference here, he accused the Prime Minister of "spreading hatred" in the society and "dividing people on religious grounds". Recalling that prime minister Modi in a recent rally had accused the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh of discriminating in power supply on religious grounds, saying "electricity is provided on Ramadan but not on Holi or Diwali". Lashing out at the prime minister for "not doing" anything to benefit the farmers, he said, "Modi tells the farmers you leave your crops as when you (farmers) will suffer crop losses then we will give insurance and he provokes countrymen saying when they will die then he will give them insurance." Surjewala asked, "Do our farmers need to wait for their crop loss to get insurance and our countrymen need to die to get their insurance from him (Modi)?" He slammed the central government following the steep hike in LPG cylinder prices saying the international crude and gas price were not so high that the government needed to hike the LPG cylinder prices. Surjewala also hit out at BJP over "gender bias" in Banaras Hindu University (BHU), saying girls do not get the facilities given to boys. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari took a jibe at PM Modi saying the BJP had not declared its chief ministerial face in UP election as "PM would take the additional charge of UP CM". He added that Modi "landed as a superman" but turned into a "supertax man". Taking dig at prime minister for his jibe at Rahul for coconut remark, he said Modi's English was weak as he could not understand the meaning of pineappale and coconut. Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi accepted a bouquet of flowers and got blown to bits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stuck out of a vehicle in Varanasi showing 70 percent of his body and accepted a bouquet of red roses and then allowed for a cloth or safa be thrown at him from the crowd which he placed on his head. Both items got past the cordon of commandos and the inner security ring of the Special Protection Group and Modi made himself a target. The anchors were waxing lyrical about Modis love for the people and how wonderful it was that he was catching bouquets flung at him and no one even mentioned that it was a rank disregard of ones sense of responsibility. You are the Prime Minister of India, Sir, not the Mayor of Varanasi. You are also Narendra Modi, an extremely high profile target and a man with enough enemies to be a lot less cavalier about your public appearances. This is not courage because hundred of your people on duty are directly affected. Getting your vehicle into a sea of humanity not only creates a logistical nightmare for your security detail who looked marooned on the little moving island of a vehicle but the marigold petals that covered it would have made it nearly impossible for the driver to see where he was going. Not only did the prime minister make himself vulnerable to an attack on his person he made getting away in case of an emergency impossible. That vehicle, if he had, God forbid, been injured would not have been able to move to a hospital. That you would do this in a nation which is number one on the number of VIPs it officially lists and beats the world combined the exchequer is vacuumed out of crores of rupees (believe it is Rs 400 crores on just the prime minister) and maintains a 3,000 strong special security group (SPG) making them look so redundant as they did in Varanasi on whatever this roadshow is about, is not acceptable. He has a larger mandate than canvassing in Uttar Pradesh. The prime minister must follow security parameters or else dismantle all these special forces, save all this money and take your chances. In fact, I would go as far as to say there should be an inquiry into why the security head has not put in an official report about the prime ministers oh so cool conduct and the compromise of the role of the SPG who were literally reduced to a laughable human frill at the edge of the vehicle. That is the trouble in our country. We confuse protocol with the sentiment. It is all about Modis courage and the love of the people and the hug hug, kiss kiss emotions on display. Now, we all understand the stakes in Uttar Pradesh are high and Modi is a major draw but he must not be allowed to override his own security. Imagine if some hostile element had gotten through that mess and harmed him. This security detail would have been hauled up and castigated by all of us. What were they thinking? If we have to spend so much on security per se then let us ensure norms are followed. Not to do that is to waste money and take a risk to your life prime minister that we, the electorate, have a right to equate with a lack of common sense. Someone threw a bouquet at you and you caught itwhats wrong with everyone. The Bharatiya Janata Party's demand that the Election Commission deploy women police officials at polling booths during the 4 and 8 March voting to check the identity of burqa-clad women in the UP elections has touched upon an emerging issue in Indian politics. JPS Rathore, the vice president of BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit who made the request to the Election Commission in a letter, stated that the "deployment of women police personnel will be justified so that voter's ID could be checked properly and no fake person/woman could cast a vote." While reports of bogus voting in burqa (Islamic veil) have not been heard of in India, it is not the duty of police officials to check the ID card of voters. Only election officials deployed at polling booths check the ID cards of voters. However, the BJP's demand sheds light on the fact that there is some unease among non-Muslims that burqas could be potentially used to vote on behalf of other voters who may not be present. During the past few phases of polling in the UP elections, anecdotal reports indicate that some Muslim women defied their male relatives to vote for the BJP because Prime Minister Narendra Modi added his voice voice against the arbitrary practice of instant triple talaq. Anecdotal reports also show that some Muslim women, who may not have agreed with the male members of their families on vital issues like triple talaq, were not allowed to vote. In such situations, there is a risk that burqas can be misused to vote on behalf of others. There is also a concern that in states like West Bengal where significant numbers of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have settled, burqas could be used to manipulate votes in favour of political parties of a certain ideological spectrum in coming decades. The BJP's demand also reveals that the rise of burqas in India's towns over the past two decades is causing anxiety among non-Muslims. This increasing overt religiosity among Muslims usually does not generally concern Hindus but when Muslim women enter shared public space such as a polling booth, Hindus might feel concerned. And political parties like the BJP might feel doubly alarmed since the electoral stakes are high. However, Muslims are likely to see the BJP's demand as an interference in a religious matter, which must not be so because at election booths, there are always women election officials who can verify identities of Muslim women voters coming in burqa to vote. However, a burqa is not simply a piece of cloth. Burqas are ideas. A burqa represents a system of ideas originating from Islam. Its use justified by the Quranic teachings that women maintain distance from men through curtains and that their voice should not be heard by men has become overwhelming in the life of Muslim women. Recently, on a trip to the Women's College of the Aligarh Muslim University, a Hindu woman academic was shocked to see that women in the college were wearing burqa despite the fact that there were no men on the campus. For now, Muslim women in India wear a burqa through which only their eyes can be seen. This cannot be sufficient for election officials to verify the identity of the Muslim women voters wearing burqas. In such a situation, burqa-wearing Muslim women must have no qualm in lifting their veil in front of a woman election official to have their identity verified. Such a practice will build community cohesion in India. And such a practice also needs to be established by the Election Commission because in the coming decades, India will witness more women than before wearing burqas, given the experience of past two decades during which burqas flourished in villages and towns across India. In the recent past when the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan, the tent-like burqa which covered women from top to bottom flourished. During my current tour of UP, I visited the town of Kairana (near Muzaffarnagar) where the Hindu population is negligible and the Muslim population is high. Kairana is basically a Muslim town. While travelling through its bazaars, I was shocked to see that the net-on-face burqa the one which was used during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan was a common practice. In this burqa, you cannot even see a Muslim woman's eyes. The BJP might have raised the issue of burqas for the reasons of electoral politics, which seems to be the case. However, at the centre of this debate on burqa is the liberty of Muslim women who are not being supported by absolutely any secular, feminist and liberal Hindu and Muslim groups. As the population of Indian Muslims is projected to rise to 311 million by 2050, it is essential that the centre-right forces defend the liberty of Muslim women because the centre-left will not do so. The author, a former BBC journalist, is a contributing editor at Firstpost and executive director of the Open Source Institute, New Delhi. He tweets @tufailelif New York: A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in the US has been shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Sign on door at Harnish Patel's Lancaster store says it's closed due to family emergency. Owner was shot and killed last night. pic.twitter.com/gFpjQpjtWt Greg Suskin (@GSuskinWSOC9) March 3, 2017 Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner's Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11:33 pm after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," Faile said. Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patel's home to offer condolences to his family. "Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody," Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patel's store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. "If you didn't have the money, he'd let people have food," Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before, and did anything he could to help out in tough times. "He's watched my kids grow up, which is why it's painful. From day one he's been amazing, just awesome, and I just don't understand the sense behind it," Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his family's life, and did that. Patel's death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling "get out of my country." The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an enviornment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting. He had said America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms. Seattle: A federal judge in Seattle on Friday granted a two-week extension to the Justice Department in a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump's immigration order is blocking efforts by legal residents to reunite with their children who are trapped in war-torn countries. US District Judge James Robart, who halted enforcement of Trump's immigration order nationwide in February in a separate case brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota, said in his order that the federal government could have more time before responding to plaintiff's efforts to have the case certified as a class-action lawsuit. The Justice Department argued that Trump intends to rescind the order and replace it with a new, substantially revised executive order that may "influence the shape of the legal issues... in ways relevant to the class certification question." After being repeatedly postponed, a White House official said Thursday a replacement order now won't be unveiled until next week at the earliest. Robart also said he understood the frustrations of the parents and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, who filed the lawsuit, over Trump administration statements that seemingly contradict those made by federal government lawyers. "The court understands plaintiffs' frustrations concerning statements emanating from President Trump's administration that seemingly contradict representations of the federal government's lawyers in this and other litigation before the court," the order said. Nevertheless, Robart said, the court will continue to rely on statements coming from the federal attorneys. The lawsuit filed in Seattle's US District Court in late January claims Trump's order barring people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US is unconstitutional. It asked for a judge to intervene and stop the application of the part of the order that suspends visas to citizens of those seven countries. Juweiya Abdiaziz Ali, one of the plaintiffs, is a US citizen living in Seattle who started the process in August of bringing her son from Somalia. But Trump's order has her worried that her son's visa process will be indefinitely suspended, she said. Like thousands of others, those named in the lawsuit pursued the immigrant visa process that includes hundreds of dollars in filing fees, security screenings, medical examinations and interviews, Matt Adams, the group's legal director said previously. The Trump administration has defended the order, saying more restrictions are needed to protect the US from future terrorist attacks. The new deadline for federal government attorneys to respond to the motion is 20 March. By Makini Brice and Joseph Guyler Delva | PORT-AU-PRINCE PORT-AU-PRINCE Former Haitian President Rene Preval, 74, the first leader in Haiti's history to win a democratic election, serve a full term and peacefully hand power to a successor, died on Friday after falling unconscious at his home.The cause of death for the two-time president was not made public. His sister, Marie-Claude Calvin, said an autopsy would determine the cause. She said "he sounded fine" the three times she spoke to him on Friday, but that medics at a nearby clinic were unable to save his life after he collapsed."It was too late, he died. All that happened very quickly," Calvin said.President Jovenel Moise described Preval as a "dignified son of Haiti," in a statement on Twitter. The United States extended condolences, saying Preval had "shepherded his country through tragic times and good times."Preval was a central figure in Haitian politics from the early nineties through to his second presidency. His legacy will always be tied to the 2010 earthquake that destroyed much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, killing more than 200,000 people and bringing the presidential palace crumbling to the ground. Haiti has been politically turbulent for much of its history since winning independence from France in 1804, punctuated by dictatorships, coups, invasions and natural disasters. Preval, a soft-spoken agronomist, won support from Haiti's poor majority when he first won the presidency in 1996, after a bout of instability that saw his ally, former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, toppled in a coup, then brought back to power with the help of U.S. troops. In both of his two terms, Preval succeeded the charismatic Aristide, who was twice ousted in rebellions. The two later grew apart as a long-exiled Aristide felt badly treated by his former pupil. "Peace to his soul and to our dear Haiti," Aristide said in a brief statement on Friday. During his first term, Preval managed to build roads and public squares, worked with peasants on land reform, and unlike many of his predecessors, was not accused of massive human rights violations, despotism or theft. But high-profile improvements to the countrys faltering economy proved to be difficult, even before the debilitating earthquake.The government came under attack for not properly managing the billions of aid that flowed into the country after the earthquake, although most of it was not channeled directly to the government of Haiti.Nevertheless, Preval remained a potent political figure in Haiti even after leaving office. In recent years, Haiti has peacefully transferred power between governments, although the most recent transition was delayed by a year and accompanied by protests.Preval's last major public appearance was at Moise's inauguration last month, which ended the political quagmire after Prevals own successor, Michel Martelly, left office in 2016. Preval received visitors Friday morning, his friend Gilbert Coicou told Reuters. A guard later found Preval at home, and he was pronounced dead at a local clinic near his home in the hills above Port-au-Prince."He did not tell me that he felt anything was wrong with his health," said his sister Calvin. "It could be a cardiovascular accident but we cannot know for sure what is the cause. (Reporting by Makini Brice; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Leslie Adler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Friday said there was "no comparison whatsoever" between his use of a private email account for state business while he was governor of Indiana and the email woes of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.Clinton's use of a private email server during her time in government became a major point of criticism against her as the Democratic nominee during the 2016 presidential election by Pence, the running mate of President Donald Trump, and others involved in the Republican campaign."There's no comparison whatsoever between Hillary Clinton's practice, having a private server that was handling classified information, destroying emails that were requested by the Congress and by officials," Pence told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Wisconsin.Pence's use of an AOL email account was first reported by the Indianapolis Star on Thursday. The newspaper said Pence used the account at times to discuss sensitive matters and homeland security issues. The account was hacked last summer, the newspaper reported.Pence said he complied with Indiana laws in his use of the email account, and he had an outside attorney review his private email records and archive those related to state business. During the campaign, Trump and Pence said Clinton's use of a private server broke the law and endangered national security - complaints that led their supporters to chant "Lock her up!" at rallies.The State Department's internal watchdog said Clinton's use of a private server broke department rules. The FBI reviewed her emails for classified material, but it found that no criminal charges were warranted. FBI Director James Comey, however, said Clinton and her colleagues were "careless" with classified information.Clinton's staff turned over thousands of emails to the State Department in late 2014. Her team said emails that were not related to government work were deleted, although they said that direction was given before lawmakers issued a subpoena for them. A White House spokeswoman said Pence was not subject to federal laws as governor, unlike Clinton, and did not handle classified information."There's light years of difference" between the use of private email by Pence and Clinton, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters. (Reporting by Melissa Fares, writing by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BAGHDAD Twelve people, including women and children, are being treated for possible exposure to chemical weapons agents in Mosul, where Islamic State is fighting off an offensive by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces, the United Nations said on Saturday.The U.N.'s World Health Organization has activated with partners and local health authorities "an emergency response plan to safely treat men, women and children who may be exposed to the highly toxic chemical," the agency said in a statement.It said all 12 patients had been received since March 1 for treatment which they are undergoing in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region, east of Mosul.Four of them are showing "severe signs associated with exposure to a blister agent". The patients were exposed to the chemical agents in the eastern side of Mosul. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday that five children and two women were receiving treatment for exposure to chemical agents. The ICRC statement did not say which side used the chemical agents that caused blisters, redness in the eyes, irritation, vomiting and coughing.Iraqi forces captured the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris river on Feb. 19. The eastern side remains within reach of the militants' rockets and mortar shells. Defeating Islamic State in Mosul would crush the Iraqi wing of the caliphate declared by the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2014, over parts of Iraq and Syria.The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, called for an investigation. "This is horrible. If the alleged use of chemical weapons is confirmed, this is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime, regardless of who the targets or the victims of the attacks are," she said in a statement. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Catherine Evans) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Check out the new FoneArena Daily video that gives you a quick roundup of the latest technology news. As per the recent report, Google is reportedly testing several versions of Pixel 2 smartphones, including a Pixel version code-named Pixel 2B aimed at emerging markets. Having said that, Googles SVP for hardware Rick Osterloh in a meeting at the MWC 2017 said that the Pixel 2 will be released this year, and will stay premium. Earlier we reported that Apple might ditch the Lightning connector on the iPhone 8. But now as per fresh reports, the next generation iPhone will retain the Lightning port and in addition, the iPhone 8 will adopt USB-C Power Delivery technology for super-fast charging speeds. All the three iPhone 8 models will likely to support USB-C Power Delivery technology. Google has started rolling out the Google Assistant to more Android smartphones after a certain period of exclusivity to the Google Pixel smartphones. It is now available for select smartphones running Android 7.0 (Nougat) and Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). As per the Google claims, your smartphone must have at least 1.5GB of RAM, and a 720p resolution display. Xiaomi has introduced several new products including Mi Walkie Talkie, Mi Driving Recorder, Mi Smart Scale 2, Mi Smart Camera, Mi Router HD and Mi Router Pro under the Mi Ecosystem which is also known as MIJIA that will go on sale in China today. Deal of the day Offer on Mio Fuse fitness band on Flipkart Some powerful heartbreaking images of our nations heroes forced to wait in extreme pain at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Durham, North Carolina have gone viral after Hannah, the wife of retired Marine Stephen McMenamin decided to post the photos to her Facebook account (NASDAQ:FB). Hannah and her husband were waiting at the Durham VA Medical Center when they noticed veterans slumped over in chairs, and one man lying on the floor with no one attending to him. She took action by photographing the disturbing situation and posting the images of the neglected veterans on her Facebook with the intent to draw attention and stir a response. I think that a lot of people, they dont really have the chance or the reason to go into the VA themselves. So, I feel like a lot of people just might not think about it. I figure by putting a photograph to something that countless amounts of veterans see every day might be a good way to raise some public awareness for it, she said. As a veteran himself, Stephen said the VA is hit or miss, and that he is accustomed to seeing such horrible things similar to what he witnessed at the medical center in Durham, North Carolina. The VA system, as a hole, some of the care you get can be the best. Some of it, you know quite honestly, is deplorable and the worst. So I think thats part of the problem, he said. Stephen believes removing the bureaucracy within the VA and allowing veterans to decide the type of care they need through vouchers would solve many of the problems. Its become overrun by paperwork and rules, he said. "If you got to any other private hospital, its not like that. People get the care they need at regular hospitals. President Trump has pledged to clean up the Department of Veterans Affairs and promised to increase its budget. Our veterans have delivered for this nation and now we must deliver for them, Trump said during his address to Congress. Mrs. McMenamin said she has some faith that the president will follow up on his promise to provide the best care for veterans. On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations related to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election after it was revealed that he met twice with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign. Alleged ties between the Trump administration and Russia have been a source of tension on Capitol Hill since before the election. Retired four-star general Jack Keane believes Russia interfered in the 2016 election and has engaged in psychological warfare with the U.S. in the following months. Ever since that time [the election], theyre objective clearly was to undermine the Democratic processThere is one story after another at least alleging that the Russians have had contact with people in the Trump administration, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest there is such a thing, but its a huge psychological win for Russia, Keane told the FOX Business Networks Neil Cavuto. Keane believes the reason that President Trump has not spoken poorly of Russian President Vladimir Putin is because he doesnt want to harm future negotiation prospects between the two. I think the policy when it goes forward will have two major thrusts to it. One is to engage Putin and the other one is a willingness to confront Putin as well and have a credible deterrence against him. I think both of those will go on at the same time and well see if he has any success in the negotiations, I suspect not, Keane said. Trump, just like Ronald Reagan, is trying to build up the U.S. military, which will attract Russias attention according to Keane. They both did the same thing Building the military, something the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians pay a lot of attention to. Those are real capabilities and when you back that up with intent, then you have a credible deterrence and thats the direction were heading. Uproar over language in the contract for performers at the South by Southwest music festival in Texas will force the events organizers to review the documents for next year and future shows. The outcry came after Told Slant, a New York City-based band, said they were pulling out of the Austin-based festival because of the language in the contract, which reportedly states that the festival can take action if international acts adversely affect the viability of their performance. If international performers break the rules, South by Southwest (SXSW) will notify the appropriate U.S. immigration authorities of the above actions. International Artists entering the country through the Visa Waiver Program, B visa, or any non-work visa may not perform at any public or non-sanctioned SXSW Music Festival DAY OR NIGHT shows in Austin from March 13-10, 2017. Accepting and performing unofficial events may result in immediate deportation, revoked passport and denied entry by U.S. Customs Border Patrol at U.S. ports of entry. The band said they were not interested in aligning themselves with a place that interacts with immigration officials as a means of controlling where art is shared and performed, according to the Houston Chronicle. "This festival uses an imperialist model and prioritizes centralizing and packaging culture over communities and people's safety. It's no secret that SXSW has played a huge role in the process (of) Austin's rapid gentrification. The whole festival exists to the detriment of working class people and people of color in Austin," the band said. THIS WEEK IN PICTURES Felix Walworth, a Told Slant band member, also urged other bands to boycott the show. South by Southwest organizers responded to the uproar Thursday, saying the language in the contract has been set since 2013 and had only recently began receiving attention. "In this political climate, especially as it relates to immigration, we recognize the heightened importance of standing together against injustice," organizers wrote in a statement on their website. "SXSW has never reported anyone to any immigration authorities, including Customs & Border Protection (CBP), the agency that deals with participating artists entering the United States ... The language in our Performance Agreement is intended to facilitate U.S. entry for international artists and to show CBP that SXSW takes visa issues seriously. This language has been part of the contracts since the summer of 2013, and we will be reviewing and amending it for 2018 and beyond." Festival officials added that the langue was not aligned with President Trumps policies on immigration and went as far as saying it was against the presidents travel ban. "We have been coordinating with international acts coming to SXSW to try and mitigate issues at U.S. ports of entry, and will continue to build a coalition of attorneys to assist any who face problems upon arrival in the States," organizers said. The music festival is still facing scrutiny despite its attempts to quell the firestorm. Downtown Boys Victoria Ruiz and Joey L. De Francesco sent an open letter to the organization expressing its outrage. It was co-signed by Killer Mike, Ted Leo, Screaming Females, Kimya Dawson and Ceremony, according to Rolling Stone. Downtown Boys, Evan Greer and Priests also accused South by Southwest of playing into the xenophobia emanating from the White House. "Starting a brawl in a club is already illegal. If an artist were to do that, there is a clear way that the legal system and immigration officials would deal with it. There is no need for a contract clause like this to prevent that, and absolutely nothing requiring SXSW to narc on bands who are at risk for deportation, the group said in a statement to the music magazine. Still, South by Southwest maintains the language was meant to inform international acts that if they performed at another show other than the Austin music festival, they could be in violation of the law. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Students from diverse ethnic backgrounds at the University of Cambridge have complained to the kitchen staff that some of the food served at the prestigious school misrepresents" their foreign culture. Two dishes feeling the most heat outside the kitchen were a "Jamaican stew" and a "Tunisian rice," which students said were not typical of the dishes they ate at home, according to the Telegraph. More than 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students attend Cambridge, with almost 8,000 international students representing over 120 different countries in that population. 8 'CULTURALLY APPROPRIATED' FOODS THAT ARE BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER However, some students did not agree with the complaints and defended the universitys cuisine. "You've got to be pretty privileged to have the time to sit and moan about the naming of the food you eat at one of the best universities in the world, said one student. A minority student reportedly added, "While the Indian food in trough isn't straight from my Dadiki's karahi in a Mumbai highrise, I'm thankful to the Pembroke staff for at least trying. "I urge people to look around and realise there's a lot more to life than complaining about fruity chicken. Grow up." The comments first started on the schools Facebook page where one student wrote, "Dear Pembroke catering staff, stop mixing mango and beef and calling it 'Jamaican stew'. I'm actually half Jamaican pls show me where in the Caribbean they mix fruit and meat. The student continued, "I'm used to as a minority student being constantly invalidated when flagging up specific issues but if people feel their cultures are misrepresented they have the right to address this. "Microaggressions are a reality of the everyday existence of many people with colour [sic]." FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS The complaints were again brought to light at a joint meeting with the universitys food committee and student representatives. Pembroke College bursar Andrew Cates says the university will consider reevaluting its menu going forward. As a college which prides itself on the high standard of its cuisine and wants all our students of diverse background to feel a valued part of our community, we encourage our catering staff to take the views of any of our students seriously, said Cates after the meeting. The Trump administration would slash programs aimed at slowing climate change and improving water safety and air quality, while eliminating thousands of jobs, according to a draft of the Environmental Protection Agency budget proposal obtained by The Associated Press. Under the tentative plan from the Office of Management and Budget, the agency's funding would be reduced by roughly 25 percent and about 3,000 jobs would be cut, about 19 percent of the agency's staff. President Donald Trump has said he plans to pay for billions of dollars more for the military by cutting spending on domestic agencies and departments. Trump plans to submit his budget to Congress the week of March 13. A spokeswoman for the EPA declined to comment, but a top official said in an internal memo that EPA leaders "will do everything in our power to protect our ability to support the mission of the agency in protecting human health and the environment." A copy of the memo from Acting Assistant Administrator Donna Vizian was obtained by the AP. TEXAS RANCHER CAUGHT IN REGULATORY WEB AFTER SPIDER FOUND ON ISLAND Vizian said she could not verify news media accounts, but said any proposed cuts were just the start of a lengthy budget process. A final plan is subject to congressional approval, which likely is months away at the earliest. The White House also declined to comment. The EPA is now under the leadership of Scott Pruitt, a former state attorney general for Oklahoma, who has questioned the scientific consensus that human activities are contributing to global warming and joined lawsuits against the agency's emission curbs. The draft proposal would cut the EPA's annual budget from about $8.2 billion to $6.1 billion. Proposed cuts include reducing the climate protection budget by nearly 70 percent to $29 million, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 97 percent to $10 million and environmental justice programs by 79 percent to $1.5 million. Also targeted for steep spending rollbacks are the agency's monitoring and enforcement of compliance with environmental laws, as well as regional projects intended to benefit degraded areas such as the Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. A program dealing with San Francisco Bay that received $4.8 million last year would be eliminated, as would initiatives for reducing diesel emissions and beach water quality testing. Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy called the proposed budget "a fantasy" that ignores the EPA's mission to protect public health. CALIFORNIA FACES $50 BILLION BILL FOR FLOOD CONTROL "It shows the Trump administration doesn't hold the same American values for clean air, clean water and healthy land as the vast majority of its citizens," McCarthy said in a statement. "Our health comes before the special interests of multibillion-dollar industries." Environmental groups said the proposed cuts would threaten thousands of jobs and could harm health and safety protections for millions of Americans. The proposals would especially affect programs to address climate change and enforce clean air and water laws, they said. "Instead of working to protect American families, President Trump's plans put the interest of big-money special interests over people," said Nat Mund, legislative director of the Southern Environmental Law Center, a Virginia-based advocacy group. But the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank, said the proposal didn't go far enough. "If Donald Trump and Scott Pruitt are serious about ending the national scandal that is EPA, they will accept nothing less than a 20 percent cut this year and make this year's cut the first step in a five-year plan to replace the organization," said Joseph Bast, the group's president. The proposal would all but eliminate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a wide-ranging cleanup of the world's largest surface freshwater system that has deep bipartisan support across the eight states adjacent to the lakes, from Minnesota to New York. The program has received around $300 million annually from the federal budget during former President Barack Obama's tenure more than $2.2 billion in all. Under the Trump proposal, it would get only $10 million. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., described the proposed cut as "outrageous." "This initiative has been critical to cleaning up our Great Lakes and waterways, restoring fish and wildlife habitats, and fighting invasive species, like Asian carp," Stabenow said. "I call on President Trump to reverse course on these harmful decisions." Congress in December authorized continuing the program through 2021 at $300 million a year, although separate annual votes are needed to provide the money. In a Feb. 8 letter to Trump, the 20-member Congressional Great Lakes Task Force called for maintaining current funding. Among House members signing it were Republicans Bill Huizenga of Michigan, Sean Duffy of Wisconsin and David Joyce of Ohio. EPA staffers are upset about the budget. A Thursday all-hands meeting, organized to calm staff about the budget cuts, only created more anxiety. The budget for the Environmental Protection Agency could reportedly be reduced by roughly 25 percent, costing the agency about 3,000 jobs. President Trump has said he plans to pay for billions of dollars more for the military by cutting spending on domestic agencies and departments. Trump plans to submit his budget to Congress the week of March 13. The Associated Press reportedly obtained a copy of a draft of the EPAs budget proposal from the Office of management and Budget. The cuts would result in a 19 percent decrease in staff at the agency. A spokeswoman for the EPA declined to comment, but a top official said in an internal memo that EPA leaders "will do everything in our power to protect our ability to support the mission of the agency in protecting human health and the environment." A copy of the memo from Acting Assistant Administrator Donna Vizian was obtained by the AP. Vizian said she could not verify news media accounts, but said any proposed cuts were just the start of a lengthy budget process. A final plan is subject to congressional approval, which likely is months away at the earliest. Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy called the proposed budget "a fantasy" that ignores the EPA's mission to protect public health. "It shows the Trump administration doesn't hold the same American values for clean air, clean water and healthy land as the vast majority of its citizens," McCarthy said in a statement. "Our health comes before the special interests of multibillion-dollar industries." The EPA is now under the leadership of Scott Pruitt, a former state attorney general for Oklahoma, who has questioned the scientific consensus that human activities are contributing to global warming and joined lawsuits against the agency's emission curbs. The Trump administration also would cut funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by 17 percent, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing a four-page memo from OMB that the newspaper obtained. The scientific agency, which is part of the Commerce Department, studies changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts. The draft proposal for the EPA would cut its annual budget from about $8.2 billion to $6.1 billion. Proposed cuts include reducing the climate protection budget by nearly 70 percent to $29 million, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 97 percent to $10 million and environmental justice programs by 79 percent to $1.5 million. The proposal would all but eliminate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a wide-ranging cleanup of the world's largest surface freshwater system that has deep bipartisan support across the eight states adjacent to the lakes, from Minnesota to New York. The program has received around $300 million annually from the federal budget during former President Barack Obama's tenure -- more than $2.2 billion in all. Under the Trump proposal, it would get only $10 million. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., described the proposed cut as "outrageous. "This initiative has been critical to cleaning up our Great Lakes and waterways, restoring fish and wildlife habitats, and fighting invasive species, like Asian carp," Stabenow said. "I call on President Trump to reverse course on these harmful decisions." The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank, said the proposal didn't go far enough. "If Donald Trump and Scott Pruitt are serious about ending the national scandal that is EPA, they will accept nothing less than a 20 percent cut this year and make this year's cut the first step in a five-year plan to replace the organization," said Joseph Bast, the group's president. The Associated Press contributed to this report Anthony Scaramucci, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, said that Obama administration officials were playing "blood sport politics" by taking actions to undermine the president. Asked about recent reports that officials who worked for Obama left a trail of evidence related to the ongoing investigation of links between Russia and the Trump campaign and have helped push the story to reporters, Scaramucci pushed back. "George W. Bush set the gold standard for ex-presidents, say nothing and do nothing," said Scaramucci, who served on the executive committee of Trump's transition team. "I think it's a shame that it's going on and I do think [Obama] is aware that it's going on." Austan Goolsbee, a former member of the Obama administration, said that the Trump administration has suffered some blows to its credibility, including the resignation of Mike Flynn because of his misstatements regarding his contact with the Russians. "Still it's patently unfair and borderline unpatriotic," said Scaramucci, referring to the efforts of Obama administration officials to go against Trump. The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly considering a proposal that would separate woman and children who illegally cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. The new policy would allow the U.S. to keep parents in custody while they contest deportation or wait for asylum hearings, while their children would be put into protective custody under the Department of Health and Human Services until they can be taken care of by an appointed guardian or an American relative, Reuters reported Friday. Government officials, who have been briefed on the proposal, told Reuters that the proposed policy hopes to deter mothers from entering the U.S. with their children illegally. A Homeland Security official added that the department was actively considering separating women from their children. THIS WEEK IN PICTURES "The journey north is a dangerous one with too many situations where children - brought by parents, relatives or smugglers - are often exploited, abused or may even lose their lives, Homeland Security said in a statement to Reuters. With safety in mind, the Department of Homeland Security continually explores options that may discourage those from even beginning the journey. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said the move could cross into violating human rights rather than protecting the U.S. "Bottom line: separating mothers and children is wrong," Cuellar said in a statement. Congressional Republicans have argued that migrant mothers are willing to risk their lives and the lives of their children because of the catch and release policy the U.S. currently has. Many of the mothers who arrive in the U.S. from the treacherous journey through Central America often pay smugglers to guide them across the rocky land. Homeland Security Chief John Kelly ordered last week that immigration officials should deport or prosecute parents who facilitate the illegal smuggling of their children across the border. Click for more form Reuters. Former President Obama on Saturday denied President Trumps accusation that Obama had Trump Tower phones tapped in the weeks before the November 2016 election. Neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false," said Kevin Lewis, a spokesman for the former president. Trump made the claim in a series of early Saturday morning tweets that included the suggestion that the alleged wiretapping was tantamount to McCarthyism and Nixon/Watergate. Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism, Trump tweeted. Is it legal for a sitting President to be wire tapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! he said in another tweet. Trump also tweeted that a good lawyer could make a great case of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! How low has President Obama gone to tap (sic) my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergage. Bad (or sick) guy! the president continued. Trump does not specify how he uncovered the Obama administration's alleged wiretapping. However, he could be referencing a Breitbart article posted Friday that claimed the administration made two Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) requests in 2016 to monitor Trump communications and a computer server in Trump Tower, related to possible links with Russian banks. No evidence was found. The article was based on a segment by radio host Mark Levin. However, the timelines for each seems to draw from a range of news reports over the last several months, including those from The New York Times and Heat Street. Lewis also said Saturday: "A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice. I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it. https://t.co/qCDljfF3wN Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2017 Former Obama foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes tweeted earlier in the day: "No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you." During Trump's Saturday morning tweets, he also brought up the ongoing controversy surrounding Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his reported 2016 meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Trump said the first meeting between Sessions, a senator at the time, and Kislyak was arranged by the Obama administration. He then said Kislayk also visited the White House nearly two dozen times during the Obama administration. Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jess Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone, Trump wrote. On Friday, Trump fought back against top Democratic lawmakers who are demanding his attorney general's resignation over past meetings with Russia's ambassador -- after pictures emerged of the same lawmakers in similar meetings, exposing them to "hypocrisy" charges. Trump tweeted: "I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it. Fox News' Serafin Gomez contributed to this story. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will reply to any questions Senate Democrats have about his contacts with Russias ambassador in writing, the Justice Department said Friday. Nine Democratic senators sent a letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to order Sessions to go before the panel in a public hearing to explain why he did not disclose his communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to Reuters. Grassley declined the request for a public hearing. Sessions will submit written answers to the Democratic lawmakers on Monday, Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said. The letter came a day after Sessions recused himself from an investigation into Russias alleged influence in the presidential election. Sessions said Thursday he met Kislyak in his office two months before the election as well as at an event at the Republican National Convention. Sessions insisted he did nothing wrong by failing to tell lawmakers about his meeting with Kislyak during his confirmation hearing to become the nations top justice official. The former senator from Alabama received tons of blowback after his press conference, including calls from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The California Democrat said Sessions had lied to Congress and committed perjury. President Trump backed Sessions and accused Democrats of playing politics. Click for more from Reuters. Arrests were made in some spots across the U.S. as hundreds of people railed in support President Trump Saturday. Demonstrators from Colorados state capitol to Trump Tower in New York and the Washington Monument were seen carrying life-size cardboard cutouts of Trump as well as waving Deplorables for Trump signs. However, not every rally went off without a hitch. Police in Berkeley, Calif. said 10 people were arrested after Trump supporters and counter-protesters clashed during a rally that turned violent and left seven injured. None of the injured was hospitalized. Meanwhile, six people protesting the rally in St. Paul, Minn. were arrested on felony riot charges after they lit fireworks inside the Minnesota State Capitol and fled, police said. About 400 people attended the event, and about 50 people showed up to protest it. In Nashville, two people were arrested as protesters clashed with Trump supporters at the Tennessee Capitol. In Olympia, Wash., state police said four demonstrators were arrested at a support of Trump rally, KOMO-TV reported. The station reported that the demonstrators are accused of assaulting a police officer. THE WEEK IN PICTURES Near Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach Post reported that people on both sides exchanged profanity. Trump's motorcade briefly stopped so he could wave at supporters. In Ohio, Trump supporter Margaret Howe, 57, of Pataskala, said she increasingly fears civil war. "We did not want to have something like this happen," she said, adding, "We came out today because Trump deserves to see he still has people for him. It's just all sad." A group of counter protesters gathered nearby, separated from the rally by police tape. They chanted "No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA" and held signs with messages like "Your vote was a hate crime." In other parts of the country, rallies were relatively peaceful. In northwestern Pennsylvania, the Erie Times-News reported that about 100 people gathered at a square in downtown Erie for a similar demonstration. "We've got to get the whole country united behind this man," said Richard Brozell, 75, who along with his wife braved the mid-20s temperatures and stiff wind chill to attend In Augusta, Maine, more than 100 people turned out for the event that was supposed to last three hours, but ended early because of freezing temperatures. In Miami, supporters continued a rally while sipping espressos outside a Cuban restaurant, the Miami Herald reported. At a North Carolina rally, speakers said the dishonest media and left wing politicians were bordering on sedition in their opposition to the Republican president. Some men were seen walking through the Raleigh crowd carrying a Trump flag as well as a Confederate flag. Gathered just behind the rally was a handful of protesters, some of whom blew air horns in an attempt to disrupt the event. In Indianapolis, about 30 Trump supporters rallied at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis to denounce what they see as unfair treatment of the Republican. A local organizer, 61-year-old Patty Collins, of Indianapolis, said Trump's critics "aren't giving him a chance." Trump supporters turned out Saturday in Phoenix. Media outlets reported that several hundred people participated in the Phoenix event held on a lawn at the State Capitol. In Texas, Austin police say about 300 people rallied in support of Trump in a gathering outside the Capitol during rain. Organizer Jennifer Drabbant said there have been so many protests against Trump that she and others wanted to show there are people who support him. Scores of people have rallied in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in a show of support for Trump. The Virginian-Pilot reports around 200 Trump backers showed up Saturday for the event at a park. Some held American flags and others wore "Make America Great Again" hats and Trump T-shirts. In Lansing, Michigan, about 200 Trump supporters rallied on one side of the state Capitol while 100 critics gathered on another side. "Agree with President Trump or not, he is our president, and I think what I see happening in D.C. and with the Democrats it can't stand," said Gary Taylor, 60. The Associated Press contributed to this report. President Trump is reportedly telling advisers he might temporarily shelve a plan to pursue a deal with Russia on how to handle the Islamic State as well as other national security matters. Administration officials and Western diplomats told the Associated Press on Saturday that Trump and his aides have ascribed the new thinking to Moscows recent provocations, including deploying a cruise-missile which violates a Cold War-era arms control treaty. Trump has been pressured by members of his Cabinet, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and new national security adviser H.R. McMaster, and European allies to not give concessions to Russia. In his first meeting with the National Security Council staff, McMaster described Russia as well as China as a country that wants to upend the current world order, an administration official told AP. THE WEEK IN PICTURES European officials have tailored their rhetoric to appeal to Trump's business background, including emphasizing the risks of negotiating a bad deal, rather than more nuanced arguments to bolster their case about Moscow and Russias intentions, according to one Western diplomat. Trump reportedly sent letter to Eastern European leaders, who worry Russia might set its sights on their borders next, underscoring his commitment to their security. Your support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is important for our shared goal of enhancing European and regional security," Trump wrote to the Estonian president in a letter dated Feb. 15 and obtained by The Associated Press. Michael McFaul, who served as President Barack Obama's ambassador to Russia, said that while Trump has been open about wanting warmer relations with Russia, "he hasn't picked people to the best of my knowledge at senior levels that share that view." Trump, who spoke favorable of Russian President Vladimir Putin during his campaign, is said to have shown interest in a broad deal with Russia that could address cooperating in fighting the Islamic State, nuclear arms control agreements and Russias provocations in Ukraine. In recent days, however, the tone has been different. The administration has signaled that the oment for such a deal may not be right as long as the FBI investigates Trumps campaign associates possible connections to Moscow and congressional committees step up their inquiries into Russias meddling in the 2016 election. A White House official said Russias violation of the Cold War-era treaty has taken a toll on Trump and has altered his view on relations with Russia. The official said that Trump believes the violation is making a diplomatic and security agreement with Russia tougher and tougher to achieve. Trump has been trailed by questions about his possible ties to Russia for months. He's taken an unusually friendly posture toward Russia, praising Putin's leadership and, at times, appearing to echo Kremlin positions on Ukraine and other matters. He's also repeatedly said that it would be better for the U.S. and Russia to have a stronger relationship, particularly in fighting terrorism. Trump has insisted that he has no nefarious connections or financial ties to Russia. He's also said he's not aware of any contacts his campaign advisers had with Russia during the 2016 campaign, a period in which U.S. intelligence agencies assess Russia was interfering with the election to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. Still, the suggestions of wrongdoing have followed Trump to the White House, in part because of his own team's missteps. Flynn was fired for misleading Vice President Pence and other top White House officials about the nature of his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, even as the FBI was interviewing Flynn about those contacts. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A 16-count indictment alleges that the owner of a non-profit stole over $750,000 that the state paid her business to support people with disabilities. Judith O. Nagy faces charges of theft, money laundering, and passing bad checks. James Gutierrez, an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor, says the theft came to light when about $19,000 of checks written to people with disabilities bounced. That led to a much broader investigation into Nagy's businesses, Specialized Group Services and New Hope Specialized Services, that eventually uncovered a much larger alleged fraud that is laid out in the indictment. Once investigators started probing, Nagy did reimburse 56 people the money they were owed. But prosecutors say the state is still out around $800,000. "Criminals are not very smart - at least the ones we catch," Gutierrez says. Click here to read more at Fox 8. The cold case rape and murder of a 16-year-girl in Utah more than 39 years ago has been solved through DNA linking a Florida man to the brutal crime, police said. Sharon Schollmeyers was found dead in a bathtub on Dec. 5, 1977 by her mother who was let into the apartment in Salt Lake City by the man who is now charged with the killing. What kind of guts he had, Sally Kadleck told the Deseret News Thursday in a story reporting the arrest of 59-year-old Patrick McCabe for her daughters murder. I mean, really he knew what he had done and yet he went ahead and let me in. McCabe was a building manager and Sharon was one of his tenants. Police said her body was found the day after McCabe killed her. The Gephardt Daily reported that McCabe told cops he used his key to get into Sharon's apartment as she slept. He then said he raped the girl at knifepoint, took her to the bathtub, strangled her and held her head underwater. McCabe was being held in jail in Florida awaiting extradition to Utah, the paper reported. He was arrested in Bell, Florida, where he was living. He was charged Friday with first degree murder and could face the death penalty if convicted. Fox 13 Utah reported that McCabes DNA was found on a halter top used to gag Sharon. Florida officials entered his DNA into an FBI database after his conviction for sexual offense against a minor in 1999, the station reported. The DNA yielded a match on Dec. 6, 2016, the station reported. Kadleck went to check on her daughter when she failed to show up for work. Salt Lake City police told Fox 13 that as she searched the apartment McCabe stayed in the living room. Kadleck told the Deseret News she is grateful McCabe has been arrested. I thought, How am I ever going to live my life not knowing how or why, or who or anything? she said. I'm glad it's happening. A Southern California school district will stop taking part in funeral processions for U.S. sailors and Navy SEALs killed overseas, which have drawn thousands of students. The Coronado Unified School District and the Navy agreed on the move out of concern for children with parents serving overseas, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday. Officials said some young participants have been traumatized by thoughts of their parents dying. At a November procession, some 2,000 students lined a street. Everyones heart was in the right place. Were just saying that pragmatically from our standpoint worrying about the safety of the community, and the school district worrying about the safety and the psyches of their students we had to come up with a different plan, Coronado City Manager Blair King told the newspaper. Our concern is communicating that with the public. Were no less supportive than we ever have been, but we just cant keep continue to have these types of processions. THIS WEEK IN PICUTRES Coronado officials say they're also pulling out of the processions, which have morphed from informal affairs to mass media events that draw thousands of outsiders, strain police resources and increase the risk of terrorism. It became clear to me, after my conversations with officials from the City of Coronado, that ensuring security and safety for all of our students and the residents of Coronado throughout the procession was an incredibly difficult task for our Coronado Police Department, school district superintendent Karl Mueller said. Some teachers told the Union-Tribune they were also concerned about how children were mentally processing the tragedies and that the discussions should lay with military parents and their commanders. U.S. Navy officials also expressed the same sentiments. The practice started from a good place, but when we learned that young students were being traumatized by these events we wanted to show the city and school district that we could enjoy the same level of patriotism through other programs, Navy Base Coronado spokeswoman Sandra DeMunnik told the paper. Mueller added that there has not been any major pushback, aside from a few residents who have expressed disappointment because they thought it was a good moment for reflection and added dignity to the procession. King said participation at the processions had been mostly down since 2010. However, the entire Coronado school district student body lined the streets to honor Chief Petty Officer Jason C. Finan, who was killed in Iraq fighting the Islamic State, in November of last year. He added that police would still escort the procession through town, but use the quickest route possible. Were as patriotic as ever and will continue to be as patriotic as ever, and well still encourage individual citizens to do whatever they feel right to do. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from The San Diego Union-Tribune. Cleveland police and a persistent panhandler have been engaged in a war of wills for years at a homely west side intersection, a conflict that appears to subside only when the man is in jail. Records reviewed by The Associated Press show 60-year-old David Spaulding has been cited more than 250 times for panhandling since 2013, with nearly all the citations written by police at an intersection in a neighborhood best known for where Ariel Castro once held three young women captive for years. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio sued the city in federal court this week on behalf of a homeless man, John Mancini, and an advocacy group that claims the city's panhandling laws are unconstitutional because they make pleas of poverty a crime. Cleveland police issued more than 5,800 panhandling citations between 2007 and August of 2015, according to the lawsuit. An examination of more than 100 court cases for Spaulding show that since January 2015, he's been cited twice on 10 different days and four times on Oct. 3, 2016, at the intersection. About 2 miles from downtown Cleveland, the spot is flanked by an off-brand gas station and appears to be prime real estate for cadging money from motorists stopped at a busy traffic light. Spaulding couldn't be reached for comment. He's been in Cuyahoga County Jail after his arrest for drug possession and panhandling at the intersection Jan. 16. A police report said Spaulding was holding a sign asking for money and had a pipe with crack cocaine in his pocket when he was arrested. His public defender declined to comment Friday. A city of Cleveland spokesman and police officials also declined to comment. An ACLU attorney hopes Cleveland will to follow the example of Akron, which repealed its panhandling laws last year a week after the ACLU filed a similar lawsuit. "I think these laws are, in addition to being unconstitutional, are ineffective," Joe Mead said. "They don't solve the root issue, which is poverty." Panhandling is as much a part of cityscapes as tall buildings and hot dog carts. Business leaders and police brass spoke approvingly of Cleveland's proposed ordinance outlawing "aggressive panhandling" before the City Council approved it in 2005. Panhandling itself isn't prohibited in Cleveland, but the laws restrict where people can ask for money. Panhandling, for example, is prohibited 10 feet from building entrances and parking lots and 20 feet from outdoor restaurants and bus stops. Ted Farkas, 47, was panhandling this week in downtown Cleveland. He said he's been homeless and living beneath a bridge in Cleveland the last five months and that police have been more aggressive at ticketing panhandlers lately. "The police are strict. They're all over the place now," Farkas said. "We sometimes have someone act as a lookout while the other guy begs." Most of Spaulding's citations have been for an ordinance approved in 2002 that prohibits people from standing on the streets or highways and soliciting donations. Along with those tickets, Spaulding also has been cited for littering, having an open alcohol containers and disorderly conduct at West 25th and Wade. Court records indicate Spaulding has spent more than 60 days in jail during the last two years. The review of court records also has shown that judges always have waived any fines or court costs for Spaulding normally imposed for such violations, which over the years would have totaled tens of thousands of dollars. "It's a huge waste of police and court resources," Mead said. Authorities say a southwest Florida teen called in a fake bomb threat to a Naples school to help two friends get out of taking a test. The Naples Daily News reports that 18-year-old Grayson Alexander Barry was arrested Thursday and charged with making a false report concerning the planting of a bomb. Authorities say a bomb threat was called into Naples High School Thursday morning, prompting an evacuation. An arrest report says investigators traced the call back to Barry's Google Voice account. Records show the call was made from Barry's cellphone at an aquatics center where he worked. 88-YEAR-OLD WOMAN STOPS RAPE BY CLAIMING TO BE HIV-POSITIVE When confronted by detectives, authorities say Barry admitted to placing the call to help his friends. He said neither friend knew about the threat. Barry was being held on $10,000 bail. Jail records didn't list an attorney. The number of single households rose from 3.17 million in 2005 or 20 percent of the population to 5.2 million and 27.2 percent last year. And while most singles used to be widowed and elderly, now 52.8 percent are under 40. Although their lifestyle entails a degree of loneliness, most singles are satisfied with the convenience and privacy, according to the report. The report is based on a survey of 1,500 singles between the ages of 20 and 40 who live alone and earn more than W12 million a year (US$1=W1,158). They live in small rental flats that they can afford on their own income rather than buying a house that would require them to turn to their parents for help. And they prefer to live close to their workplaces as they do not need to care about factors like good schools and safe streets that trouble people with children. Singles eat at least two meals a day alone and enjoy drinking alone as well, and often live in one-bedroom flats measuring just 16 to 33 sq.m, according to a report by KB Kookmin Bank. Enjoying Privacy The survey showed that a considerable number of singles enjoy the privacy of eating alone and doing other things by themselves. Some 35.7 percent said they choose to live alone to be closer to school or work, and 29.7 percent said they feel more comfortable living alone. When it comes to housing, 33.7 percent live in studio apartments and 40.2 percent in small homes measuring 16 to 33 sq.m. Some 72.5 percent rent their homes, either monthly or by way of jeonse or Korean-style deposit lease, while only 13.1 percent own their home. Among singles who rent or lease, 75.3 percent said they come up with the money by themselves. Many singles said they are comfortable living alone, with 77.2 percent saying they eat alone, 67.6 percent shop alone and 46.9 percent exercise alone. Asked how many meals a day they eat alone, 41.5 percent said two and 10.2 percent three, rising to 17.8 percent at weekends. Satisfied with Solitude Some 84.4 percent are especially fond of not having to rely on others to make decisions, while 75.9 percent said they like being able to use their free time for themselves. Also, 34.7 percent said they chose to live alone, compared to just 19.2 percent who said they had no choice. Asked if they want to keep living alone, 49.7 percent said yes, though 46.2 percent are concerned about loneliness and their psychological wellbeing and 54.1 percent of single women said they worry about crime. Overall, however, women tend to be happier living alone than men. Some 70 to 80 percent of women in all age groups said they are satisfied to live alone, while men become more dissatisfied the older they get, falling to 53 percent in their late 40s. Suh Jeong-joo at KB said, "The fact that there are more singles who choose to live alone due to the convenience and freedom shows that the lifestyle is likely to grow in the future. We need to consider this group as a new consumer class and take a more positive view of them." For the second consecutive night, US drones and jets continued striking Al Qaeda militants in Yemen, in a sign the Trump administration is ramping up operations as part of a broader campaign against the terrorist group long considered the biggest threat to the United States. The U.S. military has conducted over 30 airstrikes against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula across three provinces in Yemen, according to Capt. Jeff Davis a Pentagon spokesman. It is not immediately clear if those airstrikes continued Friday night. According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Long War Journal, the U.S. military has averaged 30 airstrikes a year since 2012. In only two nights this week, the U.S. military has already exceeded the five-year average. 2012-16: U.S. averaged 30 airstrikes a year in #Yemen 2016: 38 2015: 22 2014: 23 2013: 26 2012: 41 (Foundation for Defense of Democracies) https://t.co/k2BUK4jple Fox News Research (@FoxNewsResearch) March 3, 2017 On Monday, the Pentagon delivered a "preliminary plan" to defeat the Islamic State. Included in the plan was a broader look at defeating other terrorist groups "outside of Iraq and Syria" according to officials. The new American airstrikes in Yemen come weeks after a Navy SEAL raid in Yemen on Jan. 29 which resulted in the death of Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens, a member of the elite SEAL Team Six unit who carried out the operation. Since the raid, critics have called it a failure. On Friday, the Pentagon pushed back. During a briefing with reporters, a US defense official said the intelligence gathered from the Navy SEAL raid on Jan 29 is potentially actionable," which could thwart future terrorist attacks. Its definitely helping us understand the [AQAP] network and further develop it out, the official said. Large volumes of information, were part of the stash of intelligence the SEALs collected on the target during the operation, the official said. Its good information, he said. On Jan 31, two days after raid, Fox News first reported treasure trove of intel taken in Navy SEAL raid including a computer and 10 mobile phones] Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, in Yemen numbers slightly more than 3,000 fighters, according to the official. AQAP is made up of local Yemenis mostly, who are able to blend in more easily to the local population through tribal ties, including marriage, said the official. US officials say AQAP represents a greater threat to the US homeland than ISIS, because of its history pursuing "non-metallic" bombs which can slip through airport screening. AQAP sent the "Underwear Bomber" on Christmas Day in 2009 who attempted to down an American airliner on its approach to Detroit from Europe. The terrorist group also sent fighters to Paris to kill the staff of Charlie Hebdo in 2015. Some Somalis are also part of AQAP who share ideological ties as the al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia is another Al Qaeda affiliate, the official said. There were reports Friday, the US special operations troops took part in additional raids and firefights with Al Qaeda on the ground in Yemen as part of the ramp up against the terrorist group. Capt. Davis said those reports were false and no US ground troops had taken part in raids since the SEAL raid on Jan. 29. But Davis said US forces have been moving "in and out" of Yemen recently. The US military has been supporting forces from the United Arab Emirates for months against Al Qaeda militants in the coastal city of Mukalla. The US embassy closed in Yemen two years ago, and a short time later more than 100 US special operations forces were also withdrawn. The lack of US military personnel on the ground the past two years has led to "gaps" in knowledge about the terrorist group, according to the defense official. The US military is also supporting a broader Saudi-led campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2015 who back former Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh who was ousted as part of the Arab Spring. By CULPEPER STAR-EXPONENT A former sheriffs deputy in Culpeper and Rappahannock pleaded not guilty Friday in circuit court to charges that he molested an Orange County girl. Ryan Matthew McCormack, 26, of Amissville is charged with felony object sexual penetration of a child younger than 13. Wearing a suit and tie with an American flag on the lapel, McCormack appeared briefly in Orange County Circuit Court Friday with his attorney, Amy Harper. She entered the plea for him, waiving her clients right to a formal reading of the indictment handed down Jan. 23. A jury trial was set in the matter for Sept. 21-22. According to the indictment, the alleged crime occurred Dec. 15 in Orange County. McCormack previously worked in law enforcement for the Culpeper County Sheriffs Office and, more recently, the Rappahannock Sheriffs Office for six months. The Virginia State Police initiated the investigation that led to the charge. The defendant remains free on $15,000 bail. Under the terms of his release, McCormack cannot leave Virginia or have unsupervised contact with minor children. He was ordered to avoid all contact with the alleged victim and her family, to not use drugs or alcohol, to submit to drug and alcohol screening and to live with his parents in Culpeper County. A local public information meeting is set for later this month on a study underway on the proposed second extension of the Interstate 95 express lanes. Details on the study of a roughly 10-mile extension south will be held at Stafford High School from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 14. The Virginia Department of Transportation is hosting the meeting, which will include a presentation at 7 p.m. VDOT also will host a meeting March 13 in Prince William County, at Freedom High School, located at 15201 Neabsco Mills Road in Woodbridge. Crews are working on the first, shorter, express lanes extension of the toll lane merge area around State Route 610 in North Stafford, where there have been congestion problems since the express lanes opened in December 2014. A new merge area about two miles south of the existing one is expected to open in two phases, early next year and then in the summer of 2018. That $50 million project is a joint venture between VDOT and Transurban, the private operator of the express lanes. The second extension, dubbed by local transportation officials as Fred Ex, would take the toll lanes south to the area around the U.S. 17 interchange, which will undergo a drastic overhaul as part of the Rappahannock River Crossing project. The crossing project will add lanes parallel to I95 from U.S. 17 to State Route 3. The southbound portion of the crossing project has been approved and funded while the northbound section has not. The extended express lanes are supposed to tap into the new crossing project, allowing toll-paying drivers to merge into the main and collectordistributor lanes. A preliminary schedule for the second extension calls for construction to start in the spring of 2019 and be completed in the fall of 2021. Public hearings will be held before the project is approved. Those who attend this months meetings can give their comments then. Otherwise, comments can be mailed by March 24 to: VDOT Fredericksburg District, Attention: Mr. Krishna Potturi, 87 Deacon Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22405. Comments also can be emailed to: I95fredex@VDOT.Virginia.Gov. Include I95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension Study in the subject line. A Flat Run man died Thursday evening following an afternoon collision in Orange County. Rescue personnel transported William Henry Day, 82, to Mary Washington Hospital following the crash which occurred at about 4:20 p.m. Day died about two hours later. According to Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Les Tyler, Day was traveling north on Indiantown Road near the intersection of Russel Run Road when his 1997 four-door Acura crossed the center line and hit an oncoming vehicle head-on. The driver of the southbound car, a 2001 four-door Chevrolet, was taken to Novant Health UVa Health System Culpeper Medical Center for treatment, Tyler said. The extent of her injuries was not available. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by Trooper F.W. Stanley, Jr., said Tyler. Lake of the Woods Fire and Rescue assisted at the scene. RICHMONDDuring the recently concluded legislative session, three bills to increase the minimum wage in Virginia died in the House Labor and Commerce Committee. Want to know who voted for or against the measures? Sorry, the votes went unrecorded. A bill requiring transgender people to use the restroom for the sex on their birth certificate died in the House General Laws Committee. Want to know who voted for or against it? No luck, those votes werent recorded, either. A bill prohibiting politicians from converting their campaign funds for personal use died in the House Privileges and Elections Committee. Want to know who voted for or against it? Forget it, that bill was killed on an unrecorded voice vote, too. Of the 571 House bills that failed during the session, more than two-thirds were anonymously killed on voice votes in subcommittees that went unrecorded, according to data from the Legislative Information System, the General Assemblys official recordkeeping arm. Proponents of open government say the lack of transparency muddies the waters of Virginias democracy. For a final disposition on a vote, it is crucial they be recorded, said Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government. People elect their representatives based on how politicians stand on issues vital to voters interests, Rhyne said. If they cant see how public officials have voted on an issue, citizens cant accurately choose their representatives, she said. Delegates have said in the past that using voice votes keeps the legislative process moving quickly and lessens the burden on lawmakers. Rhyne disputed that notion. I really dont see that with electronic voting measures and small committees, she said. It doesnt hold water. Unlike the House, votes by Senate panels are generally recorded. LIS data showed that 1,086 bills were filed by members of the House for consideration during the legislative session that ran from Jan. 11 through Feb. 25. Of the total, 515 bills passed and 571 failed. Of the failed bills, 390 died on unrecorded voice votes, according to LIS data. In addition, at least 20 other House bills were simply ignored this session. These measures were assigned to committees, but the panels did not hold hearings on them. As a result, the bills were left in their committees without a vote. They included a bill to repeal Virginias legal prohibitions against same sex-marriage (because they are no longer valid in light of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling), as well as bills to expand and to restrict abortion rights. Republican Del. Benjamin Cline of Rockbridge introduced a bill during this session that would have required every bill, budget amendment and resolution to receive a recorded vote. It died in the House Rules Committeeon an unrecorded vote. In 2016, a similar proposal by Cline met the same fate. House officials say both Democrats and Republicans have supported the system of unrecorded votes in subcommittees. It only takes two members to request a recorded vote, said Christopher West, policy and communications director for House Speaker William Howell of Stafford and the House Republican leadership. Based on the ratio thats set up, theres almost always two Democrats on a subcommittee. West added that when a subcommittee tables or strikes a bill, it is only a suggestion to its parent committee. The full committee can consider any piece of legislation killed in subcommittee. The reason we do it is because it doesnt take final action on the bill, West said. On the last day of the 2017 session, 85 delegates and senatorsmembers of the Virginia Transparency Caucussigned a letter seeking more accountability throughout the legislative process. The vast majority of debates and decisions determining how bills are crafted occurs in Committee or Subcommittee. Indeed, more than half of all bills die there, Del. Mark Levine, DAlexandria, a co-founder of the caucus, said in the letter. Constituents have a right to know how and why bills they support or oppose ultimately met their fate. The caucus sent the letter to the clerks of the House and Senate as the state is preparing to tear down and replace the decrepit General Assembly Building. The letter asked that the new General Assembly Building (and, if possible, the interim Pocahontas Building) maintain full audio and visual recording capability, as well as transparent vote recording machines for all Committee and Subcommittee hearings rooms in both the Senate and the House of Delegates. President Donald Trump will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House later this month. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders says the meeting will take place on March 14. It will be the first in-person meeting between Trump and the German chancellor since the U.S. election. Free Freightnet Membership List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours. Hospice survey Medicare requires hospice organizations to undergo an evaluation every three years to assure that the organization is operating under the Medicare conditions of participation for hospice; Benton Hospice Service was surveyed over a four-day period from Nov. 29 through Dec. 2 and received a deficiency-free report. The surveys are unannounced and look at the entire agency for compliance with Medicares rules. Among other activities, the surveyor interviews staff from various departments, attends meetings, makes home visits and interviews patients and their caregivers. Patients medical records are reviewed, as well as contracts with vendors. Benton Hospice Service is an independent, nonprofit organization providing care for seriously ill people and support for their families, as well as service to the community through caregiver and bereavement education and support groups. Benton Hospice has served Linn and Benton counties since 1980. To learn more about Benton Hospice Service or volunteering, visit www.bentonhospice.org or call 541-757-9616. Medicare class The Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments, in partnership with the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance program and Linn-Benton Community College, is holding a Medicare class on March 16 that will cover the basics of Medicare parts A, B, C, and D. This class is designed for anyone who will be eligible for Medicare within a few months or is new to Medicare. Current beneficiaries who would like a better understanding of their Medicare benefits and options also are welcome, as are spouses and relatives. The class will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Linn-Benton Community College Benton Center, 757 Polk Ave. in Corvallis. Reservations are required. Call 541-812-0849 to reserve a seat. Veterans' forums Samaritan Veterans Outreach, in partnership with Vietnam Veterans of America Chapters 585 and 411 and Military and Veteran Resources, is presenting a pair of forums for veterans to learn more about toxic exposures they may have encountered during their service. Four guest speakers will address toxic exposures, how they have become multigenerational through DNA modification and where to get support. After the discussion, the audience will be encouraged to ask questions. Two forums will be offered, with the first taking place Thursday, March 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Center for Health Education, 740 NW Ninth St. in Newport. The second forum will be held Friday, March 10, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Learning Innovation Center, Room 210, on the Oregon State University campus at 1655 W. Sackett Place in Corvallis. Healthy backs A new exercise class to help promote back health will be held at Linn-Benton Community Colleges Benton Center starting April 4. Healthy Back exercises are designed to strengthen and promote movement of your back to help prevent back injury and chronic back pain, increase flexibility, and strengthen neck and back muscles that support your spine. This 10-week class will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 3 to 3:50 p.m. starting April 4 at the LBCC Benton Center, 757 Polk Ave., Corvallis. Cost is $99. For more information or to register, see the LBCC online schedule at www.linnbenton.edu, or call LBCC Community Education at 541-917-4840. School honors Philomath man Michael Lorain of Philomath was named to the University of Fairbanks, Alaska, School of Anthropology fall 2015 chancellor's list and the spring 2016 dean's list. Lorain is majoring in anthropology and is a 2015 graduate of Kings Valley Charter School. Corvallis students receive degrees Carleton College awarded the Bachelor of Arts degree to 494 graduating members of the Class of 2016 last June 11 at its 142nd Commencement Ceremony. Megan King and Nathan Rockey, both of Corvallis, received degrees. Local man graduates cum laude More than 3,000 students graduated from Tufts University last May 22 during a university-wide commencement ceremony, with actor and comedian Hank Azaria, a Tufts alumnus, as the speaker. Graduates from the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering included Nolan Karpinski of Corvallis, who received a bachelors degree in computer science, cum laude. Corvallis student earns honor Simon Olson of Corvallis was named to the spring semester deans list at Washington University in St. Louis. Olson recently graduated from the universitys College of Arts and Sciences. To qualify for the deans list in the College of Arts and Sciences, students must earn a semester grade-point average of 3.6 or above and be enrolled in at least 14 graded units. Woman qualifies for honor society Adrianna Horsey of Corvallis was named to the spring semester Whitworth University provosts honor roll. Horsey qualified for the academic honor society by maintaining a grade-point average of at least 3.75 during the semester. Albany student named to list Lisa Cowgill of Albany, a senior in the College of Nursing, was named to Creighton Universitys spring deans list. Full-time students who earn a 3.5 grade-point average or better on a 4.0 scale are eligible for the list. Corvallis woman receives degrees Baylor University conferred degrees on more than 500 graduates during summer commencement exercises last Aug. 13. Elizabeth Anne Harris of Corvallis received a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Health Administration degree. Local resident earns degree Helena Son of Corvallis recently received a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree from Western Governors University. The university held its 31st semiannual commencement ceremony last July 16 in Salt Lake City, with more than 8,000 graduates. Student's art celebrated Baker Celis, a fourth-grader from Ashbrook Independent School in Corvallis, was honored at a reception at last August's Oregon State Fair in Salem. Celis' artwork of Dungeness crabs was chosen from more than 1,500 submissions to the Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Calendar Art Contest. CHS alum finishes basic training Owen Wettengel, son of Bill and Cindy Wettengel of Corvallis, has completed U.S. Air Force basic training and has graduated from Air Force technical school as an F16 Crew Chief. Wettengel, a member of the Corvallis High School Class of 2014, is now stationed in Misawa, Japan. Area woman wins academic honor Elizabeth Patterson, the daughter of Virginia M. Weis of Corvallis, graduated magna cum laude after majoring in geology at Bates College. Patterson is a 2012 graduate of Corvallis High School. Semifinalists announced Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corp. recently announced the names of about 16,000 Semifinalists in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships totaling about $33 million that will be offered this spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. National Merit Scholarship winners of 2017 will be announced beginning next month and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 323,000 other young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title. Local semifinalists are: Corvallis High School: Shannan E. Bialek, Rachel E. Conner, Manya Mutschler-Aldine and Lindsay I. Popowski. Crescent Valley High School: Mark V. Dalthorp, Caron Gray, Claire M. Hekkala, Amy L. McVeety, David M. So, Aditya K. Sriram and Lia W. Van Steeter. Corvallis woman awarded grant Noemi Salsa, a Corvallis resident, has been awarded a P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education Grant. Salsa was sponsored by P.E.O. Chapter FU Corvallis. She received the 2016 Chapter DH/OR PCE Named Grant full grant award. She is taking a law enforcement, criminal justice program at Linn-Benton Community College. The P.E.O. International PCE is a grant awarded to women sponsored by a local P.E.O. Chapter. Qualified grant recipients must have been nonstudents for two years or more and be within two years of completing their educational program that will lead to employment or job advancement. The P.E.O. Sisterhood, a philanthropic educational organization with nearly 240,000 members, is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for women through scholarships, loans and grants. OSU students make honor roll Oregon State University recently announced names of students who made the summer term scholastic honor roll. A total of 184 students earned straight A's (4.0 grade-point average). Another 523 earned a B-plus (3.5 GPA) or better to make the listing. To be on the honor roll, students must carry at least 12 graded hours of coursework. Students on the honor roll include: Corvallis Straight-A average: Andrew J. Biggs, sophomore, history; Karisa C. Boyce, senior, anthropology; Jennifer B. Duffy, junior, management; Jessica L. Hailey, sophomore, horticulture; David D. Kim, post baccalaureate, biohealth sciences; Erin A. Peters, senior, human devel and family science; Lyshuand R. Smith, senior, biology. 3.5 or better: Megan N. Amneus, senior, biohealth sciences; Ashley R. Barnts, senior, merchandising management; Toni-Lynn Benoit, senior, history; Michael K. Cook, sophomore, university exploratory studies; Deseree R. Emanuel-Brown, senior, human devel and family science; Spencer P. Franklin, senior, management; Jayanthi J. Joseph, senior, biology; Dylan A. Kidd, junior, speech communication; Ariel L. Kizer, senior, speech communication; Joshua P. Krivoshein, senior, kinesiology; Yuan-Chen Liu, senior, digital communication arts; Danika F. Locey, senior, music; David Lytle, nondegree graduate; Scott C. McDougal, senior, biology; Anthony V. Paris, senior, food science and technology; Alicia R. Robinson, senior, anthropology; Jesse D. Rose, junior, English; Ariel S. Rosen, junior, speech communication; Ashraf S. Samhan, senior, chemistry; Gabriel Q. Shields, junior, digital communication arts; Chenyu Zhou, sophomore, pre-finance. Philomath Straight-A average: Darian T. Seim, senior, microbiology. 3.5 or Better: Dallas M. Caples, senior, music; Kirah N. Doerr, senior, pre-public health; Anne M. Esterberg, senior, psychology; Althea M. Hinds Cook, junior, public health. Albany Straight-A average: Heather M. Hodel, junior, psychology; Alyssa K. Schrems, senior, Earth sciences; Jacobi R. Smith, senior, anthropology; Eric C. Snyder, senior, pre-business; Rose M. Starkey, senior, human devel and family science. 3.5 or better: Elena C. Cale, junior, biohealth sciences; Clarissa C. Clark, senior, music; Dawn M. Dennis, senior, speech communication; Rachael N. Dunleavy, senior, zoology; Aaron T. Hiddleson, junior, pre-business; Kelli L. Kramer, senior, biohealth sciences; Jesse E. Nelson, junior, pre-mechanical engineering; Kiarra D. Spencer, senior, kinesiology; Brianna A. Vaughn, senior, psychology. Brownsville 3.5 or better: Courtney Stenek, senior, business administration. Crabtree 3.5 or better: Brianna L. Smith-Sparks, senior, industrial engineering. Halsey 3.5 or better: Danial D. Stutz, senior, fisheries and wildlife science. Lebanon Straight-A average: Jason Foster, junior, pre-business. 3.5 or better: Lorayne P. Boyce, junior, sociology; Tiuana C. Feuerbacher, senior, natural resources; Linda A. Rodriguez, senior, exercise and sport science. Sweet Home Straight-A average: Jeana L. Doll, senior, anthropology. This log includes incidents in which there might have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from the Corvallis Police Department, the Benton County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents might change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise. Corvallis Police Department THURSDAY, MARCH 2 DISORDERLY CONDUCT: 11:56 p.m., 3765 SW West Hills Road. Officers responded to a report of a fight in progress involving two men hitting a third man. Several officers responded to the area but later learned that the men involved were wrestling, not fighting. There were no injuries or complaints of pain. Officers issued the men a special response notice of disorderly conduct but no citations were issued. DISORDERLY CONDUCT: 7:52 p.m., 967 NW Hobart Ave. An officer responded to a report of a man yelling and possibly punching a parked car. The officer later arrested Michael Eugene Crist, 59, no address listed, and booked him into the Benton County Jail on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct and harassment. SCAM: 7:47 p.m., 3400 block Northeast Lancaster Street. Officers responded to a home for a report of a theft after a person attempted to purchase a vehicle online and later realized it was a scam. The victim of the scam lost $2,500. TUESDAY, FEB. 21 ASSAULT: 4:05 p.m., Northeast Circle Boulevard and Walnut Boulevard. An officer responded to a report of an assault after a woman reported that Steven Ward Froehlich, 43, of Corvallis assaulted her and had done so before. Froehlich was located, arrested, charged with fourth-degree domestic assault and harassment. Benton County Sheriff's Office WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1 METH: 1:23 a.m., Highway 34 and Hayden Road, Alsea. A deputy arrested Chelsey Dane Norris, 47, of Portland and charged her with unlawful possession of methamphetamine following a traffic stop. SUNDAY, FEB. 26 DUII: 2:57 a.m., Southwest Philomath Boulevard and 35th Street. A deputy arrested Susannah Joy Laws, 21, of Corvallis and charged her with DUII after a traffic stop. Laws reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.09 percent. SATURDAY, FEB. 25 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY: 4:53 p.m., 21412 Highway 20, Blodgett. Dispatch reported receiving a call from a man who reported that he was being kidnapped by his brother. Dispatch later informed deputies that the brother called and said he was bringing the man home because he smoked too much marijuana. Childcare in Bonn : Parents entitled to money back Bonn Good news for parents in Bonn: up to now parents had to pay full fees for both a child in kindergarten and one in the OGS after-school care. According to new rules, they now only have to pay for one child. This will cost Bonn city council up to six million euros. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The school and youth welfare committee has voted for a retroactive change in the rules for kindergarten fees in Bonn. Parents who had both a pre-school child (Vorschulkind) and another child in kindergarten between 2014 to 2016 are entitled to a refund of the fees. This will cost the city council up to six million euros in total. In future, parents who have a pre-school child and another in childcare at the same time will not have to pay fees. This applies when the second child is in kindergarten or with childminders (Tageseltern) and also if the second child goes to the Offene Ganztagschule (OGS) after-school supervision. Through this change, the city council will lose around two million euros per year in revenue. It was a sunny end to the day on Thursday at the school and youth welfare committee: once the regulation is approved, the effected parents will be exempt from paying these fees. This regulation will then be as it was required by the Administrative Court in Cologne in its decision passed in September last year. The judges had declared the regulation from 2014/15 concerning case-by-case decisions invalid. The key point in their ruling: there has since been a change in the Child Education Law at regional level, according to which the day-care of a pre-school child must be free. The judges believe that this provision excludes the payment of fees for a second child in the family. Following the decision, the in-house lawyers on the city council agreed. Now our requirements are being complied with, said Tobias Hadenteufel from the Left parliamentary group, who had made the proposal for removing the fees. It is a positive move, he said, that now families who have pre-school children with brothers and sisters do not have to pay for them in OGS after-school care. As reported, the Administrative Court in Cologne made a ruling in September on the complaint of a family in Bonn with two children, one of which was a pre-school child attending a state run kindergarten at the same time as a younger sibling. The pre-school child was exempt from the kindergarten fees, but the parents had to pay 3600 euros a year for the sibling child. Head of the Youth Welfare Office, Udo Stein promised the payments made from 2014 to 2016, deemed unjust by todays legal opinion, will be completely reimbursed or settled by any outstanding claims. In charging the fees, the council had made what was at the time, a legally incorrect assessment. He justified, at the time, what we were doing was lawful. But with hindsight, it is not supportable. He rejected the claims of the Left that his office had created numerous mishaps. Court rulings cannot be predicted, said Stein. Christian Gold of the Christian Democratic (CDU) Party commenting on the new council regulations said, this is a good day for Bonn. The rules demonstrate consistent action and bring legal security and clarity about the payment of childcare fees, he continued. It is good that the OGS after-school care is also included in the rules. Tim Achtermeyer from the Green Party now expects the city council to automatically reimburse all parents effected by this decision. It is great for parents that we are a step further along the path towards a complete removal of kindergarten fees, said Dorthe Ewald from the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Achim Schroder of the Liberal Party (FDP) welcomed the ruling but also added, whoever makes use of childcare should also pay for it. Nigerian Man Tries To Smuggle Cocaine By Putting Them In his Anus!!! - Photos nametalkam at 4-03-2017 03:57 PM (5 years ago) (m) The narcotics were detected during the screening of passengers. In another operation, the operatives also arrested two suspects who had just arrived from Cambodia and Sierra Leone with 305g and 1.37kg of cocaine respectively. . Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have apprehended a suspect at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, over 26.2kg of ephedrine found in female foot wearsThe narcotics were detected during the screening of passengers. In another operation, the operatives also arrested two suspects who had just arrived from Cambodia and Sierra Leone with 305g and 1.37kg of cocaine respectively. . The suspect arrested in connection with the ephedrine seizure, 48-year-old Ogujiuba Zacchaeus, is an electrician, who was on his way to Tanzania. One of the other two suspects Uchegbu Emeka (33), a textile merchant, allegedly inserted 305g of cocaine in his anus. . The third suspect, Emeka Okafor (28), an auto parts dealer, reportedly ingested 1.37kg of cocaine. Emeka said he had lost everything he had due to economic recession and that is why he agreed to smuggle cocaine to Cambodia for N800,000. The suspect arrested in connection with the ephedrine seizure, 48-year-old Ogujiuba Zacchaeus, is an electrician, who was on his way to Tanzania. One of the other two suspects Uchegbu Emeka (33), a textile merchant, allegedly inserted 305g of cocaine in his anus. .The third suspect, Emeka Okafor (28), an auto parts dealer, reportedly ingested 1.37kg of cocaine. Emeka said he had lost everything he had due to economic recession and that is why he agreed to smuggle cocaine to Cambodia for N800,000. Post Reply I specialize in investigative reportage across several subject matter and sectors but mainly focus on metro events and investigation. Do leave your thoughts and opinion on my reports to let me know what you think about them. Thank you Posted: at 4-03-2017 03:57 PM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero Larry28 at 4-03-2017 04:18 PM (5 years ago) (f) Nigeria una no dey learn Posted: at 4-03-2017 04:18 PM (5 years ago) | Hero Nigeria una no dey learn Reply EDDYPRINCE at 4-03-2017 04:41 PM (5 years ago) (m) same set of tribe,,,, BIAFRA disgracing Naija everywhere. Posted: at 4-03-2017 04:41 PM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero same set of tribe,,,, BIAFRA disgracing Naija everywhere. Reply Mykie010 at 4-03-2017 06:17 PM (5 years ago) (m) Quote from: EDDYPRINCE on 4-03-2017 04:41 PM same set of tribe,,,, BIAFRA disgracing Naija everywhere. better than trafficking human beings Posted: at 4-03-2017 06:17 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac better than trafficking human beings Reply akinmanchy at 4-03-2017 06:18 PM (5 years ago) (m) These drug pushers nor dey tire? Na wa ooo Life na jeje so just try to take am softly Posted: at 4-03-2017 06:18 PM (5 years ago) | Hero These drug pushers nor dey tire? Na wa ooo Reply tommy70 at 4-03-2017 06:47 PM (5 years ago) (m) Posted: at 4-03-2017 06:47 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Reply rasheal at 4-03-2017 07:27 PM (5 years ago) (f) Quote from: Mykie010 on 4-03-2017 06:17 PM better than trafficking human beings no be thesame biafra dey do human trafficking, lol Posted: at 4-03-2017 07:27 PM (5 years ago) | Upcoming no be thesame biafra dey do human trafficking, lol Reply beneno at 4-03-2017 08:37 PM (5 years ago) (m) Biafrans again .nawa o Posted: at 4-03-2017 08:37 PM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero Biafrans again .nawa o Reply schmit at 4-03-2017 10:08 PM (5 years ago) (f) Prison see food Posted: at 4-03-2017 10:08 PM (5 years ago) | Hero Prison see food Reply fataidegreat at 4-03-2017 10:20 PM (5 years ago) (m) Quote from: Mykie010 on 4-03-2017 06:17 PM better than trafficking human beings idiot, no one is better. i don't know why Igbos so much like money and spoiling Nigeria image outside the country, why? the day God creat you igbos does he created you people with money? Posted: at 4-03-2017 10:20 PM (5 years ago) | Newbie idiot, no one is better. i don't know why Igbos so much like money and spoiling Nigeria image outside the country, why? the day God creat you igbos does he created you people with money? Reply Otikadinje at 4-03-2017 10:32 PM (5 years ago) (m) Craze for money money and money everywhere Oscardeejay Posted: at 4-03-2017 10:32 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Craze for money money and money everywhere Reply 24magic at 4-03-2017 11:24 PM (5 years ago) (m) Lol #Anythingforthemoney Posted: at 4-03-2017 11:24 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Lol #Anythingforthemoney Reply Mykie010 at 4-03-2017 11:46 PM (5 years ago) (m) Quote from: fataidegreat on 4-03-2017 10:20 PM idiot, no one is better. i don't know why Igbos so much like money and spoiling Nigeria image outside the country, why? the day God creat you igbos does he created you people with money? go and call ur father idiot,prodigal son like u,born troway Posted: at 4-03-2017 11:46 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac go and call ur father idiot,prodigal son like u,born troway Reply sugarbaby2392 at 5-03-2017 08:30 AM (5 years ago) (f) Quote from: fataidegreat on 4-03-2017 10:20 PM idiot, no one is better. i don't know why Igbos so much like money and spoiling Nigeria image outside the country, why? the day God creat you igbos does he created you people with money? stop discriminating Posted: at 5-03-2017 08:30 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac stop discriminating Reply sugarbaby2392 at 5-03-2017 08:31 AM (5 years ago) (f) Quote from: EDDYPRINCE on 4-03-2017 04:41 PM same set of tribe,,,, BIAFRA disgracing Naija everywhere. this is not how Nigeria will be great again mr tribalism Posted: at 5-03-2017 08:31 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac this is not how Nigeria will be great again mr tribalism Reply sugarbaby2392 at 5-03-2017 08:32 AM (5 years ago) (f) smelling 25 years Posted: at 5-03-2017 08:32 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac smelling 25 years Reply OLOWOBABA10 at 5-03-2017 10:50 AM (5 years ago) (m) WE ARE ALL INTO IT ! Posted: at 5-03-2017 10:50 AM (5 years ago) | Upcoming WE ARE ALL INTO IT ! Reply kenshin2 at 5-03-2017 11:13 AM (5 years ago) (m) Freethinker and dynasty4all all, where Una dey? Heaven abi? Cos I see say Una no fit talk...u see when I say Igbo's are very useless una go think say ah dey tribalistic, Una see say nobody spoil naija name outside than these so called 'Biafrans'. I just wonder what their useless country will be like when they have their repulsive freedom! Dirty people! Ewwww!!!! Posted: at 5-03-2017 11:13 AM (5 years ago) | Upcoming Freethinker and dynasty4all all, where Una dey? Heaven abi? Cos I see say Una no fit talk...u see when I say Igbo's are very useless una go think say ah dey tribalistic, Una see say nobody spoil naija name outside than these so called 'Biafrans'. I just wonder what their useless country will be like when they have their repulsive freedom! Dirty people! Ewwww!!!! Reply kenshin2 at 5-03-2017 11:14 AM (5 years ago) (m) Freethinker and dynasty4all all, where Una dey? Heaven abi? Cos I see say Una no fit talk...u see when I say Igbo's are very useless una go think say ah dey tribalistic, Una see say nobody spoil naija name outside than these so called 'Biafrans'. I just wonder what their useless country will be like when they have their repulsive freedom! Dirty people! Ewwww!!!! Posted: at 5-03-2017 11:14 AM (5 years ago) | Upcoming Freethinker and dynasty4all all, where Una dey? Heaven abi? Cos I see say Una no fit talk...u see when I say Igbo's are very useless una go think say ah dey tribalistic, Una see say nobody spoil naija name outside than these so called 'Biafrans'. I just wonder what their useless country will be like when they have their repulsive freedom! Dirty people! Ewwww!!!! Reply Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus will have an Infinity Display, confirms trademark filing News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu Galaxy S8 Plus will have an Infinity Display. Samsung is all set to unveil the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus on March 29 at an event to be held in New York City and release them on April 21. In the meantime, we are coming across many reports related to these phones shedding light on what features we can expect to see in them. As per the recent reports, it looks like the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus would arrive with an Infinity Display. A trademark application that was filed at the USPTO mentions the Infinity Display technology that would mainly be used on mobile telephones. The sad thing about this is the application does not mention what the term Infinity Display refers to. Notably, this isn't the first time we are hearing about the Infinity Display. A few weeks back, a report stated that the upcoming flagship smartphones from Samsung might have a screen that will occupy most of the front of these phones. Eventually, the screen-to-body ratio will be high. Also, there are reports that Samsung will ditch the home button and there will be small bezels at the top and bottom. Samsung Galaxy S8 pre-order to debut on April 10 Going by the rumors, there won't be a home button at the front. So, the fingerprint sensor is likely to be positioned at the back of the phone, beside the rear camera. In addition to these, the South Korean tech giant will include a dedicated physical Bixby AI button at the left of these phones. With this button, users can call upon the new virtual assistant. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are slated to be announced on March 29. With a few more weeks of time, we expect to get more details on Infinity Display. Source Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Overall, dont let the bhoot mislead you, nothing bhootiya about this story. Had the makers tried to push the envelope, the idea could have been outstanding for a bhootiya comedy. Trump Calls for 12-Carrier Navy, Promises Rebuilt Military By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, March 2, 2017 President Donald J. Trump today promised to rebuild the U.S. military and called for a 12-carrier Navy during a visit to the future USS Gerald R. Ford in Newport News, Virginia. Trump addressed the pre-commissioning unit of the Navy's newest aircraft carrier on the ship's hangar deck. He told the crew that if Congress passes his budget, the military "will win again." "The proud dignity of the ship is a fitting tribute to Gerald Ford the man and the president," Trump said. He congratulated the men and women of Newport News Shipbuilding who labored on the aircraft carrier the first of its class and the first new carrier design since the Nimitz-class began joining the fleet in 1975. The $13 billion carrier will be commissioned later this year. "This warship and all who serve on it should be a source of shared pride for our nation," the president said. Rebuilding Military Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accompanied the president to the carrier, and Trump said the secretary has been charged with rebuilding the U.S. military. "We will give the men and women of America's armed services the resources you need to keep us safe," he said. "We will have the finest equipment in the world planes, ships and everything else. "We will give our military the tools you need to prevent war and, if required, to fight war and only do one thing: win." he continued. "We're going to start winning again." The U.S. military needs stable, consistent funding, the president said. "In these troubled times, our Navy is the smallest it's been since World War I," he said. "That's a long time ago. In fact, I just spoke with Navy and industry leaders and have discussed my plans to undertake a major expansion of our entire Navy fleet, including having the 12-carrier Navy we need." Trump said America has always led, and will continue to do so. "My budget will ensure we do so and continue to do exactly that," he said. "American ships will sail the seas. American planes will soar the skies. American workers will build our fleets." The president said the big-deck carriers are the centerpiece of America's military might. "We are standing today on 4.5 acres of combat power and sovereign U.S. territory, the likes of which there is nothing to compete," he said. He called the Ford a "monument" to American might. The ship will have a smaller crew than the Nimitz-class carriers sailing with 4,500 personnel. It will carry 70 aircraft and will be able to project American power to the farthest reaches of the world. "Hopefully, it's power we won't have to use," Trump said. "But if we do, they are in big, big trouble." Trump noted that the three aircraft carriers that won the Battle of Midway the USS Enterprise, USS Yorktown and USS Hornet against the Japanese fleet in 1942 were built in the same shipyards that produced the Ford. The battle was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Midway Heroes "The sailors at Midway are part of a long line of American heroes, an unbroken chain of patriots from each generation to the next, who rose to defend our flag and our freedom," the president said. "That legacy continues today as American warriors protect our people from the threat of terrorism." Trump told the sailors that his budget calls for an end to sequestration spending cuts and an increase in 2018 of $54 billion for the Defense Department. "After years of endless budget cuts that have impaired our defenses, I am calling for one of the largest defense spending increases in history," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Trump Visits Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Navy News Service Story Number: NNS170302-26 Release Date: 3/2/2017 7:45:00 PM From Gerald R. Ford Public Affairs NEWPORT NEWS (NNS) -- President Donald J. Trump addressed Sailors from Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and shipbuilders from Huntington Ingalls Newport News during a visit to the first-in-class aircraft carrier March 2. "This carrier and the new ships in the Ford class will expand the ability of our nation to carry out vital missions on the oceans and to project American power in distant lands," Trump said to an audience of over 3.500. The president landed on the flight deck on Marine One accompanied by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. They were welcomed aboard Ford by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and Capt. Richard McCormack, Ford's commanding officer. "It was an honor to welcome aboard our commander-in-chief," said McCormack. "My Sailors have put tremendous work and energy into making Ford an operational asset to the fleet, and I could not be more proud to have him here to see this team." Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Gerald R. Ford and the ship's sponsor, who greeted Trump on the flight deck and welcomed him into the captain's inport cabin, where he met with Ford Sailors and shipbuilders for a roundtable discussion. Following a brief tour of crew habitability spaces and unique technology, Trump descended to the Ford's hangar bay via an aircraft elevator for an "All Hands Call" with Ford Sailors and shipbuilders. The presidential visit marked a week full of "firsts". It was Trump's first visit to an aircraft carrier, and the first time the aircraft carrier, named in honor of the 38th president, Gerald R. Ford, had ever received a president. Earlier that week, an MV-22 Osprey marked a critical milestone in the life of the ship by becoming the first aircraft to land on Ford's flight deck, making Ford the only ship to receive an aircraft before its commissioning, while in the shipyard. "It was a great opportunity to be a part of the ship's history," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate [Handling] 3rd Class Marcus Arduini, an air department Sailor from Houston. Arduini has the distinction of being Ford's first tower supervisor, and helped assist Ford's air Boss in ensuring a safe aircraft recovery. "It's just been a great experience to see everything finally come together." Sailors expressed their pride in being able to show their ship to the President and senior military leaders. "It's an exciting experience to get the ship prepared," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Frederick Cobbin, a communications specialist from Charleston, South Carolina, assigned to Ford's combat systems department. "I got here in 2014, when everything was pretty much bare metal - it's amazing how far we've come." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIS in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 3, 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 the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria Coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of four engagements in Syria: -- Near Palmyra, a strike damaged a bridge. -- Near Raqqa, a strike destroyed a weapons storage facility. Strikes in Iraq Coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 74 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Haditha, a strike suppressed an ISIS tactical unit. -- Near Mosul, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed six fighting positions, four heavy machine guns, three medium machine guns, two tunnels, a rocket-propelled grenade system, a vehicle bomb and a vehicle bomb facility; damaged seven supply routes; and suppressed 22 mortar teams. -- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed an ISIS storage facility. -- Near Rawah, 10 strikes engaged an ISIS staging area and destroyed nine ISIS-held buildings. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S., South Korea Launch Annual Foal Eagle Exercise By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, March 3, 2017 U.S. and South Korean military members joined together March 1 to participate in exercise Foal Eagle 2017, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters today. About 3,600 U.S. service members were deployed to join the 28,000 U.S. troops already based in South Korea for the annual exercise, which will run through April 30, Davis said. He described the exercise as a series of joint and combined ground, air, naval and special operations field exercises, adding that it is designed in the spirit of the U.S.-South Korean mutual defense treaty of 1953. 40-Year Tradition "These exercises are defensive in nature, and they have been carried out regularly, openly and transparently for nearly 40 years," Davis said. Conducted as a clear demonstration of the U.S. commitment to the alliance, he said, Foal Eagle 2017 is designed to increase readiness to defend South Korea, to protect the region, and to maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula. Preparing for THAAD Earlier this week, when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo spoke by phone, Mattis welcomed the land transfer in South Korea that will support stationing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, also known as THAAD, Davis said. "It remains our intent to have [THAAD] there and in an operational state as soon as feasible," he said. "This is a critical measure that we're taking to defend the Korean people and alliance forces against North Korean missile threats, a very serious threat as highlighted by the Feb. 12 ballistic missile launch by North Korea. "[North Korea's] unlawful weapons program represents a clear, grave threat to our national security," said the captain continued. "They have openly stated that their ballistic missiles are intended to deliver nuclear weapons to strike cities in the United States, Republic of Korea and Japan." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USS Mitscher Departs from Mobile Navy Week Navy News Service Story Number: NNS170303-09 Release Date: 3/3/2017 10:05:00 AM By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Tolbert and Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Colbey Livingston, USS Mitscher (DDG 57) Public Affairs MOBILE, Ala. (NNS) -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) departed Navy Week Mobile, March 1, after a five-day port visit to Mobile, Alabama. Upon her arrival, Mitscher's crew promptly received a warm welcome from Mobile's Mayor, Sandy Stimpson, and local officials. Cmdr. Brett Oster, Mitscher's commanding officer, received a key to the city of Mobile as part of the welcoming ceremony. "Mobile has been unbelievable in their reception of Mitscher, her crew, and the rest of the Navy," said Oster. "The warmth, gratitude, and thanks that have been shown to each 'Mitscherman' truly show the fabric of what makes Mobile great. I know each Sailor will cherish these memories of Mardi Gras, and we certainly hope that Mobile knows how much we appreciate the support." During Mitscher's visit to Navy Week Mobile, over 50 crew members participated in parades spanning the entire downtown area of Mobile. "For many of my young Sailors, their participation in a parade at Mardi Gras will be among their first experiences outside of homeport," said Mitscher Command Master Chief Jerry Hagdorn. "I'm thankful to the city of Mobile for making that happen in such an overwhelmingly positive way." More than a dozen of Mitscher's crew members volunteered at the Feed the Gulf Coast food bank. Feed the Gulf Coast helps provide food to underprivileged children and families around the Gulf Coast region. "I think it is very important for us to give back to the community in any way that we can," said Electronics Technician 1st Class Jason Mathis, "especially after the way Mobile rolled out the red carpet for our ship and crew this week." Sailors from Mitscher also attended numerous receptions as part of Mobile Navy Week and Mardi Gras celebrations. In addition to all the Mobile Navy Week events, Mitscher hosted more than 3,000 of Mobile's residents aboard for shipboard tours. Sailors were interacting with tens of thousands of locals over the course of the entire Navy Week and Mardi Gras celebration. Because of the Navy Office of Community Outreach's Navy Week, the people from Mobile could spend time with the men and women of the Navy and share their appreciation to the Sailors who they may never have had a chance to meet. "No other port that I've been to has shown this much appreciation towards the military," said Yeoman Seaman Jefferson Hulse. "We are extremely honored to attend Navy Week during this time-honored tradition of Mardi Gras. The southern hospitality of the people from Mobile is unlike anything I have ever experienced." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mass rally held in Sana'a against Saudi onslaught on Yemen Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 5:58PM Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in the Yemeni capital city of Sana'a to express outrage over Saudi Arabia's deadly military campaign against the impoverished Arab country. The protesters converged in the Old City of Sana'a following Friday prayers, carrying Yemeni flags and banners in condemnation of the Saudi aggression. Participants in the demonstration, under the motto "Tough against Disbelievers", also held up pictures of civilians injured in the deadly Saudi airstrikes, calling on the United Nations to fulfill its responsibilities and stop the Riyadh regime's atrocious military offensive. They also warned the Saudi leadership that the continued attacks on the people in Yemen will only strengthen the steadfastness of the nation. Protesters also accused the United States of being complicit in the Saudi crimes against the Yemeni nation by providing the Al Saud regime with various munitions. Saudi Arabia has been engaged in a deadly campaign against Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall the former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is a close Riyadh ally. The airstrikes have taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, says the Saudi campaign has claimed the lives of 10,000 Yemenis and left 40,000 others wounded. McGoldrick told reporters in Sana'a earlier this year that the figure was based on casualty counts given by health facilities and that the actual number might be higher. On February 23, Yemen's Legal Center for Rights and Development, an independent monitoring group, put the civilian death toll in the war-torn Arab country at 12,041. The fatalities, it said, comprise 2,568 children and 1,870 women. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 6 dead as Saudi jets pound northern Yemen with cluster bombs Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 2:13PM At least six civilians have lost their lives and several others sustained injuries when Saudi fighter jets carried out fresh aerial attacks against residential areas in northern Yemen, using internationally-banned cluster bombs. Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said five people were killed and ten others injured when Saudi military aircraft struck the al-Barkah area of the northwestern Yemeni province of Sa'ada, located 240 kilometers north of the capital Sana'a, on Friday afternoon, Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported. Saudi jets also launched a morning cluster bomb raid in the Hayran district of the northwestern province of Hajjah, located approximately 130 kilometers northwest of Sana'a, killing at least one person and injuring seven others. Cluster bombs are banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), an international treaty that addresses the humanitarian consequences and unacceptable harm caused to civilians by cluster munitions through a categorical prohibition and a framework for action. Moreover, Saudi aircraft bombarded an area in the Mustaba district of the same Yemeni province, with no immediate reports of casualties and the extent of damage caused. Saudi jets pounded the city of Sirwah, which lies about 120 kilometers east of Sana'a, as well, though no reports of casualties were available. Elsewhere in the Nihm district of Sa'ada province, Yemeni soldiers and fighters from Popular Committees launched a BM-27 Uragan rocket at a gathering of militiamen loyal to resigned Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, leaving scores of the Saudi mercenaries dead and injured. Yemeni forces and their allies also targeted Kofel military camp in the country's central province of Ma'rib, with no casualties among Saudi-sponsored militiamen immediately reported. Yemeni forces, allies take two southwestern Yemen areas Additionally, Yemeni troopers and Popular Committees fighters have taken control of two areas in the southwestern province of Dhamar. Local sources told Arabic-language al-Omanaa news website that the forces have completely retaken Sharm al-Ali and Kamat al-Dokhan areas in the Utmah district of the province. The development came as Yemeni fighters are pushing deeper along the Sharm al-Safel area in the same district, tightening the noose around Saudi-sponsored militiamen led by Abdul Wahhab Muawwizah. Yemeni soldiers and their allies managed to drive Saudi mercenaries out of Rabi'ah Bani Bahr in Dhamar Province late Thursday night. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, says the Saudi campaign has claimed the lives of 10,000 Yemenis and left 40,000 others wounded. Earlier this year, McGoldrick told reporters in Sana'a that the figure was based on casualty counts given by health facilities and that the actual number might be higher. In a report released on February 23, Yemen's Legal Center for Rights and Development, an independent monitoring group, put the civilian death toll in the war-torn Arab country at 12,041. The fatalities, it said, comprise 2,568 children and 1,870 women. The rights body said the bombings have also wounded 20,001 civilians, including 2,354 children and 1,960 women, while more than four million others have been displaced. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China 'seriously concerned' by US-South Korea drills Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 11:13AM China says it has communicated its concerns over ongoing military maneuvers by the United States and South Korea. "We have noted the reports and have already expressed serious concern via diplomatic channels to the relevant sides," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday, referring to reports of the joint drills. "Maintaining the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia accords with the interests of all sides and is all parties' responsibility," he added. The annual war games began on Wednesday and will continue into April. They are meant to send a message to nuclear-powered North Korea, which has been developing missile and nuclear programs. Pyongyang has also condemned the drills and warned of nuclear counteraction if it is attacked by the US and South Korea. Geng, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, also repeated China's opposition to the deployment in South Korea of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system. China deems the system, to be installed by the end of the year, a threat to its security. Russia, too, is concerned that the deployment would further destabilize the already-restive Peninsula. On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China and Russia had agreed to step up their coordinated efforts in opposition to the planned deployment. Meanwhile, James Kilby, a US rear admiral, said while on board the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the disputed South China Sea that the United States will continue to patrol the waters "to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight." "We have operated here in the past, we're going to operate here in the future, we're going to continue to reassure our allies," he said. China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the resource-rich South China Sea. Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam also have territorial claims in the waters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lavrov slams US scandal on Russia contacts 'a witch hunt' Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 11:21AM Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described the scandal over contacts between Russia and members of US President Donald Trump's administration as "a witch hunt." Lavrov's Friday remarks come as a bipartisan group of US senators agreed earlier this week to carry out an investigation into the Trump administration's alleged dealings with Moscow amid an outcry from members of Congress. Former MI6 spy Christopher Steele who compiled the dossier on Trump's alleged links with Russia has been reportedly approached to testify before the US Senate Intelligence Committee. The FBI, at one stage, offered to pay Steele to expand his investigation of Trump and his associates. However, the former British spy continued his probe without getting paid because he was concerned about what he was discovering. The White House has strongly rejected the report, which includes allegations that Russian intelligence services are in possession of comprising information on Trump and could potentially blackmail the new president. Trump has blasted the dossier as "fake news" put together by a "failed spy." The development comes amid revelations that Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions, met with the Russian ambassador to the US at least twice during the 2016 presidential campaign. Sessions, a major policy adviser to the Trump campaign, said during his confirmation hearings at the Senate Judiciary Committee in January that he did not know of any contacts between campaign members and Russian officials. Sessions said Thursday he was recusing himself from a Justice Department inquiry into the alleged Russian contacts with Trump campaign advisers amid mounting calls for him to resign. The president characterized the whole episode as a plot by Democrats who "have lost their grip on reality" after their loss in the November election. "It is a total witch hunt!" he said. Trump's national security adviser, Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, was forced to resign after details of his contacts with Russia surfaced last month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Senators approach MI6 spy to testify on Trump's Russia ties Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 10:13AM A former MI6 spy who compiled the explosive dossier on President Donald Trump's alleged links with Russia has been approached to testify before the US Senate Intelligence Committee, according to a report. Christopher Steele's associates said it was currently unlikely the private security consultant would be willing to travel to the US, but a bipartisan group of senators have offered to facilitate initial meetings in Britain or on other neutral territory in order to plan for any eventual testimony, The Independent revealed on Thursday. The Senate panel agreed earlier this week to carry out an investigation into the Trump administration's alleged dealings with Moscow amid an outcry from members of Congress. Senator John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a Trump critic, sent an intermediary to London late last year to pick up Steele's dossier. The Arizona Republican subsequently passed the 35-page document to FBI Director James Comey. The FBI, at one stage, offered to pay Steele to expand his investigation of Trump and his associates. However, the former British spy continued his probe without getting paid because he was concerned about what he was discovering. The White House has strongly rejected the report, which includes allegations that Russian intelligence services are in possession of comprising information on Trump and could potentially blackmail the new president. Trump has blasted the dossier as "fake news" put together by a "failed spy." Steele, who is held in high esteem among British and American intelligence agencies, has been in hiding since his dossier was published in January. The development comes amid revelations that Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions, met with the Russian ambassador to the US at least twice during the 2016 presidential campaign. Sessions, a major policy adviser to the Trump campaign, said during his confirmation hearings at the Senate Judiciary Committee in January that he did not know of any contacts between campaign members and Russian officials. Sessions said Thursday he was recusing himself from a Justice Department inquiry into the alleged Russian contacts with Trump campaign advisers amid mounting calls for him to resign. Trump stood by his attorney general on Thursday, saying Sessions did not make any misleading statements under oath during his confirmation hearings. "Jeff Sessions is an honest man. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional," Trump said in a statement. The president characterized the whole episode as a plot by Democrats who "have lost their grip on reality" after their loss in the November election. "It is a total witch hunt!" he said. Trump's national security adviser, Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, was forced to resign after details of his contacts with Russia surfaced last month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sweden reintroduces military conscription, citing alleged Russian threat Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 9:47AM Sweden has decided to reintroduce mandatory military service for both men and women next year, citing what it says is a military threat from Russia. The Swedish Defense Ministry said on Thursday that thousands of male and female youths will be conscripted and selected for military training in a program starting in 2018. The decision has also been backed by the parliament. Sweden, a member state of the European Union (EU), had ended compulsory military service in 2010. Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist cited alleged Russian military buildup near the Baltic region and Moscow's alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict as reasons for the decision. "We have more exercise activities in our neighborhood. So we have decided to build a stronger national defense," he said. The government will call up 4,000 men and women for military training per year in 2018 and 2019. Back in December last year, Sweden's Civil Contingency Agency asked local authorities across the country to improve security measures to face a possible military attack. The measures included maintaining and upgrading underground bunkers as emergency bases of operation. According to a letter from the Agency, municipalities around the country were called to "increase their ability to resist an armed attack against Sweden from a qualified opponent." Sweden is not a member of NATO but cooperates closely with it. NATO, which has suspended all ties with Russia since April 2014, has deployed thousands of its troops as well as military hardware near Russian borders. Russia has previously warned that it would take measures to respond to the increased activities near its borders. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon conducts 20 airstrikes in Yemen, first since botched raid Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 6:44AM The Pentagon has carried out its first major military operation in Yemen since a botched raid in January that killed women and children as well as an American commando. US forces conducted more than 20 airstrikes involving a mix of manned and unmanned aircraft early on Thursday, the Pentagon said. Navy Captain Jeff Davis said the airstrikes targeted al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in three south-central provinces of Abyan, Shabwah and al-Bayda. "The strikes will degrade the AQAP's ability to coordinate external terror attacks and limit their ability to use territory seized from the legitimate government of Yemen as a safe space for terror plotting," the Pentagon spokesman said. The US military did not share a casualty estimate, but local officials said at least nine suspected al-Qaeda militants were killed. Davis said the operation was coordinated with resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a strong ally of Saudi Arabia that has been engaged in its own military campaign against Yemen. Troops engage al-Qaeda on the ground Military helicopters and drones launched a flurry of fresh airstrikes in Shabwah province early on Friday, witnesses said, according to Reuters. The raids targeted the residence of Sa'ad Atef, an al-Qaeda leader, as well as other suspected militant positions in the area. The unidentified aircraft, believed to be American, also deployed troops to the al-Saeed area of the southern province, who engaged suspected al-Qaeda militants on the ground for nearly half an hour. The military operations came more than a month since a January 29 raid, the first of its kind authorized by President Donald Trump, in al-Bayda which residents said left as many as 25 civilians dead. An ongoing investigation by the US Central Command has also determined that civilians, including possibly children, lost their lives during the botched raid. The White House hailed the operation as a success, but critics said it was a failure since it resulted in the death of civilians and 36-year-old Navy SEAL Ryan Owens. Three other Americans were also wounded in the Navy SEAL Team Six mission and a military aircraft worth $75 million was destroyed after it crash-landed at the raid site. Trump blames generals for botched raid President Trump has tried to distance himself from the raid by emphasizing that the operation had been in the works long before he took office. "This was a mission that was started before I got here," he said in an interview with Fox News this week. "This was something that, you know, they wanted to do. They came to see me and they explained what they wanted to do, the generals, who are very respected," the president said. "And they lost Ryan." During his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump paid tribute to the fallen SEAL, and insisted that the operation yielded valuable intelligence that would "lead to many more victories in the future." Some US officials, however, have disputed that claim, saying the raid gathered little, if any, workable intelligence. The United States conducts drone strikes in Yemen and several countries. Washington claims the airstrikes target members of al-Qaeda and other militants, but according to local officials and witnesses, civilians have been the victims of the attacks in many cases. Al-Qaeda in Yemen has grown in weapons and number since the start of the Saudi military campaign in March 2015, which was launched to bring back Hadi to power and undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO, Russia Hold First Top-Level Military Talks In Three Years RFE/RL March 03, 2017 Senior military officials from Russia and NATO have held their first direct talks since the Western alliance cut military contacts with Russia three years ago over the Kremlin's interference in Ukraine. Russia's Defense Ministry said NATO Military Committee Chairman Petr Pavel spoke with Russia's military chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, by telephone on March 3 about the prospects for restarting cooperation, how to prevent accidental altercations between military forces, and other pressing security issues. NATO headquarters in Brussels confirmed that the telephone conversation took place. A NATO spokesman said that "the two generals agreed that they would remain in contact." The phone conversation followed a meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, on February 16 between Gerasimov and U.S. General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Pentagon said Dunford's talks with Gerasimov focused on "the current state of U.S.-Russian military relations and the importance of consistent and clear military-to-military communication to prevent miscalculation and potential crises." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Dunford's meeting with Gerasimov as an important "bilateral" attempt by a NATO ally to "develop lines of communications and develop the dialogue with Russia." NATO has been ratcheting up its troop presence in Poland and its three Baltic member states in response to their concerns about Russian aggression since Moscow's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 and its support for Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. In a statement on March 3, Russia's Defense Ministry said Gerasimov expressed concern to the head of NATO's Military Committee about "the significant increased military activity of the alliance near the Russian border." The ministry said both sides "confirmed the need for mutual steps to reduce tension and stabilize the situation in Europe." Despite substantial evidence of Russian military support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, Moscow continues to deny charges by NATO, the government in Kyiv, the United States, and other Western governments that Russia has sent troops and weaponry to bolster separatist forces there. The European Union, the United States, and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia over its role in the conflict, as well as for its seizure and annexation of Crimea. While military contacts had been severed between Russia and NATO over the issue, diplomats and government officials from the two sides have continued to meet. With reporting by AP, Reuters, dpa, and TASS Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-nato-first- top-military-talks-3-years/28346935.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address House Democrats Say FBI Not Sharing All It Knows On Russia-Trump Ties March 03, 2017 U.S. Democrats are charging that FBI Director James Comey declined to divulge all he knew about the agency's investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. election at a closed-door meeting with the House Intelligence Committee. "At this point, we know less than a fraction of what the FBI knows," said Representative Adam Schiff, the committee's top Democrat, after Comey's three-hour briefing on March 2. The committee, like the FBI, is investigating allegations of collusion between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign last year. "There were very large areas that were walled off, and those walls are going to have to come down if we are going to do our job," Schiff said "It was unclear whether [Comey's refusal to discuss certain matters] was a decision he was making on his own or a decision that he is making in consultation with the Department of Justice," Schiff said. The committee's Republican Chairman Devin Nunes dismissed the Democratic complaints, saying Comey was "forthright" and that the briefing was a "good first step." U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that Russia tried to help Trump win the White House by discrediting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton through the release of hacked party e-mails. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-democrats-charge- fbi-not-sharing-all-it-knows-on- russia-trump-ties/28344634.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address White House Discloses Trump's Son-In Law Met With Russian Ambassador March 03, 2017 Russia's ambassador to the United States met with a number of aides to U.S. President Donald Trump during the election campaign last year besides current Attorney General Jeff Sessions, including Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House and U.S. media reports said on March 2. The Trump campaign's contacts with Russia are under investigation by both the FBI and committees of Congress. Kushner met with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak in December at the Trump Tower in New York, which was Trump's transition headquarters, for what the White House called a "brief courtesy meeting" that included Michael Flynn, who was later named Trump's national security adviser. Flynn was forced out last month because he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his repeated telephone conversations with Kislyak. Also, the Associated Press and USA Today reported that Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, spoke with Kislyak at the same Heritage Foundation event where Sessions spoke to the ambassador last summer. Kislyak was one of several foreign diplomats who attended the Heritage Foundation event on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last July. Page said he "never did anything improper in my activities related to Russia" during the campaign. USA Today reported that J.D. Gordon, who was the Trump campaign's director of national security, also met with Kislyak at the convention. Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and USA Today Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/white-house -discloses-trump-son-in-law- kushner-met-russian-ambassador- kislyak-trump-tower/28344626.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU, U.S. Criticize Macedonian President For Refusing Mandate To Opposition RFE/RL's Balkan Service March 03, 2017 The European Union and United States have criticized Macedonia's president for refusing to give a mandate to form a new government to opposition leader Zoran Zaev, despite Zaev's success in forming a majority coalition in parliament. President Gjorge Ivanov, a member of the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, said on March 1 he would not give his backing to a coalition government of Zaev's Social Democratic Union (SDSM) and three ethnic Albanian parties. Ivanov justified his decision to withhold the mandate by saying that "negotiations on Zaev's part" involved "a platform of a foreign country" -- a reference to the demands of Zaev's would-be junior coalition partners to broaden the official use of the Albanian language. On March 2, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, said after a meeting with political leaders in Skopje that Ivanov should reconsider his decision not to grant Zaev the mandate. "I asked the president to reflect on the way forward to reverse his decision in the interest of all citizens," Mogherini told reporters. The EU foreign policy chief also said Skopje should "scale down the rhetoric" to prevent the political crisis from turning into "an interethnic conflict or, even worse, a geopolitical conflict." The U.S. ambassador to Macedonia, Jess L. Baily, said Ivanov's decision was a cause for concern. "We believe that this was inconsistent with basic democratic principles and the rule of law, which are core values of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization," he said in a statement on the U.S. Embassy's website. "As a strategic partner of Macedonia, as a friend, and with full respect to Macedonia's sovereignty and unity, we urge President Ivanov to reconsider this decision," Baily told reporters. "At the same time, we urge Macedonia's neighbors to exercise restraint and be constructive at this moment of heightened political sensitivity in the country." Russia, meanwhile, criticized the SDSM coalition effort and accused NATO, the EU, and Albania of attempting to impose a pro-Albanian government on the people of Macedonia. "With active cooperation of the EU and NATO officials, an 'Albanian platform' created in Tirana, in the office of the [Albanian] prime minister, is being imposed on Macedonians," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on March 2. Zaev on February 27 presented signatures from three ethnic Albanian political parties to Ivanov -- showing he has support from a total of 67 lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament to form a new government. Under Macedonia's constitution, the president must present a potential coalition leader with a mandate before parliament can vote on the new government -- the mandate that Ivanov has so far refused to give to Zaev. The VMRO-DPMNE, led by former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, won the most votes in Macedonia's December election, taking 51 seats in parliament compared to SDSM's 49. But Gruevski was unable to get another 10 lawmakers from the ethnic Albanian parties to join him in a coalition because he refused their demands that Albanian should be designated as a second official language in Macedonia. About one-quarter of Macedonia's population of 2.1 million people are ethnic Albanians. Macedonia narrowly avoided civil war in 2001 after an uprising by armed ethnic Albanians who sought greater rights. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and European Western Balkans Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-vucic- presidential-race-to-continue-straddling -eu-russia/28311834.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indian Officials to Meet Dalai Lama Despite Chinese Warning Sputnik News 22:24 03.03.2017(updated 23:32 03.03.2017) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will meet with Indian federal government officials at a disputed border area claimed by China but currently under New Delhi control. China has warned India that the visit could cause "severe damage" to already-strained relations between the two countries. Next month the renowned monk is scheduled to visit Arunachal Pradesh, an area China claims to be 'South Tibet,' to view the presence of Indian and foreign leaders in the region, while legitimizing India's claim to the territory. Beijing considers the Dalai Lama to be a separatist who will stoke tensions as China and India have ongoing disagreements over security issues, and New Delhi remains uncomfortable with Beijing's blossoming relationship with Pakistan. At one time India was hesitant to engage with the Dalai Lama, as to not irk China, but the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now looking to share a platform with the world-famous Tibetan religious figure and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. According to junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju,"It's a behavioral change you are seeing. India is more assertive." Rijiju is an Arunachal native, and an advisor to the Prime Minister on Tibetan issues. He will meet with the Dalai Lama while the latter visits the Tawang Buddhist monastery. "He is going there as a religious leader, there is no reason to stop him," Rijiju reasoned, "His devotees are demanding he should come, what harm can he do? He is a lama." On Friday China's Foreign Ministry announced the Tibetan religious leader's visit would seriously damage Beijing's relationship with New Dehli, with ministry spokesman Geng Shuang telling reporters, "The invitation to the Dalai Lama by the Indian side to the contested area between China and India will inflict severe damage on the China-India relationship and peace and stability in the China-India border area." India has developed an increasingly-bold foreign policy of late, evidenced by a recent bilateral meeting early in Modi's administration in which Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj asked if China had a 'One India' policy, recognizing New Delhi's claims to Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir territories contested by Islamabad, in the same way they expect other nations to adhere to the 'One China' policy. Tibetan government head Lobsang Sangay said, "These meetings were happening before. Now it is publicI notice a tangible shift. With all the Chinese investments in all the neighboring countries, that has generated debate within India." The Dalai Lama has not visited Arunachal Pradesh since 2009. He first fled Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in 1959 and was welcomed in India after a failed resistance against the Chinese seizure of his country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afghan Security Forces Kill Over 140 Taliban Militants Over Past 24 Hours Sputnik News 18:11 03.03.2017 Afghanistan's security forces have killed over 140 militants of Taliban, a radical movement, outlawed in Russia, during operations in several provinces of the country over the past 24 hours. MOSCOW (Sputnik) According to the Pajhwok news agency, 149 militants were killed and 73 others were injured during the operations carried out in eight provinces of the country. The security forces also killed three Taliban commanders in eastern Laghman and central Logar provinces, the agency reported. There were no casualties reported among the Afghan security forces. Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, with government forces fighting the continuing Taliban insurgency. The instability has persisted in the country since the 2001 US-led invasion to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States. The lack of control and instability turned the country into home to the largest opium poppy production and distribution network in the world. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, as well as the Afghanistan-based US forces are currently conducting joint offensive operations to combat terrorism across the country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afghan Forces Seize Control of Central Tala Barfak District From Taliban Sputnik News 15:59 03.03.2017 The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) fully recaptured control of the Tala Barfak district located in the central part of the country north of Kabul from the militants of Taliban (a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia), according to local media. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Afghanistan's government forces have seized control of the Tala Barfak district located in the central part of the country north of Kabul from the militants of Taliban (a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia), local media reported on Friday. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have fully recaptured control of the district from the Taliban forces, with clearance operations underway, the Khaama Press news agency reported citing Afghan Ministry of Defense spokesman Dawlat Waziri. According to Waziri, the militants have suffered heavy casualties, while the Afghan forces lost no personnel. On Wednesday, the Taliban forces managed to take control of Tala Barfak district, with the country's defense officials claiming that the retreat of the Afghan forces was tactical in order to prevent casualties among civilians. Afghanistan had been facing instability for many years with the government troops fighting against the Islamist terror organization Taliban seeking to establish a strict Sharia law in the country. Other terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State (IS, outlawed in Russia and other countries) have also expanded their activities both in the country and in neighboring states. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, as well as the Afghanistan-based US forces are currently conducting joint offensive operations to combat terrorism across the country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sri Lanka: UN urges country not to miss chance to advance justice, reconciliation 3 March 2017 The slow pace of transitional justice in Sri Lanka and the lack of a comprehensive strategy to address accountability for past crimes risk derailing the momentum towards lasting peace, reconciliation and stability, a United Nations report said today. "Seventeen months ago, when we published a detailed report on the grave human rights violations committed during the conflict in Sri Lanka, I urged the Government and all the people of Sri Lanka to ensure that this historic opportunity for truly fundamental change should not be squandered," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a news release on the report. He noted that in many ways, Sri Lanka appears to be turning a corner on the promotion and protection of human rights, but he stressed that hard-won gains could prove illusory if they are not tethered to a comprehensive, robust strategy. "This critical opportunity in Sri Lankan history cannot be missed," he said, urging the Government and people of Sri Lanka once again to prioritize justice alongside reconciliation to ensure that the horrors of the past are firmly dealt with, never to recur. The report, issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), assesses progress made in tackling the legacy of grave violations in Sri Lanka between 2002 and 2011 and acknowledges that there have been positive advances on human rights and constitutional reform. However, the report notes that the structures set up and measures taken until now have been inadequate, lacked coordination and a sense of urgency. "Party politics, including the balancing of power between the different constituencies of the coalition in the run-up to constitutional reforms, have contributed to a reluctance to address difficult issues regarding accountability or to clearly articulate a unified position by all parts of Government," the report states. The report makes a number of concrete recommendations, including calling on the Government to embrace the report of the Consultation Task Force, to formulate a communications campaign to inform the public about details of the reconciliation agenda, to invite the UN human rights office to establish a presence in Sri Lanka, to give the highest priority to the restitution of all private land that has been occupied by the military, and to adopt legislation establishing a hybrid court. The report also highlights a number of serious human rights violations that are reportedly continuing to occur in Sri Lanka, including the harassment or surveillance of human rights defenders and victims of violations, police abuse and excessive use of force, and the use of torture. The High Commissioner will present the report to the Human Rights Council on 22 March in Geneva. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN migration agency launches $24.6 million appeal for drought-hit Somalia 3 March 2017 To meet the emergency needs of over a million Somalis affected by drought, the United Nations migration agency is appealing to international donors for $24.6 million in funding. Humanitarian agencies worry that the situation has started to look increasingly similar to the 2011 famine in Somalia, in which over a quarter of one million people died, according to a press release from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). "We named this (2017) drought 'Odi Kawayn,' which is Somali for 'something bigger than the elders,'" said drought victim Halima, explaining that none of the elders has ever seen a drought as severe as this one. The IOM appeal has been designed to enhance the current response, and expand the agency's geographic footprint within the northeast African country. A massive increase in humanitarian assistance is urgently needed to avert a famine, with humanitarian agencies estimating that 6.2 million drought-affected Somalis are in need of assistance, including food, water and sanitation, health and nutrition, protection and shelter. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN agencies supporting Kenyans in drought-hit areas 3 March 2017 The United Nations humanitarian chief today urged international support for the estimated 2.7 million people in parts of Kenya who urgently need food and water following the onset of a severe drought. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, saw the devastating impact of drought on rural communities in northern Kenya. "Crops are failing, food prices are rising, and families are going hungry. The spectre of hunger and disease is haunting East Africa again. We need to put a stop to this," Mr. O'Brien said. The office he heads, OCHA, is working with the UN Children's Fund, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and other partners to save lives in the region, according to a press release. "Our efforts should not only alleviate the current suffering brought about by this emergency, but should also aim to build the resilience of families and the capacity of local governments to deal with future droughts and other calamities," the Representative of UNICEF in Kenya, Werner Schultink said. UN efforts of support include dispatching 12,000 cartons of ready to use therapeutic foods for the severely-malnourished children, for example. The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, recently declared the drought a national disaster and has called for international support. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CVA 003 aircraft carrier The launching ceremony of China's third aircraft carrier was held on the morning of the 17 June 2022, at the Jiangnan Shipyard of China State Shipbuilding Corporation. At about 11 o'clock, the launching ceremony began, the audience sang the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, and the five-star red flag rose slowly. At the ceremony, a naming certificate was awarded to the chief officer of the receiving unit, and military and local leaders jointly cut the ribbon for the launching of China's third aircraft carrier. Afterwards, a bottle-throwing ceremony was performed. The champagne bottle smashed into the bow of the ship, and the two sides sprayed gorgeous ribbons. The ship blew its whistle, the dock door opened, and the aircraft carrier slowly moved out of the dock. The launching and naming ceremony ended with the singing of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Th date 17 June is a day to remember. On thei day in 2021, Shenzhou 12 was successfully launched, setting a number of "firsts in China"; today, 55 years ago, China's first hydrogen bomb exploded successfully, becoming the fourth country in the world to have a hydrogen bomb. The three special nodes all mark the new achievements of China's scientific and technological undertakings again and again, and also reflect the country's "sonorous progress and never-stop ambition". Approved by the Central Military Commission, China's third aircraft carrier was named "Fujian Ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy", with the hull number "18". The Fujian ship is the first catapult-type aircraft carrier designed and built by China completely. After the ship is launched, mooring tests and sailing tests would be carried out as planned. China's first aircraft carrier is the Liaoning ship, and the second aircraft carrier is the Shandong ship. With the launch of the third aircraft carrier for the first time, China's aircraft carrier ushered in the "third child". Once upon a time, aircraft carriers were out of reach for the Chinese people. After several generations of efforts, China previously owned two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong. The Liaoning ship's hull number is "16", and it was officially delivered to the People's Navy in 2012. On December 17, 2019, China's first domestically-made aircraft carrier Shandong Ship was officially delivered to the People's Navy, with the hull number "17". Situated at China's southeast coast, Fujian Province lies west of Taiwan Province. Separated only by a strip of water, Fujian and Taiwan are regarded as sister province as their people are joined by ties of blood and similar dialects. The province covers an area of over 139,000 square kilometers and has a population of 36.89 million (2010). The period of the Tang Song and Yuan Dynasties saw rapid development in Fujian. It was during this period that Quanzhou became a major trading part in China. It was also in that period that Fujian saw the flourishing of culture and literature. Many of the Province's grand and elegant ancient buildings were built during that period. Fujian was officially proclaimed a province in both the Ming and Qing Dynasties. On November 26, 2018, an article on the official WeChat account of Xinhua News Agency revealed the development status of China's third aircraft carrier. In "6 years ago, this "style" was popular all over the country, and it still makes people emotional! "The article pointed out that on November 23, 6 years ago, China's first aircraft carrier "Liaoning" successfully took off and landed the J-15 carrier-based aircraft. In the past 6 years, our domestic aircraft carrier has undergone sea trials, and its commissioning is just around the corner, and the new aircraft carrier has also been launched. Orderly construction on the slipway. Upon its completion, the gigantic ship would displace more than 80,000 tons of water, making it the largest and mightiest warship any Asian nation has ever built and also one of the world's biggest naval vessels of all time. According to the People's Liberation Army Navy, the ship would use electromagnetic launch system, or electromagnetic catapult, to launch fixed-wing aircraft, which would give the carrier a much greater combat capability than its two predecessors that use a ramp to launch jets. Navy spokesman Colonel Liu Wensheng released relevant information on the naming, deployment location, performance characteristics and test arrangements of the Fujian ship. When talking about why the third aircraft carrier was named Fujian ship, Liu Wensheng said that according to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy ship naming rules, aircraft carriers are generally named after provincial administrative divisions. The North Sea has the Liaoning, the South China Sea has the Shandong, and the Fujian ship is definitely for the East China Sea Fleet. The U.S. military recently publicly predicted that China's 003 aircraft carrier may enter service in 2024. The US media also commented that "the launch of the Type 003 aircraft carrier would become a crucial step for the Chinese navy to enhance its own aircraft carrier strength." So, what is the difference between the 003 aircraft carrier built by China and the previous Shandong and Liaoning ships? First of all, the two "predecessors" of the Shandong ship and the Liaoning ship were designed as 60,000-ton aircraft-carrying cruisers in the Soviet era. The potential and performance are relatively limited. China's maritime rights protection task is heavy, and a more powerful aircraft carrier is needed to display more tactics and deal with stronger enemies. The 003 aircraft carrier is a strategic aircraft carrier based on the US 100,000-ton aircraft carrier, representing infinite room for improvement. Secondly, the inclination design of Shandong and Liaoning aircraft carriers makes it difficult for them to carry catapult devices to assist in the launch of carrier-based aircraft. However, our country has successfully designed electromagnetic catapults, breaking the monopoly of the United States. In the future, if our aircraft carriers are to carry For other large carrier-based aircraft, a catapult with a smaller volume and stronger thrust is essential, and the inclination design would limit its combat performance; while the 003 aircraft carrier is different, its direct-to-deck design can be perfectly equipped with electromagnetic catapults. It can assist carrier-based aircraft to take off and land, and can also meet the needs of ship-based aircraft in the future. While the 320 meters (1,050 feet) length is comparable to American super-carriers, the CV18 Fujian is rather less beamy than the 270 feet that would have been expected based on US carrier design. HISutton notes that "The Chinese ship does have a narrower flight deck however. Its width of about 73 meters (240 feet) is very similar to preceding Type-001 and Type-002 carriers. There may be logistical reasons for this, such as dry dock sizes. Or it may simply be that the Chinese planners were happy with the width of the current carriers." The Type-003 appears to have inherited its dual elevator arrangement directly from the Russian Admiral Kutzenov class. The Ford Class has three aircraft elevators, one less than the preceding Nimitz Class. The Chinese ship however has only two. Both are rectangular and on the starboard side of the flight deck. The large island sits between them, and the forward elevator is very close to the catapults. As the blast deflector is right next to it, rather than forward of it, which may limit its use while aircraft are taking off. Although in theory the Chinese carrier would have a larger usable deck area thanks to fewer elevators, it will take the Chinese longer to move aircraft up from the hangar. The fighter plane ejector is a device indispensable on every aircraft carrier on the aircraft carrier.Used steam pressurized to launch the fighter plane technology since the own in the world aircraft carrier, this technological shortcoming is that power consumption is big, volume heaviness etc. An electromagnetic catapult for a fighter aircraft on an aircraft carrier, which comprises a plurality of elongated channels, wherein the elongated channels are arranged in parallel; the upper parts of the side walls of the adjacent elongated channels are connected by an elongated deck chute. The electromagnetic catapult not only is beneficial to generation of stable and reliable large thrust but also has the advantages of simple structure, low construction cost and less energy consumption in the use process. The Chinese catapult launching system is based on DC, not AC as used by the catapult launching system installed in the Gerald R. Ford carrier. Starting in the late 1880s, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were embroiled in a battle now known as the War of the Currents. Edison developed direct current -- current that runs continually in a single direction, like in a battery or a fuel cell. During the early years of electricity, direct current (shorthanded as DC) was the standard in the USA. But Direct current is not easily converted to higher or lower voltages. Tesla believed that alternating current (or AC) was the solution to this problem. Alternating current reverses direction a certain number of times per second -- 60 in the U.S. -- and can be converted to different voltages relatively easily using a transformer. As the winner of the People's Liberation Army's top military award in 2017, Rear Admiral Ma Weiming is a familiar name to Chinese. In 2018 his research team developed a medium-voltage, direct-current transmission network to replace the older alternating current system for the country's domestically built Type 002 carrier, which could provide more power for its electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS). The innovative design meant that high-energy consuming launch systems and weapons could now be used on a vessel driven by conventional power. So, how significant is the birth of the 003 aircraft carrier to the development of China's maritime military forces? On the one hand, although the Shandong and Liaoning ships are enough to deter Xiaoxiao [ie, small actors], they are still not enough to compete with the superpowers at sea. If you want our aircraft carrier battle group to continue to improve the combat effectiveness, to meet China's requirements for dealing with any maritime conflict, develop its own large-scale The strategic-level aircraft carrier is the most suitable route, and the 003 aircraft carrier is the product of this development goal. Its appearance proves that China has the ability to build large-scale strategic aircraft carriers. In the future, the 003 aircraft carrier would be used as a template, or 100,000-ton aircraft carriers such as 004 and 005 would be born. On the other hand, with the 003 aircraft carrier, the collocation of naval carrier-based aircraft would no longer be greatly restricted in the future, and it can concentrate on the development of various carrier-based aircraft and strengthen the strength of the aircraft carrier fleet. At that time, the aircraft carrier formation composed of the 003 aircraft carrier would truly have the ability to fight in the open sea, rather than the Shandong and Liaoning ships, which cannot travel far because they need to seek the help of land combat power. Furthermore, the launching or commissioning of 003 has truly broken the U.S. militarys monopoly on the power of aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific region. From the perspective of the United States, a medium-sized war requires two aircraft carriers, so the U.S. military often holds two aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific or eastern Taiwan. Aircraft carrier drills, while three aircraft carriers appear at the same time, are very rare. After the arrival of China's 003, it also means that China can dispatch 3 aircraft carriers at the same time, and it also includes "super aircraft carriers" such as 003. In this way, whether it is the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea, if the United States wants to carry out substantive operations, it must consider it well. The Type 002 aircraft carrier is also known as 003 carrier, since it would be the third Chinese aircraft carrier. Every move of the 003 aircraft carrier attracted the attention of the world, the US media was paying close attention to it, and said that the 003 aircraft carrier has begun to fill the dock with water. The news that "China's new aircraft carrier is about to be launched and undocked" spread like wildfire. It is publicly predicted that the ship may enter service in 2024. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CVAN 003 aircraft carrier The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy will operate at least five aircraft carriers in the near future, including the country's first two nuclear-powered ones that would likely be launched around 2025, Chinese military experts predicted on 05 December 2018. The remarks came after online discussions on how many aircraft carriers China needs, which were sparked by a WeChat article from the Xinhua News Agency on November 25, which announced the construction of the nation's third aircraft carrier. The PLA Navy will shift its focus from "offshore waters defense" to "offshore waters defense" with "open seas protection," and will enhance its capabilities for strategic deterrence and counterattacks, maritime maneuvers, joint operations at sea, comprehensive defense and support, according to China's Military Strategy released by the State Council's Information Office in 2015. Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, said that China needs at least five aircraft carriers to fulfill the strategic shifts. Wang Yunfei, a naval expert and retired PLA Navy officer, told the Global Times on 05 December 2018 that China needed six aircraft carriers to ensure enough carriers are on active duty while the others are undergoing maintenance. Meanwhile, China's Ministry of National Defense has not yet revealed a plan for future carriers. Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said at a press conference in November that the development of China's aircraft carriers will be based on the country's overall plan. Minnie Chan writing for the South China Morning Post [SCMP] on 27 November 2019 reported "... plans for a fifth have been put on hold for now, according to military insiders. They said that technical challenges and high costs had put the brakes on the programme... one of the key obstacles is in the development of a new generation of carrier-based fighter jets. China doesnt possess the nuclear technology required, although it has developed many nuclear-powered submarines, said the source, who added that developing a reactor for use on a large warship is more challenging than making one for a submarine.... tests of the electromagnetic catapults used to launch the J-15, Chinas only carrier-based fighter, had yet to meet the required standard." This story came amidst reports that the third carrier, namely the first locally designed big-deck carrier, was under construction and would be delivered within a few years. Without respect to the reporter, the clear intent of the reporter's sources was "dont worry, be happy" seeking to allay anxiety provoked by the rapid buildup of Chinese seapower. In the long sweep of a complex multi-year project such as an aircraft carrier, to say that plans "have been put on hold for now" is nearly meaningless. The "technical challenges" of the notional CV-003 would not seem to represent too much of a leap beyond the CV-002, which was a great leap over the CV-001 medium carrier. China's naval buildup does not otherwise seem constrained by "high costs". The "development of a new generation of carrier-based fighter jets" was cited as "one of the key obstacles". For some years now, China has been flying both the J-20 [first flight in 2011] and the J-31 [first flight in 2012]. As of 2019, neither had been observed in association with land based carrier actitivites, though the J-31 [still a work in progress] was frequently featured in aircraft carrier artwork. A schedule mis-match of a few years between an aircraft carrier and its primary combat aircraft would not be out of the ordinary. In the Royal Navy, the new aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth was commissioned on 07 December 2017. On 30 June 2016 the first of Britain's new F-35B Lightning II supersonic 'stealth' strike fighters touched down in the UK for the first time. By the end of 2019, the second carrier, Prince of Wales, had be commissioned, but F-35B operations were not anticipated until 2021 at the earliest. Turkey began the construction of a new multipurpose amphibious assault ship called the TGC Anatolia in January 2016. Turkey's procurement of the Russian S-400 missile defense systems prompted the U.S. administration to suspend Ankara's participation in the F-35 joint program in July 2019. This leaves Turkey without a clear path towards providing a fixed-wing combat capability for this ship. Turkey will thus be alone in having a large amphibious assault ship with no fixed wing aircraft. The source maintained that "China doesnt possess the nuclear technology required .... developing a reactor for use on a large warship is more challenging than making one for a submarine." A Chinese nuclear powered aircraft carrier would probably require a new power reactor, but Chinese industry is surely adequate to the task at hand. Such a reactor would probably need to be several times more powerful than existing submarine reactors, but contrary to the SCMP source's claim, reactors for surface vessels prsent less of a challenge than submarine, reactors, since the surface vessel does not confront the space limitations inherent in a submarine design. US media reported that China has developed the 003 nuclear powered aircraft carrier. China's new aircraft carrier hinted at the future of the country's navy, according to a report published on the website of the Popular Science magazine published in the United States on 12 January 2017. China will develop fourth aircraft carriers, that is, the type of nuclear powered aircraft carrier, by the year of 2030. The 003 aircraft carrier displacement would be about 100 thousand tons, with a fleet of 70 to 100 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. It would have a number of aircraft elevators and a large ship island. With a nuclear reactor, the 003 aircraft carrier can reach speeds of more than 30 knots. Taking into account China's interest in unmanned vehicles, 003 aircraft carriers may be equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles, used to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The 003 aircraft carrier fleet will be equipped for anti submarine warfare and search and rescue helicopter. The ship will use the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier as the standard, installing nuclear power and electric propulsion system, equipped with electromagnetic catapult and the fourth generation of advanced aircraft. The overall combat effectiveness would reach the world's most advanced level. In January 25, 2017, broadcast on CCTV CCTV10 channel "2016 annual science and Technology Festival" program, the naval power engineering expert Ma Weiming, said the latest research progress we are most concerned about the situation of the electromagnetic launch technology, said the electromagnetic launch technology, will replace the traditional chemical technology in ten years. The exciting news that is being developed in the design of 003 aircraft carrier type electromagnetic launch is a foregone conclusion. The aircraft carrier battle group escort ships may include 055 destroyers and a future Chinese frigate. The improved type 055 destroyer will have an integrated electric propulsion system to enhance the ability of the ship to generate power for sensors and directed energy weapons. In addition to carrying helicopters, the ship may also be equipped with more than 100 long-range air defense and ground attack missiles. Considering the Chinese of unmanned vehicles in the Navy, these ships may carry unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) and unmanned surface vehicle (USV), to deal with mine. As for underwater escort, escort submarines may be type 095 attack submarines. Compared with the current Chinese attack vessels, the submarine stealth performance is better and more sophisticated equipment. From type 001 to type 003, China would have 4 aircraft carriers in 2025 In 2025, it is estimated that China's fourth aircraft carrier type 003 will be launched into service. By then, China will have at least 4 aircraft carriers. China planned to have by 2049 - the Centenary of the founding of the PRC - completed construction of 10 aircraft carriers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beijing Doubles Down on South China Sea Defense Buildup Sputnik News 23:22 03.03.2017(updated 23:56 03.03.2017) Given the sovereignty China asserts over disputed waters and islands in the South China Sea, construction of new infrastructure on artificial islands in the region is not unusual, a senior Chinese official said, according to the Singapore-based news outlet Today Online. According to the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based newspaper owned by Alibaba, Chinese construction in the South China Sea is "seen as a veiled attack on the United States." In the wake of the US Navy's Third Fleet Forward tour through the South China Sea, Wang Guoqing, spokesman for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said criticisms aimed at Beijing for building defense posts in the South China Sea are "much ado about nothing," without naming a particular country, the South China Morning Post reported. "Building amenities on our land, including those for defense, is absolutely normal," the official said, noting that the "sovereign right" belonging to China is "recognized by international law." US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, during his confirmation hearing, stated that American foreign policy has been inadequate in the South China Sea, allowing the Chinese to "keep pushing the envelope" with the placement of "military assets" on regional islets. He declared Chinese construction of defense infrastructure "illegal," prompting a backlash from Beijing threatening a "military clash" if the US blocks Chinese access to islands in the South China Sea. "As the world's largest trader and the country with the most coastline along the South China Sea, we care about the safety and freedom of navigation more than any other country," Wang said, reiterating that China's military assets are solely for basic and necessary defense purposes. The spokesman noted that China has already "established a cooperative mechanism with many countries on safety [in the South China Sea,]" according the the Today Online report. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beijing Sortie Through South China Sea Scares Taiwan; Japan Scrambles Jets Sputnik News 00:58 03.03.2017(updated 03:07 03.03.2017) Chinese aircraft and seagoing vessels have increased the level of military operations being conducted near Taiwan in recent days, prompting the self-governing island to warn the world of a growing Chinese threat. Japanese jets have also scrambled to observe Chinese maritime military movements. Beijing has never excluded the possibility of taking military action to recoup what it considers to be a rogue province. On Tuesday, Taiwan deployed anti-aircraft missiles while promising to step up military patrols to offset China's expanding defensive and offensive military abilities, RT reported. Looking ahead at the transformation of China's strategy and its investment in new weapons equipment, our military will practice new reforms in our training," Taiwanese defense minister Feng Shih-kuan said during an address to parliament. On Thursday, the People's Liberation sent 13 fighter jets, heavy bombers, and early-warning aircraft through the Miyako Strait between Japan's Okinawa and Miyako islands, according to the Japanese defense ministry. It was the largest fleet of foreign aircraft that Japan has scrambled jets for since 2003, when data became available, the ministry added. Xinhua, a Chinese media outlet, said that the jets were poised to rendezvous with a Chinese naval fleet in the west Pacific. "This exercise is part of annual plans for the navy, is not aimed at a specific country or target, and accords with relevant international laws and norms," according to a Xinhua report. The ship transiting the region was a newly-commissioned cruiser dubbed the Changle Gongzhu (Changle Princess), the Press Trust of India reported. The vessel was reportedly headed for the Paracel islands in the South China Sea on its maiden voyage, Xhinua said, where it would haul tourists. The trips are designed to reinforce China's claims over the South China Sea, the Press Trust of India added. The ship will carry 308 passengers for a tour of Yinyu, Quanfu, and Yagong during a four-day, three-night cruise, according to a spokesman for Hainan Strait Shipping, the entity that owns the cruise ship. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have all clashed on which country is the true owner of the Paracel islands, PTI reports. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Malaysia police release North Korean held over Kim's murder Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 5:29AM Police in Malaysia have released a North Korean national who had been detained in connection with the murder of the North Korean leader's exiled half-brother in Kuala Lumpur, and handed him over to immigration officials for deportation. Ri Jong-chol was released on Friday, according to police chief Khalid Abu Bakar, who confirmed they had found no evidence to charge him. Ri, 46, would be deported though because he did not have any valid travel documents, Khalid said. Malaysian police arrested Ri back on February 17, four days after Kim Jon-nam the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was murdered. Jong-nam was attacked by two female assailants as he was walking through the departure hall at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. He died en route to hospital. His assassination, which according to Malaysia was conducted with a banned toxic chemical, has sparked a diplomatic row between Kuala Lumpur and Pyongyang. North Korean officials have demanded that Kim's body be handed over and no autopsy be conducted on his body. Malaysia refused to turn the body over and did an autopsy anyway. Pyongyang later accused Malaysia of being in cahoots with the North's long-time adversary South Korea. On Thursday, Malaysia canceled visa-free entry for North Koreans. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the decision had been taken for "national security reasons." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Malaysian Police Issue Arrest Warrant for Airline Worker Over Kim Jong Nam Death Sputnik News 12:53 03.03.2017 The Malaysian police is going to arrest an employee of North Korean airline Air Koryo, allegedly involved in the murder of the half-brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Nam, according to media reports. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Malaysian police issued a warrant of arrest of Kim Uk Il, an employee of North Korean airline Air Koryo, allegedly involved in the murder of the half-brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Nam, media reported Friday, citing police sources. Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar, as cited by the Bernama news agency, pointed out that Malaysia's police hoped for cooperation of the North Korean embassy's second secretary Hyon Kwang Song during the investigation. Earlier in the day, the police released North Korean national Ri Jong Chol, arrested in relation with Kim's killing. On Wednesday, a Malaysian court charged two women, Duon Thi Huong, a 29-year-old Vietnamese national, and Siti Aisyah, a 25-year-old Indonesian national, with murder. On February 13, Kim was killed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport as he was about to board a flight to Macau. According to Malaysian police, Kim was killed by a VX nerve agent, listed as a chemical weapon by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Aerostats Radar to be Backbone of Indian Border Defense Sputnik News 17:57 03.03.2017 Russian Aerostats radar will be fitted with Israeli SPYDER missiles to give India an edge on the border with Pakistan New Delhi (Sputnik) Russian Aerostats radar is back to give Indian armed forces the teeth along India's border with Pakistan. In the major overhaul of obsolete air defense system along the border, the Russian system will be deployed with Israeli SPYDER air defense missile this year. Defense sources told Sputnik delivery of Russian Aerostats radar is expected to start in a few months and will be fitted with Israeli EL/M-2083 early-warning radars. India will replace its age-old air defense system at six air bases and some other critical locations along western border with SPYDER, which will replace Soviet-era OSA-AKM and ZRK-BD Strela-10M. "The EL/M 2083 will provide elevated view with the Russian Aerostats, thus enhancing the range for scanning threats. This will be linked to the SPYDER SR through the command center providing early warning thus facilitating Lock on Before Launch (LOBL) for the missile," says Brigadier Rahul Bhonsle, a retired Indian Army brigadier and defense analyst. India has also deployed its indigenous 25-km range surface-to-air missile Akash along Pakistan border. However, little larger reaction time and less than 360 degrees coverage of Akash makes it less suitable for employment in the tactical battle areas. "The SPYDER SR system is a generation and a half ahead of the OSA and Strela which were essentially designed four decades ago. The SPYDER SR will provide a high degree of assurance in terms of air as well missile defense cover with a LOBL and Lock On After Launch, thus the reaction time will be much faster with high hit probability," Bhonsle said. India had inked an $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli company in 2008-09 for the supply of 90 launchers. SPYDER incorporates RAFAEL's most advanced, air-to-air missiles: the I-Derby active radar (RF) missile and Python-5, a dual waveband Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) missile. Slant-launch SPYDER SR has 20-km intercept range. "The SPYDER is a much more modern and resilient system. Along with the Aerostats, it will substantially enhance the air defense cover available to ground formations," Gurmeet Kanwal, distinguished fellow at the Delhi-based Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses. Delivery of the SPYDER has been delayed for more than five years as Indian armed forces decides to use high-mobility trucks made by Indian truck maker TATA. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indian Army Gets Electric Eye to Locate Advanced Artillery Weapons Sputnik News 12:00 03.03.2017(updated 12:05 03.03.2017) India to explore export potential of passive array radar which can track any advanced artillery guns within a 50-km range. New Delhi (Sputnik) With heavy shelling along the border a regular occurrence, the Indian Army has received SWATI, the homegrown Weapon Locating Radar (WLR), to provide accurate location of all enemy weapons in a 50-km range. The WLR is a "passive array". SWATI will track all enemy weapons like mortars, shells and rockets firing within in its effective zone of coverage and simultaneously handle multiple projectiles fired from different weapons at different locations. "The system is capable of adjusting the fire of our own artillery weapon also. The weapon includes 81mm or higher caliber mortars, 105mm or higher caliber shells and 120mm or higher caliber free-flying rockets. Thus WLR has two roles to perform i.e. Weapon Location Mode for enemy Artillery and Direction of Own artillery Fire (DOOAF) Mode for our own Artillery," said a DRDO official. India is exploring export of SWATI but only after the Army's requirement is fulfilled. Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat called the system a success. "It is being used extensively along the Line of Control (LoC) by us," he stated. Indian Army has ordered 30 such systems over the next few years. "SWATI could be a great equipment to ensure adversaries do not use artillery fire. If the LoC is devoid of any artillery fire in the near future, you can be sure SWATI radar has gone there," Manohar Parrikar, Indian Defense Minister, said. Parrikar asked defense scientists to work on developing active array weapon locating radar and hand it over to Army in the next few years. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ZTE to plead guilty over Iran sales Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 10:32AM China's telecom giant ZTE is reportedly trying to reach a deal to plead guilty to US criminal charges and avoid a hefty fine over allegations that it dodged US sanctions in its previous Iran transactions. Reuters quoted a person familiar with the matter as saying that the Chinese company was negotiating over the deal with the US Department of Commerce, the US Department of Justice and the US Department of Treasury. The report added that no immediate resolution over the case could be reached at the current juncture given the change in administration in the White House. ZTE's payment could amount to hundreds of millions, Reuters quoted its source as saying. One of the world's biggest telecommunications gear makers and the No. 4 smartphone vendor in the United States, ZTE sells handset devices to U.S. mobile carriers AT&T Inc, T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp. It relies on U.S. companies including Qualcomm, Microsoft and Intel for components. The Commerce Department released alleged internal documents last year, showing senior ZTE executives instructing the company to carry out a project for dodging export controls in Iran,North Korea, Syria, Sudan and Cuba. ZTE replaced the senior executives allegedly involved, including naming a new president, and also appointed a new, US-based chief export compliance officer. The Shenzhen-based company has a US subsidiary in Richardson, Texas. The implications of a guilty plea are unclear. Experts said it can result in a denial order, which imposes a complete bar on the receipt of US origin goods and technology. But, as part of a settlement, the order could be suspended for years, Reuters added. Typically, the reputational taint of a guilty plea on US suppliers or customers would be limited in duration, according to Washington attorney Douglas Jacobson, an export controls and sanctions expert. A settlement also would likely include the imposition of a compliance monitor, experts have told Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi forces regain control of another western Mosul neighborhood Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 4:5PM Iraqi government forces have managed to liberate another neighborhood in Mosul from the clutches of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists as they try to push the extremists out of their last urban stronghold in the country. The commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, lieutenant general Abdul Amir Yarallah, said on Friday that soldiers from the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) had recaptured Wadi al-Hajar area in the western flank of the city, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital, Baghdad, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network reported. Yarallah added that government forces raised the Iraqi flag over several buildings in the area after inflicting heavy losses on Daesh ranks and their military equipment during the operation. Wadi al-Hajar lies just northwest of Mosul International Airport. Moreover, a local source, requesting not to be named, said a high-ranking Daesh militant commander and one of his bodyguards have been killed in an airstrike in the city of Tal Afar, situated 63 kilometers west of Mosul. The source added that Daesh has established many defensive lines on the outskirts of Tal Afar to confront Iraqi security forces and pro-government fighters from Popular Mobilization Units - commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi. Lieutenant Colonel Nazzem al-Juqaifi, the intelligence commander of Hashd al-Sha'abi forces in Haditha, also told al-Sumaria television network that Daesh militants had fired a number of Katyusha rockets at the western Iraqi city. No immediate reports of casualties were available. Thousands of civilians flee Mosul clashes under cover of night Meanwhile, thousands of civilians have fled Mosul overnight with major Saif Ali saying that huge crowds of civilians began pouring into Mosul's western neighborhood of Ma'moun from neighboring districts just after midnight. Ali said civilians in western Mosul are becoming increasingly desperate as food and water supplies begin to run out. "In total 7,000 people fled through this area last night. We were up all night trying to control the crowds," he said. Nearly all the internally displaced families had been moved out of Ma'moun neighborhood by late morning, living behind clothing and blankets piled up in empty lots and on street corners. On February 19, Iraqi government troops and Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters mounted a new offensive to liberate western Mosul. International aid organizations have warned of the mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of civilians from western Mosul. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says some 8,000 people have fled western Mosul since the Iraqi forces launched their operations to rid that part of the city from Daesh terrorists. The UN humanitarian aid agency announced on Tuesday that it was increasing its displacement camps to cope with the rising number of those escaping the battlefield. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daesh terrorists launch chemical attack on eastern Mosul: Cmdr. Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 1:0AM A high-ranking Iraqi military commander says Takfiri Daesh terrorists have used internationally-banned chemical weapons in a recent attack on the liberated areas in eastern Mosul as government forces and their allies are pushing to expel the extremists out of the country's second largest city. The commander of the Iraqi rapid response forces, Captain Sa'adon Khaled al-Ramadani, said on Thursday that the extremists lobbed a barrage of Katyusha rockets containing chlorine gas on al-Maliyah, Nabi Yunus and al-Faisaliyah neighborhoods of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, English-language online newspaper Iraqi News reported. A number of people were reportedly transferred to medical centers and hospitals after suffering severe poisoning with the toxic gas. Noureddin Qablan, the deputy chief of the Nineveh Provincial Council, announced that a woman and her two children suffered skin burns and dyspnea after rockets laced with mustard gas slammed into Mosul's al-Samah and Northern Karaj neighborhoods. Qablan added that the trio were transferred to a hospital in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, to receive medical treatment. Separately, a local source, requesting anonymity, said Daesh's so-called director for religious affairs, his son and one of his close aides were killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces in Mosul's western neighborhood of Wadi Hajar. British Daesh medics killed while fleeing Mosul Meanwhile, two British medical students, who joined Daesh after studying medicine in the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum, were killed during a firefight in northern Iraq. Ahmed Sami Kheder and Hisham Fadlallah are reported to have been killed as they fled Mosul in a convoy at the weekend. On February 19, Iraqi government troops and fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi mounted a new offensive to liberate western Mosul. International aid organizations have warned against the mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of civilians from western Mosul. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says some 8,000 people have fled western Mosul since the Iraqi forces launched their operations to rid that part of the city from Daesh terrorists. The UN humanitarian aid agency announced on Tuesday that it was increasing its displacement camps to cope with the rising number of those escaping the battlefield. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kurds' Peshmerga Clash With Yazidi Militia in Western Iraq Sputnik News 14:33 03.03.2017(updated 14:34 03.03.2017) The so-called Rojava Peshmerga group attacked forces of the Yazidi Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) in the town of Knanesor, located in the western Iraqi Shingal district near the city of Mosul. MOSCOW (Sputnik) People of Shingal fought back, trying to stop the Rojava Peshmergas, the ANF media outlet reported on Friday, adding that the local Yazidi Peshmerga forces were fighting the attackers as well. "As forces of the YBS-YJS [Shingal Women's Resistance Units], we know very well what is the purpose of this attack and who are behind it. KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party] wants the YBS/YJS defeated and intends to drive them out of Shengal. However, KDP will never achieve this goal of theirs. We will not allow attacks, and we will not allow another massacre against our people," YJS Commander Viyan Hebab said, as cited by the media. The clashes have ceased partially, but the tension remains high, the media added. Rojava Peshmerga group is a paramilitary wing of the Kurdish National Council, supported by the KDP. The group, reportedly of 5,000 fighters, is affiliated with Turkey which allegedly trained and funded the Rojava Pashmergas to fight against the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the biggest Kurdish party in Syria. Shingal is a mainly Yazidi-populated district in the western Iraqi governorate of Nineveh. In August 2014, terrorists of Daesh (outlawed in Russia) managed to seize the town of Sinjar, defeating the Kurds and Yazidis. In December 2014, the Peshmerga-led offensive pushed Daesh forces out of the region. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraq: 15,000 children flee west Mosul over past week as battle intensifies, says UNICEF 3 March 2017 Some 15,000 children have over the previous week fled the western section of Iraq's Mosul city where fighting between the Government forces and terrorists is intensifying by the day, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has reported. "UNICEF is responding to the immediate needs at the Hamam Al Alil camp, 20km from Mosul, where aid is provided to children upon their arrival," UNICEF Regional Emergency Advisor Bastien Vigneau said over the phone from Iraq during the regular press briefing held in the UN Office at Geneva. He noted that the children were very scared of the sound of the bombs, which was one of the main reasons their parents had decided to flee. They fled with very little luggage and in most cases with a bare minimum of clothes. The children and their families arrived mostly by buses organized by the military. The main priorities, other than the first emergency response, included health, to ensure that children were immunized, primarily against measles and polio, said Mr. Vigneau. Matthew Sarmash, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said that a significant increase in displacement had been noticed in recent days and the Hamam Al Alil camp was close to reach its maximum capacity. At the moment, 150,000 places were occupied. He said construction is under way to accommodate up to 250,000 people there. UNICEF's Vigneau said that more than 100,000 children have been displaced from Mosul since the military operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) began on 17 October 2016. He said that 874 unaccompanied or separated children have been identified since mid-October, with half of them reunified with their families or taken care of by extended families, and the others being provided dedicated assistance until they reunify with families. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia says ready to broker talks for unity in Libya Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 2:41PM Russia says it is ready to broker talks between rival authorities in Libya to help unify the divided North African country. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had on Thursday in Moscow discussed ways to unite Libya with Fayez Seraj, the prime minister of Libya's UN-backed government. "Moscow confirmed its readiness to work closely with all sides in Libya with the aim of seeking mutually acceptable solutions to create the grounds for the stable development of Libya as a united, sovereign and independent state," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The statement added that Russia sought to cooperate with all parties in Libya, which has experienced violence since NATO's military intervention that followed the 2011 uprising and led to the overthrow and death of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Rival governments were set up in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and the east of the country in 2014. General Khalifa Haftar is linked to the government based in the eastern port city of Tobruk. He has refused to pledge allegiance to the UN-backed government in Tripoli. Seraj's visit is apparently an attempt to overcome a deadlock in Libya. A statement from his office quoted the prime minister as saying that Russia could play a positive role in Libya "thanks to its ties with various Libyan parties." "The passage of time does not allow for the political maneuvers that (some) Libyan groups are trying to play," the statement said. On February 19, Seraj said he hoped that Russia might act as an intermediary between him and Haftar. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Seraj had discussed the progress of a UN-backed reconciliation dialogue. "The Russian side stressed the need for an inclusive intra-Libyan dialogue aimed at setting up unified organs of power, including an army and police force capable of maintaining security and law and order and of effectively countering a terrorist threat," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Battle rages on between Libya rivals The news comes as clashes continued on Friday between the warring sides near oil ports in Libya, a military source said. Forces in eastern Libya conducted airstrikes and clashed with rival factions south of the coastal town of Nawfiliya near major oil terminals, eastern military officials said, adding that the airstrikes were in response to an attack by the Benghazi Defense Brigades (BDB). The BDB consists partly of fighters who were ousted from Benghazi by the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), whose commander, Haftar, has been leading a campaign against Takfiri terrorists and other opponents for about three years. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moscow Says Unfazed By U.S. Defense Spending As Long As Balance Preserved March 03, 2017 The Kremlin says that U.S. plans to boost defense spending will not affect Russia unless they change the "strategic balances" between the former Cold War foes. The remarks from Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman on March 3 came as Moscow watches closely to see how U.S. foreign and defense policies unfold under President Donald Trump. On February 27, Trump announced he will seek to increase defense spending by about $54 billion, or almost 10 percent, as part of a big buildup to compensate for what he said was a depleted military. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, called the spending plans "an internal matter for the United States." "This has nothing to do with us as long as their increasing defense spending does not violate the current strategic balances," Peskov said. Peskov said on March 1 that Russia was waiting with "patience" for indications about the future course of Washington's policy toward Moscow. Trump strongly suggested during his campaign that he would seek to mend badly strained relations with Moscow, and expressed hope that the two countries could cooperate more closely against Islamic State and other extremist groups. But Peskov said on March 3 that there had yet to be any substantive talks between the two countries on how to cooperate in the fight against terrorism or crises such as the conflict in Syria. "There has not been any advance in terms of...true cooperation in the war on terror, and it is regretful," Peskov said, adding that one reason may be that Trump's administration had been in power for just over a month. Based on reporting by TASS and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-unfazed-us- defense-spending-increase/28346751.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Says Russia's Activities In Ukraine Impair Human Rights At Home RFE/RL March 03, 2017 A new U.S. State Department report says human rights in Russia continue to be "significantly and negatively" affected by Moscow's "purported annexation" of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula and its support for separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine. The March 3 report is the first human rights report from the State Department to be released since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, and the first to be produced under Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The report, an annual examination of human rights practices of nearly 200 countries, has particularly harsh words for Russia -- which contrasts with Trump's largely conciliatory rhetoric toward Moscow and his reluctance to speak publicly about human rights concerns, either in Russia or elsewhere in the world. In the Russia section of the lengthy report, the State Department says Moscow continues to train, equip, and supply pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. It says that "numerous fighters" from Russia have joined the separatists. "Credible observers attributed thousands of civilian deaths and injuries, as well as widespread abuses, to Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's Donbas region, and to Russian occupation authorities in Crimea," the report says. It also cites politically motivated arrests, detentions, and trials of Ukrainian citizens in Russia. The report also criticizes restrictions on political participation and freedom of expression, assembly, and the media. "The government passed repressive laws and selectively employed existing ones to harass, discredit, prosecute, imprison, detain, fine, and suppress individuals and organizations critical of the government," it says. "Authorities especially targeted individuals and organizations that professed support for the government of Ukraine or opposed the Russian government's activities in Ukraine." In Ukraine, the report says the most significant human rights abuses were related to the conflict and "occupation" in the separatist-controlled parts of the eastern Donbas region. "Russian-backed separatists in Donbas engaged in abductions, torture, and unlawful detention, employed child soldiers, stifled dissent, and restricted humanitarian aid," it says. It also says that, to a lesser extent, abuses by government forces were also reported. More than 9,750 people have been killed since fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine in March 2014 between the Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces. On the Kyiv government, the U.S. State Department report says there are problems within the Ukrainian judicial system that are impairing human rights. "The government generally failed to take adequate steps to prosecute or punish most officials who committed abuses, resulting in a climate of impunity," it says. It adds that watchdog groups and the United Nations saw "significant deficiencies" when it came to investigations into human rights abuses committed by government security forces. The State Department report does not include comparisons or rankings of the countries that it studied. A senior official in Trump's administration said the report was not a policy statement. Marco Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida, criticized Tillerson for breaking with tradition and not being present during the unveiling of the report. "For 1st time in a long time @StateDept #humanrights report will not be presented by Secretary of State. I hope they reconsider," he wrote on his Twitter account. A senior administration official said the report, signed by Tillerson, spoke for itself and that Tillerson spoke clearly about his concerns for human rights during his confirmation hearings. Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-state-rights -report-russia-ukraine/28348272.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Jets Destroy 2,300 Terrorist Targets in Syria in February Sputnik News 14:43 03.03.2017(updated 17:56 03.03.2017) The Russian General Staff shared the details of Moscow's operation against terrorists in Syria in February. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out 991 sorties, destroyed 2,300 targets in Syria over the past month, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, the chief of the Russian General Staff Main Operational Directorate, said Friday. "Over the month our aviation made 991 sorties, destroyed 2,306 terrorist targets. Among these facilities were such important targets as control points, arms and ammunition depots, the destruction of which plays a significant role in defeating the militants," Rudskoi told reporters. Russia's Aerospace Forces have destroyed 278 targets of Daesh near the northern Syria's city of al-Bab, he said. "The [Syrian] government forces are developing an offensive to the east of al-Bab. A total of 36 settlements in the territory of 400 square kilometers [some 155 square miles] have been liberated in 10 days. Russia's Aerospace Forces destroyed 278 Daesh facilities, including depots and defensive posts," Rudskoi said. "Over the last month, Russian aircraft using parachute platforms delivered more than 324 tonnes of food via the UN to the besieged Deir ez-Zor," he added. Daesh terrorists had surrounded the Deir ez-Zor military airfield in Syria's northeast by mid-January. Commenting on the development of the situation in the area, the Russian General Staff said that if terrorists capture Deir ez-Zor, civilians would be subjected to genocide and the local population could be completely wiped out. The city of Deir ez-Zor, which is still held by Syrian government forces, has been under siege from Daesh since July 2014. The residents of Deir ez-Zor and the servicemen only receive food and humanitarian aid via air-drops. On January 30, the United Nations resumed aid deliveries after a two-week pause. 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. Moscow has been conducting a counter-terrorist campaign in Syria since September 30, 2015, at President Bashar Assad's request. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian General Staff Chief, NATO Head Talk Via Phone for 1st Time Since Freeze Sputnik News 11:32 03.03.2017(updated 12:25 03.03.2017) Russian General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov and NATO head Petr Pavel have had their first telephone conversation since relations between Russia and the West soured; the initiative came from the military alliance. Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov held first talks with Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Gen. Petr Pavel since the Western alliance froze relations, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday. "These are the first high-level contacts in the military field since the adoption of the NATO council decision to freeze relations with Russia," the ministry said in a statement. Gerasimov drew Pavel's attention to Moscow's continued concerns with NATO's "significantly increased military activity near Russian borders, as well as the deployment of the joint NATO forces' forward-based system," the ministry added. The sides additionally discussed the prospects of restoring military communications and steps toward reducing tensions in Europe. In the 2016 summit in Warsaw, NATO decided to deploy additional troops to the Baltic States and Poland, citing the states' vulnerability to the alleged threat of Russian aggression after Crimea rejoined Russia in 2014. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the increased presence of the Alliance's troops and military facilities near Russian borders. Meanwhile, NATO leaders and representatives of member countries of the alliance and the European Union have been invited to the Moscow Security Conference, due April 26-27, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Friday at a briefing for military attaches. "Despite suspended cooperation in the military sphere, invitations to the forum have been sent to all member countries of the North Atlantic alliance and the European Union, as well as to the NATO leadership," Fomin said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Envoy de Mistura Announces End of Geneva 4 Round of Intra-Syrian Talks Sputnik News 21:33 03.03.2017(updated 21:54 03.03.2017) The UN special envoy for Syria has announced the end of the fourth round of negotiations in Geneva. GENEVA (Sputnik) UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced on Friday the conclusion of the fourth round of the UN-mediated intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, Switzerland. "This is the fourth round, which has just been concluded," de Mistura told reporters. The participants of the Geneva talks on Syria agreed to discuss at settlement negotiations all four "baskets" of topical issues for crisis resolution governance, constitution, elections and counterterrorism in parallel, he added. This round of UN-backed intra-Syrian talks between the government and opposition factions kicked off in Geneva last week. 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 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Pushes Daesh 12 Miles Away From Palmyra Toward Deir ez-Zor Sputnik News 21:12 03.03.2017 The Syrian Army and allies have pushed Daesh terrorists for over 12 miles away from recently liberated Palmyra. PALMYRA (Sputnik) The Syrian Army backed by allies pushed Daesh away for more than 12 miles toward Deir ez-Zor province, Talal Barazi, the governor of the Homs province, told Sputnik Friday. "The terrorists were pushed back from the city for more than 20 kilometers in the direction of As Sukhnah [a city located between Palmyra and Deir ez-Zor]. I believe, with the support of allies, the army will keep on the offensive toward As Sukhnah," Barazi said. On Thursday, the Syrian government forces regained control over Palmyra with the support of the Russian aircraft operating in Syria. The operation was carried out with minimal losses among the anti-terrorist troops. The city was occupied by Daesh (banned in Russia) in May 2015 and was under control of the terrorists until March 2016, when the Syrian army supported by Russia's Aerospace Forces liberated it. However, the jihadists later succeeded to drive out the Syrian government forces in December 2016 after a large-scale offensive. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian HNC to Try to Form Opposition Delegation With Cairo, Moscow Platforms Sputnik News 20:02 03.03.2017(updated 20:25 03.03.2017) High Negotiations Committee (HNC) Deputy General Coordinator Yahya Kodmani stated that HNC was not against the existence of the Moscow or Cairo platforms, but thought members of the Moscow platform were closer to the Syrian government than opposition. GENEVA (Sputnik) The Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC), after the current round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, will try to form a unified delegation with the Cairo and Moscow platforms, HNC Deputy General Coordinator Yahya Kodmani told Sputnik. "After the current round of talks in Geneva, we will try to discuss the possibility of forming, jointly with the Moscow and Cairo platforms, a unified delegation. We will continue to try to achieve this with them," Kodmani said. He said the HNC was not against the existence of the Moscow or Cairo platforms, but thought members of the Moscow platform were closer to the Syrian government than opposition. Yahya Kodmani stated that the HNC is ready to come to the next round of Intra-Syrian talks in Geneva if receives an invitation. The date for the next round of talks has not been announced yet, but Moscow opposition group representative Namrud Suleiman told Sputnik on Wednesday that the next Geneva talks were likely to begin on March 20. The information was later confirmed by the office of the UN special envoy for Syria. "Our team we are ready, we are prepared to come. Because our aim is to reach the political solution. But we need to discuss if it's suitable for all of us. But we are willing to come. We're ready. Once there's an invitation for the political process, anything that can bring peace to our country we can ready to go for it," Kodmani said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Aviation, Special Forces Play Key Role in Crushing Daesh Near Palmyra Sputnik News 13:54 03.03.2017(updated 17:55 03.03.2017) Russia's Aerospace Forces and Special Operations Forces played the key role in decimating Daesh terrorists in the battle for Palmyra, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, the chief of the Russian General Staff Main Operational Directorate, said on Friday. "Russian aviation and Special Operations Forces were instrumental in battering Daesh in the Palmyra area," he said. He noted that the operation involved advanced Ka-52 helicopters which demonstrated high efficiency in the conditions of desert and mountains. "The city has been completely liberated. Syrian government troops have taken the dominant terrain to the north and south of Palmyra and are advancing eastward," Rudskoi said. He said Syrian combat engineers are checking building for explosives. "Syrian combat engineers, trained by Russian specialists, have started defusing mines and explosives left by the terrorists," he said. Rudskoi underscored that the success in Palmyra was achieved despite Daesh constantly getting reinforcements from Mosul and Raqqa. "The militants lost over 1,000 people (dead and wounded). Nineteen battle tanks, 37 armored vehicles, 98 pickup trucks with mounted heavy weaponry, and over 100 cars were destroyed," he said. He further pointed out that Russian jets have not delivered airstrikes on historic monuments that have not yet been destroyed by the terrorist group in order to preserve the ancient city's legacy. "The results achieved were made possible thanks to the combined effective planning and timely concentrated efforts between the command of the Russian group in Syria and the Syrian armed forces," he stressed. Rudskoi said the operation had been planned by Russian military advisers. The Syrian Army regained control over Palmyra earlier on Thursday with support of the Russian aircraft operating in Syria. Daesh seized Palmyra, which was the capital of the Palmyrene Empire and one of the richest cities of the Roman Empire, in May 2015. Terrorists destroyed a number of historic sights designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Arch of Triumph, the Temple of Baalshamin and the Temple of Bel. Jihadists also looted the national museum and the famous Palmyra's necropolis. Less than a year after that the Syrian army supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces managed to liberate Palmyra. Russian specialists demined the historic center as well as residential areas of the city. Russian historians and renovators visited Palmyra in early July 2016 and prepared a report assessing the condition of the damaged sites and costs of the renovation works. However, in December 2016, the city was retaken by jihadists. Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the December Daesh offensive on Palmyra. According to the Russian leader, the situation in Palmyra was a result of discordant actions of different players in Syria. 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. Moscow has been conducting a counter-terrorist campaign in Syria since September 30, 2015, at President Bashar Assad's request. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Third German town cancels Turkish rally, police say Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 5:41PM Amid a deepening dispute between Ankara and Berlin, a third German town has called off a rally by a Turkish government minister, police say. The event had been due to be held in the town of Frechen, on the outskirts of the city of Cologne, on Sunday. However, police said on Friday that it would be cancelled as "the contract between the owner of the event hall and the organizer excludes political events." Relations have deteriorated between Ankara and Berlin after local authorities rescinded permission for a meeting of Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, who was planned to address supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the southwestern German town of Gaggenau. Furthermore, the German Press Agency has also cited an official from Cologne as saying that a March 5 event, where Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci was planned to hold a pro-Erdogan rally, has also been canceled. The meetings were part of Turkey's bids to rally support among the estimated 1.5 million Turkish citizens in Germany for an April referendum on the expansion of the Turkish presidency's powers. On Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Germany of double standards over cancelling Bozdag's planned speech and noted that Berlin must "learn how to behave" if it wanted to maintain relations. A day earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry had summoned German Ambassador to Ankara Martin Erdmann to protest the cancellation of rallies in support of Erdogan ahead of the referendum. Ankara again accused Berlin on Friday of scandalous behavior, saying that Berlin provided a "shelter" for people committing crimes against Turkey. "Let them look back at their history," Bozdag said in a speech suggesting a deeper rooted chauvinism in Berlin. "We see the old illnesses flaring up." German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking in the Tunisian capital of Tunis, has hit back, saying Berlin had not been involved in the steps taken by city councils who, according to one mayor, acted purely on security grounds. She once again slammed Turkey's treatment of journalists after Ankara's arrest of Deniz Yucel, a correspondent for the prominent Die Welt newspaper, and said Berlin would not remain silent. "We support freedom of expression and we can criticize Turkey," she told reporters. Foreign Ministry sources in Ankara said on Friday that Turkish and German foreign ministers have agreed in a phone call to meet in Germany on March 8 to discuss row between the two countries after cancellation of the rallies by the Turkish ministers. During the call, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu once again expressed dissatisfaction over Germany's decisions to his counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, the sources said. Relations between Turkey and Germany have soured following a series of disputes since a failed coup attempt to overthrow Erdogan last year. Turkish officials say over 240 people were killed and more than 2,100 others injured following the botched July 15 putsch. Tens of thousands of people, including military personnel, judges and teachers, have been suspended, dismissed or detained as part of the post-coup crackdown. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey-backed Kurds clash with PKK branch in N Iraq Iran Press TV Fri Mar 3, 2017 10:42AM Turkey-backed Kurdish fighters engage in deadly clashes with militants affiliated with the anti-Ankara Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar. The clashes broke out on Friday between the fighters of the Peshmerga Rojava paramilitary force and the YBS, a PKK offshoot set up in the northern Iraq town, Reuters reported, citing Kurdish security sources. There have been reports of deaths on both sides during the fighting, which involved heavy machinegun. Peshmerga Rojava serves the Kurdish National Council, which is jointly funded by Turkey and the President of Iraq's Kurdistan Masoud Barzani. The PKK has been waging a deadly war to carve out an autonomous region in southeastern Turkey. In a statement on Friday, the YBS said the fighting began when the Peshmerga Rojava tried to seize its positions, and accused Turkey of instigating the violence. "It is a totally provocative initiative," the YBS said. Also on Friday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the PKK posed "a threat against the legitimate regional government in Northern Iraq (the Barzani-led Kurdistan Regional Government)." "It's our duty to destroy these terrorist organizations wherever they are," the minister told reporters in Ankara, he added. Turkey has for long been waging bombing campaigns against PKK strongholds in northern Iraq. It has also deployed troops to Iraq in a move roundly spurned by Baghdad, which says the military presence complicates its counter-terrorism operations. While siding with the Kurdish paramilitary against the PKK, Ankara stiffly opposes the Kurds based in neighboring Syria, accusing them of having links with the PKK. Turkey has likewise placed itself in direct confrontation with the Syria-based Kurds, known as the YPG, by deploying its troops to the areas taken by the Kurdish forces from Daesh. Damascus, too, has called on Turkey to pull out its forces, calling Ankara's intervention a violation of Syria's sovereignty. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Germany's Merkel Rejects Turkish Criticism After Meeting Bans RFE/RL March 03, 2017 German Chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected Turkey's allegations that forces within the government in Germany are working to prevent Turkish leaders from campaigning there for a "yes" vote in next month's referendum to expand President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers. The allegations were levelled earlier on March 3 by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after local authorities in the southwestern German town of Gaggenau scrapped a rally to popularize the referendum by Turkey's justice minister, Bekir Bozdag. Authorities cited a lack of sufficient space as the reason. The city of Cologne also blocked an event where Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybecki was to speak on March 5. Merkel, speaking on March 3 on a trip to Tunisia, said public gatherings were approved or rejected at a local level in Germany. Decisions were made "by municipalities, and as a matter of principle, we apply freedom of expression in Germany," Merkel said. Cavusoglu earlier said German forces "don't want Turkish leaders to campaign because they are working for 'no' votes." "They want to prevent [the creation] of a strong Turkey," he said. Meanwhile, authorities in Gaggenau said the town hall received a bomb threat by phone early on March 3 after the cancelation of the rally was announced. Mayor Michael Pfeiffer told German television he did not know with certainty if there was a direct link between the cancelation and the bomb threat. "We presume this at the moment, but we don't know for sure," Pfeiffer said. The dispute comes amid worsening relations between the two countries over the detention in Turkey of journalist Deniz Yucel on February 27. A dual Turkish and German citizen, Yucel is a correspondent for the German daily Die Welt. He was arrested pending trial over accusations of terrorist propaganda and inciting hatred. Merkel defended Germany's criticism of Yucel's arrest, saying, "I also think that it was right of us to criticize any restrictions on press freedom." Earlier this week, Turkey's Foreign Ministry criticized Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz after he said on February 27 that Erdogan was "not welcome" to hold campaign events in Austria. Kurz said that such events would "increase friction" in Austria and prevent the integration of a 360,000-strong minority of Turkish origin. EU candidate Turkey's relations with the 28-member bloc have also soured considerably following a failed coup last summer and a subsequent crackdown by Turkish authorities which resulted in more than 125,000 people in Turkey being fired or detained. The European Parliament in November passed a nonbinding resolution calling on the EU "to initiate a temporary freeze" on admission talks with Ankara until "disproportionate measures under the state of emergency in Turkey are lifted." That prompted an angry reaction from Erdogan, who warned that Turkey could throw open its borders to illegal migrants trying to get to Europe. In March 2016, Turkey and the EU agreed a deal for Ankara to halt the flow of migrants to Europe. Under the deal, EU leaders pledged billions in aid to Ankara, fast-track visa conditions, and possible new impetus for EU membership talks. Turkey hosts at least 2.7 million Syrian refugees. Thousands of migrants from other countries -- including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria --also use Turkey as a transit route to reach Europe. With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-germany- double-standards-bozdag/28344947.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UK maritime forces join major French deployment 3 March 2017 UK maritime forces are taking part in a major French naval deployment to the Indian Ocean and Far East. Around 70 Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel have joined a French task group aboard the French assault ship FS Mistral for the five-month mission. It includes port calls in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Japan, Guam and Australia. Two Royal Navy Merlin Mk3 helicopters have joined the deployment, which will include amphibious exercises and defence engagement. The UK contribution to France's annual Jeanne d'Arc naval deployment demonstrates the strength and depth of UK-France ties and our shared commitment to protecting international maritime security. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: "France is one of our closest allies and our world class maritime forces are combining to show we can operate together effectively." "Whether deployed together at sea, striking Daesh from the air, or contributing to NATO deployments in the Baltics, Britain and France will continue to work hard for our shared security." This deployment further shows the UK's ability to operate alongside French forces, in line with our development of the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, a rapidly deployable joint UK-French force that can respond to crises. Our navies already work together to counter piracy and maritime crime around the coasts of Africa and people smugglers in the Mediterranean, and Royal Navy ships have supported the Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier in its operations against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. British and French forces also operate together as members of NATO, with France contributing to the UK-led enhanced Forward Presence deployment to Estonia this year. The UK and France share a history of cooperation on defence and security, from fighting alongside each other since the First World War to supporting a rules-based international system on the UN Security Council into the 21st Century. Even closer bilateral defence and security ties are being developed through the 2010 Lancaster House Treaties. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mystery Surrounds Blockade Forcing Kyiv's Hand Christopher Miller March 03, 2017 KYIV -- The grainy, livestreamed video shot on a smartphone from an eastern Ukrainian redoubt shows a ragtag group of a dozen or so middle-aged men in fatigues huddled around a steaming pot of something resembling soup. "Tell us, who's sponsoring this meal?" a voice off camera asks the cook, rattling off the names of Russia's president and Ukrainian oligarchs seen as critical of Kyiv. "It's people who want to help our movement," counters the cook, "and who support Ukraine." But the truth is, no one really seems to know. So tensions continue to rise in eastern Ukraine as the frequently armed activists ratchet up their makeshift blockade to divide separatist-controlled territory from the rest of the country nearly three years after the onset of violence. And more than a month into their campaign, the "blockaders" -- on the surface, a motley crew of staunchly pro-Kyiv activists and military veterans, some armed -- have shown no signs of backing down. They are installing new barriers and checkpoints on an almost weekly basis that slow traffic and interrupt the flow of goods across the front line of a conflict that has killed at least 9,750 people. They are demanding that Kyiv stop a perceived "trade in blood" that helps the breakaway groups finance their self-proclaimed "people's republics" in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Doing so, they argue, could force cash-strapped Moscow to foot a heavier bill to sustain its alleged intervention in those places and ease the burden on Kyiv at the same time. The Ukrainian government opposes the blockaders' stand, but law enforcement and the military are hesitant to disperse them by force and risk images of the authorities beating on military heroes. The result is a standstill in nearly all rail traffic and crucial shipments of coal to fuel power plants and heavy industry across the country, which despite the warring sides' differences had continued almost unimpeded until early this year. Already the blockade has led to the Ukrainian energy system being placed under a state of emergency. In at least one case, it has spurred a bloody brawl. On February 28, a group of club- and chainsaw-wielding men attacked the blockaders, leaving one of them hospitalized with a broken leg. Dozens were arrested. The blockaders believe they were goons hired by the coal industry to disperse them. And on March 3, the month-old blockade was met with a pledge in kind by the Russia-backed side. Donetsk separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko, whose fighters already issue dubious "passports" and are trying to convert to the Russian ruble, vowed to "cut all ties with Ukraine." Who's Behind Blockade? With only "a little more than 100 men" among the blockaders, according to Semen Semenchenko, a lawmaker and former volunteer-battalion commander who supports the blockade and is the voice behind the livestreamed video, many have questioned the initiative's grassroots narrative. In particular, they question how it has managed to force Kyiv's hand so quickly with seemingly little financial support. Details are murky. But some activists, experts, and government officials see the hands of oligarchs -- some regarded as pro-Russian and others who have personal and professional beefs with the authorities -- in the blockade. They range from an ally of ousted pro-Russian ex-President Viktor Yanukovych to wealthy businessmen who have butted heads with the government that came to power amid the Euromaidan pro-Western unrest in 2014. Still others suspect Moscow and an increasingly assertive President Vladimir Putin. But there is no proverbial smoking gun. Timothy Ash, a London-based economist who follows emerging Europe, warned after a recent visit to Kyiv that the blockade was "beginning to suit many different interests and is developing a dynamic of its own which may be hard to stop." "There may also be some oligarchic point settling under way in all of this as well," Ash said, "which adds its own dynamic which may not always be that easy to read." 'No Compromise' What is known is that volunteers are receiving some donations from supportive citizens around Ukraine via electronic deposit. In a phone interview with RFE/RL on March 3, Semenchenko insisted the blockade movement was purely grassroots and operating on a shoestring: "The guys are living in tents." The blockaders have a virtual command center with more than 25,000 followers where they solicit contributions, advertise bank-transfer information, and publish video dispatches from their strongholds. Semenchenko's livestreamed videos, like the interview with the cook, are most often shared there. In several of the videos, men tell Semenchenko they were compelled to join the blockade effort by their own belief that separatist-controlled swaths should be cut off from the rest of Ukraine. The government has publicly opposed the blockade, and warned of the economic and financial consequences of it -- replacement coal, possibly from Russia, could be expensive and tens of thousands of jobs could be lost. But some officials in Kyiv have signaled support for such ring-fencing. In December, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov urged a complete cutoff of the separatist-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk from the rest of Ukraine. Turchynov, a wartime acting president in 2014, later clarified that no such steps should be taken without the approval of the current president, Petro Poroshenko. Shortly afterward, veterans set up the first blockades, stopping trains crisscrossing the front line, erecting tent camps atop the tracks, and in some places welding wagon wheels to them. Today, they sit defiantly inside pop-up encampments surrounded by razor wire. They say they won't move until their demands are met. "When the head of the government forbids, by law, any trade transactions with the enemy, when all [Ukrainian] prisoners are released, and when the occupied territories are, by law, named as 'occupied' -- only then will the blockade be lifted," Semenchenko said. "There will be no compromise." Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-rail-blockad e-separatists-donbas/28348235.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kiev Sets Up Drinking Water Reservoirs in Avdiivka Amid Shortages Sputnik News 16:51 03.03.2017 Pavlo Zhebrivskyi, the governor of the Kiev-loyal Donetsk region administration, said that 63 drinking water reservoirs were set in the eastern town of Avdiivka amid water supply disruptions caused by fighting between Kiev forces and eastern militias. KIEV (Sputnik) Ukrainian authorities have set up dozens of fresh water reservoirs in the eastern town of Avdiivka amid water supply disruptions caused by fighting between Kiev forces and eastern militias, Pavlo Zhebrivskyi, the governor of the Kiev-loyal Donetsk region administration, said Friday. "Today, 63 drinking water reservoirs, each one cubic meter [264 US liquid gallons] in volume, have been set up in the city. People with special needs and the elderly are being supplied with bottled water," Zhebrivskyi said on his Facebook page. Water supply in the war-torn parts of east Ukraine, including Avdiivka, was disrupted after fighting broke out in the vicinity of the Donetsk water filtration station (DFS). Special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine Martin Sajdik on Thursday stated that the sides of the conflict had agreed to halt the fighting and enable safe and secure access for filter station staff as well as clearing the area of mines. The DFS is located on neural land along the line of contact between the warring sides some seven miles from Donetsk. The station supplies water to a number of towns and cities on both sides of the contact line and regularly suffers from fighting during ceasefire violations. The situation in east Ukraine worsened at the end of January when fighting between local militias and the Ukrainian military intensified in the towns of Avdiivka and Yasynuvata. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hero of Mollywood's first musical hit 'Thiramala' shares his Hollywood stint, directing Prem Nazir and more or at least not any youve ever seen before. At the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn, the hallways are wide and welcoming and lined with artful photos of the neighborhood. Defendants holding cells are walled in thick glass -- not bars -- and the entire place is bathed in natural light. Instead of imposing dark paneling, the open-plan rooms have crisp white walls and blond wood. In one meeting room, a wall-sized mural painted by teens in the neighborhood shows a lively streetscape at the intersection of 2nd Chance Street and Perseverance Road. Throughout the facility, instructions on signs go out of their way to be polite, even to criminal suspects. Questions? reads a placard near a set of metal detectors. Our court officers are happy to help.The unconventional vibe continues once defendants find themselves in front of the judge -- Judge Alex Calabrese, who has served as the public face and the sole judge of this groundbreaking justice center since it opened 17 years ago. His bench sits at eye level with the defendants, rather than looking down on them from above, to better facilitate a dialogue. During proceedings, Calabrese makes sure that defendants understand whats going on. He talks with them about problems in their lives and how they might address them. He smiles. He asks engaging questions: Have you ever been in treatment for drug addiction? Do you have kids? Are you happy with the shape your life is taking? We want them to know that we want them to be successful, Calabrese says. Theyre so used to getting knocked on their head by the court system.Some of Calabreses interactions with defendants can be almost startlingly polite. If, for example, repeat offenders have never been offered drug rehabilitation services, I will apologize, says Calabrese. Thats just not right. Its not fair. After carefully explaining how he reached his rulings, he often ends proceedings with a handshake or a hug. If a defendant has had a particularly dramatic turnaround, the judge may even applaud.More than a decade and a half after it first opened its doors, the Red Hook Community Justice Center remains one of the most innovative courts in the nation. Its not just the physical attributes of the building or the avuncular demeanor of the judge, though both of those stand in stark contrast to most other courts. Rather, the Red Hook court was conceived as an entirely new approach to justice, a way to reconnect defendants to their community by providing them the services they need. More than anything else, what sets this court apart is a fundamental idea of respect. Treat defendants with respect, and theyll respect you -- and the law -- in the future. Its a radical departure from historical approaches. But whats truly radical is just how successful the idea has been.Community courts, which focus on problem-solving rather than just meting out punishments, are not a new concept. There are dozens throughout the world, many of them in the New York area. Red Hook, which has been in operation since 2000, wasnt even the first community court in New York City; one opened in Times Square in 1993. Because they often send offenders to drug rehabilitation and other jail-diversion programs -- Calabreses sentences are more likely to involve cleaning graffiti or completing drug treatment than going to jail or paying a fine -- community courts reduce the amount of time defendants spend in jail. They also reduce recidivism. Both are primary objectives of criminal justice reform efforts around the country.But other community courts tend to focus on a narrow range of cases: homelessness, say, or drug dealing or human trafficking. Red Hook was designed to be different. It was the United States first multijurisdictional community court, meaning it hears everything from landlord disputes to drug arrests and other criminal offenses, including juvenile cases.Planning for the court and the services it would provide began in the mid-90s. A nonprofit group called the Center for Court Innovation offered to work with the New York state judicial branch to design how the court would function. But many of the major decisions came from the community itself. Organizers, for example, took neighborhood leaders on bus trips around the area to scout potential locations for the new court. While other locations provided more administrative benefits, community leaders settled on a vacant building that once housed a Catholic school. Reopening the building for a public purpose instead of private condominiums, they said, would give the neighborhood a source of civic pride.Something else was clear from the beginning: Red Hook wouldnt be just a courthouse. On the two floors above Calabreses courtroom are social workers, a housing resource center, a GED program, and other counseling and support services. The court hosts community meetings and college fairs and has brought in legal aid lawyers to help residents with civil cases. A youth court trains local teens to act as judge, jurors, prosecutors and defense attorneys in real cases referred to it by Calabrese.Because of all the services it offers, the justice center isnt just a place people are forced to go on their worst days. Its a true community resource that people in the neighborhood frequently turn to for support. That, says Adam Mansky, the director of operations for the Center for Court Innovation and one of the early administrators of the Red Hook court, is the magic ingredient that has helped reshape the relationship between the community and the justice system. Organizers included a housing court, for example, specifically to handle cases between tenants and the local public housing agency. We are striving to create a sense of ownership by the community, Mansky says. We were very cognizant of the fact that a community like Red Hook -- a low-income, mostly minority neighborhood -- could feel extremely skeptical of a government intervention like this, particularly in criminal justice. So from the very beginning we worked assiduously to engage the community, and to show them we werent there to criminalize the community but to provide support to the residents.The court is an incredible community resource, says Jill Eisenhard, the founder and executive director of the Red Hook Initiative, a nonprofit focused on youth. Practically, it saves people a lot of time and money to take care of small legal matters in the neighborhood, rather than requiring people to go to courthouses farther away. But the court has been especially valuable during times of crisis, she says. Last summer, as violence rose in the area, many youth were afraid and angry about how they were treated by police. Eisenhards organization was able to meet with Calabrese and other court staff to relay their concerns. After one shooting, Calabrese went to the public housing development to check in. Thats genuine, she says. People know who he is. Hes not afraid to cross a line outside of the building and come and ask us whats happening and if were OK.is a funny little pocket of western Brooklyn, a corner of land that juts into New York Harbor but is choked off from the rest of Brooklyn by an elevated highway. The nearest subway stop is a mile away. For years, being out of the way meant Red Hook was largely forgotten. Its home to one of the biggest public housing developments in New York, with nearly 2,900 apartments. In the 1970s and 1980s the city allowed those homes to fall into disrepair. The neighborhood further declined as its docks lost business to New Jersey. Drug dealers moved in. By 1988,magazine declared Red Hook the crack capital of America.Things hit rock bottom four years later, when a popular elementary school principal was shot and killed while searching for a fourth-grade boy who had left school. The principal had evidently been caught in the crossfire in a fight over drug territory. The slaying drew national attention to Red Hook. Within a few years, the idea to start a community court there began to take hold.As plans for the court took shape, organizers reached out to Calabrese, who, as a Brooklyn criminal court judge, assigned social workers to cases with drug treatment, mental health or school attendance issues. When he was assigned to the new project in Red Hook, Calabrese made a point to meet with people who lived in the neighborhood. He went to community meetings and visited housing developments. This is a community where there was so much gunfire on the streets, youd put your kids to bed in the bathtub, because that was the safest place for them, he says. This is the way theyre living, and no judge had been out there. There was a complete disconnect between court and community.Red Hook today is a far different place from when Calabrese started. Theres a gleaming 40,000-square-foot Tesla showroom just blocks from the courthouse. The citys only IKEA is nearby. Bike-share stations have sprouted up in front of public housing. Part of that has to do with the same gentrifying forces that have changed much of the rest of Brooklyn in the past 15 years.But supporters say the court has helped too. Arrest rates in the police precincts served by Red Hook dropped almost immediately after the court opened in 2000 and have largely stayed there since. A 2013 evaluation by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) found that adult defendants who went through Red Hook had a 10 percent lower recidivism rate than those who went through traditional courts. The effect was even more pronounced for juveniles, who saw a 20 percent decrease compared to other systems.Meanwhile, Red Hook reduced the number of defendants who were sentenced to jail by 35 percent. In fact, 78 percent of defendants at Red Hook were sentenced to participate in community service like cleaning up parks, or in social services like drug treatment. At Brooklyns primary criminal court, by contrast, only 22 percent of offenders received those types of sentences.Part of the reason for that success rate rests in Red Hooks basic dedication to treating defendants with dignity. A growing body of research around the notion of procedural justice, pioneered by Yale psychology professor Tom Tyler, shows that litigants (including criminal defendants) are more likely to abide by a courts rulings if they think that the process used to reach those rulings is fair -- even when the ruling isnt in their favor. That certainly seems to be the case at Red Hook. When offenders were asked to describe in their own words how their experiences at the Justice Center differed from their experiences in other courts, the 2013 NCSC study said, the word they most frequently chose was respectful.Red Hook has become an international model, inspiring similar projects in places from Canada to Israel to Australia. Judges and public officials from across the U.S. and elsewhere have visited to see how they might implement some or all of the ideas back home. But the Red Hook model requires concerted effort and coordination from state lawmakers, the judiciary and the community, which has made it slow to catch on in other states.For Calabrese, the success of Red Hook rests on that central idea that everyone deserves respect. It all starts from understanding that everybody who comes through your doors, whether they walk in through the front door or theyre brought in through the back door by the police, theyre a member of your community, he says. They are a member of your community before they had a case, while the case is pending and after the case is over with. Its been more than two weeks since the White House deleted much of the public information on its open data portal , and state and municipal officials are among those watching closely to see how the fledgling Trump administration decides to handle open data.Federal data began disappearing from the White House website not long after President Donald J. Trump was sworn in on Friday, Jan. 20, with climate change information making the casualty list that very day.As with many other aspects of this administration, observers noticed almost immediately; but they didnt see a wholesale loss of information from the White House open data portal until mid-February.The matter deeply concerned Joshua New, a policy analyst for the Center for Data Innovation , a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute. He called the disappearance of open data a red flag in an op-ed piece on Tuesday, Feb. 21, for The Hill While the Trump administration has not yet signaled that it will oppose open data across the federal government, its silence on the issue suggests that open data may not receive the same level of priority it has in the past, New wrote.In contrast, he noted, former President Barack Obama " ... declared a new era of openness on his first full day in office and directed federal agencies to be more transparent.The extent of the damage is not yet known, New toldin an interview, but the implications of what could happen if a vacuum develops around data at the highest levels are very large.The federal government has been a huge leader in open data. Weve been very fortunate to see an explosion at the municipal level in open data over the last couple years, but the federal government has been a leader," he said. "I think without the federal government as a leader, municipal government open data efforts will suffer.Not everyone agrees with the idea that municipal governments open data efforts will automatically suffer.Leigh Tami, chief performance officer in Cincinnati which debuted a new city Web portal with 15 new dashboards in December said her citys open data effort is going strong. Similar efforts elsewhere are likely to be sustained by their complex nature, which makes them hard to dismantle, Tami said, and by their cost effectiveness.I think that a lot of organizations, a lot of cities and states are finding that if they can point constituents to an open data portal, thats saving everybody time and money rather than pulling a lot of Freedom of Information Act requests, Tami said, noting her information on other state and local agencies was anecdotal.Colorado Chief Data Officer Jon Gottsegen declined to speculate on the federal data situation, but also emphasized the value of making data open, centralized and easy to find. In Colorado, he said, data on underground storage tanks is maintained by the Division of Oil and Public Safety, but located within the Department of Labor and Employment.But if you dont know to look for Labor and Employment, you dont know where to find that data, Gottsegen said. What I always say with our Colorado Information Marketplace is that people can find state data without having to know the nuances of the structure of state government.Instead of waiting for the Trump administration to codify its policy and act upon it, New said Congress should approve the Open, Personal, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act, which requires government data from federal agencies be published as machine-readable, and generally available in an open format free to the public.The act made it through the Senate during the 114th Congress final days, in December after the House had already left, New said, noting its support from both sides of the aisle should clue lawmakers in to its potential for a quick win.But it really is teed up for this Congress to get a quick win thats good for business. I am pretty optimistic that well see the Open Government Data Act passed pretty soon and I think once thats passed, that will be the foundation for a robust open data policy, New said.Tami agreed the act could be a positive for public and private sectors.The more that we automate, the more were able to do, the more sophisticated our analysis is, and the more sophisticated the information were able to push out is, she said, referring to the refinement of data generation.Gottsegen said enhanced vetting can help refine data, but warned against releasing information that may not be ready to be made public yet.They have data and they may feel like it hasnt gone through the whole gamut of quality control and vetting they feel is necessary. They may not want to put it out there and have people feel like theyre doing a shoddy job. You dont want people to expose data theyre not proud of because in the future they wont be cooperative, he said, describing the process of making data public.Ultimately, New said, government data should be a platform for innovation.Their job is to put it out there since its a taxpayer-funded public resource, he added.That's exactly what Tami said she sees happening at local and state levels, with Republicans and Democrats alike driving government transparency. And the U.S. Governments open data site, data.gov , is still functional, she noted.I would be a lot more alarmed if data.gov were down," she said. "But I think data has become something of a statement about how government engages with constituents, how government informs constituents." In what has been a chaotic month for Uber, the ride-sharing giant is finding it difficult to strike a balance as a disruptive company while abiding by the rules. While the company has reportedly been working closely with the California DMV to file an application for self-driving vehicle permits, it also has been internally flagging law enforcement agents and other city workers around the globe, according to a piece inThe tool, called Greyball, was a part of a larger violation of terms and services (VTOS) program the gathered data from either credit card information or public record to flag certain riders. In a statement from the company to the, the VTOS is used to identify and deny ride requests to users who are violating the terms of service, whether thats people aiming to physically harm drivers, competitors looking to disrupt our operations, or opponents who collude with officials on secret stings meant to entrap drivers.According to the, the program would send notifications to riders when a law enforcement agent or city worker requested a ride. The app would either show that there are no available cars in the area or would overpopulate the digital map with more cars than were actually available. Uber has used these methods to evade authorities in U.S cities including Boston, Paris and Las Vegas while more common internationally in Australia, China and South Korea.Legislators have often found themselves scrambling to regulate ride-sharing services before the companies are able to move into new markets. Uber has publicly clashed with cities including Philadelphia and Austin, Texas Uber also has had troubles with its home state of California. The company began picking up passengers in its self-driving Volvos in San Francisco in December of 2016. The DMV quickly announced that the ride-sharing company had not received a permit required to conduct testing on public roads. The DMV was therefore forced to revoke the registration of the vehicles until the company complied, just as every other company had done.On Dec. 13, the agency issued a statement saying , The California DMV encourages the responsible exploration of self-driving cars. We have a permitting process in place to ensure public safety as this technology is being tested. Twenty manufacturers have already obtained permits to test hundreds of cars on California roads. Uber shall do the same.According to the department, the permit comes with a $150 fee and can be issued within 72 hours.At the time, the company said it believed the permit was unnecessary because its cars always had drivers behind the wheel, ready to take over. The self-driving Ubers that we have in both San Francisco and Pittsburgh today are not capable of drivingsaid Anthony Levandowski, one of the self-driving vehicle project heads in a company blog post . In response to the states action, the company decided to move its vehicles to Arizona.But Uber appears to have shifted its thinking and will work to resume testing on California public roads. According to The Mercury News , the company has been working closely with the state DMV to file an application for permits for its self-driving vehicles. Two of the cars have been spotted in San Francisco, but are only being used for road mapping services.This paradigm shift for the company comes on the heels of weeks of bad publicity. A former engineer of the company wrote a post about the companys problems in dealing with sexual harassment. CEO Travis Kalanick was also caught in a video dismissing an Uber drivers concern over wages. At one point he is caught dismissing the the drivers concerns, saying, Some people don't like to take responsibility for their own [expletive]. They blame everything in their life on somebody else.Kalanick issued a public apology acknowledging that he feels ashamed of his actions and intends to get help on being a better leader. Applying for the permit could be the companys first step. The city of Greensboro is hosting a rail safety meeting called Operation Greensboro Safe Crossing to focus on eliminating accidents and deaths involving trespassers on Greensboros stretch of railways. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Monday at the East Market Street Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1804 E. Market St. in Greensboro. According to Greensboro City Manager Jim Westmoreland, this is an important effort on the citys part to curb the ongoing issue of rail trespassing. Each year we lose people that have been struck and killed by trains in Greensboro, and we must do better to help educate the community on the perils of crossing train tracks, Westmoreland said. In most cases, these accidents are preventable and involve residents illegally walking on or across the tracks. The Operation Greensboro Safe Crossing campaign will deploy strategies designed to better inform and educate the community on safe crossing practices, to better identify areas acceptable for safe crossing, and to proactively monitor the rails for violators and reinforce safe practices. Beth David Synagogue holding used book sale Beth David Synagogues annual used book sale is underway. The hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday. The sale is closed today, the Jewish Sabbath. Admission is free. The 15th annual sale also offers records, CDs, DVDs, videos and more. It is being held at the synagogue, 804 Winview Drive in Greensboro. For information, call (336) 294-0007. Womens center offers variety of workshops The Womens Resource Center, 628 Summit Ave. in Greensboro has planned a series of workshops, open to women 18 and older: Get Recharged! Thriving Through Change, 10-11 a.m. Tuesday. Learn ways to overcome anxiety and fear in this ever-changing world. Discover more about self-compassion, and learn to better understand your limits. Breaking Up and Moving On, 5:30-6:45 p.m. March 16. With attorney Jackie Stanley. Topics include legal separation; custody; alimony and child support; how to file for divorce on your own; how to avoid drama; and more. My First Time! A First Time Home Buyer Seminar for Women, 5-6:45 p.m. March 23. Learn about the home-buying process, down payment assistance options, credit score guidelines and how to improve your credit score. Foundation for Better Money Habits, noon-1:30 p.m. March 28. Learn how to set financial goals and priorities, tips on how to set your own personal budget and receive guidance about money management. Another workshop is open to men and women: Everything You Need to Know About Social Security 2017, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursday. With attorney Diane Brady. Learn about eligibility requirements, benefits, penalties, retirement, changes and updates, the application and appeals process, and more. Classes are free, but registration is required. Call (336) 275-6090. Disability resource fair at Greensboro College Greensboro College will host a resource fair for people with disabilities, their families and community professionals from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday in Mane Stage at the colleges Reynolds Center, 1015 W. Market St. in Greensboro. The fair, which is free and open to the public, will provide information and resources of interests to students of all ages and abilities as well as their parents and professionals. Organizers include the Student Council for Exceptional Children and Christine Joyner Greene Education Center. For information, contact Natasha Veale, Greensboro College associate professor of special education and coordinator of the colleges special education program, at (336) 272-7102, Ext. 5355, or natasha.veale@greensboro.edu. Learning the history of my childhood home in South Mississippi had not been a bucket-list item, but I did find it exhilarating to connect my humble beginnings to a pre-Civil War Cotton Plantation. Tying up loose ends when we returned to North Carolina was even more interesting. The 1935 purchase of a farm along the Homochitto River in the South Mississippi community of Caseyville was the first sign my parents were in the recovery mode. They had lost everything in the Great Depression. The farm came with an old antebellum home. Some antebellums were made to show ours was made to live in. To me, the old house was like heaven on Earth, even though I always suspected there were snakes underneath. None were ever spotted, but I cautioned friends not to dangle their feet off the front porch. My brother took the farms only strong back away to the Marine Corps when World War II began. He helped win the war, but we lost the farm in the meantime. At a time when surfing meant oceans and libraries not Google I found a reference book about family migration from Scotland to Scotland County, N.C., in the Greensboro Library. Thats where I learned about the Blue family. The family patriarch was Malcolm, followed by John I and John II. The next generation was Calvin, John III and Luther. Calvin and Luther Blue caught my attention first. As Davidson and Harvard graduates, respectively, they left the Sandhills for South Mississippi in the 1840s Calvin as a school teacher and Luther as a land surveyor. Luther surveyed for decades, but Calvin quickly switched from growing students to growing cotton. By 1860, his 1,200-acre, totally fenced cotton plantation was the largest in the area. Calvin Blues young wife, son and two daughters all died from the flux. They were early burials in the Calvin Blue Cemetery, just up the hill from his home. Calvin died at the turn of the century. He was buried in the same cemetery, just up the hill from his home. I got there before the reference book did: The Calvin Blue Cemetery is located in Caseyville, Miss., along the Homochitto River, just up the hill from Blues homeplace. The old antebellum home and farmland had been purchased and occupied by a Thetford cousin. He asked, You remember that old graveyard in the woods just up the hill from where were sitting, dont you? My dad had made that graveyard so far off limits for me that it is only a vague childhood memory. Additionally, he reminded me about timber rattlers in those hills. Upon closer but cautious inspection, there were no timber rattlers, and we thought it very sad that a young mother, her son and two daughters were buried on the same day, side by side, in the overgrown cemetery. Luther and Calvin Blue had left five sisters, a widowed mother, and a sizeable Laurinburg farm in the care of their middle brother, John Blue III, known as John Gilchrist Blue. He had done quite well with the farm, found husbands for most of his sisters and saw to it that the farm prospered. In his spare time, he became a lawyer and state legislator in both North and South Carolina (not simultaneously). His two sons also did well. Adm. Victor Blue was a Naval Academy graduate, twice-decorated for bravery in the Spanish-American War, and chief of the Bureau of Navigation before World War I. During the war, he reverted temporarily to captain to command the USS Texas from 1817 to 1819. Concurrent with his brothers stellar service, Dr. Rupert Blue served eight years as U.S. surgeon general with the equivalent rank of vice admiral. Both of Victor Blues sons commanded U.S. Navy ships during World War II. Lt. Cmdr. John Blue IV, if youre counting, and also a Naval Academy graduate was the USS Juneau navigator when it was sunk off Guadalcanal; only 10 of 700 crew members survived. John IV went down with the ship, along with the five Sullivan brothers. Beyond the discovery of my childhood homes pedigree and a table of veterans to write about, another discovery struck even closer to home. The family patriarch, Malcolm Blue, had other sons in addition to John I, one of them being Dugald. Dugalds descendants include a granddaughter more times removed that I can enumerate born to school teaching parents in Laurel, Miss. Her name was Martha Blue. It changed to Martha Blue Thetford when we were married on Christmas Day, 1960. Jonathan Chad Modlin, 26, wont be free any time soon, but when he does get out of prison, he doesnt want to be monitored by a satellite for the rest of his life. The N.C. Court of Appeals granted Modlin a hearing on whether lifetime satellite-based monitoring violates his constitutional protection from unreasonable search and seizure. According to Mebane and Graham police, Modlin had sex with two 15-year-old girls he had met on Facebook in 2013 and 2014. He was charged in summer 2014 with 16 counts of statutory rape, and one count of crime against nature. Modlin pleaded guilty to statutory rape and second-degree sex offense Jan. 5, 2016, and was sentenced to 12 years to 19 years, six months in prison. While the defense argued the circumstances of Modlins case made it different from court precedents calling sex acts with people legally unable to consent, like minors, aggravated and sexually violent crimes, Superior Court Judge Reuben Young agreed with the prosecution and ruled that Modlin would wear a satellite monitoring device for the rest of his life. The Court of Appeals ruled the Superior Court decision was in error since Young did not hold a reasonableness hearing on whether, considering the totality of circumstances, the intrusion on Modlins privacy that comes with SBM is the kind of unreasonable search the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is intended to stop. The state has the burden of proof, according to the Appeals Court opinion. Modlins expected release date is Dec. 31, 2027. Several North Carolina state legislators, including two from Guilford County, submitted a bill this week to create the crime of economic terrorism and punish unruly, destructive or traffic-blocking protesters. The bill would make it a felony to cause more than $1,000 in damage while protesting with the intent to intimidate the civilian population or to influence, through intimidation, the conduct or activities of the government of the United States, a state, or any unit of local government. The bill filed Thursday would expose protesters convicted of breaking the new law to possible imprisonment from four to 25 months and to liability in civil court for public agencies cost in responding to the unlawful" protest. The prospect of such punishment drew warnings from civil libertarians that it smacks of potential abuse, but one of the bills main backers said that his goal was not to trample anybodys constitutional right to protest. My aim is not to stop protests. My aim is to keep it peaceful and to keep it so that the protest doesnt impede the rights of other people who are not involved in the protest, said state Rep. John Blust (R-Greensboro). People convicted under the law also could face economic-terror lawsuits in state Superior Court for whichever is greater, $50,000 or three times the actual damages suffered by people whose businesses or other property was harmed. The proposed bill, House Bill 249, fits into a recent national pattern in which Republican legislators in 17 or more other states have floated new laws to punish forms of civil disobedience that, in their view, exceed reasonable limits in ways ranging from shutting off pipelines to blocking highways and airports. The North Carolina bill would draw a distinction between violent terrorism involving an assault against one or more people and the economic form that involves participating in an unlawful assembly, riot ... or obstructing traffic. Protesters who just refuse to disperse after being warned would face a misdemeanor charge. In addition to Blust, primary sponsors of the bill include state Reps. Justin Burr (R-Albemarle) and John Torbett (R-Gaston), the lead sponsor. State Rep. John Faircloth (R-High Point) said he signed onto the bill as a secondary endorser because it involves law enforcement, an area that he, as a former police chief, monitors closely. Blust said the specific type of action he wants the new law to punish or better yet, prevent from recurring happened in Charlotte last fall when protesters reacting to the police shooting of an African-American man, Keith Lamont Scott, blocked Interstate 277 by assembling in the right of way. Think of somebody driving I-77 from D.C. to Columbia. Think of somebody tired, theyve been driving for several hours, they may be low on fuel and, suddenly, theyre in a crowd (of protesters blocking the way), Blust said. Thats a dangerous situation. I dont think it can be tolerated. The proposed new law would battle against that by creating a category of mass traffic obstruction by 10 or more people that would require immediate action by local officials to clear the roads of the persons unlawfully obstructing vehicular traffic. But in drafting the proposed law, proponents might have run afoul of constitutional protections that guarantee peoples right to assemble in protest, said Michael Gerhardt, a professor at the UNC School of Law in Chapel Hill. A judge might view the language used in the bill as being overly broad and vague in ways that could give the police and other public officials far too much leeway in deciding what type of behavior or assembly would be prohibited, said Gerhardt, the law schools Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor in Constitutional Law and the director of its program in law and government. Gerhardt said it sounds as though statutes already exist that outlaw the kinds of behavior the bill seeks to prevent or punish. You dont have any First Amendment right to just walk onto somebodys private property in protest and interfere with business, Gerhardt said. If the bill became law in its present form, it might keep the courts busy for a while, he said. The bill also could go astray by arbitrarily closing off street protests because the U.S. Supreme Court has a long history of protecting peoples right to gather in the streets, said Mike Meno of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina. No matter your politics, North Carolinians should be concerned anytime lawmakers try to limit peoples right to protest and to criticize government officials, Meno said. Faircloth acknowledged that the bill as now written has some imperfections, adding that he believes that problems such as any duplication of already existing law would be deleted as it moves through the process of committee review. One of the key issues he hopes the bill could set right is the harm that unruly protesters sometimes do to private property owners, including businesses that might be set on fire or have their merchandise looted, Faircloth said. I think the primary sponsors of this bill are trying to get at some way of helping those people recover, he said. Scientists across the country are worried that the actions of the Trump administration will directly impact our environment. This worrying first started when state governments wouldnt permit researchers and organizations to use factual terms such as global warming or sea level rise. Unfortunately, it hasnt stopped there were seeing this at a national level now. All references to climate change have been removed from the White House website, thus showing the American people that science is no longer a priority. The North Carolina coast has a special place in my heart, and it pains me to see state-enforced gag orders placed on the scientific community, limiting their ability to advocate for the health of our coastlines. This suppression of facts, specifically relating to the study of climate change, is extremely troubling. However, this suppression does not mean that we dont have a voice. Those who care for our planet and want to combat climate change need to reach out to state leaders and urge them to not silence our scientists. Call your legislators and demand them to stand up for science, because without statewide support, it is not certain that our coastlines will be protected. Hannah Hartford Raleigh I was glad to see that, despite Republican lawmakers efforts to halt the progress of renewable energy, North Carolinas first wind farm became fully operational earlier this year. A letter sent to the Pentagon, signed by Rep. Tim Moore and Sen. Phil Berger among other state leaders, called the project the promotion of unscientific and nonsensical energy sources. Their goal is to shut down the entire wind energy project permanently. Wind energy and other clean, renewable energy sources are anything but nonsensical. What doesnt make sense is continuing to use dirty fossil fuels, which is what these Republican leaders would rather invest in. A UNC study found that North Carolina has the potential for huge wind energy production and concluded that we should pursue it aggressively. Coal deposits are running out and will be depleted within this century. If state leaders are concerned with a lack of scientific information about wind energy, they should fund more research instead of trying to kill an energy source that shows much more promise than fossil fuels. I urge readers to contact state House Speaker Tim Moore and state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger to let them know how important wind energy is to our future. Sara Edwards Chapel Hill Ordinary mortals wait years to receive coveted commuter parking permits for the towns four railroad stations. But the daughter of a nationally prominent Republican was moved not long ago to the head of the line, obtaining a permit after having spent little if any time on the very long wait list, according to documents obtained by Greenwich Time. First Selectman Peter Tesei said this week he had no idea how Electra Reed, daughter of the late Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, jumped to the top of the long wait list. Rita Azrelyant, town parking service director who reports directly to Tesei, and who issues the permits, also could not explain how Ms. Reed got her permit so quickly. Several messages left on Ms. Reeds phone answering machine over the last five weeks have gone unanswered. More than 3,500 names were on the commuter permit waiting list as of Oct. 1, 2015, but Ms. Reeds was not one of them. Almost 100 people had been on the list since 2009, and several hundreds more had joined the list in 2010. Greenwich Time received the October 2016 active permit holders list from Ms. Azrelyant this fall. It showed Ms. Reed had a permit that was valid from Oct. 1, 2015 through Sept. 30, 2016. Last week, in response to email questions from Greenwich Time, Mr. Tesei, through his executive assistant Barbara Heins, replied that Ms. Reed had been added to the parking wait list on Dec. 5, 2015. She has since received a permit and continues to hold a valid permit. When asked how someone who had been on the wait list since December 2015 jumped over several thousand people, neither Tesei nor Azrelyant could answer. Parking spaces at the four Metro North Railroad stations in Greenwich are hard to come by. Most of them are available only to car owners with valid permits; each station has a minimal number of daily spots. The annual permits are so coveted that some people who stop commuting to New York hold onto their permits and keep paying the annual fee just to avoid a five-year-or-more wait should they start commuting again. In another area of concern, Azrelyant inserted herself into the ticket appeals process to negotiate lower parking fines for drivers who had challenged parking tickets. Appeals are by statute to be heard and decided by an independent hearing officer appointed by the towns chief executive. Ms. Azrelyant and Tesei both said in a Tuesday morning conference call that negotiating lower fines is done routinely. Ms. Azrelyant also said it was a past practice started by former Town Parking Services Director Allen Corry. However, Mr. Corry, reached at his job in Dallas, said he never negotiated fines with anyone who had entered a formal appeal. He said it was against his professional ethics and was statutorily prohibited. The parking ticket appeal process is defined and authorized by state statute. Appellants complete a form online or receive a form from Town Hall, on which they provide specific information in hopes of winning dismissal from the hearing officer. The statute makes no allowance for negotiated settlements outside of the hearing process. In 2014, Azrelyant reached out to between 250 and 270 ticketed car owners to negotiate a settlement, without telling the hearing officer and not as part of any formally recognized process. Greenwich Time has copies of eight hearing requests, with what appear to be Ms. Azrelyants handwritten notes. One ticketed driver appealed his $55 fine because, he wrote, the car was not parked in an improper spot. The mobile application for paying the meter was not functioning. The handwritten notes on the appeal say: Parked in permit area. Pay by phone doesnt work in permit space. The notes continue: Given plenty of courtesy and detail three dates and three different reduced offers made. The notes conclude with: refused offer of $25. Felt entitled to pay nothing. Friday afternoon, Heins sent written answers to two emailed questions I had sent to Tesei. The first asked him if he was concerned about the integrity of the wait list. He wrote, On a regular basis, there are thousands of transactions whether it is issuance of permits or resolving parking ticket appeals that are handled by multiple Parking Services Department employees who are authorized to do so. In light of this, this week I asked Police Chief James Heavey to assign Captain Mark Kordick, who served as the first Parking Services Director, to assist the current director in conducting a review of the business practices used by department staff. The review will identify and validate what could be modified or revised to reflect best business and industry policies, procedures and processes. The Parking Services Department was housed within the Police Department until it was made a standalone group in 2003 reporting to the First Selectman. Teseis statement seems to limit the scope of his investigation to the Parking Services Department. If he is to get to the bottom of the preferential treatment, he will have to broaden the scope of his charge. Bob Horton can be reached at bobhorton@yahoo.com. The World Government Summit in Dubai always leaves its attendees and viewers with a gratified, inspirational understanding of what governments and businesses across the globe are doing to improve the lives of citizens everywhere. This year, as the Raising Awareness and Human Social 2.0 panel wrapped up, there was one undeniable takeaway: the voice of Millennials and Generation Zers are forcing governments and businesses across the globe to change how they operate. Through the panel, featuring top entrepreneurs and executives Renato Libric, Rana Gujral and Ryan Patel, we learned that the traditional methods of operating a business has been flipped on its head and now requires much more thought and consideration. Related: 5 Ways Millennials Are Like No Generation Before Them What has changed? The times have changed from when a company could focus solely on making as much capital as possible without having to worry about their global outreach and opinions. Now, an organizations stance on what they believe in, as well as their own goodwill in the world, are equal, if not more valuable, than the products they produce. This new wave of pressure to "do good" came about because of the advent of social media, empowering millennials and Gen Zers. The panel moderator (Melissa Jun Rowley) touched on how millennials and Gen Zs are digital natives who have quickly realized, not only the power that they hold, but how to use it. They collaborate with people on the other side of the planet and are more socially aware than any generation ever has been. Thus, making them a very forceful consumer. Related: Marketing to Millennials? Make It Personal and Customized. How does this change impact businesses? As Ryan Patel (board of director at American Red Cross LA, former VP of global development at Pinkberry) noted, companies can no longer just be okay with, we made enough money, now lets do something good It has to be engrained in their DNA. Because if its not and if a consumer sees something they dont like, theyre going to let the brand know directly. Patel also expanded on this thought, stating that its vital for companies to now be engaged with their consumers. Its no longer okay to write a check for companies. Just like its no longer [okay] for governments to say were doing something.... Consumers, Millennials and Gen Z can look you up and see what are you doing to make an impact. We must be transparent. One of the biggest changes in this new consumer behavior is if they like what a brand stands up for, they want to get behind it. Renato Libric (CEO Bouxtie Inc.) explained how just last year, his company Bouxtie Inc., went viral after a devastating Florida hurricane. Bouxtie had changed the gift card industry, eliminating the plastic card and allowing people to send gift cards digitally. Libric noted, Victims of the hurricane were posting videos of the flood damage they had suffered online and people from all over the globe saw a cause, began communicating with them peer-to-peer, and then used Bouxtie, which prides itself on being transparent, to send digital gift cards for places they can buy what they need, to try to make a difference and get these people back on their feet. Renato also explained that Millennials and Gen Zers are more interested in experiences than putting their money into an actual, physical product. He stated that todays younger generations will spend, five to seven days [discussing online] with friends [which company] has the best outreach. Renato gave an example of how consumers today would be more apt to ignore a new Nike ad and instead buy a new pair of shoes from a company who will turn around and help those in need in Africa. Its this behavior that is clearly changing the playing field for all companies, new and old. Related: Trump's Tax Plan: The Top 3 Things You Need To Know How does this change impact governments? This altering trend pushed upon companies by Millennials and Gen Zers also pertains to governments. As Rana Gujral (entrepreneur, HACK Temple) said, governments, have to satisfy what an audience is looking for. For governments, if they want to get elected and they want to stay relevant, they have to speak to their audience. This is due to the fact that, if they dont speak to their audience directly, that audience will move on. Libric noted that millennial and Gen Zers are very, in-tune with themselves and really believe they can make a change. Naturally, they want to see someone in government, who is speaking from their heart. If they dont, they will be vocal about it until they get what they want. Millennial and Gen Zers should be proud of themselves. They were handed a medium (social media) in which they could do what they wanted with it and they turned around and have begun changing how the most powerful people in the world operate. No matter where your opinion on this topic lies, you do have to admit, enabling a generation to use their voice to push others do good in the world, is never a bad thing. The World Government Summit is an annual conference featuring more than 100 distinguished speakers from across the planet, focused on creating a dialogue that will shape the future of governments and help improve the lives of citizens everywhere. Related: Can You be an Entrepreneur? If You Have These #5 Traits, Maybe Yes Generation Z and the Future of Business 5 Tips for Managing the Digital Workforce of Your Startup Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved As a startup founder, one of the most important roles you have is hiring and retaining the very best employees out there. But competition among startups is steep for top talent, so what can you do to stand out from the rest? Related: 10 Examples of Companies With Fantastic Cultures The answer: Have a positive company culture that makes smart people want to be part of your team; and offer good benefits and perks. All these factors differ from one other but are equally important for recruiting and retaining top talent. The details: Building a culture vs. offering perks When you begin building out your startup team, you should be thinking long and hard about the type of culture you want to establish. Every employee you hire should fit this culture, from your first employee to your hundred-thousandth (hey, dream big!). What's important here is that the culture you establish be different from the perks and benefits you offer as part of a compensation package. Benefits include things like vacation days, 401K matching and health insurance. Perks might include catered lunches, free snacks complimentary laundry service and a free Uber home if an employee stays late. Benefits and perks are great for recruiting purposes, but your company culture is how you retain happy employees. So, how, exactly, do you do that? What is company culture? Company culture is how your employees collectively define research and development, customer service and human resources. Culture is usually driven by a companys list of core values set by the founder or founding team. For example, Zappos lists ten core values that each employee must be able to get behind to be a good cultural fit: Deliver WOW through service Embrace and drive change Create fun and a little weirdness Be adventurous, creative and open-minded Pursue growth and learning Build open and honest relationships with communication Build a positive team and family spirit Do more with less Be passionate and determined Be humble "Culture" outlines whats expected of employees when it comes to innovation, customer service and human resources. Yet, while some companies offer great perks, theirs is a negative company culture. For instance, you may work for a company that offers six weeks' paid vacation, full health insurance coverage, 401K matching and free lunches. But if your boss expects you to work 60 hours a week and you have no flexibility with scheduling, then youre probably not very motivated because youre in a negative corporate culture that doesnt value the benefits of work/life balance. Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, has said that culture is the most important aspect of running a successful business. Our number one priority is company culture," Hsieh said. "Our whole belief is that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff like delivering great customer service or building a long-term enduring brand will just happen naturally on its own." In fact, Zappos actually pays its employees to quit if they are not happy in their work environment. Related: The 153 Best Company Cultures in America (and What You Can Learn From Them) The right culture improves productivity. Why in the world would Zappos pay employees to quit if theyre unhappy? Because at least one study has shown that happy employees are 12 percent more productive at work. According to the study researchers at the University of Warwick, We find that human happiness has large and positive causal effects on productivity. Positive emotions appear to invigorate human beings. The study also showed that financial incentives, such as a raise or bonus, weren't enough to make the employees who were studied, happier. No matter how much an overworked employee makes, he or she will still be less happy and less productive than one who works in a culture that values work/life balance and positivity. Fostering a great company culture not only improves employee productivity, it also improves the bottom line. When Johnson & Johnson made a commitment to improving its employees' health, according to the Harvard Business Review, the company saw $250 million in savings. From 2002 to 2008, it saw a $2.71 return for every dollar spend on health and wellness. On top of that, happy and productive employees at J&J were less likely to quit, and that resulted in low turnover and reduced employee-acquisition costs. This makes a lot of sense, as study after study has shown that overworked employees are often dealing with impaired sleep, increased stress, higher rates of Type 2 diabetes and an increased likelihood of heart disease. These health concerns lead to absenteeism (sick days), high turnover rate (quitting) and rising health insurance costs. And these things negatively impact a companys bottom line. On top of that, impaired sleep coupled with higher stress leads to decreased efficiency and an increased potential for employees to make costly mistakes on a daily basis. A happy culture leads to better profits. The concept of a positive company culture leading to more profitability isnt new. It actually started in the early 1900s, back when it was common for factory employees to spend nine to 10 hours per day at work for minimal pay. However, things changed in 1914; and auto magnate Henry Ford was the prime mover. After spending years doing in-house research on his workers and their productivity, Ford took the unprecendented step of doubling his workers' pay, and reducing the number of hours that they had to spend in Ford plants. Initially, Ford was bitterly criticized for this move, but over the next five years, he witnessed his competitors adopting the same model after they'd seen his production soar. It was at this time that many companies saw that, If you wanted to keep your workers bright, healthy, productive, safe and efficient over a sustained stretch of time, you kept them to no more than 40 hours a week and eight hours a day. By reducing hours, companies saw a decrease in worker disability, as well as fewer instances of damaged equipment, fewer lawsuits and happier shareholders. Creating your own culture Hopefully, you can see the importance of a positive corporate culture. And, getting started is as simple as writing out your core beliefs about how innovation, customer service and work/life balance should be approached by your employees regardless of seniority or role. Related: How These 8 Founders Are Innovating Company Culture Nailing down your core values will shape the future of your company. So, give this task some serious thought. Related: Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. The Nokia 3310 (2017) was, in fact, the cheapest phone to steal the spotlight at this year's MWC. Even here, on our own website, 'Nokia 3310' has lately been the most popular search term there is. Bear with me as I do my best to speculate why that may be. With a penetration of about a third of the world population, the smartphone is hardly a novelty. Chances are, everyone you know has one, and probably a lot of their grandmothers too. The exponential proliferation of a product that is only about a decade old has also spawned countless companies trying to snatch a piece of this monumental pie. It's still the big and familiar names that are fighting on a global scale, but startups in the Far East are fiercely competing locally, and the luckier (and more successful ones) have also ventured westward. Yes, these are different models: Kenmobile V7 Konka E2 Wiko Wim A little known up-and-coming manufacturer's best shot at pushing any units at all is to beat the competition's price and that typically means cutting costs where it matters least, which gets us a lot of similar-looking devices. It's sound market reasoning - why waste resources on design, when someone's already come up with one that works. A black one like the 3 above - Maysun N5501 Lose the Home button: Sunelan X5 STK Hero One 4G On the other hand, it's not like there's all that much you can innovate on a smartphone, speaking in broad terms, of course - it's sort of by definition a slab with a display taking up most of its front. Almost famous: Vernee Apollo Doogee Y6 Max 3D So, fed up as we - the customers - are with the plateauing smartphone, we'd gladly take any vague promise of a nostalgia trip to simpler times - especially so if that promise comes from a brand we've known for years - Nokia. And what better model to pick to exploit the pressing sensation of our fleeting youth than the truly iconic 3310 - a phone that even present-day teens, younger than the device itself, are familiar with through the magic of internet memes. It's an excellent marketing move that delivers two blows in one fell swoop. Firstly, it reinforces the connection between the present day Nokia products and the iconic Finnish phone brand we know from the past. And secondly, it takes the conversation topic away from the fact that a Chinese company now owns the most recognizable phone brand in the western world. As my colleagues wrote, with headquarters in Finland and with former senior Nokia exec, the company behind the new Nokia phones - HMD - may be as good as Finnish to us. Even though that arrangement might be yet another move to fortify the brand's position, that doesn't really matter as long as they deliver on what counts - providing us with phones we can long for, with phones we can dream of having. The new Nokia 3310 may have a face only a mother could love. But I can't stop looking at it. It's the next best thing to traveling back to a time where phones had faces we could remember. Now if only it had 3G. Nokia is dead, long live Nokia! P.S. In case you are wondering, that rugged phone from the header image is the E&L S50 - another phone no one will remember after reading this piece. Just like the rest of these other faceless devices featured here, they've served their purpose of supporting my point and they also give you a look at the MWC 2017 devices that didn't make any headlines (for good reason, I should add). Job Archive July 2021 (524) June 2021 (681) May 2021 (698) April 2021 (659) March 2021 (688) February 2021 (615) January 2021 (698) December 2020 (714) November 2020 (671) October 2020 (631) September 2020 (690) August 2020 (713) July 2020 (713) June 2020 (690) May 2020 (713) April 2020 (690) March 2020 (713) February 2020 (667) January 2020 (713) December 2019 (713) November 2019 (687) October 2019 (711) September 2019 (689) August 2019 (711) July 2019 (707) June 2019 (688) May 2019 (2002) April 2019 (1978) March 2019 (2039) February 2019 (1688) January 2019 (2253) December 2018 (2096) November 2018 (1932) October 2018 (1986) September 2018 (1914) August 2018 (39) July 2018 (72) June 2018 (44) May 2018 (76) April 2018 (65) March 2018 (16) February 2018 (32) January 2018 (201) December 2017 (352) November 2017 (381) October 2017 (600) September 2017 (1211) August 2017 (1655) July 2017 (1590) June 2017 (1506) May 2017 (1902) April 2017 (1965) March 2017 (1417) February 2017 (1808) January 2017 (1807) December 2016 (1593) November 2016 (1376) October 2016 (1408) September 2016 (1317) August 2016 (1499) July 2016 (1505) June 2016 (1421) May 2016 (1391) April 2016 (1340) March 2016 (1476) February 2016 (1396) January 2016 (1474) December 2015 (1409) November 2015 (1367) October 2015 (1478) September 2015 (1441) August 2015 (1467) July 2015 (1465) June 2015 (1410) May 2015 (1057) April 2015 (1269) March 2015 (1132) February 2015 (1151) January 2015 (1152) December 2014 (1156) November 2014 (1267) October 2014 (81) Haiti - Rene Preval : Message of sympathy of President Moise "President Jovenel Moses bows to salute the departure for the eternal of the former Head of State of Haiti, Rene Preval, this Friday, March 3, 2017 in Laboule... On this sad occasion, the President of the Republic presents his sincere sympathies on behalf of the Haitian people and Government, the grieving family and the relatives of the disappeared. These words of condolence extend also to the sympathizers, political allies and supporters of the deceased who led the country for ten years (1996-2001, 2006-2011). The President of the Republic pays tribute, in this painful circumstance, to this great figure of Haitian politics in recent decades. The Republic of Haiti expresses its gratitude to this worthy son, who will have made many sacrifices during his life for the benefit of the common fatherland." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20253-haiti-flash-rene-garcia-preval-passed-away-this-friday.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - FLASH : Mexico offers assisted return to Haitians The Government of Mexico is willing to support Haitians to return legally to the country from which they came to seek entry into the United States. This is an aid to "assisted return" by plane in Brazil, which has already been accepted by 20 of the 3,700 Haitians, who are stranded in Tijuana in Baja California with the impossibility of entering the American territory... Rodulfo Figueroa, the Delegate of the State's National Migration Institute (MNI), said the Government of Mexico could also support on a case-by-case basis those seeking to return to Haiti next week. The Delegate said that at the same time "some 700 Haitians have already begun the procedures to regularize their stay in Mexico and that about 150 have already completed the process and are likely to work officially." The Mexican Government calls on Haitians not to deploy in the city without regularizing their situation. Concerning the small wooden houses that have begun to multiply in a popular district of Tijuana to shelter those who want to stay (Nuevo Haiti), he indicated that it is the municipality that is responsible for issuing the permits of occupation of the soil. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20238-haiti-flash-30-000-haitian-migrants-on-the-mexican-border-targeted-by-scammers.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19691-haiti-mexicoto-tijuana-of-haitians-celebrates-the-independence-of-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19478-haiti-flash-thousands-of-haitians-seek-refuge-in-mexico.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18704-haiti-flash-tens-of-thousands-of-haitians-en-route-to-usa.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18700-haiti-flash-usa-resumption-of-regular-deportations-to-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18659-haiti-flash-haitians-are-fleeing-in-large-numbers-brazil-for-usa.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Justice : 7th mission of Gustavo Gallon in Haiti The United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti, Gustavo Gallon, arrived at the end of February and will stay in Haiti until March 11, to assess the current human rights situation and follow up on his previous recommendations. "I will pay especial attention to progress made in the areas of elections, conditions of detention, long pre-trial detention, illiteracy, impunity for past violations of human rights and the situation of victims of natural disasters, which I have reiterated in my reports to the Human Rights Council," Mr. Gallon said. Gustavo Gallon will also review the situation of people affected by hurricane Matthew, four months after it hit Haiti, along with the situation of people deported from the Dominican Republic and problems related to the cholera epidemic. During his seventh visit to Haiti, the Expert will meet with representatives of the new Government elected on 20 November 2016. "I take note of the final results of Presidential and Legislative elections, and I praise the commitment of the Provisional Government to guarantee a smooth electoral process," Mr. Gallon noted. "I will share with them my views on the main human rights challenges faced by Haiti." The Independent Expert will also meet with other Haitian authorities -including the Office of Citizen Protection-, the diplomatic corps, representatives of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and UN agencies, as well as human rights defenders and civil society organizations. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Rene Preval : Message from the U.S. Embassy "It is with deep sadness that the U.S. Embassy in Haiti has learned of the death of former Haitian President Rene Preval. We extend our condolences to President Prevals family, the Haitian people, and all those who mourn his passing. Following both of his presidential terms, President Preval oversaw peaceful transitions of power to his successors, demonstrating his dedication to political stability and democracy in Haiti. The U.S. Embassy honors the legacy of President Preval, a major figure in contemporary Haitian history who shepherded his country through tragic times and good times." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20254-haiti-rene-preval-message-of-sympathy-of-president-moise.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20253-haiti-flash-rene-garcia-preval-passed-away-this-friday.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Rene Preval : Messages of sympathy arrive from everywhere Jack Guy Lafontant : "I express my profound sadness following the death of former President Rene Preval. Haiti has lost a great son. That his soul rests in peace ! Jack Guy Lafontant, Appointed Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti. Jocelerme Privert : "I lost a friend, an advisor and a mentor," Jocelerme Privert former Temporary President of Haiti Senator Youri Latortue : "I bow, with respect, to the departure of President Rene Garcia Preval for the Eternal. My sincere sympathies to his biological and political family," Senator Youri Latortue, President of the Senate. Michel Martelly : "President Preval, Ti Rene, my brother, my friend and adviser, your departure leaves us in shock. A man who has served his country never dies. That your soul rest in peace !" Michel Martelly, former President of Haiti. Embassy of France in Haiti : "The French Embassy in Haiti pays tribute to President Rene Preval and associates to the pain of his wife, his family and the Haitian people." Embassy of Switzerland: "The Swiss Embassy in Haiti salutes the memory of former Haitian President Rene Preval and offers his condolences to the Haitian people." Chancellery of Brazil : The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil transmits "the solidarity of the Brazilian government with the people and the Haitian government and presents its condolences to the family of Rene Preval." European Union : "The European Union expresses its sincere condolences to the Haitian authorities and people and to the relatives and family of the deceased on the occasion of the sudden death of President Rene Preval. The European Union salutes the memory of this personality who has put himself at the service of his country and has worked to make advance it on the difficult paths of democracy and economic and social progress." Sandra Honore : "President Rene Preval was a great gatherer and a strong supporter of political pluralism, as he demonstrated through his two presidential terms [...] He will remain in the memories as one of the greatest personalities in the country [...]" The Special Representative of the Secretary-General "salutes the memory of Mr. Preval and at this painful moment, and extends her deepest condolences to his wife Elisabeth, his family and political family, and to the Haitian people." Sandra Honore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Haiti. Senatrice Dieudonne Luma Etienne (Nord) : "I learned with great sadness the announcement of the death of former President Rene Preval. My sympathies to his family and friends affected." Ambassador Bocchit Edmond : "Farewell to the legendary Haitian President. You left leaving behind the mystery of having closed two mandates without a coup or exile," Bocchit Edmond Ambassador of Haiti in London. The Consulate of Haiti in Miami : "The Consulate General of Haiti in Miami presents his condolences to the family of the former President of the Republic, Mr. Rene G. Preval." OAS, Luis Almagro : "All our condolences to Haiti on the occasion of the passing of former President Rene Preval. Solidarity with his family and the Haitian people," Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS). Former President Leonel Fernandez : "We express our sincere condolences to the Haitian government and people for the passing away of our precious friend Rene Preval, Constitutional President of Haiti, a man of Peace and very affable, with whom I cultivated a great friendship," Leonel Fernandez Former President of the Dominican Republic. Depute Jerry Tardieu : Jerry Tardieu qui a passe deux heures avec lancien president dHaiti Rene Preval vendredi se dit etonne "Il etait bien [...] Il n'avait pas l'air different de tout autre jour. Je suis sous le choc. Depute Jerry Tardieu (Petion-ville). Deputy Gary Bodeau : "Sad news for the country. Former President Rene Preval died on March 3 following a stroke. My sincere condolences to the family," Deputy of Delmas Gary Bodeau, Quaestor of the Bureau of the Lower House. Mayor Ralph Youri Chevry : "I join the Haitian Nation in mourning, face the the death of His Excellency Rene Garcia Preval. I express my sincere sympathies to his wife and family who live a painful and sad time. We have lost on this day a great personage in our history," Ralph Youri Chevry, Mayor of Port-au-Prince. Bureau des Jeunes d'Afrique en Haiti : "The Office of Young Africans in Haiti bends to the memory of this personality, simple, humble and of extraordinary wisdom [...] in this painful circumstance, the Office of Young Africans in Haiti presents its sincere Condolences to his family, relatives, friends and comrades and to all those affected by this disappearance." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20259-haiti-rene-preval-message-from-the-us-embassy.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20254-haiti-rene-preval-message-of-sympathy-of-president-moise.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20253-haiti-flash-rene-garcia-preval-passed-away-this-friday.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping politics... NOTICE: Thierry Gardere's funeral The funeral of the CEO of the Rhum Barbancourt company, Thierry Gardere, who died on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at the age of 65, will be sung on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in the Saint-Pierre church of Petion-ville https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20236-haiti-flash-thierry-gardere-dg-of-barbancourt-passed-away.html Jack Guy Lafontant promises a lot... Jack Guy Lafontant, the Prime Minister appointed, gave the assurance to launch major development projects during the first 100 days of its administration; To respond to the campaign promises of President Jovenel Moise. Affirming that priority will be given to the economic sector so that Haiti becomes a country favorable to investments. Senators on retreat on the coast of Arcadins The 26 senators in office and the last 2 elected senators who have not yet taken the oath have been retiring since Friday at the Royal Decameron hotel on the Arcadins coast. The conscripted fathers will have to work on the legislative agenda, according to Youri Latortue, President of the Senate. This retreat will end on Sunday. Toward an economic governance pact Presentation yesterday Friday, in the lower house, of a special commission to develop an economic governance pact. Its is composed of 7 Members including the Deputy Franck Lauture, President and Gerard Paul Lormeus, secretary-rapporteur. Tierry Gardere : Message from the CFI "It is with great sadness that the Center for Facilitation of Investments (CFI) has learned the pasing of Mr. Thierry Gardere, the owner of Rhum Barbancourt, one of the best known haitian brands in the world. The CFI regrets the departure of a pioneer of national production and a brilliant manager and sends its most sincere sympathies to the parents, allies and collaborators experienced by this loss. May the earth rest lightly on you !!" Nesmy Manigat, re-elected as President The Embassy of France in Haiti congratulates former Minister of Education Nesmy Manigat on his re-election as President of the Governance Committee of the Global Partnership for Education. See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-16734-icihaiti-education-tribute-evening-to-nesmy-manigat.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16651-haiti-education-nesmy-manigat-appointed-president-of-a-committee-of-global-partnership-for-education.html HL/ HaitiLibre Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news Login Sign Up New Ad-free Subscriber Login Email Password Password Username Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password. Stay logged in Help THE 2017 SESSION CALENDAR: A GUIDE TO THE DEADLINES From LRB, December, 2016 Link: 2017 Calendar Legislative Timetable Link: 2017 Calendar House Internal JAN 18 OPENING DAY Hawaiis constitution mandates that the regular legislative session starts at 10:00 a.m. on the third Wednesday of January. JAN 20 LAST DAY TO INTRODUCE ALL NON-ADMINISTRATION BILL PACKAGES Bills bundled together by common interest groups and accepted and labeled as a package by the clerks. You can view the various packages of legislation by clicking on the Reports and Lists button on capitol.hawaii.gov. JAN 20 LAST DAY FOR ORGANIZATIONS TO SUBMIT GRANT AND SUBSIDY REQUESTS Deadline for Grant-in-Aid (GIA) applications. Grants may be appropriated to nonprofit and other organizations for various public purposes that are recognized as priorities and are seen as complimentary to state government functions. Applications, information, and more specifics regarding the deadline appear under Legislative Information on capitol.hawaii.gov. JAN 25 STATE-OF-THE-STATE ADDRESS The Governors annual address to the assembled joint legislature. The address presents an opportunity for the Governor to report on affairs of state, and to put forth recommendations and initiatives. Many visitors come to the Capitol to hear the Governors speech and witness the proceedings from the gallery (accessible on the ground floor/atrium level). JAN 23 LAST DAY TO INTRODUCE ADMINISTRATION BILL PACKAGE This is what is known as the Governors Package. The bills are prepared by executive branch agencies for consideration by the legislature, and are introduced on behalf of the executive branch by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. JAN 25 LAST DAY TO INTRODUCE BILLS A bill is introduced when it has been filed with the House or Senate Clerk, who gives it a number (with an HB or SB prefix) and then puts it on the calendar for First Reading by the chamber. After First Reading, it is given its committee referrals which specify which committees must hear and pass the measure for it to succeed. Only legislators may introduce bills. [Note: At introduction, each bill is given a Bill Status webpage that can be accessed via the Legislatures website (capitol.hawaii.gov) and used to track all the measures activity.] FEB 9 TRIPLE REFERRAL FILING (BILLS) All bills referred to three or more committees must be filed so that they can be in their second-to-last committee by the following day. (Note: A referral to a joint committee counts as one committee referral.) This deadline allows ample time for successful bills to make their way to the last committee in their originating chamber by the First Lateral deadline. FEB 17 FIRST LATERAL (BILLS) All bills referred to more than one committee (i.e., those with multiple referrals) must move to their final committee in the originating chamber by this day. FEB 23 MAR 1 MANDATORY 5-DAY RECESS Hawaiis Constitution mandates a 5 day recess between the 20th and 40th days of the regular session. Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate convene or assemble formally in chamber on recess days. Committee hearings do take place. MAR 3 FIRST DECKING (BILLS) All bills under consideration for crossover to the other chamber must be submitted to the clerk of the originating chamber in their final form at least 48 hours prior to third reading. This decking ensures an opportunity for final review by the chambers members before being asked to vote on the third reading. Note: A bill must pass three readings in each chamber before being enrolled to the governor. MAR 9 FIRST CROSSOVER (BILLS) Deadline for bills to pass third reading in order to move (or crossover) to the other chamber. If successful, House bills are sent to the Senate and Senate bills are sent to the House for further consideration. MAR 10 LAST DAY TO INTRODUCE SUBSTANTIVE RESOLUTIONS Resolutions are legislative measures which may request action of a government entity or state the legislatures position on an issue. They dont have the force and effect of law, require only one reading in chamber, and are not enrolled to the Governor. MAR 13 BUDGET DECKING Deadline for submitting the spending plan developed by the Governor which estimates expenditures for the fiscal year or biennium and the proposed means of financing these expenditures. MAR 15 BUDGET CROSSOVER Last day for third reading of budget bills in order to move to the other chamber. MAR 16 TRIPLE REFERRAL FILING (BILLS) All bills referred to three or more committees must be in their second-to-last committee in the non-originating chamber by this date. (Note: A referral to a joint committee counts as one committee referral.) This deadline allows ample time for successful bills to make their way to their last committee by the Second Lateral deadline. MAR 24 SECOND LATERAL (BILLS) All bills with multiple referrals must move to their final referral committee in the non-originating chamber by this date. MAR 29 FIRST LATERAL FOR CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS Concurrent resolutions require adoption in each chamber and are used to state the official position of the Legislature on an issue, or to request action formally without having to mandate it by law. All concurrent resolutions with multiple referrals must move to their final committee in the originating chamber by this date. APR 6 FIRST CROSSOVER FOR CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS Deadline for passing the single floor vote for adoption required for resolutions in order to move from the originating chamber to the other chamber. APR 7 SECOND DECKING (BILLS) Deadline for submitting bills that have been amended by the non-originating chamber to the clerk of that chamber. This allows for delivery of the amended bills in their final form to the chambers members at least 48 hours prior to third reading. APR 13 SECOND CROSSOVER (BILLS) Deadline for bills to pass third reading in their non-originating chamber in order to cross back to the originating chamber. APR 13 LAST DAY FOR THE ORIGINATING BODY TO DISAGREE WITH BILL AMENDMENTS The deadline for the originating chamber to disagree with changes made to its bills by the other chamber. When the Senate and House disagree on a bill, members from each chamber can meet in a conference committee to reconcile their differences. APR 18 SECOND LATERAL FOR SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS All Senate concurrent resolutions with multiple referrals must move to their final House committee by this date. APR 21 DEADLINE FOR FINAL FORM OF BILLS PROPOSING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS A proposed amendments final form must be provided by written notice to the Governor at least 10 days prior to passing final reading by a 2/3 vote in each chamber. Once adopted by the Legislature, the proposed amendment is submitted to the voters, in the form of a yes or no question on the ballot, for ultimate decision. APR 24 SECOND CROSSOVER FOR CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS Deadline for passing amended concurrent resolutions in the non-originating chamber in order to cross back to the originating chamber. APR 27 FINAL DECKING OF NON-FISCAL BILLS Deadline for submitting non-fiscal bills for final reading by both chambers. APR 28 FINAL DECKING OF FISCAL BILLS Deadline for submitting fiscal bills for final reading by both chambers. Fiscal bills include appropriation or spending bills, tax credits, etc. that emerge from the fiscal committee (House Finance, Senate Ways and Means) of their respective originating chamber. MAY 4 ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE In Latin, sine die means without a day specified for future meeting. Adjournment sine die occurs on the 60th legislative day of a regular session, and indicates a suspension of the business of the legislature indefinitely. From this point, the Legislature will certify bills whose form both chambers have agreed to, and will transmit or enroll those bills to the Governor. Contact PAR for information regarding the Governors deadlines. Public Access Room (PAR): phone 808/587-0478; email par@capitol.hawaii.gov; website LRBhawaii.org/PAR Weekly Recap From Hawaii Family Forum, March 3, 2017 Today is Decking! Today is First Decking. That means that all bills under consideration for crossover to the other chamber must be submitted to the clerk of the originating chamber in their final form at least 48 hours prior to third reading. This "decking" ensures an opportunity for final review by the chamber's members before being asked to vote on the third reading. Note: A bill must pass three readings (votes) in each chamber before being enrolled to the governor. Senate Judiciary and Labor Votes Yes to Assisted Suicide! On Tuesday, February 28, the Senate JDL committee unanimously voted yes on the bill that would allow doctors to prescribe a lethal dose of barbiturates to intentionally end the life of their patient. The bill, SB 1129 is no SD2 but the new version is not posted online at this time. The vote was as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Keith-Agaran, K. Rhoads, L. Thielen; 1 Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) Kim. Now is the time to contact your Senator and ask them to vote NO on SB 1129 SD2 when it comes to the floor a vote. For more information and talking points, visit this link. If you have not signed our online petition against assisted suicide, please do so here. Take Action! Meet Michael Tada Click picture to play video. "If God can heal my hopelessness..." Michael is a man of faith. He has a disability, but he is able to overcome. He does not believe in assisted suicide. Listen to his story and find out why. Dr. Craig Nakatsuka and Joy Yadao, RN, Speak out Against Assisted Suicide What's Coming Up? PEACE PEACE remains committed to assisting Hawaii's families of faith whose children are facing challenges from the increasingly sensitive curriculum that is being taught in public schools. Over the past two years, PEACE has made significant gains in our efforts to positively engage Hawaii's educational system. Come join us and hear firsthand how you can be part of this successful movement! Please let PEACE know if you want to attend by sending them a message via email. "Bully Bill" Pending Senate Confirmation The Bully Bill (SB501) is awaiting vote in the full Senate. This bill would force faith-based pregnancy centers to promote abortion and contraceptives. You can take action here. The link also has a current video from Pastor Derald Skinner about why you must raise your voice to protect faith-based pregnancy centers from censure. From Around the Nation Suicide Contagion? Colorado recently passed assisted suicide and now, Southern Colorado has been rocked by teen suicides, and it's been devastating. During the last 13 months, there have been nine deaths in the district, between two schools located only a mile apart. And in nearby Pueblo, there were five student suicides last month. These recent deaths follow 29 student suicides that occurred in El Paso County (Focus on the Family's home) between 2013 and 2015. And Colorado is not alone. [Read more at Focus on the Family] Is there a connection? You decide. Hawaii's keiki, disability community, and our kupuna deserve so much more. Every life is worth fighting for! Vesel Jahiri is accused of murdering his former partner Anna Finnegan and assaulting her brother, Karl. Photo: Colin Keegan. A jury was asked to leave court yesterday after a man accused of murdering his former partner interrupted her brother's testimony by claiming evidence had been tampered with. Karl Finnegan, the brother of the deceased, was giving evidence to the Central Criminal Court in the trial of Vesel Jahiri. Mr Jahiri (35), originally from Kosovo but of no fixed abode, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Anna Finnegan (26) at Allendale Glen, Clonsilla, Dublin, on September 21, 2012. He has also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Karl Finnegan, causing him harm, at the same place on the same date. It is alleged that Mr Jahiri stabbed Ms Finnegan to death after he "battered" down her front door and attacked her and her brother. Yesterday, the prosecution counsel called Karl Finnegan, who agreed that his sister's relationship with Mr Jahiri had gone through "a rocky patch" in August 2012, with Anna moving to Bray Women's Refuge. He said he had moved out of his own house temporarily and stayed in Anna's house. Screamed The witness testified that he and his sister were chatting in the kitchen at around 7.30pm on September 21 when they heard a "loud bang". He said he looked up and saw Mr Jahiri coming in the door. Anna screamed and stood up. "Vesel came down the hall and he was holding a knife," he said. Mr Finnegan said he picked up a chair to "keep a bit of distance" between them, but the chair was "taken off" him. As the witness was giving evidence, Mr Jahiri stood up and said in front of the jury: "How did I take the chair off you if I had a knife in my hand? "I want to represent myself now, sorry jurors I will prove it to you, I am being illegally held here. They tampered with the book of evidence and wiped the fingerprints off the knife." Mr Justice Paul Coffey then asked the jury to leave the courtroom. After a break of around a half-an-hour, the jury was called back to court. The judge thanked the foreman for their patience and said the matter would go back to Monday morning. Ryan Tubridy has said Gay Byrne is in "fine form" after visiting the veteran broadcaster recently with friend Joe Duffy. The radio presenter (82) has been off the Lyric FM airwaves for several weeks as he continues his fight with prostate cancer. Gay's wife Kathleen Watkins revealed he had returned to their Ballsbridge home just weeks before Christmas. "I have been to see Gay recently. Myself and Joe Duffy went to see him. He's in fine form, he still has that Gay Byrne magic that you would expect from one so wise," Ryan said. Diagnosis The former Late Late Show host previously said when announcing his diagnosis that he had enjoyed "robust" health for most of his life and that there were many people much worse off. Just days after celebrating Christmas in 2015, he was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin after collapsing with heart problems at his Dublin apartment. Tubridy was speaking at the launch of his new children's book Patrick and the President, which looks at the visit of John F Kennedy to Ireland in 1963. "It's a look at the visit of JFK to Ireland as seen through the eyes of a child. I chose Patrick because the first Kennedy to leave Ireland was Patrick," he told the Herald. "I'm hoping it will get kids into reading and history. It's for children from anything from about five to 10. My kids were involved a little bit in the editing process. "My plan is to do more children's books. I won't do any more history or anything for a little while." Michael Murray, who was jailed for 15 years for rape and sexual assault charges, has lost an appeal against his conviction. Stock picture A vile rapist jailed for 15 years for repeatedly raping and sexual assaulting a mother, whose child he abducted in the same incident, has lost an appeal against his conviction. Michael Murray (46), formerly of Killiney Oaks, Killiney, Dublin, was jailed for 15 years in 2013. His list of offences included rape, attempted rape, aggravated sexual assault, child abduction, threats to kill or cause serious harm, false imprisonment and theft, at a Dublin apartment on February 12 and 13, 2010. The Central Criminal Court previously heard how Murray lured his victim into an apartment by telling her that an elderly woman was dying inside and needed her help. He tied her up and assaulted her before taking her son away, abandoning him in a city centre square late at night. He returned to the flat where he drugged and raped his victim. Guilty Murray denied the charges, but was found guilty on all counts by a unanimous jury decision. His conviction was affirmed yesterday by the Court of Appeal. The Director of Public Prosecutions is now due to seek a review of his sentence on grounds that it is "unduly lenient". Murray sought to appeal his conviction on grounds relating to the admissibility of interviews, and issues relating to the manner in which the complainant was examined and cross-examined. In the course of the hearing, it was indicated that Murray had lost confidence in his lawyers. He then addressed the rest of the appeal in person. Mr Justice George Birmingham said the Court of Appeal was "quite satisfied" that none of his grounds were made out. Sinn Fein enjoyed a potentially historic surge in support as ballots were counted for seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The contest was triggered by the republican party in a bitter showdown with its longtime Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) partners in government. At stake in the outcome from Thursday's snap election is the revival or demise of power-sharing between Catholics and Protestants, a central objective of the Good Friday Agreement. Early partial results from a ballot count expected to run until this afternoon pointed to solid gains for Sinn Fein amid the highest voter turnout since the 1998 peace deal. Turnout was highest in Sinn Fein's traditional working-class Catholic power bases. Sinn Fein is seeking to overtake the DUP and become the biggest party for the first time, which would give it the right to the post of first minister. Sinn Fein achieved poll-topping results in nine districts, including Mid-Ulster, where the party's new leader in the North, Michelle O'Neill, was mobbed by supporters. Ms O'Neill, the daughter of an IRA veteran with childhood memories of the Troubles, represents a leadership shift within Sinn Fein to the first post-conflict generation. Last night's final Northern Ireland-wide total of first-preference votes - the core measure of party popularity - showed the DUP narrowly on top with 28.1pc, down one point from the last election 10 months ago. Sinn Fein trailed with 27.9pc, up four points. Unpredictable Many analysts forecast that the DUP will stay barely ahead of Sinn Fein in seat numbers in the 90-member assembly when the final winners are declared, but it could come down to unpredictable handfuls of transferred votes. With more than a third of winners declared last night, Sinn Fein had won 16 seats, the DUP 10, and four other parties the rest. Commentators credited the Sinn Fein surge to Catholic voters' anger at the DUP, especially outgoing First Minister Arlene Foster, who was blamed for overseeing a wasteful 'green energy' programme and for fostering a culture of insult and disrespect toward Sinn Fein. Voter turnout reached nearly 65pc, 10 points higher than last year. Freedom of speech is a privilege. We need to treat it that way. columns Even with a career spanning over five decades, actor Govardhan Asrani says that he gets nervous when he has to go in front of live audience. Cinema mein audience juta phekengi ya tali bjayegi, pata nahi lagta. But theatre is a platform, where you perform live without any retakes, and the response is also instant. In cinema, you can see an actor but he cant see you. On stage, theres a one-to-one and an eye-to-eye connection. You are being judged on your acting skills. Asrani believes that stage performances sharpens your acting skills. Theatre contributes in the growth of an actor and lets one know the real worth of acting, he says. How does the 76-year-old manage to stage plays despite a busy schedule? After a certain period of time, you feel stagnant and then theatre comes to your rescue. I feel rejuvenated every time I perform on stage. Audience ki taliyon se I feel better, energetic and young again, says the actor. The actor, who is known for his iconic role in the movie Sholay, feels that the Delhi audience is more receptive to theatre than that of Mumbai. Mumbai is more film based and cosmopolitan. It consists of a mixed community, but I personally feel that Delhi is more sophisticated and enjoys theatre more. Talking about the play, The MakhiChoos, which is a modern adaptation of the classic comedy The Miser by Moliere, Asrani says, The play was written about a hundred years ago, but it still holds value. It is about an old man who wants to marry his sons girlfriend. Here comes a twist in the story. The play reflects some serious societal issues with a twist of humour. The plays cast has other showbiz actors, too, including Delhi-boy TV actor Pranav Sachdeva. Sachdeva, who is seen in Agar Tum Saath Ho, a television series is excited to be performing with the actor. He says, To work with a legendary actor, such as Asrani sir, is definitely a learning experience. I feel obliged. Catch it live WHAT: The MakhiChoos, a play WHERE: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House, Copernicus Marg, Delhi WHEN: 5 March TIMINGS: 5.30 to 7.30 pm NEAREST METRO STATION: Mandi House on Blue Line SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Voters began queueing on Saturday to cast their ballots in 49 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh and 38 constituencies of Manipur in the crucial assembly elections. Over 7 districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh are voting in the sixth phase of assembly polls on Saturday, with Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadavs Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency in the focus. At least 635 candidates are in the fray in this phase spread over Azamgarh, Ballia, Deoria, Gorakhpur, Kushi Nagar, Maharajganj and Mau districts of UP. Over 1.7 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, are eligible to vote in UP. Click here for full coverage on assembly elections 2017 In 2012, the ruling SP won 27 of the 49 seats in 2012 and its present ally - the Congress - won 4. The BJP won 7 while the BSP bagged 7. Such was the SPs sweep that in 2012 it took 9 of the 10 seats in Azamgarh. In Manipur, there are 5,44,050 men and 5,75,220 women voters for the first phase polling. Besides. more than seven thousans service voters are expected to cast their votes. BJP is the only party contesting all 60 seats in Manipur while the Congress, which was in power in the outgoing assembly, is fielding 59 candidates. Activist Irom Sharmila, who broke her 16-year fast in 2016 and founded the Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance, is also contesting in the Manipur elections. Here are the live updates: 6:30pm: Election Commission announces 84% (tentative) voter turnout in Manipurs first phase of polling 6:12pm: Turnout in sixth phase of elections in 49 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh at 57.03% 4:15pm: Over 80% voting was recorded in the first phase of polling in Manipur in 38 constituencies spread across six districts in the hill state. Officials said the final figure would be higher as this was only the preliminary report at 3pm when polling ended. 3:48pm: Overall polling till 3pm in Uttar Pradeshs 49 assembly seats is 48.73%. 3:43pm: As voting in Uttar Pradeshs sixth phase enters its final hour, all eyes are on Varanasi where political heavyweights are conducting road shows and addressing rallies. While PM Narendra Modi is speaking at a rally in Jaunpur, 60 km from Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav are carrying out a joint road show which will end with an election rally. 3.15pm: Polling time for the first phase of #ManipurElection2017 ends. pic.twitter.com/5GDaHTwOff ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 1:50pm: Overall polling percentage in 49 assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh is 37.85% till 1pm. 1pm: Brisk polling with a voter turnout of 69% was recorded till 1pm in the first phase of Manipur assembly election on Saturday. 11:30am: Manipur records 43% voting till 11 am in the first phase. 23.28% voting till 11 am in Uttar Pradesh. 10:30am: Irom Sharmila casts her vote at booth no. 3/39 of Khurai assembly constituency, says she is confident of winning Manipur election. Read | How to contest polls with Rs 3.1 lakh? Ask Irom Sharmilas PRJA 10:15am: 29% voting recorded in 38 seats in Manipur Phase 1 election till 10am. Verbal spat between Congress and BJP supporters reported at Singjamei and Andro seats but no report of violence. 10:05am: BJP minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore says, Other parties have been in UP for far to long but havent been able to bring change. The last two phases (of UP elections) are going to give us 2/3rd majority. 10am: 11% polling percentage in sixth phase of UP election till 9am. 9:40am: 10.2% voter turnout in Gorakhpur in early states of UP sixth phase election on Saturday. 9:30am: Three more EVM machines go defunct at a polling booth in Gorakhpurs Khajni , Nakha and Islamia college. DM issues directive to replace them. EVM machines also malfunctioned at 4 booths in Keirao seat in Manipur. 9am: Voting affected due to problem in the electronic voting machine at booth no. 273 at Nasirpur village of Mau, UP. 8:15am: 10% polling across 38 of 60 assembly constituencies in Manipur by 8 am on Saturday, the first phase of voting. Voting across 1,683 booths of Manipur began at 7am, with elderly people coming out in numbers to cast their ballots. Today is the first phase of the Manipur Assembly polls. I appeal to voters in the seats polling today to turnout in record numbers & vote. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 4, 2017 7:55am: A few voters in UP have complain about their names missing from the voter list. 7:50am: Mau districti magistrate tells ANI special efforts have been made for differently abled voters to assist them in casting their votes. 7:30am: BJP leader Yogi Adityanath casts his vote at booth No 3,705 in Gorakhpur of Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath after voting in Gorapkhpur. (HT Photo) 7am: Polling begins in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur. 6:45am: Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia in Uttar Pradesh vote today. (With agency inputs) The Congress urged the Election Commission to book Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders for alleged violation of the model code by holding a road show in Varanasi without prior permission. The EC, on its part, has sought a detailed report on the issue from state poll authorities. In a complaint to the EC, the Congress alleged that Modi took out the road show in Varanasi from BHU (Banaras Hindu University) without the necessary permission from the competent authority. It is requested that action may be taken and FIR registered against all BJP leaders including Narendra Modi who were part of the road show, said K C Mittal, AICC secretary incharge of legal and human rights cell. The Election Commission said it is ascertaining the facts and will act further on the basis of the report. We are ascertaining the facts. We have asked the state poll authorities to send a detailed report on the issue, Deputy Election Commissioner Vijay Dev told PTI. The opposition party said the entire video recording of the road show has been shown by various channels and election authorities must also have recorded the same. Mittal said the road show covers three assembly seats of Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt and Varanasi North and Modi also visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Kaal Bhairo Temple during the event. All this was done without any requisite permission for conducting the road show from the competent authority of the Election Commission, Mittal told PTI. On a whirlwind day in his Lok Sabha constituency to rally voters around the BJP in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Modi took out a road show, offered prayers at the two historic temples and paid tributes to Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya today. His road show was held on a day when 49 constituencies went to polls in the sixth phase of UP Assembly elections and people in large numbers turned out as Modis cavalcade moved at a snails pace. BJP leaders believe the event, broadcast live on most regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to polls in the final phase on March 8. The seven-phase assembly polls in UP end on March 8 and results will be out on March 11. Samajwadi Party president and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to list out the work done by him. I told you about 10 works done by my government. Can he (Modi) list 10 works? I am ready to give the performance report of my five year government. But, he should give the report of three years of rule at the Centre, he said at an election rally here. Taking a jibe at his political rivals, he said, I heard that voters are being given money. My advice to you is to keep the money and vote for the bicycle (SPs election symbol). On giving a significant number of seats to its alliance partner Congress in the ongoing state Assembly elections, the SP national president said friendship cannot run by being a miser. The SP is contesting on 298 of the total 403 Assembly seats in the state elections, with Congress trying its luck in remaining 105 seats. Mounting attack on BSP supremo Mayawati, Akhilesh said, She got her memorials made even when she was alive. Now her language has undergone significant change, she is also speaking the language of development. But, since she reads out her speech, people listening to her tend to fall asleep. She (Mayawati) is my bua (aunt), but she may go for Rakshabandhan (possible post-poll alliance with BJP). Hence, you have to be very careful, he alleged. Akhilesh asserted that his government had performed in the past five years, and if voted to power again, the quantum of work would certainly increase. He assured the audience that poor women would get Rs 1,000 pension. Apart from this, Bhadohi-Mirzapur Road would be made in such a way that it effectively lasts for 40 years, he added. Meanwhile, a wall on which a large number of people had perched themselves, collapsed after the meeting, damaging around 25 bicycles and eight motorcycles. Around five persons were injured in the incident. Later in the day, Akhilesh and Gandhi toured the streets of Varanasi on their campaign bus, accompanied by Akhileshs wife Dimple Yadav and actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar. The Yadavs and Gandhi also visited the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid obeisance at the famous Shiva temple. The Bharatiya Janata Partys bid to end 15 years of Congress rule in Manipur will be put to test across 38 of the 60 assembly seats where elections will be held in first of the two phases on Saturday. Much is at stake for the BJP, which is keen on expanding its footprint in the northeast after forming governments in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It is the only party to have fielded candidates in all the 60 seats, up from 19 in the 2012 polls. The Congress had fielded 60 too, but former minister Phungzathang Tonsing quit after the list was made and joined a regional party to be its candidate for his pet Churachandpur seat. The 38 seats in this phase are spread across 3 plains districts dominated by the non-tribal Meiteis and 3 hill districts where the Kuki-Zomi tribes are in a majority. The Congress had won 27 of these seats last time. The elections are being held in the backdrop of a four-month economic blockade by a Naga organisation allegedly backed by the Isak-Muivah faction of the extremist National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM). Sentiments against enforcers of the blockade are likely to play a role in this phase. The ruling Congress and BJP have been accusing each other of a deal with NSCN-IM for influencing the outcome of the polls. The BJP, projected by the Congress as a pro-NSCN party, is more on the back-foot. The non-burial of 8 martyrs of a tribal movement against 3 controversial bills is also expected to impact voters, particularly in the 3 hill districts. The 8 were killed in arson and police firing in September 2015. The Congress is banned in these hill districts, though the movement lost momentum after chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh created 7 new districts last year. The Kuki-Zomi tribes at the forefront of the dead body politics are seen as major beneficiaries of the new districts. Keen on winning, the BJP had applied the Assam formula weaning away MLAs from the Congress in Manipur. After 6 MLAs quit and joined the BJP, the Congress under Singh is believed to have pulled itself together. This phase will decide to fate of BJPs heavyweights former Union minister Thounaojam Chaoba, ex-Congress ministers N Biren, Y Erabot and N Mangi, and the firebrand O Joy, formerly the chief of a regional party. The top Congress candidates in this phase are state party president TN Haokip, assembly speaker Th Lokeshwar, ministers I Hemochandra, AK Mirabai, Govindas Konthoujam, Kh Ratankumar, Ngamthang Haokip and Manga Vaiphei. For the first time, this phase will be covered in real time using smartphones, and for the first time, student volunteers of NCC, NSS and Bharat Scouts and Guides will assist during the election, chief electoral officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan said. About 280 companies of central paramilitary forces and state armed forces from Assam, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh will be used during the election out of which 30 companies will be deployed as ROP (road opening party) on national highways, he added. The commission has facilitated postal ballot for 2,228 cadres of some armed groups under suspension of operations with the government. They would be casting their votes at 14 designated camps. EOM MANIPUR PHASE 1 QUICK FACTS Total seats: 60 Phase 1 seats: 38 Total candidates: 168 Total voters: 1,125,441 (male 546,098, female 579,343) Polling booths: 1,683 Critical booths: 256 Vulnerable booths: 1,427 Security forces deployed: 280 companies Key candidates: Th Lokeshwar, I Hemochandra, AK Mirabai, Govindas Konthoujam, Kh Ratankumar, Ngamthang Haokip, Manga Vaiphei, and Th Shyamkumar (Congress); Y Erabot, N Biren, N Mangi, O Joy, and Th Biswajit (BJP); Phungzathang Tonsing (National Peoples Party) Read more on our Manipur election coverage. This election, andro and sekmai seem to have drowned Andro and Sekmai in Manipur. With capital letters, Andro and Sekmai are assembly constituencies close to state capital Imphal. Without, they are different qualities of a local brew called Yu that quenches thirst in dry Manipur. Made from fermented rice and stem of an indigenous creeper called yangli, Yu is to Manipur what Feni is to Goa and Handia or Mahua to central India. Officials across Manipur have seized 63,840 litres of liquor since January 4, when the poll code of conduct came into force. Much of it 53,457 litres was country liquor of the Yu kind. Home-based brewers point out that the liquor seized was in transit, not off the shelves in Andro village, 25km east of Imphal, or Sekmai Bazaar, 20km north flanking National Highway 2 blockaded a few furlongs beyond. Yu regulars say the Sekmai variety is superior to what Andro offers and thus commands a higher price Rs 100 for a litre that is worth every drop. The tradition tag does not make Yu illegal. Anti-alcohol diktats by Manipurs rebel groups also do not apply to the brew since it is deemed a cottage industry sustaining 20,000 people in the two constituencies with a total of 53,400 voters. The preference of sekmai to andro had in 2015 made Govindas Konthoujam, commerce and industry minister in Okram Ibobi Singhs Congress government, propose packaging the liquor as Laigi Sekmai in Manipur and beyond. He also had Europe and Asia in sight since Japanese experts who stayed in Manipur in the 1990s for a Tokyo-funded sericulture project had compared sekmai with sake, a popular rice wine in Japan. We hope the plan to upgrade sekmai as a global brand becomes a reality to usher in an economic revolution here, Khomdram Roshan, 38, of Sekmai Bazaar said. Unlike the local brew, politics in Sekmai the only constituency among Manipurs 60 reserved for scheduled castes does not appear to be intoxicating enough for people to discuss. Here, incumbent Khwairakpam Devendro Singh of Congress is in a straight fight with Bharatiya Janata Partys Heikham Dingko Singh. Andro, though, has been more politically stimulated since Thounaojam Shyamkumar, now a Congress candidate, contested the seat in 2007 for a regional party from jail in Delhi. He had been arrested for links with an underground outfit. Shyamkumars rivals are Nimaichand Luwang of BJP and K Ningthemjao of the regional Manipur National Democratic Front. Election in Andro and Sekmai are scheduled in the first phase on March 4. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and BSP supremo Mayawati will be in Varanasi on Saturday for campaigning in the last phase of UP assembly elections. This is probably the first time any place in the state would have such near-simultaneous high-profile VVIP presence. Security has been beefed up in the city and officials of the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) which guards Modi and Gandhi are camping in the city to ensure that the entire route where these VVIPs will move is sanitised and protected. Amid the high-voltage electioneering, Modi, who is also the Lok Sabha MP from Varanasi, is also expected to offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples and meet people in various areas after beginning his day from the Banaras Hindu University around 9 am. Modi, who will be holding a road show, would start from the BHU gate and will go through Ravidas Lanka gate, Assi, Bhadaini, Sonarpura, Madanpura, Gaudolia, Bans Phatak and would then offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. He will then move to Chowk, Nichibagh, Maidagin, Kotwali Thana, Visheshwarganj, Gujratat temple and then to the Kaal Bhairav temple. He will then proceed to Jaunpur to address an election rally, only to return and meet intellectuals of the city, party workers and then fly back to New Delhi around 9 pm. In what is likely to cause jitters to the administration and badly affect traffic in the city known for its congested streets, the Prime Ministers tour will be coinciding with a joint road show by Gandhi and Yadav. The road show was postponed twice last month and is now being held with two more days to go for campaigning in the final lap of seven-phase assembly polls. Akhilesh Yadav who is also the Samajwadi Party (SP) president, will address two public rallies in Tandia and Munari after which he will join Gandhi for a 9-km long road show. His wife and Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav is also likely to join the road show. The road show will commence at the Kutchery and conclude at Girijaghar--a church situated in Godaulia locality--close to Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples. The SP-Congress alliance hopes to cause an upset in three of the five Assembly segments falling under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency currently held by the BJP. Four-time UP chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati is to address a rally at Jagatpur. The district administration has tried to draw the route plan in such a way that the leaders and their supporters do not come in each others way. Intelligence agencies have also been pressed into service to ensure that the VVIP movement goes on unhindered and safely. The festive season, with the festival of colours Holi around the corner and the narrow lanes of the temple town have added to the worries of the security agencies. The campaign by these high-profile leaders would coincide with the balloting in 49 seats in the neighbourhood under the penultimate phase of the seven-phase staggered elections. Varanasi and neighbouring districts will go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. Meri beti ke sath kya kiya, maar di ya mar gaye (What happened to my daughter? Was she killed or has she died?), 60-year-old Rajendra Shukla scribbled on walls of his village in Madhya Pradeshs Datia district. And he threatened to kill himself if police failed to tell deliver justice. Police bataye, nahi tou nyay paney liyey main jaan de dunga. (Police must speak or I will give my life to get justice). Nearly a month after making his demand public, Shukla allegedly committed suicide on Friday at Dongarpur village, about 370 km north of capital Bhopal. Villagers said just before committing suicide, Shukla scribbled his last wish, Mujhe insaaf do, meri putri laake do (I want justice, get me my daughter back). He was found hanging from the ceiling fan at his residence in his village, police said. Shuklas daughter Kavita -- who he had adopted many years ago -- allegedly went missing shortly after her marriage in 2014 to a man of neighbouring Badoni village in the same district. Villagers said he was on fast for more than a month demanding speedy police probe into his daughters case. Her husband allegedly used to harass Kavita and he had also lied about his educational qualifications and age. Barely a few months after marriage, Kavita went missing on August 15, 2014. And since then, we have been looking for her, Shuklas brother Rajesh said. Police had registered a missing person case on a complaint of Kavitas husband. As she couldnt be located, my brother feared that his daughter was either killed or she had committed suicide. My brother repeatedly complained to police about all this, but no action was taken, he added. Police had allegedly repainted parts of the walls on which Shukla had scribbled his demands. Datia superintendent of police Irshad Wali, however, refuted the allegations. Police tried to help him. Even on Thursday, the investigating officer tried to break his fast. The officer spent half of the day with him to counsel him. His death is very unfortunate. According to a villager, Shukla had observed fast in 2016 but then police had persuaded him to end the agitation by promising to do their best to find his daughter. But when nothing happened, he restarted his fast from January 23, the villager said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Yami Gautam garnered positive response for her last release Kaabil (2016). I have to live up to the love that people have showered me with. From here, things are going to be special. I am enjoying the space, says Yami. Ask her if she still feels like an outsider and she says, The word outsider is just in the head. Its a mental block. Whatever you put your energies to, life gives you that. I am happy where I am, and slowly and steadily [I am] moving towards the goal I want to reach. However, she did go through a phase when her films didnt do well. My second film (Total Siyappa; 2014)) didnt do well and I was very upset. Though you have your entourage and other people around you, who advise you on the kind of films to do, you need to understand and remember why you came here [Bollywood]. You should evolve, but the core [values] should never leave you. Yami reveals that she would now like to work with many film-makers.Raju sir (Rajkumar Hirani), Imtiaz Ali and Vishal Bhardwaj are a few names on my wishlist. I want to work with multiple film-makers as they can help me discover my versatility as an actor. Nothing works in isolation. She believes if actors are complimented for their work, the credit goes to the director and co-actors of the said projects too. It is important to have belief in the people you are working with, says the actor. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor Sonam Kapoor is known for her quirky and experimental sartorial style. In the past, she has owned up to both hits and misses with grace and humour. However, after some news dailies carried reports and pictures focusing on the black Rasario Atelier black jumpsuit she wore at a recent event in Mumbai, the Neerja actor lashed out at the media on Twitter for their sexist reportage. sexist nonsense. The photogs went out of their way to take these pics.. and frankly I don't give a damn,I'm proud of my body! https://t.co/zryjBBYI6B Sonam Kapoor (@sonamakapoor) March 3, 2017 Retweeting a news report that raised the question if she was comfortable in her bold black dress, Kapoor pointed out that she had also commented on several pertinent issues at the event but that had been ignored by the media who couldnt see beyond her dress. Kapoors black jumpsuit has huge ruffle straps with a plunging neckline and oversized armholes, but most of the pictures published have deliberately been taken from side angles. Dear @mid_day @MumbaiMirror I was very comfortable in my outfit. I said a lot of pertinent things,but obv you guys rather report this! https://t.co/LYCogKOb0P Sonam Kapoor (@sonamakapoor) March 3, 2017 The actor found support among the Twitterati, including actors Bhumi Pednekar and Sophie Choudhry. Thanks Bhooms.. I felt hot as fuck! I hope it wasn't a women writing these headlines.. https://t.co/QuqmCWB3A0 Sonam Kapoor (@sonamakapoor) March 3, 2017 Thanks soph... people are gross https://t.co/l7GR3neKdt Sonam Kapoor (@sonamakapoor) March 3, 2017 Earlier on Saturday, Kapoor tweeted an Instagram link to her Femina interview where she talks about being molested at 13, sexism in Bollywood, how feminism is misunderstood in the industry, among other things. In her interview, the actor says, I was clear if people couldnt see beyond my clothes, it was not my problemit was theirs. If somebody labels you or calls you a tart for what youre wearing, its a reflection on them, not you. Follow @htshowbiz for more. By all accounts, custodial killings of more than 40 innocent young Muslims in Hashimpura on May 22, 1987 by Uttar Pradeshs Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) of the 41st battalion can only be regarded as a modern day Jallianwalabagh or worse. In Jallianwalabagh, the crowd had gathered to take part in a political protest; here, these innocent youths were chosen from neighbouring villages. PACs 41st battalion led by Platoon Commander Surender Pal Singh, selected youngsters in full public view from a crowd of roughly 500 people, loaded them onto an official truck, number URU 1352, drove them to the canal, shot each to death one by one, threw them into the water, and then returned to the camp for a regular life as though they had executed a routine job. Twenty eight years later, on March 21, 2015, the verdict on the crime was pronounced and all the accused were released. Its key figure, Surender Pal Singh, is no more. The author interviewed him several times and heard him say that Muslims needed to be taught a lesson, but accepts his failure to figure out what made Singh lead this massacre. The murder of Prabhat Kumar; and his influential relatives, and their ideologies could have been the reason. That is how far we travel in this account to make sense of this tragedy. Vibhuti Narain Rai was the Superintendent Of Police (SP) of the district at the time and a part of the early investigation. In 1992, he decided to write a book. Because, in his words, It is my way to pay the debt, without which I cannot go to the grave peacefully. As a police officer with a national fellowship at the National Police Academy, Hyderabad, he was able to collect a lot of documents from the Criminal Investigation Department(CID), and PAC, which add enormous credibility to his analysis. Indias secularists should be indebted to the author for his commitment, and to others like Vrinda Grover, Maulana Yameen, Rampal Singh and Iqbal Ansari, and to journalists like Naseeruddin and Qurban Ali for supporting the author to keep this story alive even as it vanishes from national memory. This book has become an invaluable source of history, not just on Hindu-Muslim relations but also on the conduct of the Indian state, which appears to have been worse than a colonial one in this case. Babudin was one of the victims who survived the massacre. His account was the earliest to be part of the official record. There was Jaibunnisa, who gave birth to a baby girl on May 22, 1987, the day her husbands life was snuffed out by PAC bullets. Zulfiqar Nisar, now a business man, was another victim. He survived and rebuilt his life after earning a degree from Jamia Millia Islamia with the help of a recommendation from Syed Shahabuddin. On May 22, 2011, the author took Zulfiqar to the crime scene to revisit the story and offers a vivid description of his reactions. The books narrative shows how the Indian state operates why the wheels of justice move slowly, often in the direction opposite to justice. We learn how it was hard for Rai to get even the report of the massacre published, and how his friends in the media pushed the story. He details his interactions with the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Veer Bahadur Singhk, other politicians like Mohsina Kidwai, and Syed Shahabuddin. The most disturbing sections deal with the notorious Provincial Armed Constabulary(PAC), and with how negative perceptions about minorities are often presented in the media. Reports in Amar Ujala and Dainik Jagaran that reflect the medias communal biases are highlighted. We also learn that an attempt to secularise the PAC was made during VP Singhs chief-ministership. It barely worked. Read more: Hashimpura: A tale of injustice The book suggests that the communal hatred that motivated this group of police officials could be traced to the wider political development of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. But to assume that India or Uttar Pradesh was secular before the Ayodhya movement could be a gross misrepresentation of our history. Rai recognizes this reasoning. Therefore, the big question here is not why communal violence takes place but why it is seen as normal and legitimate, and how the state machinery represents such mindsets. After reading this, one wonders about the emptiness of the claim of Indias secularism. It would be inadequate to blame only Hindutva groups because many other forces worked in tandem to perpetuate communal hatred. Strikingly, Rai points out that even Muslim figures holding crucial positions failed to facilitate justice through the state machinery. He singles out Syed Khalid Rizvi, Superintendent of Police, CID at the time, Nasim Zaidi, district magistrate of Ghaziabad district, and prominent Congress politician Mohsina Kidwai. The author presents a positive portrait of diplomat Syed Shahabuddin, who he had earlier viewed as a fundamentalist hawk. He reasons that the poor response from Muslim officials could perhaps be attributed to their over-consciousness of their secular credentials. This book is an attempt to show the various dimensions of the failure of the Indian state, and to examine why justice often eludes innocents. This book presents a unique window into the flaws of Indias secular state as it existed long before the official arrival of Hindutva ideology, with its colourful Gujarati mascots. Dr Rehman is the editor of, Rise of Saffron Power: Reflections on Indian Politics (Routledge forthcoming). He teaches at Jamia Millia Central University, New Delhi. With less than a week for the state election results its time to try to answer a contentious question. Is it the case demonetisation has not diminished the BJP or Mr. Modis popularity? Although a conclusive answer is not yet possible I do believe we have a fairly clear idea of what it might be. That can be discerned from the recent local body elections. Lets start with Maharashtra. Here Saamna, the Shiv Sena magazine, called demonetisation an atom bomb. It said: Prime Minister Modi has reduced the Indian economy to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. All are dead. Uddhav Thackeray said it was time for BJP-bandhi as well. But did that sway the voters? In the municipal polls the BJP won 8 out of 10 councils, coming a close second in Bombay where it increased its tally by 264% to 82 seats. Altogether, of the 1268 seats under contention its strength rose from 207 in 2012 to 580. The party saw similar success at the zilla parishad level where the number of seats it won rose from 165 to 410. The Shiv Senas improvement was far more limited, from 233 to 264. Now Orissa. Though Chief Minister Patnaik supported demonetisation his MPs loudly and repeatedly spoke of the devastation caused to rural Orissa. Indeed, this forced Patnaik to address urgent letters to Delhi seeking special assistance. But did the panchayat poll results reflect this distress? The BJPs tally in the zilla parishad outcome increased by 825%, from 36 to 297 seats. In contrast, the BJDs tally fell by 28%, from 654 to 473 seats. The answer becomes clearer if you look at how the Congress fared. Manmohan Singh called demonetisation organised loot and legalised plunder. Rahul Gandhi went on and on about the damage it had done to the economy and the poor in particular. In fact, no one levelled a stronger or more persistent attack on demonetisation. But did that reflect in the outcome? In Maharashtra, at the zilla parishad level, the Congresss tally fell from 419 to 293 seats. In Bombay it collapsed from 52 to 31. The Congress also lost control of Solapur and Amravati to the BJP. In Orissa its zilla parishad tally almost halved from 128 to 66 seats. In fact, what weve seen in Maharashtra and Orissa was earlier witnessed in the November Gujarat local bodies and Lok Sabha bypolls, the December Chandigarh civic polls, the January Maharashtra municipal council elections and the February Uttar Pradesh legislative council polls. The BJP, effectively, won them all. Doesnt this mean voters have been tested in several states, in different elections, at different times, and on each occasion demonetisation hasnt damaged the partys performance? No doubt at local body elections people vote with local issues at the top of their mind but if demonetisation had caused significant suffering they would hardly have ignored it. The fact they voted so strongly for the BJP suggests it did not. Its another matter why demonetisation which has caused human suffering and adversely impacted the economy, in particular the unorganised sector and casual daily wage labour has such support. Perhaps its to do with schadenfreude or the hope demonetisation will end the culture of bribery, a bubble thats still to burst. But if UP produces similar results it will be very hard to refute the answer Im suggesting. The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON For several years now, the Congress has dined out on its lineage. Forged in the freedom struggle, it began its innings in independent India with the patrician Jawaharlal Nehru at its helm. Today, the party which has seen PMs such as the imperious Indira Gandhi and the austere and scholarly Manmohan Singh, is like a rabbit caught in the headlights. As the saffron tide sweeps on like a juggernaut and regional groupings edge it out, the Congress seems to have taken the easy way out. It has hitched its wagon to politically ascendant forces like the JD(U) in Bihar, the SP in Uttar Pradesh and is looking fondly at even the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra after the civic polls. It has become an add-on, good for a few seats in exchange for an illusion of being in power, for being part of the forces plugging the dyke against the tidal wave of the BJP. But should the once great party be content with being part of the supporting cast to other parties, which grudge it even the crumbs that they part with and a position way down the political pecking order? No, I know there will be few takers in the party for this bit of unsolicited advice but I think the Congress needs to stop thinking about piecemeal gains in elections and take a serious look at why it has lost so much traction with the people. It is no use blaming Rahul Gandhi and his lack of leadership for it. It is no use saying that had Priyanka stepped into the fray things would be different. The problem is that the Congress has no alternative narrative to offer, it has long ceased to be proactive. It confines itself to reacting to the actions of others, notably the BJP. It is unable to pick up one issue and run with it. It has not come up with the big idea in ages. The Congress has all the ingredients required to make a comeback if it is consistent and diligent. It has huge brand recognition, a presence in every nook and cranny, an extensive cadre and a robust second-rung of leadership. Yet, it does not seem to capitalise on any of this. Instead of keeping its eye on the prime ministership, it should focus on rebuilding its base in states where it was once a formidable presence. It means re-energising its representatives in grassroots institutions, coming up with credible programmes, focusing more on its positives than the Oppositions negatives. Brand Modi is hard to beat, so dont waste your breath trying, instead focus on the here and now and what is possible. The Congress leadership should collate ideas from its younger leaders and implement them in the states where it still has a chance. It has been so obsessed with power at the Centre that it did not notice that it is losing its grip in places which it once took for granted. In fact, even in its once inviolable strongholds, people are becoming weary of the party and its lack of ideas and imagination. Its messaging must be different from that of the saffron forces, it should not try any soft Hindutva approach, it must have a robust liberal economic policy, it should stop its espousal of subsidies, it should stop wearing a tired pro-poor badge on its sleeve. It must project itself as a modern, progressive party with new ideas for a young India in terms of jobs, education, health and skills. It must come out with a practical and believable blueprint. It has access to the finest professionals and its core beliefs are more in sync with modern India and Indians than that of the other political formations. Which is why I am astounded that it is happy to be a bit player and not work towards the top slot once again. The longer it waits to reinvent itself, the harder it will be and the less space it will have. A democracy without a credible and strong opposition is in a dangerous place. The Congress is mired in its old shibboleths and an inactive older leadership. If it is seen as trying a lot harder to reflect the aspirations of the people, it will get noticed. At the moment, this is in the form of tokenism when it comes to the poor and marginalised, once the bedrock of the Congresss support base. In Adoor Gopalakrishnans iconic film Elipathayam (Rat trap), the story revolves around a comrade who returns to his village after pursuing the revolution. As he sleeps all day, the people gather round, firm in the belief that he will impart his wisdom to them. He keeps sleeping only to wake up now and then, but he says nothing. The patient people wait and wait the story has a tragic end so I wont spoil it for you in case you have not seen it. I recommend it to the Congress leadership, there are many lessons to be learnt from this film. letters@hindustantimes.com SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped on Saturday by four men at the Kedarghat-Kuteti road in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, police said. Three of the accused have been arrested while the fourth is on the run. Vijay Shankar Koti, Ashish Bijalwan and Ajay Bhatt were arrested on the basis of the womans complaint. The fourth accused, Manish Awasthi, is at large, Uttarkashi police station in-charge Vinod Thapliyal said. They have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Thapliyal said, adding that police were searching for Awasthi. It is suspected that the woman knew one of the accused and was going along with him towards Kuteti. The other three joined the person she was travelling with and committed the crime, he said. A 75-year-old retired government employee has been allegedly beaten to death by his alcoholic son for not filling up the water tank at their residence in Bindapur in southwest Delhi. Though most neighbours preferred to stay indoors, a couple of locals, who tried to rescue the elderly man, Ram Kumar, said his son warned them against interfering. The assault on Friday night stopped only when the victim, unable to bear the brutal blows and the stranglehold on his neck, collapsed. Though the accused 40-year-old Chetan Kumar came to his senses and rushed his father to a nearby private hospital soon afterwards, it was already a little too late. Doctors at the establishment declared him dead on arrival. Chetan was arrested after his 14-year-old daughter told police that he was responsible for the crime. The accuseds 12-year-old son was also present at the time of the incident. Kumar, a retired MTNL lineman, owned a four-storey building at a congested locality in Bindapurs Khushi Ram Park area. His alcoholic son, Chetan, had gained notoriety in the locality as somebody who harassed women while returning home drunk. He used to drive an e-rickshaw for a living. Several neighbours alleged that Chetan assaulted his wife frequently, forcing her to approach the Delhi Polices womens cell. His wife started living separately with their youngest son around two months ago, said a senior police officer. In the absence of his wife, Chetan allegedly forced his father to do the household chores and take care of his two children. Chetan would abuse his father and threaten to beat him up every time he failed to do work around the house, alleged Payal, a neighbour. On Friday, Chetan returned home around 10 pm in an inebriated state only to find that the water tank hadnt been filled. He refused to believe Ram Kumar when the latter said the locality did not receive any water supply that evening, said Rajni, another neighbour, adding that even his fathers assurances that there was enough drinking water failed to calm him. When the retired government employee objected to being verbally abused, Chetan allegedly began beating him up. He punched Kumar repeatedly on his head and chest, and even tried to strangle him. He kept beating the old man until he collapsed, Rajni added. Most neighbours decided against intervening, thinking that it was just a family squabble. Moreover, we were scared because Chetan usually carries a knife with him. A few people tried to reason with him, but he told them that it was a domestic issue, said Mamata, who lives nearby. DCP (southwest) Surender Kumar confirmed Chetans arrest, and said an investigation was on. About three hundred small diamonds, two diamond necklaces, 14 diamond rings, four pairs of diamond earrings, about one hundred rubies, two pairs of diamond bangles and some gold worth Rs 1 crore was what the police recovered from two persons, including a minor, allegedly involved in over 50 thefts in Delhi. Deepak and the juvenile are said to be members of the infamous thak-thak gang that operated in south, north and central Delhi. They distract car drivers by either knocking on car windows and puncturing tyres and escape with valuables. In one of the cases, the two allegedly fooled a Chandni Chowk jeweller into believing that his tyre was punctured. When he got down to check the car, they allegedly fled with his bag full of jewellery. A special team was deployed to curb increasing incidents of theft by the thak-thak gang in different parts of Delhi. The team gathered information about active members of such gangs operating across Delhi. On February 28, the team received information that the persons involved in the case had gone to Chandigarh to commit similar crimes, Joint commissioner of police, crime, Ravindra Yadav said. A team went to Chandigarh for raids but found out that the accused had returned to Delhi after committing a series of thefts in Punjab. The team came back and acting on inputs, apprehended two persons, including a juvenile, near Sarai Kale Khan Bus Terminal, Yadav said. These men are running an organised gang known as thak-thak gang. They distract car drivers by either knocking on the car windows, puncturing tyres or in minor accidents. One of the gang members then flee with valuables kept in the car. Juveniles are frequently being used to carry out such thefts. During questioning, Deepak told the police that he sold clothes to earn a living when he was approached by members of the gang, who offered him good money. He confessed to have committed more than 50 such thefts across north India with the thak-thak gang, Yadav said. We are investigating the matter and more arrests may follow, he added. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Friday cleared the Delhi governments proposal to revise minimum wages of industrial workers in the Capital by about 37% across various categories. This is a departure from the past, when the Delhi government and the then L-G were engaged in repeated confrontation over approval of proposals. The notification will be issued on Monday, bringing the new wages regime into effect from March 6. The eligible people will start getting their revised salary from April, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said. This is the third such decision by Baijal in a month to clear proposals of the AAP government, which were either pending with its office since the tenure of his predecessor Najeeb Jung or were returned by Jung for reconsideration. After clearing AAP governments proposal to open over 300 Mohalla Clinics in Delhi government schools on February 8, Baijal cleared the proposal to increase salary of about 17,000 guest teachers on Thursday. Baijal took over the role of citys administrator from Jung last December. I thank the L-G for giving approval (to minimum wages proposal). I hope that we will continue to work together for the welfare of Delhi, said Kejriwal, even as he side-stepped with a smile a specific question whether the approvals by L-G was an indication of the Central government having stopped creating roadblocks in the function of AAP government, a repeated allegation of his party. In an interview to Hindustan Times on completion of two years, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had said that he was quite hopeful of a good working relationship with Anil Baijal as the new L-G has started clearing files blocked by his predecessor Jung. Besides clearing of Mohalla Clinics proposal, he cited Baijals other decisions such as clearing names suggested for the board of directors at the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technological University and proposal to allow sportspersons to train at school grounds after school hours as the cases in point. A number of files were returned without any objection, the deputy CM had added. On Friday, Kejriwal also appealed the Centre to clear the Minimum Wages Amendment Bill 2015 that aims to make the penal action more stringent against employers violating minimum wages rule. Speaking to reporters, Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai said that about 50 lakh people will be benefited from the decision. The Delhi government last week had approved around 37% hike in the minimum wages for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled persons in the national capital. As per the Cabinets decision, the minimum wages for unskilled persons will be Rs 13,350 per month against the existing Rs 9,724 per month. For semi-skilled and skilled persons, it will increase from Rs 10,764 to Rs 14,698 and from Rs 11,830 to Rs 16,182 per month respectively. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Protests in Delhi refuse to die down as Delhi University students under banner of Left Wing bodies held another march in the Capital. Students led by AISA marched from Mandi House to Parliament asserting their academic freedom, right to dissent and against alleged hooliganism by ABVP members. Twelve days after student clashes shook Delhi Universitys Ramjas college, student bodies have been locked in a tussle of protests with RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Viyarthi Parishad and Delhi University Students Union, on one hand, and students under Left Wing student organisations like AISA and SFI on the other. Read: Ramjas row: 10 things that turned a college brawl into a battle of ideologies The ABVP had, on Thursday organised a Save DU march which was followed by an SFI march on Friday. Both the sides had also staged protest on February 28 ABVP at North Campus and other student bodies at ITO. Trouble had started at Delhi University over invitation to Umar Khalid, a JNU student facing sedition charges. ABVPs objection resulted in Ramjas college cancelling the invitation. The matter escalated after a clash between students at the college campus following which the literary festival at Ramjas was cancelled. DU students along with Left Wing student bodies held a protest against alleged arm-twisting by ABVP. Clashes again broke out at the march with reports of students and teachers being roughed up by ABVP members. Both the groups have since then taken out series of protests calling for action against each other. Watch the highlights of the protest: 4.40pm: A DU teacher at the march says, College campuses have been overtaken by hooliganism and what happened at Ramjas has repercussion on the entire university. She adds that seminars are places where debates and discussuin take place and the protest is intended to reassert the right to debate. 4.30pm: Kanhaiya Kumar, Sitaram Yechury and mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed also join the protest. Students at the protest speak against misuse of sedition law and call for action against gundagardi on campus. (Raj K Raj/ HT Photo) 4.11pm: JNU student Umar Khalid comes to address the Save DU march. 4.09pm: Amid chants of Inquilab zindabad and Hallabol, a JNU student tells HT that he had come to assert that the government cannot intimidate students with sedition law. He says the government should amendment the archaic sedition law to ensure it is not misused. 4.05pm: A large contingent of Youth for Swaraj joins the Save DU march chanting slogans for action against those who perpetrated violence at Ramjas college. 3.50pm: Students at the protest speak against sedition law. DU student Aditya tells HT correspondent that anything said against the nation should not be seen as anti-national and seditious. He adds that sedition should not use law to suppress dissent. 3.38pm: Seen at the protest: Umar Khalids younger sister with a poster calling for action in case of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed. She tells HT correspondent that though Umar Khalid has been attacked by many there are also a large number of students who support him. Through music, slogans and posters protesting students call for space to disagree and think peacefully. (Raj K Raj/ HT Photo) 3.32pm: Around 1,000 protesters have gathered so far. Members of civil society organisations as well as parents of students have come from outside Delhi to join the protest. 3.28pm: Guitars and drums add music and colour to the protest. Students turn up with colourful posters some even in Urdu. 3.22pm: Teachers and students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) join the protest in large numbers. Students seen expressing solidarity with DU students through posters which say JNU loves DU. Students reach the protest site with interesting posters to put forward their point. (Shradha Chettri / HT Photo) 3.15pm: Students and teachers gathered for protest head towards Parliament Street police station. Talking to Hindustan Times a student with copy of the Preamble says the violence at campus violated the basic ideas set in the Constitution. 3.12pm: Students have gathered in large numbers at Mandi House demanding that colleges be made free spaces for debate and discussion. Talking to HT correspondents, students say they have gathered not for an ideology but against violence at campus which they say was incited by ABVP. 2.53pm: Students from different DU colleges and other universities join the protest amid chants of Hallabol. 2.40pm: Among the students at the Save DU march are students from Ashoka University, who tell HT correspondent that they have come to protest against the culture of forced self-censorship. 2.26pm: Protesting students carry placards asking DU administration Why so scared of ABVP. Some others seek to assert freedom of thought and expression with this line from poet Iqbal Freedom of thought destroys those who cant think. 2.10pm: Students begin to gather at Mandi House amid heavy police deployment for Save DU march. People have started to gather for the "Citizens March-- Save DU" at Mandi House @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/yI3ybJ2siN Shradha Chettri (@Shrads_chettri) March 4, 2017 Delhi police geared for citizen's march to start 4m Mandi House to Parliament Street. Student to join soon @htdelhi @htTweets #SaveDU pic.twitter.com/TfEju2Z1ZZ Ananya Bhardwaj (@BhardwajAnanya) March 4, 2017 1.40pm: NSUI will march from DPCC to PHQ at 6.30pm demanding that police register case against those seen in videos engaging in violence on February 22. 1pm: Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav claims the Youth Meet at Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, where he had been invited to speak on Meaning & Significance of Dissent, postponed under pressure. Another DU college chickens out! I was to speak on Meaning & Significance of Dissent at DCAC Youth meet tomorrow. Just told it's postponed! Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) March 4, 2017 Students, teachers and Left-leaning student groups of Delhi University will march from Mandi House to Parliament Street on Saturday afternoon, taking forward their demonstration on Tuesday in the varsity campus against the violence by ABVP in Ramjas College last week. The Citizens March Justice for DU, slated to begin at 2 pm, is against the ABVPs hooliganism in the college campus on February 21 and 22 after Left-leaning groups protested the cancellation of an invitation to JNU scholar Umar Khalid for a literary event. The cancellation was done after ABVP objected to the invite, saying a person accused of anti-national activities cannot come to DU. The DU students taking out the march said that this protest is to reclaim the university space which is for dissent, debate and discussion. The police saw them (ABVP) rioting, yet no action till now. We will hit the streets again, read the posters of the event. On Thursday, ABVP had also taken out a Save DU march against the alleged anti-nationals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Kawalpreet Kaur, head of AISAs Delhi University unit, is a vocal opponent of the way ABVP registered its protest to the scheduled seminar at Ramjas College in which JNU student Umar Khalid was to present a paper. In an interview to HT, she said it was important to challenge the impunity enjoyed by the ABVP and every students body has the right to register protest but only in non-violent ways. Excerpts: What was the significance of the protest march organized after the Ramjas seminar was cancelled? We wanted to express solidarity with the students of Ramjas. At the same time, it was important to fight the atmosphere of fear prevailing in the campus. In 2015, ABVP stalled screening of the film based on Muzaffarnagar riots. If we would have responded back then, perhaps this time the parishad might not have felt emboldened to issue a diktat against Umar Khalid. I think that event and successive episodes in DU, JNU and universities across the country gave the Parishad members a sense of impunity. The march was important to challenge this impunity. ABVP says it is the duty of students to come out whenever national integrity is mocked at. How would you respond? Ramjas issue is not about nationalism or anti-nationalism. Whenever ABVPs hooliganism is exposed, it uses the shield of nationalism. It starts branding whoever opposes its views, anti-national. It happened in the case of Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad and with Umar Khalid and Kanhaiya at JNU. For the last 2-3 years, there have been reports pouring in from DU and other universities outside Delhi about ABVP stalling various events such as seminars and film screenings. In that backdrop, were you surprised with what happened at North campus? If we talk only in terms of protests, this was not the first time students gathered in north campus in large numbers. I remember in 2014 around 3,000-4,000 students participated in the protest against the proposed Four Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP). Congress was the ruling party and its students body, National Students Union of India (NSUI), was supporting FYUP. The protest continued for almost a month but NSUI never labelled us or called us anti- national for opposing Congress policies. With the support of the central government, the ABVP has got the courage to call anyone anti-national. In that sense, I was not surprised. The role of Delhi police has been criticised. But ABVP says it has visual proof showing how police even beat its members. After the march, ABVP members got thank you delhi police hash tag trending on Twitter. I have screenshots of the same. They were openly flaunting their strength and thanking police for allowing them to do what they wanted to do. They have put up posts saying that we only slapped and dragged you and we should have broken your legs also. ABVPs stand is that it will not allow Umar Khalid to speak at any campus. Your stand is alternative viewpoints should be encouraged. How do we break the logjam? There was always a dignity to protest. There have been instances of AISA being unwelcoming to speakers or panelists in JNU campus. We have shown black flags and held sit-in protests. But we dont say that boycott this person from campus or we will allow his entry on when he says bharat mata ki jay. I might have many differences with Umar Khalid. I would want to have a debate with him and criticise him. No one should be allowed to take away that right from me. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chetan Kumar abusing his 75-year-old father in an inebriated state had become an everyday sight for many residents of Khushi Ram Park in southwest Delhis Bindapur that they would either open their windows or walk to their doorsteps to witness the drama, never bothering to intervene. So, when 40-year-old Chetan began beating his father late on Friday evening for failing to fill the water tank, the neighbours decided to watch the drama from a distance. It was only when the elderly mans cries turned shrill that a couple of neighbours decided to step in. But they backed off when Chetan told them to keep out of his family matter. Left to deal with his family the way he wanted, Chetan allegedly punched his father till he died. In the recent past, this is the second case of a person being killed in Delhi while neighbours stayed aloof thinking it was a domestic matter. Just three weeks ago, a man beheaded his wife in East Delhis Madhu Vihar even as neighbours ignored the womans shrieks and cries for help. Senior police officers attributed this lack of response to an insensitive attitude. Many people think these fights are an everyday affair in those homes and decide not to interfere. They tend to trivialise the violence as domestic issues, said Dependra Pathak, special commissioner of police. In the latest case, neighbours have claimed that Chetan was a dangerous man who always carried a knife. He was in the habit of harassing women in our locality after returning home drunk. We would always keep him at a distance. We stay in our homes when he fights with his family, said Payal. Neighbours said Chetan would earlier beat up his wife, forcing her to approach Delhi Polices womens cell. She had left him and had started living separately with her youngest son around two months ago. When HT visited the locality, almost all the neighbours present there knew about what had happened, but would keep pointing to others when asked if they intervened. A few men tried to stop Chetan from beating his father, but he told us it was his family matter, said Rajni, another neighbour. Many others said they believed it was one of the usual fights in the family that the neighbourhood was used to seeing. We thought the fight would end in sometime, the way it usually does. We did not expect he would up killing his father, said Afsana, another neighbour. Reacting to the crime, Pathak said the public must react in time and in every possible way to save a life. People should gather their courage and intervene in cases where it is a question of life and death. If it is not possible to singularly take on an assailant, people must organise themselves to scare the killer, said Pathak. If a physical intervention is not possible, bystanders should raise an alarm for help from others and in the meantime distract the attacker through a verbal attack, said Pathak, adding that a call to police should be made simultaneously. On February 22, Delhi Universitys Ramjas College witnessed intermittent violence after two groups of students one of which was supported by RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) clashed with each other. The police then were accused of not doing enough, with the case later being transferred to the crime branch for a fair probe. On Saturday, however, it was a show of strength from Delhi Police during the Save DU Citizens March, with at least two police personnel being deployed for every protester who marched from Mandi House to Parliament Street. According to estimates released by the police, there were nearly 400 protesters including students and teachers from universities across Delhi who took part in the protest, which was guarded by more than 800 police personnel to ensure law and order. Delhi Police, interestingly this time, had deployed more women police personnel than men 60:40 ratio. We have learnt that it is better to give women personnel a lead in such protests. Since there are a lot of women students and teachers joining these protests, it is only appropriate to deploy more women cops. In the last protest, while dispersing the students, some constables happened to push some women students. To avoid any such situation, we planned to deploy more women than men this time, a senior police officer said. He added that while male cops were asked to keep a watch from the outside and walk behind, the women cops were walking along with the protesters. Police said that such a massive arrangement was made keeping in view the sensitivity of the matter. From anti-riot gear to adequate emergency response vehicles, police buses, rapid action force and elaborate barricading, the police had done it all on Saturday. We made sure that adequate arrangements were made. We did not want a repeat of what happened on the campus on February 22. We not only had the district police but roped in force from the adjoining districts as well. We had more than seven companies from paramilitary forces and four internal companies. All the deputy commissioners of police along with ACPs, SHOs were also on the ground supervising the situation, till the speeches were over and the crowd dispersed, a police officer said. Traffic was affected during the march as vehicles were stopped at Janpath road, Tolstoy Marg and Kasturba Gandhi Marg, till the protesters had passed. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Forty-nine-year-old Sunil Ambekar, the national organising secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), has no qualms about the RSS-affiliated outfit challenging the Leftist thought which, he feels, has dominated campuses for long. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Ambekar, while denouncing violence, said ABVP will not compromise with issues concerning national integrity. Excerpts: ABVP is being accused of beating students at Ramjas College? Whatever happened at Ramjas College should not be treated as a political issue. The issue is larger and beyond the incident. Whenever the national integrity is mocked at, it is the duty of students to come out and oppose it. Some people are politicising it and it has nothing to do with governments. I believe that the whole country is with us on this issue. We were not opposed to the seminar. But, we will not allow a person like Umar Khalid to speak at campuses. It is being alleged that police protected ABVP students who were resorting to violence. Police do not discriminate while controlling the crowd. We have visual proof showing how police even beat our students. Yes, had cops acted more professionally, things would have been controlled in time. But, more than police action, we should discuss why a person who shouts slogans calling from disintegrating the country (Umar Khalid) was invited. The entire episode is being exaggerated to divert the attention from main issue. We know what happens in Bastar violence in the garb of Maoism. The irony of it is that people who support Maoism are complaining of violence at Ramjas College. Some say ABVP is enjoying the patronage of the Narendra Modi government. There have been cases lodged against our students elsewhere in the country even after 2014. Recently, six ABVP students were arrested in Pune. Our students faced police wrath in Bhopal It is not that we have just emerged on campuses. We are being targeted because people cannot accept that we are growing. Does ABVP believe violence is the only way to make its presence felt? There is no place for violence in democracy. The Ramjas incident, as I said, is being exaggerated. If you want to talk about violence, talk about Maoism, terrorism and political violence. We should rather discuss people who espouse disintegration of country. Umar Khalid is out on bail. Police are yet to file a chargesheet. We will not allow him to speak on any campus. He talked enough on February 9 (2016) when he talked about bharat ki barbaadi. There is a video proof. The question of chargesheet not being filed will not mean that he has not said this. Why is ABVP so opposed to freedom of expression? Where has this freedom been curtailed? But whenever it is a question about national integrity, we will not take it lying down. There is a prejudice towards Indian history, culture and mythology which is the root of the problem. That is why we should revisit our past and we are challenging it. Shouldnt there be space for alternative thoughts? The left is the established thought on campuses. This is why we want to challenge it and that is what has made them (left) restless. Why is it like that ABVP wants to live in past? Unfortunately, people judge us without studying us. They should do research on us before criticising us. The perception that we live in past is wrong. Otherwise ABVP would not be the biggest organisation. We do not just think about past. Yes, we respect it. India came into existence thousands of years ago. Talking about the glorious history that we had helps to beam with confidence to make our coming generations self-dependent. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON One sight that never fails to dazzle city residents and tourists alike on every Republic Day and Independence Day is the lighting on the three iconic buildings on the Raisina Hills Rashtrapati Bhawan, North Block and South Block. A lit up Raisina Hills could soon become a permanent feature during evening hours.The government is working out the modalities to implement the plan. Every evening, for three to four hours, the three buildings will be lit up with energy efficient LED lights, on the lines of similar practice at historic sites from across the world such as Londons Big Ben, Paris Eiffel Tower, London Bridge, Sydney Opera House, among others. Currently, the area is lit up only on specific occasions such as Republic Day, Independence Day and Diwali. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD), an agency under the Union urban development (UD) ministry, that is responsible for the upkeep of these iconic buildings, is working on the logistics of the proposal. Sources in the Union urban development (UD) ministry said that a one-time capital expenditure to put up the LED lights, do the wiring, etc. will be a little over Rs 25 crore. Because energy efficient LED lights will be used, the energy cost will not be exorbitant. Only a minimum maintenance cost will be required. The lighting will make these buildings a must visit sight on a tourists itinerary, said a ministry official. For instance, on Republic Day this year, when the Raisina Hills was lit up for a week from January 23 to January 29 approximately 57,000 LED bulbs of three watt were put up. The per hour energy consumption was 171 units costing Rs 1,368 (the per unit energy charges in the area which falls under NDMC is Rs 8), said a CPWD official. Earlier, we used 25 watt LED lights, which used to cost more. But with advancement in technology, we now have three watt lights that have brought down the energy consumption cost substantially, said a UD ministry official. The Union ministry started working on the proposal following a recommendation from the Prime Ministers Office during a presentation made by a Group of Secretaries last month. The panel of top bureaucrats was constituted last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review government programmes and give budget ideas for 2017-18 on the health, sanitation and urban development sector. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Around 12% of the work on the three underpasses on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway has been completed in the last two months. One side of the flyover at Hero Honda chowk will be completed by March 31 and will become operational by the first week of April. The dates were announced in a review meeting chaired by Gurgaon deputy commissioner Hardeep Singh, who inspected the project sites on Saturday along with National Highways Authority (NHAI) officials. The Delhi to Jaipur side of the much-awaited flyover at Hero Honda Chowk on Delhi-Gurgaon expressway is likely to open in the beginning of April, reducing the traffic load on the expressway. The 1.4km-long flyover is being constructed as part of three-layer crossing flyover, underpass and at grade road. Work on the underpass at the junction is also on the fast track. As far as the work of the underpasses at the three junctions Iffco Chowk, Signature Tower Chowk and Rajiv Chowk is concerned, it was informed at the meeting that in the last two months about 12% work has been completed. The total cost of this project is Rs 1,005 crore and the likely date of completion is March 2019. But the NHAI is aiming to complete the project ahead of schedule by the end of 2018. At Rajiv Chowk, the construction of a two-lane underpass on either side for signal-free traffic movement via Sohna-Gurgaon Road is underway. A two-lane underpass for traffic coming from Medanta Hospital towards Delhi and an underpass rotary for non-motorised vehicles and pedestrians across the NH-8, connecting all four arms of the main junction are also progressing. The NHAI authorities said the parking area near Rajiv Chowk will be handed over to public works department in about 20 days and the PWD will carry out the pavement work. This will help in keeping the dust from flying and bring down the pollution level. Singh assured the highway authorities that all help will be accorded to them to ensure that the project is completed within the stipulated time as these underpasses are crucial for decongesting the city. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The district education department has asked all schools across the city, including those affiliated to the ICSE and CBSE boards, to put up details on vacancies for students from the economically weaker sections (EWS) on their websites, notice boards and the Management Information System, the official education portal of the Haryana government, by March 20. The director, secondary education, Panchkula, had written to all the district education departments of the state to schedule the admission of students from EWS and BPL categories to classes 9-12 at private schools for the academic session 2017-18. The private schools were also directed to charge the same fees from these students as are being charged by government schools. In a circular issued earlier in February, Neelam Bhandari, Gurgaons district education officer (DEO), had directed all private, unaided schools to furnish information on the seats reserved for students from the weaker sections and disadvantaged groups (DGs). The circular had also asked the schools to reserve 25% of their total declared seats for EWS/DG students at all classes, including pre-school, pre-primary and class 1 during admissions for academic session 2017-18. We have asked all the schools to ensure they display the EWA vacancies on their school notice boards and respective web portals for the benefit of those seeking admission in that category. Often, the parents approach us and we are unable to advise them as we dont have access to such details. Hence, we have asked all schools to upload information related to the vacancies on their websites and the MIS, Bhandari said. The online module for providing information regarding the number of students admitted and the number of vacancies for the session 2017-18 in each class under rule 134-A of Haryana School Education Rules - 2003 has been upgraded and made ready for use by all private recognised schools. Once the information is up on the MIS portal (hryedumis.gov), it could be accessed through the link available on the departments website, Bhandari said. The directive came in the wake of concerns over the non-admission of EWS students owing to lack of data provided by the private schools. As per Section12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act,2009, every recognized private school imparting elementary education and even if unaided, has to admit boys and girls from disadvantaged groups. As per the guidelines, all schools, both aided and unaided, have to set aside 25 per cent of the total declared seats for children from the EWS and disadvantaged groups. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In April 2011, construction for the much hyped Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) road project started and it was supposed to completed in a year, by March, 2012. However, it has missed several deadlines since and in April 2017, the project will have completed seven long years since being commissioned by the Huda (Haryana urban development authority). Now, with the project having changed hands and the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) being assigned the task of taking it forward, theres new hopes of it finally coming to fruition. While the Huda failed to get it off the ground, all eyes are now on the NHAI to bring the project to fruition. However, the NHAI is yet to set a fresh deadline for the project. The NHAI has taken over the project. While the entire expressway will span 27 km, the Gurgaon stretch will cover 18 km. The enitire stretch is proposed to be open to commuters at once. We will soon set a fresh deadline for the project, AK Sharma, project director, NHAI, said, adding that the all issues regarding land acquisition and rehabilitation of displaced people have to be resolved by the Huda at the earliest. Read I Gurgaon NPR project hurdle: Huda gives allotment letters to 60 oustees Of the 18 km Gurgaon stretch of the Dwarka Expressway project, the bituminous work over 15 km is complete and the remaining 3 km covering the New Palam Vihar and Kherki Daula stretch is still ongoing. For the investors who have pumped crores into the project, the six-year wait for the project to see the light of day could be prolonged for another two years or more. The Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) or Dwarka Expressway project could have been completed long back had the Huda and successive Haryana government taken it forward on a priority basis, a developer associated with the project said, adding that even after the NPR is ready to be thrown open to the commuting public, it could take another few years for the required infrastructure to be put in place. The oustees, who werent considered for rehabilitation by the Huda, has set their hopes of relief on the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Responding to an earlier petition, the high court had directed the Huda to consider all oustees, including the general power of attorney and special power of attorney holders, for rehabilitation. However, the oustees who were left out of the plot draw, later moved a fresh plea against the Huda claiming it violated the courts directive. The delay has caused irreparable loss to investors. However, we still have hope that the project will be a reality some day. I believe more than 100 residential and commercial projects have been delayed due to litigations regarding the NPR project, Captain Sameer Singh, an investor, said. None of the displaced 600 families have got alternative plots as yet. I filed a contempt petition against the Huda for not considering be eligible for the rehabilitation package. They left me out as I am a GPA holder. The court will hear my petition on February 28, Ram Babu Sharma, a plot owner at New Palam Vihar, said. According to plot owners, the majority of plots mired in litigation was sold by brokers on the general or special power of attorney (GPA-SPA) much before the Huda issued acquisition notices. Gopal Subramanium, former Solicitor General of India who represented the Haryana government in 2010, had said that all petitioners shall be rehabilitated. However, despite the assurance, the Haryana government has continued to drag its feet on the issue, Rajkumar, another plot owner, said. While many GPA-SPA holders built their houses, many plots by these holders continue to be vacant. The government should resolve the issue at the earliest. The investors will be relieved and infrastructure will get a massive boost,Navin Raheja, a member of the National Realty Development Council (NRDC), said. All eyes are now on a court hearing on a Huda plea on March 16. While work on 15 km of the Gurgaon stretch is complete, the remaining stretch is caught up in litigation. Were trying to resolve the rehabilitation issue, Yashpal Yadav, the Huda administrator, said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Fewer children are dying in India after birth and we know why. More women are delivering babies in health facilities and more children are getting vaccinated against infectious diseases that killed children before their fifth birthday, shows data from the National Family Health Survey-4, Indias most comprehensive health report released after a decade. Though infant mortality rates are down to 41 (per 1,000 live births), from 57 in 2005-06, an unacceptably high number of children continue to die of avoidable causes. One in five under-5 deaths in the world occur in India, with close to half of these deaths occurring from vaccine-preventable and treatable infections such as pneumonia and diarrhoea, which will go down with pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines being added to the universal vaccination programme this year. Vaccines are the quickest and the most cost-effective way to being down disease and death. Routine immunization, even with its sporadic delivery over the past two decades, has helped bring down annual under-5 deaths from 3.3 million a generation ago to 1.3 million deaths. But India still loses 17,000 children under-5 deaths each day. Globally, in 1950, 28 of every 100 children died before their fifth birthday, but by 1990, this number had fallen to nine, and has now further fallen to four. This reduction has been largely facilitated by childhood vaccines, said Ramanan Laxminarayan, senior research fellow at Princeton University. With India rolling out four more vaccines this year PCV against polio, rotavirus vaccine against diarrhoea (in Andhra, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha), measles-rubella vaccine (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Puducherry, Lakshwadeep and Goa), and pneumococcal vaccine against pneumonia under-5 deaths are expected to fall sharply. Beyond vaccines The bigger challenge is to bring down deaths from causes that are not vaccine-preventable so that children do not die of birth-related complications such as asphyxia, sepsis and other infections. Last year, India lost one million children within a year. My goal, and the foundations goal, is by 2030, the number should fall at least by half if not more, said Nachiket Mor, director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) India. Clearly, vaccines are an important component of it but we have multiple areas we try to address the issue. One could argue that before polio, India did not fully understand all the supply chain issues, but with Indias success in the routine vaccination programme -- the numbers are not 100% but weve crossed 70% with many vaccines we need to look at the large gaps in terms of access to treatment these gaps still remain, said Mor. Read: India makes gains in health sector but work half done More than half of Indias children are born in a public health facility, which makes the quality of care at the hospital or health centre critical for the mother and newborn health. What is happening in the facility is very important. Immunisation is not our (BMGF) new priority strategy now, thats our older programme and continues to get support in terms of increasing coverage. The vaccines are out there. The key strategy now is trying to understand at the level of the facility, when delivery happen and when the baby leaves the facility, what is the level of treatment options available (to prevent maternal and child mortality and under-nutrition), said Mor. The Gates foundation is working in Bihar and across 25 districts in Uttar Pradesh to improve women and newborn care at public health facilities. Around 40% of Indias 27 lakh births taken place in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and stillbirth rates, maternal deaths, asphyxiation at birth and sepsis are very high. We have 200 nurse mentors in Uttar Pradesh who go from facility to facility to provide additional training and guide the nurse through the process, said Mor. Made in India A strong pharmaceutical sector and 21 major vaccine-manufacturing companies that produce 60% of the worlds vaccines, India is not short of tools to lower disease and death. The quality meets global standards. Last month, Indias National Regulatory Authority of India and affiliated institutions got World Health Organisation (WHO) approval for meeting the global indicators for unified international standards of quality, safety and efficacy. The evaluation was from lab to delivery, including clinical trials and adverse events after vaccination. It will go a long way in re-affirming Indias role in global health, including the strength of its pharmaceutical sector and drug regulatory capacity, said Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India. Read: Private hospitals perform more than thrice the number of C-section deliveries Despite all the vaccines used in the universal immunization programme being manufactured in India, the country has had its share of conspiracies around vaccines, with misled parents denying their children polio drops for fear of impotence, MMR for fear or autism, measles for damaging immunity and memory, HPV from side effects that range from depression to death, and all vaccines for fear of big pharma dumping unwanted products in India. The newest controversy around foreign influence was fuelled by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) secretariat moving to the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare from the BMGF-funded Immunization Technical Support Unit at the Public Health Foundation of India. There is no financial link of NTAGI with BMGF or any other organisation as the body consists of independent experts, said the Union health ministry in a statement. From infectious disease perspective, the vaccine complement is fully available. Clearly, there are some hesitancy type constraints that we have to make sure dont prevent us or delay us further, says Mor. Delays mean India will continue to lose young mothers and babies to preventable and treatable diseases, which is unacceptable given its enviable strength in pharmaceuticals and human resources. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sir Patrick Stewart recently announced that Logan would be his final time playing Professor Charles Xavier. But hes found something to keep himself busy already. He wants to become a US citizen just to fight Donald Trump. The 76 year-old, in a recent interview with The View, shared that he wants to fight, fight, oppose, oppose, reports CNN. You know, we have our own problems. We have Brexit. But Im not a (US) citizen. However, there is, maybe its the only good thing as the result of this election, I am now applying for citizenship. Because I want to be an American, too, he said. The X-Men star added, Because all of my friends in Washington said theres only one thing you can do: fight, fight, oppose, oppose. But I cant do it because Im not a citizen. The response came when the actor was quizzed about the tweet he wrote last month, which read, he had the worst sleep of his life as he was sleeping less than 300 yards away from where Donald Trump sleeps. Recently, television host Oprah Winfrey also hinted that she might join run for president in 2020. Follow @htshowbiz for more Nearly 15,000 Bharatiya Janata Party activists including state unit chief Biplab Kumar Deb were detained during a civil disobedience movement launched throughout Tripura on Saturday to demand a CBI probe into the murder of a party leader in Dhalai district in December last year. Nearly 15,000 picketers were held during the protest. A few got minor injuries during the movement, said superintendent of police (Control) Bhanupada Chakraborty. The protests took place outside administrative offices and police stations in 62 different places. The protesters were released after a few hours. The state BJP is demanding the central agency probe into the murder of Chanmohan Tripura. He was chief of BJPs Janajati Yuva Morcha, Gandacherra Mandal committee. He was beaten to death in a tribal-dominated village of Gandacherra sub-division in Dhalai district. The BJP has alleged that a group of CPM cadre headed by local MLA Lalit Mohan Tripura called Chanmohan from his house and beat him to death. Police had arrested a person in the case, and described him as mentally challenged. No one else has been arrested in the case so far. There is no law and order in the Manik Sarkar regime. More than two months have passed. Police didnt arrest the CPM cadre who killed him brutally. We lost faith in the police and demand the chief minister hand over the case to the CBI. If our demand is not met, our movement will become more vigorous, said Deb. The BJP said it would organise a rally as a part of the movement at Swami Vivekananda Ground in Agartala on March 10. Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju, Union textiles minister Smriti Irani and Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram are expected to attend the rally, said a state BJP leader. Thane city police have registered an offence against an unknown caller who allegedly threatened to blow up the Air India call centre here, police said on Saturday. A call was received on the toll free number at about 1:22pm on Friday night, and the caller threatened to blow up the centre, said the police. The Shrinagar police have registered an offence against the caller based on a complaint last evening. The matter is being investigated further. London: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday saw an alliance of subversion taking place, by which separatists and ultra-left elements were speaking the same language on university campuses, and said the idea of free speech could not extend to assaulting Indias sovereignty. Answering a question at the London school of Economics on the recent turmoil in Ramjas College, Delhi, Jaitley said there was no space for violence, but there needed to be a debate whether assaulting the countrys sovereignty should be permitted under the idea of free speech. On a four-day visit to London mainly to represent India at a reception at Buckingham Palace on Monday to mark the UK-India Year of Culture, Jaitley spoke on historical and contemporary developments in Indias economy and said the country was now clear about the path ahead. On Ramjas College incidents, he said: I dont think there is or could be any space for violence. I personally believe that this whole issue has to be debated whether free speech permits you to assault the very sovereignty of the nation. If somebody speaks about breaking India into pieces and thinks that is part of free speech dont forget under Article 19 (2) sovereignty is an exception to free speech but assuming you wanted that right, be liberal enough to believe that within the democratic framework a large majority will stand up to you and counter your free speech. Then dont say that my free speech is being hindered. I find it strange that an argument is being raised that I have free speech to advocate that India should be broken into pieces but those who oppose me are hindering my free speech. They also have a right of free speech to oppose what you are saying, Jaitley said in a response that met with applause from students in the audience. According to Jaitley, there is an alliance of subversion taking place in India, with separatists and the ultra left speaking the same language on certain university campuses. They must be willing to allow other figures to put the counter-viewpoint, he added. Answering a question on banks and loan defaults, and without naming London-based businessman Vijay Mallya, who is wanted in India in connection with alleged economic offences, Jaitley said: There is a series of steps which we have taken about money stashed abroad from legislation to an opportunity to declare to cooperation with G20 countries to recent understanding with Switzerland these are all steps which have to be taken in parallel. Just as the earlier normal was to transact in cash and evade taxes, many thought that when you take advances from banks the monies need not be repaid. If you dont repay them you come back to London and settle down here. Democracy is liberal enough to permit defaulters to stay here (laughter). That normal needs to be cracked. It is for the first time that strong action is being taken. It has never happened that the defaulters are on the run. The fact that they are on the run and their properties are being attached to the last penny, is a signal which India is sending for the first time. Otherwise we had learnt to live with defaulters. According to Jaitley, the demonetisation drive was the smoothest possible replacement of high denomination notes anywhere in the world. The process, he said, was almost complete, and added that the new GST regime will lead to a bigger GDP in the long run. The Indian economy, Jaitley said, was now comfortably placed, despite all the challenges, to grow at a reasonable pace. India had become much impatient, he said, with a large middle class and a larger section below it that is aspirational. Today there is huge public support for economic reform. There is competitive federalism in which states are vying to attract investment; some states want to grow faster than the national average. Decision-making is now more effective, discretion of the state is being reduced and corruption is frowned upon, he said. The event, titled Transforming India: A Vision for the Next Decade was organised by the 100 Foot Journey Club, an initiative of the LSE South Asia Centre and the Indian high commission, so named because of the 100 foot physical distance between the two in Aldwych, central London. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A senior district leader of ruling JD(U) was arrested on Saturday on the charge of assaulting a television journalist in the wake of a raid at an eatery in his name from where the liquor was found. JD(U) leader Dinesh Kumar Singh was arrested from Patna and will be brought to Chapra, superintendent of police Anysuya Ran Singh told PTI. Following a tip off, an excise department team on Friday night raided an eatery in the name of Dinesh Kumar Singh, and recovered a half-filled liquor bottle and some empty bottles of alcohol, the SP said. Singh, former Saran district president of JD(U), has given the eatery, located in the compound of the Divisional Commissioners office, to another person on lease. The journalist, Santosh Gupta, alleged in an FIR that Singh suspected he had given the tip off to the excise department and assaulted him. Two motorcycleborne unidentified criminals threw chili powder at a salesman and robbed him of Rs 2 lakh and 30 cellphones in Bihars Rohtas district, 134 km from state capital Patna. Police said the criminals accosted Pankaj Kumar, salesman in a showroom dealing in mobile phones, at Takia overbridge in Sasaram town, headquarters of Rohtas district, snatched the cash and cellphones after throwing chili powder in his eyes and fled. Kumar was returning to the showroom after collecting the cash from retailers when the incident took place around 7.30pm on Friday, the police said. The criminal fled on their two-wheeler towards Kochas town, 31 km north of Sasaram, the police added. Sasaram subdivisional police officer (SDPO) Alok Ranjan said this was probably the first time that chili powder had been used to loot cash and other valuables at Sasaram. As Kumar was almost blinded under the impact of chili powder and the people commuting on the overbridge at the time of the incident were unable to provide details about the criminals, we are using scientific methods to track them, Ranjan said. Nagaraj, a Dalit resident of Manchanabale village of Karnataka, has to walk to the nearest town of Chikkaballapur every time he needs a haircut. The reason though is hair-raising: the three salons of his village have been shut for more than a year over an unresolved dispute involving haircuts to Dalits. As many as 600 Dalits of the village accuse upper caste members of the village with a population of some 4,000 of practising caste discrimination and not allowing them to have a haircut at the local salons. Some of the Dalit youths objected to the practice but the upper castes reportedly stood their ground, preferring to shut down the salons. It has stayed that way since August, 2015. Peace meetings held in between have failed to broker a truce. Since 2015, various meetings have been held with even the district deputy commissioner in attendance, but the established practices return as soon as the officials leave the village, complained Prakash, a Dalit youth. Upper caste members say the alleged discrimination is baseless and manufactured by some Dalit youths. According to Devraj, a member of the dominant Vokkaliga community, the village actually is a beacon of harmony, where none is shunned. They (Dalits) are free to access roadside eateries, schools and all, he said. For that matter, the chairman of the village panchayat is a Dalit. However, Dalit youths alleged continuous discrimination. We are fed up and decided to ask that we be treated equally, explained Prakash. In ridding the village of the practice, Prakash and his friends have run into opposition they had never anticipated. Even elders of our community refused to side with us, Prakash said. The village barbers too are cut up with them, for having ruined their business. I remember the day well. I had gone to Bengaluru and when I returned, I found the police waiting for me. They said I had denied haircuts to Dalits and would be charged under the SC/ST(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. I went into hiding to avoid jail. So I decided to close my salon, said Venkatesh Manchanbale. Deputy commissioner Dipti Kanade, however, is hopeful of breaking the deadlock soon. One solution she is mulling is identifying locals willing to open new salons. We will give them the basic haircut kits and tell them not to discriminate against anyone, she said. Local MLA K Sudhakar said, It is unfortunate but these forms of discrimination are present everywhere, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia on Saturday hinted at the Hindutva organisation contemplating some move for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying a decision on the issue may be taken within a week. Karenge (we shall do something), the VHP International president replied when asked if VHP would take steps for the construction of the temple following the indifferent attitude of the government on the issue. Decision for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya may be taken within a week, he said when asked why the construction has been put in abeyance despite a BJP-led government at the Centre. The decision can be taken within one hour, after calling a special session of Parliament, he said, adding that the process does not require even a week. The decision about construction of the temple may be taken, and the formalities for the construction may be completed later gradually, he said. Meanwhile Togadia termed the Donald Trump administrations decisions affecting US-based Indians as unfortunate. The (Indian) government should do everything for protecting Hindus living in different countries like Australia, America, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia etc, he demanded when asked about steps the government should take to ensure security of Hindus abroad, especially in the US. Togadia demanded withdrawal of the advisory issued against cow protectors due to a reported increase in cow slaughter. He said the order terming gaurakshaks as vigilantes was absolutely wrong since they only protect cows from slaughter. In fact, the culprits are kasai (butchers) since they are involved in cow slaughtering, he said, adding that butchers were the ones who deserve punishment. The order of the government is absolutely wrong as such orders had never been given in the past, Togadia said. Asked for his reaction on the statement of Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain who said India should withdraw from Kashmir otherwise it would spell disaster, he said, Pakistan should be given a befitting reply with guns and tanks. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that his Bharatiya Janata Party will not contest the Shiv Sena for the mayor post in Brihanmumbai Municipal Council (BMC), signalling a thaw in ties between the bickering allies. Fadnavis also said his party will not be in the opposition bloc, but will keep a close eye on the transparency in the civic bodys functioning. The BJP dented the Senas Mumbai bastion in the recently held civic elections, improving its tally from 31 to 81 seats. The Sena, however, emerged as the single largest party with 84 of the 227 seats in the BMC. With neither getting full control of the civic body, the stage was set for another bout between the squabbling allies-turned-rivals. But after Fadnaviss peace message, it appears the Sena candidate will sail through. We will not put up a candidate for mayor or deputy mayor for BMC, news agency ANI quoted Fadnavis as saying. We will not be in the opposition...we will support the ruling party, but will not compromise on transparency, he said. In Mumbai, the Congress bagged 31 seats, while the NCP got nine seats followed by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (7). Significantly, since all four major parties were fighting independently, the vote share of the Independents, who got 11 seats, have reduced drastically. Relatives of Roy Mathew, the army man found dead in Nashik camp, refused to accept his body on Saturday and demanded that the postmortem be done again. Many questions are unanswered. The body is beyond recognition. And the officials who accompanied the body refused to show it to even close relatives including the wife of the diceased, said one of Mathews relatives when the body arrived in Thiruvananthapuram. Mathew, a gunner in the Indian Army, was found dead near his camp in Nashik on Thursday, a few days after he accused senior officers of harassment in an interview with a Marathi channel. The programme was aired on Monday. Although the army said it was a case of suicide, family members of 33-year-old Mathew said they suspected foul play. They are demanding an investigation into the circumstances leading to his death. However, an army spokesperson on Friday said a sting operation conducted by mediapersons may have spurred him to commit suicide. Roy went missing on Monday, a day after calling up his wife Fini Mathew at Kollam to say that he had made a big mistake, an apparent reference to the interview to Marathi channel that showed him accusing senior officers of harassment at the Nashik camp. He reportedly told Fini that his senior officials came to know about the interview even though the channel promised to keep his identity a secret. Fini said the jawan remained incommunicado for the last three days, until the family received a call from his superiors. The CO (commanding officer) informed us that a body similar to that of Roy has been found and it was shifted to a hospital for post-mortem. Other than this we havent received any other information, Roys brother John Mathew said on Friday. According to Roys family, he often complained to his wife about the alleged slavery prevalent in the unit. He alleged that junior personnel were often forced to do domestic chores at their officers residences. The death comes amid of a spate of allegations of poor working conditions and harassment faced by jawans in the armed forces. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Washington: The FBI said Tuesday it was investigating the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian aviation engineer, in Kansas last week as a hate crime, which gave the federal agency a lead role in the case and meant the threat extended to the larger community. Based upon the initial investigative activity, the FBI, in conjunction with the US attorneys office and the Department of Justice civil rights division, is investigating this incident as a hate crime, an FBI spokeswoman said in a statement. The FBI will continue to work jointly with Olathe Police Department and our state and local partners regarding this ongoing investigation. The White House, which had been slow to condemn the killing, had followed up shortly, with a spokeswoman calling it a racially motived killing. President Donald Trump issued a comprehensive condemnation in his first speech to US congress later in the day. Adam Purinton, a US navy veteran has been charged with fatally shooting Kuchibhotla on February 22 at a bar in Olathe, Kansas and wounding a friend Alok Madasani and Ian Grillot, a patrol who had tried to intervene. Purinton had thought the Indians were from Iran, one of the seven Muslim-majority countries in Trumps controversial travel ban that has been put on hold by court and which might be replaced by a new order any day now. The shooter was heard telling Kuchibhotla and Madasani to get out of my country. The two men from Andhra worked at Garmin, a GPS technology major, and had been to that bar several times before, and were well known to others. This was not the first time Indians were targeted mistaken for Middle-Easterners. Balbir Singh Sandhu, a Sikh, became a the first victim of the backlash against September 9, 2001 when he was shot dead just four days after by a man in Messa, Arizona, who thought he was from the Middle-East because of his turban. The FBI has been treating such attacks against Sikhs the worst was in 2013 when a white supremacist killed six men and women at a Gurudwara in Wisconsin and Hindus as hate-crimes, as threats to the larger community. And it works with advocacy groups such as the Sikh Coalition and the Hindu American Foundation to address the problem. An overnight anti-militancy operation in south Kashmirs Shopian district was called off on Saturday as the militants managed to escape from the security forces cordon. There were no casualties reported in the encounter. The police control room (PCR) said they had received information about the presence of militants in Shillipora Heff village of Shopian on Friday evening. When a joint party of the army, CRPF and police started surrounding the village, they were fired upon by the militants triggering a standoff, an official manning the PCR said. He said there was no further contact between the militants and security forces. The cordon continued for the night. Local reports said the security forces used drone cameras to locate the militants suspected to be hiding in the village. The police official said that the cordon was lifted in the morning without any damage to either side. It was not clear whether militants escaped in the initial stage or during the night, he said. In the morning, local youth assembled near the site and started pelting stones on the security forces, leading to clashes. A trend has emerged lately in the valley, where local youth flock to encounter sites during gun fights to help militants flee. On February 15, army chief General Bipin Rawat had warned of harsh measures if anyone hampered counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir Valley. Sixty-year-old Dulal Sheikh of Sonpukur village of Nadia district in West Bengal was overwhelmed with despair as he watched his labour of love go up in flames on Saturday. Officials from the agriculture department had just set alight his standing wheat crop to stem the spread of a deadly fungus that had ravaged fields across Bangladesh last year and is now threatening harvest in West Bengal. Since the last week of February, authorities have launched an offensive against symptoms of what is known as the wheat blast disease, first identified in Brazil in 1985. It reared its ugly head last month in Jalangi of Murshidabad district, before making a worrisome appearance in several blocks of Nadia. If allowed to spread, experts said the fungus could be deadly, devouring standing wheat crop quickly. We are not taking chances whatsoever, said Pranab Kumar Hembram, an assistant director of agriculture, who along with other officials had descended on Sheikhs field to destroy the crop. The officials are in a race to clear the fields and burn the wheat to ensure there are no fungal spores that can travel from Bengal to the wheat bowl of the country in the Hindi heartland. We are felling the crop first and then spraying kerosene and setting the field on fire. We must ensure that all crops and seeds are destroyed. The spores which spread through air has to be contained, said Arun Roy, project co-ordinator and additional director of the state agriculture department. To contain the spread of wheat blast, the state government has deployed men and machines, including combined harvester machines to chop off the crop, and jars of kerosene to set them alight. The outbreak of wheat blast last year took a heavy toll on Bangladesh, where crops of over 20,000 hectares had to be burnt. Both Nadia and Murshidabad border Bangladesh, alarming the government in West Bengal. The anti-fungus drive is said to be for protecting wheat crops. But Dulal Sheikh is desolate watching his crop go up in flames. I had invested Rs 4000 for 12.5 cottah of land in terms of seed and fertilizers. This is apart from the toil my son and I put in. If everything went well I would have got Rs 6,000 for my produce, which means a profit of Rs 2,000. But now I dont know what will I do, he said, watching the thick smoke billowing from his field. The administration is offering Rs 50,375 as compensation for crop destroyed per hectare. The amount is paltry and we are not sure when the money will be disbursed, said Atiur Khan, a farmer of Sonpukur, whose crop was also set alight. Nadia is one of the most fertile tracts of Bengal with Gangetic alluvial soil flowing from rivers Ganga and Padma. Diverse crops from jute, oninon, red chilli to paddy and wheat are grown in abundance in the region. Fortunately, the fungus affects only wheat and, as a result, the adjacent fields laden with red chilli and onion are safe. Those who question Indias surgical strikes on militant launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir should speak to families of army martyrs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, in comments apparently aimed at stoking a raging debate over nationalism. We are so proud of what our forces did. It (the surgical strike) was done after elaborate planning and is being talked about world over. Sadly, there are some people who are so driven by political considerations that they want to question our armed forces, Modi said at a public rally in Uttar Pradeshs Jaunpur. Those who question the surgical strikes, come to Jaunpur and ask the families of the martyrs. Why politicise issues of national security? Modi questioned as he took on opposition parties which had sought proof of last years strikes by the Indian army across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Why politicise issues of national security? Modi asked as he took on opposition parties who had sought proof of last years surgical strikes by the Indian army across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The rally was among a series of campaign meetings and road shows attended by Modi in the crucial Varanasi region which will go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. Before the Jaunpur rally, Modi took part in a road show in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, and then returned to address another meeting in the holy city. Over the next two days, he will address several public meetings in the region that has 40 seats spread across seven districts. Modi highlighted the sacrifices made by the armed forces in the fight against militancy and said he he kept his promise on the contentious one rank one pension (OROP) scheme for army personnel. For 40 years our forces demanded OROP but nothing happened. I had promised that a government will deliver on OROP and we did, he added. He took on the Samajwadi Party government in the state by raising the law and order scene, one of the main issues of the BJP in this election. Are the sisters and daughters of UP safe? Who is responsible for this (state of affairs)? Modi asked. We promise to fix your problems if you gift us an electoral win on March 11 (when votes will be counted). Apparently taking a dig at the clout of jailed politicians, Modi said, Over here, (even the) jail has also become a palace for bahubalis (strongmen), Modi said. When people do good, they recite the Gayatri mantra. But here, it is called Gayatri Prajapati mantri, Modi said referring to a state minister accused of rape. He also said the loans of small farmers will be waived off in the first cabinet meeting if the BJP is voted to power in UP. Earlier, Modi held a road show and offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples before his road show in Varanasi. People stood on balconies, rooftops and in lanes, chanting pro-Modi slogans as the road show passed by. The road show, which covered a distance of five kilometres, revived memories of a similar event when Modi filed his nominations for the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Varanasi. (With agency inputs) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India has raised concerns over the changes made by Canada in its Temporary Foreign Workers Programme, making it difficult for domestic companies to send employees to their Canadian units on short term visas, impacting services trade. Commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman raised the issue with the visiting Canadian officials who have assured of certain steps to ease the movement of professionals. The issue was discussed in New Delhi on Friday at a meeting between Canadian minister of international trade Francois- Philippe Champagne and Sitharaman. She discussed the importance of the ease of movement for intra-company transfers on short term visa for filling in certain crucial and specialised activities, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Citing certain examples, the Indian side stated that few companies here which have made investments in Canada are finding it difficult to source key employees from India as intra-company transferees. The Canadian minister assured that a number of steps have been taken to facilitate the ease of movement for professionals into the North American country, said the statement. Francois-Philippe informed that under the Global Skill Strategy Programme, visa applications for high skilled technicians, professors and researchers will be disposed of within two weeks time. Similarly, for professionals visiting for less than a year, a fast track process is being set up which will be similar to a concierge service, the statement said, adding that this will be extended on a priority basis to companies which have invested in Canada. Both the ministers also agreed to expedite the conclusion of bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The two countries are negotiating CEPA, under which duties will be eliminated or significantly reduced on goods besides relaxing norms for services trade and promote investments since November 2010. The Canadian minister emphasised on the need for Foreign Investment and Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) which will provide the required predictability and protection to investments, the statement said. After an intense first round of talks, which included the vexed issue of H-1B temporary visa, currently the biggest concern for New Delhi, and the Kansas shooting, the Indian delegation found the new Trump administration had a very positive view of India. Overall, our sense was that the (US) administration has a very positive view of the relationship and a very positive view of India, foreign secretary S Jaishankar, who led the Indian delegation, told reporters on Friday after the talks. It is natural that any new administration that comes in, takes stock of the progress made, sets new targets and bigger ambitions, he said. And fixing them is the task that lies ahead for the two sides. On H-1B, the team, which included Indian commerce secretary Rita Teaotia, told Americans the temporary visa scheme, which is in the crosshairs of several Trump officials including the president himself, will actually help the American economy to be more competitive, especially as, and when, the administration brings American companies home. Did it carry? They were met with a degree of understanding, Jaishankar said. The Trump administration urged the Indian delegation in these meetings, and at the highest level in the cabinet, to treat the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian aviation engineer, in a case of hate-crime in Olathe, Kansas, last week as an act by an individual and that the American justice system was at work and the arrested perpetrator would be brought to justice. These were the very first meetings between India and US after the new administration took office in mid-January. The earlier meetings, with Vice-President Mike Pence and the then NSA Michael Flynn, had occurred during the transition period. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Turmp have also spoken twice over phone but havent met. When asked about the possibility of an early meeting, officials said there were standing invitations for visits from both the leaders, but they had no dates or announcements to make. The visiting Indians met three members of the Trump cabinet: secretary of state Rex Tillerson, homeland security secretary John Kelly and commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, besides National Security Adviser HR McMaster and deputy assistant to the president on international economic affairs Kenneth Juster, who is also Trumps emissary to global groups such as G-7 and G-20, of which India is a member and which meets next in July. The team also had extensive meetings on Capitol Hill, home to US federal legislature, which, Jaishankar said, has been extraordinarily supportive of India. There was a need to engage them in view of the changed political climateRepublicans in charge of both Congress and the White House now, different from the last time Indians had courted the Hill in a big way when Modi addressed a joint session last summer. The delegation also met House speaker Paul Ryan and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, leaders of foreign relations committees of both chambers and of the India caucus. We saw a lot of goodwill, a lot of interest in the relationship going forward, Shankar said, about the teams meetings with the new administration officials and on the Hill. The two sides discussed a range of issues, starting with the Indian officials, who had been at it longer purely by being there first, bringing their counterpart up to speed on the progress in India-US relations in last many years. The subject of discussion depended on who they were meeting. With Tillerson, they discussed a range of international issues from Asia-Pacific (read China), Afghanistan and Pakistan (often called AfPak) and the Middle East. With Commerce secretary Ross, who has intimate knowledge of the Indian business environment as the founder of International Automotive Component Group, a vehicle interior specialist with investments in India, they talked bilateral trade and economic cooperation. With homeland security secretary Kelly, the topic was immigration and welfare of Indian Americans and the Indian community, especially in the context of the killing of Kuchibhotla last week in a case of alleged hate crime. The Jammu and Kashmir government has denied pushing for the appointment of hardline separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelanis grandson as a research officer at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convection Complex (SKICC), a subsidiary of the state tourism department. A national newspaper had reported that Anees ul Islam secured a government job during the Kashmir unrest. It went on to suggest that rules were bent to accommodate Islam. Geelanis son, Altaf Funtoosh, said he wouldnt comment on a baseless report penned with the intent of maligning the separatist leader. Tourism secretary Farooq Shah, for his part, told Hindustan Times that the selection committee which followed the proper procedure found Islam to be the best among 196 candidates who applied for the post. SKICC spokesperson Shahnawaz Ahmad said, In accordance with the rules, an advertisement was published through the information department in leading dailies of the Valley on October 3, 2016. By October 5, as many as 196 candidates had applied for the post of which 35 were shortlisted for the interview round. According to the SKICC, the notification in this regard was published on November 1, 2016. Ahmad said 32 candidates appeared for the interview, which was carried out by a selection committee in keeping with SKICC procedures. One Anees Shah Islam qualified for the post because he possessed the required qualifications and experience. His name was then sent for the mandated CID verification. There is no question of the government creating any post or using its influence to accommodate Islam, he added. According to the SKICC, Islam held two MBA degrees one from Punjab, and another from the UK. He also worked in England for a year, and three more in Dubai. Ahmad said the job was a supervisory one, and denied that it fetches an annual salary of Rs 12 lakh. The report evoked a mixed response in the Valley, with some questioning its credibility and others questioning the selection process. I dont see any problem with Anees getting a government job, considering that its his right as a citizen. Being Geelanis grandson is no sin, senior journalist Shujaat Bhukari wrote on the social media. However, former chief minister Omar Abdullah questioned the appointment, tweeting that if backdoor appointments are wrong, they are wrong for everyone including SASGs grandson. Period. My problem isnt with the apparent hypocrisy, but the blatant violation of rules by the chief minister & her minions, he wrote. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON These days, no one seems to be bothered about Rahul Pasupalan and Reshmi R Nair, once the poster children for the Kiss of Love (KoL) campaign, which took off in Kerala in November 2014. For those unfamiliar with it, KoL was a social media movement initiated by Free Thinkers, a group led by short filmmaker Rahul Pasupalan. The group invited people to come to Marine Drive in Kochi on November 2 to hug and pucker up against moral policing. Predictably, it outraged right-wing parties of all shades, as well as some women and student outfits who turned up to protest against KoL. Hundreds of KoL campaign supporters showed up, holding hands, hugging and kissing in public, braving threats of physical violence by vigilante groups, who also turned up in hundreds. The police took over 100 KoL activists into custody for what they described as a preventive measure to maintain law and order. Unmindful of the ensuing melee, Pasupalan and his wife, Nair, continued to kiss each other in full glare of live television, even as they were carted away in the police van. And what started as a local event to make a point, briefly spread to other cities in Kerala and became a sensation across the country. Kiss of love protest against moral policing 2014 in Kerala at Ernakulam. (Wikimedia Commons) KoL also got a boost when actor Mohanlal weighed in for it, castigating Malayalis for being stuck in a time warp when the world moved on. KoL split conservative Kerala (it didnt help that Nair was a mother as well as a bikini model) and politicised what was meant to be a reaction against moral policing. Kerala is still seeing several instances of moral policing by goons that have even seen a pregnant woman and married couples being assaulted. After its 15 minutes of fame, nothing was heard about KoL, for a year, till both Pasupalan, (29) and Nair (27) were suddenly arrested in Kochi on 18th November, 2015, following a chain of raids (codenamed Operation Big Daddy by the police), under the supervision of Inspector General of Police (Crime Branch), S Sreejith. Police claimed the two were picked up from a hotel near Nedumbassery Airport in Kochi along with Lineesh Mathew, a Bengaluru-based broker and some others. Sreejith said two underage girls were with them at the hotel (at that time), while two women fled. The couples six-year-old son, who was with them, was later shifted to the childrens home run by the Child Welfare Committee. Sex, Lies and Rackets The police levelled the sensational charge that the couple was involved in a sex racket, and were accomplices of the main accused, Abdul Khader alias Ali Akbar, a notorious gangster, and his wife Rubina. One of the two underage girls was just six, flown in from Bangalore for alleged clients. The children were also handed over to the Child Welfare Committee. Sreejith said, police, who were apparently tipped off about the couples involvement in the racket, got decoys to masquerade as clients to be in touch with Khader. Subsequently, they were sent Nairs photographs and details. Discussions were held and lot of bargaining went on, he says. The police attributed the couples alleged double life to indebtedness after a film project flopped. (However, in an interview, the films producer rubbished the claim saying it was Pasupalan and Nair who had taken them for a ride.) The prosecution case is that Pasupalan and Nair had created a Facebook page called Kochu Sundarikal (Little Beauties). The page had come under the police scanner following complaints that it carried sexually-charged posts and images of children, and investigation apparently revealed that it catered to paedophiles. Reshmis photos as a bikini model were used to claim that the couple were into flesh trade. (Facebook Photo/ Rahul Pasupalan) Sreejith described Khader as the kingpin of the online operation and that he worked closely with child trafficking rackets in Bangalore. Pasupalan and Nair were named abettors and charged with offences under Sections 366A (procuring minor girl), 370(1) (exploitation of a trafficked person), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, as well as various provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Victims of a Witch-Hunt? The couples arrests sent shockwaves throughout Kerala and raised serious questions about the credibility of the KoL campaign. Some believed that the two were framed for leading the campaign, while others accused them of stabbing KoL in the back. The result was that fellow KoL activists distanced themselves from the two saying no one had anointed them as their campaigns spokespersons. Pasupalan and Nair remained in custody for 14 and 10 months respectively before they could go home to Pathanapuram in Kollam district after securing bail (with the help of their relatives) order from both the Kerala and Karnataka High Courts the Kerala police had informed their Karnataka counterparts about the crime as the two girls were from Karnataka. So a case was registered there against the accused. Though the Kerala High Court granted them bail in February 2016 observing that the police had not filed the final report within the statutory period of 90 days even though the allegations against them were serious Nair remained in jail till August and Pasupalan till December, until the duo got bail from the Karnataka High Court in the child trafficking case. Meanwhile, the media had a field day digging up stories about the former techie couples lifestyle. Pasupalans father, estranged from the family and working as a labourer, also trashed the couple, saying that the lakhs he spent on his sons education had not brought him any returns or benefits. He went so far as to paint his son as a wayward and unbalanced person and his daughter-in-law as an embarrassment who walks about in skimpy clothes. Today, the heat generated by the high-profile case seems to have settled, with the media showing little interest in pursuing the sensational case. Now, the couple in question is trying to regain, through social media, all that lost space and friendship. The two claim to be victims of a witch-hunt by the Kerala police and right-wing political organisations and vigilante groups. Read more | Kissing up a storm Creating Impact, Creating Doubt In their first-ever interview to the media after emerging from their incarceration, Pasupalan and Nair looked unperturbed while fielding hard questions, vowing to fight the case till their name was cleared. Accusing the Kerala police of denying them justice by delaying the charge sheet, Nair says, The police couldnt find enough evidence against us so far. That is the reason for not filing the charge sheet even 15 months after our arrest. I think they will drag the case for another two years. She was more hopeful of a favourable verdict from Karnataka. While granting bail, the Karnataka High Court had observed that we were not involved in child trafficking. She never imagined she would spend time in jail for a crime she never committed. The arrest and the subsequent media trial shattered me. The media celebrated our arrest by providing titillating stories without considering our rights. She is upset that friends have abandoned them since their arrest. Those who were part of the campaign deserted us during the hour of crisis. They could have waited for the judgment before writing us off. Our conscience is clear and we havent done anything wrong. KoL is still close to Nairs heart as she was the one who suggested the name for the event and the Facebook page. The event was scheduled for 2nd November at my insistence. Though others had suggested postponing, I said we should do it when incidents of moral policing were on the rise and the attack on Downtown Cafe in Kozhikode made huge headlines. Pasupalan believes that the campaign has brought about changes in Keralas conservative society which, he says, has begun now to publicly discuss issues like sexuality and menstruation. I feel that the politics put forward by Kiss of Love is still relevant. But many denounced us, keen to prove that their moral side (sic) was strong. While a majority couldnt agree with the issues raised as part of the KoL campaign, we proclaimed that we have the right to our bodies, he says. Those who found fault with us used Reshmis photos as a bikini model to claim that we were into flesh trade. Nair alleged that IGP Sreejith had offered to let her off the case if she deposed against her husband. I didnt budge. He spread another concocted story that Rahul pressured me to enter prostitution. But I never made such a statement. Media carried those stories without verifying them. These stories were generated to create rift between us. The IGP, however, denied the allegations. I didnt know her prior to the arrest. Then why should I make such offers? he tells this correspondent. Read more | Kiss of love Facebook page hacked Bail, A Second Birth Pasupalan said the delay in filing the charge sheets proved that Sreejiths claims were hollow. The IGP had claimed that the police has evidence to prove our complicity in the crime. But I believe that lack of evidence is the reason for the delay in filing the charge sheet. Sreejith refuted this saying the charge sheets would be filed soon. It is not be possible to file chargesheets in 90 days in cases that require digital evidence. The police have to analyse around 60 electronic devices, including mobile phones and SIM cards, which were confiscated during Operation Big Daddy. It is a huge task. He said Karnataka police were able to file the charge sheet (but the trial hasnt begun) as they have to look into only two charges Rahul and Reshmi were charged for rape and under Pocso. Pasupalan accused the IGP of using media to push his publicity agenda. Seventy-two days after my arrest, someone accessed my Facebook and posted my photo. How could I access my FB page when my mobile device was confiscated by the police? Two days after that, IG Sreejith told the media that the police would inquire into the incident. Sreejith responded to Pasupalans questions saying that it will be answered during the court trial. We have enough evidence. He can avail [himself of] legal remedies if he has grievances. He is questioning the police through social media; we are not game for that. We are professionals and will do our job. Meanwhile, the case drags on. The investigation didnt make much headway after Sreejith was transferred as IG of Ernakulam Range on 9th June, 2016. He took over as the Crime Branch IG again after the recent shakeup in the state police top brass in January this year. Meanwhile, activists who maintain contact with the couple are fuming. It is a travesty. I dont understand why the police have been taking so much time to file the charge sheet. I am not ready to believe that it was because of Sreejiths absence from the Crime Branch, says one person who took part in KoL, on condition of anonymity. Ajith Sasidharan, a final year B Com student in Kozhikode, says hes thankful for the KoL campaign. Isolated protests like KoL at least help people understand the gravity of the issue [of moral policing] and the need to raise a voice against it. He alleges that Kerala police are siding with right-wing forces. That is why they are constantly targeting activists Pasupalan and Nair. It is the duty of the Kerala society to ensure them justice. However, there remain people who believe that Pasupalan and Nair brought disrepute to KoL. I found it difficult to convince people on the need to organise protests against moral policing after the [couples] arrest. People view us with suspicion. Their deeds have weakened protest movements in Kerala, says Jojo Sebastian, an activist in Kochi. Meanwhile, Pasupalan and Nair are resigned to a long legal battle. Were facing a lot of financial problems, but we will sell our last piece of land to fight our case. We have to find a job now to make a living, Nair says, adding she would persuade her husband to pursue his passion for cinema. He holds a diploma in filmmaking from the Adyar Film Institute. We underwent a lot of mental agony in the last 15 months. The bail has given us a kind of second birth. (Published in arrangement with GRIST Media) Malaysia said it expelled North Koreas ambassador on Saturday for refusing to apologise for his strong accusations over Malaysias handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leaders half brother. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy, declaring Ambassador Kang Chol persona non grata. The notice said Kang must leave Malaysia within 48 hours. Earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea formally apologize for Kangs accusations over the investigation into the February 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpurs airport, including that the Malaysian government had something to hide and that Malaysia has colluded with outside powers to defame North Korea, Anifah said in a statement. He said that no apology had come and none appeared forthcoming, and that North Korean Embassy officials also failed to turn up for a Saturday meeting at the foreign ministry, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador. It should be made clear Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation, Anifah said. The death of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Kangs expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah had said this was an indication of the governments concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities. Earlier on Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong Chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang. Ri said that he wasnt at the airport the day Kim was killed, but that police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with fake evidence. He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too wont be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia, Ri said. This is when I realized that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my countrys reputation. Malaysias national police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to respond to Ris comments. Ri was detained four days after Kim died, but police never said what they believed his role in the attack was. Two women one Indonesian, one Vietnamese have been charged with murder in the case, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Koreas national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. On Friday, police issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but didnt say why he is a suspect. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on Jan. 29, about two weeks before Kim was killed. North Korea earlier had rejected Malaysias autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysias finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kims body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Uns half brother, as Malaysian government officials have confirmed. Kim Jong Nam reportedly fell out of favour with his father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Marathi theatre actor Sagar Shantaram Chougule died on Friday night after suffering a cardiac arrest while performing a drama on stage. Sagar (38) fainted when he was delivering a dialogue, sending co-artistes and audience into panic. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead. The actor, who hails from Kolhapur, is survived by his mother, wife and a daughter. His body will be taken to Kolhapur on Saturday. This is the second time when an artiste died in Pune while performing on stage. Eminent Marathi actor and dancer Ashwini Ekbote died while performing on stage at Bharat Natya Mandir in Pune in October last year. Sagar and his team had come to Pune to participate in a drama competition. They were performing Agnidivya, a Marathi drama based on the life of social reformer Shahu Maharaj. Sagar was playing the lead role of Shahu Maharaj in the play. Sagars father also used to work for Marathi theatre and movies. An Agra cafe run by acid attack survivors, three scientists involved with Isros record breaking satellite launches, Asias first woman diesel train driver and a Chhattisgarh constable who crowd funds medical treatment for the poor this years Nari Shakti awardees are a disparate group of achievers. Instituted by the Union women and child development ministry, the awards will be given away to 31 recipients by President Pranab Mukherjee on March 8, the International Womens Day. Sheroes, the worlds first cafe run by all acid attack survivors is an example. My step mother threw acid on my face when I was 14 year old. Since then I have been holed inside my uncles house, embarrassed and afraid of the outside world. Sheroes changed my outlook towards life. I no longer cover my face and confidently serve my customers, said Roopa Saa, 24, assistant manager at the cafe run by the Chhanv Foundation. Initially, survivors were reluctant to join the cafe but now they walk in looking for an opening, Saa added. The popularity of the Agra cafe that opened in 2014 led to the opening of two more branches in Udaipur and Lucknow with 21 staff, all acid attack survivors. For Anatta Sonney, a scientist at Flight Dynamics Group, Isros satellite centre at Bangalore, the news came as a pleasant surprise. Very rarely do you see women scientists getting such awards, she said. She will share the award with Subhu Varier, and B Codanayaguy, the other two women scientists who played a significant role in the recent launch of 104 satellites besides the Mars Orbiter Mission, whose acronym is also a tribute to mothers MOM. Sonney, who was part of the launch team of Mangalyaan said the journey so far has been challenging but fulfilling. Before launch time we put in equally long hours as our men colleague, missing holidays and family functions. But the missions success makes you forget all that. I think, as women, our job is more challenging as we have to balance both home and work, she said. Mumtaz Kazi, Asias first women diesel driver could not agree more. Kazi who has been at the drivers seat for 26 years has also been chosen for this years award. Its a hard job. When you are at the wheels you are single handedly responsible for your passengers safety, she told HT from Mumbai. But Kazi has a different dream for her 13-year-old daughter. She is interested in aeroplanes and wants to be a pilot. Smita Tandi, a Chhattisgarh constable who helps crowd source fund through social media platform like Facebook to help poor people in her state get treatment, and the Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram, the worlds first all woman kathakali troupe are among the other awardees. Besides individual achievers, the Nari Shakti awards are also given to organisations and institutions that have helped empower women and bought change on the ground. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Pakistani militant was killed in an encounter on Saturday between security forces and 4-5 Hizbul Mujahideen militants who were holed up in a house in Tral on the outskirts of Srinagar, official sources said. The sources said special forces of the army were deployed to carry out a combing operation. The gunfight broke out late on Saturday evening after security forces cordoned off the house. The body of a Pakistani militant has been recovered and search is on for others, they said. Curfew has been clamped in the area, 10 km from Srinagar, as protesters gathered near the encounter site. A CRPF jawans rifle was snatched by them, they said. Half of the house was brought down by the security forces but militants were still firing on them. Hizbul Mujahideens Burhan Wani belonged to this area. Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami reshuffled the bureaucracy, bringing back senior IAS officer Niranjan Mardi as the states home secretary on Friday. Mardi, who replaces Apurva Varma, was appointed as home secretary on May 21, 2013, before being transferred in December of that year under Jayalalithaas orders. The 1986-batch IAS officer is well known to the current chief minister as he was his secretary in the highways department for a number of years, the ministerial berth that Palaniswami had before becoming chief minister. Mardi, who is currently vice chairman and chief executive officer of the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board and project director (in charge) of the Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project, will be looking after the home sector, as well as prohibition and excise sector, following his appointment. Varma has been appointed principal secretary to the tourism, culture, and religious endowments department. P Umanath, commissioner of rehabilitation and welfare of non-resident Tamils has been transferred to the post of managing director of Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation. Mardis appointment comes a fortnight after Palaniswami was sworn in as the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu following a bitter fight between two factions within the ruling AIADMK, headed by general secretary VK Sasikala and Palaniswamis predecessor O Panneerselvam. The new home secretarys appointment is expected to be the first in many rejigs for the new cabinet, given that many of the officers in question have served for more than five years. Prior to Mardis appointment, the last major reshuffle was carried out in December 2016 when P Ram Mohana Rao was replaced as state chief secretary by Girija Vaidyanathan following raids on his offices and his family properties by officials on the income tax department. No society can call itself civilised if it does not honour women, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday as he emphasised on providing reservation for women in Parliament. Addressing a function here, Mukherjee said the recognition of women in the countrys growth has not been taken into account while calculating the GDP, which reflects the attitude of discrimination of the society. Its really a dichotomy in our society where we call women as a source of power, embodiment of motherhood. We worship women as deities. Our core civilisational values tell us to respect a woman. But unfortunately, we are really disturbed when day-in and day-out we are confronted by news of brutalising of women. Sometimes we wonder. Today we are called as civilised society. Can any society be described as civilised if it doesnt honour its women? Mukherjee asked. The primary objective of civilisational values is to respect the women but we still have to walk many miles to achieve it, he said. The contribution which the women make is unique but it is not recognised, the President noted. When we calculate our GDP (Gross Domestic Product), we take into account various factors. But we do not take into account the contributions made by our womenfolk in whatever capacity they may work. It is truly reflective of the attitude of discrimination and non-performance on behalf of the society, the President said while inaugurating the centenary celebrations of Womens Indian Association. He said despite equal rights, the representation of women in Lok Sabha is just 11.3 per cent against the global average of 22.8 per cent. Mukherjee said without appropriate reservations, representation of women will be difficult to achieve on basis of voluntary actions by political parties and institutions, as reservations provide Constitutional guarantees and earmarking of constituencies to be represented by women. He said in order to have true representation of women in all decision-making bodies, and not making one or two exceptions by making isolating cases of brilliance, opportunities need to be given to them. It is good that scope of education has expanded. The scope of opportunities for employment has expanded. But it will have to be expanded in many other areas, the President said. He said there is aspiration of women that opportunities are to be created for them in society. The Womens Indian Association is working towards empowerment of women. The President also paid floral tributes to Annie Besant and Muthulakshmi Reddy, founders of the association. The body of gunner Roy Mathew, who was found dead in army camp in Nashik, was finally taken to his native town of Kollam and laid to rest on Saturday after a second post-mortem at the insistence of his family. No details have been given of the second post-mortem, which was conducted at the Thiruvananthapuam medical college hospital after district collector S Venkateshpathi gave his nod. Earlier, Roy Mathews relatives alleged that soon after the body arrived at the Thiruvananthpuram airport, army officials accompanying the body were in hurry to take it to his home town in Kollam, 65km away, for cremation. Many questions are unanswered. The body is beyond recognition. And the officials who accompanied the body refused to show it to even close relatives including the wife of the deceased, said a relative of Mathew. Confusion prevailed for more than two hours after relatives refused to accept the body and insisted on a second post-mortem. Later the district collector intervened and the body was taken to Thiruvananthapuam medical college hospital. After the second post-mortem, it will be taken to his native place by road. It is sad the army failed to show much respect to the body. It was wrapped in tricolour only after the district officials protested. It is sad his widow was forced to wait more than two hours at the airport, said PCC chief V M Sudheeran who paid his tributes at the medical college hospital. Roy Mathew, who complained of harassment by his senior officers in an interview to a Marathi channel, was found dead near the camp two days ago. Missing since last Sunday, his body was found near the army camp in Nashik in Maharashtra, the commanding officer (CO) informed the family on Thursday. However the family suspected foul play and demanded a thorough probe into circumstances that led to his death. Although the army said it was a case of suicide, family members of 33-year-old Mathew said they suspected foul play. They are demanding an investigation into the circumstances leading to his death. However, an army spokesperson on Friday said a sting operation conducted by mediapersons may have spurred him to commit suicide. India and Pakistan could be looking to re-engage after the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, with a slew of measures hinting that tensions between the two sides may have eased a bit. Though resumption of the dialogue process is not in sight, normalisation of ties could well be, say experts, as the Indian government sifts through signals from across the border for terms of a possible re-engagement. India said on Friday it had accepted an invitation to a meeting of the Indus Water Commissioners in Lahore, two days after the regional bloc, Saarc, got a new secretary general from Pakistan, veteran diplomat Amjad Hussain Sial. Now that the Uttar Pradesh elections are almost over, Modi is returning to business to usual with Pakistan by reversing himself on issues that he has politically milked dry, said a strategic affairs expert. New Delhi had earlier cited procedural issues to object to Sials appointment. Once the differences were sorted out, Pakistan got its first Saarc secretary general since 1998. The two countries are also taking a lenient view on the issue of prisoners, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif are expected to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Astana in June. On its part, India toned down its aggression on the Indus Waters Treaty and agreed to the meeting of the Indus Waters Commissioners in March. The government has taken the view that the commissioners discuss technical issues and their work should be seen separately and cannot amount to talks between governments. The decisiveness with which the government handled Pakistan, including the surgical strike on terrorist camps along the LoC after the attack on an army camp at Uri last September, was a major election plank for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. The BJPs Pakistan policy is very much part of the domestic political narrative. And the party can ill afford a move on normalising ties with Pakistan that could be seen as a counter to this narrative. Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney told Hindustan Times: Now that the Uttar Pradesh elections are almost over, Modi is returning to business to usual with Pakistan by reversing himself on issues that he has politically milked dry. In Islamabad, senior Foreign Office officials said Pakistan will welcome any overture from India for resuming peace talks. Asked about a possible thaw from the Indian side, a senior official, who asked not to be named, said Islamabad was expecting some movement from India following the clamp down on Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and the announcement of a new military operation against militant organisations across the country, including Punjab province. India has been pressing for action against the JuD and also against other entities that are based on our soil and this has started, the official told Hindustan Times. Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, was placed under house arrest on January 30. After a wave of terror attacks across Pakistan last month, the army launched a crackdown on militant groups. Former Pakistani diplomat and foreign affairs analyst Zafar Hilaly too said any movement from India would be well received in Islamabad, where the Foreign Office is weighing its options in its relations with the US. There is little clarity on relations with the Donald Trump government. Given this, Pakistan will be open to better relations with India as a stepping stone to a better image internationally, he said. Hilalys views were shared by some Indian experts. The Indus Waters Commissioners have met 112 times since 1960, but the Narendra Modi government resorted to an unprecedented review of the Indus Waters Treaty to make full use of water that legally belongs to India and raised the rhetoric that blood and water cannot flow together to protest against cross-border terrorism. India is currently evaluating the balance between the civilian government and the military under the new Pakistan Army chief, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, and Pakistans actions on terrorism. Indian officials refused to comment on a definite pattern emerging from these developments but experts had a different take. These are independent developments and there is no need to see a common thread, said a government source. Former foreign secretary Lalit Mansingh saw the latest developments in a more nuanced manner. Historically, India-Pakistan relations swing from one end to another. It has been the same under Modi from his friendship with Nawaz Sharif to the surgical strike on terrorists. He noted that the number of incidents on the Line of Control had fallen but said India should wait to ascertain whether infiltration comes down during summer. India is evaluating signals from Pakistan and a host of measures indicate the two sides are looking at more steps to normalise ties, he said. But another Pakistani analyst warned little would come of any thaw between India and Pakistan as the fundamentals remain unchanged. He said Pakistans military high command is not in favour of any improvement at this stage and that is why Islamabad is on the back foot. China has warned India over Dalai Lamas upcoming visit to Arunachal Pradesh, P Chidambaram has termed Narendra Modi governemnt as the worlds most anti-intellectual, heres a quick update on whats is the news: 1- Dalai Lamas Arunachal visit will cause serious damage, says China Bilateral ties will be seriously damaged if India allows the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh in the coming weeks, China warned on Friday while reiterating its contention that the Tibetan spiritual leader is a separatist. The warning from Chinas foreign ministry came soon after the countrys former chief negotiator on the border issue, Dai Bingguo, said there should be some give and take to settle the dragging boundary dispute. India dismissed Chinas warning saying that New Delhis position on the matter is well known. Read the full story here. 2- Airport alert for rape-accused UP minister in case he tries to flee country Airports across the country were on Friday alerted about the possibility of rape-accused UP minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati trying to flee the country even as chief minister Akhilesh Yadav promised all help in the case. While the minister continues to elude police, a relative of the woman has said a UP Police officer who recorded the victims statement threatened to kill them. Read the full story here. 3- RSS leader who offered Rs 1 cr bounty on Kerala CMs head removed from all posts The RSS removed one of its leaders from Madhya Pradesh Kundan Chandrawat from all organisational posts for offering a reward of Rs 1 crore for beheading Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The decision was announced on RSSs official Twitter handle on Friday evening. Read the full story here. 4- Gurmehar Kaur trolled over video of drunk woman dancing in car, which is not her Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, who found herself in the middle of an acrimonious debate over nationalism, was trolled again on Friday after a video of a young woman singing and dancing in a car circulated on social media. Several Twitter users were quick to assume the girl was the 20-year-old Lady Shri Ram College student, who launched a campaign against the ABVP after violence in the citys Ramjas College. The woman in the clip is not Kaur but as the video went viral, trolls followed. Read the full story here. 5- Army blames media sting operation for Kerala jawans death, rules out probe A day after the body of a jawan was found dead near his camp in Nashik, an army spokesperson said a sting operation conducted by mediapersons may have spurred him to commit suicide. The body of Roy Mathew, a soldier hailing from Kerala, was found a few days after he accused senior officers of harassment in an interview with a Marathi channel. The programme aired on Monday. An army spokesperson said there was no question of probing the allegations made in the video because no names were revealed. Read the full story here. 6- Modi govt most anti-intellectual for questioning experts on GDP, says Chidambaram Terming the Narendra Modi government as the worlds most anti-intellectual for questioning experts on GDP figures, former finance minister P Chidambaram said on Friday that the economy will take 12-18 months to recover from the devastating impact of demonetisation. It (the government) even thinks that Amartya Sen, professor at Harvard is undeserving of any respect. It thinks that Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard are all useless, he said. Read the full story here. 7- Vietnam to suspend import of agricultural products from India The Vietnam government has announced it will suspend the import of five agricultural products from India after several consignments were found to be contaminated with peanut beetle. Within 60 days of the order being issued, Vietnams agriculture ministry will stop issuing import permits for peanuts, cassia seed, cocoa beans, haricot beans and tamarind from India. A Vietnamese state-run news agency said that the countrys authorities notified their Indian counterparts of the contamination but no corrective measures were taken. Read the full story here. You may also want to read: 8- Uttar Pradesh will test the limits of Moditva The Uttar Pradesh elections are a litmus test for Moditva, a phenomenon that has dominated the political discourse in India since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. It is shaping into a political ideology of sorts, a creed with millions of followers. Travel around Uttar Pradesh and you come across many who swear by it. What is striking is the near-blind faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Most of those who swear by him cannot name a leader who Modi can nominate as CM and who would turn things around. Read the full story here. 9- Sharp suits to khakis: Heres why Delhi airport security changed look again CISF officers guarding the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi are back in their khakis, less than a month after they suited up in an apparent image makeover exercise. The reason? Passenger feedback that uniformed personnel are easier to identify and give a better sense of security. Read the full story here. 10- Meet Lucknow boy Shubh Agrawal who scored 1590/1600 to become India SAT topper Shubh Agrawal who scored 1590 out of 1600 in the SAT exam has been a topper all along and is a big fan of the theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking. Read the full story here. PURNIA: Police in Bihars Purnia district, 300km east of state capital Patna, have arrested a woman after she was allegedly found to be in possession of liquor. Renu Yadav, who claimed to be the state vice president of RJDs panchayat cell, was arrested in Balia police outpost area on the borders of neighbouring Madhepura district on Thursday night, police said. Sixteen bottles of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) were recovered from her car, which had a plate displaying the post she was supposedly holding in the RJD, the police added. The liquor was brought from Dalkhola in West Bengal for delivery to a senior political leader of Madhepura, the police said, adding that Yadav had not disclosed the name of the politician. Yadav had been sent to jail and further investigation is underway, they said. Meanwhile, Purnia district unit of RJD has denied the arrested womans links with the party. Renu Yadav was expelled from the RJD for her anti-party activities in the last assembly elections, district RJD chief Alok Kumar Yadav said. She is now a member of another party, he claimed. He said he would reply to the state party functionaries if asked about her. He added the law would take its own course. District BJP president PR Verma said the arrest of Renu Yadav had raised doubts over the success of the state governments total prohibition policy. Manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor is banned in Bihar since April 5, 2016. One could see a hint of elation in the eyes of 20-year-old Ravindra Singh Rajput as he glanced at the huge barricades and police personnel moving all around the place where he stood. A few feet away, a cabinet minister of Rajasthan sat on the pavement looking unusually calm as he was surrounded by hordes of young men, many of whom were armed with bamboo sticks -- their expressions a mishmash of joy and rage. It is time that the government understood that reservation is a necessity for us. In every walk of life we need quota to succeed, be it securing admission in college or getting government jobs. We all know that no one will listen to us unless we use force, said Rajput, a B Com second-year student. From slogans in favour of absconding gangster Anandpal Singh to vandalised hoardings in front of the BJP office, the drama that unfolded in Jaipur over six hours on Friday took the law-enforcement agencies and the government by surprise. Hundreds of Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena members took to the streets and marched towards the state assembly, armed with iron rods, canes and raising a volley of slogans even as the police struggled to control law and order. Ham aapke liye jigra dete hai, aur aap hamari sunte he nahi ho (We give our lives for you but you dont listen to us, complains a Rajput youngster as state transport minister Yunus Khan tries to pacify the situation. Another protester says, Look at Akhilesh Yadav and how he has raised the upper age limit for government jobs to 40 years. Why the government in Rajasthan is reluctant to do the same? Khan, who with energy minister Pushpendra Singh had to give the assembly a miss to mediate with the Sena members, seems to be on the back foot. Its not like that. Ham bhi aapke bina kaha jayenge (where will we go without you?), asks Khan as another youngster cracks a joke in chaste marwari, leaning on a heavy bamboo stick. IPS officers stood near the barricades with constables and fire brigades, helmets protecting their heads from the occasional stone pelting from the agitators. A loudspeaker blares speeches given by Sena leaders in the other side of the barricades. I have studied civil engineering and had appeared in a government examination. I scored 72% but the cut-off for general category was 72.33%. I lost the job opportunity by just 0.33%. But there were heavy relaxations for reserved categories, said Vishwendra Sharma, another participant. Apart from Rajputs, many participants were from other non-reserved castes. This protest is not only about the release of the film Padmavati. I am a Brahman and came with others to raise our demand for increase in upper age limit for government jobs, said Ravindra Mohan Sharma of Rajasthan Pratiyogi Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti. The participants seemed to believe that a little violence and vandalism is necessary for their voice to be heard. We will come again on Monday to discuss the issue with the government, said Harshpratap Singh Jharana, another protester. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Jalpaiguri child trafficking racket in West Bengal continued to unravel with the CID arresting Mrinal Ghosh, the Darjeeling district child protection officer (DCPO) and Debasish Chanda, a doctor and member of the Darjeeling Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on Friday night for their alleged involvement in the scandal. On Saturday, a district court sent Ghosh and Chanda to CID custody. Chanda used to help Chandana Chakraborty, the first one to be arrested when the north Bengal racket was busted, CID officers said. The CID also interrogated Sashmita Ghosh, the Jalpaiguri DCPO and wife of Ghosh. Shasmita, too, may be arrested, CID officers said. CID officials escort district child protection officer of Darjeeling district, Mrinal Ghosh (in blue jacket) from a police station in Siliguri on Friday night. (AFP) Interestingly, Mrinal Ghosh, the first government officer to be arrested in this case, was felicitated by the government in Kolkata last year for his performance. The administration in the adjoining Cooch Behar district on Saturday asked Kalyani Barman, wife of former Trinamool minister Hiten Barman, to explain why she had shifted all the children from Matri Ashray - a home she runs for orphans and abandoned children - to her residence. CID officials escort Chandana Chakraborty for an appearance at a court in Jalpaiguri on Saturday. (AFP) Barman has been given time till March 7 to reply to the notice and hand over the children. Keeping them at home was in violation of rules, the administration told her. Though the notice issued to Barman and the CID probe into child trafficking had no link, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh alleged that the police was hesitant to touch people close to the ruling party. The latest child trafficking case in Bengal has snowballed since the arrest of the BJPs former Mahila Morcha leader, Juhi Chowdhury on Tuesday. During interrogation she named some influential political personalities, CID sources said. Chandana Chakrobarty, her associate Sonali Mondal and Juhi Chowdhury have been interrogated for hours over the past few days. Chandanas brother Manas Bhowmik has also been arrested. In a parallel development near Kolkata, the South 24 Parganas police raided a private nursing home at Palta and arrested the owner and his son on Saturday. Both were sent to police custody by a district court. An investigation was ordered after three babies were rescued in November from a street in Palta. The babies were allegedly abandoned by a nursing home staff after a transaction fell through. The racket was first busted by the CID in November last year during raids at nursing homes in the North and South 24 Parganas and outskirts of Kolkata. Amidst chanting of Vedic hymns and Quranic verses, Suresh welcomed Naushad while Rahman went on to hug Sunil. They congratulated each other on their marriage with girls of their respective communities under one roof. The unique occasion was mass marriage of 10 Hindu and Muslim couples, which was hosted by 8,000 locals who organised the event at Rawatpur, a small hamlet situated on the outskirts of Kanpur. Mahant Alok Dubey performed the rituals while Pesh Imams of local mosques Ziaur Rehman and Asghar Ali solemnised the nikah late on Thursday night. With that, Rawatpur became a perfect example of secularism and brotherhood. However, just a few months back the same village was in the news for all the wrong reasons-- communal flare-ups, for instance, that would spread to nearby areas as well. Perturbed with the developments, social activist Mohammad Shakeel came up with a novel initiative and mooted the idea of mass marriage of Hindu and Muslim couples. The overwhelming response left him pleasantly surprised. I never thought the response would be so positive. Everyone supported it, he said and added, People made arrangements for the event and market was closed for the day as the entire village was present at the ceremony. It was so heart-warming. Back in the pandal, the scene was that of rare bonhomie. The grooms from both communities welcomed and congratulated each other before the ceremony. The guests showered petals on the couples and everyone wanted similar initiative to foster communal harmony. Sunil Batham who married Arti said, I have appealed to people to keep organising such an event every year. It has become the biggest example of communal harmony and insaniyat (humanity). Chote Babu, who entered into the wedlock with Shahnaz Bano, decided that his marriage would take place at the event after he heard about it, said, Such bonhomie is the need of the hour to tell everyone we are one. Last year too, on Shakeels call, Muslims had escorted the Ram Navmi procession while Hindus led the processions taken out to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad. A 4.5 ft tall stone statue of 23rd Jain Teerthankar Parshavnathji believed to be about 1000-year-old was discovered by some fishermen from Yamuna in Kaushambi area on Wednesday. The finding strengthens the fact that the region was a key centre for the Jains for ages. The statue has now been kept at a famous Jain temple in Kaushambi. Sources said fishermen at Gurbuj Ghat in Gadhwa Kosam Inam village had cast net to catch fish on Wednesday. When they pulled out the net they discovered a large stone statue. Finding it of no use they left the statue at the ghat that was spotted by some villagers. The villagers informed the priest of Prabhashgiri Jain temple Dinesh Jain who identified the statute. It is based on the seven-headed serpent (Sheshnag) and is about 3-ft wide and weighs around 4.50 quintals. Reacting on the issue, historian Ranish Jain said Kaushambi was one of the most ancient Jain sites where sixth Jain Teerthankar was born. Mahaveer Swami had also meditated here. A story in Jain text Avashyak Sutra mentions a Jain nun Chandanbala who was sold to a rich man of Kaushambi. She later provided food to Mahaveer Swami and became a nun. Prof of Ancient History at Allahabad University DP Dubey said the statue may be of 12th century BC. Large number of members of Jain community once inhabited the Pali village in the area. Director, Allahabad Museum Rajesh Purohit said Jain religion has an important place in history of Kaushambi. There is a small museum at Phabhosa village in the district where Jain statues belonging to 9th and 10th centuries are kept. There may be a temple of Parshavnath on the banks of Yamuna from where the statue was immersed in the river. Devotees thronged the Hanuman Temple Meerganj locality of the city after the news spread that Lord Hanumans idol was shedding tears, shrine officials said on Saturday. People started visiting the temple since early morning to watch the miracle. The devotees started chanting Hanuman Chalisa, Ram Dhun and devotional songs after witnessing the miracle. Some also saw it as a bad omen, temple priest Rajbhawan Pandey aka Bhola Pandit told HT. The priest said he spotted what appeared like tears flowing from the eyes of Lord Hanumans idol when he reached the temple in the morning. The news spread like wildfire after which devotees started arriving from near and far, he added. People throng the temple to see the idol. (HT Photo) Policemen from the local outpost also reached the temple to control the crowd and avert any untoward situation. Scientists, however, said the development could be the result of a chemical reaction. A proper study is required to identify the reason for the tears. Presence of mercuric oxide in vermillion which is usually applied in multiple layers on the idols of Lord Hanuman all over the country may be behind the phenomenon. Mercuric oxide can absorb water without dissolving in it. Once saturation point is reached, the excess water starts rolling down the idol which may be taken as tears. However, the process will be visible for a short duration, said Jagdamba Singh, professor of chemistry at Allahabad University. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Enrolment of children in schools in rural areas of UP is no longer a problem, but their attendance is a major issue that needs to be addressed. Wilima Wadhwa, director ASER, revealed this while presenting the Annual Status of Education Report, 2016, before Alok Ranjan, chief advisor to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Alok Ranjan is also president of the Lucknow Management Association. Since 2005, ASER has been conducting nationwide survey of students of government schools in rural areas to assess their ability to read simple text and do basic arithmetic. It is the largest household survey of children in the country. Wadhwa revealed that UP government has succeeded in achieving the target of 95% enrolment of children in schools through its various programmes. But attendance of students is only 55%, a major issue that needs to be addressed, the report revealed. Also, 9.9% girls were out of school (11-14 years) in UP in 2016 as compared to 9.2% in 2014. For carrying out the survey, 30 villages are selected randomly in every district of UP and 20 households are randomly elected in each district. In these households, all children in the age of 3-16 years are assessed. Interacting with HT, Wilima Wadhwa discussed the status of education in rural UP. What is the reason behind poor attendance when enrolment is so high? We cannot attribute any one reason for poor attendance. There must be more involvement of parents in childrens education and more interaction between teachers and parents. We have achieved enrolment target and now it is time to set new target in terms of learning of children. What is the education level of children going to school? Learning is a big issue that needs to be addressed. Over 30% of children leaving standard eighth do not even have basic reading skills. Basic mathematics skill is also very low. By standard eight, almost 60% of children are not able to perform simple division. Without strong foundation skills, it is difficult for children to cope with what is expected of them in upper primary grades. Is family background also responsible for poor learning? Yes. Almost 50% of children come from families where mothers have never gone to school and around 25% of children are first-generation learners, which means both their parents have never been to school. In such a scenario, children will suffer as there is no one to guide them at home. Are teachers responsible for it? Teachers are not much of a problem. It is a misconception that teachers are responsible for poor learning of children in government primary schools in rural India. Teachers have to grapple with multiple-grade students sharing the same classroom. In such a scenario, it is not easy for the teacher to complete the course. Are private schools also mushrooming in rural areas of UP? Private educational institutions are coming up in large numbers in rural parts of UP. Around 52% of children in rural areas are going to these private schools. However, education standard of these schools is also not up to mark. Residents of Ballia are unhappy with political parties for not having promised prohibition of liquor in Uttar Pradesh. The district borders Bihar where chief minister Nitish has enforced a complete ban on liquor, winning praise even on this side of the border. Manish Kumar Rai, resident of Surahi bordering Bihars Buxar, said a ban on liquor should have topped the political list of poll promises. Over 50 villages in Maniyar, Bairia, Bansdih and Belthara Road could do with a liquor ban since many of the men here splurge their hard-earned money on alcohol. The villages in question are: Tahirpur, Sultanpur, Devrar, Kharauni, Chandpur, Rajpur and Shivrampur among others. Liquor is neither good for health nor for the society. Liquor breaks families and is among the major causes of crime, Gupta said. Santosh Mishra, resident of Barria, said, Liquor ban has given good results in neighbouring Bihar. I think a large number of people gave up drinking because of the ban. Politicians and political outfits need to think in this direction. Licensed shops in pockets of border areas of Ballia, Ghazipur and Chandauli are a favourite destination for tipplers from Buxar, Ara, Chhapra and Siwan in Bihar. Many habitual drinkers from Buxar and Ara visit licensed liquor shops in Ballias border areas like Bharauli to buy country liquor, foreign liquor and beer. Bharauli, about a kilometre from the Buxar border, sees a huge gathering of drunkards every evening, Mithilesh Rai said. Drunkards often fight with one another. They use abusive language and spoil the atmosphere. Uttar Pradesh needs to put a complete ban on liquor in order to save families from its ill effects and to avoid a gathering of tipplers from Bihar here, Rai said. It is a good move that is in the interest of the state and its people. Once announced, tipplers wont be able to drink away their hard earned money, he said. Kamlesh Sharma travelled 60 kilometres from Ara in Bihar to buy country liquor from the licensed shop in Bharauli. Having bought liquor, he and his friend Arun Sharma went behind the shop and drank to their hearts content. I cant take liquor to my state. I am drinking it here, he said. Kamlesh backed him. Bharauli shares its border with Buxar in Bihar. Ballia has around 188 licensed liquor shops, including 136 of country liquor, 30 of foreign liquor and 22 of beer. Of these, 12 are based on border towns such as Bharauli, Laxmanpur and Maniyar. Ghazipur has two licensed shops in border pockets. Vivek Kumar of the Barria region is also disappointed over no political party promising efforts to ban liquor. This is a major issue in many pockets of the district and state as well. Time has come to raise ones voice to get liquor banned in the state, Vivek Kumar said. He recalled the Bihar CMs comment that he wants a liquor free society across the country. Politicians here need to learn from Kumar who ensured a complete ban on liquor soon after winning the assembly elections in Bihar in 2015. Nitish Kumar promised a ban on liquor before assembly elections in the state and also wrote to UP government for liquor ban, at least in border districts. Sudhanshu Bhushan Rai, a resident of Bharauli, said, A ban on liquor is required across the state in order to save families. This is a social issue. Ramesh Chaudhary, younger brother of BSP leader Ambika Chaudhary, also accepts that liquor ban is not a poll issue. District excise officer Bhuaalji Singh said that the shops in border areas were doing well and the district was achieving the monthly sale target easily. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In Ludhiana last week, auto driver Uday Chand of Bihar and his wife Lakshmi allegedly drugged their teenage daughters Jyoti and Priti and threw them into a canal because they suspected them of having boyfriends, the police said. The girls were rescued a day later, when passersby spotted them floating in the water. They were rushed to a local hospital, where Jyoti died. According to the HT report, the police said Priti was initially evasive and furnished false names. She also told police that they were orphans, used to beg near a local temple and fell unconscious after eating some food offered by a stranger. This aroused the polices suspicions, since the girls did not look like they were beggars. When the police counselled her, Priti told them what really happened. Isnt it grotesquely moving that she tried to protect her parents? The police have charged the parents with murder and attempted murder, and have launched a manhunt for the absconding couple. Read: Please do as you would be done by, says SheBaba Last week, meanwhile, an elegant young woman told me over a gin-and-tonic that she despaired of ever finding a partner who was the perfect balance between a chivalrous knight whod fight for her and a modern man who was self-controlled, polished, well-educated and well-placed. Looks like only Sri Ram will do, I said spontaneously, and knew at once that I should duck; that I would have grenades with Sita and Shambuka on them lobbed at me; and I could not hope to escape with flippant quips about Sambuca, the liqueur. Instead, I dodged down the millennia to the misogynistic passage in Maupassants short story, The Model, which I read aloud to my young friend, who was properly horrified and diverted. I also brought to her attention the utterly anti-woman attitude in Guru Dutts movie, Mr & Mrs 55. But it was a sad exercise. I loved the Ramayana uncritically once, just as I loved Maupassants stories and Dutts films. I could no longer love them the old way. Read: The best of luck to Aristotle... and us, says Renuka Narayanan But while the epic stubbornly retains a piece of my heart, Maupassant and Dutt and several other artistes have fallen off my map. Instead, I wonder, like Sady Doyle in Elle magazine, why men who behave obnoxiously towards women are nevertheless awarded and celebrated as actors Casey Affleck and Mel Gibson have been recently, or directors Woody Allen, Roman Polanski and Bernardo Bertolucci and actor Marlon Brando have in the past (I cannot get over what happened to Maria Schneider in The Last Tango in Paris). I can just hear the ABVP, AISA or whoever thinking, White men get Oscars though they abuse women, their pictures are splashed in the Indian papers with congratulatory articles, so how come were the bad guys? Does their art excuse them? No, it does not. So Uday Chand and Lakshmi seem different only in degree from the Oscar mindset. Hailing from Sitas state, they evidently went by such unchanging mores, too, and flung their daughters off the map. shebaba09@gmail.com The views expressed are personal. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Bombay high court directed the state police and the Union ministry of external affairs to seek Vodafones help to trace an Italian citizen, who was locked in a custody battle with his estranged Goan wife over their minor adopted daughter. Despite proceedings pending in the high court, the man, Alessandro* (surname withheld), fled to Italy with the child in August 2015. However, earlier this week,the womans counsel, advocate Rohaan Cama, told a bench of justices VM Kanade and PR Bora that Alessandros Indian mobile number was still active in Italy. Cama said his client called the number three weeks ago, trying to ascertain if it was still in use. He said Alessandro answered the phone. However, he switched it off immediately and has remained unreachable since then.Cama submitted the details of the phone number in court. The bench directed the police to collect information about this number. It also directed Vodafone to cooperate with the police. The bench directed the authorities to trace the mans location using the emails he sent the woman and his counsel soon after he fled India. Justice Kanade also directed the National Legal Services Authority to send its representative to the court at the next hearing to ascertain if a lawyer could be engaged in Italy to help bring back the child to India. MEA counsel advocate Rui Rodriguez told the court that the ministry had already issued Interpol notices against the man and that efforts were being taken by the under secretary (extradition). The bench suggested that the ministry send out public notices quelling the mans fears of coercive action upon his return. The bench said the man must be informed that the court, the authorities, and the woman were only keen to know of the childs whereabouts and whether she was well or not. The high court is likely to take up the matter for further hearing on March 21. The couple adopted the child from a centre in Pune in 2010. She had been abandoned in a garbage bin when she was just a few months old.A year later, however, the couple split and the wife gained custody of the child. In June 2011, Alessandro got an order from the family court granting him custody. While the matter was pending final hearing for more than a year, the high court granted interim access to the wife, who had been travelling from Goa to Pune thrice a week to meet the child. In 2015, an Italian court granted Alessandro sole custody of the child, after which he fled with her. Read Court order not needed to change adopted childs name: Bombay high court New rules will soon allow step parents, relatives to adopt children SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) decision to stay away from the mayoral contest and support the Shiv Sena, without sharing power, is likely to come at the cost of the citys governance. The partys moral high ground points to a tactical decision, one that will allow it to give issue-based support to the Shiv Senas minority government in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and also allow it to challenge any policy, proposal or financial decision moved by the Sena, on the grounds of transparency. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis indicated as much when he said on Saturday. We got a mandate on the plank of transparency and honouring this, we will work as watchdogs of transparent governance. All our corporators will work as soldiers of transparency in the BMC. In a clear signal that his government will keep a strict vigil over the running of the BMC, he added that a three-member committee of senior bureaucrats, including Ramanath Jha, Gautam Chatterjee and Sharad Kale would be set up to make the working of the BMC more transparent. Fadnavis also said an Upa (deputy) Lokayukta would be appointed, as promised in the BJPs manifesto, solely for Mumbai. As an anti-corruption ombudsman, the Upa Lokayukta will receive complaints from people against civic officials and corporators. In the run up to the civic election over the past year, the BJP and Sena have consistently faced off in the BMC, often taking contradictory stances on policies,from open spaces to parking. In the current situation, this is only likely to worsen. It will have an impact on the decision making in the BMC and possibly stall policies and projects, said a senior official. In the next few months, there are likely to be tussles over open spaces policy and the Development Plan. Tenders for road works, desilting and pre-monsoon work could get caught up in this bickering. And, there could be a tussle over taking credit for policies, such as a 24/7 Mumbai and projects like the coastal road. While Sena will try to make BJPs role in the citys governance inconsequential, the latter will hit back with the Fadnavis-led urban development department tightening its role in the BMC. And, when BJP attacks Sena in BMC, the latter will retaliate by attacking the state. A senior Shiv Sena leader said, For now, the chief minister has realised that not challenging the Shiv Sena in the BMC is beneficial to him and we are happy about that. If the BJP had created hurdles for the election of a Sena mayor, the strain would have spilled over to the state government too. Going forward, there will be constant fights, and the BJP will try to rake up the issue of transparency in every possible situation. But we will remind them how much needs to be done in the state too. In this scenario, it is likely that the Sena will have ensure floor management for every big decision sometimes wooing the opposition parties like Congress, NCP and MNS to back it more than its ally. In many ways, the BJP will act in the BMC as the Sena does in the state government even as it shares power. The party will occupy opposition space even while it officially maintains that it is supporting the Sena. Instead of setting up our mayor or government by taking help of other parties, the core committee of the BJP decided in favour of stability and the common man. If Sena takes decision in public interest and welfare, they will have our complete support. But, wherever there is a mistake especially over issues of transparency, we will ensure that Sena will have to change their decision, said finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar. The mayoral contest is now as good as over, with Sena mayor all set to be appointed on March 8. But, the real contest of upmanship between the saffron allies has just began. Read Former allies race for Mumbai civic body mayors post BJP-Shiv Sena tussle in Mumbai civic polls puts Fadnavis govts future at stake In Mumbai: BJP, Sena, MNS fight over a selfie spot The Maharashtra state board of secondary and higher secondary education has refused to acknowledge that images the HSC physics paper was circulated online before the exam began on Saturday. The board refused to register a complaint, saying the images did not match the original question paper. However, a side-by-side comparison conducted by HT revealed that they were the same. Though the images began circulating around 10: 50 am, the board insisted that they came out after 11.30 am after the exam began at 11 am. However, even so, the fact that students or teachers at the centre took photos of the paper during the exam is a serious offence. Photographs of a question paper that was circulated on social media. (HT photo) Mobile phones and access to internet are strictly not allowed during exams. Even if the images were circulated during the exam, the board must probe this, said Uday Nare, a teacher, Hansraj Morarji Public School and Junior College, Andheri. Photographs of a question paper that was circulated on social media. (HT photo) Similarly, despite receiving complaints that the HSC Marathi paper was out on social media on Thursday, the board did not file a police complaint until Friday evening. The delay could have easily given the culprits time to get rid of the evidence. College principals said the boards callous attitude is leading to an increase in such leaks. Urging the board to take swift action against such offenders in the future, Wadia said, Unless the board holds students or staff accountable for malpractices such as carrying their mobile phones inside the exam room, these incidents will continue. Also read: Want to plug HSC exam paper leaks? Follow Mumbai Universitys example, say experts SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Oshiwara police arrested a man who stabbed his ex-wifes new husband to death at the couples Jogeshwari condo at 8 am on Saturday. The police said the man was motivated by revenge. The victim, Ali Asgar, 37, owns a construction firm in Vasai and Mira Road called Home Makers. He married Bismillah on February 15. The accused, Umar Shaikh, 38, lives in Mazgaon. He has property in Kalina and lives on the rent that he gets from the tenants. Police sources said Shaikh remarried after he and Bismillah were divorced, however, he still wanted revenge on the couple. Shaikh wore a veil (burqa) to enter Iris Park Condominiums in Jogeshwari (West). The high-rise is located adjacent to Amboli police station near the Jogeshwari railway station. We saw someone wearing a burqa seated in an auto. We thought it was one of the condos female residents and so we allowed the vehicle in, one of the security guards told HT. The police said Shaikh mimicked a womans voice to enter the society. The auto halted at the entrance of the building. Shaikh alighted and went up to the 15th floor where Asgar lived with Bismillah. Officials said that Shaikh was carrying a kitchen knife. He knocked at the door and Bismillah opened it. He instantly slashed her across the arm. She started screaming, ran to another room and locked herself in, said an officer. Hearing her cries, Asgar came out of another room. Shaikh stabbed him twice in the stomach and fled, leaving the veil behind. He escaped by using the staircase, boarded another auto-rickshaw and left, the police said. Minutes later, Bismillah alerted the guards about the attack. At least four guards conduct round-the-clock monitoring of the buildings two main entrances on Patel Estate Road. There are also numerous CCTV cameras on the premises. CCTV camera footage shows Shaikh leaving the auto and entering the building. Another camera shows him dropping the veil and running towards the staircase, said an officer. He was nabbed at Jogeshwari, close to the scene of the crime. A source said the police recovered Bismillahs mobile phone and found an SMS ostensibly from the accused. Officials are trying to ascertain whether Shaikh had been threatening her for long. Also read: Dalit movement writer stabbed to death at his home in Maharashtras Kolhapur Trainee doctors and medical students are victims to more than half of all injuries caused by pricks from infected needles in hospitals. They are not only overworked, but are also not vaccinated against the diseases infected blood can transmit. The dangers of needle-stick injuries and the risk health staff workers face were pointed out in a recent study at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, a teaching hospital at Sion. Needle-stick injuries are considered occupational hazards for health workers, as they cause infections such as Hepatitis B (HbV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). They are most commonly caused by factors like work stress and inadequate experience and training. To reduce such cases, the study that was published in the International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, suggested better training and awareness about getting vaccinated. The study was done by three microbiologists, who found that between January 2014 and June 2015, 105 injuries were reported at the hospital 70% of these were among medical students. Nearly a third 28.6% of the accidents were reported in the medicine department. Whats worse? Just 57.1% of the health workers had been vaccinated agaijst hepatitis B; 26.6% were incompletely vaccinated and 16.2% were not vaccinated at all. Usually all student doctors, at the start of their internship, are told to complete the HbV vaccination programme, at 0-3-6 months, said Dr Sagar Mundada, a former president of the resident doctors association. A lot of times, doctors dont follow the complete routine and thus become vulnerable to the infection. Dr Sujata Baveja, head of the microbiology department at the hospital and a co-author of the study, said that while major tertiary care hospitals run vaccination programmes against HbV and HIV, more awareness needs to be created among health workers to prevent the spread of the infection. The most common risk is of HbV, even more than HIV, because of the high risk of spreading the infection. During the study, we found out that 16.2% of HCWs were not vaccinated against the virus and 39% didnt start the post-exposure prophylaxis (or emergency HIV treatment for prevention) immediately after being infected, said Dr Baveja. Resident doctors from tertiary care hospitals run by the civic body said that while a number of cases do take place, they do not get reported, which explains the little data available on how many resident doctors or staff members contract infections from pricks or wounds. We are often so busy that even after knowing the patient is HIV or HbV positive, we dont have the time to wear gloves while collecting blood samples, because of the workload and long queues of patients. Many times, even the patients dont inform us about their case history, said one resident doctor. There are more than 20 blood borne diseases, the researchers said, but those of primary significance to health care workers were HbV, HcV and HIV. The study also showed that in 81% of the injuries, the source of the infection was not known to the health workers, indicating that many health workers were being careless while attending to high-risk patients. This only increases the risk of the infection spreading. The source of the HIV source was known only in 19.04% of cases, while in the rest, the attending health workers were not even aware when the patient had HIV. Similarly high risk HbV and HcV status was known only in 18.9% of the sources. Experts have put the risk of contracting HbV and HcV through infected blood at 33.3% and 3.3% respectively while the chances to be contracted with HIV are 0.31%. Sharp injuries represent a high risk of hazard that people working in the hospital face on daily basis. Prevention of injuries is the best way to prevent the infections and there is much room for improvement by combination of programmes, like institutional behaviour and device management, adequate training in safe use and disposal of needles and a culture of reporting cases and aftercare, added Dr Baveja. Following the arrest of a model on Thursday after she faked a bomb scare, the Sahar police have recorded the statement of the airport security manager who witnessed the incident. The 27-year-old model, Kanchan Thakur, had created panic at the T2 Terminal of Sahar International Airport during a security check by telling a security guard that her friend was carrying a bomb in her bag. The comment allegedly meant to be a joke set off alarm bells in security agencies and both the women were detained. Thakur was later arrested and later released on bail. According to the Sahar police, around 8.30 pm Thakur and three of her friends were waiting in queue at the security check to board an Air India flight to Delhi. After she was cleared by the security officials, she allegedly told an official that one of her friends was carrying a bomb in her bag. The official then immediately called the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the spot. Thakur and her companions were detained after which Thakur tried to explain to the officials that she meant the bomb-scare as a joke and requested that they be allowed to continue with their journey. This led to the delay of their flight by an hour as they had already checked in but around 10 pm, the Air India authorities asked the flight to take off without the four women. The CISF officers then took the accused and her companions to the Sahar police station where an FIR was registered against them under section 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others) of 505 (1) (b) (intent to cause or which is likely to cause fear or alarm to the public which is punishable by jail up to three years or fine) of the IPC at 4.30 am. Thakur was allowed to leave as the law does not allow women to be arrested at night. She was asked to report at the police station around 10.30 am on Friday when she was arrested and granted bail. Commenting on the case, senior inspector of Sahar police station, BT Mukhedkar, said, We will soon file a charge sheet in the case. If proven guilty, Thakur can be sentenced to three years in jail, he added. Also read: Air Indias call centre receives bomb threat call, police register case Nearly 100 students from various student organisations staged a protest rally at the Kalina campus of University of Mumbai (MU) on Saturday against recent instances of violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Ramjas College of Delhi University (DU). The protestors blamed the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a right-wing student group, for trying to suppress free speech in college campuses across the country. A week earlier, the ABVP protested at Kalina campus, demanding action against 'anti-national' elements in various universities. The latest round of protests was sparked by clashes between students groups last week after JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid were invited to speak at a literary seminar in Ramjas College. Khalid was arrested last year and booked for sedition for organising a rally on the JNU campus. Rashid was the then vice-president of the JNU students union. On Saturday, protestors accused that the ABVP of targeting students who were opposed to its ideology. They blamed the right-wing group for the suicide of dalit scholar Rohith Vemula at Hyderabad Central University (HCU) and disappearance of JNU scholar Najeeb Ahmed last year. "Emboldened by the BJP-led government at the centre, the ABVP is trying to muzzle freedom of expression at campuses. The hooliganism in the name of nationalism must end and ABVP activists must be arrested," said Suvarna Salve, a member of Samata Vidyarthi Aghadi. Speaking on the occasion, Obaidur Rahman Ansari, city president of Students Islamic Organisation of India, said there is an atmosphere of fear in colleges. "Universities are supposed to be the placers where students engage in constructive activities, but now we see destruction everywhere. There's no trace of Najeeb Ahmed, despite the Supreme Court's intervention in the matter," he added. Jenny Sulfath, a member of Radical Study Circle, a student group at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), said the discourse around nationalism is aimed at suppressing other national identities in the country. "ABVP is calling students [who don't agree with them] anti-national. One should consider other voices from the country, including those who don't want to be a part of the country," she said. READ Ramjas College row: Protest and clashes in Mumbai and Pune keep campuses on boil SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Pakistani citizen was arrested by the Ulhasnagar police for killing his girlfriend on Monday night. The accused, Suraj Prem Seeju, 22, was produced in court on Saturday. According to the police, the woman, Vandana Dipak Jagtap, 26, had left her husband long ago and had been staying with Suraj at Maharal in Ulhasnagar for the past few years. Suraj works as an autorickshaw driver in Ulhasnagar. He moved here from Pakistan three years ago seeking employment. Vandana was diagnosed with HIV a few years ago. She subsequently infected Suraj. Suraj did not know about Vandanas HIV-positive status. Once he found out that he had contracted the disease, he fought with her frequently, said Shakil Shaikh, senior inspector, Ulhasnagar police station. A few months earlier, Suraj found out that Vandana was married, and the fights between the couple escalated, he added. Vandanas husband knew that his wife had been staying with Suraj, but never objected. The couple had a son and a daughter, both younger than 10, he said. As Surajs visa was slated to expire on March 1, he planned to murder Vandana and then flee back to Pakistan, said Shaikh. Between 9 pm and 9.45 pm on Monday, Suraj called Vandana on her mobile phone and asked her to come to Gol Maidan. There, he slit her throat with a knife and then fled. He told us that there were no witnesses, said Shaikh. The police have recovered the weapon. The police received a tip-off that Suraj would arrive at Shantinagar in Ulhasnagar on Saturday morning. They laid a trap and caught him. Suraj confessed. He told the police that he hails from Pakistan, while his parents and two sisters moved to Ulhasnagar. The rest of his family lives in Pakistan. One of his sisters is married while the other one is still in school. His mother is a housewife and his father works as a driver for a private bus firm, said Shaikh. We checked Surajs passport and other documents and can confirm that he is a Pakistani citizen, he added. He was arrested under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code. The police said more charges will be framed against him after they have finished investigating. Read Satara district in Maharashtra tense after man says he killed lover from different caste Jilted lover arrested for stabbing girlfriend to death Man kills one of three wives, toddler son suspecting illicit affair SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After images of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams Marathi paper were leaked on social media on Thursday, photographs of the Secretarial Practice (SP) paper were said to be circulating on WhatsApp on Saturday, at least 10 minutes before the paper was given to the examinees. The Mumbai division of the Maharashtra state board has filed a complaint with the Vashi police. More than 1.34 lakh students from the Mumbai division which includes Thane, Palghar and Raigad appeared for the SP exam at 11.00 am. Students usually enter the exam hall at 10.30 and are given the paper by 10.50 am. However, board authorities said photographs of the question paper emerged on WhatsApp minutes before the exam began. The images matched the actual question paper. We have received the images. On comparing them to the actual paper, both sets matched, said Dattatray Jagtap, chairperson of the divisional board. We have given the police a written application and they will start investigating soon, he added. Jagtap denied claims that the paper was made available on WhatsApp last night. The 100-mark paper is one of the elective subjects for commerce students. Academicians said they were surprised that the paper was leaked, as it is considered to be an easy subject. While the board has not yet confirmed this, there were rumours that photographs of Physics paper, which was held at 11 am on Saturday, were also circulating on student groups on WhatsApp earlier that morning. HT reported on Saturday that the board has not yet taken steps to beef up its security at exam centres, even after Thursdays Marathi paper was leaked on social media minutes before the exam. Read In Maharashtra: HSC Marathi paper out on social media HSC paper leak: Complaint filed in Mumbai but no steps taken to beef up security HSC student gets paper on WhatsApp before exam SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Shiv Senas candidate for the Mumbai mayors post, Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, is a three-time corporator in the Mumbai civic body who was disqualified in his previous term for producing an invalid caste certificate. Significantly, by handpicking Mahadeshwar, an academician, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has preferred to go with an educated, soft-spoken face as the Senas mayoral candidate. Mahadeshwar, who contested and won from an open ward in Santacruz (East) this time, was elected from a ward reserved for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in 2007 and could not fight his disqualification despite a long-drawn court legal battle. However, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won just two seats short of the Sena in the BMC polls last month, deciding to drop out of the mayoral race, the 56-year-old Mahadeshwars election as Mumbais mayor on March 8 seems a more definite certainty. The party decided Mahadeshwars candidature after a brisk meeting of senior leaders at Thackerays residence, Matoshree. There were a lot of contenders for the post. Corporators such as Ashish Chemburkar and Mangesh Satamkar, who have also contested polls to the state legislative assembly in the past, were being considered. However, we had to take seniority in BMC into consideration, along with other factors while making the decision., a senior Shiv Sena leader who attended the meeting at Matoshree said. The Sena leadership has sought to give an educated and soft-speaking candidate for mayors post instead of a typical, aggressive Sena nominee. Mahadeshwar, a graduate from Matungas Ramnarain Ruia College, with a professional post-graduate degree from BPCAs College, Wadala, has been an academician. Fellow Sena leaders know him as a polite, studious corporator whose style is more to reason with facts than show aggression on the floor. He knows what the limit for every situation is. He is someone known to take everyone along, with a reasoned argument, a Sena leader who has served as a corporator in the BMC at the same time as Mahadeshwar said. The party has picked Hemangi Worlikar, a Sena corporator from Worli, who filed her nomination for the post of deputy mayor. A three-time corporator, Mahadeshwar was first elected to the BMC in 2002, and soon became chairman of the civic education committee, and a member of the standing committee. In 2007, while Mahadeshwar contested the election from an OBC ward in Santacruz claiming to be from the Vaishyawani caste, the Konkan Divisional Caste Scrutiny Committee said it was unable to establish that the elected corporator was actually from the said caste, and that the oldest documents that had probative value at best showed that Mahadeshwar was from the Wani caste, which is not included in the list notified by the government as OBC. Congress Suryavansh Thakur who lost to Mahadeshwar in 2007, also slapped a case against the him, while Mahadeshwar challenged the caste scrutiny committees decision. In October 2010, the Bombay high court ruled that Mahadeshwar failed to prove his caste as Vaishyawani, and that his case certificate has been justly invalidated by the caste scrutiny committee. Mahadeshwar said, Yes, I was disqualified, but it was more about a problem with the way the state government had included the Vaishyawani caste in OBC. The court noted that the government did not follow the proper procedure, while declaring the caste as OBC and struck down the government resolution. Read In Mumbai: Shiv Sena acts to consolidate position to seat its mayor Sanjay Raut says Shiv Sena will bag BMC mayor post, denies approaching Congress Devendra Fadnavis reaches out to Shiv Sena, says no BJP candidate for BMC mayor post SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON With the Maharashtra state board grappling with paper leaks over WhatsApp for the past three years, there is an urgent need to plug these leaks. College heads suggest replicating the University of Mumbais use of technology to send papers online, and mandating a webcam scan before downloading it. However, the large number of students appearing for the board exams poses a hurdle. The HSC secretarial practice paper was leaked on social media minutes before the exam began on Saturday. This is the second paper to be leaked during the ongoing board exams, and the fourth in the past three years. Facing similar problems months ago, MU came up with a hi-tech model to improve security for the March-April exams. Colleges will have to download the question papers sent to them online, after undergoing a facial-recognition scan. The paper downloading and printing process will be recorded and CCTV cameras will be installed in all exam rooms. Principals said the board needs to implement a similar system to prevent future leaks. Electronic downloads are the only option available, said Kiran Mangaonkar, principal, Khalsa College, Matunga. It eliminates the risks in transporting the paper and storing it in exam centres. However, the state board caters to at least 15 to 17 lakh students across Maharashtra, while the university has a few thousand students in Mumbai and other parts. This makes it tough for the state board to send papers online, especially to centres located in remote and rural areas, prone to load shedding and lacking the infrastructure to print large quantities of paper. When the university sends us papers, degree colleges can get it printed in an hour and a half as they have fewer students. Printing SSC and HSC exam papers could take several hours, said Mangaonkar. Looking beyond technology, other principals suggested sealing individual question papers, a process that is carried out during certain competitive exams. By sealing each question paper, we can maintain confidentiality to a certain extent, said Vidyadhar Joshi, vice principal, Vaze Kelkar College, Mulund. However, Joshi said that even this method is not foolproof. The culprits can always break the seal and look at the extra papers or those belonging to absentees, he said. However, educators agreed that the board needs to review its system and own up to the leaks. In the past, the board would change the question paper sets given to the students even if someone opened a sealed packet accidentally. Only filing a police complaint isnt enough, said Ashok Wadia, principal, Jai Hind College, Churchgate. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Many students of the Abdul Kalam Technical Universitys (AKTU) are panicking about their academic future after the university on February 27 suspended 19,834 of them over alleged irregularities in admission related documents. Abhishek,18, a first year mechanical engineering student of a private college in Greater Noida, says he submitted the necessary documents during admission but his name has featured among the suspended students. I come from Jewar and for the past three days, I have been asking college authorities about the verification process but there is total confusion. The verification is on in Lucknow and our documents will be checked on March 6, Abhishek said. A total of 846 institutions across the state are affiliated to the AKTU with more than 150 affiliated colleges in Greater Noida and Ghaziabad. Courses such as mechanical engineering, medical science, management and computer science are taught in these institutes. For the academic session 2016-17, a total of 82,141 students had taken admission across the state. After cross checking the documents of all newly admitted students, we found that as many as 20,000 students had submitted incomplete forms. Many migration certificates and class 12 mark sheets are yet to be submitted. We decided to put their admission in the respective institutes on hold, Ashish Mishra, spokesperson, AKTU, said. However, the university decided to provide a breather to the students by giving them another chance to submit the documents through their college representatives. The representatives have been called to the main campus in Lucknow where the university will re-examine the documents from March 1 to 8. The recent decision has left the students agitated and confused as a lack of coordination between university administration and their college authorities has resulted in chaos. I had to submit the original documents again despite showing them the same in 2016. The entire process is scary because we have already paid our fees, Gyanendra Singh, another student, said. However, the university has asked students to not panic and coordinate with their college administration. The verification process has already started and we are checking documents of 150 colleges each in two days. Till now, we have not rejected application of any student, and nobody should panic and resort to rumour mongering. We are flexible and cooperative in our approach by allowing even latecomers to submit their documents, PK Gangwar, registrar, AKTU, said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Noida authority is likely to allot two acres to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Sector 153 in its first board meeting after the states assembly election results are declared on March 11. Officials said they were given in-principal approval to provide the land, but the matter will be presented at the boarding meeting for the official nod. The decision to set up the NDRF camp in Noida was taken in January 2016 after which a team of experts inspected Sector 153 to find whether the land was suitable. However, after the visit, the NRDF headquarter has written to the authority to allot land so that construction work for the camp can be initiated at earliest. However, the authority did not take a decision as the model code of conduct is in place during the state assembly polls. Deepak Agarwal, chief executive officer of Noida authority, said, We have received a letter from the NDRF asking us to provide two acres free of cost. The final call on the matter will be taken at the board meeting. The camp will have one company of NDRF, which includes deployment of 135 personnel, who will be the first respondents to any kind of disaster or natural calamity in the region. The decision to set up the base camp has been taken in view of the districts rapid urbanisation and increase in population. According to the administration, there are nine major chemical industries in the district that are hazardous. Currently, Gautam Budh Nagar is dependent on NDRFs battalion headquarter in Ghaziabad and its team of 30 in Dwarka to deal with an emergency. Officials said in such a scenario, there will be delay in response from the NDRF team. The deployment of personnel in Sector 153 would be important for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence, officials said. Also, Gautam Budh Nagar falls in seismic zone IV, which is a severe intensity zone in case of an earthquake. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Failing to crack the double murder of Dera Sacha Sauda followers at sects congregation centre in Jagera village near Malaudh, 40 km from Khanna, Punjab Police on Saturday announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh and a sub-inspectors job to anyone who provides information about the killers. Satpal Kumar, 65, and his son Ramesh Kumar, 35, were gunned down by motorcycle-borne assailants on February 25. Police are yet to identify the assailants, who even though visible in the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, were wearing caps and had their faces covered. Deputy inspector general (DIG), Ludhiana range, SK Kalia said the step has been taken to involve people in the probe. The identity of anyone who provides information will be kept secret. He said the police were scanning more CCTV clips to identify the assailants. Sixteen teams, besides a special investigation team (SIT), have been formed to crack the case, he added. The announcement came three days after director general of police (law and order) Hardeep Singh Dhillon assured dera followers who had blocked the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road demanding arrest of killers that the police would arrest the killers in five days. After scanning the CCTV footage, the police said assailants come from Malerkotla side and fled towards Ludhiana after committing the crime. The assailants also stared at the CCTV camera installed at the congregation centres canteen and uttered some words. One of them also opened fire in the air before leaving. A case of murder was registered against unidentified miscreants at the Malaudh police station. UNSOLVED CASES Earlier too, the police announced cash rewards in four high-profile cases, but it yielded no result. Police had announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh and job in Punjab Police for anyone who gives information about killers of Durga Prasad Gupta, Shiv Sena labour wing leader, who was gunned down at Lalhedi Chowk in Khanna on April 23 last year. A reward of Rs 10 lakh was announced in Namdhari sect matriarch Chand Kaurs murder case, who was shot dead at Bhaini Sahib of Ludhiana on April 4 last year. The case was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Similarly, Rs 10 lakh was announced for information on assailants in the murder case of senior RSS leader Jagdish Gagneja, who was shot at by two masked motorcyclists in Jalandhar on August 6. He died at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana on September 22. The police also announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for providing information on attack on an RSS shakha in Ludhianas Kidwai Nagar on January 19, 2016. RSS leader Naresh Kumar was injured in the incident. Farmers on Friday blocked the Ludhiana-Ferozepur highway at Ajitwal, around 15 km from the district headquarters, for two hours to protest alleged police inaction in a case of abetment to suicide against an ex-cop. The protesters, under the banner of Bharti Kisan Union-Ekta led by Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, demanded the arrest of Kewal Singh Brar, who took early retirement from Punjab Police and is presently the Ferozepur district president of the Bharatiya Janata Partys farmer wing. Kewal was booked by the Ajitwal police on January 9 for abetting his business partner Jaswinder Singh Brars suicide. Sources said Jaswinder, who ran a tractor repair shop, had started a factory unit along with Kewal. Kewal allegedly cheated him of Rs 60 lakh, following which Jaswinder entered into depression and committed suicide. Union protested in February too The farmers union had staged a dharna to demand Kewals arrest earlier too, but it was lifted within four days after police detained the protesters on February 15. Moga senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Toor had released the farmers with the assurance that the accused would be arrested within 10 days. Fifteen days have passed since the police assurance, but nothing has been done so far, Kokrikalan said, while addressing the gathering on Friday. Heavy police force was deployed at the site of blockade and traffic was diverted through villages to maintain law and order. Nihal Singh Wala deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Surinder Kumar assured the farmers of arresting the accused, but sought more time. Giving the police 20 more days, Kokrikalan said if the accused is not arrested by March 23, the union will intensify the protest. Two months after the Supreme Court ruled that politics and religion should be separated, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Kirpal Singh Badungar said that religion and politics should go hand in hand. Badungar was at Budhladas Guru Nanak College on Friday to address a seminar on the life and teachings of 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh. On the perception that the SGPC takes orders from politicians, Badungar said if politics and religion are kept apart then the nation will have to face slavery as it had happened in the past. "I think politics and religion should never be separated. When they are kept away from each other, we are bound to get enslaved as it happened in the past as the country was ruled by foreigners for 1,000 years. This is need of the times to let politics and religion work in tandem for peace and communal harmony in the state," he said. Last year, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal had publicly criticised the SGPC for taking more interest in politics than its primary job of religious preaching. Responding to a query on the SAD leaders seeking support from Dera Sacha Sauda, Badungar said the incident should not be linked to the entire community or Shiromani Akali Dal. "The act of a few SAD leaders seeking support of dera will not belittle the importance of panth or Akali Dal. A committee is probing the issue and a report will be submitted to the Akal Takht on March 7." Addressing students in the college, the SGPC chief stressed that ethos of the Sikhism are still alive and lakhs of people are embracing the religion across the world. "In the recently held Parkash Utsav programme in Bihar, I saw Sikhs from countries such as Russia and China." He also announced cash rewards for students who participated in the cultural programme and hike in the salary for the teachers who trained them. On freedom of speech vs nationalism On the ongoing controversy over freedom of speech and nationalism, he said such incidents will only disturb the peace and tranquillity in the state. Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab will suffer the most if tension between India and Pakistan escalates, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Believe it or not, the most popular desi delicacy of Bihar and Jharkhand - litti has lost its desi flavour as it is being stuffed with sattu (gram dust) prepared from imported Bengal gram, popularly known as lal chana. The reason the price of Bengal gram (lal chana) has gone sky high as compared to the imported Bengal gram from Australia and some African countries. The gram was imported by the Union government to control the soaring prices of pulses, including chana dal. Bengal gram was available in the retail market at the rate of Rs 140 to Rs 150 per kilogram during the last quarter of 2016. This jacked up the sattu prices too, besides litti a delicacy of people of Bihar and Jharkhand. However, the price in retail has gone down to Rs 70 from Rs 80 per kilogram following the import of the Bengal gram, said wholesale dealers of pulse and lentil at Barwadda Agricultural Marketing yard (BAMY) in Dhanbad. The imported variety of Bengal gram is mostly used for preparing sattu at mills, besides the roadside sattu and bhoonja sellers here. One roadside sattu seller Shashi Mondal said: Since the Australian lal chana is available at an affordable price, we are using this for making sattu as well as roasted chana. Bharat Singh, who owns a popular litti chokha joint on the Dhanbad court premises said the price of sattu has dropped since the imported variety of red gram came in. Bharat, whose daily consumption of sattu is about 25 kilogram, said tastewise its not different from dehi (Indian) chana as sattu is being prepared in the same process. Notwithstanding the difference between indigenous and imported variety of grams, the price of litti has come down with the use of imported variety. The price of plain litti that has gone up to Rs 8 per piece has come down to Rs 6 again. Similarly, the littis dipped in ghee which sold at Rs 14 per piece is selling at Rs 12 per piece now. Vikas Kandhwey, a wholesale businessman of pulses and fruits at BAMY said the desi lal chana and pulses would be available in the market from April after the harvest. A good harvest is expected due to good monsoon. Till then, enjoy litti and sattu drinks made from imported lal chana (Bengal gram). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Months before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation and emphasised on cashless transaction in country, a low level government karmachari in Jharkhands Latehar district seems to have become well versed with relevance of cashless transaction. He got bribe-money to the tune of Rs 5 lakh electronically transferred to his wifes bank account. Bharhul Ganjhu, a member of Dalit community had to pay Sunil Mahali - a karmachari ( a low level revenue functionary ) and also acting as Circle Inspector in Balumath Rs 5 lakh as bribe to ensure that Rs 60 lakh that his family had received as compensation for the land that was acquired for Tori-Shivpur railway line construction project, was not taken back by revenue officials. Mahali regularly threatened Ganjhu to transfer Rs 5 lakh to his wife Beena Devis bank account, or else the entire amount that he had received in his bank account would be taken back and they would not get the next instalment of land compensation. When Ganjhu did not budge , Mahali himself got the bribe money (Rs. 5 lakh) transferred from Ganjhus account with State Bank of India Bhaisadon branch in Balumath to his wifes bank account with State Bank of India branch at Muri through real time gross settlement (RTGS), an online fund transfer system, on May 20, last year. The matter came to light when Ganjhu found only 55 lakh instead of Rs 60 lakh- in his account. He complained to the Balumath Up Pramukh Sanjeev Sinha and further inquiry at different levels by local Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leaders revealed the fraud. Sinha informed Hindustan Times, Preliminary inquiry by us revealed the names of other victims who had also to cough up bribe to Mahali. We apprised chief minister Raghubar Das about these gross irregularities at Ranchi on February 28 and he subsequently ordered an official inquiry. A probe team led by Latehar deputy development commissioner (DDC) Anil Kumar Singh found substantial evidence against Mahali during the on-spot probe in Balumath on Wednesday. Based on the preliminary report submitted by the team, the district administration passed orders for lodging criminal cases against Mahali, his wife and their son. Mahali, his wife Beena Devi and their son Mukesh will be booked in this connection. Their son was named after it was found that the transferred money was deposited in his name, said Latehar deputy commissioner Pramod Kumar Gupta. The DC further said, The role of several other government officials was also under scanner. A team of senior officials is conducting the thorough probe to fix them. Former chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata expressed his gratitude to the Tata Steel employees and workers union for their support during the recent management crisis. He got emotional while participating in the 178th birth anniversary of the founder, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. Ratan Tata while speaking to the officials of Tata Workers Union (TWU) on Friday said that it was because of the support of union leaders and workers, that the company could overcome the crisis within the management. TWU, one of the oldest and most prestigious workers union in the country served by titans like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi, had extended full support to the management during the emergency general meeting (EGM) called by the company in Mumbai, around two months back, union leaders said. Ratan Tata, his two sisters, chairman of Tata Sons Natarajan Chandrasekaran, managing director of Tata Steel, and TV Narendran had visited TWU after paying homage to JN Tata on the company premises. Union leaders including TWU president R Ravi Prasad, BK Dinda, Sanjiv Kumar Choudhary, Kamlesh Singh and others talked about various industrial issues, including starting more companies in Jharkhand, revival of sick companies in the town and developing Jamshedpur as an IT hub. Rata Tata informed the union leaders that his dream project, Nano was meant to fulfil family car dream for the low income group but the economic approach towards such low budget cars was not as per his expectation. Top company officials said the best possible measure will be taken in future to start various other production in Jamshedpur. Chandrasekaran appreciated the healthy relationship between the company management and union and said that Tata Steel is the pioneer in setting a bench mark with respect to workers rights in India. MD, TV Narendran said that the company had taken step towards maximum digitalization in various departmental works within the company. With the help of workers support, the company will continue to be leader in steel industry in the country, he added. Assistant secretary of TWU, Kamlesh Singh said the Jharkhand government has brought about a positive environment for more industries in the state. The Tata Sons should take benefit of it and build more Jamshedpurs in the state, he added. Television actor Dheeraj Dhoopar, whos parting ways with Sasural Simar Ka, the daily soap he has been starring in for the last four years, says theres a flipside to the decision. Popular as his onscreen name, Prem, the actor says the audience slowly starts connecting with your character. When they think about Prem, they will think of my face. Now [one would think] thats good, but at the same time, being associated with a show for such a long time means that when they will see me in a new character, my biggest challenge will be to build everything from scratch for them and etch a new character in their minds, says Dhoopar. The shows other lead actor, Dipika Kakar popular as her character name Simar also recently quit the show to focus on her personal life. As for Dhoopar, hes on a mission to find new opportunities to expand his career, and is eyeing Bollywood. Im meeting some filmmakers and trying my luck in Bollywood. I would love to do a biopic, says the 32-year-old. Does this mean no more television for him? No! Id love to do more television shows as long as my character is something new. I want something (a role) with grey shades. I also love characters that have a certain element of mystery attached to it and thats what Im looking forward to do next, he adds. Another genre that Dhoopar wants to take up is romance. Ive always said that I want to do romantic shows. When I came to this industry, I always wanted to play a romantic hero. At that time, I didnt know anything about the industry... I know that my fans also want to see me do such a role, he says. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In Jane Austens Northanger Abbey, protagonist Henry Tilney equates the socio-sexual dynamics of a couple engaged in a dance to marriage. In both man has the advantage of choice, woman only the power of refusal, he says. The novel is set in the early 19th century. While a ball is no longer the primary social engagement for youngsters to interact and indulge in the ritual of selecting a partner either for an evening or a lifetime many in India will agree with Tilney that in matters of love and lust, men still have the upper hand. Even the discourse on womens liberation has not been as vocal about the need for womens sexual freedom. The focus has been more on equality in education, jobs, in the public space, says 38-year-old Himani Chaturvedi, a media professional based in Delhi. It is ironic, because women are the ones who give birth. But we have been made to believe that the only reason for a woman to have sex is for reproduction. The Way Of All Flesh In the past few years, there has been some conversation about a womans right to say no to unwanted sexual advances, both within a marriage though union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi said last year that India cant have a law against marital rape because marriage is treated as a sacrament in the country and out of matrimony, with films such as Pink trying to take a stand on a womans right to say no and mean it. The reverse a womans right to sexual pleasure, however, is still a subject on which most people, including women, often maintain a decorous silence. The idea of a woman owning and claiming her sexual agency baffles the patriarchal set-up whose existence over centuries has been premised on the opposite intention, to take away or deny women that very same agency, says writer Rosalyn DMello Part of it is social conditioning. From our childhood we are taught to sit in a certain way, walk and talk in a certain way, says academician and gender rights activist Ranjana Kumari. The whole point of the exercise is to hide our sexuality. And good women are those who have control over their sexuality control that is defined by a patriarchal society. Remember the Good Girl, Bad Girl memes that routinely crowd our social media walls? Bad Girls wear short skirts, party, drink alcohol and have sex. Good girls? We all know the answer. Slut Shaming A man with multiple sexual partners is a stud, a woman with multiple sexual partners is a whore, says 30-year-old travel blogger Sarah Chowdhury. Sounds like a stereotype? The thing about stereotypes is that they are born of commonly-held beliefs.Take for example the Central Board for Film Certifications (CBFC) refusal to certify Alankrita Shrivastavas film Lipstick Under My Burkha for being lady oriented and showing their fantasy above life. Konkona Sen Sharma in a still from the film Lipstick Under My Burkha Lipstick Under My Burkha is about four women looking for a little independence. It is not just about womens sexual liberation, but it does address that too, says Alankrita. Reason enough for the Board to fall back on the oft-displayed concern for parampara days after the backlash against the Board for refusing certificate to Lipstick Under My Burkha, CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani said, Make films keeping the Indian traditions ahead. Many feel that the Boards reaction is symbolic of a patriarchal societys discomfort with a womans sexuality. I think the recent censorship of the film, Lipstick Under My Burkha is an excellent case in point. From what Ive gathered from the trailer, Im able to understand why a very patriarchal censor board would find the film lady-oriented and use that as an excuse to ban it: because it seems to actually delve into the sexual lives of woman across ages and religions, which is so deeply unsettling for men. The idea of a woman owning and claiming her sexual agency baffles the patriarchal set-up whose existence over centuries has been premised on the opposite intention, to take away or deny women that very same agency, says writer Rosalyn DMello. Read: Lipstick Under My Burkha is shocking only to regressive minds: Prakash Jha And women, whether unconsciously or under pressure, have for years bowed down to that denial of their sexuality, except when it has been a means to satisfy male desires. Its not just women indulging in sex that is frowned upon. Even women writers, artists and film-makers are harassed for portraying womens sexuality. I too have been targeted for writing about the need for womens liberation, including their sexual freedom, says author Taslima Nasreen. Between The Sheets The unease with accepting and expressing ones natural sexual desires manifests itself variously from an inability to step into a store to buy a packet of condoms, because of how the man in the shop will look at me, says Chaturvedi, to giving precedence to ones partners needs. It starts with a preoccupation to appear sexually appealing to the man Dr Sunil Choudhary, senior director and chief of plastic surgery, Max Institute of Reconstructive, Aesthetic, Cleft &Craniofacial Surgery, Max Healthcare, says more women than men go in for corrective surgeries to improve ones sex life and ends with trying to satisfy ones partner in bed. My ex-husband had insisted on sex whenever he felt like it, without considering my satisfaction, says Salma, a teacher in Bhopal In some, the pressure to conform manifests itself in the form of performance anxiety. All my life I have felt that I need to sexually satisfy my partner. Few men have asked me whether I have felt satisfied, says Chaturvedi. Khushwant Singh once wrote that most Indian men are not even aware that women also have orgasms; most Indian women share this ignorance because although they go from one pregnancy to the next, they have no idea that sex can be pleasurable. In Bhopal, where Lipstick Under My Burkha has been shot, 46-year-old teacher Salma left her husband after 26 years of marriage and two children when she found a satisfying relationship with a colleague two years back. My ex-husband had insisted on sex whenever he felt like it, without considering my satisfaction. When I told him I wanted to end our marriage because I was not satisfied with him, he said I had lost my senses, she says. A still from Lipstick Under My Burkha Not many would have had Salmas courage. Divorce lawyer Malavika Rajkotia says that while denial of sex is a ground for divorce, an unsatisfactory sexual relationship isnt. She agrees that in her experience, more men than women cite denial of sex as a ground for seeking divorce. Radhika Shah, a 39-year-old housewife in Surat, believes she has a healthy sexual relationship with her husband. But she admits he has never asked her about her satisfaction. I cant imagine sharing my sexual fantasies with him. Our society is not mature enough to accept that women can have sexual fantasies, she says. The Pleasure Seekers But social disapproval and the resultant discomfort with expressing ones sexual needs are not the only reasons for the discourse on womens rights not yet catching up with her right to sexual pleasure. We are still fighting for womens rights over their body, dignity, safety and security. Without that we cant talk about their right to pleasure, explains Kumari. Read: #WeWillGoOut. Simply because we want to. All India Progressive Womens Association secretary Kavita Krishnan insists that the issue of womens sexual freedom shouldnt be viewed in isolation. Too often the control over a womans sexuality, her body and reproductive rights, are an attempt by the patriarchal society to maintain the caste system or a control over property. If a woman doesnt have the right to go out or to own a phone, how will she ever be able to have the right to decide who she chooses to be in a relationship with, or whom she wants to marry? questions Krishnan. According to the India Human Development Survey 2012 report, only 5 per cent of women in India have sole control over choosing their husbands. We are still fighting for womens rights over their body, dignity, safety and security. Without that we cant talk about their right to pleasure, says academician and gender rights activist Ranjana Kumari There have been changes. Among women, especially those in cities, the discussion on sex has reached the drawing room, says Chaturvedi. Some have shed inhibitions to explore their sexuality. But as long as we feel pressured to talk about a womans sexual desires in hushed tones, there is no real freedom. And that will change, only when honour is not linked to a womans sexual expression. As Alankrita Srivastava points out, The burden of a mans or a familys izzat should not be dependent on the womans sexual status. Disclaimer: Some names have been changed (With inputs from Hiral Dave in Gujarat and Shruti Tomar in Bhopal) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An 88-year-old Pennsylvania woman stopped an attacker from raping her by lying to him that she was HIV-positive. I have HIV and my husband died of it, the woman said to the intruder who had entered her apartment, Philly.com reported. She told WPVI-TV the man forced his way into her Parkesburg apartment on the afternoon of Feb 17. He rifled through her purse, took $40 and was preparing to sexually assault her. The elderly woman said she also kicked him where it hurt him the most before he fled. No arrests have been made. The robbery is unrelated to another attack in Chester County last month. In that case, a 72-year-old woman was bound and locked inside a closet, where she wasnt discovered for four days. A 17-year-old boy is charged. US president Donald Trump has accused his predecessor Barack Obama of ordering a tap on his phone. According to Trump, the incident took place around a month before he was elected and when he was still a candidate for the White House. Trump offered no proof or evidence, and proceeded to call the former president a bad (or sick) guy. He might have pulled it out from conspiracy theories being hawked by right-wing publications and radio host. The New York Times also did a report saying the Obama administration had in the last days in office made intelligence about Trump teams Russia contacts easily accessible so as to prevent the new administration from killing the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 US elections. There was no response from Obama till the filing of this report. Trump has in recent days tried to blame his predecessor for the leaks about contacts between members of his campaign and the transition teams with Russia. But on Saturday, President Trump took his allegations to an altogether new high, in a string of early morning tweets from his resort in Florida. Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Is it legal, he asked in another tweet, for a sitting President to be wire tapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! And then this: How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! This is the same Obama that Trump, after their first meet in November professed to quite like. And he said he had been in touch with the president several times during the transition phase, speaking glowingly of him at the time. However, since assuming office, Trump has watched his presidency get embroiled in one controversy after another, caused in parts by leaks about his aides contacts with Russians which cost former national security adviser Micheal Flynn his job. And attorney general Jeff Session is now in trouble for not being upfront about his contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Afghan officials say that at least eight Afghan civilians, including four children, have been killed in an attack in western Farah province. However there is disagreement over what exactly caused the deaths. Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesperson for the provincial governor, said on Saturday the incident was a roadside bomb explosion. But family members of the victims are claiming they were hit by an air strike. Gen. Dawlat Warizi, a defence ministry spokesperson, told The Associated Press that an investigation of the incident is underway. The families of those onboard missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 have launched efforts to raise at least $50 million to fund a private search as they mark the third anniversary of the planes disappearance. The nearly three-year search in the southern Indian Ocean was suspended on January 17 with no trace of the plane, which disappeared March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. Jacquita Gomes, whose husband was a flight attendant on the plane, said Saturday that families have no choice but to take matters into their own hands. She said Flight 370 should not go down in history books as a mystery. Transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said a final report on the planes disappearance will be released this year. A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in South Carolina, US, was shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shock waves across the country. But the county sheriff told the Indian mission that this may not be a hate crime, but local authorities are investigating the case. The County Sheriff has pointed out that this may not be a hate crime. Local authorities r investigating. We will remain in touch with them (sic), sources said. Indian consulate in Atlanta is in touch with the family. The mission is deputing a consular official to meet the family and offer condolences and any required assistance. The Indian mission is also in touch with the local community organisation of expat Indians, including those from Gujarat. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead with gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Patels death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling get out of my country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting. He had said America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald, an online portal, reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroners Office. Read more | Shot in the heart: Indian techies murder and Indians American dream Lancaster County police received calls at 11:33 pm after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. I dont have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated, Faile said. Local WSOCTV said that there was a lot of anger over the killing of Patel, who was considered an important member of the community and a kind person who treated his customers as friends and helped law enforcement. A growing memorial outside a Lancaster store after the owner was shot and killed. What deputies found at the crime scene, at 5. pic.twitter.com/S2zHR18ybi Greg Suskin (@GSuskinWSOC9) March 3, 2017 Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patels home to offer condolences to his family. Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody, Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patels store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. If you didnt have the money, hed let people have food, Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before, and did anything he could to help out in tough times. Hes watched my kids grow up, which is why its painful. From day one hes been amazing, just awesome, and I just dont understand the sense behind it, Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his familys life, and did that. . China on Saturday made a fresh pitch of President Xi Jinpings multi-billion dollar connectivity project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to India, emphasising its economic benefits. New Delhi should keep the larger picture in mind in joining the BRI, senior diplomat Fu Ying said, indicating that Indias decision not to join Xis legacy venture was dictated by narrow strategic interests. The BRI is Xis ambitious connectivity project that aims to connect China with Asia and Europe over land and sea through infrastructure projects like ports and road and railway trade corridors. Last week, foreign secretary S Jaishankar reiterated Indias concerns on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) the BRIs flagship project that passes through PoK, making it clear that for India it was a sovereignty issue and the reason why New Delhi will not be part of the BRI. Fu made the pitch on Saturday morning at a press conference a day before the National People's Congress (NPC) convenes its yearly meeting at the Great Hall of the People. The BRI and connectivity programs, they are for economic development and also benefit India. So, we need to bear in the mind the larger picture, Fu, a high-profile diplomat in Chinas diplomatic corps and NPC spokesperson for the fifth year running, said. Asked to comment on the current status of Sino-India relations and bilateral problems at the choreographed meeting with the press, Fu said: For some issues that cannot be worked out for the moment, we cannot allow them to stop us from moving forward. We must proceed with whatever we can. China and India are two big developing countries. In our respective development (areas), we face multiple challenges to various degrees. We need to be more sensitive to each others concerns, so that we can better address them, she said. For the past years we have bene talking to each other and advancing cooperation, discussing differences, thats what we have been doing, she said. Fu did not mention Chinas move that blocking Indias application to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) or Beijing stalling New Delhis bid to get Pakistan-based terror suspect Masood Azhar proscribed at the UN. Of course there are also differences. Some have been around for years. I also hear Chinas concerns; between our two foreign ministries, they are covered in details. For some issues that cannot be worked out for the moment, we cannot allow them to stop us from moving forward. We must proceed with whatever we can, she said. Our leaders meet each other quite often. Our militaries exchange visits and we have set up counter-terrorism and transnational crime cooperation mechanisms, Fu said, laying out examples of Sino-India cooperation. She recollected that only few years ago, Sino-India trade was around $ 2 billion and last year, it had crossed the $ 70 billion-mark. And, she said there was a time when only few flights connected the two countries while now, more than 40 flights are operational between India and China. A North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to the assassination of the half-brother of North Koreas leader, calling it a plot to tarnish his countrys honour. Ri Jong Chol spoke to reporters in Beijing early on Saturday while on his way to Pyongyang. Malaysian authorities have said theres insufficient evidence to charge Ri over Kim Jong Nams killing at Kuala Lumpurs airport on February 13. Ri was detained four days after the attack but police never said what they believed his role was. Two women one Indonesian, one Vietnamese have been charged with murder after police said they smeared Kims face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Ri said he wasnt at the airport the day Kim was killed but that police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with fake evidence. He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. North Korean suspect in Kim Jong Nam murder, Ri Jong Chol, leaves a Sepang police station to be deported from Malaysia. (Kyodo via Reuters Photo) These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too wont be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia, Ri said. This is when I realised that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my countrys reputation. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. Immigration director general Mustafar Ali said Friday that Ri has been blacklisted from re-entering Malaysia. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Koreas national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. Police on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but didnt say why he is a suspect . Police say he arrived in Malaysia on January 29, about two weeks before Kim was killed. Kims death has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysia said it was scraping visa-free entry for North Koreans, while the foreign ministry said it was greatly concerned about the use of the nerve agent. Malaysia has not directly accused North Korea of being behind the killing, but the ministry statement came hours after a North Korean envoy rejected a Malaysian autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said that the man probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. He said that if VX had been used, others besides Kim would have been killed or sickened. Malaysian police have brushed off Ris claim of a heart attack and insisted he was murdered. Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Narita, Japan. (AP File Photo) The two female suspects at an airport terminal were caught on grainy surveillance video smearing what Malaysian authorities say was VX on his face and eyes, though both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Kim died within 20 minutes, authorities say. No bystanders reported falling ill. Police said the women had been trained to go immediately to the bathroom and wash their hands. Police said the four North Korean suspects who had left the country put the VX liquid on the womens hands. Police cant confirm whether the two women may have been given antidotes before the attack. An antidote, atropine, can be injected after exposure and is carried by medics in war zones where weapons of mass destruction are suspected. Malaysias finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kims body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Uns half brother. US Vice President Mike Pence denied charges of hypocrisy Friday, after it emerged he used a private email as governor of Indiana and while lambasting Hillary Clinton for doing the same. Pence said there was no comparison whatsoever between his use of an AOL account that was hacked and Clintons private server. He accused Clinton of having a private server, misusing classified information, destroying emails when they were requested by the Congress. Emails obtained by his home state Indianapolis Star newspaper showed that Pence used the private account to discuss issues including sensitive matters and homeland security issues. Im very confident we are in full compliance with all of Indianas laws. And in my service as vice president I will continue that practice, he said. The Star, which obtained the emails in a public records request, said that in response to its investigation the vice presidents office confirmed that Pence maintained a state email account and a personal account. Indiana law does not bar public officials from using personal email, but generally does require that messages connected to official business be kept for public information purposes. Pences office told the paper that his campaign had taken steps to allow outside counsel to transfer personal emails dealing with public business to the state. Former Democratic presidential candidate Clinton was dogged throughout her White House campaign by her use of a private email server while secretary of state. She has said FBI director James Comey played a part in her campaign loss, claiming that his agencys re-opening of a probe into her email use less than two weeks before the election broke the momentum towards victory. A photo of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton glancing at a newspaper headline about US Vice President Mike Pence using private email has gone viral on social media, with thousands of people commenting on it. Pence and others involved in the Republican presidential campaign last year criticized Clintons use of a private email server during her time as US Secretary of State. Clinton was on an airplane travelling from Boston to New York on Friday when a fellow passenger snapped a photo of her glancing down at Fridays USA Today newspaper front page headline Pence used personal email in office. @jdawsey1 Hillary just checking the daily news. "Pence used personal email in office." The irony is palpable. pic.twitter.com/oia1ARiZ0g Pere Noel (@RealSaintNick6) March 3, 2017 lol that's gotta sting pic.twitter.com/KWxWaTn9IK Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) March 3, 2017 Pences use of an AOL email account was first reported by the Indianapolis Star on Thursday. It said Pence used the account, which was hacked last summer, at times to discuss sensitive matters and homeland security issues while he was governor of Indiana. Pence said on Friday he had complied with Indiana laws in his use of the email account, and he had an outside attorney review his private email records and archive those related to state business. During the campaign, US President Donald Trump and Pence said Clintons use of a private server broke the law and endangered national security - complaints that led their supporters to chant Lock her up! at rallies. The State Departments internal watchdog said Clintons use of a private server broke department rules. The FBI reviewed her emails for classified material, but it found that no criminal charges were warranted. Low-profile US secretary of state Rex Tillerson came under attack on Friday for failing to appear in public to launch his own departments annual human rights report. President Donald Trumps chief diplomat, who has all but dropped from public view since taking office a month ago, penned a brief preface to the survey of the rights record of 199 countries. But there was no event or news conference to mark the reports launch, and the State Department provided only an anonymous senior administration official to respond to reporters questions. The report itself paints a bleak picture of the situation in many countries, but there is no attempt to draw out a global theme or to say whether things are generally getting better or worse. Traditional American foes like Iran are, as every year, accused of arbitrary detention, torture and killing of detainees -- and friendly Saudi Arabia is tasked with pervasive gender discrimination. Rival great powers are not spared. China is accused of the repression and coercion of civil society groups, and Russia is said to have tortured Ukrainian citizens detained on its territory. The report speaks for itself. Were very, very proud of it, the senior official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A former colleague was happy to go on the record to express his concern. Every Sec State since at least Warren Christopher personally released the human rights reports, declared Tom Malinowski, who was assistant secretary for human rights under the previous US administration. In a Tweet, Malinowksi dubbed Tillerson MIA -- missing in action -- and warned that this was bad for him and for the country. International watchdog Human Rights Watch linked Tillersons no-show to what it fears is a broader decision by Trumps administration to downplay Americas leadership role on the issue. Trumps anti-Muslim refugee policy and hinted cuts to foreign aid have heightened concerns that the US wont be a vocal player on human rights issues abroad, HRW Washington director Sarah Margon said. Tillersons absence, she added reinforces the message to governments, rights activists and at-risk minorities that the State Department might also be silent on repression, abuse and exploitation. Even before the report -- a large database of country chapters on the State Department site -- was released, a senior lawmaker from Trumps own Republican party had expressed concern about the launch. For first time in a long time @StateDept #humanrights report will not be presented by Secretary of State. I hope they reconsider, tweeted Senator Marco Rubio, a member of the foreign relations committee. Human dignity The annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices does not have any legal status. The United States continues to supply weapons and foreign aid to many of the countries criticised every year. But hundreds of US diplomats in missions around the world contribute to what they see as a major tool for informing and lobbying policy-makers and encouraging rights activists at home and abroad. In his preface, Tillerson argues that this years report demonstrates the United States unwavering commitment to advancing liberty, human dignity and global prosperity. Asked why the secretary did not appear in public or before a camera to reaffirm this commitment, the official pointed to his testimony at his confirmation hearing in January. At this hearing, the former oil executive said US leadership requires moral clarity and that American values are our interests when it comes to human rights and humanitarian assistance. But he added: It is unreasonable to expect that every foreign policy endeavour will be driven by human rights considerations alone, especially when the security of the American people is at stake. Trump himself said several times both before and after his election victory that he personally favours subjecting terrorist suspects to torture through waterboarding and a hell of a lot worse. But he also now says that he will defer to the judgement of his defence secretary, James Mattis, a retired Marine general who has argued that torture does not work. Extrajudicial killings Rights advocates have also been concerned by Trumps attempt to ban visas and refugee resettlements from seven mainly Muslim countries, and by his warm words for Russias autocratic regime. And Tillerson drew criticism at his confirmation hearing when he refused to say whether Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes drugs war -- which has claimed 6,500 lives -- amounts to rights abuse. Fridays report, however, is clear on this, saying: Extrajudicial killings have been the chief human rights concern in the country for many years and they increased sharply over the past year. Famed geologist Clarence King led a double life in later years. Clarence King was a human enigma as profound and mysterious as any geologic discovery he madeand he made many. He surveyed the future path of the Union Pacific Railroad, was founding director of the U.S. Geological Survey, helped inspire and stimulate the national parks system, and made huge contributions to both economic geology and paleontology. He shrugged off being struck by lighting in Nevada, studied the gold belt in the Sierra Nevada and wrote scientific works that were the best in their league. King also served as an expert witness in many mining cases. But in the end he left a question in the minds of those nearest and dearest to himwas he really Clarence King or an imposter? King was born in 1842 in Newport, Rhode Island, of New England stock that dated back to 1637. He was the only son of James Rives King, a trader with the firm of Olyphant, Talbot & Co., respected by missionaries and churchgoing Americans as the only Western company in the lucrative China trade that refused to traffic in opium. James older brother Charles would become a partner in the firm and a major player in American-Chinese trade and diplomacy. Charles died at sea in 1845, and James died in China in 1848, but the Kings of Newport remained comfortable, until the trading firm went bankrupt in 1857. His widowed mother sent Clarence to Hopkins Grammar School in Hartford, Conn., and in 1860 solved her financial straits by marrying New Yorker George S. Howland, the widowed owner of a factory in Brooklyndestined to play a role at both the beginning and end of the King saga. In 1862 Clarence, with a financial boost from Howland, graduated with a doctorate in chemistry from Yales Sheffield Scientific School, where he was recalled for a winning smile, agile movement and a formidable intelligence. He later studied glaciation at Harvard with Louis Agassiz, the grand old man of anti-Darwinian Creationism. In 1863 King, like Harvards Francis Parkman two decades before him, set off west on horseback for California. Joining him was boyhood friend and fellow geologist James Terry Gardiner. Falling in with an emigrant wagon train, the pair reached the Comstock Lode and studied the mine until it burned down. King and Gardiner lost their equipment and actually worked at the diggings until they made a grubstake. The friends then crossed the Sierras on foot and hopped a steamboat headed down the Sacramento River toward San Francisco. While aboard they met the field director of Josiah Whitneys Geological Survey of California and were persuaded to sign on as volunteers. Over the next few years they learned much about mapmaking and economic geologythe study of potential mining and farmlandand explored the desert region of southern California on an expedition led by Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell. In 1867 King traveled to Washington and proposed to Congress a bold plan he had conceiveda professional and scientific exploration of the 40th parallel, the last stretch along the route of the Union Pacific Railroad, already under construction, and into the Southwestern cordillera. It was a watershed moment between the old-order military expeditions and a new wave of scientific exploration: The sooner you get out of Washington, the better, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton warned King. There are four major generals who want your place. King assembled fellow geologists, topographers (including Gardiner), cavalry troopers under the nominal command of Brig. Gen. A.A. Humphreys (chief of the Corps of Engineers), a botanist, an ornithologist and photographer Timothy OSullivan. Mounting up on horses and mules at Sacramento that July, they negotiated the grimly famous Donner Pass and dipped into the Great Basin, collecting rock and mineral samples, plants and animals, and above all making maps and taking weather observations. That first summer most of the party members contracted malaria, while ambient lightning gave King a powerful jolt. The expedition lasted almost a decade, though the party wrapped up most of its fieldwork in the first five years. In 1872 word got out that prospectors had found diamonds in Colorado Territory. King, who had surveyed the region, made a detour, dug around a bit and pronounced the diamond field fraudulent (see The Great Diamond Hoax of 1872, in the October 2013 Wild West). He was right, was heralded in the press, then completed his own fieldwork. The survey was such a success, particularly in locating potential mineral wealth, that four competing expeditions took to the field, all sanctioned by the U.S. government and funded by taxpayers. Congress took note of the wasteful duplication, and in 1879 it consolidated the expeditions under the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). King sought the directors slot, though he expected to make a fortune in mining and would stay only until the survey was organized. He knew which strings to pull. King frequented the same social clubs (the Century Club in New York and the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C.) as Yale professor Othniel Marsh, his former classmate, and historian Henry Adams. He knew America, especially west of the 100th meridian, better than anyone. said Kings boon friend Adams, grandson and great-grandson of two U.S. presidents. He knew the professor [Marsh] by heart, and he knew the congressmen better than he did the professor. Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurza reformer in the aftermath of the Little Bighorn, the wars with the Nez Perce and the Cheyenne exodus from Indian Territoryhanded King the reins of the USGS in April 1879. King, however, had no intention of empire-building at the agency. He was a bachelor bon vivant, member of an intellectual clique dubbed the Five of Hearts with Henry Adams and wife Clover, and John Hay (Abraham Lincolns former secretary and a future secretary of state under William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt) and wife Clara. King couldnt afford such a lifestyle on his $6,000 annual salary as USGS director, so within two years he handed the reins to John Wesley Powell, a one-armed fellow geologist who had earned fame for leading survey parties down the Colorado River by raft while exploring the Grand Canyon from the bottom up. King struck out on his own with good prospects. Whatever prizes he wanted lay ready for him, Adams wrote. With ordinary luck he would die at 80, the richest and most many-sided genius of his day. Kings luck, however, fell short of ordinary. He struck some mineral wealth in Arizona and Mexico, but he still couldnt afford his lavish lifestyle. On December 6, 1885, Clover Adams childless and depressed after her fathers deathkilled herself by drinking darkroom chemicals. Henry Adams was devastated. King had long remarked that the upper-class white women he knew were vaporizing neurotics. His familys respect for the Chinese may have made him glower at Adams remark that Japs are monkeys, and the women very badly made monkeys. King conversely proclaimed, Miscegenation is the hope of the white race. Three years after Clover Adams suicide, King put his words into action when he entered into a common-law marriage with Ada Copeland, a black nursemaid and former Southern slave who had recently moved to Brooklyn. In a strange twist, King convinced Copeland he was actually of mixed African ancestryhe had blue eyes, but he kept his receding dark hair short, and his work outdoors left him deeply tanned. King told Ada he was a railroad porter, and later a steelworker, named James Todd. The couple had five children together even as King was consulting in mining cases to support his new family. His double life maintaining a deep friendship with the racist and anti-Semitic Henry Adams while living with a black woman and fathering five mixed-race childrenmust have put an enormous strain on a man already troubled by economic woes. Friends reported traces of mental illness. The Panic of 1893 bankrupted King. In Phoenix on Christmas Eve 1901 he died of tuberculosis, struggling to the last to support the family even close friends didnt know about. From his deathbed King wrote Ada an apologetic note revealing his true identity. Henry Adams, a son of inheritance, had the last word: The result of 20 years efforts proved that the theory of scientific education failed where most theory failsfor want of money. Originally published in the February 2014 issue of Wild West. To subscribe, click here. WASHINGTON - How much money will climate change cost? And how does that cost compare to the cost of switching the world's carbon-centric economy to a low-carbon one? Compare the cost of losing a stretch of the Gulf Coast to rising sea level to, say, the cost of switching cars from gasoline engines to electric ones. Or how much of its citrus crop South Texas could lose to rising temperatures versus the job losses in Houston's refining sector. That grim math has been the work of the U.S. government for close to a decade now, since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it must regulate greenhouse gas emissions and needed to use cost-benefit analysis to decide how far to go in reducing the nation's toll on the Earth's atmosphere. Such calculations have been a part of environmental regulation since the Reagan administration. But this math is of a particularly large scale. Economists estimate the cost of greenhouse gas emissions at anywhere from zero to $159 per ton. Last year, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions alone totaled 6.9 billion million metric tons, which on the high end works out to more than $1.1 trillion a year in future economic losses from climate change. Former President Barack Obama's administration settled on a carbon cost of $37 per ton. But it was enough to enrage Republicans, who accused the administration of pumping up the costs to justify programs like the Clean Power Plan. Now with Obama out of the White House, Republicans see their chance to redo that math. "While multiple models are used to determine a value for carbon, the ones frequently used in regulations assume only a worst-case scenario for climate change impacts," Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, and chairman of the House Science Space and Technology Committee, said at a hearing last week. "Americans deserve credible science, not regulations based on data that is suspect and calculated to justify the EPA's climate agenda." Smith has some backing. The Obama administration calculated a carbon cost for the entire planet, not just the United States, said Ted Gayer, director of economic studies at the nonpartisan think tank Brookings Institution. But that approach only makes sense if one was considering a global regulation, one that all the countries in the world would follow, Gayer testified at the hearing. "Absent such an approach a global measure deviates from standard practice," he said. "The global measure is 4 to 14 times greater than the estimated domestic measure." Republicans have taken issue with other assumptions in the Obama administration's calculations. For example, why didn't the old administration factor in potential increases in crop yields from higher carbon dioxide levels - something many scientists believe could be happening already? Where people come down on these questions seems to largely depend on their views on climate change. Michael Greenstone, an economics professor at the University of Chicago who supports the Obama administration's approach, argued that estimating carbon costs to the entire planet not only reflects that the damages are global, but also might motivate emissions cuts in other countries - something that would ultimately benefit the U.S. "Ultimately, society needs to balance the costs to our economy of mitigating climate change today with climate damages," Greenstone testified. "Wishing that we did not face this trade-off will not make it go away." The first of several petrochemical plants coming online this year became operational last week when Houston-based Occidental Petroleum opened its new facility near Corpus Christi. The $1.5 billion ethylene plant in Ingleside is a joint venture between Occidental's OxyChem subsidiary and Mexico-based Mexichem. The facility, called an ethylene cracker, takes ethane from natural gas production and converts it into ethylene, which is the primary building block for most plastics. The project is the smallest and first of several Texas Gulf Coast ethylene crackers being completed this year. Others under construction include Exxon Mobil plants in Baytown and Mont Belvieu and Chevron Phillips Chemical in Baytown and Old Ocean. The larger Exxon Mobil and Chevron Phillips projects each involve investments of about $6 billion. Occidental's plant will annually churn out 1.2 billion pounds of ethylene, much of which will be turned into vinyl chloride monomers, which Mexichem will then convert into polyvinyl chloride to make for PVC piping and other products. The project generated thousands of construction jobs, but only 150 permanent positions at the plant. The facility was built by The Woodlands-based CB&I. The slew of petrochemical plants in Texas are the result of the cheap and ample shale gas supplies that will serve as the feedstock for the facilities. Much of the plastics created by these projects will be exported to developing nations like China and India, which are growing both in population and wealth and demanding more consumer products. Occidental, which moved its headquarters from California to Houston three years ago, also said it is relocating its investor relations office from New York to Houston. Growing up in Houston in the 1960s, Spencer Berthelsen wanted to be an engineer. He loved the problem-solving of math and science. But he worried that perhaps there wouldn't be a job at the end of his schooling, so he began to think about what else could scratch his what-makes-things-work itch. That's how he found his way to medicine. After medical school in Dallas and residency in San Diego, Berthelsen landed at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in August 1980. He never left, and has served as chairman of the board and managing director at Kelsey-Seybolds's network of 21 locations across the Houston area, all while still seeing patients. He will retire Friday after a 36-year run. The next day he turns 65. Berthelsen spoke with the Chronicle about his career, changes he has seen in health care and the challenges ahead for medicine in a red-hot political climate. Edited excerpts follow. Q: What is the first thing you will do in retirement? A: I'm going to live life with imagination, which is a fancy way of saying I'll make it up when I get there. I'll be closing my internal medicine practice, but I'll be serving at Kelsey-Seybold as a special adviser to the board. More Information jenny.deam@chron.comtwitter.com/jenny_deam Kelsey-Seybold Founded: 1949 Physicians: 418 Local locations: 21 Clinic space: 1.15 million square feet Medical specialties: 55 Source: Kelsey-Seybold Clinic See More Collapse Q: Looking back, what do you see as the most significant change in health care delivery? A: When I came out of training at University of California-San Diego and came to Kelsey-Seybold, our main job was to take really good care of patients. The business part of medicine was not so much of an issue. It was all fee for service. It was mostly indemnity type of insurance. It was just easy to do the business part of medicine. Now, in addition to taking really good care of patients, we have to do it in a way that is conscious of cost and quality both. Part of that has been technological advance, some of it has been the aging population, and some just in increasing expectations on what we can do for patients. Q: Is that new or has it built over time? A: It has really been going on since the early 1980s. Q: Is this attention to the business side of medicine a good change or can it interfere with treating patients? A: It's a necessary change, and, I believe, overall it's a good change. Even back in the early '80s there were patients that couldn't afford health care, and we probably should've paid more attention to cost than we were doing. Q: Health care has become so politicized. Has the conversation always been so divisive? A: Because it's such a personal topic and you have the intersection of government with what's perceived to be personal rights, it engenders a lot of controversy. I wasn't in practice when Medicare was passed (1965), but at the time it was very controversial. Even among organized medicine it was thought to be a government takeover of health care. But it turns out that it is an indispensable part of American life. I'm turning 65 myself, and there are two really good deals in America: one is the $10 pass to national parks once you become age 63, and the other is Medicare. Q: If we had a 24-hour news cycle and internet back then, would Medicare ever have passed? A: I think it would have. Q: Considering the promises out of Washington to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and some even taking aim at Medicaid and Medicare, where do you see medicine heading? A: I'm optimistic by nature. The way I view the current Affordable Care Act is that is version 1.0. It's typically not until you get to 3.0 that the majority of us are happy with what we have. Q: As a doctor, are you worried that the uninsured rate will rise, that people who are now insured will lose coverage? A: The overarching goal for health care reform should be broad access to coverage because that is the way we get people treated before they come in with medical disasters. It's very expensive, that kind of rescue care that we've done for decades. What we need instead is for them to have access to a physician's office so that asthma attack can be prevented and avoid the hospitalization altogether and relieve the burden of the expense of that on you and I, who pay taxes to a hospital district. Why not pay for it in a way that is less expensive? Access to health care is a prerequisite to a well-functioning health care system. Q: As a physician, are you nervous that we will go backwards? A: Yes. I'm personally nervous, and there is plenty of reason for all of us to be concerned and anxious about what the outcome of this is. One reason to be even more nervous is if this is done in haste. Q: Looking back on your career, is there something you wish you could have done differently? A: I'm a primary-care physician, and as such I have a lot of advantages that a specialist does not have. I'm experiencing that right now as I get ready to retire. I have patients that I have literally had for 30 years, and every one of them, when I tell them I am retiring, have an emotional reaction. I have an emotional reaction to it as well. There are times when I think, should I have been a specialist? But I think overall that I prefer being a primary-care doctor. Q: What advice would you give to a young person entering medicine now? A: Many physicians in practice today would say it's become so difficult and the business of medicine has become so crushing, too much paperwork, too much detail. My view of it is quite different. There has never been a better time to enter medicine than now. The reason is there has never been more that we can do for patients. The technology is advancing; it is becoming more precise. We're doing things that cause less morbidity and more good. If Ridley Scott, famed director of "Alien" and "Blade Runner," were to design a barbecue joint, it might look something like Smokestak in London - its ambience combines a brooding, monochromatic industrial aura with slick attention to detail and elegant interiors. Hardly a typical description of a barbecue joint, which often involves linoleum floors and checkered tablecloths. But there's nothing typical about this newly opened barbecue restaurant in the city's trendy Shoreditch neighborhood. Smokestak is a fascinating example of how the techniques and culture of Texas barbecue continue to metamorphose in surprising and delicious ways around the world. Like his restaurant, proprietor David Carter is an atypical pitmaster. He grew up on the island of Barbados and attended the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at Ryerson University in Toronto. In 2005, he was recruited by Four Seasons Hotels to work at one of the company's properties in Los Angeles. In 2008, Carter went to New York for a job interview at a restaurant owned by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Instead, he was offered a position at a Ramsay restaurant at Claridge's hotel in London, which he accepted. Carter would also work at Ramsay's Savoy Grill, and later at Roka, one of London's most celebrated Japanese restaurants. More Information Smokestak 35 Sclater London, England smokestak.co.uk See More Collapse Carter always wanted to own his own restaurant. In 2012, he took notice of the Texas barbecue phenomenon sweeping into the United Kingdom. Inspired to make the best barbecue with the best equipment, he flew to Houston to meet with pit maker David Klose, from whom he purchased his first real barbecue pit. Klose took him to Gatlin's BBQ for lunch, where Carter got his first taste of real Texas barbecue. "This type of cooking is very natural to me," Carter says. "I grew up with barbecue in Barbados, essentially the carbonization of fat and sugars to create flavor." It is this stripping-down of barbecue to its essence - the "carbonization of fat and sugars," among other techniques - that makes Carter's vision at Smokestak so unique. Of course there is Texas-style brisket on his menu, some of the best I've tasted outside the Lone Star State. Carter imports Creekstone-brand beef from the U.S. - the same product used at celebrated Texas joints such as Franklin Barbecue and Killen's Barbecue. He and assistant pitmaster Roberto Rebollar cook the brisket in a colossal Ole Hickory wood-burning smoker that is the centerpiece of the restaurant. Sliced brisket is available, but Carter's creativity is most deliciously expressed in the restaurant's signature "brisket bun." A pillowy brioche bun is painted with butter, topped with a voluptuous pile of fatty brisket and sprinkled with slices of crunchy, pickled chili peppers. Vegetables get the carbonization treatment, too. Impossibly flavorful carrots are coated in honey, caramelized over the fire of a wood-charcoal grill, and strewn with sprigs of fresh thyme. Even desserts are in on the act - a traditional sticky toffee pudding is topped with a burnt butter ice cream. Seated for lunch, we watched as Carter directed the performance of his staff from the open kitchen. Neighborhood denizens began to stream in. The dining room, which felt slightly aloof and somber when we sat down, transformed. The place's black-and-gray industrial design became a backdrop for the colorful flares of food and guests - bright-red chili peppers strewn across our plate of brisket, a shock of ginger hair at the table next to us, a shimmering blue scarf draped across a neighboring chair. The initially quiet dining room became lively with shouts and laughter. Carter's eyes light up when he explains how interior designer Lou Davies designed the restaurant to resemble the inside of a barbecue smoker. Stage sets in a Ridley Scott film serve as integral parts of the story as well as backgrounds for the characters and action. Similarly, the design of Smokestak becomes an accompaniment to the barbecue, cleverly reinterpreting a Texas tradition that is as much about sight, sound and feel as it is about the taste of charred meat and the fragrance of burning wood. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate I had traveled to Mexico City with two Peace Corps buddies. We'd envisioned a week of tequila and tacos, museums and pyramids, and all the nightlife and mayhem a city of 17 million people has to offer. I also was itching to get out of the tourist circuit, however, so while researching my trip, my heart leapt when I starting reading about the possibilities of mountain hikes mere hours from downtown Mexico City. Several mountains are within striking distance. Nevado de Toluca, Mexico's fourth-highest mountain, rises to the southwest. To the east, climbers can try their luck on the Paso de Cortes, which cuts through the two towering volcanoes Hernan Cortes traveled through when he first saw the Valley of Mexico. My friends and I settled on tackling the closest of the bunch: Ajusco, a nearly 13,000-foot dormant volcano that is actually within the city's limits. Our journey began before dawn. Rising in the dark, we piled into a car driven by Don Jorge, the mustachioed driver we'd hired for the day. More Information If you go GETTING THERE Though it's not impossible to take buses and taxis to Ajusco's trailheads, the road to the mountain has a reputation for being dangerous and can be complicated if you don't know the way. If you feel in the mood for a hike, hire a driver who knows the route and can wait for you while you hike. Such arrangements are not expensive - costing less than $70 for the entire day. If you don't speak at least some Spanish, you should consider hiring a guide. THE HIKE Tackling Ajusco requires a reasonable level of fitness. Depending on where you start the trail, the entire hike could take up to six hours, so make sure you set aside enough time so you won't be rushed. Because of the relative remoteness of the mountain, it's probably best to hike with at least one other person. A WORD ON ALTITUDE Mexico City lies more than 7,000 feet above sea level. The hike up Ajusco includes 4,000 feet of gain, and with the already heightened elevation, it can be more strenuous than flat-landers might expect. Give yourself a few days to acclimate before tackling any mountaineering, and make sure to take plenty of water and sunscreen. AFTER THE HIKE The road back down Ajusco is dotted with restaurants with delicious local food. If you're in the mood, make sure to stop at Cabana Vicky or Cabana La Palapa, two of the most well-known fixtures. The quaint establishments with outdoor seating serve homespun Mexican dishes - think rabbit tacos, tortilla soup and cheesy mushrooms - in the shadows of the mountain's pine forests. MORE INFORMATION To learn more about hiking or climbing in Mexico, check out Cumbre 7 Expediciones: cumbre7expediciones.jimdo.com. See More Collapse After an hour's drive, we pit-stopped at a small corner store at the foot of the mountain, buying water, Snickers bars and several beers from a bemused senora, then continued on. For another half hour, we followed a winding, rising road through frost-covered fields and into a pine forest. Don Jorge finally stopped at a barren meadow near an entry point to one of the mountain's trails. "I'll wait for you here," he said, adding: "Watch out for snakes! And dogs!" Unsure what to expect, we walked into the woods and clambered up a steep, well-trodden path of pink rocky scree. The path starts in thickly wooded forest, which thinned rapidly as we gained elevation. At the top of one crest, I took a moment's rest - then yelped when I noticed a loose steer grazing a few yards away. The animal bolted as one of my friends approached. Unlike more serious mountains like Nevado de Toluca and the Paso de Cortes, Ajusco offers a lighter, more easily accessible hike. Trails, though occasionally treacherous, are well marked. And while the thin air left us heaving for breath, the views more than made up for it. Less than an hour into the hike, we were well above the city's smog line, and to the north, could see Mexico City's suburbs spilling across our field of view. "It's definitely getting darker," my friend noted as we climbed higher. And indeed, a thin layer of smog was thickening, a sort of second horizon line. Because we'd started at a higher entrance point than the hike's traditional start, we arrived at the summit - El Cerro Cruz de Marquez (The Hill of the Cross of Marquez) - after about two hours. A tall white cross glared in the bright sunlight, against azure skies. We had the summit entirely to ourselves. We cracked one of the beers we'd bought from that bemused senora miles below and listened to booms echoing in the valley (guns at a nearby firing range, I later learned). We traversed down to the mountain's second summit, Eagle Peak, where we ran into Paulo Cerezo, Ivan Mendez and Annalee Cruz, three local hikers, and their dog, Trufa (Truffle). They would be the only hikers we'd see all day. Cerezo told me that more and more Mexicans are starting to take part in trekking and hiking. He grew up in the shadow of Ajusco, and still regularly hikes it and many of the country's other tall peaks. "There's a feeling, there's space only for you," he said. "You don't think about anything, only enjoying the journey." To the west, we could see Nevado de Toluca's 15,000-foot snow-crested peak; to the east, the Paso de Cortes. Mexico City splayed out in between, consuming a vast swath of landscape. Behind us, we could see the volcano's eroded dome and a series of ridges raking across the cadena below like long fingers scratching the mountainside. "That's the devil's claw," Cerezo said, pointing to the ridges. From Eagle Peak, we carefully maneuvered farther down the mountain, on a path narrowed to a threadlike trail that's sometimes only a foot or two wide, next to dropoffs hundreds of feet deep. The barren scrub above the treeline thickened, pines growing taller and taller as we descended, following dried streams down to the base of the mountain and back to the road. We paused to catch our breath, then flagged down Don Jorge. After the silence and peace of Ajusco, the city awaited. AUSTIN Employers would be barred from disciplining or firing workers for expressing their political beliefs away from the job under a bill filed Friday by an East Texas lawmaker. If passed, the bill by Rep. James White, R-Hillister, would place political beliefs in the same protected category under Texas law as race, color, disability, religion, sex, national origin and age. White said the bill would allow employees to engage in political activity outside of work without fear of punishment or losing their jobs. He also framed it as a protection for employers who hire workers who do not share similar political views by potentially shielding their businesses from public backlash over unpopular statements or activities. "If someone has a very liberal person working for them in a community that is conservative by nature, and they see them on TV spouting a particular political position, there's no reason to take it out on the employer," White said. "I think that we would empower and free up political discussion in our country." Kalandra Wheeler, a Dallas-based employment attorney at Rob Wiley, P.C., said the bill could afford Texas workers with more off-the-job protections, but its effect still raised concerns. "It seems like it's applying protections for private sector employees kind of in the same ways as protections afforded to public sector employees," she said. "It feels like it is an expansion of rights here." Wheeler said she has not seen many cases in which an employee was terminated for voicing political opinions off the job, but said that could change in the current political climate. "I wouldn't be surprised if things do pick up if, in fact, people are taking negative actions because of what others are saying off the clock now," she said. "A lot of people are fired up after the election." Should the bill become law, she also cautioned that it likely would be up to judges to decide the parameters of any new provision to the state labor code. "The only thing is, you have to wait and see how the courts will interpret 'political belief,'" Wheeler said. "You don't want it to get to the point where political belief extends to discriminatory hate speech that becomes protected." Jeffrey M. Hirsch, a University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill professor who specializes in labor law, said that if passed, the legislation could break new ground in state-level employment protections because of its vagueness and scope. "You don't see a lot of cases where, in the private sector, people are punished for their political views, because, frankly, it's just not good business," he said. "Although, businesses might like this as political coverage for them." Hirsch said it could help business owners who do not want their enterprises to be associated with their employee's political opinions. "The bosses could say, 'Hey, I can't touch them,'" he said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN A key Texas lawmaker said Friday that he plans to introduce legislation next week to begin reforming the state's oft-criticized public school funding formula, but the proposal already could be in jeopardy as the House and Senate battle over a school choice bill. House Public Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty, R-Humble, said he planned to file a bill to start reworking the finance scheme that provides funding for 5.3 million students across the state, a year after the Texas Supreme Court declared the system constitutional but flawed. His counterpart in the Senate said he could not promise the upper chamber would not hold Huberty's school finance bill hostage as part of an effort to pressure the House to OK a bill that would give parents taxpayer money to help pay for private school. The potential standoff is an outgrowth of years of political wrangling over conservative Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's push to give parents state funds to remove their kids from public schools and subsidize their attendance at private ones. While generally favored in the Senate, the House has stood in the way of a voucher plan for years. Huberty last week said this year will be no different and declared a Senate bill carried by Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, dead on arrival in the House. Asked if the Senate would hold Huberty's school funding bill hostage unless the House passed a voucher bill, Taylor on Friday said at a Texas Tribune education symposium, "that's above my paygrade." The comment suggests Patrick's fight for school vouchers is bleeding into an even longer-running battle to fix the state's school funding formula, a system that dictates how much money more than 1,000 school district have to educate children, education experts across the political spectrum say. "If either house digs their feet in and doesn't want to try to work together because of one particular issue, then it holds up everything and it could mean that no school finance solution comes out of this session at all," said Ray Freeman, executive director of the Austin-based Equity Center, the largest school finance research and advocacy organization in the country. The result: another two years of large class sizes and school districts like Houston Independent School District clamoring for money after having to fork over tens of millions of dollars to the state to share with other underfunded districts. The Equity Center and some 600 school districts have fought for years to get Texas leaders to fix its school funding formula, bringing lawsuits repeatedly against the state to fix various shortcomings. Via several court orders, the Legislature passed "Band-Aid" fixes for decades. In 2016, the Texas Supreme Court called the state's school finance system constitutional but riddled with problems. While urging the Legislature to fix the system, the court left it up to lawmakers decide whether to make any changes. The House is taking up that challenge, with Huberty planning to introduce legislation he says will ease pressure on school districts forced to give up its tax wealth to poorer districts. Houston ISD is one such district. Although most of the students it serves are low income, according to the school finance system the district now is classified as property-wealthy. Under the state's so-called "Robin Hood" system, the Texas Education Agency has ordered HISD to hand over $77 million or have expensive properties permanently transferred to another district's tax base. The TEA last week sent a revised list of $8 billion worth of downtown, Galleria-area and Greenway Plaza properties that could be transferred to Aldine ISD. Lawmakers say finding a fix to the school funding formula will take years, but Huberty said he wants to start chipping away at the formula this session. If Patrick holds up the school finance bill, and the House refuses to move on a voucher bill, both sides could be at a stalemate. "It just underscores that each side is pretty dug in where they stand on both issues," said Stephanie Matthews, senior policy advisor for the Center for Education Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which supports expanding school choice for public school parents. "I'm not terrifically optimistic" vouchers will pass this session, she said. Matthews said she hopes a smaller voucher bill may have a chance, such as HB1335, which would create education savings accounts of taxpayer funds that parents can use to send children with special needs or other educational disadvantages to private schools. Calls to Patrick and Huberty's offices for comment on whether passing a smaller voucher program would prevent a stalemate were not returned Friday. "The Senate leadership wants to ignore their constitutional responsibility to take care of the public schools and chase down pipe dreams like vouchers," said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association and longtime political observer in Austin. While school vouchers is a conservative issue because it creates competition in the marketplace and offers parents an out from their public school, the idea does not sit well with many rural House Republicans whose school districts are their area's largest employers. Other Republicans say their constituents are more interested in investing in their public schools. Most Democrats oppose vouchers, which they as siphoning money from public schools to pay for private ones. Some Republicans, however, feel pressure to support or fight for vouchers out of a fear of getting a primary challenge, Robison said. "I think there's a lot of Republican primary politics at play here," Robison said. "Republican primary politics doesn't necessarily set good education policy." Passing a school voucher bill is one of the last big items Patrick and other conservative Republicans want to cross off their checklists, according to Jason Sabo, an education and social services lobbyist. Meanwhile, he said, major reforms to school funding likely will not happen until the Legislature is willing stop pushing major tax cuts and instead invest more money in education to support the new formula. "I have a sneaking suspicion we'll be talking about both of these issues in 2019," said Sabo. A fire destroyed more than a dozen units Friday night at an apartment complex in the Spring area, authorities said. The Spring Fire Department about 7 p.m. said they were battling a two-alarm fire at a complex along Cypresswood Drive near Traeschwig. Other departments including Houston, Aldine and Ponderosa joined the effort. A Coast Guard cutter glides along the waters of the Sabine-Neches waterway, conducting sweeps for unprotected wireless signals that hackers could use to gain access to oil, gas and petrochemical facilities. Four massive refineries sit along the 79-mile channel that cuts through this stretch of Gulf Coast. It's one of the largest concentration of refineries, pipelines, chemical plants and natural gas terminals in the United States - and an alluring target for espionage, disruption or worse. "There are actors that are scanning for these vulnerable systems and taking advantage of those weaknesses when they find them," said Marty Edwards, director of U.S. Homeland Security's Cyber Emergency Response Team for industrial systems. As national attention focuses on Russian cyberattacks aimed at influencing the last presidential election, oil and gas companies face increasingly sophisticated hackers seeking to steal trade secrets and manipulate industrial sensors and operations. Nowhere is the threat more consequential than in Houston and Southeast Texas, where the world's most celebrated names in energy produce, refine and transport fossil fuels, including Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Phillips 66. The operation aboard the Coast Guard cutter, a joint effort with Houston Police last April, was one of the first of its kind in the U.S. to focus on cyberattacks by sea. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responsible for protecting the nation from cybercrime, received reports of more than 350 incidents at energy companies between 2011 and 2015. In most cases, a hacker infiltrated or tried to infiltrate the control systems of energy firms. During that period, the agency identified nearly 900 security vulnerabilities within U.S. energy companies, more than any other industry. The vastness of oil and gas operations makes it difficult to secure. Thousands of interconnected sensors and automated controls that run oil and gas facilities remain rife with weak spots. Much of this equipment was designed decades ago without security features. In recent years, companies have linked devices that monitor pressure, control valves and initiate safety procedures to computer networks and - sometimes inadvertently - the internet. Those connections expose refineries, pipelines and offshore oil platforms to online threats. "You could mess with a refinery or cause a vessel to explode," said Richard Garcia, a former FBI agent who became a cybersecurity specialist. The Coast Guard has received several reports that foreign ships attempted to probe the wireless networks of industrial facilities along U.S. waterways, federal authorities say. Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, declined to confirm details of any operation and intelligence but acknowledged a growing effort to protect oil, gas and chemical systems from hacking. Many energy companies, however, lack the technology and personnel to detect whether hackers have broken into operational systems using sophisticated malware that can take over controls or extract data. In fact, many oil and gas facilities still use networks run by Windows XP, a 2003 system that Microsoft no longer updates, according to federal authorities and cyber security consultants. Others use even earlier versions of the Windows operating system from the 1990s; in rare cases, a few still use MS-DOS, the precursor to Windows. "More often than not," Edwards said, "we find that there's been corners cut or they haven't taken a hard look at security when they designed those networks." 'What we don't know' Strict cybersecurity regulations govern power, chemical and nuclear facilities, but no federal laws impose such standards in the oil and gas industry. When oil and gas companies have been infiltrated by a hacker, they aren't required to report the incident. And if they turn to federal authorities for help, the specifics are typically kept secret because companies disclose information in exchange for anonymity and discretion. Homeland Security publishes data on cyberattacks, but with no reporting requirements, the data represent only a small share of the cyberattacks against the energy industry. "We only know what's reported to us," Edwards said. "We don't know what we don't know." Most companies are loath to talk publicly about the security of computer systems and industrial controls for fear of providing information that could be used to exploit their operations. More than 20 of the nation's largest oil companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips, refiners Phillips 66 and Valero, service companies Halliburton and Baker Hughes, and pipeline operators Kinder Morgan and Enterprise Products Partners, declined to comment or did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The American Petroleum Institute, the national trade association of oil and gas, declined comment as well. The Department of Energy has developed a model of best practices while trade groups such as the American Petroleum Institute have adopted industry standards, but none is mandatory. In recent years, forward-looking oil companies have treated potential cyberattacks on critical assets as a major financial risk, but others haven't taken the threat as seriously, said Charles McConnell, executive director of Rice University's Energy and Environment Initiative. Oil companies tend to rush to deploy new computer technologies that make operations more productive, he said, but only afterward consider ways to mitigate online threats. "The pace of change of the technology we've adopted is every step of the way more and more vulnerable to cyberattack," said McConnell, who spent 35 years in the energy industry and served for two years as assistant secretary of energy. Of nearly 400 U.S. oil employees who specialize in industrial cybersecurity, 61 percent said their companies lack adequate cyber defenses to protect the technologies that run oil and gas facilities, according to a recent survey by the research firm and consultancy Ponemon Institute. Almost seven of 10 respondents said their companies experienced a security breach within the last year, and yet, less than half believe their companies have met industry standards and guidelines for cybersecurity. Oil and gas companies generally have gotten better at securing their information and data systems, Edwards said, but it would be "dangerous" to characterize the progress as universal. Some companies have begun to install firewalls, anti-virus and anti-malware programs and require stricter security measures from equipment manufacturers, among other improvements, cyber security consultants said. In regulatory filings, Exxon Mobil said its cybersecurity programs block 64 million emails, 139 million internet access attempts and 133,000 other potentially malicious actions each month. "There are definitely some leaders that have done a lot to stand out," said Robert Lee, a former Air Force cyber warfare operations officer and chief executive of security firm Dragos in San Antonio. "But that's not representative of the industry. It's clear a lot of sites haven't done the minimum for security, and there are many more in the middle." 'Boom in the night' Devices running automated processes within plants - known as operational technology - were designed years or decades ago before the advent of serious online threats. Security experts say even newer models of sensors and automated controls can't automatically block intrusions. Marc Othersen, former chief information security officer of New York oil producer Hess Corp., says equipment makers must do more to develop adequately secured devices. "The technology offered to us has not closed the gap," he said. "We will always be behind." Last year, Exxon Mobil and Lockheed Martin announced plans to advance automated systems for refineries and chemical facilities with built-in cyber defenses. The initiative, which includes collaboration with 40 other companies, was prompted primarily because devices with protections strong enough to thwart the most skilled hackers aren't widely available, said Joe Weiss, managing director of the international cybersecurity standards body ISA99. "Ironically, it's the most important (of the systems) but the least secure," he said. "That's where you go boom in the night." If hackers, for example, figured out how to exploit devices running along 2.6 million miles of U.S. pipeline, they could tell a monitoring system the flow of oil and gas has stopped along a pipe, prompting automated systems to begin pumping until they cause a pressure blast. When such systems malfunction, it can lead to disasters on the scale of the 2005 Texas City refinery blast, which killed 15 people and injured 180 more. In that tragedy, there was no malicious intent, but devices were incorrectly calibrated and provided erroneous readings, which, investigators concluded, were major factors leading to the blast. "There are a lot of people out there who would love to disrupt (a pipeline) for visual effect terrorists or other people who want to see black smoke or flames," said Philip Quade, who recently retired as chief of the National Security Agency's cyber task force. "The more strategic threat is what nation-states can do to affect the psyche of the American public." 'In a dark room' The majority of U.S. oil and gas companies don't have the capability to find or track malware or viruses that have already penetrated control systems, according to Homeland Security, including devices such as sensors and industrial computers. This means hackers can gain access to the systems and root around for months or years seeking weaknesses, collecting sensitive data and lying in wait with viruses that can disrupt operations. "We're in a dark room," said Damiano Bolzoni, chief executive of Dutch security firm Security Matters. "Nobody is switching on the light." Cyber criminals have tried to steal money by sending employees fake invoices. Other hackers lured workers to download malicious software designed to lock people out of computers or other devices until they pay a ransom. In many cases, oil and gas companies wait to react to problems, said Chris Sistrunk, a consultant with Mandiant, which specializes in cybersecurity. For example, he recalled how an oil company's cybersecurity team was alerted to a security breach, in which a 7-year-old computer worm had been discovered in a Windows operating system. Its presence suggested that the company hadn't updated protection software in at least seven years. "Security people are putting out fires instead of hunting for evil on the network," Sistrunk said. The most sophisticated threats come from hackers backed by foreign governments. Cybersecurity researchers say both Russia and China have sponsored hacking groups, often recruited from the cyber-underworld, to probe industrial control systems in the United States and Europe. More recently, hackers allegedly from Russia and China have used phishing emails, infected USB drives and other techniques to penetrate computer networks in broad espionage campaigns against U.S. energy companies aimed at siphoning information about industrial control systems, according to the National Security Agency and cybersecurity firms. "These attackers are adaptive and intelligent," said Michael Assante, former chief security officer of the North American Electric Reliability Corp., which regulates the security of electric grids. "That's a scary thing to be up against." For the most part, federal officials said, cyberattacks against energy companies appear aimed at stealing trade secrets to boost foreign industries and economies. But some officials anticipate that hacker groups may try to gain footholds in pipelines, refineries and power plants, should the day come when a rival nation or extranational group has reason to hold assets hostage or launch a disruptive attack. "When the day comes and they need leverage in negotiations or a full-blown act of war, it's not hard to imagine how they might use such a capability," said Barak Perelman, chief executive of the Israeli cyber security firm Indegy. Quade, the former chief of the NSA's cyber task force, said the threat is more than theoretical, pointing to two viruses launched at energy operations: Stuxnet, which damaged thousands of centrifuges at an Iranian nuclear facility in 2010, and Shamoon, which wiped out computer files in Saudi Arabian oil and gas facilities two years later. "In the last five years, we've had repeated demonstrations in the willingness of certain nation-states or other actors to actually use this stuff," Quade said. It's unlikely that Russia or China would sabotage the nation's energy infrastructure because of the probability of retaliation, but these two world powers have honed their abilities to hold key U.S. assets hostage and use cyber capabilities to thwart U.S. military responses to online assaults on domestic soil, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a report last month. "This emerging situation threatens to place the United States in an untenable strategic position," the Defense Department said. But security professionals say a major cyberattack against the United States remains a distant possibility, at least for now. "They're waiting for a rainy day," said Margrete Raaum, who leads the Norwegian computer emergency response team for the energy sector. Security vs. costs Despite improvements, some oil and gas companies still don't make it particularly hard for hackers to get into many systems. Consultants have found lapses in security as egregious as writing passwords of critical computer systems on sticky notes pasted to consoles. Other networks had generally weak passwords or the default passwords set by manufacturers. "There's a lot of those," Edwards said. Part of the problem reflects the culture of the oil and gas industry, said Steve Mustard, an industrial cybersecurity expert at the trade group Automation Federation. Upgrading a multitude of devices could cost millions of dollars, and oil companies often find it too expensive and time-consuming to patch software running multibillion-dollar refineries that produce gasoline almost all the time. Even a four-hour security upgrade can stop production for days, said Philip Hurlston, who works with oil companies and the FBI as oil and gas sector chief at security group InfraGard in Houston. Hurlston says an industry mantra still plagues the mindset of some executives: "Run the equipment until it dies." Security experts said the steps that energy companies can take to defend against hackers aren't necessarily difficult. It's often a matter of limiting unauthorized access, adopting careful procedures for protecting networks and making sure the latest cybersecurity measures are in place. The question remains, however, how quickly companies are moving to take such actions, and perhaps more fundamentally, how seriously do they take the threat. "For an oil executive, worrying about a cyberattack sounds like science fiction," said Brett Young, a consultant and founder of the cyber security collaborative, OpenICS Project. "It's like worrying about a meteor strike." Collin Eaton is an energy reporter for the Houston Chronicle. *** This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, called on President Donald Trump's administration Friday to reopen the immigration case of a Pearland father who was deported this week despite having no criminal record and a temporary protection from removal. She said the deportation of Jose Escobar, whom immigration agents granted a provisional work permit in 2012, sent a terrifying message to immigrants across the country that the Trump administration would deport anyone here illegally and even some like Escobar who have a type of interim legal status. "There has been an injustice that will be faced by many in this country," she said at a press conference in the downtown Houston federal building, flanked by community activists and Escobar's wife Rose, who is an American citizen. "I ask the president and the administration to immediately reassess what is becoming mass deportation and I have written to (Homeland Security) Secretary (John) Kelly to ask him to reopen this case, which will be necessary for Jose Escobar to come back into this country." Experts in immigration law say that it would be extremely difficult to bring Escobar back if the administration does not reopen the case. With such action, Escobar could be separated from his American wife and two small children for years. Jackson Lee said she received a verbal assurance on Wednesday from the director of the Laredo office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where Escobar was being detained, that they would not immediately deport him but hold him while she pursued her congressional options. She had already sent an official letter of inquiry last week seeking information about his detention. Escobar's lawyer, Raed Gonzalez, on Wednesday requested a stay of deportation while legal papers were filed to reopen the case. The government never responded. Instead immigration agents flew Escobar to El Salvador, a country he hasn't seen in 16 years, on Thursday morning. "I had the right to rely on that (assurance,)" Jackson Lee said. A Houston spokesman for the agency, Greg Palmore, said he was not aware of any such agreement. Jackson Lee said she sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly Friday asking for "emergency intervention" to reopen the case. Too late to reapply She noted that immigration agents themselves released Escobar in 2012 on a so-called order of supervision, allowing him to work as long as he checked in with them annually, which he did. In fact, federal agents handcuffed him in front of his wife and 2-year-old toddler, Carmen, at his annual check-in meeting on Feb. 22, telling them that Trump's new guidelines now made him a priority for deportation. "He was providing for his family ... he was always in a place where he could be found," Jackson Lee said. "That sounds like a raging criminal that I need to really move out of the country." Unlike the gang members and drug dealers whom Trump said this week he is deporting, Escobar landed in removal proceedings years ago due to an innocent paperwork gaffe. His mother sent for him when he was about 15, and like her, he qualified for temporary protected status for people fleeing widespread disasters in certain countries. She assumed that because he was a minor his permit would automatically renew when she reapplied for hers. But it didn't. They moved and didn't receive the paperwork informing him that he had missed the deadline for renewal. When he finally figured out what had happened, he tried to reapply for the permit, but it was too late. Because he had suddenly lost protected status, the government initiated deportation proceedings. His lawyer told him not to show up at the court hearing or he would be deported. In his absence, the judge ordered him removed in 2006. He wasn't arrested until 2011 and was released in 2012 after a media and congressional campaign organized by his wife. His temporary stay was part of a wave of reprieves announced that year by the administration of former President Barack Obama, who said he wanted to focus the government's limited resources on deporting violent criminals, rather than people with clean records like Escobar who have been here for years and have American children. Jackson Lee said that Escobar is still eligible for the initial temporary protected status that he once had, since the provision for El Salvador doesn't expire until 2018. He could make a legal argument that he wasn't able to file the initial renewal paperwork himself since he was a minor at the time. She said he is also eligible for temporary protection under a program for immigrants who were brought here illegally as children, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Jackson Lee said she is filing a private bill in Congress that could grant Escobar a temporary legal status if it passes through committee. It would grant him permanent permission to stay if the Republican Congress approves it. 'Facing a steep uphill climb' Gonzalez, Escobar's attorney, said he is filing a motion to reopen the case with immigration agents and the court. He argued that Escobar received poor legal counsel, including being wrongly advised not to show up to his removal hearing, and should not have been deported. His previous lawyers also never told the immigration judges that he once held the temporary protected status for Salvadorans, which could have granted him some sort of claim to stay. But convincing the government or an immigration judge to reopen the case would be difficult as Escobar has already been deported and the federal government typically only agrees to return such people in rare situations. Gonzalez said he would also file an appeal to grant Escobar humanitarian parole, which again is granted in only exceptional cases. "They're facing a steep uphill climb," said John Sandweg, an acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Obama administration. He said he is concerned that Trump's broadened new deportation focus would exhaust the government's limited resources on people like Escobar, rather than dangerous criminals, and push such immigrants and their families further underground. "There are literally millions of people in the country who are in very similar situations as this gentleman and pose no threat," he said. It it possible that Escobar could be stuck in El Salvador for anywhere between two years and a decade. Even though he is married to an American and can apply for a green card through his wife's citizenship, the fact that he lived here illegally and was ordered deported automatically bans him from re-entering the country for as long as 10 years. He could seek a waiver from these bans, but the entire process could take at least two years under the best circumstances, said Charles Foster, a Houston attorney who advised President George W. Bush on immigration. A group of interfaith leaders gathered at the downtown Catholic Chancery Friday pleaded for Congress to stop separating families like the Escobars and push for a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally. "It is impacting the lives of real people in our congregations," said Lutheran Bishop Michael Rinehart. "We have seen the turmoil in our own communities that has already been created." Escobar's wife, Rose, tearfully promised to keep on fighting, for her husband, her children, and other families in the same position. "This is the only man in my life and you are ripping him apart from me," she said. "I'm a U.S. citizen and I'm being hurt by my president." Marialuisa Rincon contributed to this report. Rose Ascencio-Escobar sat outside an immigration office for two hours after authorities detained her husband. She needed to cry. Now, the 30-year-old said, it's time to fight. Around two dozen supporters gathered Saturday with Ascencio-Escobar outside a detention facility where they once thought Jose Escobar would be held. They had hoped he would be able to hear the voices of his mother, brother and 7-year-old son. They wanted him - and others like him - to know they weren't giving up. Three days had passed since Ascencio-Escobar, who is a citizen, and her husband, who had been granted temporary protection to live in America, found out during a routine check-in with immigration officers that his protection was being revoked under President Donald Trump's new guidelines. He has since been taken to a location in Laredo. The image of her husband being taken from her and their two children, ages 2 and 7, brought Ascencio-Escobar to tears. "This is inhumane, separating families," she said. Ascencio-Escobar stressed that her husband is not a criminal. They worked hard, she said, always trying to follow the rules. Jose may not have been an American, but they were living the American dream. The middle school sweethearts met when she was 14. Relatives held large, framed photos of the moments that followed: their wedding, her pregnancies. The family has faith he will return home. "He is not a criminal," said his brother, Jorge Escobar, 20. "He is a hardworking man." His 2-year-old daughter played with a sign she could not read: "Bring Jose Home." His 7-year-old son, Walter, broke down trying to offer words. Ascencio-Escobar bent down to give him a hug. Later, she recalled what Walter had told her when she explained why his father wasn't there. "Mommy, I'll be the man of the house," he'd said. "I'll take care of you." But she knows she is the one who must stay strong. And she had a message for her husband Saturday. "Hold on." As the elevator doors open on the fourth floor of Houston Museum of Natural Science, a giant hunk of metal rotates around a pipe, much like a wrench would tighten around a bolt. There's a "whoosh" as machinery turns. The "iron roughneck," as it's known, is a state-of-the-art piece of machinery used on offshore drilling rigs, and it's the first thing visitors see when they arrive at the museum's fourth floor and step into the newly retooled Wiess Energy Hall. The rig is a replica. But Paul Bernhardt wants visitors to see it and imagine they are hundreds of miles off the coast of Texas, standing on a platform anchored to the ocean floor. "It was tricky, even with some of the connections we have in the energy industry, but we were able to get a couple of team members out on a real rig in the Gulf, because we want to be able to recreate an experience for our visitors that few people get to have," said Bernhardt, the consultant hired by the museum to design and build the new space. The rig is just one of several new exhibits in what museum staff have dubbed "Wiess Energy Hall 3.0," which is currently about 70 percent complete. Because the construction has occurred out of public view, not all museum visitors are aware the $40 million project is unfolding above them. The hall is set to open to the public in November and will quadruple the space reserved for Wiess and represents an exciting and rare opportunity for the museum to design a permanent exhibit hall from the ground up. Museum officials concede the former Wiess Hall had grown a bit tired in recent years. It was last updated in 2004, long before the shale boom and long before renewable energy obtained the foothold that it currently has in the market. "We had given the former hall a couple tune-ups in the past, but the mandate from the board is not only does the scientific content within each exhibit have to be the latest and greatest, but the technology we use to present those exhibits has to be state of the art," said Joel Bartsch, the museum's president. "And that's what we've done with the new Wiess Hall." The project was funded as part of a capital campaign launched in 2012 exclusively with the intent of updating Wiess Hall, which was one of the early anchors of the museum when it opened at its current location in 1969. Some of the early iterations of Wiess consisted largely of models of oil derricks, displays of geologic cross sections and pieces of equipment that were so old, many people forgot how they were once used. Wiess 3.0 is a different story. Not only will it explain the science behind various sources of energy, it will capitalize on new museum display technology, such as touch-screens, high-quality video resolution, and better LED lighting. While the old hall told the story of energy from "Big Bang to burner tip," Wiess 3.0 will tell an even broader story, meticulously delving into geological processes, discovery, exploration and use of hydrocarbons and renewable forms of energy, such as wind, solar and geothermal. "Renewables are front and center," said Jeff Poss, the museum's vice president of exhibits and facilities. "They're not hidden in the back." The team of animators, designers and engineers has gone to great lengths to make sure every detail is painstakingly true to life, consulting with local experts so that everything is accurate, from the color of basalt to the way sedimentary rock is layered. "Trust me, when you're trying to recreate a rock formation in a town that's full of geologists, you better get it right," Bartsch said. While some of the Wiess exhibits got a makeover, others are brand new. Such is the case with the "EFX 3000," otherwise known as the Eagle Ford Shale Experience. The moving theater don't call it a ride will simulate a trip to the South Texas field and down into the bore hole of an oil well. It's a bit of a time machine and drilling adventure wrapped into one experience. "We take the science and education piece of it very seriously, but we have to make it fun and find a way to spark people's imagination and hope that they want to learn more after they leave the museum," Bartsch said. "It's all incredibly cool." Also new is "Energy City" a 2,500-square-foot, 3-D landscape representing Houston, the surrounding Gulf coastal waters, and the terrain of southeast Texas. The milk-white model city is eye-catching. But the magic really happens when the museum staffers turn on a series of projectors that cast images on the models, simulating windows on buildings, turning day to night, and making cars and trains "move" throughout the city. To come up with the concept, the museum's consultants visited the Minautur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany for inspiration, but the end result far exceeds similar museum exhibits because of the quality of the 3-D projection, Poss said. In designing the new hall, Bernhardt and his team visited museums around the country, scouting other energy exhibits. There seems to be one key difference between those and Wiess 3.0., he said. "This is bigger and better. There's no question about it." As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Train derails in central Seoul, injuring 30 passengers A train derailed in central Seoul on Sunday, injuring some 30 passengers, the operator said. The derailment occurred at 8:52 p.m., when the Mugunghwa train with 275 passengers o... #Naver Naver Q3 sales top 2 tln won in 2 yrs South Korean internet portal giant Naver Corp. said Monday its third quarter sales topped 2 trillion won (US$708.7 billion) for the first time in two years on robust growth in its ... Finn Wolfhard may have been born in, sigh, 2002 but the "Stranger Things" star spends most of his time pretending it's the 1980s. So of course he's a Nintendo fan. Though Wolfhard collects Nintendo consoles dating all the way back to the original NES from 1985, he took a break from filming his second season as Mike on the Netflix smash and reshoots for his R-rated (and, yes, '80s-set) Stephen King film "It" to school us on the experimental Nintendo Switch. Advertisement The Japanese company's sold-out new gaming device, which is both a home TV console and a portable handheld, just launched with the acclaimed "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" while other games, including "Super Mario Odyssey," will arrive later in the year. Wolfhard also advised us not to lick the console's tiny game cartridges and then proceeded to defeat me like a Demogorgon on "1-2 Switch" even though I totally practiced that stupid virtual cow-milking minigame at home with my kid. Curses! Click here to read our full analysis of Nintendo's big gamble on the Switch. Also on HuffPost Volunteer in Reno County The Volunteer Center of Reno County, a United Way Agency, is a central clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities in Reno County. SXSW To Change Contract After 50+ Outraged Artists Send Open Letter Of Protest Amid growing protest to change its official contract, which threatens to notify immigration authorities if an artist plays official or unofficial showcases without proper visas or otherwise break festival rules, SXSW has pledged to reword the document next year. _____________________________________ Adding fuel to a growing protest over a clause that effectively threatened deportation if an artist broke SXSW's rules, dozens of artists and leaders in the indie music community including Ted Leo, Rage Against The Machine frontman Zach de la Rochaa and Talib Kweli signed an open letter calling on the festival to remove the wording and "cease any collusion with immigration officials that puts performers in danger." "As artists and part of the musical community of SXSW, were outraged to learn that the festival has been threatening artists who are not U.S. citizens with targeted immigration enforcement and deportation for playing at unofficial showcases. In light of recent attacks on immigrant communities, this practice is particularly chilling. We are calling on SXSW to immediately drop this clause from their contract, and cease any collusion with immigration officials that puts performers in danger." (Full text and list of signees below.) After previously defending the growing outrage as overblown "You have to really fuck up for us to do this stuff," said SXSW Managing Director Roland Swenson the festival apologized and promised to change its wording next year. In a statement posted on its website, SXSW organizers wrote: "SXSW opposes discrimination of any kind, and has taken a public stand against President Trumps travel ban and proposed legislation like SB6 in Texas. We have and will continue to support human rights for all. In this political climate, especially as it relates to immigration, we recognize the heightened importance of standing together against injustice. SXSW has never reported anyone to any immigration authorities, including Customs & Border Protection (CBP), the agency that deals with participating artists entering the United States. The language in our Performance Agreement is intended to facilitate U.S. entry for international artists and to show CBP that SXSW takes visa issues seriously. This language has been part of the contracts since the summer of 2013, and we will be reviewing and amending it for 2018 and beyond." The festival also apologize to Todd Slant, the indie musician who first pointed out the offensive contract language: "In regards to the situation surrounding Told Slant, before we had clarity on the situation we believed this artist had taken our language out of context. We apologize for this error." Full Text Of The Open Letter An Open Letter to SXSW: As artists and part of the musical community of SXSW, were outraged to learn that the festival has been threatening artists who are not U.S. citizens with targeted immigration enforcement and deportation for playing at unofficial showcases. In light of recent attacks on immigrant communities, this practice is particularly chilling. We are calling on SXSW to immediately drop this clause from their contract, and cease any collusion with immigration officials that puts performers in danger. Austin, TX is a sanctuary city and these actions by SXSW show a disrespect for municipal policy. SXSW is a well respected institution and has a responsibility to show leadership by refusing to collaborate with the governments campaign of fear and hate toward non-citizens.. This is a growing open letter with concrete demands that SXSW needs to take. WE the artists who make SXSW possible demand the following: SXSW must rescind the portion of their contract that states that if they found out that an artist is playing an unofficial showcase they will notify the appropriate U.S. Immigration authorities of the above actions, and accepting and performing at any non-sanctioned events may result in immediate deportation, revoked passport, and denied entry by US Customs Border Patrol at US points of entry. SXSW must publicly apologize to the community for their attempt to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. SXSW must affirm that it is a welcoming space for all artists, including immigrants and international performers, and commit to protecting the rights of all performers. SXSW has directly contributed to growing gentrification in our city. SXSW is responsible for the ongoing destruction of families homes and businesses. Locals here who play music and directly contribute to the economy can no longer live here due to stagnant wages and rising rental costs. We are one of the largest growing cities but all of our PoC are getting forced out because this ongoing culture is unsustainable. ICE is targeting hard working people in Austin so this comes as a slap in the face to everyone that lives here when we are already vulnerable and the administration wants to make an example of us because we a sanctuary city Milo Royal, a musician and worker in Austin We are white US citizens using that privilege to engage with you, sxsw, to reconsider colluding w/ ICE and thus, the Trump's regime racist agenda. Please change your language and actively support and protect immigrant and non-white artists. -Priests, Sister Polygon Records I realize that this language has been in your agreement for many years (though that doesn't mean it was ever right). This year, you have put on a showcase featuring artists from countries listed in the Muslim ban. The language in your artist agreements should reflect your support of these artists rather than besiege them. Please do the right thing and adjust your language to appropriately reflect the current political climate. Joe Steinhardt, Don Giovanni Records Music knows no borders. SXSW bullying bands who have members that are not U.S. citizens is chilling, and frankly racist. It undermines artists basic rights to free speech, and sends the wrong message at a time when immigrant communities are facing an all out assault from the U.S. government. Evan Greer, musician and Campaign Director of Fight for the Future Seriously SXSW this is ridiculous. Im urging fellow artists to not play there until this is fixed. Immortal Technique SXSW should support, not eliminate the voices of the marginalized. Stop collaborating with federal forces removing those who need to be heard most urgently The Kominas "The recent statement issued by SXSW Founder Roland Swenson reads as intimidation masked as concern. This is most apparent in clause 1.4., which stipulates that foreign artists may not play unofficial shows outside of SXSW, lest they face immediate deportation. This language is used with the intent to mislead and intimidate foreign artists into complying with SXSW's exclusivity clause which, as with any festival, is written to protect SXSW's profits, not the safety of international artists. These artists should be left to perform and make additional income at their own discretion, not cornered into exclusivity under the threat of US Customs and Border Patrol." Suzy Exposito, journalist SXSW host's a festival that has some potential benefits for artists. While it is a great time to get your music and possibly message out, there is a huge cost to artists. Many of us have to play underpaid shows in hopes that it can give our careers a boost in the future. If we had responsible arts and culture funding and support, we would not have to play SXSW in order to secure a financially viable future as touring musicians. So many of the artists playing the festival are addressing and confronting the very power structures that SXSW is perpetuating through their threats towards international musicians. We demand an end to their threats and a public apology for their anti-immigrant and therefore racist stated policy. Cities, counties, and states have all been urged to cease collaboration with ICE, we demand the same of music festivals. Victoria Ruiz and Joey L DeFrancesco, Downtown Boys With Much Concern, Screaming Females PWR BTTM Downtown Boys Aye Nako Sheer Mag Priests Sister Polygon Records Glory Fires Evan Greer Adam Torres Don Giovanni Records Merchandise Flasher Sadie Dupuis/Sad13 La Neve Helado Negro Malportado Kids Try the Pie Crocodiles AJ Davila Hari Kondabolu Allison Crutchfield and the Fizz Pygmy Lush Vagabon Patrick Ferguson (drummer in Mike Mills, Powder Room, more) Yucky Duster GLUE Immortal Technique Shannon and the Clams Ceremony Dark Blue Hank Wood and the Hammerheads Jay Som Emily Reo Girlpool Anti-Flag Ted Leo Chastity Belt Mega Bog Hand Habits The Kominas Moor Mother Dirty Fences Metalleg Power Trip Sammus Kimya Dawson Algiers Zig Zags Miriam Hakim and Roger Medina of Giant Kitty Marching Church The Shondes Spark Mag Publicist UK Told Slant Lisa Prank Hand Grenade Job Sammus Big Thief Navy Gangs Joey Bishop Melkbelly Stef Chura Javelin Street Eaters Atmosphere Brother Ali Meredith Graves Snail Mail LVL UP Casey (from Mitski and Bully) Outer Spaces Zach de la Rocha Mega Bog Hand Habits Talib Kweli Mal Blum Pile EW Share on: After building the cars, the students took them to the race track to try it out. PreviousNext General Dynamics Brings Engineering To Reid Classrooms Nine engineers from General Dynamics spent the day teaching the middle school students about engineering. PITTSFIELD, Mass. Engineer Jake Kalish is the type of person who learns better when he sees things in action. On Friday when he stood in front of an 8th grade class at Reid Middle School, he sped through the lesson he was teaching about chemical reactions between salt water and magnesium and got right to the action. He and eight other engineers from General Dynamics spent the day leading classes through building small cars that run on salt water and magnesium. "It's always really nice to see what I learned about in practice," Kalish told the students. The lesson in engineering and chemistry is part of General Dynamic's efforts to inspire students to pursue careers in the field. Each year, the company funds projects led by the employees to bring those lessons to the school as part of engineers' week. "Engineering is a good career and General Dynamics would like local talent," said Mike Arace, a lead engineer who has headed projects at Reid Middle School for three years now. Arace remembers attending workshops at General Electric when he was a child and that inspired him to go into the engineering field. With these projects, he hopes others will follow the same path. This year it was Alyson Voltoline's classes the engineers taught. Throughout the day, the engineers led the class in the building of cars, teaching them about chemistry and energy. Arace said he works with the teacher each year to develop a lesson which ties in with what the students are learning. "We tried to find a project with chemistry in it," Arace said. "We start planning in December." Two years ago, Arace had a project to work with students to build mousetrap cars and last year it was rubber band propelled airplanes. The kits to build the cars were all funded through General Dynamics - and this year the entire project cost $1,700 to provide the materials and snacks for some 84 students. Arace said his project was just one of 40 the company funded. General Dynamics asks the employees to think of projects and then have a committee decide which projects to actually fund. "It is really nice they do this ... most of the [projects] are funded," Arace said, adding that this year he believes every proposal was funded. The students built their cars, added the salt water, and then, of course, took them to the race track to test it out. The fun of racing the cars came with learning the science behind it. At the end of the class, the engineers shared what they do as a career. For the systems engineer Kalish, he designs security systems for the military. Dan Greene is a mechanical engineer and he designs the individual pieces, according to specifications, to build it. Tia Damman, a manufacturing engineer, then puts it all together. "We all work as a big team. We all use math and science," Greene told the class. "It all comes together in the end. These are systems that are protecting our country." General Dynamics is now hoping in the future some of those students will be joining that team. Haiti - Carnival PAP 2017 : Satisfaction and thanks of the Town Hall The Town Hall of Port-au-Prince expressed its satisfaction at the conduct of carnival festivities in the commune the 26,27 and the February 28 2017. It welcomes the discipline, enthusiasm, determination and the will of all masked groups, walking bands and musical groups that animated the course. It also reiterates its sincere thanks to the National Police of Haiti (PNH), the Civil Protection, the OFATMA Hospital, the Haitian Red Cross (CRH), the National Ambulance Center (CAN), the Brigadiers of the Town Hall, cultural operators, the media, sponsors and many volunteers for their involvement in the success of the Carnival of Port-au-Prince. The Municipal Administration of Port-au-Prince particularly welcomes the work of the Organizing Committee, which has shown ingenuity, creativity, audacity despite constraints and finally thanks the people of Port-au-Prince and elsewhere, having chosen his commune, to take part in the festivities of this great cultural event. IH/ iciHaiti Going digital is a trend among businesses right now since it boosts overall productivity in the workplace and in the market. It means maximizing new and available technologies and models in the areas of Social Media, Mobility, Data Analytics, Cloud, and Security in order to make work and processes more efficient and effective. Its apparent benefits are more than enough reasons to start the digital transformation. Stressing the importance of IT, TJ Rosal, the Assistant Vice President for Sales and Marketing of CuroTeknika, a managed IT services company said, In light of the global digital shift, IT is in a position where it can make significant business impact. It is time for IT to take on a more strategic role within the organization by developing technology-driven tools, systems, and processes that add value to the business. This is an opportune moment for IT to make a shift from being a companys mere maintenance hub to a major growth driver. Based on a study made by management resources firm Brilliant, majority of companies surveyed have no plans to increase their in-house IT staffing in 2017. However, as companies grow, their IT infrastructure become more complex, placing IT in a dilemma of keeping their current infrastructure up and running rather than focus on strategic initiatives. The time that should have been spent in researching, evaluating and testing new technologies that add competitive advantage are spent mostly on operational activities which of course are equally important. Unfortunately, the culture of learning is pushed to the side and for the most part, IT resources are hired primarily for maintenance, said Rosal. Interestingly enough, there are some business owners who recognize the potential of a fully dedicated IT department in a business. A study by the Computing Technology Industry Association which surveyed 350 executives revealed that companies outsource IT in order to improve efficiency and to free their IT staff to work on strategic projects. Rosal explains, Managed IT providers like CuroTeknika have the infrastructure already in place. We have the skills, tools and processes needed, and the required manpower spread geographically to support even regional locations. Companies see us as a strategic partner because we function as an extension of their in-house capabilities. Weve worked with financial companies to handle their technical helpdesk to support their end-users nationwide. This allowed them to realign their IT groups focus towards the integration of their disparate applications. They were able to offload operational functions such as desktop support, recruitment, re-training, work scheduling and service level adherence, shared Rosal. With regards to large enterprises, some of them let us handle the technical support of their provincial offices. Working under a Business.Life.Simplified insight, CuroTeknika helps organizations focus on delivering consistent and efficient customer experience while enabling a continuous and simplified operations environment that can thrive in a global, customer-driven economy. "Businesses today need to be dynamic and agile. The IT of the future will be the enablers in enhancing value creation for businesses, paving the way to compete not only locally but globally. This is the time to explore new technologies and while they are at it, CuroTeknika can support the day-to-day upkeep of their IT infrastructure, said Rosal. Attention turns to business trends and opportunities There is no doubt that technologies will continue to develop and evolve at an accelerated pace, thus presenting more opportunities. One of the hottest trends is that many companies are starting to reap the benefits of data analytics especially with the proliferation of social media which is arguably a source of more accurate feedback. Marketers are now able to predict customer preferences, behavior and buying patterns by mining the data that they collect from consumer profiles, interests, geo-locations and other useful information. More successful implementations enable brands to make quick and relevant decisions in marketing and customer experience. Another trend is heightened data security against cyber-attacks which increases year on year. Information has become the new currency and as more devices get connected, the chances of getting hit by a cyber-attack increase. Any organization should be ready with its preventive and corrective security measures. This is why many of the large enterprises have shifted their resources in establishing a Security Operations Center that protect all data touchpoints including their applications, databases, core systems, network, and up to the end-points/devices. The role of IT has become more dynamic these days as trends demand a more careful deliberation in light of companies unique business problems. As new systems are implemented, new policies and procedures have to be put in place as well. It is therefore imperative for IT to focus on these. Theres been a lot of talk about IT having 2 modes: One to run the business and another to change the business. This is an exciting time for IT professionals because these trends allow IT to enable their organization to redefine or enhance business models. Companies have to deliberately reallocate internal skills to focus on changing the business, rather than maintaining it, said Rosal. This is why there is value in outsourcing the management of IT infrastructure. While keeping and managing operations in-house has its benefits, it may lead to divided priorities a factor which can hamper business. More often than not, an in-house IT department handles all aspects of technology despite having only limited resources and capabilities. With the help of a managed IT service provider like CuroTeknika, companies can stay on track or better yet ahead with strategies and projects that add more value to the business. Calexico City Council seeking Fire Station closure solutions Calexico, California - The Heffernan Memorial District and the Calexico City Council will address possible solutions to the Fire Station closure on the west side this coming Monday March 6th @ 5:30pm at city Hall. Heffernan Memorial has expressed interest in assisting the city to avoid the Station closure. Our hospital on wheels is important to our border city and we cannot afford ANY service interruptions. Please attend and stay informed of this critical issue. I urge my fellow council members to take all considerations and efforts responsibly. As Fire Chief Mercado says, "We can do this Calexico!" Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} All the way from the Chilterns to the heart of London and down to Cornwall, food and drink festivals are welcoming spring with open arms. Mark these events on your calendar as an excuse to treat yourself to food, drinks and festivities. Hidden Restaurants with Michel..., Channel 4, Wednesdays, 8pm As one of the doyens of the less obvious, Freddy Bird executive chef of Bristols very own hidden gem, the hedonistic Lido will be helping the masterful Michel Roux Jr in finding the best and most bizarre of the UKs unknown eateries, on their new TV programme, Hidden Restaurants with Michel... In a bid to step away from the London-centric food scene, the pair scour these islands, encountering people who are succeeding against the odds despite isolation and a lack of running water, to draw people in to their quirky spots. Ranging from people who have built roads to get supplies in, to the Colombian couple who use a double decker bus as their moveable restaurant, to the old four-seater ski lift which is being used to serve up food. The first episode takes us down to the South-west, where the duo discover a crab shack in to the Scilly Isles, while the rest of the show promises plenty of beautiful landscapes, inspiring food and even more innovative people. Freddy thinks we need to look out for brothers Liam and Ellis Barrie, at Angleseas Marram Grass cafe, who are young, passionate and eager. So we will probably be racing up to the Welsh island in no time. As well as finding new chefs, Michel will be cooking in his own pop-up hidden kitchens around the country. Tune in to the first episode on Wednesday 8 March. VegfestUK, Brighton, March 11-12 Put down your tofu and head to VegfestUK, where vegan food has never been so interesting. VegfestUK brings a whole of top-notch food, opening up a whole new world of inspiring food for vegans. The food village has 20 global caterers, including dosas, sushi, hot dogs and pizzas, while talks for the complete beginner and well-versed vegan will help to inspire. There are also comedy shows and a film festival with documentaries on the topic. Buy tickets (7 per day, 10 for the weekend) from brighton.vegfest.co.uk Beer and Mussel Festival, Cornwall, 17-19 March The Cornish Arms pub in north Cornwalls St Merryn hosts its annual beer and mussel festival across the third weekend and serves up exactly what it says on the tin. Rick Steins most-loved mussel recipes, including moules mariniere, mussels with beer and bacon and mussels with black bean, garlic and ginger, will be on offer, while over 40 different types of beer and cider will be on tap too. And the musical side is just as important, with Motown Pirates and The Stowes already booked. Theres no charge to attend, while rugby fans can watch the climax to the Six Nations on a big screen. For more information visit rickstein.com/beer-and-mussel-festival-2017 Raw Wine Fair, London, 12-13 March Celebrating all things raw wine which is grown and made naturally and tying in with #rawwineweek (7-13 March), the two-day show will host more than 150 growers, from fine, natural, organic and biodynamic wine artisans. And the best bit is theyre better for you, and for the environment, so you can spend your weekend sipping on the healthiest of tipples, guilt-free. Food stalls will also help you soak up the liquid, so take cash. Held at 180 The Strand, tickets start at 35 from rawwine.com In Greenwich, Craft London kicks off its Thursday FEASTS with recipes from SALT Craft Thursday FEASTS, London, 9 March Craft London restaurant in Peninsula Square kicks off its new themed monthly dinners, aptly named Thursdays Feasts, with dishes from from Shaun Hills latest cookbook, SALT. Each month will feature a different theme and menu to go with it. The inaugural offering is a four course meal with a cocktail, brought together by the fresh ingredients of Craft London, for 45. To book a spot at the event, email eat@craft-london.co.uk or call 020 8465 5910. With 25 events spanning the week, you can experience almost all of the local produce (Visit Chiltern) Chilterns Festival of Food & Drink, Chiltern Hills, 25 March-2 April Relish in the countryside with the Chilterns Festival of Food and Drink in (you guessed it) the Chiltern Hills, which is full of historic market towns and hidden villages among rolling farmland hills. It prides itself on showing off its local fare, which has been inspired by the areas natural surroundings. The festival programme is made up of 25 events, from wine tasting at the Bewery Shop which is home to 300 wines to a spring supper club evening and chocolate-making workshops. Go to visitchilterns.co.uk/food-and-drink/foodfestival for more information and to book tickets. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Luxury estate agent Knight Frank and Wealth-X, the research firm that concentrates on high net worth individuals, just released their comprehensive annual report on where they are buying property and how much it costs them. Looking at the world's super-rich elites, the report examined the cities globally that, right now, are attracting the most new millionaires to live. The popularity of a city is calculated on the net number of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) those with $30 million (24.2 million) or more in net assets moving into major cities across the world. As the report notes: "The latest data on HNWI migration confirms the strong and growing attraction of Australia, the US and Canada as destinations for the footloose wealthy." "Cities such as Sydney and Melbourne top the list of growth markets," it continues. On the flipside, it is Europe that is seeing an exodus of HNWIs "with Paris and Rome seeing outflows of 7,000 and 5,000 HNWIs respectively in a year. London remains an outlier in Europe, maintaining an annual net inflow of 500 HNWIs." Check out the cities attracting the most high net worth individuals below: T=7. Perth, Australia; 1,000 HNWIs The southwest city of Perth is not as famous as other Aussie cities like Melbourne and Sydney, but has a population of 2.4 million. T=7. Seattle, USA: 1,000 HNWIs On the Pacific northwest coast, Seattle is home to two of the USA's most recognisable brands, Microsoft and Starbucks. That, along with its relative proximity to the Far East, attracted a net inflow of 1,000 HNWIs in 2016, according to Knight Frank. Base camp: Seattle was where many gold seekers were provisioned (Simon Calder) T=3. Vancouver, Canada: 2,000 HNWIs Just a few hours drive up the coast from Seattle, Vancouver holds much of the same appeal to HNWIs, particularly those from China and Japan. T=3. San Francisco, USA: 2,000 HNWIs The San Francisco and wider Silicon Valley area is renowned for being home to many of the world's biggest tech firms and startups, including Facebook, Google, and Uber. That helps make San Fran a natural home for the super rich. T=3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: 2,000 HNWIs Dubai is pretty much synonymous with vast and lavish wealth, with supercars littering the streets and expensive shops on every corner. It is the perfect fit for the globe's rich elite. Burj Al Arab seen from the Madinat Jumeirah district in Dubai during the evening. Burj Al Arab is the only seven star hotel in the world (Getty/iStock) T=3. Tel Aviv, Israel: 2,000 HNWIs Tel Aviv has developed as a new startup hub in recent years, and as a result is attracting HNWIs involved in the tech scene from around the world. 2. Melbourne, Australia: 3,000 HNWIs Australia's proximity to China makes it a prime destination for Chinese HNWIs, whole have flocked to the country in droves, with Melbourne a popular spot. 1. Sydney, Australia: 4,000 HNWIs Melbourne may be popular with the super-rich, but Sydney is even more so. The city has everything anyone could ever need, including great weather. Sydney Australia (Getty/iStockphoto) Read more: The 9 most desirable places to live and work in England The 10 best books coming out this spring, according to Amazon The UK's 20 least affordable cities Read the original article on Business Insider UK. 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Amid the sound and fury that accompanied a critical report on the Governments much vaunted new industrial strategy by MPs on the Business Energy & Industrial Strategy Committee, it should not come as any surprise that no one paid much attention to its call for a little less of the sound and fury. As part of their research, MPs on the committee took a visit to Sweden to learn about the successful implementation of an industrial strategy in a European economy that has been booming. What struck MPs was the consensus they found within business, government and unions about its role. In their report they opine that an adversarial culture, not just in parliamentary politics but in industrial relations, inhibits the possibility of a successful long-term industrial strategy. And theres more: It is notable that those sectors which have seen success in recent years (in Britain), particularly aerospace and automotive, have very productive and positive relationships between management and unions. Much of the evidence the committee members received emphasised the need for Government to work in partnership with business, local government, academia, trade unions and communities in order to develop and deliver its industrial strategy. They are right to raise this. And yet, by contrast to the healthy relationships built up in the above sectors, its hard to find much evidence of any similarly healthy working relationship between the Conservative Government and the trade unions in any sector. To the contrary. Far too often unions are denounced by Conservative MPs, demeaned by their friends in the media (sometimes with their connivance) and made subject to laws that even countries not known for their friendliness towards the union movement baulk at. The pre-Brexit Conservative Government of David Cameron dialled back on some of most repressive proposals during the passage of the Trade Union Act of 2016. It even suffered a defeat over the issue of collecting union fees through pay packets in the public sector. But a repressive law still found its way on to the statute book, one that was notably opposed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, which described ministers' approach as outdated during the passage of the bill through Parliament. It argued instead for dialogue-led approaches to be taken by employers and unions, such as the signing of no-strike agreements. I arrgued at the time that ministers would have done well to heed its progressive approach. The CIPDs members, after all, find themselves at the sharp end when strikes occur. If they think an anti union law is a bad idea, then it's a bad idea. Of course, the forging of a new, and more constructive relationship, will require movement on the union side too. But TUC general secretary Frances OGradys statement in respone to the MPs' report suggests that is possible. Unions are keen to work in partnership with government and business to make industrial strategy a success, she said, while calling upon ministers to pay due heed to the MPs recommendations. A reciprocation of that conciliatory tone from Number 10 Downing Street downward would be welcome, as would a willingness on the part of ministers to face down the more lumpen and ideologically driven MPs in their own party. Its not as if the latter havent been given plenty of red meat to chew on with the Governments approach to Brexit. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. A successful industrial policy could serve as a more meaningful and worthwhile part of Theresa Mays legacy than the latter. It would be something more positive than Brexit means Brexit. For that to happen, her Government needs to jettison the language of confrontation and to instead adopt a big tent approach. The pursuit of a more constructive relationship with unions would be a fine way to demonstrate that it is up to the challenge of doing that. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A convicted terrorist who left his wife and young family to fight in the Philippines has blamed Brexit for his behaviour. Ryan Counsell, 28, said he wished to escape the UK political climate and seek an idyllic life under Sharia law. He was in the final stages of planning his trip to fight with terrorist group Abu Sayyaf when he was arrested last July, and later sentenced to eight years in prison. Recommended Isis defeat in northern Syria opens deadly new phase in civil war Speaking to Woolwich Crown Court, Counsell, who worked at an Asda supermarket in Nottingham, claimed there had been increased tension within the local Muslim community after the Brexit vote, sparking his decision to leave. He was convicted last month on three counts of possessing documents with terrorist material, and one count of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts. During his four-week trial, a jury head how Counsell spent almost 900 on military-style boots, camouflage clothing, Kevlar boxer shorts and a cheek pag to be attached to the stock of a rifle to engage in combat. Counsell had also booked a return ticket from London to Manila an a connecting flight to Zamboanga, 20 miles from Basilan where Isis allegiance groups are situated. Abu Sayyaf wounded 14 Philippine soldiers on Friday and a German hostage was beheaded on Sunday. The father-of-two, who worked as a floor assistant at his local supermarket, was arrested at Stansted Airport on 11 July while waiting for a flight to Eindhoven. 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 had booked a week off work and was not expecting to return. His barrister John Kearney said Counsell was a bit odd but not violent or an extremist. Mr Kearney said: He wanted to leave the UK to live a humble, simple life, in a Muslim community. He discussed going to Somalia. He considered going to Bosnia, and he considered the Philippines. He wanted to live in a community under Sharia law with what he saw as an idyllic way of life. After Brexit there were divisions in his community in Nottingham, he was concerned about the way ordinary people were reacting to ordinary Muslims. So with that background he was looking for a different way of life. He was convicted on the basis that was what he intended to do but its not something he would have been able to do. I repeat that for him to join that group, the idea is quite frankly absurd. Conducting a search of Counsells home last year, police found military and camping equipment and a wealth of Islamic extremist material, including copies of the al-Qaeda magazine Inspire, Isis magazine Dabiq, and lectures by Anwar al-Awlaki, an influential extremist preacher. Riz Ahmed addresses Parliament: 'In the mind of the Isis recruit, he's the next James Bond' Bomb-making instructions were also discovered at the property, along with a document of practical advice for travelling to join Isis and videos showing hostage decapitations. The defendant had a profound and enduring interest in extremist Islam, jihad and the propaganda of Islamic State and other terrorist organisations, said Prosecutor Dan Pawson-Pounds. Counsell claimed his interest in moving to the Philippines was prompted by watching television presenter Ben Fogles Lives in the Wild series about the islands. He described his interests as religion, conspiracy theories, history, and military equipment, along with wanting to live off-the-grid, so to speak living without connection to electricity or gas in a caravan or a tent. The court heard Counsells pregnant wife, Fatima, had been sceptical about his activities. Judge Andrew Lees told Counsell: In those circumstances together with your ongoing interest in Islamic extremism and researches into Abu Sayyaf and Basilan, and the fact that you had reserved a hotel in Zamboanga City, I am sure you would have gone. I am prepared to accept that it may have been difficult and personally dangerous for you to join Abu Sayyaf, but, in my judgement there is no doubt that you were intending to seek out and join Abu Sayyaf and participate in their activities. How far you would have got or whether you would have come back without fulfilling your intention is difficult for me to assess. Counsell, of Russell Road, Hyson Green, Nottingham, was sentenced to eight years in jail for preparing acts of terrorism, and 18 months served concurrently for possessing a document containing terrorist information. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Northern Ireland has experienced a political earthquake after an extraordinary election saw Sinn Fein surge and unionists lose their majority for the first time in history. A return to power-sharing is now questionable, as Sinn Fein has previously refused to rule along with the Democratic Unionists and now wields even more power at Stormont. Sinn Fein now has 27 seats in the Northern Irish Assembly, just one fewer than the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which now has 28 seats. The DUPs losses mean it no longer has enough seats to invoke a veto mechanism known as a petition of concern, recently used to block marriage equality for same sex couples. LGBT activists have welcomed the result which looks set to herald the extension of marriage equality in Northern Ireland, four years after it was legalised in the rest of the UK. If the DUP form a grand coalition with other evangelical Christians in the Ulster Unionist Party and the Traditional Unionist Voice, blocking the reform is still possible but will be harder to enact. UUP leader Mike Nesbitt quits as Sinn Fein close gap on DUP in Stormont poll The extraordinary Sinn Fein surge came after the party capitalised on anti-DUP sentiment caused by their leaders involvement in a major financial scandal. Arlene Foster, who was also Northern Ireland First Minister, was accused of mishandling a public scheme which cost the taxpayer 480m. She denies any wrongdoing and refused to step aside pending an independent inquiry. As a result, Sinn Fein walked away from power sharing in January, triggering the election. A perfect storm of anti-corruption sentiment and growing angst about whether Brexit will lead to a hard border between the North and South of Ireland has also fuelled support for the hard left Republican Party. In addition to the DUPs losses, the UUP also suffered badly at the ballot box, plunging unionism into a period of deep uncertainty. The UUP represents a more moderate, centrist form of Unionism, with many members supporting LGBT rights and limited relaxation of the countrys abortion ban. The party ran a campaign based on tolerance and partnership with nationalists, citing concern about apparent DUP corruption and waste. However, the party failed to win moderate unionists support, who instead appear to be migrating to the liberal Alliance and Green parties. Admitting it had been a terrible night for the party, UUP leader Mike Nesbitt announced his resignation, saying the buck stops here. In another boon for Irish nationalism, the moderate, centre-left Social Democratic and Labour Party made small but unexpected gains. In the staunchly loyalist constituency Lagan Valley, Pat Catney secured a seat in the final hours, thanks to support from former UUP voters. 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 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 Following Sinn Feins success, the future of power-sharing in Northern Ireland remains unclear. The party triggered the election after refusing to share power yet the DUPs Ms Foster is resolute that she will remain in position. Recommended Theresa May is risking peace in Northern Ireland over human rights The parties will now begin a period of intense negotiations in the hope of securing an agreement to return to power sharing. If not, devolution will be formally suspended for the first time in a decade, requiring Northern Ireland to be run from directly London for an indefinite period of time. Few in Northern Ireland would wish to see this happen, given that it would be widely interpreted as a backwards step in the peace process. Similarly, the Conservatives in Westminster have expressed little interest in governing Northern Ireland and would most likely view it a cumbersome burden and distraction at a time of intense Brexit negotiations. However, neither the DUP nor Sinn Fein are likely to back down; direct rule is now a credible, if not inevitable, threat. With Sinn Feins hand strengthened more than at any other time in Northern Irish history, the party wields considerable weight at Stormont and will most likely want to flex this muscles as much as possible. Northern Ireland felt a major earthquake yesterday. Now it must brace itself for many aftershocks in the weeks and months to come. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to visit Russia for high level talks at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, it has been announced. However, the government maintained the visit does not signal business as usual but will be conducted on an engage but beware basis. Relations between the UK and Russia have been tense in recent months, with countries holding strongly differing views on the crises in Ukraine and Syria. An FCO spokeswoman said: The Foreign Secretary has accepted an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit Moscow in the coming weeks. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have made clear that our policy towards Russia is to engage but beware and the visit is entirely consistent with this approach. Discussions will focus on the UK-Russia relationship and current international issues including Syria and Ukraine, where we continue to have significant differences. This is not a return to business as usual and the Foreign Secretary will continue to be robust on those issues where we differ. We have always been clear that the UK will engage with Russia where it is in our national interest to do so. Details of precise timings will be confirmed in due course. A potential visit has been in the pipeline for some time, with the Prime Minister and President Putin discussing this when they met in China in September 2016. Jeff Sessions steps aside from Russia investigations But Mr Johnsons visit will not be with a clean slate. He was accused of Russophobic hysteria after he called for protests outside the Russian embassy in London in response to the bombing of Aleppo in late 2016. Last month, he said there was no case for relaxation of EU sanctions against Russia over its intervention in Ukraine, which has suffered spikes in violence despite official cease fires. And as speculation in the US continues to swirl over the role Russia played in the 2016 Presidential election, the UK has been consistently wary of Mr Putins intentions. 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 Meanwhile, the relationship between the Trump administration and the Russian government continues to court controversy. The US attorney general, Jeff Sessions, recused himself from investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election after revelations that he held two undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador last year. US intelligence agencies are said to have concluded that Russia interfered in last years presidential election with the aim of boosting Mr Trumps bid for the White House. Last month, the US National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, resigned over reports he had discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador to Washington and then tried to cover up the conversations. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to become the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in more than five years. The Foreign Office announced he has accepted an invitation to visit the country in the next few weeks. Foreign Office sources have been keen to stress the visit does not signal a step change in diplomatic relations with Russia, which have become increasingly strained in recent years, particularly since the polonium poisoning of British citizen and former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko at a London hotel in 2006. Recommended Boris Johnson and Rex Tillerson to meet amid Russia furore An unnamed Foreign Office source told the BBC: "He is not going in order to reset the relationship. He has been clear in his calls with Lavrov that this can't happen till they change course on issues such as Ukraine. "He intends to say the same things face to face as we do in public and in Parliament about Russian activities. While it may be a tough visit, that is what needs to be done. "Boris has always said we must engage when in our interests. He calls it 'guarded engagement'. He will be robust in the meetings and defend our position. This is not about cosying up, in fact quite the opposite." A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "The Foreign Secretary has accepted an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit Moscow in the coming weeks." Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britain will not be legally obliged to contribute towards the European Unions budget if no exit deal is reached, according to a new House of Lords analysis. The report from the Lords also claims that calculations of the UKs so-called divorce bill from the EU are hugely speculative and almost every element is subject to interpretation. Michel Barnier, the European Commissions chief Brexit negotiator, has reportedly placed such a bill close to 60bn (52bn). According to the Lords, EU budget payments likely to be a contentious issue throughout the Article 50 negotiating period would not be enforceable and the UK would be in a strong legal position to not pay a penny if talks ended with no deal. It comes after David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, said earlier this year that the Government would not rule out making future payments to the EUs budget in order to secure favourable access to Europes markets. His words were echoed by the Chancellor Philip Hammond, who added that Mr Davis was absolutely right not to rule out the possibility that we might want to contribute in some way to some form of mechanism. But Theresa May has warned her European allies that the UK is prepared to crash out of the EU if no reasonable Brexit deal is agreed on. In this case, the Lords add, Britain will not be liable to make any further financial contributions to the budget. In her keynote speech at Lancaster House the Prime Minister added: And while I am confident that this scenario need never arise while I am sure a positive agreement can be reached I am equally clear that no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain. Government suffers defeat in Lords over plan to begin Brexit negotiations The report by the House of Lords EU financial affairs sub-committee explained: Although there are competing interpretations, we conclude that if agreement is not reach, all EU law including provisions concerning ongoing financial contributions and machinery for adjudication will cease to apply, and the UK would be subject to no enforceable obligation to make any financial contribution at all. This would undesirable for the remaining member states, who would have to plug the hole in the budget created by the UKs exit without any kind of transition. It would also damage the prospects of reaching a friendly agreement on other issues. The report noted that such a disorderly exit would create a legal and political void and that both sides Britain and the EU should recognise the gravity of a no-deal. An inability to reach an agreement on the budget will undermine the Governments aim to negotiate market access on favourable terms, the authors added. Commenting on the report, the chair of the Lords committee Baroness Falkner of Margravine said: The UK appears to have a strong legal position in respect of the EU budget post-Brexit and this provides important context to the Article 50 negotiations. Even though we consider that the UK will not be legally obliged to pay in to the EU budget after Brexit, the issue will be a prominent factor in withdrawal negotiations. The Government will have to set the financial and political costs of making such payments against potential gains from other elements of the negotiations. The forthcoming negotiations will be more than just a trial of strength. They will be about establishing a stable, cooperative and amicable relationship between the UK and the EU. This will not be possible without good will on both sides. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} NHS reforms will fail and patient safety put at risk without an emergency rescue in next weeks Budget, the Conservative head of the Commons Health Committee has warned. In an interview with The Independent, Dr Sarah Wollaston urged Chancellor Philip Hammond to change course or watch the suffering public turn against the Governments running of the health service. Dr Wollaston criticised claims that the NHS is on a sustainable footing, insisting that was simply not true because spending was failing to keep pace with soaring demand. And she said it was vital the Chancellor when delivering his Budget on Wednesday finds extra funds for both adult social care and local NHS renewal plans, across the country. The Sustainability and Transformation plans (STPs) are meant to allow health chiefs to shift treatments to more modern community facilities, potentially closing expensive, outdated buildings. But Dr Wollaston said: They dont have the money to make the transformations before they make the cuts, and that is undermining them before they get going. That unrealistic funding, together with an unrealistic timetable, means they look like they are implementing cuts, which means they will then lose public support. If we do not have the funding to put in place the transformation of services, we will see these plans fail. Ahead of the Budget, the former GP urged Mr Hammond to: * Stop raiding capital budgets to pay for-day-to-day NHS spending the reason why the STPs are starved of funds * Put extra funds into social care, after moves in the autumn to allow local councils to raise extra money were widely criticised as inadequate * Ensure that funding is genuinely new money, rather than another transfer from within the NHS * End the cuts to Public Health England and to Health Education England, warning they were another false economy Dr Wollaston described the NHS as being in the middle of a perfect storm of rising waiting times in A&E, patients unable to leave hospital and other patients on trolleys unable to be transferred in. Hospitals cant admit on to wards, so they cancel routine procedures which are their funding base and end up in spiral of decline, with patients suffering, she said. Bed occupancy rates are at unsustainable levels and we are hearing stories of not only routine, but urgent, surgery being cancelled. There have been two cases in which urgent neurological procedures did not take place, resulting in the deaths of two patients, which is extremely serious. Dr Wollaston has become an influential and independent voice at Westminster, emphasising her real-world experience and determination not to become a tribal politician. She has clashed with Theresa May over the latters claim to have injected an extra 10bn into the NHS a figure Dr Wollaston described as artificial, partly because it obscured cuts to wider health budgets. Hospital trusts are on course for a financial deficit of up to 850m at the end of the financial year, she pointed out. Also, local clinical commission groups (CCGs) are being forced to hold back 800m to prevent an even bigger black hole at hospitals. Again, this is patient care that is being cut back, Dr Wollaston said. The select committee chair said she was quite optimistic that the Chancellor would inject money into social care, where there is huge political pressure. But on Friday the NHS chief executive Simon Stevens said he was not expecting Mr Hammond to end the damaging transfers from capital to revenue budgets. Last week, MPs voted through 1.2bn to prop up revenue spending which Dr Wollaston described as an unsustainable position. This is not allowed, yet this is the third year we have done this, she said. Repairs are being put off, shunted down the stream, and the wonderful new community facilities promised are not happening. It is only those facilities that allow the closure of beds, so the public are not seeing the positives of what should happen they are just seeing a picture of cuts. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Tens of thousands of people marched through London in defence of the NHS on Saturday, culminating with a rally in Parliament Square and a speech from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The organisers of the #ItsOurNHS march described it as a rallying call to save the health service as more austerity in the NHS represents a real risk to the safety of patients and the service. The Labour leader told a larger than expected crowd that the current crisis in the NHS had been made in Downing Street and criticised the Tory government for cutting taxes for the rich, and for the fat cats. The moneys there, he said. Dont let them tell you it isnt. He told the crowd: Defending the NHS is defending a basic human value and a basic human right. You dont walk by on the other side when somebody is in difficulties or needing help. The Labour leader repeated calls on Chancellor Philip Hammond to use next weeks budget to guarantee funding for the NHS and for social care. He said: The NHS is in crisis, in crisis because of the underfunding in social care and the people not getting the care and support they need. There are those waiting on trolleys and those who are desperate to get into an A&E department waiting hours for treatment. It is not the fault of the staff. It is the fault of a Government who have made a political choice. Campaigners held signs criticising the notorious Vote Leave campaign promise of 350m a week for the NHS. Others highlighted the fact that 40,000 EU nationals currently work in the NHS, including 10,000 doctors, who are yet to have their right to remain in the UK guaranteed by the government. Jeremy Corbyns leadership remains under considerable pressure, with Labour activists in Copeland now citing the party leader as the main cause of their historic by-election defeat last month. Labours campaign in Copeland was centred on the NHS, highlighting planned Conservative cuts to the local maternity unit, with one activist telling Business Insider that with a different leader we would have won. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Corbyn was the one issue on the doorstep in Labours defeat in the Copeland by-election last week and anyone who suggests otherwise is lying, according to Labour MP Ben Bradshaw. Speaking to The Independent, the former cabinet minister placed the blame for the historic loss the first time an opposition party had lost a by-election to a sitting Government in more than 30 years at the door of the Labour Party's leader, claiming that no Labour seat was safe in the 2020 general election. Our candidate [Gillian Troughton] has done a fantastic job of making sure the voters knew that she was very pro-nuclear power, he said. Theres no point kidding ourselves. Talk to anyone who campaigned in that election the only issue was Jeremy Corbyn. Anyone else who suggested otherwise is lying. Jeremy was the one issue on the doorstep. Conservatives take Copeland in humiliating blow to Labour Mr Bradshaws comments come after Labour frontbenchers, including Shami Chakrabarti, suggested that bad weather and poor public transport had contributed to the loss. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell argued that high-profile interventions by former Labour figures Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson were in part to blame. It was a terrible result for Labour, said Mr Bradshaw. You have to go back to 1960 until there was another loss of an by election seat from an opposition party to a party of Government without any kind of extenuating circumstances. It was an absolutely catastrophic defeat for us." Based on the opinion polls and the real results not just in Copeland and Stoke but in local and council by-elections all over the country, no Labour seat is safe. Not a single one. Mr Bradshaw, Labour MP for Exeter since 1997, praised the incredible and very important interventions made by former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and John Major on the subject of Brexit. There are at least 48 per cent of people out there whose views and hopes are not being represented at the moment by any major political party or leader, he said. Were one of the few countries in the world that doesnt take notice of what former prime ministers think or say, and given the experience theyve had at the highest level, I think its more important than ever that we have those voices to speak on behalf of the resistance. Mr Bradshaw said the Labour Party ought to be 20 points ahead of an evidently beatable Tory party and argued that forcing Labour MPs to vote in favour of Article 50 was catastrophic historical and political error. I think a hard Tory Brexit is going to be an absolute disaster, he said. It will unravel very, very quickly and when people begin to see that happening that will provide a huge opportunity for Labour, but only if we are in a position where we can capitalise on that and only if we are competently led. 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 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 We can stop a destructive and hard Tory Brexit and Labour can win the next general election. But certain things have to happen. I will do everything I can over the next few weeks and months to ensure that they do. On the three-line whip imposed by Mr Corbyn during the Article 50 vote, Mr Bradshaw said: Future generations will not forgive the people who were responsible for that when they see the damage that a hard Brexit is going to do to our country. Mr Bradshaw also defended Mr Blair over the Iraq war and said the public should trust the former PM now that he is re-engaging in political debate. The Chilcot inquiry completely exonerated Tony Blair of all of the mad allegations that were thrown at him, he said. I think that quite unfairly and without any evidence there is a section of the British public that dont like Tony Blair. Weve got to get over this nonsense about Iraq just look at Syria where we didnt intervene, its far worse, far more people died, far more refugees and no solution in sight. In Iraq you now have a functioning democracy and it is beating back Isis. There are some on the far left who are blinded by their misinterpretation of what happened in Iraq and that perverts their view of anything Tony Blair does or says. In the real world that is not the majority view of people who I meet on the doorstep. Despite the recent resignations of fellow Labour MPs Tristam Hunt and Jamie Reed, Mr Bradshaw, who unsuccessfully ran for the position of deputy leader in 2015, confirmed he intends to stand for re-election in 2020. Im staying and fighting to save the party Ive spent all my life fighting for, he said. I think this country desperately needs a left-of-centre party more than ever at this time, with the awful and destructive damage the Tories are wreaking on our health and social care system, our education system and our economy. Ive got more fight in my belly than Ive ever had." Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Government is expected to change the law in a bid to stop consumers accidentally signing up to recurring monthly subscriptions. Research by Citizens Advice estimates that around two million consumers every year have problems cancelling subscriptions. Additionally, over 40 per cent of British people are paying for a subscription that they do not use. Recommended Amazon Prime Air will now deliver things to you on a drone Now the Government is to consult on a plan that would require companies to properly notify customers when they are about to take payment for subscriptions. Amazons Prime service automatically enrols people who take free trials for a whole years 79 payment if they do not cancel within the trial period. In March 2015 the Advertising Standards Authority banned Amazon from using direct mail to offer free trials after it found the shopping giant was misleading consumers about the cost of the service. Apple Music, Spotify, and Netflix are also examples of services that renew automatically after a free trial. Some companies already provide notifications for consumers when they are about to take payments 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 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 The announcement of plans to curb the practice are expected to be laid out by the Chancellor Philip Hammond in his Budget on Wednesday. The Treasury said the Government would swiftly develop options to stop people paying unexpected automatic fees for unwanted subscriptions. The Chancellor is also expected to announce that he will examine a range of options to shorten and simplify the small print in online terms and conditions. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Nigel Farage has been accused of hating foreigners by a six-year-old girl dressed as the Queen during a television interview with Russia Today. In a bizarre clip, the former Ukip leader, who was reported earlier in the week to be angry that he had been denied a knighthood, kneels down in front of the child, who then pretends to knight him with a toy sword. At the end of an interview about Ukips prospects, Russia Today presenter Sam Delaney says bring in Her Majesty, its time to knight Nigel Farage, before telling the Ukip MEP to kneel there. Mr Farage, doing as instructed, begs: Dont hurt me. He then thanks the child. You are now Sir Nigel Farage, mocks Mr Delaney. Were also making you honorary British ambassador to America and honorary MP for South Thanet because they didnt elect you for real. So arise Sir Nigel. Mr Farage says he is honoured. The stunt takes a strange twist when, at the end of the staged ceremony, the young girl turns to the Ukip politician and says: My mummy says you hate foreigners". An embarrassed Mr Farage replies: Did she? I dont think thats quite right. The Queen has to be non-political, he retorts. 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 Mr Delaney, meanwhile, quickly tried to dismiss the comment, saying: No no, little girl, no no no. Youre not supposed to say that. Thats very naughty. The incident comes days after the former Ukip leader attacked his partys only MP, Douglas Carswell, and called for him to thrown out. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Farage said: As a party, how can we let a man represent us in the House of Commons who actively and transparently seeks to damage us? I think there is little future for Ukip with him staying inside this party. The time for him to go is now. The row is the latest in a series of spats between the two men and comes amid controversy within Ukip over whether Mr Carswell tried to prevent Mr Farage receiving a knighthood. It was reported on Tuesday that the MP had suggested his former leader should instead be given an OBE for services to headline writers. In response, Mr Farage claimed he was not particularly interested in being knighted. Mr Carswell, meanwhile, denied he had done anything wrong, saying: The emails directly contradict those who suggest I was not trying to ensure that Ukip got its share of peerages and honours. You cannot regard that email as anything other than being supportive that Ukip gets its fair share of peerages and honours. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ukip leader Paul Nuttall has denied claims made in The Independent by party donor Arron Banks that he is a weak leader and that the party is run like a squash club committee. Mr Nuttall said there were positives to be taken from his bruising defeat in the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election, and said it was not weak to ask for unity. Mr Nuttall was speaking at his party's south-west regional conference in Weymouth on Saturday and admitted Ukip had suffered a difficult few weeks. Recommended Arron Banks reveals plans to unseat Douglas Carswell The Stoke by-election was a bruising experience for me personally and indeed for the party, he said, adding: I read this week in many news outlets that Ukip is in crisis. This is not a party in crisis, this is a party that is on the move and looking to the future. In an interview with The Independent published on Saturday, Mr Banks was critical of Mr Nuttalls failed campaign in Stoke and said the party needs to be fit for purpose now. Its run like a squash club committee and that needs to stop. But Mr Nuttall, who was elected at the end of 2016 promising to bring unity to a party seemingly permanently at civil war, said: I want to make one thing perfectly clear, bringing people together and asking for unity is not a sign of weakness. Bringing people together to look to the future, to work hard for this party, is a sign of strength. The leader promised members that Ukip would get a "fresh rebrand for a new era" and would remain a radical party, pushing for an Australian-style points-based system for immigration and aptitude and attitude tests for migrants. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Barack Obama's spokesman has denied allegations by Donald Trump that the former President ordered for his offices in New York to be wiretapped before the presidential election. Speaking several hours after Mr Trump made the claims on Twitter, Kevin Lewis asserted that any suggestion Mr Obama or his staff had "ordered surveillance on any US citizen" was false. He added that a cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered in any Justice Department investigations, which are supposed to be conducted free of political influence. As part of that practice, neither Obama nor White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is false, Mr Lewis said. The statement did not address the possibility that a wiretap of the Trump campaign could have been ordered by Justice Department officials. Under US law, a federal court would have to have found probable cause that the target of the surveillance is an agent of a foreign power in order to approve a warrant authorising electronic surveillance of Trump Tower. The President made the allegations against his predecessor early on Saturday morning, tweeting: Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Shortly afterwards, Mr Trump added: Is it legal for a sitting President to be wire tapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A new low! Trump 'cosplaying a military man' "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to election!" Mr Trump also suggested that Mr Obama was "sick", writing: "How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!" It is not the first time Mr Trump has attacked his predecessor, having waged a years-long birtherism campaign alleging Mr Obama was not a US citizen and had a fake birth certificate. The President was tweeting from his Florida seaside resort, Mar-a-Lago, where he was scheduled to meet with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly before a dinner with officials also including adviser Steve Bannon and White House Counsel Don McGahn. Several conservative news outlets and commentators have made allegations in recent days about Mr Trump being wiretapped during the campaign. The President did not provide evidence that Mr Obama was responsible for surveillance on his property, and the White House did not immediately return requests for comment. A former senior US official with direct knowledge of investigations by the Justice Department under the Obama administration denied there was any such investigation of Mr Trump or that his phones were tapped. In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Show all 30 1 /30 In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump President-elect Donald Trump acknowledges guests as he arrives on the platform at the US Capitol in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump looks on during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington AP In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump President Donald Trump shakes hands with Justice John Roberts after taking the oath at inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump President Donald Trump raises his fists after his inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Getty In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets outgoing President Barack Obama before Trump is inaugurated during ceremonies on the Capitol in Washington Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump resident-elect Donald Trump arrives on the platform of the US Capitol in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Attendees partake in the inauguration ceremonies to swear in Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump US President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address during ceremonies at the US Capitol in Washington DC Getty In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump U.S. President Donald Trump waves with wife Melania during the Inaugural Parade in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Protesters registered their rage against the new president Friday in a chaotic confrontation with police who used pepper spray and stun grenades in a melee just blocks from Donald Trump's inaugural parade route. Scores were arrested for trashing property and attacking officers AP In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators protest against US President Donald Trump in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A woman holds a sign before the start of the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Anti-Trump protesters prepare banners for a protest against the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, in Berlin REUTERS In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators shout slogans against US President-elect Donald Trump in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators march, block foot traffic and clash with U.S. Capitol Police at the entry checkpoints for the Inauguration of Donald Trump Alamy Live News In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators display a banner as people arrive for US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A man displays a placard as people lineup to get into the National Mall for the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump in Washington DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump raise their hands as they are surrounded by police on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A demonstrator wearing a mask depicting Donald Trump protests outside the US Embassy in London Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Demonstrators hold placards as they protest outside the US Embassy in London Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Former US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush arrive for the Presidential Inauguration at the US Capitol Rex In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden share an umbrella as President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address at the inauguration in Washington DC Rex In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump U.S. Vice President Mike Pence takes the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Advisors to President-elect Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon depart from services at St. John's Church during the Presidential Inauguration in Washington Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump take cover as they are hit by pepper spray by police on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump An activist demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump is helped after being hit by pepper spray on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A police officer tries to tackle a protester demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump Reuters/Adrees Latif In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump Police arrest and detain a protester in the street in Washington DC Rex In pictures: Protests, pomp and Donald Trump A police officer falls to the ground as another shoots pepper spray at protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington DC Reuters "This did not happen. It is false. Wrong," the former official said, adding that Mr Obama could not order this, and that it would have been taken to a judge by investigators, but investigators never did this. The former deputy national security adviser under Mr Obama, Ben Rhodes, meanwhile tweeted that presidents cannot order wiretapping. "No president can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you," Mr Rhodes said in his Twitter post. Members of Congress said the accusations require investigation or explanation. Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican, described the allegations as serious and said the public deserved more information. He said it was possible that Mr Trump had been illegally tapped, but if so, the President should explain what sort of invasion took place and how he knew about it. Mr Trump made the allegations on Twitter from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Representative Adam Schiff, the most senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called Mr Trump's assertion a spectacularly reckless allegation. If there is something bad or sick going on, it is the willingness of the nation's chief executive to make the most outlandish and destructive claims without providing a scintilla of evidence to support them, he said. It was the latest twist in a controversy over ties between Mr Trump's associates and Russia that has dogged the early days of his presidency. Mr Trump and the Kremlin refuted report by US intelligence agencies that concluded Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the election campaign as part of an effort to damage Hillary Clinton. The former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned in February after revelations that he had discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the US during the transition period. Mr Flynn had promised Vice President Mike Pence he had not discussed the matter, but transcripts of intercepted communications showed that the subject had come up. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was also forced to remove himself from any investigation into the administration's links with Russia after it was revealed he failed to declare his own meetings with the same ambassador. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump is believed to have spent almost a quarter of his time as President in the sunshine state of Florida. The President, who enjoys referring to his Palm Beach estate as the Winter White House, has spent four out of seven weekends of his presidency at his 126-room Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. As of Sunday, when the billionaire property developer flew out of the resort, he had spent almost 242 hours out of his 1,060 total hours as president in Florida, according to the Palm Beach Post. While he has spent the majority of his time inside or near his opulent Palm Beach estate, which he purchased for $5 million in 1985, he has also made fleeting visits to Tampa, Melbourne and Orlando. Mr Trump expressed his fondness for Florida, a state he has been visiting for decades, over the weekend. He referred to it as his second home and Mar-a-Lago as the Southern White House. We get a lot of work done - believe me, there's not rest at the Southern White House - it's all work, he told an audience at St Andrews Catholic School in Orlando Florida at a Teaching Conference. In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Show all 32 1 /32 In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London An image of President Donald Trump is seen on a placard during the Women's March in London, England Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A view of the skywriting word reading 'Trump' as thousands rally in support of equal rights in Sydney, New South Wales EPA In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Rome People shout and hold signs during a rally against US newly sworn-in President Donald Trump in Rome Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A protester holds a placard during the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille A placard ready 'Pussy grabs back' is attached to the handle bar of a bike during a 'Women's March' organized by Feminist and human rights groups in solidarity with women marching in Washington and around the world for their rights and against the reactionary politics of the newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump, at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok A young Thai girl holds a "women's rights are human rights" sign at Roadhouse BBQ restaurant where many of the Bangkok Womens March participants gathered in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok A Thai woman takes a photo of a "hate is not great" sign at the women's solidarity gathering in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok American expats and travellers gather with the international community in Bangkok at the Roadhouse BBQ restaurant to stand in solidarity in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protetesters gather outside The US Embassy in Grosvenor Square ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille Women's March at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille Protestors hold placards reading 'My body my choice, my vote my voice' during a 'Women's March' organized by Feminist and human rights groups in solidarity with women marching in Washington and around the world for their rights and against the reactionary politics of the newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump, at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Rome A person holds a sign during a rally against US newly sworn-in President Donald Trump in Rome Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Kolkata Activist Sarah Annay Williamson holds a placard and shouts slogan during the Women's March rally in Kolkata, India AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Kolkata Activists participate in the Women's March rally in Kolkata, India AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A Women's March placards are rested on a bench outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A women carries her placard ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Manila Women protesters shout slogans while displaying placards during a rally in solidarity against the inauguration of President Donald Trump, in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Melbourne Protesters take part in the Melbourne rally to protest against the Trump Inauguration in Melbourne, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters take part in the Women's March rally in Macau Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Melbourne Womens march on Melbourne protestors marching during a rally where rights groups marched in solidarity with Americans to speak out against misogyny, bigotry and hatred Rex In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters hold placards as they take part at the Women's March rally in Macau Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters hold placards as they take part at the Women's March rally in Macau, Macau. The Women's March originated in Washington DC but soon spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Manila A mother carries her son as they join a rally in solidarity against the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney An infant is held up at a demonstration against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A woman attends a demonstration against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A woman expresses her Anti-Trump views in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydeney Protesters demonstrate against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia. The marches in Australia were organised to show solidarity with those marching on Washington DC and around the world in defense of women's rights and human rights Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protesters march from The US Embassy in Grosvenor Square towards Trafalgar Square during the Women's March in London, England Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protesters carrying banners take part in the Women's March on London, as they stand in Trafalgar Square, in central London Reuters Nevertheless, Mr Trump has had a tumultous relationship with the state and has sued the city and had battles with the town's leadership. Although his Mar-a-Lago resort is a 15-hour drive from the White House, the estate has been described as an outpost of American government. President Trump had an al fresco meeting with Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, amid a North Korean missile launch at the resort last month and he has also entertained health care industry executives there. Recommended Barbra Streisand says Donald Trump is making her fat While Mr Trump and his family enjoy private quarters in a closed-off area of the grounds, the resort is also home to a members club. The Mar-a-Lago Clubs members include real estate developers, energy executives and Wall Street financiers. On Monday, Democratic senators urged the Trump administration to publicly release logs of visitors to both Mar-a-Lago and the White House. Mr Trumps frequent visits to the resort have allowed members extraordinary access to powerful figures in the US government. Visitors have taken photos with Ivanka Trump, the President's eldest daughter, reading by the pool, and taken selfies with Steve Bannon, Mr Trumps chief strategist and the former executive chairman of far-right publication Breitbart News. But the financial burden of his Florida trips could be hitting the taxpayer. An estimate by the Government Accounting Office found trips to Mar-a-Lago could be costing the US taxpayer more than $3 million (2.4m) per visit. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A father of four was arrested and taken away by US immigration officials in front of his 13-year-old daughter as he was dropping her off to school. Fatima Avelica is heard sobbing in a video she recorded showing her undocumented father being handcuffed by two officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and taken away in an unmarked black car. The schoolgirl filmed the scene from the back seat of her fathers car, who was driving her to school in the neighbourhood of Highland Park in Los Angeles, ABC7 reports. A few moments earlier, the 48-years-old father named as Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, had dropped off his other daughter at the Academia Avance Charter School half a mile away from where he was arrested. Described by as a father of four, Mr Avelica is an undocumented immigrant reported to be from Mexico, who has lived in the US for more than 20 years and worked in a restaurant. Speaking to CNN, Fatima who wept as she captured her fathers detention, said: I was scared and sad at the same time. I never thought I would have to experience something like this in my life ... on my way to school." Donald Trumps hard-line stance on immigration has seen undocumented immigrants being detained and deported since his inauguration. Under the US Presidents immigration enforcement directives, undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of any criminal offence, including those who have abused any programme related to receipt of public benefits can be deported. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement Mr Avelica was targeted for arrest because relevant databases indicate he has multiple prior criminal convictions. They quoted a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) in 2009 and an outstanding order of removal dating back from 2014. Mr Avelica-Gonzalez remains in custody. 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 Academia Avance Charter School said in a post on Facebook Mr Avelicas family were requesting a certification from Los Angeles Police Department to support their legal motion for their father to be granted a visa. A petition has been started urging ICE not to deport the father of four and a protest has been organised for Monday in front of Los Angeles Immigration Court. In the Facebook page of the event, organisers wrote: Together we showed the new administration that we will not be intimidated. That ICE's campaign of terror will only embolden us more to fight every single deportation. And we will not be silent. Today, Romulo's fight is not yet done! ICE continues to try to deport him quickly and easily. He is now being held over a hundred miles away at an immigration jail. We must show ICE that they cannot get away with this. We will fight and we will stand proudly with our communities. We will not be afraid. Together we will resist! And we can win! Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The FBI arrested St Louis resident Juan Thompson on Friday morning for allegedly making bomb threats against at least eight Jewish centers worldwide in the name of his former girlfriend. According to the federal criminal complaint, Mr Thompson made several threats in the name of his ex-girlfriend and has been charged with cyberstalking. Prosecutors believe they were made in an extensive campaign to harass the victim. The 31-year-old former journalist with The Intercept was fired from the company in February 2016 after fabricating sources in a number of his stories. But Mr Thompson is maintaining his innocence on Twitter and insisting his former girlfriend is attempting to frame him. After learning of the charges, his former employer issued a statement to The Washington Posts Erik Wemple. Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Show all 15 1 /15 Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: Children play on playground equipment that was defaced with swastikas during an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message AGo Trump.A Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz speaks at a anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message AGo Trump.A Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: A piece of playground equipment that was defaced with swastikas stands during an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message AGo Trump.A Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn A woamn takes a photo of messages and flowers left at a playground before a protest against racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn New York State Senator Daniel Squadron speaks as activists protest racism and hate after swastikas found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Flowers left by activists at the entrance to Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016 after swastikas were found in the park. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Messages and flowers left by activists at a playground protesting racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest Racism and Hate after swastikas found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images We were horrified to learn this morning that Juan Thompson, a former employee of The Intercept, has been arrested in connection with bomb threats against the ADL and multiple Jewish Community Centers in addition to cyberstalking, the statement reads. These actions are heinous and should be fully investigated and prosecuted. We have no information about the charges against Thompson other than what is included in the criminal complaint. Thompson worked for The Intercept from November 2014 to January 2016, when he was fired after we discovered that the had fabricated sources and quotes in his articles. Authorities believe the victim dumped Mr Thompson in summer 2016. Over the last six months, the complaint alleges, Mr Thompson sent emails and faxes to the victims workplace claiming that she had sexually transmitted diseases, that she had been previously charged with drunk driving, and that she had threatened to kill him. The arrest comes as hundreds of threats have been made against Jewish centers across the country. Mr Thompson has been charged with one count of cyberstalking, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump is planning to slash the budget of a major US climate change research agency by almost a fifth, a leaked memo has revealed. The White House document proposes cutting funding of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which carries out research on climate change. The plans also include measures to reduce funding for programmes that enable coastal areas in the US to withstand extreme weather events. The memo, from the Trump Administrations Office of Management and Budget, proposes cutting the budget of a number of NOAA departments that conduct scientific climate research. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research is scheduled to see its budget slashed by $126m (102m), or 26 per cent, while the organisations satellite data department would lose $513m 22 per cent of its funding. Researchers at the NOAA have previously produced data showing there has been no slowdown in the rate of climate change a claim that angered some Republicans in Congress. The proposed funding cuts plans were outlined in a document drafted during the process of preparing the Government budget for the 2018 fiscal year, which in the US begins on 1 October. The memo was leaked to The Washington Post. Earlier this week Mr Trump announced plans to increase spending on the US military by $54m. Some of the increase in the defence budget is expected to be funded by cutting environmental programmes, including the funding of the Environmental Protection Agency. The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters The agencys $8.2bn budget includes measures to help tackle climate change and improve air and water quality. Mr Trump said it was important to divert spending towards the military to ensure the US is able to win wars. We must ensure that our courageous servicemen and women have the tools they need to deter war and when called upon to fight in our name, only do one thing: win, he said. We have to win. We have to start winning wars again. Trump: 'I'd give myself an A for effort' Mr Trump has appointed a number of climate change sceptics to key positions in his administration, including placing Scott Pruitt in charge of the EPA. Mr Pruitt has previously said scientific research on global warming is far from settled despite 97 per cent of climate scientists agreeing that humans are causing the earth to warm. Scientists who previously worked for the NOAA condemned the reported plans to cut the agencys budget. Jane Lubchenco, the organisations administrator under Barack Obama, said: Cutting NOAAs satellite budget will compromise NOAAs mission of keeping Americans safe from extreme weather and providing forecasts that allow businesses and citizens to make smart plans. Rick Spinrad, a former chief scientist for NOAA, said: NOAAs research and operations, including satellite data management, support critical safety needs. A reduced investment now would virtually guarantee jeopardising the safety of the American public. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Mexican politician has climbed the fence that separates Mexico from the United States to show President Donald Trump his plan for a border wall is "absurd". Braulio Guerra, who represents the state of Queretaro, said it was "easy to climb the wall, but there are many dangers for our people". "Human rights, principles and dignity are non-negotiable," he added. Mr Trump signed an executive order in January to jump-start the building of the wall, which he said was "so badly needed". Experts later warned its construction could threaten 111 endangered animal species and cause major environmental damage. Mr Guerra said building the wall would be an "absurd and unnecessary waste". Mr Trump has repeatedly asserted that Mexico will foot the bill for the wall. It led to a very public falling out with Mexico's president, Enrique Pena Nieto, who had vowed not to cough up. Following a series of tweets by Mr Trump, Mr Pena Nieto cancelled a planned visit to Washington. Nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the wall's construction, and 70 per cent believe the US will end up paying for it. Mr Trump has said the price would drop "way down" once he became involved in the planning process. According to a leaked Department of Homeland Security report, the barrier could cost as much as $21bn (17bn) and take more than three years to construct. Some 650 miles of fencing already in place has come at a cost of $7bn ($5.6bn) and Mr Trump's plans require extending the barrier into increasingly remote and mountainous regions, which raises the building costs significantly. The proportion of Americans who oppose the wall has increased since election day, from 54 per cent to 62 per cent. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than half of Americans think Congress should investigate whether members of Donald Trump's campaign team had contact with the Russian government in the run-up to the election. Fifty-three per cent of people told researchers from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal they backed a congressional probe, and a similar proportion said Russian interference more generally in the 2016 polls should be looked into. In total, 25 per cent said they would not support an investigation of the Trump campaign team. But the numbers were collated before the latest controversy to hit President Trump's administrationreports that his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, had twice had contact with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, but did not disclose it during his confirmation hearing in January. Mr Sessions has recused himself from any probe that examines communications between President Trump's aides and Moscow following the revelations, while denying he met any "Russian operatives or Russian intermediaries" in relation to the Presidential campaign. Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Show all 14 1 /14 Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - NOVEMBER 23: A woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A woman walks past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A child walks past a graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a bar in the old town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural People walk past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A young woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the slogan "make everything great again," in reference to Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A morning commuter stops to look at a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Restaurant owner Dominykas Ceckauskas pose next to a mural on the wall of his establishment depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. / AFP / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images) Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A passerby photographs a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Getty He rejected suggestions he lied under oath during his confirmation hearing but admitted his answer to a question by Senator Al Franken could have been more comprehensive. Mr Sessions: "I should have slowed down and said, 'But I did meet one Russian official a couple of times.'" Asked what he would have done if he discovered "anyone affiliated" with Mr Trump's campaign had been in contact with Russian representatives, Mr Sessions had said: "Im not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two during that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians and Im unable to comment on it." Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said "there was absolutely nothing misleading" about Mr Sessions' answer during the confirmation hearing. "He was asked during the hearing about communications between Russia and the Trump campaignnot about meetings he took as a senator and a member of the Armed Services Committee," she added. The poll findings showed a clear partisan split over the issue of investigating Russia links. Eighty per cent of Democrats supported the plan of examining Mr Trump's team, but only 25 per cent of Republicans did. More than half of people who identified as "independent"55 per centbacked an investigation. Support for members of Congress looking into Russia's wider involvement in the election achieved a similar result in the poll. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} India's national airline claims to have made the first round-the-world trip staffed entirely by women. An Air India Boeing 777 flew from Delhi to San Francisco over the Pacific Ocean, covering around 9,500 miles (15,300 km), the carrier said. It then made the return trip across the Atlantic. In addition to female pilots and cabin crew, all ground staff working with the plane - including safety auditors, engineers and air traffic controllers - were women. Captains Sunita Narula, Kshamta Bajpai, Indira Singh and Gunjan Aggarwal shared piloting duties on the 15.5 hour long flights. Leading the cabin crew were stewardesses Seema Baberwal and Nishrin Bandulwala. The airline said the trip was another feather to Air India's cap in its constant endeavour to encourage women. India Air said it has already contacted Guinness Book of World Records to document the flight. It is not the first initiative the carrier has introduced to promote gender equality. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty In January, it announced there would be designated female only seats on all domestic flights for women travelling alone. The decision came after a spate of sexual harassment reports on board Air India flights. Staff were also issued with plastic handcuffs to restrain unruly travellers. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Internet censorship in China is hampering scientific research and economic development in the country, a senior adviser for the country's government has warned. In a rare public criticism of the nation's internet restrictions, Luo Fuhe, vice-chairman of the top advisory body to the country's parliament, warned that slow access to overseas academic websites have hindered the work of domestic researchers. Speaking to reporters in Beijing, Mr Luo said the lengths Chinese researchers had to go to carry out their work was not normal, warning that they were often forced to buy software to bypass the country's site-blocking firewall, or even travel overseas in order to conduct research. China's internet restrictions constitute one of the worlds most sophisticated and far-reaching systems of internet censorship, blocking numerous foreign social media and news websites and routinely repressing discussion of political topics and other sensitive issues such as Tibet and Taiwan. Mr Luo warned that the same tools also hamper access to large swathes of the internet outside China, including some research and university websites. Noting that web pages on the UN pages take up to 20 minutes to load, Mr Luo said: From within China, attempting to visit to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation or a lot of foreign university websites is very slow. Opening each page takes at least 10-20 seconds and some foreign university sites need more than half an hour to open. Some researches rely on software to climb over the firewall to complete their own research tasks. This is not normal. Internet reacts to Googles anti-censorship in China stance Show all 2 1 /2 Internet reacts to Googles anti-censorship in China stance Internet reacts to Googles anti-censorship in China stance 295663.bin AFP PHOTO/GOH CHAI HIN Internet reacts to Googles anti-censorship in China stance 249725.bin AFP/Mark RALSTON Mr Luo recommended that the government determine which websites are off-limits with greater precision and allow full open access to sites frequented by researchers, particularly if they do not contain political content. The Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference's comments were a rare condemnation of the nations internet restrictions, which have intensified since China's current leader Xi Jinping came into power in 2012. According to a report by Freedom House, China was the worst abuser of internet freedom in 2016, ranking lower than Syria and Iran. As well as banning websites, the system frequently deletes online comments deemed politically sensitive, while social media posts have been known to lead to jail sentences. China's authoritarian government has recently renewed a push for a greater role in global internet governance based on restrictions and regulations, rather than the principle of free-flow of information found in democratic societies. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Grieving families of passengers on board of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have launched a campaign to raise $15m to continue the search for the aircraft. The 239 people on board are still missing after the Boeing 777 went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, nearly three years ago. In January, authorities in Australia, Malaysia and China jointly called off the underwater search after the two-year hunt ended without finding a trace of the plane leaving families with no answers. But Malaysian lawyer Grace Nathan, whose mother Anne Daisy was on the plane, said the families hope to raise $15 million to fund an initial search north of the previous search area. The previous $160m search swept across an area of 120,000sq km (46,000sq m) in remote waters west of Australia. This comes after officials investigating the planes disappearance recommended search crews head north to a new area identified in a recent analysis as a possible crash site. But the Australian government has already vetoed the idea. We wont start fundraising until we're sure that the governments are not going to resume the search and until the current data has been fully reviewed and analysed, said Ms Nathan at the campaign launch and MH370 memorial event held in Kuala Lumpur. Last year, Governments of China, Australia and Malaysia, which have all helped fund the search, said they would resume the investigation if any credible evidence on the whereabouts of the plane emerges. International experts assisted Voice 370, a support group for the relatives of the victims, to organise their own search along the East African coast where debris had been discovered. They pinpointed to us accurately where the debris would have made landfall. Theyve been very helpful both on a personal level and to the investigation, Ms Nathan said. The memorial event, the first since the search was suspended, saw relatives of the late passengers make impassioned pleas for the search to continue. Potential passenger belongings from MH370 Show all 13 1 /13 Potential passenger belongings from MH370 Potential passenger belongings from MH370 A bag and pen Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 The sole of a shoe Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 A satchel with pen Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 The inside of a bag Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 A shoulder bag Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 The word Mensa, from the high-IQ organisation, on an item Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 A phone case and pen Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 A wash bag Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 A backpack Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 A camera case Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 A prayer hat Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 The sole of a shoe Blaine Gibson Potential passenger belongings from MH370 A luggage bag and pen Blaine Gibson Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the plane, told the audience about his experience discovering a piece of potential MH370 debris in Madagascar last year. I thought it was very miraculous and fortunate when I found the piece of debris that day, but I thought it was useless because this sort of searching activity should have been done by the government. It should not be us, the family members, who should have been subjected to this pain, to go and face this cruel reality, said Mr Hui, who had travelled from China to attend the memorial. Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said authorities had analysed 27 pieces of potential MH370 debris along the East African coastline, including two new pieces found in South Africa two weeks ago. The government has also signed several agreements with countries along the East African coastline to coordinate searches for debris. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Malaysia has expelled North Koreas ambassador for refusing to apologise for his strong accusations over Malaysias handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leaders half brother. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy declaring Ambassador Kang Chol persona non grata. The notice said Mr Kang must leave Malaysia within 48 hours. Earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea formally apologise for Mr Kangs accusations over the investigation into the killing of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpurs airport last month, including that the Malaysian government had something to hide and that Malaysia has colluded with outside powers to defame North Korea, Anifah said in a statement. He said that no apology had come and none appeared forthcoming, and that North Korean Embassy officials also failed to turn up for a meeting Saturday at the foreign ministry, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador. It should be made clear Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation, Mr Anifah said. The death of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Mr Kim was dead within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Kangs expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Mr Anifah had said this was an indication of the governments concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities. Earlier on Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong-chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang. Mr Ri said that he wasnt at the airport the day Kim was killed, but that police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with fake evidence. He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too wont be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia, Mr Ri said. This is when I realised that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation. Malaysias national police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to respond to Mr Ris comments. CCTV shows woman arrested in connection with Kim Jong-nam murder wearing LOL t-shirt Mr Ri was detained four days after Mr Kim died, but police never said what they believed his role in the attack was. Two women one Indonesian, one Vietnamese have been charged with murder in the case, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Koreas national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. On Friday, police issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk-il, but didn't say why he is a suspect. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on 29 January, about two weeks before Kim was killed. North Korea earlier had rejected Malaysias autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong-il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysias finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kims body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong-uns half brother, as Malaysian government officials have confirmed. Kim Jong-nam reportedly fell out of favour with his father, the late Kim Jong-il, in 2001 after he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Associated Press For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The mayor of Paris has urged presidential candidate Francois Fillon to call off a planned rally in the capital, accusing it of being against the values of France. Anne Hidalgo told the conservative candidate to get his dignity and his sense of responsibility back and cancel a supporters' rally set to be held opposite the Eiffel Tower, on Sunday. The short-lived frontrunner for the Elysee Palace has seen his campaign crumble amid a scandal over substantial payments allegedly made to his Welsh wife Penelope and his children for parliamentary work they never carried out. Fillon announces he will not be standing down from the French presidential race Mr Fillon has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing amid a judicial investigation into the allegations. This week, Mr Fillon announced that he will be summoned for questioning over the allegations known as Penelopegate in the next couple of weeks. It came as his campaign manager Patrick Stefanini announced his resignation, which is due to take effect on Sunday night - the third aide to quit in quick succession. In a Facebook post, Ms Hidalgo, a member of the French socialist party, said: It seems that this gathering has no other goal than to express opposition to the magistrates, the police and journalists, who for several weeks have worked, each in their own role, to reveal the truth. She slammed the rally as an act of gross moral and political failures" that are "against our values and which should not have the right to take place in Paris. Ms Hidalgo, who is the first women to hold the office of Paris mayor, said the the French capital has been founded on a history of permanent search for justice and democracy and that its residents have always defended its institutions and its republican values, either through the ballot box or on the barricades. 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 Paris is respected across the world for it. And now some would like to walk across the forecourt of human rights to hold there a speech that his profoundly demagogic and harmful, questioning the republican institutions and the separation of powers, she wrote. Mr Fillon has been under growing pressure to step down from the Presidential race but his rally on Sunday aimed to show the candidate still has support. On his website, it is stated that only tricolour flags will be accepted and that demonstrators will be checked for security reasons. Questions have been raised over Mr Fillons integrity after he ran his campaign on the basis he was an irreproachable Presidential candidate. During the Conservative primaries, the right-wing candidate said if he was to be formally investigated and questioned he would stand down from the Presidential race. He made the comments in an attack against his rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Alain Juppe, who were both investigated while they were holding public offices. As Mr Fillons campaign is mired in a confidence crisis and is lagging in third place in the polls, centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron received a boost - with one survey finding him the winner of the first round, ahead of Front National candidate Marine Le Pen. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} When they beat us, they were laughing with each other. The policemen, when they beat us, they are taking selfies with us. This account given by Shahid Khan, a Pakistani asylum seeker, is among countless reports of abuse by police guarding Hungarys heavily reinforced borders. He said he was attacked before being photographed and then chased away using police dogs, adding: They treat us like animals, and we are humans. Humanitarian organisations say the treatment has become a feature of Hungarys policy on refugees, with warnings from the United Nations falling on deaf ears in the countrys right-wing government. Convicts build a new fence along the border between Hungary and Serbia near Kelebia, Hungary, on 1 March 2017. (EPA) Farhad, a 34-year-old man from Iran, described how he was among around 30 refugees including women and children who crossed Hungarys border fence before being surrounded by dozens of police. Uniformed men ordered them to sit on the ground with their hands on their heads then a two-hour attack began. I havent even seen such beating in the movies, Farhad said. Five or six soldiers took us one by one to beat us. They tied our hands with plastic handcuffs on our backs. They beat us with everything, with fists, kicks and batons. They deliberately gave us bad injuries. We asked why they are beating us but they just said: Go back to Serbia. He also reported officers taking selfies on their mobile phones and laughing during the assault, when asylum seekers were sprayed with tear gas. Ehsan, a 28-year-old from Iran who was also part of the group, said they were eventually ordered to crawl through a hole made in Hungarys barbed wire fence border. I was the last in line to cross the fence back to Serbia they let the dogs on me, he added. I fell to the ground trying to grab his collar and a police officer struck a blow to my face from the side. Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily. Human Rights Watch (HRW) obtained a photograph showing Ehsan bleeding from an injury next to his eye, with his face covered in bruising that lasted more than a fortnight. Lydia Gall, the group's Balkans and Eastern Europe researcher, said it has received numerous reports of police taking selfies with abused migrants and filming them, compounding the beatings with humiliation. Recommended Refugees freezing to death in extreme conditions across Europe After a new law was implemented in July to allow refugees caught within five miles of the Hungarian border to be forced back into Serbia, she said a policy was introduced for police to film the operations. They made people stand in front of a camera holding up a piece of paper listing that they had irregularly crossed into Hungary, Ms Gall added. Part of that statement on film would say police officers have behaved nicely and appropriately. Once they stopped filming, a lot of migrants said the beatings would ensue so there would be no marking on the official video. She said the staged filming was allowing the Hungarian government to refuse to properly investigate the allegations, adding: The the fact nothing is being done to stop it is completely unacceptable. As extreme cold swept Europe at the start of 2017 and temperatures in Hungary plummeted to -20C, a new form of torment was reported. Refugees said border police would take their drinking water and pour it over them before abandoning them in the snow, sometimes taking coats, clothes and shoes. Hungary jails 10 migrants They were dumping them at random points at the border in the middle of the night and exposing them to potential death by hypothermia, Ms Gall said. We had people showing up [in Serbia] completely naked. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have crossed into Hungary on their way from the shores of Greece to western Europe but the right-wing government has spared no expense to stop their journeys. Thousands of guards have been deployed to patrol the countrys 100-mile southern border with Serbia, where soldiers and prison inmates are expanding a barbed wire fence into an electrified 13ft barrier. Armed with heat sensors and cameras, it features loudspeakers blaring messages in English, Arabic and Farsi. Attention, attention. I'm warning you that you are at the Hungarian border, the messages say. If you damage the fence, cross illegally, or attempt to cross, its counted to be a crime in Hungary. Im warning you to hold back from committing this crime. You can submit your asylum application at the transit zone. But the transit zones allow just a handful of migrants to cross each day at two designated border posts, leaving at least 7,000 people trapped in Serbia in dire conditions and increasing desperation. Migrants wait to receive free food near the Serbian-Hungarian border outside the town of Subotica, Serbia March 3, 2017. (Reuters) The countrys right-wing government has dismissed criticism over its migration policies, approving a new draft law that would see refugees locked in border camps made of shipping containers while their cases are decided. Applications will be declared inadmissible for anyone who entered the Hungary from Serbia or a safe third country, while the appeal period will be cut to just three days and migrants may have to cover the costs of their own imprisonment. The new bill would also allow authorities to detain all adult asylum seekers in its territory and summarily return those refused to the Serbian border as part of crisis measures in place until September. The European Commission opened infringement proceedings against Hungary in December 2015 but no progress in the case has been made public, while the UN Refugee Agencys opposition to push-back operations has gone unanswered. As long as there is this complete and utter silence it sends a really bad message to the police officers at the border because they know they can get away with it, Ms Gall warned. Its all part and parcel of the Hungarian governments policy of keeping people out or making their lives as miserable as possible. The crackdown is intensifying despite a dramatic fall in the number of refugees journeying to Hungary after the EU-Turkey deal was implemented a year ago to prevent boat crossings to Greece. Viktor Orban, the anti-immigration Prime Minister, has dubbed migrants poison and claimed they are a threat to security and European culture that must be held back. If we cant do it nicely, we have to hold them back by force, he said. And we will do it. Update: A spokesperson for the Hungarian government said: "The Government of Hungary utterly rejects allegations which are once more seeking to discredit personnel on duty at the border. From the beginning of the current migrant crisis, Hungary was one of the first Member States to enforce EU rules, and has been protecting the EUs Schengen borders, stopping, registering and separating out genuine refugees from economic migrants. Hungarian police officers and soldiers are protecting the EUs Schengen borders lawfully and in compliance with EU and Hungarian regulations. "The police are performing their duties lawfully, professionally and proportionately, and they place special emphasis on treating migrants humanely and with respect for their human dignity. Migrants on Hungarys borders are not being harassed, and the significant numbers of unaccompanied minors who have been arriving are being provided with protection, health care and education. "Hungary treats those in genuine need humanely, and those waiting on its borders or on its territory receive fair treatment. Migrants are also expected to abide by EU and Hungarian laws, however." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Islamist rebel group has claimed responsibility for shooting down a Syrian government fighter jet that crashed on Turkish soil. Ahrar al-Sham released a video claiming to show the plane being shot down with an anti-aircraft gun, but Bashar al-Assad's military said it crashed due to technical difficulties. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said a Syrian government MiG had crashed at the edge of the Amanos mountains near the town of Samandag in Hatay province. Syria's civil war: Russian chopper shot down in Idlib Governor Erdal Ata told the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu that rescue teams had found the wreckage but the cockpit was empty confirming earlier reports by villagers who say they had seen pilots ejecting. Mr Ata said there had been no airspace violation and no intervention by Turkish forces. The crash follows several years of tensions between Turkey and Syria that led to two Syrian helicopters and a MiG jet being shot down for violating Turkish airspace, as well as Russian aircraft flying missions in support of Assad. A Russian military plane was similarly shot down by Turkey for violating airspace in 2015, leading to months of tension between Ankara and Moscow. Ahrar al-Sham, an Islamist alliance that controls large swathes of Idlib province, claimed the jet it was downed using a 23 millimetre machine gun as it was bombing the countryside in the north-west of the province. Turkish media said earlier that villagers had called authorities to report the crash at around 6.30pm local time. Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Show all 5 1 /5 Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Additional reporting by AP For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} According to Donald Trump Sweden is having problems like they never thought possible because of mass migration. But there is no evidence to support the American presidents claim. The crime rate is not affected by the immigration rate and the Swedish state has actually imposed restrictive measures on asylum seekers in recent years. Figures from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention show a decline in reported offences categorised as assault, threats, sexual offences, mugging, fraud, or harassment. The US state department ranks Sweden as a country with a low crime level well below that of the US. Though foreign-born people are over-represented in Swedish prisons, there is no evidence to suggest the immigration rate affects the national crime rate. A study of police records by Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter found that from mid-October to February, immigrants were connected to less than 1% of all reported incidents. Opinions about immigrants change and are increasingly polarised in Sweden. In a 2014 European Social Survey most Swedish respondents said that immigration should be allowed to a great or pretty great extent. However, by late 2016, a majority in the polls wanted to see a reduced intake of refugees. Tighter control over asylum seekers Since late 2015 the Swedish governments two-pronged strategy of introducing border controls and tougher asylum laws has been effective in drastically reducing the number of asylum seekers arriving in the country. A law passed in June set out to limit the possibilities for asylum seekers and their family members to be granted residence permits in Sweden for three years. Another law denies asylum seekers the right to assistance if they have received a refusal of entry or expulsion order that has entered into force. Nor are they entitled to assistance if the deadline for voluntary return, which is four weeks, has expired. In other words, its an end to free housing and their daily allowance. While border controls keep asylum seekers at the gate out, the new laws are deterring asylum seekers who are considering going to Sweden. From the record 162,877 asylum seekers in 2015, the number plummeted to 28,939 in 2016 after the restrictive measures were introduced. 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 However, the new 2016 law regarding those with an expulsion order has not led to more voluntary departures. Of the 4,200 who lost their right to assistance since June 2016, only 136 have left voluntarily. Another 57 have been forcibly removed and 1,400 have gone underground. The rest have found housing around the country on their own. Sweden has in no way lost control over its territory and immigrants remain at the mercy of national asylum and immigration laws. But that has pretty much always been the case in the modern era. A temporary protected status category that Sweden created in 2016 was devised in the 1990s by the US for Central Americans temporarily unable to safely return to their countries because of ongoing armed conflict or other extraordinary temporary conditions. It has the blessing of the UNHCR as an appropriate multilateral protection response to humanitarian crises, including large-scale influxes. A complex issue The Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigrant party linked to the far right, has tried to ride the social media wave created by Trumps comments on Sweden. Last month its leading politicians, Jimmie Akesson and Mattias Karlsson, wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal arguing that Trump was right about the problems in Sweden. But although its true that there are serious social issues with some refugee groups and individuals, such problems cannot be blamed on cultural differences with simplistic explanations. Some highly conservative mosques in Sweden do preach violent Islamism, but many of Swedens mosques oppose them. The Swedish Muslim Council repeatedly condemns Islamist terrorist attacks. Muslim communities, just like any other faith-based community, are highly diverse and often conflicting in their political persuasions and interpretations of doctrine. The reality of violence against women and gay people within certain immigrant groups poses a persistent challenge to Swedish authorities. Certain groups of immigrants are also over-represented in crime statistics but these groups overwhelmingly come from socially and economically marginalised suburbs, such as Rosengard in Malmo and Rinkeby in Stockholm which have very high unemployment rates. Schools in these immigrant-majority suburbs drastically lag behind those in wealthier areas in terms of student achievement. Some Muslim communities in Sweden do call for separate Sharia laws but others have explicitly rejected such claims because they want to be integrated into Swedish society, legally as well as culturally. Last month prime minister Stefan Lofven confirmed Sweden would continue pursuing policies to restrict immigration. The executive board of his centre-left political party, the Social Democrats, said that Sweden can no longer have immigration laws that differ from those of other EU countries. So the laws from June 2016 seem to have set the tone for a new asylum politics in Sweden. Admir Skodo is a researcher in history, Lund University. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com) For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Uber has been using a secret tool in countries across the world in order to avoid law enforcement authorities, it has been revealed. Greyball, a tool which uses geolocation data, credit card information and social media account data, has been used by the company for years in order to identify and avoid officers aiming to catch drivers out in cities where the discount cab firm is not permitted. Rides hailed from a location near a city enforcement agent suspected of launching a sting to specifically trap Uber drivers could be ignored or cancelled using the app, The New York Times reported. The tool allowed Uber to show law enforcement officers images of ghost cars on the app or show that no cars were available for use, the paper said. Uber defended the programme, adding in a statement that the company denies ride requests to fraudulent users who are violating our terms of service whether thats people aiming to physically harm drivers, competitors looking to disrupt our operations, or opponents who collude with officials on secret stings meant to entrap drivers. A spokeswoman for Uber confirmed that Greyball was still in use, though on a much smaller scale than it once was. She added the tool had in fact grown in use as part of efforts to protect the groups drivers from abuse as well as protect the app from disruption by competitors. In some cases, she said, the tool had been used where there were enforcement stings. 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 Uber has come under fire as of late, defending accusations of unfair working conditions and allegations of sexual harassment within the company and employee abuse. Last week investors attacked the company for failing to address its culture of "bullying", "lack of diversity" and "harassment in every form". On Friday, Ubers best-known security researcher resigned without stating any reasons why, leading to speculation over whether there had been a link to the Greyball tool. Rival company Alphabet has also accused Uber of stealing designs for technology for self-driving cars a claim Uber has denied. A spokesperson said Ubers legal department had approved the practice in locations where Uber was not overtly banned, and that Uber's terms of use required riders use the ride hailing app for personal, not commercial, reasons and to not cause nuisance to drivers. The program began under a different name in 2014, and is still being used when drivers are under threat of arrest or other legal punishment in some cities within 15 U.S. states without clear ride-sharing laws, she said, adding that she did not know in which other countries the system is being used. The New York Times reported that Uber had used the tool to evade authorities in Boston, Paris and Las Vegas, and countries includes Australia, China, Italy and South Korea. US officials have expressed concern about Ubers practices but stopped short of saying they will take action. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Suppose you are not British. Suppose you are nonetheless very fond of Britain because of family ties, a British spouse or partner, for example, or a strong cultural interest in the country. Suppose you also speak English reasonably well; you might've spent years living and working in Britain. All of this would allow you to take great pleasure in British culture. You enjoy, and are immersed in, a whole world into which you were not born but nevertheless play a significant part. That is the experience of so many EU citizens in post-Brexit Britain, and the perspective that I am writing from myself. Britain is my spiritual home, even though I didn't know I was looking for it in the first place; we just met, so to speak. Ive never needed a UK passport for to allow this relationship between country and immigrant to develop and flourish. Being an EU citizen was just about enough for me. 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 So my fears about the impact of Brexit bear no hallmarks of schadenfreude whatsoever. Nevertheless, witnessing the political and social transition that my adoptive country is going through towards the issuing Article 50 and eventually leaving the EU, has only solidified my views about why it is such a significant mistake for all Britons, not just those who have chosen to make Britain their home. I believe Britons will come to regret choosing to exit the EU and here are the three reasons why. What does Brexit mean for Travel? The UKs relationship with the US is no replacement for its membership of the EU In the special relationship with the US, Britain is only a junior partner. If you disagree with the US and it will happen in such a chaotic political environment then to whom do you turn to for support? The EU? As former prime minister John Major recently pointed out: If we disagree with American policy, we may weaken our ties. But if we support it slavishly, we become seen as an American echo an invidious role for a nation that has broken free from Europe to become more independent. Its not just Donald Trump's constant contradictions that have set alarm bells ringing, there are also wider geopolitical issues to handle. How do you deal with Russia in the modern world? And China? Everyone's got a different strategy in mind. Blocs are being taken down, meaning that Moscow and Beijing will have more freedom to act as they choose. This would be fine in a conflict-free world, but common strategies need careful planning. Brexit is throwing that commonality across Europe into question. The consequences could be harmful for everyone in Europe, including all its major and minor nations. Whos leading who? Second, if Britain is eagerly looking for a leading role anywhere in the world, then the best place for that is Europe the continent it belongs to. Coming out of that continental political bond just as Europe is becoming a byword for the EU and its values is not a sensible move. In fact, it demonstrates that Brexit is all about a domestic power struggle and nothing to do with the designing of a new, methodical global strategy. The Conservative party has successfully deprived Ukip of any authority in Britain. But thats all it has achieved. It's now very difficult to talk about Brexit and its international implications without slipping straight back into national politics. The empire strikes back Finally, having touched on the world's major players, I mustn't forget to mention Britain's oldest friends. The concept of a global Britain after Brexit is being looked at very sceptically within the Commonwealth. It's been widely reported that India and other former colonies fear that Britain and its voters may be indulging in empire nostalgia, which is not going to boost Britain's new image; quite the opposite, some would say. Britain is being seen from the outside as having an inflated ego about its own economic power and that only serves to reinforce old prejudices about Britain and the British. This heady mix of weakness on the world stage and arrogance at home is hardly inspiring. Britain needs India more than India needs Britain, this newspaper recently concluded. And with good reason. All these problems will eventually combine to damage Britains reputation, and destroy its hard-fought for ability to wield soft power. And for that reason, Brexit will be the biggest decision Britons have taken that they will live to personal regret. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Next week Britain will host a Commonwealth Trade meeting in London. This is the time to start resetting the tone of Britains engagement with the world, post-Brexit. Pre-Brexit, many businesses from Commonwealth countries used Britain as a front door to Europe. The reasons for this were simple: there is a common language, a common legal system and Britain is inside the trading block. Soon Britain is to leave. What happens next? I did not support Brexit. Indeed I actively campaigned for Remain, however Brexit means Brexit and we must make this change work. To make Brexit work, we must now turn our minds to creating opportunities for post-Brexit Britain. Many have said that Britain can now look outward again and re-engage with the world. While Britain was neither inward-looking nor disengaged from the world, we must focus Britain in a global context, not just a European one. 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 Our fascination with Europe and Brexit is perhaps obscuring the two greatest changes and opportunities in global trade. These are happening neither in European nor Anglo-Saxon countries, but in China and Africa. Firstly, in 2012 President Xi of China announced Chinas One Belt, One Road policy, which is a massive multi-trillion dollar infrastructure and trade boosting program linking East Africa, Persia, South Asia and China, with an almost after-thought side route into Europe. I have written about this change and opportunity on these pages previously. Do not underestimate the opportunities that come from this return to Chinese dominance. One Belt, One Road links the second fastest economically growing region of the world (Sub-Saharan Africa) with the third fastest (South Asia) with the fastest (China). How does Britain engage with this growth? The second great change is the United States scrapping the Trans Pacific Partnership. The TPP was not just a trade agreement, it was a political agreement led by the Americans and excluding China. China responded with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which was a free trade and political agreement with China dominating but excluding the US. Asia Pacific countries, when looking at RCEP and TPP, were effectively being asked to choose: who do you back, the US or China? The US abandoning TPP has handed Asia Pacific leadership to the Chinese as a gift. I doubt that President Trump realises the scale of his error in scrapping TPP. What does Brexit mean for Travel? In Europe when people think of the TPP and the Pacific they envisage Fiji, Tuvalu and Tokelau and think so what? However, some forget that the Asia Pacific region, through its regional cooperation body APEC, includes the small Pacific Islands plus Australia, Russia (yes, Russia has a Pacific coast), China, Japan, Canada, USA, Mexico, Peru, Chile (yes, South America has a Pacific coast too), New Zealand, Malaysia and others. In fact, the Asia Pacific includes far more than 50 per cent of global trade. With One Belt, One Road and RCEP taken together, the future economic dominance is split between Africa, South Asia, Asia and the Pacific and it will be led, whether we like it or not, by China. How do we get Britain to engage with this? Could the Commonwealth be a mechanism by which Britain could link into both RCEP (through the Pacific Commonwealth countries like Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Canada) and with One Belt, One Road through South Asian and sub-Saharan African Commonwealth countries like India, Kenya and Uganda? How could Britain do this? The Asia Pacific has a great model. It is the APEC Business Travellers Card. Senior business leaders in APEC member economies including the US, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Chile, China, Philippines and others can obtain, each three years, a pre-approved multi-entry business visa to encourage trade. This wonderful little card avoids constant visa applications and speeds through customs via the use of the diplomatic channel at airports. Imagine if Britain were to lead the push for a business travellers card for the Commonwealth? New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore are just some amongst the Commonwealth countries that are sure to welcome the idea. India and Australia are pushing for a system like this in a future Indian Ocean trade block too. Could Britain signal its new re-engagement with the Commonwealth, not by trying to step into a long gone history of leadership, but by offering to serve the Commonwealth by leading the process to create a small but significant improvement to Commonwealth trade, thereby linking Britain into RCEP and One Belt, One Road? If Britain were to do that, then maybe we would be on the first step to being the Commonwealths front door to Europe, to being Europes front door to the world. Andrew MacLeod is a visiting Professor at Kings College London and a Non Executive Director of Cornerstone Capital in the US. He was a Remain campaigner and has now combined with Brexit campaigners to form Brexit Advisory Services at UK's Griffin Law Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} There are some place names which will be forever associated with disaster. Hillsborough, Lockerbie and Heysel are all much more than locations on a map. Likewise, mention the Belgian port of Zeebrugge to anybody in the UK aged over 35 and a grim shudder is likely to pass through them. On Monday it will be the 30th anniversary of Britains worst maritime disaster in living memory, outside wartime. In the frigid seas just a couple of miles from the continental coast 193 women, men and children lost their lives as the Herald of Free Enterprise took on hundreds of gallons of water and swiftly capsized. The ferry had departed from Belgium at just after six oclock in the evening but a series of human errors meant that it had got underway without its bow loading doors being closed. As the ship picked up speed, the rolling waves washed though the lower car decks, compromising the Heralds stability within minutes. It turned on to its side as all lighting cut out, coming to rest, partially submerged, on a sandbar. Those who did not drown or die from injuries sustained by falling were swiftly at risk from hypothermia. The scale of the human tragedy is obvious enough. Many families lost multiple members. The 350 or so people who survived were deeply traumatised. Children experienced years of night terrors. Many adults were left shattered, either by grief, injury or the memory of what they had seen. Careers were lost, relationships destroyed. Tales abound of survivors who for years would not step on to a boat or go swimming. Yet what is almost as striking about the Zeebrugge disaster is the degree to which it showed up the rank corporate complacency which existed in the ferry industry and almost certainly beyond it. At the Public Court of Inquiry, Lord Justice Sir Barry Sheen concluded that there was a disease of sloppiness at every level of Townsend Thoresen, the Heralds operator. Yet P&O, which ultimately owned Townsend Thoresen, seemed more intent on salvaging its reputation than taking proper care of survivors. Many waited years for compensation and often received paltry awards. The Townsend Thoresen brand was scrubbed from history, the jaunty red hulls of its ships painted over in P&O blue. Meanwhile, criminal charges of negligence were brought against several crew members and a charge of corporate manslaughter was brought against P&O European Ferries (Dover) Ltd; but the cases collapsed. This at least set a precedent: it was the first occasion that the courts had agreed that such a charge against a corporation was feasible. Even so, successful prosecutions of bodies corporate have remained few and far between and the suspicion remains that big companies find it too easy to wriggle away from criminal responsibility. Certainly the safety record of British ferries in the last three decades has been strong. That in part is a consequence of lessons learned from the tragedy of 6 March 1987. (The same cannot be said for other parts of the world.) Moreover, the disaster shone a light on the need to protect whistleblowers, since it became patently clear during the subsequent investigations that employees had been fearful of suffering personal consequences if they raised concerns about health and safety failings. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 offered legislative safeguards 10 years later although it remains open to the criticism that its complexity and relative lack of ambition has meant workers still have inadequate levels of protection. The passage of time can ease grief and can lessen pain. But those on board the Herald of Free Enterprise that cold night three decades ago will never forget the horrors of its sinking; many will never recover from their experience and their loss. It remains vital that the rest of us do not forget the scale of the disaster either, not simply out of respect for those directly affected but because it is one of the clearest examples of what can happen when a culture of carelessness infects an entire organisation. Townsend Thoresen may, like the Herald, be no more. But it should for all time be held up as an exemplar of corporate rottenness a reminder to every would-be business operator that enterprise cannot exist in isolation from responsibility. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Some of us will remember Thatchers disastrous Sermon on the Mount speech in the 1980s when, by her way of it, she was setting the Scottish people right on politics. This of course led to the decimation of the Tory party in Scotland something from which they have only slowly recovered. None of this seems to have deterred the most recent blue rinse Tory leader storming up north to tell the fractious Scots how it is. I doubt whether shell be any more successful than the Iron Lady. PS: Phrases like tunnel vision nationalism, constitutional obsessing and independence at any cost do not sit very well on the lips of someone in hock to the right wing xenophobes of both Tories and Ukip. Rev Andrew McLuskey Staines Theresa May has claimed that the SNP are obsessed with getting independence at any cost. That may well be true, but its a bit rich coming from one who is obsessed with Brexit at any cost. Susan Alexander Frampton Cotterell We should look to the Danish model when considering the Brexit negotiations Some Brexiteers claim that its wrong, unpatriotic even, for the Lords to place pre-conditions on the Governments negotiations in the Article 50 bill, such as safeguarding the rights of EU nationals. However, the blank cheque demanded by the Government is undemocratic. We can learn a great deal from the Danes. Their system is designed to ensure that both the influence of the [Parliament] on government policy and the freedom of the government to negotiate through its ministers participating in meetings in Brussels must be taken into consideration. If Denmark were faced with Dexit, their government would not be given a blank cheque. The governments powers would be limited by its Negotiating Mandate, granted to them by their parliament. Their government would be obliged to regularly report back to parliament and, if necessary, the mandate may be amended. Meetings may be held in camera. With this process, no one has ever accused the Danes of foolishly giving up one of their bargaining chips. At the end of the two-year negotiations, the Danes would not be left with a Hobsons choice of either accepting the deal or crashing out with no deal. Their parliament could instruct their government to request an extension, even if the government wanted to crash out of the EU. This would probably be granted, as no one would want to ignore a democratically elected parliament. This would still be consistent with the referendum results. It is time for Parliament to learn from our Danish friends and start doing its job of representing the people by placing pre-conditions on the mandate that they have just granted to the Government. Panos Gregory London SW16 Theresa May should call a general election to silence the Remoaners The Prime Minister can kill several pesky birds with one stone by calling a general election this year in the month of her surname. May has already pushed forward with Brexit at a far brisker pace than few had anticipated even before Christmas. She can use a national poll to resolve the many issues swirling around No 10 that threaten to mire her until 2020. May can use a general election as a proxy referendum on her Brexit strategy and the thorny issue of Scots independence, while also gaining a mandate for her domestic programme of public service and economic reform. She should put a central manifesto proposition to all the British people that they wish to remain within an independent United Kingdom governed at Westminster. A Conservative win would thus put to bed the Remainers for good and shelve the break-up of the UK for a generation. The May miracle has seen a country that teetered on the edge of financial oblivion after 23 June pick itself up and remain one of the worlds biggest economies. Even better for May, she shows little sign of a seven-month itch in the opinion polls. The PM is now at a crossroads with, potentially, a green light to put her foot down on the Brexit pedal and put the boot into Miller, Juncker, Sturgeon, the Lords, Labour et al. Put on your best driving shoes, Theresa May, and gear up the country for a general election that could shape all our futures for half a decade. Anthony Rodriguez Staines Parents should be permitted to choose what is taught to their children There are elements of truth in Janet Street-Porters article, but I challenge its basic premise. Society is bombarded with concepts and images pertaining to sex. Sex sells products. We must not permit this unfortunate state of affairs to determine our reactions to this very complex situation. Not all parents are totally competent or united in parenting, and support in some cases is required. There should not be abnegation of parental responsibility. Parents should be the foremost teachers of their children, in partnership with a chosen school. They should choose which elements of the curriculum are appropriate and at what stage in the childs development. They should increasingly involve the child in these decisions as maturity develops. It is totally unrealistic to delegate more responsibility to teachers, and the concept of compulsory education/no opt-out, is a very dangerous principle indeed. John McLorinan Somerset Not all of the people have spoken After the 1975 referendum, and after the 11 general elections since joining the EEC, all of which produced big pro-membership majorities in parliament, nobody suggested that people should stop campaigning for Brexit (as it is now called). But anyone who suggests that we might have second thoughts about last Junes referendum are slapped down with the mantra the people have spoken. Could anybody explain why it is perfectly acceptable to express dissent after the dozen occasions when the people spoke in favour of EU membership, but to suggest revisiting a pro-Brexit vote is something akin to treason? I would really love to know. Alan Pavelin Chislehurst Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} When Richard Ratcliffe married into an Iranian family, he might have looked forward to the wonders you would expect when you embrace a different culture. Instead, next month will mark a year that his wife has been in detention in her country of birth. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, from Hampstead in north London, is now months into her five-year prison sentence in the notorious Evin prison. The charge? You dont need one in Iran. When the Peru Two were caught in Lima in 2014, they were carrying 11kg of cocaine. All Nazanin had was her baby. She is 38 and remains in the custody of the Islamic Republic and is now suffering health problems she is denied medical care. It has been reported that she wrote a suicide note, and only desisted from a hunger strike for the sake of her daughter. 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 If Donald Trump were inflicting this pain on a mother separated from her young daughter, there would be international outrage. From Iran we kind of expect it. The Government has been accused of inaction, with Ratcliffe saying that they have never once criticised Irans treatment of Nazanin, and abuse of her human rights, nor the arbitrary nature of her detention and trial. Clearly not much is happening. So what happens when nothing happens? How many interviews has Richard Ratcliffe got to do before action is taken? His family is interrupted. Gabriella, the couples two-year-old daughter, is being looked after by her grandparents in Iran while her mother suffers in jail and her father is turned into a one-man PR machine. Expect another spate of interviews with Richard on the anniversary of Nazanins arrest. How are you coping? Whats it like not having your daughter? What do you do every day? What are Saturday nights like? Have you bought worry beads? What does it take for this coverage to convert into meaningful action? Must Nazanins health deteriorate further? Iranian women continue to defy cycling ban When the Mayor of London is unmoved by calls to show solidarity with Nazanins family and that of Kamal Foroughi, the other Londoner behind bars in Iran (both cases are championed by Amnesty International), even when Trafalgar Square is packed with Iranians for a film screening, what can we do? Nazanins MP Tulip Siddiq has called on Theresa May to act she has repeatedly been refused a meeting with Boris Johnson. People could appeal to Lord Lamont, chairman of the British Iranian Chamber of Commerce or its president, the former UK ambassador to Iran Sir Richard Dalton they surely have connections, and can, if so moved, prompt the Foreign Secretary to act. But that is no guarantee. Lets recall the woman on a beach in France whose sunbathing in hijab was interrupted rudely by police officers last year. The internet went crazy. Such anger does not work the other way around for women who dont want to wear clothes they are forced to. Just look at Irans 18-year-old chess grandmaster Dorsa Derakhshani she has been booted out of its national team after refusing to wear the garment at a tournament in Gibraltar in January. Sadiq Khan is vocal about Donald Trump but does not see it as his job to speak out about such political expressions of Islam as telling a woman what to wear and keeping an innocent woman in jail with no recourse to anything that in any way resembles what we call law in this country. When a Swedish delegation visited Iran last month, right-on feminist ministers chose to wear headscarves out of respect. Iran has used its clout as the worlds second biggest oil producer to normalise its culture of oppressing women and neither trade-oriented politicians, the business elites they serve or even liberal feminists are too bothered. Nazanin is not the only woman unjustly jailed in Iran. But she is a Londoner. Wednesday is International Womens Day: on that day it is the duty of Boris Johnson, Sadiq Khan and Theresa May to demand her release. If they dont, lets hope the FCO, City Hall and Downing Street are well stocked with soap theyre going to need some to wash their hands if this goes on. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Prime Minister was in Glasgow on Friday, reminding her partys Scottish conference that its full name is the Conservative and Unionist Party. She didnt say it got the Unionist part of its name from being opposed to Home Rule for Ireland in the 19th century, but while she was in Scotland trying to repair the damage done by the Brexit referendum, it was in Northern Ireland that we could hear the breaking sound. The fall of the power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland was not the direct result of the Brexit vote, but the strain it put on the Union didnt help. As in Scotland, a majority of people in Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union. Most people in England and Wales, however, voted, in effect, to bring in customs checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. That was not uppermost in most of their minds, but it is often the unintended consequences that matter. For the DUP, which supports Brexit, this adds to its crisis. Its leader, Arlene Foster, has been unable to shake off responsibility for a piece of third-rate incompetence: a green energy scheme that ended up paying farmers millions to heat empty sheds. Her poor handling of it allowed Sinn Fein to force this weeks election, in which it gained ground at the DUPs expense. Now unionists in Northern Ireland, already feeling under demographic pressure, face the prospect of direct rule from Westminster which will only strengthen the hand of those who want the North eventually re-united with the South. 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 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 The parallel with Scotland is striking even though the timetable in both cases is unclear. In both cases, the majority wanted to stay in the EU, and in both cases there is an obvious way of doing so a way that is divisive and not yet supported by a majority in either case. Northern Ireland could stay in the EU by joining the rest of Ireland, an option it rejected in the Belfast agreement and the two referendums north and south of the border in 1998. Scotland could do so by opting for independence, which it rejected in its referendum two and a half years ago. For the moment, then, the important group of voters in Scotland and in Northern Ireland are those who voted Remain but who accept that the UK should leave. These are a large and misunderstood group even in England and Wales. About a quarter of voters (23 per cent) across Great Britain say they didnt vote to leave the EU, but now the British people have voted to leave the Government has a duty to carry out their wishes and leave. In Scotland and Northern Ireland there must be a further category of voters, one on which I havent seen any polling evidence: those who want to stay in the EU, but who do not want to break up the UK to do so. What is surprising, in fact, is how little the Brexit vote has weakened unionism in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. Since the EU referendum, support for independence in Scotland has hardly shifted. Although one or two polls say it is close, and attract attention, most suggest that independence would lose again. Northern Ireland election results: Who made gains and who lost out? And in Northern Ireland, despite Sinn Feins advance since last May, the unionist parties still have 40 seats to 39 for the nationalists and 11 uncommitted: we are still a long way from majority support for a united Ireland. So that is why May was in Glasgow this week. She and Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, are engaged in an intricate game of bluff. Sturgeon has been inching towards calling for another referendum on independence, while trying not to lose control of the momentum of her own supporters. May scored a point by urging Sturgeon to get on with the real job of making Scottish schools better. But in Aberdeen in two weeks time, at the SNP spring conference, Sturgeon will have to decide another grandmothers footstep, or a rush for it? I think shell go for it, and demand another referendum. I think she has to, because the triggering of Article 50 is the obvious time: the next possible moment would be when the Brexit deal emerges, for which Michel Barnier, the EU negotiator, has set a target of October 2018. But that is a bit late to organise a referendum before the (rest of the) UK leaves the EU in March 2019. Also, Sturgeon must know that May is likely to refuse to grant a referendum a decision that is still in the power of the Westminster Government. That refusal would have the same propaganda value to the Scottish National Party as direct rule has for Sinn Fein. May is not a risk-taker. Even if the polls in Scotland remain favourable, she has seen what can happen when a prime minister offers a referendum when he didnt absolutely have to. Her aim, therefore, is to stall the forces that are pulling Scotland and Northern Ireland out of the UK until after Brexit. Once the UK is out of the EU, the pull exerted by the EU changes. Then, the SNP and Sinn Fein would be arguing to go back into the EU, rather than to stay in, which is a very different proposition. That is why, I suspect, May was in Glasgow this week. The Brexit negotiations are daunting, but she knows that if they go badly she can blame other countries in Europe. And she thinks that Brexit will happen. If, on the other hand, she loses Scotland or Northern Ireland, she knows her name will go down in history as a failure. She will fight to avoid that at all costs. Q Lambing season has just started on our farm and already we are having big problems with foxes attacking the lambs. There has always been a risk of fox attacks over the years but this season is worse than usual in our area. Also, for the last week or so, I have been observing a neighbour's dog that is regularly around the gate of the field with young lambs. What can I do, if anything, about a dog attacking my sheep? A Lambing season is well and truly upon us and most farmers will be all too aware of the risks that foxes and other predators pose to newborn lambs. Legally and from a farming perspective, there is no one-size-fits-all solution but you should be aware of what actions you are permitted to take when it comes to controlling predators. Control of Dogs Many farmers know their duty under the law in the case of domestic animals like their cattle and sheep; liability for dogs has separate rules to those applied in the case of other animals. For instance, in the case of injury or damage to livestock which is caused by a dog, the owner is responsible, regardless of the dog having previously attacked or having a 'mischievous tendency'. In the case of dogs frightening/attacking sheep and causing injury either through death as a result of fright/loss of unborn lambs/death of lambs by attack, farmers can make a claim against the dog owner where they have evidence to show that the injury was a direct result of the actions of the dog. An example would be a statement from a vet which indicates that a dog caused the injuries. Farmers intending to make a claim must also be able to show what dog caused the injuries. This may be difficult where there has been no physical attack - only fear. A common question which comes from farmers who have sheep in fields is whether or not they can shoot a dog which is in the midst of an attack or has attacked sheep. The rules in relation to the shooting of dogs is set out in Section 23 of the Control of Dogs Act. The person who shoots the dog must be able to show that: The dog was shot when it was worrying, or was about to worry, livestock and that there were no other reasonable means of ending or preventing the worrying; or The dog was a stray dog which was in the vicinity of a place where livestock had been injured or killed, The defendant reasonably believed that the dog had been involved in the injury or killing, and There were no practicable means of seizing the dog or ascertaining to whom it belonged; He was the person in charge of the livestock He notified, within 48 hours, the member in charge at the nearest Garda station to the place where the dog was shot, of the incident. While the law clearly states that there are circumstances where an attacking dog can be shot, you should bear in mind that the priority should be to stop the dog where possible rather than shoot it, as in many cases the owner will be a neighbour. Snaring foxes The practice of snaring foxes has attracted criticism from some sides; however, snaring foxes in Ireland is still legal. The use of fox snares without stops or incorrect stop length is illegal. If you have to set fox snares to protect your lambs, make sure your snares have the correct stop in place. A stop snare with a minimum length from noose to stop of 33cm, in case it is intended to snare foxes, is allowed. Also, bear in mind that snares from some UK suppliers do not comply with the Irish Wildlife Act. Poisoning EU regulations make it an offence for a person to use any type of meat, fish, egg or other animal substance as bait to poison or stupefy birds or animals such as otters and pine martens, unless licensed to do so. This means that although pine martens can cause extensive loss to farmers, poisoning is not an option! Currently in Ireland, the only animals that can legally be poisoned are mice and rats. It is not legal to poison crows or foxes. The topic of lamb attacks is one that causes much friction on farms, in the countryside and among animal rights/ welfare groups. It is important to know where you stand legally before you act on this sensitive topic. This article is intended as a general guide only and professional advice should always be sought for individual circumstances. No liability is accepted for errors. Theresa Murphy is a barrister based in Ardrahan, Co Galway. The Revenue Commissioners recouped over 57m in reclaims from companies in the Government's Research and Development (R&D) tax credit scheme over the past five years. New figures provided by the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, show that Revenue dramatically ramped up its activity in the area to open investigations into 276 cases last year. That's a 55pc increase on the 178 cases investigated in 2015. Last year, Revenue yielded 13.7m from payments made in 100 interventions. This followed 13.5m yielded from 162 interventions in 2014. The yield to the Revenue from 105 interventions totalled 14.4m in 2013 and 5.4m from 49 interventions in 2012. The number of cases over the five years where payments have been made totals 327. The spend by the companies on R&D to qualify for the tax breaks totalled 4.23bn in 2015 and 4.5bn in 2014. Minister Noonan provided the figures in a written Dail reply to Fianna Fail's Finance spokesman, Michael McGrath. A report by the comptroller and auditor-general (C&AG) last year revealed that more than 550m in corporation tax had been foregone due to the tax break. "We certainly cannot allow any pattern to develop whereby the R&D system is abused," Mr McGrath said. "Having a taxation system that incentivises research and development activity is an important element of Ireland's inward investment offering and we are competing with many other developed economies in that regard. " He added: "Given the amount of tax foregone as a result of the R&D tax credit system, it is understandable that it is an area of focus for the Revenue. "The increase in the number of cases where Revenue intervention resulted in tax having to be refunded to the State is a concern." The number of beneficiaries of the R&D tax credit scheme increased from 73 companies in 2004 to around 1,400 in 2014. The tax break was introduced in the Finance Act 2004, where credit is given at a rate of 25pc of qualifying expenditure and can be claimed by companies undertaking in-house R&D within Ireland. A spokeswoman for Revenue said yesterday: "Due to the technical nature and increase in the beneficiaries of R&D tax credits, Revenue has increased its compliance activity in this area, as is evidenced by the increase in compliance interventions from 26 in 2011 to 276 in 2015." Ireland ranks first out of 28 countries in Europe when it comes to small firms selling online. Stock Image Irish small to medium-sized businesses rule Europe when it comes to eCommerce and cross-border online trading, new research shows. Ireland ranks first out of 28 countries in Europe when it comes to small firms selling online, turnover from eCommerce and cross-border ecommerce, figures from the European Commission's Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) show. Irish companies are also among the top users of social media to achieve business ends, the DESI figures show. But despite the uptake in online selling, many small Irish businesses are failing to tap into international markets because they won't spend the time travelling, the head of the Small Firms Association (SFA) has said. Patricia Callan said multinationals have told the SFA that Irish SMEs fail to expand "because people don't want to waste the shoe leather getting on a plane". Ms Callan said some small firms reach a certain level of income, are happy with that and don't want to go any further. "The vast majority of employment is in family businesses that might be five, 10, 20, 30 [staff] and they reach a certain size and they are running businesses, and would describe themselves as owner-managers as supposed to entrepreneurs per se," Ms Callan told the Irish Independent. "They're not ambitious in terms of trying to internationalise, and where they are internationalising the easy route has been to go north or go into the UK." Ms Callan was speaking in the context of Brexit, and SMEs exposed to the UK having to diversify into other markets. She said one in every 2,000 businesses here are firms that start with ambitions to do business internationally. She told the Trinity Global Business Forum that SFA had been trying to build procurement channels between multinationals here and SMEs. "What I've heard back from multinationals is that Irish businesses don't want to grow in scale because people don't want to waste the shoe leather getting on a plane," Ms Callan said. "When we built the likes of Glen Dimplex and those, you had guys who were on planes 200 days a year and nobody wants to do that any more. So you reach x level of income, you're happy with that." Read more: Rising wage and fuel costs put squeeze on Irish SMEs She said Brexit may give those firms who only want to export into the UK market the push required to tap into other markets. The data from the European Commission suggests online selling has made it much easier to do that. The figures also show that Ireland has the highest proportion of science, technology and engineering graduates in Europe per capita. However, the EU results also indicate that Ireland has one of the worst rates of basic digital literacy among the rest of the population, with broadband availability and takeup still lagging the European average. Despite Ireland's relatively poor broadband access, there has been a surge in online shopping here, with almost three-quarters of Irish internet users now shopping online, a jump from 63pc in 2015. Irish companies are also among the top users of social media to achieve business ends, the DESI figures show. But in a sign that print and broadcast channels are still strong here, we are the least likely among European consumers to read news online with just 49pc of Irish internet users using the web as their primary source. If a video is reported to Facebook, the company will be able to reach out to emergency workers if a person is in imminent danger Photo: Stock Facebook will employ artificial intelligence to spot users who may be at risk of suicide, telling people to talk to friends or contact a helpline if their posts show signs they may be considering killing themselves. Suicide prevention services have been available on Facebook for more than 10 years, but it is now testing artificial intelligence as a way of identifying users who may be at risk. Its algorithm, which is being trialled in the US at present, will flag up posts that are likely to include suicidal thoughts, Facebook said, by using pattern recognition on previously reported posts. Reporting tools will also be integrated into Facebook Live, so people who are watching a video will be able to report it and "reach out to the person directly". The news follows the death of Naika Venant, a 14-year-old who used the social media platform to livestream her suicide in Miami in January. "There is one death by suicide in the world every 40 seconds, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15 to 29-year-olds," the company said. "Facebook is in a unique position - through friendships on the site - to help connect a person in distress with people who can support them." Through its suicide prevention tools, Facebook users can be prompted to reach out to a friend who may be in need of support, while it also suggests contacting a helpline. If a video is reported to Facebook, the company will be able to reach out to emergency workers if a person is in imminent danger. From Wednesday, people will see the option to send a message to someone in real time directly from the organisation's page or through suicide prevention tools. Jay Y Lee, co-vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, is escorted by police officers as he arrives at the special prosecutors' office for questioning in Seoul, South Korea Samsung Group leader Jay Y Lee will go on trial for bribery and embezzlement next Thursday, a court said, amid a corruption scandal that has rocked South Korea and led to the impeachment of its president. Lee (48), the third-generation leader of the country's top conglomerate, was indicted on Tuesday on charges including pledging 43bn won (35.2m) in payments to a confidant of President Park Geun-hye. "We are preparing hard, thinking that the upcoming Samsung trial... could be the trial of the century that the entire world will be watching," special prosecutor Park Young-soo told reporters. The Samsung scion's hearing will be held in a court that can accommodate more than 150 people, according to the Seoul Central District Court's court database. Lee, who was arrested on February 17, was charged with bribery and embezzlement in a case that has dealt a blow to the standard bearer for Asia's fourth-largest economy. Samsung Group declined to comment but has denied wrongdoing. Among the charges against Lee are pledging bribes to a company and organisations tied to Park's confidant, Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the centre of the scandal, to cement his control of the smartphones-to-biopharma business empire. The funding also included Samsung's sponsorship of the equestrian career of Choi's daughter, prosecutors say. Legislation appointing the special prosecutor states that the trial should be finished in three months. President Park (65), daughter of a former military strongman, has had her powers suspended since her impeachment by parliament in December. Special prosecutor Park Young-soo has indicted 30 people in the investigation into corruption surrounding the nation's president. Putting the heir to a $238bn empire behind bars, even temporarily, is the most high profile detention yet for Park, whose career includes arresting two other bosses of chaebol, the term for Korean conglomerates. "This special prosecutor seems to not tolerate the chaebol whatsoever," Lee A-rum, a 25-year-old service-industry worker, said in Seoul. "Taking this opportunity, I hope society will become more just." The 65-year-old prosecutor was appointed by President Park Geun-hye in November amid allegations of influence peddling that extended to her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil. Both have denied wrongdoing. A former leader of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, he was among two candidates nominated by opposition parties in accordance with South Korean law. "The public's desire is for the special counsel team to uncover the whole truth, and I intend to do just that and devote my everything to it," he said in December. Park, who isn't related to the president, had a history with the chaebol even before this latest investigation. In 2003, he uncovered accounting fraud at SK Group and arrested its chairman Chey Tae-won. Then, in 2006, he oversaw the probe into Hyundai Motor's slush funds, which led to the arrest of chairman Chung Mong-koo. Chey and Chung were both convicted and subsequently pardoned. Park also investigated whether Dallas-based Lone Star Funds' acquisition of Korea Exchange Bank was at an undervalued price, though prosecutions against two former officials from the bank and the finance ministry failed. Lone Star wasn't charged with wrongdoing. For all that, local media started calling him the "Chaebol Grim Reaper". "Chaebol top tiers, they really don't think of themselves as having anything to do with ordinary Koreans," said Hank Morris, who has lived in South Korea for three decades and is an adviser for Argentarius Group, a financial services company. "They think of themselves as kind of an elite tier, almost similar to what an aristocracy is in a monarch.'' Park was born in 1952 on the southern island of Jeju, the farthest place from the centre of power. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in philosophy and then earned his master's degree in law at Korea University. He started his career in 1983 in the Seoul city prosecutor's office. Early days involved busting gangsters, gamblers and drug traffickers. He first entered the public arena in 1987, when he handled the investigation into the mass suicide of 32 members of a religious cult. (Reuters and Bloomberg) Vodafone is to kick off a massive investment round in its Irish network with 500m in new cash earmarked for the next three years. The capital would bring to 750m the company's network buildout in Ireland over a five-year period and 1.3bn over a seven-year period. The money is to be spent on increasing the geographical reach of its 4G service and upgrading to 4.5G in cities and large towns. The investment is being seen as a precursor to preparation for 5G planning, with a next-generation network due after 2020. The operator claims that early results on its 4.5G network is delivering speeds of 1,000Mbs, equivalent to the highest speeds available on fixed-line fibre broadband services at present. The company will also unveil a new 'internet of things' network, designed to let millions of new devices connect to one another in cities and towns. The operator's chief technology officer, Madalina Suceveanu, said Ireland will be "among the first European countries to bring" the technology to market. "Achieving gigabit speeds on our mobile network and the launch of NB-IoT in November 2016 are important milestones for Vodafone Ireland," said Ms Suceveanu. The company is aggressively expanding its reach here while its sister-firm, Siro, also attempts to demonstrate network ambition ahead of the National Broadband Plan decision. Vodafone's move comes as Irish mobile operators find themselves embroiled in controversy over moves to limit the amount of mobile data available after the EU abolishes roaming charges in June. While Three and Meteor have said they will not match domestic data allowances for EU roaming, Vodafone insists that it will offer the same allowances at home and abroad. Trump rose to power by presenting a horror show of enemies, from Mexico to Iran to China to radical Islamic terrorism. Photo: Reuters/Mike Segar White House Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway waits for the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump for a meeting on cyber security in the Roosevelt Room at the White House January 31, 2017 in Washington, DC. Kellyanne Conway, senior aide to Donald Trump, has compared her notorious "alternative facts" remark to the Oscars Best Picture blunder. Ms Conway complained she had not been allowed to "brush off" mistakes like celebrities did. She has drawn controversy for a number of comments while defending the Trump administration, with this particular soundbite coming when he said Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary was presenting "alternative facts" when repeating falsehoods about the size of crowds for Mr Trump's inauguration. Asked by CBSs Norah ODonnell about the "alternative facts" comment, Ms Conway replied: "Well it was alternative information and additional facts. And that got conflated. Expand Close White House advisor Kellyanne Conway / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp White House advisor Kellyanne Conway "But, you know, respectfully, Norah, I see mistakes on TV every single day and people just brush them off. Everybody thinks its just so funny that the wrong movie was, you know, heralded as the winner of the Oscars." This years ceremony saw one of the most spectacular Oscars gaffes in the 89-year history of the ceremony, as an envelope mix up led to the film La La Land being announced as winner of the Best Picture catagory, instead of the real winner, Moonlight. In the interview, to be broadcast on Sunday, Ms Conway also spoke of the need for a Presidential candidate to have "bile" in their throat. Ms ODonnell asked Ms Conway if she would ever consider running for President herself, to which she replied: "Its not just [about] the fire in your belly anymore. You have to have the bile in your throat. And this is why I think many women do not run for office. Many good men and women who would." Expand Close Trump rose to power by presenting a horror show of enemies, from Mexico to Iran to China to radical Islamic terrorism. Photo: Reuters/Mike Segar / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Trump rose to power by presenting a horror show of enemies, from Mexico to Iran to China to radical Islamic terrorism. Photo: Reuters/Mike Segar Ms ODonnell asked what she meant by "bile in your throat". "Just to swallow so much," Ms Conway replied, "that the country looks at you through this negative lens, you know corruption and cronyism and 'Youre lying' and 'You want money and youre motivated by power.'" In addition to the alternative facts comment, Ms Conway has also been criticised for her comment about a "Bowling Green Massacre", which suggested a terrorist attack had taken place in the American heartland but received no media attention. While two Iraqi refugees were arrested on terrorism-related charges in the town, no attack had ever taken place there. Video of the Day Ms Conway later said the remark was an honest mistake but it later transpired she used exactly the same comment in another interview several days earlier. ( Independent News Service) To describe the tone of this X-Men spin-off as dark would be something of an understatement. The opening scenes are so grim they look like an avant garde production of a Samuel Beckett play, and Logan's themes include the unsettling notion that mutants, like humans, age and diminish, even die. It's 2029, and Logan and Professor Charles Xavier have fallen on hard times. The once mighty Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) drives a stretch limo along the Mexican border, ferrying drunken debutantes to prom nights and drinking half of what he earns. The rest goes on medication for Charles (Patrick Stewart), who's now 90 and suffering from some sort of dementia - a worrying ailment for someone whose brain has been classified by his enemies as a weapon of mass destruction. Able when well to lift huge objects telepathically and communicate with fellow mutants across the globe, Charles now experiences cerebral attacks that can cause earthquakes and mass casualties. The pills help stave off these episodes, and Logan keeps him in an abandoned warehouse with tin walls that help block the old man's telepathic emanations. A war against the mutants has wiped practically all of them out, and government agents are anxious to find the professor and put his gifts to nefarious use. So Charles and Logan rant unhappily at each other in their ramshackle hideout, helped by a shuffling albino mutant called Caliban (Stephen Merchant), who's very much a glass-half-empty kind of guy. Logan's powers are also waning: he's in constant pain from an exaggerated form of arthritis, and a fight with an armed gang of Mexican car jackers almost does for him. All seems lost when agents of the powerful Transigen corporation track them down, but meanwhile Logan has discovered an 11-year-old girl called Laura (Dafne Keen) who turns out to be a resourceful and merciless mutant warrior. After a battle with the agents, she, Logan and Charles hit the road, headed for North Dakota and a supposed mutant refuge Logan thinks is a myth. But their enemies are in hot pursuit, and Charles' deteriorating health will make them pretty easy to follow. Written and directed by James Mangold with great boldness, Logan departs from the well-worn superhero template and takes us into an all-too-human world of loss, failure and decrepitude. Being a Wolverine film, it combines all this existential angst with action, and there are some particularly nasty exchanges late on when Logan is faced with a genetically engineered version of himself. But the thing that stays with you is the touching relationship between Charles and Logan, who may bicker their way across the American continent like an old married couple, but retain a deep underlying affection for each other. Grumpy, gruff, and less invulnerable, Logan seems more of a raging misanthropist than ever, and at one point beats the hood of his unresponsive car a la Basil Fawlty. Charles was always the one who saw the noble heart beneath Wolverine's rage, but now that the urbane professor's mind has begun to slide, politeness can no longer be relied on. At one point he even tells Logan where to go in the most robust Anglo-Saxon fashion, a shocking outburst that illustrates Xavier's rapid deterioration. He, Logan and the mutant girl they've taken in, begin to seem like a lost and wandering Dust Bowl-era family, so desperate to find a haven that they head towards one that probably doesn't exist. Jackman has let it be known that this will be his final Wolverine film, and last week, Patrick Stewart hinted in interviews that he was done with the X-Men franchise too. If so Logan is a thoroughly fitting farewell for them both: Sir Patrick is superb as the diminished and bewildered Professor X, who seems like a kind of mutant King Lear silently accepting that his long battle has ended in defeat. One has taken Jackman for granted in this role, but there's something grandly Shakespearean too about the Wolverine's rage against the dying of the light. Logan (16, 137mins) Video of the Day 4 Stars Films coming soon... Kong: Skull Island (Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Samuel L Jackson, Toby Kebbell); Elle (Isabelle Huppert, Charles Berling, Anne Consigny, Laurent Lafitte); Catfight (Sandra Oh, Anne Heche, Alicia Silverstone). Musician Johnny McDaid (L) and actress Courteney Cox attend the Amazon premiere screening for original drama series "Hand Of God" at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on August 19, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Amazon Studios) Courteney Cox arrives for the Ivor Novello Awards at Grosvenor House, on May 19, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images) Courteney Cox in TLC's Who Do You Think You Are Former Friends star Courteney Cox has rewritten English history by revealing her ancestor imprisoned the king. The actress delved into her roots for the upcoming season seven premiere of pal Lisa Kudrow's hit U.S. ancestry series Who Do You Think You Are? and had no idea her family was mired in a 14th century royal scandal. According to 700-year-old documents Cox uncovered, her 18 times great-grandfather, Thomas Lord Berkeley, was responsible for looking after his king Edward I's father, Henry III. A financial account, written in Latin and translated to English, suggests the king's father died in prison while Edward was abroad fighting in the Crusades. Expand Close US actress Courteney Cox poses for photographers upon arrival at the Ivor Novello awards in central London / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp US actress Courteney Cox poses for photographers upon arrival at the Ivor Novello awards in central London "Im confused," the actress says in a new trailer for Sunday's episode. "Why isnt the father of the king the king if hes still alive?" She then learns that the father of the king was living in a chamber, asking, "Was that like a prison? Hes being kept prisoner by his son...? My 18 times great-grandfather, Thomas Lord Berkeley, is holding the kings father prisoner? Well, this is getting juicy." Cox visits Britain as part of her own crusade to dig up facts about her ancestor, the first Baron of Berkeley, who lived at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England. One of Edward's top soldiers, he fought in the Battle of Evesham in 1265, the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, and the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, where he was captured by the Scots. Expand Close Courteney Cox and Johnny McDaid Photo: Getty / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Courteney Cox and Johnny McDaid Photo: Getty This season's Who Do You Think You Are? ancestry hunters also include Jessica Biel, Smokey Robinson, and Liv Tyler. An all-out indefinite strike at Bus Eireann that would have affected 110,000 passengers a day from Monday has been deferred after the company pledged that "funds will be available" for a voluntary severance scheme and it will negotiate with unions on a pay rise. But the company insisted that Transport Minister Shane Ross had not "opened his chequebook" to bail out the commercial semi-State firm that faces the threat of insolvency in two months. A spokesperson said the funding for any future scheme will be provided by the CIE Group. Unions suspended industrial action and management agreed to hold off on imposing cuts from Monday after accepting an invitation to talks at the Workplace Relations Commission on the financial crisis facing the company. The National Bus and Railworkers' Union (NBRU) had warned that the public faced the "mother of all transport disputes" and there was the prospect of unofficial action infecting all the CIE companies. In correspondence between the Workplace Relations Commission, unions and the company yesterday, seen by the Irish Independent, the company said it was "very conscious of the significant long-term damage that could be caused by a strike". It said that "streamlining" and improved efficiencies would allow for a reduction in staff numbers and "we can expect financial support in the short term" if they could come up with a viable plan to address insolvency. The company said voluntary severance could begin to be rolled out over the next 12 to 18 months and redeployment would also be used. "We are confident that if we reach agreement on improved efficiencies and show how this is addressing the imminent threat of insolvency, that funds will be made available to provide for the cost of voluntary severance," said the message from Stratis Senior Partner Brendan McCarthy on the company's behalf. Risk "Bus Eireann is in imminent risk of insolvency and steps must be taken immediately to address this financial crisis. Non engagement by the parties on a survival plan will only hasten insolvency and reckless trading." In addition, he said the company was willing to negotiate with unions on a pay increase although it must be "justified in its own right". He said a solid commitment from unions to improve efficiency, to include the application of all existing negotiated agreements, "will overcome the immediate threat of insolvency". Bus Eireann said its decision to close three routes and cut services on two others would only be deferred while talks were under way. In a letter to the company yesterday, following a meeting in Clonmel on route closures, the NBRU demanded that the company halt the closure of the X7 route ahead of talks. Tensions between unions and the company mounted earlier in the day as it was revealed that five workers on temporary contracts have been informed they will lose their jobs when the X7 between Waterford and Clonmel is axed on March 12. Another nine drivers based in Clonmel will have to transfer to Waterford. Read More Siptu sector organiser Willie Noone claimed the company had rowed back on cuts it planned to impose. He said the union would play its part in trying to avert a national public transport dispute. "But we rely on the management of Bus Eireann making genuine efforts to reach a resolution," he said. In a message to members, Siptu said the dispute can and must be won for the sake of Bus Eireann workers, its members in the commercial semi-State sector and workers across the 32 counties. General secretary of the NBRU Dermot O'Leary said it would work towards resolving this crisis, but had advised members they should remain on a war-footing. Bus Eireann said it accepted the invitation to "facilitate meaningful discussions" but warned that its financial situation remains critical. Talks will begin on Monday. An Irish missionary nun who was injured in an assault in the Philippines has been hospitalized in the city of Ozamiz and will require surgery in Manila. Sr Kathleen Melia (70), from Co Leitrim, has worked in the Philippines for over 30 years. Sr Kathleen has been living in Subaneen Ministry of Midsalip since 1983. She was serving at the San Jose Parish Church in the Zamboanga region when the attack took place. Local police director Sofronio Ecaldre said Sr Kathleen was about to close the window of the convent at 9.30pm on Wednesday when she was attacked. Mr Ecaldre said the nun told police that the man, who was wearing a mask, tried to cover her mouth and punched her in the face and chest. She sustained multiple injuries and fell to the ground unconscious. Sr Ann Gray, who knows Sr Kathleen from her work with the Sisters of St Columban in Wicklow, said her colleagues were "shocked and very concerned". "She has been working in that area for over 30 years with the indigenous populations and she was very close to the people there," she said. However Sr Ann is confident that Sr Kathleen will be able to bounce back from the incident. "She will make a recovery as she is in very good hands over there with the help of other sisters. She is very well looked after," she said. The Assembly is to hear personal stories of women who have had abortions this afternoon A TOP barrister said the most secure way for Ireland to achieve a similar abortion system to England would be to remove or replace the Eighth Amendment and allow the Oireachtas to legislate abortion law. Brian Murray SC told the 99 members of the Citizens Assembly today that the critical question is what will the extent of the power for the Oireachtas to legislate for abortion be in a constitutional situation? To achieve a position similar to England, he added, Article 4.3.3 couldnt stand in its present form. It would have to be removed or replaced. The most secure way to allow the Oireachtas to legislate like the English Parliament, would be to repeal the Eighth Amendment and the unborn would have no rights and abortion legislation is a matter only for the Oireachtas. The barrister was speaking at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, Co Dublin, ahead of six personal stories of women affected by current abortion laws in Ireland, which will be heard this afternoon via pre-recorded sessions. Chair of the the Assembly Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, said I am very grateful to each of these women for providing us with an opportunity to hear first-hand how the issues we have been discussing has affected their lives and that of their families. I am asking that whatever side of the debate or discussion people may find themselves on that they will listen to these voices and show respect for these women and their lived experiences, we owe them a debt of gratitude for sharing their stories with us. Mr Murray told the Assembly, he didnt believe they had yet considered what could occur in Irish society if the Eighth Amendment was repealed and nothing put in its place or amended. Would the position be that the Oireachtas would be totally free to introduce whatever abortion laws it felt appropriate? Would there be constitutional limitation on the powers of the Oireachtas? And, if so...what would its effect be? Mr Murray said that before the introduction of the 1983 Eighth Amendment, judges had used an implied right to life regarding unborn foetuses in the State. And the solicitor said, it was possible, even if the Eighth was repealed, legally this implied right could once again be referred to. What about the right to privacy and autonomy of the woman? he asked. The lawyer explained a possibility that even if the act was repealed there could be a legal argument that womens bodily integrity was not being protected by legal abortion. Remember there was an implied right to the unborn pre 1983....there may be those that say this legislation doesnt allow for abortion, that its an impairment to privacy and bodily integrity of pregnant women. At present, cases of those kinds would be resolved by the text of Article 4.3.3. If the express right of the unborn is removed, is there a prospect the courts would find theres no constitutional right to have restrictions on the entitlement to an abortion save in limited circumstances? The resolution . depends on many questions...essentially it comes down to if the Eighth Amendment were repealed When asked about the rights of the father post any removal or repealing of the Eighth by members of the Assembly, Mr Murray said he didnt currently believe men had a right recognised by Irish law regarding the Eighth, so he didnt consider that would change. Mr Murray said that if the Eighth was amended or repealed that: The courts would try to strike a balance to say the people clearly dont want the regime in 4.3.3 to continue But for the unborn to have no rights, the courts could try to conduct a balance between abortion legislation and the continuing right of the unborn. The solicitor said that the Irish State had so far looked at its legal system on the basis of Christian and democratic freedoms, something unlikely to change post any introduction of abortion rights. The solicitor said it was his personally held view that if the Eight was repealed that the courts would give effect to the view of the people...to extract abortion legislation altogether but thats only a personal view and others have different views. Jonathan Chubb (left) and his brother Gareth, who is awaiting trial in the Netherlands The brother of Kinahan mob enforcer Gareth Chubb has been convicted of stealing smart phones using a bank account that did not exist. Company director Jonathan Chubb (37), from Keeper Road in Drimnagh, stole seven smartphones from a telecom firm after he ordered them using fake bank account details. Jonathan appeared as a guest judge on TV3s The Apprentice in 2008, and regularly featured on a number of Dublin radio stations as a real-estate expert. However, his media appearances dried up after he was sentenced for stealing 8,000 in property management fees from his clients in a separate court case in 2015. Jonathan is not the first member of the Chubb family to come before the courts. His younger brother, Gareth, is currently in prison in the Netherlands awaiting trial in relation to an alleged attempted shooting in an Amsterdam cafe. According to witnesses, a Nigerian-Dutch national was lucky to escape with his life after Chubbs gun jammed during the botched shooting. During a search of the premises, officers recovered a Glock pistol, a Walther PPK, another pistol and a silencer. Gareth (29) is a long-term target for the gardai investigating the Kinahan cartels activities in inner-city Dublin. His father, Noel (52), also served a prison sentence after killing a man outside a nightclub. In May 1991, Noel was convicted of the manslaughter of Seamus Broderick (27), a civil servant from Galway. Unlike his brother and father, Jonathan Chubb has no involvement in organised or violent crime. However, he has previously landed himself in hot water for his dodgy business activities. This week, Dublin District Court heard how he gave Three Ireland a fake account number before taking delivery of the phones, worth nearly 4,000. Chubb had pleaded not guilty to stealing the six iPhones and one Samsung Galaxy. Judge Bryan Smyth found him guilty and said Chubb could avoid a six-month prison sentence if he was found suitable to carry out 120 hours of community service instead. He adjourned the case for six months to give Chubb time to come up with compensation. Mark Kelly, fraud and theft investigator with Three Ireland, said the outstanding bill was 1,500 before the phones were cut off. KBC bank informed him that the account details given by Chubb were not bona fide. When shown the number given to Three Ireland by gardai, Chubb said: It was probably in error, it certainly wasnt intentional. A simple phone call from Three [Ireland] could have rectified that. When told the phones were now classed as stolen, he said he would either return them or honour the contract. In 2015, Chubb was also convicted of stealing more than 8,600 from tenants around the country. He told gardai he had always intended to pay the money back and had stolen it to deal with his own financial difficulties in the short term. Detective Sergeant Padraig Boyce, of the Special Detective Unit, told counsel for the State Fiona Murphy BL that he arrested Mr McLaughlin on Thursday in Donegal (Stock picture) A man charged in connection with the murder of Northern Ireland prison officer David Black in November 2012 has appeared at the High Court in Dublin on foot of a European Arrest Warrant. Damien Joseph McLaughlin (40), with an address at Glenties Road, Belfast, was arrested on Thursday in Co Donegal by a member of the Special Detective Unit. Mr McLaughlin is wanted by authorities in Northern Ireland to face allegations that he aided and abetted in the murder of David Black on November 1, 2012, and was in possession of an article suspected of being for the commission of the act of murder. Mr Black (52) was shot dead by dissident republicans as he drove to work at Maghaberry jail. Mr McLaughlin is also charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism and of being a member of a proscribed organisation. Detective Sergeant Padraig Boyce, of the Special Detective Unit, told counsel for the State Fiona Murphy BL that he arrested Mr McLaughlin on Thursday in Donegal. Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly remanded Mr McLaughlin in custody until March 20. Maurice McCabe and his family are to pursue a High Court case for damages against the HSE and Tusla following the creation of a file containing false sexual abuse allegations against the Garda whistleblower. Sgt McCabe, his wife Lorraine and their four children initiated proceedings earlier this week, alleging malicious falsehood, breach of privacy and breach of constitutional rights. Reliefs are also being sought compelling the HSE and Tusla to provide information and documents to the family. It is understood certain injunctions may also be sought as part of the proceedings. The case was initiated on Wednesday, according to High Court records. However, statements of claim have yet to be served. The McCabe family is being represented by Sean Costello & Company Solicitors. A counsellor working for the HSE's National Counselling Service contacted gardai and Tusla in August 2013 after being made aware of an abuse allegation against Sgt McCabe. Long-established principals dictate Sgt McCabe should have been informed of the allegation and given a reasonable opportunity to defend himself. However, this did not occur. The following May, the counsellor informed Tusla that the accusation was the result of a clerical error. Tusla informed gardai of the mistake. However, the untrue sexual abuse claim remained on a Tusla file until at least January 2016 when a member of its staff, unaware there was no substance to it, contacted Sgt McCabe. Apology The Tusla file contained details of Sgt McCabe, his wife and his children and had been sent to gardai. Both Tusla and the HSE have issued apologies to the McCabes. However, the McCabes rejected the HSE apology. They said the HSE statement in which the apology was issued was wrong and that information in it did not coincide with information released to the McCabes by Tusla under the Freedom of Information Act. The HSE statement said that once the alleged error was discovered all proper procedures were taken by the HSE. However, the McCabes said their freedom of information file showed the opposite. The lawsuit was filed just two days after the Disclosure Tribunal, which will investigate claims of an alleged smear campaign against Sgt McCabe, opened at Dublin Castle. The tribunal is currently seeking submissions from anyone with information about matters covered by its terms of reference. Parties have until March 13 to make submissions and hand over any evidence they have to the tribunal, which is headed by Mr Justice Peter Charleton. Sun., Nov. 6, 12 p.m.-12 a.m. Pier 55 Lounge 1225 Toronto Road, Springfield Lake Springfield Area $5 suggested donation Fundraisers and Galas $5.00 Per Ticket Suggested DonationTickets available at Pier 55 LoungeAll proceeds go to SWFL Charities Foundation.FREE FOOD LOTS OF PRIZES TO WIN!Prize drawings will be held throughout the evening starting at 5:30 PM.All prizes have been donated by local area businesses.Must be 21 or over to participate. NEED NOT BE PRESENT TO WIN.The HOCAG Foundation DBA "SWFL Charities Foundation" is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) which was created to support local charity organizations and raise funds for individuals in need in the SWFL area.Thank you so much for your support! 217-585-0241 Residents fear that the mass grave in Tuam may stretch beyond the mother and baby home and below local houses. An information meeting for the residents of the Tobar Jarlath and Dublin Road estates in Tuam was called at short notice yesterday by Galway County Council. But only three residents attended the meeting with local elected representatives and council staff. According to Cllr Peter Roche, short notice was the reason for the lower-than-expected turnout. Cllr Roche confirmed that there were concerns locally that the site might be bigger than first thought and could actually stretch into some private residences. The Tuam Mother and Baby Home closed in 1961 and a few years later the Dublin Road and Tobar Jarlath estates were constructed on and beside the site. Read More "The residents for the best part chose not to attend the meeting. There was a lot of fear, a lot of emotion and for one reason or another they chose to be briefed at home. And that's perfectly acceptable," Cllr Roche said. "They [the residents] weren't angry, but they are deeply traumatised, because the suspicions they had for many, many years were confirmed." Cllr Carey McHugh, who grew up near the site and was in attendance at the meeting, said: "It's a tough day, but we are looking for respect and privacy for the residents and families affected. "We are looking for more knowledge and information from this inquiry. Then everyone can finally get closure and we can move forward in a positive way and remember all the children and people that were affected by this tragedy." Updates were given to local residents via a second leaflet drop last night by the council's community wardens, but it remains unclear what the next step will be. Currently the excavated site is cordoned off and is coated with gravel. A statement from Galway County Council said it was committed to involving the local residents in its decision-making. Apology A religious order which ran a mother and baby home has failed to issue an apology after a commission of investigation discovered what are believed to be the remains of hundreds of children in underground chambers at the property. The Bon Secours Sisters said it couldn't comment on the find, which Children's Minister Katherine Zappone described as "disturbing". Significant quantities of human remains were discovered at the site of the former St Mary's Mother and Baby Home, an institution where unmarried pregnant women were sent to give birth, in Tuam, Co Galway. The find has vindicated the painstaking research of amateur historian Catherine Corless, whose work helped lead to the setting up of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission. In a statement, the commission described itself as "shocked" by the discoveries, which were made in recent weeks. Remains were found in 17 underground chambers in a structure which appears to have been used for the treatment or containment of sewage or waste water. A small number of the remains were recovered for the purpose of analysis. "These remains involved a number of individuals with age-at-death ranges from approximately 35 foetal weeks to two to three years," the body said. "Radiocarbon dating of the samples recovered suggest that the remains date from the timeframe relevant to the operation of the mother and baby home." Bon Secours nuns ran the home from 1925 until its closure in 1961. Read More A number of the samples are likely to date from the 1950s. Further scientific tests are being conducted. In a statement the Bon Secours Sisters said they were fully committed to the work of the commission. However, no apology was forthcoming from the order. It said that on closing the home in 1961, all records were given to Galway County Council. "We can therefore make no comment on today's announcement, other than to confirm our continued co-operation with and support for the work of the commission in seeking the truth about the home," the statement said. The Irish Independent understands the commission has not yet removed any skeletons from the site but sources with knowledge of the investigation said there could be hundreds. "Nobody knows the answer to that question yet, but it will be high," one source said. As well as testing samples, specialist technology has also been deployed to study the remains in the ground. Read More The commission is said to be satisfied that local theories about the site being a famine grave can now be discounted. Ms Corless said the announcement was "a great relief" as it provided the truth to survivors who have brothers and sisters buried there. "It is great for them to know that these children will finally be given a proper burial," she said. Ms Corless said she had been "blocked on all sides" while conducting her research, with no help from the Catholic Church or authorities locally. The reason so many children died in the home remains unclear, but Ms Corless said she believed it was due to neglect. "They were illegitimate children. They weren't wanted," she said. "I can't understand how there were so many deaths because the Bon Secours was a nursing order. They would have known about hygiene and separating the ones who were ill from the ones who weren't. "I just get the impression there was total neglect of the children." Women who gave birth were separated from their children and required to do unpaid work in the home for a year. Children stayed there until they were fostered, adopted or old enough to go to an industrial school. Ms Zappone said the find was "very sad and disturbing news" but "not unexpected". She said everybody involved must respond sensitively. * A dedicated telephone information line is being made available for people seeking further information. It is available on 01-6473118 / 01-6473232 during Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. * Anyone affected can also directly contact the Health Service Executive information line on 1850-241-850. Former Fianna Fail politician Mary O'Rourke has revealed how she is still coping with the loss of her husband 16 years later. The former minister opened up on the Late Late Show and said she still feels the "silence" since her husband's passing. Enda died, aged 65, in January 2001 after he was taken ill at their home. "Sixteen years dead and I still miss him deeply," the Athlone woman told Ryan Tubridy. "I miss him in the morning, we'd always talk. I miss him when I come in in the evening, he was always there for me. "The first night I came home from Dublin from the Dail, or a Cabinet meeting or something, and I walked in the door to such a silence. "You know that song, 'Is this all there is to it?', the song goes on. "I thought, 'Is this all there is to it?', is this going to be it for me." Ms O'Rourke said her solution to fill the silence was to buy a few radios for the house, which she turns on first thing every morning. "I bought a few radios, one for the bedroom, the living room, the kitchen and they're going on all the time. "First thing in the morning," she added. "I love the sound of noises, talking, maybe shouting, maybe music. I love the sound of voices in my house, because I couldn't stick the awful emptiness of it when he passed away." She clarified the radios were to fill the silence, not loneliness, when asked. "It's against the silence," she said. "I quite like my own company, it's against the silence. "He was always there.. and it's against that. "You never lose that." After two years of campaigning, a girl with an ultra-rare disease has been told she can have the only drug in the world that can treat it. Morquio has left Grace (9) the size of a toddler and living with pain and fatigue that will not get better without Vimizim. "The bad days and stress of trying to get access to it for Grace are now over. She will get a chance at a better quality of life," her mother Grainne Cogan said. The HSE told the family that Grace will be able to receive Vimizim - an enzyme replacement therapy - at Temple Street Children's Hospital. Ms Cogan said she was shaking when she heard the news that she, her family and friends have worked so hard for. "To us this means everything. Nothing comes close to this feeling. I feel like a weight has been lifted off me," she said. The family live near Carrickmacross, a short drive from Northern Ireland where Vimizim is provided by the NHS to other adults, and children, with the condition. Vimizim costs around 400,000 a year for an adult and the manufacturers, BioMarin, made an application for it to be funded by the HSE. As part of that process, Vimizim was assessed by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE), who decided in December last year not to recommend it for reimbursement. That blow came just weeks after the HSE, in error, approved their application for Grace to receive the drug under the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS). Now the family's stress and heartache is over as the HSE, which has the final decision on the matter, told them they would provide it for Grace. "Grace is a very special girl who deserves every chance at life and hopefully from now on her symptoms will improve," Ms Cogan said. She is not giving up her fight for anyone else with Morquio to also get Vimizim. "It does not mean that the drug is approved in the Republic but because of the HSE's error in approving it through the TAS they have organised for Grace to have access to the drug," she said. "I was working when I got the call and I was shaking with total shock and excitement all day. "It is still very important to me, however, that the drug gets approved within the Republic so that any person, child or adult, diagnosed with this progressive condition has access to treatment that would help them." A HSE statement said that access to a drug therapy is only available where the specific drug has been approved in this jurisdiction. Error But it added: "An individual patient was approved access to drug therapy under the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) in error. "Notwithstanding this error the HSE gave a commitment to honour the TAS approval as our decision had already been communicated to the family and a reasonable expectation of access to the non-approved drug had been raised. "The HSE is finalising a solution for the patient on an individual exceptional basis in Ireland and we hope to have a service in place shortly to enable treatment to be delivered." The photo of Paddy Lyons taken by his friend Paddy Geoghegan Paddy Lyons often used to sit on the bench in the graveyard in Ballysaggart. Not so much because it was a sun trap, but that he knew people would be passing and there would be the chance of a chat. He was sitting there on a dull, grey day last summer when photographer Paddy Geoghegan came along, his camera strung around him. Having known Mr Lyons for all of his 70 years, he stopped to talk and Mr Lyons admired his camera. "Sure I might as well take your picture when I'm here," said Mr Geoghegan. The 90-year-old man straightened himself up and "smiled the lovely smile you see there in the photograph," he said. Paddy was a quiet, unassuming man who lived alone on a 30-acre holding down a long boreen in the foothills of the Knockmealdown mountains in Co Waterford. His parents died some 40 years ago, while his lifelong friend Jimmy Roche died some years ago in an accident - and that had been a huge loss to him. After that, Paddy was reliant on his neighbours and other visitors to look in on him. "But the people of Ballysaggart, man, woman and child, knew Paddy and he was part of the community," said Mr Geoghegan. "He was a lovely, lovely man, very outgoing, very sociable. He didn't take age into account at all." If there was music playing in a pub, "nine times out of 10, Paddy would be there," he said - and his musical tastes encompassed a wide range. "If it was Black Sabbath, he'd nearly be at it," Mr Geoghegan laughed. He would sit quietly in the Red House bar in Lismore - its peaceful green interior hardly altered since the 1930s apart from the addition of a television set and a bar food menu - and would happily talk politics to anyone who came along. And every month when Ballysaggart held a dance in the local community centre, sprightly Paddy would be there. The local community is a strong one and they helped Paddy with lifts into Lismore, a 10-minute drive away, to collect his pension. He was robbed on several occasions, by con men who pretended to be gardai and by thugs who broke into his house while he was out. After the last robbery in 2011, neighbours encouraged him to set up a bank account, hoping it would make him less of a target. Even then, the intruders came and the local Community Watch group tried to persuade Mr Lyons to install an alarm system but he baulked at the idea. Paddy did not want to feel like a prisoner in his own home. Last Saturday, he failed to turn up for the funeral of local woman Maureen Walsh (88) and members of the community were immediately concerned. Paddy would not have missed it voluntarily. A couple who used to visit him called that day at about 4.30pm and were shocked to discover him badly beaten and slumped in an armchair and called to a neighbour to ask her to raise the alarm. The results of the post-mortem caused gardai to launch a murder hunt on Sunday. Gardai believe he may have been beaten with an iron bar or a poker. On Wednesday, Ross Outram (26) appeared before Dungarvan District Court charged with the murder of Mr Lyons at a time unknown between February 24 and 25 last. He will appear again before Dungarvan District Court on March 8 next. It is understood that the funeral arrangements for Paddy Lyons are being delayed to allow distant relatives to travel to Ireland from overseas. No arrangements have been confirmed to date though it is now expected the Requiem Mass will take place early next week. Ballysaggart locals are planning "a simple but dignified funeral" for Mr Lyons with tributes to be mounted by Ballysaggart GAA, Ballysaggart Community Alert and other groups. Meanwhile, for elderly people living in rural areas around the country, fear levels have risen. Read More Margaret Quinn, South Eastern Region Community Alert Development Officer with Muintir na Tire, said elderly people in the region have been left deeply frightened by the attack on Mr Lyons. "The fear that it generates is as bad as anything else," she said. But she stressed that such attacks are not the norm. "Most older people will live happily and safely in their own homes with the help of the community around them," she said. But Ms Quinn pointed out that even with a supportive community around him, Mr Lyons appears to have fallen victim to intimidation without anyone realising. She warned that it is very difficult to get a vulnerable person to reveal what is going on. "If an elderly person is robbed, they often don't want to admit to gardai how much money is gone because they don't want to appear foolish by having had that amount of money in the house," she said. "But some older people aren't used to going to a hole in the wall to get their money out, they're used to keeping money at home and they feel that's a private matter." "They might also be afraid that if they have a bit of money that they might lose any benefits they might get if they put that money in the bank," she added. Meanwhile, the closure of rural garda stations and post offices has stripped away a sense of reassurance and even independence for older rural people. The threat of losing vital bus routes also hangs heavily over older rural people who may rely on the bus as their only means of transport, she pointed out. "Even if they only have a bus going two days a week, that's two days they can tell themselves that they can get up, wash, put on their best clothes whatever they may be, and go in and just meet other human beings," she said. Graham Lowndes, who shot a convicted thief in the arm after he caught him raiding his father Richard's home in Swords, Co Dublin, said that his father's life was badly affected right up until his death just a few weeks ago. "It's terrible that old people can spend their whole lives working and at the end of it all, something like this happens to them," he said. Dublin firefighters and their supporters protested outside a number of fire stations across the capital today in response to management's plans to break up the Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) Emergency Medical Service by removing its ambulance call centre and dispatch function. Siptu's Dublin Fire Brigade Section Committee will announce its plan of action in the coming days for its "campaign to retain the DFB Emergency Medical Service as a fully functioning operation" in the coming days. Last month its members voted by 93 percent in favour of strike action and 97 percent in favour of industrial action last month. Protests were held outside 12 fire stations across Dublin today. Among the supporters today were Dublin's Lord Mayor, Brendan Carr, former Ireland rugby captain Brian O'Driscoll and Liveline presenter Joe Duffy. Speaking about the protests, SIPTU Sector Organiser Brendan O'Brien said "The protests were initially called by Dublin City Councillor and former Lord Mayor Christy Burke. "Our members would like to thank him for the initiative which allowed local communities across the city and county to show their support from the DFB Emergency Medical Service. "The protests highlighted the very strong opposition there is to an attempt by senior management in Dublin City Council to break up the DFB Emergency Medical Service by removing its ambulance call and dispatch function. "Removal of this function breaks a key link in the DFB Emergency Medical Service chan, which would result in a reduction in the effectiveness of the service, response time delays and expose the public to increased risk," said Mr O'Brien. Dublin's combined ambulance and dire service is a model that is considered best practice internationally - and is operated in many major cities including Paris, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and Hong Kong, and most of the largest cities in the US. Sinn Fein candidates for Fermanage South Tyrone Jemma Dolan (left), Sean Lynch and Michelle Gildernew at the Omagh count centre having been deemed elected in Northern Ireland's Assembly election. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Four former ministers in Northern Ireland's powersharing administration have lost their seats. A one-time DUP culture minister who confronted what he termed Sinn Fein's use of the Irish language as a weapon, and the chairman of the unionist party who was perhaps best known for helping make the region the first part of the UK to ban the purchase of sex, were among the casualties. The UUP's deputy leader also perished amid a rising "tide" of Sinn Fein support across Northern Ireland. And a senior member of the nationalist SDLP who helped negotiate the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, said he had let the party down in a West Belfast constituency it once dominated. The DUP's Nelson McCausland said: "It means that there is a life beyond politics and there are lots of other things that I want to do and I intend to do. All six sitting Assembly members in Mr McCausland's North Belfast constituency were battling for re-election. The cut in the size of the Assembly from 108 to 90 meant all constituencies dropped to five representatives and one of the incumbents had to lose out. It was a factor that inflicted losses across Northern Ireland. Mr McCausland, a keen proponent of Ulster Scots as a counterweight to Irish, compared Sinn Fein's approach to "weaponising" the Irish language. The DUP's failure to embrace it was used as a tool by republicans to great effect this election. His party colleague in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Lord Maurice Morrow, was a former social development minister. He once championed an Assembly law meaning anyone caught purchasing sex could be jailed. It was intended to tackle human trafficking. He said: "It's 45 years since I first dipped my toe in politics in Northern Ireland but I always knew that nothing would stay the same forever. "Change happens and I am on the receiving end of that change." Alex Attwood and Danny Kennedy also had decades of political experience but failed to win re-election in a difficult night for some self-styled moderates. Mr Kennedy was a minority unionist voice in the Newry and Armagh constituency and a former regional development minister at Stormont. The massive swell in voting numbers largely favoured Sinn Fein. Mr Kennedy said: "Sometimes when the tide comes in like that, you are washed away." Mr Attwood was the first heavy hitter to go. Sinn Fein had vowed to clean up alleged corruption surrounding a botched green energy scheme and accused unionists of disrespecting the Irish language. Mr Attwood said: "When people came out they came out disproportionately for Sinn Fein." He added: "Loud voices have been about the politics of the bogeyman on one hand and top dog on the other. "The argument that we made was the right argument to compete in that noise." He recently served as minister of the environment and minister for social development on the Northern Ireland Executive. The site of a mass grave for children who died in the Tuam Mother and Baby Home in Galway. Photo: PA A religious order which ran a mother and baby home has failed to issue an apology after a commission of investigation discovered what are believed to be the remains of hundreds of children in underground chambers at the property. The Bon Secours Sisters said it couldn't comment on the find, which Children's Minister Katherine Zappone described as "disturbing". Significant quantities of human remains were discovered at the site of the former St Mary's Mother and Baby Home, an institution where unmarried pregnant women were sent to give birth, in Tuam, Co Galway. The find has vindicated the painstaking research of amateur historian Catherine Corless, whose work helped lead to the setting up of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission. In a statement, the commission described itself as "shocked" by the discoveries, which were made in recent weeks. Remains were found in 17 underground chambers in a structure which appears to have been used for the treatment or containment of sewage or waste water. A small number of the remains were recovered for the purpose of analysis. "These remains involved a number of individuals with age-at-death ranges from approximately 35 foetal weeks to two to three years," the body said. "Radiocarbon dating of the samples recovered suggest that the remains date from the timeframe relevant to the operation of the mother and baby home." Bon Secours nuns ran the home from 1925 until its closure in 1961. Read More A number of the samples are likely to date from the 1950s. Further scientific tests are being conducted. In a statement the Bon Secours Sisters said they were fully committed to the work of the commission. However, no apology was forthcoming from the order. It said that on closing the home in 1961, all records were given to Galway County Council. "We can therefore make no comment on today's announcement, other than to confirm our continued co-operation with and support for the work of the commission in seeking the truth about the home," the statement said. The Irish Independent understands the commission has not yet removed any skeletons from the site but sources with knowledge of the investigation said there could be hundreds. "Nobody knows the answer to that question yet, but it will be high," one source said. As well as testing samples, specialist technology has also been deployed to study the remains in the ground. Read More The commission is said to be satisfied that local theories about the site being a famine grave can now be discounted. Ms Corless said the announcement was "a great relief" as it provided the truth to survivors who have brothers and sisters buried there. "It is great for them to know that these children will finally be given a proper burial," she said. Ms Corless said she had been "blocked on all sides" while conducting her research, with no help from the Catholic Church or authorities locally. The reason so many children died in the home remains unclear, but Ms Corless said she believed it was due to neglect. "They were illegitimate children. They weren't wanted," she said. "I can't understand how there were so many deaths because the Bon Secours was a nursing order. They would have known about hygiene and separating the ones who were ill from the ones who weren't. "I just get the impression there was total neglect of the children." Women who gave birth were separated from their children and required to do unpaid work in the home for a year. Children stayed there until they were fostered, adopted or old enough to go to an industrial school. Ms Zappone said the find was "very sad and disturbing news" but "not unexpected". She said everybody involved must respond sensitively. * A dedicated telephone information line is being made available for people seeking further information. It is available on 01-6473118 / 01-6473232 during Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. * Anyone affected can also directly contact the Health Service Executive information line on 1850-241-850. Water wasters will be slapped with fines - similar to those incurred by speeding motorists - under plans proposed by Fianna Fail, the Irish Independent can reveal. Legal advice commissioned by the party proposes the introduction of a "fixed charge notices system akin to that operated at present in the sphere of motor vehicles" in order to deal with those who waste water. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are at loggerheads over the water charges issue, which continues to threaten the stability of the Government. The stand-off centres upon how to deal with so-called 'excessive usage'. Fine Gael wants to introduce legislation that penalises people who waste water - but Fianna Fail insists such an offence can be dealt with by a law introduced in 2007 called the Water Services Act. At present, the law provides for a 5,000 maximum fine and /or a prison sentence of up to three months for offenders. The legal advice, seen by this newspaper, proposes that the legislation should be strengthened in order to ensure Ireland is compliant with EU law. With the row now set to spill into next week, Housing Minister Simon Coveney yesterday consulted Attorney General Maire Whelan, while Fianna Fail obtained further legal advice on the matter. Lawyers Darren Lehane and Conleth Bradley propose a fine system similar to the one that applies to motorists. "However, we are of the view that it might be considered appropriate to improve the effectiveness of the system as a whole by introducing, for example, a fixed charge notice system akin to that operated at present in the sphere of motor vehicles whereby an offender would be given an opportunity to pay a fine first before the matter proceeds to court," the advice stated. "The amount of the fine could be structured on a graded basis commensurate with the amount of waste involved." Under the FF proposed system, people will avoid court appearances and instead receive the fine in the post. The news comes as Mr Coveney held talks with the Attorney General as the Government aims to defuse the ongoing water row. Mr Coveney last night said he was "satisfied" that the Government's approach was the right one and would ensure Ireland was not opened up to fines and potential legal action by the European Union. In a clear swipe, the Cork South Central TD said he did not believe Fianna Fail's legal advice was credible. "I am not prepared to go down the route of prosecutions," Mr Coveney said, adding that Fianna Fail's approach should be seen as trying to "make criminals out of people". He said the Government's position would ensure the taxpayer was not left to pick up the tab for the wasting of water. "Why should everyone else in the State pay for the guy who leaves the tap on?" Mr Coveney said. Meanwhile, Mr Coveney gave his clearest indication yet that he is willing to budge on the issue of refunds. The minister said he had an "open mind" on the issue, which he said would be worked through next week by the committee. Mourners carry the coffin from the church at Peter Mathews funeral yesterday. Photo: Colin ORiordan Pope Francis's emissary in Ireland, the Papal Nuncio, today paid a special tribute to former TD Peter Mathews on behalf of the Pontiff. Delivering a commendation at the funeral of the former Fine Gael TD for Dublin South, Archbishop Charles Brown said Mr Mathews was "an outstanding citizen and a great patriot who possessed a radiant faith". A large group of former political colleagues - including Taoiseach Enda Kenny - attended the funeral service. The attendance was dominated by Fine Gael colleagues. But there was a wide representation from all the other parties. President Michael D Higgins was represented by his aide de camp, Col Michael Kiernan. The Papal Nuncio was among 10 priests who concelebrated Mass in Donnybrook, Dublin, for the 65-year-old former TD who died earlier this week after a 13-month battle with cancer. He had served as a TD from 2011 to 2016. Chief celebrant Father Conor Harper SJ said he was a man of old-world courtesy and charm, of integrity and courage. Expand Close Peter Mathews Picture: Tom Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Peter Mathews Picture: Tom Burke His three sons - James, John and David - paid moving tributes to their father, stressing the noble way he bore the battle against his disease. There were also tributes from his wife Susan, daughter Maria, extended family and many friends. Eldest son John described his father as "a family man who was a man for others". He said he offered his "help, advice and love" and "sometimes even when it wasn't asked for". Alan Shatter said his letter had been 'written in good faith' Former justice minister Alan Shatter has accused the Taoiseach of "hawking" segments of his resignation letter around in a bid to save his credibility. An accusation from the ex-Fine Gael TD yesterday that Enda Kenny has a "casual relationship with the truth" was met with fury from Government Buildings. Mr Kenny's officials rejected the claim as "completely out of hand" and referred journalists to the letter submitted by Mr Shatter when he resigned in May 2014. In it, Mr Shatter said the Taoiseach was doing "an extraordinary job" and thanked him "for all the assistance and support". However, the former TD told the Irish Independent last night that the letter was "written in good faith" at a time when he "wished to depart from government with some dignity". He noted that it also detailed two major concerns he had about the Guerin Report into the handling of allegations made by Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe. It found that Mr Shatter failed to heed the whistleblower's concerns, prompting the Taoiseach to tell his then minister that he could not express confidence in him. A commission of investigation, headed by Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins, has since found Mr Shatter had dealt with the concerns appropriately. Mr Shatter said he asked the Taoiseach to query why he wasn't interviewed as part of the Guerin Inquiry and why documents in the possession of the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission weren't assessed by the senior counsel Sean Guerin. "I assumed when I resigned he'd address these concerns," Mr Shatter said. He met with Mr Kenny again in June 2015 and felt the Taoiseach "had a genuine interest" but the concerns were never followed up. "I wrote that letter in good faith because I thought I was dealing with somebody who was being upfront," Mr Shatter said. The Tanaiste made the overtime pledge as farmers leaders stepped up their campaign for increased policing hours and a bigger presence in rural areas (Stock picture) Weddings, holidays, even funerals or the school run are seen by burglary gangs as prime opportunities to strike. They are ruthlessly exploiting social media and other local intelligence to better target 'high yield' rural homes. Tanaiste France Fitzgerald yesterday pledged almost 90m in garda overtime funding to tackle rural crime and other major policing operations. She said the Government was determined that the force would remain properly resourced to face down criminals. The Justice Minister highlighted Operation Thor, which has slashed burglaries and property crime by a third since its launch in November 2015. She said the provision of the additional 88.5m for overtime would ensure the deployment of extra personnel throughout the year to "keep up the pressure" on the crime gangs. Gardai however admitted that gangs, many operating from Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Waterford, are constantly changing their tactics. The latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) crime figures show a 31pc decline in the number of burglaries nationwide over the past 12 months. The Tanaiste made the overtime pledge last night as farmers' leaders stepped up their campaign for increased policing hours and a bigger presence in rural areas. Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) national treasurer Jer Bergin said: "This is organised crime. These gangs run it like a business and when some of the main figures are taken out of the picture, you can see the effects on the ground. "Community-based gardai are the most effective tool in policing a country like Ireland. The continued recruitment of new gardai and the allocation of extra personnel will go a long way to restoring that sense of security for rural dwellers". Mr Bergin said there was no doubt that gardai had become more visible in the past six months. The Tanaiste told the Irish Independent that the scale of garda activity under Thor was illustrated by almost 40,000 crime prevention patrols and over 50,000 targeted checkpoints nationwide. Garda Chief Supt Dominic Hayes, who has carried out a series of operations to reassure the public in his Kilkenny-Carlow division and also headed up the investigation into the murder of 90-year-old farmer, Paddy Lyons, said he accepted that the perception of the level of crime in rural areas presented another challenge they had to meet. The work-to-rule was due to go ahead on Tuesday, March 7 Photo: Frank McGrath A nationwide work-to-rule which was due to go ahead on Tuesday has been deferred following talks at the Workplace Relations Commission. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has decided to ballot members on proposals tabled at negotiations at the WRC early this morning. The Executive Committee of the INMO is recommending members to accept the proposals. Health Minister Simon Harris has welcomed the announcement. In a statement issued this evening, he said: "I welcome the deferral and respect the process the INMO is now undertaking to ballot its members and reiterate my commitment to working to invest in and further improve the Irish health service". Earlier today, SIPTU representatives agreed to consider revised nursing recruitment and retention proposals. The INMO is to meet to consider the outcome of the talks, which lasted almost 15 hours. Before Christmas, 90pc of INMO members voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute over staff shortages and a lack of incentives to recruit and retain staff. The HSE said agreeing to the demands would cost an extra 180m a year. INMO will now put in place arrangements for this ballot in work places across the country, with a view to having it completed by the end of March. A travel search site claims to have pinpointed the cheapest travel destination to fly to from Irish airports this year. Alicante is "the bargain of 2017", according to research by kayak.ie, with a median price of 158 for return flights. For long-haul trips, Cape Town ranks as the site's most inexpensive destination, with return flights coming in a median price of 550 this year. The analysis is based on searches and clicks on kayak.ie from all airports in Ireland for 2017, it says. Flight prices rise and fall depending on dates and demand, of course, but overall, Alicante and Cape Town came up trumps. KAYAK is a travel search site that has recently launched an Irish iteration, and is keen to make inroads into the market here. As part of a promotional push, it's taken a deep dive into Irish booking data, with several sweet spots identified in other areas too. Expand Close Cape Town: Table mountain sunset / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cape Town: Table mountain sunset Saving money on flights Irish travellers can save up to 56pc on flights to Europe and internationally by booking their airfares at the right time, according to kayak.ie. Booking six months ahead will secure the best savings on flights to Barcelona and Faro, for example, while the sweet spot for London and New York is two months out. Las Vegas flights are cheapest to book five months ahead, apparently. Saving money on hotels Book three or four-star hotels at the right time and you could save up to 61pc on your accommodation bill, the site claims. When it comes to Barcelona, for example, booking a hotel one month in advance can result in savings of up to 53pc. For Amsterdam, it's 37pc. In the US, New York offers potential savings of 47pc for reservations made a month ahead of time, with Orlando reduced by 38pc a month out. "The research shows that often, those who are happy to leave their bookings until later can secure the best deals," says Suzanne Perry of KAYAK. This isn't always the case, however. Savings for Dubai came in highest when rooms were booked nine months ahead, for instance. Price comparison websites Kayak, a subsidiary of travel giant The Priceline Group, offers searches for flights, hotels, car hire and package holidays - with a range of tools and gizmos on its app including hotel heat maps, price alerts and flight trackers. It's not the only search site competing for your attention, of course - skyscanner.ie and google.ie/flights are just two others worth a look. Shop around, as the ancient wisdom goes. Oh, and enjoy Alicante. Read more: Dundalk's first museum was located in Cuchulainn's Castle and its opening was marked by a spectacular outdoor pageant which attracted an attendence 750 over a hundred years ago. Local archaeologist Paul Gosling, who lectures at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, will recall this occasion in a talk entitled ' Halcyon Days: the Opening of Dun Dealgan Museum (Cuchulainn's Castle), Dundalk, August 1911'. The talk in St Vincent's Secondary School on Thursday March 2 at 8p.m., is being hosted by the Co Louth Archaelogical and Historical Society. Mr Gosling has pieced together details of the event which featured a pageant entitled 'The Return of Cuchulainn and Emer', featuring members of Gaelic League branches from rare post cards and he has written a paper which will be published in the Society's 2017 Journal. Cllr. Conor Keelan, Amanda Branigan, Constance Short and Cllr. Maeve Yore at the launch of The Dorothy Macardle Society's An Unrepentant Propagandist held in the County Library. Picture: Ken Finegan Aideen McArdle (left), Lea Hennessy, Constance Short, Gay Veale, Amanda Branigan, Rosetta Whyte and Art Agnew at the launch of The Dorothy Macardle Society's An Unrepentant Propagandist held in the County Library. Picture: Ken Finegan She was a Republican who was jailed during the Civil War, a writer and journalist, whose work was broadcast on BBC and RTE and adapted for film, a socialist, a feminist and a political activist, yet her name has all but disappeared from the annals of history. Dorothy Macardle was born into the famous Dundalk brewing family, daughter of Sir Thomas Callan Macardle and Lady Minnie Callan Macardle from Cambrickville. Now, her place in history is being marked with the launch of the The Dorothy Macardle Society and the hosting of a weekend of words, music and drama celebrating her life, work and values, taking place in the Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol, this weekend. The weekend is the brainchild of local artist Constance Short who, with the assistance of author Peter Berresford Ellis, has put together an exciting programme of events including lectures, performances, readings and music, with a host of speakers including former MPs Clare Short and Bernadette Devlin McAlistey, and film maker Lelia Doolan. Speaking at the launch in Dundalk Library last week, Constance revealed she had long wanted to take Dorothy out of the shadows and celebrate her life. 'I've been a politicial activist and artist all my life, that's why I'm attracted to Dorothy,' she said, as she explained how she put the programme together by contacting family and friends. Cllr Conor Keelan said it was 'only appropriate' that the legacy of Dorothy and the Macardle family should be acknowledged in Dundalk. He it was unfortunate that she wasn't known wider across the national field as her book 'The Irish Republic' was one of the most comprehensive works on the War of Independence and the Civil War. Tickets are available by contacting Constance at 042 9322172 or 087 9847797. Schools are at the heart of our communities and that was shown to be true at the tremendous attendance at the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Mullaghbouy National School at its present site. The school replaced the original one which was founded in 1841 and stood on a site along the old mountain road. Weeks of preparations bore fruit as teachers, pupils, parents, pass pupils and many from the local community gathered for the 50th anniversary celebrations recently. Proceedings got under way with Archbishop Eamon Martin con celebrated Mass in St Anne's Church, Mullaghbouy, with Fr Malachy Conlon and Fr Tommy McNulty. The school choir, conducted and directed by John McIntyre and Zoe Conway, sang the beautiful hymns of Sean O'Riada. Following the Mass, the community retired to the school and the community hall where everyone enjoyed a tasty breakfast, provided by Conlon's Catering. The celebrations provided the opportunity for many old acquaintances to be rekindled as a lot of past pupils travelled to join the school community in this important milestone. Present day pupils enjoyed hearing stories of school life in the by gone days as a number of past pupils, who are now in their nineties, were able to share their stories of going to school in the last century. The teachers, staff and parents are very grateful to all those who were involved in planning the event. Tesco Longwalk is now the second Dundalk Tesco store to team up with Dundalk Food Bank to redistribute surplus food to the local community via FoodCloud. Dundalk Food Bank works in collaboration with other charities in the Dundalk area to distribute food to those most in need. The organisation will now receive surplus food donations twice a week from both Tesco Longwalk and Dundalk stores. Using the FoodCloud application, Tesco store colleagues notify charities, by uploading a description of the food items available for collection. Typical food items donated by Tesco include meat, bread, chilled convenience foods, milk, dairy and fresh fruit and vegetables. To date, Tesco Ireland's innovative surplus food donations partnership with FoodCloud has redistributed over 2.6 million meals to over 250 charities and support groups since its launch in July 2014. Tesco is encouraging more good causes across Louth to sign up and benefit from this initiative. Any charity or local community group that could benefit from receiving surplus quality food products, can find out more by popping into their local Tesco Store or signing up on food.cloud. Two Dundalk businessmen have gone on trial in Dublin accused of stealing 250,000 from a man by telling him they were investing in a 35 million Celtic Tiger era land deal. Anthony Roddy (64), of Dungooley, Kilcurry, and Raymond Fee (34), of Millstream, Distillery Lane, Dundalk, have pleaded not guilty to stealing 250,000 from Kevin Brady in Dundalk on dates between September 22, 2006 and August 23, 2007. Roddy has also pleaded not guilty to dishonestly by deception inducing Mr Brady to provide a bank draft of 100,000 on the pretext it would be invested in shares on his behalf at Rampart Lane, Dundalk on March 3, 2007. In opening the trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, prosecuting barrister Patrick McGrath, told the jury that the alleged victim, Mr Brady, had received 1 million in compensation in 2006 as a result of a workplace accident. He knew Roddy was 'a wealthy man' and Mr Brady had asked him about ways to make money. A short time later Roddy contacted him and they made an arrangement to meet. Mr Brady met Roddy and Fee some time later at the Avenue Inn. A proposal was put to Mr Brady by Roddy. He said there was piece of land north of Drogheda worth 35 million with outline planning permission for 250 apartments. 'This was the height of the Celtic Tiger', the barrister said. Mr Roddy said if 1 million was raised and put down as a deposit they could 'flip over' the land for a substantial profit. It was intended that there would be four investors, the three men at the meeting and a fourth unnamed person. Mr Brady went and got a 250,000 bank draft. Roddy, it is alleged, later asked Mr Brady to become involved in a share portfolio and in March 2007 Mr Brady gave him a bank draft for 100,000 for investing in shares. Mr McGrath said as time went on Mr Brady asked for his money back and became anxious. He got some money back by way of bank draft from the joint account of Roddy and Fee. He received two amounts of 15,000 and one draft of 47,000. He continued to ask about his money and was told the deal would go through by Christmas 2008 and then told it would take two years. Mr Brady then heard the land had been bought and became alarmed because he had never agreed to buy the land. Mr McGrath told the jury they would hear evidence about a visit by Mr Brady to Catherine Fee and Co solicitors and that following that visit he received a call from Mr Roddy who said something about selling a farm and giving him 250,000. Mr Brady decided in May 2009 to go to the Gardai and this led to the investigation which led to the charges. Roddy allegedly then contacted Mr Brady and offered 40,000 or 50,000 if he withdrew the complaints. Mr McGrath told the jury it would hear evidence of what became of the 250,000 that was paid into a Ulster Bank partnership account owned by Roddy and Mr Fee. The trial continues this week before Judge Karen O'Connor and a jury. Gardai are appealing for witnesses to the single car collision which claimed the life of 23 year old Andrew (Andy) Smith of Shrewsbury Manor, Greenhills, Drogheda, and formerly of Shortstone, Slieve, Hackballscross. Emergency services were called to the scene at Ballybinaby, near Hackballscross around 2.20am after a BMW crashed into the wall of a house. Andrew, who was travelling on his own in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. Andrew was the second eldest son of David and Pauline and is survived by his heartbroken parents, brothers Kris, Garry, Kyle and Kaylem, sister Marianne, grand dad John and nana Theresa (Healy), aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives and a large circle of friends. Andrew attended O'Fiaich College in Dundalk, where he sat his Leaving Cert in 2010 and later did a PLC course in engineering. His year head Ms Pauline McGuinness said the school community was saddened at the news of his death and remembered him as 'a lovely lad, nice and friendly' Tributes were paid to the 23 year old on Facebook with the Dundalk Car Culture page stating 'Today Dundalk lost a massive car enthusiast, and an absolute gentleman. R.I.P Andrew Smith, forever in our thoughts. Andrew passed away doing what he loved most - driving.' Fellow car enthusiasts are to provide a guard of honour at his funeral, with many planning on travelling from throughout the north east and further afield. Andrew is reposing at his home from 3 o'clock until 8 o'clock on Tuesday and Wednesday. Removal on Thursday morning at 10.30 am arriving to Our Lady of Lourdes Church for Funeral Mass at 11.00 am. Burial afterwards in Calvary Cemetery. House strictly private on Thursday morning. Investigating Gardai are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact them at Dundalk Garda Station 042-9388400 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111. Shane McBride, Emma Hunt Duffy, Eve McCrystal, David Minto, Cllr. Mark Dearey and Eliane McGeough at the official launch of the St. Patrick's day parade held in The Town Hall. Michael Gaynor, Eve McCrystal and David Minto at the official launch of the St. Patrick's day parade held in The Town Hall 'TeamDundalk' is the theme for the St. Patrick's day celebrations which were launched in style at the An Tain theatre last week. Parade sponsors, organisers and associated groupings joined with this year's Grand Marshall, Paralympic medallist Eve McCrystal in the An Tain Arts Centre to celebrate the unveiling of the 2017 theme and programme of events. Speaking at the launch Parade Chairperson, David Minto said: 'The 2017 St Patrick's Day Parade is once again fortunate to have a main sponsor in Fyffes alongside Dundalk Credit Union, Longwalk Shopping Centre, Louth County Council and Pelican Promotions. The event is also supported by Dundalk Chamber of Commerce.' He spoke of the 'vital importance' of these sponsors in ensuring the Parade goes ahead each year. 'Without sponsorship, the parade would not happen. If we didn't get the necessary cash then we wouldn't be able to do this.' 2017 Grand Marshall Eve McCrystal, who attended the Parade launch with her family spoke of her honour at being asked to accept the prestigious role. 'It is great to be acknowledged by my home town and I thank you so much for asking me - I am really honoured." Cllr Mark Dearey, Chairperson of Dundalk Municipal District Committee congratulated everyone responsible in putting together a St Patrick's Day Parade for Dundalk. 'I congratulate you all on this St Patrick's Day Parade. It is a huge task.' Emma Hunt Duffy, Sales & Marketing Manger, Fyffes said that she was delighted to be representing the company as the main sponsors of the Parade for the second year running. 'It is great to be involved given our roots in this town. We are looking forward to March 17th.' Dundalk Credit Union's Stewart Agnew also spoke of the importance of the Parade in the Dundalk community and spoke of its importance to the community as an event for Dundalk people of all ages. Dundalk Chamber of Commerce President, Michael Gaynor, thanked those who had resurrected the St Patrick's Day Parade in Dundalk to make it one of the biggest of it's kind outside the country's major cities. This year's Dundalk St Patrick's Day Parade starts at 1pm from the Carroll Village Car Park and will travel through the main thoroughfare via Church Street, Clanbrassil Street, Crowe Street, Francis Street and Park Street. Mr. Gaynor added: 'There has been a huge interest from groups and businesses in the parade with all participants being asked to focus on the TEAMDundalk theme inspired by 'Together Everyone Achieves More.' This year, will also see four bands have the opportunity to join in the parade and showcase their music. The closing date for bands to apply is Friday, March 3rd. Following the parade, the 'family fun zone' will be open around the Market Square with music, food stalls and kids fun rides all open into the evening. Wristbands for the fun zone will be available priced 6 from a number of locations on the day. For parade entry details, and the band showcase opportunity, contact Kim or Chloe in Dundalk Chamber of Commerce at 042 9336343 or certs@dundalk.ie. For parade updates follow St Patrick's Day Parade Dundalk on Facebook or @stpatricksdd on Twitter. A delegation from Germany's 'Bundestag' took part in a special meting at Louth County Council on Friday last which examined the impact Brexit will have on cross border relations. Ceann Comhairle, Sean O Fearghail TD, introduced the parliamentary delegation from Germany to County Hall, Dundalk, for a meeting with members of Louth County Council and Newry Mourne and Down District Council to discuss the impact of Brexit on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two Councils. The MOU aims to further cross-border cooperation on issues like tourism and recreation programmes, sustainable economic growth and job creation; emergency planning and shared resources. The German delegation was led by Professor Dr. Norbert Lammert, Speaker of the Bundestag, and also included two Members of the Bundestag: Michael Grosse-Broemer and Britta Habelmann. The meeting was organised by the East Border Region agency, who are leading on the Brexit Border Corridor Study on behalf of the Border Local Authorities, north and south. Speaking as he introduced the German visitors, Ceann Comhairle, Sean O Fearghail TD, said: 'It was a great pleasure to welcome this delegation to Ireland and to Leinster House this week. Of particular significance is this trip to Dundalk to meet with Louth County Council and Newry Mourne and Down District Council to discuss Brexit and its impact on border communities.' He emphasised how trade between north and south and Britain and Ireland must be protected, adding that the meeting with Council representatives was an informative one for the German politicians. 'Louth County Council and Newry Mourne and Down District Council are a great example of the type of cooperation that must be encouraged and nurtured as we and our European colleagues deal with the changes Brexit will bring.' Meanwhile, Louth TD, Gerry Adams who also attended the meeting said: 'The Dail has now voted in favour of the case for the North to be designated Special Status within the EU - which should now become official Government policy.' He said the island of Ireland and especially the border corridor, will be 'disproportionately impacted both economically in terms of competitiveness and politically in terms of the GFA constitutional and institutional arrangements and the impact of a land border.' The Louth TD added: 'The EU has been a critical partner for peace providing political and financial aid and it is crucial that we maintain this relationship. Brexit now demands that the Irish Government reshapes future foreign policy both with Britain and the EU itself. The withdrawal of Britain presents an opportunity to now Reform the EU, including the strengthening of the role of smaller member states within it.' A series of 'park and ride' car parks on the N11 would help commuters travelling into Dublin from County Wicklow, according to Cllr Jennifer Whitmore. 'Anyone travelling from south County Wicklow into Dublin over the past couple of years will have seen a significant increase in travelling times into the city,' said the Cathaoirleach of Greystones Municipal District. 'Wicklow is one of the largest commuter counties in the country, with over 48 per cent of Wicklow residents working outside of the county, the majority of which travel to Dublin. 'In addition, the population in Wicklow is projected to grow by 20,000 by 2020, so it is becoming increasingly important that easy, quick and sustainable transport solutions are provided to enable people to access work.' She said that if there were park and ride facilities just off the N11, commuters could park their cars and get onto an express bus into Dublin. 'Potential locations include interchanges near Arklow, Ashford or Greystones,' she said. 'Ideally this would be done in conjunction with providing bus lanes on the route.' She said the park and ride in Greystones is very popular. 'Its 500 spaces are full before 8 a.m. each morning,' she said. 'It has been suggested that a large number of these cars are travelling from south County Wicklow to avail of the Dart. This shows that park and rides can work very well.' According to a report on the N11 given at Bray Municipal District last year, the N11 is overloaded with 66,000 cars using it per year. Each lane can take around 1,700 cars per hour, and that stood at 3,000 to 4,000 in rush hour periods, at the time of last year's report. One of the possible future solutions the NRA may take is putting in a third lane. Improving public transport is another strategy. A petition has been set up appealing with An Post to retain a post office in Kilmacanogue. The village post office closed on Tuesday, February 14, with locals informed that social payments would be available at Quinsboro Road in Bray. An Post said that the closure was due to circumstances beyond their control, between themselves and the contractor. Submissions can be made to An Post by Wednesday, March 8. Hundreds of people have already signed an online petition at change.org, with petition sheets also available in Pluck's. Submissions to An Post regarding the post office can be made to Alan McLaughlin, Regional Operations Manager, Block 3B, GPO, O'Connell St, Dublin 1. An Post have said that in coming to a decision, they will take account of network coverage needs, the level of business at the office, customer access to service elsewhere, and the capacity of neighbouring offices to handle business if the office closes permanently. Locals are disappointed at the closure. They fought to retain their post office in the village in 2014 following the death of postmistress Angela Donnelly. Inclement weather that brought an early morning deluge coupled with 100km winds, put a real dampener on the long standing Millstreet Horse Fair last Sunday. The hosting was to maintain a tradition in the North Cork town where patrons from all walks of life from near and afar convene for a custom dating back many generations. Horse numbers were down in Fair Field though loyal patrons made their way from throughout the South West Region. However, demand, bids and offers were few and far between, perhaps indicating a shortage of cash flow and buyers were conspicuous by their absence. The overwhelming consensus was that, from an equine business, the stock on parade had fallen below the standards of previous years. The fair once upon a time provided horses for the armies of Europe and, closer to home, Guinness Brewery availed of equine stock to draw their popular stout all over the country. And for the Millstreet March Fair in days of old, many farmers of the region found the ideal opportunity to seek farm labourers for the year ahead, thus adding to the significance of the hosting. From the past, all the trappings of the horse fair decorated the streets with a flow with stalls of every conceivable nature. Normally, a throng of street traders dotted the Town Square and Main Street, but last Sunday, vendors, by their absence - bar a few - indicated the weather had taken its toll on the 2017 event. Many patrons are hopeful the passage of time hasn't failed to knock the staging of horse fair day in Millstreet and though equine numbers were significantly reduced in 2017, indications are with more favourable weather, the Fair can return to its former glory. While most attention here has been focused on the ins and outs of the Fine Gael leadership 'battle' - scuffle seems more appropriate - a much more important contest unfolds this week in Northern Ireland. On Thursday voters in the six counties will go to the polls in an election that has been described in many circles as the most significant since the Good Friday Agreement that created the Northern Ireland Assembly almost 20 years ago. As the poll looms, Sinn Fein and the DUP remain neck-and-neck after a bitter six week battle - primarily led by Arlene Foster and countered by Michelle O'Neill - which makes the machinations of Coveney, Varadkar and company look like a schoolyard scrap over a penny sweet. Sinn Fein collapsed the Assembly in mid January. While the move was ostensibly over the 'Cash for Ash' scandal, many other factors were in play. These included the DUP's stance on Brexit and gay marriage; cuts to Irish language funding and - perhaps most important of all - Martin McGuinness' failing health. Internal anger among Sinn Fein's core supporters, over perceived concessions to the DUP on various key matters, will have also added pressure on the party's leadership to eventually pull the plug on the power sharing arrangement. For their part, Foster and the DUP - who have been rocked by a succession of scandals in recent years - are fighting a desperate rearguard action to maintain their leading position on the province's political stage. To this end, fear has been Foster's weapon of choice. However, with her last sparring partner Martin McGuinness having left the ring, she has been forced to switch targets and a post-Brexit border poll and the DUP's old Bogeyman Gerry Adams have filled the gap. This is all playing out against an electoral backdrop that will see the number of seats in the Assembly slashed from 108 to 90. Polls would suggest that the DUP and Sinn Fein will emerge with around 30 seats apiece with the Ulster Unionist Party, SDLP and Alliance parties lagging far behind. Given the spectacular fallout between the parties - and the vicious election campaign they have waged - it is extremely difficult to see them agreeing a new power-sharing deal anytime soon. At best, this means weeks or months of uncertainty - and possibly a return to some form of direct rule from London - just as the UK triggers the Brexit process. And as all this unfolds, many people south of the border - including quite a few politicians - don't seem to grasp the potentially enormous implications for the Republic. Enda Kenny is our self declared Brexit minister and at a joint conference in Brussels last week with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, Mr Kenny said he is entirely focused on Brexit discussions. But given recent events - the McCabe/Tusla scandal and the so-called 'heave' - it is entirely reasonable to ask his handlers how much time and attention he has actually been able to give this vitally important issue. The Heritage Council has just announced the 2017 Community Heritage Grants Scheme, in addition to two further new schemes - a Grant Scheme for Museum Standards Programme of Ireland participants and a Thatch Conservation Grant Scheme. The first of these, the 2017 Community Heritage Grants Scheme, will see 700,000 made available for a range of different projects and undertakings. The scheme aims to promote appreciation and enjoyment of heritage, and to make a lasting difference to heritage, people and communities. Through the scheme, the Heritage Council intends to reach out to new audiences and make heritage accessible to people with special needs, young adults and minorities. They seek to support 'creative, engaging projects that provide a way for the public to learn about and manage our natural and cultural heritage'. Many different projects can be applied for under the scheme, ranging from surveys and audits of a range of heritage attributes, from wildlife to folklore, as well as report and plans, conservation works, National Heritage Week initiatives and community efforts to educated about and manage heritage. Work on successful projects must have commenced by the end of May 2017 and will need to be completed by 17th November, 2017. In 2016, the scheme saw over 400 applications, 171 of which, were successful. These included six from County Cork totalling a sum of 38,400 - a considerable boost to the heritage spend within the county. Successful projects included a conservation plan for a church and graveyard in Inchigeela, conservation works at Donnybrook House and a conservation plan for the O'Daly bardic school on the Sheep's Head peninsula. In 2017 it is anticipated that 150-plus applications will be successful and given the scope of projects that could be applied for it is hoped that the County of Cork will see a number of successful applications. The closing date for applications, all of which must be made online at www.heritagecouncil.ie, is 5pm on Friday, 24th March, 2017. The second Heritage Council Scheme is called the Caring for Collections Scheme. 50,000 has been made available for the scheme, which can only be applied for by existing museums/institutions already participating in the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI). The third Heritage Council Scheme on offer is for those who intend to carry out good practice in thatch conservation. Under this scheme 70,000 is being made available nationally and one of the main aims is to ensure the longevity of thatching as a trade such that projects that include demonstration or teaching a trainee are being encouraged. The two aforementioned grant schemes also close on March 24th at 5pm and again it is hoped that County Cork will see a number of successful applications. The month of March, which will see a number of applications for Heritage Council funding, also includes a number of events tri mhean na Gaeilge relating to our country's native trees. This is due to Seachtain na Gaeilge (March 1st to 17th) and National Tree Week, from March 5th to 12th. Full details of events pertaining to Seachtain na Gaeilge are available on www.snag.ie. Given Cork's two Gaeltacht Areas (Oilean Chleire agus Muscrai) and the ever-increasing interest in Irish within the county, it is hoped that many people will participate in the events. Tree Week 2017 will also see a number of events, with the overall aim of the week being to convey to people the importance of our native trees and forests. Renowned heritage expert Ted Cook has scheduled a number of events for Tree Week in the Macroom/Baile Mhuirne area. The first of these takes place on Sunday 5th March, from 12 noon to 3pm in Saint Gobnait's Wood, Baile Mhuirne. At this event, and with the consent of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, it is planned to add a share of native shrubs to both enhance the carpark and provide a corridor to the adjoining River Sullane for wildlife. Unusual native shrubs will include Bird Cherry, Spindle, Whitebeam and Buckthorn - alongside Hazel and Rowanberry. A common Yew will be added as this species is absent from the Oakwood SAC. Please bring a packed lunch and wear appropriate footwear. The visually impaired are welcome as also are accompanied children. Only two days later another wonderful event has been scheduled by Ted Cook, taking place in Macroom Library at 12 noon on Tuesday 7th March 2017 (the interim library is located opposite the town bus station). The talk is entitled 'Triumph of the Tree' and will be given by Ted himself, followed by an afternoon of tree planting in the nearby Macroom Castlegrounds. The Demesne trustees have kindly provided a designated site adjoining the Clubhouse. In relation to other local heritage events, the week ahead does not disappoint. On the evening of 2nd March, with thanks to the Blarney and District Historical Society, there will be a lecture in Blarney Secondary School, commencing at 8pm entitled 'Following the Footsteps of the Cork Fenians - 150th Anniversary of the Fenian Rising'. At this event, author and lecturer John Mulcahy will shed light on the Fenian Rising of 1867 - its history, the noted participants involved and the causes for the ultimate failure of the Rising. A further talk on the history of the Fenian Rising, which took place on March 6th 1867, will be held in the County Hall on March 6th 2017 at 3pm. The talk will be provided by Martin Millerick of Cork County Council's Heritage Unit, who will begin by looking at the letter that was delivered to 'The Times' newspaper in London on March 5th, 1867, proclaiming the birth of an Irish Republic. Also on the subject of Cork's role in Ireland's revolutionary history, there will be a fantastic talk in Kilmurry on Tuesday March 7th, looking at the famous Kilmichael Ambush, as led by Tom Barry. The talk will provide an expert insight into the military state of play regarding the ambush and will be given by Comdt. Sean A. Murphy (Retd). The event will take place in the Kilmurry Independence Museum and commences at 20:30 - all welcome. On the previous day, March 6th, at 8pm in Ballincollig Rugby Club, there will be a wonderful and inspirational talk by Mark Davies. Mark will examine 'One of the most daring efforts of human enterprise' - the first air balloon ascent from Cork, undertaken by Windham Sadler in 1816. The event promises to be most interesting and has been organised by the Muskerry Local History Society. Lastly, there was great news for County Cork at the recent Heritage Week Awards for 2016. A local group from Castlemartyr - the John Saul Appreciation Society - picked up a short-listing award for the fantastic work they have been undertaking in promoting the wonderful connection between Castlemartyr and John Saul - the famous horticulturist who left Ireland for American shores in the mid 19th century and designed some of America's most famous civic open spaces including the White House Grounds, the Mall, the Smithsonian Grounds, Lafayette Park and the Ellipse to name but a few. Well done to Liz, David and all in the Castlemartyr John Saul Appreciation Society. The Local Enterprise Office, Cork North and West is hosting its annual 'Women in Business' conference at Springfort Hall hotel this Monday with a range of high profile speakers lined up. The stellar line up this year includes innovators whose businesses are on the verge of expansion and the six businesswomen will take to the stage to share their stories of success in a time of difficulty for new enterprises. Noelle O'Connor is one of the biggest success to emerge from the show 'Dragon's Den', where she successfully convinced businessman Gavin Duffy to invest 50,000 in her company TanOrganic for a 45% stake. Being "The world's first" organic tanning brand resulted in 1million in sales in the first three months and now the company has a significant online presence and is sold in 20 countries. Sarah O'Connor is the founder of The Cool Food Company, which develops a range of healthy food products while retaining the convenience and taste of sugary and salty snacks. Sarah's business is now in 600 stores across the country and the business is currently expanding with several new products in the pipeline. Siobhan Steele founded her company, Siobhan Steele Ceramics, in a converted shed a little more than two years ago and now her brand of ceramic giftware which she hand crafts are available in 28 stores across Ireland and one in New York. Ingrid Dedoncker, originally from Belgium, founded her own consultancy firm, IDD Consult, which focuses on increasing businesses profitability by reducing cost upfront. Ingrid, a lecturer at UCC teaching Procurement Management, has enjoyed phenomenal success in helping businesses to improve efficiency and profits. Louise Ryan, not content with being a success in one industry, is the founder of two businesses, Oh! Naturelle and Ball and Socket. Oh! Naturelle aims to make healthy eating mainstream by producing truly healthy alternatives while Ball and Socket is a retail specialist that focuses on brand development. These and other speakers are all at the North Cork 'Women in Business' seminar 2017, entitled 'Starting Local, Growing Global', which begins at 9am - see also Page 47 for more details. Dominic Kirwan, one of Ireland's top entertainers will be appearing in McHugh's Country Music & Cabaret Club on Thursday, March 4th, his first gig after returning from a Caribbean cruise where he performed with Daniel O'Donnell and a host of Ireland's top country music stars. Dominic has been fronting his own band since 1985, when he won a big talent contest and recorded his first album. In 1989, he secured a record deal with Ritz Records, and that introduced him to an international audience and he would go on to share stages with some of country music's leading artists, such as Kenny Rogers, Charley Pride, and Tammy Wynette. He has built up a huge following and for the last few years he has spent much of his time touring in Great Britain where he mostly performs concert gigs but he loves coming back to Ireland and playing the dancing circuit where he first made his name. The Dominic Kirwan Show will be a night of nostalgia as he rolls back the years, belting out many of the songs that made him a household name. A vibrant mix of classic country, a hint of rock and roll, a sprinkling of Irish popular songs will have the dancers on the floor for the night. Doors open at 9 pm and Smiley's Country Roadshow will play until Dominic and the band take to the stage at 10 pm for two hours of non stop dancing. Admission is 15 Hollywood legend William Shatner says he'll be in Drogheda 'with bells on' if the town secures the 2018 Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann. The former captain of the Starship Enterprise took to Twitter last week to comment on a Drogheda Independent story, declaring his support for the town's bid. 'I'm a Drogger!,' he proudly declared, before adding that 'Cork can have it the next time'. He is already being billed as the ambassador for Drogheda's bid and if Drogheda gets the nod to host the multi-million Euro event on March 11th, the race will be on to secure not only him but locally born fellow Hollywood icons, Pierce Brosnan and Colin O'Donoghue (both pictured). Indeed, Colin, who is the star of hit series 'Once Upon a Time' and has appeared in the like sof the Tudors and The Rite, alongside Anthony Hopkins, has been pushing Drogheda's bid in Hollywood for a number of years. It is now getting to crunch time for Drogheda's bid and the national event organisers are expected in the town this week to check out the location prior to the final vote next week. What they'll find is a united town, backing one of the biggest events ever to take place here. With a population of 1.7m living within an hour's drive of the Boyneside port town, it is perfectly placed to spark a revolution in Irish music and culture that could last for years in this part of the country. Writing in their superb Fleadh bid document, Lolo Robinson, Cathaoirleach of Drogheda Comhaltas, points to the fact that Drogheda - who is bidding for the 2018 event with Cork - could be the catalyst for great days ahead. 'Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann has never been held in the north east of Ireland and NOW is the time to change that.' There is a population of 80,000 in the greater Drogheda area and nearly two millon within a 60km radius. 'How many of these play Irish music? How many are Comhaltas members? The percentage is very small but WE can change that,' she declared. The proposal for Drogheda has also been backed overwhelmingly by the Chief Executive of Louth County Council Joan Martin who wants a successful Fleadh application at the heart of her Creative Ireland Action Plan. The likes of Dundalk Tourism has also backed the Drogheda bid and with up to 500,000 expected to attend over the nine days in August 2018, it will be a boom time for every hotel, B&B and campsite in the entire North East area. A series of locations around Drogheda have been secured to stage events should the bid be a success and it is also planned to close off the town centre, turning it into a hive of music and dancing. 'Her eyes they shone like silver streams, Her long and golden hair, For I have won the heart of one. My lovely Rose of Clare.' Today it's a haunting melody of great times, the craic and the jokes, the dancing, tall stories and the life and extraordinary times of John 'Mammy' Dyas. When friends would gather and spirits were high, John began the show, 'You're the Queen of all the roses, Like the pretty flowers that grow, You are the sunshine of my life, So beautiful and fair....' The words of 'My Lovely Rose of Clare' was his heaven, a favoured song for many years and perhaps, in tribute to the true love of his life, Frances (Russell), the rose of Hand Street. It was at Laurence's Gate where their eyes first met, a faithful day back in the mid 60s. She was laden down with shopping bags and he carried them home for her. An invitation to a dance on St Patrick's Day followed and later that year, he married the 'one' for him. Living in St Finian's Park, they were married for 40 years, until a day in 2008 when Frances said a final goodbye. It broke his heart, his soulmate gone, but he was cherished by so many, daughter Melissa and sons, Paul and John, their partners, Kieran, Martina and Jackie, and with grand kids, Caolum, Cian, Milliem Annie and Jack, he found new focus, a sense that life goes on and you become a pivotal part in another story. The community in the day care centre in Scarlet Crescent became great friends and in truth it wasn't hard to love 'Mammy', his wit, good humour and singing leaving a mark recognised to this day. When his health began to suffer, Moorehall would become home and here too, they grew to adore him, pride of place, as ever for John, was a large image of Laurence's Gate, hanging in his room, a constant reminder of a beautiful lady.... He drew his first breath in 1929 on the Nun's Walk, one of 15 children to Jack and Roseanne. He was reared in Glenview on the Newfoundwell Road, a 'Well man he remained to his final breath. Times were tough, but John was tougher. By 12 years of age, he had started to work, delivering milk every morning before school. He'd arrive at the doors, children would answer and roar to the back kitchen, 'Mammy, the milk's here.' In the end, they just called him Mammy. 'Thank God, he gave me the strength to do it all,' was a saying he stood by. His lot was varied, milking cows at Kierans Corner, digging the coal out of coal boats on the docks, fishing for salmon at Mornington and ultimately retiring from his role in Premier Periclase. But one job that he found hard was travelling on the horse boats from Drogheda, travelling to France, Belgium and Holland. Often, they rocked and rolled, and John did the same. It took him a while to find his sea legs and on one famous rough journey a horse became unwell and the on board vet felt he might have to shoot him. John asked if he'd shoot him too...but the vet declined the invitation! He had many likes, the odd trip to the Ozanam House in Mornington, daily mass, visits to the Sienna Convent, spending time with grandkids, hailing his three children, especially the hurlers in the family! Nearly two decades ago, the Newtown Blues held a festival week, part of it a fundraiser to be crowned 'King of the Glen'. John faced such Drogheda stalwarts as Jim Blackie Judge, Patsy Thrasher Thornton and Joey Millmount Maher, but Mammy emerged as monarch - and promptly made a 'guest appearance' at the Louth v. Dublin match to mark the official opening of the new Blues pitch. Of the 15 strong Dyas family, Joe, Monica, Lena and Oliver remain. John's passing last December at the age of 87 saw a great friend depart, his daughter Melissa stated. 'When he passed away, someone said to me that we were lucky to have had a father like him. We were.' Irish Cement will be running a series of public information briefing sessions in the Model Room, Platin Works (main Works entrance off Platin Terrace) on the status of the current fossil fuel replacement project in Platin The briefings will be held on Thursday, 2nd March 4:00pm to 8:00pm, Friday, 3rd March 11:00am to 4:00pm and Saturday, 4th March 11:00am to 2:00pm. Members of the public are invited to drop in during these times, when Irish Cement staff will be available to provide information on the project. This project started with a planning application to Meath County Council in November 2015, and will shortly be lodged with An Bord Pleanala for decision. Looking to the future Platin will make use of excess heat from the cement process to generate up to 7.5 Megawatts (MW) of electricity on site. This is equivalent to around 25% of the electricity needs of plant. This project will reduce annual CO2 emissions also. 'Platin will be the first cement plant in Ireland and among the first in Europe to install this type of technology. The benefits are that Platin will need less electricity from the grid, will make better use of existing heat and will improve competitiveness, helping to secure operations into the future,' their plan states. Irish Cement's application is for planning permission and for a review of the Industrial Emission (IE) licence in Platin to allow for an increase in the quantity and range of alternative fuels (AF) and alternative raw materials (ARM) to be used in both kilns. Further information can be found on the Cement website at www.irishcement.ie. Local Enterprise Week Louth takes place from 6-10th March. It's jam packed with free educational and networking events and just a little magic. The highlight of Local Enterprise Week is the "#Believe" event which takes place on Thursday 9th March in the County Museum. This free evening time networking event is a great opportunity to meet new people and expand your business network. The evening will be hosted by broadcaster and writer Anton Savage (pictured). Thomas McEvoy, Head of Enterprise explains: "Anton will interview our special guests Niamh and Oisin Barry from The Irish Fairy Door Company. As two self-employed business owners, they lost everything in the recession. No one would have blamed them for walking away in defeat. But they developed a new business, and they focussed on how they and their audience could "Believe" in their product and they turned their fortunes around. It's a story of real highs and real lows, a story that you really have to hear for yourself." The event will also celebrate the achievements of local entrepreneurs. The Louth winners of the National Enterprise Awards will be announced at this event. Anton will interview them about their business and plans for the future so that the audience can get to know them. Thomas concluded "The event will start and finish with drinks and light refreshments and plenty of opportunities for networking. But places are limited and will book out fast. Register now by visiting www.LocalEnterprise.ie/Louth or call us 042 9324185." #Believe is just one of the 12 free business events during Local Enterprise Week. Check out the full schedule on www.LocalEnterprise.ie/Louth. A bypass route remains 'a big issue' for Duleek and Director of Services with Meath CC, Des Foley, has said it needs to be discussed again. Addressing local councillors at a meeting in Duleek, he said the bypass of the village was on the Development Plan for years and he intended raising the matter with the TII (the roads authority in Ireland). 'There has been talk about banning trucks,' he added. He is also bringing the case for a bypass of Julianstown to the infrastructure body. 'There are 20,000 cars a day using the village and in some cases it is toll avoidance,' he remarked. 'There are a number of options but it is a major investment.' Cllr Sharon Tolan said that Julianstown and Duleek seem to have 'stopped in time' and needed to be worked on. While she was unhappy there were no traffic calming measures for Julianstown included in this year's roads programme, the fact that a bypass of the village was being discussed was a plus. 'What about a toll holiday?,' she asked, in respect of assisting the local population. There are plans to spend significant funds on the main street in Duleek and she questioned the logic in it. 'Do we want to upgrade the main street in Duleek or progress a bypass,' she asked. 'Why upgrade it before a bypass because a small level of trucks will destroy it again.' The family of Kitty Campbell,Congress Ave, Drogheda wishes to acknowledge with heartfelt appreciation all the kind expressions of sympathy. We lost a wonderful woman who can never be replaced, a Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Niece, Cousin a Friend. God called our mother Kitty on the 5th Feb 2017. She has taken a place in Heaven next to God and received her Angel Wings. She will never be gone, we will keep her memory alive in our hearts. Kitty lived all her life in Congress Ave, having married the late Peter Campbell of Yellowbatter. They raised 3 children Jennifer,Peter and David. She had two grandchildren Megan and Alan. She lived within the Duleek Gate area of the Drogheda most of her life and in her most recent years was a resident in Boyne View House Dublin road where she received the upmost care and attention during her illness. A special word of thanks to the staff,nurses and management of Boyne View House, for the kindness and respect shown at all times during Kitty's time there. Kitty's reposing was in the most wonderful setting of Gerard's church and her funeral held in St Marys church, Dublin rd. We would like to express our thanks to Fr Phil Gaffney for the lovely funeral service and Timmy Regan and Sinead Curran for the lovely music and for all the family who helped out on the day we are truly so grateful. Also a heartfelt word of thanks to Liam O'Brien Funeral Directors for their sensitivity and professional handling of arrangements. During the days and weeks following her passing, we have been blessed with the loving embrace of our family and friends. We greatly appreciate all your kind words, generous donations of your time and beautiful floral arrangements received. We realise how truly blessed we are to have such wonderful family & friends it is impossible to thank everyone individually but please accept this acknowledgement of our deepest gratitude. Your expressions of sympathy will never be forgotten Kitty's Months Mind Mass will be in St,Marys church at 10.30am on Sunday 5th March 2017. Thank you with all our hearts. Her children, Jennifer, Peter, David. Prof John Fitzgerald, formerly of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and currently Adjunct Professor at the Department of Economics at Trinity College, Dublin is visiting Drogheda on Wednesday, March 8 for a "Business After Hours" event organised jointly by Drogheda City Status Group and Drogheda Chamber of Commerce. The event will focus on BREXIT and also, the recent launch of the Government's National Planning Framework, "Ireland 2040." These are two of the most critical issues that present Drogheda and its hinterland with both threats and opportunities now and into the future, and will have a major impact on those living and working in the Greater Drogheda area that encompasses South Louth and East Meath as well as Drogheda. "For that reason, it is important that all interested parties representing local business and community interests, including our public representatives attend," said Vincent Hoey, Chairman of the Drogheda City Status Group. The Mill, Drogheda's Enterprise Centre at the Newtown Link Road, Greenhills are kindly hosting this important event, which commences 5.30pm for 6pm. All are welcome, and admission is free. However, as places are limited it is necessary to reserve your place in advance by simply emailing enquiries@droghedachamber.com or by contacting Anna McKenna at 086 3159920. A number of new jobs are expected to be announced for Drogheda this week with the opening of the MTI Global Services at the Market Plaza Building on Magdalene Street, Drogheda. Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Mary Mitchell-O'Connor TD will unveil the new firm, which is an IDA supported business, on Wednesday. MTI Global Services is a worldwide leader within the Technology Services Industry and work with a series of household names. Work at getting the premises ready for this week has been ongoing for some months. The arrival of such a top American name to the town is seen as a huge boost to the region. For former Jobs Minister, Senator Ged Nash, it comes as no surprise that Drogheda is now seen as a place to do business. 'The MTI jobs are a major vote of confidence in Drogheda. It is very gratifying for me to see the work I did as Employment Minister when I was a TD still delivering real benefits for our town. I always put Drogheda first and I firmly expect to see more good news on the jobs front on the way soon.' He says it is particularly welcome that the company will be in a town centre location with the knock-on increase in footfall which will represent a financial boost for the businesses in the heart of Drogheda. Some jobs at MTI in Drogheda have already been advertised and positions will be available across the operation. The MTI World Headquarters are based in Hillsboro, Oregon and as well as Drogheda, they are centred in Hong Kong and London. A Drogheda woman has been appointed Vice President UK Operations at Almac Diagnostics, a division of the global contract development and manufacturing organisation Almac, headquartered in Craigavon. Dr Leeona Galligan, who has been working at Almac Diagnostics in various roles since 2009 will be responsible for all UK based operations including commercial biomarker discovery, validation, downstream clinical testing and manufacturing and shipping of clinical specimen. She is also a member of the Almac Diagnostic Executive team, helping to define and implement global business strategy. Almac Diagnostics is a global personalised medicine company focused on the discovery, development and commercialisation of complex diagnostic and companion diagnostic tests. Dr Galligan is a former pupil of Scoile Mhuire Fatima and Drogheda Grammar School. She obtained a BSc (Hons) in Genetics and a M.Med.Sc. (Laboratory Science) from Queen's University Belfast. She received her PhD in molecular haematology from Trinity College Dublin in 2003. Her research focused on the isolation and characterisation of a novel cellular receptor that is targeted in the treatment of sepsis. She subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship on the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in colorectal cancer at the Department of Oncology at Queen's University Belfast. Following her Postdoctoral Fellowship, Leeona completed a four year training programme in specialist haemato-oncology laboratory services leading to her registration with the UK Health and Care Professions Council as a Clinical Scientist. She has also been awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath) through examination in haemato-oncology and laboratory management. Leeona joined Almac Diagnostics in September 2009 as a Senior Scientist in the R&D Department. She was appointed as the manager of the newly formed clinical testing laboratory in 2012 and was subsequently promoted as Head of UK laboratory based Operations in January 2014. Flooding in Enniscorthy at the end of 2015 Works on the Enniscorthy flood relief scheme are progressing, with the main advance works expected to start later this year. At last Monday's meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District, project resident engineer, Larry McHale told the members that liaison is still ongoing between the council and the relevant bodies including Inland Fisheries Ireland, the Slaney River Trust and the Enniscorthy Local Anglers Association. Mr McHale said that the Environmental Impact Statement and outline design have now been completed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) adding that the detailed design phase is currently in progress. He said: 'It is planned to put the developed scheme on public display this summer and the scheme will then go to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for confirmation.' Mr McHale said that the 'main construction work can commence when the scheme has been confirmed by the Minister'. Ecology surveys, which started last February, are still ongoing, he said. Dublin Airport was the fastest growing major airport in Europe last year, according to new figures released recently by ACI Europe, which is the trade association for European airports. Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport increased by 11.5% in 2016, making Dublin the leading performer among the top tier of European airports. Dublin Airport grew faster during 2016 than all other European airports that have more than 25 million passengers per annum. After Dublin in the major airport category came Barcelona's El-Prat Airport (+11.2%), Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (+9.2%), Copenhagen Airport (+9.1%) and Madrid Barajas (+7.7%) The growth at Dublin Airport delivered a new traffic record at Ireland's key gateway, with almost 28 million passengers welcomed last year. An extra 2.8 million passengers used the airport in 2016, while over the past two years, an additional 6.2 million people passed through Dublin Airport. 'This new ACI data confirms that Dublin Airport had a record-breaking performance at home and abroad last year,' said Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison. '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. The passenger growth at Dublin Airport was fuelled by the launch of 19 new routes last year, while additional capacity was added on 31 existing services. 'Almost all our airline customers increased their operations at Dublin in 2016 and we'd like to thank them for their business during the year,' Mr Harrison said. 'Dublin Airport's passenger performance in 2016 was also assisted by its growth as a gateway between Europe and North America. Transatlantic traffic increased by 16% to a record 2.9 million passengers last year, while transfer passenger numbers were up 23% to a record 1.2 million,' he added. This year Dublin Airport will welcome three new long-haul services - a year-round service to Doha with Qatar Airlines, a summer service to Boston with Delta Air Lines and a summer service to Miami with Aer Lingus - and three new short-haul services. Dublin Airport's growth helped deliver a record-breaking year for Irish tourism in 2016 and also boosted trade and investment. A 2015 study by economic consultants InterVistas showed that Dublin Airport is a key strategic asset for the Irish economy, as it supports or facilitates 97,400 jobs and contributes 6.9 billion to the economy. Europe's airports collectively processed more than 2 billion passengers last year, which was a new all-time record, according to ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec. 'While geopolitics and terrorism in particular played an increasing role in shaping the fortunes and misfortunes of many airports, the underlying story is one of continued growth and expansion - with passenger volumes growing in excess of 5% for the third consecutive year,' Mr Jankovec said. A minister who recently claimed the sea-ravaged coast at The Burrow in Portrane was an area of 'low risk' of erosion was shown the reality on the ground last week as he visited the area at the invitation of a local TD and saw for himself the huge destruction wreaked on the coastline by the ever-encroaching seas. It was Deputy Brendan Ryan TD (Lab) that challenged Minister of State for the OPW, Sean Canney to visit the Burrow in a Dail debate on the crisis in the area that reached new heights in recent weeks as another huge chunk of coastline disappeared into the sea. Minister Canney accepted the invitation and was greeted last week by a large group of locals and political representatives who left the minister in now doubt as to the urgency of the situation facing this coastal community living on the edge of destruction. Deputy Ryan was one of the local political representatives there to greet the minister on the beach and said following the meeting: 'I was glad Minister of State for the OPW Sean Canney accepted my invitation to visit the Burrow in Portrane to view for himself the devastation caused by the coastal erosion.' Deputy Ryan said: 'After a walk down the beach in which The Minister indicated to me that he was impressed by the turnout from the locals, the group retired to the Brook Inn for a discussion on the crisis. 'Ray Brett of the Burrow Residents Association took the lead in talking the minister through the history of the campaign from local people and the emergency facing the community now. It was a very impressive briefing by Mr Brett to the Minister and I believe it made an impact on Minister Canney.' Sounding a hopeful note, Deputy Ryan said: 'The Minister indicated that he would personally take an interest in it and would be feeding back to me and others. 'He also stated that as far as his Department is concerned money will not be a problem, as it has not been a problem in other parts of the country with similar problems. 'He said if the council send a proposal through to his Department there will be funding.' The local Labour TD added: 'Minister Canney referred to the Liaison Group which has been set up by the council and urged in the strongest possible terms that this group become an effective forum. He concluded: 'It is clear that the Liaison Group needs to be put on a footing to deal with the totality of the issues effecting the Burrow including both flooding AND erosion. 'This is the crisis issue and requires a resolution. I will continue to push the council into action on this matter and I am now confident that there would be no funding hurdles at national level.' Residents of the Burrow feel 'anxiety, anger and frustration' as they watch more and more of their community being washed into the sea after another dramatic erosion event on the Portrane coast, a couple of weeks ago, according to local man, Frank Mulville, whose son, Cllr Paul Mulville (NP) has been an active campaigner on the issue. A Fingal councillor has said Minister for State for the OPW spoke in a 'positive and practical manner' with residents concerned about the destruction of the coastline at The Burrow in Portrane. Cllr Tom O'Leary (FG) who was one of the local political representatives who met the minister on the beach said; 'The minister spoke in a positive and practical manner and assured the local residents and local councillors Paul Mulvihill (NP) and Aidan Henchy (FF) that his Department would fund a mitigation plan for the area as long as it passed the value for money test. He was very firm in his commitment to funding.' Cllr O'Leary added: 'I asked the Minister to meet the local liaison committee when a plan emerges from that committee and Fingal County Council. The purpose of that meeting would be to iron out any blockages that might emerge to moving this badly needed project forward to funding action and conclusion. The minister agreed to consider such a meeting in the Dail.' Cllr O'Leary is based in another coastal community in nearby Skerries. A man who drove a van straight at a garda at high speed forcing him to jump out of its path to escape serious injury has been jailed for three years. The sentence hearing of Cornelius Price (35) heard how the fear the garda felt in the wake of the incident at Balbriggan garda station caused him to consider leaving the force. Price of Rockleigh House, Richardstown, Gormanston, Co Meath, was found guilty following a trial earlier this month by a majority jury verdict of one count of endangering a garda at Balbriggan Garda Station on January 22, 2014. Price had pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to recklessly engaging in conduct that created a substantial risk of death or serious harm to Garda Gary Dillane. Earlier, trial Judge Patricia Ryan noted that it was an aggravating factor that the offence had been committed against a garda acting in the execution of his duty and took into account the effect the offence has had on him. She noted in mitigation the efforts Price had made during his time in custody in relation to education achievements and voluntary work. Judge Ryan said the court was taking into account the effect a custodial sentence would have on his family and noted he had already spent ten and a half months in custody on a separate charge of threatening to damaging garda property of which he was later acquitted. She imposed a sentence of three years imprisonment which she backdated to the date of his conviction on February 17th last. Sergeant Mark Buckley told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that Gda Dillane and Gda Sean Caffrey were in the car park of Balbriggan Garda Station around 9.30pm on the night in question when they saw two vehicles driving at high speed. A Hyundai car was being closely pursued by a Ford van and both vehicles were 'swerving back and forth', Sgt Buckley said. 'The male driver [of the Hyundai] had a fearful expression on his face and was beeping the horn repeatedly.' The gardai recognised Cornelius Price as the driver of the van and said he appeared 'aggressive and dangerous'. As a result, Gda Dillane, who was in full uniform, decided to stop the van. While standing in the car park, he raised his hand and shouted 'stop', however Price 'continued to drive straight at him,' Sgt Buckley said. Gda Dillane jumped out of the path of the van, hurting his leg when he fell. 'He would have been struck and seriously injured if he had not jumped out of the way,' Sgt Buckley said. Price continued to drive on and was pursued by both Gda Dillane and Gda Caffrey, but they were unable to catch him. The driver of the Hyundai was brought to the station for a statement. When he was arrested later, Price said he had not seen the guard. In a victim impact statement read out in court by Sgt Buckley, Gda Dillane said he that after the incident, he realised he could have been killed. He said when he rang his parents to tell them what happened, "My mother started crying and my father said, 'I know you love being a guard, but is it worth it if you're lying in a coffin or you're six feet under?" Gda Dillane said he considered handing in his resignation before deciding to stay on. But he said he continued to get 'flashbacks and chills' when he went to Balbriggan. 'This is one of the most terrifying incidents I have ever encountered.' The court heard Price has 18 previous convictions, including careless driving, public order offences, assaults and hunting without a licence. Defence counsel Tony McGillicuddy said Price, a father-of-two, was born in Manchester and moved to Ireland at the age of 11. He received little or no education after that. He worked for a period collecting scrap metal but was no longer working. He said that Price did not drink or smoke. Mr McGillicuddy said that Price's partner suffered from depression and as a result he took on parenting duties when she was unable to do so. He also had relatives who suffered with ill health. He submitted that Price's time in custody would be a loss to his family and children. Swords-based firm, Ricoh Ireland today announces the opening of its new Irish headquarters on the back of a 6.5million investment. The HQ will welcome an additional 110 team members to Swords over the next three years as Ricoh looks to grow its Irish business to 190 people by the end of 2019. The jobs and investment were announced at the official opening of the new Irish base in Airside Business Park in Swords in the presence of Mary Mitchell O'Connor TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation. The new HQ, combined with the investment and jobs, demonstrates Ricoh's ongoing commitment to the Irish market and will help Ricoh Ireland to almost double its revenues from last year's 16.4 million to 32 million in the next three years. In the last 18 months alone, the company created 30 jobs - separate to the 110 new jobs announced today. Over the next three years, Ricoh Ireland will look to fill roles in the areas of technical engineering, software solutions, business development and operations management. In order to attract and retain existing talent, the 4,200ft2 facility was designed with the purpose of being a quality work environment. Ricoh Ireland employees were engaged in the design and planning of the new HQ. Gary Hopwood, general manager, Ricoh Ireland, said: 'Today's announcement underlines Ricoh Ireland's success in embracing digital transformation and helping our customers to do the same. The new HQ truly is the feather in our cap, showcasing how we have used technology to pioneer the workforce of the future.' Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, Mary Mitchell O'Connor TD, said: 'The workforce is rapidly changing and Irish businesses must ensure they cater for the younger generations that are currently scaling up the career ladder. Ricoh Ireland's new headquarters is an excellent example of how businesses in Ireland can innovate to transform the workplace,' A repeat offender has been given his 105th conviction for stealing nearly 200 worth of items from a Malahide pharmacy. Bernard Conway (56), who is a serial thief, stole the items to fund his alcohol and drug addictions, Swords District Court has heard. The father-of-three, who has been in custody since January 6 on remand, has commenced drug rehabilitation, his barrister Patrick Jackson said. Conway, of Champion's Avenue in Dublin 1 pleaded guilty to the theft of 182 worth of items from Boots on Church Road in Malahide on August 23, 2016. Mr Jackson said the foundation of the case was identification evidence which Conway may have been successful in defending it if the case went to a hearing as he had a hat on at the time of the theft so he wouldn't have been easily identified. However, he pleaded guilty to the offence, saving the State time and money, said Mr Jackson. Conway has 104 previous convictions, the majority of which are for theft. Judge Dermot Dempsey convicted and sentenced him to five months in prison. Minister Heather Humphreys, Minister Paul Kehoe, local councillors, council officials and committee members in front of the old conservatory at Castlebridge House. Heather Humphreys has become the first minister from outside the county for many years to visit crumbling Castlebridge House and its rusting conservatory, but offered little more than advice on funding channels to try to save it from further deterioration. Anyone expecting her to come with pockets bulging with 'heritage' euros was left disappointed. But the fact that the visit took place at all is significant and she left some conservatory campaigners more optimistic than they were before she and her entourage, including Minister Paul Kehoe, dropped in. Castlebridge House was one of six locations visited by Minister Humphreys during a four-hour, whistle-stop tour last Thursday that also took in Johnstown Castle, The Forge Craft Shop, at Baldwinstown, Wexford Arts Centre, the Athenaeum in Enniscorthy and Enniscorthy District annual meeting at the Riverside Park Hotel. The conservatory itself is the rusting jewel in the crown of of the village around 500,000 spent on it out of an estimated 2 million to include the house before things finally reach the point of no return. That could only be only a couple of years away. In the meantime, the council is building a 'cover' over it to protect the conservatory from the weather until a permanent solution can be found, although not everyone is convinced that this will work and many in the village think that under shielded from the weather it will continue to rot unless a much more radical and expensive plan comes into being. Barney Murphy, chairman of the Castlebridge House and Conservatory Restoration Committee, said the fact that the minister came at all was in itself a small victory for those trying to save the conservatory. 'It would have been better if she gave us some of the money she is giving to the Wexford Arts Centre,' he said, commenting on the 1 million handout announced earlier this month to pay for a major extension there. 'But I think it was important that she came and saw the state of the conservatory and realised the beauty that it was and the beauty that it can still be,' Mr Murphy told this newspaper. 'Our main concern is the conservatory, however, the council would be more inclined to think about the whole thing. We're talking about half a million which is not a lot when you think about what is being given to the arts centre,' he said. Mr Murphy said the minister came without any money in her pockets, but told campaigners where the funding is and to get our applications in, although no promises were made. He blamed past county managers and councils for the deplorable state the conservatory is in, but was fulsome in his praise of the current chief executive Tom Enright whom he says recognises how important the conservatory and Castlebridge House are acting to try to save both. The exquisitely crafted, cast-iron conservatory is one of the last examples of its kind in Ireland. Built by Pierce's Foundry, for many years the mainstay of Wexford's economy, the conservatory once housed beautiful chrysanthemums and fushias in a glorious array of colours. Back in July of 1998, the National Building Agency report said 'the house contained little of architectural or historical value, however, the conservatory attached is an equisite piece of craftsmanship' with the ironwork structure seen to reflect the industrial age in its most advanced form. Patrick Breen built Castlebridge House between 1810 and 1825. The house was thought to have been extended to include the conservatory at a later date, possibly within the 10-year period after his father's death in 1858. James Pierce of Wexford was said to have erected the neo-classical conservatory at Castlebridge for the Breens at around this time and it is testament to the Pierce's workmanship that after decades of neglect the conservatory is still standing at all. Between 1952 and 1974, the house was occupied by the Nunn family. The Breen Nunn union came about through the marriage of Patrick Breen, J.P's daughter, to William Bolton Nunn in the 1870s. After William's death, his son Joshua took over the malt business and remained at Castlebridge House until his death in 1974. In 1974, the County Council bought Castlebridge House for 35,000. It had been expected that the house would fetch at least 80,000, but the country was going through a rough period at that time. For some time after this, the house was used as a Fire Training Centre, the first of its kind in Ireland and during this time, the conservatory fell into further decay. There are two great things going for the house - the fact that it has the iconic and rare conservatory and its connection to the Guinness Book of Records. It was in the sitting room of Castlebridge House in 1951, that the first debate on setting up the Guinness Book of Records took place - the historic discussion occurred between the then-Managing Director of Guinness Sir Hugh Beaver, Mr Nunn and members of their shooting party after a day on the North Slob. The Guinness Book of Records went on to become the best-selling copyrighted series of all time. Wexford Youth Orchestra travelled to the National Concert Hall in Dublin recently for the 22nd Festival of Youth Orchestras and came away with a top award. This annual event brings together some of the top youth orchestras in the country. On the night, eight such groups came together and, over two concerts, delivered the end-product of months of preparation. Wexford, along with orchestras from the Midlands, Athenry, Limerick and Kerry, performed in the second of the two concerts. The thrill of performing in such an august venue before such a knowledgable audience is one which every single musician performing at the festival appreciates. The group dynamic also comes into play with musicians more inclined to think collectively than, solely, as individual units. This is an opportunity to shine on the big stage, to showcase the collective talent that makes up your orchestra. When the MC for the evening, Sean Rocks of RTE Radio 1's arts programme Arena, announced the recipient of the 2017 IAYO Outstanding Achievement Award, a stunned silence descended on the Wexford contingent as they realised that the orchestra in question was their own. A delighted Emily Redmond, CWYO's Conductor, accepted the award on behalf of the orchestra. CWYO spokesperson and cellist, Beth Powell, said that playing in the National Concert Hall was a huge honour for everyone in the orchestra. 'When I recall all the practise and rehearsal time we put in I have no doubt that I speak on behalf of everyone in CWYO in saying that it was all worth it for such a brilliant and unforgettable day. We are so grateful to everyone that helped in getting us here, all our leaders and chaperones and especially our Conductor, Emily Redmond,' said Beth. Beth spoke of how the focus in the weeks leading up to the concert was on learning to perform the pieces, not simply playing the notes. 'Many of us brought our music to our individual teachers to get the markings in so that that they might point out small things we could do to improve our technique. We also listened to recordings of the pieces to help get timings and rhythms into our heads. 'Personally, I spent a whole two-hour plane journey listening to our three pieces on repeat! Our last week consisted of two three-hour rehearsals to fix any remaining mistakes and to put the final finishing touches on our pieces. At this point we were performing our pieces to the best of our ability. And yet each time the pieces sounded better than the time before.' Beth describes the final minutes before the orchestra took to the stage: 'At the interval, we rushed back to our dressing room and began to tune our instruments. This caused a bit of panic as, due to the heat of the room, most of the string instruments' tuning had slipped. One of the cellos was completely out of tune and as Emily was tuning it, a string snapped. Notwithstanding a rapid string change the instrument remained stubbornly out of tune. 'Luckily, we were able to secure a replacement cello from the orchestra that performed before us, thanks to the efficiency of the IAYO staff. As we were waiting to go on, I looked at all the photos of the musicians and orchestras that had played on this same stage. It was, and still is, surreal to think that we had been given the opportunity to play where so many renowned musicians, groups and orchestras had played before us. 'Soon after, we received the call to stage. We walked on and took our seats with our Conductor joining us shortly after to take her place before us. We proceeded to do our final tuning of instruments. The sound of an orchestra tuning up all together is one of my favourite sounds and as we were tuning I knew we were going to be amazing.' And then: 'Emily raised her baton. There was complete silence throughout the hall for a few seconds as we sat poised. Romeo and Juliet Overture by Tchaikovsky. We began to play, all of us concentrating on our music, on Emily, on each other. This was the payback for months of endless rehearsals and practice. 'We poured everything we had into the music and it showed. As we came to the end of our first piece I had goosebumps. Any nervousness I had disappeared. 'We started into our second piece, Forrest Gump Suite. More relaxed now and more in the zone, all the revisions and the corrections we had gone through in rehearsal came through effortlessly in our playing. It sounded amazing. 'Next came our final and most difficult piece, Neil Martin's Queen of the Scals. We were joined by two soloists: Mark Redmond on uileann pipes and Eilis Lavelle on harp. Everyone was concentrating, fully and completely immersed in the music and what was being played. We performed the best we ever had and there was nothing but complete joy, and maybe a little bit of relief, on everyone's faces as we stood to the crowd's roaring applause. 'I felt, throughout our performance, that we were an orchestra united. We listened to one another and performed, not just each piece, but every note to the best of our abilities. It was a performance none of us will ever forget.' CWYO was founded in 1980 by Eileen Hurlihy and the late Alan Cutts as part of the County Wexford School of Music. It is made up of musicians aged 12 to 18 years from thoughout Co Wexford. They practise together weekly throughout the school year. Through regular practise and performance, the orchestra serves as an important stepping-stone in preparing young musicians hoping to progress to senior orchestra playing. The Conductor is Emily Redmond. The current Co-Leaders are Aisling Gouldson and Emma Martin. For further details see www.wexfordschoolofmusic.ie. Before breakfast on a Sunday morning.... and this patriotic crew had three quarters the town decorated with bunting for last year's St. Patrick's Day Parade. Included are from left: Pat Hartnett, Brian O'Sullivan, Peter Browne, Charlie Farrelly, Ted Kenny and Martin Conway. There is a meeting of the committee at Browne's Bar on this Thursday night at 8pm. Photo by John Reidy We're into the final furlong of preparations for the 2017 St. Patrick's Day Parade. There are only 17 days to go from today. On that note, the small committee behind the outright success of the event back over many years, will meet at Browne's Bar on this Thursday night, March 2nd at 8pm The meeting will act as a committee recruitment exercise as hands on deck have, traditionally, been few and very far between in the run up to the great occasion. There can be no doubt that the day is one of the most vitally important to the economy of the locality. It stands beside the November 1st Horse Fair Day in terms of revenue generation - if you want to look at it like that. Even so, the patriotism aspect is always left to the handful to carry the can for the rest of the town and wider community. The St. Patrick's Day Parade in Castleisland, if looked at on a per capita basis, would be well up there with the best Ireland has to offer. For this there is a huge debt of thanks to the committee members who, early on a prior Sunday morning, go out there in a cherry picker tying up street straddling bunting and flags to poles. Helen Leane will always be the 'First Lady' of the Castleisland St. Patrick's Day Parade. Along with her husband, Aeneas they got the ball rolling with the very first parade on the street in Castleisland in 1988. When they retired from active service the event wobbled a bit until John Skevena O'Sullivan and Teddy McCarthy put their shoulders to the wheel. Michael O'Callaghan then took up the challenge and in spite of the Foot and Mouth year (2001) falling in his tenure, he delivered it safely into the hands of Charlie Farrelly and his still serving, voluntary committee. John Skevena O'Sullivan is still playing an active role in the committee. There is also a bunch of thanks to the people, clubs and organisations from neighbouring villages who visit in force to get involved in the great annual salute to St. Patrick. This year's parade will be led again by the Cullen Pipe Band and will set off at 1pm from its traditional starting point at Tralee Road. And it will take in the whole town from market house to the old library. There will be a 'gig-rig' but it won't be turned into a reviewing stand this year as there were many objections to the politicisation of last year's event. More homes and businesses in rural North Kerry were violated by scumbag burglars in the past week in a spate that included a raid on a tool business and a pub in Listowel and a doctor's surgery in Ballyduff. Gardai are investigating at least six incidents since Tuesday of last week, February 21. They suspect a single gang was responsible for two raids in Listowel on Thursday night/Friday morning last. Popular watering hole Christy's Well Bar was ransacked after the gang got in a back window to smash open the pool table, two jukeboxes, a cigarette machine and the cash register - making off with what's believed to have been over a thousand euros of coin. Raiders struck the Listowel Hire and Repair Centre in the Clieveragh Industrial Estate between 4.30am and 5.15am on Friday morning breaking in and taking lucrative machinery from consaws and chainsaws to power washers and leaf blowers in a haul worth thousands of euros. They also stole a small quantity of the business's hard-earned cash. Gardai in the town believe both burglaries were likely the work of one gang, they described as 'very professional'. CCTV has been gleaned from the tool hire centre job showing four men wearing balaclavas approaching the business by car, giving gardai a solid lead on the twin nighttime incidents in the town. It's thought another gang of raiders were responsible for three incidents on Tuesday of last week. A house in Moyvane North was broken into between 9.30pm and 11.15pm and a quantity of cash stolen. Owners of Cantillon's pub and the adjacent home in Lisselton came back after just 50 minutes away to find their home broken into - between 1.pm and 1.50pm. Nothing appeared to have been stolen, after the burglars broke in through a rear window. Burglars struck again in the broad daylight of Tuesday 21 in a house in Tiduff Ballyheigue taking one item of jewellery. Between 11.30pm Friday and 1.30pm Saturday a doctor's surgery in the centre of Ballyduff was raided, with burglars breaking in and making off with a quantity of cash. Anyone who noticed anyone or anything noteworthy in these areas at these times are urged to contact Listowel gardai on (068)21000. Kerry is facing unprecedented travel chaos next week as the threatened Bus Eireann strike risks blowing up into a full scale transport strike hitting trains and city bus services. 2,600 staff at Bus Eireann are scheduled to go on strike on Monday and there are growing fears that their colleagues in Dublin Bus and Iarnrod Eireann will join the action. Transport Minister Shane Ross is coming under increasing pressure to intervene and today (Wednesday) he is due to appear before the Dail Transport and Tourism Committee to justify his hands off approach to the looming strike. The Committee is chaired by Kerry TD Brendan Griffin who says urgent action is needed to avert a strike that will affect hundreds of thousands of people. "We have a chance to resume our discussions with Minister Ross and put to him our concerns about how this proposed strike will affect the company, the staff, the public and the wider economy," said Deputy Griffin. "A resolution, through engagement and dialogue, simply needs to be found and without delay," Deputy Griffin said. "We are acutely aware that the financial situation of Bus Eireann is in a perilous position but the needs of tens of thousands of passengers around the country, who will be caught in the middle of this dispute, must also be represented," said Deputy Griffin. Speaking at the Transport Committee last week Independent Deputy Danny Healy-Rae called for more clarity from Bus Eireann on which routes it plans to cut and why. "When I hear about the cut affecting the route from Clonmel to Dublin, what hope have we from Cahersiveen to Tralee and from Killarney to Cork? I cannot understand what has gone wrong," he said. "My daughter gets on the number 40 bus on a Sunday evening and comes back on a Thursday or Friday. It is always full and she is standing on it most of the time. What has gone wrong?" Deputy Healy Rae asked. "It is clear that National Transport Authority (NTA) is not getting answers from the company on what routes it will cut," he said. Echoing the sentiments of his party leader Fianna Fail Deputy John Brassil called on Shane Ross to intervene and do what he can to resolve the dispute. While Minister Ross is legally constrained in what he can do, Deputy Brassil said he has the power to provide greater state support to Bus Eireann via Public Service Obligation contracts that could protect threatened routes and lessen the financial pressure on the company. Speaking to The Kerryman in Tralee on Thursday FF leader Micheal Martin questioned whether the situation would have been resolved by now if it only affected the capital, as was the case in the Luas and Dublin Bus disputes. As The Kerryman went to press the NTA announced plans to plug the gaps in some services that Bus Eireann plans to scrap. Councillor Patrick OConnor Scarteen has called onKerry County Council to consider the idea of memorial walls to store ashes of deceased Kerry's graveyards could one day include memorial walls constructed for the storage of ashes of the deceased after a motion was tabled by Cllr Patrick O'Connor-Scarteen at the monthly meeting of Kerry County Council. Known as 'Columbarium Walls', Cllr O'Connor-Scarteen said specially constructed walls would reflect the cosmopolitan demographic of Kerry, while giving people the option of storing the ashes of loved ones in cinerary urns. Such structures would also help address the lack of space currently a problem in some graveyards. "A memorial wall for storing ashes is an option," he said. "You have growing cosmopolitan areas in parts of Kerry. There's many English, Dutch, German and Polish people, countries where cremation is popular. Take, for example, a Polish person living here where a loved one dies and their intention is to one day move back to Poland. They could store the ashes in a memorial wall," he added. Kerry County Council management said it would consider constructing memorial walls for all future graveyards in the county but Cllr O'Connor-Scarteen rejected this, calling for them to be built in existing burial grounds. "Obviously, I'm not asking for one in every graveyard in the county but initially it should be rolled out in the bigger towns and see how it goes. Thankfully, the council have said they will now consider this." The Kenmare councillor added that memorial walls would be a practical and responsible solution and are cost-effective for local authorities and families. "They're not big imposing structures and I know they're not a solution for everyone as people still prefer the traditional burial. But there's more people now choosing cremation. I spoke with a funeral director recently who said in Dublin there's now a 50 per cent cremation rate. It's definitely becoming more popular." Meanwhile, a new crematorium is currently under consideration at a site in Dromcummer Beg in North Cork which would cover parts of the Kerry region. The application is with Cork County Council. There are five crematoriums in Ireland with one in Cork city. This Sunday marks 50 years since the closure of the Good Shepherd's Magdalene Laundry in New Ross and to remember the victims of the laundry the fourth annual Flowers for Magdalenes memorial ceremony takes place at 2 p.m. at St Stephen's cemetery, Irishtown. Flowers for Magdalenes is a family event and children are welcome to attend. The laundry was located in the Irishtown on the site where the Mercy Convent now stands. It was one of the ten laundries in Ireland and closed its doors in 1967. With the demolition of St Aidan's Industrial School in December 2015 the communal grave at St Stephen's cemetery remains the only focal point for Magdalene survivors and their families. Last year's intergenerational gathering attracted a large crowd and saw young children, teenagers and older members of the New Ross community gather together respectfully to commemorate the Magdalene women through poetry, song, reflection and the laying of flowers. A musical composition entitled 'The Emasculated Magdalened Innocence', penned and performed by local musician Michael Fottrell completed the homage. Local artist Nancy Rochford-Flynn, who organises this event every year, said the success of a project like this relies on support from the community. 'Active commemoration that is shared among us all is the only way of marking these women's lives as significant,' she said. Marking the run up to International Women's Day this event will be celebrated across the country on Sunday. Justice for Magdalenes Research (JFMR) is calling on members of the public to visit Magdalene graves on this day and lay flowers to honour the women who lived and died behind convent walls. Approximately 10,000 women nationally are known to have entered a Magdalene Laundry from the foundation of the State in 1922 until the closure of the last laundry at Sean McDermott Street in 1996. At least 1,663 former Magdalene women are buried in cemeteries in Ireland, many of whom are in unmarked graves. Nancy is an interdisciplinary artist and community art activist who has worked with the Waterford Memories project http://www.waterfordmemories.com/. She exhibited a mixed media installation entitled 'Hidden from View' as part of a multi-disciplinary project hosted by them in October 2016. A conference on the 'Opportunities and Challenges of Brexit for County Wexford,' is being organised by county councillor Malcolm Byrne at the end of next month. 'It will be non-political and will have a primary focus on identifying issues that will be of specific concern to the county in the context of an increasingly likely hard Brexit,' Cllr Byrne told this newspaper. 'I want it to be as inclusive as possible and to focus on the issues. I am keen to have a business input as much as possible,' said Cllr Byrne. He said he believed that Wexford could benefit in certain areas from Brexit while also dealing with significant challenges. 'Brexit will be one of the biggest political, economic and social challenges facing Wexford, Ireland and Europe over the next decade. In everything from movement of people and goods at our ports and airports; through the impact on agriculture and industry; to student exchange and research partnerships, Brexit will provide challenges. But there are also opportunities. Wexford companies will now be at an advantage competing in the EU compared to UK companies. We may also be able to attract more continental tourists. 'While much of what may happen is now speculation, we have got to start to plan and ensure that businesses, farms, individuals are prepared for the changes that lie ahead. 'We need to work together to overcome the significant obstacles Brexit will pose but equally to seize opportunities. What I want to do is for us to start that discussion meaningfully and ensure that we are ready in Wexford,' said Cllr Byrne. The event will take place at the Clayton Whites Hotel on Thursday, March 30 at 8 p.m. Confirmed speakers include former MEP Avril Doyle, Tom Enright, Chief Executive, Wexford County Council, Karl Fitzpatrick, President, Wexford Chamber, John Lynch, General Manager, Rosslare Europort, Verona Murphy, President, Irish Road Haulage Association, and Noel Whelan, Irish Times Columnist and Barrister, and James Kehoe, Wexford IFA Chair. Malcolm Byrne said he wanted to be as inclusive as possible and if anyone had any specific issues to raise, they should contact him on 086 2237102 or via malcolm.byrne@wexfordmcc.ie. A video shared by a New Ross man who campaigned to raise money for his sister, Shauntelle Tynan, has been viewed more than 820,000 times. Local people have contributed generously to the fundraising campaign to get medical treatment for Shauntelle in Texas. New Ross beautician Paula Flanagan is joining the effort, offering special offers next week and to donate money to the campaign. Meanwhile Shauntelle's brother Dylan St Ledger who helped raise money for his sister through a gig in New Ross last year and was instrumental in getting her heart-rending video out to hundreds of thousands of viewers on Facebook. 18-year-old, Shauntelle from Carlow suffers from a rare cancer called multi system histiocytosis x (LCH). She needed to raise $527,000 in order to be able to spend four months in Texas for treatment. A provisional date of September 28 has been set for treatment. After her emotional video plea last week she has raised over 700,000 and counting. 19-year-old Dylan's post has been viewed over 820,000 times since he posted it on February 12. Shauntelle was diagnosed in May 2015 and went through five failed treatment protocols. She has had treatment between Ireland and Texas and instead of improving more systems have become involved. Her fundraising campaign broke the European record, raising more than 500,000 in a few days. She said: "I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone for all of the support.' Paula Flanagan of Paula's Beauty Haven, Chambersland Close, is donating the proceeds of her fundraising promotion to the Shauntelle Tynan fund. From Ash Wednesday, March 1 and the first day of Lent, she plans to offer her services as a beauty therapist at a reduced price. 'I plan to offer most of my beauty treatments (excluding shellac nails or gel nails) for one week only and all money I make goes directly to Shauntelle's Gofundme page. I've only followed her updates online and I suppose as a mother of two teenage daughters it has really touched me and I want to help in some way and this is the only way I know how!' Paula can be contacted at 086 8289264. The family of Tina Cahill say they plan to travel to Australia over the coming months to be by her side. Ms Cahill, 25, did not appear at court in Sydney on Wednesday in person or by video link. She is charged with the murder of her fiance David Walsh, 29, outside their home in Sydney on the previous Friday night. It is alleged that Ms Cahill stabbed father-of-three David Walsh in the neck after a row broke out in the house. Paramedics tried to revive the Enniscorthy man but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The case has instead been adjourned until April 5 when a book of evidence will be presented to the court. Ms Cahill's team will present their case for her on May 3. Tom Sacre of 7news in Australia said: 'She remains in custody throughout the process and will do until a verdict is reached.' Speaking hours after Ms Cahill's court hearing on Wednesday, her father Dan said all he, his wife Rita and her sister Mairead want to do if be there by her side to give her a hug and support her, but the cost of travelling to Australia means they have to choose when to travel. 'It's hard for us to know what to do. If we go over now we'll have to come back and go over again for the trial. Unless we're talking to her and she says she needs us, honest to God I don't know.' The family spoke with Ms Cahill on Tuesday night. 'She was in bits. She said she misses us. It's killing us not to be over there but it's not like going to Dublin or something. It was hard to talk to her (as she was so upset) but I told her that she had plenty of backing from people here and that every person in New Ross was so good to us. I let her know the whole town was behind her. Rita spoke to her for a couple of minutes but they were so upset.' Dan said the family didn't know anything about a Gofundme fundraising page that was set up to help fund their travel costs to Australia, adding: 'People want to help us out but we don't want to upset anyone.' The page was shut down days after being opened. Mayor of Wexford CllrTommy Byrne (holding his hat) Minister Paudge Brennan, County Manager TF Bowe. Cllr Lorcan Allen ,TD Brendan Corish (both behind). Bishop Donal Herlihy, who blessed the bridge. and New Ross parish priest Canon O'Byrne (holding the holy water) At the opening: Cllr Tommy Byrne, Mayor of Wexford, Minister Paudge Brennan, who cut the ribbon, County Manager TF Bowe, Bishop of Ferns Donal Herlihy and TD Jack Lynch Monday marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of O'Hanrahan Bridge in New Ross. As work on the New Ross Bypass enters the 11th month of a 40-month timespan, the old prestressed concrete bridge named after Irish patriot Michael O'Hanrahan, who was executed by firing squad on May 4, 1916, at Kilmainham Jail, is still carrying thousands of vehicles every day, providing a gateway between county and province and an entrance point into Co. Wexford. Hundreds of people gathered for the opening of the bridge on February 27, 1967, along New Ross quays. Today O'Hanrahan Bridge is the seventh bridge to cross the Barrow River. The new bridge being built stretching from Stokestown to Pink Point will be the largest bridge in Ireland (and at 887m the world's longest three-tower extradosed bridge). The new bridge and the 13.6km bypass - which will cost 250m to build - will open to traffic in 2019. The first bridge spanning the Barrow was built in 1207 by Knight William Marshall and Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke. The bridge was crossed by King John in 1210. A newer bridge was started by Aymerde de Valance in 1323. A bridge was built in 1460 which was destroyed by troops fleeing Ballinvegga in 1643. A pontoon bridge was built by order of Oliver Cromwell in 1649. A new bridge costing 11,200 was built by Samuel Cox in 1796 but it was destroyed by ice floes some 70 years later. A bridge was then built of cast iron and steel and pitch pine in 1869 at a cost of around 90,000. O'Hanrahan Bridge replaced it in 1967 and was built at a cost of 380,000 by Messrs O'Connell & Harney of Cork. This figure included the cost of demolishing the old bridge. The New Ross Standard of March 11, 1967, describes in vivid detail the events of the day. 'It was an auspicious and wonderful occasion for the people of New Ross, which has had many bridges, to be the first to be erected by the Government of Ireland,' the report states. The bridge opening ceremony was performed by Paudge Brennan, TD and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Local Government. It was blessed by Bishop of Ferns Donal Herlihy. The bridge was built due to major traffic weight and speed restrictions on its predecessor over a number of years. The Government paid for three quarters of its cost, while Kilkenny County Council and Wexford County Council shared the remaining cost. When O'Hanrahan Bridge was being constructed, a Guinness bottle containing the names of the men who worked on the project was placed inside one of the support structures. Situated 100ft downstream from its predecessor, the bridge was described in the article as a 'gateway from Rosslare to the south of Ireland'. Work began on the bridge on August 17, 1965, and concluded in February 1967. On February 27, 1967, Mr Brennan was greeted upon arrival to New Ross on that wet spring day by Mayor of Wexford Cllr Tommy Byrne. He inspected the guards of honour of the New Ross FCA band and the New Ross Sea Scouts troop, before cutting the ribbon on the bridge. Accompanied by Bishop Herlihy, he walked across the bridge to the Kilkenny side. Upon his return he was introduced to Eily Hanrahan-O'Reilly, a sister of Michael Hanrahan, and to Rev Dr Birch, Bishop of Ossory. Both he and Eily shown a plaque on the bridge bearing Michael O'Hanrahan's name. Afterwards, at a luncheon at the Royal Hotel, Mr Minihan toasted the work of the builders who also designed and built Wexford's bridge and Youghal's bridge. Many tribuites were paid to the speed at which the bridge was erected. Among the other guests in attendnce were TDs Brendan Corish and, Jack Lynch, chairman of New Ross Urban District Council Andy Minihan, New Ross parish priest Canon O'Byrne, and Cllr Lorcan Allen. New Ross FCA Pipe Band performed on the day and the Confraternity Band were also present, while members of the FCA formed a guard of honour along Quay Street up to The Tholsel, as did members of New Ross Sea Scouts. John Bennett played with the New Ross FCA Pipe Band that day. He said: 'I was 20 and I played as a tenor drummer. It was an awful, wet day. I remember we stopped in front of The Tholsel and Michael O'Hanrahan's sister Eily was there. People were excited about the bridge and that a New Ross patriot was being honoured by having a bridge named after him in the town of his birth. The traffic on the old bridge caused problems, especially the heavy lorries. I remember Tommy Lacey from Cross Lane was on the bridge in a hut controlling the lorries going back and forth.' He recalled the crowd in New Ross that day and all of the activity along Quay Street, the quays and at the bridge. Martin Myler from Abbey Hall, New Ross, remembers getting the job of timekeeper in autumn 1965 for the 35 men working on the bridge. 'It was my first job having completed my Leaving Cert. It was a great experience for me. I went to England that summer and when I came back the bridge was only after being started. I met Michael Nolan, who had the job of timekeeper, and he was going off to college so I got his job on the site.' Martin's role included paying wages and office duties. Now living in Ovens, Co. Cork, Martin was in New Ross on February 27, 1967, for the opening of the bridge. 'We had dinner at the Royal Hotel and I remember farmers shouting and roaring outside at a protest. There was a big buzz around the town about the bridge. Employment was very scarce back then other than at Graves and Albatros, which was flying at the time. Most men were emigrating.' Martin went on to work on major projects in Cork and opened his own steel business, working on projects for Kerry Co-op and other large companies. Dick Nolan from New Ross worked on the pontoons in a team under Dutchman Len Hoxtic. He recalled busy times working on the bridge with all of the carpenters, steel fitters and concrete workers. 'On the pontoons there were four winches. They were double drums: one facing up river and one going to the quay. 'On the stern side one was facing toward Rosbercon and the other towards the quay and on the bow side the same. Tony McCluskey was the main winchman. We'd be lowering piles down through the mud and tapping them in. It was good old craic.' Dick recalls the free bar at the Royal Hotel the night the bridge opened. 'It was a late night,' he said. Over the past decade O'Hanrahan Bridge has become notorious due to increased vehicle traffic and resultingly traffic dealys and has often been featured on AA Roadwatch radio bulletins. The opening of the new bridge - which is expected to be named after Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy - is expected to dramatically reduce traffic on the bridge. In May 2016 O'Hanrahan Bridge was rededicated and a new nameplate was unveiled, In attendance were grand-nephews of Michael O'Hanrahan: Pearse O'Hanrahan and Harry O'Hanrahan, along with their families, Cllr Michael Sheehan (then chairman New Ross Municial District Council) and New Ross Municipal District officials spoke at the event about the important role the bridge has played over the past 50 years. Thanks to historian Sean Crowley and Martin Myler for their assistance with his article. The West Sligo village of Easkey has just won a national heritage award for its bucks and thrashers event held last Summer. A total of nine Heritage Projects scooped prizes at the Heritage Council's Heritage Awards held last Wednesday. The awards recognise the fantastic work of the heritage community in Ireland and showcase the best of National Heritage Week. The LEAP (Living in Easkey and Proud)Project in Easkey was presented with Hidden Heritage Award by Minister Humphreys at the ceremony. The Bucks & The Thrashers event brought history to life with a street theatre re-enactment of the fued between Thomas Fenton of Castletown Easkey and Major John Hillas of Donecoy in 1816. Scenes of the duel took place along the Easkey river, the subsequent court case was staged in Easkey's Historical Courthouse followed by a wake that spilled out into the main street. The Heritage Council was impressed by the attention to detail and imagination shown in staging this event which brought both the community and the diaspora together to engage with a lesser known story in their shared history. Minister Humphreys TD said: "I would like to congratulate those who work tirelessly to protect and preserve our heritage, are the backbone of the heritage sector. "As someone who was a member of my own local heritage group I understand the great fulfilment you can achieve by being involved in heritage, but I also understand the huge amount of commitment required. It's great to see that commitment recognised for so many heritage organisations here today." Michael Starrett Heritage Council CEO said: "The common theme among all those being recognised here today is one of dedication to the conservation, protection and promotion of local heritage and community. Through the fantastic platform of National Heritage Week the public has had the opportunity to engage with a range of diverse and unique projects." Myles Lamberth has taken what could loosely be described as 'the scenic route' from his native Capetown to Strandhill on Ireland's northwest coast. His childhood was divided between several different countries including Iran, Angola and Namibia, the family moving as his father's engineering career dictated. Strandhill is the longest time he has ever spent in one spot. At Shells Cafe which he runs with his wife Jane, Myles initially took the lead on the cooking side, establishing the quirky style for which Shells is famous. These days as the old adage says, he is working 'more on the business than in it' and leaves head chef Justin to head up the busy kitchen. The route Myles took to a cookery career was slightly less than conventional, starting in the South African bush. In his twenties Myles worked in tourism - river rafting and safaris to be precise. He escorted clients on multiday tours which included providing catering. Luckily Myles wasn't a stranger to cooking; his paternal grandmother was a talented cook and he learned much from her. As a young teenager he had taken a lead in the home kitchen which paid off now. A typical South African, he was also master of the brai or barbeque; ideal fare for hungry big game chasers.The archetypal rolling stone, Myles then took to the road wanting to broaden his horizons still further and headed for Europe. As he points out wryly, there's not a lot of safari work over this way, so he opted for the ski scene. He spent five seasons as a ski chalet host in different countries. Again he was catering for groups and learning his trade on the job. Winters were spent on the ski slopes and summers in a variety of surfing spots around Europe. During this period he met Dubliner Jane, a marketing specialist, who joined in his travelling lifestyle with enthusiasm. Although they didn't realise it, they were conducting worldwide market research for their eventual joint business. Strandhill had come on their radar as it was a convenient surfing beach to reach from Dublin where they lived and worked for a while. The time he spent working with Michelle Darmody in The Cake Cafe was a wonderful experience for Myles. From Michelle he gained a newfound appreciation for slow food and the importance of provenance, good produce and supporting local cottage industries. For Myles and Jane, the idea of running their own business began to take form. They had already spotted Shells Cafe on the Strandhill seafront and fancied it as a business they would like to run and build. They trawled small towns on the west coast searching for something similar but, not finding what they wanted, headeback to Cornwall for another year. While there Jane saw an ad seeking managers for Shells; instead they negotiated a lease and the rest is history. It was 2008 and Ireland was in the teeth of a recession when they opened the doors of a rejuvenated and rebranded Shells Cafe but that didn't stop the Lamberths. From cafe rich cultures in Melbourne, Wellington and the like, they had a very strong sense of the business they wanted to create. Through Jane's marketing background and Myles broad cooking experience they had a winning combination and nearly ten years on Shells Cafe is a well established destination cafe with an enviable local and national profile. #SligoFoodTrail www.sligofoodtrail.com An interesting new project is about to be launched by Sligo County Council to help preserve local graveyards. Local Heritage officer Siobhan Ryan explains: "The Sligo Historic Graveyard Training Project aims to train local communities to record and publish details from historic graveyards." The project will be delivered by John Tierney of the Historic Graves Project. John has worked with community groups nationwide in publishing over 700 Irish graveyards to the website www.historicgraves.com Siobhan emphasises the importance of strong community engagement: "Each community will be required to provide a team for training from 5 to 15 people. Thick soled boots and waterproof layers are always a good idea. Techniques for reading headstones such as high-powered torches and mirrors, as well as newsprint paper rubbings, will be demonstrated. "The use of a gps cameras for surveying will also be taught. The techniques learned in the graveyard can then be applied to community surveys for other heritage sites." As well as being a sacred space, historic graveyards are key heritage tourism resources for any county. It is hoped that this project will assist in developing a rural tourism genealogical resource but will also give guidance in historic graveyard care and conservation. John Tierney will hold a public information session on the project in the Glasshouse Hotel, Sligo on Monday 6th of March 2017 from 7.30pm. All Welcome. Atlantic Sheepdog experience has been awarded the CIE Tours International Gold Award for Best Overall Tour Feature for 2016. Martin Feeney, owner of Atlantic Sheepdog from Streedagh in Grange has over twenty years experience to his name. Having learned the skill of sheepdog handling from his father, Martin has travelled the world over, both competing in and judging trials on an international stage. Setting up the business more than a year and a half ago, Martin is honoured to receive this award and is looking forward to a busy 2017. "This is our first year with CIE and it is a great honour to have this recognition. It gives a great boost for the company knowing that you are doing something right. "We have a good mixture of national and inter-national tourists with greater over-sea numbers and what makes us stand out is the sheepdog experience is something people haven't seen before and the seaside location also helps," said Martin. "The 2017 tourist season has just kicked off and we're looking forward to another great year ahead. We hope through publicity and photos it will also highlight the scenery Sligo has to offer," he said. In 2016, guests of CIE returned a massive 99% satisfaction rating for Atlantic Sheepdogs competing with other iconic tourist attractions like the Cliffs of Moher and the Giants Causeway. Kilronan Castle also secured The CIE Gold Award of Excellence for Best Overall Accommodation in Ireland 2016. The CIE Tours International Annual Awards of Excellence is in its 27th year and was held in Dublin City Hall on February 20th. Thirteen overall category winners from around the country were chosen solely based on customer feedback. The Chief Executive of CIE Tours International, Elizabeth Crabill said that 2016 was another excellent year with revenues up to 100 million and over 320,000 bed-nights booked across Ireland. "Our success is due to the excellent service throughout the country. A Sligo farmer received a huge shock on Wednesday afternoon when his sheep gave birth to a "monster" of a lamb. Kieran Murphy, whose family have a tradition of rearing sheep, was expecting the pregnant ewe to give birth to twins given her size. So he was shocked last week when his sheep gave birth to a lamb weighing 8.5 kilos, almost twice the average weight of a lamb. A lamb usually weighs on average four/four and a half kilos. "The vet couldn't get over the size of the lamb," Kieran Murphy told The Sligo Champion. "I couldn't get over it. I thought it was going to be twins and then this monster appeared," he added. This was the first lamb born to this sheep, who Mr. Murphy said is "flying it" since. This lamb could very well be one of, if not the, biggest born in the Republic of Ireland. The biggest born in the UK weighed nearly 10 kilos and was born on a farm in Armagh. Mr. Murphy's father has been farming all his life, over 60 years, and he said he has never seen anything like this in his life. The Murphys usually welcome between 20 and 30 newborn lambs on their farm each year, and have so far seen 16 lambs born this spring. There are more to come, however, as the Murphys are expecting more lambs than they would usually. "St Vincent De Paul members don't retire, they just fade into the horizon," jokes 70-year-old Eamon Fitzpatrick. The former IT Sligo lecturer has no plans to give up volunteering for his chosen charity. He is one of 23 members who were honoured at a special ceremony last Thursday night for giving 20 years of service to the Society of St Vincent De Paul in Sligo. He says he is privileged rather than proud to be involved: "I'm just one of many, but I'm glad that there is a recognition for the work that we do, work that is going on quietly in the background." The presentation of long service certificates was made by the SVP Sligo Area Council in St. Anne's Church in Cranmore following mass by Bishop Kevin Doran. Eamon from the Strandhill Road first joined St. Vincent De Paul 30 years ago: "My Dad suggested it to me and I have never regretted the move. I've worked with a lot of great colleagues and met so many lovely people. It has been a privilege to help out people in difficult circumstances." At times his charity work was a challenge as he explains: "I encountered situations I found difficult. Often financial problems can bring a lot of tension into a home and families can start to fall apart. But an intervention from St. Vincent De Paul at such a time and the effects it can have can give great confidence and hope to a family." Being a volunteer has 'added an extra dimension' to Eamon's life and he says he is delighted to have had the opportunity to do it. "The best thing about the experience is knowing that you are able to make life brighter for someone." The work Eamon does would not be possible without the 'generosity of the Sligo people.' "They have always been loyal to us," he says, "Indeed it is humbling really to be collecting for the St. Vincent De Paul, the response is excellent." There is another side to the St. Vincent De Paul quite apart from charitable donations. Volunteers like Eamon also give of their time to visit patients in hospitals and elderly people at home. As Eamon says; "Loneliness is as big a problem as any. We do hospital visitations. I go to St. John's every week and the patients look forward to us coming." But it is a two way street for Eamon who says: "I enjoy meeting them and the banter between us. We build up good friendships. One man I speak to is visually impaired so I like to think of myself as his eyes filling him in on all the news around Sligo. He is remarkably good humoured." As a pensioner, Eamon has more time to spend as a volunteer but he has always averaged around three hours a week with his St Vincent De Paul family. "Several of my colleagues are retired but there are always openings for young people and I would encourage them to join up." Slates falling from the roof of a Holborn Street property have been causing concern for some locals who fear they could injure a passerby. A worker in the adjoining MACE shop said that locals have been expressing their concern about the slates, and the property since it became apparent that there was a problem. "People have been telling us for a while that they are worried about the roof. We contacted the council as soon as slates started falling to the ground," he told The Sligo Champion. A spokesperson for Sligo County Council told The Sligo Champion that they will be taking appropriate action, but the responsibility lies with the owner of the property. "The house in Holborn St is not a Local Authority property but the Council is aware of the problem and is taking appropriate action. "There are similar problems with privately owned premises in other areas of the town (e.g Union Street) and the responsibility to render them safe lies with the property owners." Hundreds of farmers from all over the border counties rallied to the cause of Sligo Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Dunally last Wednesday at the protest against its possible closure. "I had a look down from the trailer and I think there were nine county banners. They realise the importance of this lab to each of their counties," said Sligo IFA Chairman JP Cowley, speaking afterwards. "This is a cog in the wheel of the farming community and instead of closing this lab, put money into this lab," he told The Sligo Champion. He was among several speakers from the farming sector who spoke to almost 400 farmers at the Dunally lab. Department of Agriculture officials met with farming representatives before the protest but did not offer any reassurance that the lab would be kept open. One of the options they're considering is closing three regional labs, including Sligo, and creating a larger centralised lab in Athlone or Dublin. "I asked them when would this review end and they weren't able to tell me. It's an open-ended situation. All we can do is fight. We'll go to Leinster House if we have to," added Cowley. Former lab employee for 39 years and part-time farmer Seamus Cummins saw for himself the value of the Sligo Vet Lab to local farmers. "People came here under pressure, they were losing animals and they didn't know where to turn to until eventually the vet sent them here. "I saw the anguish on people who came here. Lots of times it was the farmer's wives who came along with their animals, often with children in the back of the car. It was their livelihood. I'd hate to see it close. I don't want to see it go," he said, after collecting hundreds of signatures outside his former workplace. Liam Feeney's father was one of the first employees of the lab: "Fifty years ago he was the first man to walk through those doors. It's a disgrace, where are we going to go?" he wondered. "People just will not bring carcasses to Dublin or Athlone. They won't bother their heads. I use it for sampling the worm or fluke content in my livestock because we'd be in a flukey area anyway in Glencar. Every single animal on my farm that dies, I want to know why they die," he added. Vincent Roddy of the Irish Natura and Hillfarmers Association says the situation is "quite worrying." "Even after meeting them there now there is still no decision. If there was an indication they were going to change their mind they might have indicated it hear today so that would concern you," he told this newspaper. "What they're proposing as a solution (if Sligo lab is closed) is a pick-up service - that's not going to work," he said. He believes the basis for the Department's review is flawed: "Quite simply, we in Ireland and good at copying models in other countries. In dairying we looked at the New Zealand model. In health we looked at the Dutch model and in this I think it's the Belgian model. "The Dutch model hasn't really worked. The New Zealand model isn't really working and this isn't going to work either. The other thing that was looked at here as well, in 2001 in the Foot and Mouth outbreak this lab did a lot of good work and that is very important," he said. Chairman of Leitrim IFA James Gallagher also highlighted the lab's role as a bulwark against major disease outbreaks. "With Brexit coming down the road, as it stands we're going to have a hard closed border. Wildlife doesn't respect borders so we could have a disease outbreak similar to Foot and Mouth again here so we need somewhere that can test locally and ringfence an area to protect our agriculture industry," he said. National IFA Sheep Chairman John Lynskey also pointed out that almost a third of the national flock lies in the catchment area of the Sligo lab: "There's huge issues at lambing time with both disease and problems with minerals. It's vital that this service is kept here, that works in the area and knows the problems of the area. We'll have to fight to maintain it. That's our priority. We're not giving up," he said. Seamus Quinn was among a bus full of Donegal farmers who travelled down to the protest. "Some of my fellow farmers would be 180 miles from here. If they close this our next port of call would be Athlone and it's not a service that's going to be used widely by guys 180 miles away. We need this maintained at all costs," he said. Irish water has just announced a further 6.4m investment project to upgrade water and sewer networks in the city centre area and up to and along Pearse Road. The water main rehabilitation work will benefit both businesses and residents and will involve the replacement and rehabilitation of ageing water mains, installation of new sewers and replacement of all service connections. Spokeswoman Toni Bourke says: "The project will benefit residents and businesses by reducing leakage and bursts and improving water quality and supply to consumers. "Working in partnership with Sligo County Council, Irish Water has appointed Ward and Burke Construction Limited to carry out the project with works due to start in March with an estimated completion date of May 2018." The project involves the replacement and rehabilitation of approximately 8.7km of ageing water mains, the installation of 1.5km of foul and storm sewers in the Pearse Road area and the replacement of all service connections including any lead services encountered. Declan Cawley of Irish Water says: "This investment will greatly improve the water infrastructure for residents and business owners in Sligo City. "The replacement of these ageing water mains that are prone to frequent bursts will improve the security of supply to customers and will also ensure that the existing and future residential and commercial development needs of the town are served. Water quality will also be improved by replacing existing cast iron pipes with new plastic polyethylene pipes." He continues: "Irish Water is committed to reducing network leakage to less than 38% by 2021 and this investment will help us to meet this target." There will be some inconvenience to residents and motorists but Irish Water says it will try to limit the amount of disruption. Toni Bourke explains: "The work sections will be limited to short sections to minimise impact on residents, businesses and road users. "The works will involve some short-term water shut offs for a number of hours over a day or two in each area when the pipes are being connected to the system. "The project team will ensure that householders and businesses are advised of any works in their area in advance and will be given a minimum of 48 hours prior notice of any planned water shut offs." She adds: "The project team will notify the local community in advance of planned works in their areas and provide contact details should they have any queries. "The team will work closely with businesses to minimise any potential disruption and with An Garda Siochana to manage traffic while the works are underway." This project forms part of Irish Water's investment plan and contracts were signed for the Sligo works last Friday. As part of this project, works will be carried out in the following areas including: Connolly Street/ Mail Coach Road Junction Holborn Hill Connolly Street Stephen Street Old Market Street Stephen Street Car Park Teeling Street Pearse Road Thomas Street Fatima Avenue Bridge Street Cleveragh Road Castle Street Tonaphubble Lane Lord Edward Street/ Wine Street Junction Cemetery Road John Street John F Kennedy Parade Smith's Row/ Wine Street Car Park Ash lane Union Street Duck Street Wine Street N15 Crossing Lower Quay Street Rosses Point Road off N15 Quay Street N16 Crossing Holborn Street Hyde Bridge Pro-choice activists are demanding that the Irish Government call a referendum to Repeal the Eighth amendment by the 8th of March, if not they are calling on the people of Ireland to strike. The strike which coincides with International Women's Day will not be an industrial strike in the traditional sense but can include taking an annual leave day off work, refraining from domestic work for the day, wearing black in solidarity or staging a walkout during lunch break. The movement is inspired by women in Poland, who downed tools last October, refused to perform domestic chores and wore black in a successful campaign against the tightening of abortion laws there. Various groups in support of the Pro-choice movement have signed on to support the strike including the local Sligo Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC). Denise O'Toole Convener of Repeal the 8th Sligo ARC a regional branch of the National ARC is calling on the citizens of Sligo to support the cause:"We are participating in this strike in solidarity with pro-choice groups, activists and the overwhelming majority of people in Ireland who want access to abortion expanded and abortion decriminalised," said Denise. "There has been a growing movement nationwide to Repeal the 8th, it is far from a Dublin based campaign as has been claimed; these claims are now easily refuted by seeing us out on the streets providing factual information in person every month in Sligo supported by our friends, families and the general public," she added. On the day a 'To the beach" action will assemble at Strandhill at 2pm. It is a a solidarity gathering which will include symbolically sending messages in bottles to the Irish government. "They are not listening to voices of women who have experienced abortion and in the process have been put under serious financial and mental pressure due to having to access health care in other countries far from home and often alone," added Denise. A spokeswoman for the Pro Life Campaign in Sligo, Sile Quinlan said: "The #Strike4Repeal is just the latest in a long line of cheap stunts that are designed to garner publicity for the campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment, at the expense of real debate and any consideration for the health of women. "Women who are facing unplanned pregnancy need the kind of support that will help them to identify ways in which they can keep their unborn child and not end his or her life while exposing themselves to the mental and psychological risks that abortion carries for every woman," she added. 38 women left Sligo in 2015 to avail of Legal Abortion services in the UK, according to statistics given by the UK Department of Health. It is believed that at least 10 women and girls travel each day to the UK to access abortion services. In the first month of 2017 approximately seventy women a week left Ireland to have an abortion with many of those from rural areas. Fine Gael TD Tony McLoughlin is keeping his cards close to his chest as the leadership contest in the party hots up. Taoiseach Enda Kenny told a parliamentary party meeting last week that he would be dealing with the leadership issue on his return from his St Patrick's Day visit to the White House. It's a move which has been interpreted that he intends stepping down, paving the way for a contest between Ministers Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney. A poll over the weekend put Social Protection Minister Varadkar and Housing Minister Coveney within two points of each other with Mr Varadkar on 29% and Mr Coveney on 27%. The formal campaign has not startedand it is a line which Sligo/Leitrim TD McLoughlin is keen to hold at present. A staunch supporter of Mr Kenny in the past, Deputy McLoughlin is keen to allow the Taoiseach to go at the time of his choosing and as such will not comment on the leadership issue to any great extent. Deputy McLoughlin told The Sligo Champion that as far as he was concerned the Taoiseach was dealing with the matter in his own time and there was no leadership contest until he said there was one. Deputy McLoughlin is reluctant to get drawn into the contest so far or comment in any detail about the two leading contenders for the leadership which is quite prudent from one of the most experienced TDs in Leinster House. He has acknowledged however that both Minister Coveney and Minister Varadkar have strengths in equal measure but will not be drawn into declaring support for either man at this stage. The actual election of a new party leader could take at least two weeks. If a contest takes place the Fine Gael parliamentary party will have the biggest say at 65% with 25% of votes going to members and councillors making up the final 10%. Insiders say that the process is actually quite complicated with complex mathematical forumlae involved. It does appear though that a win in each electoral area will be required for a candidate to come out on top. Discussions have already taken place within the party on the process and there's likely to be nine regional meetings at which the contenders will address councillors and members. Carrick-on-Shannon has already been touted as a possible venue to include Sligo/Leitrim. Subsequently a polling station will open for voting. This will be at a local hotel and may be on one day or over a couple of days at which both councillors and members will cast their vote. Only those on the party membership in 2015 and 2016 will be eligible to vote. Conscious of the controversy over the last Sligo/Leitrim selection convention which saw defeated candidate being added following a High Court challenge, the party has adopted new and more stringent procedures particularly with regard to photo ID. The general view within the party is that Mr Kenny will announce he is resigning as leader in April with a leadership campaign taking place over the Easter period. At a later date Mr Kenny will resign as Taoiseach with the Dail then accepting the new Fine Gael leader and thus avoiding a General Election. Fine Gael will hold Fianna Fail to its confidence and supply arrangment to support the minority Government for at least two more budgets. Gore Verbinski, director of the opening three salvos of the Pirates Of the Caribbean series and Rango, slinks into bonkers territory usually inhabited by Tim Burton and Wes Anderson in this unsettling and achingly stylish psychological thriller. Set predominately in a spa located in the Swiss Alps, A Cure For Wellness casts an intoxicating spell with its deliberately off-kilter camerawork, hallucinogenic set pieces and discordant orchestral score composer by Benjamin Wallfisch. It's an impressive amalgamation of colour-bleached production design and slow-burning suspense reminiscent of the high-altitude madness of the Shining. Alas, a sustained build-up of tension dissipates in a ludicrous final act that repeatedly chooses cheap, salacious shocks over plausibility, leaving a nasty taste in the mouth at the very moment we should be smacking our lips with glee. An excessive, self-indulgent running time certainly doesn't help the medicine go down and scriptwriter Justin Haythe, who recently worked with Verbinski on the ill-fated remake of the Lone Ranger, repeatedly falls back on horror movie cliches as punchlines to his artfully contrived weirdness. Ambitious executive Lockhart (Dane DeHaan) gains rapid promotion when a colleague suffers a fatal heart attack. He is summoned to the boardroom on the 70th floor where senior staff reveal CEO Roland Pembroke (Harry Groener) has disappeared to an Alpine spa at a crucial juncture in a business deal. 'Who the hell takes waters in the 21st century anyway?' growls one disgruntled board member. They need Lockhart to bring Pembroke back to New York to sign off a hugely profitable merger. As instructed, Lockhart travels by train to Switzerland and heads into the mountains by car. 'There's always been bad blood between the villagers and the people on the hill,' ominously remarks a taxi driver (Ivo Nandi) as Lockhart sweeps into the driveway of a picture postcard facility masterminded by director Dr Volmer (Jason Isaacs). Before Lockhart can return to company HQ, the high-flyer is involved in an accident and suffers a broken leg. He agrees to recuperate at the spa and sample the 'uniquely rejuvenating properties' of the aquifer in the catacombs. Mingling with other clientele, including history buff Victoria Watkins (Celia Imrie), Lockhart learns about the facility's macabre past and he is inextricably drawn to a quixotic girl (Mia Goth). A Cure For Wellness is a fantastical yarn that promises far more than it delivers. DeHaan, Isaacs and Goth deliver ambiguous performances to stoke the air of mystery that surrounds the spa and its residents. They are ultimately undone by the stomach-churning method in the film's madness and bold narrative strokes that wouldn't seem out of place in the Gothic grandeur of the Hammer Horror output of the 1960s. The film's ambition and scope are admirable, but no picture, especially one this sprawling, can flourish principally on the heady fumes of directorial brio. Ken Hannigan will give a very personal perspective on how he came to investigate the history of an ancient route from the east of the county to the Glendalough area on Monday, March 6, to the Rathdrum Historical Society. In his illustrated talk 'Inisboheen, Sleananus and Kilnamanagh: landmarks in Wicklow along an ancient route from the east', Ken will speak about his own neighbourhood of Dunganstown in south east Wicklow, its customs and traditions, its historic sites, and its strong links to the early Christian church and Saint Kevin. He will contrast the preponderance of Gaelic place-names in the area with the almost complete absence of spoken Irish in the area over several hundred years. Ken will also recall some of the area's more notable personalities, and will examine evidence of an ancient road linking Glendalough to the coast at Three Mile Water, via Trooperstown, Parkmore, Moneystown and Glenealy. This will, no doubt, be a fascinating talk and should interest all who traverse the county today to hear how our ancestors did so in early Christian times. Ken, formerly a keeper in the National Archives of Ireland, is a well-known and highly regarded historian who came to live in Wicklow in the 1970s. He is also a long-serving member of the Wicklow Historical Society and frequent contributor to the Society's annual journal. Ken co-edited the major study of the county, Wicklow History and Society, in 1994 which covered all aspects of the county's past from archaeology, to the monastic settlement at Glendalough, the shiring of Wicklow as a county, the Rebellion of 1798, the landed estates and Parnell up to the making of the Poulaphouca Reservoir in the 20th century. This publication had the distinction of being on the best seller list that year and is still readily available in all good bookshops. Ken has researched Wicklow and the Great Famine period extensively and has written about it, as well as how Wicklow changed from being Gaelic speaking to being the most linguistically Anglicised county in Ireland. World Wildlife Day 2017 encourages youth around the world to rally together to address ongoing major threats to wildlife including habitat change, over-exploitation or illicit trafficking Friday of this week is World Wildlife Day a special day on which to raise awareness of the world's endangered wild animals and plants. World Wildlife Day is a United Nations initiative that coincides with the anniversary of the signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international agreement between governments to regulate international trade in wild species of animals and plants to ensure that their survival does not become threatened by such trade. World Wildlife Day is celebrated under a different theme each year. This year the theme is "Listen to the Young Voices". Given that almost one quarter of the world's population is aged between 10 and 24, the UN feels that vigorous efforts need to be made to encourage young people, as the future leaders and decision makers of the world, to act at both local and global levels to protect endangered wildlife. Consequently, World Wildlife Day 2017 encourages youth around the world to rally together to address ongoing major threats to wildlife including habitat change, over-exploitation or illicit trafficking. The world's wildlife faces many challenges, particularly from illegal trade. It is estimated that the annual value of illicit wildlife trafficking is up to twenty billion Euro a year, ranking it amongst other serious transnational crimes such as the trafficking in people, drugs and arms. Poaching and trafficking in wildlife, driven by organized crime groups, pose the most immediate threat to many iconic species including elephants, pangolins, rhinoceros, sharks, tigers and precious tree species. A spike in organised wildlife crime since 2007 has seen an increase of 900% in the poaching of rhino for their horns in South Africa, while around 100,000 elephants were estimated to have been slaughtered for their ivory between 2010 and 2012. To address these problems, governments, law makers, enforcement officers, customs officials and park rangers around the world are stepping up their efforts to protect wildlife. Over 4,000 animal species and some 25,000 plant species are included in various CITES appendices, according them varying degrees of protection. At a personal level, each of us can contribute to the aims of CITES by not supporting the illegal trade in wildlife products. People on holidays abroad may be tempted to bring home souvenirs and mementos involving endangered plants and animals like rare orchids, seahorses or animal skins. Customs in Ireland regularly confiscate alligator and snake skin bags, exotic cacti, tropical seashells, corals and other curios. There was a good attendance despite the heavy rain at Wicklow Active Retirement Association's AGM for 2016 held in the Scout Hall on South Quay recently. Outgoing Chairman Larry Ryan was replaced by Godfrey O'Byrne. The Honorary Secretary Josephine Healy resigned her office and was replaced by Pam McDonough, while Pauline Flanagan was proposed and elected as the Honorary Treasurer. Condolences were also passed on to Peggy Murphy on the loss of her husband John Murphy in May. He was the previous chairman of the association. The Honorary Secretary's report and the Honorary Treasurer's report were presented and accepted, as were reports from six activity leaders. Two tellers were elected and the ballot for the committee members was conducted successfully Hard-working Social Secretary Peggy O'Sullivan was congratulated for all the activities she organised over the past year or so, including a spring holiday to Waterford, a day trip to Dublin including a boat journey on The Liffey, the annual mystery tour which was in Kildare, an autumn holiday to Athlone, a deceased members mass in October, attending Fiddler on the Roof in November and hosting a Valentines Tea Dance. This year's holiday will be to Ennistymon in County Clare, while a trip to take in Me and My Girl at the National Concert Hall is due to take place in April. A Wicklow man alleged to be an administrator of the Silk Road website, which dealt with illegal drugs and hacking software, has been put into custody ahead of his extradition to the United States. Gary Davis, aged 28, of Johnstown Court, Kilpedder, is wanted by US authorities to face trial on charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to commit computer hacking and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted in the US, Mr Davis could receive a life sentence. It is probable that he will be incarcerated pending his trial. His extradition was ordered by the High Court last August and an appeal against that order was dismissed by the three-judge Court of Appeal yesterday (Tuesday). Mr Davis will not be extradited until after the expiration of a 15-day-period. There was no indication given in court regarding an appeal to the Supreme Court. Mr Davis had opposed his extradition on grounds that he suffers from both a form of autism known as Asperger's Syndrome and depression. Among his points of objection were that if he is extradited he will be detained in an inhumane and degrading manner. Counsel for Mr Davis, John O'Kelly SC, told the Court of Appeal that people with severe Aspergers were 'very heavily' reliant on family support and on their world remaining pretty much the same but Mr Davis would be 'totally torn' from his roots and isolated from his family, were he to be extradited. Mr O'Kelly said his client would require a system of care so individualised to him that it simply was not available in the US prison system. He said statements from US prison authorities about their system were 'aspirational' and accorded more with the policies of the Federal Bureau of Prisons rather than reality. Dismissing his appeal yesterday, Mr Justice Alan Mahon said the subject matter of the appeal was not based upon a point of law and as such, was not permitted in law. Mr Justice Mahon said the High Court judge's decision was based on facts found by him following a detailed and thorough consideration of evidence and information, including medical evidence and evidence relating to the US Federal prison system. The appeal effectively invited the court to reach a different conclusion on the same evidence to that of the High Court, Mr Justice Mahon said. Even if this court was empowered to review the High Court judge's findings, Mr Justice Mahon said he would not reach a different conclusion. 'I wish to emphasis that I in no way seek to diminish or trivialise the very real concerns and worries of the appellant [Davis] and his family as he faces the prospect of extradition to the United States and being imprisoned there,' Mr Justice Mahon said. 'Such a prospect would be daunting for an individual in robust mental health let alone someone coping with a significant mental health condition, such as Davis.' It is hoped that the extent to which the issues relating to Davis' diagnosis of Asbergers Syndrome had been debated and considered in these proceedings, and the assurances provided by the US authorities will reduce these concerns to an appreciable degree, the judge said. Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice John Edwards said they agreed with Mr Justice Mahon's judgment. After the judgment was delivered, Mr Davis accepted the judgment with a nod to the large number of family members and supporters who had joined him in court. They came to embrace him, amid emotional scenes, but he was lead away by prison officers before he could embrace all of them. He has been on bail since his arrest in January 2014. It is alleged that Davis was an administrator of the Silk Road website using the pseudonym 'Libertas', according to the Court of Appeal's judgment. The website is said to have facilitated the sale of illicit drugs including cocaine, crack cocaine, crystal meth and other illegal drugs. Purchasers of illicit drugs from the website were paid in 'Bitcoins' and Silk Road revenue was based on a commission of between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of sale revenue. Commissions earned by Silk Road are said to run to tens of millions of dollars. It is alleged that Davis was paid $1,500 per week for his services. In the course of its investigation of the Silk Road website, the FBI arrested a US citizen Ross Ulbricht, whom it is believed is the owner and operator if the website. It is alleged that Davis' involvement was identified from information extracted from Mr Ulbricht's computers. Mr Davis is 28-year-old single man who lives with his parents in Wicklow. He is the youngest of five children, has a poor employment history, is 'obsessed with computers' and is described as a 'loner, naive and immature'. In a report dated January 21, 2014, Prof Michael Fitzgerald, Consultant Psychiatrist, diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. In his view, Asperger's Syndrome has been evident since childhood. Prof Simon Barron Cohen, Professor of Development Psychopathology at Trinity College Cambridge, confirmed Prof Fitzgerald's diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. Prof Barron-Cohen rated his Asperger's Syndrome as being 'very severe'. Berna Fidan is still looking for her sister Esra Esra Uryun's sister Berna Fidan (51) has visited Ireland 25 times in the past six years. Esra was approaching her 39th birthday when she went missing in 2011. Her car was found in the car park at the foot of Bray Head, overlooking the Irish sea. Today (Wednesday, March 1), is Esra's 45th birthday. The English woman, of Turkish descent, was living with her husband and their son in Dublin. Her sister Berna Fidan is now a familiar sight, a regular visitor to Bray, postering lampposts on the prom, from the day of her sister's disappearance on February 23, 2011. Now, the need for answers is even greater as the family just found out that Esra's mother, Neriman Fidan (73), is seriously ill in the UK. On the eve of the anniversary of her disappearance, gardai renewed their appeal for information. She left her home at Collinstown Grove, Clondalkin, in the family car which was a grey Renault Twingo, registration number 08 D 23067, at approximately 7.15 a.m., on the morning of February 23, 2011. The car was later located on the promenade in Bray. Esra is described as 5'3" in height, with dark hair and green eyes. When last seen she was wearing black leggings, white nike trainers, and a dark top. Her mum Neriman has been diagnosed with cancer in recent weeks. 'As we speak she is at the hospital with my brother discussing treatment,' said Berna last Wednesday. 'She has other health issues, so surgery could be the only treatment. She's trying to play it down, saying she's seen her children and grandchildren grow up. We're trying to be strong for her, she's trying to be strong for us. She just keeps saying "I just need to find out what's happened to my baby."' 'People say, I can't believe another year has gone,' said Berna, describing people stopping to speak to her in Bray. CCTV footage captured the car arriving in Bray, but not who was driving. Berna is appealing to people to come forward if they know anything. 'Someone must have seen something,' she said. 'How can a person just vanish without a trace, with no sightings, no CCTV? Someone knows something.' Nobody laid eyes on Esra after she left the house that morning. Her purse was found in the boot of her car. Berna said that Esra was making plans to welcome her mother to Ireland for a visit. She does not believe that her sister was depressed or took her own life. Anyone with information is asked to contact Bray Garda Station on (01) 6665300, Ronanstown Garda Station (01) 6667700, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any garda station. A faulty pump at the Vartry Reservoir Treatment Plant was responsible for leaking lime into the Vartry River which resulted in a number of fish kills on Tuesday, February 21. The contamination was contained to a 500 metre stretch of the river. In a statement, Irish Water said they were working alongside Wicklow County Council and Dublin City Council to establish in what circumstances lime leaked into the river. 'As soon as the issue was identified, the flow of lime to the river was stopped and work commenced to remove the lime from the river. 'Investigations are ongoing and Irish Water wishes to reassure the public that it is committed to putting measures in place in the event it transpires that there is any risk of a similar incident occurring in the future. 'Irish Water is working closely with the IFI and the EPA in relation to this matter,' said the statement. A complaint about the dead fish was made at around 2.30 p.m. last Tuesday and Inland Fisheries Ireland were soon on the scene taking samples. The majority of the fish killed were juvenile and small trout. 'Thankfully, this kill does not seem to be of the magnitude of the kill that occurred in 2012, which devastated the system and took five years to recover from,' said Cllr Jennifer Whitmore. 'The important thing was to determine the cause of the kill to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Inland Fisheries Ireland were quick to arrive and take samples and this information will assist in a thorough investigation of the matter.' 'I believe that this kill has brought back into focus the fragility of this important river system, which is one of only 22 EU designated salmon rivers in Ireland. 'This is particularly pertinent at the moment as proposed plans by Irish Water to upgrade the reservoir, which will reduce the flow into the Vartry by up to 66 per cent, are currently before An Bord Pleanala. Unfortunately, Irish Water have not undertaken an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as part of this proposal,' added Cllr Whitmore. In June of 2012, thousands of fish were killed in the River Vartry after a discharge polluted a 9km stretch of water. Despite investigations by Inland Fisheries Ireland, Dublin City Council and Wicklow County Council, there was no prosecution in this instance. John Wilding of the Vartry Anglers Conservations Club said the river had only just begun recovering from the 2012 incident when the latest case of pollution took place. 'The latest kill was spotted early and thankfully didn't cover the whole river, like it did in 2012,' said Mr Wilding 'We are a catch and release club who are trying to get the river back to what it was 20 years ago. We laid spawning beds and stopped poaching, and incidents like this are a setback. 'The last kill went all the way from the top of the river down to the harbour. 'Water samples were taken and investigation was carried out, yet there was no prosecution, which was very disappointing.' Two men found with false credit cards and a card reader have been handed prison terms. Rasaq Ajiboye and Abiodun Soetan appeared in Wicklow District court last Tuesday, February 21. The court heard that gardai received a report on July 3, 2016 of a male acting suspiciously at Centra, Ferrybank Arklow. Garda Darren Mulhall Spoke to staff at the shop and got a description of the male and heard he had gone northbound in a BMW. The garda patrolled the N11 northbound and saw a car at Barndarrig matching the description. He stopped the car and spoke to the driver Rasaq Ajiboye (51), 38 McWilliam Grove, Fortunestown, Tallaght, and Abiodun Soetan (42), 15 Eyre Square, Blanchardstown. 'I had observed the driver appear to conceal something under the driver's seat,' said Garda Mulhall. 'I told them why they were stopped and they consented to a search'. He said that the passenger Abiodun Soetan handed him a wallet containing two debit cards. The number on the front appeared to have been altered. He continued the search at Wicklow Garda Station, he said. He told the court that he found a black Mastercard under the driver's seat and two laptops and a card reader in the car. A forensic examiner gave evidence that the cards in question were false, or re-encoded. Judge David Kennedy convicted the men, and sentenced them to ten months each in prison. The three Sinn Fein County Councillors stripped of the party whip won't receive a full hearing until after the Northern Irish elections. Councillors John Snell, Gerry O'Neill and Oliver O'Brien are seeking a full hearing involving the party's Ard Chomharle, Sinn Fein's ruling body. The dispute arose after the three fail to support Sinn Fein's Cllr Michael O'Connor nomination for Chairman of Wicklow County Council and Cllr Nicola Lawless as deputy chairperson. The three councillors were also unhappy with the manner in which Cllr Lawless was appointed group leader. Cllr Snell, Cllr O'Neill and Cllr O'Brien all addressed a public meeting held in Ernie's of Wicklow town last Thursday night for Sinn Fein members and supporters. Cllr Snell said he was still a Sinn Fein member and he wanted a proper hearing into the decision to suspend the trio from the party whip. 'I don't like to call it an appeal. To me I am looking for a proper hearing from people who are prepared to listen to both sides,' he said. Cllr Snell added: 'I am a member of Sinn Fein and will remain a member until someone at the highest level tells me otherwise and gives me a reason. 'I remain as a local representative, People can be co-opted onto the council but it is the people of east Wicklow who voted for me.' Cllr Gerry O'Neill also clarified his position. 'We have not been expelled from Sinn Fein. We lost the whip but we are still active councillors and will remain active until the electorate say otherwise. I am totally appalled over the reasons given for taking the whip away from us.' Cllr O'Neill said he was looking for 'due process' and was seeking a proper hearing into the matter. 'I am looking to have the process sped up. I am too busy doing council work to get embroiled in the down and dirty. If people want to go down that line then that is their own problem.' He added that he had received certain 'reassurances' from head office over how Sinn Fein operates in Wicklow. 'Several promises have been made to me over the restructuring of Sinn Fein in this county. There were certain acknowledgements that things weren't right.' Cllr Oliver O'Brien said he was 'disgusted' and 'shocked' at the manner in which the three councillors were informed that Cllr Nicola Lawless was to become the party leader. 'We just got a sheet of paper telling us that Nicola Lawless was the party leader. There was no consultation with us at all.' Cllr O'Brien 'naturally assumed' that Cllr Snell would become the party leader once John Brady was elected as a TD. The manner in which Cllr O'Connor was put forward as the County Chairman also rankled with Cllr O'Brien. 'It wasn't democratic and we were put in a corner. We weren't even consulted and the only thing we could do was abstain. 'Now the party is in disarray over one bad decision, followed by another,' said Cllr O'Brien. The strike at Tesco has been suspended as talks continue about the dispute at the centre of the action. After 12 days in Bray, and nine in Greystones, staff are back at work as both sides go to the Labour Court. A pedestrian crossing at the entrance to the Vevay Road store in Bray was restored mid-morning on Monday. The zebra crossing had been painted black by Tesco the previous week. Local schools warned parents and children to be careful on Monday morning as the zebra crossing was still black as pupils arrived at schools on the Vevay Road. The strike was suspended on Friday as Tesco announced it was engaging in Labour Court discussions. 'Tesco confirms that it is engaging in discussions instigated by the Labour Court to resolve the current dispute related to pre 1996 terms and conditions,' said the store. Mandate wrote to its members on Friday, who were on strike at 16 stores nationwide, and six stores due to join the strike, as well as all pre-1996 members at the centre of the dispute. Tesco has agreed not to impose changes to the pre-96 contracts for the duration of the process. In the letter, Mandate told workers 'that both parties agree that there will be an orderly and peaceful return to work and there are no recriminations either by or against staff or management as a result of the dispute to date.' 'I would like to thank all of you for your personal resolve and solidarity during this most difficult time, we will keep you fully appraised of all developments as the discussion proceeds,' Mandate General Secretary wrote in the letter. It is a farm, a farm with such crops and animals as may be seen on most farms. Yet it is a farm like none other. The 60-plus acres of the Dominican Farm are set in suburbia rather than in the deepest countryside. And this most unusual of agricultural holdings comes complete with a shop and an ecology centre. Other farmers erect notices proclaiming private property, often backed up with warnings that trespassers will be prosecuted. The Dominicans in Wicklow have made their unique landholding venture an international attraction with everyone invited to step inside the gate. The place often rolls out the welcome mat for school parties and other groups who wish to come to witness their stewardship of the hilly fields on the edge of town. Rather than being controlled by a farmer who brings generations of experience to the job, the Dominicans have Sister Julie Newman. She is a teacher by profession and boasts no green certs or degrees in agricultural science. Though she was brought up in rural Meath, her family was more concerned with running a business than with tilling the land. She and her colleague Sister Marian O'Sullivan are both long retired from the classroom but impressively keen to pursue this new direction. Soft-spoken and light on her feet, Sister Julie has long been a familiar figure in the town she has come to call home. She taught in the Dominican school here for ten years and then served a further ten as school principal. She was professed a Dominican nun in 1960, more than half a century ago, and was on the staff of the order's school at Eccles Street in Dublin for a while before coming to Wicklow. Appointed to the staff in 1979, she says she now feels that she has been in her adopted home for most of her life. When she stepped down from the head teacher's office, she remained in the convent, but quiet running dynamo of a woman had no intention of resting on her laurels. The state of Planet Earth was already a major talking point by then in the mid-nineties. With their extensive land bank on the doorstep, she and her colleagues chose not to shy away from the issue. They were convinced that the resources of the planet were being exploited and damaged, not only by industry, but also by agriculture. They were convinced that the repeated use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides on a vast scale is not a sustainable way of feeding the world's expanding population. The question they asked themselves was 'Is there something we can do?' And the answer was yes: 'We decided that we would do something.' The nuns found themselves considering how best to bear witness to their conviction that there must be a better way of feeding everyone than incessantly pouring chemicals on to the soil. Sister Julie took was granted early retirement in 1999 with it in mind that she would take up the topic. The order of which she was a member had sold much of its long held property in Dublin but still had the land on the doorstep of the school in Wicklow. Surely there was no better place than here to turn intellectual curiosity and passion into practical conviction. One of her first steps was to look across the Atlantic to a Dominican project in New Jersey. It was called Genesis Farm and it offered the Irish sister a course in 'earth literacy' with particular reference to how all of life is interconnected. She spent four months at Genesis putting a structure on the ideas which were brewing in her mind before returning to Ireland to look at the farm in Wicklow Town with fresh eyes. Most of it had been let to local commercial farmers who tended to grow the same crop year after year with the help of high tech fertilisers. 'We took the land back and left it for two years to leach out the chemicals,' recalls the ex-head teacher. 'The the farm was ready to go organic.' And that is how it has been throughout the decade and a half since. She and her colleagues have developed their base in Wicklow as a place where such issues food production and bio-diversity are discussed as matters of principle. And then the debate moves from the academic atmosphere of the lecture hall and seminar room out into the practical running of the farm. One of the first moves was to bring in a few organic cattle, which were acquired at an auction in Ennistymon, County Clare. Today the herd of suckler cattle raised for beef has expanded to nine breeding cows. Organic vegetables were the order of the day from the start and a few breeding sows were brought in from West Wicklow. Julie's main collaborator in setting up all of this from the beginning has been Sister Marian O'Sullivan. A fellow teacher, also retired, Marian spent much of her career in South Africa which was her home for around 30 years. Together the pair established the farm shop in a former milking parlour which brings members of the general public into the enterprise. As far as possible, they like to keep it stocked with the fruit and vegetables which are grown just a few metres away - no air miles there. The vegetable plot, complete with half a dozen polytunnels, runs to more than four acres in which the soil is kept rich with the use of homemade compost. Today's selection, with spring growth still in the offing, includes such winter specials as curly kale, potatoes and turnips, not to mention bacon, all grown on the spot. The eggs are imported from a poultry unit in not so far away Kilcoole. They also sell plenty of stuff from further afield, so long as it chimes with the organic/sustainable vibe of the place. 'It was in the year 2000 that the shop started,' recalls Sister Julie. 'It was very small and it was a struggle, not a runaway success.' The farm and the shop have been backed by support from Pobal, which allows workers to be taken on. The day-to-day operation of the farm is undertaken by a manager, Janice Codd, whose brief extends beyond the usual job specifications. As well as growing crops and the tending to animals, she and her helpers keep an eye on acres left uncultivated, extending an invitation to wildlife to move in. Janice reports that, though the land is hilly, the free draining slopes are good for growing grass and all those vegetables. The farm workers also have to roll out the red carpet on the first Saturday morning of each month when Sister Julie acts as guide for the regular open days. The farm and the shop were followed in due course by the Dominican Ecology Centre in 2005, with Sister Marian as its founding director. As with the other two arms of this trinity, the initiative sprang from motivation of concern for the planet. This was allied to a readiness to make use of skills and facilities which were already on the spot. 'We felt that we should do something to care for the earth,' says Julie Newman, looking back at how the centre came into being. 'We were doing the practical side alright and making safe food available.' By harnessing the educational expertise of the nuns and taking the buildings on the spot they have created a valuable new facility. What was formerly used as the boys' primary school and later as a venue for night classes, they re-invented as the ecology centre, which is called An Tairseach. Each year, now under the command of Sister Colette Kane, An Tairseach, brings people from all around the world to explore the relationship between man and nature. The ten week courses are in demand, with people coming from all over the world to participate, filling the 18 bedrooms in the centre. The rooms are available to rent out to tourists the rest of the year but during course time they are tenanted by students from as far away as Australia and North America, with Africa usually well represented. Those who come are offered inspiration by speakers who help them explore mankind's stewardship of the earth. Sister Julie reflects that she grew up in a religion where everything was static but the world has moved on and the church she serves must catch up. 'Our vision of God was quite different to what we are now learning,' she reflects. 'We always knew that God was in everything - but we did not practice it.' The order of which she is a member has backed the sisters in Wicklow as they bear witness to their faith in a practical way which extends far beyond the old set liturgies. The cross used to sit at the front of the church The mysterious granite cross which legend has it was buried in the 1950s, allegedly because of pagan carvings, has been unearthed on the grounds of St Patrick's Church in Wicklow town. The two-metre high Celtic Cross was uncovered on Tuesday by construction workmen carrying out works for a new car park for the church. The cross was located close to the boundary between St Patrick's Church and St Patricks's National School. Fr Donal Roche says the discovery of the cross has caused plenty of excitement. 'I'm delighted it has been found. People are very happy about it, particularly the older parishioners. 'A few years ago members of the Wicklow Peace and Remembrance Memorial started looking for the cross with detectors and sonar but they couldn't find it. 'The area they focused on was actually right beside where the cross was found on Tuesday. People have been talking about this cross for a long time so to actually find it is wonderful news.' The cross used to sit at the front of the church but the then parish priest, the late Fr Matthew Blake, had the cross removed and buried in the 1950s as the church grounds were being tidied up from overgrowth. Speculation over what drove Fr Blake to bury the cross has spread down through the years, including claims that he was offended by some carvings contained on the cross, possibly by a nude figure or a 'sheela na gig'. Other rumours say local residents had complained the cross attracted fairies. 'The cross was there one day, and the next morning it was gone,' says John Finlay of the Wicklow Historical Society. 'We intend to get a small group together to look into the significance of the cross. Was it carved for St Patrick's Church or is it in fact older? 'It's fantastic for the historical society. Everyone is talking about the cross and it brings local history to the fore.' The cross was almost forgotten until an old picture of the church appeared on the town's Facebook page back in 2012. This resulted in a team of volunteers, led by the local war memorial committee, to try and find the cross. With the permission of local clergy, a ground survey was conducted in an area of the church grounds where it was believed the monument may have been buried. Archaeology experts were also involved and a survey using GPS mapping and Geophysics equipment to scan the target areas and was carried out under the direction of Dr. Graeme Warren of the UCD school of Archaeology. In the course of investigating the possible location for the burial of the cross, many conflicting and contradictory stories were heard. Some said it was buried beside St Patrick's NS, while others believed it was buried directly behind the altar. It was also reported that the cross had been seen by contractors installing the gas tank in corner beside the school. However, it proved impossible to contact any of the men who worked on the tank to verify the story. There are no explicit carvings the cross found on Tuesday but it is believed that it stood on a plinth, which may have contained the markings which so upset Fr Blake. Local legend has it that the former Parish Priest had it smashed and the pieces placed on the grounds of the Parochial Hall. The cross may even pre-date the church back to when penal laws were enforced on Ireland. Fr Roche would like to see the cross reinstated in the church. 'We are getting the cross professionally cleaned but ideally we want to see it back in the church. It is part of the heritage of the church and once restored belongs back with the church.' First Dates contestant Lisa Fogarty says Irish men only have one thing on their mind when it comes to dating. According to Lisa, Irish men are only interested in casual hook-ups. The Waterford woman was previously overweight and has found she gets approached by men a lot more now she has shed the pounds. "I would get approached more, she said. "I would be out and theyd buy the drinks and youre expected to go home with this person. Why am I expected to sleep with you? Get a grip on yourself. I would never sleep with someone I dont know. "I can never fathom why men think like that; Id never be into one-night stands. Irish men baffle me in that sense a lot of them do it and thats not for me. "Since I lost the weight thats the attention Im getting. 'Oh yeah, Ill have a crack at her'and Im like, 'You actually wont'." Lisa applied for the show after failing to find a man through online dating. "I put my name in the hat because Im single and Ive done all the online dating," she said. "I go out and I meet fellas and it doesnt happen. It doesnt go anywhere so I said I may as well try the television. "My mother says, 'You are too fussy' and shes right. Im 34 and I know what I want. Ive been in a lot of sh***y relationships and I know what I dont want." Lisa went on a date with farmer Jamie Cuddy on the show and although they got along well, Lisa didnt feel there was a "spark". "He was shy enough but I think I brought him out of himself. He was a really lovely guy but I suppose I was missing the spark," she said. "Youre looking for that, 'Oh yeah, I can see this going somewhere'. "I couldnt fault him. He was a total gentleman in fairness to him, but I was missing that little spark." Eager to make the most of her time in the capital, Lisa hit the ground running after her date and went to Temple Bar with a friend to see if she would have better luck there. Video of the Day "We spent an hour or two together after the date. We had a great time. He went back to Laois and I went out on the rip in Dublin," she said. "I had a great time. "What didnt happen? I shifted a load of people, two or three. I was in Dublin, it was like I was having a little holiday." Joseph Kushner holds up a toy Marine One as his grandfather, U.S. President Donald Trump, holds hands with him and his sister Arabella as they depart aboard Marine One from the White House in Washington, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY U.S. President Donald Trump's grandson Joseph Kushner (L) holds a toy helicopter as he and his sister Arabella Kushner (R), with their parents Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, board Air Force One with the president for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst U.S. President Donald Trump's grandson Joseph Kushner holds a toy helicopter as he and his parents Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump board Air Force One with the president for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Joseph Kushner holds up a toy Marine One as his grandfather, U.S. President Donald Trump, holds hands with him and his sister Arabella as they depart aboard Marine One from the White House in Washington, U.S. on their way to Florida March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump (C) and her family, husband Jared Kushner (from L) and children Joseph and Arabella Kushner, arrive aboard the Marine One helicopter with the president to board Air Force One for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her family, husband Jared Kushner (from L) and children Joseph and Arabella Kushner, arrive aboard the Marine One helicopter with the president to board Air Force One for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump (R) and her family, husband Jared Kushner (L) and children Joseph and Arabella Kushner, arrive aboard the Marine One helicopter with the president to board Air Force One for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump (R) and her family, husband Jared Kushner (L) and children Joseph and Arabella Kushner, arrive aboard the Marine One helicopter with the president to board Air Force One for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump (2nd R) and her family, husband Jared Kushner (from L) and children Joseph and Arabella Kushner, arrive aboard the Marine One helicopter with the president to board Air Force One for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump (C) and her family, husband Jared Kushner (L) and children Joseph and Arabella Kushner, arrive aboard the Marine One helicopter with the president to board Air Force One for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Florida Governor Rick Scott (L-R), graduate student Denisha Merriweather and Ivanka Trump attend as President Donald Trump meets with parents and teachers at Saint Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst White House advisor Jared Kushner (L) talks with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) (2nd L) as they and Kushner's family, including wife Ivanka Trump and daughter Arabella Kushner board Air Force One at Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst U.S. President Donald Trump departs the White House with his grandchildren Arabella (L) and Joseph (R) on March 3, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump was scheduled to fly to Florida where he will spend the weekend. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) U.S. President Donald Trump departs the White House with his grandchildren Arabella (L) and Joseph (R) on March 3, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump was scheduled to fly to Florida where he will spend the weekend. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) U.S. President Donald Trump departs the White House with his grandchildren Arabella (L) and Joseph (R) on March 3, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump was scheduled to fly to Florida where he will spend the weekend. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) US President Donald Trump makes his way to board Marine One with grandchildren Arabella Kushner (L) and Joseph Kushner, from the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2017. US President Donald Trump makes his way to board Marine One with grandchildren Arabella Kushner (L) and Joseph Kushner, from the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2017. Senior Advisor to the President, Jared Kushner (L), walks with his wife Ivanka Trump to board Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2017. Senior Advisor to the President, Jared Kushner (L), walks with his wife Ivanka Trump to board Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2017. Senior Advisor to the President, Jared Kushner (L), walks with his wife Ivanka Trump to board Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2017. US President Donald Trump makes his way to board Marine One with grandchildren Arabella Kushner (L) and Joseph Kushner, from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on March 3, 2017. Joseph Kushner, holding a toy Marine One, walks with his grandfather, US President Donald Trump, as they make their way to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on March 3, 2017. US President Donald Trump makes his way to board Marine One with grandchildren Arabella Kushner (L) and Joseph Kushner, from the White House in Washington, DC. on March 3, 2017. Joseph Kushner, holding a toy Marine One, walks with his grandfather, US President Donald Trump, as they make their way to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on March 3, 2017. Ivanka Trump steps off Air Force One with her son Theodore upon arrival in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMMNICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images Ivanka Trump looks at her daughter Arabella as US President Donald Trump meets with parents and teachers at Saint Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida, on March 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMMNICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump walks with his grandchildren. Arabella Kushner and Joseph Kushner, holding a model of Marine One, across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 3, 2017, before boarding Marine One helicopter for the short flight to nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Friday, March 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) President Donald Trump walks with his grandchildren, Arabella Kushner and Joseph Kushner, across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 3, 2017, before boarding Marine One for the short flight to nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Friday, March 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Ivanka Trump, along with her husband Jared Kushner, disembark Air Force One with their children at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday, March 3, 2017. (Michael Ares /Palm Beach Post via AP) Arabella Kushner, her father White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, carrying Joseph Kushner, Ivanka Trump, carrying Theodore Kushner, step off Air Force One at the Palm Beach International Airport, Friday, March 3, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Ivanka Trump, centre, heads to a vehicle after arriving on Air Force One with her father President Donald Trump at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday, March 3, 2017. Joseph Kushner holds up a toy Marine One as his grandfather, U.S. President Donald Trump, holds hands with him as they depart aboard Marine One from the White House in Washington, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Watch out Prince George, it looks like there's another three-year-old on the other side of the Atlantic stealing headlines for his cuteness. The three-year-old son of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner stole the spotlight from his famous family as they travelled from the White House to Palm Beach, Florida on Friday. Joseph and sister Arabella (six) joined their grandfather on Marine One, the US President's private helicopter, for the first time; flying out from the South Lawn of the White House, while the first daughter and her husband, a senior White House adviser, followed. Little Theo (11 months) travelled separately. Expand Close Joseph Kushner holds up a toy Marine One as his grandfather, U.S. President Donald Trump, holds hands with him and his sister Arabella as they depart aboard Marine One from the White House in Washington, U.S. on their way to Florida March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joseph Kushner holds up a toy Marine One as his grandfather, U.S. President Donald Trump, holds hands with him and his sister Arabella as they depart aboard Marine One from the White House in Washington, U.S. on their way to Florida March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque They took a quick trip to the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One was waiting to take them to Palm Beach, Florida, where they spend their most of their downtime. Donald Trump owns the $100m private club Mar-a-Lago, which he has dubbed the 'Winter White House', a property where he has already spent a number of weekends since his inauguration, including hosting the Japanese Prime Minister and throwing a Super Bowl viewing party. But all eyes were on Ivanka's adorable children, in particular little Joseph, who was fascinated by his toy replica helicopter throughout most of the trip, as they touched down for yet another visit south. The Trump children and first lady Melania have changed tactics in the last three weeks, choosing a more public approach as their roles become more defined in the Trump administration. Expand Close U.S. President Donald Trump's grandson Joseph Kushner holds a toy helicopter as he and his parents Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump board Air Force One with the president for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp U.S. President Donald Trump's grandson Joseph Kushner holds a toy helicopter as he and his parents Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump board Air Force One with the president for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Melania, who was reported as being "miserable" with her new life, has made a number of public appearances supporting her husband, in stark contrast to Mr Trump's first two weeks in office, where she was hidden away in her $100m Trump Tower triplex in New York City. Their 10-year-old son Barron has not been pictured publicly since the inauguration in January. Expand Close Joseph Kushner, holding a toy Marine One, walks with his grandfather, US President Donald Trump, as they make their way to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on March 3, 2017. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joseph Kushner, holding a toy Marine One, walks with his grandfather, US President Donald Trump, as they make their way to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on March 3, 2017. Video of the Day In the absence of the 'First Son', who is remaining in New York with his mother to finish out his school year, the Trump grandchildren took centre stage as they supported their parents and grandfather during official trips in Florida yesterday, including a visit to Saint Andrew Catholic School in Orlando with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. While Ivanka is settling in more to her new position after initial backlash. Expand Close President Donald Trump walks with his grandchildren. Arabella Kushner and Joseph Kushner, holding a model of Marine One, across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 3, 2017, before boarding Marine One helicopter for the short flight to nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Friday, March 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp President Donald Trump walks with his grandchildren. Arabella Kushner and Joseph Kushner, holding a model of Marine One, across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 3, 2017, before boarding Marine One helicopter for the short flight to nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Friday, March 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) She was beaming as she touched down in Palm Beach and is said to have been instrumental in his softened approach during his first speech to the U.S. joint sessions of Congress earlier this week, which has been largely praised in the media. While he unveiled no significant changes to policy, the tone of Trump's speech was a far cry from his bleak "American carnage" inaugural address when he took office on Jan. 20. Expand Close Ivanka Trump looks at her daughter Arabella as US President Donald Trump meets with parents and teachers at Saint Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida, on March 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMMNICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ivanka Trump looks at her daughter Arabella as US President Donald Trump meets with parents and teachers at Saint Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida, on March 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMMNICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images A senior White House official said Ivanka Trump made recommendations for the speech during a brainstorming session in the Oval Office on Sunday, helping her father decide on a new approach aimed at easing concerns over whether he had the right temperament to govern effectively. "He had a lot of voices around him giving him ideas and suggestions that he incorporated, but he really set out to achieve that optimistic tone and that was something she was supportive of. She encouraged him to do that," one official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "She had a role," said another. "She helped set the tone." But it mightn't last as President Trump has already lashed out at the Democrats, calling them "hypocrites" over calls for an investigation into his administration's contacts with Russia, posting a photograph on the internet of one of the opposition party's leaders sharing doughnuts and coffee with Vladimir Putin. (L-R) Jenna Elfman, Laura Prepon, Erika Christensen and Danny Masterson attend the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre's 21st "Christmas Stories" at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre on December 14, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. "Christmas Stories" benefits the Hollywood Police Department's Youth Development Programs for underprivileged children. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) (L-R) Jordan Masterson, Alanna Masterson, Bijou Phillips and Danny Masterson attend the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre's 21st "Christmas Stories" at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre on December 14, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. "Christmas Stories" benefits the Hollywood Police Department's Youth Development Programs for underprivileged children. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Danny Masterson arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere of Marvel Studios 'Ant-Man' at Dolby Theatre on June 29, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) Danny Masterson arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere of Marvel Studios 'Ant-Man' at Dolby Theatre on June 29, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) Actor Danny Masterson attends the Ninth Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic at Liberty State Park on June 4, 2016 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Veuve Clicquot) Ashton Kutcher, left, and Danny Masterson, right, in 2016's The Ranch on Netflix Actor Danny Masterson is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department over sexual assault complaints. The LAPD are looking into the tv star, who featured on That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006, over claims made against him by three women. "The Los Angeles Police Department Robbery Homicide Division, Sexual Assault Section, is conducting an investigation involving the actor Danny Masterson. "Three women have come forward and disclosed that they were sexually assaulted by Masterson during the early 2000s," the LAPD confirmed in a statement. Expand Close Danny Masterson in That '70s Show / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Danny Masterson in That '70s Show The actor is a member of the Church of Scientology and three other members allege the organisation tried to cover up their complaints, which date back to the early 2000s. One woman filed claims against the actor after watching Leah Remini's Scientology miniseries, while another is an ex-girlfriend. Masterson has denied any wrongdoing in the three cases and his representative issued a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, saying: "We are aware of [redacted]s 16-year-old allegations. It was only after [redacted] was in contact with Leah Remini that she made allegations of sexual assault by Mr. Masterson. "Based on reading the anti-Scientology blog that posted this story, these false allegations appear to be motivated to boost Leah Reminis anti-Scientology television series since [alleged victim's] only came forward after connecting with Leah Remini." Expand Close Danny Masterson arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere of Marvel Studios 'Ant-Man' at Dolby Theatre on June 29, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Danny Masterson arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere of Marvel Studios 'Ant-Man' at Dolby Theatre on June 29, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) "The alleged incident occurred in the middle of their 6 year relationship, after which she continued to be his longtime girlfriend." "When Danny ended the relationship she continued to pursue him. In fact, we are informed by the Church that the only demand [redacted] made of the Church after Danny broke up with her was asking for their help to intervene so the breakup would not be permanent," the statement adds. Video of the Day One woman claims claimed Masterson had sex with her while she was asleep and another alleges she "sexually assaulted the victim while she was passed out." The latter claims were sourced by former Scientologist and journalist Tony Ortega's The Underground Bunker and the case became public after Ortega published a blog post detailing the investigation on Friday. The assailants had been involved in five different incidents, including a 2006 shooting attack on a group of tourists at a Roman theatre in the centre of the capital Amman Relatives of Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar hold up signs protesting his death, in front of Jordanian Prime Ministry in Amman. (AP/Raad Adayleh) Jordan has executed 10 men convicted of terrorism, including an attack on tourists which left a British man dead. It was the largest round of executions since pro-Western Jordan launched its crackdown on Islamic extremists more than two years ago. The men were hanged at dawn on Saturday at Swaqa Prison in central Jordan, government spokesman Mohammed Momani said in a statement carried by the state news agency Petra. Five others were executed for other crimes including rape, he said. The assailants executed for terror convictions had been involved in five different incidents, including a 2006 shooting attack on a group of tourists at a Roman theatre in the centre of the capital Amman in which a Briton died. Other incidents include a 2003 bomb attack on Jordan's embassy in Iraq and the September 2016 shooting of a high-profile writer on the steps of a courthouse in Amman. North Korean national Ri Jong Chol stands behind the fence of the North Korean embassy compound in Beijing, China, March 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter North Korean national Ri Jong Chol speaks to the media from behind the fence of the North Korean embassy compound in Beijing, China, March 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter North Korean national Ri Jong Chol (C) is surrounded by media after his arrival at Beijing airport, China, March 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter North Korean Ri Jong Chol, right, speaks to reporters from behind a fence at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Minoru Iwasaki/Kyodo News via AP) North Korean Ri Jong Chol speaks in front of reporters at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Naohiko Hatta/Kyodo News via AP) A North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia has accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to the assassination of the half-brother of North Korea's leader, calling it a plot to tarnish his country's honour. Ri Jong Chol spoke to reporters in Beijing, China, while on his way to Pyongyang. Malaysian authorities have said there is insufficient evidence to charge him over Kim Jong Nam's killing at Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13. Mr Ri was detained four days after the attack but police never said what they believed his role was. Two women - one Indonesian, one Vietnamese - have been charged with murder after police said they smeared Mr Kim's face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Expand Close North Korean Ri Jong Chol, right, speaks to reporters from behind a fence at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Minoru Iwasaki/Kyodo News via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp North Korean Ri Jong Chol, right, speaks to reporters from behind a fence at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing early Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Minoru Iwasaki/Kyodo News via AP) Mr Ri said he was not at the airport the day Mr Kim was killed but police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with "fake evidence". He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. Expand Close North Korean national Ri Jong Chol (C) is surrounded by media after his arrival at Beijing airport, China, March 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp North Korean national Ri Jong Chol (C) is surrounded by media after his arrival at Beijing airport, China, March 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," he said. "This is when I realised that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Immigration director-general Mustafar Ali said Mr Ri has been banned from re-entering Malaysia. The country's police are looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Expand Close North Korean national Ri Jong Chol speaks to the media from behind the fence of the North Korean embassy compound in Beijing, China, March 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp North Korean national Ri Jong Chol speaks to the media from behind the fence of the North Korean embassy compound in Beijing, China, March 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter Three others, including an official at the North Korean embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. Police on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but did not say why he is a suspect . Police said he arrived in Malaysia on January 29, about two weeks before Mr Kim was killed. Expand Close North Korean national Ri Jong Chol stands behind the fence of the North Korean embassy compound in Beijing, China, March 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp North Korean national Ri Jong Chol stands behind the fence of the North Korean embassy compound in Beijing, China, March 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter The death has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysia said it was scraping visa-free entry for North Koreans, while the Foreign Ministry said it was "greatly concerned" about the use of the nerve agent. Malaysia has not directly accused North Korea of being behind the killing, but the ministry statement came hours after a North Korean envoy rejected a Malaysian post-mortem finding that VX killed Mr Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said the victim probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from cardiac disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. He said that if VX had been used, others besides Mr Kim would have been killed or injured. The two female suspects were caught on surveillance video smearing what Malaysian authorities say was VX on his face and eyes, though both reportedly said they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Mr Kim died within 20 minutes, authorities say. No bystanders reported falling ill. Police said the women had been trained to go immediately to the toilet and wash their hands. Police said the four North Korean suspects who had left the country put the VX liquid on the women's hands. Police cannot confirm whether the two women may have been given antidotes before the attack. Atropine can be injected after exposure and is carried by medics in war zones where weapons of mass destruction are suspected. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Mr Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Mr Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Un's half brother. China has announced plans to increase its defence budget by about 7% this year. Total defence spending will account for about 1.3% of projected gross domestic product in 2017, government spokeswoman Fu Ying said. The precise figure will be provided by premier Li Keqiang in an address to the National People's Congress on Sunday morning. Ms Fu reiterated China's contention that its military is purely for defence purposes and constitutes a force for stability in Asia. "We advocate dialogue for peaceful resolutions, while at the same time we need to possess the ability to defend our sovereignty and interests," she said. "The strengthening of Chinese capabilities benefits the preservation of peace and security in this region, and not the opposite." Depending on the final figure, this year's budget could mark the third consecutive year of declines in defence spending growth rates. The budget grew by 7.6% last year and 10.1% in 2015. The increase of about 67 billion yuan (8 billion) would push the total defence budget past the 1 trillion yuan mark for the first time. China's defence budget has for years been the world's second largest, although it still lags far behind the US. President Donald Trump has asked for a 10% increase in US defence spending this year, adding 54 million US dollars (44 million) to the budget that topped 600 billion US dollars (490 billion) last year. China points out that as a developing country with a population of 1.37 billion, its defence spending per capita is a fraction of those of other nations. Ms Fu also said the percentage of GDP China spends on defence is below the 2% the US calls on Nato allies to spend. "The gap in capabilities with the US is enormous, but China's military development and construction will continue in keeping with our need to defend our national sovereignty and security," she said. While China insists its military is purely for domestic purposes, it has been spending heavily on technologies allowing it to project power far from shore, including aircraft carriers, long-range bombers and its first overseas military base located in the East African nation of Djibouti. Beijing has also come under criticism from the US and others for militarising man-made islands in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety. Ms Fu turned those accusations back on the US, saying the strategically vital waterway through which trillions of pounds in trade passes each year is basically calm. "As to how the situation develops in future, that depends on US intentions. American actions in the South China Sea have a definite significance in terms of which way the winds blow," she said. AP The attack took place in the Bala Buluk district of western Farah province, Afghanistan At least eight Afghan civilians, including four children, have been killed in an attack their relatives have blamed on an air strike. But officials in the Bala Buluk district of western Farah province claim the deaths were caused by a roadside bomb. Afghan defence ministry spokesman General Dawlat Waziri said an investigation is under way. "We are aware of the allegations made by the local people, right now an investigation is going on into the incident in Farah," he said. Dr Abdul Hakim Rasouli, director of Farah Hospital, said 22 people were injured in the attack. Three of the wounded are in a critical condition and will be transferred to another hospital in neighbouring Herat province for further treatment, he added. One resident, a 30-year-old mother-of-four named Salima, said two of her children were killed and a third injured in the attack. She insisted her family was hit by an air strike. "I don't want to be alive anymore while I don't have my children with me," she added. Samila said her village has been the site of ongoing gun battles for the past three days and that Taliban militants had warned villagers to leave their homes for safety. Elsewhere, an Afghan parliamentarian from Helmand province has been injured in an attack by gunmen in Kandahar province. Mir Wali was shot by two attackers on a motorcycle who then escaped, the local governor's spokesman Samim Khpolwak said. Taliban spokesman Qari Yusouf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Mr Wali is a close ally of the United States. It was the second attack on Mr Wali in recent months. In December, three gunmen stormed his home in the capital Kabul. Eight people were killed and Mr Wali was injured. Jeff Sessions has recused himself from any probe into communications between Donald Trump's aides and Moscow (AP) US attorney general Jeff Sessions is to provide amended evidence on Monday regarding his contacts with Russia's ambassador during the presidential election. Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said Mr Sessions will also respond to questions raised by Democratic senators. The nine Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee had asked that Mr Sessions appear again before the committee to discuss the subject. They said significant questions remain unanswered. The committee's Republican chairman Chuck Grassley rejected the request. Mr Sessions has recused himself from any probe that examines communications between President Donald Trump's aides and Moscow. His decision came after revelations that he spoke twice with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign and failed to say so despite questioning from Congress. Mr Trump has accused Democrats of conducting a "witch hunt" in their criticism of Mr Sessions. The president said the attorney general "could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional". Mr Sessions rejected any suggestion that he tried to mislead anyone about his contacts with the Russian, saying: "That is not my intent. That is not correct." But he did admit he should have been more careful in his evidence during his confirmation hearing, saying: "I should have slowed down and said, 'But I did meet one Russian official a couple of times'." One of the conversations with Mr Kislyak occurred at a July event on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. At the same event, the ambassador also spoke with Carter Page, who briefly advised Mr Trump's campaign on foreign policy, according to a source. Dan Bilzerian has outraged thousands of followers on Instagram with this picture Photo: Instagram A man who claims he is the 'King of Instagram' has sparked outrage online by posting a picture of a bikini-wearing woman straddling an endangered tortoise. In the photo, Dan Bilzerian is feeding the 100-year-old Galapagos tortoise while a woman dressed in a skimpy bikini smiles for the camera on Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island. The species is listed as "vulnerable" by the World Wildlife Fund and Richard Branson's private island is involved in the protection of the ancient creatures. One horrified follower wrote: "100% it is disrespectful - no need to interfere with nature like. Just take a photo and move on - but sitting on it? Just shows a lack of class and education." Shoutout to @richardbranson for being rich enough to buy a private island and make it an endangered animal sanctuary A post shared by Dan Bilzerian (@danbilzerian) on Feb 26, 2017 at 10:20am PST Another user described it as "distasteful", writing: "What an ignorant idiot you are! That tortoise means a lot to our country and in general to the world. Brainless turd." Dan, who is a wealthy professional poker player, replied: "Get off your soapbox, the people working there said it's fine to sit on them". The Galapagos National Park in Ecuador asks its visitors not to touch or disturb the reptiles. According to the parks website, people are told to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from wildlife to avoid disturbing them, even if they approach you, and to be sensitive about taking pictures. The Malaysian government has expelled North Korea's ambassador for criticising the investigation into the killing of Kim Jong Nam. Foreign minister Anifah Aman said in a statement that a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy on Saturday saying ambassador Kang Chol must leave the country within 48 hours. He said that earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded North Korea apologises for criticising the investigation into the February 13 killing of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. He said no apology had come and none appears forthcoming, so Malaysia has decided to expel the ambassador. "It should be made clear, Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," Anifah said. The death of Kim, the half brother of Kim Jong Un, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Ambassador Kang Chol's expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah had said this was an "indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities". Earlier Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong Chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang. Ri said that he was not at the airport the day Kim was killed, but that police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with "fake evidence". He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," Ri said. "This is when I realised that it was a trap, they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Two women, one Indonesian, one Vietnamese, have been charged with murder in the case, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. North Korea earlier had rejected Malaysia's post mortem finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Un's half brother, as Malaysian government officials have confirmed. Kim Jong Nam reportedly fell out of favour with his father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. AP Jordan has executed 10 men convicted of terrorism, including an attack on tourists which left a British man dead. It was the largest round of executions since pro-Western Jordan launched its crackdown on Islamic extremists more than two years ago. The men were hanged at dawn on Saturday at Swaqa Prison in central Jordan, government spokesman Mohammed Momani said in a statement carried by the state news agency Petra. Five others were executed for other crimes including rape, he said. The assailants executed for terror convictions had been involved in five different incidents, including a 2006 shooting attack on a group of tourists at a Roman theatre in the centre of the capital Amman in which a Briton died. Other incidents include a 2003 bomb attack on Jordan's embassy in Iraq and the September 2016 shooting of a high-profile writer on the steps of a courthouse in Amman. Iraqi families flee Mosul yesterday during an offensive by security forces to retake the western parts of the city from Isil fighters. Photo: Aris Messinis /AFP/Getty The number of civilians escaping the fighting in Mosul has increased significantly as battles intensify between US-backed Iraqi forces and Isil militants, and some have been exposed to chemical agents, the Red Cross said yesterday. Iraqi armed forces meanwhile said they had captured another district as they push toward the densely packed old city centre where the fighting is expected to become tougher. Among casualties in the past 48 hours, five children and two women were treated for exposure to chemical agents, suffering blisters, eye redness, vomiting and coughing, said the International Committee of the Red Cross. The US has warned Isil could use sulphur mustard agents to repel the offensive on the northern Iraqi city. Iraqi forces captured the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris river on February 19. Defeating Isil in Mosul would crush the Iraqi wing of the caliphate declared in 2014, although the group is expected to continue a campaign of insurgent attacks. The Iraqi military believes several thousand militants, including many foreigners, are hunkered down in Mosul among the remaining civilian population, which aid agencies estimated to number 750,000 at the start of the latest phase of the battle. The battle for Mosul has killed and wounded several thousand people since it started on October 17. "We have noted a significant increase in displacement in the last week, 30,000 in west Mosul, 4,000 a day or so," Matthew Saltmarsh, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, told a news briefing in Geneva. "Of course the military fighting is intensifying by the day," Bastien Vigneau, the emergency director for Mosul operations at Unicef, told the briefing. Speaking from Erbil, east of Mosul, he said over 100,000 children are among the 191,000 who have been displaced in total from the city since October. Among them, Unicef identified 874 children who were unaccompanied or separated. More than half have been reunited with parents, and the rest are being taken care of by extended family. Militants are using suicide car bombers, snipers and booby traps to counter the offensive waged by the 100,000-strong force of Iraqi troops, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Iranian-trained Shi'ite Muslim paramilitary groups. How will history remember the last years in Aleppo? The proud and storied jewel of northern Syria, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, was a vibrant commercial hub until war began to tear it apart in 2012. When the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad reached Aleppo that year, he was determined to do all it would take to prevent Syria's second city from slipping from his grasp. The regime's capture of eastern Aleppo - which rebels had made their stronghold since summer 2012 - last December shifted the military balance in Mr Assad's favour. But at what cost? The horrors of Syria's six-year war - and the way it has played out in Aleppo and other parts of the country - have been magnified in this social media age. But coupled with that is the sense that the full scale of what has transpired in Syria - including in the regime prisons and detention centres into which thousands have disappeared - remains unknown. In the case of Aleppo, competing narratives - for Mr Assad, it was a battle against and 'liberation' from what he calls terrorists; for his opponents, it was the defence and 'fall' of a key rebel stronghold - have obscured the picture, particularly given that few journalists were able to access the city last year. This week, however, the UN's Commission of Inquiry on Syria released a report that offered some clarity on what unfolded in Aleppo between July 21 last year, when regime forces - with the help of Russian warplanes - started besieging eastern Aleppo, and December 22, when they took full control of the city. "The scale of what happened in Aleppo is unprecedented in the Syrian conflict," said the commission's chairman, Paulo Pinheiro. "Much of Aleppo, once Syria's biggest city and its commercial and culture centre and a Unesco World Heritage site, has been reduced to rubble." Drawing on the testimony of 291 eyewitnesses and using satellite imagery, medical reports and forensic evidence, the commission's report details violations by all factions involved in the protracted battle for Aleppo. It describes how at least 5,000 pro-Assad fighters had encircled the rebel enclave of eastern Aleppo in an effort to force opposition forces to "surrender or starve". A deal between the warring parties to evacuate the area in the final weeks of the offensive gave civilians there no option to remain, and the UN commission concluded the conditions of that agreement in fact amounted to "the war crime of forced displacement". Read more: 'Chemical agents' used on civilians fleeing Mosul Both sides carried out indiscriminate attacks in densely populated residential areas, with opposition forces shelling government-held districts. According to the report, some anti-Assad fighters shot civilians to prevent them from fleeing and used them as human shields. A deadly and sustained aerial bombardment of the city was key to the regime's efforts, with toxic chlorine bombs air-dropped "throughout 2016". The report also detailed the regime's "pervasive use" of cluster munitions in civilian areas, which amounted to a war crime. "For months, the Syrian and Russian air forces relentlessly bombarded eastern Aleppo city as part of a strategy to force surrender," Mr Pinheiro said. "The deliberate targeting of civilians has resulted in the immense loss of human life, including hundreds of children." The commission said it had concluded that Syrian warplanes targeted hospitals on at least two occasions. Human rights groups have documented airstrikes on medical facilities and bakery queues in eastern Aleppo since 2012. The UN report also accused the Assad regime of a "meticulously planned and ruthlessly carried out" airstrike on a UN and Syrian Red Crescent humanitarian convoy in rural western Aleppo in mid-September. The attack, which killed 14 aid workers, prompted outrage at the time, but the Syrian government and Russia denied responsibility for it. "By using air-delivered munitions with the knowledge that humanitarian workers were operating in the location, Syrian forces committed the war crimes of deliberately attacking humanitarian relief personnel, denial of humanitarian aid, and attacking civilians," the report said. The UN commission says it is ready to share its list of suspects with a recently formed UN panel tasked with preparing cases towards prosecuting those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. One of the commission's members, Carla Del Ponte, who previously acted as chief prosecutor of the international criminal tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, told media that Mr Assad had to be held to account. "That's six years now that he has been responsible for a large number of civilian deaths. We must bring Assad to justice. He is one of the worst criminals," she said. "What we have seen here in Syria, I never saw that in Rwanda, or in former Yugoslavia, in the Balkans. It is really a big tragedy." A tragedy that continues still. President Donald Trump walks with his grandchildren, Arabella and Joseph Kushner, at the White House yesterday. Photo: AP DONALD TRUMP has branded Democrats "hypocrites" over calls for an investigation into his administration's contacts with Russia, posting a photograph on the internet of one of the opposition party's leaders sharing doughnuts and coffee with Vladimir Putin. It came after half a dozen of his officials and advisers were revealed to have met Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to Washington, in the six months before Mr Trump took office. Mr Trump responded by posting a picture on Twitter showing Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the US Senate, smiling alongside Mr Putin during his trip to New York in 2003. The president said: "We should start an immediate investigation into Senator Schumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite!" Mr Schumer said he would "happily talk under oath" about his encounter with Mr Putin, and asked Mr Trump: "Would you?" It came as Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, became the latest figure drawn into the web of entanglements with Russian officials. The 36-year-old husband of Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka, was present at a previously undisclosed meeting between Michael Flynn, Mr Trump's former national security adviser, and Mr Kislyak at Trump Tower in New York in December. Mr Flynn resigned last month after it emerged he had misled vice president Mike Pence about the extent of his communications with Mr Kislyak. In the December meeting, the Russian diplomat reportedly entered Trump Tower by a back entrance and spoke for between 10 and 20 minutes. The White House said the intention was to "establish a line of communication" with the Russian government. One official called it an "inconsequential hello" and said Mr Kushner had not met Mr Kislyak since. On Thursday, Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, recused himself from any future investigation examining communications between Trump officials and Moscow after it was revealed he had himself spoken twice to Mr Kislyak and not revealed it during the confirmation hearing for his new post. Mr Sessions was accused of "lying under oath" by Democrats in Congress who called on him to resign. Several other Trump campaign staff - national security advisers JD Gordon and Walifd Phares, and former foreign policy adviser Carter Page - also spoke with Mr Kislyak at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last July, it emerged. Senior intelligence officials told CNN that Mr Kislyak, a career diplomat and one-time Russian envoy to Nato, was suspected of being one of Russia's top espionage recruiters in Washington. The Kremlin furiously denied that Mr Kislyak was a spy. Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said: "Recruiting? Oh my God! Stop spreading lies and false news. He is a well-known, world-class diplomat." Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said Mr Kislyak was doing his job meeting senior US officials and compared the intense interest in him to a "McCarthyite" witch hunt. Meanwhile, it emerged that Mike Pence, the US vice president, used a private email account to discuss matters of homeland security when he was governor of Indiana, and was hacked shortly before he became Mr Trump's running mate. Mr Pence communicated with advisers in Indiana through a personal AOL account during his four-year term, it has emerged. He discussed issues including security gates at the governor's mansion and how the state should respond to global terror attacks. One email on his private account was from his homeland security adviser giving an update from the FBI on a group of arrested terror suspects. Last June, the account was hacked by an internet scammer who sent a message to Mr Pence's contacts falsely claiming the governor and his wife were stranded in the Philippines and needed money. During the ensuing presidential campaign Mr Pence frequently criticised Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server when she was President Barack Obama's Secretary of State. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] 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 Kabul, Mar 4 (IBNS): An Afghan lawmaker representing the Helmand province was injured in an attack in Kandahar, local Khaama Press reported. The lawmaker has been identified as Mir Wali. He was attacked in the tenth police district of the city on Saturday. The agency quoted local officials as saying that he has been shifted to a hospital and his condition is stable. No group has taken up responsibility so far. 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 Lupin receives USFDA tentative approval for Drospirenone Tablets Global pharma major Lupin Limited (Lupin) has announced that it has received tentative approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug ... November 04, 2022 | 04-11-2022 1:26 pm Bloomberg Report: Pegatron Corp starts production of iPhone 14 in India Pegatron Corp., a Taiwanese contract manufacturer for Apple Inc., has begun producing the most recent iPhone 14 model in India. Pegatron is now the second Apple supplier to manufacture th... November 04, 2022 | 04-11-2022 12:48 pm JMC Projects India allots NCDs for Rs100 crore; Stock rallies over 3.5% The Management Committee of the Board of Directors of JMC Projects (India) Limited at its meeting held on November 04, 2022 has allotted 1000 Repo Rate, Unsecured, Rated, Listed, Rede... November 04, 2022 | 04-11-2022 12:34 pm Nykaa receives shareholders' approval for bonus issue and ESOP; Stock down 1% The Board of the lifestyle retailer FSN E-Commerce Ventures Limited (Nykaa), on October 3, 2022, approved Bonus Issue of Equity Shares in the proportion of 5 (Five) fully paid-up Equity Sh... November 04, 2022 | 04-11-2022 12:03 pm Fugitive business tycoon Vijay Mallya is suing American aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney accusing them of selling faulty engines to his now defunct budget carrier Kingfisher. BCCL/ File The move comes days after India's aviation watchdog the DGCA ordered a probe of P&W engines powering some Airbus a320neo planes being operated in India. Not surprised at DGCA enquiry into Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines. Kingfisher Airlines sadly collapsed also due to faulty engines. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 3, 2017 We have sued IAE a Pratt & Whitney Group Company for compensation towards defective aircraft engines supplied to Kingfisher Airlines. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 3, 2017 DGCA has ordered detailed inspection of 21 Airbus a320NEO planes of IndiGo and GoAir that are equipped with P&W engines, which have been frequently facing technical glitches. BCCL "DGCA is in talks with the manufacturer of the engine and also investigating the specific incidents. Let's wait for the reports to come in. As far as safety is concerned, no slackness would be allowed and Indian skies would always be kept safe, as they have always been," Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said. Airbus had begun rolling out the A320 NEOs in January 2016 and it has so far delivered about 70 to customers worldwide. Even though they account currently for only a small part of the IndiGo and GoAir fleets, it is set to grow rapidly with IndiGo having over 400 of the jets on order and GoAir set to add over 100. The engines had raised serious concern after two GoAir A320 NEOs made emergency landings following technical issues last month. BCCL In January an IndiGo flight was aborted after one of its engines developed a fault while accelerating for take-off. According to reports Pratt and Whitney are still struggle to resolve the issue with its engines. This has forced some foreign carriers to withdraw from purchasing new Airbus A-320 aircraft with such engines. With companies showering cheap 4G internet plans, consumers are looking to have the greatest time of their lives. The latest in the race of luring consumers is Bharti Airtel, which has come up with a revamped plan to offer 1 GB 4G data per day with unlimited calls to counter Reliance Jio's prime plans. bgr/representational image The new Airtel Rs 345 plan offers 1GB of 4G data per day along with local and STD voice calls free per month. This 1GB data will be available as 500MB on day time and 500 MB on night hours. The promotional offer is available for 4G handset users who can opt for it before March 31. The telco has also modified Rs 145 plan, which now offers unlimited Airtel to Airtel calls (local+national) and 2GB of data with a validity period of 28 days. Also Read: Jio Makes a Major Dent In Indian Telecom Sector, Airtel's Profits Have Begin To Dip Reuters Vodafone and Idea Cellular, India's second and third-biggest telecom operators, have also come up with new plans with daily data and free unlimited voice calls for prepaid customers to counter Reliance Jio Infocomm's data-rich offers starting April 1. Vodafone India's new Rs 342 plan gives users unlimited calls and 28 GB of data per month, subject to a limit of 1 GB a day, as per the fair usage policy, according to text messages sent by the company to some subscribers. A Vodafone spokesperson said the company offers "various segmented propositions" that are valid only until March 15. An idea, an Aditya Birla Group telco, is offering unlimited voice and 500 MB of data a day for 28 days at Rs 348. A company spokeswoman said this offer is for non-data users with 4G handsets. Also Read: Airtel Offers Free Voice Calls, Takes Aim At Reliance Jio, But Guess Whos Laughing? Reuters Jio has offered free voice and data services since it started operations in September, helping the new entrant to net 100 million subscribers in record time. Starting April 1, the company's existing users and those coming on board in March will get data benefits under 10 plans listed on its Prime service, while voice calls will continue to be free. Also Read: War Has Been Declared... By Telecom Giants. Now Airtel Offers Free Data For 90 Days To 4G Users The Nasik police, which is investigation the mysterious death of Lance Naik Roy Mathew, an Army man, who was featured in a sting video by a news portal has hinted at a likely suicide. This comes after the investigators recovered Roy's diary, in which he suggests ending his life. Read more 1. NIA May Investigate MP Espionage Ring In Which BJP Youth Leaders Were Held The Centre is likely to hand over to the NIA the probe into the busting of an alleged Pakistani espionage ring in Madhya Pradesh in which 11people, including a 'member' of the BJP's youth wing, have been arrested. A senior official said the home ministry is contemplating handing over to the NIA the probe into the MP spy ring, which had alleged links with Pakistans spy agency ISI. Read more 2. Delhi Metro Enters Limca Book Of Records After Constructing 200 Concrete Girders Within A Month Delhi Metro is indispensable for people living in Delhi NCR and lately, it has added another feather to its already glittering cap and made it to Limca Book of Records for erecting 200 girders in one of its upcoming lines within a month. DMRC is known for completing its projects on scheduled time and within the given budget and this feat is certainly going to boost its morale. The feat has been achieved on Noida-Greater Noida corridor. Read more 3. Crime Against Indians Continue In US, This Time Indian Origin Businessman Shot Dead Harnish Patel, a 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster County, South Carolina. According to police, he was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. Read more 4. Why Dont You Teach Colonial History In Schools? Shashi Tharoor Asks Britain And We Couldn't Have Agreed With Him More Questioning why the British don't teach their colonial history in schools, Tharoor said there is a "historical amnesia about what the empire entailed." While speaking about his upcoming book Inglorious Empire Tharoor said British children from the new generation are not taught that their country financed the industrial revolution and its prosperity from the depredation of the empire. Read more 5. As UP's Rape Accused MInister Gayatri Prajapati Still Walks Free, Airports Put On Alert Airports and exit points across the country have been put on alert amid reports that rape-accused UP Minister Gayatri Prajapati is planning to flee the country, according to officials. Immigration and all the forces have been alerted to keep an eye out for him. A Letter of Cancellation (LC) will soon be opened against him, which will alert immigration authorities about any possible move by the suspect to leave the country. Read more In what will send a message of interfaith unity, particularly among Muslims and Jews across the world, several Muslim veterans in the US have come forward in support of the Jews and have offered to guard Jewish sites. This comes after a sudden increase in the attacks on the Jews and threats aginst them. henational.ae Several Muslim US military veterans are ready to support Jewish people and tell the world that the two communities are together and ready to support each other whenever there is a need. In a tweet, a former Muslim marine, Tayyib Rashid, pledged, If your synagogue or Jewish cemetery needs someone to stand guard, count me in. Islam requires it. I'm a #MuslimMarine in Chicagoland area. If your synagogue or Jewish cemetery needs someone to stand guard, count me in. Islam requires it. The Muslim Marine (@MuslimMarine) February 27, 2017 He was joined by the others: My doors are open to anyone who needs help. Be it Christian, Muslim, Jew or whatever . I love you all as people. We can all exist in unity. Khalid whalid (@Khalidwhalid1) March 4, 2017 Houston area Jewish community, I spent ten years protecting our country and I will gladly protect Jewish places of worship if you need, another Muslim veteran said. However, it was not just Muslim veterans tweeting support, other Muslims joined in too. jewishjournal.com Emmy Award-winning TV Broadcaster Momin Bhatti took to social media to pledge support in his call to protect Jewish sites. Im a Muslim in #Harrisburg. If your synagogue or community centre needs someone 2 stand guard, I will stand guard for you. Islam requires it, he said. This show of solidarity follows an online campaign called Muslims Unite to Repair Jewish Cemetery, which has raised more than $115,000 to repair the gravestones toppled over at the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in the St. Louis suburb of University City, Missouri, Fox News reported. Earlier this week, dozens of volunteers from various faiths helped clean up the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Philadelphia, which was vandalised over the weekend. President Donald Trump has condemned these types of attacks. independent.co.uk We are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms, he had said. There has also been a surge of bomb threats against synagogues, Jewish centres and schools around the U.S. This week alone, there were threats made against numerous Jewish centres and at least one school in California, Washington, Nevada and Arizona, The Huffington Post reported. The FBI and the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division are probing the threats. Even as the Indians in the US is reeling under the shock from the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, yet another murder has rocked the community. Harnish Patel, a 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster County, South Carolina. Christian Flores WBTV According to police, he was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. Christian Flores WBTV Even though the reason behind the murder is yet unclear Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated." Those who had known Patel for years said they are shocked and recalled him as a friendly man who was always willing to help others. Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patel's store, told WBTV: "Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody." Patel's death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling "get out of my country." Seaside view, beach view, city view, the world's best view etc. are some of the most cliched usages in the hospitality industry. But a 10-room hotel in Bethlehem has a bold claim as if the name 'Walled Off Hotel' wasn't strange enough, it brags about having the worst view of any hotel in the world. AP Founded by elusive British street artist Banksy, the hotel is in a peculiar location - just four metres from the wall which cuts through West Bank, and all the rooms overlook the wall. AP The project has been described as a "hotel, protest and art in one." Walls are hot right now, but I was into them long before Trump made it cool, the elusive artist said in a statement. AP Even the decor in the rooms are unique, one of them depicts a Palestinian and an Israeli in the middle of a fight - a pillow fight. AP Other decorations include security cameras, slingshots, guns etc. AP The Guardian reported that the hotel is meant to bring tourists and jobs to Bethlehem and foster dialogue between young Israelis who would stay there and the Palestinian residents of the city. Banksy in a statement said the hotel "offers a warm welcome to people from all sides of the conflict and across the world". AP The hotel will open to guests on March 11, with rooms starting at $30 a night, but only after making a $1,000 deposit. Banksy explains the logic behind the $1,000 deposit: "The artwork here has been donated to the community and their struggle, and any person found attempting to steal from them, or deface hotel property, will be arrested, transported to the police station in Ramallah and prosecuted to the full extent of the local law." The United State Department of Homeland Security is considering a proposal of separating women and children illegally crossing into the US from Mexican border. According to a Reuters story, citing three government officials, the reason for the proposal is to deter mothers from migrating to the US with their children. AP This shift in the policy would allow the government to keep parents in custody while they wait for deportation or asylum judgements in the courts. The children separated from their mothers would be put into protective custody with the department of Health and Human Services until they are taken care of by US relatives or state sponsored guardians. According to the current status, families contesting deportation or applying for asylum are generally released from detention quickly and allowed to remain in the US until their cases are resolved. Reuters In a statement to Reuters, DHS said: "The journey north is a dangerous one with too many situations where children - brought by parents, relatives or smugglers - are often exploited, abused or may even lose their lives. "With safety in mind, the Department of Homeland Security continually explores options that may discourage those from even beginning the journey," the statement said. US Representative Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat whose district includes about 200 miles (320 km) of the border with Mexico, slammed the proposal. "Bottom line: separating mothers and children is wrong," he said in a statement. Reuters "That type of thing is where we depart from border security and get into violating human rights," he said. About 54,000 children and their guardians were apprehended between Oct. 1, 2016, and Jan. 31, 2017, more than double the number caught over the same time period a year earlier. Reuters Immigrant rights advocates have argued that Central America's violent and impoverished conditions force mothers to immigrate to the United States and that they should be given asylum status. Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Theresa May Wants British People to Feel 'Pride' in the Balfour Declaration. What exactly is there to be proud of? Balfour initiated a policy of British support for Israel which continues to this very day, to the detriment of the occupied Palestinians of the West Bank and the five million Palestinian refugees living largely in warrens of poverty around the Middle East, including Israeli-besieged Gaza. Surely we should apologise By Robert Fisk March 03, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " The Independent " - Theresa May told us that Britain will celebrate the centenary of the Balfour Declaration this summer with pride. This was predictable. A British prime minister who would fawn to the head-chopping Arab autocrats of the Gulf in the hope of selling them more missiles and then hold the hand of the insane new anti-Muslim president of the United States was bound, I suppose, to feel pride in the most mendacious, deceitful and hypocritical document in modern British history. As a woman who has set her heart against immigrants, it was also inevitable that May would display her most venal characteristics to foreigners to wealthy Arab potentates, and to an American president whose momentary love of Britain might produce a life-saving post-Brexit trade agreement. It was to an audience of British lobbyists for Israel a couple of months ago that she expressed her pride in a century-old declaration which created millions of refugees. But to burnish the 1917 document which promised Britains support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine but which would ultimately create that very refugee population refugees being the target of her own anti-immigration policies is little short of iniquitous. The Balfour Declarations intrinsic lie that while Britain supported a Jewish homeland, nothing would be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine is matched today by the equally dishonest response of Balfours lamentable successor at the Foreign Office. Boris Johnson wrote quite accurately two years ago that the Balfour Declaration was bizarre, a tragicomically incoherent document, an exquisite piece of Foreign Office fudgerama. But in a subsequent visit to Israel, the profit-hunting Mayor of London suddenly discovered that the Balfour Declaration was a great thing that reflected a great tide of history. No doubt we shall hear more of this same nonsense from Boris Johnson later this year. Although the Declaration itself has been parsed, de-semanticised, romanticised, decrypted, decried, cursed and adored for 100 years, its fraud is easy to detect: it made two promises which were fundamentally opposed to each other and thus one of them, to the Arabs (aka the existing non-Jewish communities), would be broken. The descendants of these victims, the Palestinian Arabs, are now threatening to sue the British government over this pernicious piece of paper, a hopeless and childish response to history. The Czechs might equally sue the British for Chamberlains Munich agreement, which allowed Hitler to destroy their country. The Palestinians would also like an apology since the British have always found apologies cheaper than law courts. The British have grown used to apologising for the British empire, for the slave trade, for the Irish famine. So why not for Balfour? Yes, but.... Theresa May needs the Israelis far more than she needs the Palestinians. Balfours 1917 declaration, of course, was an attempt to avoid disaster in the First World War by encouraging the Jews of Russia and America to support the Allies against Germany. Balfour wanted to avoid defeat just as Chamberlain later wanted to avoid war. But and this is the point Munich was resolved by the destruction of Hitler. Balfour initiated a policy of British support for Israel which continues to this very day, to the detriment of the occupied Palestinians of the West Bank and the five million Palestinian refugees living largely in warrens of poverty around the Middle East, including Israeli-besieged Gaza. This is the theme of perhaps the most dramatic centenary account of the Balfour Declaration, to be published this summer by David Cronin (in his book Balfours Shadow: A Century of British Support for Zionism and Israel), an Irish journalist and author living in Brussels whose previous investigation of the European Unions craven support for Israels military distinguished him from the work of more emotional (and thus more inaccurate) writers. Cronin has no time for Holocaust deniers or anti-Semites. While rightly dismissing the silly idea that the Palestinian Grand Mufti, Haj Amin al Husseini, inspired the Holocaust of the Jews of Europe, he does not duck Haj Amins poisonous alliance with Hitler. Israels post-war creation as a nation state, as one Israeli historian observed, may not have been just but it was legal. And Israel does legally exist within the borders acknowledged by the rest of the world. There lies the present crisis for us all: for the outrageous right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu is speeding on with the mass colonisation of Arab land in territory which is not part of Israel, and on property which has been stolen from its Arab owners. These owners are the descendants of the non-Jewish communities whose rights, according to Balfour, should not be prejudiced by the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. But Balfours own prejudice was perfectly clear. The Jewish people would have a national home ie, a nation in Palestine, while the Arabs, according to his declaration, were mere communities. And as Balfour wrote to his successor Curzon two years later, Zionism is of far profounder import than the desires and prejudices [sic] of 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit that ancient land. Cronins short book, however, shows just how we have connived in this racism ever since. He outlines the mass British repression of Arabs in the 1930s including extrajudicial executions and torture by the British army when the Arabs feared, with good reason, that they would ultimately be dispossessed of their lands by Jewish immigrants. As Arthur Wauchope, the Palestine High Commissioner, would write, the subject that fills the minds of all Arabs today is the dread that in time to come they will be a subject race living on sufferance in Palestine, with the Jews dominant in every sphere, land, trade and political life. How right they were. Even before Britains retreat from Palestine, Attlee and his Cabinet colleagues were discussing a plan which would mean the ethnic cleansing of tens of thousands of Palestinians from their land. In 1944, a Labour Party statement had talked thus of Jewish immigration: Let the Arabs be encouraged to move out as the Jews move in. By 1948, Labour, now in government, was announcing it had no power to prevent money being channelled from London to Jewish groups who would, within a year, accomplish their own ethnic cleansing, a phrase in common usage for this period since Israeli historian Illan Pappe (now, predictably, an exile from his own land) included it in the title of his best-known work. The massacre of hundreds of Palestinian civilians at Deir Yassin was committed while thousands of British troops were still in the country. Cronins investigation of Colonial Office files show that the British military lied about the cleansing of Haifa, offering no protection to the Arabs, a policy largely followed across Palestine save for the courage of Major Derek Cooper and his soldiers, whose defence of Arab civilians in Jaffa won him the Military Cross (although David Cronin does not mention this). Cooper, whom I got to know when he was caring for wounded Palestinians in Beirut in 1982, never forgave his own government for its dishonesty at the end of the Palestine Mandate. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Cronins value, however, lies in his further research into British support for Israel, its constant arms re-supplies to Israel, its 1956 connivance with the Israelis over Suez during which Israeli troops massacred in the Gaza camp of Khan Younis, according to a UN report, 275 Palestinian civilians, of whom 140 were refugees from the 1948 catastrophe. Many UN-employed Palestinians, an American military officer noted at the time, are believed to have been executed by the Israelis. Britains subsequent export of submarines and hundreds of Centurion tanks to Israel was shrugged off with the same weasel-like excuses that British governments have ever since used to sell trillions of dollars of weapons to Israelis and Arabs alike: that if Britain didnt arm them, others would. In opposition in 1972, Harold Wilson claimed it was utterly unreal to call for an Israeli withdrawal from land occupied in the 1967 war, adding that Israels reaction is natural and proper in refusing to accept the Palestinians as a nation. When the Palestinians first demanded a secular one-state solution to Palestine, they were denounced by a British diplomat (Anthony Parsons) who said that a multinational, secular state would be wholly incompatible with our attitude toward Israel. Indeed it would. When the PLO opposed Britains Falklands conflict, the Foreign Office haughtily admonished the Palestinians it was far removed from their legitimate concerns, it noted although it chose not to reveal that Argentine air force Skyhawk jets supplied by Israel were used to attack UK forces, and that Israels military supplies to Argentina continued during the war. A year later, Margaret Thatcher, according to a note by Douglas Hurd, included armed action against military targets of the occupying power as a definition of terrorism. So the Palestinians could not even resist their direct occupiers without being criminals. On an official visit to Israel in 1986, Thatcher said that she regarded discussion of Jerusalem as internal politics. In 2001, Tony Blairs government granted 90 arms exports licences to Israel for defensive weapons including torpedoes, armoured vehicles, bombs and missiles. There is much, much more of this in Cronins book, including Blairs useless and disgraceful period as peace envoy to the Middle East and the growing business contracts between British companies and Israeli arms providers to the extent that the British army ended up deploying Israeli-made drones in the skies of Afghanistan and Iraq. Outside the EU, Theresa Mays Britain will maintain its close relations with Israel as a priority; hence Mays stated desire less than a month ago to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with Israel. This coincided with an Israeli attack on Gaza and a Knesset vote to confiscate ie, steal yet more lands from Palestinians in the West Bank. From the day that Herbert Samuel, deputy leader of the Liberal Party and former (Jewish) High Commissioner for Palestine, said in the House of Commons in 1930 that Arabs do migrate easily, it seems that Britain has faithfully followed Balfours policies. More than 750,000 Palestinians were uprooted in their catastrophe, Cronin writes. Generations of dispossessed would grow up in the camps. Today, there are around five million registered Palestinian refugees. Britain was the midwife of that expulsion. And this summer, we shall again be exhorted by Theresa May to remember the Balfour Declaration with pride. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. ===== In last monologue, Israeli comedy show host implores Israelis to wake up and smell the "apartheid" pic.twitter.com/pv7f9xPJwh Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) March 1, 2017 Killing and maiming children: Watchlist calls UN to blacklist IDF; Video - The global network of humanitarian organisations that defends children's rights across the world has called on the UN to blacklist the Israeli Defence Forces, for multiple violations of children rights. 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 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. U.S. Mass Deportation System is Rooted in Racism By Kelly Lytle Hernandez March 03, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " The Conversation " - A rowdy segment of the American electorate is hell-bent on banning a specific group of immigrants from entering the United States. Thousands upon thousands of other people citizens and immigrants, alike oppose them, choosing to go to court rather than fulfill the electorates narrow vision of what America should look like: white, middle-class and Christian. Soon a series of U.S. Supreme Court rulings could grant unrestrained power to Congress and the president over immigration control. More than 50 million people could be deported. Countless others might be barred from entering. Most of them would be poor, nonwhite and non-Christian. This may sound like wild speculation about what is to come in President Donald Trumps America. It is not. It is the history of U.S. immigration control, which is the focus of my work in the books Migra! A History of the U.S. Border Patrol and City of Inmates: Conquest, Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging in Los Angeles . Historically speaking, immigration control is one of the least constitutional and most racist realms of governance in U.S. law and life. Made in the American West The modern system of U.S. immigration control began in the 19th-century American West. Between the 1840s and 1880s, the United States government warred with indigenous peoples and Mexico to lay claim to the region. Droves of Anglo-American families soon followed, believing it was their Manifest Destiny to dominate land, law and life in the region. But indigenous peoples never disappeared (see Standing Rock) and nonwhite migrants arrived (see the state of California). Chinese immigrants, in particular, arrived in large numbers during the 19th century. A travel writer who was popular at the time, Bayard Taylor , expressed the sentiment settlers felt toward Chinese immigrants in one of his books: The Chinese are, morally, the most debased people on the face of the earth their touch is pollution They should not be allowed to settle on our soil. When discriminatory laws and settler violence failed to expel them from the region, the settlers pounded Congress to develop a system of federal immigration control. In response to their demands, Congress passed the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act , which prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country for 10 years. The law focused on Chinese laborers, the single largest sector of the Chinese immigrant community. In 1884 , Congress required all Chinese laborers admitted before the Exclusion Act was passed to secure a certificate of reentry if they wanted to leave and return. But, in 1888 , Congress banned even those with certificates from reentering. . Library of Congress Then, when the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to expire in 1892, Congress passed the Geary Act , which again banned all Chinese laborers and required all Chinese immigrants to verify their lawful presence by registering with the federal government. The federal authorities were empowered by the law to find, imprison and deport all Chinese immigrants who failed to register by May 1893. Together, these laws banned a nationally targeted population from entering the United States and invented the first system of mass deportation. Nothing quite like this had ever before been tried in the United States. Chinese immigrants rebelled against the new laws. In 1888, a laborer named Chae Chan Ping was denied the right of return despite having a reentry certificate and was subsequently confined on a steamship. The Chinese immigrant community hired lawyers to fight his case. The lawyers argued the case up to the U.S. Supreme Court but lost when the court ruled that the power of exclusion of foreigners [is an] incident of sovereignty belonging to the government of the United States and cannot be granted away or restrained on behalf of anyone. Simply put, Chae Chan Ping v. U.S. established that Congress and the president hold absolute and unqualified authority over immigrant entry and exclusion at U.S. borders. Chinese exclusion cases Despite this loss, Chinese immigrants refused to comply with the 1892 Geary Act, submitting themselves for arrest and risking both imprisonment and deportation rather than registering with the federal government. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter They also hired some of the nations best constitutional lawyers. Together, they swarmed the courts with challenges to the Geary Act. In May 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear its first deportation case, Fong Yue Ting v. U.S. and quickly ruled that deportation is also a realm of absolute authority held by Congress and the president. The court wrote: The provisions of the Constitution, securing the right of trial by jury and prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures, and cruel and unusual punishments, have no application. In other words, the U.S. Constitution did not apply to deportation. Immigration authorities could develop practices to identify, round up and deport noncitizens without constitutional review. It was a stunning ruling even by 19th-century standards. So stunning that three of the justices issued scathing dissents, arguing that the U.S. Constitution applies to every law enforced within the United States. As Justice Brewer put it: The Constitution has potency everywhere within the limits of our territory, and the powers which the national government may exercise within such limits are those, and only those, given to it by that instrument. But such dissent held no sway. Six years later, the U.S. Supreme Court tripled down on immigration control as exempt from judicial review. In that 1896 ruling, Wong Wing v. U.S. , which was issued on the same day as the court upheld racial segregation laws in its infamous Plessy v. Ferguson decision, the court held that the Constitution does not apply to the conditions of immigrant detention. By 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court had granted Congress and the president nearly unrestrained power over excluding, deporting and detaining noncitizens, both at U.S. borders and within the national territory. To date, they have used that authority to deport and forcibly remove more than 50 million people and ban countless others from entering the country. Most of them are nonwhite, many of them poor and a disproportionate share non-Christian. Making America great again Over time, Congress and the courts placed several limits on what is allowable in immigration control. For example, the 1965 Immigration Reform Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, gender, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence. And several court rulings have added a measure of constitutional protections to deportation proceedings and detention conditions. But, in recent weeks, Trump and his advisers have tapped into the foundational architecture of U.S. immigration control to argue that the presidents executive orders on immigration control are unreviewable by the courts. As Trumps senior advisor Stephen Miller put it : The presidents executive powers over immigration control will not be questioned. On Feb. 9 , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit turned down the administrations unreviewable argument regarding the so-called Muslim ban. But Trumps immigration enforcement order still stands. This includes a provision that subjects even those unauthorized immigrants who are simply suspected of crime to immediate removal. It also denies many of the immigrants who unlawfully cross our borders the due process protections recently added to deportation proceedings. If implemented as promised that is, with a focus on bad hombres and the U.S.-Mexico border Trumps immigration plan will exacerbate the already disproportionate impact of U.S. immigration control on Latino immigrants, namely Mexicans and Central Americans. U.S. immigration may no longer target Chinese immigrants, but it remains one of the most highly racialized police projects within the United States. Trumps executive orders are pulling U.S. immigration control back to its roots, absolute and racial. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit pushed back against this interpretation, affirming the reviewability of the seven-country ban. But the decisions made during the Chinese exclusion era are likely to protect many of the presidents other orders from judicial review. That is, unless we overturn the settler mentality of U.S. immigration control. To learn more about the history of U.S. immigration control, see #immigrationsyllabus . Kelly Lytle Hernandez - Associate Professor, History and African-American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Obama Ordered Abuse Of Intelligence To Sabotage Trump Policies By Moon Of Aalabama March 03, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Moon Of Alabama " - In its last months the Obama administration ordered the intelligence agencies to collect and distribute information of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia. This to prevent any change by the Trump administration of the hostile policy towards Russia that the Obama administration instituted. The intent was also gives the intelligence services blackmail material to prevent any changes in their undue, freewheeling independence. The above is reported in a rather short New York Times piece published yesterday. The reporting angle captured in the headline is biased to set the Obama efforts into a positive light. But the Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking . But make no mistake. Not single shred of evidence has been provided that "Russia hacked the election" or had anything to do with various leaks of Clinton related emails. A lot of fluff and chaff was thrown around but not even one tiny bit of evidence. The effort was clearly to sabotage the announced policy of the incoming administration of seeking better relations with Russia. Obama intended to undermine the will of the voters by abusing instruments of the state. Excerpts from the piece: In the Obama administrations last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election and about possible contacts between associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump and Russians across the government. Former American officials say they had two aims: to ensure that such meddling isnt duplicated in future American or European elections, and to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators. It is completely normal for any campaign, and especially an incoming administration, to have contacts with foreign government officials. Such contacts are needed to prepare policies and to get the facts right to plan and run a consistent foreign policy. I am very sure that there were hundreds of talks between Trump campaign and incoming administration officials with Israeli, European and Arab officials. These are regular contacts and they do not violate any law. There was and is no reasons at all to pick out talks with Russian officials as something sinister or even illegal. Again - no evidence has been provided that Russia somehow interfered in U.S. elections. None at all. There was no sound reason to give special treatment to campaign contacts with Russia. American allies , including the British and the Dutch, had provided information describing meetings in European cities between Russian officials and others close to Russias president, Vladimir V. Putin and associates of President-elect Trump, according to three former American officials who requested anonymity in discussing classified intelligence. Separately, American intelligence agencies had intercepted communications of Russian officials, some of them within the Kremlin, discussing contacts with Trump associates. Here the NYT is divulging "sources and methods" - usually the holy grail for the intelligence community. U.S. intelligence is intercepting communication "within the Kremlin"? That is surely of interest to Russian counter-intelligence. One also has to ask who ordered the European intelligence services to watch over U.S. contacts with Russia. Were similar orders given to the Dutch secret services to report on contacts of the Clinton campaign with Israeli officials? Undue influencing attempts of Israeli politicians on U.S. policies are legend. Were they watched? If not why not? Mr. Trump has denied that his campaign had any contact with Russian officials, and at one point he openly suggested the American spy agencies had cooked up intelligence suggesting that the Russian government had tried to meddle in the presidential election. Mr. Trump has accused the Obama administration of hyping the Russia story line as a way to discredit his new administration. Guess what - Trump is right. The "Russian hacking" story is not backed by any evidence at all. It IS cooked up. And to say Trump "accused" the Obama administration of attempts to "discredit his new administration" is quite weak. The article says exactly that. How else could one interpret the following section? As Inauguration Day approached, Obama White House officials grew convinced that the intelligence was damning and that they needed to ensure that as many people as possible inside government could see it, even if people without security clearances could not. Some officials began asking specific questions at intelligence briefings, knowing the answers would be archived and could be easily unearthed by investigators including the Senate Intelligence Committee, which in early January announced an inquiry into Russian efforts to influence the election. At intelligence agencies, there was a push to process as much raw intelligence as possible into analyses, and to keep the reports at a relatively low classification level to ensure as wide a readership as possible across the government and, in some cases, among European allies. This allowed the upload of as much intelligence as possible to Intellipedia, a secret wiki used by American analysts to share information. There was also an effort to pass reports and other sensitive materials to Congress. In one instance, the State Department sent a cache of documents marked secret to Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland days before the Jan. 20 inauguration. The "intelligence community", it is specifically the CIA here which campaigned on the Clinton side, manipulated the classification of secrets for the sole purpose of instigating witch-hunt investigations against the incoming Trump administration. Such secrets were then used to decapitate the Trump administration with the first casualty being his selected national security advisor Flynn. We currently see an attack on the administration's attorney general Session for a routine talk with the Russian ambassador. This based on "Justice department officials", i.e. FBI flunkies. Why would they know who Session legitimately met in his function as U.S. Senator? Slandered intelligence analysis was classified in low categories with the aim of distributing it far and wide and to practically guarantee that it would "leak" to the media. The real facts though were hidden as much as possible to provide no material for the Trump administration's defense. The opposite happened with the most sensitive intelligence, including the names of sources and the identities of foreigners who were regularly monitored. Officials tightened the already small number of people who could access that information. They knew the information could not be kept from the new president or his top advisers, but wanted to narrow the number of people who might see the information, officials said. Everyone was to receive the slander "analysis" the intelligence services provided but no one was supposed to know the sources and the real facts. This would make sure that the anti-Russia and anti-Trump "analysis" would leak but not the weak bits of facts it is based upon. To repeat: The Obama administration and the intelligence services spared no effort to sabotage the policies of the incoming Trump administration and prepared the grounds for baseless investigation against it. A lot of dirt is now thrown based on that effort and the hope is that some may stick. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter The whole effort by the Obama administration started only after Trump was elected: In early December, Mr. Obama ordered the intelligence community to conduct a full assessment of the Russian campaign. In the weeks before the assessment was released in January, the intelligence community combed through databases for an array of communications and other information some of which was months old by then and began producing reports that showed there were contacts during the campaign between Trump associates and Russian officials. Again - there is nothing illegal with such contacts. These are routine and happen all the time. U.S. ambassadors all over the world routinely talk with local politicians in foreign countries. The Russian ambassadors do nothing different. This is known as diplomacy. There was no reason for the incoming administration to avoid such contacts with German, South African, Japanese or Russian officials or semi-officials. They intelligence community knows that there is no evidence that Russia interfered in the election. If it had any it would have long provided it. The ffort is specifically against the announced Russia policy. Trump was election in part because he promised better relations with Russia. What the intelligence services do here is to undermine the will of the people. As Joanne Leon opined : Need to recognize this for what it is. The incumbent president used SkyNet to try to rig election and as blackmail tool on his successor Building on the illegal moves of the Cheney administration Obama installed and empowered the intelligence instruments and the precedence for such manipulations. Not since the worst days of J. Edgar Hoover has the U.S. seen such an interior assault on politicians and policies. Trump now hired some partisan Russia expert from the Clinton aligned Brookings to run Russia policy in the NSC. She will institute anti-Russian bias in his policies. This would not have happened under a national security advisor Flynn. For now the Obama assault on Trump's announced policy has succeeded. Those who voted for Trump for a change in Russia policies have been disenfranchised. I do not prefer Trump policies. Flynn was a maniac and Session is a crazy fossil. But that does not justify this anti-democratic abuse of the foreign policy instruments of the state against the political opponents within the country. Obama created these tools and now left them for the Trump administration to use. They will come back to haunt the Democrats. What will they say and do when the Trump administration will use these against them? 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 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. White House is Considering Direct Military Action to "Counter" North Korea By David Choi March 03, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Business Insider " - In a dramatic shift from traditional policy, an internal White House review on North Korea strategy revealed that the option to use military force or a regime change to curb the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons was on the table, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. This review comes at the heels of a report claiming President Donald Trump believed the " greatest immediate threat " to the US was North Korea's nuclear program. Recent provocations from the Hermit Kingdom, including the ballistic missile launch in the Sea of Japan and the killing of Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Malaysia, may have provoked this shift in the policy that have many officials and US allies worried. "North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen!" Trump tweeted in January. Several weeks later, North Korea conducted its missile test. Since then, Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland consulted with other officials to address North Korea's fresh series of provocations. In the meeting, held about two weeks ago, the officials discussed the possibility of a plan "outside the mainstream," The Journal reported. According to The Journal, McFarland requested for all options to overhaul American policy toward North Korea including for the US to recognize North Korea as a nuclear state and the possibility of a direct military conflict. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter The proposals, which are being vetted before Trump's review, would certainly be met with worry from China, a longtime ally of North Korea that recently responded with an export ban against North Korea's coal industry. Additionally, many experts fear that a direct military conflict would spark all-out warfare, including artillery barrages directed at Seoul, South Korea's capital. Even more worrisome is the possibility for further North Korean provocations, which may influence the recent policy shift, as early as this month. As the US and its ally South Korea conduct "Foal Eagle" and "Key Resolve," their annual military exercises that involve 17,000 US troops and Terminal High Altitude Air Defense systems, experts say provocations from North Korea will be likely. What Is To Be Done? By Paul Craig Roberts March 03, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The question in the title is V.I. Lenins question. His answer was to create a revolutionary vanguard to spread revolutionary ideas among the workers, the economic class that Karl Marx had declared to be the class rising to the ascendency of political power. Finally, democracy, frustrated by upper class interests in its earlier manifestations, would become reality. The workers would rule. Given the presence of evil and human failing, it did not work out in that way. But Lenins question remains a valid one. Americans whose economic life and prospects for their children have been destroyed by the offshoring of American manufacturing and tradable professional skills jobs, such as software engineering, answered the question by electing Donald Trump. The Americans, dispossessed by the offshoring corporations, elected Trump, because Trump was the only American running for a political office who called attention to the problem and declared his intention to fix it. By standing up for Americans, Trump alienated the global corporations, their executives and shareholders, all of whom benefit from stealing the economic life of Americans and producing abroad where labor and regulatory costs are lower. Neoliberal junk economists describe this labor arbitrage, which reduces the real incomes of the American labor force, as the beneficial working of free trade. These offshoring firms not only have destroyed the economic prospects of millions of Americans, but also have destroyed the payroll tax base of Social Security and Medicare, and the tax base of local and state governments, with the consequence that numerous pension systems are on the verge of failure. The New York Teamsters Road Carriers Local 707 Pension Fund has just failed. This failure, experts predict, is the beginning of a tsunami that will spread into municipal and state pension systems. When you add up the external costs of jobs offshoring that are imposed on Americans, the costs far exceed the value of the profits that flow to the One Percent. Clearly, this is an intolerable situation. Dispossessed Americans rose up. They ignored the presstitute media, or perhaps were driven to support Trump by the hostility of the media. Trump was elected by dispossessed America, by the working class. The working class is out of favor with the elite liberal/progressive/left which abhors the working class as racist, misogynist, homophobic, gun nuts who oppose transgendered toilet facilities. Thus, the working class, and their chosen representative, Donald Trump, are under full assault by the presstitutes. Trump Must Go is their slogan. And well he might. Trump, in a fit of stupidity, dismissed his National Security Advisor, Gen. Flynn, because Flynn did what he should have done and spoke with the Russian ambassador in order to avoid a Russian response to Obamas provocation of expelling Russian diplomats at Christmas. Russians have been demonized and ascribed demonic powers. If you speak to a Russian, you fall under suspicion and become a traitor to your country. This is the story according to the CIA, the Democratic Party, the military/security complex, and the presstitute media. Once Trump put Flynns blood in the water, he set the situation for the sacrifice of other of his appointees, ending with himself. At the present time, the Russian connection black mark is operating against Trumps Attorney General, Jeff Sessions. If Sessions falls, Trump is next. Lets be clear. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sessions met with the Russian ambassador, just as he met with a number of other countries ambassadors. There is nothing unusual or surprising about a US senator meeting with foreign diplomatic representatives. Those who accuse Sessions of lying are misrepresenting the facts. Session met with ambassadors in his capacity as a US Senator, not in his capacity as a Trump representative. As a former US Senate staffer, I can attest that it is perfectly normal for US Senators to meet with diplomats. John McCain and Lindsey Graham even fly to the Middle East to meet with terrorists. Despite the facts, the Washington Post, New York Times, CNN and all the rest of the CIAs media whores are consciously and intentionally misrepresenting the facts. Amerians do not need any more evidence that the entirely of the American media is totally devoid of intergrity and respect for truth. The American media is a collection of whores who lie for a living. The presstitutes are despicable, the scum of the earth. The real question is how has contact with Russian government officials become criminalized, grounds for removing a National Security Adviser, an Attorney General, and impeaching a President himself. President John F. Kennedy had ongoing contact with Khrushchev, the head of the Soviet government, in order to resolve the Cuban/Turkish missile crisis without nuclear war. President Nixon had ongoing contact with the Russians in order to achieve SALT I and the anti-ballistic missile treaty. President Carter had ongoing contact with Russians in order to achieve SALT II. President Reagan worked with the Russian leader in order to end the Cold War. I know. I was there. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter But if President Trump wants to defuse the extremely dangerous tensions that the reckless Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama regimes have resurrected with a powerful thermo-nuclear state that only wants peace with the US, President Trump and any of his appointees who spoke to a Russian are unfit for office! This madness is the position of the idiot liberal/progressive/left, the CIA, the Democratic Party, the right-wing morons of the Republican Party such as Lindsey Graham and John McCain, and the two-bit whores that comprise the Westrern media. Dear reader, ask yourself, how did communications with Russians in the interest of peace and the reduction of tensions become a criminal act? Have laws been passed that it is forbidden for US officials to speak with Russian officials? Are you so utterly stupid that a presstitute media that has never in your entire life told you anything that was truthful can convince you that those who seek to avoid a conflict between thermo-nuclear powers are Russian agents? I have no doubt that the vast bulk of Western populations are insouciant. But if there is no intelligence and awareness left anywhere in the population, and most certainly there is none whatsoever in the governments of the West or in the Western media or the Identity Politics of the liberal/progressive/left, then dont expect to be alive much longer. The entirely of the world has been put on the knife edge of existence by the arrogance, stupidity, and hubris of the neoconservative pursuit of American world hegemony. The neoconservative ideology is perfect cover for the material interest of the military/security Deep State that is driving the world to destruction. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman to CNN: Stop Spreading Lies and Fake News By Dr Fly March 03, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " iBankCoin " - Russias outspoken foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, had some choice words for CNN after being confronted by their reporters over the AG Sessions hysteria. In a prepared statement, she called the event media vandalism and a disgrace suggesting the US media is down in the depths of depravity and deceit. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter She stated the American media had cross(ed) the line far beyond the professional ethics and their competence. They accuse and judge by simply fabricating false information. I have a question: is it rock bottom, which the US media has reached, or is there an even greater depth for them to dive? Zakharova said. The things that the US media affords itself to report are just an attempt at a total disinformation of the public in America and worldwide, Zakharova explained, adding the US audience is, of course, the main target. Levin called Obamas effort police state tactics, and suggested that Obamas actions, rather than conspiracy theories about alleged Russian interference in the presidential election to help Trump, should be the target of congressional investigation. Drawing on sources including the New York Times and the Washington Post, Levin described the case against Obama so far, based on what is already publicly known. The following is an expanded version of that case, including events that Levin did not mention specifically but are important to the overall timeline. 1. June 2016: FISA request. The Obama administration files a request with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) to monitor communications involving Donald Trump and several advisers. The request, uncharacteristically, is denied. 2. July: Russia joke. Wikileaks releases emails from the Democratic National Committee that show an effort to prevent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) from winning the presidential nomination. In a press conference, Donald Trump refers to Hillary Clintons own missing emails, joking: Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing. That remark becomes the basis for accusations by Clinton and the media that Trump invited further hacking. 3. October: Podesta emails. In October, Wikileaks releases the emails of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, rolling out batches every day until the election, creating new mini-scandals. The Clinton campaign blames Trump and the Russians. 4. October: FISA request. The Obama administration submits a new, narrow request to the FISA court, now focused on a computer server in Trump Tower suspected of links to Russian banks. No evidence is found but the wiretaps continue, ostensibly for national security reasons, Andrew McCarthy at National Review later notes . The Obama administration is now monitoring an opposing presidential campaign using the high-tech surveillance powers of the federal intelligence services. 5. January 2017: Buzzfeed/CNN dossier. Buzzfeed releases, and CNN report s, a supposed intelligence dossier compiled by a foreign former spy. It purports to show continuous contact between Russia and the Trump campaign, and says that the Russians have compromising information about Trump. None of the allegations can be verified and some are proven false. Several media outlets claim that they had been aware of the dossier for months and that it had been circulating in Washington. 6. January: Obama expands NSA sharing. As Michael Walsh later notes , and as the New York Times reports, the outgoing Obama administration expanded the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the governments 16 other intelligence agencies before applying privacy protections. The new powers, and reduced protections, could make it easier for intelligence on private citizens to be circulated improperly or leaked. 7. January: Times report. The New York Times reports , on the eve of Inauguration Day, that several agencies the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Treasury Department are monitoring several associates of the Trump campaign suspected of Russian ties. Other news outlets also report the exisentence of a multiagency working group to coordinate investigations across the government, though it is unclear how they found out, since the investigations would have been secret and involved classified information. 8. February: Mike Flynn scandal. Reports emerge that the FBI intercepted a conversation in 2016 between future National Security Adviser Michael Flynn then a private citizen and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The intercept supposedly was part of routine spying on the ambassador, not monitoring of the Trump campaign. The FBI transcripts reportedly show the two discussing Obamas newly-imposed sanctions on Russia, though Flynn earlier denied discussing them. Sally Yates, whom Trump would later fire as acting Attorney General for insubordination, is involved in the investigation. In the end, Flynn resigns over having misled Vice President Mike Pence (perhaps inadvertently) about the content of the conversation. 9. February: Times claims extensive Russian contacts. The New York Times cites four current and former American officials in reporting that the Trump campaign had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials. The Trump campaign denies the claims and the Times admits that there is no evidence of coordination between the campaign and the Russians. The White House and some congressional Republicans begin to raise questions about illegal intelligence leaks. Trump's Advisers Push Him to Purge Obama Appointees Frustrated by the gush of leaks, the president's allies say it's time to take action. By Josh Dawsey March 04, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Advisers to President Donald Trump are urging him to purge the government of former President Barack Obama's political appointees and quickly install more people who are loyal to him, amid a cascade of damaging stories that have put his nascent administration in seemingly constant crisis-control mode. A number of his advisers believe Obama officials are behind the leaks and are seeking to undermine his presidency, with just the latest example coming from reports that Attorney General Jeff Sessions met twice last year with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. and apparently misled senators about the interactions during his confirmation hearing. That was coupled with a New York Times story that Obama appointees spread information about the investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia in an attempt to create a paper trail about the probe. Trump's aides have also blamed Obama appointees for other damaging leaks, like Trump's erratic phone calls with foreign leaders. Inside the White House, the chatter about Obama officials in the government has heightened in recent weeks, one administration official said. And advisers are saying it is time to take action. "His playbook should be to get rid of the Obama appointees immediately," said Newt Gingrich, a top surrogate. "There are an amazing number of decisions that are being made by appointees that are totally opposed to Trump and everything he stands for. Who do you think those people are responding to?" "If you employ people who aren't loyal to you, you can't be surprised when they leak," said Roger Stone, another longtime adviser. A third person close to Trump said: "He should have gotten these people who are out to get him out a long time ago, a long, long time ago. I think they know that now." The reality, however, is more complicated: The White House has thousands of open jobs across the agencies, many nonpolitical civilian employees are critical of the administration, and some Cabinet secretaries say they need the Obama people during a rocky transition. Only a few dozen Obama political appointees remain in the federal government apparatus, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Many of them are in crucial positions, including Robert Work, a top official at the Department of Defense, and Thomas Shannon, the acting deputy at the State Department. Even if Trump were to ax those remaining senior political appointees, he would still have to reckon with the hundreds of thousands of civilian employees, who stay with every administration. Many of them are skeptical of Trump because they resent his assault on Washington and its culture, his impulsive decisions and his seeming lack of intellectual curiosity about their agencies and work. Break Free From The Matrix Get Our Free Daily Newsletter They have spent the past six weeks on edge. Many are quietly on the job market, but others have been clashing with Trump appointees, either in the open or privately among colleagues, according to officials across agencies. From Homeland Security to Defense and beyond, it's become a regular conversation among employees about what lines they will not cross before quitting, and how best to slow-walk orders from above to frustrate implementation. Amid those conversations is a running thread: how long they'd be willing to hold out to bear witness, and try to improve a climate they increasingly hate, or whether to leak information about changes they see in order to try and stop them. "I want to be able to tell people what's happening here," one State Department official said. "Nixon essentially tried to bypass the federal bureaucracy, and the bureaucracy won and removed him from office," said Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, a longtime Trump friend. "The administration needs to be careful not to make too many dramatic changes because the federal bureaucracy itself is a powerful machine, and they tend to have very establishment ideas." Gingrich added: "Ninety-five percent of the bureaucrats are against him." The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Some in Trump's inner circle increasingly fear that the FBI and the intelligence community are out to damage him. But some of the damaging leaks have also come from within his administration, advisers say, because the West Wing is plagued by competing factions that are vying for Trump's attention and affection. "You hire a bunch of people in the West Wing who are hacks and aren't loyal to you, and you'll have a bunch of leaks," Stone said. "There aren't that many Trump loyalists in the White House." In meetings, Trump aides like Stephen Miller, his senior policy adviser, have frequently complained about leaks and blamed the Obama appointees and longtime bureaucrats. Other aides have complained about having to sit in inter-agency meetings with Obama holdovers in senior positions. And Trump aides have told their people at agencies not to share plans and documents with Obama holdovers or others who are not sympathetic to them. Yet across federal agencies, there are few Trump people. Candidates for only about three dozen of 550 critical Senate-confirmed positions have even been nominated, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Several advisers and people close to Trump described the problem like this: During the transition, aides ignored hundreds of names that had been developed during New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's time leading the transition. For several weeks after he was removed, work stopped as the team came to grips with Trump's improbable win. Then, little was done to pick officials beneath the Cabinet level after Trump made a series of wham-bam choices. Picks have frequently been held up by the White House because they weren't loyal to Trump during the campaign, and people have grown increasingly skittish about being employed in a West Wing frequently described as chaotic and dysfunctional. "I wish I had more of my staff on board," Sessions said Thursday, during a news conference in which he announced that he would recuse himself from any investigation related to the presidential campaigns. In a twist, it will be an Obama appointee, Dana Boente, who will now be handling the investigation into the Trump campaign and Russian officials. Sally Yates, who was previously the No. 2 Justice Department official under Obama, was fired in late January after she refused to defend his controversial travel ban. Gingrich said he blamed Sen. Chuck Schumer for slow-walking the nominees, though Schumer's office notes that many of the picks were not properly vetted: At least three have already dropped out. The Office of Government Ethics remains overwhelmed with applications now, "but they are beginning to catch up," one person involved in the nominations said. At many agencies, no top positions are filled, which means the layers of political appointees that report to them haven't been picked, either. "I didn't get it early on. This is not about slowing down the Cabinet. This is about keeping working control of the government for Obama," Gingrich said. "It's actually very shrewd on Schumer's part. Trump is not going to have control of the government until at least June." Others say it could be even longer. And that a massive purge is not the answer. "The solution is not to purge the Obama holdovers but rather to actually identify people and move them forward," said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, which has advised the Trump team. "Historically, it has taken a year plus for administrations to get their entire team in place. I'm afraid the Trump team is behind that, and that would not be a good thing. He has to have his own team in place if he's going to be able to get things done." Video A woman beheaded in the road. Five headless corpses hanging from cranes. What the film makes abundantly clear is that the country is a murderous dictatorship which refuses to tolerate dissent. The documentary is based on six months of undercover filming and its footage of beatings and beheadings is disturbing enough. But it also exposes the extremes of wealth and poverty in this oil-rich country. Furthermore, it tells the story of the men and women who dare to speak out against the Saudi dictatorship, and reveals the terrible price they have to pay for their courage. Lagos State is known mostly for hosting one of the most popular cities in Nigeria, Lagos City. But thats not all about Lagos state. There is so much that you probably dont know about Lagos State. Here below is a list of 10 facts that you should know about Lagos State. 1. It is the Smallest State in Nigeria Of all the 36 Nigerian states, Lagos state is the smallest. It looks absurd but its actually true that this is the smallest Nigerian State. This is despite the fact that it hosts one of the most popular cities in Nigeria- Lagos City. 2. The Most Populous State in Nigeria Though it is the smallest state in the country, Lagos remains to be the most populous state in the West African country. The country accommodates 1200 new people daily. 3. It has the Tallest Building in West Africa Lagos state plays host to the tallest building in West Africa. NECOM house towers is the tallest building in the West African region. This building that is located in Lagos is 160m above the city. 4. Nollywood is Centered in Lagos Africas most popular film industry, Nollywood is centered in Lagos. Nearly all the acting scenes in Nigerian movies are in Lagos. It can only be compared to California in the United States. 5. It has the Highest Number of Millionaires in Nigeria Lagos has many millionaires than any other state in Nigeria. The state only plays third to Johannesburg and Cairo to the number of millionaires in it. Though there are many millionaires, Lagos also has poor residents in it, though it does not lead in poverty levels. 6. Lagos Handles 80% of the Countrys Imports Lagos is the Nigerian state that handles majority of the countrys imports. Located in the Southwest beach line of Nigeria, Lagos port is responsible for processing 80% imports in Nigeria. This port of Lagos is also in the list of top 10 in Africa. 7. It has a Floating City Makoko is in the State of Lagos and has been built over the water. People use waterways to travel through the city. This is a unique city in Nigeria. 8.It is a Fast Growing State in the World Playing host to the city of Lagos, the state of Lagos is considered to be among the fastest growing states in the world. The city of Lagos is responsible for propelling Lagos state to an economic hub. 9. Lagos City is the Economic Hub The state of Lagos is majorly dependent on Lagos city for economic recognition. The city of Lagos is the center of all business activities in the state. 10. The Longest Bridge in Africa is from the state Lagos state has the longest bridge in the continent. The bridge connects Lagos Island to the Mainland and its 11.8km long.The above mentioned are some of the facts about Lagos State that you probably never knew. As you get into the weekend, here are some Nigerian delicacies you might lay your hands on 1. Pounded Yam and Egusi Soup Pounded yam is incomplete without Egusi soup melon soup. Pounded yam is made by boiling yam and pounding it. Nigerians abroad prepare alternative pounded yam using yam flour but it doesnt taste like the original pounded yam. Although, the Yoruba people are known to be fond of pounded yam, some other Nigerian tribes also love this delicious delicacy. 2. Tuwo Sinkafa Tuwo Shinkafa is one of the most delicious foods in the Northern part of Nigeria. Tuwo is made by soft rice and spicy sauce. The Hausa tribes love this food and that is why most of them living abroad miss it so much. 3. Ewa Aganyin Every Nigerian beans lover are crazy about Ewa Aganyi. Ewa Aganyi is made up of cooked beans and pepper sauce. It is a delicious beans dish, well-known for its softness and tasty sauce. 4. Party Jollof Rice A Nigerian party without Jollof Rice is no party! There is a theory that party jollof rice are unique. Well, the food has a unique taste and aroma that is different from any type of jollof rice. Most Nigerians look forward to owanbe parties, simply because of the delicious foods including jollof rice. 5. Amala and Ewedu Soup Amala and Ewedu soup is classic Nigerian food, mostly eaten by the Yoruba tribes, especially people from Oyo State, but it is appreciated by other tribes. 6. Poundo-Cocoyam and Oha Soup This mouth-watering delicacy is mostly eaten by people from the Eastern part of Nigeria, the Igbo tribes. Every Igbo family treasures this meal and that is why they miss it so much when they are abroad. 7. Adalu Adalu is a combination of beans and corn, cooked together with flavourful seasoning and spices. Most Nigerians ate lots of this delicious meal when growing up, so they have deep love for it. 8. Moin Moin Moin Moin is a Nigerian staple food which is very rich in protein. Moin Moin is a cooked bean pudding made from combination of grounded pealed beans, pepper, and onions. It is very delicious and tasty. 9. Abacha and Ugba Abacha and Ugba is known as African Salad and it can be eaten as a meal or snack. Many people eat it as a meal because it is fills up your stomach just like any other meal. This meal is well-known in the Eastern part of Nigeria, among the Igbo tribes and they love it. 10. Semovita and Efo Riro Semovita has become a popular food in Nigeria and it serves as an alternative for Pounded yam. People who do not want to go through the stress of pounding yam prefer eating Semovita. Semovita is usually taken with Efo Riro (Vegetable soup), which makes the meal more delicious and nutritious. Here are 10 things you should know about the 51st Ooni that Ife has produced: 1. Prince Adeyeye is 42 years old. 2. The new Ooni of Ife was born into the Giesi Ruling House, Ojaja Royal Compound of Agbedegbede in Ile-Ife. The new Ooni of Ife was born into the Giesi Ruling House, Ojaja Royal Compound of Agbedegbede in Ile-Ife. 3. Prince Adeyeye has always had a sophisticated background; his father, Prince Ropo, was a radio and television anchor and presentation star who spanned the mid-1980s to the early 21st century in the south-western part of Nigeria. 4. His mother, Margaret Wuraola Ogunwusi, is from the Ile Opa family compound in Ile Ife. 5. Prince Adeyeye is an astute entrepreneur who is driven by turning impossibilities to possibilities. This is evident in his savvy business ideas and distinctive youthful revolutions in Ile-ife. He was an entrepreneur right from college! 6. The new Ooni of Ife is well-read. He has a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy from the Polytechnic of Ibadan. 7. He is a member of professional bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an Associate Accounting Technician and a certified member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria. He is also an active member of the Global Real Estate Institute (GRI), having participated at various levels. 8. Prince Adeyeye is presently an employer of about 300 indigenous youth at the Inagbe Cocowood Factory Essential Homes Furniture brand, a first of its kind in Nigeria using 100% indigenous raw materials for production. 9. He is loved and highly respected by the people of Ile-Ife. He is also said to have stayed very much in touch with his roots and tradition. He has close alliances with some of the most esteemed Royal fathers, leaders and kings men. 10. The new Ooni of Ife is a director on the Board of Directors of Imperial Homes Mortgage Bank Limited, (formerly GTHomes), a leading national mortgage bank and former subsidiary of one of the biggest banks in Africa, GTBank Plc. By Hamza Idris, Ismaila Mudashir, Isiaka Wakili, Muideen Olaniyi, Fidelis Mac-Leva, Abbas Jimoh, Musa Midway into the mandate of the current political leaders, the body language of many prominent politicians and those close to them in major political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) among others, indicate that a struggle for the coveted presidential seat is being nursed surreptitiously. While some may likely seek new political platforms, some will remain where they are to slug it out, a development that will prove intriguing. We took a look at some of those who may likely test their political might come 2019. President Muhammadu Buhari Although President Muhammadu Buhari has not declared his interest in seeking a second term, the possibility that he will do so cannot be ruled out as his loyalists and political associates have continued to fly that kite, some quite enthusiastically. Just this January, the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, asked his fellows in the South-East not to talk about an Igbo presidency until after Buharis tenure, saying the president has a tenure to work for four or eight years according to the zoning arrangement of the ruling APC, a claim yet to be debunked by the party. Buharis handlers in the Presidency also seem to believe that the earlier they begin to woo Nigerians for Buharis re-election, the better. Last month while addressing a pro-Buhari crowd, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal hinted at the possibility of President Buhari running in 2019. One of the presidential spokesmen, Malam Garba Shehu, had also last year expressed confidence that the electorate would not abandon Buhari in 2019, claiming that the presidents enormous goodwill remained strong because the people were convinced that he was acting in their best interest despite temporary, unintended consequences of reforms. The president, as usual, will have the final word on the subject. Professor Yemi Osinbajo The possibility that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo may run for the 2019 Presidency cannot be ruled out, and those who do not see him as a potential candidate for the next presidential election might be shocked. There are permutations that if Buhari chooses not to seek a re-election, he might present his deputy for the job. Those who uphold this position are relying on the fact that the president is known for rewarding loyalty, which they believe Osinbajo has so far demonstrated. Professor Osinbajo has been acting as president since January 19 when his boss embarked on vacation in the United Kingdom. And already, some have argued that with the various policy decisions taken in Buharis absence, Osinbajo has the gravitas to govern the nation. Nevertheless, if President Buhari decides to run for second term, the question of whether or not Professor Yemi Osinbajo should be considered for the countrys number two position might arise, especially from vested interests within the APC. Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu The former governor of Lagos State is one politician whose likely declaration for 2019 presidency may not take people by surprise, because of what pundits see as his past attempts to become a vice presidential candidate to President Muhammadu Buhari under the APC, a move he dropped due to the sensitivity of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a complex country like Nigeria. Tinubus recent reaction to a question that sought to know his future political ambition caused a stir in political circles, as it was interpreted to mean that he had already begun preparation to contest in 2019. There is nothing wrong with such ambition. It depends on the timing and the environment and what political leadership dictates. I will not brush aside such an aspiration, Tinubu was quoted as having said during the an event in Ondo State. Tinubu had, however, in a tweet on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 dismissed this position, saying that he would not contest against President Buhari. As long as that patriotic and committed President Buhari holds and seeks to hold the mantle as President, I stand behind him in unwavering support, he said via his Twitter handle @AsiwajuTinubu. Analysts see this stance as conditional. Tinubus possible presidential ambition may enjoy widespread support in the South-West geo-political zone, considering his political sagacity and large followership. He also has a sizeable financial war chest, as he invested heavily in the actualization of the Buhari presidency in 2015. But the odds against such ambition include the fact that Osinbajo came from his camp, and the South-West had earlier spent two terms of eight years under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-led PDP administration between 1999 and 2007. Atiku Abubakar The one-time vice president has never kept hidden his presidential ambition. Atiku had contested the 2007 presidential election on the platform the defunct Action Congress (AC) after realizing that he could not get the PDP ticket because of his frosty relationship with former President Obasanjo. Also, the APC chieftain had contested the presidential ticket with former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 and with then-candidate Buhari in 2014 on different platforms. The action, body language and utterances of the Turakin Adamawa are enough to show seriousness. He has already won the admiration of some in the South-South and South-East with a consistent advocacy for true federalism, calls considered to be subtle campaigns ahead of 2019, especially if President Buhari decides not to run. Atiku maintains a vibrant media office with many staff who ensure he is a constant participator in national discourse. The Turaki is also noted to be a big spender when it comes to pursuing his interests, giving the PDP and ex-president Obasanjo a tough time by dragging them to court several times when they attempted to tame him in the past. In the event the APC becomes a no-go channel for him, insiders say he may likely seek an alternative platform, either in the purported mega-party, the PDP, or any other one as the political equation suggests. More sources said Atiku would surely get the support of political bigwigs across the country should he declare to run again. But the odds against Atikus ambition include, notably, the ceaseless opposition of Obasanjo to his candidacy. Bukola Saraki Saraki is one of the politicians that are likely to contest for the Presidency come 2019. In 2015, he was one of the presidential aspirants of the APC but dropped the ambition two months before the partys primaries in 2014. Saraki, a two-time governor of Kwara State is in a better position to vie for the presidency in view of his position as number three citizen of the country. With senators at his beck and call, he may go for the big seat. At present, he has the firm control of lawmakers, and his youthfulness and mien are added advantages, and also for the fact that he is from the North-Central tells a lot when it comes to political balancing. But Sarakis squabbling with his party, the APC, may negate his chances to clinch the ticket if he runs. He defeated his party in 2015 as a result of his romance with the PDP to emerge as the Senate President. That wound is yet to heal despite the recent consideration of Senator Ahmad Lawan as the Senate Leader. Lawan was the preferred candidate of the APC for the Senate presidency. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso Kwankwaso is a serving senator representing Kano Central at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly and was a presidential aspirant in the last general election. A former governor of Kano State, who served the state from 1999-2003 and 2011-2015 respectively, he is said to have turned around Kano through laudable physical infrastructural development, especially during his second tenure. Although Kwankwaso has been quiet for a while, his political network is not only intact but vibrant across the country. His political trademark, the Kwankwasiyya, which he established before the 2011 general elections is even expanding to other states. In the event he goes for the presidency, his large followership in Kano, Kaduna and other states in the North would give him added advantage especially if he picks a running mate from the South. What will work against him is if decides to remain in APC, and President Buhari decides to go for a second term. Sule Lamido The dwindling fortunes of the PDP, occasioned by counter court cases and mass defection do not deter the former Jigawa governor from nursing his ambition of vying for the presidential position of this country under its platform. Lamido, who is passionate about the PDP, believes that it will soon overcome its travails and bounce back. While the party is suffering in other climes, it is thriving in Jigawa to the extent that some members of the ruling APC are defecting to it. The declaration for his presidential ambition sometime last year did come to many as a surprise. Lamido, who is among the founding fathers of the PDP, said if offered a ticket come 2019, he would be glad to offer himself. What is not clear is whether he will overcome the ambition of many alpha members of the PDP for the same ticket. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal Tambuwal, immediate-past Speaker of the House of Reps, was to contest for president during the 2015 when some of his friends reportedly obtained the APC presidential form for him to participate in the primary. He later shelved the idea and went ahead to contest for the Sokoto State governorship seat, and won. As part of future plans to realize his presidential ambition, the 51-year-old lawyer succeeded in installing his successor in the House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara. He also succeeded in expanding his political base among federal lawmakers from all parts of the country. Described as astute and shrewd politician by many, he leaves no-one in doubt that he would certainly go for the top job in the country in the future, which could be 2019. In the event Buhari seeks a second term, he may likely shelve the ambition until 2013, considering the fact that age is on his side. But a major hurdle to cross for Tambuwal would be getting the support of the South-West, who see him someone who abandoned their own, Femi Gbajabiamila, for the position of Speaker, even though he later played a crucial role in his emergence as Speaker in 2011, against all odds. At some point, the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who did not only support Tambuwal in 2011 but also ensured that all opposition lawmakers voted for him as Speaker, was said to be very angry with Tambuwal for that perceived slight. Ahmed Makarfi Senator Ahmed Makarfi was governor of Kaduna State from 1999 to 2007. Within the eight years he was in office, he was able to mitigate religious and ethnic violence in the state and has through that feat projected himself as an objective and fair-minded leader. His outstanding performance in the state shot him into national limelight, seeing him clinch a seat at the Senate in 2007, even though he lost the bid to return a third time in 2015. But by then, his profile in the PDP had risen and party members appointed him Chairman of the party at a convention which held in Port-Harcourt last year. Since then he has been battling for the position with former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff. As the PDP has made it clear that its presidential candidate in the 2019 elections would be from the North, there is the possibility that given the trust key members of the party especially serving governors have in him, and given his image as an objective leader and acceptability across geopolitical divides, he might be convinced to run for the partys presidential ticket in 2019. He recently said in an interview in Lagos that he may likely go for the No.1 office. However, his handicap may likely be the platform, because it is not yet clear if the PDP will ever be the same again. But it was gathered that Makarfis faction of the party is seeking for the registration of a new platform, the Advanced Peoples Democratic Party (APDP). If they succeed, he may easily get the ticket and slug it out with anyone paraded by the APC or other parties. Nasir El-Rufai Currently the governor of Kaduna State, El-Rufai has been in the news for long as one of those likely to run for the presidency in 2019. This is given his popularity and acceptability across the country. But it is not likely he will show any interest if President Muhammadu Buhari is contesting, as he would not stand any chance in the North and may also stand the risk of losing his political investments, given Buharis acceptability in the region. The current twist in events, where Buhari has been on vacation for a while, has however raised the hope that he might contest as he is said to be one of the top three northerners being considered for the vice presidential slot if Buhari decides on more rest. If that happens, many say it is likely that el-Rufai may latch in on the issue of zoning to contest in 2019, given that the sympathy may be for a northern candidate. Ali Modu Sheriff Sheriff is at present the recognized National Chairman of the PDP. He was a two-time governor of Borno State and three times a senator representing Borno Central. When he wanted to be governor in 2003, he chased a sitting governor in Borno, the Late Mai Mala Kachalla out of the APP and got the ticket. Indeed, he did not only win the election but broke the Borno jinx and won a second term. He was however demystified in 2011 when he wanted to go to the Senate for the fourth time but was defeated by a PDP candidate, the Late Ahmed Zannah Khalifa. That notwithstanding, analysts say Sheriff lost out because of his poor handling of the Boko Haram crisis. A vicious fighter, and mass mobilizer, Sheriff is seen as someone who never runs away from a fight. Despite the fact that PDP governors, ex-ministers, former governors and other organs of the PDP had made many attempts to oust him as chairman of the PDP, Sheriff has defied them. Sources said he may end up easing out as PDP chairman and ultimately get its presidential ticket which has been zoned to the North. From all indications, Sheriff may get the PDP ticket, as he has already liberalized many impediments on his way as some chieftains of the party are already contemplating dumping it for another platform. His albatross may likely be acceptability as a presidential candidate by Nigerians despite the fact that he has enough resources. Ayo Fayose Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose is largely seen as fearless as a result of his controversial comments and leadership style. His February 21, 2017 declaration of presidential ambition in 2019 was also seen by commentators as a joke, but he seems to be serious about it. Some insiders are already calling him the Donald Trump of Nigeria. The 56-year Fayose, who is the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, expressed his interest in the presidency during a live television interview that in the near future, he will take over the mantle to lead the nation as his future was tied to the presidency. It is not by power. It is destiny. I did not believe it when I became Ekiti governor. After eight years, I will be the vice president of Nigeria, even the President very soon. The maverick governor may however have to contend with arrays of other interests within the PDP, some of who are seen as having brighter chances. He also has to grapple with the crisis rocking the PDP and the embattled national chairman of the party, Sheriff, who Fayose with other governors rejected despite an Appeal Court ruling affirming Sheriffs chairmanship. Rochas Okorocha Governor Okorocha is not new at taking shots at the nations Presidency. In 1999, Okorocha, who competed in the primaries to be PDP candidate for governor of Imo State, lost to Achike Udenwa. He then moved to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) but was unsuccessful in his quest for the partys ticket for the presidency in 2003 and therefore returned to the PDP. Okorocha formed the Action Alliance (AA) in 2005, planning to become its presidential candidate for the 2007 elections. He again however returned to the PDP, and in September 2007 indicated that he was interested in becoming PDP national chairman. Okorocha decamped from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and ran as its candidate for Imo State governor in the April 2011 national elections which he won but then decamped to the ruling APC. While the governor said he will not contest the 2019 Presidency, citing the successes of President Muhammadu Buharis administration, Okorocha, who is fluent in all the major languages of the country, is still seen as interested in taking another shot at the presidency in the event Buhari will not contest. Babatunde Fashola Lagos State governor from 2007 to 2015, Babatunde Fashola endeared himself to not only Lagosians, but indeed Nigerians as a whole, due to his impressive performance in the state. As a candidate of the then Action Congress party, Fashola succeeded Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and was re-elected on 26 April 2011. On November 11th 2015, he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to be the Minister of Power, Works and Housing. Not a few analysts and observers believe Fashola may be warming himself up for a higher political job after his current assignment as a minister. Indeed, a former minister Oby Ezekwesili was reported to have urged Fashola (SAN) to run for Presidency in 2019, and an online medium had quoted Ezekwesili as saying: The day Tunde Fashola picks up a form to run for presidency, I Oby Ezekwesili shall sign up to volunteer for his campaign team. In the build-up to the 2015 elections, many were of the opinion that Fashola should serve with President Muhammadu Buhari as the shortest route to the Presidency. This school of thought reasoned that by so doing Fashola would be able to tender credentials superior to any other candidates in 2019. Although he has not indicated his interest, many say it may not be an easy ride for him as 2019 promises to be another titanic battle, given the number of gladiators in the fray. Ken Nnamani Ken Nnamani was President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2005 to 2007. A former member of the PDP, he was elected to the Senate from Enugu State in 2003 and served until 2007. He recently took many by surprise when he denounced his membership of the PDP to join the ruling APC. Currently the head of the Electoral Reform Committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari, he registered as a member of the APC at his country home in Amechi-Uwani, in Enugu South Local Government Area, a move that many political analysts saw as a deft move ahead of the 2019 elections. Coming from a zone (South-East) that has not produced a president since the return to democracy in 1999, many see the former senate president as throwing his hat in the 2019 presidential ring. He would certainly not be the only one from that zone who may be interested in the presidency, but his current role in the APC administration certainly makes him a potentially potent player, also considering his reputation for being one of the few decent politicians in Nigeria. He just may eventually throw his hat into the ring come 2019. Tinubus recent reaction to a question that sought to know his future political ambition caused a stir in political circles, as it was interpreted to mean that he had already begun preparation to contest in 2019. There is nothing wrong with such ambition. It depends on the timing and the environment and what political leadership dictates. I will not brush aside aside such an aspiration, Tinubu was quoted as having said during the an event in Ondo State. Tinubu had, however, in a tweet on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 dismissed this position, saying that he would not contest against President Buhari. As long as that patriotic and committed President Buhari holds and seeks to hold the mantle as President, I stand behind him in unwavering support, he said via his Twitter handle @AsiwajuTinubu. Analysts see this stance as conditional. Tinubus possible presidential ambition may enjoy widespread support in the South-West geo-political zone, considering his political sagacity and large followership. He also has a sizeable financial war chest, as he invested heavily in the actualization of the Buhari presidency in 2015. But the odds against such ambition include the fact that Osinbajo came from his camp, and the South-West had earlier spent two terms of eight years under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-led PDP administration between 1999 and 2007. Source: Daily Trust You dont have to be a world traveler to lose yourself in the fantastic places that dot our planet. Here are 6 of the most unbelievable wonders around the globe. 1. NEW ZEALANDS GLOWWORM CAVES In 1887, Maori Chief Tane Tinorau and English surveyor Fred Mace made an astonishing discovery in New Zealand: a complex of caves illuminated by an otherworldly blue-green glow. For generations, the Maori had whispered about the caverns, but presumably no one had ventured deep inside until this pair went exploring by raft and candlelight. What they found was remarkable. The limestone ceilings of the cave system were strung with thousands of glowing creatures, the larvae of a carnivorous fungus gnat called Arachnocampa luminosa. These glowworms use blue bioluminescence to attract prey, which they then ensnare by dangling a gooey string of mucus. These glittering critters dont live the high life for longadults dont have a digestive system and survive only a few days. Today, thousands of tourists flock to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves to catch a glimpse of their brief but stunning show. 2. CHILES MOST VIBRANT CITY Hugging the Pacific coast, Valparaiso was South Americas greatest international waterway until the Panama Canal stole the spotlight. The city is home to Latin Americas first stock exchange, Chiles first public library, and the worlds oldest continuously running Spanish-language newspaper. Colorful homes dominate, mostly perched on hillsides in a maze of cobblestone alleys. In 2003, its historic quarter was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 3. WYOMINGS PSYCHEDELIC HOT SPRINGS Photosynthetic cyanobacteria really know how to dress up a place. Yellowstone National Parks Grand Prismatic Spring gets its signature look as different bacteria produce color-altering carotenoids, which help the microbes survive the heat and protect themselves from sunlight. (Since its cooler as you move near the edges, the carotenoid colors change.) The result is a vivid prism of color surrounding the 189F blue center. 4. INDIAS FLORAL WONDERLAND Alamy Trek to the Valley of Flowers, part of a national park in the west Himalayas, and youll understand why yogis have long meditated here and why, according to Hindu myth, its a place of healing. For most of the year, the site is covered in snow. But in summer, more than 600 types of flora make their entrance: Orchids, poppies, and daisies of all shades blanket emerald meadows. Situated at the core of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, it is recognized by UNESCO for having outstanding universal value. 5. ETHIOPIAS VOLCANIC VENTS Alamy With sulfur hills, boiling hot springs, and bubbling pools of green acid, the Dallol Hydrothermal Field, in the Danakil Desert, looks like something out of a Seussian nightmare. A constant flow of super-salty hydrothermal waterheated by magma and mixed with mud, iron, and algaegives the area its fantastic colors. At nearly 400 feet below sea level, its the worlds lowest terrestrial volcanic vent. Its also one of the hottest places on earth, averaging 94F year-round. 6. A CZECH REPUBLIC BONE EMPORIUM Alamy The Sedlec Ossuary is one of the most macabre sites in Europe, second perhaps only to the Paris Catacombs. Here, tens of thousands of bones cling to every nook and crannystrung into garlands, piled onto pillars, and stacked into pyramids lurking in the corners. Theres even a coat of arms made entirely of bones, created for a noble family, as well as an 8-foot chandelier said to contain every bone in the human body. All told, the remains of approximately 40,000 people decorate the ossuary, which is sunk below the Church of All Saints in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutna Hora in the Czech Republic. Legend has it that in the 13th century, Sedlecs abbot, sent by the king of Bohemia on a diplomatic mission to Jerusalem, brought back dirt from the purported site of Golgotha (location of Jesuss crucifixion) to sanctify the monasterys cemetery. Soon everybody wanted to be buried there, and over centuries it expanded to hold the victims of the plague and the Hussite wars. The ossuary was constructed in the 14th century to hold extra bones; the first decorative touches may have been added in the 15th century, when a half-blind monk allegedly arranged the bones into pyramids around the room. But a Czech carpenter named Frantisek Rint made the ossuarys real standoutsthe coat of arms and bone chandelierin the 1870s. He even left his signature, constructed from arm and hand bones, near a staircase. Just imagine the skeletons he left in the closet. The new Oba of Benin, Omo nOba nEdo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II was crowned and handed the staff of office by the Governor of Edo state in 2016. We present to you 7 amazing things you should know about the new Oba, previously referred to as Prince Eheneden Erediauwa. 1.) He was born on October 20, 1953. Coincidentally, he was officially presented with the staff of office as Oba of Benin on his 63rd birthday on 20th October, 2016 2.) He attended the famous Edo College in Benin from 1965 to 1967 and also bagged a degree in Economics and Sociology from University of Wales, UK. 3.) He has served as Nigerias Ambassador to many countries including: Norway, Angola, Sweden e.t.c 4.) He is an astute business man with several interests in the petroleum, agro-allied and construction industries. He is the founder of South Point Royal School, Benin, and the non-governmental organisation, Benin Royal Dynasty Trust. 5.) Oba Eheneden is married to three wives: Princess Iroghama ( Obazuaye Nerie), Princess Iyayiota ( Obazuwa Nerie) and Princess Ikpakpa (ohe Nerie). 6.) He was widely reported to be the 39th Oba of Benin but he dismissed this after he officially recognised Oronmiyan, the founder of the yourba race, as the first Oba of Benin. Thereby making him the 40th Oba. 7.) He was recently blessed with a son named Prince Igbinosa Erediauwa Arik Air has released a new schedule for its Kaduna operations following the planned closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the diversion of traffic to Kaduna Airport. The Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Roy Ilegbodu, disclosed this to journalists in Lagos on Saturday. The Federal Government had approved the temporary closure of the Abuja airport from the midnight of March 7. This is to enable the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) carry out a major rehabilitation of the runway at the airport for a period of six weeks. Mr. Ilegbodu said Arik Air would be operating three daily flights between Kaduna and Lagos and one daily flight between Kaduna and Accra, Ghana during this period. Other destinations to be serviced by the airline from Kaduna are Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Sokoto, Gombe, Yola and Enugu, which will have one daily flight each. The new schedule will be operated for six weeks when the Abuja Airport is closed to traffic, he said . Meanwhile, Arik Air has announced a special promotional fare that will enable passengers buy a-one-way ticket to any destination in Nigeria from N16, 000. Mr. Ilegbodu said the promotion, which runs from March 6 to 20 was to acknowledge and appreciate the loyalty of the its highly esteemed customers who had stood with the airline for over a decade of operation. He said, to enjoy this offer, however, customers are advised to buy their ticket on or before March 20, while the last date for travel is March 31. This is an exciting time for both staff and loyal customers of Arik Air. The new management has ensured stability of operations over the last three weeks with improved on-time-performance. Mr. Ilegbodu said Arik passengers would be greeted with many more amazing customer-centric engagements in the months ahead adding that management was working hard to expand its coverage. He said: Arrangements have been concluded to return five of the grounded aircraft back to service shortly and this will enable us add more flights to our network. We therefore welcome back our loyal customers and promise them a great flying experience. Source: NAN The Acting President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, directed the Minister of State for Petroleum, ,yesterday (Thursday) to engage with International Oil Companies on the way forward over repeated calls for the relocation of their head offices to the states where they produce oil from. Most of the IOCs in Nigeria have their headquarters in Lagos, south west of the country, hundreds of kilometers away from the oil-rich Niger Delta region. The Niger Delta people have long complained that while oil exploration activities have polluted their environment, the IOCs were paying taxes and other benefits to another state. Mr. Osibanjo, who was responding to the requests made by various interest groups in Akwa Ibom State during the town hall meeting he had with the people of the state, said the federal government was proposing a new vision for the people of oil producing communities. The American oil giant, ExxonMobil, is one of the IOCs operating in Akwa Ibom, but with its head offices in Lagos. Prof. Osinbajo said, The majority of the people of these communities, including the oil producing communities here in this state, have heard of the wealth that oil has brought, but have hardly benefited from it. He said this at the Government House banquet hall to an excited crowd of indigenes which included the state governor, Udom Emmanuel, the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, and the Managing Director of the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority, OGFZA, Umana Umana. Mr. Osinbajo admitted that the blessings of oil have sadly become a curse for the people. He said that he and his entourage were visiting the state on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari. Nduese Essien, a former minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, for instance, told the acting president that the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, which is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has no befitting office in the state. Mr. Essien, who is also a former member of the House of Representatives, said the DPR was operating from a rented two-bedroom apartment in Eket, adding that NNPC itself has no single office in Akwa Ibom, despite the fact that the state was the largest oil producing state in the country. Mr. Essien said, When they (NNPC workers) come to Akwa Ibom to supervise oil production, where they are joint venture partners with oil companies, they stay in the tents provided by the oil companies,And you know what that means. None of the NNPC subsidiaries is located in Akwa Ibom State. Theres no oil depot in the state for refined petroleum products. The communities are neither stakeholders nor shareholders in the oil business. Apart from the 13 per cent oil derivation money paid to the state government, the oil producing communities in Akwa Ibom have nothing to show for several years of oil exploration in the state. The federal government has shown no interest in meaningful development and presence in the areas, other than providing policemen and other security personnel in the area. They only provide policemen and other security to ensure that oil flows uninterrupted in the area. The oil services companies come from outside Akwa Ibom with their workers whose taxis are paid to their places of residence. The auxiliary benefits and the multiplier effects of operating in the oil producing area are therefore lost. Mr. Essien also said the story of oil exploration in the state was the story of woes, and added that the state was exceptionally peaceful in the Niger Delta region because the elders prevailed upon the youth not to bomb oil pipelines. We can no longer guarantee that the youth will continue to listen to us if the federal government continues to ignore us, Mr. Essien said, pleading with the federal government to reward the state with needed projects and human development. He reiterated the demand of the people that oil companies operating in the state should move their headquarters to the state. Today, all those impediments ranging from lack of airport, road network, housing, and accommodation have been conquered. They dont have any excuse not to move their headquarters to Akwa Ibom. Both the acting president and the minister of state for Petroleum praised the Akwa people for not resorting to the bombing of oil pipelines. Mr. Kachikwu promised that he would ensure that NNPC establishes its presence in the state. This state is not just known as the highest producer of oil in Nigeria, it is also the most peaceful state, Mr. Kachikwu said. I would not have been able to deliver some of the results we are seeing today without the support of the people of this state. (Premium Times) The social media is undoubtedly one of the surest places to beg for alms or scam the unsuspecting star. Every Instagram and Twitter user now has school fees to pay or an ailing family member. Well, Tayo Sobola has had enough of them. The Yoruba actress in a barely suppresses rage cried out via Instagram that the social media space was being turned to something else and every one suddenly has school fees to pay. She begged her followers and the general public to let her be as everyone including her needs help. We can only conclude that Sotayo had probably just checked her DM and was appalled by the number of help me messages waiting for her. While some celebrities keep obliging the social media beggars, we know definitely that some are just scammers with no school fees to pay. If these continues, the real needy ones wont get help. Sotayo has signed out, Timaya has also signed out, thanks to the scammers. I want to start by saying that there is no universal way to deal with loss, everyone experiences this differently and copes in ways that come natural to them. Ive suffered a few losses in life, of things of value, of people; some that left by choice and some that had no say in the matter. Of all the losses, the loss that cut me the deepest was the loss of my sister. I was born in 1989 and she was born in 1988, as imagined we lived very similar lives, went to the same nursery, primary, secondary school and to the same university. We were forced to be very alike from when we were young and my mother would dress us in twin outfits; if time and fate had permitted, we could have very easily been twins. Our lives were so entwined in each others, we knew instinctively what the other wanted and how one felt without the need for words. We saw each other as clear as day for the people we truly were; she saw me and she took me as I was, flaws and all. My friends were her friends and her friends were my friends and when we didnt have friends at all we were there for each other. Life never really felt lonely as long as we had each other, fights and all. This all started in 1989 and ended in 2012. You see I had a dream; that I could be like the people I saw on TV. I dreamed that I could travel and become a supermodel and I could be the one that put my family name in the clouds. So I left home; I left in January in the pursuit of discovering myself and she passed away a few weeks after that. You see, we had never really been separated until this. We had shared life together, the ups and the lows, the tears and the laughter, until I left. I was in New York when the news broke. My other sister and best friend called me and her first question to me was Are you alone, are you sitting down? Until today I have anxiety when people call me past midnight and I also wonder why theres the need for someone to be seated to receive bad news. Back to that snowy cold unfaithful evening; she said to me Somi is dead and I replied No thats not possible, it cant possibly be because death is something we hear about other peoples old parents and grandparents. Its never something that happens to people we know and to young people too. My first reaction was firm unshaken denial. I thought my sister did not know what she was saying; surely she heard wrong, she couldnt possibly know the truth. She had to be wrong. Upon confirmation my second reaction was to negotiate, I went outside in -4 degrees and I got on my knees in the snow and I wept to God, I begged him to perform all those miracles we had heard of in the bible. I traded things, I told him if he brought her back I would be good and I would follow all the 10 commandments to the T. After a few hours she was still dead. At that point I felt inconsolable, I felt shattered, I felt like there was no point to life and that everything we lived for and fought hard for was a lie. I cried more tears than I knew I had in me; it hurt and it wasnt the kind of pain I had ever been through. I couldnt identify this sharp pain that caused me to lose my breath at random moments or why I had to hold my chest to prevent it from falling off. It was blind pain; not the type you could ever describe. After that I felt angry; at myself for leaving, at God for allowing it to happen, at the universe for succumbing and at her for leaving me. I had to travel almost 20 hours from New York to Dubai to Lagos to Port Harcourt to be with the family in the dreadful state I was in; I checked in crying uncontrollably, I boarded the same way, waited for my connecting flight in tears that truly blocked my sight and by the time I got home I was too numb to be in shock at how I still had any tears left. This is by far the worst thing that has ever happened to me. To lose my almost twin sister and to go on living. The worst part about loss after loss in itself is the fact that the clock still ticks, the sun still rises and sets, the world does not stop to notice that my own world had crumbled, people are still capable of laughter, the company you work for doesnt shut down. Life as they know it keeps going on. My life had paused, I was in-between shock and numbness, I wondered how the earth still moved and I wondered how I still carried on. 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. The clock kept ticking and time kept passing by. Below are a few ways I coped (and Im still coping). I always surrounded myself with love, I stayed around family and friends that loved me and I pulled my healing from them. I allowed the pain to flow, I cried when the tears came, I felt the intense pain when it knocked, I called her phone endlessly, I wrote her numerous letters, I remembered her, I talked to her, I felt her, I never hid from the pain that any of that brought. You must allow yourself to feel the pain. I accepted the reality that she was never coming back and I had to forge a life of my own. The most painful reality Ive ever had to embrace but it was necessary. I realized that I wasnt the only one hurting and I had to be there for other people in our family and lives that had also lost her; I was there as much as I was able to for them, I was the strength they needed. After a while, I started to fill myself with various things to keep me busy with life and to distract me from the pain that was threatening to own me. I was still alive and I had to rejoin the land of the living; so I did. If youve lost someone, I sympathize with you. Im sorry life made you go through that. You never stop missing him/her and life without them never gets easier but you teach yourself to survive. Day by day, month by month, year by year; you choose to survive, you choose to be present, you choose to thrive, you do it for yourself sometimes and other times you do it for them because thats what they would have wanted but you do it nonetheless and in the process of this you become a stronger person, your weakness gives you strength. A part of me died with my sister Somi. I know this and Ive accepted it. Not one day goes by that shes not present in my heart. These words I write are all beneath the tears I still have no control over. I had a sister and I lost her and she will always be in my memory or in my heart but never in the universe next to me and whenever I refer to her now it will always be in past tense. Dear person suffering from loss, you are a survivor, time really does heal, the wound will ALWAYS be there but it wont always feel so sore; as bleak as life looks, you will manage it until you start to thrive in it. Trust in your journey, trust in the process, feel the pain and learn to live with the nagging feeling in your heart. Please if you have any tips or coping mechanism youve mastered please do drop them in the comment section, I want to learn, others want to learn. Let us help each other. According to the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, she said, the Federal Government has so far released the sum of 5.1 trillion Naira out of 6.06 trillion Naira passed by the National Assembly in the 2016 budget. She said this on Wednesday at a meeting organised by the Joint National Assembly Committee on Appropriation in Abuja, Nigerias capital. Mrs Adeosun told the committee members that despite the shortfall in revenue in 2016, the Federal Government has so far released 870 billion Naira for capital expenditure, excluding the proceeds from the Eurobond. However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, sought to know if the Ministry of Finance diverted funds from loans to finance personnel expenditure rather than capital expenditure. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the stakeholders meeting on implementation of the 2016 budget. Senator Goje noted that the Acting Director from CBN, Mohammed Yakubu, was not competent to speak before the Joint committee, insisting that the CBN governor must appear before the committee latest Friday morning. Goje said, We have left serious business of processing 2017 budget to ensure the level of implementation of the 2016 budget. It is Nigerians right to know the level of implementation. The CBN governor could not call us, he only sent an Acting Director in the CBN to appear before the committee. Giving details of releases for 2016 budget before the committee, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Hammed Idris, informed the lawmakers that 870 billion Naira was released for capital projects which constituted 55%, while 2.3 trillion Naira was released for personnel cost and 351 billion Naira for statutory transfer. Mr Idris added that 1.3 trillion Naira was meant for debit servicing, service wide votes for 285 billion Naira while overhead was 138 billion Naira. He explained that personnel cost and debit service were achieved 100%, overhead cost achieved 85% while capital was achieved 55%. On his part the Director-General of Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, said there was a shortfall of 1.1 trillion Naira in targeted Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for 2016, explaining that only 398 billion Naira was realised in 2016 IGR out of targeted 1.5 trillion Naira. He attributed poor capital funding in 2016 to revenue shortfall, stressing that projection oil revenue only accounted for 20% of the total 2016 budget. Mr Akabueze said the reason we are unable to implement capital budget fully is as a result of shortfall in the IGR. He, however, failed to give a clear picture of how the loan borrowed was utilised, but promised the lawmakers for details before the end of implementation of 2016 budget. The House of Representatives Committee on the Federal Capital Territory has recommended that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) should investigate a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, over his role in the acquisition of land for the controversial multi-billion dollar Abuja Centenary City Project. The Project was approved by former President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 to commemorate Nigerias centenary anniversary and at that time Pius Anyim was the Senate President who was the one in charge of the project, estimated to gulp $18.376bn. The public land acquired for the city covered 1,267 hectares. But, the panel said the promoters of the project allegedly abused Jonathans directives and also flouted the existing laws guiding the Abuja land-swap policy to suit personal and other business interests. The committee, which is chaired by a member of the All Progressives Congress from Benue State, Mr. Herman Hembe, laid its report before the House, in Abuja, on Thursday. The session was presided by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara. However, the House has yet to consider the recommendations of the committee to decide whether to approve them or reject them. In line with its tradition, the House, in its Committee of the Whole, will list the report for consideration by members on a later date. Among those listed for probe along with Anyim by the committee are a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Bala Mohammed; Ms Boma Ozobia, and Mr. Paul Oki. Ozobia and Oki are the sole directors of Centenary City Plc, a firm incorporated for the sole purpose of executing the project. Part of the report read, As the main driver of the Centenary City project, the former SGF knew or should have known that financial consideration was the real essence for sourcing for a private investor for the project. As far as the committee could determine, there was nothing in the portfolio of Centenary City Plc to suggest that the company had the financial capacity to implement a project of USD18,376,660,950. As earlier said, the two companies that own the Centenary City Plc have a combined share value of N20,000. The two companies are, in turn, owned by two individuals (Boma Ozobia and Paul Oki), who happen to share the same address. The former FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, on the basis of this information, expressed misgivings as to the financial capacity of the investor in a letter to the then SGF dated April 8, 2014. In addition, the committee directed the return of all the parcels of land taken by the FCT administration to form part of the centenary city project to their original owners. This invariably implied the revocation of the entire land for the centenary project on the grounds of breaching the Abuja land-swap policy. The committees recommendation stated, The Right of Occupancy and Certificate of Occupancy purportedly granted the Centenary City Plc by the former FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, on April 10, 2014, should be withdrawn by the present FCT Minister, Mohammed Musa-Bello. The committee explained that by the terms of the contract agreement on the project, the land title automatically ceased to exist after the investor failed to meet the 180-day requirements for the commencement of development. Among others, the committee advised President Muhammadu Buhari to revoke the status of the Free Trade Zone granted to the Centenary City Plc and the company should be deregistered as a free zone entity. Summing up its findings, the committee said, The implementation of the centenary city project from beginning to its current status leaves much to be desired. Presidential directives were flouted, relevant laws were violated and contractual obligations were wantonly breached. The committee determined that the only feasible way to do justice and equity to all parties is to restore them to the status quo ante and cause the law enforcement agencies to investigate the circumstances of the project. It will be recalled that during a public hearing conducted on the project in last months, some stakeholders, including a member from Anyims home state, Ebonyi, Mr. Linus Okorie, disagreed with the committee. Anyim had claimed that Hembe was investigating him to get his pound of flesh over his refusal to sack a former Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ms Arunma Oteh, as requested by Hembe. ( Punch Newspaper) The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Aba unit,Abia state, has called on the Federal government to repair the moribond refineries in the state. This was made known by the the Public Relations Officer of the association, Chukwumaeze Njoku as he Lamenting over the situation, he also said that the epileptic supply of petroleum products from the refinery at Port Harcourt, has subjected them to continue to source for the product elsewhere at a very high cost. Mr Njoku therefore appealed to relevant authorities to ensure that the refineries are up and running while also suggesting adequate maintenance and strict surveillance of oil pipelines within the state. He said, I want to say that there has been lack of fuel in Abia state and this is because the depot in Aba where most marketers are expected to pick their product, has been moribund. I would like to say that, before then, the marketers have had to endure the epileptic supply from the refinery in Port Harcourt. I want you to know that, we stopped lifting products from Osisoma depot on May 2016 and till date, we have not had any supply. I believe I am speaking for the marketers who want the refineries to be fixed and adequate care taken to assist the communities where the pipelines passes. I want to appeal to the relevant authorities to maintain the pipelines with good surveillance. I must admit that the task of ensuring fuel availability in the state rests squarely on our shoulders and what we do is to go as far as Lagos, Calabar to procure these petroleum products at our own expenses and risk. I want to say that the government should do something fast to reverse the trend, Njoku stressed. (Channels Television) Malaysia yesterday released a North Korean suspect in the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Koreas leader and prepared to deport him, while police issued an arrest warrant for another North Korean wanted in connection with the killing. Kim Jong Nam was murdered on Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, after being assaulted by two women who Malaysian police believe smeared his face with VX, a chemical classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. The women, one from Indonesia and the other from Vietnam, were later detained and were charged this week with murder. A North Korean man, Ri Jong Chol, was also arrested days after the murder, but he was released from police detention yesterday. He was taken from detention to an immigration office wearing a bullet proof vest to be processed before being sent back to Pyongyang. He, accompanied by two representatives of the North Korean embassy, are scheduled to depart to their native country today, Mustafar Ali, director general of the Immigration Department said in a statement. Malaysias attorney-general told Reuters on Thursday he was being released due to insufficient evidence. The murder of Kim Jong Nam, 47, has soured relations between Malaysia and North Korea, which had maintained friendly ties for decades. South Korean intelligence and US officials say the murder was an assassination organized by North Korean agents. Kim, who had been living in the Chinese territory of Macau under Beijings protection, had spoken out publicly against his familys dynastic control of isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea. Source: Leadership Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has cleared the air about the media reports that he is pushing for an Igbo President in 2019. Mr. Obasanjo said in an interview that he was passing an analogy between the marginalisation of the people of Southeast and indigenes of Ogun West Senatorial District in Ogun State. The former leader said he told a group of visiting Christian leaders some weeks ago that he would like to see an end to apparent marginalisation of people he mentioned, but did not say it must happen in 2019 or 2023. Obasanjo said,Again, I did not say that. You people say whatever you want to say. Some media outlets had reported Mr. Obasanjos comment as a call for an Igbo presidency in 2019 while, some critics accused the former president of sectionalism. Obasanjo continued saying ,Look, Christian Association of Nigeria, Ogun State chapter, came to see me here. They asked me to brief them on the situation in Southern Kaduna. I have been briefed by Bishop Matthew Kukah who comes from that area. I have been briefed by General Martin-Luther Agwai who comes from that area. I gave them my own understanding of that issue. I told them the Southern Kaduna issue is both historical, cultural, religious and political. So if you now want to resolve the issue, you have to take all these issues together. And I said the problem is when we fail to attend to something the time were supposed to attend to it and then it boomerangs on our face, then we dont have anybody to blame. I said, here in Ogun State, we have a bit of Southern Kaduna problem. I said since Ogun State was created, we have had four elected governors. We have three senatorial districts east, central and west. It has rotated between east and central. And I said west has not had a governor. So I said I dont know when you will get there, but if you dont get there when you should get there and the west decides to go into agitation then you have yourself to blame. I said the same with Nigeria, at independence we had a country of tripod. The north, the east and the west. The north, majority tribe is Hausa-Fulani. The east, majority tribe is Igbo. The west, majority tribe is Yoruba. Hausa-Fulani in the north cannot complain. Yoruba, they cannot complain. Even those who didnt vote for Obasanjo the first time, they had to accept later. I said the Igbo havent had that chance. Now, we must be mindful, that we do not ignore that. That must be taken care of. Thats all, the former president added The Acting President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osibanjo, has commended the Governor of Abia State, , over what he describes as the smart business approach to governance. Professor Osinbajo said this when Governor Ikpeazu led a delegation of some top functionaries of Abia state government alongside top Aba business/industry leaders to a meeting with Osinbajo and top federal government functionaries in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. A press statement issued by the office of the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ikpeazu, revealed that the meeting held at the Acting Presidents office in Aso Rock Villa, was a follow up meeting on the economic development plan of the state, especially as it concerns support for the growth of Small Scale and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Aba. While commending Governor Ikpeazus smart business approach to governance, Professor Osinbajo restated that Aba is very strategic and important to the country in terms of innovation, manufacturing and production. Nigeria has no business with China if all hands are on deck to develop Aba as a major industrial base. I commend Governor Ikpeazus unflinching campaign for made in Aba products which quality have improved across board. I must say that the made in Aba campaign has raised the tempo in demand for Aba made goods, therefore, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) as federal agencies should ensure that Aba business community have no difficulty registering their products Osinbajo said. Governor Ikpeazu, while making his presentation, outlined his administrations MSME development plan for Aba industrial zone and thanked the FG for partnering with the state to develop the economy of Aba and Abia State. He stressed on the need for rapid development of Aba as the SME capital of Nigeria, adding that Aba has the capacity and potentials to make Nigeria truly the giant of Africa. I want to say that if Aba is given adequate attention, which includes infrastructural and human capacity development, it has the potential and capacity, as the SME capital of Nigeria, to position Nigeria as truly the giant of Africa. Our government is doing all we can to ensure the infrastructural turnaround of Aba within the limited resources of the state, but we cant do it alone, that is why we are thankful to the Federal Government for showing very strong interest in partnering with us to develop Aba as the SME capital of our dear country. I must say, it is our collective resolve to promote goods and services made in Aba, and we will not relent in the campaign. We call on the Federal Government and multinational companies as well as individuals to not only join us in the campaigns, but also patronise made in Aba goods. My administration is also looking forward to the time when all government procurement would give priority to locally manufactured goods to support local producers the governor said. Meanwhile, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okey Enelama has informed Governor Ikpeazu, that the FGs plan on the development of Aba industrial zone which is part of the 2017 budget, will soon come on stream. Read the article below.. I am not a religious kinda person; though I almost ended up a priest because of too much religion at that time. I think religion has nothing to do with survival. kinda believe in God, but I dont believe in religion. I dont need religion to know God. I think religion is mankinds way of mumurizing mumus. Talk about our churches, come and see fakeness dressed in three piece suit and a Jerry curled hair. Too much fakeness swimming in Nigeria today. From fake marriages, fake friendships, fake lovers, to fake leaders, fake pastors, fake parents, fake judges, fake breasts, fake pussies, fake dicks, fake politicians,leaders, fake products everywhere, oh my world! Its like most of the things in Nigeria today are just fake. Kai Chineke. Most Naija Christians are a bunch of sorry ass fakers. We pray as though we were the most prayerful set of people on the face of the earth yet our hearts belongs to Babylon. Na so dem go sidon dey look God face to do for them that which ability would have accomplished. For sermons, our fake pastors preach about miracles and breakthroughs. Our fake youths now believe that through miracles and breakthroughs, a person can get something out of nothing. Haba, Haba, Haba Mumu thinking, You wan reap where you no sow? Christianity has become magic and fake youths are eating it up. See how the fake Mumu congregations celebrate symbols of instant success like the riffraffs in leadership who looted us into poverty; the scammers; the 419s; the thieves in the Banking sector and MMM devotees. What a goddamn shame that this is the type of success messages you hear from the Pulpit of different churches. On my fucking Pulpit, I call it like I see it! You dont need any fucking pastors blessing to make it in life. The shout of I receive it! alone is not enough to bless you for that week. The shout of Amen! no matter how loud, doesnt make God to fulfill any of your selfish wishes. No anointing oil, speaking in tongues, dry fasting, casting and binding can produce miracles where you havent worked for it. Nigeria is a prayer loving, God-fearing nation Fuck that shit! We are a country with a lot of fake-punk-assholes prancing around like Christians. Its me Charly and I am tripping on the Pulpit. Catch Charly CharlyBoys Pulpit Radio Continental 102.3FM Lagos A promising Nigerian student in the South-eastern part of the country has today, 3rd of March, 2017 died under very controversial circumstances. A 400 Level female student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka was today, found dead in the room of a security man in her hostel after allegedly smoking marijuana and inhaling fumes from a generator set. According to the UNIZIK Parrot, the incident took place at one Anita Lodge in Ifite near Royal Bed around the school environs. The young lady allegedly went to the room belonging to the Hausa man to charge her mobile phone during which she joined him in smoking weed before sleeping off in his apartment. She later died in his room after presumably inhaling the generator fumes as the place was ill-ventilated. The security is also in a state of coma and is currently being attended to at the hospital. The incident caused a commotion in the school as people were thrown into disarray. See more photos from the scene of the incident: Nothing can spoil a tenants view of a self-storage facility quite like entering his unit and finding a pest infestation. In short, its worth the cost to protect your facility and units from the various rodents and bugs that can damage property and spread disease. Getting rid of and protecting against pests is specialized work. To do it right, you should really consider hiring an exterminator. You can do it yourself, but your mistakes could end up costing extra money. That being said, lets take a look at some of the basics, so that if you choose to do the work yourself, youll have a starting point. Similarly, if you choose to hire an exterminator, youll have some idea of what theyll do. Hiring an Exterminator Whats the climate like in your area? What sort of pests lurk among the plants and within the walls? These factors will determine not only what the exterminator needs to do to protect your self-storage facility, but also how often the site will need to be serviced. Get a written estimate from an exterminator who has thoroughly examined your property. Make sure your provider informs you of what will be done. This may include spraying around the property, setting rat and mouse traps in certain areas, sealing up cracks and more. Facility Preparation There are several things you can do around the property to discourage pests. First, theres the design of the self-storage facility itself. Make sure that landscapingmeaning trees and other plantsare near the office for curb appeal but away from the storage units. This will help prevent various bugs from migrating from the plants to the units. Even small cracks can let in pests like ants, cockroaches and spiders. If possible, make sure all units are air and water tight. Seal spaces around pikes and in the walls with silicone-based caulk. Dont forget to dispose of garbage regularly. The longer its left out, the more pests will find it and breed in it. Pests get thirsty and are highly attracted to water. As much as possible, keep water out of and flowing away from units. This means ensuring roof-gutter systems carry water away from the buildings and into drains. Advise Your Tenants Make sure your tenants know they can also assist in preventing pest infestations. Here are a few important steps: When possible, use plastic boxes/bins instead of cardboard boxes, as some pests eat cardboard. Definitely avoid using cardboard boxes from grocery stores. These may have food residue. Don't store perishable foods. Consider leaving some moth balls or cotton balls dipped in peppermint oil around the inside of units, as these can ward off rodents. Consider spreading a light layer of roach powder (borax) where the unit walls meet the floor. This helps kill roaches and ants. Dont store mattresses or bedding that have bed bugs. If unsure, spray affected bedding with insecticide and vacuum it. Wash blankets, pillow cases and sheets before storing them. Partnering with a professional exterminator and following the rest of these guidelines should significantly cut down on any pest problem and make tenants happy to store with your facility. Jonathan Fesmire is a copywriter at Storagefront.com and writes articles for the companys blog, The Renters Bent. In 2011, he earned a Master of Fine Arts from Academy of Art University. It's critical to help clients make the most of the plans they have Speaking in Limerick yesterday, Mr Shanahan said having completed all the advance preparations, companies are now fixing their sights on non-UK site options. He told a business breakfast at the citys Savoy Hotel that my expectation is that in the next number of weeks we will see companies making decisions about where they are going to locate in a post-Brexit world. He said these companies are going to move ahead because they have to. They have to give their shareholders clarity about what the plan is, and give their clients clarity and certainty. We will see more investment into Ireland as a result, and my expectation is that all regions will ultimately benefit because of that. Mr Shanahan said the other big issue Ireland faced is the new US administration and what that might mean from a foreign direct investment perspective. He said: It is probably too early to say, and we are only a few months into the new presidency. There is an expectation that there may be tax reforms in the US, and an expectation that there might be something done around the repatriation of profits, that there might be a stimulus programme, that there may be adjustments to the regulatory landscapes in the US. He said such moves have been very well received by US multinationals. Those I have met at a senior leadership level in US multinationals over the past few months have been extremely positive and optimistic about what it might mean for US business. They are extremely bullish on the US economy, and the markets reflect that. We have seen a significant rise in the US markets. Those things dont concern us hugely. I dont believe they will detract from our competitiveness, he said. US multinationals need to continue to access the European market and theres no one country or continent that has a monopoly on those things. What we need to do is focus on the things that are in our control so that when those companies internationalise and when they are looking for a home, it is Ireland first. Meanwhile, IDA statistics show Limerick is the fastest-growing region for foreign direct investment outside Dublin. Limerick Chamber CEO James Ring said: In addition to the 9,000 jobs and 1.3bn in investment over the past three years, unemployment is at 7%, which is lower than the national average. Mr Lee, the 48-year-old third-generation leader of the countrys top conglomerate, was indicted on Tuesday on charges including pledging 43bn won (35.2m) in payments to a confidant of President Park Geun-hye. We are preparing hard, thinking that the upcoming Samsung trial... could be the trial of the century that the entire world will be watching, special prosecutor Park Young-soo told reporters. Health Minister Simon Harris and Disabilities Minister Finian McGrath are to seek cabinet permission to announce the appointment at Tuesdays ministerial meeting, a week on from the publication of two long- delayed HSE reports into what happened. The appointment will mean the commissions exact terms of reference can be published early next week, before being ratified by the Dail and Seanad in the coming days. The commission, first promised by Taoiseach Enda Kenny in early February 2016, will be able to begin its work later this month. As reported by the Irish Examiner, the commission is due to examine specific circumstances involving what happened to a woman given the pseudonym Grace, and 46 other people, at the facility between 1983 and October 2013. It will also examine repeated claims senior HSE officials involved in Graces care attempted to cover up what happened; the role of then health minister Michael Noonan; when the family were first registered as foster carers; and why people involved remain employed in senior HSE and Tusla roles. Christine Crowley, aged 72, from Main St, Drimoleague, faced sentencing after pleading guilty to 20 sample counts from a 174-count indictment of fraud involving sums totalling more than 70,000 over several years. Judge Sean O Donnabhain said: I have never come across a case where the deceit was so well organised. There is a level of egregious criminal behaviour. The behaviour is so egregious and I dont use the word often. There was such commitment to criminality I cannot find my way at the moment on any view of this there has to be a prison sentence. There is no other answer for the level of criminality. Without making any guarantee I will remand her in custody until April 4. Dont get me wrong. Do not read anything into that, do not read anything between the lines. As I say I cannot see my way to impose a fully suspended prison sentence. Garda Elizabeth OSullivan said, but for the pleas of guilty, there would have been a trial of up to five weeks with 174 witnesses and over 1,500 documentary exhibits. The judge said it would have been complicated almost beyond belief had it gone to trial. In essence, the fraud involved the accused making claims against the HSE for fictitious drugs between 2004 and 2009. Garda OSullivan said: The medications were never prescribed by doctors, never dispensed [by the pharmacist] and never received by the patient. The investigation commencing in May 2009 was so extensive that an incident room had to be set up at Bandon Garda Station. Records of 422 patients with the two pharmacies owned and run by Christine Crowley had fake entries. A total of 83 patients made statements to gardai. In an effort to quantify the loss, the gardai pieced together a documentary snapshot of the fraud. In a particular six-month period, the loss to the HSE was 70,000. James OMahony SC said 70,000 had been repaid and anything else was a matter of civil litigation. Mr OMahony said the defendant had continued to dispense medication to patients for more than 12 months, paid for not by the HSE but out of her own pension and her husbands pension. She has accepted she was wrong. This has devastated her life. It has had an adverse effect on her wellbeing. She is full of remorse. She is no longer practising as a chemist. There are no yachts, no investments or tracts of land. [By pleading guilty] she is entitled to credit for saving the state huge amounts of money. The losses have been recouped. The defendant is otherwise a very decent lady. She received hundreds of cards from patients she dealt with over the years wishing her well. Mrs Crowley is a lovely lady. What she has done was entirely wrong. She has made a total mess of things. The historic Clock Gate Tower in Youghal, East Cork, has been officially opened after a 10-year 750,000 restoration project to create an iconic visitor attraction on Irelands Ancient East. The landmark building is now gearing up to host visitors seven days a week from April, with predictions that it will boost visitor numbers and generate up to 1.4m for the local economy annually. Aileen Murray, manager of Youghal socio-economic development group, who oversaw the restoration project on behalf of Cork County Council, described the official opening as a significant day for the region. The vision of Youghal Clock Gate Tower is to be an essential part of any visitors journey to the region. Youghal now has a quality attraction that is truly unique and one which can be the hook for both international and domestic visitors to the area. The four-floor Clock Gate Tower was built as a gaol and gallows in 1777 on the site of one of the towns key 14th-century fortifications, Trinity Castle. Owned now by Cork County Council, the building was developed by the local authority on a phased basis since 2008, with support from conservation and restoration works funded by South and East Cork Development, and more recently by a 200,000 Failte Ireland capital grant. It now houses an interpretive centre which will allow visitors trace the rich history of Youghal since the 1400s. Designed by Scroope Design, the works include a permanent interpretative exhibition, costumed storytellers, storyboards and screen imagery, and an audio guide system for non-English speakers which will outline the buildings history as a medieval merchants dwelling, a gaol, and a time keeping floor. An audio- visual presentation also recalls the experiences of the McGrath family who once lived in the tower. Town crier Clifford Winser and storyteller Emily Tobin at the official opening of Youghal Clock Gate Tower. The tower has welcomed several hundred visitors since its soft opening in November, but its gearing up to welcome thousands during the peak tourist season. Jenny De Saulles, the head of Irelands Ancient East project, said the attraction will bring history alive: This project truly sums up what we are trying to do with Irelands Ancient East. Council chief executive, Tim Lucey, said the potential of the Youghal Clock Gate Tower was identified more than a decade ago, and that efforts to preserve and enhance its opportunities were always pursued by the council: Together with the support of Failte Ireland and the people of Youghal, an iconic attraction is now open and will be a wonderful addition to the tourism offering we have here in the county. Youghal Clock Gate Tower is open Thursday to Sunday until April, when it will open 9am to 6pm, seven days a week until September. At a meeting of MEPs in Brussels on Thursday, Mr Kenny told members of Fine Gaels European group, the European Peoples Party (EPP), he intends attending a gathering in Wicklow on the week of May 11 and 12. The meeting is to be hosted by MEP Sean Kelly. The meeting will include prominent members of the EPP Groups bureau and presidency which is responsible for the groups political and strategic decisions and high-profile guest speakers from Europe as well as those from Fine Gael. Mr Kenny last week said he would deal definitively and conclusively with his leadership on his return from Washington DC, but almost immediately he dropped signals of staying on longer than many within Fine Gael want. He has since gone on to say he wants to attend at least two Brexit- related EU summits as well as a major EPP meeting in Malta which would bring him through to mid-April. However, his commitment to attend Mr Kellys event in May will surely test the patience of the main contenders to succeed him, ministers Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar. He is likely to hang around a bit and play with Leo and Simon. But he committed to attending this gathering in Wicklow, said one party source. According to the notice, Mr Kelly will host a major meeting of Europes biggest political group, the Group of the European Peoples Party, in Wicklow in May 2017. The event will see leading EU politicians and members of the EPP, to which Fine Gael is aligned in Europe, gather in the Newtownmountkennedy area of Co Wicklow for two days of discussions and policy development with several key speakers. Mr Kenny is invited to address the event and Mr Kelly further confirmed that he has invited the EU Commissions chief negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, to speak to attendees in Wicklow, the notice read. Mr Kelly said: I am delighted to confirm that the EPP group has accepted my invitation and I will be honoured to host a meeting of the EPP group in Wicklow on May 11-12. The implications of Brexit will be a major issue on the agenda as well as other key EU policies. Given Irelands specific and unique situation concerning the UKs departure from the EU, it is fitting that the issue will be debated in Ireland. Irelands Brexit concerns are fully understood at EU level and we continue to engage with our EU partners on those issues as the UK prepares to trigger Article 50 and launch negotiations. The remaining 27 EU member states will negotiate with the UK as one bloc, with the EU Commissions chief negotiator Michel Barnier leading. I have met Mr Barnier on Brexit on several occasions and he is working closely with the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Irish MEPs and government ministers. I have also invited Mr Barnier to come to address this meeting in Wicklow in May. Ms Fitzgerald, who has been linked with the leadership of Fine Gael is, however, said to me more interested in a run for the Aras, but her bid will be determined by whether current President Michael D Higgins decides to run again. Those close to her have said she is not ruling it out at the present. She wants a leadership role, but it is not the one most people link her with. The park is where it is at for her, said one senior party figure to the Irish Examiner. Mr Higgins, 75, on the day he was elected in 2011, said he would only be a one-term incumbent but there is a growing sense that he could consider a second term, should he not be opposed by anyone. Ms Fitzgerald, who is 66-years-old, is said to feel in the absence of President Higgins, that she could stand a good chance of winning an election. She has a broad appeal outside of the party, probably more than she does within the party. As Tanaiste, she would easily get the support of the Government were Michael D not to run, one senior minister said last night. In response to queries from the Irish Examiner, a spokesman for Ms Fitzgerald said: She is, at the moment, considering whether to contest the leadership contest of Fine Gael. But all the while, she is concentrating on the job at hand. First elected to the Dail in 1992, she has been a TD and a senator before her appointment to Cabinet in March 2011 as the first childrens minister. She replaced Alan Shatter as justice minister following his controversial resignation in 2014. Ms Fitzgerald has previously spoken of her desire to lead, telling the Sunday Independent in 2015: I have always enjoyed leading when I had the opportunity to lead in a variety of roles and I think it is a real privilege to lead. The presidency is for a seven-year term meaning an election has to take place next year. It is felt if President Higgins indicates a willingness to undertake a second term, then he would not be opposed, negating an election contest. It comes as the commission confirmed significant quantities of human remains at the site of the Tuam mother and baby home. The women are members of the Irish First Mothers group, which represents about 60 women who were resident in mother and baby homes. An information meeting for the residents of the Tobar Jarlath and Dublin Road estates was called at short notice by Galway County Council yesterday. Only three residents attended the meeting with local elected representatives and council staff. The media was not allowed access to the meeting and the residents leaving the meeting declined to be interviewed. The site excavated by the commissions archaeologists discovered the significant number of remains, but Cllr Peter Roche confirmed there are concerns that the site might be bigger than first thought and could actually stretch into some private residences that border the old mother and baby home site. The Tuam mother and baby home closed in 1961 and a few years later the Dublin Road and Tobar Jarlath estates were constructed on and beside the site. Further updates were given to local residents via a second leaflet drop yesterday evening by the councils community wardens. The excavated site is cordoned off and coated with gravel following the excavations. A statement from the council said it is committed to involving the local residents in their decision. It is understood the coroner for north Galway has been notified and will decide what course of action is required. Dedicated information lines have been set up: 01 6473118, 01 6473232, and 1850 241850. Marching for what you believe in has long been a form of protest, a way of showing those in power that you do not agree, and that you feel strongly that change is needed. I marched in 2003 against the Iraq war along with millions and millions of others around the globe. The Bush administration managed to unite the world like no one else ever had. From Antarctica to the streets of New York City, people stood together calling for the war effort to cease. The war went ahead. I, like many millions of others, felt deflated and disheartened and felt that a new form of protest was needed. But in the past few years, movements have grown out of marches and and have swollen to a stage where they are not being ignored, the media is paying attention and perhaps the few in power are as well. On Wednesday, to coincide with International Womens Day, there will be a march, and a call for women to strike. In Ireland there are many pressing issues facing women but the pain and suffering that the eighth amendment inflicts on thousands of Irish citizens each year will be at the forefront of the debate. This debate is nuanced and complicated and very difficult. There is no joyful story, as there was with the marriage equality referendum; there will be no rainbows in the sun-filled courtyards of Dublin Castle. That Saturday that the votes were counted, I was so proud of being Irish, proud of my countrys compassion and kindness, and proud that my friends can now count themselves as equal. It is now time to embrace this energy in a call for Irish women to have control of their futures and to allow the suspicion and dogma around abortion to ebb way. More than 20 years ago, the thing happened that you think will never happen you. Even after precaution, a pregnancy test came back positive; my heart raced, my eyes swum. It is hard to take in. I did not know where to turn and, not wanting to burden my family, I turned to friends for help. There is always someone who has made the journey before you to lend a helping hand. I then began the expensive and lonely process to trying to get to England. Travelling alone at a vulnerable time and staying on the floor of a friend of a friends flat was the only financially viably option. The kind, attentive, and understanding service I received from the English doctors left me indebted to them. I was so grateful not to have to talk in whispers and could instead have a pertinent conversation. A restless night was followed by a long, lonely trip home with no medical follow-up, pale and wane, alone, broke. I knew instantly that it was the right decision for me. I am lucky to enjoy my life and I appreciate all that it offers me and I think this one decision I made over 20 years ago was seminal to my future. It was one of the single most significant and difficult decisions I have made and it was my decision to make, not the taoiseachs, not the Churchs, and not that of anyone else. It was mine and I was not allowed make it in my own country. I was exported, like thousands of other women are every day of every single year. No one should have to speak about a personal or medical matter but I want to speak in the hope that some of the people who can help stop the export will be listening. We have abortion in Irish society, we just do not have it under our roof. To have an abortion is not an easy decision for any woman and it is understandably an upsetting and unsettling one. It is definitely not the decision for everyone, but those who do make it should be allowed do so without repercussion, shame, or loneliness. It is hard enough without having to sneak and hide away. Women of every age leave Ireland to access safe abortions; many are mothers already who feel unable to have more children. Those on low incomes find it far harder to access the funds needed to cross the water. If every one of the thousands of women who have an abortion each year felt able to stand up and say, I have travelled Me too! then people around them would see how wide reaching abortion is. If their family and friends felt able to stand up in support of them, the Government would have to listen. It would be wonderful if men who felt a change is needed also stand up and speak out, if only for the simple reason that the whole of the electorate would be involved. It would widen the base of the conversation and help facilitate a more inclusive conversation. Putting my family into a position where they fear others will think bad of me and will be against a decision that I made, made me think seriously about writing this article. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their faith and understanding. When I have a platform available to me to further a conversation, I feel I need to take that opportunity. I need to show solidarity with hundreds of thousands of other Irish women who have also had to stand alone at a bus stops, sore and vulnerable, wishing they were going home to their own beds but knowing they are far away. On March 8, I hope we will get a step closer to a referendum that will make women more equal in this country of ours. When casting that ballot paper in a referendum, there is a feeling that each vote will count every vote will help to shape the Constitution that binds our nation. Change is not inevitable, it is eked out and hard won. It can also be scary and unknown, but with each passing year we are all ageing and the people coming behind us will inherit what we create. The change is for them more than us. A vote will only come after years of pushing and making visible the plight of women. More of our citizens were made equal after the last referendum when the majority of the country stood together and voted for their friends and colleagues. Now it is time for all of Ireland to voice their support for their female friends and colleagues. It is time to extend that compassion, empathy, and understanding to Irish women to allow them to make their own choices about their bodies and their futures. March4Repeal Dublin starts at 5.30pm on Wednesday from the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square. The Strike4Repeal march, Cork takes place Wednesday 12pm - 3pm at bottom of Patrickss Hill at the beginning of MacCurtin Street. A significant number of the members of the LGBTQ community are now at risk especially those who are most vulnerable to HIV/Aids after it was found that the Trump administration plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). That said a leading global prevention, care and advocacy organization have warned that the plan would most likely bring certain death to those living with HIV/AIDS. Just last Wednesday, the Gay Men's Health Crisis or GMHC has released a statement of disapproval for U.S. President Donald J. Trump's call to repeal and replace Obamacare. Repulsion And Replacement Of ACA According to reports revealed by The Guardian, before the ACA had been passed, only about 13 percent of people with HIV had private health insurance and 24 percent had no coverage at all. Health experts have described ACA as a real lifesaver for many people living with HIV such as its subsidies for private insurance and its robust expansion of Medicaid in many states have greatly increased their access to medical treatment. The Centers for Disease Control explains that because of ACA, Medicaid in many states have greatly increased their access to medical treatment considering that only about half of African Americans with HIV have access to continuous medical treatment before ACA has been observed. Meanwhile, in one of his statements reported by South Florida Gay News, US President Trump has claimed that the former president's signature piece of legislation was something that is unsustainable and collapsing, which made him to call for a repulsion and replacement of the Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs and at the same time provide better healthcare. However, GMHC Chief Executive Officer Kelsey Louie said that these shocking, irresponsible cuts would come just as we are finally poised to make real progress in containing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Additionally, a number of science advocates have also been alarmed when the Environmental Protection Agency was told that they are no longer allowed to talk to the public about the repulsion because, among other reasons, the EPA protects the public from environmental harm by giving information and guidance. ACA's Status Quo As of the press time, ACA remains an important channel of government information about HIV/Aids particularly in terms of funding prevention programs. In his recently concluded Capitol Hills address, Trump said government mandated healthcare was never the right solution. Ultimately, Louie believes that the disaster lies in a repeal of the ACA since it could possibly result in the loss of affordable, accessible health care for at least 3.4 millions of lives. HIV/AIDS patients can now say that they have been given a new hope following after a new collaboration of European and African researchers have been set to develop an AIDS vaccine in order to prevent infection with different strains of HIV worldwide. Dubbed as the Globally Relevant AIDS Vaccine Europe-Africa Trials Partnership or GREAT, it was found that the partnership will be bound to asses a vaccine that can have the ability to trigger the body to produce specialized immune cells known as T cells. That said, the trial is said to be tested at four sites in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. Aids Vaccine On The Works In one of his statements reported by Laboratory News, study lead researcher, Professor Tomas Hanke, from the Jenner Institute at the UK's University of Oxford has claimed that there is currently an enormous variation between HIV strains across the globe, which is one of the challenges in making the right treatment difficult, has also been regarded as an obstacle to developing a vaccine. Through the use of small parts common to most HIVs, Professor Hanke explains that if all goes according to plan, the vaccine could be used around the world, especially in Africa which is most affected by the HIV pandemic. It was found that the HIV virus which eventually develops into AIDS has been considered as one of the biggest diseases that the world is currently facing wherein at the end of 2015, data shows that there were approximately 37m people living with HV. Furthermore, according to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, similar kinds of vaccines have already been proven to be safe and promising in several past trials. Additionally, the lead researcher continues to explain that this vaccine only contains small portions of HIV-1, thus, it does not have the ability to cause HIV infection or AIDS. Concurrently, alongside the vaccine testing, experts have also revealed that the said project will also aim at new building programs that will allegedly prepare the researchers for large scale medical trials in future. Study's Future Plans Meanwhile, it was found that GREAT is being funded by a 7.1m grant from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership (EDCTP), Oxford University and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Dr. Michael Makangq, the executive director of EDCTP said that despite the fact that there are now remarkable advances in treatment and prevention, he explains that the AIDS epidemic is not yet over. Ultimately, Makangq has explained that only an effective vaccine could have the ability of preventing the majority of new HIV infections. With Snap Inc. riding a successful IPO this week, company executives likely are calculating what to do with the money that's pouring in. The most likely gambit: Looking to make key acquisitions to keep Snap near the top of the social networking world. "Snap will need to make acquisitions and invest in new experiences so that when they're no longer the next big thing, they can buy or roll it out themselves," said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. "This is how Facebook insulated itself with WhatsApp, Instagram and their new in-house video features." Snap is the California-based company behind the popular self-destructing pictures and video app, Snapchat. The messaging app, launched in 2011, has gained a massive and loyal following among teens and young adults. And that popularity helped Snap pull together a widely successful initial public offering. Snap began trading on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, opening at $24 a share, which was above its $17 offer price. It quickly jumped to $25 a share after that. At mid-afternoon Friday, the company's stock was trading at $27.10. By comparison, Twitter was trading at around $15.70 a share, while Facebook was at $136.85. This is the first tech-related IPO to garner this much excitement since Twitter went public late in 2013. Snap's initial offering of 200 million shares has given the company a value of $23.6 billion. With that in mind, just what should Snap do with the influx of cash? "Grow," said Jeff Kagan, an independent industry analyst. "Grow through acquisitions. Grow through new technology. Grow through hiring more people. Grow through partnering. Grow. Grow. Grow "They must be a different company a year from now," added Kagan. "They must continually be a different company. They must continue to evolve -- through their own knowledge and through acquisitions." Judith Hurwitz, an analyst with Hurwitz & Associates, said now is the time for Snap executives to sit down and plan where the company should be in a few years -- and then figure out how to get there. "The company needs a well-thought-out acquisition strategy," she said. "I think Snap has to figure out where it wants to focus for the next two to three years to build revenue and, more importantly, profitability. The company needs a roadmap so it can figure out which companies it can buy to get them to their goal." The Snapchat app has become a major social media force, grabbing valuable younger users, who seem to be moving away from Facebook. According to Piper Jaffray Companies, a survey last fall of 10,000 U.S. teenagers showed that 35% called Snapchat their favorite social network, compared to 24% who said Instagram and 13% who said Twitter and Facebook, which tied for third place. Social media giant Facebook has even tried taking a page from Snapchat's playbook. In 2014, the company tested out a new mobile feature - enabling users to send disappearing posts. Snap executives have been telling potential investors, along with everyone else, that it is a camera company, which means it's focused on images and what we do with them. "We believe that reinventing the camera represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate," the company says on its website. Gartner analyst Brian Blau sees Snap continuing that focus. "Snap has generated a lot of interest because of how well they have done in getting engagement and growth with their app," he said. "It's clear that visual media is one of the most important communications mediums today." might not have had any hardware to show off at M this year, but its sure been hard at work on its apps. Hot on the heels of updates to the app, otos, Keep this week, has also launched a beta program for Gboard, the first update already brings some interesting new features. In the 6.1 beta of the popular keyboard (its first significant update since finally launching on Android in December), has added a few cool features that should be coming to the full release shortly. First up, theyve taught the G button a new trick. Tap it youll now see a new translate icon at the front, which lets you select the languages that you want to translate to from. Then, when you enter a word or phrase into the text bar, the translated version will appear above the suggestions bar. You can select from a variety of languages, but warns you that translated phrases will be transmitted to for deciphering, just like they are over the web. Additionally, there is a revamped theme selector in Gboard. Its not necessarily a new featuretapping the palette icon has always launch a customization screen that let you add a key border underlay a color or imagebut the interface has received a pretty major overhaul, with better organization, new images, greater customization. Elsewhere, youll find only minor changes. The dictation interface no longer takes over the whole keyboard, the text predictor has been exped to include emojis, there are some slight visual changes to the text box. To try out the new Gboard, you can sign up to be an official beta tester in the ay Store, but the listing notes that the program is currently full. However, you can always side-load the -signed A from A Mirror still test out the features. st our type: It might have taken a little too long for Gboard to make its way to Android, but we love it all the same. Gboard is far away our favorite keyboard, these new features will only make it better. th search, GIFs, now translation built tight into the keyboard, were certainly giving the app switcher a lot less exercise, spending a lot less time looking for things more time doing them. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Close With a cast that includes the likes of Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Paul Bettany, and Scarlett Johansson, it is no wonder that Marvel's "Avengers: Infinity War" has a rumored budget of $500 million. According to a news report by Comicbook, Pinewood Studios revealed a detail that could refer to how much the film costs. Co-owner Dan Cathy stated that the firm's Atlanta location was hosting a production that has a budget of $1 billion. Pinewood Studios, writes Comicbook, is the homebase for the fourth Avengers film. Furthermore, for those who are unaware, "Avengers: Infinity War" began production last January in Atlanta and is currently shooting in the United Kingdom. In fact, it has already sent out casting calls for extras. Comicbook writes that the aforementioned budget could refer to the film. However, it adds that it is unlikely that one film will cost $1 billion when the Hobbit trilogy cost approximately $700 million. It suggests that the money will be split between "Avengers: Infinity War" and the unnamed sequel. This leaves $500 million for each film. This may not be $1 billion, but $500 million is still a hefty number. According to Comicbook, the most expensive film to date is the "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," which cost $378 million. The fourth Avengers film features aliens and an ensemble cast. Confirmed actors and actresses are Benedict Wong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Cooper, Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Dave Bautista, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Bethany, Pom Klementieff, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Tom Holland, Vin Diesel, and Zoe Saldana. With such a production, a lot of money is expected to be spent for the blockbuster. Marvel's "Avengers: Infinity War" will be shown in theaters on May 4, 2018, while the sequel will be released on May 3, 2019. Uber has been under fire following a former employee's claims of sexual harassment in the workplace. Now, the company is in the spotlight once again as a video of its chief executive has emerged, which shows him getting into a heated argument with an Uber driver about falling pay rates. Other Uber drivers are talking about the incident, with some saying that Travis Kalanick's behavior seemed to condone the mistreatment of drivers. In the video (via Yahoo! Finance), Kalanick is seen traveling with two women and was about to reach his destination in San Francisco when his Uber driver, Fawzi Kamel, asked why the company has lowered the prices customers pay for every mile they travel. "I lost $97,000 because of you," Kamel said, while looking over his shoulder and pointing at Kalanick. "I'm bankrupt because of you." After responding with a few expletives, the CEO retaliated, saying that some people would rather blame others than take responsibility for their own failures. "You know what? Some people don't like to take responsibility for their own [expletive]," said Kalanick. "They blame everything in their life on someone else." NDTV reports that Uber driver Mike Twist was "incensed" with the way Kalanick cursed Kamel, and that it has hit him personally. "It's a trickle down way of treating people, and it really hit me personally and made me see that starts at the top," said Twist. "I've always felt if you treat an employee or partner with respect, they're going to go the extra mile generally. While Twist pointed out that the driver was also at fault due to his unprofessional behavior, he thinks that Kalanick should have responded differently because as the CEO and founder of Uber, he "is never really off duty." On Tuesday night, the Uber CEO sent his employees an email to address his behavior in the video. "To say I am ashamed is an extreme understatement," said Kalanick. "It's clear this video is a reflection of me-and the criticism we've received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I've been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it." Uber has been experiencing backlash since January after the company dropped surge pricing at J.F.K. Airport during a taxi worker's strike. This was followed by former Uber engineer Susan Fowler's allegations of sexual harassment last month as previously reported by Jobs & Hire. The Big Bang Theory cast has been together for 10 years, and fans of the show can attest to the chemistry and connection of the actors onscreen. Recently, their real friendship came to light as five of the original members reportedly agreed to take pay cuts so that two other cast members can get significant raises. According to Variety, the original cast members Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunnal Nayyar, and Simon Helberg agreed to a small pay cut to free up money to raise Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauchs salaries. The original cast is said to be earning $1 million per episode each as of the current 10th season. But for a potential 11th and 12th season, the five would earn $100,000 less. Bialik and Rauch both joined The Big Bang Theory in season 3 and are earning significantly less than their co-stars. Both actresses are said to be earning $200,000 in the current season. The two are said to split the $500,000 from their co-stars, which means that Bialik and Rauch will each be earning $450,000 in what could be the final two seasons of the CBS sitcom. Both Bialik and Rauchs characters have been extremely vital to the shows storylines, as fans tuned in to see the relationship progress between Bialiks Amy and Parsons Sheldon. Meanwhile, Rauchs Bernadette just had a baby with Helbergs Wolowitz character. What remains to be seen now is whether Bialik and Rauch will negotiate further, in order to get closer to parity with the original cast members for their new deals. Parsons, Cuoco, and Galecki were the first Big Bang Theory cast members to get a $1 million per episode deal. Before production began on season 8, the three were able to renegotiate new three-year contracts for the $1 million per episode deal. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Parsons, Galecki, and Cuoco negotiated together at the time. For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on the reasons why great employees quit. Great news for all dog lovers out there, Puppy Parental Leave will soon be one of the benefits in the United States. BrewDog, a beer company, in Scotland announced the benefit to their employees. It will also be available in their Columbus, Ohio location, which will be opening soon. Different companies all over the world have stepped up their game to show their employees how much they value them. They offer all sorts of perks and benefits. And now, it also includes taking a time out for paw-ternity." BrewDog announced on Monday about the Puppy Parental Leave for all their employees across the world. It offers a week of paid leave for employees with new puppies or rescued dog. They will soon open in the Unites States, and the same benefit will also be available there. According to USA Today, it is the first company in the United States and the first brewery in the United Kingdom to offer paw-ternity leave. It was mentioned in the official website of BrewDog that the main focus of their company is their beer and their people. And they know that many of their people care about two things as well, which include their beer and their dogs. That is why they allow their employees to bring their dogs at work. And now, they have this new pet owner benefit. We know only too well that having a new arrival whether a mewling pup or unsettled rescue dog can be stressful for human and hound both. So we are becoming the first in our industry to give our staff a working weeks leave on us to help settle a new furry family member into their home, as stated on BrewDog's website. BrewDog offers those benefits to their employees to show to everyone that they are the best company to work for, ever. Meanwhile, Jobs & Hire reported that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sent a remarkable email to his employee after their Twitter bot Tay failed. Nadella gave an encouragement note to make his employees feel that he is with them all throughout. Several industry players are looking forward to the plan to revive Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. The effort is expected to reward the economy of New Jersey as the iconic boardwalk casino could attract tourists and potential investors in the state. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is giving up on the Trump Taj Mahal and has decided to offload the property, according to a report on NJ.com. Icahn had faced several challenges in trying to bolster the performance of the boardwalk casino, but the final blow came when its workers' union decided to hold a strike that led to the closure of the property. Icahn is now in talks with Hard Rock International and two New Jersey investors that promise to revive the gambling hall. The entities are promising to pour $300 million worth of investments to the boardwalk casino. The money will be used to find renovation, construction and rebranding of the property, The Chicago Tribune reported. Gov. Chris Christie expressed optimism and excitement over the plan. He is hoping that the investment will revitalize the dying gambling industry in the state following the closings of several casinos in 2014. The deal price that the investors are willing to pay for the property has not been disclosed. However, Icahn previously said that he will be happy and willing to sell the Trump Taj Mahal for half of the $300 million that he lost in the property. The two investors who are willing to invest millions of dollars in the project are Joseph Jingoli and Jack Morris. Jingoli has a project to build a new campus for Stockton University in Atlantic City. Morris is the CEO of Edgewood Properties. Jobs & Hire previously reported that Icahn tried to keep the Trump Taj Mahal afloat with a $20 million financing package. Elon Musk is one of the busiest industry leaders in the world as the 45-year-old heads SolarCity, Tesla, and SpaceX. But the billionaire is never too busy to communicate with his social media followers, as evidenced by his recent Twitter exchange with a man whose daughter was a fan of the CEO. On Wednesday, March 1, Steven Loveday tweeted Musk, saying, Elon, my daughter wrote you a letter for a school project. She mailed it to Tesla, but I figured Id paste here. Thank you! Lovedays daughter, Bria, a fifth-grader from Palo Alto, California, said that she is a big fan of Tesla and thinks that Musks ideas are very smart and friendly to the environment. She also went on to say that she and her father, who is an auto writer for InsideEVs.com and U.S. News World & Report, has introduced her to Tesla and solar energy. We watched a bunch of the awesome fan-made commercials, and we even went and sat in the Model X at Somerset Mall in Troy, Michigan, Bria continued. The fifth-grader said that she noticed that the company does not advertise, but many people are making homemade commercials for Tesla. Bria suggested that Musk should run a competition on who could make the best homemade ad for Tesla and the winners will get their commercial aired. The cool part is that you still wont be taking the time and money to advertise for yourself, said the young girl. You could give the winners a year of free Supercharging or a Model 3 Easter Egg or something. Bria, who hopes to be a politician one day, said that she hoped that Musk would respond so she could share what he said with her teacher and her class. She added that it would be so cool if the CEO would also send her a Tesla t-shirt. Musk responded via the microblogging site and wrote, Thank you for the lovely letter. That sounds like a great idea. Well do it! A Twitter user commented on Lovedays tweet and asked whether it was truly the fifth-grader who wrote the letter or her father (the writer). In response, Loveday said that Bria wrote the letter and that his daughter loves to write. I help her edit her stuff, but shes gotten better, and she reads a ton, he continued. Others admired the childs idea, declaring her to be a future director of marketing. Another Twitter user said that we might all be blessed if the 10-year-old really does end up becoming a politician. Shes already got my vote, said the commenter. According to Fortune, Bria chose to write Tesla because she cares about the environment and the companys green-friendly initiatives. The 10-year-old, who is almost a brown belt in karate, told her parents six months ago that she wanted to run for public office when shes older. Loveday told the media outlet Bria is very optimistic about the future. At her age, she thinks that anything is possible, said the freelance auto writer. Thats why she wants to get into a position later in life where she can make her ideas possibly a reality. Tesla told Local 4 (via Click on Detroit) that the company will conduct the contest in some shape or form and that Bria should get her Tesla t-shirt on Friday. For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on Elon Musks plan to send two tourists on a trip around the moon in 2018. Email Links to our top local news stories of the day, Monday through Saturday. It was around midnight when Stella Church got a call that plunged her into her worst nightmare. She had already lost her brother to a fatal car crash years ago, and now her younger sister, Sylvia Hinson, lay fighting for her life in a hospital bed after falling off a cliff at Hanging Rock State Park Feb. 8. Every day is a battle, Church said of her sister, a patient at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Theres brain damage, but we dont know to what extent. Authorities estimated Hinson, of the High Point area, had fallen at least 150 feet at the Stokes County park the equivalent of four school buses stacked bumper to bumper off a cliff while on a solo hike. With a shattered back, traumatic brain injury, two broken arms and punctured lungs, the 32-year-old will likely never walk again, doctors told the family. Hinson is in critical condition, family members said. But despite the grim prognosis, the family believes differently, her sister said. Hinson, a single mother who has a 13-year-old daughter named Madison, has always been a survivor, family members said. Sylvia is a fighter. She has a smile about her and shes feisty and full of life. A little ball of fire and a very good momma, longtime family friend Dena Turner said. We believe in our hearts shes gonna be OK and come home. A former nurse, Hinson had been placed on disability after an injury at work demanded a steel rod be placed in her neck a few years ago. She returned to school to pursue another career but was soon diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. She was two years cancer-free and had been in the process of growing her hair back when she fell last month. Hinson was discovered several hours after checking in with park rangers, but it was unclear how much time had elapsed since her fall, her sister said. Hinson was coherent enough to tell them her name, but told medical personnel she was 16 years old. The extent of Hinsons brain damage is unknown and she has no feeling in her legs, her sister said. When she overcame cancer, we thought we were on the right track, the worst was behind us, Church said. Now, we dont even know if shes going to survive or whether the brain damage will heal. In the past few days, Hinson has been stirring, opening her eyes. She is mainly unresponsive, but seems to realize when her name is being said, her sister said. Turner started a GoFundMe page to help the family with medical expenses and associated travel costs to help send Hinson to a spinal cord specialist in Georgia. While Hinson still periodically has seizures and has to be placed on a ventilator to allow her to breathe, the family hopes to bring her to Georgia when shes in stable condition. Were doing everything we can, praying itll all work out because shes my baby sister and I love her to death, Church said. I dont know what Id do without her. The Winston-Salem State University Foundation has received a $300,000 bequest from the estate of the late John Taylor, the retired CEO of Taylor Oil Co. and a longtime supporter of the university. Taylor, 86, a native of Winston-Salem, died in August 2016. The gift will create an endowment at WSSU that will support student success. Although Mr. Taylor is not an alumnus of WSSU, he understood how our university contributes to the social, cultural, intellectual and economic growth of the region, the state and beyond, said WSSU Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson. We are so grateful for his support and friendship. With this gift, Mr. Taylor will create a lasting legacy here at WSSU. Taylor first became engaged with the university by serving on WSSUs Board of Visitors. In 2004, he joined the WSSU Foundation Board of Directors where he served as an active member of the finance and audit committees. UNCSA offers open house March 24 Students considering careers in the arts are invited to attend Spring Open House at the UNC School of the Arts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 24. The campus is located at 1533 S. Main St. in Winston-Salem. The event is for students seeking to enter UNCSAs high school or college programs, the university said. As the states premier arts conservatory, UNCSA offers training at the college level in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music, and at the high school level in dance, drama, music and visual arts. Open House allows prospective applicants to experience the campus for the day. It offers an up-close and personal opportunity to meet deans, faculty and current students. WFU student named Luce scholar Jillian L. Correia, a senior at Wake Forest University, has been awarded a Luce Scholarship for 2017-18. She is Wake Forests first Luce scholar in 20 years, WFU said in a news release. The scholarship is a nationally competitive fellowship program created by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974 to enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. Correia is one of 18 Luce Scholarship award winners who were chosen from among 161 candidates. As a Luce Scholarship recipient, I anticipate working to address political and economic challenges facing the Asia-Pacific food system, said Correia. Im confident this next year will be rewarding in whatever city I find myself. WSSU sends books to Nigeria When she heard that an accidental fire had destroyed the library at her alma mater, the University of Jos in Nigeria, Alice Etim, an associate professor of management information systems at Winston-Salem State University, sprang into action to help. In November, Etim and James Etim, a professor of education, teamed with colleagues and students from the WSSU Association of Information Technology Professionals to collect and ship books to the university. More than 800 books were collected from the private libraries and collections of WSSU faculty members from all business disciplines. Faculty from computer science, education, law and statistics donated. Students from AITP, led by President Tyler Wilson, gathered and boxed the books. On Feb. 7, with support from Notis Pagiavlas, senior associate dean of the WSSU College of Arts, Sciences, Business, and Education, 15 large boxes were shipped to Nigeria. The fire, blamed on an electrical fault, led to the loss of more than half of the books and equipment at the library. Young Alumni Council names honorees The Winston-Salem State University Young Alumni Council has announced the 2017 WSSU 40 Under 40 honorees. In 2013, we initiated the 40 Under 40 Awards to recognize young alumni at WSSU who are emerging leaders, said Sioban Day, YAC co-chair. We have another impressive class of accomplished women and men. It is our pleasure to recognize them and provide a forum for them to meet and engage with one another. The honorees will be recognized at the WSSU 40 Under 40 Alumni Awards Gala at Winston-Salems Benton Convention Center on April 8. This is part of a weekend of events to recognize the honorees that includes the Third Annual WSSU YAC 5K/10K, which will be held on the WSSU campus. SANTA BARBARA, Calif. The obsession with Donald Trumps ability to spend one hour in a disciplined relationship with a teleprompter obscured one of his central goals on Tuesday night: He continued to try to scare the country to death. Yes, he lived up to media expectations that he would finally attempt to look presidential and that he could recite words that sounded optimistic and forward-looking. He and his handlers are well aware that commentators typically reward presidents for doing what commentators say presidents need to do. And he also issued a ritual call for bipartisanship, even though earlier in the day, he had said he regarded House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi as incompetent, actually. Put aside that upbraiding his female critics is one habit that is very difficult for Trump to break. It was hard to square the nice, lets-all-get-along paragraphs with everything else Trump has been doing. And beneath the obeisance to the Beltway rules about what addresses to joint sessions of Congress are supposed to look like lurked Trump Classic. Hes still the man who wants to aggrandize the executive and expand the power of law enforcement by making the country believe it is under threat from dark forces that only a strong hand can deal with. He didnt repeat his controversial use of the word carnage, which stood out from almost everything else he said in his inaugural address. He simply described the carnage. Weve defended the borders of other nations while leaving our own borders wide open for anyone to cross, and for drugs to pour in at a now unprecedented rate, he declared. Actually, we dont have wide open borders and President Obama found himself under criticism from members of his own base for being too tough in enforcing immigration laws. But for Trump, only the construction of a great, great wall along our southern border will solve the problem. Trump could not resist adding that extra great, verbal cover for the fact that he left out his fanciful claim that Mexico would pay for his wall. Trump boasted that we are removing gang members, drug dealers and criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our very innocent citizens, which, in truth, is what our forces of order have been doing for years. Bad ones are going out as I speak. Dont you feel better already? Trump always seeks protection from a regiment of straw men and women, and this speech was no exception. To any in Congress who do not believe we should enforce our laws, I would ask you this one question: What would you say to the American family that loses their jobs, their income or their loved one because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders? Well, I suppose in Trump world, a desire not to deport every single one of the 11 million men and women who are in the United States without proper documentation constitutes not believing in enforcing the law. But this unfounded attack fit badly with the suddenly bipartisan Trump. And his call to create an office in the Department of Homeland Security called VOICE (Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement) was a demagogic propaganda effort to suggest that immigrants are especially prone to committing acts of violence when, in fact, they are not. No Trump speech is complete without a reference to Chicagos murder rate, which he refers to constantly because the national crime statistics dont bear out his implication that the nation is more unsafe than ever. And Trump wants Americans to be very, very afraid of the threat of terrorism by way of rationalizing his unjustifiable policies barring refugees from a selected group of Muslim countries. We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside of America, he declared. For good measure, he added: We cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists. I bet his speechwriters were proud of those scary phrases, a beachhead of terrorism and a sanctuary for extremists. Thats the way to get people really alarmed. Perhaps because I watched this address a long way from Washington, I was less responsive to Trumps efforts to place himself, rhetorically at least, within the Capitols conventions. What I saw was not a New Trump but a shrewd Trump apparatus throwing some bones of optimism to establishmentarians hankering to get on board. I suspect members of Trumps base were wiser than this. They heard the music of fright, dread and chaos, and they knew that was still the point. Ten years ago, I began transporting sick patients at Forsyth Medical Center. Transporters are some of the hardest working and least recognized workers in the hospital. My job was to transfer patients as smoothly and comfortably as possible onto a clean gurney and transport them to the radiology department. Deceptively simple, transporting turned out to be a crash course in humanity. I decided to pitch in as best as I could. The very first patient I went to transport by myself died in front of me. My astonishment about the patients death amused my seasoned co-workers, who helped me understand that the hospital is a place where sometimes people come to die. Why is this happening to me? asked another patient, terminally ill with cancer. Her words hung in the air as I settled her back into bed. I had no answer for her then, and I still dont. Transporting overdose victims, some of them younger than me, underscored the fragility of life. And watching stroke patients relearn basic skills like feeding themselves or walking taught me about the resilience of the human body and spirit. Hope Jahren, the celebrated geobiologist and author, echoed my response when she wrote, Working in the hospital teaches you that there are only two kinds of people in the world: the sick and the not sick. If you are not sick, shut up and help. Medicine has changed a lot even in the short time since I began transporting patients. Despite the much-vaunted health-care reform of 2010, the Affordable Care Act, medicine is still driven by profit, not progress. Twenty of the highest-paid CEOs included in the Standard & Poors 500 index hailed from health-care or pharmaceutical companies, according to a 2016 report from the Associated Press and Equilar. Health-care executives continued raking in millions of dollars in salaries and bonuses in the wake of the Great Recession, while I joined hundreds of other health-care workers who were escorted out of the hospital in a massive layoff. The people who remained, many of whom come to work every day to care for the sick and the helpless (and yes, for a paycheck), increasingly feel the pressure of doing more work with fewer resources. Now a premedical student at UNC-Greensboro, my health-care experience has shown me that sometimes its simply not enough to pitch in and help patients on a case-by-case basis. In order to effectively care for our patients, we need to implement a health-care system that meets the needs of everyone and allows medical providers to do their jobs without the intrusion of hospital administrators or private insurance company executives. Our health-care system is at a crossroads. While the ACA made some improvements around the edges of our health-care system, it clearly wasnt enough. We need to go beyond the ACA to a single-payer system, an improved Medicare for all. In January, U.S. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan introduced H.B. 676, which would implement an improved and expanded Medicare-for-all. More than a decade ago, Donald Trump preached the sensibility of covering all Americans in his book, The America We Deserve. We must have universal healthcare, Trump wrote. Im a conservative on most issues but a liberal on this one. The proposed replacement program put forth by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price gives tax credits for people to buy private insurance and doles out block grants to states to replace the Medicaid expansion provision under the ACA. Critics believe the changes will put more financial burden upon American families and ultimately reduce the number of uninsured. Although Republicans proposals seem unlikely to achieve President Trumps triple aim (more coverage, better benefits, and lower costs), single-payer reform could, wrote Dr. Steffie Woolhandler and Dr. David Himmelstein in the Annals of Internal Medicine. A single-payer system would eliminate for-profit insurance companies and replace them with a non-profit, public-payer system. It would be privately run but government funded just like Medicare, saving billions in administrative costs and giving doctors the freedom of practicing medicine without intrusion. Patients would no longer pay high deductibles or co-pays and there would be no fear of losing health insurance if someone loses their job. Rather than jettison any recently-won gains in health-care coverage, lets push the president to renew his support for universal care and hope that Congress follows suit with H.B. 676. The only way to get back to the real business of health care caring for our patients is to enact universal health care. Jonathan Michels is a local radiology technologist. Today Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Partly cloudy. Near record high temperatures. High 79F. Winds light and variable. The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit [official website] on Friday affirmed [opinion, PDF] the dismissal of a case filed by the Board of Commissioners of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority [official website] against 97 defendants involved in the exploration and production of oil reserves, alleging their activities increased the risk of flooding in the region. The board had requested that the case be remanded to the state court and that the district courts granting a motion of dismissal be reversed. The motion to remand to state court was denied because the case was found to be under federal jurisdiction. The board alleged that the defendants dredging activity has resulted in coastal land loss, which has increased the risk of flooding due to storm surges. The board states that they have undertaken or will have to undertake highly costly but remedial remedies to protect the area from the increased risk of storm surges. The board sued for negligence, strict liability, natural servitude of drain, public nuisance, private nuisance, and breach of contract as to third-party beneficiaries. The court ruled that the board failed to adequately show the defendants owed a duty, resulting in the dismissal of the negligence and strict liability claims. The natural servitude claim was dismissed due to lake of supporting facts given by the board. The nuisance claims were dismissed because the board failed to adequately show by fact that the activity in the defendants property has caused damage to their property. Storm surges in Louisiana have been a large concern since Hurricane Katrina. In 2009 the same court ruled [JURIST report] that several contractors were not liable for damages caused by Hurricane Katrina due to dredging of the Mississippi River, which was believed to have compromised the levees in the area. In 2012 the Fifth Circuit also ruled [JURIST report] that the Army Corp of Engineers was not liable for the damages due to the canal breaches during the hurricane. In December the US Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that State Farm had fraudulently attempted to misclassify Hurricane Katrina claims to state they were caused by flood damage instead of wind damage in order to pass the costs to the government. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Friday [official website] ruled [opinion] in favor of the Secretary of the Interior [official website] in its efforts to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list. Once nearly extinct, the gray wolf population has made a recovery such that it no longer meets the requirement to be considered endangered in Wyoming. The Secretary, with promises from Wyoming to maintain at least 10 breeding pairs and 100 total gray wolves in the state, sought to remove the animal from the list. Conservation groups challenged the adequacy of Wyomings management plan and, in particular, the danger that hunting could reduce the wolf population below Wyomings required minimum. The lower federal court agreed, finding that Wyomings promise to maintain populations was unenforceable and therefore inadequate. A three-judge appeal panel of the DC Circuit disagreed, finding that Wyomings guarantees are sufficient and that there is significant value in putting control of the wolf population in the hands of the state. Gray wolves were first delisted by order of the Department of the Interior in 2011. That order applied to Montana and Idaho, but maintained federal control of wolf populations in Wyoming. Montana began selling wolf hunting licenses on the same day as the Secretarys ruling. Before those licenses went into effect, three environmental groups challenged the hunt [JURIST report] in district court. The Ninth Circuit upheld [JURIST report] the district courts ruling in favor of Montana. Last year, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled [JURIST report] that a 2014 Michigan law that gave the Michigan Natural Resources Commission and State Legislature the ability to name new game animals was unconstitutional. The Michigan Constitution contains a Title-Object Clause, which states [n]o law shall embrace more than one object, which shall be expressed in its title. The court ruled that the portion of the wolf hunt law allowing free hunting licenses for members of the military is unrelated to the laws purpose of managing game, which means the entire law must be struck down as violating the Title-Object Clause. [JURIST] The Kentucky House of Representatives on Friday voted 56-39 in favor of allowing charter schools in the state for the first time. House Bill 520, supported by Governor Matt Bevin and amended by Representative Phil Moffett [official websites], allows local school boards and the mayors of Lexington and Louisville to approve charter schools. The bill was passed through the House unusually quickly, prompting some Democrats to question its veracity. Bevin, in response, stated Its not about the students to anyone of those that are opposing this bill. At the end of the day this is about educating the young people in Kentucky. With some exceptions, state charter schools are exempt from state regulations, instead they are governed by performance-based contracts with the state while still receiving state funding. Education related issues have generated controversy in the US in recent years. In September, 2015, the Washington Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that voter-approved initiative 1240, which allowed 40 charter schools across the state, is unconstitutional. The court determined that the schools cannot receive public funding because the state superintendent has no control over the curriculum or day-to-day activities at the schools. In July of that year, the US Senate passed a bill [JURIST report] to revamp the controversial 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. The bill comes as part of an effort to overhaul the old law and give more flexibility to states in setting their own standards for student and school performance. In June the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled [JURIST report] in favor of tight regulations pointed at the for-profit college industry. The court ruled that the Education Department has the right to demand that schools show that their graduates are financially dependent enough to repay their student loans. In January Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation [JURIST report] that will require all Arizona High School students to take and pass the US Citizenship test before they are able to graduate, beginning in the 2016-17 school year. Eleven states, led by Texas, filed a document [text, PDF] in federal court Thursday to withdraw a lawsuit [text, PDF] against the US government, a week after a Dear Colleague letter [text, PDF] from the Department of Justice [official website] overturned Obama-era guidance regarding bathroom use by transgender students. The lawsuit, which was first filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas [official website], sought injunctive relief against the Obama administrations guidance [text, PDF], which allowed from transgender students at public schools to use the bathroom that corresponded with their gender identity, rather than their sex at birth. A federal judge granted [order, PDF] the plaintiff states motion for relief in August, saying the order should be barred while the lawsuit continued. These developments come as the US Supreme Court [website] is set to hear arguments [JURIST report] in March in Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. [SCOTUSblog materials]. The case involves a Virginia school boards decision requiring students to use the restroom according to their gender at birth. In a related matter, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper recently proposed a compromise [JURIST report] to repeal HB2, also known as the bathroom bill, which contains similar requirements for public restrooms. [JURIST] A UN cultural rights expert presented a report [materials] to the Human Rights Council [official website] on Friday expressing concern over the normalization of extreme rhetoric in politics, culture and media all over the globe. In presenting her report, special rapporteur Karima Bennoune argued [press release] that many of these movements focus their rhetoric on national purity and resentment of the other. Bennoune condemned the cultural rights abuse carried out by state actors in Russia, Saudi Arabia, India and Iran. She also expressed concern over recent violence and threats against educational and cultural institutions in the US following the election of President Donald Trump [official website]. Bennoune concluded by stating: Whereas it is important to clearly condemn and act against violent forms of extremism, we must also tackle fundamentalist and extremist ideologies as these provide the basis for violence and violations. Extremist actors will not be truly disarmed unless their ideology is comprehensively challenged and repudiated. In making such statements, Bennoune called on leaders to break the ongoing cycle of extremism and change the political landscape for future generations. The international community has recently witnessed a rise in populist movements. Earlier this week UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged [JURIST report] member states of the UN Human Rights Council to defend human rights in response to the global rise in populism and extremism. In June a majority of British citizens voted for a referendum to leave the EU [JURIST report] amid growing concern over the EUs immigration policy and its impact on the UK. In November Trump was elected US president [NYT report] after a controversial campaign that made use of anti-immigration and what many perceived to be anti-Muslim sentiments. In France, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, who has been gaining support [NPR report] in the French presidential elections, has been campaigning on an anti-immigration, pro-economic isolationist platform that has been likened to the sentiments of the Trump and Brexit campaigns. In January Transparency International advised [JURIST report] that there is a global populist movement which links both social inequality and corruption that is nativist and often politically right-wing. UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Dubravka Simonovic, urged [press release] the government of Australia on Friday to include all women in the fight to stop violence against women. According to Simonovic, violence against women in Australia is at a pandemic level. Simonovic welcomed the implementation of some measures, such as the development of data collection on women killings, policy reforms and new initiatives like the Our Watch project. Yet, according to Simonovic, there are still gaps in the protection of women: Womens human rights in Australia are protected in an incomplete, patchwork way in different States and Territories. The rights set out in the international human rights conventions like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) [text] are not directly applicable and not fully incorporated into the national legal system, and the consequences are that those rights are not legally enforceable. There is a need to harmonize the legal framework with CEDAW and to strengthen the integration of human rights into laws and policies at every level of Government. Simonovic also noted that the current policies do not afford benefit to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who who face class-based discrimination making them more likely to experience severe violence than other women. Simonovic asked the government to widen its National Action [text, PDF] plans on violence against all women, to increase funding to provide affordable housing for women and to adopt specific empowerment measures. Australia has also faced criticism for its treatment of refugees. In February a petition was filed [JURIST report] in the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] challenging Australias offshore detention of asylum seekers alleging it constituted a human rights violation. In August Amnesty International accused Australia of using the island of Nauru as an open-air prison [JURIST report] to prevent the immigration of asylum seekers. In December a UN human rights expert urged [JURIST report] Australia to end racial discrimination within its country. In November Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbell [official website] announced an agreement [JURIST report] with the US to resettle refugees currently held in detention centers on the South Pacific islands of Nauru and Manus. Two UN rights experts called [press release] Friday for the Israeli government to discontinue policies that constrain human rights defenders. UN Special Rapporteurs Michael Lynk and Michel Forst [official profile] say the increased restrictions, which primarily affect advocates in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, are related to three recent developments. First, they are concerned with the dispersal of a peaceful protest on February 24 [TOI report], organized annually by a number of human rights organizations and designed to bring Israelis and Palestinians together, by the Israeli military using tear gas, sound bombs and rubber bullets. They are also concerned about a bill [Knesset press release] introduced in the Israeli Knesset [website] that would require all Israeli non-governmental organizations receiving more than half of their funding from foreign public sources to pay fees associated with requests filed under the countrys Freedom of Information Act. The bill will primarily affect human rights organizations, according to the statement. Finally, the experts criticized the Israeli government for denying a visa to Omar Shakir [NYT report], an investigator with Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website]. Israeli officials have accused HRW of publishing Palestinian propaganda, and being systematically biased against Israel, according to Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry. HRW has denied these charges. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been at the forefront of recent international news and reports. Last month Amnesty International urged [JURIST report] the Israeli Supreme Court to repeal a 2003 law that bans many Palestinians from entering the country, including those who are seeking reunification with their families. In January Benjamin Netanyahu said he will be lifting restrictions [JURIST report] on Israelis building settlements in East Jerusalem. Also in January US President Donald Trump was warned [JURIST report] by Palestinian leaders not to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. In December a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned remarks [JURIST report] made by then-US Secretary of State John Kerry on the current Israeli government. In a speech given in December Kerry criticized the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, stating that such actions jeopardize prospects of peace in the Middle East. Netanyahu in December summoned [JURIST report] the ambassadors of the 14 UN Security Council members who supported a resolution condemning Israels settlement in Palestine to rebuke them for the vote. Following the passage of this resolution, Netanyahu also ordered the countrys foreign ministers to reevaluate Israels ties to the UN within the month. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] reported [text, DOC] Friday that Sri Lanka has made slow progress towards establishing transitional justice. According to the report, while various ad hoc bodies of justice have been set up, these bodies have yet to present a sufficiently convincing or comprehensive transitional justice strategy to overcome the legacy of mistrust and skepticism that was created by the previous systems of justice. The report notes that while there have been positive strides towards a reliable system [press release] of justice, the structures set up and measures taken have been inadequate and lacked coordination and a sense of urgency. The global community has been calling on the Sri Lankan government [BBC profile] to create more accountability. Last month the Sri Lankan Foreign Minster said that the country will petition the UN [JURIST report] for more time to investigate the allegations of war crimes occurring during the countrys 26-year-long civil war. Sri Lanka promised the UN in 2015 to investigate the estimated 65,000 missing peoples from the civil war with the Tamil Tigers. In January a Sri Lankan panel of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms recommended the appointment of a hybrid court composed of local and international judges to oversee the adjudication of allegations of war crimes committed during the nations civil war [JURIST report]. Late last year the UN Independent Expert on minority issues, Rita Izsak-Ndiaye urged the Sri Lankan government to better protect minorities [JURIST report]. The UN released a report in 2015 finding that war crimes may have been committed [JURIST report] during the war. Later in 2015 the President of Sri Lanka rejected [JURIST report] a UN recommendation for international involvement in its domestic investigation of the war crimes. LINCOLN Nebraska feedlots with capacities of 1,000 or more head contained 2.45 million cattle on feed on Feb. 1, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Agricultural Statistics Service. That inventory was down slightly from Feb. 1, 2016. January placements of 540,000 head were up 10 percent from a year earlier, while fed cattle marketings, at 450,000 head, were up 3 percent. LINCOLN Candidacy petitions are now available for District 5 and 7 and at large seat elections to the Nebraska Soybean Board for three-year terms that begin Oct. 1. District 5 is in southeast Nebraska and counties within District 7 are Adams, Buffalo, Clay, Franklin, Hall, Kearney, Nuckolls and Webster. The at-large director represents all counties in Nebraska. Applicants must be Nebraska residents age 21 or older who have been soybean farmers for at least the past five years and, in the case of the district seats, reside in the districts they would represent. All candidates must complete petitions with the signatures of 50 soybean farmers in their districts or state at large and return them to the NSB office in Lincoln by April 15. Elections for the two district seats will be in July by mail-in ballots. The NSB directors will elect the at-large director at the July board meeting. For petitions or for more election information, contact Executive Director Victor Bohuslavsky at 402-432-5720. For more about the NSB, visit the website at nebraskasoybeans.org. WEST DES MOINES, Iowa Hy-Vee Inc. announced its commitment to delivering milk to local food banks in its eight-state region by partnering with Feeding America for The Great American Milk Drive. Created as a partnership between Feeding America, MilkPEP and the National Dairy Council, the national campaign unites and enables the nations food banks, processors, retailers and consumers to ensure milk and its essential nutrients, including high-quality protein, are provided to families who need it most. Between March 1 and March 14, every Hy-Vee store will offer customers the option to donate the monetary equivalent of either a half gallon or gallon of Hy-Vee brand 1 percent milk when they check out. The donation amount will vary based on milk prices at each individual store. At the end of the campaign, all donations will be used to purchase gallons of milk from processors, and then the milk will be distributed to local food banks. There are more than 5 million food insecure people in Hy-Vees eight-state region, and milk is one of the most requested yet least-available items in food banks across the nation. Food bank clients receive less than 1 gallon of milk per person, per year. Hy-Vee aims to help change that with this years companywide fundraiser. LINCOLN Thirty Nebraska leaders were honored with certificates and commemorative awards at the State Chambers Leadership Nebraska Commencement ceremony Feb. 16 in Lincoln. Graduates are current and emerging leaders from communities throughout Nebraska. The program enhances their leadership skills and deepens their knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing our state. The program includes six two-day sessions in locations across Nebraska. Topic areas include economic development, health care, agriculture, education, and government and policy. The Leadership Nebraska Class IX Hub Territory members who graduated are: - Devin Brundage, Central Nebraska Public Power & Irrigation District in Gothenburg - Ryan Carson, Jacobsen, Orr, Lindstrom & Holbrook, PC, LLO in Kearney - Jeff Hinrichs, Wilkins Architecture Design Planning LLC in Kearney Applications for the next class may be submitted until April 14. For more information on the State Chambers Leadership Nebraska, please contact Roberta Pinkerton at (402) 474-4422 or visit the website at www.leadershipnebraska.com. KEARNEYTo the spry churchgoer, curbs, stairs and a short walk to church are just part of the Sunday routine; but for those with disabilities, steps turn into insurmountable mountains. Faith United Methodist Church at 1623 Central Ave. planned to remodel its building, but the focus at first wasnt about accessibility until a member of the congregation with multiple sclerosis set the plan into motion. We had thought of just upgrading the elevator shaft we had and using the funds for other things, but one woman with multiple sclerosis made us realize how important accessibility is. She brought us back to the reality of taking the right steps to upgrade the building, Pat Slack said. Hes co-chair of the Building Committee for the church. She made us realize the old entrance and elevator shaft on the north side would never be friendly to those with mobility issues or what the church really needed. When we presented the issues to the congregation, they stepped up to do it right, said Norm Vinderslev, co-chair of the Building Committee and a member for more than 25 years. The 5,000-square-foot church had been in the same building since 1955 when First United Brethren, founded in 1887, and Grace Evangelical, founded in 1893, merged. Slack said the Building Committee and the congregation approved adding about 1,000 square feet to the south side of the church and creating a new handicap-accessible entrance with a new elevator, restrooms, more office space and a fire sprinkler system. The cost for the addition was $600,000, which was partially covered by gifts to the church from parishioners who had died. The congregation of today is leaving a legacy for the future of our church. This has been the rallying cry, Slack said. Construction began in March 2016 and was completed in January. The dedication service was Feb 8. Former churchgoers who werent able to attend because of our lack of accessibility have been attending as well as new churchgoers, the Rev. Robert Perry said. Perry has been with the church since 2013. Prior to serving in Kearney, Perry and his wife, Joleen, served in Osceola, Dawson and Omaha. Since weve had the new addition, parishioners who couldnt attend because of our lack of accessibility are coming back to church. They can now be dropped off within five feet of the door. Were re-connecting with those who wanted to be here but couldnt do it, he said. Vinderslev said attendees no longer have to worry about steep steps, curbs or the safety of the elevator shaft. Perry said the congregation stepped up to help pay for the addition and have been spurred by the needs the church meets in the community. Because of where we are located, we serve those in great need in our community, and we get a lot of transient traffic, Perry said. One of the ministries the church is known for started when Secretary Suzann Christensen began clipping socks, hats and mittens to the bushes in the front of the church with a note. The note encourages anyone to take the items if they need one. I got the idea from a newsletter and thought it would benefit our area, she said. Other groups in the community, including Boy, Scouts now donate socks, hats, and gloves for the ministry. Perry said the church is uniquely located to serve children at Bryant Elementary School which often has a generational effect in Kearney, too. Every Wednesday, kids from Bryant get to walk here to learn a Bible story, do a craft and have some recreational time. Often, we will do things like bake cookies with this group. Then, our middle and high school groups will take cookies to seniors. Ive had dozens of phone calls from the elderly calling to tell me how grateful they are to hear the sound of youth and laughter in their homes, Perry said. Perry said the congregation is reaping the harvest from breaking ground last spring. Were thankful to be able to serve our community the way we do, and a building accessible to everyone is a part of that, he said. For more information about Faith United Methodist Church, visit http://www.kearneyfaith.org/ or call 237-2550. @HeatherRig KEARNEY For Jimena Guerrero, college didnt seem to be an option in high school at least not until she attended the Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The conference encouraged Guerrero, now a junior special education major at UNK, to dream big and pursue a college degree. It was a really eye-opening experience to see that this was obtainable, that I could set a goal to go to college. NCUC made that possible, Guerrero said. Its awesome just to be able to make my dream come true but also my parents dream and to set an example for my extended family, my cousins. It wasnt just about me and my family, it was about the whole Hispanic community that Im a part of. About 300 high school students from 20 schools attended the 15th annual UNK Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference Friday at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney. The event focuses on promoting higher education for the diverse, multicultural high school population in Nebraska and featured a college fair with UNK programs, community college opportunities, and military and vocational colleges. Were really promoting any opportunities for students to do something after high school, said Monica Mueller, assistant director of Multicultural Affairs. This conference isnt just about UNK. We invite Central Community College, cosmetology schools and different branches of the armed forces so students can see that there are lots of opportunities after high school. The goal of the conference is to inspire students and help them with the obstacles they may face to show them their potential to become college graduates. I attended the Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference all four years of high school, and being a first-generation student I never pictured myself going to college. I didnt think that was possible for me, but coming to the conference I realized how important it was, said Guerrero, now co-chair of the Unity Conference planning committee. This years conference also featured speakers, workshops with alumni, campus tours and a dance. Its important for students to see that even if they come from a diverse background, a different ethnicity, that college is obtainable. We want to give them those resources starting off their freshman year of high school, Guerrero said. Sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the conference is led by UNK students and serves as a leadership opportunity. I attended NCUC in high school, and Ive always looked forward to being a part of the conference as a college student, said Jennifer Garcia, a freshman pre-physician assistant major from Shelton. She is on the planning committee. The sessions cover so much, but it was more that they empowered me to go above and beyond. I felt empowered in high school, and I really looked forward to being able to empower others in college. KEARNEY When he couldnt sleep, David Wright opted to scroll through Facebook. Thats how he stumbled on a post from Confessions of a Funeral Director. The post had a photograph about a nursing home creating a tunnel of dignity and honor at the death of a resident. Staff lined the halls to the front door as a well-loved resident rolled by while staff recited Psalms 23. I thought, My gosh, Why arent we doing this? said Wright, a skilled care liaison for Mount Carmel Home and Rehabilitation Center Senior Living Community at 412 W. 18th St. When I presented it the board, they put the idea in motion. The idea resulted in the Walk of Honor. Wright also works at OBrien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home. At Mount Carmel, he works closely with Tracy Banda and Cherlyn Hunt. Both were a part of the policy change to create the Walk of Honor. When David presented the idea to us, it was like lighting hit. We wondered why we hadnt done anything like this sooner. It makes you really reflect on how we were doing things. Im surprised no one else is doing this already, Banda said. Hunt has worked most of her life with the elderly, including as a certified nurses aide, and said nursing homes have always had a back-door policy. When I worked as a CNA, we would close residents doors so they wouldnt see the gurney. We would usher the deceased out the back door and through the garage. We thought that death was too disturbing, and we didnt want to upset our residents, Hunt said. The thought was to shield the other residents from it, but now that Im older and I look back, that was the wrong message. We shouldve honored them. We were taught that death is not a part of the nursing home, and its quite the opposite death is a part of life, Wright said. We look at it differently, death is a part of life, its a transition. We are Catholic and Christian, and we see it as a transition. Its not the end but the beginning, Banda said. Mount Carmel staff, the Corpus Christi Carmelite sisters, and staff from funeral homes in the Kearney area participated recently in a Walk of Honor rehearsal. Staff lined the halls beginning at Room 118, and a gurney was rolled down the hallway to the front door. In unison, staff prayed and recited Psalm 23. It made me tear up. It was the most beautiful moment. What a wonderful, thoughtful way to say goodbye to residents who became like family to us, Hunt said. The staff plans to provide veterans with a United States flag during the Walk of Honor and preparations are under way to make handmade quilts for other residents. Banda said they welcome quilting supplies and flag donations. Wright said the Walk of Honor may look different for each resident because not all residents and their families have the same Christian beliefs. We will respect our residents wishes in death just as we did in life. If the family doesnt want prayer, we respect that choice completely, Wright said. However, some residents who witnessed the Walk of Honor rehearsal felt honored. One woman asked what we were doing, so I explained and she told me it was thankful for this change, Wright said. Mount Carmel has been owned and operated by the Corpus Christi sisters since 1929. A convent, chapel, pastoral staff, wellness center, salon and a childrens day care are parts of the facility. The nursing home has 120 staff members and 74 residents. @HeatherRig KEARNEY The University of Nebraska at Kearney has announced Austin Partridge and Ivy Prater as the new student body president and vice president, respectively. Partridge, a junior business administration major from Grand Island, and Prater, a junior organizational communication major from Ewing, were elected Thursday following two days of campus voting and will be inaugurated on April 4. As student body president, Partridge will serve as the official student body representative to the University of Nebraska administration and public and has the power to veto legislation passed by the Student Senate. Partridge has served as a chancellors ambassador, senator for the College of Business and Technology and resident assistant. He has been a part of the Honors Program, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Order of the Omega. I decided to get involved with student government last year as a senator because I saw it as an opportunity to get involved and truly make a difference on campus, Partridge said. As time passed during my term as senator, the student body president position really stood out to me as a great opportunity to progress into a much larger role to better represent and serve UNK. Prater has acted in the past as student diplomat and resident assistant, and is part of Alpha Phi, Lambda Pi Eta, Phi Eta Sigma, Order of the Omega and Gold Torch Society. I truly enjoy UNK and would love to make a positive difference for students, and I feel student government will allow for just that, Prater said. I share a passion for the political process and want students to be able to find their voice here at UNK. Partridge and Prater identified several issues they plan to address, including working to improve the library and the Nebraskan Student Union through renovations and increasing budget advocacy efforts. They also plan to work to ensure dead week is strictly limited to review sessions. In addition to Partridge and Prater, 13 students were elected to UNK Student Senate, the legislature for the student body. Students elected to the Student Senate were: College of Natural and Social Sciences Drew Thompson of Aurora, Gabe Crocker of Kearney, Paige Whalen of Kearney, Kaitlynn Zitek of Ulysses, Madison Parshall of Plattsmouth College of Fine Arts and Humanities Jase Hueser of Kearney, Audrey Arsenian of Valley College of Business and Technology Ryan Brungardt of Kearney, Asic Helberg of McCook, Andrew Burival of ONeill College of Education Stephanie Paulsen of Arapahoe, Taylor Rieper of Hampton University College Taylor Janicek of Bridgeport I sat with Paul Johnsgard on the edge of the stage at the Merryman Performing Arts Center on Wednesday and talked about cranes, Nebraska and Johnsgards life. The nationally recognized ornithologist and crane expert just finished a public lecture he called, Happy Birthday, Nebraska, on Nebraskas 150th anniversary of statehood, a tribute to his adopted state. I marveled at this spry 86-year-old who still gets a thrill from seeing cranes along the Platte River. Following the lecture part of his presentation, he zoomed through a collection of beautiful images of the plants, animals and landscapes of Nebraska he photographed over the years. The lecture, presented by the University of Nebraska at Kearney History Department, spoke of the years he spent studying the birds of Nebraska and the world. Lately Ive been reading some of Pauls more than 70 books. In addition to defining the world through scientific eyes, his books often contain exquisite pen and ink drawings. Instead of a writing style that resembles a users manual for a dishwasher, Paul writes like a master of fiction. He knows how to describe a subject with enough detail to give the reader credit for filling in the blanks. About a week ago, in preparation for an interview regarding his talk, Paul sent me a personal biography. Most interview subjects send along two or three paragraphs of information. Pauls bio filled 25 pages. I had no time to spend reading that much information for a 500-word article that just needed to hit the highlights. Instead, once I began reading, I couldnt stop. Paul wrote about his first-grade teacher who kept a stuffed and mounted male red-winged blackbird in a glass Victorian bell jar. She invited him to examine the bird, up close and personal. That experience helped fuel his desire to learn more about birds and eventually led to a career in ornithology. Paul also wrote about traveling with his newly married wife from California to New York State in 1956 where he had been selected to attend graduate school at Cornell University. They purchased an old Ford sedan without a functional first gear for $25, along with a two-wheeled trailer for $30. When they encountered some steep hills near Dubuque, Iowa, they had to ascend the hills in reverse gear. Pauls introduction to Nebraska came after he accepted a job at the university in 1961, completely sight-unseen. He advanced from an instructor in the Zoology Department to an assistant professor to full tenure in only one year. His introduction to sandhill cranes came in 1962 when a graduate student told him about viewing opportunities in central Nebraska. Paul took his class to Grand Island and Elm Creek. He writes in his biography, I was soon astounded by the sight of thousands of cranes in the meadows along the river. I felt privileged to spend a few minutes talking with Paul after a busy day. The two of us sat on the edge of the stage, laughing at a few jokes and sharing a few stories. It occurred to me that this writer, biologist and artist is one of our true Nebraska treasures. I also felt inspired to open my eyes to the world around me, to soak in the wonders of life on the ground and in the sky. After a heart attack in 1984, instead of withdrawing and slowing down, Paul doubled down. He writes, As I lied in the hospital I decided that I didnt know how much time I might have. I hoped to live at least a few more years, as I wanted to finish all the books I was working on. I felt energized by just sitting with this Nebraska legend. I hope to live a few more years myself just so I can start a tiny fraction of the projects that Paul juggles on a daily basis. Rick Brown is a Hub staff writer who tends to learn more by sitting quietly. U.S. immigration laws have it backwards. Our system makes it far more appealing for outsiders to attempt to enter illegally rather than immigrate legally and become a naturalized U.S. citizen. The legal approach can take years and cost thousands of dollars, and theres no guarantee of citizenship after all of the time and expense. Its easy to understand, then, why an estimated 11 million foreign born people are in our nation illegally. A record 4.4 million foreigners are currently waiting for visas to enter the United States. For Mexicans, the average wait is 18 years. Denver attorney Troy A. Eids father came to the United States at age 17 from Saudi Arabia with $100 in his pocket. Writing an op-ed this week for Tribune Media Service, Eid said his father was never prouder than the day he took his oath of citizenship in 1957. Knowing Eids family history, you might expect him to sympathize with illegal immigrants, but as the first Arab-American appointed as the U.S. attorney in the District of Colorado, Eid supports President Trumps call to tighten immigration enforcement. Building the wall and deporting criminal immigrants one in every four federal inmates is an illegal alien would make everyone in the United States safer. But Eid believes immigrants trying to come here legally are getting the shaft because lax enforcement encourages foreigners to enter without papers, and theres little risk to their U.S. employers. As a federal prosecutor, I confronted large-scale hiring of illegal aliens by U.S. employers. Yet thanks to IRCA (1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act), U.S. attorneys offices can only charge those employers with misdemeanors, not felonies with nominal fines and little prospect for jail time, Eid wrote. We agree with Trump that criminal immigrants ought to be deported. Trump also is right to call for a merit-based system in which the U.S. admits immigrants whose special skills can benefit our nation as Canada and Australia do. However, Trump must be measured in the way he talks about immigration issues because he risks inciting an unleash the hounds frenzy by the way he demonizes illegal immigrants. Americans need to understand that the great majority of undocumented immigrants work hard, care for their families, and play a vital role in the U.S. economy. Even the Denver attorney who backs stronger enforcement believes theres value in diversity. Being a nation of immigrants, is a measure of national strength, not weakness, Eid said. Having our government work collaboratively to fix our immigration system will benefit not just Americans, but also foreign citizens who aspire to live and work here legally. Fifty years ago, Americans looked into deep space and saw it as a place worth planting a flag. The space race galvanized the country, igniting a nationalistic fervor to beat the Soviets to the moon that captured the imaginations of adults and children alike. But that all seems so retrograde now. Buffeted by rising costs and waning public interest, we humans largely have left the stars to satellites, robots and Hollywood screenwriters. There hasnt been a manned mission beyond low-Earth orbit since the final Apollo moon landing in 1972. NASAs last manned U.S. mission anywhere happened way back in 2011, when the Obama administration scrapped the space shuttle program. Since then, astronauts have been hitching rides to the International Space Station aboard Russian spacecraft. Thats not an America first philosophy. Perhaps, then, its merely a sign of these resurgent nationalistic times that talk of sending people into deep space is once again in vogue. Or maybe its a sudden desire of wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to escape a planet that, once again, seems too consumed with feuding and tribalism and navel-gazing over borders. Either way, a renewed space race this one shaping up between multinational corporations and governments is an exciting distraction and could do a lot to sow unity around the world through the common language of science. Indeed, its time America set its sights a little higher. Sacramento Bee We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form 131 Shares Share Imagine a smoking ban in the privacy of your own home? For over 2.3 million residents of public housing, this will be their reality. On November 12, 2015, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Julian Castro, announced HUDs policy for smoke-free federally funded public housing. The policy requires that residents refrain from using tobacco products in their units, common areas, and within 25 feet of public housing and administrative office buildings. I do not think anyone can reasonably argue that the goal of smoke-free housing in itself is a bad thing. During medical school, I remember seeing numerous children diagnosed with asthma and other allergic disorders, whose parents were chronic household smokers. Regardless, the means by which HUD has suggested achieving this goal is not good public policy, and should not be embraced by the public health community. First, lets talk about enforcement. HUD suggests that housing officials treat smoking like other nuisance violations. However, how can smoking be treated like other violations people sign in lease agreements? If someone breaks equipment in the housing unit, of course, they should pay for it. If someone plays music too loudly, of course, they should be warned to turn it down in there! But smoking is inherently different. Smoking tobacco is not like other violations because it is addictive. According to the American Cancer Society, it can take up to 8 to 10 quit attempts before someone is successful. Therefore, the science predicts someone will relapse several times. And when they do, they are likely to be in the privacy of their own home where they feel safe, secure, and secretly shameful. What if each time they light a cigarette they are marked with another code violation; with the threat of eviction around the corner? On the contrary, one can argue that eviction is unlikely. In a HUD survey of 11 public housing agencies (PHAs) which implemented smoke-free policies, up to 6 percent of residents were evicted due to smoking in restricted areas. However, as of July 3, 2014, less than 10 percent of PHAs have adopted smoke-free policies. Therefore, there is the possibility that eviction rates will rise as more PHAs enforce the new policy. HUD is delegating enforcement to PHAs, advising them to follow graduated enforcement. Nonetheless, variation in enforcement practices should be expected, with some agencies adopting more liberal practices than others. Secondly, the policy is markedly regressive. Federally funded public housing was created with the intent to provide homes first not to be the experiment for a public health policy agenda. HUDs job is to combat homelessness; to ensure the safety and security of our most vulnerable populations. Data from the CDC indicate that 26.3 percent of smokers today live below the poverty level. Additionally, according to 2015-2016 data, 64 percent of residents in HUD-funded housing make extremely low income (below 30 percent of the median household income in the U.S.). With this in mind, why should a policy to eliminate secondhand smoke (SHS) only apply to some of our countrys least well-off populations? That does not seem like sound judgement by our policymakers. Proponents of the rule harp on the notion that it focuses on smoke, not the smoker. No one can deny SHS exposure is detrimental to our society. It is responsible for about 9 percent of all smoking-related deaths in the United States. It increases the likelihood that children get ear infections, asthma, acute respiratory tract infections, and other chronic respiratory conditions. However, the effects of SHS do not only apply to residents of HUD-funded housing units they also apply to private homes. In the latter case, individuals fortunate enough to purchase their home can smoke as they please, even when they may be exposing their children and family members. No one denies smoking and the externalities it produces are bad for us. But we are treating public housing residents differently than the rest of our nations private citizens. This is something HUD either did unintentionally or chose to ignore. Either way, its not right. Saagar Pandit is a medical student. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Karl du Fresne writes: I shudder when I see someone advocating a hate speech law. So should we all. Police Commissioner Mike Bush didnt go so far as actually advocating a law prohibiting hate speech, however that may be defined, but obviously it was on his mind. In fact hes talked to the Human Rights Commission about it. I imagine it would have been a meeting of minds. After all, its the nature of bureaucracies to want their powers expanded. Combine this with the pervasive school of thought in modern government which holds that a feckless society needs paternalistic minders to keep it from getting into trouble, and almost any busybody law becomes possible. If we were to have speech police, could George Orwells Thought Police be far behind? A hate speech law would mark a radical and dangerous extension of existing police powers: from protecting people and property against clearly identifiable threats, such as assault and theft, to making value judgments about whether a citizen has crossed the blurry line between fair comment and something much darker. Yep. Happily, on this occasion both Justice Minister Amy Adams and Police Minister Paula Bennett squashed Bushs idea. They rightly pointed out that existing laws are perfectly capable of dealing with public statements likely to incite hostility against, for instance, ethnic or religious minorities. Check out Section 61 of the Human Rights Act. Anyway, what was Bush doing raising the matter in the first place? Since when was it the role of the Police Commissioner to suggest new laws that would restrict fundamental liberties such as the right of free speech? The Police should be there to enforce laws, not advocate for new ones. But the commissioners action is entirely consistent with the role police have increasingly taken upon themselves, which is that of moral custodians. Already we have seen, in recent years, a marked change in the way the police view their duties. Traditionally their function was to protect people against lawbreakers and to apprehend criminals. But the modern New Age police take a much broader view of their role. They have morphed into mother hens, constantly clucking about all the things were doing wrong. They think we need to be protected against ourselves. This is most conspicuous in matters relating to alcohol consumption. The police have a legitimate interest in minimising the road toll, but their moralistic crusades against drinking resemble nothing so much as the shrill campaigns of late-19th century prohibitionists who were convinced that liquor would be the ruin of us all. They need to be reminded that alcohol consumption is not only legal, but for centuries has been the lubricant of social intercourse and celebration. Of course a small minority of people drink to excess and behave badly. A recent example was the woman videoed shouting abuse at a group of Muslims in Huntly, which Bush seized as justification for a discussion about hate crime legislation. But Newstalk ZB talkback host Tim Beveridge got to the heart of the matter when he said the real problem in the Huntly incident wasnt racism or xenophobia; it was drunkenness. The question, then, is whether an isolated outburst from a pathetic drunk justifies a senior public servant talking about the need for hate speech laws. No. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr The Herald reports: Smokers needing help to quit can get a subsidy for nicotine patches, gum or lozenges that can save them hundreds of dollars. But the Maori Party thinks the Government should look at extending that subsidy to e-cigarettes. Making New Zealand smoke-free by 2025 is a key Maori Party goal and co-leader Marama Fox has been outspoken on the issue, calling an Imperial Tobacco spokesman a peddler of death, destruction and misery in a television interview last year. Plain packaging for tobacco is on the way and the Government has carried out consultation on its proposal to legalise the sale of e-cigarettes in New Zealand. Currently, nicotine patches and gum can be bought, but nicotine e-cigarette liquid must be bought from overseas. A decision on legalising e-cigarettes is expected in the first half of this year. Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox acknowledged the jury was still out on potential harm and benefits from vaping e-cigarettes, and New Zealand research and studies should be supported. If evidence backed the products use, then the Government should subsidise vaping as a tool to help quit smoking. What we also have is statistics that show vaping is harm-reducing, not cancer-causing. We also have statistics that show vaping is a good cessation tool, that move people off cancer-causing combustible cigarettes onto something that, while its still addictive because it has nicotine in it, doesnt cause smoking-related illnesses and isnt a burden on the system. (Updating with details throughout) BEIJING, March 4 (Reuters) - Chinese agribusiness group New Hope plans to build its first soybean crushing plant in China's Hebei province in a joint venture with Cargill , its chairman Liu Yonghao said on Saturday. New Hope and provincial state companies will own 51 percent of the project, which will have a daily capacity of 50,000 tonnes, while U.S. commodity merchant Cargill will hold the remaining 49 percent, he said at a briefing. The soy crushing industry in China, the world's top soybean buyer, has expanded rapidly in recent years due to rising demand from breeders of livestock from hogs to poultry, although there is significant overcapacity in the sector. The U.S. government reckons crushing volume of around 76 million tonnes last year was far below the country's capacity. Liu has built New Hope from a small chicken farm into the country's top animal feed producer, with businesses extending to banking and property and annual sales topping 90 billion yuan ($13.83 billion). His plans come as New Hope also aims to expand abroad. In about ten years, international farm products will account for 40 percent of total revenue, up from 10 percent currently, the company is setting up a European headquarters in the Netherlands and will open a U.S. office, he said. The company already has overseas offices in Australia and Singapore. For its international strategy, Liu said New Hope will mainly build factories in under-developed countries while focusing on acquisitions and partnerships in developed countries. New Hope is building chicken and pig farms in Vietnam and plans to expand investment in countries with large populations like Indonesia, Liu said. For example, the company is considering sending its beef products in Australia to markets in southeast Asia, Liu told reporters at the briefing. (Reporting by Hallie Gu; Writing by Josephine Mason; Editing by Alexander Smith) Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. ETHS seeks history award nominations KNOXVILLE Staples is celebrating and honoring local teachers this back to school season with an exclusive promotion to help them save money and fill their classrooms with everything they need to tackle the new school year. During the promotional period, teachers will receive 10% off their purchase and, while supplies last, a special Teacher Appreciation Kit with coupons and additional discounts. New this year is an in-store Teacher Appreciation Sweepstakes. Teachers can enter by taking a photo with their Teacher Appreciation Kit and posting on social media with the hashtag #StaplesLovesTeachers, alongside a description of why they love teaching. Sweepstakes winners will receive a school supplies prize pack valued at $500 and a Scholastic subscription, which includes one-year subscriptions to two Scholastic magazines, Scholastic printable resources, and a Scholastic eBook collection. Every teacher who visits Staples during the promotion dates and shows valid teacher identification will be eligible for the promotion. Friday, July 14thMonday, July 17th: Oak Ridge, TN (849 W. Main Street) Knoxville, TN (8913 Town and Country Circle) Crossville, TN (2547 North Main Street) Greeneville, TN (1505 East Andrew Johnson Highway) Friday, July 28thMonday, July 31st: Sevierville, TN (713 Winfield Dunn Parkway) For more information and to see when all local stores are hosting events, visit www.staples.com/teacherappreciation. Ri Jong-chol talks to reporters from inside the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, Saturday. / Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwan The North Korean suspect released from custody in Malaysia denied his involvement in the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of the military regime's leader Kim Jong-un. Ri Jong-chol, 46, claimed Saturday to reporters at the North Korean embassy in Beijing at about 3 a.m., about two hours after he arrived in China from Kuala Lumpur, that the investigation is a plot to hurt the North's dignity. On Friday, Malaysian police released Ri due to lack of evidence. He was the only one of the eight North Korean suspects in the assassination on Feb. 13 who was taken into custody. Ri also said that the Malaysian police threatened to kill his family members and conducted the investigation with forged evidence. Protesters in front of Lotte Department Store in Gwangju on Saturday spread out a banner ahead of ripping it in a bid to protest against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system and Lotte Group. The chaebol conglomerate signed a land swap deal with the Ministry of National Defense in late February to provide the government with a site for hosting the THAAD. / Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwan Ruling and opposition parties of South Korea on Saturday clashed over the planned deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system amid strong protest from China. Whereas the ruling Liberty Korea Party said the nation should keep pushing forward the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system regardless of Chinese threats, the opposition parties insisted next administration must deal with the task. China unleashed economic retaliation against Korea because of concerns the THAAD system will have an adverse impact on its military strategy. The Liberty Korea Party said in a statement, "It is ironic that China is overacting towards the THAAD battery which came as a self-defense measure," adding China should be responsible for not fully complying with the U.N. sanction against North Korea's provocations using nukes and missiles. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits the People's Theatre to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the State Merited Chorus in Pyongyang. The halting of coal imports suggests Beijing can no longer stomach Kim Jong-un's erratic behaviour, even at the risk of losing a buffer against US interests in Asia By Cary Huang China's move to effectively cut off North Korea's revenue lifeline by banning coal imports is the first significant signal that Beijing is willing to work with the United States to rein in its defiant neighbour after President Donald Trump's repeated complaints. China's move to effectively cut off North Korea's revenue lifeline by banning coal imports is the first significant signal that Beijing is willing to work with the United States to rein in its defiant neighbour after President Donald Trump's repeated complaints. This latest move might also indicate a willingness to break the deadlock between China and the US since Pyongyang quit the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 2003. Trump has made repeated calls for China to get tough on North Korea, saying Beijing could end its neighbour's nuclear programme "very quickly and easily". China does provide most of North Korea's food and fuel; it has long played a crucial role to effectively keep the regime afloat and avoid a repeat of the famines of the 1990s. But the solution China truly seeks is not what the US anticipates. China's strategists have long-feared any tough action against the reclusive state might lead to its collapse, triggering a refugee wave at China's borders and leave Beijing without a geopolitical buffer to US forces under a unified Korea. There also remains a significant ideological and historic bond between the two nations since fighting together during the Korean War. However, China has failed to tame North Korean leader Kim Jong-un since his ascension in 2011, a year before President Xi Jinping () took power in China. Xi has met his South Korean counterpart many times, but has never met Kim. Since he came to power, Kim has purged senior officials with close links to China in fear of a Beijing conspiracy to replace him, and accelerated Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes despite China's objections. During Kim's five years in power, North Korea has implemented 36 ballistic-missile tests and three nuclear tests. The recent killing of Kim Jong-nam, the leader's estranged brother, might be the last straw. While Pyongyang denies any role, the use of the VX chemical agent a weapon of mass destruction according to the United Nations might prompt Beijing to further distance itself from Kim's dynasty. China may now realise that continued inaction on North Korea conflicts with its rising international clout and contradicts its national interest. Kim's weapons of mass destruction pose the same risk to China as they do to South Korea, Japan or the United States. North Korea's relentless weapons build-up has fuelled an arms race in the region. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India and Australia are scrambling to upgrade their defences. South Korea's decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system to contain the North's nuclear capability is perhaps the highest-profile reaction, a move that Beijing is fiercely fighting against for fear it could also be used to curb China. All this risks triggering a nuclear domino effect in Northeast Asia. Trump has even suggested that Japan and South Korea acquire nuclear weapons to counter any challenge from North Korea. In this volatile environment, China's continued support of a regime widely seen as a state sponsor of terrorism and a major threat to peace in the region will only damage Beijing's international image and undermine relations with most of its important trade partners South Korea, Japan and the US, among others. Cary Huang, a senior writer with the South China Morning Post, has been a China affairs columnist since the 1990s. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) Malaysia said it expelled North Korea's ambassador on Saturday for refusing to apologize for his strong accusations over Malaysia's handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader's half brother. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy at around 6 p.m. declaring Ambassador Kang Chol persona non grata. The notice said Kang must leave Malaysia within 48 hours. Earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea formally apologize for Kang's accusations over the investigation into the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport, including that "the Malaysian government had something to hide and that Malaysia has colluded with outside powers to defame" North Korea, Anifah said in a statement. He said that no apology had come and none appeared forthcoming, and that North Korean Embassy officials also failed to turn up for a meeting Saturday at the foreign ministry, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador. "It should be made clear Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," Anifah said. The death of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Kang's expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah had said this was an "indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities." Earlier Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong Chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang. Story continues Ri said that he wasn't at the airport the day Kim was killed, but that police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with "fake evidence." He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," Ri said. "This is when I realized that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Malaysia's national police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to respond to Ri's comments. Ri was detained four days after Kim died, but police never said what they believed his role in the attack was. Two women one Indonesian, one Vietnamese have been charged with murder in the case, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. On Friday, police issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but didn't say why he is a suspect. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on Jan. 29, about two weeks before Kim was killed. North Korea earlier had rejected Malaysia's autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons, including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Un's half brother, as Malaysian government officials have confirmed. Kim Jong Nam reportedly fell out of favor with his father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. The high school graduation of MC GREE was just recently broadcasted on "Dad's Character". During its March 1 episode, Kim Gu Ra took the opportunity to announce that it was the graduation day of his son, Dong Hyun. He then goes on with his statement saying that he would not be able to attend his son's graduation due to his very busy schedule early in the morning. He then adds that it is always a coincidence that there is always work for him to do during Dong Hyun's graduation day. Kim Gu Ra says that he feels very sorry for being absent in his child's very special day. According to All K-pop, the opposite thing was felt by MC GREE, as he still was happy and he even celebrated the momentous event with a light heart, even if his dad wasn't there. MC GREE said that his girlfriend came to his graduation instead of his dad. And because of it, he believes that he will be a more mature MC GREE in the process. He also said that he wasn't disappointed that his father wasn't there because he was already used to it ever since he was a child. The only sad thing is that he doesn't have a picture with his dad. Kim Gu Ra said that he will make it up to his son by taking a bunch of photos with his son in the school. Meanwhile, according to Korea Portal, Kim Gu Ra also gave a word of advice for fellow K-pop idols, T.O.P. and Junsu. He said that hopefully, the two would not mind any of the controversies and intrigues that surrounds them. He adds that they need to survive the training and be productive. For sure, they got what it takes to go through the military training smoothly. scott pruitt EPA The Environmental Protection Agency will no longer require oil and gas companies to report information related to their methane emissions, according to a new directive issued March 2. In a press release, the agency announced that, effective immediately, an Obama-era information collection request has been cancelled. The original request, sent to companies in November 2016, required oil and gas producers to provide a broad range of information about their methane emissions and equipment, as well as the feasibility of controls designed to limit methane release. That information was being collected as part of a long-term project to regulate methane emissions from oil and gas production, an initiative that grew out of an agreement between Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, gets released during the extraction process for oil and natural gas. In fact, the sector is the largest industrial emitter of methane. While the gas accounts for a small portion of overall greenhouse gas emissions and doesn't stay in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, it traps thirty times more heat per ton than carbon dioxide does. Climate scientists are still working to understand how methane emissions fit into the overall climate change puzzle. In the EPA's press release, the agency explained its decision to end its information-gathering initiative, writing: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt would like to assess the need for the information that the agency was collecting through these requests. This action also comes after the agency received a letter on March 1, 2017, from nine state Attorneys General and the Governors of Mississippi and Kentucky, expressing concern with the pending Information Collection Request for Oil and Gas Facilities. By taking this step, EPA is signaling that we take these concerns seriously and are committed to strengthening our partnership with the states, said EPA Administrator Pruitt. Todays action will reduce burdens on businesses while we take a closer look at the need for additional information from this industry. Story continues NOW WATCH: A new study just blew a hole in one of the strongest arguments against global warming More From Business Insider DailyFX.com - Equity Indices (S&P 500, DAX, FTSE 100) Look to Maintain Bullish Underpinnings Whats inside: S&P 500 likely to hold a bid; U.S. jobs report on Friday DAX postured bullishly, but has its work cut out for higher prices; ECB meeting on Thursday FTSE 100 set to record fresh record highs, no high impact events scheduled for week ahead See the Webinar Calendar for a schedule of upcoming live events with DailyFX analysts. At the start of last week markets were quiet until U.S. President Donald Trump gave a speech to congress Tuesday evening, providing stocks with a shot in the arm on Wednesday. Most major global indices delivered impressive performances new record highs were recorded by U.S. indices and the FTSE 100. In the two days to end the week there was a minor retracement of gains, but nothing alarming. Looking ahead to next week, the economic calendar isnt overly loaded with risk events, but a couple of key items on the docket could be market-movers; namely, the ECB meeting on Thursday and the U.S. jobs report on Friday. S&P 500 The S&P 500 rose to new record highs on Wednesday following Trumps congressional address the night before, but backed off a bit late-week. In a speech on Friday, Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen effectively said the Fed plans to move at a faster pace, but not necessarily more hikes than previously anticipated. The market is expecting a rate hike at the March meeting. Given this built-in expectation, outside of a knee-jerk intra-day reaction, the net impact of Yellens speech on stocks was negligible. This coming week, the ECB on Thursday has market-moving potential, and then on Friday market participants will turn their attention to the U.S. jobs report. Neither are anticipated at this time to rock current sentiment. Looking at the techs: The S&P remains firmly planted in an uptrend, but the trend could become unstable given how extended it has become. Nevertheless, there is little reason for sellers to become aggressive at this time without a material price break. Immediately, the Feb 8 trend-line is in play as support and should hold if the market is to continue its streak of strength this coming week. Markets have a tendency to fill gaps, and should trend support give-way, well be watching for a gap-fill down to 2363. Below the gap, look to the Feb 16 trend-line crossing through price action in recent months and price support at 2353. Story continues Looking higher, resistance comes in at the Wednesday high of 2401 and underside of the November trend-line from where the market turned lower this past week. Looking beyond there, the next upward sloping line of resistance arrives at the upper parallel of the current channel in the vicinity of 2415/25. S&P 500: Daily Equity Indices (S&P 500, DAX, FTSE 100) Look to Maintain Bullish Underpinnings Created with TradingView DAX This coming week we have the ECB meeting on Thursday, which could certainly be a source of volatility; most likely, if it is, it will spawn from the press conference with Mario Draghi, as the central bank isnt expected to make any material changes to current policy. Any strong move which may unfold in the DAX is likely to be inverse to the euro, and with that said, if holding positions in both, risk should be managed accordingly. Technically speaking, the DAX remains constructively postured, but does have its work cut out for it if it is to trade to the 2015 record high of 12390. The German index finished the week below a confluence of resistance; April top-side trend-line, August top-side trend-line, and 12079 level from 2015. It will need to clear above this confluence before gaining additional upside momentum. On the down-side, not far below lies the December trend-line; viewed as fairly significant support given the repeated attempts to break it over the past week. With additional choppy price action, a rising wedge could develop between the top and bottom-side trendlines, but will require another week or so before the pattern reaches maturity (well discuss later if it becomes relevant). DAX: Daily Equity Indices (S&P 500, DAX, FTSE 100) Look to Maintain Bullish Underpinnings Created with TradingView FTSE 100 The FTSE 100 benefited significantly on Wednesday from strong risk appetite along with a declining pound. Looking ahead to potential drivers this coming week, there arent any high impact events on the docket for the U.K. The focus is likely to be on general risk appetite, pound weakness, the ECB, and NFP Friday. The FTSE finished last week just off record highs and looks poised to continue its drive higher this coming week. The footsie is sitting just above a top-side trend-line extending over peaks in 2013, 2015, and January. Standing directly in its path is an upper parallel, but only viewed as minor in significance. Looking to potential stopping points on further strength, we are taking note of a pair of top-side trend-lines extending higher from peaks in 2015 and 2016; these arrive in the vicinity of 7440 to 7480. It would require a material break lower to change the current bullish positioning. Support levels clock in at 7354, 7329, and then a lower parallel rising up from Feb 2. FTSE 100: Daily Equity Indices (S&P 500, DAX, FTSE 100) Look to Maintain Bullish Underpinnings Created with TradingView Looking for trading ideas? See our Trading Guides. ---Written by Paul Robinson, Market Analyst You can receive Pauls analysis directly via email bysigning up here. You can follow Paul on Twitter at@PaulRobinonFX. original source DailyFX provides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets. Learn forex trading with a free practice account and trading charts from IG. - By Naman Shukla Despite the failure of Galaxy Note 7, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SSNLF) rewarded investors with huge returns in 2016 due to the robust performance of its flagship Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge devices. Samsung introduced several innovative features to these devices, including complete water resistance, a memory card slot and expanded screen size. The same thing cannot be said about Apple's iPhone 7. Apple (AAPL) did little in the way of innovation to improve its flagship device. Regardless, Apple's share in the U.S. smartphone market surged 6.4% to 43.5% in the three months ended Nov. 4. In comparison, Samsung fell 5.1% to 55.3%. Moving ahead, it is highly likely that the situations will change substantially this year as Samsung is about to launch its new flagship model Galaxy S8. Keeping in mind the leaked image of Samsung Galaxy S8 by serial tech leaker Evan Blass, it looks like the Galaxy S8 smartphone will prove to be a tough competitor for BlackBerry (BBRY) KeyOne, LG (003550.KS) G6 and Apple's next flagship iPhone 8. Samsung Galaxy S8 will also feature a big curved display. Most importantly, the leak follows rumors that Samsung is planning to get rid of the physical home button and substitute it with a virtual button that will permit smartphone users to maneuver over the software. On the other hand, the leaked picture also suggests that Samsung has introduced a fourth physical button apart from volume up, volume down and lock button. The fourth button is expected to be the entitled button that will trigger a new virtual personal assistant bundled with the device known as Bixby. In actual fact, the Galaxy S8 would be the first smartphone designed by Samsung that will feature Bixby voice assistant. Furthermore, Samsung is belligerently focusing on its virtual assistant and allegedly plans to assimilate it into all the native applications on upcoming high-end devices. To boost its virtual assistant efforts, the company also acquired AI startup Viv, an artificial intelligence platform. Story continues In spite of designing an amazing upcoming flagship device, Samsung will need to gain customers' trust that the device would not explode like Note 7. To address this issue, Samsung has decided to use batteries manufactured by Sony (SNE) for its forthcoming Galaxy S8 device. Conclusion Samsung performed well in 2016 on the back of Galaxy S7 Edge, and it looks like forthcoming flagship Galaxy S8 will perform even better this year. Samsung is mainly known for bringing innovative changes in its latest flagship smartphones and leaked images of Galaxy S8 also throw light on several marvelous features. If the leaked images are true, Galaxy S8 will help Samsung snatch a substantial portion of the smartphone market. As a result, the success of Galaxy S8 will have a direct impact on Apple's currently running iPhone 7 and its upcoming flagship iPhone 8. Disclosure: I don't hold a position in the stock mentioned in this article. Start a free seven-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. In school, we learned that the Pleistocene Age was the era when elephants and saber-toothed tigers prowled the land and were hunted by ancient men armed with long spears. But we were never taught about the Plastiocene Age, and that is a problem! There is an almost universal lack of awareness about how in the Plastiocene Age plastic refuse in the form of disposable water bottles and plastic bags, etc. has polluted the environment, especially our oceans. This age of pollution by plastics is the most recent stage of the Anthropocene Epoch, the era which dates from the commencement of a significant human impact on the Earths ecology and ecosystems, that is, when the footprint of mankind began to alter the environment in ways that were not so good. Artist/scientist Pinar Yoldas hopes to change all that. She explores the issue in a new exhibition, An Ecosystem of Excess, which opened Feb. 2 at the Calit2 Art Gallery in Atkinson Hall at UC San Diego. The problem, according to Yoldas, is imperceptibility. People are just not aware of what is happening to the environment. Through her artwork, she hopes to inspire people to think about the repercussions of their actions and make better choices. Yoldas said she grew up in Turkey where people were so poor they did not have enough of anything to create waste or pollution. She was completely shocked when she came West and saw our mass consumption through all the waste and trash we generate, and all the pollution we create. The experience affected her so much that she decided she would do something about it. It makes me so sad, she lamented, All the pollution ... our oceans have turned into a plastic soup! Plastic, like from old water bottles, she continued, is the most abundant form of marine debris. Marine scientists first discovered it floating round and round with other trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a place in the ocean, whose mass is contributed to by all the nations of the world, and where the currents endlessly swirl garbage round and round. Its huge between 700,000 and 1.5 million square kilometers in diameter! A plastic soup has resulted, which I call The Plastisphere, and in less than 20 years, it has become part of the food chain in the oceans. Now, at the microscopic level, tiny sea creatures are living on plastic debris, interacting with it, and creating new forms of life! Jules Jaffe, a professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who studies the ocean on the microscopic level, backed up Yoldas claims. Jaffe was part of a panel that convened to discuss her art work at a recent Calit2 Gallery opening. The scientific fact is that all organisms in the ocean now have micro plastics in them, Jaffe said. Interactions with these micro plastics are creating random mutations on the genetic level, paving the way for the development of new creatures. Jessica Block, a professor of geomorphology, geology and paleoclimateolgy, was also present for the panel discussion. Block remarked, In the future, geologists will be able to look back and find plastics in the segmentation and date precisely when we started polluting the oceans and the planet with plastic waste. Yoldas exhibition will run through March 17. The show is a combination of oceanography, art and speculative biology. Yoldas said she imagined, and then created with a 3D printer, some new sea creatures that may arise in response to all the plastic now in the ocean. She has these creatures floating in glass, aquarium-like cylinders through which air is bubbled. In the background, projected on a wall, and in the hallway on a large screen, explanatory videos play. The exhibition is part of a larger series of work that uses art to help people think about what theyre doing to the environment. Yoldas pieces, which have created quite a stir, show throughout the world in galleries in Taiwan, Moscow, Istanbul, Berlin and Beijing. She said one of her shows was motivated by the sobering fact that at least one million seabirds die each year from poisoning by plastics. In addition, at least a quarter of all seabirds have swallowed whole, intact bottle caps that are inside their systems, and which may eventually kill them. Yoldas said she got to thnking, What if the red dye from a Coca Cola bottle cap inside a seabird got into its blood stream and affected its DNA so the color of its feathers changed? Would that create a new sub species? To illustrate the possibility, she created an entire art show filled with strangely colored feathers made by way of her 3D printer. Yoldas said shes been a hard worker and a good student, studying both the arts and sciences her whole life. She gave her first solo art show when she was only five years old and won a bronze medal in the Science Olympics in Turkey when she was a teen. Recently, she was a 2015 Guggenheim Fellow in Fine Art and a 2016 Future Emerging Arts and Technologies award recipient. Yoldas educational background includes: a Bachelor of Architecture from Middle East Technical University, Master of Arts from Bilgi University, Master of Science from Istanbul Technical University, and a Master of Fine Arts from UCLA. She was recently awarded a Ph.D. from Duke University in Media Arts and Sciences, and is currently teaching at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. IF YOU GO: Calit2 Gallery is on the first floor of Atkinson Hall, 9500 Gilman Drive, on the UCSD campus. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Admission is free. For more about the artist, visit pinaryoldas.info PRESS RELEASE French Presidential Elections: Political Situation on the Brink of Major ChangeAgain PARIS, Mar. 3, 2017 (Nouvelle Solidarite)The French political situation is once again on the verge of undergoing yet another major change. At this point it looks like the candidacy of Francois Fillon (Les Republicains) will rapidly come to an end. His statement earlier in the week that he would continue till the end, even though he will be indicted on March 15, did not have the wanted effect of strengthening his camp around him. Shortly after that meeting, high-level officials started jumping ship: Former presidential candidate and minister Bruno Le Maire; Sen. Catherine Vautrin, vice president of the LR group in the Senate; the centrist formation UDI, suspended its participation in the campaign, etc. Some 70 mid-and high-level elected officials quit already yesterday. Today, the hemorrhage has continued with some of the top circles quitting: his spokesman Thierry Sorel, this afternoon; Nathalie Koziusko Morizet, a former LR minister. Jean Francois Cope a former party president and former minister has reportedly quit and would be working for an Alain Juppe candidacy. Yesterday already, LR senior deputy George Fenech, called for mayors to sign pledges to put a Juppe candidacy on the ballot. Le Parisien reported that Fenech was working with Cope and others, to start gathering the mayors' signatures for Juppe, with a strategy that when they get the 500 there will be a general call for Juppe to come forth, as the "white knight" candidacy, so to speak. Juppe himself, declared yesterday for the first time since this thing started, that he was ready to jump in to replace Fillon, but that he was loyal and would not move if Fillon asked him not to do so. So, at this point, it looks like Fillon will be replaced. Note that Juppe is the former Prime Minister under Chirac, but a much more Atlanticist and European version than his former mentor. One of the big differences between Juppe and Fillon is that the latter was openly pro-Russian, and the former is quite anti-Russian, and was the man who oversaw the Franco-British-American war against Serbia, Sarkozy's war against Libya, and the beginning of the war against Syria (for this last he apologized, however). So we are left with three front runners: Juppe possibly, an Atlanticist; Emmanuel Macron, a Europeanist and an Atlanticist, and Marine Le Pen, still the highest in the polls, with a Trump-like profile but with the added problem of the Le Pen family xenophobia. However, the fear of the Le Pen's Front National is still strong enough that she is not likely to be elected on the second round, this time around. The next Presidency in this context, will be weak and unable to go for the right solutions. PRESS RELEASE Russias Lavrov Denounces New McCarthyism in Attacks on Russian Ambassador Kislyak March 3, 2017 (EIRNS)In remarks to the media today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denounced as a "new McCarthyism," allegations by anonymous U.S. officials that Russias ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kislyak, is a "spy and recruiter of spies." "I can cite the media that say all this is very much reminiscent of a witch hunt and the McCarthyism era which we all thought was long gone in the U.S., a civilized country," Lavrov said, TASS reported. "As for accusations against Kislyak and those he met with, our ambassador is accused of meeting with the U.S. politicians who opposed the Obama Administration. This is the essence of the accusations, to be honest. We dont want to, and we wont ape" the American approach to Kislyak, Lavrov said, noting that were Moscow "to apply the same principle, and scrutinize U.S. ambassador to Russia (John) Tefft and his contacts, we would see quite an amusing picture." Lavrov pointed out that ambassadors are appointed to maintain relations with the host country. "Relations are maintained in the form of meetings, talks, contacts with both ebxecutive officials ... and with politicians, public figures, non-governmental organizations. This practice has never been disputed," he said, RT reported. During her weekly media briefing yesterday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded sharply, and at some length, to a question about the "spy" allegations against ambassador Kislak, taking time, at the end, to tell a British CNN reporter, "Come on, stop spreading lies and fake news. This is good advice for CNN." "The current goings-on in the Western, including U.S. media can be described as media vandalism," she said. "I wonder if the Western media has reached the rock bottom or it still has further to fall." Zakharova charged that U.S. and other media are engaged in "an attempt at total disinformation of their own and the global public, but the main target is the American public." The current campaign is what George Orwell described in his "1984" book, she warned. PRESS RELEASE NATO Military Committee Chair Initiated Call to Russian Chief of Staff March 3, 2017 (EIRNS)Today Gen. Petr Pavel (Czech Republic), the Chairman of NATOs Military Committee, who is the highest- ranking NATO general, initiated a telephone discussion with Russian General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov. This is their first telephone conversation since relations between Russia and the West collapsed. "These are the first high-level contacts in the military field since the adoption of the NATO Council decision to freeze relations with Russia," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. Gerasimov brought up Russias concerns with NATOs "significantly increased military activity near Russian borders, as well as the deployment of the joint NATO forces forward-based system." Other issues include prospects for restoring military communications and steps toward reducing tensions in Europe. General Gerasimov informed General Pavel about key international events and exercise organized by the Russian Defense Ministry in 2017. They also confirmed "the necessity of mutual steps aimed to decrease tensions and to build up stabilization in Europe." Both "agreed to continue cooperation." PRESS RELEASE New York Times Promotes Obamas Leading Role in Preparing Color Revolution Against U.S. Government March 3, 2017 (EIRNS)As the role of Obama's personal role in treason against the United States Government circulates internationallyespecially in the EIR dossier on the Obama/Soros role in the Coup in Ukraine and today in the U.S.the March 1 New York Times lets it all out, proudly presenting details of Obama's careful preparations during the last months of his presidency for the overthrow of the U.S. governmentApres moi, le deluge." Under the title: "Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking," a large team of the Times' neo-nazi journalists praise their tool Obama for collecting and disseminating material and making a "record" of fake reports about Russian interference in the election, supposedly (the Times writes) because they "feared that intelligence about Russian interference in the 2016 election could be covered up or destroyed." They write: "In the Obama administrations last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election and about possible contacts between associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump and Russians across the government..., to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators." Any doubt that Obama is committing treason, openly intending to use Goebbels-style lies to destroy the government of his countrywas eliminated by this Times' admission of Obama's, and their own, subversive intentions and actions. "As Inauguration Day approached," the story reads, "Obama White House officials grew convinced that the intelligence was damning and that they needed to ensure that as many people as possible inside government could see it, even if people without security clearances could not. Some officials began asking specific questions at intelligence briefings, knowing the answers would be archived and could be easily unearthed by investigators including the Senate Intelligence Committee, which in early January announced an inquiry into Russian efforts to influence the election. At intelligence agencies, there was a push to process as much raw intelligence as possible into analyses, and to keep the reports at a relatively low classification level to ensure as wide a readership as possible across the government and, in some cases, among European allies. This allowed the upload of as much intelligence as possible to Intellipedia, a secret wiki used by American analysts to share information. "There was also an effort to pass reports and other sensitive materials to Congress. In one instance, the State Department sent a cache of documents marked secret to Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland days before the Jan. 20 inauguration. The documents, detailing Russian efforts to intervene in elections worldwide, were sent in response to a request from Mr. Cardin, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, and were shared with Republicans on the panel." As usual, the Times acknowledges that the sources for their story demanded "anonymity because they were discussing classified information, nearly all of which remains secret." Except to the coup-plotters, of course. PRESS RELEASE Russia Is Moving To Stabilize Libya, and the British Are Not Amused March 3, 2017 (EIRNS)So-called Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj arrived in Moscow for a two-day visit, for talks on the stabilization of Libya. According to the London Times, the meeting has been requested by the Italian government, which is formally backing Sarraj but is open to discuss a solution including Gen. Khalifa Haftar, Sarrajs rival who controls eastern Libya. Russia has so far backed Haftar, the only one who controls a national army and is open for an inclusive solution in which Haftar plays a national role. Sarraj met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday. The Wall Street Journal quoted Russian sources claiming that there have been contacts between U.S. and Russian officials to discuss the future of Libya, focusing on the role played by General Haftar. "Andrey Kortunov, director-general of the Russian International Affairs Council, which is close to the countrys Foreign Ministry, said Russia had through diplomatic channels made the case to Washington for potential cooperation on international terrorism because Libya might become one of the major hotbeds." A person close to the Kremlin said Russian officials had spoken to officials at the U.S. National Security Council about General Haftar, as well as efforts to combat Islamic State in Libya and Moscows desire to make oil deals in the crude-rich country," although Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied the Kremlin had reached out to the NSC about Haftar. In the background of the ongoing Libya negotiations, Russia has built a pattern of economic deals in the last months involving all parties to the potential settlement: Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Italy and, of course, both Libyan factions: the one represented by Sarraj and one represented by Haftar. Moscow has used Rosneft as an instrument. In the last months, Rosneft has: Signed a deal with the Libyan National Oil Corp. (Feb. 21, 2017). Bought a 30% share in the exploitation of the Shorouk offshore gas field in Egypt, the largest gas field ever discovered in the Mediterranean, from Italys ENI which has discovered the field and owns 90% of the concession. Sold a 19% of its own share to Glencore and Qatar sovereign fund, an operation financed by Banca Intesa Moscow. The latest deal in particular has been attacked by British outlets (Reuters, Financial Times) as a geopolitical operation. The British have alleged that the $5.2 billion loan extended by Banca Intesa to the Glencore-Qatar joint venture was covering a fake privatization and that most of the money came from the Russian VTB bank. The Financial Times even reported that Italian regulators were probing the deal, but Intesa has denied the story. Banca Intesa Moscow head Antonio Fallico, who organized the deal, is also the founder of the "Conoscere Eurasia" association and gave an interview to EIR in 2015. Rosnefts partnership with ExxonMobil in the last years is well known. The students at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View were presented with an unique math problem this week: How do you turn $15,000 into $24 million and then some? The answer: Invest in Snapchat. The Catholic school in the heart of Silicon Valley is celebrating a windfall from the initial public offering and stock market debut Thursday of the popular photo and video messaging app. One of the schools students is the daughter of Barry Eggers, founder of Lightspeed Venture Partners, Snapchats first investor. Eggers urged the school to place a small bet on the fledgling Venice company, which is now called Snap Inc., after he saw how engrossed his children were with the app. When Saint Francis sold two-thirds of its shares at $17 apiece, it reaped a massive return on investment. Saint Francis has been blessed to have parents who so passionately and generously share their gifts with the school, high school President Simon Chiu said in a letter to the school community. These are exciting and humbling times. Advertisement As the dust settles from Snaps highly anticipated $3.4-billion stock debut, a clearer picture is emerging of the winners and losers. Saint Francis is firmly among the former, pledging to use the money to boost financial aid and improve campus facilities. Its unexpected return follows in the tradition of unlikely winners in stock IPOs, like the chef and masseuse who came away with millions after Google went public in 2007. Those examples are few and far between, however. Most of Snaps biggest gainers were the obvious ones. Founders Bobby Murphy and Evan Spiegel each made $272 million by selling shares Thursday. They also made more than $1 billion in paper gains as stocks soared on the first day of trading and rose an additional 10% on Friday to close at $27.09. San Francisco venture capital firm Benchmark unloaded the most valuable chunk of Snap shares as part of the IPO, worth $340 million. Gains among other venture capital firms include $147 million for Eggers Lightspeed Venture Partners, $18 million for General Catalyst and $3 million for SV Angel. Snap Chairman Michael Lynton sold about $2 million worth of shares. Hundreds of Snaps rank and file could soon become millionaires too after rules lift allowing them to cash out (Snap declined to comment on whether its contractors and support staff, such as shuttle drivers, security guards and cafeteria workers, received stock or bonuses tied to the IPO). That has wealth management firms salivating as they hope to turn these suddenly wealthy workers into clients. Ross Gerber, chief executive of Santa Monica wealth management firm Gerber Kawasaki, said his firm is putting together ad campaigns on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram aimed at Snap employees. Gerbers office is in Santa Monica Business Park, the same development where Snap recently leased 300,000 square feet of office space. Whenever companies have big liquidity events, we target employees, send them ads and say, Come get help, Gerber said. But for every beneficiary of the Snap debut are more than a handful of frustrated losers sore from kicking themselves for passing on a company bound for the biggest IPO since Alibaba raised $25 billion in 2014. Among the most regretful examples is celebrity investor Chris Sacca, who on Thursday tweeted a screenshot of a 2012 email from Murphy asking for a meeting. I know one person who isnt getting rich in the Snapchat IPO, Sacca wrote. Hint: the guy who didnt reply to this email. Congrats to everyone at $SNAP! (Dont break out the Kleenex just yet for Sacca. Hes still got $1.2 billion, according to Forbes.) Also missing out? Every major Los Angeles-based venture capital firm, including Upfront Ventures, which dismissed Snapchat as a sexting tool, and CrossCut Ventures and Clearstone Venture Partners, which didnt have enough free cash to get in on Snapchat. Youd have to be an idiot to say Im not bummed, Upfront Ventures managing partner Mark Suster told The Times last month. Actor Ashton Kutcher, a prolific tech investor whose holdings include Airbnb and Uber, recalled last year that he rejected opportunities to invest in an early version of Snapchat after meeting Spiegel because he felt the app looked terrible and would run into too many security concerns. His investment partner at the time, Chris Hollod, is at peace with the missed opportunity, saying people took for granted how innovative and disruptive companies such as Snapchat were at their start. It was just one of many social media apps popping up, rather than a no-brainer then, Hollod said. But I dont take missing out as a diss. Im 34 years old. Sometimes we have to put faith in the younger generation and just trust the data. To that high school, Snapchat must have felt intuitive. Some investors had to try more than once to get a piece of Snap. Spiegel rejected an investment offer from the New York hedge fund Coatue Management in early 2013, according to an account in Fortune at the time. But he changed his mind by years end, taking $50 million from Coatue after spurning talks with Chinese tech giant Tencent. Coatue didnt respond to a request for comment. As is often the case in investing, a big payout isnt just the result of luck, but also an appetite for risk and some knowledge of the market. In Saint Francis case, there were all three. The school has been investing in start-ups since 1990 through a growth fund created at the suggestion of two venture capitalist parents. The fund held on to a third of its Snap shares, which could prove to be even more valuable. Though Snaps success will go toward financial aid, facilities and new teachers at the school, it so far hasnt led to a more permissive attitude about use of the companys app. The school has a no-phone policy during class, lunchtime and break time, said Holly Elkins, the schools executive director of institutional advancement said. We want students to socialize and enjoy each other, she said. Times staff writers Nina Agrawal and James Rufus Koren contributed to this report. david.pierson@latimes.com paresh.dave@latimes.com Follow @dhpierson and @peard33 on Twitter Prince Harrys plus-one for pal Tom Inskips Caribbean wedding was none other than his new girlfriend, Meghan Markle. The Suits actress, who has been dating the British royal since the summer, was photographed in Harrys company during the tropical nuptials at a local church and the luxe Round Hill Hotel and Villas. Harrys childhood friend and Eton classmate Inskip married literary agent Lara Hughes-Young in Montego Bay, Jamaica, over the weekend. Incidentally, the groom was among the friends with Harry during his infamous Las Vegas nude photo scandal. Advertisement But the festivities were eclipsed by Harrys dates formal coming out party. See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour Harry, 32, the fifth in line to ascend his grandmother Queen Elizabeth IIs throne, touched down in Jamaica for the private visit on Wednesday, and speculation abounded that Markle would be joining him. Indeed, the American actress flew in on Thursday, according to several reports. Clad in a floor-length floral dress, Markle, 35, was photographed with her arm around the army captain as they made their way into Hopewell Baptist Church for the wedding ceremony, the Telegraph said. Later, they were seen sipping drinks together and making conversation while being openly affectionate. The youngest child of Britains Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana is scheduled to leave the island on March 8, the Jamaica Observer reported. Markle and Harry both have visited the island nation in the past. She wed Trevor Engelson there in 2011 (the couple divorced in 2013), and the prince first visited Jamaica on official business in 2012. Kensington Palace confirmed the prince and the actress relationship in November following a media firestorm that enveloped the actress. The two have been globe-hopping to be together: Shes been back and forth from London and he rerouted an official tour to see her in Canada, where she films Suits. The two also traveled to Norway in January. Royal insiders told E! News that they wouldnt be surprised if an engagement announcement was made later this year. Follow me: @NardineSaad ALSO Disney offers up first look of Emily Blunt in Mary Poppins Returns Trump: Schwarzenegger fired from Apprentice for pathetic ratings All My Children star Susan Lucci is auctioning off her famous wares (but no, not her Emmy) Film academy will continue using accounting firm that mixed up Oscar best picture envelopes (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially spoken. In a letter sent to members on Wednesday, President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced that the organization will continue to work with PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm responsible for the now-infamous envelope mishap at this years Oscars, which resulted in La La Land being incorrectly named as best picture, an honor that went to Moonlight. After a thorough review, including an extensive presentation of revised protocols and ambitious controls, the Board has decided to continue working with PwC, the letter reads. The Board of Governors, the body that oversees the academy, met Tuesday night for the first time since the Feb. 26 ceremony. In addition to discussing the debacle for which PwC has already accepted full responsibility, the letter outlined a number of protocols being established to ensure that the mix-up doesnt happen again. Also mentioned in Boone Isaacs letter was the status of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, set to open in 2019. Read the full letter below: Dear Members, Last night the Board of Governors met for the first time following what was, in so many ways, the most extraordinary and memorable Oscars ceremony in decades. As you may know, the Board meets approximately six times a year to discuss the business of the Academy. One of the items on our agenda was to discuss PwCs Oscar night mistake and review options moving forward that are in the best interest of our organization. Heading into our 84th year working with PwC, a partnership that is important to the Academy, weve been unsparing in our assessment that the mistake made by representatives of the firm was unacceptable. Throughout the last month, the Academy team has worked hand-in-hand with PwC to review our wide-ranging relationship everything from Oscars voting, auditing, and taxes during which we asked them to lay out for us a path and a process towards ensuring that everything will continue to the high standards the Academy expects and you deserve. From the night of the ceremony through today, PwC has taken full responsibility for the mistake. After a thorough review, including an extensive presentation of revised protocols and ambitious controls, the Board has decided to continue working with PwC. New protocols include: A greater oversight role for PwC US Chairman and Senior Partner, Tim Ryan. PwC partner Rick Rosas will return to the Academy account as co-balloting leader, a function Rick performed flawlessly for more than 12 years. We will add additional key balloting partners in the coming months. The PwC on-site team at the Oscars will now include a third balloting leader with knowledge of award winners who will sit in the control room with the shows director throughout the ceremony. Weve developed Oscar night protocols including implementation of partner rehearsals for possible onstage issues, removal of electronic devices from backstage and improvements to onstage envelope category verification. Ongoing evaluation of backstage protocols and procedures. On another note, I also have terrific news to report about progress on a project that excites all of us: the development of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which will open its doors in 2019. The first phase of construction is now complete, which included renovating the historic Wilshire May Company building, and excavating and creating new underground spaces that will house exhibits that will bring our industry to life. During this next and final phase of the project, we will continue the work on the May Company building, and begin building the breathtaking Renzo Piano-designed sphere that will include our 1000-seat David Geffen Theater and the Dolby Terrace. Stay tuned for updates and thank you for your support of this endeavor. Last night Tom Hanks, who co-chairs the museums capital campaign, brought the future Academy Museum to life by presenting a spoken tour of the space. We look forward to sharing these plans as they continue to evolve. Last of all, just a reminder about one of the very best ways you can keep contributing to the Academy each day of the year: in April, youll receive information about running for a seat on the Academys Board of Governors and your Branch Executive Committee. Please think about seizing this opportunity to write the Academys next great chapter. The more you get involved, the stronger we can be together. Membership has its privileges, but it also has its responsibilities. We need you. The Internet Movie Database is one of the most popular websites for tracking the work of actors, filmmakers and others in the movie and TV world. Weve asked some actors to look at their own IMDb page and comment on some of their best-known roles. I rarely play a victim, Christine Baranski says, looking back over the last three decades of her acting career. Im usually someone whos kind of foxy with great lines. I always say that my career has been great one-liners and great clothes. Ive been lucky. I almost consistently play characters who are famous for being well dressed. And theres always a feistiness to the characters I play and a real strength. Baranski, who graduated from Juilliard before getting her start in Broadway theater, has transitioned from the wisecracking supporting character to the star on The Good Fight, a sequel to The Good Wife, which is streaming on CBS.com. Baranski reprises her role as Diane Lockhart, a character the actress was drawn to since she first read the pilot for The Good Wife. Advertisement The IMDB Files: Hollywood star reflect on their key roles I loved the way she was written and she has remained that consistently highly professional female figure in the workplace and a complex female character, she notes. Its been a great privilege for me to have a role of such great texture for such a long time. No actor expects to get a seven-year run on anything. Baranski has a lengthy filmography, which includes The Ref, Bulworth, Chicago and her Emmy-winning role on Cybill, which also aired on CBS. Here, Baranski discusses some of her most iconic work. The Good Fight, Diane Lockhart (2017) I have a body of knowledge and a body of work and a familiarity with the character thats worth gold. I have so much homework behind me already and Im not facing new writers who have a different take on it. But that said, the character suffers a spectacular fall in the course of the pilot and she basically loses everything. So its familiar Diane and then youve never seen Diane like this. Exploring that was wonderful for me. The Good Wife, Diane Lockhart (2009-2016) Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, from left, Chris Noth as Peter Florrick and Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart in a scene from CBS The Good Wife. (Jeff Neumann / AP Photo) I had just finished doing nine months of a Broadway play and I had tons of theater behind me. I had done a lot of comedy. I said to my manager, You know, ideally what I would love to do next is play a really powerful, intelligent woman on a dramatic series. That would be a dignified thing for me to do with my career at this point. I put it out there in the universe that thats what I wanted as an actress, and lo and behold the one pilot that my manager and I were intrigued by was called The Good Wife. Mamma Mia!, Tanya (2008) If you want to approach it critically there are a million things you could take issue with, but I dont even think thats the point. The point is to sit back and enjoy the ABBA tunes and scenery of the Greek islands. We loved making it and people clearly love watching it. Chicago, Mary Sunshine (2002) I loved the musical itself and so I loved that I was, in any way, able to participate in the project. I had worked with Rob Marshall in the past and he asked me to play Mary Sunshine, which was really the only part I would be right for. It allowed me to be in an Oscar-winning movie. How cool is that? Bowfinger, Carol (1999) How funny is that movie? I think its a cult hit. Its genuinely funny and original. Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy I think it might be Eddies funniest movie. I loved playing that actress who is so serious about her work she doesnt even see whats going on. When you play an actress you can send up your own profession, which I was doing playing the overly trained theater actress starring in a movie. Shes such an overripe character. I was spoofing my profession and those particular types of theater divas. Cruel Intentions, Bunny Caldwell (1999) I had to be talked into doing that one. It was going to be shot during my first years hiatus from Cybill and I was anxious to go home and be with my kids. The director begged and begged me and said, Its only a few scenes. Im still making residual money off Cruel Intentions. It might be the movie thats made me the most in residuals because it is such a hit. I didnt do much in that movie and yet people will come up to me and quote my lines. Cybill, Maryann Thorpe (1995-1998) Christine Baranski, left, and Cybill Shepherd on the set of Cybill in 1995. (CBS Photo Archive / Getty Images) I didnt do television until my early 40s and I resisted doing television because I was this serious theater actress and back then the choice to do television meant sort of giving up your theatrical career. I read the script and it was written by a then unknown writer named Chuck Lorre. The character was genuinely witty and tart, and I played those kinds of characters in the theater. I thought, Well, theres something here. But I was terrified of making the jump to television because it meant working in L.A. and I didnt know how I was going to manage that with my family in New York. I almost backed out at the last minute. But I did make the jump and it changed the course of my career. The first season won me an Emmy award and suddenly I was nationally famous in the way that television can make you famous. And she was a genuinely original character. No one had seen that kind of woman on American television. 9/12 Weeks, Thea (1986) I shot it when I was quite, quite pregnant. The only memorable thing about it is that I put a spoon on my nose. I have an upturned nose so Im able to hang a teaspoon from it. When I was doing it the director loved it and had me do it in the movie. You have to do what you can to get people to remember you. calendar@latimes.com ALSO: The familiar takes a few twists in The Good Fight The IMDb files: Nick Offerman found his groove with Parks and Recreation and has been busy ever since IMDb Files: From Fast Times to Rogue One Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker looks back at his varied resume Imagine something like Anthony Bourdains show Parts Unknown. Now replace Bourdain with religious scholar Reza Aslan and instead of a look at food culture, picture a glimpse of various sects, cults, rites and rituals around the globe and you have CNNs Believer With Reza Aslan. The six-episode spiritual adventures series, premiering Sunday, focuses on groups misunderstood by majority religions; the Hindu are disgusted with the ghoulish Aghori sect in India; evangelical missionaries have labeled Haitis Vodou faith as demonic; and then theres the Hawaiian doomsday cult led by a man named JeZus. But Believer doesnt offer as much enlightenment as its title and premise might suggest. The main problem here is that some of the chosen believers in the first few episodes are ultimately unbelievable. Advertisement Many of the groups and leaders featured here are so fringe that their bizarre philosophies and theatrics distract from Aslans main mission to demystify lesser understood faiths and find a commonality that makes us all believers in something. The Aghori are an ascetic sect of Hinduism that rejects the caste system (good), but challenges widely held ideas about purity with post-mortem rituals such as eating human flesh (bad). As with each episode, Aslan tries to embed with his chosen subjects and practice as they do. But in Varanasi, it leads to hanging out with three random Aghoris camped by the Ganges River who get Aslan to smear his body with the ashes of human remains and possibly even eat brain matter. He draws the line when the guru asks him to consume something else too gross to mention, and then flings it at Aslan when he refuses. The research and scene-setting in this installment, where Aslan explains the caste system, its relation to the Hindu religion and interviews scholars and people on the street is when the show is at its best. But when it leads to him hanging out in a meditation den, lit like a rave, with an attention-seeking guru who drinks honey out of human skulls, the journey is more about sensationalism than true discovery. In Hawaii, the Rainbow Village doomsday cult is building an ark in the middle of the jungle in anticipation of the apocalypse. Again, the setup gives seemingly pertinent background on other doomsday cults and their leaders, including Jim Jones, David Koresh and Heavens Gate. But the group the show chooses to embed with appears more like a loose-knit hippie commune than anything else. Self-proclaimed prophet JeZus doesnt even seem all that sure of why 40 or more people have chosen to live with him in the jungle and invest in a vision that isnt much of a vision at all: Stick with him and you might survive the coming floods and destruction. Even JeZus admits his theatrical displays rants, flailing arms, word-salad revelations are oftentimes a front: If you can survive my narcissism, you can pass the test, he says. Haiti is where the show finds its footing. Aslan breaks down the history of the Vodou religion, how it arrived with African slaves and how it mixed with the Catholic iconography of slave traders and masters. He embeds with Vodou priests and priestesses, and scenes shot during their rituals capture a deeply genuine sense of devotion and enlightenment. Believer shows the tension between a fairly new evangelical movement in Haiti and the islands centuries-old Vodou beliefs, and how that conflict replicates some of the oppressive aspects of the island during its dark slavery years. Aslan, a SoCal-based professor, became a name beyond the academic set when he published his 2013 bestseller Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. It outraged some in conservative Christian circles because they felt a Muslim author had no place writing about Jesus. As a host, Aslan is charismatic. But in order to make Believer more believable, the show needs to stop trying to shock and, like Bourdain does with his series, find the extraordinary in the most ordinary of people and moments. ------------ Believer With Reza Aslan Where: CNN When: 7 and 10 p.m. Sunday lorraine.ali@latimes.com @lorraineali The good news: Joan Didion has a new book! The bad news: Its not exactly new. Read on; Im Carolyn Kellogg, books editor of the L.A. Times. THE BIG STORY Joan Didion is known and claimed by both Angelenos and New Yorkers, but she gets out of town(s) in her new book, South and West, primarily to New Orleans and the Deep South. The contents are basically notes from trips in the 1970s for projects that never came to fruition. Reviewer Michelle Dean writes, the Didion style is there, in the close attention paid to the sound of the words. [but] South and West is a book for the completists and hardcore fans. Advertisement REBEL REBELS Steve Jones is the co-founder of the Sex Pistols; its his guitar you hear on their seminal punk songs. Writer Tony DuShane sat in with the 61-year-old as he hosted his radio show Jonesys Jukebox on KLOS-FM, then talked to him about his memoir Lonely Boy, which while full of sex, drugs, rock and roll, stealing and outrageous fashion is honest and vulnerable. Steve Jones memoir is Lonely Boy. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Jump forward a generation or so and you get Cat Marnell, the talented writer and former Conde Nast beauty editor who became publishings favorite bad girl for her notorious behavior. Marnell, who has blogged openly about her drug use, talks to and finishes the wine of writer Lauren Christensen about her memoir, How to Murder Your Life. NONFICTION REVIEWS Rebecca Solnit follows up her notable essays collection Men Explain Things to Me with a new suite of essays, The Mother of All Questions. Solnit, an avowed liberal feminist, has held tight to hope even after the election of Donald Trump as president. Solnits vision of progress holds that history is neither linear nor predictable; that trying matters and often yields results, even if theyre not exactly the ones you wanted or expected; and, crucially, that as progressives face such uncertainty, they must celebrate their victories, writes Ellie Robins in our review. Critic at large Rebecca Carroll tackles a difficult history in reviewing The Blood of Emmett Till. Author Timothy B. Tyson reveals that the former Carolyn Bryant, the woman who accused 14-year-old Emmett Till of whistling at her and grabbing her that fateful day in 1955, has said it never happened. But Till, a Chicago boy visiting Mississippi, was pulled from his bed and brutally killed over the encounter. Bryants husband and his half-brother were tried for the killing, acquitted, and then admitted to it, a sequence of events that fed into the civil rights movement. Yet history repeats itself, Carroll notes, recalling that Tamir Rice, who was shot and killed by police in 2014, was just 12 years old. BESTSELLERS Entering our fiction bestseller list this week at No. 1 is George Saunders novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, which combines grief, longing, deep empathy and a delightfully strange sensibility. BOOK NEWS This week Barack and Michelle Obama scored a rumored $60 million book deal; Alec Baldwin and Kurt Andersen, whose Spy Magazine pilloried Donald Trump in the 1980s, are writing a book satirizing Trump, You Cant Spell America Without Me; and Amazon opened its first brick-and-mortar bookstore on the East Coast. Every year, the Library Foundation of Los Angeles holds its Stay Home and Read a Book Ball fundraiser which eschews red carpets for a comfy couch. For those considering attending, Agatha French has some great fashion tips. carolyn.kellogg@latimes.com @paperhaus Good morning. Im Paul Thornton, The Times letters editor, and it is Saturday, March 4, 2017. For readers in and around Los Angeles, the long-awaited open streets event Golden Streets will close major thoroughfares in the San Gabriel Valley to vehicle traffic tomorrow, allowing only pedestrians and cyclists. Heres a look back at the week in Opinion. Where have we heard this before: A top-level official in President Trump s administration says he did not speak with the Russian ambassador to the United States, only to be revealed later to have in fact spoken with the Russian ambassador to the United States. Ex-national security advisor Michael Flynn lost his job last month in the nascent administration for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his discussions with Russian envoy Sergey Kislyak about the Obama White Houses sanctions against Moscow in retaliation for the Kremlins interference in the U.S. presidential campaign. Now, after testifying otherwise in his Senate confirmation hearing, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions promised to recuse himself from any investigation of the Trump campaigns possible ties to Russia after the Washington Post reported Wednesday that Sessions had met twice with Kislyak. Michael McGough, The Times senior editorial writer, warns that Democrats are not content merely to pick off Cabinet members with all the information emerging about Trump and Russia: The Washington Post report about Sessions meetings with the Russian ambassador came the same day the New York Times reported that in the final days of the Obama administration, officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election and about possible contacts between associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump and Russians across the government. The salvage operation was partly motivated, the story said, by the suspicion among many in the Obama White House that the Trump campaign might have colluded with Russia on election email hacks a suspicion that American officials say has not been confirmed. This is the Holy Grail or smoking gun, to switch cliches of some Democrats imaginings. Trump has been criticized for mocking concerns about Russian interference in last years election as an attempt by Democrats to delegitimize his presidency. But lets face it. If it were established that his campaign colluded with efforts by Russian intelligence to hack into Democratic email accounts and feed the contents to WikiLeaks for dissemination, that would delegitimize his victory big-league and it might implicate campaign aides who were involved in criminal conduct. Watergate comparisons would be in order. Of course, as the New York Times conceded in its most recent story, such collusion has not been confirmed. That story is also interesting for the way it expands on a claim in a Feb. 14 story that members of Donald J. Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election. Wednesdays story explained: The label intelligence official is not always cleanly applied in Russia, where ex-spies, oligarchs and government officials often report back to the intelligence services and elsewhere in the Kremlin. Hmm. There is a case to be made for investigating Russian meddling in the election that has nothing to do with casting doubt on the legitimacy of Trumps election. But clearly some Democrats hope it can be shown that the Trump campaign had guilty knowledge of, and maybe even abetted, attempts by Russian intelligence to hack Democratic email accounts and use WikiLeaks to pollute the campaign with the contents. Such a revelation would mean more than a few indictments. It could trigger resignation or impeachment of a man many Democrats consider not my president. But suppose that, after a thoroughly credible investigation, the proof just isnt there. Will Democrats regret having invested so much emotional energy and political capital in a single conspiracy theory? >> Click here to read more Better late than never, Atty. Gen. Sessions. Last month, before the Trump administrations Russia saga embroiled him, The Times Editorial Board called on Sessions to recuse himself from any Justice Department investigation of his boss possible relationship with Russia. The board explains its reasoning then, and now: Even the possibility that the Justice Department might be put in the position of investigating criminal activities that benefited the Trump campaign has always made it inconceivable for a Trump partisan such as Sessions to take a supervisory role. L.A. Times Take it from a Jewish American: Steve Bannon is not a racist or anti-Semite. Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, who once worked at the formerly Bannon-run Breitbart and has known the controversial Trump advisor for six years, assures readers that he never heard his former boss utter any racist or anti-Semitic statements. The accusations of racism and anti-Semitism leveled against my former editor are unjust, weapons in a battle against a legitimate point of view about the direction of the nation, Shapiro says. They are meant to chill free speech, and as such their real target is the Constitution of the United States. L.A. Times Trump's proposed database of crimes by immigrants is shameless propaganda. Studies show that immigrants are less likely than others to commit crimes, but the president falsely believes otherwise and wants to produce evidence that non-native Americans are more dangerous than everyone else. President Trump declared Tuesday night that we must support the victims of crime, which sounds like a sensible and humane notion, says The Times. But Trump didnt have all crime victims in mind, just a certain type. L.A. Times More immigrant-friendly cities should be as brave as Santa Ana. The New York Times Lawrence Downes admonishes civic leaders who have expressed reservations about the sanctuary label (cough, Eric Garcetti , cough) to set aside their qualms and proudly declare their opposition to an administration keen to throw millions of Latinos out the country. He cites the heavily Latino city of Santa Ana in Orange County, which passed one of the boldest and most far-reaching sanctuary ordinances in the state, as a model. New York Times Hey, California Democrats, you can resist Trump better by showing the nation you know how to run a state. Opinion contributing writer Conor Friedersdorf points out that only Democrats can be held responsible for any major political failures in California, much like Republicans must be held accountable at the federal level now that they control Congress and the White House. Worse, he writes, failure by California Democrats to govern effectively is high-octane fuel for the Trump coalition. L.A. Times Theres an election on Tuesday, which means we have endorsements. Citizens of Los Angeles will go the polls on March 7 to vote on the mayor, their City Council members and their representatives on the Los Angeles Unified School Districts Board of Education. Theyll also decide on important local ballot measures, including an effort to halt most development in the city and spend billions on housing and services for homeless people. The Times Editorial Board has made recommendations in many of these races; click here to find them. Reach me: paul.thornton@latimes.com President Trump, in his recent address to Congress, echoed a long-running campaign theme, urging lawmakers to introduce a school choice initiative that would allow disadvantaged youth to attend a public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school. One of Trumps guests Tuesday night in the House chamber gallery was Denisha Merriweather, who, after twice failing third grade, the president pointed out, graduated from a Florida private school with the help of a tax credit scholarship program and is now finishing a masters degree. Trump highlighted vouchers again Friday during his first official school visit as president to a Catholic school that is run out of the Diocese of Orlando, Fla. Advertisement If Merriweathers appearance and Trumps Orlando visit are any indication, Trumps model for how to spread school choice could be Floridas program. That state uses a tax credit scholarship program to funnel public dollars to private schools. At St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Trump mentioned the possibility of tax credit scholarships as a way forward, said Ron Matus. Matus directs policy and public affairs for Step Up for Students, the organization that manages Floridas scholarship donations. Heres a primer on private school choice in Florida, and how it might translate nationally and affect even voucher-averse states such as California. What are school vouchers? Vouchers provide public money to families so that children can attend private schools, including religious schools. Why are they so controversial? Opponents, including many Democrats, believe they blur or even violate the separation of church and state, and these critics worry about the use of public money without adequate regulation. What are tax credit scholarships, and how are they different from vouchers? There are two different models of tax credit programs to pay for tuition. One allows parents to write off a certain amount of income tax and apply that money toward private school tuition. The deduction tends to be far smaller than the cost of tuition, so some argue that it most benefits people who already have the means to send their kids to such schools. The other model which Trump has praised is more indirect. Businesses get tax breaks by donating money to nonprofit organizations. Those organizations then give students scholarships to private or parochial schools. How does the Florida tax credit scholarship work? Companies get dollar-for-dollar tax credits for their contributions to nonprofit scholarship organizations. Depending on the type of tax, they can get credit for between 50% and 100% of their tax liabilities through the program. Parents apply for scholarships by submitting pay stubs, tax returns and other financial documents. If eligible, they can get up to $5,886 per student and apply that money toward tuition at a set list of private K-12 schools. The average cost of private school in Florida this year is $7,864. Who is eligible for a Florida tax credit scholarship? The program is focused on low-income families. Initially, families making up to 185% of the federal poverty line, or about $45,000 for a family of four, were eligible for new scholarships, and they could renew if they were making up to 200% of the federal poverty line, Matus said. Starting this school year, higher-income families making up to 260% of the poverty line, or $64,000 for a family of four, were eligible for smaller scholarship amounts. In all, about 98,000 students use the scholarships. What kind of schools get the money? Eighty-five percent of Florida schools that accept the scholarship are religious schools, according to David Figlio, an education and social policy professor at Northwestern University, who evaluated the program a few years ago. What kind of regulations do the schools face? Students who use scholarships to attend these schools dont take statewide standardized tests, but they do take another exam, with separately reported results. Schools that get $250,000 a year from the scholarship program must have an independent certified public accountant file an audit on its financial practices, to make sure they arent misusing the public funds. A number of private schools that get scholarship money specifically for serving students with disabilities have had problems, such as fraud and forgery. When Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos called Florida a model for school reform, Megan Allen, a former state teacher of the year, responded on Twitter that she wouldnt recommend it. How do students who use the scholarship money perform academically? Figlio said his research shows that, on average, students did no better and no worse than I predicted they would have done had they stayed in public school. Despite that finding, some private schools did significantly better than public schools, while others did worse. Figlio found no patterns among the bottom and top performers. Voucher opponents worry that diverting public money to private schools could spell the death of traditional public schools. Did vouchers hurt public schools in Florida? No. To some extent, they have helped. Slight improvements were reported in public schools that suddenly found themselves having to compete against private schools for students and money. What might a national tax credit scholarship look like? Trump has provided few specifics, but Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington, a right-leaning think tank, believes that one option could involve tax credit scholarships that could be used across state lines. If that goes through, it could mean that vouchers are coming to California, Petrilli said. Californians twice voted down ballot initiatives proposing voucher programs. The possibility of vouchers concerns some state officials. If more private schools open as a result, said Mike Kirst, president of the State Board of Education, school districts will see significantly less money from the state. How could a voucher program become law? Congress could attach a tax credit scholarship to a tax reform bill in an effort to bypass the education committees and bring along some Republicans who want tax reform but might otherwise oppose vouchers. Teachers unions and other school choice critics have vowed to fight any such plan. Trumps visit to the Florida school divided at least one household, too at least a little. Myrna Saint-Juste and her son, Marcus Millen, 16, a St. Andrew graduate, were invited by the school to come speak to Trump. Saint-Juste, a Haitian immigrant and Hillary Clinton voter, agrees with Trump on school choice, but thats about it. She declined the invitation. Her son accepted. Joy.Resmovits@LATimes.com @Joy_Resmovits Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez had just dropped off his 12-year-old daughter Tuesday morning at her Lincoln Heights school when two black, unmarked vehicles surrounded his car. As he pulled away from the school and got back onto the main road, the vehicles lights flashed. Avelica-Gonzalez, with his wife and 13-year-old daughter in the car, pulled over. Agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wearing jackets that said POLICE on the back, detained the 48-year-old father of four. For the record: A previous headline on this post said that the arrest took place while Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez was dropping his daughter off at school. The arrest took place shortly after he dropped his daughter off and drove away from the school. ICE officials said the arrest was routine, citing a 2014 order for Avelica-Gonzalezs deportation. But amid growing fears of mass deportations under President Trump, the arrest has roiled the largely immigrant community north of downtown Los Angeles. Advertisement The arrest so shook the school, a public charter called Academia Avance, that administrators held an assembly Tuesday afternoon to discuss what happened and to ease fears. The schools executive director, Ricardo Mireles, has since ordered his teachers to talk to students whose parents are here illegally about creating a family plan in case they are detained or deported. Its unfortunate that we have to have minors now deal with reality, he said. You need to be ready. Have you talked to your parents? Do you have power of attorney? Since Trump took office, immigrant communities have been plagued by rumors some true, many false. Recent targeted operations by ICE have resulted in hundreds of arrests. Such operations were common during the Obama administration but have garnered new scrutiny in recent months. ICE has a long-standing policy directing agents to generally avoid conducting enforcement activities at so-called sensitive locations such as churches, hospitals and schools. But Avelica-Gonzalezs arrest has sparked new concerns that ICE is loosening that policy an accusation that federal officials deny. The arrest this week has garnered widespread attention in part because Avelica-Gonzalezs daughter captured parts of it on video. Avelica-Gonzalezs family says he was less than two blocks away from the school. ICE officials said he was arrested in the 3200 block of Pasadena Avenue, about half a mile from the school. The 13-year-old, Fatima Avelica, is heard sobbing in the video. The Times matched video from the encounter with Google Maps images, which appear to show that the arrest happened about six blocks from Academia Avance, in the 3200 block of Pasadena Avenue. Another school, Hillside Elementary, is less than three blocks from where the arrest occurred. The family of Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez consults with his attorney Thursday night at the Hollenbeck Community Police Station. (Andrea Castillo / Los Angeles Times) Advocates and attorneys say this is the first time theyve heard of ICE detaining someone so close to a school. There have been numerous reports of ICE arrests at schools, forcing officials to separate fact from fiction. Earlier this week, a rumor surfaced that ICE agents had raided an elementary school in Cerritos. Last week, reports on social media said ICE detained three students at Venice High School. The week before, there were rumors that ICE had raided an Oakland college. The Times checked into those reports, which all turned out to be false. But national cases have stoked fears. One involved a woman who was detained by ICE agents last month while seeking domestic abuse protection at a Texas courthouse. In Virginia, agents arrested men outside a church warming shelter. An ICE official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said agents try to arrest people at locations that will involve the fewest bystanders. Historically, that meant arresting people at their residences or in jail, but fewer immigrants have opened their doors in the last few years unless agents have a warrant. Additionally, many jails across the country stopped collaborating with ICE requests to detain immigrants until agents arrive. Because of that, more arrests now happen on the street, said the official. The official said agents had Avelica-Gonzalez under surveillance, followed him to the school then determined where to safely stop the vehicle. Agents didnt realize his other daughter was still in the car. Because the arrest was not carried out on school grounds, the official said, it does not represent a shift in policy. The official also noted that arrests by ICEs fugitive operations teams, who locate immigrants with deportation orders, have remained flat over the past year. Avelica-Gonzalez, a citizen of Mexico, has lived in the U.S. for 25 years. His four daughters the other two ages 24 and 19 were all born in the U.S. He has two prior criminal convictions, said Emi MacLean, an attorney for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. The organization put out a call to action the day he was arrested, asking supporters to tell ICE not to deport him. MacLean said Avelica-Gonzalez was convicted of misdemeanor DUI and misdemeanor driving without a license in 2008. Another misdemeanor conviction, in 1998, was for receipt of stolen property when he bought a non-DMV-issued vehicle registration tag. Before 2015, immigrants living in California illegally could not get drivers licenses. In 2013, Avelica-Gonzalez filed paperwork with a notario. In Latin America, notarios publicos are qualified lawyers. In the U.S., people posing as notarios lack licenses and training and prey on immigrants. The notario ran off with Avelica-Gonzalezs paperwork and money, MacLean said, and he ended up with an order of deportation. Avelica-Gonzalez is being held at the Adelanto Detention Facility near Victorville. His attorney filed an emergency stay of removal, preventing his immediate deportation, with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and expects a decision next week. Despite Trumps statements about mass deportations, the presidents actual immigration policies remain unclear. Last month, his administration swept aside nearly all restrictions on the removal of 11 million people in the U.S. illegally, a vast expansion of the federal governments deportation priorities. But there have been mixed signals from the White House over the scope of deportations and who would be covered by them. Trump supporters and others applaud his administrations measures, arguing that immigrants here illegally are a drain on the economy and take jobs away from citizens. But immigration rights advocates say actions like the Avelica-Gonzalez arrest send a chilling message. The bigger issue is this really terrorizes the school community and these families if you think you run the risk of being deported, MacLean said. Brenda Avelica, 24, said her life has been turned upside down. She worries about how her mother and sisters will get by. Her father brought in the familys only income from his job at a restaurant, she said. He came to this country for us, she said. andrea.castillo@latimes.com @andreamcastillo ALSO Oroville Dam faces another risk: Earthquakes from rapid rise in water levels For all the sound and fury over illegal immigration, its not a top concern for most Latinos, survey finds When you come against law enforcement, you come against God: Mourners honor slain Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer For more than a decade, two highly intertwined issues have dominated the political debate in Venice: gentrification and homelessness. The oceanside district, once a shabby haven for artists and hippies, has been transformed into one of L.A.s most expensive and trendy neighborhoods. The already hot real estate market went into overdrive in recent years with the rise of Snap Inc. and other tech companies that make up Silicon Beach. But as Venice has gotten richer, the situation has gotten more desperate for the people at the bottom. The Venice Boardwalk has long attracted homeless people, and many believe the numbers have increased in recent years, stoking tension in the neighborhood. Advertisement Now, voters in City Council District 11 which includes Venice, Mar Vista, Westchester and other neighboring communities are set to weigh in on the twin controversies. Councilman Mike Bonin is seeking reelection Tuesday, and the vote is shaping up to be a referendum on his policies on homelessness and development. Bonin has focused much of his first term trying to find a policy to deal with the homeless problem. His detailed plans have divided the district. Some praise Bonin for making bold proposals on homelessness, while others worry these ideas will turn Venice into even more of a homeless magnet. His cleanup plan, critics say, will mean security guards harassing the homeless and lead to more gentrification. A plan to turn an abandoned senior center in Venice into a storage facility for homeless people and a plan to use public land for homeless housing have also been hotly debated. Much of the districts rapid upscale development over the last few years is also seen through different lenses. Some like all the new eateries and shops and dont mind Venices chic vibe. But others say Bonin has not done enough to control development, which they say has worsened traffic, led to ugly and impractical housing projects and made the district even less affordable for people of modest means. Venice is famous for its political activism, and these debates are fierce. Bonin is being challenged by two mainstays in the political life of Venice: Robin Rudisill and Mark Ryavec. Rudisill has been a member of the Venice Neighborhood Council and is a community and coastal advocate. An accountant, she was an outspoken critic of the California Coastal Commission when the board fired its executive director last year. Ryavec founded and leads the Venice Stakeholders Assn., which advocates for neighborhood improvements. Hes also worked in politics before and previously served as a real estate lobbyist even working for Donald Trump when he tried to develop the Ambassador Hotel site almost 30 years ago. On a sunny day last month, Ryavec pulled up to an encampment at Rose and 3rd avenues in a white Audi where dozens of homeless men and women were situated with their belongings. People just store their crap here, he said. Its illegal to store belongings overnight, but they do, he noted. Part of his plan would be to ban homeless storage units within 300 feet of any residences and for the police to enforce current laws. The encampment has been a source of tension between Ryavec and other Venice residents. In February, former Venice Neighborhood Council President Linda Lucks glanced off an email to her friends and associates about Ryavec and how, in 2012, he posted her home address and the addresses of nine others online. Ryavec objected to their opposition to his goal of clearing homeless peoples belongings and trash along the drag. He sardonically wrote that these folks shouldnt mind if people sleep outside their homes, then offered homeless individuals $20 if they camped outside their homes. My plea to you is not to fall for the glossy mailers presenting a mild mannered person. He is the opposite, Lucks wrote. For his part, Ryavec, who eventually took some addresses down, said a death threat he received justified his actions. He called the residents who express sympathy for the homeless as long as theyre not outside their homes hypocrites. That some of them felt threatened was his only regret. Rudisill criticized Bonins opposition to Measure S, which would restrict development in the city, and his support of a large development project at West Olympic Boulevard and Bundy Drive that will create hundreds of apartments and hundreds of thousands of square feet in office space. Every neighborhood I go to feels betrayed that hes very nontransparent and making poor decisions, she said. Hes approving projects that are significantly reducing the quality of life. Bonin addressed those concerns as he sat in his cramped but bustling campaign office on a recent Friday night. His volunteers were hurriedly folding signs and making calls. His 3-year-old son, Jacob, ran around flipping the lights off and on. You always have pockets of people who have gripes. Thats legitimate, Bonin said. Cities cant enforce their way out of homelessness, Bonin said, adding that courts have said its unconstitutional. The solution, he said, is more housing and more services for homeless individuals many of whom suffer from severe mental illness or substance problems. Hating the traffic is one source of agreement in a district where most questions of policy turn into political food fights. Bonin points out that he secured $2 million from the city to relieve the jams that occur on Sunset Boulevard near the 405 Freeway. Its an issue on which he solicited community input and hustled to find a solution, he said. At a recent candidate forum, one person held up a sign, Venice 4 Sale Mike Bonin Realty. Ryavec didnt attend but sent recorded responses to questions. When asked about the homeless situation at Rose and 3rd avenues, both challengers pounced. [Bonin has] done almost nothing to protect residents from the burden of these encampments, Ryavec said. After Rudisill spoke, Bonin addressed the audience, saying it seemed Ryavec cribbed many of his ideas from his platform. If theres a single reason why we have a culture of encampments and tents... its because of the failed strategy that Mr. Ryavec and people like him have advocated, Bonin said to cheers. That is a strategy, which has said we need to enforce our way out of homelessness. As the candidates made their closing statements, Sergio Diaz of Mar Vista said Bonin had offered the most substantive answers throughout the night. He had voted for Bonin in 2013 but had been disappointed by his tenure. As much as Im not a fan of Bonin, he clearly knows how the city works, he said. Lucks, who is not endorsing a candidate, agrees. She believes that Rudisill could be a stout advocate for the district. But she said the notion that Bonin has acted without consulting the community on homelessness and traffic problems isnt true. On his homeless initiative, I know there were years of meetings in the social services and activists and community leader, Lucks said. Hes being sandbagged as a lone wolf, and I know thats not true. benjamin.oreskes@latimes.com Twitter: @boreskes Days before Angelenos head to the polls, big-money committees with wealthy backers are still pouring money into local races. This week, a Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored group spent $80,000 on radio ads praising City Councilman Gil Cedillo, who faces a sharp challenge from local bike activist Joe Bray-Ali to represent a district that includes Lincoln Heights, Chinatown and Westlake. The Spanish-language ads, which will air through election day, focus on Cedillos history of working on behalf of those in the country illegally, argue he has been a champion for his constituents and tout endorsements by Gov. Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Advertisement Independent committees such as the chamber group are not allowed to coordinate with candidates or their campaigns, but they can be a powerful force in local elections because they are free from fundraising limits. Donors are currently limited to giving $800 to each City Council candidate per election cycle but can shell out unlimited funds for independent committees that support them. Spending by such committees can become a liability, however, if their donors are controversial. The chamber committee is funded, in part, by Chevron Corp. a fact seized on by critics of Cedillo, who served in the state Legislature for 14 years before winning his council seat four years ago. I am fed up with our local politicians being bought by corporate polluters that poison our kids, Bray-Ali said. My opponent has a long record of support from Big Oil, which is why he cant be counted on to steward our environmental cleanups, prevent toxic polluters from operating near our schools or bring our city into a sustainable future. Cedillo campaign consultant Derek Humphrey pointed out that under the law, their campaign cannot coordinate with committees such as the chamber group. He added that Cedillo had the backing of a diverse coalition of residents, organizations and city leaders, including groups such as the Chamber of Commerce that were independently active in city elections. Ruben Gonzalez, senior adviser to the Chamber of Commerce, said that hundreds of companies, from mom-and-pop shops to large corporations, engage through [the committee] because they want elected officials, like Gil Cedillo, who work with job-creating businesses in partnership, and not demonize them as Mr. Ali does. As of Friday afternoon, the Chamber of Commerce committee had also spent more than $35,000 to support Councilman Mitch OFarrell and nearly $20,000 to back Monica Rodriguez, one of the candidates vying to represent a San Fernando Valley council district that includes Sunland, Tujunga and Sylmar. Rodriguez has also faced criticism over $20,000 in oil industry donations to another independent committee supporting her candidacy. Eric Hacopian, a consultant to rival candidate Karo Torossian, argued that oil companies clearly trust Monica Rodriguez to put their interests over those of district residents when it comes to opening up our open spaces to oil and gas drilling and in fighting to protect the health and safety of district residents. Independent committees, several of them sponsored by labor unions, have spent more than $270,000 overall to support Rodriguez, according to Los Angeles City Ethics Commission records. When asked about the money from the oil industry, campaign consultant Josh Pulliam pointed to her endorsements from the Sierra Club and the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters. Its ludicrous to say shes some kind of oil candidate, Pulliam said. OFarrell, who is running in an Echo Park-to-Hollywood district, publicly denounced the oil money from the chamber committee and stated he was an environmentalist who opposed the Dakota Access pipeline. Unfortunately, no campaign has control over independent expenditures, OFarrell said. Corporations, labor unions and other moneyed interests have poured more than $1.2 million into such committees to back or oppose city candidates during the campaign, according to the Ethics Commission. The majority of that money has gone to incumbents, who must get at least 50% of the vote Tuesday to avoid a runoff in May. For instance, an independent committee with funding from the developers of the Reef, a controversial development in South L.A., has spent more than $88,000 to support Councilman Curren Price and nearly $23,000 backing Councilman Paul Koretz. But independent committees have also been formed to back candidates challenging the incumbents, including community organizer Jorge Nuno, a Price challenger whose sister runs a committee supporting his candidacy, and Doug Haines, a Hollywood neighborhood activist who is seeking to unseat Councilman Mitch OFarrell. emily.alpert@latimes.com Twitter: @LATimesEmily seema.mehta@latimes.com Twitter: @LATSeema ALSO Disney, L.A. Chargers and USC among major donors to Measure H Twin issues of homelessness and development dominate debate in District 11 council race Election heavy hitter Riordan weighs in: more charter schools and more tents for homeless A Los Angeles City Council member running for reelection is facing questions about whether his divorce ever became final before he remarried. South L.A. Councilman Curren Price, 66, is married to entrepreneur Del Richardson, according to his campaign spokesman. More than three decades ago, Price married Lynn Suzette Green in Annandale, Va. He sought a divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2006 and refiled the action in 2011. Advertisement But the court records do not indicate that the divorce was ever granted. The case remains open, according to court records and a court spokeswoman. Price and his legal team are trying to locate records that would prove the divorce was finalized. Mr. Price has been operating on the belief that his divorce is full and final, said his campaign spokesman, Josh Pulliam. Based on the questions raised in the past few days, he immediately requested all of the files and records regarding the divorce so we can get this resolved. Price did not respond when asked if he pursued a divorce from Lynn Suzette Price somewhere other than L.A. County. Albert Robles, who represented Price in the divorce, insisted it was final. Curren Price is divorced, end of story, Robles said in a statement. I was Curren Prices attorney; my office filed the paperwork. As far as Curren Price is concerned, his divorce was settled years ago and thats what was communicated to Mr. Price at the time. Questions about Prices divorce first reported by the news site CityWatch come as the South L.A. politician seeks reelection in District 9, where he faces two challengers in Tuesdays election. Bigamy is rarely prosecuted in California. Additionally, a judge will consider whether an individual had a reasonable, good faith reason to believe he or she was single or whether there was a court error. Virginia Department of Health records show that Price, then 30, and 25-year-old Green were married on Aug. 1, 1981. Price filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2006, court records show. His attorney later filed documents with the court saying his wife, Lynn Suzette Price, could not be located. A judge dismissed the case in 2011, citing procedural concerns. Later in 2011, Price again filed for divorce. That case is listed as pending in court records. Lynn Suzette Price, an attorney in Trenton, N.J., did not respond to a request for comment. Curren Prices reelection website says that he is married to Richardson and that the couple have raised two kids and are the proud grandparents of three. The councilman declined this week to say when and where he married Richardson. Del and I are married, but out of respect for her privacy and due to the fact that she has been a recent victim of identity theft and fraud, we have been advised to keep the additional private details about our wedding private, Price said in a statement. Richardson runs a consulting company, Del Richardson & Associates. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority awarded her company a contract in 2014 to help businesses affected by local transit construction. Ronald M. Supancic, a Woodland Hills-based family law attorney who has taught at USC, said its not uncommon for an individual to file for divorce and mistakenly believe that a court finalized the order. There are probably 10,000 people walking around Los Angeles County who think they are divorced and who are not, Supancic said. dakota.smith@latimes.com Twitter: @dakotacdsmith Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a major presence in Tuesdays elections, has strong opinions about local schools and options for helping the homeless. On the homeless front, he said he reluctantly sees more tents and more sleeping bags as the most viable solution. Riordan has endorsed Measure S, which would strictly limit development in Los Angeles for two years. The effect of Measure S on efforts to house the homeless is being debated across the city. As for education, he said the L.A. school system continues to fail students. Hes putting his money on charters and board members who support them, although hed also like to help teachers find affordable housing. Advertisement Riordan has donated $1 million to a political action committee whose sole purpose is to defeat school board President Steve Zimmer, part of a strategy to get a board majority allied with supporters of charter schools. He also gave $1 million to a charter advocacy group. Its funneling money into the three contests for L.A. school board seats, including Zimmers District 4, which includes the Westside and part of the west San Fernando Valley. Zimmer is seeking a third term and had won Riordans endorsement in the past, but the wealthy businessman said hes dissatisfied with Zimmers follow-through. Its time for an upgrade and to shake things up in the district, Riordan said. Riordan sits on the board of local charter schools and has been involved in education philanthropy for decades. The bureaucracy is far worse at the schools than at the charter schools, he said. The main thing is having transparency of whats right and whats wrong. The number of the people in the bureaucracy what do they accomplish for the schools? As an example, he said he recently tried to jump-start projects that would provide affordable housing for teachers, but L.A. Unifieds response was sluggish. I dont include the teachers in the word bureaucracy. But you do come down to the teachers, he said. How about transparency in how many teachers are in the rubber room? Riordan was referring to the number of teachers on paid suspension because they are under investigation. That number ballooned to 322 in the wake of a high-profile arrest in 2012. The current number is 109 in a workforce of 25,124 instructors, according to the district. L.A. Unified attributes the reduction to the hiring of an investigation team and a better working relationship with the teachers union. The former mayor said thats not enough progress: If you were on the school board, wouldnt you figure out how to get rid of that 100 no matter how much you had to pay them or whatever? Riordan said that when he served as mayor, from 1993 to 2001, he used to identify people who needed to be removed from city employment, only to be told that it would take too long or never happen at all. I would tell people, You have two months to get it done, and they always found a way, Riordan said. We need to get rid of these people and we want to bring on these good teachers. He said the school board also should make it easier for charters to get access to classroom space on district campuses. They should get honest and share some of that space, and they can charge for it, as far as I know, Riordan said. They can share everything. They shouldnt be against each other. They should be for each other because its all for the children. In the Zimmer race, Riordan is endorsing Nick Melvoin, the son of friend, Brentwood neighbor and Hollywood producer Jeff Melvoin. In his 2014 autobiography, Riordan recounts hearing about challenges the younger Melvoin faced during a two-year stint as a teacher in Watts, including being laid off along with other young teachers without seniority and later hired back. The tale inspired Riordan to help launch a lawsuit, in which Melvoin participated, to limit the impact of seniority-based layoffs at an individual school. It eventually led to a settlement. Riordan said he also likes the other charter-endorsed candidate in District 4, Allison Holdorff Polhill. But he subtracts a few points because the charter she helped run, Palisades Charter High School, has a union contract. Riordan said the contract makes it too difficult to fire teachers, although he said the school appears to be performing better than L.A. Unified-run campuses. On the city front, Riordan backs Measure S despite the claims of critics that its provisions would limit, if not suspend, construction of housing for the homeless. The measure imposes a two-year moratorium on all real estate projects that require a General Plan amendment, zone change or increase in allowable height. Most homeless advocates and city officials oppose Measure S. In a dig at development practices under current Mayor Eric Garcetti, Riordan said it hasnt helped that Garcettis buddies have bought up all the properties. The city says it has all this extra land for the homeless and I dont believe them, Riordan said. Even parking lots in skid row command prices that are astronomical, he said. Riordan said that his charitable foundation has provided tents and sleeping bags to the homeless, and that approach is probably the most pragmatic solution within reach. The city, he said, also should invest in centers where the homeless can shower, receive medication and receive other services. But as far as actually finding buildings they can live in, which our beloved mayor talks about, that is not realistic, he said. Riordan also opposes homeless encampments, whether they are officially set up or informally established by the homeless, because they become a magnet for drug dealing and other crimes. Instead, let them find their own places on the streets, he said. Its an incredible problem. howard.blume@latimes.com Twitter: @howardblume Southern California air quality officials voted Friday to impose tougher rules on oil refineries but rejected a proposal to regulate pollution from ports and warehouses, which are responsible for much of the regions harmful emissions. The South Coast Air Quality Management Districts 15-year smog-reduction plan, approved on an 11-2 vote, will guide efforts to slash emissions as required to meet federal health standards and reduce harm to 17 million people in the nations smoggiest region. But it will rely on only voluntary measures from ports, warehouses and rail yards. Advertisement The $16-billion plan is expected to prevent thousands of asthma-related emergency room visits and an estimated 1,600 early deaths a year from air pollution. These benefits, according to an air district analysis, will outweigh the costs to industry, taxpayers and consumers. But the effort faces immediate obstacles because of its hefty price tag. Successful implementation would require boosting local, state and federal spending on cash incentives for cleaner vehicles to $1 billion a year a tenfold increase at a time when the Trump administration is moving to slash environmental regulations and impose sweeping cuts at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This plan relies very, very heavily on a whole bunch of money that we dont have in our pocket, said board member Joseph Lyou, who heads the Coalition for Clean Air. The panel voted 7 to 6 to accelerate existing efforts to reduce smog-forming emissions under AQMDs troubled pollution-trading program, known as the Regional Clean Air Incentives Market, or RECLAIM. Then, as soon practicable, the newly approved plan will replace RECLAIMs cap and trade approach with traditional command and control regulations on emissions from specific sources. The program for nitrogen oxide pollution was established in 1993 to offer flexibility to refineries, power plants and other large facilities. But state regulators, lawmakers and environmental groups have attacked it for falling short of promised reductions and allowing refineries to avoid installing readily available pollution controls. Environmentalists applauded regulators decision to sunset the cap-and-trade program but accused them of ducking their obligation to clean up the freight industry. This plan relies very, very heavily on a whole bunch of money that we dont have in our pocket. Joseph Lyou, Coalition for Clean Air We cant get to our clean air goals if the ports and warehouses dont do their share to reduce emissions, said Angela Johnson Meszaros, an attorney for Earthjustice. They let those two major sources skate. Under the newly approved plan, the agency will seek cooperation from goods-movement hubs that attract large numbers of trucks, ships and locomotives, asking them to make their own pollution reductions. The air district will pivot to rulemaking mode only if the facilities fail to agree to adequate measures within a year. Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino said he expected the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to sign an agreement with the air district and commit to firm dates with emission reduction goals. Cargo-moving industries have long opposed local pollution regulations, arguing they will stifle job growth in a sector that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, while environmentalists have pressed for stricter measures to protect public health. Tracy Hernandez, chief executive of the Los Angeles County Business Federation, said she was still digesting the late amendments to the plan but remained concerned about their effect. The elimination of the RECLAIM program will be rough on oil refiners, she said. The likely impact is increased cost. And someones going to pay for it somehow. Also included in the plan was an amendment by board member Clark E. Parker Sr. that will prioritize incentive spending on the most cost-effective technologies, such as low-emitting natural gas engines for heavy-duty trucks. Diesel-fueled big rigs are the regions top source of nitrogen oxides. Though the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex has slashed emissions over the last decade, it remains the single largest air pollution source in Southern California, according to the air district. To meet federal deadlines to reduce ozone, the lung-damaging gas in smog, the region must go beyond existing regulations to slash smog-forming gases called nitrogen oxides 45% by 2023 and an additional 10% by 2031. The South Coast basin, which spans Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, has the nations highest ozone pollution. Though air quality has improved dramatically over decades, progress has faltered in recent years. The region still does not meet a series of federal health standards going back to 1979. The plans approval follows a heated public hearing last month that drew more than 500 people and hours of testimony. Fridays hearing had no public comment, but the districts Diamond Bar hearing room was packed with industry representatives and Sierra Club members, who held a rally outside. The plan now goes to the California Air Resources Board for consideration and must then be approved by the EPA to become enforceable under the federal Clean Air Act. In other business Friday, the air board adopted long-delayed regulations on toxic emissions from grinding and cutting operations at 22 metal-forging facilities across the region. The rules, which require such operations occur inside enclosed buildings, came in response to years of community complaints about noxious odors from metal-processing plants in the city of Paramount. tony.barboza@latimes.com @tonybarboza For the second time in a year, former Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva is facing felony criminal charges this time for suspected financial crimes tied to a kids club, prosecutors said. Following the service of search warrants at Silvas home and at the Stockton Kids Club this week, San Joaquin County prosecutors Friday released Silvas $1-million arrest warrant to the public, which accused him of money laundering, grand theft, misappropriation of public funds and embezzlement, among other charges. Last year, Silva was charged with three misdemeanors and a felony related to a party with teens from the same club that included alcohol and a secret audio recording. The single felony was reduced to a misdemeanor, a fact that Silvas attorney, Allen Sawyer, says is behind the newest case. Advertisement We think its a little bit of sour grapes and our client looks forward to fighting to clear his name, Sawyer said. The earlier case is still pending. Silva was out of the country when his home and the business were searched and the new charges filed. Hes angry, hes frustrated, hes tired. But at the same time, hes going to muster the will to fight on, Sawyer said. Silva was arrested Sunday at San Francisco International Airport, the Associated Press reported. The former mayor, who had returned from a vacation in Colombia, was booked in San Joaquin County Jail, and his bail was set at $1 million, according to jail records. According to the Sacramento Bee, the Stockton Kids Club was formerly the Boys & Girls Club of Stockton, which was stripped of its charter in 2013 when Silva was its chief executive. Silva remained involved with the club under its new name, prosecutors said. A district attorneys office spokesman declined to elaborate on the allegations against Silva. joseph.serna@latimes.com For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter. Attorneys for Daniela Vargas, a young Dreamer who was detained by immigration agents in Mississippi after speaking to the media about her familys plight, say they are racing against the clock to prevent her from being deported without a court hearing. While an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman continues to maintain that Vargas will appear before an immigration judge, Vargas attorney, Abigail Peterson, said ICE officials informed her Thursday that Vargas would be processed as a visa waiver overstay and is likely to be flown back to Argentina without a court hearing or bond. This is in direct contradiction to the statement released by ICE that Daniela would be given an opportunity to present her case to a federal immigration judge, Peterson said Friday. We will be challenging ICEs decision to deny her this right. Advertisement The case of Vargas has attracted nationwide attention partly because of her personal story she was brought to the U.S. from Argentina when she was 7 and because she is one of a handful of young immigrants who thought they were shielded from deportation by an Obama-era program but now face the possibility of being kicked out of the country. The timing of her detention after leaving an immigration rally and news conference in Jackson, Miss. have suggested to some of her supporters retaliation by the government. I dont understand why they dont want me, Vargas, 22, said from a detention center in a statement released by her attorneys. Im doing the best I can. I mean I cant help that I was brought here but I dont know anything else besides being here and I didnt realize that until I was in a holding cell last night for 5 hours. I was brought here. I didnt choose to be here. And when I was brought here, I had to learn a whole new country and leave behind the one that I did know. Vargas, who is currently being held at LaSalle detention facility in Louisiana, has no criminal history. She was approved for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012 and again in 2014, according to Peterson. The program allows immigrants brought into the country as children to work legally and protects them from deportation. In November 2016, Vargas DACA status expired as she tried to save up the $495 fee to renew it. After she raised enough money, her law firm filed a renewal application in February. On Friday, Thomas Byrd, an ICE public affairs officer, said officials were looking at all the different options but, for now, he stood by his earlier comment that Vargas would have an immigration hearing. A federal immigration judge will now determine Ms. Vargass custody status as well as decide whether or not she is eligible for immigration relief, he said in a statement Wednesday. ICE will await the outcome of these proceedings before a federal immigration judge before taking further action. With contradictory messages seeming to come from federal immigration authorities, Peterson said Vargas and her attorneys remained uncertain about her fate. And for all his tough talk about cracking down on illegal immigration, President Trump also has expressed sympathy for the so-called Dreamers. Vargas family entered the country through the visa waiver program, which allows certain foreign nationals to enter the U.S. for under 90 days without a visa. According to Peterson, federal authorities maintain that by staying longer than the waiver allowed, her family waived some of their rights and became ineligible for an immigration hearing. Given the competing issues the laws governing the visa waiver program versus DACA it is only rational and humane for Vargas to receive an immigration hearing, Peterson said. Two weeks ago, Vargas made news when ICE agents in Mississippi detained her father and brother outside the familys Jackson home as they left for work. Vargas barricaded herself in a closet as agents burst into the familys home, Peterson said. After handcuffing her, agents later released her. An aspiring math professor, Vargas was previously enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi, but had to take a take on a job as a manager of a small store because she couldnt afford her tuition bills. I strongly feel that I belong here and I strongly feel that I should be given a chance to be here and do something good and work in this economy, Vargas said in a statement, noting that she is bilingual and an accomplished trumpet player. Theres so much that I can bring to the table. Democratic lawmakers across the country have raised questions about Vargas detention. ICEs assertion that her detention is routine is absurd and seems anything but, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement Thursday. Clearly, ICE resources used in this case would have been better utilized to find and detain dangerous criminals and get them off our streets. As a DACA recipient she should be allowed to stay here. Friends say Vargas was excited to be invited to the Wednesday news conference in Jackson organized by local attorneys, churches and immigration advocacy groups to oppose a proposed state bill that would prevent cities, counties and public colleges from adopting any sanctuary policy that limited cooperation with federal officials to verify immigration status. As a DACA recipient who ICE had already declined to pick up, she felt her story might be able to help others, Angela Stuesse, a friend of the Vargas family and an assistant professor of anthropology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said in an Americas Voice Education Fund press briefing. Stuesse, the author of Scratching Out a Living: Latinos, Race, and Work in the Deep South, met Vargas when she was 8, shortly after her parents moved to the U.S. and picked up jobs in the poultry industry, deboning chickens for 11 cents a pound. Bill Chandler, the executive director of Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance who has known the Vargas family for more than a decade, said he was nervous as soon as he spotted Vargas at the immigration rally. Im always concerned when undocumented people or people out of status present a public face, particularly in the atmosphere we have now as ICE has been unleashed, he said in a telephone interview. ICE told her they were going to come back for her, and they did. Jarvie is a special correspondent. ALSO Asylum seeker with a brain tumor is freed from immigration detention Secretary of State Rex Tillerson largely disappears in the Trump Cabinet Man arrested in St. Louis in connection with threats against several Jewish community centers Two MS-13 gang members from El Salvador, both in the United States illegally, held three teenage girls against their will and killed one of them in what was described as a satanic ritual, authorities in Houston said Friday. Miguel Alvarez-Flores, 22, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera, 18, have been arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and murder both first-degree felonies punishable by up to life in prison. Bond has been set at $300,000 for each, but immigration detainers will keep both behind bars. The 15-year-old girls body was found Feb. 16 with gunshot wounds to the face and chest. Homicide detective Sgt. Chris Sturdivant said that the girls identity has not been officially determined but that investigators are confident they know who she is a girl reported missing in January in nearby Jersey Village, Texas. Advertisement The captives were three young, impressionable women ranging in age from 14 to 16 who succumbed to the allure of gang life before being taken to an apartment and held there against their will, Sturdivant said. The 14-year-old girl told investigators that they were fed drugs and alcohol and forced to have sex. The girl said the 15-year-old was killed in a satanic ritual because she had struck the gangs shrine to a satanic saint, according to investigators. She told investigators that Alvarez-Flores made a peace offering to the figure in the form of a cigarette. He returned from the statue and told the entire group that the beast did not want a material offering but wanted a soul, state District Judge Maria Jackson said during the mens initial court appearance Wednesday. The 14-year-old said she later awoke to find the 15-year-old gone, according to investigators. The case comes as President Trump is promoting concerns over criminal immigrants living in the United States illegally. He has announced that he plans to create an agency, called Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement, or VOICE, to serve victims of crimes committed by such immigrants. It would be part of the Department of Homeland Security. The majority of the MS-13 members we come into contact with are here illegally, Sturdivant said. Attorneys for Alvarez-Flores and Hernandez-Rivera did not immediately return calls Friday night. Sturdivant said both men admitted their involvement in the abductions and killing after their arrests Monday. An FBI multi-jurisdictional anti-gang task force continues to investigate, and Sturdivant said authorities are seeking other gang members who were possibly involved in the crimes. MS-13, also called Mara Salvatrucha, is believed to have been founded in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s by immigrants fleeing civil war in El Salvador. It is now a major international criminal enterprise. ALSO Attorneys for Mississippi Dreamer say theyre racing to prevent her deportation Asylum seeker with a brain tumor is freed from immigration detention MS-13 gang suspects indicted in slayings of 3 teenagers Good morning. It is Saturday, March 4. Heres what you dont want to miss this weekend: TOP STORIES Lakers fights: Theres a war going on over which member of the Buss dynasty will be the controlling owner of the Lakers. Jeanie Buss has thwarted her brothers efforts to wrest the team away from her in a fight thats moved into the courtroom. Los Angeles Times Slain police officer funeral: Mourners came together Friday morning to honor the life of slain Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer, who authorities say was gunned down last week by a reputed gang member. He was the first Whittier officer in 37 years to die on the job. Los Angeles Times Advertisement Fear and loathing: The arrest of a 48-year-old man shortly after he dropped off his daughters at their school in Highland Park has raised concerns about whether ICE agents are eschewing unwritten rules about how and when they detain immigrants in the country illegally. Los Angeles Times Start-up city: The Los Angeles tech scene is basking in the humongous IPO of Snap Inc. Heres what the $37-billion valuation could mean for the company and its technology competitors on Silicon Beach. Los Angeles Times Sandbagged: One California company continues to suck up sand from Monterey Bay despite warnings from the state to stop. San Francisco Chronicle The outrage! A recent audit of public employee misconduct reads like a whos-who of naughty government employees. Theres the Caltrans analyst who spent seven hours each week taking extended smoke breaks. Theres the librarian who spent most of his time reading about video games. Theres even the parole agent who used a state vehicle for his personal commute. Sacramento Bee Smog plan: Southern California air quality officials voted Friday to impose tougher rules on oil refineries but rejected a proposal to regulate pollution from ports and warehouses, which are responsible for much of the regions harmful emissions. Los Angeles Times Back in business: For the first time since a crisis at Oroville Reservoir forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people almost three weeks ago, engineers reactivated a vital hydroelectric plant at the base of the towering dam on Friday. Los Angeles Times Questions raised: Curren Price, a Los Angeles City Council member running for reelection, is facing questions about whether his divorce became final before he remarried. Los Angeles Times Talk about a #TBT: Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange are starring in a show about the feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Their battles feel contemporary in this new limited series as women struggle for equal footing in Hollywood today. New York Times This weeks most popular stories in Essential California: 1. How could the best picture mix-up happen? Duplicate cards await on both sides of the stage. Los Angeles Times 2. Oh my god, he got the wrong envelope backstage during the Oscars best picture chaos. Los Angeles Times 3. Twenty years ago, a dramatic North Hollywood shootout changed the course of the LAPD and policing at large. Los Angeles Times 4. Yes, Californias drought is all but over, and the dramatically revived Cachuma Lake proves it. Los Angeles Times 5. What is happening??? A Times photographer explains how he captured that viral Oscars moment. Los Angeles Times ICYMI, here are this weeks Great Reads How about this for a cultural smoothie: Fried chicken, served by Cambodian refugees to black and Latino customers, from a chain founded by a white man from Michigan. Well thats what you get at Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken a chain of restaurants where 80% of the franchises are owned by Cambodian Americans. Los Angeles Times The chef from hell: Chef Hiroyuki Urasawa became one of the citys most famous chefs for serving up $400 omakase dinners to wealthy Angelenos. But his acclaim may now be undone by a series of lawsuits filed by frustrated employees who allege that he was a horrible and even abusive boss. The Hollywood Reporter A Vallejo mystery: Five months after noxious fumes sent Vallejo residents to the hospital, city and state agencies still have no answers about how this happened. The onset of the odor appears to have coincided with a petroleum spill at the Phillips 66 refinery the same evening. But all of the public agencies local, state and federal have either dropped investigations into the Sept. 20 incident that sickened dozens of people or are withholding results. KQED Curious cash: A controversial California nonprofit, the Freedom Center, could be in trouble for donating money to Geert Wilders, who is seen as the Donald Trump of the Netherlands. The Intercept Photo essay: The concept of a California girl occupies an outsize space in the American imagination. Here are the real girls of California, the ones loitering on the Huntington Beach pier where [Ed and Deanna] Templeton, married for 25 years, take their daily stroll, cameras in hand. Vogue Do Something! Joy rides: If youre not in the mood to sweat, here are some recommendations for the most scenic drives in Los Angeles. KPCC Bowling: Coffee and music mornings at the Hollywood Bowl. Its a thing. Los Angeles Times Looking Ahead Tuesday: L.A. voters go to the polls to elect a mayor, council members and decide on the controversial Measure S growth limits proposal. Wednesday: The Midnight Mission in downtown L.A. opens a new center for women. Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors should give quick approval Wednesday to a proposal by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl to consider overhauling the countys money bail system. Too bad its the only thing about this vital effort that could be done with any urgency. It should be obvious that its long past time to reconsider a system that keeps L.A. County jails crowded with people who are just cooling their heels awaiting trial because they cant afford to pay bail, while their riskier but richer cellmates can buy their way out. Kuehl deserves praise for pressing forward on the issue, and for crafting a courageous and creative motion written in that peculiar language known as county-ese. Its careful to not claim too much leadership for Kuehl or to alienate any other supervisor, to name every possible stakeholder (from families of the incarcerated to the Criminal Courts Bar Assn.), and to give a shout-out to the very same bail bond industry that protects and defends a costly system that several states have eliminated. Advertisement Thats how you have to do things in L.A. County on tiptoes. Many previous efforts at safe pretrial release have been spiked because various officials or interest groups felt some initiative was moving past them without the imprint of their own supposedly guiding hands. People held in jail even for two or three days because they had no money for release were 17% more likely to commit another crime within two years. Certainly it would be foolish to try to get something done without seeking input from people that have a stake in the outcome. But fluency in county-ese is made necessary because of something more worrisome that well call county-itis: a serious condition that makes crucial policy changes too hard and too time-consuming to achieve. Consider for example that the motion calls on lawyers to review the countys current bail policies, then hire consultants to examine how other jurisdictions assess the risk of setting pretrial defendants free, study whether to create a pretrial services agency, and on and on. They are all the right questions, but they have been asked already, and answered, over and over. In 2011, state law gave the Board of Supervisors the power to do no-money, risk-based pretrial release, if only they authorize the sheriff to act but they havent done it. They same year, a criminal justice consultant studied the county jail population and identified at least 1,000 beds that could be freed up for more serious offenders if the county released a small proportion of pretrial inmates who couldnt pay bail. It didnt happen. In 2015, the county was awarded a MacArthur Foundation grant to study how to safely reduce the jail population by, for example, releasing low-risk inmates who were locked up because they had no money for bail. The value of the grant is not merely the $150,000 cash, but millions of dollars worth of technical assistance, data analysis and expertise which already are at the countys disposal yet the county cant seem to leverage those resources into a bail reform plan. Other studies in other states and counties have moved forward, and (as Kuehls motion gently notes) money bail has been safely reduced or eliminated in places like New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois and even Kentucky, hardly at the leading edge of progressive criminal justice reform. Research by the Arnold Foundation revealed that people held in jail even for two or three days because they had no money for release were 17% more likely to commit another crime within two years than were people released within 24 hours. In Winnebago County, Wis., Republican Dist. Atty. Christian A. Gossett examined the data, saw the disparate treatment of the indigent, and simply waived appearances in bail hearings. In other words, it was the prosecutors the ones trying to convict the accused who demanded that defendants be freed pending trial. That kind of courageous leadership is nearly unheard of in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, in Sacramento, Sen. Robert Hertzberg of Van Nuys and Assemblyman Rob Bonta of Oakland, both Democrats, are crafting a bill to make risk rather than wealth the determining factor for whether a defendant is released before trial. If passed and signed into law, it would apply statewide. So good for Los Angeles County for moving forward. But L.A. residents should know that when it comes to the smart use of taxpayer money, protection of civil rights and facility with data, their elected officials have so far led their region to somewhere between the middle and the back of the pack. Its time they caught up. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook TV ads target lawmakers on the fence over Gov. Jerry Browns plan to raise gas taxes to repair roads By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown talks to Steve Glazer in 2011, when Glazer was still an advisor to the governor and before he was elected to the Senate. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) With supporters of a road repair bill still counting votes, a coalition of business and labor leaders on Friday began running television and radio ads that target eight legislators who have not yet committed to vote for the measure. The Fix Our Roads Coalition is spending $1 million on a statewide, week-long ad blitz that urges legislators to vote next week for Senate Bill 1. The bill would raise gas taxes and vehicle fees to generate $52 billion the first 10 years to repair crumbling roads, highways and bridges, and expand mass transit. We are closer than ever to finally passing a transportation funding package to fix our long-neglected and crumbling roads, said Michael Quigley, executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs, which is co-funding the commercials. These new ads are part of an all-out grassroots, earned media, advertising and social media campaign to support passage of this bill by next week. In addition to ads that call on legislators to support the bill, eight advertisements call on legislators by name to support the plan. Those targeted include Sens. Steve Glazer (D-Concord) and Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), and moderate Democratic Assembly members Adam Gray of Merced, Rudy Salas of Bakersfield, Sabrina Cervantes of Corona, Sharon Quirk-Silva of Buena Park and Al Muratsuchi of Torrance, as well as Republican Catharine Baker of San Ramon. The bill needs a two-thirds vote in both houses, which would require all of the Democrats to support the measure. Cannella and Baker are being wooed by Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders to step in if one of the Democrats gets cold feet. Representatives of Cannella and Glazer said earlier this week that they were still weighing the issue. Brown and legislative leaders have called for the Legislature to act by Thursday, after which time the lawmakers head out on spring break. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former Assembly Speaker John A. Perezs views on the L.A. congressional race he dropped out of By Christine Mai-Duc (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Before he suddenly dropped out of the running citing health reasons, former Assembly Speaker John A. Perez was widely considered the favorite to replace Xavier Becerra in the 34th Congressional District. With Perez out, the race is wide open and isnt likely to be decided Tuesday, when 24 candidates compete in the primary. Instead, the top two vote-getters regardless of party are expected to advance to a June 6 election. (If any one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote Tuesday, its all over). Perez offered his thoughts on the race in an interview published Friday by Politico. Some of his major points: Perez said he thinks state Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez is significantly ahead of the pack and will make the runoff. A cluster of candidates, including Alejandra Campoverdi, Wendy Carrillo, Arturo Carmona, Maria Cabildo and Robert Lee Ahn, are in a close enough race that any one of them could advance. If Carrillo were to move forward, Perez says, the narrative in the runoff would be about which candidate is more progressive and whos an insider versus an outsider. Perez says if he were the front runner, Campoverdi is the one Id be most concerned about running against due to her connections in Washington and her national profile, which could create a new level of viability. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement To fight against human trafficking, this state senator wants to train motel employees to spot signs of abuse By Jazmine Ulloa Former Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) State Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) wants to increase services for human trafficking survivors and make it easier in court to put away their abusers. Flanked by prosecutors and hotel industry officials at a news conference Friday in San Diego, the former Assembly speaker announced new housing and mental health assistance for victims and introduced legislation that would require hotels and motels to train their employees to spot signs of human trafficking. Another of her proposals would expand the character evidence that prosecutors can bring forth at trial against defendants charged with selling victims for sex or labor. The bills are meant to attack a multibillion-dollar trade that has a wide sweep in California, home to three cities on the FBIs list of 13 top human trafficking destinations: San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles. National human trafficking hotline calls across California generated 1,323 cases in 2016 nearly twice as many as any other state. Atkins is among lawmakers pushing the issue at the Capitol, where legislation has focused on targeting traffickers, protecting victims and addressing what advocates say is a law enforcement culture in which child survivors sometimes are treated like criminals. But funding for victims services and programs has been an obstacle. A bill by Atkins to develop pilot projects in three counties to address the commercial sexual exploitation of youth sailed through the Legislature without opposition last year only to be vetoed by the governor. Her second bill for a statewide task force died in the Senate appropriations committee. Atkins latest proposal to provide training for motel employees follows a similar bill by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens). It failed in the last legislative session amid opposition over costs to businesses. That hasnt stopped Atkins from trying again. Hotels are ground zero for sex trafficking in this state, she said in a statement. Sex traffickers are exploiting some of the most vulnerable people in our society, including children. These victims are often hiding in plain sight, and traffickers take advantage of the fact that many hotel employees dont recognize the signs. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print State Controller Betty Yee says Californias tax collection agency has been mismanaged and needs a complete overhaul By Patrick McGreevy Citing a review that found widespread mismanagement at the state Board of Equalization, State Controller Betty T. Yee on Friday called for stripping the panel of responsibilities for tax administration and audit and compliance functions so it can focus on handling taxpayer appeals. Yees proposal came in response to an evaluation by the state Department of Finance that found board officials were improperly redirecting resources and employees to pet projects in their districts. In order to rebuild taxpayer trust, meaningful reform is essential, said Yee, who serves as an ex-officio member of the board. I urge the Legislature and the governor to strip the board members of all statutory functions and permanently move these duties and assigned staff to a separate new department under the governor. The Department of Finance review found the board had difficulty providing complete and accurate documentation in response to inquiries, and various levels of management were not aware of and could not speak to certain actions, including the informal establishment of a call center, creating an unofficial office location and inconsistent use of community liaisons. The evaluation said personnel records showed workers assigned to administrative jobs that they were not doing, having been transferred to help board members in their districts. Even though each elected board member has a $1.5-million budget to cover office costs, some members borrowed workers from the head office, taking them from jobs that involved bringing in tax money and having them instead reach out to board members constituents, the review found. The redirection of workers violated state budget rules. In addition, the reviewers said the board provided 11 different versions of its proposed sales and use tax allocation adjustment and the Department of Finance found errors and omissions throughout. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Sen. Kamala Harris has opened a gubernatorial fundraising account but she has no plans to run for governor, aide says By Seema Mehta (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) Sen. Kamala Harris opened a campaign fundraising account to run for governor in 2026, but that does not mean Californias newest U.S. senator has any plans to seek the office. Harris plans to use the account to store the $1 million in leftover funds from her successful 2014 reelection campaign for attorney general, said Sean Clegg, Harris political spokesman. Harris left her post as state attorney general mid-term when she was elected in November to the Senate seat opening created by the retirement of Barbara Boxer. She faced a March 31 deadline to shutter the attorney general account, and under election law cannot mingle money raised for state campaigns with funds raised to run for federal office. Its purely political bookkeeping, Clegg said. The 2026 date could raise eyebrows because after the 2018 gubernatorial election, that will likely be the next time the governors office is open because its occupant is termed out. But Clegg said Harris did not open an account for a lower office like lieutenant governor as politicians in similar situations typically do because, he said, we werent interested in being cute about it. So we designated the only potential future office one could conceivably contemplate, although were not contemplating it, he said. Were focused on the job were doing. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement This California lawmaker wants to crack down on toys and electronics that pick up conversations and personal information By Jazmine Ulloa State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), left (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press ) A California state senator wants to prevent companies from selling products that can listen in on conversations and collect personal information from unknowing consumers. Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) has filed legislation that would require manufacturers to equip their Internet-connected devices, including toys, clocks, kitchenware and electronics, with certain security and privacy features. Dubbed the Teddy Bear and Toaster Act, Senate Bill 327 takes aim at the so-called Internet of Things, the inter-networking of everyday devices that some tech and privacy experts say amounts to a growing industry with little oversight. The more we know and the more we learn about the Internet connection of all sorts of devices, many are realizing that we dont know the extent to which these devices are invading our lives, Jackson said. Under her proposal, companies would have to design their products so that they alert consumers through visual, auditory or other cues when they are gathering data. They would have to obtain user consent when they intend to transfer the information. And they would have to disclose at point of sale whether the devices are capable of sweeping up sensitive data, so that customers can take that into account while shopping. Most states, including California, have privacy breach laws to protect personal information. The proposal, which would extend those provisions to consumer devices, could be the first of its kind nationwide. But it is expected to garner wide opposition from retailers and manufacturers. A My Friend Cayla doll (AFP/Getty Images) Still, supporters point to growing privacy concerns. Some toys, like the My Friend Cayla doll banned in Germany, prompt children to give personal information, such as their parents names and their addresses, and their manufacturers reserve the right to target young buyers in direct marketing campaigns. Other smart devices lack the most basic security features that make them vulnerable to a hack or coordinated cyberattack. In a statement, James P. Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Kids Action, which is sponsoring the bill, said such toys and electronics can put consumers at risk. These products get rushed out to the market without the privacy issues being addressed in advance, and then consumers end up paying the price, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print President Jerry Brown? Dont rule it out, governor quips By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown and state legislative leaders appealed Thursday for support for a proposed gas tax and vehicle fee increase to fix the states roads and bridges. (Patrick McGreevy / Los Angeles Times) In arguing for approval of a new transportation package on Thursday, Gov. Jerry Brown appeared to enjoy himself in refusing to shoot down a supporters suggestion that he run for president even as he noted his 79th birthday is next week. Standing next to other elected officials and construction workers at the rally in in Concord, Brown argued that gas tax and vehicle fee increases are needed to address a backlog of much-needed repairs to Californias crumbling system of roads, highways and bridges. Im telling you the truth because why would I lie to you? Brown said. I dont think Im running for office. All Ive got left is lieutenant governor, treasurer and controller. Or president, someone in the crowd shouted. Brown responded that he would be 82 when the next presidential election comes around. But you know, dont rule it out, he quipped, drawing laughter and applause. Lest the comment turn into a national story, an aide later clarified the governors intentions: He was joking. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown is making appeals to legislators for votes on his new transportation plan one district at a time By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown stumps for the new transportation funding plan on Thursday in the Bay Area city of Concord. (Patrick McGreevy / Los Angeles Times) Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Thursday took their campaign for higher transportation taxes and fees to the Bay Area district of state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Concord), one of the holdouts in the state Senate who has not yet committed to vote for the package. Surrounded by dozens of construction workers, Brown warned that if the transportation bill unveiled on Wednesday isnt approved this year, it may not happen in the foreseeable future. There is nothing more fundamental in the business of government than making sure the roads and bridges dont fall apart, and they are falling apart, Brown said. Glazer recently withheld his vote from a bill proposing a similar plan for repairing state bridges, roads and highways, and on Wednesday, a spokesman said he had still not committed to any plan but wanted to review the detailed proposal before taking a position. Construction workers at the rally held signs that pictured crumbling roads and said, Senator Glazer Fix This Now. Vote for SB 1. Brown said Glazer, his former senior advisor, does not disagree with the intent of the bill. He loves this plan, but he has another idea on his mind and he wants to marry the two and see if he can get some outcomes that I dont want to get into at this particular place, Brown told reporters. Sen. Jim Beall, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said Glazer wants the transportation funding bill to include a clause barring employees of Bay Area Rapid Transit from going on strike. Beall said that is a labor-relations issue that cannot be included in the bill raising taxes. You cant do that, Beall said. A spokesman for Glazer said the senator is still undecided on the bill. The senator is continuing to have conversations with the principals, said Steve Harmon, a spokesman for Glazer. He declined to comment on Bealls statement. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) said there may be similar rallies in Los Angeles and Riverside in the coming days. Two other Democrats who have not yet committed to the plan are Riverside Sen. Richard Roth and Woodland Hills Sen. Henry Stern. Brown acknowledged that there is work to do to secure the two-thirds vote needed in both houses of the Legislature to raise the base excise tax on gasoline by 12 cents per gallon, to a total of 30 cents per gallon, and to create a new annual vehicle fee that would average $51 based on the value of the car or truck. Rendon said approval of the transportation bill would cost the average California motorist an extra $10 per month, which he said is a deal compared to the current cost of $720 in annual vehicle repair costs required because of running over potholes and other rough road conditions. Hoping to force a Senate vote on the package early next week, Brown was accompanied to the Concord news conference by Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles). They urged lawmakers to support the bill, which would generate $5.2 billion annually for the first 10 years for road and bridge repairs, mass transit improvements and other projects to reduce congestion. Glazer, known as a maverick in the Legislature, was Browns campaign manager during the 2010 gubernatorial election and remained a senior advisor to the governor before running for the state Senate in a special election in 2015. ---- 1:23 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from a representative for state Sen. Steve Glazer. This article was originally published at 12:42 p.m. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Who will be Californias next governor? New poll shows Newsom leads with 1 in 3 voters undecided By Seema Mehta (Nick Ut / Associated Press) In the race to replace termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown, the largest number of voters in a new statewide poll does not favor a candidate in the race. About 1 in 3 voters said they were undecided, according to the survey by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. Among candidates who have entered the race, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a strong lead with 28% of the vote, followed by Republican businessman John Cox with 18%, according to the poll, which was released Wednesday. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa clocks in at 11%, state Treasurer John Chiang at 8% and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin at 3%. Because the race is far away and public campaigning has not yet started in earnest, the poll could primarily be an indicator of name recognition. The field of candidates is also likely to grow. Newsom has several natural advantages: He was the first person to enter the race in 2015 and has a large fundraising edge. He has perhaps been the candidate most in the spotlight among the Democrats running, notably for his support of the marijuana legalization measure on the November ballot. Cox may have benefited from being the lone Republican in that version of the poll. Pollsters conducted a second version of the poll with five additional potential candidates, none of whom have announced a run for governor in 2018 San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon and former state Controller Steve Westly. Newsom still led the pack to come in at 24%. The two Republicans, Faulconer and Cox, tied at 11% each. Faulconer has said he does not plan to run for governor. Garcetti, Villaraigosa, Chiang, Steyer, De Leon, Westly and Eastin all placed in the single digits. Steyer and Westly have the personal wealth to self-fund a campaign, giving them time to decide whether to enter the race. Westly unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2006, losing in the Democratic primary to state Treasurer Phil Angelides. In the 2018 contest, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the June primary will move onto the November general election. The poll of 1,000 registered voters in California was conducted online in English and Spanish between March 13 and 20, and has a margin of error in either direction of 3.6%. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California legislators team up to expand John Muir National Historic Site By Sarah D. Wire Californias senators and Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) filed legislation Thursday to add 44 acres to the John Muir National Historic Site. The John Muir Heritage Land Trust has offered to donate the additional land to the National Park Service, which operates the site, and the bill would authorize the agency to accept the parcel. The time John Muir spent with his daughters at their scenic home and its neighboring property played a major role in launching the national parks movement. Expanding the existing park to preserve more of this history and beauty is a fitting tribute to Muirs legacy of protecting land for all to enjoy, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in a statement. Located about 30 miles east of San Francisco, the John Muir National Historic Site consists of Muirs Alhambra Valley home and 325 acres outside of Martinez. DeSaulnier said in a statement that expanding the property is a fitting celebration of his legacy, and will offer nature-goers greater access to enjoy the beauty of the East Bay. DeSaulnier sponsored the same bill last year, which passed the House unanimously but was not considered by the Senate. Feinstein and former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) carried the Senate version, which died after a committee hearing. Such bills often take a few attempts to pass, even without major opposition. Muirs writings helped inspire the creation of the National Park Service, starting with his lobbying of Congress to protect the Yosemite Valley from dams. He also was a founding member of the Sierra Club. Californians owe him a debt of gratitude, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said in a statement. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Californias attorney general could investigate local police shootings under new legislation By Liam Dillon Attorney John Burris, center, comforts Robert and Deborah Mann, family members of Joseph Mann, who was killed by Sacramento Police in July, after a news conference on Oct. 3, 2016. (Rich Pedroncelli / AP) Californias attorney general could investigate local police shootings under a new bill authored by a Sacramento lawmaker. Democratic Assemblyman Kevin McCartys Assembly Bill 284 would allow local police departments or district attorneys to ask Atty. Gen. Xavier Becceras office to independently investigate police shootings of civilians. The legislation was prompted by high-profile police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., Eric Garner in New York City and last summers police shooting of Joseph Mann, a mentally ill homeless man, in Sacramento, according to McCartys office. In all three cases, local prosecutors declined to charge the officers. There is a growing skepticism and a perceived conflict of interest, of the current process of local district attorneys investigating local police, said a fact sheet on the bill provided by McCartys office. Given that they work so closely, it is a valid question of whether this is the most transparent process for the public. There is a growing appetite, both at the national and local level, to create a better and more transparent system for [police shootings] that is fair to police, families, and the community in order to restore public trust. McCartys bill would make state investigations voluntary in these cases and would be implemented only if lawmakers also give Becceras office money to pay for the effort. In 2015, McCarty tried to pass legislation that would have made state investigations of local police shootings mandatory, but that bill failed to make it out of legislative committees. This year, lawmakers have generally scaled back prior efforts to change the states rules governing police discipline and transparency. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former offenders will help award millions in Proposition 47 grants to rehabilitate inmates By Jazmine Ulloa We have listened to law enforcement talk about how horrible Prop. 47 is, said Vonya Quarles, an advocate for the formerly incarcerated. Now we have a chance to help the people who are hurting. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)) California officials will begin the process this spring of awarding $103 million in grants to programs for inmates centered on rehabilitation, substance abuse and reentry into society. The efforts will be funded with dollars saved from prison spending under Proposition 47, the sweeping 2014 ballot measure that downgraded six drug and theft crimes to misdemeanors and allowed defendants to renegotiate their punishments. For the large coalition of criminal justice advocates that poured millions into getting the proposition passed and that has closely tracked its implementation, this is a long-awaited step. Other states have passed similar laws, but California is the only state to invest those savings into services meant to help people stay out of prison. On the executive committee helping award the grants are formerly incarcerated people who know the system from the inside. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement What would single-payer healthcare look like in California? Lawmakers release new details By Melanie Mason Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A proposal in California for a single-payer healthcare system would dramatically expand the state governments presence in medical care and slash the role of insurance companies. New amendments released Thursday fill in some key details on the universal healthcare measure proposed by state Sens. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), although the biggest political question how it would be paid for remains unanswered. Under the proposal, which was announced in February, the state would cover all medical expenses for every resident regardless of their income or immigration status, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency services, dental, vision, mental health and nursing home care. Insurers would be prohibited from offering benefits that cover the same services as the state. The program would eliminate co-pays and deductibles, and patients would not need to get referrals to see eligible providers. The system would be administered by an unpaid nine-person board appointed by the governor and the Legislature. A universal healthcare system run by the government has long been a dream of liberals, with many rallying behind insurgent Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders proposal for Medicare for all in the 2016 race. After a GOP effort to replace Obamacare stalled last week, Sanders said he intends to introduce a nationwide single-payer bill in the U.S. Senate. Proponents in California, who are no longer playing defense to preserve the Affordable Care Act, also touted a broader healthcare plan. With Republicans failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Californians really get what is at stake with their healthcare, Lara said in a statement. We have the chance to make universal healthcare a reality now. Its time to talk about how we get to healthcare for all that covers more and costs less. The cost sure to be the biggest hurdle for the measure so far remains unknown. The authors say they intend to pay for the program through broad-based revenue, but details of a funding proposal have not been hashed out. Gov. Jerry Brown sounded wary of a sprawling single-payer plan while speaking to reporters last week on his trip to Washington D.C. Where do you get the extra money? This is the whole question, Brown said. The bill is sponsored by the California Nurses Assn., which already has been rallying its members in support of the bill, SB 562. There has been a seismic shift in our political system through grassroots activism; we have an inspired, motivated base that will make its voice heard, RoseAnn DeMoro, the labor groups president, said in a statement. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California backs San Francisco court challenge of Trump administration threat to withhold funds from sanctuary cities By Patrick McGreevy Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said Wednesday he has filed an amicus brief supporting San Franciscos court challenge to President Trumps order targeting so-called sanctuary cities and counties that refuse to enforce federal immigration laws. The move marks a half-dozen times the state has filed briefs supporting legal challenges to various Trump orders. Last week, Becerra filed papers supporting a lawsuit by Santa Clara County. That case and San Franciscos challenge the legality of the Trump administrations threats to withhold federal funds from states and local jurisdictions that the administration deems to be sanctuary jurisdictions. Becerras brief cites Californias interest in protecting state laws and policies that ensure public safety and protect the constitutional rights of its residents. Threatening to take away resources from sheriffs and police officers in order to promote misguided views on federal immigration policy is reckless and puts public safety at risk, Becerra said in a statement. It is the right and responsibility of California and each state under the Constitution to determine how it will provide for the safety and general welfare of its residents and to safeguard their constitutional rights. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti asks the federal government to define a sanctuary city By Sarah D. Wire View Instagram post Amid a new call from the Trump administration to cut off federal funds to so-called sanctuary cities, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck had a question for the head of Homeland Security on Wednesday: What exactly is a sanctuary city? Garcetti and Beck joined a bipartisan handful of mayors and law enforcement leaders from across the country in Washington to air their concerns about President Trumps recent executive orders on immigration to Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly. Los Angeles is among the jurisdictions often called sanctuary cities that dont assist with federal immigration enforcement. State and local leaders in California have said they will continue to protect people in the country illegally despite the Trump administrations threats. After the closed-door meeting, mayors and police chiefs said their main request for Kelly was for a firm definition of what the federal government considers a sanctuary city. We think that as long as were complying with federal law then we shouldnt be labeled with whatever label intimates that were not, Beck said. Were looking for clarification; we are looking to be involved in the conversation so that decisions arent made that affect us without our input. Homeland Security spokesman Dave Lapan said the department is working on a definition but does not have a timeline for when it would be finalized. Although there is no legal definition of the term, the administration has seemed to define sanctuary jurisdictions as ones that dont comply when Immigration and Customs Enforcement asks them to detain prisoners after they have served their sentences so they can be picked up for deportation. Multiple federal courts have said the detainer orders differ from an official warrant and are not legal justification for holding someone who has served his or her sentence or is no longer under arrest. Los Angeles is one of several cities in California that does not hold people for immigration officials without a warrant, and Garcetti said that is going to continue. We see it as abiding by the Constitution, because there is case law that says we cant hold people for longer than permitted, Garcetti said after the meeting. Lapan said the Department of Homeland Security is working on ways to address concerns about the legality of holding someone for immigration officials, as well as the concerns of mayors of cities that have laws instructing law enforcement officers not to comply with immigration officials. Part of having this discussion is to find out, How can we get around this? Lapan said. If we are dealing with a criminal alien, somebody who is both in the country unlawfully and has committed crimes, the best place for us to take them into custody is in a jail or prison. Thats the safest for everyone, both our officers and the communities. Garcetti also disputes the administrations assertion that it can withhold federal funds from cities that dont comply with ICE orders. Garcetti pointed to a 2012 Supreme Court decision that said the government couldnt withhold Medicaid funds if states chose not to expand access to the program under the Affordable Care Act. I think we all feel on very strong constitutional and legal footing that it was decided in the Obama administration you cant put a legal gun to the head, a financial gun to the head of jurisdictions, whether its states or localities, and take their money if you dont agree with what they are doing in a different area, he said. Garcetti invited Kelly to visit Los Angeles. We need to make sure that we also are showing the perspectives of everyday people in cities like Los Angeles, he said. Garcetti also attended California congressional Democrats weekly lunch and met privately with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) before appearing on an immigration panel hosted by House Democrats. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Anti-discrimination measure or blow to religious freedom? California bill sparks debate on employer codes of conduct By Melanie Mason Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A measure that would bar employers from firing workers for having an abortion or giving birth to a child out of wedlock is getting pushback from religious groups who say such a bill would prevent them from requiring employees to act in accordance with their faith. Under the bill by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), employers would not be able to discipline or fire workers for any reproductive health decision, such as pregnancy, in-vitro fertilization or abortion. What this bill does is make sure that people can make the best healthcare decisions for themselves and for their families without the fear that theyll risk their livelihoods in doing so, Rebecca Griffin of NARAL Pro-Choice California, a sponsor of the measure, said at a Wednesday afternoon hearing at the Capitol. A teacher at a Christian college in San Diego was fired in 2012 for becoming pregnant while unmarried. The school said her pregnancy violated its employee code of conduct, which prohibited premarital sex. In 2015, San Francisco Archibishop Salvatore Cordileone sparked a backlash when he proposed a new morality clause in the faculty handbook and contract for local Catholic schools that opposed same-sex marriage and certain reproductive medical procedures. With employees being fired for code of conduct violations in other states, proponents said California should set an example for the country, Right now, while were facing a federal government that is attacking reproductive freedom at every turn and condoning the type of discrimination that this bill prohibits, we feel like this is the time for California to take a stand for our values and make sure that our workers have the best protections possible, Griffin said. But the proposal faces opposition from religious groups, who argue such codes of conduct are integral to the relationship with their workers. The bill would specifically deny religious employers our 1st Amendment protections to infuse our codes of conduct with the tenets of our faith, said Sandra Palacios of the California Catholic Conference. The reaction from religious groups was not uniformly negative. The Rev. Rick Schlosser, executive director of the California Council of Churches, which represents mainline Protestant and Orthodox denominations, pointed to the diverse positions on reproductive issues among his groups members to explain his support for the bill. Any legislation that limits peoples ability to make their own moral decisions is harmful to religious freedom, said Schlosser. But other religious groups said the measure threatened to undermine the very purpose of requiring their employees to abide by a code of conduct. An organization specifically chartered to support or oppose a specific set of beliefs or actions cannot fulfill its mission without requiring adherence to a code of conduct, wrote Jonathan Keller, president of the conservative California Family Council, in an opposition letter. Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) asked why such codes of conduct should govern a personal decision an employee makes out of the workplace. Our community covenant does say that our employees are required to uphold our biblical values, and that certainly is a round-the-clock priority for us, responded Phillip Escamilla, the public policy chair of William Jessup University, a Sacramento-area evangelical Christian college Gonzalez Fletcher, herself a practicing Catholic, said she was not trying to unfairly target religious institutions. But, she said, she was trying to combat an inherent sexism that comes with enforcing such codes of conduct. A female employees reproductive decisions such as entering an abortion clinic or being pregnant out of wedlock can be seen by her employer, Gonzalez Fletcher said. A males decisions to whether or not theyre going to abide by a conduct never rise to that level, she said. So that inherent difference in how women and men are treated with these types of decisions just show how little privacy women are able to maintain. The bill, AB 569, cleared the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, its first legislative threshold, on a 4-2 vote. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown, legislative leaders propose raising $5.2 billion annually to repair Californias roads and bridges By Patrick McGreevy (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Acknowledging that the states transportation system has been neglected, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Wednesday announced a proposal to raise gas taxes and vehicle fees to generate more than $5 billion annually for repairing Californias crumbling system of streets, highways and bridges, as well as to increase mass transit. It remains uncertain whether Brown will be able to muster the two-thirds vote in both houses of the Legislature needed to approve the new revenue sources, which include a 12-cent-per-gallon increase in the existing 18-cent base excise tax on gasoline. The package also includes a new, annual vehicle fee that would average about $48 based on the value of the car. The package was announced at a news conference on the Capitol steps attended by Brown, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles). California has not approved an increase in the base excise tax on gas for 23 years, according to Brian Kelly, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency. As a result, the state faces a $130-billion backlog of repairs to state highways and bridges and local streets. There is sizable money here to make things better, Kelly said. People are going to get improved neighborhood streets. They are going to get improved highways and bridges, more faith that they are traveling on safe structures. And we are going to invest to improve the congestion into our trade corridors and congestion on their commute. Assembly and Senate Republicans released a joint statement opposing the plan. Californians already pay some of the highest gas taxes in the nation, the statement said. The transportation proposal announced by the Capitol Democrats is a costly and burdensome plan that forces ordinary Californians to bail out Sacramento for years of neglecting our roads. Brown has set a deadline of April 6, the day before the Legislature leaves on its spring break, to have the new package voted on by lawmakers. Because Republicans have generally opposed the tax increases, the package may need the vote of every Democrat to get the two-thirds majority for passage. Three Democratic senators had been holding off their support before the new plan was released. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Election officials say mistake on Korean language ballots substantially smaller than previously thought By Christine Mai-Duc (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles County election officials say a mistake made on Korean-language sample ballots in the upcoming 34th Congressional District race likely affected fewer than 780 voters. The error, which listed the races 23 candidates in the wrong order on some Korean-language sample ballots, was discovered last week after Korean American voters pointed out their mail-in ballot materials looked different than English-language sample ballots sent to the same home or apartment building. Initially, election officials said they didnt know how widespread the problem was. As a precaution, they sent bilingual notices and corrected sample ballots to all 8,251 voters in the district who received Korean-language sample ballots. None of the sample ballots enclosed with actual mail-in ballots were affected, officials say. In a letter to election officials and L.A. County supervisors Tuesday, the Korean American Coalition called it a violation of federally protected voting rights. The letter asked officials to host a 24-hour hotline for Korean-speaking voters until election day, provide more information on the scope of the error and extend the mail-in voting deadline for those who had received the misprinted ballots. In a response sent Wednesday morning, County Registrar Dean Logan said the error was limited to a small number of sample ballots in a single print run of 777 sample ballots. Based on the agencys review, Logan wrote, it appears that substantially fewer than the 777 voters were affected. The registrars office says it is extending the hours of operation for its voter hotline and staffing it with Korean-speaking operators. Voters concerned that they may have been affected can call 1-800-815-2666 and select option 3 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this weekend. Voters will also see additional signage at polls addressing the issue and Korean-speaking poll workers will be instructed to remind voters to check their ballots. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Talks at Capitol focus on boosting California transportation funding by some $5.2 billion annually By Patrick McGreevy On Highway 1 in Big Sur, the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge has buckled, cutting off a community of hundreds from schools and isolating renowned businesses from customer traffic. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times) With a deadline looming, Gov. Jerry Brown is winding up negotiations with legislators in hopes of reaching an agreement on a plan that would provide at least $5.2 billion annually for a transportation backlog that includes repairing Californias aging and crumbling system of streets, highways and bridges, officials said Tuesday. Those close to the talks said an agreement on the package could be announced as early as Wednesday afternoon. The question remains whether Brown and leaders can muster the two-thirds vote needed to approve a phased-in gas tax increase of up to 12 cents by the April 6 deadline set by the governor. Key senators remained uncommitted to any plan as of Tuesday. And a new voter-approved rule requires a bill to be in print for 72 hours before it can be passed. The bill needs approval in both houses. Assembly Democrats were briefed on the evolving plan behind closed doors on Tuesday and some officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, said talks are progressing on a plan that would provide the bulk of money to a fix-it first program of road repairs divided evenly between state projects and those of cities and counties. Money would also be dedicated to mass transit, bicycle, pedestrian and trucking routs for ports. The proposal also would include reforms proposed by lawmakers, including Republicans, that would hold officials accountable for proper use of the money, including a requirement for regular audits, creation of an inspector general position and a ballot measure requiring new money to be spent on transportation projects. Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) authored a bill that would put a measure on the ballot, saying Tuesday such guarantees are required given the urgency of the deferred maintenance backlog, and the additional burden we are asking Californias taxpayers to carry. John Myers contributed to this report. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Advertisement Watch: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director attends community meeting in Sacramento Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown calls for countermovement against Trumps colossal mistake on climate change By Evan Halper California Gov. Jerry Brown warned that President Trump has just made a colossal mistake in gutting the federal governments effort to combat climate change, which will ignite a response Trump is unprepared to handle. It defies science itself, Brown said in a call to The Times shortly after Trump signed an executive order that aims to bring an abrupt halt to the United States leadership on global warming. Erasing climate change may take place in Donald Trumps mind, but nowhere else. Yes, there is going to be a countermovement, Brown vowed, predicting Trumps actions will mobilize environmentalists in a way President Obama never could. I have met with many heads of state, ambassadors. This is a growing movement. President Trumps outrageous move will galvanize the contrary force. Things have been a bit tepid [in climate activism]. But this conflict, this sharpening of the contradiction, will energize those who believe climate change is an existential threat. Brown and other big-state governors and mayors are moving swiftly to fill the global leadership vacuum Trump created with Tuesdays directive, which stops short of officially pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord of 2015. I see Washington declining in influence, but the momentum being maintained by California and other states aligned with China and those who are willing to do something, said Brown, who will be traveling to China soon for meetings on climate. There is a growing activism on the part of millions of people who will not stand by and let Donald Trump effectively tear up the Paris agreement and destroy Americas climate leadership and jeopardize the health and well-being of so many people. In the face of Trumps retreat on climate change, Brown said California will step up its own efforts to push others toward clean energy. We are not fully meeting the challenge of climate change yet, he said. We are doubling down on our commitment. We are reaching out to other states in America and throughout the world and other countries. We have plenty of fuel to build this movement. This is real, Brown said of the threat created by climate change. The nations of the world have recognized it in Paris. I will continue doing my best to work with and rouse the world community, whatever the politicians in Washington do or dont do. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California and its allies hint at new legal battles over Clean Power Plan By Chris Megerian California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) President Trumps effort to roll back the Clean Power Plan could quickly run into legal challenges from California and its allies across the country. State Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and his counterparts from states including New York, Massachusetts and Oregon said they wont hesitate to protect those we serve including by aggressively opposing [Trumps actions] in court. The joint statement was also issued by Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and other cities. Californias stance isnt surprising because the state joined Obama administration efforts to defend the Clean Power Plan in 2015. Further legal action could underscore the determination of local and state governments to push forward with fighting climate change even as Trump withdraws federal regulations. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Meeting climate change goals will require billions for transportation and housing improvements, reports say By Liam Dillon A major push to get Californians out of their cars and onto their feet, bikes and public transit is essential if the state wants to meet its aggressive goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, according to new reports from the state and UC Berkeley researchers. Californians will have to drive an average of 1.6 miles less a day and regional government agencies believe it will cost billions of dollars to make the mass transit and housing improvements needed for that to happen. UC Berkeley researchers argue in a new study that a boom in dense housing across the state will bring major greenhouse gas reductions and economic growth. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California expects to be unscathed as Trump targets Clean Power Plan By Chris Megerian A solar farm in Kern County (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Although Californias leaders may protest President Trumps announcement Tuesday that hes scrapping the Clean Power Plan, his decision is expected to have little effect on a state already marching toward renewable energy. In fact, greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation in the Golden State are already below what the federal government would have required by 2030, and theyre expected to drop even further. Rollback of the Clean Power Plan is pretty much irrelevant to California, said Frank Wolak, a Stanford University economist who has advised state leaders on climate regulations. The federal rules, enacted by former President Obama as part of his campaign against climate change, were intended to push states away from coal and toward cleaner energy sources. But that was already underway in California. Los Angeles, one of the last places in the state to rely on coal, was already planning to stop importing electricity from out-of-state coal plants by 2025. In addition, state law requires California to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2030, and state Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) has suggested pushing even further. When it comes to fighting pollution and climate change, there are some areas where California relies on the federal government. For example, they share authority on regulating vehicle emissions, and Trumps preparation to roll back federal rules has caused alarm here. However, theres less of a concern when it comes to generating electricity. Trumps moves have caused some anxiety among California companies that are developing clean energy technologies and looking for new markets to sell them. Bob Keefe, executive director of Environmental Entrepreneurs, said the Clean Power Plan would have been a huge economic catalyst. President Trump is basically telling Californias more than 40,000 clean-energy businesses and the 500,000 workers they employ that they dont matter to him, he said. Rail cars filled with coal in Wyoming (Ryan Dorgan / Associated Press) Its an open question how Trump could affect various efforts for California to integrate its electricity grid with neighboring states, an idea that has failed to gain traction so far. Advocates of the concept say regional cooperation could expand the market for renewable energy, but the lack of federal pressure to cut emissions could dampen enthusiasm in places such as Utah and Wyoming, which rely on coal. They dont have the Clean Power Plan bearing down on them, said Don Furman, who directs the Fix the Grid campaign thats seeking closer relationships among West Coast states. Ralph Cavanagh, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said he doesnt expect changes to the Clean Power Plan to harm efforts to create a regional electricity grid, because of the falling cost of renewable energy. The rationale is stronger today than it was yesterday, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California GOP lawmakers introduce bills to boost healthcare and jobs for veterans By Liam Dillon Sen. Janet Nguyen (R-Garden Grove) speaks at a press conference introducing a package of bills aimed at helping California veterans. (Liam Dillon / Los Angeles Times) Republican state lawmakers unveiled a package of six bills Tuesday aimed at improving job training and healthcare services for California veterans. Our veterans have served this country bravely and it is only right for us to recognize their contribution and see that when they do come home they receive the care and assistance they deserve, said state Sen. Janet Nguyen of Garden Grove, who authored three of the measures. The six bills are: Senate Bill 410 from Nguyen and Assembly Bill 353 from Assemblyman Randy Voepel of Santee, which would expand hiring preferences. for veterans. SB 409 from Nguyen and SB 485 from state Sen. Jim Nielsen of Gerber, which would increase mental health services and oversight at state veterans homes. SB 411 from Nguyen, which would pay some military reservists $100 a month once they turn 50 if theyve served for 10 years or more. SB 197 from Sen. Pat Bates of Laguna Niguel, which would waive state and local sales taxes for nonprofits that donate facilities to the U.S. Department of Defense a measure aimed at helping construction of a mental health care facility at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print These Los Angeles girls went to Capitol Hill to ask the Senate to fight new immigration enforcement efforts By Sarah D. Wire Fatima, left, and Yuleni Avelica, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) during a news conference on Capitol Hill. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images) Fatima Avelica, 13, was training for the Los Angeles Marathon with her father before he was arrested by immigration agents last month after dropping Fatimas sister off at her Lincoln Heights school. Fatima had to pause repeatedly, pressing her fingers to her eyes, as she told the story to reporters at a news conference in the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) handed handkerchiefs to Fatima and her sister Yuleni Avelica, 12. The girls had medals from completing the marathon dangling around their necks. Democratic senators held the news conference to urge their Senate colleagues to reject President Trumps request for $3 billion to hire thousands of new immigration agents, expand detention facilities and build a wall among the southern border as part of his pledge to deport millions of people in the country illegally. The White House has characterized the moves as necessary for public safety. Californias Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris said Trumps immigration enforcement orders are too broad, sweeping up nonviolent offenders or people accused of the civil offense of being in the country illegally. She called the executive orders, which vastly broadened who can be targeted for deportation and leaves a lot of discretion to local immigration officials misguided and misinformed. Its irresponsible to paint a whole population of people as racists and murderers and bad hombres, she said, referencing one of Trumps own lines about immigrants. Its actually ignorant and we cant afford to run our country that way. The girls father, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, a Mexican citizen, has lived in the U.S. for 25 years. ICE officials cited two misdemeanor convictions as the reason for his arrest. His four daughters were all born in the U.S. Fatima said the family is waiting for word every day on whether he will be deported. Fatima said she now wants to become an immigration lawyer. Its like a new marathon for me, and I know I can finish it, Fatima said, tears welling up again. But, I need my coach there. I need my dad. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Gov. Jerry Brown, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blast President Trump on climate change By Chris Megerian California Gov. Jerry Brown (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown joined with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday to criticize President Trumps pending announcement to roll back climate regulations and insist that their states will push forward anyway. Dismantling the Clean Power Plan and other critical climate programs is profoundly misguided and shockingly ignores basic science, they said in a joint statement. With this move, the Administration will endanger public health, our environment and our economic prosperity. Brown and Cuomo represent the two largest states with the most ambitious goals for fighting global warming, and theyve already set equivalent targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Theyre also pushing to generate half of all their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. With or without Washington, we will work with our partners throughout the world to aggressively fight climate change and protect our future, Brown and Cuomo said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print To stem rising prices, a California lawmaker is taking on how hospital chains craft their contracts By Melanie Mason Amid concern that sprawling hospital chains are leading to higher prices, a California state senator is trying to clamp down on how hospital networks craft their contracts to win market dominance. Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) is offering a measure that would prohibit hospitals from certain contracting practices he sees as anti-competitive, such as requiring health plans to contract with all affiliates of the hospital or mandating that health plans agree to binding arbitration for antitrust claims. Weve lost a level of transparency thats affected affordability and access and fairness, Monning said in an interview. Multi-hospital chains are becoming prominent throughout the country, with proponents saying such mergers make care more efficient and better coordinated. But a recent USC study found that while hospital prices in California have grown overall, the costs are higher in the states largest chains. Once you control a market, you can artificially increase costs, said Monning, adding those higher prices can spill over to neighboring hospitals, too. Competitors think if they can charge this much for a hip replacement, were going to as well, Monning said. Another study by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute found premiums in Northern California were 30% higher than those in Southern California, in part because of the dominance of a few healthcare systems in the north. Micah Weinberg, the institutes president, said hospital consolidation was a logical issue to look at, particularly because healthcare coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act is now under less threat from Congress following the failure of the House Republicans replacement bill. We have to double down on the real work, which is getting people access to quality healthcare and affordable costs, said Weinberg. One of the biggest barriers to that is the lack of competition among healthcare providers. Weinberg said much of the question is a matter of federal antitrust enforcement. Its really difficult to do things at the state level that are effective here, he said. Still, consolidation has increasingly come under scrutiny in California. The state attorney generals office under Kamala Harris, now serving as U.S. senator, investigated consolidation of hospital and physician groups, and the effect on consumer prices. Last year, the healthcare trust for the United Food and Commercial Workers union, sued Sutter Health, alleging antitrust violations. The Pacific Business Group on Health, an organization that represents major companies such as Wells Fargo and Chevron, also raised alarms on Sutters requirement that firms use arbitration to resolve disputes--or face higher rates for Sutters healthcare services. The business group is a supporter of Monnings bill, as well as the California Labor Federation. The California Hospital Assn. has not taken a position on the bill. ------------ FOR THE RECORD March 29, 2017, 1:52 p.m.: A previous version of this article reported that the Pacific Group on Health sued Sutter Health. The United Food and Commercial Workers healthcare trust filed the suit. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Los Angeles assemblyman returns to work in Sacramento after more than two-week absence By Melanie Mason Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) After more than two weeks away from the state Capitol, Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) was back at work Monday, with his staff blaming the absence on unspecified medical reasons. Im not going to comment on what the illness was, said his chief of staff, Darryl Lucien, who added that the legislator was feeling better Monday. Ridley-Thomas, 29, was not available for an interview to discuss his absence. He originally went on leave March 7. At the time, he did not specify an illness and so Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendons office considered him to be on personal leave. Under legislative rules, those absences did not allow him to receive per diem payments a subsidy intended to offset the costs of traveling and living in Sacramento. On March 21, he informed Rendons office that he was on medical leave, thus becoming eligible for the $183 per diem. Lucien said the original personal leave request was an error and that all of Ridley-Thomas time away from work was for health reasons. Its medical leave, Lucien said. He has a doctors note that was submitted, excusing him for the time he was out. Ridley-Thomas was not entirely absent from legislative work during that time. While on leave, he yanked one high-profile piece of legislation a measure that would exempt tampons and other feminine hygiene products from sales tax from a hearing in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation committee, which he chairs. The bills author, Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), said she spoke directly to Ridley-Thomas about a request to amend her bill days before that committee hearing. Lucien said Ridley-Thomas was working on a very limited basis, fielding calls from members to the extent he was able to speak with them. A fellow Democrat, Assemblyman Bill Quirk of Hayward, stepped in to chair the Revenue and Taxation panel during a March 13 hearing. A subsequent hearing on March 20 was canceled. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Adam Schiff calls on Devin Nunes to remove himself from Russia investigation By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) on Monday urged fellow Californian Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) to remove himself from their investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Before late last week, Schiff had gone out of his way not to be critical of Nunes throughout the fledgling investigation. They have held the top positions on the House Intelligence Committee for two years, and have served in Congress together for more than a decade. This is not a recommendation I make lightly, as the Chairman and I have worked together well for several years; and I take this step with the knowledge of the solemn responsibility we have on the Intelligence Committee to provide oversight on all intelligence matters, not just to conduct the investigation, Schiff said in a statement. After much consideration I believe Chairman should recuse himself from involvement in investigation/oversight of Trump campaign & transition pic.twitter.com/jpfA1x80Si Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 27, 2017 Nunes last week surprised many when he told reporters that conversations between Trump and his transition team may have been accidentally picked up during legal intelligence gathering. Nunes briefed the media and President Trump before informing his committee. A spokesman for Nunes, who was a member of Trumps transition team, said Monday he obtained the information from a source on White House grounds, which raised even more questions. Nearly a week after Nunes announcement, committee members still havent seen the evidence, Schiff said. There was no legitimate justification for bringing that information to the White House instead of the committee. That it was also obtained at the White House makes this departure all the more concerning, Schiff said. Nunes spokesman would not comment on calls for the chairman to recuse himself. House Democrats have called for an entirely independent investigation, but short of that were coalescing around the call for Nunes to step aside. Among others, Schiffs Intelligence Committee colleagues Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) and Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) have also called for Nunes to step aside from the investigation. The House and Senate intelligence committees are both investigating allegations that Russia tried to interfere with the presidential election and what, if anything, the Trump campaign knew about it. So far, too many people in the White House and administration, and now the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, have betrayed their duty to conduct an independent, bipartisan inquiry into the Trump teams ties with Russia, Swalwell said in a statement. Chairman Nunes should no longer be anywhere near this investigation, let alone leading it. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said in a statement that Nunes had tarnished the chairmanship. She also said it was long overdue for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to ask him to recuse himself from the investigation. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Blasting federal action on immigration, Californias chief justice warns the rule of law is under threat By Patrick McGreevy California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye warned Monday that the rule of law in state is under threat. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye did not mention President Trump by name in her annual State of the Judiciary speech Monday, but she blasted federal actions on immigration and warned that the rule of law in the state is under threat. In addressing the Legislature, she also called on members to end years of underfunding of the state court system. The chief justice said the rule of law has failed repeatedly in the state, including when her husbands parents were among 120,000 Japanese Americans put in internment camps during World War II. Simply put, the rule of law means that we as a people are governed by laws and rules, not by a monarch, she said. People take the rule of law for granted until it is under threat, she added. I submit to you today that the rule of law is being challenged, she said. We are living in a time of civil rights unrest, eroding trust in our institutions, economic anxiety and unprecedented polarization. Cantil-Sakauye cited a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center that California was home to 79 ethnic hate groups more than any other state. Our values and our rules and laws are being called into question, and all three branches of government and the free press are in the crosshairs, she said. Without naming Trump, the chief justice criticized recent federal enforcement of immigration laws in which agents have gone into courthouses to take immigrants into custody. She said it was concern over the rule of law that caused her to write to the U.S. attorney general and the Homeland Security secretary recently, asking them to refrain from conducting immigration raids at or near courthouses. When we hear of immigration arrests and the fear of immigration arrests in our state courthouses, I am concerned that that kind of information trickles down into the community, the schools, the churches. The families and people will no longer come to court to protect themselves or cooperate or bear witness, she said. I am afraid that will be the end of justice and communities will be less safe and victimization will continue. The chief justice also repeated her concerns about the lack of sufficient funding for the judiciary even as legislators are adding laws by the thousands. Since 2011 when I became chief justice, 6,408 bills have become law in California, while the judicial branch budget has been shrinking, Cantil-Sakauye said. I have said before that we are on the wrong side of justice when it comes to funding our courts. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Its not just Berniecrats: Korean voters could also swing L.A.'s congressional race in a big way By Christine Mai-Duc Robert Lee Ahn, center, is the only Korean American candidate running in a field dominated by Latinos in the 34th Congressional District race. (Christine Mai-Duc / Los Angeles Times) The crowded race to replace Xavier Becerra in the 34th Congressional District, which includes most of Los Angeles Koreatown, appears to be bringing Korean American voters out in large numbers. Thats in part because in a field dominated by Latinos, Robert Lee Ahn has a shot at becoming the only Korean American in Congress and the first Korean American Democrat to be elected to the body. Ahn, a businessman and former L.A. city planning commissioner, has raised a formidable amount of money in a short period of time, much of it from donors in the Korean American community. His campaign spent weeks helping register voters at Koreatown malls and restaurants, and says they registered more than 600 new voters so far. Part of our campaign is to build awareness and get the community more civically engaged, Ahn said on a recent Friday morning as his campaign embarked on a 34-hour voter registration drive outside the BCD Tofu House restaurant. As a Korean American, obviously thats a natural base of mine. Inside, Ahn shook hands with supporters and navigated the lunchtime rush to ask for voters support table side. Some of it may be paying off. More than a quarter of the 10,841 mail-in ballots turned in for the race so far were cast by Korean American voters, according to an analysis of surnames, birthplace and translated ballot materials by Political Data. Koreans make up just 6% of registered voters in the district. Nearly half of Korean American voters who have already cast a ballot in the race did not vote in the March 7 city elections. Ahn, who has said hell bring a business sensibility and common sense to the office, says he has been running a campaign that reaches out to all kinds of voters. But the fact that there hasnt been a Korean American in Congress for more than 20 years means his candidacy has gotten plenty of attention from the Korean American press. I think people recognize the importance and historic nature of this election, Ahn said. I think theres a hunger for a voice ... and theres a palpable frustration of not being heard, not being properly represented, and I think thats what were seeing in the early returns. But the result of those early votes so far is unclear, particularly after elections officials disclosed that a number of Korean-language sample ballots had been misprinted with the candidates listed in the wrong order. Those who used the faulty sample ballots to cast their vote could have inadvertently voted for a candidate they didnt intend to support, and officials still dont know how widespread the problem is. Ahn isnt the only Korean American candidate to energize the community in recent years. David Ryu, the first Korean American elected to the L.A. City Council, rode to victory in 2015 with the help of a wave of support from Koreatown leaders. I believe a political awakening is occurring in the Korean American community all over the nation, but especially here in L.A., said Joon Bang, executive director of the Korean American Coalition. Our community is evolving and its beginning with understanding the power of their vote. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Nothing short of blackmail: California Senate leader denounces plan to cut funding from sanctuary cities By Jazmine Ulloa California Senate Leader Kevin de Leon. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) California Senate leader Kevin de Leon on Monday called U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions move to cut federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities nothing short of blackmail. In a statement, De Leon (D-Los Angeles) said Sessions and the Trump administration stuck to alternative facts when describing immigrants and sanctuary counties and cities, where local policies limit the cooperation of law enforcement agencies with federal authorities on immigration laws. Instead of making us safer, the Trump administration is spreading fear and promoting race-based scapegoating, he said. Their gun-to-the-head method to force resistant cities and counties to participate in Trumps inhumane and counterproductive mass-deportation is unconstitutional and will fail. De Leon was responding to an earlier announcement made by Sessions at a White House press briefing. Sessions urged all states and local jurisdictions to comply with federal immigration laws and said it would be a condition for receiving federal grants. Jeff Sessions: "countless Americans would be alive today. And countless loved ones would not be grieving" if sanctuary cities were ended. pic.twitter.com/sEgH3bvPwi BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) March 27, 2017 State leaders are still calculating the fiscal impact of the move in California, where the Senate leader has filed a bill that would prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from using resources to enforce federal immigration laws. Data shows sanctuary counties have lower crime rates than comparable nonsanctuary counties #SB54 https://t.co/rKZDsB8x8E Kevin de Len (@kdeleon) March 27, 2017 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California National Guard official tells legislators forced bonus repayments will be resolved by mid-summer By Melanie Mason A top official for the California National Guard told state legislators Monday that he hopes lingering issues from the soldiers being forced to repay enlistment bonuses will be resolved by mid-summer. A Times investigation last year found that the Pentagon demanded thousands of soldiers repay enlistment bonuses up to a decade after going to war in Iraq or Afghanistan. The claw-back came after audits revealed vast overpayments of bonuses, due in part to mismanagement and pressure to hit enlistment targets. The Times story prompted outcry that soldiers, who were not at fault for accepting the bonuses, were now facing financial hardship. Matthew Beevers, the deputy adjutant for the California National Guard, told a joint hearing of the Senate and Assembly Veterans Affairs committees that just over 1,000 soldiers currently hold debt due to the bonus recoupment. Soldiers who are affected by the repayment demand must go through a federal waiver adjudication process, which Beevers described as unnecessarily long, complex and resource-intensive. He said the state-run Soldier Incentives Assistance Center was working with those who need to navigate the complex process to get those debts waived. "[If] you got a bonus and you completed your obligation and for some reason, you werent entitled to it, weve done everything we can do ensure that those soldiers get to keep those bonuses and we continue to do that today, Beevers said. Beevers said the state is trying to locate all soldiers who may be carrying debts due to the enlistment bonus. For those who complete the federal adjudication process, around 50% get their debts waived, he said. At the end of the day, there might be 600 or so soldiers out of 16,000 who might have to pay money, which is a very very small number, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former California legislator Henry Perea will lobby for the oil industry in Sacramento By Chris Megerian (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) As lawmakers debate the future of Californias climate policies, the oil industry is boosting its lobbying firepower with a former Democratic assemblyman from Fresno who has bedeviled environmentalists in the past. Henry Perea resigned his Assembly seat to work for a pharmaceutical group. Now hes jumping to the Western States Petroleum Assn. as a senior vice president, a role hes scheduled to start on May 1. Henry brings us unique expertise, said a statement from Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the associations president. He understands our state, our industry and how smart public policy can ensure Californias continued leadership in environmental protections while maintaining a diverse, vibrant economy. While serving in the Assembly, Perea led the so-called moderate caucus of business-friendly Democrats. He played a key role in stalling 2015 legislation that would have created tough new targets for reducing oil consumption. Environmentalists have made progress since then, successfully pushing through legislation to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Now these issues are being debated again as lawmakers consider whether to extend the states cap-and-trade program, which is intended to provide a financial incentive to reduce emissions. The oil industry supports extending the program, but its working to ensure favorable terms and to loosen the states other regulatory plans. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Democrats out with ads targeting Rep. Mimi Walters for supporting GOP healthcare bill By Sarah D. Wire Republicans didnt vote on their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act on Friday, but Democrats already have ads out criticizing vulnerable GOP House members like Rep. Mimi Walters of Irvine for backing the bill. The Internet ads, paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will target 14 Republicans who voted for the bill in the House Budget, Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce committees. The ads will run for at least a week on social media sites, including Facebook and Instagram. Walters knowingly voted for a bill to raise premiums and deductibles, slap an age tax on older folks, and rip insurance away from 24 million hardworking Americans. Its critical that voters in Californias 45th District know where Walters stood on this harmful legislation, DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan said in a statement. Walters, who serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, was one of the earliest supporters of the bill among the California Republican delegation. Rep. Walters is committed to improving and expanding healthcare choices, lowering costs and protecting taxpayers. Her votes in the House reflect those principles and she will not be deterred by campaign ads created in Washington, D.C., by Nancy Pelosis political committees, said her campaign consultant, Dave Gilliard. The DCCC has already announced plans to target Republican representatives of the seven California congressional districts that backed Hillary Clinton for president. Clinton won Walters Orange County district by 5 percentage points. Walters was elected for a second term with 58.6% of the vote. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Gov. Jerry Brown says California wont be running to the courthouse every day to fight President Trump By John Myers With many of his fellow Democrats demanding multiple challenges to President Trumps proposals, Gov. Jerry Brown said this week he will continue to support a more measured approach. Were going to fight very hard. But were not going to bring stupid lawsuits or be running to the courthouse every day, Brown said during an appearance Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. Were going to be careful. Well be strategic. The governors interview, taped on Thursday in Washington, came at the end of a four-day visit where he sought common ground on issues ranging from transportation to disaster relief. Brown also took aim in a visit to Capitol Hill at the now-failed Republican healthcare proposal. In the interview, Brown acknowledged that he is seeking a different path forward than Californias legislative leaders and other Democrats who are aggressively pushing back on a variety of Trump proposals. Well, if everythings a lawsuit, yeah, were in trouble here. I do curb the exuberance on either side, he said. People like to escalate. Republicans do that, and Democrats also do that. So Im there somewhat as the senior statesman now, and Im going to keep everything on an even keel. The governor used the national television interview to repeat recent suggestions that California has a number of projects that are ready to go should Trump make good on his promises to fund a major infrastructure effort. But Brown staunchly defended Californias acceptance of immigrants, including those who are in the U.S. illegally. He argued that immigration has been a major boon to the states economy and invoked the teachings of Christianity to criticize Trump and his fellow Republicans. Trumps supposed to be Mr. Religious Fellow, and I thought weve got to treat the least of these as we would treat the Lord, said Brown, who trained to become a Jesuit priest in his youth. So I hope he would reconnect with some of these conservative evangelicals, and theyll tell him that these are human beings, theyre children of God. They should be treated that way. The programs host, Chuck Todd, asked Brown whether he could offer national leadership for Democrats in the Trump era. The governor, who ran unsuccessfully for president three times, said he was willing to speak out in any way he could be helpful. Following last weeks historic defeat of a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, Brown also offered Trump advice on how to help the economically struggling states whose voters put him in the White House. Its going to take some income support from the federal government, the governor said. Its going to take healthcare. Its going to take the kind of programs that the Republican Party traditionally doesnt like. So heres the dilemma. Yes, Obama was not able to help those people in the way they felt they had a right to. But Mr. Trump, now the burden is on you. And you better figure it out, or youre not going to be there again. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Small donations play big role in the 34th Congressional District By Christine Mai-Duc Congressional candidate Kenneth Mejia raised 90% of his money from small donors in the most recent campaign finance filing. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) More than 17% of individual contributions to all candidates in the 34th Congressional District came in small donations of less than $200, according to the latest campaign finance reports. The reports, which cover fundraising and spending between Jan. 1 and March 15, show that more than $250,000 of the $1.4 million raised by the candidates in the race came from un-itemized small donors, or those who gave less than $200 and are not named in campaign finance reports. Three candidates who raised a significant chunk of money from small donations were Arturo Carmona, Wendy Carrillo and Kenneth Mejia, all of whom are vying for votes from supporters of former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has preached the need to rid politics of special interest money. Many of the candidates have sent email pitches to supporters asking for donations of $10, $20 or $27, the amount made famous by Sanders, who often cited the number as the average donation given to his presidential campaign. Carmona, a former Sanders campaign advisor, raised the most in small donations, with $57,125, or 52% of his total. Small donors gave Carrillo $25,948, about 32% of her fundraising total and Mejia, an accountant and Green Party candidate, received nearly 90% of his total funds, or $31,957, in amounts of $200 or less. Federal law does not require candidates to itemize, or report the names of, donors who give below that amount. Alejandra Campoverdi raised $44,210 from small donors, who made up 28% of her haul, while Raymond Meza raised 48%, or $14,764 of his money from small-dollar contributions. UPDATE: 7:45 p.m. This post was updated to clarify that the numbers reported are based on un-itemized donations of $200 or less to candidates. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Robert Lee Ahn raised the most money by far in latest campaign finance reports for L.A.'s congressional race By Christine Mai-Duc Robert Lee Ahn, left, and Vanessa Aramayo, second from left, join the other candidates for the 34th Congressional District. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles TImes) Congressional candidate Robert Lee Ahn far outstripped some of the top fundraisers in the 34th Congressional District, taking a surprise lead in campaign finance reports filed Thursday. The reports cover fundraising and spending between Jan. 1 and March 15 and will be the last numbers well have before the April 4 primary election, in which 24 candidates are running. Ahn, a former L.A. city planning commissioner, raised a whopping $338,702 in contributions and loaned himself an additional $295,000, bringing his total to more than $630,000 raised since January. Ahn, an attorney and the only Korean American candidate in the race for a district that includes Koreatown, got more than $100,000 in contributions from donors with Korean surnames. The closest behind Ahn was Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, who raised $244,766 over the same period, the majority of it from political action committees, including many donations from fellow legislators in Sacramento. Sara Hernandez, a former teacher and L.A. City Hall aide, was close behind Gomez with $224,783 raised. Alejandra Campoverdi, a former White House staffer and former Los Angeles Times employee, raised $156,432. Ahn has also spent the most money so far this year, at $352,538, and has $271,271 in the bank, more than any other candidate. Gomez ended the period with $274,830 cash on hand, while Hernandez and Campoverdi have $149,990 and $122,961 left to spend, respectively. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Dispute in California Senate leads to ethics complaint against leader Kevin de Leon By Patrick McGreevy Then-state Sen. Isadore Hall III, left, talks with Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon in Sacramento last year. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Republican state Sen. Andy Vidak on Friday filed an ethics complaint asking for an investigation into whether Democratic Senate leader Kevin de Leon engaged in an improper cover-up of threats allegedly made by former state Sen. Isadore Hall III against a group of farmers. Anthony Reyes, a spokesman for De Leon, defended the decision not to investigate allegations against Hall. With due respect, the state Senate doesnt waste taxpayer resources investigating dubious hearsay accounts of private conversations held in hotel lobbies and thats what Senator De Leon clearly and politely communicated to Senator Vidak, Reyes said. Any suggestion otherwise is patently ridiculous. Hall, a Democrat from Compton, was appointed in January to the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board by Gov. Jerry Brown. The appointment was opposed by farm industry groups, including the Western Growers Assn., which complained he received contributions from the United Farm Workers for his unsuccessful campaign for Congress last year. Vidak said that he had heard from multiple people that on Feb. 28, the evening before Halls confirmation hearing in the Rules Committee, Hall allegedly made threats in an obscenity-laced tirade in the lobby of the Sacramento Hyatt Hotel that he would get the farmers opposing his appointment, the senator wrote in a letter to the Senate Legislative Ethics Committee. The board is a quasi-judicial agency that rules on disputes between farm worker organizations and growers. The alleged threats were made to four farmers who are members of the California Fresh Fruit Assn., Vidak said. Vidak said he had formally asked De Leon, as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, to have the panel investigate the allegations and report the findings to the Senate. On Thursday, Vidak said, De Leon allegedly informed him that there would be no investigation. Senator De Leon told me yesterday that he and the leadership of the CFFA have worked things out so Hall wont be investigated,'" Vidak said in a statement Friday. Is this really how the Senate handles reports of threats and intimidation by someone pending a Senate confirmation vote? The association called the allegation that it worked out an agreement with De Leon baseless and false. The group said in a statement that Vidak did not talk to its members before he filed the complaint. If he did, he wouldve learned there is no agreement and that CFFA remains opposed to the confirmation of Senator Hall, the group said. Hall declined to comment on Vidaks complaint, said J. Antonio Barbosa, the boards executive secretary, responding on his behalf. Further, his testimony at his Senate Rules Committee confirmation hearing makes clear that he will be fair and impartial, make sound decisions, and speak to growers and farmworkers, Barbosa said. Reyes disputed Vidaks allegations. Chasing goofy conspiracy theories might fly on President Trumps Twitter feed, but it has no place in the California Legislature, Reyes said. In his letter to the ethics panel, Vidak says his complaint is that the Senates confirmation process of gubernatorial appointees may have been compromised in this situation. He asked for an investigation into whether credible information about potential criminal activity by an unconfirmed gubernatorial appointee has been intentionally ignored/withheld, and whether a member of the Senate Rules Committee is making arrangements with representatives of private organizations to bury investigations of gubernatorial appointees. Updated at 4:40 p.m. to include a comment from the California Fresh Fruit Assn. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print L.A.'s GOP congressman: It is hard to find a consensus on something that impacts more than 1/6th of our economy By Sarah D. Wire A handful of California Republicans had declined to take a position on the House GOPs healthcare bill, and now they wont have to. Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale), the only Republican who represents L.A. County, said he was conflicted up until the vote on the bill was canceled Friday afternoon. In the past two weeks my colleagues worked to build a consensus on how best to repair our flawed healthcare system and build a patient-centered system that works for the American people, Knight said in a statement after the vote. We learned that it is hard to find a consensus on something that impacts more than 1/6th of our economy and the lives of almost every American. Saying they didnt have enough votes to pass it, House Republican leaders canceled a vote on their healthcare bill minutes before vulnerable Republican members like Knight would have had to vote on the effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Knights district is among seven Republican districts being targeted by Democrats in 2018, and several of the members who represent those districts never took a stance on the bill, saying they were worried about the effects on their districts and were still hearing from constituents. Experts estimated millions of Californians would have lost insurance under the bill. Just two of the targeted members, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) and Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine), said they would vote for the bill. Walters had no comment after the bill was pulled, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee came out swinging, with committee spokesperson Evan Lukaske saying, Walters now owns this until election day. Other targeted members seemed to brush off President Trumps plan to let Obamacare go its way for a little while. Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), who didnt take a stance on the bill, said afterward Congress needs to keep working on healthcare. Congress must come together to enact legislation to stabilize our healthcare market, reduce federal spending, and ensure we are able to maintain access to healthcare for Americas most vulnerable populations. Any potential solution must be thoughtfully considered, he said in a statement. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) flirted with voting against the bill, saying he was not yet prepared to support it, but never committed either way. The [GOP bill] was an imperfect approach and I believe that we can do better, he said in a statement. We will go back to the drawing board and get this right for each and every American concerned with high costs in their healthcare and ever-dwindling choices and access to care. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Despite threat of legal battle with Trump, California stays the course on vehicle emission rules By Chris Megerian Electric cars charge at a San Diego utility. (Rob Nikolewski / San Diego Union-Tribune) California will keep pushing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, state regulators decided Friday, even though President Trump is preparing to roll back rules in Washington. The restrictions represent a key part of Californias battle against climate change, and theyre intended to force automakers to build cleaner cars and sell more electric vehicles. Environmentalists cheered Fridays decision from the Air Resources Board. Were very disappointed by what were seeing at the federal level, so today feels warm and welcoming, said the Sierra Clubs Kathryn Phillips. California has the unique ability to set tougher standards than the federal government, but Fridays decision could put the state on a collision course with Trump. Under the presidents direction, federal officials are examining whether to loosen vehicle rules that were finalized in the waning days of the Obama administration. The California Air Resources Board meeting in Riverside this week. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) At risk is the existence of a national standard on vehicle emissions, something the auto industry has prioritized to reduce the complexity of its manufacturing operations. We should all be getting back to work on this, said John Bozzella, who advocates for international car companies as head of the Assn. of Global Automakers. Mary Nichols, chair of the Air Resources Board, questioned the industrys commitment to higher standards given their request for Trump to review the rules. What were you thinking when you threw yourself upon the mercy of the Trump administration? she said. A dozen other states have adopted Californias standards as their own, and environmentalists hope Fridays decision will foster a broader market for electric cars. This agency has seen federal administrations come President Trump, confronted by mounting pressure for an independent investigation into his associates ties to Russia, unleashed a startling and unsupported attack on his predecessor Saturday, accusing former President Obama of wiretapping his phones during the 2016 election. Trumps flurry of Twitter messages, which was supported by no evidence, was bizarre even for a White House with a history of broadsides against political opponents. Throughout the day, administration officials refused to offer any explanation for the presidents missive or any evidence to back it up. Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found, Trump wrote on Twitter Saturday, adding: This is McCarthyism! Advertisement How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Trump wrote in a series of four tweets from Florida, sent around breakfast time. The charges leveled by Trump echoed an unsubstantiated story line circulating on right-wing media. The attack came after a stressful 48 hours for Trump during which Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions announced that he was stepping aside from any role in supervising the investigation of Russian interference in last years presidential election, a subject about which Trump has shown extreme sensitivity. Trump had publicly said he did not believe Sessions should recuse himself and reportedly was angered by the decision. As the White House refused to respond to mounting questions from journalists and lawmakers about Trumps charges of wiretapping, his public schedule for the weekend shifted. A relatively light agenda was replaced with one that includes meetings with Sessions, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and senior advisors Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller and Don McGahn. Veterans of the Obama administration accused Trump of lying outright. A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice, Kevin Lewis, a spokesman for the former president, said in a statement. Neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen, Lewis said. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false. A former senior U.S. national security official called it irresponsible, extraordinary and dangerous for a sitting president to accuse his predecessor of wiretapping based on uncorroborated information in a politically oriented publication. Trumps charges confused lawmakers from both parties, who pointed out that if federal officials had legally wiretapped Trumps offices, they would have done so with the blessing of a judge who would have been required to find credible evidence that someone there either was acting as a foreign agent or engaging in criminal behavior. Otherwise, such a wiretap would have been illegal. Either way, said Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Trump needs to be more forthcoming immediately. The president today made some very serious allegations, and the informed citizens that a republic requires deserve more information, Sasse said in a statement. It would be highly unusual for a sitting president to be aware of a surveillance request, as Trump charged was the case with Obama. By blaming Obama directly, Trump accused the former president of reaching into a federal investigation or signing off on an illegal wiretap, which is a felony. Trumps tweets Saturday were a marked departure from the more subdued, statesmanlike tone he had tried to move toward during his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. The charges tracked with unfounded reports being circulated among White House officials by conservative radio host Mark Levin and the Breitbart News website, which Bannon led before joining Trumps campaign last summer. U.S. intelligence officials concluded in January that Russia had launched covert actions and cyberattacks to damage Hillary Clintons candidacy and help Trump win. But it is unclear if those actions were coordinated with people in Trumps inner circle. In the meantime, a pattern of Trump officials downplaying their contacts with Russia has stirred calls for further investigation. Sessions did not disclose meeting Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak when asked about contacts with Russians during his Senate confirmation hearing. Trumps former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, resigned last month when it was disclosed that he had misled Trump administration officials about conversations he had with Kislyak about U.S. sanctions against Russia before Trumps inauguration. Democratic lawmakers pounced on Trumps allegations. If there is something bad or sick going on, it is the willingness of the nations chief executive to make the most outlandish and destructive claims without providing a scintilla of evidence to support them, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. President Richard M. Nixon was convinced that his predecessor, Lyndon B. Johnson, had wiretapped his phone and placed a bug on his plane during the last two weeks of the 1968 campaign. The FBI had never gone that far, but Nixon had reason to be concerned. The FBI knew Republicans had worked with South Vietnamese officials to scuttle peace talks Johnson was holding and made assurances that Nixon would give them a better deal, and the bureau had Nixon fundraiser Anna Chennault under surveillance. I see echoes with the past, Ken Hughes, a researcher at the University of Virginia Miller Center, a think tank that studies the presidency, said in an interview. It is clear that Trump is very defensive and he is very worried, said Hughes, who wrote a book on the Republican interference in the Vietnam peace talks. It might mean the investigation into the Russian interference in our election will expose other things he wants to keep hidden, Hughes said. After sending out several tweets accusing the previous administration of gross misconduct, Trump had something else on his mind: Arnold Schwarzenegger isnt voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show, Trump wrote. brian.bennett@latimes.com ALSO Trump steps up airstrikes against Al Qaeda in Yemen; more ground raids could follow South Florida pilots learning that skies are less friendly with airspace restrictions during Trump visits Violence breaks out at pro-Trump rally in Berkeley Adam Schiff views documents White House says back Trump surveillance claim By Michael A. Memoli (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) traveled to the White House Friday to view documents President Trump has said partially vindicate his claim that his predecessor ordered surveillance of him during the campaign. In a statement, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said he was told they were precisely the same materials viewed previously by the committees chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), which Schiff said should now be shared with the full panel membership. Nothing I could see today warranted a departure from the normal review procedures, Schiff said, adding that he could not discuss the contents of the documents, which remain classified. Nunes was shown the documents last week by White House officials surreptitiously, then announced to reporters the next day that he needed urgently to go to the White House to brief Trump about them. Schiff, in his statement, said that the White House has yet to explain why senior White House staff apparently shared these materials with but one member of either [Intelligence] committee, only for their contents to be briefed back to the White House. Schiff also had a brief but cordial meeting with Trump during his time at the White House, a spokesman said. White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters earlier Friday that other Democrats have been invited to the White House to view the materials, which he said would shed light on their investigation. Both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees are conducting separate reviews of Russian interference into the 2016 election; Trump has asked each panel to also probe his own claim that his predecessor engaged in wire tapping of his phones at Trump Tower during the campaign, an assertion that has been denied by Nunes as well as the heads of the FBI and intelligence agencies. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Mnuchin regrets plugging The Lego Batman Movie, pledges to exercise greater caution in the future By Jim Puzzanghera Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday told a top government ethics official he should not have publicly plugged The Lego Batman Movie a film in which he has a financial stake and promised to exercise greater caution in the future. I take very seriously my ethical responsibilities as a presidential appointee and the head of the Department of the Treasury, Mnuchin wrote to Walter Shaub, director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. On Monday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked Shaub to determine whether Mnuchin had committed an ethics violation last week when he discussed the movie during an event hosted by the Axios news website that aired on C-SPAN2. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Rep. Adam Schiff says its too early to consider an immunity deal for Michael Flynn By Associated Press The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee says its too early to consider an immunity deal for President Trumps former national security advisor. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) says that Michael Flynn even discussing possible immunity in exchange for protection from prosecution is a grave and momentous step because of the seniority of his former position. Schiff says the House Intelligence Committee is interested in hearing Flynns story, but there would have to be coordination with the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Justice Department on the terms. The House and Senate intelligence committees and the FBI are investigating Russias meddling in the 2016 election. The investigation includes scrutiny of Flynns ties with Russia. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump administration admonishes California chief justice over claim that agents are stalking immigrants By Del Quentin Wilber U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions (Mark Wilson / Getty Images) The Trump administration on Friday fired back at Californias top judge, disputing her characterization this month that federal immigration agents were stalking courthouses to make arrests. In a letter to Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, leaders of Trumps Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security objected to her description of federal agents conduct. As the chief judicial officer of the state of California, your characterization of federal law enforcement is particularly troubling, wrote Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, objecting to Cantil-Sakauyes use of the word stalking. They said agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were using courthouses to arrest immigrants in the U.S. illegally, in part, because California and some of its local jurisdictions prohibit their officials from cooperating with federal agencies in detaining such immigrants under most conditions. Sessions and Kelly told Californias top judge that she should consider taking her concerns to Gov. Jerry Brown and the cities and counties that limit local law enforcements involvement with immigration agents. Cantil-Sakauye, a former prosecutor who rose through the judicial ranks as an appointee of Republican governors, said through a spokesman that she appreciated the Trump administrations admission that they are in state courthouses making federal arrests. Making arrests at courthouses, in my view, undermines public safety because victims and witnesses will fear coming to courthouses to help enforce the law, she said Friday. She expressed disappointment that courthouses, given local and state public safety concerns, were not listed as sensitive areas offlimits to agents. Federal policy lists schools, churches and hospitals as sensitive areas. The letter from the Justice Department officials defended the arrests of immigrants at courthouses. By apprehending suspects after they have passed through security screening at courthouses, federal agents are less likely to encounter anyone who is armed, the letter said. The arrest of individuals by ICE officers and agents is predicated on investigation and targeting of specific persons who have been identified by ICE and other law enforcement agencies as subject to arrest, they wrote. Cantil-Sakauye had asked the Trump administration on March 16 to stop immigration agents from seeking immigrants at the states courthouses. Courthouses should not be used as bait in the necessary enforcement of our countrys immigration laws, she wrote in a letter to Sessions and Kelly. Her letter did not say which courthouses had been the location of such stalking, but judges and lawyers in Southern California have complained of seeing immigration agents posted near courts. She said she feared the practice would erode public trust in the state courts. Sessions and Kelly urged Cantil-Sakauye to speak to Brown and other officials who have enacted policies that occasionally necessitate ICE officers and agents to make arrests at courthouses and other public places. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Back in the spotlight, Hillary Clinton takes aim at Trumps budget By Evan Halper Hillary Clinton stepped back into the spotlight this week after laying relatively low since the election, and she had some advice for President Trump: Tear up the White House budget plan. Clinton was at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security to bestow an award named in her honor to Colombian leaders who helped bring an end to war in that country and elevate the role of women in the peace process. She spoke of the progress the world has made in advancing womens rights since she spoke forcefully on the issue two decades ago when the U.N. gathered world leaders to address it in Beijing. But she warned that progress is threatened by Trump. We are seeing signals of a shift that should alarm us all, Clinton said. This administrations proposed cuts to international health, development and diplomacy would be a blow to women and children and a grave mistake for our country. Clinton then raised the letter signed by 120 former generals and admirals beseeching the Trump administration not to make the cuts. These distinguished men and women who have served in uniform recognize that turning our back on diplomacy wont make our country safer. It will undermine our security and our standing in the world. A lot has changed since Clinton was on the campaign trail, but some things about her style on the stump havent. She pulled out a favorite line from last year as she began to talk about a study that backed up her point about the damage Trumps budget plan could do. Here I go again, Clinton said to whooping and cheering from an audience of mostly female students, talking about research evidence and facts. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Seeking a way forward, Trump increasingly finds himself at odds with his own party By Michael A. Memoli (Evan Vucci / Associated Press ) President Trump won his office in spite of the best efforts of some in his party. Now, the tenuous nature of the bonds between Trump and the GOP are increasingly on public display as the president openly feuds with conservatives and White House officials debate whether to reach out to Democrats in order to restart his domestic agenda. The latest and strongest evidence came Thursday as Trump escalated his political battle against the members of the House Freedom Caucus, the conservative lawmakers who helped block the healthcare bill he backed. Early in the morning, he said on Twitter that the caucus would hurt the entire Republican agenda if they dont get on the team. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018! he added. It was an extraordinary message, suggesting that Trump might try to back challengers in primaries against lawmakers of his own party something few presidents have tried, none with much success. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Tillerson tells NATO allies to pay more, do more to fight terrorism By Catherine Stupp Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday promised NATO allies that the United States will stand by their side but also expected them to spend more on defense and do more to fight terrorism. Tillerson participated in a day of discussions with foreign ministers from the 27 other NATO member nations, his first with the full roster of allies, who were sent scrambling last week to accommodate the top U.S. diplomat after he said he could not attend the meeting originally planned for early April. The United States is committed to ensuring NATO has the capabilities to support our collective defense. We understand that a threat against one of us is a threat against all of us, Tillerson said. But, he added, as President Trump has made clear, it is no longer sustainable for the U.S. to maintain a disproportionate share of NATOs defense expenditures. The United States is amping up pressure on NATO members to increase their defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product, in line with a 2014 agreement among the alliances 28 member countries to meet the target by 2024. Only five NATO countries meet the 2% threshold. The U.S. spends 3.61% of its GDP on defense, more than any other member of the alliance. Tillerson said that if countries have not met the 2% spending goal by the end of the year, they should at least have a concrete plan that clearly articulates how, with annual milestone progress commitments, the pledge will be fulfilled. Pressure to meet that strict deadline is likely to upset some allies. German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told reporters before Fridays meeting that he thinks it would be completely unrealistic for Germany to bring its military defense spending up to 2% of GDP. I dont know any politician in Germany who thinks that this would be reachable or desirable, Gabriel said. Germany is increasing its military spending this year to $39 billion, or 1.2% of its GDP. Gabriel rejected the Trump administrations focus on military expenditures, arguing that humanitarian aid and Germanys spending to take in refugees should be considered part of the defense budget. Tillerson also called on allies to take a greater role in the fight against terrorism. NATO can and should do more, he said. Fighting terrorism is the top national security priority for the United States, as it should be for all of us. Tillersons earlier announcement that he would skip the meeting struck a nerve among the alliance members, coming at a sensitive time when tensions between the Trump administration and NATO allies have soared. The schedule change caused an awkward protocol shuffle, with a handful of foreign ministers unable to make it to Brussels. What was supposed to be a two-day meeting was compressed into half of a day. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tried to cast optimism on the last-minute schedule change, calling it a sign of the strong transatlantic unity and flexibility of our alliance that we were able to find a date. The foreign ministers meeting is crucial because it lays the groundwork for a NATO summit with heads of state in May, which will be President Trumps first overseas trip since taking office. Tillersons day of talks at NATO headquarters in Brussels follows visits from Defense Secretary James Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence, who attempted to dispel fears that the Trump administration will seek to loosen ties with the alliance. Trump called NATO obsolete in an interview published days before his inauguration. He later insisted, during German Chancellor Angela Merkels visit to the White House earlier this month, that the U.S. will maintain its strong commitment to the alliance. Tillerson arrived in Brussels on Friday morning after meeting Thursday in Ankara, Turkey, with that countrys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss terrorism and Syria, though the leaders failed to reach an agreement on how to combat Islamic State. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump weighs in on Michael Flynns request for immunity President Trumps former national security advisor, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, is seeking immunity from prosecution in return for testifying to the House and Senate intelligence committees, a congressional aide said. The development was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Gen. Flynn certainly had a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit, his lawyer, Robert Kelner, said in a statement. No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances from unfair prosecution. On Friday morning, Trump tweeted his support for Flynns request. Flynn was ousted as Trumps national security advisor last month after news reports disclosed that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about phone conversations with Sergey Kislyak, Russias ambassador to the U.S. The calls were picked up by U.S. surveillance targeting the Russian envoy, and a description of the contents was leaked to the Washington Post after the Justice Department warned the White House that Flynn could be subject to blackmail. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Former national security advisor Michael Flynn seeks immunity By David S. Cloud President Trumps former national security advisor, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, has been seeking immunity from prosecution in return for testifying to the House and Senate intelligence committees, a congressional official confirmed Thursday. The negotiations were first reported by the Wall Street Journal. In a statement, Flynns lawyer, Robert Kelner, said Gen. Flynn certainly had a story to tell and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit. No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances from unfair prosecution. Trump fired Flynn three weeks into the new administration after news reports disclosed that he had lied to White House colleagues, including Vice President Mike Pence, about his contacts with Sergey Kislyak, Russias ambassador to the U.S. In December, Flynn had telephone conversations with Kislyak in which he discussed sanctions that the Obama administration had recently imposed on Russia to punish Moscow for its interference in the 2016 presidential election. Flynn denied to Pence and other officials that he had discussed the sanctions with Kislyak. So far, the committees, which are investigating Russian interference and whether anyone close to Trump colluded with Moscow, have not taken Flynn up on his offer, the Journal reported. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump administration appeals Hawaii judges order against travel ban By Jaweed Kaleem The Department of Justice has appealed a Hawaii court order that brought President Trumps travel ban to a national halt. The government has argued that the president was well within his authority to restrict travel from six Muslim-majority countries and put a pause on refugee resettlement. The appeal Thursday to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals came a day after U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu refused to dismiss his temporary block of the travel ban that he issued on March 15. With the appeal, the government is now fighting to reinstate the travel ban in two appeals courts on opposite ends of the country. That increases the likelihood that one of the cases will make it to the U.S. Supreme Court. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice appealed a Maryland district judges order against the travel ban to the U.S. 4th District Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. Both rulings in Hawaii and Maryland said Trumps executive order discriminated against Muslims. Watson and U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland cited Trumps campaign promises to suspend Muslim travel to the U.S. as proof of his orders anti-Muslim bias. The Hawaii ruling is broader than the Maryland one. It blocks a 90-day pause on travel to the U.S. from nationals of six majority-Muslim countries and a 120-day moratorium on new refugee resettlement. The Maryland ruling only halted the ban on travel into the U.S. by citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The 9th Circuit, which has jurisdiction over nine Western states, is the same court where a panel of three judges denied a government request last month to reverse ruling against the first travel ban by a federal judge in Washington state. Trump, in turn, lambasted the bad court and signed a new executive order on travel on March 6 that was modified in an attempt to survive court challenges. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Senate heads for nuclear option if Democrats filibuster Gorsuch nomination By Lisa Mascaro One of the Senates most serious jobs confirming the presidents choice for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court has devolved into a game of political chicken. Senators are heading toward an institution-defining showdown next week as Democrats promise to try to block President Trumps nominee, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, with a filibuster, a rarely seen maneuver for high court appointments. Republicans are threatening to respond by changing long-standing Senate rules to circumvent the 60 votes that would be needed to overcome a filibuster. Instead they would allow confirmation with a simple majority. The outcome has the potential to not only shape the future of the Supreme Court which has been without a full bench since the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia last year it also could crush one final vestige of bipartisanship in the Senate, altering the upper chamber for years to come. The battle over the Supreme Court seat was always expected to be a partisan affair in todays heated political climate. But the polemics intensified after the Republican majority denied President Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, a confirmation hearing ahead of last years presidential election. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Scalias seat has been vacant longer than any Supreme Court justices in nearly 50 years By Colleen Shalby (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Its been more than 400 days since Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalias death left his seat vacant. With Republicans having blocked a vote on then-President Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, and with Senate Democrats now making plans to filibuster President Trumps nominee, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, it could take even longer to replace Scalia. Its not unheard of for a justices seat to remain empty for a considerable amount of time. Pew Research Center did the math and found that the longest gap was 841 days, in the mid-1840s, from the time of Henry Baldwins death to his replacement Robert Griers confirmation. But the last time in recent history that a vacancys duration in this range occurred was after Abe Fortas resigned in 1969. It took 391 days to fill that seat, an interval that ended in 1970 when Harry Blackmun the justice who authored the courts landmark opinion in Roe vs. Wade was confirmed. Blackmun was President Nixons third pick to fill that seat. The second-longest vacancy in recent years occurred in 1988. It took 237 days to fill Lewis Powells seat after he retired, with Anthony Kennedy succeeding him. Its been 58 days and counting since Trump nominated Gorsuch. Heres how his waiting time from nomination to confirmation stacks up against the current justices: Elena Kagan: 87 days Sonia Sotomayor: 66 days Samuel A. Alito Jr.: 82 days John G. Roberts Jr.: 23 days Stephen G. Breyer: 73 days Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 50 days Clarence Thomas: 99 days Anthony M. Kennedy: 65 days If Gorsuch is confirmed soon, he wont start considering cases until the courts new term in October. And if hes not confirmed? Trump would nominate another successor to Scalia theres no limit on how many times he can do that. Until Scalias seat is filled, lower courts decisions serve as tie-breakers. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Sens. Manchin and Heitkamp become first Democrats to announce support for Gorsuch By David Savage Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota became the first Democrats to say they will vote for Judge Neil Gorsuch and not support the effort to filibuster his confirmation to the Supreme Court. Their announcements came as no surprise. Both are centrists who have to run for reelection next year in states that voted overwhelmingly for Trump. After considering his record, watching his testimony in front of the Judiciary Committee and meeting with him twice, I will vote to confirm him to be the ninth justice on the Supreme Court, Manchin said. I have found him to be an honest and thoughtful man.... I have not found any reasons why this jurist should not be a Supreme Court justice. Heitkamp said she was impressed with Gorsuchs record as a judge. This vote does not diminish how disturbed I am by what the Republicans did to Judge [Merrick] Garland, referring to the GOP-led Senates refusal last year to consider President Obamas choice to fill the seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. But I was taught that two wrongs dont make a right, she said. The Republican majority in the Senate needs six more Democrats to join with them if they hope to stop the expected filibuster of President Trumps Supreme Court nominee. It takes 60 votes to end the debate under the Senates current rules. But the 52 Republicans may vote to simply eliminate this requirement if the Democrats stand firm against Gorsuch. On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to approve Gorsuch on a party line vote and send the nomination to the Senate floor. A final vote is expected April 7. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print White House invites lawmakers to see intelligence material after New York Times report By Noah Bierman The White House has invited House and Senate intelligence committee chairs to review documents that it says were recently discovered by national security staff that could help determine whether information gathered about American citizens was mishandled. White House spokesman Sean Spicer would not say whether these are the same documents that Rep. Devin Nunes, the Tulare Republican who chairs the House intelligence committee, said he reviewed last week. Nunes has refused to identify his sources. Some saw his disclosure as an attempt to give credence to President Trumps widely refuted claim that President Obama had ordered wiretaps on his phone during the campaign. Nunes said the material he reviewed suggested that intelligence agencies had incidentally collected information about Trump or his associates. He has declined to be more specific or share the information with the committee. But the New York Times reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources, that two White House officials helped Nunes get access to the documents. And now the same information may be provided to other members of the Intelligence committee. In a letter to the bipartisan group of intelligence leaders sent Thursday, White House Counsel Donald McGhan said administration lawyers would supervise the review given the sensitivity of the documents to protect the extremely sensitive intelligence sources and methods. The letter calls on the committee to investigate the possibility that classified information was inappropriately gathered and handled and whether civil liberties of American citizens were violated. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters that he welcomed the chance to review the materials, though he said he would be obligated to share them with the rest of his committee. More troubling to Schiff, he said, was the cloak and dagger stuff and circuitous route that the White House national security staff appears to have used to disseminate the materials in that secret meeting with Nunes. Schiff said White House staff may have been trying to launder information through the committee, rather than simply providing it directly to the president. If that was designed to hide the origin of the materials, that raises profound questions about just what the White House is doing, Schiff said. We need to get to the bottom of whether this was some sort of stratagem by the White House. In a letter to McGhan, Schiff said answering the White Houses questions would require asking intelligence agencies how the information in the documents was gathered. I hope you will confirm to the committee whether these materials are the same as those first shared with Nunes, Schiff wrote. 2:11: This story was updated with staff reporting Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trumps team: A network of ties to Russia By Angelica Quintero The FBI is investigating possible coordination between people associated with the Trump campaign and Russian authorities during the 2016 election. The U.S. intelligence community has said it is confident that the Russian government directed hacking operations and intended to interfere with the U.S. election process. Take a look at how some high-profile people have been drawn into the investigation. See the graphic Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former RNC official is first to depart senior West Wing staff By Michael A. Memoli A former top Republican National Committee official and ally of White House chief of staff Reince Priebus will depart her West Wing post in the first significant shake-up of President Trumps senior staff. Politico first reported that Katie Walsh, the deputy White House chief of staff, will leave to take on an advisory position with political groups that were formed to support the presidents agenda from the outside. Walsh had served as chief of staff at the RNC when Priebus was party chair. At the White House, she served in a similar capacity under Priebus, tasked with overseeing the senior staff and the scheduling operation. Though White House officials denied the move was a signal of disharmony within the senior ranks, her departure spoke to issues dogging the new administration a top-heavy operation in the West Wing and also the inability of the president to sustain the kind of grassroots support for his agenda that proved key to his electoral win. It was abundantly clear we didnt have air cover when it came to the calls coming into lawmakers, and nobody can fix this problem like Katie Walsh, Priebus told reporters later, according to Time. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Putin: Read my lips, there was no Russian meddling in U.S. vote By Ann M. Simmons Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto during the International Arctic Forum in Arkhangelsk, Russia, on Thursday. (Sergei Karpukhim / AFP/Getty Images) Calling the accusations lies, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied that Moscow meddled in last years U.S. elections. Read my lips, no, Putin said during a panel moderated by CNBC, according to a report on the news agencys website. All those things are fictional, illusory and provocations, lies, the Russian president said. All these are used for domestic American political agendas. The anti-Russian card is played by different political forces inside the United States to trade on that and consolidate their positions inside. Putins comments came as the Senate Intelligence Committee was set to begin a hearing entitled Disinformation: A Primer in Russian Active Measures and Influence Campaigns, which will focus on understanding the method of Russias active disinformation campaign and assess the extent of Moscows interference. FBI Director James Comey confirmed earlier this month that his agency was investigating Russias intrusion into the 2016 poll and whether there was any collusion between Moscow and President Trumps campaign. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump levels extraordinary threat against GOP conservatives; Ryan says he understands presidents frustration By Noah Bierman House Speaker Paul D. Ryan commiserated with President Trump Thursday after the president launched a Twitter assault on the group of rebellious Republicans known as the Freedom Caucus. I understand the frustration, I share the frustration, Ryan told reporters Thursday, when asked to respond to Trumps threat to campaign against fellow Republicans. Freedom Caucus members, who back limited government and have defined themselves in opposition to the Washington establishment, have been a major headache for GOP leaders. Ever since the Republicans took control of the House in 2010, conservative refusal to back key bills to fund government agencies has forced GOP leaders to negotiate with Democrats for the votes they need. Freedom Caucus members helped lead the charge against former Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). The caucus was blamed by many Republicans last week for torpedoing the leaderships plan, backed by Trump, to make significant changes to Obamacare. Still, Trumps threat to fight them in the 2018 elections was an extraordinary step. Trump had previously made electoral threats against wayward members of his party, but Thursdays tweet was especially direct, threatening to treat them the same way as Democrats. The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2017 Freedom Caucus members have begun pushing back aggressively. A spokeswoman for the group argued on Twitter that Trump did not have his facts right and that Republican moderates were equally responsible for sinking the healthcare bill. View Twitter post Finding Trump supporters to challenge Republicans in a primary would be hard and could further thrust the GOP into civil war. Trump, despite low poll numbers nationally, remains popular in core Republican districts. Many members of Congress, however, ran ahead of him in their districts in the last election. The president has also suggested he might be open to cutting deals with Democrats, something the White House has discussed but not followed through on. That would also be difficult, given the rancor on the left. Ryan said Thursday that the best path is for Republicans to come together on healthcare and other issues About 90% of our conference is for this bill to repeal and replace Obamcare, and about 10% are not. And thats not enough to pass a bill, he said. What I am encouraging our members to do is to keep talking with each other until we can get the consensus to pass this bill. But its very understandable that the president is frustrated that we havent gotten to where we need to go, because this is something that we all said we would do. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Pence casts tie-breaking vote to advance bill that would let states withhold federal funds from Planned Parenthood By Lisa Mascaro Republicans needed Vice President Mike Pence to cast a tie-breaking vote Thursday in the Senate to advance legislation that rolls back rules preventing states from withholding certain federal funds to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. With opposition from two Republican women, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Republicans did not have enough votes with their slim 52-seat majority to advance the bill. Pence, a longtime opponent of abortion, arrived to cast the vote breaking the 50-50 tie and will be expected to do so later Thursday on final passage. We just saw a historic moment, said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) It is a sad day for the United States Senate. The measure rolls back a regulation finalized at the end of President Obamas administration that explicitly prevented states from denying federal Title X family planning funds to clinics, like Planned Parenthood, that also provide abortion services. Under longstanding practice, no federal funds can be used for abortions, but federal family planning money can flow to the clinics to provide other healthcare services. Some Republican-led state governments had been moving in recent years to choke off Title X funds from any clinics that offered abortion service. The Obama rule sought to prohibit such practices. The bill Thursday, sponsored by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), has already cleared the House. It is part of a series of bills being passed by Congress under the so-called Congressional Review Act, which allows federal regulations put in place during the final days of the previous administration to be undone by simple majority passage. Passage by the Senate later Thursday would send it to the White House for President Trumps signature. Busy day in D.C., but always happy to make time to meet visitors touring the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/4q6JG8wP0E Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) March 30, 2017 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Senate committee narrowly approves Acostas nomination to be Labor secretary By Jim Puzzanghera (Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP) A Senate committee on Thursday narrowly approved R. Alexander Acosta to be Labor secretary, moving to fill one of President Trumps few remaining vacant Cabinet posts. The nomination of Acosta, a law school dean and former Justice Department official, was approved by a 12-11 vote by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. All of the panels Republicans supported the nomination; all of the Democrats were opposed. If confirmed in a full Senate vote, which is expected soon, Acosta will be the only Latino in Trumps Cabinet. A date for the final vote hasnt been set. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Follow the money and the trail of dead Russians, expert urges senators By Del Quentin Wilber (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) The Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Thursday into Russian efforts to influence the November elections has been a long history lesson, tracing Moscows decades-long efforts to use misinformation to undermine democracies. But Clinton Watts, of the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, provided a roadmap to better understanding the Kremlins efforts. He urged senators and the U.S. government to follow the money to figure out how misinformation websites and social media outlets are being funded. While the Russians conducted their hacking in the Internets shadows, their efforts to influence the election was hardly a secret, he said. You can hack stuff and be covert, but you cant influence and be covert, he said. You have to ultimately show your hand. And thats why we have been able to discover it online. The second way to trace Russian influence was more ominous: Follow the trail of dead Russians, he said. There have been more dead Russians in the past three months that are tied to this investigation, he added. They are dropping dead, even in Western countries. Watts didnt finish the thought but was likely referring to a spate of deaths of high-profile Russians, some of which appeared to be assassinations although others appear to have been from natural causes. With the daytime execution of a Russian politician in Ukraine last week, at least eight Russian politicians, activists, ambassadors and a former intelligence official have died since the U.S. election. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Russia has stepped up efforts to influence elections, experts tell Senate panel By David S. Cloud (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) Moscow has stepped up its interference in U.S. and European elections, using social media, hacking and other tools to undermine public confidence and to raise doubts about the U.S as an ally, Russia experts told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. The committee was taking testimony from experts in Russian propaganda and intelligence operations as part of its investigation into Moscows meddling in the 2016 election. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the panel, emphasized that in addition to examining the broad topic of Russian efforts to influence the election, the panel also must seek to answer whether President Trumps campaign had contact with Russian officials last year, noting the the FBI has opened its own probe. I will not prejudge the outcome of our investigation. We are seeking to determine if there is an actual fire, but there is clearly a lot of smoke, Warner said. Dr. Eugene Rumer, Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the panel that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably viewed Moscows meddling in the U.S. election as an unqualified success. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Tillerson meets Turkish officials to seek support for battle against Islamic State in Syria By Umar Farooq Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday met for more than two hours with Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as they hoped to shore up troubled relations between their nations. Making his first trip to Turkey, Tillerson became the highest-ranking Trump administration official to hold a face-to-face session with Erdogan, an increasingly authoritarian leader who is also a NATO member and key ally in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. The meeting went longer than planned. Turkey and the United States disagree sharply on how to combat Islamic State: Washington supports Kurdish militias that Erdogan regards as an arm of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey and the U.S. consider a terrorist organization. Trying to fight against Daesh through terrorist organizations such as ... extensions of the PKK, would be like shooting yourself in the foot, Erdogans senior advisor, Ibrahim Kalin, said ahead of Thursdays meeting. Daesh is a pejorative Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Hawaii judge extends national halt on Trumps travel ban By Jaweed Kaleem Donald Trump in San Diego in May. (John Gastaldo / San Diego Union-Tribune)) The Hawaii federal judge who brought President Trumps revised travel ban to a national halt this month extended his order blocking the bans enforcement. The move Wednesday sets the stage for the Justice Department to appeal to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the ruling. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watsons original order halting the travel ban was issued March 15, a day before the ban was to go into effect, in the form of a temporary restraining order. At a hearing in Honolulu on Wednesday, federal lawyers asked Watson to either dismiss that order or narrow the restrictions to apply to fewer parts of the travel ban. Instead, Watson said he would turn the order into a preliminary injunction, which has the effect of extending his order blocking the travel ban for a longer period. Watson said he would keep intact the restrictions on the travel ban -- a block of its 90-day moratorium on travel to the U.S. from nationals of six majority-Muslim countries and its 120-day pause on new refugee resettlement. If the Justice Department appeals the case, it will be heard in the same court that upheld a national halt to Trumps first travel ban last month after a Seattle federal judge ruled against it. The administration has already appealed to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals a Maryland judges more limited March 16 ruling that stopped enforcement of the travel orders country-specific ban. Both the Hawaii and Maryland judges found Trumps executive order to discriminate against Muslims. They used the presidents campaign statements promising to suspend Muslim travel to the U.S. as evidence of the orders anti-Muslim bias. Government lawyers have argued that the president is not singling out Muslims but instead acting within his power to restrict immigration and safeguard national security while better vetting procedures are developed to prevent potential terrorists from entering the U.S. Trump has said hell take the case over the travel ban to the U.S. Supreme Court. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Ivanka Trump gets formal White House role, with ethics obligations but no pay By Michael A. Memoli (Brendan Smialowski / AFP-Getty Images) Ivanka Trump is taking on a more formal White House role with a title but not a paycheck a move intended to quell ethics concerns raised about her status in her fathers administration. In a statement, the White House noted that the presidents elder daughter already had an unprecedented role in the administration different from that of previous presidential children. She now will take the title of special advisor to the president, and therefore assume the same responsibility to abide by ethics standards that other federal employees have, the statement said. The decision demonstrates the administrations commitment to ethics, transparency and compliance, the administration said. Although Ivanka Trump already had a West Wing office as does her husband, senior advisor Jared Kushner she now will have increased opportunities to lead initiatives driving real policy benefits for the American public that would not have been available to her previously, a White House spokesman said. The announcement came on a day when President Trump sought to promote his administrations commitment to empowering women. He delivered remarks at an East Room event that included other top women in his Cabinet, including U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon. Ivanka Trump held a roundtable with female business owners earlier, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said. Earlier Wednesday, leading Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Office of Government Ethics raising concerns about the increasing, albeit unspecified position Ivanka Trump had held and the potential conflicts of interest that her government position might trigger with her personal businesses, including a retail clothing brand. The letter from Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) asked the agency whether Trump would be required to divest herself of personal assets or if she could be required to recuse herself from certain functions. Trumps new position was first reported by the New York Times. In a statement to the paper, Trump said she was acting in response to ethics concerns, but noted she already had been voluntarily complying with all ethics rules. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Russia inquiry one of the biggest congressional probes in decade, senators say By David Lauter Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), right, and Mark Warner (D-Va.). (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) The Senate Intelligence Committees probe into Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election will be one of the biggest investigations in years and has already involved an unprecedented level of cooperation between Congress and U.S. spy agencies, the panels chairman said Wednesday. At a Capitol Hill news conference, the committee chairman, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, and its ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, emphasized the bipartisan nature of the panels efforts, drawing a determined, though unstated, contrast with the partisan dysfunction of a parallel investigation in the House. The committee will go wherever the intelligence leads us, Burr said. And he pointedly refused to endorse White House statements that investigators inevitably will find that there was no collusion between President Trumps campaign and the Russians. It would be crazy to try to draw any conclusions at this point, Burr said. We know that our challenge is to answer that question to the American people, Burr said, referring to the issue of Trumps involvement. Warner said he had confidence in Richard Burr to run a fair investigation and produce a bipartisan conclusion. Warner said Americans should not lose sight of what the investigation is about: An outside foreign adversary effectively tried to hijack the election and favor one candidate over the other. They didnt do it because it was in the best interest of the American people, he said. "[Russian President] Vladimir Putins goal is a weaker United States. The Russian action should be a concern of all Americans regardless of party affiliation, he added. The committee staff already has reviewed thousands of pages of intelligence documents and has begun scheduling interviews with a list of 20 preliminary witnesses, who will be questioned in private before the panel holds public hearings, Burr said. He strongly implied that one of the potential witnesses is retired Gen. Michael Flynn, who was fired from his post as national security advisor to Trump after the disclosure that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and others about his contacts with Russias ambassador to the U.S. You would think less of us if the committee had not talked with Flynn, Burr told reporters. The witnesses, including Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and advisor, will be questioned when the committee is ready, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Justice Department watchdog finds DEA cash seizure program may pose risk to civil liberties By Del Quentin Wilber A Ukiah, Calif., police officer works with a dog to search for drugs or cash in a motorists car on May 14, 2014. (Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times) The way the Drug Enforcement Administration seizes cash and other assets may pose a risk to civil liberties, the Justice Departments internal watchdog reported Wednesday. The Justice Departments inspector general also determined that the agency does not measure or track how its asset seizure activities advance criminal investigations. Over the last decade, more than $28 billion has been seized through the departments asset forfeiture program. The effort and others in states have generated intense controversy in recent years, with critics contending that many seizures are unfair because some who lose their assets are never charged with crimes. Law enforcement officials, however, say that seizing property and cash is a key tool in disrupting criminal organizations and compensating the victims of crimes. Former Atty. Gen. Eric Holder in 2015 limited how state and local authorities can obtain seized funds by working with federal agents. In its report released Wednesday, the inspector general examined 100 cases in which the DEA seized cash. Eighty-five of the cases involved interdiction at transportation hubs, such as airports or parcel centers. Nearly 80 of those seizures resulted from the direct observation of agents or local police. The inspector general and the Justice Department have raised concerns in the past about such stops and searches, in part, due to the potential for racial profiling. Of the 100 cases, the DEA could verify that only 44 advanced ongoing investigations, led to a new investigation, or resulted in an arrest or prosecution, the inspector general found. When seizure and administrative forfeitures do not ultimately advance an investigation or prosecution, law enforcement creates the appearance, and risks the reality, that it is more interested in seizing and forfeiting cash than advancing an investigation or prosecution, the report said. The inspector general also found that the Justice Department does not provide enough training or require state and local officers working on federal task forces to be trained on asset forfeiture policies. The Justice Department responded in a letter to the inspector general that its analysis was flawed and its sample significantly underreported the amount of seized funds that are ultimately returned. In a statement, Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said, Asset forfeiture is a powerful and effective law enforcement tool, allowing the department to compensate victims, deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes, remove the tools of crime from criminal organizations, and deter crime. The department believes that the ongoing public debate about asset forfeiture is healthy, she added, but as outlined in our formal response, we strongly disagree with large swaths of this report and its flawed methodology that failed to address the essential role asset forfeiture plays combating some of the most sophisticated criminal actors and organizations, including terrorist financiers, cyber criminals, fraudsters, human traffickers, and drug cartels. 9:23 a.m.: This story was updated with Justice Department comment. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Hoax. Con job. Chinese plot. Trump tweets have bashed climate science for years By Michael Finnegan President Trump signs an executive order Tuesday to rescind Obama administration policies on climate change. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) As President Trump moved to halt federal efforts against global warming on Tuesday, he avoided an important phrase: climate change. It was the same story during his campaign for president; Trump rarely mentioned it. When he pledged in May to withdraw the United States from the Paris treaty, a pact among nearly every nation on Earth to reduce the carbon emissions that cause global warming, it was one of the few occasions when Trump broached the topic. Trumps muted approach made political sense. To reject science is to risk alienating millions of moderate voters who support action to stop global warming. But before Trump started running for president, he often bluntly attacked climate science. Some highlights from his Twitter feed: Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Supreme Court rules in favor of merchants who want to advertise credit card fees By David Savage Supreme Court rules on swipe fees (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)) Merchants may soon have the right to tell customers that they will pay a surcharge if they use a credit card rather than pay with cash. The Supreme Court cast doubt Wednesday on laws in California, New York, Florida and seven other states that make it illegal for sellers to impose a surcharge on credit card sales. In a 8-0 decision, the justices said these laws regulate speech and may be challenged as violations of the 1st Amendment. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said these laws do not prevent merchants from offering a discount for those who pay cash. Rather, they simply forbid disclosing that a posted price includes a surcharge of 2% to 3% for using a credit or debit card. Merchants want to pass the fees along only to their customers who choose to use credit cards, he said. They also want to make clear that they are not the bad guys -- that the credit card companies, not the merchants, are responsible for the higher prices. But the ruling Wednesday was only a partial victory for the five New York businesses, including a hair salon and an ice cream parlor in Brooklyn, that sued to challenge the ban on advertising or disclosing surcharges for using credit cards. The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York had upheld the law on the grounds it was a price regulation, not a speech restriction. Roberts and the high court disagreed. What the law does is regulate how sellers may communicate their prices, he said. A merchant who wants to charge $10 for cash and $10.30 for credit may not convey that price any way he pleases. He is not free to say '$10, with a 3% credit card surcharge. But the justices did not strike down the state laws, instead sending the case back to the New York court to decide whether this speech regulation could be justified. Sometimes, laws are used to regulate the words of commercial transactions to prevent buyers from being fooled or confused. Until recently, the major credit card companies had imposed contract restrictions that prevented merchants from disclosing surcharges. But those provisions have challenged and knocked down. That in turn led to new legal challenges against the state laws which forbid sellers from disclosing these surcharges. The case decided Wednesday was Expressions Hair Design vs. Schneiderman. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trumps poll numbers are low. But the people who put him in office say its not time to judge him yet By Noah Bierman Its been five months since the euphoria of a Donald Trump rally at the local arena brought optimism to this former Democratic stronghold. The snow from a long winter has begun melting into the rocky soil, and the digital sign in a torn-up parking lot blinks hopefully: Warm days are coming. President Trump has yet to deliver jobs or the repeal of Obamacare. But here, in an area crucial to his unexpected election victory, many residents are more frustrated with what they see as obstruction and a rush to judgment than they are with Trump. Give him six months to prove himself, said an information technology supervisor. Give him a year, said a service manager. Give him four years, said a retired print shop owner. Give the man a chance, said Crystal Matthews, a 59-year-old hospital employee. Theyre just going to fight him tooth and nail, the whole way. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print To fight womans defamation claim, Trump cites the Bill Clinton-Paula Jones case which the president lost By David Savage President Trump is citing Bill Clintons famous sexual harassment battle in his effort to block a California womans lawsuit claiming Trump lied about groping her in the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007. Problem is, Clinton lost that bid for legal immunity when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1997 that the chief executive is not shielded from responding to a civil suit regarding his private behavior. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement House sends Trump bill to kill landmark broadband privacy regulations By Jim Puzzanghera Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sponsored the repeal bill. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) The House voted Tuesday to kill landmark privacy restrictions for Internet service providers and sent the bill to the White House, which indicated President Trump would sign it and invalidate the rules before they go into effect. The measure, approved largely along party lines, repeals tough new Federal Communications Commission regulations that would require broadband companies to get explicit customer permission before using or sharing most of their personal information. The data include health information, website browsing history, app usage and the geographic information from mobile devices. The rules also tighten data security requirements. Republicans, along with AT&T Inc., Charter Communications Inc., Comcast Corp. and other providers of high-speed Internet service, strongly opposed the rules. They argued that the restrictions are tougher than those for websites and social networks that also collect and use the highly valuable consumer data, which companies use to target advertising. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print U.S. commander says theres a fair chance that coalition airstrike is responsible for civilian casualties in Mosul By W.J. Hennigan Rescuers are still recovering bodies from a suspected U.S. airstrike in the Iraqi city of Mosul. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) The top U.S. general commanding the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria said that the U.S.-led coalition was probably responsible for a blast that killed more than 200 people. If we did it, and I would say theres at least a fair chance that we did, it was an unintentional accident of war and we will transparently report it to you, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend told reporters Tuesday via teleconference from Baghdad. He made the comments in response to witness reports that an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition leveled a large apartment block and killed scores of civilians, including women and children, in west Mosuls Jadidah neighborhood on March 17. My initial assessment is that we probably had a role in these casualties, Townsend said. But investigators are still trying to determine whether other factors -- possibly including repeated airstrikes in the neighborhood or an explosive device accidentally or deliberately planted near the building -- could have led to its collapse. The fact that the whole building collapsed contradicts our involvement, Townsend said. The munition that we used should not have collapsed an entire building. So thats one of those things were trying to figure out in the investigative process. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown calls Trump energy plan a colossal mistake that will galvanize climate change activists By Evan Halper Gov. Jerry Brown. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press) California Gov. Jerry Brown warned that President Trump has just made a colossal mistake in gutting the federal governments effort to combat climate change, which will ignite a response Trump is unprepared to handle. It defies science itself, Brown said in a call to The Times shortly after Trump signed an executive order that aims to bring an abrupt halt to the United States leadership on global warming. Erasing climate change may take place in Donald Trumps mind, but nowhere else. Yes, there is going to be a counter-movement, Brown vowed, predicting Trumps actions will mobilize environmentalists in a way President Obama never could. I have met with many heads of state, ambassadors. This is a growing movement. President Trumps outrageous move will galvanize the contrary force. Things have been a bit tepid [in climate activism]. But this conflict, this sharpening of the contradiction, will energize those who believe climate change is an existential threat. Brown and other big-state governors and mayors are moving swiftly to fill the global leadership vacuum Trump created with Tuesdays directive, which stops short of officially pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord of 2015. I see Washington declining in influence, but the momentum being maintained by California and other states aligned with China and those who are willing to do something, said Brown, who will be traveling to China soon for meetings on climate. There is a growing activism on the part of millions of people who will not stand by and let Donald Trump effectively tear up the Paris agreement and destroy Americas climate leadership and jeopardize the health and well being of so many people. In the face of Trumps retreat on climate, Brown said California will step up its own efforts to push others toward clean energy. We are not fully meeting the challenge of climate change yet, he said. We are doubling down on our commitment. We are reaching out to other states in America and throughout the world and other countries . We have plenty of fuel to build this movement. This is real, Brown said of the threat created by climate change. The nations of the world have recognized it in Paris I will continue doing my best to work with and rouse the world community, whatever the politicians in Washington do or dont do. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump orders government to dismantle Obamas climate change policies By Evan Halper President Trump ordered an abrupt halt to Americas crusade against climate change. (March 29, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR) President Trump on Tuesday ordered the federal government to retreat from the battle against climate change launched by President Obama, issuing a directive aimed at dismantling the core policies that have made the U.S. a global leader in curbing emissions. The plan unveiled by Trump reflects an about-face for the U.S. on energy, and it puts into jeopardy the nations ability to meet the obligations it agreed to under the global warming pact signed in Paris with 194 other nations. It would shelve the landmark Clean Power Plan that mandates electricity companies reduce their emissions. It seeks to dislodge consideration of climate throughout the federal government, where it has been a factor in every relevant decision in recent years. My administration is putting an end to the war on coal, Trump said. I am taking historic steps to lift the restrictions on American energy to reverse government intrusions and to cancel job killing regulations. Under the order, the government will abandon the social cost of carbon that regulators had painstakingly calculated and begun factoring into their decision on permit applications and rulemaking. Restrictions on methane releases at oil and gas drilling facilities would be eased. Agencies will also stop contemplating climate impacts as they launch into new projects, and restrictions on coal leasing and fracking on federal lands will be lifted. The directive, for which progressive states and environmentalists have been preparing for months, is certain to set off years of litigation and conflicts between Washington and state capitols. Some of the most far-reaching policies Trump is seeking to bring to a halt cannot be canceled unilaterally and require lengthy administrative proceedings. But others he can end with the stroke of his pen. Smoke rises from the Colstrip Steam Electric Station, a coal-burning power plant in Colstrip, Mont., on July 1, 2103. (Matt Brown / Associated Press) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement A trade war is brewing inside the White House between rival camps By Don Lee Soon after President Trump took office, an executive order was quietly drafted to suspend talks with China on an obscure but potentially far-reaching treaty about bilateral investment. After eight years and two dozen rounds of negotiations, the treaty terms were almost in final form. Pulling out after so much time and effort would send a clear message that the Trump administration meant to take a new and tougher approach to China. But the executive order never even got to the presidents desk. It was quietly shelved, according to sources inside and outside the White House, at the behest of former Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn, now Trumps top economic advisor. Killing the order was a small victory for a White House faction that supports free trade and the global economy. But it was only an opening skirmish in what promises to be a long and bitter struggle over trade policy that so far is being waged behind the scenes in the Trump administration. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Supreme Court reverses death sentence for Texas inmate who could not tell time or name the days of the week By David Savage The Supreme Court set aside a death sentence on Tuesday for a Texas inmate who as a 13-year-old could not tell time or name the days of the week, concluding he should not be executed in light of his mental disability. In a 5-3 decision, the justices reversed the Texas state appeals court that had restored a death sentence given to Bobby James Moore, a 57-year old prisoner who shot and killed a store clerk in a botched robbery in 1980. At issue was whether Moore had a mental disability that would make his execution cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment. The justices banned states from executing prisoners with a mental disability, but they left states some flexibility to set the standards. But three years ago, the justices faulted Florida authorities for relying almost entirely on I.Q. scores. In the Texas case decided Tuesday, the justices said state judges had ignored ample evidence that Moore had severe mental disability as a child. That evidence was not overcome by the fact that he had adapted well in prison, they said. At 13, Moore lacked the basic understanding of the days of the week, the months of the year and the seasons; he could scarcely tell time or comprehend the standards of measure, said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After failing every subject in the ninth grade, Moore dropped out of high school. Cast out of his home, he survived on the streets, eating from trash cans, even after two bouts of food poisoning. After fatally shooting the clerk in the 1980 robbery, he was sentenced to death. The Texas courts reexamined his sentence after the high court abolished capital punishment in 2002 for defendants with a mental disability. A state judge listened to experts and set aside Moores death sentence, But the states criminal appeals court disagreed. Its judges said Moore had demonstrated adaptive strength by living on the streets and carrying out a robbery, and therefore did not qualify as having a severe mental impairment. Ginsburg said the state judges had relied on an outdated understanding of mental disability, and her opinion in Moore vs. Texas said the state court must reconsidere its decision. Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan agreed. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. dissented. While he agreed the states authorities may have used outdated standards, Moore had I.Q. scores ranging from 69 to 79 that show he did not have the significantly sub-average intellectual functioning that would exempt him from the death penalty. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito agreed. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print The Freedom Caucus roars back to relevance to challenge Trumps agenda and strategy By Lisa Mascaro When House Speaker Paul D. Ryan pulled the plug on the GOPs Obamacare overhaul, lawmakers spilled out of the Capitol basement, angry, frustrated and stunned. But Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), leader of the conservative and rebellious House Freedom Caucus that led the fight against the bill, was uncharacteristically quiet, downplaying his political victory and mulling over the next move. After coming together to battle President Obama and becoming a driving force in the Republican Party, this 30-member-plus bloc of deficit hawks and right-flank conservatives had appeared for a while to be pushed aside by the movement that swept President Trump into office. But after helping defeat the GOP healthcare overhaul, the Freedom Caucus has roared back to relevance as a political power in the Trump era. It has reasserted itself as not just a renegade assemblage of mostly back-bench lawmakers, but as a core block of votes that Trump will need to push past the healthcare debacle to tax reform, budget battles and other issues. These guys saved the Republicans, said Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks, a group that organized a North Carolina rally on Monday in honor of Meadows. As beaten and battered as they are, weve got a group thats willing to take the hard decisions. If youre going to drain the swamp, these are the guys who are going to do it. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print White House stopped Yates testimony about Russian meddling in presidential election, lawyer says By Associated Press A lawyer for former Deputy Atty. Gen. Sally Yates said in letters last week that the Trump administration had moved to squelch her testimony in a hearing about Russian meddling in the presidential election. In the letters, attorney David ONeil said he understood the Justice Department was invoking further constraints on testimony she could provide at a House Intelligence Committee hearing that had been scheduled for Tuesday. He said the departments position was that all actions she took as deputy attorney general were client confidences that could not be disclosed without written approval. The Washington Post first reported the letters. A person familiar with the situation confirmed them as authentic to the Associated Press. The White House called the Post story entirely false. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and part of Trumps transition team, last week announced that the committee was canceling the planned public hearing with Yates and two former Obama administration intelligence officials the former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, and former CIA Director John Brennan. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Did Mnuchin cross an ethical line in plugging The Lego Batman Movie? A senator wants to know By Jim Puzzanghera (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) A Democratic senator wants to know if Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin committed an ethics violation when he publicly plugged The Lego Batman Movie, a film in which he has a financial stake. A former Hollywood financier, Mnuchin was asked at the end of a question-and-answer session on Friday hosted by the Axios news website to name a movie people should see. Well, Im not allowed to promote anything that Im involved in. So I just want to have the legal disclosure, youve asked me the question and I am not promoting any product, Mnuchin said at the event, which aired on C-SPAN2. But you should send all your kids to Lego Batman, he said. The crowd laughed. But Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wasnt amused. Hes asking the U.S. Office of Government Ethics to look into the comments. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Venezuela hits back in showdown with OAS, U.S. over democracy By Tracy Wilkinson The Venezuelan foreign minister had harsh words Monday for the regional organization that is considering sanctioning her country for its failure to hold democratic elections. Delcy Rodriguez, the foreign minister, accused the Organization of American States of wanting not to punish Venezuela but to destroy it. Rodriguez appeared at an OAS panel convened in Washington. D.C., after the United States and 13 other of the hemispheres nations united to demand the leftist Venezuelan government free political prisoners and set a date for long-overdue elections. Failure to do so, the 14 countries warned, could trigger a decision to suspend Venezuela from the 69-year-old regional body. OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro, a former Uruguayan foreign minister, has been especially critical of Venezuelas embattled government. He noted that President Nicolas Maduro canceled both a referendum that could have recalled his government and later regional elections, after the opposition made huge gains in parliamentary voting in 2015. In addition, thousands of people have been arrested for their political beliefs, Almagro said, including opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who has been in jail for three years. But Rodriguez, in a speech to the OAS panel, said Venezuelas revolution continues strong. She accused Almagro of being a stooge of the U.S. government, a lying mercenary who is a traitor to everything a Latin American diplomat should represent. He lacks independence when he voluntarily bows to the wishes of the most powerful nation of this organization -- and becomes its spokesman, Rodriguez said. Although the OAS has often been accused of pro-Washington tendencies, 13 nations in addition to the United States have joined to condemn Venezuela, a significant shift in Latin America away from populist regimes. Other leftist-ruled countries, like Bolivia, have said they will support Venezuela. Rodriguez said the accusations against her government were unilateral, unjustified and biased. She called on the OAS to suspend discussion of Venezuela, but another session was scheduled to proceed on Tuesday -- the same day Maduros Socialist Party is planning big anti-imperialism marches at home. All of the countries most critical of Venezuela, including the United States, say suspension of the oil-rich, Caribbean country from the OAS should be a measure of last resort. Despite its oil wealth, Venezuela is in the throes of an economic and humanitarian disaster, with severe shortages of food and medicine and skyrocketing inflation and homicide rates. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions criticizes sanctuary cities but offers no new policies By Michael A. Memoli Decrying the safety risk posed when cities dont cooperate with federal immigration authorities, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions repeated previous statements that the Trump administration would seek to deny so-called sanctuary cities some federal grant fun Decrying the safety risk posed when cities dont cooperate with federal immigration authorities, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions repeated previous statements that the Trump administration would seek to deny so-called sanctuary cities some federal grant funds, but offered no new policies. Despite his high-profile appearance at the White House briefing room, Sessions merely reiterated Obama administration policy related to immigration. Justice Department officials said any new measures would be weeks or months in the future. The Obama administration issued instructions last July that required any cities applying for Justice Department grant programs be in compliance with federal law requiring cooperation between local, state and federal agencies with requests from the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Sessions noted that any jurisdiction applying for grants from his department would have to certify that compliance. The Justice Department already has been requiring that, which indicates that police and sheriff departments which currently have Justice Department grants already have been asserting that they are meeting the requirements of federal law. Although many cities have policies that they, or critics, characterize using the label sanctuary, those policies do not necessarily mean they are violating the law. Sessions did say that the Justice Department could in the future institute additional requirements, but announced none. Fundamentally, we intend to use all the lawful authority we have to make sure that our state and local officials, who are so important to law enforcement, are in sync with the federal government, he said. He did offer a warning to jurisdictions considering adopting sanctuary status. The California legislature is considering a proposal to institute the designation statewide; Sessions, though, singled out Maryland for a similar proposal. That would be such a mistake, Sessions said, while noting Marylands Republican governor opposes the change proposed by the heavily-Democratic legislature. Sessions cited a high-profile case in San Francisco where a 32-year-old woman was killed by man who had been previously deported multiple times despite a request by immigration authorities to continue his detention to illustrate the administrations case against such policies. Countless Americans would be alive today and countless loved ones would not be grieving today if these policies of sanctuary cities were ended, Sessions claimed. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Devin Nunes plot thickens, as his spokesman concedes he met source for surveillance claim at White House By David S. Cloud The day before the House Intelligence Committee chairman revealed that conversations by Trump transition officials may have been inadvertently picked up by U.S. surveillance, he met with the source of the information at the White House, his spokesman said Monday Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), went to the White House because there was a facility there for reviewing classified information, said Jack Langer, a spokesman for Nunes, who has refused to divulge the identity of his source. Chairman Nunes met with his source at the White House grounds in order to have proximity to a secure location where he could view the information provided by the source, Langer said. The latest news added another twist to a bizarre series of events last week: On Monday, FBI Director James Comey testified before Nunes committee that his investigators were looking at possible coordination during the presidential campaign between Russian officials and people close to Preisdent Trump. Tuesday night, Nunes went to the White House where someone showed him documents related to U.S. intelligence surveillance, according to his statement. On Wednesday, Nunes announced to reporters that he had seen evidence indicating that people close to Trump had been subjects of surveillance during the transition. He then went to the White House, saying that he needed to brief Trump about the revelations. On Thursday, Nunes apologized to committee members for not having shown the evidence to them before briefing the president. Later that day, his spokesman conceded that Nunes did not know for sure that any Trump aides had actually been subject to surveillance, just that their names had appeared in intelligence reports, which could have resulted from other people talking about them. That sequence of events could buttress Democrats claims that the episode last week was a White House ploy to shift attention away from the FBI investigation. Democrats already have been saying Nunes should be disqualified from heading an inquiry into whether Trumps aides had improper contacts with Russia. Nunes statement left several questions unanswered. One is why he would have had to go to the White House unless his source worked there, because members of Congress have access to a secure facility at the U.S. Capitol. Asked to explain Nunes actions, Langer said in an email, The information comprised executive branch documents that have not been provided to Congress. Because of classification rules, the source could not simply put the documents in a backpack and walk them over to the House Intelligence Committee space. He added: The White House grounds was the best location to safeguard the proper chain of custody and classification of these documents, so the Chairman could view them in a legal way. Last week, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer had dismissed speculation that the White House had supplied Nunes with the information, saying that the suggestion did not pass the smell test. He added, however, that he did not for sure what Nunes had told Trump or where his information came from. After Nunes apologized to members of his committee Thursday and promised to thoroughly investigate the surveillance, several lawmakers said Nunes had promised to provide them the surveillance information he had received. That has not occurred yet. In his first statement last week, Nunes said he was concerned that some Trump transition officials identities might have been improperly revealed in intelligence reports, despite rules requiring them to be kept confidential in most cases. The Chairman is extremely concerned by the possible improper unmasking of names of U.S. citizens, and he began looking into this issue even before President Trump tweeted his assertion that Trump Tower had been wiretapped, Langer said. Whether any officials names actually were unmasked is unclear. The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) has questioned Nunes assertions about improper unmasking. But Schiff noted that he has not seen the documents Nunes claims to have seen. Schiff had no comment on the news that Nunes had seen the documents at the White House. UPDATES 10:20 a.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting. This article was originally published as an Associated Press report at 9:06 a.m. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Venezuela in showdown with OAS, U.S. over political prisoners By Tracy Wilkinson The besieged leftist government of Venezuela is under mounting pressure after the United States and 13 of the hemispheres other leading nations demanded the release of political prisoners and other pro-democracy concessions. The Organization of American States, the regions main collective body, has threatened to suspend Venezuela because of what it called the autocratic repression imposed by President Nicolas Maduro. Maduros foreign minister, Delcy Rodriguez, will appear Monday before an OAS panel in Washington to plead her governments case. This comes after members of the Venezuelan delegation stormed out of OAS meetings last week, according to diplomats. OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro, in a report on Venezuela, noted that Maduro canceled both a referendum that could have recalled his government and later regional elections, after the opposition made huge gains in parliamentary voting in 2015. A Maduro-controlled Supreme Court then stripped the parliament of much of its power. In addition, thousands of people have been arrested for their political beliefs, Almagro said, including opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who has been in jail for three years. The OAS is demanding Venezuela hold elections or risk suspension from the group, a drastic measure. The last time a country was suspended was when the military and right-wing politicians staged a coup against the elected president in Honduras in 2009. Under OAS regulations, a country can be suspended when the democratic order is altered. Venezuela is in the throes of a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis. The oil-rich country has among the highest homicide and inflation rates in the world and suffers from severe shortages of food and medicine. The Maduro government angrily condemned the OAS actions as imperialist interference and vowed to resist. Adan Chavez, brother of the late Hugo Chavez, the socialist strongman who set Venezuela on its revolutionary path, claimed the OAS was plotting a coup against Maduro. Maduro views much of his opposition as right-wing oligarchs who have long repressed the poor. Although the OAS has often been accused of pro-Washington tendencies, it is significant that 13 nations in addition to the United States are united in condemning Venezuela. This marks a shift away from populist regimes in much of Latin America. The Trump administration, which has shown little interest in Latin America beyond Mexico, did issue instructions to diplomats to find ways through the OAS to put pressure on Venezuela, according to people familiar with the matter. Those instructions came despite parallel administration plans to slash funds to the OAS and other multilateral institutions like the United Nations. Trump recently spoke by telephone to the presidents of Chile and Brazil and in both cases discussed Venezuela, the White House said. And he met at the White House with Lilian Tintori, the wife of Lopez, the jailed opposition leader, as she lobbied for her husbands freedom. The Treasury Department earlier this year slapped sanctions on Venezuelas vice president, Tareck El Aissami, alleging he was a major drug trafficker, charges he denied. Were not pushing for Venezuelas expulsion from the OAS at this time, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said late last week. However, we do think the OAS is the appropriate venue to deal with the ongoing situation in Venezuela, he said. Elections are essential to securing accountability, and the Venezuelan people deserve a voice in creating solutions to the myriad economic, political, and social and humanitarian challenges that they face. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump takes to Twitter to blame GOP hard-liners over healthcare failure By Laura King (Mandel Ngan / AFP-Getty Images) President Trump on Sunday blamed fellow Republicans and two influential conservative advocacy groups for last weeks failure of the GOP healthcare plan. The president had said on Friday that it was the fault of Democrats that House Speaker Paul D. Ryan pulled the measure from consideration rather than putting it forth for a floor showdown that the GOP leadership would have lost. In a Sunday morning tweet, the president appeared to shift culpability to the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative group of GOP lawmakers who were key to depriving Trump and his camp of the votes needed for passage. Democrats are smiling over the bills failure, Trump declared on Twitter. The Freedom Caucus, he said, had saved President Obamas Affordable Care Act with the help of Heritage Action and the Club for Growth, two organizations that had opposed the GOP measure. The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), declined to engage in any sparring with the White House, instead predicting that a Trump-led Republican effort to overhaul Obamas signature healthcare legislation eventually would move ahead. At the end of the day, the most valuable player will be President Trump, he said on ABCs This Week. Meadows also insisted there had been no conversation about any attempt to force out Ryan, who is being blamed for failing to marshal sufficient support for the measure he had spearheaded. Trump so far has refrained from public criticism of the speaker, but again on Twitter he specifically urged followers to watch a Fox News segment on Saturday night, featuring commentator Jeanine Pirro excoriating Ryan and calling for him to be ousted. That gave rise to speculation that Trump would seek to force the speaker to take the fall for the debacle. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print After the GOP healthcare bill fizzles, Trump blames the Democrats and says he learned a lot about loyalty By Brian Bennett President Trump addresses the cancellation of a vote Friday on the GOPs plan to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. After failing to land a deal on the healthcare bill, President Trump on Friday blamed Democrats, even though the GOP controls Congress and the White House, and made few overtures across the aisle when pushing the bill. When you get no votes from the other side -- meaning Democrats -- it is really a difficult situation, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after a revolt by Republican lawmakers forced House leaders to stop a vote in their bid to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. Trump insisted that the current healthcare law, commonly known as Obamacare, will collapse under its own weight, and then Democrats will want to make a deal with the White House. I truly believe the Democrats will come to us, Trump said. In the meantime, Trump is moving his attention to pushing through a tax reform bill, he said. We will probably be going really hard for the big tax cuts and tax reform -- thats next, he said. Trump, who has spent decades negotiating real estate deals and seeing many of them fall through, seemed sanguine discussing the effort he put into getting a healthcare reform bill passed. This was an interesting period of time, Trump said. We learned a lot about loyalty and we learned a lot about the vote-getting process. Trump stopped short of blaming House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and avoided singling out the group of conservative Republican lawmakers, who dug in their heels in opposition. Lawmakers in the House Freedom Caucus that largely stood against the bill are very good people and friends of mind, he said. I was disappointed because we could have had it, he said. Im a little surprised, he said. When asked by a reporter if he would reach out now to Democrats for ideas on how to get a deal, Trump said, No, I think we need to let Obamacare go its way for a little while. Then well see how things go. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Tillerson will meet with NATO counterparts, after all By Tracy Wilkinson Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet with NATO allies next week in Brussels, a move that could quell controversy over his earlier decision to skip a long-planned summit of the transatlantic alliance. The State Department said Friday that Tillerson added a stop at NATO headquarters in Brussels to a previously scheduled trip to the Turkish capital of Ankara. Tillerson will be in Ankara on Thursday to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials to discuss the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and to reaffirm Turkeys important role in ensuring regional stability, the State Department said. The next day, he will go to NATO, the State Department said. NATO officials were attempting to put together a session with the other 27 allied nations. Earlier this week, news that Tillerson would miss the NATO ministerial meeting set for April 5-6, roiled the alliance. Administration officials said Tillerson would have to be in Washington to attend President Trumps first face-to-face meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 6-7. At the same time, Tillersons aides announced he would be traveling to Moscow the following week. Criticism was swift from European allies but also from several former American diplomats and key U.S. lawmakers, who said the decision raised questions about the Trump administrations commitment to NATO. During his campaign, Trump called the alliance obsolete, although more recently he has voiced support for it while also demanding members spend more money on defense. In response, Tillersons aides said they were exchanging possible alternative dates with NATO to attempt to arrange a meeting in which all parties could participate. It was not yet clear if next Fridays meeting will take the place of the April 5-6 session, which as of late Friday remained on NATOs formal calendar. Diplomats considered the ministerial meeting as especially important because it will lay the groundwork for a May 25 NATO summit of heads of state and government, which Trump has said he will attend. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Charter promises Trump something new ($25-billion investment) and something old (20,000 jobs) By Jim Puzzanghera Charter Communications Chief Executive Thomas Rutledge. (Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images) The chief executive of Charter Communications committed in a meeting with President Trump on Friday to invest $25 billion on broadband infrastructure while joining a trend of business leaders touting previously announced job creation at the White House. In the case of Charter Southern Californias dominant cable-TV and Internet service provider Chief Executive Thomas Rutledge said he expected to hire 20,000 new U.S. employees over the next four years. Charter had made the hiring promise in 2015 when it was purchasing Time Warner Cable. The new development was the time period in which it will occur. Nevertheless, Trump indicated the job creation was triggered by his election. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Threats made against Hawaii judge who ruled against travel ban By Jaweed Kaleem (George Lee / The Star-Advertiser via AP) The Hawaii federal judge who brought President Trumps revised travel ban to a national halt last week has become the target of threats. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson has received the threats since his March 15 ruling, according to FBI spokeswoman Michele Ernst. Ernst said the FBI is ready to assist but declined to provide more information. The U.S. Marshals Service also said it would not give details. The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for the protection of federal judicial officials, including judges and prosecutors, and we take that responsibility very seriously, the agency said in a statement. While we do not discuss our specific security measures, we continuously review the security measures in place for all federal judges and take appropriate steps to provide additional protection when it is warranted. Watson, a judge in the U.S. District Court of Hawaii in Honolulu, issued a scathing 43-page opinion against the travel ban the day before it was to go into effect. He wrote that, despite the bans stated secular purpose, Trumps own words marked the executive order as a fulfillment of the presidents campaign promise to temporarily bar Muslims from coming to the U.S. The illogic of the governments contention is palpable, Watson said. In response, Trump said Watsons ruling was terrible and makes us look weak. Trump has vowed to take the travel ban case to the U.S. Supreme Court. An appeal of a separate Maryland federal judges ruling against the travel ban is currently pending in the U.S. 4th District Court of Appeals. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print House GOP gives up on healthcare bill as Trump suffers first legislative defeat By Lisa Mascaro Unable to muster enough support from his own party, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan again postponed a vote Friday on the GOPs plan to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. The move came at the request of President Trump, who just Thursday night issued an ultimatum that lawmakers should hold the vote regardless of the outcome. It was the second time House GOP leaders had to delay a final reckon You are living in an amazing time on planet Earth mineralogically speaking. Scientists say there are more unique minerals on our planet than ever before in its 4.5-billion-year history, and its thanks in part to us. In a paper published this week in American Mineralogist, a team of researchers argues that human activities have helped create a distinct geological era. They call it the Anthropocene Epoch. Advertisement If you came back to Earth 100 million years from now, you would find a distinctive marking layer of concrete alloys, batteries and myriad crystalline forms that characterize our age and show it is different from anything that has come before, said Robert Hazen, a senior staff scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Science who led the new work. The official definition of a mineral is a naturally occurring crystal with a unique chemical composition and well-defined structure. So far, mineralogists have discovered about 5,200 distinct and officially recognized mineral species here on Earth, although experts say there could be as many as 1,500 others out there still to be found. In the new paper, the researchers catalog 208 mineral and mineral-like compounds that they say occur primarily because of human activity on the planet. Some of these new crystal structures have been synthesized deliberately for example in industrial processes like those used to make bricks, porcelain and reinforced concrete. Others have been forged by accident as a result of mining or the weathering of ancient bronze, lead and tin artifacts. For example, Abhurite, pictured below, was found at the wreck of the cargo ship Cheerful, now 14 miles off the coast of St. Ives in Cornwall, England. Simply put, we live in an era of unparalleled inorganic compound diversification, Hazen said. And we may still be at the beginning. The quantities are only going to grow as more and different kinds of materials are produced and then weathered, he said. Usually when we talk about how humans are altering the planet its not a good thing, but Hazen said the new minerals weve helped bring into being are generally benign and some are downright useful. The ability of humans to synthesize and manipulate new crystals is a boon to society, he said. Your laptop is filled with crystals; all the building materials we use in our modern age are made possible by the incredible diversity of natural minerals. Many of the human-mediated minerals described in the paper were discovered on the walls and timbers of abandoned mines. Some were found in ore dumps, others on smelters or on weathered slag the stony material that is left over after metal has been separated from its raw ore. New minerals have also been found in prehistoric sacrificial burning sites and on ancient works of art. Mineralogists have even discovered a few types of mineral-like materials that occur exclusively in museums when limestone and fossils interact with chemicals in storage drawers and create what looks like a white crust. One of Hazens favorite minerals is tinnunculite, which was discovered in a burning Russian coal mine. Its basically the interaction of falcon poop and the hot gases from the mine, Hazen said. However, this mineral was also discovered on Russias Mt. Rasvumchorr, where it occurred with no human intervention. Anthony Kampf, curator emeritus of mineral sciences at the Museum of Natural History Los Angeles, discovered more than two dozen of the minerals described in the paper. Although he wasnt involved in this particular study, he said that the catalog of human-mediated minerals and mineral-like substances is an interesting way of looking at contemporary mineral research. The processes that are going on today are not that different from what has been going on for millions of years, but man is having a remarkable impact, he said. New crystals are resulting from us just being here. He added that some of these newly discovered, accidental minerals are inspiring scientists who work to create new compounds. Sometimes the most interesting compounds are those that happen by accident, he said. deborah.netburn@latimes.com Do you love science? I do! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook. MORE IN SCIENCE In 3.7-billion-year-old rock, scientists find what could be the oldest fossils on Earth Even bumblebees can learn to use tools, scientists show Colorectal cancer rates are rising among younger Americans even as theyre falling for others Burbank Councilman Bob Frutos racked up and spent the most money out of the eight candidates vying for three open seats on the City Council before the primary election, and two candidates received money from a major developer, which is raising some concerns. Frutos, a retired police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, received $19,472 in cash donations from November 2016 to Feb. 22. The Glendale Burbank Republican Assembly, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Walt Disney Co. were some of the notable donors to the councilmans reelection campaign. Additionally, Frutos spent $11,659 during that period, mainly on mailers, campaign paraphernalia and advertisements in local media outlets. He has $10,312 left in his campaign account. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Frutos also lent himself $2,500 and received $945 in non-monetary contributions, which were mainly campaign buttons, a fundraiser and fliers. Another incumbent, Mayor Jess Talamantes, who was also able to keep his council post by garnering 51.4% of the votes, received the second highest amount of cash donations $8,278 during the same period. Additionally, he lent himself $3,000 and received $293 in non-monetary contributions. Talamantes, a retired firefighter, spent $3,994 mainly on campaign materials and signs, leaving him with $7,283 in his coffers. Councilman David Gordon, another incumbent in the race, received $7,850 in cash donations and lent himself $1,000. Gordon, an optometrist, spent $4,363 primarily on campaign letterheads, signs and postage. He has $4,486 left in his war chest as he heads to the general election next month, squaring off against Frutos and challengers Sharon Springer and Juan Guillen. Springer, a nonprofit administrator, received $3,945 in cash donations and did not make any loans to herself. After spending $1,827, mainly on campaign materials, she has $2,117 left at her disposal. Guillen, who is running for City Council for a third time, received $2,085 in cash donations and lent himself $2,045. A small business owner, Guillen spent $2,395 primarily on fliers and Facebook ads. He finished with $1,734 in his campaign account. Springer and Vice Mayor Will Rogers have expressed concerns about donations that Gordon and Guillen received from Michael Cusumano, a prominent real estate developer in Burbank. Cusumano, who is building the Talaria mixed-use project that Gordon and Guillen have spoke out against, made a $400 donation to both candidates on Feb. 14. --------------------------------------- FOR THE RECORD A previous version of this article included a paraphrased statement attributed to Sharon Springer about candidates accepting donations which was incorrect. Springer did not make that statement. --------------------------------------- Its outrageous that David Gordon will blame anybody but himself for accepting a campaign contribution from Michael Cusumano, Springer said. It infuriates me. Both Gordon and Guillen acknowledged that they both received an unsolicited donation from Cusumano. To prevent any possible conflicts of interest with any of the developers future projects, the two candidates decided to return Cusumanos money and did so on Feb. 25. I understand that council candidate Sharon Springer and Vice Mayor Will Rogers have insinuated to the public both verbally and through social media that somehow this contribution casts a nefarious shadow over my integrity, Gordon wrote in an email on Thursday. Its unfortunate that both Mr. Rogers and Ms. Springer felt obligated to pounce on this non-issue to immediately sling mud rather than recognize my intention to remain transparent and accountable to the people I represent. Guillen added that he knows it was not the best idea for him to accept Cusumanos donation and he thinks that the developer meant no ill will toward himself or Gordon. Looking at the finance reports of others in the council race, first-time candidate Konstantine Anthony received $3,309 in cash donations as well as a $2,800 loan he gave himself. Additionally, he received $9,833 in non-monetary donations, which he used for Facebook advertisements. Anthony, a social media manager, spent $2,114 on campaign signs and for access to the Polis canvassing smartphone app. He finished second to last in the primary election, with $1,581 left in his coffers. Richard Carr, who ran for City Council for the first time, received $208 in cash donations during his campaign. To bolster his funds, he lent himself $300. Carr, a retired property manager, spent $388 on campaign materials. Additionally, he has $677 in unpaid bills for fliers and mailers. He ended up with $120 remaining. Candidate Greg Sousa received $125 in cash donations and lent himself $1,200. A studio transportation driver, Sousa used $895 for campaign materials and ended with $429 left. -- Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com Twitter: @acocarpio Dream Big could easily be the motto for Laguna Beachs MacGillivray Freeman Films. Instead, the declaration is the title of the latest movie by one of the worlds foremost IMAX documentary filmmakers. For a company known for its long line of very, very big screen movies about the natural world from the depths of the ocean to the top of Mt. Everest Dream Big is a bit of a departure. It is a story about the worlds greatest engineering wonders and how a young generation of engineers is working to make the world a better place. Theres plenty of films about detectives or doctors but not engineers, said company co-founder and director Greg MacGillivray about the film, made in partnership with the American Society of Civil Engineers. Its something our country does better than others because we dont fear failure. The culture here is more of a risk-taking culture. Historians will say its because we are a land of immigrants. I think thats why weve always been good at inventing. Gregs son Shaun, who served as producer of the movie (which opens in Los Angeles and San Diego Feb. 17), says it also was the most difficult film for the company to make, including six months of editing. Two thousand years of engineering into a 40-minute film was tough, Shaun said. But it worked primarily through telling inspiring stories. There is Turkish-American engineer Menzer Pehlivan, who fixed on hers life passion when an earthquake nearly wiped out her home town; Avery Bang, who chose to introduce modern bridges to undeveloped countries; British engineer Steve Burrows, who combines the Old World with the new in San Francisco; and Angelica Hernandez, a Mexican immigrant who led a group of underdog Phoenix high school students to win a NASA-sponsored robotics competition over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, a story that drew national attention. As part of the educational outreach of the film, engineers went to schools to speak directly to kids in 50 cities across the country. And the need for science and technology talent is great. Various sources say 2.4-million STEM science, technology, engineering and math jobs are expected to be unfilled by 2018, and black and Latinos currently make up only a small percentage of that workforce. The company began work on the film three years ago, and though Greg clearly indicates it was a joy to make, he admitted with a chuckle, Frankly, I thought wed never get it done. Part of the challenge for the MacGillivrays was making a film about engineers compelling at a human level while also giving it the imagery that IMAX films are built on. The first step was finding the people to build the story around. The key, Shaun said, was months of research, research, research. But as Greg pointed out, We do Lawrence of Arabia and not Terms of Endearment. Our films provide a sense of wonder, not intimate character dramas. I think storytelling is pivotal in all filmmaking, but my job is to make it pivotal with the big visuals. We focused on places that were uniquely beautiful. To get the big visuals took lots of planning and, in the case of Chinas Great Wall, lots of patience. A lengthy permitting process was only the first hurdle. All the restrictions, Greg said. Not only air quality, but where and when you can put up your camera. You have to budget for that when shooting there or India. You end up sometimes deciding not to do it and go to places that are easier. You use your experience and roll the dice. If the value is really high, there are ways to do it. It took over six months of effort and hundreds of thousands of dollars to shoot at the Great Wall. But Greg believes its all part of the risk and reward inherent in filmmaking. Something he learned early on. Something that actually drew him to making movies in the first place. Its a bit of risk-taking that you end up kind of craving, he said. You get used to it. I got used to it as a teenager making surf movies. You have to know what you can control, and whats not in your control, you can work around. As the end of production on Dream Big neared, the MacGillivrays spent a day in Santa Barbara recording Oscar winner Jeff Bridges narration. That was especially fun, they said Ive always loved his voice, Shaun said. Greg, knew exactly what he wanted from Bridges during the four-hour recording session. What I was going for with him is his playful personality, Greg said. He is so capable of so many things. Its like working with a kid. I said to him, imagine youre telling this story to your grandson, who is sitting two feet away. Youre pausing to tell it with a certain amount of drama, but also talking about the possibilities of life. He got it immediately. Shawn Price is a contributor to Times Community News. A new contract for municipal employees and a host of changes related to city committees are among the items on tap for next weeks Costa Mesa City Council meeting. The union contract up for review Tuesday would provide higher pay for the 236 members of the Costa Mesa City Employees Assn., while also lowering the amount those workers pay toward their pensions. As proposed, the agreement would run through June 30, 2020. It stipulates steady pay increases for CMCEA members 2.5% in each of the first two years of the deal and 2.75% in the third and fourth years. The contract would also decrease the amount those employees pay toward their pensions from the current 17.04% to 12% by year three. During a Feb. 21 public hearing on the tentative agreement with the union, some said the proposed changes would make the city more competitive when it comes to recruiting and retaining employees. Costa Mesa employees generally have lower salaries compared with surrounding cities, Assistant City Manager Tammy Letourneau said during last months hearing. The city has about 90 vacant positions, she said at the time, and recruitment and retention has been a challenge for the last few years. One proposed change that would aid in those efforts, Letourneau said, is striking a provision included in CMCEAs previous contract that required union members to pay 60% of any increases in the citys mandated contributions to the California Public Employees Retirement System. The unions previous contract expired in June. Others, though, have questioned how or whether the contract could affect the citys pension debt, which stood at about $246 million in 2015. We can say, Yes, we need to offer good benefits to be competitive with other cities ... but it doesnt change the fact this is going to add to our pension burden considerably, Councilman Allan Mansoor said last month. A city staff report in Tuesdays agenda, however, states the agreement would not impact the citys unfunded pension liability as the recommended salary increases are within the CalPERS assumptions regarding future payroll increases. The California Public Employees Pension Reform Act also stipulates that, starting in 2018; cities cant require nonpublic safety employees to contribute more than 8% of their pay toward their pensions. In ratifying the tentative agreement, CMCEA members have agreed to pitch in at a higher rate than that. The proposed contract is expected to cost taxpayers $5.65 million more over the life of the agreement than the previous one. Committee changes Council members will also weigh a series of possible changes related to city committees generally advisory panels that provide input on specific topics. Proposals before the council include creating a new Military Affairs Committee, which would explore ways for the city to support and honor veterans and their families and collaborate with other groups to develop strategies to address veteran homelessness. Its proposed that the committee would have seven members three serving for two years and four appointed for four-year terms. The committee would meet the last Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. in City Hall. Costa Mesa already has a Military Affairs Team, but council members voted Feb. 7 to make it a formal committee. During that same meeting, the council decided to merge the citys finance advisory and pension oversight committees into one panel: the Finance & Pension Advisory Committee. The unified committee is proposed to have 11 members six serving two-year terms and five on one-year terms. Four of those shall have pension knowledge, according to the council agenda, and one would be the mayors designee. Other members would be residents or individuals that conduct business within the city and have a background that includes experience in securities trading, financial planning, banking, auditing, accounting, or a closely related and relevant field. Council members will also consider approving new membership qualifications for the citys Access Building, Fire and Housing Board of Appeal, which handles appeals of decisions made by city building officials or the fire marshal. Should the council approve the changes the City Clerks office would open the committees for applications. Appointments to the panels are tentatively scheduled for the councils April 4 meeting. Tuesdays meeting starts at 6 p.m. in City Hall, 77 Fair Drive. luke.money@latimes.com Twitter: @LukeMMoney The inaugural address of a president gives an insight into the personality of the president, of his awareness of the solemn responsibility of the office, a view of the issues that he faces and a strategy for future directions. George Washingtons trip from Mount Vernon to the new nations temporary capital in New York City took eight days. As he passed through the colonial villages and towns, cheering crowds of adoring citizens came out to greet him. After he took the oath of office on April 30, 1789, he humbly acknowledged his new role as the leader of this new nation in his inaugural address. He fervently appealed to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe ... that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States...., according to the National Archives. He gave homage to the Great Author of every public and private good ... to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men. Andrew Jacksons inaugural address was given in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 1929. In his speech he hailed the common man. Government, he said, is administered for the good of the people and is regulated by their will ... securing the rights of the person and their property. He emphasized, according to Yale Law School, the importance that a million armed freemen possessed of the means of war, can never be conquered by a foreign foe . He concluded with a recognition of a firm reliance on the goodness of that power whose providence mercifully protected our national infancy. Jackson then invited the enthusiastic crowd of some 20,000 people to the White House! The celebration turned into a mob causing thousands of dollars worth of damage to the White House. Jackson finally escaped by climbing out a back window of the building! After the intense election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln entered Washington on a secret train because of the many threats of assassination he faced. The Capitol building was still under construction on that cold March 4 day in 1861 when Lincoln gave his inaugural address. The southern states were already in the process of seceding, but Lincoln reassured them that there had never been any reasonable cause to think that their property, peace or personal security are to be endangered. Then he warned the southern states that, if they did decide to withdraw from the Union, they would face a continual fracturing of their own new confederation when disagreements could not be resolved among themselves. In conclusion, We are not enemies, but friends, he assured his fellow countrymen. Probably the most memorable words of an inaugural address were uttered by John F. Kennedy on Jan. 29, 1961: My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. JFK passionately reiterated the call for the survival and the success of liberty and the desire for peace with all nations ... remembering that civility is not a sign of weakness. Ronald Reagan spoke from the West Front of the Capitol on Jan. 20, 1981. It was the first time a president spoke facing the broad expanse of the Washington Mall. In his speech, Reagan reminded Americans of the miracle of the orderly transfer of authority under the Constitution. The nation was afflicted with a bad economy, high taxes and high public spending. A big federal government was smothering opportunity instead of encouraging productivity. If no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? he asked, according to UC Santa Barbara. He also saw America as a nation of free people who provide an example of freedom and a beacon of hope for those oppressed peoples around the world. Together, with Gods help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. Presidents have expressed many thoughts in their inaugural addresses to the nation. Most have expressed gratitude for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon American people, and they expressed hope that peace and prosperity would prevail during their years in office. They also reminded the nation that the best of what is American should be protected for future generations. They also expressed the desire to promote peace around the world with strength through preparedness. SHERRY NORD MARRON is a former adjunct professor at Orange Coast College and the University of Connecticut. Gary Sequeiras assertions (Why John Wayne Airport needs more competition, Feb. 24) are flat-out wrong. What is extremely ironic is that while he tries to portray himself as an authority on Signature Flight Support, his airplane is based at Atlantic Aviation, the other national fixed-based operator at John Wayne Airport. Furthermore, unlike Signature, Atlantic has amassed complaints, including those voiced at Airport Commission meetings during the RFQ process. I have worked for Signature for 25 years, and I personally submitted our response at JWA. I also signed the lease, which we were presented with because we ranked No. 1 in the request for quotation (RFQ) process. John Wayne Airport has a signed lease on file from Signature that includes both a substantial rent increase and formula pricing that protects the pilots of the small propeller-driven airplanes for which Mr. Sequeira advocates. Additionally, for corporate jets that fly across the U.S. and the world, our national pricing provides greater fuel discounts than ACI Jet can, since they do not have any locations outside of California. As to facility upgrades, Signature has invested $4 million in our JWA leasehold to create the best private aviation facility on the airport. To say otherwise is simply wrong. I call on Mr. Sequeira and ACI Jet to stick to the facts and review our lease. Eric Hietala The writer is Western Regional vice president of Signature Flight Support, which serves John Wayne Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and others. Demographic data are too old The Daily Pilot article of Feb. 18 regarding adjusting trustee areas failed to mention that the population data they are using is from the 2010 Census. There could be a significant discrepancy between the 2010 data and today. Adjusting trustee areas and the method of voting should have been begun shortly after the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law in 2003. This law makes fundamental changes to minority voting rights. Presently, each Newport-Mesa school board trustee area is voted on by all the voters in the district, which is an at-large system rather than being voted into office only by the people in the trustee area they represent. By changing to a system of only voting for the trustee in your area, we might have had a Latino member of the school board elected to represent the minority population of this district. Martie OMeara Costa Mesa We made requests for meetings with congressman Re. Demonstrators take their call for a town hall to Rohrabachers house, (Feb. 24): We, the undersigned, find it interesting that Ken Grubbs, Rep. Dana Rohrabachers spokesman, states that the Costa Mesa congressman prefers to engage in dialogue. He also states that the congressman spent time with constituents at his Huntington Beach office. If he is referring to the recent week in the congressmans district, how many constituents did he see? We went through the stated proper channels (a form, emails, giving of our names and contact information, questioning by his staff as to our purpose) to request a meeting. We stated that we have deep concerns about certain actions currently being taken by our government. These concerns make reference to experiences by one of our number who went through the authoritarian leaderships in Poland. After many attempts, we were told that we were on the list for a meeting sometime. Mr. Grubbs seems to deride the movements by those who were attempting to gain a town hall, in other words, the opposition. Who else could they contact but their representative? We were not asking for a town hall, nor are we affiliated with any of the groups named (Linskeyites or Indivisibles). We were simply asking for an audience with the only representative we have in the federal government as voters in his district. We would still like the opportunity. Christine Stamper Jeannie Osborne Linda West Judy Mader Newport Beach Protesters at congressmans house crossed a line The evening of Feb. 23, as I was leaving, about 25 people gathered in front of Mariners Library. After listening to the usual, Im a victim, youre a victim, were all a victim slogans, I couldnt figure out what the protest was actually about until I caught the words, Affordable Care Act. Bear in mind, the administration and Congress have yet to do one thing to change the act, and the insurance companies are bleeding red ink so profusely, they are now abandoning the exchanges like so many rats fleeing a sinking ship. After 10 minutes, the leader announced the group was going to march over to Rep. Dana Rohrabachers home. Now, Im all for 1st Amendment rights, but I really take exception to the notion that an elected officials family is fair game when it comes to these protest rallies. Neither the congressman, his wife, their young children, nor their neighbors, should not have to live in fear of their safety. Take it to the district office during normal business hours. Ann Watt Newport Beach Home visit was the only way to be heard Marching to the home of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) may seem a heavy-handed way to communicate, but how else can his constituents, who are not loyal Republicans, express to him their concerns about the actions of the current administration? These actions include cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, potentially eviscerating the Affordable Care Act and hounding immigrants, among other indignities. I wrote to the congressman expressing my fears that people with preexisting conditions would be denied insurance and questions about Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Tom Price, I received a boiler-plate response that did not even acknowledge the specific points in my letter. Certainly the job of congressman includes listening to all his constituents. Im wondering whether Rohrabacher is afraid to face questions from the public in a neutral setting. Is he going to hide out for the next two years? Barbara De Groot Corona del Mar Demographic data are too old The Daily Pilot article of Feb. 18 regarding adjusting trustee areas failed to mention that the population data they are using is from the 2010 Census. There could be a significant discrepancy between the 2010 data and today. Adjusting trustee areas and the method of voting should have been begun shortly after the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law in 2003. This law makes fundamental changes to minority voting rights. Presently, each Newport-Mesa school board trustee area is voted on by all the voters in the district, which is an at-large system rather than being voted into office only by the people in the trustee area they represent. By changing to a system of only voting for the trustee in your area, we might have had a Latino member of the school board elected to represent the minority population of this district. Martie OMeara Costa Mesa Glendale resident and business owner Rick Dinger is among 10 City Council candidates campaigning to fill one of three open seats in the April 4 municipal election. --------------------------------------- FOR THE RECORD 3/5, 9:31 p.m.: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Rick Dinger as a Montrose resident. He is a resident of Glendale. --------------------------------------- Some La Crescenta residents will know Dinger from his small business, Crescenta Valley Insurance. Dingers father, Virgil, an immigrant from Panama, started the insurance company in 1969 and handed down the business to his son in 1999. Dingers ties to the community run deep. Personally, Im a Montrose guy. Its where I grew up, and I feel like thats home, Dinger said. I just like the small-town atmosphere. You cant go down the street without knowing people. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Dinger became involved in the community shortly before running his insurance firm. He joined the Montrose Chamber of Commerce in 1997 and, during the next several years, become active in several organizations, including the Glendale College Foundation, Glendale Sunrise Rotary and Glendale Salvation Army. This is Dingers second bid for a seat on Glendale City Council, running unsuccessfully in 2003. He said he now has a better feel for what the community is lacking and where improvements can be made. Fourteen years later, Ive become more entwined in different aspects [of] the community and learned a lot more about the city and been more involved, Dinger said. Ive been able to just by happenstance with the work Ive done in the city with all the different groups Ive made some great connections. Dingers long-term campaign issues include improving traffic safety and congestion, maintaining historic preservation and sustaining the citys parks and open spaces. Somehow [parks and open spaces] are not getting [their] fair share, especially now with the explosion of apartments in downtown thats more people that need more places to go, Dinger said. We have amazing hillsides, and we need to keep those for people to enjoy. We need more space. We need to invest more in our parks. Sensitive to the fact that people will look up to him as a small business representative, Dinger said the city should take an example from the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, a national association. He said he thinks the city should help small business owners in the same way the national insurance association has helped him with resources and information to run his company. Im not a politician, Im not a lawyer. Im a small business owner, a father and somebody that just wants to bring integrity, transparency to the council and I think that I could do that, Dinger said. -- Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com Twitter: @JeffLanda Five candidates running for three open seats on the Glendale school board participated in a televised forum Thursday held by the Glendale/Burbank League of Women Voters in Glendale City Council chambers. For the first time, voters who live in three geographic areas of the Jewel City out of a total of five areas will vote for one candidate to represent them in their neighborhood. Glendale Unified now has five voting districts: A, B, C, D and E. Districts B, C and D are up for election next month with A and E up for election in two years. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Incumbent Greg Krikorian is running to keep his seat in District B in northwest Glendale against newcomer Vardan Stepanyan. Stepanyan, who read from prepared statements when he answered most questions, said his run means voters will have a choice on the ballot. Many people are looking for changes on the board, Stepanyan said. Meanwhile, Krikorian pointed to the value of his experience in helping establish the Glendale Educational Foundation and other programs since he was first elected to the board in 2001. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, Krikorian said. In District C, which includes the Verdugo Woodlands and Woodbury neighborhoods, Armina Gharpetian is running unopposed, but she said she is adamant about participating in every forum and continuing to improve the districts finances and overall achievement of students. Two more newcomers Joal Ryan and Shant Sahakian are lifelong Glendale residents facing off for a seat in District D, made up of the Scholl Canyon, Chevy Chase and Adams Hill neighborhoods. Ryan is intent on improving Glendale Unifieds budget by boosting enrollment, and to accomplish that, she said its important to invest in specialized programs, such as Glendales foreign-language academies. She also suggested establishing a middle school arts magnet campus, all in an effort to attract families with the concept that Glendale Unified is a destination district. I will sell the district to our families, Ryan said. Sahakian said all Glendale Unified schools should offer dual-language immersion, arts, tech-education and financial literacy programs. These are resources that should be available to all of our parents and all of our students, he said, adding that one priority is to improve communication between the school board and parents. Then he shared his personal number, asking parents to call him. One of the things Ill be proposing is that well do periodic school board meetings at our school sites so parents feel more comfortable approaching our school board members, bringing their concerns and making us more accessible to them. Later in the forum, Gharpetian followed Sahakians move and shared her phone number. When moderator Rita Zwern asked Gharpetian and Ryan about whether they support establishing a public all-girls or all-boys academy in Glendale citing research that secondary students thrive when enrolled in a same-sex school Gharpetian said the choice is better left up to parents. I dont know how to answer that question because ultimately thats the parents choice to decide if they would like their child to go to those schools, Gharpetian said. Ryan, who is opposed to charter schools, said an all-girls or all-boys academy would give Glendale Unified an opportunity to innovate. We need to be ahead of the charters that are circling like sharks in the water, Ryan said. Thats part of the long-term financial solution. Thats how we grow enrollment. -- Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com Twitter: @kellymcorrigan Last week, a judge ruled against the city of Glendale for violating Proposition 218 in creating its current water rate-pricing structure first adopted in 2014, in a lawsuit brought by the Glendale Coalition for Better Government. In late January, the same Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, James Chalfant, ruled in favor of the same petitioner, the coalition, when he decided that the city must repay nearly $57 million for violating Proposition 26 for an unauthorized transfer of funds from its utilities to the General Fund. --------------------- FOR THE RECORD 3/3, 9:45 p.m.: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Judge James Chalfant ruled in late March that the city had violated Proposition 26. The ruling was made in late January. --------------------- In three separate issues, the coalition argued that the city of Glendale violated Proposition 218, which requires approval from voters before the city can impose new taxes or increase taxes on property owners. Join the conversation on Facebook >> The first issue is in regard to how the city charged different categories of clients for water use. During a 2014 study to establish water rates, the city had to determine what is known as peaking factor the ratio of the maximum flow to the average daily flow in a water system among 15 classes of customers. These included multifamily, single-family, businesses and the city itself. City officials decided that 15 classes were too many and condensed them into just four categories. The coalition argued, and the judge later agreed, that the city provided no meaningful evidence to justify combining its own water-rate usage with those under the commercial category whose peaking factor is considerably lower than the citys and averaging the peaking factor between them both. Basically, what that ended up doing is small business subsidizing the citys use of its water, said Roland Kedikian, a coalition board member. The judge also ruled that the 2014 studys assigned pricing tiers for single- and multiple-family residential groups was incorrect because it was not based on analysis of cost as required by Proposition 218. Rather, the city chose to assign tiers based on a historical usage of water. The third portion of the ruling against the city agreed with the coalition that the inclusion of fire protection costs such as fire hydrants levied against customers in the fixed monthly water charge also violated state law. According to Proposition 218, fire services are considered a general government service and available to public at large and the burden to fund them should not fall disproportionately on water customers. The Glendale City Council must first vote on whether or not to appeal the ruling before current water customers and those affected by the rate hike can expect new water rates or a reimbursement of any kind. The city hasnt decided to appeal yet, but if it does, the [judges] decision will be stayed pending that appeal, said city spokesman Tom Lorenz in an email. -- Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com Twitter: @JeffLanda I first heard the word ecology from my seventh-grade history teacher, and the relationship between organisms and their environment has been of interest to me ever since. As a parent, I did my part with teachers and others to instill environmental awareness among our children and their classmates. I joined with Scouts to plant trees and pick up trash. I taught quite a few nature-themed songs and read many a tree-focused book to school children. Ive treasured our familys camping trips, and I love watching for wildlife of every sort. After my smog-filled summers growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, I came to feel we were making progress with our environment. More recently, however, with the science of climate change and the political climate so frequently colliding, the balance of nature has become more of a worry for me especially since becoming a grandmother three years ago. Join the conversation on Facebook >> How many times have we heard our elders say, Its not me I worry about; I worry about our grandchildren. I now share that sentiment. So it came as a comfort to get an email recently from the publicist for Scholastic, co-sponsor with Lexus of the Lexus Eco Challenge, a national scholarship competition for teens to inspire and empower young people to learn about the environment and take steps to make it better for their communities and world. For three years now, Jocelyn Kalsmith has written to tell me that Clark Magnet High School teacher Domenique Evans-Bye did it again! This year, Evans-Byes seven-student EcoNarcs 3.0" team won $10,000 as a western region winner, and its in the running for the $30,000 grand prize. This makes the seventh first-place regional prize for her students; her 2011 team won the grand prize. Kalsmith shared the teams description of their project. An invasive species called Sargassum horneri was first collected in Californias Long Beach Harbor in 2003 and has since spread widely on the coast, displacing types of seaweed on which lots of organisms rely for food The students snorkeled and gathered samples, conducted a chemical analysis mapped their sightings using geographic information system mapping software, and guest lectured at a nearby college on their research. In their submission for the grand prize, the students will report on efforts to expand their research and findings globally and to propose possible solutions. Already, with the help of a computer application they developed in class, they are gathering data from diving clubs on multiple coasts, analyzing the reach of devil weed and looking at commercial applications that might speed its harvest and help restore the native habitats. Theyve also learned about legislation affecting the problem. Some team members are researching how the Marine Life Protection Act might be amended to allow for the removal of non-native, invasive species from protected waters. Theres just so much to like about Evans-Byes classes. She credits her teams successes to Clark founding principal Doug Dalls leadership. He never said this is what I want you to do and this is how I want you to do it, she wrote in an email last year, before Dalls retirement. But he opened all the doors pointed us in the right direction, then set us free to design and build our own creative programs that integrate literacy, technology and core academic subjects to benefit students across diverse college and career paths, she wrote. Evans-Bye a statewide Teacher of the Year finalist wrote that she took Dalls approach in facilitating student projects, showing them the opportunities available and letting them choose what they want to pursue and how they want to implement their research. The students who spoke with me in her class this week seem to love that approach. Armen Sadeghi, a senior, learned global-information systems mapping last year in Evans-Byes Geology of Disasters class. Now, hes the team cartographer, and he told me he realized watching last years team that he wanted to be a part of it. Project manager Anna Parsamayan organizes and delegates the work, matching the tasks to team member strengths, which include social media, chemical analysis, photography and art. These students are already laying the groundwork for next years team, planning to extend the research with the use of drones, provided they meet the districts guidelines. Theyre also renewing my hope for the world our grandchildren will inhabit. -- JOYLENE WAGNER is a past member of the Glendale Unified School Board. Email her at jkate4400@aol.com. Ill give you the bad news first after about six years of writing Intersections, this edition will be my last one. This column is probably the most rewarding work Ive done consistently as a journalist. It has given me access and insight into a robust, thriving and sometimes challenging community. It has not only allowed me to explore topics I care about in relation to Glendale, but granted me the privilege of connecting with you, the reader. I have always believed in journalism. It is my excuse to get to know the world, and the people who live in it, the issues they deal with and the resiliency with which they overcome hardships, be it personal or institutional. Join the conversation on Facebook >> In this space, I have written about modern-day local chimney sweeps, heroin addiction in La Crescenta, Ramadan at Glendales only mosque, how an Adventist church in Glendale became a beacon of acceptance for the LGBT community, a mens group objecting to womens self-defense classes in the city, the often dangerous problem of driving in Glendale, the wonderful women at the La Crescenta Womans Club, the citys dark past when it comes to race relations, a historic speakeasy hidden beneath a bustling street in Glendale and the forced migration of 1 million people of Mexican descent to Mexico. I have written, at length, about the complex facets of Armenian identity and culture, about food, tradition, ritual, dual identities, the challenges of being in an immigrant America, and how, in order for a city and its people to thrive, we all need to consider each other part of a community. I have written about my personal story, about what it means to be a refugee, a person trying to navigate two, even three different cultures, about my family and relationships. I have written to you from all over the world Mongolia to Germany to Cyprus and England and most recently Detroit, where I have been based for the last year, thanks to a writing fellowship. I have had the pleasure of reading your emails and feedback. Some have been critical and a few pretty terrible and derogatory insult-filled messages. But for the most part, I consistently received notes that encouraged me to keep going whenever I felt I should stop like the man who emailed to tell me I should write a book, the family who came to Detroit and invited me to dinner, the women I met who explained how much they had learned about Armenian culture by reading my columns, the Armenian Americans who reached out to say how much they appreciated my perspective and everyone else who emailed just to say hi and that they enjoyed my work. Ive never had closer interaction with readers on anything I have written than I have had with this column. This speaks volumes about the diverse, passionate and fascinating community in this city, but also about the power and value of local journalism. When I first began writing here over five years ago, I had just ventured into a full-time career as a freelance journalist. It was scary. It was a risk. But there was nothing I wanted to do more than write. Since that time, I have managed to carve out a space for myself in an industry facing immense challenges. My byline has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Newsweek and the BBC. I have received fellowships and reported from some of the most interesting places in the world. Last year, my writing won me a house, which sounds insane, I know. The one thing that remained consistent was this column, and my dedication to staying connected and grounded to the community I grew up in, the one that made me who I am, the one that gave me the perspective I have about the world. I felt honored to have this space, alongside other writers who work very hard to cover this community and all its intricacies and editors who do so much unseen and important work that they dont receive enough credit for. I dont want to leave you. But sustaining journalism, whether youre a publisher or a freelance writer, is becoming tougher and tougher every day. Our need for reporting, analysis and storytelling is more important now than ever. While no one gets into this business to make money, journalists need to be able to financially support their lives in order to bring you the news. A free press is a cornerstone of democracy, but journalists like to eat, too. All of them including the ones at this paper which has been bringing you news since 1905 need any support they can get right now. I will give you the good news last I am not giving up on journalism. In fact, you might find me in these pages from time to time. I will still be writing and trying to make sense of the world through my reporting, and I will most likely still be doing it independently, on my own terms, delving into issues of the people and places on the fringes of society. You can keep in touch with my work through my website, lianaaghajanian.com, or by just sending me an email at liana.agh@gmail.com. Please say hi, I would love to hear from you. Thank you for this space and thank you for reading the best thing any writer could ask for. -- LIANA AGHAJANIAN is a journalist whose work has appeared in L.A. Weekly, Paste magazine, New America Media, Eurasianet and the Atlantic. The LAPD worked closely with the television series, which some called a public relations machine for the department. Staff writer Don Page wrote in the March 10, 1967 Los Angeles Times: Just getting the facts, maam, have become a punctuation for every parody of televisions Dragnetand they have been interminable. Advertisement People are more familiar with Jack Webbs relentless, monotoned investigations than they are with actual police procedure. And Webbs Sgt. Joe Friday is better known in communities everywhere that his real life counterparts. But the LAPD doesnt mind a bit. The department considers Dragnet as an accurate reflection of its methods and morals, ideals and goals. It recognizes Webbs production as completely honest in concept and about 99% truthful in execution. Unmistakable, few TV producers are Jack Webbs peers at gathering evidence, getting the facts maam. Webb is such a maniac on authenticity, it is doubtful if hed film the Civil War unless he could get the original cast. These days, however Jack delegates most of the details to R. A. (Bob) Cinader, his associate producer and story editor. Cinader, a bright young man, is in charge of everything from files to phone calls, public relations and sponsor liaison, pre-production planning and in-production headaches. Also, hes the head scouthe gets the facts. The original Dragnet television series appeared from 1951-1959. In 1967, the series was relaunched with Harry Morgan replacing actor Ben Alexander. This photo by staff photographer Harry Chase was published in the March 10, 1967 Los Angeles Times. This post was originally published in 2010. The European Parliament is pushing for the blocs executive to temporarily reimpose visa requirements for U.S. citizens visiting the European Union in a standoff over Washingtons failure to grant visa-free travel for nationals of five EU countries. The legislature on Thursday urged the European Commission to act within two months. The Commission was legally bound to propose by last April that visas be reintroduced for U.S. citizens for 12 months but the 28-nation blocs member countries preferred to take no action. U.S. citizens can travel to all EU countries without visas but the U.S. hasnt granted visa-free travel to citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. The commission has cautioned that suspending the visa waiver for Americans would also hurt trade, tourism and the European economy. More than two years after a multi-sided civil war erupted inside Yemen that allowed Al Qaedas local franchise to amass power and seize territory, President Trump has directed the Pentagon to embark on a complicated counter-terrorism campaign. Trumps decision, just six weeks into his presidency, intends to reverse the largely unchecked expansion across southern Yemen of the group, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The willingness to expand counter-terrorism operations inside war-torn Yemen was the latest signal that Trump is more willing to defer to military commanders on national security policy than President Obama, who was criticized publicly by three of his four Defense secretaries and privately by uniformed officers for micromanaging the military. Advertisement Over two days this week, armed drones and warplanes conducted more than 30 airstrikes against suspected Al Qaeda positions in three Yemeni provinces, marking the first U.S. attacks in the country since an ill-fated Navy SEAL raid in January that killed two dozen civilians, including women and children, Al Qaeda militants and Chief Petty Officer William Ryan Owens. The aerial bombardment is expected to continue into the coming week. Trump is also considering granting more latitude to U.S. military commanders to conduct operations in Yemen, including more airstrikes and ground raids. The militant group is considered by intelligence officials to be Al Qaedas most dangerous affiliate because of its repeated attempts to attack American targets, including the bombing attempt aboard a U.S.-bound airliner over Detroit in 2009 and a failed attack on two cargo planes headed to Chicago in 2010. The group also claimed responsibility for the shooting that killed 12 people at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2015. No specific threats or plots were being tracked in Yemen, Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday. Rather, he said, the latest strikes were designed to eliminate the Yemeni countryside as a place where they can plot and execute external attacks. The U.S. military did not specify why the operation kicked off this week. Targets inside Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest nation, have been under surveillance for months. U.S. intelligence officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly on ongoing operations, said the information on targeting AQAP more aggressively was presented to the Obama administration in their last month in office, but that they deferred to Trump. Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented the strategy to Trump over dinner in his first week in office. The authority was granted to Gen. Joseph Votel, top U.S. commander in the Middle East, to carry out the Jan. 29 special operations raid and airstrikes on a list of targets. The delegation of authority could be seen as a way for Trump to insulate himself from responsibility when operations go awry. In an interview Thursday on Fox News, Trump was asked about the January raid on a remote compound in Yakla village that devolved into the fierce and deadly shootout. This was a mission that was started before I got here, Trump said. This was something they wanted to do. They came to me, they explained what they wanted to do the generals who are very respected, my generals are the most respected that weve had in many decades, I believe, he added. And they lost Ryan. Later that day, Trump invited Owens widow to his first address to Congress and publicly praised the SEAL as a hero. James J. Carafano, foreign policy and defense analyst for the right-leaning Heritage Foundation who advised the Trump transition, criticized Obama for micromanaging military decisions but said presidents must be willing to accept accountability. You can delegate authority but not responsibility, he said. In a sense, you put your personal reputation at risk. So if you delegate authority and then something goes wrong, because you hold the responsibility, the fault comes back on you. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer defended Trumps strategy, noting that Trump relies heavily on input from military leaders, whereas Obama was criticized for nixing their proposals. He chose these highly qualified individuals because he believes in their expertise and understanding of the issues, Spicer said of Trump. The Pentagon said military operations in Yemen are being coordinated with President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadis fragile government. Yemen has been edging toward anarchy since late 2014, when Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim rebels known as Houthis swept in from their homeland in the countrys northwest corner to seize the capital, Sana. Amid the resulting chaos, the Obama administration closed the U.S. embassy in Sana months later and pulled out special operations forces gathering intelligence and launching drone strikes. When Houthi rebels appeared on the verge of capturing Aden, the countrys economic hub, Arab coalition forces, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, launched a counterattack in March 2015. By then, the rebels had forced Hadi into exile and controlled much of the country. Saudi airstrikes, backed by U.S. intelligence and refueling, chiefly targeted the Houthis, not Al Qaeda. With a relative free hand to operate in Yemen, AQAP has flourished amid the power vacuum, looting banks and raising millions of dollars by extorting companies, imposing taxes and export duties. Within Yemen, where it is not uncommon to see billboards that read USA kills Yemenis, some see U.S. intervention as likely only to make the situation worse. What is happening is really and unfortunately painting a dark picture of the coming period in Yemen, which would be protracted insecurity, instability for many years to come, said Muneer Talal, a 46-year-old TV director from the countrys Taizz governorate. Over the last two years, the Pentagon sporadically launched drone strikes against AQAP leaders, but has struggled to gain intelligence on the inner workings of the group since the U.S. government pulled out of Yemen. The Pentagon remained concerned about the group because of its proven ability to export attacks. We have a lot of gaps in our understanding of the organization, a defense official told reporters on the condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to speak publicly about intelligence. But its clear to us what theyre capable of, what its done in the past, and what it continues to clearly telegraph what it would like to do in the future. The dearth of information prompted, in part, the rare on-the-ground Navy SEAL raid. The intent of the mission was to collect cellphones, laptops and other equipment containing intelligence, and operatives found phone numbers, contact information and data, U.S. officials have said. The captured data, however, is not informing the current military campaign. Times staff writer Michael A. Memoli in Washington and special correspondent Zaid Ahmed in Sana contributed to this report. william.hennigan@latimes.com Twitter: @wjhenn ALSO: Climate change is real: Just ask the Pentagon Overweight, tattooed, stoned? The Pentagon may still want you Captured battlefield cellphones, computers are helping the U.S. target and kill Islamic States leaders As Iraqi security forces battle Islamic State in the streets and alleys of west Mosul, thousands of civilians trapped under the militants rule are taking the opportunity to flee. Yet their escape is a perilous one. They navigate for hours through an active battlefield, where bombs, snipers, mortar rounds and airstrikes are a constant threat. Kids escape to relative safety from #Mosul's Wadi Hajar neighborhood. Fierce clashes. It's a war zone. pic.twitter.com/yRfj4zmMKz Nabih (@nabihbulos) March 4, 2017 Advertisement #Iraq-i forces, wary of #ISIS suicide bombers, ask civilians escaping #Mosul to lift shirt 2 prove they have no explosives. pic.twitter.com/TLcv7hxpo4 Nabih (@nabihbulos) March 4, 2017 Ali Taha Yassin pours water on a woman having a panic attack as she escapes from #Mosul. "I can't breathe." #Iraq pic.twitter.com/Xuw3q5Lv8k Nabih (@nabihbulos) March 4, 2017 Bulos is a special correspondent. ALSO Iraqs offensive against Islamic State militants in western Mosul sends thousands on trek for safety Islamic State has been cranking out car bombs on an industrial scale for the battle of Mosul The underground beauty salon that defied Islamic State in Mosul Hugh Jackman who is known for his role as Wolverine in multiple movies is currently recovering from skin cancer surgery. The actor had his sixth treatment for basal cell carcinoma and assures his fans that he is doing well after the ordeal. The Wolverine actor broke the skin cancer news on his Instagram page where he updated his more than 10 million fans. Hugh Jackman posted a photo of himself after undergoing surgery for basal cell carcinoma which is the sixth treatment he has had in the past couple of years. He adds that the basal cell carcinoma was caught because he's had constant skin checks with his doctors. The "Logan" actor also said that the dressing on his nose is nothing to worry about it. Furthermore, he encouraged fans to wear sunscreen all the time to help prevent skin cancer. Jackman was also in a recent interview with Kelly Ripa and stated that basal cell carcinoma is the "least dangerous" kind of skin cancer. Mail Online reports that the actor was still wearing a bandage on his nose when he appeared on the show. According to ABC News, Jackman has been vocal about raising awareness about the dangers of skin cancer. The actor said that in his youth, the only warning they had when going swimming was to not dive right in after eating. The actor is thankful that society today and his kids now knows more about the benefits of wearing sunscreen and how being tanned is no longer the fad. Prior to the interview, Hugh Jackman was on a promotional tour for his latest movie "Logan." It is his last film where he plays Wolverine for the last time. Are you excited for Hugh Jackman's last Wolverine movie? Tell us your thoughts about the movie in the comments below. In line with the 21st anniversary of Pokemon in Japan, Nintendo 3DS players will receive a treat from the famous online game by giving them a chance to catch the special legendary Pokemon Shiny Tapu Koko. But it will not be an easy task as these codes can only be earned by finishing the story of "Pokemon Go" and Pokemon sun and Moon". Players can determine the event by its color from the customary orange and yellow color to a new peach and black looks. The event which started on February 27 and will end on March 6 has been marked as the celebration of "Pokemon Day" in Japan. According to reports from Korea Portal, the special update can only be provided to those who already got the serial code, once the code is activated, the Shiny little Pokemon will show. Codes can be claimed at any 7-11 stores and the update will also feature a limited edition Pikachu wearing a party hat, all these are available up to March 6 only. Although there has been a lot of events for Pokemon Go players lately, due to the commitment of Niantic Lab to have regular updates on their system, this will be the first time that a legendary Pokemon will be released in "Pokemon Go" and Pokemon Sun and Moon." And because it is "Pokemon Day" in Japan, players can also get a Bottle Cap for them to be able to play it on GameStop stores until March 5, Sunday as per reports from Nintendo Insider. Meanwhile, upgrades are also available to reach special promotions on Pokemon Shuffle and players of Pokemon Trading Card Game Online can receive a special Daily Bonus starting February 27. As Japan marks the 21st anniversary when Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green was launched in 1996, the activities are all jam-packed as players and fans remember their special Pokemon moments by sharing it on Twitter with a hashtag #PokemonDay. In North America, the Pokemon Center has released a new Gallery Figures Collection, featuring Eevee, Mew, Magikarp and Pikachu in a never-before-seen figurine as they are caught with their moves. The new Pikachu Yellow Edition New Nintendo 3DS XL is also now available at retailers in North America, for those that have been looking to upgrade their handheld. Donald Trump and Barack Obama President Donald Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping his phones in October during the late stages of the presidential election campaign, but offered no evidence to support the allegation. "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!," Trump said on Saturday. Trump claimed that though the wiretapping took place, there was "nothing found." "This is McCarthyism!" the president tweeted. Trump didn't offer any evidence to support his bombastic claims. He may have been referring to a Breitbart report about conservative radio host Mark Levin's allegations that Obama sought to "undermine" Trump's campaign in the final days of the presidential election. Obama's spokesman, Kevin Lewis, responded to Trump's claims on Saturday afternoon. "A cardinal rule of the Obama Adminstration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice," Lewis said. "As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen." "Any suggestion otherwise is simply false," Lewis added. Journalists have noted that the wiretaps Trump says he "just found out about" have been reported on for weeks. The FBI reportedly requested a warrant from a FISA court (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance) in October to monitor Trump campaign officials who were suspected of improper ties to the Russian government. A senior US intelligence official told the BBC in January that that warrant had been granted, but that has not been confirmed. Andrew McCarthy, of the conservative-leaning National Review, noted in January that a FISA court doesn't need evidence of a crime to grant a warrant, just evidence amounting to probable cause that the target of the wiretap is an agent of a foreign power. Story continues Ben Rhodes, Obama's former deputy national security adviser, also noted that presidents can't unilaterally authorize wiretaps. "Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you," Rhodes said on Saturday, in reference to Trump. jeff sessions Trump's administration has faced increased scrutiny in recent days over its emerging ties to Russia and amid the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered with the 2016 election. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday recused himself from Justice Department investigations related to Trump's presidential campaign after reports revealed that during his confirmation hearings, he did not disclose two meetings he held with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the presidential campaign. Trump, however, claimed on Saturday that the Obama Administration had set up the meeting between Sessions and Kislyak. "The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs......" Trump tweeted. He also said that Kislyak visited the Obama White House "22 times," though did not offer any evidence to support the claims. Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned in February after revelations that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office. Robert Costa, a Washington Post reporter, said that Trump advisers woke up on Saturday morning "surprised" by Trump's tweets. Administration officials reportedly told Costa they expected Saturday to be a "down day, pretty quiet." Trump's tweets started around 6 a.m. on Saturday, from the Mar-a-Lago. Trump also took a shot at Arnold Schwarzenegger, who announced on Friday that he was leaving "The Apprentice," the show Trump formerly hosted. "Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show," Trump claimed. Here are the tweets: Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Reuters contributed reporting. NOW WATCH: Sessions recuses himself from future investigations into Trump campaign More From Business Insider UPDATE: Mother of 4 killed in Palmer, person of interest dead in N.J. A woman found dead of gunfire Friday afternoon at a Palmer Township home is likely a domestic violence-related homicide victim, investigators said at the scene. Township police responded about 3:40 p.m. to the home in the first block of Saddle Lane, and called right away for the Northampton County Coroner's Office. A family member dialed 911 after finding the woman's body inside a car parked in a garage attached to the home, police said. Police Lt. Wayne Smith said it was too early in the investigation "to say 100 percent it's a homicide." "We're tending to believe it's looking that direction at this point," he said shortly before 5 p.m. Police had a person of interest they were seeking, a 45-year-old man who had possibly dated the victim. Police were not immediately available to confirm if a heavy police presence about 10 miles away, off Dumont Road in Greenwich Township near Stewartsville, was connected to the Palmer case. Police had been to the Palmer home several times for domestic violence, Smith said. Neighbors said police activity at the home appeared to pick up within the past week, and that children of the couple were living there, as well. Township police at least initially appeared to focus their investigation in the garage. A snow squall moved through the area as the probe was beginning but quickly cleared out. This would mark Palmer Township's third gunfire homicide since the unsolved murder of 25-year-old Michael Davis last Nov. 21 outside his Eldridge Avenue home. He had been working at the Verizon store in Forks Township that was robbed the prior month, at the outset of a spree of cellphone store robberies that only on Friday began to yield arrests. Last Thursday night, Dekota Jerome Baptiste, 24, of Easton, allegedly pursued 36-year-old Terrance "Lex" Ferguson into the parking lot of Auto Zone off 25th Street and shot him to death, in what was described as an altercation over a woman. In addition, police are continuing to investigate a pedestrian crash the night of Feb. 8 near the Palmer Park Mall that left 18-year-old Zakaiyah Halley, of Phillipsburg, dead. No one has been charged in that incident. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Northampton County Prison Bars on the window near the entrance of Northampton County Prison. (Rudy Miller | lehighvalleylive.com) An estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses are admitted into jails each year in the United States, according to data from the Stepping Up Initiative. Northampton County Council passed a resolution Thursday that seeks to reduce the number of mentally ill people in the county prison. The resolution also authorizes the county and its workers to participate in Stepping Up, a national initiative launched in May 2015 that aims to reduce the number of mentally ill people held behind bars. The initiative was established jointly with the American Psychiatric Association, National Association of Counties and the Council of State Governments. Once incarcerated, individuals with mental illnesses tend to stay longer in jail and upon release are at a higher risk of returning to incarceration than those without those illnesses, according to initiative literature. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services operates six state hospitals with services for individuals with mental illness. In the last 20 years, the state hospital population has decreased by 70 percent, from nearly 5,000 people with mental illnesses to 1,568, according to DHS. DHS announced in January that it would be closing Norristown State Hospital's civil unit over the next two years. It had room for 122 individuals with mental illnesses. Several members of Northampton County Council said they are concerned that releasing people with mental illnesses from hospitals correlates to an increase in those people being picked up and put in prison. "Just because you close the state facilities, it doesn't mean the problem goes away," Council President John Cusick said. "It just rears its head elsewhere." Councilman Hayden Phillips expressed a similar concern. "You wonder why there are so many psychiatric patients in our prison," Phillips said. "Where did they think they were going to go?" The county resolution requests that County Executive John Brown create a team to address the issue and collect and review data on the prevalence of people with mental illnesses in jail. The initiative will also examine treatment and service capacity and identify policy and resource barriers. The goal is to minimize individuals' contact with the justice system and provide needed treatment and support. The final aspect of the initiative would develop a plan with measurable outcomes and create a process to track and report on progress. John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The death took place last week of long-time Clane resident and retired teacher, Una Heffernan, who spent thirty years teaching at Scoil Naomh Brid in Celbridge. A native of County Antrim, Una passed away on February 27, following a short battle with illness. At her funeral mass, her daughter, Eibhlin, spoke about her mother and her values. Una was the eldest of ten children, five boys and five girls. Eibhlin said Una benefited from the 1947 Education Act and did the 11 Plus exam at St Dominics High School, learning the Irish language in the process. She moved to Coventry in the UK to train as a teacher at St Pauls. She met Jim there and they married in 1967, living in Derby initially. They moved to Ireland in 1972, first to Leixlip and then, in 1978, to Clane. Una taught in Tallaght and then at St Brigids School in Celbridge. Eibhlin said she taught a number of generations and was held in high respect. She had a love of Irish, arts and crafts and history, and was involved in the local history group. She had values and work ethic and she empowered her daughters, said Eibhlin. She made all our communion dresses. Retiring in 2005, Una loved to travel and enjoyed trips to the USA and Australia, among other places. She was involved in teacher training in Marino. Una was particularly delighted by her grandsons, Cormac and Aidan. Her all too sudden passing has hit us hard, said Eibhlin. Jim and Una would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August. Una is survived by her husband, Jim, daughters Eibhlin, Deirdre and Roisin, sons-in-law Allen, Nathan and Micheal, grandsons Cormac and Aidan. She was laid to rest in Mainham Cemetery after mass last Thursday. Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald is due to launch the 48th annual Lions District Convention at Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge at 9.30am this morning. The conference will be followed by the District Governors Ball a stylish black tie event at 7.30pm this evening. Over 250 national and international delegates arrived in Kildare yesterday as Mayor Ivan Keatley precided over a civic reception at Kildare Village at 4.30pm. Members of Irelands 108 Lions clubs have gathered in Newbridge for the event. This is the Lions International Centenary Year. Throughout the event, the delegates will formally approve a multi-faceted service programme to mark the centenary of the foundation of Lions International in 1917. Projects already launched include raising up to 150,000 for a Guide Dogs breeding and training programme and a bid to make local communities Better Places to Live Work and Play through the Better Ireland Challenge project. Speaking in advance of the Convention, Paul Allen, District Governor of Lions International, said that Lions work extends into many aspects of Irish life, through projects designed to serve local communities. In addition to our centennial projects, we will be continuing and often expanding programmes in health screening, care of the elderly, homelessness, education, youth development, suicide prevention and anti-bullying, he said Tanaiste Fitzgerald will be guest of honour at the convention, which features speakers such as Alison de Bruir of the UN Special Tribunal on Lebanon, Nils Orun from Lions Norway District, Judge Haynes Townsend from Lions International USA and Phil Nathan from Lions Multiple District (UK and Ireland). In the week of the Oscars awards in Hollywood in Los Angeles, the Hollywood just over the Wicklow border was featured in a special programme shown on TG4. The programme was the latest in the series Hollywood in Eirinn which looks at the impact on local communities when major international films were being shot in Ireland. And this one was about the making of Dancing at Lughnasa back in 1998. Starring Meryl Streep, much of this film was shot on location in Hollywood in west Wicklow. The TG4 programme included striking footage of local landmarks like Tuttys Pub and the Hollywood Inn as well as interviews with locals Theresa Nugent, Johnny OKeeffe, Ita Roddy and Johnny Glennon. The first half of the programme is dominated by Hollywood and it also highlights the iconic photograph of film star Meryl Streep taken at the time with local publican, the late Jim Tutty. Hollywood people still recall this as an occasion when two Hollywood greats - one global, the other local were photographed together. The programme can still be viewed on the TG4 Player here. Last August, the ISPCC ran a hugely successful abseil in Croke Park where participants had the opportunity to abseil off the roof of the stadium. The feedback from those who took part was extremely positive so the charity has decided to run the event again this April! So get your wits out, youre going to need them! Fergal DArcy from Today FM, who launched the abseil last year, said: I loved being part of this event last year but it certainly tests the old nerves! If youre someone whos looking for a challenge, this is definitely the one for you. Its exhilarating and exciting and you need to see that incredible view of Dublin! Get out there and make some money for Childline! Home to the headquarters of the GAA, Croke Park is the third-largest stadium in Europe. The iconic grounds present a unique venue for the ISPCC Abseil, which will take place on the Saturday 29th and Sunday, April 30, 2017. Participants are asked to pay a deposit of 50 and fundraise a minimum of 200. The abseil is ideal for office days out or if youre just feeling like a challenge! Mike OShea from Work at Height, who are operating the abseil, stated: Croke Park is an amazing location for abseiling and were really looking forward to the event in October! Abseiling is a great challenge and something that you will probably not get the chance to do that often so its worth it to take the opportunity. You can also help out a great cause in the ISPCC. Places are limited so to ensure your place register here For more information or if you have any question please contact corporate@ispcc.ie. Childline is the only 24-hour listening service which seeks to support and empower children and young people in Ireland. Last year, Childline had conversations with over 420,000 children and young people who contacted the service for help and advice with wide-ranging serious issues, including abuse, violence, exploitation, addiction and suicide. That is an astounding 1,150 contacts by children a day, on issues that no child should encounter. Raising money from the ISPCC Abseil can help us make a real difference. As little as 10 will pay for 10 text conversations to our Talk Text service while 300 will sponsor a childs mentoring visits for one month. 500 will help to recruit, select and train a Childline volunteer. The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) released its official statistics for the month of February which show that new car registrations were down -21% (17,128) compared to the same month in 2016 (21,573). With the total new car registrations for 2017 down -8% (56,110) on the same period last year (61,295). Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) have also seen a decrease in February -28% (2,504) when compared to February 2016 (3,457) and are currently down -11% (8,869) year to date. While Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations were up +5% for the month of February (271) but remain down -2% (727) on that of the previous year (745). Commenting on the figures Alan Nolan SIMI Director General said We have been anticipating lower numbers in February compared to 2016, with Brexit continuing to impact on used vehicle imports, with fewer working days this year and with less hire-drive cars because of a later Easter but these numbers are somewhat poorer than we had hoped. The Industry projections for the year suggest a market close to 140,000 for 2017, compared to 147,000 last year, but as Economist Jim Power stated previously, predicting the new car market for this year is going to be far more difficult than usual. Locally, the figures show that new car registrations for the first two months of the year in Co Leitrim was 283, down from 294 in 2016, a drop of 3.74%. In Cavan the figure was 763, up 2.28% from 746. Roscommon 641 from 675, -5.04% Sligo 539 from 639, -15.65% Longford 321 from 340, a fall of 5.59% And, Donegal 1,372 from 1,647, -16.7%. Pictured is Freya Whitney, age 7 from Leitrim with her self-portrait which was displayed as part of a once off gallery on the railings of Merrion Square Park recently. Over 300 self-portraits of children in Ireland were displayed on the railings of Merrion Square Park in a special once off gallery last week. This outdoor portrait gallery was organised by The Ark, the cultural centre for children in Temple Bar. This March they will hold a visual arts programme in their lovely Eustace street building all about portraiture, but in advance of this they put out a call to children all across Ireland to be part of this unique outdoor gallery. Submissions were received from across the country and lots of children came by to see their portrait hung alongside the many others. These self-portraits will also be on display in The Ark in March as part of the portraiture programme. For more info on The Ark go to www.ark.ie News from the land of Twitter: Jackie Pearcey selected as @LibDems candidate for Manchester Gorton Cllr. John Leech (@johnleechmcr) March 4, 2017 Jackie is a fabulous candidate. She has 20 years experience as a Gorton councillor. Shes brilliant. I first met her in a queue at the Torquay conference in 1993 and I just love her plain-speaking manner and sense of humour. There couldnt be a better person to fly the Lib Dem flag. Shes in the centre of the photo in between Mamchester mayoral candidate Jane Brophy and the one-man opposition to Labour Cllr John Leech. That man gives Labour in Manchester a million times more trouble than Corbyns Labour gives to Theresa Mays Brexit Government. Well bring you the official announcements when they are made. And here it comes: Jackie Pearcey was the overwhelming choice of party members at a packed selection meeting on Saturday afternoon to become the Liberal Democrat candidate in Manchester Gorton. This is for the by-election following the death of the late MP Sir Gerald Kaufman in what is already building into a competitive two horse race between Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Jackie served as a Councillor in Manchester Gorton for over 20 years. Jackie Pearcey said: I am really excited to have been selected by the Liberal Democrats to be the candidate in this by-election. Sir Gerald Kaufman served this area extremely well and it will be both a challenge and an honour to fill his shoes. Manchester Gorton deserves a local champion to stand up for our community against Theresa Mays hard Brexit plans, against the wishes of local people. Labour cant stand up for us whilst theyre too busy arguing amongst themselves in Westminster and supporting the Tories on Brexit. Labour have also failed locally, just this week increasing council tax for Manchesters poorest residents by 22%. It is clear that Labour has been treating Manchester like a one-party state and has been taking it for granted for too long. It is also vital that Manchester Gorton has someone to stand up for local NHS services, and defends them from Tory cuts. This great area deserves better. Update 2: Tony has mentioned this Manchester Evening News article in the comments and I thought it was worth putting in the main site just to show you how functional, together and united the local Labour Party in Gorton is. Last year a mammoth falling-out between different factions and personalities reached its zenith at a Levenshulme branch meeting. As with all things to do with Gorton CLP it can be difficult to get to the actual facts but suffice to say the police were called in amid claims of vote-rigging, abuse and intimidation. A letter from regional office to the CLP at the time said allegations related to the conduct of Labour party members both during and outside of Labour party meetings, as well as to the conduct of members of the CLP executive committee in administering internal ballots. It had received complaints from members fearing for their safety, it added. In contrast, the same paper observes in a different article that the Liberal Democrats are intent on giving Labour a run for their money in Gorton. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings The Northern Ireland election results are now in and they show some very encouraging trends for those of us with a liberal outlook. Our sister party, the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, won 8 seats and got its highest vote share in 28 years. Although their number of seats stays the same at 8, in an Assembly that is 18 seats smaller, that is a major achievement. It also increased its first preference vote share by over 2%. Voters also sent a message that they were opposed to Brexit with the biggest losers being the unionist parties, who lost 16 of the 18 seats. The DUP famously gave more than 400,000 to the Leave campaign. The impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland, particularly on the border with the Irish Republic, would be devastating as Nick Clegg wrote recently. On her Facebook page, Alliance leader Naomi Long summed up a good night for the party: Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland spokesperson Alison Suttie had this to say about the election result: This is a very strong result for Naomi Long and the Alliance Party. It is clear that an increasing number of people in Northern Ireland want to see a progressive, liberal and vibrant community which celebrates diversity as a strength. With the Conservative government determined to pull Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole towards a hard Brexit, it has never been more important for Northern Ireland to have a strong, stable Executive, working in the interests of everyone in Northern Ireland and the whole community. The interests of Northern Ireland as a whole, having voted strongly to remain in the EU, are greater than the issues which cause division in the community. In the face of this challenge, I sincerely hope that all of the political parties in Northern Ireland will adopt a mature and reflective response in the forthcoming weeks, for the sake of the future for all the people of Northern Ireland. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings VANCOUVER, BC --(Marketwired - March 03, 2017) - Sarama Resources Ltd. (the "Company" or "Sarama") advises that Savary Gold Corp. ("Savary"), the operator of the Karankasso Project Joint Venture7 between Sarama and Savary, provided an update on March 3, 2017 of ongoing drilling campaigns. The drilling was undertaken across multiple target zones in the Serakoro 1 property within the Karankasso Project area. Highlights 24 holes totalling approximately 3,000 metres of reverse-circulation (" RC ") were completed. Downhole intersections highlighted by Savary include: HE-RC-17-006 11m @ 2.26 g/t Au from 84m including 4m @ 4.00 g/t Au from 89m HE-RC-17-007 3m @ 2.51 g/t Au from 64m including 1m @ 6.50 g/t Au from 64m HE-RC-17-009 7m @ 1.85 g/t Au from 28m including 3m @ 3.19 g/t Au from 32m HE-RC-17-010 4m @ 2.20 g/t Au from 50m including 2m @ 3.90 g/t Au from 52m HE-RC-17-012 17m @ 2.55 g/t Au from 18m including 7m @ 3.45 g/t Au from 27m; and 1m @ 11.05 g/t Au from 32m HE-RC-17-014 3m @ 2.26 g/t Au from 34m including 1m @ 5.44 g/t Au from 35m HE-RC-17-019 6m @ 14.66 g/t Au from 30m including 4m @ 21.69 g/t Au from 31m; incl. 1m @ 78.10 g/t Au from 32m 5m @ 1.69 g/t Au from 47m Follow-up drilling on selected targets is planned for Q1/Q2 2017. Note: mineralisation true widths are estimated at 65-80% of listed downhole intersection lengths except HE-RC-006 and HE-RC-007 where there is not enough information to estimate true widths Note: assays in hole HE-RC-17-019 have been top-cut to 30 g/t Au to produce main reported composite Further details of these drill results, including sampling and QA/QC procedures, are contained in Savary's news release dated March 3, 2017. Sarama's President and CEO, Andrew Dinning, commented: "The results reflect early stage exploration on the Serakoro 1 property. Sarama looks forward to the integration of recently collected geophysical, geochemical and prospecting data into the forward exploration program to reinforce target quality." Story continues ABOUT SARAMA RESOURCES LTD Sarama Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: SWA) is a West African focused gold explorer with substantial landholdings in Burkina Faso. Sarama is focused on consolidating under-explored landholdings in Burkina Faso and other established mining jurisdictions. Sarama's flagship properties are situated within the Company's South Hounde Project area in south-west Burkina Faso. Located within the prolific Hounde Greenstone Belt, Sarama's exploration programs have built on significant early success to deliver an inferred mineral resource estimate of 2.1 Moz gold1,2. Acacia Mining plc is earning up to a 70% interest in the South Hounde Project by satisfying certain conditions, including funding earn-in expenditures of up to US$14 million, over a 4-year earn-in period and may acquire an additional 5% interest, for an aggregate 75% interest in the Project, upon declaration of a minimum mineral reserve of 1.6 million ounces of gold. Sarama holds a 31% participating interest in the Karankasso Project Joint Venture ("JV") which is situated adjacent to the Company's South Hounde Project in Burkina Faso and is a JV between Sarama and Savary Gold Corp. ("Savary"). Savary is the operator of the JV and in October 2015, declared a maiden inferred mineral resource estimate of 671,000 ounces of contained gold3,4 at the Karankasso Project JV. Sarama has also agreed to acquire a 100% interest in the Bondi Deposit from Orezone Gold Corporation (refer news release May 24, 2016). Bondi has a historical estimate of mineral resources of 0.3Moz Au (measured and indicated) and 0.1Moz Au (inferred)5,6. Together, the South Hounde Project, Bondi Deposit and the Karankasso Project form a cluster of advanced gold deposits, within trucking distance of one another, which potentially offers a development option for a multi-source fed central processing facility in the southern Hounde Belt region of Burkina Faso. Incorporated in 2010, the Company's Board and management team have a proven track record in Africa and a strong history in the discovery and development of large-scale gold deposits. Sarama is well positioned to build on its current success with a sound exploration strategy across its property portfolio. 43.0 Mt @ 1.5 g/t Au (reported above cut-off grades ranging 0.3-2.2 g/t Au, reflecting the mining methods and processing flowsheets assumed to assess the likelihood of the inferred mineral resources having reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction) The effective date of the Company's inferred mineral resource estimate is February 4, 2016. For further information regarding the mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report South Hounde Project Update, Bougouriba and Ioba Provinces, Burkina Faso," dated March 31, 2016. The technical report is available under Sarama Resources Ltd.'s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. 9.2 Mt @ 2.3 g/t Au (at a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off) The effective date of the Karankasso Project JV mineral resource estimate is October 7, 2015. For further information regarding the mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "Technical Report and Resource Estimate on the Karankasso Project, Burkina Faso," dated October 7, 2015. The technical report is available under Savary Gold Corp's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Sarama has not independently verified Savary's mineral resource estimate and takes no responsibility for its accuracy. 4.1Mt @ 2.1g/t Au for 282,000 oz Au (measured and indicated) and 2.5Mt @ 1.8g/t Au for 149,700 oz Au (inferred), reported at a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off The effective date of the historical estimate of the Bondi Deposit mineral resource estimate is February 20, 2009. For further information regarding the mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "Technical Report on the Mineral Resource of the Bondigui Gold Project," dated February 20, 2009. The technical report is available under Orezone Gold Corporation's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Sarama has 31% and Savary Gold has 69% ownership interests CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Information in this news release that is not a statement of historical fact constitutes forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information includes statements regarding the use of proceeds from the private placement, for drilling and geochemical and geophysical surveys at the South Hounde Project, the Earn-In Agreement with Acacia, including the amounts that may be spent on exploration and interests in the South Hounde Project that may be earned by Acacia upon making certain expenditures and estimating a minimum reserve, the potential to expand the present oxide component of the Company's existing estimated mineral resources,, future exploration plans and the potential development of the Bondi, Karankasso and South Hounde Projects on a combined basis. Actual results, performance or achievements of the Company may vary from the results suggested by such forward-looking statements due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such factors include, among others, that the business of exploration for gold and other precious minerals involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative in nature; Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves, they do not have demonstrated economic viability, and there is no certainty that they can be upgraded to Mineral Reserves through continued exploration; few properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; the actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. There can be no assurance that any mineralisation that is discovered will be proven to be economic, or that future required regulatory licensing or approvals will be obtained. However, the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, Acacia's continued funding of exploration activities, the Company's ability to carry on its exploration activities, the sufficiency of funding, the timely receipt of required approvals, the price of gold and other precious metals, that the Company will not be affected by adverse political events, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain further financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Sarama does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. QUALIFIED PERSONS' STATEMENT Scientific or technical information in this news release that relates to the preparation of the Company's mineral resource estimate is based on information compiled or approved by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered to be independent of Sarama Resources Ltd. Adrian Shepherd is a Chartered Professional Member in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Adrian Shepherd consents to the inclusion in this news release of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. Scientific or technical information in this news release that relates to the preparation of the Karankasso Project's mineral resource estimate is based on information compiled or approved by Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa. Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa are employees of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and are considered to be independent of Savary Gold Corp. and Sarama Resources Ltd. Antoine Yassa is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Eugene Puritch is a member in good standing of Professional Engineers Ontario. Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa have sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which they are undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa consent to the inclusion in this news release of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. Sarama has not independently verified Savary's mineral resource estimate and takes no responsibility for its accuracy. Scientific or technical information in this news release, in respect of the Bondi Deposit relating to mineral resource and exploration information drawn from the Technical Report prepared for Orezone on that deposit has been approved by Guy Scherrer. Guy Scherrer is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Guy Scherrer consents to the inclusion in this report of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. A LIMERICK city man who is accused of multiple counts of rape and sexual assault is to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court. The 44-year-old defendant, who has an address in the city centre, faces 67 charges relating to four different alleged victims. According to court papers, three of the alleged victims are male while the fourth is female. Their ages were not disclosed in open court during brief proceedings last week. The offences are alleged to have happened at a number of different addresses on the northside of the city on dates between 1991 and 2002. At a sitting of Limerick District Court, Judge Mary Larkin was told a book of evidence had been completed and a copy served on the defendant. Sergeant John Moloney, prosecuting, said given the nature of the charges, the DPP consented to the matter being sent forward for trial at Central Criminal Court. Judge Larkin noted this and after issuing the statutory warning in relation to alibi evidence, she extended legal aid to include a barrister and senior counsel. The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded on continuing bail pending his appearance before the Central Criminal Court later in the year. It is likely that a trial date will be fixed for winter or early next year. RESIDENTS opposed to the 150m Northern Distributor Road have accused Limerick City and County Council of contempt after the authority brought fresh plans. As exclusively revealed by the Limerick Leader in January, Limerick City and County Council has brought forward fresh plans for the road, which will link the Mountshannon Road, Lisnagry, and the Dublin Road. The original plans, which were rejected decisively by councillors back in 2015, would have seen the road cross the Shannon from the citys northside before continuing to the Cappamore Junction and the Dublin Road. The revised proposals, however, will show the road broadly taking the same route, but with a new roundabout built to link the old Dublin/Castleconnell Road. A second roundabout would also be included near the Daughters of Charity in Lisnagry, which will link to the Dublin Road, which connects Annacotty, and Castletroy. Its understood an overpass would be built over the Mountshannon Road. Ultimately, the new plans show, the road will link to the M7. However, in a hard hitting statement, the East Limerick Action Group which counts residents of Mountshannon Road among its members, has predicted there is no chance this reckless and counterproductive proposal will ever go ahead. But its still astonishing to see Limerick Council back again with a proposal which will greatly increase the probability of massive and regular flooding of large areas around Annacotty, Castleconnell and the Mountshannon Road, as well as destroying a special area of conservation, the residents statement said. For its part, a council spokesperson said they are satisfied the proposed Northern Distributor Road will not increase the risk of flooding or worsen existing flooding in the areas impacted by the road. They pledged to work with the Office of Public Works to improve flood defence infrastructure along the corridor. Valerie Foley, who chairs the East Limerick Action Group set up in opposition to these proposals, claimed that the proposals will see the Treaty County lose out to the Banner, as it will enable development on the Clare side of the University of Limerick's campus. The main beneficiaries of this proposal will be Clare and the University of Limerick who want to jointly construct facilities on the Clare side of the campus. So we in Limerick will take the pain, while Clare County Council which has fought every proposed boundary extension tooth and nail will take the gain, Ms Foley claimed. Ms Foley added she believes the councillors vote to reject the original route has been ignored but predicted when the fresh plans come for discussion in May, they will also be vetoed. A council spokesperson added the proposed road is a key infrastructural requirement to facilitate the future development needs of Limerick and its environs and to accommodate strategic connectivity and access in a regional context. PHOTOGRAPHER Gerry Andrews has found that the generosity of people he has met around the world during his travels can pose unexpected and unique difficulties. But after travelling the globe he has come up with an easy get-out clause, without causing offence. How can you say No when someone offers you a tarantula and its a delicacy in the Amazon rainforest, and you dont want to cause offence? Or how do you say no to intestines with fresh blood, or a feast of raw snake? he asked the audience who gathered at the opening of his travel photography exhibition, Faces and Places: A Photographers Journey, in the Hunt Museum on Friday last. He developed a bit of a fail safe position, a little white lie, and now his default mechanism when offered some rare treat is to say its the month of St Patrick at home in Ireland and my religion prevents me from eating anything other than rice and cereal bars. That gets me out of a lot of difficulty, he laughed. As he opened his first major photographic show in four years, he felt the same sense of anticipation as he did when he first showed his now iconic collection of black and white images of the forgotten faces of Limerick, from the Milk Market, to a worldwide audience. The subject matter of both run in the same vein people, their life stories and struggles, and capturing the essence of human dignity irrespective of the hardships they have borne. The context and the location may differ on this occasion, but his minds eye remains focused on one undisputable quality. Mr Andrews, who hails from Wolfe Tone Street in the city but who has lived in Dublin for decades, said a certain sense of deja vu came over him on Friday night. When he opened the last collection, he was very apprehensive in case people felt I was depicting people as Frank McCourt did in Angelas Ashes. But nothing could be further from the truth. Worries washed over him again at the weekend, as he feared he may not do his subjects justice. How can a photograph capture the smells, the sounds, and the assault on the senses when you travel through south east Asia and India? Its just not possible for a camera to capture that. How can a camera do justice to a sunrise over the Himalayas? Or capture the tranquility and the reverence of a monk as hes meditating in Burma? Its just not possible. Equally, its not possible for a camera to capture the generosity and sheer willingness of people to share what little they have with a traveller in impoverished communities. Theres a similarity between the Milk Market and some of the places Ive been to, because people are fundamentally the same the world over, and in many respects those from an impoverished environment tend to be the most generous and Ive been astonished and amazed by the generosity of people as Ive travelled, said Mr Andrews. Professor Vincent Cunnane, president of Limerick Institute of Technology, who opened the exhibition, which runs for the month, said the large attendance was testament to Gerry and his enduring appeal. Prof Cunnane praised his body of compelling images, through his tremendous range of technical skills and his engagement with humanity, the combination of which has produced a form of high art. He brought his iconic images of Limerick people to a worldwide audience, and now he has brought his worldwide images to a local audience. The connection is still people; its still real. Taking in scenes from across Europe, south east Asia, Ethiopia, Cuba, and north America, it runs until Sunday, March 26. P 14 city edition for pictures THERE will be no St Patricks Day parade in Newcastle West this year. Not for the first time, Newcastle West will be the only major town in the county without a parade and citizens will have to go to Abbeyfeale or Rathkeale or as far as the city if they want to celebrate on the national holiday. It is very disappointing, said publican Pat Whelan, one of a small group of people who have helped organise the parade in the town for the past three years. It was missing for a couple of years and we revived it. We had 4000 people in town last year, he pointed out. We felt we did well in the last three years. But Mr Whelan and his group of co-organisers which included MC Seamus Hennessy felt they were pushed out when a public meeting was called in the town last year about the 2017 parade.. I wasnt able to attend. I was out of the country. And Seamus Hennessy was also out of the country, Mr Whelan said, adding that nothing was heard afterwards about what transpired at that meeting. We said then, let them off. Let them run it, Mr Whelan added. But the man who called that public meeting, auctioneer and community activist Pat ODonovan, gave up on the idea when only two others and himself turned up for it. He had called the meeting, he explained, because last years parade in Newcastle West was harmless and he wanted to see if people could be galvanised to organise a bigger parade in 2017. As far as I am concerned Rathkeale is the number one parade in the county, he declared. With such a poor response to his call in Newcastle West, he then left it lie. If people want to get involved, they come out in numbers. Besides, he added: I believe it is the community council and not individuals who should be organising the parade. However, the chairman of the Community Council, Michael Finucane did not entirely agree. He pointed out that it was the businesses in the town who are the main beneficiaries of the parade. There are a lot more members in the Business Association than in the Community Council, he said, adding that it was not the intention of Newcastle West Community Council to try and organise this years parade. It would be too late to try to organise it at this stage anyway, he said. However, he was more optimistic about the future and in particular is hoping that a new Development Association which is being proposed under a new five-year plan for the town, could take on board the organisation of a parade. This new association, Mr Finucane said, would hopefully act as an umbrella group for all the organisations in the town. Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the Newcastle West Business Association, Vicki OSullivan said it was her hope that even at this eleventh hour it might be possible to get something organised. She intended putting out feelers, she told the Limerick Leader this Wednesday, to see if a community-based parade was still feasible. LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 3, 2017 / When the Core Academy was unveiled to the public of Southern Nevada in 2015, the Tomchin Class of 2022, a cohort of sixth grade Scholars, were also introduced to the community through a touching ceremony. This group, earning their namesake from local philanthropist Stanley Tomchin, is comprised of under resourced students who dream big and work hard. With the mission to strengthen character, build brilliant minds and create brighter futures, through the Core Academy these youths will enjoy uninhibited support in the pursuit of both their immediate and long-term goals. Now a comprehensive after-school program, basic needs provider and mentoring initiative, the Core Academy's origins date back to 1981, when a compassionate businessman in New York vowed to a class of sixth graders from less-fortunate families in Harlem that he would provide college tuition to all who graduated from high school. This visionary deed led to the creation of a nationwide program helping low-income students achieve their goals. In 1996, the Las Vegas chapter was launched, serving the children of the Bud Weeks Plaza housing project for over 16 years. In that time, 99% of the over 100 students served graduated from high school and went on to either post-secondary education or gainful employment. In 2012, the Southern Nevada chapter was founded by Lindsay Harper, the current executive director of the Core Academy, when she established the existing school based model that serves the entire sixth-grade class at West Prep Academy. Two years later, retired professional games player turned philanthropist Stanley Tomchin became aware of the initiative and immediately offered the full-fledged support of his fund, the Tomchin Family Charitable Foundation. Initially, Tomchin generously provided the capital funding to launch a second cohort of Scholars, the aforementioned Tomchin Class of 2022. His continued support, however, allowed the foundation to innovate and scale the model to reach more students and become the multifaceted, Character Education driven program it is today. "We want to bridge the gap for them [the Scholars], so anything they need to be successful in life and reach their full potential we are there to provide," said Harper, "Stan really provides the funding for us to be able to do that." Currently, Tomchin's donations go directly to the Core Academy's basic needs, academic engagement, character education, mentoring, and cultural enrichment programs. Story continues Known throughout his career as the world's most successful professional games player, Stanley Tomchin now resides in Nevada and focuses his time on philanthropic efforts. Inspired by the humanitarian actions of his sister, Joy, in 2005 Stanley founded the Tomchin Family Charitable Foundation with the goal of improving Nevada's health, education, arts and quality of life sectors. Each year, the foundation reviews the performance of approximately forty organizations and provides the resources necessary to enact benevolent changes throughout the community. On a national and international scale, Tomchin also strongly supports environmental activist groups, including Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Stanley Tomchin Passionate Philanthropist and Tennis Player: http://stanleytomchinnews.com Stanley Tomchin - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stanley-Tomchin-592476647495756/ Stanley Tomchin - Raises Reproductive Health Awareness Through Support of Pathfinder International: http://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/stanley-tomchin--raises-reproductive-health-awareness-through-support-of-pathfinder-international-20170302-01812 Contact Information: StanleyTomchinNews.com www.stanleytomchinnews.com contact@stanleytomchinnews.com SOURCE: Stanley Tomchin Oct 8, 2020, 3 PM Gottfried Honegger, of Schmerikon, Switzerland, recently reported the discovery of a position 98 of the 6-rappen before the repair (left). All other known examples of position 98 show the background below the ZU of ZURICH retouched (right). The red rosettes are the more common cancellations on the Zurich 4-rappen and 6r cantonal issues. The same rosette struck in black also is commonly found. Unveiling Classic Stamps By Sergio Sismondo During the centuries when Europe was dominated by the Holy Roman Empire, the region now comprising Switzerland was part of the empire but was considered to be a land without political unity. Gradually, however, the people of one valley and then another formed local governments that became known as cantons. From 1351, Zurich was a member of the confederation of independent cantons, with sovereign and autonomous governments. In fact, in 1351 Zurich was named the capital city of the confederation. Being the capital involved few centralized functions, because each canton was fiercely protective of its powers and institutions. The union was bound together mostly by historical and cultural commonalities. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter It was a fact of life, like snowfall and the occasional avalanche, that foreign powers attacked Swiss frontiers in relentless pursuit of annexation. Austrians were at it more than others, but French and Germans occasionally participated as well. William Tell (Philately of Switzerland, Linns March 13 issue), an able warrior and leader, became the principal symbol of Swiss defense against imperialist aggressors. All the able-bodied population, bar no one, acquired the skills and weapons to fight incursions. All, in one way or another, followed the example of William Tell. This characteristic of Switzerland, which some might find to be anachronistic, is still very much alive today and in large part accounts for Switzerlands continuous independence despite two world wars and other regional conflagrations that redrew the maps for many other countries. The last time Switzerland was seriously disrupted by a foreign power was in 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte subjugated Switzerland to his will, in a moment of misguided euphoria, and created the Helvetic Republic, governed by a centralized government under the command of his appointed puppet ruler with the fancy title of Le Landammann de la Suisse. But the centralized new republic did not last long only about five years. Between 1803 and 1815, many Swiss institutions devolved their activities and legitimate authority to the cantons. A Tiny Bit of Postal History Written communications between cantons were of fundamental importance for business. Their passage was complicated. All letters were posted unpaid, with all charges to be paid by the addressee. It is said that it was better that way, because prepaying postage could be interpreted as a put down, suggesting the addressee was too impoverished to afford the postage due. Cantons had different currencies and different tariffs, which meant that a letter crossing several cantons received a number of rate markings, which to the modern collector are practically indecipherable. Consider the astonishing fact, for instance, that before 1848 in Switzerland, there were 19 different currencies in circulation. Nonetheless, and in spite of such fragmentation, the confederation sailed through the centuries with few troubles other than the frequent requirement to call up an army to defend one or another frontier. At the time of Napoleons Helvetic Republic, the diverse postal systems of each canton disappeared, to be replaced by a central postal authority. But, along with other institutions, quickly after the return of normality in 1803, the centralized post office gave way to a return of postal institutions governed by the cantons. A more thorough example of devolution is hard to find in European history. The Advent of Zurich Stamps Having studied the positive experiences reported by the British postal administration after the introduction of stamps for the prepayment of postage, and the rate reductions that accompanied, the administrator of posts of Zurich submitted a report to his cantonal government detailing the advantages gained by the British. The report suggested Canton Zurich should implement the same method of prepayment with adhesive postage stamps and similar uniform reduction of rates that went along with the reform. This report was dated August 1842. The report suggested new rates of postage: 4 rappen for city mail, and 6r for cantonal mail, for single-weight letters. The thought was also advanced that this simplification would greatly reduce the work burden of postal clerks, thus rendering the entire system more efficient. Deliberations were not prolonged, and the Zurich State Council decided, during its meeting of Jan. 21, 1843, to introduce postage stamps and reduced tariffs in their territory for prepayment of postage in the same manner as the British. A few weeks later, on March 1, 1843, with characteristic Swiss efficiency, stamps denominated 4r and 6r were produced by lithography in the printing shop of Orell, Fussli & Company, of Zurich. A decree enshrined the new rates exactly as suggested by the administrator five months before: franking for a local letter was decreed to be 4r, and for letters traveling beyond city limits, anywhere in the canton, the postage required was 6r. For local mail, 30,000 stamps were printed, and about 165,000 stamps were produced for cantonal mail. The stamps were black and rectangular and of about the same size as those of Great Britain. But the similarities end there. There was no queen or king to glorify. The main feature in the design is the numeral: 4 or 6. Above, in the frame provided, is written ZURICH. Below, also in the frame, is stated the purpose of the adhesive: Local-Taxe for the lower denomination and Cantonal Taxe for the higher denomination. On the sides are inconspicuous ornaments. In the background is a tightly woven crisscross pattern of thin lines. The strong shadows given to the numerals create the effect of three-dimensionality, almost as if the numbers were floating above the background texture. The design is elegant for its simplicity and lack of pretension. The Printing The stamps were manually etched five times, and a transfer plate was made showing the five types, naturally showing minor differences between each image. The strip of five stamps was then transferred 20 times onto the lithographic printing stone, yielding, therefore, sheets of 100 stamps. Minor flaws appeared in the stone, and several retouches were made for correction and improvement. The printing was made on white paper with fine red lines running across it in a determined pattern. These lines can be vertical or horizontal, depending in which direction the paper was introduced in the lithographic press. A brownish gum was applied to the sheets before the stamps were sent to post offices. A huge variety of forgeries exist, from very obvious to extremely dangerous. If the reader has examples thought to be genuine, it is best to submit them for expertization. The Cancellations The stamps were distributed to post offices beginning in early March 1843. They were canceled with different devices. The more common cancellations are the red rosettes, as shown nearby. The same rosette struck in black also is commonly found. Needless to say the red postmarks are more attractive on the black background. Less common are the P.P. cancellations, of which there are several types. All other cancellations, including circular town-dated postmarks are very scarce to very rare. Reprints The French Legation in Zurich, in 1862, requested a second printing of the two stamps for archival purposes. This was executed with great care, with the difference that plain white paper was used, without the red background lines. Stamps from this second printing are available in the philatelic market, and are themselves rather rare and valuable. The idea of reprinting stamps for archives and museums had become widely accepted in Europe by 1862. For example, Sir Rowland Hill requested complete sheets of all French stamps for the British archives, and did receive newly printed stamps in magnificent sheets, as requested. The Rarest Stamp of Zurich The timing of this article could not have been more propitious. A most extraordinary find took place in the past few months that has not yet been discussed in the philatelic press or literature. Lets begin with the background facts. In the plate of 100 subjects of the 6r of Zurich, in position 98, is invariably found a retouch of the background at northwest, just under the ZU of ZURICH. From the shape and texture of the repair, it is easy to deduce that the repair was intended to fill in a gap or tear that had occurred in the background design. This flaw was not present in the proofs. Therefore, it happened during the production run of the stamps. However, a mystery arose: no stamps could be found showing the flaw before being repaired. The stamps have been around for 174 years, and 1,650 examples of position 98 were printed. It would be normal to assume that examples with the retouch would be found, and also it would be normal that examples showing the fault before being repaired could also be found. That is the case in many other classic stamps that have been retouched and repaired: we find repaired impressions, and also find stamps showing the flaw or break before the repair. Examples of these cases, which permit collectors to match before and after repair couplets, occur in various early stamps of Great Britain and Canada, and most famously in the 1859 stamps of Sicily, to mention just a few. But in the case of Zurichs 6r position 98, examples without repair could not be found they lay well-hidden. Their absence led many to believe that the fault occurred before the printing of the stamps commenced. But that was not to be the case. Recently, thanks to the careful research of Gottfried Honegger, of Schmerikon, Switzerland, one example finally surfaced, putting to rest the erroneous hypothesis. It is a four-margined stamp, canceled with a neat red rosette postmark. Within one of the loops of the cancellation it shows, as plainly as can be imagined, the gap in the background that was the reason for the repair. This is the only example recorded of position 98 before the repair, and is therefore unique at this point in time. Perhaps others will surface, although that event is statistically most unlikely to occur. Shown nearby are the before and after examples of position 98. The image of the position 98 example without repair is courtesy of Gottfried Honneger of Schmerikon, Switzerland. All other images are from the archive of Sergio and Liane Sismondo. From Colorado's state Capitol to Trump Tower in New York and the Washington Monument, groups of hundreds of people rallied for President Donald Trump on Saturday, waving "Deplorables for Trump" signs and even carrying a life-size cutout of the president. Chelsea Thomas, an accountant from Thornton, Colorado, brought her family to the March 4 Trump rally in Denver and the life-size cardboard cutout of Trump. She said the family has taken it with them on camping trips, boat rides and a country music festival. "It's nice to be surrounded by people who share your morals and opinions," said Thomas, as her son walked back and forth across the grass with a Trump flag. Many in the crowd held American flags or wore red, white and blue and held signs with messages like "Veterans before Refugees." Police in Berkeley, California, say 10 people were arrested after Trump supporters and counter-protesters clashed during a rally that turned violent and left seven people injured. None of the injured was hospitalized. A dagger, metal pipes, bats, pieces of lumber and bricks were confiscated, police said. Six people protesting the rally in St. Paul, Minnesota, were arrested on felony riot charges after they lit fireworks inside the Minnesota State Capitol and fled, police said. About 400 people attended the event, and about 50 showed up to protest it. In Nashville, two people were arrested as protesters clashed with Trump supporters at the Tennessee Capitol. In Olympia, Washington, the state patrol says four demonstrators were arrested at a rally in support of Trump, KOMO-TV reported. Authorities did not say if the people arrested were pro-Trump or anti-Trump. The station reports that the demonstrators are accused of assaulting a police officer. Near Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach Post reported that people on both sides exchanged profanity. Trump's motorcade briefly stopped so he could wave at supporters. Story continues In Ohio, Trump supporter Margaret Howe, 57, of Pataskala, said she increasingly fears civil war. "We did not want to have something like this happen," she said, adding, "We came out today because Trump deserves to see he still has people for him. It's just all sad." A group of counter protesters gathered nearby, separated from the rally by police tape. They chanted "No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA" and held signs with messages like "Your vote was a hate crime." Hundreds gathered in rallies on both ends of Pennsylvania to show support for Trump. Supporters waved signs and flags and listened to speeches during Saturday's "Spirit of America" rally in Bensalem's Neshaminy State Park in eastern Pennsylvania's Bucks County. "They love their country and they love what Donald Trump represents, which is about making America first," organizer Jim Worthington said. In northwestern Pennsylvania, the Erie Times-News reported that about 100 people gathered at a square in downtown Erie for a similar demonstration. "We've got to get the whole country united behind this man," said Richard Brozell, 75, who along with his wife braved the mid-20s temperatures and stiff wind chill to attend In Augusta, Maine, more than 100 people turned out for the event that was supposed to last three hours, but ended early because of freezing temperatures. In Miami, supporters continued a rally while sipping espressos outside a Cuban restaurant, the Miami Herald reported. At a North Carolina rally, speakers said the dishonest media and left wing politicians were bordering on sedition in their opposition to the Republican president. Some men were seen walking through the Raleigh crowd carrying a Trump flag as well as a Confederate flag. Gathered just behind the rally was a handful of protesters, some of whom blew air horns in an attempt to disrupt the event. "We're gonna take our country back and we're gonna establish borders and have legal immigration and law and order," said Cherie Francis, of Cary, North Carolina. In Indianapolis, about 30 Trump supporters rallied at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis to denounce what they see as unfair treatment of the Republican. A local organizer, 61-year-old Patty Collins, of Indianapolis, said Trump's critics "aren't giving him a chance." Trump supporters turned out Saturday in Phoenix. Media outlets reported that several hundred people participated in the Phoenix event held on a lawn at the State Capitol. In Texas, Austin police say about 300 people rallied in support of Trump in a gathering outside the Capitol during rain. Organizer Jennifer Drabbant said there have been so many protests against Trump that she and others wanted to show there are people who support him. Scores of people have rallied in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in a show of support for Trump. The Virginian-Pilot reports around 200 Trump backers showed up Saturday for the event at a park. Some held American flags and others wore "Make America Great Again" hats and Trump T-shirts. In Lansing, Michigan, about 200 Trump supporters rallied on one side of the state Capitol while 100 critics gathered on another side. "Agree with President Trump or not, he is our president, and I think what I see happening in D.C. and with the Democrats it can't stand," said Gary Taylor, 60. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has reached a tentative settlement with the Communications Workers of America over the 20,000 people the telecom employs in its Southwest region. Among the concessions AT&T made was that it would bring back 3,000 jobs, most are which are overseas. The Communications Workers of America announced that its: ... District 6 bargaining committee has reached a tentative agreement with AT&T Southwest, District 6 Vice President Claude Cummings reported. The tentative four-year settlement provides for pay raises, paid parental leave, affordable healthcare and enhanced benefits for the 20,000 AT&T workers in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. ALSO READ: Is the Wireless Industry in a Race to the Bottom? A key provision of the proposed settlement commits AT&T to bring 3,000 jobs, the majority of which are sourced offshore, into bargaining units in District 6. This is not the first confrontation, or settlement, AT&T has had with the big union. According to a report last year in Fortune: A group of some 2,000 workers in AT&T's Internet business voted to authorize a strike as their contract expired last week, though no strike has been called and talks are continuing between representatives of the Communications Workers of America union and the company. And members in a larger, 15,000 member unit covering traditional telephone service workers in California and Nevada, also represented by the CWA, have been picketing AT&T events as negotiations over their next contract drag on. ALSO READ: 5 High-Dividend Growth Stocks to Buy for the Coming Volatility Shortly thereafter, AT&T and the union reached an agreement. However, going forward, the relationship between the two organizations is hardly friendly. Related Articles The US military has launched more than 30 airstrikes against al Qaedas branch in Yemen in three separate provinces over the last several days. Such a large number of strikes is unprecedented in Yemen and indicates a changing US approach to attacking al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, possibly acting on new intelligence gained from a controversial raid by US special operations forces in late January. It is unknown how many AQAP fighters were killed during the operation. AQAP has not announced the death of any senior leaders. The Department of Defense announced the airstrikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in a statement attributed to Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis. More than 30 strikes in Yemen hit militants, equipment and infrastructure in the governorates of Abyan, Al Bayda and Shabwah, according to the statement. Davis described the Yemeni government as a valuable counterterrorism partner and said the blitz was coordinated with and approved by the government and its president, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Davis noted that AQAP continues to use ungoverned spaces in Yemen to plot, direct, and inspire terror attacks against the United States and our allies. The attacks will degrade the AQAPs ability to coordinate external terror attacks and limit their ability to use territory seized from the legitimate government of Yemen as a safe space for terror plotting, according to the statement. The latest press release also described AQAP as an extremely dangerous al Qaeda affiliate. With the more than 30 strikes against AQAP over the past several days and an additional five in January, the US has already come close in the first two-plus months of 2017 to exceeding the average number of yearly strikes since the program began in 2009. Only two other years (38 in 2016 and 41 in 2012) have a higher strike total. The large number of strikes over a short period of time indicates the US is changing its tactics in fighting AQAP in Yemen. The US military previously described AQAP as one of the most dangerous terrorist networks that is determined to strike US interests, yet it had been overly cautious in targeting the group. Over the previous five years, the US military averaged just two to three strikes against AQAP a month. Additionally, the military may have obtained more information about AQAPs network and exploited it with a series of quick hits over a short period of time to shock the group. The US military and the Trump administration claimed that a controversial raid by US special operations forces against AQAP in Al Baydah province in January netted significant intelligence. One US Navy Seal, two senior AQAP leaders, and at least 13 civilians, including the eight year old daughter of slain radical AQAP cleric Anwar al Awlaki, were among those killed during the raid, which quickly evolved into a heavy firefight that also resulted in the loss of an Osprey aircraft. Despite years of targeting AQAP, the group retained significant capacity. Davis estimated that AQAP maintains a strength in the low thousands, and that the group can skillfully exploit the disorder in Yemen to build its strength and reinvigorate its membership and training. AQAP still controls rural areas of central and southern Yemen despite both attacks from the US and a United Arab Emirates-led ground offensive, which ejected the group from major cities and towns that it held between March 2016 and the summer of 2016. AQAP claims to still operate training camps in Yemen to this day. In mid-July, AQAP touted its Hamza al Zinjibari Camp, where the group trains its special forces. Zinjibari was an AQAP military field commander who was killed in a US drone strike in Feb. 2016. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. On Feb. 26, jihadist social media sites reported that Abu al Khayr al Masri, one of al Qaedas top leaders, had been killed in a US drone strike in Idlib, Syria. Images of Masris car were first posted online by Pieter Van Ostaeyen, a PhD candidate who closely tracks the fighting in Iraq and Syria. One of the pictures, which Mr. Van Ostaeyen obtained from an administrator at the jihadi outfit Al Maqalaat, can be seen above. Masris death was subsequently confirmed in a joint statement issued by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on Mar. 2. The two al Qaeda branches described Masri as a wise leader and teacher, who instructed young Muslims how to live with honor and die as martyrs. According to AQAP and AQIM, Masri was a hero who was killed in a Crusader drone strike. The Al Qaeda groups claim that the airstrike is just one of Americas and the Crusader coalitions crimes against Islam and all Muslims. They also offered their condolences to Masris family, the Islamic ummah [community of Muslims around the globe], and our sheikh and emir Ayman al Zawahiri. AQAP and AQIM addressed America and its allies directly, saying that the deaths of their martyrs only increases their determination to avenge them. From the Egyptian Islamic Jihad to al Qaeda deputy In July 2016, Masri was identified as Ayman al Zawahiris general deputy. By that time, US counterterrorism officials had been tracking him for years. The US Treasury Department designated Masri as a terrorist in Oct. 2005, saying that his real name was Abdullah Muhammad Rajab Abd al Rahman and that he was born in Kafr al Shaykh, Egypt on Nov. 3, 1957. Masri was responsible for coordinating al Qaedas work with other terrorist organizations, Treasury noted at the time. US intelligence identified Masri as the chairman of al Qaedas management council, according to the Washington Post. Masri also previously served as al Qaedas chief of foreign relations and in that capacity he was a liaison to the Taliban. A dated photo of Masri, first disseminated by the US government, can be seen on the right.** Masri was originally a senior member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ). In fact, he belonged to the EIJs elite shura (or consultation) council. The EIJ, led by Ayman al Zawahiri, effectively merged with Osama bin Ladens operation during the 1990s, when the two worked hand-in-hand in a series of terrorist plots, including the Aug. 1998 US Embassy bombings. Masri was tried and convicted in absentia by an Egyptian court as part of the returnees from Albania case in the late 1990s. That case was among the largest terror trials to be held during Hosni Mubaraks tenure as Egyptian president. According to Arabic press accounts of the court proceedings, Masri was identified as one of Zawahiris closest advisers back then. In Dec. 2003, Al-Sharq al-Awsat, a London-based Arabic publication, reported that Masri had served as the head of al Qaedas Sudan station in 1993. Bin Laden, Zawahiri and their men were stationed in Sudan at the time and Masri was reportedly tasked with forging paperwork for jihadists who wanted to travel around the globe. Masri followed Zawahiri on journeys through Sudan, Yemen and ultimately to Afghanistan in the 1990s. As one of al Qaedas most senior managers, Masri likely had foreknowledge of the 9/11 attacks.* Sometime after 9/11, Masri fled to Iran. It appears he was held under some form of detention for years. Then, in Sept. 2015, Masri and several other senior al Qaeda figures were reportedly freed from Iranian custody as part of a hostage swap negotiated by AQAP. As FDDs Long War Journal reported at the time, however, the details of the al Qaeda leaders detention inside Iran are murky. Masri and some of the others were still in Iranian custody as of mid-2010, according to files recovered in Osama bin Ladens compound. Another letter delivered to bin Laden, authored in early Apr. 2011, noted that Masris sons had relocated to Baluchistan. But Masris status was a bit of a mystery. There were several reports in the years since mid-2010 indicating that Masri and the others had been either released already, or the terms of their detention had been relaxed, allowing them to even travel. It is not clear what transpired, exactly, but Masri was certainly integrated back into al Qaedas hierarchy by late 2015. And while Iran held some al Qaeda operatives under house arrest, others inside Iran have been allowed to oversee the terror organizations primary facilitation hub. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, Senior al Qaeda leaders reportedly released from custody in Iran.] Then, in July 2016, Masri oversaw one of al Qaedas most important moves in Syria to date. Abu al Khayr al Masri sought to unify the rebels ranks On July 28, 2016, Al Nusrah Fronts propaganda arm released a short audio message from Masri. Al Nusrah publicly identified Masri as Ayman al Zawahiris general deputy for the first time. Masris speech paved the way for Abu Muhammad al Julani, Al Nusrahs emir, to announce that his group was being relaunched as Jabhat Fath al Sham (JFS). Julani also claimed that JFS wouldnt be tied to any external entity, a phrase that some interpreted as indicating a split from al Qaeda. As FDDs Long War Journal assessed at the time, however, much of al Qaedas own leadership was moved to Syria, meaning al Qaeda itself isnt external to the country. Abu al Khayr al Masris death in an American drone strike in Syria late last month underscores that point. Julani also did not renounce his bayat (oath of allegiance) to Zawahiri. Moreover, al Qaeda has sought to hide its organizational affiliations and the extent of its influence in the Syrian uprising since 2011. In many ways, Al Nusrahs rebranding was a return to al Qaedas original strategy for the Syrian war. That strategy was interrupted by the rise of the Abu Bakr al Baghdadis Islamic State. Julani was forced to publicly reveal his loyalty to Zawahiri only after Baghdadi threatened to subsume Al Nusrah Front. A closer examination of Masris message demonstrates that Al Nusrahs rebranding was indeed the result of a decision made by al Qaedas most senior leadership. Masri emphasized that the jihadist ideology had taken root inside Syria. And he explained that al Qaeda wanted to protect the jihadists project, as it could lead to the creation of a truly Islamic state, or emirate. This has been al Qaedas main goal in Syria for years. At the outset of his message, Masri claimed that the world was witnessing a blessed stage of renaissance in the Islamic ummah. In this stage of revival, Masri said, the people are now waging a jihad of word and weapon in their revolt against rulers such as Bashar al Assad. Most importantly, from al Qaedas perspective, the jihadist ideology was becoming more widely accepted among the people. Masri claimed that a new generation of Muslims was being raised on the jurisprudence of Islamic law and was learning that jihad is necessary to preserve their religion. The ummah has reached a phase where jihad is expanding and entering Muslim society, Masri said, according to a translation obtained by FDDs Long War Journal. The concept of jihad has changed from being a jihad of an elite few to a jihad of the ummah. Masri said that al Qaeda had studied both the military and political aspects of the situation in the Levant and determined that every effort should be made to continue the jihad. But they had to prevent their enemies from dividing the mujahideen from the Sunni people. The mujahideen had become a major force, administering the liberated areas through sharia courts. In addition, Masri explained, the jihadists had set up public service bureaus to attend to the peoples affairs and in the next phase they would establish an entity, or government. Masri then delivered his key line. Based on my responsibility, we ask the leadership of Al Nusrah Front to proceed with that which safeguards the interests of Islam and Muslims, and protects the jihad of the people of the Levant, Masri said, according to a translation obtained by FDDs Long War Journal. Al Nusrahs leadership should take the appropriate steps with regard to this issue. Masri explained that this step was taken as part of al Qaedas call on all mujahideen factions to unify their ranks to protect our people and our land. Masri made it clear that unification was necessary to achieve their goal of building a rightly-guided Islamic government. In the event that a Taliban-style government was established, Masri said, al Qaedas leaders would be the first to support this government. Masri told listeners that his boss, Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri (our emir and sheikh), had confirmed this pledge in his own statement. The audio of Masris speech then cut to an excerpt from a message delivered by Zawahiri in Jan. 2014. In it, Zawahiri addressed all of the insurgents fighting against Bashar al Assads regime, saying they are the best hope for establishing an Islamic state in the heart of the Levant, as well as for liberating Jerusalem. Al Qaeda respects and admires all of you, Zawahiri said, addressing all of the factions as brothers. We have always considered that your unity is more valued and cherished by us than any other organizational bonds, Zawahiri said. Your unity and the unity of your ranks are more important for us than organizational belonging and partisan fanaticism. Zawahiri implored the mujahideen to let go of their partisan fanaticism, as their infighting distracts them from the war against their true enemies, including Shiite forces, Russia, and China, all of whom are supposedly colluding with the Crusader campaign. Shortly after Masris speech, Abu Muhammad al Julani delivered his own. Echoing Masris message, Julani said JFS (formerly Al Nusrah) hoped to form a unified body, whose basis is Al Shura [consultation], and which was capable of uniting the masses of the people of Al Sham. Julani, who was dressed in garb similar to that worn by Osama bin Laden, heaped praise on Masri and Zawahiri. We thank them for their stance, whereby they gave priority to the interests of the people of Al Sham, their Jihad, their revolution, as well as their proper assessment of the general benefits [of] the Jihad, Julani said. This noble stance will be recorded in the annals of history. Their blessed leadership has, and shall continue to be, an exemplar of putting the needs of the community and their higher interests before the interest of any individual group. Julani added that Masri and Zawahiri had practically implemented the words of Sheikh Osama bin Laden. Julani then quoted bin Laden as saying: The interests of the ummah take precedence over the interest of any state; the interests of the state take precedence over the interest of any Jamaah (group); the interests of the Jamaah (group) take precedence over any individual. Hayat Tahrir al Sham: An attempt to unify the rebels ranks As Julani, Masri, and Zawahiri all made clear, al Qaeda has sought to unify the rebel groups in Syria. By merging with other groups, al Qaeda could further mask its operations and portray any outside intervention, especially by the US and the West, as part of a conspiracy against Syrias Sunni population. Indeed, this is exactly how the jihadists have sought to characterize targeted airstrikes against al Qaeda veterans. While the US government says drone strikes and other bombings are necessary to suppress the al Qaeda threat to the West, the jihadists claim such operations are really intended to disrupt the anti-Assad insurgency. Julani himself said that Al Nusrahs relaunch as JFS was intended, in part, to expose the deceptions of the international community, the leaders being the US and Russia, in their relentless bombardment and displacement of the Muslim masses of Al Sham under the pretense of targeting Jabhat al Nusrah, an al Qaeda affiliate. In this regard, Al Nusrahs relaunch as JFS was just the first step in al Qaedas plan as of mid-2016. After offering some deliberately vague language about Al Nusrah disassociating from any external [foreign] entity, al Qaeda quickly moved to unite JFS with other groups. However, it wasnt until Jan. 2017 that a new joint venture, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), the Assembly for the Liberation of the Levant (or Syria), was announced. HTS includes JFS and several of its allies. It is likely that JFS and the other groups wanted to announce the creation HTS just days after Masris and Julanis announcements on July 28, 2016. For example, FDDs Long War Journal observed that official social media accounts associated with HTS began posting messages in early Aug. 2016. A screen shot of one HTS Twitter account can be seen above. The jihadists operating this account began tweeting on Aug. 3, meaning there was a clear expectation that HTS was going to be announced. Some of the tweets documented the battles then raging in Aleppo. The delay in the launch of HTS may have been caused by disagreements between JFS and its battlefield partners. In early 2016, jihadists on social media and others reported that Julani had already floated a unification proposal in closed door meetings. But some within Ahrar al Sham, which has modeled itself after the Afghan Taliban, didnt think Julanis initiative was sufficient and so they rejected it. When HTS was announced in January, a powerful faction within Ahrar al Sham, as well as a number of Ahrars fighting battalions, defected to the joint venture. These jihadists were led by Abu Jaber, the former head of Ahrar al Sham who was named the first overall leader of HTS. (Julani is the organizations military chief.) Abu Jaber has adopted the same population-centric approach to waging jihad as Masri and other senior al Qaeda leaders. He is seeking to make jihad even more popular in Syria. However, other factions in Ahrar al Sham refused to join HTS. And in the weeks leading up to the merger in late January, there were multiple reports of infighting between JFS and other rebel groups in northern Syria, including parts of Ahrar al Sham. These disagreements demonstrate that, thus far, there are limits to al Qaedas ability to absorb other rebel factions under a common banner. Still, HTS continues to cooperate with Free Syrian Army (FSA) branded groups, the reconstituted Ahrar al Sham and other Islamist factions. Zawahiri has long advised al Qaedas men to adopt this approach in Syria. Veteran Egyptian jihadists have held key positions in al Qaeda Nearly thirty years after al Qaeda was founded, veteran Egyptian jihadists who have long been allied with Ayman al Zawahiri continue to play a major role in the organization. Saif al Adel and Abu Mohammed al Masri, both of whom were also senior figures in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), were reportedly freed by Iran alongside Abu al Khayr al Masri in 2015. Like Abu al Khayr, the circumstances of their detention inside Iran prior to that time is shrouded in uncertainty. Since late 2015, one or both of them may have operated inside Syria. Another EIJ official and Zawahiri loyalist, Ibrahim al Banna, is a co-founder of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Al Banna was sent to Yemen in the early 1990s to build up al Qaedas tribal relations. He was designated as a terrorist by the US State Department earlier this year. The US air campaign in Syria has targeted legacy EIJ and Gamaat al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group, or IG) leaders who have played major roles in al Qaeda. In Apr. 2016, the US killed Rifai Ahmed Taha Musa in an airstrike in Idlib. Taha was once the overall leader of the IG. He was a close ally of bin Laden and Zawahiri in the 1990s. Taha and another Egyptian jihadi, Mohammed Islambouli, were top leaders in al Qaedas so-called Khorasan Group. Islambouli is still alive and has lived in Turkey for some time. Ahmed Salama Mabrouk, one of Masris and Zawahiris old school comrades in the EIJ, sat on Julanis right hand side as he announced Al Nusrahs rebranding in July 2016. Mabrouk was killed in early Oct. 2016. The Pentagon explained at the time that he was one of Al Qaedas most senior leaders. In early February, the Defense Department announced that still another Egyptian, Hani Haykal (also known as Abu Hani al Masri), was struck down near Idlib. The Pentagon said that Haykal was one of the founders of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Haykal swore an oath of allegiance to bin Laden, and went on to become a top military leader in Ahrar al Sham. Haykal wasnt the only Egyptian al Qaeda veteran to join Ahrar al Sham either. Al Qaeda has tried to introduce some of these Egyptians specifically Saif al Adel, Abu Mohammed al Masri, and Abu al Khayr al Masri to younger jihadis. One of the ways al Qaeda has done this is by emphasizing the role they played in mentoring prominent figures. Nasser bin Ali al Ansi, a senior AQAP leader and deputy general manager of al Qaeda, was killed in Apr. 2015. In his eulogy for al Ansi, the al Qaeda veteran Khalid Saeed Batarfi specifically mentioned that this trio of Egyptians had groomed him. Hamza bin Laden, Osamas son, also raised their profile in an audio message released in Aug. 2015. Hamza called for the three, along with others, to be released from custody. But again, they may have already had some freedom by that point. Abu al Khayr al Masris death is a significant tactical blow to al Qaeda. But as the roster above shows, longtime talent continues to lead the organization. And theyve had ample time to raise a new generation of jihadists as well. *The Defense Department released a transcript of a video recording of bin Laden talking about the 9/11 hijackings in Nov. 2001. We had notification since the previous Thursday that the event would take place that day, bin Laden said. We had finished our work that day and had the radio on. It was 5:30 p.m. our time. I was sitting with Dr. Ahmad Abu-al-((Khair)). It is possible that the Dr. Ahmad in question is Abu Khayr al Masri, as Ahmad Hasan Abu al Khayr is one of his known aliases. Immediately, bin Laden continued, we heard the news that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We turned the radio station to the news from Washington. The news continued and no mention of the attack until the end. At the end of the newscast, they reported that a plane just hit the World Trade Center. If the man sitting next to bin Laden was in fact Abu al Khayr al Masri, then he was with the al Qaeda founder when news of the 9/11 attacks reached al Qaeda over the radio. **After Abu al Khayr al Masris death was reported, jihadis disseminated another, more recent image of him. The photo was first published by CNNs Paul Cruickshank. The photo can be seen below: 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. Lifestyle / Gastronomy From the USA to Bangkok, the international media is buzzing with the idea that of an upcoming Michelin Red Guide to the cuisine of the Land of Smiles Mar 04, 2017 | By AFP Relaxnews Asian media is reporting that Michelin could release its first ever guide to the cuisine of Thailand at the end of the year. The Thai government has reportedly approved a budget of 143.5 million Baht to support Michelins arrival with a Red Guide that will, in the long term, cover all of the country, from Chiang Mai to the islands. This means an exciting new venture in Thailands vibrant food scene. However, Asian news outlets suggest that Michelins Thai adventure could come in several stages, starting with a guide dedicated to the capital, Bangkok. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is reportedly tasked with helping to organize the project, which could give rise to a guide by the end of the year. The rumor has naturally raised a great deal of interest. The Michelin Guide has been present in Hong Kong/Macao for nine years. However, Michelin has been boosting its presence in Asia in recent years, with first edition guides to Singapore launched in July and Seoul, South Korea, in November 2016. Food for thought Thailand is currently absent from the Red Guide line-up although the countrys cuisine is internationally recognized. Plus, the Red Guide proved particularly enthusiastic about street food in its recent Singapore edition. That could bode well for Thailand, where food is also enjoyed on the spur of the moment, on street corners, seasoned with an array ingredients and a selection of sauces all tossed up in battered woks. Australian chef David Thompson hasnt needed any Thai Michelin stars to make the Nahm restaurant, at the Como Metropolitan Bangkok, an internationally renowned reference. Plus, French chef Arnaud Dunand Sauthier, who heads the gastronomic offering at the luxurious Normandie restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, brings French haute cuisine in the Thai city. The list wouldnt be complete without Gaggan Anand, who has topped the Asias 50 Best Restaurants list for three years. In fact, the organizers announce each new Asian edition in the city of Bangkok. Michelin refused to comment on the rumored Thai guide but, as in the kitchen, all good things come to those who wait. Cars Founded in 1965, Princess Yachts is a veteran in the yacht industry. We take a look at their motivations for reinvention, in light of their recent 50th anniversary Mar 04, 2017 | By Teri Chong By any corporate measure, the past year or so for Princess Yachts International (PYI) has been a period of pivotal change. The company itself says that it has experienced one of the most challenging years in its history that included significant management changes, workforce cuts, and an intense product development and launch period, yard developments and dealer changes. Ironically, this period of change also saw the companys 50th anniversary. A clear sign that PYI has emerged from the worst of its experiences is the recent announcement of a three-year GBP 55 million (approx USD 67 million) investment programme, related to product development and facility improvements, for which GBP 14 million (USD 17 million) is already being spent, and an operating loss for 2015, a positive recent order performance with the prospect of profits going forward. It is also restarting recruitment of 100 people when 172 were laid off just 10 months ago. In a nutshell, this can only be described as a successful turnaround with much more to come. Recently appointed Executive Chairman Antony Sheriff commented after the new orders from the Cannes, Southampton and Monaco shows that: We are really pleased that the recent shows over the past few weeks have resulted in over GBP 70 million (USD 85.2 million) in terms of retail sales being generated, bringing our order book to over GBP 280 million (USD 340.6 million), the strongest forward orders since before the global financial crisis struck our industry in 2008. Considering the financial gains being received from other changes made in operations and production, the PYI board forecasts renewed buoyancy across its business in 2016 and 2017. PYI has also returned to an operating profit over the past three months. At the end of 2015, the company reported a loss (before taxation) of GBP 20.2 million (USD 24.6 million) from a turnover of GBP 201.2 million (USD 244.8 million). In 2014, the turnover was GBP 239.6 million (USD 291.5 million). PYI stated that: Although disappointing, exceptional factors have played a significant part. The lingering effects of damage to stock, facilities and production scheduling caused by the hurricane force storms in 2014, coupled with unfavourable sterling exchange rates and high-margin boat models reaching the end of their life-cycle, combined to exert unprecedented pressure on PYIs operations throughout 2015. Contributing to the turnaround was an intensive product development programme that saw six new state-of-the-art models, including two M Class superyacht designs introduced in six months. Another significant move was the appointment earlier this year of Antony Sheriff as Executive Chairman. Previously the CEO of McLaren Automotive for more than 10 years, Sheriff has a strong track record in leading profitable businesses with best-in-class luxury products. His presence in the PYI management team means the company benefits from his substantial knowledge and experience of the automotive sectors advanced manufacturing processes, longer-term planning and management skills, which are increasingly being applied by production yacht builders. Also, having worked with McLaren, his expertise in the luxury brand markets aligns well with Princesss major shareholder LMVH. During a press visit to Princesss extensive Plymouth-based facilities, Sheriff told YACHT STYLE: (Managing Director) Chris Gates and I are working together to develop a long-term plan for Princess Yachts over the next 10 years. We have developed a schedule of new models through that period and we are looking at how we can resource that programme. He added: This is a product-led process that centres on improving the product, quality of manufacturing and strengthening of the brand. Boat manufacturing is a complex operation and having come from the car industry, I am looking to increase innovation throughout the whole process. With LMVH also owning Feadship, he commented: I am keen to increase links with Feadship and links within the group. The LVMH relationship dates back to 2008, and with its wide range of global luxury brands, a number of them such as Fendi, are being introduced to the design of PYI yachts. Such links are proving popular with customers and are also helping to enhance the quality of the Princess yacht models, especially the larger ones. Since the LVMH takeover, there have been on a number of occasions, market speculation suggesting that Princess is up for sale. LVMH has a track record of rarely selling its brands. Gates commented on the speculation: These rumours have been mentioned often but as far as I know there is no intention to sell Princess, but everything has its price. With respect to the Princess management team, Sheriff indicated: We have just appointed a new CFO and we will strengthen the management as opportunities and needs are identified to do so. Other appointments over the past year or so have included Kiran Haslam as a new Marketing director. Marketing is an area that Sheriff sees can be strengthened. He suggested: We need to do this not only to show people what we are doing, but to also make sure the name is being spread ever further around the world. Haslam told YACHT STYLE earlier this year: The work volume is increasing and we are currently booked for more than 80% capacity this year. Our sales have increased by between 40% and 50% over the past year with the 70-90ft range rising 5-8%. In addition to the 70-90 ft sector, he added, we have seen a healthy increase in 40-70ft sales as well, and within that we are seeing a real return to Open boating. Our V58 Open and V48 Open boats are currently particularly strong, and so too are the Princess 52 and Princess 56. In terms of forward orders, he continued, our Princess 60 and 68 are both at full capacity in build, and dont seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Our S65 is getting magnificent traction and is a star within our line-up. Whilst not as strong as the 5-8% increase we see on the 75, 82, and 88 models, this size range is currently around 3% up on last year in terms of retails; the last Southampton Show was hugely successful for us with 24 boats sold that were directly attributable to that show. Our largest dealer reported eight of those as pre-owned boats. Perhaps our increase will level out by the end of the year, but for now it has us feeling very positive, whilst we still operate in a very uncertain marketplace. It is in sales that clear positive results are beginning to show through which all confirms that the changes made are starting to work and that the whole business is on a strong footing going forward. Sales Director, Will Green, confirmed earlier this year: We are gaining market share around the world as new models are introduced, and the work to strengthen and promote the brand continues. In this process, our global dealer network plays a vital role. The contribution of the global Princess dealer network cannot be understated both in the sales success the company has, and in the promotion of the brand. They are treated as an integral part of the team, and constant communication is maintained to keep them informed and to share sales leads. There are frequent meetings of dealers at shows such as Cannes, with many having been brought in for international clients were planning to visit the show. An annual review of dealers is undertaken to monitor their performance and also highlight opportunities for sales, promotions and development. In Asia Pacific, PYI has one of the strongest dealer networks, if not the strongest. At shows like Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the ones in Australia, a good flow of orders are reported. Regarding the global market, PYI reports solid growth in the US and growth in Europe. The latter is the biggest market followed by the US, but through its large dealer network, the company sells in all market areas; this allows Princess to adapt to adverse market conditions. In Europe, the PYI management does have concerns with regards to Brexit and, the eventual deal that is reached for the UK to leave the EU but that is still over two years away. Through its large customer base, there is strong loyalty towards the product, resulting in a high percentage of repeat business. Here too, the dealers play a key role in keeping in touch with buyers and their wishes, such as upsizing or downsizing. The wide spread of the Princess model designs extends across four ranges, means that the company offers products that are able to meet on all current boating requirements. The ranges are as follows: V Class Seven models between 39ft and 62ft Flybridge Class 11 models between 43ft and 88ft S Class Two models between 65ft and 72ft M Class three models between 30m and 40m The development of the M class superyacht range has been developed over the past few years. PYI has had considerable success with these models, gaining over 20 orders for the crafts from all over the world. To cope with the construction of these large yachts, Princess first leased and then purchased the 7.5ha site at South Dock, the oldest part of the Royal Navys Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth. The company has put in considerable investment to support the construction of the M Class vessels, and further investment is proposed at some future date that could see Princess building even larger yachts. The South Dock facility has the potential for constructing superyachts up to 70m. PYI currently uses some of the older buildings on the site to build full-sized mock-ups of new designs before they are introduced to the market. For branding, Princess, and the fact that her key facilities are based within the Plymouth area, goes hand-in-hand. Plymouth is a city with a long maritime heritage, and the company strongly promotes that over 80% of all that goes into a Princess yacht is made in-house or close by. There is a large Princess Design Studio that is included in major product development and upgrade projects. It is available to assist buyers with their personal requirements, and also offers the option of working together with an owners design team in order to meet his or her needs. Other strong elements of the brand are that it has a stable work force, with many having worked for the company over a long period. The average age of a worker is just over 40, and they have worked for the company for 11 years. In addition, PYI has an active apprenticeship programme involving some 40 people at a time. In Plymouth, apart from the South Dock, the company has a number of plants that are involved in yacht construction, or other elements that go into making a yacht, such as interior furnishings. For example, the building where the first Princess yacht was built 50 years ago is across the creek from the current main Princess building facility. That very first yacht, known as Project 31, has since been found and purchased by the company, who completely refurbished it. During its 50th year, it was put on display at a number of shows such as Cannes and Singapore. This highlights the strong traditions that are inherent in PYIs DNA. The company is increasingly forming global brand partnerships as part of promoting the Princess name. Plymouth Gin, which has a strong association with the Royal Navy, is one such link. Other recently announced ones have been with Seabobs and the Marine Conservation Society. PYI makes constant investment in new equipment to boost productivity. Recent investments have included a new Poseidon CMS 5-axis machine; research to identify how 3D printing can be used; and initiatives to increase productivity throughout the manufacturing process. The company operates a comprehensive performance-monitoring programme as a key method of highlighting where improvements can be made. Training courses are also an integral part of all this. Looking ahead, the company says that it is seeing tangible indications of a return to normative performance in 2016 with positive operating profits over the past three months. Orders are at their highest levels since 2007, and trading conditions are increasingly favourable as the company is deriving significant market advantage from the recent realignment of sterling-based exchange rates. Gates emphasises that growth is the key objective for 2016. Having worked through the staffing restructure; strengthened its management team, and with rising sales across the four ranges, there is a growing confidence that the company is now well placed to take full advantage of the global marine leisure markets as they work through their respective challenges. That confidence is backed up by the actions initiated by the company. Princess states that it has embarked on an ambitious product development strategy and a new product renewal cycle as part of its long-term business plan, and the company is now recruiting skilled professionals in key areas to realise its ambitions. PYI will see further development of the product portfolio, as well as production improvements at the companys manufacturing facilities in Plymouth. This article was written by David Robinson, and was first published in Issue 36 of Palace Magazine. Properties / Interiors & Decor Mar 04, 2017 | By Robbie Wilson Ever been on holiday and missed all the comforts of home? Tired of staying in hotels where the quality looked amazing in pictures, only to see upon arrival that theres a lot one can do with Photoshop? The private destination club Afini is your solution. They have just launched their first project in Australia, The Rocks. Located in one of the most sought-after destinations in Sydney, the tastefully restored three-bedroom townhouse is set to become one of Afinis most popular properties. Built in 1851, The Rocks has an immaculate exterior and interior design, and is rich in architectural and historical history. From the pristine wooden planked floors to the original ceiling arches and European chandeliers, combined with natural carbon fibre chairs and a large contemporary wood slab table in the dining room, the quality and design of the entire property takes old-time luxury into the 21st century. The large living room features seating for six and is decorated to have an international flair with the adventurer in mind. Theres a mixture of Old World antiques, a juju feather chieftains hat from Cameroon and Chinese lotus flower lamps. The house also has a beautifully sunlit library, the best place to start planning for ones next adventure. Staying at The Rocks will mean youre at the historic epicentre of Sydney. It was the location of the first European settlers to the colony in 1788. The streets are cobblestoned, theres the Sydney Theatre Company and Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay, the waterfront towers of Barangaroo, as well as some of the best restaurants, shopping boutiques and galleries in the city. Sydneys also very green, and youll find an abundance of fantastic parks surrounded by well-preserved historical buildings within easy walking distance. Membership to Afinis private destination club also gives you access to some of the most luxurious 5-star privately managed and serviced residences in the world. A lifestyle consultant will arrange and curate everything you need, including some of the most amazing destination experiences you didnt think possible. Once youve hopped off the plane, an Afini Destination Concierge is on the ground and at your service to ensure everything runs smoothly. When its time to head back to The Rocks, nothing quite tops off the experience of this Afini property like the breath-taking view of Sydney Harbour and its famous bridge. If youll like to get in touch with Afini to find out more, leave your personal details below and someone from the team will reach out to you shortly. [gravityform id=3 title=false description=false] By submitting this form you agree to receive emails from Heart Media/Luxuo and Afini, which you can unsubscribe at any time. This article was first published in Palace 18. UMass Amherst students dressed varyingly in winter coats and green t-shirts arrived at Mullins Live before 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. The annual concert, which first took place in 2015 as an alternative to Blarney Blowout, featured performers Flo Rida, Jeremih and Mike Posner. The first weekend in March brought below-freezing temperatures to the Amherst campus. A UMass Amherst News and Media Relations press release estimated that approximately 2,000 students attended the event. Additionally, the press release said, "the Town of Amherst, the Amherst Police Department and their regional law enforcement partners are reporting no problems or unusual activity in the community." Above are photographs of attendees arriving at the show, which was open only to the UMass Amherst community. Doors opened at 11 a.m., and the show itself began at 12 p.m. Holyoke-High-School-467x312.jpg HOLYOKE - Holyoke High School at 500 Beech St., Holyoke, Massachusetts. (FILE PHOTO) HOLYOKE -- A $250 reward is offered for information leading to the person or persons who made three threats that prompted shelter-in-place lockdowns of Holyoke High School this week, according to a letter sent today to parents. "We will always do everything possible to keep our students and staff safe. We will also take every measure to hold accountable any individual who issues such a threat," Principal Stephen Sullivan said in the letter dated March 3 (See below). The 500 Beech St. school was not evacuated based on a protocol of dealing with such treats developed by the Massachusetts State Police and approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Determination about the level of the threat is based on the nature of the threat such as how specific it was, said Stephen K. Zrike, the state-appointed receiver in charge of managing the public schools. In cases determined to be "low-level threats," police walk the grounds and inside the building and check spaces while students and staff are inside, he said in a phone interview. "They do a full review of the building," Zrike said. In the letter, Sullivan described the incidents as "three anonymous, low-level threats." "A shelter in place was issued, and together with police and fire officials, we determined that there was no threat to student or staff safety in any of these incidents," Sullivan said. According to the American Red Cross, shelter in place is a precaution designed to keep people safe indoors: "This is not the same thing as going to a shelter in case of a storm. Shelter-in-place means selecting a small, interior room, with no or few windows, and taking refuge there. It does not mean sealing off your entire home or office building." Anyone with information about who made the threats can call the Holyoke Police Department tip line at 1-413-533-8477. Or they can use the anonymous "Text a Tip" line by texting 274637, putting "SOLVE" in the message and specify it's about Holyoke High School and the threats, Sullivan said. Letter from Holyoke High School Principal Stephen Sullivan: by Mike Plaisance on Scribd NAsuspects.jpg Two New York women--Shanta Chisholm and Lavetta Hill--were both arrested in North Adams on Friday following a narcotics related raid at a local residence. (North Adams Police Department) NORTH ADAMS - Two women from New York were arrested in North Adams on Friday after police executed a search warrant at a local residence and discovered illegal narcotics. Police say Shanta Chisholm and Lavetta Hill, both of Troy, New York, were both taken into custody as the result of a raid by the Berkshire County Drug Task Force at a residence on Willow Dell. At the residence, police say they discovered and confiscated 21 grams of crack cocaine and powder cocaine, as well as roughly $1,000 in cash. Chisholm is now being charged with trafficking cocaine, while Hill faces a charge of cocaine possession, subsequent offense. PITTSFIELD, Vermont A 23-year-old Bennington, Vermont woman was killed Friday evening when the car she was driving crossed the center line of Route 100 in Pittsfield, and crashed head-on into an on-coming pickup truck. Vermont State Police officials said Kalene McGurn was trapped in her car after the crash and was pulled from the wreckage just before it burst into flames. Police said witnesses told them that McGurns Toyota Rav-4 was leading a line of cars along Route 100 when it veered across the center line of the two-lane highway and crashed into a pickup truck traveling in the opposite lane. The driver of the pickup truck, 23-year-old Robert C Towle II, was not injured in the crash. Towle and others were able to remove McGurn from her car before it burst into flames. MvGurn was taken to the Rutland Hospital by Pittsfield Fire Department ambulance where she died from her injuries shortly after arrival. The investigation into the crash is on-going, police said, but no criminal charges as anticipated. AMHERST - A small group of protesters linked their arms through 55-gallon drums and sat in the frigid cold outside the downtown Bank of America branch for more than an hour-and-a-half on Saturday morning, calling on customers to move their money to smaller institutions. At 9 a.m., three protesters describing themselves as "guerrilla theater activists" covered themselves in prop oil and sat under a sign decrying the bank's funding of the Dakota Access pipeline, a controversial North Dakota energy project. A handful of others taped off the area and distributed literature. The bank entrance remained unobstructed. The protesters are targeting financial institutions funding the $3.7 billion, 1,200-mile-long pipeline that snakes through four states. Supporters tout hundreds of millions of dollars in expected tax revenue on oil sales, and the benefits from thousands of construction jobs. Marc Osten, of Pelham, said he was answering the call of Native Americans who are trying to stop the pipeline from going through the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, located in North Dakota and South Dakota. Dakota Access pipeline protesters block Bank of America entrance in downtown Amherst. Posted by MassLive.com on Saturday, March 4, 2017 "We have choices what to do with our money, and one of our choices is to put our money into local credit unions and other banks," said Osten, imploring people to stop doing business with Bank of America, TD Bank, Wells Fargo, Chase and Citigroup. "These banks only operate on one thing: Greed. So taking your money out sends a message." Osten was joined by Ardie Lester, of New Salem, and Steve Botkin, of Amherst. Before the protest, they delivered a letter to the bank manager, "emphasizing that their action was not a personal attack against any bank employee, but rather demanding change from the institution as a whole," according to a statement sent to the media. An Amherst Fire Department official spoke briefly with two other demonstrators, telling them that the protest could needlessly tie up public safety resources. Asked later about that official's concerns, Lester said, "I don't feel like I have much of a choice." "The pipelines are endangering the drinking water of millions of people," said Lester. "Bank of America directly funds companies ... that are knowingly destroying the planet," said Dineen O'Rourke, of Amherst, who passed out information about how to transfer money from a major bank to a local credit union. "We're not just telling people what's wrong with that, we're giving them the alternative." Protesters said they were prepared to be arrested if necessary, but it didn't come to that. They packed up at around 10:30 a.m. BOA1.jpg Springfield police detectives are seeking to identify the person pictured in this photo. (Springfield Police Department) SPRINGFIELD - Springfield police detectives are looking to identify a suspect in a recent unarmed robbery. The suspect--described only as a Hispanic female--is accused of attacking a 58-year-old woman and attempting to steal her purse during an early morning incident on March 1, said Sgt. John Delaney of the Springfield Police Department, in a statement. Delaney said the incident occurred after the victim withdrew money from an ATM located at 600 State Street and was returning to her car. While the attacker was struggling with the victim, another person in the parking lot saw what was happening and scared the suspect away, Delaney said. Delaney said the victim was not injured and the robber was not successful in stealing any money from her. Police have asked for the public's help in identifying the suspect. Anyone who believes they may know the woman pictured in the photo above has been asked to contact the Major Crime Unit at 413-787-6355. As Technology Advances, Senator Pushes Federal Trade Commission to Protect Civil Liberties (U.S. Senate)U.S. Senator Jon Tester is fighting to strengthen Montanans right to privacy following a settlement that revealed the multi-national technology company Vizio spied on customers without their knowledge or consent. In a letter to Acting Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Maureen Ohlhausen, Tester called Vizios actions deceptive and reckless, highlighting their threat to Montanans civil liberties and asking the Commission to take steps to prevent similar incidents from ever happening again. "I am appalled to see that for several years Vizio used sophisticated technology to spy on television viewing habits of millions of its customers," Tester wrote. "This type of scheme is completely unacceptable and an affront to law-abiding Americans right to privacy. This type of deceptive behavior is reckless and threatens our civil liberties." The FTC and Vizio agreed on a settlement last month after the company, one of the largest TV brands in North America, was caught gathering data from their 11 million viewers without their consent or knowledge. Vizio profited from viewing data and provided third party companies with demographic information, such as age, sex, income, marital status, education level, and household value. Vizio agreed to pay a fine of $2.2 million according to the settlement. Tester wrote that the $2.2 million settlement fails to hold Vizio accountable for violating the privacy of 11 million citizens, and that he is committed to ensuring other technology companies do not repeat Vizios actions. "I stand ready to work with the FTC to ensure that the agency is well equipped to take on the new privacy challenges that we face in the digital era," Tester added. "Privacy is a fundamental right that we must protect from eroding as technology continues to advance." Tester has led the charge to eliminate http://www.tester.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=4165 the most intrusive aspects of the PATRIOT Act, which were used to spy on law-abiding Americans without their consent, and he has opposed the confirmation http://www.tester.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=4961 of multiple members http://www.tester.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=4996 of President Trumps cabinet due to their support for the PATRIOT Acts bulk data collection provisions. Tester also voted down http://www.tester.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=4632 an amendment that would have expanded the FBIs authority to obtain information about Americans Internet activities without first obtaining a warrant. Testers letter to FTC Acting Chair Ohlhausen is available HERE http://www.tester.senate.gov/files/Letters/03.03.17%20FTC%20Letter%20on%20Vizio%20Privacy%20.pdf "Hello, my name is David," he wrote on Twitter. "I look code up on the internet all the time." Immediately, other techies picked up the meme. "Hello my name is Sadiksha, I am working on rails since 2011. I dont know migrations syntax to add/remove column, I google it everytime," one coder said. "Hello, my name is Tim. Im a lead at Google with over 30 years coding experience and I need to look up how to get length of a python string," tweeted another. Adrianne Jeffries Full Story: https://theoutline.com/post/1166/programmers-are-confessing-their-coding-sins-to-protest-a-broken-job-interview-process What You Should Know About Dodd-Frank and What Happens If Its Rolled Back Its not easy to live in Silicon Valley. The Guardian recently reported that some tech workers cant survive on six-figure salaries because of the "Silicon Valley wealth bubble." Even though the California companies pay some of the highest salaries in the country, rising cost of living makes life harder for techies, according to The Guardian. "I had to borrow money to make it through the month," said one Twitter employee, who told The Guardian he makes between $100,000 and $700,000 a year. By Herb [email protected] Full Story: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865674762/Why-Silicon-Valley-techies-flee-to-Utah.html Youve heard about so many email hacks that recapping them feels redundant. "Take any of the free email platforms out there. They all have a web interface. For the most part, they dont require any sort of authentication beyond user name and password," Brian Barrett Full Story: https://www.wired.com/2017/03/mike-pence-aol-email-hack/ With important discussions happening in Congress, the state must be represented, Bullock said. Zinke has not participated in several dozen votes since he was nominated to the Cabinet post. "Montanans havent really had a voice in that discussion for most of the year," Bullock said. "So we need to get somebody in there as soon as possible." Full Story: http://pilotonline.com/news/government/politics/montana-governor-calls-for-may-election-to-replace-zinke/article_60874a4c-0afd-5758-86ed-09d611c1e260.html *** MSNBC Rachel Maddow Montana GOP chair warns too much voter turnout favors Democrats http://www.matr.net/article-75651.html Montana Election Center Everything you need to vote https://www.vote.org/state/montana Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, plans to conduct an Award Ceremony via a Video Conference to celebrate and felicitate the winners of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother FASHION AWARDS 2020, to be held on 1st September 2021. The awards were announced by Merck Foundation in partnership with the African First Ladies, who are also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother. Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother emphasized I am proud to recognize and appreciate our winners and welcome them to our newly established Fashion with Purpose community. The young African designers who win this awards and previous awards have contributed towards our cause by developing extraordinary creative designs that deliver strong and influential messages to empower infertile women and say No to Infertility Stigma. I am excited to meet and celebrate our winners, through our online Award Ceremony. I am looking forward to mentor them on how to execute their designs. Other than the winners, I would also like to invite young fashion talents from the continent to attend this Virtual Conference, in order to be a part of our Fashion with Purpose community and participate in our upcoming exciting initiatives to raise awareness and sensitize our communities about sensitive social and cultural issues such as; girls education, stop GBV and break infertility stigma; to be the voice of the voiceless. We are very glad that Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej will champion this Fashion with a Purpose community in Africa by supporting and mentoring upcoming African designers. She is a true fashion icon, emphasized Kezia Ansah-Mensah, Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Fashion awards 2019 winner from Ghana. My vision is to develop a community of young African Fashion Designers in order to catalyze a movement, that reaches and extends far beyond just fashion, and creates a culture shift and be the voice of the voiceless in their communities. Fashion industry has already got enough flakes for being superficial. Lets change this perception and create a meaningful fashion trend aiming to educate our communities. I love fashion and I strongly believe that designers can make designs for Men and Women that they would be proud to wear to show their contribution toward their communities, villages, and cities across Africa, added Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej. Merck Foundation launches an annual competition for the best design that carries messages to address sensitive social and health issues. The two awards launched for the year 2021, for African Fashion Designer community are: 1. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards More Than a Mother 2021: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to raise awareness about Infertility Prevention, Breaking Infertility stigma, and/or Empowering Girls and Women through Education. Submission deadline: 30th October 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/3gzkm1d) to view more details. 2. Merck Foundation Make Your Own Mask Fashion Awards 2021: All African Fashion Designers and Students are invited to create and share designs of masks and other clothing items that carry messages to encourage people to wear masks to show they care and at the same time make it creative and fun! Submission deadline: 30th September 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/3BgSjeH) to view more details. The Award Ceremony will be livestreamed on @ Merck Foundation Facebook page (https://bit.ly/3gBVMwy) and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej Facebook page (https://bit.ly/2Ws6OgV). Young and upcoming African Fashion designers are welcome to attend the online ceremony. Here is the list of Award Winners of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother FASHION Awards 2020: Here are the winners from Ghana in partnership with H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother. Ghana Leticia Ashie Owusu Gifty Amonu Essel Kizito Ronald Jr Placid Leke Anuja Bharti Paul Akrofie Desmond Nhyira Amankonah Here are the winners from Namibia in partnership with H.E. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother. Namibia Linrico Humphries Stephany-Lee Schmidt (Libi) Aina Shigwedha Hope Gowera Joel Musasa Eugenia Benard Paulton Luciano Witbooi Here are the winners from Zambia in partnership with H.E. ESTHER LUNGU, The First Lady of Zambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother. Zambia Nelly Banda Ruth Chimbala Cecilia Njobvu Linda Ngwira Naomi Soko Gibstar Makangila Kasonde Makangila Merck Foundation additionally rewarded the winners by providing them with one-year access to an online educational training program called MasterClass. The MasterClass is an immersive online experience and self-paced learning course in English that can be accessed anywhere with the Internet. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires On 29th of September 2022, Mr Kawaguchi Shuichiro, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Dr Renganaden Padayachy , Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development signed and exchanged the notes in Port Louis, concerning Grant Assistance of 550 million yen, approximately 172 million rupees. This is under the framework of the Economic and Social Development Programme for improving the quality of the countrys health service especially for non-communicable diseases. The funds will be used to procure medical equipment and to allow the Government of Mauritius to consolidate its health system. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires by Sara Guaglione , March 3, 2017 The Village Voice has announced the lineup of participating restaurants in its 10th annual Choice Eats food festival, which takes place this year on Friday, May 19 at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Tickets are on sale for $85 for general admission and $135 for VIP access. All attendees will receive complimentary alcoholic beverages and a souvenir tasting glass, in addition to sampling some of the restaurants' most popular dishes. This years event will feature more than 60 New York restaurants representing 35+ different cuisines, which Village Voices food critics have reviewed and selected for this event. Our Choice Eats tasting event takes highlights from some of our most favorable restaurant reviews in print and digital and brings them to life under one roof for the culinary-enthusiast segment of our audience, The Village Voice publisher and COO, Suzan Gursoy, told Publishers Daily. Choice Eats will be supported by a dedicated food issue in print and digital. It will also be promoted in The Village Voices newsletters and through social and PR campaigns. Because our readers engage with The Village Voice on various platforms at any given time, its critical that we provide topical access in different ways across all of our channels simultaneously, Gursoy said. She estimates the total reach of Choice Eats will be near 25 million. The Village Voice will also publish its first Choice Eats Dining Guide, which will be inserted into the paper, as well as included on a dedicated hub during the week of The Village Voice's special Food Issue. The guide is intended to service our readers with a curated list of some of our favorite restaurants and their stand out dishes, highlighting excerpts from our wide array of restaurant reviews, Gursoy said. In the fall, The Village Voice will release another Choice Eats Dining Guide to help readers eating out during the holiday season, Gursoy said. The participating restaurants in this year's Choice Eats festival include Ample Hills Creamery, Anejo, Awadh, Butter Lane, Casa del Chef, Confectionary, Devi Restaurant, The Gander, The Handpulled Noodle, Harlem Shake, Loi Estiatorio, No. 7, Peppas Jerk Chicken, Rebelle, Samesa, Schallers Stube, Soho Tiffin Junction, Sugar Couture, Untamed Sandwiches, Xe May Sandwich Shop and Yemen Cafe by Wayne Friedman , March 3, 2017 Viacom has named Niels Schuurmans to a new chief marketing officer position for three of its networks -- the soon-to-be Paramount Network (now Spike), TV Land and CMT. Schuurmans, a 25-year veteran of Viacom, will put initial emphasis on re-branding Spike as Paramount Network, oversee all cross-network marketing initiatives for Spike, TV Land, and CMT, as well as working with the individual networks marketing teams. He will report to Kevin Kay, president, Spike TV, TV Land, and CMT. Since January 2014, Schuurmans has been chief creative officer/EVP of creative and branded content for the Viacom Velocity, Viacoms branded content unit. He was responsible for integrated marketing creative content across all the Viacom brands and platforms -- including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Spike, CMT, Logo and TV Land. Schuurmans started at Viacom's Nickelodeon, where he led the marketing development for Nick franchises, including The Big Help, SlimeTime LIVE, U-Pick Live, SNICK and many others. He also worked on theatrical movies for Nickelodeon franchises -- Rugrats, the Wild Thornberry movies and Spongebobs. by Barbara Lippert , Featured Columnist, March 3, 2017 Jimmy Kimmel was on cruise control, generally killin it at the Oscars, cracking pitch-perfect inside-Hollywood jokes about the years unusual crop of nominees. Black people saved NASA and white people saved jazz. Thats what we call progress, he said. And later added, we dont discriminate against people based on what country they come from. We discriminate based on their age and weight. All was surprisingly unpolitical and stellar, until the Dolby Theater tour bus crashed. For me, it happened way before the trick ending, with that forehead-slapper of a parallel universe moment, with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway achieving the inconceivable: announcing the wrong winner for Best Picture. It featured a warring Youre impossible, Warren, let-me-have-that! Bonnie and a mystified You-think-youre-so smart-you-do-it! Clyde. Each panicked, thrown for a loop over the contents of the envelope, and as standing Hollywood royalty, neither was willing to give an inch or ask for help. And behind the error, a very 21st century villain emerged: that smug tweeter of an accountant, preening and lost backstage in all of his Im a celebrity, too! suck-up. advertisement advertisement Unfortunately, what was really lost was the limelight that would have attached to the "Moonlight" Best Picture win, and the boundary-breaking speeches that could have been. Because no Best Picture was ever before about a lost, black, gay boy with a crack-addicted mom, growing up in Miami. And attention should have been paid. Those were not the only errors. The In Memorium section left out important dead persons, and included the photo of one still-very-much alive costume designer. And having the real, regal, 98-year-old NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson join the Hidden Figures stars on stage in her wheelchair was an inspired move, but the high emotion it introduced was lost in a huh? clumsy ending. But back to the bus. Look, I know some people loved the bit and thought it was charming, but for me, it seemed terribly exploitative and condescending. From the get-go, when Kimmel announced the hijacking, and we got to see the street shot of the top of the double-decker Starline Tour bus as it was pulling up (introducing a Dealey Plaza-like feeling into all that glamorous technicolor), I felt a sense of dread. Of course, pranking real people who are not in on the joke is a standard go-to on Jimmy Kimmel Live! His hero, David Letterman, also did it regularly, and theres something about bringing regular folks from the outside inside, into the professionally processed studio air, puncturing that curtain, that makes for a knowing way to acknowledge the on-the-air fakeness that all can enjoy. And it wasnt exactly new. At the 2004 Emmys, the late great Garry Shandling (another of Kimmell's heroes) dragged two innocent civilians to the stage, blindfolded, to introduce the top prize for a reality show. I thought at the time that that bit bombed, too. So when the tour bus passengers arrived in their regular-people clothes, and filed in mid-ceremony, for a minute I couldnt tell the zookeepers from the kept. Whom were we supposed to gawk at? The very privileged stars, wearing their bizarrely overdone faces and haute designer duds that they got for free, or the tour people, seemingly out of central casting with their ungainly hats, bags, and sweatshirts, hanging on to their smartphones? It briefly reminded me of the ad campaign from McCann, for Lockheed Martin, that cleaned up at the Cannes Lions last year. That spot introduced itself with a Twilight Zone-like premise, spelled out on title cards:The kids thought they were taking an ordinary trip. We took them much further, as it showed a bunch of elementary school children clamoring into what appeared to be a regular-old yellow school bus. It turned out to be the first-ever group virtual reality experience (no goggles) of a tour of Mars. The windows turned into screens, and as the bus turned, the kids felt like they were driving around on the red planet, observing the topography and basking in the astro-high. In the end, the demonstration was created to encourage the kids to be scientists, space explorers, and thinkers. By contrast, what was this Oscar tour encouraging? The tourists didnt exactly grovel. Kimmel made some insensitive jokes about one womans name, and one star emerged: Gary from Chicago. He got Denzel to fake-marry him and his fiancee, gallantly kissed the hands of female stars, and took lots of pics. As happens on reality shows, though where people frequently end up divorced, bankrupt, or in jail it was quickly discovered that Gary had a past. In fact, hed been released from prison just two days before, after having served 20 years at Corcoran State, a men's prison in Corcoran, California. His 20-year sentence seemed to illustrate the truth and power of Ava DuVernays Oscar-nominated documentary, 13th, which is all about the prison-industrial complex, and the astounding percentage of American black men behind bars. Garys crime, (this time) was stealing three set of perfume, valued at less than $300, from a Robinsons-May department store in Redondo Beach in 1996. But he ended up with a life sentence for perfume theft, because he had a prior record attempted rape at age 18 in 1978, unarmed robbery in 1982, and a burglary in 1992. As such, he fell prey to California's three-strikes law. He was actually given a life sentence under the former three-strikes law, and served 20 years before we were able to get him out. He is a shining example of why life sentences for nonviolent crimes are a bad policy, his L.A. public defender, Karen Nash, told the Los Angeles Times. So as it turns out, I hated the bit, thinking it would make these people the cruel butt of jokes. But I was wrong. In the cultural climate of 13th, and Moonlight, Gary Coes story is a screenplay that writes itself. In the end, its a happy turn-around: "Gary had a really positive whats called 'programming' in prison, where he did a lot of rehabilitative work and attended counseling and kept a job and went to school," Nash says. So the judge determined he wasnt a danger, so he was released. Sometimes things arent what they seem, and then you have to dig a little deeper. Accidental Spotlight: Hows that as a title for a future Oscar-nominated film? by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, March 3, 2017 Uber's bad year got worse this afternoon, when The New York Times reported that the company went to extraordinary lengths to circumvent investigations into its ride-hailing service. Uber reportedly developed "Greyball" software, which flagged government officials (and their agents) who may have been trying to gather evidence against the ride-sharing company. Uber then Greyballed those officials -- a process that involved serving them "a fake version of the app populated with ghost cars," according to the Times. If an Uber driver somehow picked up a rider who had been flagged as law enforcement, the company sometimes told the driver to end the ride, the Times reports. Uber reportedly looked at data like social media profiles and credit card information (including whether the credit card was connected to a police credit union), when determining which people to Greyball. The ride-hailing company, currently valued at around $70 billion, used the technique in the U.S. in cities like Boston, Las Vegas and Portland and abroad, according to the Times. In the last several years, Uber expanded aggressively -- often by entering markets without first seeking permission from government officials. Some cities cleared Uber after it had already launched, while others, like Portland, forced it to shut down after it had started operating. The company isn't denying that it used the program. On the contrary, an Uber spokesperson tells MediaPost that Greyball "denies ride requests to fraudulent users who are violating our terms of service," including "opponents who collude with officials on secret stings meant to entrap drivers. This latest report about Uber comes on top of engineer Susan Fowler's well-publicized allegations of sexual harassment, and the posting of a video showing CEO Travis Kalanick arguing with a driver over fares. In early February, Kalanick was pressured into quitting President Donald Trump's advisory panel after more than 200,000 Uber customers deleted their accounts as part of a protest against Trump's travel ban (which has since been halted by the courts). Uber also faced criticism several years ago over its privacy practices, including its use of the "God view," which allowed employees to track the precise locations of passengers who are using the car service. A new study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, investigates a potential new approach to designing drugs for the treatment of asthma. Better interventions could be on the horizon. Share on Pinterest With asthma cases on the rise, research looking at novel drug targets is more important than ever. Asthma causes an individuals airways to become inflamed and narrow, and additional mucus is produced. Breathing becomes difficult for this person, who may wheeze and cough as a result. An estimated 1 in 12 people in the United States have asthma, which equates to around 25 million people. Worryingly, the number of individuals with asthma appears to be rising. Between 2001 and 2009, the number of U.S. individuals diagnosed with asthma grew by 4.3 million. In 2007, asthma was linked to 3,447 deaths in the country. There are a range of potential triggers for asthma. These include pollen, molds, dust mites, animal dander, air pollution, certain medications, and exercise. Current medications can effectively treat the symptoms for many people but, as the lead author of the current study, Dr. Ruth Sander, says: For a number of people with asthma, particularly severe asthma, treatment is not 100 percent effective. Although a number of new therapies are under investigation for allergy-related asthma, there is still a need for new therapies for asthma that is not related to allergies. The steady rise in asthma cases, its potential to be fatal, and the shortfalls of medication for some individuals, all make asthma research an important field of study. Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. Yes, its true. A man in Japan was found dead under a huge pile of porn magazines. In what sounds like a sex tragedy, the mans collection of porn was so vast it weighed almost 6 tons, enough to make him stop breathing. And whats even worse, his body was found 6 months later, when his landlord decided to check on him for unpaid rent. AsiaWire The lonely Japanese man has been identified as Joji, a 50-year-old former carmaker. The circumstances of his death are not clearly established yet, and it is not known whether he died after the pile fell on him or if he suffered a heart attack and then fell under the sack. AsiaWire His entire flat was found to be flooded with porn magazines; there were some cuttings from the magazines too, but clearly the pile was still enough to kill the man. It is no secret that sex addiction is a real thing in Japan. But that it can kill someone is not something one would expect. We guess online porn is safer than print. From Uber to Google to Apple to Tesla to Ford, it seems like every tech company is now looking to develop their own self-driving car and one more car manufacturer can be added to the list. The Toyota Research Institute (TRI) has been testing their own self-driving car and it happens to the Lexus LS 600hl. The vehicle is equipped with camera arrays that assist in driving itself. In addition to the camera arrays, the car is also equipped with LIDAR radar, which works in synergy with the cameras so that it does not have to heavily rely on high-def maps. Toyota There are two types of self-driving levels that Toyota has developed. i.e. Chauffer and Guardian. The Chauffer level is typically restricted to certain locations and areas such as cities and the highway. It also has a higher tier of self-driving levels which would enable the self-driving car to go anywhere. The other tier of the self-driving system i.e. Guardian will act more as a driver-assist system which will monitor the surroundings around the vehicle and alert the driver about potential hazards. The system will then step in to take control in order to avoid a crash when necessary. Toyota Toyotas research suggests that Guardian will be available on future cars sooner than the Chauffeur. There are already similar features on other cars today such as a security feature better known as Automatic Emergency Braking. We react differently to information when we believe it has been endorsed by many; even if these many are strangers on the World Wide Web whom weve never met; and would probably never meet, anyway. Now, Im not saying were all strangers onlinesome of us have friends, family and influencers on our lists; But why does the external validation matter? Why do we seek it out and why do we react differently to it? Social media has become one of the significant factors to being socially validated. How we portray ourselves on our social media networks determines our sense of self, our offline popularity, and how we act and react around others. Its sad, to an extent; but, its also true. How often have you heard a friend tell you, Please remove that picture of mine from your profile; I look so ugly.? How often have you had to take multiple pictures from your phone camera just because you, or a member of your social circle, were not satisfied with the final outcome of images; especially if they thought it would go up on social media? And Im talking about all media channelsFacebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and Tinder (yes!), just to name a few. Unsplash What we share with people on the web has become more inclusive over recent times. Theres little left to the imagination; theres little that we hold private and sacrosanct. Our perceptionthe more we share, the more interesting we are and the more people like us online. On Instagram, if were not sharing at least two posts a day, if we dont update our stories; if we havent posted on Snapchat, we have no life, do we? Picture, or it never happened syndrome is real in this day and age. And with the number of internet users in India set to cross 450 million by June, this year, we need to evaluate and ask ourselves how online presence and popularity affect our offline selves? Does it elate us? Does it frustrate us? Or does it keep us unperturbed? Sure, the internet has been a blessing for having connected us to every corner of the world. We know when Trump is being sexist, or when Alia Bhatt is receiving death threats. We can book ourselves a ride and order us a meal; we can buy groceries and sell property in a jiffy. Just like we can equate the number of likesor the lack thereofon a post to the number of fucks we do, or dont, give And we do give way too many fucks to people who arent paying our internet bills; arent funding our livelihoods, arent paying us for breathing and basically, arent adding any value to our lives; unless you count having accepted a friend or follow request as value added services. Unsplash Were constantly burdened by the pressure of why hasnt someone texted us back, yet; liked our latest status update, yet, or sent us a direct message, yet? Were so bogged by it that we become victims of staring at our phone screens; were looking for a nano-second when we can look at our phones and see whats everyone been up to and why arent they enquiring about us. We forget to make direct personal conversation with the people who are in front of us because were more bothered about the ones who are in our phones screens. We cant stop going back and forth on our Tinder profiles, changing our pictures, time and again so that more users will swipe right and start a conversation. We dont know how to make a conversation face-to-face with anyone anymore because were too used to hiding behind a screen and saying whatever the hell we feel like; theres no repercussions; no sense of ownership. Our thoughts will soon be drowned out in a sea of similar or differing thoughts and no one will remember this. And even if they did, how does it matter? They cant get to us, can they? Its convenient to not have any conscious control over what were typing, sharing or spreading. Its easy to troll that girl who looks like she ate a monster; its easy to troll that guy whos been going on about feeling sad these days. Why doesnt he just get a life? Of course, were in the right; were just sharing our opinion with them; theyre lucky to have it from someone who is always too busy to be sad, or eat out of boredom. Pexels Vile. Regardless. Obnoxious and thoroughly discontent. Thats what we become. And no, we cant blame social media. Thats just a platform to speak up to like-minded or different-minded people; letting them know that there are others out there who think and feel a particular way. Its our fault that we use the platform to bash and defame and blindly blurt things out because were just so cool we give zero fucks. Wrong. We actually give so many fucks that wed probably die of shame if we didnt. Social media has not made us vile creatures who are always complaining and never content. Social media has just brought out the vile nature of the majority of the worlds population. It has given impetus to the narcissistic bunch of people who are too full of their own issues to be able to see that there is an inherent refugee problem that the world needs to come together and solve; that there is a poverty line that is not going down in the near future; that the Earth is slowly dying; that the water content is depleting; animals are going extinct and in the midst of this all, people are dealing with real life problems, health problems, mental, emotional and physical problems but because weve become too quick to like, share and post any and everything, we take everything at face value and decide that what these people really need is to get a life. In 2015, a study conducted by at York University followed Facebook users between 18-25 years of age to conclude that the people who used Facebook the most were supposed to have narcissistic or insecure personalities. Pexels Weve always been nosey of other peoples businesses, anyway. They seem to make us fele better about our own downfalls, Wed rather be interested in why Brad is now texting Jen after he just divorced Jolie than in the melting glaciers and the dying polar bears and pandas, or how the K clan titties and booties keep getting bigger while the appetites of African children get smaller due to lack of food. Wed rather make already popular celebrities viral, or hype up the news around how Ivanka Trump was dissed at a party, than do anything about mental health which is probably affecting the person you sit or live next to but we wouldnt know it until they put up a status at the psychiatrists clinic saying they had a mental health issue. Wed be more interested in leaked sex tapes or online shaming than we would in knowing how we, as a human race are screwing up on a large scale level. And with internet data usage plans getting cheaper and expansive, privacy might soon become a thing of the past while we try to run and hide from the zillions of opinions everyone else has on our own opinions and how that makes us feel so bad about ourselves. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. HURON COUNTY Four-way stops at rural intersections are not the answer to preventing fatalities, according to a Huron County Road Commission official. The issue is that people need to obey stop signs, and yield the right of way when they are required to. Unfortunately, some of the fatalities that weve had if it was a four-way stop, it probably wouldnt have mattered. We take that very seriously, said Neal Hentschl, secretary-manager of the Huron County Road Commission. If the person would have obeyed the stop sign, we wouldnt be sitting here talking, he said of a recent fatality in Chandler Township. The Huron County Board of Commissioners discussed stop signs at rural intersections this week. Don Koglin of Sheridan Township approached the board, concerned about the number of fatalities in recent years caused by failure to yield or failure to stop at intersections. He questioned whether there should be four-way stop signs on country roads. Commissioner John Bodis said its not possible to just place a stop sign at any given intersection; there is a process that must be followed. This begins with a traffic study, he said. He noted that there was a time when the City of Bad Axe had one stoplight. When new ones were installed, there were more car accidents because people try to beat (the traffic lights). Hentschl told the Tribune on Friday that putting four-way stops at rural intersections would disrupt the flow of traffic, and changing so many intersections would make things almost worst if people had to stop where theyre not used to stopping. People lost lives. People lost family members. I get that, he said. We base our decisions on not a circumstance, but on sound science. About 25 years ago, every intersection in the county was studied for traffic flow, and officials decided to make them all at least two-way stops, Hentschl said. The amount of traffic on dirt roads does not warrant four-way stops, he said. We continually look at that. And, if something changes in the neighborhood that changes how the traffic pattern would go, and frankly, we find nothing. At the meeting, Commissioner Todd Talaski said distracted driving with cell phones contributes to people failing to yield or stop at intersections. No study here, just my thoughts, he said. Bodis said that in Michigan, as well as nationwide, there has been an increase in fatalities from distracted driving, and the problem locally is everyone looking at everything but the road. We cant correct the distracted driving, Hentschl told the Tribune. Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson previously reported that since 2013, his office has handled seven fatal accidents that have claimed 15 lives, which were the result of either failing to stop or failing to yield. The most recent victims were Sheila M. Iseler, 40, and Shawn Babbitt, 21, both of Caseville. Babbitt was a passenger in a vehicle that failed to stop at the intersection of Dunn and Maxwell roads last month. The truck, driven by Babbitts brother, Todd Babbitt Jr. 22, of Caseville, impacted with Iselers truck. Hanson told the Tribune on Thursday that the accident remains under investigation. He added that running stop signs is not always the cause of fatalities. There are some fatal accidents where people pull into oncoming traffic once they have stopped. That was found to be the case in a that in a June 2016 accident. Andrew J. Trinity, 23, of Walled Lake, was driving a Ford Ranger heading eastbound on Richardson Road and failed to yield the right of way to a cement mixer, which was traveling northbound on Pinnebog Road. The two vehicles collided and as a result, a 24-year-old Deford man and a 19-year-old Elkton woman were killed and Trinity was seriously injured. The driver of the cement truck was not injured in the crash. Although it was not mandatory, Huron County has placed vertical strips on stop ahead and stop signs that are extremely reflective. And Huron County has the most reflective stop sign material you can buy, Hentschl said. Installing rumble strips are another safety measure that can be taken at intersections. But if they are placed at every intersection, people would get used to them and not necessarily acknowledge them, Hentschl said. Every two or three years, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) evaluates local and state roads. For the past two evaluations, Huron County has not received any recommendations from MDOT, Hentschl said. Editor's note: This article has been corrected. The original post had the wrong example of an accident where people pull into oncoming traffic once they have stopped. UPPER THUMB Four high schools in Huron County were selected by the state to bring a new advanced placement course to the classroom next year. Students are already registering for the course AP computer science principles that will be offered at Bad Axe, Ubly, Harbor Beach and Owendale-Gagetown high schools. The state selected 72 high schools to take advantage of the course, which is on track to be the biggest course launch in Michigans AP history. Giving our students every advantage possible will help make Michigan a top 10 education state in 10 years, state Superintendent Brian Whiston stated in a news release. Preparing our educators and students with informed and structured content for computer science and coding is a major step in that direction. The course, which will be offered for at least four years, will help students get an early start in their college careers. Educators will receive professional training, free of charge, at a workshop to introduce the curriculum of the course. The state is not requiring the educator that will be teaching the course to have background knowledge on the subject either. After the four-year period, the state will require the teacher to be certified in computer science. Its a great course in terms of it being rigorous and college level, Ubly High School principal Ryan Cayce told the Tribune. Students will receive three (college) credits if theyre successful on the final exam. Cayce said with advancements in technology-related careers, this course will make students better equipped to enter the workforce. In Michigan, the average salary is around $46,000. However, the average salary in the state for a computing occupation is $78,000. Ubly students are already signing up for the class, Cayce said. Were hoping to have 15 to 25 students in the course. But if we have more sign up, we will add additional classes as necessary. Nearly 15,000 computing jobs are available in Michigan. To the editor: As a Huron County resident (one of many) we feel that our nice, peaceful rural life is being replaced by a giant industrial energy turbine takeover. The number of turbines in Huron County has reached 443, with another 50 to 70 in the Filion overlay and 65 turbines in the NextEra Sherman-Sigel area approved for possible installation. According to the Michigan Wind Energy Resource Zone Board report, June 2, 2009, the environmentally friendly plan includes 2,824 turbines for our four-county area. This area includes Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola, and Bay County, of which Huron County is expected to receive the majority of them. Did they consider that they want to build these 1,000 to 1,500 turbines in our backyard and front yard for this matter, making our beautiful county an industrial wasteland? Do they expect us to live under turbines? Many residents are, and do not like it. Its not like living next to a farm. A farm is what you expect in a rural community. DTE, NextEra, and others will be putting thousands of dollars into trying to convince us that we should be OK with this. It is up to us, the residents of Bingham, Bloomfield, Brookfield, Dwight, Fairhaven, Gore, Grant, Hume, Lincoln, McKinley, Rubicon, Sebewaing, Sheridan, Sherman, Sigel, and Winsor, near or far from the Lincoln or Sherman areas, to put the brakes on these projects and let us continue to live our lives in Huron County. We are not going to give up. We need your voice. Enough is enough! We, the Huron County Wind Resistance, need to raise money for signs and advertising. We will need your no vote May 2 on Huron County Proposals 1 and 2. Denise Rice Filion 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... ORLANDO, Florida -- Russian pilots buzzed the guided missile destroyer Porter repeatedly last month, but also had "relatively large number of interactions with" U.S. and NATO aircraft the same day, according to the Defense Department. The DoD shared new details regarding interceptions that took place Feb. 10, "some of which were deemed to be safe and standard and some of which were assessed as unsafe and unprofessional," according to a statement from the Office of the Secretary of Defense provided to Military.com The USS Porter incident involved Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft and an Ilyushin Il-38, an anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol aircraft, near the warship in the Black Sea on Feb. 10. The Porter was approached by multiple aircraft that did not have their identifying transponders on, according to U.S. European Command. Related Video: Russian Fighter Jets Buzz USS Porter in the Black Sea But there were "a number of intercepts of U.S. aircraft by Russian aircraft and an intercept of a Russian aircraft by another NATO-flagged aircraft," that day as well, the DoD statement said. An Air Force official told Military.com on Friday that officials do not believe the Russian aircraft involved in intercepting the U.S. planes were the same ones involved in the USS Porter flyby, and do "not want to give further specifics." The official also said that the intercept of the Russian aircraft by NATO aircraft "is not the first time this has happened. This happens almost every time U.S. and NATO aircraft fly -- especially in the Baltics." The official added that "vast majority of intercepts" from either side "are safe and professional." The DoD chimed in after Gen. Tod Wolters, head of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa, cited four interceptions of NATO aircraft on Feb. 10 during a media roundtable Thursday. Wolters told reporters at the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium here that there were four aerial-to-aerial incidents, involving Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft and an Ilyushin Il-38. The aircraft Wolters cited were the same type of aircraft that buzzed the Porter. Originally, Wolters said the Russian aircraft had intercepted NATO planes -- not ships -- but he couldn't recall the particular aircraft affected. When asked again by Military.com what countries the aircraft came from, he said he was "pretty sure it was U.S." aircraft. Wolters was attempting to speak to a trend of aerial provocations by Moscow winding down, the official said. "General Wolters' comments stand for themselves, and his main points bear repeating. He assessed that the trend of unprofessional engagements with Russian aircraft has plateaued over the past six months," the OSD statement said. "The individual examples cited should not detract from the overall assessments that unsafe and unprofessional interactions with Russian aircraft represent a small minority of what occurs within international airspace." "We provide information back to Russia when they do occur to make sure we can get an answer," Wolters said Thursday. But from a "training perspective" the overall number of interceptions "have plateaued. We continue to keep close watch. Each and every one of those engagements is different than the other," he said. When asked if he believes incidents occur because of pilots' poor judgment or because Moscow is reacting to policies imposed by the West, Wolters said the issue stems largely from errors in judgment. But "I believe there's a little bit of both." -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. . A Southern California school district will stop taking part in funeral processions for U.S. sailors and Navy SEALs killed overseas, which have drawn thousands of students. The Coronado Unified School District and the Navy agreed on the move out of concern for children with parents serving overseas, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday. Officials said some young participants have been traumatized by thoughts of their parents dying. At a November procession, some 2,000 students lined a street. Blair King, Coronado's city manager, said participation at the processions had been mostly down since 2010. However, on Nov. 1, 2016, students from the Coronado school district lined the streets to honor Chief Petty Officer Jason C. Finan, who was killed in Iraq fighting the Islamic State last October. "Everyone's heart was in the right place. We're just saying that pragmatically -- from our standpoint worrying about the safety of the community, and the school district worrying about the safety and the psyches of their students -- we had to come up with a different plan," King told the newspaper. "Our concern is communicating that with the public. We're no less supportive than we ever have been, but we just can't keep continue to have these types of processions." Coronado officials say they're also pulling out of the processions, which have morphed from informal affairs to mass media events that draw thousands of outsiders, strain police resources and increase the risk of terrorism. "It became clear to me, after my conversations with officials from the City of Coronado, that ensuring security and safety for all of our students and the residents of Coronado throughout the procession was an incredibly difficult task for our Coronado Police Department," school district superintendent Karl Mueller said. Some teachers told the Union-Tribune they were also concerned about how children were mentally processing the tragedies and that the discussions should lay with military parents and their commanders. U.S. Navy officials also expressed the same sentiments. "The practice started from a good place, but when we learned that young students were being traumatized by these events we wanted to show the city and school district that we could enjoy the same level of patriotism through other programs," Navy Base Coronado spokeswoman Sandra DeMunnik told the paper. Mueller added that there has not been any major pushback, aside from a few residents who have "expressed disappointment because they thought it was a good moment for reflection and added dignity to the procession." He said that police would still escort the procession through town, but use the quickest route possible. "We're as patriotic as ever and will continue to be as patriotic as ever, and we'll still encourage individual citizens to do whatever they feel right to do." Related Video: The parenting standoffs between my husband and me after deployment rival those that I've had with a two-year-old who didn't want to put away his jacket, with a colossal impact on my marriage. Like my toddler refusing to give up control, enjoying a preschool power trip of defiantly yelling "no" at Mommy, I was addicted to the satisfaction and independence of military parenting that running solo with ultimate decision-making and discipline power brings. Sure, I craved the help of having another adult around but, in his absence, I had evolved into the parent subject matter expert, leaving my husband on the losing end before he could say "reintegration." He wanted nothing more than to have "us" again in a co-parenting team, and to me, that felt scary. He needed a win so he could keep moving forward. As a father who parented differently from me, a soldier who wanted to return to his family and a husband who wanted his wife back, he needed to feel like he was an important part of our family -- not an outsider. The uninvited standoff I found myself in came as a surprise. But I realized that if I were going to see our marriage last through the parenting years, I needed to learn to put my marriage first and my parenting control second. I realized that I had believed three lies about myself and parenting -- and that keeping them risked sabotaging everything. Military Parenting Lie 1: "My identity and purpose is only found in motherhood." The uncertainty of military life made me feel out of control. My career felt impossible, military timelines were never concrete -- but motherhood was something I could succeed at. Sure, I couldn't control my children either, but I could control our routine, structure and ultimately how I handled the day. I not only found a sense of purpose tending to my children, but I also found them to be constant companions. Winning at parenting was easier than winning at marriage. I knew I would win that standoff with my two-year-old because I was the authority figure and he was learning how to obey. Marriage doesn't work that way, though, and I knew that choosing my marriage would mean me letting go. It is often easier to put energy toward something at which I feel I will be most successful. Ultimately, I believed the lie that my first priority, above myself and my marriage, was to the kids. For my marriage to succeed, my purpose and identity must extend far past the parenting years. Military Parenting Lie 2: "Letting go of control means something has to fail." The illusion of control is that it masks pride. When you have been the sole caregiver, it is easy to believe that your way is best. Perhaps it is best, for you. But it was quite prideful to think that my style of parenting was better than what my husband offered. Choosing to become a united front again as a couple involved me trusting that children benefit from different parenting styles -- not just the one I had to offer. My husband's voice is louder than mine and magically commands attention better than mine. The kids and I had grown accustomed to the sound of my gentle voice for discipline and nurturing temperament. As tempting as it was for me to correct him or ask him to parent like me, that would not benefit our relationship. It is amazing that we trust our service members to protect their battle buddies, but claim that they can't parent like we can. Although he asked for my help updating him with what had changed in the home, he did not need my help on how to be a father. Now that my kids are older, I know that had my husband been there during the 20-minute standoff with our preschooler, it would never have lasted that long. Your spouse brings a set of parenting strengths far different than your own, and your children will be better adults for having experienced it. Military Parenting Lie 3: "I have nothing left to give." The early years of parenting are likely one of the most unflattering and exhausting seasons of adulthood. You feel out of control of your body, and you are covered with your little one's bodily fluids most of the day. Feeling poked and prodded all day long while also managing the home and keeping kids alive will leave you exhausted. As much as I was thrilled to have my husband home and our family together again, I wasn't sure I had enough energy to give to another human being. I believed the lie that I alone had to carry the responsibility of everyone's emotional well-being and success throughout separations. The result at the end of the day was a burned-out mom in pajamas who felt entitled to make it all about her, and a husband who felt he needed to wait in line. In truth, it never rested fully on me, and the weight of your family's success doesn't fully rest on you. Finding the balance of taking care of you while parenting small children takes time, but it is worth it for your own health and that of your marriage. Looking back, I set my husband up for a win when I let go and trusted the process. I won my freedom from the lies I believed, and our children won by seeing their parents learn to collaborate as a team and win at marriage. -- For more on ways to put your marriage first during the early years of parenting, listen to the Lifegiver Podcast. Keep Up with the Ins and Outs of Military Life For the latest military news and tips on military family benefits and more, subscribe to Military.com and have the information you need delivered directly to your inbox. Ford Motor Company is now the largest tenant in a Metro Detroit mall, after turning a long-closed Lord & Taylor store into offices for 1,800 engineering and purchasing employees. They recently moved into Fairlane Mall, located close to the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker's world headquarters. Ford's campus is undergoing a $1.2 billion transformation, and one early move allowing that to happen was the relocation of offices to the mall. "As we began the 10-year process of constructing new technology labs and offices, we needed an innovative solution to situate larger teams close to our operations," says Dave Dubensky, chairman and CEO of Ford Land, the company's real estate arm, in a news release. "The proximity and design of Fairlane Mall, along with its on-site amenities, support our transformation in offering multiple conveniences for our employees. It is a win-win for us and the community." Lord & Taylor closed at Fairlane in 2006, leaving the mall with three anchor stores. The 1.5-million square foot mall adapted to changing market conditions, adding restaurant space and a movie theater, even as the retail climate within malls continues to change. Yet, the anchor store remained vacant - until Ford needed a lot of nearby space. The move by Ford into the mall was one of Metro Detroit largest office deals in 2016, signaling a new era of flexibility in mall space as owners see creative solutions to using space originally built for retailers. Ford's new Town Center Office is designed to promote more team collaboration and to keep employees physically energized, mentally stimulated, engaged and refreshed, according to a news release. Lounge space and cafes encourage movement, offering flexibility in terms of where employees choose to work each day. Walk-up stations for working are included in the new footprint. Employees can access a treadmill desk and walk at a 2 mph pace while returning email, taking a call or working on other tasks. Fairlane mall was built in 1976 by the Taubman Company, which also developed Twelve Oaks in Novi, Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor and Lakeside in Sterling Heights during that era. It has about 160 stores. Starwood Capital Group acquired Fairlane in 2014 for $102.2 million. Starwood, which owns malls in 16 states and operates them through its realty group, found the Fairlane sales per foot were around $335 - and they grew it to $400 by 2016. [enhanced link] [March 03, 2017] Need to Enhance Passenger Experience to Drive the Global Airport Sleeping Pods Market Through 2021, Reports Technavio Technavio market research analysts forecast the global airport sleeping pods market to grow at a CAGR of more than 6% during the forecast period, according to their latest report. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170303005054/en/ Technavio has published a new report on the global airport sleeping pods market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire) The market study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global airport sleeping pods market for 2017-2021. The report also lists single-occupancy and shared- occupancy, as the two main application segments, of which the single-occupancy segment accounted for over 62% of the market share in 2016. According to Avimanyu Basu, a lead analyst at Technavio for aerospace research, "Airport operators are strategizing to enhance passenger experience at airports by providing value-added services, such as sleeping pods, within the terminal. The airports are providing this option to all segments of customers through cost-effective resting areas." Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=56816 Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Technavio analysts highlight the following three market drivers that are contributing to the growth of the global airport sleeping pods market: Growing transit and transfer passenger traffic Emergence of smart airport concepts Airports offering no frill services to passengers Growing transit and transfer passenger traffic The demand for air travel continues to grow supported by low oil prices. The growing aviation industry has enabled airlines to expand the connectivity between places, which has resulted in increasing frequency of flights and addition of new routes. This has concurrently given rise to the demand for luxury travel and desire for comfort through sophisticated services a affordable prices at airports. Therefore, airport operators are focusing on the enhancement of passenger comfort by providing various concessionaire stores and lounge services at airports. The growing number of transit and transfer passengers traffic is one of the major factors driving the market. Most of the long-haul flights opt for hub and spoke method, where the transition and transfer of passengers take place. Often the tickets with long transit period are offered at a lower price. During the time interval, passengers look for relaxing options such as lounges, hotels, sleeping pods, and motels at airports. However, since most lounges are inaccessible to general passengers and hotels are expensive, passengers explore options such as sleeping pods for rest. Emergence of smart airport concepts Considering the increasing deployment of the internet of everything (IoT) enabled intelligent airport infrastructure coupled with the growing investments in technological advancements, International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airports Council International (ACI) jointly proposed the concept of smart airports. These facilitate a seamless travel comfort to passengers at airports and have the potential to boost the profitability and efficiency of airport operators during volatile economic conditions. Smart airport terminals are developed around a single, converged IP platform that enables high-speed broadband traffic across the aerodrome. By enabling real-time data exchange and airport-wide integration, the smart airports significantly improve their operational efficiencies, passenger services, and security capabilities. This broadband connectivity is also enabled in sleeping pods. "The development of smart airports will minimize the risks and limit inconvenience to passengers, thus enabling safer flight and airport operations," says Avimanyu. Airports offering no frill services to passengers The airport operations and airline business models have changed in accordance with the growing global aviation industry. Therefore, both the airport authorities and airlines have been looking for alternative approaches to manage the growing passenger traffic. This has given them the option to create sophisticated new technological products such as sleeping pods to enhance passenger comfort. This approach allows the airport operators to effectively use the terminal space by significantly providing luxurious comfort to all sets of passengers. Some of the examples of airports offering sleeping pods services are the Toronto Pearson International Airport (Ontario, Canada), London Heathrow Airport (Longford, UK), Singapore Changi Airport (Singapore), Hong Kong International Airport (Hong Kong), and Abu Dhabi International Airport (Abu Dhabi). Browse Related Reports: Global Airport Display Systems Market 2017-2021 Global Airport Fire Safety Equipment Market 2017-2021 Global Smart Airports Market 2015-2019 Become a Technavio Insights member and access all three of these reports for a fraction of their original cost. As a Technavio Insights member, you will have immediate access to new reports as they're published in addition to all 6,000+ existing reports covering segments like aerospace components, aerospace manufacturing, and aerospace products. This subscription nets you thousands in savings, while staying connected to Technavio's constant transforming research library, helping you make informed business decisions more efficiently. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170303005054/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] you are here: business July 1 now looks like realistic date for GST rollout: Deloitte Speaking to CNBC-TV18, MS Mani of Deloitte Haskins said that barring political contingencies, India's biggest tax reform could well be implemented on time. NORRISTOWN With just days until the 2022 general election a board room on the eighth floor of One Montgomery Plaza was filled with an air of contention. Public comment surrounding election practices including the dozen drop boxes posted across... Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity March 04, 2017 Open Thread 2017-09 News & views ... (I am on an extended family weekend which includes some ceremonies and festivities. Therefore: light posting) You may want to discuss if "Obama wiretapped Trump". Not mentioned at the link is the Obama abuse of classification discussed earlier here. My guess on the wiretapping: The Obama administration did this at least before the election. The "official target" was not Trump but someone else. Nothing usable was found on Trump. Posted by b on March 4, 2017 at 15:33 UTC | Permalink Comments next page Burke County is waging an all-out spay and neuter campaign to try to reduce the number of animals that end up being euthanized. The county got permission to use a video that the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals produced in its spay and neuter campaign, said Joanna Wallace, deputy county clerk and assistant to the county manager. The video talks about the benefits of spay/neuter for animals and the community. The video is on the countys Facebook page, YouTube channel and Twitter. County officials also have asked the school system and city and towns to share the video on their social media and websites to get the word out. Wallace said the countys launch of the educational community initiative is a proactive effort to further community outreach efforts and tackle the number of unwanted animals turned over to the shelter. As part of the initiative, the county will be systematically releasing a series of videos, tools and educational information to help residents understand the impact that spaying and neutering has on a community. It also connects people with low/no-cost spay and neuter resources. The first video just released on the countys Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel contains contact numbers and live links to local resources. Burke County Manager Bryan Steen will be featured in an upcoming video along with his pack of rescued furbabies to talk about the importance of spay/neuter. Steens three dogs all were abandoned. He got Zeke from Animal Hospital of Walnut Cove in Stokes County and Ty came from A Better Life in Burke County. Chloe, the boss of the bunch, was adopted from Burke County Friends for Animals by way of the animal shelter. Steen said he doesnt like animals being euthanized anymore than anyone else, so if the county can reduce the number of animals that dont have a good home, they can reduce the number that are euthanized. And the way to do that is to start at the source and prevent the problem from ever occurring through spaying and neutering pets. For the animals that are already here, Steen said he hopes people who are considering getting a pet will consider adopting from the county shelter or a rescue group and then get them spayed or neutered. Wallace said the spay/neuter campaign was born from the last workshop commissioners held on a proposed new animal ordinance. County staff continues to work on the ordinance and have made spaying or neutering an animal mandatory for people who adopt from the animal shelter, she said. The adoption fee would cover the cost of having the animal spayed or neutered, she said. Another workshop on the proposed ordinance is scheduled for Tuesday. Wallace said the majority of owner-surrenders to the animal shelter are unwanted litters. In 2016, 1,878 animals in Burke County were surrendered by owners to the shelter, according to previous reports. Wallace said the county also plans to post information about spay/neuter mobile clinics. The local, regional and national organizations that can help folks with low-cost spaying and neutering are: REASON at 828-403-3675 or on Facebook at ReasonReduceEuthanasiaAndSpayOrNeuter/ or on the web at www.reason-nc.org/ . Foothills Humane Society at 828-863-4444 or on the web at www.foothillshumanesociety.org . The Humane Alliance in Asheville at 828-252-2079 or on the web at http://humanealliance.org Avery Humane Society at 828-733-2333 or at www.averyhumane.org AnimalKind SpayNC Helpline at 888-623-4936 (888-NC-FIX-EM) or on the web at http://animalkind.org/programs/spaync-helpline/ Spay USA at 800-248-SPAY(7729) or on the web at www.spayusa.org . The contact information for the organizations also are at the end of the video the county has posted on its social media. Sharon McBrayer is a staff writer and can be reached at smcbrayer@morganton.com or at 828-432-8946. Graffiti on Mono Way retaining wall View Photos Sonora, CA Racist graffiti spray painted on a Mono Way retaining wall has the Sonora Police Department asking for the publics help to catch the culprit. Police were alerted to the vandalism Sunday, which included a swastika along with the number 1210 and the word Ant painted on the wall between the Hospital Road and Sanguinetti Road intersections. A witness came forward on Thursday and gave police this description of the suspect: White, male, mid-20s with a slight build, 5-6 to 5-7, wearing black pants and a black hooded shirt. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sonora Police Department at 532-8141. We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. The Melbourne Police Department is investigating a shooting Friday night at the Delavana Apartments. Man shot several times at Delavana Apartments Melbourne police investigating shooting Suspect described as black male wearing hooded jacket Police said a man in his mid-40s was shot several times in the abdomen. Police received calls about a shooting around 8:30 p.m. and when they arrived on scene, they found evidence of a shooting, but no victim. One witness said they encountered a man with a gun shot wound leaving the area on foot. Another witness said a bullet entered her home through a window. After a half hour of searching, police received word that the victim had walked nearly 2 miles to his home. Police then made contact with the victim, who was alert. The victim told police he was taking a short cut through the apartments on his way home when a black male wearing a hooded jacket approached him and began shooting. The victim was transported to a local hospital and received emergency surgery. No other information on the shooting has been released. Police are asking anyone with information to call (321) 608-6731. Covenant Health Plainview is dedicated to providing the most advanced healthcare in the comfort of your community. In April, the Plainview hospital is expanding on that philosophy as it welcomes a new general surgeon, Paresh K. Rajajoshiwala, M.D., to the community. I am very excited to be coming to Plainview, said Rajajoshiwala, who also goes by the name Dr. Raja. Dr. Raja has grown to become a renowned surgeon in his nearly 20-year career and will be a great addition to the specialist team at Covenant Health Plainview. Im extremely happy to have Dr. Raja join our medical team, said Covenant Health Plainview CEO Bob Copeland. He and his family will be a welcomed addition to Plainview. He is very experienced and will bring a whole new dynamic to Covenant Health Plainview. I think he is going to fit in very well with our current surgeons, in particular, Dr. Ilhan Yildiz and Dr. Douglas Cummins. Raja begins his practice at Covenant Health Plainview at the beginning of April and will office with Yildiz inside the Plainview hospital. Prior to his move to Plainview, Dr. Raja has run a general and bariatric surgery practice in San Antonio since 2009. Dr. Raja worked inside a number of San Antonio hospitals, including the Baptist Healthcare System, the Methodist Healthcare System and Christus Santa Rosa Healthcare. Dr. Raja graduated high school in Covina, Calif., and then majored in Biochemistry and Biological Science at California State University and the University of California at Irvine. I just love science, said Dr. Raja with a laugh as he explained his reasoning for entering the medical field. But with also a passion for working with his hands, Dr. Raja said he eventually chose to pursue a career as a surgeon. Im more of a hands-on kind of person. And when I see a problem, I want to fix it, Raja said. As a surgeon, Im able to do that. I can find a resolution and really set that patient free from whatever their problem is; and in a fairly short interval of time. Thats the reward, seeing how their lives change tremendously. In 1989, Dr. Raja entered the distinguished Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, Ill. Dr. Raja then entered a research fellowship at the University of Cincinnatis Department of Neurological Surgery before interning in Los Angeles and eventually becoming Chief Resident in Surgery at Santa Barbara, Calif. Dr. Raja practiced in California until 2003 when he moved his general and bariatric surgery practice to the Wish Center in San Antonio. It was one of those, I wasnt born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could situations, said Dr. Raja with another laugh. Raja practiced for more than a decade in San Antonio. However, Raja said he soon had a calling to move his practice where it would have a bigger impact; a place like West Texas. I think the biggest draw for me was to be able to provide services to where there truly was a need, Raja said. Raja said San Antonio was very saturated with providers and he felt he needed a community where he could truly make a difference. I think Plainview really fit that bill. There are people in the area that really need these types of services and expertise without having to travel great distances to get that care, Raja said. Though Raja had other choices in the West Texas region, Raja said Plainview really stood out, as he commented on how impressed he was with the investment and growth of Plainviews hospital, especially after touring the newly completed James and Eva Surgical Center, which is a part of the hospitals current $40 million renovation project. Well, the first thing that stuck out for me was the very close-knit community and close-knit hospital Plainview had, said Raja as he commented on how its easy to get lost in the system at bigger city hospitals. In a close-knit hospital, you know the care and communication is direct and is going to be carried out well. This gives patients a level of comfort and confidence, Raja said. And when you see upgrades in the facility and in the community, it indicates that the administration, and the medical community in general, is very vested in providing long-term, high-level care in the community. I was very impressed by the level of expansion and level of activity at the hospital because it only goes to show that the hospital is well entrenched in the community and wants to grow for the community so it can provide high-level of care in the next decades to come, Raja said. Raja said he is also very interested in working with outlying clinics and hospitals in the area a few times a month. Raja is married to wife, Nita, and together they have two children, Devon who is in his senior year at the University of Texas San Antonio and is planning to go to medical school this year and Maya, 17, who is a senior in high school and plans to attend the University of Texas in Austin. In his spare time, Raja likes to work out and loves to travel. Plainview Independent School District celebrates Texas Public School Week this week by inviting parents, grandparents and others to visit campuses and see both students and staff in action. With student enrollment in excess of 5,550, theres always plenty of action, and Public School Week would be an appropriate time to return to those hallowed halls to see whats new, while reliving a few fond memories. Four elementary campuses College Hill, Highland, Hillcrest and La Mesa are holding Scholastic Book Fairs, giving parents and students a chance to look at a huge variety of books and other educational material they can buy and take home. All local schools have set aside specific days when parents are being encouraged to join their children for lunch. Most elementary campuses have special grade-specific programs scheduled during the school day throughout the week. Check with your students campus to find out when their classes will be doing presentations on Texas history or cowboys and ranches or touring a Biome Project. Highland Elementary invites parents to attend at PTA meeting, which will include a PE program, Dance Around Texas. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday. Two schools will have evening programs on Thursday. The College Hill PTA meeting, planned for 6 p.m., will include a program featuring first-graders. La Mesa Elementary will host its book fair at 5:30 p.m., followed by the PTA meeting at 6 p.m. The second grade will be in charge of the program, Journey into Outer Space. La Mesas book fair reopens following the PTA program. Another reason to return to school is the effort to have Plainview ISD designated as a District of Innovation. With that designation, the district will have greater independence to set some of its own policies instead of having to rigidly adhere to several Texas Education Code guidelines that might be better-suited for school districts in other parts of the state. Specifically, the district is seeking exemptions in four areas: uniform school start and end dates, teacher certification, class-size requirements and the designation of campus behavior coordinators. A public hearing on PISDs District of Innovation plan is set for 4:15 p.m. Tuesday at the PISD Board Meeting Room at 24th and Yonkers. The public is encouraged to attend and learn more on how this effort will impact Plainview schools, teachers and students. Exciting things are happening in Plainviews schools. By taking the time to visit a campus this year, you can see for yourself that theres a whole lot more going on than just reading, writing and arithmetic. LUBBOCK Two Littlefield, men, Juan Carlos Lara-Ochoa and Jose Alberto Cibrian, were sentenced Friday morning before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. Lara-Ochoa, 24, was sentenced to 262 months in federal prison. Lara-Ochoa pleaded guilty in November 2016 to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Cibrian, 41, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison. Cibrian also pleaded guilty in November 2016 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to documents filed in court, on June 1, 2016, officers with the Lubbock Police Department learned that Lara-Ochoa would be delivering about two pounds of methamphetamine to Christopher Paul Andrade in Lubbock. Law enforcement set up surveillance and followed Lara-Ochoa from Littlefield, Texas to the La Michoacana grocery on Clovis Highway in Lubbock. Lara-Ochoa parked in the grocery stores parking lot, and a short time later, Andrade arrived and parked next to him. Andrade got into the front passenger seat of Lara-Ochoas vehicle, stayed for less than one minute, and then exited that vehicle, returning to his. Law enforcement followed Andrade as he drove out of the parking lot, and after a brief pursuit, detained Andrade and found approximately 444 grams of methamphetamine that he had attempted to discard during the pursuit. Andrade pleaded guilty in August 2016 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in a separate case. He was sentenced Dec. 1, 2016, by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 135 months in federal prison. Law enforcement observed Lara-Ochoa depart the parking lot and return to Littlefield, where they arrested him. They obtained a search warrant for his vehicle and located a hidden compartment under the front passengers seat that contained two separate packages of methamphetamine, weighing a total of 2,230 grams. One of those was packaged exactly the same as the methamphetamine Andrade had discarded. Officers also obtained a search warrant for Lara-Ochoas storage unit and found an additional 1,782 grams of methamphetamine and five firearms. On March 4, 2016, officers with the Littlefield Police Department learned of a suspicious vehicle at a nearby RV park. Upon arrival, officers found Jose Alberto Cibrian passed out in the drivers seat of that vehicle, with the engine running and the gear shift in the drive position. After removing him from the vehicle, officers found a plastic bag containing methamphetamine in the center console, a methamphetamine pipe, a digital scale and a firearm in a bag in the backseat. Cibrian admitted he had recently purchased the methamphetamine and the firearm. The Lubbock Police Department, the Littlefield Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long prosecuted. Rallies and protest events are a part of political life in the Bay Area. Heres a roundup of whats happening in the next few weeks. Sunday Peace gathering: To denounce an incident in Kansas last month in which a man allegedly shot two natives of India and a third man after telling the Indian men to get out of my country. One of the Indian men died. The gathering is from 1 to 4 p.m. at Lytton Plaza, 200 University Ave., Palo Alto. Tuesday Meeting on gun violence: A new-member meeting hosted by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. The meeting is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at a private residence. RSVP to liznaughtonmoore@gmail.com. Wednesday Day Without Women strike: The organizers behind the Womens March on Washington are calling for a general strike to show what a day without women would look like. Womens demonstration: A gathering to promote womens rights on the day of the womens strike. The event is from 5 to 9 p.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland. www.facebook.com/events/1289337677802574. Town hall: For International Womens Day, join womens advocates to speak about womens rights and the disparate challenges women still face. The event is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. Tickets available at https://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1696. Thursday Discussion on executive orders: UC Berkeley law professors will discuss the scope of the presidents authority on executive orders, such as one calling for a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. The event is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., San Francisco. Discussion on climate change: Hosted by the Lamorinda Democratic Club, the discussion will focus on local effects and actions. The event is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Lafayette library, 3491 Mount Diablo Blvd. Friday Standing Rock march: A march and rally calling for President Trump to meet with tribal leaders before continuing work on the Dakota Access Pipeline. The event is from 5 to 9 p.m. outside the San Francisco Federal Building, 90 Seventh St. March 13 Postcard party: A campaign to send 1 million postcards to President Trump on issues including womens rights, religious freedom, immigration and economic security. The event is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., San Francisco. RSVP to the Postcard Party at Booksmith event page on Facebook. March 14 Anti-Trump protest: Members of the tech community are expected to rally on Pi Day in protest of President Trump. The rally is from 2 to 6 p.m. at 250 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. March 15 Call for secure elections: A meet-up with the San Francisco Elections Commission, 6 p.m. at City Hall, Room 408, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. Rallies and protest events are a part of political life in the Bay Area. Heres a roundup of whats happening in the next few weeks. Saturday Trump opposition meeting: An afternoon of workshops and training on various actions that protesters can take to oppose President Trumps agenda. The training is from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Mission High School, 3750 18th St., San Francisco. Attendees must register online at https://www.facebook.com/ events/457725081252418 . Pro-Trump march: One of several scheduled events nationwide to support President Trump. The march is from 2 to 6 p.m. and will begin at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, 2151 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley. Sunday Peace gathering: To denounce an incident in Kansas last week in which a man allegedly shot two natives of India and a third man after telling the Indian men to get out of my country. One of the Indian men died. The gathering is from 1 to 4 p.m. at Lytton Plaza, 200 University Ave., Palo Alto. Tuesday Meeting on gun violence: A new-member meeting hosted by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. The meeting is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at a private residence. RSVP to LizNaughtonMoore@gmail.com . Wednesday Day Without Women strike: The organizers behind the Womens March on Washington are calling for a general strike to show what a day without women would look like. Womens Demonstration: A gathering to promote womens rights on the day of the womens strike. The event is from 5 to 9 p.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland. https://www.facebook.com/events/1289337677802574/ . Town hall: For International Womens Day, join womens advocates to speak about womens rights and the disparate challenges women still face. The event is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. Tickets available at https://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1696 . Thursday Discussion on executive orders: UC Berkeley law professors will discuss the scope of the presidents authority on executive orders, such as one calling for a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. The event is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., San Francisco. Discussion on climate change: Hosted by the Lamorinda Democratic Club, the discussion will focus on local effects and actions. The event is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Lafayette library, 3491 Mount Diablo Blvd. Friday Standing Rock march: A march and rally calling for President Trump to meet with tribal leaders before continuing work on the Dakota Access Pipeline. The event is from 5 to 9 p.m. outside the San Francisco Federal Building, 90 Seventh St. March 13 Postcard party: A campaign to send 1 million postcards to President Trump on issues including womens rights, religious freedom, immigration and economic security. The event is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., San Francisco. RSVP to the Postcard Party at Booksmith event page on Facebook. March 14 Anti-Trump rally: Members of the tech community are expected to rally on Pi Day in protest of President Trump. The rally is from 2 to 6 p.m. at 250 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. March 15 Call for secure elections: A meet-up with the San Francisco Elections Commission, 6 p.m. at City Hall, Room 408, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who has worked for environmental nonprofit groups for three decades, was appointed Thursday to the California Coastal Commission, an agency racked by dissension over the past year after the firing of its executive director. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon appointed Peskin to fill the commission seat representing the North Coast and Central Coast, which was vacated by former Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey, who retired. The commission, widely considered one of the most powerful and effective coastal-protection agencies in the country, was created by voter initiative in 1972 to regulate development and protect the coastline. I am honored, delighted and excited, Peskin said. Our coast is under a tremendous amount of pressure. There are a whole slew of issues related to sea-level rise and I look forward to being at the cutting edge on all those matters. The naming of Peskin comes less than a month after commissioners chose Jack Ainsworth, a staffer on the commission for 29 years, as the executive director. That announcement, on Feb. 10, came exactly one year after his predecessor, Charles Lester, was ousted, causing an outcry among environmentalists and others who accused the agency of selling out to developers and Malibu millionaires. Lesters opponents on the board cited poor outreach to minority communities and a lack of diversity on the 163-member staff as reasons for his dismissal. Since firing Lester, the commission board has come under fire for meeting with lobbyists before making important decisions. Peskins appointment was supported by the the Sierra Club, the Board of Supervisors and state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. Wiener said Thursday that the two had not always been on the same side of local issues, but he praised Peskin for his hard work, attention to detail and passion for environmental protection. Supervisor Peskin has always been a strong environmentalist, and Im confident he will be a staunch defender of our coastline as a member of the Coastal Commission, Wiener said. Its as important as ever to have strong, engaged coastal commissioners who can keep the commission on track. Peskin served on the Trust for Public Land in the 1980s and was western regional director of the American Land Conservancy from 1990 to 1993. He is currently president of Great Basin Land & Water, a small nonprofit organization focused on protecting water quality in the Truckee River. He is also a member of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, a state planning and regulatory agency. Peskin said he will resign his position on the board of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District so he can dedicate more time to the Coastal Commission, which he acknowledged is in the midst of some tumult. He will represent an area that includes Marin, San Francisco and Sonoma counties. I feel like I am coming in at exactly the right time after the dust has settled, he said. The commission is now in the forefront of everybodys mind, and my job is to create relationships with the other members and staff. My background as a lifelong environmentalist is abundantly clear. The Coastal Commission is charged with carrying out environmentally sustainable planning and science-based regulation of development along the coast. It has 12 voting members and three nonvoting members who are appointed by the governor, the Senate Rules Committee and the speaker of the Assembly. Peskin will receive $50 for the monthly meetings and $12.50 for every hour, up to eight, that he needs to prepare for meetings. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Its been nearly 40 years since the late George Davis rounded up cooks in San Franciscos African American community to preserve their culinary traditions with an annual community potluck. At the 37th annual Black Cuisine Festival in the Bayview, the community continued the tradition Saturday, gathering in a neighborhood thats become one of the few remaining bastions of black culture in a city with a dwindling African American population. Organizers expected a couple of thousand to stop for the daylong food fest and cooking competition at the new senior center on Carroll Avenue named after Davis, a longtime force behind expanded services for elders in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhoods. Davis wife and three daughters led the charge in organizing this years effort as they checked in meals and set up the area for the judges before the hungry crowd arrived. Lola Davis-Pratt, the oldest daughter, scurried around the center in an African print apron Saturday, alongside her sisters. Dad was concerned and made sure that it was a forefront that the food be a part of our history, said Davis-Pratt, 52. Black cuisine has to continue. The next generation has to know thats why they call it soul food. The yearly event raises money for senior services in the neighborhood, luring donors with the promise of fried chicken, oxtails, ribs, macaroni and cheese, corn bread and more. Outside the center, in a couple of dozen tents, food was offered to anyone who purchased a meal ticket ranging from $5 to a $50. The smell of barbecue ribs wafted through the air as one booth played the Jackson 5 song Ill Be There. The younger generation reflected on the community cooks who started the event. Charlene Armstrong-Brown and her daughter, Wanda Materre, wore matching T-shirts with a photo of Armstrong-Browns mother. She won every year, Armstrong-Brown said. She was famous for her potato salad. Latoya Pitcher, raised in the Bayview, walked through the tents carrying her 10-month-old son in a wrap, pushing a stroller with her 2-year-old son and keeping a close eye on her 6-year-old daughter, who walked beside her. Pitcher said her grandmother used to compete in the dessert category and was known for her peach cobbler and pear pie. Im here to show my kids how to participate in community events, how to engage with community members, said Pitcher, an IT analyst for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Pitcher, like many festival visitors, was a descendant of southerners who brought their style of cooking with them during the Great Migration from the South, seeking opportunity and acceptance as they fled 20th century Jim Crow laws. Her grandfather, civil rights attorney Alex L. Pitcher Jr., moved to the Bay Area from Louisiana, she said. He worked on the groundbreaking Brown vs. Board of Education case that desegregated American schools. In San Francisco, he tried to combat gentrification of the Fillmore and the Western Addition, she said. San Francisco had a black population of about 13.4 percent in 1970, according to the census. The most recent 2010 census places that population at about 6 percent. Cuisine is a good way to support the community, but Pitcher said theres more work to keeping the culture alive. For us to preserve the culture and to combat gentrification is for us to become financially literate and politically engaged, she said. We need to learn how to love each other first and support each other. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Gigi Hadid just made modeling history. The 21-year-old American model, whose father is Palestinian, landed the cover of the first issue of Vogue Arabia. Actually, the honor was two-fold, literally. Two covers were printed. A cover in English and one in Arabic show a stunning black and white photo of Hadid wearing a heavily and intricately beaded veil, with bare arms underneath. The exquisite veil is strategically draped on the model's face to draw you into her enchanting eyes. Editor-in-Chief, Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz said this about their inaugural cover model; "In one poised photograph, she communicates a thousand words to a region that's been waiting far too long for its Vogue voice to speak...there's no better first 'face' to lead the charge for Vogue Arabia than Gigi, a model who defines tomorrow's entrepreneurial and dynamic generation." (Story continues below:) PARIS RUNWAY: Kendall Jenner looked like a princess warrior on the catwalk Another photo shows the model dressed in a purple and hot pink hijab with matching eye shadow and lipstick. Gigi shared her thoughts about the cover on her Instagram, "I think the beautiful thing about there being international Vogue's is that, as a fashion community, we are able to celebrate, and share with the world, different cultures. Being half-Palestinian, it means the world to me to be on the first-ever cover(s) of @voguearabia,..." The face of Vogue Arabia has also been met with some criticism on social media. Hadid is not Muslim and has been know for pushing the boundaries of modesty well past breaking with some racy styles on the runway. Twitter user @chaneltherapper said, "Gigi Hadid: Half-Palestinian but not Muslim. Vogue: Lets make Gigi Hadid wear a hijab because she's half- Palestinian so it's justified." User @yagirlbushra tweeted, "1 ur not muslim stop using the hijab for "art" 2 stop using the title "half palestinian" for ur benefit when u dont even fight for ur people" Take a look in the gallery above for more photos of Gigi Hadid modeling. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Nearly two years after it first went up for sale, the California ranch that served as the late pop star Michael Jackson's "Neverland" retreat is returning to market for $67 million$33 million off its original asking price. Located in Los Olivos, in the Santa Ynez Valley about 40 miles from Santa Barbara, the property was taken off the market in the summer of 2016, according to Joyce Rey of Coldwell Banker Previews International, who now has the listing. The local market has topped out at around $40 million so far, Ms. Rey said. "This price is more in line with values in the area," she added. The seller is a joint venture between a fund managed by Colony NorthStar, a real-estate investment trust, and Mr. Jackson's estate. Mr. Jackson paid $19.5 million for the ranch in 1987 and lived there for more than 15 years, making headlines for adding unusual features like amusement park rides and a train station. Amid financial struggles, he defaulted on a $24.5 million loan backed by the ranch. Colony Capital bought the note in 2008 for $23 million and put the title into a joint venture it formed with the pop star. Colony merged with NorthStar Asset Management Group and NorthStar Realty Finance in early 2017. The company has spent millions on upgrades and maintenance since 2008, intending to eventually sell it, and the property is in move-in condition, Ms. Rey said. Now called "Sycamore Valley Ranch," the property spans about 2,700 acres and has roughly 22 structures on it. The Normandy-style main house measures about 12,600 square feet, with five bedrooms plus a staff annex. There is also four-bedroom guesthouse and two staff houses. Another building contains a 50-seat movie theater and a dance studio. A number of Mr. Jackson's additions remain, such as the railroad tracks and train station, although there is no train, Ms. Rey said. The property also still has a floral clock which spells out "Neverland," as well as the building that once housed the Neverland Valley Fire Department. The amusement park rides are gone, as are many of Mr. Jackson's exotic animals, but some animals remain on the property, including swans and a llama. The property consists of three parcels, so more houses could be built on it if a buyer wishes, Ms. Rey said. She also noted that about 50 acres of vineyards could be planted on the property. When the property went on the market in 2015, the listing agents were Suzanne Perkins and Harry Kolb of Sotheby's International Realty and Jeffrey Hyland of Hilton & Hyland. Ms. Perkins said $100 million "was a difficult number to achieve," especially last year when "the market was not as robust as it could have been." At the time, Colony wasn't open to lowering the price, Ms. Perkins said, adding: "I wish we had been given the opportunity to try to market it at $67 million." This article Michael Jacksons Onetime Neverland Ranch Gets $33 Million Price Cut appeared first in Celebrity Real Estate from realtor.com. BRIDGEPORTFirefighters and police responded to 170 Park Street Saturday around 5:45 p.m. A small fire broke out in basement, sending out heavy smoke, according to fire dispatch reports. Firefighters are on scene and have knocked down the flames, according to dispatches. Theyve requested assistance from United Illuminating, the power company. Police are blocking traffic a few blocks away on Maple Street, according to dispatch reports. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts plans to expand its reach to area school children this year. The museum has teamed with Klein Independent School District to start a new, art-based program for special needs students. "We are going to jointly develop programs for special needs kids, particularly children with autism and visually impaired students," said Calvin Cobb, chairman of the board at the museum. "This fits into the broad picture of our school of arts that is built on education," Cobb said. The program will begin in late spring of 2017, Cobb said. The museum plans to eventually expand the program to other districts in the northwest Houston region, as well as private schools and homeschooled children. The Pearl already works closely with area students and hosts many student field trips throughout the year. Of the 25,000 visitors to The Pearl each year, half of them are children. "We have a well developed program for children," Cobb said. The Pearl is working on a long-term plan to open a second museum at the intersection of Texas 249 and the Grand Parkway in Tomball. The new location will be larger, and will have it's own collection. Right now, The Pearl borrows art collections. That new site is in the early conceptual stages, and it will not open until 2020 or beyond, Cobb said. More Information Fast facts What: The Pearl Where: 6815 Cypresswood Drive, Spring Admission cost: Free Regular museum hours: Mondays-Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information: call 281-376-6322 or visit http://www.pearlmfa.org See More Collapse "This is something that takes some time to put together," Cobb said. "We have an architectural firm developing the concepts. We have been meeting with Harris County to conceptualize how a museum will fit into their new site. That's moving along on the right schedule." The new museum will not take the place of The Pearl, rather it will be a second museum. The current museum will continue to flourish and offer fine arts and education to the community, Cobb said. "This site where we are now will continue into the future," Cobb said. "We have a commitment to this community." Since the opening of The Pearl, the museum board of directors have planned to expand to a second location after its capacity reached 25,000 to 30,000 visitors a year. "We have been in the mid-25,000 (visitors) range for quite a long time," Cobb said. "We have always recognized we wanted to bring this type of museum to another location. That's been our long-term strategy." The Pearl's main focus in 2017 is on its current museum, including continued fundraising and expanding arts opportunities for the community. The Pearl hosted a Sports Night at The Pearl fundraiser on Feb. 25, plans to hold a gala on April 8 and an afternoon tea in November. The Pearl plans to continue its Pearlformances, offering music and theatre to the community several times a year in the main gallery of the museum. In addition, The Pearl is on the search for a new director. Former director, Julia Bussinger, resigned in early December to lead a museum in Palm Springs, California. Clara Lewis, the museum's director of development, is temporarily helping to lead the museum. "We have a search committee put together to carefully select the new director," Cobb said. "The museum is in quite good shape right now. We're going to take time and be thoughtful." The Pearl opened in 2008 and was created within the shell of Harris County's former Cypress Creek library, which closed when the 32,000-square-foot Barbara Bush Library opened next door. In 2006, the Fincher Family Trust made a major donation to the Museum of Fine Arts, Cypress Creek in honor of their mother, Pearl, and the museum's official name was borne. The Pearl is a smaller-scale version of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The two museums have a cooperative relationship, but the Cypress Creek museum is independent from the downtown facility. Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, a father in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles, was on his way to drop off one of his four daughters at school Tuesday when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers wearing police jackets pulled him over and detained him. One of his daughters, 13-year-old Fatima Avelica, filmed the ordeal while sitting in the car with her mother. "I was scared and sad at the same time," Fatima told CNN. "I never thought I would have to experience something like this in my life...on my way to school." In a statement to the media, ICE says that Avelica was arrested because of "multiple prior criminal convictions, including a DUI in 2009, as well an outstanding order of removal dating back to 2014." "After conducting surveillance to confirm his identity, the officers arrested Mr. Avelica during a vehicle stop in the 3200 block of Pasadena Avenue, approximately a half mile from the charter school described in the related social media post," the statement continued. "No one else was detained during the vehicle stop. Mr. Avelica remains in ICE custody at this time." Ricardo Mireles, the executive director of the Highland Park charter school Academia Avance, told press that Avelica's DUI conviction occurred nearly 10 years ago. Another offense, dating back 20 years, happened when Avelica bought a car he said he was unaware had an incorrect registration sticker. "It's really hard what we're going through," daughter Brenda Avelica told ABC in Los Angeles. "I never thought we'd actually go through something like this. It's terrible to feel and see your family being broken apart." The 48-year-old man has reportedly been in the U.S. more than 25 years, and works at a restaurant. His family's attorney is attempting to obtain a U-Visa, which would allow him to remain in the U.S. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Life is pretty sweet for Amanda Cano these days. The Conroe baker was featured on the Feb. 22 episode of Food Network's Bakers vs. Fakers; and in a rich twist, she ended up winning the episode and $10,000 for her baking business. The premise of the show is to feature four bakers: two are professional bakers and two are amateurs. The catch, though, is that neither the audience, the judges nor the participants know who is a professional and who is a "faker." They go through two baking challenges before a winner of the episode is picked, then the bakers and fakers are revealed. For Cano, it's been quite a ride -- from filming the episode in December to holding onto the results and then finally the episode airing with all of Cano's family and friends watching. Beginnings of a baker Cano's parents, John and Claudia Simmons, own the Pizza Shack restaurants in Willis and Montgomery. They started the restaurant in 1985. As a youngster, Cano spent lots of time with her grandmother Claudette Kiely while her mother worked at the restaurant and her father was a truck driver. Cano's grandmother always had something cooking or baking. At the time, Cano's Uncle Jim made all the desserts for the Pizza Shack. But he would go back and forth between the family's native Connecticut, so he taught Cano's grandmother how to make the special bread pudding offered at Pizza Shack. And she passed that secret along to Cano. "When I was 15, I started baking professionally with her in the summer," Cano said. "I'd go with her to work; and the very first thing I learned to bake professionally was the bread pudding." As she continued to bake, Cano, one of five children, felt the need to make her own mark in the kitchen. So she experimented with elaborate mousse-stuffed cakes for the restaurant. "They'd sell out by Friday night," she said. Then she thought about how she could make the cakes more accessible to people and cut down on the labor-intensive process. Her idea for stuffed cupcakes was born. She developed all her own recipes; and in February 2012, her business Baby Cakes Bakery launched. The cupcakse are sold in both Pizza Shack locations and in Dosey Doe in The Woodlands. She also does gourmet desserts, pies, petit fours, gourmet cakes and more in her business. She said the only thing she doesn't touch is fondant or tiered wedding cakes. Of her style, she said she likes to stick to classic flavors, but with a modern spin. Hers are the "stay classy cupcakes." She said she brings deep, complex flavors together in her creations. "The flavors are all very good on their own, but together they make something special and different," she said. Showcasing her skills After getting a taste of her special cupcakes, people would encourage her to try out for shows like "Cupcake Wars." She thought, "No, that's my worst nightmare." Then she received an email asking her to participate in the Bakers vs. Fakers show. "I sat on it for a whole five days," she said. She was terrified of the thought, but her husband Chris convinced her, saying "Why would you not do that?" She went through a series of interviews with the network, each one trying to talk them out of selecting her, for fear of her nerves taking over. Then she got the call the Sunday after Thanksgiving. "They called and said we'd like to fly you out on Thursday," she said. "It was all so fast, I didn't really have time to think about it." She spent the entire day of Dec. 4 in a New Jersey warehouse filming the episode "Hard Candy Land." She learned on set, the show was filmed at the same location as the Cake Boss show. "We were constantly walking back and forth through their kitchen and seeing them working on these gigantic cakes," she said. She described the experience as lots of fun, but terrifying. She had no prior knowledge of the show's judges, contestants or that she'd meet the show's host Buddy Valastro. The first challenge was to create a bread pudding infused with hard candies. "I couldn't have lucked out any better with that one," she said. "I was so nervous in the first round, I needed something that I could do in my sleep so I was very relieved to hear that." She produced an apple cinnamon butterscotch bread pudding by crushing the hard butterscotch candies for the recipes. Her dish won approval from celebrity judges Damaris Phillips and Natalie Sideserf and she moved to the next round. "My whole goal was to not get kicked off in the first round," she said. "After that, I was on Cloud 9, my nerves went down about 80 percent." In the second round, the bakers were asked to repurpose breakfast cereals into dessert delicacies. Cano went for the cornflakes right away. "I didn't even think about the other stuff," she said. "I had to think about how to keep the cornflakes from getting soggy. Once I had the idea to carmelize them, the rest was easy." She turned out a stuffed cupcake with honey mousse, berries and carmelized cornflakes. At the close of the show, she was declared the winner and revealed that she was indeed a professional baker. Cooking up a plan After sitting on the secret since Dec. 4, Cano watched the episode with family and friends and her grandmother Claudette in a watch party at her parents' house. There were tears in her 80-year-old grandmother's eyes as pictures were shown of her and Cano and of the Pizza Shack. Since then, she's whipped up her winning cupcake that she dubbed "The Golden Ticket" for both locations of Pizza Shack. They have sold out, and Cano says they'll continue to be a part of her menu for the near future as everyone gets a taste. Also, the episode will air again on the Food Network at 10 p.m. Sunday, March 5, and at 1 a.m. Monday, March 6. Now, Cano plans to take her winnings and launch a storefront in the Conroe/Magnolia area. Her goal is to open a store sometime this summer, as the Pizza Shack location in Montgomery prepares to move from its current shopping center location into a property at FM 2854 and Texas 105. Also as a part of her plan, she wants to start posting cooking videos with her and her grandmother cooking and baking on her website. "She has amazing recipes and it's a way for us to bake together again," she said. There is a third generation of budding bakers as well, with Cano's two daughters, Kiely, 8, and Holly, 3. Kiely received her own baking tolls last Christmas. For more about Baby Cakes Bakery, visit babycakesbakery.net or call 936-232-3291. Pizza Shack Locations www.pizzashack.com * 20873 Eva. St., Montgomery 936-597-9488 Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday * 115 W. Montgomery St., Willis 936-856-9780 Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Mikah Meyer said if he could change one thing about his planned three-year-long journey to visit all 417 National Park Service sites, it would be to install air conditioning in his van. "It's really hard to sleep in the heat," he said. Meyer visited the Big Thicket National Preserve this week, making it the 126th site he has toured in 10 months. "A lot of the beauty is in its biodiversity. Three ecosystems co-exist there," he said on Friday. Meyer , 30, toured the northern part of the Southeast Texas park on Thursday and took a boat tour on Friday. He said he enjoyed the cypress trees. If he succeeds, Meyer said he will be the youngest person to visit all the sites. In addition to all of the parks in the continental United States, Meyer's itinerary includes sites in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam. The Nebraska native began his trip at the Washington Monument on April 29, on the 11th anniversary of his father's passing. Meyer said his father, who died from cancer at 58, inspired him to take the trip while he still can. Meyer said he enjoyed watching the topography change as he drove toward the Big Thicket. His next stop is Padre Island. "This is a place where the marsh is ending and the desert is beginning," he said. nkrebs@beaumontenterprise.comtwitter.com/natalie_krebs This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Law enforcement officers from across the state gathered in Concord on Friday to pay respects to an Alameda County sheriffs deputy, who died after being truck by a bus in a parking lot at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Traffic was stopped on Kirker Pass Road leading to the Concord Pavilion on Friday morning so the hearse carrying the body of Deputy Michael Foley could pass, flanked by a motorcade of California Highway Patrol officers. Delegations from law enforcement agencies across the state lined the path as civilian mourners entered the amphitheater. The gold and silver of hundreds of police and sheriffs badges gleamed in the sunlight. More than 2,000 mourners attended. I dont think my dad ever realized how many lives he touched, how many people he helped to feel safe, Foleys son, Michael Foley Jr., told the mourners. He never wouldve thought he wouldve been worthy of all this. Foley, 60, was struck by a bus driven by a colleague as he walked across the parking lot at Santa Rita Jail in the early morning darkness to report for duty on Feb. 22. He died the next day at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. Before his time with the Alameda County Sheriffs Office, Foley spent 30 years as an officer with the Concord Police Department. Bagpipers came from the San Francisco Police Department to play at Foleys funeral. The Contra Costa County sheriffs staff helped to plan and secure the pavilion, while the CHP brought the motorcade, with dozens of motorcycles turning the road leading to the memorial ceremony into a river of blinking blue and red lights. The pavilion, nestled in green eastern Contra Costa County hills scattered with herds of grazing cows, is just down the road from where Foley went to high school. He met his wife, Tammie, in Concord, too. Foley was from a law enforcement family his father, Larry, was an Oakland police sergeant, and his brother, John, is a police officer in Emeryville. And in a way, it was Foleys career in law enforcement that helped him start a family of his own. Thirty years ago, as a Concord police officer, he pulled over his future wife for a traffic violation. He wrote her a ticket so he could get her phone number. He was a family man first and foremost, his son told the crowd. Michael Foley Jr. read a letter of thanks written by a man named George Garcia whom the elder Foley interacted with when Garcia was behind bars at Santa Rita Jail. Garcia said Foleys kind treatment of him helped him change from a violent gang member to an honest family man. Garcia wrote the letter the day after he got married. You always looked at me as a human being, Garcia wrote. For John Foley it was some comfort knowing that his brother was an organ donor, and that his death would help other people live. He described the hospital testing of Michaels organs, which found his heart was good and strong despite his age. I received verified scientific evidence that Mike had a good heart, John Foley said. But they wasted their time doing those tests. They couldve asked anybody who knew Mike. Foley is survived by his wife, daughter and son. Mike, we will not forget, said Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern. We already miss you. Filipa A. Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi TUSCOLA COUNTY A 57-year old Sanilac County man could be sentenced to life in prison following his conviction of sexually assaulting a woman Nov. 6, 2016, and because of his other convictions. Jeffrey Innes Wendorf, of Decker, pleaded guilty in Tuscola County Circuit Court to charges of unlawful imprisonment, and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder in the attack of a 31-year-old female in the parking lot of the Sunrise Sunset Bar-Restaurant, 2772 E. Sanilac Rd., in Wells Township. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Steve Gonzales | Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 3 FILE Show More Show Less 3 of 3 This week, the MS-13 gang popped up in disturbing headlines across the country. In New York, 10 members of the criminal gang were arrested and charged with killing three teenagers, as well as murdering five others. Houstonians have been closely watching the recovery of officers Ronny Cortez and Jose Munoz, two police officers who were shot in Southwest Houston while responding to a burglary. Earl Donnell Riley, who had a laundry list of previous criminal convictions and was just released from prison 10 months ago, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with the officers. In the wake of the shooting, Riley was identified as a known member of the criminal gang called the 52 Hoover Crips. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate RIGA, Lativa The 22 soldiers in a chilly, darkened seating area toward the rear of the C-5M Super Galaxy bounced and jerked as its rear wheels hit a rain-slicked runway in this small Baltic country bordering Russia. Air Force Reserve Capt. Mike Raggio of San Antonio adjusted the rudder to align the 28-wheel landing gear with the center line. Thrust reversers slowed the aircraft to an approach speed, then it rolled to a stop and the soldiers began unloading three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. RELATED: The U.S. is putting tanks and troops right in Russia's backyard The arrival here of the 10th Mountain Division's 2-10 Assault Helicopter Battalion last week was mostly unnoticed in the United States. But it was a major event in Latvia , a member of NATO and a former Soviet republic whose Russian border neighborhood has grown increasingly tense in recent years. The battalion, ferried from Fort Drum, New York by the giant transport planes based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, is part of a brigade that has sent 2,200 soldiers to Latvia, Germany and Romania for a nine-month training tour. That deployment is part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a multinational mission whose American footprint throughout Europe is 5,800 soldiers so far, including a 400-strong 1st Armored Division aviation regiment from Fort Bliss. Added to the 70,000 U.S. troops permanently assigned to Europe, Atlantic Resolve is NATO's biggest military buildup along Russia's borders since the Cold War, military observers say. Its a message to Moscow in the wake of a resurgent Russias annexation of the Crimea in 2014, combat clashes within Ukraine and support for other pro-Russian separatists in nations once part of the Soviet Union. RELATED: Trump wary of Russian deal; new advisers urge tougher stand Estonia, a neighbor of Latvia, accused Russians of kidnapping a senior security official in 2014; Russia said it detained him on the Russian side of the border. Russian President Vladimir Putin has positioned nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad, a piece of Russia that borders Poland and Lithuania, and has sent warships armed with cruise missiles to the Baltic Sea. And Russian warplanes have buzzed NATO aircraft this year. So the arriving Super Galaxies and the Blackhawks they unloaded were a welcome sight to Latvians unnerved by President Trump's criticism of NATO, particularly its member nations that aren't paying their share to support the alliance. In a pre-inauguration interview with the Times of London and Bild, a German newspaper, Trump stunned some observers by saying NATO was obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago. Trump also hinted during last years campaign that he might not honor the alliances Article V, which treats an attack on one member nation as an attack on all. But Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary James Mattis, at a recent conference in Europe, tried to reassure NATO of Americas commitment while making it clear its nations had to meet their financial obligations. Soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division wouldnt address Trumps comments but said their deployment should be a clear signal to Russia and its worried neighbors. Messaging is very important. And that's our goal, to reassure in the Baltic region our NATO and our partner forces and allies of the commitment, said Capt. Lewis Hudson, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland, a pilot and commander of an assault helicopter company now based in Latvia. Weve thought about the message, added the battalions commander, Lt. Col. Joshua Ruisanchez, 40, of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. And its simple: Its truly our commitment and resolve to the NATO countries. Part of the reassurance, he said, comes from the size and power of the training force, by sending an entire combat aviation brigade over to Eastern Europe to demonstrate what NATO commanders call interoperability among member nations armed forces. You've got the British, the French, the Germans, the Canadians, so we'll be operating with them, with much of the 10th Mountain brigade, joined by the Fort Bliss contingent,based in Germany and working with the partner nations, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary and Poland, Ruisanchez said. We'll be a task force the moment we hit ground. As his soldiers waited in an adjacent room at Fort Drum to board their Riga-bound flights, Hudson spoke of them as helicopter air assault professionals. We want to be able to help (the Latvians) be able to work alongside us to the same level of proficiency that our forces are, he said. Its a relationship and a message that doesnt ring hollow when you show up and you're a capable force and then train them to become their own capable forces, said Sgt. Maj. Ronnie Littler, 42, of Tucson, Arizona. Different kind of mission Something else was being demonstrated speed of assembly, a byword of the integration of Army and Air Force operations, exemplified by the battalions airlift, Hudson said. That's what the Air Force really provides, for the Army to be able to go into (Europe) expeditiously, Hudson said. In less than eight hours we can go from the East Coast to anywhere in Europe and start setting up our forces to support any NATO country that needs the support and reassurance, and to help deter any aggression, regardless of where it comes from. The battalions 1,800 troops were moved to Riga in a combination of military and civilian contract aircraft. The Lackland-based transports moved the heavy stuff three Blackhawks per C-5 flight. The missions high geopolitical profile is unusual for the Air Force Reserve's 433rd Airlift Wing, which spans the globe in any given month without fanfare, supplying the military from South Korea to Afghanistan. Raggio, 30, became a command pilot at the unusually young age of 26. Starting Tuesday, his C-5 twice flew the 8.5 hours from Fort Drum to Riga weighing 720,000 pounds at each takeoff and was to stop at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on the way home. By the time theyre done, the planes 14 crew members will have crossed the Atlantic four times and burned 120,000 gallons of jet fuel over 20,080 miles. The fuel economy? Six gallons per mile. Nothing ever goes quite as planned for the Alamo Wing, a unit with a long history of flying the C-5, whose cargo bay is longer than the Wright Brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Super Galaxy can be as temperamental as it is big. Given the potential for mechanical issues and revised orders, airmen tell their families never to count on them returning on time. The make frequent grocery runs while en route to buy more food than theyll likely need. And they have rituals and superstitions. Master Sgt. Eric Mungia, 33, stops at the Little Taco Factory in Kirby before a mission and always orders huevos rancheros, a side of bacon and black coffee. And the crew wont jinx things by putting on flight suits at the hotel until the alert order has been given to head to the air base unless were in Hawaii and I want to stay longer, said Master Sgt. Will Jalomo, 45, of Lytle, the primary C-5 loadmaster on this trip. This time the five pilots, five loadmasters, two engineers and two flying crew chiefs fell behind schedule on the first day, thanks to a faulty electrical circuit and the idiosyncrasies of international air travel a 15-minute diplomatic clearance window over southern Norway. One of the three Black Hawks brought to the plane wasnt on Mungias original plan. As loadmaster, he had to determine its weight and compute its center of gravity, as he does for each item. It ensures a safe flight and saves fuel. A mistake can be disastrous. A 2013 crash of a Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft carrying a load of improperly secured Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles killed all seven crew members at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. They blamed it on a load shift, said Maj. Jeremy Hooper, a veteran pilot with the wing who began flying in the ninth grade and took the next load of MRAPs out of Bagram following the incident. After seeing that, I wanted to hold Loadmaster Appreciation Week because if they dont do their job correctly, were all dead. C-5 history in San Antonio Motorists on Texas 151 or fans at a San Antonio Missions home game who see a lumbering C-5 taking off or landing at Lackland might know its one of eight M model planes assigned to the 433rd. More powerful and fuel efficient versions of the old C-5A, they arrived last June. The wing came to the now-closed Brooks AFB in 1955, moved to Kelly AFB five years later and became part of Lackland after Kellys closure. A lot of people in San Antonio think we do touch-and-goes, and nothing else, said one loadmaster, Tech. Sgt. Bryan Stone, referring to takeoff and landing runs done by the wings 733rd Training Squadron. Stone, 34, is a firefighter and paramedic in civilian life. The 356th Airlift Squadron logged 220 sorties last year, while the 68th Airlift Squadron flew nearly twice as many, flying anywhere American troops may be posted. Hooper, 37, flies Boeing 767 jets for Delta Air Lines and has 5,500 hours in civilian and military aircraft. He can tell you how long the C-5 has been flying in San Antonio because his dad, then-Maj. Victor Hooper, flew one of the first A models into Kelly in 1984. Raggio, a Dallas native who flew in Afghanistan and Iraq, now flies for American Airlines in civilian life, manages every facet of the C-5 mission, from mapping out each legs flight plan and fuel requirements to contingency planning and caring for the crew. Mungia takes pride in helping carry out national policy, and not just here in Latvia. He is due to fly to Kuwait later in the month, and after that to Afghanistan. We have some pilots and some loadmasters who say, I remember when I used to fly with your dad, and now some fly with their own kids, who are loadmasters, engineers or pilots, Mungia said. So its a family affair. sigc@express-news.net 4 budget-friendly US escapes for travel-hungry Texans Four fun stateside destinations that are quick, easy and affordable to fly to from Texas Last total lunar eclipse for three years arrives Tuesday Better catch the moons disappearing act Tuesday there wont be another like it for three years Immigrants, who are deeply ingrained in the fabric of the Lone Star State, make up more than a fifth of Texas workforce and provide a significant positive contribution to the states economy. Using Pew Research Center and U.S. Census Bureau reports, the Center for Public Policy Priorities estimated last month that undocumented immigrants account for 6 percent of the states labor force. A report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation last March examined numerous studies on immigration and concluded in part that undocumented workers constitute a significant proportion of the Texas labor force and it is not all clear that those jobs would be filled by Americans in their absence. The TPPF report added, Indeed, in some cases the costs of enforcing current immigration policy are the only reason that illegal immigration is not a net gain for the state. In a national study released last June the Penn Wharton Budget Model prepared by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania determined that immigration has a net positive effect on combined federal, state and local budgets. But the estimated 1.7 million undocumented immigrants who live in Texas and millions more across the nation are living in fear of the Trump administrations tougher deportation policies and attitude. While President Donald Trump said last week that he was open to pursuing immigration reform that leads to legal status for many undocumented immigrants, his continued incendiary rhetoric and aggressive deportation guidelines tell a different story and alarm hardworking immigrants who are contributing to our society. Texans are accustomed to enjoying the benefits of low-cost immigrant labor in many parts of the states economy. If the 1.7 million undocumented residents were ripped from Texas communities, the impact would be disastrous at the personal and statewide economic level. Pain already is carelessly being inflicted on the states immigrant community. Some state politicians gleefully participate in the ugly red-meat politics targeting immigrants, calling for a ban on so-called sanctuary cities and wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on border enforcement. In the last two-year budget, Texas spent $800 million on border enforcement, and a similar sum has been proposed for the next biennium. This follows huge increases in the number of federal border control agents placed along the border. The Legislative Budget Board last month gave the Texas House Appropriations Committee data showing the number of U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to Texas border sectors has increased dramatically since 1993, ranging from 797 percent in the Rio Grande Valley sector to 348 percent in El Paso. Trump plans to beef up the Border Patrol even more. Border security is one issue. Harassing the immigrants already working here and contributing to our communities is another. Despite the political fear-mongering, the bottom line is that immigration has been good for the nation, and Texas in particular. Comprehensive immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship should be the focus of immigration debate not deportation. In poor communities with a stagnant economy, immigrants can be a drain on public services with public education costs accounting for the biggest expenditures. But the immigrant community is mobile and seeking economic opportunity. Immigrants gravitate to communities where jobs are plentiful. The Penn Wharton Budget Model stated, Economists generally agree that the effects of immigration on the U.S. economy are broadly positive. Immigrants, whether high- or low-skilled, legal or illegal, are unlikely to replace native-born workers or reduce their wages over the long-term, though they may cause some short-term dislocations in labor markets. Indeed, the experience of the last few decades suggests that immigration may actually have significant long-term benefits for the native-born, pushing them into higher-paying occupations and raising the overall pace of innovation and productivity growth. The anti-immigrant rhetoric employed by Trump and other politicians capitalizes on American working-class fears but ignores the more complicated reality. Citizens and rational policymakers who realize the benefits of immigration must continue to push back against the damaging anti-immigrant policies advocated by too many politicians. BruceWDavidson@gmail.com. For months we pundits have been puzzling over America first. The phrase has an ugly history, having once been the rallying cry of Nazi sympathizers. This time around, its meaning is more opaque, perhaps a vague allusion to isolationism and a reconfiguring of the postwar international order. But now, as more information about the presidents budget proposal comes out, the mottos meaning is becoming clearer. America first really means Americans last. The Trump administration has told reporters that the presidents budget will boost annual defense spending by 10 percent, or about $54 billion. This is part of his commitment to a historic increase in defense spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America at a time we most need it, as he said at the National Governors Association meeting. Trump is nominally a fiscal conservative (with the help of some fuzzy math). So he also promised that his increase in defense spending would be offset by equivalent cuts to non-defense spending. And who suffers as a result? Regular Americans, including millions who voted for Trump. Thats not how White House officials like to explain things, of course. Theyve provided little detail about the rest of the budget. But they have nonetheless emphasized that much of the offsets will come from foreign aid, with the implication that foreigners will mainly feel the pinch. Relevant for this budgeting exercise, though, is the fact that foreign aid represents less than 1 percent of the federal budget, or about $36.5 billion planned for fiscal 2017. It also seems unlikely that Trump would completely zero out this paltry spending, given that some categories (such as the $3 billion weve committed to Israel) would cause him major political headaches. Even if Trump does decide to eliminate the rest of our foreign aid, that still leaves tens of billions of dollars of cuts that must be found elsewhere in the budget. Where is that elsewhere, exactly? Not from Social Security and Medicare, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Thats despite the fact that entitlements are by far the biggest components of non-defense spending, and have been gobbling up an ever-larger share of federal budgets. Other, smaller programs will face the fiscal guillotine instead. Cuts are said to be coming for the usual Republican bogeymen, such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. But those grant-making agencies get peanuts in the grand scheme of things. Total appropriations for the National Endowment for the Arts in fiscal 2016 were $148 million. Note that thats with an m and not a b. Whats left? Reportedly the Trump team plans to slash the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency, which was appropriated just $8 billion last year. Making it easier to pollute hardly seems to be in most Americans best interest. And again, the EPA budget represents a tiny sliver of federal spending. By process of elimination, then, the biggest target must be our already frayed social safety net. That includes means-tested programs such as food stamps, Medicaid, housing assistance and lots of other programs relied on by tens of millions of Americans. In fact, the most recent census data found that about a fifth of Americans participate in at least one of the biggest federal means-tested poverty programs each month. Many of those beneficiaries also happen to be Republicans, believe it or not. Carving billions out of these programs to offset defense increases will be painful, and its just the beginning of the suffering to come. After all, the defense spending spike isnt the only cost for which Republicans will soon need offsets. Recall that an enormous tax cut is coming down the pike. We dont know yet exactly what that tax plan will look like. If its anything like Trumps campaign promises, though, it will cost in the ballpark of $7 trillion over the next decade. If Republicans plan to pay for any portion of those tax cuts and these days, admittedly, thats a big if expect those cuts to be balanced on the backs of struggling families, too. crampell@washpost.com H ere are three statements about U.S. immigration. Which are correct? 1. All the unauthorized immigrants entering our country entered by escaping detection or by using fraudulent documents. 2. Almost all unauthorized immigrants are Mexicans. 3. An impenetrable Trump wall along the Mexican border with beefed-up border surveillance will halt unauthorized immigration. All three statements are incorrect or disingenuous. Here are some facts about the roughly 44 million foreign-born people who now reside with us in the United States. About 33 million of the 44 million immigrants are lawful immigrants (also known as legal or authorized). They include naturalized citizens, people granted lawful permanent or temporary residence status (e.g., as workers or students), and those granted asylum or admitted as refugees. The other 11 million are unauthorized immigrants (aka illegal or undocumented); they are foreign-born noncitizens residing in the U.S. but not as lawful immigrants. Three-fifths of them are people who entered without inspection (known as EWIs) i.e., they entered the U.S. without detection or used fraudulent documents. But the other two-fifths are visa overstayers people who entered the U.S. legally with legal documents but either stayed past their visa expiration date or otherwise violated the terms of their admission. Statement 1 is thus incorrect. Around 40 percent of the unauthorized immigrants now residing in the U.S. entered the country lawfully and only become unauthorized by overstaying. On to statement 2. Slightly more than half of the 11 million unauthorized immigrants are Mexican-born, but their numbers have declined steadily since 2007. Nearly half now come from Central America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In recent years, more unauthorized Mexican immigrants have departed the U.S. than entered it. Statement 2 is disingenuous: It is not true that nearly all unauthorized immigrants are Mexicans. As for statement 3, it is incorrect for two reasons. First, President Donald Trumps wall will never keep out the 40 percent of the 11 million unauthorized immigrants who enter legally but subsequently overstay (or otherwise violate) the terms of their visas. Most of them fly into the U.S. from Asia, Europe and other continents and enter at major airports in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Houston and elsewhere. Trumps wall isnt high enough to keep them out. And Trumps wall will not reduce the numbers of EWIs; it will actually increase their numbers. The stereotype of the unlawful immigrant crossing the Mexican-U.S. border no longer matches the contemporary realities of immigration. Many who come to our country over the southern border through that prism of entry without inspection are circular migrants; they are determined to return home with dollars to support family members. Many are seasonal agricultural workers from Mexico who, for example, follow harvests from Californias Central Valley to Washingtons Yakima Valley. This circular migration, which is commonplace around the world, brings out the staunchest of would-be migrants at their origins. The sheer human determination that passes through that prism is immeasurable. The mere specter of Trumps wall will motivate circular migrants to settle and stay in the U.S., and not return to their homes in other countries. Douglas Massey of Princeton, a foremost scholar on immigrants comings and goings, has documented this effect. He has shown that increased border enforcement seriously disrupts the circular flow of workers who used to come and go, mainly just to California and Texas. Simply put, theyre now being transformed into a permanently settled population of unauthorized immigrants. The realization of Trumps wall will deliver a future entirely opposite of that which Trump and his supporters envision. Its presence will result in ever-more foreigners entering and staying in the U.S., adding millions more binational families across all 50 states. Those who enter legally and overstay will vanish into welcoming local host communities of binational immigrant families. Trumps wall will have no effect on them. And those who enter as undocumented, the EWIs, will not be able to return easily to Mexico and other Central American countries because of Trumps wall. They will remain in the U.S. and drive up the numbers of EWIs. Trumps Wall will keep them in the U.S. But this is not all bad for the U.S. The 44 million immigrants 13 percent of the U.S. total population and 11 million of whom are undocumented offer grounds for the future of our society. The foreign-born now living in the U.S. include 1 of every 4 American Nobel Prize winners, 1 of every 4 MacArthur Genius Awardees, and 1 of every 4 founders of Americas fastest-growing companies. Immigrants to the U.S. are surely an affirmation of the enduring wealth of our country. We are indeed a nation of immigrants. Peter A. Morrison is an applied demographer in Nantucket, Massachusetts; he is retired from the RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, California, where he was the founding director of RANDs Population Research Center. Dudley L. Poston Jr. is a professor of sociology, and the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Professor of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University in College Station, where he teaches demography and statistics. President Donald Trump gives the impression of having done everything in his first month in the White House except think about Congress. A couple of months ago, there were congressional Republicans reluctantly on the Trump train who would have welcomed such neglect. They believed that Trump might be a figurehead president. He would tweet, give speeches and wear red hats, while they set the agenda. He would sign our stuff, as some Republicans put it, but otherwise leave them alone. An article in Slate in November expressed this expectation under the headline, Welcome to the Paul Ryan Presidency. The view of Trump as little more than a presidential autopen has turned out to be wholly mistaken. First, it underestimated Trumps ability to establish air, sea and land dominance in the nations political conversation to the exclusion of other Republican voices. Two, it failed to appreciate how necessary presidential leadership is to getting anything done on Capitol Hill. At this rate, congressional Republicans wont send the president anything significant to sign, let alone set the agenda. Trump has totally eclipsed congressional Republicans by creating a sense of headlong action through the sheer force of his frenetic personality. Watching cable news, you could be forgiven for occasionally forgetting that there is a coequal branch of government called Congress, except insofar as its members are forced to react to whatever Trump is saying or doing. Some of this motion is significant. Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch, who will get confirmed to the Supreme Court. Trumps commitment to begin enforcing the immigration laws again is a signature departure from the status quo. But many of the Trump-initiated battles of the first month over crowd sizes, illegal votes, fake news and the rest of it have fed the perpetual outrage machine with pleasingly empty calories. Normally, a new president spends his early days proposing legislation and shepherding it through Congress, then assuming success regaling in signing ceremonies. This is not part of the job that Trump has yet embraced, or shown much awareness of. But it is not proving a boon to his partys legislators. Congress is naturally fractious and insular, and left to its own devices will often spin its wheels or make shortsighted decisions. The foray out of the box by House Republicans this year was going to be the elimination of Congress own independent ethics office. The next step after that was going to be to repeal Obamacare without a replacement. Neither was a good idea, and each reflected greater concern for internal congressional dynamics than political reality. Trump, correctly, dissented from both moves. That Congress listened suggests the enormous sway Trump has. His hold on the GOP base is formidable. Couple that with his prodigious media megaphone, and Trump could break isolated senators or members of Congress resisting his congressional agenda like a twig. If, that is, he has such an agenda. No one knows what his infrastructure plan is. Or what he wants on Obamacare replacement, which will badly divide Republicans. Or where he comes down on the contentious issue threatening the ultimate passage of tax reform, the border adjustment tax. These arent details, but core questions that must be resolved if Trump is going to have a successful first year legislatively. Trump did address some of this in his speech to the joint session of Congress last week. And the wheels are turning on Capitol Hill. But every day that passes means Republicans have lost a little momentum. If Trump turns out simply not to have any interest in legislation, it likely wont augur a period of strong congressional governance, but of drift and perhaps outright failure. Capitol Hill is dependent on Trump, not just to sign bills, but to lead. Republicans dont need him merely to be president; they need him to be a good president, which means that in his busy days he must find a little time for Congress. comments.lowry@nationalreview.com In 1961, the State Water Plan proclaimed of grim warnings of disasters to come, and the 2017 State Water Plan predicts significant economic losses and water shortages if the plan is not implemented. For more than half a century now, state agencies have scared Texans into believing we will soon run out of water. Im the third generation in the water utility business. I spent many weekends and summers in the ditch and at water plants helping Dad and Papa repair leaks and build water facilities. Today, Im the president of Quadvest, one of the largest investor-owned utilities in Texas, but I still just think of myself as a glorified ditch-digger. When my father got frustrated with me for something I had done wrong or making bad grades, he would say the same thing a lot of dads would say: Do you want to grow up and be a ditch-digger? My answer was, Well, kind of. He hated that. Being around water my whole life, I heard stories about the water wars. I had assumed that we were running out of water, or soon would be, and the coming war would be fought over the few remaining drops left in Texas. Todays water wars have little to do with how much water we have; the battle is instead over who will control our vast water resources the government or the free market. The No. 1 issue is, will a state agency control our water, or will the property owner whose land sits on top of that water control it? The water that is in our lakes and streams, surface water, is owned by the state, but groundwater is owned by the landowner as private property with all the constitutional protection that comes with any private property rights. Until recently, many state agencies didnt believe that to be true groundwater was being regulated as if it were owned by the government. Several court cases, such as Day vs. EAA, Bragg vs. EAA, and Coyote Lake Ranch vs. The City of Lubbock, cleared all of this up for us. Repeatedly, The Texas Supreme Court has said that water is private property and water will be regulated like oil and gas. Additionally, the Texas Legislature has weighed in and confirmed that groundwater is private property owned by the landowner in place. The courts and the Legislature sent a clear message that groundwater is protected by Article 1, section 17(a) of the Texas Constitution. But bureaucrats dont give up that easily. Unfortunately for Texans, we made the decision some time ago that groundwater conservation districts, or GCDs, would be the preferred method of regulating groundwater in our state. Soon after, there was an explosion of districts established in counties across the state, creating a cottage industry of lawyers, consultants and bureaucrats excited about a new playground to grow bureaucracies and tax constituencies. Today, there are approximately 100 of these type of entities spread across Texas in a patchwork assembly that could only make the most liberal Californian proud. Many of these districts were created to prevent the big cities like Houston, Dallas and San Antonio from coming into their county and taking their water. Never mind that humans have been putting water in pipes and pumping it long distances since the Bronze Age; forget the fugacious nature of groundwater that allows water to move from place to place, creating a classic taking of private property claims. The government was here to help and, together with the well-meaning bureaucrats and their armies of lawyers and consultants, they were going to save us from ourselves. Today, by any rational measurement of success, the experiment has been a miserable failure for one reason: the government. A recent independent study by The Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M concluded that a review of the regulatory practices of the local GCDs supported the conclusion that Texas has a regulation-induced shortage of groundwater. The State Water Plan is failing the very people it was designed to protect, not because of evil but because convenient capitalists and their close cousin crony capitalism formulated a plan that gave preferential treatment to the government over the free market economy. Water rates have skyrocketed across the state, and in some cases for good reason. Yes, it is true that aging infrastructure and growing populations have put pressure on the cost of water, but the primary cause of price increases across Texas is due to government intervention. In San Antonio, the San Antonio Water System has been forced to build a 200-mile water pipeline from Burleson County into San Antonio because the governmental shield of groundwater districts around the city prevented landowners from selling their water to SAWS. The people who get hurt the most are the ratepayers in San Antonio. Today, the water wars in Texas are in full swing. Lawsuits have exploded all across Texas challenging the legitimacy of these agencies. The Texas Supreme Court has already weighed in on this issue, upholding groundwater as private property and afforded all constitutional protection. But many of these state agencies remain defiant. The groundwater district industry has created jobs not only for the consultants and attorneys but for regular people. Enormous amounts of debt have been amassed, and those who feed off of these types of entities are not about to let them go without a fight. And all of this, both sides of the water wars, are paid for by the people who receive water the very people the State Water Plan was designed to protect. Texas is entering a new era of water rate increases caused by government intervention. Escalating water rates have caused all water users to cut back on how much water they use, and they get rewarded by more rate increases. The debt for most of the water providers across Texas continues to increase, but the government skims a fee, leaving a smaller piece of the pie to pay for much-needed repairs and maintenance. As rates increase, users cut back, and the water providers and government agencies have less revenue to pay the bills, so providers increase rates and the cycle starts again. The much-needed capital that is being siphoned away from water infrastructure investment by the government will have a devastating effect on our future water supplies. It is past time for the state of Texas to reform the current water plan and replace it with a comprehensive plan that puts the end user not the government first. Shrink the size of government, eliminate these 100 new agencies, and replace them with water management that is coterminous with aquifer boundaries and not political subdivisions. The free market will work if we give it a chance. Simon Sequeira is CEO of Quadvest Water & Sewer Utility in Magnolia. While not unexpected, it is still disappointing that the U.S. Justice Department has withdrawn a key objection to Texas voter ID law. Thats because this could be more than a withdrawal based on a narrow technical point. It could signal a retreat from actively enforcing civil rights laws altogether. Telling in this regard: The administration has also backed away from a policy to give anti-discrimination protection to transgender students. Technically, the Justice Department is still a party to the Texas voter ID case, which stays alive because others are challenging it. But the department is abandoning its claim that the state acted with discriminatory intent in enacting the law in 2011. This was predictable for a couple of reasons. First, the new attorney general is former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who is on record in favor of voter ID laws (and in hot water at the moment over talks with the Russian ambassador during the presidential campaign). Second, his boss, President Donald Trump, claims, without a shred of proof, that he lost the popular vote because 3 million to 5 million voters cast illegal ballots most, if not all, for Hillary Clinton. A full panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans perhaps the most conservative appellate court in the land concluded in July that Texas voter ID law had discriminatory effect in that the forms of identification required disproportionately affected the states minority population. Some 600,000 Texans are without the forms of identification. But it kicked back to the federal court the issue of whether the Texas Legislature intended to discriminate. U.S. District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos heard arguments on that this week. This is not a trivial point. If the state acted with intent, it could be subject to renewed federal preapproval for changes to its voting laws. Before a 2013 Supreme Court ruling eviscerated a key section of the Voting Rights Act, Texas and other states with histories of voter discrimination had to get this approval. After the high court ruling, Texas promptly put the law into effect. The 5th Circuit ruling and orders by Gonzales Ramos put that on hold, even for the election in November. According to the New York Times, the departments civil rights division spent three years and more than $1 million on this case. The Justice Department retreat comes three months after the department filed a brief arguing that the state had indeed acted with intent to discriminate. Nothing has changed in those three months since the last brief. We simply have a new administration, one headed by someone with a keen interest in keeping alive fears of voter fraud what this law is purported to prevent. And the problem, as various federal courts have affirmed, is that evidence of in-person voter impersonation, the only kind of fraud that voter ID can prevent, is exceedingly rare. This has purely been about voter suppression. The Justice Department also cited as a reason for its retreat the introduction of legislation this year that would mimic what Gonzales Ramos ordered last year that folks without the required ID be allowed to vote if they sign an affidavit and produce other forms of identification, such as a utility bill. But it would also impose criminal penalties on those who sign these affidavits if they had access to the required forms of ID all along. This act of punishing voting is not the direction the state should be headed. It should be making voting easier for all Texans. In any case, a new law does not mean the state should escape penalty for intentionally discriminating against minorities in 2011 and beyond, if thats how the judge rules. Mostly, however, our fear is for continued enforcement of civil rights law. This retreat is not a good sign that this activity will be robust, if it exists at all. And that would be a serious miscalculation. If this nation is indeed post-racial, were not alone in not quite seeing it. IT was unthinkable in the past fortnight that Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa would not only be the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, but also the Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. It was the most unlikely scenario but, as I write, he is now the No. 1 citizen of our nation, for the Bible says in the book of Ecclesiastes Chapter 3:1, (Amplified Version): There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven. Some think it is a dream too good to be true, while others believe they are living a prolonged nightmare. Those in denial think that it is nothing but a bubble that will soon burst, and we will get back to yesterday. These different groups should probably have a candid talk with a few Rhodesians who never thought that this country would be governed by a black person, as Ian Smith declared, not in a thousand years. They eventually learnt to say, never say never, including Smith himself, for the Rudd Concession of October 30, 1888 had given them a sense of entitlement that everything Rhodesian (Zimbabwean) was theirs, as they described it thus: beyond comparison the most valuable country south of the Zambezi. When the voice of the people echoes and says we have entered a new era, it is surprising to hear some claiming that this new dispensation is going nowhere, and not just that, to see them remain captured with factional or successionist politics. This is a topic for another day, I guess, but who is President Mnangagwa, and what is it about him that made him land the top post? A lot has been put out as people want reassurance that the man they trusted with power will deliver good results as soon as yesterday. For this writer, names and their meanings are always a good starting point. I looked up in the dictionary of names to see what his names mean, and this is what I discovered: Emmerson means brave; powerful. His middle Shona name Dambudzo means difficulty, complication or challenge. And Mnangagwa means, You can but fight (me/us), but (it will all be in vain). But it was Smiths spymaster Ken Flower who in his memoirs Serving Secretly, published posthumously in 1987, who gives a birds eye view of the man who is now Zimbabwes President. In the prologue, Flower writes: On 25 May 1980, just over a month after Zimbabwe had become an independent nation, I received a telephone call from the Minister for State Security. I think you should come to see me about a report made to the Prime Minister concerning yourself. Half an hour later I was shown into the ministers office. After scant formalities he said, The Prime Minister wishes you to know that the Commissioner of Police has reported to him that you have been spending much of your time recently trying to murder him. Was I named? And if so, who else? You were clearly named, and certain officers working for you. The minister was watching me closely and the thought flashed through my mind that I was then and there on trial for my reputation, perhaps for my life. Does the Prime Minister expect me to defend myself, or justify my actions before him? No, he merely wishes you to know what a colleague of yours has reported concerning yourself. But how can I leave it like that? And how can I justify my actions? For instance, did the Commissioner explain that some of those implicated are officers in Special Branch which is part of the Police and under his command? Or that we have always insisted on collective responsibility at the top? No, he indicated that you were in charge of the men concerned and that they were acting under your orders. Who else heard this report, and what do you intend doing about it? I was present no one else. The Prime Minister does not intend doing anything other than to advise you. And what, if I might ask, do you believe? I was astounded, personally, that whites would want to shop each other like that. Yes . . . Of course, I can be accused of many activities, authorised and unauthorised, and in many countries that I know I could expect to be put against a wall and shot. That is not what you are being advised. In fact, the Prime Minister told the Commissioner he was surprised . . . I appreciate what you say, but I feel I must see the Prime Minister nevertheless. It is not necessary to see him about this. He understands better than you might realise. Or the Commissioner might realise? Yes. It is as though one is reading a thriller, where the writer saves the best for the climax. It is also unbelievable that this was Smiths spy chief who had been at the epicentre of ensuring that the liberation struggle would be derailed, and Rhodesians would never die, although in reality the armed struggle claimed so many of them, leading to the talks at the Lancaster House in the British capital, London. But this conversation happening five months into 1980 reveals so much, especially if one cares to read between the lines and ask hard questions: what does it mean now, and who is President Mnangagwa? He was 37 years and a few months old, but it is clear that Ken Flower was not putting on a show. The man was scared, and he saw into the future. He only mentions the ministers name halfway through the second page, keeping his readers in suspense in the meantime saying: This was the gist of the conversation I had with the Minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa. My first meeting with him had been several weeks previously, in March, when I and the Armed Forces Commanders had gone to offer our services to the newly elected Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe. In a somewhat aloof though perfectly correct manner, Mnangagwa had said that I should continue in the post I had occupied for 17 years, Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), to ensure that it was controlled professionally. He had added that he would provide the political link between the organisation and Government. Despite having been instrumental in infiltrating both ZAPU and ZANU and their military wings, Flower in his words says, this conversation was unsettling, but also quickly dispelled any false image I might have had of him. The little that he knew about the man who is now the President of Zimbabwe was that Mnangagwa in 1963 had switched from Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) to the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and had led the first group of Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) revolutionaries to be trained in sabotage . . . This writer has deliberately used Ken Flower as a source because he had all the means financial and otherwise to know Cde Mnangagwa, but he could not break the wall around him. Why, we dont know. Maybe it was meant for us to reach this season. Featuring him in the prologue and the epilogue of his book mainly, speaks volumes of what he saw in the man. In the epilogue he says: I counted myself fortunate after Independence that Mugabe and Mnangagwa were content to keep me as Intelligence/Security Adviser and Head of CIO, although we had been so clearly opposed to each other . . . Only once did Mnangagwa pass me a written instruction outlining some of his thoughts on reconstruction . . . Now, thus far, the Lord has taken us. In the past fortnight, President Mnangagwa made it very clear that Operation Restore Legacy was no childs game, and those who want to remain stuck in the past will miss the train since it is moving with speed. There is a major crisis of expectations from all Zimbabweans during his first 100 days in office. But it is up to the people, united in purpose, to rise to the occasion. Pride can kill and/or make us fall into oblivion, but again, its never too late to heed the voice of the people. President Mnangagwas inaugural address showed that the days of doing things for the sake of it are over. He understands the challenges the nation is facing and is calling on everyone to be part of the change process, no matter how painful: I implore you all to declare that NEVER AGAIN should the circumstances that have put Zimbabwe in an unfavourable position be allowed to recur or overshadow its prospects. We must work together, you, me, all of us who make up this nation, he said. He also appealed to Zimbabweans to bury their differences saying: As we do so, we should never remain hostages to our past. I thus humbly appeal to all of us that we let bygones be bygones, readily embracing each other in defining a new destiny. The task at hand is that of rebuilding our great country. It principally lies with none but ourselves. The short statements he released on Tuesday on the moratorium given to those who externalised Zimbabwean funds, followed by the one from his meeting with heads of ministries, resonated with what he said in his inaugural speech: In acknowledging the honour , I recognise that the urgent tasks that beckon will not be accomplished through speeches, necessary as these may be. As our Nigerian brothers and sisters say, You are welcome Cde President. But, many people are keen to know whether kumagumo kune nyaya has finally come and gone. Breaking News via Email Ministry of Transport and South Africa-based engineering consultancy company, DNMZ, yesterday refuted claims that the project costs for the Mbudzi interchange had been bumped up 100% to benefit a company believed to be owned by businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei. This followed tweets by local journalist Hopewell Chinono that the company had confirmed to him that the project costs had been pushed up from US$42 million to US$88 million. TOFEMA, a consortium comprising Fossil Contracting, Masimba, and Tensol, was awarded the contract last year without going to tender. In response, the Transport ministry tweeted: As standard practice, on completion of design, the engineers provided the estimate cost US$65 million for the interchange only and the engineers stand by that figure. DNMZ confirmed it was involved in the Mbudzi interchange project being built in Harare by the Transport ministry, but could not divulge the total project cost citing confidentiality issues. We wish to clarify the following regarding social media articles regarding comments purportedly from ourselves regarding the Mbudzi Interchange Project, the firm said in a statement. Due to professional ethics which we abide by, we do not comment to third parties regarding project information without the express approval of the client to do so. This project is no exception and we hereby distance ourselves from the comments circulating on social media. We also wish to clarify our scope of involvement on this complex mega project. DNMZ are engaged to do the design of the civil and structural aspects of the interchange, however, we are not the project managers of the same. The company added: Please take note for the project implementation of such as complex structure it will involve the following which we were not involved in; relocation of services costs, professional fees of the other consultants, electrical engineers, quantity surveyors, mechanical engineers, and EIA specialists amongst others. Cost of enabling works such as detours and traffic accommodation, compensation of property owners, relocation of people affected by the works, complexities associated with working on live site and payment of royalties for extraction of gravel and aggregates. DNMZ added: As DNMZ, we have full confidence in the professional team working on the project and assure the nation of Zimbabwe that a world-class product has been designed and is being constructed. Part of the tweet read: I have just spoken to the South African engineers who designed the Mbudzi roundabout. They told me that its real cost is US$42 million max, not the US$85 million being paid to Tagwirei. Below is the real plan which they sent to me. They said US$85 million was grand theft! Chinono later tweeted again: Point of correction here. I said that Tagwirei will be paid US$85 million, the figure is actually US$88 million. Finance ministry birds also told me that the price has been pushed up again from US$88 million. I am waiting for the documents! Zanu PF has destroyed Zimbabwe. NewsDay Breaking News via Email Yves here. This is a very accessible piece about both the policy failures of neoliberalism and the shortcomings of Keynesianism. However, I have to admit to not being keen about the use of the term without making clear that Keynesianism usually refers to American Keynesianism, and is NOT what Keynes created. Paul Samuelson, who wrote his dissertation on neoclassical economics, along with John Hicks, succeeded despite Keyness objections in treating Keynes work as a special cases of neoclassical economics when Keynes rejected it (neoclassical economics assumes that economies come to an equilibrium at full employment, while Keynes regarded them as fundamentally unstable). A minor quibble with this piece is that the Bello treats finance-dominated capitalism as inevitable. While it is a bad evolution we badly need to correct, it didnt have to wind up that way. As Michael Hudson described long-from in his important essay, From Marx to Goldman Sachs, there were two competing models of capitalism in the 19th century, the industrial-dominated model of Germany, and the finance-dominated one of England. Marx thought it was inconceivable that industrialists, who controlled the productive wealth of society, would let financiers dominate in the long run. But as Hudson points out, one of the unfortunate effects of World War I was that England and thus the Anglo-American model prevailed. Mind you, industrial dominated capitalism would have had its own issues, but Hudson believes that its predation would have been less extreme. Originally published at Triple Crisis An Interview with Walden Bello Keynesianism offered important tools for overcoming the economic crisis, but its application by Obamas government was too half-hearted and misdirected (going to banks rather than households) to effectively reduce the recession. Clinton paid the price. This interview with Walden Bello is based on the article Keynesianism in the Great Recession: Right Diagnosis, Wrong Cure, available here from the Trans National Institute. Q: What were the main ways in which neoliberalism created the Great Recession? A: Neoliberalism sought to remove the regulatory constraints that the state was forced to impose on capitalist profitability owing to the pressure of the working class movement. But it had to legitimize this ideologically. Thus it came out with two very influential theories, the so-called efficient market hypothesis (EMH) and rational expectations hypothesis (REH). EMH held that without government-induced distortions, financial markets are efficient because they reflect all the available information available to all market participants at any given time. In essence, EMH said, it is best to leave financial markets alone since they are self-regulating. REH provided the theoretical basis for EMH with its assumption that individuals operate on the basis of rational assessments of economic trends. These theories provided the ideological cover for the deregulation or light touch regulation of the financial sector that took place in the 1980s and 1990s. Due to a common neoliberal education and close interaction, bankers and regulators shared the assumptions of this ideology. This resulted in the loosening of regulation of the banks and the absence of any regulation and very limited monitoring of the so-called shadow banking sector where all sorts of financial instruments were created and traded among parties. With so little regulation, there was nothing to check the creation and trading of questionable securities like subprime mortgage-based securities. And with no effective monitoring, there were no constraints on banks build-up of unsustainable balance sheets with a high debt to equity ratios. Without adult supervision, as it were, a financial sector that was already inherently unstable went wild. When the subprime assets were found to be toxic since they were based on mortgages on which borrowers had defaulted, highly indebted or leveraged banks that had bought these now valueless securities had little equity to repay their creditors or depositors who now came after them. This quickly led to their bankruptcy, as in the case of Lehman Brothers, or to their being bailed out by government, as was the case with most of the biggest banks. The finance sector froze up, resulting in a recessiona big onein the real economy. Q: So how did these banks get to be so big and powerful? What drove the financialization boom that triggered the recession? A: Financialization or an increasing preference for speculative activity instead of production as a source of profit was driven by four developments. The first was the abolition, during the Clinton Administration, of the Glass-Steagall Act that had served as a Chinese Wall between commercial or retail banking and investment banking, as a result of tremendous pressure from the big banks felt left out of the boom in trading. The second was the expansive monetary policy promoted by the Federal Reserve to counter the downturn following the piercing of the dot.com bubble in the first years of the new century. Third was the government and business move to shore up effective demand by substituting household indebtedness for real wage increases. Fourth was the lifting of capital controls on the international flow of finance capital, following the era of financial repression during the post-war period. These developments acted in synergy, first to produce a speculative boom in the housing and stock markets, then feeding on one another to accelerate an economic nose-dive during the bust. Q: What was the worst impact of the crisis, and upon whom? A: With unemployment hitting 10 per cent in 2010, working people suffered the most. Although the unemployment rate is now down to five per cent, that fall has been driven less by improved labor market conditions than a falling rate of participation, as discouraged workers withdrew from the labor force. More than 4 million homes were foreclosed. Lower income households, the main victims of aggressive loan sharks, suffered most. As far as growth was concerned, the recovery was tepid, with average GDP growth barely 2 per cent per annum between 2011 and 2013, less than half the pace of the typical post-World War II expansion. In terms of inequality, the statistics were clear: 95% of income gains from 2009 to 2012 went to the top 1%; median income was $4,000 lower in 2014 than in 2000; concentration of financial assets increased after 2009, with the four largest banks owning assets that came to nearly 50% of GDP. An Economic Policy Institute study summed up the trends: [T]he gains of the top 1 percent have vastly outpaced the gains for the bottom 99 percent as the economy has recovered. At the individual and household level, the economic consequences of being laid off were devastating; with one study finding that workers laid off during recessions lose on average three full years of lifetime income potential. One estimate showed that the income of the United States would have been $2 trillion higher had there been no crisis, or $17,000 per household. Q: What did Keynesianism offer as a way of responding to the crisis? A: Keynesianism offered two major weapons for overcoming the crisis. The first and most important was a fiscal stimulus, or deficit spending by government. The second was monetary expansion. Essentially, these were forms of government intervention designed to revive the economy after a collapse of investment on the part of the private sector. They are called countercyclical since they are designed to counter the recessionary pressures brought about by the crisis of the private sector. Q: How were Keynesian policies and strategies applied in the wake of the onset of the recession? A: The Keynesian interventions were in the right direction. Unfortunately, they were applied half-heartedly by the Obama administration. For instance, the size of the fiscal stimulus $787 billion might have been enough to prevent the recession from getting worse, but it was not enough to trigger an early recovery, which would have demanded at least $1.8 trillion, according to Cristina Romer, the head of Obamas Council of Economic Advisers. Expansive monetary policy was always a second best solution and was not as effective as a fiscal stimulus. Yes, cutting interests to zero and quantitative easingor providing banks with infusions of moneydid have some impact, but this was rather small since, for the most part, individuals and corporations did not want to go further into debt but wanted to focus on lessening their debt. Q: What three things could have been done, truer to the spirit of Keynesianism, that would have reduced the recession? A: First of all, there should have been a much bigger stimulus, one along the lines of Cristina Romers proposal of $1.8 trillion. Second, instead of focusing on saving the banks, the government should have devoted resources to assisting the millions of troubled homeowners, a move which would have raised effective demand. Third, the insolvent banks should have been taken over or nationalized and the billions spent on recapitalizing them or guaranteeing their borrowing should have been devoted to creating jobs to absorb the unemployed. Q: Is financialization still a threat? A: Yes, even conservative analysts say that the so-called Dodd-Frank reform encourages moral hazard or reckless behavior by banks owing to their belief that when they get into trouble, the government will bail them out. Derivativeswhich Warren Buffet called weapons of mass destructionare still virtually unregulated. And so is the shadow banking sector. The non-transparent derivatives market is now estimated to total US$707 trillion, or significantly higher than the US$548 billion in 2008. As one analyst puts it, The market has grown so unfathomably vast, the global economy is at risk of massive damage should even a small percentage of contracts go sour. Its size and potential influence are difficult just to comprehend, let alone assess. Former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt, the former chairman of the SEC, says that none of the post-2008 reforms has significantly diminished the likelihood of financial crises. Q: What has been the legacy of the crisis on U.S. politics? A: One can say that the Obama administrations failure to reinvigorate the economy after eight years and to reform the banks was the central factor that lost the elections for Hillary Clinton. If theres one certainty that emerged in the 2016 elections, it was that Clintons unexpected defeat stemmed from her loss of four so-called Rust Belt states: Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, which had previously been Democratic strongholds, and Ohio, a swing state that had twice supported Barack Obama. The 64 Electoral College votes of those states, most of which hadnt even been considered battlegrounds, put Donald Trump over the top. Trumps numbers, it is now clear, were produced by a combination of an enthusiastic turnout of the Republican base, his picking up significant numbers of traditionally Democratic voters, and large numbers of Democrats staying home. But this wasnt a defeat by default. On the economic issues that motivate many of these voters, Trump had a message: The economic recovery was a mirage, people were hurt by the Democrats policies, and they had more pain to look forward to should the Democrats retain control of the White House. The problem for Clinton was that the opportunistic message of this demagogue rang true to the middle class and working class voters in these states, even if the messenger himself was quite flawed. These four states reflected, on the ground, the worst consequences of the interlocking problems of high unemployment and deindustrialization that had stalked the whole country for over two decades owing to the flight of industrial corporations to Asia and elsewhere. Combined with the financial collapse of 2007-2008 and the widespread foreclosure of the homes of millions of middle class and poor people whod been enticed by the banks to go into massive indebtedness, the region was becoming a powder keg of resentment. True, these working class voters going over to Trump or boycotting the polls were mainly white. But then these were the same people that placed their faith in Obama in 2008, when they favored him by large margin over John McCain. And they stuck with him in 2012, though his margins of victory were for the most part narrower. By 2016, however, theyd had enough, and they would no longer buy the Democrats blaming George W. Bush for the continuing stagnation of the economy. Clinton bore the brunt of their backlash, since she made the strategic mistake of running on Obamas legacywhich, to the voters, was one of failing to deliver the economic relief and return to prosperity that he had promised eight years earlier. Q: In what ways do we need to go beyond Keynesianism to address current economic and ecological problems? A: I think Keynesianism has valuable insights into how a capitalist economy operates and can be steadied so its inherent instability and contradictions can be mitigated. But, as Minsky says, these solutions do not address the inherent instability of the system. A new equilibrium contains the seeds of disequilibrium. With its focus on growth propelled by effective demand, Keynesianism also has problems addressing the problem of ecological disequilibrium brought about by growth. The real issue is capitalisms incessant search for profit that severely destabilizes both society and the environment. I think there is no longer any illusion, even among its defenders, that capitalism is prone to crises, and these days, these are crises that not only stem from the dynamics of production but from the dynamics of finance. We need to work towards a post-capitalist system that aims at promoting equality, enhances instead of destroys the environment, is based on cooperation, and is engaged in planning to achieve short term, medium term, and long-term goals. In this scheme, finance would function to link savings to investment and savers to investors, instead of becoming an autonomous force whose dynamics destabilizes the real economy. A post-capitalist society does not mean the elimination of the market. But it does mean making use of the market to achieve democratically decided social goals rather than having the market drive society in an anarchic fashion. Continuous-flow, electrically triggered, single cell-level electroporation (Nanowerk News) Graduate students Mingde 'Jack' Zheng and Joseph Sherba have developed a novel, microfluidic platform for monitoring electroporation and molecular delivery at the single cell-level as part of a collaborative research team led by Professors Jeffrey Zahn and David Shreiber in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Professors Hao Lin and Jerry Shan in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in Piscataway, NJ (Technology, "Continuous-flow, electrically-triggered, single cell-level electroporation"). 3-dimensional rendering of a cell passing through the electroporation zone while a pulse is being applied. The electric field lines which normally do not penetrate an insulating cell are able to penetrate the cell through the conductive pores. ( Technology Journal) Electroporation is a widely used, safe, non-viral approach to deliver foreign vectors into many different cell types. When a cell is exposed to an electric field of the appropriate strength, the membrane undergoes reversible electrical breakdown, where transient pores form in the membrane, which allows molecular transport into the cell. The controlled intracellular delivery of biomolecules and therapeutics enables the ability to study and engineer fundamental cellular processes and has therefore been a major focus in biomedical research and clinical medicine. According to BioMarket Trends, the electroporation market currently represents the second largest segment of the total, ~$200 million transfection technology market in terms of revenues, behind lipid based technology. Consumers in the market include those in biomedical research in academic and industry labs and biotechnology and life science companies who aim to express specific molecules in a variety of cells. In addition, there is increased interest in using transfection technology clinically, especially with the advent of CRISPR technology for gene editing. Successful cell transfection represents the rate-limiting step in numerous biomedical research and bioproduction workflows including: cell based therapies, RNA interference screening, and stem cell research. The challenges include variable and poor transformation efficiency, especially with hard-to-transfect cell lines such as primary cell lines and stem cell lines. One of the traditional bottlenecks to electroporation has been obtaining efficient delivery without compromising cell viability. Successful electroporation involves the optimization of a wide range of electric field and buffer parameters that are affected by the cell type and molecular payload to achieve an ideal balance of the efficiency of transfection (how much is delivered) with the damage produced (how many cells are damaged or die). Protocols are often identified through costly trial-and-error, and can vary significantly from lab-to-lab and application-to-application. The Rutgers interdisciplinary research and development team are focusing on translational research in developing next-generation electroporation technology for high-efficiency delivery into cells with superior viability. The novelty of this report is the impedance detection of membrane permeabilization in a continuous flow environment at unprecedented sensitivity, an accomplishment not previously reported in literature. By monitoring changes in the electrical characteristics of individual cells when exposed to short, high-strength electric fields, the team was able to identify when a cell has become permeabilized and determine the conditions which led to molecular delivery while preserving cell viability. This technology will ex-pedite the transfection process by eliminating trial-and-error electroporation protocol development in a safe and effective manner across cell types and applications. Epifluorescence images of cells following delivery of a fluorescent dye, propidium iodide, following electroporation treatment at varying pulse strengths and duration. Propidium iodide is impermeant to the cell until the membrane is permeabilized via electroporation. The propidium iodide is then transported into the cell cytoplasm and fluoresces upon binding cytoplasmic nucleic acids. ( Technology Journal) The micro-electroporation platform was realized following extensive theoretical modeling. The team designed and fabricated a microfluidic device consisting of a converging microfluidic 'electroporation zone' and a set of electrodes capable of both pulsing the passing cell in transit and sensing the degree of cell membrane permeabilization. The electroporation microchip is integrated with a custom-built LabVIEW algorithm that continuously monitors the channel for the entrance of a cell into the electroporation zone. Upon detecting a cell, a prescribed electrical pulse is applied to the cell and the electrical signal is monitored for changes in membrane permeabilization, which ultimately determines the therapeutic payload potential. A widespread parametric study was performed by altering both the electric field strength and pulse duration and electrically measuring the membrane impedance response immediately following pulse application. The degree of membrane permeabilization was dependent on the intensity of the pulse application, with a significant increase in permeabilization occurring at a pulse duration of 0.8 to 1 ms. This trend was also verified by optically monitoring the delivery of a fluorescent probe, propidium iodide, which is im-permeant to cells with intact membranes but is transported into the cell upon compromising the mem-brane via electroporation. Cell viability trends were also shown to be dependent on the strength and dura-tion of the pulse being applied. The degree of membrane permeabilization measured electrically via a change in cell membrane impedance is well-correlated to the fluorescence intensity of propidium iodide delivery, following electroporation treatment with varying pulse strengths and duration. ( Technology Journal) Moving forward, the Rutgers team looks to continue the development of this technology into a "smart", autonomous system that is capable of using these electrical signals to create a flow-through, feedback-controlled, single cell-level electroporation platform. Improvements in transfection efficiency will allow electroporation-based cellular transformation approaches to become more commonplace and supplant viral based approaches. They envision a product line comprised of a base equipment docking station and software that applies the electric pulses and monitors permeabilization in real time using disposa-ble "chips" for cell handling and microfluidics. Group blazes path to efficient, eco-friendly deep-ultraviolet LED (Nanowerk News) The darkest form of ultraviolet light, known as UV-C, is unique because of its reputation as a killer - of harmful organisms. With wavelengths of between 200 and 280 nanometers, this particular form of UV light penetrates the membranes of viruses, bacteria, mold and dust mites, attacking their DNA and killing them. Sanitization with UV-C light has been around for more than 100 years, following Niels Finsen's discovery of UV light as an antidote to tuberculosis, which won the Faroese-Danish physician the 1903 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Currently, most deep-UV lamps are mercury-based. They pose a threat to the environment, and are bulky and inefficient. A Cornell research group led by Huili (Grace) Xing and Debdeep Jena, along with collaborators from the University of Notre Dame, has reported progress in creating a smaller, more earth-friendly alternative (Applied Physics Letters, "MBE-grown 232-270 nm deep-UV LEDs using monolayer thin binary GaN/AlN quantum heterostructures"). Members of the Jena-Xing Research Group - Debdeep Jena, Moudud Islam, Huili (Grace) Xing, Vladimir Protasenko, Kevin Lee and Shyam Bharadwaj - are pictured in front of one of the molecular beam epitaxy systems used in their latest work. Using atomically controlled thin monolayers of gallium nitride (GaN) and aluminum nitride (AlN) as active regions, the group has shown the ability to produce deep-UV emission with a light-emitting diode (LED) between 232 and 270 nanometer wavelengths. Their 232- nanometer emission represents the shortest recorded wavelength using GaN as the light-emitting material. The previous record was 239 nanometers, by a group in Japan. Postdoctoral researcher SM (Moudud) Islam, the lead author, said: "UV-C light is very attractive because it can destroy the DNA of species that cause infectious diseases, which cause contamination of water and air." One of the major challenges with ultraviolet LEDs is efficiency, which is measured in three areas: injection efficiency - the proportion of electrons passing through the device that are injected into the active region; internal quantum efficiency (IQE) - the proportion of all electrons in the active region that produce photons or UV light; and light extraction efficiency - the proportion of photons generated in the active region that can be extracted from the device and are actually useful. "If you have 50 percent efficiency in all three components ... multiply all of these and you get one-eighth," Islam said. "You're already down to 12 percent efficiency." In the deep-UV range, all three efficiency factors suffer, but this group found that by using gallium nitride instead of conventional aluminum gallium nitride, both IQE and light extraction efficiency are enhanced. Injection efficiency is improved through the use of a polarization-induced doping scheme for both the negative (electron) and positive (hole) carrier regions, a technique the group explored in previous work. Now that the group has proven its concept of enhanced deep-UV LED efficiency, its next task is packaging it in a device that could one day go on the market. Deep-UV LEDs are used in food preservation and counterfeit currency detection, among other things. Further study will include packaging both the new technology and existing technologies in otherwise similar devices, for the purpose of comparison. Volcanic hydrogen spurs chances of finding exoplanet life (Nanowerk News) Hunting for habitable exoplanets now may be easier: Cornell astronomers report that hydrogen pouring from volcanic sources on planets throughout the universe could improve the chances of locating life in the cosmos (The Astrophysical Journal Letters, "A Volcanic Hydrogen Habitable Zone"). Planets located great distances from stars freeze over. On frozen planets, any potential life would be buried under layers of ice, which would make it really hard to spot with telescopes, said lead author Ramses Ramirez, research associate at Cornells Carl Sagan Institute. But if the surface is warm enough thanks to volcanic hydrogen and atmospheric warming you could have life on the surface, generating a slew of detectable signatures. An artistic rendering of an alien world crowded with volcanic activity. The hydrogen from volcanoes can help scientists possibly detect life on exoplanets. (Image: W. G. Henning/NASA) Combining the greenhouse warming effect from hydrogen, water and carbon dioxide on planets sprinkled throughout the cosmos, distant stars could expand their habitable zones by 30 to 60 percent, according to this new research. Where we thought you would only find icy wastelands, planets can be nice and warm as long as volcanoes are in view, said Lisa Kaltenegger, Cornell professor of astronomy and director of the Carl Sagan Institute. The idea that hydrogen can warm a planet is not new, but an Earth-like planet cannot hold onto its hydrogen for more than a few million years. Volcanoes change the concept. You get a nice big warming effect from volcanic hydrogen, which is sustainable as long as the volcanoes are intense enough, said Ramirez, who suggested the possibility that these planets may sustain detectable life on their surface. A very light gas, hydrogen also puffs up planetary atmospheres, which will likely help scientists detect signs of life. Adding hydrogen to the air of an exoplanet is a good thing if youre an astronomer trying to observe potential life from a telescope or a space mission. It increases your signal, making it easier to spot the makeup of the atmosphere as compared to planets without hydrogen, said Ramirez. In our solar system, the habitable zone extends to 1.67 times the Earth-sun distance, just beyond the orbit of Mars. With volcanically sourced hydrogen on planets, this could extend the solar systems habitable zone reach to 2.4 times the Earth-sun distance about where the asteroid belt is located between Mars and Jupiter. This research places a lot of planets that scientists previously thought to be too cold to support detectable life back into play. We just increased the width of the habitable zone by about half, adding a lot more planets to our search here target list, said Ramirez. Atmospheric biosignatures, such as methane in combination with ozone indicating life will likely be detected by the forthcoming, next-generation James Webb Space Telescope, launching in 2018, or the approaching European Extremely Large Telescope, first light in 2024. NASA reported Feb. 22 finding seven Earth-like planets around the star Trappist-1. Finding multiple planets in the habitable zone of their host star is a great discovery because it means that there can be even more potentially habitable planets per star than we thought, said Kaltenegger. Finding more rocky planets in the habitable zone per star increases our odds of finding life. To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below. New York, March 3 (CNA) Former President Ma Ying-jeou () said Friday in the United States that if the "one China policy" is challenged, it will have a major impact on relations between China and the U.S. and will not benefit Taiwan. Kyle Busch Motorsports reveals driver lineup, switch to Chevrolet for 2023 Chase Purdy will drive full-time for the team and Jack Wood will be part of a rotation with Kyle Busch on a second truck. The late Brendan Stokes The death has occurred of Brendan Stokes, Gortnahoe, Thurles. Peacefully, at The Mater Private Hospital, Dublin. Predeceased by his brother Gerard. Deeply regretted by his heartbroken wife Ann, his loving family Jenny, Joanne, P.J. and Caitriona, sons-in-law, grandchild Arwyn, brothers Paddy John and Tom, sister Maureen, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, uncle, aunts, relatives and a wide circle of friends. Reposing at Doyle's Funeral Home, Urlingford, on Saturday evening from 4pm until 7pm. Removal from his residence on Sunday morning to The Church of the Sacred Heart, Gortnahoe, arriving for Requiem Mass at 11.15am. Burial immediately afterwards in the Good Shepherd Cemetery. Family flowers only please, donations if desired to the Irish Heart Foundation. The late Patrick Ryan The death has occurred of Patrick (Patsy) Ryan, Gortahoola, Drombane, Thurles. In the loving care of the Matron and Staff of St. Theresa's Nursing Home, Thurles, predeceased by his sister Alice, brothers John, Denis, Michael, Stephen and Bernard; deeply regretted by his loving sisters Mary and Chris, brothers Andrew and Con, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, neighbours, relatives and friends. Reposing at O'Dwyer's Funeral Home, Upperchurch on Saturday evening from 5pm with removal at 7pm to St. Mary's Church Drombane. Funeral Mass on Sunday at 10am, Burial afterwards in Clogher Cemetery. The late Sarah Geraldine Curry The death has occurred of Sarah Geraldine Curry (nee Spencer), 30 Sheehane, Birr Road, Roscrea. Reposing in Maher's Funeral Home, Roscrea on Sunday evening from 4.00 with removal at 6.30 arriving in St. Cronan's Church, Roscrea at 7.00. Funeral Mass on Monday at 12.00 followed by burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Rosary in Maher's Funeral home on Saturday evening at 8.00. House Private please. For the second time since 2014, the NATO Military Committee visited Georgia. During the two-day trip (2 & 3 March), NATOs Military Representatives met with the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) team to receive a progress report, visited the Joint NATO-Georgia Training and Evaluation Centre (JTEC) and observed a pre-deployment training demonstration of Georgian troops. The Military Committee and its Chairman, General Petr Pavel, also visited the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL). In a show of continued support to and appreciation of NATOs close partner, the NATO military Committee has made its second visit to Georgia. The main objective of the visit was to discuss the progress of ongoing Defence reforms, especially with regard to the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) and its implementation. The package aims to strengthen Georgias capabilities by offering concrete support, advice and assistance in defence capacity building. The SNGP currently consists of 15 projects staffed by some 42 international experts from 26 NATO nations and partners. It covers areas of strategic and operational planning, ranging from air defence, maritime security, and special operations to more recent additions of counter-mobility and crisis management. General Petr Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee and Mr Levan Izoria, Georgian Minister of Defence held a press conference to discuss the outcomes of their joint meeting and the meeting with the Military Committee. General Pavel commended Georgia for being a valuable NATO Partner and a strong and reliable contributor to international security. I also want to highlight the professionalism and bravery of your troops. The NATO Military Committee also took the opportunity to visit the Joint NATO-Georgia Training and Evaluation Centre (JTEC) which is a key component of the SNGP. The Centre provides combat training and conducts activities to enhance interoperability between Georgian Forces and Armed Forces from NATO countries and partners. The Military Committee was able to observe a pre-deployment training demonstration by Georgian troops to be deployed to the NATO Resolute Support Mission. Georgia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the assist, advice and train mission, a fact that was recognised by the Military Committee during the visit. While at the JTEC, General Petr Pavel and the 28 Military Representatives took a moment to honour the fallen heroes in international missions and peacekeeping operations. During a special Military Committee meeting with Georgia, the Military Representatives received comprehensive briefings from Georgian counterparts on regional security, namely in the Black Sea, as well as Defence Reforms and the optimisation of the Georgian Armed Forces. The participants then discussed ways to enhance practical military-to-military cooperation. General Pavel highlighted during his Opening Remarks that NATO views Georgia as an extremely reliable military partner and that our cooperation is characterized by open and honest dialogue. We encourage our Georgian colleagues to continue to maintain the high level of practical cooperation that is essential in sustaining our excellent relationship. Later, General Pavel and the NATO Military Committee laid a wreath at the Georgian Fallen Warrior Memorial to pay homage to the Georgian soldiers who have paid the ultimate price for shared peace and security. On Friday afternoon, the 28 NATO Military Representatives were escorted to the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) where they received a briefing on the current situation. Earlier in the day, General Pavel reiterated that NATO supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders and continues to call on Russia to reverse its recognition of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions and to withdraw its forces from Georgia. While the Military Committee were visiting the Georgian National Defence College, General Pavel had a series of meetings with Georgian Officials, namely President Mr Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Mr Giorgi Kviriskashvili, Minister of Defence Mr Levan Izoria and Chief of Defence Brigadier General Vladimer Chachibaia. (Natural News) Marijuana might have earned a reputation for giving people the munchies, driving them to crave snack foods while under the influence, but a new study shows that the drug could actually be a surprisingly effective way to help combat the obesity epidemic that is killing Americans. Hemp may also offer benefits that can help support your health, and hemp-derived CBD oil is becoming especially popular. Thats why the Health Rangers independent, ISO-certified lab, CWC Labs, has developed a state-of-the-art methodology for verifying the oils CBD content to help ensure your products are trustworthy and totally authentic. Of course, the benefits of marijuana simply cannot be understated; science continues to prove that this particular plant is truly something special. A study published in the Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics shows that regular marijuana users actually have a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) than those who do not use the drug. For the study, researchers from the University of Miami examined data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. They found that women who used marijuana on a daily basis had a 3.1 percent lower BMI and male users had a 2.7 percent lower BMI than those who do not use marijuana. This study is not the first one to find such a link. A study published in the American Journal of Medicine in 2013 uncovered how marijuana manipulates the bodys insulin production, transforming the metabolism into a well-oiled machine of sorts to keep obesity at bay. The researchers from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, Omaha, and the Harvard School of Public Health found that current marijuana use was linked to fasting insulin levels that were 16 percent lower. They also discovered significant associations between the use of marijuana and a smaller waist circumference. Study after study shows link between marijuana use, lower BMI This is also corroborated by a study that was published in the journal Obesity. The study, which involved more than 700 adults who took part in the Nunavik Inuit Health Survey, revealed that those who smoked marijuana had lower BMI scores than those who did not, and they also had a lower risk of developing diabetes. States with medical marijuana laws note drops in obesity Lending further credence to this theory is the fact that some of the nations lowest obesity rates can be found in the District of Columbia and Colorado both of which happen to be places where marijuana use is legal. A study out of Cornell University and the San Diego State University discovered that passing a medical marijuana law in a state is associated with a drop in the probability of obesity that ranges from 2 to 6 percent, and this effect is believed to be even larger in the long term. This finding held after controlling for economic and social factors, food prices, and policy differences. This could be due in part to the fact that many medical marijuana prescriptions are written for managing chronic pain. It stands to reason, therefore, that people who were once hampered by pain will become more active once it has been dealt with. Another issue that could be at play here is a bit of a substitution effect. The passage of medical marijuana laws has been shown to lead to a 3.1 percent drop in the probability of alcohol consumption and a 4.8 percent drop in the probability of binge drinking, which means some people might be skipping calorie-packed alcoholic drinks in favor of marijuana to help them unwind and relax. Those who do partake and find themselves getting hungry should make sure they stick to clean food if they want to maintain good health. Of course, cannabis will have to be legalized throughout the nation before it can make serious inroads in Americas weight problem. Some states have made it legal to use marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, but not every state has gotten on board and some show no signs of following suit. However, with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that more than 70 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, these states might want to start taking a closer look at the body of research on marijuana use and obesity. Sources include: MerryJane.com NaturalNews.com WashingtonPost.com Science.NaturalNews.com An unknown group of assailants broke into El Salvador's National Zoo and brutally beat Gustavito the hippopotamus, leading to his untimely death on Sunday. According to the zoo director Vladan Hernriquez, they noticed Gustavito acting strange on Thursday. He would not eat and stayed the entire day in his enclosure. Noticing this, they checked upon the beloved animal and were shocked to found punctures, lacerations and bruises on his body, including his feet and his cheek. It is likely that he got his injuries while he was defending himself from the inhumane assailants. Sydney Morning Herald notes that initial investigation revealed rocks and pieces of metal found in the area. Authorities suspected that that 15-year-old hippo was assaulted with "blunt and sharp objects" on Tuesday night. Read Also: 500 Animals Die in Cumbria in a Span of 4 Years, UK Zoo May Face Repercussions Gustavito was considered one of the zoo's iconic animals. He was taken to the zoo 13 years ago. To mourn his death, people who often visit the zoo left some flowers outside the establishment, which has been closed since the incident. "We're angry," said Carmen Rogel, an El Salvador resident told Associated Press. "We didn't know they had killed Gustavito and were surprised when we arrived and the gate was closed." The Standard reported that authorities are still trying to figure out who broke into the animal's enclosure while security at the zoo was doubled to prevent the vicious incident from happening again. The zoo is closed until further notice. The Ministry of Culture asserted that they will never buy exotic animals again and instead focus their efforts in their indigenous species. CDA News noted that El Salvador is one of the most violent country today, with an average of 14 murder cases per day last year and 10 this year. While gang violence is widespread, Gustavito's case provoed more outrage. Hippopotamus has an average lifespan of 50 years. They are the third largest land-living mammal, with length that could stretch to 13 feet. They are considered vulnerable as they are often targeted by humans for their ivory and fat, which are deemed valuable in the black market. Read Also: Armed Men Attack Animal Orphanage, Kill Baby Rhinos Before Brutally Removing Their Horns Humanity has been dealing with big data for the past few years, and there is no doubt that we will soon be running out of space where we can store them. Data has never been more important, especially in the digital-dependent age, which is why data capacity gap is a concern that must be addressed. DNA is considered an ideal storage medium because it's ultra-compact and can last hundreds of thousands of years if kept in proper condition, but how can we unlock its potential? Researchers Yaniv Erlich and Dina Zielinski from Columbia University and the New York Genome Center claim to have successfully stored, retrieved and replicated digital data on DNA using algorithm called "DNA fountain." According to Science Times, the researchers compressed six files and put it in a master file. They then split the data into binary codes of ones and zeroes. They then translated the ones and zeroes to A, G, C and T, the nucleotide bases in DNA. The DNA sequence were then sent to San Francisco-based Twist Bioscience to convert it into biological data. Weeks later, they received a vial with the DNA molecules, which amazingly contained the files they stored, including a movie, an Amazon gift card and a computer virus, among others. The researchers have also managed to view the files by translating the DNA back into binary codes of ones and zeroes and have managed to replicate the files without errors. Christian Science Monitor notes that the key to making the coding efficient lies in what the researchers call the "DNA fountain." It allowed storing, replication and retrieval without losing key pieces of the code.Their paper published in journal Science notes that they were able to store 214 petabytes per gram of DNA. Science Mag said that storing data on DNA was pioneered in 2012 by geneticist George Church. He and his colleagues were able to encode a 52,000-word book in thousands of snippets of DNA. Meanwhile, the DNA synthesis is not available on large-scale yet since the process is quite expensive. "Currently it's like $7,000 for two megabytes of data, but here's the thing to keep in mind: the $7,000 is for DNA molecules of very good quality, because the supply chain is geared toward synthetic biology applications," Erlich told The Scientist in an interview. When you expect a certain number of otter stories to steadily flow your way over the course of a normal month, and you've enjoyed so many inspiring ones in recent weeks, you can find yourself demanding even more. Because once you've read about that ancient giant otter fossil that was found in China, and the tender tale of Selka, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's super-smart rescue otter, your understandable demand for more whisker-wonderful items only increases. We're just being honest here, right, otter people? Right. So fear not, because something mighty sweet happened at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Thursday, March 2, and the star at its center is a handsome marine mammal of great note. We speak of Charlie here, a southern sea otter, who has the lofty designation of being "...the oldest known southern sea otter in a zoo or aquarium." So when a milestone birthday rolls around for Charlie, say, like his big 20th, you can bet that the keepers are going to really do it up for the water-loving, roly-poly sweetheart. Which they did. Guests donned birthday hats and sang "Happy Birthday" to the furry fellow. And did he enjoy some tasty treats that were created his honor? You bet. Charlie's start, and arrival at the Long Beach-based aquarium, has some heart-tugs to it, no doubt. He was but a pup, really, or just past pupdom when he was "...stranded, rescued, and deemed non-releasable to the wild before arriving to the Aquarium in 1998." As far as the typical lifespan for a male southern sea otter? Aquarium experts put it at around 15 years. Charlie has passed his nearly two decades as a denizen of the aquatic institution dining on delicious, nutrious seafood and delighting the infatuated humans who linger to watch as he splashes and twirls about. Even if you didn't get a chance to attend Charlie's party, wave hello to him next time you're at the Aquarium of the Pacific. He's an otter-amazing celebrity here in Southern California and beyond, and he has now passed a birthday-big marker. An Assembly bill that would repeal state limits on rent control laws drew protest Friday at a hearing in San Francisco from landlords who said it would put many of them out of business and take housing units off the market. Assembly Bill 1506 would repeal the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Act, which prohibits rent control on units built after 1995, exempts single-family homes and condos and allows landlords to raise rents to market value between tenants. Introduced by Santa Monica Assemblyman Richard Bloom last month with the backing of San Francisco Assemblyman David Chiu and Oakland Assemblyman Rob Bonta, the bill would allow local jurisdictions to set their own laws. AB 1506 is only one of more than 100 bills on housing affordability and homelessness related issues introduced in this year's legislative session, Chiu said. An Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee hearing held in San Francisco Friday, one of a series of such hearings to be held throughout the state, was intended to highlight those efforts and allow local housing experts to weigh in. A large group of landlords from San Francisco and San Jose, however, made it clear that the issues would not be easy to resolve. They complained that the legislation would make it difficult for small property owners to continue renting to tenants and said legislators should instead focus on building more affordable housing. "This is the same sort of law that caused thousands of units to be abandoned across New York City, the owners just couldn't maintain their buildings," said Noni Richen, president of the Small Property Owners of San Francisco. Richen argued that increasing rent control restrictions would lead to the creation of more vacant units in the city and increase the housing shortage. The bill is expected to draw the support of tenants' organizations. One San Francisco-based group, Tenants Together, described Costa-Hawkins as a "failed" law that has "exacerbated California's affordable housing crisis. "The Act unfairly ties the hands of cities that are attempting to deal with runaway housing costs at the local level," the group said in a statement after the bill was introduced. Chiu, who is committee chairman, emphasized that legislators were looking at a range of solutions, ranging from finding ways to build more affordable housing to ensuring that cities and counties build the housing they are supposed to be building, as well as ways to protect tenants from displacements. "These are not easy conversations," Chiu said. "If we don't work together, we're going to be stalemated, and what we'll be left with is the highest rents in the country and the highest housing costs." A march to support President Donald Trump is planned on Saturday in Berkeley one of dozens planned nationwide to show support for the new president. The "March 4 Trump" in Berkeley is the only event planned in the Bay Area and is one of three expected in California. Marches were previously planned in Los Angeles and Sacramento, but organizers decided to cancel those in an attempt to bolster attendance at other events. By Friday afternoon, more than 100 people had said they were attending the Berkeley march on the event's Facebook page. Several commenters were trying to arrange rides, some coming from elsewhere in the Bay Area or the Central Valley. Berkeley police Sgt. Andrew Frankel said that the police department has been in touch with organizers and while they have not obtained a permit, they are coordinating with police. The rally is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park and then will march to the University of California, Berkeley campus at about 3 p.m., Frankel said. He said he did not know how many people would attend. There has been some indication that there may be counter protests at the event, including from anti-fascist groups who helped organize the violent protest against alt-right writer and speaker Milo Yiannopoulos last month. Asked if police had any plans to prevent violence between different factions of demonstrators on Saturday, Frankel said, "The department is prepared for a number of different contingencies." Counter-protesters have said that there is the potential for white nationalists to attend the march, but organizer Rich Black has pushed back against that suggestion in online postings, saying that no organizers have any association with white nationalist groups. "If any one person that shares the beliefs associated with white nationalism or belongs to any Neo-Nazi faction or Nazi Workers Party attempts to attend this event, they will be ejected immediately," Black wrote. Asked how they plan to eject Nazis from the rally, Black said, "We have security detail as well and police will be present. We will remove agitators and Nazis flying any Nazi banners are agitators." For his part, Cal student Naweed Tahamas, who belongs to the Berkeley College Republican, recalls finding himself in the middle of last month's outburst against Yiannopoulos. Sadly, he said, that wasn't his first brush with violence. "I've been punched. I've been spit on. I've had my information posted online," Tahamas said. But the night thousands turned out to ensure that the divisive Yiannopoulos didn't address the Berkeley community, Tahamas said he was left in fear for his life as fireworks and stones flew overheard. "The city completely went up in flames," he said. Tahamas recalled the ground shaking beneath him amid the chaos, and so decided not to attend Saturday's pro-Trump rally. "I have safety concerns," he said. But Tahamas' stance is music to the ears of the anti-Trump group. "We're going to confront and defeat the Trump movement," protect organizer Benjamin Lynch said. On Friday, Lynch said his group's motto is "By any means necessary" or BAMN. They plan to gather two hours before the pro-Trump group so the marchers will see the already gathered crowd and move on before they even get started. "We hope they're demoralized," Lynch said. "We hope they drive on by. We hope they decide to hold their rally somewhere else." Lynch says he doesnt promote violence or vandalism, but noted that hate speech could could incite some of the protestors. We're not going to let a fringe group of bigots come in and target our immigrant and local communities, he said. But Tahamas offers a different take. This is Berkeley's second chance [to show] that they support freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, he said. A Morgan Hill resident is rallying neighbors to support local immigrant-owned and -operated businesses on Saturday in response to a wave of anti-immigrant messaging nationwide. Morgan Hill Eats For Immigrants is a day to celebrate the varied contributions made by immigrants to the local community, Katie Khera said. The idea sparked after the woman read a childhood friends Facebook post about a similar initiative in Minnesota. This is just a big hug to all the immigrants we have in Morgan Hill to make sure they know we are happy they are here, Khera said. Khera has posted flyers around town and created a Facebook group to encourage residents to dine on March 4 at more than 45 food and beverage businesses she and others have identified as owned or operated by immigrants. U-Tea Drink and Dessert is one of many immigrant-owned businesses in the area. Annie Wangs parents, who are originally from China, have owned the shop for nearly eight months. Wang says she has felt a surge an anti-immigrant sentimentsrecently. I think its been a negative experience because a lot of people come out of their country just to get a new life in America and now our new president wants to send them back? They did a lot of things to get here and they deserve a second chance, Wang said. She says a day of community support for immigrants like her parents is very encouraging. I think its a positive because it lets immigrants know we have open arms to welcome them instead of shutting them out, Wang said. Although Saturday's initiative grew from recent divisive rhetoric and President Donald Trump's travel ban for people from seven majority Muslim countries, Khera said the event is not about politics. She would like it to be a day to actively support and recognize people from all over the world who now live in the area. I think this is a positive way to direct that messaging, Khera said. I hope what comes from this is ... a greater awareness of what immigrants are doing in our community. More than 100 people are scheduled to participate, according to the event Facebook page. While mostly positive, a few social posts have questioned the need for such an event. One post reads, When did Morgan Hill have 'eats' for our Homeless Veterans? Simple minded you are. Khera says while she understands many groups are in need of attention, trying to support one group shouldnt be at the expense of another group. Morgan Hill Eats For Immigrants coincidentally will be held the same day as Congressman Zoe Lofgren's town hall meeting at which she will discuss immigration. For a full list of restaurants, visit the event Facebook page. A new health danger is emerging as hundreds of San Jose residents continue to clean up damage left by last week's historic floods. Evacuees who have returned home are finding contaminated mud and the potential for mold as the water recedes. "The easiest part of this whole thing was ripping your house to shreds, ripping out wet wood and taking out the kitchen stuff," said Joyce Berkowitz, a San Jose flood victim. "Dealing with the mold issue is actually the worst part." Restoration businesses hired to clean up flood damage are also finding mold issues. On Friday, a crew pumped out about 20,000 gallons of water from a basement. Berkowitz said cleanup costs may add up because the traditional methods of cleaning mold may not be enough in this case. "The creek water that flooded my house and every other house was filled with biological hazardous stuff," she said. "And so my fear is that I'm breathing it." Public health officials caution homeowners it is crucial to clean correctly. For more information on flood cleanup, visit: A Haverhill, Massachusetts, woman was arrested for resisting arrest and assaulting a Hooksett, New Hampshire, police officer. According to Hooksett police, an officer noticed a woman sitting in a vehicle late Thursday night at the closed Community Plaza located at 1100 Hooksett Road. The woman was identified as Nicole Blackwell, age 43, from Haverhill, and officers learned there was an Electronic Bench warrant out for Blackwell's arrest after she failed to appear in court. Officers informed Blackwell of the outstanding warrant but she refused to exit her vehicle. During attempts to remove the woman from the car, she began kicking one of the officers several times in the head and shoulder. The officer did not sustain any injuries. Eventually officers were able to get Blackwell under control and place her in handcuffs. She was charged with resisting arrest of detention and simple assault. Blackwell was released on her own recognizance. She is scheduled to appear in the 6th Circuit Court in Hooksett on April 12. A man charged with murder for a shooting on the Dan Ryan Expressway in 2012 who was mistakenly released last week has been apprehended. U.S. Marshals captured Garrett Glover just before 11 p.m. Friday, as he slept on the floor in the apartment of a relatives girlfriend in Lithonia, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Cook County sheriffs office. Glover was erroneously released to a parole program instead of being sent back to the Stateville Correctional Center after a Feb. 24 court hearing, according to the sheriffs office. IDOC blamed the error on the sheriffs office, for its failure to provide the IDOC with proper paperwork. Plans were being made to bring Glover back to Illinois, according to IDOC. Hell face escape charges and parole violations. In 2014, Glover was taken into custody and charged with an armed robbery, according to Cara Smith, Cook County Sheriffs Dept. spokeswoman. Then, in 2015, Glover was charged with murder in connection with a Sept. 5, 2012, shooting on southbound I-94 on the Far South Side. Last week, Glover was convicted of the armed robbery charge and sentenced to 4 years in prison, Smith said. He was taken to the IDOC intake center in Stateville, but employees there determined he had been in Cook County custody long enough to fulfill his time for the robbery conviction. He should have been returned to custody of the Cook County Jail on the murder case, Smith said. Instead, he was released from IDOC custody on Thursday from Stateville, located near Crest Hill in Will County. The department of corrections did not receive any additional documentation or information from Cook County indicating Glover should have been held beyond his release date on the armed robbery charge, IDOC spokeswoman Nicole Wilson said in a statement. Based on the information we were given [by the sheriffs office], we released him on purpose in accordance with the law, Wilson said early Saturday. When the Cook County states attorneys office contacted IDOC asking why Glover had been released, IDOC contacted the sheriffs office, which initially told them the murder charges against Glover had been dropped, according to Wilson. The manhunt began Feb. 27 when the agencies realized the error. Were not saying we couldnt have done things better, and were going to look at our process and shore up what needs to be addressed, Smith said early Saturday. But a 30-second look at Glovers criminal history [by IDOC employees] would have revealed that theres an open murder case. Glover, 29, and Patrick Calvin, 23, were both charged with murder for the shooting that killed Larry Porter on the Dan Ryan near 87th Street, the Cook County states attorneys office and Illinois State Police said at the time of their arrests in April 2015. A third man, 23-year-old Chicago resident Tyronne Mixon, was also charged with the shooting, according to ISP. Mixon was extradited from Wisconsin. Mixon and Calvin are being held without bond in the Cook County Jail. Porter, 25, was driving on Sept. 5, 2012, when a maroon van pulled alongside his vehicle near the 87th Street exit, prosecutors said at a bond hearing in 2015 for Calvin and Glover. The suspects were among several passengers in the van who fired multiple shots at Porters vehicle, striking him in the head, prosecutors said. Porter, of the 10000 block of South Parnell, lost control and drove into a building on Lafayette Avenue. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger suffered a graze wound to the head. Five people have been wounded in shootings across Chicago since Friday night, according to police. The most recent shooting injured two people in the North Austin neighborhood on the city's West Side early Saturday. Around 5:34 a.m., the 31-year-old man and the 32-year-old woman were standing outside on the sidewalk in the 1600 block of N. LeClaire Ave. when a gray car pulled up alongside them and someone inside opened fire, authorities said. The woman was shot in the right thigh and the man was struck in the abdomen, according to police. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital, where her condition was stabilized, while the man was listed in serious condition. Around 2:45 a.m., two men were wounded in a shooting in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood on the city's West Side. The victims, ages 22 and 32, were walking in the 2200 block of W. 18th Pl. when someone in a small silver sedan opened fire, officials said. The 22-year-old man was struck in the chest and buttocks and was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. The 32-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen, as well as graze wounds to the thigh and finger, authorities said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was listed in stable condition, according to police. The first shooting of the weekend occurred in the Princeton Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. Around 9:53 p.m., police said a 39-year-old man was walking in the 300 block of W. 95th St. when he heard shots and felt pain. He sustained a gunshot wound to the right leg and took himself to Roseland Community Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. No one is in custody in connection with any of these incidents, and authorities continue to investigate. Large crowds of hundreds of demonstrators marched near Chicagos Federal Plaza Friday night in support of people who are transgenderincluding a transgender woman fatally shot on the South Side last month. "Our community is large and beautiful! Let's show our government that we will not be silenced!" organizers wrote on Facebook. "We will not tolerate transphobia, transmisogyny or misogyny, homophobia, racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, classism, ableism or anti-Semitism!" The protest was scheduled to go from 6 to 9 p.m. near East Wacker Drive and North Wabash Avenue, organizers said. More than 1,800 people said they planned to attend on Facebook. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel responded last month night to the Trump administrations rolling back of transgender students federal protections that allowed them to use school bathrooms and locker rooms that match the gender they identify as. "While tonight federal protections for transgender students have been rolled back, I want to be clear that the City of Chicago's and Chicago Public Schools policies providing equal rights to transgender residents and students will remain unchanged, the mayor said in a statement. Chicago will stay steadfast in our commitment to fight for equality and against discrimination in all its forms." The administration came down on the side of states' rights, lifting Obama-era federal guidelines that had been characterized by Republicans as an example of overreach, the Associated Press reported. A Mexican restaurant manager in southern Illinois who doesn't have legal permission to live in the U.S. has been released on bond after being detained last month by immigration officials. Juan Carlos Hernandez Pacheco posted bond after a hearing Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri. His lawyer requested his release until his case can be heard. The administration of President Donald Trump has been clamping down on immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Letters of support for Pacheco had poured in from the mayor, police chief and others in West Frankfort, which is solid Trump country but is also where Pacheco was the popular manager of La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant for a decade. Hernandez told The New York Times following his release that he's relieved, tired and "amazed by the support." An Iowa state lawmaker said Thursday that he didn't mean to mislead anyone by claiming he had a business degree from a company that actually had awarded him a certificate for participating in a training program when he worked at Sizzler. Sen. Mark Chelgren's biography on a website run by Iowa Senate Republicans had listed that he had a degree in business management from Forbco Management school. The information was removed Wednesday after NBC News reported that Forbco Management is a California company that operated a Sizzler franchise. Chelgren told The Associated Press that his clerk first provided the credentials to Senate Republicans, which then circled back with him. "It was given to me to approve and I thought it was adequate," he said. Ed Failor, a spokesman for Iowa Senate Republicans, confirmed Thursday that Chelgren's bio was updated after the NBC report and that Chelgren doesn't have a college degree. Failor declined to comment further. Chelgren, who is from Ottumwa in southeastern Iowa, said he did earn an associate's degree from Riverside Community College. Calls on Thursday seeking to verify that claim with Riverside City College the school apparently changed its name went to an automated system and The Associated Press wasn't able to get a live person on the line. The school also didn't immediately reply to an email. On Wednesday, Failor had told NBC, "This was a management course he took when he worked for Sizzler, kind of like Hamburger University at McDonald's." Chelgren said Thursday he had not thought there was much difference between a degree and a certificate. He said he worked at a Southern California Sizzler in the 1980s, when he was about 19. "I didn't see a difference when I did the review, didn't worry about," he said. Chelgren said he doesn't mind that the information about him now has been changed. "I know they've changed that, because apparently a degree and a certificate are different. And I'm OK with their change, but there was never any intent at all to mislead anyone," he said. Chelgren, who was first elected to the state Senate in 2010, gained attention recently for sponsoring a bill that would freeze faculty hiring at the state's public universities until the number of professors registered as Republicans was within 10 percent of those registered as Democrats. Failor said Chelgren wouldn't face discipline over the biography, noting that no Senate rules were broken. Organizers of a rally outside a suburban mosque said they wanted to do more than just show support they wanted to make a gesture of friendship. Gathering at the Islamic Community Center in Des Plaines, Catholics, Jews, Muslims and supporters of other faiths greeted the faithful attending afternoon prayers Friday. We strongly believe that diversity is the strength of our nation and that's why we have to be more than ever united to support each other, said Lilliana Fargo with Open Communities. Two weeks ago, the mosque was the target of what turned out to be an unsubstantiated bomb threat. Fridays so-called solidarity rally was designed to send a clear message, organizers said. We are here to say to everyone to may be watching, stand with us, said Father Corey Brost with the Viatorian community. Because when anyones faith is threatened, anyones house of worship is threatened, all houses of worship are threatened. In St. Louis Friday, authorities arrested a former Chicago radio journalist, Juan Thompson, and charged him with at least eight of the recent threats against Jewish community centers and synagogues. It doesnt matter if that threat materialized, said Carol Muskin with Jewish Voices for Peace. Its important for us to stand in solidarity because when there is a threat, people are afraid. Jurors in the double-murder trial of ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez ventured to several sites related to the 2012 slayings. On Friday, the panel of 15 people spent about two hours at the Cure Lounge in Boston, Massachusetts, where prosecutors say one of the victims bumped into the former Patriots tight end, spilling his drink. The jury also stopped at the Tufts parking garage, where the victims were seen in surveillance video leaving in a BMW. They were also taken to the site of the shooting scene and a Boston Police Department evidence facility where they were shown the Toyota 4Runner Hernandez and his former friend, Alexander Bradley, were allegedly in when the shooting occurred. By Friday afternoon, jurors had returned to the court room to hear testimony from a Cure Lounge manager and review security footage of Hernandez's interaction with his alleged victims, Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu. Hernandez's lawyer said during opening statements that Bradley is the real killer. Bradley is expected to be the prosecution's star witness against Hernandez. On Thursday, the jurors were shown photos of a silver SUV with Rhode Island plates at a parking garage near the club, the site of the 2012 murders. Hernandez is accused of gunning down Furtado and de Abreu from the SUV. A phishing scandal has hit another Connecticut school district. Glastonbury school's superintendent said the district became victim of the W-2 phishing scam that has impacted other districts in the country and Groton. Superintendent Alan B. Bookman said that 2016 employee W-2 tax form information was compromised for 1,600 workers. "With the exception of Food Service personnel, any Glastonbury Public Schools employee who was issued a W-2 for the 2016 tax year could be affected," a letter sent out to Glastonbury Public School employees said. Groton Public Schools reported a similar incident on Thursday. State lawmakers have scheduled a public hearing on a bill that would ban minors from getting married. The Judiciary Committee hearing Monday at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford will focus on legislation that would set the minimum age for marriage at 18 -- a proposal supported by human rights activists and opponents of forced marriages. Connecticut law now allows children under 16 to get married with a probate judge's permission. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds need permission from their parents or guardians. Human Rights Watch says studies show marriage before age 18 can have harmful effects on girls and women including higher poverty rates and potentially higher risks for mental health problems and domestic violence. Women who were forced to marry at young ages are expected to testify at Monday's hearing. News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-11-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. A second person was arrested for allegedly shooting a 25-year-old man in East Hartford in January police said. Jesse Smith, 26, of Bloomfield, CT was arrested by warrant on Friday in connection with the shooting of 25-year-old at Krauszer's. Smith was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit assault, carrying a pistol without a permit and breach of peace. At the beginning at February, Alphonso Clarke, 26, of Hartford, was charged with attempted murder, assault, criminal use of a firearm, reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge and breach of peace. The victim, identified as Greg Beaufort of East Hartford, was shot outside of a convenience store on Main Street in East Hartford after accidentally bumping into the shooter inside the store, according to the victim's cousin. Police said the shooting took place just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday outside of Krauszers Food Store and the victim was rushed to Hartford Hospital. Beaufort underwent surgery and remains hospitalized, East Hartford police said. NBC Connecticut spoke to the Beaufort's cousin, who said the victim accidentally bumped into the suspect inside the store and the suspect became angry and told Beaufort to go outside, then opened fire, shooting Beaufort four times. Smith's bond was set at $750,000. President Donald Trump accused the Obama administration of wiretapping Trump Tower prior to November's election in a series of tweets posted Saturday morning, but cited no evidence to support the claim. A spokeperson for former President Obama refuted that any White House official ever ordered surveillance on a U.S. citizenbut did not say whether surveillance of Trump Tower was conducted by legal means. It was unclear where Trump received the information, but the surveillance allegation was raised Friday in an interview on Fox News and in conservative media reports. The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs...... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 In an interview Friday night, Fox News' Brett Baier asked House Speaker Paul Ryan if he was concerned that the Obama administration "may have been surveilling members of the Trump campaign in a pretty detailed investigation during the election?" "I don't think that's the case," Ryan responded. The far-right news website Breitbart also posted an article Friday examining a talk radio show host's assertion that the Obama administration had surveilled the Trump campaign. The Washington Post reported Saturday that the Breitbart report has been "circulating among Trump's senior staff." In a statement, a spokesperson for Obama denied any White House official in the administration ever "ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen." "A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false," Kevin Lewis said in the statement. Check out statement from Kevin Lewis, spokesperson to former President Obama. Enough said. pic.twitter.com/OTEQiVOHvh Valerie Jarrett (@ValerieJarrett) March 4, 2017 Former Obama staffer Ben Rhodes tweeted a more fervent denial Saturday. "No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you," wrote Rhodes, a former national security adviser in the Obama administration. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that Trump was making "the most outlandish and destructive claims without providing a scintilla of evidence to support them." Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., called on Trump to explain what he knows about the wiretapping allegations "ideally to the full public, and at a bare minimum to the U.S. Senate." No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you. https://t.co/lEVscjkzSw Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) March 4, 2017 If phones at Trump tower were subject to legal surveillance, the Justice Department would have needed a FISA warrant to begin a wiretap. FISA is a 1978 law that created a system to hear requests to surveil foreign intelligence agents. It differs from a regular criminal warrant because it does not require the government to provide probable cause that a crime has occurred. Instead, under FISA, the government must simply provide evidence that the target of an investigation is an agent of a foreign power. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer became the latest lawmaker to call for the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions after Sessions recused himself from any federal investigations involving Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. Such targetable agents would include Russian diplomats such as Sergei Kislyak, the ambassador who spoke with a number of Trump aides. But a FISA warrant could also include others for whom investigators could muster probable cause, potentially including entities directly connected to Trump. Obama could not order a FISA warrant. Obtaining one would require officials at the Justice Department to seek permission from the FISA court, which is shrouded in secrecy. Judges could order prosecutors to share FISA information with defendants if they deem it necessary for challenging a search's legality, but courts have consistently agreed with the government that disclosing the material could expose sensitive intelligence secrets. Prior to Trump's tweets, controversy surrounding his campaign's alleged ties with Russia had increased in recent weeks. Newly confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself Thursday from leading the investigation into the Trump team's Russia contacts after it was revealed he had met with a Russian ambassador twice prior to the November election. Sessions had denied in a Senate hearing that he had interacted with Russian officials prior to the election.l Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from a federal investigation into Russia's possible interference in the 2016 presidential election on a Thursday press conference. He said his meetings with Russia Ambassador Sergey I. Kislayh in 2016 was not about the Trump campaign, but that he will take the advice of his staff to recuse himself. As NBC News reports, Sessions has agreed to submit amended testimony and respond to senators' questions over his contacts with Russia's ambassador. Trump has been trailed for months by questions about potential ties to Russia. He and his team have vigorously denied being aware of any contacts his associates had with Russia during the campaign and have also insisted he has no financial ties to Russia. Two weeks ago, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, resigned as national security adviser after misleading White House officials about his own discussions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Additional communication was revealed Thursday between Kislyak and Flynn and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at New York's Trump Tower. In addition, Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to Trump's presidential campaign, spoke with the ambassador last summer, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. In the Oval Office meeting Friday shortly before departing for Florida, Trump angrily told senior advisers that what had the potential to be a good week following his address to Congress had been overtaken by the Russia controversy, according to a White House official who insisted on anonymity in order to discuss the private meeting. Chief of staff Reince Priebus, who was scheduled to depart with Trump, was told to stay in Washington, the White House official said. Chief strategist Steve Bannon also stayed behind, though he eventually traveled to Florida on Saturday with Sessions. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Priebus and Bannon had volunteered to stay in Washington. Kevin Johnsons hands are used to make history, and they are used a lot. Oddly enough, Id rather sit in here and work on something than I would go on vacation somewhere. I spend more time in this shop than I do my house, Johnson said with a chuckle. He said hes in his Clarendon workshop creating various pieces for up to fourteen hours a day. The project that brings him the most pride involves re-purposing Mexican coins. His secret process cant be replicated by anyone, not even my kids, Johnson said. Its a secret because hes making a custom badge for a Texas Ranger. Now, for every one of these badges I do I have to have authorization from the chief of the Texas Rangers himself. And I receive a letter to say that I can do each one, Johnson said. He began making the first cuts into a silver coin. When its done, he said it will be worn by a lieutenant out of Amarillo. This will be a personal badge so itll have a name at the top . . . and itll have a rank in the middle, Johnson said. Hes cutting a minimum of 72 characters into the coin with perfect precision. To me its very important to be historically correct with what its supposed to look like, Johnson said. Its not only important to me, its important to the guy thats getting their badge because they wear it every day and it shows their authority. His craftsmanship for the Texas Rangers is extensive: tie clips, rings, and weapons just to name a few. Using a different piece of custom machinery, he starts cutting away tiny pieces from a pistols copper overlay. I think that if theyre proud of the firearm that they carry, its more reliable for them, Johnson said. His most coveted carved piece is a pistol with sterling silver mounted and carved throughout. Five Rangers have used it over time and carried it, Johnson said. He spent more than 100 hours carving the roughly 8,000 cuts that create its detailed design. About the only one like it in the world, Johnson said. While Johnson continued carving, his friend Sergeant Alvin Schmidt, a retired Texas Ranger, offered a great deal, If yall want to buy one of these guns Ill sell it to you for about 10 cents. Schmidt owns the very first pistol Kevin engraved. When I first got the gun it was just a gun, Schmidt said. But now he said, it sits on the mantle at the house on a special stand, lets put it that way, Schmidt said. Johnson etched Schmidts name and the Texas flag onto the gun. But it also has a cross on there that I had put on because my dad always played the guitar and he sang The Old Rugged Cross. And to me its . . . I mean its worth a million dollars to me now, so its very, very, very special, Schmidt said. That heart is what fuels Johnson to keep creating, and his service was recognized when the Former Texas Rangers Foundation Association made him an honorary captain. When they called me up there to get that certificate and a badge, you know, I felt the blood leave my face, Johnson said with a laugh. He was honored for contributing to a nearly 200-year-old tradition that doesnt stop at retirement, Because when Im an angel in heaven, Ill still be a Texas Ranger, Schmidt said to Johnson. Along with his work for the Texas Rangers, Johnson said he also enjoys doing work for the everyday cowboy that comes into his shopanything to help honor Texas western heritage. A Carrollton couple believes hate was the motivation for an early morning crime that targeted their home, their mailbox and their rainbow pride flag. Police say Thursday morning just before 3:30 a.m. someone ripped the couple's gay pride flag from the side of their home on Longwood Drive, stuffed it into their mailbox at curbside and lit it on fire using several neighbors' mail as kindling. Markus Maguire and his husband, Wilson Nash, awoke Thursday morning to find their flag missing, just a piece of the broken wooden poll still in its holder. Their next-door neighbor then discovered the remains of a fire in their open mailbox. Carrollton police investigators discovered several pieces of burned mail inside, along with the flag, balled up and charred in the very back. The flag sustained only a few burns because the perpetrators actually closed the mailbox after lighting the fire, and the flames quickly subsided due to lack of oxygen. Neighbors with surveillance cameras discovered video that captured what looks like a light-colored van pulling up to the house, a person pulling the flag down and then the vehicle leaving briefly before returning a few minutes later so someone could set the fire. Other residents in the area believe they captured the same van, which they don't recognize, making multiple passes through their streets over about a 30-minute period. Maguire and Nash, who have lived in the area for about two years, say they believe the crime was a clear act of hate. "It was actually a target at us," Maguire said. "It was absolute hate, and they meant to do it." Carrollton police representative Jolene DeVito said Friday that the department is looking for other neighbors in the area who may have caught better images of the crime and the person responsible. DeVito said that with all of the factors in the investigation, including arson and the involvement of the U.S. mail, the crime could potentially qualify as a hate crime, a federal offense though detectives are still early in their investigation at this point. Maguire and Nash said the outpouring of support from their neighbors has been the one positive to come out of the situation, with people actively helping them search for evidence and some even hanging rainbow flags in front of their own homes in solidarity. Maguire said they personally wasted no time getting their pride flying again, by going straight from filing the police report Thursday to purchase a new flag. "We found out at about 8 o'clock, and by 12 had a new one up," he said. "And if they try to take it down again we'll put another one up," Nash said. Carrollton police ask anyone with information in the investigation to contact them right away at 972-466-3333. Tiny Houses are all the rage, and one Fort Worth teenager built his own in just eight months. But he's a big guy, so he had to make a few adjustments. His tiny house is only 355 square feet and was built by his own hands. "I'm 6'1", so (I) definitely had to design it for some height," said Seth Chapman, 17. He spent $18,000 to build his tiny house, using another $12,000 in donated materials. "I designed the tiny house around my height," he said. "Making design changes so that I could fit in here and walk around easily and not hit my head on anything." The tiny house is 32 feet long, eight-and-a-half feet wide and features 10-foot ceilings. "I really wanted something that I could stay in for college and make it easy and have my own place," said Chapman, who hopes to attend Texas A&M to study medicine. Chapman built the house for this weekend's Tarrant County Junior Livestock Show, and won the grand champion prize in the agriculture mechanics competition. "It's going to be hard to beat this next time, so we're glad to have it," said R.L. Feldt, executive president of the Junior Livestock Show. Chapman's parents say their son learned an important lesson. "He learned he doesn't want to be a contractor right now," said father, Darl Chapman. "He had a great job but an incentive now to go to med school like he wants to." Medical school may lead to a bigger house someday. "Eventually I will do that, but for the time being this is a great little place," Seth Chapman said. "I can just move it and hook it onto the truck and move it to wherever I want and enjoy a new part of the country." President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday launching a White House initiative to improve the country's 104 historically black colleges and universities. The goal of the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities is to raise enrollment, increase funding (both public and private) and improve the relationship between the federal government and HBCUs. Trump signed the order surrounded by dozens of presidents from the country's 104 HBCUs. Three days later some of those same presidents are criticizing the plan, calling it long on promises and short of details. "There's nothing in that executive order that speaks explicitly to transformational revenue or funding that can make a difference in these institutions," said Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College in Dallas. Sorrell was not in the Oval Office for the signing, choosing instead to meet with a bipartisan congressional delegation the following day. Conversations he's had with fellow HBCU presidents who were there sound similar. "They went with the belief that there was going to be an opportunity for something substantive to occur and that didn't," Sorrell said. "What they were hoping for was a discussion of year-round Pell Grants. They were hoping for a discussion about full funding for Title III. They were led to believe that certain things were going to occur. Those things did not occur. So, at this point, I think we're back at square one." Trump's order revokes a similar order signed by President Barack Obama. The biggest difference between the two actions is that the White House is now in charge of the initiative and not the U.S. Department Education. Instead, the Department of Education will work with agencies who deal directly with HBCUs to create annual plans to strengthen the ability of HBCUs to participate in federal programs and initiatives. "Many institutions receive millions and millions of dollars a year in federal funding from (these) agencies. It's always been more difficult for historically black colleges to access that pool of money," Sorrell said. More than 80-percent of Paul Quinn students qualify for Pell Grants, which is funding provided to the most financially strapped students. Sorrell said making those federal dollars available in the summer can have a major impact on a student's future. "If our students could go to school in the summer and the funding was there they could graduate earlier, borrow less money, and get on with the rest of their lives," Sorrell said. Despite his reservations about the Trump administration, Sorrell said HBCUs can make progress under this president. What that progress looks like remains to be seen. "People like Donald Trump don't respect weakness, they respect strength. Any time you negotiate from a position of weakness you're going to lose, so I think what progress looks like is the ability to command respect," Sorrell said. Hillary Clinton visited Harvard University Friday to talk about her time as secretary of state, according to the Harvard Crimson. The former Democratic presidential candidate participated in an interview as part of the American Secretaries of State Project, a join venture of the Kennedy School, Law School and Business School. Clinton also took part in a "Fireside Chat" with students from Harvards Institute of Politics. Launched in 2012, the American Secretaries of State Project hopes to interview all living former U.S. secretaries of state about their experiences conducting international negotiations while in office, the Crimson reported. Clinton served as secretary of state under former President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013. It was Clinton's second speaking engagement at an instituation of higher education in less than 24 hours. She also stopped by Wellesley University, her alma mater, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Thursday night. Ashley Funk, who graduated from Wellesley College in 2016, told NBC News that Clinton reminisced of her time at the school and spoke "extensively" about the value of working in public service. Funk said Clinton "encouraged us to stay resilient, stubborn, and grateful throughout our careers." "One of my favorite quotes was 'Do not underestimate the value of stubbornness,'" she said. A memorial was held on Friday to honor Whittier Officer Keith Boyer who was killed last month by a gang member while he was investigating a car crash. Family, friends and law enforcement gathered at Calvary Chapel in Downey to pay tribute to the 53-year-old officer. Boyer joined the force in 1989 as a dispatcher and became a full-time officer in 1990. He was the father of three children. His two sons and a daughter all had the chance to speak during the service. Here is a glimpse into the memorial's proceedings: Members of law enforcement salute Officer Keith Boyer before his memorial service Friday March 3, 2017 in Downey. Boyer was shot and killed last month when he stopped to help victims at a car crash. Whittier Chief Jeff Piper also paid tribute to his friend Officer Boyer: Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper delivers an emotional, heart-felt tribute to his friend Officer Keith Boyer, who was shot and killed when he stopped to help at a car crash scene last month. Video broadcast Friday March 3, 2017 on NBC4. Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper shed tears as he wrapped up his tribute for Officer Keith Boyer, who was shot and killed when he stopped to help at a minor car crash last month. Video broadcast Friday, March 3, 2017 on NBC4. Officer Boyer's son Joseph Boyer spoke about his father's kindness and courage while out on the field: Joseph Boyer, the son of Officer Keith Boyer, talks about what his father meant to him. Video broadcast Friday March 3, 2017. His son Joshua Boyer recalled his father's love for magic and genuine personality: Joshua Boyer remembers his father, shot and killed in the line of duty, as a courageous man with a goofy side. Video broadcast Friday March 3, 2017 on NBC4. Officer Mike Carson talked about his fondest memories while out on the field with his friend and colleague: Whittier Officer Mike Carson shares his memories while out in the field with his friend Officer Keith Boyer, who was shot and killed when he stopped to help at a minor car crash last month. Video broadcast Friday March 3, 2017 on NBC4. Shanker Chhaganbahi Patel was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for orchestrating his wifes brutal murder 25 years ago in San Dimas. "The regret or remorse that you see is from him being found guilty, I would say, not from being part of murdering the mother of his children," said Manoj Patel, the victims brother. On Nov. 19, 1991, Usha Patel entered the couples garage with the intention of picking up her 7-year-old daughter from school, said Deputy District Attorney John Monaghan. An assailant ambushed the 29-year-old, fatally stabbing her in the cheek and the chest. He bound her feet and mouth in duct tape and placed her in the trunk of her car. He then drove to a nearby middle school and abandoned the car. Prosecutors said a law enforcement officer later saw her vehicle in the schools parking lot and discovered her body. The case eventually went cold, but authorities reopened it in 2010. Investigators reexamined evidence, including a glove found in the front seat of Usha Patels car, using the California DNA Data Bank Program. They found a DNA match for Miguel Angel Garcia, 66, who later pled no contest to first-degree murder. He is currently serving 25 years to life in state prison. According to the prosecution, Shanker Patel, now 57, paid a middleman $7,500 to arrange his wifes murder. He also told the fixer where Garcia should hide in the home in order to carry out the attack. Evidence presented at trial suggested Shanker Patel was having an affair, and his wife, a law school student, planned to leave him after passing the California State Bar Exam. The case was originally tried in 2015, but ended in a hung jury. Then his co-defendant, middleman Stanley Medina, decided to testify against Patel. The couples children, who were all under 8 years old when their mother was murdered, believe their father did not receive a fair trial. Lawyers for Shanker Patel have already filed an appeal. We have been here for every step of the way and we feel justice was not served for our mother today, Divya Patel said. Manoj Patel said he still thinks about his sister every day. He said, Every morning. Every morning I light a diya, it is called, and pray for her. Rev. Andy Bales navigates Los Angeles' Skid Row like a second home, doing the work he was destined to do. He's been managing the Union Rescue Mission since 1994. The private Christian shelter is one of the largest homeless shelters in the country. "I always say 'people experiencing homelessness.' I never say 'homeless,'" he said. He calls them "precious souls." Union Rescue Mission is the only one in Los Angeles that houses single men, women and parents with children, he said. And with skyrocketing rent, domestic abuse and alcohol and drug addiction, the number of people who are homeless in the county is growing at an alarming rate. "We have as many families with children right now as we did during the worst parts of the Great Recession," he said. Women and children at the shelter now outnumber men by more than 200. "We haven't seen anything like what we are going to see in the years to come if we don't intervene in the lives of these kids," Bales said. Bales said the homeless need immediate, comprehensive care 24/7, such as medical, legal and recovery. These services are available at Union Rescue Mission, but they're needed at a much larger scale. "Homelessness destroys people psychologically, physically and educationally," he said. Bales himself has been forever affected. Two years ago he had a wound that wouldn't heal. "I contracted flesh eating E. coli, strep and staph from the streets of Skid Row," he said. His left leg is now amputated from the shin down. But he considers it an asset. "It's made me more effective. It's kind of my secret weapon," he said. For Bales, the work is both depressing and uplifting, but the people who make it off Skid Row keep him going. "I get to see walking miracles of people who were once stuck on the streets addicted, hurting...and now they have become new," he said. Bales has helped thousands of people on streets of Skid Row, but he does not consider himself a hero. "I don't feel like a hero," he said. "I feel like I'm the receiver of too much love. Too much accolades." Frequent dine-outers around our region remain full of curiosity, zest, and a willingness to be bewitched, delighted, and surprised. And yet? Those who love to try new food joints on the regular can sometimes expect there to be a secret menu, or at least a few special, unlisted items that must be known about, in advance, to be ordered. We're not so blase, though, that secret menus and "this weekend only" edibles don't continue to intrigue. Take the ever-busy Shake Shack, which is partnering with NoMad for a few days of incredibly savory, very cheese-laden-esque, get-it-now food-makery. The dates for the tummy-tempting pairing? Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 5. There are some must-knows, starting with the not-so-secret special items: The Humm Burger, a favorite seen in 2014, is returning to the West Hollywood Shake Shack on Friday, March 3 and the chain's Hollywood outpost on Saturday, March 4. Gruyere is the cheese, celery relish makes a cameo, and applewood smoked bacon is there to further deepen the flavor. There's also the Patty Shack, the burger-porium's spin on "...NoMad's famous chicken burger." It includes gruyere, yep, and ShackSauce, and a bevy of other appetizing additions. Find it at the NoMad Truck at the Alameda Produce Market downtown on Sunday, March 5. (Update: Look also for the NoMad truck outside of the WeHo Shake Shack on March 3 and the Hollywood Shake Shack on March 4.) Just to be sure, and because we do take our burgers, burger-locating, and burger-devouring so seriously in Southern California, we enthusiastically implore you to review dates, locations, and the specific dishes, to make 100% sure you are where you think you are for the right bite you seek. Promise you'll double-check? Thank you. The beneficiary of this heart-warming, working-together/creating-together meet-up? Chrysalis, which helps homeless and low-income individuals "...on a pathway to self-sufficiency," will receive part of the weekend's proceeds. One week after being mauled by a dog, a 3-year-old girl is back home nursing her wounds. Little Sani Julian was rushed to the hospital last Friday evening when she was attacked by a dog in Florida City. She's got 25 staples from when he bit on her back, said Sanis sister Darriniesha Ellis. Sanis body still bears the scars caused by the mastiff mix. Shes walking, talking, eating normally. Everythings back to normal, said Ellis. The toddler was released from the hospital Friday, one week after the vicious attack. She was walking to the store with her father to get milk when the dog targeted the little girl. Sanis father tried to pull the dog off the toddler. He tried to get him off for like five minutes, but it wasnt working until the owner came out, said Ellis. Police, Fire Rescue and Animal Control rushed to the scene. The owner surrendered the dog to officials. It was euthanized on Monday. The owner was given three citations following the attack. Sanis family is glad to have the little girl back home. Ii thank God that shes ok, that she made it out. And, she's very strong. Shes a strong 3-year- old. The Trump administration would slash programs aimed at slowing climate change and improving water safety and air quality, while eliminating thousands of jobs, according to a draft of the Environmental Protection Agency budget proposal obtained by The Associated Press. Under the tentative plan from the Office of Management and Budget, the agency's funding would be reduced by roughly 25 percent and about 3,000 jobs would be cut, about 19 percent of the agency's staff. President Donald Trump has said he plans to pay for billions of dollars more for the military by cutting spending on domestic agencies and departments. Trump plans to submit his budget to Congress the week of March 13. A spokeswoman for the EPA declined to comment, but a top official said in an internal memo that EPA leaders "will do everything in our power to protect our ability to support the mission of the agency in protecting human health and the environment." A copy of the memo from Acting Assistant Administrator Donna Vizian was obtained by the AP. Vizian said she could not verify news media accounts, but said any proposed cuts were just the start of a lengthy budget process. A final plan is subject to congressional approval, which likely is months away at the earliest. The White House also declined to comment. The EPA is now under the leadership of Scott Pruitt, a former state attorney general for Oklahoma, who has questioned the scientific consensus that human activities are contributing to global warming and joined lawsuits against the agency's emission curbs. The Trump administration also would cut funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by 17 percent, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing a four-page memo from OMB that the newspaper obtained. The scientific agency, which is part of the Commerce Department, studies changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts. The draft proposal for the EPA would cut its annual budget from about $8.2 billion to $6.1 billion. Proposed cuts include reducing the climate protection budget by nearly 70 percent to $29 million, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 97 percent to $10 million and environmental justice programs by 79 percent to $1.5 million. Also targeted for steep spending rollbacks are the agency's monitoring and enforcement of compliance with environmental laws, as well as regional projects intended to benefit degraded areas such as the Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. A program dealing with San Francisco Bay that received $4.8 million last year would be eliminated, as would initiatives for reducing diesel emissions and beach water quality testing. Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy called the proposed budget "a fantasy" that ignores the EPA's mission to protect public health. "It shows the Trump administration doesn't hold the same American values for clean air, clean water and healthy land as the vast majority of its citizens," McCarthy said in a statement. "Our health comes before the special interests of multibillion-dollar industries." Environmental groups said the proposed cuts would threaten thousands of jobs and could harm health and safety protections for millions of Americans. The proposals would especially affect programs to address climate change and enforce clean air and water laws, they said. "Instead of working to protect American families, President Trump's plans put the interest of big-money special interests over people," said Nat Mund, legislative director of the Southern Environmental Law Center, a Virginia-based advocacy group. But the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank, said the proposal didn't go far enough. "If Donald Trump and Scott Pruitt are serious about ending the national scandal that is EPA, they will accept nothing less than a 20 percent cut this year and make this year's cut the first step in a five-year plan to replace the organization," said Joseph Bast, the group's president. The proposal would all but eliminate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a wide-ranging cleanup of the world's largest surface freshwater system that has deep bipartisan support across the eight states adjacent to the lakes, from Minnesota to New York. The program has received around $300 million annually from the federal budget during former President Barack Obama's tenure more than $2.2 billion in all. Under the Trump proposal, it would get only $10 million. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., described the proposed cut as "outrageous." "This initiative has been critical to cleaning up our Great Lakes and waterways, restoring fish and wildlife habitats, and fighting invasive species, like Asian carp," Stabenow said. "I call on President Trump to reverse course on these harmful decisions." Congress in December authorized continuing the program through 2021 at $300 million a year, although separate annual votes are needed to provide the money. In a Feb. 8 letter to Trump, the 20-member Congressional Great Lakes Task Force called for maintaining current funding. Among House members signing it were Republicans Bill Huizenga of Michigan, Sean Duffy of Wisconsin and David Joyce of Ohio. EPA staffers are upset about the budget. A Thursday all-hands meeting, organized to calm staff about the budget cuts, only created more anxiety. A federal judge in Seattle on Friday granted a two-week extension to the Justice Department in a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump's immigration order is blocking efforts by legal residents to reunite with their children who are trapped in war-torn countries. U.S. District Judge James Robart, who halted enforcement of Trump's immigration order nationwide in February in a separate case brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota, said in his order that the federal government could have more time before responding to plaintiff's efforts to have the case certified as a class-action lawsuit. The Justice Department argued that Trump intends to rescind the order and replace it with a new, substantially revised executive order that may "influence the shape of the legal issues ... in ways relevant to the class certification question." After being repeatedly postponed, a White House official said Thursday a replacement order now won't be unveiled until next week at the earliest. Robart also said he understood the frustrations of the parents and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, who filed the lawsuit, over Trump administration statements that seemingly contradict those made by federal government lawyers. "The court understands Plaintiffs' frustrations concerning statements emanating from President Trump's administration that seemingly contradict representations of the federal government's lawyers in this and other litigation before the court," the order said. Nevertheless, Robart said, the court will continue to rely on statements coming from the federal attorneys. The lawsuit filed in Seattle's U.S. District Court in late January claims Trump's order barring people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. is unconstitutional. It asked for a judge to intervene and stop the application of the part of the order that suspends visas to citizens of those seven countries. Juweiya Abdiaziz Ali, one of the plaintiffs, is a U.S. citizen living in Seattle who started the process in August of bringing her son from Somalia. But Trump's order has her worried that her son's visa process will be indefinitely suspended, she said. Like thousands of others, those named in the lawsuit pursued the immigrant visa process that includes hundreds of dollars in filing fees, security screenings, medical examinations and interviews, Matt Adams, the group's legal director said previously. The Trump administration has defended the order, saying more restrictions are needed to protect the U.S. from future terrorist attacks. The new deadline for federal government attorneys to respond to the motion is March 20. The effort to find gender-neutral bathrooms around town just became a little bit easier thanks to Yelp. The San Francisco-based company on Friday announced its new service that allows users to pinpoint whether or not a business houses gender-neutral facilities. Yelp classifies gender-neutral bathrooms as being "accessible to persons of any gender and are a locking, single-stall bathroom." The latest addition to Yelp's platform will be put together via public and business input. Yelp plans to ask users to identify locations that have gender-neutral bathrooms, and businesses will be allowed to specify whether or not they offer gender-neutral facilities. Prior to Friday's announcement, Yelp joined an amicus brief in support of Gavin Grimm, a transgender student in Virginia who was barred from using the boy's restroom as his school. "We believe it's important for the business community to speak up in support of equality for all," Yelp wrote in a statement. What to Know A fire in Union City killed a 2-year-old boy and badly burned his father. Strong winds helped the fire spread from an apartment building to another structure to the steeple of the Saints Joseph and Michael Church. More than 50 people were displaced by the fire. A toddler was killed and his father was badly burned in a fire early Saturday that spread to several buildings, including a Union City church, authorities said. More than 50 people were displaced by the fire that burned buildings near 14th Street and Summit Avenue, including Saints Joseph and Michael Church on Central Avenue. Strong winds helped the fire spread quickly from an apartment building to another structure and then to the steeple of the church. The boy, who was nearly 2 years old, was confirmed dead at the scene, North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Chief Frank Montagne said. The child's father was taken to a hospital burn center for treatment and several others were injured. The child killed in the fire apparently lived in the building where the blaze started. His name and his father's name have not been released. A gofundme page to fund the toddler's funeral was started by a Union City resident Saturday. The $10,000 goal was reached within five hours, and people continuing to donate. "It is absolutely devastating," Mayor Brian P. Stack said. "The loss the parents of this little boy are experiencing is unimaginable and truly heartbreaking. We all will hold our loved ones a little tighter tonight having heard the news of this tragedy." The mayor's civic association has offered to cover the costs of the funeral for the boy. He said it was "the least he could do" for the child's family. Video shows the inferno engulfing the church tower in bright orange flames from street level to its steeple. Disaster workers from the American Red Cross were at the scene helping displaced families, a spokeswoman from the organization said. About 15 families were directly affected by the fire. "Our hearts are with the families affected by this morning's fire as they cope with this tremendous loss," said American Red Cross New Jersey Region CEO Ana Montero. Red Cross workers will provide families affected with health and mental health services, recovery planning and referrals to agencies that may provide long-term assistance. About 60 to 70 people relocated to a reception center the city opened at the Jose Marti Freshman Academy neat Summit Avenue, the Red Cross said. Many of those affected were left without power. The area of 14th Street and Summit Avenue was shut down immediately after the fire was quelled. The church was damaged too badly to hold services on Sunday, the Newark Archdioses said. Instead, worshippers can go to the following locations: This Saturday kicks off the first in a series of city-sponsored baby showers for new and expecting families across the boroughs. The baby showers assist expecting parents and their families by providing free diapers, clothing and other baby supplies. Expectant parents can also learn more about useful city services, like child care and registering for a library card. This is the second year for the city-sponsored showers, which are a joint effort between First Lady Chirlane McCray and the New York City Children's Cabinet. Saturday's event will be held at Monsignor Scanlan High School in the Bronx, in partnership with Catholic Guardian Services. The city is hosting five baby showers from March through June. More information can be found on the nyc.gov website. The FBI has arrested a Long Island, New York man who allegedly tried to join ISIS in Syria. Elvis Redzepagic was arrested Friday at his parents' home in Commack, NBC New York has learned. He faces charges of attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS and appeared in federal court in Brooklyn on Saturday, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced. On at least two occasions, Redzepagic traveled from New York overseas and attempted to enter Syria to try and join ISIS fighters there, investigators said. "Mr. Redzepagic is an American citizen who has been fully cooperative with the government's investigation," his attorney Mildred Whalen told NBC New York. "We will work with Mr. Redzepagic's family to convince the court and the government that Mr. Redzepagic needs treatment and care, not imprisonment." Redzepagic allegedly tried to enter Syria in 2015 and again last year, but failed after authorities stopped him in Turkey and Jordan, then subsequently deported him. His alleged ties to terror were discovered in early February after Suffolk County police picked him up on an unrelated violation. He also had other ISIS-related materials on his computer and social media. In Facebook messages from October 2015, Redzepagic explicitly stated that he traveled to Turkey to "perform Jihad and join Jabhat Al-Nusra." "This defendant made numerous attempts to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad," said U.S. Attorney Robert Capers. "We will continue to track down and prosecute individuals like the defendant before they are able to become foreign fighters or harm the United States and its allies." In subsequent interviews with law enforcement, he allegedly admitted that he was prepared to strap a bomb to himself during the time he attempted to enter Syria from Turkey. Redzepagic and his accomplices knowingly and intentionally attempted to provide material support to ISIS and al-Nusrah Front, an official Syrian branch of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, between July 2015 and October 2016, according to a criminal complaint. Authorities say the 26-year-old boasted about having a cousin who fights alongside jihadists in Syria and pointed to photos online purportedly of his relative. It's unclear whether the claim has been verified. A woman who intentionally rammed a hearing impaired 10-year-old child with a shopping cart at a Walmart has been arrested, police said Saturday. Erica Walker, 23, of Queens, was charged with second-degree attempted assault and endangering the welfare of a child, New York state police said. A judge remanded her to Westchester County Jail and bail was set at $1,000 cash. The child was attacked around 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 at the Walmart on Main Street in Cortlandt Manor. The child is OK. Walker is scheduled to appear in court again on Monday. It wasn't immediately clear whether she had an attorney. Mayor Jim Kenney is honoring a Philadelphia astronomer with an out-of-this-world recognition Friday evening. Franklin Institute chief astronomer Derrick Pitts has been declared as a "Philadelphia Hero" at the Franklin Institute for his contribution to educating and exposing children to the sciences. Twelve students of the Boys & Girls Club's 2016 Young Writers Workshop also presented their newly published biography called "Derrick Pitts Astronomy Superstar." "It's common for children to shy away from the sciences because they think [success] is unreachable," Pitts said. "The recognition is humbling, but I'm just a regular man who helps kids appreciate science and show them what their work and efforts can do -- in anything they do. This ceremony is about them." Pitt has also devoted his time over the years demonstrating how science is a abstract and universal concept. "Science is for everyone and everything," he said. "Most issues in today's age requires science: nutrition, space exploration, medicine, manufacturing. And you can't pick and choose who's going to be a great scientist because everyone has the potential." Pitts said he was excited to receive his own biography written by the students. "Tonight is about them. I'll just be hanging around picking something up from the mayor -- a cookie, perhaps," he joked. Pitts, a member of the Franklin Institute since 1978, said he'd give the student writers a tour through the "Jurassic World" exhibit following the ceremony. Special art is on display at Drexel University that is inspired by women and girls who suffer from eating disorders. Its difficult to describe or pinpoint where inspiration -- where genius -- comes from. Filmmaker/musician David Lynch describes the process of creativity in terms of catching butterflies in a net. Ideas are floating everywhere, and sometimes your brain catches them, sometimes it doesnt. The concept is not new. Since the Greeks and Romans, artists have been explaining the phenomenon of inspiration through some externality, some genius -- a divine spirit that manifests itself in different forms. In Roman art, for example, the genius of creativity is often depicted as a winged child. For Tom Waits, a Grammy Award-winning, San Diego County native, the same sort of metaphysical unpredictability characterizes his idea of inspiration as well. In a recent interview in New York Times Style Magazine, Waits described the magical, communal experience of going out to the meadow, of somehow transcending the material (or at least making it irrelevant) during the experience or the creation of art. Similar to Lynch, new ideas seem to just float through some unseen spiritual ether until they happen upon him -- he likes the idea of things flying in through the window, onto the piano and then out the other window, according to his March 1 interview with Wyatt Mason. Like Lilys Kurt Heasley recently told me in an interview, Keith Richards also serves as Waits example of a clean and pure conduit writing pure blues from the radio in the sky. Waits has collaborated on a number of songs with Richards, which is how he's come to assess Richards as a divinely receptive lightning rod always prepared for the inevitable. In typical sage-like fashion, Waits ended his interview with Mason by recounting an experience he had as a firefighter in Jacumba (part of the Mountain Empire in southeastern San Diego County). The anecdote might as well have been a scene from a Lynch movie -- Waits found himself dousing flying, burning chickens with water, watching them fall to the ground. It was an emergency, and when dealing with emergent behavior there is nothing to do but respond. I was in the moment. And it was not the fire I imagined or dreamed of. It was the fire I got, he said. To read the whole interview, including Kendrick Lamar and Becks takes on inspiration and the process of creation, click here. Its well worth it. Rutger Rosenborg was almost a Stanford neuroscientist before he formed Ed Ghost Tucker. He now plays in the Lulls and makes music on his own when he's not writing. Follow his updates on Facebook or contact him directly. Calling all travelers and adventure seekers: the 4th annual San Diego Travel & Adventure show treks into town this weekend, offering a glimpse into the trips that await. The expo takes place on at the downtown San Diego Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. From segway rides and photo booths, and even camel rides, visitors will experience the world of travel right on the show floor. The 2017 San Diego Travel & Adventure Show is full of interactive, hands-on activities fit for the whole family. Attendees will get to listen to experts' advice on how to travel safer and cheaper, how to maximize reward points, packing tips and other travel hacks designed to maximize travel experiences. Notable travel celebrities such as "The Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan and travel editor Peter Greenberg will be sharing anecdotes, interesting facts and beautiful photography that illustrate the countless treasures traveling has to offer. Of course, whats a travel expo without some international flavors? Visitors will get the chance to taste cultural dishes from around the globe. Noted chefs Anthony Martorina of Culinary Fight Club, Chef Bruce Chen from the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Chef Javier Plascencia of Bracero Cocina, will be offering live cooking demonstrations and samples of their tasty dishes. With cultural performances from around the globe, visitors will get to experience authentic cultural music and dance presentations from international performers, too. Performances will include Beats from the Bahamas, Dances of Guatemala, 2,000-year-old ancient temple dance of Odissi, and Tribal Belly Dance. The show will also offer thousands of dollars in savings with show-only travel deals, and will feature must-have travel products and gadgets. Tickets can be purchased online. A one-day ticket costs $11 for adults; children 16 and under get in free. You can also buy a ticket for both days of the show for $18. Tickets will also be available at the door for $15 for a single day or $18 for the two-day admission. For tickets and information, visit the event website. Clean-up is still underway in Mission Valley after the powerful storm ripped through earlier this week. One of the hardest hit areas was along the San Diego River. It's home to nearly 250 of the city's homeless. Last week, NBC 7 spoke with a homeless man who lived just steps away from Fashion Valley Mall. After Monday's storm, we received many emails from viewers wondering what happened to him and if he's okay. NBC 7 found him but now, home is much different. Rick Primmer has called a spot along the river home for the past couple of months. He showed NBC 7 around a few weeks ago. "This is kind of a neat little spot when I found it," he said. What was once hidden from the world in tall bamboo-like canes, now looks much different. "There's so much dead stuff around I can kind of camouflage it a bit," he added. Primmer was like hundreds of others on Monday who took shelter outside the Central Library in Downtown San Diego. He added, "I was one that got to sleep in my clothes because everything was back at the camp." Others were not so lucky escaping the floodwaters and had to be rescued. Primmer said he has had to search for his belongings, caked in mud and barely recognizable. He added that he as well as others will continue to live there, making what is known as the hidden community along the river. "We're just beginning to get back into our little camps and drying off. Right now everything is mud," he said. As of Friday night, the San Diego River stood at a little over four feet. On Monday, it was 10 feet higher than that, at 14.15 feet--the third highest of all time. Strategically lined up, side-by-side, anti-Trump demonstrators gathered in Ocean Beach Saturday with one mission: to spell out the word "IMPEACH" on the sand. At the "March 4 Impeach," the group stood on Dog Beach in OB, in a human formation that spelled out the word. The message was directed at President Donald Trump. The demonstration was inpispired by a recent, similar gathering at a beach in San Francisco where demonstrators spelled out "RESIST!!" on the sand. According to the March 4 Impeach event page on Facebook, the gathering was meant to call attention to the possibility of impeaching Trump. Sandy Goble, who walked in the Womens March in January, attended the gathering in Ocean Beach. She told NBC 7 she is frustrated with the current administration for a number of reasons, and that she doesnt know where to begin to list them all. Ive been quiet and very upset with whats going on, Goble said. The Republicans should be ashamed of themselves for not doing more to investigate the obvious Russian ties. Frank Gormlie, a long-time Ocean Beach local and business owner, shared the same sentiments as Goble. Were calling for an investigation into Trumps violations of the Constitution and his Russian connections. We think that by spelling out the word impeach, that people are willing to come out and demand that action, he explained. We dont believe in the ban, we dont believe in the wall, and we support equal rights for everyone -- regardless of gender, race, religion, said Jessica Jones, another demonstrator. Were here to show each other, and the world, that there are like-minded people out here who dont support whats going on." Lori Saward, Founder of Indivisable San Diego, said the idea to spell the word "Impeach" originally started out as an art project for the anti-Trump group, OB Resist. Indivisible San Diego Central wanted to help, so they joined in the efforts. Were a border city. We stand with our immigrants, and we stand as a city that is inclusive, Saward told NBC 7. Thats why we came together to show that solidarity. We are for all people. In stark contrast to the impeachment movement in Ocean Beach, two pro-Trump rallies also happened in San Diego on Saturday. Supporters of Pres. Trump organize SD march by Embarcadero #@nbcsandiego Anti Trump rallies also going on in SD pic.twitter.com/ttoIc2yBx6 Katia Lopez-Hodoyan (@KatiaNBC) March 4, 2017 Elizabeth Torphy, from Orange County, drove to San Diego for the pro-Trump event downtown. Wearing a shirt that read "Make America Great Again," she told NBC 7 that, as a Trump supporter, she wants her voice heard. Supporters of Pres. Trump organize SD march by Embarcadero #@nbcsandiego Anti Trump rallies also going on in SD pic.twitter.com/ttoIc2yBx6 Katia Lopez-Hodoyan (@KatiaNBC) March 4, 2017 There are so many pro-Trump supporters out there, and we need to be heard. I want our voices to be heard," said Torphy. "I say, My vote, my voice. And thats what I mean, my voice counts. That just shows you that the resist movement is so sweeping and huge that people are unhappy and feel that the country is going in the wrong direction, Lori Saward said in response to the pro-Trump rallies. If they feel the need to have a Trump rally, when they already have the Presidency, the House and the Senate, then I dont understand why they need to rally, she said. Theyre obviously feeling the pressure from so many Americans that are shocked still that [President Trump] won the election. Supporters of President Donald Trump gathered Saturday in downtown San Diego for a march aimed at showing solidarity with the POTUS. The March 4 Trump: San Diego event was held at Ruocco Park in downtown San Diego. Trump supporters wore patriotic red, white and blue clothing and waved American flags and "Trump" banners. Lets support our president and stop the hate! organizers of the march said in a press release, adding that the event was an effort to unite citizens of the U.S. "USA! USA! USA!" the group chanted as their event got underway. Point Loma real estate agent Dawn Mayo was among those who marched in support of Trump. She said she appreciates the way in which Trump carries himself and handles business. I love Trump. Hes the perfect man, the perfect President and I believe in every single thing he says and does, said Mayo. Hes a businessman and he just has it. Hes just got it going on. He says it the way it is. Supporters of Pres. Trump organize SD march by Embarcadero #@nbcsandiego Anti Trump rallies also going on in SD pic.twitter.com/ttoIc2yBx6 Katia Lopez-Hodoyan (@KatiaNBC) March 4, 2017 Elizabeth Torphy, from Orange County, drove to San Diego for the event. Wearing a shirt that read "Make America Great Again," she told NBC 7 that, as a Trump supporter, she wants her voice heard. There are so many pro-Trump supporters out there, and we need to be heard. I want our voices to be heard," said Torphy. "I say, My vote, my voice. And thats what I mean, my voice counts. She said events like March 4 Trump make her feel as if the pro-Trump movement is gaining ground. Were getting louder. Weve been drowned out for so long, she added, saying that it's time to focus on positivity. Im proud to be American and I dont think thats a bad thing. I think its a wonderful thing to be proud to be American," Torphy said. Kerry Lewis was also happy to have his voice heard. "Were the silent majority," he said, referring to Trump supporters. "Trump went after the electoral vote he won it." Lewis said he believes Trump is exactly what the U.S. needs at the moment. Trump is a businessman. This country needs a businessman to run it, he told NBC 7. The San Diego march was among many happening nationwide, as the March 4 Trump movement unfolded across other states Saturday, too. At noon, another separate pro-Trump event the Spirit of America Rally was scheduled downtown, at the Embarcadero Marina Park South near the San Diego Convention Center. Bring your families, friends and Trump supporters for a day of sharing American values with everyday people, organizers of that event said in a press release. Feel free to bring chairs, picnic items, and your positive American Spirit to celebrate and support our president. While the pro-Trump rallies happened in downtown San Diego, another group those against Trump rallied in Ocean Beach. The March 4 Impeachment gathering included demonstrators spelling out the word IMPEACH by standing in a formation on the beach, replicating a similar demonstration recently held at a beach in San Francisco when people spelled out "RESIST!!" on the sand. The March 4 Impeachment is just one of thousands of events to promote the efforts to resist the Trump agenda. We resist his misogynistic, xenophobic, and climate denial policies to name a few, organizers of this rally said in a press release. A mother from Arizona is devastated after her daughter disappeared two weeks ago near the Sunset Cliffs area of San Diego. What was supposed to be a short vacation for 30-year-old Amanda "Mandy" Cruse, has turned into her familys longest nightmare. Cruse was last seen at five in the morning, on Feb.19 near Sunset Cliffs. It was very dark at that time of the morning, said Rosemarie St. Michael. It was rainy and very windy because of the storm on the 19th and that Sunday. Cruse's family confirmed she had made the trip down to San Diego during Presidents Day weekend. She left Scottsdale early Saturday morning and made it to San Diego in the afternoon. She checked into the Cabrillo Inn & Suites in the afternoon, then headed to the Sunset Cliffs to take pictures on her cellphone of sunset. The next morning, she left the hotel before 4:30 am. Her family said surveillance footage on Monaco Street showed that Cruse had parked her car at 5:02 a.m. She put her backpack and purse in the back seat, locked the car. She also left her cell phone in the car. Rosemarie, Cruse's mother talked to neighbors on the block, looking for answers. Were trying to figure out why...its a big why," she said. She is a free spirit, Rosemarie said. She is very independent. She travels a lot, she goes on her own and this trip was really planned for October but shes spontaneous. She had never been to San Diego." Detectives with the San Diego Police Department have opened a missing persons investigation. Investigators are not considering the case suspicious at the time. Anyone who has information on Cruse's whereabouts are asked to contact their local police department. As the sun peeked through the clouds Saturday in Balboa Park, thousands of went for a run, together, united in one effort: to remember a Poway teenager whose vibrant life was tragically cut short, and to spread love and light to the community. At 7:30 a.m., thousands began running in the 7th annual Finish Chelseas Run, a community 5K walk/run in memory of Chelsea King, and the run she was never able to finish. The event serves as a fundraiser for the Chelseas Light Foundation, a non-profit organization created by Chelsea's parents, Brent and Kelly King, in memory of their beloved daughter. The foundation aims to support youth and spread positive change in the community. Saturday's 5K raised money for the organizations Sunflower Scholarship Fund, which will help award 10 scholarships to college-bound teens who embody service over self traits. NBC 7 was the television media partner for the event; our NBC 7 team was there to support participants and Chelseas loved ones at the run. In a high-profile case that sent shock waves through San Diego County, Chelsea, only 17, was kidnapped on Feb. 25, 2010, while out on a run at Rancho Bernardo Community Park, by sexual predator John Albert Gardner III.The Poway High School seniors body was found five days later in the Lake Hodges area. On May 15, 2010, Gardner was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the rape and murder of Chelsea, as well as that of Escondido teenager Amber Dubois, 14, who vanished in a similar, disturbing case in February 2009. The following year, the King family worked to pass Chelseas Law in California, which enhances criminal sentences for violent sexual offenders who commit crimes against children. Earlier this week, Brent and Kelly stopped by NBC 7 to talk about Chelsea's Law and what it has done, since its implementation, to improve safety for children. It's been seven years since Poway teen Chelsea King was kidnapped and killed. Her parents, Brent and Kelly King, speak with NBC 7's Greg Bledsoe about the 7th Annual Finish Chelsea's Run, happening on March 4 in Balboa Park, in honor of their daughter. The Kings said they are proud of what the law has been able to achieve thus far, but said their work is far from done. "What weve been able to accomplish here in California and in San Diego is what we want to accomplish across the country, so that is a never ending challenge," said Kelly. "We welcome it with open arms, but its a long hard road, but were not about to stop until we make sure the kids not just in California but across the country are as safe as the kids are here." The couple are working on taking Chelsea's Law to other states and encouraging lawmakers to adopt all or part of it. They are also working with the state of California to ensure the law stays strong. "It's working exceptionally well," Brent said. But, Brent said, there are still flaws in the way in which sex offenders are categorized. "We still categorize every sex offender the same," Brent said. "We dont separate them out, and theres real value separating them out because the ones that are extremely violent we need to make sure we manage them in that form that best protects us. We cant just group them all together." NBC 7 San Diego Last Saturday, the Kings reflected on the 7th anniversary of their daughter's killing by posting a heartfelt message to the Chelseas Light Foundation Facebook page. The message read, in part: Unspeakable sadness. Immeasurable love, the message began. These are some of the emotions that coarse through our hearts today. Its been 7 years since we last saw our little girl. Chelsea radiated joy, and believed in the good in all people. We have learned that no amount of evil can diminish the compassion, conviction and beauty we witness daily. Nothing can separate us from Chelsea. You taught us that. We will never forget the gift you have given us. The post included a touching tribute video with snippets of home videos of Chelsea as a toddler, child and teen and her loved ones talking about what made her so special. Everything about her was light. She was one of those girls that would just light up a room, Chelseas brother, Tyler King, said in the video tribute. On Feb. 25, those with the Chelsea's Light Foundation spread the light by putting sunflowers -- Chelsea's favorite flower -- on the windshields of cars parked at a shopping center in Rancho Bernardo. Each flower had a short, positive message tied to its stem. Saturday's race was also filled with sunflowers, a little reminder of Chelsea's presence. The saying, at the right place at the right time could not have been truer for UC San Diego student Skylar Lane. It started out as just another work day for Lane, who is a student worker at the County of San Diego Aging and Independent Services. She was preparing for a meeting with a colleague, when all of the sudden, a man fell to the floor right outside of the meeting room. He was suffering from a heart attack. Thats when Lane sprang into action. He was blue from the neck up, Lane told NBC 7 Friday. Given Lanes extensive background in medical training, she knew instantly what she had to do in order to save County Library employee Paul Klatts life. I had to turn him over and put my fingers in his mouth to make sure there was nothing blocking his airway. Right away I had someone call 911, get the AED, and then just started doing compressions. Lane said theres nothing that can prepare anyone for a moment like this, even while at work. Its a stressful situation no one knows how theyre going to react, she explained. He was gasping for breath. It was more of like, hes there! Being able to stay with him and to keep that momentum going was really motivating. Lane urges people, especially in the workplace, to become familiar of where AED defibrillators are located and how to use them. The AED is very easy a lot of people believe its more difficult than it is. Its meant for people who are not trained. In light of this incident, the Aging and Independent Services department will go through CPR training for all employees. Lane said she will be recertified for CPR training next week. I feel like I needed this as my closure so that all the hard work I did do in previous internships and all the jobs that I had lead up to this, she shared with NBC 7. Klatt is currently in recovery. Lane told NBC 7 that she looks forward to meeting him soon. I got news that he wants to meet me and I want to meet him. Im really excited. Theres probably going to be tears. Theyre happy tears Im glad hes okay. Judging by their comments after the meeting between Chance the Rapper and Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, it's clear the two had far different sentiments. "I'm here cause I just want people to do their jobs," Chance, whose real name is Chancellor Bennett, told reporters after leaving the meeting. Gov. Rauner had agreed to meet with the Grammy-awards-winning rapper to discuss education funding in Chicago. Initially scheduled for Wednesday, the meeting was postponed to Friday after Illinois was hit by a number of tornadoes. "I asked him about funding [Chicago Public Schools] with that $215 million that was discussed in May of last year and was vetoed in December over, you know, political arguments and s---," Chance said. "The kids are on the table right now and we spoke, for a second, it sounded like we were going somewhere." Rauner vetoed a bill in December that would have injected the district with an additional $215 million in state funding to meet its June 30 teacher pension payment. Based on that veto, CPS announced the institution of a spending freeze on $46 million of non-salary funds on Feb. 6. At the time of the cuts, a spokesperson for Rauner said financial assistance for CPS would be dependent on "comprehensive pension reform." "He asked me where the $215 million is going to come from," Chance said. "He gave me a lot of vague answers so well see what happens," he added. "Springfield is in session next week." Soon after, Rauner told reporters he thinks the pair should work together. "I said, 'Its an incredible opportunity to change our system and if we stood together Chance -- I have some power, I have power in some ways and you have great power in other ways -- if we stood together, work together to figure this out, I think we can get big things done,'" Rauner said. https://www.instagram.com/p/BRL8CD2hNZI/ Chance later tweeted, "Chicago Public Schools and I did not lose today." "Please don't let that become the narrative," he wrote. "Monday morning I'll have a plan." Chicago Public Schools and I did not lose today. Please don't let that become the narrative. Monday morning I'll have a plan. Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) March 3, 2017 The meeting was first planned after Chance won three Grammy awards last month and Rauner took to Twitter to congratulate the rapper on his historic haul. Congrats to @Chancetherapper for making history as an independent artist and taking home 3 grammys, Rauner tweeted at the time. IL is proud that youre one of our own. Bennett responded, requesting a sit-down with the governor. Thank you Governor, he tweeted. I would love to have meeting with you this week if possible. Rauner quickly accepted Bennetts invitation, noting that he was looking forward to the conversation. Michael K. Williams may be getting a lightsaber and blasting to a galaxy far, far away. The Wire star has been tapped to co-star in Disneys untitled Han Solo flick, according to Variety. The film will chronicle everyones favorite rebel smugglers origin story. Though Williams connection to the project is still unclear, hes joining a star-studded cast: Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, and Woody Harrelson have all signed on the dotted line to enter the Lucas universe. This isnt Williams only on-screen appearance on the horizon. After a stint on HBOs critically acclaimed The Night Of, Williams has joined the cast of When We Rise, a mini-series now airing on ABC. The Han Solo spin-off is due for debut on May 25, 2018. Washington, D.C., is filled to the brim with both trailblazing women and rich history, making it the perfect place to celebrate National Women's History Month. With International Women's Day approaching on March 8, there's certainly no shortage of places and events in the DMV to honor all things female. (And as Beyonce says, who runs the world? Girls.) MUSEUMS: Visit the National Women's Party at Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument -- it's offering special programs throughout March to celebrate Women's History Month. Walking tours, open houses and special talks are among some of the highlights. The historic site is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- it's offering special programs throughout March to celebrate Women's History Month. Walking tours, open houses and special talks are among some of the highlights. The historic site is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attend a free tour at Arlington National Cemetery. The tours are happening March 5 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., honoring women who have served in the military, as well as other notable women buried in the cemetery. Tour groups will hear from Army Maj. Gen. Dee Ann McWilliams and Arlington National Cemetery Historian Tim Frank. Tours are free, but registration is requested. The tours are happening March 5 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., honoring women who have served in the military, as well as other notable women buried in the cemetery. Tour groups will hear from Army Maj. Gen. Dee Ann McWilliams and Arlington National Cemetery Historian Tim Frank. Tours are free, but registration is requested. Visit the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington. It is the only national memorial honoring all U.S. servicewomen, according its website. It's open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. in Arlington. It is the only national memorial honoring all U.S. servicewomen, according its website. It's open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Explore the National Museum of Women in the Arts , which features a collection of 4,500 pieces created by women. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. , which features a collection of 4,500 pieces created by women. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit the National Museum of American History, which has an entire exhibit dedicated to the first ladies of the United States. Gowns worn by former first ladies are on display, and visitors can learn about the important and ever-changing, albeit unofficial, role that first ladies play. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is free to visit. EVENTS: Do you love correcting people? Then this event is for you. The National Museum of Women in the Arts will host its fifth annual Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon on March 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event is part of a larger initiative by Art+Feminism to improve the quality and quantity of entries on Wikipedia about female artists. Admission is free, but online registration is required. Bring a laptop, power cord and a photo ID with you to the event! on March 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event is part of a larger initiative by Art+Feminism to improve the quality and quantity of entries on Wikipedia about female artists. Admission is free, but online registration is required. Bring a laptop, power cord and a photo ID with you to the event! The Daughters of the American Revolution Library is offering a free Genealogy Class on March 18 at 10 a.m. In honor of Women's History Month, this class will give attendees some tips on how to research for female ancestors. Register online here. on March 18 at 10 a.m. In honor of Women's History Month, this class will give attendees some tips on how to research for female ancestors. Register online here. D.C. Public Libraries are offering a wide range of free events -- including reenactments, poetry readings and film screenings -- at various locations. See the complete list here. are offering a wide range of free events -- including reenactments, poetry readings and film screenings -- at various locations. See the complete list here. Busboys and Poets in Brookland is hosting a film screening of "Girls Rising" March 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. March 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. The University of Maryland Women's Chorus will hold its 13th Celebration of Women's Voices concert March 4 at 8 p.m. The program, held at the university's Memorial Chapel, is free to the public. concert March 4 at 8 p.m. The program, held at the university's Memorial Chapel, is free to the public. The National Building Museum is offering a talk, Architects Across Generations with architect and philanthropist Beverly Willis and CEO and entrepreneur Paola Moya. In the context of Women's History Month, these successful women will discuss their inspirations and challenges in their careers. The talk will be held March 7 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for members, $10 for students and $20 for non-members. Looking for a way to celebrate International Women's Day? Here are some things you can do on March 8: A Montgomery County school bus driver has been accused of sexually abusing two young girls. The Montgomery County Police Department said in a statement that 59-year-old Salvador Rodriguez admitted during an interview to having "inappropriate contact'' with two 11-year-old students while they were passengers on his bus. Rodriguez, of North Kensington, Maryland, faces two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of third-degree sex offense, and two counts of fourth-degree sex offense by a person in a position of authority. The statement says the school district put Rodriguez on administrative leave as soon as they learned of the allegations last month. The police department said Saturday that bond information wasn't available. A listed phone number for Rodriguez couldn't be found, and it wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A local mother is holding out hope that her son who has been missing for six months is alive, but says she fears he could be one of two people found dead at a park in Fairfax County. On Friday, police said they found the remains of two people in Holmes Run Park in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. The remains, which have not been identified, have been at the park for less than a year, police said. Sergio Arita Triminio, 14, has been missing since September 2016. Sergio's mother, Karla Triminio, told News4 she is waiting to find out if the remains found in the park belong to him. "Very much sadness waiting to know something about my son," Triminio, who speaks Spanish, told News4 through a translator. Triminio lives in an apartment not far from the park. She said one night in September Sergio walked to a dumpster outside their apartment to throw out the trash. "He never came back," Triminio said. Police believe the deaths at Holmes Run Park are likely gang-related killings. In 2014, the bodies of two men were found in the park and the gang members who committed those crimes were convicted last year and are serving life sentences. Triminio said her son is not involved with gangs. "I think anyone in my position would be worried, and as a mother, I want to believe that my son would be fine," Triminio said. "I hope to know that he is somewhere safe." Another missing teen, 17-year-old Edvin Escobar Mendez, also hasn't been seen since last fall. Police are waiting for the medical examiner's report to see if they can identify the remains. There is no word on how long that will take. A Prince Georges County man has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of release after being found guilty of robbing five women at knifepoint and sexually assaulting two of them. Demetrius Banks, 33, was arrested in September 2015 after police identified him based on surveillance tape of him using a victims credit card. In November 2016, Banks was found guilty of 23 felony counts including first-degree sexual abuse while armed, armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon and kidnapping while armed. Over a one-month period between July and August 2015, Banks assaulted five women between the ages of 21-41, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. All five attacks took place at night around the Fort Totten and Brookland Metro Stations as the women were walking home. Banks first victim was a 21-year-old cashier who was walking home from Fort Totten station around 10:30 p.m. on July 28, 2015. As she was walking past Banks, he grabbed her, pushed a knife against her side and threatened to kill her, prosecutors said. Banks then forced her into a driveway where he raped and robbed her. The second victim, a 26-year-old bartender was walking home from Fort Totten station around midnight on July 31, 2015. Banks grabbed her from behind, forced her into an alley at knifepoint and robbed her, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. On August 4, 2015, Banks robbed his third victim, a 26-year-old government employee walking home from Fort Totten station about 10:30 p.m. After threatening her with a knife, Banks dragged the victim into a wooded area across the street from the first assault a week earlier, the attorney's office said. Banks grabbed the victims purse and ran off after a passerby noticed the assault. The fourth victim, a 41-year-old server was walking home from Fort Totten station around 3:30 a.m. when Banks approached her, armed with a knife, and demanded her belongings, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said the final victim, a 22-year-old waitress was walking home from Brookland station around midnight on August 28, 2015 when Banks grabbed her and forced her into a dark driveway where he raped and robbed her. The victim managed to escape and ran into the street where police happened to be passing by. Banks was arrested exactly one week later after police found DNA evidence connecting him to the two sexual assaults. Police also found evidence Banks had been using the sexual assault victims' credit cards and SmarTrip cards. A search of Banks' Riverdale home found some of the belongings that had been stolen from multiple victims, according to the attorney's office. Not only is the Mexican government not building a wall; it's spending $50 million to beef up its legal aid to migrants who fear deportation, a response to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. All 50 Mexican consulates in the U.S. on Friday launched legal assistance centers to form partnerships with nonprofit groups and tap lawyers to help those fearing Trump's policies. The diplomatic effort comes as the two countries are in a rift over Trump's plans for a border wall. While Trump says Mexico will pay for it one way or another, Mexico says it won't. It was also unveiled less than two weeks after new guidelines came out aimed at aggressively detaining and deporting immigrants by increasing the number of federal agents and strengthening cooperation with local law enforcement. Miami's Mexican consul general, Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia, said Friday that these centers would become "authentic advocates of the rights of Mexican migrants." "What changes today is that we are prioritizing legal matters over everything. Previously, we didn't have the need to seek so much legal support for our people," he said. "But now, we need to protect them against an eventual deportation." Mexican consulates are forming partnerships with law schools, immigration clinics and nonprofit groups that litigate on behalf of immigrants. The centers are staffed with Mexican lawyers who can refer cases to organizations or clinics. They are also reaching out to private law firms interested in taking on pro-bono work. Mexican foreign minister Luis Videgaray visited New York City's consulate Friday and called the effort "a moral imperative." "It is something that we will continue to do by obligation and conviction," Videgaray said. Consulates from Mexico and other Central American nations have been juggling numerous inquiries in recent months from migrants concerned about their fate and that of their U.S.-born children. Zabalgoitia said the increase in requests for documents and help is "enormous," as he pointed to a waiting room with dozens of people carrying folders of documents in need of birth certificates, Mexican passports and other identifications. "I used to sign two birth certificates a week. Only yesterday, I signed 15." The increasing demand comes from people like Gloria Portillo, who went to the Mexican consulate in Phoenix on Friday to renew her passport. Her visa expired three years ago, and now she is trying to start the process of becoming a legal resident after marrying a U.S. citizen but fears something could happen in the meantime. "We've been here all of our lives, we have kids, and of course we're afraid to be deported," she said, also speaking of friends and relatives living in the U.S. illegally. Dozens of people visited the consulate in St. Paul, Minnesota, some lining up along the walls and asking the consul general questions. In the Philadelphia mission, which also covers Delaware and southern New Jersey, daily appointments at the consulate have doubled to 400 people, Consul General Alicia Kerber-Palma said. Near Boston, Mexican diplomats have been meeting with families at churches and community events to explain the challenges of claiming U.S.-born children, without dual nationality, after deportation. Mexican diplomats in Houston, where half a million Mexican immigrants live, said requests for Mexican birth certificates at the consulate are up 50 percent since Trump begin announcing tough measures to curb illegal immigration. "The tolerance is gone. I think that's the best way of describing it," said Oscar Solis, a first secretary of the Mexican consulate in Houston. "It's like in wars. They come for one person and many who are innocent or not really involved end up paying." Divina Ciriaco, a 45-year-old housekeeper who lives in the Miami area, said she is gathering all the Mexican documents she would need for her U.S.-born boy to go along with her if she is deported. "We live in fear of going back to Mexico, to the violence, the poverty we suffered," said Ciriaco, who migrated along with her husband and two children 20 years ago from the state of Guerrero. She gave birth to her third child in Miami. "Now, it's just a matter of waiting for that day to come." President Donald Trump, his administration under siege for contacts with Russian officials, tweeted a photo Friday that showed Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer meeting with Putin in New York in 2003. "We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin," he wrote. "A total hypocrite!" Schumer responded on Twitter a short time later by writing that he would "happily talk" under oath about his meeting with Putin, which took place "in full view of press and public." The New York senator challenged Trump to do the same then followed up on Twitter by writing, "And for the record, they were Krispy Kreme donuts." We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite! pic.twitter.com/Ik3yqjHzsA Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2017 Later Friday, Trump went after House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, tweeting: "I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it." His initial tweet included the misspelled word "hearby," but that tweet was later replaced. He linked to a Politico story that reported that Pelosi had said she had never met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. But the story includes a photo of Pelosi shows her at a 2010 meeting sitting across the table from Kislyak. Pelosi fired back on Twitter, saying Trump "doesn't know difference between official mtg photographed by press & closed secret mtg his AG lied about under oath." .@realDonaldTrump doesn't know difference between official mtg photographed by press & closed secret mtg his AG lied about under oath. https://t.co/YRFCuJkjLA Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 3, 2017 Trump's tweets come a day after Attorney General Jeff Sessions came under scrutiny for his two meetings with a Russian ambassador. The photo showing Putin and Schumer together was shot when Putin was visiting New York to celebrate the expansion of Russian-owned Lukoil gas stations, NBC News reported. Before it was elevated to the president's Twitter feed Friday it was featured on several conservative websites, including The Drudge Report. On the same trip to the United States in 2003, Putin traveled to Camp David, Maryland, where he met with Republican President George W. Bush and the two held a joint news conference. Trump has been trailed for months by questions about potential ties to Russia. He has vigorously denied being aware of any contacts his associates had with Russia during the campaign and has also insisted he has no financial ties to Russia. Sessions on Thursday became the second high-ranking member of the Trump administration to take a hit over conversations with Russia's envoy to the U.S., recusing himself from any probe that examines communications between Trump aides and Moscow but facing down calls by Schumer and other Democrats for his resignation. An early backer and key adviser for Trump's campaign, Sessions said his staff recommended that he step aside from a probe. Two weeks ago, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, resigned as national security adviser after misleading White House officials about his own discussions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Additional communication was revealed Thursday between Kislyak and Flynn and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at New York's Trump Tower. In addition, Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to Trump's presidential campaign, spoke with the ambassador last summer, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. A woman is dead and another is seriously injured after a tree came crashing down onto a car on Saturday in Andover, Massachusetts. According to Massachusetts State Police, a husband and wife were heading north on Route 125 by Wildwood Road in Andover when a tree fell on top of their car. When they arrived, crews found the man and a woman trapped inside a 2007 Toyota Camry. Both victims were rushed to Lawrence General Hospital to receive treatment for serious injuries. The passenger, a 58-year-old woman from North Reading, was dead shortly after. The driver, and womans husband, is still in the hospital. Route 125 was closed while crews cleared the scene, but it has since reopened. According to the fire department the tree was completely rotted at the base and the wind knocked it over. Now, authorities in Andover are currently investigating whose property the tree was on. A mother and four children were killed after a fire tore through a home early Saturday morning in Warwick, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts State Fire Marshal's Office said the blaze started at about 12:45 a.m. at a one-family home on Richmond Road and quickly reached 3-alarms. According to Chief Ron Gates from the Warwick Fire Department, the fire likely started in a wood stove. By the time crews got to the home it was fully engulfed in flames. Windows were blown out, the roof was caving in, we didnt have a chance to knock it town, Gates said while holding back tears at a press conference on Saturday. Warwick Fire Chief Ron Gates gives details on the fire that killed a mother and her four children. The small town has no fire hydrants and officials say firefighters had to draw water about a half mile from the scene. The father and one child were able to escape the fire, but crews were unable to save the mother and remaining four children. They were taken to an area hospital for treatment, according to Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio. "It's heartbreaking," Procopio said. "It's a fairly remote area. They are in the process of searching for victims and collecting evidence." David Young, Warwick's town coordinator, told The Recorder newspaper of Greenfield that a mother and four children had been among the missing and that three of the children attended public schools in the small Franklin County community. State officials did not immediately confirm the number of children missing. Young said little was left of the home after the fire. At least 16 fire departments from the area helped battle the blaze. Warwick Fire and State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal are investigating the exact cause of the blaze. Warwick is a small town in Franklin County in northwestern Massachusetts. The incident is truly devastating for the town with a population of 900. Our community has suffered a great loss of life, a huge blow to our spirit that we are only beginning to realize, Young said. According to the State Fire Marshal, all twelve firefighters in the department knew the family and are mourning the loss. The Archdiocese of Boston has given area Catholics the green light to eat corned beef this St. Patrick's Day, which falls on a Friday. According to The Pilot, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, granted a one-time dispensation. During Lent, Catholics in the United States ages 14 and over are required to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and each Friday afterwards until Good Friday concludes. Because these are practices and not doctrine, a cardinal or bishop can grant a dispensation from the rules if he sees fit. "This year, the Feast of St. Patrick, the patron saint of our Archdiocese, falls on a Friday during Lent. Given the importance of this feast in the life of the Archdiocese and in the lives of so many of our families, I am granting a dispensation from the Friday Lenten abstinence on March 17, 2017, to those who wish to take advantage of this opportunity," O'Malley wrote in a decree dated Feb. 28. According to The Pilot, the last time a cardinal granted a dispensation from abstinence from meat was when St. Patrick's Day landed on a Friday in 2006. Thousands of Planned Parenthood supporters, including Democratic members of Congress, turned out at a rally on Saturday in Boston to protest funding cuts. The rally, hosted by the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, started at 11 a.m. on Boston Common. Ive seen firsthand what happens when people dont get the health care they need. But it doesnt take a doctor to know that defunding Planned Parenthood would be disastrous for our nations health and the people who would be hurt most are those already struggling to get by, said Dr. Jennifer Childs-Roshak, president and CEO of PPLM and PPAF. Everyone no matter their zip code, race, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or income deserves access to high-quality, affordable health care. At the rally patients, health care providers, advocates, elected officials, and community members called on members of Congress to put patients ahead of politics. Among those at the event were U.S. Reps. Michael Capuano, Katherine Clark, Seth Moulton, Niki Tsongas and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Attempts to defund Planned Parenthood are nothing more than a tactical strike on the health care options for low-income women, men, and families. We will not sit silently as the Trump Administration and GOP-led Congress attack not only the constitutionally guaranteed right to have an abortion, but basic access to preventive care for millions of Americans, Congressman Joseph Kennedy said. The rally comes after House Republicans drafted a bill last week that would repeal the Affordable Care Act, including a provision to defund Planned Parenthood. Supporters say defunding Planned Parenthood would block millions of patients from accessing the preventive care they need. Patients would be prohibited from using their insurance at Planned Parenthood health centers for preventive care, such as cancer screenings, pap tests, birth control, and STD testing and treatment, including HIV tests. The Boston Globe reported on Friday that the Bay State's five Planned Parenthood clinics would lose up to $2 million a year from its budget of $21.5 million in the event the organization's federal funds are cut. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker's administration says it's prepared to increase state funds for Planned Parenthood clinics if Congress blocks Medicaid funding for the organization. A spokeswoman for the governor told the Globe that Baker strongly supports women's health and believes Massachusetts has a responsibility to make sure Planned Parenthood services remain available for all state residents. Today you'll see the price drop an extra 42% on Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Wildlands. Experience total freedom of choice in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, the ultimate military shooter set in a massive open world setting. The Santa Blanca drug cartel has transformed the beautiful South American country of Bolivia into a perilous narco-state, leading to lawlessness, fear, and rampant violence. With their corrosive influence growing, the cartel plagues the citizens of Bolivia but all hope is not lost. The Ghosts, an elite US Special Forces team, are tasked to combat the cartel and save the country from collapse. See the discounted Ghost Recon Wildlands on Amazon. This story, "42% off Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Wildlands - (XBOX ONE, PS4) - Deal Alert" was originally published by TechConnect . By Express News Service CHENNAI: After showing contraction for three months in a row between November 2016 and January 2017, Indias services sector rebounded in February, according to a widely tracked monthly survey. This is estimated to be on the back of recovery in demand, which had remained subdued in the aftermath of the Narendra Modi-led governments decision to pull out high-value currency notes from circulation on November 8, 2016. The survey, the Nikkei India Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), rose to 50.3 in February 2017 from 48.7 in the previous month. Economists consider this to be a positive because the services sector constitutes a dominating part of Indias economy. The index is based on data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent to purchasing executives in around 350 private service-sector companies. The index had slipped to a three-year low of 46.7 in November 2016 following the note-ban decision. A reading above 50 reflects growth while one below that denotes contraction. While the Reserve Bank of India is yet to release the figures as to how many of the banned notes have come back to the banking system, unofficial estimates say demonetisation must have sucked 85 per cent of cash out of circulation, pulling down consumption. Survey participants, however, were less optimistic about the 12-month outlook. The muted sentiments were reflected in the payroll numbers as well as services companies continued to reduce staff count. It is still too early to state that expansion rates will climb to their trend levels in the near term. Companies remain reluctant to take on additional staff and confidence towards the 12-month outlook for output dipped to its second-lowest mark in over one year, said Pollyanna De Lima, economist at IHS Markit, and also author of the PMI report. Earlier this week, the government had released GDP data showing Indias economy grew seven per cent in October-December 2016 quarter. This was in sharp contrast to projections by economists and analysts, who had estimated the countrys economic growth to be under seven per cent as they felt demonetisation would have dented growth. So far, firms are doubtful about the sustainability of the economic recovery, De Lima said, adding, It is still too early to state that expansion rates will climb to their trend levels in the near term. CHENNAI: After showing contraction for three months in a row between November 2016 and January 2017, Indias services sector rebounded in February, according to a widely tracked monthly survey. This is estimated to be on the back of recovery in demand, which had remained subdued in the aftermath of the Narendra Modi-led governments decision to pull out high-value currency notes from circulation on November 8, 2016. The survey, the Nikkei India Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), rose to 50.3 in February 2017 from 48.7 in the previous month. Economists consider this to be a positive because the services sector constitutes a dominating part of Indias economy. The index is based on data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent to purchasing executives in around 350 private service-sector companies. The index had slipped to a three-year low of 46.7 in November 2016 following the note-ban decision. A reading above 50 reflects growth while one below that denotes contraction. While the Reserve Bank of India is yet to release the figures as to how many of the banned notes have come back to the banking system, unofficial estimates say demonetisation must have sucked 85 per cent of cash out of circulation, pulling down consumption. Survey participants, however, were less optimistic about the 12-month outlook. The muted sentiments were reflected in the payroll numbers as well as services companies continued to reduce staff count. It is still too early to state that expansion rates will climb to their trend levels in the near term. Companies remain reluctant to take on additional staff and confidence towards the 12-month outlook for output dipped to its second-lowest mark in over one year, said Pollyanna De Lima, economist at IHS Markit, and also author of the PMI report. Earlier this week, the government had released GDP data showing Indias economy grew seven per cent in October-December 2016 quarter. This was in sharp contrast to projections by economists and analysts, who had estimated the countrys economic growth to be under seven per cent as they felt demonetisation would have dented growth. So far, firms are doubtful about the sustainability of the economic recovery, De Lima said, adding, It is still too early to state that expansion rates will climb to their trend levels in the near term. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Beleaguered industrialist and defunct Kingfisher Airlines promoter Vijay Mallya on Friday blamed faulty engines supplied by a Pratt & Whitney group firm for the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines. His comment comes after Indias aviation regulator DGCA ordered detailed inspection of P&W engines powering Airbus 320 neo planes being operated in India. Not surprised at DGCA enquiry into Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines. Kingfisher Airlines sadly collapsed also due to faulty engines, he said in a tweet. Mallya has been declared a wilful defaulter and is wanted by Indian authorities for default in payment of loans related to Kingfisher Airlines that was grounded in 2012. He is also wanted in other cases. DGCA has ordered detailed inspection of 21 Airbus 320 neo planes of IndiGo and GoAir that are equipped with P&W engines, which have been frequently facing technical glitches. We have sued IAE, a Pratt & Whitney Group Company, for compensation towards defective aircraft engines supplied to Kingfisher Airlines, Mallya said in another tweet. As many as 21 A320 neo planes that are using P&W engines would be examined in the next two weeks, PTI quoted a senior DGCA official as saying on February 28. NEW DELHI: Beleaguered industrialist and defunct Kingfisher Airlines promoter Vijay Mallya on Friday blamed faulty engines supplied by a Pratt & Whitney group firm for the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines. His comment comes after Indias aviation regulator DGCA ordered detailed inspection of P&W engines powering Airbus 320 neo planes being operated in India. Not surprised at DGCA enquiry into Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines. Kingfisher Airlines sadly collapsed also due to faulty engines, he said in a tweet. Mallya has been declared a wilful defaulter and is wanted by Indian authorities for default in payment of loans related to Kingfisher Airlines that was grounded in 2012. He is also wanted in other cases. DGCA has ordered detailed inspection of 21 Airbus 320 neo planes of IndiGo and GoAir that are equipped with P&W engines, which have been frequently facing technical glitches. We have sued IAE, a Pratt & Whitney Group Company, for compensation towards defective aircraft engines supplied to Kingfisher Airlines, Mallya said in another tweet. As many as 21 A320 neo planes that are using P&W engines would be examined in the next two weeks, PTI quoted a senior DGCA official as saying on February 28. Daniel Thimmayya By Express News Service CHENNAI: Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday sought to play down the ongoing protest by Delhi University students in the wake of violence at the Ramjas College last week in the national capital, saying that only a few colleges were dissenting. Javadekar was responding to questions posed by TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla and Editor GS Vasu, after delivering the inaugural address at the fifth edition of ThinkEdu Conclave, an annual education summit, organised by The New Indian Express. It is just 2 or 3 colleges that are dissenting. There are 790 others and I can tell you that all of them are busy preparing for their examinations, the minister said. Stating that it was the general public who were paying for the education of these students, Javadekar said, We spend Rs 2,60,000 per student a year at these Central Universities. That is paid for by the poor sections of the society. Claiming that he was in favour of freedom of expression, the Union Minister went on to add that the same was not an excuse to break the country. I think our senior leaders have spoken their mind and thats our partys line. We believe in freedom of expression, but not in breaking the country. He then recounted his prison days during the Emergency and claimed that he had fought much more for freedom of expression than most others. I have fought for freedom of expression at the time of the emergency, when Indira Gandhi was in power. Ive spent months in the jail. I have experienced the cost of dissenting for real freedom, he said. After all, nobody, not even the Supreme Court will accept having Azaadi posters being put up. Nobody will allow it. Reacting to President Pranab Mukherjees comments on Thursday, flagging the rising culture of intolerance with regard to the ongoing campus violence, Javadekar called for a closer reading of the message. The President was also unequivocal in stressing that there was no space for violence in campuses, he said. Later, speaking to The New Indian Express on the sidelines of the summit, Javadekar vehemently condemned the acts of protesting students and called it a human rights violation. Protest is not anti-social as long as it is democratic. Confining a VC, for a whole night, that too without food, along with senior colleagues who were also diabetic... that is undemocratic and it is a human rights violation, he said. Breaking his silence on the issue for the first time, Javadekar said he had better things to do than make statements. I dont think the MHRD has to jump in every time and react to issues because we have many things to do and we are doing it better than the others. CHENNAI: Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday sought to play down the ongoing protest by Delhi University students in the wake of violence at the Ramjas College last week in the national capital, saying that only a few colleges were dissenting. Javadekar was responding to questions posed by TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla and Editor GS Vasu, after delivering the inaugural address at the fifth edition of ThinkEdu Conclave, an annual education summit, organised by The New Indian Express. It is just 2 or 3 colleges that are dissenting. There are 790 others and I can tell you that all of them are busy preparing for their examinations, the minister said. Stating that it was the general public who were paying for the education of these students, Javadekar said, We spend Rs 2,60,000 per student a year at these Central Universities. That is paid for by the poor sections of the society. Claiming that he was in favour of freedom of expression, the Union Minister went on to add that the same was not an excuse to break the country. I think our senior leaders have spoken their mind and thats our partys line. We believe in freedom of expression, but not in breaking the country. He then recounted his prison days during the Emergency and claimed that he had fought much more for freedom of expression than most others. I have fought for freedom of expression at the time of the emergency, when Indira Gandhi was in power. Ive spent months in the jail. I have experienced the cost of dissenting for real freedom, he said. After all, nobody, not even the Supreme Court will accept having Azaadi posters being put up. Nobody will allow it. Reacting to President Pranab Mukherjees comments on Thursday, flagging the rising culture of intolerance with regard to the ongoing campus violence, Javadekar called for a closer reading of the message. The President was also unequivocal in stressing that there was no space for violence in campuses, he said. Later, speaking to The New Indian Express on the sidelines of the summit, Javadekar vehemently condemned the acts of protesting students and called it a human rights violation. Protest is not anti-social as long as it is democratic. Confining a VC, for a whole night, that too without food, along with senior colleagues who were also diabetic... that is undemocratic and it is a human rights violation, he said. Breaking his silence on the issue for the first time, Javadekar said he had better things to do than make statements. I dont think the MHRD has to jump in every time and react to issues because we have many things to do and we are doing it better than the others. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Honouring a helicopter unit for its meritorious works, including its stellar role in confining terrorists to a restricted area during last years terror attack on Pathankot Air Force Station, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said this helped in reducing casualties. On Friday, the President presented the standard and colours to 125 Helicopter Squadron and Mechanical Training Institute at Air Force Station, Tambaram. The Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami were also present at the ceremony. It may be noted that Indian Air Forces oldest training institute is in Tambaram. The Pathankot-based 125 Helicopter squadron, is also known as Gladiators or Mudalai by Sri Lankan Tamils. Later addressing the gathering, he said, India, is a responsible and emerging power in multipolar, multilateral world. The ever changing socio- economic and geo-political scenario in our region of influence demands a strong deterrent against those with nefarious designs to affect the progress, prosperity and security of our nation. Apart from providing deterrence against inimical entities, both external and internal, the armed forces have been at the forefront of providing succour to the citizens during natural calamities, he said. He also pointed out that the service rendered by the Indian Air Force during floods in Uttarakhand, Kashmir Valley and Tamil Nadu will always be remembered by the entire nation. The President said the IAF has evolved into a technologically advanced entity whilst safeguarding the sovereignty of our nation. The institute in Tambaram raised in 1935, had undergone changes in nomenclature as well as locations over the years and was rechristened as Mechanical Training Institute in 1980. The institute strives to lay the foundation for continuous development of technical competence in Mechanical Aviation trades. There was also a display of precision and daredevilry by the Air warriors drill team. An air show by Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT) won the admiration. CHENNAI: Honouring a helicopter unit for its meritorious works, including its stellar role in confining terrorists to a restricted area during last years terror attack on Pathankot Air Force Station, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said this helped in reducing casualties. On Friday, the President presented the standard and colours to 125 Helicopter Squadron and Mechanical Training Institute at Air Force Station, Tambaram. The Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami were also present at the ceremony. It may be noted that Indian Air Forces oldest training institute is in Tambaram. The Pathankot-based 125 Helicopter squadron, is also known as Gladiators or Mudalai by Sri Lankan Tamils. Later addressing the gathering, he said, India, is a responsible and emerging power in multipolar, multilateral world. The ever changing socio- economic and geo-political scenario in our region of influence demands a strong deterrent against those with nefarious designs to affect the progress, prosperity and security of our nation. Apart from providing deterrence against inimical entities, both external and internal, the armed forces have been at the forefront of providing succour to the citizens during natural calamities, he said. He also pointed out that the service rendered by the Indian Air Force during floods in Uttarakhand, Kashmir Valley and Tamil Nadu will always be remembered by the entire nation. The President said the IAF has evolved into a technologically advanced entity whilst safeguarding the sovereignty of our nation. The institute in Tambaram raised in 1935, had undergone changes in nomenclature as well as locations over the years and was rechristened as Mechanical Training Institute in 1980. The institute strives to lay the foundation for continuous development of technical competence in Mechanical Aviation trades. There was also a display of precision and daredevilry by the Air warriors drill team. An air show by Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT) won the admiration. G Parthasarathy By Maulana Masood Azhar and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed have the dubious distinction of being terrorists, who are household names in India. Both were proteges of the ISI-CIA jihad against the Soviet Union, in Afghanistan. Both participated actively in the ISI-sponsored jihadist terrorism in J&K and elsewhere in India. They have also actively participated in strengthening and reinforcing the Afghan Taliban on Pakistan and Afghan soil. Both the terrorist outfitsJaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)/Jamaat-ud Dawathey lead, face UN sanctions apart from sanctions by countries such as the US, UK, members of European Union, Australia and Russia. The US has placed a bounty of $10 million for those who facilitate the arrest and prosecution of Saeed for his role in the 26/11 terrorist attack, where American nationals were targeted and killed. Saeeds detention has led to many innocents in India asking whether this would lead to his conviction and end ISI-sponsored terrorist activities against India. The reality is that placing Saeed under detention and then releasing him is a ritual Pakistan undertakes whenever external pressures, especially from the US, grow. Saeed has been placed under detention and released on six earlier occasionstwice after attacks on the Red Fort and Parliament in Delhi, twice after the Mumbai train bombings in 2006, and twice after the 26/11 attack in Mumbai. Even Saeeds lieutenants, such as Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi who fathered a baby while in jail, have received similar consideration from the ISI. Azhar was arrested in Srinagar in 1994, only to be set free along with two other terrorists during the hijacking of IC 814. He returned to mastermind the December 2001 terrorist attack on our Parliament in Delhi. At a speech in Karachi in January 2000, after his release by India, Azhar had proclaimed, Muslims should not rest in peace till we have destroyed India. Like Saeed, Azhar was briefly detained, but kept out of public view till 2009. The ISI kept Azhar under wraps in his hometown Bahawalpur in southern Punjab, because of JeMs involvement in a plot to assassinate President Musharraf in 2003, after he pledged his support to Americas War on Terror. But, in 2014, the ISI decided that Azhar and JeM could add strength to their support for jihad in Kashmir. It needs to be borne in mind that while in sectarian terms Saeed and LeT belong to the Ahl-e-hadith sect, Azhar describes himself as Deobandi and enjoys widespread support in southern Punjab and in the Pashtun homelands in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The JeM remains a UN-designated terrorist organisation, thoughthanks to the support and veto of Pakistans all-weather friend President Xi Jinping of ChinaAzhar has personally not yet been designated as an international terrorist. Moreover, while Saeed was able to escape American sanctions for years because of his readiness to cooperate against American targeted groups such as Al Qaeda; Azhar has been a strong supporter, ideologically, of both the Afghan Taliban (because of shared Deobandi beliefs) and the Al Qaeda. Both Saeed and Azhar, who were responsible for the attack on the Pathankot airbase, are however united in their passion to destroy India. In these circumstances, it would be naive and indeed a blunder to presume that Pakistans politico-military establishment is preparing to renounce the use of terrorism as an instrument of State policy against India. We should be prepared to use all means necessarystrategic, covert and overtto raise the costs for Pakistan for continued sponsorship of terrorism against us. G Parthasarathy Former diplomat dadpartha@gmail.com Maulana Masood Azhar and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed have the dubious distinction of being terrorists, who are household names in India. Both were proteges of the ISI-CIA jihad against the Soviet Union, in Afghanistan. Both participated actively in the ISI-sponsored jihadist terrorism in J&K and elsewhere in India. They have also actively participated in strengthening and reinforcing the Afghan Taliban on Pakistan and Afghan soil. Both the terrorist outfitsJaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)/Jamaat-ud Dawathey lead, face UN sanctions apart from sanctions by countries such as the US, UK, members of European Union, Australia and Russia. The US has placed a bounty of $10 million for those who facilitate the arrest and prosecution of Saeed for his role in the 26/11 terrorist attack, where American nationals were targeted and killed. Saeeds detention has led to many innocents in India asking whether this would lead to his conviction and end ISI-sponsored terrorist activities against India. The reality is that placing Saeed under detention and then releasing him is a ritual Pakistan undertakes whenever external pressures, especially from the US, grow. Saeed has been placed under detention and released on six earlier occasionstwice after attacks on the Red Fort and Parliament in Delhi, twice after the Mumbai train bombings in 2006, and twice after the 26/11 attack in Mumbai. Even Saeeds lieutenants, such as Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi who fathered a baby while in jail, have received similar consideration from the ISI. Azhar was arrested in Srinagar in 1994, only to be set free along with two other terrorists during the hijacking of IC 814. He returned to mastermind the December 2001 terrorist attack on our Parliament in Delhi. At a speech in Karachi in January 2000, after his release by India, Azhar had proclaimed, Muslims should not rest in peace till we have destroyed India. Like Saeed, Azhar was briefly detained, but kept out of public view till 2009. The ISI kept Azhar under wraps in his hometown Bahawalpur in southern Punjab, because of JeMs involvement in a plot to assassinate President Musharraf in 2003, after he pledged his support to Americas War on Terror. But, in 2014, the ISI decided that Azhar and JeM could add strength to their support for jihad in Kashmir. It needs to be borne in mind that while in sectarian terms Saeed and LeT belong to the Ahl-e-hadith sect, Azhar describes himself as Deobandi and enjoys widespread support in southern Punjab and in the Pashtun homelands in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The JeM remains a UN-designated terrorist organisation, thoughthanks to the support and veto of Pakistans all-weather friend President Xi Jinping of ChinaAzhar has personally not yet been designated as an international terrorist. Moreover, while Saeed was able to escape American sanctions for years because of his readiness to cooperate against American targeted groups such as Al Qaeda; Azhar has been a strong supporter, ideologically, of both the Afghan Taliban (because of shared Deobandi beliefs) and the Al Qaeda. Both Saeed and Azhar, who were responsible for the attack on the Pathankot airbase, are however united in their passion to destroy India. In these circumstances, it would be naive and indeed a blunder to presume that Pakistans politico-military establishment is preparing to renounce the use of terrorism as an instrument of State policy against India. We should be prepared to use all means necessarystrategic, covert and overtto raise the costs for Pakistan for continued sponsorship of terrorism against us. G Parthasarathy Former diplomat dadpartha@gmail.com By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A special court on Saturday granted bail to two Indian associates of European middleman Christian Michel James in a money laundering case relating to the now-scrapped Rs3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal. Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of accused R K Nanda and J B Subramaniyam after the two furnished a personal bond of Rs one lakh each and a surety of the same amount. The judge also directed the duo not to leave the country without the court's prior permission and not to tamper with evidence or influence the witnesses. Counsel for the Enforcement Directorate Advocate N K Matta opposed the bail applications contending there was enough evidence on record to suggest their prima facie involvement in the case. The court had last year issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against James and summoned his Indian associates who were directors of Media Exim Pvt Ltd, a firm created by the European middleman. In its complaint, the ED had claimed that the three middlemen "managed" to make inroads into the IAF in order to influence and subvert the service ceiling (maximum altitude at which a helicopter can fly) from 6,000 to 4,500 metres in 2005 after which AgustaWestland was able to bid for the tender for which it was otherwise ineligible. NEW DELHI: A special court on Saturday granted bail to two Indian associates of European middleman Christian Michel James in a money laundering case relating to the now-scrapped Rs3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal. Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of accused R K Nanda and J B Subramaniyam after the two furnished a personal bond of Rs one lakh each and a surety of the same amount. The judge also directed the duo not to leave the country without the court's prior permission and not to tamper with evidence or influence the witnesses. Counsel for the Enforcement Directorate Advocate N K Matta opposed the bail applications contending there was enough evidence on record to suggest their prima facie involvement in the case. The court had last year issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against James and summoned his Indian associates who were directors of Media Exim Pvt Ltd, a firm created by the European middleman. In its complaint, the ED had claimed that the three middlemen "managed" to make inroads into the IAF in order to influence and subvert the service ceiling (maximum altitude at which a helicopter can fly) from 6,000 to 4,500 metres in 2005 after which AgustaWestland was able to bid for the tender for which it was otherwise ineligible. Namita bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: While the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh is set to vote in the crucial penultimate phase of Assembly polls on Saturday, the western part of the State is on the boil once again. The flame of communal tension, which began in Bulandshahr, has now reached Lakhimpur Kheri in Terai. There was a flare-up in Kehri after an objectionable video featuring gods and goddesses went viral on Thursday. Two persons were injured in skirmishes that followed and two main accused were held by the police. Lakhimpur Kheri is still under the curfew with a relaxation of three hours. Western UP has always been considered as a communally sensitive region, especially after the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 and Dadri mob lynching in 2015. The manner in which a series of minor incidents took communal overtones in a recent couple of days is an indication that all is not well in the States sugar bowl. Since February 25, just before the fifth phase of polling, even small scuffles and altercations have brought the two communities face-to-face a number of times. The emergent post-poll scenario in the west, which remained relatively silent when the region went to vote, is sending not-so-good signals and is keeping the administration on its toes. Very much on the lines of Lakhimpur Kheri, a video showing a man using objectionable language against gods and goddesses also emerged in Bulandshahr. The clip went viral and triggered clashes in which three people were injured. The atmosphere in Muzaffarnagar was so charged with a communal passion that a minor altercation between a Dalit and a Muslim youth spiralled into an ugly scenario, with members from both communities indulging in stone pelting. Top cops in the State are seeing a design to the flare-ups and suspect a conspiracy. There were a couple of incidents when pieces of meat, probably of a bovine, were found outside a temple and at a farm, leading to tension, said a senior IPS officer, suspecting a conspiracy. LUCKNOW: While the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh is set to vote in the crucial penultimate phase of Assembly polls on Saturday, the western part of the State is on the boil once again. The flame of communal tension, which began in Bulandshahr, has now reached Lakhimpur Kheri in Terai. There was a flare-up in Kehri after an objectionable video featuring gods and goddesses went viral on Thursday. Two persons were injured in skirmishes that followed and two main accused were held by the police. Lakhimpur Kheri is still under the curfew with a relaxation of three hours. Western UP has always been considered as a communally sensitive region, especially after the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 and Dadri mob lynching in 2015. The manner in which a series of minor incidents took communal overtones in a recent couple of days is an indication that all is not well in the States sugar bowl. Since February 25, just before the fifth phase of polling, even small scuffles and altercations have brought the two communities face-to-face a number of times. The emergent post-poll scenario in the west, which remained relatively silent when the region went to vote, is sending not-so-good signals and is keeping the administration on its toes. Very much on the lines of Lakhimpur Kheri, a video showing a man using objectionable language against gods and goddesses also emerged in Bulandshahr. The clip went viral and triggered clashes in which three people were injured. The atmosphere in Muzaffarnagar was so charged with a communal passion that a minor altercation between a Dalit and a Muslim youth spiralled into an ugly scenario, with members from both communities indulging in stone pelting. Top cops in the State are seeing a design to the flare-ups and suspect a conspiracy. There were a couple of incidents when pieces of meat, probably of a bovine, were found outside a temple and at a farm, leading to tension, said a senior IPS officer, suspecting a conspiracy. By IANS NOIDA: Former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and parliamentarian Syed Shahabuddin, who was suffering from a prolonged illness, died at a hospital in this suburb of the national capital on Saturday morning, a close aide said. "Shahabuddin, former President of All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat left for heavenly abode this morning at 6.22 a.m., " close associate Navaid Hamid, who is currently President of the All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat said. He was admitted at the Jaypee Hospital, Noida. NOIDA: Former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and parliamentarian Syed Shahabuddin, who was suffering from a prolonged illness, died at a hospital in this suburb of the national capital on Saturday morning, a close aide said. "Shahabuddin, former President of All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat left for heavenly abode this morning at 6.22 a.m., " close associate Navaid Hamid, who is currently President of the All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat said. He was admitted at the Jaypee Hospital, Noida. Abhijit Mulye By Express News Service MUMBAI: In what can be termed as strategic retreat, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday made it clear that the BJP would not field its candidate in the election for any of the posts in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), giving Shiv Sena a chance to have a complete hold on the civic body. The move is expected to ensure a smooth sail for the state government during the budget season of the State Assembly, which is scheduled to start on March 6. Fadnavis also announced that the government would appoint an addituonal Upa-Lokayukta to ensure "transparency" in the conduct of BMC. He also said that a committee of three retired bureaucrats would be formed to invite recommendations to ensure increased transparency in all the local bodies across the State. "The BJP shall act as 'transparency guards' in the BMC," Fadnavis said. "BJP won't claim the opposition status either. We would be open to support to the ruling Shiv Sena whenever the need arises," he said while replying to a question. Senior Sena leader and transport minister Diwakar Raote expressed pleasure over the decision. "It is good that the BJP has decided to obey the people's verdict in Mumbai," he said. The Shiv Sena had won 84 and BJP 82 corporators in recent BMC election. The NCP condemned the decision. "BJP has fooled the voters of Mumbai. Both the BJP and the Shiv Sena do not have a clear mandate. We would have appreciated if the BJP had sat in the opposition," city NCP president Sachin Ahir said. State Congress president Ashok Chavan interpreted the decision as CM's attempt to save his own seat rather than an attempt to build transparency. "Fadnavis has let down the people of Mumbai. He has literally given the keys of treasure of Mumbai to those whom he had accused of looting it," he said. With the decision, the Shiv Sena would be under moral obligation to continue supporting the State government even while its actions in the corporation would constantly be under scanner. The decision has also put a full stop on speculations of mid-term polls in the State. The decision has caressed Shiv Sena's ego by giving them a free hand in BMC. This might also have another component wherein Shiv Sena might be compelled to support the BJP in other local bodies across the State. However, nothing was said on the same by any of the sides on Saturday. The decision has completely transformed the political scenario in the State. The opposition, which is demoralised in the wake of one of the worst defeats in the local body elections in rural Maharashtra and had hardly any concrete material against the ruling side, was solely banking on possibilities of the Shiv Sena pulling out of the government during the budget session. Now that the possibility has withered away, they might choose to humiliate the Shiv Sena, which might be desirous to the BJP. MUMBAI: In what can be termed as strategic retreat, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday made it clear that the BJP would not field its candidate in the election for any of the posts in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), giving Shiv Sena a chance to have a complete hold on the civic body. The move is expected to ensure a smooth sail for the state government during the budget season of the State Assembly, which is scheduled to start on March 6. Fadnavis also announced that the government would appoint an addituonal Upa-Lokayukta to ensure "transparency" in the conduct of BMC. He also said that a committee of three retired bureaucrats would be formed to invite recommendations to ensure increased transparency in all the local bodies across the State. "The BJP shall act as 'transparency guards' in the BMC," Fadnavis said. "BJP won't claim the opposition status either. We would be open to support to the ruling Shiv Sena whenever the need arises," he said while replying to a question. Senior Sena leader and transport minister Diwakar Raote expressed pleasure over the decision. "It is good that the BJP has decided to obey the people's verdict in Mumbai," he said. The Shiv Sena had won 84 and BJP 82 corporators in recent BMC election. The NCP condemned the decision. "BJP has fooled the voters of Mumbai. Both the BJP and the Shiv Sena do not have a clear mandate. We would have appreciated if the BJP had sat in the opposition," city NCP president Sachin Ahir said. State Congress president Ashok Chavan interpreted the decision as CM's attempt to save his own seat rather than an attempt to build transparency. "Fadnavis has let down the people of Mumbai. He has literally given the keys of treasure of Mumbai to those whom he had accused of looting it," he said. With the decision, the Shiv Sena would be under moral obligation to continue supporting the State government even while its actions in the corporation would constantly be under scanner. The decision has also put a full stop on speculations of mid-term polls in the State. The decision has caressed Shiv Sena's ego by giving them a free hand in BMC. This might also have another component wherein Shiv Sena might be compelled to support the BJP in other local bodies across the State. However, nothing was said on the same by any of the sides on Saturday. The decision has completely transformed the political scenario in the State. The opposition, which is demoralised in the wake of one of the worst defeats in the local body elections in rural Maharashtra and had hardly any concrete material against the ruling side, was solely banking on possibilities of the Shiv Sena pulling out of the government during the budget session. Now that the possibility has withered away, they might choose to humiliate the Shiv Sena, which might be desirous to the BJP. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Former home minister P Chidambaram on Saturday expressed concern about the shrinking public spaces for debate and dissent in the country. At the launch of his book, "Fearless in Opposition," the Congress leader said the muzzling of dissent was "a disturbing trend." His comments come in the wake of protests at Delhi University in which students, teachers, and journalists were caught in a clash between the RSS's student wing, ABVP, and other students, primarily belonging to left-wing organisations. "Public spaces for debate and dissent have shrunk," Chidambaram said. "Universities too are no more public spaces. Today, dissent is labelled anti-national. This is disturbing because dissent is the essence of any democracy and a country with no dissent has no freedom." Chidambaram highlighted how these days an argument starts at one point and ends up at a completely unrelated issue. He said the most recent example of this was when DU student Gurmehar Kaur put up a video condemning the ABVP, but soon the issue spiralled into a question of her nationalism after focus shifted to another of her videos, which people misconstrued because she said in it thay it was war that had killed her father, Pakistan. Gurmehar Kaur was sent rape threats and became the object of much public scrutiny. Chidambaram said he saluted the young woman's courage as she was merely advocating pacificism as a way of bridging relationships. "Fear is the prevailing sentiment," he said, pointing to the rape threats and other means of suppression used to stop people from exercising their freedom of expression. "The quality required today is fearlessness. As public spaces shrink, it is necessary for some people to stand up. People must be able to express their views fearlessly," he stressed. Moving on to the other big issue that in the recent times has affected the lives of a large number of people, the former finance minister also reiterated his stand against the government's move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. When asked what he would have done differently if he were finance minister, he remarked that he would have resigned on November 8. "I don't think it (demonetisation) was implemented badly, I think it was a terrible idea," he said. "Credit growth in the industry is negative and nobody is borrowing. Clearly, demonetisation has affected India's economy." He clarified that he did not think the ruling government lacked talent but he did not agree with all decision making being centralised. He emphasised his point when he said the Banking Secretary, Finance Secretary and Chief Economic Advisor were not consulted before a big move like demonetisation was launched. Even as the effects of demonetisation still continue, and some ATMs still have no cash, the move by banks to charge a fee for transactions after a certain limit, was also criticised by Chidambaram. He called it a "retrograde move". CHENNAI: Former home minister P Chidambaram on Saturday expressed concern about the shrinking public spaces for debate and dissent in the country. At the launch of his book, "Fearless in Opposition," the Congress leader said the muzzling of dissent was "a disturbing trend." His comments come in the wake of protests at Delhi University in which students, teachers, and journalists were caught in a clash between the RSS's student wing, ABVP, and other students, primarily belonging to left-wing organisations. "Public spaces for debate and dissent have shrunk," Chidambaram said. "Universities too are no more public spaces. Today, dissent is labelled anti-national. This is disturbing because dissent is the essence of any democracy and a country with no dissent has no freedom." Chidambaram highlighted how these days an argument starts at one point and ends up at a completely unrelated issue. He said the most recent example of this was when DU student Gurmehar Kaur put up a video condemning the ABVP, but soon the issue spiralled into a question of her nationalism after focus shifted to another of her videos, which people misconstrued because she said in it thay it was war that had killed her father, Pakistan. Gurmehar Kaur was sent rape threats and became the object of much public scrutiny. Chidambaram said he saluted the young woman's courage as she was merely advocating pacificism as a way of bridging relationships. "Fear is the prevailing sentiment," he said, pointing to the rape threats and other means of suppression used to stop people from exercising their freedom of expression. "The quality required today is fearlessness. As public spaces shrink, it is necessary for some people to stand up. People must be able to express their views fearlessly," he stressed. Moving on to the other big issue that in the recent times has affected the lives of a large number of people, the former finance minister also reiterated his stand against the government's move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. When asked what he would have done differently if he were finance minister, he remarked that he would have resigned on November 8. "I don't think it (demonetisation) was implemented badly, I think it was a terrible idea," he said. "Credit growth in the industry is negative and nobody is borrowing. Clearly, demonetisation has affected India's economy." He clarified that he did not think the ruling government lacked talent but he did not agree with all decision making being centralised. He emphasised his point when he said the Banking Secretary, Finance Secretary and Chief Economic Advisor were not consulted before a big move like demonetisation was launched. Even as the effects of demonetisation still continue, and some ATMs still have no cash, the move by banks to charge a fee for transactions after a certain limit, was also criticised by Chidambaram. He called it a "retrograde move". By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Ahead of the annual Indus Water Commission meeting with Lahore, Centre has persuaded states of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab to reach an agreement to resume works on Shahpur Kandi Dam project in states. The construction of Shahpur Kandi project was taken up in May 1999 but later halted in 2014 due to dispute between Punjab and J&K. The ministry of water resources had been making all out efforts to resolve the issues and resume construction which resulted in yesterdays agreement. The 55.5 high Shahpur Kandi dam, located in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, will help in providing irrigation facility to 5000 hectares of land in Punjab and 32173 hectares in J&K besides generation of 206 MW power. Both the states have finally reached an agreement and it was signed by KS Pannu, Secretary (Irrigation), Punjab and Saurabh Bhagat, Secretary (Irrigation), J&K late Friday. The project was being built with an estimated cost of Rs 2285.81 crore and is included in the Scheme of National Projects by Government of India. The design of the project shall be as already agreed by both the states while concurrently model studies will be done to ensure that the mandated share of 1150 cusecs of water is available to the State of J&K, which will be binding on both the States, said a water ministry official. The project will continue to be implemented by the Government of Punjab. However, there will be a tripartite team headed by Member, CWC and consisting of Chief Engineers of two States to monitor the project as and when required but atleast once in three months to ensure that the construction is as per the agreement. The balance costs on account of compensation for land acquisition in respect of Thein Dam, as per the agreement would be paid for by the Government of Punjab promptly. In addition, jobs to the displaced people would be given by the State Government of Punjab as per the agreed R&R policy of both the states. Punjab government would be making available to J&K 20 percent share in the total power generated at the Thein Dam at the mutually agreed rate of Rs 3.50 per unit immediately, subject to the confirmation of the rates by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. Both the States agreed that other issues will be referred to arbitration mechanism provided in the agreement signed between two states of 1979 without affecting the progress of work. It was unanimously agreed that the work on the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project would resume as soon both the State Governments formally approve the agreed decisions, the official added. NEW DELHI: Ahead of the annual Indus Water Commission meeting with Lahore, Centre has persuaded states of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab to reach an agreement to resume works on Shahpur Kandi Dam project in states. The construction of Shahpur Kandi project was taken up in May 1999 but later halted in 2014 due to dispute between Punjab and J&K. The ministry of water resources had been making all out efforts to resolve the issues and resume construction which resulted in yesterdays agreement. The 55.5 high Shahpur Kandi dam, located in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, will help in providing irrigation facility to 5000 hectares of land in Punjab and 32173 hectares in J&K besides generation of 206 MW power. Both the states have finally reached an agreement and it was signed by KS Pannu, Secretary (Irrigation), Punjab and Saurabh Bhagat, Secretary (Irrigation), J&K late Friday. The project was being built with an estimated cost of Rs 2285.81 crore and is included in the Scheme of National Projects by Government of India. The design of the project shall be as already agreed by both the states while concurrently model studies will be done to ensure that the mandated share of 1150 cusecs of water is available to the State of J&K, which will be binding on both the States, said a water ministry official. The project will continue to be implemented by the Government of Punjab. However, there will be a tripartite team headed by Member, CWC and consisting of Chief Engineers of two States to monitor the project as and when required but atleast once in three months to ensure that the construction is as per the agreement. The balance costs on account of compensation for land acquisition in respect of Thein Dam, as per the agreement would be paid for by the Government of Punjab promptly. In addition, jobs to the displaced people would be given by the State Government of Punjab as per the agreed R&R policy of both the states. Punjab government would be making available to J&K 20 percent share in the total power generated at the Thein Dam at the mutually agreed rate of Rs 3.50 per unit immediately, subject to the confirmation of the rates by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. Both the States agreed that other issues will be referred to arbitration mechanism provided in the agreement signed between two states of 1979 without affecting the progress of work. It was unanimously agreed that the work on the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project would resume as soon both the State Governments formally approve the agreed decisions, the official added. Vikram Sharma By Express News Service VARANASI: Finally after a buildup of several weeks, Varanasi had its Modi moment and Modi had his Varanasi moment. Thousands lined the streets of this town in eastern UP as the Prime Minister and his party worked up voter exuberance with a massive road show that underlined two things: one, Narendra Modi has made this UP election a referendum on the performance of his government, and, two, hes not backing away despite the criticism of demonetization. Varanasi on Saturday turned into a political battlefield as all the top guns of this election -- Narendra Modi, Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati -- crossed swords 48 hours before the high-octane campaigning for the UP polls comes to an end. This is the first time that a Prime Minister was holding a road show, indicating the importance Varanasi holds for a win in polls. Nearly a dozen of his cabinet colleagues were in Varanasi to galvanize votes for the BJP. Varanasi goes to polls on March 8. But Modi's road show and two public meetings clearly overshadowed the similar activities Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi organised and the rather less showy events held by BSP supremo Mayawati. Modi presented a mini report card of his government and took on the UP ke ladke over a host of issues including the continued flight of rape-accused minister Gayatri Prajapati. Mayawati chose to attack both her rivals, saying, They know they are going to lose and therefore are measuring the length of the road. Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi took on Modi saying he has not fulfilled any promise in the last two and a half years. The SP-Congress Gatbandhan also accused Modi of conducting a road show without permission. In addition to the massive four-hour road show in Varanasi, Modi and his backroom boys cleverly turned his visit to the Kashi Vishwanath and Baba Bhairavnath temples into quasi-electoral events. The Prime Minister, addressing a public meeting in Jaunpur, sharpened his attack on Akhilesh Yadav, saying he was protecting Gayatri Prajapati. ''The minor girl is crying for justice and Akhilesh is protecting Prajapati. When people do good work, they chant the Gayatri mantra. But the SP-Congress alliance is chanting Gayatri Prajapati mantra.'' Around the time when Akhilesh-Rahul were smiling and waving at people in 9 km road show, Modi accused the rival parties of playing politics with surgical strikes on Pakistan and playing similar politics over OROP for 40 years until we came to power and delivered it.'' On demonetization, he took a jibe at his rivals. ''Buaji (Mayawati), bhateeja (Akhilesh) aur unka yaar (Rahul Gandhi), all got jittery when the note ban came into force. Kya taqleef hui, bhai?'' he asked. To an earlier remark by Akhilesh Yadav that if Modi drove on the Delhi-Agra expressway even he would vote for the SP, Modi gave it back in the same coin. Let Akhilesh and Rahul ride a bicycle across Jaunpur and I assure them even they would not vote for their own party.'' He assured people that once a BJP government is formed in UP, the first decision would be to waive the loans of small farmers. ''We are also laying a gas pipeline from Gujarat to Gorakhpur and once that work is over, everyone will have gas supply.'' Highlighting the law and order problem, he wondered whether all police stations have been turned into SP offices. ''All big criminals have turned jails into their palaces. Let the BJP come to power, a jail will be a jail and a police station will work as a police station.'' Earlier in the day, Mayawati, addressing multiple rallies, took a dig at the Prime Minister and Akhilesh, saying huge turnouts at road shows do not fetch votes. ''Haar ke dar se dono party road naapne mein lagi hai.'' She also took potshots at Modi saying that his promise to turn Varanasi into a smart city has only remained a dream. ''Even the priests of the temples which they visited know that they are going to lose,'' she remarked. Simultaneously, the joint road show of Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi with Dimple Yadav standing in between, went on till 8 p.m. To the SPs embarrassment, at the time when the road show was passing by the Gudaulia chowk, power supply went off and the entire area was plunged into darkness. In fact, throughout the day, power supply got disconnected at least thrice. Briefly addressing party workers, Akhilesh remarked that no one could understand PM's ''mann ki baat.'' ''I can list out 10 development works I have taken up. Can the PM do the same?'' he asked. Rahul Gandhi said Modi had promised to clean up the Ganga, give employment opportunities but failed to keep a single promise. VARANASI: Finally after a buildup of several weeks, Varanasi had its Modi moment and Modi had his Varanasi moment. Thousands lined the streets of this town in eastern UP as the Prime Minister and his party worked up voter exuberance with a massive road show that underlined two things: one, Narendra Modi has made this UP election a referendum on the performance of his government, and, two, hes not backing away despite the criticism of demonetization. Varanasi on Saturday turned into a political battlefield as all the top guns of this election -- Narendra Modi, Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati -- crossed swords 48 hours before the high-octane campaigning for the UP polls comes to an end. This is the first time that a Prime Minister was holding a road show, indicating the importance Varanasi holds for a win in polls. Nearly a dozen of his cabinet colleagues were in Varanasi to galvanize votes for the BJP. Varanasi goes to polls on March 8. But Modi's road show and two public meetings clearly overshadowed the similar activities Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi organised and the rather less showy events held by BSP supremo Mayawati. Modi presented a mini report card of his government and took on the UP ke ladke over a host of issues including the continued flight of rape-accused minister Gayatri Prajapati. Mayawati chose to attack both her rivals, saying, They know they are going to lose and therefore are measuring the length of the road. Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi took on Modi saying he has not fulfilled any promise in the last two and a half years. The SP-Congress Gatbandhan also accused Modi of conducting a road show without permission. In addition to the massive four-hour road show in Varanasi, Modi and his backroom boys cleverly turned his visit to the Kashi Vishwanath and Baba Bhairavnath temples into quasi-electoral events. The Prime Minister, addressing a public meeting in Jaunpur, sharpened his attack on Akhilesh Yadav, saying he was protecting Gayatri Prajapati. ''The minor girl is crying for justice and Akhilesh is protecting Prajapati. When people do good work, they chant the Gayatri mantra. But the SP-Congress alliance is chanting Gayatri Prajapati mantra.'' Around the time when Akhilesh-Rahul were smiling and waving at people in 9 km road show, Modi accused the rival parties of playing politics with surgical strikes on Pakistan and playing similar politics over OROP for 40 years until we came to power and delivered it.'' On demonetization, he took a jibe at his rivals. ''Buaji (Mayawati), bhateeja (Akhilesh) aur unka yaar (Rahul Gandhi), all got jittery when the note ban came into force. Kya taqleef hui, bhai?'' he asked. To an earlier remark by Akhilesh Yadav that if Modi drove on the Delhi-Agra expressway even he would vote for the SP, Modi gave it back in the same coin. Let Akhilesh and Rahul ride a bicycle across Jaunpur and I assure them even they would not vote for their own party.'' He assured people that once a BJP government is formed in UP, the first decision would be to waive the loans of small farmers. ''We are also laying a gas pipeline from Gujarat to Gorakhpur and once that work is over, everyone will have gas supply.'' Highlighting the law and order problem, he wondered whether all police stations have been turned into SP offices. ''All big criminals have turned jails into their palaces. Let the BJP come to power, a jail will be a jail and a police station will work as a police station.'' Earlier in the day, Mayawati, addressing multiple rallies, took a dig at the Prime Minister and Akhilesh, saying huge turnouts at road shows do not fetch votes. ''Haar ke dar se dono party road naapne mein lagi hai.'' She also took potshots at Modi saying that his promise to turn Varanasi into a smart city has only remained a dream. ''Even the priests of the temples which they visited know that they are going to lose,'' she remarked. Simultaneously, the joint road show of Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi with Dimple Yadav standing in between, went on till 8 p.m. To the SPs embarrassment, at the time when the road show was passing by the Gudaulia chowk, power supply went off and the entire area was plunged into darkness. In fact, throughout the day, power supply got disconnected at least thrice. Briefly addressing party workers, Akhilesh remarked that no one could understand PM's ''mann ki baat.'' ''I can list out 10 development works I have taken up. Can the PM do the same?'' he asked. Rahul Gandhi said Modi had promised to clean up the Ganga, give employment opportunities but failed to keep a single promise. By IANS NEW DELHI: A court here on Saturday granted bail to two more accused in the case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore ($528 million) AgustaWestland helicopter deal. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of Delhi-based Media Exim Pvt. Ltd's Director R.K. Nanda and former Director J.B. Subramaniyam on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 1 lakh and sureties of the like amount each. After considering a supplementary charge sheet in the case, the court had earlier said there was sufficient evidence against Nanda and Subramaniyam under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June last year filed a fresh charge sheet against British national Christian Michel James, Media Exim, Nanda and Subramaniyam in its ongoing money laundering probe into the helicopter deal. According to the ED, Media Exim is a shell company of James and allegedly incorporated for facilitating transactions of kickbacks paid to James by Finmeccanica, a group firm of AgustaWestland. James allegedly received around Rs 225 crore as kickbacks from AgustaWestland for the deal inked for the purchase of 12 helicopters in the guise of transactions for performing multiple work contracts in the country. The agency is said to have found that of the kickbacks received by James, Rs 6.33 crore was routed to India through his shell company Media Exim from his Dubai-based Global Services FZE. "Nanda and Subramaniyam were appointed Directors of Media Exim Pvt. Ltd., who willingly and knowingly connived with James and helped him in acquiring immovable and movable properties or assets in Delhi, which have already been attached," the ED had said. ED and CBI had also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against James after a city court issued a non-bailable warrant against him. Investigators said James is currently staying in Dubai. Earlier the court had granted bail to other accused in the case, including former Indian Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based lawyer and businessman Gautam Khaitan. The first charge sheet was filed in the case in November 2014 against Gautam Khaitan, his wife Ritu, Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix and Gerosa and Haschke. NEW DELHI: A court here on Saturday granted bail to two more accused in the case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore ($528 million) AgustaWestland helicopter deal. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of Delhi-based Media Exim Pvt. Ltd's Director R.K. Nanda and former Director J.B. Subramaniyam on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 1 lakh and sureties of the like amount each. After considering a supplementary charge sheet in the case, the court had earlier said there was sufficient evidence against Nanda and Subramaniyam under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June last year filed a fresh charge sheet against British national Christian Michel James, Media Exim, Nanda and Subramaniyam in its ongoing money laundering probe into the helicopter deal. According to the ED, Media Exim is a shell company of James and allegedly incorporated for facilitating transactions of kickbacks paid to James by Finmeccanica, a group firm of AgustaWestland. James allegedly received around Rs 225 crore as kickbacks from AgustaWestland for the deal inked for the purchase of 12 helicopters in the guise of transactions for performing multiple work contracts in the country. The agency is said to have found that of the kickbacks received by James, Rs 6.33 crore was routed to India through his shell company Media Exim from his Dubai-based Global Services FZE. "Nanda and Subramaniyam were appointed Directors of Media Exim Pvt. Ltd., who willingly and knowingly connived with James and helped him in acquiring immovable and movable properties or assets in Delhi, which have already been attached," the ED had said. ED and CBI had also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against James after a city court issued a non-bailable warrant against him. Investigators said James is currently staying in Dubai. Earlier the court had granted bail to other accused in the case, including former Indian Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based lawyer and businessman Gautam Khaitan. The first charge sheet was filed in the case in November 2014 against Gautam Khaitan, his wife Ritu, Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix and Gerosa and Haschke. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Manipurs iconic activist Irom Sharmila last month said she would get married after the elections. It seems her boyfriend Desmond Coutinho has now developed cold feet. Whatever the result of the election, I will not be marrying Irom Sharmila until after the elections in 2019 (Lok Sabha). She has too much work to do in Manipur, Desmond said in a Facebook post on Saturday. The British citizen with Goan roots has been with Sharmila for years. Desmond said Sharmila had to build up her political party Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) with widespread Manipuri representation from all communities living in the State. We are no teenagers. Two more years is not long to wait, he said. It is not about winning but allowing people the option to take responsibility for their own lives grow up in a democracy. She has forged good alliances with the LDF (Left Democratic Front) both in Manipur and in India. Various leaders from the diverse communities of Manipur have reached out to her. And there is two million rupees in the war chest. There will be work to be done in and for Manipur, posted Desmond. Desmond also used unparliamentary language in the post and like in the past, drew ire in Manipur. On Saturday, his criticism was for Sharmilas vocal supporter, Laba Yambem. Friends hear from Desmond Coutinho stating that he will only be marrying Sharmila the MLA and not Sharmila the hunger-striking activist who he was able to lure with his charms, said Yambem. Now I can dare say publicly that should anything untoward happen to Sharmila, the onus should lie on Desmond Coutinho ji alone, he said. Yambem said after hearing what Desmond said, if something were to happen to Sharmila then there was a provision in the Indian Penal Code called guilty for abetment to suicide. GUWAHATI: Manipurs iconic activist Irom Sharmila last month said she would get married after the elections. It seems her boyfriend Desmond Coutinho has now developed cold feet. Whatever the result of the election, I will not be marrying Irom Sharmila until after the elections in 2019 (Lok Sabha). She has too much work to do in Manipur, Desmond said in a Facebook post on Saturday. The British citizen with Goan roots has been with Sharmila for years. Desmond said Sharmila had to build up her political party Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) with widespread Manipuri representation from all communities living in the State. We are no teenagers. Two more years is not long to wait, he said. It is not about winning but allowing people the option to take responsibility for their own lives grow up in a democracy. She has forged good alliances with the LDF (Left Democratic Front) both in Manipur and in India. Various leaders from the diverse communities of Manipur have reached out to her. And there is two million rupees in the war chest. There will be work to be done in and for Manipur, posted Desmond. Desmond also used unparliamentary language in the post and like in the past, drew ire in Manipur. On Saturday, his criticism was for Sharmilas vocal supporter, Laba Yambem. Friends hear from Desmond Coutinho stating that he will only be marrying Sharmila the MLA and not Sharmila the hunger-striking activist who he was able to lure with his charms, said Yambem. Now I can dare say publicly that should anything untoward happen to Sharmila, the onus should lie on Desmond Coutinho ji alone, he said. Yambem said after hearing what Desmond said, if something were to happen to Sharmila then there was a provision in the Indian Penal Code called guilty for abetment to suicide. Ravi Shankar By Considering Attila tolerant is as historically heretical as comparing Swami Vivekananda to a Jesuit. The Presidents speech at the KS Rajamony Memorial Lecture appealed for amitythere should be no room in India for the intolerant Indian, he declared. Which begs the questionWho is the tolerant Indian? In todays divided national narrative, anyone pathologically opposed to Narendra Modi and his agenda is considered tolerant while those who believe in Hindutva as a political ideology is deemed intolerant. A little-known fact about Attila is his religious indifference, in spite of his addiction to murder and massacre; he allowed his soldiers to worship all gods, so long they didnt interfere with one anothers faith. Considering him tolerant is as gruesome as calling Hitler virtuous because he was a vegetarian. Decades of a pro-Left political and academic ethos segregated the religiously conscious Hindu as politically and socially intolerant, while the conservative Muslim was treated with secular tolerance, being a minority, albeit a large one. But in radical Islam, there is no space for tolerance, even towards members of the same faith. In Balochistan, Pakistan and large swathes of the Middle East, non-Sunnis are persecuted, kidnapped, massacred and raped. The modern Islamic blueprint does not allow for national identity since the sharia is the universal law. Tunisian diplomat and thinker Habib Boulares wrote, Under Islam it is not religion that is part of life, but life a part of religion. In the context of Islamist Pakistan and petro-Muslim countries funding and aiding terror to establish sharia, Kashmir is an India-Pakistan paradigm rather than a Kashmiriyat cause. The Pandits, who were driven out, have as much right to Kashmiriyat as Muslims in the Valleya fact the Congress party has glossed over. Its faux-secularist legacy has polarised religion in India. Intolerance was attributed to the RSS ideology. Nathuram Godses membership was held against the Indian Right. However, Gandhi himself, before he became the Mahatma, was openly intolerant during his stay in South Africa. He wrote to the Natal Parliament in 1893 saying, I venture to point out that both the English and the Indians spring from a common stock, called the Indo-Aryan. the Indian is being dragged down to the position of a raw Kaffir. Until he was humiliated himself for his skin colour, Gandhi condoned racial intolerance, even protesting being thrown into the same prison as Africans. The Congress, which he later led, showed the intolerance within itself by colluding with the British in creating Islamic Pakistan. Its been downhill ever since. Citing secular tolerance, it looked the other way when thousands of hapless Muslim women were divorced with a thrice-repeated phrase, even over WhatsApp. Unwilling to tackle powerful clerics, it defended the ghettoisation of the Indian Muslim. It had no effective deradicalisation mechanism. Indian Islam is killing its tolerant Sufi-Shia tradition, promoting the mores of a desert wasteland of camels and carnage. By politicising the definition of tolerance, the cynical manipulation of youth must end. True liberals do not exhibit intolerance towards other belief systems, including the conservatives. Considering Attila tolerant is as historically heretical as comparing Swami Vivekananda to a Jesuit. The Presidents speech at the KS Rajamony Memorial Lecture appealed for amitythere should be no room in India for the intolerant Indian, he declared. Which begs the questionWho is the tolerant Indian? In todays divided national narrative, anyone pathologically opposed to Narendra Modi and his agenda is considered tolerant while those who believe in Hindutva as a political ideology is deemed intolerant. A little-known fact about Attila is his religious indifference, in spite of his addiction to murder and massacre; he allowed his soldiers to worship all gods, so long they didnt interfere with one anothers faith. Considering him tolerant is as gruesome as calling Hitler virtuous because he was a vegetarian. Decades of a pro-Left political and academic ethos segregated the religiously conscious Hindu as politically and socially intolerant, while the conservative Muslim was treated with secular tolerance, being a minority, albeit a large one. But in radical Islam, there is no space for tolerance, even towards members of the same faith. In Balochistan, Pakistan and large swathes of the Middle East, non-Sunnis are persecuted, kidnapped, massacred and raped. The modern Islamic blueprint does not allow for national identity since the sharia is the universal law. Tunisian diplomat and thinker Habib Boulares wrote, Under Islam it is not religion that is part of life, but life a part of religion. In the context of Islamist Pakistan and petro-Muslim countries funding and aiding terror to establish sharia, Kashmir is an India-Pakistan paradigm rather than a Kashmiriyat cause. The Pandits, who were driven out, have as much right to Kashmiriyat as Muslims in the Valleya fact the Congress party has glossed over. Its faux-secularist legacy has polarised religion in India. Intolerance was attributed to the RSS ideology. Nathuram Godses membership was held against the Indian Right. However, Gandhi himself, before he became the Mahatma, was openly intolerant during his stay in South Africa. He wrote to the Natal Parliament in 1893 saying, I venture to point out that both the English and the Indians spring from a common stock, called the Indo-Aryan. the Indian is being dragged down to the position of a raw Kaffir. Until he was humiliated himself for his skin colour, Gandhi condoned racial intolerance, even protesting being thrown into the same prison as Africans. The Congress, which he later led, showed the intolerance within itself by colluding with the British in creating Islamic Pakistan. Its been downhill ever since. Citing secular tolerance, it looked the other way when thousands of hapless Muslim women were divorced with a thrice-repeated phrase, even over WhatsApp. Unwilling to tackle powerful clerics, it defended the ghettoisation of the Indian Muslim. It had no effective deradicalisation mechanism. Indian Islam is killing its tolerant Sufi-Shia tradition, promoting the mores of a desert wasteland of camels and carnage. By politicising the definition of tolerance, the cynical manipulation of youth must end. True liberals do not exhibit intolerance towards other belief systems, including the conservatives. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Former chief minister of Karnataka and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy has been admitted to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru with complaints of fever, flu and chest congestion. Kumaraswamy had been touring several places in Chitradurga, Mysuru districts for the past several days and is said to have been suffering from exhaustion. I have been exhausted due to the constant travelling in the sun and the crackers fired by my supporters to welcome me in different places resulted in me developing a fever and cough, a statement from Kumaraswamy read. Saying he has been prescribed rest for five days, Kumaraswamy has withdrawn himself from all engagements for a few days. All relevant investigations are being done, the hospital said in a statement. "He is on antibiotics and responding well. Kumaraswamys condition is stable and he is resting now. We are hopeful of his discharge in a day or two, said Dr K S Satish, consultant pulmonologist and chest physician, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru. BENGALURU: Former chief minister of Karnataka and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy has been admitted to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru with complaints of fever, flu and chest congestion. Kumaraswamy had been touring several places in Chitradurga, Mysuru districts for the past several days and is said to have been suffering from exhaustion. I have been exhausted due to the constant travelling in the sun and the crackers fired by my supporters to welcome me in different places resulted in me developing a fever and cough, a statement from Kumaraswamy read. Saying he has been prescribed rest for five days, Kumaraswamy has withdrawn himself from all engagements for a few days. All relevant investigations are being done, the hospital said in a statement. "He is on antibiotics and responding well. Kumaraswamys condition is stable and he is resting now. We are hopeful of his discharge in a day or two, said Dr K S Satish, consultant pulmonologist and chest physician, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The leakage of the budget papers and tax proposals on social media prompted the entire Opposition to strike hard against the government and stage a boycott. Opposition en bloc demanded the resignation of Thomas Isaac for violation of the oath of secrecy. A UDF delegation, led by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, and a delegation of five Kerala Congress MLAs under its supremo K M Mani, approached Governor P Sathasivam in this regard. Though the budget highlights and proposals were curiously in the social media circuit from around 10 am itself, an hour after the minister commenced his speech, the Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy got wind of it later, eventually springing the UDF camp to seize a political weapon. Ramesh raised the issue and an uproar ensued with UDF members rushing to the dais of the Speaker. The Opposition leader began to read out the highlights which were in the ministers remaining speech, leaving the latter and other treasury bench members high and dry. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The leakage of the budget papers and tax proposals on social media prompted the entire Opposition to strike hard against the government and stage a boycott. Opposition en bloc demanded the resignation of Thomas Isaac for violation of the oath of secrecy. A UDF delegation, led by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, and a delegation of five Kerala Congress MLAs under its supremo K M Mani, approached Governor P Sathasivam in this regard. Though the budget highlights and proposals were curiously in the social media circuit from around 10 am itself, an hour after the minister commenced his speech, the Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy got wind of it later, eventually springing the UDF camp to seize a political weapon. Ramesh raised the issue and an uproar ensued with UDF members rushing to the dais of the Speaker. The Opposition leader began to read out the highlights which were in the ministers remaining speech, leaving the latter and other treasury bench members high and dry. By Express News Service KOCHI: In a major development in the case related to the rape of a 16-year-old girl, in which a catholic priest in Kannur, the prime accused, has been arrested, the police may book 11 more persons including five nuns under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. According to sources, Police is likely to record the arrest of two women on Saturday. The needle of suspicion is also turning against the Child Welfare Committee in Wayanad in northern Kerala where the crime took place. An anonymous letter received by Childline, the helpline for children, has brought to light a major cover up in the rape of a minor girl by the priest. She delivered a baby nearly a month ago, and attempts were made, allegedly, by nuns to hush it up, instead of reporting the crime of rape. The priest, Fr Robin Vadakkumchery, former vicar of St. Sebastian's Church at Kottiyoor in Kannur district was arrested by the police when he tried to escape to Canada on February 27. Now, he is under judicial custody. KOCHI: In a major development in the case related to the rape of a 16-year-old girl, in which a catholic priest in Kannur, the prime accused, has been arrested, the police may book 11 more persons including five nuns under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. According to sources, Police is likely to record the arrest of two women on Saturday. The needle of suspicion is also turning against the Child Welfare Committee in Wayanad in northern Kerala where the crime took place. An anonymous letter received by Childline, the helpline for children, has brought to light a major cover up in the rape of a minor girl by the priest. She delivered a baby nearly a month ago, and attempts were made, allegedly, by nuns to hush it up, instead of reporting the crime of rape. The priest, Fr Robin Vadakkumchery, former vicar of St. Sebastian's Church at Kottiyoor in Kannur district was arrested by the police when he tried to escape to Canada on February 27. Now, he is under judicial custody. By Express News Service KOCHI: The traditional fishermen have come out against the state government move to mine sand from the seas, with the Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikyavedi (TUCI) president Charles George urging the government to rollback the controversial decision. According to the fishers, the move would deny the community their livelihood and harm the biodiversity along the Kerala coast. Since the move comes close on the heels of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans visit to the Middle East it has given rise to strong suspicion. Since 1998, Crown Maritime, the Bahrain-based company, has been jockeying for official sanction to mine sand from the Kerala coast, George said. The company had signed an MoU in this regard with the then A K Antony-led UDF Government following the Global Investment Meet in 2003. The project was abandoned after the Left parties and fisher organisations protested against it. The then Fisheries Minister K V Thomas had even stopped the feasibility study for the project. It is deplorable the same group which fought against the project is revisiting it after a gap of 14 years, he said. In fact, sea sand mining is being discouraged in many countries and there are strict laws in place to regulate it. The practice bodes ill for both the environment and the tourism sector. There are more than 800 varieties of fish species in our seas and it is the most biodiversity-rich region after Indonesia. Allowing sea sand mining will destroy all that, George said. KOCHI: The traditional fishermen have come out against the state government move to mine sand from the seas, with the Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikyavedi (TUCI) president Charles George urging the government to rollback the controversial decision. According to the fishers, the move would deny the community their livelihood and harm the biodiversity along the Kerala coast. Since the move comes close on the heels of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans visit to the Middle East it has given rise to strong suspicion. Since 1998, Crown Maritime, the Bahrain-based company, has been jockeying for official sanction to mine sand from the Kerala coast, George said. The company had signed an MoU in this regard with the then A K Antony-led UDF Government following the Global Investment Meet in 2003. The project was abandoned after the Left parties and fisher organisations protested against it. The then Fisheries Minister K V Thomas had even stopped the feasibility study for the project. It is deplorable the same group which fought against the project is revisiting it after a gap of 14 years, he said. In fact, sea sand mining is being discouraged in many countries and there are strict laws in place to regulate it. The practice bodes ill for both the environment and the tourism sector. There are more than 800 varieties of fish species in our seas and it is the most biodiversity-rich region after Indonesia. Allowing sea sand mining will destroy all that, George said. Akhaya Kumar Mishra By Express News Service JEYPORE: The increasing forest fire incidents in tribal-dominated Koraput district have given sleepless nights to forest officials for the last several days. Sources said forest fire was reported near Gadapadar village under Jeypore forest range recently. As the fire started spreading in the dense forests of the range and reached near some habitations, it created panic among the villagers. The villagers informed the Forest Range officer and sought help. Later, the Forest department brought the fire under control with the help of fire personnel and locals. Sources said some locals are deliberately setting the forests on fire to chase away wild animals and sometimes for slash-and-burn farming. They turn heaps of dry leaves and forest wood into ashes, which are used for growing crops, by setting it on fire. This method is used for clearing forest land for farming where the existing vegetation is cut down and burnt before new seeds are sown. This is resulting in massive deforestation in the reserve forest areas. According to sources, heaps of dry leaves and forest wood were found across the reserve forest areas as well as hills in Koraput, Jeypore, Narayanpatana, Lamtaput, Boipariguda, Ramigir, Kotpad, Borigumma and Laxmipur forest ranges. These forest produces are not collected either by locals or officials concerned. Though there is a norm that the Forest and Environment department should burn forest waste in the presence of officials to facilitate growth of new plants, it is hardly seen in the region. The locals set the forest waste on fire on their own causing massive damage to green cover. Even plantations undertaken by the Forest department and the social organisations have been destroyed due to fire. About 30 per cent forest cover of the district were affected by forest fire from February to April last year, sources added. Expressing concern over the issue, green activist S Prahand said the Forest department must take effective steps to control forest fire. JEYPORE: The increasing forest fire incidents in tribal-dominated Koraput district have given sleepless nights to forest officials for the last several days. Sources said forest fire was reported near Gadapadar village under Jeypore forest range recently. As the fire started spreading in the dense forests of the range and reached near some habitations, it created panic among the villagers. The villagers informed the Forest Range officer and sought help. Later, the Forest department brought the fire under control with the help of fire personnel and locals. Sources said some locals are deliberately setting the forests on fire to chase away wild animals and sometimes for slash-and-burn farming. They turn heaps of dry leaves and forest wood into ashes, which are used for growing crops, by setting it on fire. This method is used for clearing forest land for farming where the existing vegetation is cut down and burnt before new seeds are sown. This is resulting in massive deforestation in the reserve forest areas. According to sources, heaps of dry leaves and forest wood were found across the reserve forest areas as well as hills in Koraput, Jeypore, Narayanpatana, Lamtaput, Boipariguda, Ramigir, Kotpad, Borigumma and Laxmipur forest ranges. These forest produces are not collected either by locals or officials concerned. Though there is a norm that the Forest and Environment department should burn forest waste in the presence of officials to facilitate growth of new plants, it is hardly seen in the region. The locals set the forest waste on fire on their own causing massive damage to green cover. Even plantations undertaken by the Forest department and the social organisations have been destroyed due to fire. About 30 per cent forest cover of the district were affected by forest fire from February to April last year, sources added. Expressing concern over the issue, green activist S Prahand said the Forest department must take effective steps to control forest fire. By PTI NEW YORK: A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in the US has been shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner's Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11:33 PM after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," Faile said. Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patel's home to offer condolences to his family. "Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody," Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patel's store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. "If you didn't have the money, he'd let people have food," Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before and did anything he could to help out in tough times. "He's watched my kids grow up, which is why it's painful. From day one he's been amazing, just awesome, and I just don't understand the sense behind it," Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his family's life and did that. Patel's death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling "get out of my country." The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an enviornment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting. He had said America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms. NEW YORK: A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in the US has been shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner's Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11:33 PM after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," Faile said. Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patel's home to offer condolences to his family. "Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody," Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patel's store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. "If you didn't have the money, he'd let people have food," Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before and did anything he could to help out in tough times. "He's watched my kids grow up, which is why it's painful. From day one he's been amazing, just awesome, and I just don't understand the sense behind it," Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his family's life and did that. Patel's death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling "get out of my country." The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an enviornment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting. He had said America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms. By AFP BEIRUT: At least 11 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded on Saturday in air strikes on a central Syrian village that a monitor said were likely carried out by Russia. "The raids targeted a livestock market in the village of Oqayrabat, held by the Islamic State group in Hama province," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "They are probably Russian air strikes," he said, adding that 45 people were also wounded, Oqayrabat lies northwest of Palmyra, the ancient desert city that was recaptured by Russian-backed government forces from IS on Wednesday. The road between the two had been often used by jihadists to travel between the provinces of Hama and Homs, where Palmyra lies. Abdel Rahman said the raids on the village were part of "new military operations by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally targeting jihadist positions in Hama province". Syrian and Russian warplanes on Saturday were heavily bombing IS jihadists north and east of Palmyra, which has changed hands several times in Syria's nearly six-year war. IS overran the city for the second time on December 11. A day later, 53 civilians were killed in a barrage of raids on Oqayrabat and other nearby villages, according to the Observatory. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also raised fears at the time that chemical weapons may have been used in air strikes on Oqayrabat. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. BEIRUT: At least 11 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded on Saturday in air strikes on a central Syrian village that a monitor said were likely carried out by Russia. "The raids targeted a livestock market in the village of Oqayrabat, held by the Islamic State group in Hama province," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "They are probably Russian air strikes," he said, adding that 45 people were also wounded, Oqayrabat lies northwest of Palmyra, the ancient desert city that was recaptured by Russian-backed government forces from IS on Wednesday. The road between the two had been often used by jihadists to travel between the provinces of Hama and Homs, where Palmyra lies. Abdel Rahman said the raids on the village were part of "new military operations by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally targeting jihadist positions in Hama province". Syrian and Russian warplanes on Saturday were heavily bombing IS jihadists north and east of Palmyra, which has changed hands several times in Syria's nearly six-year war. IS overran the city for the second time on December 11. A day later, 53 civilians were killed in a barrage of raids on Oqayrabat and other nearby villages, according to the Observatory. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also raised fears at the time that chemical weapons may have been used in air strikes on Oqayrabat. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. By ANI BEIJING: China on Friday reiterated its stand on Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama's visit to India and said it was 'gravely concerned over this information.' Though China had earlier opposed the Tibetan leader's visit, citing it will seriously 'damage' bilateral ties, India facilitated the visit and deputed a government official to assist the Dalai Lama, who is expected to visit Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang monastery after eight years between April 4 and 13. "China is gravely concerned over this information. Our position on the eastern section of the China-India border dispute is consistent and clear. The Dalai group has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities and has put on dishonorable acts in the past on the boundary question. The Indian side knows very well the seriousness of the Dalai issue and the sensitiveness of the boundary question. Under such circumstances, India's invitation to the Dalai Lama to the disputed areas between China and India will bring severe damage to peace and stability of the border areas and China-India relations," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press briefing. Shuang further urged the Indian side to honour its commitments on the Tibet-related issues. He said, "We urged India to follow the important agreement between the two sides on the boundary question, refrain from actions that would further complicate the question, not provide a stage for the anti-China separatist activities of the Dalai group, and ensure the sound and steady growth of China-India relationship." Answering a poser on how the concern was expressed, Shuang said a representation was made through formal diplomatic channels. This development comes a week after a strategic dialogue was held between the countries to shore up bilateral ties. China had earlier claimed the border dispute between the two countries can be resolved if New Delhi accepts Beijing's claim over the Tawang region. BEIJING: China on Friday reiterated its stand on Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama's visit to India and said it was 'gravely concerned over this information.' Though China had earlier opposed the Tibetan leader's visit, citing it will seriously 'damage' bilateral ties, India facilitated the visit and deputed a government official to assist the Dalai Lama, who is expected to visit Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang monastery after eight years between April 4 and 13. "China is gravely concerned over this information. Our position on the eastern section of the China-India border dispute is consistent and clear. The Dalai group has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities and has put on dishonorable acts in the past on the boundary question. The Indian side knows very well the seriousness of the Dalai issue and the sensitiveness of the boundary question. Under such circumstances, India's invitation to the Dalai Lama to the disputed areas between China and India will bring severe damage to peace and stability of the border areas and China-India relations," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press briefing. Shuang further urged the Indian side to honour its commitments on the Tibet-related issues. He said, "We urged India to follow the important agreement between the two sides on the boundary question, refrain from actions that would further complicate the question, not provide a stage for the anti-China separatist activities of the Dalai group, and ensure the sound and steady growth of China-India relationship." Answering a poser on how the concern was expressed, Shuang said a representation was made through formal diplomatic channels. This development comes a week after a strategic dialogue was held between the countries to shore up bilateral ties. China had earlier claimed the border dispute between the two countries can be resolved if New Delhi accepts Beijing's claim over the Tawang region. By Associated Press KABUL: Afghan officials say that at least eight Afghan civilians, including four children, have been killed in an attack in western Farah province. However there is disagreement over what exactly caused the deaths. Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Saturday that the incident was a roadside bomb explosion. But family members of the victims are claiming they were hit by an air strike. Gen. Dawlat Warizi, a Defense Ministry spokesman, told The Associated Press that an investigation of the incident is underway. KABUL: Afghan officials say that at least eight Afghan civilians, including four children, have been killed in an attack in western Farah province. However there is disagreement over what exactly caused the deaths. Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Saturday that the incident was a roadside bomb explosion. But family members of the victims are claiming they were hit by an air strike. Gen. Dawlat Warizi, a Defense Ministry spokesman, told The Associated Press that an investigation of the incident is underway. By Associated Press WASHINGTON: After seven years of saber-rattling, Republicans seem set to start muscling legislation through Congress reshaping the country's health care system. Don't confuse that with GOP unity or assume that success is guaranteed. Unresolved disputes over taxes and Medicaid rage and conservatives complaining that Republican proposals don't go far enough could undermine the effort, or at least make GOP leaders' lives difficult. Two House committees Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means plan to begin voting Wednesday on their portions of the legislation, barring late problems. Leaders want to push the package through the House this month and hope the Senate can consider it by Congress' early April recess. It's an ambitious calendar for what could be the year's most momentous congressional battle. Repealing President Barack Obama's 2010 health care overhaul has long been the GOP holy grail. It helped elect President Donald Trump and has driven the Republican agenda in Congress, given GOP office-seekers a rationale for their candidacies and fueled countless fundraising appeals. Yet Republicans have never rallied behind an alternative and spent years settling for dozens of bills scuttling the law that went nowhere. Now, with a GOP president and party control of the House and Senate, voters expect Republicans to deliver and party leaders are banking on it. "If you're a Republican who votes against 'Obamacare' repeal, you're going to have a lot of explaining to do to your constituents," said Doug Badger, a GOP health care adviser. There are few hard-line conservatives on the two committees poised to vote this week, so the panels will likely approve the legislation over unified Democratic opposition. Rockier problems loom in the full House and Senate. If 22 House Republicans or three Senate Republicans join united Democrats and oppose health legislation, it would fail. Highlighting an unabated push to influence the legislation, some GOP governors asked lawmakers last weekend to let states choose to continue receiving unlimited federal money to treat all who qualify for Medicaid, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Currently, the GOP bill would instead give states set amounts for each Medicaid recipient a pathway to gradually cutting the federal-state health program for the poor. It seems counterintuitive that Congress' conservatives would derail such a major, early priority for Trump and GOP congressional leaders. But they have the numbers and anti-establishment temperament to do just that. Many in the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, which claims around 40 members, oppose the GOP bill's proposal for tax credits to help pay medical expenses for people not covered at work or through the government. They object that the credit, geared to age not income, would even go to people who owe no taxes. They also oppose a proposal by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to tax part of the value of expensive employer-provided coverage. That's an abomination for many Republicans, aware that about half of Americans get health insurance at work. "A new plan that actually taxes the very workers that voted for Donald Trump and voted for many of our members is not moving in the right direction," said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who chairs the caucus and says the bill lacks the votes to pass. Across the Capitol, the magic number of three conservative GOP senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Utah's Mike Lee are causing headaches. They want the GOP to start with a bill Obama vetoed last year that annulled more of his statute than does the current Republican plan. Cruz tweeted Friday: "When you spend 6 yrs promising, 'If only we get elected, we'll repeal #Obamacare,' you can't renege," Conservatives want Republicans to quickly repeal Obama's expansion of Medicaid to more lower-income people, complaining that the GOP leaders' measure does that too slowly. There's also a battle between GOP-run states that accepted federal money to expand Medicaid and Republican-dominated states that didn't expand but want extra funds anyway. The legislation remained a work in progress over the weekend, but the plans would repeal the tax penalties Obama's statute impose on people who don't buy insurance and end the federal subsidies most get for purchasing policies on the online exchanges the law created. Taxes on higher-income people, the insurance industry and other health industries that pay for the overhaul's expansion of coverage to 20 million Americans would be voided. The measure would expand tax-advantaged health savings accounts and end the overhaul's requirement that insurers cover 10 specific types of care, like maternity care. WASHINGTON: After seven years of saber-rattling, Republicans seem set to start muscling legislation through Congress reshaping the country's health care system. Don't confuse that with GOP unity or assume that success is guaranteed. Unresolved disputes over taxes and Medicaid rage and conservatives complaining that Republican proposals don't go far enough could undermine the effort, or at least make GOP leaders' lives difficult. Two House committees Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means plan to begin voting Wednesday on their portions of the legislation, barring late problems. Leaders want to push the package through the House this month and hope the Senate can consider it by Congress' early April recess. It's an ambitious calendar for what could be the year's most momentous congressional battle. Repealing President Barack Obama's 2010 health care overhaul has long been the GOP holy grail. It helped elect President Donald Trump and has driven the Republican agenda in Congress, given GOP office-seekers a rationale for their candidacies and fueled countless fundraising appeals. Yet Republicans have never rallied behind an alternative and spent years settling for dozens of bills scuttling the law that went nowhere. Now, with a GOP president and party control of the House and Senate, voters expect Republicans to deliver and party leaders are banking on it. "If you're a Republican who votes against 'Obamacare' repeal, you're going to have a lot of explaining to do to your constituents," said Doug Badger, a GOP health care adviser. There are few hard-line conservatives on the two committees poised to vote this week, so the panels will likely approve the legislation over unified Democratic opposition. Rockier problems loom in the full House and Senate. If 22 House Republicans or three Senate Republicans join united Democrats and oppose health legislation, it would fail. Highlighting an unabated push to influence the legislation, some GOP governors asked lawmakers last weekend to let states choose to continue receiving unlimited federal money to treat all who qualify for Medicaid, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Currently, the GOP bill would instead give states set amounts for each Medicaid recipient a pathway to gradually cutting the federal-state health program for the poor. It seems counterintuitive that Congress' conservatives would derail such a major, early priority for Trump and GOP congressional leaders. But they have the numbers and anti-establishment temperament to do just that. Many in the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, which claims around 40 members, oppose the GOP bill's proposal for tax credits to help pay medical expenses for people not covered at work or through the government. They object that the credit, geared to age not income, would even go to people who owe no taxes. They also oppose a proposal by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to tax part of the value of expensive employer-provided coverage. That's an abomination for many Republicans, aware that about half of Americans get health insurance at work. "A new plan that actually taxes the very workers that voted for Donald Trump and voted for many of our members is not moving in the right direction," said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who chairs the caucus and says the bill lacks the votes to pass. Across the Capitol, the magic number of three conservative GOP senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Utah's Mike Lee are causing headaches. They want the GOP to start with a bill Obama vetoed last year that annulled more of his statute than does the current Republican plan. Cruz tweeted Friday: "When you spend 6 yrs promising, 'If only we get elected, we'll repeal #Obamacare,' you can't renege," Conservatives want Republicans to quickly repeal Obama's expansion of Medicaid to more lower-income people, complaining that the GOP leaders' measure does that too slowly. There's also a battle between GOP-run states that accepted federal money to expand Medicaid and Republican-dominated states that didn't expand but want extra funds anyway. The legislation remained a work in progress over the weekend, but the plans would repeal the tax penalties Obama's statute impose on people who don't buy insurance and end the federal subsidies most get for purchasing policies on the online exchanges the law created. Taxes on higher-income people, the insurance industry and other health industries that pay for the overhaul's expansion of coverage to 20 million Americans would be voided. The measure would expand tax-advantaged health savings accounts and end the overhaul's requirement that insurers cover 10 specific types of care, like maternity care. By Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said it expelled North Korea's ambassador on Saturday for refusing to apologize for his strong accusations over Malaysia's handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy at around 6 p.m. declaring Ambassador Kang Chol "persona non grata." The notice said Kang must leave Malaysia within 48 hours. Earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea formally apologize for Kang's accusations over the investigation into the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport, including that "the Malaysian government had something to hide and that Malaysia has colluded with outside powers to defame" North Korea, Anifah said in a statement. He said no apology had come and that none appeared forthcoming. North Korean Embassy officials also failed to turn up for a meeting at the foreign ministry on Saturday, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador, he said. "It should be made clear Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," Anifah said. Kim's death has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Kang's expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah said this was an "indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities." Earlier Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong Chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang. Ri said he wasn't at the airport the day Kim was killed but police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with fake evidence." He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," Ri said. "This is when I realized that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Ri was detained four days after the attack, but police never said what they believed his role was. Two women one Indonesian, one Vietnamese have been charged with murder, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to respond to Ri's comments. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. Police on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but didn't say why he is a suspect. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on Jan. 29, about two weeks before Kim was killed. North Korea earlier rejected Malaysia's autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is leader Kim Jong Un's half brother. KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said it expelled North Korea's ambassador on Saturday for refusing to apologize for his strong accusations over Malaysia's handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy at around 6 p.m. declaring Ambassador Kang Chol "persona non grata." The notice said Kang must leave Malaysia within 48 hours. Earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea formally apologize for Kang's accusations over the investigation into the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport, including that "the Malaysian government had something to hide and that Malaysia has colluded with outside powers to defame" North Korea, Anifah said in a statement. He said no apology had come and that none appeared forthcoming. North Korean Embassy officials also failed to turn up for a meeting at the foreign ministry on Saturday, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador, he said. "It should be made clear Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," Anifah said. Kim's death has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Kang's expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah said this was an "indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities." Earlier Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong Chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang. Ri said he wasn't at the airport the day Kim was killed but police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with fake evidence." He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them. "These men kept telling me to admit to the crime, and if not, my whole family would be killed, and you too won't be safe. If you accept everything, you can live a good life in Malaysia," Ri said. "This is when I realized that it was a trap ... they were plotting to tarnish my country's reputation." Ri was detained four days after the attack, but police never said what they believed his role was. Two women one Indonesian, one Vietnamese have been charged with murder, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to respond to Ri's comments. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on the day of the killing. Three others, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in Malaysia. Police on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il, but didn't say why he is a suspect. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on Jan. 29, about two weeks before Kim was killed. North Korea earlier rejected Malaysia's autopsy finding that VX killed Kim. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is leader Kim Jong Un's half brother. By IANS MIAMI: Mexico's consulate in Miami has inaugurated a new section to enhance protections for Mexicans in the US as they face new challenges posed by the policies of President Donald Trump, a media report said . The establishment of such a section in each of the 50 Mexican consulates in the US is part of President Enrique Pena Nieto's response to Trump's negative stance toward the Aztec nation, Consul-General Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia told Efe news on Friday. At the Miami consulate, the section will have a staff of four, three of them attorneys. The new sections are needed because the "current circumstances are different from those we had for many years," Zabalgoitia said. "It is necessary to concentrate consular work and prioritise consular protection." The diplomat said that while he was yet to see any "alarming" changes in the situation of Mexicans in South Florida, the consulate was trying to anticipate future needs and "organise the work to be more efficient." Since taking office on January 20, Trump has taken steps to fulfill his campaign promise to build a wall on the US-Mexico border to prevent the entry of "bad hombres". The new administration has also adopted a more aggressive approach to enforcement of immigration laws, which is a cause for concern among the country's estimated 11 million undocumented migrants. More than 600,000 Mexicans live in Florida, according to Zabalgoitia, who declined to estimate how many of them are undocumented. He did note, however, that more than 70,000 Mexicans in Florida entered the US as seasonal agricultural workers with H-2A visas, Efe news reported. Acknowledging an increase in the number of Mexicans deported from Florida, Zabalgoitia said he has seen no sign of raids or mass detentions targeting people from his country. So far, he said, the most visible reaction to the Trump era has been a surge in expats with US-born children coming to the consulate to register their offspring as Mexican citizens. "Warlier, I signed two birth registrations per week, while yesterday (Thursday) alone I signed 15," the consul-general said. Facing a greater threat of deportation or, in some cases, mulling the idea of returning to Mexico on their own initiative, expats are now anxious to ensure that their children also have Mexican citizenship, Zabalgoitia said. MIAMI: Mexico's consulate in Miami has inaugurated a new section to enhance protections for Mexicans in the US as they face new challenges posed by the policies of President Donald Trump, a media report said . The establishment of such a section in each of the 50 Mexican consulates in the US is part of President Enrique Pena Nieto's response to Trump's negative stance toward the Aztec nation, Consul-General Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia told Efe news on Friday. At the Miami consulate, the section will have a staff of four, three of them attorneys. The new sections are needed because the "current circumstances are different from those we had for many years," Zabalgoitia said. "It is necessary to concentrate consular work and prioritise consular protection." The diplomat said that while he was yet to see any "alarming" changes in the situation of Mexicans in South Florida, the consulate was trying to anticipate future needs and "organise the work to be more efficient." Since taking office on January 20, Trump has taken steps to fulfill his campaign promise to build a wall on the US-Mexico border to prevent the entry of "bad hombres". The new administration has also adopted a more aggressive approach to enforcement of immigration laws, which is a cause for concern among the country's estimated 11 million undocumented migrants. More than 600,000 Mexicans live in Florida, according to Zabalgoitia, who declined to estimate how many of them are undocumented. He did note, however, that more than 70,000 Mexicans in Florida entered the US as seasonal agricultural workers with H-2A visas, Efe news reported. Acknowledging an increase in the number of Mexicans deported from Florida, Zabalgoitia said he has seen no sign of raids or mass detentions targeting people from his country. So far, he said, the most visible reaction to the Trump era has been a surge in expats with US-born children coming to the consulate to register their offspring as Mexican citizens. "Warlier, I signed two birth registrations per week, while yesterday (Thursday) alone I signed 15," the consul-general said. Facing a greater threat of deportation or, in some cases, mulling the idea of returning to Mexico on their own initiative, expats are now anxious to ensure that their children also have Mexican citizenship, Zabalgoitia said. By AFP NIAMEY: Niger has declared a state of emergency in several western areas flanking Mali after a spate of deadly attacks blamed on jihadists from its restive neighbour. A government statement read on state television yesterday said a state of emergency would be enforced in seven departments of the regions of Tillaberi and Tahoua. Security forces would now be granted additional powers including the right to search homes at any time, it said. The statement said repeated attacks in these areas "have endangered the security of the peaceful population and public order." The zones affected are "Ouallam, Ayorou, Bankilare, Abala and Banibangou in Tillaberi and Tassara and Tilia in Tahoua". Tillaberi and Tahoua have witnessed several deadly attacks on army posts and refugee camps, blamed by authorities on Malian jibadists linked to the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) group. These include a late February attack in Ouallam which killed 16 soldiers and wounded 18. And in October, 22 soldiers died in Tahoua during a daring assault on a refugee camp. Niger shares its southern border with Nigeria which has been struggling with a bloody seven-year uprising by the Boko Haram extremist group that has so far claimed more than 20,000 lives. The insurgency began in northeast Nigeria but has since spread to Chad, Cameroon and Niger. In 2015, Niger declared a state of emergency in the southeastern region of Diffa after deadly raids by Boko Haram fighters. Diffa is home to more than 300,000 refugees and internally displaced people. NIAMEY: Niger has declared a state of emergency in several western areas flanking Mali after a spate of deadly attacks blamed on jihadists from its restive neighbour. A government statement read on state television yesterday said a state of emergency would be enforced in seven departments of the regions of Tillaberi and Tahoua. Security forces would now be granted additional powers including the right to search homes at any time, it said. The statement said repeated attacks in these areas "have endangered the security of the peaceful population and public order." The zones affected are "Ouallam, Ayorou, Bankilare, Abala and Banibangou in Tillaberi and Tassara and Tilia in Tahoua". Tillaberi and Tahoua have witnessed several deadly attacks on army posts and refugee camps, blamed by authorities on Malian jibadists linked to the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) group. These include a late February attack in Ouallam which killed 16 soldiers and wounded 18. And in October, 22 soldiers died in Tahoua during a daring assault on a refugee camp. Niger shares its southern border with Nigeria which has been struggling with a bloody seven-year uprising by the Boko Haram extremist group that has so far claimed more than 20,000 lives. The insurgency began in northeast Nigeria but has since spread to Chad, Cameroon and Niger. In 2015, Niger declared a state of emergency in the southeastern region of Diffa after deadly raids by Boko Haram fighters. Diffa is home to more than 300,000 refugees and internally displaced people. By Associated Press JOHANNESBURG: Nigeria wants Royal Dutch Shell to reopen one of its main pipelines but the oil multinational is resisting, analysts say, for fear it could once again be bombed by militants. The Trans Forcados Pipeline, the main feed to the 400,000-barrel-a-day Forcados export terminal, has been shut for all but three weeks of the past year, Lagos-based SBM Intelligence said in its weekly risk analysis published Friday. In their most sophisticated attack, militants used divers to blow up an underwater section of the pipeline in the Atlantic a year ago. Defying militant death threats, Shell flew in underwater engineers who took seven months to get the pipeline operational. Two days later, the militants bombed it again. Shell Nigeria lost $3 billion during the seven months of repairs, Africa Confidential newsletter estimated at the time. "Nigeria wants Royal Dutch Shell to reopen a major export pipeline in the Niger Delta but the oil major wants better protection first, to avoid having it blown up yet again," SBM Intelligence said, quoting unidentified officials and industry sources. Shell Nigeria said only that one of its priorities is to secure the pipeline, while indicating it is still working to contain leaks. "Our focus on the Forcados leaks is on containment, spill recovery and securing the line," spokesman Precious Okolobo told The Associated Press on Saturday. Petroleum Minister Ibe Kachikwu announced last month that Nigeria, one of Africa's top oil producers, lost between $50 billion and $100 billion in oil revenues because of militant attacks last year. At the worst point, he said, production was cut to 1.2 million barrels a day a loss of 1 million barrels a day and the lowest rate of production in 30 years. The Forcados terminal handles nearly one-quarter of Nigeria's exports. So experts are puzzled by the state oil company's declaration this week that production has risen to 2.1 million barrels a day near optimal production of 2.2 million. "Nigeria has given differing figures for its oil output in recent weeks ... without giving an explanation," said SBM Intelligence, quoting figures between 1.7 million to 2.2 million barrels a day. With Nigeria confronting its worst recession in 25 years, "We certainly hope the figures are true," the analysts said. Oil militants say careless production in the southern Niger Delta has brought nothing but misery, with pollution from oil spills destroying farmlands, fishing grounds and millions of livelihoods. At one point, all three of Nigeria's biggest export terminals were closed for repairs from militant attacks: Forcados, ExxonMobil's Qua Iboe and Eni's Brass River. Qua Iboe, the biggest terminal, was shut for more than three months before quietly resuming exports in October. It is not clear if Brass River is operating. Oil companies are reluctant to divulge information for fear of more attacks. There has been no major attack since an August cease-fire to allow negotiations between the government, representatives of militants, community leaders and oil companies operating in the Niger Delta. Community leaders have expressed confidence in Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's visits and promises of a comprehensive plan to help residents benefit from oil production. Low oil production and international prices for the petroleum that provides 80 percent of government revenue have brought on a recession in Nigeria compounded by a massive foreign currency shortage. Nigeria lost its place as Africa's biggest oil producer last year, to Angola. JOHANNESBURG: Nigeria wants Royal Dutch Shell to reopen one of its main pipelines but the oil multinational is resisting, analysts say, for fear it could once again be bombed by militants. The Trans Forcados Pipeline, the main feed to the 400,000-barrel-a-day Forcados export terminal, has been shut for all but three weeks of the past year, Lagos-based SBM Intelligence said in its weekly risk analysis published Friday. In their most sophisticated attack, militants used divers to blow up an underwater section of the pipeline in the Atlantic a year ago. Defying militant death threats, Shell flew in underwater engineers who took seven months to get the pipeline operational. Two days later, the militants bombed it again. Shell Nigeria lost $3 billion during the seven months of repairs, Africa Confidential newsletter estimated at the time. "Nigeria wants Royal Dutch Shell to reopen a major export pipeline in the Niger Delta but the oil major wants better protection first, to avoid having it blown up yet again," SBM Intelligence said, quoting unidentified officials and industry sources. Shell Nigeria said only that one of its priorities is to secure the pipeline, while indicating it is still working to contain leaks. "Our focus on the Forcados leaks is on containment, spill recovery and securing the line," spokesman Precious Okolobo told The Associated Press on Saturday. Petroleum Minister Ibe Kachikwu announced last month that Nigeria, one of Africa's top oil producers, lost between $50 billion and $100 billion in oil revenues because of militant attacks last year. At the worst point, he said, production was cut to 1.2 million barrels a day a loss of 1 million barrels a day and the lowest rate of production in 30 years. The Forcados terminal handles nearly one-quarter of Nigeria's exports. So experts are puzzled by the state oil company's declaration this week that production has risen to 2.1 million barrels a day near optimal production of 2.2 million. "Nigeria has given differing figures for its oil output in recent weeks ... without giving an explanation," said SBM Intelligence, quoting figures between 1.7 million to 2.2 million barrels a day. With Nigeria confronting its worst recession in 25 years, "We certainly hope the figures are true," the analysts said. Oil militants say careless production in the southern Niger Delta has brought nothing but misery, with pollution from oil spills destroying farmlands, fishing grounds and millions of livelihoods. At one point, all three of Nigeria's biggest export terminals were closed for repairs from militant attacks: Forcados, ExxonMobil's Qua Iboe and Eni's Brass River. Qua Iboe, the biggest terminal, was shut for more than three months before quietly resuming exports in October. It is not clear if Brass River is operating. Oil companies are reluctant to divulge information for fear of more attacks. There has been no major attack since an August cease-fire to allow negotiations between the government, representatives of militants, community leaders and oil companies operating in the Niger Delta. Community leaders have expressed confidence in Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's visits and promises of a comprehensive plan to help residents benefit from oil production. Low oil production and international prices for the petroleum that provides 80 percent of government revenue have brought on a recession in Nigeria compounded by a massive foreign currency shortage. Nigeria lost its place as Africa's biggest oil producer last year, to Angola. By AFP SEOUL: North Korea warned Saturday that the US will "pay dearly" if it relists Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism following the murder of leader Kim Jong-Un's half-brother in Malaysia last month. Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was killed on February 13 at a crowded Kuala Lumpur airport in an attack with VX nerve agent, which is considered a weapon of mass destruction. Seoul has said from the start that the isolated North is behind the Cold War-style assassination. South Korean and Japanese media, citing diplomatic sources, have since reported that the US has been mulling placing the North back on its terror list, which includes Iran and Syria. "The US will keenly realise how dearly it has to pay for its groundless accusations against the dignified" North if it relists it, the regime's foreign ministry spokesman told state-run newswire KCNA. The spokesman maintained that Pyongyang opposed "all forms of terrorism" and accused the US of trying to tarnish its reputation. "Gone are the days when the US could stigmatise at random to oppress those countries incurring its displeasure, while having the world under its control," the official added. The nuclear-armed North was first designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1987 when its agents bombed a South Korean plane killing all 115 on board. But it was taken off the list in 2008 after Pyongyang took steps toward freezing its nuclear facilities. However, since then the North has resumed its activities, conducting four atomic tests and numerous missile tests despite the fact that they are banned under several UN Security Council resolutions. The North has denied any involvement in Kim Jong-Nam's murder, accusing the South, the US and Malaysia of a "smear campaign". Two women, one Vietnamese and one Indonesian, have been arrested over the murder. The only North Korean to have been detained, Ri Jong Chol, was released this week due to lack of evidence. Ri has denied any role in the assassination and accused of Malaysian police trying to frame him with "fabricated evidence" to defame the North. SEOUL: North Korea warned Saturday that the US will "pay dearly" if it relists Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism following the murder of leader Kim Jong-Un's half-brother in Malaysia last month. Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was killed on February 13 at a crowded Kuala Lumpur airport in an attack with VX nerve agent, which is considered a weapon of mass destruction. Seoul has said from the start that the isolated North is behind the Cold War-style assassination. South Korean and Japanese media, citing diplomatic sources, have since reported that the US has been mulling placing the North back on its terror list, which includes Iran and Syria. "The US will keenly realise how dearly it has to pay for its groundless accusations against the dignified" North if it relists it, the regime's foreign ministry spokesman told state-run newswire KCNA. The spokesman maintained that Pyongyang opposed "all forms of terrorism" and accused the US of trying to tarnish its reputation. "Gone are the days when the US could stigmatise at random to oppress those countries incurring its displeasure, while having the world under its control," the official added. The nuclear-armed North was first designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1987 when its agents bombed a South Korean plane killing all 115 on board. But it was taken off the list in 2008 after Pyongyang took steps toward freezing its nuclear facilities. However, since then the North has resumed its activities, conducting four atomic tests and numerous missile tests despite the fact that they are banned under several UN Security Council resolutions. The North has denied any involvement in Kim Jong-Nam's murder, accusing the South, the US and Malaysia of a "smear campaign". Two women, one Vietnamese and one Indonesian, have been arrested over the murder. The only North Korean to have been detained, Ri Jong Chol, was released this week due to lack of evidence. Ri has denied any role in the assassination and accused of Malaysian police trying to frame him with "fabricated evidence" to defame the North. By Associated Press MANILA: The Philippine defense chief and two other Cabinet members on Saturday toured a U.S. aircraft carrier patrolling the disputed South China Sea on the invitation of the Navy, U.S. Embassy officials said. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II visited the USS Carl Vinson along with three Philippine security officials, said U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina. The visit shows continuing top-level engagements between Philippine officials and the U.S. military despite Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's threat to scale back engagements with American forces while reaching out to China and Russia. There was no immediate reaction from China, which had opposed U.S. patrols in waters it has claimed virtually in its entirety. The U.S. ambassador to Manila, Sung Kim, accompanied the Philippine officials to the Carl Vinson, where they watched F18 fighter jets land and take off on catapult on the flight deck and met U.S. navy commanders in charge of the 95,000-ton carrier as it sailed in the disputed waters, Koscina said. U.S. Navy officials told a small group of journalists who were flown to the Carl Vinson on Friday that the U.S. warship deployment was aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, a key waterway for global commerce and security. "We will be here," Rear Adm. James Kilby told the journalists, including those from The Associated Press. "We're going to continue to demonstrate that international waters are waters where everyone can sail, where everyone can conduct commerce and merchant traffic." Kilby's comments and the presence of the carrier in the South China Sea are aimed at reassuring American allies, who have expressed concerns over China's aggressive actions to assert its claims to virtually all of the South China Sea. The nuclear-powered Carl Vinson, which is manned by about 5,500 military personnel, has sailed through the contested region several times and other U.S. warships have routinely patrolled the waters for decades, Kilby said. Sailors expressed confidence and pride in what they do, stepping aside to give way to visitors in narrow corridors. "Are you enjoying your time on board?" Navy Lt. Charlotte Benbow, who was in charge of the navigation bridge, asked journalists touring the mammoth ship. "Flight ops is pretty cool." In recent years, China has turned seven mostly submerged disputed reefs into islands where Beijing is now reportedly installing a missile defense system. Chinese officials have stressed that they have a right to carry out those constructions in what they say are their territories and add they have no hostile intentions in the region. But worries over China's actions have grown. Governments fear its actions could later restrict movement in a key waterway for world commerce with rich fishing grounds and potential undersea deposits of oil and gas. "There is a lot of worry about what China's intentions are," said Ernest Bower, a senior adviser for the Southeast Asia program of Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. "I think the question everyone has is, '(are) the Chinese trying to shut down access to the South China Sea?'" Boyer told reporters in Manila. "The Americans are saying under no circumstances would that be acceptable to the international community." Duterte, who took office in June and describes himself as a left-wing politician, has declared that he would chart a foreign policy independent of the U.S., his country's longtime treaty ally. Last year, he lashed out at then-President Barack Obama and the State Department, which has raised concerns over Duterte's deadly anti-drug crackdown. Duterte has ordered the Philippine navy not to proceed with previous plans to carry out joint patrols with U.S. forces in the contested waters, although his administration has agreed to continue a considerable number of joint military exercises with U.S. forces in the country. There have also been questions if America's role as a counterweight to China, particularly in the disputed waters, would change under President Donald Trump. After Obama ended his term, Duterte has moderated his language toward the U.S., allowing an opportunity for military engagements to continue to flourish, Boyer said, adding that he believed Trump's security team may take a firmer stance on the territorial disputes. "I would actually suspect we'll see more determination from the Americans on the South China Sea, sort of a bit of a harder edge towards the Chinese," Boyer said. "I think that's going to ... cause a little bit of a bumpy road, to be honest with you." MANILA: The Philippine defense chief and two other Cabinet members on Saturday toured a U.S. aircraft carrier patrolling the disputed South China Sea on the invitation of the Navy, U.S. Embassy officials said. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II visited the USS Carl Vinson along with three Philippine security officials, said U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina. The visit shows continuing top-level engagements between Philippine officials and the U.S. military despite Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's threat to scale back engagements with American forces while reaching out to China and Russia. There was no immediate reaction from China, which had opposed U.S. patrols in waters it has claimed virtually in its entirety. The U.S. ambassador to Manila, Sung Kim, accompanied the Philippine officials to the Carl Vinson, where they watched F18 fighter jets land and take off on catapult on the flight deck and met U.S. navy commanders in charge of the 95,000-ton carrier as it sailed in the disputed waters, Koscina said. U.S. Navy officials told a small group of journalists who were flown to the Carl Vinson on Friday that the U.S. warship deployment was aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, a key waterway for global commerce and security. "We will be here," Rear Adm. James Kilby told the journalists, including those from The Associated Press. "We're going to continue to demonstrate that international waters are waters where everyone can sail, where everyone can conduct commerce and merchant traffic." Kilby's comments and the presence of the carrier in the South China Sea are aimed at reassuring American allies, who have expressed concerns over China's aggressive actions to assert its claims to virtually all of the South China Sea. The nuclear-powered Carl Vinson, which is manned by about 5,500 military personnel, has sailed through the contested region several times and other U.S. warships have routinely patrolled the waters for decades, Kilby said. Sailors expressed confidence and pride in what they do, stepping aside to give way to visitors in narrow corridors. "Are you enjoying your time on board?" Navy Lt. Charlotte Benbow, who was in charge of the navigation bridge, asked journalists touring the mammoth ship. "Flight ops is pretty cool." In recent years, China has turned seven mostly submerged disputed reefs into islands where Beijing is now reportedly installing a missile defense system. Chinese officials have stressed that they have a right to carry out those constructions in what they say are their territories and add they have no hostile intentions in the region. But worries over China's actions have grown. Governments fear its actions could later restrict movement in a key waterway for world commerce with rich fishing grounds and potential undersea deposits of oil and gas. "There is a lot of worry about what China's intentions are," said Ernest Bower, a senior adviser for the Southeast Asia program of Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. "I think the question everyone has is, '(are) the Chinese trying to shut down access to the South China Sea?'" Boyer told reporters in Manila. "The Americans are saying under no circumstances would that be acceptable to the international community." Duterte, who took office in June and describes himself as a left-wing politician, has declared that he would chart a foreign policy independent of the U.S., his country's longtime treaty ally. Last year, he lashed out at then-President Barack Obama and the State Department, which has raised concerns over Duterte's deadly anti-drug crackdown. Duterte has ordered the Philippine navy not to proceed with previous plans to carry out joint patrols with U.S. forces in the contested waters, although his administration has agreed to continue a considerable number of joint military exercises with U.S. forces in the country. There have also been questions if America's role as a counterweight to China, particularly in the disputed waters, would change under President Donald Trump. After Obama ended his term, Duterte has moderated his language toward the U.S., allowing an opportunity for military engagements to continue to flourish, Boyer said, adding that he believed Trump's security team may take a firmer stance on the territorial disputes. "I would actually suspect we'll see more determination from the Americans on the South China Sea, sort of a bit of a harder edge towards the Chinese," Boyer said. "I think that's going to ... cause a little bit of a bumpy road, to be honest with you." By Associated Press NEW YORK: President Donald Trump, his administration under siege for contacts with Russian officials, is calling for "an immediate investigation" into Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer's own ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump's evidence? A 14-year-old photo of Schumer and Putin holding coffee and doughnuts in a New York City gas station. The president on Friday tweeted a photo of the two men, calling for a probe into Schumer's "ties to Russia and Putin" and called the New York senator "A total hypocrite!" Trump did not say where the photo came from, but Schumer quickly pointed out that it was taken in 2003 when Putin ventured to New York to celebrate the opening of a Russian-owned Lukoil gas station on Manhattan's west side. Several news organizations covered that event, which drew far more political star power than the average gas station opening. Schumer, in his own tweet, said he would "happily talk" under oath about his meeting with Putin, which took place "in full view of press and public." He then challenged Trump to do the same. And, a short time later, he posted a follow-up in which he further poked fun at the photo, noting "And for the record, they were Krispy Kreme donuts." On the same trip to the United States in 2003, Putin traveled to Camp David, Maryland, where he met with Republican President George W. Bush and the two held a joint news conference. Trump's tweet came just hours after the conservative website Drudge Report made the photo its lead image. And that was a day after the photo was unearthed by the pro-Trump blog Gateway Pundit, which ran it with the headline "Where's the outrage?" Trump targeted congressional Democrats for their encounters with Russians over the years even though the party's criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions centered on his failure to acknowledge his meetings when questioned at his Senate confirmation hearing and in written responses to the Judiciary Committee. "I think he was asked a pretty straightforward question at his committee hearing and I do think he should resign," Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in an interview. Trump also tweeted Friday about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who was among the first to call for Sessions to resign. In his tweet, Trump linked to a 2010 photo in which Pelosi and other lawmakers, including Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, now the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, are shown meeting with Russian officials, including then-President Dmitry Medvedev and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Trump demanded an investigation of the House minority leader. Pelosi had initially denied ever meeting Kislyak; her spokeswoman later clarified that they never had a one-on-one meeting. Pelosi then needled Trump by saying he didn't "know the difference" between an official meeting photographed by the press and a "secret" meeting that Sessions "lied about under oath." It is not improper for elected officials to meet with foreign diplomats. Trump's White House has been battered by questions about his links to Russia, quashing any sort of political momentum he had earned from his highly praised address to Congress earlier this week. Sessions on Thursday said he would recuse himself from Russia probes after it was revealed that he had conversed with Russia's ambassador twice during last year's campaign, a contradiction of his testimony during his Senate confirmation hearings. But that move has not satisfied many Democrats, who have called for Sessions' resignation. They also demand an independent investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia. Several other Trump allies have also faced questions about their ties to Russia, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was ousted last month for misleading White House officials about his conversations with Kislyak before Trump took office. NEW YORK: President Donald Trump, his administration under siege for contacts with Russian officials, is calling for "an immediate investigation" into Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer's own ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump's evidence? A 14-year-old photo of Schumer and Putin holding coffee and doughnuts in a New York City gas station. The president on Friday tweeted a photo of the two men, calling for a probe into Schumer's "ties to Russia and Putin" and called the New York senator "A total hypocrite!" Trump did not say where the photo came from, but Schumer quickly pointed out that it was taken in 2003 when Putin ventured to New York to celebrate the opening of a Russian-owned Lukoil gas station on Manhattan's west side. Several news organizations covered that event, which drew far more political star power than the average gas station opening. Schumer, in his own tweet, said he would "happily talk" under oath about his meeting with Putin, which took place "in full view of press and public." He then challenged Trump to do the same. And, a short time later, he posted a follow-up in which he further poked fun at the photo, noting "And for the record, they were Krispy Kreme donuts." On the same trip to the United States in 2003, Putin traveled to Camp David, Maryland, where he met with Republican President George W. Bush and the two held a joint news conference. Trump's tweet came just hours after the conservative website Drudge Report made the photo its lead image. And that was a day after the photo was unearthed by the pro-Trump blog Gateway Pundit, which ran it with the headline "Where's the outrage?" Trump targeted congressional Democrats for their encounters with Russians over the years even though the party's criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions centered on his failure to acknowledge his meetings when questioned at his Senate confirmation hearing and in written responses to the Judiciary Committee. "I think he was asked a pretty straightforward question at his committee hearing and I do think he should resign," Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in an interview. Trump also tweeted Friday about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who was among the first to call for Sessions to resign. In his tweet, Trump linked to a 2010 photo in which Pelosi and other lawmakers, including Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, now the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, are shown meeting with Russian officials, including then-President Dmitry Medvedev and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Trump demanded an investigation of the House minority leader. Pelosi had initially denied ever meeting Kislyak; her spokeswoman later clarified that they never had a one-on-one meeting. Pelosi then needled Trump by saying he didn't "know the difference" between an official meeting photographed by the press and a "secret" meeting that Sessions "lied about under oath." It is not improper for elected officials to meet with foreign diplomats. Trump's White House has been battered by questions about his links to Russia, quashing any sort of political momentum he had earned from his highly praised address to Congress earlier this week. Sessions on Thursday said he would recuse himself from Russia probes after it was revealed that he had conversed with Russia's ambassador twice during last year's campaign, a contradiction of his testimony during his Senate confirmation hearings. But that move has not satisfied many Democrats, who have called for Sessions' resignation. They also demand an independent investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia. Several other Trump allies have also faced questions about their ties to Russia, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was ousted last month for misleading White House officials about his conversations with Kislyak before Trump took office. By AFP ANKARA: Turkey hit back at German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday for not criticising the decision by authorities in Germany to ban rallies in support of expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers. Ankara and Berlin have been locked in acrimony over the last few days after German towns blocked events where Turkish ministers sought to address Turks living there about the April 16 referendum. Turkish voters will be asked whether to approve constitutional changes to create an executive presidency giving more power to the head of state. "Mrs Merkel says they (the Germans) respect freedom of expression; the foreign minister says we have no impact on this decision, but if you look carefully at both, they do not criticise the decision" of the German towns, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. "They do not say the decision taken by the authorities is wrong," the minister added, speaking to reporters in the central province of Yozgat. Merkel said on Friday that the decision was "taken by municipalities, and as a matter of principle, we apply freedom of expression in Germany". In the run-up to next month's referendum, trips by Turkish politicians to Germany have come under heavy criticism as the government seeks a "Yes" vote from the huge community of Turkish expatriates. Bozdag was due to speak at a rally on Thursday in Gaggenau in western Germany but it was cancelled, while Cologne city authorities also withdrew permission for a hall to be used for a speech by Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci. A third town, Frechen on the outskirts of Cologne, scrapped a rally that had been scheduled for Sunday. . "I ask, not allowing the Turkish justice minister to speak, does it adhere or not to German human rights, Mrs Merkel?" Bozdag asked. The turmoil in relations between the two countries has been ongoing since Germany criticised the largescale crackdown on suspected coup-plotters and those alleged to have links to Kurdish militants following last July's failed coup. And ties have worsened following the formal arrest of Turkish-German Die Welt journalist Deniz Yucel on Monday who is accused of "terrorist propaganda". Referring to Germany's elections later this year, Bozdag invited German politicians to come to Turkey to campaign in front of their citizens "wherever they wanted". Turkish pre-vote rallies have also come under scrutiny in the Netherlands where Dutch premier Mark Rutte said a planned pro-Erdogan rally in Rotterdam on March 11 would be "undesirable" When asked about Rutte's comments, Bozdag said politicians in Europe were being anti-Turkey in their quest for votes ahead of elections -- the Dutch vote on March 15 -- which he said was a "big mistake". The justice minister accused "several" European Union countries of being against changing Turkey's governing system because they did not want it to be a strong and stable nation. ANKARA: Turkey hit back at German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday for not criticising the decision by authorities in Germany to ban rallies in support of expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers. Ankara and Berlin have been locked in acrimony over the last few days after German towns blocked events where Turkish ministers sought to address Turks living there about the April 16 referendum. Turkish voters will be asked whether to approve constitutional changes to create an executive presidency giving more power to the head of state. "Mrs Merkel says they (the Germans) respect freedom of expression; the foreign minister says we have no impact on this decision, but if you look carefully at both, they do not criticise the decision" of the German towns, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. "They do not say the decision taken by the authorities is wrong," the minister added, speaking to reporters in the central province of Yozgat. Merkel said on Friday that the decision was "taken by municipalities, and as a matter of principle, we apply freedom of expression in Germany". In the run-up to next month's referendum, trips by Turkish politicians to Germany have come under heavy criticism as the government seeks a "Yes" vote from the huge community of Turkish expatriates. Bozdag was due to speak at a rally on Thursday in Gaggenau in western Germany but it was cancelled, while Cologne city authorities also withdrew permission for a hall to be used for a speech by Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci. A third town, Frechen on the outskirts of Cologne, scrapped a rally that had been scheduled for Sunday. . "I ask, not allowing the Turkish justice minister to speak, does it adhere or not to German human rights, Mrs Merkel?" Bozdag asked. The turmoil in relations between the two countries has been ongoing since Germany criticised the largescale crackdown on suspected coup-plotters and those alleged to have links to Kurdish militants following last July's failed coup. And ties have worsened following the formal arrest of Turkish-German Die Welt journalist Deniz Yucel on Monday who is accused of "terrorist propaganda". Referring to Germany's elections later this year, Bozdag invited German politicians to come to Turkey to campaign in front of their citizens "wherever they wanted". Turkish pre-vote rallies have also come under scrutiny in the Netherlands where Dutch premier Mark Rutte said a planned pro-Erdogan rally in Rotterdam on March 11 would be "undesirable" When asked about Rutte's comments, Bozdag said politicians in Europe were being anti-Turkey in their quest for votes ahead of elections -- the Dutch vote on March 15 -- which he said was a "big mistake". The justice minister accused "several" European Union countries of being against changing Turkey's governing system because they did not want it to be a strong and stable nation. By AFP TEHRAN: Iran's government "understands" French energy giant Total's caution over investing in the Islamic republic before Washington clarifies its position on trade with Tehran, the country's deputy oil minister said Saturday. "Total has announced that it is awaiting Americas final decision with regards to Iran. We understand Total," said Amir Hossein Zamani Nia, quoted by state news agency IRNA. "They want to invest five billion dollars. We are not upset with Total," he said. "Since a month and a half ago... they have spent more than 20 million dollars" on preparing projects in the Islamic republic. Nia said that Iran was in negotiations with foreign companies on more than 25 projects in the oil and gas sector but it would not be held "hostage" to political demands. In November, Total was awarded a $4.8 billion contract to develop an offshore gas field at South Pars -- the first deal of its kind since international sanctions on Iran were lifted in January under a nuclear deal with world powers. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday that uncertainty surrounding the sanctions because of Washington posed a risk to the oil-producing nation's economy. US President Donald Trump's administration last month imposed new sanctions on individuals and companies supporting Iran's ballistic missile programme and its elite Revolutionary Guards. An annual IMF report on Iran's economy said "renewed uncertainty regarding sanctions is dampening sentiment". The lack of clarity "could deter investment and trade with Iran and short-circuit the anticipated recovery", the report cautioned. TEHRAN: Iran's government "understands" French energy giant Total's caution over investing in the Islamic republic before Washington clarifies its position on trade with Tehran, the country's deputy oil minister said Saturday. "Total has announced that it is awaiting Americas final decision with regards to Iran. We understand Total," said Amir Hossein Zamani Nia, quoted by state news agency IRNA. "They want to invest five billion dollars. We are not upset with Total," he said. "Since a month and a half ago... they have spent more than 20 million dollars" on preparing projects in the Islamic republic. Nia said that Iran was in negotiations with foreign companies on more than 25 projects in the oil and gas sector but it would not be held "hostage" to political demands. In November, Total was awarded a $4.8 billion contract to develop an offshore gas field at South Pars -- the first deal of its kind since international sanctions on Iran were lifted in January under a nuclear deal with world powers. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday that uncertainty surrounding the sanctions because of Washington posed a risk to the oil-producing nation's economy. US President Donald Trump's administration last month imposed new sanctions on individuals and companies supporting Iran's ballistic missile programme and its elite Revolutionary Guards. An annual IMF report on Iran's economy said "renewed uncertainty regarding sanctions is dampening sentiment". The lack of clarity "could deter investment and trade with Iran and short-circuit the anticipated recovery", the report cautioned. Express News Service COLOMBO: Sri Lanka believes that the UN Human Rights Councils resolution on it, to be passed at the end of this month, will not force it to accept adjudication by foreigners in war crimes cases. It is true that in its latest report to the UNHRC, the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights had demanded a hybrid court comprising Sri Lankan and foreign judges to try war crimes cases pertaining to the 2006-2009 war to annihilate the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. But the up-coming resolution, to be co-sponsored by the US and Sri Lanka, is expected to be a roll on resolution, essentially based on the October 2015 resolution, which was also co-sponsored by Sri Lanka. And the wording of that resolution is such that it could be conveniently interpreted by Sri Lanka to avoid having foreign judges, informed sources told Express on Saturday. The 2015 resolution had called for participation in a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism, including the special counsels office, of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defense lawyers and authorized prosecutors and investigators. However, Sri Lankan sources note that the court will be a Sri Lankan mechanism, essentially a domestic court. The significance of this description was brought out by the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Prince Zeid himself during a visit to Sri Lanka. Zeid told newspersons that, being a sovereign country, it is Sri Lanka which will determine the nature of the judicial mechanism. Secondly,it is pointed out the phrase participation of Commonwealth and foreign judges need not necessarily mean that they should adjudicate or give judgments. Foreign judges could participate in a judicial mechanism in a variety of ways. Sitting in judgment is only one of them. They could act as advisors, experts on international law and judicial procedures or could monitor the proceedings. In fact, in the past, foreign judicial luminaries, including a former Chief Justice of India, Justice Bhagwati, had overseen the work of Presidential Commissions of Inquiry at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera had told the Foreign Correspondents Association here recently that while foreign judges could participate as experts, they could not be adjudicating as Sri Lankan law does not permit foreigners to be adjudicating persons in the country. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday that inducting foreign judges is not practical. President Maithripala Sirisena has declared several times that there is no question of allowing foreign judges. If the report of the UNHRC on Sri Lanka called for a hybrid court, it was because the UNHRC is a human rights organization par excellence and is duty bound to put forth the ideals and set standards. But these ideals may not be implementable immediately, and the members of the UNHRC know it. No Clear Definition of Hybrid It is also pointed out that the term hybrid court is not very clearly defined. There have been several hybrid courts, but there is no standard hybrid court as such. Hybrid courts usually apply a mix of national and international law, both procedural and substantive, and feature a blend of international and national elements, including international and national judges and staff. Sri Lankans also point out that the much vaunted hybrid courts have not been an unmixed blessing. The hybrid court on the Cambodian killings took 15 years of toil to come up with three convictions, a Sri Lankan peace activist, who did not want to be identified, said derisively. Pleasing all By passing a roll on resolution giving Sri Lanka two years to fulfill the pledges made in the October 2015 resolution, the UNHRC will be pleasing all sides. While the Sri Lankan government will be happy that it is getting more time to fulfill the existing pledges, with no additional demands made, those pressing for strong measures will be satisfied that the resolution has not been watered down in any way, the activist said. Foreign Powers If members of the UNHRC are going to be soft on Sri Lanka it is because the most important countries in it, such as the US. UK and India, want the present relatively moderate and accommodative government in Sri Lanka led by President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremsinghe, to survive the challenge posed by the hard line and pro-China opposition led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The additional factor is that fatigue has set in foreign governments as regards the Sri Lankan human rights problem. These powers are drawn to other issues in Sri Lanka such as economic development through trade and investment. And there is concern over the increasing Chinese footprint in the island, a diplomat observed. COLOMBO: Sri Lanka believes that the UN Human Rights Councils resolution on it, to be passed at the end of this month, will not force it to accept adjudication by foreigners in war crimes cases. It is true that in its latest report to the UNHRC, the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights had demanded a hybrid court comprising Sri Lankan and foreign judges to try war crimes cases pertaining to the 2006-2009 war to annihilate the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. But the up-coming resolution, to be co-sponsored by the US and Sri Lanka, is expected to be a roll on resolution, essentially based on the October 2015 resolution, which was also co-sponsored by Sri Lanka. And the wording of that resolution is such that it could be conveniently interpreted by Sri Lanka to avoid having foreign judges, informed sources told Express on Saturday. The 2015 resolution had called for participation in a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism, including the special counsels office, of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defense lawyers and authorized prosecutors and investigators. However, Sri Lankan sources note that the court will be a Sri Lankan mechanism, essentially a domestic court. The significance of this description was brought out by the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Prince Zeid himself during a visit to Sri Lanka. Zeid told newspersons that, being a sovereign country, it is Sri Lanka which will determine the nature of the judicial mechanism. Secondly,it is pointed out the phrase participation of Commonwealth and foreign judges need not necessarily mean that they should adjudicate or give judgments. Foreign judges could participate in a judicial mechanism in a variety of ways. Sitting in judgment is only one of them. They could act as advisors, experts on international law and judicial procedures or could monitor the proceedings. In fact, in the past, foreign judicial luminaries, including a former Chief Justice of India, Justice Bhagwati, had overseen the work of Presidential Commissions of Inquiry at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera had told the Foreign Correspondents Association here recently that while foreign judges could participate as experts, they could not be adjudicating as Sri Lankan law does not permit foreigners to be adjudicating persons in the country. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday that inducting foreign judges is not practical. President Maithripala Sirisena has declared several times that there is no question of allowing foreign judges. If the report of the UNHRC on Sri Lanka called for a hybrid court, it was because the UNHRC is a human rights organization par excellence and is duty bound to put forth the ideals and set standards. But these ideals may not be implementable immediately, and the members of the UNHRC know it. No Clear Definition of Hybrid It is also pointed out that the term hybrid court is not very clearly defined. There have been several hybrid courts, but there is no standard hybrid court as such. Hybrid courts usually apply a mix of national and international law, both procedural and substantive, and feature a blend of international and national elements, including international and national judges and staff. Sri Lankans also point out that the much vaunted hybrid courts have not been an unmixed blessing. The hybrid court on the Cambodian killings took 15 years of toil to come up with three convictions, a Sri Lankan peace activist, who did not want to be identified, said derisively. Pleasing all By passing a roll on resolution giving Sri Lanka two years to fulfill the pledges made in the October 2015 resolution, the UNHRC will be pleasing all sides. While the Sri Lankan government will be happy that it is getting more time to fulfill the existing pledges, with no additional demands made, those pressing for strong measures will be satisfied that the resolution has not been watered down in any way, the activist said. Foreign Powers If members of the UNHRC are going to be soft on Sri Lanka it is because the most important countries in it, such as the US. UK and India, want the present relatively moderate and accommodative government in Sri Lanka led by President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremsinghe, to survive the challenge posed by the hard line and pro-China opposition led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The additional factor is that fatigue has set in foreign governments as regards the Sri Lankan human rights problem. These powers are drawn to other issues in Sri Lanka such as economic development through trade and investment. And there is concern over the increasing Chinese footprint in the island, a diplomat observed. By AFP WASHINGTON: Former US president Barack Obama in 2014 launched a cyberwar against North Korea's missile program but it has failed to make significant gains, The New York Times reported Saturday. The United States still cannot effectively counter North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the newspaper said following a months-long investigation, based on interviews with officials in the Obama and Donald Trump administrations as well as "a review of extensive but obscure public records." North Korea's threats remain so dangerous that when Obama left office he warned Trump that this would likely be the most urgent problem he'd face, the Times said. Three years ago Obama ordered the Pentagon to increase cyber and electronic attacks against North Korea to try to sabotage its missiles before launch or just as they lift off, the report said. The program appeared to be successful, as several of the North's rockets and missiles failed soon after launch. Advocates of the US program claimed success, believing that they had delayed for years North Korea's ability to mount a nuclear weapon on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and threaten a US city. Skeptics however said the failures could have resulted from shoddy manufacturing, disgruntled insiders and simple incompetence. Kim Jong-Un's isolated regime has continued to thumb its nose at the world with a series of missile launches over the years. It has conducted three successful medium-range rocket launches in the past eight months and two nuclear tests in 2016 in its quest to build an ICBM that could reach the United States. North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology. The UN Security Council has imposed six sets of sanctions since Pyongyang first tested an atomic device in 2006. Kim boasted in January that Pyongyang was in the "final stages" of developing an ICBM in an apparent attempt to pressure the incoming US president. Trump shot back on Twitter, saying, "It won't happen." On February 12 North Korea fired what appeared to be a modified intermediate-range Musudan missile, which landed in the ocean. The Musudan has a range of 2,500-4,000 kilometers (1,550-2,485 miles), meaning it could threaten both Japan and US bases on Guam. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the test "absolutely intolerable." Days later, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged that Washington would use the full range of its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend allies Japan and South Korea against North Korea. WASHINGTON: Former US president Barack Obama in 2014 launched a cyberwar against North Korea's missile program but it has failed to make significant gains, The New York Times reported Saturday. The United States still cannot effectively counter North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the newspaper said following a months-long investigation, based on interviews with officials in the Obama and Donald Trump administrations as well as "a review of extensive but obscure public records." North Korea's threats remain so dangerous that when Obama left office he warned Trump that this would likely be the most urgent problem he'd face, the Times said. Three years ago Obama ordered the Pentagon to increase cyber and electronic attacks against North Korea to try to sabotage its missiles before launch or just as they lift off, the report said. The program appeared to be successful, as several of the North's rockets and missiles failed soon after launch. Advocates of the US program claimed success, believing that they had delayed for years North Korea's ability to mount a nuclear weapon on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and threaten a US city. Skeptics however said the failures could have resulted from shoddy manufacturing, disgruntled insiders and simple incompetence. Kim Jong-Un's isolated regime has continued to thumb its nose at the world with a series of missile launches over the years. It has conducted three successful medium-range rocket launches in the past eight months and two nuclear tests in 2016 in its quest to build an ICBM that could reach the United States. North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology. The UN Security Council has imposed six sets of sanctions since Pyongyang first tested an atomic device in 2006. Kim boasted in January that Pyongyang was in the "final stages" of developing an ICBM in an apparent attempt to pressure the incoming US president. Trump shot back on Twitter, saying, "It won't happen." On February 12 North Korea fired what appeared to be a modified intermediate-range Musudan missile, which landed in the ocean. The Musudan has a range of 2,500-4,000 kilometers (1,550-2,485 miles), meaning it could threaten both Japan and US bases on Guam. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the test "absolutely intolerable." Days later, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged that Washington would use the full range of its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend allies Japan and South Korea against North Korea. By AFP PARIS: Police searched the country manor house of French presidential candidate Francois Fillon on Friday looking for evidence over an expenses scandal, an investigation source said Saturday. The search of the house in Beauce, near the northwestern town of Le Mans, "finished yesterday evening", the source said. Fillon has said he is to be charged over claims he gave his wife a fake parliamentary job. PARIS: Police searched the country manor house of French presidential candidate Francois Fillon on Friday looking for evidence over an expenses scandal, an investigation source said Saturday. The search of the house in Beauce, near the northwestern town of Le Mans, "finished yesterday evening", the source said. Fillon has said he is to be charged over claims he gave his wife a fake parliamentary job. Sorry, that page not found! Please visit our Home Page for latest updates Gerald R. Ford USS represents future of naval aviation: Donald Trump Newport News (Virginia) [USA], Mar. 3 : The soon-to-be commissioned Gerald R. Ford USS is American craftsmanship at its best and represents the future of naval aviation, President Donald Trump said Thursday aboard the next-generation Naval aircraft carrier. (Posted on 03 March 2017, 1667782400 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 03 March 2017, 1667782400 173O212O198O32) "Congratulations to all of the men and women who helped build it. This is American craftsmanship at its biggest, at its best, at its finest. American workers are the greatest anywhere in the world. This warship, and all who serve on it, should be a source of shared pride for our nation. And, by the way, we're going to soon have more coming," said Trump according to a White House statement.At the occasion he vowed to give the US military the best resources and finest equipments in the world.Praising the Naval aircraft carrier, the President said, "This ship will make an extraordinary addition to the fleet like no other -- like no other. Anywhere in the world there's nothing like this. It represents the future of naval aviation. Our carriers are the centerpiece of American military might overseas. We are standing today on 4.5 acres of combat power and sovereign U.S. territory, the likes of which there is nothing to compete. There is no competition to this ship."" It is a monument to American might that will provide the strength necessary to ensure peace. This ship will carry 4,500 personnel and 70 aircraft, and will be a vital component of our defense. This carrier and the new ships in the Ford class will expand the ability of our nation to carry out vital missions on the oceans to project American power in distant lands," he added.The visit comes on the heels of Trump's proposal to increase the Defense Department's budget by USD 54 billion, a 10 percent increase over last year.On the occasion, talking about his address to a joint session of Congress, he said he has asked Congress to eliminate the defense sequester and to support rebuilding of the United States military and the United States Navy.He said that years of endless budget cuts have impaired the U.S. defenses."Our military requires sustained, stable funding to meet the growing needs placed on our defense. Right now, our aging frontline strike and strike-fighters -- the whole aircraft; many, many aircraft -- are often more likely to be downed for maintenance than they are to be up in the sky. Our Navy is now the smallest it's been since, believe it or not, World War I," Trump said adding, "We also need more aircraft, modernized capabilities, and greater force levels. Additionally, we must vastly improve our cyber capabilities. This great rebuilding effort will create many jobs in Virginia, and all across America, and it will also spur new technology and new innovation."Named after former president Gerald Ford, who served on an aircraft carrier during World War II, the USS Gerald Ford is the most technologically advanced warship ever built and also the most expensive, costing USD 12.9 billion. 92.7 Big FM honours best of the city with 'Best City Pride Awards' Kolkata, Mar 3 : 92.7 BIG FM, India's largest and No.1 radio network, known for pioneering innovative and relatable content, has announced a unique property for its listeners titled 'BIG City Pride Awards'. (Posted on 03 March 2017, 1667782400 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/west-bengal-news.php (Posted on 03 March 2017, 1667782400 173O212O198O32) This is the first ever city based awards property that identifies people, places or businesses that form the pride of its citizens. After being identified and chosen by the listeners, BIG City Pride Awards will honor these unique aspects of a city under various categories.The winners will be announced every month from March onwards till the end of the year across Kolkata, Bangalore and 14 CHR stations of 92.7 BIG FM.BIG City Pride Awards will further 92.7 BIG FMs innovative brand appeal and offer content that strikes a powerful connect with its listeners, by giving them an opportunity to bring forth the best and most unique elements of their cities.The awards will cover a wide spectrum of factors that are unique to a particular city - from its best eateries and restaurants, to sought-after real estate properties and developers, to popular mall spaces,to qualitative educational institutions and noteworthy personalities, among others.In the month of March, BIG City Pride will focus on the city-centric aspect of food, under which the winners of two categories, Best Restaurant and Best Street Food Joint or Best Snack Joint will be awarded. Local food experts and prominent chefs from the industry will form the jury in their respective cities, such as Chef Akashraj from ITC WELCOME, and HOD of Food Production amp; Culinary Arts at Indian Institute of Hotel management Shakti Singh for Jodhpur; Masterchef India Season 2 top 6 participant Dolcy Bachkiwala, and Snehaben Thakkar, a cookery class professor with 17 years of experience for Surat; Chef Yasin and Chef Nisheeth Srivastava for Srinagar, and so on.On the launch of this distinguished property, spokesperson from 92.7 BIG FM said, We at 92.7 BIG FM are always working towards offering content that strikes a personal connect with our listeners. Big City Pride Awards intends to build that very connect with citizens first, listeners later. Every city has certain inherent characteristics that make them unique, forming the pride of its populace. Through these awards, we want to underline that a citys pride is BIG FMs pride too. We are looking forward to a positive response.The top 4 nominees will be shortlisted solely based on public voting, while the winners will be selected based on 70% public and 30% jury voting. In addition to public voting through SMS, RJs will go on-ground in their respective cities to provide the listeners an opportunity to cast their votes for the nominees through Vox-pops. The winner of the first category will be announced in the first two weeks and the second title will be announced during the following week.Making the awards more interactive and engaging for its listeners, the RJs will keep theaudience glued to 92.7 BIG FM with some interesting stories and fun games that revolve around this particular property. Along with this, lucky listeners, whose choice matches with the jury will be announced as the winner of a bumper prize. The winners across the categories will be felicitated with a trophy and a certificate by 92.7 BIG FM.The activity will take place across Chandigarh, Jammu, Srinagar, Shimla, Amritsar, Chennai,Ranchi, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Surat, Jodhpur, Kota, Agra, Kanpur along with Kolkata and Bangalore. After Pathankot braveheart's daughter, now slain BSF jawan's kin slams Gurmehar RS Pura (Jammu and Kashmir) March. 3 : Gurjeet Kaur, the sister of slain Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Gurnam Singh, on Friday urged Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur not to make a joke of her father Captain Mandeep Singh's sacrifice. (Posted on 03 March 2017, 1667782401 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php (Posted on 03 March 2017, 1667782401 173O212O198O32) "Gurmehar Kaur has insulted her father's brave act for the country. She should not have said that. She has hurt our sentiments and emotions attached to it. I just want to ask Gurmehar to stop insulting her father's sacrifice and stop criticizing the people who have given their lives for this country," Gurjeet told ANI.This comes after the daughter of Pathankot braveheart Lance Naik Moolraj on Friday urged Gurmehar not to insult her father's sacrifice."I just want to ask Gurmehar to stop insulting her father's sacrifice. Please Gurmehar stop criticizing the people, who have given their lives for this country and the people, who have lost their sons and fathers," the girl Pooja told ANI.Gurmehar shot to limelight last week after her Facebook post taking on the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP) went viral. She also drew flak after one of her older social media posts on her father, killed in Kashmir during the Kargil war, and her perceptions about Pakistan and war surfaced."Pakistan did not kill my father. War killed him," read one part of the post.Clashes had erupted last week after the ABVP allegedly manhandled and thrashed students protesting the cancellation of an event at Ramjas College at which controversial JNU student Umar Khalid was scheduled to speak. Whirlpool introduces new logo, undertakes major brand expansion Kolkata, Mar 3 : Whirlpool Corporation, manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, introduced its all new logo which indicates the company's growth and expansion across categories. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782403 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782403 173O212O198O32) The new logo reinforces the idea of being intrinsically simple yet modern and elegant.It is designed to showcase what Whirlpool delivers appliances that boast of quality, integrity and innovation.The logo has forgone the Swirl above Whirlpools W, which was originally added in 1960 and was a symbol of laundry products. Also, the ring around the middle of the logo has been modified from hook to a continuous circle to resemble a gold ring.This change focuses on the Ring of Promise, which symbolizes Whirlpools commitment to deliver products with quality and integrity. The ring strengthens Whirlpools promise to every customer, which is to provide the best branded consumer product, in every home around the world.The new logo further depicts companys focused approach to capture market space by expanding their product range across categories in the Indian consumer durable industry.The font in the logo has also been changed to give more dimensions.Sharing his views on the transformation, Sunil DSouza, Managing Director, Whirlpool of India said, The evolution of Whirlpools logo signifies change in brands attitude by showcasing itself as a progressive, powerful and an innovative company which aims to capture every Indian household. The organizations motto has been kept at the heart of the change along with a focus on growth and expansion into a wider product portfolio.He further added, Thenew logo signifies the evolving zest of the company to provide brilliant home appliance solutions for every need of consumers. Whirlpool is entering intoa new era by expanding its other category products. In India, Whirlpool has got strong foothold in core categories such as washers and refrigerators. We have already introduced innovative products such as Built-in Appliances, Microwaves, Air Conditioners, Water and Air Purifiers. All our products have received tremendous response and shall remain key focus area for the coming years.The new logo will be featured on Whirlpool brand appliances and all assets and materials in the future. Yemen: UN migration agency reports displacement spike in Taiz Governorate New York, Mar 3 : With nearly 274,000 people displaced, Yemen's Taiz is now among the crisis-torn country's top five hosting governorates for such populations, a United Nations report has found. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782404 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782404 173O212O198O32) For nearly 20 months, Taiz has been the centre of intense ground clashes, military confrontations and aerial strikes between warring parties in Yemen.The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has initiated a system to track displacement from the major port city of Al Mokha, as accurate data is essential to plan an effective, efficient and impactful humanitarian response.So far, at least 25,000 individuals have been reported as displaced from Al Mokha, according to IOM.This much-needed data has enabled the entire humanitarian community in Yemen to increase the amount and accuracy of vital support and protection it provides to affected populations, said IOM Yemen Chief of Mission Laurent de Boeck in a press release.Since the start of the conflict in March 2015, IOM has tracked up to 426,672 internally displaced persons and 78,258 returnees in the governorate of Taiz.Earlier this week, Stephen OBrien, the UN Emergency Coordinator, who is currently undertaking a mission in Yemen said that in an around Ibb and Taiz, he had met with families to hear their horrific stories of displacement.Running from violence, bombings and shelling, these people from Taiz and Mocha had left with nothing. It is now ordinary Yemenis, host communities and humanitarian actors providing lifesaving assistance and protection, he said in a news release, stressing that with so many people malnourished and sick, aid is not enough.One thing is clear, though: there are no military solutions to this terrible conflict. Only sustainable peace can bring about the solutions, hope and future of Yemenis. I call on all parties to the conflict to come together and make peace. That is the best humanitarian assistance, he said.Photo: ICRC/Khalid al-SaeedSource: www.justearthnews.com On Wildlife Day, UN spotlights youth's role as on Friday's change-makers, tomorrow's custodians New York, Mar 3 : With the fate of the world's wildlife soon to be in the hands of the next generation, the United Nations is observing this year's World Wildlife Day with a call to harness the power of young people's voices in conservation efforts. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782404 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782404 173O212O198O32) Poaching and illegal trafficking pose a significant threat to wildlife, especially some of the worlds most iconic and endangered species, UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said in his message for the Day, which this year is on the theme Listen to the Young Voices.Strict enforcement of laws is important, but so too is awareness, Guterres added, appealing to young people to protect their inheritance by becoming informed and acting to protect wild animals and plants from the threat of extinction.In her message, Irina Bokova, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), stressed that young people have a special role to play as change-makers and future custodians.We must listen to them and nurture their engagement, to craft new forms of action to conserve and protect wildlife on the basis of solidarity, she said.On 20 December 2013, the UN General Assembly decided to proclaim 3 March as World Wildlife Day the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973, which plays an important role in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the species survival.Given the current rate of poaching and smuggling, will future generations one day speak of elephants, rhinoceros and many other endangered species as we speak of mammoths? We must not and will not allow this to happen, said CITES Secretary-General, John E. Scanlon.Our generation has not yet succeeded in securing the future of many wild animals and plants. Meeting this challenge will now be shared with the next generation, he added.Habitat loss, climate change and industrial-scale poaching are impacting species great and small, from elusive pangolins to migratory sea turtles, to apex predators like the tiger. World Wildlife Day is a very special occasion on the UN calendar as it helps to galvanize national and international action.To succeed, it is vital to fully harness the innovation and energy of youth, and combine it with the wisdom that comes with experience, he said.Last year, the UN launched the Wild for Life campaign, which asked people to make wildlife crime personal. Since its launch, it has engaged 35 celebrity champions, reached over 1 billion people, generated 4.5 million social media engagement and 12,000 pledges of action.And some are taking monumental steps to combat the destruction of species. In December 2016, the future of elephants was given a huge boost by Chinas declaration to ban all commercial ivory trade by the end of 2017.China has set a great example to the world with its ivory ban. Young people should take heart from this and push for further progress globally to ensure that wildlife and their habitats are sustainably managed in the future, said UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Erik Solheim.Photo: UNEP GRID Arendal/Peter ProkoschSource: www.justearthnews.com Vodafone launches recruitment programme for women on career break New Delhi , Mar. 04 : Vodafone has launched world's largest recruitment programme for women who took break in their careers. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782404 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782404 173O212O198O32) The ReConnect programme is designed to attract talented women who have left the workplace for several years (in most cases to raise a family) and who would like to return to work on a full-time or flexible basis but are struggling to make the professional connections needed or refresh the skills required.The programme will operate across 26 countries with a target of 1,000 ReConnect recruits within three years.ReConnect will complement other Vodafone global initiatives focused on encouraging and supporting women in the workplace including the Group's groundbreaking global maternity policy announced in March 2015.The programme will include recruitment outreach activities to make contact with, and raise awareness among, women on career breaks.Under it, training and induction programmes will be held to refresh and enhance professional skills and help women prepare for re-entry to the workplace.The Group intends to bring mobile to an additional 50 million women by 2025, overcoming those barriers to achieve significantly positive socio-economic outcomes within what are often relatively remote (and in some cases marginalised) communities.Economic research commissioned by Vodafone from KPMG indicates that there are an estimated 96 million skilled women aged 30-54 on career breaks worldwide, of whom an estimated 55 million have experience at middle-manager level and above.The KPMG research also indicates the potential economic benefits associated with bringing back into the workplace all women on a career break with experience at middle manager-level and above. If all such women worldwide were able to secure manager-level employment (and on the assumption that their recruitment did not lead to the displacement of other employees), the associated value of the additional economic activity generated (in terms of Gross Value Added) could be in the region of A151 billion per year and the cumulative financial boost for those women's households, in terms of earnings, could be approximately A419 billion a year. EC rejects TTV Dinakaran's response on Sasikala's elevation New Delhi , Mar. 04 : The Election Commission on Friday rejected the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) response on the elevation of V.K. Sasikala as party's general secretary, stating that TTV Dinakaran, who signed the letter, was not an office bearer of the party anymore. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782405 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/tamil-nadu-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782405 173O212O198O32) The EC has now asked Sasikala to submit the reply either under her own signature or any authorized signatory whose name is in the party office bearers' list.Earlier on February 17, the EC had issued a notice to Sasikala on a petition filed by O. Panneerselvam loyalist Maitreyan and others challenging the nomination of J. Jayalalaithaa's loyalist as AIADMK's general secretary.In a letter sent to Sasikala, the EC mentioned about the two petitions filed by Maitreyan.Sasikala was asked to reply by February 28. Agricultural growth in Chhattisgarh moving in positive direction: Raman Singh Raipur (Chhattisgarh) , Mar. 04 : Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Friday expressed delight over the positive growth witnessed in the state's agricultural sector. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782405 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/agriculture-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782405 173O212O198O32) "The agricultural growth in Chhattisgarh is moving in positive direction," he said while addressing a press conference here.Singh further said that the agricultural growth has been better than the national average growth."We have seen that the development and GSTP in the agricultural sector is better than the national average," he said.Shifting focus to other sector, Singh said the state has witnessed growth in service and industrial sectors as well."We have also moved forward in service sector," he said."Even after obstructions we have witnessed a positive growth in the industrial sector," he added.Expressing hope of moving ahead with the same positivity, Singh said he hoped for a better Per Capita Income (PCI) of the state."We hope Chhatisgarh's Per Capita Income sees a rise," he said. Indian Navy honours RIN soldiers' widows Kannur (Kerala) , Mar. 04 : The Indian Navy on Thursday honoured twelve widows of the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) sailors who took part in the RIN mutiny in 1946. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782406 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782406 173O212O198O32) At a function held at the Defence Security Corps Centre here, the Navy awarded Rs. 1 lakh each to the widows of the Royal Indian Navy's (RIN) sailors.This initiative is part of the Indian Navy's effort to recognize the services of the RIN sailors, who were expelled from the service by the British after they took part in the naval revolt of 1946."The British called it mutiny and we treat it as uprising, but the services of the unsung heroes who participated in it have to be acknowledged," said Commodore Kamalesh Kumar, Commanding Officer, INS Zamorin of the Indian Naval Academy, who presented the cheques to the widows. Trump wants investigation against another Democrat over Russia ties New Delhi , Mar. 4 : Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump called for an investigation against New York Democrat Chuck Schumer for his Russia ties, in another tweet, the former has also demanded an investigation against House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi for meeting Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782406 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782406 173O212O198O32) "I hearby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it," Trump tweeted on Friday along with a Politico report that showed a file photo from Pelosi's 2010 meeting with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev showing Kislyak at the table across from Pelosi - then House speaker.The report said that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Friday that she's never met with Kislyak."Not with this Russian ambassador, no," Pelosi said during a Playbook interview, when asked if she'd ever met with the Russian envoy.When asked about Pelosi's comments with the photo of the meeting, a spokesman said that Pelosi had simply meant she never had a solo meeting with Kislyak.Earlier, Posting a photo of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer with Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump called Schumer a 'hypocrite' and suggested an immediate investigation against him."We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite!," Trump tweeted along with the photograph in which Schumer and Putin can be seen smiling together. China warns India again, says 'gravely concerned' about Dalai Lama's visit Beijing [China], Mar. 04 : China on Friday reiterated its stand on Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama's visit to India and said it was 'gravely concerned over this information.' (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782407 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782407 173O212O198O32) Though China had earlier opposed the Tibetan leader's visit, citing it will seriously 'damage' bilateral ties, India facilitated the visit and deputed a government official to assist the Dalai Lama, who is expected to visit Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang monastery after eight years between April 4 and 13."China is gravely concerned over this information. Our position on the eastern section of the China-India border dispute is consistent and clear. The Dalai group has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities and has put on dishonorable acts in the past on the boundary question. The Indian side knows very well the seriousness of the Dalai issue and the sensitiveness of the boundary question. Under such circumstances, India's invitation to the Dalai Lama to the disputed areas between China and India will bring severe damage to peace and stability of the border areas and China-India relations," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press briefing.Shuang further urged the Indian side to honour its commitments on the Tibet-related issues.He said, "We urged India to follow the important agreement between the two sides on the boundary question, refrain from actions that would further complicate the question, not provide a stage for the anti-China separatist activities of the Dalai group, and ensure the sound and steady growth of China-India relationship."Answering a poser on how the concern was expressed, Shuang said a representation was made through formal diplomatic channels.This development comes a week after a strategic dialogue was held between the countries to shore up bilateral ties.China had earlier claimed the border dispute between the two countries can be resolved if New Delhi accepts Beijing's claim over the Tawang region. Barricading the River of Life By Bhishm Kumar Chauhan, Saradih (Chhattisgarh) , Mar. 4 : With its lush green fields, meandering streams, large ponds of clear water that shines like glass in the soft sunshine -nature seems to be at its pristine best in Saradih panchayat. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782408 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782408 173O212O198O32) Situated in the heart of north Chhattisgarh in Janjgir Champa district, the region is charecterised by the river Mahanadi that runs through.As is the case for many a community living in river basins, the Mahanadi is at the core of life here. The river is entwined with the land and its people, this life-giving source providing precious water for their needs.The river basin is fertile ground; the entire area recharged with the flowing water is prime agricultural land. Paddy is the main crop here and it is cultivated in abundance. Apart from large farmers, the community, a large section of them dalits -are small and marginal farmers. Some are landless. They get work as agricultural labourers but they also grow vegetables on the small pieces of land available to them. The soil and the water of the Mahanadi are a boon, giving them succor.But something is changing here. This prime agricultural land with its easy access to water has beckoned industry to this area. Under the state government, some seven barrages are in different stages of construction down the Mahanadi. These are expected to supply water to a number of power plants proposed to come up in the area. One of these barrages is taking shape in Saradih, its gigantic concrete structure standing out in stark contrast to what is essentially a pastoral landscape.There is an uncertainty, a sense of unease amongst the people here as industrialisation is making its presence felt into the world they have known. How will it affect their lives, their fields and their ways of cultivation? There are many different questions but an underlying concern- will this disrupt the life that has carried on from their time of their forefathers?Vimal Narayan Dani, Sarpanch, Saradih says "The Bairaj Pariyojana (a local term for the barrage construction) will take a toll on us. Many farmers have had to give up their lands and not got enough compensation."The strain is increasingly palpable amongst a community that has known only the pastoral life over generations. Setram Jaiswal, a farmer laments, "I owned a piece of land that was acquired by the government for industry. The compensation I got is very small, nor have I got a job in any of the industries here. I don't have any other means to earn a living. The only option I have is to migrate".For the 20-25 families who earn a living by cultivating vegetables on not only the river banks, but also on 'islands' in the midst of the river- the tension is mounting. They know that once the barrage comes up, the land available to them will go under. They are staring at a gloomy future. The water that has sustained their livelihoods till now could be the water that prevents them from the source of their earning."Many people in our area catch fish from the Mahanadi and sell it to earn a living. The barrage is bound to affect this " says Vimal Narayan Dani, his forehead furrowing. He fears that the water level will rise and fishing will be difficult, perhaps impossible. "What will happen to them, their families then?"The question on everyone's mind is whether this industrialisation will give them jobs, especially those who have lost their lands to the project? The answer to this crucial question is not forthcoming. What people feel is that with the barrage coming up, the water from the river will be supplied to industrial enterprises in the area. They will probably stand to lose in more ways than one.It is an unsettling scenario opening up. The unfortunate thing is that a viable alternative is not apparent to them. Nor is any effort being made by the state government or the district administration towards this, to ease their concerns. These developments have prompted the community to come together for a common cause; to collectivise and take up their concerns with the administration.In a form of protest, a 'Jal Satyagraha' was recently undertaken in the waters of Mahanadii. A group of the 'Satyagrahis' went to meet the District Magistrate (DM) on the issue. Apparently, The DM gave them a sympathetic hearing and assured them that he would take up the matter with the representatives of industry in the region. According to him, this could be a step for livelihood opportunities opening up, particularly through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects undertaken by these companies.Whether this is reason to hope and cheer- only time will tell. It is however obvious that there are no quick-fix solutions. The issues at stake are fundamental ones that raise questions of industrialisation in predominantly agricultural-based regions; of compensation for land acquired for industry and ownership of natural resources in this case, the life-sustaining waters of the Mahanadi. Do these lie with the community or can they be diverted for purposes other than the benefit of the very community whose life it touches, shapes.The views expressed in the above article are that of Mr.Bhishm Kumar Chauhan, who is associated with Charkha Features. 'Iron Lady' Irom Sharmila confident of winning election Imphal (Manipur) , Mar.4 : Casting her vote after 24 years, the Iron Lady of Manipur and PRAJA (Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance) chief, Irom Chanu Sharmila, on Saturday, expressed confidence about winning the Manipur assembly election. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782409 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782409 173O212O198O32) After casting her vote at booth no. 3/39 of Khurai assembly constituency, the anti-AFSPA activist said, "I am fully confident of winning the election."At 28, Sharmila went on a hunger strike, for 16 years, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).Meanwhile, youth in Manipur have reportedly said they will go for NOTA (None of the above) while voting. Speaking about this, Irom declared that her party represents the youth and the large turnout of youngsters at her party's rally proves this. She said, "Our Party represents youth for change, youth for vote. A huge crowd, including youngsters, attended our party rally."Sharmila added, "Our fight is not for money and muscle power. We used money just for documentation."The civil right activist revealed that she is residing in the house of a sympathizer in the constituency."We need candidates with clean background and that's why we rejected 20 candidates," Irom said. UP polls: PM Modi concludes road show, offers prayers at Kaal Bhairav temple Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) , Mar. 4 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his massive road show by offering prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple here. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782409 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782409 173O212O198O32) The Prime Minister's road show, which started at the main gate of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), met with a horde of people shouting slogans in his praise. Men and women were dressed in saffron, ahiglighting the primary colour of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) flag.Modi also garlanded the statue of freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, who was also the founder of the BHU.On his way, Prime Minister Modi also offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple.The Prime Minister will address public meetings both in Varanasi and Jaunpur ahead of the seventh-phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will also hold a joint road show later in the day here.The seventh-phase of Assembly polls is scheduled to take place on March 8, in which as many as 46 constituencies covering seven districts of Uttar Pradesh will cast their vote.Meanwhile, a total of 37.85 percent voter turnout was recorded till 1 p.m. in the sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2017. Canada: Katherine Wynne releases a new hydro plan Toronto, Mar 4 : Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced a new hydro plan Thursday stating there would be 25 percent hydro cuts to residents starting this summer, media reports said. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782410 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782410 173O212O198O32) Electricity rates in Ontario will come down significantly, theyre going to stay down and everyone will benefit, Ms. Wynne said in a news conference, The Globe and Mail reports said.After hearing several complaints from across Ontario regarding hydro affordability issues Wynnes government planned to start an Affordability Fund to protect rural and remote rate with a delivery credit.The 25 percent hydro cut would not have a direct impact on business owners who were advised to adhere to a rebate program forcing them to shift their hydro consumption to off-peak hours.Canadian business owners were worried about attracting future investments due to their unaffordability in hydro prices, particularly as U.S. President Donald Trump plans to cut corporate income-tax rates and build protection barriers.I think this is going to make us more competitive because we are capturing those businesses [in the conservation program], and I think it puts us in a good position, Wynne said.She added for businesses that are investing or expanding in Ontario the priority should be a highly skilled work force rather than electricity costs.Wynnes government also plans to add $25-billion in interest costs over 30 years for the immediate relief to the industry owners for existing generation projects. The province also plans to give some relief to ratepayers by shifting $2.5-billion over three years to the general provincial account.The accusation that were spreading this over more than one generation is absolutely true, Wynne told the paper. Thats the point of what were doing were asking a future generation to help pay for an asset that theyre actually going to use.(Reporting by Asha Bajaj) UP: Modi slams rival parties, urges people to vote for BJP Jaunpur, Mar 4 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the people of Uttar Pradesh should vote to free the state from the rules of the Congess, BSP and Samajwadi Party. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782411 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782411 173O212O198O32) The Congress,BSP and SP have looted the state, Modi said.He said the BJP government could bring the state to the path of development.BJPs victory has become a reality after 5 phases. Now, you need to give us a bonus and give us more seats for a comfortable majority, Modi said.He said: The government of India is providing resources to feed the poor but the UP government is showing no keenness to make use of them.Modi urged people of Uttar Pradesh to vote in favour of the BJP in the remaining phase of the Assembly polls. Crucial CGST, IGST bills cleared by Council; next meet to be held on March 16 New Delhi , Mar 4 : The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, which met on Saturday at Vigyan Bhavan, has cleared the Central GST and Integrated GST laws and agreed the next meeting will be held on March 16. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782412 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782412 173O212O198O32) "The decision was unanimous and all the states have supported it," said Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the approval of Central GST and Integrated GST laws by the GST Council."We will take extra precaution in the legislations of the GST before taking it to the Cabinet," said Jaitley."All legislations will collectively to the Cabinet because there are cross references in each law, so this has to considered as a package," he added.Earlier, the GST Council proposed to raise the peak tax rate to 20 percent, from the current 14 percent. The revised draft of model GST law which was made public in November 2016, provides for a maximum rate of tax under the new regime at 14 percent (14 percent central GST and an equal state GST, taking the total to 28 percent).However, the last year, the council had agreed on a four-slab structure, which included five, 12, 18 and 28 percent. 'Modern Family's Sofia Vergara captures 'last day of season 8' New York, Mar. 4 : It's a wrap for 'Modern Family' season 8 and Sofia Vergara has documented the last day of shooting. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782412 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/hollywood-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782412 173O212O198O32) The 44-year-old actress, who plays Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on the comedy, shared a video of herself and costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson on her Insta page and captioned it as, "Last day of the 8th season#modernfamily."She followed it up with a snap of on-screen Dunphy couple Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell standing beside glasses of alcohol and making silly faces with the caption "Sexy people."The 'Hot Pursuit' star shared another snap with her youngest on-screen son, Jeremy Maguire (Joe Pritchett) and wrote, "Last shooting day#modernfamily."One of her Instagram snaps dedicated to the series' crew was captioned as, "Miss u guys alreadyyyyy!!#modernfamily season8 #lastshot." FDCI collaborates with Jakarta Fashion Week New Delhi , Mar. 4 : To encourage a cross-cultural exchange of designer talent between the two nations, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), has announced a partnership with Jakarta Fashion Week. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782414 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782414 173O212O198O32) As a part of the first year of the exchange, Indonesian designer, Novita Yunus, with her brand 'Batik Chic' will light up the runway at Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2017, in association with Maybelline New York, on the day one of the fashion spectacle. The grand event will unravel its magic from March 15-18th, 2017 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Lodhi Road.As the platform that drives the Indian fashion industry, FDCI continues to present various programs to encourage exchange of ideas that boost creativity, through collaborations with international partners. Through the universal language of fashion, AIFW will give stage to traditional techniques and symbolisms curated by the Indonesian designer.Later in the year, as a part of the exchange with Jakarta Fashion Week, an Indian designer will highlight the brilliance of Indian creativity on the Indonesian platform. Last year, two Indian labels had showcased sustainable fashion in Indonesia.On the announcement, Sunil Sethi, President, FDCI said, "FDCI has always been on the fore-front of scouting myriad minds and providing them with lucrative opportunities. This interesting exchange between our country and Indonesia will make it a spectacular rendition of cross-cultural understanding. We hope to create more avenues of engagement for designers, to explore the creative potential of both the countries. We would like to thank the Ambassador of India to Indonesia, Ms. Nengcha Lhouvum Mukhopadhaya in Jakarta, who has facilitated this partnership.""The rapid business growth of Indonesian designers has encouraged our international partners, such as Fashion Design Council India and Embassy of India in Jakarta, to initiate a collaboration, especially with Indonesian Fashion Forward designers. Furthermore, JFW and Embassy of India in Jakarta and Fashion Design Council India share similar mission, to develop the fashion industry in respected countries, and to bring forth designers from both countries to international stages," stated Lenni Tedja, Director of JFW. "The ultimate mission is to bring forth Indonesian designers to international stages." Back door was provided for Geelani's grandson's appointment: National Conference Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) , Mar. 4 : Following the controversy over the appointment of the grandson of pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Anees-ul-Islam, last year in November, while Kashmir was seeing the unrest and violence, National Conference has voiced its concern over the matter. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782415 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782415 173O212O198O32) Anees bagged the job of a research officer in Sher-e-Kashmir International Convection Complex (SKICC), which comes under PDP-BJP coalition government. Allegedly, for Anees' appointment, the rules were bent and he received out-of-turn job.National Conference leader Devender Singh Rana told ANI, "A back door was provided for the appointment. Everybody has a right on government job, but the way that has been taken is wrong. While, lakhs of people are unemployed in Kashmir, this appointment will hurt the people."Another leader of National Conference, Junaid Mattoo also expressed concern over Anees' appointment."Some senior bureaucrats are working as PDP functionaries. If the grandson of Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been appointed because of Geelani's influence, then this is questionable. We will demand an independent enquiry not just on this case, but on all the back-door appointments," he told ANI.However, Jammu and Kashmir's tourism secretary Farooq Shah, who was also the chairman of Senior Selection Committee claimed that all the rules were followed in the appointment.He said, "We invited applications from candidates; he was found fit for the post."Sohail Bukhari, advisor to Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has also denied the allegations.He asserted, "There is no single rule that has been bent. SKICC is an autonomous body. They published a notification for the job. Many applications came and based on merit, 35 were called for interview. One individual was selected finally. The allegation is purely fabrication." GST on track: CGST, IGST to benefit small business entities New Delhi , March 4 : The eleventh Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting held at Vigyan Bhawan on Saturday introduced a compensation scheme for business entities with turnover up to Rs. 50 lakhs. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782416 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782416 173O212O198O32) As per the council, such entities can avail the benefit of a composition scheme under which it has to pay a much lower rate of tax and has to fulfill very minimal compliance requirements. The Composition Scheme is available for all traders, select manufacturing sectors and for restaurants in the services sector.Meanwhile, a business entity with an annual turnover of up to Rs. 20lakh would not be required to take registration in the GST regime, unless he voluntarily chooses to do so to be a part of the input tax credit (ITC) chain. The annual turnover threshold in the Special Category States (as enumerated in Article 279A of the Constitution such as Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and the other States of the North-East) for not taking registration is Rs. 10lakh.In the Services sector, the existing mechanism of Input Service Distributor (ISD) under the Service Tax law has been retained to allow the flow of ITC in respect of input services within a legal entity.With regards to tax payment, a state-wise single registration will be maintained for filing returns, paying taxes, and to fulfill other compliance requirements. Most of the compliance requirements would be fulfilled online, thus leaving very little room for physical interface between the taxpayer and the tax official.A taxpayer has to file one single return state-wise to report all his supplies, whether made within or outside the State or exported out of the country and pay the applicable taxes on them. Such taxes can be Central, State, Integrated and Union Territory GST.The remaining two Bills namely, State GST and the Union Territory GST, which would be almost a replica of the CGST Act, would be taken-up for approval in the next meeting of GST Council scheduled on March 16 2017.The GST Council chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, approved the draft CGST Bill and the draft IGST Bill as vetted by the Union Law Ministry. This clears the deck for the Central Government to take these two Bills to the Parliament for their passage in the ongoing Budget Session. Theatre cancels screening of 'Beauty and the Beast' due to gay character New York [US], Mar. 4 : Moviegoers won't be able to catch the screening of 'Beauty and the Beast' at an Alabama theater as it has shunned the flick over the gay 'moment'. (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782416 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php (Posted on 04 March 2017, 1667782416 173O212O198O32) Director Bill Condon recently told Attitude magazine that Josh Gad's LeFou - villain Gaston's (Luke Evans) eccentric sidekick - will be Disney's first-ever LGBTQ character - a way of honoring the original 1991 animated film's late lyricist Howard Ashman."It is with great sorrow that I have to tell our customers that we will not be showing 'Beauty and the Beast,'" read a message on the Facebook page of the Henagar Drive-In Theatre in the northeast portion of the state, reports CNN."If we can not take our 11-year-old granddaughter and 8-year-old grandson to see a movie we have no business watching it," the message said. "If I can't sit through a movie with God or Jesus sitting by me then we have no business showing it. We are first and foremost Christians."We will not compromise on what the Bible teaches. We will continue to show family-oriented films so you can feel free to come watch wholesome movies without worrying about sex, nudity, homosexuality and foul language."The Facebook message said the theater came under new ownership in December.On a related note, the film stars Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast. Recently the Agriculture Committee had a hearing on LB 617, a bill that would legalize and regulate the production of hemp as an agricultural product in Nebraska. LB 617 is modeled after a similar law in Kentucky. Both the Kentucky law and LB 617 take advantage of a provision of the 2014 Farm Bill, passed by Congress, which allows industrial hemp to be grown for research by either state universities or a states Department of Agriculture. LB 617 would establish a commission within the Department of Agriculture that would license growers. Although there seems to be increasing desire to grow industrial hemp as an alternative crop, there is concern that the Kentucky industrial hemp program, replicated by LB 617, allows commercial production of hemp beyond what is allowed under the 2014 Farm Bill. Furthermore, as defined in the Federal Controlled Substances Act, industrial hemp falls under the umbrella of marijuana because both contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a schedule 1 controlled substance. Until Congress removes industrial hemp from the controlled substances list, there remains considerable risk in allowing it to be grown for commercial purposes. Also, the Revenue Committee heard public testimony on LB 312, 313, and 563, all of which either eliminated many sales tax exemptions or increased the sales tax rate by 1 percent. I stated in my previous column that I do not support eliminating tax exemptions, and that I do not support raising the amount of sales tax imposed by the state of Nebraska. My position has not changed. A focus on fixing the problems that are inherent in the valuation of agriculture land is, I believe, the better path to take, which is why I introduced LB 338. This bill would require that agricultural land be valued by an income-based potential rather than market value. Last week the Legislature advanced LB 62 to Select File by a vote of 36-1-8. This bill repeals two sections of statute that prohibit teachers in our public schools from wearing any religious garb. The statutes were written in such a way, however, that clothing which conveys some type of secular message was not prohibited, such as political speech or slogans. Because of this, there is a strong argument that these statutes are in violation of the First Amendment, specifically the Free Exercise clause. The lifting of the ban will apply to all religions, thereby ensuring that the Establishment clause of the First Amendment is not violated. I voted in favor of this bill. Yesterday, I will presented two bills to two different committees, namely LB 309 to the Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee, and LB 466 to the Health and Human Services Committee. If you are able I encourage you to come to our public hearings to testify on these bills and others. LB 309 would exempt the state of Nebraska from participating in daylight saving time. State representatives in Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, and the big state of Texas, as well as representatives from many other states on the east and west coasts, have introduced legislation to exempt their states from daylight saving time. LB 466 would eliminate the requirement that certified nurse-midwives be required to be overseen by a physician what is known as the integrated practice agreement. This change would allow certified nurse-midwives to practice in areas where there may not be a physician in their geographic area, thereby allowing greater mobility in the practice of nurse-midwives and more access to the kind of specialized care that many pregnant women desire. Who are Newport's top taxpayers? Take a look at the top 50. Scientists have used gene therapy to relieve the symptoms of a teenager suffering from sickle cell disease (SCD) in a world-first breakthrough, they reported on Thursday. SCD is an inherited disease caused by a gene mutation that results in red blood cells losing their usual donut-like appearance and taking on a sickle or crescent moon shape. Sufferers - around five million worldwide - often have anaemia and get tired easily, run a higher risk of infections and stroke, and experience bouts of severe body pain. Many need chronic blood transfusions. But a team from the AP-HP university hospital group in Paris, the Imagine Institute of Genetic Diseases and gene therapy company bluebird bio said they managed to get a teenager off transfusions. The boy was the first person to be treated, in Paris in October 2014, for sickle cell disease in a clinical trial with gene therapy. Others have been tested since, but no official results published. The team collected so-called haematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to red blood cells, from the bone marrow of the youngster, then aged 13. The immature cells were treated with a therapeutic gene, carried in a deactivated virus, which recoded their DNA to correct blood cell production. The treated cells were then reinjected into the boy's body. Thursday's results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, report on the child's health 15 months after treatment. He was still doing well after this point, but an official, updated status has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. "He is well, he no longer needs monthly (blood) transfusions, anti-pain medication, or hospitalisation," study leader Marina Cavazzana told AFP. SCD is common in Africa, where up to 40 percent of a country's population can carry the mutated gene, though most never get sick. Last month, French researchers reported progress in developing a rapid, on-the-spot diagnosis for the disease. Early results from a trial in Togo, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo suggested the Sickle Scan was a faster, cheaper blood test than existing ones relying on lab equipment, its makers said. Rapid diagnosis is crucial to start SCD sufferers, especially young children, on potentially life-saving treatment. Beijing: China on Saturday warned India against allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, saying it would cause "serious damage" to the bilateral ties and peace in the "disputed" border region. "China is gravely concerned over information that India has granted permission to the Dalai to visit Arunachal Pradesh," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media here. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of Tibet and routinely objects to any visits by top leaders, officials and diplomats to the area. China had also aired similar concerns in October last year when India granted permission to the Tibetan spiritual leader to visit Arunachal Pradesh at the invitation of the state government. The Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh is expected to take place this year. "China is strongly opposed to the Dalai visiting disputed areas," Geng said. "China's position on the eastern section of China-India border dispute is consistent and clear. The Dalai clique has long been engaging in anti-China separatist activities and its record on the border question is not that good," he said. Geng said China expressed its concern to India through formal channels. "India is fully aware of the seriousness of the Dalai issue and thesensitivity of China-India border question," he said. "Under such a background if India invites the Dalai to visit to the mentioned territory, it will cause serious damage to peace and stability of border region and China-India relations," he said. "We have expressed concerns to the Indian side, urged India to stick to its political commitments and abide by important consensus the two sides have reached on the boundary question, refrain from actions that might complicate the issue, not provide a platform to the Dalai clique and protect the sound and stable development of the Sino-India relations," he said. Geng's comments came in the backdrop of an interview to the Chinese media by former Chinese Special Representative on boundary dispute Dai Bingguo in which he said the border dispute between the two nations can be resolved if India gives up claim over Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Asked about Dai's comments, Geng said he has not seen the interview. He said China's principled position on the boundary question with India is to reach an early solution pending China-India border question is in the fundamental interest of the two countries. : The week-long visit of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh next month will take place as scheduled, notwithstanding objections by China.The Dalai Lama will be in the north eastern state from April 4 to 13 and Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, among others, will meet him there.During his visit to Tawang bordering China, the spiritual leader will be hosted by the Buddhist Tawang monastery where he will be meeting his followers."The Dalai Lama will be a guest of the Arunachal Pradesh government and as a devotee, I will meet him in Tawang," Rijiju, who represents the Arunachal-West Lok Sabha constituency under which Tawang falls, said.Peeved over the proposed visit, China on Friday warned India against allowing him to visit Arunachal Pradesh, saying it would cause "serious damage" to the bilateral ties and peace in the "disputed" border region."China is gravely concerned over information that India has granted permission to the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in Beijing.China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of Tibet and routinely objects to any visit by top leaders, officials and diplomats to the area.Rijiju, however, said the Dalai Lama is going to visit the state as a religious leader and there is no reason to stop him as his followers are demanding he should come. Asked about China's objections, Rijiju said the central government is run by a nationalist party which considers the country's interests first."We are neither going to be dominated by anyone nor shall we dominate any of our neighbours. But we give prime importance to India's interests," he said, without making any reference to China.Ignoring China's protests, the government had earlier allowed former US ambassador to India Richard Verma and Tibetan spiritual leader Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje's visit to Arunachal Pradesh last year. Kollam Rural SP has ordered a re-post mortem for Roy Matthew, Indian Army soldier who was heard criticising 'Sahayak' (Orderly) system in a sting operation done by a news website.The re-post mortem was ordered after a complaint was filed by the family of Roy Matthew citing foul play.Initially there was some confusion related to handing over of the body. The officers who accompanied Roy Mathews body said that they had orders to handover the body at his residence. But when the family members said that they require re-post mortem the officials said that they need orders from higher officers in Nasik.Finally, after half hour the body was handed over and taken to Trivandrum medical college for re-post mortem.The Army has claimed that it was a case of suicide and the Jawan was believed to be "mentally disturbed."The sting operation - run by a news website on February 24 has created an uproar over the British era Sahayak system. Following that, Roy went missing and he was marked Absent Without Leave (AWL).According to sources, the victim talked to his wife about being under stress a day after sting was aired, sent an apology to his officer through SMS on Feb 25, and went missing the same night.Sources in the Army told CNN-News18 that till Thursday morning Roy's unit was not aware that he was the one featured in the video since the faces were blurred.The sources also pointed out that hence the question of him being pulled up by officers of the unit doesn't arise.Meanwhile, reacting to Mathew's death, Nalin Talwar of Sabka Sainik Sangarsh Commitee (SSSC) called for an enquiry by the police. New Delhi: Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, says she is thankful to actors Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma for agreeing to walk the ramp in creations by craftswomen who are a part of her NGO Mijwan Welfare Society. "We've had the fortune of all the stars walking for us -- right from Amitabh Bachchan to Sidharth Malhotra. The only person left was Shah Rukh. I am extremely thankful to him for having agreed to walk the ramp for Mijwan... Anushka Sharma is someone I consider a part of Mijwan family. "She has very graciously walked for us earlier," Shabana told IANS over phone from Mumbai. The 66-year-old actress says Anushka is committed to the cause of empowerment of women and the girl child. "She feels very strongly about it... I am thankful to both the stars," Shabana added. The Neerja actress also said the people in the NGO are elated because Shah Rukh will be sporting a creation crafted by them. "The people in the village are so excited because this is their passport to international fame now that Shah Rukh Khan is going to wear something that is being crafted by them," she said. Designer Manish Malhotra will be showcasing his collection at the show, to be held here on March 5. Talking about the event, Shabana said: "Mijwan Summer 2017 is Manish Malhotra at his best... There's a lot of his very glamorous stuff that basically has chikankari from Mijwan women, and then it has been glamourized with a lot of sequins work because that is the style internationally. "It has also has a blend of new... He has a lot of shoulderless clothes for the younger generation." The actress says she is looking forward to the spectacular show. Named after a village in Uttar Pradesh, NGO Mijwan Welfare Society, founded by Shabana's late father Kaifi Azmi was launched with the goal of creating employment opportunities for women, and reviving the art of chikankari embroidery. The NGO is now headed by Shabana along with Naresh Goyal's daughter Namrata. RepostBy @mira.kapoor: "Moo Moo here and a Moo Moo there" A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) on Mar 3, 2017 at 8:11am PST Sunsets with my angel. A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) on Feb 6, 2017 at 5:00am PST Mi-shoe A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) on Dec 30, 2016 at 11:20pm PST Shahid Kapoor and wife Mira were blessed with a baby girl in August and since then, the two have been extra cautious about her. Shahid has been quite a protective father and not allowed the media to capture the little one's face even once. Everytime the couple steps out with the baby, photographers go into a tizzy.This time, the father decided to surprise his fans, and shared an adorable photograph of Misha. He captioned the image as, "Moo Moo here and a Moo Moo there" and by the looks of it, the new parents are enjoying this new phase of the life to the fullest.A curious expression with eyes wide open - Misha's latest photograph is all kinds of endearing.The last photo Shahid shared only showed the reflection of the father-daughter duo and not actual faces. He captioned the image as, "Sunsets with my angel."He took to his Instagram some time back and shared a lovely click of her mittens too.On the work front, Shahid was last seen in Vishal Bhardwaj's period drama Rangoon alongside Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut and will next feature in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati. There are many Indian artists who have made their mark internationally and have been well received by the global audience. From Irrfan Khan to Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, Indian actors have made a global name showing off their acting chops and now are conquering Hollywood in their own ways. However, there is a plathora of artists who are making the country proud internationally beyond acting. With their hard work, talent and determination These artists are making a mark in the fields of comedy, music and fashion. Here are the list of artists and their incredible work which they have done globally.By the age of 20, sitar maestro Anoushka Shankar had made three classical recordings for EMI/Angel and received her first Grammy nomination, thereby becoming the first Indian female and youngest-ever nominee in the World Music category. In 2005, Anoushka released her self-produced breakthrough album Rise, which earned her a second Grammy nomination. Following this nomination, Anoushka became the first Indian artist to perform at the Grammy Awards. As an international solo artist, Anoushka has performed in a range of distinguished venues such as Carnegie Hall, Barbican Centre, Sydney Opera House, Vienna Konzerthaus, Salle Pleyel, Royal Festival Hall, Frankfurt Alte Oper to name a few. Her event appearances include the Verbier Festival, the Prague Spring Festival, Boom Festival and the London Proms.Vir Das is the first ever Indian comedian to go on a World Tour. The actor-comedian is geared up for the Boarding Das World Tour 2017 in which Vir is expected to travel across 6 continents and over 20 countries including Canada, US, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, East Africa, South Africa, Thailand, Australia, Malaysia, UK and many others including India. The tour will be the biggest ever done and executed by an Indian comedian. Apart from this, Vir Das The Weirdass Comedy Festival and other tours in countries like US, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and the Middle East among others have been a massive success.Raghu Dixit has played many shows all over the world including in the United States, the UK, Korea, Japan, Russia, Hong Kong and India. He and his multilingual folk band, the Raghu Dixit Project (RDP), have been popularising Indian tunes across the globe for several years. Apart from a huge following in India, RDP has a big fan base abroad (they performed for the Queen of England recently). He played at the SAMA Festival in North East England, as part of a 6-day collaborative project involving folk musicians from Rajasthan and Northumbrian folk musicians from the UK. In 2007, he played at the French Kiss Tour World Music Day. The Raghu Dixit Project performed with three French musicians Anais, Emily Loizeau and Mademoiselle K who are very popular there.Disco King, Bappi Lahiri has been scoring the music for more than 630 films and working for more than 45 years in the industry. He has done shows throughout the world from Los Angeles to Australia, Cape Town, London, Holland, Singapore and Vietnam and created history in the international market. He has also sung a song called Shona, for an animated character in the film, Tamatoa and has collaborated with American rapper Snoop Dogg, and American rapper and songwriter Akon. International rapper M.C. Hammer also had the pleasure of working with our own desi disco master & rapper Bappi Lahiri for international project WILL TO LIVE. This Indo-American venture is made in English and Hindi languages.Bibhu Mohapatra, a modest man who have Conquered the World of Womens Fashion. He has dressed some of the most influential women in the US including First Lady Michelle Obama, and Hollywood stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Hillary Swank. Hollywood A-listers such as Glenn Close, Kristen Wiig, Elisabeth Moss and Lupita Nyongo have also worn his designs in the past. He is quite a favourite with Bollywood actors as well, with Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor donning his creations on the red carpet.Sitar maestro Niladri Kumar has revolutionised the way the sitar was played by creating his own instrument called the zitar. He has collaborated with Grammy Award winner Mickey Hart for his concert tour in the US. Niladri has performed at many prestigious festivals and concerts, both solo and together with international musicians such as Jazz guitar legend John McLaughlin. It is difficult to believe today that Yogi Adityanath is the present Mahant of the Mutt that was started by Dalits and made famous by Muslims. Or that the Gorakhnath Mutt had little to do with Lord Ram or heavy Hindutva. Why would the Mahant of one of the most popular and oldest Mutts not even discuss the ideas and literature of his Mutt?" he asks. Its followers were mainly Dalits, Nishads and a few Muslims who were turned away by Brahmins under the prevalent sanatan systems. They came together to sing Gorakh Vaani, Singh said. Nathpanth was a unique ideology that was neither dwait nor adwait. It was about purity of the soul. Even Prophet Mohammad finds mention and praise in Gorakh Vaani. This was a popular centre of meditation, not of politics as the case is today, said Professor Chittranjan Mishra, head of department (Hindi), Gorakhpur University. Nathpanth kabhi ugr Hindutva soch nahi thi (Nathpanth was never about hardline Hindutva). It was a progressive, reformist movement based on Gorakh Vaani, which for its literary and sociological value, is taught even today to our students. There are hints that the Mahants before Digvijay Nath were Dalits. But with him Hindutvasation and Kshatriyakaran of the Mutt started. He was a kshatriya and so were his two followers. Slowly, images and sculptures of Ram and Hanuman and verses from Ramayan started replacing images of Gorakhnath and his verses. It expanded from a humble fireplace to a 52-acre campus, said Manoj Singh. 'Agla agna hogba to hey avadhu tu hova paaniIf the person next to you is fire, then hey sadhu you should be water.-Gorakh VaniAt about 1pm in Gorakhpur, Sunil Singh, the head of Hindu Yuva Vahini, was talking about Muslims he had murdered.Were you part of 2007 riots?Haan... eint ka jawaab pathhar se diya hamare ek bhai maroge, tumhare chaar bhai maarenge. Ek Musalmaan ne Dalit ladki ka balaatkaar kiya tha, jaan se maar diya tha. Mohan Munder village Kaptangunj mein, ek bhi Mussalman ka ghar nahi bacha. Sabke ghar jalaye. Theek se jalayee. Bum feke. Goliyan chalai. Do teen udhar se bhi mare. (We gave them a fitting reply. If you kill one of us, we will kill four of you. A Muslim man raped a Dalit girl, killed her. In Mohan Munder village, not a single Muslim house was spared. All houses were burnt, bombed, fired at.For 25 years, Singh has been the head of Hindu Yuva Vahini, a private army of five-time Gorakhpaur MP Yogi Adityanath, who himself has been booked for making hate speeches, and was arrested during 2007 riots.Standing in Gorakhpur, its difficult to believe that this city was once the spiritual headquarters of Nathpanthis, a tradition of mystics called kaan-phatas (because of their custom of piercing one ear), who trace their lineage to the Adiyogi, Lord Shiva. The Nath monks were known more for leading progressive and reformist movements across the subcontinent, which even inspired Kabir Das and Guru Nanak.Manoj Singh, a local journalist and a scholar on Gorakhnath Mutt, offers a valid poser. Ever since Adityanath became the Mahant of this Mutt, I have not once heard a verse of Gorakh Vaani from him, he said.Singh ends that question with his own conclusion. Maybe he doesnt know Gorakh Vaani himself, or maybe hes read it and knows that the idea behind those powerful verses actually undermines his own position. Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath karyalaya at the Mutt.Nathpanthis had no connection with politics or even the wider society. They set up their centres well outside busy settlements to spend time alone meditating.Even today, several villages like Lohra and Sathiaun in Azamgarh, and Koth in Balia are comprised mainly of Muslim jogis, who, wearing saffron robes, set out and sing Gorakh Vaani throughout the country.Another Gorakh Mutt scholar, Professor Pramod Pandey, who heads the sociology department, Gorakhpur University, claims Adityanath with his aggressive Hindutva agenda has distorted the Nathpanthi ideology.Experts claim the transition from spirituality to reactionary politics began around 100 years ago with the arrival of Mahant Digvijay Nath, who was also one of the founders of the Hindu Mahasabha. His name came up during the investigation into Mahatma Gandhis assassination.And then came the turn of his disciple Avaidyanath, who is all set to be the next Uttar Pradesh CM.He added, But things changed drastically with Adityanath. There is something about Adityanath that distinguishes him from the previous Mahants.Habak na chalba, thabak na chalba, dheere dharba paon, goes a line of Gorakh Vaani. (Do not walk fast or jump, O selfless Sadhu, place your feet slowly.)During campaigning for UP elections, Adityanath emerged as the BJPs power-centre in Poorvanchal. Since he jumped into electoral politics, in 1989, the party had maintained dominance over the areas MLAs, city mayors, and Parliamentary seat.On the other hand, though, he has not really achieved much outside Gorakhpur. In the 41 Assembly seats in the GorakhpurBasti belt under his leadership, the party has never secured more than 11 seats. This shows how, in this belt, which has a high percentage of Dalits, Adityanath has been popular only among few upper caste Hindu voters.It remains to be seen how he leads the government in UP, where the BJP has received a mammoth mandate. Polling time for the first phase of the assembly elections in Congress ruled Manipur ends with 69% outcome till 1 PM. The first phase covered 38 constituencies (out of total 60) for which 1,643 polling stations was set up. Irom Chanu Sharmilas Peoples Resurgence Justice Alliance (PRJA) made its electoral debut with three candidates. One of her partys candidate Erendro Leichombam was attacked by unknown persons in Imphal. Stay tuned for more LIVE updates: Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here. Modi said people had run away with the cots as those belonged to them and they would now ensure the defeat of Congress. The Prime Minister also accused the SP government of corruption, claiming bribe had to paid for getting a work done, from lodging a police complaint to securing jobs and pensions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said BJP's rivals SP, BSP and Congress will get "electric shocks" when the results of UP assembly elections are announced.Modi's sharp riposte came in response to a remark by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who had asked him to touch an electric wire to see if current flows through it.On the campaign trail, Modi has been attacking the Samajwadi Party government over "poor" power supply in the state and also controversially accused it of discrimination in its distribution along religious lines, a charge rubbished by the Chief Minister."On March 11, election results will give electric shock to SP, BSP and Congress," he said."Akhilesh has dared me to touch an electric wire to find out whether power is really there or not. His new friend Rahul Gandhi, during his 'khaat sabha' at Madihan in Mirzapur, however, had touched the wire and told his party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad that there was nothing to worry as there is no power in the line," Modi said."This is the acceptance of your new friend. Do I need touch the wires any more? Akhileshji, now people have spread such a current that will give shocks to SP, BSP and Congress on March 11," he said.Rahul had launched a 'khat sabha' campaign, much before the SP and Congress got into an alliance for the state assembly election, where the Congress vice president would interact with the village folk seated on cots to understand their problems and find solutions. One 'khat sabha' saw villagers run away with the cots after the meeting had ended.Referring to the alleged decline of the famous brassware industry in Mirzapur, Modi alleged it was "ruined" because of lack of electricity."Had there been adequate power supply and had the brassware industry been functional, the young would not have been forced to move out to Gujarat and Maharashtra for employment. Youths do not get jobs in UP also because of nepotism and casteism," he said."If you want to lodge a police complaint or even if you don't want to get it lodged at a police station, it's fixed as to how much you have to pay. Similarly, for getting pensions, jobs and ration cards too, the rates are fixed," he alleged."If you want to get rid of this, you have to defeat the SP, BSP and the Congress," he said.Attacking BSP supremo Mayawati, Modi said she had taken stones from Mirzapur for construction of her statues when she was in power. However, when an enquiry started, she claimed the stones were from Rajasthan."You tell me why she has so much hatred even for stones of Mirzapur. Why should you vote for such people at all?" he said. Varanasi: On a day when a non-bailable warrant was issued against absconding rape-accused UP minister Gayatri Prajapati and his passport impounded, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at an election meeting in Jaunpur, said, "In this country, when we do something good, we chant the Gayatri Mantra. But, the SP-Congress alliance is chanting the 'Gayatri Prajapati Mantra'. "A case has been lodged against him (but) the chief minister went to campaign for him while he (Gayatri) was present there...Now, the police cannot trace him," Modi said. "A daughter is seeking justice and the chief minister is shielding the gunehgaar (guilty)...What bigger blot can there be than this that in Uttar Pradesh when a buffalo goes missing, the government runs to find it. "But, a girl is crying for justice and the police and chief minister are sleeping...Such a government needs to be punished," he said, reminding voters that they have got an opportunity to perform the "pind daan" (last rites) of their "tormentors". It was the virtual parade of the top guns as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav and Congress' Rahul Gandhi held a roadshow in the cityCongreswho turned his visit to the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples into an impromptu roadshow, a day ahead of the one planned for tomorrow. Modi's roadshow came on a day when the sixth phase of polling in 49 constituencies, including Gorakhpur and Azamgarh in the state was underway. BJP leaders feel that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. Slogans like 'Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras' and 'Modi, Modi' greeted Modi as he waved from an open top vehicle covered with marigold. Samajwadi Party president and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, also led a roadshow with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the 'Kashi Vishwanath' temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi. Amid chanting of 'shlokas', Akhilesh, sporting the red Samajwadi Party cap, was seen kneeling at the temple and seeking the blessings of the priests. Akhilesh's MP wife Dimple, who has of late emerged as a star campaigner of the party after the sulking Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav decided to largely keep away from the fiercely fought electoral battle, joined the roadshow midway. Mulayam has so far addressed only a few election meetings for his brother Shivpal and younger daughter-in-law Aparna in their Jaswantnagar and Lucknow (cantonment) seats. The alliance partners mustered thousands of supporters for their parallel show of strength. Their supporters lined the streets and showered flower petals as the roadshow inched its way through crowded streets. Posters proclaiming 'Akhilesh Again' with the image of a smiling Chief Minister were seen along the route. An incident of stone-pelting was reported near Chowka Ghat as the convoy passed by, but police denied it, saying supporters of rival parties came face-to-face over hoisting flags but a clash was averted. BSP leader Mayawati, seeking a fifth term as Chief Minister, did not visit Varanasi but held an election rally at Rohaniya, about 20 km from here, where she claimed the people at Modi's roadshow were "mere spectators" brought from neighbouring states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. She said prayers being offered at temples and shrines "will be of no avail". (With PTI inputs) Iraqi forces, including special operations forces and federal police units, launched an attack on the western part of Mosul nearly two weeks ago to dislodge IS. Since the offensive began, more than 28,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the United Nations. Iraqi forces deployed east of Mamun advanced into Wadi Hajar, a neighborhood north of the Ghazlani military base. The US-led coalition dropped more than 15 munitions in Mosul today, Ali said, saying they targeted car bombs, sniper positions and small IS mortar units. : Thousands of civilians fled Mosul overnight as Iraqi forces advanced north of a sprawling military base near the city's airport on Friday.Iraq's special forces pushed into the Wadi Hajar district in western Mosul and retook the area from the Islamic State group on Friday, according to Brig. General Yahya Rasool, spokesman of the Joint Military Operations.Special forces Brig. Gen. Haider al-Obeidi said clearing operations were ongoing in the area and his forces were close to linking up with the militarized federal police forces who were pushing up along the western bank of the Tigris river.Nahla Ahmed, 50 fled Mosul late last night, walking more than five kilometers (three miles) from her home in the Shuhada neighborhood."All the families were hiding behind a wall," she said, explaining how they escaped an IS-held part of the city. "We gave the children valium so they wouldn't cry and (the IS fighters) wouldn't catch us."Ahmed, like most of the civilians who have escaped Mosul in the past week, fled through Mamun neighborhood. The district is partially controlled by Iraq's special forces.Maj. Saif Ali, who is stationed in Mamun, said huge crowds of civilians began pouring into the area from neighboring districts just after midnight. Ali said civilians in western Mosul are becoming increasingly desperate as food and water supplies begin to run out."In total 7,000 people fled through this area last night," he said. "We were up all night trying to control the crowds."By late morning nearly all the families had been moved out of Mamun. The neighborhood was littered with discarded clothing and blankets piled up in empty lots and on street corners.Brig. General Wathaq al-Hamdani of Nineveh province's police force said IS targeted the Al Jazair District in western Mosul with "Katyusha launchers with missiles carrying chlorine gas" in at least two separate incidents over the past few days. He added that five civilians had been taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for asphyxiation.The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement today that seven patients likely exposed to a toxic chemical agent were currently being treated at Rozhawa hospital, close to Mosul, where fighting is ongoing. Growing up in Amherst County, it was only natural that Molly McCully Brown knew about the Central Virginia Training Center in Madison Heights. Everybody did. Yet it wasn't until after she had returned from college in California and taken a nostalgic road trip with a friend that Brown crossed the boundary between "knowing about" and "knowing." "We were just driving around rural Virginia," she recalled, "looking for places we hadn't seen before. I don't know why we turned off the highway there [at the Training Center] we had a dog with us, and maybe he needed to stretch his legs but we wound up there and started looking around. We stopped at the cemetery, and drove past some of the old buildings, and saw some of the people who lived there. "I was really struck by it, and I knew some day I wanted to write something about the place." And now, she has. Not the Training Center that exists today, the residential home for individuals with various mental and physical issues that is gradually fading into obsolescence. Instead, she has time-traveled back to Central Virginia during the darkest days of the Depression, when more than a thousand individuals at what was then the "Virginia State Colony" were sterilized against their will and often without their knowledge. Brown's first published book, "The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded," will officially launch March 7, and she will be reading from and discussing it Tuesday, March 14, at Second Stage in Amherst. What you'll hear, if you attend, may not be what you'd expect from the book's title. Molly McCully Brown is neither historian nor documentary film writer, or even a novelist like her parents, Sweet Briar College professors John Gregory and Carrie Brown. She's a poet. And, obviously, an accomplished one. Even before it was published by New York's Persea Books, "The Virginia State Colony" was awarded the 2017 Lexi Rudnitsky Prize for the best debut book of poetry by an American writer. Just 25, Brown has already been out on the promotional circuit, doing readings at several college venues, and her author bio contains an impressive list of published poems in literary magazines. Publisher's Weekly gave her a starred review, which is a big deal. Of course, none of this is likely to immediately make Brown either rich or famous, but she's made peace with that at least for the time being. "I'm just grateful to Persea for being willing to put this out," she said. "It's not easy to get poetry published." Especially poetry that, in Brown's words, "makes the reader confront something complicated." In telling this story, Brown's language is sometimes lyrical and evocative, other times brutally descriptive. "The people who lived there were once referred to as 'inmates,'" she said. "The implication was that they had done something wrong by being the way they were." So Brown set out to give them voices, even if those voices came to her from beyond the grave. They talk of yearning to be considered human, of questioning whether their fate has been a punishment from God, and of no longer being able to contribute to a next generation. "I'm not a journalist," Brown said, "but I felt the responsibility to do some research." On the internet, she found not only the accounts of former patients and those who had worked beyond the red gate on Colony Road, but bizarre postcards with images of some of the most afflicted residents and copies of sterilization forms discovered in the National Eugenic Archives, which Brown described as "an amazing and terrible resource." The Library of Virginia was also helpful, and some newspaper clippings. Then, Brown said, "I had to make some imaginative leaps." Her poem "Prayer for the Wretched Among Us" has a Colony chaplain describing his calling in simultaneous terms of duty, despair and revulsion. "Driving home in the dark/I beg forgiveness/and louder, for protection/and the distance to forget." "We think of eugenics in connection with the Nazis," Brown said, "but at the same time it was going on here." Nevertheless, the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded the institution's name during the 30s is not the villain of Brown's book. Resisting the human temptation to condemn from a safe historic distance, she instead puts into graceful and unforgettable words the "complication" that she discovered. "I think the fear that's present in 'Psalm' and 'Prayer for the Wretched Among Us' was absolutely part of the driving force behind the eugenics movement in the U.S.," Brown said, "as it's part of the driving force behind so much prejudice and violence, and I wanted that to have a space in the collection. While it's important to me that the perspective[s] of Colony patients are given the most space in the book, I thought it was important to try and imagine/incorporate the perspectives of staff members as well. "Often, we conceive of evils like the eugenics movement as atrocities that belong solely to the realm of history and were perpetrated by people who bear no resemblance to us. In fact, the reality is much more complicated than that the forces that allowed for mass sterilization in the U.S. are still present here today, and the people who advocated for it, allowed it and perpetrated it, were fearful in many of the same ways that people are still fearful. I think it's important to remember that." In her introduction, Brown also alludes to her own struggles with cerebral palsy, a condition that perhaps helped her find empathy with those deemed "different." And one of her lines could have come from some dedicated and sympathetic worker at the State Colony: "Lord, most of what I love mistakes itself for nothing." Her father, John Gregory Brown, said her interest in books and language developed early. She was a voracious reader, unlike anyone else Ive ever known, he said. Her amazing first- and second-grade teacher, Phyllis Janow, was the first to encourage Molly to write, and she sent one of Mollys poems to Highlights magazine, and they published it. Then Molly started winning the young authors competition at her school and then for this region. When she was about 10, she began reading and discussing Shakespeares plays with a Sweet Briar student, who sweetly served as her mentor. And a wonderful Sweet Briar librarian, Lisa Johnston, would return from the American Library Association conference and deliver boxes of YA books to Molly, who would then read two or three of them a day. "So, really, Carrie and I stood back and watched as so many people helped to fuel her passion. All we did was trot her out at parties so she could recite the Emily Dickinson poems shed memorized. She had this amazing capacity to memorize poetry. All of which is to say we knew very early on that Molly would be a writer. " And, most especially, a poet. "Carrie and I both began as aspiring poets," said John Gregory Brown, "but neither one of us possessed anything remotely close to Mollys skill. Shes also a beautiful essayist. It wouldnt surprise me, I guess, if one day Molly turned to writing fiction, but she has the heart and soul of a poet. Its her calling, her great gift, and were so very proud of the hard work she has done pursuing that gift." A graduate of Stanford University, Molly McCully Brown is currently a John and Renee Grisham Fellow at the University of Mississippi. Independent journalist Andre Whitehead will broadcast his exclusive interview with Congolese Ambassador Francois Balumuene during the broadcast Sunday of Conversations with Andre Whitehead, the Radio Show. Balumuene visited Lynchburg last year to start the process of taking the remains of Ota Benga back to Congo. Benga was a Pygmy man who, in the early 20th century, was exhibited as a human zoo attraction. Benga committed suicide in 1916, and his remains are believed to be interred in White Rock Cemetery. Republican gubernatorial candidates are expected to appear together at least twice in the Lynchburg area prior to Junes primary election, including one event at Liberty University. All four candidates plan to attend an April 1 candidate forum in Amherst County, according to Amherst County Republican Committee Chairman Vance Wilkins. Three of them have said they will attend an April 13 debate at Liberty University, although LU communications staff did not provide details about the event when asked this week. Four candidates are running for the Republican nomination ahead of the primary to be held June 13. Longtime national Republican strategist Ed Gillespie; state Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach; Nelson County distiller Denver Riggleman, a former air force intelligence officer; and Prince William County Supervisor Corey Stewart, a one-time co-chairman of President Donald Trumps Virginia campaign, are all running for the nomination. Liberty is a way station for national Republican candidates, who mainly speak at the thrice-weekly convocation. Discussions stirred around a Republican presidential primary debate at Liberty last year, although those plans fell through. All GOP gubernatorial candidates but Riggleman have said they will attend a debate at Liberty University on April 13. Rigglemans campaign manager did not respond to multiple requests for confirmation about the Liberty or Amherst events. Wilkins, a former Speaker of the House of Delegates and longtime GOP activist, said the Amherst forum will be the first time he knows all Republican gubernatorial candidates will attend a forum in the county. I think it means that theyre beginning to see that the rural Republican voters are still worth going after, Wilkins said. Thats how Trump got elected in a whole lot of places. Campaigns for Gillespie, Stewart and Wagner have said they plan to attend the Amherst event. The Amherst County forum at Winton Country Club is open to the public, but anyone who wants to attend must purchase a ticket to the forum and dinner, Wilkins said. Only 150 tickets are available, though, Wilkins said. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. with the dinner and forum to follow at 6:15 p.m. Tickets for the event, which also is a fundraiser, are $30 each or $50 per couple. For those younger than 26, tickets are $20 or $40 per couple. For tickets, contact Wilkins at vancewilkins27@gmail.com or (434) 946-7599 or Lisa Merritt at lisamerritt13@gmail.com or (580) 484-4845. Reservations must be made by March 28, according to a news release from Amherst County Republicans. The Amherst Republicans hope to use money raised for a scholarship, Wilkins said. Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former 5th Congressional District congressman Tom Perriello are running for the Democratic nomination. "Feud: Bette and Joan" chronicles the cruel rivalry between two women during the making of 1962's "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" - a horror film about a cruel rivalry between two women. You may be relieved to hear, then, that Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange, who play Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, respectively, got along. "Yes, we did," Sarandon says with a laugh. "I said to Jess, at the closing of the whole thing, I said, 'Thank God we got along,' because (the project) was hard. It was really challenging." Series creator Ryan Murphy ("American Horror Story," "American Crime Story") echoes the sentiment. "We had a nervous first week, because we didn't want to do impersonations. The first two days, I wanted to quit." "I was fighting against a female-impersonator version of (Davis), the cliche you see of her all the time," Sarandon explains. "And she is over-the-top, so what do you do about that?" Lange faced a different challenge. "I remember saying to Ryan, 'I don't know how to play this character. I don't know who she is.'" Lange gained insight after researching Crawford's childhood and, she says, "acknowledging the incredible artifice, the creation of Joan Crawford," and then playing to what was "always just barely beneath the surface." Getting behind such facades is precisely what the series, which premieres March 5 on FX, endeavors to do. Fans and foes have long bathed in the gossip of Bette and Joan's enmity: While filming a fight scene, Davis actually kicked Crawford in the head. Crawford wore weights during a scene when Davis carried her to exacerbate Davis's back pain. Such details typically call to mind sound effects of screeching cats. "Feud" is different. "Getting eight hours, you have a chance to delve into the complexity," Sarandon says. "It was a bigger question than just their b----iness." (Like much of Murphy's work, "Feud" is an anthology. The second season is subtitled "Charles and Diana.") In the first episode, Olivia de Havilland (Catherine Zeta Jones) clarifies to an interviewer, "Feuds are never about hate. Feuds are about pain." And these depictions of Davis and Crawford are heartbreaking. We meet them in their 50s as alcoholics whose careers have dried up because, as Jack Warner (Stanley Tucci) rhetorically asks, "Would you give either of these broads a toss in the hay?" The notoriously shrewd Warner Bros. boss encourages "Baby Jane" director Robert Aldrich (Alfred Molina) to manipulate Davis and Crawford, keeping them at each other's throats because rumors of the on-set antics would sell more tickets later. "Feud" also asserts that Warner and his ilk are the reason Bette and Joan battled to begin with. "They were fighting a culture that has 'It Girls' that says there is only one girl at a time," Murphy opines. "It creates a competitive culture, and men use that to their advantage by pitting women against each other." "It minimizes the power they have collectively," Sarandon adds. "And that still is going on. Every 'Real Housewives' of wherever - the least imaginative story line is always the women pitted against each other." The surprise success of "Baby Jane" launched an entire genre of horror, unflatteringly labeled Psycho-Biddy. These films typically feature an older, crazy, murderous and - most damningly - jealous woman. Davis and Crawford would go on to star in several. "It's like Joan says (in the first episode)," Lange recalls, "there are three roles for women in Hollywood: the ingenue, the mother or the Gorgon. They had gotten to the last period." "Baby Jane" is pure camp. And Murphy does layer in echoes of the film - for example, when Crawford spies a larger number on Davis' contract, a sting of horror music plays. But these moments are more than just homage. "Treating inequality and sexism as a horror movie - that's what I tried to do," Murphy says. (The idea calls to mind what Jordan Peele's film "Get Out" does, more overtly, with the topic of racism.) Not that "Feud" doesn't have a light touch. It brims with juicy details (Crawford washed her face with witch hazel and ice cubes every morning) and historical figures (gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, played by Judy Davis, and her many fabulous hats). Murphy says, with endearment, "Some of the stuff these women did was bats--- crazy and hilarious." Several factoids, such as the tidbit that Davis' wig in "Baby Jane" had been worn by Crawford in a previous picture, came to Murphy directly from Davis' mouth. He wrote to her as a child, and she wrote back. They kept up a pen-pal relationship, and when he became a journalist, more than a decade later, she granted him an interview. "I had never been to L.A. before," he says, recalling his arrival at Davis' door, with flowers, a couple of months before her death. "She dressed up for me. She was wearing a Patrick Kelly suit and a wig." The 20-minute interview turned into four hours. "We just chain-smoked in her living room," he says. "I ran out of questions and started asking her very personal things." Murphy asserts that he made the project from "a real place of love and respect. Both women were misunderstood and were victims of their time. They died alone, underappreciated and unhappy." Have times changed? "Ageism is huge in our culture, the idea that beauty is equated with youth," Lange says. "I am not in a romantic film with a man who is 20 years younger. But no one would think twice about casting a man in his 60s with a leading lady in her 30s. That has a lot to do with the fact that men are at the helm - and maybe they have some kind of inflated idea about themselves." But both actors cited a strong sense of camaraderie among women in the business today. Sarandon is hopeful about the rash of female comedians who've had success "making great films that star a bunch of women - Amy Poehler, Amy Schumer, Melissa McCarthy, Tina Fey." And Lange argues "that television has stepped into the void that movies left for actresses. Some of the best work by women, in the last 5 or 6 years, has been on television." (Lange has won two Emmy awards working with Murphy in "American Horror Story.") "That is a modern idea - that women are better and stronger together, unified as a force," Murphy says. "It was a tragedy that (Davis and Crawford) could have been allies and friends. They had more in common than anyone at the time. They were both married four times, Academy Award winners, single mothers. I wish they had unified. I think that they would have been happier." Sarandon and Lange have much in common with Davis and Crawford as well, as Academy Award-winning actors in the third act of their careers. In fact, they are each more than a decade older than their on-screen counterparts were in 1962. "It shows how far we've come in terms of taking care of yourself and living healthier," Murphy says. Further, Sarandon and Lange, as producers on "Feud," have a financial stake in the property, as Davis and Crawford did in "Baby Jane." "Susan and Jessica gave Bette and Joan the happy ending that they should have had," Murphy says. "They realized that the way to win was to win together." 4 siblings reunite at fun day For the first time, three siblings who live at the Christ Child Convalescent Home in Diego Martin met their baby brother who was placed at the Casa de Corazon Home in Sangre Grande. The reunion at Rio Claro was a tearful one for the three older children who are all under 14 years. While addressing the pain that children experience in such circumstances, PRO of the foundation, Lakshmi Ragoonanan emphasised that decision makers must remember that siblings need to be placed together at homes or at least have as many visits as possible. In a media release, Ragoonanan said separation arises because sometimes brothers go to homes for boys and the sisters end up at homes for girls. Sponsors of the event that brought the children of several homes together, Sunita and Shaun Ramlogan, as well as Gift For Life members were also moved to tears when the siblings connected with their brother. Sunita also urged that more effort be made to place siblings in the same guardianship or childrens home. She said: It is very depressing for sisters and brothers to be deprived of parents and now to be pulled away from each other. In the absence of parents they provide comfort and strength to each other. This is why such a strong emphasis has to be placed on making sure siblings stick together in foster care. Children from various homes were treated by the Ramlogans to a pool party, cooking on spot and other fun activities. Margaret Kistow, Malabar; Florence Wesleyan, Carapichaima; Christ Child Convalescent, Diego Martin; Swaha, Penal; Ferndeans , Point Fortin; and Casa De Corazon, Sangre Grande. For more info: www.giftforlifefountationtt. com or 672-5157 or 734-0796. Barry slams Chalkdust In his contribution to debate on the Marriage Bill 2016 in the House of Representatives, Padarath said the Opposition would support the bill because it agrees that 18 years should be the age of legal consent for marriage. As he recalled that Dr Slinger Francisco (The Mighty Sparrow) once sang that age is just a number, Padarath took offence with aspects of Liverpools calypso which focused on the issue of child marriage. While that same 75-year-old calypsonian attempts to skew communities here in TT by misrepresentation and skewing of information...but does not say that while the Hindu, Muslim and Orishas have ages...below the minimum age of 18...he does not inform us that there are other groups such as the Christians and the civil marriages...that have no minimum age requirement... None! As Opposition MPs thumped their desks, Padarath referred to Canon Law, which governs the Catholic community. Prompted occasionally by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who also placed documents on his desk for him to read, Padarath said existing Canon law states men who are 16 years old and 14-year-old women, cannot enter into illicit marriage or a valid marriage. He added there are one billion Catholics worldwide. Saying information comes with responsibility in the 21st Century, Padarath said, Instead of dividing communities and painting public figures into a particular light to suit your own political persuasion... if it is Hindus that the calypsonian is asking that 75 can go into 14...can we also ask the same of the Catholic community...in the interest of fairness? Padarath reiterated the Oppositions concern about Attorney General Faris Al Rawi removing the requirement of the need for the bill to be passed with a three-fifths majority. He questioned who gave the legal advice that the bill needed a special majority and who gave the advice that it did not. This government is hiding something Padarath alleged. Padarath was cautioned during his contribution by Speaker Bridgid Annisette- George for his language, displaying a document without permission and about relevance when he boasted that Persad-Bissessar did more for children in TT than any other leader. Mayaro MP Rushton Paray said as the father of three teenage daughters, he understands the need for parents to be vigilant on the issue of child marriages. While he agreed with the Governments position on child marriages, Paray said there was equal merit in the views of religious bodies and civil society groups on the legislation. He said the Opposition would propose amendments when the bill reached to committee stage. Calypso Rose welcomes governments offer In a brief interview, Lewis said she felt thrilled, happy and thanked God to be alive to receive a Diplomatic passport and also to have her name written on one of CALs fleet or air planes. Asked if she would have preferred a monetary gift, Lewis said, Put my name on the plane. My name will remain forever and ever in time to come. But when you get the cash ... the cash comes and go as everyone wants a piece of it. I am satisfied with their offers. Lewis added, When I got the news yesterday (Thursday) I felt thrilled and was very, very happy about what government had plan to do. To know that my government will be giving me that prestigious award, I am happy. She continued, I always wonder why my government...why my people in Trinidad and Tobago dont honour me in that way? But the time has come. I will say nothing happens before its time. I thanked God that I am alive and I will be receiving a Diplomatic passport and also I will like to thank Caribbean Airlines for what they will be doing for me. I want to thank them very much. Lewis said she will continue to fly the flag for TT through her music. Asked if she would have appreciated or preferred getting a house and land from the government, Lewis said, No, no, no. I have enough house and land already. I am satisfied with the plane being named after me and getting the Diplomatic passport, I am truly satisfied. (See Page 14A) At Thursdays post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns, Dr Nyan Gadsby Dolly, Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts said Cabinet made the decision to give Calypso Rose a diplomatic passport and to name one of Caribbean Airlines aircraft after her in recognition of her achievements. In February, Lewis was the first local artiste to win the French version of the Grammys - the Victoires de la Musique - after her platinum selling album Far From Home, was voted Album of the Year. Culture Minister says: Kenny never resigned He remains the chairman of the NCC. Reporters asked Gadsby Dolly this same question following the post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns on Thursday. At that time, the minister said, There is no resignation from Mr De Silva. During the briefing, Gadsby Dolly indicated that she received a report from the NCC regarding a glitch during Sundays Dimanche Gras show and corrective action is being taken to prevent a repeat of that issue at next years show. The minister said the post-Carnival analysis has begun and will continue, as we look to improvements in Carnival 2018. She said this exercise involves the Planning Ministry, Economic Development Board, the Central Statistical Office and her ministry. Gasparillo scout leader to be buried today From the moment Nanan became a member of the 1st Gasparillo Scout Group in 1944, scouting became and remained the most important thing in his life right up until his death. In fact, though he was born in 1938, whenever one of his granddaughters would ask him the year of his birth, he would answer 1906. That is the year that Robert Baden-Powell founded the boy scout movement, explained Denise Mohammed, one of his daughters. I dont know if he thought he was born then in a previous life or what, but after God, it was scouts, then teaching, and then it was family fourth, but we never lacked for anything. God really loved us to give us him as a father and not another one. Nanans list of achievements are numerous, from winning a national school exhibition scholarship to attending Naparima College and founding the Second Bonne Aventure Scout Troop, to being awarded a gold medal of merit for the countrys 50th anniversary of Independence. The national award was given for his work in education and his service to his community. We dont know if this is true, but my father said when he extended his right hand to receive the medal, the President recognised him and said No, you are a scout, use your left hand. Nanans passion for scouting was passed on to his three daughters and two sons, all of whom became involved in Girl Guides and scout groups because of his influence. According to his daughter, it has also been passed on to his nine grandchildren. Today, his funeral service would be held at 1pm at the Bonne Aventure Presbyterian Church which he was instrumental in building at a time when there were no churches in Gasparillo. His life would be celebrated by a parade of the First Naparima Scout Troop and many leaders from the scouting fraternity from across the world. ICTs eye single Caricom ICT space According to the Caricom Secretariat, the ICT cluster agencies held a meeting via video conferencing that was anchored at the secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana. Represented were the Caricom Secretariat, Caribbean Telecommunications Union, Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, Caribbean Centre for Development Administration and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union. The meeting followed the approval for the Caricom Single ICT Roadmap given by Caricom Heads of Government at their inter-sessional meeting held in February in Georgetown. The Single ICT Space is conceptualised as the digital layer of the Caricom Single Market and Economy, the regions flagship programme. It encompasses the management of regional information, human resources, legislation and infrastructure in the sector to elicit maximum benefit for the regions population. The Single ICT Space and the regions Digital Agenda 2025 will be constructed on the foundation of the Regional Digital Development Strategy which was approved in 2013, and will also have inputs from the Commission on the Economy and the Post-2015 Agenda, the secretariat said. The undertaking is cross-sectoral and highly complex. The challenges include identifying the areas of strategic value, evaluating lessons learned, and timely and appropriate decisions. During their inter- sessional meeting, Caricom Chairman and Guyanas President, David Granger said, the Single ICT Space would become one of the driving forces for social and economic development of the community. He said it would enhance the environment for investment and production, and provide an opportunity for innovation to flourish. It would also support a sustainable increase in growth and jobs, enhance efficiency and increase access to public services, he said. The Single ICT Space will be on the agenda for discussion at next months Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development which will be held in Antigua and Barbuda, the Caricom Secretariat said. New head for Eastern Division Well placed sources within the TT Police Service said that Senior Superintendent John Trimm, formerly in charge of the Eastern Division was transferred to the Finance Branch and has been replaced by Senior Superintendent Garth Nelson. Senior Supt Nelson was expected to assume responsibilities in Eastern Division on Thursday but attended a Compstat meeting at the police Administration building before taking up duties. Senior Supt Nelson was reassigned to Northern Division earlier this year to assist Senior Superintendent Mc Donald Jacob, who is head of the Northern Division. Both Senior superintendents were given the task of dealing with a spate of homicides in that division as well as other serious crimes. The Acting Commissioner took the decision to have both Senior Superintendent Jacob and Nelson deal with the responsibility of tackling crime in the Northern Division after Senior Superintendent Simbonath Rajkumar was suddenly transferred to the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF). Recently the Acting Commissioner called in Senior Supts Rajkumar and Trimm to his office and stated his intention to send both officers on early retirement. They were given seven days to respond to the decision of the Acting Commissioner and sought legal advice and later challenged the Acting Cops decision in court. That matter is now pending before a High Court Judge. Newsday understands that there are several transfers to be carried out within the First Division by the Acting CoP in an effort to place officers where they are best suited. Efforts to reach Senior Supt Trimm on his transfer to Finance Branch yesterday proved futile. Association keeps eye on backpay Richards said yesterday that he was hoping that the monies are released in time so that the Accounts Department could put the necessary measures in place to facilitate payment at the end of this month. Two weeks ago Richards texted Minister of Finance Colm Imbert to get an update on the second payment of back pay promised by the Ministry of Finance. Minister Imbert acknowledged the text message and replied that it was his intention to make the payments. Yesterday Richards told Newsday, We are anticipating the second half of the back pay by March 31 as promised by the Minister of Finance. Nothing other than that will be accepted by members of the Protective Services which included polices, prison and fire. We will not accept any disappointment in that regard since officers would have already made financial arrangements pending that payment, so we are just hoping that the Minister does all in his power to fulfil the promise he has made which include timely instructions and timely releases of funds, for the period 2011-2013. He reiterated that he anticipates that the Minister will live up to his promise. Last September, officers of the protective services started receiving their back pay for the period 2011-2013. Due to the state of the economy officers were promised that the second part of the back pay will be paid in March of this year. Both Police and Fire Officers said yesterday that they too are eagerly awaiting the payment like their colleagues in the Prison service because they had also made financial obligations Geekologie has shut down. Thank you to everybody. Now go be happy. The Donovans Put the Fictional Roys to Shame longform Investigators Think They've Solved Mystery of Buried Car in case you missed it Kenyan Runs First Marathon and Wins photos advertisement Black Adam Wins in Lull Ahead of Black Panther box office Among Highest-Earning Dead Celebs, a Surprise Name in case you missed it advertisement Christina Applegate Warns Fans Ahead of Netflix Premiere in case you missed it advertisement 3 Presidents Rally Pennsylvania the rundown Story of Boy, 8, 'Climbing' El Capitan Raises Eyebrows IN CASE YOU MISSED IT advertisement Stephen King Complains, and Elon Musk Responds IN CASE YOU MISSED IT advertisement advertisement After 100 Years, Stolen King Tut Items Located new study Bannon Makes His Next Move in Contempt Case UPDATED No One Has Done This Before in Billboard's History IN CASE YOU MISSED IT A Nevada woman is still on the run almost two years after confessing to poisoning her husband's Lucky Charms cereal because she didn't want sex. The husband, now an ex-husband, tells WLOS that he has moved to California but he is still worried that Andrea Heming will resurface. In 2015, Heming admitted putting boric acid, a poison used to kill cockroaches and other pests, in her husband's cereal, energy drinks, and Miracle Whip to cause impotence. She posted $50,000 bail after pleading guilty and never showed up at a sentencing hearing. Police suspect she fled to her native Mexico. "Andrea stated that she wouldn't use that much to kill him but just enough to make him not have an erection," a police report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal at the time said. "Andrea further stated she wouldnt use enough to kill as she was in the final process of becoming an American citizen." Her husband told police he had diarrhea every day for around six months and also suffered from lethargy and unexplained nosebleeds. (Read more poisoning stories.) President Trump's "Buy American" order calling for American steel to be used in American pipeline projects doesn't cover the Canadian, Italian, and Indian steel being used in the Keystone XL Pipeline project. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Friday that Trump's order applies to "new, retrofitted, repaired, or expanded pipelines," but Keystone is "currently in the process of being constructed, so it does not count as a new, retrofitted, repaired, or expanded pipeline," Politico reports. She added that since "the steel is already literally sitting there, it would be hard to go back." Trump revived the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects with days of taking office, and the AP notes that as recently as last week, he said American steel must be used "or we're not building one." Bloomberg reports that the president repeated the pledge to build Keystone XL with American steel at several rallies last month, boasting that he had demanded the clause before signing the order. Around half the 821,000 tons of steel needed for the project is expected to come from outside the US. Justin Trudeau's office praised the allowance of non-American steel in a statement Friday, calling it a "recognition that the integrated Canadian and US steel industries are mutually beneficial," the CBC reports. (Read more TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline stories.) The Trump administration looks likely to do serious damage to the country's ability to research climate change and deal with its effects in favor of "rebuilding the military." The Washington Post got its hands on an administration memo detailing a 17% budget cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Per the memo, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research would lose 26% of its budgetor $126 million. NOAA's satellite data division, an important warehouse of climate and environmental information, would lose 22% of its budgetor $513 million. The National Weather Service and National Marine Fisheries Service would lose 5% of their budget each. Cuts to NOAA's budget would also impact programs designed to help coastal areas deal with rising sea levels and destructive storms. The administration has asked the Commerce Department, of which NOAA is a part, how much it would cost to lay off employees, dump leases, and dispose of government property. A White House official says the numbers in the memo could change as the budget process is still "evolving." The memo indicates the Trump administration is looking to cut budgets elsewhere in order to funnel more funding to the military. Read the full story here. (Read more National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stories.) Somalia's prime minister said Saturday that 110 people have died from hunger in the past 48 hours in a single regionthe first death toll announced in a severe drought threatening millions of people across the country. Somalia's government declared the drought a national disaster on Tuesday. The UN estimates that 5 million people in Somalia need aid, amid warnings of a full-blown famine, the AP reports. The death toll announced by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire is from the Bay region in the southwest part of the country alone. Somalia was one of four regions singled out by the UN secretary-general last month in a $4.4 billion aid appeal to avert catastrophic hunger and famine. Thousands have been streaming into Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, in search of food aid, overwhelming local and international aid agencies. Over 7,000 internally displaced people checked into one feeding center recently. The drought is the first crisis for Somalia's newly elected Somali-American leader, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. Previous droughts and a quarter-century of conflict, including ongoing attacks by extremist group al-Shabab, have left the country fragile. Mohamed has appealed to the international community for help. About 363,000 acutely malnourished children in Somalia "need urgent treatment and nutrition support, including 71,000 who are severely malnourished," the US Agency for International Development's Famine Early Warning Systems Network has warned. (Read more Somalia stories.) A Sikh man says he was told, "Go back to your own country" before being shot in the arm in his driveway outside Seattle, the Seattle Times reports. The 39-year-old victim was working on his car in his driveway Friday night when he was approached by a man he didn't know. The man was wearing a mask over the lower half of his face. According to the News Tribune, police say there was some sort of altercation and the masked man shot the victim in the arm before fleeing. Police, who say the shooting is a "top priority," are still looking for the man. They've asked the FBI for assistance and are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime, KING reports. The victim is expected to recover. Friday's shooting bears a surface resemblance to a shooting last month in Kansas in which a man allegedly shot two Indian menkilling oneafter telling the victims, "Get out of my country." (Read more hate crime stories.) Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low near -5F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low near -5F. Winds light and variable. New York: Anxiety among Indian immigrants in the US over the proposed tightening of work visa rules under the Trump administration has been compounded by fears in the wake of the fatal shooting of an Indian engineer in Kansas. Indians on H1B visas, many of whom have been living in the country for nearly a decade and are awaiting approval for their green cards, are now uncertain about their fate given the slew of legislations being introduced in the US Congress and proposed executive orders, calling for overhaul of the visa programme that allows companies to hire foreign workers, majority in the technological field. Adding to the unease is the tragic incident in Kansas where 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed when US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani before yelling "get out of my country". Venkatesh, a 34-year engineer working in a major IT company in Florida, said he has been living in the US for 10 years now and was close to getting his green card approval. The father of two, who asked his last name not be used for the article nor the name of his company fearing repercussions, told PTI he is not sure if he will get his green card as the Trump administration's imminent crackdown on the work visa programme. He said he and his wife, who is a doctor, are contemplating whether they should move back to India as they do not want uncertainty of living in the US hamper their children's education. Venkatesh further said that Kuchibhotla's killing has added to the atmosphere of fear and unease among the community. "We are now concerned for the safety of our children. The tragedy in Kansas is making our worst fears come true," he said. He added that parents and families back home of several of his Indian friends and colleagues are worried about their safety in the US. "We hope the situation here improves soon. We all have built a life for ourselves in the US and don't want to live in constant fear and uncertainty," he said. Like Venkatesh, several Indians still awaiting their green cards, are looking at working on an alternative plan in case they lose their jobs and have to leave the country. Another Indian software engineer in New Jersey, who requested anonymity, said he has put several key life decisions on hold given the uncertain and fearful environment in America. He said he has postponed buying a house and worries about his three-year-old girl's education. "We cannot live with the uncertainty for the next 10 years over when and whether our green card will be approved or what will happen to our work visas. We have to think about our child's future and don't want her education to suffer because of the uncertainty over where we will eventually live," he said, adding that moving back to India or any other country will also require extensive planning and resources. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Speaker Paul Ryan on behalf of the US House of Representatives has condoled the death of an Indian techie in a racially-motivated shooting by an American. Ryan met visiting Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar yesterday and expressed the House's condolences on the death of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was senselessly murdered last week in Kansas. "Our people must continue to stand together," he said. Ryan's comments over the incident came hours after US President Donald Trump condemned as "evil" and "hate" the fatal Kansas shooting in which Kuchibhotla was killed and another Indian Alok Madasani was injured by navy veteran Adam Purinton, who yelled "terrorist" and "get out of my country" before opening fire on them. The two work for technology firm Garmin. Jaishankar is currently visiting the US to hold consultations and talks with Trump administration officials to develop a roadmap of the Indo-US ties for next four years. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi/Lucknow: Voting is underway to elect 49 candidates in Phase VI of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in star-studded fight to retain power in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Heavy security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful and fruitful elections. Around 1.72 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, are eligible to cast their votes in this round to decide the fate of 635 candidates. In the 2012 Assembly polls, of the 49 seats, 27 were won by the SP, 9 by BSP, 7 by BJP, 4 by Congress and 2 by others. There will be 17,926 polling booths in this phase. The highest number of 23 candidates are contesting from Gorakhpur and the least candidates, numbering seven are in pitted for Mohammadabad Gohna seat in Mau district. The districts going to polls in Phase VI are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia, SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadavs Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency being in focus. LIVE COVERAGE: #6:20 PM: 57.03% voting in sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh elections till 5 pm. Still counting: Election Commission #UPPolls2017: Polling ended for sixth phase of elections of UP elections. Visuals from a polling booth in Gorakhpur, UP. pic.twitter.com/9RyIZkcxRI ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 #3:00 PM: 48% voter turnout recorded in UP till 3pm Gorakhpur (UP): Voting underway at a polling booth in the sixth phase of UP elections. #uppolls2017 pic.twitter.com/fHtWU1kr8m ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 #1:30PM: 37.85% voting recorded till 1 pm in the sixth phase of UP elections 2017; Mulayam's Azamgarh registers 41.08% votes #Mulayam Singh Yadav's constituency Azamgarh registers 20.87% till 11 #9:45 AM: Voting average in Phase VI of UP Polls till 9 AM: 12.5 per cent #9:30 AM: UP Polls votes registered till 9AM: Azamgarh - 11%; Deoria: 10.7%; Gorakhpur: 10.5%; Balia - 11%; Kushinagar - 10.8% (District-wise) #9:10 AM: Mau: Voting affected due to a problem in EVM machine at booth no. 273 at Nasirpur village Special efforts made for differently abled voters, they are being assisted by helpers & wheelchairs:Nikhil C Shukla, Mau District Magistrate pic.twitter.com/DwLowsHMln ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 #7:15 AM:Yogi Adityanath casts his vote at booth no. 3705 in Gorakhpur #UttarPradeshpolls: Voting on 49 seats across 7 districts in sixth phase underway, visuals from Mau booth no. 280 pic.twitter.com/5O2Sb764QB ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 # 7 AM: Voting begins in 49 constituencies in eastern UP Important details about UP Phase VI Elections # Total Assembly Constituencies: 49 # Date of Polling: March 4 (Phase VI of VII) # Total Electorate: 1.72 crore (94.60 lakh men, 77.84 lakh women) # Number of Polling Stations: 17,926 # Major Parties: - SP-Congress alliance - BJP - BSP #2012 Assembly Election Results: - SP: 27 Seats - BSP: 9 Seats - BJP: 7 Seats - Congress: 4 Seats - Others: 2 Seats Heavy security measures Central Para Military Forces reached the constituencies and carried out flag march in sensitive areas, ahead of voting on . Indo-Nepal border with Maharajganj and Gorakhpur, and border with Bihar have been sealed. Police patrolling has been intensified along inter district borders and barriers have been erected on highways to keep an eye on movements of vehicles. High-stake fight for UP stalwarts Mulayam Singh Yadavs Lok Sabha constituency Azamgarh may be poll-bound in this phase, but the SP patriarch has done little to favour his sons battle. Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency has 10 assembly seats, of which SP had won nine in 2012, but this time Mulayam has not addressed a single meeting in his parliamentary constituency. The prestige of Union minister Kalraj Mishra, who represents Deoria in the Lok Sabha, too is at stake, besides that of Adityanath. BJP is contesting 45 seats and its ally Apna Dal one. Another BJP partner Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party is contesting 3 seats. While BSP has fielded candidates on all 49 seats, SP is contesting 40 seats and Congress 9 seats under an alliance. Prominent candidates in this phase include BSP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya from Padrauna (Kushinagar), former BJP state president Surya Pratap Shahi from Pathardeva (Deoria), Shyam Bahadur Yadav (SP), son of former Governor Ram Naresh Yadav from Fulpur Pawai (Azamgarh), SP turncoats Ambika Chowhdury and Narad Rai, who are contesting on BSP ticket from Fefna (Ballia) and Ballia Sadar respectively. Mukhtar is contesting from Mau and his son Abbas is in fray from adjoining Ghosi seat in Mau district. The campaign Campaigning for the sixth phase saw BJP state president K P Maurya likening rivals SP, Congress and BSP to different types of venomous snakes and social cancer and urging people to eliminate them by voting for the BJP. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav countered BJP saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conceded defeat in the polls by talking about a hung house. While mustering votes for BJP, Modi sought to prove wrong the prophets of doom after demonetisation saying the latest GDP data showed note-ban did not affect growth rate but rather improved it. Mocking economists, he said, Hard work, in fact, is much more powerful than Harvard. Sounding highly optimistic of the poll outcome for BJP, Modi said the debate now is whether BJP will get two-third or three-fourth majority. Never have elections gone one way like this... there had been no dearth in enthusiasm of voters in all five phases, he said. The PM also caught UP Chief Minister on the wrong foot and cited government website to nail him. Life in Uttar Pradesh is short and uncertain... Uttar Pradesh resembles Saharan Africa, Modi said quoting a para from the state governments official website up.gov.in. On the last day of campaigning BJP President Amit Shah held a road show in Gorakhpur . Similar road shows were organised at Kushinagar and Azamgarh. During her campaign, BSP supremo Mayawati said the public is disenchanted with BJP and SP due to the wrong policies of the Union and the state governments, and accused Modi and Shah of dreaming to destroy the state. Read: Assembly Elections 2017: Full Coverage Manipur Assembly Elections 2017: Full Coverage UP Assembly Elections 2017: Full Coverage For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Varanasi: Clashes broke out between SP and BJP workers during a joint roadshow of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Varanasi on Saturday. The roadshow took off from Kutchery at around 3 PM, close on the heels of a similar 'show of strength' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Lok Sabha constituency. Modi was on his way to offer prayers at two of the fabled temples of the ancient city. As the procession reached Chaukaghat, with Gandhi and Yadav perched atop an open bus and a swarm of supporters marching on foot, SP workers came face to face with members of BJP which has set up a media centre nearby. Tempers flared and workers of both parties started yelling and hurling stones at each other. The situation was soon brought under control as policemen deployed along the route resorted to lathicharge. The roadshow thus went unhindered. The Gandhi-Yadhav duo was soon joined by UP Chief Minister's wife and SP MP Dimple Yadav, amid a huge round of applause from the crowds.While the Congress vice president and the UP CM have held many roadshows during the ongoing state assembly elections, it was for the first time that the Kannauj MP was joining them on the same platform. The leaders paused frequently to wave at the people standing in large numbers on the streets or peering through roofs, windows and balconies of their houses. The 10-km-long roadshow is scheduled to end at Maidagin area of the city, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally later in the evening. Huge deployment of force is in place around Town Hall, the venue of the rally. Rameswaram: Eight fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on the charge of fishing in the island waters, a fisheries department official said. One of the arrested fishermen allegedly attempted suicide On Saturday. The arrest of the eight fishermen from Nagapattinam district is the third such detention by the Lankan Navy this week. A total of 61 fishermen are now in Lankan custody. Nagapattinam Joint Director of Fisheries Amala Xavier said the group of eight fishermen from Akkarapettai had put out to sea in a mechanised boat on March 1. The fishermen were apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy around midnight on Saturday, he said. As the Lankan Naval personnel turned down the fishermens plea to let them go, 35-year-old Sarath allegedly broke a glass bottle in the boat and swallowed the pieces, he said. The fisherman had been admitted to a government hospital in Triconamalee in Eastern Sri Lanka, he added. On March 2, 18 fishermennine from Nagapattinam district, four from Rameswaram and five from nearby Pamban were arrested in three batches and their boats impounded by Sri Lankan Navy at different points in the Palk Bay. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami had shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the second this week, seeking his intervention to secure the release of all the arrested fishermen. He had said the arrests of fishermen was creating a sense of panic and unrest among the community in the state. Palaniswami said the fishermens right to life and livelihood and right to carry on with fishing in the waters of the Palk Bay were continuously being infringed upon by Sri Lanka. Hours after the detention of 13 fishermen on March 2, Palaniswami had written to Modi seeking his intervention. Meanwhile, fishermen in Pamban continued their strike for the second day, demanding the release of their colleagues arrested on March 2. New Delhi: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that the BJP is not going to contest for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's mayor post. The announcement cleared the way for rival Shiv Sena which has a slight numerical advantage over the ruling party. "We will not put up a candidate for mayor or deputy mayor for BMC. We will not be in the opposition, we will support the ruling party but will not compromise on transparency," ANI quoted Fadnavis as saying. We will not put up a candidate for Mayor or Deputy Mayor for BMC: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis pic.twitter.com/vnRJSlDPJ5 a ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 After the BMC election threw up a fractured result the political impasse continued between the two parties even as the leaders from both factions tried their best to find a formula to keep the situation calm. Sena won 84 seats in the February-21 election to the 227-member BMC, the country's richest civic body. BJP was close behind, winning 82 seats, while Congress was a distant third with 31 seats. New York: Bosses at an Alabama cinema have opted not to screen Beauty & the Beast movie because it doesnt agree with the Disney film featuring a gay character. Director Bill Condon announced this week that the character LeFou, played by Josh Gad, has romantic feelings for Gaston, played by Luke Evans. The owners of the Henagar Drive-In Theatre have not taken well to the directors big reveal, reported New York Daily News. A statement on the cinemas Facebook page reads: When companies continually force their views on us we need to take a stand. We all make choices and I am making mine. If we can not take our 11-year-old grand daughter and 8-year-old grandson to see a movie we have no business watching it. If I cant sit through a movie with God or Jesus sitting by me then we have no business showing it. The owners accept there will be film fans who do not agree with this decision, adding, Thats fine. We are first and foremost Christians. We will not compromise on what the Bible teaches. We will continue to show family oriented films so you can feel free to come watch wholesome movies without worrying about sex, nudity, homosexuality and foul language. Condon confirmed all about LeFous sexuality during an interview with gay magazine Attitude, stating, LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston. Hes confused about what he wants. Its somebody whos just realising that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And thats what has its payoff at the end, which I dont want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie. The film, which also features Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Kevin Kline, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, will release in India on March 17. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Two Indian associates of alleged middleman Christian Michel James were on Saturday granted bail by a special court in a money laundering case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal. Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of accused R K Nanda and JB Subramaniyam, who were earlier summoned by the court. The court granted them the relief on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of the like amount. It also directed them not to leave the country without the courts prior permission and not to tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses. Advocate NK Matta, who represented the Enforcement Directorate, opposed the bail applications saying there was enough evidence on record to show the involvement of the two accused in the case. Read | Delhi High Court issues notice to SP Tyagis cousin on plea challenging his bail The court had last year issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against James, a British national, while summoning his Indian associates and M/s Media Exim Private Limited in the case. The firm was created by James, along with Nanda and Subramaniyam who are directors of the firm. The ED had pressed for an open-ended NBW to bring James from the UK to face trial. An open-ended NBW does not carry a time limit for execution. In June last year, the ED had filed a 1,300-page prosecution complaint (equivalent of a charge sheet) in connection with its money laundering probe in the case. It had claimed that its probe had found that James had allegedly received Euro 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from M/s AgustaWestland and alleged that this was nothing but kickbacks paid by the company to execute the deal for sale of 12 helicopters to India in favour of the firm in the guise of genuine transactions for performing multiple work contracts. Read | Court issues non-bailable warrant against British national James Christian Michel James is one of the three alleged middlemen being probed by the ED and the CBI in the case, apart from Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. Both the agencies have also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice or a global arrest warrant against him. The complaint delved into the detailed role of James in the deal, his multiple visits to India and his transactions.The first complaint in the case was filed in November 2014. According to sources, the ED has already sought extradition of James from the UK. In its complaint, the ED also claimed that the three middlemen managed to make inroads into the Indian Air Force in order to influence and subvert the forces stand regarding reducing the service ceilingthe altitude at which a helicopter can flyfrom 6,000 to 4,500 metres in 2005 after which AgustaWestland became eligible to supply the dozen choppers for VVIP flying duties. It had said the remittances made by James through his Dubai-based firm M/s Global Services, FZE to the firm he had floated here, were made from the funds which he got from M/s AgustaWestland SpA through criminal activity and corruption being done in the chopper deal. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: The Trump Administration has a avery positive viewa of the Indo-US relationship and a lot of interest in taking the ties forward, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said on Friday after his wide-ranging talks with senior Cabinet members and top officials in Washington. aOptimistica about the continuation of the upward trajectory of the bilateral relationship, Jaishankar told Indian reporters that the India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which was started under the previous Obama administration, would be held later this year. Dates were being worked out for the India visit of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to hold the first India US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue under the Trump administration. aOverall, (the) sense was that the Administration has a very positive view of the relationship, positive view of India,a said Jaishankar, who along with Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia, is on a visit here to engage with the new Trump administration. aWe saw a lot of goodwill and a lot of interest in taking the relationship forward,a he said. Jaishankar, during his visit, held a number of key meetings here, including with Secretary of State Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security Gen (retd) John Kelly, National Security Advisor R McMaster, and Deputy Assistant to the President, Ken Juster. The visiting Indian officials, accompanied by the Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Sarna, also met the top leadership of the US Congress, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker and his House counterpart Congressman Ed Royce. They also met Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate India caucus, and Co-Chairs of India Caucus in the House Congressman George Holding and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Jaishankar and Teotia, during their visit, interacted with US businesses through the US India Business Council. aThe (US) Congress has been extraordinarily supportive of the growth of this relationship. Since there has been a change in the political landscape, we thought engaging them was something which was important,a Jaishankar said. aBroadly with the (US) administration, we explained to them the progress that the India US relation has made in the last many years. So it was a full spectrum (of) discussions,a he said.With Tillerson, Jaishankar discussed bilateral strategic relationship as well as the situation in Afghanistan and the Asia Pacific region. Discussions with Secretary Ross were more focused on bilateral trade and economic cooperation, and with the Homeland Secretary, to some extent, issues related to immigration and also welfare of the Indians and Indian American community in the US were discussed. Jaishankaras discussions with the Homeland Secretary assume significance in the backdrop of the death of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed in a shooting by an American navy veteran. Another Indian man Alok Madasani was critically injured while an American, who tried to intervene during the shooting, also sustained injuries. aYes, we have a strong sense of optimism. I think, the current Administration has a very strong sense of optimism about the relationship,a Jaishankar said in response to a question.Rossa own business experience with India has been very positive, he said. aWhat we heard across the board in the Administration, whether it was business, security, defence cooperation, whether our engagement in the region or working together on international issues, overall a very positive sense of India as a partner,a he said. aAlso, a lot of respect for the economic changes which have taken place in India. An acknowledgement that there has been a very robust growth and that this has made India a particularly attractive partner. So a lot of appetite for working on economic cooperation,a Jaishankar said. #WATCH: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, in Washington D.C pic.twitter.com/HYfAirBd0i a ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 A #WATCH: Indian partnership important for growing America says Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on H1B visa (in Washington D.C) pic.twitter.com/bMGAIqf32p a ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Chandigarh: The Haryana government today announced benefits of the seventh central pay commission (CPC) to the pensioners in the state, effective from January 1, 2016. The benefits would be given to both pre and post January 1, 2016 pensioners and the family pensioners of the state government as well. The decision will benefit about 2.25 lakh pensioners and family pensioners, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told the State Legislative Assembly. He made this announcement while replying to the discussion on Governor Address during ongoing budget session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha here. The benefit was being given on the basis of the recommendations of the Pension Revision Committee and the arrears would be released within three months of the notification, Khattar said. Haryana would be the first state in the country to allow the revision of pension and family pension as per 7th CPC, he added. The revised pension or family pension would be determined by multiplying the existing basic pension or family pension at the rate of 2.57 per cent, he said. With this, there would be an increase of 32 per cent in the existing basic pension or family pension as on January 1, 2016 and 14.22 per cent in the existing pension or family pension including dearness allowance. He said the minimum revision in pension or family pension would be from Rs 3,500 per month to Rs 9,000 per month. The ceiling of gratuity has also been enhanced from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, he said. Apart from this, the ceiling of gratuity would be increased by 25 per cent whenever dearness allowance rises by 50 per cent, Khattar said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Security forces gunned down a suspected militant during a fierce gunbattle on Saturday in Tral on the outskirts of Srinagar. The security forces cordoned off a house where three to five top Hizbul Mujahideen militants were holed up. Officials sources said special forces of army were deployed to carry out a combing operation in the area. Curfew has been clamped in this area, 10km from from the state capital, as protesters had gathered near the encounter site, they said. Half of the house was brought down by the security forces but militants were still firing on them. Poster boy of banned Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit Burhan Wani belong to this area. (With inputs from PTI, more details are awaited) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: A high-level co-ordination meeting chaired by Maharashtra Director General of Police, Satish Mathur was held to discuss various security issues plaguing the Railways with focus on suspected rail sabotage incidents across the state, police officials said on Saturday. The meeting was held yesterday at the DGP office and was attended by senior police officers from various districts, sleuths of the Anti-Terrorism Squad, Railway Police officers from neighbouring states, Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials, and Zonal officers of Railway administration as well as Mumbai Rail Vikas Nigam Corporation (MRVC) officials. Five incidents of suspected rail sabotage were detected across the state in the last couple of months. Deliberations were held on the ongoing investigation into these incidents besides suggestions to prevent them, a senior police official said. Also, security issues like unauthorised gates, verification of antecedents of employees of contractual staff in Railways, inspection of railway bridges, tunnels and their repairs, track patrolling, removing of strewn rail pieces along railway tracks and implementation of integrated security system was discussed, the official added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Twitter is buzzing with news alerts from India and rest of the world. Here are the latest updates from the micro-blogging site in one scroll: For Live Coverage click here| Assembly elections 2017 Live: Eastern UP, Manipur begin voting for next assembly #11:00 PM Two gold bars of 1 Kg each recovered from dustbin in toilet near immigration counters at Mumbai Airport, one arrested #10:31 PM 1 militant killed by security forces as gunfight continues in #Tral where 4-5 top Hizbul Mujahideen militants are holed up in a house-PTI #10:30 PM Encounter breaks out between militants & security forces in #Tral on Srinagar outskirts, 5 #Hizbul militants holed up in a house: Officials #10:11 PM After success of LPG, we are planning to use same methodology in Kerosene, which is a cooking oil in rural areas of India: Dharmendra Pradhan-ANI #10:10 PM Now more than 10.5 million households have given up their LPG subsidy, after PM's appeal: Dharmendra Pradhan in Harvard Kennedy School-ANI #10:00 PM Our PM appealed, those who afford cooking oil from their pockets, they should not avail subsidy: Dharmendra Pradhan in Harvard Kennedy school #9:51 PM Chhattisgarh DGP sends show cause notice to former Bastar IG SRP Kalluri and a warning letter for indiscipline-ANI #9:38 PM Unfortunately in 2014, EC officials of that time did not allow me to hold a rally in Varanasi, they cancelled permission: PM Modi #9:03 PM Olympic medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik had tweeted that Haryana Govt had not delivered on promises made to her #9:00 PM Gave her 2.5 cr rupee cheque, she then said I want job in MD Univ,we created a post for her: Anil Vij, Haryana Minister on Sakshi Malik tweet #7:38 PM BJP leading in UP & I feel PM shouldn't have done roadshow in Varanasi, it's just an assembly election: Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha: ANI #7:35 PM J & K: Encounter underway between security forces and terrorists in Tral area of Pulwama district: ANI #7:29 PM Not heard anything from Trump admin on Afghanistan & US-Pak relationship & key issue of terrorism with Pak: N Biswal: ANI #7:28 PM County Sheriff says it may not be a hate crime. Authorities investigating. Consulate in touch: Sources on Indian-origin businessman shot dead: ANI #7:25 PM Malaysia expels North Korea ambassador: AFP #7:24 PM Army jawan found dead after appearing in 'sting' video, laid to rest in Kerala's Kollam after fresh autopsy: PTI #7:19 PM Good time for FS S Jaishankar to come for relationship building with Trump admin: Nisha Biswal, US Former Asst Secy of State: ANI #7:18 PM Decision on Ram Temple in Ayodhya may be taken 'within a week': VHP leader Praveen Togadia: PTI #7:17 PM People at Modi's roadshow are mere spectators brought in from other states & UP districts where voting has already happened: Mayawati -PTI 7:15 PM UP CM Akhilesh Yadav tells voters to accept money from other outfits but cast vote for the 'bicycle': PTI 7:13 PM J&K: Security forces begin cordon & search operation in #Tral, Pulwama district. More details awaited: ANI #6:45 PM Non-bailable warrant issued against Gayatri Prajapati and 6 others. Prajapati's passport revoked for 4 weeks, look out circular issued #6:37 PM Air strikes kill 11 civilians in central Syria: monitor #6:00 PM Polling ended for sixth phase of elections of UP #5:40 PM We will not be in the opposition, we will support the ruling party but will not compromise on transparency: CM Devendra Fadnavis on BMC #4:46 PM Child Trafficking case: Darjeeling Distt Child Protection Officer M Ghosh & Distt Child Welfare Member D Chandra sent to 6 days CID custody #4:36 PM State GST law has to be passed in state assemblies, legal committee will finalise it in next three days & circulate to states: FM Jaitley #3:50 PM GST Council to meet next on 16 March #3:43 PM IndvAus Off-spinner Nathan Lyon's 8/50 is the best figures by an overseas bowler in a Test match on Indian soil #2:30PM Central GST and Integrated GST law cleared in GST Council today: Sources #01:31 PM Indian-origin businessman shot dead outside his home in South Carolina #USA - ANI #01:15 PM ManipurElection2017: Irom Sharmila's PRJA candidate Erendro attacked by unknown persons. - ANI #01:10 PM Patiala House Court to pronounce it's order on April 15th in a case of allegedly abusing & threatening Neelaam Krishnamoorthy, AVUT Pres - ANI #12:48 PM Jordan executes 10 men convicted of terror charges, including attacks on tourists, writer, security forces: ANI #12:43 PM Sculptor Udit Jain arrested by Mumbai DRI in smuggling ancient sculptures & old paintings case - ANI #12:38 PM Uphaar fire.tragedy case:Delhi Police moves Patiala house court demanding Ansal brothers should get permit from court before leaving country - ANI #12:11 PM Bijapur(Chattisgarh):Security forces arrest 1 Maoist from forest area of Basaguda; he was wanted under charges of murder & the Arms Act - ANI #11:22 AM #ManipurElection2017: 43% voting recorded till 11 am in the first phase. - ANI #11:14 AM They (SP-Cong) should have at least said in public that it was mistake to give ticket to Gayatri Prajapati&that we won't support him-V Naidu - ANI #11:11 AM 2 Indian associates of alleged middleman Christian Michel James granted bail in VVIP chopper deal case - ANI #10:57 AM J&K: Encounter between terrorists & security forces in Chilli Pora of Shopian ended, terrorists escaped- ANI #9:59 AM Other parties have been in UP for far to long but haven't been able to bring change. Last 2phases gonna takes us to 2/3rd majority-R Rathore - ANI #9:41 AM Uttar Pradesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches Babatpur airport, he will address public meetings in Jaunpur and Varanasi today. - ANI #9:26 AM Moradabad: Truck caught fire at entrance of a medical college on National Highway 24. Fire doused off #9:12 AM Mau: Voting affected due to problem in EVM machine at booth no. 273 at Nasirpur village. - ANI #9:18 AM INDvAUS Bengaluru second test: Abhinav Mukund and Karun Nair in place of Vijay & Jayant Yadav - ANI #9:05 AM Earthquake of magnitude 5 hit Myanmar-India (Manipur) Border Region, at 7:42 AM this morning. - ANI #9:04 AM IndVsAus Bengaluru second test: India have won the toss, elect to bat first - ANI #8:56 AM KSCA, the host body for annual BCCI awards function to boycott the event as SC-appointed COA decided to invite only eligible officials. - ANI #8:26 AM Delhi Police bust 'Challa Gang', they used to commit theft with unique modus operandi by dropping a gold plated Ring (Challa) on the road - ANI #8:19 AM Gujarat: Unique water guns hit markets across Rajkot ahead of the colourful Holi festival - ANI #8:17 AM U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, in Washington D.C - ANI #7:38 AM Actor Sonu Walia (known for her role in movie 'Khoon Bhari Maang') registers molestation complaint in Mumbai's Bangur Nagar Police station - ANI #7:29 AM Condition of CRPF Commanding officer Chetan Cheeta critical but stable; he was injured in Bandipora encounter in February: Medical bulletin - ANI #7:28 AM Earthquake of magnitude 3.5 in Manipur's Chandel at 05:08 AM today, no loss/damage reported - ANI #7:11 AM J&K: Encounter between terrorists & security forces in Chilli Pora of Shopian, that started last night, still underway -ANI #6:37 AM GST Council meet headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, to take place today in Delhi. - ANI #6:28 AM Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address public meetings in Varanasi and Jaunpur, today. - ANI #6:21 AM Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh & Ballia to go to polls today in the sixth phase of UP elections. - ANI #6:11 AM Manipur set to go to polls today in the first of its two-phased elections across 38 Assembly constituencies. - ANI For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Varanasi: Lusty slogans resonated through the narrow lanes and flag-waving supporters cheered heartily as top leaders of major contenders for power in Uttar Pradesh descended on this ancient temple town in a last gasp effort to swing the voters in their favour. Leading the virtual parade of the top guns was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned his visit to the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples into an impromptu roadshow, a day ahead of the one planned for tomorrow. Before beginning the roadshow through the winding streets of the city, Modi also paid floral tributes at the statue of Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya at the Banaras Hindu University, in moves loaded with symbolism in a campaign which saw BJP revive the divisive talk of Ram temple and the PM seemed appealing to religious sensibilities by his graveyard and crematorium remark. Modis roadshow came on a day when the sixth phase of polling in 49 constituencies, including Gorakhpur and Azamgarh in the state was underway. BJP leaders feel that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. Slogans like Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras and Modi, Modi greeted Modi as he waved from an open top vehicle covered with marigold. ALSO READ | PM Modi in Varanasi: 'We want to transform people's lives in next 5 years' The only other time Modi held a roadshow here was in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls after he picked Varanasi as one of his seats. The BJP swept the 2014 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, along with its ally Apna Dal. Down in the dumps in the politically crucial cow belt state for the last 15 years before its spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which has not declared its chief ministerial candidate for UP, is banking on the personal charisma of Modi to catapult the party back to power again. Samajwadi Party president and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, also led a roadshow with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the Kashi Vishwanath temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi. Amid chanting of shlokas, Akhilesh, sporting the red Samajwadi Party cap, was seen kneeling at the temple and seeking the blassings of the priests. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A sea of saffron was witnessed on the streets of Varanasi on Saturday as thousands of BJP supporters gathered for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results. Women were seen clad in sarees with BJP's Lotus symbol, while children were dressed in saffron. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and BSP supremo Mayawati are descending in Varanasi on Saturday making it their battleground ahead of the last phase of UP polls. In Varanasi North, SP had finished third, behind BJP and BSP, and was followed closely by the Congress. All the three seatswhich cover almost the entire city are being contested by the Congress this time, while the SP is fighting the predominantly rural Rohaniya and Sevapuri. Stakes are particularly high for the BJP in the Prime Ministers Lok Sabha constituency. Top leaders like party chief Amit Shah and vice president in-charge of UP Om Mathur have been conducting whirlwind tours of the city while Union ministers like Arun Jaitley, Smriti Irani and Piyush Goyal have been interacting with citizens from different walks of life. Here are the Live updates: #I fail to understand why some people were so agitated after demonetisation? Was it because they have to give back what they looted #Why should police stations function like SP offices and why should jails be palaces for gangsters? UP does not deserve this #If the law and order situation is poor then people will not invest and youngsters will not get employment opportunities #People recite the 'Gayatri Mantra' but the SP and Congress know the 'Gayatri Prajapati Mantra' rather well #The Government of India is providing resources to feed the poor but the UP Government is showing no keenness to make use of them #BJP wants every village of UP to get electricity. They want only a few villages, from where they belong, to get electricity #BJP's victory has become a reality after 5 phases. Now, you need to give us a bonus and give us more seats for a comfortable majority #We practice 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' while they feel, 'Kuch Ka Saath, Kuch Ka Vikas.' BJP believes in Shanti, Ekta & Sadbhavana #We believe in 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas', and their slogan is 'Kuch ka Sath, Unka Vikas #Loans of small farmers will be waived off in the first cabinet meting after a BJP Government assumes office in Uttar Pradesh #The UP Govt website clearly shows what their 'Karnamas' are & that is when they removed that content from the website #They got angry when I said 'Karname are speaking and not Kaam' so I decided to verify again by searching on the UP Govt websites #By allocating only Rs 500 crore for OROP, what the previous Central Government did was to humiliate the armed forces #For 40 years our forces demanded OROP but nothing happened. I had promised a BJP Govt will deliver on OROP and we did #Those who question surgical strikes- come to Jaunpur & ask the families of the martyrs. Why politicise issues of national security #Sadly, there are some people who are so driven by political considerations that they want to question our armed forces #We are so proud of what our forces did. It was done after elaborate planning & is being talked about world over #In this scorching heat also I can see a Jan Sagar. Wherever I turn, I can see only people. Thank you for coming to bless us #3:20 PM: PM Modi addresses a rally in Jaunpur #2:40 PM Unforgettable moments in Kashi. It is always special being here. My gratitude to the people for the affection. Truly humbled: PM Modi #2:30 PM #Watch Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing 'aarti' at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi pic.twitter.com/noIUBx99zz ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed 'aarti' at Kashi Vishvanath Temple pic.twitter.com/eSKFf2JII9 ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 #2:00 PM PM Modi visits Kaal Bhairab Temple in Varanasi #1:45 PM PM Narendra Modi's roadshow to reach Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi shortly #1:25 PM PM Modi offers prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple PM Narendra Modi offered prayers in the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi (In Pic: the Kashi Vishwanath temple's sanctum) pic.twitter.com/8ThWilFm27 ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 #1:20 PM PM Modi's roadshow reaches Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi #12:00 PM PM Modi's roadshow underway in Varanasi. Out of 5 assembly constituencies under Varanasi Lok Sabha, currently 3 are held by BJP & 2 by SP #11:20 AM #WATCH: Supporters cheer 'Modi Modi' as Prime Minister's roadshow proceeds towards Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/CWZJHVdGlw ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 #11:15 AM #11:10 AM #UttarPradesh: PM Modi to reach Kashi Vishwanath temple covering Ravidas gate Lanka, Assi, Madani, Sonarpura, Godowlia and Basphatak areas pic.twitter.com/BzjaElUbIt ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 PM Modi to reach Kashi Vishwanath temple covering Ravidas gate Lanka, Assi, Madani, Sonarpura, Godowlia and Basphatak areas #10:59 AM PM Narendra Modi's roadshow underway in Varanasi, supporters raise slogans 'Har har Modi, Ghar ghar Modi' Read | BJP sends in star-power for final push to campaign in PM Modis Varanasi #10:57 AM Large number of youngsters have joined the Prime Minister's road show in Varanasi. Tremendous enthusiasm seen in Varanasi for PM's visit #10:56 AM Unprecedented enthusiasm in Varanasi, where the Prime Minister's road show is taking place. People from all sections of society have joined #10:55 AM Crowd gathers on Varanasi roads as PM Narendra Modi's roadshow begins pic.twitter.com/uHj7m2MiaU ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 #10:50 AM PM Modi pays tribute to Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya in Varanasi PM Modi pays tribute to Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya in Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/sECnx0faH3 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 #10:30 AM Prime Minister Narendra Modi to garland Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya's statue in Varanasi Prime Minister Narendra Modi to garland Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya's statue in Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/z1vQR1QZdS ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 #10:05 AM PM Narendra Modi arrives at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi PM Narendra Modi arrives at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi pic.twitter.com/uUhQZsYD9s ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 #9:25 AM Read | PM Modi's Varanasi becomes centre of focus as UP assembly polls draw towards close For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: 81-year old Chief Minister of Nagaland Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu means business and he also means to stick to the mantras he dictated to the Heads and Administrative Heads of Department on February 23rd last, the day after he was sworn in, when he along with all his Cabinet colleagues reached the Nagaland Civil Secretariat at 9.30 am: "Be punctual in office; set your office in order; and give the best of your services to the public." Not many Government employees at the Secretariat or the Directorates are known to reach office in time, nor are they known to stay till 4 pm in the office. But when the new Chief Minister is ready by 7 am and raring to attend office, and insists that he reaches office by 9.30 am, what else can be said but a new era in governance is set to be ushered in sooner with timings for the thousands of government employees at least, in the Secretariat that is about to be drastically changed. Reaching office exactly at 9.30 am this morning, he set about his aides to go to all the departments and collect attendance of the officers and staff alike by 10.30 am. And he did not seem to be very pleased with the reports brought to him later in the morning by his staffers. By afternoon, words spread like wildfire that the Chief Minister had sent his staffers to check on the attendance of the government employees in the Secretariat. Salaries are paid to Government employees and they are required to attend to their duties for a specific period of time on all working days, he told his aides. If traffic congestion is the reason employees cannot reach their office on time, they should leave home early for their places of work. He has also instructed his officers not to entertain any appointments even for the Ministers and legislators with him at his private residential office except under unavoidable situations. I have a fully functional office at the Secretariat, and so have they. They should attend their offices and if need be, meet me there at the Secretariat. And so should bureaucrats, the new Chief Minister has this standing order. Departure for the Secretariat from his official residence located at the other end of the city is fixed for 9 am every morning -- as and when he does not have other engagements and he insists that his movement through the city should not inconvenience any member of the public. I am a public servant and I have no right to inconvenience the people I serve while moving through the city, he emphatically told his OSD (Security) and insists that his convoy wait out in the traffic jam like any other motorist caught in the morning rush. Originally published by the Naga blog. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's foreign minister says the government has expelled North Korea's ambassador for criticizing the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said in a statement that a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy on Saturday saying Ambassador Kang Chol must leave the country within 48 hours. Anifah said that earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea apologize for criticizing the investigation into the February 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport. Read Also: North Korea strongly denies Kim Jong Nam VX poison claim He said that no apology had come and that none appeared forthcoming, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Seoul: North Korea warned that the US will pay dearly if it relists Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism following the murder of leader Kim Jong-Uns half-brother in Malaysia last month on Saturday. J Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was killed on February 13 at a crowded Kuala Lumpur airport in an attack with VX nerve agent, which is considered a weapon of mass destruction. Seoul has said from the start that the isolated North is behind the Cold War-style assassination. South Korean and Japanese media, citing diplomatic sources, have since reported that the US has been mulling placing the North back on its terror list, which includes Iran and Syria. The US will keenly realise how dearly it has to pay for its groundless accusations against the dignified North if it relists it, the regimes foreign ministry spokesman told state-run newswire KCNA. The spokesman maintained that Pyongyang opposed all forms of terrorism and accused the US of trying to tarnish its reputation. Gone are the days when the US could stigmatise at random to oppress those countries incurring its displeasure, while having the world under its control, the official added. The nuclear-armed North was first designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1987 when its agents bombed a South Korean plane killing all 115 on board. But it was taken off the list in 2008 after Pyongyang took steps toward freezing its nuclear facilities. However, since then the North has resumed its activities, conducting four atomic tests and numerous missile tests despite the fact that they are banned under several UN Security Council resolutions. The North has denied any involvement in Kim Jong-Nams murder, accusing the South, the US and Malaysia of a smear campaign. Two women, one Vietnamese and one Indonesian, have been arrested over the murder. The only North Korean to have been detained, Ri Jong Chol, was released this week due to lack of evidence. Ri has denied any role in the assassination and accused of Malaysian police trying to frame him with fabricated evidence to defame the North. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. NEW MILFORDThe Board of Education urged New Milfords state representatives to overturn portions of Gov. Dannel P. Malloys budget proposal. The letter, sent Monday, took issue with the proposed reductions in state aid, which would mean a loss of $6.6 million for the town. Major concerns included a $7.3 million reduction in Education Cost Sharing funds and the new requirement for towns to pay one third of teacher pensions. The Governors proposed budget pillages small towns to compensate for decades of mismanagement, the members wrote. The ramifications of receiving such state reductions in such an abrupt manner would force the schools to make severe cuts and dramatically reduce our ability to educate our students. The school boards $63.8 million budget asks for $2.1 million more than this year, or an increase of 3.45 percent. It does not for account for the proposed state cuts. If you own a cat, you've probably heard that you should keep it inside - and if you live in Australia or New Zealand, you've definitely heard it. Veterinarians and rescue groups argue that it's better for the cats, who can be slammed by cars, eaten by coyotes or poisoned by antifreeze while strolling about. Conservationists say it's better for birds and other wildlife that cats love to maim and kill. But there are downsides to the indoor feline lifestyle. Cats can get bored, leading them to bug you at midnight or leap at the television during the best moments of the World Series or David S. Pumpkins. They can become aggressive, causing them to view your ankles as enticing scratching posts. They can get lazy and fat, like the majority of American cats. Or they can fall victim to what Abigail Tucker, author of the recent book about cats, "The Lion in the Living Room," refers to as "the most serious disease of feline modernity": idiopathic cystitis, or Pandora Syndrome. The symptoms are bloody or painful urination, frequently outside a litter box, and other gastrointestinal, dermatological and neurological ailments. The cause, researcher Tony Buffington told Tucker, is indoor living that has removed from cats the control and territory they crave. One big issue, cat experts say, is that in the 10,000 years or so since humans adopted cats as vermin-catchers, people have not selectively bred them to match their new lethargic, indoor lifestyle. In other words, just beneath the surface of that fluff ball on the ottoman is a skilled predator whose instincts tell it to roam, stalk and pounce. When there's nothing suitable to act on, problems can arise. People have long mistakenly viewed cats as low-maintenance pets that only need a bowl of kibble, a place to sleep and an occasional scratch, said Mikel Delgado, a graduate student at the University of California in Berkeley who studies cat behavior. "We've just been like, 'Oh, you're cute and cuddly. Come inside,' and we've kind of forgotten about what cats are built to do, which is hunt," Delgado said. "We're not recognizing who cats really are and what they need." But fortunately, we are living in pet-obsessed modern America, so there's a growing industry to help cat owners make their home something of a predator's wonderland - or, at least, a tolerable territory. Blogs can show you how to build screened cat patios, or catios, or you can order a kit or hire someone to construct one. The website Hauspanther, which says its mission is "to spread the word about how good design can enhance the way we live with cats," directs cat owners toward minimalist cat climbing complexes, modern felt cat baskets and Nordic-style feline furniture. And for those desiring a smaller investment, the market now sells a plethora of products intended to offer cats a sort of simulated hunting experience. Indoor cats may not be able to act on their drive to scale trees and stalk prey. But they can use what are known as "food puzzles," or contraptions that hold food - wet or dry - in balls, boxes, mazes or even pinatas that cats must use their brains and bodies to swat and open. "Any cat in their natural environment would not just be handed a bowl of mice," said Delgado, who co-hosts a website exploring the features - and extolling the virtues - of food puzzles for cats. "They would have to work for any food item they obtain." Many cat owners might not believe their pudgy, sleepy kitties would cooperate with food puzzles. But Delgado recently co-authored a recent paper in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, and it listed several cases of problematic cat behavior that the researchers resolved or improved with the products. One young male was extremely afraid of people, but after being given food puzzles, he allowed petting and came when called. An 8-year-old obese cat lost 20 percent of his body weight after being given purchased and homemade food puzzles, which can be as simple as a yogurt container with holes punched in it. Several kitties stopped urinating outside of their litter boxes - once they had food puzzles. But even if the cats exert effort to obtain their food from a rolling piece of plastic, does that mean they like to? Might it not drive them nuts in the process? Asked that question, Delgado brought up a counterintuitive phenomenon called contrafreeloading, which is used to describe animals' preference for food that requires effort over identical food that is given to them. This behavior has been observed in many animals - from rats to gerbils to pigeons to wolves - and scientists still haven't agreed on why they do it. Just one species studied didn't display contrafreeloading. That's right: Cats. But Delgado said she is skeptical of that finding. The study was conducted decades ago and with a very small sample size, she noted. "Why would cats be the exception?" she asked. "We need to revisit this study with cats." Delgado acknowledged that introducing food puzzles can be challenging, and she advises owners to start with easy ones - with a regular food source still available so cats don't get frustrated - then ramp up the difficulty. Each cat in a household should have its own puzzle, she said. When it works, owners often "see their cat in a new light," Delgado said. "Given that the overall trend from the conservation movement and vets and rescue groups is to keep cats indoors, then we have to face this problem we have, which is that just keeping cats indoors isn't enough." Karin Brulliard is a national reporter who runs the Animalia blog. Previously, she was a foreign correspondent and a local reporter. By Chuck D'Imperio NYup.com recently received an email from Julie in Michigan who asked us to suggest some places for her and her family to see when they make their first visit to Upstate New York this July. They will be coming from Vermont and ending in Niagara Falls. They are travelling in a truck camper, and the family includes two boys, ages 10 and 13. Julie asked for a dozen ideas, so here they are! We could have given you several dozen more, but here is a starter's list, from east to west, of suggestions for your excellent adventure. And welcome to Upstate New York! Don't Edit Photo: Heather Forcier | Lake Champlain Ferries 1. Take the boat I suggest entering Upstate New York by boat! Drive your truck camper onto the Lake Champlain ferry in Burlington and settle in for a fun and gorgeous ride across the lake to Port Kent, N.Y. It takes about an hour. The boys will love exploring the ferry, and the view of the Adirondacks up ahead is unbeatable. Don't Edit Photo: Mike Lynch for NYup.com 2. Gorges and waterfalls Ausable Chasm is located just west of the ferry terminal. Known as "The Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks," these amazing gorges and waterfalls are one of the region's top tourist draws. The Ausable River is responsible for this stunning work of nature, but it took a while to do it. Some say 500 million years! It might be a hot day, so be sure you and the boys save some time to do some cool Adirondack river tubing! Located just north of Keeseville. Don't Edit Photo: Mary Esch | The Associated Press 3. Walk above the trees The Wild Center in Tupper Lake is one of our region's newest attractions. Your whole family will be thrilled as you walk up and above the trees of the Adirondack forest! One of the most unique nature walks in the whole state! There are more than 1,000 feet of bridges and walkways "in the air." Lots to see and do here. It really is amazing. Related: Wild Walk named one of best places in world to visit Don't Edit 4. Hit Route 20 Continuing on your journey, and saying farewell to the Adirondack Mountains (you will be back some day, I guarantee it), your family will head south, where you will hook up with historic Route 20, which goes all the way across the state. Cherry Valley is a cute, little village where you can find some great food and some great history (the Cherry valley Massacre was a key point during our American Revolution). Be sure and stop at the famous TePee gift shop right on NYS 20. It has been there for over 50 years and is one of our great regional treasures. Stock up on tom tom drums, leather moccasins and some spicy chili from TePee Pete's Chow Wagon out front. Sit for a spell and enjoy your chili and the great view of the Mohawk Valley spread out just north of you. Don't Edit Don't Edit Photo: Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com 5. Play ball! Next stop ... "play ball." This should be an overnighter, Julie. Cooperstown is just a dozen miles west of Cherry Valley. You really need to set aside a full day for you and the boys here in "America's Most Perfect Village." The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum welcomes 200,000-plus visitors a year. The little shops along the pretty Main Street sell a myriad of baseball items, from team shirts to autographed memorabilia. End your day with a relaxing visit to the famous "back porch" of the venerable lakeside Otesaga Hotel. Best view in town! There are several lakefront motels in the area to spend the evening. Book your rooms well in advance! Related: Where to stay in Cooperstown Don't Edit Photo: David Lassman | syracuse.com 6. The Farmers' Museum Day 2 in Cooperstown, and your next stop will be the Farmers' Museum. The whole family will enjoy this historic and legendary activity place in Cooperstown. The grounds began in 1813 when it was James Fenimore Cooper's farmstead. The museum opened its doors in 1944. You can easily spend the day here (yes, there is a nice snack bar where you can enjoy lunch). Visit the old-time print shop, the replica blacksmith shop, take a ride on the whimsical and wonderful Empire Carousel and watch the kids' eyes grow wide when they meet up with the Cardiff Giant! It eventually became known as "The Greatest Hoax Ever in America." But when this 10-foot gypsum giant was uncovered on a rural Upstate farm in 1859 ... oh, the ruckus he stirred up! He sleeps here forever, and the whole family will want to get a photograph in front of the historic piece of history. If you still have time, after your visit here just walk across the street and visit the Fenimore Art Museum, one of Upstate's great museums for regional art, Indian artifacts and local history. Both museums have a backdrop of the beautiful blue waters of Lake Otsego. Don't Edit Photo: David Lassman | syracuse.com 7. Cars on display You are now pointing your truck camper due west and heading for Norwich in Chenango County. Here you will find the Northeast Classic Car Museum, one of the finest automobile museums in the world. Even your 10-year-old will be amazed at the ornate designs and colors exhibited on the cars on display from the 1920s, 30s and 40s. And the older ones traveling in your party will find it fun to reminisce about the dragsters, muscle cars and imported gems from the Baby Boomer years. This is a great little museum in a beautiful part of the state. Don't Edit 8. Scream for ice cream After your visit to the car museum, head 8 miles south of Norwich for an ice cream cone or sundae! Julie, you will love the nostalgic "Happy Days" feel to Hoppie's in Oxford, and the kids will love the ice cream. If you are traveling with a large party, may I suggest you order Hoppie's famous Kitchen Sink Sundae for all to share? It consists of 26 scoops of ice cream slathered in a coat of different toppings. Perfect for a July visit! Located right on the village square. Don't Edit 9. Visit Ithaca After all that ice cream, settle in for an hour's drive west to Ithaca. This city is popping with the buzz from thousands of students, many of them international, attending Cornell, Ithaca College and other schools. The city is located on the southern end of Cayuga Lake, one of Upstate's famous Finger Lakes. Boat tours are given on a regular basis, and the narrator will tell you the story of the history, the people and the legends of the lake and Ithaca along your cruise. The weekend sunset cruises can be spectacular. Don't Edit Don't Edit Photo: David Lassman | syracuse.com 10. A huge waterfall Just a few miles north of Ithaca you will find Taughannock Falls. Get your camera ready here, Julie! The falls are awesome and, in fact, Taughannock Falls' plunge of over 215 feet makes it the tallest waterfall drop east of the Rocky Mountains. The boys might like to do some leisurely hiking here, and the falls are in a state park, which offers all common outdoor amenities. Don't Edit 11. Pie in Naples So much to see and so little time. Your next stop will be Naples, N.Y. The whole Finger Lakes region is filled with award-winning wineries, so you just have to stop and get some famous New York wines or wine gifts for others as you make your way west. Naples looks a lot like Naples, Italy. It features rolling hills, miles of vineyards, little wine and gift stores, some quaint eateries, and don't forget the grape pie. What? Never heard of grape pies before? Be sure and stop at Monica's Pie Shop and try one. They are a signature delicacy of the Finger Lakes region. Don't Edit Photo: Joed Viera for NYup.com 12. The Erie Canal Let the boys digest their grape pie slices and head for a leisurely two-hour drive through wine country on your way to Lockport. No visit to Upstate New York would be complete without touching base with our most famous feature, the Erie Canal. Lockport is the perfect place to learn about this engineering achievement. Here you will see the amazing "Flight of Five," a stair step series of locks which carried boats up and over one of the highest elevation to cross along the canal. Remember, as you look at this set of locks, they did it all without electricity, computers or modern machines. It is incredible. The boys will enjoy a walk inside the caves next door to the canal. There is even an underground boat ride! And when the whistle blows everybody comes running to watch a boat enter the lock, and then the giant doors swing shut, fill with water and the boats slowly rise to the top where the doors swing open and the boat chugs merrily on its way. It is always a show-stopper. Don't Edit Niagara Falls Have fun in Niagara Falls to you and your whole family. And when you are ready for another dozen "Upstate must-sees," just let us know! Don't Edit Photo: Gary Walts | gwalts@nyup.com More Upstate NY road trips Don't Edit Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin have been circulating a seven-page white paper to NASA leadership and President Trumps transition team about their interest in developing a lunar spacecraft with a lander that would touch down near a crater at the south pole where there is water and nearly continuous sunlight for solar energy. The memo urges the space agency to back an Amazon-like shipment service for the moon that would deliver gear for experiments, cargo and habitats by mid-2020, helping to enable future human settlement of the moon. It is time for America to return to the Moon this time to stay, Bezos said in response to emailed questions from The Post. A permanently inhabited lunar settlement is a difficult and worthy objective. I sense a lot of people are excited about this. Blue Origins proposal, dated Jan. 4, doesnt involve flying humans, but rather is focused on a series of cargo missions. Those could deliver the equipment necessary to help establish a human colony on the moon unlike the Apollo missions, in which the astronauts left flags and footprints and then came home. The United Launch Alliance, the joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has also been working on plans to create a transportation network to the area around the moon, known as cislunar space. The Blue Moon spacecraft could carry as much as 10,000 pounds of material and fly atop several different rockets, including NASAs Space Launch System, the United Launch Alliances Atlas V or its own New Glenn rocket, which is under development and expected to fly by the end of the decade, the company said. Once on the surface, the landers useful payload can be used to conduct science or deploy rovers, the company said. A robotic arm attached to the lander will deploy to examine the lunar surface with an array of instruments. The initial landing is envisioned as the first in a series of increasingly capable missions, including flying samples of lunar ice back to Earth for study. According to the Blue Origin website, the BE-4 rocket engine will meet the 2019 deadline, mandated by Congress, to eliminate dependence on Russian-built engines. Blue Origins BE-4 engine has been designed to power its New Glenn orbital rocket (named in honor of John Glenn): the first stage will use a total of seven BE-4 engines, while the second stage only requires one. The BE-4 can also launch United Launch Alliances (ULA) Vulcan semi-reusable rocket. Based on the results of a crucial upcoming BE-4 engine test, ULA will decide whether its going to stick with the BE-4, or go with Aerojet Rocketdynes AR-1 engine (also made possible thanks to additive manufacturing, incidentally). At the same time, Blue Origin is also continuing the suborbital test flight program for its New Shepard reusable spaceship, which is powered by the hydrogen-fueled BE-3 engine. The first iteration was recently retired, and the company is getting the New Shepard 2.0 ready for its first trip to outer space at its West Texas launch test facility. The Blue Engine 4 is a staged-combustion rocket engine under development by Blue Origin. The BE-4 is being developed with private funding, the engine is being developed without any government assistance. The engine has been designed to produce 2,400 kilonewtons (550,000 lbf) of thrust. The engine is to be used on the Blue Origin large orbital launch vehicle New Glenn, a 7.0-meter (23 ft)-diameter two-stage orbital launch vehicle with an optional third stage and a reusable first stage. The first flight and orbital test is planned for no earlier than 2020. SOURCE- Washington Post, wikipedia, blue origin Honouring veterans, CBRM council meeting highlight this week in Cape Breton SYDNEY During this Remembrance Week, we honour our veterans those who died in battle, those who are still with us, and those who have passed away in the intervening years. Ceremonies to mark the end of the First and Second world wars, the Korean ... From March 8, irregular-shaped or oversized bags will not be allowed into Dubai, UAE.Ali Angizeh, the vice-president of terminal operations at the Dubai International Airport, stated that they could disrupt the advanced baggage systems that would soon be introduced.For Nigerian travellers, this means the popular Ghana Must Go bags, becomes non-compliant baggage.Dubai International provides some of the most sophisticated baggage systems in the world, Angizeh said.However, even the most technologically advanced systems can be disrupted by irregular shaped or oversized bags.Bags that are round or do not have a flat surface of any kind are by far the largest source of baggage jams.These jams can shut down sections of our system, delay baggage delivery to the aircraft and inconvenience our customers.We are trying to get the message out there as much as possible. Passengers, who show up at the airport with non-compliant baggage, will also be given the option to have it re-packed in boxes for a fee, he said.He added that airports had notified airlines operating into Dubai of the imminent change and had updated its websites to create more awareness.The DXB handled approximately 9.3 million bags in January this year Mr Andrew Young, former Ambassador of the United States of America to the United Nations (UN) has described Nigeria as a nation destined to be great.I see the nation, Nigeria, rising and occupying a significant position like China, US and other great nations of the world, he said on Friday in Abeokuta at a symposium, part of the activities to celebrate the 80th birth anniversary of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.Citing Obasanjo as an example, Young noted that Nigeria had produced great minds who had done great things and respected all over the world.I have seen Nigerians abroad. They are brilliant, intelligent and hardworking and respectable, he said.He, however, expressed concern that Nigeria was yet to fully realise and appreciate the great destiny it carries.Young likened Nigerias destiny to the Biblical Israelites whose ancestors served under slavery for several years in spite being destined by God to be great.He said, The slavery of Nigeria is corruption, laziness, selfishness and refusal to realise that she is a nation destined to be great.Young, however, expressed the belief that Nigeria was set to be liberated from whatever it had become slave unto.The ambassador described the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), to be inaugurated on Saturday as one of the platforms that would launch Nigeria into enviable heights among nations of the world.I see the library as something that will not only teach young Nigerians about their rich heritage, but will also point them to the great future of the nation, he added Chairperson of the African Union (AU), President Alpha Conde of Guinea on Friday called President Muhammadu Buhari in London. Chairperson of the African Union (AU), President Alpha Conde of Guinea on Friday called President Muhammadu Buhari in London.This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President. Adesina said that President Conde called on behalf of leaders of member countries of the AU.The AU chairperson assured the Nigerian president that all African leaders stand with him in prayers at a time like this.Buhari thanked Conde for the telephone call, and congratulated him on his election as AU chairperson during the 28th Ordinary Summit of the continental body held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2017. Buhari who could not attend the AU Summit, wished his Guinean counterpart a successful tenure. A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke(SAN), yesterday rejected accusation by the... A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke(SAN), yesterday rejected accusation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) that he and 10 others shared $801million bribe from the auctioning of the $1.6billion Malabu Oil Block.He branded as spurious and malicious the three charges leveled against him and the 10 others by the anti-graft agency.He asked the commission, which he used to supervise as Justice Minister ,to release the details of how the alleged $801million bribe was shared including the release of a list of who got what.He claimed that he did nothing wrong as the Settlement Agreement and all transactions on Oil Prospecting Licence 245 (Malabu Oil Block) were effected with requisite Presidential Approvals.He said the decision to go into Settlement Agreement by the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan saved Nigeria over $2billion in damages from the ICSID Arbitration that was instituted by Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited (SNUD).Adoke, who made the clarifications in a statement in Abuja, accused EFCC of colluding with some powerful individuals whom he resisted in office, to now rubbish him.He said the powerful individuals wanted to use the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation during his tenure to settle their private business interests.He said he was being witch-hunted because those powerful individuals were angry that the interest of the Abacha family in the oil block was not protected.He denied benefitting from any $2.2million bribe of the $801m in question.Adoke asked the EFCC to release the fact-sheet on the bribery to Nigerians.He said: Furthermore, Nigerians should be given details of the alleged bribes paid. We are interested to know who got what? From whom? and the relevant dates.It is not enough for agencies of government to label former state-actors as corrupt in the public space without putting information upon which they assert their claim to the public for proper scrutiny.The EFCC relies on a gullible populace that does not ask pertinent questions to perpetrate injustice and this should not be allowed to take firm roots in our polity or else the war against corruption will not only be tainted with corruption but also hijacked to satisfy the whims and caprices of a few powerful individuals with the right family and political connections to this administration.The ex-Minister dismissed the charges against him and the others as a ploy by the EFCC to taint the OPL 245 Agreement with illegality.He said the renewed move to taint the transaction with illegality is coming at the heels of the spirited moves being made by the EFCC to defend the Interim Forfeiture Order they secured against the beneficiaries of the Block (Shell and ENI) who are challenging it.While it is not within my province to join the fray, as the beneficiaries are capable of vigorously asserting their interests, I am however concerned that the EFCC has continued to allow its investigations/operations in respect OPL 245 to be micro-managed and/or tele-guided by some non-state actors and powerful families with professed ownership interests in the Block.These non-state actors are hell bent on using state institutions as proxies in their nefarious quest to outsmart each other to the proceeds of MALABUs divestment from OPL 245.I had informed Nigerians in my previous reactions that I had become a target of these powerful individuals for refusing to allow the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to be used to settle their private business interests and the fact that they had vowed to use their connections in government and with the EFCC to settle personal scores with me.It is now clear to me that the EFCC is working hands in glove with them and lending its institutional support to this devilish scheme.Has the EFCC gone overboard? How else can one explain the Commissions deliberate suppression of facts at their disposal and the orchestration of falsehood in a bid to portray me to the public as a corrupt official?Adoke said it was reckless of the EFCC to link the N300million mortgage he took from Unity Bank Plc with the $2.2million allegation.His words: What is responsible for this reckless and reprehensible move by the EFCC to link my mortgage repayment to Unity Bank of Nigeria to the alleged bribe of $2.2 million, when the documentation in the bank in respect of the mortgage is available for any objective person to appraise and come to an informed conclusion?While not going into the merits, it is pertinent to state that I had applied for a mortgage loan in the sum of N300million from Unity Bank of Nigeria to purchase a property from Aliyu Abubakar, a property developer in Abuja.The bank paid the loan sum directly to the developer and when I could not meet up with the repayments or pay the balance; he opted to repossess the property. I consented to this option and the developer directly paid the bank the loan sum and the Certificate of Occupancy was released to him.The EFCC is aware of this transaction and the fact that the developer subsequently sold the property to the Central Bank of Nigeria. If this were not the case, they would have applied to have the mortgaged property forfeited.Despite this information, the EFCC in furtherance of its preconceived plan to ridicule and tarnish my name has hinged on this mortgage transaction to slam me with a preposterous charge of collecting a bribe of $2.2 million on the OPL 245 resolution transaction.Adoke insisted that the Settlement Agreement was legal with requisite presidential approvals.He also said the decision of the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to enter into the agreement saved the nation about $2billion.He said: I wish to restate, once more, that to the best of my knowledge, information and belief, there was nothing illegal or shady about the resolution of the dispute over the ownership and operation of OPL 245.All the state actors that midwifed the settlement including my humble self, acted in the national interests.We had the requisite Presidential Approvals to enter into a negotiated settlement, execute the OPL 245 Resolution Agreement & the OPL 245 Re-Allocation and all other ancillary steps required to ensure that the transaction was consummated.It is disheartening to note that the EFCC is only focused on impugning the OPL 245 Resolution Agreement without informing Nigerians on the benefits that the Nigerian State has derived from the settlement.It is on record that our actions saved Nigeria over $2billion in damages from the ICSID Arbitration that was instituted by SNUD; resolved claims of MALABU against the Federal Government of Nigeria over the Ownership of OPL 245, and settled the competing claims of MALABU and SNUD over OPL 245 that had over two decades prevented the BLOCK 245 from being operational despite the immense economic benefits derivable from its operation.Instead, we hear of how the interests of the Abacha family in OPL 245 were not protected or that the records of MALABU with the Corporate Affairs Commission were altered to exclude certain powerful individuals with close links to the EFCC and this administration.He attributed his travails to his refusal to allow the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to be hijacked by certain powerful individuals.He said: It will be recalled that I had asserted, while in office, that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation would not be used to settle the personal interests of these powerful families and individuals and that the law courts were available for them to ventilate their so called ownership or shareholding disputes in Malabu Oil & Gas Limited.But, regrettably, it would appear that times have changed; state-actors are now willing to align forces with them either for pecuniary gains and/or political exigencies to use state machinery to impugn and set aside the transaction for their benefit.I am perceived to be an obstacle to the realization of this ignoble objective, hence this renewed and persistent attacks and harassment on my person.Nigerians are invited to x-ray the transaction, ascertain who had title to OPL 245, the competing claims against the Federal Government of Nigeria from Malabu and SNUD, the terms of OPL 245 Resolution Agreement and OPL 245 Re- Allocation Agreement, whether signature bonus on OPL 245 was paid to the FGN, whether the Escrow account was jointly operated by FGN and Shell. Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor, said the casualties were recorded in Borno and Yobe states. Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor, said the casualties were recorded in Borno and Yobe states.Parts of the statement read, On February 1, troops cleared a Boko Haram camp at Dusala where one machine gun, 2 RPG tubes and one gun barrel were recovered. Thereafter, our troops came in contact with the terrorists where sadly, three soldiers were killed in action. Troops also cleared Chongolo Gana villages and killed 13 terrorists.Troops also cleared Giri and Jabulam villages and killed 13 insurgents. On February 9, our troops encountered a Boko Haram ambush and eight soldiers were killed. Eighteen others were wounded and three others missing in action.On February 24, some Boko Haram terrorists also attacked our troops location at Gajiram. Sadly, one officer and 10 soldiers were killed in action. A total of 7,898 civilians were rescued or arrested as suspected terrorists. Eight foreigners were also arrested. The Federal Governments owned Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) on Friday, said it had mapped out strategies to deal with... You constantly reproach us stating we dont listen to your opinions however we really do. We try to carry out the most reasonable and efficient suggestions immediately. Particularly, in accordance with your suggestions, we will soon take the following measures: We will stop the growth of confirmed Mavros acquired before the 1st of January 2017. We will freeze the bonuses received before the 1st of January 2017 (so that limited withdrawal of Mavro-2016 will include only contributions, not bonuses). We will introduce a new rule according to which the withdrawal amount cannot exceed triple amount of the provided help (so, GH cannot exceed PH more than in 3 times). The Federal Governments owned Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) on Friday, said it had mapped out strategies to deal with issues of internet abuses by various forms of Ponzi schemes such as the Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox, MMM, Ultimate Cycler, Givers Forum and a lot others.But Mr Sunday Folayan, the President of NIRA, who made this known in a statement in Lagos, said that the association had established a Law Enforcement Desk to handle complaints on Domain Name abuse.He said that NIRA had also developed an Internal Procedural Process to manage and deal with such complaints received. He said that NIRA would work in conjunction with relevant law enforcement agencies to stem the tide.If you discover any form of Internet abuse with .ng websites please send an email to abuse@nira.org.ng. We will deal with it. Together we can make the internet safe for us and our children, he said.According to him, most Nigerians are being defrauded by various forms of Ponzi schemes while the fraudsters are operating under various names and platforms.He explained that a ponzi scheme was a fraudulent investment operation where payment to its initial investors was from the payments made by new investors and not from profit earned through legitimate sources. Folayan said that in recent times, Nigerians had varied experiences to narrate on the matter of ponzi schemes. According to him, while a few testify to the benefits derived from the scheme, majority are lamenting because they are have been left high and dry. He said that many had fallen victims as the schemes had impoverished more people than they claimed to have helped.He, however, said that the scammers were feeding on the greed of the people and the poor economic situation to lure more victims. He added that this was in spite of warning by the Federal Government that Nigerians should not invest or get involved in such fraudulent schemes. Folayan said that recently, innocent peoples contact details such as phone numbers and emails, were being used as administrative contacts for these schemes. According to him, the victims of the identity theft only get to know when defrauded victims start calling and demanding for payments. He said that several people had received threatening phone calls regarding their fate, if they do not pay up. Folayan said that NIRA had taken concrete steps to further assist law enforcement agencies to deal with the menace.MMM again to freeze Mavros, introduce new rulesRecall that the ponzi scheme, MMM again announced it would freeze some Mavros of its participants and introduce new measures to serve them better after doing so before.In a latest release to its participants on February 22, members of the ponzi scheme saw in their various Pos(Personal Offices) a message stating the plan to launch the new rules which will stop the growth of confirmed Mavros acquired before the 1st of January 2017 and freeze the bonuses received before the 1st of January 2017 so that limited withdrawal of Mavro-2016 will include only contributions, not bonuses.PO means personal office. It is the sites environment displayed for every member to participate in its activities. Mavros are virtual money-equivalent access to cashing returns on funds invested in the scheme.The message read thus:Recall that in November 2016, the ponzi scheme first froze the Mavros of its participants, raising anxiety and controversy on whether it would ever pay back to Nigerians the millions of money they invested in it. However, after a months later, it announced it had unfrozen the Mavros but ever since its return, the participants are yet to get either their invested capital back nor the promised returns on them.Promoters of the scheme were equally not resting on their oases in constantly convincing their down-liners whom they introduced into the scheme that it would come back to status quo ante. But, almost two months since its return, the members kept receiving information about planned changes in the scheme.While others have had suggestions of forgoing the money they invested before 2017, others have been told to keep investing in order to have access to withdrawals. The latest announcement has equally raised more fears and sparked off debate among the participants. The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said the unfriendly policies of the Nigerian National Petroleum Cor... The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said the unfriendly policies of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will soon lead to fuel scarcity in six states.The six states are Oyo, Osun, Lagos, Kwara, Ondo, and Ekiti.The association said the NNPC was collecting unwarranted levies from its members and as such, threatened to shut down its stations.IPMAN urged the national assembly to intervene and save the general public from undeserved pains associated with fuel scarcity.Debo Ahmed, western zone chairman of IPMAN, made this known on Friday while addressing reporters in Ilorin, Kwara state.Labour unions- Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), NUPENG and PTD should not fold their arms while the downstream sector is being thrown into chaos, he said.It is unfortunate that all the five depots in the system 2B including the largest depot at Ibadan, which can store 120 million litres have been grounded for the past two years. With all the five depots grounded, marketers are tied to private depots in Apapa where they now serve the general public.In the past, pipelines have been managed and secured by the depot stakeholders which are being financed by marketers.All these contributions are not being taken into consideration in the scheme of things. Marketers are left at the mercy of NNPC. If people buy kerosene at N400 and above, marketers should not be blamed but pitied because if the depots are working, prices will definitely come down.As if what NNPC has been doing is not enough, it came out with a memo on January 11, this year for marketers to renew their Bulk Purchase Agreement (BPA) at N125,000 per year for five years which translates into about N2 billion to cover NNPC/PPMC incidental expenses.Several attempts have been made to dialogue with NNPC/PPMC management on this issue and availability of products in our depots but all to no avail; that is why we decided to inform the general public on this before we shut down our stations.It is important to let people know that NNPC/PPMC has observed BPA in breach. In 2001, the idea was brought up by NNPC but upon discussion, it was dropped when they realised it was improper. In a dramatic irony, US presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton was photographed reading a newspaper headlined with Mike Pence'... In a dramatic irony, US presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton was photographed reading a newspaper headlined with Mike Pence's use of a personal email to conduct government business on a plane yesterday.Clinton, whose use of a private email server while secretary of state was a drag on her presidential campaign, was on a flight from Boston to New York after meeting privately with students at Harvard University on Friday. The Boston Globe reported she spent Thursday night in Boston after an earlier event at Wellesley College, her alma mater.The USA Today headline in the photo of Clinton on the plane, captured by Caitlin Quigley, reads Pence used personal email in office.The story, reported by the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA Today network, includes the revelation that Pence routinely used a personal account to conduct state business as governor, including an AOL account that was subsequently hacked.Speaking after an event in Wisconsin on Friday, Pence defended his email use, saying there was no comparison whatsoever between Hillary Clintons practice of having a private server and mishandling classified information, destroying emails when they were requested by the Congress and by officials.Pence routinely criticized Clintons use of a private server on the campaign trail. After FBI Director James Comey revealed the discovery of additional emails shortly before the election, Pence praised the reopening of the investigation, saying no one is above the law.After laying low following her loss in November, Clinton has been gradually returning to public life. She has been spotted recently at several Broadway shows, and delivered a video message to a meeting of the DNC in February. Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) is working in concert ... Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) is working in concert with the All Progressives Congress ( APC) to rig the 2019 General Elections. The governor also announced the construction of Odufor-Akpoku-Umuoye Road as s reward to Etche people for voting massively for the PDP during the Etche/ Omuma Federal Constituency supplementary elections.Speaking on Saturday during a thank you visit to Etche Local Government Area for their support to the PDP during the Supplementary Elections, Governor Wike said: INEC is planning to rig the 2019 General elections.They claim they are re-deploying the 23 Electoral Officers in the state. But we have authentic intelligence report that INEC has consulted APC and they plan to post pliant Electoral Officers from APC states to Rivers State. These pliant Electoral Officers being handpicked from APC states are to help in rigging the elections in 2019 . Governor Wike said that no level of fraudulent postings by INEC to Rivers State will lead to a favourable ground for rigging elections.If they like, let them post their fathers to Rivers State, we will resist any attempt to rig the 2019 elections in the state. Our people will remain vigilant. They can rig in another state, certainly not Rivers State. For us, we must elect our representatives through the democratic process. Nobody will intimidate us, he said. He noted that if INEC planned to re-position the electoral system, such reform must start from the top. The governor said reforms from the bottom smacks of hypocrisy.He said: The head is rotten. You have to cut off the head. They should first cut off the head before coming down to the lower rung of the ladder . The governor said nobody died during the February 25, 2017 Etche/ Omuma Federal Constituency elections because security agencies acted professionally. He added that once security agencies follow electoral guidelines, elections will hold peacefully and the actual representatives of the people will always emerge. While commending the Etche people for standing firm during the Supplementary Elections, Governor Wike assured them that they will always benefit from his administration.Member Representing Etche/ OmumaFederal Constituency , Chief Jerome Eke said that the several rerun elections in the state have confirmed Governor Wike as a true leader of the state who has the support of the people. He said: They ordered several rerun elections in Rivers State, instead Governor Wike is now more popular as the entire country has realised that he is on ground and controls the Rivers political space Winner of the Etche State Constituency 2, Mr Tony Ejiogu dedicated his victory to Governor Wike for his delivery of projects to Etche people, which convinced the people to vote for PDP.The governor was accompanied to Etche by Former Rivers State Governor, Sir Celestine Omehia, Former Deputy Speaker, Austin Opara, Etche PDP Leader, Prince Emma Anyanwu, Senator Lee Maeba, Former Minister of Transport, Dr Abiye Sekibo and Edo State PDP Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih. Earlier, Governor Wike witnessed the burial of Late Mrs Catherine Onuchuku, mother of the Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Okey Onuchuku.The governor also inspected the ongoing construction of the State Ecumenical Centre. Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday commended leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for their support to on... Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday commended leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for their support to ongoing efforts toward resolving the differences in the party.In a statement Mr Ikechukwu Eze, his Media Adviser, in Abuja, Jonathan urged the party faithful to ignore rumours and false information being peddled as the outcome of ongoing dialogue in the party.He promised to address the public on the outcome of the consultations at the appropriate time.He said that there had been media speculations since the meeting between him and the PDP Governors on Tuesday and stated that the speculations were being presented in contradictory perspectives.I wish to urge the public and well-meaning PDP members to ignore such misleading conjectures as they are obviously the handiwork of those who do not wish the party well.They are therefore not happy with the current reconciliation efforts.The fact that Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Mr Ayo Fayose, promptly addressed journalists at the end ofthe meeting, clearly showed that there was no ambiguity in the message.He said that an agreement was reached on seeking a political solution in resolving the differences.It is obvious that those behind the misleading publications have failed to achieve their aim as I have seamlessly continued with the consultations and reconciliatory meetings, he said. Controversial Journalist, Kemi Olunloyo, has blasted Nigerians who have been calling Nollywood actress, Oge Okoye out for an alleged dog theft.According to Kemi, "99% of Nigerians are smart but not intelligent", and as a result of this, they don't have a simple sense of humor or even understand basic sarcasm.According to her, the American actress Kenya whose dog was allegedly stolen ain'tcomplaining, so why are Nigerians making it their problem?Here's what she wrote;"99% of we Nigerians are smart but not intelligent. We don't have a simple sense of humor or even understand basic sarcasm. @ogeokoye a dynamic #Nollywood movie mogul is trending on Twitter because of what? This picture?I know Kenya and never met Oge. Kenya ain't complaining, her famzing fanpage is complaining. Are you all blind and can't decipher what Oge just wrote here? Her new babies have arrived Rob and Rosy. This is pure sarcasm on a non copyrighted photo. The picture didn't even have to be credited to Kenya and if Kenya wanted it removed, she could flag it. Even we journalists only have to credit Instagram not even Kenya. Pls know how intellectual property works and stop being stark illiterates. Her babies have arrived, she loved the dogs and belted out sarcasm. How many times are #BlueIvy and @dream my nieces here? Even North West is my niece. Look at my follows, Madelyn, Madison and Fatou are all my nieces. Actress Lizzy Anjorin is my cousin, Seyi Hunter my Goddaughter, Drake, Bobrisky and Denrele my sons, Rihanna and Toke Makinwa my daughters. Are King and Twirl even Kenya's own dogs? Get a grip Nigerians--" Some Nigerians on Saturday said they were excited about the recent announcement of the release of a revamped version of the popular Nokia... Some Nigerians on Saturday said they were excited about the recent announcement of the release of a revamped version of the popular Nokia 3310. The phone which was first produced in the year 2000 was known for its durability and long battery life. It was unveiled during HMD Global press conference at on Sunday, Feb. 26.The phone which will be released by the new Finnish producers of Nokia known as HMD Global, is expected to be sold in markets across the world in the second quarter of the year. Some of the residents who spoke said they were happy that such a phone was being revamped giving reasons why they would be patronising the model.Clement Okoro, an entrepreneur, said that he was surprised to hear that the Nokia 3310 was being brought back to the market and that he planned on purchasing it once it was available. The Nokia 3310 was an amazing phone that could not be affected by anything. I remember my mother had the phone when I was a child and it fell into a pool of water twice, not to mention the countless times it fell on the hard floor, but it kept working.I am excited to hear that the phone will be in markets soon because I need such a phone for my business and it is nice to learn its been upgraded with a camera and 16 megabyte internal memory. I currently use an iPhone and anyone who knows an iPhone well knows that the battery does not last and the phone is very fragile, yet, the phone is extremely expensive. Everyone who has a Smartphone should have a phone like 3310 for backup Okoro advised.Also speaking, a civil servant, Susan Iyaye said I am happy that this durable phone is back in production and it has been designed to fit the current digital age trend. I struggle with my phones most times because of the poor electricity supply we all deal with in Nigeria. The 3310 of those days could last up to four days, if not more, without being charged so I am eager to see how this revamped version will perform.I am definitely purchasing this phone once I hear it is in the market. Im sure it will sell well in countries like Nigeria because the product is highly dependable, she said. Another resident, Glory Anyawu said that she was excited at the news because the re-emergence of the phone would meet the needs of low-income earners. I am very happy about this news because it is a phone that fits my lifestyle and income.This phone will help people like me who struggle financially. I will also not have to worry about my phone not being charged when there is no electricity.We always made fun of how 3310 could be used as a weapon during fights and how it could survive under water but in reality, the phone was extremely durable and dependable. I will make sure I get this phone for myself and my siblings because it would help us in our business communications. The phone, which is expected to be slimmer and lighter with full colour display, would be made in four colours; red, yellow, blue and grey. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has introduced a biometric technology for the corps members monthly clearance in South West, a de... The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has introduced a biometric technology for the corps members monthly clearance in South West, a development that will expose those who absent themselves from their places of primary assignment.The Director General of NYSC, Brig-Gen Suleiman Kazure made this known in Ibadan at the opening ceremony of the training workshop on Biometric Clearance of Corps Members in South West.He said that biometric technology will not only address absenteeism during service year but will also address the problems of irregular signatures leading to non-payment of monthly allowance, and poor collation and storage of data of corps members.The training was organised for all heads of corps inspection and monitoring branches, ICT desk officers, zonal and local government inspectors of the South-West.Kazure, who was represented by NYSC Director of Corps Welfare, Mrs Victoria Okakwu said, "This new process has received great ovation from the public for its positive impact in areas such as elimination of sharp practices perpetuated by fraudulent individuals and reduction of errors in our data and workload on our staffs, corps members and other stakeholders."Furthermore, the improvement on the new process also brought about the introduction of the use of biometrics for mobilisation and registration of corps members at orientation camps which has not only helped in fast tracking the process, but also reduced impersonation and registration in prozy including ineligible graduates."Kazure noted that the feedback from the North West zone, South East zone and the two pilot locations of Lagos and Abuja had been very encouraging and positive, adding that he believed that South West zone will also be successful. US President Donald Trump on Saturday again exploded on Twitter and took another swipe at the former President Barack Obama, accusing him... US President Donald Trump on Saturday again exploded on Twitter and took another swipe at the former President Barack Obama, accusing him of being a bad, (or sick) guy who wire-tapped his phones before the election.Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!, he wrote.Is it legal for a sitting President to be wire-tapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! he added It wasnt clear what, exactly, Trump was referring to as he accused his predecessor, whom he labeled a bad (or sick) guy! He also said a talented lawyer could make a great case out of the situation.Obamas post-presidency office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News on Trumps accusation, and the White House did not immediately clarify from whom Trump had just learned this new information.Trump has the authority to declassify almost any classified material, and could substantiate his accusations if he wanted to. The Saturday-morning Twitter storm was striking as Trump and Obama had largely appeared to paper over their differences at least publicly since the election.Trump called Obama a very good man shortly after his stunning November victory. But Trump had started to increasingly blame Obama for his misfortunes, particularly an embarrassing and politically toxic string of leaks coming out of the federal government. Trump has been particularly irked by reports linking his campaign and transition team to Russia.He fired his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, after it was revealed that the retired lieutenant general talked to Russias ambassador about Obama-era sanctions and then misled Vice President Mike Pence about them. But Trump has stood behind Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who this week has weathered a firestorm over his own conversations with the Russian ambassador during the campaign. During his confirmation hearing, Sessions indicated under oath that he had no contact with Russian officials. Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone, Trump tweeted Saturday morning.It was not only Obama that got harangued by Trumps tweets today. Trump also attacked actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger who reportedly quit the TV programme, Apprentice, the hosting of which had given Trump himself much fame. Trump had criticised Schwarzenegger in the past over his handling of the programme. But the actor had cheekily told him to face his job as president or trade places with him. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, died after he and the partys former National Chairm... Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, died after he and the partys former National Chairman, Ahmadu Ali, left it.He stated this in Abeokuta at a symposium titled Purpose and Utilitarian Values of Presidential Libraries, held as part of the programme for his 80th birthday celebration.Mr. Obasanjo, who was the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the troubled main opposition party, was replying to comments by Mr. Ali about their past relationship in government.He quickly added that Nigeria would not die like the PDP.Mr. Obasanjo, who was elected president twice on the platform of the PDP, stressed that the party is dead, sunk and gone.He recalled that he asked Mr. Ali to lead the party because of his integrity, saying PDP was controlling 30 out of the 36 states.He said Mr. Ali as the national chairman ensured the stability and effectiveness of PDP, and lamented that the party is now down and out following an intractable internal crisis.Ahmadu Ali is truthful and that was why I brought him to head the PDP and all went well. When Ahmadu Ali was the national chairman. We were controlling 30 out of the 36 states. When Ahmadu and I left, the fortune of the PDP began to sink, he said.Whether you believe it or not, today PDP is sunk and gone. May the fortune of Nigeria never sink like that of the PDP he said, with the audience responding in a thunderous Amen.Mr. Obasanjo while also responding to encomiums poured on him by dignitaries at the event, said the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library was established to correct one of the mistakes he made when he first led Nigeria as a military Head of State.The mistake, he said, was not collecting and archiving materials connected to his time during the civil war.Somebody among the speakers said God has always given me the opportunity to correct my wrongs. I will say God has done that for me not in all cases but in most cases and this Presidential Library is actually an act of God which he has given to me to correct one of my mistakes of the past and I have said this very often.I was in the war front, it was very one significant thing in my life and in the life of Nigeria. I was military Head of State, it was one significant thing in my life and in the life of Nigeria.But I was not as mindful as I should have been about collecting materials that were connected with those events, the war front and civil war both on the vandals side we called them rebels side or if you like the Biafrans side they called us vandals, we called them rebels.But we did collect something. When I was also the military Head of State, I didnt pay much attention to collect materials, where I should have paid attention to. So, by 1988, it occurred to me that these were mistakes, I looked at some of the materials we got from the war fronts, they were in very bad state of neglect so what I did was to try and micro-film what we could micro-film.I also learnt a lesson; when you are in a position to keep materials and preserve them for prosterity, you should do so and I never knew there will be another opportunity. So, God created another opportunity for me to correct the mistakes of the past.God is the God and for some of us He is not God of second chance but God of many chances and I will be eternally grateful to God for the opportunity he has given me.But more importantly, whatever I might have achieved, I take responsibility; but whatever I might have achieved, it would not have been possible without the people who have helped me in life to be able to achieve what I have achieved.Take the Presidential Library for example, if not for the members of Board of Trustees, I would have fallen by the roadside and that would have been another mistake, because it got to a stage that things were rough, things were rough and we were just putting heads together. It is God of many chances.He urged the youth who attended the programme not to be mindful of their current positions, whether poor or weak, assuring that if he (given his poor background) could make it this far, they can also make it.He advised them to share whatever ideas they have with others, for the growth and development of Nigeria.The former President said having passed the kiln of life, including marking time in prison without being killed by his jailers, he has nothing more to fear, save God.In his remarks, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,UN, Andrew Young, said that without Obasanjo, Africa might still be in a desperate position.It is time for Nigeria to realise and make amends where it is lagging behind, Mr. Young said.There is no human being in Africa that has experienced what Obasanjo has gone through in the last 50 years. One thing about him is that he is the same way, same person, whether in New York, UN, World Bank, White House or China. He does not change. He does not give a damn who he makes mad, he said.He said Mr. Obasanjo should be celebrated, adding that the Presidential Library will help others to understand his work.Similarly, Tracy Roosevelt, grand daughter of a former U.S. President, Franklin D Roosevelt, explained that a Presidential Library is a place, meant to bring together the memories of the past and to also bring men and women together for higher goals.Ms. Roosevelt said Mr. Obasanjo gave the gift of the library to his people, to share the memories of his past with his people.There are 14 presidential libraries in the the United States of America, but the first Presidential Library in Africa was created by Obasanjo in Abeokuta, she said. According to the assistant national secretary general of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, Ibrahim Abdullahi, the solutio... According to the assistant national secretary general of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, Ibrahim Abdullahi, the solution to the incessant killings in Southern Kaduna lies outside Nigeria.In an interview with newsmen, he narrated that the killings are reprisal attacks of non-Nigerian herdsmen whose members were killed during the post-2011 election violence.It has to do with foreign nomads coming into the country. There are three or four international grazing routes, most of which passed through Kaduna state, he said.Many of them were killed including their cows and some of the cows were taken away. Those of them who survived returned to their homes and reported what happened.We got to know that most of them spread across Cameroon and Chad swore to come back for revenge. We therefore, advised the governor at the time, the Late Yakowa, to take urgent action.The governor agreed with us and formed a committee to go and meet with the Fulani leaders wherever they are and reconcile with them, he said.Mr. Abdullahi said the late governor also agreed with the advice given to him to compensate all those who experienced losses in the attacks, and he agreed.He said during his short visit in Cameroon he saw people preparing for war.I saw all sorts of sophisticated weapons and I was told they were kept in readiness for a revenge attack in Southern Kaduna, he said.He also said he was invited him for a short trip into the forest and he saw a large camp and several young men receiving all forms of training on warfare.Mr. Abdullahi said he bid the man farewell but could not proceed to Chad Republic as arranged because he was running short of money.I decided to return to Kaduna and I met the governor the next day and gave him my report.The governor told me that he was travelling the next day to the South South and would remobilise us to go to Chad for the second part of our assignment, unfortunately, Governor Yakowa died in a helicopter crash, he said.Mr. Abdullahi said when former Governor Ramalan Yero took over, they met with him and gave him the report of what had been done so far and the need to complete the task.Our fear is that any other family affected in the attacks would have known that we were in Cameroon to appeal, especially those in Chad Republic.Our failure to go and meet them as far as they are concerned is because they do not matter. I expressed that fear to the former governor. He simply collected the report and said he would get in touch; he never did, he said. The attacks had long been expected. As early as January, Nigerians living in South Africa were alerted to the possibility of an attack by... The attacks had long been expected. As early as January, Nigerians living in South Africa were alerted to the possibility of an attack by their hosts.And, when the South Africans carried out the plot in the early hours of February 24, Nigerians, who had prepared themselves for any eventuality, were spared the loss of lives, which had been their lot in previous attacks.As he watched the violent attacks on television, Femi, who pleaded that his full name should not be used for security reasons, realised that he and other Nigerians owe their lives to the benevolence of some of their hosts. Femi, who has lived in the former apartheid colony for five years now, said Nigerians now live in fear of attack every day.Weeks after the latest waves of attacks on foreigners by South Africans, Femi, who trades in accident cars, is yet to get over the trauma of the ugly incident.Recalling his experience, he said: We had information from people close to the South Africans that they were going to attack us.They normally say they are going against illegal immigrants.The week before the last attack, they came to a mechanic workshop owned by a Nigerian. The place is called Embassy, on Christophel Street in Pretoria. They burnt 28 cars in that shop.On 24th of the month, they marched around from Attridgeville down to Pretoria West. During the march, they were destroying and looting shops. It was chaos.I stayed in Pretoria West, and I was indoor throughout. I switched on the television to monitor what was happening. The experience was horrible. You can imagine watching people moving round and attacking your people. I dont pray to go through such experience again.At a stage, the immigrants, Ethiopians, Somalians and Nigerians, decided that they would fight back, because even though the South Africans and their police know the drug peddlers and the prostitutes, they still go ahead to attack foreigners who go about their legitimate businesses. Femi says he no longer feels secure in South Africa. I am just trying to get myself together and go back to Nigeria or relocate to a more peaceful country, he said with a tinge of sadness.The story was the same for Seye Oladeji. For him, living in Pretoria West in the last 10 years has been a tough decision.Like other Nigerians, Oladeji survived the latest attack because some friendly South Africans told him of an impending attack.He said: I was indoor all through the period of the attack. I have been in South Africa since 2007. I witnessed it in 2008. I know how they are.Two houses close my residence and belonging to Nigerians were burnt. It was a really traumatic experience.However, despite the trauma and loss foreigners go through in South Africa, he is not ready to quit. With his firm understanding of the country and its people, Oladeji said he would always get by in the midst of the violence.Some of us know how to go around when they are doing all these. I get by, he said with a sense of assurance.Ezechukwu Emmanuel lives in Durban, South Africa. For eight years, he had learnt to relate with the people around him with suspicion. Although the last orgy of violence was largely restricted to Pretoria and its suburbs, Emmanuel said most Nigerians in the country feared for their lives while the attack lasted.I dont really know why these people are doing this to us. We go about our businesses legally, but they are envious of our achievements and they want to kill us, Emmanuel said.As the angry mobs attacked Nigerians and looted shops belonging to Somalis, Pakistani and other migrants in townships around Pretoria and parts of Johannesburg, the venom and anger on their faces were enough to scare the daylight out of any human.As they went round looting shops and other properties owned by Nigerians and other foreigners, it was obvious that the intent was to exterminate anybody that tried to stop them.They (foreigners) should know that this they are a guest in my house. I am treating them with respect. They should treat me with respect, one angry protester told the BBC.Nigerians in South Africa were notorious for dealing drugs, he added, calling for greater checks on foreigners coming into the country.The main South African group behind the Pretoria attacks, Mamelodi Concerned Residents, blamed foreign nationals for taking jobs and accused them of being involved in prostitution rings and drug cartels.The petition delivered by the group to the home affairs ministry alleged worshippers from Zimbabwean apostolic churches, who congregate in the open, were destroying our public parks, and accused them of defecating, urinating and burning fires.It also said foreigners were arrogant and dont know how to talk to people, especially Nigerians.But a Nigerian, who said he had earlier sent his family back home to Nigeria, said the accusations were wrong. He claimed he suffers daily attacks from South Africans, who he accused of envy.I think the main reason these people attack us is because they are envious. Nigerians are hardworking people. If you look round the country, we dont mind any kind of job, and we carry ourselves with pride. But they have termed that to mean that we are arrogant.For instance, if you go to a car wash business owned by a Nigerian, you would see the difference with one owned by a South African. Rather than change their attitude to work, they are trying to make scape goats of foreigners, particularly Nigerians.The South African President, Jacob Zuma, said many foreign citizens living in South Africa were law-abiding and huge contributors to the economy.It is wrong to brandish all non-nationals as drug dealers or human traffickers. Let us isolate those who commit such crimes and work with government to have them arrested without stereotyping and causing harm to innocent people, Zuma said in a statement.Speaking further, the president denied that South Africans were xenophobic and that the event was anti-crime in the main. It was not an anti-foreigners march.At the height of the attacks, Nigerian groups in the country rose with one voice. The leaders of the Oodua Progressive Union (OPU) in South Africa said five buildings with Nigerian businesses, including a church, was looted and burnt by South Africans.The coordinator of the group, Tunji Aladeselu, said: One of the buildings is a mechanic workshop with over 20 cars under repair. Aside this, other vital documents were burnt during the attack. The pastor of the church sustained injuries and is currently receiving treatment in the hospital.Aladeselu called on the Nigerian government to help protect Nigerians from further attacks.We visited the Nigerian Embassy to meet with other members of the Nigerian community and to fashion out ways of safe guarding Nigerians.We also demand that the Federal Government of Nigeria relate with its South African counterpart to increase security presence in areas highly populated by Nigerians and their business concerns.In the same vein, the chairman of Nigerian Union in Kwazulu Natal, Mr.Barthlomew Eziagulu, condemned the understanding of the South Africans. He said the people are now more alert to attacks. The peoples understanding is low. We are still on alert. While the attacks were on, we encouraged our citizens to be indoors.Even up till now, we are still on the alert. Shoprite Nigeria on Friday says it strongly condemn any kind of xenophobic violence and intimidation against the citizens of other countri... Shoprite Nigeria on Friday says it strongly condemn any kind of xenophobic violence and intimidation against the citizens of other countries, anywhere in the world.The retailer in a statement expressed concern about the acts of violence against foreign nationals that sporadically flare up in South Africa and the resultant rhetoric of intolerance that is now being levelled against South Africans living in Nigeria.As a company with deep African roots who employs thousands of African nationals and most importantly works to bring low prices to 14 countries outside of South Africa, we would like to see an end to xenophobia across the continent, the statement added.We remain committed to work with industry and the appropriate consumer groups to engage so that decisive action is taken against those involved in violent crimes and intimidation against foreign nationals as well as to convey our strong position against xenophobia, it said. Oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta yesterday said they have declared a period of fasting and prayer for President Muhammadu Buha... Oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta yesterday said they have declared a period of fasting and prayer for President Muhammadu Buhari, to return to the country alive and healthy.National Chairman of the Host Communities of Nigeria, (HOSCON), umbrella body of all areas producing oil and gas, Dr. Mike Emuh, said the decision was because Buharis government had shown it was capable of solving the problems of the region.He noted that attention paid by the administration to the agitations by the communities in the region should be encouraged by all peace-loving people in the oil communities.A statement on Friday by Monday Whisky, the groups spokesman, Emuh said At an enlarged national emergency meeting of the Host Communities of Nigeria, HOSCON producing oil and gas, presided over by the national Chairman, Bishop Dr. Mike Emuh (JP) the Issue of the Presidents health was exhaustively discussed.The need for HOSCON to stand in the gap in offering prayers for the Presidents quick recovery was approved by the general house.The emergency national meeting resolved as follows: that the entire leadership of the HOSCON in the 17 oil/gas producing, including impacted and satellite states, would starting today, hold a three-day fasting and prayer on a daily basis.This is to seek Gods intervention in the current health situation of the President, Muhammadu Buhari.That the leadership of HOSCON believes so much in the pragmatic leadership style of president Muhammadu Buhari and seeking the face of God to grant him quick recovery will not be out of place for the HOSCON to embark upon.Host Communities of Nigeria as a grassroots oriented and peoples friendly pressure group believes strongly in the efficacy of fasting and prayers in addressing whatever health challenges our dear president has now.We have also mobilised over 50 notable clergymen across the producing, imparted and satellite states to lead this fasting and prayer throughout the three-day duration. school15.jpg Jersey City's School 15, located at 135 Stegman Street. (Journal file photo) JERSEY CITY -- A Jersey City grammar school was placed on lockdown yesterday after a caller said he was going to the school to blow it up, officials said. Police responding to School 15 at 135 Stegman St. at about 2 p.m. and spoke to a school official who said she got a call from a man whom she thought said something about a bomb, a police report says. The woman told police she responded, "I didn't hear you" and then clearly heard the man say, "I'm coming to the school to blow it up," the report states. She told police that she heard what sounded like a school bell over the phone just before the man hung up. After he was off the line, the bell went off at School 15, eliminating the possibility he was inside the school, the report says. A Jersey City school system spokeswoman said today that the caller never said a bomb was actually at the school, and deferred further comment to police. The school was in the news earlier this year after police said a 14-year-old student shot himself in the leg near the building. Sources said the boy was with another student who had previously threatened to shoot a security guard at the school. IMG_2430.JPG Pro-Trump demonstrators gather in Middletown to support the current administration. (Craig McCarthy | NJ Advance Media) MIDDLETOWN - Chanting "USA! USA! USA," a crowd of about 150 men, women and some children rallied at an intersection on Rt. 35 on a frigid, blustery afternoon in support of President Donald Trump Saturday. In response to the cheers, drivers blared their horns in support, triggering waves of screams. The crowd, holding Trump signs and waving American flags, gathered outside the ShopRite Plaza at noon in conjunction with nationwide rallies organized by the Main Street Patriots, a conservative activist group started by one of the grassroots organizers of the Tea Party rallies. About 150 bundled up, braved the cold to show their support for @realDonaldTrump in Middletown as part of nationwide demonstrations pic.twitter.com/x4DnzqNP61 Craig McCarthy (@createcraig) March 4, 2017 "We are the silent majority," said Diane Simpson, of Leonardo. "We are people that normally don't demonstrate, but when we have to, we can." Steven Foose, of Middletown, who said he has been a staunch supporter of Gov. Christie's policies, said Trump had his vote of confidence. "Trump is making the hard choices," he said. Saturday's "March 4 Trump" demonstrations were also intended to show unity in the face of what organizers call "a seditious fringe" aiming to sabotage President Donald Trump's vision for the country. A couple hundred supporters gathered in New York near Trump Tower, chanting "U-S-A." One held a sign reading: "I am not a Democrat anymore." Another read: "Yes he is our president." Trump supporters have held more rallies in recent weeks in to counter demonstrations that have been held in recent weeks against his policies, including the massive Women's March the day after the inauguration. In Middletown, there was a brief heated exchange between anti-Trump protestors who walked past the rally line. A man on a bullhorn, who declined to give his name, told the crowd not to engage with the anti-Trump demonstrators. Otherwise, Middletown officers said the rally, which ran from 12 to 2 p.m., was without incident. Middletown resident Jim Niedermaier said he was encouraged to come out because of Trump's promise to bring back blue-collar jobs to the United States. "He's like Reagan was in the 80's. If we don't do what we have to do to keep the factories open, we're going to be the poorest country in the world," he said. "I support Donald Trump, and why not? " said Katherine Kizun, od Middletown. "I like to see the young people here in support." Things briefly became heated when anti-Trump demonstrators walked passed pro-Trump rally. Police escorted the two otherwise quiet pic.twitter.com/d0Ll9LJmcC Craig McCarthy (@createcraig) March 4, 2017 The Associated Press contributed to this report. Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Every Saturday on its editorial page, the South Jersey Times cheers those who make our area a better place in which to live and jeers those whose actions merit derision. CHEERS: To recognizing someone who has made a difference in so many lives. Dr. Michael Gorman, the current president of Salem Community College, was recognized last week with the Salem County Vocational-Technical Schools Foundation's Leadership Award. Gorman, of Pennsville, began his career in education as a teacher then moved up through the ranks as an assistant principal, principal and superintendent at several South Jersey school districts. Then, in August 2015, he was selected as president of SCC. During the awards event (which raised $25,000 in student scholarship funds) he was described not only as an innovator, but as an educator who really cares about both his staff and students. JEERS: To the loss of a magnificent creature in the wild. We received news this week that a humpback whale had been found dead along the shoreline of the Cohansey River in Cumberland County. Seeing such a great mammal; in the waters of the nearby Delaware bay is unusual enough, but in the Cohansey? Experts from the marine mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine had been keeping track of the whale and were aware of its demise. The cause of its death, however, remains a mystery. Let's hope that we don't see many more of these great whales lost. JEERS to the week of broken glass. Bomb threats against Jewish Community Centers across the country, including one in Cherry Hill; headstones toppled in Jewish cemeteries in Philadelphia and St. Louis; President Donald Trump leading his first-ever address to Congress by condemning the acts of hate and evil -- something is coming. "Kristallnacht," or The Night of Broken Glass that saw widespread acts of violence against Jews, played out in Nazi Germany nearly 80 years ago. This week, America banded together to stand in solidarity with those affected and denounce the unknown culprits. We, as a civilized society, won't stand for such acts. You, the still-sought anonymous bigots, can't possibly overcome those odds. CHEERS to local journalism at its finest. We received a tip from a reader about a Mount Ephraim school board member's online posts containing homophobic slurs, sexually-graphic language, and references to racial stereotypes. On Monday night, Lewis Greenwood Sr. resignation was accepted by the school board. Contacted by one of our reporters, Greenwood said he regretted the comments and he did not realize they were viewable by the public. Folks, this is local journalism at its finest. We are members of your community and as such, want nothing but the best for it. We poke and prod for results such as this and when someone in an elected position rightfully resigns, we don't gloat. We just move on to the next one. JEERS: To an inadequate prison sentence for a man convicted of robbing six banks at gunpoint. Michael A. Fanelli admitted to robbing the banks between June and September 2015, including one in West Deptford and the same bank twice in Harrison Township. A federal judge sentenced him to 37 months in prison along with three years of supervision after his release. This mild sentence is outrageous. In each case, Fanelli displayed a handgun and threatened employees. While court documents indicate the gun was a BB pistol, his victims had no way of knowing this. Imagine the terror this guy caused during his spree. Imagine what employees must have experienced at the bank he hit twice. What kind of message does this send to his victims and others considering similar crimes. Take a look at the security camera images of this creep in action and ask yourself if three years is enough. CHEERS: To this week's arrival of the first ship at the new Paulsboro Marine Terminal. The Doric Warrior arrived on Thursday with a load of Russian steel, marking the beginning of what we hope is a long success story for Paulsboro. This is the first new port development on the Delaware River in half a century and could mark the beginning for a South Jersey port renaissance. Plans to develop a former DuPont plant in nearby Greenwich Township into a port-related industrial park are taking shape and could help put Gloucester County on the map as a major shipping destination. 22160573-mmmain.jpg Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters in Newark. (Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media) TRENTON -- In the days before Gov. Chris Christie pressured Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to share some of its "abundant surplus" to fund drug treatment programs, the state's largest health insurance company had extended an olive branch to the governor, NJ Advance Media has learned. According to three sources with knowledge of the negotiations, Horizon proposed $135 million to fund drug treatment and other health programs for the poor. The sources all spoke on the condition they not be identified because of the sensitive nature of the talks and the players involved. On Friday, in a statement released to NJ Advance Media, Horizon officials confirmed offering the administration a substantial but unspecified amount of money. The money, Horizon officials said, would be used over two years to create a temporary fund for health care programs. The company said it suggested the money should come from savings Horizon would recoup by the legislature passing a long-awaited law limiting surprise, out-of-network medical bills. One of the three sources said Horizon brought up the legislation in the talks, but also offered the partnership without tying it to the bill. A Horizon spokesman said this assertion was false. Regardless, Christie was angling for almost three times the $135 million, or the $300 million as state lawmakers told NJ Advance Media on Monday. After negotiations broke down, Christie put Horizon on the defensive in his budget address on Tuesday. Christie took aim at Horizon's not-for-profit status by pointing out the company is sitting on $2.9 billion in reserves. He suggested a portion of that money could be used for drug treatment programs to help curb the state's heroin and opioid drug epidemic, which the governor has made a priority in his final year in office. "I am confident Horizon will embrace this opportunity and partner with us to establish this permanent, sustainable fund," Christie said in his budget address. "They will not turn their back on the people of New Jersey who pay their salaries." In a statement released after the speech, Horizon criticized Christie for suggesting the state "raid the reserves that protect" the 3.8 million members it insures. On Friday, Horizon's statement explained how the negotiations unfolded, then fell apart. "One week before his budget address, the governor's senior staff suggested that Horizon enter into a financially significant partnership with the administration to fund an unspecified health care related initiative," the statement from Horizon spokesman Kevin McArdle said. "The discussion ended after it was clear that Horizon could only support a partnership that avoided a negative impact to member reserves, included measures -- such as out-of-network reform - that offset our proposed contribution, and spanned two years," McArdle said. For nearly eight years, state lawmakers have struggled to enact a law that would limit surprise out-of-network billing practices by a handful of doctors and hospitals. Horizon, one of the loudest proponents of the legislation, say the practice costs insurers $1 billion a year and drives up insurance premium costs. Horizon "also sought to ensure funds would be used to benefit New Jersey's Medicaid population," McArdle said. "Our goal was to find a way to work with the Governor while lowering the cost of health care and health insurance for our members." Christie's spokesman Brian Murray declined to comment. In his budget address, Christie said he, too, was counting on the Legislature to finally send him a bill he can sign that reins-in out-of-network insurance costs. He said he expected the law will enable the state to save $125 million in the State Health Benefits Plan over the next fiscal year. Horizon is New Jersey's largest Medicaid provider, serving 900,000 of the nearly 1.8 million people in the program, according to the company. Horizon is both a not-for-profit entity and a tax-paying health service corporation that until its restructuring in 1992, was known as the "insurer of last resort" for the poor. The company reported $11.5 billion in revenue and paid about $515 million in federal and state taxes and insurance assessments in 2015, according to the company's website. Horizon also held about $2.4 billion in reserves last year, according to its statement Tuesday. "Horizon remains committed to improving the health and well-being of New Jersey and to partnerships that achieve those goals, but will oppose any effort to reduce member reserves and make health insurance more expensive and less secure," McArdle said. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. TRENTON -- By all accounts, it would have taken a couple keystrokes for a local government to give John Paff the information he was after. Instead, New Jersey's Supreme Court heard arguments this week in a years-long fight as it weighs a decision that could reshape what government information the public is entitled to in the digital age. Paff, an open records advocate, is challenging an appeals court ruling that found his request for logs of e-mails between the Galloway Township clerk and its chief of police was invalid under the state's records laws. Paff had requested information including the sender, recipient, date, and subject of the emails between the two parties over a two-week period in 2013. An IT professional for the town later testified it would take "two to three minutes" to generate such a log. But the appeals panel found the town did not have to release the information because New Jersey's Open Public Records Act "does not require public agencies to create records that do not already exist." The appeals court essentially found that while individual e-mails might be public records under state law, conducting a database search and releasing those search results amounted to the creation of a new record, which goes beyond the scope of the state's primary record law, commonly known as OPRA. A legal fight over public access to database search results may seem esoteric, but the Supreme Court's ruling will likely have far-reaching implications for the release of information contained in government databases at a time when the functions of public agencies are increasingly done without a paper trail. Within days of the April appeals decision, requests filed by media and government watchdogs -- including NJ Advance Media -- saw denials invoking the case, known as Paff v. Galloway. Some included government records and data previously released under the state's records law. If the appellate ruling is upheld, Paff said in an interview this week, "government agencies will be running these queries all day long, but the citizens won't be able to request they make the same queries." The appeals panel found otherwise, ruling that while Paff's request "might not present a burdensome task, we can easily envision requests of a similar nature that would present a serious burden." Lawyers for the town and advocates for police chiefs and municipalities argue that reversing the appeals court ruling could turn records custodians into "research librarians," taxing small local governments with cumbersome requests for compilations of digital records. Walter Luers, and attorney and vice president of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government, argues before the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 28, 2016. "Where does it end?" asked Carl R. Woodward, an attorney for the New Jersey State League of Municipalities and New Jersey Institute of Local Government, during oral argument on Tuesday. "One, five, 10 keystrokes? One hundred, 10,000 keystrokes?" Paff's attorney, Walter Luers, argued that because most information contained on government databases is a matter of public record, Paff's request amounted "selective copying" of such records rather than any kind of burdensome or subjective research. "You're not creating a record because you're retrieving data that already exists," Luers said. During oral argument, state Supreme Court justices probed how e-mails between public officials could be considered public while a basic search query based on objective criteria was not. While attorneys on both sides agreed some information might have to be redacted to protect sensitive police investigations or other exempt government activity, nobody disputed that the e-mails themselves were public records. Had Paff requested specific e-mails in full, said Michael J. Fitzgerald, an attorney for Galloway, the town likely would have provided them after a review process that may have included redactions and a special service fee. "You want to give them hundreds of pages or a flash drive of the full documents but not the limited information they are requesting?" Justice Walter Timpone asked. "That seems -- odd -- to me, to use a word instead of the word I want to use." The Supreme Court's ruling in the matter could have a profound impact considering how trivial the underlying request was. As one of his adversaries pointed out in court, Paff himself can't recall exactly what he was looking for when he made the 2013 request. Paff, who files hundreds of records requests a year, posting public documents of interest on a collection of open government blogs, said he often files requests to test the boundaries of state records laws. In the Galloway case, Paff requested the e-mail logs because the township had freely given up such information before. In court papers, the town said it did so based on an "informal policy" it later abandoned in 2012. "In hindsight, perhaps our clerk should have just provided the list and we wouldn't be here today, exposing the township to the cost" of waging a court fight, Fitzgerald told the justices on Tuesday. S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook. ELIZABETH -- The man who was killed when his pickup truck crashed and caught fire Friday afternoon was a former Elizabeth police officer who had earned several commendations during his career. Jim Varga, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, joined the Elizabeth police force as a patrolman in 1982 and retired two years ago, said retired Elizabeth Police Chief, Pat Shannon. Elizabeth officers and firefighters responded to the scene of the car fire Friday afternoon, just over the Newark border behind Jefferson Avenue. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the incident, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly said in an email. Fennelly said the pickup struck a transformer, which caused it to be engulfed in fire. Shannon said Varga was an outstanding police officer who loved his job, earned several departmental commendations for outstanding work, and was highly respected by both the community and by other police officers. Varga remained active with the police department after he retired by running the Toys for Tots program each year at Christmas, Shannon said. "He will be greatly missed," he said. The Elizabeth PBA released a statement saying Varga was loved "by all who encountered him" and will be greatly missed. "Officer James Anthony Varga was a great police officer and an even greater human being," the statement said. "He was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need." Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage said his thoughts and prayers are with the Varga family. "Jim represented our city in a professional way no matter the task, from patrol to working in a neighborhood, he exemplified compassion and hard work," Bollwage said. "Jim contributed in many ways to the safety and protection of our citizens." Condolence messages have also been posted on social media. John Fallon, who said he has known Varga for 15 years, said the two met while playing in a local amateur pool league. "Jim was a kind man with a sharp sense of humor," Fallon said. "Since I began playing in the American Poolplayer Association, he always had a suggestion on how to improve my ability but not only for me but for anyone on both teams. He was always a strong supporter of a variety of fundraisers especially anything involving the Marine Corp. He was a good friend and will be missed. My heart goes out to his family, friends and all those who knew him." Terribly saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Varga. Jim proudly served our country in the Marines as well as the... Posted by John F. Fallon on Friday, March 3, 2017 Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. weather04.png (AccuWeather.com) Bitterly cold temperatures and severe wind chills will prevail throughout the weekend, ushering in some of the coldest days of the winter season. Although skies will be sunny on Saturday, the temperatures will be unseasonably cold, with the day's high only reaching 33 degrees for most of the state. Those temperatures may only reach the high 20s for the northern portion of New Jersey, which could see scattered snow flurries between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Northwest winds along the coast are expected to be between 14 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. The weather service says the combination of strong winds and low humidity will boost the risk of wildfires across New Jersey on Saturday. AccuWeather says Saturday could be one of the coldest days of the winter in the Northeast so far this season. On Saturday night, the temperatures are expected to take a deep dive, to around 13 degrees - with wind chills running near zero, or slightly below zero - for most of the state. Temperatures will be even lower, about 6 degrees, in northern New Jersey, with wind chills as cold as minus 5 in Morris and Passaic counties and minus 10 in Sussex County, the weather service says. Sunday will bring more sun, with a high near 37 but the wind chill will make it feel much colder for most of the state, the weather service says. Sunday night is expected to bring temperatures down to between 14 and 19 degrees for the state, the weather service says. Temperature note If Saturday's forecast highs hold up, it will be the coldest day since Feb. 10 in Newark, Trenton and Atlantic City, as well as New York City and Philadelphia, according to climate data from the National Weather Service. NJ Advance Media staff writer Len Melisurgo contributed to this report. MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NOPD looking for New Orleans man last seen Thursday WASHINGTON (AP) The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all. When buying a business, learn first how to avoid assuming the sellers tax liability. What Is a Tax Clearance Certificate? A tax clearance certificate is a document issued by a state government agency, usually the Department of Revenue. It certifies that a business or individual has met their tax obligations as of a certain date. The IRS also issues tax clearance certificates in certain situations, such as applications for federal contracts. Tax clearance certificates might also be called tax clearance letters, tax status certificates or letters, certificates or letters of compliance or tax compliance, or letters or certificates of good standing. The taxes that might be covered in a clearance certificate for a business include sales tax, use tax, franchise or corporate tax, unemployment tax, and other types of taxes, depending on the laws and requirements of each state. When Do You Need a Tax Clearance Certificate? Many states have what's called successor's liability laws, which mean that you can be held responsible for unpaid taxes even though the taxes were incurred by a former owner. States might require business owners to obtain a tax clearance certificate when they close or sell their business, but to protect your interests, you, the buyer, should obtain a tax clearance even if it is not legally required. If you are expanding your business from your home state into a new state, you might find that the new state where you are locating requires a certificate. The same might be true if you are applying for a loan or government contract. Most states require you to register your business, usually with the Secretary of State. Getting a tax clearance doesn't eliminate the need to register the business you are purchasing. Deciding What Tax Information You Need If you are buying a business, you will first need to know the types of taxes levied on the business you are buying. Some states will search all tax databases to fulfill a tax clearance request, but others will ask you to state the types of taxes you want to include in the search. The types of tax liabilities you should check for include: sales and use taxes gross receipts taxes withholding taxes excise taxes franchise or corporation taxes special taxes like gaming, liquor and fuel employment taxes like unemployment and withholding taxes Some states levy permit and license fees and you will want to be certain the seller is up to date on those taxes as well. How to Get a Tax Clearance Certificate In most states, the Department of Revenue will issue a tax clearance certificate, but in others it might be the Department of Taxes, Department of Finance, Secretary of State, or another agency. Many states provide forms for requesting a tax clearance online. Others require you to submit a written request. Refer to the 50-state table for the agency that issues tax clearance certificates in your state. The procedures for getting a certificate vary widely from one state to the next, and the procedure depends on the type of business entity, the industry, and the location within the state. It's a good idea to check directly with the state agency responsible for issuing clearances before submitting your application to learn exactly what the certificate will cover. Some state revenue and taxation agencies include employment taxes, such as unemployment tax and withholding tax, in their search to determine whether a seller has any outstanding tax liabilities. But in other states, you might need to request employment tax information separately from the Department of Labor or a similar agency. Local governments, including counties and cities, might also levy taxes. You might have to contact the taxing agency in the local area where your business is located to determine whether a seller is up to date on those taxes. What You Need to Request a Certificate In general, you'll need to supply the following information to get a tax clearance certificate: the name, address, and phone number of the buyer and seller a business address or addresses if multiple locations are involved the date of sale a bill of sale or purchase agreement for the business the tax and employer identification numbers for the seller and buyer, and escrow company information, if one was involved More Questions to Ask Which taxes are subject to successor's liability rules? As explained above, most states hold the buyer of a business responsible for the seller's unpaid taxes. The type of taxes (such as sales and use tax) that are subject to those laws varies by state. Does the state require you to withhold funds to cover unpaid taxes? Many states require the buyer to withhold enough funds to cover the seller's unpaid taxes, along with interest and penalties. Unfair as it might seem, buyers might be charged a penalty if they fail to set aside those funds. Does the state impose requirements for closing a business? Some states require business owners to file a formal notification when they close or sell their business. This notification alerts the state to check for unpaid taxes. Buyers in these states should request a copy of the close or sale notice, especially if the state uses the notice in lieu of issuing a clearance certificate. Some states offer the option of verifying the closure through the state's website. If the seller does not file a required notification and owes taxes, the state might come after the buyer for payment. Will the state issue a tax clearance to the buyer? Typically, the seller applies for the tax clearance, but some states allow the buyer to apply for it. Other states will issue a tax clearance only to the seller, and you'll have to work with the seller to get a copy. Others allow the buyer to receive a copy of the tax clearance directly if the seller provides written authorization. Will you need a separate tax clearance for multiple locations of a business? If the business you are buying has more than one location, you might need a separate clearance for each location. Does the agency issue clearances when the seller has a payment plan in place? In some states, a tax clearance might not mean that the seller has no unpaid taxes, but rather that the seller has arranged a payment plan to pay the taxes. It's important to understand your rights if the seller doesn't live up to the payment plan in the future. What About Liens? A lien allows a creditor to legally take a borrower's property or assets if a loan that is secured by property goes unpaid. The lien "sticks" to the property, no matter who owns it. To avoid the specter of losing your newly acquired property to the seller's lender, make sure that the assets you are acquiring are not subject to any liens. In most cases, you can do a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) public search on the website of the Secretary of State to determine if someone has placed a lien against the property you are purchasing. This gives you notice of what secured debt you'll be acquiring (if any) related to the business's equipment, inventory, and other items. You will want to do this whether you are buying the business in an asset purchase (where you own the property of the business) or a stock purchase (where you own the business entity and the entity owns the property.) It's also a good idea to investigate other kinds of business debt, such as guarantees and other private contractual obligations. Getting a Tax Clearance Certificate in Your State MASON CITY | A Mason City man has been indicted on federal child pornography charges. Jeffery Landheer, 46, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a possible maximum sentence of 140 years if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa. Landheer has been charged with one count of receipt of child pornography and six counts of possession of child pornography. The charges are contained in an indictment unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. The indictment alleges Landheer received child pornography between 2002 and 2016. He also is accused of having child pornography on six different devices. Landheer appeared for a detention hearing Friday where he pleaded not guilty. The court ordered his release on bond. A pre-trial conference is set for May 1. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Tremmel and is being investigated by the Mason City Police Department. Mary Pieper As the Iowa Legislature discusses changes in how people vote, election officials think some of the proposals are unnecessary. Its like putting a Band-Aid on where you dont hurt, said Pottawattamie County Auditor Melvyn Houser. Hes not alone, either, as the states auditors association is opposing many the lawmakers proposals, Houser said. It puts a lot more burden on the auditors offices without accomplishing anything, Houser said. Numerous state organizations also have concerns, including the American Civil Liberties Union. It is creating additional barriers for people wanting to vote, said Daniel Zeno, the ACLUs political counsel, who has argued against the measure before the Legislature. Members of the Iowa House and Senate, both led by Republican majorities, are working on their own bills, though there are similarities, including the establishment of a voter ID system with signature verification, absentee ballot verification and post-election audits. Zeno said there are no current standards to follow, nor training, for poll workers concerning signature verification. Chances are, he added, these poll workers are not handwriting experts. Sometimes, all of our signatures change, he said. Theres the potential that whether you could vote depends on whether the poll worker approves your signature. These bills state that every registered voter would have to show a drivers license, non-drivers ID, military ID, veterans ID, or passport for verification. If not, they would receive a Voter ID card in the mail, automatically. This will apply to newly registered voters as well. Zeno said many minorities, elderly Iowans or those with disabilities may not have any of these required ID pieces, thereby limiting their voter participation. Waiting for the ID card to come in the mail would make same-day registration difficult, he added. Theres also little or no funding in these bill for educating the public on these changes, he added. Houser said that there might be some good points in these bills, but added, I think we have a good election system now. State Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, suggested that everyone remain patient on the final outcome, as the bill will likely change from its current language. This is a work in progress, he said. I expect there will be additional amendments. I expect many changes to come. Linda Nelson, chair of the Pottawattamie County Democrats, wondered why this effort is even necessary in an already efficient voting system. They have all the tools they need now, she said. Why do these changes? After being found guilty of second-degree murder Friday, a Sioux City man will be 83 years old before he is eligible for parole. The jury for 48-year-old Elias Wanatees retrial for the stabbing death of Vernon Mace in Sioux City returned with a guilty verdict after eight hours of deliberation. The retrial was moved by Wanatees attorney from Woodbury County after the first trail ended in a hung jury. Jill Kates, a crime victim specialist with the Western Iowa Survivors of Homicide program, spoke on behalf of Maces family after the verdict was given. The family is happy with the conviction. There has been some justice for Vernon, she said. Wanatee wont be able to hurt anyone else now. Woodbury County Attorney and prosecutor Drew Bockenstedt declined to comment on the conviction. He said Wanatee will be sentenced to 50 years in prison, with 35 years minimum to serve. Wanatees sentencing date has not been set as of Friday, but Bockenstedt said further trial matters will be carried out in Woodbury County again. On Feb. 17, 2016, Wanatee stabbed Mace, 50, nine times in the early morning hours near the 1900 block of West First Street in Sioux City. During the trial, witnesses said they could hear yelling coming from around the corner of the house they were in. When they opened the front door, Mace was standing there, drenched in blood, and claimed he had been stabbed in the lung. Mace was taken to Mercy Hospital and pronounced dead. The fatal wound punctured his diaphragm and sliced his liver, resulting in massive internal bleeding. There were no eyewitnesses to the stabbing, and police never found a murder weapon. Other witnesses during the trial alleged Wanatee would make threats while holding a large knife. Wanatees attorney, Jason Dunn, said Wanatee had acted in self-defense because Mace had threatened Wanatee with a firearm weeks before the night Mace died. After the mistrial in December 2016. Dunn requested the retrial be moved, basing his request on local media coverage and Wanatees previous murder conviction. He said ensuring a fair trial in Woodbury County was difficult. For the first time since 2013, a change of venue moved a Woodbury County case. The previous time was for Levon Dean, charged with theft and robbery, who was moved to Kossuth County. That trial was eventually dismissed, as federal charges were filed. Wanatee had previously been convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Kelton DeCora in Sioux City. He later appealed the conviction, and the charge was reduced to second-degree murder. Wanatee was released from jail in 2015. Kates said the familys emotional stress of enduring one trial was great having to go through the retrial was a heavy burden. Being here, I think it shows their dedication to (Maces) memory and to each other, she said. Now they can grieve and find a new normal. This is the third of a three-part series discussing the importance of hospice and its effect on North Iowa families faced with terminal illness. Hospice of North Iowa has served Mitchell County and nine other surrounding counties for many years, becoming a part of Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa on July 1, 1997. Barb Godfrey, Mason City has been the community liaison for Hospice of North Iowa since October 2015 and was previously a nurse in the Mercy system since 1990. She said her passion for the job comes from personal experience. My dad passed away at Hospice of North Iowa in 2010, she said. I now feel this is my passion. Godfrey said hospice is a team of individuals who serve the patient and their family wherever they are. We are here to help a patient find resolution at the end of their life, Godfrey said. In traditional care, without hospice services, if an individual needs urgent help, they have to go to emergency room or call an ambulance. With hospice, a person calls for a nurse, who is on-call 24-hours a day, and she will be sent out to help. Godfrey stressed a patient keeps his or her personal physician and the hospice team adds support. She also emphasized her organization and local physicians work well together. Godfrey said hospice has three levels of care for clients, who meet requirements. To qualify, the organization can be contacted by the patient, a family member or may be referred by a nurse or doctor. The patients medical records are reviewed by the persons own primary care physician and hospices medical director, to determine if the patient is eligible as defined by Medicare guidelines. One of the major guidelines is if the patients lifes expectancy is six months or less. Some have been in the service beyond six months, even for a year or two, Godfrey said. Some see conditions improve so much they no longer meet Medicare guidelines for hospice, and they graduate out of the program. The program covers all terminal issues including accidents, not just cancer, which only accounts for a little more than one-third of all hospice patients. Hospice is a nonprofit organization, Godfrey said. All money goes back into our ongoing mission of caring for and comforting patients and their families. Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance companies reimburse us. Medicare pays 100 percent of cost related to a terminal diagnosis. But no one is ever turned away due financial constraints, because we have such generous donors from the community who feel it is so important to care for the family. Godfrey said there are three levels of hospice care, which include home care and acute-level hospital care. The third level, which hospice provides, is an extra layer of support for the patient and their family. It is provided through nursing services, social workers, spiritual care and hospice aids, who can provide bathing, oral and hair care, light meal preparation and light housekeeping. Massage therapy is also available. The program also focuses on the needs of the caregiver, by providing respite care. In respite care, assistance is provided so primary caregivers can leave town when needed, and patients can be moved to care facilities for a short time to provide relief for families. Another service for patients is the availability of music therapy, which is a great comfort for patients as they end life. Spiritual support is also available for patients and their families, but they dont take the place of personal clergy, Godfrey said. Bereavement and social services are also available to the family for up to one year after the death of the patient. Hospice offers both support groups and volunteers, who come to set with grieving families. Along with regular staff, Hospice of North Iowa has 145 trained volunteers who serve in many ways, such as landscapers, receptionists, greeters, cookie bakers or companions in homes and hospital visits. Hospice wants to provide community support and education, not just for the last days of life, but for the last phase of life. We want people to call early to obtain education for what hospice can do for the patient and their family, Godfrey said. I will come out and visit with individuals and families to explain how hospice works." Godfrey is available for group presentations. Reach her at 641-428-6208. MASON CITY | The Faith and Wellness Outreach at Trinity Lutheran Church invites the public to try a new spiritual practice during Lent through ancient ways of prayer and reading the Bible. Centering Prayer is a form of silent prayer that involves quieting the mind for 20 minutes of silence to experience God. Centering Prayer is held at 9 a.m. on the first and third Monday of the month in Faith and Wellness Outreach Room No. 2 and the second Monday at 6 p.m. in their Library-Lounge. Lectio Divina, an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures, is scheduled for 9 a.m. the second and fourth Monday of the month in Faith and Wellness Outreach Room #2. Trinity Lutheran Church is located at 213 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Seeds and plants also reflect His amazing powers We are creatures of habit. If you are like me, you like order and you need order to survive. Just like the sun comes up in the morning and sun sets in the evening, every minute of every day has order. God wanted it that way and it unfolds before our very eyes all around us. Just look at the creatures and plants in our world and marvel at Gods handiwork. I was reminded of this when I opened an email from a dear friend from Canada. This article focuses on Gods amazing order. It is very appropriate now to observe the hatching of eggs. Do you know the following egg-hatching facts? Canary eggs 14 days Barnyard hen 21 days Eggs of ducks and geese 28 days Mallard duck 35 days Eggs of the parrot and the ostrich 42 days (Notice: They are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week.) Gods wisdom can be seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body too large to live on two legs. For this reason, He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily. The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. The cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation. Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind. Each orange has an even number of segments. Each ear of corn has an even number of rows. Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains. Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number. Amazing. The waves of the sea roll in on shore 26 times every minute in all kinds of weather. All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks. God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed. The lives of each of us may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory. Now you can see just how order fits in to our lives. Lets go one step further. Mull this idea. When God solves our problems, we have faith in His abilities. When God doesnt solve our problems. He has faith in our abilities. Series kicking off with classical piano, violin performance Opportunities to spend time in meditation during the Lenten season have been expanded with the help of local musicians. The weekly series begins Tuesday at the Episcopal Church of Our Savior with Carolyn Cline on piano and pipe organ and the Rev. Jan Ekstedt on violin. They will be performing some light classical, meditative music such as The Girl With the Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy and Meditation from Thais by Massanet. Janice Huber will play guitar and sing on March 14. Cline will perform solo on March 21 on the pipe organ, playing sacred and secular music. On March 28, Huber and Ekstedt will join forces, and Cline may join in on several pieces as well. The final concert will be April 4 and Dr. David Lindley will perform mostly classical music on the piano. All concerts will take place at the Episcopal Church, 203 W. Fourth St., on Tuesdays from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Both Cline and Ekstedt moved to North Platte within the past year or so. Cline is an organist at the Episcopal Church of Our Savior, and Ekstedt is the pastor at First Christian Church. Ive lived in North Platte just about a year, Cline said. My husband worked at the Diesel Shop in Denver, and when that closed we had a choice to move to Little Rock, Arkansas, and North Platte and we chose North Platte. Cline is originally from Alliance, so North Platte is nearer her roots. Her interest in music started at a young age. I started the piano as a child, Cline said. You have to reach a certain level of skill at the piano before you move to the organ. I began playing organ at the First Presbyterian Church of Alliance when I was 14. The Rev. Jeffrey S. F. Nelson, rector and priest at the Episcopal Church of Our Savior, planted the seed for the concert series. We talked about it at one of those luncheon get-togethers [the pastors] have once a month, Ekstedt said. I think it was in conjunction with him introducing Carolyn and I together on the Internet. The meditation concerts are open to anyone regardless of church affiliation. The music will mainly set the atmosphere for people to reflect spiritually. It wont have the feel of a concert, but it also wont have the feel of a worship service, Cline said. It may open with a Scripture or an opening prayer but will mainly be music. MASON CITY | A Mason City church has filed a lawsuit against Iowa Traction Railway, alleging the company built a rail line on its property without permission. Christian Fellowship Church, located at 1181 15th St. S.W., claims Iowa Traction Railway installed the line after negotiations for the railroad to acquire a portion of the church's land were unsuccessful. The railroad owns land immediately adjacent and to the east of the real estate owned by the church, according to the lawsuit. The petition states the church has asked Iowa Traction Railway to remove the line, but the company refuses. Fletcher & Sippel LLC, legal counsel for the railroad, states in a court document filed in response to the lawsuit that the boundary between the church property and the railway property to the east is in dispute. The company gained ownership of the land in question through adverse possession, according to the document. Adverse possession means if someone openly occupies a piece of land belonging to someone else for a certain amount of time, the occupying party gains ownership of that land. Iowa Traction Railway denies in the court document that it built the line after a failed attempt to acquire the land from the church. The document also states the deadline for filing a suit had passed by the time the church did so. The railway's lawyers also allege in the document that the church is barred from filing suit due to the doctrine of unclean hands. This doctrine means the suing party has done something unethical in relation to the subject of the lawsuit. Court documents do not give any specifics as to the church's alleged unethical behavior. Railroad attorney James D. Helenhouse did not respond to a Feb. 22 email from the Globe Gazette or a phone call Friday morning. The church is seeking an unspecified amount in damages from the railroad, in addition to a a court injunction requiring the company to remove the rail line from the church's property. The Rev. Shane Philpott, pastor at Christian Fellowship Church, declined to comment on the lawsuit. BROKEN BOW A Broken Bow woman has been sentenced to 30 to 40 years in prison for the death of her 21-month-old nephew in 2013. Brittney Pryce, 26, was sentenced on Thursday in Custer County District Court for child abuse resulting in death, a Class 1B felony, according to the Nebraska attorney generals office. Pryce was found guilty in August 2016 for the Nov. 22, 2013, death of Noah Pryce, while he was in her care. After an eight-day trial, the jury deliberated for a little more than an hour and a half. Noah and his then infant brother became state wards after the younger child was injured in an incident in Kearney. They were placed with Pryce and her husband, Richard, who was the boys uncle. An autopsy performed on Noah the day after his death said there were multiple contusions to his body, an injury to his lumbar area and a skull fracture. The official report listed the cause of death as blunt force head trauma and ruled the death a homicide, according to the attorney generals office. The death was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Broken Bow Police Department. At one point in the investigation, Pryce had told police that Noah had been injured falling off a rocking horse, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Assistant Attorneys General Bill Tangeman and Mike Guinan prosecuted the case. Child abuse investigator Kerry Crosby and victim assistant Patricia Sattler of the attorney generals office were supportive of the preparation and trial. Pryce was originally set for sentencing in November 2016. However, her attorney, P. Stephen Potter, requested a continuance on Oct. 24 because Pryce was at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women and involved in a 90-day evaluation. The Dragons have stunned pre-season premiership fancies Penrith with a record-breaking 42-10 victory at UOW Jubilee Oval on Saturday afternoon. Match Draw Widget [2017] Telstra Premiership - Round 1: Dragons vs Panthers The 7,283 fans who turned up in testing conditions to cheer on their team were treated to some spectacular footy that defied Sydney's recent weather, with the Dragons bettering their season-high tally of 32 points in 2016 with ease in what was their biggest ever win over the Panthers. Tipped by many to struggle in 2017, the home side were a cut above with Joel Thompson turning back the clock with his first career hat-trick, while skipper Gareth Widdop produced arguably his finest performance in the red and white. New recruits Paul Vaughan and Cameron McInnes also both played starring roles on a day when nothing went right for the Panthers. Any concerns over the Dragons' ability to score points were dispelled inside the opening five minutes when Thompson crashed over off a McInnes short ball close to the line to give the Red V an early six-point lead. The razzle-dazzle continued from the next set as some slick midfield offloads put the hosts straight back onto the attack, only for halfback Josh McCrone to lose the ball 20 metres out from the line. Penrith tried to work their way back into contest but time and time again were either thwarted by the Dragons' defence or came up with the wrong option in attack. Their inability to convert those opportunities came back to haunt them when Thompson stormed onto a Gareth Widdop ball to score an almost identical try to his earlier effort. The visitors needed something special to spark them before the break, and turned to the in-form Waqa Blake for inspiration; the centre diving over Superman style to finish off a lovely bit of play by Te Maire Martin on the last tackle. But their joy didn't last long as NRL Fantasy superstar Jack de Belin fended away from several would-be defenders to power his way over to give his side a deserved 18-4 half-time lead. Any thoughts of a second-half slowdown were put to bed after five minutes when Widdop swooped onto halves partner Josh McCrone's pinpoint infield kick to send the crowd into raptures. The Panthers were given a glimmer of hope with 30 minutes to go when Tyrone Peachey justified his continued selection in the three-quarter line to dive over in the left corner after a brilliant tip on by Martin in the build-up. They were almost in again moments later when halfback Nathan Cleary sliced through, but the Panthers No.7 lost the ball in the process of scoring, with replays indicating the ball was forced free by McCrone's boot. It would prove to be telling as McInnes finished off some scintillating work from Josh Dugan who made something out of nothing with a grubber for himself to make it 30-10. The Red V faithful were treated to more fireworks when Jason Nightingale scooped up a loose ball and offloaded to Widdop who dummied past the defence to stroll over for his second on the hour mark. There was still time for one more highlight when Widdop sliced through to put Thompson over for his third, with the Englishman's conversion tying Amos Roberts and Jamie Soward's club-record haul of 22 points in a game. Dragons 42 (Joel Thompson 3, Gareth Widdop 2, Jack de Belin, Cameron McInnes tries; Gareth Widdop 7 goals) def. Panthers 10 (Waqa Blake, Tyrone Peachey tries; Nathan Cleary 1 goal) at UOW Jubilee Oval. Half-time: 18-4 Crowd: 7,283. MASON CITY | The City Council will hold a public hearing and then act on a proposed budget that will show a slight decrease in the overall tax levy. However, property owners will experience an increase in property taxes caused entirely by an increase in the state rollback, according to Finance Director Kevin Jacobson. A home with a value of $100,000 will have a tax increase of just under $18 in city taxes because of the rollback. Jacobson said property owners will see an increase in their utility bills of about 52 cents a month for the typical consumer an increase in the water bill of about 1 percent and a 25 cent a month increase for sanitation. Capital project expenses are projected at almost $20.6 million, compared to $16.4 million in this fiscal year. Projects for the coming year include police, fire and ambulance equipment, park and airport improvements, street construction projects, water and sewer improvements and the proposed Federal Avenue parking structure. The city's regular general levy will remain at $8.10 per thousand, the maximum allowed. The debt levy will decrease 27 cents from $274 per $1,000 to $2.47 per thousand. This decrease is due to the additional valuation, said Jacobson, caused from the revaluation of commercial property and limiting the amount of debt for capital improvement projects. The special revenue levy, used to fund police and fire retirement, FICA, IPERS and health insurance will increase from $2.55 per thousand to $2.80 per thousand. The increase is due to additional costs in these areas, said Jacobson. Strack & Van Til is closing five stores, including its longtime store in Merrillville. Vice President of Human Resources Derek Kinney said the supermarket chain was closing the decades-old Merrillville location at 7201 Taft St. and four Illinois stores, including a Strack & Van Til and and an Ultra in Chicago. He said it was a difficult decision the Highland-based company made because the stores weren't profitable and their leases were up. "We're very saddened having to do this," he said. "We thank our customers for their patronage and our workers for their hard work. This had nothing to do with either of them. It was a business decision we had to make. It's a sad time for us. We want to grow the business and provide jobs." An estimated 460 workers will lose their jobs at the stores in Merrillville, Chicago, Downers Grove and Lombard. Kinney said Strack & Van Til is trying to place as many of the displaced employees as possible in other stores. Merrillville Town Council President Richard Hardaway said the town was reeling from the loss of the grocery store, which has been there since the 1970s. "Residents can still go to Ultra or Save-A-Lot or Ruler or the Meijer down on U.S. 30, but it was a neighborhood grocery store that had been there for a lot of years and that people continued to frequent," he said. Hardaway estimates around 90 people will lose their jobs. "We're always concerned about empty buildings," he said. "It's a sad day in Merrillville. We don't need another potential vacant building in town." He hopes a new business, perhaps another grocery store, will swoop in to take over the leased building Strack & Van Til will vacate when it closes all five stores April 30. At Home swiftly replaced the Kmart that closed on U.S. 30. "Hopefully there's another business waiting in the wings," he said. "We're just trying to recuperate from this announcement." Strack & Van Til will continue to operate 32 stores in Indiana and Illinois under the Strack & Van Til, Ultra Foods and Town & Country brand names. The chain is closing roughly a third of its stores in Illinois, where company officials have said the grocery market is much more competitive. Strack & Van Til has a stronger brand in Northwest Indiana, where it's operated since 1959 and where it's widely thought of as the hometown grocer. The company reviewed its portfolio as leases came up for renewal, and decided to close locations that were underperforming, Kinney said. "The main reason for the closing is the profitability of the stores," he said. "It's such a difficult decision because of our people and our loyal customers. We will never take this lightly. We're sensitive to the plight of the community, and will try to get as many employees as we can to surrounding stores." * Be sure to read the first of four special Progress editions focusing on the Region at work. Each edition will be inserted into the Sunday Times through March. * On A1: Northwest Indiana's smoke shop owners fear a proposed $1 per pack cigarette hike, which would pay for health care costs associated with smoking, will significantly hurt their business. They worry the tax hike, combined with a 10 cent per gallon increase in gas taxes, could mean a loss of traffic from Illinois residents who cross over the state line. * Keep an eye out for $253 in coupon values. VALPARAISO For members of the Valparaiso University chapter of Pi Beta Phi, reading is more than fundamental it's essential. The women's fraternity, which has had a chapter at VU for 19 years, is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the organization's founding on April 28, 1867 at Monmouth University in Monmouth, Illinois, with a book drive. The drive is going to be launched after students return from spring break on March 20, said Paige VanBergen, the chapter's vice president of philanthropy. "We will be sending emails to all the other philanthropic organizations and staff in the VU community," said VanBergen, a sophomore education major from Geneva, Illinois. VanBergen is hoping to reach out further into the Valparaiso and Porter County community this year to add to the collection of books they will be able to donate. Anyone interested in donating to the book drive can email VanBergen at inthetavppa@gmail.com. The books will be donated to the Hilltop Neighborhood House for its day care program. Chapter president Betsy Pogue, also a sophomore education major, said the emphasis on reading and helping children isn't new to the fraternity. "We pay a lot of attention to literacy. Our theme is 'Read. Lead. Achieve,'" said Pogue. The fraternity has a book drive every year for the Hilltop organization. Members also participate in the Champions are Readers program in which they tutor children at various locations, including the Valparaiso YMCA, Porter County Boys and Girls Club and Hilltop. There are 83 members in the VU chapter, with 25 living in the fraternity house, which serves not only as a living quarters but also as a gathering place for members, Pogue said. While many are education members, the fraternity's members also include future engineers and other majors, said Pogue. The women's fraternity was organized initially as a secret society for women, patterned after men's organizations. One of its founders was Libbie Brooks Gaddis. A tribute to her is being driven across country in recognition of the group's 150th anniversary. Daphney Bitanga, Pi Beta Phi's traveling event specialist, has been driving "Libbie," a specially decorated vehicle, across country since January 2016, visiting as many of the fraternity's 140 chapters and 300 alumni clubs as possible, leading up to the April 28 anniversary. She stopped by the VU chapter earlier this week. Bitanga, of San Diego, California, said literacy is important to the worldwide organization and that the Pi Beta Phi Foundation has donated 20,000 books to each of five cities this year. A River Grove, Illinois, man who fled to Mexico for five years to evade arrest for his involvement in a 2010 drug deal in East Chicago was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison. Rogelio Maldonado, 32, pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. District court records show. Under the terms of Maldonado's sentencing, he will be placed on four years of supervised release after his prison term. Maldonado was first arrested in December 2010 and placed on pretrial supervision with electronic monitoring. Authorities later learned he had fled to Mexico, court records show, after he failed to attend a court hearing in connection with the case. In August 2016, Maldonado's attorney contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana to say his client wanted to turn himself in to U.S. authorities. He was met by U.S. Marshals when he crossed the country's border, court records show. Maldonado will be housed in the Federal Correctional Institution Oxford in Wisconsin, where he will participate in a residential drug treatment program, court records show. Under the sentencing agreement, Maldonado will also be given credit for all time served while awaiting sentencing. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy VALPARAISO After losing her sister to a heroin overdose 12 years ago, Amy Kelly said she moved from Porter County to Lake County in hopes of keeping her son away from the drug. "I just want them to know how severe the problem is in this county," said Kelly, who was among 40 people out in a frigid wind Friday morning to rally along Lincolnway in front of the Porter County courthouse. The rally was organized by Portage resident Benjamin Walker, who said he wanted to draw more attention to Porter County's drug problem and push for more treatment options. "I have a lot of friends in jail over this stuff," he said. Walker himself has been in jail as a result of his drug problems and said his probation officer was likely looking out of the nearby courthouse on the rally. He said officials in neighboring LaPorte County offer help to those who come forward, but there is fear the same approach would land someone in jail in Porter County. It was his children who proved to be the most help to his own problem. "I looked in the mirror one day and said, 'Is this what I really want for my kids?'" Walker said. Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel said when contacted later in the day that the drug task force from his office has been working diligently with local police to address the opioid abuse problem. "We are focusing on investigating and prosecuting drug dealers while at the same time expending available resources to rehabilitate drug addicted users," he said. Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds said the jail is the county's only detox center. "We do provide treatment in the jail during incarceration and additional support outside the jail upon release," he said. "In the jail, we have increased our drug treatment programs, included the therapeutic community in the jail and have our IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program) program available to the inmates suffering from addiction." "Those are all available, but you cant force them to go," Reynolds said. "But they have lots of options available." He said those seeking more options need to speak to the various treatment centers outside the jail. Many of those rallying Friday had lost friends or family members to drugs, including Chesterton resident Kate Garrity. Her 25-year-old son, who was living in New Jersey, suffered a fatal overdose of Xanax and fentanyl, a lethally potent heroin substitute, after a year of sobriety on Oct. 20, she said. "He was dead the second he put that in his arm," she said. Garrity, who wore a T-shirt with her son's smiling face, was among those who feel Porter County is not doing enough about this problem. "Porter County does nothing," she said. "They just kind of sweep it all under the rug. They need to wake up." Portage resident Todd Doland said his son has been in jail four times on heroin-related charges and is now in rehabilitation in Texas. "I don't think any good American wants to lay down," he said. "I'm a fighter." Kouts resident Jill Striker said neither she nor anyone she knows has a drug problem. "I came out for all these people," she said. 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. Organizers are cranking up the volume for the fall Breitling Huntington Beach Airshow with the addition of an Air Force F-16 Viper to the line-up. On Friday it was announced that one of the the Air Forces premier air and ground combat fighters from the F-16 Fighting Falcon Demo team would be cranking and banking over the skies of Huntington Beach, during the second annual event, scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 1. The Air Combat Command F-16 Demonstration Team, based at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., performs precision aerial maneuvers to demonstrate the unique capabilities of the aircraft. The team is led by Captain John Rain Waters and Master Sergeant Rich Hall. The F-16s official name is Fighting Falcon, but, according to Air Force literature, it is most often called the Viper by pilots and crews, due to a perceived resemblance to a viper snake, as well as the Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper starfighter. The F-16 team joins the US Navy Blue Angels, Canadian Royal Forces Snowbirds and other civilian performers and aircraft in the second iteration of the air show that drew an estimated 500,000 to Huntington Beach for the inaugural edition in 2016. General admission to the show is free and premium hospitality options are available in a range of prices. The Aerospace Education Foundation of Huntington Beach, a nonprofit that encourages education and careers in the aerospace and aviation fields, is a beneficiary of a portion of proceeds. For more information, visit hbairshow.com. Do Americans want to make health care great again? Evidence is mixed, according to different standards. And now that Republicans are in the awkward position of having to risk offering an Obamacare substitute that turns out to be more inconvenient, less stable or more burdensome up front, their hesitancy in dreaming big is growing apace. Yet, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Its likely that what Americans want most of all, as a group, is to make health care easy, and that once this is achieved to their satisfaction, other traditional Republican goals can come back into the picture. The root reason Obamacare has not been a runaway success is because it is too difficult. Implementing the law was itself a near-catastrophe. Many state exchanges have folded. A very substantial portion of expanded health care coverage under the dispensation the U.S. Supreme Court used to settle federal health care law has come under Medicaid, not health insurance purchased on an exchange. In fact, the relative ease of expanding, accessing and using Medicaid has a greater importance than just as an index of how difficult Obamacare has been for many Americans. But the prevailing reason for another round of reform, or, at least, an attempt at reform, comes more from Americans deep frustration with the sheer complexity and onerousness of obtaining, comprehending and utilizing their health care coverage despite big promises from Democrats under Obama that the Affordable Care Act would deliver a seamless transition into smoother sailing. This is why the Republican task of delivering on Americans hopes for reform is so challenging. The constituency for an above all freer-market health care experience is very small. Few Americans first priority in health care is to take the measure of their health care system and find that it corresponds well to free-market principles, whether those include competition across state lines, a rich variety of benefits plans or only a minimum of reliance on government aid or products marketed by corporate quasi-cartels. For this reason, Republicans know that they cannot simply whip up a more free-market alternative to Obamacare, pass it and wait for the plaudits to roll in. But the problem is more difficult still. If free-market economics is not the animating principle of health care reform, what is? Especially at a moment when congressional Republicans remain afraid of suffering at the hands of President Trump and his own emboldened constituency, any replacement for Obamacare will have to have two ungainly features: It will have to be piecemeal, and it will have to be phased in. No system will be chiseled from a single block of political marble and lowered from the policy heavens. Although the conceptual and practical awkwardness of the replacement regime cuts strongly against the grain of the longing for simplicity in health care reform, the devil is in the detail that a more simplistic system will actually be more jarring and burdensome to implement. It will put Americans through much more of a painful runaround even if their coverage is basically uninterrupted and, at least marginally, improves than a phased-in patchwork system where some offerings become more free-market, others become more statist and still others more or less just tweak what Obamacare has already done. And to put the cherry on top of Republicans worries, even if they manage to pull off this legislatively sophisticated and complicated transition, it may still, because of the many moving parts and the inevitability of unforeseeable consequences, cause enough Americans to become even more frustrated about health care as an only partly private enterprise that Republicans themselves will bear the blame. Here, the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democrats would, indeed, receive this news like manna from policy heaven a golden opportunity for them to gloat over the inherent failure of free markets and corporatist health care alike, and to push hard at a moment of public weakness for a full-blown, single-payer system of universal care. It would, after all, be easier to implement than Obamacare! Nevertheless, things are not as grim or paralyzing for Republicans as, at first, it may appear. Some of the sharpest health care analysts on the right-of-center side are now beginning to coalesce around an understanding that reform can be phased in, with a little care and some hard work, in a way that increases system stability as it goes. Part of this, to the inevitable chagrin of the free marketeers, will include further expansions of Medicaid in all likelihood, through the discretion of state governments, many of which are firmly Republican and can give cover to Washington while lending credibility to the famously ridiculed Tea Party sign demanding government hands off my Medicare. The next step would probably restore or add some free-market elements that Obamacare took off the table, perhaps by enabling more competition across state lines and cutting away at the virtual monopoly some providers have in coverage areas notionally improved by Obamacare. Finally, whats left of the ACA system can be tackled in the weeds, stripping out what has been ineffective or controversial (coverage for unlawful entrants?) and retaining politically low-cost features in order to bring the whole reform process to as reasonably swift an end as possible. Will what emerges be a truly great American health care system? Probably not at least not in the immediate term. But, for officials nervous about the next election cycle, it need only be good enough. And, for the beleaguered American people, the simple goals of a functional, reliable system that can be readily understood and utilized would be a giant leap forward all on its own. James Poulos is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. A few lucky visitors to Disney California Adventure got an extra special treat, a chance to meet Dan Stevens, who plays the Beast in Disneys new live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. Those lucky visitors happened to be inside the Sunset Showcase Theater at noon Friday to see a preview of the new film. When the preview was over, Disneyland Ambassador Mikey Trujillo walked out to greet the crowd. But what made it extra special was when he brought Stevens on stage. Stevens walked out on stage to applause and shouts of joy, mostly from the ladies. Then he surprised the audience with tickets to see the entire movie Friday evening at Downtown Disneys AMC Theatres. The film opens wide March 17. Contact the writer: meades@scng.com or follow on twitter @markaeades Recently I had two very different encounters regarding Proposition 13 that should be wake up calls for both California taxpayers and those that are committed to protecting Prop. 13. The first was at a reception for leaders of a service organization that I belong to. A group of us were discussing the Orange County cities that we live in and after hearing about one members beach front home he purchased over 40 years ago, a gentleman remarked how lucky that homeowner was that he was protected by Proposition 13 while those of us who bought our houses post passage of Prop. 13 were not. The second was at a program sponsored by the Orange County Association of Realtors that featured a panel that included the newly elected chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, Fran Sdao. Ms. Sdao made the statement that California needed to revisit Prop. 13 and inferred that California taxpayers were not sending Sacramento enough money. And although I was gratified by the negative reaction her comments elicited from the audience, I was also aware that the battle to protect Prop. 13 was going to become even more important than before. It has become clear that there is a new generation of homeowners that need to be reminded of how they are protected by Prop. 13 and how high their property taxes would be if not for those protections. Every homeowner in California, whether they purchased their home yesterday or in 1978 is protected under Prop. 13. Prior to the passage of Prop. 13, homeowners were at the mercy of an elected county assessor who based property tax rates on an arbitrary and subjective evaluation. Now, every homeowner has their property tax rate set at 1 percent of the initial market value and any annual increase will be capped at 2 percent. The longer someone stays in their home, the lower their effective tax rate will be in comparison to market value. According to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association the average tax rate in place when Prop. 13 passed was 2.6 percent, and in some counties the rate was much higher. Lets give the California Legislature the benefit of the doubt and say that 39 years later, without Prop. 13, the average would only be at 3 percent, a modest 0.4 percent increase. At the end of 2016 the median price for all homes in Orange County hit $665,000. Without Prop. 13 in place, and only applying the average tax rate of 3 percent, instead of paying an initial property tax of $6,650 the new homeowner would be saddled with a $19,950 bill, a difference of $13,300. And thats just the start. Without Prop. 13s yearly increase cap of 2 percent, who knows what their next bill might be. California home values are always moving up, sometimes a lot more than the 2 percent cap. There was an over 5 percent jump from the end of 2015 median home price at $631,250 to the 2016 median price. Ms. Sdaos comments need to be taken seriously. The Orange County Taxpayers Association is hearing more and more that the bureaucrats in Sacramento are looking for ways to increase the flow of money into the states coffers, and have the repeal or weakening of Prop. 13 in their sites. All property owners must stand firmly together to protect Prop. 13 or see their yearly property tax bills increase to a point where very few will be able to afford to own a home. Carolyn Cavecche is CEO and president of the Orange County Taxpayers Association. Life is good if youre a lesser prairie chicken. While millions of young Americans wonder how theyll ever afford a home, the wildlife agencies of five states have joined with the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies to secure tens of thousands of acres of grassland for the cheerful little members of the grouse family. Everybodys pitching in. ConocoPhillips just funded a grant of nearly $200,000 to restore lesser prairie chicken habitat in New Mexico. Alexa Sandoval, chair of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative Council, said the funds will be applied to the continued implementation of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Rangewide Plan. This grant will contribute to the combined efforts to keep the bird off the endangered species list, said Sandoval, who is also the director of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. At stake: energy and agriculture enterprises in Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Currently, the lesser prairie chicken is not on the endangered list. In 2014, a group called WildEarth Guardians sued the federal government to force a speedier determination of the birds status, and the government settled, entering into an agreement called a consent decree and listing the lesser prairie chicken as threatened. Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Pruitt filed a lawsuit over the settlement, which he said violated the Endangered Species Act by making a determination without public input from states, businesses or citizens. Pruitt said federal agencies had a pattern of colluding with like-minded special interest groups by using sue and settle tactics to reach friendly settlements of lawsuits filed by the interest groups. He said the practice violated the law and was having a crippling effect on the U.S. economy. There were more lawsuits, and the lesser prairie chicken was delisted last July after a federal judge ruled the government failed to consider the voluntary efforts to save the birds habitat. The Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative Council reported last March that the conservation plan had led to a 25 percent increase in the birds population, with almost $51 million in fees and more than 67,000 acres pledged to the effort. But environmental groups sued again, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it would be undertaking a thorough re-evaluation of the birds status and the threats it faces, to determine anew whether the bird should be listed as endangered. This is what Scott Pruitt, the newly confirmed head of the Environmental Protection Agency, was talking about when he told the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland recently, Were not going to have sue-and-settle, were not going to have consent decrees, were not going to lead that agency in a way thats regulation-through-litigation. Were not going to bypass rulemaking. Were going to do the work that Congress said we must do to advance those issues. Pruitt promised the rule of law, including cooperation between the federal government and the states. When the rule of law is applied, it provides certainty to those that are regulated, Pruitt said. Those in industry should know whats expected of them. Those in industry should know how to allocate their resources to comply with regulations passed by the EPA. A transparent process for environmental rules will be good for business and will help to create jobs. Maybe the future habitat of the endangered American college student can be saved after all. Susan Shelley is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. Reach her at Susan@SusanShelley.com and follow her on Twitter: @Susan_Shelley. FULLERTON A 22-year-old Santa Ana man pleaded guilty Friday to involuntary manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of a teenage boy and was sentenced to nearly a year in jail, or time already served behind bars, and five years of formal probation. Matthew Jacob Granados accepted a plea deal from Orange County Superior Court Judge Roger Robbins that dismissed a sentencing enhancement for being armed with a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Keith Burke. If Granados violates the terms of probation, he could face up to four years in prison, the prosecutor said. Granados, who was sentenced to 358 days in jail, has been in custody since last Sept. 6. His 41-year-old father, Alexander Christopher Granados, pleaded guilty in October to being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to 80 days in jail, or time already served behind bars. The younger Granados and the victim, 16-year-old Alex Adrian Ramirez, were both sitting on a small sofa, dozing off, when the shooting happened last Sept. 4, Burke said. Granados, who was high at the time, asked Alex who was a friend of the defendants brother to get up and scoot over to a bed to pass out, Burke said. As they leaned forward, the defendant grabbed the gun he had lying on his chest and accidentally pulled the trigger, the prosecutor said. Police responded about 11:45 p.m. to reports of a shooting at the Granados residence in the 3600 block of West Hazard Avenue and found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body. The teen was pronounced dead at a hospital. The defendant ran away before paramedics arrived, and his father misled police to help his son avoid arrest, according to authorities. ANAHEIM Danniella Plascencias idea for drawing the attention of children who might participate in a county law enforcement program to fight gang involvement was to go colorful and bright. Plascencia, 11, a Walter Elementary School sixth-grader, said she channeled her inner Pablo Picasso one of her favorite artists for the rainbow design that now wraps the Land Rover used by the Orange County Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership, or OC GRIP, for its public outreach. I was just trying to be creative, Plascencia said. I wanted to create something vibrant, happy and that would get kids attention. Plascencias design was chosen from those submitted by 120 students from 50 elementary schools countywide. She was recognized in a ceremony at her campus on Friday, attended by District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and other school and law enforcement officials, along with her peers. OC GRIP, 10 years strong, is a nonprofit involving the Orange County District Attorneys office, law enforcement agencies, schools and community partners. Its goal is to prevent kids from joining gangs and provide education and resources to families. Its grown tremendously, Deputy District Attorney Susan Eckermann said of the program. Were getting kids involved early and, as a result, weve seen an increase in attendance. Truancy, suspensions and expulsions are down, too. Starting in September, employees from Ford Motor Co. in Irvine met once a month, after school, with kids in the OC GRIP program, talking with them about designing cars, marketing and the importance of education. The Ford teams helped the kids come up with designs for the competition and chose the winning entry. RMD Group, another OC GRIP partner, wrapped the car with Plascencias winning design for free. Along with the OC GRIP seal, the phrases Education Empowerment, I am special and Respect are incorporated into the design. Cpt. David Sawyer, a division commander in the Orange County Sheriffs Department, said he loved the Land Rovers new look. This will really appeal to the kids, he said. Taking a photo in front of the vehicle, Eliza Gomez, a sixth grader, said the colorful design made her happy. The OC GRIP vehicle will be used for community events, schools and other outreach programs. Sacrifices of the Lenten season can benefit Habitat for Humanity of Orange County under a giving campaign called 40 Days for Families. People who observe Lent are being asked to set aside $1 a day to donate to the home-building nonprofit at the end of Lent, a time when Christians traditionally give up something in their lives as a sacrifice before Easter Sunday. Habitat for Humanity is a worldwide charity that builds affordable homes for families and communities who also invest their own sweat equity in the projects. Families with children are especially encouraged to participate, said Gladys Hernandez, director of communications at Habitat for Humanity OC: This is a campaign to get everybody involved. The campaign is the idea of the Catholic Coalition, a group of volunteers working to expand support in the local faith community for Habitat for Humanity. Members of the Catholic Coalition, who also are fundraising to help Habitat finance a home in Tustin to be built this year for a military veterans family, have spread the word at their churches, Hernandez added. Whatever money is collected through April 15 can be brought to participating churches or dropped off at Habitat for Humanity offices in Santa Ana. Or, someone from the nonprofit will come pick it up, Hernandez said. We will travel, even for $40. To find out more about 40 Days for Families, contact Tristen Seagondollar at Habitat for Humanity OC, 714-434-6200, ext. 226, or tristen@habitatoc.org. To learn more about the nonprofit, go to habitatoc.org. Contact the writer: 714-796-7793 or twalker@ocregister.com This Tuesday, Los Angeles County voters will decide Measure H, a proposed sales tax increase to pay for homeless programs. This tax increase will be in addition to the property tax increase to pay for bonds for homeless programs just enacted by the city of Los Angeles last November with Measure HHH. If you are wondering why Angelinos should tax themselves even more, youre asking the right question. California is one of the most heavily taxed states in America with the highest income tax rate, the highest state sales tax and nearly the highest gas costs due to both the high excise tax on each gallon sold plus the additional costs embedded as a result of environmental regulations. And even with Proposition 13, California ranks in the top third among all states in per capita property taxes collected. The inability of our political leaders to prioritize spending is driving both the state and our major cities into insolvency. If massive spending on homeless programs assuming it does any good at all is what the county wants to do, then it should reduce spending on other programs of a lower priority. But this column is not about the issue of homelessness or even the high tax burden in Los Angeles. It is about the wrongful and illegal practice by Los Angeles County of spending taxpayer dollars to run television ads touting Measure H. Even for voters who are sympathetic to the plight of the homeless, and even for those inclined to vote for Measure H, this ought to cause great offense. Lets be clear. The use of taxpayer funds for political advocacy is against the law. The free speech clauses of the federal and state constitutions prohibit the use of governmentally compelled monetary contributions (including taxes) to support or oppose political campaigns since Such contributions are a form of speech, and compelled speech offends the First Amendment. (Smith v. U.C. Regents, 1993.) Moreover, Use of the public treasury to mount an election campaign which attempts to influence the resolution of issues which our Constitution leaves to the free election of the people (see Constitution, Art. II, 2) presents a serious threat to the integrity of the electoral process.(Stanson v. Mott, 1976.) The pricey television ads viewers are now seeing on their screens in favor of Measure H clearly cross the line into political advocacy. The television ads are not merely informational pieces, they specifically reference Measure H and then exhort viewers to Vote on March 7th. In addition, the website and social media outreach campaign conducted by the county raises additional legal problems. The countys expenditure of public resources to advance Measure H violates core democratic principles by presenting unbalanced advocacy. It is a serious breach of the public trust when government officials spend public funds to create an advantage for one side of a political campaign. The county may argue that none of the communications come right out and says Vote Yes on H. But that is not the test. Informational activity conducted by government much be objective and balanced. The countys television ads and other outreach efforts to voters are anything but. In the only good news for taxpayers, government watchdog groups like the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association have a solid track record in successfully suing both the state and local governments for these types of offences. Indeed, HJTA has already filed a complaint against L.A. County with the Fair Political Practices Commission as well as submitted a request under the Public Records Act in order to determine both the extent and cost of the illegal activity. It is adding insult to injury when taxpayer dollars are spent to hurt the interests of taxpayers. Perhaps Los Angeles County voters should consider this on Tuesday. Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. LOS ANGELES The Buss familys battle for control of the Lakers escalated on Friday. Jeanie Buss went to court to block an effort by Jim and Johnny Buss to vote her off the Lakers board of directors, an allegation the brothers attorneys say has no basis in reality. The matter came to a quick end when Jeanie Buss withdrew her request for a temporary restraining in Los Angeles County Superior Court after the brothers dropped their request for a board meeting she felt was a move against her, but it might just be the opening skirmish in a bigger family fight over one of the most storied franchises in sports. A larger lawsuit in probate court is pending. It is good news for fans that Jim and Johnny backed down in court today, but, sadly, I fear today may be just the beginning, Adam Streisand, attorney for Jeanie Buss, said in an email to Southern California News Group. The public spat comes just over a week after Jeanie Buss ousted Jim Buss as the Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations and replaced him with Magic Johnson. She also fired longtime general manager Mitch Kupchak, who Johnson replaced with player agent Rob Pelinka. Despite the fact that Petitioner gave Jim more than ample time to prove himself as executive vice president of basketball operations, she could not allow the damage being done over the past several years to continue, the court filing said. Petitioner reassigned Jim to a different role within the Lakers organization. Almost immediately, this Notice and the actions described herein followed. An injunction is necessary to prevent irreparable injury to the Lakers. A new Controlling Owner would have the power to make changes that could cause serious and irreversible damage to the Lakers basketball team and to the brand, particularly at this key juncture when Petitioner has taken significant steps to attempt to reverse the harm done by Jim. Well before his passing in February 2013 at the age of 80, the Lakers former longtime owner Jerry Buss had set up the family trust for his children, Jeanie, Jim, Johnny, Joey, Jesse and Janie. The six Buss children co-own 66 percent of the Lakers in trust. The three trustees are Jeanie, Johnny and Jim Buss, meaning the two brothers might have thought they had the votes to control the trusts actions. Jeanie Buss declined comment, and Jim Buss did not return messages seeking comment. Robert Sacks, attorney for the brothers, told The Associated Press by phone that the brothers have no interest in wresting control from their sister and the entire court fight is unnecessary. Both Jim Buss and Johnny Buss hoped that any issues would be handled within the family, Sacks said. He added that the brothers have said both verbally and in corporate documents that they support keeping her as controlling owner. Jeanie Buss filing said the brothers had requested a board of directors meeting be held next week and included a list of four proposed directors who could be elected there. That list did not include Jeanie Buss, who is required to be a director in order to be a controlling owner. Buss and her attorneys took that as a sign that they intended to oust their sister, and went to court to stop it. Sacks said the brothers did indeed want a board of directors meeting because the organization was overdue for one, but that it had nothing to do with wresting control from Jeanie Buss. The brothers withdrew their request for the meeting, and Jeanie Buss withdrew the court request to stop it. An initial hearing in a potential probate trial between the siblings is scheduled for May 15. The NBA seems to side with Jeanie Buss, in what could become an ongoing family dispute for control of the Lakers. Jeanie Buss is the sole Governor of the Los Angeles Lakers and under league rules, she has control over the team, NBA spokesman Mike Bass wrote, in a statement. She has not only been a terrific leader for the Lakers organization, guiding the business before and after her fathers passing, but an incredibly influential voice among all our team owners. Im confident we will continue to uphold Dr. Buss wishes and Jeanie will remain in control, Streisand said. The fight is just the latest round of negative news and upheaval for the Lakers, who for decades had an ownership and management structure that was the envy of the league. The possible probate battle and ongoing family feud that looms is more reminiscent of the Clippers, whose then-owner Donald Sterling and estranged wife Shelly Sterling got into an ugly probate-court fight over the ownership and sale of the team several years ago. The Lakers have already had a woeful run on the court, steadily declining since their last back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. They havent made the playoffs since 2013. The Associated Press contributed to this story. BEIJING FAKE NEWS, a Twitter post declared. Prejudice-based, another said. Cleverly orchestrated lies, a news article asserted. President Donald Trumps harangues against the U.S. news media appear to have inspired a new genre of commentary in Chinas state media, whose propagandists spiced up social media posts and news articles with Trumpian flourishes this week. Peoples Daily, the flagship newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, mimicked Trumps characteristic bluster and his fondness for capital letters on Friday in denouncing Western news coverage of a Chinese lawyer and human rights advocate who said he had been tortured. An article on the topic a day earlier by Xinhua, the state-run news agency, had accused the foreign news media of hype and suggested that legal activists were manipulating the press to smear the Chinese government. The stories were essentially fake news, Xinhua wrote, adopting a phrase that Trump has embraced. The Chinese government has long denounced Western news organizations as biased and dishonest and in Trump, Beijing has found a U.S. president who often does the same. The irony in Chinas criticism is apparent, given Beijings history of obscuring facts and censoring stories that officials deem a threat to the party. The heated commentary in the Chinese news media came in response to foreign coverage of a Chinese lawyer, Xie Yang, whose account of torture at the hands of interrogators was widely reported in January, including in The New York Times. The reports about Xie, who is still in custody, were based on transcripts of his interviews with his lawyers. Xinhuas report suggested that the account of the torture of Xie, who was formally arrested last year on a charge of inciting subversion of state power, was fabricated. Xinhua said Jiang Tianyong, a prominent human rights lawyer, had invented the story and shared it with foreign activists. One of Xies lawyers, Chen Jiangang, denied that on Friday. In a statement, Chen reiterated that Xie had provided the account of his torture, describing in detail the meeting at which he had done so. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Obituaries Newsletter Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy WESTMINSTER A carjacker who stole an SUV with kids inside was sentenced Friday to more than a decade in prison. Thien Hoang Nguyen, 48, was convicted of more than a half-dozen felonies, including kidnapping, child endangerment, evading an officer and assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, in the theft from a Westminster parking lot. Nguyen sat in a holding area within a Westminster courtroom Friday listening intently through a Vietnamese language interpreter as Orange County Superior Court Judge Lance P. Jensen sentenced him to seven years to life for the kidnapping charge. Before he begins serving that sentence, Nguyen will have to serve at least 85 percent of the nine years and four months he received for the other felony counts. A father on April 10, 2015 was running errands with his children, ages, 5, 7 and 11, when he stopped at a water store on Bolsa Avenue near Magnolia Street to fill up some jugs. Expecting to only take a few minutes, the father left his children seated in his SUV with the engine idling as he entered the business. Nguyen got into the vehicle, ignoring the 11-year-old seated in the passenger seat and the younger children in the back seats as he drove out of the parking lot, prosecutors said. About a half-mile away, Nguyen came to a congested intersection at Magnolia Street and Hazard Avenue, sideswiping one vehicle and rear-ending another as he tried to get through. Taking advantage of the distraction, the 11-year-old grabbed his fathers cell phone out of the center console of the SUV, and told his younger siblings to get out of the vehicle. All three children were able to get to safety as Nguyen maneuvered his way out of the intersection. An off-duty Westminster officer saw the collisions at the intersection and followed Nguyen until marked police units arrived. A brief police pursuit ensued. Nguyens attorney, Deputy Public Defender Chris McGibbons, told the judge his client was homeless at the time of the carjacking, hadnt slept for several days and wanted to use the vehicle for shelter. He didnt know at the time that the children were in the car, McGibbons said. Nguyen chose to not make a statement to the judge before the sentencing, McGibbons said. Deputy District Attorney Brock Zimmon said those involved in the carjacking and the collisions were informed of Nguyens sentencing, but decided not to attend or provide statements to the court. BEIRUT After the battlefield of Iraqs Mosul, the next major campaign against Islamic State will be to take its de facto capital, the Syrian city of Raqqa. The Pentagon has drawn up a secret plan to do that, likely leaning on local allies with stepped up American support. The question is: In the tangled mess that is Syrias conflict, who are those local allies? Syrian government forces, Turkish troops and their Syrian militia allies, and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces all have their eye on Raqqa. Each vehemently rejects letting the others capture the city and would likely react in anger should the United States support the others. And it is not clear that any has the resources to take the city on its own. Raqqa is more of an abstract goal: everyone wants it in principle, but no one is willing to commit the resources and bear the risks necessary, said Faysal Itani, an analyst at the Washington-based Atlantic Council. The fall of Raqqa, Islamic States de facto capital and largest remaining stronghold, would be the biggest defeat for the militants in Syria since they captured the northern city on the banks of the Euphrates River in January 2014. President Donald Trump has vowed to obliterate the group. We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet, he told Congress on Tuesday. The top U.S. commander in the campaign against Islamic State, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, has said he believes Raqqa and Mosul will be taken within six months. So far, the offensive on Mosul has been underway four months, with only half the city captured from the militants in ferocious street-to-street urban combat. And that is using a relatively intensively trained and united military, backed by heavy U.S. firepower and commandos on the ground a contrast to the comparatively undisciplined and fragmented forces the U.S. has to choose from as allies in Syria. Raqqa is a smaller city than Mosul, but the militants are believed to have dug in with powerful fortifications there. In Syria, U.S-backed predominantly Kurdish fighters known as the Syria Democratic Forces, or SDF, remain Trumps best bet. Aided by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and some 500 U.S. special forces troops deployed in an advisory role, the force has been marching toward Raqqa since November. Closing in on the city from different directions, it is now stationed some eight kilometers (five miles) north of the city. The U.S. military recently provided a small number of armored vehicles to the U.S.-backed force to give better protection from small arms fire and roadside bombs as they get closer to Raqqa. Further aid to the rag-tag group, however, raises sensitive questions over how to deal with Turkey, a NATO ally with much at stake in Syria. Turkey considers the main Kurdish militia in Syria known as the YPG, and an affiliate of the U.S.-backed SDF a terrorist organization, and has vowed to work with Syrian opposition fighters known as the Free Syrian Army to liberate Raqqa. In a dramatic reversal of years of the Obama administrations calls for the ouster of President Bashar Assad, Trump has hinted he might be willing to work with Assads army and Russia, whose year-and-a-half military intervention has propped up Assads government. Assads forces are preoccupied with other battles, however, and would likely need significant U.S. military involvement to take on Raqqa. On Wednesday, the Syrian military recaptured the central town of Palmyra, a city located in the desert south of Raqqa that has gone back and forth between control of the military and the extremists several times. The government forces have also clashed with the Turkish-backed Syrian fighters, who block their path to Raqqa. Syrians are sharply divided over who should enter Raqqa. Many opposition supporters consider the SDF, which maintains a tacit non-aggression pact with Assads forces, to be a hostile group. There are also fears of tensions if Raqqa, home to a nearly 200,000 mainly Arab population, is taken by the SDF, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters. Let us be frank that any force that will liberate Raqqa, other than the Free Syrian Army, is going to be a new occupation force with different flags and banners, said Mohammed Khodor of Sound and Picture Organization, which tracks atrocities by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was even more blunt, warning that if the SDF enters Raqqa, it will hurt relations between Ankara and Washington. We have said that a terror organization cannot be used against another terror organization, the Turkish leader told the state-run Anadolu news agency. The Kurds reject that notion and insist that only forces fighting under the SDF banner will liberate Raqqa. Turkey is an occupation force and has no legitimate right to enter Raqqa, said SDF spokeswoman Cihan Sheikh Ehmed. In a text message exchange from northern Syria, she said the SDF has the experience in fighting Islamic State to finish the operation. Battlefield victories by the SDF against Islamic State have brought growing Western support. Asked if adding more U.S. troops or better arming Syrias Kurds were options, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he will accommodate any request from his field commanders. In Mosul, the U.S.-led coalition is playing a greater role than ever before in the fight against Islamic State and coalition forces have moved closer to front-line fighting. U.S. Air Force Col. John Dorrian says the increased support is an effort to accelerate the campaign against Islamic State, noting that launching simultaneous operations in both Mosul and Raqqa puts further strain on the enemys command and control. It is a complicating factor when you dont have a partner government to work with, conceded Dorrian, adding that whoever the coalition partners with in the fight for Raqqa is a subject of ongoing discussions. Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a Middle East analyst at the Jamestown Foundation who closely follows Kurdish affairs, says the U.S.-led coalition wants to have a quick end to Islamic State in Raqqa, from which external operations against the West are planned. That means it would prefer to work with the Kurdish-led SDF forces since they are able to mobilize manpower unlike the Turks, he said. In any case, the battle for Raqqa is sure to be a long and deadly one. It took the SDF nearly 10 weeks to capture the northern Syrian town of Manbij from Islamic State last year. It took Turkish forces and allied groups more than three months to retake the town of al-Bab, a costly battle that killed dozens of Turkish soldiers and many civilians. Raqqa is much larger than either Manbij or al-Bab. Some Syrian opposition activists say the extremists dug a trench around it to make it difficult for attackers to storm it. It would be difficult for any troops, said Itani of the Atlantic Council. Witness the slow and ugly progress in Mosul as well. Raqqa would be tough, he said. WASHINGTON During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trumps second campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, had regular communications with his longtime associate a former Russian military translator in Kiev who has been investigated in Ukraine on suspicion of being a Russian intelligence agent. At the Republican National Convention in July, J.D. Gordon, a former Pentagon official on Trumps national security team, met with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, when Gordon was helping keep hawkish language on Russias conflict with Ukraine out of the partys platform. And Jason Greenblatt, a former Trump Organization lawyer and now a special representative for international negotiations at the White House, met last summer with Rabbi Berel Lazar, chief rabbi of Russia and an ally of President Vladimir Putin of Russia. In a Washington atmosphere supercharged by the finding of the intelligence agencies that Putin tried to steer the election to Trump, as well as continuing FBI and congressional investigations, a growing list of Russian contacts with Trumps associates is getting intense and skeptical scrutiny. Democrats see suspicious connections and inaccurate denials as part of a pattern that belies Trumps adamant insistence that he and his associates have nothing to do with Russia. The presidents supporters say innocuous encounters, routine for any incoming presidential team, are being treated for political reasons as somehow subversive. Trump denounced the furor over Russian connections Thursday as a total witch hunt but it may not have helped his case that the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, echoed his words Friday, saying, This all looks like a witch hunt. On Friday, Trump posted a picture on Twitter of a meeting between Putin and Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, and wrote that we should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. The issue has had momentous consequences for the new administration. Michael Flynn lasted less than a month as national security adviser before being forced out for mischaracterizing his conversations with Kislyak. This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions admitted to having meetings with Kislyak that he had not disclosed during his confirmation hearing. Sessions fended off demands that he resign but agreed to recuse himself from what may be the most important investigation his Justice Department is conducting: of Russian meddling in the election and whether any of Trumps associates colluded in those efforts. And that did not end the issue; all nine Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee called Friday for Sessions to testify about his inaccurate denials that he had met with Russian officials during the campaign. Part of the problem underlying disputes over such contacts may be Trumps pugnacious style, which usually leaves little room for nuance. At a news conference last month, he said that he had nothing to do with Russia, and that to the best of my knowledge, no person that I deal with does. In fact, vigorous reporting by multiple news media organizations is turning up multiple contacts between Trump associates and Russians who serve in or are close to Putins government. There have been courtesy calls, policy discussions and business contacts, though nothing has emerged publicly indicating anything more sinister. A dossier of allegations on Trump-Russia contacts, compiled by a former British intelligence agent for Trumps political opponents, includes unproven claims that his aides collaborated in Russias hacking of Democratic targets. Current and former U.S. officials have said that phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election. Former diplomats and Russia specialists say it would have been absurd and contrary to U.S. interests for the Trump team to avoid meetings with Russians, either during or since the campaign. John R. Beyrle, U.S. ambassador to Moscow from 2008-12, said he feared that were beginning to out-Russian the Russians by treating all contacts as suspicious. When he returns to Russia now, he said, this real anti-Western, anti-American frenzy prompts some old acquaintances to refuse to meet him because they worry about being tagged as too friendly to the United States. Thats the last behavior we should model that simply meeting with a Russian official is wrong, without any knowledge of what was said, Beyrle said. In a possible sign that Trump hopes to put behind him the impression that he is an uncritical admirer of Putin, he is expected to name Fiona Hill, a respected Brookings scholar, to the top Russia post at the National Security Council, according to administration officials. Hill, who served as national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia from 2006-09, is viewed as a Putin skeptic, if not as outspoken in her criticism of the Russian leader as are some other academics. Angela Stent, a Russia expert at Georgetown, said Hill was realistic about Putin and praised the 2013 book she wrote with Clifford G. Gaddy, Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, as the best biography of the Russian leader. It might take a Russia scholar to unpack the significance of particular meetings that are coming to light in the glare of investigations and bare-knuckle politics. Lazar, who has condemned critics of Putins actions in Ukraine, is the leader of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch group in Russia, where it is a powerful organization running dozens of schools and offering social services across the country, while maintaining links to a lucrative financial donor network. Greenblatt, who handled outreach to Jews for the campaign, said that Lazar was one of several Chabad leaders he had met during the campaign. He said the two men did not discuss broader U.S.-Russia relations and called the meeting probably less than useful. Lazar said they had spoken about anti-Semitism in Russia, Russian Jews in Israel and Russian society in general. While he meets with Putin once or twice a year, he said, he never discussed his meeting with Greenblatt with Kremlin officials. Joshua Nass, a public relations executive in New York, confirmed arranging the meeting between Lazar and Greenblatt. Gordon, the former Pentagon official, portrayed his meeting with Kislyak at the Republican convention first reported by USA Today as similarly unremarkable. After a panel discussion, he said, he spoke briefly with dozens of ambassadors and senior diplomats including Kislyak. During a brief chat with the ambassador, Gordon said, he repeated some of the points made by the campaign on the importance of improving relations with Russia but did not get into substantive policy matters. At a meeting to draft the Republican platform, Gordon, representing Trumps views, opposed a delegate who wanted to call for providing lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine. Gordon said that proposal was soundly defeated by the other delegates in the national security subcommittee meeting. There was no connection, he insisted, between his chat with Kislyak and the platform language. Unfortunately some in the media have repeatedly tried to connect the dots where there was nothing to connect, he said. The case of Konstantin V. Kilimnik, who was previously Kiev manager of Manaforts consulting company, Davis Manafort International, is more complicated. A dual citizen of Russia and Ukraine, Kilimnik worked years ago as a translator in the Russian military. He was hired by Manafort in 2005 after he was dismissed from the Moscow office of the International Republican Institute, a U.S. democracy-building group, amid concerns that he was informing on its activities, according to a former employee, who said he could not speak publicly about personnel matters. From August until December of last year, Kilimnik was at least formally under investigation in Ukraine on suspicion of ties to Russian spy agencies, according to documents from Ukraines parliament and the prosecutor general. A defense lawyer and a former Ukrainian prosecutor characterized the investigation as unserious and politically motivated, and the inquiry closed without charges against Kilimnik. Kilimnik, in an interview in Kiev, said he had never been questioned by Ukrainian law enforcement over connections to Russian spy agencies. If there were any truth to me talking to any security service in the world, they would arrest me, he said. In a recent interview, Manafort said he thought there was no chance Kilimnik was a Russian agent. In their phone calls last summer, he said, the two men discussed a range of matters including news media reports that Russia was behind the hacking of Democratic targets. But at the time, he said, he and other Trump campaign officials had no idea who was responsible for the cyberattacks. A Washington felon was convicted on Friday of felony charges including pimping and human trafficking for forcing two women into prostitution on the streets of Orange County. Timogen Anthony Simpson, 27, of Kent, Washington faces more than 40 years in prison when he returns to court for sentencing on June 9, according to the Orange County District Attorneys Office. Prosecutors said Simpson has two prior felony convictions both in Washington for second degree robbery in 2009 and possession of a firearm by a felon in 2012. Prosecutors said Simpson brought two women with him from Washington to Orange County and forced the victims into solicitation in areas known for prostitution. Prosecutors said Simpson threatened one woman by not allowing her to eat or sleep until she made enough money and threatened to shoot her and her family if she left. The woman escaped and called police. Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com At a table inside Omahas Do Space, four Millard South High School students passed around a brightly colored, child-size prosthetic forearm and discussed the locking, easy-to-use elbow joint they were designing to top off the device. Harrison Pruitt, a senior, explained that the joint would have gearlike teeth at the bottom and a pin that allows the user to lock it in different positions. Initially it was a bit of trial and error going in, he said. Indeed, trial and error and if it works out, technological advances is what the University of Nebraska Medical Center Makers clubs second annual Invent-a-thon was all about. The Millard South team was one of five groups of area high school students who spent last week designing and creating using 3-D printing a solution to a real-world medical problem. On Friday, the teams presented their projects to a panel of judges on the UNMC campus. Students also had the option of using some of the augmented reality technology that will be featured in the universitys medical simulation training facility, known as iEXCEL. In essence, 3-D printing is the process of making a solid 3-D object based on a digital model. The printer feeds material plastic, rubber or even ceramic powder and resin, as one Omaha company uses through a head. There its heated and squeezed out through a small hole onto the printer bed. The head makes repeated passes and stacks up one layer at a time. Tim Bielecki, event organizer and a club member, said the event is intended to introduce metro-area students to 3-D printing and give them hands-on experience. I think were going to get some pretty cool stuff that may be patentable for these kids, said Bielecki, a UNMC doctoral student. The other four teams were a second group from Millard South, one each from Creighton Prep and Blair High School and one comprising students from South, Burke and Gretna High Schools who participate in the High School Alliance program at UNMC and take medical courses on campus. In the end, the team from Creighton Prep won the night. The challenge this year was to design a more mobile prosthetic elbow joint that can lock in place but that the wearer can easily unlock and move around using his intact arm. The project was based on the work of Jorge Zuniga, a University of Nebraska at Omaha researcher who has designed prosthetic hands that can be made inexpensively with a 3-D printer for kids who cant afford conventional prosthetic devices. UNO biomechanics is among the clubs collaborators. Pruitt, who plans to study engineering, said he enjoyed the chance to do hands-on work. He and a previous partner won last years competition with their design for a kind of exoskeleton equipped with low-powered motors. It was intended to assist people with multiple sclerosis in walking. This is the kind of thing Ive been looking forward to, he said. His team blended people with technical and medical interests, much like the Makers club itself. The three other members Madalyn McCullough, Lacy White and Elizabeth Chinowth, all are members of the schools HOSA-Future Health Professionals organization. We figured it would be a great opportunity to learn and expand our horizons, said McCullough, a freshman interested in medical research. She said she found it interesting that many prosthetic designs, including Zunigas, are available free on the Internet. The earlier youngsters start to use prosthetics, she explained, the more dexterous they become. Its a really great use of 3-D printing technology, she said. Makers started with five people and now numbers about 60 students, residents, faculty and staff. Bielecki and another club member already have helped Dr. Donny Suh, a pediatric eye surgeon and associate professor at UNMC, print a prototype of a new tool that Suh and his team designed to repair eye muscles in childrens eyes. Club members also have designed a syringe thats easier to hold and inject small amounts. We really believe with the groups that are already here, Omaha can be a 3-D printing hub, he said. Business and insurance interests are trying to wipe out insurance benefits that cover every working Iowan. Workers compensation is a required employee benefit. It covers medical treatment, lost wages, and compensation to workers injured on the job. At least thats what its supposed to do. In reality, insurance companies often abuse the system to delay and deny benefits to injured workers whose bills pile up. The lucky ones find a lawyer who can help them get medical care, pay bills, and feed their kids. The unlucky ones are left to borrow money from family, or go on public assistance. Leandra Haughey just started a new job in 2014, cleaning a Marshalltown meatpacking plant at night after meat-processors left for the day. This was not her dream job, but she was happy to have it. One night a coworker noticed she was lost, led her to the basement of the large empty plant, beat her, and raped her. (Leandras rapist is now in prison, where he belongs.) Iowas workers compensation laws required Leandras employer to provide prompt treatment for her physical and psychological injuries. Instead, they promptly denied her claim and fired her, but not the rapist. They continued to deny her treatment for 19 months until she hired me. This is an extreme example, but employers and insurance companies routinely delay and deny these guaranteed benefits. A bill (House Study Bill 169) in the Iowa legislature makes it easier for employers and insurance companies to dispose of you, rather than pay your benefits. Business and insurance interests are trying to sell this as a reform package to roll back court cases that helped workers. Thats false. In 2015, the national news publication ProPublica wrote about the demolition of workers compensation: Over the past decade, states have slashed workers compensation benefits, denying injured workers help when they need it most and shifting the costs of workplace accidents to taxpayers. This bill arbitrarily cuts off benefits for the most severely disabled workers at age 67. It slashes benefits for common workplace injuries, like shoulder injuries. It gives employers and insurance companies broad new authority to deny claims and delay benefits. And it virtually eliminates coverage for orthopedic injuries to workers who are overweight or over 40. Iowa is joining the race to the bottom in workers compensation. Will businesses save money? Of course. Workers and taxpayers will be picking up the tab from now on. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar slams Modi, says PM should focus more on weakening economy \"We have made this Gujarat\": PM Modi's new election slogan Assembly elections: Modi appeals to vote in Manipur, UP India ians-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, March 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appealed to the people of Manipur and Uttar Pradesh to vote in the ongoing state assembly polls. "Today (Saturday) is the first phase of the Manipur assembly polls. I appeal to voters in the seats polling today to turnout in record numbers and vote," Modi tweeted. "I appeal to all in Uttar Pradesh to join this festival of democracy and vote in large numbers," the Prime Minister said. Polling began for the first phase in 38 Manipur constituencies for the 11th state legislative assembly while for 49 seats in the sixth and penultimate phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections on Saturday morning. IANS Bengaluru Pre-school horror: Government shuts down school after allegation of sexual assault India oi-Anusha By Anusha Ravi Days after staff of a pre-school in Bengaluru was arrested for sexually assaulting toddlers the government has ordered for the pre-school to shut down. Seven FIRs were filed against Manjunath, a staff in the pre-school, for assaulting children after multiple cases came to light. The block education officer has passed an order asking the pre-school to shut down as it failed to obtain necessary permissions and failed to provide security to its students. The pre-school had been shut ever since a case was filed against its staff. The principal was also arrested by the police but was let off on bail. In a letter dated March 3, the department of public instruction has accused the pre-school for functioning without necessary permissions. "It is sad that the management failed to react when parents alleged sexual assault on children. The school also failed to provide a secure environment for the students. Hence, it cannot be allowed to reopen," the official communication said. The letter has also asked parents to shift their wards to nearby schools that are legally functioning. Angry parents had not allowed the pre-school to open since the incidents came to light and now the government has officially shut it down. Oneindia news People shiver even at the thought of naming their kids 'Gayatri': Yogi's dig at ex-SP minister Former district judge Rajendra Singh had no role to play in Gayatri Prajapati bail BJP wants SP-Congress to apologise for giving ticket to rape accused Prajapati India oi-Maitreyee Lucknow, March 4: As rape accused Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapati remains missing, the Bharatiya Janata Party asked the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance to tender a public apology for giving ticket to an alleged criminal on Saturday. "They (the SP-Congress) should have at least said in public that it was mistake to give ticket to Gayatri Prajapati and that we won't support him," union minister Venkaiah Naidu told ANI. They (SP-Cong) should have at least said in public that it was mistake to give ticket to Gayatri Prajapati&that we won't support him-V Naidu pic.twitter.com/4CZBTCc7Ty ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 Earlier in a television interview, SP president and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that his government in the state is providing necessary cooperation to the investigative agencies in finding out Prajapati. On Friday, media reports suggested that Prajapati was planning to fly abroad to avoid arrest for rape. Thus all airports and exit points across the country have been put on alert to avoid his escape from the country. Prajapati (49) is accused in separate cases of gangrape and an attempt to rape another woman and her minor daughter. Since the last few days, the SP leader has remained elusive. Acting on the Supreme Court's orders, police said they have been making efforts to nab Prajapati and they might even apply for cancellation of his passport so that the minister cannot escape from the country. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 4, 2017, 12:35 [IST] Court holds writ by Hindu petitioners in Gyanvapi case maintainable: What does this mean On camera: Varanasi folks in panic as 'ghost in white' goes for a walk on rooftops Varanasi to light up for Deep Deepavali, a festival of lights that is not Diwali Congress accuses Modi of violating model code by holding Varanasi road show India pti-PTI New Delhi, Mar 4: The Congress on Saturday alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi had violated the model code of conduct by holding a road show in Varanasi without permission of poll authorities and asked the Election Commission to take action against the Prime Minister and other senior BJP leaders. In a letter to the EC, the Congress alleged that Modi took out the road show in Varanasi from BHU 'without the necessary permission from the competent authority'. "It is requested that action may be taken and FIR registered against all BJP leaders including Narendra Modi who were part of the road show," said K C Mittal, AICC secretary incharge of legal and human rights cell. The opposition party said the entire video recording of the road show has been shown by various channels and election authorities must also have recorded the same. Mittal said the road show covers three assembly seats of Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt and Varanasi North and Modi also visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Kaal Bhairo Temple during the event. "All this was done without any requisite permission for conducting the road show from the competent authority of the Election Commission," Mittal told PTI. On a whirlwind day in his Lok Sabha constituency to rally voters around the BJP in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Modi took out a road show, offered prayers at the two historic temples and paid tributes to Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya today. His road show was held on a day when 49 constituencies went to polls in the sixth phase of UP Assembly elections and people in large numbers turned out as Modi's cavalcade moved at a snail's pace. BJP leaders believe the event, broadcast live on most regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to polls in the final phase on March 8. The seven-phase assembly polls in UP end on March 8 and results will be out on March 11. PTI Lunar eclipse 2022: Temples to be closed on Nov 8; Are you allowed to worship? Delhi: Four robbers held in Seelampur India pti-PTI New Delhi, Mar 4: Four men, accused of looting four-wheelers carrying metals like copper and aluminium, have been arrested in northeast Delhi's Seelampur area, police said on Friday. Mohit (20), Raju (20), Raheesh (32) and Yusuf(30) have been arrested and 80 kg of copper, two paper cutters and a motorcycle has been recovered from them, said Ajit Kumar Singla, deputy commissioner of police (Northeast range). According to a complaint lodged at Seelampur police station, on March 2 the complainant was going to deliver the consignment of copper to his customer in Mandoli. "He was alone in his vehicle. When he crossed Seelampur flyover and reached near Welcome Red Light, two robbers came on a motorcycle and overpowered him at knife-point," said the officer. Two other associates robbed four bundles of copper and let the complainant go, but threatened him of dire consequences if he told anyone about the incident. Singla said two suspects have been arrested after the police got a tip-off about them, while two others are still at large. Police is also on the lookout for their two associates Salman and Sonu Divana. PTI Modi arrives in special IAF chopper Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah and other senior leaders were present to greet him when he arrived at the Banaras Hindu University in a special Indian air force chopper. Thousands lined up for Modi's road show: Modi moved in his bulletproof car in a cavalcade to a guest house. Thousands of people were lined up along the routes of Modi's road show, ahead of the March 8 polls here. Supporters raise slogans 'Har har Modi, Ghar ghar Modi' Enthusiastic supporters cheer 'Modi Modi' as PM's roadshow proceeds towards Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. Scuffle between Samajwadi Party and BJP workers A minor scuffle between Samajwadi Party and BJP workers took place outside the Singh Dwar of the BHU from where the Prime Minister will start his road show. How a Kerala Catholic priest attempted to cover up the rape of a minor India oi-Anusha If not for an anonymous intimation to the child helpline, a Catholic priest in Kerala would have gotten away with raping and impregnating a 16-year-old minor. There are allegations that there was an attempt at the systematic cover up. Father Robin Vadakkumchery, 48, vicar of St Sebastian's church in Kottiyoor accused of raping the minor was finally arrested while he attempting to flee to Canada. It is alleged that Vadakkumchery had managed to silence the church-run hospital where the minor delivered an infant after being raped by the pastor. Further the allegation is that he had tried to cover up the crime by shifting them to an orphanage [Pastor rape case: Church must stand by the victims and not protect its own] Kerala-Catholic priest Robin Vadakkumchery, arrested y'day frm Thrissur over sexually abusing girl, to be produced before court later today. pic.twitter.com/Hyl4LJNAno ANI (@ANI_news) February 28, 2017 The child helpline was tipped off about the minor after she delivered a child, and filed a complaint with the police which marred the cover up plan. After making arrangements with the hospital and the church-run orphanage, the priest is alleged to have pressurised the victim's parents to take the blame upon themselves. While the police refused to file a complaint against the priest, the victim, more shockingly, accused her father of raping her. What came as a shocker to the investigating authorities was the victim's father accepting his daughter's allegations. The victim opened up about the actual accused only after multiple rounds of questioning by the police. Inconsistencies in her statement led the police to believe that the victim as well as her parents were trying to conceal the facts. It may be noted that the church refused to take any action against the pastor till a police complaint was filed despite the victim getting medical help from the church's hospital. The church claimed that it did not know of the incident till it became public. The victim as well as the new born were sent to the orphanage even as the police arrested the pastor and produced him before a court. The child helpline conducted a detailed probe into the anonymous intimation following which a police complaint was filed. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 4, 2017, 10:38 [IST] No more politics? Irom Sharmila plans to lead a peaceful life as an ordinary woman post marriage At 46, Iron Lady of Manipur Irom Sharmila gives birth to twins on Mother's Day Irom Sharmila's party colleague Erendro attacked during Manipur polls India oi-Maitreyee Imphal, March 4: In the last few days, several violent incidents, including bomb blasts, were reported from poll-bound Manipur. On Saturday, as the state voted for the first phase of Manipur Assembly elections 2017, Erendro Leichombam, a candidate belonging to Irom Sharmila's party--Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance--was attacked by unknown people. "Irom Sharmila's PRJA candidate Erendro attacked by unknown persons," reported ANI. #ManipurElection2017: Irom Sharmila's PRJA candidate Erendro attacked by unknown persons. pic.twitter.com/9sT0vWXPIP ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 The PRJA is contesting in three seats in the 60-member state assembly. Sharmila herself is fighting against incumbent Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in Thoubal constituency. On Saturday, Sharmila cast her vote at booth no. 3/39 of Khurai assembly constituency in Manipur. The peace activist-turned-politician said she was confident of her victory. #ManipurElection2017: Irom Sharmila casts her vote at booth no. 3/39 of Khurai assembly constituency, says she is confident of her victory. pic.twitter.com/Zi8cArRmRq ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 The 33-year-old Leichombam is a native of Imphal, the capital city of Manipur. He is a graduate of Harvard University. The former fellow at the World Bank and a former consultant at the United Nations Development Programme, Leichombam stayed in the US for 10 years before returning to his hometown. Like Sharmila, Leichombam also wants to fight for the rights of Manipuri people and supports the revocation of the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state. OneIndia News Congress leader urges US President Joe Biden to take steps against 'increase' in hate crimes against Sikhs Killing of an Indian may not be hate crime: US official India pti-PTI New Delhi, Mar 4: The External Affairs Ministry on Saturday said the county sheriff in Lancaster in the US has suggested that the killing of a 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner there may not be a hate crime. Condoling the death of Harnish Patel, an official in the ministry said the local authorities were investigating the case and the government will remain in touch with them. The Indian Consulate General in Atlanta is in touch with the victim's family, he said. It is deputing a consular official to meet the family and offer condolences and any required assistance, the official said. It is also in touch with the local community organisation of expat Indians, including those from Gujarat, he added. Patel, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead with gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, the local coroner and police officials had said. The incident comes just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. PTI A billion dollars is 1,000 millions. A trillion dollars is 1,000 billions. We are almost $20 trillion in debt. Who do we own this to? What organization is dumb enough to loan that kind of money without paying back anything? It must be the old American taxpayer. I'm glad they don't charge overdraft fees. They keep your money all year (interest free). Pay you back on their time. Watch out if you own them. The bankers I know wouldn't loan them (our government) $0. Instead, bankers borrow from our government (American taxpayers) at 1 percent or less. Then turn around and loan us our own money back at 4 percent or up to 20 percent on credit cards, depending on your credit rating. Sweet deal for bankers. If you don't pay your banker, you know what happens. If bankers don't pay back their loans, here come the taxpayers (our government) to bail them out. They don't want banks failing. Every man, woman and child owes $63,333.33 as of 12:34 p.m., March 1. A banker friend figured this for me. I wonder if a banker will loan me my money so I can pay my share. P.S. Give 'em hell, Trump. Rich Oehlert, Clear Lake SC notice to Centre on plea against supply of electoral roll to candidates Manipur Election 2017: EC orders FIR against Manipur BJP office bearers over ad India pti-PTI New Delhi, Mar 4: The Election Commission has ordered registration of an FIR against certain office bearers of the Manipur BJP and eight newspapers for publishing an advertisement without approval of its monitoring committee. On the basis of a report by poll authorities in Manipur, the EC had directed the state chief electoral officer to get the FIRs filed. The advertisements were published on Friday ahead of the first phase of elections in the state. The commission identified the papers as Sangai Express -- Manipuri and English editions -- Poknapham, People's Chronicle, Naharolgi, Thoudang, Imphal free press, Echel Express and Huiyen Lanpao. While there is no bar on the publication of election advertisements 48 hours before the polling, a rule introduced by the Commission during the Bihar Assembly polls says that such advertisements should be cleared by its media certification and monitoring committee. It states that without approval no newspaper will publish such advertisements. The new rule was enforced after the BJP brought out some controversial advertisements during the Bihar elections. PTI Mega Modi rally in UP: BJP calls it confidence, nervousness says SP India oi-Anusha It is an overdose of road shows for Varanasi on Saturday with both the BJP, lead by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the SP-Congress alliance led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi took to roadshows. While Varanasi was all saffron in the morning as Modi took to the road show, in another part of the city, supporters of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress gathered ahead of another one by Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. For Modi, it was back to square one, starting off the road show from exactly where he was in 2014 Parliamentary polls. Massive crowds gathered at Modi's constituency in a solid show of strength. While the BJP called it a show of confidence, supporters of the SP deemed it a sign of nervousness. Even as neighbouring districts went to polls in the penultimate phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, roadshows took over the day in Varanasi. The 40 seats of Varanasi region are crucial for BJP. To start off with, it is the prime minister's Parliamentary constituency and the BJP's performance in the poll will reflect directly on Modi's image, the very reason why even the SP and Congress alliance wants to leave its mark in the constituency. Supporters of the SP are viewing the prime minister's roadshow as a last ditch effort by the BJP to 'save its face' in the region since SP-Congress alliance has managed to break into its vote banks and eat into its vote shares. The massive rally, SP supporters allege, is an attempt by the BJP to gather as much support as it can before the final phase of polls on March 8. The joint road show by Akhilesh and Rahul is also aimed at countering Modi's roadshow in the same region on the same day. Both the 'UP ke ladke' are setting foot on Modi's turf to throw open the challenge. The BJP, however, views the rally as a display of support it enjoys in the region. Thousands of supporters broke into chants of 'Har har Modi, ghar ghar Modi', even as the prime minister's road show proceeded. The sheer numbers, the BJP claims, speaks for the support that it enjoys in the region. "It is a show of confidence," said BJP leaders gathered at Varanasi thrashing the SP's claim of it being last minute nervousness. While the numbers are as massive as they are, whether they will translate into votes remains to be seen. Confidence or nervousness, a clear lead in the 40 seats of Varanasi is of great importance to the BJP in general and Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in particular, to counter the SP-Congress alliance. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 4, 2017, 13:15 [IST] 'Ram Setu' 1st week box office collection: Here's how much Akshay-starrer earned, so far 'Two-finger test' should be banned in matrimonial dispute cases too, says Maharashtra doctor Khota sarkar left with egg on their faces: Team Uddhav on Andheri win Mumbai: Yesteryear actress, BJP spokesperson receive obscene calls; file police complaint India oi-Maitreyee Mumbai, March 4: According to media reports, a popular yesteryear Bollywood actress has registered a molestation complaint against an unknown person in Mumbai's Bangur Nagar Police station on Friday. The case has come to light days after the kidnapping and molestation of a well-known Malayalam actress in Kerala. According to Mumbai Mirror, the accused has sent the yesteryear actress and top model several obscene videos on her cellphone. The Bangur Nagar police have booked the accused under sections 354 of IPC and other sections of the IT act, reported Mumbai Mirror. The Mumbai Mirror report added that another Bharatiya Janata Party woman leader and spokesperson residing in Mumbai has filed a police complaint after she received lewd and vulgar messages on her cellphone. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 4, 2017, 8:19 [IST] Pastor rape case: Church must stand by the victims and not protect its own India oi-Vicky By Vicky The case of Kerala priest Robin Vadakkumchery who was finally caught after the victim became pregnant reminds me of the movie Spotlight. In that movie it is shown how the Boston Archdiocese was aware of instances of sexual abuse by priests. It also shows how influence was wielded on the police, media as well the judiciary to hush up the matter. In Kerala, the public anger is clear against the Catholic Church after allegations of the shielding the pastor accused of raping a minor girl cropped up. It was a call that was made to a helpline which led to the tracing of the new-born child to a church-run orphanage. Allegations of a cover up cropped up during the course of the investigation. It was found that the pastor had convinced the father of the victim to take the blame. The Kerala police must probe further into this case. The victim gave birth at a hospital and then the baby was sent to an orphanage. Who were the persons who abetted this cover up? It was all hush-hush until that anonymous call was made by a Good Samaritan to the government child helpline. The police say that in such cases, the victims go directly to the higher ups in the church. "They should come to the police station instead. The problem is that they fear social stigma, and hence seek recourse in the church itself. There are also several cases where the victims have remained quiet about it and suffer in silence. This should change and if victims and their parents go to the police, then the problem could be sorted out," a police officer says. The movie Spotlight narrated the power of the church extremely well. It took months of investigation and pacifying the victims before the truth could come out. The power of money and the clout that is enjoyed by the church is what makes the government or the law enforcement agencies think at least a 100 times before going after them. Everyone needs to be accountable and the case of the church should be no different. OneIndia would like to state that this article is not an attempt to generalise the problem. There are good men who have done great service as well. However there is a clean up that is also required and the best way to start off is by not covering up such offences. The time has come to make a statement. OneIndia News Rajeev Chandrasekhar tells Gurmehar, why she is wrong about Pakistan India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Dear Gurmehar, Let me start this letter to you by saying I have always held martyrs and their families with the highest respect. As the son of a veteran, I have lived my entire childhood amongst men, women and families who served and sacrificed. The service of Martyrs to the Nation is unparalleled and their sacrifices supreme. From Major Som Nath Sharma, the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, who laid down his life in the 1948 Indo-Pak War at the age of 24, to Lt Arun Khetarpal at 21 - and then who can forget Captain Saurabh Kalia, Captain Vijayant Thapar and Captain Vikram Batra, all a few years older than you are today, I have had the honour and experience of engaging with families of numerous bravehearts. It is true that most have no hate or revenge in their hearts - just a desire that others don't suffer the losses that they did. And so let there be no doubt in your mind that most in our country consider you and your family as worthy of great respect - for the service and sacrifice of your father Captain Mandeep Singh. What you have gone through, the painful experiences in your life, no child or family should. Losing a father, a husband, son or brother in service of the nation is a tragedy for any family. And for that, all we can offer is only humble salutations and unstinting support. So I consider it unacceptable that anyone in this great nation of ours would think of anything other than only protecting and supporting you and your family, let alone put you through the harassment and threats of the kind you have been put through in recent days by some on social media. Let me assure you of my complete commitment to your total safety and to your right to speak your mind. That commitment is unambiguous and total, I assure you. I have watched your video and heard your views with great interest. I admire your pluck and courage to stand up and speak for what you believe in. Your father would be proud of your courage. University is a point in life when you are free to experiment with thoughts and ideas, including idealism. So here are two points that I want to leave you to think about as well. Click here to read the letter The first is the point you make about absolving Pakistan. While I understand your desire for peace, here is where you are wrong about Pakistan: it is not enough to blame killings today on an amorphous concept of war and look for peace. Over 15,000 people alone have lost their lives to terror attacks and so thousands of families have suffered and lost because of violence exported from across the border, into our territory, into our homes. This is the stark reality we must understand. Many thousands of our men in security forces have laid down their lives whilst protecting against these terror attacks. No one wants war. We do not want violence. After all, India was born out of Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence movement. But sometimes, threats of violence, and indeed violence itself, are thrust on us, and the nation's leaders can't be found wanting then. The 1962 conflict with China should teach us what happens when seemingly sound moral positions run into nations with strong force-led doctrines of expansion. Let me quote what President Obama said in his Nobel peace prize speech in 2009, that may explain the conundrum between this desire for peace and the need to be also strong militarily to defend ourselves. "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem. It merely creates new and more complicated ones. I am the living testimony of the moral force of non-violence and there is nothing weak, nothing passive, nothing naive in the creed of Gandhi and King. But I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to my people. For make no mistake: evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations alone can't convince Al Qaeda to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism - it is recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason." So that's the thrust of the point I want to make to you. I admire your peace activism. But a desire for peace (even one as deeply felt as yours) will not make the terrorists in Pakistan surrender their weapons. In your desire for peace, we cannot forget that nations do have an obligation to bear arms to defend themselves, defend their people. You father did just that. He and all the others like him fought to protect these values. They didn't fight because they like war or hated the people in front of them - they served and sacrificed because they loved India and the Indians behind them. So while I also share your desire for peace, peace doesn't come from simply desiring it, especially with Pakistan. We (both Indians and Pakistanis) must cause the Pakistan state to change its state policy of supporting terror, and do so by using all possible options, and not simply begging or pleading for peace. The second point is about debating political issues. I am a strong advocate of young Indians being more politically active and aware. So if you choose to be active politically, more power to you. I am confident that you would carry with you the values and principles that your father and family hold dear about our country and nationhood. But be aware that politics is as much about aligning with those who agree with you on some issues, and, at the same time, ensuring that the same people don't have beliefs that are counter to your other core values like national integrity etc. Also be warned: entering a political debate means opening yourself to criticism and arguments; this should be expected. It's sometimes unpleasant and noisy, but that's the nature of the beast as it is today. So brace and prepare yourself as you plunge in. I, for one, believe deeply in our nation and its younger generation. I hope this letter helps you regain your confidence and composure after the last few difficult days. I also hope that through this letter, you are a little better-informed about how others view Pakistan and its terror exports and the need to secure our people. I wish you and your family the very best. Jai Hind. Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Rajeev Chandrasekhar is a Rajya Sabha MP and Technology Entrepreneur.) For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 4, 2017, 10:18 [IST] 'Sting victim' jawan's body sent for second autopsy India oi-Anusha Following suspicion of foul play in the death of army jawan Roy Mathew, his body has been sent for a second autopsy. Following the orders of the Superintendent of Police Kollam rural, Roy's body was shifted to Trivandrum Medical college on Saturday morning. The Nashik police in their report had ruled out foul play drawing from an earlier autopsy report, the same was however, rejected by the deceased gunner's family. [Unethical Media killed this jawan from Kerala] The distraught family that has lost its sole breadwinner alleges that a crying Roy had told his wife on February 25 that he had been called for an inquiry by senior officials after he featured in a website's sting on the army's orderly system without his knowledge. The family claims that his number went out of reach after that conversation. After not hearing from him for days the family sent a petition to the army chief, through local MP Suresh Kodikunnil, seeking a probe into the incident. They were informed about his death on Thursday. The army claims that no investigation was ordered against Roy whose identify was disclosed by the website but family claims that the video that went viral had enough space for Roy to be identified. They reject the army's claim of Roy not being investigated. Roy reportedly told him wife that he had gotten into trouble after a video on sahayaks in which he was secretly filmed went viral. Roy's body was found hanging on Thursday in a decomposed state and the Nashik police had registered an accidental death report but the family suspected foul play following which his body has been sent for a second autopsy. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 4, 2017, 11:23 [IST] AgustaWestland: After saying witness may have died, ED cites a little birdie to say he is alive Two more accused get bail in AgustaWestland case India ians-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, March 4: A court in New Delhi on Saturday granted bail to two more accused in the case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore ($528 million) AgustaWestland helicopter deal. Central Bureau of Investigation Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of Delhi-based Media Exim Pvt Ltd's Director R.K. Nanda and former Director JB Subramaniyam on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 1 lakh and sureties of the like amount each. After considering a supplementary charge sheet in the case, the court had earlier said there were sufficient evidence against Nanda and Subramaniyam under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. [AgustaWestland: CBI opposes bail granted to SP Tyagi] The Enforcement Directorate in June last year filed a fresh chargesheet against British national Christian Michel James, Media Exim, Nanda and Subramaniyam in its ongoing money laundering probe into the helicopter deal. According to the ED, Media Exim is a shell company of James and allegedly incorporated for facilitating transactions of kickbacks paid to James by Finmeccanica, a group firm of AgustaWestland. James allegedly received around Rs 225 crore as kickbacks from AgustaWestland for the deal inked for the purchase of 12 helicopters in the guise of transactions for performing multiple work contracts in the country. The agency is said to have found that of the kickbacks received by James, Rs 6.33 crore was routed to India through his shell company Media Exim from his Dubai-based Global Services FZE. "Nanda and Subramaniyam were appointed directors of Media Exim Pvt. Ltd., who willingly and knowingly connived with James and helped him in acquiring immovable and movable properties or assets in Delhi, which have already been attached," the ED had said. ED and CBI had also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice against James after a city court issued a non-bailable warrant against him. Investigators said James is currently staying in Dubai. Earlier, the court had granted bail to other accused in the case, including former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based lawyer and businessman Gautam Khaitan. The first charge sheet was filed in the case in November 2014 against Gautam Khaitan, his wife Ritu, Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix and Gerosa and Haschke. IANS Unethical Media killed this jawan from Kerala India oi-Vicky By Vicky It was a series of events triggered by the media that led to the suicide of a jawan at Nashik, the army has said. It was a sting operation conducted by the media persons that may have led the Jawan committing suicide, the army said. The body of Roy Mathew who hails from Kerala was found a day after he accused senior officers of harassment in an interview with a television channel. The army, in a press release said that preliminary investigations have suggested that the suicide may have been a result of a series of events triggered by the media personnel videographing the deceased while asking him leading questions about his duties as a sahayak or buddy. It was stated that it is very likely that the guilt from letting his superiors down or conveying a false impression to an unknown individual led him to take the extreme step. "There is no question of probing the allegations as he had not revealed any names," the army further noted. Roy had gone missing a day after he had called his wife. He had told her that he had made a big mistake. He told his wife that the senior officials had come to know about the interview. He said that the channel had promised to keep his identity a secret. UP polls: Amit Shah confident of BJP's win, says acche din will begin from March 11 India oi-PTI Varanasi, March 4: BJP President Amit Shah on Friday claimed his party has "won" a majority in the previous phases and the state's 'achhe din' will begin from March 11, the day of counting of votes. He also blamed chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for letting absconding minister and rape-accused Gayatri Prajapati letting go scot-free, calling it a worst example of poor law and order. Asked if the results will be seen as people's response to the PM Narendra Modi government's work, he said they would put their stamp of approval on its two-and-a-half-year tenure in these elections. "The BJP has already won a majority of seats in the state assembly in the first five phases of the polls. In the next two, people will push our tally to two-thirds mark. I can say with confidence that we will get two-thirds seats," he said. Shah rejected the suggestion of an intensive campaign by Modi in Varanasi and neighbouring places and the fact that the top party brass has been camping here for days were a sign of nervousness in the saffron camp. Wherever elections have taken place in the earlier phases, the party and its leaders have focused on campaigning and it is natural that they are in Varanasi now as it goes to the polls in the last phase, he said. The state is seeing a similar wave in the BJP's support that was witnessed during the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 when it won 71 of the 80 seats, he claimed. Responding to Yadav's barb at the BJP over its 'achhe din' (good days) claim for the country, he said, "The 'achhe din' of Uttar Pradesh will begin from 1 PM on March 11 when the counting of votes will occur and the BJP will emerge victorious." PTI Power equation changes gears in UP P Chidambaram accuses BJP of using 7 phase poll in UP to polarise voters Highest number of women MLAs in UP since Independence How the numbers add up in UP: This is what BJP's win percentage was Raj Babbar offers to resign as UP Congress president Samajwadi Party, allies may cross 400 mark in UP election 2022: Akhilesh Yadav UP election: Sixth phase polling ends India oi-Sandra Marina Fernandes Lucknow, March 4: The sixth phase of polling in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2017 is being held on Saturday. There are 49 constituencies which have gone to polls and the focus is be largely on the Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency which is considered to be Mulayam Singh Yadav's stronghold. Modi says SP, BSP, Cong will get electric shocks after poll results out The districts that would go to polls are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. This phase would see interesting contests as Swamy Prasad Maurya of the BSP, Surya Pratap Shahi, BJP, Shyam Bahadur Yadav, SP and others will battle it out. Stay tuned with OneIndia to catch all the live updates here: 4:26 pm: 48.73% polling has been done until 3 pm. 4:00 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now addressing an election rally in Jaunpur. 3:33 pm: Hundreds of thousands of voters came out to cast ballots in the penultimate phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, registering 40% voting in six hours, with the highest polling seen in Kushinagar, Mau and Maharajganj constituencies 2.53 pm: SP has re-introduced programmes/ Yojanas started by BSP by renaming them: Mayawati. 2.26 pm: Narendra Modi offered prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi. 2.05 pm: Narendra Modi's offers prayers at Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi. PM Narendra Modi's offers prayers at Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi pic.twitter.com/blJfb9fY41 ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 1.52 pm: Narendra Modi's roadshow to reach Kaal Bhairav temple in Varanasi shortly. 1.45 pm: Narendra Modi offers prayers at Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. 1.40 pm: 37.85% voting recorded till 1 pm in the sixth phase of UP elections 2017. 1.27 pm: Narendra Modi to reach Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi shortly. 12.50 pm: PM Modi's roadshow continues in Varanasi. #Visuals PM Modi's roadshow in Varanasi. BJP is contesting on 4, it's ally AD on 1, out of 5 assembly constituencies under Varanasi Loksabha pic.twitter.com/Ou2oWF5998 ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 11.45 am: 23.28% voting recorded till 11 am in the sixth phase of UP elections 2017. 11.12 am: 13 per cent votes cast till 10 am in Uttar Pradesh. 11.10 am: Modi will offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and Kaal Bhairab temple shortly. PM Modi's roadshow underway in Varanasi, he will offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple & Kaal Bhairab temple shortly pic.twitter.com/VLlxDqk4Fi ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 10.24 am: Narendra Modi begins roadshow in Varanasi. PM Narendra Modi's roadshow underway in Varanasi, supporters raise slogans 'Har har Modi, Ghar ghar Modi' pic.twitter.com/n8YwQYepPi ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 9.50 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches Babatpur airport, he will address public meetings in Jaunpur and Varanasi today. 9.47 am: Uttar Pradesh records 11.2% voter turnout till 9 am. 9.24 am: 11% voting turnout in Azamgarh till 9 am. 9.22 am: Voters queue up at polling booth no.3705 in Gorakhpur. #UttarPradeshpolls: Voters queue up at polling booth no.3705 in Gorakhpur as sixth phase is underway. pic.twitter.com/mZclaBMXPb ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 9.13 am: Voting affected due to problem in EVM machine at booth no. 273 at Nasirpur village, Mau. 7.20 am: Yogi Adityanath casts his vote at booth no. 3705 in Gorakhpur. #UttarPradeshPolls: Yogi Adityanath casts his vote at booth no. 3705 in Gorakhpur pic.twitter.com/2CWIrxbqAV ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 7.10 am: Polling begins for 49 seats in sixth phase of UP elections. 6.50 am: Preparations underway in Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi, ahead of his visit today. Uttar Pradesh: Preparations underway in PM Modi's constituency Varanasi, ahead of his visit today. pic.twitter.com/pJ0ZnyDSUw ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 Police patrolling intensified along inter district borders. Barriers have been erected on highways. Central Para Military Forces deployed in all constituencies. Flag march has been carried out in sensitive areas. Indo-Nepal border with Maharajganj and Gorakhpur and border with Bihar has been sealed. Facts about phase 6 Constituencies Number of voters Men Women Candidates Polling booths 49 1.72 crore 94.60 77.84 77.84 17,926 Parties 2012 Verdict SP 27 BSP 09 BJP 07 Congress 04 Others 02 OneIndia News I am a second generation member of a family of immigrants who fled Nazi Germany during the period between WWI and WWII. Some members of my family were minor aristocracy in Germany and had many privileges of wealth. But they saw the handwriting on the wall and had to leave Nazi Germany or risk persecution. My great uncle's mother was a fine lady in Germany, but she became nurse's aide in this country because that was what she do with the language barrier and training she had. Her son became an accountant because of her handwork and diligence. Others in my family fled Germany and became merchants. My grandfather owned a grocery store in this country. All four of his children graduated from college because of his handwork. We take the final call, SC tells centre on judges' appointments India oi-Vicky By Vicky "You have the right to reject, but we take the final call," the Supreme Court's collegium said while clearing the Memorandum of Procedure on appointment of judges. The SC's collegium which met on Friday decided on the 'veto power' to the centre to reject a candidate. The collegium headed by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar gave the liberty to the centre to reject the name of any judge on grounds of national security. It said that the Centre should give the reasons in writing for rejecting a judge, but also added that the final power to reject or approve the name will continue to remain with the collegium. The centre and the judiciary were at logger heads after the MoP was rolled out. The MoP brought in to ensure that there is more transparency in the appointment of judges to the higher judiciary. There were various contentious issues and the matter was lying with the collegium for clearance for the past 15 months. During the meeting, the collegium rejected the proposal to set up an independent secretariat to screen names of judges. The existing mechanism under which the personal staff of the five judges part of the collegium was sufficient. Appointing an independent secretariat would impinge upon the independence of the judiciary, the collegium felt. It also felt that there was a chance of the names being leaked. OneIndia News On camera: Varanasi folks in panic as 'ghost in white' goes for a walk on rooftops Varanasi to light up for Deep Deepavali, a festival of lights that is not Diwali Welcome to UP Dangal, as Modi, Akhilesh, Rahul, Mayawati together in Varanasi India oi-Maitreyee Lucknow, March 4: Imagine Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati under one roof! Speechless? You have to be. After all, it is not often that you see all these 'big' political names together in the same place on the same day. Yes, it is happening, thanks to the mega Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2017. Moreover, as Varanasi is fast becoming a prestige issue for all the political parties (especially for the Bharatiya Janata Party), the biggies have decided to have a face-off in the temple town, literally. Saturday is going to be 'super special' for the residents of Varanasi, a popular tourist destination. The temple town is all set to host PM Modi, Rahul-Akhilesh and Mayawati as these four politicians will attend rallies and roadshows in Varanasi. In order to welcome them, security measures have been tightened across Varanasi. In fact, officials of the elite Special Protection Group--which guards Modi and Gandhi--are in charge of arranging security measures in the city currently. Several officials of SPG have been camping in the city to ensure that the entire route where these politicians will move is sanitised and protected. For the BJP retaining Varanasi is a prestige issue as PM Modi is the Lok Sabha MP from the temple town. Thus several top BJP leaders, including union minister Piyush Goyal, have been looking after campaigning work in Varanasi for the last few days. According to media reports, PM Modi is expected to offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples and meet people in various areas after beginning his day from the Banaras Hindu University around 9 am. "Modi, who will be holding a road show, would start from the BHU gate and will go through Ravidas Lanka gate, Assi, Bhadaini, Sonarpura, Madanpura, Gaudolia, Bans Phatak and would then offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. He will then move to Chowk, Nichibagh, Maidagin, Kotwali Thana, Visheshwarganj, Gujratat temple and then to the Kaal Bhairav temple. He will then proceed to Jaunpur to address an election rally, only to return and meet intellectuals of the city, party workers and then fly back to New Delhi around 9 pm," IANS reported. The UP CM will address two public rallies in Tandia and Munari. Afterwards, he will join Congress VP for a 9-km long road show. Akhilesh's wife and Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav is also likely to join the road show. Four-time UP Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati is to address a rally at Jagatpur. The polling in Varanasi is scheduled on March 8-the last phase of voting in the state. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 4, 2017, 9:27 [IST] Why the Dawood-Lashkar link is not surprising India oi-Vicky Nanjappa By Vicky On Thursday, a video surfaced in which Talha Saeed, the son of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief is urging people to take up jihad in the name of Dawood Ibrahim. In the video, Talha is seen telling the crowd to take up jihad in the name of both Dawood as well as Burhan Wani. [Budding jihadi in Pak: I want to be Dawood when I grow up] Talha drops a hint saying that Dawood would actively take part in jihad against India. Many in the media did go to town with this news, but the question is what is new in this revelation. Dawood's role in 26/11? Talha drops a hint saying that Dawood would actively take part in jihad against India. Many in the media went to town with this news, but the question is what is new in this revelation. Dawood helped orchestrate the 1993 Bombay serial blasts at the behest of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. His role cropped up in the 2006 train blasts after investigators found that he had funded the same. His name had come up during the probe into the Mumbai 26/11 case too. It was alleged that one of his henchmen had made arrangements for the 10 terrorists to stay in the city a day prior to the attack. It was also stated that Dawood's men may have told the Lashkar-e-Tayiba about the Nariman House, a location that was not too well known to many. Dawood has always been a prime funder for the ISI. His roaring drug business has earned the ISI millions of dollars. According to the pact he has to cough up 40 per cent of his earnings to the ISI, who in turn provide a safe route for him to smuggle drugs. [ISI tells D-Company to perform or perish] Dawood's name had cropped up recently in the Bharuch double murder case of Gujarat as well. The NIA, which probed the case said that the D company was under immense pressure from the ISI to carry out strikes and cause disturbances in India. Dawood and his men have been under the protection of ISI for over two decades. While the Dawood gang hands over 40 per cent of its income earned through drugs to the ISI, investigations found that the Pakistan spy agency demands more. The ISI's belief The ISI feels that the D-company has a long reach in India is capable of causing disturbances in India. With the strength of the Indian Mujahideen and SIMI dwindling, it had looked up to the D-gang to create trouble in India. The plot to kill Hindu leaders and create communal disturbances in India was planned by a key Dawood man, Javed Chikna. The NIA learnt that this was done under immense pressure from the ISI which has been seeking a return of the favour for harbouring the gang members. OneIndia News Will Mulayam's absence cost Akhilesh in eastern UP? India oi-Anusha The Samajwadi Party has been on a roller coaster ride before beginning its campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. While the Yadavs have tried their best to portray a united front, the subtle hints of an ongoing rift have not gone unnoticed. While it has now been made clear that Uttar pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is the boss of the SP, patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's absence from Akhilesh's rallies is being used by detractors as reason enough to prove that all is not well. Mulayam, who changed his stance on campaigning for the polls multiple times, has so far campaigned only for brother Shivpal Singh and daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav. His distance from all of Akhilesh's rallies fueled speculations of Mulayam disapproving Akhilesh's decision to align with the Congress. Especially in the eastern UP region, where Akhilesh and Rahul held a joint road show on Saturday, Mulayam Singh loyalists are all set to make things difficult for Akhilesh. Mulayam not being part of Akhilesh's rally is being peddled as an indicator of his not supporting the Akhilesh-led Samajwadi party and its candidates. While the BJP and BSP are natural rivals for Akhilesh, a new rival in the form of Mulayam's loyalists who have either rebelled, jumped parties or are disheartened have made things more challenging for the chief minister. In the 2012 assembly polls, Mulayam's rallies and presence had ensured massive gains for the SP in the Varanasi-Azamgarh region. An MP from Azamgarh, Mulayam has not been seen campaigning this time around with Akhilesh and his wife Dimple taking over the reigns of poll campaign. OneIndia News Won't contest against Shiv Sena in mayor elections, says BJP India oi-Vicky By Vicky The BJP has decided not to put up a candidate for the post of mayor or deputy mayor in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The announcement was made by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday. "The BJP has decided that it would not put up a candidate for both the posts. We will respect the verdict of the people," Fadnavis said. He said that they will not contest against the Shiv Sena which has decided to field candidates for both the posts. [BMC elections 2017: These are the Sena nominees for mayor, dy mayor posts] Fadnavis however did not make it clear which way the BJP would vote during the mayoral polls to be held next week. There was no clarity on any alliance until Friday. The BJP had won 82 seats, while the Sena had bagged 84. The last date to file nominations for the post of mayor is March 8. Meanwhile, the Congress decided to field a mayoral candidate and said that it would seek the support of the Nationalist Congress Party and the Samajwadi Party. Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam however denied that his party would be indirectly supporting the Sena. "Both the BJP and the Sena do not subscribe to our ideology," he said, but added that the Congress with 31 seats would not abstain from voting. OneIndia News Angela Merkel to meet Donald Trump on March 14 International ians-IANS By Ians English Berlin, March 4: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet US President Donald Trump on March 14, the German government confirmed on Friday. When asked about media reports of the Merkel-Trump meeting, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said "we do not deny it", adding more details will be given at "appropriate time". The White House on Friday also confirmed the visit. It will be Merkel's first trip to the US after Trump took office, Xinhua news agency reported. Trump, during his election campaign, had publicly criticised Merkel and Germany's refugee policy as a "catastrophic failure" and "chaos". The critics indicated a bumpy start for the ties between Berlin and Washington. Last month, Merkel hosted the visit of US Vice President Mike Pence at Munich Security Conference, in the southeast German city. Merkel then said world conflicts require "joint efforts", which was seen as a gentle reminder to Trump's unilateralism and anti-globalisation policies. Trump is expected to visit Germany on July 7 and 8, attending the two-day the Group Twenty (G20) summit in Hamburg. IANS European Parl ends visa-free travel for Americans in Europe International oi-IANS By Ians English Brussels, March 4: The European Parliament has voted to end visa-free travel for Americans within the European Union. It comes after the US failed to agree visa-free travel for citizens of five EU countries- Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania - as part of a reciprocity agreement, reported the Independent. US citizens can normally travel to all countries in the bloc without a visa. The vote by Parliament's civil liberties committee means Americans will have to apply for extra documents for the next 12 months. The European Commission discovered three years ago that the US was not meeting its obligations under the reciprocity agreement but has not yet taken any legal action, according to the report. Australia, Brunei, Japan and Canada were also failing in their obligations, but all four have lifted, or are soon to lift, any visa restrictions on travel for EU citizens. Following the committee's vote, the Commission must act to suspend the visa waiver for Americans, but the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union may object, the newspaper said. In December, MEPs pressed for the move in order to "encourage" Washington to play its part, according to a statement by the Parliament. But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of "consequences", including potential "retaliation" and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent's tourism industry. Just days ago the Council said it would liberalise the visa regime for citizens of Georgia travelling into the EU. Georgians can now, subject to final approval of the regulation, stay in any EU country for 90 days in any period of 180 days without needing a visa. Carmelo Abela, Malta's Minister for National Security, said: "This agreement will bring the people of Georgia and the EU closer together and will strengthen tourism and business ties. It follows the completion of the necessary reforms by Georgia, addressing document security, border management, migration and asylum." In February, it was reported that the EU was considering the adoption of a US-style electronic permit travel scheme - a move that could create a new administrative hurdle for British tourists after Brexit. Immigration minister Robert Goodwill told Parliament the EU was discussing the possibility of introducing a version of America's Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). Currently foreign travellers must pay a fee of $14 (A11) when they complete ESTA, an automated online system that determines their eligibility to travel to the US. IANS For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 4, 2017, 9:58 [IST] After Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian-origin businessman shot dead in US International ians-IANS By Ians English New York, March 4: With the nation still in shock from the killing of an Indian engineer in the US last week, another Indian-origin businessman has been shot dead outside his home in South Carolina, media reports said. On Thursday night, Harnish Patel had closed his shop at 11.24 p.m. and barely ten minutes later he was shot dead outside his house in Lancaster, a media report said. Patel's death comes two days after President Donald Trump had condemned as "hate and evil" the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, the previous Wednesday in a Kansas bar. Local officials in Lancaster, however, did not believe that Patel's killing was a bias crime as investigations are on, The Herald reported. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," County Sheriff Barry Faile said on Friday. In the February 22 Kansas killing, Kuchibhotla was shot dead by a man screaming, "Get out of my country". Another Indian Alok Madasani, who was with the victim at a bar, and an American, Ian Grillot, who tried to stop the shooting, were also shot and injured. Adam Purinton, a white and a former Navy SEAL was arrested and charged with murder. He had reportedly said that he had shot two Iranians after shooting the Indians. The hate crime was condemned by leaders in both the US and India. In his State of the Union address to the joint session of the Congress on February 28, Trump said: "Last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a Nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms." Local WSOCTV said that in Lancaster there was a lot of anger over the killing of Patel, who was considered an important member of the community and a kind person who treated his customers as friends and helped law enforcement. His store was close to the Sheriff's office and deputies often frequented the store. Faile said on TV that Patel was a "great family man" and a friend. The station said that Patel was survived by his wife and child in elementary school, who were at home when he was killed. People had created an impromptu shrine outside Patel's Speed Mart store by leaving balloons and flowers in his memory, the station said. A sign on door read, "Store closed for few days because of family emergency. Sorry for the inconvenience." A tearful customer, Nicole Jones, told the station that when someone didn't have money, Patel gave them food. "I would have no idea who would do this to him as good as he is to everybody," she said. A store employee, Keira Baskin, said that he only wanted the best for his employees and his family. On Thursday night a woman called the police and said that she heard screaming and gunshots and when sheriff's deputies arrived there they found Patel dead from apparent gunshot wounds a few feet from his house, WBTV reported. Police found two shell casings at the crime scene. A police dog could not pick up any scent to follow from there, WSOCTV reported. IANS 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. by Graham Pierrepoint Plastic Pollution: It is high time we take note of the toxic future that billions of marine creatures and ecosystems face in the decades to come. We may not think too much about the plastic we throw away but, sadly, much of it can end up in our oceans, proving to be fatal for thousands of sea life and threatening a number of fragile ecosystems. Unbelievably, its thought that there are around 13,000 littered pieces of plastic in each square kilometre of ocean today and thankfully, the United Nations is mounting a challenge to the rising levels of toxic litter in our water, in an effort that some are naming a declaration of war. The UN is set to hold a conference based around ocean conservation and the perils of littered plastics later this year at their New York base. They have reported that, if our continued pollution of plastics in our oceans continues at its current rate, plastic litter may outweigh life in the sea itself and that to curb such an awful future from occurring, governments and bodies from around the world need to step in and take action against regular polluters and quickly. Bodies such as The Plastic Pollution Coalition, a US-based organization currently lobbying to various bodies as a result of the UNs recommendations, hope that both increased pressure and changes to various laws could encourage the way that plastic is disposed of be rethought entirely. Certainly, such groups are keen to emphasize that while there may be little that an individual can do to preserve marine life against the threat of rising plastic levels, raising awareness and lobbying government agencies may produce a domino effect and help those in power understand exactly what we are putting in our oceans. Cleaning up the worlds oceans will, sadly, not be an overnight job and it must arguably start with increasing pressure upon those most likely to be dumping plastics unnecessarily into saltwater. Its hoped that the UNs conference in June will help to raise awareness of the problems currently faced at sea, and that many governments who help to add to the issue will take note of the toxic future that billions of marine creatures and ecosystems face in the decades to come. While there is also pioneering technology being developed (and even crowdfunded) to help reduce plastic in the ocean, it must be said that the time is right to start thinking about long-term solutions and certainly if we are to take responsibility for the world around us. How you can help: Find out more about marine scientist Clara R. Vives who is set to research micro plastics in our ocean while accompanying Jacquie Dowding on her sailing trip to the Azores - read more about Jacquie Dowding's extraordinary campaign here on One News Page. Find out more about the Plastic Pollution Coalition Belfast Telegraph 05 Nov 2022 Mary Lou McDonald said that had she known about former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdalls involvement in criminality, he.. Rumble 30 Aug 2022 Staff and supporters gather with students at Western University on August 27th 2022. They are protesting against Western.. Huffington Post 17 Dec 2021 Cohen's suit claims that his home confinement was prematurely ended to punish him for writing a critical book about Trump. TORONTO, March 03, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX:AVL) (OTCQX:AVLNF) (Avalon or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a preferred share purchase agreement (the Agreement) with an entity managed by The Lind Partners, a New York based asset management firm (Lind). The financing will involve the issuance of 500 Series A1 Preferred Shares (the Preferred Shares) on a private placement basis at a price of $5,000 per Preferred Share for gross proceeds of $2,500,000. The proceeds will be used for ongoing market development work, metallurgical studies and preliminary engineering work on the Separation Rapids Lithium Project and for general working capital purposes. The transaction is expected to close the week of March 6, 2017. The Preferred Shares do not carry a dividend and have a redemption value per share that starts at $5,000 and increases by $250 per share each quarter over the next 24 months, to a cap of $6,750 per share. After the four month Hold Period (defined below), the Preferred Shares can be converted by Lind into common shares of the Company at a price per common share equal to 85% of the five-day volume weighted average price of the common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the TSX) immediately prior to the date that notice of conversion is given. In conjunction with the closing, Lind will receive a commitment fee of $125,000 and 6,900,000 common share purchase warrants. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of $0.23 per common share until 60 months after closing. Pursuant to Canadian securities laws, the securities issuable under this private placement will be subject to a hold period (the Hold Period), which expires four months and one day after closing. After the Hold Period, Lind has the basic right to convert 25 Preferred Shares into common shares of the Company on a monthly basis, subject to certain conversion limits set out in the Agreement, however Lind is permitted to convert up to 100 Preferred Shares on a monthly basis in the event such amount does not exceed 20% of the Company's 20-day traded volume of common shares on the TSX immediately prior to the date of delivery of a conversion notice. Lind will also be entitled to accelerate its conversion right to the full amount of the redemption value applicable at such time, or demand repayment of the applicable redemption value per share in cash, upon the occurrence of certain events as set out in the Agreement. The Company has the right to redeem the Preferred Shares at any time after the Hold Period at a small premium to the redemption value. The Company has floor price protection such that if any conversion results in an effective conversion price of less than $0.10 per common share, then the Company has the right to deny the conversion and instead redeem the Preferred Shares that were subject to that conversion for the redemption amount in cash plus a 5% premium. At any time while any Preferred Shares are outstanding, Lind has the option of subscribing for up to an additional 165 Series A2 Preferred Shares at a price of $5,000 per share and under the same terms and conditions as the initial financing, subject to certain triggering events and subject to the prior approval of the TSX. The Company has received conditional approval of the TSX in connection with the completion of the Series A1 Preferred Share private placement. Phillip Valliere, Managing Director at Lind said, "We have been following Avalons progress for several years and, having developed confidence in the management team, we feel the time is right to invest in Avalon as it advances both its clean-tech materials business at its Separation Rapids Lithium Project as well as its East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project which is expected to be in a position to generate cash flow within the next two years. Don Bubar, Avalons President and CEO commented, We are pleased to have completed this innovative equity financing arrangement with Lind. This preferred share model achieves a balance that mitigates some of the risk of excessive dilution to our shareholders while providing Lind with some downside protection. The funds will allow us to accelerate our work programs on the Separation Rapids Lithium Project where we hope to be moving into the pilot plant phase later this year. This news release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the US Securities Act), and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to US persons (as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration. All currency reported in this release is in Canadian dollars. About The Lind Partners The Lind Partners is a New York-based institutional fund management firm focused on small-and mid-cap companies publicly traded in Canada, Australia and the UK across mining, oil & gas, biotech and technology. Lind employs a multi-strategy investment approach: direct investments of new capital; participation in syndicated equity placements; IPO/pre-IPO investments; and selective open market trades. Since 2009, the Lind team has completed over 75 direct investments totaling over $600 million in value. About Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. is a Canadian mineral development company specializing in niche market metals and minerals with growing demand in new technology. The Company has three advanced stage projects, all 100%-owned, providing investors with exposure to lithium, tin and indium, as well as rare earth elements, tantalum, niobium, and zirconium. Avalon is currently focusing on its Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora, ON and its East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project, Yarmouth, NS. Social responsibility and environmental stewardship are corporate cornerstones. For questions and feedback, please e-mail the Company at ir@AvalonAM.com, or phone Don Bubar, President & CEO at 416-364-4938. This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to the anticipated closing of the financing, how the Company plans to use the net proceeds from the financing, that East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project is expected to be in a position to generate cash flow within the next two years and that the funds will allow the Company to accelerate its work programs on the Separation Rapids Lithium Project where it hopes to be moving into the pilot plant phase later this year. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as potential, scheduled, anticipates, continues, expects or does not expect, is expected, scheduled, targeted, planned, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be or will not be taken, reached or result, will occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Avalon to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. Although Avalon has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to market conditions, and the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses as well as those risk factors set out in the Companys current Annual Information Form, Managements Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure documents available under the Companys profile at www.SEDAR.com. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such forward-looking statements have been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Companys plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Avalon does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Let the World Shine with Popular Sayings for Womens Day at Womensdaycelebration.com! International Womens Day http://www.womensdaycelebration.com/popular-sayings-for-womens-day.html http://www.womensdaycelebration.com/messages-for-womens-day.html http://www.womensdaycelebration.com Womensdaycelebration.com is a perfect space to find out about the most useful piece of information on womens day. Not only it spreads awareness but it also provides its readers with ideas to celebrate womens day in the most beautiful way and enchant the wonderful ladies in their lives. The team is dedicatedly working to make it one of the best spaces to create awareness about womens day.New Delhi, Delhi - India:International womens day comes to honour the strength of woman throughout the world. There have been many women in the past which has inspired many of the aspiring women. Beside that some Popular saying for womens day have such depth in their words that, it hits the deepest chords of a person. The day comes every year to celebrate the struggle women went through for acquiring equal right in the society.The website Womensdaycelebration.com has some of these popular sayings for womens day so as to fill once hearts with an extra amount of zeal to fight the cause. Theses saying encourage more and more women to walk shoulder to shoulder with men for a comprehensive development. People can also send these sayings to the important women in their so as to help them get inspired. The world with our cohesive effort can improve the prevalent exploitation against women.In an exclusive interview talking on the specific page of the website, the official spokesperson of the website said that, There have been women in the history and in the present scenario who said it all just in few words and inspired many to show to the world their actual potential. We have come up with our exclusive page of popular saying for womens day @, to let people know, the depth of their thoughts. Those who want to know more about womens day can visit our website.Other than the page of womens day saying, the team also features various other pages which includes, Womens Day Essay, First Women's Day, Women's Rights, Womens Day Speech, Women's Day Messages @, womens day celebration, Rio Olympic 2016, Women's Day Poems, Womens Day Greetings and many more.Discussing further on the same, the official representative of the website said that, Not only these sayings ignites that fire inside every womens heart who has at a point in time in their life faced any kind of exploitation, they contain a special message which help the readers to find a solution to the most disturbing problem. And so, keeping this fact in mind, our team has exclusively come up with this page of the website. Besides that, there are many other many other sections focusing on various other issues.Those other pages, apart from the above mentioned pages are 50 Most Inspirational Women Worldwide, Women's Day Gifts, Women's Day Story, Womens Day Wishes, Top 5 Olympic Women Gymnasts, Top 5 Women's Authors in the World, Violence Against Women's, World's Top 5 Female Models, Top 5 Most Powerful Women's in Politics, Most Powerful Female Entrepreneurs, Women's Day and ILGWU and many more.About the Website:Womensdaycelebration.com is an online space which gives its opportunity to explore about International womens day and the courage of women throughout the world. This informative website is made so user friendly for the convenience of the users. Not only does it spread awareness with some really authentic piece of information but it also has a number of popular saying for womens day through which many women can get inspired. To get into the depth of women and their courage people can visit at.Contact:New Delhi, Delhi - India World Alzheimers Drugs Market by Product Type, Market, Players and Regions-Forecast to 2021 http://www.reportbazzar.com/request-sample/?pid=816086&ptitle=World+Alzheimer%E2%80%99s+Drugs+Market+by+Product+Type%2C+Market%2C+Players+and+Regions-Forecast+to+2021&req=Sample http://www.reportbazzar.com/product/world-alzheimers-drugs-market-by-product-type-market-players-and-regions-forecast-to-2021/ http://www.reportbazzar.com/ SummaryICRWorlds Alzheimers Drugs market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.The report includes the forecasts, Analysis and discussion of important industry trends, market size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry Players.Global Alzheimers Drugs Market: Product Segment AnalysisCholinesterase inhibitorsMemantineGlobal Alzheimers Drugs Market: Application Segment AnalysisGlobal Alzheimers Drugs Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaThe Players mentioned in our reportJanssen PharmaceuticalsNovartisWith no less than 15 top producers.BiogenGet Sample Report @Table Of Contents:Chapter 1 About the Alzheimers Drugs Industry1.1 Industry Definition1.1.1 Types of Alzheimers Drugs industry1.1.1.1 Cholinesterase inhibitors1.1.1.2 Memantine1.2 Main Market Activities1.3 Similar Industries1.4 Industry at a GlanceChapter 2 World Market Competition Landscape2.1 Alzheimers Drugs Markets by Regions2.1.1 USAMarket Revenue (M USD) by Types, Through 2021Market Revenue (M USD) by Applications, Through 2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20152.1.2 EuropeMarket Revenue (M USD) by Types, Through 2021Market Revenue (M USD) by Applications, Through 2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20152.1.3 ChinaMarket Revenue (M USD) by Types, Through 2021Market Revenue (M USD) by Applications, Through 2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 2015Buy Complete Report Visit @About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors.Contact Us:ReportBazzar30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.United States.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525Email Id: sales@reportbazzar.comWebsite: Textile Printing Inks Market Share, Growth and Key Manufacturers Analysis 2017-2022 Textile Printing Inks Market http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/15714-textile-printing-inks-market-analysis-report http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-15714 http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-15714 http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/14415-security-ink-market-analysis-report www.decisiondatabases.com/ DecisionDatabases.com announces a new report 2017-2022 Global Top Countries Textile Printing Inks Market Report added to its database. The report provides key statistics on the current state of the industry and other analytical data to understand the market.This report studies Textile Printing Inks in Global market, especially in United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, India, Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, Brazil, Middle East and Africa.Browse Full Report with TOC @The report focuses on the top Manufacturers in each country, covering Dupont Huntsman JK Group Kornit DyStar SPGprints BASF Jay Chemical Marabu Dow Corning EFI Sensient Magna Colours Anajet Print-Rite Lanyu Hongsam INKBANK TrendVision INKWINSplit by Product Types, with sales, revenue, price, market share of each type, can be divided into Reactive Dye Inks Acidic Ink Paint Ink Dispersion & Sublimation InkSplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Textile Printing Inks in each application, can be divided into Clothing Industry Textile Industry OthersDownload Free Sample Report of Textile Printing Inks Market @Table of Contents - Snapshot1 Market Overview2 Global Sales, Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Manufacturers3 Global Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)4 Global Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis5 North America Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)6 Latin America Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)7 Europe Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)8 Asia-Pacific Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)9 Middle East and Africa Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)10 Manufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 AppendixOrder a Copy of Complete Textile Printing Inks Market Research Report @Other Related reports -2017-2022 Global Top Countries Security Ink Market Report @About Us:DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.3rd Floor,Fountain Chambers,Nanabhai Lane,Fort, Mumbai - 40001E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.comPhone: +91 99 28 237112Website: Global Hydrocephalus Shunts Market by Product Type, Market, Players and Regions-Forecast to 2021 http://www.reportbazzar.com/request-sample/?pid=787907&ptitle=Global+Hydrocephalus+Shunts+Market+by+Product+Type%2C+Market%2C+Players+and+Regions-Forecast+to+2021&req=Sample http://www.reportbazzar.com/product/global-hydrocephalus-shunts-market-by-product-type-market-players-and-regions-forecast-to-2021/ http://www.reportbazzar.com/ SummaryICRWorlds Hydrocephalus Shunts market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.The report includes the forecasts, Analysis and discussion of important industry trends, market size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry Players.Global Hydrocephalus Shunts Market: Application Segment AnalysisGlobal Hydrocephalus Shunts Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaThe Players mentioned in our reportMedtronicJohnson & JohnsonSOPHYSA IncChristoph MiethkeHP BioprotesesSpiegelberg GmbHIntegra LifeSciencesGet Sample Report @Table Of Contents:Chapter 1 About the Hydrocephalus Shunts Industry1.1 Industry Definition1.1.1 Types of Hydrocephalus Shunts industry1.2 Main Market Activities1.3 Similar Industries1.4 Industry at a GlanceChapter 2 World Market Competition Landscape2.1 Hydrocephalus Shunts Markets by Regions2.1.1 USAMarket Revenue (M USD) by Types, Through 2021Market OverviewMajor Players Revenue (M USD) in 20152.1.2 EuropeMarket Revenue (M USD) by Types, Through 2021Market OverviewMajor Players Revenue (M USD) in 20152.1.3 ChinaMarket Revenue (M USD) by Types, Through 2021Market OverviewMajor Players Revenue (M USD) in 2015Buy Complete Report Visit @About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors.Contact Us:ReportBazzar30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.United States.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525Email Id: sales@reportbazzar.comWebsite: World Duodenoscopes Market Research Report 2021(Covering USA, EU, China, South East Asia, India, Japan and etc) http://www.reportbazzar.com/request-sample/?pid=786950&ptitle=World+Duodenoscopes+Market+Research+Report+2021%28Covering+USA%2C+EU%2C+China%2C+South+East+Asia%2C+India%2C+Japan+and+etc%29&req=Sample http://www.reportbazzar.com/product/world-duodenoscopes-market-research-report-2021covering-usa-eu-china-south-east-asia-india-japan-and-etc/ http://www.reportbazzar.com/ SummaryICRWorlds Duodenoscopes market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.The report includes the forecasts, Analysis and discussion of important industry trends, market size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry Players.Global Duodenoscopes Market: Product Segment AnalysisFiber DuodenoscopesElectronic DuodenoscopesGlobal Duodenoscopes Market: Application Segment AnalysisGlobal Duodenoscopes Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaThe Players mentioned in our reportOlympusFujifilmPentaxGet Sample Report @Table Of Contents:Chapter 1 About the Duodenoscopes Industry1.1 Industry Definition1.1.1 Types of Duodenoscopes industry1.1.1.1 Fiber Duodenoscopes1.1.1.2 Electronic Duodenoscopes1.2 Main Market Activities1.3 Similar Industries1.4 Industry at a GlanceChapter 2 World Market Competition Landscape2.1 Duodenoscopes Markets by Regions2.1.1 USAMarket Revenue (M USD) by Types, Through 2021Market Revenue (M USD) by Applications, Through 2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20152.1.2 EuropeMarket Revenue (M USD) by Types, Through 2021Market Revenue (M USD) by Applications, Through 2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20152.1.3 ChinaMarket Revenue (M USD) by Types, Through 2021Market Revenue (M USD) by Applications, Through 2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 2015Buy Complete Report Visit @About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors.Contact Us:ReportBazzar30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.United States.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525Email Id: sales@reportbazzar.comWebsite: Prosecutors say they will not seek the death penalty against a man accused in a Woodland triple homicide and attempted jail escape. The Columbian reports Clark County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Golik notified Brent Luyster's defense team Thursday of the decision. Golik says his office will seek a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Luyster's lawyer says he plans to plead not guilty Monday to three counts of aggravated murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon by a jail inmate, malicious mischief and attempted escape. Aggravated murder is the only charge in Washington that carries the possibility of the death penalty. Luyster is accused of fatally shooting Joseph Mark Lamar, Zachary David Thompson and Janell Renee Knight on July 15. A fourth person was shot and critically injured. -- The Associated Press The Portland school board is poised to pick Atlanta Public Schools' chief academic and schools officer to lead Oregon's largest school district, provided a visit to Georgia and contract negotiations go well. Portland would be Donyall Dickey's debut as superintendent. A successful principal for many years, he worked as a top administrator in Philadelphia for two years before being recruited for the chief of schools position in Atlanta nearly two years ago. The Portland school board conducted a confidential search in hopes that secrecy would make highly experienced candidates feel comfortable applying without jeopardizing their current jobs. Out of the 32 educators who sought the post, 13 were superintendents. The closed process was contentious, with board members penning opposing editorials in The Oregonian after a 4-3 vote not to announce finalists. The editorials ran the weekend the board brought in its first set of hopefuls for interviews. Dickey, 43, has been at his post at Atlanta since fall 2015. Before that, he spent a year as one of Philadelphia's regional superintendents, then was promoted to chief academic officer, according to a copy of his application obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Some Portland school board members and perhaps other district-watchers will visit Atlanta to make certain they think Dickey has the right skills and experience to lead Oregon's largest district. Board members called several references before deciding to announce him as the sole finalist. School board member Paul Anthony, who was skeptical the process would result in strong contenders, says he is very pleasantly surprised by the outcome. "I'm still unhappy with the search process, but I think who we got coming out of the process was very good, and so far I'm very happy with him." Anthony said the main concern the board heard from the stakeholder committee amounted to, "Is he too good to be true?" "His references are absolutely backing up everything that he says," Anthony said. "He is a very remarkable education leader, and I think we are very lucky to have him." Dickey wowed the Portland Teachers Association, whose president sat on a 17-member stakeholder committee that interviewed finalists and offered advice to the board. "We are excited that the board went with a candidate who expresses true educational leadership," Portland Teachers Association President Suzanne Cohen said in a statement. "It is unusual to see someone at the superintendent level with such clarity and vision for the teaching and learning that goes on in the classroom." Portland would be a significant shift in culture and responsibility for Dickey. Atlanta Public Schools, which is a tad larger than Portland with 51,000 students, is very different from Portland Public Schools. Three-fourths of its students are black. Just 15 percent are white. And nearly 80 percent of students are low-income. In contrast, Portland's enrollment is 57 percent white and 10 percent black. Despite years of statements by the school board and others that equity is the district's top priority, there are wide racial disparities in test scores, discipline, graduation rates and other measures of school effectiveness. In Atlanta, charter schools, including schools run by large charter management organizations, are big players on the education scene. Georgia's Republican governor, whose office is just blocks from the school district headquarters, keeps a close eye on the district's problems and successes. The district's performance is mixed, with some of its schools excelling compared to others in Georgia that serve similar students and others with profound and chronic achievement deficits. Overall, the district's test scores hover just above the level that the Georgia Department Education deems a failure. In Atlanta, Dickey reports directly to the superintendent. Being at the helm of Portland Public Schools would require him to be a quick study in school board politics and district finances, areas where he is relatively untested. This year could bring new school board members, harsh budget cuts and a $790 million construction bond. It's a precarious moment for Portland Public Schools. The catalyst for a new superintendent was scandal. The district's longtime superintendent Carole Smith resigned in July after the district bungled a lead in drinking water crisis. The controversy cast a harsh light on the district's decision to defer maintenance for years, leaving Portland's old school buildings in dangerous disrepair. Although many schools around the country -- including Atlanta -- have grappled with lead, it was the revelations of a cover up, officials who downplayed parents' concerns and an utter lack of systems and accountability that caused the uproar. The search firm hired by Portland Public Schools put it this way: Whoever takes the job is going to have to address "a great deal of hurt and pain." "I'm no stranger to coming into organizations where there has been significant progress to be made regarding trust, collaboration and support for the team" Dickey said. "I think it's important just to show folks respect. Respect doesn't cost you anything. It's free." That's true, says Atlanta school board member Matt Westmoreland. Atlanta's had its own share of hurt and pain to get over. Atlanta Public Schools suffered what's been called the largest cheating scandal in the nation's history. It came to light in 2008, but has left a mark on the district. In all, 11 educators were convicted and more than 20 took plea deals for altering test scores, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Dickey jumped into Atlanta at a time when 60 percent of Atlanta's public schools were at risk of a state takeover. Dickey hasn't been in the job long enough to get a meaningful measure in terms of test scores-- but its notable that the state hasn't taken over those at-risk schools. Parent Abby Martin got involved in Atlanta Public Schools after getting fed up with the cheating scandal. While her children have since graduated, she remains involved. "It's a very difficult school system, given the warts and bumps and bruises we've inflicted on ourselves," Martin said. "I can actually say I adore him. I adore him! It isn't just a job for him and -- I know it's going to sound very strange -- but I do feel spiritually inspired by him." Martin said she has empathy for Portland, as she served on a committee to help pick Atlanta's current superintendent. She couldn't speak to whether Dickey has what it takes to lead a district, but she said he can lead and has experience creating systemic change. Martin has been critical of Atlanta administrators who only target "easy pickings" for improvement, effectively disenfranchising black children. She says she likes Dickey because he walks the talk when it comes to making sure all children learn. "He's going to serve all the kids and he brings a refreshing personality," Martin said. "I really like him a lot -- and I'm really not happy you're going to try and take him away from us." Although Dickey hasn't been a superintendent before, Westmoreland says Dickey's role in Atlanta required he shoulder significant authority and build systems from scratch. "Honestly he came into a school system where we still didn't have a coherent curriculum," Westmoreland said. "There is a foundation in the schools and academic office that did not exist before." Westmoreland said he's sad to see Dickey go, but it sounds like he's well-suited to Portland's needs considering he's good at creating systems where none exist. "He's just a good guy, warm personality, he's very inviting, he's welcoming," Westmoreland said. Last month, a high school English teacher and middle school behavioral specialist called Westmoreland to rave about one of Dickey's professional development workshops. As a teacher, Westmoreland said he often found those talks were a waste of time. Hearing Dickey had actually given teachers tools they could use, "I just thought it was cool," Westmoreland said. Dickey's boss, Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, said she wasn't available for comment, but the district did provide a statement saying it congratulated Dickey. "During his time at the district, he has worked to implement consistent instructional practices while also supporting the integration of new classroom curriculum," the statement said. "We wish him well on this exciting new opportunity. The district will be launching an immediate search for Dr. Dickey's replacement." Dickey has an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin in journalism and public relations, a master's degree from Loyola University in Maryland and a doctorate in educational leadership from George Washington University. He got his start as an educator in 1997 in Maryland as a third grade teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools. He spent four years in the classroom before becoming an assistant principal in Baltimore County Public Schools. In 2006, he climbed the ranks again, beginning a seven-year run as a successful principal. David Bruzga, director of secondary school administration in Howard County Public Schools and Dickey's former supervisor, wrote Dickey a glowing recommendation letter. "Driving Dr. Dickey is his belief that all students can achieve academically and develop socially, when provided an environment tailored to fit their needs by a team of competent and caring adults," Bruzga wrote. "As a leader in our district, he demonstrated this belief by transforming a low performing middle school into a model of school improvement in a very short period of time." Donyall Dickey interacts with elementary pupils in Atlanta. He is finishing his second year helping lead the district, which was badly in need of improvement when he was hired. Photo from Atlanta Public Schools. In Howard County, the superintendent tapped Dickey, then a principal, to share his strategies with 18 elementary and middle schools, which Bruzga credited as helping "lead the nearly two-dozen schools to significant gains in both reading and mathematics in schools with stalled progress." "His energy, flexibility, and generosity were limitless," Bruzga wrote. In Atlanta, Dickey has absorbed more responsibility than the district initially intended. He was hired to be the chief schools officer -- then a new position -- at that same time another person was hired as the chief academic officer, according to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. But this school year Dickey began doing both jobs. Olivine Roberts, who was hired to be the chief academic officer from Sacramento schools, became his deputy, according to the Atlanta Public Schools organizational chart. So why Portland? Dickey has wanted to be a superintendent since he became a teacher, even though he admits he probably didn't fully grasp what that entailed back then. "I enjoyed being a teacher and, in many ways, I remain a teacher. Superintendent is like the chief teacher of the district," Dickey said. "The goal is to have an even bigger classroom as superintendent." Dickey says he's heartened by the strong community support for Portland schools he's heard about. He cited recent polling that showed 60 percent of those surveyed would support the largest school bond in state history. Dickey's been in three districts in five years, but says he's no nomad. Instead, over and over, he was given more responsibilities and leadership opportunities, he said. It's his intent to stay in Portland, "for as long as Portland would have me as their superintendent." He would be the third African American superintendent in Portland, the whitest major city in America. Dickey would also be the second Portland superintendent hired from Atlanta Public Schools. Ben Canada, hired by Portland in 1998 after serving as Atlanta's superintendent for four years, was widely seen as a disappointment and was paid $260,000 to leave after just three years. Dickey was one of three finalists the board flew to Portland for interviews by the board and by the large panel of district stakeholders, including parents, principals and the district's No. 2 leader. The school board insists the identities of the other finalists and the feedback about the finalists it received from the community panel be kept secret -- Bethany Barnes NEW YORK, March 03, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (USANA or the Company) (NYSE:USNA) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, District of Utah, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired USANA securities, seeking to recover compensable damages caused by defendants violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you are a shareholder who purchased USANA securities between March 14, 2014 and February 7, 2017, both dates inclusive, you have until April 14, 2017 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. [Click here to join this class action] USANA Health Sciences, Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells science-based nutritional and personal care products primarily to reduce the risk of chronic degenerative disease. On August 16, 2010, USANA announced that it had acquired BabyCare Ltd. (BabyCare), a China-based manufacturing company that develops and sells nutritional products primarily for infants. Over the next six years, USANA steadily expanded BabyCares market presence in China. In February 2013, the Company announced that it had received official government approval from the Ministry of Commerce Peoples Republic of China (MOFCOM) for direct selling activities in the provinces of Jiangsu and Shaanxi, and the municipality of Tianjin. In May 2016, USANA announced MOFCOM approval for direct selling activities in the provinces of Liaoning, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, and Guangdong, as well as the municipalities of Dalian, Qingdao, and Shenzhen. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Companys BabyCare subsidiary had engaged in improper reimbursement practices in China; (ii) these practices constituted violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA); (iii) as such, the Companys China revenues were in part the product of unlawful conduct and unlikely to be sustainable; (iv) the foregoing conduct, when it became known, was likely to subject the Company to significant regulatory scrutiny; and (v) as a result of the foregoing, USANAs public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On February 7, 2017, post-market, USANA disclosed that [t]he Company is voluntarily conducting an internal investigation of its China operations, BabyCare Ltd. . . . focus[ing] on the compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act . . . and certain conduct and policies at BabyCare, including BabyCares expense reimbursement policies. USANA advised investors that the Company had retained outside counsel to conduct the investigation and had notified both the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice of the investigation. On this news, USANAs share price fell $7.25, or 11.57%, to close at $55.40 on February 8, 2017. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com Wim in India Portland State University President Wim Wiewel traveled to India to recruit students in late February and early March 2017. Pictured: Faculty at Lady Irwin College in New Delhi. (Courtesy of PSU) The number of Indian students applying to study at Portland State University this fall dropped 27 percent compared with the same time last year, a development that has raised serious concerns that the political climate in the U.S. was directly affecting an important pipeline from overseas. So, when an Indian-born engineer was fatally shot last month in a Kansas bar in an incident that the FBI is investigating as a hate crime, school officials here could be excused for worrying the tragic headlines might intensify the chilling effect in India. But PSU President Wim Wiewel, in an interview midway through a weeklong recruiting visit to Indian colleges and universities, said he doesn't believe President Donald Trump's proposed travel ban or the Kansas slaying are affecting applications in Portland. "They are much more interested in what's happening in their own country," Wiewel said. PSU has been a big draw to Indian students, specifically in the technology and engineering fields. In the past two years, 287 Indian students enrolled at PSU; that's more than double the figure from 2012. Nearly 600 Indian students applied to PSU in 2016. After talking to students, parents and faculty in India during his first two days in New Delhi, Wiewel said that Indians might be staying closer to home for financial reasons. Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to demonetize the 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes. The decision to strip those bills of their legal value was designed to fight corruption and counterfeiting. Wiewel said the financial move came up in this week's conversations. "The demonetization withdrew huge amounts of cash from the Indian middle class and created great uncertainty," Wiewel said in an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive and a reporter from Inside Higher Ed. Early in his travels, Wiewel said, he was surprised by how little the Trump administration's proposed travel ban on seven majority Muslim nations seems to have resonated in India. "People realize it's actually not relevant to them," he said. A far larger concern for Indians is the future of the H-1B work visa, which allows a certain number of skilled foreign workers to remain in the U.S. According to a 2014 federal report, Indians account for roughly 70 percent of those worker visas. Last year, there were approximately 172,000 applications for the program, which is capped at 65,000 workers currently. The program's precise future is unclear, but in his speech to Congress this week, Trump said he favored immigration programs that are "merit-based." That would seem to benefit Indians and high-skilled workers. Wiewel said he was "expecting far more concerns" about the U.S. than he encountered. In fact, he said, Indians have a sense that Trump and Modi will get along. "They feel like they're going to be OK," he said. At Oregon State, where 11.5 percent of the student body are foreigners, the school has not seen a decline in the Indian applicant pool. But applications from China and east Asia are down 17 percent. That is driving the total applications from international students at OSU down 8 percent overall. It's the same story in Eugene, where the University of Oregon relies on thousands of Chinese nationals to flock to Lane County. Applications from foreign students have declined 15 percent. "The disturbing part of the pattern is we're down in East Asia," Dennis Galvan, UO's vice provost for international affairs, told the Board of Trustees Friday. China sends the most students to Eugene, with Saudi Arabia ranked second. Galvan cited a building boom at Chinese universities as one rational for the dip in enrollment, as well as anecdotal evidence that the rising tuition costs in Eugene also play a role. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen Even with legal pot, Global Cannabis Marchers' work not done Deanna Perkins of Clackamas wears a pair of sunglasses to show her support at Portland's 17th annual Global Cannabis March, May 7, 2016 in downtown Portland. Pot insiders say they're hopeful, in part because the administration has signaled its support of states' rights and in part because state-authorized medical marijuana programs have legal protection. (Kristyna Wentz-Graff/The Oregonian) Top Trump administration officials have said they will crack down on marijuana sales in states where recreational pot is legal, but Oregon officials and pot industry insiders say there's no reason to panic. Congressional protections for medical marijuana, President Trump's deference to states' rights and the economic heft of the legal marijuana industry all bode well, they say. They expect well-regulated growth, sale and use of pot will continue in Oregon, despite the confirmation of a U.S. attorney general who says the drug is illegal and linked to violence. Portland lawyer Leland Berger, who helps marijuana businesses comply with state law, says he's received several worried phone calls from clients since White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's suggestion Feb. 23 that states will be subject to "greater enforcement" of federal laws against recreational marijuana use. "Generally the way I respond to these phone calls, I tell them my crystal ball is as clear as bong water," he said. Leland Berger, left, a Portland lawyer who advocates marijuana legalization, speaks to Rob Bovett, a lawyer for the Association of Oregon Counties and former district attorney at the state Capitol in Salem, Ore. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014. Berger says he's not too worried about a possible crackdown from the federal government, in part because the administration has signaled its support of states' rights and in part because state-authorized medical marijuana programs have legal protection. Trump administration officials have said they will not target medical marijuana use. Washington's governor and attorney general have urged the Trump administration not to increase enforcement of federal laws governing recreational marijuana. They even sent Attorney General Jeff Sessions a letter requesting a meeting to better understand his stance on state legalization. Oregon's counterparts have not resorted to similar measures. That is because the Trump administration hasn't taken any action to follow through on its rhetoric, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum told The Oregonian/OregonLive. "Attorney General Sessions and the new administration have not issued any new guidelines, or new legal advice, on marijuana, so at this point there is nothing to respond to," Rosenblum said in a statement. "However, we will continue to work with other states if any new guidelines or legal advice is issued." Brown echoed Rosenblum in an interview. "I am willing to go to bat for this industry, and I think the Trump administration, when it comes down to it, will agree with us moving forward," she said, promising to "respond appropriately" should the White House take any action. During her recent trip to Washington, D.C., Brown said she was heartened by the Trump administration's commitment to states' rights and growing the economy. Oregon's recreational pot shops bring in millions of dollars each month. Meanwhile, both of Oregon's Democratic U.S. senators, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, joined nine other senators in signing their own letter to Sessions, asking for "immediate assurance" that the U.S. Department of Justice would respect states' rights to enforce their own marijuana policies. Last year, recreational marijuana funneled $60.2 million in taxes to state coffers. In the future, the bulk of state pot taxes after administrative costs will go to education and health services. Existing federal protections Voters have legalized the use of marijuana in 28 states and the District of Columbia, but pot remains on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's list of Schedule I drugs, along with heroin and LSD. The federal government considers the drugs on that list to have no accepted medical use and have a high potential for abuse. The DEA reiterated that characterization of marijuana's danger and lack of medical value in August. Meanwhile, methamphetamine is considered a safer Schedule II drug. Though the federal Controlled Substance Act makes it illegal to manufacture, distribute, use or possess marijuana, a landmark 2013 memo authored by Obama-appointed Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the federal government would take a hands-off approach to enforcement as long as marijuana businesses follow state laws and keep the drug out of the hands of children, among other guidelines. But Sessions could replace the memo with his own directive. During his Senate confirmation hearing in January, he said he couldn't promise he would continue to ignore federal law. Even with new marching orders, however, the federal government may not have the resources or legal ability to enforce marijuana laws. A temporary Congressional budget amendment, first passed in 2014, forbids the U.S. Department of Justice from interfering with state-run medical marijuana programs. Bruce Banner #3, pictured, is one of several strains available at Pure Green, one of a dozen marijuana shops dotting Northeast Sandy Boulevard, known informally as Portland's Green Mile. But what does that mean for recreational marijuana programs? In Oregon, it's complicated. Oregon has two types of pot shops: medical and recreational. Starting in January, medical marijuana dispensaries overseen by the Oregon Health Authority have been able to sell marijuana only to patients with a medical card and their caregivers. Recreational shops, licensed through the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, are authorized to sell marijuana to those 21 and older. Recreational outlets can also sell medical-grade pot to patients, provided they have received a medical endorsement from the commission. As more shops receive such an endorsement, the number of strictly medical dispensaries is dwindling. As of Friday, the liquor commission had approved 365 licenses for recreational marijuana shops, three quarters of which also have a medical endorsement. At the same time, 115 medical marijuana dispensaries were registered with the health authority. This is down from 425 in October. The Oregon Health Authority is registering fewer dispensaries as more shops migrate to the recreational system under the liquor commission. Additional safeguards Berger thinks the recreational pot stores that are also licensed to sell medical marijuana may be protected under the temporary congressional protection for states' legal medical marijuana operations. Don Morse, dispensary owner and director of the Oregon Cannabis Business Council, doesn't want to take that chance. If all recreational marijuana shops were to close, those with medical cards would have fewer options, he said. In the Oregon Legislature, Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, has said merging the state's recreational and medical programs is a priority for the joint marijuana committee she co-chairs. Don Morse, co-director of The Human Collective and director of the Oregon Cannabis Business Council, photographed at the dispensary on Sept. 29, 2014. Morse is hoping this session's legislation includes a provision that would enable recreational shops to receive a medical endorsement from the Oregon Health Authority. Because that endorsement would come from a health agency instead of a liquor agency, Morse says it could offer stronger protection under the temporary congressional rule. "It's providing us with a method where we wouldn't have to close our doors for even a day," he said. "Everyone would be able to operate, albeit with a much smaller market." The provision could buy the industry time while the governor and attorney general fight the enforcement, he said. But the congressional protection for medical marijuana programs is at risk; it expires in April. The amendment could live on if Congress extends the spending bill. If it passes a new spending bill, lawmakers can propose the amendment once more. In addition, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican, has introduced a bill that would enshrine that protection in a permanent law. Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Garrett, R-VA, is pushing a bill that would remove marijuana from the federal drug enforcement agency's schedule, effectively decriminalizing it under federal law. Mark Pettinger, spokesman for Oregon's liquor control agency, says the agency isn't speculating on what the Trump administration will do. It's focused full-bore on regulation, he said. "Having a well-regulated marijuana market enables law enforcement to focus on those outside the system," he said. As long as the state continues its strict regulation, recreational marijuana has a better chance at surviving any federal scrutiny, he said. As the public's appetite for legal marijuana programs has grown, Congress has looked on it more favorably. This change in attitude has been a long time coming for Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a Portland Democrat who has pushed for legal marijuana policies for decades. US Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Portland, has championed marijuana legalization in Congress for decades. Last month, he announced formation of a bipartisan congressional cannabis caucus, co-chaired by himself, Rohrabacher, Rep. Don Young of Alaska and Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado. According to a statement from Rohrabacher's office, the leaders of the group are hoping other lawmakers will join their cause to "establish a more rational approach to federal cannabis policy." In a statement to The Oregonian/OregonLive, Blumenauer said he's excited to work to protect states' marijuana programs and wants to extend existing federal protection to recreational marijuana. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it, expanding will be a heavy lift," he said. "But, we're looking at all the tools in our toolbox. There is too much at stake to not do all that we can to push for this. Ultimately, who knows what this new administration will actually do. Regardless, the train has left the station - a crackdown would be difficult, and more importantly, legalization is the right path forward." -- Anna Marum amarum@oregonian.com 503-294-5911 @annamarum Save Save Save Save 1hbcu.JPG President of Central State University Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, center, and other leaders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), speaks to media outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at signaling his commitment to historically black colleges and universities, saying that those schools will be "an absolute priority for this White House." (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) By Shirley Carswell Special to The Washington Post When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos cast historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as "pioneers" in "school choice" this past week, her critics scoffed at the notion that black students could choose to matriculate wherever they wished during the days of segregation. In a series of tweets, DeVos attempted to adjust her statement, focusing instead on the schools' birth from necessity. But the episode revealed just how many misconceptions persist about the nation's more than 100 HBCUs. Here are five of the most stubborn myths. Myth No. 1 Black colleges were founded by black people. DeVos had this to say about HBCU founders: "They saw that the system wasn't working, that there was an absence of opportunity, so they took it upon themselves to provide the solution." Presumably, "they" means African Americans. But some of today's most well-known HBCUs were founded by white Americans. Washington's Howard University, which celebrates its sesquicentennial this year, is named after one of its founders, Gen. Oliver O. Howard, a white Union officer who led the federal Freedmen's Bureau after the Civil War. Spelman College was founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary by Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles, two white teachers from Massachusetts. Later renamed, the all-female college had among its early benefactors John D. Rockefeller and the family of his wife, Laura Spelman Rockefeller. The Rockefellers and the Baptist organization that underwrote the teachers' mission also provided major financial support to the nearby all-male HBCU, Morehouse College. Myth No. 2 It's racist to have black colleges. In a 2012 story about public HBCUs in Maryland, World Net Daily's Les Kinsolving asked, "Why is any Maryland college identifying itself as 'historically black' not an example of racism?" Last year, African American talk show host Wendy Williams eventually apologized after saying, "I would be really offended if there was a school that was known as a historically white college." In 2008, Georgia state Sen. Seth Harp proposed merging two historically black colleges with two mostly white state schools, purportedly in the name of closing "the chapter of segregated schools." (In 2015, one merger was approved.) But these sentiments obscure a key distinction. As Morehouse graduate Martin Luther King Jr. put it in 1957, "Although Negro colleges are by and large segregated institutions, they are not segregating institutions." There's a reason "HBCU" stands for"historically black" and not simply "black" colleges and universities. Although they were originally founded to educate black students who were shut out of white schools, they have always enrolled non-black students.According to the Department of Education, "In 2014, non-Black students made up 21 percent of enrollment at HBCUs, compared with 15 percent in 1976." White students account for most of the non-black HBCU student population, but schools such as Howard increasingly attract international interest. More than two dozen students from Nepal joined Howard's freshman class in 2014, the largest delegation from any country that year. Myth No. 3 HBCUs are inferior. No HBCU is on U.S. News & World Report's list of top 100 national universities, and only one, Spelman, is ranked among its 100 best liberal arts colleges. HBCUs also have a relatively low graduation rate (30 percent) compared with all African American college students nationwide (42 percent), according to a 2015 New America report. But nearly 73 percent of HBCU students qualify for Pell grants, in many cases coming from low-income households where the high cost of college is an added barrier to completion. HBCUs see their mission as serving this population, many of them first-generation college students who otherwise might not attend. And these schools, which represent only 3 percent of post-secondary institutions, produce about 20 percent of all African American graduates - and 25 percent of those in the STEM fields, according to the United Negro College Fund. A 2015 Gallup report measured five elements of well-being - social, purpose, financial, community and physical- and found that black HBCU grads were "thriving," to a greater degree, in all categories, than their black counterparts who attended other institutions. The gap was largest in financial well-being. Black HBCU grads were also more likely to tell Gallup that they strongly agreed that their colleges prepared them for life after graduation (55 percent) than were black graduates of other institutions (29 percent). A 2013 National Science Foundation report said that "of the top 50 baccalaureate-origin institutions" of black science and engineering Ph. D. recipients, "21 are HBCUs." In 2015, the New York Times looked at New Orleans's Xavier College, which "has some 3,000 students and consistently produces more black students who apply to and then graduate from medical school than any other institution in the country." Myth No. 4 Students are fleeing HBCUs. In a 2015 feature, Newsweek's Alexander Nazaryan wrote that "colleges without students do as well as airlines without passengers, and as black students snub HBCUs, HBCUs face the first true existential crisis in their collective history." That same year, Forbes ran an article enumerating enrollment declines at several HBCUs and concluding that African American students were "voting with their feet to go to schools they think fit their needs better." Indeed, some HBCUs have seen declining enrollment. But writing for The Washington Post last year, Dillard University President Walter Kimbrough pointed to an uptick in enrollment at a number of HBCUs, which he called the "Missouri Effect" - social consciousness emblematic of renewed campus activism in the last couple of years. "Freshman enrollment is up 49 percent at Shaw University, 39 percent at South Carolina State, 32 percent at Tuskegee University, 30 percent at Virginia State University, 22 percent at Dillard University, 22 percent at Central State University, 20 percent at Florida Memorial University, and 19 percent at Delaware State University. Dillard, Philander Smith College (overall enrollment up 29 percent) and South Carolina State University all rely on overflow housing to accommodate the influx of students," he wrote. "Everything happening with police brutality and Black Lives Matter," student Alversia Wade told "PBS NewsHour," "pushed me to want an environment where I could talk to other students about all these things." Myth No. 5 Obama was anti-HBCU. President Barack Obama's first budget called for a $73 million cut in funding for HBCUs (the next year, that money was restored). In 2011, the administration tightened loan standards, resulting in a 36 percent reduction in federal PLUS loans available to HBCU parents and causing a number of students to unexpectedly interrupt their college educations. The new rules disproportionately affected schools that served a high share of disadvantaged students. A Post analysis found that the move translated to an annual cut of more than $150 million for HBCUs. The Obama administration acknowledged the unintended impact and took steps to adjust the loan rules. But black observers were shocked. As economist Julianne Malveaux, former president of historically black Bennett College, put it last year, "You never thought that when a conservative white man put more money in for HBCUs that a progressive black man would take it out." In a Post op-ed in 2016, Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, asked, "Do black colleges matter to Obama?" But Morehouse President John Silvanus Wilson Jr., a former director of Obama's initiative on HBCUs, told Inside Higher Ed last year: "It is a fact that just before President Obama took office, total annual federal funding to HBCUs was under $4 billion. During his first term, that figure climbed to nearly $5.2 billion, largely based on a very intentional boost in federal grants and loans to HBCU students. To this day, HBCUs are getting nearly $1 billion more per year than they were getting when Obama took office. That is not the behavior of a leader who thinks these institutions do not matter." Carswell is a lecturer at the Howard University School of Communications and a former deputy managing editor of The Washington Post. Supreme Court Border Shooting The U.S. Supreme Court is mulling whether federal officials are immune from personal liability if it's ruled they intentionally violated a person's constitutional rights. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo) Ofer Raban The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether federal officials can sometimes be immune from personal liability for intentionally violating people's constitutional rights. The argument is made on behalf of former Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller, who are sued (along with a few other federal officials) by former federal detainees in a case titled Ashcroft v. Abbasi. The former detainees, all undocumented Muslim immigrants who were since deported, were arrested and held in harsh conditions in the wake of 9/11. Their lawsuit does not challenge the constitutionality of their detentions, only the constitutionality of the conditions under which they were held. Those conditions allegedly included months-long solitary confinement, deprivation of food and sleep, denial of access to basic hygiene items like toilet paper, soap, or eating utensils, repetitive and unnecessary strip searches, and a variety of other physical and verbal abuses. The lawsuit doesn't claim these conditions would be unconstitutional if applied to terrorism suspects. Instead, it claims these abusive conditions persisted for up to eight months, lasting long after officials realized that the detainees were not suspected of terrorism and were held solely for immigration violations. Generally speaking, federal officials can be held personally liable for acts violating constitutional rights only if "every reasonable official" would have realized that the action was unconstitutional. Thus, liability arises only when officials engage in clear -- and therefore mostly intentional -- constitutional violations. But attorneys for Ashcroft and Mueller argue that their clients should not be liable even if they intentionally violated the Constitution. Their claim is that undocumented aliens should not be allowed to sue officials who set national security policy, no matter how egregious or intentional the violations may be. The remedy for such constitutional violations, they say, can only come in the form of injunctive relief: a court order requiring the government to stop violating the Constitution. That is a dangerous argument. As a lawyer for the detainees argued recently before the Supreme Court, injunctions to cease and desist constitutional violations do not provide deterrence against future violations. Only monetary awards can do that. Moreover, courts may be especially reluctant to stop the enforcement of national security policies. Think, for example, of internment camps for people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. Only monetary damages allow for after-the-fact recompense for intentional constitutional violations that may go unaddressed in real time. Share your opinion Submit your essay of 500 words or less to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification. The identity of our new president is crucial for the resolution of this case. As a candidate and then as president, Trump displayed disregard for constitutional restrictions on issues ranging from torture to free speech to government ethics. He is known to act impulsively, and to rely on false information, including in the area of national security. And he has made statements displaying hostility to Islam, whereas constitutional violations often depend on the presence of discriminatory intent. Indeed, one of the recent injunctions blocking President Trump's travel ban was based on the claim that Trump's executive order may have been motivated by discriminatory intent against Muslims. In short, the identity of the new president greatly increases the likelihood of constitutional violations, particularly those based on national security and directed at undocumented immigrants. This is not the time to shut down the ability of vulnerable minorities to vindicate their constitutional rights, nor to block courts' ability to deter intentional constitutional violations. Ofer Raban is a professor of constitutional law at the University of Oregon. 1pence.JPG Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a swearing-in ceremony in the Vice President's ceremonial office at Eisenhower Executive Office Building March 2, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) By Paul Waldman I have some disturbing news to share: Republicans might not be as deeply committed to proper email management as you've been led to believe. During the campaign, the entire Republican Party argued that despite Hillary Clinton's copious qualifications for the presidency, it would be unconscionably dangerous to let her anywhere near the Oval Office because she had used a private email account while Secretary of State. Crowds at Republican events would chant "Lock her up!" whenever Clinton's name was mentioned. In one debate, Donald Trump said to Clinton that if he were president, "You'd be in jail." W ith FBI director James Comey's help, Trump and Republicans made Clinton's use of private email the single most important issue of the 2016 presidential campaign. Which is why this story from Tony Cook of the Indianapolis Star is so interesting: "Vice President Mike Pence routinely used a private email account to conduct public business as governor of Indiana, at times discussing sensitive matters and homeland security issues. "Emails released to IndyStar in response to a public records request show Pence communicated via his personal AOL account with top advisers on topics ranging from security gates at the governor's residence to the state's response to terror attacks across the globe. In one email, Pence's top state homeland security adviser relayed an update from the FBI regarding the arrests of several men on federal terror-related charges. "Cyber-security experts say the emails raise concerns about whether such sensitive information was adequately protected from hackers, given that personal accounts like Pence's are typically less secure than government email accounts. In fact, Pence's personal account was hacked last summer." Well fancy that. When Mike Pence was debating Tim Kaine and said, "it's important in this moment to remember that Hillary Clinton had a private server in her home that had classified information on it," adding that "her private server was subject to being hacked" and "we could put cybersecurity first if we just make sure the next secretary of state doesn't have a private server," did he consider adding that he knew what he was talking about since he used an AOL account to talk about sensitive security matters and had himself been hacked? The parallels don't stop there. According to the article, "Pence's office said his campaign hired outside counsel as he was departing as governor to review his AOL emails and transfer any involving public business to the state." Which was exactly what Hillary Clinton did - and what Pence and Trump so vehemently criticized her for. When Trump invited the Russian government to hack Clinton's email to recover what had been deleted, it was those personal emails he was talking about. And Pence is not the only one: Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency administrator, not only used a private email account to conduct official business as attorney general of Oklahoma, he lied about it during his confirmation hearings. Perhaps now that this has come out, Republicans will stop pretending that the email "issue" was anything more than a club to bludgeon Hillary Clinton with, and the deep concern they expressed for cybersecurity was utterly insincere. But this actually matters beyond the question of catching Republicans in the act of hypocrisy. That's because there are strong reasons to believe that the Trump administration is leaving sensitive information vulnerable, and may not be complying with the Presidential Records Act, which mandates that White House staff retain their communications - including their emails. In late January, we learned that top White House officials, including Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Jared Kushner, and Sean Spicer, were using email addresses from the Republican National Committee - with a private server! Once the story broke their addresses were deleted, but presumably had it remained secret, they would have continued to use them. That's not the only cybersecurity issue we still have to worry about. At the end of January, the New York Times reported that Trump was still using his old, unsecured Android phone, which is unbelievably reckless for the president of the United States. As Wired magazine put it , "All it takes is clicking on one malicious link or opening one untoward attachment -- either of which can appear as though it were sent from a trusted source -- to compromise the device. From there, the phone could be infected with malware that spies on the network the device is connected to, logs keystrokes, takes over the camera and microphone for surreptitious recording, and more." According to some reports , the phone is a Samsung Galaxy S3, which is five years old and is no longer supported with security patches. Now maybe steps have been taken to secure Trump's phone, though the White House hasn't said anything to that effect. And maybe his aides are in full compliance with the Presidential Records Act, though we do know that some staffers were using a messaging app called Confide, which deletes messages after they've been read (Sean Spicer was reportedly angry about the use of this app, since it could be used to leak to reporters without leaving any trace). Maybe this White House is taking both its legal obligations and the security of its communications with the utmost seriousness, and there won't be any problems from this point on. But have they given us any reason to believe that? (c) 2017, The Washington Post 1uber.JPG This Wednesday, March 1, 2017, photo shows an exterior view of the headquarters of Uber in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) By Joe Nocera "This is the first time I've been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it," wrote Travis Kalanick, the chief executive of Uber, in an email to his staff the other day. In that same email, which he sent out after Bloomberg published a video showing him berating an Uber driver, the 40-year-old CEO also said that the incident reminded him that he "must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up." To which the only proper response is: What took you so long, bro? Not to put too fine a point on it, but Kalanick is a first-class jerk. And the company he founded -- and, to give him his due, built into a ride-hauling juggernaut -- pretty much takes its cues from the boss. Remember when Kalanick gave an interview to GQ magazine and said the company might as well be called "Boob-er" because he was now so desirable to women? Or how about the way the Uber staff used to mess with its chief competitor Lyft by calling for Lyft rides and then canceling them? Or the time an Uber executive used its technology to track a Buzzfeed reporter's ride without permission? Peter Thiel has called Uber "the most ethically challenged company in Silicon Valley," and while he's hardly an unbiased observer (he's an investor in Lyft), I've heard plenty of other people in Silicon Valley say the same thing. For the most part, Uber's stumbles haven't slowed it down. Indeed, my Bloomberg colleague Brad Stone, the author of "The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb and the New Killer Companies of Silicon Valley Are Changing the World," told me that Kalanick's rough-and-tumble ethos was probably necessary as the company fought regulators and the taxi monopolies in one city after another. And its first-mover advantage remains powerful: Uber has nearly achieved the status of Xerox - its name signifies not just a company but an activity. Besides, companies are rarely punished by consumers for the sins of their executives. That Henry Ford was a bigot who owned an anti-Semitic newspaper didn't much matter to buyers of Ford cars. Some years ago, the Allentown Morning Call revealed that Jeff Bezos's Amazon didn't install air conditioners in its warehouses; instead, it kept ambulances parked outside to revive workers who collapsed due to heat. Amazon's revenue kept rising. So long as Uber's technology worked -- and it did, beautifully -- nobody was going to dwell on either Kalanick's or the company's immaturity. But this time it feels different. It feels a little like the final scene in Ian McEwan's comic novel, "Solar," in which all the bad things the protagonist has done throughout the course of the book come back to bite him all at once. It began when Kalanick joined an economic council formed to give business advice to President Donald Trump. He quickly resigned after employees and customer howled in protest. When taxi drivers at JFK Airport in New York went on an hour-long strike to protest Trump's ban on travel from seven mostly-Muslim countries, Uber tweeted that it was dropping surge pricing at the airport, infuriating both the taxi drivers and the protesters. The hashtag #deleteuber began trending; it's since become a catch-all for Uber critics. And even that spate of impressively bad news was overshadowed after a former Uber engineer, Susan J. Fowler, wrote an utterly convincing account of her experience facing sexual harassment, and then indifference and outright hostility when she tried to get the company to do something about it. Then came the coup de grace: the video showing Kalanick arguing with a driver who complained that his business had been hurt by Uber's price reductions. "Some people don't like to take responsibility for their own shit," Kalanick says. Ugh. Do these recent black eyes have the potential to harm Uber in a way that previous problems have not? I think the answer is yes, for three reasons. - Even though Uber is the biggest brand, ride-hauling has become commoditized. A rider who opts for Lyft over Uber will find little difference in the service. And while Lyft remains a distant second, it's in plenty of cities; indeed, many drivers contract with both services. So people disgusted with Uber can easily switch. "I've heard 'I'm calling a Lyft' more times in the past week than in the past six months," says Lise Buyer, a partner with the Class V Group, a technology advisory firm. For its part, Lyft is trying to take advantage of the moment by raising a new round of capital. - The election of Trump has made this an unusually heated political moment, with Americans taking sides as never before. For instance: the decision by Nordstrom to eliminate Ivanka Trump's merchandise from its stores became instantly controversial, with some customers applauding and others threatening a boycott. (Never mind that Nordstrom says it made the move for the most uncontroversial of reasons: the stuff wasn't selling.) Fairly or not, Uber is now viewed as having taken several "pro-Trump" actions. In addition, sexual misconduct has become a galvanizing issue that can also cause people to shun a company. (Just ask Baylor University.) If the #deleteuber campaign gains traction, it has the potential to cost Uber the urban, upscale - and heavily Democratic - riders the service depends on. - The big surprise in Fowler's blog post was not the sexual harassment allegations - did one really expect anything different from a "baller" culture, as Kalanick describes life inside Uber? No, it was all the other ways that Uber's culture is dysfunctional. She makes Uber sound like Game of Thrones - a comparison she makes explicitly. Executives openly undermining their supervisors in the hope of replacing them. That sort of thing. The result, writes Fowler, is that "nobody knew what our organizational priorities would be from one day to the next and very little got done." Would you want to work in a place like that? A company that combines that cutthroat culture with rampant sexual harassment is going to start having problems attracting talented people. "Information about the work environment that is seeping (or gushing) into the real world now will undoubtedly have some impact" on job candidates, Buyer told me. "There are plenty of other well-funded, super-interesting places to work. And hey, if your interest is automotive, Lyft is just a few blocks away." It's pretty obvious what needs to happen. Kalanick doesn't just need "leadership help"; he needs to bring in an actual leader, someone who knows how to run the sizeable company that Uber has become. He can talk all he wants about needing to grow up, but he's run out of time, and out of chances. Joe Nocera is a Bloomberg View columnist. For more columns from Bloomberg View, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/view. Public safety 1 (The Oregonian/OregonLive) Updated to include more background from the trial EUGENE -- A Lane County jury has found a Eugene priest guilty of paying for sex with an underage prostitute. The Register-Guard reports that jurors deliberated about 90 minutes before finding 42-year-old Daniel MacKay guilty. He was arrested in October during a sting operation in which a detective posed as a minor who had previous sexual encounters with MacKay in exchange for money. The minor had been arrested on prostitution charges a month earlier, according to the Register-Guard. The minor testified during the trial, saying that she had met MacKay for sex. MacKay denied the charges during his own trial testimony. He said that he had met with the teenager and gave her money on several occasions because she appeared homeless and needy, and that he sometimes provides similar help to others in his neighborhood. MacKay is set to return to court March 9 for sentencing. His attorney declined to comment on the verdict. MacKay serves as priest at a Serbian Orthodox church. He also used to teach English classes at Lane Community College and Northwest Christian University. The Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church suspended MacKay from church duties after his arrest, pending the outcome of his criminal case and a separate church probe. A Salem pastor was sentenced earlier this week to more than 37 years in prison for sexually abusing a girl under 14 years old. The 56-year-old pastor met his victim through his church, according to a Marion County Sheriff's Office spokesman. -- The Associated Press 101_Fatal_Bus.jpeg A 1999 BMW M3 crossed into the oncoming lane on U.S. 101, Oregon State Police say, striking a bus that had been converted into a motorhome. (Oregon State Police) A Forks, Washington, man was killed Friday evening in a two-vehicle crash at milepost 81 on U.S. 101 in Tillamook County. Larry Dean Carner, 54, was killed after his southbound 1999 BMW M3 crossed into the oncoming lane before 7:35 p.m., colliding with a bus that had been converted into a motorhome, the Oregon State Police said. Both vehicles then left the road and went over an embankment east of the highway. Carner died at the scene. None of the bus occupants - driver Michael Bryant Gilmore, 27, of Estacada and passengers Leeanne Wood, 27, and two children, ages 4 and 3 - were injured. All adults wore safety belts and the children were secured in child safety seats, the state police said. -- Allan Brettman albany.jpg A man died after his car flipped onto its top in the Santiam Albany Canal. (Linn County Sheriff's Office) An Albany man was killed Friday morning after his car rolled over into a canal. Jonathan Alexzander Houser, 20, was the only occupant of the car, according to Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley. He was driving south on Three Lakes Road in Linn County when his 2004 Dodge Neon went off the roadway, hit the embankment of Santiam Albany Canal and flipped over into the water. A man died after his car flipped onto its top in the Santiam Albany Canal. Police say they don't know what caused the crash, but he could have been speeding. Houser was scheduled to work at 5 a.m., but never showed up. Police don't know when the crash occurred. He was wearing his seatbelt. Deputies needed a crane to pull the car out of the five-to-six-feet of water in the canal. Police are asking for any witnesses of the crash to call Linn County Deputy Burk Brandt at 541-967-3950. -- Molly Harbarger mharbarger@oregonian.com 503-294-5923 @MollyHarbarger NEW YORK, March 03, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Dollar General Corporation (Dollar General or the Company) (NYSE:DG) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Dollar General Securities, seeking to recover compensable damages caused by defendants violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you are a shareholder who purchased Dollar General Securities between March 10, 2016 and November 30, 2016, both dates inclusive, you have until March 20, 2017 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. [Click here to join this class action] Dollar General is one of the largest discount retailers in the United States, with the main merchandise category being consumables, which includes packaged foods, perishables, and snacks. As a discount retailer, Dollar Generals core customers are low- and fixed-income households, a significant percentage of which qualify for the federal food stamp benefits program (formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP). Beginning in 1996, SNAP benefits were limited to no more than 3 months out of any 26 month period for unemployed individuals who are not disabled or raising minor children. Many states waived this limitation in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Given the improving condition of the U.S. economy, at least 20 states were planning to re-implement the limitation in 2016, which would go into effect in April at the beginning of the second fiscal quarter of 2016. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the announced limitations on SNAP benefits would have a material impact on the Companys financial performance as 56 percent of Dollar General Stores are located in states that re-implemented time limitations on SNAP benefits in 2016, (ii) in turn, the impact of SNAP reductions would be disproportionate to the percentage of the Companys overall sales comprised of SNAP payments; (iii) consequently, the Companys financial statements were overstated; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, Dollar Generals public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On December 1, 2016, Dollar General filed a quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the SEC, announcing the Companys financial and operating results for the quarter ended October 28, 2016 (the Q3 2016 10-Q). The results announced in the Q3 2016 10-Q fell far short of market expectations, including a reduction in same-store sales, even though the Company had previously predicted annual same-store sales growth of 2-4%, and most analysts expected a quarterly increase in same-store sales of nearly 1%. The Company attributed its poor quarterly performance in large part to reductions in SNAP benefits, and finally admitted the true impact that SNAP reductions were having on its sales, stating that the benefit reductions affect[] about 56% of our store base in the states that have reduced or eliminated the SNAP benefits. And those states that have had the reduction or elimination, they are approximately 100-basis-point worse in comp. That gives you a real good idea of how impactful those SNAP benefits reductions have been. On this news, Dollar Generals share price fell $3.84, or 4.96%, to close at $73.48 December 1, 2016. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com Dow reports sewer leak from Nov. 3 Dow says a sewer leak on Nov. 3 was contained within its property and will not affect the public... Tri-City Sports Complex collapses in wind storm Tri-City Sports Complex in Auburn, Michigan, is closed until further notice after collapsing in... McNally's turnaround year ends with Dow Tennis Classic title Earlier this year, Caty McNally considered giving up tennis altogether. After the show she put on... The Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Royal Australian Air Force, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy wrapped up Exercise Cope North 17 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, March 3. The exercises 88th iteration began Feb. 15, 2017, and focused on improving aerial and ground-based combat readiness and providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations with an overarching objective of reinforcing existing partnerships within the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. More than 2,700 personnel and 100 aircraft participated in this years Cope North. A full range of capabilities were trained including fighter, bomber, airlift, tanker, rescue and command and control aircraft operations. More than 700 sorties have been completed over the three-week exercise providing numerous opportunities to learn and refine tactics. The key objective of the exercise was to enhance our ability to operate together in everything from combat readiness to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, said Group Captain Tim Alsop, Cope North exercise director. Cope North offers the best training scenarios for the crews to operate together. The integration reinvigorates the strong bonds of friendship between individuals and is the building block of successful future cooperation. While training for air superiority, U.S. and Japanese forces conducted live bombings on the Farallon de Medinilla Range, located 160 nautical miles north of Guam. Additionally, all forces engaged in fighter versus fighter air combat tactics training and integrated with the B-1B Lancer for the first time during a Cope North. A large focus in the air was this years humanitarian assistance training with the aeromedical evacuation squadrons. Each air force took turns leading missions and showcasing their unique methods of accomplishing their mission to the others. It was a great exercise, said Capt. Warren Carter, 18th AES flight evaluator from Kadena Air Base, Japan. Not only did we have the capability to do our interoperability training, but we also built some good friendships and partnerships. This is just the start of greater things to happen; not only in the exercise but actually in real-world missions in the very near future. As pilots and aircrews integrated with each other so did the maintainers on the airfield. Interoperability has its roots on the ground where aircraft are serviced and supported leading to a natural link among multi-service maintenance Airmen. Its pretty exciting when we get the opportunity to work with other Air Force units and other nations because we get to see each others systems, said Staff Sgt. Michael Mcoy, 67th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons team load chief. We dont necessarily work on each others jets but we get to compare the different ways we operate. So when we notice others doing something more safely or quickly, we can adapt ourselves to it and improve our methods; and that works both ways as well. All three nations also operated from North Field, Tinian, one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Each air force sent their security forces Defenders to work together under RAAF lead. Each fire team has representatives from every nation and theyre working together from day one to the end of the exercise, said Capt. Jay Bateman, 736th Security Forces Squadron director of operations. That interoperability is really important because if anything happens in the Pacific Command area of responsibility when we come together for either humanitarian assistance or a wartime mission were saying, nice to see you again, versus, hello, for the first time. Training in air tactics continued in the final week of the exercise and all three nations began exercising their security forces at Andersen South. This was considered their run phase which hit fast with many kinetic operations and training in ground combat skills to test the nations integration with each other on the ground. Every piece of Cope North was carefully designed to integrate all nations in wartime and peacetime scenarios. Participants also got involved with Guam's community by volunteering at several events which the nations tackled as a team. Through this exercise, I believe one of our biggest achievements was cultivating a trilateral partnership not only at an operational level but also at the leadership level, said JASDF Col. Hirohisa Takakusaki, Cope North exercise director. I joined this exercise as a squadron commander in 2010. Now, Im here as a detachment commander 7 years later. Im surprised how greatly the contents of the exercise have improved in various areas such as scenario complexity, schedule design and the exercise being trilateral now most of all. As JASDF, we strongly hope to continue this annual exercise to improve air tactics and interoperability within our three nations. Lastly I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Andersen AFB and the local residents of Guam for the warm hospitality and arrangements. Col. Juris Jansons, U.S. Air Force Cope North exercise director, echoed his Japanese counterpart's appreciation for support received from the local community. "The 36th Wing's support, from the dining facility to flightline and everything in-between, was outstanding and contributed to our ability to focus on honing our combat readiness skills," Jansons said. "We leave this year's Cope North as a more capable team of cohesive warriors. Ready to fight tonight across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region with our Japanese and Australian counterparts." BLOOMINGTON Ride-hailing service Uber now has local competition. Lyft, another service that allows adults to summon a contracted driver through a smartphone app, launched Feb. 23 in Bloomington-Normal, said Scott Coriell, communications manager for the San Francisco-based company. "Lyft chose Bloomington because we are committed to providing safe, affordable and reliable rides to those across Illinois," he said Thursday. "The benefits of (ride-hailing) are clear: opportunities for those looking to make extra income; increased economic activity for local businesses, cities and towns; and the expansion of safe, affordable transportation options." The company has been in contact with the city of Bloomington, both sides confirmed, to make sure Lyft drivers comply with local regulations. The town of Normal follows Bloomington's ordinances for taxicabs and related services. Bloomington's city code requires ride-hailing companies like Lyft and Uber to pay a $3,000 annual license fee, perform background checks including driving history on drivers and use drivers who have sufficient liability insurance. "We have a rigorous background check process that all our drivers must go through, and we provide primary liability insurance of $1 million to cover drivers and passengers," said Coriell. The Associated Press reported this week Uber's competitors are luring drivers away with better pay and some, including Lyft, allow tips through their apps, unlike Uber though drivers say they get more business with Uber because of its greater size and reach. Uber has operated in Bloomington-Normal since February 2015. Coriell said Lyft has "launched in 95 new communities this year" for a total of 300, representing "about 72 (percent) of the US population." BLOOMINGTON Sweaty palms and trembling voices were a thing of the past after high school students practiced mock interviews at State Farm. Last year, the interviewer said they could tell I was nervous by my voice. This time, I remembered its just a practice interview and I had no reason to be nervous. Ive also learned its important to speak highly of yourself during job interviews, said Stephanie Sturm, Normal Community High School senior. State Farm hosted its sixth annual mock interview program for 342 Bloomington Area Career Center students, the largest group yet, according to organizers. Other than general interviewing skills, this teaches students how to talk with adults. They sit down, look them in the eye and have a conversation, said Peggy Arbuckle, student services coordinator at BACC. A student could have the best resume in the room, but if they cant talk about it and relate it to the job they want, it does no good. Students from 16 Pantagraph-area high schools donned their best business wear, printed fresh resumes and took a deep breath before meeting with volunteer interviewers. Around 140 adult volunteers from State Farm and Bloomington-Normal colleges, hospitals and police departments met with the students. Volunteers asked about job skills and experience before reviewing students resumes and giving constructive feedback. Lexington High School senior Ashton Friedmansky said the key to a good interview is be confident and keep eye contact. They gave me good resume advice, like weeding out things and focusing on stronger points as I gain experience, said Friedmansky. Tri Valley High School senior John Dewerff appreciated the chance to practice interviewing with business professionals. "It really boosted my confidence and they gave me good feedback to succeed in future interviews," said Dewerff. In the weeks leading up to the interviews, Arbuckle said teachers prepared students with interview tips. Students do resume and interviewing workshops and they study frequently asked questions. Teachers also conducted dress-up days and shared daily interview tips, said Arbuckle. She loves seeing the same volunteers return each year to help students. Their passion is what keeps the program going, said Arbuckle. Sydney Copley, State Farm public affairs communication specialist, has volunteered at the event every year. I really love interacting with the kids. Its great to give them an opportunity to showcase their skills and have a practice interview session before entering the real world, said Copley. Copley said she interviewed a student who has attended the event once before. You could tell he had more poise and confidence because it was his second time around. He didnt use as many filler words and he was laid back and more calm. Its obvious the students take our feedback into consideration and grow more and more, said Copley. Tracy Holloway, State Farm project manager, interviewed and encouraged students for the second year. "It's a lot of fun interacting with students and helping them develop interviewing skills to be successful," said Holloway. "It's encouraging to see kids working so hard to do something positive for themselves." BLOOMINGTON The McLean County State's Attorney has asked the Illinois attorney general's office to review whether the Bloomington City Council violated the state's Open Meetings Act when it discussed in closed session canceling the Metro Zone agreement. The council, which voted 7-2 Monday to terminate the revenue-sharing deal with the town of Normal, talked about the matter Feb. 20 in an executive session. The council cited the law's provision allowing closed-door discussions in cases of imminent, pending or probable litigation. State's Attorney Jason Chambers said Friday he has asked the state for a legal opinion on whether that exception applies when there is no current court case, only the possibility of one. "I am not going to interject myself into this fight between Bloomington and Normal over the Metro Zone," he said. "I sent the letter in regards to the (alleged) Open Meetings Act violations." Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said this week that Normal Mayor Chris Koos had threatened in 2014 to sue if Bloomington canceled the Metro Zone, but Renner also has said he doubted there would be such a lawsuit. "The statements do beg the question, if no litigation pends and the mayor 'doubts there will be a lawsuit,' was it proper for the City of Bloomington Council to discuss this matter in closed session? Chambers said in his letter. Bloomington city attorney Jeff Jurgens said Friday the city stands behind its interpretation of the law. Chambers said he referred the matter to the state's top legal officer to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. Beyond working closely with both municipalities, Chambers served eight years as a Normal councilman until he won the Republican primary for state's attorney in 2012. "That is all the more reason for why this should be sent to the attorney general as opposed to me making a decision," said Chambers after releasing to the public copies of his letter to the attorney general and other correspondence between his office and the city of Bloomington related to the Metro Zone. Bloomington aldermen ended the 30-year-old agreement, effective Dec. 31, 2016, because they said it was unfair to the city. Bloomington officials said they paid Normal $12 million over the life of the agreement but received only $5 million from the town, and the deal currently was costing the city $1.2 million a year. The Metro Zone was created to share the infrastructure and service expenses and net revenue excluding motel/hotel taxes and water fees for a west-side commercial and industrial area. The zone stretched from Wal-Mart on Market Street in Bloomington to the Crossroads Center and what is now the Rivian Automotive plant in Normal. Chambers said he wrote the letter on Tuesday because he had concerns of his own that were reinforced by questions people whom he declined to identify were asking him about the legality of the Feb. 20 meeting. The Open Meetings Act requires public bodies to discuss public business in open session, but it does provide for limited exemptions for discussions related to the employment and performance of specific employees, collective bargaining, purchase of real estate and litigation. The law says the litigation exemption can be triggered when "an action against, affecting or on behalf of the particular the public body has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative tribunal or when the public body finds that an action is probable or imminent." Jurgens said in an email Friday that Renner downplayed the possibility of a lawsuit in a Feb. 21 interview on local radio station WGLT in an attempt "to put a positive spin" on the Metro Zone dispute. "As I indicated to the state's attorney's office by email on Feb. 22, the city can and is willing to articulate its support for utilizing the probable litigation exemption," said Jurgens. "We offered to provide this information to the state's attorney's office and we will now respond directly the public access counselor (in the attorney general's office), as requested." Jurgens said Normal officials' statement Wednesday in response to the Metro Zone vote was "public confirmation that litigation was and remains probable." In their statement, town officials promised to "ensure that the interests of the town are served in the dissolution of the Metro Zone, particularly the preservation of revenue sources to which the town believes it remains legally entitled. In his letter, Chambers cited a 1983 case involving a Springfield City Council executive session over an annexation case. The attorney general's office found there were insufficient grounds to invoke the litigation exemption because no action that would trigger the litigation had been taken yet. Like the City of Springfield in 1983, which entered into closed session prior to ever annexing the property, the City of Bloomington went into closed session last week based on imminent litigation before it took any substantive action on the Metro Zone, Chambers said in his letter. What is unknown, of course, is did the City of Bloomington discuss the 'pros' and 'cons' of terminating the Metro Zone agreement in its closed session? Obviously, the debate was closed, Chambers wrote. The Normal City Council plans to discuss the Metro Zone when it meets at 7 p.m. Monday on the fourth floor of Uptown Station. On Inauguration Day it was troubling witnessing Trump swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Does he have any idea what the Constitution says? The reason I ask is because one day later at CIA headquarters while giving a self-centered, disrespectful speech at the Memorial Wall, he lied, saying media had fabricated his feud with the agency, and he was continuing his war against the press. Some in the crowd laughed and clapped as if they were at a campaign rally. Do Trump and CIA personnel understand and appreciate government interference with a free press is prohibited by the First Amendment? When it's impossible to defend actions, policies or statements, and government discredits press coverage, discouraging dissent, democracy is threatened. Will the GOP continue aiding and abetting this behavior, or are they going to speak up and defend the First Amendment and Constitution? I was worried when I heard Republicans say the 2016 election was their last chance to take their country back. I didn't realize they wanted to return to colonial days when we were ruled by a king and aristocrats without representation, rights or economic justice. Trump isn't legitimate, but in addition to Russian and FBI election interference, his own actions make him unfit. Forming an unqualified and unethical administration, spewing falsehoods, praising Putin, alienating allies, attacking the judiciary, not divesting or releasing taxes, further prove his illegitimacy. We, the people, must persist to resist King Donald and his minions of plutocratic sycophants. Linda L. Doenitz, Bloomington In case you've forgotten, President Donald Trump, who loves to spend valuable time denouncing celebrities on Twittervaluable time, I may add, that should be devoted to running our countrycame for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who replaced the sitting president as host on The Celebrity Apprentice, on Twitter in January. "Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got "swamped" (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT," he said in one tweet, only to follow with, "So much for being a movie star," in another tweet. He concluded his rant with a shrug. "But who cares, he supported Kasich & Hillary." Schwarzenegger didn't back down in the face of presidential disapproval. The Terminator threw some serious shade back at the president, doing his best to remind Trump that he has a responsibilityperhaps the biggest responsibility there isto run our country. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you'll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings. Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 6, 2017 Please study this quote from Lincoln's inaugural, @realDonaldTrump. It inspired me every day I was Governor, and I hope it inspires you. pic.twitter.com/QRoOFTZfQ9 Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 6, 2017 Now, the former Governor of California has announced his plans to leave The Celebrity Apprentice altogether, citing the President of the United States' affiliation with the show as the primary motivator behind his decision. In a statement, Schwarzenegger made sure to let this fact be known: "I loved every second of working with NBC and Mark Burnett. Everyonefrom the celebrities to the crew to the marketing departmentwas a straight 10, and I would absolutely work with all of them again on a show that doesn't have this baggage." [h/t The Hollywood Reporter] Splash photo via Matteo Pradoni/BFA.com A couple from Ohio was charged after they were found to have overdosed in separate cases. The father was found unconscious in his vehicle with a baby left unattended while the mother also passed out while four other children were under her care. They were arrested earlier this week and were identified as 29-year-old Nathan Carroll and 24-year-old Samantha Schigel. A baby was in the backseat of the car driven by Carroll while four kids were under the care of Schigel at their home, which was just across the street where her husband was found. They were both charged with child endangerment, New York Post reported. Aside from the child endangerment charge, Carroll was also charged with driving his car off the road under the influence. He was also charged with driving with a revoked or suspended license and operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Officers were called after a man drove onto the curb then passed out. When they arrived, Carroll was still unconscious and they had to use two doses of the heroin antidote called Naxolone. He was taken to a local hospital. A bystander also informed police when he went to the home of the couple that a young child answered the door and told him they could not wake their mother up. She was also given Naxolone and was taken to a hospital. After that, they were both taken to Lorain City Jail, ABC News reported. The couple is currently released on bail but the children were placed under the care of relatives. No information is available yet regarding the court appearance of the couple. Ohio police officials expanded their pilot program of bringing Naloxone with them because of the rising number of overdose cases. More police will bring antidotes with them as the first six months of the project was successful since all of the people who received shots were able to survive. Only one person who received a shot died. First Lady Melania Trump surprised children and their families at the New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center on Thursday via a visit. She met with the children and read to them at the pediatrics unit playroom as Thursday marked the National Read Across America Day. One of the books that Melania read to the kids was the book entitled, "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" This book is her and her son Barron's favorite book. Thursday also marked the 113th birthday of Dr. Seuss and in line with this, Trump brought books from the Dr. Seuss classics, CNN reported. During her visit, Trump said, "So it's reading day and I came here to encourage everyone to read and to just think about books and what you want to achieve in life and just extend your horizon and think very, very outside of the box." The First Lady was smiling in the photos posted on her Twitter account. In one snap, she was seen wearing a royal blue inner clothing and a coat on top while she read to the kids. Another snap showed her outside with some of the kids and their parents. For the caption of one of the photos, Trump thanked them for welcoming her at the hospital and that her thoughts and prayers are with the children and their families. She used the hashtag "#GROWUPSTRONGER" in the tweet, KSHB reported. This is not the first time that Trump visited the hospital. It was not stated, however, what Trump did at the hospital in the past. The visit of Trump came on the heels of the Washington trip to attend the first joint address of the president to the Congress. She also recently executed her first major social event at the White House as she hosted American governors and their spouses at the Governor's Ball. This is not the first time that a First Lady celebrated Dr. Seuss. In the past, Michelle Obama hosted a Cat in the Hat event at the East Room of the White House. The upcoming live-action version of "Beauty and the Beast" allegedly includes Disney's first openly gay character. Reports that the villain Gaston's (Luke Evans) sidekick, LeFou (Josh Gad), is gay in this version of the movie has been met with both enthusiasm and disdain. In fact, a reverend posted a warning to parents about "Beauty and the Beast" as operators of an Alabama theater decided against showing the movie. There are others, however, who applauded the people behind this Disney live-action for embracing LGBTQ inclusivity. Rev. Franklin Graham, whose father is evangelist Billy Graham, slammed Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" for trying to normalize the gay lifestyle. He warned parents intending to see this film with their kids that Disney is pushing "the LGBT agenda into the hearts and minds of your children," as per CNS News. The reverend posted his warning and call to parents on Facebook. The gay backlash also prompted an Alabama drive-in theater in Henagar to cancel showing the movie. Its operators learned the cast and crew filmed a scene that featured LeFou flaunting he is a homosexual, as per Deadline. Their full statement was posted on Facebook. The film's director Bill Condon sparked the gay controversy when he described the character LeFou and Gad's performance via Allure. He alluded that LeFou was confused for his special feelings for Gaston. He also said that Gad played the part so subtle. "It is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie," Condon said. Gad, however, doesn't think of his character on "Beauty and the Beast" as gay and confirmed nothing about that was not written in the script, according to Time. It should be noted that with all the talk about this movie, most people have not actually watched "Beauty and the Beast" as it won't open in theaters until March 17. Children between eight and 11 years old were given tokens during the World Book Day celebration last year. A national Literacy Trust survey involving 9,000 students showed that 25 percent of these kids used their tokens to buy their very first book. Publishers donated thousands of specially published World Book Day books worth $1.22 (1) to children every year. They distributed 789,738 books last year and the target is the distribution of 1 million books this year from authors like David Walliams and Jacqueline Wilson. World Book Day director Kirsten Grant said it is the 20th anniversary of the event, according to The Guardian. It allowed teachers the chance to challenge the primary school pupils' literacy skills, while at the same time encourage them to enjoy reading. "The day is the antidote to the curriculum demands," Grant said. "Teachers are amazing, but they don't have any freedom and are under so much pressure to get through [the curriculum], so anything that makes space for them to do fun things around reading is really important." UNESCO has designated World Book Day as a celebration of books and reading, as per World Book Day. It has been celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide. The World Book Day celebration aims to encourage children to appreciate books. Through the National Book Tokens Ltd., publishers and booksellers send Book Tokens Packs and World Book Day Resource Packs to schools that have registered ahead of the celebration. In The United Kingdom, children wear clothing representing their favorite book characters, according to Daily Mirror. Even celebrities join the celebration by dressing up their children in fancy costumes like Will Wonka and Dennis the Menace. There is evidence that children who read for pleasure every day perform better in tests, develop a wider vocabulary and have a better understanding of culture. There is also proof that reading contributes to a child's performance in school, more than their economic or social background. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions This service is a courtesy for our print subscribers to give them access to our online edition at no additional cost. If you haven't registered on the new site, you must do it now before you do anything else. Back in 2014 AppleInsider's editorial writer and digital assassin Daniel Dilger took the Financial Times to task on the subject of Google Chromebooks overtaking Apple in Education. Since that time stories have kept piling in with the same conclusion that Google's Chromebook was the top computer used in the classroom. USA Today, 9to5Mac, CNBC, Fast Company and others kept that story front and center over the years along with the statistics to backup those claims. This week the New York Times weighed in with a report titled "Apple's Devices Lose Luster in American Classrooms," based on new education market statistics from Futuresource. The NY Times report starts off dramatically by stating that "Apple is losing its grip on American classrooms, which technology companies have long used to hook students on their brands for life. Over the last three years, Apple's iPads and Mac notebooks which accounted for about half of the mobile devices shipped to schools in the United States in 2013 have steadily lost ground to Chromebooks, inexpensive laptops that run on Google's Chrome operating system and are produced by Samsung, Acer and other computer makers. Mobile devices that run on Apple's iOS and macOS operating systems have now reached a new low, falling to third place behind both Google-powered laptops and Microsoft Windows devices, according to a report released on Thursday by Futuresource Consulting, a research company. Futuresource noted in their report that of the 12.6 million mobile devices shipped to primary and secondary schools in the United States in 2016, Chromebooks accounted for 58 percent of the market, up from 50 percent in 2015. School shipments of iPads and Mac laptops fell to 19 percent, from about 25 percent, over the same period. Microsoft Windows laptops and tablets remained relatively stable at about 22 percent, Futuresource said. Mike Fisher, an education technology analyst at Futuresource told the Times that "Apple is struggling." For more on the NY Times report, click here. Google's Chromebook Continues to Win Futuresource's report that was published on Thursday noted that "Sales of Mobile PCs into the US K-12 sector continued to develop in 2016, with annual shipments growing 18% year-on-year in 2016, reaching 12.6 million units, up from 10.7 million in 2015. The outlook for 2017 is also positive with market shipment growth forecast to remain in double figures." The number one platform in education was from Google. Their strengths were a "strong combination of affordable devices, productivity tools via G-Suite, easy integration with third party platforms/tools, task management/distribution via Google Classroom and easy device management remains extremely popular with US teachers and IT buyers alike. The rise of Chromebooks has also set new industry benchmarks with regards to average device pricing, with prices reaching as low as $120 on certain projects." The Rise of Hybrid Tablet-Notebooks The last point of interest is the report's position on hybrid devices for this year. "It is the area of '2-in-1' devices (devices that can be utilised both as tablets and with an integrated keyboard for productivity applications) that are expected to be the major competitive area in 2017. Both Microsoft and Google (and their respective partners) have announced a wide range of 2-in-1 products designed specifically for education and are expected to sell for under $300. The 2-in-1 form factor is ideal for education, providing schools with flexibility in usage. In addition, the technology behind stylus/pen usage has developed rapidly and 'inking' is expected to become widespread and add value to device usage. Mike Fisher, Associate Director of Education at Futuresource Consulting, added that "PC provider's laser focus on the education sector is good news for schools and students. 2017 will see wide ranges of computing devices, designed specifically for education and at competitive price points, entering the market and vying to be the device of choice for learning." Though for most school districts it's about tight budgets and this is where the Chromebook usually gets the nod. Last year Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple and IBM have launched their First MobileFirst App for Education Called 'Watson Element'," showing that many schools are looking for deeper educational tools and more advanced devices like the iPad. Considering that the top Fortune 500 companies and now leading medical facilities around the U.S. like Stanford Medicine are using the iPad, many schools will want to ensure that their students are familiar with tools that industry leaders prefer. Not every school wants to work with bottom of the line tools and so Apple will continue to introduce new iPad models later this year with more software to assist educators prepare their students for the real world. 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. Portrait of Martin Luther (1570), by Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515-1586) [public domain / [public domain / Wikimedia Commons *** (9-19-04) *** Protestant historian Roland H. Bainton (Here I Stand) is obviously very fond of Martin Luther (biographers generally are fond of their subjects). But he (like all fair and thorough historians) is not averse to reporting facts that reflect negatively on Luther. The fact that an admirer does so (and a reputable scholar to boot) gives the report more credibility and believability, since the possibility of bias is far less. A generally positive or favorable witness saying something negative, and a generally hostile witness expressing something positive, are both examples of more persuasive argumentation. I use these sorts of witnesses all the time in my apologetics, because they provide for forceful, less questionable presentation of ones case. Everyone understands that Bainton will have a more favorable view of Luther overall, but that doesnt negate a scenario where he may agree with me on particulars. People (mostly Protestants) may be out there thinking, yeah, that Catholic Armstrong guy has such an ax to grind against Luther that we cant trust what he asserts in his papers. He is untrustworthy. Ive been accused of hating Luther, of holding that he is a fundamentally immoral character or bad man, etc. all sorts of nonsense. Again, these potshots are easy to say; much harder to prove from direct analysis and concrete example. [T]he conflicts and the labors of the dramatic years had impaired his health and made him prematurely an irascible old man, petulant, peevish, unrestrained, and at times positively coarse. This is no doubt another reason why biographers prefer to be brief in dealing with this period. There are several incidents over which one would rather draw the veil . . . (Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, New York: New American Library, 1950, 292) I am concerned with facts; namely: whether the older Luther had these negative characteristics or not. No more, no less. Bainton (the positive or partisan biographer) clearly agrees with me. In my research I was not dealing with this proposition: x. Whether Luther partook of the characteristic of greatness and had a huge impact (or whether the same should be dismissed). But rather: y. Whether the older Luther was (as Bainton put it) an irascible old man, petulant, peevish, unrestrained, and at times positively coarse. Note that proposition y does not intrinsically nullify x. In fact, it has nothing directly to do with it. The two considerations are entirely distinct. I could state, for example: a. George Washington was a great man who had considerable impact on American culture and history and government. At the same time, I could assert the following, which does not necessarily contradict the first statement: b. George Washington had a huge problem with his temper, was often a nominal churchgoer, and held slaves. Now, when I assert b (all of which is abundantly documented by historians, and quite unarguable), does this mean that I am somehow overlooking or denying a? Of course not. Not at all. I wholeheartedly believe that George Washington was a very great man, to be highly honored and revered as an American Founding father. We may say that there was some contradiction in the person Washington, just as there is in all of us, due to original sin and actual sin in our lives. But it doesnt follow that we must deny their greatness. The analogy to Luther is exactly apt. Obviously, as a Catholic, I dont have the favorable opinion of Luther that any Protestant would have (and that I used to have myself), but my opinion is not nearly as negative as many critics of mine in this regard seem to think (if only they could figure that out). The facts of the matter of the nature of the later Luthers temperament, psychological shortcomings, etc., are well documented, and I could easily produce much more along those lines from my own library alone. That was my subject. Bainton paints a rosier big picture, and sets the negatives in a larger context of Luthers overall life and accomplishment. One would expect a partisan biographer to do this. All the more significance, then, should be given to the fact that Bainton basically agreed with me in my criticisms. They came from a man who thinks very highly of Luther. I could just as easily maintain that Baintons accompanying qualifications are just as biased as my pointing out the negatives, because they might be construed as a sort of damage control or Luther PR. I dont see how one thing is any worse than the other. The partisan of Luther offers one interpretation of the same set of facts under consideration, and the critic offers another, and a different emphasis. All this shows is that all parties have bias. But it does not show that I have an undue bias. I am simply criticizing an important historical figure, because Protestants have been lionizing him lo these many years. It is setting the record straight. All I am doing is showing all the facts about Luther, not just solely or primarily certain, highly-selective ones that are routinely emphasized by Protestants. I fail to see what is wrong with that. Protestants may not like it (most people feel very uncomfortable about any criticism of their great heroes) but that doesnt make it wrong. I dont see how it is somehow wrong for me, as a critic of Luther, to point out some uncomfortable facts that every Protestant biographer of any repute also points out. To go after me for this simply because I dont take a positive view overall of Luthers impact (as a Catholic) is no more fair than it would be to go after Protestant biographers who back me up in every particular I bring to the table. If I am wrong, so are they, if we understand that the topic at hand is whether the old Luther had certain faults, as opposed to: everyone should have an equal estimate of how great and wonderful Luther was. People will differ on the latter, just as they do concerning any great historical figure. You shouldnt expect a Republican to write glowing praise of Bill Clinton or LBJ or FDR, or a Democrat to go on endlessly about the greatness and historical impact of Ronald Reagan or the two Bushs. Likewise, an orthodox Catholic can only go so far in praise of Luther. Its almost as if to simply take a conventional Catholic view of Luther is to immediately be unfair and unduly biased, by that fact alone. This is unreasonable and unacceptable. But back to the actual factual matter (supposedly) at hand: Luthers irascible nature in his old age. Is this some controversial thing? Is it (if granted) insignificant? I say no to both questions. All of this is well documented and not even controversial. I have done nothing wrong in this regard; I havent misrepresented Luther, and I have done nothing that scores of Protestant historians have not also done. Here are supporting opinions of two more Protestant historians on the later Luther: 1) Luthers Last Battles: Politics and Polemics, 1531-1546, by Mark U. Edwards, Jr. (Ithaca, New York and London: Cornell University Press, 1983, 150-155). 2) Heiko A. Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, translated by Eileen Walliser-Schwarzbart, New York: Doubleday Image, 1992, 290-292). If anything, Edwards and Oberman take an even more negative view of Luther in this regard than I do myself. In fact, even fellow Protestant Reformers held an opinion of Luther far lower than my own. For example, Heinrich Bullinger: Everyone must be astonished at the harsh and presumptuous spirit of the man . . . The opinion of posterity will be that Luther was . . . a man ruled by criminal passions. Luthers rude hostility might be allowed to pass would he but leave intact respect for Holy Scripture . . . What has already taken place leads us to apprehend that this man will eventually bring great misfortune upon the Church. (Letter to Martin Bucer, December 8, 1543; in Hartmann Grisar, Luther, translated by E. M. Lamond, edited by Luigi Cappadelta, 6 volumes, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., 1917; V, 409 and III, 417) Or how about Huldreich Zwingli?: May I be lost if he does not surpass Faber in foolishness, Eck in impurity, Cochlaeus in impudence, and to sum it up shortly, all the vicious in vice. (Letter to Conrad Sam of Ulm, August 30, 1528; in Grisar, III, 277) If that werent enough, what about John Calvin himself? Writing to Luthers right hand man Philip Melanchthon, Calvin stated: Your Pericles [Luther] allows himself to be carried beyond all due bounds with his love of thunder . . . But, you will say, his disposition is vehement, and his impetuosity is ungovernable; as if that very vehemence did not break forth with all the greater violence when all shew themselves alike indulgent to him, and allow him to have his way, unquestioned. If this specimen of overbearing tyranny has sprung forth already as the early blossom in the springtide of a reviving Church, what must we expect in a short time, when affairs have fallen into a far worse condition? (28 June 1545; Letter CXXXVI in Selected Works of John Calvin: Tracts and Letters, edited by Henry Beveridge and Jules Bonnet, Volume 4: Letters, Part 1: 1528-1545, translated by David Constable, Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1858; reprinted by Baker Book House [Grand Rapids, Michigan], 1983, 466-467) He was even more critical in a letter to Bullinger (the Reformers had a knack of griping about each other in such letters): I hear that Luther has at length broken forth in fierce invective, not so much against you as against the whole of us [referring to Luthers Short Confession Concerning the Supper] . . . But while he is endued with rare and excellent virtues, he labours at the same time under serious faults. Would that he had rather studied to curb this restless, uneasy temperament which is so apt to boil over in every direction. I wish, moreover, that he had always bestowed the fruits of that vehemence of natural temperament upon the enemies of the truth, and that he had not flashed his lightning sometimes also upon the servants of the Lord. Would that he had been more observant and careful in the acknowledgment of his own vices. Flatterers have done him much mischief, since he is naturally too prone to be over-indulgent to himself. It is our part, however, so to reprove whatsoever evil qualities may beset him, as that we may make some allowance for him at the same time on the score of these remarkable endowments with which he has been gifted. (25 November 1544; Letter CXXII, ibid., 432-433) So if even John Calvin can severely criticize Luther in this fashion, while not denying that he also has good qualities, why cant a Catholic apologist like myself do so, and why cant I cite Bainton along the same lines without denying that Bainton likes Luther and says good stuff about him too? Is it simply because I am a Catholic? If I am wrong, are not Calvin, Bullinger, and Zwingli also, since they attacked Luthers character (and even more severely than I did, in some instances)? And if they arent wrong, why am I considered to be? Just a few of the many questions my anti-Catholic critics ought to answer when they offer up these erroneous and thoroughly wrongheaded critiques . . . . . As to Luthers commissioning of vulgar art to mock Catholics, Roland Bainton describes the art as outrageously vulgar . . . in all of this he was utterly unrestrained. Baintons personal opinion regarding why Luther commissioned this art, and its precipitating causes has nothing to do (logically) with either the question of whether the art was in fact vulgar and objectionable, nor even anything directly to do with his own opinion of the art itself (regardless of how it originated). What caused the outburst is secondary to the question of whether it was indeed vulgar or not. To offer mitigating circumstances might help us to better understand why Luther did this, but it has no bearing on the objective morality of the action. To give an analogy: say that a man had a bad day at work, got a ticket on the way home, had a flat tire, and fell into a mud puddle with his nicest suit on. He then proceeded to storm into the house and strangle his cat. Now, is the strangling of the cat justified by what came before? Of course not. The ethics and morality of that action exist apart from the factors of a bad day which preceded it. This is Christian ethics. We are not relativists or advocates of situation ethics. Likewise, the art by Cranach which Luther commissioned and was directly involved in is either vulgar or it is not. Most people who have written about it that I have ever come across (Protestant or Catholic) have readily agreed that it was objectionable and in very poor taste. Bainton minces no words. He describes it as outrageously vulgar and utterly unrestrained and Luthers general attitude as more vituperative and more bitter and an example of hurling vitriol. Note that Bainton qualifies his opinion: His railing against the pope became perhaps the more vituperative . . . He doesnt know for sure; he is merely speculating. Bainton thinks that Luther compensated for his frustration over the lack of a public hearing by hurling vitriol. Well, this is an interesting theory, and possibly true (its plausible) , but it is doubtful that it could be proven, short of a direct confirmation from Luther himself. In any event, I dont see how any of this relative minutiae demonstrates that Bainton approved of the art, and that was, again, my subject matter (whether this art was objectionable). He uses very definite language of disapproval. Outrageously vulgar and utterly unrestrained? That sure sounds to me like Roland Bainton was opposed to this art and didnt think much of it. So he gives some possible mitigating factors? So what? It doesnt follow that he therefore approves of the art itself. Every indication is that he did not. And insofar as he took a negative opinion of it, he agreed with my assessment, which is why I cited him (particularly and precisely because he is such a well-known Luther biographer). The whole charge of one critic of mine, was that Bainton was sympathetic and did not come down hard on Luther, whereas I supposedly was not, and did, and cited Bainton incorrectly because I left out this aspect. But our tasks were different in the first place. Baintons task was to produce a biography from a Protestant perspective. His work might be called Protestant semi-hagiography. My project, on the other hand (as explained very carefully in several places) was to highlight some of the unsavory aspects of Luthers life that are less well-known. I urged readers to read Protestant biographies too, to get a fuller picture (to read both sides), but my purpose was not conventional biography. Nor was it digging up dirt or a hit piece, as many of my critics falsely assume in their incorrect understanding of my motivations and goals in my writings about Luther. It was simply to bring out lesser-known, more controversial aspects of Luthers life and teachings. I cited above the book, Luthers Last Battles: Politics and Polemics, 1531-1546, by Protestant scholar Mark U. Edwards, Jr. He described Luthers work, Against the Papacy at Rome, Founded by the Devil (March 1545) , as Without question . . . the most intentionally violent and vulgar writing to come from Luthers pen (p. 163). Here are the texts of the eight commissioned cartoons: their titles, and Luthers silly accompanying verses (from Edwards, pp. 190-198; originally appearing in vol. 54 of Luthers Works, Weimar edition, pp. 346-373; along with my descriptions having seen the pictures): 1. The Kingdom of Satan and the Pope. 2 Thessalonians 2 In the name of all devils the pope sits here, now revealed as the true antichrist as proclaimed in Scripture. [the pope is seated in the jaws of hell, surrounded by demons] 2. Just Reward for the Most Satanic Pope and His Cardinals If the pope and cardinals were to receive temporal punishment on earth, their blasphemous tongues would deserve what is rightly depicted here. 3. The Pope, God of the World, is Worshiped The pope has treated the kingdom of Christ just as his crown is here being treated. If you have doubts about it, the [holy] spirit says [Rev 18] pour it in with good cheer, God Himself commands it. 4. Birth and Origin of the Pope Here is born the antichrist. Megaera is his wetnurse, Allecto his nursemaid, [and] Tisiphone who walks him. 5. The Monster of Rome, Found Dead in the Tiber, 1496 What God Himself thinks of the papacy is shown here by this horrible picture, which should horrify all who would take it to heart. [A hybrid naked, demon-like female creature (standing), half lizard and half donkey, with two demon-heads comprising a tail] 6. The Pope Offers a Council in Germany / Pope, Doctor of Theology, and Master of Faith (double illustration) Sow, you must allow yourself to be ridden, and well spurred on both sides. You wish to have a council: for that here is my turd. [The pope rides on a pig, holding excrement in his hand] Only the pope can interpret the scripture and sweep away error, just as a donkey can pipe and sound the right notes. [just as the verse describes] 7. The Pope Thanks the Emperor for His Immense Benefits The emperor has done much good for the pope and checked evil. For that the pope thanked him, as this picture truly shows you. [The pope is an executioner, about to behead the kneeling and praying emperor with a huge sword] 8. Kissing the Popes Feet Dont frighten us, Pope, with your ban, and dont be such a furious man. Otherwise we shall turn away and show you our rears. [The pope is seated on a throne, with tiara, holding a decree, with two attending cardinals. Two disrespectful men Lutherans no doubt are turning away from him, looking back, sticking out their tongues. Further description would be too vulgar; knowing Luthers young teenagers in the locker room mentality by now, the reader can easily imagine the rest, extrapolating from the text] The Introduction for this hideous tract, in Luthers Works, the 55-volume American edition, describes it as the most bitter of Luthers polemic writings (LW, 41, 259-290). As is to be expected, some justification is also given for this tirade: Luther seemed to know that he had not much time left-death would come soon, but not before the fiercest enemy of his cause, the papacy, received his scorn and violent condemnation. This polemical tract, like Against Hanswurst, reveals the faith and wrath of the old Luther. Yet one should not forget that his tracts usually originated as replies against equally abusive and violent attacks. Dogmatic, superstitious, intolerant, overbearing, and violent as he was, he yet had that inscrutable prerogative of genius of transforming what he touched into new values. [footnote: Quoted in Schwiebert, Luther and His Times, p. 747, from Preserved Smith, The Age of the Reformation.] I happen to have one of two paperback volumes of Preserved Smiths book, mentioned above. Smith is quite sympathetic and complimentary to Luther (I have no problem with that at all), but is also very frank about the mans faults, on the same page where his words above appear: During his later years Luthers polemic never flagged. His last book, Against the Papacy of Rome, founded by the Devil, surpassed Cicero and the humanists and all that had ever been known in the virulence of its invective . . . Of course such lack of restraint largely defeated its own ends. The Swiss Reformer Bullinger called it amazingly violent, and a book than which he had never read anything more savage or imprudent. Our judgment of it must be tempered by the consideration that Luther suffered in his last years from a nervous malady and from other painful diseases, due partly to overwork and lack of exercise, partly to the quantities of alcohol he imbibed, though he never became intoxicated. (Reformation in Europe, Book I of a two-volume edition of The Age of Reformation, New York: Collier Books, 1962; originally 1920, 102) Again, Smith as a fair, careful biographer, tells the truth about the nature of the work and also includes factors in Luthers life which might account for its severity and extremity. This is reality: human beings are radical mixtures of good and evil. Would that most movies could present characters in the multiform complexity typical of good biographies and novels. Thats all fine and good. But the fact remains that this art and the work it accompanies are vulgar and outrageous, as well as ridiculously, grotesquely slanderous of the Catholic Church. I dont see that Catholic descriptions of these pathetic cartoons or the similar tract with which they were associated surpass by far, if at all, Protestant descriptions already observed above in Bainton, Edwards, and Smith. Catholic Luther biographer Hartmann Grisar, for example describes them as crude defilement, vulgar beyond all description, and repulsive. He continues: The entire collection has become extremely rare, owing probably to the outraged sensibilities of those who were offended by them. In recent times, these cartoons have been re-submitted to the public in the interests of history, but not by partisans of Luther. Luthers active participation in the Illustrations of the Papacy has been placed beyond question by recent research . . . [he] contribut[ed] the ideas and the crude verses that accompanied the cartoons. His name is attached to the illustrations of the series, as well as to the cartoon of the pope-devil. The drawings themselves were without exception the product of his confidant, Lucas Cranach, . . . Hence, it is historically untenable if Protestant authors hold Cranach solely responsible for the disgraceful cartoons of the papacy and ascribe only the text to Luther. These illustrations are his spiritual property in the fullest sense of the word, and Luther himself described them as his last will and testament to the German nation. (Martin Luther: His Life and Work, translated from the second German edition by Frank J. Eble, edited by Arthur Preuss, Westminster, Maryland: The Newman Press, 1960; originally 1930, 547-548) Bainton described the art as outrageously vulgar and utterly restrained. I dont see much difference. In 1530 Luther advanced the view that two offences should be penalized even with death, namely sedition and blasphemy . . . Luther construed mere abstention from public office and military service as sedition and a rejection of an article of the Apostles Creed as blasphemy. In a memorandum of 1531, composed by Melanchthon and signed by Luther, a rejection of the ministerial office was described as insufferable blasphemy, and the disintegration of the Church as sedition against the ecclesiastical order. In a memorandum of 1536, again composed by Melanchthon and signed by Luther, the distinction between the peaceful and the revolutionary Anabaptists was obliterated. (Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, New York: Mentor, 1950, 295) I repeatedly have written about how Luther had a tolerant position early on, adopted a more persecuting position around 1530, then returned to his earlier position later on. My paper on the Peasants Revolt is filled with several dozen peaceful remarks of Luther from 1521-1525. In my first paper about Martin Luther, written in 1991 (since removed from my site), I cited historian Will Durant, stating exactly all these things. I knew this about Luther in 1984, when I first read Baintons book. Bainton talks about both whether Luther advocated the death penalty and why he did. I was always writing about the whether aspect, because I am concerned about Protestants who are unaware of this, or who flat-out deny it. Why he did so, or how tolerant he was compared to others, are interesting and important questions, but different ones from my subject-matter. Therefore, to not cite Bainton in that regard is not incorrect or objectionable, because it is a distinct, separate question, beyond my purpose and purview. If I am seeking to establish that Luther held these views, I can cite Bainton in support of my view. I dont have to go to the next step of analysis. My papers have demonstrated that Luther held a position of capital punishment for what he called sedition, not the rationale for why he did so. He thought belief in adult baptism was so subversive of society that it was seditious as well. I would contend that the criteria for death were at bottom theological and doctrinal. The wife of a Lutheran pastor (LCMS) whom I encountered on the Internet flat-out denied that Luther ever advocated the death penalty for heresy (or sedition, but applied to these groups with a different theology). She went and wrote to a Lutheran scholar, and he asserted the same thing. I simply referred them to Bainton, and wondered aloud how it was that two highly-placed Lutherans did not know something that I learned in 1984 when I read Baintons book??!! But of course the reason is because of the success of the Protestant mythology of origins, which causes many people to believe these silly falsehoods and a bunch of lies about the Catholic Church of that period and today. Now, the point is, if someone is denying the very facts of the matter, then that is how one must respond. One doesnt necessarily have to get into the whys because the fundamental dispute has to be dealt with first. Some atheists deny that Jesus existed. So with them, you have to deal with that before going onto analyses of the Sermon on the Mount, etc. All that is irrelevant if the person thinks you are dealing with a fictional character and not a real historical person. Likewise, if someone denies that Luther advocated the death penalty, it is pointless to talk about why he did so, and how lenient he was compared to others, because the very fact which is the subject of the speculation of why and how? is in dispute. First things first . . . In 1536, the distinction between peaceful and revolutionary Anabaptists was obliterated, as noted by Bainton. In other words, this was an increase in violence against them, not a decrease, because the peaceful Anabaptists were regarded in the same way as the revolutionary ones: as seditious and thus worthy of death. Bainton stated that the change back to the earlier position (regarding a distinction of types of Anabaptists) came in 1540, and then Durant informed us that right before he died, Luther returned to his pre-1525 position of relative tolerance and freedom of religion. I noted all this in my earliest papers about Luther. The whole insinuation that I somehow have done otherwise is a total bum rap, without a shred of truth. Sure, I have emphases in accord with my clearly-stated purpose, but Ive never hidden any of this stuff that some of my critics have emphasized. Nor is there any rule written down which states that Dave Armstrong has to always cite Roland Baintons positive remarks about Luther if he cites any negative opinions. Its ludicrous. I include these considerations where relevant. It matters not if they come from Bainton or someone else because Bainton is not my sole source, and my subject is Martin Luther. Martin Luthers stand on the bigamy of the Landgrave Philip of Hesses is also brought up by historians of all stripes, not just Catholic ones, and Catholic apologists like myself, because it was truly a scandal. Thus I cited one Lutheran scholar: This double marriage was not only the greatest scandal, but the greatest blot in the history of the Reformation and in the life of Luther (J. Kostlin, Life of Luther, Stuttgart: 1901, 2, 481, 486). Remember, it was Luther and the early Protestants who were supposedly on a much higher moral plane than the corrupt Catholics and their church that was being opposed (Protestants describe their motivation as purely reform, but Catholics tend to view it as a revolt, insofar as it separated institutionally and adopted new doctrines not held before within institutional, historical Christianity). There are several incidents over which one would rather draw the veil . . . The most notorious was his attitude toward the bigamy of the Landgrave, Philip of Hesse . . Luther counseled a lie . . . Luthers solution of the problem can be called only a pitiable subterfuge. (Bainton, 292-293) My critics on this score have confused the whether and the why once again. Since I was writing about the former, it was not necessary to include the latter. I certainly could have if I wanted to expand my paper and my own presentations of these incidents and beliefs, but it was not necessary, and failing to do so does not prove that I was misrepresenting Bainton, or using citations incorrectly and wrongly, because we are dealing with two different propositions, and a does not equal b. If I were writing a paper entitled something like, Roland Baintons Treatment of the Scandal of the Bigamy of Philip of Hesse (which sounds more like an article in a theological journal rather than lay apologetics on a popular level), then I agree, I should have included all the additional clarifying and nuancing material. But I wasnt doing that. This particular paper was an eleven-part treatment of some of the scandals and unfortunate consequences of the Protestant Revolt, not a treatise on Baintons in-depth opinions of Luther with regard to one particular incident. The relevant question is: what does a Catholic writing about Luther have to do in order to exploit Luther? Obviously, if I cite Baintons own opinion of the incident, then I am not exploiting Luther simply by doing that, lest Bainton would be guilty of the same thing, since he is the one I cited! This is obvious. So my critics can only nitpick and complain that I didnt include massive context. But does this establish unethical, citation and misrepresentation? I dont think so. I cited Bainton describing the scandal as one over which one would rather draw the veil, and a most notorious incident. He admits that Luther counseled a lie and was guilty of what can be called only a pitiable subterfuge. Thats the bottom line. This is Baintons appraisal of the incident. He doesnt agree with it or condone it. But as in the other cases we have treated, he does proceed (as a good biographer who wants to present the fullest, most nuanced picture of his subject) to try to explain why Luther did what he did, and offer some sort of semi-sympathetic rationale. One might call this damage control or softening the blow of the scandal. I have no problem with that, but I do have a problem with the charge that, simply because I didnt include all of this material in what was simply an introductory treatment, that I was either misrepresenting Baintons opinion or exploiting Luther. The historical facts are unimpeachable, and no one denies them. This shouldnt be controversial: this thing was a scandal anyway you look at it. I was simply pointing it out for those unfamiliar with it. I was under no obligation to examine the in-depth questions of why and the motivations, etc. I cited a shorter part of Baintons opinion (we shall call it x) ; I shall call the longer, more detailed version y. Now does y somehow make x untrue when x is by itself? No, of course not, because x is part of y, so that if y is true, x is also. It is a fact along with an explanation of the fact (an action counsel or advice in this case). It would be like arguing about the following two propositions: 1. The night sky is black. 2. The night sky is black because the sun is on the other side of the earth; hence the sky is not illuminated by it on the dark side of the earth. According to illogical and unreasonably demanding complaints, to cite the portion of #2 which is contained in #1 is to cite incompletely and misleadingly. But I vehemently deny this. #1 remains true whether it is explained or not, and it is not wrong to cite it, in and of itself. Thus, with regard to the discussion at hand: 1. Luther sanctioned bigamy and later lied about it. He was guilty of pitiable subterfuge in so doing. 2. Luther sanctioned bigamy and later lied about it, because of a, b, c, d, and e. He was guilty of pitiable subterfuge in so doing. According to fallacious criticism, it is wrong to state #1, and this is an exploitation of Luther because it fails to contain the additional explanatory material contained in #2. This doesnt follow, if the subject is whether Luther did in fact do what is described in #1. And all historians agree on this (whether Catholic, Protestant, or green-eyed, three-toed, redheaded, left-handed atheist historians). Most Christians are agreed that this was wrong for Luther to do. Therefore, it is not absolutely necessary to include a brief treatment of what he did, explanations, or rationales. None of these are particularly acceptable. Part of the reason why I didnt include such material was precisely because I assumed that my readers would not accept the reasons given, and that we all agreed that it was wrong. It needed no further explanation because none was adequate, anyway. I see nothing wrong with any of this. I am not claiming to be a Luther biographer, nor to present an in-depth discussion of this one incident. I leave that to the biographers like Bainton. Thats their job, as questions of why are much more complex and difficult to ascertain than factual matters are. What I specifically was referring to in my earlier papers, was the particular lie of misrepresenting and caricaturing opponents. It is unarguable that Luther did this, and it has been pointed out innumerable times, by historians of all stripes. For example, Desiderius Erasmus, considered the greatest scholar in Europe at that time, very much held this opinion: I shall show everybody what a master you are in the art of misrepresentation, defamation, calumny and exaggeration . . . In your sly way you contrive to twist even what is absolutely true, whenever it is to your interest to do so. You know how to turn black into white and to make light out of darkness. (Hyperaspistes, [1526], I, 9, col. 1043) I cited fellow Protestant reformer Martin Bucer writing to Heinrich Bullinger (Zwinglis successor): We have treated all the Schoolmen in such a way as to shock many good and worthy men, who see that we have not read their works but are merely anxious to slander them out of prudence. (Letter of 1535, Corp. ref., 10, 138) They said this, not me. Im just the messenger. If two Protestant reformers agree that such lying typified their reform, then who am I to disagree with their self-report? I believe them, especially knowing what I do about what went on in those days. Crucial distinctions and simple logic have often been ignored, in the rush to prove that I misuse or exploit Luther (and Roland Bainton) for my own ends. I have not, as I think I have amply shown, above. (For example, His Views on Marriage and Sexuality) Diptych with the Portraits of Luther and his Wife (1529), by Workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (2-22-07) *** A friend of mine wrote me a letter, asking: Where can I find the context of this quote from Luther? I found it in Degenerate Moderns [E. Michael Jones] p.146 and it is quoted from [19th century Catholic biographer of Luther] Denifle p. 290 (not sure what book): There were no difference between the married state and whoredom, were not God willing to close his eyes to it. Just want to make sure what I think Im reading at first glance is really the context of his writing. I replied (fleshed out a bit for this paper): I would be wary of quotes (particularly isolated ones) from Heinrich Denifle (he had a notorious anti-Luther bias) and from contemporary Catholic writer E. Michael Jones (who has a tendency towards extreme rhetoric and sometimes sensationalism). If no context was provided, it is all the more questionable (as to the impression given). With statements from Luther, especially, it is always of the utmost importance to: 1) Look at the context, and especially the purpose of any given writing. 2) Understand his overall teaching on the subject at hand. 3) Understand that he often utilized extreme sarcasm and hyperbole: sometimes deliberately expressing ideas (in jest) that he didnt actually believe; toying with adversaries, etc. His Table-Talk is notorious for this. Also, one has to know a little bit about his theology of sin and salvation. For Luther, in one sense everything even good men do is sinful, but at the same time, in another sense, it can be good by Gods imputation. I would suspect that is what he was driving at with this statement, but if there is no reference to some primary work where context can be consulted, it should be ignored as (standing by itself) a confusing or even deceiving half-truth. We mustnt treat even our theological opponents unfairly and unjustly. There is more than enough actual error in Luthers teaching, from a Catholic perspective, without having to make up additional errors and distort and twist his views by cynically selective citations taken out of context. Our duty as Christians is to be truthful about the views of those we disagree with. Its not optional. I have often cited Luther in agreement, on issues such as Onan and masturbation, Marian doctrines, the Real Presence in the Eucharist, and baptismal regeneration. I noted, for example, his marvelous observations regarding contraception, in my book, The Catholic Verses (pp. 220-221). He makes great and eloquent pro-children statements: Today you find many people who do not want to have children. Moreover, this callousness and inhuman attitude, which is worse than barbarous, is met with chiefly among the nobility and princes, who often refrain from marriage for this one single reason, that they might have no offspring . . . [or] for fear that the members of their house would increase beyond a definite limit. Surely such men deserve that their memory be blotted out from the land of the living. Who is there who would not detest these swinish monsters? (Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 1-5, 1536; Luthers Works, I, 118; commentary on Genesis 2:18) The rest of the populace is more wicked than even the heathen themselves. For most married people do not desire offspring. Indeed, they turn away from it and consider it better to live without children . . . But the purpose of marriage is not to have pleasure and to be idle but to procreate and bring up children, . . . Those who have no love for children are swine, stocks, and logs unworthy of being called men and women; for they despise the blessing of God, the Creator and Author of marriage. (Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 26-30, in Luthers Works, V, 325-328; vol. 28, 279; commentary on the birth of Joseph to Jacob and Rachel; cf. LW, vol. 45, 39-40) Luthers teaching on marriage is not all bad, by any stretch. In fairness to him, those wanting to know what he believed in these matters in its entirety, ought to do a fuller study, beyond quotable weird, odd sentiments. Any thinker (especially historically important and influential ones) deserves to have his entire thought on a subject considered, rather than just selective snippets. For a balanced treatment of Luthers overall view of marriage, therefore, see: The Estate of Marriage (Martin Luther, 1522) Scott David Foutz, Luthers Contribution to a Christian Sexual Ethic Susan C. Karant-Nunn & M. E. Wiesner-Hanks, Luther on Women: A Sourcebook For a general treatment, see David C. Steinmetzs work, Luther in Context (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 2nd edition, 2002). Also, for a more critical assessment by Catholic Jesuit historian and Luther biographer Hartmann Grisar, see the chapter On Marriage and Sexuality, pp. 241-273 in the online book, Luther, Volume 3 of 6 (1914). Iran Said Seeking Russian Cruise Missiles Ahead Of Weapons Ban Expiration 03/04/17 Source: RFE/RL Iran is already negotiating to buy cruise missiles from Russia and is likely to make other major weapons purchases when a UN ban on selling Iran sophisticated weapons expires in 2020, a U.S. intelligence report finds. A Russian cruise missile is test-fired over the Barents Sea The report last month by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence, obtained by Bloomberg News and released on March 3, says that Iran will likely go shopping for new warships, submarines, and antiship missiles once this major sanction imposed by the United Nations is lifted under Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The expiration of the conventional weapons ban "will allow Iran to pursue foreign acquisitions that have been inaccessible" for years, the report says. Apparently in anticipation of the ban being lifted, it says Iran is already negotiating with Russia to acquire the SS-N-26 Yakhont coastal-defense cruise missile. The report says most of Tehran's weapons are currently made in Iran and are inferior in quality and performance to weapons manufactured in Russia, China, and the West. Even so, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp navy has regularly confronted U.S. warships sailing in international waters off Iran's coast, prompting vows of a tough response from President Donald Trump. Based on reporting by Bloomberg Hardliners Float Name of Major Human Rights Violator for Iran's Next Supreme Leader 03/04/17 Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran For the time being, a powerful hardline cleric implicated in major human rights violations, Ebrahim Raeesi, has ruled out his candidacy in Iran's May 2016 presidential election. He remains, however, as a favorite among conservatives for becoming the country's next supreme leader. Ebrahim Raeesi The announcement that Raeesi will not run against current centrist President Hassan Rouhani on May 19 came the day after a conservative political coalition nominated him as their preferred presidential candidate. The Entekhab newspaper reported on February 23, 2017 that: "Hossein Kanani Moghaddam, a member of the Followers (of the Imam) Front and the Resistance Party, told our reporter: 'Based on the vote count, Hojatoleslam Ebrahim Raeesi has received the majority of the ballots in the voting among the coalition of popular Islamic revolutionary forces.'" The next day, the Tasnim News Agency, which maintains close relations with the hardline Revolutionary Guards, published a statement by Raeesi's office saying that he considered it an honor to remain in the city of Mashhad as the head of Astan Quds Razavi, one of the largest Shiite shrine-based religious institutions in Iran. "Ayatollah Raeesi believes that his presence in Astan Quds Razavi is more important than any other duty and is a valuable opportunity to serve those who adore these sacred grounds," said the February 24 statement. Raeesi was granted the position in March 2016 by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whom Raeesi may replace after Khamenei's death. "Death Committee" Member Raeesi, 57, has spent most of his career in the judiciary. As a judge in the 1980s, he was known for issuing harsh sentences for cases involving oppositionists and dissidents. He was also a member of the infamous "Death Committee," a four-man special judicial panel that ordered the executions of thousands of political prisoners in the summer of 1988. Running in Iran's presidential election would expose Raeesi to embarrassing questions about his role in the massacre, described by a now deceased ayatollah and former successor to the founder of the 1979 revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini, as the "greatest crime committed in the Islamic Republic since the revolution." Raeesi was deputy judiciary chief for a decade from 2004 to 2014, when he took over as prosecutor general in August of that year. In March 2016, he was appointed as the new head of Astan Quds Razavi, after which chatter about him becoming Khamenei's successor grew. Rafsanjani's Death and the Future Supreme Leader The sudden death in January 2017 of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani-a former president and influential, pragmatic member of Iran's political establishment-left a great void in the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body that will choose the country's next supreme leader. Formerly a close ally of Khamenei, as president (1989-1997) Rafsanjani oversaw one of the harshest crackdowns on dissidents and the press in the Islamic Republic's history. However, in 2009 he earned a new reputation for strongly criticizing the government's violent crackdown on peaceful protestors during that year's disputed presidential election. Without the voice of Rafsanjani, an experienced coalition-builder whose support was crucial for Rouhani's election in 2013, reformists-often blocked by hardliners from entering politics-can no longer rely on a like-minded cleric to counteract pro-Khamenei forces in the Assembly of Experts. In the February 2016 election for the assembly, Rafsanjani received the highest number of votes from Tehran, but lost the chairmanship to Ali Jannati, an ultra-conservative and close ally of Khamenei. In an interview with the reformist Shargh newspaper in March 2015, Rafsanjani hinted that he didn't have to be the chairman of the assembly, a position he held from 2007 to 2011, to influence the assembly's vote for the next supreme leader. "At the critical moment (of deciding on Khamenei's successor), I don't have to be the chairman (of the Assembly of Experts)," he said. "It would suffice for me to be a member of the assembly and like anyone, I could speak and give opinions and, if I wish, I could make an impact." With Rafsanjani now out of the picture, Khamenei's wish for a hardliner like himself-who shares his anti-modern, anti-Western vision for Iran- to become the next supreme leader has become a more likely possibility. "When the time comes to choose a leader, you should set aside your personal considerations and keep God in mind... If I have to say it in one word, that word is 'revolutionary'-the Assembly of Experts should think and act in a revolutionary manner," said Khamenei in a speech on March 10, 2016 to the newly elected members of the assembly. Iran's 77-year-old supreme leader's health is declining. In 2014, Khamenei underwent prostrate surgery, fueling debate over his successor. According to political analyst Reza Alijani, conservatives may choose a successor to Khamenei before his death to ensure a smooth transition that will preserve their interests. The death of Rafsanjani, one of the most important pillars of Iran's ruling religious-political establishment, has opened the door for the ultra-conservative Raeesi to lead the running for the next supreme leader. Other names have also been floated, including Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei, former Judiciary Chief Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, current Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani, senior theologian Abdollah Javadi Amoli, senior theologian Nasser Makarem Shirazi, senior theologian Mesbah Yazdi and even President Hassan Rouhani. Raeesi stands out, however, as the strongest candidate because he has gained Khamenei's trust and built a close relationship with the Revolutionary Guards. US thwarts Europe investment in Iran: Paper 03/04/17 Source: Press TV The US government has thwarted many funding projects and deals in Iran during the past months, a London-based daily says. Citing European banks' sources, Asharq al-Awsat said many visits by European delegations to Tehran since the lifting of sanctions on Iran in January 2016 had failed to bear fruit. The sanctions were removed under a nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic, but Washington has imposed new penalties under numerous pretexts, including over Iran's missile defense program. The paper said European investors had to forgo most projects because their operations fell foul of sanctions imposed on a number of Iranian entities blacklisted by US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). One French banker told the paper they abolished certain operations in Iran because they feared to be fined like BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale Bank Jordan which had to cough up $15 billion in penalties. A German banker revealed that "most of the business visits by German, French and Swiss delegations to Tehran since the lifting of sanctions went in vain." "There is a serious concern among huge western banks because they don't want to take the risk," Asharq al-Awsat quoted the unnamed official as saying. Some board members of a European bank were shocked to find they had been banned from travelling to the US, the paper added. Those bans appear to be in line with US President Donald Trump's executive order suspending immigration and visas for citizens from Iran and six other countries with majority Muslim populations. Senior Iranian officials have repeatedly complained that the US is not adhering to its end of the bargain in the nuclear agreement. The Europeans agree but they mostly play a double game, refusing to commit to serious trade with the Islamic Republic. A convicted felon who punched a Riverside County firefighter attempting to stop him from running in front of cars while high on drugs pleaded guilty Friday, March 3 to misdemeanor charges. Shawn Dustin Powell, 35, of Perris was arrested Wednesday after he tussled with first-responders in Lake Elsinore. He was charged with battery on a public safety official and being under the influence of a controlled substance. During his arraignment before Superior Court Judge Kenneth Fernandez, Powell admitted both charges. The judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 17 at the Riverside Hall of Justice and ordered that the defendant be held in lieu of $5,000 bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta. According to sheriffs Sgt. Brett Seckinger, a fire department crew encountered Powell running in and out of traffic at the intersection of Railroad Canyon and Summerhill drives about 2 p.m. Wednesday. The probationer was putting himself and motorists in jeopardy, as well as creating a traffic jam, Seckinger said. Firefighters and several bystanders attempted to corral Powell and shepherd him to the curb, but the subject became violent and injured a firefighter, about which time deputies arrived and subdued the assailant, the sergeant said. The fireman was treated at the scene for a minor injury, and Powell was transported to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where he was treated for superficial cuts and bruises, then booked into jail, the sergeant said. According to court records, Powell has prior convictions for assault resulting in great bodily injury, fraud and burglary. The hottest new attraction at Disneyland isnt a roller coaster, a boat ride or a big-budget musical show. Its a dessert. Last weekend, Disneyland fans lined up for two hours or more to eat at the parks new Red Rose Taverne restaurant in Fantasyland. Its a Beauty and the Beast-themed overlay of the Village Haus Restaurant, developed to promote the upcoming release of Disneys live-action version of the 1992 animated movie. Disneys revamped the menu in addition to redecorating the formerly Pinocchio-themed eatery, and the selection I saw on almost everyones tray last weekend was The Grey Stuff, a mousse-like dessert that references a famous line from Be Our Guest, one of the show-stopping musical numbers in the film. Detail-obsessed Disney fans long wondered what The Grey Stuff in the song was supposed to be, so when Disney opened a Beauty and the Beast-themed restaurant called Be Our Guest at Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom in 2012, it swiftly became the hottest table at the resort. Fans wanted to share the iconic moment when Belle dines in the Beasts enchanted castle for the first time. No, the dishes wouldnt sing and dance in Disney Worlds restaurant, like they did in the movie. But visitors would get to dine in the Beasts castle, and restaurant would serve the mysterious Grey Stuff. Disneylands new restaurant doesnt recreate the Beasts castle, but it does name-check the enchanted flower that plays a central role in the story. (Its been 25 years; do I really need to keep avoiding spoilers?) And The Grey Stuff here is even better than the Orlando version, with the grey mousse swirled around (OK, Ill give you this spoiler alert!) red velvet cake that conceals a single, whole raspberry, like a hidden red rose. That a single line in a song from an animated movie would inspire thousands of people to queue for hours a quarter century later to buy a yet another form of sugar at Disneyland speaks to the power of what Disney created with its animated version of Beauty and the Beast. Disneys advantage over other parks always has been the emotional connection people feel with the stories and characters represented on its rides and in its shows. You can ride a roller coaster anywhere. But you can fly over London with Peter Pan only at a Disney theme park. Themed restaurants allow parks to reinforce those emotional connections with taste and smell, rounding out the sensory experiences in the park. Disneyland Paris in 2014 opened a Ratatouille-themed restaurant in a land devoted to that 2007 Pixar film about a rodent who longs to become a chef. Rival Universal has opened Krusty Burger restaurants in its Simpsons-themed lands in Hollywood and Orlando. And Universals Wizarding World of Harry Potter might provide the best example of themed food in parks, with its Butterbeer winning raves from millions of fans. This isnt Disneylands first go at adding a movie theme to one of its existing restaurants. In 2015, the park changed Tomorrowland Terrace into the Star Wars-themed Galactic Grill. But, save for that blue milk Luke Skywalker drinks in the 1977 original, Star Wars doesnt offer any obvious food and beverage tie-ins, as Ratatouille, The Simpsons, Harry Potter and Beauty and the Beast do. As with Red Rose Taverne, Disney said the Galactic Grill overlay would be for a limited time, but the Galactic Grill is still drawing hungry fans a year and a half later. With a stronger theme and (in my humble opinion) way better food, I can see the Red Rose Taverne sticking around even longer. Especially given how much more money Disney must be making from it. I cant remember the last time I saw a line out the door at the Village Haus, even on busy summer days. With Red Rose Taverne, Disneyland reaffirms the cliche that best way to peoples hearts is through their stomachs. Robert Niles is the founder and editor of ThemeParkInsider.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThemePark. Riverside County sheriffs deputies arrested a man and a teenage boy Tuesday evening, Feb. 28, on suspicion of drug, fraud and gun charges, according to a Riverside County sheriffs news release. Juan Carlos Valencia, 33, of Fontana was suspected of possessing methamphetamine for sales, possessing stolen checks and receiving stolen property, the news release states. He was booked into Southwest Detention Center where his bail was set at $50,000. The 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of methamphetamine while in possession of a loaded handgun. He was booked into Southwest Juvenile Hall. According to the news release, deputies served a search warrant about 8 p.m. Tuesday at a home in the 2800 block of Pinta Court in Perris. They found stolen mail, checks and credit cards, and more than 4 ounces of methamphetamine. Most of the stolen mail, checks and credit cards belonged to Erica DeLeon, 28, of Moreno Valley, who was arrested on suspicion of fraud charges Feb. 24 by Riverside police officers, the news release states. She remained in custody at Larry Smith Detention Center with bail set at $150,000. The Sheriffs Department asks anyone with information related to this case to call 951-210-1000 or email PerrisStation@RiversideSheriff.org. Three adults and two children were displaced from their Eastvale home on Friday, March 3, after a fire tore through one of the rooms there, according to fire officials. The blaze was reported about 3:21 p.m. in the 5700 block of Carolinas Lane in the city, according to a Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire news release. Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the two story home, according to the release. Fire officials say the blaze was kept to a downstairs bedroom and that no one was injured. Still, they said, the damage was bad enough that the American Red Cross was called to assist the five people, who couldnt stay in the home. It wasnt immediately clear what sparked the blaze. Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire saw heavy job losses in January following the meager gains that were posted in December, but California still managed to add nearly 10,000 jobs, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday. L.A. County employers shed 78,700 jobs in January, fueled primarily by a steep decline in seasonal retail positions that were eliminated at the end of the holiday shopping season. That came in stark contrast to Decembers gain of 8,100 jobs. But the regions unemployment rate dipped to 4.9 percent in January, down from 5.1 percent in December and 5.6 percent a year earlier. Kimberly Ritter-Martinez, an economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., said the drop-off of seasonal holiday employment is typical for January. Its been pretty consistent, she said. It happened in 2016 with 87,000 jobs lost and in 2013 we lost 81,000 jobs. The countys trade, transportation and utilities sector lost 28,800 jobs in January and additional declines were seen in leisure and hospitality (down 19,000 jobs), information (down 7,700), construction (down 4,700) and manufacturing (down 4,000), among others. Financial activities was the only industry to show an increase over the month with 900 new jobs. L.A. County added 62,600 jobs over the year at a rate of 1.5 percent. That outpaced Decembers year-over-year gain of 58,600 jobs. LA COUNTYS MANUFACTURING SECTOR CONTINUES TO SHED JOBS Educational and health services saw the biggest increase over the year with 31,300 new jobs. But manufacturing an industry that continues to shed jobs due to downsizing, outsourcing and automation lost 8,400 jobs. Still, some manufacturing firms are holding their own. J&R Steel & Welding, a Tarzana-based business that specializes in everything from custom wrought iron work for gates and railings to structural steel supports and glass glazing, has seen a steady increase in recent years, according to Cody Cohen, the companys vice president. We do a lot of R&D and we also do 3D printing for some in-house stuff, he said. Theres more competition out there than you might think but things are good. J&R may be doing well but more manufacturing cuts are in the cards, according to Ritter-Martinez. We just published a report that predicts that county will lose 1,400 manufacturing jobs this year, she said. But 2018 could be flat so it might be bottoming out. INLAND EMPIRE LOSES NEARLY 20,000 JOBS IN JANUARY The Inland Empire weathered a decline of 19,900 jobs in January, a sharp contrast to the 9,600 that were added the previous month. The regions jobless rate also shot up to 5.6 percent from 5.1 percent in December but it still landed below the year-ago rate of 5.9 percent. Like L.A. County, the Inland Empires biggest decline for January came in trade, transportation and utilities, which lost 16,500 jobs. Those losses were also attributed largely to seasonal cuts in retail trade. Seven other industries posted job losses, including professional and business services (down 2,200) and construction (down 700). The two-county regions government sector saw the biggest overall gain with the addition of 1,300 jobs. The Inland Empire added 44,100 jobs over the year at a rate of 3.2 percent. That eclipsed Decembers year-over-year uptick of 40,800 jobs. The region saw annual growth in trade, transportation and utilities and seven other industries, including construction (up 6,200 jobs) and manufacturing (up 2,600). TINY HOMEBUILDER LOOKS TO TARGET HOMELESS VETERANS Business has been sluggish for Adventure Cabins, a San Bernardino business that builds tiny homes that range from 100 to 400 square feet. But Travis Saenz, who co-owns the business along with his father Leroy, said theyre looking to tweak their business model. Weve built about seven homes over the last three years so its been kind of slow, he said. What wed like to do is house homeless vets. Weve been in touch with the San Bernardino Economic Development Department and hopefully well hear something as to what could happen. And there might be some government grant money for us. CALIFORNIA ADDS JOBS, LOWERS JOBLESS RATE On a larger scale, California added 9,700 jobs in January more than double the 4,400 that were added in December. The Golden States unemployment rate dropped to 5.1 percent compared with 5.2 percent in December and 5.7 percent a year earlier. Southern California received some good news recently when the Home Depot and Lowes home improvement chains announced that they are ramping up hiring for the spring season, their busiest time of the year. Home Deport reported Thursday that it will be hiring 2,000 permanent part-time and seasonal employees at 66 stores throughout the Southland, and Lowes announced last month that it plans to hire 662 seasonal workers in Southern California. POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Ritter-Martinez said there are uncertainties surrounding the Trump administrations impact on business in Southern California. His intent to reduce regulations and corporate taxes should encourage business investment and that would help the economy grow, she said. But were concerned about his trade restrictions. That could impact jobs at our ports. The explosion and gunfire Thursday at Rancho Cucamonga High School was simulated, but the danger it mimicked is increasingly very real. Hopefully the school will never be the scene of a mass shooting. Unfortunately it could be. With that in mind, the schools 3,000 students assembled to watch a video on responding to a violent act. They then returned to their classrooms to learn more about how to survive such a horrific event. Thursdays school program was a trial run in expanding the scope of the citys Surviving an Active Shooter community training program, said Rancho Cucamonga firefighter Ofer Lichtman, who leads the program alongside San Bernardino County sheriffs Deputy Rocky Johnson. The program teaches civilians how to respond during acts of terror, including how to provide basic medical care while awaiting first responders to arrive. Organizers started training city employees in August 2015, and residents 14 years old and older in January 2016. Since then, Lichtman said about 5,000 people had participated in the training before Thursdays school event. (Lichtman and Johnson were training a group of animal shelter employees when the San Bernardino terror attack occurred.) The community training is an extension of a program developed in 2003 by Rancho Cucamonga fire and police departments for jointly responding to active shooter scenarios. The goal was to provide medical care to victims even while the assailant or assailants were still a threat. Lichtman said the motivation was terror incidents, such as the Columbine shooting in 1999, in which people were dying of potentially survivable wounds because of delays in medical care. Typically, medical personnel wait for law enforcement to give the all-clear before entering a shooting scene to treat the wounded. In the program developed in Rancho Cucamonga, first responders assemble in tactical teams and enter a scene in waves. For example, in a first wave, law enforcement enters and focuses on finding and eliminating the threat; in subsequent waves, medical personnel protected both by ballistic gear and armed law enforcement personnel enter the scene to begin triage and treatment of the wounded even if the threat still exists. Such methods were uncommon at the time. Since then, the city has fine-tuned the training and held about 140 drills in Rancho Cucamonga alone, and its tactics have been adopted by agencies nationwide. We very much wrote the playbook, Lichtman said. For the community program, they adopted a curriculum developed by Southern California-based First Care Provider. It teaches disaster response, including first aid skills to stop traumatic bleeding that, left unstanched, often leads to death. The program also includes campaigns developed by the Department of Homeland Security, including If you see something, say something and Run/Hide/Fight. Offering the active shooter training to the general public was an easy decision for the city to support, City Manager John Gillison wrote in an email. The proposal came from Mike Costello, chief of Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District, and Danielle Boldt, San Bernardino County sheriffs captain and Rancho Cucamongas de facto police chief. Our hope is none of our residents ever have to use this training, Gillison wrote. But if they find themselves experiencing an act of violence, they (will be) prepared to know how to react quickly, save themselves and potentially the lives of others. The program is funded by a grant from the states Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund, Gillison said. Though its subject matter is terror, the training was developed not to be terrifying. We dont have to make this a miserable experience, Lichtman said, adding that people usually end up laughing, often at their awkward first attempts to administer first aid to one another. That was the experience of Cindy Rich and Brisena Rivera, third-grade teachers at Cucamonga Elementary School, who on Feb. 2 took part in the training at their campus. Rivera scowled in mock pain as Rich, grinning impishly, applied a tourniquet a bit too tightly to her colleagues right arm. The humor belied their belief in the trainings necessity. Its scary, its terrifying, but its reality, Rivera said. (With the training), I feel more prepared that I can make a decision to save my kids. In addition to tourniquets, people learn how to use chest seals to stop a gunshot wound from bleeding out. Lichtman and his team make available these and other first aid items in trauma kits everything you need to improve odds of surviving a shooting that have been deployed alongside automated external defibrillators in public buildings throughout the city. Marc Steinorth, representing the 40th Assembly District in the California Legislature, has admired Rancho Cucamongas joint tactical training since his days on the City Council. He encourages people to attend the community training, and recently introduced Assembly Bill 909 with hopes of making trauma public access kits, or PAKs, available statewide. This proposal will ensure buildings required to have defibrillators (to) also store a trauma PAK, he said. We want everybody to be ready and able to save as many lives as humanly possible in the event of a terror attack or natural disaster. Steinorth expected to see activity on the bill in April or May. He said he also is working with organizations to encourage the necessary training in the use of the PAKs. Lichtman said theyve gone across the county to conferences and other departments to showcase and share their tactical training best practices. Theyve only recently begun showing other departments their approach to community training, which so far includes Arlington County Fire Department in Virginia and Chino Valley Fire District. The district has collaborated with Rancho Cucamonga for years on tactical training. Last April, after being trained by Lichtman and his team, the district began offering a similar community program, one thats focused on teaching emergency first aid. Since then, the district has trained about 3,000 people and local businesses, such as Best Buy and WalMart, have asked if classes can be held for employees, Chino Valley fire Capt. Carlos Skibar said. Most people want to help but they dont know what to do, he said. The district holds its monthly First Care Provider training as a companion to a quarterly Chino Police Department program, Responding to an Active Shooter Incident. The former includes first aid training, like the Rancho Cucamonga program that influenced it, while the latter is primarily a lecture in which attendees learn what to expect during such events, including how their fire and police departments respond. For example, Skibar said police explain how officers wont stop to help injured people because they must focus on eliminating the threat at hand. Chino Valley positions the training as applicable not only to an active shooter situation but also to a disaster or situations, such as traffic incidents, in which people suffer traumatic injuries. People are very appreciative of us just equipping them (and) giving them a direction to go (during an emergency), Skibar said. Such empowerment is a primary goal of the program. If you have a plan, you have a choice, is a common refrain. Fighting back is presented as a last resort. Civilians are instructed to try to incapacitate or distract the shooter or shooters, such as by throwing whatever items are at hand, if and when they are in imminent danger. Yet theres more to it. You fight because your life has value and meaning, which terrorists try to deny, Johnson said. Its not that surprising that Captain Todd Bradstreets sister saw the video of his teams recent swift water rescue in Murrieta. The harrowing clip was shared on social media by friends and family and thousands of local residents minutes after it was posted on Southern California news sites Jan. 22. The shocker was the globe-spanning spread of the video, which features Bradstreet, Captain Sean DeGrave and Engineer Mike Macalinao saving a family of four from a truck that was forcibly dragged into the Yoder Wash by a torrent of muddy water. My sister, who lives in France, called me up and said, My neighbor saw you on TV, Bradstreet recalled Friday following a ceremony at the Murrieta Fire Departments Juniper Street station. All the other members of the team received similar reports of its spread and dozens of texts and messages of congratulations for their performance. At the ceremony, the three firefighters were given certificates from State Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Temecula, a former Temecula council member and county supervisor who represents the area. The trio was framed by other members of the department who helped out that day, a long list that included firefighters who pulled the rescue team to shore via ropes, plus police officers and the dispatchers who fielded the initial call. A lot of people were on that shore, noted Captain Scott Ferguson. Stone lauded the men for their work, saying their efforts underscored the need to continue making public safety, and funding of emergency operations, a top priority. It wasnt about who got the credit, it was about collectively working together to save lives, he said. Macalinao said the team didnt think much about the incident at the time it was the second rescue of a busy day for the department but then they saw the video and noticed how it was getting received. It was definitely a career call, he said, adding that hes heard from other departments that the video is being used for training purposes. Social media commenters were critical of the family for putting themselves (and the citys firefighters) in danger, but Macalinao said that when they went back to the scene, they saw how someone could have made a similar mistake. Anyone could have been swept away, he said. The family recently stopped by the station to say thanks for the rescue, according to the firefighters. The certificates from Stones office will be followed by a presentation at an upcoming City Council meeting, where the firefighters will be given medals of valor. And after that? Next call, DeGrave said. President Donald Trump on Saturday accused former President Barack Obama of having Trump Tower telephones wire tapped during last years election, a claim that an Obama spokesman said was false. Trump did not offer any evidence or details, or say what prompted him to make the allegation. Trump, whose administration has been under siege over campaign contacts with Russian officials, said in a series of early morning tweets that he just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said a cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered in any Justice Department investigations, which are supposed to be conducted free of political influence. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen, Lewis said, adding that any suggestion otherwise is simply false. The White House did not immediately reply to inquiries about what prompted the presidents tweets. Trump compared the alleged activity to behavior involving President Richard Nixon and the bugging of his political opponents. How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! he tweeted, misspelling tap. Trump said the wiretapping occurred in October. He ran the presidential transition largely out of Trump Tower in New York, where he also maintains a residence. Trumps tweets came days after revelations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, during his Senate confirmation hearing, didnt disclose his own campaign-season contacts with Russias ambassador to the United States. Sessions, a U.S. senator at the time, was Trumps earliest Senate supporter. Trumps opening tweet Saturday mentioned Sessions and claimed the first meeting Sessions had with the Russian diplomat was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the campaign with the goal of helping elect Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton findings that Trump has dismissed. The FBI has investigated Trump associates ties to Russian officials. Congress is also investigating. Trump has blamed Democrats for leaks of information about the investigation and the contacts. It was unclear what prompted Trumps new charge. The president often tweets about reports he reads on blogs and conservative-leaning websites. The allegations may be related to anonymously sourced reports in British media and blogs, and on conservative-leaning U.S. websites, including Breitbart News. Those reports claimed that U.S. officials had obtained a warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to review contacts between computers at a Russian bank and Trumps New York headquarters. The AP has not confirmed these contacts or the investigation into them. Steve Bannon, Trumps chief strategist in the White House, is a former executive chairman of Breitbart News. FISA is a 1978 law that created a system to hear requests to surveil foreign intelligence agents. It differs from a regular criminal warrant because it does not require the government to provide probable cause that a crime has occurred. Instead, under FISA, the government must simply provide evidence that the target of an investigation is an agent of a foreign power. Such targetable agents would include Russian diplomats such as Sergei Kislyak, the ambassador who spoke with a number of Trump aides. But a FISA warrant could also include others for whom investigators could muster probable cause, potentially including entities directly connected to Trump. Obama could not order a FISA warrant. Obtaining one would require officials at the Justice Department to seek permission from the FISA court, which is shrouded in secrecy. Judges could order prosecutors to share FISA information with defendants if they deem it necessary for challenging a searchs legality, but courts have consistently agreed with the government that disclosing the material could expose sensitive intelligence secrets. One exception to this practice is the president himself, who has the authority to declassify records. In Trumps case, he could confirm any such surveillance of his campaign or business undertaken before he took office in January. Trump is spending the weekend at his waterfront estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after highlighting his education agenda and support for school choice on Friday by visiting a Catholic school in Orlando. Trump had no public events scheduled during the weekend. After tweeting Saturday about Obama, as well as about Arnold Schwarzeneggers decision to leave The New Celebrity Apprentice, Trump went to his golf club in nearby West Palm Beach. Schwarzenegger replaced Trump as host of the show while the president remained its executive producer. Trump is also scheduled to have dinner Saturday with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at Trumps estate, Mar-a-Lago. The president planned to return to the White House late Sunday. In consultation with the Council of State, President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has confirmed the appointments of the Inspector General of Police, Chief of Defence Staff of the Armed Forces and Chief of Army Staff. The communique was passed on to Peacefmonline.com by the Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Mr. Eugene Arhin. Mr. David Asante Appeatu, has been appointed the Inspector General of Police. He once served as the Director of the Specialised Crime and Analysis (SCA) Unit at the INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon France. He is a Government of Ghana gazette Firearms Examiner and also a gazetted Controlled Drug Analyst and has performed various assignments across the world. For the Chief of Defence Staff of the Armed Forces post, Maj. Gen. Obed Boamah Akwa, has been appointed by the president. He enlisted into the Ghana Military Academy in October 1975 and was commissioned into the Ghana Army as a Second Lieutenant in March 1977 with extensive experience in Global Security. Maj. Gen. William Azure Ayamdo is Ghanas Chief of Army Staff. He replaces Major General Obed Boamah Akwa who has been appointed by the president as Chief of Defence Staff. Full statement below APPOINTMENT OF INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF, AND CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF Pursuant to Articles 202 and 212 of the Constitution, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has, in consultation with the Council of State, confirmed the appointments of the following persons: 1. Mr. David Asante Appeatu Inspector General of Police 2. Maj. Gen. Obed Boamah Akwa Chief of Defence Staff of the Armed Forces 3. Maj. Gen. William Azure Ayamdo Chief of Army Staff The said appointments take effect forthwith. ......signed...... Eugene Arhin Director of Communications Source: Chris Joe Quaicoe/ email: [email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Spare parts dealers in the capital, Accra are set to stage a massive demonstration over the abolishing of tax on the importation of spare parts into the country. The demonstration would involve second hand parts dealers from Abossey Okai and Kokompe in Accra which are the hub of the spare parts business in the capital Chairman of the Association of Used Auto Parts Dealers (ASUPAD), Sammy Siaw muted this decision on Asempa Thursday whiles reacting to the announcement by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta that import duties on spare parts have been abolished. Very soon, we would stage a demonstration. Our route will be from Abossey Okai all the way to the Flagstaff House. We would be clad in white to go and say a big thank you to the President for the bold decision, he said. He continued that the spare parts dealers would have staged the same protest if the NPP administration led by Nana Akufo-Addo had not abolished the tax cuts as promised. We would have put on red bands and demonstrated against him if he had failed, therefore if he had honored his promises to us and cut abolished the tax, why would we not demonstrate in his support?, he queried. According to him, the spare parts dealers would also benefit from the 1% import duty which would also be abolished by the government. We have a double dose and benefit from the budget and these are all parts of the litany of items we presented to the governmentbut he has honoured two and we are happy, we can relax because of this move, he added. He however called on the President to work on the invasion of foreigners into the retail trade in Ghana. Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta while delivering the 2017 Budget in Parliament announced government's decision to abolish eight taxes and reduce four others, many of which were set by the previous government. The taxes the Minister listed to be abolished and reduced include; (a) Abolish one percent special import levy, (b) Abolish 17.5 VAT on financial services (c) Abolish 17.5% VAT on selected imported medicines (d) Initiate steps to remove import duties on raw materials and machinery (e) Abolish 17.5 VAT on domestic airline tickets (f) Abolish 5% VAT on real estates (g) Abolish excise duty on petroleum (h) Reduce special petroleum tax rate from 17.5% to 15% (i) Abolish duties on importation of spare parts. (j) Abolish levies imposed on Kayayei's by local authorities (k) Replace the 17.5 VAT on Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) traders to a flat rate of 3.5 percent (l) Reduce National Electrification levy According to Mr Ofori-Atta, many of the taxes were nuisance taxes, and hence the removal will ease the difficulties imposed on Ghanaians. Source: adomonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Audio Attachment: Listen to Kwesi Pratt Jnr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has hit hard at the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, claiming they did a "useless work". Kwesi Pratt explained that one of the factors that led to the NDC's defeat in the 2016 elections was because the government failed to bring relief to Ghanaians in their budget statements. According to him, the erstwhile Mahama administration was supposed to read a budget that would have a direct influence on the citizens but rather made a lot of "useless" interventions that didn't benefit the population. Mr. Pratt was commenting on the 2017 budget statement by the ruling government dubbed the "Asempa" Budget which is translated as the "Good news budget". He noted that if the NDC had presented the budget statement by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to the nation; it perhaps would have remained in power. To him, a budget is a "a political instrument that shows the direction of the government and this budget defined that thing clearly", " . . two of the best examples is so-called abolition of taxes on spare parts . . . The second one is the Kayayei thing. That is how the budget should be. Im not saying its wrong. When you finish reading a budget, you have to see which sections of the society are going to benefit and which sections of the society are not going to benefit. Thats what our brethren in the NDC didnt do and so suffered. If you do Circle interchange, you this or that, you do a green book and if you dont direct it at a certain constituency make people own the budget or aspects of the budget; in terms of politics, youre doing a useless work. Thats why you did a lot of useless works and this is a very important point for me. All the work they did, in the final analysis, look at the election results. So, people did not own the work they did," Mr. Pratt stressed. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must cease asking heads of state institutions to proceed on compulsory leave as a means of removing them from office, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has said. According to him, since the inception of this government, several people including police officers, National Security operatives and others have been sacked, a situation he said only worsens the unemployment situation in the country. Speaking at a press conference on Friday 3 March in response to the budget statement presented to parliament by the Finance Minister, Mr. Iddrisu said: In their hurry and haste, all DCEs have been asked to go home. On Monday (Independence Day), we will see who will take the salutes at the level of the district assemblies and others. "President Mils in 2009 extended the tenure of every District Chief Executive because under the constitution, the decentralised provisions of the constitution are not partisan and, therefore, you come and say go home yet you have not provided an alternative. So as we speak on Monday, we will see the interesting thing that will happen across Ghana. "The lawlessness must stop, the contract of employment must be respected, and you cannot just wake up and ask a Chief Executive to hand over by 5pm. In every contract of employment you have three months notice that you must give a person in terminating his employment. Source: classfmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video In this photo taken Nov. 5, 1996 American real estate mogul Donald Trump, left, checks out sites in Moscow, Russia, for luxury residential towers. Despite saying he wanted to build a Trump tower in Russia, Donald Trump never completed a deal in the country's booming _ but volatile _ real estate and hotel market. (AP Photo/Igor Tabakov) FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2014, file photo, an unidentified Guatemalan woman stands inside a dormitory in the Artesia Family Residential Center, a federal detention facility for undocumented immigrant mothers and children in Artesia, N.M. The nation's immigration courts are already overwhelmed, facing a backlog of more than half a million cases. Recent directives from President Donald Trump's administration to step up enforcement of immigration laws and expanding the number of people considered priorities for deportation could funnel even more people into the overloaded immigration court system. (AP Photo/Juan Carlos Llorca, File) FILE - This July 24, 2006 file photo shows a gray wolf at the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake, Minn. An appeals court ruled Friday, March 3, 2017, to lift federal protections for gray wolves in Wyoming. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reverses a lower judge who sided with environmental groups and rejected Wyoming's wolf management plan. (AP Photo/Dawn Villella, file) Here, there, everywhere why car washes seem to be on every corner business Answers Africa is one of a kind platform created for Africans both locally and in the diaspora and those seeking for more in-depth information about Africa. We have always focused on creating the highest quality informational contents right from the beginning. We share the most relevant information on the latest and trending news, events, people, and places in Africa. We produce contents across various categories including Politics, People, Love and Romance, Nature, Entertainment, Technology and pretty much everything else that Africans may find relevant. We aim to answer the most relevant questions about Africa in areas of entertainment, famous people, emerging technologies while we also engage with various distribution capabilities to connect with Africans in need of information who rely on our website to keep in touch with the world that is changing so fast. These are some of the articles you may be interested in reading: 10 Famous TV Personalities Born In Ethiopia Ethiopia is a country best known for its fast athletes like Dibaba and Bekele, breathtaking models like Liya Kebede and of course Haile Selassie but there are also famous TV personalities who are doing a great job in entertainment and pushing the country to civilization. The following is a list of ten most famous TV ... Top 10 African Authors of All Time The pace of present African literature is moving at a high-speed; more defiant in both style and tone than those of the great independence writers generation. Here, the subjects of taboo are widely explored. The emerging African authors of this generation are not afraid to go further afield for the literary fodder. Meanwhile, since the birth ... Maina Kageni Biography Daughter, Salary and Gay Rumors Maina Kageni is one of those Kenyans who has remained as interesting as ever in the eyes of the public. A strong Red devil fan and lover of football, the man is currently a Breakfast Show presenter with Mwalimu Kingangi on Nairobis Classic 105 Radio Station. Many questions have always emerged on the man in serious ... Kalekye Mumo Biography, Boyfriend and Salary Kalekye Mumo has been described as someone who is as vibrant as she is beautiful, a Kenyan radio queen, TV host and media personality, movie actress, Musician, businesswoman, and fashionista but what else is there to know about this Kenyan icon, Kalekye Mumo and her co-host Shaffie Weru have been among the most listened to radio presenters ... Julie Gichuru Bio Age, Husband & Children In Africa, women have a long history of bringing under control obstacles to keep their heads above the water. So, it comes as no surprise whenever African women are recognized and decorated across the continent and globe for performing brilliantly well in their various fields of endeavor. In Kenya for instance, a list of national ... Jeff Koinange Biography All About His Age, Wife Shaila Koinange & Family Jeff Koinange is a well-known Kenyan journalist. He currently hosts Jeff Koinange Live on KTN. Koinange has served as a journalist in the United States and has also worked for a few U.S. broadcasters. He was born in Kenya but attended college in the United States, which may explain his accent. There are several interesting ... Caroline Mutoko Biography Age, Daughter & House Caroline Mutoko is a Kenyan radio presenter, famously known for hosting a morning breakfast show on Kiss 100 FM. The station is based in Nairobi and ranks among the highly-rated radio stations in Kenya with online streaming services as well. Learn more about the Kenyan-born journalist. Caroline Mutokos Age and Bio Born on January 4, 1973, Caroline is ... The Most Stunning News Presenter In Kenya Discloses Her Real Age You Would Not Believe It In modern African societies, it is often regarded as impolite or outright lack of disrespect to ask a woman of her age. We also have seen celebrities lie about how old they are when asked their age. People, mostly women have refused to let people know their real age, despite being public figures. The few ... Demystifying Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies Biography, Husband & Education Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian novelist, non-fiction writer, short story writer and actress. As a seasoned Nigerian writer, she has been called the most prominent of a procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors that is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature. She has been making Nigeria proud in the global scene ... Wole Soyinka Biography, Wife, Children, Family, Quick Facts Professor Wole Soyinka, a great and brilliant Nigerian writer and political activist, who was the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The name, Wole Soyinka, is a household name both in Africa and beyond especially in the field of literature. With over 50 pieces of work, his writing includes poems, novels, memoirs ... 5 Most Vulgar Kenyan Radio Presenters It appears being vulgar is the real deal nowadays especially for the fact that the world is becoming more exposed and civilized. Sadly, but true, young people are constantly being exposed to images, discussions, and content that most people would deem detrimental to the African culture and moral statutes. This is because most of us ... 6 Sexiest News Anchors In Kenya Some news anchors have been stealing eyes every time they appear on-screen. Most of us hardly concentrate on the programme they present as our entire focus is usually on their striking physique and beautiful faces. It is common knowledge that Kenyan women are amazingly beautiful. From the celebrities to the everyday woman, they are all in ... Interesting Oprah Winfrey Quotes To Keep You Motivated Oprah Winfrey is one of the worlds most powerful women in the media and business sectors. Her life is the typical success story that motivates and lifts ones morale. One amazing thing about this media mogul is her sincerity about past hurts, mistakes, healing, and success. The renowned talk show host and media personality is the first ... Chinua Albert Achebe Biography- Family, Net Worth & Death Chinua Albert Achebe, of blessed memory, was a Nigerian prolific author best known for his inventive style of writing and simplicity of expressions. Famed as one of the finest writers Nigeria has ever produced, Achebe lived and died an international hero and a literary giant, who left behind unforgettable legacies and footprints in the sands of ... Steve Harvey His Wife, Kids & Height Steve Harvey is an American comedian, actor, radio and TV show host, producer and an author of different relationship advice books. Steve Harveys Early Life Born in Welch, West Virginia, on January 17, 1957, as Broderick Stephen Harvey, Steve was the last of five children. His family relocated to Cleveland when he was young and there, he attended Glenville High School from ... Intriguing Things You Should Know About Danny Kokers Rise to Fame and Who His Wife Is Danny Koker is popular as the star of the History Channel reality TV series, Counting Cars. Prior to him appearing on the show, the TV personality was a musician who had embarked on a number of national tours with his rock group, Counts 77. He and his group have released quite a number of songs ... Fun Facts You Didnt Know About Andy Cohens Rise to Prominence and His Partner Andy Cohen is one of Americas top media personalities who gained prominence after helping to bring the Bravo network back to life. He also hosted a couple of shows on the network, including the popular nightly series Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. After rising to the position of head of production and development at ... Tracing Isha Sesays Career Until CNN, Her Worth And Why She Divorce Her Husband As far as journalists of African origin go, Isha Sesay is one of the most famous on the continent and by extension, the world. The Sierra Leonean and British journalist has had a successful career since she joined the industry in 1998. In that time, she has worked for a host of major media ... Open Secrets of How Joanna Gaines Balances Her Career With Being a Wife and Mother Joanna Gaines is the co-founder of Magnolia Homes, a business she runs with one goal: converting houses to homes. She doubles as the lead designer of the company which she co-owns with her husband, Chip Gaines. Lady Gaines gained massive popularity when she became a co-star with her husband on the HGTVs show, Fixer Upper. ... Juicy Details of Ayesha Currys Love Story With Stephen, Her Family Members and Recent Pursuits When your husband is one of the greatest basketballers that the NBA has ever seen, then it bestows on you the status of a celebrity wife and may not even demand that you do anything extra to maintain that status. However, Ayesha Curry, the wife of multiple NBA champion, Steph Curry, is not one ... What Is Tarek el Moussas Ethnicity, Why Did He Divorce His Wife and Who Is He Dating? Tarek El Moussa has made himself one of the most recognizable men on reality television, especially to fans of HGTV. Thanks to his expertise in the world of real estate, Tarek has become a national star. But even to his hardcore followers, there are questions about Tarek El Moussa that remain unanswered, such as his ... Fun Facts About Natalie Beckers Lonely Childhood and Eventual Career Success Natalie Becker is an actress of South African descent who became famous for her appearance in films like The World Unseen and The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior. A multitalented individual, Natalie is also a television/radio presenter. She is also a co-founder of the Thought Leader Global Media which she runs together with ... Top 3 Female CNN News Anchors You Didnt Know Were Africans CNN is one of the leading news agencies in the world. The satellite and cable news network was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and has been one of the best sources of news for a number of years. It also boasts of the best journalists and presenters all around in media broadcasting. The company is a ... Channels That Aided Katie Pavlichs Growth as a Journalist and All About Her Marriage To Friedson If you have ever come across any Fast and Furious featuring Barack Obama, it is the handiwork of Katie Pavlich. The book which claims to have exposed Obamas bloodiest scandal and the shameless cover-up thereof, has been earning Pavlich much praise and fame ever since it was published in 2012. Nonetheless, Pavlich is more famed ... Is Oprah Winfrey Married? Husband, Children, Biography, House, Facts Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire philanthropist, talk show icon, producer, actress, and writer. The media icon famously dubbed The Queen Of All Media owns and hosts the highest-rated television program in the media circle. Read more about the powerful television star below. Oprah Winfrey Biography Oprah was born as Orpah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954, to a ... Who Is Arsenio Hall, What Happened To His Talk Show and Why Do Fans Think He Is Gay? He is one of the funniest beings to have graced the comedy constituent of the American entertainment industry. Arsenio Hall has a reputation for the rib-cracking disposition always portrayed in his comedy roles. He is not just a comedian; he is also an actor and a former talk show host for his popular show, The ... What Is Woah Vicky Famous For and Who Are Her Family Members? Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Woah Vicky is one of those stars that have utilized the internet as a powerful tool to propel themselves to instant fame. The social media space, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc., offers lots of people the right opportunities and potentials to become superstars overnight. Not everyone achieves ... Where Is Michael Strahan Since His Retirement From The NFL and Who Is His Partner? Michael Strahan is a retired American football player turned media personality. He played the defensive lineman position and holds the record for most sacks in a single NFL season. He also only played for the New York Giants throughout the entire 15-year professional career that saw him win a Super Bowl ring. In February 2014, ... How Wendy Williams Went From Being a College DJ to Having Her Own Talk Show and More About Her Divorce Wendy Williams is a former radio personality, now talk show host, who is known for her outspokenness and brash no-nonsense attitude. She gained fame and notoriety for her on-air clashes with celebrities before moving on to host her own talk show. Since 2008, Williams has hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. ... Who is Sunny Hostin? Her Husband, Family & Net Worth Sunny Hostin is no ordinary Latina American lawyer but also a successful columnist, multi-platform journalist, and social commentator. A happily married woman and mother of two, Hostin is the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News and co-host of ABCs popular morning talk show, The View. She is a legal expert popularly known as a former ... Who Is Robert Costa and Is He Married, Who Is His Wife? Robert Costa is a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC who is regarded as being part of Americas next generation of journalists. The University of Notre Dame graduate, who is of Italian/Portuguese descent, has been lauded for his fresh political perspectives in an industry full of old heads. In addition to his work listed above, Costa ... Team Valor Pokemon Go 7 Key Facts You Need To Know Team Valor Pokemon Go The craze of the new game Pokemon Go is one that took the gaming world by storm sending teenagers and adults alike into a frenzy and one of its teams Team Valor, has proven to be instrumental in making it so. Before the game was created, Pokemon was a cartoon ... Sheryl Underwood Husband, Family & Net Worth She is known for her trademark smile which can be described as the brightest and broadest smile ever seen on planet earth. She is none other than Sheryl Underwood the comedian, actress, and TV host whose funny wits has left America in great awe. Although Sheryl has risen to become an important personality in the industry, ... Team Mystic Pokemon Go: 7 Facts You Need To Know And Signs You Are One Team Mystic of the break out game Pokemon Go is a team that is full of sass and chivalry. With an enchanting monicker, Team Mystic stands out from the rest of its counterparts and deserves to take the crown as champion in the Pokemon gaming-verse. To be a member of this exceptional team of Pokemon battle ... Exploring Guy Beahms Dr Disrespect Persona, Wife and Why He was Banned Permanently From Twitch Guy Beahm who is popularly known by his online alias Dr DisRespect, is an award-winning Twitch.tv streamer. He has leveraged on the Twitch platform to become an internet personality that is quite widely known. His online success is just more proof that anyone who is good at what they do can attain celebrity status ... Critical Facts About Lee Ann McAdoo The Infowars Anchor Lee Ann Mcadoo is a conservative journalist and television host whose interests in conspiracies and astrology has established her as a famous American reporter. Often referred to as Wonder Woman, McAdoo is a reporter who works for InfoWars.com, a controversial right-wing website run by radio show host, Alex Jones. Who Is Lee Ann McAdoo? Lee Ann McAdoo was born on 7 ... Millie Weaver Age, Husband & Infowars Career Millie Weaver is an American model, journalist, political activist, and social commentator. The young and beautiful journalist rose to fame working as a reporter for a controversial right-wing website InfoWars.com. Also known as Millennial Millie, Weaver is a social media influencer with over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and over 35,000 followers on Twitter. Who Is Millie Weaver and What Is ... Is Jessica Tarlov Married? What Are Her Height & Weight? Jessica Tarlov is an American political consultant, strategist, and analyst whose influential and regular TV presence has made a popular figure. A good example of beauty with brains, Tarlov has appeared on various TV networks, mostly the FOX News Network where she is known for her liberal views on political analysis and insights. She is also the senior director ... Who Is Kelly Rebecca Nichols Alex Jones Ex-Wife? Kelly Rebecca Nichols is the ex-wife of controversial American radio show host, Alex Jones. She got nationwide attention following her divorce and subsequent custody battle with her estranged husband. Nichols, who worked with PETAs public relations department, was herself no stranger to controversies as she was involved in several publicity stunts of the non-profit animal rights ... Who Is Bree Morgan Cole Sprouse Ex-Girlfriend And What Is She Up To Now? Although Bree Morgan became famous through the Instagram, she also sapped some dose of popularity from Disneys sweetheart, Cole Sprouse of the Sprouse brothers. She is not only an Instagram star but also a YouTube vlogger whose popularity has long exceeded the ordinary level. Bree is conspicuously prominent on the internet and has her digital savviness ... Does Vanna White Have Husband or Children, What Is Her Net Worth / Salary? For over three decades, Vanna White has been a household name, famous as the co-host and letter turner of the iconic NBC game show Wheel of Fortune. The talented and beautiful television personality is also an actress with several TV series and films to her credit. Since making her Wheel of Fortune debut in 1982, she has become one ... Liz Wheeler Biography, Husband & Net Worth Liz Wheeler is the kind of girl who sets the room on fire whenever she comes around. In this situation, however, she sets our screens on fire each time she appears as the host of One America News Tipping Point. She is, therefore, a presenter, publisher, consultant and a member of the Board of Zoning ... Betty White Net Worth, Children & Husband The entertainment industry will remain indebted to personalities like Betty White who brought something extra to the table and kept the world entertained for donkey years. The comedienne, actress, and writer graced the big screens in the early 50s as a show host and has been a delight since then. She is the queen of ... Is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Dead or Alive, What Are His Net Worth & Education? Everyone will always remember Bill Nye as the Science Guy. Besides his TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy, he is well-known for his Netflix show Bill Nye Saves the World which started airing in 2017 as well as his appearances in many famous media projects as a science educator. The star studied mechanical engineering ... Is Cesar Millan Dead, Who Is The Wife & What Is His Net Worth? Cesar Millan is the famous dog whisperer who often stirs up mixed emotions. The Mexican-American is precisely speaking, a dog behaviorist; he has been in the game for over 25 years. His Emmy-nominated television series, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan further pushed his method and tactics into the limelight. The series was produced from 2004 ... Is Thomas Sanders Gay and Does He Have A Boyfriend? By the time Vine was shut down in January 2017, Thomas Sanders was already popular within and beyond the internet community for his heavy involvements on the online video hosting platform. After the tragic shutdown of Vine impacted on the growing career of the multi-talented personality, he immediately switched over to YouTube where he continued to upload ... Is Shepard Smith Gay, Who Is The Boyfriend & What Is His Net Worth? There are only a few media personalities who are as bold and confident as Shepard Smith. Apart from his impressive stint at Fox News Channel which includes but not limited to his classic news delivery, upfront stance on virtually every issue and much more; he loves his job as much as he loves his personality. Smith ... Is Milo Yiannopoulos Gay? His Husband and Net Worth Milo Yiannopoulos is a popular writer, journalist, polemicist, public speaker, and political commentator who is also known as the founder of The Kernel, an online blog. He has been said to be among the list of 100 weird and influential people in the United Kingdom. He appeared on this list as a result of personal beliefs and ... Does Ryan Seacrest Have A Wife Or Girlfriend, What Is His Net Worth? From radio to television, Ryan Seacrest is a household name and a force to be reckoned with in showbiz. The radio personality, television host, and producer is best recognized as the host of the popular TV talent search contest American Idol. Heres how the media personality who always knew what his lifes ambition was and diligently pursued ... Is Anderson Cooper Gay, Who is The Boyfriend or Husband? For many, the thought of becoming a millionaire by writing and talking about other people appears unachievable but this is the reality of the prominent American journalist Anderson Cooper who gathered millions of dollars for conducting accurate political analysis and other vital reports on TV. He is the main anchor of the CNN news show Anderson ... Is David Muir Gay or Does He Have A Wife, What Is His Salary? David Muir is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works for the ABC broadcast-television network and anchors the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir program while also co-anchoring the magazine program 20/20. The Ithaca College graduate, whose show has become the most-watched newscast in America, has covered stories from all across America and the world; reporting ... Joel Osteen Divorce Rumors, Net Worth & Family Members Joel Osteen is an American Televangelist, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church based in Houston, Texas, a husband and a father of two. He is an author of many books, seven of which are New York Times Best Sellers and his televised sermons capture more than 7 million viewers per week and 20 million every month ... Who Is Todd Chrisley? What To Know About His Children, Gay Rumors & Net Worth Premiered on the USA network in 2014, Chrisley Knows Best is one of the most watched family reality TV shows in the U.S. The series which is currently in its sixth season is centered around U.S real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his family. The show reveals Todd the patriarch of the Chrisley family as a strict dad who rules ... Who Is Shannon Bream Of Fox News? Her Husband, Children & Net Worth Shannon Bream who hosts the iconic primetime program started her journalism career in the late 1990s debuting as the evening and late-night news reporter for the CBS affiliate, WBTV. The beauty from America currently works for the Fox News Channel and she is best known for anchoring the primetime program. She also hosts Americas News ... Is Troye Sivan Gay, Who Is His Boyfriend and What Is His Net Worth? Troye Sivan is an Australian singer and songwriter best known for songs like Happy Little Pill, Youth, Heaven (with Betty Who) and The Boyfriend Tag (with Tyler Oakley) which have all garnered him different awards and ranked on the Billboard Charts. Sivan, who was born in South Africa but now resides in the United States, is ... Did iDubbbz Have Cancer, Is He Gay and Who Is His Girlfriend Now? iDubbbz is one YouTuber who has made a career out of courting controversy. Renowned for his absurdist channels and comedy video series, the Los Angeles based personality is the owner of two channels, iDubbzTV, and iDubbzTV2, as well as the brains behind comedy video series such as Content Cop, Kickstarter Crap, Gaming News Crap, and ... Inside Greg Gutfelds Love Story With Wife Elena Moussa and Why Fans Thought He Was Gay Greg Gutfeld is a seasoned American television producer whose career in the media industry has spanned over a decade. He is a man of many talents who makes extra income through comedy, journalism, and editorial works. Gutfeld regularly appears on Fox News Channel as a panellist and co-host of the political talk show The Five ... Works That Made Bo Burnham A Household Name and How Much He Is Worth Now One of YouTubes first viral stars and the worlds most exciting young comedian, Bo Burnham, has always amazed critics and comedy aficionados alike. Often regarded as the Justin Bieber of comedy, thanks to his fresh looks, floppy blond hair and hoodies, he has a multi-faceted career bigger than many comedians twice his age. It wouldnt ... Is Louie Anderson Gay And What Is His Net Worth? Louie Anderson has one of the most abstract faces in the industry and equally knows how to use it to his advantage. He is not only a stand-up comedian but also an actor and television host who is known for his distinctive comic wits. Some of his notable projects include Family Feud, where he was ... Is Don Lemon of CNN Gay, Who is His Partner and What Is His Salary? Don Lemon has risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on CNN over the past few years. The fiery journalist, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, is liked and somewhat disliked for his strong and candid opinions on a variety of matters that do not just include politics but also race, significantly, matters that ... Is Rachel Maddow Gay, Who is the Wife and How Much Does She Earn in Salary? Rachel Maddow is an award-winning American journalist, political commentator, and television news anchor. She is best known for hosting the popular nightly TV show The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Prior to this, she hosted a talk radio program on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010. As of now, the TV sensation co-anchors MSNBCs ... Demystifying Pokimane Her Real Name, Ethnicity & Boyfriend Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Pokimane Thicc is one of those stars who took advantage of the internet to make a name for herself. Given the unlimited potentials which the social media space offers, many people have been instantly propelled to fame just by posting creative online contents. Not only has ... A Breakdown of Kris Jenners Net Worth, Sources Of Income and Relationships Over The Years Standing outside and looking in, Kris Jenner looks like the oil that greases the wheels of the entire Kardashian/Jenner machine. She has been dubbed a momager and rightfully so because she seems to have had a part to play in the trajectory of each and every one of her daughters individually and the Kardashian brand ... Pursuits That Brought Liza Koshys Fame To its Zenith and Her Love Life Since David Dobrik Liza Koshy is an American actress who has leveraged YouTube as a platform to promote her comedy while also serving as a television host on occasions. She is talented and funny and has gathered a lot of fans from around the world. Koshy started on Vine in high school and was able to get millions of ... Alex Aiono Biography Inside The Life Of The American Singer Not everyone who started from the streets has attained the heights where Alex Aiono is currently. His story could be referred to as the perfect definition of rising from Grass to Grace. He came into the limelight after he started out as a YouTuber, singer, and producer. One fascinating thing about the young YouTuber is ... Virginia Vallejo Biography And Her Love Story With Pablo Escobar Virginia Vallejo can be referred to as one of the oldest whistleblowers in history after her involvement with Pablo Escobar which made her famous. Over the years, many questions have been raised about her relationship with the drug lord and why she endangered her life to be with him despite his notorious acts. The death ... Princess Love Bio Ethnicity, Real Name & Parents For many people, Princess Love is simply Ray Js wife but there is so much more to this feisty lady than meets the eye. She is a star in her own right and has many feathers on her cap. Princess Love is a reality TV star, a model, video vixen, and fashion designer. She and her ... Who is Papa Franku Also Known As Filthy Frank or Joji, Where is He Now? The social media as we all know today has given people the opportunity to be creative and innovative and at the same time, make something of themselves. YouTube is one of the known social platforms we have today that makes it possible for people to express their God-given talents and post videos they created to ... Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ... Safiya Nygaard Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ... The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ... Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ... Inside Fred Armisens Life Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ... Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ... Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ... Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ... Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ... xChocobars Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ... Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ... Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ... Matpat (Matthew Patrick) Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ... Facts About Ricegum His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ... Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ... What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ... David Letterman Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ... Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ... Lester Holt Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ... What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ... The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ... Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ... The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ... Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ... The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ... Jeff Dunham Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ... Ellen DeGeneres Net Worth, Wife Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ... Revisiting Joan Rivers Death The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ... The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ... Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ... Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ... How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ... Madison Gesiotto Bio Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ... Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ... What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ... Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ... Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ... Carli Bybel Bio Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ... Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ... Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ... Norm MacDonald Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ... Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ... Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ... Samantha Bee Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ... What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ... Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ... A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ... Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ... Desi Perkins Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ... The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ... Connor Franta Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ... Rhett and Link Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ... A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ... What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ... David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ... Merrell Twins Bio Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ... Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ... Ninja Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ... What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ... Emma Chamberlain Biography Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ... Anna Akana Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ... Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ... Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ... Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ... Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ... Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ... The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ... Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ... PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ... Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ... Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ... LaurDIY Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ... Lachlan Ross Power Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ... Alfie Deyes Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ... Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ... Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ... Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ... Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ... How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ... 5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman) The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ... Grace Helbig Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ... Mark Wiens Bio Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ... Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ... CaptainSparklez Bio Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ... Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ... 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ... Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ... Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ... Jacksepticeye Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ... Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ... Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ... Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ... Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ... Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ... Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ... Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ... Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ... Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ... Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ... Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ... Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ... Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ... 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ... Lilypichu Bio Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ... KSI What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ... The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ... The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ... What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ... What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ... Matt Carriker Biography Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ... Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ... Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ... Gloria Govan Bio Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ... Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ... Who Is October Gonzalez Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ... Who Is Tony Berlin Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ... The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ... Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ... Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ... Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ... Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ... Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ... Nadeska Alexis Bio Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ... Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ... A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ... Kay Adams Biography Does The Sportscaster Have A Husband or Boyfriend? When you hear the phrase sports enthusiast, women are hardly the first group that comes to mind. Well, thats changing pretty fast. Especially with the rise of female sports analysts and broadcasters like Kay Adams who is famed for knowing more about sports than most men do. And why not, shes paid handsomely for it ... Ben Shapiros Family Meet His Wife, Kids and Sister Who is Popular for the Wrong Reasons A multi-talented man, Ben Shapiro is a man of controversial nature, an attribute that has made him an unusual public figure. An intellectual whose career path was clearly defined even before he became a man, the Jewish conservative commentator has always had his way with words. He became popular by sharing his critical and often ... QVC Shawn Killinger Bio Husband, Net Worth & Facts To Know Shawn Killinger is a prominent TV personality who has worked her way to the top. Though not initially a journalist by training, she defied the odds and today has established herself as a household name, as well as, worked alongside some industry legends. More than just being a reporter, newscaster, and anchor, heres all you ... Liv Lo Dissecting the Ethnicity, Parents and Personal Life of Henry Goldings Wife While many are aware that Liv Lo is the better half to Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, only a few understand why his beautiful wife appears increasingly endearing to fans. A former model turned TV personality, and fitness star, Liv has an impressive resume which when combined with that of her statuesque spouse is considered a perfect ... Stpeach Age, Husband and Other Facts About The Twitch Streamer Lisa Vannatta, famously known by her online alias, STPeach is a Canadian video game streamer cum vlogger who has garnered fame through her appearances on different video-sharing/social networking platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, and Twitter. The beautiful lady got her career to a start in August 2015 when she joined the live streaming video platform, Twitch. She rose to ... Insights into Seth Meyers Wife, Family and What His Net Worth Is Celebrities are mostly remembered and known for the work they do. For Seth Meyers, his career as a comedian, writer, actor, TV host, and producer is his biggest identifier. He was on Saturday Night Live SNL show as a head writer and cast member for more than ten years during which he built a reputation ... Who Is Jessica Gadsden Age, Net Worth & All About Charlamagne tha Gods Wife Jessica Gadsden is an American fitness coach as well as a personal trainer. She is better known as the spouse of popular American media personality, Charlamagne Tha God. Charlamange Tha God is a well-known TV and radio personality in the U.S. He has featured in several shows (both on the radio and TV) and is ... Who Is Collins Tuohy Michael Ohers sister ? Her Wedding, Husband & Net Worth Collins Tuohy is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, blogger, and social media personality. She is also better known as the adoptive sister of NFL player, Michael Oher, whose life story inspired the Hollywood blockbuster The Blind Side. The Blind Side tells the true life story of Oher who grew up in an impoverished background consisting of a ... Eye-Popping Facts About The Personal Life And Career Success Of Sportscaster Heidi Watney Heidi Watney is a media personality who has created a niche for herself as a sportscaster. Starting out as a radio presenter, the brilliant young lady has gone on to work for several prominent sports networks, and currently, she is with the MLB. The sportscaster is also known to have been an avid sports lady right ... Marty Lagina Bio Siblings (Martina and Rick Lagina), Net Worth and Wife Marty Lagina is an American engineer and businessman who has risen to fame as a reality TV star. This is thanks to his involvement in the adventure TV series, The Curse of Oak Island. The Curse of Oak Island is a long-running TV series which airs on the history channel. The show aims to solve ... Is Jordan Schlansky Just A Character or a Real Life Person and What Does He Do? The world of late-night television is an interesting one. Shows during that time are geared towards giving viewers comedic relief from a long day at work through interviews and comedy sketches. The often charismatic host of this show requires the balancing talent of a producer whose primary job is to deliver great episodes. It is ... Heres How Wealthy Jimmy Kimmel Is From All The Phases of His Career, Marriages and Sons Health Jimmy Kimmel is a renowned late-night talk show host known for his charm, wit, and the A-list guests he features on his show. As the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! On ABC, Jimmy has been serving comedy to television viewers for years which played a pivotal role in launching him into mainstream fame and enabled ... Natasha Bertrand Biography Is She Married? Who Is the Husband & What Is Her Age? Natasha Bertrand is not just a young prominent journalist but a first-rate investigative reporter. With her natural beauty and smile, Natashas sharp, insightful political commentary also makes her a thorough reporter. Her sound political perspective and coverage in the country have made her a force to be reckoned with in the profession. Renowned for her ... What Happened to Shane Kilcher? His Injury Update, Net Worth and More Shane Kilcher is well-known thanks to the Discovery Channel series Alaska: The Last Frontier. It is a show that documents the daily lives of the extended Kilcher family, people who live without plumbing or modern heating. The episodes follow their routines as they rely on hunting and farming for their nutritional needs as well as ... Is Stephanie Gosk Gay or Lesbian, Who is the Wife or Partner Jenna Wolfe? In August 2013, NBCs Today viewers were greeted with two shocking news. Today weekend anchor, Jenna Wolfe, announced that she was as a lesbian, introducing her partner as NBC News correspondent Stephanie Gosk, and said the two are expecting their first child. A long time has passed since then and certainly, a lot of things ... Nikki Mudarris Bio and Net Worth: 5 Interesting Facts You Need to Know Nikki Mudarris, also known as Miss Nikki Baby, is a reality television star, model and fashionista. Shes best known for VH1s reality TV series Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood. Her entrepreneurial skills enable her to create and run a successful lingerie line Nude by Nikki. Not only that, but Nikki has also successfully run the Las ... 5 Interesting Things You Need To Know About Kelly Nash Ever heard of the lady who gained national prominence for taking a selfie with a dangerous ball just a few inches away from hitting her? Its no other person than Kelly Nash, an American sports broadcaster currently working as host of The Rundown show which airs on MLB Network every weekday at 2 pm ET. ... Understanding The Height of Fame John Oliver Achieved With The Daily Show and How He Met His Wife Without knowledge of who he is and his exemplary career, John Oliver cuts an unassuming figure of a regular man but he is one of the most influential personalities in America, especially on television. Since he began his career in 1998, he has been a loud and unapologetic agent of change, using his wit and ... Why Did Big Chief Leave Street Outlaws, Where Is He Now And Why Did He Divorce His Wife? Justin Shearer, otherwise known by his professional name Big Chief is a famous street racer and television personality. He is famously known for being one of the main characters on the racing reality television series, Street Outlaws. Justin, who had been a significant part of the show since its premiere in 2013, appeared in a ... Who is Josina Anderson of ESPN? Her Husband and Family Facts There has been a gradual paradigm shift in the world of sports which has today produced the likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and other female athletes that are pulling great feats in different sporting fields. Their achievements have also been followed by the emergence of female sports journalists such as Jillian Mele, Eboni Williams, ... Is Brittany Wagner Married, Who Is The Husband, How Old Is She? Brittany Wagner has been an inspiration to a lot of sports youngster. She has won the hearts of many athletic students with her role as a life coach and an academic counselor. She is well groomed in her career and has worked over a decade for The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and The National ... Tati Westbrook Bio Age, Husband & Net Worth With five videos dished out every week, alongside running her own brand, beauty guru, and YouTube superstar Tati Westbrook has proved to the world that theres utterly no impossibility or limit to whatever one is passionate about. Tati is best known for being the owner and manager of the worlds most-viewed beauty and lifestyle YouTube channel, ... Cathy Areus Long Road to Becoming a Freelance Journalist and What to Know About Her Kids An American freelance journalist, news analyst, and author, Cathy Areu has built a lasting reputation for herself on cable television. Popular for her skillful and sassy presentation of professional views on varying topics including cultural and feminist issues, Cathy is an inspiration to many women across the globe. In addition to being a journalist, she ... Tucker Carlsons Love Story With Wife Susan Andrews, their Children and Net Worth Today On the TV screens, Tucker Carlson is that fiery fellow who passionately dishes out his conservative and often controversial views on issues of national importance. Such brazenness has fetched him many enemies, especially on the left-wing, but it has also helped him cement a reputation as one of the foremost broadcast journalists in America. His ... Paige Wyatts Net Worth, Boyfriend and Where She Is Now Paige Wyatt became popular after the Wyatt family began running the reality television show, American Guns. The Wyatt family comprises Rich Wyatt (father), Renee Wyatt (mother), Paige and Kurt Wyatt (children). Rich Wyatt originally ran a gun shop, the Gunsmoke Guns in Wheat Ridge, Colorado which is outside of Denver. The business which he ran together ... The Progression of Howard Sterns Career As A Media Personality And Why He Divorced His First Wife Howard Stern is a legendary American radio host, who has also done some notable work as an actor, producer, author, as well as photographer. The radio personality achieved worldwide fame as a result of his self-titled radio program, The Howard Stern Show. As a professional radio personality, he has worked in different radio stations. Since 2006, ... Lisa Joyners Biography Ethnicity, Net Worth and Other Key Facts Lisa Joyner is an American Journalist, TV talk show host, and actress. Some of her well-known works are her correspondences for the Los Angeles based TV KCBS, inFANity show, Find My Family Show including her film and television appearances in Brimstone, American Sweetheart, The Bold and The Beautiful among others. Lisas passion for reconnecting people with their biological families ... Amanda Balionis Rise Through the Ranks of Sportscasting and the Identity of Her Boyfriend Amanda Balionis is an American sportscaster currently working as a golf broadcaster for CBS Sports. Among so many of her works in the field of sports reporting, Amandas PGA Tour coverage seems to be the most popular so far. She covered the Super Bowl working with CBS Sports social media team in Atlanta, where she ... Dissecting Charles Paynes Sexual Allegations, Its After Effects and More About His Wife Charles Payne had a respectable career as an analyst on Wall Street before he made the transition to television and became a contributor and later a host on Fox. In that time, his expertise has come under scrutiny, and he has been at the center of at least one major controversy. The major controversy in question ... Erik Asla And Tryra Banks Split: Everything You Need To Know Tyra Banks and Erik Asla have called it quits! The couple, who began dating in 2013 and have a son named York Banks Asla, has decided to end what everybody taught was the perfect relationship. Neither person has come out to give a reason for the breakup, but what is obvious right now is that ... What to Note About Dr Terry Dubrows Qualifications, TV Works and Marriage to Heather Kent In the realm of people that we expect to see regularly on our screens, medical doctors are closer to the bottom of the list. Aside from the fact that their work has little correlation with TV, they are presumably too busy to pursue life as TV personalities. Yet, a few of them have usurped this ... Jessica Goch Bio: 5 Things You Didnt Know About Ninjas Wife Jessica Goch is the Schofield-born American Social Media Influencer who has worked as a model but is now better known as a host and interviewer of prominent Electronic sports celebrities at popular gaming events/tournaments. The screen queen also serves as the manager of her famous husband Ninja aka Tyler Blevins whose exploits on Twitch and Fortnite has ... CNNs Chris Cuomo Biography Wife, Family & Net worth Chris Cuomo needs no elaborate introduction as he has starred graced many prominent Television cable networks and his voice has been heard through acknowledged radio shows. He is a television journalist and Lawyer who has previously worked for ABC News as Chief law and justice correspondent as well as a co-anchor on 20/20. If you still ... Neil deGrasse Tyson Family, Religion & Net Worth Neil deGrasse Tyson is a distinguished American astrophysicist and author who has been able to achieve so much after falling in love with astronomy at the age of 9. He has since attended and become an alumnus of prestigious universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, and also recorded numerous achievements in his field of ... Is Simon Cowell Gay? Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend and Why is He Famous? Simon Cowell is a well-known talent show judge, TV producer, entrepreneur and one of the most popular TV personalities that Britain has ever produced. In conjunction with his company, Syco, Cowell is the brain behind hugely successful talent hunt shows such as The X-Factor UK, The X-Factor US, Britains Got Talent, Americas Got Talent and ... Everything To Know About Joanna Gaines Life With Chip Gaines, Their Business Pursuits and Kids Joanna Gaines and her husband Chip Gaines became celebrities after their television show Fixer Upper began airing back in 2013. The show which was about home renovation and decoration ran for about 6 seasons with a total of 79 episodes before the couple bade farewell to it in April 2018. Apart from their appearances on ... Who Is Larry The Cable Guy? What To Know About His Wife And Net Worth Larry the Cable Guy is a self-professed country kid renowned for his trademark Southern accent and sensational catchphrase Git-R-Done! The famous comedian who talks about anything under the sun has gone on to become one of the most memorable characters in comedy history. Join us in unearthing lesser-known facts about the former on-air-personality, standup comedy superstar, movie ... Who Is Patrick Starr, What Is His Net Worth and Gender? The make-up industry over the years has grown to become a billion dollar industry not just because there are probably more women wearing make-up but because a whole lot of men, especially the young ones, have become bold enough to wear it unlike before. A few of these men, like Patrick Starr, have even gone ... How Did Chris Jansing Become a Senior Correspondent at MSNBC and Who Is Her Husband? An award-winning American television news reporter and journalist, Chris Jansing has succeeded in carving a spectacular niche for herself in the field of TV journalism. Outstanding for not just her excellence in journalism, Chris is also cherished for her incredibly gorgeous looks post 60! For close to four decades, Jansing has continued to soar in her ... Jaclyn Glenn Biography Age, Height & Ex-Boyfriend American Youtuber, Jaclyn Glenn, rose to prominence through her self-titled YouTube channel Jaclyn Glenn. She has remained an acclaimed atheist and continues to air her views on hot issues from politics, religion, animal rights, to atheism. During the heated 2016 US Presidential elections, Glenn featured in Hump Trump: Official Donald Trump Song. Her parallel acting career ... Is Pat Sajak Married to a Wife or is He Gay With a Partner? Pat Sajak is one of the most popular TV game show hosts in America. He commenced his career as a radio disk jockey as well as a TV weatherman before being tapped to host Wheel of Fortune, the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States. Sajak has hosted the popular game show from 1983 ... Nayyera Haqs Bio What To Know About Her Husband, Parents And Family Nayyera Haq can take anyone on political debates as well as discussions on social issues affecting many. Her ability to masterfully deliver her stance on every issue or political debate has made her a regular face in morning and evening news media platforms. This is not a common feat especially for someone from her kind ... Inside Guy Fieris Family With Wife, Kids and Sister Who Died of Cancer Over the years we have seen men dominate the kitchen and churn out amazing delicacies from it. Some do it way better than their female counterparts and one of such men is Guy Ramsay Fieri an American TV host, celebrity chef, restaurant owner, bestselling author of four culinary books, and game show host. His ... Meet Phil Mudd of CNN The Former CIA and FBI Exec, Is He Married, Who Is The Wife? When it comes to discussing issues surrounding terrorism, American Counterterrorism and National Security Expert, Phil Mudd, occupies a globally significant position. He has voiced his interest in the fight against terrorism and insecurity on many popular media platforms, both print and broadcast, such as CNN, BBC, CBS, MSNBC, al-Jazeera, ABC, NBC, Fox, The New York Times, ... Jim Hoffer: Biography, Wife Mika Brzezinski, Children and Net Worth Jim Hoffer is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works as an investigative reporter for Eyewitness News, New York City. In his over two decades of investigative journalism, Hoffer has been at the front lines of several crucial stories from the 9/11 attack to the crash of American Flight 587 to the 2003 Blackout. On top of ... The Ups and Downs of Erin Mcpikes Journalism Career and Other Facts About Her Personal Life Erin McPike is a journalist working for the Independent Journal Review (IJR) as a White House Correspondent but she gained widespread recognition for her coverage of general news. Whether its breaking news or some mainstream story, McPike has a reputation of baring the facts. As a journalist, her work as a White House Correspondent for Independent ... Bert Kreischer Is Married To LeeAnn Kreischer With 2 Kids Meet His Family Those familiar with Bert Kreischer mainly have the image of a large-bellied party man whose college life inspired the National Lampoon film, Van Wilder. It is an image that one would not naturally associate with a wholesome family. The standup comedian still maintains his wild party animal image on stage. But, back at home, he is ... How Brendan Greene Became a Game Designer to Look Out For and Facts About His Failed Marriage The name Brendan Greene may not easily ring a bell in the larger society but for gaming enthusiasts, he is considered a god and this is because of his invention of the video game, Player Unknowns Battlegrounds, also called PUBG. Based on the popular last-man-standing/battle royale concept, Greenes creation has taken the gaming world by ... WFAAs Sonia Azad Bio Does The Reporter Have A Husband Or Boyfriend? Emmy Award-winning journalist and Health & Wellness reporter Sonia Azad is on the news segment News 8 Daybreak for the television station WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas, a channel which she joined in October of 2015. Besides her time on the news, Azad is also a marathon runner and a certified yoga instructor. She has covered major news ... This Is Everything You Should Know About Caroline Heldman, Her Career Portfolio and Other Facts Love it or hate it, there is no escaping the fact that feminism has come to stay in our world. The movement has continued to garner momentum over the years and this is due to the sustained push by several women, and even men, including the likes of Caroline Heldman. A Professor of Politics at ... Understanding The Enigma That Is Gavin McInnes, The Controversies He Has Stirred and All About His Wife Gavin McInnes is a polemical English-born writer and TV personality, who is best known for his racist and fascist ideologies, as well as his co-ownership of Vice Media and Vice Magazine. He is also an actor a On the face of it, after all those years of trying homicides, this shouldn't have been the case that almost did Richard Sax in. The defendant, Alexander Flores, is a recognizable man -- 500 pounds with 12 fingers and 12 toes. And unlike in many Philadelphia murder cases, there were willing witnesses. But this was not the most unusual thing about the case. The most unusual thing of any case involving Richard Sax is often, well, Richard Sax. After nearly 40 years as a prosecutor and three decades in the homicide unit it's hard to find anyone who fights as much for victims and grieving families. But it's equally hard to find a prosecutor who drives judges and defense attorneys as batty. If the courtroom is a stage, Sax puts on a performance. He suffers no fools. He huffs, he puffs, and occasionally leaves in cuffs. Over the years, Sax's courtroom dramatics have gotten him held in contempt enough times that the joke is that in the bowels of the Criminal Justice Center there's a cell with his name on it. Seriously, he's lost count. "I wear my heart on my sleeve," Sax told me. There was that time in 1983, just three years into the job, when a judge slapped him with contempt during an argument over sentencing for a teenager who assaulted a cop. "He insisted on being cuffed, I don't know why," Judge Jerome O'Neill told Daily News columnist Pete Dexter. "It's nothing personal about Mr. Sax, but I'm afraid he is just a little disturbed." Sax says he prefers "zealous." And last year, Sax and Judge Karen Simmons battled during a trial when a murder witness went south on the stand. "Carry through your threat," Sax dared Simmons when she threatened him with contempt. For that, he nearly spent the weekend on State Road. His bosses fetched him after an hour on ice. With Sax, it's not an act. "He is one of the greatest voices of the voiceless that I have ever shared a courtroom with," said Brian McMonagle, a former homicide prosecutor and now one of the city's top defense attorneys. "He is not afraid to make himself bloodied in the fights for these victims." That August 2016 case of the 12-fingered and -toed defendant was going fine. The evidence was lining up against the 31-year-old from Kensington who was accused of ordering the killing of a rival drug dealer. And Sax hadn't even gotten himself thrown in the clink. During opening arguments, he had felt pain in his chest but dismissed it as heartburn. The night before closing arguments, Sax had jolted awake in the Chestnut Hill home he shares with his wife, former prosecutor Leslie Gomez, and their two teenage children. The pain was piercing. "Like a blade into my chest and out of my back," he said. At Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, his heart stopped. He was dead for two minutes. A clogged artery. Despite the courtroom stress, Sax had always lived healthy he's a member of the ski patrol at Elk Mountain and one of the top fund-raisers for the annual Tour de Shore bike ride that raises money for children of fallen first responders. After half a year of recuperating, Sax will be back in a courtroom this week for his first homicide: the shooting death of a Germantown bar manager. On Thursday he handled a routine violation hearing. But Sax quickly fell into a fight with the defense attorneys. "I love you, Rich," defense attorney Robert Gamburg told him afterward, shaking his hand, and asking about his health. "But don't get so excited." Friday the Center City Crime Victim Services group announced Sax as the winner of its Philadelphia Victim Supporters Award. That honors someone who goes "above and beyond" for victims, said the group's executive director, Sherry Hunter. Prosecutors and family members of murder victims nominated him. The nomination letter read: "Someone who never gives up." A former journalist fired for making up details in his stories is behind at least eight of the scores of threats made against Jewish institutions nationwide, federal officials said Friday. Juan Thompson, 31, was arrested in St. Louis and was tol appear in federal court in Missouri on Friday afternoon on a charge of cyberstalking, reports the Dallas Morning News. Authorities say Thompson committed the crimes in an effort to frame and harass his ex-girlfriend. Federal officials have been investigating 122 bomb threats called in to nearly 100 Jewish Community Center schools, child care and similar facilities in three dozen states that began Jan. 9. Thompson's threats allegedly began Jan. 28 and included a bomb threat to New York's Anti-Defamation League. Authorities continue to investigate threats from the previous three weeks. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Trump surrogate Jeffrey Lord tried to bury the Russia scandal by claiming that what we really need to focus on is getting the country moving again. Real Time host Bill Maher replied not if the country is being led by someone who was put there by a foreign power. Video: Jeffrey Lord argued that if Trump released his tax returns, it would turn into a political gotcha game. Lord said, We need to get the country moving again. Maher replied, Not if the country is being led by someone who was put there by a foreign power. With one sentence Maher demonstrated why the Russia scandal has the ability to derail both the Trump presidency and the entire Republican agenda. Questions about Trumps relationship with Russia are a dark cloud that lingers over everything this administration does. Instead of hitting the ground running, the Trump White House has spent weeks denying and deflecting on Russia. If Trump and his White House really are innocent, they should welcome an investigation, because Russia is eating up his presidency. Every second that they spend denying and fighting the Russia allegations is another minute of the Trump presidency that they wont get back. The Republican Congress still has not passed, and Donald Trump has not signed a significant piece of legislation. The country will not be able to move on and rally around this president because there remain doubts that he was legitimately elected, and those doubts were perfectly expressed by Bill Maher with a single sentence. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print There is one thing that all parents teach their offspring from a very early age; likely soon after they start communicating on a reasonable level. Likewise, any child who has ever attended more than a few Sunday School sessions has had that parental teaching reinforced under fear of deadly retribution from the almighty. It really is true, no-one likes a liar and yet the practice is pervasive among Republicans and everything related to their politics. However, the idea of Republicans lying in speeches or in their comments to the press, as nasty as it is, it is not violating any criminal statute. It is despicable and very un-Christian-like for Republicans claiming to be devout Christians, but it is not a crime in a secular democracy. But lying during a Senate confirmation hearing, particularly after being sworn to answer honestly, is considered perjury and as compiled and reported by Paul Phillips at Reverb Press, thus far five members of Donald Trumps cabinet committed perjury during their Senate confirmation hearings; his cabinet is a veritable liars club. Unfortunately for Americans and democracy, Republicans controlling Congress cannot be bothered to do their jobs and demand criminal charges against the offending perjurers. All the focus of the moment is on Trumps deceitful racist evangelical Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and it begs the question; is he even religious? On the one hand he wants the Old Testaments Ten Commandments posted so every student has to look at them every day, supposedly to keep them honest in the eyes of god. But on the other hand, Sessions had no problem blatantly, on camera no less, lying during his Senate confirmation hearing after standing, holding up his right hand, and taking an oath not to lie; or technically not to commit perjury before Congress. But Sessions isnt alone in the cabinet-level liars club. He has four partners-in-crime serving with him at Trumps table and they are all guilty as Hell of committing perjury before Congress. Education Secretary and religious person Betsy DeVos lied through her private school teeth when she was queried about whether or not she sat on the board of her mothers foundation while it was doling out millions of dollars to anti-gay groups to persecute the LGBTQ community. DeVos didnt equivocate whatsoever and responded I do not sit on the board. She also added that she had no part in the decision-making process. It was an answer to a question that wasnt asked and a fairly good sign she was lying. Sure enough, Jeremy Scahill with the Intercept posted several years worth of tax documents listing Betsy DeVos as the foundations vice president. It is noteworthy that like cabinet member Jeff Sessions, DeVos is an avowed Christian and openly expressed her heartfelt intent to use the Education Secretary position to advance gods kingdom. One thing is certain; if DeVos was nearly as Christian religious as she claims, she would know, like Jeff Sessions knows, that lying is a violation of her Christian bibles Ninth Commandment and one of those Old Testament sins punishable by death. Committing perjury before Congress will never garner a death sentence, but it is a federal crime or Congress would not require witnesses, or cabinet nominees, to stand up, raise their right hand, and take an oath swearing not to lie. According to 18 U.S. Code 1621: Anyone, after having taken an oath before a competent tribunaland willfully subscribes as true any material matter which he does not believe to be true is guilty of perjury and shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. This section is applicable whether the statement or subscription is made within or without the United States. Joining DeVos and Sessions in the liars club is Trumps choice to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Scott Pruitt. Pruitt actually is so corrupt and dishonest that he told a lie, after taking an oath not to lie, about something as innocuous as which email account he used. Pruitt was queried during his Senate hearing about whether he had ever conducted any official business as Oklahoma Attorney General using personal email accounts. Instead of answering honestly, Pruitt responded, I use only my official OAG [Office of the Attorney General] email address and government issued phone to conduct official business. Again, he was asked about email accounts and he just had to signal he was lying by including some extra information about a government-issue phone. According to the Oklahoma Attorney Generals office, Scott Pruitt did, in fact, use his personal email account to conduct official state business and he committed perjury violating a federal statute. When Trumps Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin was asked about his company, OneWest, and if it had robo-signed, signed without properly reviewing, any documents relating to evictions and foreclosures he violated number Nine of the Big Ten. Mnuchin responded firmly and with conviction that, OneWest Bank did not robo-sign documents, and as the only bank to successfully complete the Independent Foreclosure Review required by federal banking regulators to investigate allegations of robo-signing, I am proud of our institutions extremely low error rate. Notice again the extra information that signaled Mnuchin was probably lying. And as court documents and employee testimony confirmed, Mnuchins company, OneWest, did engage in the act of robo-signing. Trumps new Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, Tom Price, lied in answer to questions about his stock purchases. In particular, Price was asked about a sweetheart stock deal he received related to Innate Immunotherapeutics Ltd. Instead of telling the truth, Price lied and stated that the discounted shares were available to every single individual that was an investor at the time. However, when the truth was revealed, it turns out that fewer than 20 investors received an offer for the special deal. And in Prices case, he knew it was a very special deal because his very special opportunity came about from an invitation from a company director and fellow congressmen. Heres the thing. A child will be reprimanded for lying. A student can be suspended for lying. A regular citizen can be arrested for lying to a police officer. A seasoned criminal or law-abiding citizen can be arrested and prosecuted for committing perjury in a court proceeding; its why court witnesses take an oath swearing to tell the truth. But when five of Donald Trumps cabinet-level nominees take an oath before a competent tribunal, like the United States Senate, and promise not to lie, and then lie for a position, they get confirmed as members of the Trump cabinet and become members in good standing as part of the Trump cabinet liars club. No arrests, no handcuffs, no charges, no prosecutions and according to Trump and the Republicans running Congress, no big deal. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print If Fox News didnt spend so much time covering for Emperor Trump and his administration, they might have time for some real FAIR & BALANCED reportage. Oh, hell! Who am I kidding? The Muddy Waters Sessions is not just the terrific double LP that the Blues musician recorded in London in the 70s. No, its also in the dozens of ways Fox News has attempted to muddy the waters about Attorney General Jeff Sessions lies to Congress since the news broke late Wednesday. Even before the bombshell landed, Foxs Jon Scott Suggests Nobody Cares About Trumps Ties To Russia. After the news broke Bully Boy Bolling had another stupid opinion, as did aging frat boy Greg Gutfeld. Then Tucker Carlson promised a Republican Reach-A-Round with Sessions. From the questions, youd a-thunk he didnt really want to get to the truth. Still Sessions Couldnt Even Get Through A Softball Fox News Interview Without Falling Apart. Watch: By the time Fox and Friends went on the air this morning, Fox News had the talking points figured out: Fox & Friends: Sessions didnt perjure himself he didnt understand Frankens crazy question Fox & Friends: Everybody Agrees Sessions Didnt Perjure Himself Because He Was Asked A Crazy Question The Foxy Friends also repeatedly played a clip of Rush Limbaugh saying the following, something Emperor Trump has already echoed: Blaming the Black guy has worked for Rush and Fox for 8 years. Why not forever? Meanwhile what scares Friday Fox Follies is that Instead Of Being President, Trump Is Spending Hours A Day Watching Fox News: It is amazing how much free time that a president has when he doesnt bother reading intelligence briefings, studying, or holding important meetings. The Trump presidency can be summed up as the president wakes up, watches Fox News, holds a few PR gatherings disguised as listening sessions, meets with a few people, calls it a day usually around 5 PM, eats dinner, watches more Fox News, and angry tweets about what he saw on television either late at night or early in the morning. This as Bloomberg makes the same point FFF has been hammering for months: Trumps World Increasingly Shaped by Fox News, and Fox by Trump Trumps loyalty gives stars like OReilly and Hannity greater influence. Trump has given three interviews to Fox News while president, more than any other network. And Fox, along with Bloomberg, was one of the outlets invited last week to attend a White House press briefing that excluded the New York Times, CNN and others. On Wednesday, Fox and Friends aired its recent tour of the Oval Office, hosted by the president. Trumps fandom could backfire if Fox News becomes viewed as the Pravda of the government, Feldstein said. But, Pravda has nothing on those Foxy Friends on Fox & Friends. Heres how that exclusive Oval Office tour went: Critics Notebook: Trump Joins Fox & Friends for Friendly Chat About Why Hes Great Donald Trump Wants Total Subservience From Interviewers Foxs Kilmeade Helps Trump Smear Detained Immigrants As Gang Members And Murderers Trump Blames Obama And Generals For Disastrous Yemen Raid Trump Calls Those Who Oppose His Tweeting The Enemies Trump Tells Fox & Friends Hosts That His Years Of Calling In To Their Show May Be Why Hes President Left unsaid: Thats where Emperor Trump launched his campaign with his biggest lie: The Search for President Obamas birth certificate, an important point Eric Wemple misses in Trump credits Fox & Friends for his political rise: The bonhomie was strong. You have treated me very fairly and I appreciate it, said the president after Doocy thanked him for a favorable mention at a presidential press conference this month. Ive been a friend of your show for a long time, continued the president. Remember those call-ins, right? Maybe without those call-ins, somebody else is sitting here. Maybe without the Russians. There were many factors. CREDIT WHERE CREDITS DUE: Once again Shep Smith is the usual outlier. This week he tore a strip off Chris Matthews about anonymous sources. Dont shoot the messenger, was Matthews lame response. Watch: Also deserving of credit this week: Foxs Juan Williams Calls Out The Truth Behind Donald Trumps Yemen Raid Charade During Address To Congress. THE PRIG TUCKER: Are they already officially be out of ideas? Tucker Carlson Tonight Allegedly Solicits Show Ideas From Reddit Meanwhile, compare and contrast his softball interview with AG Jeff Sessions to the slufest Tucker Carlson Attacks Bill Nye As A Bully During Interview On Climate Change. Sessions was allowed to deliver complete thoughts, but Carlson badgered Nye so much that he started the timer in his phone and then held it up for the camera to see. Watch and read: So this is how long it takes you to interrupt me, okay? So it takes you quite a bit less than six seconds. So the climate would be like it was in 1750, and the economics would be that you could not grow wine-worthy grapes in Britain, as you can today, because the climate is changing. The use of pesticides in the Midwest would not be increasing because the parasites or the pests are showing up sooner and hanging around longer As usual, Carlson seized on minor tangential issues and kept hammering Nye to answer those specific strawmen and wouldnt let him expound on a single thing. In other words: Typical Tucker. How else did Tucker embarrass himself this week? Stay tuned next week for our next exciting episode of As the Tucker Turns. HELL FROZE OVER: There was a rare nearly unpresidented almost-an-apology from Loofah Lad this week for a fake expert, but only after he was caught. Bill OReilly: Fox News erred in booking guest falsely billed as Swedish security adviser Mr. Bildt does consulting work on terrorism, that is true, but we should have clarified that he had no direct role with the Swedish government, OReilly said. The information we gave you in the segment was accurate, but in hindsight a more relevant guest should have been used on the anti-immigrant side. Earlier Monday, Bildt accused Fox News of making up his fake title, which was displayed in the caption during his appearance on the network. He said he made clear that he was an independent adviser. I have never claimed to be a representative of, nor for, the Swedish Government or any institution thereof, Bildt told the New York Times. Fox News was responsible for the title used I think it was an unfortunate choice of words, but it is something they will need to answer for. Fox News denied making up the title. Of course, they did. SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: While Kimberly Guilfoyle, Fox Host, Praises Trumps Wall Proposal: We Have Gated Communities And There Is Nothing Wrong With That., this writer begs to differ. Read: Homeowners Associations Invented To Discriminate. PASSAGES: Fox News Hires David Bossie, Former Head Of Citizens United And Trump Deputy Campaign Manager ECHOES OF THAT AILES THANG: Gretchen Carlson in talks to join MSNBC, sources say FOX BYTES: Fox Doesnt Want To Talk Much About Slain SEALs Fathers Criticisms Of Trump Fox Gave Benghazi More Than 10 Times As Much Coverage As Trumps Botched Yemen Raid Fox Pundits Very Impressed That Donald Trump Talked About Radical Islamic Terrorism During Address To Congress Trumps Russia Ties Conspicuously Absent From Fox News Sunday After Years Of Attacking Michelle Obama, Hannity Pretends Nobody Picked On Her Fox Likens CT Gov. Malloys Immigrant Protections To George Wallaces Racism Headly Westerfield invites you behind the scenes of the Not Now Silly Newsroom, where Fox News snark mingles comfortably with articles on Racism, Music, and History. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print We now know the reason why Republicans tried to keep their Obamacare replacement bill a secret. The leaked bill would take away health care for millions of Americans and taxes health insurance. Politico reported on the secret House Republican plan: The latest draft, dated Feb. 24, also still includes a plan to phase out Obamacares Medicaid expansion. Instead the programs current open-ended federal entitlement would be replaced by capped payments to states based on the number of Medicaid enrollees. . The proposal also still includes plans to eliminate Obamacares taxes. Revenue would be generated by capping the tax exemption for employer-sponsored plans at the 90th percentile of current premiums. That means benefits above that level would be taxed. Millions of people are going to lose their health care when subsidies are replaced by tax credits, and the Medicaid expansion is halted. Millions more will lose their coverage after Republicans place a cap on Medicaid payments to the states. Poor people will either lose their health care, or Medicaid will not cover as much. A big change would also be coming to the employer-based health insurance system. If health insurance becomes taxed above a certain level, employers will be motivated to offer their employees cheaper insurance that covers less. Do you see a pattern here? The goal of the Republican Obamacare replacement plan is to give people insurance that costs more but covers less. Americans who dont purchase their insurance through the exchange, or are on Medicaid are still facing the prospect of spending more money for less insurance. Since Republicans will be offering a tax credit that doesnt cover the cost of insurance, the uninsured rate in the United States is going to immediately skyrocket. House Republicans were trying to keep their plan a secret because it is a very bad deal for the American people. Unless you are an insurance company, there is nothing good about the GOPs Obamacare replacement plan. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Former NSA analyst John Schindler isnt pulling any punches. Just a few hours after Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) said that FBI Director James Comey was refusing to supply transcripts that might show the Trump campaign colluding with Russia, Schindler mocked President Trump and said it wasnt smart to attack spies and the press when you colluded with the Kremlin to get elected. It just wasn't all that smart to attack spies & press who dig up stuff for a living when you colluded with the Kremlin to get elected. John Schindler (@20committee) March 4, 2017 Schindler warned that Trump will do anything to save himself, including provoking a civil war: Trump knows his illegal ties to Moscow will be exposed soon. Hence his panic. He will do anything to save himself. Even provoking civil war. John Schindler (@20committee) March 4, 2017 A mention of Trumps crimes again: If you're an American playing Chatty Cathy with foreign spies and/or terrorists, the law does not protect you or your crimes. FYI, @POTUS John Schindler (@20committee) March 4, 2017 And this isnt new for Trump, Schindler referenced Russian mafia schemes: Given how many Russian mafia scams, some #YUGE, have been run out of Trump Tower over past 25 years, safe bet the FISC said, "Them AGAIN?!?" John Schindler (@20committee) March 4, 2017 Then Schindler just mocked the President for his paranoid insults regarding Obama: Trump will show the public evidence of Obama's illegal wiretapping right after he reveals his Kenyan birth certificate. John Schindler (@20committee) March 4, 2017 Crimes. Russian mafia. Trump. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print After Donald Trump had accused President Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower before the election, former Obama Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told Trump that it is because of people like him that presidents dont have the power to order wiretaps. Trumps tweets caught the White House off-guard, because they had no idea that he was going to launch into a conspiracy about Obama tapping his phones: Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 Former Obama Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes dropped some a humiliating facts on Trump: No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you. https://t.co/lEVscjkzSw Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) March 4, 2017 There is a pattern to Trumps tweet attacks. Before the stories on Attorney General Sessions meetings with Russia came out, Trump went on tweet storm attacking the press and The New York Times. A president cant order wiretaps. It is alarming that the current president seems to have no idea what the powers of the presidency are. Rhodes was correct. Presidents dont have the unilateral power to order wiretaps. The reason why the nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General was so troubling for many was that it was a direct attack on the idea of Justice Department independence. Trumps tweets suggest that he is trying to preemptively defuse another Russia bomb that is about to drop on his administration. The President is not only humiliating himself. He is also embarrassing the country. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print A series of national rallies meant to show support for Donald Trump ended up demonstrating the Presidents unpopularity as rallies are small and crowds are numbering in the hundreds. 50 people showed up at the March4Trump rally in DC: Huge 50 person rally at the White House happening right now! #March4Trump pic.twitter.com/mK7ARZGi7l Aaron Black (@BlackCatUnloads) March 4, 2017 Here is the March4Trump rally compared to the Womens March in Cleveland: First pic is the #March4Trump at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. The other 2 are from the @WomensMarch. Same city. https://t.co/q6hS3fo6Gu pic.twitter.com/3MC7033xPr Emanuel Zbeda (@therealezway) March 4, 2017 Video of the March4Trump in Nashville: Nashville looks like one of the bigger crowds, but again the crowd is 3-4 rows deep. In Miami, the unverified supporter claim is that thousands attended, which means a thousand or probably hundreds: The rallies are so small that even Fox News admitted the real crowd sizes, Supporters of President Donald Trump held a series of smaller rallies and marches around the country to show their pride in his presidency. In New York, Trumps hometown, the crowd was estimated to be a couple of hundred people outside of Trump Tower. The Trump rallies around the country will be lucky if they top 10,000-15,000 supporters. Meanwhile, the Womens March On Washington set a US record as an estimated 3.6-4.5 million people marched in January 2017. The question is, if so few people are showing up to support Trump, how did he win the election? Oh, yeah. This guy had something to do with it: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Donald Trumps unreadiness to be president was dramatically highlighted this morning when he went off on a tweetstorm accusing President Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower. Not only was the point driven painfully home that the president does not have this authority, but that he does not have this authority precisely because of people like Trump. What makes it worse is that Trump alone probably does not realize what these revelations reveal to the world about his character, or rather, his lack of it. What Trump is aware of is that the net is closing around him. As former Vermont Governor and DNC Chair Howard Dean tweeted, and as surely Trump knows by now or he would not have embarked on this mornings rampage, This means a judge found probable cause that Trump was engaging in criminal activity and issued a warrant for a wire tap https://t.co/cj85vrd7hp Howard Dean (@GovHowardDean) March 4, 2017 In fact, the wiretaps were no secret and even granting Trumps resistance to learning, it stretches credulity that he just learned of them: 1/ The wiretaps that Donald Trump "just found out" about have been reported for weeks. I'm going to summarize here some of the discussion. Justin Hendrix (@justinhendrix) March 4, 2017 2/ @LouiseMensch broke the news for @heatstreet that a FISA warrant was granted to explore Donald's Russia Ties https://t.co/1q8cR58YO9 pic.twitter.com/ixedz3TuTx Justin Hendrix (@justinhendrix) March 4, 2017 If Donald Trump was ignorant of these things until this morning, it was a willful ignorance and by ranting like a lunatic about it did himself no favors. What is obvious is that whether the revelation came later or sooner, Donald Trump is in real trouble. As Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) said in a tweet this morning, Either @realDonaldTrump is paranoid like Nixon, or judge found probable cause of crime for #wiretap. Either way our President is in trouble. Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 4, 2017 It is ironic that the man Donald Trump is blaming for all his troubles, Barack Obama, was awarded the Profile in Courage award by the The John F Kennedy Library foundation, which cited his grace under pressure precisely that virtue Donald Trump so profoundly proved this morning that he lacked. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print President Obama reminded America of what a real president looks like by returning to demolish Trumps lie that the former president ordered a wiretap on Trump Tower. Statement from Obama: Notice that former President Obama stated the obvious. He never wiretapped Trump Tower, because presidents cant order surveillance. What has not been denied by anyone is that a warrant was obtained from the FISA court and Trump Tower was under surveillance. President Obama remains something that Donald Trump is not. Obama is a principled person of ethics who believes in checks, balances, and the separation of powers. Compare Obamas statement to Donald Trumps belief that a president can authorize wiretaps. Trumps view of the presidency is like that of a totalitarian child. Donald Trump believes that this president is all powerful with no limitations. Trump never asked any experts if the president has the power to order wiretaps. He just ran with what he read on Breitbart and tweeted up a storm. The senior citizen boy/child who wants to be taken seriously as president was just shown how it is done by Barack Obama. For the majority of Americans, Donald Trump will always be the pretender sitting in the Oval Office. Trump is the reality television star playacting what he thinks a president should be. Barack Obama showed with one statement the difference between a pretend president and the real deal. Georgia O'Keefe's flowers and her idealized visions of the Southwest have made her an icon of modern art, but not until recently has the art world turned an eye toward the persona she catered for herself. For so long, she was made out to be a loner in New Mexico, communing with bleached cow skulls and flowers. In the Brooklyn Museum's new exhibition, Georgia O'Keefe: Living Modern, the artist's clothes are displayed alongside her paintings, showcasing her idiosyncratic style alongside her work. By putting her clothes in conversation with her paintings, a new aspect of the modernity she encompassed is unveiled. The exhibition was guest curated by Wanda M. Corn, professor Emerita in Art History at Stanford University who released a book to accompany the exhibition. A part of the Brooklyn Museum's "Year of Yes" series, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, the exhibition also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Georgia O'Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, which provided 95% of the clothes on display. E.R. Pulgar The exhibition is separated into four sections, spanning O'Keefe's beginnings in New York City to her time in Santa Fe, her interest in Asian art and fashion (which showcases her extensive collection of kimonos), and the image she curated for herself when she became a celebrity. Alongside her workswe already see O'Keefe making use of the deep blues that would influence her paintings of the New Mexico desert sky in Brooklyn Bridgewe see the evolution of the artist's personal aesthetic, from hand-made dresses to made-to-order Balenciaga suits. One of the more notable accessories is a brass pin made for her by Alexander Calder, which she has copied in India for $5, a fact she was known to boast about. Going through the exhibition, we come to see little details of O'Keefe coming to life: a worn black hat, her use of a cape as a subversion of an accessory traditionally used by male artists. Strewn through the exhibit are several portraits of her by Alfred Stieglitz, her former lover and the man who began the idea of her presence. Resentful of her being sold as "a female artist" when she very simply wanted to create, it's compelling to watch her independence as an artist grow through her fashion: this is a woman who had the money to constantly have custom-made clothes, and chose to remain thrifty, simple. By taking control of her image and her life, O'Keefe truly showcased what it means to live modern, from allowing herself to be photographed in denim jackets before jeans became a common outfit to growing her own vegetables. The exhibition does not shy away from how she was viewed by the world, and highlights her private nature, as well as the independence that she cultivated for herself. Her flowers are indeed featured, but it is her thorns, her wit, and her ability to stand out from the crowd that make this exhibit so mesmerizing. Georgia O'Keefe: Living Modern will run until July 23rd. For more information, visit the Brooklyn Museum's official website. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. MISSOULA Closing a college isn't on the agenda of the Commissioner of Higher Education or the Montana Board of Regents, according to a spokesman. And the regents haven't ever voted to shutter a campus, said Kevin McRae, deputy commissioner of communications for the Montana University System, on Friday. This week, Gov. Steve Bullock suggested the regents might have to consider closing a school, given the possible $23 million hole in the university system's budget, according to the Associated Press. Bullock's proposed budget largely protected higher education, but legislators have proposed reductions. McRae said the governor was making a point about the magnitude of the $23 million gap in relation to the budgets of the system's small colleges. For example, he said state support for Helena College is just $5.8 million, and it's $7.6 million for Great Falls College. But the closure of small colleges is a national trend Moody's Investor Service predicted in 2015, given declining enrollment and revenue insecurity across the country. And at least one proposal to cut state funds to a community college -- Dawson Community College in Glendive, separate in some ways from the university system schools, but part of the state's educational offerings -- is potentially on the table at the Montana Legislature. Bullock made his statement in an editorial meeting at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Ronja Abel, communications director for the governor, said the possibility of closing a state campus is due to the failure of Republican lawmakers to consider alternative revenue sources. "The nearly $25 million budget shortage for the Montana University System in the Legislature's proposal as it stands today would not need to be considered if lawmakers would thoughtfully consider fair and modest revenue enhancers," Abel said in an email. She cited consumption taxes on cigarettes and e-cigarettes, along with "making the wealthiest among us pay their fair share." McRae said the regents have never closed a unit of the university system, but the proposal comes up periodically. Even in the current session, he said, legislators have privately told the Commissioner's Office it's time to close a campus, but at this point, it's not on the table. To address the potential $23 million gap, Commissioner Clayton Christian has recommended significant tuition increases, major cuts to educational programs, or a combination, McRae said. "Nobody is proposing to close a campus, but if you keep campuses open, then all institutions weather that kind of cut or tuition increase, which is the cost of access," McRae said. But colleges are closing elsewhere due to revenue pressure. In 2015, a Moody's report projected the closure of small colleges and universities would triple "in the coming years" and mergers would double, with as many as 15 a year closing for good by 2017, according to Inside Higher Ed. Last month, media outlets in Pennsylvania reported state colleges were in danger of closing because of declining enrollment and financial problems. There, higher education officials will hire a consultant whose recommendations may include shuttering schools and consolidating programs, according to the The Morning Call. In Montana, McRae noted the state support for six of the university system's colleges is at or less than the $23 million: $5.8 million for Helena College $7.6 million for Great Falls College $7.8 million for UM-Western $11.4 million for MSU-Northern $16 million for MT-Tech $23 million for MSU-Billings Only the colleges in Missoula and Bozeman exceed that proportion of state dollars, he said, and the governor's point was to put the $23 million in that context. The community colleges of Dawson, Flathead Valley, and Miles City are formed through a district and have their own trustees, although they also receive state support. "If we're going to keep this number of colleges and universities open, how long can you expect to spread a $23 million cut across the board to all institutions?" McRae said. But many of the colleges have experienced enrollment declines in the last several years, and some schools are costly per capita. At MSU-Northern in Havre, for instance, it costs $10,878 in state support to educate one full-time student, according to data from MUS; that's more than the $7,335 average, and beyond the "efficiency range" of $4,835 to $9,835 identified by the system. Rep. Donald Jones, chair of the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, said he does not believe $23 million would justify closing a school, but he also said the Legislature authorizes a lump sum for the university system, and the regents decide how to spend it. "There are areas where they could cut costs, though," said Jones, a Billings Republican who is looking at eliminating state funding for Dawson. He pointed to university system schools with declining enrollments and increasing costs as ones that need adjustments: "They need to look at that and make sure that the costs are in line, and obviously, Northern is the outlier there in a big way." A spokesperson from MSU Northern could not be reached Friday afternoon for comment. If the regents did want to consider a closure, though, McRae said they likely would direct staff to investigate the options along with the implications, including legal ones. For example, he said state law "expressly identifies" the units of the university system, so shutting a school might involve more than a simple vote by the regents. Q: With the imminent arrival of self-driving motor vehicles, who will be liable for crashes when they occur? More to the point, why should I, despite being the owner of the vehicle, still be required to provide insurance, when I am a passenger, not the driver? Even if my role is "emergency backup" or "co-pilot," will I be liable for the car's actions or failures? I certainly would like the option of purchasing insurance for myself/family/friends, as passenger(s), but am opposed to the idea of being required to purchase liability insurance. Even now, as more of the responsibilities for safety are being assumed by the vehicle's onboard systems, why haven't insurance premiums seen a more significant drop? What sort of consideration is being given to this situation by the automotive and insurance industries, and our elected leaders? M.S., Baldwinsville, N.Y. A: The Insurance Information Institute states: "Except that the number of crashes will be greatly reduced, the insurance aspects of this gradual transformation are at present unclear. However, as crash avoidance technology gradually becomes standard equipment, insurers will be able to better determine the extent to which these various components reduce the frequency and cost of accidents. They will also be able to determine whether the accidents that do occur lead to a higher percentage of product liability claims, as claimants blame the manufacturer or suppliers for what went wrong rather than their own behavior. Liability laws might evolve to ensure autonomous vehicle technology advances are not brought to a halt. "A study of the benefits of self-driving vehicles by the RAND Corporation, released in 2016, includes a discussion of liability insurance options. The study, 'Autonomous Vehicle Technology: A Guide for Policymakers,' explores the benefits, drawbacks and risks of autonomous vehicle use. According to the study, manufacturer liability is likely to increase, while personal liability is likely to decrease. "As cars become increasingly automated the onus might be on the manufacturer to prove it was not responsible for what happened in the event of a crash. The liability issue may evolve so that lawsuit concerns do not drive manufacturers and their suppliers out of business. "RAND has suggested some kind of no-fault auto insurance system." ADVERTISEMENT We do not have a clue what our elected leaders are up to. Insurance is a state-level, not national, issue so it is difficult to grasp this conundrum. Q: My Honda dealer has told me that the cover on my catalytic converter is rusting on my 2009 Honda CRV and I need to replace it at the cost of $200. Could this be a factor in my vehicle passing emission testing? Should I get it replaced? C.G., Joliet, Ill. A: The cover you mention is a heat shield. It helps keep combustible materials from contacting the hot catalytic converter. The car will run fine with a damaged or missing shield, and it has no effect on the emissions test. As long as your check engine light is not illuminated, your vehicle most likely will pass. Yes, you should get it replaced before it starts rattling and driving you nuts. Lewis and Clark County has funds budgeted for unexpected events, such as the May 25 election that will be held to fill the state's lone U.S. House seat vacated by Republican Ryan Zinke. Zinke was confirmed and sworn-in as secretary of the Interior on March 1, setting in motion a requirement that a special election be held between 85 and 100 days from that date to fill the seat. Montana's Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties are all slated to select their candidate for the vacancy, which was not anticipated when the county assembled its budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 and will end June 30, 2018. The county budgets $200,000 annually for contingencies, said Nancy Everson, the countys finance director and acting chief administrative officer. We put $200,000 in the general fund budget just in case something like this comes up, she said. The countys overall budget this fiscal year is about $81 million and the general fund portion of it is about $12 million, she said. The cost of an election that uses polling places is about $150,000, said Audrey McCue, the countys elections supervisor. The 2014 general election cost the county $142,765, according to McCues data. However, the November 2016 general election that involved the use of polling places cost $203,676, she said, explaining the additional cost was due to several reasons that included the need to have a two-page ballot instead of just one. Further adding to printing cost was reprinting one page of the ballot because Libertarian Michael Fellows, a congressional candidate, died in a car crash prior to the election. Because of the widespread interest in the election, additional staff was hired by the countys election office, and this too added to the higher cost, McCue said. While the state Legislature is considering a bill to allow the election to be held by mail, which offers a cost savings compared to using polling places for voting, county officials are proceeding as though they will be required to hold the election through polling places, said Paulette DeHart, the county treasurer/clerk and recorder. Should the Legislature not agree to allow counties to conduct the election by mail, voters will have to be notified if their traditional polling place isnt available, DeHart said. Jim Darcy Elementary School isnt available for the special election, she said, adding that the notification on new polling places would also contain paperwork for voters to request absentee ballots. The county is moving ahead to hire election judges to work the polls. However, some who have worked past elections have already indicated they wont be able to help with the special election. If the Legislature agrees to allow counties to send all ballots to voters by mail, McCue projected the cost for the election would be $80,000 or less. The 2015 school district and special district election that was conducted through the mail cost nearly $76,215. The municipal election that year for the city of Helena, which included a countywide ballot issue for building and operating a new detention facility, used the mail and cost almost $75,821. With an authorization to use the mail instead of polling places, McCue projects the county will spend some $65,000 less on the election. If the special election is conducted by mail, elections office staff say they would be able to accommodate the change as 22,270 absentee ballots are going to be mailed anyway. If ballots were sent to all active registered voters, a total of 40,441 ballots would be sent as of Friday, McCue said, noting that no one has yet been removed from the list of active voters because of not having voted in the November election. Voters cannot be removed from the list of those who are active within 90 days of a federal election, she explained. The date of the election will be the Thursday before the Memorial Day weekend, McCue said, and she suggested the timing could affect voter participation. I dont think people are going to go to the polls because of plans for the holiday weekend, she said. While the county will be preparing for the upcoming special election, routine business for the elections office will call for handling the Helena Public Schools bond issue election, voting for rural fire districts and districts that provide water and wastewater service. If all of these elections were held, there would be nine for fire districts and four for water and wastewater districts, DeHart said, although McCue doesnt look for this to happen. Some voters will also be seeing ballots to decide issues in East Helena, said DeHart and McCue. To help voters keep track of all of the ballots they may be receiving -- absentee special election ballots will be mailed about the same time as those for the Helena Public Schools bond election -- the envelopes used by the county, school district and East Helena will be color coded, McCue said. In addition to ballots, voters will also be responsible for paying property taxes in May, DeHart said, and she explained that this too will add to the work that her office handles. This is going to be a busy couple of months, she added. The U.S. military has long had a strong connection with Hawaii. The state has been the headquarters for U.S. military operations in the entire Pacific for dozens of years, and thousands of armed service personnel Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force are stationed on the islands at a host of military installations. And obviously, the military's economic impact, totaling billions of dollars a year, is most important to the state. Another one of the major ties between the military and Hawaii centers on tourism, since several of the state's most-visited sites have military connections. Many of these are centered in Honolulu, at Pearl Harbor , where most notably are the Arizona and Missouri memorials that focus on the major events of World War II. These two sites were the principal stops during a full day of tours a Post Bulletin-sponsored cruise group enjoyed in Honolulu. A three-day Honolulu stay preceded a cruise of Hawaii's four major islands that some 40 area and regional travelers enjoyed in early February under sponsorship of the PB. ADVERTISEMENT Tourism is the largest economic engine in Hawaii some 9 million visitors a year come to the islands and the number seems to be growing constantly. And the No. 1 most-visited site is the USS Arizona Memorial, which draws some 2 million visitors annually. The Arizona is the centerpiece of Pearl Harbor, located some 24 miles west of downtown Honolulu, and has been a tourism mainstay since 1962 when it was dedicated. The Arizona was one of several ships that were destroyed during the Japanese attack on Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, which brought the U.S. into World War II. Several thousand men died aboard the Arizona and the memorial was constructed over the hull of the sunken ship. The Arizona is one of three ships sunk in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack: nearby is the USS Utah, whose hull is visited and honors 58 dead, and the USS Oklahoma, which commemorates 429 sailors who died when the ship capsized. A relatively-short distance away is another vessel that played a big part in World War II this at the close of hostilities. The USS Missouri was also visited by the PB group. It is the retired battleship brought to Pearl Harbor in 1998 where the Japanese formally signed the peace treaty ending World War II. It, too, attracts thousands of visitors. We've visited the Arizona Memorial many times during our half dozen-plus visits to Hawaii, and we are always impressed by the dignity of the tour. That feeling, too, was evident among the Post Bulletin group. One member, Karl Pasch, both a military and IBM retiree, noted the solemnness of the occasion. "The visit to the Memorial," he said, "was something you will never forget." ADVERTISEMENT His words were echoed by others, including Larry and Luanne Koshire, and Jim Hebl. Hebl thought the "whole trip was outstanding from beginning to end." Hawaii has many attractions on all of its islands, and the PB group went to most of them. Shopping is always popular, and the luau at Paradise Cove near Honolulu drew raves. All told, the three islands in the Hawaii chain were visited, besides the Honolulu stay on Oahu, were also popular stops in the week's cruise aboard the NCL's Pride of America. Visited were Maui, the Big Island of Hawaii. and Kauai. Probably the excursion trip which drew the most attention was to Volcanoes National Park the world's largest active volcano on the Big Island. Or perhaps a drive around Maui on the spectacular and historic Highway to Hana. Both were popular. A man who apparently ran away from a traffic stop late this afternoon north of Rochester was taken into custody nearly two hours after the incident began. The man spent most of that time on a bridge over the South Fork Zumbro River on 75th Street Northwest, holding officials at bay after implying he had a weapon of some kind, according to scanner traffic. The incident reportedly began with a traffic stop by a trooper with the Minnesota State Patrol. The man ran off, prompting a call for assistance from the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office, which tracked him into a wooded area and to the river. The man ended up on a ledge under the bridge and refused to surrender, sending members of the emergency response unit and crisis intervention team to the scene to help with negotiations. The man led authorities to believe he had a knife or box cutter. Personnel with the Rochester Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance also responded; rescuers wearing immersion suits were in the water in case the man jumped. ADVERTISEMENT He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital; radio traffic from the ambulance indicates he was uninjured, but was very cold. The temperature this evening hovered in the mid-20s. No other details about the incident are available tonight. The Minnesota Department of Transportation blocked traffic from North Broadway to West River Road during the incident. A bill introduced last week could give school districts a little more flexibility with how they use their snow days. Instead of a day spent building snowmen, students might be required to do school work on the days the white stuff prevents them from physically getting to school all thanks to technology. The bill, put forward by Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, would give school districts the flexibility to use its iPads and laptops to work from home on snow days and have those days counted as student contact days. Districts in Southeast Minnesota are showing strong interest, but it wouldn't work for everyone because of funding, the amount of technology available in each school and at-home internet access varying from district to district. The idea for the bill was inspired by Zumbrota-Mazeppa schools, in Drazkowski's home district, which has been experimenting with the idea the last two years . Things have gone smoothly at the district level, but there's been some confusion on whether these days actually counted as student contact days at the state level, where law requires at least 165 days of instruction. ADVERTISEMENT At Zumbrota-Mazeppa, snow days now are called "weather-impacted learning days," or "WILD." Because the district is one-to-one school, all students have an iPad, or other form of technology that allows them to work from home. This means the district can stick to its calendar without worrying about extending school into the summer to ensure there are enough student-teach contact days. The proposed legislation would ensure the state counts these days toward the total number required. Drazkowski said districts should have the option to use e-learning days if they want, but he said he knows it won't work for everyone. "I don't think we should be requiring it. I think we should allow schools to do what they want to do," he said. Access is still an issue The proposal wouldn't work for every school district because not all have enough technology for students to be considered one-to-one, and many students still are without at-home internet access. It works in Zumbrota-Mazeppa, superintendent Gary Anger said, because more than 95 percent of students have internet access. For those who don't, they've found ways to work around it such as downloading assignments before leaving school. They've also applied for grants to fund internet access for those families who don't have it, but those haven't come through yet. ADVERTISEMENT At Rochester Public Schools, e-learning days just wouldn't be possible, said Heather Nessler, the district's director of communications, because just seven of the schools are one-to-one. Most of the district's schools have shared access to devices, meaning about 10,000 of the district's nearly 18,000 students aren't truly one-to-one, Nessler said. "It would be a challenge for our district," Nessler said by email, noting it wouldn't be possible at RPS without an alternative funding source. "In some cases, it is not just a matter of access to a device but it is access to the internet." Interest is growing Zumbrota-Mazeppa was one of the first districts in the state to test such an idea, and Anger said he gets at least one call each week from other school districts throughout the state, inquiring about how WILD works. The reaction has been positive so far, he said, noting the district's first snow day is treated as a traditional freebie, and then the new policy kicks in for the second snow day of the year. But he said how this will work varies from district to district and is tied heavily to teacher contracts. For example, in Austin, superintendent Dave Krenz said they haven't designated a day as an e-learning day, but they have the system and technology in place so they could take advantage of it. The district is nearly one-to-one, but it's currently figuring out contracts with the bargaining units and making sure this type of e-learning would be covered in teacher contracts. In Kingsland school district, they're trying it out, said superintendent John McDonald, looking to Zumbrota-Mazeppa for guidance. There, the e-learning days are called "flexible learning days," and they just tried their first one in January. ADVERTISEMENT They'd like to take advantage of the new rule and add additional days in the next school year, McDonald said. There, almost 90 percent of students have internet access, he said. "It's exciting that our legislators are considering it," Krenz said. "Because in a lot of districts, even though they aren't fully implemented with one-to-one capabilities, they're all talking about it." Professor Robert Dunbar put on his "thinking cap" on Thursday. The University of Minnesota Rochester neuroscience professor donned a knitted cap resembling a brain Thursday afternoon, thanks to UMR health sciences senior Paige Mogilefsky. Mogilefsky coupled her love for science with a recently discovered love for knitting to create the unique hat. She gifted the creation to Dunbar, someone who's taught her a lot about the brain as her development psychology, abnormal psychology, anatomy and physiology and neuroscience professor at UMR. But also because Dunbar has allowed her to knit her way through his classes the last three years, bringing her projects to work on as he lectures. She says it helps her concentrate. "So he's put up with a lot from me over the years," Mogilefsky said, smiling. ADVERTISEMENT When she found the pattern for the brain hat online, she knew it was a project she'd have to tackle. Plus, it's a pattern that's being associated with the March for Science, similar to what a certain pink hat was to the Women's March. When Mogilefsky moved to Rochester from Colorado four years ago, she was shocked by how different the Minnesota winters were from what she grew up with. She struggled with the biting cold and a trying first semester of her freshman year at UMR. "It messed with my mental health to a really huge degree," Mogilefsky said. She picked up knitting one winter break while she was home by watching Youtube videos. She figured it would be a good hobby to get her through the coming semesters. It gave her something to measure progress by after studying all day. "It also was a break," she said. At first, she said she'd just knit at the end of the night when she was winding down with some Netflix. Now, she said the activity keeps her on track and helps her concentrate while she studies and is in class. She estimated the "thinking cap" took her 10 to 15 hours to create. ADVERTISEMENT Mogilefsky is hoping to go into research, or work in a lab in the Rochester area because she enjoys the technical, procedural nature of that type of work, she said, similar to the process of knitting. "The repetition can be relaxing," she said. "Sometimes you get results and sometimes you don't." Mogilefsky's knitting had Dunbar scratching his head when it started, but the brain cap is some "validation that she was paying attention," he said. "It became clear that that was her way of settling into the content," he said. "Seeing the outcome of that was really cool." AUSTIN It takes a village to raise a child, but what does it take to build homes in a village? Austin city officials continue to strive for economic development. But if Austin continues to grow, it's going to need more housing. A lack of housing acts as a roadblock to city growth, both in size and economics. "We want them living in Austin, sending their kids to our excellent schools, serving on civic organizations and impacting local businesses with their earnings," City Administrator Craig Clark said. "Based off our housing challenges, we have seen this inhibit this natural cycle along with many rural communities across Minnesota." A 2013 study found that Austin will need to add 300 rental units and 118 single family units by 2020, based on projected growth. Officials say the problem will require bold action. ADVERTISEMENT "We need an all-options approach to tackle this problem," Clark said. "The silver lining is that there is a clearly demonstrated demand. Employers are adding workers and Austin is a growing community. We want to respond within our financial limitations and that generally outlines the task before us. "Our motivation is to see our community and businesses grow and protect our existing housing stock so that we have a reasonable array of housing options that people can find an option that meets their needs and call Austin home," Clark added. Some difficult realities The current housing market has a gap between rents and construction costs, Clark said. Adding to the burden are the fixed costs of development, which is more likely to happen in a city with a bigger population. Clark suggested that it doesn't mean Austin couldn't support projects, but urban communities have a greater advantage in the market. "It's no surprise that developers are looking to mitigate their risks, and when the cost of building a complex is the same in Austin as it is in, say, Lakeville," he said. "Developers choose the markets with the higher prevailing rents and a broader market to pull potential renters." Mayor Tom Stehim's Ad Hoc Committee on housing examined housing needs at all levels, but additional consideration was given for market rate units. A quick overview showed that Austin has not seen a full market rate spurring construction "for decades." "We need the marketplace to respond via wages, finding developers who recognize the opportunity of the overwhelming demand and overall promote prevailing rents that ultimately determine a pro forma's feasibility of any project," Clark said. ADVERTISEMENT What's done so far? Austin attempted to spur developers into the housing market by using a housing tax abatement program in a partnership with Mower County and the Austin Public Schools. The incentive provides five years of no taxes on the construction of single family or multifamily homes. The program has attracted five projects since it was adopted in the latter part of 2016, according to Clark. The market appeared to have improved, with 11 new homes built last year within the city. "This has sparked a lot of interest and buzz," he said. "And with the coming spring season, this will be the first year it has been available for when most homes get started," he said. "We hope this year it will make a big impact, and indications look good that the pump is primed for a strong year of new home starts." Officials continue to look for affordable housing options, and bring additional funding sources to address the demand. While there's a deficiency in the number of homes available, the community itself is considered "affordable," according to Clark. "The key component is the supply we've talked about," he said. "As I mentioned before, we're looking for an all-hands-on-deck approach and evaluating every alternative. These programs are very competitive, but we will look for these opportunities." For those looking to find a home in Austin, it'll take some time. "We need to continue to make progress on an identified need, and will continue to evaluate as we move forward. It's a great time to build in Austin, and we continue to have a good supply of lots to build," Clark said. The Rochester City Council could vote Monday on lifting the city's ban on Sunday liquor sales. Council member Michael Wojcik, with the support of council member Annalissa Johnson, requested the council consider revising city ordinance to remove language that would trump state law on liquor sales. The council meets at 7 p.m. Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 4th St. SE. The Minnesota Legislature sent Gov. Mark Dayton a measure allowing liquor stores to remain open on Sundays. The governor has said he doesn't plan to veto the bill. The statewide measure to allow stores to open at 11 a.m. on Sundays would not go into effect until July. However, cities with established bans on Sunday sales, which includes Rochester, would need to remove them in order for liquor stores to open on Sundays. ADVERTISEMENT In September 2015, the council updated its ordinance regarding liquor store hours, extending possible weekday and Saturday hours to match state guidelines, which also allowed later sales of to-go orders at brewpubs. That measure required revisions after an earlier change was found to violate state law. The updated version passed on a 6-1 vote, with Council President Randy Staver voting against the change. On Monday, Wojcik's request will be the first use of a new agenda category: council-initiated actions. Put into place during the Jan. 4 council meeting, the category allows council members, with the support of one other member, to request a vote on an action by placing it on the published agenda. In the past, two council members could seek a vote near the end of the meeting, but the item wasn't posted on the agenda for the public to review prior to the meeting. In other business Monday, the city council will: Continue the public hearing on proposed changes to a special district to guide development near the intersection of Rochester's 55th Street and Villa Road Northwest. The council is expected to make a decision on the issue Monday, since a deadline is looming. Set a hearing for a proposed change to the city's home-rule charter. The council had opted to postpone setting a hearing since Wojcik said he opposed the change and a charter revision requires unanimous council approval. However, City Attorney Terry Adkins informed the council that it is required to set a hearing when the city's Charter Commission requests one. BILLINGS The definition of "usable marijuana" in the Montana Medical Marijuana Act does not need clarification, according to a district judge and the attorney general's office. In response to a request for the Montana Supreme Court to rule on the issue of compliance with Montana's Medical Marijuana Act, Yellowstone County District Court Judge Rod Souza and Appellate Services Bureau Chief Mark Fowler both denied the need for the higher court's intervention. In January, 65-year-old Wayne Steven Penning asked the Montana Supreme Court to rule on whether the state has the right to prosecute medical marijuana patients in possession of more than one ounce of marijuana, even if the plant is not dried. Penning was charged by Yellowstone County prosecutors with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute in December 2015. A Montana Highway Patrol trooper had pulled over Penning for speeding in October 2015. Penning, a cardholder in the Montana Marijuana Program, was transporting the harvest of his four marijuana plants in sealed containers. The trooper arrested Penning for possessing more than one ounce of marijuana allotted to him under the marijuana program. Penning asked the case be dismissed because the marijuana he had in his car was only partly dried, and not usable marijuana. Souza ruled the question of Penning's compliance with the act should be ruled on by a jury. Penning believes the district courts ruling makes it illegal for cardholders to harvest their plants. As of November 2016, 6,557 out of 7,558 medical marijuana patients grew their own marijuana, according to the Montana Marijuana Program Current Status Report. Fowler responded to Penning's request as a representative of the state. Using Penning's testimony, Fowler pointed out that wet marijuana can still be smoked, but requires more flame to accomplish it. Wet marijuana can also be used to create other marijuana products, Fowler said. "Usable marijuana" under the medical marijuana law means "the dried leaves and flowers of marijuana and any mixture or preparation of marijuana." This suggests, if not defines, "usable marijuana" as already harvested marijuana, Fowler said in his response. Penning would harvest his crop, dry part of it, and refrigerate the rest, drying it one ounce at a time, according to his testimony in district court. A mature female marijuana plant can produce up to 16 ounces of marijuana per yield, according to Pennings petition to the Montana Supreme Court. At the point of harvest, medical marijuana patients will possess more than one ounce of marijuana plant, Pennings petition said. If Penning is found guilty, he would lose access to his medical marijuana card. In Souza's response to Penning's request, Souza again said the issue should be put before a jury as to whether Penning was in compliance with the act. Penning is represented by Billings attorney Penelope Strong. The case is being prosecuted in Yellowstone County by Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito and Senior Deputy County Attorney Victoria Callender. The Montana Supreme Court will rule on whether this case warrants the court's immediate involvement. MINNEAPOLIS A Minnesota diocese filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday, the 14th nationwide and third in the state to do so in the face of mounting claims of sexual abuse by clergy. The Diocese of New Ulm, which covers 15 counties in rural south and west-central Minnesota, said in a statement that filing for bankruptcy protection is the fairest way to compensate victims of clergy sexual abuse while continuing its operations. Bishop John LeVoir also apologized to victims and abuse survivors. "Victims and survivors have shown incredible courage by stepping forward to help prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again," LeVoir said in a statement. "Victims and survivors must be treated with dignity and just compensation is owed them, as well as our daily prayers." The diocese and some of its parishes faced 101 lawsuits under a Minnesota law that created a three-year window for victims of past sexual abuse to file claims. That window closed in May 2016. The diocese said that reorganization will help make sure all victims are compensated, noting that if the cases were resolved one by one, available assets and insurance would be used up before all cases could be heard. The diocese said most of the lawsuits stemmed from abuse that was reported to have happened from the 1950s to the 1970s. The diocese said most of the accused priests are deceased and there are no accused priests serving in parish ministry in the diocese. ADVERTISEMENT Last year, after urging by victims' attorneys, the diocese released the names of 16 priests that had credible allegations of child sexual abuse against them. Attorneys representing victims of sexual abuse by clergy vowed to keep seeking justice. "The bankruptcy filing does not stop the pursuit of justice for sexual abuse survivors," attorney Mike Finnegan said in a statement. "Survivors will continue to seek truth and accountability in the bankruptcy process." The diocese, which serves about 55,000 Catholics, said parishes, schools and other Catholic organizations are separate corporations, not part of the bankruptcy filing. In Minnesota, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Duluth filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015. Those cases are pending. Nationwide, 11 other dioceses and two religious orders have also filed for reorganization. LA CROSSE, Wis. Nurse Katie Farka was so smitten with providing a healing touch to people in Ethiopia that she sold her house in La Crosse, quit her job and will embark soon on a year-long volunteer mission that probably will stretch to two years or more. "I have wanted to be a medical missionary since I was in nursing school," said the 33-year-old Farka, a hematology and oncology nurse who has worked at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse for eight years. After visiting Ethiopia several years ago with family, "I was lucky enough two years ago" to be part of a volunteer medical and educational team to Yetebon, Ethiopia, with the Gundersen Medical Foundation's Global Partners. "I loved the area. It is probably one of three places in the world I find most peace-filled," Farka said, flashing the wide smile that seems so ingrained in her that she probably even grins in her sleep. "The land is beautiful, and the people are friendly and grateful. It makes you appreciate every step of the day." ADVERTISEMENT Servant leadership Global Partners leaders, including administrative director Liz Arnold, so appreciated the talents that Farka brought to the venture that they picked her to lead a subsequent trip of volunteers to the African nation. "Katie really embodies servant leadership, she is extremely competent as a nurse and she has a huge heart of compassion qualities that make her perfect" for the mission role, Arnold said. "She has such a positive spirit and is willing to do anything. "It is one thing to volunteer locally, but abroad, you have to be flexible and adaptable," Arnold said. "For anyone, leading a team is very different than being on a team, and you learn a lot about yourself," she said. Farka will remain at her Gundersen job through March before taking a little time off and heading nearly 8,000 miles to Ethiopia. Her volunteer stint this time will be with Project Mercy, which has a school, a hospital and a clinic, in Yetebon, a rural village about three hours from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. In assuming the outpost's new position as community health development director, Farka will coordinate medical volunteers and students and do health assessments for the 1,500 students in the development's K-12 schools. She plans to fold health education into the assessments. "My passion here (at Gundersen) is patient education," she said. "I'd love to be able to roll that into Project Mercy. Once you've taught kids, you've taught their families and then, you've taught the community." ADVERTISEMENT Not that Farka doesn't need a little teaching herself, she acknowledged, noting that Ethiopian children start learning English in fifth grade but that their facility with it can be sketchy. "I need to know Amharic," she said of Ethiopia's official language. 'They know I'm crazy' Some of her co-workers wonder about her venture, she said, adding, "They don't understand why I would go somewhere not knowing anybody and not being paid. "My family is on board, though they know I'm crazy," she said with a laugh that caromed off the walls of the expansive lobby in Gundersen's Heritage Building and echoed up and down the circular staircase to floors above and below. Besides, she said, Global Partners will send volunteer teams with familiar faces to Yetebon while she is there to help train staffers with Project Mercy, which has been a partner organization with Global Partners since 2014. "It will be like having my family coming to visit," she said. Without pay, Farka's means of support includes family and friends, she said. ADVERTISEMENT "People are helping finance support for me as a missionary. To my parents' chagrin, that also means using my house money," she said as a hint of mischief rippled through her laugh. "I have a group of supporters financial, prayer, whatever," she said. One worldly benefit will be free digs. "Project Mercy has a compound with housing, so I will be living on the compound. They will cook for me and take care of me. It'll be like moving in at Mom's, except better cooking but don't tell her that," she said in a conspiratorial laugh that almost requires keeping the quote intact. 'It was time to downsize' Despite Farka's long-held dream of being a medical missionary, she said, "I got here and was so busy, I never found the right time to do it. This is a logical step to take." As a single person with the equivalent of a four-bedroom house, "it was time to downsize, and my family doesn't live in the area," she said. "Project Mercy is an organization I would trust with my life and my career and I am. It does everything carefully and prayerfully," said Farka, whose mention of prayer several times during an interview reflected the faith she has absorbed as a lifetime member of Faith Free Church. At the same time, she confessed that she will miss Gundersen and her co-workers. "The only sad part is I've come to love Gundersen as an organization. It taught me everything I know and even stuff I don't know," she said, giggling as she added, "because I forgot." After the first year, Farka will come back to the United States to fill out work permit paperwork to be able to return for a second year, which she fully expects to do. "My assumption is that a new position really needs a steady two years," she said. Farka credits Global Partners with teaching her the necessity for initiatives to become sustainable. "When you teach people in a community, you give them the power to teach the community. The ideal is to work myself out of a job," she said, punctuating the point with of course a hearty laugh. Last fall, as protesters gathered at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota to stop the completion of the Dakota Access pipeline, several of my friends "checked in" at the protest on Facebook. They were nowhere near South Dakota. They had heard through urgent posts by other friends who were not present either that fake geo-tagging would protect protesters at the site from monitoring by law enforcement. NPR reported that more than a million people "checked in" at the protest camp, a digital version of the "I am Spartacus" strategy. But the local sheriff's office told reporters that it hadn't been monitoring protesters using Facebook geo-tags. And leaders of the protest said they had never asked far-flung allies to change their locations on social media. The geo-tagging fad was a harmless way for people to express solidarity. It was also, arguably, part of a bigger problem with how information spreads online in the Trump era. Fake news, as defined by the Columbia Journalism Review, is "misinformation crafted to influence public opinion or cull digital advertising dollars." When researchers from Stanford and New York University analyzed misinformation that spread on social media during the 2016 campaign, they found that more fake news articles were pro-Donald Trump than pro-Hillary Clinton. But in the months since the election, President Trump has made "fake news" his primary critique of any unfavorable coverage. The president applies the label to everything from independent polls finding scant support for his policies to leaked reports that his administration is in disarray. ADVERTISEMENT If the term has been rendered meaningless, the underlying notion still holds up: People are too quick to share articles that confirm their beliefs. And despite liberals' self-perception that we are more fact-oriented than your average Trump supporter, this is not a weakness limited to the right. To spread misinformation, you don't have to share a clicky headline from a dubious source. Sometimes all you have to do is take a meme too seriously. Take, for example, a well-circulated animated GIF of Melania Trump during the inauguration ceremony. The clip shows her smiling while her husband is facing her, then dropping the smile as soon as he turns away. For those of us who want to believe that even those closest to the president secretly hate him, the GIF was a balm. A few sites, including Media-ite, posted the inauguration coverage in full, however, which placed the short viral clip in context. It appears the smile drops quickly from Melania Trump's face because the GIF was captured during a prayer not exactly a moment for joking around on the dais. But the corrective was lost in a deluge of memes. No one shared it in my feed. I found it only because I went looking for it. Was the Melania Trump smiling meme fake news? Probably not as most on the left would define it, but political wishful thinking carried the story past the point of absurdity. Memes aren't the only unlikely way that alternative facts circulate in liberal circles. Like our counterparts on the right, those of us on the left don't always trust established journalistic institutions to cover certain issues thoroughly especially when it comes to marginalized people who aren't likely to be perceived as potential advertisers or subscribers. Groups including Native American activists, transgender teens and immigrants in the country illegally have long relied heavily on word of mouth for information. The root cause of left-wing rumor-mongering is fairly obvious. When the front-page headlines sound like conspiracy theories and plot lines from "House of Cards," it's easy to conflate unsourced rants on blogs and in public forums with reported facts. Fake news isn't just a problem that afflicts others. The burden falls on all of us to read news items critically before we share them no matter what our political persuasion or how pure our intentions. After President Trump accused Barack Obama of wiretapping his phones during the election campaign, the Associated Press hurried into print a defense of the former president: President Donald Trump on Saturday accused former President Barack Obama of having Trump Tower telephones wire tapped during last years election, a claim that an Obama spokesman said was false. Trump did not offer any evidence or details, or say what prompted him to make the allegation. No one fits a lot of details into a tweet, but there is no doubt that Obamas Justice Departmentthe most corrupt and politicized Department of Justice in modern American historyobtained a FISA warrant to conduct surveillance on Trump associates, and possibly Trump himself, in the heat of the presidential campaign. The Associated Press apparently didnt know this. Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said a cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered in any Justice Department investigations, which are supposed to be conducted free of political influence. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen, Lewis said, adding that any suggestion otherwise is simply false. This is a non-denial denial. Lewis didnt say that the Obama administration didnt spy on Trump or others in his campaign. Obviously, the order to conduct surveillance came from the Department of Justicethat is to say, Democratic Party hack Loretta Lynch. But Lynch presumably wouldnt have tried to spy on the Trump campaign without the knowledge and permission of her boss. One wonders, too: is this perhaps what the infamous tarmac meeting between Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch was about? Maybe it had nothing to do with the FBIs investigation of Hillarys illegal email operation. The meeting was in June, coinciding with the Obama administrations initial effort to spy on the Trump campaign. Maybe Lynch was filling Clinton in on her progress in trying to bug Trumps telephones. Much of the remainder of the AP article merely attacks Jeff Sessions and the Trump administration. But this is pretty funny: It was unclear what prompted Trumps new charge. The president often tweets about reports he reads on blogs and conservative-leaning websites. The allegations may be related to anonymously sourced reports in British media and blogs, and on conservative-leaning U.S. websites, including Breitbart News. Those reports claimed that U.S. officials had obtained a warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to review contacts between computers at a Russian bank and Trumps New York headquarters. Those anonymously sourced reports also appeared in the New York Times and some or all of the 29 McClatchey newspapers. To be fair to the AP, however, the liberal press mostly just hinted at the FISA story in order to smear Trump, and didnt really pursue it for fear, I assume, of uncovering an epic Obama scandal. This is why I, like the Associated Press, never even saw the story. It wasnt foolish for the AP to assume that revelations of an Obama administration scandal must have come from British media and blogs, andconservative-leaning U.S. websites. This scandal cries out for aggressive investigation. Lets see the initial FISA application, and the court order denying it. Then lets see the second application, and the order that approved it. Lets put the Obama administration officials who signed the applications under oath, and find out who put them up to it. Lets find out what judges denied the first application, and what judges granted the second one. Lets get the details on the Obama administrations spying. Did they tap the Trump campaigns telephones? If so, which lines? Did they hack into the Trump campaigns servers? If so, which ones? Obviously, as President Trump said, the Obama administration learned nothing of significance from its spying on the Trump campaign. But it now appears that the election of 2016 may have been hacked after all, in a far more meaningful way than an intrusion into Debbie Wasserman Schultzs email account. It may have been hacked by the Obama administration. We need to find out what happened. Congress should give top priority to this investigation. I was in the audience when William Rusher and William Shockley took the stage of an auditorium to debate at Yale in the spring of 1974. I arrived early knowing it would be difficult to get a seat and waited patiently for the event to begin. My patience was not rewarded, however, as the event was shouted down. The fascist aura in the auditorium and on the street among the protesters visible on the sidewalk outside was like nothing I had ever experienced. The event prompted a soul searching among the powers that be at Yale, recalled by my daughter in This is not a debate. It culminated in the Woodward Report on freedom of expression at Yale and in the universitys rededication to free speech. Unfortunately, we are now deep into the backsliding at Yale and elsewhere, such as Middlebury College. Charles Murray sought to speak at Middlebury College this past Thursday evening as a guest of the campus AEI Club. AEI Club? That there is an AEI Club at Middlebury suggests that things are not altogether dire on campus. There cant be a culture more counter than AEI at Middlebury. I dont think Murray needs any introduction to Power Line readers. He had been invited to Middlebury to discuss his most recent book, Coming Apart: The State of White America. Murrays appearance was prefaced by a couple of Middlebury students who made impressive statements. In between the statements of the two students Middlebury president Laurie Patton spoke. Patton must have had a foreboding. Patton warned the assembled multitude that disruption of such an event violated college policy. When Murray took the stage student fascists in attendance nevertheless prevented Murray from speaking. Their barbarism and stupidity ruled the day, as one can see in the video shot from inside the auditorium. On Twitter Murray observed that the students were seriously scary. I dont think he was even referring to the savages inside the auditorium, though perhaps he was. His getaway car was attacked as he sought to depart. Murrayss campus host Professor Allison Stanger did not escape unscathed. She was injured in the getaway. From Murrays perspective, the event was not a total loss. He made two new friends: getaway driver Bill Burger and Professor Stanger. Shes on the left, he observed. And fearless, funny, smart as can be, and as devoted to academic freedom as anyone Ive ever met. Professor Stanger appears in the video at about 41:00. The event continued via video livestream from a secure location (photo below). President Patton subsequently issued this statement addressed to members of the Middlebury College community: As many of you are aware by now, a large group of student protestors disrupted Charles Murrays talk yesterday afternoon in Wilson Hall in McCullough Student Center. I am deeply disappointed by the events that I witnessed and it was painful for many people in our community to experience. I know that many students, faculty, and staff who were in attendance or waiting outside to participate were upset by the events, and the lost opportunity for those in our community who wanted to listen to and engage with Mr. Murray. With some effort, we were able to move Mr. Murray to another location where he and Prof. Allison Stanger, who was scheduled to moderate the Q&A following his talk, were ablethough with challengesto go ahead with the talk and a probing conversation afterward. Following the event, protests continued outside of McCullough as well. Unfortunately, one group of demonstrators aggressively confronted Mr. Murray and Prof. Allison Stanger as they left McCullough Student Center. That confrontation turned into a violent incident with a lot of pushing and shoving, and an attack on the car in which they were leaving campus. We believe that many of these protestors were outside agitators, but there are indications that Middlebury College students were involved as well. We will be responding in the very near future to the clear violations of Middlebury College policy that occurred inside and outside Wilson Hall. Today our community begins the process of addressing the deep and troubling divisions that were on display last night. I am grateful to those who share this goal and have offered to help. We must find a path to establishing a climate of open discourse as a core Middlebury value, while also recognizing critical matters of race, inclusion, class, sexual and gender identity, and the other factors that too often divide us. That work will take time, and I will have more to say about that in the days ahead. Last night we failed to live up to our core values. But I remain hopeful. Last evening, several students, faculty, and staff representing a large spectrum of political perspectives remained in Wilson Hall to discuss the events and to talk about building bridges. Their ability to reach across differences in a rigorous but respectful way was a stark contrast to the events that preceded it. I firmly believe these are the Middlebury values that we have lived so long and that we must strive to embody in the future. I extend my sincerest apologies to everyone who came in good faith to participate in a serious discussion, and particularly to Mr. Murray and Prof. Stanger for the way they were treated during the event and, especially, afterward. Laurie L. Patton President As they said back in the day, the whole world is watching. Via Josh Feldman/Mediaite, Sam Dorman/Washington Free Beacon and Sarah Goldstein/Seven Days. Popular on-air personality, Toke Makinwa, in her recent Vlog series titled Daddy issues spoke about the lawsuit filed against her by estranged husband, Maje Ayida. The radio girl, who is currently on a book tour in London, said, As you guys might have heard, theres a lot going on in the news and the little that I have, lets just hope I have it after a while. For all the people that reached out to me, my lawyers are on it. Pity me, I hope Ill still have the little money that I have now, at the end of the N100m law suit. I dont think you have anything to worry about, thats all Ill say. It is what it is. Its going to be a very interesting year. I dont believe in court of opinion and what is out there because people are going to have opinions regardless, so I have nothing to say about that. I was with someone who knew that I did this vlog for a living didnt put that into consideration when he decided to step out from what we had having a child out of wedlock with some else. The marriage failed publicly resulted to a lot of people saying you sit here week after week giving us relationship advice meanwhile yours didnt work. I feel like its blessing because I have been in a relationship before and it failed publicly, she said. Mr. Ayida hired Carter-Ruck, a top UK firm that specialises in defamation and has clients such as Elton John, Chelsea FC and Simon Cowell. He has also hired Kemi Pinheiro of Pinheiro LP to represent him in Nigeria to sue his estranged wife over her tell-all book On Becoming. He declared the book was an exaggerated fabrication. He has also asked Toke to stop the sales of the book and all forms of promotional activities. According to Maje, it is untrue that he gave Toke a Sexually Transmitted Disease in the past or at any stage in their relationship. It is also highly misleading for Tokes book to allege that Maje did not financially contribute adequately to their marriage. It was stated that if Toke fails to retract her published words and apologise to Maje Ayida in three national dailies, it will result in the commencement of legal action. The letter of warning was sent to Toke Makinwa on December 23, 2016. Share this: Twitter Facebook Nigerias overnight interbank lending rate, Friday, climbed to 16 per cent from about 13 per cent at the end of last week. This is coming after the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, debited commercial banks accounts for dollar purchases and also issued treasury bills to mop up liquidity. Reuters reports that the Central Bank sold dollars twice this week to clear a backlog of demand for companies and private individuals to ease pressure on the naira. Traders said the regular forex auctions and the treasury bill sales drained liquidity. The money market opened with a cash deficit of about N2.3 billion on Friday, compared with a deficit of N45.64 billion last week. The Central Bank on Friday offered to sell about N40 billion in treasury bills to further tighten liquidity. The tight liquidity is designed to curb demand for dollar, a market operator said. There are speculations that the money market rates may continue to rise next week as the Central Bank increases the frequency of its dollar sale. Share this: Twitter Facebook The adversary violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces more than 40 times, from late Friday night to early Saturday morning. March 4, 2017, 09:30 Azerbaijan breached truce 40 times at night STEPANAKERT, MARCH 4, ARTSAKHPRESS: During this time the Azerbaijani armed forces fired around 380 shots toward the Armenian position-holders, and with different-caliber shooting weapons, the Republic of Artsakh Defense Army informed. In addition, the adversary fired nine cannon and a mortar shells, in the eastern direction of the line of contact. The Artsakh defense army vanguard units, however, continue to have full control over the frontline and confidently carry out the military task set before them. BILLINGS Montanas two U.S. senators again introduced legislation that would protect East Rosebud Creek in the Beartooth Mountains. Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, and Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, on Thursday reintroduced bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill S. 501, to permanently protect East Rosebud Creek under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, said spokesmen for the senators. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Leslie Ziegler, president of Friends of East Rosebud, said the organization greatly appreciates the senators bipartisan work to protect the creek. This area is a special place where many Montanans have chosen to live and raise our families some folks have been here for generations, Ziegler said. The East Rosebud attracts visitors from all over the world, yielding significant economic value to surrounding communities and our state, Ziegler said. This is the third try to get the creek designated as wild and scenic. Similar bills were introduced in 2013 and in 2015 but never made it to the presidents desk for final approval. Frank Annighofer, vice president of the Friends of East Rosebud, said the 2015 bill had passed the senate committee unanimously last year, but it was too late in the process to go to a floor vote. Tester said in a news release, This is another made-in-Montana solution that was built through years of on-the-ground collaboration that will allow folks to hike and fish the East Rosebud for generations to come. When we designate the East Rosebud, it will become the first Wild and Scenic designation in Montana in nearly 40 years, Daines said. The bill would designate two sections of East Rosebud Creek that run through Forest Service land. The creek originates in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and flows to the prairie when it joins the Yellowstone River west of Columbus. No private land would be affected by the legislation. Malaysia on Saturday declared the ambassador of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the country as Persona Non Grata and asked him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, amid a row over the investigation into kiling of Kim Jong Nam. The decision was made after the ambassador, Kang Chol, failed to show up at a meeting after he was summoned by Malaysias Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day, said the Foreign Minister Anifah Aman in a statement, adding no other senior official came to the meeting either. Anifah said the ministry had sent a diplomatic note to the DPRK embassy on Saturday evening to inform the DPRK government that Kang should leave Malaysia within 48 hours from the scheduled time of the meeting, which should have taken place at 6 p.m., March 4, according to the statement. The expulsion of the ambassador came after Kang and the DPRK government accused the Malaysian side several times of colluding with hostile forces in its investigation into the death Kim Jong Nam on Feb. 13 in Kuala Lumpur, and refused to trust the investigation. (Xinhua/NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The assistant national secretary general of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, Ibrahim Abdullahi, has said that the solution to the lingering crisis in southern part of Kaduna state lies outside Nigeria. Southern Kaduna has been experiencing violent crisis for years now. The latest spell of violence has claimed hundreds of lives. Killings have continued deployment of security forces to the area. The latest killings occurred on February 20 when unknown gunmen invaded communities in two local governments Jemaa and Kauru, killing at least 14 people. The attacks have largely been blamed on Fulani herdsmen, said to be carrying out reprisal killings following the alleged killing of herdsmen and their livestock in the area during the 2011 post-election violence. Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES in Kaduna recently, Mr. Abdullahi said most of the Fulani people involved in the killings were not Nigerians. Similar claim by the state government sparked outrage. It has to do with foreign nomads coming into the country. There are three or four international grazing routes, most of which passed through Kaduna state, he said. Two of the routes are from Cameroun down through Lere and Kauru local governments, another one is from Chad Republic that came through southern part of Plateau state down to Zangon-Kataf and there is another one from Niger Republic through Kano/ Katsina down to Kaduna, he said. Mr. Abdullahi said it so happened that herders who were moving their cattle for greener pasture got caught up in the post-election violence. Many of them were killed including their cows and some of the cows were taken away. Those of them who survived returned to their homes and reported what happened. We got to know that most of them spread across Cameroon and Chad swore to come back for revenge. We therefore, advised the governor at the time, the Late Yakowa, to take urgent action. The governor agreed with us and formed a committee to go and meet with the Fulani leaders wherever they are and reconcile with them, he said. Yakowas effort Mr. Abdullahi said the late governor also agreed with the advice given to him to compensate all those who experienced losses in the attacks, and he agreed. As a result, we started meeting with all those we know have been affected. I was mandated to go to Cameroon and Chad Republic. My first port of call is to a Fulani leader I know that lost over 200 cows and about six boys. I arrived his house in the evening and told him I was an emissary of the governor of Kaduna state over the unfortunate killing of his boys and cows. He asked me to go and rest since I came from a far place and that he would talk to me in the morning. Early in the morning, he invited me for breakfast and I narrated to him my mission. He said he was shocked that the governor had the guts to send someone to him after ordering the killing of his boys because they are Muslims and I told him that his information was wrong. I said I am a Muslim and truly the governor is a Christian, but, I also told him that most Muslims like me in Kaduna are willing to take the risk I took for Yakowa because he was a good man and would never order the killing of anyone. The man said he agreed with me and if anything, the fact that the governor agreed something was wrong and took the step he was taking showed that he was a good leader of his people. Tell him I have forgiven him, I dont need any compensation and that he has a new emissary in me as far as Cameroon is concerned. I will make sure I reach out to all the other affected families in Cameroon on behalf of your governor, he said. Mr. Abdullahi added that his host took him to a warehouse within the mans estate and what he saw shocked him. I saw all sorts of sophisticated weapons and I was told they were kept in readiness for a revenge attack in Southern Kaduna, he said. He also said the man invited him for a short trip into the forest and he saw a large camp and several young men receiving all forms of training on warfare. Shockingly, these boys were being trained by white men, he said. Mr. Abdullahi said he bid the man farewell but could not proceed to Chad Republic as arranged because he was running short of money. I decided to return to Kaduna and I met the governor the next day and gave him my report. The governor told me that he was travelling the next day to the South South and would remobilise us to go to Chad for the second part of our assignment, unfortunately, Governor Yakowa died in a helicopter crash, he said. Mr. Abdullahi said when former Governor Ramalan Yero took over, they met with him and gave him the report of what had been done so far and the need to complete the task. Our fear is that any other family affected in the attacks would have known that we were in Cameroon to appeal, especially those in Chad Republic. Our failure to go and meet them as far as they are concerned is because they do not matter. I expressed that fear to the former governor. He simply collected the report and said he would get in touch; he never did, he said. The Fulani leader said it is good that Governor El-Rufai has continued from where the late Yakowa stopped. Mr. El-Rufai admitted at the peak of the crisis that he sent payments to the suspected killers outside of Nigeria, as compensation for their losses. The governor defended his action as being in continuation of what Mr. Yakowa died. Share this: Twitter Facebook The secrecy with which the National Assembly has handled its budgets, and the lopsided manner it distributes funds for zonal intervention projects, are unsettling the lawmaking body and putting members on a collision path against the leadership, PREMIUM TIMES can report today. Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, had on January 10, challenged the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to make the budget open, disclosing that he and his colleagues, like most Nigerians, had no knowledge of details of the NASS budget. Such calls have grown in the last week, and have become even more intense in the House of Representatives which for most of last year was at the centre of a devastating budget padding scandal triggered by former appropriation committee chairman, Abdulmumin Jibrin. Mr. Jibrin accused his former ally and speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, of inserting fictitious projects worth billions of naira into the national budget, an allegation the speaker denied. Now, members are agitating for the House budget to be made open, and for a more equitable allocation of funds for so-called intervention projects, several lawmakers told PREMIUM TIMES. Legislators, many of them principal officers, and administrative offices of the National Assembly, said the budgets of the Senate and the House were known only to the Senate President, the Speaker and the Clerk to the National Assembly. Its so secret that neither the Senate Leader nor the House Leader knows what is in the (budget), said one source. In multiple reports in the past, PREMIUM TIMES showed how Mr. Saraki repeatedly failed to honour his pledges to make details of the N115 billion 2016 National Assembly budget public. With N23.347 billion in 2003, the National Assemblys budget now stands at about N115 billion yearly, representing over 492 per cent rise in 13 years. Until 2016, the budget had often gone as high as N150 billion a year. In 2010, when the budget hit a shocking record sum of N154.2 billion, David Mark, Mr. Sarakis predecessor, decided to block Nigerians from knowing details of how the National Assemblys jumbo allocations were spent. The policy especially concealed how much members earned in allowances. In one masterstroke of legislative brinkmanship, the National Assembly under Mr. Mark, made itself member of an exclusive club of agencies whose are deducted en-bloc (first-line charge) via statutory transfers, without disclosures. Constituency projects Apart from the money allocated for the National Assembly to fund its budget on first line charge, the body gets N100 billion for zonal intervention projects, commonly called constituency projects. The Senate, with 109 members, takes 40 per cent of that amount, while 60 per cent goes to the 360-member House. All the constituencies take share. But the sharing is so skewed that while a principal officers constituency gets projects that are worth over a billion naira, an ordinary members constituency may get a single project valued at N50 million. My constituency gets N38 million (for zonal project) in 2016, said Aliyu Madaki, Kano lawmaker, who is amongst the members calling for reforms. A previous investigation by PREMIUM TIMES showed that the constituency projects are at best a clever way of deceiving Nigerians, and at worst an outright theft of public funds. While benefitting lawmakers are not paid directly, they and MDAs in which zonal projects for their constituencies are domiciled, are involved in an organized network whereby the legislators nominate through letter of introduction contractors who get contract awards from the MDAs. In most cases, the contractors are predictably, fronts for members. They pay returns to the lawmakers, and would therefore be at liberty to deliver a shabbily executed project. The spokesperson for Mr. Saraki, Yusuph Olaniyonu, denied Senators were agitating for reforms of how zonal intervention fund is shared. There is nothing like that, he said. The spokesperson for the House, Abdularzaq Namdas, did not deny the agitation for reform but explained the rationale for the current sharing formula. The issue of zonal intervention projects has been like that for long, said Mr. Namdas. The money is shared among the zones; thats why it is called zonal intervention. So, if you are from a large state with many constituencies, you are likely to get low allocation. The spokesperson meant that a lawmaker from Kano or Lagos for instance was going to get allocation far less than what will be due to one from Bayelsa State. But a Senator, seeking anonymity, disagreed. Thats the explanation but it is just about convenience. Why? A principal officer irrespective of his state or zone get huge allocation for his constituency. I mean if that explanation is valid and consistent Gbajabiamila who is from Lagos, with many constituencies should get something like N50 million, but he got about a billion naira, the Senator argued. Similarly, even lawmakers in Mr. Dogaras camp are not buying Mr. Namdas argument. Is it wrong, asked Adekola Adekoya, Ogun State, rhetorically, when his comment on the agitation for reform was sought. It is not bad. We want equitable distribution. I have studied the Speaker closely. I am persuaded that the leadership of the National Assembly, especially the Speaker, is looking at the agitations. Compelled by the agitations, the Speaker, last week, set up a six-man committee to review the sharing of the zonal intervention funds, the votes and proceedings for Wednesday showed. A lawmaker said the committee was set up by the Speaker to defeat the call for an executive session to discuss the agitations. No to zonal representation, said Mohammed Soba, Niger State, stressing that all members should discuss the agitation. Whichever way, Mr. Soba expressed expectation that outcome should be known very soon. That (outcome of the agitation) should be before the end of the budget process. Budget Disclosure The leadership of the House asked members to disregard allegations made by Mr. Jibrin, a source said. But members believe they dont have what to use to defend themselves before their constituents against Jibrins allegations because they dont know details of their own budget, said the source, providing basis for the call for disclosure to members. Yet, it appears the lawmakers are not very concerned about the disclosure as much as the agitation for zonal intervention reform. Several lawmakers told PREMIUM TIMES that the National Assembly leadership, particularly the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, use the budget to control lawmakers, tactically determining who gets what and when. Because most of us benefit from these allowances, it is really difficult to speak publicly against the leadership, a member of the House of Representatives said. Mr. Adekoya said he didnt totally agree the budget was not known to the lawmakers. He suggested there is possibility for the lawmakers to understand what the details of the budget are, using what they earn and use. If I am given N2, 000, I should be able to multiply that by 365 days. I know I use AC in my office. We have staff. There are directors and staff who are civil servants, he said. But the Reps spokesperson, Mr. Namdas, did not gloss over the secrecy around the budget. He said the leadership of the House had promised to disclose the details of the budget not only to members but also to the public. A source close to Mr. Saraki said it was not as if the Senate President was not ready to disclose the NASS budget. But a lot of the lawmakers are not well disposed to it because they feel it will expose them to the public, the source said. Some insiders said many lawmakers do not care about knowing what is in their own budget, and are prepared to also stop the public from knowing, so long as their earnings keep coming. Share this: Twitter Facebook Arik Air has released a new schedule for its Kaduna operations following the planned closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the diversion of traffic to Kaduna Airport. The Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Roy Ilegbodu, disclosed this to journalists in Lagos on Saturday. The Federal Government had approved the temporary closure of the Abuja airport from the midnight of March 7. This is to enable the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) carry out a major rehabilitation of the runway at the airport for a period of six weeks. Mr. Ilegbodu said Arik Air would be operating three daily flights between Kaduna and Lagos and one daily flight between Kaduna and Accra, Ghana during this period. Other destinations to be serviced by the airline from Kaduna are Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Sokoto, Gombe, Yola and Enugu, which will have one daily flight each. The new schedule will be operated for six weeks when the Abuja Airport is closed to traffic, he said . Meanwhile, Arik Air has announced a special promotional fare that will enable passengers buy a-one-way ticket to any destination in Nigeria from N16, 000. Mr. Ilegbodu said the promotion, which runs from March 6 to 20 was to acknowledge and appreciate the loyalty of the its highly esteemed customers who had stood with the airline for over a decade of operation. He said, to enjoy this offer, however, customers are advised to buy their ticket on or before March 20, while the last date for travel is March 31. This is an exciting time for both staff and loyal customers of Arik Air. The new management has ensured stability of operations over the last three weeks with improved on-time-performance. Mr. Ilegbodu said Arik passengers would be greeted with many more amazing customer-centric engagements in the months ahead adding that management was working hard to expand its coverage. He said: Arrangements have been concluded to return five of the grounded aircraft back to service shortly and this will enable us add more flights to our network. We therefore welcome back our loyal customers and promise them a great flying experience. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook Shoprite Nigeria, the local arm of South Africas retail giant, Shoprite, has condemned the spate of xenophobic violence being perpetrated in its home country. In a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday, the company said any kind of xenophobic violence and intimidation against the citizens of other countries anywhere in the world is condemnable. The retailer is highly concerned at the acts of violence against foreign nationals that sporadically flare up in South Africa and the resultant rhetoric of intolerance that is now being levelled against South Africans living in Nigeria, the company said in a statement. As a company with deep African roots who employs thousands of African nationals and most importantly works to bring low prices to 14 countries outside of South Africa, we would like to see an end to xenophobia across the country. The companys statement comes days after Nigerian students threatened to go after South African owned companies operating in the country, following a recent wave of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians living in South Africa. No Nigerian had been killed in the attacks, according to the Nigerian government. Shoprite appealed to South Africans and Nigerians to protect human dignity and safety of all people living in both countries. We remain committed to work with industry and the appropriate consumer groups to engage so that decisive action is taken against those involved in violent crimes and intimidation against foreign nationals as well as to convey our strong position against xenophobia, the company added. Share this: Twitter Facebook The newly installed Tor Tiv, James Ortese Ayatse, has called on the federal government to give more Benue people appointments as they are central to the governments economic diversification programme. The paramount ruler stated this in his inaugural speech in Gboko, at a grand ceremony at the Joseph Tarka Stadium. His full title will be His Royal Majesty, Begha U Tiv, Orchivirigh, Prof Ortese Iorzua James Ayatse. The ceremony was witnessed by many dignitaries, including state governors, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. Mr. Ayatse specifically noted that the Tiv people, who are the fourth largest ethnic group in the country, are not represented at the Federal Executive Council (FEC). He urged acting President Yemi Osinbajo to rectify the omission. No Tiv man has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of any federal parastatal in the current dispensation; we believe God will help you to correct this marginalization, he said. He said the marginalisation has become worrisome especially as the Tiv people gave their overwhelming support during the electioneering at the polls. As you take stock and make your next series of appointments, kindly be reminded that the Tiv Nation is not represented in FEC and have not benefited from any appointment at the federal level. He said the diversification programme of the government was tied to agriculture where the Tiv people have comparative advantage owing their agrarian economy. The paramount ruler appealed to the federal government to involve the Tiv people in its empowerment schemes to facilitate provision of agricultural inputs and enhance skills. He said that such measures would enhance food sufficiency and prevent food crises in the country. Acting President Osinbajo, represented by the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, promised to present the demands of the Tor Tiv to the president. He, however, advised the Tiv people to learn to live together with Fulani herdsmen, with whom they had lived together for ages. He congratulated the new king for his elevation and prayed for a prosperous reign. Senate president, Bukola Saraki and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto all appealed to the Tiv nation to co-exist with the Fulani herdsmen and strive to avoid acrimony as both need each other. Speaker Yakubu Dogara, on his part, prayed for the new Tor Tiv and said that he was convinced of his capabilities in giving good leadership to the people. He assured the Tiv people that their problems would be considered. The chairman of the governors forum, Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, in his remarks, stated that the governors would come together to tackle the problems of the Tiv nation. Gov. Samuel Ortom had earlier lamented the recent security challenges confronting the state, but said that measures had been adopted to curtail them. He reiterated his earlier resolve on ranches as the solution to the perennial crises between farmers and herdsmen. The governors of Imo, Sokoto, Zamfara, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kwara, Niger, Taraba, Plateau, Kano and Kogi were amongst hundreds of dignitaries that graced the occasion. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The Chairperson of the African Union (AU), President Alpha Conde of Guinea, on Friday initiated a phone call to President Muhammadu Buhari in London, to wish him good health and speedy recovery. This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President. Mr. Adesina said President Conde called on behalf of leaders of member countries of the AU. The AU chairperson assured the Nigerian president that all African leaders stand with him in prayers at a time like this. Mr. Buhari thanked Mr. Conde for the telephone call, and congratulated him on his election as AU chairperson during the 28th Ordinary Summit of the continental body held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2017. The Nigerian president, who could not attend the AU Summit, wished his Guinean counterpart a successful tenure. Mr. Buhari also expressed confidence that Africa would witness improved political stability, security and economic growth during Mr. Condes tenure. King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Wednesday had a telephone conversation with Buhari in London, where the Nigerian president is on vacation, to wish him good health.(NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook A former Attorney-General of the Federation, Bello Adoke, issued a scathing response to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday, accusing the anti-graft agency of lending itself to manipulation by powerful political interests. Mr. Adoke said the EFCCs handling of the controversial $1.1 billion Malabu Oil deal was inimical to Nigerias anti-corruption effort and called on concerned authorities to immediately caution the agencys alleged injustice against the citizens. Mr. Adokes response came a day after PREMIUM TIMES reported that the EFCC had slammed fresh charges of money laundering against him and one of his associates, Abubakar Aliyu, accusing them of sharing millions of dollars in fraudulent proceeds. In the charges, filed at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, the EFCC alleged that Mr. Adoke exchanged more than $2.2 million in a bureau de change in Abuja as part of his share in the controversial $1.1 billion Malabu Oil deal. Prosecutors believe Mr. Abubakar, a controversial owner of A.A. Oil Ltd., acted as middleman in the questionable deal. The EFCC said in the court filings that Mr. Adoke took delivery of exactly $2,267,400 on September 16, 2013, and immediately enlisted the service of money changers to have it converted to the local currency. Based on the prevailing exchange rate at the time, Mr. Adoke made N345, 200,000 after successfully converting the funds. He subsequently deposited all the money in a Unity Bank account to offset an outstanding overdraft of N300 million, court documents showed. But Mr. Adoke said in an email to PREMIUM TIMES Friday evening that the EFCC knew the facts of the case but was deliberately muddling them up to confuse gullible Nigerians and malign his image. Mr. Adoke said the money he purportedly received from Mr. Aliyu to settle mortgage payment was not exactly was transpired, describing the obfuscation as reckless and reprehensible. What is responsible for this reckless and reprehensible move by the EFCC to link my mortgage repayment to Unity Bank of Nigeria to the alleged bribe of $2.2 million, when the documentation in the bank in respect of the mortgage is available for any objective person to appraise and come to an informed conclusion? While not going into the merits, it is pertinent to state that I had applied for a Mortgage Loan in the sum of N300, 000,000 from Unity Bank of Nigeria to purchase a property from Aliyu Abubakar, a property developer in Abuja. The bank paid the loan sum directly to the developer and when I could not meet up with the repayments or pay the balance; he opted to repossess the property. I consented to this option and the developer directly paid the bank the loan sum and the Certificate of Occupancy was released to him. The EFCC is aware of this transaction and the fact that the developer subsequently sold the property to the Central Bank of Nigeria. If this were not the case, they would have applied to have the mortgaged property forfeited. Despite this information, the EFCC in furtherance of its preconceived plan to ridicule and tarnish my name has hinged on this mortgage transaction to slam me with a preposterous charge of collecting a bribe of $2.2 million on the OPL 245 resolution transaction, Mr. Adoke said. Mr. Adoke said the EFCC embarked on the latest spurious and malicious campaign against him because the agency was desperate to defend the interim forfeiture order of the OPL 245 oil field. The alleged desperation, Mr. Adoke added, led the EFCC to render itself as a tool for some vindictive powerful families in the country who have interest in the oil block. Although he fell short at naming the families, the OPL 245 had pitted a former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete, and the Mohammed Abacha, son of former military ruler, Sani Abacha, against each other. Mr. Abacha had been laying claims to the oil block, saying he was not a party to the 2011 agreement that led to the questionable payment of $1.1 billion to Mr. Etete and Nigerian government by Shell and Agip-Eni. Mr. Adoke absolved himself of any wrongdoing, saying he saved Nigeria more than $2 billion in damages that stemmed from arbitration claims instituted against the Nigerian government at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes over the OPL 245 block, which is believed to hold more than 9 billion barrels of crude oil and even more volumes of natural gas. Mr. Adoke was instrumental to Nigerian governments involvement in the suspicious Malabu Oil deal, which saw Shell and Agip-Eni paying money into an escrow account of the Nigerian government to settle a firm with a questionable history. Mr. Adoke authorised the transfer of the $1.1 billion paid by Shell and Eni into private accounts of Mr. Etete, who further transferred a large percentage to Mr. Abubakar. Investigations suggested that Mr. Abubakar might have acted as a front for officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, including Mr. Adoke. Shell, Agip-Eni, Mr. Adoke and Mr. Etete, who initially approved the lease award of the OPL 245 while he was petroleum minister in 1998, have all denied wrongdoings. But Italian prosecutors said late last year they had enough grounds to charge Shell, Agip-Eni, and their executives alongside other Nigerians involved in the controversial deal for fraud in Milan. In separate charges filed late 2016, the EFCC accused Mr. Adoke and Mr. Etete of defrauding Nigeria in the OPL 245 deal. The Department of Petroleum Resources said last December that Mr. Adoke and other officials of the Jonathan administration who participated in the concession of the lucrative oil field to Shell and Agip-Eni did not follow due process. Mr. Adoke, who is currently in the Netherlands for study, had maintained his innocence and pledged to make himself available for trial. EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES request for comments Saturday morning. Share this: Twitter Facebook Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has condemned the recent arrest and parading of Dickson Akor, the national commandant, Peace Corps of Nigeria, by the Nigerian Police. Mr. Falana spoke with journalists on Saturday in Abuja after securing the release of Mr. Akor from police custody. The police in a combined operation with the State Security Services and the Nigerian Army on February 28, raided the headquarters of the Peace Corps of Nigeria in Abuja. During the operation, they arrested Mr. Akor and 48 other members of the corps. A statement issued by the police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, said intelligence reports showed that the Peace Corps and other similar groups were acquiring weapons and conducting covert trainings in different locations across the country. Mr. Falana, who described police invasion of the headquarters of the Peace Corps of Nigeria as illegal and unconstitutional, said the organisation was not operating illegally. He said, generally, the parade of criminal suspects in the country by the police is illegal. In this case, apart from the registration of its trustees under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, there are two judgments of the Federal High Court restraining the police from harassing and intimidating members of the organization. The human rights lawyer said he was also negotiating for the re-opening of the office of the Peace Corps of Nigeria. They must be allowed to operate under the law and we will get to that state where the police will appreciate that Nigeria is under-policed. We need volunteers, young men and women who should be organised by the state to handle those duties that will not require the intervention of the Police, he said. The human rights lawyer emphasised that crime like terrorism, herdsmen attack, armed robbery and kidnapping thrive in the country because the country is under-policed. As at 2011, the Federal Government of Nigeria decided to engage the services of 380,000 police personnel, between then and now, only 10, 000 are being employed. There is no way you can police about 180 million people with barely 380, 000 police personnel out of which about 120, 000 are guarding the elite and corporate bodies in the country. I thought the police should have embraced a body like the Peace Corps of Nigeria to make their job easier because the Nigerian Police operate under very difficult situations. Most communities are not policed, so herdsmen move into farms and kill people. Nigerians have not developed a litigation culture of challenging the killing of every citizen either directly or indirectly for which the government can be blamed, Mr. Falana said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National Assembly on Nov. 24, 2016 passed a bill, which gives approval for the establishment of the Nigerian Peace Corps as an agency under the Ministry of Interior. The Nigerian Peace Corps Bill seeks to empower, develop and provide gainful employment for the youths. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The reward system that pegs minimum wage at N18, 000 for civil servants, while state governors rake in as much as N2 billion as bogus security vote is antithetical to Nigerias anti-corruption campaign, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has said. Mr. Ekweremadu spoke in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, Friday evening, where he delivered the 4th National Public Service Lecture of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, on the theme: Federalism and The Legal Framework for Combating Corruption in Nigeria. The excerpt of Mr. Ekweremadus lecture was made available to PREMIUM TIMES by his spokesperson, Uche Anichukwu, on Saturday. Mr. Ekweremadu decried a situation where the minimum wage is pegged at N18,000, while some State governors could pocket as much as N2 billion under the cover of Security Vote. When a man who earns N18, 000 cannot buy a bag of rice, how then can such a person take care of his family? Does it make sense to him if you tell him not to find alternative means of catering to the needs of his family? Is it not also possible to abolish the Security Vote and replace it with Contingency Vote so it can be appropriated and accounted for, queried Mr. Ekweremadu. While calling for abolition security vote, the lawmaker proposed N50, 000 minimum wage nationwide. Some states have not still implemented the N18, 000 minimum wage policy, introduced by Goodluck Jonathan administration. Mr. Ekweremadu did not comment on the huge earnings lawmakers like him receive annually, a subject often criticised by Nigerians. Speaking further, the Deputy Senate President, made case for decentralization of the anti-corruption fight to reflect the essence of Nigerias federalism. Mr. Ekweremadu said, I wish to make the following suggestions: Decentralization of federal anti-corruption agencies, establishment of State anti-corruption agencies, domestication of anti-graft laws, enthronement of fiscal federalism, decentralised policing, establishment of State orientation agencies, State social intervention/security schemes, State prisons, true economic reforms and public participation in the anti-corruption war. Sadly, only Kano state currently has a state agency to fight corruption- the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission. This should be emulated, and urgently too, if we must make a headway in the war against graft. Similarly, a Code of Conduct Bureau should be established in the states with a Code of Conduct Tribunal to handle cases of civil servants in the states and local government councils. Besides setting up such agencies, there is also the need for the states to domesticate auxiliary federal laws such as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), Fiscal Responsibility Act, among others, to help curb corruption. Rivers, Oyo, Anambra, Enugu, Ekiti, Lagos, and Ondo are the only States that have so far adopted the ACJA. According to the Senator, a situation where the two anti-corruption agencies in the country, Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, do not have presence in the entire country, makes the fight against corruption ineffective. He noted, for instance, that the ICPC has just six zonal offices and nine state offices, in addition to its headquarters in Abuja, while the EFCC had offices in only eight states, apart from its headquarters in Abuja. These do not scratch the surface, as they are grossly inadequate for a vast area like Nigeria and leave the agencies highly overstretched. He added that, Entrenching fiscal federalism will replace the current feeding bottle arrangement where the centre holds tightly to the purse string and feeds the components, with a better arrangement that is predicated on self-reliance, hard work, enterprise, resourcefulness, ingenuity, taxation, transparency, and accountability. In the various kindred/family meetings, the illiterate farmer or palm wine tapper becomes literate when it comes to how the fines and levies he contributed were spent because it is the product of his sweat, not a windfall from anywhere. Listing the various mineral resources in the 36 States of the country, Mr. Ekweremadu noted that The good thing is that every State of the federation is sufficiently endowed to survive from its own resources and sweat. Share this: Twitter Facebook HERRIN Lilith Watts has overcome more challenges in the first three years of her life than many people do in a lifetime. At 24 weeks into Savannah Watts' pregnancy, her daughter Lilith was diagnosed with myelomeningocele spina bifida, a birth defect in which an unborn baby's backbone, spinal cord and canal do not close normally prior to the birth. Because it was considered a high-risk birth, Watts was to give birth at St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis, so that after the delivery, Lilith could be taken immediately to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital for spinal surgery. But Lilith, who was born on Dec. 15, 2013, came two days ahead of mom's scheduled cesarean section. The Watts, Savannah and husband Ben, were still in Southern Illinois two hours away from St. Mary's when she went into labor. At Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, Watts was given medication to slow down the delivery process. She was told to prepare for a helicopter ride. But the weather had turned unfavorable, and so then she was told she'd be going via ambulance instead. But she could not go via Jackson County Ambulance Service because her insurance would not cover the expensive ride unless the ambulance came from St. Mary's, so the wait stretched on. After she finally arrived in St. Louis, Watts said she was told it would be just a matter of minutes before she would be wheeled into the operating room for the C-section. But in a day of obstacles, there would be another. The operating rooms and doctors were tied up when she arrived by a wave of emergency C-sections that hit the hospital at once. So she waited. And waited. It was at least another hour before a room was cleared for her and it opened up just in time. Lilith was moving toward the birth canal, which was problematic on a number of fronts. The umbilical cord threatened to wrap around her neck, and Lilith was breech, with her bottom facing down and her legs folded up around her head. She would end up stuck. The protective sac around her open spine was in jeopardy of rupturing. But little Lilith is a fighter, and so is mom. Watts said she recalled at one point during the operation seeing stars, and the anesthesiologist rubbing her face to keep her calm, explaining that her heart rate was dropping and so was the baby's. Watts recalled feeling confused and scared for her baby. Then, over the sound of beeping machines, she heard a beautiful sound a cry. "That was, like, the greatest thing. I'm thinking, 'She's here, she's alive and she's got powerful lungs.'" And it wasn't long after that her husband was holding the baby. It may have been the medication wearing off and the trauma of the ordeal that left her in a daze, but Watts said she could swear it looked as if the two had halos around their heads as they stood under the operating room lights. To say the least, it was a big day for a tiny girl who had just moments earlier taken her first breath in the world. "They expected her to be completely paralyzed from the waist down and she wasn't and that was a miracle," Watts said. The fact that she faced so many challenges in her first few days may have something to do with the brave and curious little 3-year-old preschooler she's grown into, Watts said. Watts said she watches her push past expectations with both amazement and pride. She is truly growing into a lionhearted warrior child who knows no bounds. Earlier in her pregnancy, doctors told Savannah and Ben to prepare for the possibility of a stillborn child. As she progressed, the prognosis improved but was still grim, and there was no way for doctors to fully predict the complications they might run into after Lilith's birth. "Now, they are going to have to rethink her entire orthopedic plan because she's showing a lot more movement than they expected." One recent evening at the Watts' home, Lilith asked if she could show off her push-ups. She did at least 10, and a little later, 10 more. Lilith moves about the house with ease, in her wheelchair, or scooting on her bottom, using the strength of her arms to move about as fast as any child her age could walk or crawl. She's unable to walk at this stage because she has no feeling in her feet, and only some in her legs. But there is hope, said parents Ben and Savannah, that with adaptive gear and physical therapy, she may be able to walk in the future. But Ben and Savannah say they take her progress one day at a time, because there's also the possibility that she will suffer setbacks in development over time. In the meantime, she doesn't let the fact that she is differently-abled slow her down. Lilith Watts loves Doc McStuffins, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Pikachu and Star Wars. She can count to 10 in three languages English, Spanish and French. And she's figured out how to bypass the parental controls on her parents' Samsung tablet. At times, mom said she's discovered Lilith watching YouTube videos of medical procedures. Watts said she wonders if her daughter is drawn to the videos because she has spent so much time in the hospital. With her Doc McStuffins' toy accessories, she loves to check visitors' hearts with her stethoscope and then give them a pretend shot so that they feel all better. She recently told mom that when she grows up, she wants to be a doctor, but there's a twist. She also wants to become Batman. And she plans to have her medical practice in space, as she also aspires to be an astronaut. As the President Muhammadu Buhari administration continues its anti-corruption effort, the United States government has expressed concern over the capacity of Nigerias States Security Service, SSS, to investigate money laundering. The U.S. government also expressed worry about the SSS refusal to share intelligence with sister agencies to investigate financial improprieties. There are concerns about the Department of State Services capacity to investigate money laundering and that it does not share case information with other agencies that also conduct financial investigations, the report stated. The assessment is contained in the March 2017 edition of the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) authored by the US Department of States Bureau for International Narcotic and Law Enforcement Affairs. The report, which highlighted major steps taken by countries and jurisdictions considered major hubs for money laundering have taken to improve their anti-money laundering (AML) regimes, also flayed Nigerias Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for its over-reliance on investigation by confession and its failure to conduct investigations with the involvement of prosecutors. It stated that the EFCCs reliance on formal mutual legal assistance with the U.S. to collect admissible evidence in money laundering cases was a major challenge in its effort to curb financial crimes. It however praised the EFCC for its aggressive probe of high-profile corruption but said that the conviction rate was regrettable. However, the EFCCs conviction rates continue to be low due in part to gaps in the judicial system that cause cases to languish in the system for long periods of time without resolution, the report said. While praising Nigerian banks for their willingness to submit currency transactions reports, it observed that the high volume of the reports and the cash-based nature of the countrys economy made it difficult to detect suspicious transactions. The report, which described Nigeria as a major drug transshipment point and a significant center for financial crime, slammed Nigerias financial institutions for engaging in currency transactions related to international narcotics trafficking that include significant amounts of US currency. The INCSR observed that criminal organisations, corrupt officials, businessmen, terrorist group and internet fraudsters take advantage of Nigerias weak law, poor enforcement, geographical location, porous borders and socioeconomic conditions to launder proceeds of crime. Criminal proceeds laundered in Nigeria derive partly from foreign drug trafficking and criminal activity including illegal oil bunkering, bribery and embezzlement, contraband smuggling, theft, and financial crimes. Public corruption is also a significant source of laundered criminal proceeds. International advance fee fraud, also known as 419 fraud in reference to the fraud section in Nigerias criminal code, remains a lucrative financial crime, it states. It observed that Nigeria made limited progress in passing its anti-money laundering legislation. It particularly frowned at the failure of the government to sign the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Centre (NFIC) Bill, which would grant autonomy to the NFIU, and the Proceeds of Crime (POC) Bill passed by the National Assembly in 2014 and 2015, respectively. There has also been little movement on a draft mutual legal assistance bill, pending in the National Assembly since 2015, the report says. It, however, praised the government for the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), saying it had improved transparency and streamlined revenue collection and expenditure. In 2016 President Buhari implemented several transparency measures, such as requiring all government entities, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, to remit nearly all revenues to a Treasury Single Account (TSA), the report said. The recent implementation and enforcement of the TSA as well as the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System are intended to make Government government revenue collection and expenditures more streamlined and transparent. Share this: Twitter Facebook Electricity consumers at the Ikeja axis of Lagos have expressed their anger after their service provider, Ikeja Electric Plc, announced a disruption of service between March 6 and April 4. In a statement on Friday, the company said the power outage would affect residents of Ojodu, Magodo, Alausa, Oke Afa, Bolorunpelu, Egbe, Igando, Shasha, and Ipaja. Other areas include Alimosho, Agege, Abesan, Ayetoro, Abule Taylor, Ogba, Ifako, Shomolu, Gbagada, Oworonshoki, Ogudu, Isheri Olowora, Berger, Anthony, Otta, and environs. This is due to the planned outage resulting from the maintenance work being carried out by the Transmission Company of Nigeria on its transformers at the Ikeja West Transmission Station, the company said in the statement. For the duration of this exercise, Ikeja Electric will embark on load shedding in the affected areas to ensure equitable distribution of power supply. The company followed up the statement with a tweet on its official handle that it received an average of 412 megawatts from TCN for transmission to its customers. Ikeja Electric @IkejaElectric Mar 3 Dear Customer, We received an average load allocation of 412MW from TCN for distribution across our network. The announcement angered customers who complained that electricity supply had always been erratic even before the TCNs planned maintenance work. Disruption of service? But thats already ongoing. There is hardly any supply in Ifako Gbagada anyway, said Inyang Sami-Orungbe, a customer. Current situation is about two hours a day of electricity supply. Odion Alasa said there would still be epileptic power supply after the maintenance work. A whole one month to do maintenance? What are you maintaining? Another customer, Eneh Nwankwo, said they had been experiencing disruption of services since February. As a matter of fact, I have not seen light for 26 days now and still counting, Im talking about total blackout for 26 days now and nobody knows when we will see light again in my area. Some customers urged Ikeja Electric Plc to suspend billing during the period the maintenance work is going on. Ephraim Archie said electricity supply to his area has been nonexistent. As far as we know, the whole community is in darkness yet we are served bills. God help you guys you bring bill to my house. Jimoh Olatunbosu said his area in Idimu had been without power for months but they had continued to receive electricity bills from the company. Please dont serve us bill again at Idimu because we dont use to have light at all. Share this: Twitter Facebook Bill Arter wrote me a while back to recommend his "hometown away from home." For the 69-year-old Raymond native, that's Carlinville, about 70 miles away from where he lives now in Decatur. "Many of my relatives still live there," he wrote. "It's a quaint little town with a brick-paved square and several little shops and places to eat." He's not exaggerating, but here are some updates: Taylor's Mexican Chili Parlor moved around the square about a month ago into roomier digs vacated by a steakhouse at the northwest corner. This is the eatery's third home, having gotten its start at 218 W. Main St. in 1904. Yet the feel is still vintage, with historic black and white photos of town adorning the brick walls, and the chili is still to die for. My husband and I stopped by for lunch on a Friday, and the place was packed. "We really could use a bus boy on a day like this," our server murmured after we were invited to take a booth that had not been cleared. The table clean and our orders placed, we experienced another bit of nostalgia as Carlinville's siren signaled the time was noon. Andy had the tamales and a generous stack of nachos that he shared with me, while I enjoyed one of the best chili cheese dogs ever with vegetable chili on the side. I can't say I'd ever eaten nachos to cool my mouth before but that's what I did to get to the bottom of this spicy cup of soup. It was all good. Next we explored the square, browsing through the Mother Road Antique Mall and a startup resale shop called Lil Bits Gently Used Clothing, where I was able to pick up some tops for $1.25 each. The owner apparently plans to focus on children's clothing and said she'll open a back room for home decor and furniture soon. We also enjoyed the Country Gypsy and its beautiful architectural bones from the apothecary that once operated at ground level in the historic Loomis House. Nothing quite compares, however, to the nearby Macoupin County Courthouse, which looks more like a state capitol than it does a rural county headquarters. Every door is cast iron and weighs about a ton. Magnesian limestone covers the exterior. Construction on the landmark was halted in 1870 when costs had reached nearly $1.4 million. By then, it was the most egregious example of overspending in state history and was reportedly the largest courthouse in the country with the possible exception of one in New York City. It took citizens 40 years to pay off the debt, during which time many lost their homes and farms because of the taxes. The third floor and original jail across the street are not open to the public, but we found plenty to see on the bottom three levels of this working courthouse. We were lucky enough to get a nice long look at the building's main courtroom under the dome because it was not in use at the time. Depending on the time of year, Arter also suggests a stop at Broom Orchard southwest of town. "Many people drive to Carlinville to see everything," he said. "The place just has a really homey feel to it." BRIDGETON Burgers, hash and pies may be served up again at Angies Bridgeton Grill. Or, maybe another blue-plate special never hits its counter. The city wants someone to take over the diner, which has been closed since its financially struggling owners set it on fire to get insurance money in 2012. The diner is listed on state and national registers of historic places. Some City Council members believe that means it should remain a diner. The panel has taken no action to seek proposals for its use. City Planning and Development Director Kevin Rabago said regulations linked to the diners historic designation refer to its structure, not use. In the case of Angies, it could be a diner again, but it does not have to be a diner, Rabago said. It could be repurposed. Having said that, however, if its going to be physically restored, the physical restoration would be governed by the historic preservation rules, he said. Request-for-proposals legislation is still being discussed. Rabago said he hopes the city, which now owns the site, can cast the net sort of widely and see what kind of proposals it gets. Some people have some creative ideas, he said. Im hopeful. Angies Bridgeton Grill is one of about 1,500 Silk City Diners built by a company based in Paterson, Passaic County, from 1929 to 1966. Angies was built in 1939. The long, narrow diner was modified over the years but remained a downtown dining staple for decades. Longtime owner Angelina Perry sold the diner to Cedarville, Lawrence Township, residents Andrew and Brenda Webster early in 2012. The Websters, who pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit arson, experienced several months of poor financial performance before the couple decided to burn the diner, authorities said. They piled up newspapers, menus and other materials in the early morning Oct. 24, 2012, doused them with gasoline and set them on fire, authorities said. Brenda Webster was burned when the gasoline vapors inside the diner ignited, authorities said. Andrew Webster was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Brenda Webster was sentenced to three years probation, including six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring. The Websters were required to pay more than $36,000 in restitution to the insurer. HAMMONTON Senate President Stephen Sweeney said Friday he wants revisions to the school-funding formula in place for the 2017-18 school year. Every year, the gap gets greater, he said during a visit to the Hammonton School District to discuss school funding. Every year there is flat funding we are losing ground. Hammonton, among the most underfunded districts, would get an extra $14.8 million in state aid if fully funded, almost double its current allotment. Superintendent C. Dan Blachford said Hammonton is already the lowest spending district in its K-12 category of 103 districts, spending just $11,149 per student in 2015-16. He said they are short 30 teachers and eight supervisors. This cannot be pushed back any longer, Sweeney said. It needs to be dealt with now. Sweeney said he recognizes some districts would lose funding under a revised plan, but those districts have known for years they are getting more state aid than they should, and they should have been making plans. He said any state plan would likely phase in over five years, so the impact would be gradual. By law, proposed state aid numbers for 2017-18 were released to school districts Thursday, and once again they were flat. But Sweeney said Republican Gov. Chris Christie told legislators those numbers could change before the state budget is approved in June. Christie pushes state lottery as fix for sagging pension system in budget address TRENTON Gov. Chris Christie is hoping an injection of revenue from the state lottery will Christie on Tuesday also challenged legislators to come up with a new school-funding plan in 100 days or he would take action on his own. Christie had proposed his own formula, which would have allocated the same amount of state aid to every child, and there were concerns he would try to implement it for next year. Sweeney said it is a victory that the governor is willing to work with the Legislature. He said the problem is Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, who will not even introduce any plan that could hurt Jersey City in his district. Sweeney said his plan would still give every district 100 percent of the aid they are entitled to. It would just stop overfunding districts. Most of the money would come from eliminating $600 million in so-called adjustment aid, which was meant to be temporary aid to districts losing money under the new formula but was never reduced. Hammonton school board members talked about the impact of underfunding and sacrifices that have been made. I know we shouldnt take personally what other districts get, but it does hurt, said Sal Velardi. We are now being penalized for being frugal. Hammonton Business Administrator Barbara Prettyman said the district laid off more than 30 people, reduced aides to part-time so they would not get benefits and developed a partial self-insurance health plan to save money. Support staff is not eligible for family benefits, and teachers cant get family benefits until they get tenure after four years. Republican state Sen. Dawn-Marie Addiego, who represents Ham-monton, and Atlantic County Democrat Jim Whelan also attended the meeting. At one point, as the media room where the meeting was held got chillier, Whelan asked if lowering the heat was one way the district balanced its budget. The answer was yes. Judy Shaner, president of the Hammonton Education Association, said the cutbacks have hurt the districts ability to attract new teachers, and they have lost some teachers to other districts. Its crazy what we have done, she said. Former school board President and now City Councilman Joe Giralo said revising the formula is a question of fairness. Our taxpayers are paying their fair share, he said. Now its up to the state to live up to its part of the bargain. Giralo asked if districts that lose money could exceed the 2 percent cap on property taxes to make up some of the lost revenue. Sweeney said they could arrange to ask for waivers from the state Department of Education. Helen Haley, the business administrator for the Vineland School District, said they would lose money under the proposed revisions, and it would be devastating for the district, which is among the poorest in the state. We have cut 57 positions through attrition, she said. We are a large rural area, so transportation costs are high. Our special-education population is growing. But we have trouble raising taxes because of economic conditions. Sweeney said special education is an area that must be addressed, and the district could get additional aid there to make up for losses in other aid. After struggling through much of his first year as host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah is scoring his best ratings since taking over for Jon Stewart in late 2015. Thank you, Mr. President. Donald Trumps election has been a boon for comedians ready and willing to mock an administration disdainful of the media and the liberals who populate the countrys media capitals. From Saturday Night Live to HBOs Bill Maher, comedy shows are attracting viewers in numbers not seen in years. Noah has been one of the biggest beneficiaries, with ratings for his Comedy Central show up 9 percent from a year ago as young viewers tune in for his nightly takedowns of the president and his cabinet. When politics is at its worst, its the best condition for comedy in general and late-night hosts in particular, Kent Alterman, president of Comedy Central, said. Good comedy is always reacting to and reflecting the world we live in. When things become more extreme, as they have in our country, there is something therapeutic about comedy. Like Noah, Stephen Colbert struggled in his 2015 transition to The Late Show on CBS from Comedy Central. But he has garnered acclaim along with new viewers with his recent political commentary and has surpassed The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as the most-watched late-night program three weeks in a row, thanks to a 6 percent ratings jump this year and a 17 percent drop for his rival on Comcast Corp.s NBC network. Former Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee has more than doubled her audience in a second season of Full Frontal on TBS. HBOs Maher has thrived as well, garnering 5.5 million viewers per episode the biggest audience since 2003, his first year on HBO. Trump vs. SNL No show has irked Trump as much as NBCs Saturday Night Live, which recruited Alec Baldwin to impersonate the nations chief executive and Melissa McCarthy to play press secretary Sean Spicer. McCarthys Feb. 11 Spicey has been viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube. That nights episode of SNL delivered its biggest audience in eight years, contributing to the shows best season in more than 20 years. Audiences are craving more political content, but they also are craving more progressive content, said David Craig, assistant professor of communications management at the University of Southern Californias Annenberg School. Its like color commentary on this reality show called Washington. Comedy isnt the only beneficiary of Trumps win. Conservatives gave Fox News a big ratings boost during the campaign, and the network continues to thrive. Audiences also have embraced escapist fare like the cheery reality programming on HGTV and the idealism of films including La La Land and Hidden Figures. Like any oft-told joke, its possible the current spate of political humor could start to wear thin. Noahs rise began when he ventured outside his New York studio to tape from the presidential conventions. It was at the Republican Convention in Cleveland where the possibility of a Trump presidency began to dawn on much of the country, including Noah, a South African who moved to the U.S. during the Obama administration. The Daily Show host has grown more comfortable and confident since that trip, said Alterman and executive producer Steve Bodow. Noah began taking control of the process of putting together the show and showing up every day with ideas for what to talk about. Ive seen Trevor transition from observing politics mostly from the outside to being someone who is much more inside it without yielding or sacrificing his outsiders perspective, Bodow said. He has been through this experience with all of us now through the crazy primaries and conventions. One great test of whether a late-night host is resonating in the modern era is whether clips get shared online. News websites posted clips of Stewart every day, while Fallon and James Corden, host of CBSs The Late Late Show, design sketches primarily so they get passed around on social media. Noah, whose audience is younger than Stewarts, is making progress. The shows accounts on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram posted their fastest growth ever in January, adding more than 500,000 followers across those three platforms. He started finding his voice and his point of view. Alterman said. We all felt it internally, and then we started to find evidence of it with our audience. We started seeing momentum, especially on digital platforms. ATLANTIC CITY When Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort closed in October, the future of the South Inlet section of the Boardwalk seemed bleak. With no gaming north of Resorts Casino Hotel, and Showboat reopened only as a hotel, that portion of the Boardwalk was barren with little in the way of attractions to draw people in. But that will change in summer 2018, as Hard Rock is expected to open a new property at the empty Taj Mahal in a plan to re-invigorate the darkest part of the Boardwalk. The increase in people is expected to provide a needed boost to neighboring redevelopment projects such as Boraie Developments $81 million residential complex and Bart Blatsteins Showboat. This will immediately raise the investment potential for that part of the city, said Richard Perniciaro, director of the Center for Regional and Business Research at Atlantic Cape Community College. The Taj, which closed Oct. 10, is being sold to a group of investors led by Hard Rock International. The site will be rebranded as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City as part of a $300 million purchase and renovation expected to create 3,000 temporary and permanent jobs, seller Carl Icahn said. Wasseem Boraie, developer of The Beach at South Inlet, thinks Hard Rocks investment in the city will benefit his project, which will feature 250 apartments with hardwood floors, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances on a 4-acre grassy lot bound by Atlantic, Pacific, New Jersey and Connecticut avenues. I think the Hard Rock has an exceptional brand and will bring a first-class management group, said Boraie, vice president of the New Brunswick, Middlesex County-based developer. For our neighborhood to have 3,000 jobs and a couple of million people coming down, its going to be wonderful for the people who live at The Beach at South Inlet. Could Trump Plaza soon be razed? ATLANTIC CITY Since 1984, Trump Plaza has been a fixture on the resorts historic Boardwal The addition of Hard Rock to the area shows developers believe the citys best days are ahead of them, said Mayor Don Guardian. Having professional investors like the Hard Rock International group invest in the Taj Mahal will reinvigorate that end of the Boardwalk, which includes the Showboat and the Steel Pier, Guardian said. All the pieces are coming back together one by one. Anthony Catanoso, president of Steel Pier, called the announcement a game changer for the resort. Right now are connected to a closed non-casino non-hotel, Catanoso said, adding that Jim Allen, Hard Rock CEO, gave him his first lease for the pier when he was purchasing agent for Trumps properties in Atlantic City in 1992. We go from that to one of the best brands in the business. Blatstein called Hard Rocks purchase of the Taj Mahal the best possible outcome for Atlantic City. The Showboat is next door to the Taj and is attached to the closed casino by a bridge. Asked whether the Hard Rock project would be a positive for his property, Blatstein quipped: What do you think? The Hard Rock brand will help attract a younger crowd to that area of the Boardwalk, Perniciaro said. Jim Allen is a music man. He will help attract younger customers and also bring his players from Florida and other properties for junkets, he said. In addition to Allen, who has a house in Linwood, the deal sees the return of developer Joseph Jingoli, who lived in the Chelsea section of the city for a decade, to the South Inlet. In 2015, City Council voted at the urging of then-President Frank Gilliam to name Jingoli and Jack Morris conditional redevelopers of the Southeast Inlet. The move was criticized at the time as being rushed, and the resolution was rescinded the next year. It shows that I had a vision to pick the right people for the right time to help Atlantic City thrive, Gilliam said. While not yet open, TEN owner Glenn Straub hopes to siphon some of the people who are drawn to Hard Rock to his clubs, restaurants and other amenities. WASHINGTON, MARY VIRGINIA aka "Mary Lou", - 90, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday ~ February 28th, 2017. A true Christmas Baby, she was born in Lexington, Virginia on December 25th, 1926 and she was the best gift ever to the late Susie Hinton. Her Mother, Susie Hinton was a very proud woman, who incidentally was a former Slave. Mary Lou came to Atlantic City, New Jersey as a small child. It was there that she met her future Husband, Mr. Lonvosia Washington. They began their family with one child, and culminated with ten children! She also became a member of the Second Baptist Church of Atlantic City, NJ. Personally, she was very quiet and usually stayed to herself. She loved Pepsi-Cola, and if you touched hers, you were in trouble. She fed everyone and anyone who came to her house hungry. She loved making biscuits and they were so soft, that they would melt in your mouth. She worked and had four jobs. She was a loving Housewife, a wonderful Homemaker, the best Grandmom, and an even better Great-Grandmom, who did everything for her family. She took excellent care of her family, no matter what. She was predeceased by: her Husband, Lonvosia Washington; three Sons, James Washington, Eddie Washington, and Donald Washington; and one Daughter, Jeanette Washington. She is survived by: her two loving Sons, Herbert Washington of Atlantic City, NJ and Lawrence Washington of Orlando, FL; her four loving Daughters, Deborah Washington-Taylor (Richard) of Atlantic City, NJ, Charmaine Washington-Davis (Mark) of Pleasantville, NJ, Darlene Washington of Atlantic City, NJ, and Delores Washington of Atlantic City, NJ; her 35 GrandChildren; her 30 Great-GrandChildren; her 21 Great-Great-Grandchildren; her 19 Great-Great-Great-Grandchildren; and a host of other loving family members and friends. She will truly be missed. Services of Love will be held Tuesday ~ March 7th, 2017 at 11:00am at the Soldiers Home located at 1510 Adriatic Avenue Atlantic City, NJ 08401. Viewing to be held from 9:00am to 11:00am. For further info, please call Mikal's Funeral Parlor, LLC (609-344-1131). Stay off railroad tracks Regarding the Feb. 14 story, Gutter Drunks music tells story of sobriety, friendship: This story on a local band included a photograph showing band members on railroad tracks. The railroads in this country have seen an increased number of people killed while being photographed or taking such photos. It is illegal to trespass on railroad property as well as incredibly stupid. We have had railroad deaths in Atlantic County because people didnt respect the lethal potential of trains. Other people may be tempted to imitate this photo with a tragic outcome. The Federal Railroad Administration lists reasons to stay off train tracks. 1. Trains cant stop quickly to avoid people or vehicles. 2. An optical illusion makes it hard to determine a trains distance and speed. 3.The average train overhangs the track by at least 3 feet. 4. Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and rights-of-way are private property. 5. No tracks should be assumed to be abandoned or inactive. 6. People in the community might mimic the behavior. Larry Pratt Corbin City Protesting deplorables In addition to fake news, there are now fake protests protests planned in advance and paid for by guess who? Certainly not conservatives. If and when we deplorables decide to protest, we will be at a big disadvantage. Most of us have to work and none of us will be paid to protest. We wont even be on welfare, getting food stamps or public housing. Also, those of us who lost jobs and are on unemployment wont be able to swell the ranks we will be out looking for jobs. And if we protest we will be ignored by the media. To top things off, we wont even be able to riot without being arrested. Ettore Ed Cattaneo Cape May U.S. becoming fascist The country recently took a second large step toward fascism. The attempted temporary restriction of immigrants from seven predominately Muslim nations was the first. Then Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, was silenced in the U.S. Senate when trying to read a letter from Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King. Kings 1986 letter opposed Jeff Sessions for a federal judgeship because he had used the power of his office as U.S. Attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot by citizens. If a Republican-majority Senate had rejected Sessions for a judgeship in 1986, he should not be put in charge of the Department of Justice in 2017. The incident crosses a dangerous threshold. Certain things cannot be said in Congress. President Trump had said that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and people would still vote for him. As incredible as that boast sounded, the nation is moving further in that direction. Frank Battaglia Atlantic City Beatles fantasy protest Ive decided to go a little insane like millions of other Americans. Im going to blame President Trump for something I know nothing about. Im afraid that he is responsible for breaking up the Beatles. I dont know why or how he did it, but I just know he did it. Now, what to do. I think Ill carry a sign in front of Trump Tower that reads, At least bring Paul and Ringo back together. If thats not enough, Im going to refuse to talk to anyone who has a lot of beautiful people in their family. Wow! Now I can go home and tell my grandchildren that I did something to make America a better place. I feel better about myself. Thomas Barrett Brigantine U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo had strong words Saturday for President Donald Trump in response to reports Trump wants to drastically reduce maritime security spending. Whomever is advising President Trump that the (Coast Guard) Service could do more with even less is detached from the facts and reality on the ground, the 2nd District Republican wrote in a statement. LoBiondo is a senior member of the House Coast Guard and Maritime Security Subcommittee. A Business Insider story states Trumps budget proposal could include as much as $1.3 billion in Coast Guard cuts. The potential effect on Air Station Atlantic City and the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May are not known yet, LoBiondos news release said. Let me be absolutely, 110 percent clear if President Trump seeks to reduce operations and Coast Guard personnel at Air Station AC or TRACEN Cape May, I will do everything in my power, rallying my colleagues in the New Jersey delegation and across Congress, to sink his misguided and dangerous plan, LoBiondo said. Trump is expected to give his budget proposal to Congress later this month. LoBiondo has been critical of the Republican Trump administration in the past. On Thursday, he called for U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from investigations into Russian meddling in the U.S. election. We cannot defend our homeland and continue critical security missions without the U.S. Coast Guard. It is as simple as that, LoBiondo wrote. The men and women of the Coast Guard are doing an outstanding job, stretching the limited resources they receive now to keep our waters and ports safe, LoBiondo wrote in his statement. From traditional search and rescue to maritime security and drug interdiction, there is no other dedicated or capable force as the U.S. Coast Guard. DECATUR -- As it enters its fourth year, Kelly McCourt Edwards said the Mount Zion Chill on the Hill concert series has started to gain recognition beyond the immediate region. When I talk to these other acts, they knew what Chill on the Hill was about, said Edwards, the villages events coordinator. These acts are from Chicago area and St. Louis, and they know what were doing here. Once again, Fletcher Park will turn into one of the most rocking outdoor venues in central Illinois for eight Thursday nights this summer. The series starts June 1, with Champaign-based country act Feudin Hillbillys once again the kick-off act. The next seven weeks will see musical acts span several genres and fame, from internationally touring guitar-based blues act James Armstrong, to up-and-coming country act Ethan Bell Band and local cover band Imagine That. The final show July 20 will feature Springfield-based country act Lick Creek Band. For that concert, Edwards said $1 of every ticket sold will be donated to the family of Jackson Scharf. Jackson is a local 9-year-old who returned home last month after spending months at St. Louis Childrens Hospital after suffering a brain stem hemorrhage last fall caused by a rare disease. The goal this year was to provide artists that represent many genres and address requests from the community for more country acts. In addition, the acts are considered complementary to other music shows going on in the summer, said Kathy Byerly, director of sales and associate general manager of Neuhoff Media-Decatur, who has partnered with the village on the series. Its so theres no competition, she said. And with the departure of (Blues in Central Park), I think that is going to make Chill on the Hill that much bigger As before, admission for concerts will be $4 and free for ages 12 and younger. Officials emphasize the importance of the partnership that has helped the series not only survive but also thrive. Those partners include between the village and its convention center; as well as with Thrive Magazine, Skeff Distributing and Neuhoff Media. Additional sponsors include the Mount Zions Chamber of Commerce, Nelson's Catering and Kevin Fritzsche-Brinkoetter Associates. The hope for the partnership is it creates greater awareness for the series through a multitiered campaign that involves radio and print advertising and features on the musical acts to introduce them to the community. Our goal was to keep growing momentum and to get to the next level, Edwards said. And we feel these partnerships will get us there. Even after the series wraps up for the year, Mount Zion will not be long without a music event. An event called Blues and Brews will take place Sept. 30. Acts are still being lined up, but the idea is to host an all-day blues event at Fletcher Park. Plans for the event have been around for years, well before it was announced in February that Decaturs Blues in Central Park concert series will not be returning this year. If successful, Edwards is hopeful that Blues and Brews can become another staple of the local music scene. People are hungry to hear music, Edwards said. In the past, weve never wanted to take away from (Blues in Central Park) or the hard work they did with that. "We know people will be missing that, and luckily our partners have been able to put this together. GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP Tomeria McKenzie cradled sleeping daughter Yazmins tiny body close to her chest in a rocking chair inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Mainland Campus. McKenzie worried about her daughters early birth and other responsibilities she had at home in Pleasantville, but a program at AtlantiCare called Cribs for Kids relieved her of one worry: finding a safe place for her daughter to sleep once she came home. The hospital earned Gold Safe Sleep Champion recognition from the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program in April and joined a national program that focused on giving Pack n Play portable cribs to families in need that did not have safe sleeping environments for their babies. The program and other efforts led by a team of physicians, nurses, public safety specialists and emergency medical experts at AtlantiCare aim to increase awareness of safe sleeping practices and reduce the risk of death among infants due to unsafe environments. About 93 percent of unexpected infant deaths are related to sleep and sleep environments, according to a report by the national Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board. National Institutes of Health safe sleep practices include placing newborns on their backs, using a firm mattress covered by a fitted sheet and clearing the sleep area of toys and blankets. N.J. first state to roll out baby box program for all new parents Bringing home a newborn can be an equally exciting and nerve-wracking time for new parents. Instructors and nurses teach that information at AtlantiCare childbirth classes and when parents come in for a birth, but Brett Greenfield, medical director of AtlantiCare Emergency Medical Services, noticed more education was needed after birth to protect infants in their first months of life. Greenfield and other emergency responders noticed a rise in a number of infant deaths due to co-bedding or co-napping in 2014 and 2015. AtlantiCare EMS responded to four infant-death cases related to unsafe sleeping in Cape May County and one in Atlantic County in 2015. The infants were no older than 5 months. While the number of deaths may not seem high, experts say deaths due to unsafe sleeping practices and conditions are completely avoidable. We knew the education was being presented, but what was happening later as the kids got older was that education kind of fell off, Greenfield said. AtlantiCare had been teaching, updating and expanding its education on safe sleeping to reduce risk of infant mortality and sudden infant death syndrome for years with help from its Maternal Newborn/Pediatrics Team, but a closer look at those deaths led to a discussion about improvement. The team works on community outreach projects, repetitive teaching about safe sleeping, evaluation of families in need of Pack n Play cribs and an increased distribution of pre- and postnatal education. We had been providing a ton of info to parents for the short time they are in the hospital, but it may have been too much info to absorb at once, said Laurie Trongone, nurse and assistant vice president of Womens and Childrens Services. In addition to educational efforts before and after birth, and with the Pack n Play distributions, experts said it was important parents were getting the right information about the safest way for children to sleep. Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia neonatologist and AtlantiCare's director of NICU Dr. Jennifer Tioseco said furniture retailers often advertise cribs filled with stuffed animals and nice, comfortable blankets, but infants can choke or suffocate on those things while sleeping. My sister had a baby a year ago and sent me a picture of the crib. I almost fell off my chair, said the doctor and mother of three. I told her to get rid of all that stuff inside. We want to see the nice, beautiful cribs, but theyre not really safe. Dr. Magna Dias, pediatric hospitalist and medical director of CHOP Care Network at AtlantiCare, said shell often see pictures of people napping with their infants lying belly down on their chests on the couch. It is these types of co-sleeping environments that increase the risk of infant death. McKenzie hopes to take her daughter home this week and introduce Yazmin to her older siblings, but she no longer has to worry about whether the baby will have a safe space to sleep or about buying a crib for hundreds of dollars. It really helps us a lot, she said. CHARLESTON -- A man faces the possibility of up to six years in prison after he admitted beating a dog to death in Lerna last year. Deon D. Nailing pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated cruelty for the Feb. 1, 2016, death of a pit bull he owned that authorities said was found disposed of about being beaten with a mallet. Nailing, 36, of Charleston entered the guilty plea with no agreement on the sentence he would receive. His sentencing hearing was scheduled for June 9. The charge is a felony offense that accuses Nailing of intending to harm or kill the dog, described as a "companion animal," and causing its death by a means other than euthanasia as prescribed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The offense can normally result in a prison sentence of one to three years with a conviction, but Nailing is eligible for twice the normal maximum sentence because of his criminal record. Prison time won't be required, and a probation term of up to 2 years will also be possible. Nailing also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge alleging he hit a woman on the same day as the dog was killed. A felony theft charge in connection with a stolen vehicle in April 2015 was dismissed. Also, Assistant State's Attorney Tom Bucher agreed not to file additional charges against Nailing in connection with reports that he sent threatening text messages to his ex-girlfriend, the dog's co-owner. Coles County Circuit Judge Brien O'Brien accepted Nailing's guilty plea. Public Defender Anthony Ortega represented Nailing. According to evidence at earlier hearings in Nailing's case, Coles County animal control officers investigated the dog's death after trash collectors found its body in a trash bin in Lerna. The officers recognized the dog from other investigations, and a veterinarian's examination determined it died from blunt force trauma. A mallet the officers said could have been used to beat the dog was found at the Lerna residence where Nailing then lived, according to the earlier evidence. 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. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but Bleeping Computer explained in its press release on the settlement that it has now removed the posts written by its staff member that gave rise to ESG's lawsuit. All of Bleeping Computer's counterclaims in the lawsuit will be dismissed by the court with prejudice, along with ESG's dismissal of the case. Bleeping Computer had moved to dismiss ESG's lawsuit, alleging that its statements were protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The court rejected that motion in a decision handed down last summer. Ryan Gerding, a spokesman for ESG, said of the development, "ESG is pleased to put this matter behind us and to get back to making the best anti-malware products on the market. It is unfortunate when litigation becomes necessary, but ESG is grateful to the court for its assistance." About Enigma Software Group USA, LLC Enigma Software Group USA, LLC is a privately held international systems integrator and developer of PC security software, with offices in the United States and the European Union. The company's specialties are the development of PC security software, online security analysis, adaptive threat assessment, and detection of PC security threats, as well as malware custom fixes for its millions of subscribers worldwide. ESG is best known for SpyHunter, its anti-malware software product and service. To learn more about ESG, visit www.enigmasoftware.com. Connect with ESG on Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | YouTube Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/452052/Enigma_Software_Logo.jpg SOURCE Enigma Software Group USA, LLC DUBLIN, Mar 03, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Alzheimer's Disease Forecast in 12 Major Markets 2017-2027" report to their offering. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, irreversible neurodegenerative disorder. It is the leading cause of dementia. Alzheimer's is associated with the increase of beta amyloid and tau proteins in the brains of affected patients. Cognitive function declines and patients suffer memory loss and disorientation amongst many other neuropsychiatric conditions as the disease progresses. This report provides the current prevalent population for Alzheimer's disease across 12 Major Markets (USA, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, UK, Brazil, Japan, India and China) split by gender and 5-year age cohort. Along with the current prevalence, the report also contains a disease overview of the risk factors, disease diagnosis and prognosis along with specific variations by geography and ethnicity. Providing a value-added level of insight from the analysis team, several of the main symptoms and co-morbidities of Alzheimer's have been quantified and presented alongside the overall prevalence figures. These sub-populations within the main disease are also included at a country level across the 10-year forecast snapshot. Main symptoms and co-morbidities for Alzheimer's disease include: Other dementias Depression and other psychiatric conditions Hypertension Diabetes Glaucoma Osteoporosis and osteopenia Education level / years of education Key Topics Covered: Introduction Cause of the Disease Risk Factors & Prevention Diagnosis of the Disease Variation by Geography/Ethnicity Disease Prognosis & Clinical Course Key comorbid conditions/Features associated with the disease Methodology for quantification of patient numbers Top-line prevalence for Alzheimer's disease Features of Alzheimer's disease patients Neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD patients Comorbid Conditions of AD patients Abbreviations used in the report Patient-Based Offering Online Pricing Data and Platforms References Appendix For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/n8b53m/alzheimers Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets DUBLIN, Mar 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "United States Insulin Pump Market Insights, Opportunity, Analysis, Growth Potential & Forecast 2017 - 2022" report to their offering. Market growth can be attributed to factors such as increasing number of diabetic patients, growing awareness towards diabetes, improved glucose control and flexible, lifestyle-compatible treatment options and technological advancement in insulin pump devices. However, high cost of the insulin pumps is hampering the growth of this market. The research report titled United States Insulin Pump Market Insights, Opportunity, Analysis, Growth Potential & Forecast 2017 - 2022 examines the market, competitive landscape and trends of the United States Insulin Pump Market. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the type 1, type 2 and newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes and overall diabetes population. It provides essential insights into insulin pump users with more focused on type 1 and type 2 diabetes insulin pump users. Market outlook in value terms for the forecasted period for Insulin Pump Market has been detailed in the report. It also covers reimbursement pattern and offers a clear view of the regulatory landscape. Additionally, the report includes assessment of clinical trials and preferred insulin pump brand by the patients. Key trends in terms of collaborations, partnerships and licensing agreements are analysed with details. The report also explores detailed description of growth drivers and inhibitors of the United States Insulin Pump Market. The report concludes with the profiles of major players in the Insulin Pump Market such as Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Roche, Animas Corporation and Tandem Diabetes Care. The major market players are evaluated on various parameters such as company overview, product outlook and sales analysis of the Insulin Pump and Diabetes Market from 2011 to 2022. Key Companies Covered in the Report are as follows: - Insulet Corporation - Medtronic - Roche - Animas Corporation - Tandem Diabetes Care Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. United States Diabetes Population (2011 - 2022): An Analysis 3. United States Insulin Pump Market Analysis (2011- 2022) 4. Key Drivers and Inhibitors of the United States Insulin Pump Market 5. United States Insulin Pump Preferred Brand - By Product 6. United States Insulin Pump Market: Reimbursement & Regulation System 7. United States Insulin Pump Market - Major Deal Types 8. Insulin Pump Market Clinical Trail Insight by Phase, Company & Country 9. Key Companies Analysis For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/r5znkm/united_states Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets DUBLIN, Mar 03, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "United States Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System (LDS) Market - An Analysis (2017 Edition)" report to their offering. The market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of over 0.28% during 2016-2021. On the basis of market segment, the market has been segmented on basis of equipment (pressure sensors, flow meters, fibre optic sensors, acoustic sensors and other types of leak detectors), applications (onshore and offshore), region (Southeast, Northeast, Western and Midwest). The market is driven by increase in number of pipelines with newly proposed plans of oil and gas transmission. Among equipment flow meters and pressure sensors are major shareholder during 2011-2015. However, the market is outpaced by growing demand for fibre optics and acoustic sensors. The US Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market grew at a moderate rate over last five years on account of rising expenditure of pipeline companies on maintenance of the ageing pipelines in the country and escalating role of government in empowering usage of leak detection measures to avoid disastrous leakage. Companies Mentioned: Enbridge FMC Technologies Honeywell KROHNE PSI AG Perma-Pipe Pure Technologies Schneider Siemen Synodon Key Topics Covered: 1. Research Methodology 2. Executive Summary 3. Strategic Recommendations 4. U.S. Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market 5. U.S. Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market: By Equipment 6. U.S. Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market: By Application 7 U.S. Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market: By Region (Southeast, Northeast, Western and Midwest) 8. U.S. Southeast Region Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market: Overview 9. U.S. Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market: Price Point Analysis 10. U.S. Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market: SWOT Analysis 11. U.S. Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market: Project Economics 12. Market Dynamics 13. Market Trends 14. Industry Structure 15. Route to the U.S. Oil and Gas Pipeline Leak Detection System Market 16. Policy and Regulatory Landscape 17. Company Profiling For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xk5kgr/united_states_oil Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets Touch a la mode Luminizers allow buildable levels of light in five shades each. From prismatic white Iridescent to deep bronze Opaline, our range of highlighters work on any skin tone and deliver illumination in various dazzling ways. Get an all-over radiance, a quick highlight on the cheeks and brow, or even use in the middle of your lip to create a fuller appearance. Transform your look with the Younique Moodstruck Brow Obsession Palette. From sculpting to defining to setting, this gorgeous mirrored palette has it all with two buildable powders, two brightening highlighters, and a transparent setting wax (all numbered for easy application). Get them in three colors: Blond, Brunette, and Dark Brunette/Black, mix the two powders for shades of red. Pairs perfectly with the new, ultra-precise Brow Artist Brush. To learn more about the Touch Behold Translucent Setting Powder that sets makeup with a matte, natural finish that's never cakey or heavy, or the Touch Behold Setting Spray (available April 2017) and product extensions, reach out to your local Younique Presenter or head to our website. About Younique Our goal is to provide beneficial and innovative products that women can ultimately trust and feel confident using every single day. Younique's product philosophy lends to the perfect blend of "Nature, Love, Science" and the results are beautiful and effective products that contain high-quality ingredients and are designed with virtually everyone in mind. Our mission is to uplift, empower, validate and ultimately build self-esteem in women around the world, and Younique is carrying out that mission in 11 global markets including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, and Italy. Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/474631/Younique_New_Products.jpg Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/456652/younique_Logo.jpg SOURCE Younique PITTSBURGH, March 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- We would like to thank all the finalist companies and individuals who attended the 5th Annual 2017 Northeast Oil & Gas Awards on Thursday, March 2, 2017. Congratulations again to the all the winners listed below. If you check back in the coming weeks, we will have all the multimedia published from the night. Engineering Company of the Year Pickering Associates Water Management Company of the Year Eureka Resources Award for Excellence in Health & Safety Deep Well Services Consultancy of the Year Allstar Ecology Award for Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Comtech Industries Manufacturer of the Year Infinity Tool Manufacturing Construction Company of the Year Minnesota Limited New Technology Development of the Year Fortis Energy Services The Oil & Gas Financial Journal Transaction of the Year Rice Energy Kerr Pumps & FlowValve Award for Excellence in Well Completion U.S. Well Services E&P Company of the Year EQT Corporation Future Industry Leader Zhenhua Rui Midstream Company of the Year MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P. Industry Supplier of the Year Total Equipment Company Law Firm of the Year Blank Rome LLP Award for Excellence in Drilling Eclipse Resources Oilfield Services Company of the Year McCutcheon Enterprises Award for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility Junior Achievement General Industry Service Award Well Master Corp Lifetime Achievement Award Lou D'Amico For further information about the Fifth Annual Northeast Oil & Gas Awards program, venue, sponsors and its partners, please email us or contact us on the following details: [email protected] T: +1 210 591 8471 SOURCE Oil & Gas Awards Related Links http://www.oilandgasawards.com Lilly to present head-to-head 24-week data comparing the efficacy and safety of Taltz and Stelara for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis INDIANAPOLIS, March 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced today that patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis treated with Taltz (ixekizumab) demonstrated superior efficacy at 24 weeks compared to patients treated with Stelara* (ustekinumab). Detailed results from the IXORA-S study were presented during the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting taking place March 3-7 in Orlando, Fla. At 24 weeks, patients treated with Taltz achieved significantly higher response rates compared to patients treated with Stelara, including 83 percent of patients who achieved Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) 90the study's primary endpointcompared to 59 percent of patients who achieved PASI 90 after treatment with Stelara. "For many years, achieving PASI 75 or 75 percent improvement in skin plaques has been the standard treatment goal for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis," said Kristian Reich, M.D., Ph.D., lead author and professor, Georg-August-University Gottingen and Dermatologikum Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. "With the introduction of treatments like Taltz, dermatologists can offer treatment options that allow more patients to achieve PASI 90 or PASI 100. The data of the IXORA-S study is significant, as it demonstrates both high levels of skin improvement for patients treated with Taltz, consistent with pivotal Phase 3 trials, as well as higher response rates over Stelara, which is one of the most frequently used biologics in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis." In the IXORA-S study, patients were randomized to receive either Stelara (45 mg or 90 mg weight-based dosing per label) or Taltz (80 mg every two weeks for 12 weeks followed by 80 mg every four weeks), following a 160-mg starting dose, for a total of 52 weeks. This study also evaluated PASI 75, PASI 100 and static Physician's Global Assessment score (sPGA) 0 or 1 with at least a two-point improvement from baseline. PASI measures the extent and severity of psoriasis by assessing average redness, thickness and scaliness of skin lesions (each graded on a zero to four scale), weighted by the body surface area of involved skin.1 The sPGA is the physician's assessment of severity of a patient's psoriasis lesions overall at a specific point in time and is a required measure the FDA uses to evaluate effectiveness.1 At 24 weeks, patients treated with Taltz achieved significantly higher response rates compared to patients treated with Stelara, as demonstrated by the following: 91.2 percent of patients treated with Taltz achieved PASI 75 compared to 81.9 percent of patients treated with Stelara (p=0.015); 83.1 percent of patients treated with Taltz achieved PASI 90 compared to 59.0 percent of patients treated with Stelara (p<0.001); 49.3 percent of patients treated with Taltz achieved PASI 100 compared to 23.5 percent of patients treated with Stelara (p=0.001). Additionally, 86.6 percent of patients treated with Taltz achieved sPGA 0 or 1 compared to 69.3 percent of patients treated with Stelara after 24 weeks (p<0.001). The majority of treatment-emergent adverse events were mild or moderate. There were no statistically significant differences between treatment groups in overall treatment-emergent adverse events. The safety profile for Taltz was consistent with previous clinical trials. "The approval of Taltz in the U.S., Canada and Europe nearly one year ago introduced a treatment option that could help patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis achieve virtually clear or completely clear skin," said Dr. Lotus Mallbris, global brand development leader, Taltz, Eli Lilly and Company. "We are thrilled with the opportunity to share this new data with dermatologists at AAD, as it reinforces the clinical benefits of Taltz for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis." Results from Phase 3 trials evaluating Taltz for the treatment of active psoriatic arthritis are expected to be presented later this year. Taltz is also in Phase 3 trials for the treatment of axial spondyloarthritis. Indications and Usage Taltz (ixekizumab) is indicated for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION CONTRAINDICATIONS Taltz is contraindicated in patients with a previous serious hypersensitivity reaction, such as anaphylaxis, to ixekizumab or to any of the excipients. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Infections Taltz may increase the risk of infection. The Taltz group had a higher rate of infections than the placebo group (27% vs. 23%). Serious infections have occurred. Instruct patients to seek medical advice if signs or symptoms of clinically important chronic or acute infection occur. If a serious infection develops, discontinue Taltz until the infection resolves. Pre-Treatment Evaluation for Tuberculosis Evaluate patients for tuberculosis (TB) infection prior to initiating treatment with Taltz. Do not administer to patients with active TB infection. Initiate treatment of latent TB prior to administering Taltz. Patients receiving Taltz should be monitored closely for signs and symptoms of active TB during and after treatment. Hypersensitivity Serious hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, angioedema and urticaria, have been reported with Taltz. If a serious hypersensitivity reaction occurs, discontinue Taltz immediately and initiate appropriate therapy. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, including exacerbations, occurred at a greater frequency in the Taltz group (Crohn's disease 0.1%, ulcerative colitis 0.2%) than in the placebo group (0%) during clinical trials. During Taltz treatment, monitor patients for onset or exacerbations of inflammatory bowel disease. Immunizations Prior to initiating therapy with Taltz, consider completion of all age-appropriate immunizations according to current immunization guidelines. Live vaccines should not be given with Taltz. ADVERSE REACTIONS Most common adverse reactions ( > 1%) associated with Taltz treatment are injection site reactions, upper respiratory tract infections, nausea, and tinea infections. Please see accompanying Prescribing Information and Medication Guide. Please see Instructions for Use included with the device. IX HCP ISI 18JAN2017 About Taltz (ixekizumab) Taltz (ixekizumab) is an IgG4 monoclonal antibody that selectively binds with interleukin 17A (IL-17A) cytokine and inhibits its interaction with the IL-17 receptor. IL-17A is a naturally occurring cytokine that is involved in normal inflammatory and immune responses. Taltz inhibits the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. About Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis Psoriasis is a chronic, immune disease that affects the skin.2 It occurs when the immune system sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis affects approximately 125 million people worldwide, approximately 20 percent of whom have moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.2,3 Psoriasis can occur on any part of the body and is associated with other serious health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.2 The most common form of psoriasis, plaque psoriasis, appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells.2 About Eli Lilly and Company Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels. P-LLY This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about Taltz (ixekizumab) as a treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, and reflects Lilly's current belief. However, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that Taltz will receive additional regulatory approvals or be commercially successful. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly's most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release. [1] Feldman SR, Krueger GG. Psoriasis assessment tools in clinical trials. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005;64:ii65-ii68. http://ard.bmj.com/content/64/suppl_2/ii65.full. Accessed March 1, 2017. [2] Psoriasis media kit. National Psoriasis Foundation website. https://www.psoriasis.org/sites/default/files/for-media/MediaKit.pdf. Accessed March 1, 2017. [3]Psoriasis. American Academy of Dermatology website. https://www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/conditions/psoriasis. Accessed March 1, 2017. * Lilly USA, LLC 2017. All rights reserved. Taltz is a registered trademark owned or licensed by Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries or affiliates. Stelara is a registered trademark owned or licensed by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, its subsidiaries or affiliates. Refer to: Jen Dial; [email protected]; 317-220-1172 (Lilly Bio-Medicines) SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company Related Links http://www.lilly.com CHARLESTON -- The husband of the victim in what's known as the Airtight Bridge murder has been arrested in connection with her death, police have announced. Thomas A. Small, the husband of Diane Small, was arrested Thursday, according to a news release from the Coles County Sheriff's Office. Diane Small's body was found partly submerged in the Embarras River near the bridge in rural Coles County on Oct. 19, 1980. The body was unclothed and the head, hands and feet had been amputated. She was identified as the victim in 1992 through DNA testing. Small had been reported missing from her home in Bradley in Kankakee County. The Kankakee Daily Journal newspaper reported Friday that Kankakee County State's Attorney Jim Rowe, said authorities believe Diane Small was killed in Bradley. It also said "sources close to the case" said Thomas Small, 70, confessed to the killing. Rowe said charges against Thomas Small are expected to be filed early next week. Coles County State's Attorney Brian Bower said his office is involved in the investigation, but it's too early to determine if Small will also be charged in Coles County. The sheriff's office news release said charges against Thomas Small are pending with the Kankakee and Coles County state's attorney's offices. More information about the arrest will be posted when it's available. WASHINGTON, March 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau: JEANNETTE RANKIN Profile America Saturday, March 4th. The first woman to serve in Congress took her seat on this date 100 years ago. Barely a month later, Jeannette Rankin of Montana became one of the few representatives to vote against entry into World War I, a stand that contributed to her defeat when she ran for the Senate in 1918. Absent for 24 years, she reentered Congress by winning a seat in the 1940 elections. Putting her pacifist principles ahead of office holding, she cast the lone vote against declaring war on Japan after the Pearl Harbor attack. Her political career, which began before women gained the right to vote, ended with her term in early 1943. A full 43 percent of female citizens over 18 voted in the 2014 elections, and over 66 percent report being registered to vote. Profile America is in its 20th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau. Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 2609 Rankin's career/accessed 12/29/2016: http://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-%28R000055%29/ Women voting and registration/Current Population Survey/All Races table: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/577/table01.xls 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 Touch a la mode Luminizers allow buildable levels of light in five shades each. From prismatic white Iridescent to deep bronze Opaline, our range of highlighters work on any skin tone and deliver illumination in various dazzling ways. Get an all-over radiance, a quick highlight on the cheeks and brow, or even use in the middle of your lip to create a fuller appearance. Transform your look with the Younique Moodstruck Brow Obsession Palette. From sculpting to defining to setting, this gorgeous mirrored palette has it all with two buildable powders, two brightening highlighters, and a transparent setting wax (all numbered for easy application). Get them in three colors: Blond, Brunette, and Dark Brunette/Black, mix the two powders for shades of red. Pairs perfectly with the new, ultra-precise Brow Artist Brush. To learn more about the Touch Behold Translucent Setting Powder that sets makeup with a matte, natural finish that's never cakey or heavy, or the Touch Behold Setting Spray (available April 2017) and product extensions, reach out to your local Younique Presenter or head to our website. About Younique Our goal is to provide beneficial and innovative products that women can ultimately trust and feel confident using every single day. Younique's product philosophy lends to the perfect blend of "Nature, Love, Science" and the results are beautiful and effective products that contain high-quality ingredients and are designed with virtually everyone in mind. Our mission is to uplift, empower, validate and ultimately build self-esteem in women around the world, and Younique is carrying out that mission in 11 global markets including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, and Italy. SOURCE Younique If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here New Delhi, Feb 27 : The Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj India on Monday released a second list of 30 candidates for the upcoming Delhi civic polls. The 30 comprise 12 youth and 12 women. "Out of these 30 candidates, 12 candidates are less than 35 years of age," Swaraj India Chief Spokesperson Anupam told IANS, adding that the party has till now named 19 youth and 23 women candidates. "The average age of candidates declared till now is 39 years. The youngest candidate is a 21-year-old woman," he said, adding the party has lived up to its promise of giving special preference to youth and women. Swaraj India National General Secretary Ajit Jha said that the party has formed a three-tier robust candidate selection process through which only the candidates with a clean track record are given tickets along with a special focus on women and youth candidates. "As of now, out of the 55 declared candidates, 24 are from the North Municipal Corporation, 23 from the South Municipal Corporation and 8 from the East Municipal Corporation," he said, adding the party will contest all the 272 seats. New Delhi, Feb 28 : Several opposition leaders on Tuesday joined a protest on the Delhi University campus against the violence on the Ramjas College on February 22 and accused the government of politicising the issue and censoring students. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India leader D. Raja, Janata Dal-United leader K.C. Tyagi and Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav were among those who visited the protesting students. Adressing the protestors, Yechury said different politicians present at the protest venue were not to be blamed for politicising the students' protest since the central government had already politicised the issue. "The government has made the issue political by censoring students into submission and using police for its benefit. It is the government that politicised the issue," Yechury said. "Students should be allowed to express themselves. Politics is deciding everything for students today. Why should I not decide on my politics? You have to make your own choice," the CPI-M leader said. He said there should be debate and not violence. "The atmosphere at different university campuses has been ruined. If you wish to fight us, come ahead with your views... if all is well with universities, all is well with my country. We will argue. We shall fight at an intellectual level, no physically," Yechury said. Raja called for a fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre just as "Indians once fought the British rule". "I am a communist, I don't need any certificate of nationalism. We fought for the country's independence. We fought against the British Raj and won independence. Now, we have to fight against the BJP 'raj' to defend our democracy," Raja said. "What is BJP and ABVP? Ever since the BJP came to power (at the Centre), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has become the extra-constitutional ruler," he said. Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav, meanwhile, compared the handling of the DU situation with the style of functioning of late Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi. "For the last 10 days, there has been an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the university, which is reminiscent of Sanjay Gandhi's style of functioning. There is only one answer to this -- the students should come forward and say they are not scared," Yadav said. Hundreds of students from Delhi University and other institutions of higher learning in the national capital, along with a large number of teachers, staged a protest march on the varsity's North Campus on Tuesday, which culminated at the Arts Faculty. The march was against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Delhi Police over the February 21-22 disturbances on the campus. Seoul, March 1 : US Defense Secretary James Mattis has stressed his country's commitment to defending Seoul against Pyongyang's possible aggression, a media report said. Mattis promised support during a telephone conversation with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo on Tuesday, Efe news reported. The call took place on the eve of the joint annual military exercises amid high tension on the Korean peninsula following Pyongyang's latest missile test and the murder of its leader's half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia. During the conversation, Mattis reaffirmed that any attack by North Korea on the US or its allies would receive an "effective and overwhelming" response, sources from the government told Yonhap news agency. The new US Secretary of Defense's message was similar to his previous one given during his trip to South Korea earlier in February, which was his first visit to the country post-appointment. Han stressed on the importance of the joint Foal Eagle military exercise, which started on Wednesday, in order to "keep peace on the Korean peninsula". It includes aerial, terrestrial and naval exercises and would continue till April-end. The Key Resolve exercises, which involves computer simulation, were also due to start on March 13, the report added. Han and Mattis also discussed the decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile shield in 2017. The THAAD would be installed on the South Korean territory with the aim of intercepting missiles launched by North Korea. The South Korean government on Tuesday formalised the purchase of land for the installation of the THAAD system, a project that sparked strong criticism from China and Russia, who also consider it a threat. The US would also employ aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, F-35 and the bombers B-1B and B-52 during these drills, Defence Ministry sources told Yonhap. Pyongyang has repeatedly protested against these joint military exercises, which it considers a trial to invade its territory. The latest drills come after Seoul claimed that Pyongyang plotted the alleged murder of Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia. The North Korean regime had also launched a medium-range missile on February 12, the first since Trump took office. New Delhi, March 2 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated the country's defence scientists for successfully testing an interceptor missile, saying it was a proud moment for the entire nation. "With this, India joins the select group of five nations with such capability - a proud moment for the entire country," the Prime Minister said in a tweet. India on Wednesday successfully test fired the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) Missile, the second level of two-tier interceptor missile system that can destroy hostile ballistic missiles. The latest test comes less than a month after India successfully tested the Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) interceptor missile on February 11. DECATUR A proposal made to the Decatur school board at its Feb. 28 meeting to combine Johns Hill and Durfee magnet schools into one new building has caused a stir in the community, mostly in opposition. While the board won't take any votes for or against the plan before March 14 at the earliest, and even then will only decide whether to pursue necessary approvals from the Regional Office of Education and the Illinois State Board of Education, people are already reacting. Kaylynn Gause has attended Durfee Magnet School since kindergarten, and the thought of closing the school, blending its program with Johns Hill Magnet School, or any other option that would change it significantly, makes her unhappy. We don't want it to be Johns Hill, she said. We don't want it to be any other school. We want it to stay right here for the simple fact that this has been running and so many families are here and people bond. It doesn't matter if the building is old. My dad went here and my grandma used to teach here. We're a family here, said Kimbyrlee Clark, a sixth-grader. We don't know anyone at Johns Hill. And if you change it all around, it would be different. It wouldn't be the same and people who have been here since kindergarten would feel out of place. Katelynn Pruitt said a building doesn't have to be replaced just because it's old. This is a good school, she said. I like it here. The recommendation was driven by the age and inaccessibility of both schools, the oldest in the district. Buildings and grounds director Jim Gortner said Johns Hill (89,761 square feet) was built in 1928 with additions in 1974 and 1986. The student population is 494. Durfee (48,918 square feet) was built in 1925 with additions in 1927, 1951 and 1974. The student population is 390. The FACES (Facility Advisory Committee for Exceptional Schools) proposal, presented by committee chairman Bruce Jeffery, Sam Johnson of BLDD Architects and Chief Operational Officer Todd Covault, included several points: Build a new K-8 school on the grounds of Johns Hill Magnet School and combine Johns Hill and Durfee Magnet School students in the new building. When the new building is complete, demolish the existing buildings housing those two programs. Move forward with installing air conditioning in district buildings without it, with Harris School the first priority due to medically fragile students, followed by Muffley School, then the remaining district schools without air conditioning. Move sixth grades to middle school programs at Thomas Jefferson and Stephen Decatur middle schools, with necessary building upgrades and licensure considerations for teaching staff. Perform deferred maintenance work, develop long-range capital plan, establish priorities. Additional considerations include combining Garfield and Enterprise Montessori programs, prekindergarten programs now in multiple buildings into fewer locations, and continue district-wide facilities planning. We don't 'go to' Durfee or 'work at' Durfee, said Sara Bodzin, who teaches sixth grade. We are Durfee. We're a family. There was discussion by the school board on Tuesday that a technology-focused magnet school might not be as necessary today as it once was, now that the district has moved to 1:1 technology. Every student has access to an iPad or MacBook during the school day. But Bodzin said the school's designation as a technology magnet school is not what makes Durfee unique. Kids learn how to research and find information, analyze and make up their own minds. The technology is the tool they use, not the focus. If people visited the school and saw what goes on in the classrooms, Bodzin said, they would see how important it is to the students and staff. Teachers are constantly going out and trying to better themselves, Bodzin said. If you take away this school, you take away my family. The idea of moving sixth grade to middle school and out of the elementary buildings didn't set well with sixth-graders, either. Kimbyrlee said she's in no hurry to go to middle school and get lost in the crowd, when she's happy in a K-6 building with younger children. Emeri Rawls said her older sister, who is already in middle school, tells her that it's easy to get lost in the crowd because there are so many more students in one building in middle school. Emeri said that doesn't sound appealing at all. FACES was organized in September 2015 and held several meetings with the board and the public to discuss options for addressing concerns in the district. Apart from Johns Hill and Durfee, other concerns included Stephen Decatur Middle School, originally built to be a high school, serves only 300 or so students in a building meant to hold more 1,000, while other buildings are bursting at the seams. Waiting lists for the magnet programs at Johns Hill and Garfield Montessori, for example, are long, because those buildings are already full. About half of district buildings have air conditioning. At FACES' final community meeting in September 2016, after the committee had presented a decade-old study done in 2006 and had not prepared any recommendations, board members expressed frustration with the lack of conclusion. Board members weren't the only ones frustrated. Committee members received a letter dated Sept. 16, 2016, in which they were thanked for their service and told that further participation and meetings were not anticipated. The last community feedback meeting they had, the general takeaway was that they were starting over, said parent Cathy Riggs, who attended that meeting. They didn't get the feedback they wanted, so they were scrapping the plan altogether, a slap in the face to parents and community members who took their time to come to meetings that they thought would be productive. "Then they come in at the 12th hour and decide there is action that needs taken? It's all very confusing. It also just confirms critics and parents that won't participate because 'why should I help or work on this when they are just going to do what they want anyway?' At Jan. 10's regular school board meeting, board member Fred Spannaus asked interim co-Superintendent Bobbi Williams to provide the board an update on the facilities study because the board had not had one since the September session with the committee. Williams said a community survey was under way and a report would be presented after that was complete. That survey, of 200 households in the district, found that 42.5 percent were in favor of the proposal and 40 percent against, with 17.5 undecided. When the original question was broken down into more details about potential savings on maintenance with a new building, and that a new Johns Hill could be built on the existing site, favorable ratings went up an average 35 percent. Johns Hill families and staff have spoken passionately about their connection to the Hill, as they call it, and how important that building and location are to their identity. Throughout the FACES process, Johns Hill, and moving or rebuilding that school have been on the top of the agenda. The building definitely needs something, said Amanda Springer, whose 7-year-old Isabella is in second grade at Johns Hill. The concern is bringing Durfee in. Johns Hill is arts-integrated, where Durfee is technology-integrated. Typically, the arts go (away) first when things happen like that. I don't know if they're talking about keeping separate programs with two magnet schools in one building. We have lots of questions and it's kind of like, 'Where do we go from here?' Sharon Renfro, another Johns Hill parent and president of the Parent-Teacher Organization, said the location of the school is historic, and the school community has a great fondness for that area, but whether the school is on the hill or on the flat ground below isn't important. Building a new facility on the flat area, which would provide accessibility and more parking, is an idea she could support. The student body at Johns Hill is diverse, as the school is the site of the district's English as a Second Language program, but one of the very real issues is accessibility for people with mobility issues. We will be happy to have (the board) address the structural concerns, Renfro said. The fact they're talking about kids having a building they can be proud of and that's structurally sound is good. I hope it will have facilities that match the talent level in our building. "It's so important that our facilities reflect that we're a fine arts school. We need all those things to help our kids excel. Durfee Principal Dianne Brandt said she doesn't have enough information to form an opinion at this point, when the proposal has only just been made and so much has to be done before it would become reality. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, educating kids, until the very last minute, she said. Washington, March 3 : Two more members of US President Donald Trumps campaign team spoke to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at an event held during the Republican National Convention last July, a media report said. Retired US Navy officer Jeffrey D. Gordon and oil industry consultant Carter Page spoke with Kislyak at the event in Cleveland, but the contents of their discussion remains unknown, the USA Today said the report on Thursday. Gordon, who managed the advisory committee as the Trump campaign's director of national security, said that while he also spoke with Kislyak in Cleveland, it was not unusual for a presidential campaign to interact with diplomats. "I'd consider it an informal conversation just like my interactions with dozens of other ambassadors and senior diplomats in Cleveland," Gordon told USA Today. Page, also a member of the Trump campaign's national security advisory committee, cited "confidentiality rules" in declining to say what he discussed with the ambassador. "I had no substantive discussions with him," said Page, who left the campaign later in the summer amid controversy over a speech he gave in Moscow also in July criticising American foreign policy and sanctions against Russia. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also met with Kislyak during the event, The Hill magazine reported. The former Alabama senator came under fire on Wednesday night amid Justice Department claims that he spoke with the ambassador twice during the campaign, once at the Heritage event and another time privately in September, encounters he which he did not disclose during his Congressional confirmation hearing to become the Attorney General in January. Sessions announced at a press conference Thursday afternoon that would recuse himself from any existing or future investigations that relate to the Trump campaign. Probes into Russia's attempts to meddle with the election reportedly involve examining Trump aides' contacts with Moscow. The revelation that Gordon and Page spoke with Kislyak is the latest in a series of reports involving the Russian diplomat, the magazine said. Trump's first National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned last month after it was revealed that he discussed sanctions with Kislyak in the month before Trump took office. The New York Times also reported on Thursday that Flynn attended a meeting between Kislyak and Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner in December. A White House spokesperson said the meeting was meant to "establish a line of communication" between the incoming administration and the Kremlin. Beijing : Beijing , March 3 (IANS) China's top political advisory body started its annual session on Friday in Beijing, ushering in a political high season that will continue with the opening of the country's top legislature, the National People's Congress, on Sunday. Yu Zhengsheng, Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, delivered a work report to more than 2,000 political advisers who gathered to discuss major political, economic and social issues in China. Top Communist Party of China and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli attended the opening meeting at the Great Hall of the People. Washington, March 3 : US Vice President Mike Pence routinely used a private email account to conduct public business when he was Governor of Indiana, at times discussing sensitive matters and homeland security issues, a media report said. According to a report in the Indianapolis Star newspaper on Thursday, Pence used his personal AOL email account to communicate with top advisers on matters ranging from the security gates at the Governor's residence to the state's response to terrorist attacks across the globe. Pence's use of personal email to conduct public business echoed Hillary Clinton's use of a private server and email account when she was Secretary of State. That practice was the subject of investigations and drew considerable criticism. In an appearance on "Meet the Press" in September last year, Pence, who took office as Governor in 2013, said Clinton had used the private server to keep her emails "out of the public reach, out of public accountability." Pence spokesman Marc Lotter called any comparisons between Pence and Clinton "absurd", noting that Pence didn't deal with federally-classified information as Governor. While Pence used a well-known consumer email provider, Clinton had a private server installed in her home, he was quoted by The Star as saying. The office of Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb released 29 pages of emails from Pence's AOL account, but declined to release an unspecified number of others, saying they are confidential, according to the report. Security experts said the use of a personal email account raised concerns about whether sensitive information was properly protected, given that such accounts are typically less secure than government ones. The Star reported that Pence's personal account was compromised last year by a scammer who sent an email to his contacts claiming that Pence and his wife were stranded in the Philippines and urgently needed money. Pence sent an email apologising to those who had received the fake message and set up a new AOL account. The hack appeared to be part of a broad attack, not directed at Pence specifically, the newspaper reported. Indiana law requires that records related to state business be retained and available in response to public records requests. While emails on state accounts would be captured by state computer servers, messages sent on a private account would be hidden unless steps were taken to make them available. The Star quoted a statement released by the Vice President's office in Washington that said Pence had maintained state and personal email accounts. "As Governor, Pence fully complied with Indiana law regarding email use and retention," the statement said. "Government emails involving his state and personal accounts are being archived by the state consistent with Indiana law and are being managed according to Indiana's Access to Public Records Act," it said. Washington, March 4 : US President Donald Trump tried on Friday to turn the tables on Democrats by linking them with Russia, at the same time his Attorney General Jeff Sessions remained under investigation for his contacts with Moscow. On his personal Twitter account, Trump urged an immediate investigation of Senate Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer's connections with Russia and Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin, EFE news reported. In his tweet, Trump made the request and posted a photo of Putin together with Schumer, calling the New York Senator a "total hypocrite". The photo in question is from September 2003 and was taken in New York at the first gas station in that city belonging to Russia's Lukoil company. The Senator replied to the President, also on Twitter, almost immediately and told him he had no problem talking about his contact with Putin and the Russian leader's associates, which "took place in 2003 in full view of press & public under oath", and challenged Trump to say whether "you & your team" would do the same about their contacts and connections with Russian officials. Trump called for an investigation of Schumer as the scandal boiled over about Russia's contacts with Sessions, whose position is the equivalent of the Justice Minister in other countries. While he was Senator and Advisor to Trump's electoral campaign, Sessions met twice with the Russian ambassador in Washington, Sergey Kislyak, in the months preceding last November's US presidential election and amid evidence of Moscow's interference in the election. While the Senate was in the process of confirming Sessions as the new Attorney General and asked about his contacts with the Kremlin, he decided to hide his meetings with Kislyak because, he now says, they were associated with his position as Senator and not as an Advisor to the Trump campaign. But under the unrelenting criticism, Sessions gave a press conference this Thursday to announce he would not take part in the investigation by his department, the Department of Justice, into the suspected Russian hacking into the presidential elections to harm the chances of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, EFE news reported. In a statement to reporters, Sessions said, "I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for President of the United States." During a breakfast organised by the digital daily Politico, the leader of the Democratic minority in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, called "insufficient" and "totally unacceptable" Sessions' decision to recuse himself. In Pelosi's opinion, the fact that Sessions decided to exit the investigations is "an admission" that he knew he did wrong in hiding from the Senate his contacts with the Russian ambassador, and was "a reflection of the weak moral authority of this administration." After noting his "total confidence" in Sessions, Trump said on Thursday in another tweet that his Attorney General "could have stated his response more accurately" when asked about Russia in the Senate, but it was unintended and he did nothing wrong. Washington, March 4 : Defending his use of a personal email account, US Vice President Mike Pence has said "there's no comparison" between his situation and Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server that rocked the 2016 presidential campaign, a media report said. Pence used his personal email account to conduct state business while he was Indiana's Governor, CNN reported on Friday. "There's no comparison whatsoever," Pence said when asked about whether his situation gave him any sympathy for the Democratic presidential nominee. He was at an event with House Speaker Paul Ryan in Janesville, Wisconsin, when quizzed. In the personal email Pence discussed issues like the resettling of Syrian refugees and other matters on an AOL account that was hacked in a phishing scam, according to details released on Thursday. In one September 2014 exchange, Pence asked his then-Homeland Security Adviser John Hill for an "update of the investigation in Columbus (Indiana) following the vandalism ... to area churches ... Including the church I grew up in." In another email from November 2015, Pence asked his communications staff to promote an op-ed from then Senator Dan Coats about Indiana's fight to bar Syrian refugees from settling in the state. Hill also alerted Pence to an FBI terror assessment in another exchange included in 30 pages of emails provided to CNN by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb's office in response to a public records request. The emails and the successful hack of Pence's email account were first reported on Thursday night by The Indianapolis Star. It's unclear from the release how often Pence used his AOL account for state business versus his state-provided email address. For months on the campaign trail, Pence accused Clinton of being dishonest and threatening US national security because she used an unsecured private email server while she was Secretary of State. A few days before the general election, on November 2, Pence said at a rally in Colorado that the "FBI has reopened the investigation in to Clinton's private email server. It's a serious matter. Now we commend the FBI in this case for following the facts because in America, no one is above the law." The Vice President's email was compromised in 2016, according to a Pence official, and emails were sent from his account saying that he was robbed on an overseas trip and he needed money. After the scam was discovered, he set up an entirely new private email account, the official told CNN. A Pence official would not comment or characterise what is in the AOL emails that were not released. Pence spokesman Marc Lotter told CNN in a statement: "Similar to previous Governors, during his time as Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence maintained a state email account and a personal email." Lotter did not explain if previous Indiana Governors also used their personal email accounts to conduct state business. Clinton's use of private email was the subject of a federal investigation that determined she had exchanged classified information on a server based out of her New York home. The FBI determined Clinton's actions were not worth prosecuting, but FBI Director James Comey in 2016 berated her actions. "He did everything to the letter of the law, he turned all his emails over, unlike Hillary Clinton, who lost at least 30,000, who knows how many more, on her private server," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. Sanders added: "He's a governor, which means he wasn't handling classified information like she was." CNN submitted a public records request to the Indiana Governor's office in September for emails between Pence, using his personal AOL email, and his top staff. The Indiana Democratic Party released a statement on Thursday calling for "full disclosure" on Pence's use of private emails. Miami, March 4 : Mexico's consulate in Miami has inaugurated a new section to enhance protections for Mexicans in the US as they face new challenges posed by the policies of President Donald Trump, a media report said . The establishment of such a section in each of the 50 Mexican consulates in the US is part of President Enrique PeAa Nieto's response to Trump's negative stance toward the Aztec nation, Consul-General Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia told Efe news on Friday. At the Miami consulate, the section will have a staff of four, three of them attorneys. The new sections are needed because the "current circumstances are different from those we had for many years," Zabalgoitia said. "It is necessary to concentrate consular work and prioritise consular protection." The diplomat said that while he was yet to see any "alarming" changes in the situation of Mexicans in South Florida, the consulate was trying to anticipate future needs and "organise the work to be more efficient." Since taking office on January 20, Trump has taken steps to fulfill his campaign promise to build a wall on the US-Mexico border to prevent the entry of "bad hombres". The new administration has also adopted a more aggressive approach to enforcement of immigration laws, which is a cause for concern among the country's estimated 11 million undocumented migrants. More than 600,000 Mexicans live in Florida, according to Zabalgoitia, who declined to estimate how many of them are undocumented. He did note, however, that more than 70,000 Mexicans in Florida entered the US as seasonal agricultural workers with H-2A visas, Efe news reported. Acknowledging an increase in the number of Mexicans deported from Florida, Zabalgoitia said he has seen no sign of raids or mass detentions targeting people from his country. So far, he said, the most visible reaction to the Trump era has been a surge in expats with US-born children coming to the consulate to register their offspring as Mexican citizens. "Warlier, I signed two birth registrations per week, while yesterday (Thursday) alone I signed 15," the consul-general said. Facing a greater threat of deportation or, in some cases, mulling the idea of returning to Mexico on their own initiative, expats are now anxious to ensure that their children also have Mexican citizenship, Zabalgoitia said. New Delhi, March 4 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appealed to the people of Manipur and Uttar Pradesh to vote in the ongoing state assembly polls. "Today (Saturday) is the first phase of the Manipur assembly polls. I appeal to voters in the seats polling today to turnout in record numbers and vote," Modi tweeted. "I appeal to all in Uttar Pradesh to join this festival of democracy and vote in large numbers," the Prime Minister said. Polling began for the first phase in 38 Manipur constituencies for the 11th state legislative assembly while for 49 seats in the sixth and penultimate phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections on Saturday morning. New York, March 4 : With the nation still in shock from the killing of an Indian engineer last week, an Indian-origin businessman was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster, South Carolina, on Thursday night. Harnish Patel had closed his shop at 11.24 p.m. and barely 10 minutes later he was shot dead outside his house, according to media reports. Patel's death comes two days after President Donald Trump had said the nation condemned as "hate and evil" the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla the previous Wednesday in Olathe, Kansas. But local officials in Lancaster said they do not believe that Patel's killing was a bias crime and that investigations are continuing, according to The Herald. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," County Sheriff Barry Faile said on Friday. Patel's store was near the sheriff's office and deputies often frequented the store. Faile said on TV that Patel was a "great family man" and a friend. The station said that Patel is survived by his wife and child in elementary school, who were at home when he was killed. In the February 22 Kansas incident in which Kuchibhotla was killed by a man screaming, "Get out of my country", Alok Madasani, who was with him at a bar, and an American, Ian Grillot, who tried to stop the shooting, were shot and injured. Adam Purinton was arrested and charged with murder. He had reportedly said that he had shot two Iranians after shooting the Indians. The hate crime has been condemned by leaders in both the US and India. In his State of the Union address to the joint session of the Congress Trump said, "Last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a Nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms." WSOCTV said that in Lancaster there was a lot of anger over the killing of Patel, who was considered an important member of the community and a kind person who treated his customers as friends and helped law enforcement. People had created an impromptu shrine outside Patel's Speed Mart store by leaving balloons and flowers in his memory, the station said. A sign on the door read, "Store closed for few days because of family emergency. Sorry for the inconvenience." A tearful customer, Nicole Jones, told the station that when someone didn't have money, Patel gave them food. "I would have no idea who would do this to him as good as he is to everybody," she said. A store employee, Keira Baskin, said that he only wanted the best for his employees and his family. On Thursday night a woman called the police and said that she heard screaming and gunshots and when sheriff's deputies arrived there they found Patel dead from apparent gunshot wounds a few feet from his house, WBTV reported. Police found two shell casings at the crime scene. A police dog could could not pick up any scent to follow from there, WSOCTV reported. Agartala, March 4 : Tripura would supply an additional 60 MW of electricity to Bangladesh, over the 100 MW of power the state is providing to that country, a minister said here on Saturday. The 100 MW electricity being supplied to the neighbouring country since March 23, 2016, is in addition to the 500 MW Bangladesh is already receiving from West Bengal. "Bangladesh has sought 100 MW electricity from India to solve its power crisis in the eastern part of the country. India's Power Ministry wanted to know whether the Tripura government is ready to provide additional 100 MW of power to Bangladesh," Tripura Power and Transport Minister Manik Dey told IANS. "Following the queries of the central government, we have at once informed the Union Power Ministry that the Tripura government was ready to supply 100 MW more electricity to Bangladesh." "However, Bangladesh has no infrastructural ability as of now to take additional 100 MW of power. Therefore, they would now take 60 MW of electricity after developing transmission facilities on their side," he added. "During my visit to Bangladesh in February last year, (Bangladesh Prime Minister) Sheikh Hasina requested us to provide additional 100 MW of electricity and I instantly agreed on the issue. I had requested her to approach the Indian government on the matter," the minister said "Though currently we are supposed to supply 100 MW of power, some times Bangladesh taking 110 MW to 115 MW of power to fulfil their requirement." A 47-km double circuit transmission line was erected, linking the power grid at Surjyamaninagar in western Tripura to the Comilla power grid in eastern Bangladesh, to supply electricity to the neighbouring country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina, along with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on March 23, 2016, launched through video-conferencing from their respective offices in New Delhi, Dhaka and Agartala, the supply of 100 MW of power. Tripura Power Minister said that to supply the additional power to the neighbouring country, officials of India and Bangladesh would meet in Dhaka during March and sign an agreement. Officials of Tripura State Electricity Corporation would also join the process. The state-owned North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), under the Union Power Ministry, commissioned the 101 MW capacity Monarchak project in western Tripura (just 10 km from the Bangladesh border). The central government-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has also commissioned its biggest 726 MW-capacity commercial power project in southern Tripura's Palatana, 60 km south of Agartala. The Rs 10,000 crore gas-based Palatana plant, which supplies power to seven of the eight northeastern states, is a hallmark of the cooperation between both countries, as Bangladesh ensures smooth passage of heavy project equipment and turbines to Palatana through its territory by road and waterways from Haldia port in West Bengal. "With the commissioning of Palatana and Monarchak power projects (both gas-based), Tripura already become a power surplus state. If we supply additional power to Bangladesh we would be able to earn extra revenue," Dey added. Meanwhile, NEEPCO Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) A.G. West Kharkongor arrived here on Friday to study the gas supply problem of the 101 MW capacity Monarchak project, commissioned by the NEEPCO, a mini-ratna company under the union power ministry. "Due to insufficient supply of gas to Monarchak power plant by the ONGC, the project has been generating much less than the installed capacity," Kharkongor "However, the gas supply problem is expected to be resolved in a month or two," he said quoting ONGC officials. The NEEPCO chief said that due to huge delay in generating full capacity power from the project, the company has already incurred a loss to the tune of Rs 218 crore so far. ONGC's executive director S.C. Soni said there are "certain technical issues" to supply gas to Monarchak power plant. "Though we are almost ready to supply required gas to NEEPCO power plant, there are some technical and other issues that are being resolved. However, all these matters would be settled soon," Soni told IANS. Meanwhile, a Bangladesh government official said here that his government has taken a determined road map to increase the generation of power to a large extent in the near future. "Our government has undertaken an ambitious plan to generate 24,000 MW power by 2021; 40,000 MW power by 2031 and 60,000 MW by 2041," a Bangladesh government official told IANS in Agartala requesting not to be named. India and Bangladesh had formed a company - Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company limited - to set up a coal-fired 1,320 MW (660X2 MW) capacity power plant at Rampal in the country's southeastern coastal area. However, some environmentalists and local people opposed against the commissioning of the Rampal project, near Sundarbans in Bangladesh. During his visit to Dhaka on June 6-7 in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed power supply from Tripura with Hasina. Modi had declared that India would eventually enhance the power supply to Bangladesh to 1,100 MW. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) Beijing, March 4 : The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, will continue exchanges with the US Congress this year to boost communication and understanding, a top official said on Saturday. "There are a lot of exchanges between the NPC and the US Congress," NPC spokeswoman Fu Ying told a press conference a day ahead of the session. Fu recalled her visit to the US late 2016 as an NPC delegation member, saying such exchanges are mutually beneficial and are conducted on an equal basis. "We should deal with the trade deficit through expanding the trade volume," the spokesperson said, noting many US lawmakers were concerned about the issue. Fu also stressed that adherence to the one-China principle is an important basis for the stable development of China-US relations. The NPC's foreign exchanges serve China's overall diplomacy and are tasked with implementing the consensus reached by state leaders, Fu said, adding that the exchanges will help boost foreign lawmakers' understanding of China. China's success of development path and its prosperity are assured by the Communist Party of China's leadership and the people's congress system, the spokesperson said. Earlier this week, Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi visited the US, where he had a brief informal meeting with Trump after meeting with several senior officials at the White House, among them National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. Mumbai, March 4 : Actor-director Rahul Bose, who has collaborated with the likes of Salim-Sulaiman and Arijit Singh for the music of his forthcoming directorial "Poorna", says he wanted "soulful" melodies for the movie. "Poorna" is a biopic about a teenager who became the youngest girl in the world to scale Mount Everest. The film had its music launch here on Friday in the presence of maestro Zakir Hussain, the chief guest for the event, which was enlivened by some performances. Rahul showcased the video of the track "Kuch parbat hilayein", and said of the music album: "I have admired Salim-Sulaiman's work for over a decade now. I wanted soulful, emotional, inspirational music for 'Poorna'. They were the perfect choice. "To have a great lyricist like Amitabh Bhattacharya on board was 'sone pe suhaga'. And just listen to Arijit... He's taken the music to another dimension with his singing. Zakir bhai composed the music for my first film, 'Everybody Says I'm Fine!', and to have him with us - I am over the moon.' Salim said: "It's been a great journey doing the music for this film. Almost as great as Poorna's. Sulaiman and I have explored different genres but with the same intent - memorable melodies that evoke great emotion combined with unforgettable lyrics." Sulaiman recounted how as composers, they were moved by the "inspirational story" of the movie, and that helped them to produce the right tunes. Arijit, who has sung two songs -- "Kuch parbat hilayein" and "Babul mora" -- in the film said: "The emotions of this film drive the songs. Singing them was pure pleasure." "Poorna", produced by Rahul Bose Productions, Raay Media Pvt Ltd and Co-produced by Amit Patni, is slated to release on March 31. Kolhapur (Maharashtra), March 4 : Thousands of people on Saturday gathered at the home of noted Dalit litterateur Krishna Kirwale, who was murdered by a carpenter over a petty financial matter. Police teams have swung into action to trace out the 30-year old accused, Pritam G. Patil, who had made some furniture at the Kirwale residence. Police said the Dalit scholar, researcher, writer and activist was murdered over dispute of Rs 25,000 at his Bindu Chowk residence in Rajendra Nagar area of this erstwhile princely city on Friday evening. Investigators said Patil had a dispute over the outstanding amount that allegedly triggered the attack and the murder. Kirwale's body was found in a pool of blood near his residence. He is survived by his wife Kalpana and daughter Anagha, a Ph.D student at the Fergusson College in Pune. His last rites are scheduled for later on Saturday at the Panchganga Ghat crematorium, his close associate Alok Jatratkar said. In view of a shutdown call issued by some organisations, the police have deployed tight security in the city and urged people to exercise restraint and remain calm. Washington, March 4 : US President Donald Trump needled House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for claiming she had never met the Russian ambassador and called for an "investigation" into her Russia "ties", after ribbing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for eating doughnuts with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The California Democrat told Politico on Friday that she had never met Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. A file photo from Pelosi's 2010 meeting with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, however, shows Kislyak at the table across from her. "I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it," Trump tweeted on Friday, flubbing the spelling of "hereby" twice before nailing it on the third try. Caroline Behringer, Pelosi's deputy communications director, said the Democratic leader's response "was clearly about private, one-on-one meetings" and added that Kislyak's presence was "incidental". "Clearly, one needs to remind that Attorney General Sessions lied under oath about a secret meeting amidst Russia's hacking of our election, which he also didn't disclose in a written questionnaire," she said. Pelosi herself suggested in a tweet that there's a big difference between her situation and that of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who came under fire this week for not disclosing two meetings he had last year with Kislyak during his confirmation hearing. "@realDonaldTrump doesn't know difference between official meeting photographed by press and closed secret meeting his AG lied about under oath," she wrote. Trump had earlier called for a swift probe into Schumer. "We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin," Trump tweeted. "A total hypocrite!" That tweet included a 2003 image of Schumer having coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New York. According to the caption, Putin was visiting the first New York gas station of Lukoil, a Russian company. Schumer shot back on Twitter that he would "happily talk" about his contact with Putin and the Russian leader's associates. It "took place in '03 in full view of press & public under oath," he said. "Would you & your team?" Beijing, March 4 : China's currency, the yuan, is experiencing two-way fluctuations, and market expectations are stable for its future trend, central bank deputy governor Pan Gongsheng said on Saturday. Pan made the remarks in Beijing before attending a panel discussion during the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, which opened on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. Speaking of market concerns over China's waning foreign exchange reserves, which are now below the closely watched $3 trillion mark, Pan said that such a mark is "meaningless" as the value of forex reserve is a "continuous variable". The country's forex reserves dipped to about $2.998 trillion in January, down from about $3.01 trillion in December 2016, representing the seventh consecutive monthly contraction, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange data showed. "China's forex reserves are more than sufficient, either by internationally accepted traditional standards or the latest standards worked out by scholars," said Pan. Yi Gang, also a central bank deputy governor, said on the same occasion that an interest-rate increase is not necessary for China for the time being. China has set the tone of its 2017 monetary policy as prudent and neutral, keeping appropriate liquidity but also avoiding excessive liquidity injections. New Delhi, March 4 : Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the new indirect tax regime, was on track and July 1 was going to be its likely date of implementation. "It (GST) looks on track. Subject to Parliament approval, it looks like the possible date of implementation of GST is July 1," Jaitley said after the 11th GST Council meet concluded here. The Council approved the central cGST (cGST) and integrated GST (iGST) draft bills on Saturday, the Finance Minister said. With the compensation draft bill having already been approved in the Council's previous meeting -- held on February 18 in Udaipur -- there are two more draft laws remaining for approval. The Union Territory GST (UTGST) and state GST (sGST) draft bills will be taken up for discussion and approval at the Council's next meeting on March 16, Jaitley told reporters at a press briefing. Chalakuddy (Kerala), March 4 : RLV Ramakrishnan, brother of late actor Kalabhavan Mani, on Saturday began a three-day fast here to protest against the fact that the police continue to grope in the dark to find out the cause of Mani's death even after a year. It was on this day last year, Mani was taken to a hospital in Kochi from his farm house near Chalakuddy and breathed his last two days later on March 6. "The scientific reports have come that two different poisonous substances were there in his body, but even as a year has passed since the probe began, the police are not able to crack the case," Ramakrishnan told the media at the protest venue. Hugely popular 45-year-old Mani, who acted in 200 films in Malayalam and other languages, had an untimely death, leaving the film industry as well as those in his hometown in Chalakuddy, shocked. A CBI probe into the death was sought soon after the new Pinarayi Vijayan-led government assumed office in May last year, but nothing has happened yet. State Congress President V.M. Sudheeran told the media that his party also supports the need for a CBI probe into Mani's death. A few of the actor's close aides who were present at his farmhouse when he collapsed, had undergone the lie-detector test earlier, but nothing has happened after that. A public meeting is to be held here on the first death anniversary of the actor. Vijayan, as well as leading names from the film industry, will be taking part. Agartala, March 4 : Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday organised a civil disobedience movement in Left-ruled Tripura, demanding a CBI probe into the murder of the party's village committee member last year. Police said that around 17,500 party members and supporters were arrested for breaking the cordon of the security forces at 62 places across the state. At least five BJP members sustained minor injuries during the scuffle with security forces. State BJP President Biplab Kumar Deb said that if the Left Front government does not recommend a CBI inquiry into the killing to the central government, the party would launch a massive non-cooperation movement. Police said that Chanmohan Tripura, a local BJP tribal leader, was murdered by a man on December 26 in Gandachara area in Tripura. Police immediately arrested the accused. Deb, along with other state party leaders, led the civil disobedience movement and was later arrested. He claimed that over 50,000 people took part in the agitation. "There is a complete breakdown of law and order in the state. Development has come to a standstill. Central funds on various projects are being misused," Deb told reporters before being arrested by the police. He said that a protest rally would also be held here on March 10 which central ministers Smriti Irani and Prakash Javadekar are likely to address. Mumbai, March 4 : Actor Ali Fazal is looking for a house in London. He says he has narrowed down a few options and will seal the deal soon. Ali, who will soon be seen in British-American movie "Victoria and Abdul", says the vibe of London is captivating. He said he realised he wanted a place in London while shooting for "Victoria and Abdul", which stars Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench in a key role. "The vibe of London as a city is captivating. It's both fast-paced and extremely rushed but still has the calmness that would attract any big city person. I spent a lot of time in the city this time having been there briefly earlier for events and shoots," Ali said in a statement. "But while I was shooting there extensively for three months I was certain I have to have a space of my own in the city. Currently narrowed down on a few options and I will go there in May to lock and set up the apartment," he added. "Victoria and Abdul", helmed by Stephen Frears, is based on a novel by Shrabani Basu. It revolves around the relationship shared by Queen Victoria and Abdul, who was a munshi in her government. It also shows his journey on how he became one of the most powerful figures in the court. The role of the queen is played by Dench and Abdul is essayed by Ali. It is slated to release on September 22. Chennai, March 4 : Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on Saturday said that talks between India and top companies in the world to introduce trains that can speed over 350 km per hour have reached an advanced stage. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, Prabhu said talks are being held with six global companies with necessary technology. Earlier addressing the Tamil Nadu State Annual Meeting and Tamil Nadu Business Leaders' Conference organised by CII on 'Decoding Tamil Nadu - The way forward', he said Railways is planning to save around Rs 41,000 crore through energy savings. Besides being committed to raise Rs 66,000 crore to meet the developmental works, Prabhu said the railways sector will earn a revenue of Rs 17,000 crore through non-traditional sources over the next decade. The ministry is working to find funds for development through joint ventures and also has drawn a business plan for 2017-18 to increase its revenues, the minister said. Huge investments are focused on ensuring safety, upgrading technology, and enhancing speed and comfort of rail users, he added. Seoul, March 4 : Protesters for and against the embattled South Korean President took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday as the anticipated Constitutional Court's verdict on whether to approve Park Geun-hye's impeachment nears. Kept apart by large police barriers, thousands of detractors and sympathisers of Park, who is at the centre of the so-called "Korean Rasputin" corruption scandal, took to the streets, with the court's decision only a week away. An estimated 16,000 police officers were deployed to keep the peace between the opposing factions, Efe news reported. Detractors gathered for the "March for a future without Park", whilst Park's supporters wore national flags and sang the national anthem as well as military songs associated with Park's father, who ruled the country from 1961 to 1979. "We came to defend our President and our country from North Korea. If we lose the battle against the others, we will be in a very dangerous situation," a supporter of Park told Efe, who said he was convinced that the election of a liberal President would lead the country to a "disastrous" unification attempt with the North. The South Korean Parliament on December 9 approved a decision to impeach Park, whom the state attorney considers an accomplice in the corruption case of Choi Soon-sil, known as the "South Korean Rasputin" due to her close relationship with the President. Choi, 60, is accused of taking advantage of her close friendship with Park to interfere in state affairs, despite not holding public office, and of conspiring to extort companies and force them to donate large sums of money to various foundations to appropriate part of the funds. New Delhi, March 4 : Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has raised concerns about the stringent short term visa law of Canada which has adversely impacted services trade from India. "Sitharaman raised the issue of reforms in the Temporary Foreign Workers Programme (TWFP) which has been made more stringent by Canada and which adversely impacts the services trade from India," the Commerce Ministry said in a statement here on Saturday. A bilateral meeting was held on Friday in the national capital between Canadian Minister of International Trade FranAois-Philippe Champagne and Sitharaman. Emphasising on the importance of the ease of movement for intra-company transferees on short term visa for filling in certain crucial and specialised activities, Sitharaman said: "Indian companies who have made investments in Canada are finding it difficult to source key employees from the country." Assuring steps to facilitate the ease of movement for professionals into Canada, Champagne described the recent initiative under the Global Skill Strategy Programme wherein the visa application for high skilled technicians, professors, researchers etc. will be disposed off within two weeks' time. "For professionals visiting for less than a year, a fast track process is being set up which will be similar to a concierge service. This will be extended to companies invested in Canada on a priority basis," Champagne said. Both the ministers agreed that the present trade which is in the range of $8 billion is much below its potential and there is a need to conclude Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in a time bound manner for ensuring higher levels of trade in goods and services. The discussion focussed on expanding bilateral trade and investment between the two countries. Both sides agreed to expedite the conclusion of Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) and CEPA. Champagne pointed out the interest shown by Canadian Pension Funds in the Indian market and emphasised on the need for FIPA which will provide the required predictability and protection to investments. Both the ministers also discussed the potential benefit of business to business interface and, therefore, the importance of CEO Forum to provide the required perspective for improvement in bilateral trade and investment. While the Indian side of the CEO Forum has been reconstituted, the Canadian side will have to reconstitute the Forum. It was agreed by the Trade Minister of Canada to reconstitute the CEO Forum by the end of March. Both the ministers agreed on ensuring that the business leaders from both sides should meet at the earliest and provide key inputs for furthering the bilateral relationship. Washington, March 4 : US President Donald Trump has accused Barack Obama of "wiretapping" his offices before the presidential election in November last year, claiming the former President had overseen a "Nixon/Watergate"-style intervention. Launching a series of tweets on Saturday, Trump said: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" He also called Obama a "bad, or sick, guy". "Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wiretapping" a race for President prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!" he added in subsequent tweets. "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!" The President then compared the alleged surveillance of his communications to Watergate -- the scandal in the early 1970s that brought down Republican President Richard Nixon after he ordered a break-in of the Democrats' Washington headquarters. However, Trump did not immediately provide evidence that Obama was responsible for surveillance on his property, the Hill newspaper reported. Moments earlier, Trump had also linked Obama to Attorney General Jeff Sessions's meetings last year with Russia's ambassador to Washington. "The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs," he tweeted. Sessions on Thursday said he would recuse himself from any investigations into Russia's links to Trump's team, after massive outrage over the revelations that he met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice during the campaign, then denied doing so during his confirmation hearings. Trump also blasted Obama for meeting Kislyak 22 times and tweeted: "Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone." Trump's team has sought to push back on accusations of ties with Russia by pointing out instances of Democrats meeting Kislyak, according to the report. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was ousted last month after revelations that he misled top White House officials about the nature of his conversations with Kislyak. Kolkata, March 4 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday termed as shocking the central government's decision to link Aaadhaar card with the midday meals programme in schools. "Now even infants (0-5 years) will need Aadhar cards? Aadhaar card for mid-day meals and ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme)? Shocking! 100 Days' Work also not spared," she tweeted. The Human Resources Development Ministry earlier this week came up with a notification making it mandatory for students to have an Aadhaar number for getting their midday meals. The cook-cum-helpers engaged in preparing the meals for the scheme would also now be required to have Aadhaar cards. Excepting Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalya and Assam, all other states and union territories would have to adhere to the new rule. However, those not yet enrolled in the Aadhaar scheme have been given time till June 30. Protesting against the decision, Banerjee said in another tweet: "Instead of helping the poorest of the poor, the downtrodden and our favourite children, why are their rights being snatched away?" She also alleged that individuals were losing their privacy because of Aadhaar. "In the name of Aadhaar, privacy is being lost and there is extortion. Why is this Govt so negative? As a nation, we must condemn this," she added. Lucknow, March 4 : Hundreds of thousands of voters came out to cast their ballots in the penultimate phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on Saturday, with around 57 per cent turnout recorded. However, officials said that the percentage could go up as those waiting in line at the formal end of polling at 5 p.m. would be allowed to cast their vote. The electorate in the phase, covering 49 constituencies in seven eastern districts of the state, comprised 1.72 crore people, while there were 635 candidates including 175 Independents in the fray. The turnout, marginally lower than that seen in the first five phases, was however higher than the 55.04 percent recorded in the last polls in 2012. According to officials, 58.67 per cent polling was logged in Kushinagar, 58 per cent in Azamgarh and Gorakhpur while in Ballia, 57.27 per cent voters exercised their franchise. With Saturday's polling, elections to 363 constituencies of the sprawling state's total 403 has come to an end. Prominent candidates in the fray in Saturday's round included Swami Prasad Maurya, who had last year switched from the Bahujan Samaj Party to the Bharatiya Janata Party, and former BJP state chief Surya Pratap Shahi. While Maurya is contesting from Padrauna, Shahi was fighting from Pathardeva. Voting in Azamgarh, the Lok Sabha constituency of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, picked up considerably after recording the lowest turnout in the first few hours. Mulayam Singh did not campaign in his constituency following a fallout with his son Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who replaced him as the party President. Mau, where mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was fielded by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), reported steady polling through the day. A minor scuffle was reported from the Sadar area in Mau where police had to resort to a baton-charge. This phase of polls has around 20 percent of candidates with criminal record, with 109, or around 17 percent having serious criminal charges like murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women according to Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Party wise, 18 out of 45 candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 24 out of 49 candidates from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), 5 out of 36 candidates from Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), 15 out of 40 candidates from Samajwadi Party (SP), three of 10 candidates from Congress, and 22 out of 175 Independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits as per ADR data. Meanwhile, Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency and is set to vote in the last phase of polls on March 8, saw road shows being conducted by Modi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and ally Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, and also a rally by BSP supremo Mayawati. New Delhi, March 4 : The Indian consulate in US' Atlanta has deputed an official to meet the family of Harnish Patel, an Indian-origin businessman who was shot dead in South Carolina, it was learnt on Saturday. "CGI Atlanta is in touch with the family. It is deputing a consular official to meet the family and offer condolences and any required assistance," a source here said. The mission, it is learnt, is also in touch with the local community organisation of expatriate Indians, including those from Gujarat. Patel, 43, had closed his shop at 11.24 p.m. on Thursday and barely 10 minutes later was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster, South Carolina. Patel's death comes two days after President Donald Trump had said the nation condemned as "hate and evil" the killing of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was shot dead in a pub the previous Wednesday in Olathe, Kansas, by a white man who screamed, "Get out of my country". According to the source here, the County Sheriff has pointed out that Patel's killing may not be a hate crime. "Local authorities are investigating. We will remain in touch with them," the source said. Lucknow, March 4 : A non-bailable warrant (NBW) has been issued against Uttar Pradesh's Transport Minister Gayatri Prajapati, who is the prime accused in a gang rape case and is absconding for the past few days. Police said that non-bailable warrants have also been issued against six other accused in connection with the same case. Raids have been conducted at various places, including a factory manufacturing incense sticks in Kanpur, to try and locate the minister. A lookout notice has also been issued against Prajapati to ensure that he does not fly out of India to escape the law, an official told IANS. Vigil has been stepped up on the porous Indo-Nepal border, which police apprehend could be used by the minister to give them the slip. Prajapati is contesting the ongoing state assembly elections on the Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders have been attacking Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on the issue and alleging that the free run of the minister was an example of 'jungle raj' in the state. BJP's state President Keshav Prasad Maurya had on Friday alleged that the Chief Minister was giving shelter to the tainted minister. Retorting to the accusations, Yadav had asked media persons to come with cameras to see if Prajapati was holed up in his residence, as alleged by the opposition. He had also urged the minister to surrender. This, opposition said, showed how patronising Akhilesh Yadav was towards the minister, also a close associate of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. "The fact that the Chief Minister cannot even get a rape accused arrested shows how weak and helpless the state government is," said BJP state General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak. While the Congress and SP leaders are publicly not saying anything on the Gayatri Prajapati episode, they admit in private that the issue has snowballed into a major embarrassment for them in the middle of a crucial election. "We can't say this in public, but the whole issue, especially after the Supreme Court ordered lodging of an FIR against Prajapati, has put us in a tight spot," a senior Congress leader told IANS. Prajapati is also accused of patronising the illegal mining mafia when he was the mining minister and a probe has been ordered by the Allahabad High Court in this matter. New Delhi, March 4 : The Congress on Saturday demanded that the Election Commission take action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders for allegedly not taking permission from the authorities to conduct a road show in Varanasi. The complaint was submitted to the poll panel by Congress' Legal Cell Secretary K. C. Mittal. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted road show in Varanasi from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for about 7 km without the necessary permission from the competent authority," read the complaint. "During his road show, he also went to Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Kaal Bhairo Temple without any requisite permission for conducting the road show from the competent authority of the Election Commission," it added. The complaint also said: "The entire video recording of the road show has been shown by various channels and the election authorities must also have recorded the same. It is requested that action may be taken and FIR registered against all the BJP leaders including Narendra Modi who were part of the road show." Deputy Election Commissioner Vijay Dev said: "We have just received the complaint. We are going to ascertain the facts." New Delhi, March 4 : Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday inaugurated three night shelters for the city's homeless in different parts of the national capital. The night shelters, built by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), are located at Ghazipur and Yamuna Pushta areas in east Delhi and Rohini Sector 22 in the north. While the Ghazipur shelter can accommodate 160 persons, the Rohini and Yamuna Pushta shelters have capacities of 200 and 100 persons respectively, a government statement said. The Delhi government also announced two shelter homes to be built in Geeta Colony of east Delhi and Dwarka in west Delhi. During the inauguration ceremony at Ghazipur shelter, Jain, who also holds the Transport portfolio, announced free travel in DTC buses for senior citizens. "The DTC monthly pass costs Rs 1,000, but soon we are going to reduce it to Rs 250 per month for all women," Jain said. Washington, March 5 : US President Donald Trump's accusation that his predecessor Barack Obama had his "wires tapped" in Trump Tower before Election Day is "simply false", Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said on Saturday. "A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice," Xinhua news agency quoted Lewis as saying in a statement. "As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false," said Lewis. Trump claimed in a tweet storm on Saturday morning that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower before his election victory, but offered no evidence. Trump said: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" He also called Obama a "bad, or sick, guy". "Is it legal for a sitting President to be 'wiretapping' a race for President prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!" Trump added in subsequent tweets. "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!" The President then compared the alleged surveillance of his communications to Watergate -- the scandal in the early 1970s that brought down Republican President Richard Nixon after he ordered a break-in of the Democrats' Washington headquarters. However, Trump did not immediately provide evidence that Obama was responsible for surveillance on his property, the Hill newspaper reported. Moments earlier, Trump had also linked Obama to Attorney General Jeff Sessions's meetings last year with Russia's ambassador to Washington. "The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education programme for 100 Ambs," he tweeted. Sessions on Thursday said he would recuse himself from any investigations into Russia's links to Trump's team, after massive outrage over the revelations that he met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice during the campaign, then denied doing so during his confirmation hearings. Trump also blasted Obama for meeting Kislyak 22 times and tweeted: "Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone." Trump's team has sought to push back on accusations of ties with Russia by pointing out instances of Democrats meeting Kislyak, according to the report. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was ousted last month after revelations that he misled top White House officials about the nature of his conversations with Kislyak. Top-Rated Alpharetta Security Company We really work hard to give each client exactly what theyre looking for. Callaway Security, an Alpharetta-based home and business security provider, has been honored by the Forsyth County News as a recipient of a Best of Forsyth award. The security company was named Best Home Security Service in the area after votes were tabulated from thousands of local residents and customers. The Forsyth County News publishes the list of award winners annually in categories ranging from Best Restaurant to Best Law Firm to Best Park. In 2016, over 141,000 local residents voted towards the winners, and the publication says the annual awards are meant to serve as a guide for the community. The winners will be honored on January 25, 2017, in the first-ever Best of Forsyth Awards: The Event at the Forsyth Conference Center. Were really excited about this award, explains owner, Robert Simpson. It means a lot to us because its not just an industry award given out by our peers, its voted on by real customers whove had great encounters with our business. That means something to us. Callaway Security specializes in providing trustworthy, personalized service to its customers and is 5 Diamond Certified by the industry-leading Central Station Alarm Association. Explains Simpson, We really work hard to give each client exactly what theyre looking for. A daycare center doesnt need the same kind of equipment or monitoring as a single family home, and we understand that. In addition to being fully licensed and insured, the family-owned business has also been approved by Underwriters Laboratories, the nations top safety consulting company. Over the course of 24 years in business, Callaway Security has become a standout among local Atlanta security companies. On top of providing wireless alarm systems and fire monitoring, Callaways technicians can also handle complex home automation systems and home theater installs. The company specializes in comprehensive monitoring that includes elements such as cameras, motion detectors, and glass-break detectors. We didnt stay in business this long just following the status quo, says Simpson. People really appreciate how well we take care of them, and this award just proves that. Callaway Security is a family-owned security provider in the greater Atlanta, GA, region. As one of the most trusted names in home monitoring and business security in the area, the company strives to innovate while providing customers with affordable, dependable security solutions. For more information on Callaway Security or details on the Best of Forsyth Magazine award contact (770) 395-9692 or visit http://www.CallawaySecurity.com. Submitted by ClickReady Marketing of Atlanta. Holiday greeting cards, designed by soldiers wounded during combat, in honor of March 8 (International Womens Day), will be purchased by Yerevans Medical University and a flower seller in Yerevan. Several state agencies have also expressed an interest in purchasing the greeting cards. Students at the Panos Termlemezian State Art College have assisted the soldiers with the design and art work. Yesterday, eleven soldiers visited the college and worked on the cards with the help of students. Haykouhie Minasyan, who launched the initiative, says: The aim is for the cards to have been touched by a soldiers hand. It can just be a line or in the form of an embellishment. The professional team of students will then create visuals based on the soldiers work. Davit Sargsyan, one of the soldiers, created his first card yesterday with the team of students. Hayk Torosyan sculpted a statuette of a man giving flowers to a woman. He says hell present it to his mother or sister since he doesnt have a sweetheart as yet. The soldiers participating in the project joked that they never could have imagined creating cards as adults. This initiative is part of the Assistance to the Military Disabled and Soldiers project. The idea of organizing the sale of the cards belongs to Yerevan Medical University Rector Armen Mouradyan. He believes that all the cards produced will be sold. Haykouhie Minasyan says they can produce 1,000 cards by March 8 and that theyll sell for 5,000 AMD apiece. Proceeds will go to the Rehabilitative Center for the Military Disabled. Developing emotional intelligence can improve a persons mental state and protect against depression and anxiety. Emotional intelligence is about developing a better relationship not just with others, but with ourselves as well. Imagine visiting a therapist for depression, only to be told that the key to overcoming it is to develop better self-esteem. Or consulting a professional for help with anxiety, and then be given tips on how to be more assertive. It may sound unorthodox, but research from Queendom.com and PsychTests.com indicates that these traits, along with eight other competencies related to emotional intelligence, may act as protective factors against mental health problems. Analyzing data from 2,300 people who took their Emotional Intelligence Test, researchers at Queendom compared people who are currently being treated for depression or anxiety to those whose psychological health is in good shape. Here are the areas where they differ: SELF-ESTEEM Score for depressed group: 51 Score for non-depressed group: 72 Score for anxious group: 55 Score for non-anxious group: 72 Individuals with good mental health recognize their worth. They treat themselves with self-respect, which in turn encourages others to follow suit. Rather than dwelling on their failures and their mistakes, people with high self-esteem continuously strive toward growth and self-improvement. POSITIVE MINDSET Score for depressed group: 50 Score for non-depressed group: 71 Score for anxious group: 52 Score for non-anxious group: 71 The world can seem much more frightening and daunting when individuals focus on the negative. Mentally healthy individuals prefer to keep their mind focused on hope and possibility. They look for the good in every situation and choose to believe that challenges can be overcome and that life can improve for the better. SELF-MOTIVATION Score for depressed group: 52 Score for non-depressed group: 69 Score for anxious group: 53 Score for non-anxious group: 69 Although factors like money, an eminent job title or admiration can be very motivating, the boosting effect of extrinsic sources of motivation is limited. Individuals who enjoy good mental health also tend to be intrinsically motivated. Pride, a sense of purpose, and the love for a challenge are enough to spur them into action. RESILIENCE Score for depressed group: 59 Score for non-depressed group: 76 Score for anxious group: 60 Score for non-anxious group: 77 Although adversity and tragedy may temporarily sidetrack them, individuals in good mental health refuse to give up. Rather than fight against the current of life, they accept that there will be ups and downs. Mentally healthy people face troubles head-on and will either seek out a solution or simply ride out the storm. EMOTIONAL REGULATION Score for depressed group: 47 Score for non-depressed group: 63 Score for anxious group: 47 Score for non-anxious group: 63 The idea that emotions are unhealthy has resulted in the ill-advised practice of ignoring or repressing negative feelings. This can contribute to significant physical and psychological repercussions, including high blood pressure, cancer, digestive problems, depression, and anxiety. Mentally healthy individuals release their emotions in an appropriate manner by acknowledging and tactfully expressing what they feel. COPING SKILLS Score for depressed group: 57 Score for non-depressed group: 74 Score for anxious group: 60 Score for non-anxious group: 74 The type of stressor a person is dealing with is not as significant as the technique he or she uses to cope. Although comfort food or distraction might offer temporary benefits, they dont directly deal with the issue at hand. Mentally healthy people use proactive methods to cope with stress, whether its seeking out information to help with their problem, turning to others for social support, or practicing mindfulness techniques. ADAPTABILITY Score for depressed group: 47 Score for non-depressed group: 63 Score for anxious group: 47 Score for non-anxious group: 64 Mentally healthy individuals adapt quickly to change and ambiguity. They understand that change is a part of life and that in order to grow, they need to let go of old and potentially unhealthy patterns of thinking, behaving, and processing emotions. They also recognize that fearing the future is a waste of time and energy as nothing is set in stone. Depressed individuals in particular may linger in their melancholic state simply because its familiar and familiarity offers stability and comfort. ASSERTIVENESS Score for depressed group: 44 Score for non-depressed group: 59 Score for anxious group: 49 Score for non-anxious group: 59 There is a fine line between being assertive and being aggressive, and mentally healthy individuals know how to walk that line. They tactfully but firmly express their needs, especially when the actions of others are impinging on them. They set personal boundaries and are willing to say no to others when they feel it is necessary. SELF-AWARENESS Score for depressed group: 58 Score for non-depressed group: 70 Score for anxious group: 60 Score for non-anxious group: 70 Mentally healthy individuals recognize and accept their strengths as well as their failings. Most importantly, they use this self-knowledge to plan their life accordingly. Consciously acknowledging their feelings and desires allows them to make well-informed decisions. In addition, the self-awareness that comes with simply being present in the moment can be cathartic, which may dissipate stress and anxiety. Your psychological state is inextricably linked with the type of thoughts you think and the constant wave of emotions that flow through you, explains Dr. Jerabek, president of PsychTests, the parent company of Queendom. This means that if youre relentlessly worrying about the future, focusing only on your mistakes, or putting yourself down and/or allowing others to, it will take a toll on your mental health. High baseline anxiety or sadness makes it easier to slip into full-blown panic or depression when the right trigger comes along. Our research has also shown that depressed and anxious individuals are more likely to engage in excessive rumination, which can in turn exacerbate their negative states. Theres a reason why emotional intelligence is linked to personal and professional success. By working on their emotional intelligence, individuals who are struggling with mental health issues will find themselves better-equipped to handle the challenges life deals to them. They will be able to regulate their emotions better, cope with stress more easily, gain a better perspective on a challenging situation, and see hardship as a lesson learned rather than as a catastrophe. Emotional intelligence is about developing a better relationship not just with others, but with ourselves as well. Want to assess your emotional IQ? Go to http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=3978 Professional users of this test can see a sample of the Multidimensional Emotional Intelligence Quotient test report: MEIQ HR (Multidimensional Emotional Intelligence Quotient Human Resources Version) Request a free demo of this test and any other assessments from ARCH Profiles extensive battery: http://hrtests.archprofile.com/testdrive_gen_1 To learn more about psychological testing, download this free eBook: Spotting Diamonds in the Rough. (http://hrtests.archprofile.com/personality-tests-in-hr) About Queendom.com Queendom.com is a subsidiary of PsychTests AIM Inc. Queendom.com is a site that creates an interactive venue for self-exploration with a healthy dose of fun. The site offers a full range of professional-quality, scientifically validated psychological assessments that empower people to grow and reach their real potential through insightful feedback and detailed, custom-tailored analysis. About PsychTests AIM Inc. PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts (see ARCHProfile.com). The companys research division, Plumeus Inc., is supported in part by Research and Development Tax Credit awarded by Industry Canada. Local Space Logo Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, said: I am very proud of Local Spaces success which we established in 2006 and has seen thousands of homeless families provided with a home". Local Space, a registered social housing provider now in its 11th year, has retained its high credit rating despite sector wide downgrades in recent times. Local Space was established in 2006. It owns a portfolio of circa 1,900 units. Last year it began to implement its growth strategy of delivering another 800 properties, to be completed by 2020, in East London and Essex. Local Space specialises in providing temporary housing in the East London area, supported by guarantees from Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest Councils. It also provides key worker accommodation. Due to the unique arrangements, it has some of the top operating margins in the sector and ranks in the top quartile of housing associations in terms of financial performance. The credit rating report states In our view, Local Space continues to benefit from very strong enterprise and financial profiles, underpinned by a stable profitability margin that is larger than peers. The stable outlook reflects our opinion that Local Space will continue to benefit from revenue growth through long-term leasing agreements, mitigating higher leverage induced by its development plan over the next four years (2017-2020). Jitinder Takhar, Local Spaces Chief Executive, said: We are very proud that in these uncertain, post EU Referendum times, we have continued to hold our position in receiving this top recognition from S&P. We are a unique housing association operating in a particular market. Understanding our clients needs, meeting those requirements well and our partnering approach has resulted in a sector leading financial performance. Our success in showing continued financial strength demonstrates that value creation is possible in smaller organisations and that there are other social housing delivery models that can also work well. Joel Inbakumar, Local Spaces Finance Director, said: We are delighted to have our AA- credit rating reaffirmed by S&P. Our strategy of delivering growth through partnerships with local authorities that give rent guarantees is a unique model within the sector. The rating reflects the low industry risk under which Local Space operates along with its very strong economic fundamentals. The credit rating will help us obtain funding from capital markets at competitive rates and terms that will in turn help us deliver much needed housing for homeless people in Newham. Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, said: I am very proud of Local Spaces success which we established in 2006 and has seen thousands of homeless families provided with a home. The impact of Londons housing crisis means we need to be innovative in the provision of affordable homes and Local Space offers a significant solution to this problem. The reaffirmation of the top credit rating demonstrates this unique way of delivering more affordable homes works and this is why last year we approved the Growth Strategy which will see the expansion of Local Space by a further 800 properties. By working together, solid foundations have been established, with a significant portfolio of properties and a top credit rating, on which Local Space can continue to build. For more information please contact: Joel Inbakumar Finance Director Local Space Ltd Tel: 0208 221 4000 Email: joeli(at)localspace.co.uk Website: http://www.localspace.co.uk A historic apology will be offered at The Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney Statue in front of the Maryland Capitol Building by descendants of Roger Brooke Taney to the Dred Scott family and to the African American community PURPOSE: TO JOIN IN THE STATEWIDE CALL TO MOVE THE ROGER BROOKE TANEY STATUE. Members of Maryland State Assembly have begun discussions around removing The Roger Brooke Statue from The State Capitol grounds. Similar efforts have taken place with City Council members in Baltimore and Frederick, MD. The Roger Brooke Taney and Dred Scott family members see this as an opportunity to express their support in the erection of two additional statutes of Dred Scott and Frederick Douglas to stand in a position of dialogue with Roger Brooke Taney, along with an educational display on the Dred Scott decision and its aftermath. And, they will help raise the funds for the Dred Scott statue. The Scotts and Taneys believe that Americans should learn "om their history not bury their history. DESCENDANTS OF DRED SCOTT AND ROGER BROOKE TANEY TO HOST JOINT EVENT AND RECONCILIATION On the morning of March 6th, at 8:30 AM, a reading of A Man of His Time a play written by New York actress, Kate Taney Billingsly will be performed at Calvary United Methodist Church ~ 301 Rowe Boulevard, Annapolis, MD 21401. Breakfast will also be served. Cost is $10 and open to the public. The reconciliation ceremony, at the statue outside the Maryland State House, will follow at around 11:30 AM. Additional Information The descendants of Dred Scott and Roger Brooke Taney were brought together by a work of art. In May, 2016, the renowned Actors Studio in New York City produced the premier of A Man of His Time, a one act play centered on an emotional meeting of the descendants of Scott and Taney set in todays time. The playwright is Kate Taney Billingsley, an actor and member of the Actors Studio. The Actors Studio invited Lynne Jackson, the great-great-granddaughter of Dred Scott and Charlie Taney, the great-great-great nephew of Roger Brooke Taney to come to New York to participate in a talk-back session with the audience after the play. Jackson lives in Missouri, Taney in Connecticut. After meeting in New York, Lynne Jackson and Charlie Taney formed a working relationship. Jackson says; "Only Divine Providence could have set up the Scott and Taney descendants first meeting around an amazing play written by a Taney about Scott and Taney descendants meeting for the first time! I had hoped to meet and draw them out over time to build a relationship through the Foundation's work and they actually contacted me. It was a highlight for me personally and for the Foundation's 10th anniversary." Jackson is the founder and president of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation in St. Louis and was working on a strategic plan for her foundation. Taney consults with non-profits and offered to work pro bono with Jackson on this project. After successfully completing the strategic plan, Jackson invited Taney to Dred Scott Presents Sons & Daughters of Reconciliation, a December 2016 conference in St. Louis hosted by the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation. At this event the Taney and Scott families participated in a public reconciliation. Taney recognized the harm caused to African Americans by the infamous Dred Scott decision authored by Roger Brooke Taney, and formally apologized for the Taney family to the Scott family. In turn, the Scott family formally forgave the Taney family. The result is a new foundation of trust, and a commitment to work together on the reconciliation of black and white America. Charlie Taney says, Working with Lynne Jackson and the Scott family on reconciliation has been an important and deeply moving experience. As President Obama said in his remarks at Reverend Clementa Pickneys funeral after the 2015 Charleston massacre, Justice grows out of our recognition of each other. This public reconciliation between these two families, yoked together by history, is a further attempt at achieving justice through mutual recognition and reconciliation. It is truly an honor to be recognized by the Axiom Business Book Awards, as they are designed to celebrate excellence in business book writing. Jenkins Group recently announced the winners of the tenth annual Axiom Business Book Awards, honoring the best business books published during the past year. The medal-winning books epitomize the Axiom Award motto, "Success through Knowledge," by offering the latest information to help business people succeed in a fast-changing world. The medalists in this prestigious and competitive contest will serve as the premier list of new and innovative works. In the Business Ethics category, the bronze Award goes to Dr. Mehrad Nazaris book Enlightened Negotiation: 8 Universal Laws to Connect, Create, and Prosper. According to Publishers Weekly, In this informative and illuminating book, Dr. Nazari, combines his areas of expertise to look at the many ways people negotiate, consciously and unconsciously, in everyday life. To show how to become more successful in reaching common ground, he shares personal stories that demonstrate "enlightened negotiation," which considers ethical and spiritual principles as well as business success. He identifies eight "laws" of enlightened negotiation, each bringing its own challenges and rewards. Standing out in a crowded field of books on improving negotiation skills, Nazari's explanation of his uniquely soulful and mutually beneficial approach offers a way of reaching consensus while promoting reciprocal and self-affirming respect. In his own words, Human beings have an innate desire to connect, create and prosper. There are certain natural universal laws that support this notion of connection, creation and prosperity. Enlightened Negotiation is an explanation and exploration of these laws. Dr. Mehrad Nazari, is passionate to share the essence of Enlightened Negotiation with conscious leaders and entrepreneurs. His diverse and unique background makes him most qualified to present this integrated approach. Three decades as an award-winning business leader, two decades as an acclaimed professor of business negotiation, and two decades of being a recognized luminary in the field of human potential through yoga and meditation. Dr. Nazari earned his MBA and was awarded his PhD in Leadership and Human Behavior. As a presenter on negotiation and spirituality, Dr. Nazari regularly runs workshops and lectures at Fortune 100 companies such as Sony, eBay and Brookfield. As a keynote and speaker, he has presented at the Social Venture Network conference, the Green Spa Network Congress and IDEA Health and Fitness convention. He is on the faculty at the renowned Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California and the legendary wellness resort, Rancho La Puerta in Mexico. He has lectured at UC Berkeley, the Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, the University of California, San Diego, the Alliant International University in San Diego, National Conflict Resolution and the San Diego County Bar Association. Dr. Nazari says of receiving the award, It is truly an honor to be recognized by the Axiom Business Book Awards, as they are designed to celebrate excellence in business book writing. Axiom recognizes the innovative, intelligent, and creative aspects of new business books that make us think, see, and work differently every day. Business people are always looking for new ideas and solutions to their problems, and Enlightened Negotiation fills this niche with its informative and innovative approach to finding solutions. Dr. Nazari can be contacted through http://www.EnlightenedNegotiation.com His email address is DrNazari(at)EnlightenedNegotiation(dot)com You can call his office on +1 858 459 4590 Customs of CambodiaZhou Daguan translated by Solang and Beling Uk Surprisingly, the best guide to Angkor may be a 700-year-old Chinese traveler whose newly translated notes reveal myriad travel tips that remain unchanged through the centuries. Hidden in the jungles of Cambodia, Angkor was the wealthy capital of the Khmer Empire when it dominated Southeast Asia from the 8th to the 13th centuries. Today, hundreds of ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples still attract adventurous pilgrims seeking to rediscover the secrets of this lost kingdom. Surprisingly, the best and most unlikely guide may be a 700-year-old Chinese traveler whose notes reveal myriad travel tips and observations that remain unchanged through the centuries. Our story began in 1296 AD when adventurer Zhou Daguan spent a year in Angkor as part of a diplomatic mission sent by Chinese Emperor Temur Khan. Zhou diligently recorded intriguingsometimes bizarreaspects of the countrys complex society and royal court, with subtle details of the kingdoms customs, religion, flora and fauna. For example, the opening of his account of a royal procession: During my stay of over a year, I have seen this king go out four or five times. Every time he goes out, there are horse-mounted troops in front, and flag carriers, drummers and musicians at the rear. There are three to five hundred palace women wearing floral patterned dresses, with flowers inserted in their hair buns, and they carry huge candles and form their own group. The candles are lit even in bright daylight. Zhou carefully divided his records into forty topics as follows: The City Perimeter; Palace and Housing; Clothing and Jewelry; Officials; The Three Religions; The People; Women Giving Birth; Maidens; Slaves; Language; Wild Men; Writing; New Year and Calendar Order; Disputes and Litigation; Illnesses and Skin Diseases; Death; Cultivation; Mountains and Rivers; Produce; Trade; Desirable Chinese Goods; Plants and Trees; Flying Birds; Walking Animals; Vegetables; Fish and Dragons; Fermenting Alcohol; Salt, Vinegar, Soy Paste and Qu; Silkworms and Mulberry Trees; Utensils; Carts and Palanquins; Boats and Oars; Provinces; Villages; Collecting Gall Bladders; An Extraordinary Story; Bathing; Immigration; The Army; and finally The Kings Movements Out and Into the Palace. A little more than a century after his visit the empire collapsed for unknown reasons that scholars still debate. Today, Zhous words are the only surviving eyewitness account of Cambodian life at its dazzling peak in the final years of the mysterious 13th century. Fast forward to the 21st century when retired Cambodian scientist Solang Uk and his Chinese-born micro-biologist wife Beling began a multi-year project translating one of the earliest copies of Zhous account into English. With a personal knowledge of Chinese and Cambodian culture, language and geography, their new translation clarifies hundreds of puzzles relating to each of Zhous forty topics that had previously been unresolved for centuries. Their project achieved perfection when renowned author and mathematician Amir D. Aczel agreed to contribute a foreword to their book. Like the translators, Aczel also followed the ancient travelers footsteps pursuing his lifetime goal of discovering who invented the abstract concept of zero. Aczel found his answer in Cambodia, as revealed in his best-selling book Finding Zero. Their new edition of Customs of CambodiaZhou Daguan from DatAsia Press is now available. It includes more than 100 full-color illustrations and fascinating annotations relevant for all modern visitors to Cambodia. For the first time, unidentified places, titles, plants, animals and other details come to life, giving readers the most accurate vision of the ancient Khmer Empire through the ancient eyes of Zhou Daguan. DatAsia Press specializes in publishing exceptional fiction and non-fiction books relating to the history, art, literature and culture of Southeast AsiaCambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. DatAsia books are available online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble for worldwide delivery. The American Insurance Association (AIA) will speak before the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) about the adverse effects of the Florida Supreme Courts Castellanos decision and the U.S.-EU Covered Agreement at the NCOIL 2017 Spring Meeting, which is being held March 3-5, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ron Jackson, AIA vice president for state affairs, southeast region, will address the Workers Compensation Insurance Committee meeting on March 4. His comments will focus on the recent adverse Florida Supreme Court decision in Castellanos v. Next Door Company striking down the statutory attorney fee schedule, and the ongoing effort to address it. The result of the case led to a 14.5% rate increase in Florida by NCCI. Prior to the Supreme Courts decision in Castellanos, Florida had a competitive and well-functioning market, said Jackson. This decision threatens to derail the progress made since the 2003 reforms were enacted. AIA looks forward to discussing with legislators the negative effects of this decision and the solutions were advocating for along with the business community. Also on March 4, the Property-Casualty Insurance Committee is scheduled to discuss big data and autonomous vehicles. AIA will express our view that while the effort to address important data needs related to autonomous vehicles may be well intentioned, consideration of a model law is premature and may be counterproductive at this time. Finally, the State-Federal Relations and International Insurance Issues Committees will hold a joint meeting on March 5 to discuss the U.S.-EU Covered Agreement. We look forward to using this forum to express our belief that the Agreement was an affirmation of the U.S. state-based regulatory system and essential for maintaining U.S. competitiveness in the European Union, said Jackson. Father Luke Mulayinkal, who oversees the Salesian missionaries work at Korr, has reported that as the days go by and the heat intensifies, people are becoming sick and smaller animals have begun to die. Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco, has launched an emergency fundraising effort to support missionaries assisting people affected by severe drought in Kenya. The government of Kenya has declared the countrys devastating drought a national disaster, with an estimated 2.7 million people in urgent need of food aid as a result of lack of rain and a worsening water shortage. Salesian missionaries with the Don Bosco Mission in Korrlocated in the north central region of Kenya have already begun providing food relief with the limited means available. Right now, missionaries are providing milk, maize flour, wheat flour, oil and salt, which must be brought in from the community of Isiolo more than 142 miles away from Korr. Salesian missionaries are also providing access to clean, safe water from boreholes that have been dug. With food and water supplies running out, Salesian missionaries must rely on donations and financial support to assist with this crisis. Father Luke Mulayinkal, who oversees the Salesian missionaries work at Korr, has reported that as the days go by and the heat intensifies, people are becoming sick and smaller animals have begun to die. The value of farm animals has dropped so much that selling them for money to buy food is no longer a viable option. The situation of the local people is becoming more and more critical. Fr. Mulayinkal has noted that other humanitarian organizations are reluctant to come into the country to provide aid because Kenya is considered to be a developing nation and it is therefore felt that the government has the resources to deal with the drought. As Fr. Mulayinkal notes, it is the poorest of people who are suffering the most. Although not far into 2017, we are already seeing the effects of the continued drought in our community, says Fr. Mulayinkal. There has been no rain at Korr and many areas of Kenya are in need of food and water. At Korr, many children are suffering from vomiting and diarrhea due to the heat, and our medical clinic is working day and night serving the sick and the needy. The Don Bosco Mission Korr in Kenya provides services to nomadic populations in the surrounding community and within Kakuma refugee camp. The camp was established in 1992 near the border with South Sudan as a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing civil war. Operated by UNHCR, with assistance from Salesian missionaries and several other humanitarian organizations, the camp offers refugees safety, security and life-saving services such as housing, healthcare, clean water and sanitation. Within the surrounding community of Korr, Salesian missionaries provide five outreach locations, a medical clinic, a nursery and primary school, boarding for boys and girls, a youth center and a Catholic parish. They continue to provide these services even as they are challenged by severe food and water insecurity brought on by the drought. Kenyas longest watercourse, the 1,000-kilometre-long Tana River, provides the capital city of Nairobi with 80 percent of its drinking water and supplies the country with 60 percent of its electricity. Today the river is merely a fifth of what it was 50 years ago and it is being drained by population growth and the governments ambitious development plans. The drought, particularly in Kenyas Rift Valley, has continued to affect vegetation, agriculture production and even livestock. The situation began in 2014 and has worsened with time. Humanitarian organizations estimate that food insecurity has more than doubledfrom 600,000 people from August 2015 to March 2016 to 1.3 million people from August 2016 to February 2017. Salesian Missions has launched an emergency fund, the African Drought Crisis, to assist Salesian missionaries who are working to help poor youth and their families affected by this drought and food insecurity in Kenya. To raise money for the fund, the Catholic nonprofit aid organization is issuing an urgent appeal for donations. Donations can be made by going to SalesianMissions.org/African-Drought. ABOUT SALESIAN MISSIONS: Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, New York, and is part of the Don Bosco Networka worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in some of the poorest places on the planet. The nearly 30,000 Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sistersall dedicated to caring for poor children around the globe in more than 130 countries. The Salesians are widely considered the worlds largest private provider of vocational and technical training. Additionally, more than 1 million children attend Salesian primary schools, many of which are UNICEF-supported. Millions of vulnerable youth have received services specifically funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. Funds are also raised to assist with humanitarian emergencies created by events such as natural disasters, wars and violence. For more information, visit SalesianMissions.org. This past week,information from the Department of Justice revealed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with Russian officials during the presidential campaign season. However, during his confirmation hearing for U.S. Attorney General, then-Senator Sessions testified under oath that he did not have any communications with the Russians during the election campaign season. The evidence has now established that in fact, that statement was false. LULAC finds Senator Sessionss alleged perjury during his confirmation hearing to be disqualifying for the office and is why we joined over 100 Members of Congress in calling for his resignation. During the confirmation hearings, Attorney General Sessions seemingly lied under oath about his conversations with Russian officials," said LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr. "As the Attorney General, Sessions is responsible for enforcing our nation's laws. His failure to provide truthful information under oath before Congress should disqualify him from serving as the Attorney General. The United States needs an Attorney General whose integrity is unimpeachable, and who is prepared to represent the interests of all Americans. As a result, we call on Attorney General Sessions to resign and ask President Trump to appoint his replacement at the earliest possible time. It is also worth noting that his actions during his short tenure as U.S. Attorney General have been most troubling. Sessions has already begun dismantling the enforcement of important civil rights protections that began under the Obama administration. Just this week, he announced that the Department of Justice would limit civil rights lawsuits against police departments, which were critical to exposing racial bias in Ferguson, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois. In addition, Sessions has reversed the Obama-era DOJ decision to reduce reliance on private prisons and rescinded DOJ guidance on protections for transgender students in public schools. Attorney General Sessions should resign after he seemingly perjured himself before Congress and demonstrated a complete lack of respect for the law that he is sworn to uphold, said LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. It is also critical to know that during his short tenure, Sessions has demonstrated a complete disregard for protecting the rights of all people. With critical issues like voting rights and immigration enforcement coming up for debate, we need an Attorney General who will fight for the rights of all Americans. Jeff Sessions is not that person. In December, LULAC signed on to a letter opposing the nomination of Jeff Sessions for U.S. Attorney General. ### The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nations largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULACs programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit http://www.lulac.org. Sheri Schultz, co-founder, Schultz Family Foundation, speaks at launch of WAServes network. The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University and the Schultz Family Foundation today announced the launch of WAServes, a unique network of veteran service organizations that makes it easier for active duty service members, veterans and their family members to find services they need. At the heart of the WAServes network is a coordination center accessed via the web or by calling a toll-free phone number. The program launches with over 50 service providers and will initially serve King, Snohomish, Island, Kitsap, Pierce, Thurston, Mason and Lewis counties. With over 40,000 veteran organizations in the country offering medical, financial, employment, housing and other services, finding and accessing services has become the number one self-reported issue for veterans and their families, according to a recent Blue Star Families survey. IVMFs AmericaServes networks solve this problem by bringing together a wide range of vetted service providers. Veterans and their families work through the local WAServes coordination center to identify what they need; and the center, run by WestCare Washington, matches them with service providers. Using HIPPA-compliant technology, each case is monitored to ensure peoples needs are met. Many transitioning service members and veterans have more than one need so it can be extremely challenging for them to research hundreds of organizations to find the right services, said Dr. Mike Haynie, IVMF executive director and Syracuse University vice chancellor. WAServes solves this problem by bringing all of the great service organizations together in one place to make sure people can get the help they need. Military and veteran families give so much to the country and the Schultz Family Foundation is dedicated to helping them during their transition back into civilian life, said Howard Schultz, co-founder of the Schultz Family Foundation. There are over 500,000 veterans in Washington state so we are proud to bring WAServes to the Puget Sound area. It shows how powerful the community can be when we come together and offer coordinated care to these incredible men and women and their families. It was an honor to be selected by the Puget Sound veteran service community to manage the network and run the coordination center, explained John Lee, SVP WestCare Washington. Our experience working with federal, state and non-profit veteran service providers helped us assemble an incredibly strong network under the WAServes umbrella and were looking forward together to serve the veteran community. WAServes is the eighth network to launch in IVMFs national AmericaServes portfolio. The Schultz Family Foundation, founded by Sheri Schultz and her husband Howard Schultz, supported the launch of the first Serves network in New York City in January 2015 and is happy to bring the program to their home state of Washington. Individuals looking for services can engage with the WAServes network in three ways: 1. By phone: call 1-877-515-7848 to speak with a qualified professional 2. Online via the WAServes website at WAServes.org 3. In person by visiting any of the participating regional providers who can register people in the system and make referrals if needed. For more information about WAServes visit http://www.WAServes.org. For more information about AmericaServes visit americaserves.org. # # # Ronnie Burnett, Senior Director Public Relations, IVMF Phone: (773) 807-2830, Email: ronnie.burnett(at)marchcorp.com Jason Reindorp, Chief Communications Officer, Schultz Family Foundation Phone: (206) 225-1570, Email: jason(at)schultzfamilyfoundation.org About the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) is the first interdisciplinary national institute in higher education focused on the social, economic, education, and policy issues impacting veterans and their families. Through its professional staff and experts, the IVMF delivers leading programs in career, vocational, and entrepreneurship education and training, while also conducting actionable research, policy analysis, and program evaluations. The IVMF also supports communities through collective impact efforts that enhance delivery and access to services and care. The Institute, supported by a distinguished advisory board, along with public and private partners, is committed to advancing the lives of those who have served in Americas armed forces and their families. For more information, visit ivmf.syracuse.edu and follow the IVMF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About AmericaServes AmericaServes is the country's first coordinated system of public, private, and non-profit organizations working together to serve veterans, transitioning service members, and their families. Administered by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University, AmericaServes vision is that every service member, veteran, and their family can easily access the full range of comprehensive services required to achieve their unique goals, and to provide a superior service experience to match the participants first-class military service. For more information, visit americaserves.org and follow AmericaServes on Facebook and Twitter. The Schultz Family Foundation The Schultz Family Foundation was co-founded in 1996 by Sheri Kersch Schultz and her husband Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company. Guided by a belief that an inequality of opportunity is stifling Americas potential, the Foundation invests in innovative programs and partnerships that remove barriers to success and create new pathways to opportunity. The Schultz Family Foundation currently supports two national signature initiatives: Onward Youth and Onward Veterans. For more information, visit http://schultzfamilyfoundation.org or follow us on Twitter @SchultzFamilyFd. Our focus is on reducing costs, utilizing technology to increase efficiencies, maximizing productivity, and leveraging the advantages of a more centralized and growth oriented business model Veros Credit, LLC, a leading provider of auto financing solutions based in southern Californias Orange County, announced today, immediate plans to close its Nevada and Arizona dealer center locations. Our focus is on reducing costs, utilizing technology to increase efficiencies, maximizing productivity, and leveraging the advantages of a more centralized and growth oriented business model . said Cyrus Bozorgi, CEO of Veros Credit. Mr. Bozorgi added, The decision to close these dealer centers is part of a long term strategic realignment that will streamline operations and promote a more unified and modern operation. Since we began this process in 2014 with the centralization of our Loan Servicing operations followed by our Underwriting and Funding operations in 2015, we have seen an increase in production while significantly decreasing our time to fund. We continue to seek out opportunities to craft the best possible auto finance business model to deliver prompt, responsive, and distinguished service to our dealer clientele. In conjunction with the dealer center closures, Veros Credit announced the arrival of Vic Amin as Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Vic recently joined the Veros Credit team and immediately began developing a comprehensive approach to grow our brand and increase market share. Part of that approach is a strong hiring initiative that will expand our sales force and allow us to meet the increasing demand for our services in existing and planned territories. We are confident that Vic and his team will exceed our expectations. said Harvey Singh, COO of Veros Credit. Reporting to Vic will be John Pierce, Western Regional Vice President; Blas Lozano, Central Regional Vice President; and Steven Gregory, Eastern Regional Vice President. John, Blas, and Steven have made significant contributions to Veros Credit, each demonstrating a commitment to improving systems and processes and advancing technology and programs that will allow us to meet the needs of our dealers and customers as quickly as possible without any negative impact from the closures. commented Mr. Singh. Mr. Singh continued, The auto finance industry is becoming an increasingly complex market environment and we have realigned our organizational structure to take advantage of our growth and technological progress. Advancements in technology have changed the way we do business by allowing for efficiencies that make every interaction faster and easier and weve applied those advancements across all areas of our business. From our expanded digital platforms and online payment solutions to our newly implemented HR and recruiting software, we are prepared to adapt and deliver on the challenges of the future as market and economic conditions change. Veros Credit, LLC specializes in the acquisition and servicing of motor vehicle retail installment contracts through a vast network of franchise and independent automobile dealers. For more information about Veros Credit, visit http://www.veroscredit.com. We took special care to celebrate the once fertile past in Papua New Guinean literature and named the prize after the first novel by a Papua New Guinean, Vincent Eris The Crocodile. As it turned out this was not an issue, either because no one else had thought of it or wanted to do it. Apart from a couple of elevated academics, the proposal was greeted with enthusiasm by all, including the grandfathers of Papua New Guinean literature, Russell Soaba and Sir Paulias Matane. Although we gradually garnered the support of many Papua New Guinean writers, we were always aware that the initiative was ours and that we were intruding on others ground and that this had the potential to be culturally tricky. WHEN Keith Jackson and I tentatively embarked on our quest to assist in the regeneration of Papua New Guinean creative writing by inaugurating the Crocodile Prize for literature in 2010, we didnt know how far it might go or whether we would succeed. Vincent was no longer alive but we made sure we contacted his family for permission. It was reassuring when his widow and daughter came to the first Crocodile Prize awards ceremony in 2011. It would be untruthful if we said that the five years of our oversight was uneventful. There were lots of bumps in the road, particularly in 2013 when a Papua New Guinean-elected organising committee failed to live up to expectations. But that glitch preceded perhaps the most successful year of the competition with a splendid edition of the annual Crocodile Prize Anthology being published in 2014. And in 2015 there was a very successful awards ceremony and writers workshop hosted by the Simbu Writers Association in Kundiawa and another impressive anthology. Last year, despite teething problems, the chairman of the organising committee, Emmanuel Peni, pulled off a wholly Papua New Guinean-run contest. The other gratifying aspect of the Crocodile Prize has been its many spin-offs. These range from the not-for-profit publishing arm, Pukpuk Publications, publishing endeavours by many Papua New Guinean writers, ancillary competitions, visits to Australian writers festivals by Papua New Guinean writers, the emergence of recognised writers and social commentators like Martyn Namorong, as well as mentoring programs. It now looks like many of the writers published by Pukpuk Publications will be picked up by university publishers in Papua New Guinea, especially by a re-energised UPNG Press under the stewardship of Chief John Kasaipwalova.. As Keith and I bowed out of the Crocodile Prize, we felt that all the hard work had paid off and that our original intention to assist spark a sustainable Papua New Guinean literature was fulfilled as we left a burgeoning literary scene in Papua New Guinea. Of course, it was not just us. It was several hundred writers and the many sponsors and supporters who threw their weight behind the initiative. The collection of prize winners work from 2011-15 has been featured in PNG Attitude over recent weeks. It is now available as a fully-fledged collection of the very best of contemporary Melanesian writing. You can buy it through Pukpuk Publications here, and assist PNG authors, or from Amazon Books here for just $US7.28 plus postage. This is a story of millions of dollars worth of missing Polish cheese and curds exports to Armenia. According to data provided Hetq by Polands Central Statistical Service, Poland exported US$16.398 million worth of cheese and curds to Armenia in 2015. In contrast, Armenias Customs Service claims that that the amount imported that year only amounted to a few thousand dollars - $32,000 worth. In fact, according to data published by the Customs Service, Armenia only imported 1.1 million tons of cheese and curds globally, worth just $5 million. Why such a large discrepancy? More importantly, where did all that cheese go? First, some background. 2015 and 2016, werent the best of years for Armenian cheesemakers. The fall in the international price of powdered milk didnt help. Cheese producers had a slew of complaints about the business. Despite the anecdotal negative news, Armenias Customs Service claims that Armenia exported $23.6 million worth of cheese and curds in 2015; 9,100 tons to be exact. Thats 4.8 times more than was exported in 2014 in terms of worth. Whats more than curious is that Armenias National Statistical Service says that domestic cheese production rose by a mere 1.5% in 2015. 98% of the cheese and curds that Armenia exports goes to Russia. Things got noticeably better for Armenian cheesemakers in 2016. According to figures released by the Eurasian Economic Commission, Armenia exported $13.1 million worth of cheese and curds to Russia last year (5,600 tons). Thats 43.5% less, in terms of worth, than the previous year, and 38% less in terms of volume. Data provided by the statistical services of Armenia and Poland regarding 2016 cheese and curds trade volumes also greatly differ. A month ago, Polands statistical service wrote Hetq that Poland exported $7.5 million worth of cheese and curds to Armenia in the first three quarters of 2016. Surprise, surprise Armenias Customs Service claims that only $15,000 of the dairy products entered the country from Poland in the first half of 2016. In a response to Hetq as to why the data diverges so, Armenias State Revenue Committee suggested that we study, in detail, the methodology used by the two countries. Based on a difference in methodology, it is possible for essential (objective) disparities to appear when comparing data. (In particular, import data is per the place of origin, while export data is per the destination country.) Thus, when comparing data, it is necessary to lift comparable data. - Armenias State Revenue Committee Readers will be excused for not making heads or tails of the above. To get more clarification as why discrepancies may appear, one only has to Armenias National Statistical Service (NSS). The NSS states that the reasons may be objective and subjective. 1- Discrepancy in the methodology. But this can hardly explain the great discrepancies cited above. Furthermore, the NSS, in its explanation, clearly states that all countries use UN approved definitions and to gauge external trade volumes. 2- The NSS also cited technical reasons. For example, there can be differences in registration dates, or, in certain cases, the exporting countrys items never reach its destination. The NSS says that the partner nation may not intentionally register the items exported or imported, whereas the other may register such goods. 3- Finally, data may be intentionally altered by one or the other trading partner. For example, an importing country may intentionally decrease the volume of goods in order to lessen customs fees. An exporter may undervalue goods sent to later use the difference to increase VAT. This third explanation most probably refers to contraband smuggling. Which of the above three explanations operated in terms of trade between Poland and Armenia can only be verified by the parties involved. If its a case of contraband, as Armenian cheesemakers claim, then large amounts of tax were never levied on a vast amount of imported Polish cheese and curds. Armenian cheese and curd makers say that just a fraction of the Polish exports cleared customs in Armenia. The remainder, they claim, was then exported to Russia as cheese produced in Armenia. This, they say, explains why cheese exports from Armenia to Russia rose so dramatically in the official data from 2015-2016. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East There are very few people in the world who do not have a smart phone. There are even fewer people of that number who... PubTech Connect: New Speakers Added Weve just signed on three amazing new speakers for PubTech Connect, a cant-miss one-day conference organized by Publishers Weekly and the NYU SPS Center for Publishing about using technology, disruptive tactics, and smart strategies to boost your business and brands. Amory Wooden, director of brand marketing, Squarespace Declan Moore, chief executive officer, National Geographic Partners George Baier IV, head of media solutions, Dropbox Also check out our profiles of Electrifying Legacy Brands panelists Jay Lauf (Quartz, Atlantic Media) and Sam Olstein (General Electric), and our profiles of Innovators panelists Baier, Wooden, Hillary Kerr (Clique Media/WhoWhatWear), and Joanna Lord (ClassPass), and moderator J.J. McCorvey (FastCompany). Learn all about the conference and buy tickets. From the Newsletters Tip Sheet Michael Knight, author of Eveningland, picks the 10 best interlinked story collections. Childrens Bookshelf Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz and Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca discuss their new slapstick fairy tale collaboration, Princess Cora and the Crocodile. BookLife Report How the publishers of the seminal African-American comics collection Black Comix are using Kickstarter to crowdfund an expanded version of the book. Sign up for these and other great, free newsletters. The most-read review on publishersweekly.com last week was Smart Baseball: The Story Behind the Old Stats That Are Ruining the Game, the New Ones That Are Running It, and the Right Way to Think About Baseball by Keith Law. Podcasts Week Ahead PW senior writer Andrew Albanese talks about Barack and Michelle Obamas record-setting book deal, and why their books may not be your usual White House memoirs. More to Come Interviews with Ezra Claytan Daniels about his sci-fi comic Upgrade Soul and animator Adebukola Buki Bodunrin about experimental digital comics storytelling. PW Radio We dip into the PW Radio archives for an interview with comics creator Gilbert Hernandez. Plus, PW editorial director Jim Milliot looks back on 200 years of HarperCollins. Listen to these and other podcasts or subscribe on iTunes today! Blogs ShelfTalker A bookseller sounds off on what he considers to be overreaching embargo practices by publishers. S&S Nabs Nagorski WWII Book Former Newsweek foreign correspondent Andrew Nagorski (Hitlerland) sold North American rights to a new book about Germany during World War II, The Year Germany Lost the War: 1941. Trident Media Groups Robert Gottlieb brokered the sale with Alice Mayhew at Simon & Schuster. The book chronicles the titular year during the war; as Gottlieb explained, the author makes the case that a few key blunders laid the foundation for Germanys subsequent defeat. Tor to Relaunch Martins Wild Cards In a North American rights deal, Kay McCauley at Aurous sold four new books and five relicensed backlist titles in the Wild Cards anthology series edited by George R.R. Martin to Tor. Diana M. Pho acquired the books for six figures. The series was launched at Bantam Books in 1987; it is set in an alternate history in which an alien virus infiltrated Earth after World War II. Caine Re-ups Library Line at Berkley Anne Sowards at Berkley nabbed two more books in Rachel Caines Great Library series. Lucienne Diver at the Knight Agency represented Caine (Morganville Vampires series) in the six-figure deal for North American rights. The series is set in a world in which, as Berkley explained, privately owning books is a crime. The hero of the series, Jess Brightwell, comes from a long line of black-market book smugglers. Sourcebooks Buys Block Novel Sandra Block (Little Black Lies), a finalist for the International Thriller Awards, closed a world English rights deal with Sourcebooks Shana Drehs for her new novel, What Happened That Night. Rachel Ekstrom at the Irene Goodman Agency represented Block. The publisher said the book is about a woman who was sexually assaulted but has no memory of the attack. When a video of the assault surfaces, she teams up with a computer-savvy coworker with his own reasons for settling old scores, and the two begin to exact cold, unvarnished revenge. The book is slated for 2018. Bard Prof Brings Wartime Memoir to Morrow In a world English rights deal, Justus Rosenberg sold How to Become a Guerrilla to Henry Ferris at William Morrow. The book is subtitled Coming of Age with Varian Fry and the Underground in Wartime France, and it chronicles the authors time in the French Resistance, describing how, in 1937, he escaped the Nazis. Rosenberg, who is 96 and a professor emeritus at Bard, worked with the American journalist Varian Fry during World War II. As part of Frys underground network, Rosenberg helped save thousands of people from the Nazis, including notable artists such Marc Chagall and Max Ernst. The book, which Eric Myers at Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret sold, is scheduled for fall 2018. Briefs Anna Quinns debut novel Split was acquired in a world rights deal by Addi Black at Blackstone. Quinn, who owns the Port Townsend, Wash.based bookstore the Writers Workshoppe and Imprint Bookstore, was represented by Gordon Warnock at Fuse Literary. Warnock said the novel follows a teacher whose long-dormant dissociative identity disorder emerges when she sets out to save her daughter from an unknown terror set to strike on Valentines Day. University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Martin Seligman sold The Hope Circuit to Ben Adams at PublicAffairs in a deal brokered by Inkwell Managements Richard Pine. The book, set for spring 2018, will, the publisher said, chronicle the transformation of modern psychology from a focus on a crippling past to concentrating on what is positive in life. Betsy Teter, at the nonprofit South Carolinabased Hub City Press, nabbed North American rights to Leesa Cross-Smiths Whiskey & Ribbons. Kerry DAgostino at Curtis Brown Ltd., who represented the author, said the literary debut, which is set over the course of single weekend in Louisville, Ky., follows a fallen police officers widow and his best friend as theyre forced to confront the feelings they have for each other after his death. Whiskey & Ribbons is slated for spring 2018. Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of Anna Quinn's bookstore, the Writers Workshoppe and Imprint Bookstore. Since January 13, Boston has been home to New Englands only general Spanish-language bookstore, but Libreria Donceles will soon close as swiftly as it opened. Thats part of the point for New York City artist, author, and educator Pablo Helguera, who created the used bookstore as an art installation intended to highlight both the disappearance of used bookstores and the widespread unavailability of Spanish-language books in the United States. In this landscape where we see small bookstores disappearing all the time, and we contemplate a future where there might not be bookstores at all, I felt that maybe the only way that this project would happen is as an artwork, Helguera says. The installation first opened at Manhattans Kent Fine Art Gallery in 2013, with 20,000 volumes culled from donations, purchases, and Helgueras own library. Not long after, Helguera started getting calls to bring the bookstore to other cities. At first, he wasnt sure it would be possible. Imagine moving your house every two months, he says. And when you are moving, the worst part is the books. In the end, however, he agreed. Over the past four years the itinerant bookstore has made stops in numerous cities, including Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, and Seattle. By the time it reached Indianapolis in 2016, Helguera was ready to bring the project to an end. Those plans changed when Stella Aguirre McGregor, executive director of Bostons literature- and arts-focused Urbano Project, urged him to bring the bookstore to Boston. At first, Helguera demurred. Despite a longtime love for the citys literary culture, he told McGregor that the logistics would be daunting. She would need to help ship books, shelves, furniture, lamps, and artwork from Indianapolis; 27 boxes of books would have to be retrieved from the Mexican Cultural Center in New York City; and donations would be needed to replenish the depleted stock. Helguera agreed to listen to McGregors request once she had the logistics worked out, and in January, Libreria Donceles opened in Boston for one final exhibition. It has been so successful that Helguera and McGregor decided in mid-February to extend its stay by a month. It will close in late April. Libreria Donceles draws from influences as varied as Helgueras mothers living room to the now-closed Bookmans Alley in Evanston, Ill., which the artist frequented as a student. But the main inspiration is Calle de Donceles, a street in Mexico Citys historic district that boasts some of the most renowned bookstores in the Spanish-speaking world. On the surface, the current installation has all the appearances of a community bookshop. There are weekly events and books piling up on the counter. But there is no inventory or formal pricing scheme, and there is an unusual rule for customers: readers are limited to one book purchase per day. We want to place a lot of emphasis on the selection process, Helguera says. We want to value the book as an object. As a result, some readers come back daily. Alongside native Spanish speakers are many English speakers looking to work on their Spanish. For Helguera, who sees monolingualism as a big problem in this culture, that outpouring of interest has been a source of excitement. With its success, Libreria Donceles has brought attention to the scarcity of Spanish-language bookstores across the country. Data are limited, but in a recent interview with the magazine Houstonia, Tony Diaz, owner of Houstons newly opened Nuestra Palabra Art & Books, claimed that there are only five Latino-focused bookstores in America. In New England, the recent closure of Schoenhofs Foreign Books, the nations largest foreign-language bookstore, raised questions about whether an all-Spanish-language general trade bookstore could succeed in the region. Helguera believes that it could. He points to the nations growing Latino population and the success of other Spanish-language media as signs that there is a market for print media as well. McGregor agrees. At the very least, she thinks, it could be viable to have a more substantial section in the Spanish language in one of the areas existing bookstores. Libreria Donceles has already helped add to the permanent roster of Spanish-language bookshops elsewhere in the country. After visiting the Libreria during its stay at Arizona State University in 2014, Phoenix bookseller Rosie Magana opened Palabras Libreria Bookstore. She credits Libreria Donceles for inspiring her to do it. In Boston, the Libreria is talking with childrens publisher Candlewick Press about possibly working together. The publisher, based in nearby Somerville, Mass., is releasing a growing number of Spanish-language and dual-language titles and participating in efforts to help get more Spanish-language titles into the hands of young readers, according to Phoebe Kosman, Candlewicks assistant director of marketing, publicity, and events. When Candlewick president and publisher Karen Lotz heard about Helgueras project, she reached out to the Urbano Projects McGregor right away. The two are currently in conversations about working together in some capacity on an aspect of the Libreria. Interest in the project also has McGregor considering ways to keep a small book selection at the front of the Urbano Project after the Libreria closes at the end of April. At the heart of it, says Helguera, thats why he created the Libreria. Books are critical to becoming a global citizen in this globalized world, he notes. Its very important to see how other worlds think and how other realities can be perceived. Since opening their first used bookstore in March 2007Gottwals Books in Warner Robins, Ga.Shane and Abbey Gottwals have leveraged their bookselling acumen to open three more bookstores in central Georgia under the Gottwals name. In addition, the couple has steadily expanded their used bookstore franchise business, Books of Walls, and just opened their 11th franchise location, making 15 stores in total. The franchise stores have enabled the Gottwals to extend their reach as far west as Kansas and east to Washington, D.C. The first Walls of Books franchise opened in October 2012 in Tifton, Ga., about 90 miles from the original Gottwals store. The newest franchisethe second for Greg Phillips, who owns a Wall of Books in Watkinsville, Ga., as wellopened last month in Commerce, Ga. Altogether, Shane Gottwals, who serves as president and CEO of both Gottwals Books and Walls of Books, anticipates opening five new franchise locations this year and another seven in 2018. We always seem to beat our estimates, he said. So I hope that trend continues. Viability comes in numbers, explained Gottwals, who would like to see more franchisees run as many as three or four locations. He feels four locations has been the right number for his own stores. The first Gottwals bookstore has tripled in size over the past decade from 1,500 to 4,500 sq. ft. It now stocks 75,000 books. Typical franchise stores range from 1,400 sq. ft. to 8,000 sq. ft., depending on the community. In addition to used books, which together with remainders comprise close to 95% of their book inventory, franchise locations carry publishers overstock as well as some new books, particularly heavily discounted bestsellers. Gottwals said both his stores and the franchise outlets dont make a lot of money the first time they sell new books. But we make more the second time, he said. Some books well sell two or three times. It boosts the quality and selection of our used books. By stocking new books, Walls of Books stores are able to offer high-demand titles such as Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, which were available at half price one week after the movie was released. Gross sales are about 85% used and remainder titles, 15% new due in part to bulk school orders. In addition to books, the stores carry Melissa & Doug, Fat Brain, and Aarons Thinking Putty educational toys. Walls of Books tries to make store openings painless for new owners, many of whom have no retail or bookstore experience. Distribution of used books is a key part of the services the company offers to franchisees. Gottwals ships the initial prepriced inventory from its warehouse to new Walls of Books stores, which then replenish stock by buying books from their customersWalls of Books stores offer credit on trade titles and cash for college textbooksand from Gottwals. The company offers a three-day training program for franchisees with intensive seminars on all aspects of running a used bookstore at its Georgia headquarters. In addition, Gottwals and his staff assist franchisees with revamping store spaces and with franchise conversions and rebranding of locations such as the one in Commerce, which had previously been an independent used bookstore, Bookstand of Northeast Georgia. The Gottwals team builds the store over the course of four or five days and is available by phone and e-mail afterward to provide continued assistance to franchisees. After moving his warehouse earlier this year and more than quintupling its size to 44,000 sq. ft., Gottwals plans to offer distribution services to other bookstores outside of the franchise. Its a huge jump, said Gottwals, noting that the former warehouse held only enough books to provide inventory for three Walls of Books stores. The new warehouse holds enough books for dozens. Many owners, such as Bill Cochran, a real estate appraiser who burned out after 20 years, seek out Gottwals after finding out about the franchise opportunity on Google. His two-year-old, 2,000 sq. ft. Walls of Books store in Zanesville, Ohio, was nominated for a Best of Muskingum County Award. Were the anti-used bookstore, Cochran said. The store is neat. Our books are close to new, and our most expensive hardcover is $7.97. If I had time, I would open another store. Jeff Caudle, who opened a 2,100 sq. ft. Walls of Books in the small town of Atchinson, Kans., in October, said that he began thinking about opening a franchise bookstore after visiting the Dusty Bookshelf in Lawrence, Kans. He owns a commercial building that had previously been a tavern and wanted to repurpose it. A bookstore is a nice addition to a retail environment, Caudle said. There are many positives with encouraging literacy, keeping books available, and getting people away from screens. Caudles store has already expanded its childrens section by adding cubbies. It benefited from the Hastings bankruptcy and the closure of its store in St. Joseph, Mo., last fall, and sales overall are well ahead of where Caudle, a banker, had thought they would be. As a result, Caudle is already in discussions to add a second Walls of Books. Another new owner, Pablo Sierra, whose 2,400 sq. ft. Walls of Books opened in Washington, D.C.s Park View neighborhood in January 2016, had done a business plan to open a bookstore several years earlier. Franchising took care of the industry knowledge I needed, he said. For him, it helped not just economically to go with a franchise, but emotionally and in terms of morale. When he has a question, he can talk to the Gottwals team. Since Walls of Books isnt based on a cookie-cutter model, Sierras store reflects his sensibilities and those of his neighborhood. He closed the bookstore on Februarys A Day without Immigrants to show his solidarity with immigrant community members, and store events range from a Kids Free Book Friday to creative writing groups and book clubs for adults. Sierra, too, is thinking about opening a second store. Part of what makes Walls of Books work for owners like Caudle, Cochran, and Sierra is that Gottwals is very hands on. Its not like the franchises start up and roll on their own, he said. Were nearly as involved with them as if they were our own locations. Following a $30 million loss in income when Follett pulled its business from the National Association of College Storess NASCORP subsidiary late last summer, it was clear that something needed to change. Coupled with a continued drop in the number of independent campus stores as colleges and universities sign leases with Barnes & Noble Education and Follett at the rate of one every four days, the association is refocusing its energies on independents. At its annual conference and trade show, CAMEX, which is being held in Salt Lake City from March 3-7, NACS launched a new initiative aimed at retaining independent campus stores and transitioning leased stores back to independent stores. To do so, the association is redefining the role of its three-year-old indiCo subsidiary, which will go from being a consulting service for independent stores to becoming an independent campus store collaborative. Through the collaboration indiCo will offer both full and custom services to institutions that need help with running their campus stores. These services will range from providing assistance with choosing a POS system to managing the entire campus store operation. At the associations annual business meeting and town hall, NACS CEO Robert Walton noted that the industry has lost 360 independent stores in the past five years, 92 last year alone. We shouldnt hand over the industry to Follett and Barnes & Noble [Education] without competing, he said. Were going to start fighting back. The change in direction is reflected in indiCos new URL and website, goindico.com, which includes a video of Waltons presentation on the new indiCo at a mega session on the state of the campus store business. While leasing the campus store was once a viable option, that model has deteriorated. We believe that independent stores best serve the needs of students and higher education. Corporate leasing companies now drain more than $1 billion in profits from leased stores every five years. That is money that, through institutionally operated stores, previously helped fund financial aid and other student services, employee benefits, and campus facilities renewal, said Walton. As part of the relaunch of indiCo, NACS has put in place a number of key partnerships with service and technology providers, including Amazon, RedShelf, Sidewalk, and VitalSource. The association is also dedicating 25 staffers to the revamped indiCo. Both the NACSCORP and Connect2One subsidiaries will become part of the indiCo collaborative service offerings and operate under the indiCo name. One question voiced by a number of campus store buyers and directors as they left the mega session was, What will this cost? More information will be made available throughout CAMEX. Dishes from Southeast Asia have become more prevalent on American restaurant menus and, increasingly, in Americans cookbook collections. Thai and Vietnamese cuisine have garnered the most attention, and Ten Speed has been a standout in this area, with recent successes such as Pok Pok by Andy Ricker with J.J. Goode (2013; 51,000 print copies sold, per BookScan) and Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Fan (2012; 34,000 print units sold). In March, the publisher is turning to a different Southeast Asian nation, with Burma Superstar by Desmond Tan, owner of three Bay Area restaurants of the same name, and food writer Kate Leahy. Myanmar [formerly Burma] is a fascinating country with an extremely diverse cuisine, says Jenny Wapner, executive editor at Ten Speed. Because the food is informed by neighboring China, India, and Thailand, and the countrys former British colonial rule, its truly a melting pot of culinary traditions. Tan includes, among the 80 recipes, restaurant favorites such as tea leaf salad and samosa soup and visits the home kitchens of Burmese cooks. Malaysian cuisine, too, incorporates an array of Asian and European influences, which Houghton Mifflin Harcourt editor Stephanie Fletcher believes gives it broad appeal. If youre already a fan of other cuisines that feature these flavors, then Malaysian food will feel familiar, she says. Bold international flavors naturally become assimilated into our food culture over time. Christina Arokiasamys The Malaysian Kitchen (HMH, Mar.) harnesses those flavors for the home cook, drawing on her Kuala Lumpur upbringing, the cooking classes she teaches in Seattle and the surrounding area, and the culinary tours of Southeast Asia she leads. In April, Weldon Owen will release Malaysia by Ping Coombes, 2014 winner of the U.K. cooking competition television show MasterChef. The author takes inspiration from her hometown of Ipoh, sharing descriptions of the bustling night-market food scene and stories of her moms curries and soups simmering all day to await her homecoming from school, says Amy Marr, associate publisher at Weldon Owen. Below, other forthcoming cookbooks that invite readers into the home kitchens, street stalls, and restaurants that serve up Southeast Asian cuisine. Adventures in Starry Kitchen by Nguyen Tran (HarperOne, June). Tran and his wife launched Starry Kitchen as an underground pop-up in their studio apartment, and now helm the kitchen at Los Angeles arcade/bar Button Mash, where dishes inspired by Trans Vietnamese heritage include cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls) and bun cha Hanoi (pork in fish sauce with rice noodles). Amazing Malaysian by Norman Musa (Square Peg, dist. by IPG; June). The Penang-born cofounder of Ning restaurant and cooking school in Manchester, England, shares recipes for popular dishes such as nasi lemak (coconut rice) and roti canai (Malaysian flatbread) as well as the more idiosyncratic My Dads Noodles and My Mums Chicken Rendang. Bangkok by Leela Punyaratabandhu (Ten Speed, May). In an ode to Thailands capital city, Punyaratabandhu, author of 2014s Simple Thai Food, covers home-style family dishes, casual street snacks, and restaurant classics. Our starred review called it a remarkable collection of cleverly selected recipes. Luke Nguyens Street Food Asia by Luke Nguyen (Hardie Grant, Mar.). In Nguyens seventh book, he translates the hawker stall dishes of Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Saigon for the home cook. Made in Vietnam by Tracey Lister and Andreas Pohl (Hardie Grant, Aug.). Lister, who runs a cooking school in Hanoi, and her husband take a culinary voyage across Vietnam, covering the hearty food of the north, the imperial cuisine of the capital region, and the spicy tastes of the tropical south. Return to the main feature. The two companies that would come to form HarperCollins were founded just a few years apart in the U.S. and Scotland. J&J Harper, Printers (renamed Harper & Brothers in 1833) was started in New York City by brothers James and John Harper in 1817 and published its first book, Senecas Morals, that same year. Two years later in Glasgow, Chalmers & Collins Bookshop and Printing Works opened and published The Christian and Civic Economy of Large Towns by Thomas Chalmers. Over the course of most of the next two centuries, Harper and William Collins evolved, and after a series of acquisitions, were merged in 1990 to form HarperCollins. With revenue of $1.65 billion in fiscal 2016, HarperCollins is now the 13th-largest book publisher in the world. For its part, Harper took part in a fair amount of U.S. publishing history, as can be seen in displays sprinkled throughout its new headquarters in Manhattans Financial Districtthe same neighborhood where Harper Printers first opened 200 years ago. HC moved into the building in spring 2014, and there was a conscious effort to put its literary history front and center in the office design, according to Brian Murray, HC CEO. Murray said he likes new authors to be able to see that the company wasnt born yesterday and that anyone signing with HC is joining a publisher that has a long history of publishing award-winning and bestselling books. Weve been serving authors for two centuries, and weve always kept authors front and center of what we do, he added. The heads of HCs U.S. adult and childrens groups also are very happy to be working at a company that has a rich history. For Michael Morrison, president and publisher of U.S. general books and Canada, HCs history is important on both a personal and professional level. He is a lifelong book collector who specializes in buying vintage copies of HC books and sharing them with the next generation of publishing professionals. Morrison acknowledged that in the day-to-day work world it can be hard to think about HCs history, but said that the anniversary is a good time to reflect on the Harper legacy and to impart the HC tradition to newer employees. From the beginning, Morrison noted, HC has published classic works by such authors as Charles Dickens, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Zora Neale Hurston, Henry James, and Richard Wright. But HC isnt just about the past. Morrison said he would put HCs current roster of authors, which includes Michael Chabon, Neil Gaiman, Barbara Kingsolver, and Amy Tan, up against any other publisher in the business. Suzanne Murphy, president and publisher of HarperCollins Childrens Books, also sees HCs history from a personal and professional viewpoint. Before joining HC in May 2015, Murphy worked at Scholastic and Disney; as a parent, she was well aware of HCs gold-standard backlist. The strength of that backlist gives HC a foundation to experiment and innovate in different areas. Murphy said that HC is well represented in all aspects of the childrens book business. The depth of the HC backlist also leads to a lot of opportunities to reintroduce classic titles to new readers. This year is not only the 200th anniversary of the founding of HC but also the 150th anniversary of the birth of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and to mark the occasion, HC is reissuing some editions in her Little House on the Prairie series. Murphy said that though HC is careful to monitor chances for reissues, booksellers and librarians often remind HC of favorites they would like to see given new attention. Murphy said she is honored to be one of the few people to head HCs childrens business and was very pleased that the group is firing on all cylinders. One aspect of HCs success has been a commitment to diversity, she added. I am proud to say weve always looked for writers who write from a variety of perspectives. That tradition continues today not only in looking for authors but in recruiting employees as well. Diversity is top of mind, she noted. Murray said the anniversary has reminded him that the book publishing industry has been incredibly resilient. He added: The business has been through a lotwars, depressionsand proved to be very durable. That is a cause for celebration. Achievements Harper & Brothers was involved in scores of publishing innovations. Here are a few. Prepackaged Libraries The Harper brothers created sets of titles that guided readers to acquire a collection instead of buying just a single book. Classical Library, the Harpers Family Library, Library of Select Novels, New England School Library, and School District Library were all published in the 1830s. Harpers School District Library had the widest distribution and influence. As new settlements sprang up across the expanding frontier, the company distributed more than 600,000 School District Libraries between 1836 and 1855. Periodicals The Harper brothers were always looking for ways to reach more readers with less expensive publications, and in 1850 they introduced the concept of the modern literary magazine with Harpers New Monthly Magazine. As part of its plan to take chances on new authors, Harpers New Monthly Magazine often serialized unproven writers. It printed a chapter of Herman Melvilles Moby-Dick in October 1851 to promote the forthcoming novel. In the decades that followed, Harper periodicals were first to serialize Wilkie Collinss Armadale (1864), Charles Dickenss Our Mutual Friend (1865), Thomas Hardys Tess of the DUrbervilles (1891), Henry Jamess Washington Square (1880), Anthony Trollopes Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite (1871), and Mark Twains Joan of Arc (1895). Westerns Harper & Brothers published Zane Greys Riders of the Purple Sage in 1912. He published 55 books with Harper that went on to become the model American expectations of the western genre. By the 1930s, Grey had been read by more than 60 million peoplehalf the population of the United States at the time. Estimated cumulative worldwide sales of Greys books grew from roughly 12 million in 1936 to 130 million in 1984. A.B. Guthrie Jr.s best-known novelsThe Big Sky, These Thousand Hills, and The Way Westrealistically depicted the taming of the frontier from 1830 to the beginning of the 20th century. On the strength of The Way West, Guthrie won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1950. He was published by William Sloane and Associates, which later became part of HarperCollins. Childrens Publishing Harper & Brothers published its first childrens books in 1836, but it wasnt until 1926 that the company established the Department of Books for Boys and Girls. The departments first editor, Virginia Kirkus, published Laura Ingalls Wilders Little House books starting in 1932. Kirkuss successor, Louise Raymond, discovered Margaret Wise Brown, author of The Runaway Bunny (1942) and Goodnight Moon (1947). Ursula Nordstrom moved the division in new directions, developing authors and illustrators such as Ruth Krauss, Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein, Tomi Ungerer, and E.B. White. African-American Voices Over the years, HarperCollins has published a number of books by African-American authors that deal with a range of issues affecting African-Americans. Harper & Brothers published the poetry of Countee Cullen, beginning with his debut collection Color in 1925. In 1938, it published Richard Wrights debut story collection Uncle Toms Children (1938) before releasing his seminal works Native Son (1940), Black Boy (1945), and The Outsider (1953). In 1949, it released Annie Allen, a collection of poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks, who became the first African-American writer to receive a Pulitzer Prize. HarperCollins also published two books by Martin Luther King Jr., Stride Toward Freedom (1958) and Strength to Love (1963). In 2003, the companys Amistad imprint released Edward P. Joness The Known World, which won the Pulitzer Prize. Publishing Milestones Weve picked out a few of the many publishing highlights in HCs history. 1839 Collins receives a license to publish the King James Version of the Bible. 1848 Harper & Brothers publishes the first American editions of Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights, Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre, and Anne Brontes The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. 1917 Harper & Brothers releases a series of 12 Bubble Books, the first-ever book and phonograph record bundle, featuring nursery rhymes such as Jack and Jill and Simple Simon. 1924 Agatha Christie joins the house of Collins, and two years later publishes her first Hercule Poirot novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. 1927 Harper & Brothers signs Aldous Huxley, who publishes his first book with the company, Text and Pretexts, in 1932. Harper later acquires the copyright to Huxleys other books, including Brave New World, releasing its own edition of the classic in 1934. 1956 Harper & Brothers publishes Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy, which wins the Pulitzer Prize in 1957. 1958 Collins publishes the first English translation of Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. 1970 Harper & Row publishes the first English translation of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Garcia Marquez goes on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982, and the novel sells more than 20 million copies. 1973 Collins secures the rights to Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyns The Gulag Archipelago. 2012 Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, published by HarperCollins in the U.K., wins the Man Booker Prize. Mantel becomes the first woman ever to win the prize twice, having first won for Wolf Hall in 2009. Mark Twain & Herman Melville Harper & Brothers relationship with Mark Twain did not get off to an auspicious start. His first submission to Harpers New Monthly Magazine, Forty-Three Days in an Open Boat, was published in the December 1866 issue. It contained no byline and was later attributed to Mark Swain because Twain had not written his name clearly on the manuscript. Despite the rocky beginning, the Harper-Twain relationship went on until Twains death half a century later. After Twain lost a fortune in his own failed self-publishing venture, he signed a contract with Harper in 1895 that gave the publisher rights to multiple titles, offering a royalty of 15%20% on works such as Huckleberry Finn, Joan of Arc, and Tom Sawyer Abroad. Harper & Brothers nearly lost Twain when it entered bankruptcy in 1899, but Twain signed a contract that gave Harper & Brothers rights to all future works. This agreement helped to rebuild public confidence in the firm and consolidated Twains work with one publisher. Harper & Brothers turned down Herman Melvilles first book, Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life, and it was released to strong sales by another publisher. When that publisher balked at his next manuscript, the nonfiction Omoo, Melville moved to Harper. Melville wrote a series of books for Harper & Brothers that were well received, and he had some financial success. But Melvilles most important work, Moby-Dick; or, the Whale, received stinging reviews at the time it was released and initial sales were modest. Despite the publishers efforts to champion a unique American voice, Melville didnt earn critical acclaim in his lifetime. The centennial of his birth in 1919 brought newfound appreciation for his work, however. The previously unpublished Billy Budd emerged in 1924 and sold briskly along with the rest of his oeuvre, and Moby-Dick took its rightful place as a cornerstone of American letters. Key Transactions 1955 Collins acquires Harvill Press. 1962 Harper & Brothers merges with textbook publisher Row, Peterson & Co. to form Harper & Row. 1977 Harper & Row acquires T.Y. Crowell and its associated imprints. 1978 Harper & Row acquires J.B. Lippincott, which was founded in 1836 and published Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960. 1982 William Collins buys Granada. 1987 Harper & Row acquires Caedmon Records, the first publisher of spoken-word audio. 1987 News Corp. acquires Harper & Row. 1988 Harper & Row acquires Zondervan. 1989 News Corp. acquires Thorsons Publishing Group and William Collins, bringing together Collins, Harper & Row, Gower Publishing, Times Books, Bartholomew, and Angus & Robertson. 1990 Acquisition of Unwin Hyman brings J.R.R. Tolkien to Collins. 1999 HarperCollins acquires William Morrow, Avon, Ecco Press, and Amistad Press. 2000 HCUK acquires Fourth Estate. 2010 HCUK acquires Letts, Lonsdale, and Leckie & Leckie. 2011 HarperCollins acquires Thomas Nelson. 2014 HarperCollins acquires Harlequin. For more, visit hc.com/200 WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump painted an overly bleak picture of the condition of the armed forces as he made his case for military expansion. A look at some of his statements from the Gerald R. Ford, a $12.9 billion aircraft carrier being built in Newport News, Virginia: TRUMP: "We are going to have very soon the finest equipment in the world." THE FACTS: Pentagon leaders have said for years that the U.S. already has the world's best weaponry and military equipment. They sometimes claim the U.S. is in danger of losing its advantage unless the Congress continues to spend heavily to develop and build new generations of weapons. The Navy's top officer, Adm. John Richardson, has said repeatedly that the Navy is the world's finest. He also has said the Navy must adapt to a world of changing security threats. Richardson's main focus has been on sharpening and changing the way sailors think about the nature of war, rather than relying on bigger budgets. "We will not be able to 'buy' our way out of the challenges that we face," he wrote in a January 2016 plan for maintaining U.S. naval superiority. ___ TRUMP: "This great aircraft carrier provides essential capabilities to keep us safe from terrorism and take the fight to the enemy for many years in the future." THE FACTS: Aircraft carriers are not the crucial element in the defense against terrorism. They do provide a flexible means of bringing warplanes and intelligence-gathering aircraft to areas where terrorists are being hunted, like off the coast of Libya or in the Persian Gulf, but their main function is to deter bigger wars with state powers like China, Russia and North Korea. The Pentagon's counterterrorism campaigns rely more on special operations forces, Air Force fighters and surveillance drones, military trainers and advisers and the intelligence agencies. ___ TRUMP: "I am calling for one of the largest defense spending increases in history." THE FACTS: Three times in recent years, Congress raised military spending by larger amounts, in percentage terms, than the $54 billion, or 10 percent, increase that Trump proposes. The base defense budget grew by $41 billion, or 14.3 percent, in 2002; by $37 billion, or 11.3 percent, in 2003, and by $47 billion, or 10.9 percent, in 2008, according to Defense Department figures. The proposed expansion pales in comparison with skyrocketing increases in earlier times. Military spending consumed 43 percent of the economy in 1944, during World War II, and 15 percent in 1952, during the Korean War. It was 3.3 percent in 2015, says the World Bank. ___ TRUMP: "Our Navy is now the smallest it's been since, believe or not, World War I. Don't worry. It's going to soon be the largest it's been." THE FACTS: No, the fleet is not growing to the largest it's been, or anything close. The fleet indeed shrank to its smallest size since the decade after World War I bottoming out at 271 in 2015 before rising to 274 this year, compared with 139 in 1930. But that number alone is not that meaningful. The nature of warfare has changed since the naval battles of the world wars the rise of air power being just one significant factor. As well, for the last few decades the Navy has dramatically increased the warfighting effectiveness of its ships, meaning it can do more with far fewer vessels than it could during the Cold War, for example. The fleet stood at a record high of 6,768 fighting ships during World War II, declined gradually in the 1950s and '60s and shrank significantly after the Vietnam War. During the 1990s the number fell from the high 500s to the mid-300s as the Navy decommissioned many older ships and the U.S. reaped a "peace dividend" from the end of the Cold War. The count includes aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, amphibious assault ships and other large combat ships. The fleet may grow more than planned if Trump's military expansion is approved by Congress. But no one is talking about matching much less exceeding the enormous armada of another age. The number of Navy personnel has also fallen over time, from more than 725,000 in 1954 to about 323,000 now. It's unlikely to grow anywhere near that higher level. ___ Find all AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd ___ Associated Press writers Jim Drinkard and Cal Woodward contributed to this report. SPRINGFIELD The Illinois Department of Agriculture is accepting proposals for federal specialty crop grants through April 28. The IDOA anticipates Illinois will receive about $525,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute to state projects beginning in calendar year 2018. They are intended to expand the availability of fresh, locally grown produce and strengthen the competitiveness of the state's specialty crop industry. Projects that benefit a particular commercial product or provide a profit to a single organization, institution or individual are ineligible. Farmers' markets, roadside stands and community-sponsored agriculture programs should consider submitting proposals. The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service defines specialty crops as "fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture)." Illinois is the nation's leading producer of pumpkins and horseradish, and ranks in the top 10 in acreage of cantaloupes, green peas, lima beans and sweet corn. It also is home to a flourishing grape and wine market. Sales of all specialty crops in Illinois, including nursery and greenhouse sales, totaled almost $470 million in 2012. To request proposal packets and more details, visit agr.state.il.us/speciality-crop-grants or call 217-524-9129. A Davenport man is facing federal charges of sexually exploiting a Moline teen from December 2015 until last month. Timothy B. Fredrickson, 27, is charged in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois with sexual exploitation of a child, according to court records. According to an affidavit filed against Mr. Fredrickson, Moline police received a complaint on Feb. 4 from a woman about an alleged online relationship between her 16-year-old daughter and Mr. Fredrickson. Police said the girl received flowers at Moline High School from Mr. Fredrickson and told her mother she had sent him more than 20 nude images of herself at his request. Police said that, during an interview at the Child Advocacy Center, the girl said she met Mr. Fredrickson through the app Whisper. Mr. Fredrickson knew her age, she said, and the two communicated through Whisper, Snapchat, Facebook and their phones. During an interview with police, Mr. Fredrickson allegedly said he had a "deep connection" with the girl and learned she was 16 after a week of communication. He said they agreed not to meet in person because "the age difference was still an issue" for the girl. Mr. Fredrickson made his initial court appearance Thursday. A preliminary hearing was set for Monday. A Milan man was sentenced Friday in Henry County Circuit Court to three years in prison for aggravated fleeing and eluding an officer from an incident early Dec. 30, 2016, in rural Orion. Austin J. Sandberg, 21, also was sentenced to pay $175 in restitution for a tow bill. In a separate incident, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for attempted theft of less than $500 in a coin/currency jar on Nov. 10 in Geneseo. The two prison terms are consecutive because he was out on bond on the earlier charge when he was picked up on the latter. The fleeing/eluding incident began with the report of a suspicious small SUV at Sunny Hill Drive near Orion. Court testimony stated Mr. Sandberg drove across farm fields several times while trying to elude police. Felony charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and theft were dropped in exchange for his plea. Judge Terry Patton accepted the negotiated plea. Michael R. Shaffier Jr., age unavailable, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois to two counts of activities related to child pornography, according to court records. Court documents state that, during a Dec. 6, 2016, search of his home, Mr. Shaffier admitted to possessing and receiving child pornography using his computer and an external hard drive in his bedroom. He also admitted to unplugging and hiding the hard drive when law enforcement knocked on his locked bedroom door. An Alvarado, Texas, woman has pleaded not guilty to homicide by vehicle in connection with a January accident in Davenport. Lauria Lee Kelly, 59, pleaded not guilty last week in Scott County District Court, according to court records. Her next court appearance is set for March 31. Davenport police responded at 5:52 p.m Jan. 30 to a three-vehicle accident at the intersection of Brady and 2nd streets, according to a department news release. Police say Ms. Kelly was driving an eastbound 2005 Dodge truck on 2nd Street when it struck two cars stopped at a red light. Cynthia Jones, 53, of Davenport, the driver of one of the vehicles, was pronounced dead at the scene. Ms. Kelly and the driver of the other vehicle were transported to the hospital with injuries that were not life threatening, police said. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) An Illinois appellate court has temporarily barred Gov. Bruce Rauner from imposing his contract terms on the state's largest public employee union. The 4th District Court of Appeals sided with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 on Friday. The court issued an order prohibiting immediate action by the Republican governor. Talks have been unsuccessful for two years. A labor regulator labeled them at "impasse." That means Rauner may impose his terms and if ASFSCME objects, it can go on strike. AFSCME is challenging the impasse ruling. The court issued a bar on any administration plans to implement its terms until the legality of the impasse decision is decided. Rauner lawyer Dennis Murashko (muh-RASH'-koh) says delaying the administration's "commonsense" offer costs taxpayers $2 million a day. MOLINE The Government Bridge will be closed today until 7 p.m. because of repairs being performed by the Army Corps of Engineers to the downriver gate on Lock and Dam 15. The lock has been closed since mid-December while the Corps installs structures that will help them conduct future maintenance, according to Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Allen Marshall. The lock was scheduled to reopen Friday, but an inspection of the gate found it needed some repair, he said. The lock now is expected open Sunday. On Saturday, the downriver gate of the lock will be lifted out with a large crane so the repairs can be carried out. Transportation companies and other stakeholders in river transport have been notified of the delay, Mr. Marshall said. Lock and Dam 15 is the largest roller dam in the world, with its complex extending from the northwest tip of the Armys Arsenal Island on the Illinois side to a small area of flat-bottom land on the Iowa side. The main lock is 110 feet wide by 600 feet long; the auxiliary lock is 110 by 360 feet. Both have a maximum chamber lift of 16 feet with an average of 13 feet. It takes about seven minutes to fill or empty. Each lock gate weighs nearly 82 tons. The 1,203-foot-long movable dam is the largest roller dam in the world consisting of 11 nonsubmersible 100-foot-long roller gates with 11 control houses. In 2004, the facility was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Walking tours of the facility are offered at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The facility also can be watched online at www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/MVRCams/RiverCam.cfm. MOLINE President Donald Trump's recent executive orders affecting refugees are being blamed for five Moline World Relief workers losing their jobs. Three of them were full-time employees and two were part-timers, World Relief executive director Amy Rowell said. Ms. Rowell said because the federal government changed the number of refugees allowed from 110,000 to 50,000 nationally, Moline's office will have to cut theirs from 225 people to 126. Another executive order was expected Friday but hadn't arrived, she said. If the refugee numbers go up, she said, the laid-off employees could be rehired. "But we don't believe that will happen," Ms. Rowell said. Nationally, World Relief is closing five offices and dismissing 140 people following the executive order. "We've also been informed that the two primary centers we'll be serving are Burma and the Democratic Republic of the Congo," Ms. Rowell said. No people from Syria or previously banned countries are expected to arrive in Moline. The layoffs made for a tough week in the Moline office, Ms. Rowell said. The affected staff had been with the organization for up to 14 years, she said. "We still have a staff of 10," she said, noting volunteers will help cover any shortfall. About six months ago, World Relief moved to new offices at 1852 16th St., Moline. It now will have to review its finances to determine costs, Ms. Rowell said. "We're not saying we have to move out tomorrow, because that's not the case," she said. Yet, she said, they will have to assess the situation to determine how long the location will remain feasible. Ms. Rowell said that, as a ministry, it saddens staff members to realize fewer immigrants will be able to join them. "We do trust that the Lord will provide," she said. "And we really appreciate all the prayers people can share. "World Relief's not going anywhere," she said. But she acknowledged the federal action is confusing a lot of refugees and immigrants already in the system. If given the chance, she said, she would like to meet President Trump and introduce him to two or three refugees. "These refugees are truly appreciative," Ms. Rowell said. "They love this country as much as I do, They would thank him and say 'Mr. President, we wish you would let others come here, too, like you let us." For more details, call 309-764-2279. GENESEO "Living with Hope and Joy" is the theme of this year's Lenten series programs at First Congregational United Church of Christ, Geneseo. The Thursday programs, which start at 7 p.m., run from March 9 to April 6 at the church, 101 W. Pearl St., Geneseo. Refreshments will be served. "We chose the title of 'Living with Hope and Joy' because we can be hopeful and have joy as Christians from the hope and joy the resurrection brings to our lives," said Ginny Nash of the church. "Even when it is not Easter by the calendar, we all have Easters in our lives. "The challenges we face often can be helped by relying on the knowledge and love of others," she said. "Our series is an attempt to help individuals in our community deal with problems they might have by providing information and resources." On March 9, Dr. Duane Halburn, a counselor with Geneseo Marriage & Family Counseling, and Donna Westerlund, a social worker at Hammond-Henry Hospital, Geneseo, begin the series with a discussion on mental health. Dr. Halburn plans to discuss how quality mental health includes times of joy and hope as well as adjusting to the fluidity of life. He will address how pain is a component of life and can be curative. "Mental health is like taking care of your teeth," he said. "There is prevention and there is responsive reaction. The best prevention is self-care intentionally seeking out ways to discover or recover hope, joy and meaning of life. "We are all quirky, weird and have bad habits," he said. "But that is not an illness until there is disruption in occupational functioning, relationships with family or friends or an inability to have a normal range of emotions," he said. "We see if the behavior is deviant, maladaptive and/or distressing." Other programs include: March 16: Joe DePauw, of Geneseo, will present "Hope and Help for the Homeless" explaining the McKinney/Vento Homeless Education Act he works with, in coordination with the Geneseo school district. The retired Geneseo school administrator will discuss how students qualify for the program and what help is available. March 23: Kelli Rashid will present "Moments By Mutti," a look at how to create hope and joy for critically ill children. "Moments By Mutti," the brainchild of the family and friends of Lynn "Mutti" Saey, will discuss both patients battling cancer and their family support. Ms. Saey was a single mother of five in Kewanee who returned to school to become an elementary teacher. She was diagnosed with Primary CNS Lymphoma in 1999; she died in July 2011.' March 30: Carrie Boelens, community relations specialist with OSF Saint Luke Medical Center, Kewanee, will present "Laughter is the Best Medicine." Citing St. Francis of Assisi's prayer for peace, she said humor and laughter allow people to embrace joy and health benefits during difficult situations. She will share how laughter affects physical, social, emotion and spiritual relationships. April 6: Cathy Langdon will present a program on Alzheimer's. A Alzheimers Association volunteer, she leads the Alzheimer's Caregivers Support Group that meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday each month at Hammond-Henry Hospital. She will discuss symptoms and behaviors that may be early signs of Alzheimer's, how the disease may progress and difficulties patients and families can experience. A few years ago I was talking to a very dedicated Democrat who said winning elections was all about power. With power goes responsibility so when the Democrats are in power they are responsible for whatever follows. Democrats have been in power for a long time in Illinois, California, and New York especially the large cities of those states, New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Policies enacted by the Democrats have led to poverty, unpaid debt, government dependence and sanctuary cities. Democrats in Illinois thus are responsible for the deplorable (to borrow a word from Hillary) status of the state. Mike Madigan head of the Democrat party in Springfield runs the state. Nothing happens in the state legislature without Madigans OK. People, especially Democrats in Rock Island County, who regularly vote for Democratic leadership are responsible for the status of Illinois. Illinois is losing population every year which means losing jobs, losing tax payers, and losing revenue. The answer is NOT raising taxes, which seems to be the Democrat answer to any problem. Democrats need to explain why the following issues are good for the state: -- Highest corporate tax in the country -- Liabilities over $100 billion, most of which is pension related -- Sanctuary cities -- Gun violence in Chicago -- Poverty level -- Low graduation rates Not only do they need to explain those things, they need to put forward solutions. Gov. Bruce Rauner has suggested some ideas to improve the business climate in Illinois and we know where they have gone. Richard L. "Bud" Phillis MD, Milan Re: Family cries foul after BHC denies professor emeritus status The College Campus Press Act (110 ILCS 13/) (110 ILCS 13/15) Sec. 15 tells us: ... A collegiate media adviser must not be terminated, transferred, removed, otherwise disciplined, or retaliated against for refusing to suppress protected free expression rights of collegiate student journalists and of collegiate student editors. There are three witnesses who attest to hearing Black Hawk College Board President David Emerick make the claim that he was disciplining Professor Carter for not suppressing the protected free expression rights of the student journalists and their editor. As a concerned citizen writing about issues of public interest, I am appalled because such comments appear to clearly constitute a violation of Illinois state law. Pesident Emerick, who holds an elected position, should author an explanation of his reasoning, the Illinois Community College Board and the Higher Learning Commission should be contacted by the newspaper and concerned citizens, and the college and its governing bodies should launch a formal investigation into the matter. If in fact President Emerick violated state law, the board president and those elected representatives who support his authoritarian reasoning should be removed from their positions. Regardless, Professor Erskine Carter should be awarded the title of professor emeritus. Galen Leonhardy, Moline Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PardeeRAND.edu) is home to the only Ph.D. and M.Phil. programs offered at an independent public policy research organizationthe RAND Corporation. Improving relations with Russia, a priority for President Donald Trump, is a worthy goal. Despite concerns in Congress and among U.S. allies, Trump could make progress by seeking to partner with Russia on some issues, like North Korea, while keeping up heat on others, such as aggression in Ukraine. Trump is not the first U.S. president to seek better ties with Moscow soon after being elected. In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt opened U.S. relations with the USSR, which helped him later deal with Stalin in World War II. In 2001, President George W. Bush declared Putin "trustworthy," and the Kremlin offered only a muted reaction when Bush pulled out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. In 2009, despite Russia's aggression in Georgia the previous August, President Barack Obama launched a reset with Moscow, which helped bring about the New START Treaty and allowed for the transport of supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistanfor which Russia's railway companies were well-paid. Later, reset momentum waned, but these cases show that at times U.S. presidents can make gains by boosting ties with Moscow. But care must be taken to manage risks. At a time when the Kremlin is alleged to be interfering in U.S. and European elections, Western political leaders and their constituents may not support new concessions to Moscow. Dealing with the Kremlin is risky if it shows no interest in reciprocal action. Despite several Minsk peace accords, Russia persists in its war against eastern Ukraine. Moscow is violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty while stonewalling U.S. objections. Risks rise if the Kremlin sees an interlocutor as irresolute. Moscow may have discerned this in Obama's refusal to supply Ukraine with lethal defensive arms, or to counter Russian military intervention in Syria. Risks also climb if one looks eager. This was so at Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's December summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite Abe's gushing about a potential breakthrough on long-disputed islands, the Kremlin leader was obdurate. Because of controversy over his Russia policy and the resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn, Trump may have less leeway to negotiate with the Kremlin than did some earlier presidents. A prudent course for Trump is to pursue cooperation with Moscow when interests are shared, and confront it as necessary. President Ronald Reagan showed how. In 1987, he and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reached the historic Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty even as America was supplying Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Afghan fighters resisting Soviet military occupation. America would suffer if all cooperation with Russia were entirely ended. U.S. astronauts could not reach the International Space Station. U.S. oil companies, with vital technology, could not drill in Russia's energy-rich offshore Arctic region. Cooperation between U.S. and Russian scientists helps avert nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Last June, a Russian rocket, the world's most powerful, launched a U.S. spy satellite into space. In this regard, Trump can find fruitful ways to advance cooperation with Russia in such areas as nonsanctioned trade, countering violent extremism, science, student and faculty exchanges and tourism. At the same time, the president should reaffirm America's determination to resist Moscow's aggression and intimidation against neighbors, and call on the Kremlin to stop its nuclear saber-rattling. Trump would be wise to make it clear that financial and energy sanctions will remain in place until Russia pulls its forces and the rebels it controls out of eastern Ukraine, ceases its war there and returns the region to Kiev's control. The White House was correct to state that Crimea must ultimately return to Ukraine's sovereignty, but ending the hot war in eastern Ukraine should take priority. William Courtney is an adjunct senior fellow at the nonpartisan, nonprofit RAND Corporation. He was U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan, Georgia, and a U.S.-Soviet commission to implement the Threshold Test Ban Treaty. This commentary originally appeared on U.S. News & World Report on February 28, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. During the 2016 U.S. presidential contest, Donald Trump was highly critical of the structure and costs of the U.S.-Japan mutual defense relationship and openly raised the possibility of a Japanese nuclear deterrent. His remarks caused substantial confusion, concern, and consternation within Japan and among U.S. supporters of the U.S.Japan alliance, which has more typically been described as anchoring stability in the Asia-Pacific and the cornerstone of the regional security architecture that the U.S. built up in Asia after World War II. However, U.S.Japan relations appear to be stabilizing in the wake of a highly successful visit by Defense Secretary James Mattis to Tokyo in early February that reaffirmed the alliance for years to come, and an equally successful visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the U.S. a week later. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, perhaps reflecting Mr. Trump's recent promise to stand behind Japan 100 percent, recently affirmed to his Japanese counterpart that the Trump administration will continue to apply Article 5 of the U.S.Japan Mutual Security Treaty to the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands. Mr. Trump appears to have concluded that the alliance with Japan is more important than his previous remarks suggested. Japan, for its part, has taken numerous steps in recent years to strengthen its defenses in ways that make it a more valuable partner to the United States. These include setting up a National Security Council, articulating a new National Security Strategy, and reorienting its Self-Defense Forces from preparing primarily to deal with a Russian invasion from the north to an air and maritime threat posed by China in the southwest. In addition, Japan has reinterpreted the constitutional constraints on the Self-Defense Forces, increased defense spending, established an amphibious rapid reaction force, and begun to treat space more explicitly as a national security domain. Leading experts have noted that such moves are more evolutionary than revolutionary and still leave Japan's security forces constrained. While progress has been slow, Japan is moving in the right direction. Tokyo's next steps are already in the works, with studies of expanded ballistic missile defense already underway in both the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Japanese Ministry of Defense. Japan's focus will likely be on procurement of either a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery or on buying Aegis Ashore, an exo-atmospheric missile intercept system. The country is also debating the procurement of electronic warfare aircraft and offensive strike capabilities to hit enemy missile bases. Additionally, Japan plans to buy up to 17 V-22B Block C Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, useful for rapidly moving forces to remote islands that might be threatened by China. For its part, the Trump administration is requesting an expansion of up to nine percent in defense spending, is considering substantial increases to the size of the U.S. Navy, and may invest in upgrading the U.S. nuclear arsenal as well as developing state of the art ballistic missile defenses. It appears likely that such military spending is intended partly, or perhaps even primarily, for supporting U.S. policy goals in the Asia-Pacific. Given the criticisms that the President leveled at Japan during the campaign, observers have speculated that Tokyo might seek to address Trump's criticisms through additional purchases of American military hardware and expanded joint defense industrial development. The Abe administration has also restated its unwavering commitment to follow through on an agreement to construct a replacement facility for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa. A final development that analysts of the alliance will be watching closely will be the Trump administration's articulation of a regional strategy that the U.S.Japan alliance can nest within. While the Obama administration's Asia pivot may not have succeeded in achieving all of its goals, it is not doomed, and the legacy that it represents is one that many observers of U.S. Asia policy believe the Trump administration should build on, not abandon. The strength of the pivot was that it presented a vision of the region that the U.S. wanted to see and a strategy for achieving it. Although it may have been under-resourced and imperfectly executed, it nonetheless gained substantial buy-in from regional allies and partners who welcomed a liberal, rules-based international order focused on democracy, human rights, sustainable economic development and countering global climate change, as well as ensuring that conflictseven those involving big powersare resolved peacefully. If the Trump administration were to choose not to invest in U.S. leadership on universal values, global order, and trade, the U.S.Japan alliance could be stripped of much of its supporting architecture. Reduced to its military and economic dimensions, the alliance will persist, but it will contribute less to American and Japanese security and values, be more vulnerable to tensions over costs, and will struggle to effectively shape the choices of a rising China or a rapidly evolving Asia-Pacific. One of the most urgent challenges facing U.S. Asia policy today, then, is the articulation of U.S. goals for the region and an effective strategy for achieving these that leverages U.S. hard power and soft power alike and offers allies like Japan a clear framework they can plug into and augment with their own unique strengths. Scott W. Harold is the Associate Director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, a political scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty. This commentary originally appeared on The Cipher Brief on March 3, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. The Killid Group, February 19, 2017 By Habib Viqar Human rights activists want the police and security forces to deliver to the law the perpetrators of violence against women. Sima Samar, head of AIHRC (Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission) says, "If police do not help as much there can be no justice. We (human rights organisations) only monitor the situation." Suraya Sobhrang of AIHRC says 3,000 cases of violence against women have been reported. "Unfortunately the violence has increased: forced marriage of girls, physical and psychological violence has increased day by day with many people killing their wives, sisters and daughters in the name of honour," she says. Amnesty International has also expressed concern. Horia Mosadeq says Amnesty has requested the Afghan president to order investigations into incidents of violence against women. Reports have been reached of incidents from different parts of the country. On Feb 11, a young couple who had eloped was killed in public in Wama district in Nuristan province. Zaheda, the head of women's affairs in Nuristan province says that Fateha (the woman) and Hedayatullah had surrendered to the police but their families attacked the district governor's office, took out the couple and killed them in public. Hafez Abdul Qayoom, governor of Nuristan, says three police personnel were injured. "The people have seriously injured the police; the couple who were married was killed." Before this a woman was killed by her husband in Badghis province. Zaher Bahand, spokesperson at the provincial governor's office, says a 24-year-old woman was hanged in Qadis district by her husband. "The man had brought his wife from his father in law's house. They started to quarrel, and the man hanged his wife, killing her." A 20-year-old was died of knife injuries on Feb 2 in Bamyan province by unknown individuals. Mohammad Ali Lakzai, the head of security in the provincial police headquarters, says the girl was taken to hospital but died during treatment. No arrests have been made in the case. No end to misogyny Manizha, a 20-year old woman, who was beaten and tortured by her husband and his family. She was kept in a dark basement and forced to work in the cold. She said, They punched and kicked me on my face. They tied my hands with a rope and beat me with chains, sticks and a whip. I spent days and weeks in the basement of the house with my hands and feet tied up. They forced me to work in the cold and snow. (Photo: RAWA.org) Manizha, a 20-year old woman, who was beaten and tortured by her husband and his family. She was kept in a dark basement and forced to work in the cold. She said, They punched and kicked me on my face. They tied my hands with a rope and beat me with chains, sticks and a whip. I spent days and weeks in the basement of the house with my hands and feet tied up. They forced me to work in the cold and snow. (Photo: RAWA.org) A man cut off the ears of his 23-year-old wife Zarina in Kushandai district in Balkh Jan 31. Zarina says she has always been careful not to provoke her husband into anger but it has not made the slightest difference. "My husband tied up my hands and legs. I begged and pleaded. He threatened to divorce me. 'I will divorce you; I will make you so ugly that no one can marry you', he said. He cut off my hair and both ears with a big knife," she says. Zarina has been married since she was 13. Her father was dead, and her mother is disabled. Her husband doubted her character without reason, she says. He would not let her visit her father's house. Police in Kushandai district say that Zarina's husband has fled. Earlier a twenty years old girl was killed in Khambil village of Yaftal Bala district of Badkhshan province by a Taleban commander called Mawlawi Saifullah in front of her family members only because they did not want the girl to marry Saifullah. One day before this incident, armed Taleban killed another 20-year-old, Amirbegum, for "being immoral" at her father's house. Arefa Naweed, regional head of AIHRC in Badakhshan, says this is the seventh murder of a woman in the province. The districts of Yamagan, Wardooj, Shuhad and Yaftal Bala are under Taleban control and the AIHRC cannot meet the families of the victims here. On Jan 23, a 16-year-old girl called Nasima killed herself in Qadis district in Badghis province. Zargoona Sherzad, head of women's affairs in Badghis, says the girl was due to be forced into marriage with her uncle by her father. Security officials have made three arrests in the case but the family of the girl has not commented so far. There are reports from other provinces including Badghis, Jowzjan, Sar-e Pol and Rozgan. The list is endless but women's rights activists point out the conviction rate is abysmal in Afghanistan. Mahmooda Taqwa says, an activist says, "We are astonished the government has not been able in the past 16 years to prevent the violence against women. Even in Kabul women are beaten, girls are given as baad, and in most of the cases when the government arrests the culprits they have been released within day, and the families have faced more problems." Nafisa Selai, another activist, blames the government for making only empty promises. "If the law had been implemented on some people, the violence against women would have not been so much," she says. Promise of justice The Ministry of Women's Affairs has plans to increase programmes to raise public awareness about the protection of women and elimination of violence against them. Spogmai Wardak, deputy minister of women's affairs, says plans drawn up by the ministry have been forwarded to the executive to implement. "All executive organs have drawn up detailed plans for the implementation, which has been shared with us," she says. As an example she says the Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs has signed a memorandum of understanding with her ministry to work jointly to spread awareness. The Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) has been pushing for justice for victims, Sidiq Sidiqi, the spokesperson says. The Killid Group, March 4, 2017 Officials in Farah reported that over 31 civilians including women and children were killed and injured during clashes between Afghan security forces and armed anti-government oppositions. Hakim Rasouli, head physician at Farah civil hospital, said that they were killed and injured yesterday afternoon in Todnak area of Balabolok district. He added that 8 corpses and 22 injured were transferred to the hospital most of whom were women and children. Rasouli further stated that the victim's families claimed that most of the people were killed and injured in gunshots and airstrikes. Meanwhile Gen. Gulbahar Mujahid, chief of Farah police, asserted that an investigation is underway to identify the perpetrators. He added that seven children and a woman were killed. Zabiullah Mujahid, a so-called Taleban spokesman, said that they were killed in US airstrikes. Mujahid added that 13 people including children were killed and 22 others injured in the airstrikes conducted by US troops. US forces have not commented on the statement so far. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/06/2017 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Nick Viall has started his overnight fantasy suite dates, but there is still more to come on the 21st season.Nick, a 36-year-old former software salesman from Wisconsin, sent Corinne Olympios packing during a Rose Ceremony in Brooklyn, NY, after visiting her family in Miami, FL.Although Nick loved Corinne's aggressive, confident and fun nature, his relationships with the other women were simply stronger.With Corinne gone, three bachelorettes remain in the running for Nick's heart: Rachel Lindsay Vanessa Grimaldi and Raven Gates In the latest episode, Nick enjoyed his first fantasy suite date with Raven. The couple soaked in the beautiful snowy landscape via helicopter ride, drank and played darts with locals in a pub, and then watched the Northern Lights from inside a cozy little log cabin.During their fantasy suite date, Raven confessed to Nick she was in love with him, and her declaration of such love was one of the sweetest Nick has ever heard in his life.Nick's eyes welled up with tears when Raven was expressing her deepest feelings, so she thought he reciprocated them. Raven revealed to Nick she only had sex with one person in her life -- seemingly her ex-boyfriend of two years -- and never said, "I love you," to a man before, not to mention she's also never had an orgasm.Nick's bond with Raven appears strong, but he also has a connection with Rachel, who captured Nick's attention on Day 1 and won the First Impression Rose, and Vanessa, who was the first girl Nick really opened up to this season.Nick therefore has some very tough decisions to make when it comes to which woman could be his future wife and partner in life. Nick has said countless times he is taking this process very seriously and truly hopes it works out for him in the end. After all, Nick was rejected on two different seasons of ette and failed to fall in love with the girl he dated on Bachelor in Paradise, Jennifer Saviano Bachelor Nation is unsure whether Nick will fall deeply in love and/or proposes at the end of his journey on the show, but it's clear he's considering an engagement since he asked each woman's father for permission during the hometown dates.It's clear, however, Nick and Rachel do not end up together since ABC recently announced her as ette's Season 13 star . She confirmed that Nick "let her go" and she did not quit but it was "his loss."So when does Nick decide to eliminate Rachel, and who will be his Final 2 bachelorettes? And will Vanessa or Rachel be the last woman standing at the end of it all?Nick revealed in his People blog that he sends Rachel home after their overnight fantasy suite date in Finland. He called it his "hardest goodbye yet."And, according to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, Nick rejects Raven in favor of Vanessa at the final Rose Ceremony. Vanessa therefore receives his final rose -- and a Neil Lane engagement ring!As for the current status of Nick and Vanessa's romance, Reality Steve claims they are still happily engaged. I guess Nick's fourth attempt at finding love on a reality dating series truly was the charm.Below is the list of bachelorettes who are still in the running for Nick's heart: Vanessa Grimaldi , a 29-year-old special education teacher from Montreal, Quebec, Canada Rachel Lindsay , a 31-year-old attorney from Dallas, TX Raven Gates , a 25-year-old fashion boutique owner from Hoxie, AR After a couple of rough years, the oil market appears to have found its footing in 2017. Crude prices seemed to have stabilized above $50 per barrel -- thanks to healthy demand, falling supplies, and a helping hand from OPEC -- so most oil producers in the U.S. are putting more drilling rigs back to work, which should reverse the country's production decline. That said, some oil producers are growing much faster than their rivals, thanks to prime positions in the oil-rich Permian Basin. Here's a closer look at some of America's fastest-growing oil stocks: Crude Oil Stock Enterprise Value 2016 Average Production Rate 2017 Growth Forecast RSP Permian (NYSE: RSPP) $6.5 billion 29,200 BOE/D 82% to 95% Parsley Energy (NYSE: PE) $9.8 billion 38,257 BOE/D 70% at the midpoint Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ: FANG) $7.8 billion 43,000 BOE/D More than 65% PDC Energy (NASDAQ: PDCE) $4.6 billion 60,590 BOE/D More than 40% at the midpoint WPX Energy (NYSE: WPX) $7.5 billion 84,600 BOE/D 30% oil-volume growth Paying up to fuel eye-popping growth RSP Permian made a huge splash last year, spending $2.4 billion to acquire Silver Hill Energy Partners and Silver Hill E&P, outbidding Diamondback Energy in the process. In doing so, the company entered the Delaware Basin portion of the Permian, giving it dual growth engines to fuel output expansion in 2017 and beyond. As things currently stand, RSP Permian sees its output rising between 82% and 95% this year, due in part to the incremental output from the two Silver Hill acquisitions as well as the fact that its growth is coming off a low base of less than 30,000 BOE/D last year. That said, the company doesn't plan on being a one-year wonder, with RSP Permian expecting output to expand by more than 30% per year in 2018 and 2019 while living within cash flow at $55 oil. The buying binge is about to pay off Acquisitions are also the primary fuel behind Parsley Energy's ambitious 2017 growth plan. That's after the company completed a slew of deals over the past year across the Basin to lock up prime drilling land. Its biggest deal occurred earlier this month when it spent $2.8 billion to acquire 3,000 drilling locations in the Midland Basin. As a result, the company now has 8,000 drilling locations to fuel robust production growth in 2017 and beyond. Second time is the charm While Diamondback Energy lost out to RSP Permian on the Silver Hill deal, it still came out as a winner in the end. That's because the company would go on to acquire Brigham Resources in a $2.43 billion deal a few months later. It was arguably a better buy because Brigham came at a lower per-acre valuation of $32,000, versus the $58,500 per acre that RSP Permian paid. Further, Diamondback Energy sees its deal fueling 65% output growth this year, while providing a "runway for unprecedented growth for years to come." Getting in on the action PDC Energy also rode the Permian Basin acquisition wave last year, spending $1.5 billion to enter the core of the Delaware Basin. That deal provided the company with more than 700 future drilling locations, which will fuel production growth in 2017 and beyond. Further, the company recently spent another $118 million on some bolt-on acreage to expand its position, which is something it likely will continue doing in the future. The transformation is complete Unlike the others on this list, WPX Energy didn't make a game-changing acquisition last year to set it up for growth in 2017. Instead, the company did that in 2015, when it spent $2.35 billion on a transformative transaction to enter the Permian. Meanwhile, it spent the bulk of the past year jettisoning non-core assets in other basins and bolstering its core position in the Permian, including a $775 million acquisition earlier this year. As a result, WPX Energy is ready to ramp up drilling in 2017, with plans to grow its oil output 30% this year, which sets it up for 30% to 40% annual production growth through 2020. Investor takeaway All five of these oil stocks have one thing in common: They each spent billions to buy a prime position in the oil-rich Permian Basin because wells are very lucrative to drill when oil is above $50. With that crude price in the forecast this year, those deals are poised to pay off, as each company expects to deliver oil production growth of 30% or more even if oil doesn't recover much further. Investors looking for some oil-fueled growth should take a look at adding one of these rapidly growing oil stocks to their portfolios. 10 stocks we like better than RSP Permian When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now and RSP Permian 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 Matt DiLallo 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. The creation of the Green Fee in 2008 funded the University of Georgia Office of Sustainabilitys opening in 2010, and since then, the office has created a 10-year sustainability plan where they outlined goals to be a more environmentally-friendly campus in five main categories: energy, transportation, land management, waste reduction and education and research and service. This is it, bulldogsthere are eight weeks until graduation. For the seniors graduating in May, this is the final countdown to the rest of you The city needs some autonomy, or it will continue to decline in all the ways that are familiar, observes T N Ninan. So much of what is news, and the commentary around the news, leaves unasked the key question: what has really changed? That is the question that must be asked at the end of local elections in Mumbai that have shaken the city's main political force, the Shiv Sena, and notched up yet another success for the party that is on the rise, the Bharatiya Janata Party, even as the Congress has marked one more territory where its future relevance has become a question. So, yes, the local elections are politically significant, and have some degree of national resonance; but what has really changed? During the campaign, the BJP said some very uncomplimentary things about its former (and future?) ally, comparing Mumbai's governance standard to Patna's, and pointing to large-scale corruption in the corporation -- whose accounts have not been audited for seven years. Will all this change? Those who should know say that the practice, when the cream is skimmed off, has been for the people involved to share it in proportion to party representation in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations Council (which, they say, is one reason why decisions are unanimous). If the system remains unchanged, one lot will now get a higher share, the others will get less. As they say, same difference! It is ridiculous, for instance, that the countrys leading business city, with a budget that at Rs 37,000 crore is more than that of many smaller states, should be administered by a civil servant appointed by the Maharashtra government. It is indefensible that two-thirds of the city budget should go towards pay and pensions, and that the city's traffic infrastructure should be so hopelessly inadequate. And it is truly scandalous that the citys slum population should be more than 60 per cent of the totaland growing at the rate of 50 per cent in a decade. Does anyone in the city expect any of this to change? If not, what is the excitement about? Cities prosper only if they have an effective local government that is responsive to the needs of the citys residents. And since (as someone said) all politics is local, city administrators are often able to launch national political careers. Some of the leading lights of the freedom movement from Bengal were once mayors of the city, including Subhas Chandra Bose. Likewise, the mayors of Paris, Berlin, London and New York have often launched national political careers. New Delhi's mayor is called the chief minister, and he too is launching his party nationally! But Mumbai's mayor is a non-entity. If this does not change, nothing will. The problem is that the city's political history makes it difficult to carve out for it some independence from the state administration. But if that political task is not addressed, Mumbai will continue to decline in all the ways that are familiar. Much other reform is needed. The octroi provides the bulk of the city's revenue, but will be abolished when the goods and services tax is introduced. What will replace it, and will that increase the city's dependence on the state government? What about the absurdities of the city's property tax system, which levies sharply differing tax rates on two neighbouring buildings of similar size, because one is older than the other? What about the multiplicity of authorities in the city, with their overlapping turf definitions? The Shiv Sena cared seemingly little for these and other questions so long as it could use its rough-cut brand of identity and street-politics to live off the city. It is unclear who will run the city's corporation henceforth, but will whoever-it-may-be push for the institutional changes that are inescapable if the city is to be made more livable? The ball is in the BJP's court. It campaigned on a platform of greater transparency, it now has greater say in city affairs, and also it runs the state government. Will it take the lead on the key institutional changes required? If not, Mumbaikars have little to celebrate. A students' march against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on Saturday featured issues beyond free speech, with "simmering discontent" against the Narendra Modi government finding expression through colours, posters and poetry. IMAGE: Umar Khalid speaks at a protest march against ABVP in New Delhi on Saturday. Missing JNU student Najeeb's mother is also seen. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo What was billed as a "citizens' march" against the ABVP's role in the North Campus violence on February 22, turned into a forum where issues ranging from assault on Dalits to missing Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb came up. JNU student leaders Shehla Rashid and Umar Khalid, invites to whom for an event at Ramjas College was opposed by the ABVP, were also present in the march. So was the face of Dalit resistance in Gujarat Jignesh Mewani and Najeeb's mother. The march, mainly comprising students of Delhi University and JNU, and a number of faculty members of these institutes, was also addressed by senior politicians including CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, JD(U) leader K C Tyagi, CPI's D Raja and Swaraj India's Yogendra Yadav. Students, many having their faces smeared in myriad shades of red, blue and yellow, raised slogans against ABVP, punctuated with cries of "azaadi" from casteism, patriarchy and "fascism", while holding up posters in Urdu. IMAGE: CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri addressing at a protest march against ABVP in New Delhi on Saturday. Student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, CPI leader D Raja and Swaraj Abhiyan party president, Yogendra Yadav are also seen. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo Along the entire stretch of the road between Mandi House and Parliament Street, the protesters scribbled messages and verses of resistance with coloured chalks. "We aim to highlight issues beyond assault on freedom of expression. What you see is a manifestation of the simmering discontent against the BJP government, especially among the student community, over a range of issues," Pratim Ghosal, Secretary of JNU-based Democratic Students' Federation (DSF), said. "Najeeb needs support like Gurmehar (Kaur) has received. Keep fighting for him. The entire Delhi Police force can't find Najeeb as it is busy lathi charging students. Don't mess with students, they can topple you. ABVP is the biggest anti-national organisation in the country," Najeeb's mother Fatima Nafees said. Yechury, Raja and Tyagi assured the students that the issue of "onslaught" on their rights will be raised in Parliament and hailed the students for speaking out against "imposition" of "views and ideas". IMAGE: Missing JNU student Najeebs mother speaks at a protest march against ABVP in New Delhi on Saturday. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo A group of slum dwellers from Yamuna Pushta area near Mayur Vihar, completely oblivious of the cause behind the march, were also seen walking alongside the students. "We have been brought here by an NGO after being told that we will be allowed to raise issues relating to lack of basic facilities and abysmal conditions in which we live," Sarita Devi, a part of the group, said. The national capital has witnessed a series of rallies and counter-rallies since the North Campus violence 12 days ago. Outfits, including AISA and SFI, have staged a series of protests across the city and campuses while ABVP has also hit back through demonstrations aiming to counter the ideological offensive being mounted by the left groups. Decks were cleared for the election of Shiv Sena candidate as the Mayor of Mumbai after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced that the BJP will not contest the March 8 Mayoral polls. He also made it clear that the decision of the BJP should not be read as a "surrender" to ensure stability of his government. "The people of Mumbai voted overwhelmingly for the BJP as they believed in our agenda of transparency in the civic administration. Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party while we were two seats behind them. We did not get the numbers to have a Mayor of our own," Fadnavis told media persons at his official bungalow in Mumbai. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has 84 corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation while the BJP falls two short of the formers count in the cash-rich civic body. "BJP will also not contest elections for the post of Deputy Mayor and for the standing, improvement, education committees as well as for posts of chairpersons in the BEST committee," the Chief Minister said. "We would have needed the support of other parties to have our Mayor," he said. The BJP had two options, either to have a Mayor by taking outside support, which meant compromising on the issue of transparency, or justify the faith and trust given to us by the people, Fadnavis said. "We chose the second option," he said, adding, "The issue of Mumbai Mayor has nothing to do with the stability of my government. It is stable. Yesterday, Shiv Sena Ministers attended the cabinet meeting and we agreed on various issues," he said. "The party's 82 corporators will be 'watchdogs' of transparency in the civic administration," Fadnavis said. To a question on whether the BJP will vote for Shiv Sena in the Mayoral election, he said his party will vote for the Sena if needed. "The BJP will not support any other party apart from the Sena," the chief minister said. "We will not be in Opposition. No decision in the civic body can now be taken without our consent. We will support the Shiv Sena on all issues related to the development of the city," he said. As the BJP has 82 corporators in the BMC, it will get equal representation in the standing, education, improvement and BEST committees. On whether the BJP plans to be a "remote control" in the civic body, Fadnavis said, "We want to give control of the city to its people." He said the issue of contesting the Mumbai Mayoral election was debated within the BJP's core committee for the last two days. "BJP posted spectacular success in the recent municipal council, zilla parishad, panchayat samiti and municipal corporation polls. We got 1.2 lakh votes in these elections. "The recent polls were held across 198 assembly constituencies. Our graph has increased since the 2014 Lok Sabha and assembly polls. This shows people have shown faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's transparency and development agenda," the chief minister said. "We can have a BJP mayor in eight of the 10 municipal corporations since we have a majority," Fadnavis said. The chief minister said the state government will set up a committee comprising former bureaucrats Ramanath Jha, Gautam Chaterjee and Sharad Kale to make recommendations on how to bring transparency in all the municipal corporations. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena welcomed BJP's stand and said it is thankful to the Chief Minister for respecting the sentiments of people. "We welcome the BJP's stand and are thankful to the chief minister that he finally understood and respected the sentiments of people, who are are with the Sena and support the party," Shiv Sena Minister Diwakar Raote said. On the Chief Minister's comment that BJP corporators will act as 'watchdogs' of transparency, he said Fadnavis should emulate his stand in the state government as well. "We have never said no to transparency. We too want a transparent administration. But the same level of transparency should be applied to the state government as well. "Yesterday, our Ministers in cabinet meeting conveyed this to the CM. We expect him to take the first step which will be strongly backed by us," Raote said. "The committee has been given three months to come up with recommendations," said Fadnavis. He also said the Lok Ayukta will be requested to appoint a new Uplok Ayukta with special jurisdiction for Mumbai. On a whirlind day in his Lok Sabha constituency to rally voters around the Bharatuya Janata Party in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a road show, offered prayers at two historic temples and paid tributes to Hindutva ideologue Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya on Saturday. His road show was scheduled on a day when 49 constituencies went to the polls in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. BJP leaders believe that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. The road show started from the Banaras Hindu University after Modi paid tributes to the statue of Malviya. People turned out in large numbers as the prime minister's cavalcade moved at a snail's pace. 'Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras' and 'Modi, Modi' slogans were raised by the supporters as he waved at them. Modi later offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples, two foremost Hindu holy places in the ancient city. The BJP, which is locked in a tight electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh with the SP-Congress alliance and the Mayawati-led BSP, hopes that a good performance in the eastern parts of the state will take it past the majority mark in the 403-member state assembly. The only other time Modi held a road show here was in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls after he picked Varanasi as one of his seats. The BJP swept the 2014 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, along with its ally Apna Dal. Three years later, the saffron camp is once again relying heavily on Modi to deliver the goods in Uttar Pradesh where it has been out of power for 15 years. It has organised many more public meetings of the prime minister than was anticipated earlier. Quite a few public events of Modi are lined up in the region tomorrow and the day after, the final day of campaigning for the seventh and last phase of polling on March 8. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi are also holding a road-show in the city. BSP chief Mayawati too addressed a public rally at Rohaniya, around 20 km from Varanasi. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday held a road show in Varanasi on the sidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, led a roadshow with Rahul through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the 'Kashi Vishwanath' temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi. Amid chanting of 'shlokas', Akhilesh, sporting the red Samajwadi Party cap, was seen kneeling at the temple and seeking the blessings of the priests. Akhilesh's MP wife Dimple, who has of late emerged as a star campaigner of the party after the sulking Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav decided to largely keep away from the fiercely fought electoral battle, joined the roadshow midway. Mulayam has so far addressed only a few election meetings for his brother Shivpal and younger daughter-in-law Arpana in their Jaswantnagar and Lucknow (cantonment) seats. The alliance partners mustered thousands of supporters for their parallel show of strength. Their supporters lined the streets and showered flower petals as the roadshow inched its way through crowded streets. Posters proclaiming 'Akhilesh Again' with the image of a smiling Chief Minister were seen along the route. An incident of stone-pelting was reported near Chowka Ghat as the convoy passed by, but police denied it, saying supporters of rival parties came face-to-face over hoisting flags but a clash was averted. Photographs: Samajwadi Party/Twitter Voting is underway in the first phase of elections in Manipur where 38 constituencies are polling while the sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh elections, spread across Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia, has also started. Polling in 49 Uttar Pradesh assembly seats in the sixth phase, with SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's Azamgarh being in focus, started today amidst tight security arrangements. Assembly segments of Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency of firebrand BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, and Mau, where jailed gangster-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari is in fray, also figure in this penultimate phase of polling that will also cover some districts bordering Nepal. Around 1.72 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, are eligible to cast their votes in this round to decide the fate of 635 candidates including 63 women. The districts where polling is going on in the sixth phase are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency has 10 assembly seats, of which SP had won nine in 2012, but this time Mulayam has not addressed a single meeting in his parliamentary constituency. The prestige of Union minister Kalraj Mishra, who represents Deoria in the Lok Sabha, too is at stake, besides that of Adityanath. The BJP is contesting 45 seats and its ally Apna Dal one. Another BJP partner Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party is contesting 3 seats. While BSP has fielded candidates on all 49 seats, SP is contesting 40 seats and Congress 9 seats under an alliance. Prominent candidates in this phase include BSP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya from Padrauna (Kushinagar), former BJP state president Surya Pratap Shahi from Pathardeva (Deoria), Shyam Bahadur Yadav (SP), son of former Governor Ram Naresh Yadav from Fulpur Pawai (Azamgarh), SP turncoats Ambika Chowhdury and Narad Rai, who are contesting on BSP ticket from Fefna (Ballia) and Ballia Sadar. Mukhtar is contesting from Mau and his son Abbas is in fray from adjoining Ghosi seat in Mau district. In the 2012 Assembly polls, of the 49 seats, 27 were won by the SP, 9 by BSP, 7 by BJP, 4 by Congress and 2 by others. There will be 17,926 polling booths and 10,820 polling centres in this phase. The highest number of 23 candidates are contesting from Gorakhpur and the least candidates, numbering seven are in pitted for Mohammadabad Gohna seat in Mau district. Central Para Military Forces have already reached the constituencies and carried out flag march in sensitive areas. Indo-Nepal border with Maharajganj and Gorakhpur, and border with Bihar have been sealed. Police patrolling has been intensified along inter district borders and barriers have been erected on highways to keep an eye on movements of vehicles. Maoists and the porous Indo-Nepal border are the two biggest challenges before the police in Maharajganj. The 84 km-long Indo-Nepal border has been sealed by Sashastra Seema Bal and only emergency vehicles will be allowed to cross the border, District Electoral Officer Virendra Kumar Singh said. Cameras have been installed on trade and transit points along India's border with Nepal to prevent illegal movement of people during polling. He said two such cameras have already been set up at Sonauli Indo-Nepal Border of Maharajganj district on India-Nepal border. The polling percentage on these 49 seats in sixth phase was 55.04 in 2012 assembly polls. Manipur Voting for the first phase of polling in Manipur covering 38 constituencies began amidst tight security. An electorate of 19,02,562 comprising 9,28,573 male and 9,73,989 female voters will decide the fate of 168 candidates. The number of new voters is 45,642. Of the total 1,643 polling station where polling is being held, the EC has identified 837 polling stations as hyper sensitive and 529 as sensitive. For maintaining peaceful polling 280 companies of central paramilitary forces and armed police of other states have been deployed. Out of these 30 companies are being kept for looking after the two national highways connecting Imphal and other states in view of the four-month-old indefinite economic blockade by United Naga Council. The rest of the security forces will be deployed in the polling stations, the EC said adding that Manipur Police will not be be deployed in them. In the first phase prominent political figures of the state like Speaker Th Lokeswar Singh, ministers I Hemochandra Singh, Govindas Konthoujam, Kh Ratankumar Singh and T Manga Vaiphei, Manipur PCC President T N Haokip, former ministers Phungzathang Tonsing, and Y Erabot Singh and BJP leader Th Chaoba Singh are in the election fray, the EC said. An estimated 57.03 per cent voters cast their ballots on Saturday in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections covering 49 Assembly seats, including Mau, where gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is in the fray. "The polling was approximately 57.03 per cent and passed off by and large peacefully," office of UP Chief Electoral Officer said in Lucknow. The polling percentage on these 49 seats was 55.04 in the 2012 state assembly polls. The poll percentage in the first phase of the current state polls was 64.22. It was 65.16 in the second phase, 61.16 in the third phase, 60.37 in the fourth phase and 57.37 in the fifth phase. Around 1.72 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, were eligible to cast their votes in Saturday's round. A total of 635 candidates, including 63 women are in the fray in this phase. Besides SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's Azamgarh being in focus, Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency of firebrand BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, and Mau, where jailed gangster-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari is in fray, also figured in the penultimate phase of polling. This phase also covered some districts bordering Nepal. The districts where polling is going on in the sixth phase are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency has 10 assembly seats, of which SP had won nine in 2012, but this time Mulayam has not addressed a single meeting in his parliamentary constituency. The prestige of Union minister Kalraj Mishra, who represents Deoria in the Lok Sabha, is also at stake in this phase of the crucial state polls. BJP is contesting from 45 seats, while its ally Apna Dal is trying its luck in one seat in this phase. Another BJP partner Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party is contesting from three seats. While BSP fielded candidates on all 49 seats, SP is contesting from 40 seats and Congress from nine seats under an alliance. Prominent candidates in this phase include BSP turncoat Swami Prasad Maurya from Padrauna (Kushinagar), former BJP state president Surya Pratap Shahi from Pathardeva (Deoria), Shyam Bahadur Yadav (SP), son of former Governor Ram Naresh Yadav from Fulpur Pawai (Azamgarh), SP turncoats Ambika Chowhdury and Narad Rai, who are contesting on BSP ticket from Fefna (Ballia) and Ballia Sadar. While gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is contesting from Mau, his son Abbas is in the fray from adjoining Ghosi seat. In the 2012 Assembly polls, of the 49 seats, 27 were won by SP, 9 by BSP, 7 by BJP, 4 by Congress and 2 by others. A total of 17,926 polling booths and 10,820 polling centres have been set up in the sixth phase. The highest number of 23 candidates are contesting from Gorakhpur and the least (seven) are from Mohammadabad Gohna seat in Mau district. The Central paramilitary forces assisted the local police in ensuring free and fair polls and carried out flag march in sensitive areas. The Indo-Nepal border with Maharajganj and Gorakhpur, and that with Bihar were sealed to prevent mischief makers from sneaking into the Indian territory or escaping. Police patrolling was intensified along inter-district borders and barriers were erected on highways to keep an eye on movement of vehicles. Possible trouble from Maoists and the porous Indo-Nepal border were the two biggest challenges before the police in Maharajganj. "The 84-km-long Indo-Nepal border was sealed by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and only emergency vehicles were allowed to cross the border," District Electoral Officer Virendra Kumar Singh said. Cameras were installed on trade and transit points along India's border with Nepal to prevent illegal movement of people during polling. Singh said two such cameras have already been set up at Sonauli in Maharajganj district on the India-Nepal border. The road so far... Image: Women stand in a long queue to cast their votes in Mau for the 6th phase of assembly elections. Photograph: PTI Photo Two Indian associates of alleged middleman Christian Michel James were on Saturday granted bail by a special court in a money laundering case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal. Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of accused R K Nanda and J B Subramaniyam, who were earlier summoned by the court. The court granted them the relief on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of the like amount. It also directed them not to leave the country without the court's prior permission and not to tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses. Advocate N K Matta, who represented the Enforcement Directorate, opposed the bail applications saying there was enough evidence on record to show the involvement of the two accused in the case. The court had last year issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against James, a British national, while summoning his Indian associates and M/s Media Exim Private Limited in the case. The firm was created by James, along with Nanda and Subramaniyam who are directors of the firm. The ED had pressed for an open-ended NBW to bring James from the UK to face trial. An open-ended NBW does not carry a time limit for execution. In June last year, the ED had filed a 1,300-page prosecution complaint (equivalent of a charge sheet) in connection with its money laundering probe in the case. It had claimed that its probe had found that James had allegedly received Euro 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from M/s AgustaWestland and alleged that this was nothing but kickbacks paid by the company to execute the deal for sale of 12 helicopters to India in favour of the firm in the guise of genuine transactions for performing multiple work contracts. James is one of the three alleged middlemen being probed by the ED and the CBI in the case, apart from Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. Both the agencies have also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice or a global arrest warrant against him. The complaint delved into the detailed role of James in the deal, his multiple visits to India and his transactions. The first complaint in the case was filed in November 2014. According to sources, the ED has already sought extradition of James from the UK. In its complaint, the ED also claimed that the three middlemen "managed" to make inroads into the Indian Air Force in order to influence and subvert the force's stand regarding reducing the service ceiling -- the altitude at which a helicopter can fly -- from 6,000 to 4,500 metres in 2005 after which AgustaWestland became eligible to supply the dozen choppers for VVIP flying duties. It had said the remittances made by James through his Dubai-based firm M/s Global Services, FZE to the firm he had floated in New Delhi, were made from the funds which he got from M/s AgustaWestland SpA through "criminal activity" and corruption being done in the chopper deal. DV I cut my teeth as an investor at the feet of David Gardner. The Motley Fool co-founder believes that investing in "Rule Breakers" is the way to go. Oftentimes, these disruptive companies don't offer a dividend. That may help explain why my four largest holdings -- which account for over half of my portfolio -- have no dividend at all. That's why I think my sentiment for this article is somewhat extraordinary. There's a high-yield dividend stock that I want to own in 2017, and it's currently yielding a whopping 8.4% based on this year's expected payouts! And that company is... Back in August 2016, I stumbled upon a company named Enviva Partners (NYSE: EVA). The story is pretty simple: Demand for wood pellets (of all things) is booming right now because Northern European power companies need them as inputs to help replace coal and reduce carbon emissions. Enviva has consolidated the market in Southeastern United States, bringing production plants online and purchasing a deepwater dock in the Port of Chesapeake. The company signs long-term contracts with these power providers. The average contract length is 9.8 years. If a company backs out before the contract expires, it owes Enviva a hefty termination fee. As far as investors are concerned, there's a lot of safety that can come from buying shares. First, the company matches its production with long-term contracts, so there's very little chance of having "inventory" go unused. The real boon comes from operational efficiencies that the company can realize by bringing its production plants up to full capacity, and fully leveraging the deepwater dock in the Port of Chesapeake for transport of the pellets across the Atlantic. About that dividend Because Enviva Partners is a master limited partnership, the financials can be a little confusing to beginning investors. Instead of monitoring free cash flow, the most important thing to keep an eye on is distributable cash flow (DCF). This represents the amount of money a company has generated that it can pay out in the form of dividends. Enviva aims to have a coverage ratio of 1.15 or higher. That means it hopes to have at least 115% of what's necessary to pay the dividend. Another way of thinking about it is to say that Enviva wants to use no more than 87% (inverse of the coverage ratio) of DCF on its payout. In 2016, the company offered shareholders $2.10 in dividends and had a very healthy coverage ratio of 1.28 -- meaning only 78% of DCF was used up. Here's how the company has been able to grow DCF over time, plus the midpoint of what management thinks it will be able to produce in the year ahead. Since the company is investable almost entirely because of its DCF, this is both the preferred way of measuring the dividend and the valuation of Enviva. At current prices, if the company can pay out the $2.35 in 2017 that it predicts it can, it equates to an 8.4% dividend yield. In addition, it trades for 11 times trailing DCF, and just 9 times forward DCF. In today's market, that's a steal. And here's a real kicker: As investors worry more and more about the market's rich valuation, Enviva's dividend is relatively insulated from a market swoon. While the stock itself might fall, that would simply allow you to repurchase shares at a lower price. The dividend is backed by the long-term contracts and is much more likely to be affected by efficiency issues at the plants and ports than by macroeconomic conditions. What I'm keeping an eye on Moving forward, there are several things that bear watching. First and foremost are the company's expansions. Management has talked a lot about further growth opportunities in Japan, South Korea, and China. While all of those are exciting, Enviva needs to balance investing in future growth with not taking on too much debt or reducing its DCF to the point that it will materially change the investing thesis. The company will probably be buying its second wholly owned deepwater port in 2017, in Wilmington, N.C., and will be developing a copycat production facility in Hamlet, N.C., based on the recently acquired Sampson, N.C., plant. While these are exciting developments from an efficiency standpoint, investors need to keep a close eye on the debt obligations the company owes. Put it all together, however, and this is a high-yielding dividend payer that I want to own in 2017. I already owned shares briefly in 2016, but I was forced to sell to free up cash for a home purchase. Once I build up my family's cash cushion again, Enviva will be one of the first stocks on my radar to buy. I think it's a hidden gem that could reward shareholders for years to come. 10 stocks we like better than Enviva Partners When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Enviva Partners 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 Brian Stoffel 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. Twilio (NYSE: TWLO) recently hired George Hu as its new COO. Hu spent 12 years at Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), and served as its COO for his final three years between 2011 and 2014. That big hire fills the void left after the departure of Roy Ng, who resigned as Twilio's COO last December. Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson noted that Hu "helped build Salesforce into the leading cloud SaaS (software as a service) and platform company, growing it to more than $5 billion in revenue during his tenure." Lawson also stated that he was "excited to have George's operational expertise and go-to-market skills helping us reach Twilio's next stage of growth." Let's take a closer look at some of the key challenges which Hu will face as the company's new COO. Helping Twilio reach the "next stage" At Salesforce, Hu led the marketing, small business products, automation, applications, and voice over DSL teams prior to becoming the COO. After leaving Salesforce, Hu created Peer, a management feedback tool to continuously monitor employee performance -- similar to how riders rate Uber drivers after each ride. Twitter acquired Peer last April. Hu's "jack of all trades" enterprise skills could be useful at Twilio, which recently added a wide array of features for enterprise customers. Last year, it launched the Twilio Enterprise Plan, which added security, access management, and administration tools for large organizations -- all products which a former Salesforce COO could likely improve. What Twilio can learn from Salesforce As the top cloud-based CRM (customer relationship management) service vendor in the world, Salesforce has proven that the SaaS model can become profitable. The SaaS market is generally a tough one to profit in, due to price competition and the high costs of securing customers and developing new services. The main ways to counter those pressures are to scale up, maintain a "best in breed" reputation, and lock in customers with a wide array of new services. Salesforce scaled up by acquiring smaller companies and integrating their services into its ecosystem, and maintained its market leading position with big enterprise partnerships. It also diversified its business into four core pillars of growth -- the Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Salesforce Platform. Those moves helped Salesforce achieve consistent non-GAAP profitability, although its GAAP profitability remains shaky on a quarterly basis. Twilio is expanding its ecosystem Twilio is already scaling up and diversifying. In addition to introducing the new Enterprise Plan last year, it launched Voice Insights for analyzing data from voice applications, and acquired WebRTC's media processing tech to improve Twilio Programmable Video. It also tightened its integration with Amazon's AWS, which lets developers on AWS easily integrate Twilio features into their apps. Earlier this year, Twilio acquired Swedish SMS provider Beepsend to streamline its SMS delivery capabilities. All these moves widen Twilio's moat and boost its revenue per customer. That's why its "dollar-based net expansion" rate, which measures its revenue growth per customer, rose 155% annually last quarter. In a statement, Hu declared that Twilio had "a massive opportunity that has the power to change how every company engages with its customers and employees, limited only by the imagination of developers and businesses in every industry and market globally." So what does this all mean for Twilio? Hu's statement might sound broad, but he's indicating that Twilio's cloud platform -- which is best-known as a middleman which handles voice calls and SMS messages for app developers and carriers -- has the potential to do much more. This means that Twilio will likely add additional tools for video, analytics, security, and other features to its platform in the near future. Those features will be attractive to "no stack" API developers, who create core features for apps but outsource other secondary features (like Google Maps for navigation and Twilio for SMS messages) to other companies. As Twilio adds more of these services, it can generate more revenues per customer and inch toward profitability -- just as Salesforce did over the past decade. Investors shouldn't assume that Hu can turn Twilio into the next Salesforce, but his invaluable experience could help the company evolve from a young company into a well-diversified cloud player with sustainable growth. 10 stocks we like better than Twilio When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Twilio 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 Leo Sun owns shares of Amazon and Twilio. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon and Twitter. The Motley Fool recommends Salesforce.com and Twilio. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. A look back on all of our reporting of the Delphi murders since 2017 At least eight Afghan civilians, including four children, have been killed in an attack in the western Farah Province, Afghan officials says, although it was immediately unclear whether they died in a military air strike or a roadside bomb blast. Muhammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said on March 4 the incident late on March 3 was a roadside bomb explosion that took place in the Bala Buluk district. But family members of the victims say they were hit by an air strike. One resident, a 30-year-old mother of four named Salima, said two of her children were killed and a third wounded in an air strike. Dawlat Waziri, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said an investigation of the incident was under way. "We are aware of the allegations made by the local people, right now an investigation is going on into the incident in Farah," Waziri said. At least 22 other people were wounded in the attack, according to local hospital officials. Farah's Bala Buluk district has been the scene of several recent clashes between Afghan security forces and armed insurgents. Based on reporting by AP and dpa The European Union's foreign-policy chief was met with booing and pro-Russia chants in the Serbian parliament when she called for integrating the Western Balkans into the European bloc. Far-right Serbian lawmakers, who oppose Serbia's bid to joint the EU and favor closer ties with Russia, banged on benches and chanted "Serbia, Russia, we don't need the union!" during Federica Mogherini's 25-minute address on March 3. Some lawmakers held banners saying, "Serbia doesn't trust Brussels." "It's not nice to be rude to a lady," Mogherini said after the speech, but added: "It's a matter of politics.... It's about a difficult political environment here and in the region, and it is also about different ways of interpreting the path that Serbia has taken." Serbia is deeply split between those seeking integration with the West and those wanting a close alliance with Russia, a traditional Slavic ally. Mogherini told lawmakers that Serbia played an important role in maintaining peace in the Balkan region. She said that the EU, Serbia, and the Western Balkans were closely joined and needed each other. Their interconnection is particularly important at this "delicate" moment of tensions in both the region and Europe as a whole, she noted. "You have a great responsibility," Mogherini said. "Serbia has always been on the crossroads of different worlds." Tensions have recently mounted in relations between Serbia and its former war foes Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Serbia has also refused to recognize the independence of its former province of Kosovo, a key condition the EU has laid down before it will accept Serbia into the bloc. Political instability also is threatening southern neighbors Macedonia and Montenegro. "Peace in the Balkans is peace in Europe," Mogherini said at a joint press conference with Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's prime minister. "We have faced in the recent times -- and we might face in the times to come -- some attempts to put this into question." Vucic criticized the booing during Mogherini's speech as "not gentleman-like," and insisted that Serbia "remains firmly on the European path." Mogherini is on a tour of the Balkans that started in Montenegro and will end in Kosovo, trying to reassure the region that the EU remains open for enlargement despite Britain's decision last year to leave the bloc. Vojislav Seselj, the leader of the far-right Serbian Radical Party, said the chants sent "a clear message that Serbia doesn't want to enter the EU, but wants integration with Russia." Russia recently declared the Western Balkans to be part of its "sphere of influence," and has taken advantage of growing nationalist sentiment and ethnic frictions in the region to reassert its influence there. With reporting by AP and Reuters Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti says he is in constant contact with international security authorities to ensure stability in Kosovo as more ethnic Serb police officers in the north of country resigned. Kurti said on November 6 after a rally by ethnic Serbs in the streets of North Mitrovica that the security situation in Kosovo was threatened by various criminalized individuals and groups, but said that during his time in office, we have made great progress in the fight against crime and corruption." He added that the rule of law goes hand in hand with peace and security and cannot be threatened, adding that authorities do not distinguish criminals on the basis of ethnicity, but only on the basis of their criminal acts." When asked about the decision on November 5 by the Serbian List party to leave Kosovo's institutions, Kurti repeated his call that Kosovo Serbs refrain from doing so. "I once again I invite all Serb citizens of our country to not abandon institutions, not to resign, not to leave their jobs, because there would be less service for the people," he said. Kurti has blamed Belgrade for seeking to destabilize Kosovo by supporting the ethnic Serbs in their boycott of state institutions. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on November 5 that the withdrawal of Kosovo Serbs from Kosovo institutions "is not a solution to the current disputes" and it has the potential to further escalate tensions. A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo released to RFE/RL's Balkan Service late on November 6 said the United States agrees with the European Union that the recent developments around relations between Kosovo and Serbia "are of great concern and put important progress achieved in the EU-facilitated Dialogue at risk. "The Kosovan Serbs' withdrawal from Kosovan institutions is not a solution to the current disputes and has the potential to further escalate the tensions on the ground," the statement added. "All involved must take steps to reduce tensions and ensure peace and stability on the ground." The Serb officers who resigned on November 6 submitted written resignations to the police station in North Mitrovica. One of the policemen told RFE/RL that the officers only submitted their resignations in writing but had not yet turned in their uniforms and weapons. However, he said this will follow in the coming days. Numerous media outlets reported that the police officers took off their uniforms as part of the wider Serb movement to withdraw from institutions in Kosovo touched off by a move to implement a mandate on the conversion of vehicle license plates. A statement from the Kosovar police force said it was aware that Serb police officers had abandoned their posts and that some have handed over police equipment. The rally by ethnic Serbs in North Mitrovica on November 6 came a day after Serbs there said they would quit their posts in state institutions to protest against the use of license plates issued by Pristina. Following a meeting of Serb political representatives in the north of Kosovo on November 5, the minister of communities and returns, Goran Rakic, said he was resigning from his post in the Pristina government. He told reporters that fellow representatives of the Serb minority in the north had also quit their jobs in municipal administrations, the courts, police, and the parliament and government in Pristina. Rakic said they would not consider returning unless Pristina abolishes the order for them to switch their old car license plates, which date to the 1990s when Kosovo was a part of Serbia, to Kosovo state plates. Addressing the rally on November 6, Rakic accused Kosovo government authorities of not respecting international law and agreements negotiated in Brussels. Rakic has called on the protesters "not to fall for provocations and to continue the fight with peaceful and democratic means." The license-plate measure took effect on November 1, and Kosovo authorities said enforcement would be gradual. The U.S. Embassy statement reiterated the U.S. position that the Kosovar authorities should extend the process of converting vehicle license plates and suspend any punitive actions until the license plates issue can be resolved through dialogue. Many ethnic Serbs in Kosovo refuse to recognize the countrys independence from Serbia, which it declared in 2008. The European Union has told Kosovo and Serbia that they must normalize ties if they want to advance toward membership in the 27-nation bloc. With reporting by dpa, AP, and AFP Georgia has suspended a ruling from its highest domestic court that had placed the country's largest independent television station under the control of a close ally of the government. The government's move came in response to an order from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Georgia's Supreme Court late on March 2 ordered broadcaster Rustavi-2 TV returned to its former co-owner, businessman Kibar Khalvashi. But the move was criticized as an attempt to muzzle the media, since Rustavi-2 has been known for reports that are critical of the government. Lawyers for Rustavi-2 TV challenged the ruling at the European Court of Human Rights, which on March 3 ordered its suspension. Demonstrators who had been protesting the Supreme Court's ruling were cheering on the streets of Tbilisi after the head of Rustavi-2 TV, Nika Gvaramia, announced the ECHR's decision. "We will follow this procedure," Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani told the media. Tsulukiani said the Strasbourg-based court had also instructed the government to abstain "from interfering with the broadcaster's editorial policy in any manner." Tsulukiani said the ECHR's interim measure was in force until March 8, when it would further analyze the case. Officials have accused Rustavi-2 TV of bias, while government critics voiced concern that Khalvashi, who is a close supporter of the ruling Georgian Dream party -- will muzzle the only strong media voice critical of the government. The critics say billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who founded Georgian Dream and served as prime minister for a year, was behind the court's ruling. President Giorgi Margvelashvili, who is at odds with Georgian Dream, on March 3 also criticized the ownership change. "The international community perceives the process...not as a court case, but as a political process, which impacts media freedom and the pluralistic environment in Georgia," he said in a televised statement. The TV station has been fighting court battles in Georgia since August 2015, when a lower court ruled in favor of Khalvashi, who argued that Georgian authorities under former President Mikheil Saakashvili had forced him to sell the station at an undervalued price. Georgian Dream defeated Saakashvili's party in an election in 2012 and cemented its political control in another ballot in October 2016. Georgia is one of 47 members of the ECHR, which was established in 1959 and bases its rulings on the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950. With reporting by Reuters Over the past five years, Iranian officials and state media have touted the "indigenous" ingenuity in the Islamic republic's mass-produced Mohajer-6 combat drone, which Russia has deployed in its war against Ukraine. But a new investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, has found that electronic components underpinning Tehran's production of the Mohajer-6 are far from homegrown. The Mohajer-6 drones contain components produced by companies from the United States and the European Union, both of which have sanctions restricting the export to Iran of such technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes dual-use technology. The presence of these components in the Mohajer-6 does not mean their producers are in violation of U.S. or EU sanctions, and RFE/RL does not have evidence that this is the case. The investigation also found Mohajer-6 components produced in China, including a real-time mini-camera made by a Hong Kong firm that said it was "very sorry" that its products were being used in war. At least one major foreign-produced component of the Mohajer-6 has previously been identified by reporters in a Mohajer-6 recovered from the battlefield by the Ukrainian military: an engine made by the Austrian manufacturer BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, a subsidiary of the Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products. But Ukrainian intelligence assesses that the Iranian combat drone contains components from nearly three dozen different technology companies based in North America, the EU, Japan, and Taiwan, the Schemes investigation has found. A majority of these companies are based in the United States. A Schemes reporter who personally inspected the foreign-made drone parts identified components produced by at least 15 of these manufacturers. These include parts made by the U.S. technology firm Texas Instruments, which said in a statement that it does not sell into Russia or Iran and complies with applicable laws and regulations. To identify these components, Schemes reporters examined parts of the Mohajer-6 drone that the Ukrainian military shot down over the Black Sea near the Mykolayiv region coastal town of Ochakiv. They also reviewed Ukrainian intelligence records on the sources of these components. The drone also contains a microchip bearing the logo of a California technology company and a thermal-imaging camera that Ukrainian intelligence says may have been produced by a firm based in Oregon or China. Both Western officials and experts on illicit technology transfers say Iran has built a broad, global procurement network using front companies and other proxies in third countries to obtain dual-use technology from the United States and the EU. "Exporters will look at the request coming from the [United Arab Emirates] or another third country, and they'll think that they're selling to an end user based there, when really the end user is in Iran," Daniel Salisbury, a senior research fellow with the Department of War Studies at King's College London, told RFE/RL. In September, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions specifically targeting Iranian companies that Washington links to the production and transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia for deployment in its war on Ukraine. Fighting rages with no sign of an end more than eight months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion on February 24. "Non-Iranian, non-Russian entities should also exercise great caution to avoid supporting either the development of Iranian UAVs or their transfer, or sale of any military equipment to Russia for use against Ukraine," U.S. Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement announcing the sanctions. Chinese Cameras, California Chips Development of the Mohajer-6, the latest model in a series of drones Tehran has used since the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, began in 2017, while mass production began the following year. During a ceremony commemorating the Islamic Revolution, then-Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said that the new tactical drone could perform surveillance, reconnaissance, as well as help destroy targets. Hatami extolled what he described as the drones domestic design, a portrayal echoed in later reports by Iranian media. "The homegrown drone was made through cooperation among the army, Defense Ministry, and Quds Aviation Industries," the English-language Tehran Times quoted an Iranian military official as saying in July 2019. The dismantling of the Mohajer-6 drone recovered by the Ukrainian military shows that the UAV is packed with foreign components. One of these parts is a bright-orange real-time mini-camera produced by the Hong Kong-based company RunCam Technology. Documents seen by Schemes show that Ukrainian intelligence has also identified RunCam as the producer of the camera, which likely assists in remote guidance of the drone. Founded in 2013, RunCam is involved in the development and production of so-called "first-person-view" real-time cameras. "Our users are our friends," the company's website states. The site says that RunCam has two authorized Iranian dealers. Reached by Schemes for comment about the use of its camera in the Iranian drone deployed by Russia in its war on Ukraine, RunCam said in an e-mailed response: "We are very sorry to know that RunCam's products were used in warfare. RunCam is specialized in producing products for model aircraft hobby. We never contact any customer related to military." The provenance of the Mohajer-6 drone-s thermal-imaging camera is more difficult to determine. A Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Schemes indicates it could be the Ventus Hot model produced by Sierra-Olympic Technologies, based in the U.S. state of Oregon, but that it also resembles a cheaper analog available for sale by the Chinese company Qingdao Thundsea Marine Technology. Qingdao Thundsea Marine Technology said in an e-mailed statement that the company did not "have any business with Iran," because "it will affect our business." The company said it specializes in marine services and is not involved in manufacturing. It also said that it did not have a single successful order for its online advertisement of the thermal-imaging camera resembling the one recovered from the Iranian drone. Sierra-Olympic Technologies did not respond to a request for comment on the possible use of its thermal-imaging cameras in Iranian combat drones in time for publication. Microchips recovered from the drone also featured the logos of the California-based company Linear Technology Corporation and its parent company, the Massachusetts-based semiconductor company Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI). ADI did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment on the possible use of its technology in the Iranian combat drone. Schemes reporters also observed among the components of the Iranian drone a voltage step-down converter produced by Texas Instruments. The company said in an e-mailed statement that it "does not sell into Russia, Belarus, or Iran." "TI complies with applicable laws and regulations in the countries where we operate, and does not support or condone the use of our products in applications they weren't designed for," Texas Instruments said. Schemes reporters also saw several components produced by the California-based technology manufacturer Xilinx, whose parent company is the multinational semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), also based in California. According to Ukrainian intelligence, one of these Xilinx components was integrated into a video data-link module located in the wing of the Mohajer-6 that helped carry out attack missions. "This module transmits information from the board to the missile head. That is, guidance for the missile. With the help of this module, it was possible to guide the missile to the target," a Ukrainian military intelligence representative told Schemes. AMD did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. 'No Authorization' Previous media reports about the components of the Mohajer-6 drone, including by CNN, have shown evidence that its engine was produced by the Austrian manufacturer BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, whose parent company is the Quebec-based Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). The Canadian company responded to the reports on October 21, saying in a statement that it "has not authorized and has not given any authorization to its distributors to supply military UAV manufacturers in Iran or Russia." "As soon as we were made aware of this situation, we started an investigation to determine the source of the engines," BRP said. . But Schemes reporters found that the authorized Rotax distributor listed on the Austrian manufacturer's website advertised itself as a Rotax aircraft engines distributor for Iran as recently as December 2020. The distributor, the Italian company Luciano Sorlini S.p.a., has posted multiple magazine advertisements on its websites in which it describes itself as a Rotax distributor for numerous countries. Prior to January 2021, Iran was listed among these countries. The Rotax website also lists a Tehran-based company -- MahtaWing -- as an official service center for its engines. The company, known in Persian as Mahtabal, conducts repairs of Rotax engines, including the Rotax 912 iS, the engine that was found in the Mohajer-6 combat drone recovered in Ukraine. BRP said in an e-mailed statement on November 4 that while Luciano Sorlini S.p.a. is the appointed distributor of Rotax aircraft engines in Iran, "since 2019, no Rotax engines have been sold in Iran, and we will not sell any engines to Iran moving forward." The Canadian company said it had "internal controls" that "significantly" restrict the sale of its products for military purposes. "For example, the sale of any BRP product to operators with any military activity in Iran, Turkey, and Russia is strictly prohibited," BRP said. "We conduct our business in compliance with all EU, Canadian, and U.S. applicable regulations." BRP described the Iranian company MahtaWing as a "local service center" that "offers maintenance services for previously sold aircraft engines." Shahriar Siami of RFE/RL's Radio Farda contributed to this report. EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini has urged Kosovo's political opposition to ratify a border-demarcation agreement with Montenegro, the last remaining hurdle before it can benefit from visa-free travel to Europe's Schengen zone. Mogherini on March 4 met with senior officials in Kosovo's capital, Pristina -- the last stop on her tour of the Western Balkans. She commended Kosovo's leaders for their "constructive stand" in lowering recent tensions with Serbia. "It's time to vote for the ratification of the agreement. That would release the visa liberalization for the Kosovo people," she said at a news conference with Prime Minister Isa Mustafa. Mogherini urged opposition political parties to renounce their political interest "and work together for the reconciliatory path to take the country ahead." The country's opposition has prevented parliament from voting on the border agreement with Montenegro, and another deal with Serbia that gives more powers to ethnic Serbs in Kosovo. Relations between Kosovo and Serbia have been tense following a series of incidents over the past months. Mogherini last month summoned Kosovo's and Serbia's presidents and prime ministers twice to Brussels. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which is recognized by 114 countries but not by Belgrade. Mogherini's four-day tour of the Western Balkans covered Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, and Kosovo. She offered reassurance that the European Union's doors remain open for enlargement, although the Western Balkan countries are at different stages of integration into the bloc. On March 3, Mogherini met with senior Albanian officials and political leaders in Tirana. She reminded them that reforming the justice system and holding free elections were two conditions required for the launching of full EU membership negotiations. Mogherini's warnings came as hundreds of supporters of Albania's main opposition Democratic Party kept blocking the main thoroughfare in Tirana, saying they don't trust the left-wing government to hold the June 18 parliamentary elections in a fair manner. They want a caretaker cabinet instead. Albania was granted EU candidate status in 2014. WATCH: Serbian Nationalists Chant During EU Speech In Parliament Earlier on March 3 in Belgrade, Mogherini was met with pro-Russian chants and boos in the Serbian parliament as she called for the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union. Far-right Serbian legislators, who favor closer ties with Russia over EU integration, banged on benches with their hands and chanted "Serbia, Russia, we don't need the union!" during Mogherini's half-hour speech. Tensions are on the rise between Serbia and its former foes Bosnia-Herzegovina and EU member Croatia. Serbia has also refused to recognize the Western-backed independence of its former province of Kosovo, a key condition for Belgrade to be accepted into the 28-member EU. Although Serbia is formally seeking EU membership, deep divisions remain between those seeking pro-Western integration and those wanting a close alliance with traditional Slavic and Orthodox partner Russia. Several EU leaders have voiced alarm at various issues in the region, with some blaming Russia for attempting to destabilize the region. With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP It's been six months since Uzbek President Islam Karimov died and Shavkat Mirziyaev took over leadership of Uzbekistan. Mirziyaev has made a lot or promises and raised hopes the country would start to implement some reforms and become a more active player in Central Asian affairs. Six months is not a long time to change a system that Karimov spent 25 years creating but there have been some alterations since September, as well as some indications about facets of Karimov's policies that seem likely to be preserved in the Mirziyaev government. One encouraging early sign is that Mirziyaev does not seem, so far, to want to be the sole focus of state media as Karimov did. State television for example, has for years shown sessions of government or parliament but the only voice people in Uzbekistan heard was that of Karimov. Newscasters usually summarized what ministers, members of parliament, or other officials said. Since Mirziayev took over, broadcasts include officials speaking. It's a small thing but it could be interpreted as meaning Mirziyaev is not obsessed with being the one and only voice of government, as Karimov was, or as has been true in neighboring Turkmenistan, where only the presidents speak on television and radio. The media itself is enjoying a very slight new ability to report critically on some issues. Self-censorship became the norm under Karimov but as Eurasianet noted in a recent article, at least one newspaper has been able to write about financial and trade matters in a way that would have been unthinkable under Karimov. RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, known locally as Ozodlik, confirms that some reporting since Mirziyaev assumed power has pushed ever so slightly against the previously established boundaries of journalism in Uzbekistan. That certainly does not extend to criticism of the government or Mirziyaev himself. One example of an area that remains off-limits to the media is criticism of Mirziyaev's appointments to state posts, which have already included some people with controversial backgrounds. The new Uzbek president also did away with snap audits of businesses by the financial police. Such inspections were often used to extort money from businessmen, seriously poisoning the entrepreneurial spirit in the country. Businessmen in Uzbekistan have told Ozodlik the change has been beneficial, inspiring new confidence and ambition. Freeing Political Prisoners Probably the most hopeful signs coming from the Mirziyaev administration have to do with political prisoners, though the Uzbek government still does not admit there is anyone fitting that description in Uzbekistan. At the start of March there was news about the release of Jamshid Karimov from a psychiatric hospital. Karimov, who is a nephew of the late president, once wrote for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting and was a member of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan. He was first put in a psychiatric hospital in 2006 and had rarely been out since. Others have been released from prison. Muhammad Bekjon, who Human Rights Watch said was one of the longest imprisoned journalists in the world, was freed on February 22. Bekjon, now 62 years old, had been imprisoned since 1999. Rights activist Bobomurad Razzaqov, 63, who was convicted of human trafficking in 2013, was released in October; Samandar Kukanov, 72, a former member of parliament who criticized the government, was freed in November after more than 23 years in prison; and political activist Rustam Usmonov, 69, the founder of Uzbekistan's first private bank, was let of out of prison in February after being convicted of illegal hard-currency transactions and imprisoned in 1998. While welcoming these releases, and pointing out that none of these men should ever have been confined to begin with, international rights organizations have called upon Mirziyaev to release hundreds, possibly thousands of others who remain wrongfully imprisoned in Uzbekistan. Others have noted that the four men released from prison were elderly and some had simply served their sentences. On March 1, a court upheld a five-year sentence against Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan member Agzam Farmonov. Farmonov, 39, was convicted of extortion in 2006 and on the eve of his release in 2015 the sentence was extended by the five years Farmonov was just seeking to have annulled. And while Jamshid Karimov might have been released from a psychiatric hospital, on March 2 there was news that rights activist Elena Urlaeva had been forcibly committed to a psychiatric hospital. Opening Up To The World? Mirziyaev also promised, right after being elected president in early December, to waive, or ease visa requirements for citizens of 27 countries as of April 1, 2017, but on January 9 he announced that would be postponed until 2021. He said at the end of November that the government would loosen its tight control over the rate of the national currency, the som, and work toward currency convertibility, but nothing has been said about this since then. Mirziyaev's policy toward Uzbekistan's Central Asian neighbors has shown great promise. He said from the beginning that better ties with those countries would be a priority. That was extremely good news for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, all of which had at one time or another, some nearly always, been at odds with Uzbekistan since they became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union in August 1991. Any attempts at Central Asian regional cooperation during the last 25 years have been doomed from the start, largely due to ex-President Karimov. Uzbekistan's policy toward its Central Asian neighbors seemed based on Karimov's personal relationship with the other countries' leaders, and he didn't like very many of them. Some Signs Of Progress Under Mirziyaev, more progress has been made in demarcating Uzbekistan's borders with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in six months than had been made in the previous 15 years. Mirziyaev awarded the head of Kazakhstan's delegation to the talks, First Deputy Prime Minister Askar Manin, Uzbekistan's "Dustlik" (Friendship) order on February 8. Progress along the Kyrgyz frontier has been even more dramatic, with scores of previously disputed areas having been agreed upon recently. However, while it is clear pen is being put to paper on these agreements, it is less clear what that actually means along the border. Uzbek-Tajik ties have also improved significantly since Mirziyaev came to power. Delegations from the two countries have been going back and forth and there has been talk of restoring severed communications links -- roads, railway, and air. Attempts at resuming the latter, however, showed Uzbekistan is not willing to go too far, too quickly. The two governments agreed to resume flights between their capitals -- Tashkent and Dushanbe -- that had been suspended since 1992. A test run was made without incident in early February but the official first flight on February 22 was suddenly canceled. Uzbekistan claimed Tajikistan's Somoni Airlines had not filed all the necessary documents 30 days prior to the flight. The head of Somoni Airlines, Alisher Rustamov, was quickly fired but a second planned flight a few days later also did not happen. Uzbekistan announced at the end of February the flights would start in April, but Uzbekistan's national airline, Uzbekistan Havo Yollari, would run the flights, not Somoni Airlines. Things are changing since Mirziyaev took over, without a doubt. Turkmenistan under current President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov looks a lot like Turkmenistan under first President Saparmurat Niyazov. But Uzbekistan under Mirziyaev already looks different than Uzbekistan under Karimov. Alisher Sidikov and Sirojiddin Tolibov of Ozodlik contributed to this report. The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL Several hundred people, most of them clients of three banks in Russia's Tatarstan republic whose licenses have been revoked, have marched to the government headquarters to deliver a protest letter to the republic's leadership. The Bank of Russia on March 3 revoked the licenses of three banks -- Tatfondbank, Intechbank, and Ankor Bank -- in which the regional government is a majority stakeholder. Tatfondbank was one of the largest banks in the region, ranked 42nd in Russian's banking system. More than 300 people gathered on March 4 outside the government building in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, where they delivered a letter the republic's prime minister, Ildar Khalikov, who is also president of the failed banks' boards. They demanded that Khalikov step down and the government find money to repay all the clients some 40 billion rubles ($681 million). Khalikov personally received the letter, to which authorities promised to respond by March 6. The letter apparently contains proposals to resolve the problem of reimbursing the lost savings of the banks' clients, including the creation of a joint committee including authorities and customers of the affected banks. Khalikov promised the protesters to pass the proposals to Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov. With reporting by Interfax and TASS The new shop is more than half again as big as the current space, with room for more chairs, a new display case and a kitchen split onto two levels. U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for an investigation into Democratic politicians Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and what he has called their "ties" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite!" the president tweeted on March 3 after a 2003 photo surfaced of Schumer and Putin talking while holding coffee and doughnuts. He later tweeted a photo of Pelosi, a representative from California, with Russian officials at a dinner in 2010. "I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it," he wrote. Schumer, the Senate minority leader from New York, responded to Trump on Twitter by saying he would "happily talk" under oath about his meeting with Putin, which, he said, took place "in full view of press and public." He challenged Trump to do the same. During his 2003 trip to the United States, Putin traveled to Camp David to meet and hold a press conference with Republican President George W. Bush. Trump's campaign and administration have been dogged by questions of links to the Russian government and contacts Trump's campaign team had with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election campaign. U.S. intelligence services and politicians on both sides of the aisle have concluded that Moscow attempted to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Based on reporting by AP and CBS U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will provide a written explanation about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during last year's presidential campaign, the Justice Department has said. Sessions will present his explanation on March 6 to the Senate Judiciary Committee in response to questions posed by committee Democrats, who have demanded to know why Sessions failed to mention his two meetings with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak during his confirmation hearing before the committee in January, the department said late on March 3. Sessions will also present an amended version of his testimony at that time, it said. Sessions, a former senator from Alabama, said on March 2 that he met with Kislyak in his Senate office two months before the election as well as at an event with other ambassadors at the Republican National Convention in July, but he has not disclosed what they discussed. Sessions' agreement to respond to questions in writing came after the committee's nine Democrats asked the committee's chairman, Senator Chuck Grassley, to call Sessions back before the committee to testify publicly on the matter. Grassley rejected that request, saying Sessions already did the right thing by removing himself from the FBI's investigation into alleged contacts between Russian officials and President Donald Trump's campaign. While welcoming Sessions' recusal decision, some top Democrats have maintained that it did not go far enough and he should resign because he "lied" under oath at the confirmation hearing. The committee Democrats said Sessions' responses to questions during his confirmation hearing were "at best, incomplete and misleading," and significant questions remain unanswered. "Given the seriousness of this matter, we do not believe that a written submission to correct the record is sufficient," they said in a letter to Grassley on March 3. Trump and the Kremlin have both dismissed the Democrats' allegations as a "witch hunt." Trump called Sessions an "honest man," although he said Sessions could have been "more accurate" in responding to questions from his colleagues. With reporting by AP and Reuters A leading Uzbek human rights campaigner has released a video from a Tashkent psychiatric facility in which she describes being abducted by police and hospitalized against her will. Activist Elena Ulaeva, head of the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan, made the video on March 3, describing her abduction two days earlier. She said the police detained her in order to prevent her scheduled meeting with representatives of the World Bank on March 2 in which she planned to discuss the problem of human trafficking in Uzbekistan. She charged that police beat her and insulted her before leaving her in the hospital. A police officer told RFE/RL that no one used physical force on Ulaeva. Ulaeva, 56, has been monitoring the use of child labor in Uzbekistan's cotton industry for many years, in addition to monitoring numerous other human rights issues. She has been forcibly placed in psychiatric treatment repeatedly in the past, most recently she was held for three month beginning in March 2016. Earlier this year, the International Organization for Labor reported that about one-third of Uzbekistan's 2.8 million cotton-pickers were "nonvoluntary" laborers. With reporting by Reuters Three Chariho High School students earned awards and citations from the governor for their writing ability on Tuesday. Andrew Ackroyd and Kevin Tierney received honorable mentions in the Write Rhode Island short story competition while Marissa Alfiero took home top honors, which includes a cash prize. Pictured left to right Kevin, Marissa, Andrew and Chariho High School English teacher Rebecca Burns Win It All is a lot like every other Joe Swanberg movie, a shaggy comedy set in Chicago. The worst moment of Emma Mednikovs life occurred on a beautiful, mid-December day. The 24-year-old had gotten through security at Reagan National Airport, and she was certain she did not have cancer. Yes, a lump had been found in one of her breasts, but it was benign. Cancer was impossible. But she was standing in a sea of people waiting to get on a plane bound for New Orleans, her new home of two months, when her mom, Kris Mednikov, called and confirmed the impossible: Emma had breast cancer. I remember sitting in Reagan airport waiting to go back down, and my mom called me sobbing, just saying over and over again how she wished it was her, Emma said. I just remember sitting there and having so many questions and being so scared and being so alone. But Emmas parents would go to any lengths to take care of her, Kris said. And because the Affordable Care Act had been signed into law five years previously, allowing children to stay on their parents insurance until they turn 26, Emmas family could be there for her in every possible sense. Within weeks, Emma had moved home to Richmond and began what would be a year of treatment, including chemotherapy, double mastectomy and reconstruction. Now she is 26 and in remission. The outlook is relatively good: She can stay on her parents plan until Dec. 31, and has time to find a full-time job with good benefits before then. But now a new worrisome phrase has crept into Emmas life: pre-existing conditions. If the ACA is entirely repealed without any replacement for people like her, Emma will be at the mercy of insurers that, prior to the health law, were legally allowed to discriminate against cancer patients, refusing to cover them or charging them exorbitant prices. Several ideas are swirling through Congress right now as a Republican majority aims to keep its promise to repeal the health law. But several pieces of it such as the patient protections that helped Emma remain popular, and President Donald Trump has said he would like to keep some of them. A blanket repeal would leave those pieces hanging in limbo, but taking the ACA apart piecemeal would also be extremely complicated. Meanwhile, people like Emma are hanging in the balance. She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in December 2015, and though she is healthy for now, if the cancer were to reoccur it would most likely happen within the next five years, while her insurance situation remains uncertain. I dont mind them replacing (the ACA), I know there are problems with it, Im not delusional, Emma said. But I definitely think people are pushing to repeal it too quickly, not realizing that it helps a lot of people. It definitely, Id say, saved my life. More than saving my life, it saved my sanity. I would have lost my mind. *** Rick Mayes, a professor of public policy with the University of Richmond, describes the pieces of the ACA as a boat: If you take out a few of them, youll spring holes in the bottom and the whole thing will sink. Thats why Republicans are so frustrated, he said. Its like a Rubiks Cube. You cant turn one side without screwing up the other. The Republican base wants to repeal the ACA as much to get rid of the taxes involved as the idea of the whole thing, Mayes said. They are in such a bind because they dont want to cause a national crisis ... but they dont want to keep the taxes, he said. But they have to keep the taxes they have to have some money coming in to fund the replacement. Of course, there are some who argue that, if the ACA is indeed a boat, it sank years ago. Its important to try to respond to individual cases, but at the federal level your first responsibility is to create a system that doesnt fail, U.S. Rep. Dave Brat, R-7th, said. The last system failed on its own logic. The individual market has struggled, especially over the past year, Mayes said. Many in the U.S. have too few insurance carriers to choose from, and premiums have increased. The premiums for Virginias marketplace plans saw an average increase of 14 percent last year. Critics who point to those increasing premiums and bigger deductibles and narrow networks of providers are correct, Mayes said. But while the overwhelming desire for Republican lawmakers is to get rid of the law entirely, many are aware of the popularity of some of the patient-protection pieces, which is why keeping pieces of it is part of most replacement outlines. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll published last year showed that the rule allowing children to stay on the parents insurance until they are 26 is the most popular piece of the health law among those who voted for Trump, followed by eliminating out-of-pocket costs for preventive services. Another Kaiser poll shows that the health laws overall popularity is changing, too. As of January, 48 percent of adults in the U.S. had a favorable opinion of the ACA, compared to 42 percent with an unfavorable opinion. Those changing winds were on display during a series of Republican town hall events in late February, too, in which people across the country stood up to tell lawmakers that the ACA saved their lives. Brat contends that repealing the ACA as a whole is more important than keeping it for its patient protections. The biggest patient protection we can do is to make sure we craft a plan that is best for 300 million people, he said. We fully intend to do the best we can for every single individual as we do that, but the major point is that were crafting macro policy for the whole country here. Though a replacement bill has not yet been pushed forward, some lawmakers, such as U.S. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, include in their outlines a desire to keep patient protections. But how they might do that, while dismantling other parts of the law, is unclear. *** Finding out she had breast cancer was only one of several realizations for Emma in late 2015. She soon learned that she is genetically predisposed to develop breast and ovarian cancer. If she wants to have children, her doctors urge her to do so before she turns 35, and to then get a hysterectomy before she turns 40. Because she was 24 when she was diagnosed and was always healthy, she had never spent much time thinking about insurance. When I heard about pre-existing conditions, all of a sudden I realized that I am one of those people, she said. If she had not been covered by her parents insurance when she was diagnosed, her entire treatment plan probably would have changed. So often, we got to choose, Kris said. We had second opinions on a lot of different avenues through this whole process, and had we not had insurance or even if she had had to go on Medicaid, it would have been different. I dont know what the choice would have been, but I cant imagine that they would have assembled the team that we assembled for her. Because of her genetic disposition and the severity of her cancer, Emma chose to have a double mastectomy. And because she was 25 years old when she made that decision, she wanted to have her breasts reconstructed. She probably would not have been able to do the full reconstruction if she did not have her parents insurance coverage, she said. And that would have taken a mental toll on her. Having breasts is just a huge part of being a woman, she said. But even beyond choosing what options they wanted, the family would have struggled financially if Emma hadnt had insurance. Emmas brother, Thomas Mednikov, is currently attending VCU, and Kris said she does not know how she and her husband would have paid for that on top of Emmas medical treatments. Emmas treatments cost about $1 million. I think it probably could have medically bankrupted her, and it could have possibly medically bankrupted us, as well, Bob Mednikov, Emmas father, said. *** One of the options Republicans are considering to cover patients with pre-existing conditions is to put them into high-risk pools, which would be run by the states. That would give them coverage when insurers would not. Most plan proposals involve repealing or weakening the rule that insurers cannot discriminate against patients based on their medical histories, in favor of replacing them with high-risk pools. Historically, high-risk pools have not worked. In some states, they became too expensive to run, while in others it took years for patients to get into them. The brief outlining Ryans proposal, released in mid-February, explains that under his plan, states could operate high-risk pools through so-called state innovation grants from the federal government. But those grants could be used at the states discretion, and would not be restricted to funding high-risk pools. In 2010, when the ACA was enacted, 18 states, including Virginia, declined to run their own high-risk pools when the government was trying to find a way to give patients with pre-existing conditions immediate access to health coverage. The federal government ran the pools, instead. There are ample articles that show that high-risk pools were a disaster, because somebody had to pay for all that extraordinary amount of care, Mayes said. But even if high-risk pools are created, patients with chronic conditions depend on a variety of patient protections under the ACA. Its important that (replacement plans) are seen as a package, said Kirsten Sloan, the American Cancer Society Action Networks senior director for policy analysis and legislative support. Because if you only have one patient protection, lets say pre-existing conditions, that means that somebody with cancer or a cancer survivor could get an insurance plan, but if you dont have other protections, like caps on lifetime limits, you could lose it on the back end. If the ACA is repealed without a replacement plan ready to go, cancer patients would be particularly vulnerable. Prior to the enactment of the ACA, someone with cancer, or even a cancer survivor, found it difficult and often impossible to get and keep insurance, Sloan said. If they had an insurance policy and then were diagnosed, they often found that they hit lifetime or annual caps on coverage, or sometimes their policies were rescinded. Without a replacement, the 410,000 Virginians who have since gained coverage through the ACAs marketplace would be at risk. So, too, would people like Emma, who will turn 27 next year with uncertainty over whether her cancer will return and, if it does, whether anyone will pay for her care. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. CHARLOTTESVILLE Several area restaurants are pitching in to help a local chef who lost her hand in a workplace accident. A GoFundMe page has been established for Allie Redshaw, a chef who suffered a traumatic injury Wednesday when her right hand was caught in a meat grinder at Lampo Neapolitan Pizzeria. According to the page, Redshaw was rushed to the University of Virginia Medical Center, but doctors were unable to save her hand and had to amputate it up to her wrist. Described as a phenomenal chef and mother to a 16-month-old girl, Redshaw is facing mounting medical expenses and a long road to recovery, the page reads. With hopes of raising $150,000 to cover bills, therapy, child care, a future prosthesis and more, the page had been able to raise more than $77,000 as of Friday evening. Some of the highest donations to the fund have been made in the name of other area restaurants: Continental Divide on West Main Street and The Virginian on the Corner appear to have dished out hundreds of dollars to support their industry peer, for example. Asked about whether Lampo had noticed the support coming from other eateries, co-owner Andrew Cole responded absolutely. Weve had contact with almost everyone in town as far as scheduling meals and making sure that shes got the support that she needs right now, Cole said. Pearls Bake Shoppe, Baggbys Gourmet Sandwiches and the Barbeque Exchange in Gordonsville also have contributed, according to a quick scan of the nearly 800 donations logged on the GoFundMe page. A former sous chef for Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards and head chef for Timbercreek Market, Redshaw formed her own catering company, Sobo Catering & Production. Redshaws husband, Ian, is head chef at Lampo. Lampo closed Wednesday after the accident but has reopened. ALEXANDRIA Amit Chaudhry said it was family loyalty that brought him into an international identity theft scheme so vast it ensnared a television actress. I never really dreamt of being a felon, the 44-year-old from Ashburn said in Alexandria federal court on Thursday before being sentenced to nine years in prison. This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. On Sept. 21, he pleaded guilty to identity theft and money laundering. He faced up to 20 years in prison. A native of India, Chaudhry helped relatives overseas operate a multimillion-dollar scam that involved laundering money from stolen credit cards and identities through shell bank accounts. He was part of a related scheme advertising cheap travel packages. Customers money would be stolen, and their hotel and airfare would be paid for with stolen credit cards. Many of the more than 1,000 victims found parts of their trips canceled after the fraudulent charges were discovered. The group made more than $25 million off fake credit cards, helped by a co-conspirator working at American Express in India. When their charges were challenged, they would use images of fake passports to back them up. The scheme was uncovered in part because an FBI agent recognized actress Laura Vandervoort in one of those passports. The image was taken from a scene from the television show V involving visas, authorities said. Vandervoort, a Canadian, also played Supergirl on the TV series Smallville and appeared last year as the character Indigo on the Supergirl series. The image, authorities said, helped make clear some of the groups online behavior. Chaudhrys attorneys said he was acting at the behest of relatives in India. This was all done out of family loyalty, defense attorney Danny Onorato said. But Chaudhry, who emigrated from India in 1992, also was behind visa fraud and embezzlement schemes that had nothing to do with those crimes. What were dealing with here is not a casual wrong turn, said Jeffrey Abish, the chief information officer for the defrauded company ActionNet. Chaudhry sent inflated and imagined IT invoices to the company, netting $4.1 million that he has now pledged to repay. Onorato said Chaudhry has been diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome, which might help explain his behavior. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Wong protested: Aspergers doesnt cause anyone to steal or open credit card accounts in someone elses name. Chaudhry is cooperating with authorities, who are still finding more victims and tracking down co-conspirators in the U.S. and abroad. Five of those co-conspirators have pleaded guilty in Alexandria; two have been arrested in India. CHARLOTTESVILLE University of Virginia students will pay, on average, 3 percent more in housing fees and 1.3 percent more in dining fees next year. The universitys Board of Visitors approved the changes at a meeting Friday. On average, that adds up to about $166 in additional housing costs. The bulk of the rate increase will go toward debt servicing, said Colette Sheehy, U.Va.s vice president for management and budget. The rest will go toward various capital projects including renovations to the Gooch Dillard dorms and the addition of air conditioning to the international dorms that do not yet have it. Sheehy said the cost of the debt service and improvement projects is linked part of the balancing act that the university maintains between debt and reserves to keep its AAA bond rating. This really has to do with capital requirements, she said. About 46 percent of U.Va. students reside in 6,800 beds on Grounds. U.Va.s average double room rate of $5,876 for this academic year was close to the statewide public university average of $5,813, according to data collected by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. James B. Murray, a member of the board, said increased enrollment driven in part by pressure from the state General Assembly is contributing to rising housing fees at U.Va. The university has agreed to take on 100 additional in-state students next academic year. Administrators plan to focus on the School of Architecture and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, which are best positioned to take on more students, according to U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan. Murray said enrollment growth will necessitate cost increases. We cant take more students without building more dorms, he said. We would have loved to have kept it flat, but I think we did the best we could do. The dining rate increase will cover modest cost increases in food and personnel, according to documents provided at the meeting. The board also set aside $10 million from the Strategic Investment Fund for the purchase of new laboratory equipment for the engineering school. Thomas C. Katsouleas, the universitys provost, said the money will be spent on equipment that could be used across disciplines, including a focused ion beam and scanning tunneling microscope. Katsouleas said the equipment will help the university recruit and retain faculty members. These are the kinds of things that make a difference in whether someone decides to come here or decides to leave for somewhere else, he said. The $2.3 billion Strategic Investment Fund was set aside to pay for projects that improve the universitys research, academic standing and student experience. Each project is funded for a maximum of three years, with the exception of a permanent financial aid endowment established in December. I was for many years a member of the dishonest media. In fact, I married a member of the dishonest media. Now that President Donald Trump has outed us all, it is time to ask for repentance. But we need a little cover. Obviously, President Trump doesnt realize what goes into making a reporter. I was all of 17 when Dan Rooker, my editor at the Radford News Journal, handed my copy back to me. (Yes, once we used paper and typewriters.) Why do you use so damn many commas? he scribbled on my copy. Well, you can bet I never put any commas anywhere after that. That fall, in freshman English at Radford College, my professor handed my paper back and wrote, Why dont you ever use any commas? Rooker had scared the commas out of me. At the Waynesboro News Virginian a few years later, I wrote an obituary with a dateline of Quemoy. Editor Ed Berlin yelled across our five-member newsroom, Where the hell is Quemoy? Brower York, our I thought very brilliant and suave top (and only other) reporter, leaning back in his chair, said, Its off the coast of China, near Matsu. The gentleman who had died was, of course, not from Quemoy but from Crimora in Augusta County, Va. Left quaking after being yelled at in front of the entire newsroom of five, I learned a lesson to help me become honest. Do not assume you know how to spell things. Yes, Crimora sounded on the telephone like Quemoy, and Quemoy had been in the news a lot in 1960 in the Kennedy-Nixon debates. But the deceased had lived in Crimora. Lesson No.2 in becoming an honest reporter. It got worse. A family of five had been killed in a car crash near Charlottesville. Then I was with the Daily Progress. My editor, Bob Pratt, was very unhappy with the whole staff because on Monday morning none of us knew anything about the accident there were no pictures, no coverage, no details. How could we have an honest story? Would we have to make up news? We were gathered for a stern, angry lecture from Pratt. Not long afterward, I had a date with a very handsome, tall (always important to me) law student, Tad or Thad not sure which Foote. Saturday night we were out and came upon a wreck. I told him we had to stop. He was not happy but he stopped. He lectured me later that he thought my reportorial instincts were the most crass, insensitive reaction he had ever witnessed. But on Monday morning I was not in disfavor with my editor. I had honest, firsthand information on that accident. Forget the second date. Commas, Augusta County obituaries misplaced to the South China Sea and uncovered wrecks were just bumps in the road on my way to becoming an honest reporter. My next reporting adventure was as food editor for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The wrath of an editor is nothing compared to the wrath of women who tried to make a pound cake from a recipe that should have had two and one-half cups of flour but, unfortunately, was published as needing only one-half cup of flour. That one was not my error but I lived with the results. Cooks across Virginia had puddles of butter and eggs with a little mound of flour in their ovens. And they were really mad. They wanted to be reimbursed. They wanted to yell at anyone who answered the phone at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. And they did. That was a lesson in honest reporting. If President Trump had ever had to deal with Dan Rooker, Ed Berlin, Bob Pratt or Alf Goodykoontz of the RTD, he would understand that reporters do not make up news. Snarling, truth-crazed editors have scared us ... (I am tempted to use a word here that is commonly used now but certainly wasnt in my reporting day. It aptly describes how we become forever honest. It starts with s and rhymes with witless.) President Trump, you can let up. Dishonest reporters didnt last long. And there have been some of those. Weve all known them. They made our readers angry, they embarrassed us and they lessened our credibility and that of our institutions. Credibility is sacred for those of us who have been or are in the news business. The more you talk about the dishonest reporters who make up news, the more you injure our country and our news organizations. Would you have ever been elected without the reporters who covered your campaign and the television, radio, newspapers, magazines and news services that have trailed you for the past two years? No, you would not. We who were reared in the hard-knocks school of journalism and it is do not go into this business for the money but for a love of what we do. As Ive always said, you can generally count on getting a nice news obituary (one you dont have to pay for). Thats about it. President Trump, youre hurting us all, especially yourself. Many of us have a favorite movie. Few of us name anything after it. Local developer Robert Bob M. Atack did, though. Shortly before his death in 2014, Atack asked his son, Richard Cory Atack, to build a town-home community on land that Atack had bought in Glen Allen and name it Bedford Falls, after the fictional small town in his favorite movie, Its a Wonderful Life. The 1946 movie, a Christmas classic, tells the story of how its protagonist, George Bailey, realizes that helping to improve his hometown is a greater achievement than leaving it behind for a more ostentatious life in the big city, and it resonated with Robert Atack. Its a simple American movie about a guy who helps to hold his community together, Cory Atack said. The senior Atack, who moved to Richmond as a child, donated millions of dollars to local philanthropic causes, and he received the Hearthstone Builder Humanitarian Award in 2007. My dad always wanted to do a neighborhood called Bedford Falls, Atack said. As he got older and sick, he decided a parcel in Glen Allen would be the perfect place. The site, located near the intersection of Nuckols Road and Hickory Park Drive, wasnt always slated to be a town-home community, though. Ten years ago, the senior Atack had considered buying the 5.66-acre parcel of land and developing a medical office building there. But the Great Recession drove up commercial vacancies, and Henrico County rezoned the parcel for residential use. Thats when the goal to build a residential community called Bedford Falls came to the forefront. The senior Atack bought the parcel in 2014. This is the last deal my dad put together before he got sick, Atack said. He wanted me to build it because it has high visibility and he knew Id do a good job. In May 2016, Atack Properties, the company the senior Atack founded, bought an adjacent parcel of land and added it to the development project, increasing its size to 10.62 acres and expanding its total number of town homes. The first of two construction phases in Bedford Falls at Hickory Grove began last fall. Atack Properties is developing the community, and Cory Atacks company, Richard Atack Construction, is building it. So far, four buildings with 16 units have been completed or are under construction. The community will have 79 town homes when its built out. The town homes are being built in the Arts and Crafts style, with stone on the front rising up above the garages, said Jeannette Mock, Bedford Falls new-home listing agent and a real estate agent with RE/MAX Commonwealth. We get a lot of compliments on their looks. The units are available in two floor plans, each of which is named after a character from Its a Wonderful Life. The Wainwright floor plan is 2,074 square feet, and the Bailey floor plan is 2,201. All the town homes have backyards, which has been popular with families that have pets, Atack said. Prices start in the low- to mid-$300,000s. Sales have been steady, with an uptick in the last few weeks, Mock said. Weve had 13 sales in less than a year, she said. According to Mock, the communitys appeal is two-fold. Its all about the location and the look, she said. Its a fabulous location, with shops, restaurants and banks within walking distance. And the quality is there. The community won the Gold award as well as Best Curb Appeal award for condos and town homes at last years Parade of Homes. But you dont need to know much about the market to know these town homes are extremely well-built. She added: Its a community George Bailey himself would appreciate. _______________ More in Neglecting Wisconsins vets: Ongoing Cap Times coverage of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (26 of 28) A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. A former Sauk County government administrator who was paid to resign nearly three months ago has found a new job in a Minnesota city. The North Branch City Council voted 4-0 last week to hire Renae Fry as the citys administrator, according to a newspaper report. Fry worked as Sauk Countys administrative coordinator for nearly eight months until she signed a separation agreement in December that will cost local taxpayers $135,000. Frys buyout was double the amount specified in her contract. Terms of the deal prevented Fry from speaking negatively about the county with the media and others. But the agreement allows her to speak honestly and to state facts when she is seeking employment outside Sauk County. An article in The Post Review about Frys hiring included a quote in which she attributed her departure from Sauk County to a disagreement with County Board Chair Marty Krueger. The board chair and I had a fundamental disagreement about the separation of responsibility between him and me, she told the newspaper. He felt that difference of opinion was irreparable and that maybe moving forward with a structured separation made the most sense. Board members were presented with allegations against Fry as justification for her separation deal. Documents show she was accused of gossip, scolding board members, making derogatory statements, micromanagement, favoritism and undermining departments. A formal list of allegations compiled by the countys attorney has not been made public. Krueger, who did not respond to interview requests this week, has faced his own criticisms of late. He has been accused of political manipulation involving Frys departure and the hiring of her replacement. Respondents to a recent county workplace survey identified him as a negative influence. And the countys justice programs coordinator said her decision to leave county government for another job this week was partially based on her interactions with the board chair. EAU CLAIRE When Zach Halmstad looks at the under-construction Confluence Arts Center, the software entrepreneur sees more than a performing arts building. He sees a big part of the future of downtown Eau Claire. This is economic development through the arts, said Halmstad, who launched Jamf Software in the early 2000s with a couple of friends and has since led its growth to 600 employees, 10,000 customers and eight offices worldwide. The stories of Jamf and the renaissance of downtown Eau Claire have flowed together, much like the confluence of the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers in this western Wisconsin city of 64,000 people. It has come to symbolize what can happen when a city builds on its indigenous strengths to attract and retain the talent needed to compete in a modern economy. Halmstad was part of a panel discussion Tuesday at UW-Eau Claire, where he earned a music degree, along with three other entrepreneurs who represent the citys rebirth as a tech and arts hub. They talked about the role of the $45 million Confluence Project, which will include a performing arts center, a recently opened student housing center and more, courtesy of a combination of public and private investment. In part because Confluence was envisioned five years ago, Eau Claires downtown also includes Jamfs headquarters, the renovated Lismore and Oxbow hotels, other commercial buildings and an array of shops and restaurants in a part of the city that was almost left for dead. My hope is that it continues to grow, Halmstad said of Eau Claires core. Our downtown doesnt look today like it did five years ago, and I hope five years from now it doesnt look like it does today in a positive way. Music is a big reason the city is hitting the right notes. The Chippewa Valley region hosts five music festivals each summer that attract tens of thousands of visitors from around the world. It is also home to about 20 bands that have won national awards including Grammy-winning Bon Iver a number of recording studios and an acclaimed music program at UW-Eau Claire. Few cities in Wisconsin can lay claim to that kind of music tradition, but other cities can build on their own strengths as places to live, work and play. Cool cities are hot cities when it comes to company and job creation. While many people think thats largely a big-city phenomenon, it has increasingly become true for mid-sized and even small cities. Wisconsin is a state of mid-sized cities. Only Milwaukee and Madison rank among the nations 100 largest cities, but Wisconsin boasts a dozen cities with 50,000 or more people and many more that are large enough to stand out as economic magnets in their counties or regions. Though Wisconsins population continues to expand, its civilian workforce is flattening out and may even decline by 2035, according to state Department of Workforce Development estimates. In part, thats because the states population is aging, but Wisconsin must also do a better job of attracting and retaining young workers primarily those in their 20s and 30s. After being told repeatedly he couldnt build a software company in Eau Claire, Halmstad proved the skeptics wrong by offering a creative work environment and by promoting the region as an attractive place for young people to live. Its a formula that is working in other mid-sized cities such as Appleton and Beloit, where downtown revivals are underway. Why are cities of all sizes important? In 47 of 50 states, including Wisconsin, cities generate the majority of all economic output. In Wisconsin, cities of 50,000 or more account for 73 percent of the states jobs. Those cities must become magnets for talent in order for Wisconsin to compete. While the state loses some of its homegrown talent to other states, studies show an even bigger problem may be its failure to attract people from beyond. Cool cities of all sizes can help with that challenge not only in bringing home those who left Wisconsin, but in appealing to people elsewhere. Its not just about brats and cheese in the emerging battle for talent, but computer bytes and culture. Kids II have announced a voluntary recall of 680,000 Kid II Oball Rattles due to a potential choking hazard. Oball Rattle Model 81031 sold after January 1, 2016 has been recalled. The recalled products have three clear plastic disc shaped bead chambers, one of which has five orange beads. The company issued the recall after rattle beads may release from the bead chamber, posing a choking hazard for small children. The company received 42 reports from parents that a piece of the rattle had broken, releasing small beads. The rattles were sold at major retailers nationwide and online sold after for approximately $7.99. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Exact Sciences Corp. and Mayo Clinic are touting early results of a study on a blood test for lung cancer. They say the blood test, involving nearly 400 people, correctly identified people with cancer more than 9 out of 10 times. It also was able to determine which people did not have cancer at least 90 percent of the time. More studies are needed to corroborate accuracy, however, this plasma DNA test approach appears to be a promising new method and may serve as a rational follow-up to the common findings of lung nodules on CT scanning, said David Midthun, a Mayo Clinic pulmonologist. The study tested 87 lung cancer patients and 311 people without cancer. Results were released Wednesday by the American Association of Cancer Research. The blood test looked at four DNA biomarkers and used the same type of technology as Cologuard, Exacts DNA stool test to screen for colorectal cancer. Exact CEO and chairman Kevin Conroy said a blood test may help guide next steps after a scan shows a lung nodule. For example, a positive blood test might suggest the need for a biopsy or surgery. In contrast, a negative test might suggest a less aggressive approach, Conroy said. Results of the study will be presented to the American Association of Cancer Researchs annual meeting on April 2. The news follows a presentation Exact Sciences made in January at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. That report showed a test also grown out of the Exact-Mayo Clinic collaboration correctly identified 98.5 percent of the patients with cancer in the tissue of lung nodules and had no false positives in cases where the nodules were benign. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says more than 212,000 were diagnosed with lung cancer and 156,000 died of the disease in 2013, the most recent year for which figures are available. Exact Sciences has more than 800 employees nationwide, with about 575 of them in the Madison area, the company said. Exact reported $99.4 million revenue in 2016. After the study results were disclosed, Exact stock hit $24.50 in trading during the day on Thursday then closed at $22.47. On Friday, the companys stock closed at $22.11 a share, down 36 cents, or 1.4 percent. Idea Fund of La Crosse A new source of venture capital in Wisconsin is weighing its first investments. The Idea Fund Of La Crosse said it has raised $8 million that will be funneled into young companies around Wisconsin over the next several years. Managing director Jonathan Horne said the Idea Fund is the first venture fund to qualify for an investment from the Badger Fund of Funds. Established in 2015, the Badger Fund of Funds raised more than $10 million from private investors to go along with a $25 million investment from the state of Wisconsin. The money is to be distributed to a series of funds around Wisconsin, such as the Idea Fund, which will, in turn, pump cash into promising companies around the state. Horne said he has reviewed about 140 startups from around the state and a few just over the border in Minnesota that would move to Wisconsin. He has narrowed the list of possible recipients to about 25 businesses. Ive been really impressed with the deal flow so far, Horne said. He said he expects the Idea Fund to choose 10 to 12 early-stage companies for investments, to start. It is a risky type of investment, Horne acknowledged, but he said at least one or two of the startups will have to have the potential to drive our return to investors. Horne said he hopes to raise up to $4 million more. He said so far, investors in the Idea Fund include some Wisconsin residents who have never done venture investing before. He said he expects to take about four years to make the initial investments, while holding onto about half of the cash for follow-on funding as the successful startups grow. Horne, a La Crosse native and former investment banker with J.P. Morgan in New York, said he is excited about the prospect of adding jobs and technology, and the greater good this is going to do for the state. Republican lawmakers want to prohibit University of Wisconsin employees from performing abortions or providing training at facilities other than hospitals where abortions are performed. Rep. Andre Jacque and Sen. Chris Kapenga are circulating a bill targeting an arrangement between Planned Parenthood and the university in which faculty members work part-time at the organizations Madison clinic. The university has been acting as a contractor for Planned Parenthood, Jacque said. That is not the role of the government. Agreements between a handful of physicians from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin have been in place since 2008. Under the current agreement, which has been in place since 2012, physicians provide family planning, disease screening and surgery services including abortions to patients in exchange for an hourly fee of $150. The agreement estimates 16 to 20 hours of services will be provided per week. Lisa Brunette, a spokeswoman for UW Health, said fewer than 10 faculty members provide services at Planned Parenthood. She said obstetrics-gynecology medical residents receive abortion training at the clinic. National guidelines require the school to offer such training, but residents can opt out. The school will vigorously defend its commitment to train medical residents in all specialties, including ob-gyn, she said. Spokeswomen for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin did not immediately respond to several questions submitted to them. The Planned Parenthood clinics in Madison and Milwaukee are the organizations only two Wisconsin clinics that still perform abortions. These two clinics perform about 3,400 abortions combined each year. Under current state law, government funds cannot be used to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest or when the mothers life is in danger. This proposal would also include those exceptions. A handful of other bills proposed this session involve abortions. One GOP proposal introduced last month would ban the sale of fetal tissue. But Jacque and others who are staunchly anti-abortion have said the proposal would be ineffective because it essentially duplicates federal law. Support for a version Jacque introduced last session fizzled after researchers argued it could hurt potentially life-saving research. At least two other fetal tissue bills are still in the works. Another GOP proposal this session would prohibit the states insurance board from covering abortions for state workers and state annuitant retirees. Democrats have proposed two measures that would protect access to abortions. By SA Commercial Prop News - I-Net Bridge Mark Kaplan, COO (Left) of Arrowhead, Gerald Leissner, CEO (centre) and Imraan Suleman, CFO. Photo was taken soon after Arrowhead listed on the JSE, Friday 9 December 2011. Arrowhead Properties (AWA) on Friday said it would purchase a portfolio of office properties from Growthpoint Properties. The portfolio consists of eight small office buildings, measuring in total 17 000 square meters, in decentralised nodes in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and Alberton for the purchase price is R167.6 million which is based on a yield of 11%. Arrowhead chief operating officer, Mark Kaplan said: "This acquisition emphasizes our strategy of identifying yield enhancing opportunities and increasing the size of our portfolio in order to reduce the risk associated with any one property. Arrowhead is focused on growing income per unit." Superstar Salman Khan announced the full schedule of his Da-Bangg tour, which will have celebrities like Prabhudheva, Sonakshi Sinha, Bipasha Basu and Badshah travel to places in Australia and New Zealand next month. Announcing that the tour will be taking place in Sydney (April 21), Auckland (April 22) and Melbourne (April 23), Salman shared the posters of the tour which had the full schedule on it and captioned his posts as: "Get ready for Da-Bangg tour." But before the Australia and New Zealand leg, the tour will regale Bollywood buffs in Hong Kong on April 16. The event will be organised by The Chocolate Room. Other artistes who will be a part of the tour include Daisy Shah and Manish Paul. Actress Kriti Sanon, who has been busy shooting for her two upcoming films "Raabta" and "Bareilly Ki Barfi", says both projects are completely different. "I had a lot of fun working on 'Bareilly...'. It's completely opposite of what I have done in 'Raabta'. In a way, my character is really interesting. I am playing the role of a small town girl in Uttar Pradesh," Kriti said here on the sidelines of Colors' Khidkiyaan Theatre Festival. The "Dilwale" actress has two releases this year -- Sushant Singh Rajput starrer "Raabta" and then "Bareilly Ki Barfi" along with Ayushmann Khurana and Rajkummar Rao. Asked about the status of "Bareilly Ki Barfi", she said: "We have almost completed the shooting of the film... Only two to three songs are left. The film also has Ayushmann and Rajkummar, who are both great actors." Here are 3 things to think about for Kansas mens basketballs opener The No. 5 Jayhawks are opening their season Monday. Its the start of their run to try and defend their national championship this past season. : , , , , - 28 . Each year the Cayuga County Office of Tourism publishes our Annual Report on Tourism to provide a window into the accomplishments of our organization and our tourism industry partners. The report gives a brief synopsis of the initiatives we were involved in during 2016, as well as a glimpse into whats ahead in our five-year strategic plan. The mission of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism is to promote, support and increase tourism and thereby stimulate economic growth and the quality of life for area residents. Our vision is to be the primary catalyst for the ongoing development of a dynamic, collaborative and innovative Cayuga County tourism industry, which enhances economic development throughout the county, improves quality of life for its residents, and provides an unparalleled Finger Lakes visitor experience. Success in attracting visitors to Cayuga County triggers major economic benefits and supports improved quality of life throughout the county. It comes as a surprise to some that tourism in Cayuga County is an almost $98 million industry that generates $12.10 million in state and local taxes, providing $380 in tax relief per Cayuga County household. In order to grow the lucrative tourism industry, a variety of county promotional programs are conducted to attract visitors. Publications and distribution: The Cayuga County Visitors Guide is the comprehensive guide to things to see and do and places to stay and dine in the county, and is the primarily fulfillment piece used to respond to the more than 21,000 inquiries we received last year generated from our advertising campaigns. In addition, specialty brochures are published for niche interests, such as the Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail, For the Birds guide to bird watching in Cayuga County, and the Route 90 50-Mile-Long Garage Sale. We also distribute our travel guide at a variety of information centers throughout New York state and at more than 20 travel shows in the United States and Canada. Public relations: We recognize the power of public relations to gain exposure, reach large audiences and garner top-of-mind awareness of Cayuga County. Last years public relations efforts generated 68 editorial placements in online and print publications, including The Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and other major media outlets. Digital marketing: Our website, tourcayuga.com, generated 56,515 unique visits in 2016, a 30-percent increase over the previous year, with interest being generated by our monthly promotional e-blasts, blogs, social media and audience targeting campaigns. Groups: Strategically located within New York state with many sought-after activities and a variety of lodging options, Cayuga County is perfect for group tours. In 2016, our group sales efforts booked 1,867 room nights, generating an estimated $721,867 in economic impact. In addition to our county promotional campaigns, Cayuga County tourism also has active advocacy, educational and research programs and participates in many regional and multi-county programs such as the Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council, Lake Ontario Sportsfishing Council and Canal NY. We strongly believe in strength in collaboration and cooperative programming when it fits our strategic goals. New in 2016: A big change for Cayuga County Tourism was the creation of a new Tour Cayuga brand, including slogan, style guidelines, logo and associated collateral. The new slogan, "Make some waves," creates an action-based invitation to our visitors to literally make some waves by participating in activities in, on and around our waterways or by engaging in our heritage as a center for social, economic, political and civic progress exemplified by our famous residents, Harriet Tubman, William Seward, Theodore Case and others. Moving forward, our five-year strategic plan, Strategic Direction Destination: 2020, includes the launch of a new responsive website in 2017 along with developing regional products and partnerships to drive year-round visitation, as well as developing online training for the tourism industry and targeting specific geographic and demographic markets that have been identified for growth potential by our research. Stay tuned for updates on these new initiatives. 2016 was a very good year for tourism and we are hoping that 2017 will be even better. To learn more about the work of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism and our destination marketing initiatives, local residents are invited to stop by the tourism office for a copy of the complete 2016 Annual Report on Tourism or visit tourcayuga.com/partners/annualreport for the digital version. The latest fight between the homebuilding industry and unions is brewing in Sacramento over a bill that could require higher wages to workers on many residential projects. Although authors of the legislation say it applies only to projects that use public money, the Building Industry Association is sounding the alarm on increased construction costs for private houses, condos and apartments. Advertisement Assembly Bill 199 was introduced in late January and authored by Kansen Chu (D-San Jose) and the California Building and Construction Trades Council, a labor union group. The bill requires workers to be paid prevailing wage on residential projects that have any agreement with the state or a political subdivision a provision that extends the requirement beyond the redevelopment agencies, public agencies and low income housing projects covered under existing state law. In an emailed statement, Chu said he only wanted to make sure workers get fair wages for projects using tax dollars. Our prevailing wage laws were established to provide equity, ensuring construction workers are compensated fairly on projects paid for fully or in-part by public money, he wrote. However, the San Diego Building Industry Association says AB 199 is purposely ambiguous and appears to be a play by the unions to extend prevailing wages to all residential development in the state, from a house with two bedrooms to a condo skyscraper. Independent analysts say, at the least, the bill greatly increases prevailing wage requirements in California. AB 199s first hearing in the state capitol is scheduled for March 15. Higher pay from prevailing wage law has been credited with more efficient work, increasing the real income of many Californians and allowing the people that build residential units to afford them. But, the bill comes as California and other high-cost states have been falling behind on home production. Construction costs and contributing factors like regulation are being put under a microscope by many, even President Donald Trump. Most projects built with public funds in California require that workers get prevailing wage, which could be 30 percent higher than the pay of an average worker, said Alan Nevin, director of economic and market research at Xpera Group, a real estate analysis firm. Although prevailing wage does not strictly mean union labor, rates are usually based on collective bargaining agreements, said the state Department of Industrial Relations. Nevin said union labor will account for roughly 25 percent of all the housing built in California this year. Borre Winckel, chief executive of the local Building Industry Association, flew to Sacramento last week to discuss the bill with lawmakers because he interprets it to mean any housing project in the state would fall under prevailing wage requirements. We are going to aggressively campaign against its defeat, he said. We are gravely alarmed. Winckel argues that any building permit in the state is basically an agreement with a political subdivision. His association predicts pay the prevailing wage would add roughly $90,000 to the cost of building a 2,000-square-foot house in San Diego County. Cesar Diaz, legislative and political director for the trades council, disagrees with the BIAs interpretation. He said AB 199 aims to update existing law, which required projects that had agreements with now-defunct redevelopment agencies to pay prevailing wage. He said the change in the law would apply only to projects where public funds were used, not going after someone putting a solar panel on a roof. So, when would this new requirement apply? If, for example, a 15-unit apartment complex developer needs to build a road to a project that didnt previously exist and it is getting reimbursed by a city or county for the construction Diaz said that would trigger the prevailing wage requirement. It will have no impact on a residential unit or private construction out there, he said. These are only projects directly subsidized by taxpayers. Attorney Tim Paone, an expert in land use entitlement and litigation, looked at the bill and said it would almost certainly increase the cost of housing for a variety of reasons, including fighting over what the law means in court. What is clear is there is an effort to move prevailing wages into many, many more projects than are subject to prevailing wages today, said Paone, who has 40 years experience as a land use attorney in Orange County. He said the current law is more straightforward because it requires prevailing wages on any project that has an agreement with a redevelopment agency, state agency or a public housing authority. The major change with AB 199, Paone said, is the bill goes beyond those three agencies to any project that uses some sort of public funds likely ensnaring thousands of projects for various reasons. Nevin, of the Xpera Group, said the law would largely mean union labor will be needed for any housing project in the state and doubted the trades had enough workers to handle the expansion. Right now, high-rise construction uses mainly union labor while residential home building typically does not. Diaz said there were plenty of skilled workers available for homebuilding because of its apprentice program, which has 74,441 apprentices spread throughout the state. San Diego County had 76,500 people employed in the construction trades in January 2017, state officials said Friday. Jeff Platt, president of JAAM Electric in El Cajon, said it would be difficult for his business if he had to pay prevailing wages. His non-union shop employs 60 people who do work primarily for production home builders, such as KB Home, Shea Homes, Davidson Communities, DR Horton and Lennar Homes. Platt said its not like JAAM is paying bad wages roughly two to four times minimum wage but prevailing wage and the administrative costs that go along with it would be difficult to absorb. It would be a significant change to my business, he said. You got to change who you are. People who have not done prevailing wage before might be intimidated and not go into the business. AB 199 has been referred to the Committee on Labor and Employment where it is scheduled to be heard March 15, and from there it can go to the full Assembly. Business phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar ALSO The vanishing San Diego single-family home The California economy started 2017 on a strong note, with employers in January adding 9,700 jobs and the jobless rate dropping to 5.1 percent, according to data released by the Employment Development Department. January was a banner month for the country which gained a net 227,000 new jobs. Still, California continued its years-long trend of outpacing the national economy in job growth, piling on jobs at a year-over-year rate of 2 percent, faster than the national rate of 1.6 percent. Advertisement The unemployment rate in the state has improved markedly since January 2016, when it was 5.7 percent. But Californias jobless rate of 5.1 percent still puts it above the national rate of 4.8 percent. The states education, health, and professional and business services sectors were the most energetic in the first month of the year, inflating their payrolls by a combined 32,300 on net. January was less kind to workers in trade, transportation and utilities, traditionally among the states strongest industries. Employers in that sector cut their labor force by a net 21,100. San Diego County lost 19,000 jobs from December to January, bringing the unemployment rate to 4.5 percent, up from 4.1 percent in November. The region gained 32,300 jobs since January 2016. When adjusted for seasonal swings, the San Diego unemployment rate was about 4.4 percent in January, said Lynn Reaser, chief economist for the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University. That was down from 4.5 percent in December. While San Diego, like other regions, faces many uncertainties over the outcome of various proposed policies, business, consumer, and investor confidence are now strong, Reaser said. Business phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar ALSO The vanishing San Diego single-family home ViaSat is best known for providing satellite Internet to homes and fast, in-flight Wi-Fi to commercial airlines and Air Force One. But the Carlsbad company also operates a budding cyber security business. Its now teaming up with start-up incubator EvoNexus and the San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence to invite early-stage cyber security companies to showcase their technologies for potential investments and partnerships with ViaSat. Advertisement The program is called MarketLink, which EvoNexus has been organizing for years in various industries to get startups in front of potential customers and investors. This the first MarketLink centered on cyber security, however. Local officials are promoting cyber as an area of expertise for the San Diego region. There are 7,600 direct cyber security jobs in the region, led by the U.S. Navys Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR,) according to a study last year by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. Private companies such as iboss, Cybersecurity, ESET and Webroot have locations here. It is kind of a niche industry, said Rory Moore, head of EvoNexus. We have reached out across the country to get the word out about the ViaSat MarketLink event. Moore expects to submit roughly two dozen startups to ViaSat, which will chose which companies it wants to meet. ViaSats cyber business centers on network encryption equipment for government customers and large businesses. In addition, it offers managed cyber security services to critical infrastructure providers such as utilities, as well as other customers. And it offers mobile security products. A key area of expertise for ViaSat is pinpointing unusual behavior in network traffic to uncover cyber-attacks, said spokeswoman Chris Phillips. Many cyber defenses act like bouncers at a nightclub, blocking bad actors at the door, she said. What we do is different. We are in the club. We are watching for anomalies. So if you enter the club and youre not buying drinks, youre not dancing and youre just standing still, that is when we go after you. Additional information about the event is available through EvoNexus at 888-926-3987. Business mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com; Twitter:@TechDiego 760-529-4973 The deluge that hit the county Monday has done wonders for local reservoirs, which buoyed by an exceptionally wet winter were already beginning to recover from years of punishing drought. On the border of San Diego and Escondido, Lake Hodges is now 88 percent full. It was just 57 percent full 10 days earlier, according to data gathered by the San Diego County Water Authority and City of San Diego. Lower Otays spill gates had to be opened to drain off excess water and Lake Poway was just inches away from overflowing. Both reservoirs were storing a significant amount of imported water and the excessive rainfall pushed them to the limit. Advertisement El Capitan Reservoir in Lakeside is now 40 percent full, up from 33 percent a week earlier. Sutherland Reservoir northeast of Ramona is at 35 percent of capacity, compared to just 23 percent in mid-February. Barrett Lake east of Jamul is at 28.5 percent capacity instead of 20 percent just a bit more than a week ago. The North Pacific storm moved into the region last weekend and merged with subtropical moisture, dumping more rain across San Diego on Monday than the region had seen in 13 years, according to the National Weather Service. Widespread flooding snarled traffic and threatened lives and property. But for local reservoirs the storm was good news. Perhaps the single biggest capacity increase by percentage has been at Lake Henshaw near Warner Springs where the amount of water has quadrupled in the past few months. If you had seen it two weeks ago and see it now, well, its amazing. I cant say how amazing it is, said Jackie Hitchcock, manager of the Lake Henshaw Resort. The lake went up 2 feet last week and its still going up, she said. Thats great news for fisherman, she added, because Lake Henshaw is very shallow. This gives them a lot more room to fish. In November about 3,000 acre-feet of water was in Lake Henshaw. Following the latest storm, the volume now stands at more than 14,000 acre-feet. Still, it is only at 27 percent of capacity. The lake is owned by the Vista Irrigation District. Usually the water in the lake during drought years comes from underground sources pumped from 43,000 acres of district watershed land to the east. A spokesman for the district said the hope is to turn off the underground pumps this summer. San Diego International Airport recorded 2.34 inches of rain on Monday, exceeding the 2.19 inches the city typically averages for the entire month of February. A sampling of other rainfalls totals during the 72-hour period ending at 4 a.m. Tuesday include Palomar Observatory, 9.04 inches; Mount Woodson, 7.70 inches; Henshaw Dam, 6.69 inches; Lake Cuyamaca, 6.39 inches; Ramona Airport, 5.13 inches; Valley Center: 4.72 inches; and Escondido, 4.0 inches. A trough from the Gulf of Alaska is expected to move down the West Coast this weekend, bringing a 20-40 percent chance of showers to San Diego on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones Two years ago, 14-year-old Melissa Lopez of Vista died from leukemia just a few days before she could fulfill her dream of walking at her eighth-grade promotion ceremony. This month, students from both Madison and adjacent Lake Elementary School in Oceanside will honor Melissas memory and help other children battling the disease at the second annual Finish Melissas Walk event. From 3:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, Madison will host a fundraiser for Be the Match, the national bone marrow registry. The event at 4930 Lake Blvd. in Oceanside, will include a walk-athon that will raise donations for research and testing, as well as a registry drive to collect new donors. There will also be music, a photo booth for participants, prizes and games for children. Advertisement Last year, Melissas family members were the guests of honor at the inaugural event. This year, organizers are honoring another student who, like Melissa, has leukemia. Jerome Elbacha, 11, is a fifth-grader at Lake Elementary. His older brother, Joseph, is an eighth-grader at Madison. Carole Levin, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Madison, said that while last years event was a solemn memorial for Melissa, this years event will be more celebratory. Melissa was never able to find a match for a transplant, but Jerome did get a match and he is now nearly two months into his transplant recovery. Finish Melissas Walk What: Walk-athon and registry drive to benefit Be the Match, the national bone marrow registry. Events will include music, childrens games and prizes for walkers When: 3:30-5:30 p.m. March 21 Where: Madison Middle School, 4930 Lake Blvd., Oceanside Admission: Free Register to walk online: bethematchfoundation.org This year we hope to get 100 to 150 people to participate and we want to celebrate that were bringing two schools together as one, Levin said. The most important thing for us is to draw awareness to the need for more people to register. Jerome lives in Vistas Shadowridge area with his 13-year-old brother Joseph and his mother, Ralda Rizke. The family moved to the U.S. from Damascus four years ago as the war in Syria intensified. A year later, Jerome was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He underwent six months of chemotherapy, then relapsed after 18 months of remission. Rizke said her family organized two marrow registry drives last year, but an exact match couldnt be found for Jerome. Instead, he was able to receive a stem cell transplant from donated umbilical cord blood in December. To prepare for the transplant, Rizke said all of her sons bone marrow had to be killed off last fall during four months of chemo. The treatment depleted his immune system so he hasnt been able to attend school at Lake this academic year. Although the transplant appears to have been a success, hes still taking 21 medications a day, has an IV line in his chest and struggles with painful side effects. One day he can walk outside and the next he cant go to the bathroom for himself, said Rizke, his full-time caregiver. But my son is a very uplifted child. Hes strong from the inside. Sometimes he stands at the window and watches his friends playing outside and he cant join them, which is heartbreaking. But he knows what hes doing is for his own safety. Because Jerome cant be around other children for another eight weeks, he wont be able to take part in Finish Melissas Walk. But his brother may walk to represent the family. Shelley Baker, a senior community engagement officer for Be the Match, said events like Finish Melissas Walk are vitally important to not only expanding the registry but also getting the correct information into peoples hands. There are 13.5 million registered members of Be the Match in the United States. The registry is the only hope of a cure for 14,000 patients each year who dont have a match within their own family. The greatest need for new registry members is among blacks and Latinos, who are sharply under-represented in the registry. The registry process is simple and free. Participants must be 18 to 44 years of age to sign up. It involves filling out paperwork and a painless cheek swab. Four months after registering, the member may be called on to donate. This involves further tests, and if a match is confirmed, a procedure is required that either involves a blood donation or the removal of marrow cells from the pelvic bone. While its easy to sign up, Levin said its important for participants to think through the decision thoroughly. Sometimes people will get the call and change their mind about going through with it, she said. Thats a waste of time and emotions for the patient and their family. Baker said the fact that the Madison and Lake community are carrying on Melissas fight, nearly two years after her death in May 2015, says a lot about what she meant to her teachers and fellow students. A lot of people dont know about the need until it touches their family or a friend in some way, Baker said. Its because of events like this that people who werent aware before may be encouraged to take that first step. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com Go big, or go home. Thats the phrase Kelly King said stands out among a collection of inspirational quotes written down and scattered throughout her daughter Chelseas bedroom. Everything she wanted to see happen in the world for herself, friends and family it was always give it everything youve got and then some, King said. Advertisement The saying lives through her legacy with Chelseas Light Foundation, started by King, her husband Brent and their son Tyler, after Chelsea was murdered on February 25, 2010. And it lives on in Finish Chelseas Run, the 5K event that drew about 8,000 people to Balboa Park Saturday to honor the slain teen. For the seventh year, participants completed the run Chelsea wasnt able to. The 17-year-old Poway High School student, cross-country runner and musician, was on a 3-mile run after school in Rancho Bernardo Community Park when she was attacked and killed by a convicted sex offender. The same man was later linked to the murder of 14-year-old Amber Dubois, who disappeared in February 2009 while walking to school in Escondido. The killer eventually confessed to the murders to avoid the death penalty and is serving a life sentence. The Kings also honor Amber at the annual event. Kelly King said their lives will be forever intertwined with Ambers family. I remember watching that story on the news a year before we lost Chelsea and I could not fathom what they were going through and then almost a year later I see Carrie (Ambers mom) in the parking lot one of the first days of searching for Chelsea. It was an incredibly surreal moment, she said. Before the race began Saturday, Kelly King thanked the crowd wearing foundation T-shirts, colorful tutus and sunflower accents for supporting the foundation and helping her family heal. You are filling every cell in my body with joy and love and happiness today and I never thought that would be possible again, she said. This keeps me moving forward and alive. The Kings stood at the finish line as a sea of smiling faces came toward them and shared hugs and high-fives with the runners. After the race, participants wrote inspirational messages on a large poster, decorated sunflower pots and bought $1 sunflowers Chelseas favorite flower with all proceeds benefiting the scholarship fund. Kelly King said seeing the support from the community is like getting a big, giant hug from our daughter. This day is a reflection of the beauty that there is in the world and the hope and joy that the San Diego community has come out and embraced our family and foundation, she said. For us its about choosing hope every time. Girl Scouts San Diego have partnered with the foundation since 2010 because Chelsea was a Girl Scout. This event is important for girls to gain their confidence by being physically active but also to understand the importance of getting involved to make this community a stronger place by getting involved in causes like this, said Carol Dedrich, CEO of Girls Scouts San Diego. Proceeds from the event go to the foundations Sunflower Scholarship Fund. Cristina De Almeida Amaral, 19, was one of the 2016 scholarship recipients. Shes a nursing student at San Diego State University. The Chula Vista resident and High Tech High graduate is an adult scout and said it was Girl Scouts that introduced her to Chelseas Light Foundation. I used the opportunity that I had in Girl Scouts to push that passion forward and what I see in Chelseas Light Foundation is the exact same thing, and thats really inspiring and it feels like home, she said. Amaral said that seeing the participants makes her emotional knowing theyre investing in her future. Its humbling and also very empowering. Nearly $400,000 has been awarded to 63 college-bound students through the scholarship fund to date. In addition, more than $10,000 has been awarded in Joie de Vivre scholarships given to students in need so they can experience joy in life. Through the foundation, the Kings also got Chelseas Law signed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2010. The legislation increases penalties and parole provisions; provides better oversight for violent sexual offenders who commit forcible sex crimes against children; and mandates lifetime parole and GPS monitoring. Chelseas Law also created safe zones which prohibit sex offenders released from prison from visiting places where children gather. The first Finish Chelseas Run drew about 3,500 at Rancho Bernardo Community Park, the scene of the attack. At that time in San Diego people were mad, people were sad and we wanted to take back Lake Hodges and say, This is still our place, dont be afraid to be here, said KyXy radio host Tommy Sablan. He was one of five responsible for coordinating the 2010 run. The event was moved the following year to Balboa Park, a place Chelsea loved and where she played French Horn with peers in a school orchestra. As a surfer and sailor, Jonathan White pays attention to tides. But he didnt really understand them until he traveled around the world to meet people and see places where the ebb and flow, the rise and fall, shape lives and tell epic stories. His new nonfiction book, Tides, is the result. White, who was born in Malibu and now lives on a small island in Washington state, will be at the La Jolla library on March 18 at 2 p.m. for an event coordinated by Warwicks. Q: What made you decide to write about tides? Advertisement A: I think really the pinpoint was when I nearly lost my boat, a big old schooner called Crusader, to a large Alaskan tide. After that, I thought it was time to figure out what was going on. I knew the moon had something to do with it, but like a lot of people, I didnt know what exactly. I decided I would take a journey to figure it out. I thought I would read a book or two and take a couple of weeks traveling around, but the more I read the more interesting and complex and poetic it was and I got hooked. Two weeks turned into 10 years, and a few books turned into 300. Q: The subtitle of your book refers to the science and spirit of the ocean. What science did you find most compelling? A: Oh, goodness, there are so many surprising facts about tides. For example, that the tide is a very large, long wave that travels around the world at 450 mph, the speed of a modern jet. Or that friction from the tide is actually slowing down the earths rotation and making our days a little bit longer and pushing the moon away at the rate of about 10 feet in a human lifetime. I could go on and on. Q: Talk to me about the spirit side of it. A: I didnt start out writing the book thinking that this was going to be a balancing act between science and spirit or science and poetry, but the more I got into it, the more I saw it intertwine. For example, I went down to the San Blas islands off of Panama for a chapter on sea level rise. The people in San Blas, the Kuna Yala indians, an indigenous group that has been there for about 300 years, believe traditionally that the tide is a spiritual visitor from another dimension that comes to check in on the village. They also have scientists who are very sober-minded and telling them that in the next 50 years if the sea level rises 3 feet, which it conservatively is predicted to do, they are going to lose all their islands and have to find a new home. They are living with both of those at once. I also visited the monastery at Mont Saint-Michel in France. Thats a tide-wrapped monastery some 1,400 years old. After two years of me asking, they gave me a silent lunch and a 30-minute interview, which turned into 60 minutes. In that case, from a Christian point of view, they were talking to me about their relationship with the tide and the beauty and profundity of the natural world. Q: Why did it take two years to get in to the monastery? A: One of the things I discovered with my research is that the internet can only get you so far. There are places in the world that eventually you just have to go. I found that true with the Arctic, with Mont Saint-Michel, with Panama, China. I just went and considered the first trip a reconnaissance. What is going on here? Is there someone I can meet? Is there a way into this story? With Mont Saint-Michel, I went and its crowded with tourists. I was seeing the monks disappearing behind these big old doors, living their own lives. I ended up meeting a guide there, a woman who lives in France, and I hired her to do some research and in that process I asked her to help me get in touch with the monks and see if I could meet them. There were a lot of letters back and forth. They were concerned about what I was going to write and if they could look at it and edit it. Finally I told them I would sign a contract saying they could approve what I wrote, and they invited me. Interestingly, there were only two things they wanted changed. One was I used the word magic to describe the tides at Mont Saint-Michel, and they didnt like that word. And the other one was, I wrote that at the end of lunch, they served a platter of grapes and cheese and salami. They came back and said, We would never serve it in that order. The grapes would always be last. Q: How did you find all these different stories for the book? A: In some ways, they found me. Really what I did was follow the tide around the world. I took some element of the tide and then I went to where its most dramatically at play. So I went to China to see the Qiantang tidal bore, which is when the tide comes up the river in the form of a wave. Its the largest one in the world, sometimes as tall as 25 feet. A lot of these places I went more than once. China, I went three times, Mont Saint-Michel twice. Bay of Fundy, which has the largest tides in the world, I went there four summers. The Arctic, twice. Q: You write in the book about the mystery of the tides, how there is still so much the scientists dont yet understand. Was that part of the intrigue for you in doing the book, or was it a source of frustration? A: It was part of the intrigue. I like the fact that we dont know everything. And I like that its hard to understand. I had a really wonderful meeting with one of the worlds premier tide modelers in the Bay of Fundy, a guy named David Greenberg. I asked him, Will you tell me an aha moment? He was quiet and then he said, I dont have aha moments in this field, only oh god moments when I find something that makes no sense. One of the mysteries were still learning about is the tides role in seismic activity. Theres lots of speculation about that, but nothing thats proven. With that huge gravitational tug on the Earth every day, back and forth, common sense would say its got some connection. Another one is internal tides, tides underneath the ocean. These are waves that are up to 1,500 feet tall and travel around the world. Scientists think those waves are playing a major role in ocean mixing, bringing cold water up to the surface, which may have something to do with global climate. Q: You write early in the book: The more I found out, the more I wanted to know. Have you always been that way? A: Im an information kind of guy. I want to know whats going on. I want to look behind things. I think the natural world in particular sparks my curiosity because its just so amazing and Im always surprised and enriched by anything I know. Q: What if anything do the tides tell us about whos in charge in the natural world? A: (He laughed.) Not us. Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean, by Jonathan White, Trinity University Press, 360 pages. john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-2236 Theres no better local auditorium to hear acoustic guitar music than the Conrad Prebys Concert Hall on the UC San Diego campus. Attacks are clearly heard but quickly dissipate into warm sustained tones given life by the halls glowing acoustics. The Dublin Guitar Quartet played there Friday evening as part of ArtPowers Innovation series. These four gentlemen Brian Bolger, Pat Brunnock, Chien Buggle and Tomas ODurcain had commanding technique. Their ensemble work was precise and their balances well controlled. They showed a keen sensitivity to the musical and emotional demands of each composition. But on a program consisting mainly of postminimal and indie classical music, innovation was difficult to detect. There was certainly creativity in the guitar techniques that William Kanengiser called for in his Gongan. Players inserted toothpicks and metal clips between strings to transform their guitars into a miniature gamelan ensemble. Pentatonic patterns buzzed, clunked and rang like gongs. The rhythms and harmonies may have been conventional, but it was an enchanting and impressive way to arouse an audiences interest at the top of a program. Advertisement Koshkins Changing The Guard was, appropriately, a march, but a very cynical Russian one. Channeling the bitter dissonances and dislocated meters of Soviet composers like Schnittke and Shchedrin, Koshkins guards seem less like humans and more like dysfunctional robots marching into walls or stumbling into each other. Koshkins jerky rhythms and clamorous harmonies stood out on this program of mainly modal music. The Dublin Quartet sympathetically arranged pleasant tonal miniatures from the solo piano album Book of Leaves by Rachel Grimes. Call them indie classical or post-rock, but whatever label you choose, they were less compelling than Kanengisers or Koshkins pieces. Bryce Dessners Aheym was composed for the Kronos Quartet, an effective blend of slashing chords, slowly built-up riffs and hockets, all in modal harmonies. Its a fun ride, yet little is retained a few hours after hearing. The Dublin Quartets transcription was arresting, incorporating buzzing strings, tapping (with rods?) and ingenious textures. There seemed little inherently guitar-like in Mellits Quartet; it could have been composed for any quartet of instruments. Interlocking diatonic patterns were mildly interesting, but the steady 4-bar alternation of one harmony with another ultimately became monotonous. Leave it to the old masters in this case Ligeti and Glass to provide the concerts high points. The Dublin Quartets transcription and performance of Glasss Saxophone Quartet was magical. Glass incorporated more chromatic harmonies than are associated with his classic works from 40 to 50 years ago. The second movement features chords in parallel motion snaking up and down, almost sounding like Nancarrow or Milhaud. In four movements Glass argued strongly in his own postminimalist language, a happy expansion of the strict patterns and additive rhythmic procedures from his earlier, better known works. The Dublin Quartets arrangements of four pieces from Ligetis piano suite, Musica Ricercata, were so good that one might believe Ligeti had conceived this piece for four guitars. Musica Ricercata was composed over 60 years ago when Ligeti was 30 and had little access to contemporary music from outside Hungary. The eerie second movement used only three pitches and displayed more originality and invention than anything else on the program. Whether that is a testimony to Ligetis genius, a criticism of the Dublin Quartets programming, or both, listeners and readers may decide for themselves. Hertzog is a freelance writer. When San Diego Opera launched its new Shiley Detour series this season, it promised a new program of smaller, nontraditional works that are surprising, intense and powerful. That might be an understatement for The Tragedy of Carmen, the edgy 90-minute distillation of Georges Bizets,1875 grand opera Carmen. The world premiere production running Friday through March 12 at the Balboa Theatre is being presented with a rare audience advisory that the show will contain sexual situations, violence and mature themes. This could be one of the raciest production in San Diego Operas 52-year history. But project director Alexander Gedeon said theres nothing gratuitous about the artistic choices hes made in his contemporary take on the chamber opera. Advertisement Im not just trying to shock people, he said. What were shooting for is something thats true. At the end of the day, you realize it will be a risk, so you find the courage to present it. The Tragedy of Carmen was created in Paris in 1983 by famed modernist theater director Peter Brook. Famed for his minimalist takes on classic works, Brook stripped away Bizets chorus, secondary characters, dance ensemble and grand scenery and costumes to focus on the dark psycho-sexual relationships between the operas four main characters the mercurial Spanish Gypsy Carmen, her jealous lover Don Jose, the dashing bullfighter Escamillo and Don Joses heartbroken fiancee Micaela. The Tragedy of Carmen When: 7 p.m. March 10 and 11. 2 p.m. March 12. Where: San Diego Opera at the Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. Tickets: $20 and up Phone: (619) 533-7000 Online: sdopera.org Bizets glorious Spanish-style/French language arias remain, but theyre rearranged for a smaller orchestra and supplemented with spoken dialogue. Chris Rountree, founder of the wild Up chamber orchestra in L.A., will conduct. Brook drew much of his thematic inspiration from Bizets source material, the darker, grittier, sexier 1845 French novella Carmen by Prosper Merimee. Gedeon said theres a reason Brook re-titled his piece The Tragedy of Carmen. He believes Brook was anchoring it in the epic traditions of ancient Greek theater and its characters wrestle with fate, tragic flaws and the heavens swirling around them. This is a deep philosophical meditation on human nature and destructive sexual impulses, said Gedeon, 35, of Hollywood. Carmen is a sexual being. Sexuality is part of her nature. This is a framing and exploration of that dynamic in a completely impartial atmosphere where good and evil dont exist. Starring as Carmen is mezzo-soprano Peabody Southwell, 33, of Echo Park. Like Gedeon, she was born and raised in L.A., where they both attended the L.A. County High School for the Arts. Los Angeles-based mezzo-soprano Peabody Southwell plays the title role in San Diego Operas The Tragedy of Carmen. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) She studied vocal performance at UCLA and has worked heavily in L.A.s opera and theater companies and collectives where she is also an actor and designer. In high school, Gedeon discovered opera (Philip Glass Einstein on the Beach) and followed his muse east to study experimental theater at NYU. He recorded with two punk/funk/disco ensembles before turning to theater and opera direction. They first collaborated last year, when he served as assistant director on LA Operas anatomy theater, a new opera by David Lang that explored the source of evil. Southwell starred as a notorious 18th-century murderess whose body was publicly dissected for clues to her dark nature. The role, for which she earned rave reviews in L.A. and New York, required her to lie nude and motionless on a tilted dissection table every night for an hour. As adventurous as that may sound, Southwell said shes even more thrilled with the risks shes taking in this production. This is her third time playing Carmen and she feels shes finally dug into the marrow of her characters bones. It has pushed me past my previous understanding of Carmen. I love being challenged to take the volatility in her as far as I can go and take the eroticism and pure throbbing sexuality as far as I can go. Director Alexander Gedeon, second from left, works with Canadian tenor Adrian Kramer, right, during rehearsals of San Diego Operas production of Peter Brooks The Tragedy of Carmen. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) In Bizets opera, Carmen is a cigarette factory worker who consorts with criminal gangs. In Merimees original, shes a fortune-teller, a beggar and a factory worker who hangs around brothels. In Brooks version, shes all of the above. Shes a survivor, Southwell said. She shape-shifts depending on the moment and on what she wants. Canadian tenor Adrian Kramer stars in this production as the soldier Don Jose. In Bizets opera, hes an innocent country bumpkin lured into a dangerous and ultimately fatal relationship with the seductive Carmen. Southwell said Merimees novella and Brooks adaptation depict Don Jose as a violent man slowly descending into madness. What is obvious in the novella is hes a troubled person before they ever meet, she said. He begins the piece resisting his darkness until he meets a person who revels in her darkness. Then its a quicksand of toxic sexual chemistry. Gedeon said this artistic conception for the piece has three main elements: exoticism, eroticism and the supernatural. Because the opera is being presented in the historic Balboa, which opened in 1924 as a vaudeville theater, that has helped shape Gedeons vision for the show. In this staging, Carmen will exist in a timeless dreamscape. At times shell be aware shes performing on a vaudeville stage, or perhaps as a living character in a painting, or even in a play within a play. The style incorporates elements of Greek theater, cabaret, primitive and gestural language and even Madonna-style voguing. The movement is very stylized but in the flinches and cracks in between its terrifying when something real occurs, Southwell said. It pulls the rug out from under the audience. The costumes by Adam Alonso also draw from a wide variety of sources. Escamillo looks like a traditional Spanish bullfighter, but theres no Gypsy dress for Carmen. Instead she wears a bolero hat and a bustier. Don Jose transitions from a trim soldiers uniform to a grimy leather jacket, and Micaela has the look of a 1950s ruined debutante. Video and scenic designer Yuki Izumihara is developing projections that accentuate Carmens connection to the supernatural world. She has a phenomenal relationship with nature, Gedeon said. When she sings, we see it vibrate in the atmosphere. Southwell said she knows some audience members may bristle at this edgy take on Carmen, but its the ideal piece for a modern re-examination. If theres a piece about sex, violence and nudity in the operatic genre, it has to be Carmen, she said. Brook distilled it down to the core relationships. In its grand opera form, I dont sense the real gravitas. The risk and magnetic seduction of the piece gets lost. Gedeon said hes been working nonstop on this production for five months and hes deeply grateful to San Diego Opera for its support and its willingness to take a risk. It may be the most thrilling creative experience of my life. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen Its hard to imagine grappling with the kind of tragedy visited upon the Garcia family in The Blameless. Harder still to imagine just what ones own response to such a shocking loss would be. Whats not difficult to picture is reacting just the way the Garcias do in Nick Gandiellos superb but wrenching new play. Not because the way they deal with their anguish seems somehow right, but because it seems so achingly real. Advertisement Whats more remarkable about the piece, now receiving its world premiere at the Old Globe, is that each member of the family along with a visitor whose suffering is bound up inextricably with theirs behaves in ways that are no less authentic for being so disparate. The feeling that pervades this surprisingly funny play, as performed by an ace cast under Gaye Taylor Upchurchs sensitive direction, is of people whistling past an abyss. They joke or bicker or simply go about their daily routines, doing whatever it takes to tame or evade (usually in vain) the beast called grief. The Blameless, developed partly through the Globes Powers New Voices Festival, is tricky to talk about without revealing too much. Its maybe enough to say the play documents the aftermath of a too-familiar spasm of violence that has taken a member of the Garcia family. The Blameless When: 7 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through March 26. Where: Old Globes Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park. Tickets: $29 and up Phone: (619) 234-5623 Online: theoldglobe.org The play is set exactly one year later at the familys modest home; set designer Andrew Boyce captures its tidy but slightly scuffed character. Thats where mom Diana (Antoinette LaVecchia, in a brittle and enormously sympathetic performance) is nervously preparing for a guest named Drew, who lost his own son that same dark day under circumstances that have afforded him precious little pity. But first Diana has to deal with the troubles of her teen-age daughter, Theresa (Nataysha Rey), whos been caught in a highly compromising position at school. Rey has one of the most arresting moments of the play early on a bristling and raw speech, beautifully performed, about Theresas fear of her life becoming nothing but a result of tragedy. Meanwhile, Dianas construction-worker husband, Alex (Frank Pando, giving the character an amiability shot through with pain), is doing his best to make peace with the sad anniversary. (One hint of the added pressure on the family: News-crew lights blaze outside their front door.) Alexs sister, Amanda (quietly fierce Liza Colon-Zayas) also arrives. And when Drew (Stephen Barker Turner, marvelously contained and contrite) finally appears, and all attempt to sit for dinner, the mood is charged with fits of rage and gestures of empathy and a general air of extreme discomfort. Gandiello does so much right in these exquisitely observed interactions; he shows a particular gift for parceling out telling details in ways that feel perfectly organic. There are a few hitches: As good as Colon-Zayas is, Amanda (whose job as a college instructor lends some connection to the familys loss) is the one character who feels a bit like a device. Her role here as a probing, defiant voice overlaps a bit with that of Diana, who would seem to have more deeply earned the grief Amanda displays. The play does need someone outside the immediate family to shake things up and bring fresh perspective but that task is handled admirably by Amara James Aja as Theresas open-hearted boyfriend, Howard. At present, the piece also has what feels like two endings the second (real) one affecting but not entirely necessary. (Both, though, benefit from Ryan Rumerys brooding music and sound design and Bradley Kings carefully calibrated lighting.) And at least in this production, The Blameless seems to present, but not quite engage with, potential issues of race and class: Drew is a wealthy white lawyer, while the Garcias are working-class and speak Spanish at times. But beyond some additional sight-line issues hard to avoid completely in the Globes arena-style White Theatre The Blameless is an understated gem that announces Gandiello as an important young voice. And the play proves, in the end, an eloquent tribute to the power of moving on. Twitter: @jimhebert jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com The new Navy warship named posthumously for a San Diego Marine hero is scheduled to be commissioned in Coronado on July 29. The Rafael Peralta, a Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, is named for a 25-year-old Marine from San Diego who died in 2004 during the second Battle of Fallujah. A native of Mexico, Peralta attended Morse High School in San Diego and San Diego Community College before enlisting in the Marine Corps. Advertisement A delegation from Morse is expected to attend the event, which is planned for North Island Naval Air Station, said Jack Harkins, a member of the commissioning committee. Welcome to The Intel, a blog examining the hot military news of the day Peraltas family still lives in San Diego. The events surrounding a commissioning are usually planned by a civilian volunteer committee, often helmed by a Navy League chapter. The commissioning itself, a formal ceremony during which a ship is placed into active service, is conducted by the Navy. Harkins said the commissioning committee is planning for a July 29 event knowing that circumstances may change as the ship makes its way west from its Maine shipyard. Cmdr. John Perkins, spokesman for the Naval Surface Force command in San Diego, said the Navy plans for a commissioning no later than July but hasnt released a firm date yet. Peralta was stationed in Hawaii when his unit was deployed to Iraq. Peralta and his squad were doing house-to-house searches in Fallujah on Nov. 15, 2004, when he was killed. Marines with him credited him with smothering a grenade with his body to save others at the scene. The Marine Corps nominated Peralta for a Medal of Honor, the nations highest combat decoration. In a still-controversial move, the Pentagon downgraded the award one level to a Navy Cross after questions about whether Peralta, already wounded in the head, was conscious when he smothered the grenade. Peraltas mother, Rosa, is the ships sponsor. The family only recently accepted the Navy Cross after a long campaign in Congress to upgrade the medal a campaign that may have fresh legs under the new defense secretary, Jim Mattis, who commanded troops in Iraq and retired as a four-star Marine general. The ships motto is fortis ad finem, which translates to courageous to the end. Military Videos On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal jen.steele@sduniontribune.com Facebook: U-T Military Twitter: @jensteeley Mollie Lowery believed in Anthony Ruffin, and was convinced he would continue the work to which she had devoted her life. Before Lowery died last summer, the homeless outreach pioneer told me her protege had a story, but Id have to get it from Ruffin himself. Id known the 48-year-old Ruffin as a tireless case manager for my friend Nathaniel Ayers. Aside from Lowery, Ive never met anyone more dedicated to helping people with severe mental and physical illness. The work can be challenging, depressing and frustrating, because those with acute mental disorders often refuse assistance, and sometimes turn against the very people trying to help them. But Ruffin keeps going back to the darkest corners of the city, undeterred, as if the next visit could bring a breakthrough. As if Lowerys dictum whatever it takes, for as long as it takes is a call to duty. Ruffin has 20 or more clients he checks on regularly. They include the Hollywood 14, who are so sick some of them are barely alive and have been identified by community leaders as priorities. It isnt uncommon for Ruffin to find people sitting in their own urine and feces. His regulars include amputees and diabetics and drug addicts who can never get enough to kill the pain. Some are partially paralyzed and many are ghosts, their former selves barely visible in the shadows of unrelenting psychosis. Left: Ruffin goes out in the middle of the night because there are fewer distractions for people with severe mental illness. Right: Ruffin, left, and Alan Wise Baker, right, help Johnny Popphan stand up in the pouring rain. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) More Photos Recently he saw a man planted on the sidewalk on Sunset Boulevard, next to a smattering of rotten food. His skin had peeled off his lower body. He was sick in all that rain. He couldnt move, couldnt walk, he was stuck there, said Ruffin, who made an emergency call, and the man was picked up and hospitalized. Luckily I saw him when I did or hed probably be dead by now. Ruffin often starts work at 3 a.m. or so. If its cold or raining, he goes out earlier and searches longer to make sure everyone is OK. Social service is a 9 to 5 business, but homelessness is a 24-hour business, he told me. I like to connect with people early morning or late at night, when there are no distractions and theres a moment of clarity. Its just me and that person, and its very intimate. Its like my little office, my environment, and I love it. One night last fall, when I traveled with Ruffin and Times photographer Francine Orr, Ruffin talked about the frustration of failing to convince people they need help, or to convince authorities they need to intervene. He said it felt like a death watch, and he was not being dramatic. Ruffin estimates that since 2008, about 40 of his clients have died some of them on the streets, some in hospitals or some form of housing he negotiated for them. Anthony Ruffin, a case manager with Housing Works and the Hollywood 14, works with the area's most difficult cases. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) But sometimes theres success. On that trip last fall, Ruffin was on his knees in Hollywood, talking to a woman who had been anchored at a busy Hollywood intersection for 15 years. His efforts finally paid off. The woman was hospitalized not long ago and has a conservatorship hearing coming up, in which someone may be appointed to advocate for and protect her. On Thursday, Ruffin and I met with Dr. Susan Partovi, a skid row doctor. She has been exploring ways to reinterpret the meaning of grave disability, so authorities can intervene humanely and legally to force emergency treatment for people who might otherwise die. Im all for it, because while I respect laws designed to protect the civil rights of those with mental illness, we cant turn our heads while desperately ill people die at our feet and on our doorsteps. Regarding the sickest of the sick, Partovi said she couldnt conceive of letting a loved one suffer like that. But many of the people out there have no one to count on. Top: In pain, Eddie "Snake" Carter, a wheelchair-bound double amputee, sits outside Starbucks in Hollywood. Bottom left: A man sitting on the sidewalk beneath a blanket tells Ruffin his name is Blaze" and he needs help getting an identification card. Bottom right: Monic Bell holds her dog Hades outside her tent in Hollywood. Bell is homeless and says she was in the foster system. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) More Photos Im their family, Partovi said. "Youre their family. Anthony is their family. Thats his philosophy. Later that day, it was time to do what Mollie Lowery had suggested I do. It was time to get Ruffins story. He told me his parents split when he was 12, and he had problems in school. The written word was an indecipherable jumble and he was placed in special-ed classes for an unspecified learning disability he now believes was dyslexia. They always thought I was slow, or less than, said Ruffin, who lost his confidence, ricocheted in and out of trouble, and did time in jail as both a teen and a young adult. But he tired of that routine and hated repeatedly disappointing his mother and stepfather, who had raised him right. I knew I had to change my life and everything about myself, he said. That began in earnest at age 32, when he went to vote. At the polling place, he bumped into a social worker who said she knew a man with the same last name as his. It turned out to be the father he had not seen in 20 years. Ruffin learned that his father was homeless and had hustled a job as a courier at a downtown courthouse. Attorneys who didnt want to pay for parking or didnt have time would pull up to the curb and hand legal documents to Ruffins father, who would run them into the courthouse. He found him right away. He recognized me, but I showed him my I.D., said Ruffin, who told me hed had a hole in his heart until that moment. We hugged, and weve had a relationship ever since. Years earlier, Ruffin learned, his father had lost a steady job and went into a spiral. On future visits with his father and stepmother, who now have an apartment, Ruffin met other homeless people and identified with their struggle. Hanging with them and helping them became a passion. He got a job at a homeless service center, starting as a janitor, and moved up to data input. One day they asked me what I wanted to be, and I said a case manager, said Ruffin. And the lady told me I was too stupid to be a case manager. There it was again. He was slow. He was less than. But this time, he refused to accept the assessment. It lit a fire under me, said Ruffin, who became a case manager a year later, then landed at Ocean Park Community Center in Santa Monica. Six years ago he moved to Housing Works, where his new colleague and mentor was Mollie Lowery. They clicked instantly. Lowery used to tell me with a smile that Ruffin was smart, dedicated and gifted. Ruffin already had a natural street-side manner and knew that empathy and patience could earn the trust of clients over time. But Lowery, he says, schooled him on the finer points of working a disjointed and under-resourced system, and implored him not to take no for an answer when someones well-being was at stake. At 4:30 am Ruffin finds Eddie Snake Carter, 65, in pain, sheltering under a bus stop. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Top: At 4:30 a.m., Ruffin finds Eddie "Snake" Carter in pain, sheltering under a bus stop. He convinces the wheelchair-bound double amputee to go to a hospital. Bottom left: Ruffin stops to help a homeless man whose torso is covered with sores and dried blood. Bottom right: A homeless man sleeps on the steps of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) More Photos Kerry Morrison, who has led efforts the last several years to focus on Hollywoods most chronically homeless people, was worried that no one would volunteer to do the outreach for such a difficult population. She knew little progress would be made unless the social worker was willing to constantly chip through layers of bureaucracy and go to court, to jails and to hospitals well into the night and on weekends. Anthony raised his and said, Ill do it, she said. Earlier this year, Ruffin was honored at L.A. City Hall for his work. Theres a long way to go, but clients have been hospitalized and housed, and Morrison is praying along with other homeless advocates that L.A. County voters approve Measure H on Tuesday. The quarter-cent sales tax proposal would fund similar outreach and multiple additional services aimed at reducing an estimated homeless population of 47,000. In December 2014, Ruffin was hospitalized after a brain aneurysm. Lowery, who was working full time while fighting the cancer that would take her life, visited him in the hospital. She whispered in my ear, When are you coming back? Ruffin told me. That motivated me to get back faster. She didnt let being sick stop her, and I wasnt going to let it stop me. Ruffin, like Lowery before him, lives austerely. He and his longtime girlfriend share a modest home in Altadena, and he said a small mortgage makes it possible for him to work in a field that doesnt pay much. But his life is rich. When you help get sick, really destitute people into housing, you cant put a price tag on that, said Ruffin. You see someone get into an apartment and you know you fought the fight all the way, and didnt take no for an answer, and they call family members and say, Im housed. I got an apartment. Thats when I cry. We usually both cry, just the two of us there together. Lead photo: Anthony Ruffin, 48, kneels to speak with a homeless man as he is sleeping on the sidewalk in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) More Photos Get more of Steve Lopez's work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez A grandmother known as the backbone of a San Diego military veterans family was sent back to Mexico on Friday, more than two weeks after she was picked up by immigration agents outside her house in unmarked SUVs on Valentines Day. Clarissa Arredondo, 43, is the mother of Adriana Aparicio, whose husband is a Navy veteran working as a contractor in Afghanistan. The couple has two daughters, 2 and 3, and Arredondo, who came to the U.S. more than 25 years ago, helped take care of them. We get together all the time, Aparicio said. We can just be hanging out at her house, singing and dancing with the girls. They love doing that with her. She does their manicures and pedicures. She just spoils them. Advertisement Aparicio, 27, said officials told her family that her mother was an enforcement priority. They consider my mom as a criminal for lying on paperwork to get welfare, Aparicio said, adding that officials said that happened more than a decade ago. Arredondos case is one of many popping up around the nation as President Trump sets out to redirect immigration enforcement priorities from his predecessors choice to focus on immigrants who committed violent crimes. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not able to answer questions about Arredondos case. The San Diego Union-Tribune could not find any record of convictions for Arredondo in either federal or California state court record systems. Aparicio had no recollection of her mother using welfare or getting in trouble for doing so. She remembered her mom working three jobs, cleaning hotels, houses and apartments to make ends meet. I had a happy childhood, Aparicio said. She made sure of that. When Aparicio was about a month old, Arredondo crossed into the U.S. from Mexico with Aparicio and Aparicios father. Arredondo was 16 years old. She was a child trying to make a way for her own child, Aparicio said. Arredondo left Aparicios father and raised their three children, Aparicio said. Her two brothers are U.S.-born. Shed take us to work sometimes when she didnt have anyone to watch us, Aparicio recalled. Shes never given up. Aparicios husband, Bennie Hill, has worked as a contractor in Afghanistan since he ended his seven-year service with the Navy. His mother, Lt. Col. Marie Pauley, is on active duty in the Army and has been deployed around the world. She said she appreciates Arredondos role as the other grandmother in her grandchildrens lives. Me being far away, she eases my heart, Pauley said via telephone, speaking personally and not in an official Army capacity. I havent been the good grandmother that can be there all the time. Im trying to live through her. Kate Morrissey writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Click here for a Spanish version of this story ALSO Attorneys for Mississippi Dreamer say theyre racing to prevent her deportation Asylum seeker with a brain tumor is freed from immigration detention MS-13 gang suspects indicted in slayings of 3 teenagers Time to brush up on a little Latin. In matters of law, amicus curiae or friend of the court refers to someone who is not a party to a lawsuit but is qualified to provide information to the court, usually on some legal question. Last month, the San Diego City Council voted in separate closed sessions to sign two amicus curiae briefs related to national issues that have landed in the federal courts. Advertisement One involved President Donald Trumps executive order that temporarily banned travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the U.S. The order was halted by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The other has to do with whether transgender students should be allowed to choose whatever restroom is consistent with the gender they identify with, an issue at the center of a Virginia case the Supreme Court recently took up. Significant issues, to be sure, but why would a city that isnt a party to a case go to the trouble of drafting or signing an amicus brief? Do these kinds of briefs have any real effect on a cases outcome? Glenn Smith, a professor at San Diegos California Western School of Law, said there isnt any definitive research that proves how effective amicus briefs are. But there is evidence that judges the Supreme Court justices included do read them and occasionally cite them in their written opinions. Still, its unclear just how much of an influence one or more of these briefs might have in a case. Its a source of huge debate among those in the scholarly community, Smith said. He identified three main reasons why a person, organization, state or local government would choose to file an amicus brief. They are: To present arguments that differ from the main parties arguments. To allow an expert on a topic (a nonprofit or advocacy group, for example) a means of providing relevant information to the court. To allow an individual, organization or government to show where they stand on a controversial issue. The last category Smith called them show your flag briefs often do not present legal arguments that break new ground. Instead, theyre filed to show the justices who is on what side of an issue. And that, in theory, can make a difference. Theres no way to truly lobby the justices, Smith said. (An amicus brief) really is the only direct way to get your views and your position before the court. Michael Ramsey, law professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, said its common for the Supreme Court to receive a significant number of amicus briefs, particularly in high-profile cases. According to a September article in the National Law Journal, researchers found that friends of the court had filed more than 860 briefs, participated in more than 90 percent of cases, and, more often than not seemed to capture the justices attention. The journal has analyzed the high courts amicus curiae docket for six years. Sometimes it doesnt matter as much what you say as it does who you are, Ramsey said, adding there have been many occasions in which 20 or more states have signed onto a single brief. The fact that theyre weighing in on something is potentially significant, he said. Theyre saying, This matters to us. That may have been the San Diego City Councils goal when it voted to sign those two briefs in February. City Attorney Mara Elliott said Chicago approached San Diego to join the brief in support of Washington states challenge of Trumps travel ban, which she then took to the council. A couple of weeks later, Elliott presented the council with another request, this time from San Francisco, asking San Diego to join in supporting Gavin Grimm, a transgender student who sued the Glouchester County School Board in Virginia over his right to use public facilities in public schools, including the boys restroom. In response to criticism that she was bringing divisive DC politics to San Diego, Elliott released a statement last week saying she is obligated under the Rules of Professional Conduct to bring amicus requests to the council for consideration. According to her office, the council has considered at least six amicus briefs, including the two in February, in the past two years. All were approved. In March 2015, Mayor Kevin Faulconer signed an amicus brief in favor of gay marriage rights as part of a coalition of mayors. That brief was not brought to the City Council. dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @danalittlefield It was just weeks after the iconic Pacific Beach restaurant and bakery The French Gourmet had been raided by immigration authorities that chef and owner Michel Malecot was out to dinner with his wife in Old Town. He spotted a familiar face among the staff a bus boy who had just been busted for working illegally for Malecot. Unlike the Old Town restaurant owner and numerous other San Diego employers who depend on illegal labor Malecot had to answer for his hiring practices, a hard lesson that the Frenchman said cost him a fortune and should serve as a cautionary tale to other business owners as the likelihood of increased workplace enforcement rises under the Trump administration. Advertisement The criminal case against The French Gourmet, Malecot and the restaurants manager and pastry chef, Richard Kauffmann, in 2008 sent shock waves through San Diegos restaurant scene. It was a rare case of the U.S. government targeting the employer, and Malecot said the intent was to use him as an example. I was the white elephant in the room, Malecot said of the local restaurant community. Fellow restaurateurs would shake his hand and try to sympathize with his situation, but theyd also give you that look that said, Glad it was you and not me, buddy. It was a difficult time, Malecot, 65, recalled in an interview in his cozy 45-seat dining room last week. He feared at one point he would lose his business. I am very lucky to love what I do. A misdemeanor conviction and $396,000 in court-ordered payments later, Malecot says he is now 100 percent compliant when it comes to hiring legal workers through use of E-Verify, the government web-based program that green lights the eligibility of employees. But because the program is voluntary, many restaurants dont use it and whether knowingly or unknowingly employ unauthorized immigrants. Malecot said that puts him and other employers following the law at a disadvantage when their competitors have a larger workforce to pull from and the potential to pay lower wages. E-Verify even tends to scare away some immigrants with valid green cards, he said. Its why at this point, he would welcome increased workplace enforcement, a move that is anticipated as President Donald Trump aims to stanch illegal immigration and open up more jobs to American workers. It should be a fair playing field, Malecot said. The raid Malecot, from Normandy, France, came to the U.S. at 20 and worked in kitchens in New York and Florida before coming to San Diego in 1976, where he worked for French restaurant Le Cote DAzur in La Jolla. He opened The French Gourmet in 1979 and moved to the Turquoise Street location in 1989. He earned a reputation not only for good food and warm service, but for his charitable streak. In 2006, as The French Gourmet prepared to cater a benefit dinner free of charge at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, a base security clearance check into Malecots staff set off alarm bells. The paperwork discrepancy sparked the investigation. Malecot was returning from a trip to Europe when he got word that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had stormed the restaurant one morning in 2008. Authorities arrested 18 workers that day. Malecot and Kauffmann were accused of engaging in a long practice of knowingly hiring unauthorized immigrants. When federal authorities had earlier sent letters warning them that Social Security numbers used by some employees didnt match federal records, the employers were accused of telling the workers to get new paperwork and then rehiring them with new names and/or Social Security cards. Malecot said he thought the charges were more of a paperwork problem. I thought OK, whats the big deal, we dont have anything to hide. We thought we were doing the right thing. If you have your Social Security card, well take you. Some Mexican guys change their names, he said. Malecot was paying about 250 employees at the time, including many who were seasonal or part-time workers for the large catering side of the business. Everyone was on payroll. During the investigation, an audit of employee records at The French Gourmet turned up at least 91 illegal laborers from 2005 to 2008, according to court records. Authorities said the employers should have known that about half of those workers were not eligible. Malecots lawyer, Eugene Iredale, said that once Malecot knew certain workers were illegal, he didnt have the heart to let them go because he had gotten to know them so well. Kauffmann also came to know many of his employees as family, spending years training some of them into skilled pastry chefs. Malecot pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and Kauffmann pleaded to a felony. The judge noted that Malecot paid fair wages to the workers and did not appear to take advantage of them, even giving them paid vacation. Malecot said he decided to settle because his defense had grown very expensive and it was time to move on. He was in the middle of reading Ken Follets World Without End, a medieval saga about the brutal world of knights, royalty and fiefdoms, and it helped put his predicament into perspective. The problems those guys had in comparison to me he said. The whole incident cost him $1 million to $1.5 million, he said, and he also had to fight back rumors planted by competitors that The French Gourmet was going under. Tools for employers Nearly 10 years later, Malecot says he doesnt blame the agents for doing their job. But he said the method that employers had to verify eligibility was insufficient before E-Verify came along. Since 1986, potential hires have been required to submit three forms of identification and certify eligibility on what is known as a Form I-9. It is up to the employer to accept or reject those documents. Its a system that is fraught with abuse and insufficient to root out illegal labor, said Peter Nunez, a former U.S. attorney for San Diego and chairman of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., which advocates for stronger immigration controls. To expect the employer to be able to verify the document is unfair, Nunez said. Its why the I-9 system is such a failure. Criminal charges only apply if the employer knowingly hired unauthorized workers. It can be a difficult crime to prosecute, but that doesnt explain the small number of workplace prosecutions over the presidential administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Nunez said. Its a political decision made by Bush and Obama they did not want to enforce that law, he said. In 2011, there were 713 arrests related to work-site enforcement nationwide, dropping to 239 arrests in 2016, according to ICE. The number of employer audits has also decreased, with 3,127 in 2013 to 1,279 in 2016. That is expected to ramp up under Trump. Unauthorized workers make up about 10 percent of the workforce in California, according to a 2014 study by the University of Southern California and the California Immigrant Policy Center. There are an estimated 2.7 million immigrants living illegally in the state. Nunez said a law that would mandate all employers to use E-Verify would be a powerful tool against illegal immigration. Why most people come here illegally is to get a job, so the simplest way to stop future illegal immigration and to deter those currently here and incentivize them to leave is mandatory E-Verify, he said. That, more than any single thing border walls, more Border Patrol E-Verify is the single best weapon to stop illegal immigration forever. Future of the workforce Trumps efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and the potential for fewer legal pathways for immigrants has the restaurant industry concerned for its future workforce. Restaurants embody the American Dream like no other industry. Theyre often the employer of choice for immigrants who come to America in search of new opportunities. The relationship benefits both sides: Immigrants gain valuable job experience and immediate access to opportunities, and restaurateurs can fill positions at every level, the National Restaurant Association said in a statement on its website. Over the next decade, restaurants will likely create more jobs than the U.S.-born workforce can fill. The industry is expected to add 1.8 million positions over the next decade, a 14 percent increase in the industrys workforce. But the U.S.-born workforce is expected to grow by just 10 percent over the same period. And the population of 16- to 24-year-olds, a major source of restaurant employees, isnt expected to grow at all. David Spatafore, principal of Blue Ridge Hospitality, which includes Mess Hall in Liberty Public Market and Leroys Kitchen and Lounge in Coronado, is among the 38,500 employers in the food and beverage industry who use E-Verify nationwide. Theres just too much risk, he said. Spatafore said his company has moved away from having to depend so heavily on immigrant labor. Weve started working with programs with drug court to bring people back into the fold of working after stints in halfway houses, he said. Thats been a great program for us, a way to fill the starting positions the dishwasher, bus boy and many have graduated and trained slowly and become more skilled staff. David Cohn, whose familys Cohn Restaurant Group runs eateries such as BO-Beau and the Corvette Diner, said his company also uses E-Verify. Were not concerned about upcoming changes in enforcement, Cohn said. He added that he doesnt think using E-Verify has put his business at a disadvantage compared to those who dont use it and potentially hire illegal labor. The French Gourmet kitchen manager Hermenegildo Flores agrees with his longtime boss. Flores has been working alongside Malecot since 1984 at the age of 17. He started as a dishwasher. He was illegal when he first arrived in the United States but got his legal papers a few years later, Flores said. He became a U.S. citizen in 1998. To me, its not fair, Flores said of a system that punishes one employer but not another for the same hiring practices. If youre going to do it, do it to everybody. Many restaurateurs say they are grappling lately with a shortage of labor, and a crackdown on immigrants legal or illegal could make for more hardships. Malecot said he is finding it particularly hard to find skilled cooks for the breakfast shift, although its unclear how much immigrant labor factors into the issue. The talent coming out of culinary schools can be difficult to employ sometimes, Malecot said. They come out and think they are going to earn $50,000, $60,000 a year, he said. They have no skill. Now, The French Gourmet has about 50 full-timers and about 30 more part-timers. About 10 of those workers are green-card holders, Malecot said. He used to sponsor employees from abroad and take on temporary student workers from overseas, but he doesnt anymore, citing the complicated paperwork and expense involved. Its not worth the headache, he said. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis The grandmother of a Mira Mesa military veterans family was sent back to Mexico on Friday, more than two weeks after she was picked up by immigration agents outside her house in unmarked SUVs on Valentines Day. Clarissa Arredondo, 43, is an unauthorized immigrant, as is her daughter, Adriana Aparicio. Aparicios husband is a Navy veteran working as a contractor in Afghanistan. The couple has two daughters, 2 and 3, and Arredondo helped take care of them. Advertisement We get together all the time, Aparicio said. We can just be hanging out at her house, singing and dancing with the girls. They love doing that with her. She does their manicures and pedicures. She just spoils them. Aparicio, 27, said officials told her family that her mom was an enforcement priority. They consider my mom as a criminal for lying on paperwork to get welfare, Aparicio said, adding that officials said that happened more than a decade ago. Arredondos case is one of many popping up around the nation as President Donald Trump sets out to redirect immigration enforcement priorities from his predecessors choice to focus on unauthorized immigrants who committed violent crimes. Trumps administration is casting a much wider net, preparing to expand a border wall with Mexico and staffing up for more enforcement and more removals. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not able to answer questions before publication about why Arredondo was targeted. The San Diego Union-Tribune could not locate records of a conviction or violation. Aparicio had no recollection of her mother using welfare or getting in trouble for doing so. She remembered her mom working three jobs, cleaning hotels, houses and apartments to make ends meet. I had a happy childhood, Aparicio said. She made sure of that. When Aparicio was about a month old, Arredondo crossed into the U.S. from Mexico with Aparicio and Aparicios father. Arredondo was 16 years old. She was a child trying to make a way for her own child, Aparicio said. Join the discussion on Facebook Arredondo left Aparicios father over alcoholism and raised their three children, Aparicio said. Her two brothers are U.S.-born. Shed take us to work sometimes when she didnt have anyone to watch us, Aparicio recalled. Shes never given up. Aparicios husband, Bennie Hill, has worked as a contractor in Afghanistan since he ended his seven-year service with the Navy. His mother, Lt. Col. Marie Pauley, is on active duty in the Army and has been deployed around the world. She said she appreciates Arredondos role as the other grandmother in her grandchildrens lives. Me being far away, she eases my heart, Pauley said via telephone, speaking in her own personal capacity and not on behalf of the Army. I havent been the good grandmother that can be there all the time. Im trying to live through her. Shes just incredibly loving, Pauley added. I wish I could be that loving. Im such a military lady. Im a little tough, a little harder. Shes such a great balance of life. Pauley called Arredondo the backbone of the family. Shes not a criminal, Pauley said. Thats where Im at. I just feel that shes definitely not in that category, and I think we got it wrong. She used to be at ease knowing Arredondo was there to help with the granddaughters, she said. Now, both she and her son are struggling to deal with the stress of the situation from far away. Theres all this worry and stress that he doesnt need, Pauley said. He needs to focus on the job that hes doing for the United States government. Pauley said shes even considering retiring sooner than planned so that she can come back to help her daughter-in-law in San Diego. Some, like former San Diego Assemblyman and Marine veteran Nathan Fletcher, worried that President Donald Trumps executive orders would end a protocol that prevented parents, spouses and children of active military and veterans from being deported as long as they have no criminal history. Arredondo would not have qualified because she is an in-law. Aparicio is enrolled in former President Barack Obamas deferred action for childhood arrivals program or DACA and has applied for the military and veteran family protection, known as Parole in Place. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly released a guidance memo for implementing Trumps order that said such parole should be used sparingly. Join the discussion on reddit The practice of granting parole to certain aliens in pre-designated categories in order to create immigration programs not established by Congress has contributed to a border security crisis, undermined the integrity of the immigration laws and the parole process, and created an incentive for additional illegal immigration, Kellys memo said. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, has since clarified that the policy for military families still exists. After receiving protection through the Parole in Place program, some military family members may be eligible for green cards, said Maria Chavez, a local immigration attorney. What Parole in Place does is, it only fixes the fact that the person entered the U.S. without inspection, Chavez said by telephone. Thats the only thing it fixes. If the person went in and out a whole lot or committed crimes, the Parole in Place wont necessarily fix that. For Aparicio, until and unless she gets a green card, the idea of being separated from her mother is daunting, something her U.S. citizen brothers dont have to deal with. They can see her, Aparicio said. Im worried because I dont know how much time will pass until I can giver her a hug. Aparicio is studying to be a nurse, and her next session starts in two weeks. With both her husband and mother far away, she said its going to be hard to manage. My two most important people have been snatched out of my life, Aparicio said. kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate Neighborhood leaders in San Diego are giving mixed reviews to City Councilman Scott Shermans ambitious set of proposals to sharply increase the amount of housing in the city at prices affordable to middle and low-income workers. In a joint meeting at City Hall last week, leaders of the citys community planning groups praised proposals to reduce fees housing developers pay to build nearby parks, incentivize developers to build smaller units instead of larger ones, and accelerate redevelopment of Huffman-style apartment buildings. The leaders also expressed measured support for easing regulations on granny flats, softening parking requirements and allowing developers to build more intense projects if they contribute to the citys fund to construct subsidized housing. Advertisement They criticized, however, plans to revamp community planning groups and a proposal to make it harder for neighborhoods to be declared historic. RELATED: Proposed revamp of neighborhood leadership criticized And they also offered some general criticisms of the goal of sharply increasing density, questioning whether that would actually lower local housing prices and whether there is strong demand for smaller units built along transit lines. Sherman, who recently unveiled two dozen proposals aimed at alleviating the citys affordable housing crisis, conceded that some of the ideas will prompt philosophical arguments and struggle to gain consensus. But he told the planners that he and Councilman David Alvarez, who helped craft the proposal, decided to start with the widest possible menu of options and seek feedback. Its so we can have a discussion and let the chips fall where they may, Sherman told the neighborhood leaders. This is about reducing red tape and seeing what we can do in the government sector to put more product on the street and to do it in a way that it has buy-in from everybody. A few neighborhood leaders questioned Shermans overarching goal of increasing the housing supply by encouraging greater density. As a homeowner, and certainly for homeowners who have bought at the top of the market, it would seem to me that the prospect of forcing down prices because were building more housing is very concerning, said Cathy Kenton, chair of the Midway Community Planning Group. Leo Wilson, chair of the Uptown Community Planning Group, said he doubts the changes will actually lower prices because they dont address the No. 1 cause of spiking local prices: land costs. I really think what youre looking at will have a minimal impact, said Wilson, suggesting the changes may reduce quality of life without lowering prices. Im in favor of a lot of the reform. But the market will trump any minor cost reductions that you do. Others expressed concerns that the changes would increase profits for developers but not lower housing costs, contending that high demand is more responsible for rising prices than low supply. And Wally Wulfeck, chair of the Scripps Ranch Community Planning Group, said many residents in his suburban community dont support the goals of lowering prices and increasing supply. I think there ought to be a public debate before we talk about accelerating growth as to whether we want growth at all, Wulfeck said. Theres nothing wrong with rising prices of real estate if you are a real estate owner. Wulfeck said people who cant afford San Diegos prices will just have to move elsewhere. Some boys cant date some girls, he said. Too bad. Pick a different place. On the individual proposals, the idea that garnered the most support was revamping the formula for developer impact fees to encourage construction of more small units instead of fewer large ones. I think thats an interesting idea that actually addresses a specific problem, said David Moty of the Kensington-Talmadge Community Planning Group. Moty also praised a proposal to change the fees developers pay for parks, echoing the sentiments of several other neighborhood leaders that the citys formula is wildly unrealistic. Moty, however, said the city must be cautious because there are some communities with severe shortages of parkland. There are still some communities in this city where were talking about parks deficiencies of 98, 99 or 100 percent, he said. Others that praised Shermans proposals on developer fees and parks requirements also warned that the city cant cut fees so deeply that there is not money for crucial infrastructure. There was nearly universal agreement that the city needs to accelerate redevelopment of Huffman-style apartments, where six units underutilize acreage and damage aesthetics by locating parking in the front. But Vicki Granowitz, a longtime critic of Huffmans as chair of the North Park Community Planning Group, objected to Shermans proposal to accelerate the process by sharply reducing public input on replacement projects. There was much debate about Shermans proposals to ease regulations on granny flats, allow units called junior granny flats and give amnesty to granny flats built in the past. Many expressed support, but leaders in beach communities said the city must finalize regulations on short-term vacation rentals before loosening regulations on granny flats. And Jose Reynoso, chairman of the College Area Community Planning Group, expressed concerns that the amnesty could thwart new city legislation aimed at halting the construction of minidorms, single family homes converted into large complexes with many bedrooms. Sherman thanked the planners for their feedback and expressed optimism that many of the proposals will garner enough support to be forwarded to the City Council for approval later this year. Together I think we can get things done and make it easier for our kids and grandkids to actually afford to live here, he said. RELATED 2016 was another strong year for the housing market in San Diego, espically for sellers. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick When next years midterm elections go into full swing, Rep. Darrell Issa, perhaps the most vulnerable Republican in Congress, will be able to say he was one of the first members of his party to call for an independent investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race. Likewise, he can note that he pushed for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from any such inquiries, and days later the countrys top law enforcement official did just that. Issa has pointed to these types of stands to demonstrate that hes not beholden to anyone even the presidential candidate he supported. Advertisement What impact any of this will have on voters is uncertain, but it might give Issa some politically beneficial distance from the Trump administration. Representing a district that re-elected Issa by a mere 1,621 votes but where just 43.2 percent backed now-President Donald Trump has left the congressman in a tough position. The Vista Republican not only has to show that he wants to hold Trump accountable, but he also has to be careful not upset his party and new president, according to John Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College who studies Congress and elections Im sure that if hed attacked Trump, hed hear from a lot of the Trump fans in the district, and thats a prospect that scares Republicans, he said. But he cant go easy on the administration either, Pitney added, given that the 49th District went for Clinton. Issa is one of 59 incumbent Republicans the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting in 2018, and his challenger from the last election, Doug Applegate, has already announced a re-match. Issas spokesman did not respond to requests for an interview with the congressman. Kurt Bardella, Issas former adviser and spokesman, said the incumbent cant please everyone all at once, and if he or anyone else in office were to try, they would get into trouble. Everyone is in a very awkward position where almost anything you do is going to alienate people no matter what, Bardella said. I think the best thing you can do in this situation is to do your job, and communicate that. At times, Issa has done this well, Bardella said. The congressman went on Real Time with Bill Maher to show that hes comfortable answering questions from the shows liberal host in front of a left-leaning studio audience. And he had an impromptu meeting with protesters outside of his office where he answered their questions for 90 minutes to show constituents hes listening and explain his work in Washington. Thats the way to do it, Bardella said. Do what youve always done. And in Darrells case, be consistent with your body of work and overall philosophy of government. The protesters have requested a more formal town hall meetintg with Issa, with no success. The district, which straddles coastal south Orange and north San Diego counties is still solidly Republican but has grown increasingly Democratic. Voters backed him, barely, but not Trump, who Issa supported and called the obvious choice over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Issa, who is known for high-profile inquiries of President Barack Obama and his administration, made a campaign pledge to hold all politicians accountable, regardless of party. And after a two-year absence, hes back on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, a panel he previously led. But in a twist that defied polls and expectations, Clinton lost, and Issa was sent back to the House with the expectation to hold all accountable, including the new administration.But that he could alienate himself from Washingtons conservatives if he growls at his own partys president. The congressman taken a softer stance on transparency and accountability since Trump has been in office, and backed away from a hard-line approach against lying to Congress, Pitney said. When Democratic politicians were under Issas microscope, and Obama was president, the congressman threatened criminal investigations, subpoenas, and demanded that government officials be fired. He suspected that Clinton lied during testimony before Congress about the attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, and said he would have subpoenaed her to provide additional testimony. He called on the CIA to investigate its own employees for criminal wrongdoing after the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said that he believed that the intelligence agencys employees had lied to the committee. He also threatened to investigate Kathleen Sebelius when she led the Health and Human Services Agency after he concluded she had given Congress false and misleading testimony. He also wrote a letter that asked Obama to fire Director of National Intelligence James clapper, for lying to Congress under oath during Senate testimony. He did not made similar demands when it was learned National Security Advisor Michael Flynn did not disclose conversations he had with Russian officials to the FBI. Likewise, Issa did not say there was a need for any sort of criminal inquiry after it was revealed that contrary to statements Attorney General Jeff Sessions made during his confirmation hearing, Sessions as a senator met with the Russian ambassador. Sessions said his testimony was accurate, if poorly worded, because he intended to convey that he did not speak with any Russian officials as a member of the Trump campaign. Opposition researchers are going to have a lot of fun with him, Pitney said of Issa. In the not-to-distant past, he took a very hard line on lying to Congress. Issa has been consistent, Bardella said. Hes committed to making sure government runs efficiently, transparently, and without corruption. But hes also committed to process, and when he led the Oversight Committee he tried to get any subjects of inquiries to voluntarily cooperate before taking more forceful actions. It made for a good headline and spectator commentary, but Darrell tried to emphasize during his tenure on Oversight that there is a process that can be more effective, Bardella said. The Democratic campaign committee says that Issa has shied away from holding Trump accountable and that his position has varied. On Feb. 24 he appeared on the Maher show and the host asked the congressman if he thought that there should be an independent prosecutor to investigate Russian interference in last years presidential election, and if the attorney general, one of Trumps surrogates, should recuse himself. Youre going to need to use the special prosecutors statute and office, Issa said, adding that Sessions should step aside for the inquiry. The comment gained national attention and put Issa ahead of other Republicans who would make similar demands. Then he told CBS News that it makes sense to call for a special prosecutor when there has been an allegation of a crime, but Trumps administration had not been accused of that. After making strong statements on Mahers show, Issa was backing down, the Democratic committee said. Congressman Issa has spent the last year serving as one of President Trumps biggest cheerleaders, so there was never any question that he would come crawling back, spokesman Tyler Law said. Since then, Issa has avoided using the term special prosecutor, and said that investigations should be done differently and more effectively now that Trump is in office. President Obama and Attorney General Lynch allowed obstruction and unanswered questions from the American people to linger, clouding their work and calling into question the impartiality of the FBIs findings, he said in a statement, which called for an independent review of the election. These mistakes must not be repeated. Twenty-four hours later at a House Judiciary Committee meeting, Issa abandoned the term special prosecutor completely. As the gentleman from New York knows, there is no such thing as a special prosecutor, Issa said, referring to his colleague, Rep. Jerry Nadler, R-New York. Issa had used the term special prosecutor at least three times to call for scrutiny of the Obama administration, including at least once in a statement on his congressional website. Issa and other Republicans on the committee opposed a resolution asking the Justice Department to give Congress documents about investigations into Trumps ties with foreign interests as well as amendments that would have required Sessions to recuse himself. Issa noted that he had called for an independent review of Russia. I believe that is the best path to get the American people the answers they deserve. The nomenclature might have changed, but Issas intentions have remained the same, according to Bardella, who said Issa wants an outside party like an inspector general with complete independence to handle politically sensitive investigations. You cant expect people to self-investigate themselves, fundamentally, he said. Issa has talked about holding Trump accountable, but he hasnt made any demands with real teeth, Pitney said. At the moment, I cant imagine that anyone in the Trump White House is worrying about him, he said. But if he were to call for Sessions resignation and call for concrete action, thats where he might get their attention in a bad way. His stances have critics questioning whether Issa is sincere about getting to the bottom of Russian interference in the election and Trumps ties with that country, or is just paying lip service to constituents in his district who have pressured him to hold the administration accountable. Its really hard to tell for me whether hes calling for the special prosecutor and then backtracking on that because hes trying to gauge whats going on in Washington and his district at the same time, said Lisa Margolin, an organizer with Indivisible 49, a group that has staged protests to get members of Congress to oppose Trump and his agenda. Twitter: @jptstewart joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1841 A 24-year-old man was arrested in Otay Mesa Thursday after Border Patrol agents found guns, ammunition and high-capacity magazines in his car, authorities said. Agents pulled over a car they said was suspicious about 4 p.m. on La Media Road near state Route 905, Border Patrol officials said. After the driver allowed agents to search the 2000 Volkswagen Jetta, they found three semi-automatic handguns, one of which was loaded, and an AR-15 rifle in the trunk. Advertisement Also in the car were 200 rounds of ammunition and several high-capacity magazines, some of them loaded, officials said. Agents confiscated the arsenal and arrested the driver, a U.S. citizen, on suspicion of possessing non-compliant firearms and high-capacity magazines. He later was turned over to the Department of Homeland Security. Border Patrol also seized the Jetta. Breaking News Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com Phone: (619) 293-1876 Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez Two suspects accused of robbing a pedestrian were arrested at a Palm City trolley station and in a San Ysidro neighborhood Friday. Two young males held up a man at gunpoint on Cottonwood Road near San Ysidro Boulevard shortly before 4 p.m. Police didnt say what they took from the vicitm. Police got there soon after, and one officer ran after the thieves, who eventually split up. During the short chase, the officer accidentally fired his gun, but no one was hit, police said. Advertisement One of the robbers went into a backyard on Cottonwood while the other jumped onto a northbound trolley at the Beyer Boulevard station, police said. Assisted by a police helicopter crew, officers fanned out and searched for the duo. Police asked the the trolley to stop at the Palm Avenue station. Passengers were asked to exit, and officers swept the inside of the trolley car with a police dog. A suspect was taken into custody on the trolley platform shortly before 5 p.m. About 10 minutes later, a second man walked out of a shed on Cottonwood. Police took him into custody at gunpoint. At some point, an officer fired a stun gun. The suspect was not taken to a hospital, police said. Both men were to be booked into jail, police said. Breaking News Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com Phone: (619) 293-1876 Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez A Florida man was charged Friday with shutting down a San Diego software companys website in an attempt to extort money from the business. Gerard Jerry McTear III, 29, was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida on Friday morning, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in San Diego. He is awaiting extradition to San Diego. A federal indictment alleges McTear shut down the unidentified companys website on June 6 of last year, seeking money in exchange for allowing the site back online. Advertisement The company did not comply and lost more than $5,000 in business while their site was down, prosecutors said. If convicted, McTear faces up to 17 years in prison. Breaking News Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com Phone: (619) 293-1876 Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino, a San Pedro native son and reserve police officer, is practically a shoo-in to win reelection Tuesday. He lacks substantial opposition and is known as a hometown darling. Yet Buscaino has spent more than a quarter of a million dollars on his reelection bid, hired consultants who worked on the presidential campaigns of President Obama and Hillary Clinton, and is appearing in television ads across the city. The consultants and advertising are aimed at passing an obscure ballot measure related to waterfront development in the Port of Los Angeles, a driving force in Buscainos 15th City Council District. Advertisement All the effort, political observers say, might be a sign that Buscaino is trying to raise his profile to possibly run for higher office or to mine a special set of circumstances that could allow him to serve on the City Council for 15 years, a tenure unprecedented in the modern era of term limits. This certainly looks like a little bit of an upward mobility play, said Raphael J. Sonenshein, executive director of the Edmund G. Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. For everyone in Los Angeles politics, the next few years could become target-rich opportunities. The biggest question is whether Mayor Eric Garcetti will run for governor or U.S. Senate in 2018, creating a vacancy in the mayors office. Becoming popular enough to mount a successful citywide campaign is a challenge for all local politicians, but it is especially so for those in Buscainos district, which includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City and Watts. Few have been able to do it aside from the late Kenneth Hahn, who served on the county Board of Supervisors for 40 years, and his children, former Mayor James Hahn and Supervisor Janice Hahn, a former congresswoman. Its a district where, if you want to get known to a wider city electorate, you have to work for it, Sonenshein said. Unless your last name is Hahn. Buscaino said he remains focused on his district, notably efforts to revitalize its aging waterfront, build housing and persuade businesses to locate there. He also left himself an opening. This certainly looks like a little bit of an upward mobility play. Raphael Sonenshine, Edmund G. Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. You have to be ready for anything that comes your way, Buscaino said. But my main goal is getting reelected on March 7. While virtually unknown in most of the city, he is a favorite son in San Pedro the power base of his district and a close-knit coastal enclave that is geographically and culturally removed from the rest of the city. The port is the lifeblood of the community of nearly 80,000 residents, including many Italians, Croatians and Latinos. Buscaino, 42, is a first-generation Italian American whose parents immigrated to San Pedro to work in the fishing industry. He served as senior class president at San Pedro High School before joining the Los Angeles Police Department. Voters around town who profess to know little about the citys elections immediately recognize his name. He went to high school with my brother, said Andrea Mungaray, 46. She said she approved of the job Buscaino has done, especially the redevelopment of the waterfront. Last year, the City Council approved a $150-million plan to turn a 30-acre area into the San Pedro Public Market, complete with eateries, office space, a Ferris wheel and other amenities. I would like to see a waterfront like in San Francisco, something like that where people are going to go, Mungaray said. Buscaino helped place Measure P on Tuesdays ballot and appears in citywide television ads promoting it. The measure is designed to encourage waterfront redevelopment by allowing builders to obtain 66-year leases of port property instead of the current 50-year limit. The $200,000 being spent on the Measure P ads is separate from the $270,000 Buscaino has spent on his reelection, with large outlays for polling, mailers and campaign consultants. Joes been working hand in hand with us. Perry Crouch, gang interventionist Developing the waterfront and other parts of the district is a top priority, Buscaino said. Oftentimes I feel like Im playing real estate agent because Im in the car with developers showing and showcasing opportunities, he said. Buscainos relationship with developers, however, has created his greatest vulnerability. A Times investigation in October found that the councilman was among several Los Angeles-area politicians who collectively received more than $600,000 in campaign donations from contributors with direct or indirect ties to Samuel Leung, a Torrance-based developer. Leung had been lobbying public officials to approve a $72-million apartment complex in the 15th District. Buscaino, who received $94,700 of the donations, supported a zoning change to accommodate the project despite neighborhood opposition. The Los Angeles County district attorneys office has opened a review, and the states Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating the donations. Some of the donors say they knew nothing about the contributions. Buscaino said he supports the investigation, but defended his support for the 352-unit Sea Breeze project. I am thirsting for development. Im thirsting for housing. Im thirsting for investment to come into my district, Buscaino said. Any doubt Im doing it for the purpose of campaign contributions its not right. One of his rivals, Caney Arnold, has called on Buscaino to return the donations. But neither Arnold, a former Defense Department employee, nor Buscainos other competitor, music industry executive Noel Gould, have the resources to turn Sea Breeze into an obstacle for Buscainos reelection. Arnold, who also faults Buscainos approach to homelessness and environmental justice, is optimistic that social media can make up for his lack of campaign funding. I dont think money is going to be as big in politics at the local level as it used to be, Arnold said. While in office, Buscaino has avoided an issue that has dogged others who have represented the 15th District: being accused of focusing on San Pedro at the expense of the rest of the district. In Watts, Buscaino has vocally advocated for the makeover of Jordan Downs, a dilapidated World War II-era public housing project. Though he is viewed in some City Hall quarters as a puppet of Garcetti, Buscaino called out the mayor in 2015 for an error that resulted in the project not qualifying for federal housing money. Perry Crouch, a gang interventionist whose family moved to Watts shortly before the riots in 1965, said many council members who represented the area ignored the neighborhood. Joes been working hand in hand with us, Crouch said. One of Buscainos most vocal critics is James Preston Allen, publisher of San Pedros Random Lengths News. He described the incumbents record as mediocre. Allen said Buscaino is a self-promoter who has failed to adequately address the areas homelessness. He also called the councilmans beliefs about waterfront development delusions. Still, Allen does not believe that Buscaino, who won his 2013 election with 83% of the vote, can be stopped. He is vulnerable, Allen said. The question is whether there is anybody currently signed up to run against him that can convince the rest of the community that he should go. seema.mehta@latimes.com Twitter: @LATSeema ALSO L.A. City Councilman Curren Price faces questions over two marriages Disney, L.A. Chargers and USC among major donors to Measure H Election heavy hitter Riordan weighs in: more charter schools and more tents for homeless In my five decades of experience in law enforcement from beat cop to police chief of San Diego, Richmond and San Jose the biggest lesson I learned is there are smarter ways to improve public safety than simply locking people up for long periods of time. While prison is the proper punishment for people convicted of the most serious and violent crimes, it does more harm than good for individuals convicted of nonviolent crimes. If anything, prison often increases the chance that people continue to be involved in a cycle of crime. Thats why I became a champion of criminal justice reforms aimed at shifting our approach from simply reacting to crime to one that focuses on stopping the cycle of crime. In 2014, I co-authored Proposition 47, a measure approved overwhelmingly by California voters that changed simple drug possession and five petty theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. It is the first ballot measure to reduce prison costs and invests the savings into treatment and prevention. Advertisement When I read that San Diegos 2016 crime rate dropped to record lows, I wasnt surprised. Police Chief Shelly Zimmerman and her sworn officers and support staff deserve a lot of credit for their tireless efforts to make San Diego one of the safest large cities in America. And over the past few years, local justice system leaders have adapted practices to the publics support for reform. San Diego is a model for the state in creating innovative programs aimed at crime prevention while reducing reliance on costly and ineffective incarceration. The Community Justice Initiative, for example, developed through a partnership between the San Diego city attorney, the county public defenders office, the San Diego sheriff and two local nonprofit organizations, has successfully diverted 1,500 people accused of low-level, misdemeanor offenses and connected them with services like job training or behavioral health counseling. In 2012, San Diego County piloted an innovative re-entry court program for individuals on parole or probation who are accused of a subsequent offense. The court aims to halt the cycle of frequent parole revocation and re-arrest by employing swift, certain and graduated sanctions. A 2014 analysis by the California Judicial Council of the re-entry court model, which drew data from six counties, including San Diego, found that re-entry court participants have lower rates of parole revocation and spend less time behind bars than those who did not participate. San Diego opened a Community Transition Center in 2013, a hub for re-entry services for individuals returning to the community from state prison. Participants in the centers program work with a case manager to develop an individualized re-entry plan, and the center helps connect them with an array of services, including drug and alcohol addiction treatment, Medi-Cal enrollment assistance and housing support. A 2015 evaluation found that the center serves nearly 2,000 people annually and reduces participants jail stays by nearly 900 days. Its not surprising that in a community like San Diego, where officials have doubled down on evidence-based approaches to crime prevention, crime continues to decline. The rate of violent crime dropped by five percent in 2016, to its lowest level in four decades. There were 785 fewer victims of crime in 2016 than in 2015. And the citys 2016 rate of 24.4 crimes per 1,000 residents is comparable to crime rates going back to the late 1950s and early 1960s. An incarceration-only approach is a drain on our states precious resources and does nothing to stop the cycle of crime. Whats happening in San Diego underscores an important truth: Despite what critics may say, criminal justice reform, if implemented thoughtfully and strategically, results in safer communities. Lansdowne is a former San Diego Police Department chief and a co-author of Proposition 47. Regarding 143 million gallons of sewage spill into Tijuana River (Feb. 24): We continue to hear from Mexico that it is a proud country. Yet why does a proud country, or any country for that matter, utterly fail to take any measures to contain or redirect 143 million gallons of raw sewage or even provide any public notice while this spill was happening? Mexico must have a very different meaning for the word proud. And where is Rep. Juan Vargas, whose 51st Congressional District encompasses the coastal zones affected by this massive, potentially deadly discharge of raw sewage? Like Mexico, Vargas continues to remain silent in the face of this preventable disaster that went on for 17 days in February and ended a week ago. Advertisement Jim Berg San Diego 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. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. We need to nail down Issa on one opinion Darrell Issa issued two press releases on March 2 and Feb. 27 regarding an independent review of Russias involvement in the 2016 election and ties to the current administration. Issa was also interviewed on several local and national news programs including Bill Maher. His statements leave the viewer/reader with an impression that Issa supports an independent investigation of the executive branch. On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee voted on a resolution that would allow Congress to demand documents from the executive branch. Issa did not support the resolution. This is puzzling. I have written a letter requesting an explanation from Issa for how his vote supports his stated position. Government accountability is important. Issa is my representative. All who live in the 49th District should contact Issas staff and inquire about what appears to be a flip-flop. Sue Stevens Carlsbad Some deportations are simply inhumane Regarding Federal agents move woman awaiting emergency surgery (Feb. 23): I was willing to give Trump a chance. I can overlook his apparent ignorance of historical facts and his rambling, egocentric press encounters. I can withhold judgment on his very ill-considered so-called Muslim ban and attribute that to the lack of talent surrounding him. Likewise I am holding my breath about his seemingly unqualified Cabinet appointees among whom several have vowed to eliminate the very agencies they are supposed to be supporting. But when his ICE agents removed an immigrant young mother who was scheduled for emergency brain tumor surgery from a hospital? Unforgivable and inhumane. Anyone who calls himself or herself a Christian or any other religion and approves of this behavior should be ashamed. Nadine Scott Oceanside Senators should be ashamed of actions The Union-Tribunes editorial on the The shameful silencing and removal of Sen. Janet Nguyen (Feb. 28) closes with shaming Sen. Ricardo Lara and Sen. Bill Monning for suppressing Sen. Janet Nguyens voice. In truth what was suppressed was the collective memory of the Vietnamese people, which was being honestly voiced by their chosen representative. Tom Haydens opinions and views were widely known and yet in his honor apparent bullying tactics were imposed to deny people their voice. Lara was motivated by his prejudice/intolerance to move against the Vietnamese people. He did not want their pain and truth to be spoken aloud by an individual, Sen. Nguyen, whose family experienced being boat people. When you refuse the Vietnamese people the ability to articulate their voice in the California Senate then you embrace bigotry. Sen. Lara should be censored for his biased actions and given a bus ticket to Manzanar War Relocation Center so he can learn how other Asians suffered. Rita Clinton Clairemont Protesters just wanted an end to the war Regarding your editorial paper regarding the Vietnam War and the far-left American protesters who opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and also rooted for North Vietnams victory. Hogwash. I was one of 500,000 protesters in Washington, D.C., in 1969 and yes, we wanted out of Vietnam and no, no one rooted for a North Vietnam victory. To lump us with Jane Fonda is simply not true and whoever wrote that probably wasnt even born yet, let alone there as it happened. Your attempt to revise history will not change the fact that Vietnam was a stupid war, fought by brave men, who died for nothing. P. Scott Ricke San Diego Only thing worse than ACA is not having it In his speech to Congress, President Donald Trump described the Affordable Care Act as a disaster. Not true. A disaster is the 14.5 percent of Americans who had no health insurance before the ACA. This was a number with which the Republicans appeared to be comfortable for the eight years of the George W. Bush administration. The ACA, passed during the two-year window of President Obamas first term when he had control of Congress, is the only relief these Americans can expect since Trump and his henchmen seem to be intent on rolling back the coverage that President Obama has given them. John W. Thomas Bonita Democrats arent willing to hear the truth The Democrats proved they are ideologues when it came to Trumps speech. They would rather burn the place down than do anything to correct the situation. Rolla Rich Spring Valley Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. U.S. officials disagree over whether any useful intelligence was gained in a raid on an Al Qaeda camp in Yemen that cost the life of U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William Ryan Owens. The former Coronado-based SEALs father, Bill Owens, who also served in the Navy, has called for an investigation. Advertisement Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. Former President George W. Bush made several rare public appearances this week to promote his new book, and he didnt miss the chance to speak his mind about President Donald Trump , the news media and sending soldiers into battle. To share his project "Portraits of Courage: A commander in chief's tribute to America's warriors," Bush went on several television talk shows where he was asked about everything from Trump to former first lady Michelle Obama. His remarks which the New Yorker described as radiantly sane but somehow shaky are making headlines and being talked about across the country. Heres a rundown of what he said. On President Trump George W. Bush On President Trump, Putin, Religious Freedom, Immigration (Exclusive) | TODAY On his appearance on Today, when asked about Trumps ability to unite a divided country, Bush said this: I think you have to take the man for his word that he wants to unify the country, and well see whether hes able to do so. Asked about his support or opposition to Trumps travel ban, Bush gave a pretty tepid answer. On news media TheEllenShow Youtube In talking about Trump, Bush had said on the Today show that the current president faces a tough news media environment, but he went on to defend the freedom of the press. We need an independent media to hold people like me to account," Bush told Matt Lauer. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he elaborated on his thoughts about the importance of a free press. I used to tell a lot of these tyrants when I would visit with them as president that they needed a free press and I would point to our country as an example, he said. Power doesnt make you immune to criticism or to corruption investigations. Im a big believer in the free press just like Im a big believer in free religion. On sending soldiers into battle In a teaser clip of an upcoming interview with Sunday Today, Bush was asked if he had any regrets about sending soldiers into battle. I think it was the right decision. I regret they got hurt. I was heavyhearted when I made the decision to both go into Afghanistan and Iraq because I knew theres be some dire consequences. I dont think I can be effective if I walk around full of regret. Bush also told Today that what he misses most about being president is saluting people who have volunteered to wear the uniform. Of course it wasnt all political Bush is known to crack a joke or two, and his trip to visit Jimmy Kimmel Live was full of them. He talked about everything from Saturday Night Live to dating former President Richard Nixons daughters. Heres just one of many clips from the show. See them all here. Jimmy Kimmel Live Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @abbyhamblin ALSO George W. Bush finally opens up about Donald Trump Eucalyptus trees, natives of Australia, took California by storm in the last three decades of the 19th century. Massive blue gums, one of some 800 varieties found Down Under, soon dotted the landscape. Eucalyptus seemed to offer a host of benefits. In their native land, wood from the trees was used by shipbuilders and as railroad ties. The trees were also promoted as a source of potash (a widely used fuel), for cleaning the air and even preventing malaria. By the time it was discovered that the blue gum wood split and curled, and was unsuitable for most proposed uses, millions of the trees had already been planted in Southern California. Locally, a big part of their allure was that they would grow in poor soil and required far less water than the native oaks and sycamores that thrived only near creeks. Ranchers in the Poway valley have begun to plant eucalyptus trees on the bare spots on the hillside, not only as a source for fuel but to improve the looks of the region, the San Diego Union reported in February 1881. Some would come to regret this. Solon Blaisdell, a farmer and nurseryman of some renown, came to Poway in 1875. He would later operate, with noted horticulturist Kate Sessions, the only plant nursery and San Diego County. He planted many plant varieties, among them eucalyptus. Some trees have made a wonderful growth, he recalled, but I made a mistake that I presume hundreds of others have made, by setting out eucalyptus trees, where their roots would come in contact with fruit trees. Five years ago I set out an avenue of eucalyptus, which had grown in that time to the height of fifty feet, and had spread their roots fifty or sixty feet in every direction, the small fibers forming a complete network under ground, killing nearly every fruit tree with their reach, so I was compelled to cut them down. I not only lost the beauty they added to my place, but also five years growth of my best fruit trees. (More than a hundred years later, I would lose the battle to a small row of citrus trees to aggressive eucs standing nearby.) Blaisdell subsequently sold his property, in the general area of todays Midland and Twin Peaks roads, to the Kent family. The fertile soil, without eucs, produced fine crops of peaches, grapes and other produce. Blaisdell was certainly not the only farmer to plant the trees. Early photos show them near home or along property lines here. Writer and historian Jared Farmer noted another drawback of the tree, its bark, which in the summer and fall sheds in long ribbons. The magnificent blue gum is quite possibly the messiest tree on earth. I can certainly attest to that. Im constantly collecting massive amounts of bark to go out with weekly green-waste collections. The biggest downside, though, is probably their unfortunate tendency topple over. Recent rainstorms here have had many road closures due to their falling across traffic lanes. Too often, they land on any building, vehicle or person who has the bad luck of being in the vicinity. Nonetheless, the trees still have their fans. You can see individual trees, stands or rows of them in most parts of town. Thousands of them were planted along Twin Peaks Road as part of the Bridlewood development in the 1980s. Poways most celebrated eucalyptus tree is still in place. As Carriage Road was extended to the south of Oak Knoll Road in around 1960, the plan was to continue it across the creek into the Tustin Hills subdivision. At the time, Metate Road did not go east to Community Road, and another way out was needed in case of emergency. The proposal was on the master plan for the area for years. There was always opposition to having the road cross the creek, particularly among neighbors who would have been impacted by additional traffic. They had an ally in the form of a huge eucalyptus tree at the south edge of Poway Creek, which provided a physical barrier to bridge construction and a favorite hangout for generations of area teens. The issue came up again after Poway incorporated in 1980. One department head (now long since gone) suggested facetiously that the city should spray [the tree] for aphids with Roundup. The trees supporters came to its defense. The road has never gone through. More than 30 years later, the tree remains. The time for trying to put the road through has long past. It will remain there, if not forever, at least until it finally decides to fall over. Shepardson is vice president of the Poway Historical and Memorial Society. Palomar College in San Marcos has notified 3,053 people who worked at the school in 2016 that someone might have gained access to their W-2 tax forms. The college said in a statement that a data breach occurred on January 19th when someone got access to the schools computer network. Our ongoing investigation has determined that the unauthorized individual may have accessed your IRS Form W-2, the statement says. The information that could have been accessed included your name, address, and Social Security number. Advertisement The statement adds, We have stopped the incident, and we are taking steps to further strengthen the security of our network to help prevent something like this from happening in the future. We have also notified the FBI, IRS, and state taxing authorities of the incident. The IRS has indicated to us that they will monitor affected employees returns for the purposes of attempting to prevent fraudulent tax refunds from being paid out. Laura Gropen, a campus spokeswoman, said, There is still an investigation and no further information has been provided. Cybersecurity Playlist On Now Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) slams Equifax On Now LA 90: Yahoo data breach worse than originally reported On Now Lifelock offers to protect you from the Equifax breach by selling you services provided by Equifax 1:02 On Now California beer maker thrives in Germany On Now Cyberattacks on Hollywood On Now Hackers gain access to OneLogin On Now What is WannaCry? On Now Senate overturns privacy rules for Internet providers On Now Online pirates claim to hold Disney's latest 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie hostage, demand ransom On Now Yahoo warns users of malicious activity Twitter: @grobbins gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com Sgt. Sean Henry, of Belleview, Wash., and with 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker Brigade, probes in a patch of corn for a possible IED or weapons cache while on patrol Thursday, May 6, 2010, in Afghanistans Kandahar province. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ( / AP) United States Army Sgt. Sean Henry, of Belleview, Wash., takes a photo of village resident Abdul Manans iris with a Hiides camera system while on patrol Thursday, May 6, 2010, in Afghanistans Kandahar province. The information the camera records, which includes finger prints, is sent to intelligence officers and is kept in a database for possible future use. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ( / AP) United States Army Sgt. Sean Henry, of Belleview, Wash., records finger prints of village resident Abdul Manan with a Hiides camera system while on patrol Thursday, May 6, 2010, in Afghanistans Kandahar province. The information the camera records, which includes iris scans, is sent to intelligence officers and is kept in a database for possible future use. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ( / AP) Advertisement United States Army Pfc. Patrick Montone, left, of Philadelphia, Penn., Spc. Chris Stoughton, center, of Pittsburgh, Penn., and Spc. John Ballenger, of Cleveland, Ohio, make their way through grape fields late in the afternoon while on patrol with 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker BrigadeThursday, May 6, 2010, in Afghanistans Kandahar province. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ( / AP) Sgt. James Wilkes patrols through a grape field with 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker Brigade Thursday, May 6, 2010, in Afghanistans Kandahar province. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ( / AP) United States Army Sgt. Steve Fanton, of Ocean Springs, Miss., motions to an Afghan man to spread his arms in order to be searched at a checkpoint set up by members of 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker Brigade Friday, May 7, 2010, in Afghanistans Kandahar province. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ( / AP) A teenage Afghan boy looks back as he passes U.S. Army Pvt. Deonte Person, of Bloomington, Ill., who was manning a checkpoint set up by members of 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker Brigade Friday, May 7, 2010, in Afghanistans Kandahar province. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ( / AP) United States Army Pfc. Nathan Gegenheimer of Vancouver, Wash., waits in the entrance of an abandoned compound near the intersection of a road while waiting for motorists to pass a checkpoint set up by 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker Brigade Friday, May 7, 2010, in Afghanistans Kandahar province. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ( / AP) The gunfire and explosions echoing across this Taliban-infested district in southern Afghanistan on Friday signaled the end of the opium poppy harvest as militants again turned their attention from agriculture to attacking NATO and Afghan forces. U.S. Army soldiers perched on this small hilltop base in Kandahar provinces Zhari district had a ringside seat to the early morning fighting. It snapped a lull in violence that had lasted almost three weeks while the Taliban focused on taxing the poppy crop, one of its main sources of revenue. Building up resources is especially important for the Taliban this year as NATO is ramping up its latest military operation in Kandahar, the groups spiritual heartland. Military commanders have characterized the Kandahar mission as the make-or-break battle of the nearly 9-year-old war. This is the most gunfire that has happened in weeks, said Staff Sgt. Aaron Christensen, looking down from Strong Point Ghundy Ghar as helicopter gunships pounded Taliban militants who had attacked a U.S. patrol about 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) away. The poppy harvest is definitely over. Afghanistan produces the raw opium used to make 90 percent of the worlds heroin, and the Taliban earn about $300 million per year off the trade, according to the United Nations. Kandahar itself produced about 16 percent of Afghanistans opium poppies in 2009, the second-largest amount after neighboring Helmand province. The key districts in Kandahar for poppy are Zhari, Panjwai and Maiwand. I really underestimated how much the poppy harvest would impact the Talibans operations out here, said Capt. Ryan Sheeran, the company commander whose First Platoon is currently based at Ghundy Ghar but also operates in Maiwand. Taliban operations literally went down to nothing. That all changed abruptly on Friday. The morning dawned with a roadside bomb attack against Afghan army troops as they traveled along the main highway that runs through Kandahar about a mile (2 kilometers) north of Ghundy Ghar, said Lt. Jonathan Lessman, the commander of First Platoon. The blast triggered an intense firefight that lasted nearly 10 minutes. About an hour later, militants holed up in a mud compound attacked a U.S. platoon that had set up a temporary observation post east of Ghundy Ghar, Lessman said. Over the next 30 minutes, the soldiers responded with a punishing barrage of grenades and gunfire, while Kiowa helicopters pounded the militants with rockets, sending up clouds of dust and smoke. It was unclear if there were any casualties from the two incidents. The U.S. soldiers who were attacked were based at another small outpost in Zhari called Strong Point Lako Khel, which has been a favorite target of Taliban militants because it doesnt enjoy the same defensive hilltop position as Ghundy Ghar. Both outposts fall under the command of 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, which has responsibility for providing security in western Zhari and Maiwand. Now that the harvest is ending, we will definitely see an increase in roadside bombs on the highway and attacks against Afghan and coalition troops, said Lessman. The Taliban have a strong presence in Maiwand, Zhari and Panjwai, with the latter two districts almost entirely under the militant groups control. Afghan government efforts to eradicate poppy in the three districts in 2007 and 2008 boosted support for the Taliban from farmers who relied on the militant group to protect their crop. NATO forces who now patrol the districts have tried to counter that dynamic by telling farmers they will not target their crops but will go after smugglers who take the opium to market - a fine line that is often difficult to walk. The Taliban have tried to disrupt that message in Zhari and Maiwand, telling farmers that coalition helicopters have been spraying chemicals to destroy this years poppy crop. The fabrication has gotten some traction because disease and lack of water have reduced this years harvest by 75 percent compared to 2009, according to farmers. Lessman, the platoon commander, has tried to counter the Talibans message as he and his men patrol through poppy fields around Ghundy Ghar that are still dotted with a few workers finishing the harvest. But he is even more focused on keeping his men alert for potential danger. The problem with the lull in violence was that it allowed soldiers to get complacent, said Lessman. Now its back to business as usual. Brooklyn, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/03/2017 -- Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Intelligent Painting Robots Sales Market Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports. The Intelligent Painting Robots is the target of analysis presented in this research report which is a highly descriptive and insightful publication. It chalks out a detailed, all-inclusive, and logical perspective of the market, casing all crucial categories and their pieces, along with the aspects that have so far shown the potential of having a deep influence on the market over the coming years. The report is therefore a 360-degree representation of the analysis of the current state of market. The market has been quarried to its microscopic nuances, where rudimentary data and key, industry-specific classifications of the market and its elements that are being defined in the overview. The report then moves ahead into a 360 degree analysis of the Intelligent Painting Robots, while sticking to phrases of the market, such as specific definitions, applications, industry chain structures, government policies, and recent developments. To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @ http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=998141&type=E The large volumes of data presented in this report, on the Intelligent Painting Robots, have been garnered with the aid of different research methodologies, both primary and secondary. This data is further concentrated by means of standard analytical processes based on industry practices, and therefore only the significant sections of information are provided to the readers of this report. The governing and competitive landscape of the Intelligent Painting Robots are studied in this research report. The different stages and their details, such as rules, protocols, procedures, and strategies are also included in addition to an analysis of their effect on the overall growth rate of the market. The report also contains a comprehensive analysis of the business profiles of the most influential vendors in the Intelligent Painting Robots. Browse Complete Report with TOC @ http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-intelligent-painting-robots-sales-market-report-2017.htm Table of Contents 1 Intelligent Painting Robots Overview 1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Intelligent Painting Robots 1.2 Classification of Intelligent Painting Robots 1.2.1 Air Painting 1.2.2 Airless Painting 1.3 Application of Intelligent Painting Robots 1.3.1 Automobile 1.3.2 Industry Appliances 1.3.3 Ships 1.3.4 Aerospace 1.3.5 Others 1.4 Intelligent Painting Robots Market by Regions 1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2011-2021) 1.4.2 China Status and Prospect (2011-2021) 1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2011-2021) 1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2011-2021) 1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2011-2021) 1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2011-2021) 1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Intelligent Painting Robots (2011-2021) 1.5.1 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021) 1.5.2 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021) 2 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Competition by Manufacturers, Type and Application 2.1 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Market Competition by Manufacturers 2.1.1 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2011-2016) 2.1.2 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2011-2016) 2.2 Global Intelligent Painting Robots (Volume and Value) by Type 2.2.1 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016) 2.2.2 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016) 2.3 Global Intelligent Painting Robots (Volume and Value) by Regions 2.3.1 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Sales and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016) 2.3.2 Global Intelligent Painting Robots Revenue and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016) 2.4 Global Intelligent Painting Robots (Volume) by Application 3 United States Intelligent Painting Robots (Volume, Value and Sales Price) 3.1 United States Intelligent Painting Robots Sales and Value (2011-2016) 3.1.1 United States Intelligent Painting Robots Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016) 3.1.2 United States Intelligent Painting Robots Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016) 3.1.3 United States Intelligent Painting Robots Sales Price Trend (2011-2016) 3.2 United States Intelligent Painting Robots Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers 3.3 United States Intelligent Painting Robots Sales and Market Share by Type 3.4 United States Intelligent Painting Robots Sales and Market Share by Application Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/03/2017 -- Global Men's Health Therapeutics Market: Overview The rising psychological, economic, biological, and social factors affecting men's health are slated to propel the global men's health therapeutics market. Research conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that life expectancy at birth for males was 69.1 years, while that for women was 73.8 years. Thus, it was found that women live longer than men on a global scale in a study conducted in 2015. The report conveys key information related to the recent market developments, opportunities, trends, growth drivers, and restraints of the global men's health therapeutics market. The business strategies, product portfolios, and market shares held by the major players are discussed in detail. The market attractiveness, Porter's five force analysis, market forecasts, value chain analysis, the past, present, and projected leading segments of the global men's health therapeutics market are also presented in the report. Download Complete Healthcare Analytical Brochure: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1974 Global Men's Health Therapeutics Market: Drivers and Restraints Changing lifestyles, indulgence in risky activities, usage of illegal drugs, consumption of liquor, and smoking have been causing several disorders and health conditions among men. Work-related problems such as stress and anxiety have also been contributing to the prevalence of health conditions, fuelling the demand for these therapeutics. Moreover, studies have found that cancer prevalence among males is more than that among females. The widespread popularity of convenience food, junk food, and other unhealthy eating habits have further augmented the incidence of men's health issues. The rising health awareness among people, increasing disposable incomes, and large healthcare expenditures are also driving the growth of this market. On the other hand, hesitation of seeking medical advice might restrict the growth of the market due to factors such as social taboos and negative self-perception. However, a gradual shift in attitudes about men's health are likely to aid in the expansion of the market as several healthcare providers, physicians, and medical organizations are ensuring that men feel more comfortable when seeking medical assistance. Moreover, the development of numerous pipeline drugs for the treatment of men's health issues are likely to present significant opportunities for the global men's health therapeutics market. The global men's therapeutics market can be segmented to include categories such as male hypogonadism therapy, prostate cancer therapy, erectile dysfunction therapy, and premature ejaculation therapy. Global Men's Health Therapeutics Market: Regional Outlook On the basis of geography, the global men's health therapeutics market can be segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and Rest of the World. The region of North America is projected to contribute to market expansion to a significant extent due to aging baby boomer population and sedentary lifestyles. Increased incidence of diseases caused by smoking such as emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer among the western population are slated to drive the demand for these therapies in Europe and North America. The American Lung Association found that increasing number of men are diagnosed with lung cancer every year. Compared to other ethnic groups, the African-American men are at a higher risk of dying from this disease, finds the study. Decreasing fertility rates among the population of countries such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Indonesia will have a positive effect on the global market for men's health therapeutics, boosting the growth of Asia Pacific. Companies Mentioned in the Report Some of the major companies operating in the global men's health therapeutics market are Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd., ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., CordexPharma, Inc., Trophogen, Inc., ZydusCadila Healthcare Ltd., and Pantarhei Bioscience BV. Browse Full Research Report on Men's Health Therapeutics Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/mens-health-therapeutics.html About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement. Contact Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Browse market research blog: https://tmrresearch.blogspot.com/ New York City, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/03/2017 -- Incontinence Products Market: Drivers and Challenges Incontinence products are a part of personal care segment, which is growing at a faster pace. This is due to the rise in aging population, increasing awareness and acceptance of incontinence products. Product innovations to customize the products is also driving the incontinence care industry. The WHO report projects that in almost every country the proportion of people aged over 60 years is growing faster than any other age group, as a result of both longer life expectancy and declining fertility rates. Also the rise in the population of diabetic Mellitus patients worldwide provides a good platform for this market. However, there are some bigger challenges faced by this industry like the threat of alternates and substitutes and the threat from low-cost manufacturers. The incontinence products market can be segmented based on product type, into, external & internal. External products include; absorbent products, hand wash, gloves, body wash, barrier cream, repair cream, hand held urinals, bed pads, shampoo caps, whereas, internal products include; tampons, disposable urethral Inserts, pessaries. Based on raw material used- plastic, cotton fabric, super absorbents, cotton fiber, latex, others (water proof materials). In terms distributional channel, the market is segmented into institutional & homecare and retail trade. Out of which institutional & homecare is estimated to be the major end-users, accounting approximately 60% of the global market for incontinence products and the retail market owns remaining 40% of the market. Incontinence Products Market: Regional Overview Geographically, the incontinence products market is segmented into seven regions which are ; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Japan. Among all the regions, Western Europe is the highest contributor in term of revenue in global incontinence products market followed by Asia Pacific, North America & it is expected that in near future, Asia Pacific is going to lead this market. Japan, having the highest proportion of elderly citizens could be a big market for this segment. The ever growing population of China will drive the demand for healthcare products, consequently resulting in the growth of the incontinence market in country. Saudi Arab, Kiribati, Kuwait, Bahrain are world's leading diabetic prevalent nation. These countries also have a good market potential for incontinence products. Incontinence Products Market: Market: Key Players Some of the key players across the value chain dominating this market are Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA, Unicharm Corporation, HARTMANN GROUP, ONTEX International N.V., Hypermarcas SA, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, First Quality Enterprises Inc., Pro Descart Industria e Comercio Ltd, Coloplast A/S, C. R. Bard Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Covidien plc and Medline Industries Inc, etc. Browse Full Report summary and to request sample report and table of content@ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/incontinence-products-market.asp NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) has been ordered to increase its velocity by less than a mile an hour to avoid dangerous collision with Mars' moon, Phobos, on March 6. The spacecraft has been orbiting Mars for two years. The researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, monitor the spacecraft's orbit in relation to Mars' two moons to avoid the collision. MAVEN Principal Investigator Bruce Jakosky said kudos to the JPL navigation and tracking teams for watching out for possible collisions every day of the year and to the MAVEN spacecraft team for carrying out the maneuver flawlessly. NASA's Mars orbiting spacecraft, MAVEN, performs a small course correction to avoid crashing into Phobos https://t.co/DIiJon8ytJ pic.twitter.com/mB0weyCK1m Robert Peason (@Robert_Peason) March 3, 2017 So, last Tuesday, the NASA engineers ordered MAVEN to do an engine burn and accelerated. NASA estimates that next week MAVEN will miss Mars' moon, Phobos, by just about two and a half minutes. Phobos is about 15 miles wide and MAVEN is about the size of a small bus, according to The Verge. This action could make MAVEN safe and pursue its orbiting around Mars. On the other hand, Phobos is approaching Mars closer and probably in the next 20 to 40 million years, Mars could break apart Phobos. It is then expected that the debris of Phobos could shape a ring around Mars that will last for 4 million years. MAVEN is a space probe that is created by NASA to study the atmosphere of Mars while orbiting the planet. It aims to know the planet's atmosphere and water. It was launched on Nov. 18, 2013, aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle and reached Mars on Sep. 22, 2014. One of its discoveries is the deterioration of Mars' atmosphere increases during solar storms, which it found on Nov. 5, 2015. Tornadoes struck the upper Midwest and northern Arkansas on Tuesday and Wednesday. The calamity killed three people and destroyed several houses and buildings in Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky, among others. New post (Deadly tornadoes hit Midwest) has been published on Bonjournal-best Hub of News - https://t.co/bDDQmsXu5B pic.twitter.com/mH0Mpe6USO Bonjournal News (@bonjournal_ca) March 1, 2017 The Huffington Post reports that the National Weather Service reported 20 tornadoes moved through Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and Iowa. It also reported one fatality from a "large and powerful tornado" that struck the city of Ottawa, southwest of Chicago in north central Illinois at 4:45 p.m. It damaged the buildings in the area including a nursing home in LaSalle County. Thoughts & Prayers for families hit by deadly storm & tornado last night in Illinois! https://t.co/f3wOFh5rCx Mr. Jim (@MrJim1973) March 1, 2017 Patti Thompson, a spokeswoman for Ottawa's Emergency Management Agency, said that a tornado victim was killed by an uprooted tree. She also said that it was not known how many people were hurt by the storm but that it was relatively few. "We had some damage reported in several counties, both in the north-central part of the state as well as the southern part of the state." Another man, a 71-year-old, was killed and injured his wife when a tornado hit a building near the man's house near Crossville, Illinois. In Perry County, Missouri, another person lost his life when the tornado hit the area. Homes were damaged and vehicles were blown off near the small town of Perryville, according to The New York Post. Forecaster Ariel Cohen said the sunshine warmed the region and roiled the atmosphere ahead of an approaching cold front. The threat was expected to shift to the southeastern U.S. on Wednesday. Press Release March 3, 2017 Cayetano: war on drugs necessary to end poverty The war against drugs is also a war against poverty, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano stressed on Friday (March 3). "Poverty alleviation ang isa sa haligi ng programa ng administrasyong Duterte. But you cannot deal with the problem on poverty and joblessness without dealing with the problem on drugs," he said in a press conference. "Drugs put people in poverty. Drugs keep people in poverty," he added. The senator issued this statement following a recent remark made by Vice President Leni Robredo urging President Rodrigo Duterte to focus instead on the "bigger war" against poverty and not on the anti-drug war. Cayetano in response stressed that the war on drugs is part of the administration's comprehensive approach to get people out of poverty. He pointed out how the poor are usually the primary victims of drug-related crimes and their communities are often the main targets of drug personalities. "If you say stop the campaign against drugs, kapag tinigil niyo yan, mawawala ang criticism ng extrajudicial killings... Pero you will see more poor children being raped, more family members being killed by family members, and you will see more poverty," Cayetano said. "There is no middle ground when it comes to the problem on drugs. Kailangan labanan mo talaga... Everyone knows that drugs are destroying lives," he added. The senator had earlier called for the resumption of the government's anti-drug campaign and to turn it into the "people's war against drugs." He stressed the need for a more holistic approach to sustain and intensify the government's initiative to end the drug menace, which he says threatens the people's security. "The Philippines and the Filipinos can benefit more if the relaunching of the campaign against drugs involves everyone and if we look at it in a more holistic way," he said. Press Release March 3, 2017 Cayetano wants more 'holistic approach' to anti-drug war Senator Alan Peter Cayetano called for a more holistic and comprehensive approach to the people's war against drugs following the administration's decision to relaunch its anti-drug campaign. In a press conference on Friday (March 3), the senator clarified that his earlier call was not just for the resumption of the Philippine National Police (PNP)'s "Oplan Tokhang." His call, he stressed, was for the government to continue its campaign against illegal drugs and turn it into the people's war against drugs. "I did not say we should relaunch Oplan Tokhang. I said we should relaunch the war on drugs and make it the people's war against drugs. Let us make it more comprehensive... Everybody should have a role," he said. The senator appealed to all sectors in society to take part in the government's fight to end the drug menace, which he said threatens the people's safety and victimizes the poor. "I-explain dapat natin kung ano ang role ng bawat isa - ng law enforcers, ng mga magulang, ng Simbahan, ng Health department... There is much more to be done and we need all the help we can get," he said. The senator once again defended the President's anti-drug initiative following accusations that the Duterte administration is behind the alleged drug-related extrajudicial killings in the country. Contrary to what is being portrayed in the international and local media, Cayetano said the President has never condoned any form of abuse in the implementation of his anti-drug program. "What we're saying is human security is a must and extrajudicial killings are not State sponsored," he stressed. Cayetano said the criticisms thrown against the government are often due to the confusion with the facts and figures being gathered on the ground. "Obviously, may gustong mag-exaggerate ng facts to stop the drug war," he said. "Kung hihimayin talaga ang facts, hindi malayo ang nangyayaring patayan during the Aquino administration sa Duterte administration," he pointed out. The senator said the Church and media outlets are welcome to continue exposing incidents of abuses by rogue policemen in the midst of the anti-drug campaign. "But we have to separate legitimate issues from politics. Iba ang intention na ayusin ang police operations sa intention na tanggalin ang Presidente," he clarified. "The Philippines can benefit if the war on drugs is more comprehensive and if people look at human rights in a more holistic way," Cayetano intoned. JV EJERCITO LAUDS SWIFT ACTION ON SSS PENSION INCREASE Senator JV Ejercito lauded the Duterte administration's swift action in releasing the one thousand pesos additional SSS pension, which retirees started to withdraw from their accounts yesterday (March 3). "I am happy for our retirees because this additional pension can sustain their needs such as maintenance medicine and food. This is one of President Duterte's campaign promises, and I laud its quick release today which shows his empathy at work," Ejercito said. He said the next logical step is to look for ways to prevent increasing the contribution of members and find ways to finance the needed fund - a crucial task for SSS. "I am not only referring to their proposal for government subsidies but also imposing stiffer penalty for employers who failed to remit the contribution of employees and developing a profitable investment plan," he added. Senator Ejercito also recommends the review of the corporation's benefits and expenditures for possible source of funding. "SSS needs the contributions of its members to sustain its fund life. However, as a state-run social insurance corporation, it needs to adopt ways and adjust to the needs of its members who are the main reason for its existence," Ejercito explained. Senator Ejercito re-filed in the 17th Congress his version of the SSS Pension Increase (Senate Bill No. 150), which proposes to grant pensioners a minimum of P3,000.00 monthly pension and an annual increase of P500.00 until the minimum monthly pension reached P5,000.00. Press Release March 4, 2017 HONTIVEROS CONDEMNS KILLING OF VOLUNTEER DOCTOR Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Saturday condemned the killing of volunteer doctor Dreyfuss Perlas, calling his death a heartbreaking and infuriating loss to the medical profession and to the community of Lanao del Norte. "I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Dreyfuss Perlas. He was an idealistic young man who wanted to push for meaningful change," Hontiveros said. "The loss of Dr. Perlas is nothing short of tragic. He is the latest victim of the culture of killing and impunity that has engulfed the country. We have few enough bright young doctors who are willing to serve in the provinces. I urge the authorities to identify his killers and bring them to justice," Hontiveros added. Perlas was a 31-year-old physician who had been working under the Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) program, and was assigned in Lanao del Norte. Perlas was shot on Wednesday night, March 1, while riding his motorbike In Barangay Maranding Annex. He was rushed to Lanao del Norte Provincial Hospital but was declared dead upon arrival. One of his fellow batchmates said that Perlas had the opportunity to return to his home province of Aklan, but chose to stay in Lanao del Norte even after his contract expired three years ago. Hontiveros said that the culture of death has reached the health sector. "No one is safe anymore. Even those who are silently and selflessly working for the promotion of universal healthcare are not spared from an assassin's bullet," Hontiveros said. The senator urged the health community to express their strong indignation against the killing of Perlas. "The current climate of violence under the Duterte government poses a serious threat to the people's access to public health, and a mortal danger to the lives of health workers. We cannot allow this climate to continue unchanged," Hontiveros said. Press Release March 4, 2017 Koko wants MECO probed Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Saturday called for an inquiry over the current status of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in order to prevent possible violations of the "One China Policy" of the Philippines in light of President Rodrigo Duterte's efforts to reestablish strong political and economic ties with the People's Republic of China. MECO is a non-government entity that performs diplomatic and consular functions for the Philippines in Taiwan. "There is a need to review the consular functions being performed by MECO as there have been reports that its employees are being treated as political appointees under its 'new management'", Pimentel said. Pimentel said that though the Philippines "respects the person to person" relationship with the inhabitants of Taiwan through MECO, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is a non-governmental entity, and therefore its employees enjoy security of tenure in accordance with the Constitution and labor laws. Pimentel said that reports reached him that the new management is insisting that they be given a free hand to appoint their own people. He said that treating MECO employees as political appointees "may result in removing the status of MECO as a private corporation and it may considered a government-controlled entity performing diplomatic functions in Taiwan", which violates the One China rule. He said that in this period of friendship and cooperation, "China and Philippines should endeavor to maintain the peace and respect including avoiding tensions and issues that may endanger relationships." Under Senate Resolution No. 302 filed by Pimentel, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is directed to conduct a probe in aid of legislation on the legal basis of MECO and its authority "to perform diplomatic and consular functions." "There is a need to review the consular functions being performed by MECO as a 'private corporation' by virtue of mere executive order of the President in order to determine its legality and its implication to the One China Policy," Pimentel said in the resolution. Pimentel said there might be some policies and procedures being practiced by MECO which may be in violation of the One China Policy. Pimentel also wants to look into the Philippine government's role in the appointment of "political appointees", such as the Chairman, Resident Representative of MECO, and other officers. As part of the One-China Policy, the Philippine government cannot maintain any form of government-to-government contact with Taiwan. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WATSONVILLE With winter rains filling California rivers and reservoirs in a dramatic display of drought-ending bluster, the rush is on to capture the overflow before the bounty is squandered, washed forever to sea. Numerous water agencies from the Central Valley to the Central Coast are busy stashing surplus water underground, a practice known as groundwater recharge in which excess from lakes and creeks is steered onto barren fields, where it soaks into the aquifer below. But as well-meaning as these efforts are, they often lack the land to bank as much water as they could, experts say. Committing property to the low-payoff endeavor doesnt usually pencil out. And even when the investment is made, theres typically no assurance that those putting water in the ground will benefit instead of a neighbor with a well. Here in the rural Pajaro Valley, however, officials may have found a way to make the practice more enticing: Farmers plying this fertile stretch of strawberries and lettuce can make money offering up their private land. Just as households with solar panels get credit for selling power back to the electric grid, landowners can offset their water bills by pushing water underground. The pilot program, being rolled out by the local water agency in partnership with the regions conservation district and UC Santa Cruz, has just one participant so far a berry company thats reducing its water payments by channeling hillside runoff into the ground. But others are signing up. The idea here is to remove some of the disincentive thats preventing landowners from doing recharge, said Andy Fisher, a UC Santa Cruz hydrogeologist who pioneered the project. No one has tried a program like this before, but we think its something that could be replicated in other places. With Californias first set of groundwater regulations about to kick in, water managers across the state are looking for ways to boost underground reserves. About 40 percent of the states water typically comes from the ground, and after decades of overpumping, most places have plenty of room for replenishment. The new law requires communities statewide, within the next five years, to develop plans for getting their aquifers in balance. Michael Macor/The Chronicle On a recent morning, Dennis Lebow steered his Ford Explorer down a dirt road east of Watsonville to where hes doing his part to put water in the basin beneath the Pajaro Valley. His employer, berry producer Reiter Affiliated Cos., is capturing runoff that spills from the tall, green hills above the Monterey Bay in a 4-acre percolation site between a raspberry field and an apple orchard. Normally, a lot of the water would run parallel to Silliman Road through a surface ditch to the Pajaro River, said Lebow, a hydrologist, pointing out how the precious liquid would be lost if the recharge system wasnt in place. Instead, drainage from 170 acres of privately owned fields is routed by gravity into an intake chamber at a low-lying spot, where its filtered before flowing to a muddy pond. There, the water percolates naturally into the aquifer. In a wet year like this, Im excited to see what we can put in the ground, Lebow said. It may be two, three, four or 10 times as much as what weve done. The researchers from UC Santa Cruz have set up gauges to measure inflow after the rainy season. Last year, they counted 108 acre-feet of infiltration at the site, a relatively small amount but a good start, they say. An acre-foot of water can supply up to two households for a year. With each acre-foot of water dropped into the ground, Lebows company is credited $101.50 by the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency. Its half of what the grower pays to pump water but helps make the effort worthwhile, Lebow says. Land expenses aside, a small and relatively low-tech recharge site can cost from tens of thousands of dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars, with larger ones running several million or more. Grant money is sometimes available. Brian Lockwood, interim general manager for the water agency, said that without reimbursement there would be little reason for landowners to get in the recharge business. Alternatively, the whole ranch has strawberries on it, he said. They make a lot of money that way. Whats the incentive for them to take 1 to 5 acres out of production to do recharge? There are costs involved to build these projects and, after theyre built, there are maintenance costs. The program is scheduled to expand to at least 10 sites over the next few years. Thats enough to offset about 10 percent of the deficit caused by overpumping in the regions aquifer, organizers say a significant amount when added to natural seepage from rain and irrigation as well as other recharge efforts initiated by the water agency. Michael Macor/The Chronicle 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. Most recharge programs in California arent in private hands, like a 15-acre percolation basin operated by the Pajaro Valley water department miles from Reiters pond. The Central Valleys big irrigation agencies are diverting flood releases from Sierra Nevada reservoirs to dirt plots they purchased exclusively for water infiltration. Consolidated Irrigation District, which serves parts of Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties, operates more than 50 such sites. In the Bay Area, the Santa Clara Valley Water District runs nearly 100 small recharge ponds, which are, in part, being filled with piped-in excess from the Sierra. But the real opportunity for getting more water into the ground is on private land, says Helen Dahlke, a hydrologist at UC Davis. You cant buy any more land and put more infiltration basins in, she said. The agricultural landscape is really the natural place to do this. Dahlke has been testing alfalfa fields and almond orchards across California to see if they can be safely flooded in the offseason and used as recharge basins. So far, shes found the farmland doesnt lose its vigor and crops are minimally affected. But her experiments are not yet done. In the public consciousness, groundwater recharge remains something of a sidelight to proposals to add water storage through the more traditional method of building reservoirs. While Proposition 1, the $7.5 billion water bond passed by voters in 2014, might provide some funding, damming rivers comes with its own set of problems including not only the high cost, but also the difficulty of finding space on rivers and protecting fish. The leading reservoir bids would run as much as $3 billion apiece. A Stanford University study found that storing water through groundwater recharge is nearly six times less expensive than reservoir expansion. Using aquifers should be the new way we capture water for longer duration, Dahlke said. And we dont know when the next wet year will be, so we have to make use of this water now, while its available. Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander PHOENIX For the past two months, residents of Naco, Mexico, have seen construction vehicles along the border. On Tuesday, workers began bringing down part of the fence that features a one-mile mural that Mexican children have painted the past six years. When I first heard about it (the demolition) I wasnt ready to let go, said Gretchen Baer, who helped organize the border mural. Now that its actually happening it doesnt hurt as much because Mariposa (where the kids meet now) is my new project. I already separated myself from the project when they said it was coming down. Mariposa is a new, vibrant project that the Naco people support. Baer said she doesnt agree with President Donald Trumps proposed wall. We dont need the wall; we have a whole town, Baer said. Were going to paint everything in Naco. On Wednesday Baer said she predicts it will take some time to bring down the entire mural as workers remove two to three panels per day. According to Baer, the panels are being replaced with a temporary fence before setting the permanent barrier. Baer calls it a prison-like fencing. Three panels will be saved from the mural. One will be donated to Bisbee, and two will be given to Naco. One panel will be donated to Studio Mariposa, which sponsors the kids art group, Border Bedazzlers. Studio Mariposa is in Mexico, across from the Naco Port of Entry. Children have been attending weekly art workshops or painting parties in Studio Mariposa. The space was donated by Humanitarian Border Solutions. Volunteers worked on a mural outside the studio and decorated the inside as well. In January, not knowing when the mural would come down, the Border Bedazzlers hosted a small farewell party. It included cupcakes, and those in attendance snapped selfies at the fence. The mural featured various brightly colored images and messages including Love transcends hate, and Somos un mundo We are one world. Another section featured the face of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, a 16-year-old resident of Nogales, Mexico, who was shot and killed when a U.S. Border Patrol agent fired into Mexico in 2012. The replacement structure is not part of the wall Trump has promised to build along the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead, it will be an upgrade planned four years ago. Construction on a 7.5-mile portion of a fence between Naco, Arizona, and Naco, Mexico, started in January. The new structure will be an 18-foot bollard fence similar to the one dividing Douglas and Agua Prieta, Mexico. The new fence will allow border patrol agents to see into Mexico and allow for safer and more effective border security, according to a media release from U.S. Customs Border Protection. A 58-year-old motorcyclist from Fremont died in a collision there Friday, police said. The man, who had not been identified pending notification of his next of kin, was driving his Ducati motorcycle on Christy Street near Auto Mall Parkway around 2:30 p.m. when the crash occurred, according to the Fremont Police Department. The driver collided with a 2014 Toyota Corolla driven by a 48-year-old man from Tracy, police said. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Corolla was not injured in the crash, police said. What caused the accident wasnt immediately clear other than that alcohol or drugs didnt appear to be involved and an investigation was ongoing in the evening, police said. Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley When state water officials scaled back their mass dumping of water from the damaged Oroville Dam this week, they knew the riverbed below would dry up enough to allow the removal of vast piles of debris from the fractured main spillway. But they apparently did not anticipate a side effect of their decision to stop feeding the gushing Feather River a rapid drop in river level that, according to downstream landowners, caused miles of embankment to come crashing down. With high water no longer propping up the shores, the still-wet soil crashed under its own weight, sometimes dragging in trees, rural roads and farmland, they said. The damage is catastrophic, said Brad Foster, who has waterfront property in Marysville (Yuba County), about 25 miles south of Lake Oroville. The farmer not only saw 25-foot bluffs collapse, but also lost irrigation lines to his almonds. When the bank pulled in, he said, it pulled the pumps in with it. It busted the steel pipes. Officials at the state Department of Water Resources, which runs the dam, said Friday that theyre monitoring the river for erosion. But they declined to discuss the situation. The department is already wrestling with the problem of endangered salmon becoming trapped in riverbed pools since the outflows at the dam were cut. The falling riverbanks, reported mainly in Sutter and Yuba counties, are just the latest outgrowth of the state being forced to quickly increase and decrease flows from the swollen reservoir since early February. The crisis began last month when the main spillway, which moves water from the lake into the river below, inexplicably ruptured. Five days later, about 180,000 people had to evacuate when an emergency spillway was activated and then nearly failed, threatening to send a wall of water downstream. The state has since brought down the lake level, using the damaged main spillway and taking advantage of a break in the wet weather. On Monday, dam operators reduced outflow on the main spillway from a robust 50,000 cubic feet per second to zero in a matter of hours. Just 2,500 cubic feet per second was left running from a small auxiliary outlet. The farm communities around Yuba City, where much of the riverbank damage was done, saw the rapid drop in water the next day. Most of the time, theyll give us three to five days, maybe even a week to lower the river, said Phillip Filter, whos been growing prunes, walnuts and peaches on waterfront property outside the town of Live Oak (Sutter County) for decades. But what they did to this Feather River now is just ridiculous. He said he has nearly three quarters of a mile of bluffs along the river, and that most of it crumbled. Many of the trees and bushes that form a natural buffer between the water and his crops, sometimes spanning dozens of feet, fell into the now slowly running river. With the vegetation gone, Filter worries his land is even more vulnerable to erosion once the water level bounces back. Our concern is that if it does come up again, it will get into our cropland, he said. His niece, Julie Filter, who lives nearby, lost a road on her orchard. Our tracks where we had driven have fallen off and are in the river, she said. State officials, in an email to The Chronicle, said the reduction in outflows from the dam was managed in a way to reduce risk to levees. The email said nothing about the riverbank, except that local government agencies were responsible for addressing any erosion because it was private property. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle The eroded lands are within the Feather Rivers floodplain. Theyre generally located between the river and levees that are designed to allow flooding there, but not beyond. Owning land between the river and the levees comes with a certain amount of risk. Yuba Countys emergency operations manager, Scott Bryan, who has surveyed the deterioration of the riverside, said he hasnt seen anything like it. The landowners understand that the water will come up and do damage to their trees, but this is different, he said. This is actual loss of their land due to sloughing. I cant tell you 100 percent it was because the Department of Water Resources allowed the water to drop too rapidly, he said. But its consistent with that. Chris Kaufman/Special to The Chronicle The quick draw-down of water also left chinook salmon and steelhead struggling to survive in isolated pools and puddles on the rivers edge. The fish, which migrate to the Pacific Ocean, were trapped as the main stem of the river swiftly shrunk. Biologists and staff from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Water Resources have been mucking through the muddy shores in an extensive rescue effort that continued Friday. Between Tuesday and Thursday, crews saved close to 1,900 trapped salmon and steelhead, including more than 1,700 juvenile fall-run chinook salmon, plus 1,500 to 2,000 fish of other species. The state sent as many as 14 boats a day down the Feather River, each with four people equipped with high-resolution aerial photos to guide them to the isolated puddles and ponds, many 50 to 100 yards away from the river, hidden by thick mud and underbrush. They plan to carry on as long as they find fish, possibly through Saturday. Often theyre not accessible. Its one thing to be looking at a map and one thing to be tromping through the mud, said Andrew Hughan, a spokesman for Fish and Wildlife, who was on the scene. Young salmon in the area had to be rescued weeks earlier when debris pouring into the river from the damaged spillway clouded up water in the Feather River Fish Hatchery 4 miles downstream, endangering the lives of 8 million hatchlings. Those fish were too young to be released into the river, so the Department of Fish and Wildlife trucked most of them to another holding facility. Many were lost. On Friday, state officials said lower water levels beneath the dam enabled crews to clear enough debris from the broken spillway to restart an idled hydroelectric power plant. Concrete debris in the river had caused water to pool near the facility, increasing pressure on the turbines and threatening to damage them. The power plant also serves as a river outlet, which will provide dam operators another way to release water from the lake. The plant can release more than 14,000 cubic feet of water per second. Kurtis Alexander and Tara Duggan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com, tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander, @taraduggan The Trump administration is working to broaden fast-track deportations now reserved for people caught right after crossing the border, potentially extending these expedited removals to places across the country including the Bay Area. Under the plan, people who have entered the country without documentation and cannot prove to an immigration agent that they have been in the U.S. for at least two years could be picked up and deported almost immediately, without appearing in front of a judge. The shift could allow President Trump to fulfill a central campaign promise and increase deportations while circumventing a court system that is severely backed up and short on resources, but advocates for immigrants in the Bay Area say it will destroy their due-process rights. Some are already warning immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally to prepare for the changes, in some cases by carrying proof of long-term residence. It is significant depending on how it is executed, said Noah Kroloff, a former senior Department of Homeland Security official who served as chief of staff for then-Secretary Janet Napolitano. It essentially means anyone who cannot demonstrate that they have been in the country for two years is potentially subject to expedited removal by immigration authorities. The growth of expedited removal would rely on a policy that was on the books when the president took office, but was not used to its full extent under past administrations. How exactly the administration might carry out the deportations is not known, because the Department of Homeland Security has yet to officially publish its policy. In a memo released last week, Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly said he planned to expand immediate deportations, but he did not include details. He noted that he had the power to extend the program to immigrants across the country who have lived here for less than two years and came into the country without proper documents. Moises Castillo/Associated Press Trumps executive order on immigration, signed Jan. 25, called on Kelly to fully enforce the statute on expedited removals, which was instituted in 1996. That would mark a shift from Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, who limited the mechanism to those who were in the country less than 14 days and found within 100 miles of a border. Advocates are bracing for what could be a dramatic change given that, under Trumps executive order, nearly all immigrants in the country without documentation are now considered priorities for removal. They say continuous residency in the U.S. for more than two years can be difficult for many people to immediately document, and are concerned that decisions on whether expedited removals should proceed will be made by on-the-ground immigration officers, not judges. The potential for due-process violations is vast, they say, and would add to an already heightened sense of fear in immigrant communities. Its going to be an avalanche. We know its coming, but it isnt here yet, said Zachary Nightingale, an immigration attorney at Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale, LLP in San Francisco. While a majority of the nations 11 million unauthorized immigrants have been in the country for at least a decade, according to the Pew Research Center, Nightingale worries that raids could force the swift removal of individuals who dont have immediate proof of long-term residency. He has begun telling some people to carry such documentation, if possible. Experts such as Pratheepan Gulasekaram, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law, believe the number of expedited removals could increase exponentially. According to the most recent government statistics, the Department of Homeland Security ordered more than 176,000 people to be removed with fast-track deportations in 2014. Theoretically, somebody encountered in the middle of Kansas, who may have been in the country many years, is going to essentially be subject to expedited removal that is a serious bill of rights, due-process problem, said Gulasekaram. He predicts numerous legal challenges to any such expansion. In his speech to Congress on Tuesday, Trump said that by finally enforcing our immigration laws, the country will raise wages, help the unemployed and save billions of dollars while enhancing safety. But tougher immigration enforcement requires resources, including more federal agents, judges and detention facilities. In his memo, Kelly noted there are more than 534,000 cases a record high pending nationwide in immigration courts, and that some individuals wont have cases heard by a judge for up to five years. 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. This unacceptable delay affords removable aliens with no plausible claim for relief to remain unlawfully in the United States for many years, Kelly said. Those whose cases are heard in immigration court can hire an attorney to present their case in front of a judge, and they can appeal any removal order, first to a special board and then to a federal court. Thats not the case with expedited removals: An immigration officer arrests an individual and makes the deportation order on the same day, advocates say. There is no right to appeal to a court, though individuals can ask for asylum by citing the purported danger of a return to their home country. Gulasekaram said broadening expedited removals or even discussing the prospect of doing so could force immigrants into the shadows, making them much more hesitant to engage in any form of communication with government, any officers, be they federal immigration officers or local. The shift could also dissuade some migrants from crossing the border to begin with, which is the goal of the Trump administration, he said. It creates a climate of fear, Gulasekaram said. Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz The unicorns are leaving their pen. These private companies worth more than $1 billion have been caught between eager venture capitalists who have pumped up their private-market valuation and skeptical public-market investors. But now that Snap has leaped through the gate with its Thursday initial public offering, MuleSoft could be the next to make it out. Both companies make software and both have seen rapidly growing sales. But MuleSoft is far closer to making money, with a sustainable business model in which other businesses pay it regular, recurring fees. So naturally, the San Francisco company has been nearly invisible to the broader public. Silicon Valley and Wall Street have long loved sexy new consumer technology, particularly when it comes to persuading rooms full of investors in Midwestern cities that theyre buying into the next big thing. Snap, a Los Angeles company, makes the popular photo messaging app Snapchat, an easy sell because its used by most prospective shareholders kids. The company raised $3.4 billion on Thursday; its shares closed the week above $27, giving it a valuation of $31 billion. MuleSoft has yet to price its offering, but something tells me the company will come nowhere near Snap in valuation or buzz. Yes, MuleSoft makes boring cloud software for businesses, and your kid will never talk to you about it. But if you were to judge a company exclusively by its fundamentals, MuleSoft clearly is the sounder long-term investment. Lets start with the financials. In 2016, MuleSoft lost a modest $49.6 million on sales of $187.7 million, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The loss was due chiefly to marketing expenses, which can be high for cloud businesses. Snap, which allows mobile users to send photos that automatically disappear after a brief period, also has a way of making money disappear. The company lost $514.6 million on sales of $404.5 million last year, which means it spends more than $2 for every $1 it takes in. And it expects operating expenses to grow. But Snap presents the bigger growth opportunity, no? Snaps revenue grew sevenfold last year. The company makes money from selling advertising, a global market it says will expand to $767 billion in 2020 from last years $652 billion. Even if it takes a small slice of that away from the likes of Google and Facebook, theres a lot of room to grow. Snap has benefited from a dearth of growth tech IPOs in recent years, said Matthew Kennedy, an analyst with Renaissance Capital in Greenwich, Conn., which tracks stock offerings. Advertising spending, however, is highly fickle, and Snap faces big competition from Google, Twitter and Facebook. Snapchat is a disaster for advertisers, Mike Wade, a professor of innovation and strategy at the IMD business school in Switzerland, wrote in an email. People dont go to Snapchat to search for information (like Google) to find a job (like LinkedIn), to deeply engage with friends (like Facebook) or to buy stuff (like Amazon and Alibaba). Its medium, much like Twitter, is inherently poorly designed to support advertising, and beyond this, there are no obvious sources of revenue or profit. (Snap has also started selling camera-equipped sunglasses called Spectacles, but its too early to tell how its hardware sales are going.) By comparison, MuleSoft sells software subscriptions to businesses, which means the company enjoys a stable source of recurring revenue. And MuleSoft hardly lacks for growth: From 2014 to 2016, revenue more than tripled. Research firm Gartner estimates that the market for global cloud services will hit $383.4 billion in 2020, compared with $209.2 billion last year. It may not be as big as the advertising business, but its not a bad place to be. Despite the lack of chatter surrounding MuleSoft, Kennedy predicts that more sophisticated investors like mutual funds and pension funds will gravitate toward the company. He noted the successful stock debut last year of Nutanix, a San Jose firm that also makes cloud software. On its first day of trading, Nutanix more than doubled, from $16 to $37 per share. The company has since cooled off, but Fridays closing price of $23 represents a nearly 44 percent gain from its offering price. MuleSoft also enjoys an edge over Snap for another, less obvious reason. The company offers shareholders the right to vote on matters like board elections, and mergers and acquisitions. Snap does not. Other than voting with their portfolios by selling their shares, investors have no way to influence the way CEO Evan Spiegel runs the company. Spiegel is treating investors as a nuisance, not an asset. Shareholder engagement is an important check on executives, especially inexperienced ones like Spiegel, who went straight from Stanford to startup. He may fashion himself as the next Mark Zuckerberg, who exercises near total control over Facebook through its share structure, but at least Facebook is minting money. In fact, Snaps stock structure invites instability. Should Snap fail and run out of cash, Spiegel will find it hard to raise additional capital from Wall Street when investors lack voting rights. The world has a way of extracting retribution for acts of hubris, said Adam Epstein, founder of Third Creek Advisors, a Bay Area corporate governance advisory firm. Epstein predicts that institutional investors will buy smaller amounts of Snap shares and hold them for shorter periods. Those Snap shares might be the Wall Street equivalent of a Snapchat photo: enjoyed for a fleeting moment before disappearing from memory. MuleSoft, though? You can frame that picture. Thomas Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: tlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByTomLee After soaring monthly bills from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. this winter prompted a public outcry, California utility regulators said Thursday that they will consider tweaking natural gas rates to ease the pain. The California Public Utilities Commission, which sets rates for the states three big utilities, said it will consider ways to prevent future spikes in monthly gas bills. In particular, the commission may adjust the baseline a figure that represents a portion of an average residential customers monthly gas usage that is used to calculate rates. The move came one day after state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, issued a report examining the likely causes of this winters high bills. He also suggested steps the commission could take, such as changing the baseline during winter months. Hill represents San Bruno, site of the deadly 2010 explosion of a PG&E gas pipeline, and he has been a fierce critic of both PG&E and the commission. And yet, the commission on Thursday praised his suggestions. There are many solid recommendations in Senator Hills report, the commission said. We will review the report closely to determine the best way to implement appropriate measures, such as adjusting the winter baseline. Hills report largely echoes PG&Es explanation for the rising bills, with some additions. Following the San Bruno explosion, the commission authorized PG&E to increase its natural gas rates to pay for upgrades to the companys sprawling gas pipeline network. The most recent rate hike of 13 percent took effect in August but attracted scant notice, since most Californians use little gas during the summer. That changed when the winter proved to be colder and wetter than the last. In addition, wholesale natural gas prices are higher than last year. Hills report, however, also highlighted another possible cause. Rates for both electricity and gas are calculated using a baseline, a figure meant to represent a portion of a typical customers monthly usage. Customers are charged a higher rate when their usage exceeds the baseline. According to Hill, the baseline used by PG&E with the commissions approval was lower in December and January than required by state law. As a result, PG&E customers often found themselves paying the higher rate. Even if they used only 20 percent more gas in January than they did in the same month last year, their bill could be 40 percent higher, according to the report. The research showed that the most vulnerable are being hit the hardest at a time when they need heating the most, Hill said in a statement accompanying the report. PG&E and the Public Utilities Commission need to prioritize customer heating needs in a way I have not yet seen. PG&E spokesman Donald Cutler said the utility will study Hills report. All of the utilitys rates, he said, had been developed with the full involvement and approval of the commission. But of course we understand that any changes to a customers rate that result in an higher than expected bill are frustrating, and we are here to help our customers take control of their energy use and manage costs, Cutler wrote in an email. David R. Baker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dbaker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DavidBakerSF Biologists and staff from the states departments of Fish and Wildlife and Water Resources have been mucking through a river-swollen landscape to rescue Chinook salmon and steelhead trout trapped in the aftermath of massive flooding from the Oroville dam spillway. We rescued a whole bunch of fish, said Andrew Hughan, an information officer for Fish and Wildlife, who was on the scene. It was an amazing effort. After officials from the Department of Water Resources reduced the flow from the damaged spillway into the Feather River from 50,000 cubic feet per second to zero Monday, water receded so quickly it left behind isolated puddles and small ponds along on the sides of the river, with many fish stranded inside. Between Tuesday and Thursday, the rescue crew saved close to 1,900 trapped Chinook salmon and steelhead, including some on the endangered list and over 1,700 juvenile fall run Chinook salmon, plus 1,500 to 2,000 fish of other species. The flooding comes after years of drought have stressed native salmon and steelhead populations, some under endangered status, that migrate between the Pacific Ocean and the Feather River as well as other spawning grounds. The department sent as many as 14 boats a day down the Feather River, each with four people equipped with high-resolution aerial photos to guide them to the isolated puddles and ponds, many 50 and 100 yards away from the river, hidden by thick mud and underbrush. They plan to continue as long as they find fish, possibly through Saturday. Often theyre not accessible. Its one thing to be looking at a map and one thing to be tromping through the mud, said Hughan. Were not going to jeopardize someones safety for fish. The Department of Water Resources said it had to quickly stop the flow of water from the dam while there was a break in the winter storms, in order to inspect the damaged spillway and dam and to start removing a huge pile of debris. With the sun shining, sometimes the shallow puddles evaporated before crews got to them, though the staff reported finding only a few dead salmon. They used nets to collect the live fish and catalog them, then transferred them to back to the river. The rescued juvenile fall-run Chinook salmon will be adults during the 2019 and 2020 salmon fishing season, if they survive the rest of the trip to the Pacific Ocean and grow into maturity. Conservation groups like San Franciscos Bay Institute applaud the effort but wish more had been done to protect the Chinook salmon and steelhead habitat in the first place. Its always better to avoid the disaster than to try to clean up after it, and this was a very avoidable scenario, said Jonathan Rosenfield of the Bay Institute. Weve known about the spillway capacity problems for a long time. The dams operators have been aware of capacity and safety problems at the dam for years. Young salmon in the area had to be rescued weeks earlier when debris pouring into the river from the spillway clouded up water in the Feather River Fish Hatchery 4 miles downstream from the dam, endangering the lives of around 7 million hatchlings. Those fish were too young to be released into the river, so the Department of Fish and Wildlife trucked most of them down to another holding facility. Many were lost. In addition to the threat to juvenile fish, the rush of water from the spillway overflow might have destroyed the Feather Rivers steelhead trout spawning grounds, , said Colin Purdy, a senior environmental scientist supervisor at the Department of Fish and Wildlife, who was part of the rescue effort. The floods may have washed the eggs away from their gravel redds or nests, or sediment in the water could have killed the eggs. The Feather river is just one of the spawning habitats for Chinook salmon and steelhead, but the recent Oroville flooding certainly isnt helping the struggling fish, Rosenfield said. The fact that it happened in the context of the population being so severely depressed because of our water management during the drought and prior to the drought makes this years mini disaster on the Feather into a major impact that will be felt in the commercial fisheries for years to come. Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Hear by. Hearby. Hereby. The third time was the charm for President Trump on Twitter Friday afternoon, as he took three tweets over a span of 15 minutes to land on the correct spelling of hereby in calling for an investigation of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for her own meeting with the Russian ambassador to the United States. In an interview with Politico earlier Friday, Pelosi, D-San Francisco, claimed she had never met with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, now in center of allegations he met with Trump advisers during the presidential campaign. Russian officials have been accused of meddling in the election to help Trump win. Not with this Russian ambassador, no, Pelosi told Politicos Playbook roundup when asked if she had ever met with Kislyak. But Politico has since uncovered a file photo from Pelosis 2010 meeting with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that shows Kislyak described in a Washington Post profile as quiet, careful, rumpled and portly seated across the table from Pelosi. A spokesman for Pelosi told Politico that of course what Pelosi meant was that she never had a one-on-one meeting with Kislyak. Trump, tweeting from his personal Twitter account the day after his U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations involving Russian involvement in the presidential campaign, seized on the Pelosi-Kislyak revelation and linked to the Politico piece in his call for an investigation. Earlier Friday, Trump tweeted a 2003 photo of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it, Trumps tweet finally said after deleting two earlier posts in which he had trouble spelling the word hereby. In the photo Schumer and Putin, the two men are smiling over doughnuts. Schumer noted in a tweet that the meeting occurred in public and in full view of the press. Schumer added on Twitter that the doughnuts in question were Krispy Kreme. The Chronicle has written about ties between Kislyak and American politicians before. Here are some links: Sessions recuses himself from Russia investigations Pelosi accuses Sessions of lying under oath Pelosi, other Dems urge Sessions to resign over his contact with Russians Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate President Trumps prayers werent answered. Or maybe they were. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Friday that he will terminate himself from hosting Celebrity Apprentice. The one-time Mr. Universe bodybuilder said the baggage resulting from Trumps ascendance from the boardroom to the White House was too heavy for him to lift the show out of a slump. Schwarzeneggers decision came a month after Trump asked attendees at the National Prayer Breakfast to pray for the Terminator star amid low ratings. I loved every second of working with NBC and Mark Burnett, the shows producer, Schwarzenegger said in a statement released through his representative, Daniel Ketchell. Everyone from the celebrities to the crew to the marketing department was a straight 10, and I would absolutely work with all of them again on a show that doesn't have this baggage. In an interview with Empire magazine published Friday, Schwarzenegger said Trumps involvement as an executive producer on the reality show turned off viewers and sponsors, leading him to quit. Even if asked [to do it again] I would decline, Schwarzenegger told Empire. With Trump being involved in the show, people have a bad taste and dont want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show. Its a very divisive period now and I think this show got caught up in all that division. Trump and Schwarzenegger had spent months exchanging jabs over the show, which Schwarzenegger took over after campaign duties prevented Trump from hosting. At the Feb. 2 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C., Trump highlighted the drop in ratings since he was replaced. They hired a big, big movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger to take my place. And we know how that turned out, Trump said. The ratings went right down the tubes. Its been a total disaster... I want to just pray for Arnold if we can. Schwarzenegger quickly responded in a video posted to Twitter. Hey Donald, I have a great idea. Why dont we switch jobs? he said. You take over TV, because youre such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job, and then people can finally sleep comfortably again, hm? Trump seemed to support Schwarzenegger at one point during his candidacy. When the new host announcement came in September 2015, he tweeted, Congrats to my friend @Schwarzenegger who is doing next seasons Celebrity Apprentice. He'll be great & will raise lots of $ for charity. But on Jan. 6, Trump criticized the new hosts ratings, saying Schwarzenegger got swamped, and calling himself, DJT, a ratings machine. Schwarzenegger responded: I wish you the best of luck and I hope you'll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings. The Chronicle has published several articles on the friendship-turned-feud between Trump and Schwarzenegger. Here are some links: Trump update: President trashes Schwarzeneggers TV ratings Trump can't say 'Hasta la vista' to 'Celebrity Apprentice' Trump trolls Schwarzenegger over 'Celebrity Apprentice' ratings Trump, Schwarzenegger are only celebrity-deep similar Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno James Steidl / James Steidl / ST Two men who smashed their way into the Santa Rosa home of a known marijuana grower who took to the intrusion by shooting a third accomplice dead were sentenced to prison, prosecutors said Friday. Under the terms of a plea agreement, Miguel Flores Jr. was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison on charges of conspiracy to commit home invasion robbery and residential burglary, according to the Sonoma County District Attorneys Office. The Bay Areas scrappier art exhibition venues can be a challenge to visit. There are spaces open only one or two afternoons a week, and ones that see virtually all their traffic on a single opening night. Theres even a place that serves as a part-time home and then, for public hours, is completely transformed into a white-box gallery. I recently stopped at the Luggage Store and San Francisco Camerawork, two venerable nonprofits that sit side by side on a still-recovering stretch of Market Street. Both are upstairs from the street, and you ring a doorbell for entry. Well after the published opening time, the Luggage Store did not respond. When I returned 30 minutes later, I was asked to view one exhibition until the second was available: Someone had brought home the laptop with the essential video, and he was late for work. Next door at Camerawork, a handwritten note read, DOORBELL BROKEN. CALL: (415) 487-1011. I called and was beckoned up the steep stairs. A pleasant attendant greeted me on the second floor: Welcome to the not-for-profit world. SF Camerawork Look closely: The rewards of a visit, though, can repay the effort many times over. The exhibition surrounding me at Camerawork Sanaz Mazinanis Signal to Noise, which runs through April 22 was anything but provisional. And both shows at the Luggage Store, designed to look in-process, were of special note. Mazinani has shown sculpture and installation pieces at the Asian Art Museum and other venues. This exhibition is honed to photography and light-based works. These, too, have a sculptural aspect, but their more modest scale encourages us to look more closely at details we might miss in a room-size art environment. Most of the objects on view are montages of what must be thousands of individual photographic images, digitally stitched together into dazzling symmetrical designs. The patterns remind one of stained glass windows or nearer in cultural context for the Iranian-born San Francisco artist Persian mosaics. The angled supports on which they are impeccably mounted might be corners of rooms into which we peer or, taken as independent sculptural forms, vaguely aeronautic objects suggesting radar dishes, drones or advanced jet airplanes. Courtesy SF Camerawork Close inspection (bring your reading glasses, if not a magnifier) reveals the tiny picture-tiles to be news photographs. In two works called Redacted March (#1 and #3, 2011 and 2013), long processions of flag-draped coffins are discernible. We are reminded that such pictures were censored by the Defense Department for nearly two decades, until the Obama administration lifted the ban in 2009. Explosion (2013) glories in the visual attractions of multiple fiery bomb bursts against a clear sky. Trump on TV (2016) references the visual ubiquity of the then-presidential candidate. Mazinanis photographic works describe the thrill and vivid colors of media saturation, even as they obliterate content and dull detail. They are brilliant, precisely because they leave nothing behind but empty excitement. Luggage Store Gallery Domestic disturbances: Sahar Khourys exhibition at the Luggage Store fills a substantial gallery, and its a killer. By that I mean it is twisted and unpredictable in all the best ways, but also that some of her works are knifed apart. One work was finished off with gunshots. Khoury shows off a wide range of technical experiment, from hand-formed ceramic to cast cement to papier-mache. These are unconventionally combined, whether together or with scraps of found materials. The works often reference the domestic vase forms on stands, paintings pieced together from old clothing but they can also be abstract in unbalanced, unnatural ways. All of them are rough, some brutal, like adolescent products of a violently dysfunctional home. A gang of free-standing integers, each the height of a woman and woozily anchored by a heavy metal or poured concrete footing, occupies the center of the gallery. A handout says the work is untitled, but it sorts the numbers into spans of years (1948/1995, 1953/1979) that mark nationality and memory formation in Iranian and Palestinian histories. It doesnt take Wikipedia to know that these were periods of instability and violence, of clashing cultures and splintered social structures. Luggage Store Gallery Surrealist documents: On another floor at the Luggage Store, Anne Walsh shows a puzzling collection of notes and documents at one end of a long room, opposite a video wall at the other end. With some effort, we glean that this could be a film or book one day, centered on a particular work by a certain key figure of Surrealism. I will not play the spoiler. It is clearly a very personal project for the artist, and absorbing on that psychological level. 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. Western tales: Jules Maeght Gallery has for more than two years pursued a vigorous program just outside the media spotlight. That may be a consequence of its location in a zone better known for dining than art viewing. More likely it stems from an eclectic, hard-to-pin-down program. But it is always worth a visit. The current exhibition, Bitter Creek Sweet Water, teases out a proclivity for themes of the American West in the work of four San Francisco artists: Marshall Elliott, Paul Kos, Isabelle Sorrell and Christopher Upham. The show is marked by a strong conceptual bent and not a little humor. Watch where you step. Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicles art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1 Signal to Noise: Sanaz Mazinani. Noon-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; Noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Through April 22. Free. San Francisco Camerawork, 1011 Market St., second floor, S.F. (415) 487-1011. www.sfcamerawork.org They: Separate exhibitions of works by Sahar Khoury and Anne Walsh. Noon-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. Through March 18. Free. The Luggage Store, 1007 Market St., S.F. (415) 255-5971. www.luggagestoregallery.org Bitter Creek Sweet Water: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Through April 29. Free. Jules Maeght Gallery, 149 Gough St., S.F. (415) 549-7046. https://julesmaeghtgallery.com It took years of public pressure and a lawsuit, but the California Department of Public Health has finally released a set of guidelines for the public about the risks associated with cell phone use and the best ways for cell phone users to reduce their exposure to potential dangers. What on earth took so long? We asked the department for an answer to this question. It didnt offer us a direct response but wrote, Th(is) project was discontinued when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued national guidance on the same subject. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that more research is needed about the subject. However, the states document, dated April 2014 and stamped draft and not for public release, used then-existing scientific research. It paints a very clear picture of the potential dangers of cell phone use. Health officials are concerned about possible health effects from cell phone EMFs (electromagnetic fields) because some recent studies suggest that long-term cell phone use may increase the risk of brain cancer and other health problems, the guidelines read. The two-page document goes on to suggest ways to lower your exposure, including using speaker phone and headsets, keeping the phone away from your body when its not being used, and sending text messages instead of voice calls. Californias public health department released the document only after a judge said she would order the guidelines to be disclosed. Joel Moskowitz, a public health researcher at UC Berkeley, sued the department last year after repeatedly requesting them. Moskowitz, who has repeatedly sounded alarms about the potential risks of cell phone EMFs, pronounced himself pleased with the draft guidelines and unconvinced by arguments about the lack of conclusive scientific proof. That argument would say youd never raise any concerns about pesticides, Moskowitz said. We dont have absolute conclusive proof with regard to a lot of toxic measures. At the very least this supports much stronger regulation of this industry. Theres a substantial scientific community thats been calling for caution for decades now. There have also been a substantial number of public officials calling for caution and being shot down. In San Francisco, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom championed 2010 legislation mandating cell phone retailers display radiation levels next to each phone for sale. The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, a trade group representing cell phone companies, sued San Francisco over the law. San Francisco dropped the fight after a three-year battle. The association also sued the city of Berkeley after it adopted an ordinance in 2015 requiring cell phone retailers to warn customers about potential health impacts. Its certainly true that more study is needed, but that doesnt mean the scientific community believes theres no threat. In fact, the threat at the moment seems to be the suppression of scientific concerns and necessary consumer information. President Trump called Friday afternoon on Twitter for his second investigation of the day after a 2010 photo of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi emerged that showed her meeting with the Russian ambassador to the United States after she said she had not done so. In an interview Friday morning with Politicos Playbook, Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said she had never met with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Not with this Russian ambassador, no, Pelosi told Politico. But shortly after the interview, a photo uncovered by Politico seemed to contradict her. It depicts a 2010 bipartisan affair with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which Pelosi was seated at a table across from Kislyak. Kislyak is now at the center of allegations he met with Trump advisers, including U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, during the presidential campaign. Russian officials have been accused of meddling in the election to help Trump win. I hereby demand a second investigation, after (Senate Minority Leader Chuck) Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it, Trump tweeted in his third attempt in 15 minutes. Two previous tweets misspelled hereby. In a reply, Pelosi said that Trump doesnt know the difference between her open 2010 meeting with Russian leaders and that of Sessions secret one. Trumps earlier Twitter attack of Schumer, D-N.Y., stemmed from a 14-year-old photo the president tweeted Friday of Schumer meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin for doughnuts. In a rebuttal tweet, Schumer said his meeting took place in public, adding a challenge to Trump and his administration to discuss under oath their own alleged ties to Russia. In an interview, a spokesman for Pelosi clarified her answer to Politico, saying the congresswoman believed the news groups reporters were asking about one on one meetings with the Russian ambassador. The spokesman, Drew Hammill, said that the meeting in the U.S. Capitol building, which also included then-Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., was comparing apples to oranges to the kind of secret, closed-to-the-media meeting that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions staged with his senior staffers and Kislyak. A transcript of Pelosis remarks at the 2010 gathering, which was provided by her office shortly after the meeting, suggested nothing out of the ordinary. It is not illegal or uncommon for U.S. politicians to meet with ambassadors or foreign heads of state. According to the transcript, Pelosi thanked Medvedev with Kislyak seated across from her for his leadership to secure and reduce nuclear stockpiles, as well as pursuing a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and imposing sanctions on Iran and North Korea. Hammill said, citing a review of Pelosis schedule, that she had not since met with Kislyak or other Russian heads of state since 2010 in a similar small setting. Pelosi, like other politicians, has since attended larger meetings with hundreds of people where Kislyak was present, Hammill said including ones between House Democrats and half a dozen diplomats, including Kislyak, on the Iran deal with about 200 attendees. I dont know if you consider that a meeting, Hammill said. I dont. Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Matt Phillips, an artist and academic credited with reviving and promoting the monotype style for making singular impressions on paper, died Wednesday at age 89. Mr. Phillips, a longtime resident of Emeryville, died at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland from congestive heart failure, said his son, Joshua Phillips of New York City. Matt helped foster a new regard for the monotype as an artistically viable medium, said his ex-wife Sandra S. Phillips, curator emerita of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He also made eloquent work of his own in monotype and painting. These works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and 156 works are in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Mr. Phillips taught literature and philosophy at the American University of Paris, and later built up the art department at Bard College in upstate New York, where he taught for 27 years. He often described himself as a painter-poet, said his youngest daughter Miriam Phillips, a professor of dance at the University of Maryland. He was also a magician and a world traveler. He loved color and markets and would always carry sketchbooks and pencils with him. When he returned from a trip, hed fill in these sketches in watercolor. Then he would use a sketch as a study to paint a picture on a copper plate. Finally, the image was pressed onto rice paper to create the finished artwork. He was known as the master of monotype, said his daughter. This mastery was recognized by Stanford University, which acquired all of his sketchbooks, spanning 50 years, for the Special Collections at Stanford University Libraries. It was introduced with an exhibition in 2001, and a catalog titled Matt Phillips: The Magic of His Prints. In 2002, The Chronicle described Mr. Phillips workday as starting at 5:30 a.m. with the ancient martial art tai chi, and all his art thereafter was also done in the ancient way. My one concession to a mechanical tool is an etching press, he told The Chronicle in 2002. I don't have a computer or email. I stand by the No. 2 pencil. It has served me well. Born in New York City and raised in Atlantic City and Philadelphia, Mr. Phillips began his art education at the Barnes Foundation in Pennsylvania. He earned a masters in literature at the University of Chicago, in 1952, and also did graduate work at Stanford. Mr. Phillips first taught at Penn State, then answered a call for expatriate professors to the American University of Paris. It was here that he transitioned from a man of letters to a visual artist. In 1964, he returned to join the art department at Bard College in New York, where he met the former Sandra Sammataro, who was on her way to a doctorate in art history. They were married in 1968, and Mr. Phillips retired in 1987. That same year his wife was hired by SFMOMA, and they moved to San Francisco. They divorced in 1989. For 20 years, Mr. Phillips has shown his work at Meyerovich Gallery in San Franciscos Union Square. The most recent exhibition of his work was Matt Phillips: I Am Not Done With My Changes, in the fall of 2012. He was very brave, very creative, very consistent and very committed, said gallery owner Alex Meyerovich. He loved to be part of the art world, and he belonged to a very important generation of American artists. His first marriage to actress Lois Shapiro, who championed him in his early painting career, ended in divorce in 1967. She died in 2007. His daughter, Elizabeth Phillips, a renowned dealer of avant-garde artist books, passed away in 2015. Mr. Phillips was also married to paper conservator Susannah Hays, his collaborator on limited edition art books. They divorced in 1997, after six years of marriage, but maintained their artistic collaboration. Survivors include his partner, poet Elizabeth Chapman of Palo Alto, daughters Kate Phillips of Oakland and Miriam Phillips of Washington, D.C., a son, Joshua Phillips, of New York City, and a brother, Alan Phillips, of Seattle. Services are pending. Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF Instagram: @sfchronicle_art This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate At least 10 people were arrested and many others bloodied and bruised as a Berkeley rally supporting President Trump turned violent Saturday when fistfights broke out between marchers and counterprotesters, and crowds of masked anarchists joined the fray. This is a sad day, Berkeley Councilman Ben Bartlett told reporters. Were better than this. The rally, one of several pro-Trump events held across the United States, began at 2 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. Thats less than a mile from the UC Berkeley campus where a violent protest Feb. 1 forced the cancellation of a speech by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. The fighting Saturday started even before the event began, with people throwing punches, swinging signs and tossing smoke bombs. Hundreds of people filled the park, with anarchists and counterdemonstrators far outnumbering what rally sponsors estimated were 60 to 75 Trump supporters. By 3 p.m., the self-proclaimed anarchists were dominating the crowd. Dressed all in black and wearing cloth bandannas over their faces, they stopped traffic as they marched from the park through downtown with the smaller mix of Trump supporters and counterprotesters. In the park, people opposed to Trump threw eggs and burned both American flags and the red Make America Great Again Trump campaign hats. Kiki Valenzuela, a sophomore at Berkeley High School, was at the rally to protest Trump. She wore a short-sleeved shirt reading liberal elite and said she was excited for her first taste of activism. But when the crowds became violent, with people beating each other until they bled, the 16-year-old became scared and ran to the perimeter. More for you New Trump entry ban expected to be unveiled on Monday Its weird to see the (Trump) supporters in my city and my town, she said. Its the first time for me, and its kind of scary and dangerous. BART service to downtown Berkeley was suspended for a time due to what transit district officials described as civil disturbance. This is the most immature and disgusting display of human interaction, said David Tomes of San Rafael, a pro-Trump marcher with a Dont Tread on Me flag draped around his shoulders and an American flag in one hand. The 49-year-old said he owns a yoga studio in Petaluma and has been targeted for his political beliefs. Trump supporter Jared Malan, 27, wore civilian fatigues and gripped an American flag as he stood at the park Saturday afternoon, silently watching the bouts of shouting and sign burning. Malan said most of the Trump supporters left soon after the violence started. It got pretty heated. There were a few brawls, he said. When we went for the march we were followed. A lot of people were attacked. Malan said Trump wasnt his first choice for president but that he appreciated some of those around him, like Vice President Mike Pence. At this point in time, we agree with the stance Trump has made on a few important issues, he said. Demonstrators on each side carried signs that either decried or proclaimed support for Trump. The lighthearted tune of an ice cream truck played from a megaphone even as the fights broke out. The rally quickly devolved into a melee of shouting, shoving and punching. People tossed blue and white smoke bombs, scorching the grass, and a woman fired pepper spray into the crowd. Protesters had planned to go from the park to the UC Berkeley campus, but because of the troubles only marched in a loop from the park to Shattuck Avenue and back. Shocked residents who had been enjoying their sunny Saturday afternoon stared blankly at the display. Other people held up signs reading, Whats your ZIP code? and I am a local. Nancy Chase, who is retired and a Trump supporter, held a sign reading Grandmothers for Trump. I am here to show support in a positive way, she said. Im not looking for violence. These people just want to fight. They are anarchists in black, and its not what we are about. I just want to stand up for liberty. By 5:30 p.m. the rally had wound down as people wandered away from the park. Berkeley police arrested 10 people during the event, said city spokesman Matthai Chakko. While there were complaints that police did not act quickly to break up the fistfights and other attacks, city officials said there were concerns that if police became involved too quickly, the violence could have escalated. The goal was to work quickly to identify and arrest anyone specifically involved in criminal activity, Chakko said. We also made an attempt to intercede during acts of violence. Officers arrested five people on suspicion of battery and four on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Chakko said. One of those nine was arrested on suspicion of possessing an illegal dagger, which he did not use. Officers also confiscated metal pipes, bats, two-by-four pieces of wood and bricks. Members of the group that brought the bricks were detained but not arrested, Chakko said. Kat Mclain, 25, of San Francisco was walking the perimeter of the protest at around 4:30 p.m. She said she came to the event because she wanted to talk with the pro-Trump demonstrators but was disappointed as the afternoon devolved into violence. I wanted to hear about why people are supporting him, she said. I thought it would be fun and interesting. Its sad what it became. Lizzie Johnson and Jenna Lyons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com, jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @lizziejohnsonnn, @JennaJourno Trump supporters rally nationwide From Colorados state Capitol to Trump Tower in New York and the Washington Monument, groups of hundreds of people rallied for President Trump on Saturday, waving Deplorables for Trump signs and even carrying a life-size cutout of the president. Its nice to be surrounded by people who share your morals and opinions, said Chelsea Thomas, an accountant from Thornton, Colo., who brought her family to the March 4 Trump rally in Denver and the life-size cardboard cutout of Trump. Supporters at some of the rallies clashed with groups of counterprotesters. Six people protesting the rally in St. Paul, Minn., were arrested on felony riot charges after they lit fireworks inside the Minnesota State Capitol, police said. In Nashville, two people were arrested as protesters clashed with Trump supporters at the Tennessee Capitol. And in Olympia, Wash., the state patrol said four demonstrators were arrested. Near Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach Post reported that Trumps motorcade briefly stopped so the president could wave at supporters. Source: Associated Press If you missed it ... In a week when an Oscars accountant was black and white and red all over, we also saw: You arent as profitable as an 8-year-olds lemonade stand, but investors still think youre worth about $29 billion? Oh, Snap. Things are so stressful in the restaurant business that El Celler de Can Roca, a top spot in Spain, has psychologist Imma Puig come in once a week to talk with the staff, according to the New York Times. A kitchen has high temperature and a lot of people working at high speed, very close to each other, she told the Times, and with a knife in their hand. Hershey expects to cut its global workforce about 15 percent, mostly dumping hourly employees outside the United States. Also cutting dozens of workers, according to the Washington Post: the AFL-CIO, as union membership keeps fading. If youre a bad typist, you might not want to work for Amazon. The company says an incorrectly typed command during a routine debugging of its billing system caused a five-hour outage of some Amazon Web Services servers, which had a ripple effect on companies like Slack and Quora. Papa Johns is testing a $2.99 Papa Priority fee at some spots that lets people bump their pizza orders to the front of the line. If it ever does surge pricing like Uber, the fee will be about $500 on 4/20. Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicle General Wireless Operations, the joint venture between Sprint Corp. and the former RadioShack owners, is preparing to file for bankruptcy, according to people familiar with the matter. A filing could happen within days, and will probably result in liquidation, said the people, who asked not to be identified. The beleaguered company, which does business as RadioShack, operates outlets that share space with Sprints retail locations, as well as franchising the name to other stores. Top tweet I know one person who isnt getting rich in the Snapchat IPO. Hint: the guy who didnt reply to this email. Congrats to everyone at $SNAP! That was from prominent venture investor Chris Sacca, pointing to a 2012 email from Snap co-founder Bobby Murphy. Quite a bit more fortunate: St. Francis High School in Mountain View, which agreed to invest $15,000 in seed money in Snap in 2012, based on a recommendation of Barry Eggers, a venture capitalist and parent of a student. That turned into about $24 million, which will go for financial aid, professional development, teacher training and school programs. Your degree is from where? An Iowa lawmaker who said on a government website that he had a business degree from the Forbco Management School may have been adding a little too much sizzle to his resume. NBC News reported that state Sen. Mark Chelgren got that alleged degree from a company that operated a Sizzler franchise. Iowa State Republicans spokesman Ed Failor told NBC that Forbco is kind of like Hamburger University at McDonalds. Here comes the burrito Diane Nguyen posted an Instagram photo of herself wearing a burrito-wrapper dress and wrote that she and her fiance share a love thats as cheesy as a quesadilla. Thats part of her entry in Taco Bells Love and Tacos contest, with the winners getting a trip to Las Vegas to get married in a chapel at the chains flagship restaurant. The wedding venue opens this year, and the winning couple will be announced this month. Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicle This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CAPE CANAVERAL SpaceX said last week that it will fly two people to the moon next year, a feat not attempted since NASAs Apollo heyday close to half a century ago. Tech billionaire Elon Musk the companys founder and chief executive officer announced the surprising news barely a week after launching his first rocket from NASAs legendary moon pad. Two people who know one another approached the company about sending them on a weeklong flight just beyond the moon, according to Musk. He wont identify the pair or the price tag. Theyve already paid a significant deposit and are very serious about it, he noted. Fly me to the moon ... OK, Musk said in a light-hearted tweet after the news conference. Musk said SpaceX is on track to launch astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA in mid-2018. This moon mission would follow about six months later, by the end of the year under the current schedule, using a Dragon crew capsule and a Falcon heavy rocket launched from NASAs former moon pad in Florida. If all goes as planned, it could happen close to the 50th anniversary of NASAs first manned flight to the moon, on Apollo 8. The SpaceX moon shot is designed to be autonomous unless something goes wrong, Musk said. I think they are entering this with their eyes open, knowing that there is some risk here, Musk told reporters in the telephone conference, a day after teasing in a tweet that an announcement of some sort was forthcoming. Theyre certainly not naive, and well do everything we can to minimize that risk, but its not zero. But theyre coming into this with their eyes open, said Musk, adding that the pair will receive extensive training before the flight. Musk said he does not have permission to release the passengers names, and he was hesitant to even say if they were men, women or even pilots. He would only admit, Its nobody from Hollywood. The paying passengers would make a long loop around the moon, skimming the lunar surface and then going well beyond, perhaps 300,000 or 400,000 miles distance altogether. Its about 240,000 miles to the moon alone, one way. The mission would not involve a lunar landing. This should be a really exciting mission that hopefully gets the world really excited about sending people into deep space again, Musk said. NASA will have first dibs on a similar mission if it so chooses, he said. The space agency learned of his plan at the same time as reporters. NASA commended SpaceX for reaching higher. In all, 24 astronauts flew to the moon and 12 walked its surface from 1969 to 1972. SpaceX already has a long list of firsts, with its sights ultimately set on Mars. It became the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and safely return it to Earth in 2010, and the first commercial enterprise to fly to the space station in 2012 on a supply mission. Last month, SpaceX made its latest delivery from Kennedy Space Centers legendary Launch Complex 39A, where the Apollo astronauts flew to the moon and shuttle crews rocketed into orbit. That will be where the private moon mission will originate as well. The crew Dragon capsule an upgraded version of the cargo Dragon has yet to fly in space. Neither has a Falcon Heavy rocket, which is essentially a Falcon 9 rocket with two strap-on boosters, according to Musk. A Falcon Heavy test flight is planned this summer, while an empty crew capsule is set to launch to the space station late this year. He said there will be ample time to test both the spacecraft and the rocket, before the moon mission. NASA said that it is studying the possibility of adding crew to the test flight of its mega-rocket, at the request of the Trump administration. Such a flight to the lunar neighborhood wouldnt happen before 2019 at best if, indeed, that option is even implemented. Musk said anything that advances the space exploration cause is good, no matter who goes first. Retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who will celebrate his homecoming this week from a one-year space mission, was quick to tweet: Its been almost a year. Send me! Musk said he expects to have more moon-mission customers as time goes by. At the same time, SpaceX is also working on a Red Dragon, meant to fly to Mars around 2020 with experiments, but no people and actually land. His ultimate goal is to establish a human settlement on Mars. Macia Dunn is an Associated Press writer. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Bay Area Mexican restaurant chain Tacolicious has agreed to pay $900,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by employees who claim they were denied meal and rest breaks and had their wages improperly withheld. Two line cooks sued the restaurant chain in 2015, alleging that the company did not properly compensate them and other hourly employees for the total time they worked and provided them with inaccurate wage statements, illegal deductions and failed to pay out for overtime and when employees left the restaurant. The workers eligible for a payout include all current and former hourly Tacolicious employees who worked at one of its restaurant locations from Aug. 14, 2010, through July 11 of last year. In a statement issued Friday, Tacolicious CEO Joe Hargrave said that the suit was a product of the companys rapid expansion since it opened as a food stand in 2009, which means weve had to learn on the job. Unfortunately, though our employees have always had their lunches and rest breaks, our loose record keeping at the beginning opened us up to the lawsuit which we recently settled, Hargrave said. If any of this sounds defensive, it is. We do our best to take care of our employees as well as the Bay Area community. He also took aim at Liberation Law Group, the San Francisco firm representing the cooks who filed the suit, noting that the firm would receive 30 times more from the lawsuit than an individual employee would under the settlement. Liberation is set to receive $270,000, or 30 percent of the total settlement amount. The firm did not respond to requests for comment. According to court documents filed Feb. 24 indicating that the parties had reached a settlement, Tacolicious maintains that it is not liable for any of the claims alleged by the cooks, but decided to settle to avoid incurring more litigation costs. Attorneys at the law firm Jackson Lewis who represented Tacolicious also did not respond to requests for comment. The settlement agreement still needs to be approved by a San Francisco Superior Court judge. A hearing is scheduled for March 15. Tacolicious operates three restaurants in San Francisco, one in Palo Alto and one in San Jose. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa Michael Macor / The Chronicle Two correctional deputies with the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office were on administrative leave Friday following their arrests, one accused of assaulting an inmate, the other of illicitly recording a supervisor, an official said. The independent allegations are the latest for the sheriffs office in a line of alleged misconduct. Santa Clara County recently settled for $3.6 million with the family of a mentally ill inmate, Michael Tyree, who was allegedly beaten to death by three correctional officers. A 12-year-old boy and his mother are suing BART, saying he was first victimized by a robber, who took his wallet at gunpoint on a station platform, then by police, who were lackadaisical in their investigation. Hopefully, we can make BART safer for its passengers, and make BART police more enthusiastic about doing their jobs, said Paul Justi, an attorney for the mother and son. The boy, who attends Oakland Military Institute, rode BART to El Cerrito Del Norte Station about 5:30 p.m. on April 1, got off the train and walked toward a stairway when the robber pushed a gun into his waist, directed him to a dark area of a staircase, and demanded his wallet, said Justi, who filed the suit this week in Contra Costa County Superior Court. Terrified, the boy ran from the station when he saw no station agent and got on the closest bus before phoning his mother. She called BART police to report the crime, and mother and son met with police about two hours later to file a report. Neither the mother nor the son is named in the suit to protect the boys identity. BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said the transit agency took the case very seriously. We did not take it lackadaisically, Trost said. Its a 12-year-old kid. Thats very serious. BART, the suit charges, should have known that the station had a high level of criminal activity and taken adequate security measures, including better video surveillance and properly staffing the station. Police reviewed footage from cameras in the station but were unable to find video of the suspect. The mother said police told her it would be difficult to identify a suspect using video because of its poor quality. Like any property owner, BART has the responsibility to maintain its property in a reasonably safe condition, and it failed to do that, Justi said. The robbery came just a couple of months after BART officials acknowledged that most of the surveillance cameras on its trains were inoperable decoys and agreed to replace them with working equipment after they were besieged with complaints from riders. Trost said BARTs stations are safe and protected by a robust surveillance system with cameras in multiple areas. BART police also seemed uninterested in pursuing a vigorous investigation, Justi said. In addition to what he called their lackadaisical approach to reviewing surveillance video, they werent interested when the mother told them her sons stolen Clipper card was being used and could be tracked. Police had a sketch artist draw a picture of the suspect, the suit says, but failed to distribute it to the public, sharing it only internally. Frustrated with what she considered an inadequate investigation, the mother turned to Justi for help. She felt like she was having to advocate for them to do their own job and that they were annoyed with her, Justi said. Trost said BART police conducted a thorough and serious investigation. We immediately assigned an investigator, we met with family, went through hours and hours of surveillance footage based on what the boy said he and the suspect were wearing, she said. When we found no video, we hired a sketch artist and shared it with other law enforcement agencies. Justi said the incident has left the boy less confident and independent, and that his grades at school had fallen. The suit seeks unspecified damages, including punitive damages intended to get BART to change its ways. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The folks at Heritage Auctions are set to auction off a number of personal items from the estate of actress and Texas native Farrah Fawcett later on this month. The lot of Fawcett paraphernalia includes clothes, costumes, scripts, books and even her personal Rolodexes, address and date books. FOREVER FARRAH: Remembering Farrah Fawcett on the 70th anniversary of her birth Fawcett died on June 25, 2009 at the age of 62 after fighting cancer for nearly three years. She left behind her partner, actor Ryan ONeal, and one son they had together in 1985. This is the second such Fawcett auction that Heritage Auctions has handled featuring belongings and memorabilia consigned by her nephew, Gregory Walls, of Houston. Known for her bubbly spirit, blonde mane and pin-up model beauty, Fawcett was one of the most beloved TV stars of the '70s and '80s for her role on "Charlie's Angels," where the world first met her. An auction in late 2013 of jewelry, scripts, awards, costumes and personal mementos netted some $500,000. A portion of the proceeds were donated to The Farrah Fawcett Foundation, which Fawcett started in 2007 just after her own cancer diagnosis. One of the coolest things going on the auction block on March 18 in Dallas has to be her own stash of those posters with her in the famous red swimsuit. The outfit made her an icon in the 70s and poster sold nearly 12 million copies when it was released in 1976. This is your chance to own a piece of Fawcett history, even if it is just a few bottles of Fawcett-branded shampoo, hair spray and bubble bath products from the 1970s. MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO HOUSTON: The hidden Houston connection to a classic R&B radio hit Most items start out at just $400 for a Fawcett-owned bathrobe or blouse. Of particular interest might be the collection of books signed by her famous friends such as Andy Warhol, Gore Vidal and Tina Sinatra. A day planner from the '70s shows that she auditioned for Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" and presumably was passed over for Cybill Shepherd. According to the auction house, her address book and Rolodex set features a Whos Who of Hollywood royalty like Frank Sinatra, Warren Beatty, Cher, Glenn Close, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Robert Duvall. There's no telling if the addresses or phone numbers are still current. There are more items in the auction which can be seen at the Heritage Auctions website now. DIAMOND BAR, Los Angeles County A long-term plan for cleaning up the air in a huge swath of smoggy Southern California won approval Friday from regulators. Directors of the South Coast Air Quality Management District voted for the plan after postponing a decision since early February. The vast district includes areas with some of the nations worst air quality, spanning urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and all of Orange County. The plan is an updated blueprint for efforts to reduce air pollution over the next 15 years in Southern California, which is struggling to meet federal and state clean-air law deadlines for ozone and particulate matter. Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club had complained that the plan is weak and needs to be strengthened to hold polluters accountable to protect the health of the 17 million people who live in the region, where mountain ranges and weather patterns trap emissions from an array of sources including cars, trucks, ships, planes, refineries, factories and substances such as paint. More for you SoCal's smog problem is so terrible, more people are heading to the hospital A Los Angeles Daily News editorial, on the other hand, urged directors to avoid last-minute changes to the plan. Considering all the work that has been done to develop a plan that balances the need for clean air with the need for robust economic activity, we once again urge the board of the AQMD to adopt the plan as presented a month ago, the editorial said. Power plants, oil refineries and other large polluters will have to accelerate reductions in their smog output to five tons a day by 2025. A cap-and-trade plan will be phased out but calls for $1 billion in grants and other incentives for polluters to cut emissions. Most pollution comes from mobile sources, including trains, planes, ships and trucks at the sprawling Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. The new plan gives the ports a year to come up with voluntary but enforceable ways of reducing emissions. The plan still needs state and federal approval. AMMAN, Jordan Jordan on Saturday executed 10 prisoners with ties to Islamic extremism who carried out five shootings and a bombing since 2003, a government spokesman said. It was the largest round of executions in the kingdom in at least a decade. Among those killed in the attacks were a British tourist, an outspoken Jordanian critic of Islamic extremism and members of the Jordanian security forces. MIAMI Not only is the Mexican government not building a wall; its spending $50 million to beef up legal aid to immigrants who fear deportation, a response to President Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration. All 50 Mexican consulates in the U.S. have opened legal assistance centers to form partnerships with nonprofit groups and tap lawyers to help those fearing Trumps policies. The diplomatic effort comes as the two countries are in a rift over Trumps plans for a border wall. While Trump says Mexico will pay for it one way or another, Mexico says it wont. It was also unveiled less than two weeks after new guidelines came out aimed at aggressively detaining and deporting immigrants by increasing the number of federal agents and strengthening cooperation with local law enforcement. Miamis Mexican consul general, Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia, said Friday that the centers would become authentic advocates of the rights of Mexican migrants. We are prioritizing legal matters over everything. Previously, we didnt have the need to seek so much legal support for our people, he said. But now, we need to protect them against an eventual deportation. Mexican consulates are forming partnerships with law schools, immigration clinics and nonprofit groups that litigate on behalf of immigrants. The centers are staffed with Mexican lawyers who can refer cases to organizations or clinics. They are also reaching out to private law firms interested in taking on pro-bono cases. Consulates from Mexico and other Central American nations have been juggling numerous inquiries in recent months from migrants concerned about their fate and that of their U.S.-born children. Zabalgoitia said the increase in requests for documents and help is enormous, as he pointed to a waiting room with dozens of people in need of birth certificates, Mexican passports and other identification. I used to sign two birth certificates a week. Only yesterday, I signed 15. The increasing demand comes from people like Gloria Portillo, who went to the Mexican consulate in Phoenix on Friday to renew her passport. Her visa expired three years ago, and now she is trying to start the process of becoming a legal resident after marrying a U.S. citizen but fears something could happen in the meantime. Weve been here all of our lives, we have kids, and of course were afraid to be deported, she said. Adriana Gomez Licon is an Associated Press writer. RALEIGH, N.C. North Carolinas new Democratic governor and majority Republican legislature are charging at each other in a constitutional game of chicken over their powers, a confrontation that could shape the recent conservative direction of state policies and spending. The confrontation continues Tuesday, when the two branches of state government appear for a court hearing before the third. A panel of three trial judges will gather in Raleigh to hear lawyers for Gov. Roy Cooper dispute attorneys for the state House and Senate leaders over whether new laws are constitutional. This is a fight that involves really the three branches of government. Its one of a series of possible contests that we can see as the governor serves his term in office about who is going to make what decisions, said High Point University political scientist Martin Kifer. It also has to do with the pace of policymaking. This isnt speeding things up. GOP lawmakers passed several provisions that reduced the incoming governors powers during a surprise special legislative session two weeks before Cooper took office Jan. 1. The laws: Require Coopers choices to run 10 state agencies to be approved by the GOP-led Senate. Strip Coopers control over administering elections and give Republicans control over state and local elections boards during even-numbered years when elections for major statewide and national office are held. Slash Coopers patronage hiring discretion and gives civil service protections to hundreds of political appointees hired by former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, who narrowly lost to Cooper last fall. Cooper might not like the increasing number of limits Republicans impose, but hed better get used to it, attorneys for legislative leaders said in a court filing. The states Constitution and legal precedents have created one of the countrys weakest governors and make the General Assembly the dominant branch, attorneys for state House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger wrote. Coopers attorneys contend that if the laws are allowed to stand, the foundational idea of American democracy that there should be a balance of powers between the competing legislative, executive and judicial branches are out the window. Emery P. Dalesio is an Associated Press writer. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PALM BEACH, Fla. President Trump on Saturday accused former President Barack Obama of having Trump Tower telephones wiretapped during last years election, a startling claim that Obamas spokesman said was false. Trump did not offer any evidence or details, or say what prompted him to make the allegation. Trump, whose administration has been under siege over campaign contacts with Russian officials, said in a series of early morning tweets that he just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said a cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered in any Justice Department investigations, which are supposed to be conducted free of political influence. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen, Lewis said, adding that any suggestion otherwise is simply false. The White House did not immediately reply to inquiries about what prompted the presidents tweets. Trumps tweets came days after revelations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, during his Senate confirmation hearing, didnt disclose his own campaign-season contacts with Russias ambassador to the United States. Sessions, a U.S. senator at the time, was Trumps earliest Senate supporter. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the campaign with the goal of helping elect Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton findings that Trump has dismissed. The FBI has investigated Trump associates ties to Russian officials. Congress is also investigating. Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that Trump is making the most outlandish and destructive claims without providing a scintilla of evidence to support them. It was unclear what prompted Trumps new charge. The president often tweets about reports he reads on blogs and conservative-leaning websites. The allegations may be related to anonymously sourced reports in British media and blogs, and on conservative-leaning U.S. websites, including Breitbart News. Steve Bannon, Trumps chief strategist in the White House, is a former executive chairman of Breitbart News. Darlene Superville is an Associated Press writer. Bonfire season has returned to San Francisco with a new look. The National Park Service reopened Ocean Beach to group fires this week after rolling out 16 new fire pits. The NPS halted beach bonfires in November for the first time as part of a winter "Spare the Air" campaign. The new fire pits, located between stairwells 15 and 20, are 800-pound concrete blocks that feature the new beach rules in large red lettering. Groups 25 or larger require permits, but for smaller groups, the new fire pits are both free and first-come-first-serve. All fires are required to be extinguished (using water only) by 9:30 p.m., 30 minutes later than last year's curfew. A bonfire after curfew could result in a penalty of up to $5,000 and six months in jail, according to the NPS. The Ocean Beach Fire Program, which went into effect in April of last year, was developed following public comment on a proposal that would have required permits for all beach. After 508 comments were submitted, the NPS made changes to the plan that included dropping the permit requirement for small groups, extending the curfew to 9:30 p.m. and expanding the number of fire rings from 12 to 16. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Cyclists in California would be allowed to pedal past stop signs without stopping under legislation proposed by two lawmakers who say it would make the roads safer. Assemblymen Jay Obernolte, R-Big Bear Lake (San Bernardino County), and Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, introduced a measure on Friday that would allow bicyclists to treat stop signs as merely yield signs, letting them proceed with caution if conditions are safe. In effect, it would legalize the so-called California roll, although just for bicyclists. Its pretty compelling that the data supports this kind of change in the law, said Obernolte, an avid bicyclist. Their loss of momentum causes them to spend a substantially longer amount of time in the intersection. The longer it takes for a bicyclist to pass through an intersection, the greater likelihood that theyll get hit by an oncoming vehicle, he said, although some cyclists expressed concern the law could lead to uncertainty about stop sign rules which could be dangerous to cyclists, particularly in cities. The two-tiered approach to the rules of the road one for cyclists and one for cars is unlikely to ease growing tensions over sharing Californias roadways. In recent years, bike advocates have won victories such as laws requiring drivers to yield a 3-foot radius of maneuvering room to cyclists. Motorists, meanwhile, have expressed frustration that some cyclists pick and choose which laws to follow. Idaho, the only state in which bicyclists are allowed to roll through stop signs, saw a decline in bike-related injuries after its law was enacted, according to a 2010 study by Jason Meggs, then a researcher at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Meggs also compared Boise, Idaho, against Sacramento and Bakersfield, cities he considered similar, and found that Boise had 30 percent fewer collisions in which bicyclists were injured. Obernolte and Tings bill is based on the Idaho law, passed in 1982. Under the proposed California law, bicyclists would still have to stop at red lights, which Obernolte said might motivate them to take less-traveled side roads rather than main roads with traffic signals. That could lessen congestion and boost safety, he said. Obernolte emphasized that bicyclists would only be allowed to go through a stop sign if it was safe, something they would have to assess as they approach the intersection. Its intentionally vague because its left up to the discretion of the bicyclist he said. A spokesman for the San Diego County Sheriffs Department said he couldnt say whether the law would increase safety or work in the reverse. Its similar to any traffic violation. Its dependent to the area if there are serious safety concerns, spokesman Ryan Keim said. But our No. 1 priority is safety for bicyclists and motorists. While its technically illegal for a bicyclist to blow through a stop sign in 49 states, thats not always enforced. Obernolte said his legislation would mean that theres no longer any sort of gray area about whether it should be enforced or not. Theres nothing more frustrating to the average citizen than a law thats selectively enforced, he said. Of the 1,625 tickets given to bicyclists in San Diego between Jan. 1, 2015, and May 31, 2016, some 526 citations were related to stopping and yielding, more than any other category. Another 79 were cited for not obeying a traffic device or sign, though its unclear whether those tickets involved a stop sign or red light. The legislation would break the same road, same rights, same rules philosophy endorsed by many bicyclists, which requires people on two wheels to follow the same traffic laws as people driving on four. This exception might be warranted, said Andy Henshaw, executive director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. Its hard to argue against good data like that. And sometimes in this case, it doesnt always work to have the same roads, same rules, to apply to both cars and bikes, he said. There might be a temporary period of increased risk as people on bikes and motorists get used to a new rule, but it might eventually help alleviate traffic tie-ups, said bicycle courier Chris Venkus. I think that a lot of traffic gets held up because bicyclists are trying to follow the same laws that cars are going through, he said. The numbers are increasing; there are more and more bicyclists out there. It would be very wise to start looking at different bicycle laws. Others who make their living on bicycles think otherwise. Mo Karimi, owner of San Diego Bike Shop, said he thinks the bill is a bad idea because it will create uncertainty between motorists and bicyclists, particularly in more developed areas. Its a bad idea, a safety hazard, he said. In city areas, thats going to be a problem. Everybody already knows the rules. It would be better if police officers enforced the current law in situations in which bicyclists ride dangerously rather than amending the current statute, he said. Joel West, an Oceanside (San Diego County) resident who has worked in his community on transportation issues, said the bill is a bad idea that will encourage bad habits. If enacted, he predicts that instead of cautiously riding through stop signs, bicyclists will completely ignore them because the law gives them the discretion to determine whats safe. Before, I was slowing down enough so it kind of looked like I was taking it seriously, he said. But if I get to decide what is a reasonable speed, I am going to go through faster than ever before. Youngsters on bikes will be particularly at risk, he said. They havent developed the physical skill or the personal judgment to determine how much of a risk oncoming or opposing traffic poses, he said. Joshua Stewart is a San Diego Union-Tribune writer. PHOENIX -- If your youngster attends school in an old building, you might suggest that he or she not to drink the water from the fountains. Especially first thing in the morning. And particularly on Mondays. The Department of Environmental Quality is in the early stages of getting local education officials to test some 7,000 school buildings throughout the state for lead in the drinking water. DEQ is providing the test kits and will do the analysis. What they've found so far may cause some concern. Of results obtained from 118 schools already tested, 24 showed the presence of lead, about one out of every five. Whether that one-out-of-five ratio percentage will play out across the state remains unclear. Trevor Baggiore, DEQ's director for water quality, said these were the first schools looked at in what the agency started earlier this year as a pilot program to get out ahead of the issue and find out if there is a problem. More to the point, he said they were among schools where students are likely to be at risk, such as the fact they were built before 1987 when lead was outlawed, both for pipes as well as the solder used to connect copper pipes. And he noted the testing protocol calls for taking samples from fixtures where the water has been sitting for at least six hours. The reason is that lead leaches into the water supply, particularly over time, which is why readings may be particularly high on Monday mornings after the water has been sitting in the pipes all weekend. Anyway, Baggiore said the ratio is not as high as it might seem: While those 24 positive results represent 118 schools, samples were taken in multiple buildings on school grounds. And he said those samples that exceeded federal standards of 15 parts per billion came from tests at 946 buildings, bringing the positive ratio down to 2.5 percent. Still, the findings resulted have had some concrete results. For example, the Casa Grande Elementary School District is providing bottled water to students at Palo Verde Elementary School. That came after the district shut off the drinking water supplies after DEQ found high levels of lead. At San Manuel High School, by contrast, DEQ records show the district took the specific fountain with the elevated levels of lead off line. The testing is a direct outgrowth of the nationally publicized problems of lead pollution in Flint, Mich.. That issue was different, with the cause having to do with a change in the source -- and the chemistry -- of the water, causing lead to leach out of old pipes. But Baggiore said it got everyone's attention. "I think the nation had kind of gone into a lull,'' he said. "Nobody was thinking lead issues anymore until the tragic accident of things that occurred in Flint.'' That, he said, spurred DEQ into action. "We looked at our own data as well as the things we know about the water systems in Arizona,'' Baggiore said. "There was a lack of data on schools and water quality in schools and the lead level (of water) being served at schools,'' he explained. "We decided to set some money aside and develop this project to identify -- and eliminate -- the risk to kids.'' Agency spokeswoman Caroline Oppleman said that the risk has to be put into perspective. "According to the Environmental Protection Agency -- and it's also supported by our state and local health officials -- childhood lead exposure primarily comes from sources like toys, lead paint, spices, those type of things,'' she said. Older toys and older homes are more likely to have lead content. "Drinking water is not considered to be a significant source of exposure for children in Arizona,'' she said. But Oppleman said that DEQ simply had no data on what was in what children were drinking in schools. The first schools tested were those built before lead was outlawed in 1987. DEQ also targeted schools with children age 5 and younger as well as those in what state health officials consider "high-risk zip codes.'' Since that time, the list of schools wanting to participate has grown to 1,200, though only some are even on the schedule for testing. While some schools have turned off all water, or at least fountains, based on the DEQ findings of lead levels above 15 parts per billion, Baggiore said his agency does not believe that's necessary. Oppleman said the problem of high lead levels could be limited to an "isolated fixture,'' with the rest of the fountains and faucets unaffected. Beyond that, Baggiore said if the results are below 50 parts per billion, there's a simple answer: run the water for at least a minute before allowing anyone to drink it. He said that should flush out lead that has leached into the water that has been standing in the inactive pipes. "Shutting water off would not be necessary and would not be something we would recommend,'' Oppleman said. If any test were to show up at greater than 50 parts per billion -- something that has not yet occurred -- Baggiore said DEQ would advise a school to turn off the fixture if possible and put up signs advising people not to drink it. And even in that situation, he said that does not mean the water needs to be cut off entirely. "You can wash hands, you can clean and do those things with water that has elevated (levels) of lead without any health concerns,'' Baggiore said. To this point DEQ is planning to test only public schools. But Baggiore said local communities may want to do something more comprehensive. For example, he said the city of Scottsdale is using its own resources to test private and charter schools. Bethany Lutheran Videos at Each Live Worship Service Such is the contrast between the Bible of the old and the Bible of the new theologies. That there are compromise systems between the twoor at any rate attempts at a compromise is certainly true; but it is impossible to effect a compromise between systems fundamentally and essentially at variance. This is a case of either or, Delitzsch was right when he maintained that a deep chasm existed between the old and the new theology, and this chasm exists because there is a chasm between the Bible of the old and the Bible of the new theologies. In one word, the Scriptures of the one is the Bible without God; the Scriptures of the other is the Bible of and with God. The Bible Of The Old And The Bible Of The New Theology. By Rev. Professor George H. Schodde, Ph. D., Columbus, O. in Loy, ed. The Columbus Theological Magazine. Vol. 18, 1898. LutheranLibrary.org This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON The Trump administration could eliminate all federal funding for wetlands restoration in San Francisco Bay, according to a budget plan that has shocked local and state officials, but is just one piece of broad changes to federal environmental programs. The directive from the Office of Management and Budget, leaked late Thursday evening, proposes slashing the Environmental Protection Agency budget by nearly a quarter, eliminating 20 percent of its staff to a personnel level last seen four decades ago and eliminating 38 programs entirely. Air pollution grants to big cities, programs to clean trash and pollutants from waters at the Mexican border and efforts to cut diesel emissions would all be discontinued. In addition, climate protection programs would be cut by 70 percent, and dozens of programs to reduce lead in drinking water, clean up marine pollution and fix leaking underground storage tanks, would be slashed. The 23-page directive to the EPA is part of President Trumps formulation of his first budget, expected the week of March 13. Other domestic agencies are bracing for deep cuts as well. The administrations 2018 budget blueprint will prioritize rebuilding the military and making critical investments in the nations security, the budget agency document says. It will also identify the savings and efficiencies needed to keep the nation on a responsible fiscal path. The document said the cuts would help pay for Trumps proposed $54 billion increase in military and homeland security spending. Defense spending is currently $598.5 billion, and the EPAs budget is $8.2 billion, with the proposed cuts totaling roughly $2 billion. During the campaign, Trump had promised cuts that would leave only little tidbits of the EPA. Congress has final authority over the budget, however, and the administrations plans are likely to meet bipartisan resistance. Neither the White House nor the EPA responded to a request for comment. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, a former Oklahoma attorney general who has questioned climate science and sued the agency he now manages, told the nations mayors Thursday that the budget process is just starting and that he wanted to defend several agency programs, including water infrastructure and local grant programs. I dont know whether to laugh or cry, responded Warner Chabot, executive director of the San Francisco Estuary Institute, a science think tank. To suggest that Pruitt is going to be an advocate for local government and environmental protection is beyond belief. In addition to San Francisco Bay, the budget all but eliminates big watershed restoration programs for the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound and South Florida. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was instrumental in creating the $4.8 million program for San Francisco, by far the smallest of these the Great Lakes program gets $300 million a year. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., called the Great Lakes cuts outrageous. The San Francisco program, called the S.F. Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund, helped restore the old Cargill salt ponds in the South Bay, creating tidal marshes and new wetlands. The total cost of the 50-year project is expected to be $1 billion, paid with local and state funds that rely on a federal match. Bay Area voters last year easily approved Measure AA, a $12-a-year parcel tax covering all nine counties to raise $500 million in restoration funds. Officials said restoring bay wetlands is vital to protecting South Bay cities such as San Jose, part of which was inundated two weeks ago, from future flooding. As much as 90 percent of the bays wetlands have been lost to development, exposing the shoreline to storm surges, destroying wildlife habitat and degrading water quality. The salt ponds restoration is an essential part of our adaptation to climate change and rising sea levels, said Brenda Buxton, deputy regional manager for the California Coastal Conservancy, a sister state agency to the Coastal Commission that oversees projects to protect the coast and its watersheds. We need to restore the wetlands and restore them as fast as we possibly can, so they are there for us when we need them, Buxton said. As the weather gets weirder and we get bigger storms, we need to have time for the sediment to come in and the plants to grow to have them function. We feel a real sense of urgency. The San Francisco clapper rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse, both of which live only on the bay, will probably become extinct without further restoration, she said. Feinstein has taken a keen personal interest in the salt ponds, leveraging her senior position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to establish and fund the restoration program. Whats frustrating is the restoration dollars go further in the Bay Area than anywhere else in the nation, because of strong local funding, said Adrian Covert, a vice president at the Bay Area Council business group. A 2015 council study showed that the bay, especially Santa Clara County, home to Silicon Valley, is vulnerable to as much as $10 billion damage from a big storm. Thats about the same as the Loma Prieta earthquake, Covert said. Federal taxpayers pick up much of the cost of such disasters. While cuts to the wetlands programs could harm waterways, there are fears that reductions in pollution programs will harm public health. I can guarantee with certainty that at least in the air pollution area, there will be many more people who will die prematurely and tens of thousands, perhaps millions more, who will get sick unnecessarily, if the cuts prevail, said W. William Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, a nonpartisan association of local air pollution agencies. Becker said the cuts will have a direct and serious adverse health impact on almost every major metropolitan area in the country. Neither Feinsteins office, which is waiting for the formal budget proposal, nor the governors office offered comment. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, had something to say on Twitter: Cutting @EPA protections & budget will result in more dirty water, more polluted air, more asthmatic kids & more water crises like #Flint Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com If you're on the prowl for vacation options, look no further than this list of top island escapes. These islands offer a quick getaway for those on the West Coast and don't require a lengthy plane ride which means more time to relax! BANDARERO, Kenya Loko Kalicha Junno says she trekked for a week to save her 10 cattle from dying of thirst and hunger. But none survived. Now, at one of the last watering holes in this remote village, she fears for herself. If this water gets finished I am going to die, said the 64-year-old single mother of four. The scorched earth and scrubland in this semiarid region of Kenya are littered with livestock carcasses in various stages of decomposition. Vultures wait patiently, waiting for nearby humans to leave. Kenya has declared the drought that affects nearly half of its counties a national disaster. To ensure the survival of her children, Junno has resorted to selling tea to other herders, some even from neighboring Ethiopia, who like her have traveled long distances to remaining watering holes. The prices of livestock have plummeted as buyers take advantage of herders desperation. A cow that used to sell for $150 or more now sells for $20, and a goat that used to sell for $35 now goes for $2. Marsabit county is among 10 hit hardest by the drought in Kenya and beyond. Some areas have reported intercommunity fighting and land invasions as herders push further on their search for increasingly limited water. The U.N. humanitarian chief, Stephen OBrien, toured Bandarero village Friday and called on the international community to act to avert the very worst of the effects of drought and to avert a famine to make sure we dont go from what is deep suffering to a catastrophe. He pointed out that famine was declared last month in parts of neighboring South Sudan, and that another neighbor, Somalia, is at risk of famine for the second time in a decade. On Saturday, Somalias prime minister said 110 people have died from hunger in the previous 48 hours in a single region. Hassan Ali Khaire spoke during a meeting with the Somali National Drought Committee. The death toll he announced is from the Bay region in the southwest part of the country. Thousands have been streaming into Somalias capital, Mogadishu, in search of food aid, overwhelming local and international aid agencies. More than 7,000 internally displaced people checked into one feeding center recently. In Kenya, more than 2.7 million people are severely food insecure, OBrien said. After a severe drought hit East Africa in 2011, Kenya and donors put in place measures to lessen the impact of future droughts on parts of northern Kenya that government reports have called vulnerable. The measures include a Hunger Safety Program that provides $24 for more than 100,000 households every month, as well as a school food program. But Junno said cash safety net services meant to cushion the vulnerable have not reached herders. Tom Odula is an Associated Press writer. PRISTINA, Kosovo The European Unions foreign policy chief has urged Kosovos opposition to ratify a border demarcation agreement with Montenegro, the last remaining condition before its citizens enjoy visa-free travel with Europes member countries. Federica Mogherini was in Kosovo, the last stop on her tour of the Western Balkans, where she met senior leaders on Saturday. She commended them for their constructive stand in lowering recent tensions with Serbia. Its time to vote for the ratification of the agreement. That would release the visa liberalization for the Kosovo people, she said at a news conference with Prime Minister Isa Mustafa. She urged opposition political parties to work together for the reconciliatory path to take the country ahead. The opposition has prevented parliament from voting on the Montenegrin deal and another with Serbia that gives more powers to ethnic Serbs in Kosovo. Obstructive tactics in the parliament include using tear gas, blowing whistles and throwing water bottles, while their supporters outside have clashed violently with police. In the last three months, relations between Kosovo and Serbia have been tense following a series of frictions and incidents. Last month, Mogherini convened Kosovos and Serbias presidents and prime ministers twice in Brussels. There is no alternative to dialogue and dialogue is not for Brussels, but to the service of the people, she said. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, recognized by 114 countries but not by Serbia. Mogherinis four-day tour in the Balkans started in Montenegro and included stops in Macedonia, Serbia, Albania and Kosovo, trying to reassure them that the EU remains open for enlargement. Sylejman Kllokoqi is an Associated Press writer. DUBLIN A mass grave containing the remains of babies and young children has been discovered at a former Catholic orphanage in Ireland, government-appointed investigators announced Friday in a finding that offered the first conclusive proof after a historians efforts to trace the fates of almost 800 children who died there. The judge-led Mother and Baby Homes Commission said excavations since November at the site of the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway, had found an underground structure divided into 20 chambers containing significant quantities of human remains. 1 North Korean deported: Malaysian authorities on Friday deported the only North Korean detained in the killing of the half brother of North Koreas leader, and issued an arrest warrant for another whose whereabouts are unknown. Ri Jong Chol was released because of a lack of evidence to charge him and was deported for not having valid travel documents. Police never said what they believed Ris role was in the attack on Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpurs airport. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on Feb. 13, the day Kim died. Two other people remain in custody, both women one Indonesian, one Vietnamese accused of smearing Kims face with VX, a banned nerve agent. 2 Refugees rescued: The spokesman for the Libyan coast guard says 115 refugees have been rescued off Libyan shores, and 25 others have gone missing as they attempted to cross the Mediterranean. Ayoub Gassim said the refugees left Tripoli on Friday and later sent a distress call. The coast guard rescued 115 people, including six women, from the sinking boat. A total of 140 refugees were on board, he said. Gassim said the coast guard has rescued more than 2,000 refugees this year. MANILA The Philippine defense chief and two other Cabinet members on Saturday toured a U.S. aircraft carrier patrolling the disputed South China Sea on the invitation of the Navy, U.S. Embassy officials said. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II visited the Carl Vinson along with three Philippine security officials, said U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina. The visit shows continuing top-level engagements between Philippine officials and the U.S. military despite Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes threat to scale back engagements with American forces while reaching out to China and Russia. There was no immediate reaction from China, which had opposed U.S. patrols in waters it has claimed virtually in its entirety. The U.S. ambassador to Manila, Sung Kim, accompanied the Philippine officials to the Carl Vinson, where they watched F18 fighter jets land and take off and met U.S. navy commanders in charge of the 95,000-ton carrier as it sailed in the disputed waters, Koscina said. U.S. Navy officials told a small group of journalists who were flown to the Carl Vinson on Friday that the U.S. warship deployment was aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, a key waterway for global commerce and security. We will be here, Rear Adm. James Kilby told the journalists. Were going to continue to demonstrate that international waters are waters where everyone can sail, where everyone can conduct commerce and merchant traffic. Kilbys comments and the presence of the carrier in the South China Sea are directed at reassuring American allies, who have expressed concerns over Chinas aggressive actions to assert its claims to the South China Sea. Duterte has ordered the Philippine navy not to proceed with previous plans to carry out joint patrols with U.S. forces. Jim Gomez is an Associated Press writer. MOSUL, Iraq Thousands of civilians fled Mosul overnight as Iraqi forces advanced north of a sprawling military base near the citys airport Friday. Iraqs special forces pushed into the Wadi Hajar district in western Mosul and retook the area from the Islamic State on Friday, according to Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, spokesman of the Joint Military Operations. Special forces Brig. Gen. Haider al-Obeidi said clearing operations were ongoing in the area and his forces were close to linking up with the militarized federal police forces who were pushing up along the western bank of the Tigris river. Iraqi forces, including special operations forces and federal police units, launched an attack on the western part of Mosul nearly two weeks ago to dislodge Islamic State. Since the offensive began, more than 28,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the United Nations. Nahla Ahmed, 50, fled Mosul late Thursday night, walking more than 3 miles from her home in the Shuhada neighborhood. All the families were hiding behind a wall, she said, explaining how they escaped an Islamic State-held part of the city. We gave the children Valium so they wouldnt cry and (the Islamic State fighters) wouldnt catch us. The U.S.-led coalition dropped more than 15 munitions in Mosul on Friday, Ali said, saying they targeted car bombs, sniper positions and small Islamic State mortar units. Blog Archive November 2022 (4) October 2022 (21) September 2022 (19) August 2022 (22) July 2022 (22) June 2022 (18) May 2022 (11) April 2022 (19) March 2022 (16) February 2022 (14) January 2022 (16) December 2021 (14) November 2021 (15) October 2021 (15) September 2021 (14) August 2021 (8) July 2021 (9) June 2021 (4) May 2021 (12) April 2021 (14) March 2021 (18) February 2021 (16) January 2021 (20) December 2020 (17) November 2020 (12) October 2020 (16) September 2020 (13) August 2020 (16) July 2020 (11) June 2020 (3) May 2020 (13) April 2020 (9) March 2020 (17) February 2020 (17) January 2020 (17) December 2019 (19) November 2019 (22) October 2019 (27) September 2019 (23) August 2019 (20) July 2019 (23) June 2019 (24) May 2019 (22) April 2019 (26) March 2019 (22) February 2019 (20) January 2019 (21) December 2018 (26) November 2018 (19) October 2018 (26) September 2018 (24) August 2018 (22) July 2018 (28) June 2018 (23) May 2018 (23) April 2018 (25) March 2018 (24) February 2018 (21) January 2018 (29) December 2017 (26) November 2017 (21) October 2017 (24) September 2017 (23) August 2017 (25) July 2017 (27) June 2017 (25) May 2017 (23) April 2017 (20) March 2017 (20) February 2017 (21) January 2017 (22) December 2016 (23) November 2016 (21) October 2016 (21) September 2016 (21) August 2016 (22) July 2016 (24) June 2016 (26) May 2016 (26) April 2016 (27) March 2016 (29) February 2016 (25) January 2016 (26) December 2015 (28) November 2015 (27) October 2015 (29) September 2015 (23) August 2015 (25) July 2015 (19) June 2015 (17) May 2015 (15) April 2015 (19) March 2015 (19) February 2015 (16) January 2015 (21) December 2014 (16) November 2014 (20) October 2014 (22) September 2014 (20) August 2014 (24) July 2014 (27) June 2014 (26) May 2014 (27) April 2014 (20) March 2014 (25) February 2014 (19) January 2014 (23) December 2013 (24) November 2013 (19) October 2013 (22) September 2013 (20) August 2013 (21) July 2013 (17) June 2013 (16) May 2013 (14) April 2013 (19) March 2013 (16) February 2013 (12) January 2013 (14) December 2012 (20) November 2012 (17) October 2012 (14) September 2012 (14) August 2012 (20) July 2012 (15) June 2012 (15) May 2012 (17) April 2012 (16) March 2012 (6) February 2012 (7) January 2012 (6) December 2011 (12) November 2011 (14) October 2011 (16) September 2011 (9) August 2011 (12) July 2011 (8) June 2011 (11) May 2011 (11) April 2011 (11) March 2011 (10) February 2011 (12) January 2011 (17) December 2010 (16) November 2010 (10) October 2010 (21) September 2010 (21) August 2010 (24) July 2010 (36) June 2010 (19) May 2010 (14) April 2010 (15) March 2010 (13) February 2010 (6) January 2010 (3) Better off alone Whats new? Not only has Fairfax media, which is Australias oldest media company, rationalised extensively and changed the orientation of its business model, but it has successfully challenged the more dominant Realestate website in the major markets of Sydney and Melbourne. Key in this regard has been Fairfax Medias ability to leverage its combined print/editorial digital strategy that differentiates it from the competition. While the latest reorganisation of Fairfax Medias reporting structure will not solve the companys problems in and of itself, it does in our view provide a clearer picture of how management is seeking to create shareholder value going forward. As was evident in Fairfax Medias recent results release for 1H17, the company is continuing to face a combination of structural and cyclical headwinds, with even Domain Group having succumbed. In fact, Domain Groups latest results are symptomatic of the broader challenges facing Fairfax Media, with the 12.8 percent decline in the segments EBITDA for 1H17 attributed to both cyclical and structural headwinds. While the 11.3 percent decline in Domain Groups traditional advertising revenue was more than offset by a 15.3 percent increase in digital advertising revenue, the earnings benefit of this was more than accounted for by higher operating costs. The key point to note here is that the 19.2 percent increase in Domain Groups operating costs in 1H17 was the result of Fairfax Medias ongoing investment in digital-related staff, technology and product. To managements credit, Domain Group was able to offset the 11.3 percent decline in Domain Groups print-related advertising revenues with an 11 percent decline in print-related operating costs. At any rate, the fact that management expects cost growth at Domain Group to moderate to around 13 percent in 2H17 is somewhat comforting, particularly given the segments operating track record to date. Looking further ahead, managements decision to separate Domain Group from Fairfax Media should also help to the extent that it will bring a sharper focus to the respective businesses, while also enabling the market to more accurately ascribe a value to each business. Judging by the relative and absolute gains in Fairfax Medias share price over the last three months, these potential benefits do not appear to be lost on the market. Using realestate.com.au as a proxy, this implies a market value for Domain Group of circa $2 billion. Given that this accounts for the bulk of Fairfax Medias current market capitalisation, this means that the companys shareholders are essentially getting the remaining assets (i.e. publishing, Macquarie Media and Stan) for free. The challenge of course is working out what the inherent (or intrinsic) value of Fairfax Medias traditional media (i.e. publishing assets) and other digital media assets is. While Fairfax Medias 1H17 results indicate to us that Macquarie Media is performing well, it is a relatively small part of the overall pie, having reported a 9.6 percent increase in EBITDA to $13.3 million in 1H17. Unfortunately for Fairfax Medias shareholders, the remaining pieces of the puzzle are less clear cut. In terms of 1H17, we note that while Fairfax Media was able to grow its publishing-related EBIT, this was due largely to a lower depreciation and amortisation expense on the back of recent adjustments (i.e. write downs) to the carrying value of traditional assets. Looking at the EBITDA line, the publishing business actually went backwards in 1H17, with all key business units contributing to the lower result. Outlook Unfortunately for Fairfax medias shareholders, the cyclical and structural headwinds that are putting downward pressure on the companys revenues (and EBITDA) appear to be unrelenting. This was confirmed by management at the 1H17 results, with revenues down 10 percent in January as a result of a slower than usual start across the media sector, and down 6 percent in the first two weeks of February, albeit with some early signs of improvement in new real estate listings. Price Fairfax Medias shares are currently trading at 15.0 times FY17 earnings and 2.25 times book value with a prospective dividend yield of 4.3 percent. While these metrics do not appear cheap at face value, it is the cyclical upside to earnings and the inherent strategic value in the asset mix that makes Fairfax Media an interesting investment proposition. Add to this Fairfax Medias positive technical overlay, and we believe there are multiple reasons to expect the stock price to trend higher. Worth buying? The release of Fairfax Medias 1H17 results does little to change our view that the companys shares represent an interesting opportunity for investors. While not without its risks, we believe that the proposed spin-off of Domain Group will bring into sharper focus the value inherent in Fairfax Medias remaining assets. While the traditional publishing business remains under immense pressure, it is worth more than Fairfax Medias current market capitalisation implies. James Lennon is a senior analyst at investment research and funds management house Fat Prophets. Disclosure: Fairfax is held within the Fat Prophets Concentrated Australian and Small/Midcap Portfolios. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: The latest results season has proven better-than-feared on both sides of the Tasman New Article is coming soon! Hardening up - James Hardie Decmil Group - The Ducks are lining up Spark New Zealand: Taking Something Off The Table Vocus Communications Amcor Apple QBE Insurance Hot stock - Domain Holdings Australia STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island's Irish roots run deep -- with dedicated borough residents who continue to honor their ancestors' traditions. But inhabitants of America's Emerald Isle also have created their own traditions. For many, that includes attending the borough's annual St. Patrick's Parade, which steps off at noon Sunday from the corner of Forest Avenue and Hart Boulevard. (Check out 2017's full pre-parade coverage at the bottom of this page.) On Staten Island, 62,484 residents claim to be of Irish descent, according to U.S. Census Bureau and American Community Survey data. That's 15 percent of the citywide total of more than 400,000. The top three Staten Island ZIP codes for residents with ties to Ireland are: 10314 10306 10312: Folks interested in seeing the full results for Staten Island can check out the interactive map at the top of this article. Clicking on each ZIP code will reveal the number of residents of Irish descent living within that area as well as the percentage of the ZIP code's total population. To view results for the rest of New York state, check out this database put together by our friends at Syracuse.com. MORE 2017 ST. PATRICK'S PARADE COVERAGE For an act that hasn't had a top 10 hit in 30 years, Fleetwood Mac remains not just relevant but popular, with solo and group tours, a new collaboration in the works, a sustained radio presence, and several well-received reissues, including a new one on the way this month. Here's the latest on one of the world's most-enduring supergroups: Reissues With the success of Fleetwood Mac's reissues of Rumours, Tusk and Mirage, Stevie Nicks has released deluxe reissues of her first two solo albums, "Bella Donna" and "The Wild Heart" (Rhino Records). "Bella Donna" revisits her smash solo debut, with early-80s standards "Edge of Seventeen" and the collaborations "Stop Dragging My Heart Around," with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and "Leather and Lace," with Don Henley. The second disc is packed with soundtrack contributions, demos and alternate takes -- a funkier version of "How Still My Love," and a Nicks-only "Leather and Lace" are among the highlights. Disc Three covers 14 tracks from her 1981 solo tour, including standout tracks from the album and her Fleetwood Mac hits "Dreams," "Sara" and "Rhiannon." The "Wild Heart" reissue covers 2 CDs -- the remastered album and a disc of rare tracks and demos. The reissue shows Nicks at the top of her game vocally, with a synthesizer-heavy sound that may not be timeless, but has firm roots in 1983 pop (not a bad thing at all). Her signature song, "Stand Back," takes center stage but a favorite is "I Will Run To You" with pal Tom Petty. Their chemistry and vocal harmony -- her rasp, his twang -- is superb. It was disappointing that an under-construction version of "Stand Back" was not included on disc 2, but other tracks are solid, including "Sorcerer," originally written in 1972, and another early track, "All The Beautiful Worlds." Next up among reissues is Fleetwood Mac's "Tango In the Night" (Rhino Records), the band's 1987 comeback album that yielded four top 10 hits. The reissue, due March 31, will include the remastered album, including "Big Love," "Little Lies" and "Everywhere," and a 13-track second disc filled with outtakes, demos and instrumentals. A more extensive version, including 180 gram vinyl, will also be available. On the road The complete five-member act completed a year-long worldwide tour a little over a year ago, grossing $200 million and leaving fans wanting more. (They might get their wish.) On the heels of a successful run of dates in 2016, Stevie Nicks kicked off a new leg of her 24 Karat Gold tour last week, including a well-received show in Portland. She brings her act to the region in April with dates April 2 at the Prudential Center in Newark and April 6 and the new Nassau Coliseum. Radio Fleetwood Mac shares something with the Eagles, another titan of harmony-based rock: After each band took a hiatus from making fresh music (Eagles, 1980, Fleetwood Mac, 1987), their sound never really disappeared from the radio -- it just endured. These days, if you're in your car for at least an hour a day and flip through Q104, WCBS-FM or Lite-FM, you're guaranteed to hear a Fleetwood Mac song several times a week. What happens is that the music stays alive, and the DJs, always looking for something fresh to say, share updates on the band, whose members have remained active. The result is that the fans stay connected, and their interest never fades. Buckingham-McVie The band's chemistry -- maybe explosiveness is a better word -- is legendary. But one unexpected pairing -- musical, not romantic -- is now in the works. Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie are reported to be collaborating on an album. The title at this point: Buckingham McVie, a clear nod to Buckingham-Nicks, the early 1970s pairing of that duo before they merged into Fleetwood Mac. "All these years we've had this rapport, but we'd never really thought about doing a duet album before," Buckingham told Rolling Stone about the collaboration. "There is that album [Buckingham Nicks] that I did with Stevie [Nicks] back before we joined the band, but other than that, it's all been Fleetwood Mac or solo." Castorina Assemblyman Ron Castorina Jr. in his Richmond Valley office. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - A judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit that was filed against Assemblyman Ron Castorina Jr. after he had the plaintiff arrested and charged with harassment and stalking. Castorina (R-South Shore) was running for re-election in 2016 when Marylynn Cellamare, a volunteer for the campaign of Janine Materna, Castorina's challenger in a Republican primary, sent him several packages at the houses he owns, including that of his parents' in New Jersey. Alleging that he lived outside the South Shore district, she also called him on the phone, hoping that where he signed for packages and answered the phone would confirm her suspicions. Castorina received three FedEx envelopes at his personal addresses, containing a white sheet of paper with the word "greetings" with Cellamare's return address on the envelope. Castorina lives in the district in Richmond Valley, and owns a few other houses, including one in Bulls head, where Cellamare and Materna alleged he lives. After Cellamare, 55, of Port Richmond, was arrested and charged with second-degree aggravated harassment and fourth-degree stalking, Castorina got a restraining order. Cellamare filed a defamation suit, seeking $1 million in damages, saying Castorina's comments to the media about her were "malicious" and ruined her reputation. At the time, Castorina called the suit "frivolous" and said it was a campaign ploy in the upcoming election. "I hope that she withdraws this ridiculous action and finds peace," Castorina said in a statement at the time. Supreme Court Judge Charles M. Troia dismissed the suit in February. Castorina had no comment Friday. The nail-biting was intense and the judges needed lengthy deliberation to choose finalists in the first round of this years Kenneth A. Freirich 90 Business Plan Competition. Roy Rotheim, economics professor and contest coordinator, said the decision was difficult because the quality of each of the business plans and presentations was exemplary. Freirich himself was on hand for the event and joined the judges panel to help select the finalists. Each judge chose a finalist to mentor toward the April round, when a new judging panel will determine which teams will share more than $60,000 in cash and services to develop their businesses. Judges Juneau, Wootten, and Toohey applaud a pitch. Judges Juneau, Wootten, and Toohey applaud a pitch. The 2017 finalists are: Trovi International. Hadley Haselmann 17 is working with alumni Eli Johnston 14 and Josh Chacko 16 on an app to help backpackers find global destinations where they can learn rural skills, arts, practices and customs. They say Trovi aims to foster a sustainable tourism ecosystem that provides travelers with meaningful cultural exchange while boosting incomes for hosts and their home communities. It aims to launch in Bali, Indonesia, a tourist hotspot that still has very rural villages. As the developers put it, Trovi believes in a world where travel is defined by local engagement and meaningful exploration. Trovis mentor is Linda Toohey, longtime executive of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, former publisher of the Saratogian newspaper and past chair of Skidmores Board of Trustees. Izaak Cohen '20 of Z's Izaak Cohen '20 of Z's Zs. The legal marijuana industry in America is doubling in size every 18 months, says Izaak Cohen 20, and he wants to provide top-quality rolling papers and other luxury smoking accessories. Spending much of his gap year before starting at Skidmore as an apprentice to his brothers fine leather-goods enterprise, he says he learned about lifestyle brands, fashion and businessand came up with the idea for Zs. Along with elegant, top-quality papers, Zs plans to market storage pods, brass tamps, trays and more. Zs mentor is Gregg Smith 92, an independent venture investor and the chief innovation officer for Edison Nation, which links inventors with investors and produces the Emmy-winning PBS show Everyday Edisons. Auxnation's Zack Jones '18 Auxnation's Zack Jones '18 Auxnation. DJs know how it goes: you craft your set list and start playing, and then the audience requests a song you didnt put in your queue. Zack Jones, Dhruv Singh, Noam Kahn and Themba Shongwe have an app for that. The Class of 18 partners started Auxnation to help partygoers vote for their favorite songs, either ahead of time so that DJs can plan to include them, or at the event, where DJs can let the top requests be inserted into their playlists in real time. As the developers say, AuxNations promise is to integrate the audience as part of the show. Mentoring Auxnation is Brendan Wootten, P 20, managing director at Goldman Sachs, whose business-building experience includes establishing portfolio trading desks at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Thomas Weisel Partners. Nick Henning '19 and Ian Carter '19 with mentor Chris Juneau '82 of Music Match Nick Henning '19 and Ian Carter '19 withmentor Chris Juneau '82 of Music Match Music Match. Easy and affordable music lessons could be a click away. Music Match uses online video chats for at-home, private lessons from nonprofessional but well-vetted musicians. Ian Carter 19 and Nick Henning 19, having taken and given music lessons for years, want to match would-be learners with unintimidating instructors while also helping young, devoted musicians serve more students. They will use talented musician friends on campuses across the country to help them recruit teachers, each of whom will have a profile for students to view. Mentor Christine Juneau 82, P 18,is an independent advisor helping business leaders tie strategic goals to execution and achievement of results. She spent 20 years leading the John S. Herold research firm and the IHS Inc. business and technical expertise provider. Nigel Smith '19, mentor Raymond Bryan, and Sam Evans of Melange Nigel Smith '19, mentor Raymond Bryan, andSam Evans of Melange Melange. Nigel Smith 19 and hometown friend Samuel Evans sought to heal political and social divisions through a unity company. The duo founded Melange to market casual, active and sportswear that reaches across cultural and racial divides, uniting individuals under the common umbrella of fashion. They also plan to bring their brand to diversity conferences and even to organize and present diversity programming. Mentor Raymond Bryan, a financial and wealth-management advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott, is also a board leader for the Adult and Senior Center of Saratoga and for the Exchange/Orchard Project, supporting innovative artists around the world. Weston Stewart-Tennes '17 and mentor Tal Cjitayat '03 putting Fries First Weston Stewart-Tennes '17 and mentorTal Cjitayat '03 putting Fries First Fries First. Weston Stewart-Tennes 17 believes that as popular as French fries are, they have even more potential. Noting the rise of poutine and carne asada fries, he plans to test new recipes at music festivals, farmers markets and college campuses and eventually open restaurants. His survey data shows that the market for this product is clearly there, as the millennial generation has shown a keen interest in both the fast-casual space and anything french-fry-related. Los Angeles is his first target market. Mentor Tal Chitayat 03 is co-founder and CEO of Full Circle Home, whose storage, cleaning and other products are designed for style, function and sustainability. He has expertise in product development, supply chain management and manufacturing. Yuelin He '19 and Danning Ma '17 of Halo Venus Yuelin He '19 and Danning Ma '17 ofHalo Venus Halo Venus. Danning Ma 17 and Yuelin He 19 are combining fine cosmetics and premium desserts into one brand. Halo Venus already has its own false-eyelash brand, designed for the thriving market of East Asian students on U.S. campuses as well as for consumers in China. The founders plan to expand their diverse beauties concept to a range of cosmetic products and snacks with an Asian aesthetic. Their bilingual online firm is based in Saratoga Springs and Shenzhen, China. Mentor Kathryn Peper 78 is an internist who has taught and practiced medicine at Yale University, Lenox Hill Hospital and elsewhere. She now operates her own practice in patient-centered healing. Both her daughters are business founders as well. Graham Gilmore '18 and Kind Cultures Graham Gilmore '18 and Kind Cultures Kind Cultures. Graham Gilmore 18 brews kombucha, a fermented tea acclaimed for its health benefits. Working with his brother, he developed a fermentation method based on local raw honey, unlocking flavor potential that our competitors cannot match and adding the honeys own healthy enzymes and probiotics. He says his target consumers are open to new experience and deeply care about what they put in their bodies. Along with the drink, he plans to market a kombucha vinegar flavored with peach juice and aged in bourbon barrels. Kind Cultures mentor is Nancy Wekselbaum 73, founder and owner of the Gracious Gourmet. Launched in 2006, the small-batch specialty condiment maker now sells more than 23 products globally. All are welcome to watch these teams compete in the final round, April 7, upstairs in Skidmores Murray-Aikins Dining Hall. As Freirich says, "There's nothing more rewarding than watching these amazingly talented and creative Skidmore students take on the biggest challenges of their lives and succeed. By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree SPRINGFIELD - The 4th District Appellate Court on March 3 granted AFSCME Council 31s request to put on hold the state labor boards impasse decision in contract negotiations between Governor Bruce Rauner and AFSCME, the largest union of public service workers in state government. The governor's office said they were disappointed with the decision. We are currently analyzing this decision, but we are very disappointed with the courts ruling which continues the stay that prevents our Administration from implementing common-sense changes in the AFSCME contract," Rauner General Counsel Dennis Murashko said. The proposals Rauner is pushing to implement include overtime eligibility after 40 hours instead of 37.5, the use of volunteers for state services, and a merit pay system. "Every day of delay costs taxpayers over $2 million. Our contract framework is fair to the States taxpayers and employees alike and reflects proposals accepted by 20 other unions, Murashko said. As a result of Friday's decision, until the union's appeal is decided, Governor Rauner cannot impose his terms. The court predicated its ruling on a finding that the union has demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing in its appeal. Todays decision is in the best interest of all the people of Illinois, both public service workers and the millions of citizens who rely on their important work, AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said. We strongly urge Governor Rauner to join us in the spirit of compromise and return to bargaining in good faith to reach an agreement that is truly fair to all. Rauners administration broke off talks between the parties in January 2016 and has since refused to meet with the union. The AFSCME bargaining committee says the Rauner administration has refused to even meet with the union, and instead rushed forward seeking to unilaterally impose its demands on AFSCME members. Last week AFSCME announced that members had overwhelmingly authorized a strike if no alternative path to a fair contract could be found. Lance Franklin has nothing to worry about when the AFL's Match Review Panel casts its eye over his bump on Giants youngster Tim Taranto, according to Swans vice-captain Dane Rampe. Taranto copped a hefty welcome to the AFL by Franklin in Friday night's 12-point preseason loss to the Swans at Blacktown, the Sydney forward delivering a shuddering hip and shoulder to the youngster on the wing early in the second quarter. But the hit, which appeared to be below Taranto's shoulder and therefore a legal bump, was made all the more forceful after GWS ruckman Shane Mumford crashed into Franklin in the lead up to the incident causing a domino effect. Franklin was not reported on the night. A shaken and sore Taranto was taken from the field but returned about 20 minutes later and kicked a terrific goal. The match review panel will examine the bump more closely on Monday and Rampe didn't expect Franklin would feel their wrath. They'll be writing code in JavaScript for their local bank, or maintaining a website for a retail business. They'll be financial advisers managing algorithms that make financial decisions on their behalf, or shop floor workers wrangling delivery robots. "There's a conception out there that coding is only for mathematically gifted people and it's a highly complex field," says Raman Nambiar, managing director of the Coder Factory Academy, one of a number of Silicon Valley-style coding boot camps that have spring up in Australia in the past two years. "It can be, but a growing number of positions are much more mainstream." He uses a building industry analogy: it needs architects and engineers and designers but also a lot of builders and tradesmen. Software, too, needs its architects, engineers, developers and designers, but "an awful lot of coders do things like quality checking and just building very basic code". "It can be learned fairly quickly, just like a vocational skill," says Nambiar, whose academy offers weekend courses for $340. Its six-month intensive courses, 10 hours a day, five days a week, for $19,500, give people "enough skills to be competent in the job," he says. "We're starting to see a lot of career changers. We have had train drivers, people from the construction trade and from other fields like psychology and finance." And the age profile of students is "a little bit older than we first expected", averaging in the mid-30s, he adds.. Alex Karolis did the six-month course last year. He started off in the army and then did a PhD in philosophy. Now he spends his days writing software to build and maintain a sophisticated data management tool for Event Hub, a cloud computing software platform that manages premium seating and corporate hospitality activities for companies, venues and event owners. "I love it, absolutely love it. In hindsight it was a very good decision," he says. He loves that coding is "very transparent. You can see exactly what you produce, there is no subjectivity, you know whether what you do is good or bad because it either does the job or it doesn't." He also loves the "passion and goodwill" in the industry, in which he says people are keen to help each other get a start and keep learning. Anyone who is smart and keen can code, says Chris Monk, head of Asia-Pacific for Decoded, a coding school that offers "light touch" introductory courses for non-technical professionals. "There is no magic," he says. In Kentucky, one of the US states hardest hit by de-industrialisation, mining veteran Rusty Justice co-founded a business retraining coal miners as programmers. It received 950 applications for the first 11 positions. Miners have attributes that are valuable in coders, being accustomed to deep focus, team play and working with complex engineering technology, Wired reported. Often students show up at Decoded's "Code in a Day" course saying their brain doesn't work that way but end the day amazed that they've built an app, Monk says. A day won't give you the skills to get a coding job, but it's enough to convey a basic idea of how coding works, he says. How long it takes to qualify for a coding job depends on the type of job. About 150 registered training providers, including TAFE, offer IT qualifications that are great for entry level positions, says the ACS's Johnson. There are also vendor certifications for individual programming languages. "But if you are a kid and you've done some programming at school, you might not need any of that," he says. Entry level salaries are about $50,000, ranging up to three times that for an experienced lead software developer. Some of the best developers he knows are self-taught says Monk. "They wanted to build things from an early age then gradually formalised their education by self-directed learning, and end up in a workplace learning from colleagues," he says. The economy will need another 100,000 new ICT workers in the six years to 2021, according to Deloitte analysis. But not enough people are learning ICT skills, so 70,000 jobs will need to be filled either through immigration or from the existing workforce, saysJohnson. A "significant majority" of workers transitioning from other industries could fill the gap, says Kowalkiewicz. "Assuming a bit of upskilling these new coding jobs could become a viable alternative," he says. The professor distinguishes between coding as a job and coding as a skill. When everyday work. both white or blue collar, involves communicating via algorithms and with robots, "it's a way of thinking that is required in the new economy," he says. "Computers don't do complex things, they just do simple things really, really fast," says Monk. Coding teaches you to break down a challenge into simple steps with the simple logic of "if this, then that". "The greatest take away we give people is that computational way of thinking, breaking tasks down into a thing a computer can understand," he says. Kids need to be learning it from primary school, but the Australian system is lagging behind the rest of the developed world, says Johnson. Uptake of the national IT curriculum in schools has been patchy. Grass-roots coding initiatives have sprung up in many primary schools but many children still miss out. If it's not happening in their child's primary school, Mr Johnson advises parents to "go in and ask the principal how do we get this". The Commonwealth Bank will relocate its Flinders Street branch to a smaller store about 50 metres further down the street, the latest in a wave of bank branch moves. CBA signed a seven-year lease at 260 Flinders Street, a 220-square-metre space between Woolworths' small metro store and Degraves Street. CBA will take over a small space at 260 Flinders Street for a new branch. CBRE leasing agent Zelman Ainsworth said banks were reviewing their traditional footprints in the CBD, a result of soaring rents and changing customer demand. Another five banks had requirements in the market looking for different spaces, he said. Many banks were shifting their focus in the CBD in response to new technology which enabled banks to use smaller spaces. Some had downsized from one large store to open two smaller branches for more exposure at similar cost. Over the past two years, Bank of Melbourne has leased a large street front presence in the new Rialto Towers development on Collins Street, Bendigo Bank took over a Block Arcade space vacated by BUPA and Bank of China moved into Billabong's former shop at 291 Swanston Street. CBA has been particularly active also taking a location at 260 Collins, while Westpac also moved in Bendigo Bank's shop at 303 Collins Street. CBA will pay rent of $418,000 a year for 260 Flinders Street in a deal negotiated by Mr Ainsworth, Tan Thach and Samantha Hunt. City fringe office rents have soared 20 per cent over the past two years as tenants face diminishing choice of space. Knight Frank research shows net absorption levels in Melbourne's suburban office sector were at a six-year high, with total vacancy falling from 7.7 to 7 per cent. Melbourne's suburban office market has recorded positive net absorption for seven consecutive years. Despite the trend over the past three years of major tenants upgrading to CBD office space, A-grade vacancy rates decreased to 9.1 per cent from a high point at the beginning of 2016. "In contrast, secondary office vacancy levels increased with both B-grade and C-grade vacancy rates rising," Knight Frank's James Treloar said. The world's largest technology investor is preparing to ramp up his bet on the Trump economy. Masayoshi Son, the billionaire technology entrepreneur from Japan, promised US President Donald Trump late last year that he would create 50,000 new jobs in the United States through a $US100 billion ($131.5 billion) technology fund. Now, Son and his financial advisers are weighing several major possible deals for Sprint, the struggling US wireless operator controlled by Son's SoftBank. Be it a tie-up with T-Mobile US, Sprint's closest competitor, or a more ambitious marriage with cable colossus Comcast, a transaction would allow Son to fulfil a long-held ambition to invest aggressively in US wireless networks and enable next-generation mobile technology. In an increasingly grim and cheerless world, you have to take your pleasure where you find it. And the unanticipated spectacle of the world's most famous awards ceremony going arse-up was always going to deliver this vexed planet an intoxicating shot of pure dopamine. But the real reason for the international orgy of schadenfreude that still shows no sign of abating is simple: IT WAS THE ACCOUNTANT'S FAULT, AND WE CAN PROVE IT. Never before, in the history of financial services, has an accounting professional ever been so bang-to-rights on an issue that any Normal Human Idiot is capable of understanding. Never again will we non-accountants be able to prove with pictures that an accountant buggered something up in a way that was exhilaratingly, indisputably NOT OUR FAULT. My mother was a "computer", back in the days when the term applied to people. Plucked from high school because of her prowess at maths, she was put to work at the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury in South Australia, performing the calculations that enabled the rockets fired from Woomera to go where they should. She had dozens of colleagues, all of them women: rows and rows of women, doing calculations for men before the invention of calculators. A movie starring African-American women that did well at the box office: Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures. Now immortalised in the movie Hidden Figures, their existence ought to kill forever the idea that women can't do maths. Yet it persists. The Commonwealth Treasury used to be an overwhelmingly male institution until the start of this decade when a new boss began to drag up the proportion towards its present 53 per cent, along with 37 per cent of executives. TFF ranted recently that the last bastion of the cultural cringe is the insistence that no Australian can ever be fit to be head of state as that role can only be filled by someone from a family in England. The second last bastion, surely, is the paroxysms of pleasure we go through, when "Australia" is even mentioned by an American President. It happened this week, in President Trump's address to the joint session of Congress when he mentioned, with admiration, in a sentence, our immigration policy. Oh, the pleasure! The columns! The broadcast time! He mentioned us, President Trump really mentioned us! Just imagine, little ol' us! Sigh. One day, we will look out on the world as equals, with enough confidence that we won't define ourselves by either our relationship to one great and powerful friend, or what another great and powerful friend might think of us. Of course, responding to people living on the streets with helping services is far less worse than what we have recently seen in inner-city Melbourne where local authorities move people on . But just because washing people and their belongings in public spaces is better than criminalising their poverty doesn't make it a useful solution to the underlying problem. By directing through government policy, business support, and charity aid towards things like mobile washing facilities or soup kitchens, we inadvertently normalise homelessness and lose sight of how to end it. As a society we should instead redirect our efforts toward providing immediate access to housing to end homelessness. 'We ought to end homelessness because it is the right thing to do and we know how to do it.' When people in Australia live on the streets, they do so not because we lack the resources or technical solutions to end their homelessness. Instead, people sleep rough because of the political decisions we make and sanction. The intentions of those who provide charity to people on the streets are unambiguously positive. And yet, without them knowing, their actions can actually do more harm than good. While well intentioned, services like Orange Sky Laundry, set up by Brisbane founders Lucas Patchett and Nicholas Marchesi, help normalise homelessness, argues Dr Cameron Parsell. Credit:Paul Harris Irrespective of the benevolent intentions involved, we know that people living on the streets can experience receiving charity to survive as demeaning. People distinguish the actions of the givers of charity, which they see as admirable, from how receiving charity to survive makes them feel. Mobile support services, which receive government funding and philanthropic and community support, send the message that extreme poverty and inequities are OK, so long as we ensure the people can be cleaned and kept alive. But when we direct our energies toward sustaining people in extreme poverty we take the pressure off those responsible for affordable housing and the social conditions that result in housing exclusion. People providing charity to those living on the streets are correct to say that the problems with housing supply and housing access are out of their hands. But how can we as a society better harness their positive goodwill to redress the structural conditions that need to be changed so that people sleeping rough can achieve housing justice? How can we do better? These are challenging issues, but our responses can only be justified by the outcomes for people experiencing exclusion, not for what the giver of charity receives from giving. We don't need to look overseas or even come up with something particularly creative. Australian practice and research evidence demonstrates that affordable and secure housing coupled with targeted street outreach and ongoing support services is enough to stop homelessness. Our research has clearly shown the diversity of people who sleep rough and how homelessness does not form part of their identity or how they want to be seen. Among these diverse individuals, however, is a stark common experience of profound trauma and exclusion that people trace back to infancy. Revellers heading to Sydney for Saturday's Mardi Gras celebrations no longer face the prospect of wild weather despite wet conditions, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's latest update. The bureau's 9:48am update on Saturday cancelled a severe weather warning for Sydney, the Hunter and the Central Tablelands advising residents to brace for heavy rain, thunderstorms and possible flash flooding along parts of the coast. The warning remains in place for people in the South Coast and parts of the Illawarra, Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains districts. Areas of the Illawarra and South Coast have recorded falls of more than 100mm over the past 24 hours as a low pressure system off the state's central coast drifts south and southeast. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has no plans to campaign in Western Australia before next Saturday's state election as Liberal premier Colin Barnett faces the fight of his political life to hold on to power. A ReachTEL poll commissioned by Fairfax Media last week showed Labor ahead 52 per cent to 48 per cent in the two-party preferred vote though it still faces a challenge to win the 10 seats required to form government. Despite state issues dominating the campaign, a loss for the Liberals would be another blow for Mr Turnbull who is trailing in the polls and leads an increasingly divided federal party room. Mr Turnbull has visited Western Australia just once during the state election campaign, in a poorly received trip that lasted less than 24 hours. The chefs at Enmore's Queen Chow claim they're just serving dai pai dong food on nicer plates. It's a great line but, in truth, the street food-inspired menu goes way beyond that of any of the open-air street stalls for which Hong Kong is famous. Being a Merivale venue, the wine list is a lot better, too. Queen Chow occupies the bright, glass-covered first-floor terrace of the revamped Queen Victoria Hotel. The refurb includes a dark, timber-heavy ground-floor bar and an equally moody cocktail bar, The Smelly Goat, upstairs. A betting lounge and TAB on street level is probably the only vestige of the pub's past. Queen Chow. Credit:Jennifer Soo With a crew of hungry kids, the share plates including salt and pepper squid, prawns and divinely wobbly silken tofu, fried rice with slivers of cuttlefish and char siu, and combination roast meats are a hit. The latter is a feasting platter of half a roast duck with crisp caramel skin and honey-glazed, ever-so-slightly charred pork neck and spare ribs. Chefs Patrick Friesen and Christopher Hogarth have worked together at Merivale restaurants, including Mr Wong and Papi Chulo, and their menu here is a personal interpretation of Cantonese favourites. Mud crab, cooked three different ways, is the duo's signature dish. On a recent sun-slapped morning in Moscow's Muzeon Park of the Arts, I meet Alexander Bork, the co-inventor of Lenining, a game of chasing selfies with the 10,000 statues of Bolshevik revolutionary Vladimir Lenin dotted across the former USSR. I've spent a year tracing Lenin's shadow, and have come to the park in search of the holy grail: a trinity of Lenins that could be captured in one shot. The number of tributes to Lenin is in decline across the former USSR as people continue to destroy and dismantle them. Credit:Getty Images "I've seen so many amazing places I wouldn't have otherwise visited," Bork says. The Siberian native looks remarkably fresh from tracking a record haul of 140 statues in a month, as we squeeze our heads into the frame with all three incarnations of him. Bork tells me he's been disappointed in his visit to heavily Russianised Kazakhstan, and we begin reminiscing about the steppes and deserts of the old empire, where I launched my quest 12 months earlier. Enduring hostages to geography, the five Central Asian republics Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are landlocked by the Middle East, China and Russia. While much of the region has prospered since the fall of communism, independence has seen poverty and brutal rule sap the complexion of the region's time-worn Vlad statues. Women in television are under pressure to stay slim and youthful, while their male counterparts can get away with wrinkles, look "sexy" with salt-and-pepper grey hair, and sport a paunch that is passed off as a charming "dad bod". But little is spoken about the one exception to the rule male pattern baldness. While women are deemed the sex most likely to chase the elixir of youth, men are becoming more concerned with body image as they measure themselves against culturally perceived standards of attractiveness, and out of that a growing trend for hair transplants has been born. Just look at Australia's most popular TV host, Karl Stefanovic, 42. Fairfax Media understands the Channel Nine Today presenter bowed to the pressure to maintain his beloved boyish looks and underwent a subtle hair transplant to hide thinning at the front and top of his head a few years ago. Obviously we don't know how many of those women would have worked anyway, even without a subsidy for childcare. Perhaps they would have paid the full cost, or used informal care with relatives. It's even possible their partner would have dropped back their hours at work, but the figures show this is rare for heterosexual couples. Phillips' report states that 90 per cent of fathers work full time, regardless of the type of care their children receive. I'd like to see that change, but that's a topic for another day. What we do know is that women are more likely to work if their children are in formal care. Phillips report shows for families where the youngest child is five years or younger and in formal childcare, 29 per cent of women work full time and 42 per cent work part time. But if the child is not in formal care, 26 per cent work full time and 21 per cent work part time. The remainder don't work at all. For my entire lifetime we have been educating women as highly as men, and women have sought to use their education in meaningful work. But the labour market has barely changed and it's still set up for men. Whenever anyone suggests we change working practices to accommodate women, business lobby groups throw up their hands and whine about how the imposition on employers would make the economy tank. That is what my colleague Ross Gittins would call "bizonomics"; it sounds like economics but is actually just spin from the business lobby using the language of economics. Don't forget that when Australia introduced benefits such as paid annual leave and long service lead and reduced the working week first to 40 hours and then to 38 hours, government simply passed the relevant legislation and business bore the cost. It's a modern idea that it's unfair to make business pay. The real economic cost is if we invest heavily in educating women and then lose them from the paid workforce in their most productive years. As says Dr Elizabeth Hill, an academic at the University of Sydney, puts it: "We've got a cohort of Australian women who are more educated than ever and outperforming the boys but they're totally under-represented in the paid labour market so we've got this incredible waste of productive capacity." As well as working women paying tax, they're also saving for their own retirement and reducing the burden on taxpayers later in life. "Women's poverty in old age is directly linked to lack of choice in the labour market when they're of working age," says Dr Hill. But the best reason to fund childcare generously has nothing to do with women and everything to do with children. They are the citizens and taxpayers of tomorrow and we have an obligation to invest in them, whether their parents can or can't. Most people recognise this fact, which is why we have a public education system. No one seriously argues that primary and secondary schooling should be user pays. Early childhood care and education should be part of the public education system, and children should have access regardless of whether their parents are in formal work. "We know very clearly it has benefits for kids when they start school and when they track through school and then into employment," Dr Hill says. "There are enormous economic and social benefits." The evidence for the benefit of early childhood care and education is "unequivocal" for children aged two and over. For babies and toddlers under the age of two, it's more mixed. It may not be education for a six-month-old, but quality care is just as important to a child's development. "For a lot of disadvantaged households the care they can get in a formal setting can be higher than at home," Dr Hill says. Dr Hill says the government's new childcare package is a move in the wrong direction because it halves the amount of subsidised childcare for children in households earning $65,000 or less. These are the kids who would benefit most. Personally I believe in subsidising childcare for the simple fact that we live in a society and we pay our taxes towards the common good. Loading Just like most year 8 students, the highlight of Harry Bottero's school day is often hanging out in the playground with his friends. The only difference is that when this 13-year-old catches up with his mates, it is in a virtual quadrangle, connected to each other via the internet from the most remote corners of NSW. If Harry and his friends are not in the virtual playground, you might find them searching for books in the virtual library or even relaxing in the virtual coffee lounge. Then it is back to their virtual classrooms for a maths, English or science lesson. This is not science fiction. Harry is a student at Aurora College, the state's first virtual high school, a selective school for some of the brightest students in NSW. Prosecutors arrive in Deniliquin on Saturday morning. Credit:Chris Vedelago She didn't appear in person, and is scheduled to appear by video link from a prison in Junee on Monday. "She's pretty upset," the Legal Aid duty solicitor said outside the court. "I get the distinct impression she really doesn't know what's going on, not in terms of the legal side of it but, in terms of just what's happened with her children." Police divers search the Murray River for the missing five-year-old after an alleged drowning attempt by his mother. Credit:Luke Hemer/Riverine Herald On Friday afternoon, she appeared by video link at an extradition hearing held in Bendigo, sobbing uncontrollably as Detective Sergeant Trent Swinton gave the magistrates' court a horrifying account of the events on Thursday night. He said she walked to the river in Moama with her children, and told her eldest son to get in the water before she held his head under. The mother, who cannot be named, is expected to appear in court via videolink on Monday. Credit:Facebook Her youngest son was screaming, the detective told the court, then the nine-year-old boy managed to struggle free. It is alleged the mother then held her younger son's head under the water, and later pushed him face-down out into the river, where he was last seen drifting. Detective Sergeant Swinton said the woman made full admissions to her role in the incident. The Bendigo Magistrate's Court also heard she allegedly told witnesses the night before that she "had to drown my babies". There is anger in Deniliquin one man drove past the court yelling obscenities but chiefly shock. "We're all asking: Why? We want answers," said the woman's aunt, who can't be named for legal reasons. The 27-year-old mother with a troubled history seems more known about than really known in the town of 8000 people. Locals who'd heard of her mentioned problems with drugs and run-ins with authority: "Chequered past," said one. "Ice. She's been off the rails for a while." But there's nothing but sympathy for the 27-year-old's mother and stepfather the grandparents of the child found dead in the river and the other in hospital in Melbourne. "They're good people. They've had to put up with a lot." Their house in Deniliquin had become a refuge for the two boys about 18 months ago after they took them into their home. The couple had taken out an apprehended violence order against their own daughter in May last year, which required that she not "assault, molest, harass, threaten or otherwise interfere with" her mother, as well as orders that she should not approach her mother within 24 hours of consuming liquor or illicit drugs. The children's stable time with their grandparents was disturbed when the mother contacted them in early February on her release from prison, and, according to the grandparent's solicitor, they were forced to let her stay in the property by local authorities and social services. The decision to compel her placement in a home where she had caused so many problems baffled her relatives, including the mother's aunt. "The Department of Human Services, police and authorities have a lot to answer for. Nothing was done when the family was calling for help," she said. The family's claims that they were ignored by Corrective Services NSW were strongly denied on Saturday by acting Assistant Commissioner Michelle Micallef. "It appears our staff took reasonable steps to put appropriate services in place and to make alternative accommodation arrangements. We could not have foreseen this shocking outcome," she said. A neighbour outside the Deniliquin court said it was impossible to imagine what the grandmother of the children was going through. "This was her daughter and it happened to her grandchildren. And the child [in hospital] has lost his mother and probably his brother, it will change his life forever. It's awful," she said. The Department of Corrective Services has hit back at claims it endangered the sons of the Deniliquin woman who allegedly tried to drown both in the Murray River, killing one. But a lawyer for the boys' grandparents, Dale Brooks, maintained the tragedy would not have happened were it not for serious failures by authorities, calling the denials "fatuous nonsense". Divers searching for the child's body at the Murray River near Moama. Credit:Luke Hemer/Riverine Herald Mr Brooks said the woman was not given proper housing when she was released from prison a month ago, after serving a sentence for breaking and entering. She came to live in the south-west NSW town of Deniliquin in a caravan on the property of her mother, who had assumed care for the children, aged nine and five. WASHINGTON Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, and Brookings Institution scholar Thomas Mann agree on one thing: Washington is stuck in partisan gridlock. But when it comes to the likelihood of a solution, the two are as divided as Congress itself. Mann said a bipartisan group of lawmakers and advocates who rallied for bipartisan compromise Thursday at the Capitol were engaged in wishful thinking, saying that a majority of Americans are not in the middle on most issues. Pretending theres a vast majority of centrists has been proven to be largely nonsense, said Mann, adding that party has become so much of voters identity that it becomes dangerous in todays political climate for politicians to vote against their party. That didnt stop Sinema and the others at the No Labels coalitions National Problem Solvers Conference from calling for more compromise in Congress, and urging voters to lean on their elected officials to do just that. I think its evident that we are in a time of ugliness and division, and Americans dont want that, Sinema said after her speaking at the rally. They want practical solutions. She and others expressed optimism that the American people can combat what she called an unprecedented level of hyperpartisanship in Washington. The rally included about a dozen lawmakers, Republican and Democratic, and hundreds of voters who later fanned out across Capitol Hill to call on members of Congress. There was a general sense during the event that a silent majority of Americans want to see Congress meet in the middle on issues, and that the challenge for groups like No Labels is to move that majority to action and to overcome the loud voices from the far right and far left. David Westerby came from Utah for the conference that he said drew more than 1,000 people to Washington for the two-day event. We are here to encourage our congressmen to quit listening to the extreme voices from the left and the right and join together with the majority of American people in the middle, Westerby said. New Hampshire resident Gretchen Ziegler said that even if members of Congress dont cooperate on legislation, or refuse to hold town halls with their constituents, voters in the middle can still promote bipartisanship by turning out to vote in the primaries. If we can get the broad-based middle to turn out for the primaries, we can make a real difference, Ziegler said. But even if there is a majority centrist population in the U.S., it would still be difficult to convince their representatives to compromise, said Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. Ornstein and Mann co-authored Its Even Worse Than It Looks, a 2012 book about the partisan deadlock that is deeply rooted in Congress. Ornstein said working across party lines is very rare and it will be even harder to do under the administration of President Donald Trump whose campaign made the country even more polarized. Ornstein, a longtime observer of Congress, said its members tend to reach bipartisan compromise under only two instances. One is when the party resistant to compromise starts to think it will suffer significantly if it doesnt cooperate with the other side. The other is when the issues at hand are so noncontroversial that working with the other party wont bring public criticism, he said. Mann said the parties now are tribalistic and that theres increasingly very little overlap between them. Partisanship is the most powerful force in our politics right now, he said. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, said Thursday that he appreciates what Sinema and the other lawmakers hope to do by bridging the gap between Republican and Democrat lawmakers. But Grijalva, rushing to a vote, said he holds little hope for compromise while Republicans control both chambers of Congress. Sitting in the extreme middle is not going to solve our problems, Grijalva said. Sinema told voters at the rally that it is up to them to push their elected officials to put Americans before partisan politics. More than ever we need more problem solvers in Congress, Sinema said outside the rally. We need more people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get work done and to let go of the partisan trappings that you see taking over Washington. Thousands of Australians have downloaded instructions on how to make a 3D printed gun from an American website called Defense Distributed, according to its managing director Cody Wilson. Mr Wilson, 29, is an anarchist once named one of the most dangerous men in the world because of his attempts to disseminate information showing how to make a printable and untraceable gun. NSW is the only state in Australia where it is an offence punishable by 14 years imprisonment to possess a digital blueprint to make a 3D gun. The 2015 legislation bans storage in the cloud, on a computer, mobile phone or storage device, within or outside NSW. Last week 27-year-old Sicen Sun, a gaming enthusiast, was the first person to be charged under this legislation after he allegedly attempted to sell an imitation 3D printed Glock pistol for $1 million. Police allege they found a range of imitation weapons in his Waverley unit. Today's students face unprecedented stress from living costs, time constraints and the need to juggle multiple roles, a higher education conference in Canberra has heard. Representatives from two student associations spoke before Universities Australia's conference in Canberra on Wednesday about changing student expectations in 2017. The convention heard that more attention needed to be drawn to student welfare. Credit:Elesa Kurtz National Union of Students president Sophie Johnston and Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations president Peter Derbyshire covered a range of topics about the student experience, including cost of living pressures, welfare, digital learning and sexual assault on campus. Ms Johnston told the crowd at the National Convention Centre ballroom that students needed to feel supported, especially as the industry changed. More than 1000 childcare workers will walk off the job on International Women's Day on Wednesday to draw attention to the large pay gap between male- and female-dominated professions. Dozens of childcare centres will close mid-afternoon to support the national campaign, which is the largest walk-off by early childhood educators and follows a similar action held on Equal Pay Day last year. Qualified early childhood educators earn as little as $20.61 an hour, about half the national average wage and significantly less than workers in male-dominated professions with comparable skills and qualifications. Childcare union United Voice has a long-running wage case in the Fair Work Commission, arguing that the 97 per cent female workforce is under-paid for working in a "pink collar" sector. Early risers are accustomed to the occasional late night straggler loitering on Sydney's Coogee Beach at sunrise. But they are never normally this wild. European red foxes have become a regular sight on Coogee's golden sands with bathers, walkers and group fitness classes all having recently witnessed the fearless predator's dramatic dawn dash home along the shoreline. The animals have also started to venture inside McIvers Baths, with one attempting to steal a swimmer's leggings a fortnight ago. While fox populations appear to be on the rise across Sydney's densely populated eastern suburbs, councils say they are virtually powerless to halt their spread because of the dangers of baiting programs for domestic pets. New fabrics for school uniforms at Wesley College, Melbourne. "It's important not to engineer children's lives at a very complex time of their emerging identity but to allow them choices and a kind of wriggle-room that's so important as they explore who they are." At Melbourne's Wesley College, principal Dr Helen Drennen, also in the process of introducing a new uniform in traditional purple and gold, agrees. "Having mix and match options, as well as gender-neutral clothes, is important," she says. "They work for boys as well as girls and cross-gender students. We haven't had a case of a boy choosing to wear a girl's summer dress because we've got options that give our student population a level of comfort." While independent and private schools often commission named designers to draw up changes to their uniforms, most public schools in NSW and Victoria tend not to go to that expense. Although Balmain High School in Sydney used a Mambo print for its school uniform in 1993, most rely on school uniform suppliers' in-house designers to either suggest updates or they choose from online catalogues. "We don't like to talk publicly about that service," says the managing director of one major uniform suppliers. "The schools themselves like us to be discreet." But Dianne Giblin, CEO of the Australian Council of State School Organisations, says that most updates result from pressure from students. "One school in western Sydney always had bottle-green trousers but the kids all started wearing black, so in the end the school agreed to change the uniform to black," she says. "Lots of the white shirts have gone too and are being replaced by polo shirts or T-shirts with the school's emblem or monogram on as they're easier. And most of the public schools now allow girls to wear trousers or shorts as that's what they themselves want to wear as it's a lot more practical." Barker College's Heath believes there is a link between uniforms and the learning process. "We now know that activity, and kinaesthetic experiences [learning by students carrying out physical activities rather than passively listening to lectures] augments brain function," Heath says. "If you're going to solve a complex maths problem or learn a foreign language, then the best thing is to go for a run beforehand. "So a uniform needs to fit that kind of purpose too, as well as helping boys and girls feel as though they belong, and are proud of the school. It has to be comfortable to move around in, role-play and interact in small groups, so students can enjoy the whole range of learning experiences, especially as the climate appears to be getting hotter." As a result, most of the new, revamped uniforms are being made from much more contemporary blended fabrics, which tend to be lighter, more durable, stretchier and easier to care for.White shirts are also frequently giving way to coloured, striped or patterned shirts which can look smarter for longer, and don't show off girls' bras beneath. Wesley College students are enthusiastic about their new uniforms, both academic and sporting, after a long series of consultations with pupils, parents and the community to replace the early 1990s uniform designed by Prue Acton. "Many of the basic uniform designs came to Australia from independent schools in the UK, and they don't fit an Australian environment and climate," Drennen says. "So we needed a generational change with a more contemporary and forward-thinking feel. "Students wear clothes differently now, so they'll now have the opportunity to layer their uniform with more options. In the past, they just had a school jumper but now they'll have a cardigan and vest as well as a jumper especially when the weather now is so unpredictable." Justin Garrick, the head of school at Canberra Grammar School, says Australian schools have generally fallen behind contemporaries in Britain, which gave us those original uniforms. Canberra has just replaced the old khaki shorts and long socks with modern silt-coloured shorts and ankle socks. "Our uniform would have had its origins in Britain but, having worked in the UK for 13 years before coming back here, I saw that British uniforms moved on a long time ago," he says. "But often Australian schools have hung on to styles that have long gone in the UK. "In our case, we knew that not many of our students are going to grow up to wear knee-high socks, so it was time for a look that was more professional, smarter, sharper and more modern. We've been really keen to put more choice in too. Gender issues were also a part of our thinking in building more unisex items that can be worn by both boys and girls." His school has also introduced a hijab, or headscarf, that can be worn by girls who would like to, while Wesley College has a long, dark aubergine tunic option. "It's important that students feel like they belong, but not lose their own identity," says Barker College's Heath. "We need to cater for a diverse population and be inclusive, as well as understanding the realities of early onset maturation." They may have travelled 4000 kilometres to Sydney, but for the Sistagirls of the Tiwi Islands the journey began four generations ago. For the first time, the LGBTIQ group from the remote islands 80 kilometres north of Darwin will perform in Saturday's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. The Sistagirls from the Tiwi Islands prepare for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras at Marked Hair Salon in Newtown. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "I'm excited but nervous", says lead act Shaun Kerinaiua, 24. While many of the performers in tonight's parade are younger, the Sistagirls' struggle for acceptance by their elders and community started in the 1950s, she says. Sydney has turned out once again in support of the LGBTQI community for the 39th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, despite a torrent of rain that threatened to put a dampener on festivities. Hundreds of rainbow flags were on display across the city in wide-ranging support for the cause, while many landmark buildings were lit up in the familiar rainbow hues on Saturday night. Rain comes down before the start of the 2017 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Credit:James Brickwood Despite poor weather forecasts and police concerns over possible terror threats, up to 300,000 people were thought to have taken part in celebrations that lasted long into the night. Dykes on Bikes - one of Australia's oldest LGBTQI groups - kicked off the celebrations, followed by thousands of other feathered and fleshy marchers. Mr Byrne said it was unusual for a Local Drought Committee to meet outside the normal cycle. Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne said he had accepted a recommendation from the Local Drought Committee. Farmer Kelvin Griffins on his sugarcane farm in Bundaberg, which has received drought status. Credit:Rob Homer The declaration, effective from March 1, brings the area of Queensland that is drought-declared to 84.29 per cent. "But the Bundaberg region has suffered from poor rainfall and heatwave conditions during this wet season and I instructed them to meet urgently to consider making a declaration," Mr Byrne said. Usually, drought committees meet once a year at the end of the summer rainfall period in April. Mr Byrne said the department advised there was a spike in the number of producers applying for individual droughted property status. "The committee has advised that pasture response this growing season has varied due to storm rainfall but prospects from now into the winter are very poor due to extreme conditions," he said. "There are reports of pasture dieback in the region and cane and cropping has suffered from the low rainfall and heatwave." "Fake news" and "alternative facts" have entered the political vocabulary in Queensland and it could be damaging to the health of our democracy. Political spin in the face of criticism is nothing new, but the term "fake news" has been prolific in recent months, especially in US politics and Queensland politicians have jumped on the bandwagon. The LNP media account tweeted about "fake news" this week. Credit:Felicity Caldwell In recent months, and during the US election, websites were created to publish fake news that goes viral on social media, earning money from advertising. But accusations that unfavourable press coverage is instead fake have taken off, with US President Donald Trump leading the charge in using the term while attacking the media. The LNP will forge ahead to the next state election without two of its most experienced hands on deck. Member for Callide Jeff Seeney's announcement this week that he would not contest the state election follows member for Southern Downs Lawrence Springborg's retirement news in December. John Bjelke-Petersen (centre) with Jeff Seeney and Lawrence Springborg, campaigning for the National Party in 2006. Credit:Glenn Hunt The loss of Mr Springborg, the father of the LNP and three-time leader of the party, will be felt particularly hard, although generational change is not necessarily always a bad thing. Mr Springborg was elected in 1989 with the National Party, at the age of 21, and played a leading role in the Liberal National Party merger in 2008. A revised Brisbane Metro plan promises to halve travel times, reduce costs by a third and transport more commuters in an hour than the Gold Coast Light Rail service can do in a single day. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk unveiled the plan on Saturday, saying the Brisbane City Council would not sit on its hands while the city's bus network was stretched thinner and thinner. Cr Quirk said the council would also find an alternative to the Go Print site, with problems encountered in trying to secure the site as a maintenance and stabling depot making it "just too hard" and "unaffordable". The site will be left for the Palaszczuk government to use in its Cross River Rail plans, with an alternative being sought "in the outer suburbs" and several sites under consideration, according to a spokesman from the Lord Mayor's office. Yuan Wang, of Castle Hill, was looking for a biology tutor for her year 12 son Benjamin Huang. Paul Leone, of Castle Hill, was a science graduate with an above distinction average looking for work. It took her about 30 seconds to find him, and he lived five minutes away. That's the platform economy at work. The platform in their case was Scooter Tutor, a 10-year old Brisbane company with a bespoke software system which lets clients instantly engage a tutor according to availability, subject, year level and location, and vetted for qualifications, quality and character. Tutor Paul Leone (right) with Year 12 biology student Benjamin Huang, both of Castle Hill, were connected by the peer-to-peer platform Scooter Tutor. Credit:Kirk Gilmour The private tutoring market in Australia is worth an estimated $1.25 billion and is growing at 4.1 per cent a year, according to figures provided by Australian Tutoring Association CEO Mohan Dhall. Worldwide, it is predicted to surpass $102 billion by 2018. The Australian government's Job Outlook website predicts tutoring jobs will grow "very strongly" in the next three years, adding as many as 50,000 full-time jobs to the Australian Tutoring Association's estimate of 70,000 existing tutors, which includes part-timers and those who moonlight from their day jobs. Police were forced to use capsicum spray to break-up a violent brawl that broke out in Melbourne's north in the early hours of Saturday. Senior Constable Alistair Parsons said police were called to Johnston Street, Fitzroy, about 3.15am to respond to reports that a fight had broken out and spilled over into the road. Police arrested two men after a brawl in Johnston Street, Fitzroy. Credit:Patrick Herve He said when police arrived there were about 20 people "pushing and shoving" each other on the westbound side of the road. Two Sunshine West man were arrested - one, aged 32, for being drunk and verbally abusing police; and the other, aged 22, for allegedly assaulting a woman and assaulting police. Residents arrive at Station Street for a public meeting against the proposed juvenile prison for Werribee. Credit:Wayne Taylor But while the latest expense scandal has plunged the government into a fresh internal crisis, it is emblematic of a broader external problem, too: a looming backlash in the western suburbs that make up Labor's traditional heartland. After all, this was not just another case of self-entitled politicians making dubious expense claims courtesy of taxpayers. This was a case in which two Labor politicians fleeced more than $150,000 between them to live by the beach miles away from the working-class western electorates they are meant to represent. Local residents protest against the youth detention centre planned for Werribee South. Credit:Wayne Taylor What's more, the latest rorts came on top of many other issues that some view as potent symbols of a government taking its safe seats for granted: the proposal for a youth jail in Werribee South, the lack of transparency around the Western Distributor toll road, fears of a rubbish tip expansion in Ravenhall, rising crime rates in rapidly growing suburbs across the city of Wyndham. To government supporters and critics alike, the expense scandal was the ultimate insult to the party's base. Residents campaigned against plans to build the facility at Werribee South. Credit:Wayne Taylor "The rorting of entitlements is something that workers cannot stomach," says Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari. "Members of Parliament need to be held to a higher standard than members of the public. They should know better." About 15 kilometres from Spring Street's corridors of power, Labor's western frontier begins once you cross the West Gate Bridge, stretching from the gentrified seats of Williamstown, Footscray and Altona to the outer electorates of Kororoit, St Albans, Tarneit, Werribee, Melton and Sydenham. Question time: Speaker Telmo Languiller has agreed to repay about $40,000 he had claimed for living in Queenscliff while representing Tarneit. Credit:Jason South Out here, ALP voters have been rusted on for years so much so, that Labor's seats will generally need swings of between 12.56 per cent and 19.98 per cent to change hands at the next election. But while next year's poll won't necessarily be won or lost in Melbourne's west, a number of government MPs have sensed a shift that they fear could potentially loosen Labor's grip, pointing to the volatility of western Sydney as a cautionary tale. Labor MP for Melton Don Nardella. Throw in the popularity of One Nation and the potential for a preference deal with the Liberals, and suddenly the idea of safe ALP seats becoming more marginal doesn't seem entirely far-fetched. A few weeks ago, a gang of youths of African appearance stormed the family-friendly Summersault festival in Caroline Springs on a Saturday night, stealing bags and mobile phones in a crime spree that has become all too familiar. Deputy Speaker Don Nardella claimed $113,000 from the "second residence" allowance to live in the beachside suburb of Ocean Grove. Pauline Hanson took to Facebook to tell followers that deportation would be the "best" solution: "Round them up and get them out!" she wrote in a post that attracted hundreds of mostly supportive comments within minutes. As one minister noted this week, when Hanson starts talking about Melbourne's west, "we should start worrying". Some party hardheads clearly are. Internal research based on Senate votes in the last federal election, for instance, have identified two significant One Nation "pockets" in the ALP's heartland. The first is the seat of Melton held by Nardella at least until the next poll, when the embattled backbencher is set to quit after 25 years in politics. But the second is Treasurer Tim Pallas' electorate of Werribee, now the centre of a fiercely contested stoush over plans to build a 244-bed maximum security jail for youth offenders. In a sign of the community's outrage, residents have already named it "Tim's Palace". On a crisp Monday evening last month 20 tractors rumbled out of Fragapane Farms, a family-run vegetable distribution business, along Duncans Road in Werribee South, past the Hoppers Lane site earmarked for the new prison, and into Watton Street, where thousands of people had gathered to protest. Among them was federal Labor MP Joanne Ryan, Wyndham mayor Henry Barlow, state Liberal Bernie Finn and local Greens MP Colleen Hartland. Each comes from different tiers of government, but share with residents a common concern: that there is not enough of a buffer between the new prison and nearby farms, homes and the tourism precinct, which includes Werribee Open Range Zoo and Werribee Mansion. The message to Andrews was simple: find another site, or suffer the electoral consequences. Werribee South resident Melinda Marinis was there that night, too, having learnt about the plans through a government press release one week before a letter arrived from Pallas telling constituents he was happy to hear their concerns. "I've rung the 1800 number at the bottom of their letters along with Pallas' office every single day, only to be told that because youth justice sits in Minister [Jenny] Mikakos' jurisdiction, she is the one we should be speaking to," says the 37-year-old. "The whole thing is a joke. My message to the government is don't take your votes for granted because sooner or later this seat will become marginal. I think that would be a good change. Personally, I think we need it." How widespread the discontent is remains to be seen, but the anger over the government's lack of consultation is simply the latest flashpoint in a series of local woes that Andrews has been grappling with for months. In the back streets of Footscray, residents remain troubled about the lack of transparency over Transurban's tolls for the Western Distributor road project, and the government's refusal to release traffic modelling to prove that the project indeed stacks up. In the open plains of Ravenhall, locals are fighting a push by waste management giant Cleanaway to triple the size of a rubbish tip a proposal that has left the government stuck between a proverbial rock and hard place because it would provide about $100 million a year in landfill fees to fund other projects. And across Wyndham more broadly, there are the inevitable woes that come with being one of Melbourne's fastest growing areas, where an average of 87 babies are born each week: overstretched services, congested roads and not enough jobs. Harry van Moorst, the director of the Western Region Environment Centre, says residents often feel as though they are Melbourne's "dumping ground" for waste, for sewerage, for juvenile offenders. But voters have a tendency to stick with Labor all the same, he says, "because the Greens aren't strong enough yet, and it's not as though when we had a Liberal government, that was any better". "What we really need is a strong independent, but in the absence of that, sometimes it's better the devil you know than the one you don't," says van Moorst. Not surprisingly, Pallas argues the difference between the Andrews government and the Coalition couldn't be more stark, citing a list of investments to prove his point: the $5.5 billion Western Distributor, $1.8 billion plan to widen and duplicate arterial roads, record funding for new schools and hospitals. He agrees that in his own seat "there are a substantial and legitimate number of constituents" who are angry about the youth jail, but in general terms, he tells Fairfax Media: "The idea that we take the west for granted, I think, quite frankly, is wrong and it's certainly not supported by evidence." Back at Spring Street, one thing is much more certain: the latest expenses scandal has created serious internal damage to a government that has already spent much of its first two years lurching from one crisis to the next. The debacle muddied Labor's message to workers in the aftermath of the Fair Work Commission's penalty rates decision last week. And it highlighted, yet again, the sense of entitlement among the political class, and the inability of some elected officials to accept basic community standards. As more than one government MP conceded in recent days, this could be the biggest problem of all not only in the west, for but politics more broadly. Ministerial roundabout Daniel Andrews has lost three ministers, a whip and both his speaker and deputy speaker in less than two years. Adem Somyurek The Small Business Minister was forced to stand down in July 2015 after his chief of staff alleged that he had bullied her. He maintained his innocence and blamed the ordeal on a factional spat but after receiving a report into the allegations from retired Justice Michael Strong, Premier Daniel Andrews said he had lost confidence in Somyurek. A motorist has died after crashing into a pole at Werribee South in Melbourne's west on Saturday. Police say the man in his 20s was overtaking another vehicle in Hoppers Lane, near Duncans Road, when he lost control of his vehicle about 12.30pm. Motorist dies at Werribee South. He was the sole occupant. His death brings Victoria's road toll to 36. A Glenroy grandmother shot inside her home is no longer in a critical condition - but the gunman remains on the loose. Leonie Stuart, 52, was gunned down inside her home in Hubert Avenue in Melbourne's north just before midnight on Thursday. Leonie Stuart with her husband Stephen Phillips. A spokeswoman from the Royal Melbourne Hospital said Ms Stuart's condition has been downgraded from critical to serious but stable. She is the mother of five boys, including Rodney Phillips, who is in custody awaiting sentencing this month after pleading guilty to recklessly causing injury to a policeman shot in Moonee Ponds in 2015. Beijing: a suspect in the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, said in Beijing that he was a victim of a conspiracy by Malaysian authorities attempting to damage the honour of North Korea. Ri, a North Korean, accused Malaysia of using coercion to try to extract a confession from him, he told reporters outside the North Korea embassy in Beijing on Saturday. Kim Jong-nam was murdered on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, after being assaulted by two women who Malaysian police believe smeared his face with VX, a chemical classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. The murder of Kim Jong-nam has soured relations between Malaysia and North Korea, which had maintained friendly ties for decades. The way al-Qaeda tells it, the West is locked in an existential war with Islam. This is how the terrorist group justifies its violence and its fundamentalist ideology. And now, they've found a Westerner to back them up top Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Bannon graced the cover of the most recent al-Qaeda-linked Al Masra newspaper. That prominence, University of Oxford researcher Elisabeth Kendall told Quartz, is "striking." The piece focused on Bannon's views of Islam, saying he believes that "the forces of Islam cannot be stopped by peaceful means." The paper cited a conversation Bannon had with a Danish journalist in May 2016. It also claimed that Bannon believes that the struggle is really between Christianity and Islam, not just Islam and the West. And it suggested that Bannon has "lost confidence in secular Europe, and sees Muslim immigrants as partially responsible for the retreat of traditional Christian values." Like other Trump advisers (and former advisers), Bannon has spoken publicly about these beliefs. In 2014, he gave a speech to the Vatican via Skype in which he said, "We're now, I believe, at the beginning stages of global war against Islamic fascism." On other occasions, he's suggested that the "Judeo-Christian West" is at war with "expansionist Islamic ideology." Demonstrators in front of the Russian Ambassador's Residence in Washington during a 'Not My President's Day' rally on February 20. Credit:AP But back in 2008, Trump's son Donald Jnr celebrated what he depicted as a massive infusion of Russian capital into the Trump Organisation. "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets; say in Dubai, and certainly with our project in SoHo [Manhattan] and anywhere in New York. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia," he cheerfully told a New York real estate conference, boasting as he did of half-a-dozen trips to Moscow over 18 months. President Trump speaks on the phone with Russian President Putin in the Oval Office on January 28. Credit:Getty Images Two days after Trump's stunning election win in November 2016, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Interfax news agency there had been contact with Trump's "immediate entourage" throughout the campaign. "I cannot say that all, but a number of them maintained contacts with Russian representatives," he said. Michael Flynn resigned as national security adviser after he gave "incomplete information" to Vice President Mike Pence regarding his calls to the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. Credit:AP It seems we have the same kind of people on both sides - in the Kremlin and in the White House. Andrei Kozyrev, former Russian foreign minister One of them was Michael Flynn, the ex-US military intelligence chief who came across during the campaign as a slightly crazed Trump surrogate, but a loyal confidante who was rewarded with an appointment as the new President's National Security Adviser. And who Russia's ambassador to Washington later confirmed, had been calling him through the campaign and during the transition between presidencies. Flynn was revealed to have lied about the content of some of those calls when, as an ordinary citizen, he was counselling Moscow on how to respond to sanctions imposed by the outgoing Obama administration. For that Flynn was forced to resign, after just weeks in the job at the pinnacle of US national security. Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak Credit:AP As Flynn packed up his office, Trump issued what sounded like his own, all-purpose denial. Seemingly oblivious to why Flynn had been so rudely evicted from the West Wing, Trump told reporters: "Nobody that I know of [has been in contact with Russia] ... I have nothing to do with Russia. Haven't made a phone call to Russia in years. Don't speak to people from Russia." But, but, but ... Snow falls as Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, Russia. Credit:AP Former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, an early breakaway from the GOP establishment whose loyalty to Trump during the election campaign was rewarded with a plum appointment as Attorney-General, suddenly is, at time of writing, under pressure to resign because when asked pointedly and under oath during his confirmation hearing, Sessions failed to disclose that he met twice with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the course of the campaign. Flynn and Sessions appear to have perjured themselves in what amounts to a cover-up and Trump's Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is accused of pressuring the FBI to do his dirty work in "knocking down" a sensational New York Times report on an inordinate level of communications between the Trump campaign and Moscow. All this shows signs of eroding Republican resistance to Democratic Party demands for the appointment of an independent, Watergate-style special prosecutor. The administration was back in damage-control mode on Thursday, with a somewhat chastened Sessions announcing his first major decision as the country's top law officer: he would recuse himself from any deliberation by the Justice Department or the FBI on the Trump-Russia investigations. In considering the way forward, Republican minds will be focused by a Thursday report in the Times. A joke by Clinton staffers vacating the White House for George W Bush was to prise the "W" from computer keyboards. But the parting gift from the Obama bunch, as revealed by the Times, is no laughing matter they have left an evidentiary time bomb on a crisis that so threatens the Trump administration that it deserves to be called Russiagate. And to guard against attempts to destroy the information, the Obama officials have deliberately spread the evidence across Congress, government and agencies as well as flagging it for discovery by the right people. Republicans might have breathed a sign of relief on the apparent quashing of a claim, in a 35-page document that came to be known as "the dodgy dossier", that Trump's personal lawyer had met Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016. But the charge is back, with specific references in the Times story of reports in the "time bomb" from British, Dutch and other intelligence agencies of meetings in Europe between Russian government officials and others close to Putin and Trump associates. As Trump's ceremonial inauguration unfolded on January 20, an unprecedented joint taskforce drawn from the CIA, FBI, NSA and the financial crimes unit of the Treasury Department, was investigating the legitimacy of his presidency, following money trails and sifting a mountain of intercepted communications from last year. Americans find themselves at an overlapping intersection. Despite Moscow's best efforts, Hillary Clinton lost the presidency because she was a bad candidate who ran a bad campaign. But in a climate of anti-establishment voter anger and the effortless execution of the Russian hack, there's a sense of ripeness for attempted manipulation by the likes of Putin, which prompts questions about the resilience of their democracy. Interviewed by The New Yorker magazine, Celeste Wallander, who advised President Barrack Obama on Russia, asks: "Will Putin expose the failings of American democracy or will he inadvertently expose the strength of American democracy?" It's too early to write off the Trump White House, but the pillars are shaking. Cold War aftermath Libraries groan under the weight of books on the conduct of the Cold War and its aftermath. What we need to know here is that despite appearances, the contest between Moscow and Washington didn't really end with the 1989 collapse of the Berlin Wall and that relations were probably at a post-1989 low in the twilight of the Obama administration. Obama was dismissive, even contemptuous of Putin; the Russian President loathed his US counterpart. Washington had slapped sanctions on Moscow for its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and they were gridlocked on Syria; and for Putin, the thought that Hillary Clinton might replace Obama was nauseating apart from his personal dislike for her, Putin saw her as guilty by association with her husband, former president Bill Clinton, for his role in expanding NATO eastward towards Russia's borders in the 1990s. Putin surrounds himself with intelligence agents. In the way of the modern autocrat, he has taken to democracy with a scalpel rather than a bulldozer. The media is in his thrall; dozens of reporters have been murdered and dissenters get sidelined across society. Still, it's a corner of the world in which Trump has long wanted to see his name on the skyline. Several attempts in Moscow have failed to get off the ground and he's also pitched proposals in Kiev, the Ukraine capital, and what is now disputed Yalta, in Crimea; and in Warsaw, Poland. Putin and Trump rarely use a computer and they both complained bitterly on being satirised upon taking high office. They share other traits the willingness to attack opponents; promises to return to a gilded past; stoking public fears and manipulating the media. But Putin remains cold and calculating, compared to Trump's girlish giddiness towards Putin; and while Trump has become something of an apologist for Putin's excesses, Putin never returns that compliment. Before Trump travelled to Moscow in 2013, for the Miss Universe pageant, he sounded like a lovesick teenager, wondering aloud in a tweet if he might get to meet Putin and, "if so, will he become my new best friend?" Which surely must have prompted Putin to rouse his intelligence dirty-tricks unit "got a live one here, boys". Trump's Russia obsession is never explained, though there is logic in a frequent outline that as American banks soured on lending to him because of his bankruptcies and because he was a difficult client, Trump was obliged to turn elsewhere for funds, and where better than the former Soviet Union where an orgy of privatisation had transferred massive public funds to the ledgers of a band of government approved bandits - the so-called oligarchs. At times Trump seems besotted by Putin. How else to explain his wild response on hearing that US intelligence believed Moscow was behind the Democrat hacking? He stared down the barrel of the TV cameras and pleaded with Moscow to hack into Clinton's controversial private email server, "to find the 30,000 emails that are missing". And how else to explain his agents intervention to rewrite the GOP platform on Ukraine, making it softer on Moscow; and his contempt for NATO, without a seeming thought for European and global security? And when it became clear that Moscow would follow Flynn's advice in holding off on an immediate response to the Obama sanctions, which were a punishment for interfering in the US election, Trump, the child-like diplomat, tweeted: "Great move on delay (by V. Putin). I always knew he was very smart". But it wasn't that smart, because the unprecedented non-response by Moscow to the expulsion of 35 of its US-based "diplomats" drove the US intelligence agencies to check their stockpile of intercepts from the ambassador's phone to see who he had been talking to and on coming upon Flynn's handiwork, they knew he had lied and so had left himself open to Russian blackmail. But why would Trump make himself look like a goose, first by stubbornly refusing to accept that Moscow was behind the hacking, only to fold in meek acceptance after weeks of denial; and why run a contradictory argument when attacking the news media? Their reports were "fake", but at the same time they were based on leaked and genuine classified information? In copious reporting and analysis in the US and from Moscow, the contours of a Putin rationale are emerging he did not expect to tip the election, but he can create instability and uncertainty. And given the bumpy, chaotic start to the new administration, he can mess with Trump's head as exemplified by this remark to The New York Times by Professor Valeriy Solovey of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations: "The overwhelming view of the Kremlin is that Trump is not very strong he might have sympathy toward Russia, but he is contained within the political establishment". In the same vein, why would the Moscow hackers have left sufficient fingerprints to allow US agencies to declare with such certainty that the hacking was the work of the Russians? There are two arguments one, because this was so personal for Putin, he wanted Obama and Clinton to know that he's been rummaging in their files; and two, and more importantly, as an exercise in disruption and destabilisation, the cyber attack was the more powerful if Americans were aware of its Russian origin. The information that is emerging suggests many months, maybe years of investigative work. Flynn was hugger-mugger with the Russians they paid him a reported $US40,000 ($52,000) fee to appear at the Kremlin-funded Russia Today's 10th anniversary bash and sat him next to Putin. But it beggars belief that, as claimed by Trump insiders, Flynn had gone rogue in communications with the Russians. Given Trump's obsession with Russia, it's impossible to believe that Flynn would have opened a channel to the embassy without a nod from Trump. This conclusion is the more likely because Trump seemingly was not surprised when told not only of Flynn's phone calls but of his lies about them too. And Trump was so not shocked that he sat on the information for a couple of weeks, acting only when it leaked to reporters. The same applies to a Paris speaking engagement at a Moscow-backed think tank, for which Donald Trump Jnr was paid a reported $US50,000. The same think thank that had nominated Putin for a Nobel peace prize. Was the young Donald so naive that he didn't run that past his micromanaging father? Had he been informed, Trump likely would not have cared. That's because, despite all his denials, he has accumulated, as described by The American Interest, his own web "of direct and indirect connections, with a far-flung private Russian/FSU [former Soviet Union] network of outright mobsters, oligarchs, fraudsters, and kleptocrats". A working assumption by Moscow observers is that such people thrive only at the blessing of Putin which is to say that if Trump is connected to them, he likely is connected to Putin. None of that gave Trump cause to pause before doing business with them or roping their associates into his campaign and, more recently, his administration. An early casualty was Paul Manafort, the campaign manager Trump sacked when it became known that he was under investigation, reportedly for receiving millions of dollars from pro-Putin cronies in Ukraine and Russia. More recently Manafort appears to have been the target of an attempted blackmail over his activities in Ukraine. Then there was the mysterious Carter Page, who Trump introduced as an adviser on foreign policy, who had business ties to Russia's state-owned energy conglomerate Gazprom. Trump insists he flicked Flynn for lying, not for his communications with the Russians. And still warming his seat in his new government suite is Secretary of State Rex Tillerson a Putin friend from his days as CEO of ExxonMobil when he was doing multi-billion dollar development deals with Moscow. A company called Bayrock Group LLC and the deals that emerged from Trump's relationship with its principals are cited as useful windows into this part of Trump's word. In one court case, Bayrock's core activities were described as "tax evasion and money laundering" with funding for Trump's big projects arriving "magically" from sources in Russia and Kazakhstan. By one account, all that remains of Bayrock is a sheaf of lawsuits, but in 2007 it reportedly had as much as $US2 billion in Trump-branded deals on its drawing boards which is where they remained, save for the 46-storey Trump SoHo condo-hotel in New York, in which Trump had an 18 per cent stake. It was foreclosed on in 2014; as was another in Florida. Trump's key partners in Bayrock were Kazakhstani and Russian emigres Tevfik Arif, who at one time had an office in Trump Tower; and Felix Sater, who was a big wheel in Bayrock and later a "senior adviser," who also worked from an office in Trump Tower. Described as a prototypical Russian-American mobster, Sater had a string of racketeering convictions and was about to go down for money laundering when, in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, he bought his way out of jail by giving the CIA and the FBI information on the black market for Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. Sater bobbed up again in recent days, along with Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen, as co-authors of a "peace-proposal" for the Ukraine crisis, which apparently had been vetted with Moscow, and which seemingly first would require Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko to be blackmailed out of office ahead of a vote on a long-term lease by Moscow of Crimea and the lifting of US sanctions on Russia. The plan went nowhere, in part because Flynn, its intended recipient, got the boot. Despite a years-long relationship, while giving a legal deposition in 2013, Trump claimed he wouldn't know who Sater was if they were in the same room together. Another such associate was the Russian-Canadian billionaire Alex Shnaider, who joined Trump as a co-financier in the 70-storey Trump Tower and Hotel, Canada's tallest building. It opened in 2012 but struck trouble recently and is in foreclosure. Sketching a web of oligarch and mob characters, The American Interest report concludes: "Donald Trump has also literally spent decades cultivating senior relationships of all kinds with Russia and the FSU. And public and private senior Russian figures of all kinds have likewise spent decades cultivating him, not only as a business partner, but as a 'useful idiot'." Several investigations There now are five congressional investigations of various aspects of the Trump/Russia crisis though with control of both the House and the Senate, Republicans are narrowing the brief for some to a banal question on how information is leaking from the bureaucracy. And despite early dismissals of aspects of the so-called dodgy dossier, it is gaining credibility. CNN reports that US investigators are still at work, but they have been able to verify some of its contents; the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth is reporting that US agents recently confided to their Israeli counterparts that Moscow had "leverages of pressure" to use against Trump; and The Washington Post is reporting that the FBI was sufficiently impressed with the record and reputation of the British author of the dodgy dossier that it offered to put him on the payroll to complete his work. "They are continuing to chase down stuff from the dossier, and, at its core, a lot of it is bearing out," an intelligence official said of his colleagues' work. Stunning in its breadth, the dossier claims that Trump's campaign knew as early as June that Russia was orchestrating a hacking operation to influence the election; that Moscow had been "cultivating, supporting and assisting Trump for at least five years" in an effort to sow "divisions in western alliance"; and that Russia had "compromised" Trump "sufficiently to be able to blackmail him". The investigations are tracking funds which reportedly were channelled to the US from Moscow to pay hackers and which were being laundered through a system by which pension payments are transmitted to Russian citizens living in the US. It might scoop up the amazing report, compiled by hacking experts, of an email server at Trump HQ in New York, which was communicating only with a Moscow bank and which went silent when The New York Times started asking about its purpose. Long list of questions Hundreds of questions are being asked, but three are at the heart of these overlapping investigations: was there collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign to throw the presidential election; did the campaign or any Trump associates receive funding from Moscow or other Russian sources; and does Moscow hold compromising material, a "sex tape" as alleged in the dodgy dossier, by which Trump could be blackmailed or already is? PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of VROMI Christopher Emmanuel dispatched a letter to the board St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHD) requesting that the three government-appointed board to members tender their resignation. The names of the government appointees are Anthony Brown, Jason Peterson, and Roxanne Howell. SMN News learned that several residents living in the Belvedere homes have filed complaints to SMHDF that their homes are filled with mold, there are leakage and other damages to the homes and SMHDF has refused to do anything about the dilapidated homes. SMN News learned that the homes have not been maintained over the years, causing some of the residents to approach the Minister since they can no longer live in such deplorable conditions. According to information provided to SMN News, the residents that are residing in what can be considered as inhumane conditions are falling ill and as such the Minister has requested the resignation of the board members who already refused to resign from the board. This, of course, will cause the Minister to take further action to get the board of SMHDF to act. SMN News learned that since the letter was sent to SMHDF the director began shredding documents. Efforts made to reach the Minister of VROMI Christopher Emmanuel proved futile as he could not be reached by telephone. I just lost my relationship this week too, so I sympathise, not a result of being drunk directly but of my previous history resulting in him not trusting me when I said I hadn't had a drink in a situation I couldn't prove. My word meant nothing anymore from too much previous damage. I lost the only person I ever felt was 'home'.ugh anyway... The only way to fix your life and change your life, is to stop drinking, there isn't another way, Stop repeating the cycle , I know how patronising it sounds to say to just stop drinking, but in reality, that is the ONLY solution to your issue. Drinking the pain away wont work, you know it wont, and it wont make it better.....so whats the damn point? They say the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome. If that doesnt sum up alcoholism and how we behave around drink, I dont know what does. so why not try something different and see what that brings? Kauf und Ubertragung einfach und sicher Uns vertrauen Kunden weltweit 90% of customers have power restored after Saturday outages As of 10 a.m. Sunday, 6,100 customers in the South Bend area remained without power. Most will be restored Sunday, but some won't be until Monday. Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea Meet the Manned Orbiting Laboratory NRO At the peak of the space race when the Soviet Union was considered a threat, and the Beatles were a hot new band invading American music the United States had a partially classified human space program. It was called the Manned Orbiting Laboratory. First announced in December 1963, the program's public aim was to figure out the "military usefulness" of putting a human into space. Its real, classified aim was to put a crewed surveillance satellite into orbit to spy on the Soviet Union. The program never got into space. The program was cancelled in June 1969 (the month before humans landed on the moon) due to budgetary concerns. In late 2015, the National Reconnaissance Office released hundreds of photos and documents about the Manned Orbiting Laboratory. Here are some of the best ones. Up first: An early space station An early space station NRO An undated artist's conception of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory. The picture shows the station being powered by solar panels. A telescope juts out to the right of the station. The spacecraft at top is a version of the two-person Gemini spacecraft that NASA flew in Earth orbit between 1964 and 1966. MOL operated for more than five years and spent $1.56 billion in 1969 dollars ($130 billion in 2016). According to the National Reconnaissance Office, the program was cancelled because of budgetary pressure from the Apollo program and the Vietnam War. There also was a political perception that MOL duplicated what NASA was doing with its human spaceflight program. Up next: A 1960s Vision A 1960s Vision NASA. This early concept for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory shows one possible design of the military space station during its initial development. Designers would eventually streamline the project to fit on a Titan rocket and be serviced by astronauts on Gemini space capsules. Up next: A Closer Look at MOL A Closer Look at MOL by Karl Tate, Infographics artist The U.S. military's Manned Orbiting Laboratory was planned in the 1960s but never realized. Here's a breakdown of what the military spy space station would have entailed. See how the Gemini-based manned spy satellite would have worked here. Up next: Precise machining Precise machining NRO This is an early scaled model of the MOL. According to an NRO statement, MOL's justification was that humans could get better pictures of the Soviet Union than satellite photographs of the day could provide. MOL was a joint program between the Air Force and the NRO. The Air Force was responsible for developing the actual spacecraft, while the NRO created the camera system and other specified subsystems. The Air Force was particularly interested in the program because the humans could ostensibly adjust their mission and photographing faster than a robotic satellite. Up next: Titan Test Flight Titan Test Flight U.S. Air Force/NRO In November 1966, the Manned Orbiting Laboratory project hit a milestone with an unpiloted test flight using a Titan IIIC-9 rocket. The mission launched on Nov. 3, 1966, from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket launched a mock-up of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory as well as a refurbished Gemini spacecraft as a Gemini B prototype. Up next: The Gemini B capsule The Gemini B capsule U.S. Air Force The go-to vehicle for missions to the Manned Orbiting Laboratory was a military version of NASA's Gemini spacecraft, called the Gemini B, seen here in an artist's depiction. The Gemini B would launch a crew with an MOL, allow access into the station via a connecting tunnel at the capsule's base and then return crews to Earth by separating from the MOL, seen here. Up next: Inside Gemini B Inside Gemini B NRO Like NASA's Gemini spacecraft, the Gemini B was a two-person capsule. This view of the interior through an entry hatch shows the tight squeeze astronauts would have to endure on MOL missions. Up next: Gemini cockpit Gemini cockpit NRO This is a version of the Gemini cockpit. Like NASA, the Manned Orbiting Laboratory planned to use a Gemini spacecraft to bring astronauts to space. The spacecraft was designed to be operated by two people, and was capable of working for up to approximately two weeks in Earth orbit if all systems were working correctly. [Gemini Program: Two-Man Prep for Moon Missions] For NASA, Gemini ended up being a key but underappreciated program to help get astronauts to the moon in the Apollo program. It tested key parts of space living such as doing spacewalks and performing dockings, all of which were untested by NASA prior to Gemini taking place. In less than two years of human spaceflight, it accomplished all major objectives. Up next: Spacesuit development Spacesuit development NRO Spacesuits are an integral part of any spaceflight system, and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory was no different. Here, individuals perform motions during spacesuit testing. The MOL spacesuits would be the bright blue seen at right. Up next:Astronaut Training Astronaut Training National Reconnaissance Office This photo offers a crewmember's-eye-view of astronaut training for the U.S. military's Manned Orbiting Laboratory project in the 1960s. Up next: Control center Jeff Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, reportedly pitched the new administration on setting up an "Amazon-like" delivery service for the moon. In a January white paper circulated within NASA and the Trump transition team, Blue Origin proposed developing a cargo lander called Blue Moon that could support a future lunar base at the south pole, where there are both deposits of water ice and regions in almost constant sunlight. The Blue Moon spacecraft could fly on a number of launch vehicles, including Blue Origin's New Glenn vehicle under development. [Washington Post] More News China launched a new version of its Kaituozhe small launch vehicle late Thursday. The Kaituozhe-2 rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre at 6:53 p.m. Eastern and placed a satellite called Tiankun-1 into orbit. The solid-fueled Kaituozhe-2 rocket, likely based on an ICBM, is capable of placing payloads of up to 350 kilograms into orbit. Tiankun-1 will be used for remote sensing and telecommunications experiments. [gbtimes] At least five companies have filed proposals for V-band satellite constellations in response to a concept from Boeing. Those companies met a March 1 deadline set by the FCC to respond to a Boeing proposal last year for a constellation of up to 2,956 satellites in low Earth orbit that would provide broadband communications in the little-used V-band part of the spectrum. The proposals submitted include a 7,518-satellite system by SpaceX as well as concepts from OneWeb, Telesat, O3b and Theia Holdings. [SpaceNews] NASA's MAVEN Mars spacecraft performed a maneuver this week to avoid a potential collision with the Martian moon Phobos. MAVEN adjusted its orbit Tuesday to avoid the "high probability" it would collide with Phobos on March 6. The orbits of the spacecraft and the moon intersect, and on that day the two would have passed through the same point just seven seconds apart. The incident is the first time MAVEN has had to maneuver to avoid a potential collision with a moon or another spacecraft. [SpaceNews] The Air Force is reviewing the orbit-raising propulsion system used on Lockheed Martin military satellites. The Air Force started the review of the propulsion system after an undisclosed problem on a recent spacecraft. The propulsion system is part of the A2100 bus, which is used on several Lockheed military and commercial satellite programs. The review has delayed the Air Force's acceptance of the first GPS 3 satellite, although the spacecraft is still scheduled for launch in the spring of next year. [Bloomberg] A company best known for building cameras for planetary missions has won a contract for a satellite servicing program. Malin Space Science Systems won a $10.9 million contract from the Naval Research Lab to provide the camera for DARPA's Robotic Servicing of Geosynchrous Satellites program. DARPA announced an agreement last month with Space Systems Loral to develop the spacecraft, but Orbital ATK filed suit in a bid to block the deal. DARPA, citing the suit, declined to comment on the camera contract. [SpaceNews] Astro Digital has raised $16.65 million to further development of its Earth imaging satellites and analytics platform. The company said Thursday the Series A round would go towards initial launches of its Landmapper smallsats that will provide medium-resolution Earth imagery, as well as development of a complementary high-resolution satellite system. The company is also developing a software platform that converts the images into industry-specific data for customers. [SpaceNews] China plans to launch the core module of its space station next year. The module, named Tianhe-1, will launch on a Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket next year and be followed by other components, including two modules that will serve as space labs. China expects to complete the station in 2022 and operate it for "dozens of years." [Xinhua] This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry. NASA launched two sounding rockets almost simultaneously from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska at 12:41 a.m. EST (0541 GMT) on March 2. The rockets carried instruments to study the northern lights as part of the Neutral Jets in Auroral Arcs mission. NASA launched three rockets into the aurora borealis Thursday (March 2) to study what happens to Earth's upper atmosphere when it's bombarded with solar wind, or energetic particles that flow from the sun. All three Black IX sounding rockets blasted off within a 2-hour time span from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. These were the last three launches of NASA's Poker Flat Sounding Rocket Campaign, which has sent a total of five Black Brant IX sounding rockets soaring into active auroras since January. The five missions carried three different types of instruments for studying various aspects of auroras, which can hold clues about Earth's magnetic field and the ionosphere, a region in Earth's upper atmosphere where atoms and molecules are ionized by solar radiation, creating a shell of electrically charged particles around the planet. [Aurora Photos: Amazing Northern Lights Displays] A NASA Black Brant IX sounding rocket blasted off on Feb. 22 at 5:14 a.m. EST (1014 GMT) from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. The rocket carried an Ionospheric Structuring: In Situ and Ground-based Low Altitude Studies (ISINGLASS) instrument payload examining the structure of an aurora. (Image credit: NASA/Terry Zaperach) On Jan. 19, NASA kicked off the campaign by launching the Polar Night Nitric Oxide (PolarNOx) experiment. "The aurora creates nitric oxide, but in the polar night, there is no significant process for destroying the nitric oxide," principal mission investigator Scott Bailey, of Virginia Tech, said in a statement. "We believe it builds up to large concentrations." Because nitric oxide can destroy the ozone, Bailey said, this suspected buildup is concerning to scientists; the purpose of PolarNOx is to measure how much nitric oxide is in the atmosphere and where most of it tends to linger. The last of three sounding rockets aimed at studying auroras blasted off March 2 at 2:50 a.m. EST (0750 GMT) from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. (Image credit: NASA/Chris Perry) On Feb. 22, a second rocket blasted off, carrying an instrument called Ionospheric Structuring: In Situ and Ground-based Low Altitude Studies (ISINGLASS). This instrument looks at the visible structure of auroras. "The visible light produced in the atmosphere as aurora is the last step of a chain of processes connecting the solar wind to the atmosphere," Kristina Lynch, ISINGLASS principal investigator, said in a statement. "We are seeking to understand what structure in these visible signatures can tell us about the electrodynamics of processes higher up." The fifth and final mission that blasted off Thursday also carried the ISINGLASS instrument. Both rockets that launched almost simultaneously 2 hours before that carried payloads for the Neutral Jets in Auroral Arcs mission, which seeks to explain how Earth's magnetic field creates "jets" in the structure of auroras. Photographer Aaron Priest captured this stunning crown-shaped aurora borealis shining over Maine on Sept.1, 2016. (Image credit: Aaron D. Priest So far, the mission teams have reported that their instruments successfully collected and transmitted data. Now they're working to review that data, with the aim of unveiling some of the mysteries of this beautiful phenomenon in our northern skies. "The ability to successfully launch these [final] three rockets is a testament to the capabilities of the range, science and sounding-rocket teams," Phil Eberspeaker, chief of the Sounding Rockets Program Office, said in a statement. "Great coordination is required to institute the complex countdown required to prepare and launch three rockets in a short period. The team did a fantastic job executing these launches." Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement London, March 4, 2017 (SPS) -The Polisario Front, only legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people has become a consultative member of the Socialist International (IS) association after being an observatory member 2008, representation of the Front in London announced. "Despite Morocco's attempts to put obstacles to this new status, five of the eight members of the IS ethics committee granted the consultative member status to the Polisario Front, representative of the Polisario to the UK Mohamed Limam Mohamed Ali said. The IS ethics committee met in Cartagena in Colombia to examine the request made by the Polisario Front on the eve of the 25th Congress of the IS which kicked off Thursday with the participation of a delegation representing the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Salek. The IS Committee meets on the eve of each congress to examine accession requests. The delegate of the Moroccan Socialist Union tried to block the Polisario Front's new status but failed to do so because the IS Council, in charge of examining appeals, considered his request as "incoherent and not based on arguments," stressed Limam. (SPS) 062/090/700 Bamako (Mali), March 4, 2017 (SPS) The 11th Ordinary Congress of the Organization of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU), held in Bamako, Mali, has expressed its solidarity with the struggle of the Sahrawi people for self-determination and independence. The Congress welcomed, in a recommendation, all international, United Nations and African Union resolutions in favour of a fair and lasting solution to the Western Sahara conflict. The recommendation called on the United Nations to speed-up the settlement process in Western Sahara. (SPS) 062/090/TRA STAMFORD Its an end of an era embroiled in controversy and the start of a new regime managing the citys school buildings. The Board of Education severed ties last week with embattled AFB Construction Management, which has managed the citys school facilities for more than 15 years, and approved a 27-month contract with ABM Industries. ABM, a publicly traded company with thousands of clients and employees around the world, will cost the district nearly $200,000 less than AFBs last long-term contract. District officials say ABM, a much larger company than AFB, has the structure and support needed to take charge of the school buildings at a time when many of those properties are aging and in need of repair. Board of Education member Mike Altamura, a vocal critic of AFB, is optimistic because there will be more options to file complaints with the new company if the facilities staff is not doing the job. If a person who is handling our district is not doing a good job, guess what? Were going to go to the regional manager, he said. Al Barbarotta, who is under local and FBI investigation, has been in charge of Stamfords school facilities and hes also AFBs CEO. Authorities are investigating whether he used his position as facilities director to extort money from another city contractor. New York-based ABM has about $5.1 billion in revenues, more than 100,000 employees and more than 300 offices throughout the U.S. and other countries, according to its website. It provides services to schools, hospitals, airports, commercial buildings, manufacturing plants and data centers. More Information ABM Industries Founded: 1909 Revenues: $5.1 billion Offices: 300+ International locations: 20+ Clients: 200,000+ Employees: 100,000+ See More Collapse The company has an office in Danbury and provides environmental services management for Yale-New Haven Hospital. ABM which, unlike AFB, has its own communications staff did not return repeated requests for comment late last week. Stamford Superintendent of Schools Earl Kim said ABM can provide greater tools to manage the citys school buildings than AFB or an internal facilities manager. Although an in-house viability review was never presented to the public, Kim said he determined it would cost more for the district to pay for its own facility director, custodial manager, clerks and other staff, including a chief operations officers to oversee the department. ABM has posted three Stamford job openings on its website director of facilities, custodial manager and part-time executive director of facilities. The district previously ran school buildings internally until then-Mayor Dannel Malloy brought AFB to Stamford 18 years ago. The companys influence and rapid rise in Stamford have always raised eyebrows. This guys got the keys to the city, literally and figuratively, then-Board of Finance member Joseph Tarzia told the Advocate in 2003, after AFB was awarded its fourth contract with the city in as many years. But the Trumbull-based firm has been shrinking in the past three years. Its been dropped from the City of Stamford, West Haven Public Schools and Trumbull Public Schools. Its latest three-year extension with Stamford Public Schools was reverted to a one-year deal in 2015 after school employees accused the company of failing to have a consistent presence in their buildings and hiring workers with spotty attendance records and no background checks. Barbarotta did not return a request for comment Friday. Board of Finance member Sal Gabrielle, another critic of AFB, praised the school panels decision for doing the right thing. Its just the right move after the issues that were raised in the last couple of years, he said. Were happy that were going to be saving money. The ABM contract will run from April 1 through June 30, 2019, and will cost $553,000 for the first full year. AFBs last long-term contract with the district cost about $742,000 for one year. The district has been renewing a monthly $57,000 deal since October with AFB, which will continue to manage the school buildings until the end of the month. Kim said the board considered more than just the cost of the company. Its not just about being the cheapest its about value, he said. Part of it has to do with (ABMs) ability to support while AFB had to do everything themselves, Kim said. If you have a back office that provides support to many entities, the cost is fractional. Altamura said hes convinced the district is not ready to run its facilities internally, but hes open to re-considering the idea in the future. We have to be open minded and keep these people on their toes, he said of ABM. If you perform, youre welcome. If you dont, you need to move on. Board of Education member Nicola Tarzia, who is not related to Joseph Tarzia, said he hopes school staff will embrace ABM. Their experiences are valuable and could help us save money, he said. Altamura is confident the school community will notice a difference in the coming months. We had a tree that was 17 years old and this tree had so many roots, he said. It was not easy to pull out of the ground. But (with) the tree that was just planted, three years from now if they dont perform, its easier to pull out of the ground. noliveira@stamfordadvocate.com, 203-964-2265, @olivnelson T heres the Brits, the Baftas, and the Booker, but what are the biggest prizes in the UK for artists? Awards for the visual arts not only support and further the careers of artists, but are a great way of keeping up with the art worlds best talent. Below are the prizes worth keeping an eye on. Turner Prize The big one. The Turner Prize has been running since 1984, and artists on the shortlist often go on to become household names. It's been won by Damien Hirst, Grayson Perry, Steve McQueen, Wolfgang Tillmans and Gillian Wearing to name a few, and provokes great debates about art. Previously a lot of the work has been subject to sensationalist headlines, and this year was no exception, with Anthea Hamiltons giant bum getting plenty of attention. Hepworth Prize The Hepworth Prize for Sculpture is a new prize given to artists who have made a significant contribution to the development of contemporary sculpture. The first prize was given last year to Helen Marten, just a few weeks before she was awarded the Turner Prize for 2016. Artes Mundi Established in 2003, this biennial prize is awarded in Wales by the non-profit art charity of the same name. Given at the National Museum Cardiff, the winner receives 40,000, and is usually an artist interested in conceptual approaches. In 2016, it was awarded to video artist John Akomfrah for his work about migration and refugees. BP Portrait Award This annual prizegiving takes place at the National Portrait Gallery, and is the most important portrait award in the world. It is open to everyone and has been running since 1980. In 2016 it was won by artist Clara Drummond for Girl in a Liberty Dress. Theres also the Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize, which awards great portrait photography. Jerwood Drawing & Painting Prizes Awarded by the Jerwood Foundation, a charity that provides patronage for the arts, these are the countrys leading prizes for painting and drawing. The Painting Prize hasnt been awarded since 2003, but the Drawing Prize is still going strong and accepts thousands of entries each year. Last year, it wentto Solveig Settemsdal for a nine-minute piece of video art. John Moores Painting Prize This biennial prize for painting is named after its philanthropist founder, who established the award in 1957. Winning work is exhibited in the Walker Art Gallery as part of the Liverpool Biennial. In 2016, Michael Simpson received the prize for depicting a structure outside a medieval church window. New Contemporaries This one really is for up and coming talent. It selects young artists who are either still studying or who have recently graduated, for an annual exhibition, helping them make contacts and get recognition with which to further their careers. Max Mara Art Prize for Women Organised by the fashion label Max Mara, in collaboration with the Whitechapel Gallery, this prize is for a young female artist working in the UK. The winner gets a six-month residency in Italy, where she is tasked with creating a project to be displayed in Whitechapel. Threadneedle Prize Launched by the Mall Galleries in 2008, this prize celebrates representative and figurative art. In 2016, 25-year-old Lewis Hazelwood-Horner won for his striking Salt in Tea canvas showing craftsmen in a workshop, meaning he had a solo exhibition in the Mall Galleries in September. K Foundation Art Award Something slightly different here - this award was only given in 1994, to the worst artist of the year. Uncoincidentally, it had the exact same shortlist as the Turner Prize that year and promised to amend art history. Rachel Whiteread was awarded the prize just after her Turner win, and tried to refuse the 40,000 prize money. After being told it would be burnt, she gave 30,000 of it to artists in need of finance, and 10,000 to Shelter. This article was brought you in association with Hiscox Home Insurance, providers of expert cover for valued homes, art and high-value items. Visit hiscox.co.uk/home to find out more. For more Hiscox: Food for jetsetters in 2017 What does it take to be a top 10 Online Art Platform? How to curate your own art collection B esides Oscar award-winning Moonlight, 2017 brings a whole host of LGBTQ films to London via the BFI Flare festival on the South Bank here are five top picks. Different for Girls Different for Girls - Trailer This west London lesbian drama will have its world premiere at BFI Flare. The 12-part web series by queer film director Campbell X also one to watch is based on Jacquie Lawrences novel of the same name and stars Rachel Shelley, aka Helena Peabody from The L Word. Friday March 17 at 20:45 Free Cece! Free Cece! - Trailer Orange Is the New Blacks Laverne Cox investigates the harsh injustices trans women are facing in the US. Having played Sophia Buset, an incarcerated trans woman in the hit Netflix drama, Cox catches a flight to Minnesota to meet Cece McDonald, whose arrest sparked protests worldwide. On an ordinary night out in Minneapolis, McDonald was attacked leaving a bar. Facing a hurl of racist and homophobic abuse, a man was stabbed in a fight and McDonald was charged. She was then imprisoned in two male prisons. An important insight into the trans rights movement. Tuesday March 21 at 18.20 and Wednesday March 22 at 20.30 Waiting for B Waiting for B - Trailer Beyonce fans wont be able to resist this documentary following a group of queer Brazilian kids who camp outside a Sao Paulo venue for two months to be the first through the gates at Queen B's concert. Its the greatest night of their lives so ladies, get in formation, and head to the South Bank to see this cute, kitschy and uplifting doc. Friday March 17 at 20.50 and Saturday March 18 at 15:40 Being 17 Being 17 - Trailer This one should catch your eye as its the latest from Celine Sciamma who directed French indie hit Girlhood. Being 17 tells the story of two boys in the last year of high school, and the thin line between love and hate. Thursday March 23 at 18:20 and Friday March 24 at 15:30 Our Love Story Our Love Story - Trailer Falling in love for the first time, artist Yoon-ju is captivated by Ji-soo but she has a secret. Ji-soos life away from the city isnt as free as she had imagined it might be, in this debut from Hyun-ju Lee. Friday March 17 at 14:00 and Saturday March 18 at 16:00 A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a 21-year-old design graduate who was stabbed to death following a fight in south east London. Dean Modeste, 21, was chased and stabbed to death in front of children walking home from school last month. He fled 100 yards down the street past pupils before collapsing following the attack in Mottingham at 3.45pm on February 24. Police called to reports of a fight in Lambscroft Avenue found Mr Modeste, from Barking, slumped on the street outside a house in Charlesfield. Paramedics battled to save his life but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Stab victim: Dean Modeste A post mortem found he had died of multiple stab wounds. His friends paid tribute to the caring and loving young man. Speaking to the Standard the day after his death his cousin Reece Modeste said: Im broken. My sister told me that he had been hurt and I was just devastated. He was more like a brother than a cousin. He was loyal and always real. 'Heart of gold': Design graduate Dean Modeste We all got together on his birthday and listened to music. He always loved his music. Police said a 17-year-old boy had been arrested and charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon on Friday. He will appear at Bromley Magistartes Court on Saturday. Four other men aged 19, 18, 16 and 20 were arrested close to the scene on suspicion of murder and later bailed pending further inquiries. Police said the 19, 18 and 16 year olds are due back in custody in late March. The 20-year-old is due back in early May. Enquiries are ongoing. P olice are hunting a man over the alleged rape and sexual assault of two teenagers in east London in the 1980s. James Smith, also known as Jimmy Smith, is believed to have been last seen at the George Tavern Pub in Commercial Street, Tower Hamlets, in November 2015. Scotland Yard want to talk to him in connection with rape and assault allegations dating back to between 1981 and 1987 in Tower Hamlets. The two victims were aged under 18 at the time, police said. The allegations were first reported to police in 2013, but officers have been unable to locate Mr Smith. DC Hannah Stewart of the Met's Sexual Offences Exploitation & Child Abuse Command said: "Enquiries to trace James Smith in connection with this investigation have so far been unsuccessful and by launching this appeal we hope that someone will be able to provide us with vital information that will lead us to him. "If you believe you have come across Mr Smith in recent years, we would like to hear from you." He is originally from the Scottish Highlands and used to live in Glasgow where he worked as a bus driver. He moved to London in 1980, and lived in the Poplar area of east London. Mr Smith had light ginger hair. He would now be aged between 65 and 75, and an e-fit drawn up by detectives gives an idea of how he might look today. He is also known to have a brother called Joe or Joseph. If you have any information, call DC Hannah Stewart on 020 8217 6552. Alternatively call 101, Tweet @MetCC or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you wish to remain anonymous. R esidents have spoken of their shock after a man was stabbed in the neck on an estate in west London. Emergency services sped to the White City estate, down the road from Westfield shopping centre and the former BBC Television Centre, at about 7.30pm on Friday night. A man in his late teens was rushed to hospital with a stab wound to his neck, police said. Pictures posted on social media show a forensics tent was erected as police cordoned off the road for several hours. A 28-year-old, who lives with his mother near where the stabbing happened, told the Standard it was very unexpected and shocking. He said: We have lived in the estate for 20 years and this stabbing is not normal, this is the first stabbing that I have heard about in that time. The estate is an a good condition and given its proximity to good schools, central London, Westfield, the BBC it has been well maintained. It does not feel like a deprived estate that lacks places of employment. This is very unexpected and shocking. A Met Police spokesman said: "The victim remains in hospital in a stable condition. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. "No arrests have been made and enquires continue." Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to contact police on 101 or via Twitter @MetCC Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111. Those neon-colored plastic sleds that often wind up in shards in the forests around Flagstaff have a surprising pedigree. Many are made by the successor to the venerable Flexible Flyer Sleds of South Paris, Maine, and still bear that companys logo a bald eagle clutching arrows against an American flag. The company supplied the wooden sledges that took Admiral Peary to the North Pole. Flexible Flyer, now called Paricon, still sells top-of-the-line wooden toboggans and steerable sleds with steel runners. But according to press accounts, those make up just 10 percent of its business and most are made in China. The bulk of Paricons sales are from plastic sleds, coasters and inflatable innertubes. Few wooden Flexible Flyers are seen anymore around Flagstaff the steel runners are banned at Wing Mountain as too damaging to the snow base. Instead, the plastic coasters priced at $9.99 at many retail outlets are ubiquitous, and the plastic sleds, at $15.99, arent far behind. Tubes sell for $19.99 and most sport the Flexible Flyer logo with a picture of that handmade wooden sled of long ago. Online, the buzz about the plastic sleds among buyers is surprise over how fast they break sometimes after only several runs. And among Flagstaff locals, the disappointment is over the size of shard piles left behind and the time it takes forest workers and volunteers to clean them up. Paricon officials werent available for comment on durability or lack of it. And local retailers werent commenting on it most say they buy from a single supplier and dont have much choice of models. If you want a real Flexible Flyer sled , the most popular 48-inch model sells for about $90 ask your local hardware store to special order one for you. W eapon disposal experts have successfully detonated a 500lb World War Two bomb which forced dozens of homes and two schools to be evacuated in north-west London. The huge German aircraft bomb was destroyed in a controlled demolition by Royal Navy experts on Saturday. It had been made safe, loaded into a lorry and driven away from Brondesbury Park at 8.30pm on Friday. Hundreds of pupils from Marylebone Boys School and Malorees junior and infants schools and 50 residents were forced to leave the area after the ordnance was unearthed at a building site on Thursday morning. A controlled explosion was carried out on the device on Saturday / @DefenceHQ The residents had been forced to shelter in a church and hotels overnight but were finally allowed to return to their homes after the bomb was defused and removed. The Ministry of Defence shared a photo of the massive explosion, which was carried out by the Royal Navys Southern Diving Unit. In a series of tweets, the MoD said: #Brent bomb safely destroyed by @RoyalNavy experts after being made safe by @BritishArmy sappers. Thanks to @metpoliceuk and @EssexPoliceUK. After the @BritishArmy made the fuse safe, the bomb was destroyed by the @RoyalNavy Southern Diving Unit in a controlled demolition today. The Ministry of Defence said a Royal Navy team made a controlled demolition of the ordnance at Shoeburyness Range near Southend, Essex, at 11.30am on Saturday. The bomb has been described as 'dustbin sized' / Rupert Frere/MoD/Crown Copyright Petty Officer Diver Craig Waghorn said: "The Army Royal Engineers did a great job in carrying out the dangerous fuse immunisation and were very happy to see us after their long day and night making the bomb safe for transportation." The dustbin-sized bomb, dropped during the Blitz, had two fuses, which were neutralised by the British Army. All cordons have now been lifted in the Brondesbury Park area, police said. A building material that claims it can reverse the effects of air pollution has been launched in London. The award-winning material, called The Breath, can be used both indoors and outdoors and works buy absorbs harmful airborne molecules and dispersing "cleaner air". Its London debut consists of an advertising banner in Leicester Square where it is expected to reverse the omissions of over 13,000 cars. The Breath was first designed in Italy in 2014 by inventors Anemotech, who claim it can absorb high concentrations of air pollution within a 25-meter area. The Breath: The material has been used to make advertising billboards in London They said: By installing 250sqm of the material over one year its impact on the environment is the equivalent of removing pollution from over 750,000 unleaded vehicles and 300,000 diesel cars. We estimate that just two 10M sheets of the material correctly positioned in the Leicester Square over one year could cancel out nitrogen oxide emissions from 5,475 diesel vehicles and Volatile Organic Compounds emitted from 13,650 unleaded cars. Pollution: London has high levels of toxic air / Jeremy Selwyn The ground-breaking material comes just a week after a study commissioned by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan revealed that tens of thousands of children in London schools are exposed to illegal levels of air pollution. And previous studies conducted by Kings College London found that in 2010 dirty air contributed towards up to 9,500 deaths in the capital. Gianluca de Marchi, global president at The Breaths advertising partner Urban Vision, said: More needs to be done to tackle the scourge of air pollution. "I believe the use of innovative technologies such as The Breath will help to contribute towards improving the health of Londoners. Mask: High levels of pollution are putting children at risk / Rex Urban Vision has a strong reputation for looking after cultural and historical beauty in some of the worlds most important cities. But today we can say that our work also contributes to improving the environment and protecting peoples health from the harmful effects of air pollution. According to Anemotech, the material uses a series of nano-molecules and the local atmospheres natural air flow to remove harmful pollutants such as nitrous oxides, sulphur oxides and particulates. S pitting and begging could be banned in a town centre under plans put forward by an east London council. Havering Council launched a consultation on the plans in a drive to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in Romford. The Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) could lead to a ban on spitting including chewing gum and chugging, as well as other offences such as public urination and street drinking. Busking, outside designated areas, and begging would also be banned, as well as other anti-social behaviour. Romford residents have been given a 28-day window to make their opinions known to the council. The proposals regarding begging have been backed by homeless charity Thames Reach which has argued begging and homelessness are too often confused. Spokesman Mike Nicholas told the Standard: We agree with this proposal because the evidence is indisputable that the overwhelming majority of people begging on the streets of England spend their begging money on crack cocaine, heroin and super-strength alcoholic beers and ciders. Most people who beg have accommodation he said, adding giving to people who beg is not a benign act. It can have fatal consequences. We need to work with local authorities who are trying to act on the problem. But Mr Nicholas added: If members of the public are concerned that someone is genuinely sleeping rough then they should get in touch with Street Link and members of our team will go out and investigate and offer the support that we can. Councillor Osman Dervish, Cabinet member for Community Safety, said: The safety of our residents and visitors is vital to us. Romford Town Centre has been subject to a Drinks Banning Order since May 2004; however, this order is due to be phased-out and will be replaced by the proposed new and more all-encompassing PSPO. I encourage residents and businesses to send us their views." The consultation will end on April 5. T he gruesome discovery of a beheaded cat in west London has sparked fears the so-called Croydon cat killer has struck again. A walker made the grim find while enjoying a stroll in Yeading Brook Meadows nature reserve in Hillingdon on Tuesday, Get West London reported. Ruislip resident, Stephanie Jost, whose mother found the cat told the website that her mum had been beside herself following the discovery. She added: It has left my mother and I in shock and we are terribly sad in the knowing that someone will be missing their feline friend. The RSPCA confirmed the find had been referred to a dedicated team working to investigate a spate of similar cat deaths across the capital. A spokeswoman told the Standard that the animals head and tail appeared to have been removed by a human. She said: Evidence suggests there is a clear link in the nature of the deaths. Experts have said likely cause of death was blunt force trauma, likely caused by a road traffic accident although it is difficult to be sure. The heads and tails appear to have been removed by a human. Please be reassured that we take all reports of animal cruelty very seriously, and are extremely keen to get to the bottom of these upsetting deaths. Anyone with any information is asked to contact DS Andy Collins at the Metropolitan Police on 0208 6490216 or contact the RSPCA by calling 0300 123 8018. A young moped rider is seriously injured in hospital after a crash with a Land Rover at a busy west London junction. The man, aged in his early 20s, was involved in a collision with a stationary Land Rover in Hounslow on Friday night. Police and paramedics were called to the crash on Great West Road at the junction with Sutton Lane at about 9.20pm. Londons Air Ambulance was also scrambled to the scene. Scotland Yard said the moped rider was taken to a central London hospital where he remained in a stable condition on Saturday morning. His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. Officers are appealing for witnesses to the crash and would like to speak to other moped rider who were seen in the area at the time. Anyone with information is asked to call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit's witness appeal line on 020 8543 5157 or via 101. A man has been arrested after a Londoner died in a horror early morning crash on the M20 motorway. A Toyota Corolla was reported to be driving the wrong way on the London-bound M20 in Kent when it hit a Volkswagen Touareg in the early hours of Saturday. Emergency services rushed to the scene, between junctions 3 and 4, shortly after 3.30am. A man from London, who was a passenger in the Corolla, died at the scene, police said. A 37-year-old man, from Orpington, south east London, was arrested by police and remains in custody. A spokesman for Kent Police said: Officers attended the incident, along with crews from the South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent Fire and Rescue Service. A man from the London area was confirmed dead the scene. A man in his 30s and from the London area has been arrested in connection with the incident. The motorway was closed for several hours after the crash but re-opened at about 10am. Officers would like to speak with anyone who saw the Corolla in the moments leading up to the collision, or who may have dash cam footage. Witnesses can call Kent Polices Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 01622 798538 quoting reference DB/DM/36/17. T ens of thousands of activists have marched through central London in a demonstration supporting the NHS. Slogans such as Keep your dirty hands off our hospitals and cut to the bone were held aloft by the chanting crowds as they moved through the streets on Saturday afternoon. The march, organised in protest against Government cuts to the NHS, privatisation and the closure of hospitals, began in Tavistock Square at midday and weaved its way through the streets for a rally outside Parliament. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanderss brother Larry, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and Coronation Street stat Julie Hesmondhalgh were among those due to give speeches at the rally in Parliament Square. Activists hold up placards at the NHS march in central London / Getty Images Aerial photos revealed the scale of the crowds who joined the march, which had been billed as the UKs biggest ever NHS demonstration. Campaigners were in high spirits as they used megaphones and whistles to make themselves heard as they made their way through the capital. In a message to the health secretary, they could be heard chanting: "Jeremy Hunt, we are here to say, our NHS is here to stay", Crowds gather in Tavistock Square ahead of the march / REUTERS Messages such as "NHS4Ever" were written on t-shirts, bags and umbrellas. Mr Corbyn urged the campaigners to "defend the NHS with all of your might". #OurNHS March in central London on March 4, 2017 1 /9 #OurNHS March in central London on March 4, 2017 Aerial photos show the scale of a NHS march in central London PA An activist holds up a placard in Tavistoke Square Getty Images People take part in a demonstration to demand more funding for the NHS REUTERS Protesters hold up placards during a demonstration in support of the NHS in Tavistock Square Getty Images Aerial photos show the scale of a NHS march in central London PA A NHS worker holds a banner aloft which reads 'The blood on my hands washes off' PA An activist at a rally in central London supporting the NHS PA He made his rallying call to cheering crowds, of all ages. He told them in his speech: "Defending the NHS is defending a basic human value and a basic human right. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speaking at a rally in central London / PA "You don't walk by on the other side when somebody is in difficulties or needing help." He called for next week's Budget to properly fund the health service, social care and crucial mental health services. He said: "The NHS is in crisis, in crisis because of the underfunding in social care and the people not getting the care and support they need. "There are those waiting on trolleys and those who are desperate to get into an A&E department waiting hours for treatment. Mr Corbyn leaves after giving his speech / REUTERS "It is not the fault of the staff. It is the fault of a Government who have made a political choice." Demonstrator Felix Ramos, 53, of Hackney, east London, stood next to a coffin on the march. He said: "Many people are not going to get the help they need. If you do not have health, there is no life. "Privatisation does not work for life. It is not going to care for the vulnerable but it might care for people who can afford special treatment. It is not for the majority." NHS protest: Crowds hold their banners aloft during the march / AFP/Getty Images Dr David Wrigley, a GP from Carnforth, Lancashire, and deputy chair of the BMA council, was among the front-line staff marching under the slogan "Our NHS, No Cuts, No Closures, No Privatisation". He said: "Today's march is a cry for help for anyone who uses the NHS because it is in such a desperate situation. We need to highlight it. "As a doctor I see day-to-day the serious pressures in the NHS due to the funding cuts from the Government. "Patients are not getting the care they deserve. We are a country that can afford the funding that is required." The campaigners, who say the NHS is at breaking point, hope the march will put pressure on the Government ahead of next week's Budget. Dr Wrigley added: "I guess it is also a wake-up call for Theresa May and the Chancellor... we demand they fund the NHS adequately. If the Budget does not bring about any further funding increase, there would be uproar." Junior doctor and GP trainee Dr Jeeves Wijesuriya believes the demonstration is a chance for the Government to plot a new course for the NHS. Speaking on behalf of the BMA, he said the NHS "in reality faces 26 billion of health and social care cuts due to political decisions". He told the crowd: "What is sustainable about debts that can only be paid with our patients' health and yet still won't be settled? "Where is the transformation when the money to build new hospitals and health centres is being siphoned off to pay debts?" Many of the people taking part shared their own photos on social media. NHS employees including doctors, nurses, midwives and radiographers travelled from all over the country to attend the #OurNHS march organised by The Peoples Assembly and Unite the Union. T his is the alarming moment a "reckless" thrill-seeker was filmed riding between the carriages of a moving DLR train. The shocking footage, posted online by YouTube prankster Trikkstar, shows a youth climbing between two carriages of the train when it stops at Westferry Station, east London. He is filmed from inside one of the carriages by an accomplice and waves at shocked passengers as the train moves towards Limehouse. When it stops at the station, he is told to climb down by an official but returns to attempt the stunt for a second time that night. Reckless stunt: The YouTuber travelled in between the carriages of a moving DLR train / YouTube / Trikkstar The six-minute clip, which was uploaded on Thursday, shows the same teenager climbing onto the back of a DLR train travelling towards Woolwich Arsenal in the evening. He clings onto the train for several stops and waves at stunned bystanders on the station platforms. It is believed the footage was filmed on Saturday, February 25. Transport for London branded the footage, some of which was filmed on a head-worn camera, as extremely reckless. Some of the footage was filmed using a head-worn camera / YouTube / Trikkstar The transport body said it was working with the police to ensure the appropriate action was taken. Steve Burton, TfLs Director of Enforcement, said: This behaviour is extremely reckless and will not be tolerated. The actions of this individual not only pose a risk to his personal safety, but also the safety of DLR passengers. We are working with British Transport Police to ensure appropriate action is taken. The Standard has contacted BTP for comment. The force has previously issued a warning to so-called train surfers urging them to think of the consequences of their actions and that they are putting their lives and others in danger. DLR trains travel at speeds of up to 50mph and operated using a driverless, computerised system. T he mother of a teenage British free-runner who died on the Paris Metro told hundreds of parkour enthusiasts to carry her sons spirit forever in a moving tribute. Debs Malone spoke at a remembrance "jam" of free-runners, held in memory of her 17-year-old son Nye Frankie Newman who died in the French capital on New Year's Day. The 49-year-old told a crowd of teenagers: "Can I ask you all, please carry Nye's spirit with you forever and always, and smile. "I want you all to put your hand on your heart now and we are going to get down for my boy. "Stay safe, stay brave, stay strong yeah? And be happy." 'Truly remarkable': Friends paid tribute to Nye Frankie Newman Nye, from Guilford, was a keen free runner, the craze which sees people climb and jump over obstacles and buildings in urban environments. His parkour group Brewman said the teenager was involved in a "train accident on the Metro". They said his death had nothing to do with the sport. Touching tribute: Teens gather in memory of Nye Frankie Newman / Brewman Hundreds of people turned up to pay their respects in Guildford, where a minute's silence was held and Nye's friends trained and practised parkour - jumping on and flipping off walls. Alex Grubb, 18, who helped to coordinate the event, said his friend was "kind" and "caring". "Nye was very eccentric," he said. "He had his own style, he wasn't like anyone else. He was a bit out there, very opinionated but very loving at the same time." Luke Stones, part of Brewman, defended the sport. "I think people who see us as troublemakers and we are just doing flips on concrete, but it is another form of exercise," said the 16-year-old. "It is a way to express your emotions through movement. Moving event: Hundreds gathered in memory of Nye / Brewman "When you're doing parkour you're at one with yourself, it's almost like a meditation," he added. The teenagers sold t-shirts, with the money raised being donated to Nye's family. P rince Harry and his star girlfriend Meghan Markle have attended the wedding of one of his closest friends together in Jamaica. The couple who went public with their relationship in November were pictured together at the Caribbean wedding of Prince Harrys longtime friend Tom Skippy Inskip to his fiancee Laura Hughes-Young on Friday. Harry, 32, flew from Gatwick to Montego Bay on Wednesday. Miss Markle, 35, is said to have flown out separately from her home in Toronto, Canada, later the same day. The pictures of the couple printed in the Sun newspaper on Saturday showed the American actress, who wore a floor-length flowery dress and sunglasses, sharing an embrace with the Prince as they enjoyed the wedding celebrations. Prince Harry, who wore a navy blue suit and yellow corsage, was one of 14 ushers at the ceremony. The couple were also earlier seen embracing on a beach and swimming in the sea together, according to the Sun. Prince Harry hits out at media over 'abuse' of girlfriend Meghan Markle Their relationship began last summer and was publicly confirmed when his communications secretary criticised the media for the wave of abuse and harassment Ms Markle had received. Prince Harry has made several visits to see Ms Markle in Toronto where she lives and works, while she has also flown to the London to stay with him at Kensington Palace. With one hand holding a bottle of champagne and the other an oversized certificate declaring him the winner of $1 million from Publishers Clearing House, Bruce Saunders stood on the front porch of his western Davie County Monday and rattled off a list of things he plans spend his spend money on medical bills, fixing his lawnmower and helping family members. Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (134) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (347) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (440) Jan 2014 (544) Feb 2014 (475) Mar 2014 (525) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (470) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (441) Oct 2014 (471) Nov 2014 (496) Dec 2014 (535) Jan 2015 (535) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (579) Apr 2015 (657) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (921) Nov 2015 (801) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (864) May 2016 (946) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (966) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (934) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (848) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (787) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (811) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (704) Aug 2022 (702) Sep 2022 (699) Oct 2022 (737) Nov 2022 (137) Plenty of Donald Trumps votes came from coal towns like those scattered around Southern Illinois, where the states coal industry the fourth-largest in the country is concentrated. Many current and former coal workers in the area, along with others around the country, are hoping hell now give them some help in return. For Bernie Harsy, a retired miner from Du Quoin and the president of the local chapter for the United Mine Workers of America, that starts with passing legislation known as the Miners Protection Act. Hes said that he would support coal, and this is one way that he could support coal for the people that mined it, Harsy said by phone during a visit to Washington to advocate for the bill. The measure would preserve pension and health benefits for about 23,000 retired union miners including about 8,000 in Illinois at risk of losing them amid the industrys widespread bankruptcies. Though currently in the hands of Congress, Trump has yet to throw any public support behind the bill. The uncertainty swirling around coal workers isnt limited just to unionized retirees. The rest of the industry is waiting to see whether Trumps campaign-trail vows to ease regulations can reverse its fortunes and ultimately lead to jobs. Little more than one month into his presidency, Trump has already acted on some of those promises. Flanked by miners in hard hats, Trump signed legislation on Feb. 16 reversing a still-new policy, promulgated by the administration of President Barack Obama, called the Stream Protection Rule that sought to reduce the impact of mine waste on surrounding watersheds. The Trump administration is also poised to eliminate an Obama moratorium on leasing federal land for coal mining, and has signaled to fossil fuel companies that it will not enforce a recent hike in mineral royalties for resources extracted from leased land. But significant questions remain about whether those immediate tweaks to coal policy will move the needle in any meaningful way. The main reason for skepticism is that the coal industrys biggest problem isnt regulation: Its competition from natural gas made cheap by the last decades fracking boom. Look, whats going to provide a boost to the coal industry is a long-term rise in the price of natural gas, said Phil Smith, the communication and governmental affairs director for the UMWA. At the moment, though, experts paint a grim picture of the market-induced hurdles that natural gas and other factors pose for the coal industry. Theyre in the fight of their life against natural gas, said Rob Godby, a professor of energy economics at the University of Wyoming. Godby says natural gas has the edge on coal when it comes to more cost-effectively generating power, even without considering coals greater carbon footprint. Meanwhile, renewable energy looms as an emerging competitor thanks to declining costs, while broader trends in efficiency have diminished overall U.S. electricity usage in recent years, further constraining coal. Electricity demand isnt growing like it used to, so the pie is not getting bigger, Godby said. Given coals fight for a thinner piece of that smaller pie, Godby said the White Houses recent policy changes will, at best, only marginally help the industry. But its also possible that they may not provide even a temporary boost. Rolling back the Stream Protection Rule is something we supported, but its important to remember it didnt put a single coal miner back to work, said Smith, explaining that the rule implemented in December was too new for industry payrolls to have adjusted to. Though the rule had been framed as a job-killing regulation, some critics of its reversal say that Department of the Interior analysis projected that its implementation would actually result in a modest net increase in employment stemming from jobs related to compliance. Competition between different coal-producing regions could also blunt the business impact of the Stream Protection Rule. Rolling back the regulation primarily stands to benefit surface mines in Appalachia, but coal there is already at a disadvantage compared to the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, where thicker seams of lower-sulfur coal offer the best value to producers. Parts of the Illinois Basin that support longwall mining are also more cost-competitive areas of production. The changes to coal leasing are unlikely to matter much in the near-term, either. A coal lease is often a commitment to spend hundreds of millions of dollars, Godby said. The bottom line is coal companies cant afford those expenditures right now. Besides the sheer cost, Peabody Energy, the St. Louis-based coal giant still in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, doesnt anticipate needing access to new coal leases for nearly a decade, according to company spokesperson Vic Svec. Overall Svec believes that Trumps swift actions on coal are positive but too early to tangibly measure. But hes hopeful that even indirect growth of the economy could stand to benefit coal, noting that the two are often linked. As goes the economy, typically goes electricity generation, Svec said. And as goes electricity generation, typically goes the coal industry. Others have a more pessimistic outlook. It might be the rhetoric people want to hear but its not going to change the coal market, Godby said, reflecting on the early coal policies of the Trump administration. Plus, it will be hard for Trump to keep the promises he made to both coal and gas producers, especially with oil and gas interests filling prominent cabinet positions. When coal and natural gas are substitutes, you cant help both, Godby said. Youre going to have to pick one over the other. Looking ahead, there are not many obvious policy levers left to pull to assist coal. Doing away with the Clean Power Plan, which is already in limbo from a Supreme Court stay, would be complicated but could extend the lifespan of aging coal plants with hefty emissions of carbon dioxide. And repealing regulations on other air pollutants would be especially tough. The regulations that go into effect are always litigated first, Godby said. The ones that survive are kind of left bulletproof because whats been found in court is that the benefits outweigh the costs. Its very difficult to overrule them. But while Trump may not have much direct control on the fate of coal in general, he can choose whether or not to help the thousands of mine retirees imperiled by lost benefits, like those in Harsys UMWA chapter in Southern Illinois. Illinois stands to lose a lot if this legislation is not passed, Harsy said. Were talking the health care of many people who are in dire need of it. Some will lose their lives, theres no doubt about that. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce next week that it will reopen a review of 2022-2025 vehicle emissions requirements. The move comes after automakers urged the administration of President Donald Trump to reverse a decision made under his predecessor, Barack Obama, a source said on Friday. Last week, trade groups representing General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, Honda and others formally asked new EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to withdraw an Obama administration decision to lock in vehicle emission rules through 2025. A person briefed on the matter who had seen the draft order restarting the review said it was expected to be announced next week. The source was not authorized to discuss contents of the order publicly. The EPA notice is expected to say that the agency plans to work in tandem with the U.S. Department of Transportation to set consistent standards for corporate average fuel efficiency and emissions limits, the source said. A White House spokeswoman and an EPA spokesman declined to comment. The EPA had until April 2018 to decide whether the 2022-2025 standards were feasible under a midterm review but in November moved up its decision to Jan. 13, just before Obama left office. The auto group requests follow a separate letter to Trump earlier this month from the chief executives of GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, along with the top North American executives at Toyota, VW, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and others urging Trump to revisit the decision. GM CEO Mary Barra told reporters on Tuesday that automakers were looking to actually have the midterm review. She said the review needed to look at all the different dynamics that are occurring. Automakers say the rules impose significant costs and are out of step with consumer preferences. Environmentalists say the rules save drivers fuel costs and should not be changed. WASHINGTON A U.S. Justice Department probe into a phony accounts scandal at Wells Fargo & Co is asking whether executives hid details from the company board and regulators as the problem grew over years, sources familiar with the review said. The move carries into the Trump era an investigation started under the Obama administration, and could result in criminal charges against bank employees involved. The Justice Department this week was due to interview federal bank examiners in Charlotte, N.C., and ask whether low-level employees broke the law by opening accounts without customer knowledge and if company executives took part in a conspiracy. A grand jury convened in the Northern District of California has also sent subpoenas to witnesses, including former Wells Fargo employees, the sources said. The third-largest U.S. lender on Wednesday said even more customers may have been affected by the scandal than previously believed. Wells Fargo disclosed in a $190 million settlement with regulators in September that staff opened as many as 2.1 million checking, savings and credit card accounts without customer consent over several years to satisfy managers' demands. The sources declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak about an open investigation. A bank spokesperson declined to comment on account-related probes but said Wells Fargo is trying to move past the scandal. Officials are seeking to find out if executives shared everything they knew about the phony accounts to the Wells Fargo board of directors and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the lead regulator for national banks. Even if executives are not charged with criminal misconduct, they could face civil penalties including fines or a ban from the banking industry. Wells has already fired some executives and clawed back portions of their pay. Wells CEO John Stumpf resigned after the accounts scandal broke and former chief of retail banking Carrie Tolstedt retired. The bank has fired four mid-level executives and thousands of lower level employees. Officials will decide what charges to bring once the Justice Department finishes its investigation, work that is expected to wrap later this year, depending on how quickly Justice attorneys can proceed. The assistant U.S. attorney leading the Wells Fargo case in San Francisco is busy preparing an unrelated criminal case tied to Hewlett Packard's $11 billion buyout of Autonomy Corp. Open case To be sure, Wells faces a slew of other investigations from individual states, agencies and U.S. Congress, though criminal charges are what could rock Wells Fargo. Wells told investors in an annual securities filing on Wednesday that its legal costs could exceed what it has set aside by as much as $1.8 billion. "We remain focused on providing the accountability and oversight that customers, team members, and investors expect and deserve," Wells Fargo spokeswoman Jennifer Dunn said. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Philadelphia office, meanwhile, wants to know whether Wells Fargo misled investors by inflating the tally of customers who sought multiple accounts and whether the bank wrongfully went after whistleblowers, according to a person familiar with the matter. U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, the Texas Republican at the head of the House Financial Services Committee, in September summoned four Wells Fargo executives for interviews and threatened to subpoena others, though that review is expected to conclude quietly in the face of the criminal investigations. A separate review by the Wells Fargo board of directors is examining how the company handled the phony accounts spree that it first believed went on for four years from mid-2011 but may have gone on longer. A report on those findings is due by early April, Wells Fargo has said. Several states, including Connecticut and Florida, have active investigations into the bank. California issued a search warrant for Wells Fargo's corporate offices in October, but declined to comment on the status of its review. The Labor Department is separately examining whether the bank responded as it should have to whistleblowing bank tellers. Dan Levine contributed from San Francisco, Sarah N. Lynch contributed from Washington, Karen Freifeld and Dan Freed contributed from New York. Stephane Deneve returns to conduct the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra next weekend. Its an occasion to anticipate. This will be the French conductors seventh outing with the SLSO since 2003. All six of his previous programs have been noteworthy successes, whether hes leading the orchestra in music of Britten or Ravel, Haydn or Tchaikovsky. This time, the program is a Beethoven concerto and a major but seldom-heard work by Richard Strauss. Deneve, 45, is tall, with a mop of wild red curls. Hes at his most graceful on the podium, leading with a sure grasp of the music and a confidence that communicates itself well to the musicians. Hes got wide experience and an impressive resume; currently, hes chief conductor of the Brussels Philharmonic and principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Last fall, he and the Philharmonic won the 2016 Diapason dOr of the Year for their recording of 21st-century works by composer Guillaume Connesson, Pour sortir au jour. In a telephone interview from his home in Brussels (during which his 9-year-old daughter, Alma, stopped by and said hello), Deneve talked about his relationship with the SLSO and the music on next weekends program. I feel like (the SLSO) is an orchestra that is a friend of mine, he says. It was the second symphony orchestra I ever conducted in the States, and I felt we had a connection from my very first visit a special chemistry. I remember that I was very impressed by the musicality of the orchestra. He adds: Of course, it is an orchestra at a very high level, so you arrive there, and they already (know the program so well) that you can concentrate on the music and the colors. Weve done some quite monumental pieces together. Those include Ravels Daphnis et Chloe and Richard Strauss Ein Heldenleben. Next weekend, theyll take on another one, Strauss Alpine Symphony. It was composed in 1915, although Strauss began writing pieces of it in 1899. The score calls for 125 instrumentalists and lasts more than 50 minutes. Its ostensibly about a day spent climbing a mountain in the Alps, but theres a great deal more to it; Strauss was also influenced by the deaths of friends, including the composer Gustav Mahler. I so liked to do Heldenleben in my visit in 2013, I was so impressed by the string sound (of the SLSO), Deneve says, that I wanted to come back with another big piece, something exciting. He got the OK for Alpine. Thats really a big piece. It is the last symphonic poem of Richard Strauss, and its sometimes a little bit neglected, because it requires such big forces that its quite expensive to put together. Strauss had already written a half-dozen operas before tackling Alpine, including Salome, Der Rosenkavalier and Elektra, so he really learned some new colors, Deneve says. He (put) his entire opera experience into the Alpine Symphony, and I will try to make the orchestra sing as much as I can. Singing is the most precious feature in concerts, to sing well. What does he think the piece is about? Its for me actually a lot of things put together. Its a journey to the Alps; its possibly the most impressionistic piece by Strauss. Its more than that, obviously. I think its a journey of a human being. Deneve noted the works symbolic full day, with 22 episodes, played in one long movement, describing everything from a sunrise to dangerous moments to the coming of night. I believe its really a symbolic piece about life. It shows all of the struggles and the moments of inspiration. Its a very generous piece that can speak to everybody. Alpine has been paired with Ludwig van Beethovens Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, part of the SLSOs season-long cycle. Usually, I will try to pair a big masterwork of the past with a piece more recent, a piece of our time, Deneve says, but when he was asked to schedule Beethoven, he instantly agreed: Its a great concerto. The soloist is the Scottish pianist Steven Osborne. Deneve got to know Osborne during his first music directorship, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He is a very dear friend of mine; we have performed in many places together. Although its not actually Beethovens first piano concerto the one known as No. 2 was composed a decade earlier it feels to me that the No. 1 is like the start of ascending a big mountain. Its the first concerto which is fully Beethoven, the first concerto with a little bit less influence by Haydn and Mozart; it starts to be totally, totally Beethovens, with his great style and radiant energy. Parents and students are raising questions about a controversial Christian, anti-abortion organization providing sex education to more than 20,000 teens and to as many as 75 public schools across the St. Louis area. Their concerns prompted one school district, Francis Howell, to announce that it would stop using the program Best Choice, provided by Thrive St. Louis next school year. And on Friday, Parkway administrators, teachers and principals decided to delay any additional lessons from Best Choice until the materials can be reviewed further. The district had allowed teachers to supplement the sexual health curriculum by bringing in Best Choice educators. This is a customary practice when we receive a complaint about a classroom resource or speaker, said district spokeswoman Cathy Kelly. In some schools, such as Francis Howell middle schools, the program is the sole source of sex education. In others, it supplements curriculum used by health teachers. Some parents in the Francis Howell district had asked Thrive for more details about curriculum and its sources of data and information. Thrive refused to allow inspection of the lessons. Thrive referred the parents to the school district, and the school district referred questions to Thrive. The back and forth left parents frustrated. Chief academic officer for Francis Howell, Nicole Whitesell, said the challenges with transparency led to the districts decision to stop using the program. State statute requires that schools make all curriculum materials used in the districts or schools human sexuality instruction available for public inspection. About 15 parents complained about Thrive and the lack of transparency at the Monday night meeting of the Community and Childrens Resource Board of St. Charles County, which provides public funds to bring Best Choice to schools in the county. Thrive staff also attended the meeting, where a parent confronted them. Thrive had planned to answer parents questions in a public meeting Thursday night in the Francis Howell district but canceled the event. Thrive President Bridget Van Means stated in an email that she will reschedule the meeting. Thrive has provided the Best Choice program at no cost in schools for about 20 years, with little controversy. Francis Howell used the program for eight years for its middle-schoolers. Parents recently have connected through social media and tried to learn details of the curriculum. The biggest issue is that Thrive claims that all the information in their lessons is medically and factually accurate, but we need to be investigating this, checking sources and citations, to verify this for ourselves, said Sally Hunt, a parent in the Parkway School District. The public school administrators have just been taking Thrive at their word and giving them the benefit of the doubt. That is not acceptable. Parents and students say the program lacks information all students need to have lifelong healthy relationships. Thrives lessons, they say, focus on failure rates of contraception, advanced stages of sexually transmitted disease and emotional trauma of extramarital sex. They do not address nonheterosexual identities or relationships. Van Means says she fears a few vocal parents are pushing their own abortion-rights agenda. To bring calm and courtesy to the process, Van Means said, she wants to organize parent informational nights in districts to answer questions and present materials. Van Means says the Best Choice program is successful in sustaining healthy behaviors, and critics are not looking at the program with an open mind. These individuals have started, from the beginning, assuming that because we are faith-based, we have no place in schools, she said. Discrimination and prejudice cuts both ways. All about abstinence Missouri law requires school instruction relating to human sexuality to be medically and factually accurate and to present abstinence as the preferred choice for unmarried students. Schools can either use the latest factual information about side effects and benefits of all forms of contraception, including success and failure rates; or present information on contraceptives and pregnancy in a manner consistent with provisions of the federal abstinence law. That law sets the criteria for federal funding for abstinence education programs; Best Choice gets federal money. The Best Choice website says its curriculum adheres to these criteria, including teaching abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage as the expected standard for students, and that sexual activity outside the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects. Best Choice is an arm of Thrive St. Louis, which operates three clinics and mobile vans that advertise free tests for pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. The organization is controversial because its Christian and anti-abortion views are not apparent to patients seeking its services, which critics say is misleading. Despite recent parent complaints, the Best Choice program has been wildly popular, Van Means said. Parents are happy, and students are crazy about what we are doing. In addition to federal funding, Best Choice received $100,000 this year from the sales tax-funded St. Charles County childrens resource board, Van Means said. The federal government has granted many faith-based organizations funds to present scientifically and medically accurate information, she said. They have made it very clear that faith-based people are capable of presenting a scientifically and medically accurate curriculum. Some parents, however, question whether facts are cherry-picked or skewed to promote Christian beliefs about sexuality. Caleb Friz, 32, has two young children in the Lindbergh School District, which uses Best Choice in its middle schools. Friz complained to the school board in December because abstinence-only outside of marriage is not a religious belief he holds, he said, and he does not want it taught as sex education. What I would really like to see is a curriculum that is sex-positive instead of being all about shame, Friz said. It should be out in the open this is normal, this is part of our bodies and lets talk about this. Its an important part of being a human being. Some parents also object to the programs portrayal of girls as more emotional rather than physical, and saying they are more apt to suffer from guilt and low self-esteem after sex. One of the activities used involves placing a piece of tape on the arm of several students until it loses its ability to stick, to demonstrate that you could lose the ability to bond with a spouse. Another activity to demonstrate the effects of having had sex with more than one person involves chewing cheese crackers and spitting them into a cup of water, which is then poured into another students cup. All the while, one students cup of water remains pure. Nathan Zipoy, 40, who has a seventh-grader and ninth-grader in the Francis Howell district, said he doesnt want his daughters to feel like damaged goods if they choose to have sex before they get married. Anna Osborn, a sophomore at Parkway North High School, participated in the cracker activity last semester when a Best Choice educator visited her health class. Its a metaphor, like people who choose to have sex are dirty, which I didnt like at all, she said. Anna said her schoolteacher added information about the use of condoms and birth-control pills, but she wished the time had been spent learning about other forms of contraception and issues such as consent and gender identity. I felt we couldve learned so much more, she said. School officials say Best Choice aligns with state law, which requires educators to present abstinence as the preferred choice of behavior because it is the only 100 percent effective method to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Tara Sparks, who is in charge of curriculum for Lindbergh, said she observed 10 different lessons by Best Choice educators and never saw anything moving beyond fact-based instruction. Students are steered toward talking to their parents when questions move beyond the facts, she said. Michelle Butler, 45, whose three teenage children received Best Choice lessons in the Parkway School District, said she likes how the program sends a clear message that there is no such thing as safe sex in high school and waiting is the best choice. It presents thorough content about STDs and risky behaviors, and talks a lot about healthy boundaries in relationships, Butler said. It talks about the emotional consequences to sex and not just the physical consequences. Efforts to guide schools Comprehensive sexuality education has been shown to help youths to delay sex, reduce the number of sexual partners and increase condom and contraceptive use. Research suggests promoting abstinence-only outside of marriage while withholding information about contraceptives does not delay sex, and can actually place young people at increased risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. By the time young people graduate from high school, almost two-thirds have had sex, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The teen birth rate has dropped over the past 20 years, but it still remains higher than other developed countries amounting to 250,000 babies a year. Teens and young adults account for 22 percent of new HIV diagnoses and half of new sexually transmitted diseases reported each year in the U.S. Relationship violence, bullying and harassment are also common among teens, particularly among lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender students. To help schools, health experts collaborated to create the National Sexuality Education Standards in 2012. Federal health agencies also provide guidance with a curriculum analysis tool and database of quality teen pregnancy prevention programs. The Parkway School District used the standards when revamping its sexual health curriculum last year, a lengthy process that caused packed public meetings. Some say they were surprised to learn that Best Choice educators are still coming in as guest speakers. I felt like the rug had been pulled out from underneath me a little bit, said parent Carolyn Guild Johnson, 41. That goes against the things that I thought they would be teaching our kids, like tolerance, self-love and anatomy of their own bodies. Lisa Merideth, an assistant superintendent at Parkway, said Best Choice educators had been brought in by middle and high school health teachers to supplement the curriculum. Teachers felt like they have met that need of helping students understand risk-reduction through an abstinence-based approach, she said. In an email to a reporter, Parkway parent Lisa Smout, 39, wrote, The Thrive program is a different voice for our kids to hear ... I believe our kids deserve the right to hear voices on all sides in order to make the best decision for themselves. Van Means said her staff is working to upgrade the lesson materials and include information sources before scheduling meetings with parents. We can always get better, she said. Culture changes and society changes, and we want to move with it. Its an opportunity for us to be that much stronger of a program. UNIVERSITY CITY Police investigating the vandalism at a Jewish cemetery here want to question the St. Louis man accused of making bomb threats to Jewish community centers in recent months. Police detective Lt. Fredrick Lemons II said Friday at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery that the department did not have any viable leads, but officers have requested to interview Juan Thompson. Lemons said the department had not found any physical evidence linking Thompson to the vandalism, in which more than 150 headstones were toppled. Most of the headstones have been righted, but a few are beyond repair. The vandalism happened in the oldest section of the cemetery. Federal authorities arrested Thompson Friday on cyberstalking charges that they believe culminated in a series of threats to Jewish community centers, schools, a museum and other organizations. Police are reviewing more than 100 hours of video from area surveillance cameras, Lemons said. Officials believe the crime happened between 5 p.m. Feb. 17 and 10 a.m. Feb. 19. Lemons said the department had received some tips on who may have been behind the vandalism but said none of the tips so far had been useful. Muslim groups and other religious groups have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cemetery for repairs and security. The Anti-Defamation League is offering a $10,000 reward for more details leading to an arrest. Hundreds of volunteers, including Vice President Mike Pence and Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, helped clean up at the cemetery. Anti-Defamation League leader Karen Aroesty said Friday that the cemetery now had a peaceful sense about it again thanks to volunteer efforts. We really do need each other more than ever, she said. In the days after the vandalism, many politicians and officials who condemned the act shied away from calling it a hate crime, though some Jewish people said they viewed the incident as anti-Semitic. We are not saying this is not a hate crime, but we arent saying it is a hate crime, Lemons said Friday. He said in order to know, the department first needs to have someone in custody and understand the persons motive. University City police spoke with the Philadelphia police department in light of vandalism at a Jewish cemetery there last month, Lemons said. He said that after talks with the FBI, St. Louis County police and prosecutors office he did not believe the two incidents were connected. Another Missouri college is dealing with mumps on campus. Southeast Missouri State University announced Friday that the state health department will host a Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccination in response to 15 confirmed cases of mumps among students. The health department will host two vaccination clinics, including one just for members of Greek life, since that's where the bulk of the mumps cases are occurring. Mumps is a viral infection that causes swelling in the salivary glands and cheeks. It's spread through saliva or mucus from the mouth or nose, often spread through coughing, sneezing, talking or sharing items like utensils, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The Greek life specific vaccine clinic is from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor of the Towers Complex. Non-Greeks can get a vaccination from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Thursday and 10 in the Campus Health Clinic. Students can also get the vaccine at the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center. Students should bring their insurance card, which will be billed for the vaccination. Those students who don't have insurance will receive the vaccine at no cost, according to a SEMO official. The University of Missouri-Columbia reported more than 200 either confirmed or suspected cases of the mumps during the past several months, and hosted a similar vaccination clinic for students. At Mizzou, all of the affected students had previously been vaccinated for mumps. Another case popped up at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla earlier this year. Schools across the country grappled with similar outbreaks. New Delhi, Mar 4 (IBNS): India and Canada are focused on expanding bilateral trade and investment between the two countries, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a release on Saturday. On Friday, a bilateral meeting was held in New Delhi between the visiting Canadian Minister of International Trade, Francois-Philippe Champagne and the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The two ministers carried forward the discussion from the bilateral meeting held on the side lines of World Economic Forum at Davos in January, 2017. Both ministers agreed to expedite the conclusion of Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The Canadian Trade Minister pointed out the interest shown by Canadian Pension Funds in the Indian market and emphasised on the need for FIPA, which will provide the required predictability and protection to investments. Addressing the issues of MFN, ratchet, ISDS etc. raised by the Canadian side, Union Commerce Minister Sitharaman clarified that the negotiation should not get lost in peripheral issues and should focus on bringing in promotion and protection elements, which provide stability and predictability to investments in each others country. She said that India has approved the model text as a template and the negotiation under FIPA should go forward in accordance with the model text. However, both sides should remain flexible to incorporate the essential elements of investment protection while negotiating the Agreement. Sitharaman also raised the issue of reforms in the Temporary Foreign Workers Programme (TWFP) which has been made more stringent by Canada and which adversely impacts the services trade from India. She discussed the importance of the ease of movement for intra-company transferees on short term visa for filling in certain crucial and specialized activities. She gave example of a few Indian companies who have made investments in Canada but are finding it difficult to source key employees from India as intra-company transferees. Francois-Philippe Champagne assured that a number of steps have been taken to facilitate the ease of movement for professionals into Canada. He described the recent initiative under the Global Skill Strategy Programme wherein the visa application for high skilled technicians, Professors, Researchers etc. will be disposed of within two weeks time. Similarly, for professionals visiting for less than a year, a fast track process is being set up which will be similar to a concierge service. This will be extended to companies invested in Canada on a priority basis. Both ministers agreed that the present trade, which is in the range of $ 8 billion, is much below its potential and there is a need to conclude CEPA in a time-bound manner for ensuring higher levels of trade in goods and services. They directed the respective chief negotiators on both sides to agree on a time line and conclude it as per the agreed time line. Canadian Trade Minister raised the issue of the fumigation requirement for the pulses being imported into India and the need for a resolution to the issue. India's Commerce and Industry Minister assured to look into the issue in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture. Sitharaman also raised the issue of organic equivalence to Indias National Programme on Organic Production (NPOP) by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The Trade Minister from Canada agreed to take up this issue with the Canadian Agriculture Ministry. The ministers discussed the potential benefit of business to business interface and, therefore, the importance of CEO Forum to provide the required perspective for improvement in bilateral trade and investment. While the Indian side of the CEO Forum has been reconstituted, the Canadian side will have to reconstitute the Forum. It was agreed by the Trade Minister of Canada to reconstitute the CEO Forum by the end of March. They also agreed on ensuring that business leaders from both sides meet at the earliest and provide key inputs for furthering the bilateral relationship. Image: Canada Trade Twitter ST. LOUIS In these last days of the citys most lively mayoral primary in more than a decade, candidates are making their final push to convince voters they are the best choice to replace four-term Mayor Francis Slay. Alderman Lyda Krewson, 28th Ward, appears to have the most obvious path to victory, being the most high-profile white candidate in a seven-way Democratic field that also features four prominent black candidates. As the candidates shifted in the past week from campaign mode into their get-out-the-vote efforts, Krewson is fighting the perception of inevitability. Shes been sending supporters email blasts warning against complacency and urging them to show up at the polls for Tuesdays primary. Krewson declared her candidacy in June, making her the first to jump in the race. Since then, shes run a campaign based on out-fundraising her opponents and staying on message. Shes raised $1.25 million, more than double the amount her closest competitor raised, and she spent the majority of her time on the campaign trail talking up her plans for public safety. Krewson has also had some luck. Police Chief Sam Dotson dropped out of the race in November, and Collector of Revenue Gregory F.X. Daly decided not to run, making Krewson the most prominent white candidate in the race and helping bring their likely donors into her camp. Krewson wasnt always the favorite. Several months ago, some considered Lewis Reed the candidate to beat. Since then, political watchers believe the middle of the field has caught up. As president of the Board of Aldermen since 2007, Reed has proved he can win citywide elections, and he boasts significant name recognition having run against Slay four years ago. Like Krewson, he has made public safety his top issue. Part of Reeds pitch to voters is that he gave up a lucrative career as a tech professional to dedicate himself to public service. While Reed is expected to pick up votes across the city, supporters worry whether he will garner a large enough share of black voters to push him to victory. Throughout the race, the black candidates have played down the idea of a split black vote hurting their chances. But political scientists say it could be a significant factor in the elections outcome. St. Louis American Publisher Donald Suggs thought it was a big enough concern that he organized an off-the-record meeting with five black potential candidates last fall to talk about the race. Of the officials who attended that meeting, only state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed did not file to run for mayor. Its widely believed that Suggs, who donated $25,000 to city Treasurer Tishaura Jones campaign, was trying to get some of the candidates to drop out. Suggs later insisted no one was pressured to get out of the race, adding that he doesnt have that kind of clout. Getting candidates to abandon the race was always going to be a tough sell. For Alderman Antonio French, 21st Ward, the sudden vacancy in the mayors office represented a natural career progression. He is one of the most outspoken members of the Board of Aldermen, and several of his colleagues consider him one of the smartest people in city politics. He gained a national profile for his advocacy during the 2014 protests in Ferguson, but he has struggled to raise money this campaign season. French is also taking the biggest risk. Mayoral elections are held on the same four-year cycle as odd-numbered aldermanic seats, making French the only candidate who does not have a job waiting if he loses the mayors race. His top issues are public safety and closing the economic divide between north and south St. Louis. Jones is banking on her track record resonating with voters. In her first term as treasurer, she revamped the citys parking meter system and turned her office into an advocacy center for financial literacy. Her top issues are social justice and citywide prosperity. Her campaign reports that she has accepted contributions from more than 2,000 donors. Her staffers believe she can turn a wave of enthusiasm from young progressives into a victory on Tuesday. A fifth Democratic candidate is Alderman Jeffrey Boyd. The retired U.S. Army master sergeant and business owner says his greatest political attribute is his integrity. Boyd, who represents the 22nd Ward, frequently touts his decisions to live and own businesses in one of the citys toughest and most blighted areas as proof of his commitment to improving the city. He is campaigning on North Side economic development and neighborhood safety. Boyd is running his third citywide race. He previously lost campaigns for license collector and treasurer. Two other candidates, elected School Board member Bill Haas and former Alderman Jimmie Matthews are frequent candidates for office and self-described underdogs. Neither has raised a substantial amount of money. The winner of the Democratic primary is expected to cruise to an easy victory in the April 4 general election in this overwhelmingly Democratic city. The Republicans Utility executive Andrew Jones has separated himself as the most serious of the three candidates running in the Republican primary. He describes himself as a strict free-market constitutionalist who will be tough on crime. Andy Karandzieff, co-owner of Crown Candy Kitchen, has said he is running only to drum up business for his restaurant. On Twitter, he has thrown his support behind Andrew Jones. A third candidate, businessman Jim Osher, who previously owned the old Buster Brown Shoe Factory at Cass and Jefferson avenues, speaks to reporters but does not participate in mayoral forums and has not mounted much of a campaign. NAIROBI, kenya U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed large cuts to foreign aid at a time of acute need across Africa and the Middle East, with four countries approaching famine and 20 million people nearing starvation, according to the United Nations. It is the first time in recent memory that so many large-scale hunger crises have occurred simultaneously, and humanitarian groups lack the resources to respond effectively. The United Nations has requested $4.4 billion by March to avert a catastrophe, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said last week. It has so far received only a tiny fraction of that amount. The details of Trumps budget proposal have not been released, and large cuts to foreign assistance will face stiff opposition from Congress. So far, U.S. funding for the hunger crises has come out of a budget approved last year under President Barack Obama. But the famines or near-famines in parts of Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen underscore the reliance on continued U.S. assistance to save some of the worlds most desperate people. In Nigeria, millions have been displaced and isolated by Boko Haram insurgents. In Somalia, a historic drought has left a huge portion of the country without access to regular food, as al-Shabab militants block the movement of humanitarian groups. In South Sudan, a three-year-old civil war has forced millions of people from their homes and farms. In Yemen, a civil war along with aerial attacks by the Saudi-led coalition have caused another sweeping hunger crisis. In 2016, the United States contributed about 28 percent of the foreign aid in those four countries, according to the United Nations. Nobody can replace the U.S. in terms of funding, said Yves Daccord, the director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who said of the current crises: I dont remember ever seeing such a mix of conflict, drought and extreme hunger. U.S. aid officials said they were still trying to discern what the White House was planning to allocate to humanitarian assistance. Even though foreign aid is typically about 1 percent of the governments budget, that is enough to make the United States by far the worlds largest donor. Last year, the United States contributed $6.4 billion, more than a quarter of global funding in humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations. We remain committed to a U.S. foreign policy that advances the security, prosperity and values of the American people, said a USAID spokesman, who added that he was not authorized to speak on the record. But asked whether the United States planned to contribute to the new U.N. appeal for hunger relief, the official said, We have no new funding to announce at this time. Early reports said Trump planned to propose 37 percent cuts to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development budgets. Many experts said they expected that those cuts would exclude U.S. contributions to security assistance. That leaves a much smaller component, which takes us directly to cuts in humanitarian assistance, said Scott Morris, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. The four hunger crises pose an enormous challenge for aid groups, which are now torn between those emergencies. The last time a famine was declared in Africa was in Somalia in 2011. Nearly 260,000 people died, and aid groups later determined that they had waited too long to act. Famine is declared only when at least 30 percent of a population is acutely malnourished, and two adults or four children per every 10,000 people are dying each day. Humanitarian groups have tried to apply the lessons from the 2011 disaster by moving quickly at the signs of deepening food crises. But the number of countries at risk of famine simultaneously makes a swift, thorough response to each of them very difficult. The donors are struggling left, right and center with their own allocations, said Silke Pietzsch, the technical director for Action Against Hunger. There are just too many fires to take care of. The United Nations was, by its own admission, late to recognize the scale of the crisis in northeastern Nigeria. Last year, when aid workers from Doctors Without Borders began traveling to parts of the country that had been blocked by Boko Haram fighters, they found soaring malnutrition rates and scores of people dying of preventable illnesses. Months later, huge swaths of the region are still inaccessible to aid workers. No one can go 15 miles outside of the local government capitals, said Yannick Pouchalan, the country director for Action Against Hunger. There are still many people without any access to humanitarian assistance. USAID has been the largest provider of assistance in the crisis, Pouchalan said. If that aid stops, it means we wont reach the people in need, he said. None of the crises are strictly about a lack of food aid or humanitarian funding. These are man-made crises in need of political solutions, Pietzsch said. In South Sudan, where two counties are already in the midst of famine, continued clashes between government and opposition forces have restricted the access of aid workers and kept people from farming on their land. The United Nations and other humanitarian groups have frequently been targeted by armed groups affiliated with both sides of the conflict. During fighting in July, government forces stole 4,500 metric tons of food from a World Food Program compound in Juba, the capital, enough to feed more than 200,000 people. More than 1 million children in the country are malnourished and could die without a rapid intervention, according to UNICEF. The United States has given more than $2.1 billion to South Sudan since the start of the conflict in December 2013. USAID claims that American food donations reach 1.3 million people every month and has saved lives and helped to avert famine for three consecutive years, according to a State Department statement last week. Yet as the situation there worsens and food prices continue to rise as a result of an unusually bad harvest across much of Africa, the need for humanitarian assistance is expected to grow. In South Sudan, 700,000 people are already in phase four of the hunger crisis, the last stage before famine. In Somalia, Save the Children has warned that the country has reached a tipping point and could quickly enter a famine far worse than the 2011 famine. Somalias prime minister said Saturday that 110 people had died from hunger in the past 48 hours in a single region the first death toll announced in the drought threatening millions of people across the country. Somalias government declared the drought a national disaster on Tuesday. The United Nations estimates that 5 million people in this Horn of Africa nation need aid, amid warnings of a full-blown famine. Of the four crises, Somalias is the most clearly linked to drought conditions, but insecurity caused by al-Shabab militants frequently keeps humanitarian workers from reaching civilians. It bears remembering that when St. Louisans go to the polls in Tuesdays Democratic primary, they will effectively elect the citys next mayor, given the citys seven-decade voting pattern. After reviewing the debates, advertisements and candidate meetings with this editorial board, we remain convinced that 21st Ward Alderman Antonio French is the best choice. Among the top contenders, he is the one who consistently outlines his priorities with well-grounded specifics instead of generalities and wishful thinking. He exudes confidence and high intellect. He doesnt waffle or dodge on tough questions. Serving as mayor isnt about who can come up with the slickest campaign ad. Its not about generating internet buzz with cheap shots. The next mayor must exhibit clear, gimmick-free leadership qualities. The next mayor must be a unifier, not a divider. With seven candidates running in the Democratic primary, it can be difficult for voters to distinguish one from another. Some have tried to stand out from the crowd with histrionics. Dont confuse that with leadership. The candidates records of accomplishments in the past, coupled with their vision of the future, are what should weigh most heavily in this decision. French is well-educated, with a masters degree in business administration. In 2012, he founded an education initiative that serves more than 150 children in north St. Louis. French has worked with nonprofit and corporate philanthropists to help renovate more than 50 homes for seniors and disadvantaged homeowners in his ward. Hes been involved in bringing the arts to underserved areas and creating safe zones for kids to trick or treat on Halloween night. When trouble erupted in Ferguson in 2014, French took to the streets as an activist and videographer. While other politicians talk about what theyll do for people, he gets down in the trenches. Others, most notably 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, have performed admirably and deserve a close look by voters. The apparent front-runner, 28th Ward Alderman Lyda Krewson, has many strengths but seems less an innovator than a defender of the status quo. Likewise with Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed. Treasurer Tishaura Jones has treated public office as a grab bag of perks for her personal enjoyment. We need a mayor who consistently upholds a high standard of ethics. She is quick to deploy the race card recklessly. The mayors job is too important to entrust to someone with such demonstrably bad judgment. French has had his confrontational moments but seems to be learning the art of verbal discipline. We believe he is maturing as a politician and recognizes that the most effective way to fight crime and uplift the citys most neglected neighborhoods is to work with police and the business community rather than derail dialogue with constant criticism. Park free or die Heres a job possibility that city Treasurer Tishaura Jones might want to investigate should she lose Tuesdays Democratic mayoral primary: North Dakota parking czarina. Americas fourth least-populous, but fastest-growing, state is considering reversing a 68-year-old ban on street parking meters. Back in 1948, a cranky potato farmer named Howard Henry drove into the town of Minot to do some business. While he was talking to a friend, his meter expired and he got a ticket. He retaliated by convincing voters to approve a statewide ban on parking meters. The Wall Street Journal reports that retired newspaper editor and parking meter issue scholar Mike Jacobs says North Dakotans have come to regard free parking as a basic human right. But mayors and business interests in some cities think that meters would free up parking spaces and help attract visitors downtown. Here in St. Louis, Jones was just re-elected treasurer in November, so she'll still be parking boss if she loses the mayors race. But maybe she'd like the challenge of an entire state. Of course shed have to be willing to travel. A stern slap on the wrist One of the more embarrassing episodes in the Missouri Department of Corrections long history of problems with its execution protocol took place in 2012. The state received a package containing 20 50-milliliter vials of a drug called Diprivan, a brand name version of a common anesthetic known generically as propofol. The state wasnt supposed to have it the German manufacturer didnt want it used in capital punishment. But a supplier accidentally processed the order. The supplier desperately tried to get it back, but Corrections officials didnt want to give it up. In the meantime, the European Union threatened to block shipments of the drug if it was used for executions. This would have been a major problem for U.S. hospitals, where propofol is a preferred surgical anesthetic. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a Sunshine Law request for records relating to the incident. Corrections was very slow in responding to the request, and the ACLU sued. After the ACLU published the records on its website, the state gave in and returned the drug. This week Cole County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Joyce fined Corrections $2,500 for slow-walking the Sunshine Law request. In effect, she said being embarrassed wasnt an excuse for violating the law. The maximum fine for a Sunshine Law violation is $5,000. Unless it gets much higher, expect government bodies to continue to stiff the public on its right to public records. A game of chicken The Great Canadian Subway Sandwich Chicken Feud continues unabated. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. kicked it off with an investigation that claimed researchers had found Subways chicken contained only 53.6 percent chicken DNA. The chicken strips scored 42.8 percent chicken DNA. Most of the rest of it was soy protein. Not bad for you, but not chicken, either. The restaurant chain begged to differ, hiring two independent laboratories to study the chicken. Those tests showed a mere 1 percent soy, most of it from seasonings. Our chicken is 100 percent white meat with seasonings, a Subway statement said this week. If this were the United States, wed know how to settle this: Turn it over to the class-action lawyers. Smile when you say that Just like dashboard and body cameras for law enforcers, interior cameras are a smart idea for Uber drivers. They provide a video record to protect drivers from being unfairly accused of actions they didnt do. Otherwise, when its the drivers word against the passengers, whos to be believed? The cameras also help catch passengers in the act of being rude. Passenger Travis Kalanick discovered that the hard way when he was caught on camera being abrasive with an Uber driver a few weeks ago. They argued about Ubers fare structure. Kalanick got abusive and used expletives. He wound up apologizing publicly on Tuesday, which is not something most Uber passengers would feel compelled to do. But Kalanick is a special case. He is, after all, the chief executive of Uber. To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement, Kalanick wrote. My job as your leader is to lead, and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away. Hold that tweet The debacle in the closing minutes of the Academy Awards show on Sunday underscores the dangers of distracted enveloping. While not of the magnitude of danger posed by distracted driving or distracted presidenting, tweeting and handing out Oscar envelopes did not end well for two PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants. Brian Cullinan tweeted a photo of Emma Stone in the wings with her new Oscar for best actress moments before handing over the wrong envelope for best picture to presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Cullinan and Martha Ruiz were responsible for safeguarding the envelopes with winners' names on them. They have one job to do. One job to do! Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy Awards president, told The Associated Press. Obviously there was a distraction. The mix up led to La La Land mistakenly being announced as best picture rather than Moonlight. Cullinan and Ruiz were told afterward that they and their distracted enveloping were uninvited from future film academy dealings. Mumbai, Mar 4 (IBNS): Following the acquisition of Ambassador from Indian car manufacturer Hindustan Motors, Peugeot is set to expand its range by entering a deal with General Motors for its Opel and Vauxhall brands, media reports said. Though the companies haven't reached an agreement as of yet, Detroit Free Press quoted PSA Group spokesman Pierre-Olivier Salmon as stating, "The discussions are going very well; I think everyone wants to reach an agreement." However, Salmon added, "So far they have not achieved a conclusion." If a deal is reached, the acquisition of Opel will likely vault the French manufactures to the second place in Europe, next only to Volkswagen. Experts have projected a 16 percent market share in Europe for the PSA Group (which comprises of Peugeot and Citroen brands) following the deal. Each Saturday and Sunday well post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of buy, hold, or sell. I often get asked to recommend cigars with great flavor, low price points, and relatively wide availability. My response always includes the *R* Rothchildes (4.5 x 50) from Illusione, which was released in 2013and has maintained a welcome home in my humidor ever since. For only about $4, you get a balanced, medium-bodied profile with floral notes, cocoa, black pepper, sweet cream, and roasted nuts. *R* Rothchildes is made at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) in Nicaragua with a Mexican San Andres wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Get yourself a box of 50 and keep them on hand for just about any occasionor no occasion at all. Verdict = Buy. Patrick A photo credit: Stogie Guys Council tax bills in Stratford are set to rise by more than 3% after Stratford District Council formally adopted its budget for the forthcoming year. The final bill was calculated after Stratford District Council formall adopted its budget for the forthcoming year at a meeting on Monday The average amount people will pay on Band D property from April will be 1,684, up from 1,630, a rise of 3.36% The county councils share will rise by almost 4%, half of which will be ring-fenced to pay for adult social care, while the district council share will rise by 2%. The rise in the district councils precept has come in for criticism from the opposition Liberal Democrat group, who argued that due to the councils large reserves, such a move should not be considered at this time. Stratford-on-Avon District Council leader, Cllr Chris Saint. Presenting the budget to the council on Monday, council leader Cllr Chris Saint, said: The proposals before the council represent a responsible way forward. They do not compromise the future income to the council, nor do they profligate spending plans. In the medium term the proposals manage to preserve a justifiable level of reserves while providing the capacity for the council to undertake both its statutory duties and those it undertakes by virtue of its core strategy. We keep our eye on both savings and the potential for joint working. Cllr Saint said that the budget had incorporated plans to guarantee the future of the Shakespeare Birthday Celebration and the towns blossoming partnership with the Chinese city of Fuzhou. He committed to strengthening the CCTV service in operation across the district and said Development Management team restructuring would enable the council to recruit nine new posts in place of several contract and permanent staff. Cllr Saint also drew attention to an increase in what the council spends on providing short term accommodation at bed and breakfasts to the homeless. He explained that this was needed as developing more self-contained general needs accommodation in Stratford would take more time to establish. However the budget came in for criticism from the Liberal Democrat Group at the council with Cllr Peter Morse, attacking the councils seeming inability to work with neighbouring councils to increase efficiency saving. He said: We are not sharing services with other councils, why is it that this leadership seems unable to work with other councils? Cllr Morse congratulated Warwickshires Police and Crime Commissioner Cllr Seccombe, for recognising that it was inappropriate to raise the police precept while the forces reserves are high, but levelled criticism at Cllr Saint for taking the opposite approach. Cllr Morse added: Cllr Saint takes a different approach, he believes peoples money would be better off in the councils bank account rather than their own. He highlighted Cllr Saints aim at the previous council election to keep council tax at the current level. Earlier in the meeting the Liberal Democrats had proposed seven amendments to the councils budget including removing the charges for using public toilets in Stratford and investigating the possibility of establishing a homeless hostel in the town, with 20,000 put aside to carry out such investigations. However the amendments were rejected by a vote of 22 to five. Explaining his support for adopting the councils draft budget, Cllr Robert Vaudry said the council was facing a degree of uncertainty over its budget and it was prudent to increase council tax as a precaution. Overall 22 councillors voted to adopt the budget while five abstained. New Delhi, May 4 (IBNS): The Goods and Services Tax GST) Council, in its meeting held today in Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley has approved the draft CGST Bill and the draft IGST Bill as vetted by the Union Law Ministry. This clears the deck for the Central Government to take these two Bills to the Parliament for their passage in the ongoing Budget Session. Some of the main features of the two Bills, as finalized by the GST Council, are as follows: i. A State-wise single registration for a taxpayer forfiling returns, paying taxes,and to fulfil other compliance requirements. Most of the compliance requirements would be fulfilled online, thus leaving very little room for physical interface between the taxpayer and the tax official. ii. A taxpayer has to file one single return state-wise to report all his supplies, whether made within or outside the State or exported out of the country and pay the applicable taxes on them. Such taxescan be Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), State Goods and Services Tax (SGST), Union Territory Goods and Services Tax (UTGST) and Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST). iii. A business entity with an annual turnover of upto Rs. 20 lakhs would not be required to take registration in the GST regime, unless he voluntarily chooses to do so to be a part of the input tax credit (ITC) chain. The annual turnover threshold in the Special Category States (as enumerated in Article 279A of the Constitution such as Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and the other States of the North-East) for not taking registration is Rs. 10 lakhs. iv. A business entity with turnover upto Rs. 50 lakhs can avail the benefit of a composition scheme under which it has to pay a much lower rate of tax and has to fulfil very minimal compliance requirements. The Composition Scheme is available for all traders, select manufacturing sectors and for restaurants in the services sector. v. In order to prevent cascading of taxes, ITC would be admissible on all goods and services used in the course or furtherance of business, except on a few items listed in the Law. vi. In order to ensure that ITC can be used seamlessly for payment of taxes under the Central and the State Law, it has been provided that the ITC entitlement arising out of taxes paid under the Central Law can be cross-utilised for payment of taxes under the laws of the States or Union Territories. For example, a taxpayer can use the ITC accruing to him due to payment of IGST to discharge his tax liability of CGST / SGST / UTGST. Conversely, a taxpayer can use the ITC accruing to him on account of payment of CGST / SGST / UTGST, for payment of IGST. Such payments are to be made in a pre-defined order. vii. In the Services sector, the existing mechanism of Input Service Distributor (ISD) under the Service Tax law has been retained to allow the flow of ITC in respect of input serviceswithin a legal entity. viii. To prevent lock-in of capital of exporters, a provision has been made to refund, within seven days of filing the application for refund by an exporter, ninety percent of the claimed amount on a provisional basis. ix. In order to ensure a single administrative interface for taxpayers, a provision has been made to authorise officers of the tax administrations of the Centre and the States to exercise the powers conferred under all Acts. x. An agriculturist, to the extent of supply of produce out of cultivation of land, would not be liable to take registration in the GST regime. xi. To provide certainty in tax matters, a provision has been made for an Advance Ruling Authority. xii. Exhaustive provisions for Appellate mechansim have been made. xiii. Detailed transitional provisions have been provided to ensure migration of existing taxpayers and seamless transfer of unutilised ITC in the GST regime. xiv. An anti-profiteering provision has been incorporated to ensure that the reduction of tax incidence is passed on to the consumers. xv. In order to mitigate any financial hardship being suffered by a taxpayer, Commissioner has been empowered to allow payment of taxes in instalments. The remaining two Bills namely, State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) Bill and the Union territory Goods and Services Tax (UTGST) Bill, which would be almost a replica of the CGST Act, would be taken-up for approval after their legal vetting in the next meeting of GST Council scheduled on 16 March 2017. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that it is the vision of the government to transform Pakistan into a progressive country. He made the statement while meeting Chief Minister of Balochistan Sanaullah Zehri in Islamabad on Saturday. In the meeting, the prime minister and chief minister discussed the development projects initiated in Balochistan. PM Sharif said that Gwadar seaport will transform Balochistan and the lives of the people in the province. CM Zehri, commenting on the development projects in the province, said that the feeling of deprivation among Balochs is ending due to the steps taken by the federal government. It should be noted that Nawaz Sharif, while inaugurating the Kurram Tangi Dam in Shawal tehsil on Friday, had said that the project will prove to be effective in ending fear and tension. New Delhi, Mar 4 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged people of Manipur and Uttar Pradesh to turn out in large numbers and exercise their voting rights. While Uttar Pradesh is witnessing the sixth phase of polls today, Manipur is undergoing the first phase. Ahead of UP polls, the Prime Minister's tweet in Hindi read, "Today is the sixth phase of polls in Uttar Pradesh. I urge all the voters to come out in large numbers and exercise their rights." "Today is the first phase of the Manipur Assembly polls. I appeal to voters in the seats polling today to turnout in record numbers & vote," his message read. Procurement Appeal Board reserves verdict on BIA aircraft refuelling facility tender issue By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s): Sri Lankas Procurement Appeal Board has reserved its verdict on the tender award pertaining to the upgrading and construction of a new aircraft refueling facility at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake after hearing submissions made by complainants against the selected bidder, a Greek company, official sources revealed. Some of the other bidders who had objected to the tender being awarded to this Greek company on grounds that 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 and made an appeal to the Procurement Appeal Board. As a result an inquiry was held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on February 18 and counsel for the complainants had made submissions challenging the authenticity of documents submitted by the Greek company to prove their eligibility to clinch the tender. Minister of Petroleum Resources Chandima Weerakkody told the Business Times that the Ministry is waiting for the verdict of Procurement Appeal Board to take a decision on this matter after considering all aspects including the safety at the BIA. He categorically stated that as the Minister in charge of the subject, he will not allow any irregularities and unfair treatment in awarding tenders, but he is not intervening into Cabinet Approved Procurement Committee (CAPC) and the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) activities. The Ministry is yet to receive the decision of the Appeal Board and soon after receiving the verdict necessary action will be taken to mete out justice, he said. The upgrading of the Aviation Refueling Terminal and the existing Fuel Hydrant system 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 said. 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 Business Times, other bidders who participated in the tender opening alleged that, members of the CAPC and the 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. Sri Lanka lacks female role models to look up to By Raj Moorthy View(s): View(s): While 57 per cent of the 21 million population are women with this working population being less in Sri Lanka, the country lacks female role models to look up to, says Sulochana Segera, Founder and Chairperson of Women in Management (WIM). She made this comment while speaking at the launch of the 7th Top 50 Professional and Career Women Awards 2017 held at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo last week. Most of the Sri Lankan women hardly want to open up and carry designations together with their name. There are not many women role models in Sri Lanka for upcoming young women to look up for inspiration and confidence building. Job opportunities for women are limited in Sri Lanka, but the world is waiting with numerous opportunities. Most women professionals are only seen in Colombo, she added. The top 50 women will be chosen for the work they have done to the industry they represent and not for the brand name or for their designation. Applications will be open from February 25 and close on May 30. The awards ceremony will be held on July 14 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo. International Finance Corporation Head of Gender Secretariat, Henriette Kolb speaking at the event mentioned that gender equality is essential for women to come forward and take up higher positions in various sectors. If the gender gap is addressed around the world, the world gross domestic product will show a growth of US$12 trillion, according to the World Economic Forum report, she said, while also stating that 1.7 billion women around the world do not own a mobile device as per the report. Ms. Kolb also mentioned that it would take more than another 150 years for the world to reach gender equality. Through talent, equality is distributed for women but opportunities are limited, she noted. Head of the panel of judges for the awards and former Lanka Sathosa Chairman, Rohantha Athukorala stated that WIM is also moving into the Maldives to encourage and recognise female entrepreneurs there and further looking to expand into India and Pakistan. He also noted that men and women below 30 years of age will lead the world in the next five years. It was also mentioned at the event that though Sri Lankan women are very educated and talented, they are afraid to take risks and challenges themselves in the corporate world. Lucknow/Imphal, Mar 4 (IBNS) : About 23 per of the electorate in Uttar Pradesh and 43 per cent in Manipur cast votes till 11 am as Assembly elections are going on in the two states on Saturday amid tight security, reports said. In the Samajwadi Party-ruled Uttar Pradesh, which witnesses the sixth and penultimate phase of elections, are involved 49 Assembly seats while Manipur goes to polls in the first phase. The Assembly segments of Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency, represented by firebrand BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, and Mau, where jailed gangster-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari is in fray, figure in this phase of UP polling. Around 1.72 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, are eligible to cast their votes in this round to decide the fate of 635 candidates, including 63 women. The districts where polling is going on in the sixth phase are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. In the Congress-ruled northeastern state of Manipur, all eyes are on Irom Sharmila Chanu, the "Iron lady", whose People's Resurgence Justice Alliance (PRJA) makes electoral debut with three candidates in these polls. Sharmila, who cast her vote, said she feels responsible after voting after a gap of 20 years. "Our fight is not merely symbolic. Our party is for youth and change," Sharmila, who made world news by continuing hunger strike for nearly 16 years demandning withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), said. The first phase covers 38 of the states's 60 constituencies in Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. Remove obstacles to agricultural exports View(s): Excessive checks, delays and unwanted procedures serious drawback to export growth West Asia is a potentially large market for our agri-products, but Lanka losing competitiveness The sluggish export performance of recent years has been one of the main reasons for the countrys balance of payments difficulties, economic instability and slow economic growth. The country is in a situation when it must increase exports or face serious economic difficulties. The expansion and diversification of agricultural exports is one way of achieving this. Diversification There has been a limited diversification of agricultural exports. Vegetables, fruits, flowers, spices, seafood, minor agricultural products and certain varieties of rice are exported. In 2015, these items constituted about 8 percent of total exports. However, this favourable development was not large enough to make an impact on export earnings. In 2015, other agricultural exports, though on a rising trend, contributed only 17 percent of agricultural export earnings. In spite of this diversification, agricultural exports, too, are highly concentrated on tea that constitutes about 50 percent of agricultural exports. Coconut exports constituted 20 percent and spices 13 percent of agricultural exports in 2015. Rubber that was an important export commodity is no longer so, as rubber is largely used in value added manufactures and consequently there is hardly an exportable surplus. Obstacles Despite the importance of increasing agricultural exports, exporters of agricultural produce face enormous difficulties and obstacles that stifle non-traditional agricultural exports. Speedy removal of the difficulties faced by them is crucial to enhancing export earnings. Agricultural exports that are 23 percent of total exports have a potential for making a much higher contribution. In spite of this, the difficulties facing agricultural exporters are horrendous. At a recent forum organised by Verite Research on Whats Holding Back Agri Exports?, difficulties faced by exporters of agricultural produce were revealed. Subhashini Abeysinghe indicated the multitude of regulations that inhibit agricultural exports. She pointed out that poorly designed regulations, inefficient administrative procedures and poor dissemination of information have made export products uncompetitive. Trade barriers Subhashini Abeysinghe emphasised that trade barriers are not only found abroad. They are found within our borders as well and we should address them before going for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and discussing border issues in other countries. Furthermore she pointed out that poor infrastructure, weak institutions, bureaucratic red tape, ad-hoc taxes and inconsistent policies are some of the major trade barriers that have stifled competitiveness and export growth and contended that these domestic barriers is a significant impediment to exports and for some products, like agriculture they can be higher than global trade barriers. These findings were based on research conducted jointly by the Sri Lanka Fruit and Vegetable Producers, Processors and Exporters Association and Verite Research. Regulations Dr. Nishan de Mel, Executive Director of Verite Research, said regulations are extremely vital but they need to be like good medication that heals the patient. Dr. de Mel said We do not need bad medicine that aggravates the condition of the patient Although there are plenty of regulations, they are not effective. He said every country needs regulations to protect its plants from invasive species and diseases. Safety is an issue in countries that do not have regulations. The United States and Europe have imposed a large number of regulations for safety. Gazette No. 151 of 1981 on plant protection is based on a law passed in 1924. The Plant Protection Act was updated in 1999. However, bureaucratic barriers obstructed its implementation, according to Verite Research. Regulations for plant protection not being passed for 17 years are definitely bad administration. The Seed Council which was to be set up under the Seed Act of 2003 to ensure quality of imported seeds, failed to see the light of day, Verite Research stated. Procedures Verite Research found that administrative procedures on checking perishable goods at present cause unnecessary delays and damage cargo, undermining export potential of the country. Perishable goods go through four types of checks before they are exported. The boxes are checked at four different locations. The checks conducted in open areas and in areas without temperature control, expose the products to heat and contamination. This is specially a concern for products that are pre-cooled for several hours before pacing to lengthen shelf life. Furthermore checks are carried out by incompetent staff. It is also timely to re-evaluate the need for continuous checking by the Air Force since there is no war in the country. Research reveals that exports take a lead time of around six hours which makes them uncompetitive compared to Thailand, a major agri-product exporter which takes only around one and half hours for cargo loading. Information Poor dissemination of information in state institutions is also a hindrance to boost export competitiveness, Verite Research said. It stated that even the basic information such as contact details, application forms, fees and the time-frame taken to process exports is not found in certain agencies while only a few tell the procedures involved. It also found that it is hard to locate the necessary information and is costly and unreliable. Where available, the information is frequently outdated. For example, on the government information website, the information on fish exports was last updated in 2009. Current exports Sri Lanka exports both fresh and processed varieties. Fresh vegetables and fruits are exported mainly to West Asia and the Maldives. Europe is also an emerging market for tropical fruits and vegetables. Almost all processed products are to the European market. West Asia is a potentially large market for the export of fruit and vegetables. To expand exports to these markets, exporters must ensure that fruits and vegetables meet quality standards of those importing countries. The prevailing rules, regulations and procedures are not conducive for increasing exports. In conclusion Agricultural exports could contribute much towards increasing export earnings and reducing the trade deficit. A prerequisite to increasing agricultural exports is domestic agricultural policies that expand agricultural production and enhance the export surplus in agricultural crops. There is a vast potential to export cashew, fruits and vegetables if larger amounts of these commodities are produced. The removal of excessive and unwanted administrative regulations and procedures is vital to enable the full potential for agricultural exports. As Verite has pointed out, it is more important to look at the domestic barriers to agricultural exports than focus on increasing market access for our exports. SriLankan bosses and pilots on collision course again View(s): The row between SriLankan Airlines management and its Pilots Guild continues. SriLankan Chairman Ajith Dias has told the Guild that its members will face disciplinary action if they resorted to any form of industrial action. He claimed that a Collective Agreement between the management and the Guild signed on September 12 2014 forbade such activity. In a three-page letter he has quoted different clauses from the agreement to back his claim but the assertions are being challenged by the Guild. The tough line of the management came despite the Guild winning relief on a complaint lodged with the Labour Department over the denial to pilots of the use of the Business Class lounge. After an inquiry, Additional Labour Commissioner P.A.S.C. Pathiraja has ruled that the pilots should be allowed the use of this facility. In the light of ongoing repairs to the runway at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), the Additional Labour Commissioner has said that steps should be taken to allow the pilots to use the Business Class Lounge after April 7. His ruling has been copied to the SriLankan Chairman. The Pilots Guild which responded to Chairman Dias letter has told him that it was their experience that the company has violated the terms of the (Collective) Agreement with impunity and arrogance. The Guild has added that We will now have to commence the procedures necessary to safeguard the interests of our Guild and its members, unless even at this late stage, we are given an opportunity to discuss our concerns and suitable action is taken to address them. The Guild has charged that the Chairman and the higher management have throughout the discussions they had, sought to down play the issues they have raised. Two such issues, it has pointed out, were the denial of their annual leave and the right to use the Business Class lounge by members who hold tickets. It has added that we are well acquainted with the provisions of our Collective Agreement as well as the People Administration and Engagement Policy manual copiously reproduced by the Chairman in his letter. Entrepreneur offers Rs. 15 billion for big company A Bank that sits above other banks is to make a decision next month over a bid a new entrepreneur is making to take control of a business conglomerate. The going price, they say, is Rs. 15 billion inclusive of a media arm. With a five billion loan from a state bank, five billion more by divesting his assets and the balance from the bigger bank, he wants to close the deal. Its no laughing matter, they say. Why Rajapaksa could not go into funeral house That man Sri Lankan politicians stick strictly to astrological advice is well known. This week, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa turned up at a funeral house of a close relative of a Pradeshiya Sabha member in Kandana. Waiting outside the house, he sent for the member to come out. He then explained that he was wearing a talisman (surey) and was therefore unable to come inside where the body lay. The member accepted his condolences and directed his supporters to take Mr. Rajapaksa to the adjoining house. There he was served tea before leaving. Decades ago, when the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the Prime Minister, a high powered delegation from Japans Fuji Steel Corporation was visiting Sri Lanka. It was headed by its Chairman Shigeo Nagano. It was a time when Ms Bandaranaike was advised by her astrologers not to venture out of the house. So the task fell on her number two then, Maithripala Senanayake, to meet the delegation for talks. Noyahr case suspects allegedly involved in Lasantha killing also: CID Five men, including an officer, from the Armys Directorate of Military Intelligence, who were arrested in connection with the abduction and alleged torture of journalist Keith Noyahr, were re-remanded till March 16. The men whom CID detectives say are members of a so-called white van squad were produced before Mount Lavinia Additional Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrema last Friday. Those remanded were Major Prabath Bulathwatte, Warrant Officer Lasantha Wimalaweera, Sergeant Duminda Weeraratne, Sergeant Hemachandra Perera and Corporal Nishantha Jayatilleke. Counsel Ajith Pathirana who appeared for Sergeants Perera and Weeraratne said that the file on Keith Noyahrs alleged abduction had been closed in 2010. He wanted to know on whose authority it had now been re-opened. Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Inspector Nishantha Silva told Court that Major Bulathwatte and his team were the main suspects in the killing of Lasantha Wickremetunga, Editor of The Sunday Leader. Detectives investigating that killing have uncovered evidence of Major Bulathwatte and his teams alleged involvement in the abduction and alleged torture of Mr. Noyahr, he said. He also said that the files on Mr Noyahrs case were among those transferred from the CID to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID). Inspector Silva said he had personally briefed the Magistrate in December last year before obtaining permission to travel to Australia to record Mr. Noyahrs statement. The Court has already directed Mr. Noyahr, to be present to identify the suspects. Lagarde visit delayed The arrival in Colombo of International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde has been delayed, a Finance Ministry source said yesterday. The source said she is stopping over in Colombo en route to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. We have been told of a tentative date, March 22 but we are awaiting confirmation, the source added. JO tells IMF, Lanka crashing like Greece A Joint Opposition delegation met the resident representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to warn that the countrys economic situation was taking a bad turn. Delegation leader Dinesh Gunawardena told the Sunday Times, We warned the IMF people that we do not want to see Sri Lanka in the same position as Greece. Twenty MPs went for the meeting with IMF representative Eteri Kvintradze. However, only three were permitted to enter in view of space constraints. Besides Mr. Gunawardena, the others were Bandula Gunawardena and Shehan Semasinghe (Anuradhapura District MP). Earlier, the 20-member delegation called on Central Bank Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy for a lengthy discussion. Among the issues discussed was the issue of bonds by the Central Bank. The scarlet pimpernel garb of Sri Lankas elusive witness protection authority View(s): Akin to the fabled (and damned) Scarlet Pimpernel of Baroness Orczy fame, one is constrained to search high and low for Sri Lankas elusive Witness Protection Authority. In fact, advocates in this country may be forgiven for indulging in the ditty we seek (it) here, we seek (it) there, is (it) in heaven or is (it) in hell? as they look for this (hopefully not) damned body in terms of its actual performance. Many peculiarities in the process This is a question that comes to the fore given the singular absence of any compelling interventions by the Authority into what remains one of the most agonizing failures of our justice system. True, a law was enacted to that effect many moons ago and some sort of body was established, to all intents and purposes. This itself was attendant with many peculiarities, such as when its Chairman, a former High Court judge resigned shortly after taking up the appointment. After struggling with other issues including an embarrassing lapse in the legal procedures relating to the appointment of its members, we were informed that the Witness Protection Authority had been reconstituted late last year after a long lapse following enactment of the law. This was apparently launched in January this year. Regardless and even though frequent references are made to such an Authority by the spokespersons of the Government of Sri Lanka when defending their brief overseas such as was the case recently in Geneva, the operationalising of an effective witness protection scheme for Sri Lankans seems to be more far distant than ever. Proliferation of grandiose bodies Its spluttering progress or lack thereof brings to mind, that other example of similar dysfunction, the Office of Missing Persons (OMP), the law relating to which was also passed with much applause in Colombo last year. Is Sri Lanka doomed to see a proliferation of these types of bodies with high-sounding titles but little concrete substance? The credibility of the members appointed to these bodies is also a significant factor that militates against the genuineness of the Government in bringing them into being in the first place. Sri Lankans were also informed that a Division for Assisting and Protecting Victims of Crime and Witnesses came into being in November 2016. But as frequently pointed out in these column spaces, the operationalising of this Division within the police command structure is highly problematic. This was a concern raised very early on but which was sublimely disregarded. How can the police, with outstanding allegations of threatening witnesses in court cases and other instances too numerous to mention, be trusted with undertaking protection of these people at risk? Who would be those naive enough to claim such protections? It was essential to have this Division operate independently like in other countries which have good witness protection schemes. It was also essential that the very members of the Authority had credibility and public legitimacy in terms of the functions entrusted to them. On both counts, Sri Lankas experiment in witness protection has failed miserably. A deadly intent to patterns of witness intimidation In the result, widespread impunity continues to be enjoyed by perpetrators. The cases therein are far too many to list. Some time ago a complainant in a bribery case, Sugath Nishanta Fernando who had also filed a fundamental rights application after being tortured by twelve police officers, was brutally killed. He had been repeatedly threatened to withdraw the cases and had appealed for protection from government authorities, including the Inspector General of Police, to no avail. In the legal process, there is a deadly intent to these patterns of intimidation. The Gerald Perera case is classically symptomatic. This innocent man was killed days before he was due to give evidence in a trial of his alleged torturers under the Convention Against Torture and Other Inhuman and Degrading Punishment Act No 22 of 1994 (CAT Act). Later, the torturers were acquitted by the High Court on the basis that the criminal responsibility of the alleged perpetrators had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt. The victim himself was unable to give evidence as to the identity of his torturers due to his being killed. In the absence of any direct evidence, it was judicially ruled that the available circumstantial evidence was insufficient to sustain a conviction on the facts of the case. Judicial orders are disregarded And in particular, women victims and witnesses are vulnerable in this terrible spiral of violence. Most often, they are denied access to criminal and civil remedies including reparations. Instead, at the most, perpetrators in uniform who intimidate are transferred away from their stations. Witness intimidation results in the collapse of the case half way through the trial. Basic requirements of prosecution of rape cases including medical examinations are often subverted. Even in instances where the highest court in the land has pointed to action having to be taken against perpetrators of rape, this guidance has been disregarded. One good example more than seventeen years ago is still replicated in various other forms. The Supreme Courts stern response to the gruesome torture of Yogalingam Vijitha from Vavuniya was to pass severe strictures on the responsible police officers. The Court stated that there had not been a shred of evidence to support her arrest on suspicion that she had been implicated in acts of terrorism. As it so transpired, the actual reason as to why she had been abused was that her husband with whom she had been having a dispute over her children had instigated the police officers with whom he was well acquainted, to arrest and torture her. Later, when questioned under the United Nations Special Procedures as to whether indictment had been filed against the perpetrators, the Government replied that this was not possible as the victim had left the country. This is the common answer in complete disregard of the States own duty to protect victims. Containing national anger Sri Lankans do not need to be subjected to denials of this nature or half baked laws that continue a culture of impunity. That might suffice to contain the international community for a while but the Government will not be able to contain the anger of its own nationals very soon. This caution needs to be kept in mind. Mideast Minute with Lankan born Pardis Parker By Smriti Daniel With a new show on Comedy Central, Sri Lankan born Pardis Parker has burst into the spotlight. The award-winning director and filmmaker is the creator and star of his own show, Mideast Minute. Playing the anchor man - Jamsheed al-Jamsheedi involves a lot of barefaced lying, but for Parker thats more than half the fun. This week, in an exclusive interview, he tells Mirror Magazine about the time he ate that instant lasagna casserole, how coming from a family of immigrants has shaped his life and work and why Jamsheed was the right man for 2017 View(s): View(s): Mirror Magazine(MM): Congratulations on being the first Sri Lankan-born actor/comedian to create and star in your own project for a US network! What did it take to get here? Pardis: A surprising amount of resilience. Things went quickly for me early on, but the move to Los Angeles brought with it a shocking string of almost-but-not-quites, and of flat-out rejections and failures. So it just took perseverance, and the willingness to keep getting back up off the mat. In many ways it was a game of attrition, of outlasting others who more readily gave up. And before that it took the kindness and patience and mentorship of the filmmaking and comedy communities in Canada. I wouldnt have been able to take even the first step without their guidance, so Im indebted to them for their encouragement early on. MM:Tell us about Mideast Minute. Why did Jamsheed al-Jamsheedi become the character you wanted to launch on Comedy Central? Pardis:This past election cycle in the US was notable for its lies and deception. It showed, I think, better than most years, the dangers of partisanship of putting the interests of a party above those of a nation or even the world. So it seemed like a fun opportunity as well as a timely one to play a character whose entire workday was a conflict between reality on one hand, and the lies he tells on the other. And the discomfort that results. A character whos forced to deal live, on-air, with the cognitive dissonance that stems from telling a lie in the immediate presence of evidence that contradicts it. Just the squirming of it, the two-faced-ness, seemed like itd be fun to portray. MM:Mideast Minute has had segments on immigration and Jared Kushnerhow do you choose your subjects? As a comedian, what draws you in? Pardis:Its a combination of things. We try to choose subjects that will be of interest both domestically and internationally. And we try to zero in on the most audacious lies and scandals the governments dealing with. Like the idea that Jared Kushner is being deployed as a Peace Envoy to the Middle East because of anything other than nepotism. That takes balls. It takes major cojones to be able to look your population in the eye and tell them that boldfaced a lie without cracking a smile. MM:Fill us in on your life before you became a comedian. What did you do to keep afloat? When did you know it was time for a change? Pardis:I attended McGill University in Montreal, studying computer science and psychology, and planned to go into artificial intelligence afterwards. But then I looked at where AI was headed and realized that things like having food on the table and a roof overhead and retirement in my 30s were overrated, and instead chose a career in storytelling. And if youre wondering if I ever regret my decision, lets just say I once booked a role in an Instant Lasagna Casserole commercial, soyou knowpretty sure Im on the right path. MM:Your parents are Sri Lankan, and you were born here. Do you still have ties to the island? How did the immigrant experiences of your family influence your identity and your work? Pardis:My mothers Sri Lankan, from Moratuwa, but my fathers Iranian. He and his family escaped to Sri Lanka in the lead-up to the Iranian revolution. Then he met my mother, they got married, and I came along. And we lived in Ratmalana a short while before we had to seek asylum in Canada because of the Iranian governments continued pressure on its expats overseas. And although we still have family in Ceylon, my most meaningful day-to-day connection with the island has to be the food. Even if what Im eating isnt Sri Lankan, I still eat it like it is. Adding chillies to everything. Doesnt matter what. Steak, cake, Pepsi, whatever. Theres nothing that cant be improved with chillies. And my whole background the mixed heritage, the varied perspective all of that allows me to come at stories from a different angle. Which is valuable. Especially in Hollywood. You think a white person could have eaten that Instant Lasagna Casserole the way I did? Drawing from the same emotional well I drew from? Please. Impossible. MM:What are the best and worst things about making a life in comedy? Pardis:If Im good, I make you smile easily the best part. And there is no worst part. Every day I pursue something beautiful laughter. Theres no downside to that. Magazine cover and pictures courtesy Mak Management Learn more about Pardis Parker on pardisparker.com or follow him on Twitter @pardisparker Music in the crunch of a baguettes crust By Tarini Pilapitiya View(s): View(s): Welcome to the world of real bread with a crust! the description of the bakery Baguette reads. Founded by French native Nathalie Pujolle in July 2016, Baguette is a relatively new gourmet European bakery based in Sri Lanka. Nathalie, having an entrepreneurial background isnt unfamiliar with working and travelling around Asia. Her previous work with high end hotels in places like Tokyo, allowed her to have an in-depth understanding of the food network, and what people are generally looking for. She landed in Sri Lanka in 2013, spending time researching the market, becoming familiar with the Sri Lankan food industry and technically prepping herself for her own little bakery. Drawn to the countrys booming tourism industry Nathalie saw opportunity to introduce quality bread, something she passionately states she has been working with all my heart to make it work. Nathalie comes from a family of foodies who specialize in oenology. Her vision is to introduce nutritious and quality products at affordable prices, changing the lifestyle and eating patterns of our religiously chillie and oil consuming nation. Baguettes menu is a mishmash of German and French delicacies with a sprinkling of local flavors. Making the usually subtle French food all the more appealing to our spicy demographic. Nathalie has a strict no preservatives rule when it comes to Baguette,with most of the core materials such as the flour which she imports from a German flour mill, the wheat, rye and other products which baguette doesnt locally procure. However this doesnt affect the going price of the products as items are priced between Rs100 500. Baquettesaim is to change the cliche of the bloated and unhealthy feeling that most feel when they eat store bought bread. Keeping to her Indo-European palate, customers can sink their teeth into not only bread but pastry, cakes and confectionary with undertones of coconut, coconut oil, curry leaves, etc. One of their best sellers is their Farm Bread Oblong classic sourdough bread. Also making their best seller list is their malt and grain, which she describes as Not too hard and preserves very well. A product Nathalie chuckles that customers confuse with multi grain, the nutritious bread is made from seven kinds of grains and seeds. Another fast moving product is the companys namesake, the baguettes. The company offers two varieties of their signature product namely the Plain and Fried Onion Baguette. A good compromise with what Sri Lankan consumers are used to and what we are bringing, is their fried onion baguette. This variation hits home with the mixing of the production of a plain baguette with dehydrated onions. A little bit of a salty sweet flavor without being overwhelming. Wanting to educate and challenge customers in their bread eating habits, baguette usually offers samples of the product. We have an open door policy to have people come and see production, to experience texture and to be adventurous in trying bread, Nathalie adds. With their pure French butter pastry- plain and chocolate croissants, brioche and authentic French macaroon, Baguette has something for both the savory and sweet tooth. Nathalie finds it interesting and enjoyable in reminding customers that authentic bread isnt soft, Real bread has to have a real crust, she reveals. The beauty of eating the products or even having the opportunity of Learning and enjoying new sensations in their mouth, and on hours on end You can listen to the music of the crunch of the baguette she whimsically adds. Baguette supplies a range of products to the One Up Cafe, the London House of Coffee, and to Food for Thought located next to House of Wines. For more information check out baguette.lk Reaching high in a male domain Winning the Young Architect of the Year award was doubly sweet for Pinnya Samaratunga as she was the first woman to achieve this feat. Here she talks to Shakya Wickramanayake View(s): View(s): On February 14 this year for the first time in the history of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects Design Awards, a female architect carried away the coveted prize of Young Architect of the Year. Award winner Pinnya Samaratunga who also won the Award for Excellence in the category of Private Residencies sat down with the Sunday Times Magazine a week later to talk about winning these prestigious awards. On February 14 this year for the first time in the history of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects Design Awards, a female architect carried away the coveted prize of Young Architect of the Year. Award winner Pinnya Samaratunga who also won the Award for Excellence in the category of Private Residencies sat down with the Sunday Times Magazine a week later to talk about winning these prestigious awards. It was not an easy win, Pinnya admits, speaking of the challenges she encountered with the projects she submitted for the awards, but says it was gratifying to win the Young Architect Award, as it validates all the hardwork she put in. In fact, to submit an application for the Young Architect of the Year Award, architects must show that they are active members of the SLIA, that they have contributed to Architectural Education as well as to Architectural Publications / Research, and submit three completed projects for consideration, one of which must have made a contribution to society, all while being under the age of 40. No easy task considering that it takes close to a decade to qualify as an architect. This is more so the case when it comes to a female architect, competing in a male dominated industry. Each of the three projects she had submitted had challenges, the common thread being that each was on a very small plot of land. Her first, which incidentally was a community project was the Sri Abheya Daham Pasela building in Athurugiriya. She was given the project by a family friend even before she had completed her architectural studies. Constrained by the size of the property but determined to ensure the comfort of the children, the building unlike the conventional one-storey Sunday school, was a three-storey one. In order to make the building multi-functional, she utilized a simple but effective method to separate the 10 classrooms, whilst allowing them to be converted into halls for events such as prize givings or sermons by using collapsible, timber framed opaque partitions. She happily notes that the building not only meets its purpose but has become a source of pride for that community. Pinnyas success could perhaps be attributed to her support system her family and especially her husband, fellow architect and partner Eresh Weerasuriya. His support was invaluable during the construction of The Vent Box, a three-storey residence in the bustling suburbs of Rajagiriya. The construction took years due to issues with labour contractors and was exacerbated by the clients being abroad during the initial stages. During the construction stage Pinnya had her second child, and was unable to be on site to oversee the construction and her husband stepped in to assist and support her, helping in site execution. Her father, who has always been a driving force in her life, has also supported her every step of the way, she adds. Of the Vent Box Pinnya says she had nothing to show the clients at the time as she had no completed projects, but the client, a friend, had confidence in her as an architect and trusted her with designing her home. Coming from a family of building contractors, Pinnya grew up visiting building sites and the family timber and stone carving workshop. Inspired by what she saw growing up and by reading the biography of the first Sri Lankan female architect, often dubbed the Asian Woman Architect, Minnette De Silva, Pinnya embarked on her architectural studies at the City School of Architecture in Colombo in 1998. The course was tough, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. Pinnyas designs focus on being both aesthetically pleasing and functional. In all her designs she ensures that natural lighting and natural ventilation are provided for. This maybe attributed to the training she received under Architect C. Anjalendran, known for his utilitarian approach to design. Culture and heritage influence her designs, and when going modern, she says its always still at the back of her mind. If I design something totally alien, just because its in vogue I wont do justice to my conscience. I was surprised when I won the excellence awards; I applied but never thought I would win, she says. In the category of Residential Buildings, she won for the Vent Box and its easy to see why. Built on not more than 7.5 perches of land, Pinnya has succeeded in making the house appear spacious and seamless by eliminating any boundaries between the different living areas and affixing large sliding glass and timber doors on the face of the building , allowing space to extend upto the courtyard and pool. Large overhung slabs protect the lower levels from monsoonal rain whilst giving the house a tiered look. Designed with a minimalistic approach the concrete and timber materials make the house seem almost like a retreat in the bustling city. In fact the clients extended family and friends use it as a retreat almost every weekend. Though pleased with her effort, she believes that the award should be shared with all those who helped execute her projects. Designers will be nowhere without the builders and the craftsmen, she states, the team effort is important. At a glance: Sri Lankas 45th CJ Priyasath Dep View(s): Justice Priyasath Dep, was sworn in as the 45th Chief Justice (CJ) of Sri Lanka on Thursday (March 2). He was the senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court following the retirement of CJ K. Sripavan who was born on February 29 ( a leap year), turned 65. Justice Dep served the Attorney Generals (AG) Department for more than 33 years and had the distinction of being the Head of both Civil and Criminal Divisions, and also served as acting AG on many occasions. He enrolled as an Attorney-at-Law in October 1976 and joined the AGs Department as a State Counsel in January 1978. He was promoted to the post of Senior State Counsel in February 1989, made a Deputy Solicitor General in February 1996, Additional Solicitor General in October 1999 and a Presidents Counsel in April 2000. He was appointed Solicitor General in April 2007 and functioned in that capacity until his elevation to the Supreme Court in June 2011. The CJ has prosecuted many significant cases during his time with the AGs Department. In 1987, as a State Counsel attached to the Criminal Division, he led the prosecution in the Amarapala (Deputy Director of Customs) Murder case, which was considered a sensational case at the time. In 2002, he led the prosecution in the Inoka Sevwandi Murder case before a Trial-at-Bar. In the same case he successfully defended the appeal in the Supreme Court. In 2004, he was nominated to appear for the state in the appeal in the Sujith Prasanna Perera (Superintendent of Customs) Murder which was heard by a Trial-at-Bar successfully in the Supreme Court. During this period he functioned as the head of the Criminal Division. The new CJ is a life member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Medico-Legal Society, and Royal Asiatic Society. He is a member of the International Association of Prosecutors and Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association. He also holds membership in the Judicial Services Commission, Board of Management of the Sri Lanka Judges Institute and Incorporated Council of Legal Education. Justice Dep is the son of the late DIG of Police, Arthur C. Dep. Hambantota project: Stinging protest by Ports Minister View(s): Ranatunga alleges draft deal gives unilateral powers to Chinese company The draft privatisation agreement for Hambantota Port lets a private entity unilaterally decide port fees, disregards the value of the land to be transferred under the deal and grants sole discretion to the company or its nominees to carry out development within a 50km radius of the port. The details were revealed in a stinging letter of protest sent this week by Ports Minister Arjuna Ranatunga to Special Projects Minister Sarath Amunugama, who heads a ministerial committee overseeing the privatisation. The Ports Minister has objected to several other clauses in the concession agreement. The contract is due to be signed between the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and the China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort). The proposed agreement will transfer the Hambantota Port to a private company to be set up for the purpose. CMPort will hold 80 percent of its shares while the SLPA will have just 20 percent. This could lead to the company operating as a separate authority, the Ports Minister warns. The concession agreement does not list any conditions related to the return of Hambantota Port to the Government. This is a clear departure from previous Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) the SLPA has entered into. As far as I understand, the agreement cannot be signed without amending the existing SLPA Act, Minister Ranatunga continues, while also opposing the proposed division of shares. He argues that, as Hambantota Port could become a profit-making entity within the first twenty years, the SLPA must have a 35 percent stake in the company. The Minister calls for a reduction in the concession period from 99 years and wants a clause specifying that SLPAs fixed assets at Hambantota Port must be returned without charge at the expiry of the agreement. The amount proposed to be paid by the company was decided on the basis of 80 percent of the cost of constructing Hambantota Phase I and II. The figure did not take in the value of the land. However, instead of calculating the land cost as a separate input, the concession agreement has included it in the amount pledged by the company. The agreement also states that, if the extent of land granted to the company is reduced, the investment amount would be lowered. But what the company agreed to was to pay (as investment) a portion of the construction cost of Hambanotat Port Phase I and II, Minister Ranatunga points out. There is no connection between the amount they are investing and the extent of land. Action that must be taken if clauses related to security are violated by the company is not stipulated. National and regional security must be taken into consideration and the security of the port must fall within the (countrys) existing legal framework, the Minister states. The draft agreement contains several clauses that hint the total value of Hambantota Port and not the cost of building it is US$1.4 billion. The Minister wants those clauses removed. It grants the company discretion of setting port charges. But by giving this company such privileges, it will threaten the Colombo port, especially local businesses, and Sri Lankas economy, Mr Ranatunga states. Even the SLPA does not hold the right to decide on its own fees without Finance Ministry approval. The agreement has no guarantee for employees of the Magampura Port Management Company and this could cause problems in future. The Minister also objects to the mention of Hambantota Phase III in the concession agreement, saying it isstill only a concept. Moreover, the companys investment is relevant only to Phases I and II; therefore references to Phase III must be removed. The Ports Minister states that observations and recommendations made by the project committee and the Cabinet Appointed Negotiating Committee have been ignored in the draft concession agreement. Meanwhile, clauses that had not been agreed upon were inserted such as one which allows the company or any entity nominated by it to develop any area within a 50km radius from Hambantota port. The concession agreement also places the onus on acquiring and providing lands for the project on the Government. Lankan duo in Canada nabbed for multimillion dollar fraud, money laundering operation View(s): Two Sri Lankans have been arrested as part of an investigation by Canadian police into a multimillion dollar fraud and money laundering operation. Sukanya Panchalingam and Balasubramaniam Shajeefkaran, a husband-and-wife pair between the ages 28 and 36, were taken from a home in Ajax, Ontario, where Toronto police found more than CAD (Canadian dollars) eight million worth of fraudulent cheques and stolen merchandise. The investigation was led by Constable Michael Lane whose press conference on Project Fellowshipas it is calledwas accessed online by the Sunday Times. The Toronto police confirmed both were Sri Lankans but refused to divulge their immigration status. The arrest of the couple is believed to be the tip of an investigation that is expected to reel in more members of the fraud and money laundering ring. Police are urging potential victims to come forward. The case started around the end of June 2016 on a complaint from a franchise businessman that a woman had deposited a dud cheque into his business, Constable Lane told media. From there, we continued with our investigation which revealed there were many other victims, he said. Multiple hundreds of dud cheques were deposited into peoples personal and business accounts with the suspects and others involved getting away with the funds. Separately, counterfeit or synthetic fake identification was used to open up business and personal accounts, get credit products, loans and anything in relation to obtaining funds. Those monies were used to buy high end vehicles like Mercedes, Land Rovers and BMWs, and heavy equipment. One of the elaborate schemes they did use, along with the identification or synthetic or fake IDs, is they opened up businesses with the ministry, Constable Lane explained. And these businesses are legitimate. However, they were opened up on fake names. Part of the scheme was also to further solidify the business by creating websites. If financial companies would try to ascertain whether or not the business was legitimate, they could provide information in relation to that business online. Phone numbers were also created for each business and for each person so that, if the financial institutions did call, there was an actual number associated to it. Part of the investigation has revealed that its well over CAD 8 million that has been lost and laundered, Constable Lane said. Police have taken into custody a large number of documents. Mr Balasubramaniam is charged with fraud over CAD5000; possession of proceeds obtained by crime over CAD5000; laundering proceeds obtained by crime; unauthorised possession of counterfeit mark; and conspiracy to commit indictable offence. His wife is charged with fraud over CAD5000, possession of proceeds obtained by crime over CAD5000; and laundering proceeds obtained by crime. This investigation is still ongoing and Im seeking the assistance of the media as I believe there are multiple other people, Constable Lane said. Identity theft is a huge issue for people. It can turn their lives upside down. Part of the probe is to determine how the various identifications were created, he explained, with a huge haul of fake IDs lined up on a table before him. Constable Lane could not say whether all of the money could be recovered but said assets, including vehicles, have been seized and some of the funds obtained. As part of the scam, the coupleand possibly otherscreated fake businesses and went to financial institutions claiming to work for them. They also provided forged pay stubs and, with that information, were able to obtain vehicles. Some of these were being shipped out to Quebec and were located in containers as well as at auctions within the province. Victims of the crime include corporations and individuals. Whatever they were able to obtain through their scheme, they were able to take and launder the proceeds of that, Constable Lane said. He also had in front of him account opening documents, computers seized from the place of residence, cellular phones alleged to have been used as part of the scheme and cheques. It is alleged that Ms Panchalingam had worked at a bank as a fraud officer but this is still under investigation. All financial institutions have been cooperative with relation to this because it is a large financial loss to everybody, the police officer said, adding that he did not immediately know what the occupation of the male suspect was. Constable Lane revealed that 12 other people have been arrested and charged under Project Fellowship but did not offer details. Some of them were Canadian citizens and permanent residents. No space for anchoring; Govt to release 42 Indian vessels View(s): The Government is considering the release of some Indian fishing trawlers because of the burden of finding anchoring space for about 130 vessels now in custody. The Sunday Times learns the Government is considering the release of some 42 Indian trawlers seized in 2015. The number of seized vessels has risen to 129 due to a tough policy adopted by the Sri Lankan Government. In terms of the policy, the poaching vessels were detained, but the fishermen were released on humanitarian grounds and action filed against vessel owners.The seized vessels are being detained in naval bases and other harbours. Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera confirmed that there were moves to release some of the vessels detained, but declined to give reasons. He said, however, a decision would be taken only with the consent of the northern fishermen. We have had a meeting with northern fishermen last month on this and I have assured them those trawlers would not be released without their consent. We are hoping to finalise the release of boats when the Indian delegation visits us, Minister Amaraweera said. The move came as the Jaffna District Fisheries Federation this week formally informed the Minister of its consent to release the Indian trawlers in custody. The Executive Committee unanimously decided to request the Minister to use his good offices to facilitate the early release of the detained Indian fishermen along with their fishing gear as an act of goodwill between two friendly countries, the association said in a letter to the Fisheries Ministry. The fishermen also urged the minister to seek compensation for the damage caused to their equipment by poaching Indian fishermen from 1990 onwards. They also urged the minister to get an assurance from the Indian government that the released Indian trawlers would not be used again for poaching.However, Indian trawlers continued their poaching in Sri Lankan waters with at least 26 of Indian fishermen being arrested this week in Mannar, the Delf Island and Trincomalee and four vessels were taken into custody. Mannar fisherman Anthony Clary Croos complained his fishing nets and equipment were damaged on Thursday by poaching Indian fishermen in 30 vessels near Delft Island. I could not track my fishing nets in the sea after trawlers visited the area. I bought those nets using a community loan. The Fisheries Department officials also not interested to record complaint for compensation, Mr Croos told the Sunday Times. One of the Indian fishermen who were arrested on Friday in Pulmudai, Trincomalee stabbed himself, police said. He has been admitted to hospital for treatment. Varanasi, Mar 4 (IBNS) : In a mega show of strength of the titans, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first roadshow in Varanasi amid a great fan following on Saturday, the day Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi besides Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati campaign in the city taking the election fever to a dizzy height before the final round of polling. The PM, who looks to strengthen the prospects of the BJP in the state with his own charisma, started the roadshow from the Benaras Hindu University gate. The last phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on March 8 while the sixth and penultimate round is going on Saturday. Varanasai is Modi's Parliamentary constituency. Modi also offered prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple. He will address a rally later in the evening. In another part of the city, supporters of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress gathered ahead of another roadshow by Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. According to media reports, the BJP called Modi's roadshow a show of confidence. The 40 seats of Varanasi region are crucial for BJP. Security has been beefed up in the city and officials of the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) are camped in the city to ensure Modis protection. Patients suffer but GMOA says people with us The staggered islandwide token strike campaign by doctors launched on February 20 ended on Friday View(s): View(s): The trade union action carried out by the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) from February 20, in each of the nine provinces, culminated on Friday in the Western Province, with the union claiming success despite the hardships caused to patients. The GMOA resorted to these one day token strikes, protest marches and rallies in the nine provinces of the country to show the unions disagreement with the Appeal Courts decision to allow South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), MBBS holders to be registered with the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC). Many who were taken unaware of the strikes, including kidney, cardiac and diabetes patients were seen at the Outdoor Patients Department (OPD) waiting patiently for the doctors to attend on them, while the doctors were busy otherwise. The trade union action which was launched in the Uva Province on February 20, ended in the Western Province on Friday followed by a rally and a meeting at the Vihara Mahadevi Park in Colombo. GMOA spokesman Samantha Ananda said the rally in Colombo was a success with around 5000 participants including doctors, university students and politicians joining in. He claimed the trade union action was carried out tactically in each province so as not to inconvenience patients. He added that the public was supportive of their action and understand that the fight is on their behalf. We are fighting to maintain the patients rights for quality care, he claimed. The trade union action that began on February 20 in the Uva Province, continued in the Southern Province on February 22, North Central and Eastern Province on February 23, Wayamba on February 27 , Central Province on February 28, Sabaragamuwa Province on March 1 and the Western Province on Friday (March 3). Claiming that the staggered islandwide token strikes did not compromise patients right to health care, the GMOA spokesman however warned that if the government continued to remain silent on the SAITM matter they would launch a major strike. Dr. Ananda added that it is the politicians role to safeguard the rights of the people and that since they are not doing their job the doctors have have stepped into fight for the people. The public is with us and they do not want to risk their lives in the hands of improperly trained doctors, he said. He conceded that if these doctors go ahead and practice without the membership of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) the entire health care system will collapse. We have written to President Maithripala Sirisena and are awaiting his response, Dr. Ananda said. The GMOA committee will meet on Thursday (March 9) while a parliamentary debate on the issue is also scheduled for the same day. PM talks about regaining good governance; CJ says people must know the law National Law Week 2017 View(s): View(s): The Government will go ahead with the setting up of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to deal with postwar issues, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday.He was speaking at the main event of the National Law Week 2017 at the auditorium of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL). The premier also ruled out the establishment of a hybrid court as recommended by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) saying it was not politically feasible as it may require a referendum. Generally, all parties in principle have accepted the idea of a TRC, he said. Mr. Wickremesinghe, however, emphasised that there must also be some form of agreement on a new Constitution. Extremists on both sides of the ethnic divide would oppose such a Constitution, but this was something the Government would have to deal with, he added. Referring to the countrys courts system he pointed out that it was older than the political. We had the oldest established judicial system in Asia and people had faith in that system. However, the adverse impact of interfering with the judiciary was felt both within and without the the country he said, alluding to the loss of the European Unions GSP Plus facility. He said the country lost this facility due to the lack of good governance. The efforts by the Government of President Sirisena, to establish good governance as well as secure the independence of the judiciary have been key to enabling negotiations to move forward, he emphasised. The newly appointed Chief Justice Priyasath Dep told the gathering that citizens must be made aware of laws and dispute resolution systems as litigation was not the only option. There were systems such as mediation, reconciliation and arbitration. Citizens must know their legal rights, how to enforce them and what legal remedies are available to them, he remarked. He however, pointed out that most legal amendments as well as subordinate legislation such as rules and regulations were not widely available. He encouraged the BASL and the Justice Ministry to take the initiative to publish them in a consolidated book. The CJ also stressed the importance of translating Ordinances from English to Sinhala and Tamil, pointing out that to have access to the law, you must know the law. The CJ also praised the initiative taken during National Law Week to provide free legal advice and legal aid to poor-income families who have difficulty in obtaining the services of lawyers. Although court buildings have expanded and people can have physical access to court houses, having physical access and having access to justice are two different things. This years National Law Week was held from February 27 to March 5. Held under the theme Justice for you, this years law week saw various projects, workshops and activities taking place islandwide with the participation of over a 1,000 attorneys-at-law representing all regional bars. The National Law Week, the brainchild of the late Judge C.G. Weeramantry, has been an annual fixture since 2006. It is organised by the BASL in collaboration with the Justice Ministry and the Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka. The organising committee was headed by the National Law Week Chairman Kuvera de Zoysa PC along with Convener and attorney-at-law Nishan Premathiratne. At a glance: Sri Lankas 45th CJ Priyasath Dep Justice Priyasath Dep, was sworn in as the 45th Chief Justice (CJ) of Sri Lanka on Thursday (March 2). He was the senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court following the retirement of CJ K. Sripavan who was born on February 29 ( a leap year), turned 65. Justice Dep served the Attorney Generals (AG) Department for more than 33 years and had the distinction of being the Head of both Civil and Criminal Divisions, and also served as acting AG on many occasions. He enrolled as an Attorney-at-Law in October 1976 and joined the AGs Department as a State Counsel in January 1978. He was promoted to the post of Senior State Counsel in February 1989, made a Deputy Solicitor General in February 1996, Additional Solicitor General in October 1999 and a Presidents Counsel in April 2000. He was appointed Solicitor General in April 2007 and functioned in that capacity until his elevation to the Supreme Court in June 2011. The CJ has prosecuted many significant cases during his time with the AGs Department. In 1987, as a State Counsel attached to the Criminal Division, he led the prosecution in the Amarapala (Deputy Director of Customs) Murder case, which was considered a sensational case at the time. In 2002, he led the prosecution in the Inoka Sevwandi Murder case before a Trial-at-Bar. In the same case he successfully defended the appeal in the Supreme Court. In 2004, he was nominated to appear for the state in the appeal in the Sujith Prasanna Perera (Superintendent of Customs) Murder which was heard by a Trial-at-Bar successfully in the Supreme Court. During this period he functioned as the head of the Criminal Division. The new CJ is a life member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Medico-Legal Society, and Royal Asiatic Society. He is a member of the International Association of Prosecutors and Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association. He also holds membership in the Judicial Services Commission, Board of Management of the Sri Lanka Judges Institute and Incorporated Council of Legal Education. Justice Dep is the son of the late DIG of Police, Arthur C. Dep. RTI Commission seeks Rs. 76 m to carry out its work efficiently View(s): Sri Lankas Right to Information (RTI) Commission says it has urged the Finance Ministrys Budget Director to ensure that Rs. 76 million allocated for it in the current year is released smoothly and promptly to carry out its work efficiently. This was in response to public concern expressed in several quarters recently in regard to the funds required for the RTI Commission, given that the 2017 National Budget had not made any allocation for the Commission. It was explained by the Commission that allocations are provided when the estimates are submitted to the Budget Department in advance of the Financial Year to enable the Treasury to include the same in the annual budget to be approved by Parliament. The Commission came into existence during the end of last year with the initial appointments of retired public servant Mahinda Gammanpila (Chair) along with attorneys Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena and SG Punchihewa. Two further members, former President of the Court of Appeal, AWA Salam and social scientist Dr Selvy Thiruchandran were appointed in late December. Since the stage of preparing the budget had already lapsed by then, there had been no separate Vote of Expenditure apportioned to the RTI Commission. Therefore, the Finance Ministry had decided to allocate funds required for the Commission through the Chief Accountant of the Presidential Secretariat, (as the members of the Independent Commissions are appointed by the Head of the State, to undertake the preliminary accounting process). The RTI Commission further pointed out that its office is located in the BMICH premises as an interim measure, along with a skeleton cadre recruited under approved public administration practices and under re-deployment procedure adopted in the public service. It was emphasized that this effort of the Commission to establish its office from a zero point, was underpinned by the independence of its members whose standing has been well recognized by the Constitutional Council which had recommended the members to the Head of the State for appointment to the Commission. In addition, the Commission has stated that all recruitments to the body will be in line with the Scheme of Recruitment approved by the Finance Ministry as required by the Government. Accordingly, the Commission will advertise for the post of Director General who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in terms of paragraph 13 of the Right to Information Act (No 12 of 2016) in the near future. Meanwhile, the filing of several Right to Information (RTI) requests under the RTI Act, No 12 of 2016 continued during the week. Information requests were also filed by senior trade unionists on non-governmental organizations including Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL). The requests were filed under Section 43(i) applicable to non-governmental organisations substantially funded by the Government, a foreign Government or an international organisation rendering a service to the public. In terms of the Act, RTI is applicable only to the extent of that service. In addition to the Act allowing for the filing of such requests, Regulation 20 proposed by the RTI Commission and gazetted under the RTI Act on February 3 this year requires Public Authorities to subscribe to a voluntary disclosure policy in respect of information held by them. Travel agents fear their wings may be clipped View(s): Sri Lankas travel trade industry has called an emergency meeting on March 17 to discuss a proposal by cash-strapped SriLankan Airlines to end traditional commissions on tickets, a move which could throw many agents out of business. In a circular to outbound travel agents, SriLankan Airlines has said the zero commission plan will take effect from April 1. As of now, agents get 5 percent commission from the national carrier for each ticket sold. We are faced with a serious dilemma, not knowing what to do, said a worried Wilhelm E. Brown, President of the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka (TAASL) which represents more than 300 members. This could cripple the industry, he said yesterday. Raising similar concerns was Tilak Wickramasinghe, President of the IATA AgentsAssociation of Sri Lanka (IATA-AASL), representing 130 IATA-accredited agents. He said: This is very worrying and would force many agents to close down. Less than 15 percent of its members are part of large conglomerates which would be able to cushion the blow. SriLankan Airlines officials, who declined to be named, defended the move saying the industry had been informed two years ago about this plan and globally online booking is becoming a popular practice. This is a global practice, one source said. For nearly half a century, travel agents a ubiquitous breed have operated on a commission basis and in recent years helped clients with handling tickets, hotel bookings and organising visas among a host of issues connected to travel. We have been promoting the national carrier through our own communication platforms and, hence the airline should be there to protect us, not wipe us out, said another veteran industry official. Both TAASL and AASL have invited members for a joint March 17 special general meeting in Colombo to discuss the crisis that would affect an industry which currently employees 4,000-5000 people. We are seeking the views of the members on what to do, Mr. Brown said. The two associations have also written to the national carrier, seeking a meeting, and are awaiting a response. While industry veterans concede that many countries are switching to direct online bookings making travel agents obsolete, they also argue that Sri Lanka is not a matured market to enforce zero commissions, which eventually all the airlines in Sri Lanka will follow. When the national carrier imposes this, other airlines will follow suit, Mr. Wickramasinghe said. While other airlines offer a 7 percent commission to agents per ticket, as against SriLankans 5 percent, Emirates last month reduced the commission to 3 percent from 7 percent. About three years ago, Qatar, Etihad and Thai Airways adopted the zero commission framework with industry officials saying this was a policy decision by the national carrier in those countries. SriLankan Airlines could have reduced the commission rather than scrapping it altogether, the IATA-AASL chief said. While the reality is that airline travellers are, more and more, booking tickets online without going through an agency travel agents have been adding on new services like helping in visa processing to remain competitive. We have huge costs to pay like the IATA licensing fee, costly bank guarantee charges and also licensing fees to the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, Mr. Wickramasinghe said adding: In future it would be difficult to retain staff apart from other impacts. Who are we? Pioneering research on our gene makeup could debunk traditional thinking on ethnicity and help forge the call that we are all Sri Lankans. Kumudini Hettiarachchi reports View(s): View(s): A joke oft chuckled over about lineage is that no one really knows who ones father is the only fact without dispute is who ones mother is. Jokes apart, this is the very pathway that a pioneering team of researchers from the Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IBMBB) of the University of Colombo has followed to clear fact from fiction, from the larger picture that is Sri Lanka, based irrefutably on science. Will Sri Lanka have to re-write its history in the light of these very revealing or set in genes findings, is the question on the minds of many. Not just genes and their patterns has Dr. Ruwandi Ranasinghe peered at but that all-important Eve Gene to shed light on the crucial questions buried in the dim mists of time. Who are Sri Lankans? From where have we come? Are the major ethnic groups and also the Veddahs closely-linked or disparately different? The indisputable findings based on the Eve Gene or Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) should lead to stronger bonds among the major ethnic groups, making the call We are Sri Lankans louder and clearer. Traditional thinking on how the different ethnic groups arrived in this strategically-placed island is significantly contradictory to this Eve Gene study which covered the Sinhalese, the Sri Lankan Tamils, the Indian Tamils, the Muslims, the Malays and the Veddahs. And the study findings are: Contemporary Sri Lankans share very close maternal ancestors. Ethnicity is created by linguistic, religious and cultural differences, rather than genetic differences. The differences between the major ethnic groups are minimal except in the case of the Veddahs who stand out as a separate cluster. There is a considerable genetic admixture in contemporary ethnic groups in Sri Lanka the Sinhalese are closely related to the Sri Lankan Tamils. (According to traditional thinking an admixture of North Indians with the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka is reported to have established the Sinhalese ethnic group around 2,600 years ago. The Veddahs are thought to be remnants of the original inhabitants. The origin of Sri Lankan Tamils is attributed to successive invasions by South Indians beginning a few centuries later.) The Muslims and the Malays are also closely related to each other. (According to traditional thinking Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula arrived in the country between the 7th and 8th centuries, mostly as traders, while the Malays from Southeast Asia arrived during the Dutch occupation of Sri Lanka in the 17th and 18th centuries.) The Indian Tamils are different to the Sri Lankan Tamils. (The Indian Tamils were brought to Sri Lanka mainly from Tamilnadu by the British in the 19th century.) The Veddahs are the most distinct group but are a little close to the Sri Lankan Tamils Our maternal ancestors have come from the Out of Africa mtDNA lineage The South Asian (Indian) mtDNA haplogroups are the commonest among Sri Lankans this clearly supports historical evidence of migrations from India or more or less simultaneous colonization of both Sri Lanka and India through the beach-comber route. (A haplogroup is a genetic population group of people who share a common ancestor on the patrilineal or matrilineal line.) West Eurasian haplogroups among the Sinhalese, the Sri Lankan Tamils and the Veddahs suggest early migration of women carrying these haplogroups into the country. [According to traditional thinking females of both North Indian and South Indian origin have arrived in the country from time to time in the past 2,600 years as consorts for rulers (both Sinhalese and Tamil) and their councils, or as part of the entourage accompanying Buddhist nuns. But the genetic findings are contrary.] Predominance of Indian mtDNA haplogroups among Muslims and Malays support the notion of largely male migration and marriage to local women. We conducted an Eve Gene or mtDNA study in efforts to determine who we Sri Lankans are, smiles Dr. Ranasinghe, who took up the challenge of finding out the maternal lineage of the five main ethnic groups as well as the Veddahs who call Sri Lanka home. Molecular biology the study of molecules which make up all living things, animals including humans and plants is her forte, with DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid), both carrying genetic information being the basis of her studies. She had embarked on the wide-ranging study Genetics of Human Migration Maternal Lineage of Sri Lankan Ethnic Groups Mitochondrial DNA Analysis, under the supervision of former IBMBB Director Prof. Kamani H. Tennekoon and with the guidance of IBMBBs Founder Director Emeritus Prof. Eric H. Karunanayake and Co-Supervisor Prof. Marie Allen of Swedens Uppsala University. The study had been funded by the National Research Council of Sri Lanka and SAREC of Sweden. Explaining that many researchers have ventured down this road worldwide, Dr. Ranasinghe, however, points out that in Sri Lanka this has not been a popular subject of research. The hypothetical but crucial question she attempted to answer was whether the maternal ancestor of the Sinhalese, the Sri Lanka Tamils, the Indian Tamils, the Muslims, the Malays and the Veddahs is the same.and so Dr. Ranasinghe went about randomly collecting either blood or buccal (mouth cavity) samples from these six ethnic groups. Literally, holding up the strands of DNA, she explains that mtDNA passes from the mother to both sons and daughters. The daughters in turn will pass this onto their children. This is the maternal lineage. Paternal lineage, meanwhile, comes from the Y chromosome passed from father to son and from son to grandson. Next she deals with the Out of Africa Theory where modern humans are proven to have originated in Africa, with some venturing out to other areas of the world, making homes for themselves in Asia and Europe through the Arabian Peninsula and others to the Far East going onto America and the Pacific islands. But, she says, there was no explanation for some groups found in Asia and Oceania who are different to the others now. It was then that theories including the beach-comber theory were confirmed that there would have been separate waves of human migration out of Africa. Quoting studies she says that while the first modern humans had settled on the Arabian coast, crossing the seas from Africa by boat, when their numbers increased they would have got on their boats and gone in search of greener pastures or bluer seas offering more food, settling along South Asias coast, finally ending up in Australia. These were the beach-combers. After a while, when other humans who had settled more inland were stable, they would have spread, overwhelming the beach-combers, leaving small pockets in isolated areas. Getting down to genetic detail, Dr. Ranasinghe explains what haplotype and haplogroup are. A haplotype is a set of DNA variations or polymorphisms that tend to be inherited together. A haplogroup is similar haplotypes sharing a common ancestor having the same mutation in all haplotypes. Mitochondrial Eve lived in Africa 130,000 to 200,000 years ago. The L1 to L6 haplogroups arose in Africa, with L3 migrating out, giving rise to M and N macro-haplogroups about 55,000 to 90,000 years ago, she says, pointing out that it means that all of us have inherited our mtDNA from a single great-great-great-greatgrandmother who lived in Africa 200,000 years ago. According to Dr. Ranasinghe mitochondria are structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use. In men, women and children, mtDNA containing 37 genes spans about 16,500 DNA building blocks (base pairs), representing a small fraction of the total DNA in cells. Referring to how she conducted her study in Sri Lanka, Dr. Ranasinghe says that having secured ethics approval, they made sure that the people chosen randomly to get blood or buccal samples were not mixed going back three generations. Were the grandfathers and grandmothers, from both the paternal and maternal sides pure (from the same ethnic group) and were the father and mother pure, for then the person from whom they were getting the DNA samples could be termed pure, she says. This was to ensure that they were maternally unrelated and there had been no mixed ethnicity marriages as far as they could recall, the minimum recall being at least three generations. Looking at the population variation, she studied 60 Sinhalese from the Western Province; 30 each from the Sri Lankan Tamils (Northern and Western Provinces), the Muslims (Western Province), the Malays (Western Province) and the Veddahs (Uva and Eastern Provinces) and 22 from the Indian Tamils (Central Province). While she collected samples from the Sinhalese in Colombo, she got the ready support of Dr. T. Eswaramohan, Dr. Ira Ratnayake, Dr. R. Sheriff, Prof. M.H.R. Sheriff and Brasathe Jeganathan in getting the other samples. She had also visited Dambana and Heenanigala to collect blood or buccal swabs from the Veddahs. The collection of samples was followed by DNA extraction and then PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplification and sequencing, after which came the analysis of the final data. An independent analysis of the DNA sequences had also been carried out in Sweden under the guidance of Prof. Allen and Dr. Maria Lembring of the Uppsala University. Dr. Ranasinghe had spent two weeks at Indias Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, refining the data, with help from Prof. K. Thangaraj and Dr. Niraj Rai. Eve Gene and the bigger picture For deeper conclusions, Dr. Ruwandi Ranasinghe reiterates that the whole mtDNA molecule or Eve Gene needs to be sequenced to get the bigger picture, as she performed studies only on the two hypervariable segments of HVI and HVII. A comprehensive study of the Veddahs is also vital, she says, adding that she is now working with well-known archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva whose specialty is pre-historic people. Sri Lanka has archaeological evidence of pre-historic settlements dating as far back as 125,000 years before present and human skeletal remains from 37,000 years (the Balangoda Man). Then we can get solid evidence of our maternal history, adds Dr. Ranasinghe. Nochchiya solar village gets water and revenue View(s): The first stage of a large solar village project at Nochchiya village-cluster in the Kurunegala district has been completed, with the installation of two solar power systems funded by UK-registered charities The Association of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK (APSL) and Hela Sarana. The Hela-Sarana-funded system was dedicated in memory of Raja Meehitiya, founder President of Hela Sarana who passed away in June 2015. Nochchiya will be the second large village cluster to benefit from the solar village concept in Sri Lanka, the first being Kaduruwewa in the Kurunegala district, where the concept was launched in 2008. The solar village project concept was designed and developed by Prof. I.M. Dharmadasa, in the late 1990s to empower rural communities using clean energy technologies for sustainable development and poverty reduction. Poverty reduction programmes in any community should have two main features; wealth creation methods and follow-up methods for job creation within the community. Two solar roofs of 3 KW each were installed in the village with the funding provided by the two charities. The cost of each system was Rs. 830,000 (4.500). The power produced from 6 KW solar roofs will be fed into the national grid, and the income generated will be used to cover the cost of two water pumping stations that would be operated using grid electricity. The revenue will be managed in a fully transparent way by the Village Development Committee with guidance from project initiators. The project team will monitor the performance of the two solar roofs. The water pumped and purified is mainly used for drinking by more than 1200 people in this village thereby preventing any kidney or water related diseases. The purified water is also available to seven surrounding villages. They can buy it at a nominal price. The project team within the APSL-UK is guiding the community to achieve rapid economic development applying the solar village concepts. The project also fulfils 13 of the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the United Nations, and is also highly relevant to Sri Lanka as it supports the Governments recently launched Soorya Bala Sangramaya (Battle for Solar Energy) programme. Lucknow, Mar 4 (IBNS): Uttar Pradesh recorded 37.85 per cent voting till one pm on Saturday in the sixth and penultimate round of the Assembly Elections, according to media reports. Until 11am, 23 per cent voting was recorded. The districts where polling is going on in the sixth phase are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. The Assembly segments of Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency, represented by firebrand BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, and Mau, where jailed gangster-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari is in fray, figure in this phase of UP polling. Around 1.72 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, are eligible to cast their votes in this round to decide the fate of 635 candidates, including 63 women. Manipur is also holding its first of the two-phase Assembly Election on Saturday. Image: AIRNews Twitter Hes swooning over Olive. Fantasising, hands clasped firmly on chest, staring distantly into the air-cooled, rear-mounted stratosphere and grinning as if something intimates about to happen. Im 46, says Levi pronounced Levee Wilson. And I should know better. But he doesnt and never will. Olives not a looker practical rather than pretty. Snub-nosed, difficult to handle and can only muster 110km/hr but then only on a good blacktop, if shes gently coaxed and only for a short while. Dependability, rather than speed, is Olives strength. Always starts. Always delivers me to where I want to go. And whenever Levi is delivered, at journeys end, he will stroke Olive on the dashboard and say: Well done Olive. You sense Levi wants you to think hes quietly nuts. About Olive, of course. And he agrees that when grown-ups start anthropomorphising their cars like that, then generally its too late for therapy. He tries to explain. Olive has her own personality and idiosyncrasies, says Levi. And when I get into Olive and drive her, its like doing something with someone. Pardon the innuendo, but what Levis saying is he also has a work car too, but theres no love there. It isnt a VW, its a Toyota; its just a vehicle to me. I get in, drive it and there is no connection. Toyota may want to work on that. The union with Olive is cast in quality German steel. Its forever. She wont be sold. God no! says Levi. I will be buried with her. If not, then my son will get her. Every VW owner seems to have a slightly different version of how they feel about their vehicle. But they do feel. Deeply. They can get under your skin but I cant imagine owning anything else, says Levi. And hes a bit smug when he says people who dont own Volkswagen secretly want to. The Bible tells us on the seventh day God rested. The enthusiasts tell us on the eighth day he created Volkswagens. And a couple of thousand years later theres a pilgrimage to Mecca, The Run to the Sun. V-dubbers will gather at the Mount camping ground for a weekend of devotion, of worshipping the air-cooled boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast-iron cylinders the power and the glory. Amen. More than 100 of them Kombis, Beetles, buggys and baja bugs and many and varied owners all deeply committed to the peoples wagon, the Volkswagen. Doctors, opticians, air-conditioning engineers, an ex-policemen drawn together because were fascinated by Volkswagens, says Levi. Theyre great levelers. As soon as you start talking Volkswagens status goes out the window. Levi was brought up on mushy peas and Veedubs hes a Pom, a native of St Albans in Hertfordshire. He was named for Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops, arguably Tamla Motowns most identifiable voice. Remember [Reach Out Ill Be There. So it would follow the parents who named their little white boy after a black R&B baritone also owned a 1964 split screen camper. I was five and it was quite cool. A neighbour had a Beetle and Levi always thought it was an ugly car. When he got his licence she let him drive it. He was hooked, but still agrees theyre ugly. Well they got uglier later on. And in 1990 I bought my own 3000 for a 1970 Kombi, a prop off The EastEnders television programme, which had been written out of the storyline. He went surfing up and down the coast of France six times and also to the local Run to the Sun a showcase of custom cars and VWs at Newquay in Cornwall. The veneration of Veedubs is a global phenomenon. Then in 2002 he met Olive online. There was a photograph, she was a mature 31 and in good nick. And he had $5000. It was an instant match. The new New Zealander knew he and Olive were destined to be together. And they discovered the country together. If Olive took us somewhere cool that was great. And if she didnt, we turned round and went down another road. We keep coming back to this association between man and a machine why can a man love a VW but just own a Toyota or a Nissan? And he cant explain. You have to own one to understand. Hes a kind of motoring monogamist a one-man one-car guy. Would he ever sell Olive? God no! I will be buried with her. Either that or Olive will go live with his son. Levi was up north at Sandy Bay one day when he spotted a German tourist taking photos of Olive. Why would a German come 18,353km to take photos of a German car to take back to Germany? His English was poor and my German was worse. But it seems der tourist was very well-known Veedub engine builder back home. They are now email, Facebook and even Christmas card buddies. Volkswagens transcend everything. Hitlers revenge they call them, says Levi. In fact the Fuhrer, in a nod to the masses, wanted a small affordable, dependable car family car that could do 100km/hr. Porsche designed the Beetle. Levi, forever the Englishman, points out it may have been Hitlers idea, but it was an idea rescued by the British. English bombers strafed the Wolfsberg factory producing VWs during the war because they believed there was military hardware being produced there. After the war it was a British army officer, Major Ivan Hirst, who got the Volkswagen factory running again. So if you drive a VW you owe it to Ivan and not Adolf. As the New York Times said: Hirst shifted the failed dream of producing a peoples car for the Third Reich into an economic powerhouse that built the Beetle, the symbol of German recovery. The world was overrun by the mans idea, if not the man himself. And all this from a delightful chance encounter with Oliver. Bless her. And this from someone who scoffed at all the anthropomorphism. I have never been in a Kombi. I must organize an outing with Olive. The Bay of Plenty Volkswagen Clubs Run to the Sun event meets on Friday, March 10, at Mount Maunganuis Phoenix Carpark. Want to be part of the VW family weekend? Visit the Bay of Plenty Volkswagen Clubs Run to the Sun Facebook event page. Agartala, Mar 5 (IBNS): In Agartala, Tripura, BJP members, on Saturday, protested against the alleged murder of their worker, according to media reports. BJP workers have alleged that its leader Chan Mohon Tripura from Gandachera area was murdered by CPI-M activists on Dec 26, media reported. The party had also organised a state-wide civil disobedience movement to protest against the death of the local leader . Image: Nishith Joshi/AIR Pics Twitter A Wytheville man on probation for grand larceny and other charges, and free on bond after being accused of violating his probation, is facing more charges. Christopher Lee Waddell, 41, was arrested on Feb. 24 after the Wytheville Police Department got a report that a 2005 Infinity sedan with a stolen tag was around Northwinds Apartments, according to a WPD press release. Officers located the car, which was being driven by Waddell, and found that the tag had been stolen. After searching Waddell and the car, officers seized a large amount of cash and the car, police said. Waddell was charged with possessing stolen property, trespassing, carrying a concealed weapon (a knife), misdemeanor drug possession, marijuana possession, felony drug possession and possessing drugs with the intent to manufacture or distribute. A misdemeanor marijuana possession warrant was obtained for a passenger, Tracy L. Brown of Wytheville, but Brown hasnt been served with the warrant, police said. Listed as unemployed in court records, Waddell pleaded guilty in June 2016 to six counts of grand larceny, drug possession and obtaining money by false pretenses (two counts). As part of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to serve one year in jail and placed on probation for four years. He started his probation on Aug. 23, 2016, and in a letter to the court, a probation officer wrote that his adjustment to supervision had been poor. The officer asked for Waddell to be arrested on a probation violation charge and he was picked up in January before being released on a $5,000 bond. His hearing on the probation violation charge has been set for March 15 in Wythe County Circuit Court. Waddell, who told a magistrate that none of the drugs are his, was denied bond on the new charges during a Thursday hearing in Wythe County General District Court. Given a court-appointed attorney to represent him, his preliminary hearing has been set for May 25. Hes being held in the New River Valley Regional Jail in Dublin. Development will come for Floyd County, whether it is sought or not, a joint work session of the Board of Supervisors, the Planning Commission and public works operations discussed Tuesday night. It will come, said Linda DeVito Kuchenbuch, Little River Supervisor and a Realtor. We need to be prepared. Inaction would be worse than no action. We need to make sure it is done right, said Board Chairman Case Clinger. The work session came out of emerging discussions about cluster subdivisions as amendments to the countys subdivision ordinance. A study by the Berkley Group, a Virginia-based local government consulting firm, offers both rural and urban-based recommendations for the county to help guide subdivision development 20 years or more into the future. Darren Caffey of Berkley said a key to planning for the future is to protect open space. You want to protect the beauty of the area. Cluster development also provides affordable housing at a time when younger families are struggling to find a way to afford a home, he added. The plan focused on three questions: How do we encourage great development? How to we prevent bad development? How to we reshape development so that its Floyd development and achieves the communitys vision? Floyd Countys current subdivision ordinance provides for standard subdivisions, lot divisions, agriculture-based breakouts and family-based parcels. The proposed cluster divisions could group housing into smaller parcels grouped around open spaces. A rural cluster, for example, could include one acre lots with an open space ratio of 70 percent and a maximum density of one lot per 10. While homes would be clustered close together, the subdivision will have more open space with a maximum density of one lot per 10 acres. Urban clusters in and around the town of Floyd would be built on lots with a maximum size of .75 acres with 50 percent of the subdivision set aside for open space. The concepts are considerations, not actual prepared subdivisions amendments at this point, but Caffey said planning will help Floyd County prepare for the future. Locust Grove Supervisor Lauren Yoder asked if the proposals would protect a farmer who wants to set aside pieces of property for his children. We dont want to infringe on anyones property rights, Clinger said. The work session came out of a cluster discussion between the Board and the Planning Commission several months ago where the Supervisors discarded proposed subdivision ordinance changes. Kuchenbuch said the Board of Supervisors wants to make sure the county is prepared for future development in the county. Its going to come, she said. The developers are going to come. We dont have to attract them. It will happen. Clinger said the Supervisors, Planning Commission and other groups need to sit down in a room and start working on this. He thanked the group and said the discussions that started in the work session will continue. The hour-long discussion came after a public hearing on a new agreement that includes Floyd County into the Workforce Investment Area Consortium area that includes Bland, Carroll, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, Smyth, Washington and Wythe counties and the cities of Bristol, Galax and Radford. No one spoke at the hearing, and the Supervisors voted 5-0 to enter into the agreement. The Supervisors also voted unanimously to support a grant application to the United States Department of Agriculture for $25,000 to help fund a $60,000 purchase of two police vehicles for the Sheriffs Office. In another matter, Floyd Mayor Will Griffin, appearing for the Floyd-Floyd County Public Service Authority, asked the county to include payment for a $400,000 water line in their budget planning. Supervisors said they will look at says to help fund the project during its upcoming budget work sessions. Supervisors closed out the meeting with a closed-door executive session. New Delhi, Mar 4 (IBNS): The union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways announced on Saturday that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded the contract for four-laning of Nerchowk-Pandoh including Pandoh bypass section in Himachal Pradesh. The four-laning will cover a stretch of 26 km along the National Highway 21 (NH21). The road widening is expected to improve the connectivity for travellers between Chandigarh and Kullu-Manali, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Image: MORTH India Twitter Kolkata, Mar 4 (IBNS): The Railway Protection Force (RPF) on Saturday morning recovered at least 18 unfinished country made 9mm pistols from Howrah railway station near Kolkata, officials said. According to reports, during routine checks, RPF personnel spotted an unclaimed bag at platform number 8 of Howrah railway station and found those unfinished pistols inside it. Later, those pistols were handed over to the Government Railway Police (GRP). "We have started investigation into the case and are examining CCTV footage of platform 8," a GRP official said. However, none has been detained in connection with the case so far. (Reporting by Deepayan Sinha,Image: Wikimedia Commons) Oxford University has launched a summer school targeting students living in rural and coastal areas, in a bid to increase its proportion of working class undergraduates. In conjunction with education charity the Sutton Trust, the university will run workshops offering pupils the chance to be taught by Oxford professors and stay in colleges free of charge. The scheme is open to any state-educated Year 12 pupil who has at least five GCSEs at A* or A grades. Although the summer schools are open to any student, they are particularly aimed at pupils from certain "educationally disadvantaged areas", and particular postcode classifications, who have previously been underrepresented in outreach programmes, which will likely include lots of white working-class students. Priority will be given to applicants who meet certain criteria, such as coming from a deprived neighbourhood and being the first generation of their family to go to university. Research by the Sutton Trust shows that 24% of white British boys who are eligible for free school meals achieve 5 C grades at GCSE, the lowest proportion of any major ethnic group, with just 9% going to university aged 18. It is the first time Oxford will aim a summer school at students living in these areas in particular. The university has been running similar programmes that target black and minority ethnic pupils for the past 17 years. Recent government figures revealed that Oxford has most privately-educated intake of any mainstream UK university. 55.7% of its students starting in 2015/16 were from state schools (although this figure does not include its most recent intake from autumn 2016, which saw a rise in the number of state pupils). Speaking to the Telegraph, Dr Samina Khan, Oxfords Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach, commented: By working intensively with one of the most under-represented groups in higher education, I hope that we can help students realise their potential and encourage high-achieving students from white British socio-economically disadvantaged areas to aim for top universities such as Oxford. With Samsung's Galaxy S8 launch event less than a month away, leaks are cropping up left and right. The latest information to slip through the cracks comes courtesy of Slashleaks in the form of a Geekbench test result. The benchmark, for a device called the Samsung SM-G955U (believed to be the Galaxy S8 Plus as the standard Galaxy S8 is known as SM-G950X), turns out a single-core score of 1929 and a multi-core score of 6084. While the multi-core score is no doubt impressive, we've seen far better single-core scores from other devices. The listing, which was uploaded on March 2, references a Qualcomm processor with eight cores clocked at 1.9GHz (believed to be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835) alongside 4GB of RAM running Android 7.0 Nougat. Samsung last month officially unveiled its homegrown Exynos 8895 chip. Built on a 10nm manufacturing process, this octo-core chip will appear in some versions of the Galaxy S8 although odds are, its use will be limited to international models. The Galaxy S8 was a no-show at Mobile World Congress with Samsung electing to hold off on unveiling its next flagship until March 29 at an event in New York City. Announcing the phone at MWC would have put Samsung in the spotlight although some will argue that hosting its own event away from a conference will garner even more media attention. At this rate, there won't be much for Samsung to reveal. Just a few days ago, serial leaker Evan Blass published a press render of the Galaxy S8. A somehow eerie-looking cosmic jellyfish along with other biological curiosities have been discovered by biologists with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in their latest dive in the remote American Samoa region of the Pacific. Onboard the NOAA research ship Okeanos Explorer, the team had been conducting research at the Utu Seamount, with the mission to hold one of the first expansive explorations of the 13,581-square mile marine sanctuary where the seamount belongs. Hello, Cosmic Jellyfish Dubbed the 2017 American Samoa Expedition, the three-year campaign will gather crucial scientific data in and around the protected areas. American Samoa stands out as a biodiversity hotspot, with its three marine sanctuaries a site for protecting massive coral and deepwater reefs and even archeological artifacts. Much remains unknown about the deep-sea habitats and geology in and around these protected places, NOAA team member and molecular ecologist Santiago Herrera said in a Gizmodo report. There is also much to be known about the Samoa Islands and seamounts forming an age-progressive volcanic hotspot. Volcanoes on the east are young while those in the west are progressively older, and it remains unclear how Samoan volcanoes evolve over time. This expedition will sample various volcanoes at different stages in their development, including the young active volcano, Vailuluu, and the older Samoan volcanic feature that defines the island of Tutuila, the group stated in its mission plan. The sea dives, conducted from Feb. 16 to 26, used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to unravel a number of new biological finds, including cosmic jellyfish, Venus flytrap anemone, and a range of mollusks. The translucent, UFO-like jellyfish, imaged during their first dive, appeared to have rows of tentacles that face up and down and were likely useful in catching prey. It hovered through the deep and dark ocean, with its digestive system in a red color and its reproductive organs in yellow. Further investigations will be done to determine if the cosmic jellyfish is a new species or not. Welcome Discoveries Under The Sea A hydroid was also spotted making rounds in Leoso Seamount, a place straddling the boundary from the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the American Samoa to the Cook Islands EEZ. Also alien-resembling in appearance, it is a close relative of many jellyfish species and attaches itself to rock while snatching floating food through a two-tier tentacle mouth. The researchers uncovered at least a dozen potentially new species made up of sponges, sea stars, corals, and other creatures they took samples of. The collections, according to Herrera, will set new species designations if needed, as well as enable DNA analyses for greater insight into biological relationships and evolutions among similar species. The NOAA presents photos and videos of their amazing finds online for the public to see and relish. Remember the glowing purple bob discovered by E/V Nautilus ship scientists deep beneath California waters last year? The googly-eyed squid, first thought to be a cuttlefish, actually was a stubby squid (Rossia pacifica) and looked like a cross between a squid and octopus. As for its strange eyes, scientists explained that the animal activates a sticky mucus jacket as it burrows deep into the sediment to camouflage resulting in eyes poking out to spot its prey, which includes small fish and shrimp. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Cortana, the personal virtual assistant from Microsoft, made a huge leap to Android in 2015. Since then it has benefitted many improvements and updates which add a lot of features to the applications. Microsoft Cortana's latest version 2.5.0 now adds the support of accessing the virtual assistant from the lock screen of the Android phone itself. Microsoft had discussed the feature earlier in January. However, at the time, the option was still under beta testing. According to a report from Android Police, the lock screen feature for Android post the Cortana update is now live. Android users can now reportedly download and install the updated Cortana app on their devices via the Google Play Store and add Cortana to their lock screen. Installing The Update Those who have Cortana app for Android installed on their devices can check for the update from the Google Play Store. Simply open the Google Play Store and click on the menu just beside the Google Play search bar. After that, go to "My Apps and Games", and look for Cortana. Click on "Update", and enjoy the all new smart and innovative Cortana right from the lock screen. However, for those who don't have Cortana installed on their Android device may download the app by going to Google Play Store. Using the search bar on the top of the screen, simply type Cortana and select install. How Will The Update Work? Once the update is done, the personal and virtual assistant of Microsoft will flaunt a small floating Cortana logo with "Swipe to open" written on the lock screen. Swiping left or right on the button brings up Cortana's information feed, containing news, upcoming appointments, and other helpful information. Since the version 2.5.0 update is all new and has just started to roll out, it will take time to make its way to all users. Many users may not be able to see the updated version on their Android devices. Coincidentally, Microsoft announced the release of the Cortana update the same day Google Assistant became available in all Android smartphones, which are powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow or above. The intelligent and smart voice controlled virtual assistant for Microsoft can be used to set reminders, ask questions, play songs, and more without actually using the keyboard. Users can operate it just by using their voice and commanding the virtual assistant. However, with recent updates such as the introduction of the "Suggested Reminders", which helps the users to remember their promises, Cortana has surprised people with its unique abilities. Those interested in the Cortana app for Android can download it now from the Google Play Store for free. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Partial human skulls about 100,000 years old unearthed in Xuchang, China have been found to present an extraordinary set of features, helping researchers make sense of human evolution in eastern Eurasia. In a study published in the journal Science, Washington University in St. Louis' Erik Trinkaus and colleagues detailed the mosaic of features they found. The fossils included characteristics from late archaic/early modern humans, Middle Pleistocene Eurasians, and western Eurasian Neanderthals, hinting at possible intermixing. In terms of features from the late archaic/early modern humans found throughout the Old World, the researchers observed the fossils as having a large size that fitted a large brain, and cranial vaults that were lightly built and had modest brow ridges. From the Middle Pleistocene eastern Eurasians, the fossils had a low, broad braincase rounding onto the inferior skull, while there were two features from western Eurasian Neanderthals: a detailed rear arrangement and semicircular canal configuration. Neanderthals died out some 40,000 years ago but their contributions to the gene pool is still highly evident today in how people look and what kind of state their health is in. Thousands of years after the last interbreeding, Neanderthal DNA still influences height and risks for conditions like schizophrenia and lupus by affecting how genes are turned on and off. According to researchers, causal mutation is something people today inherited from Neanderthals. Eurasian Evolutionary Trends According to Trinkaus, not a lot is known about the biological nature of modern humans' immediate predecessors within eastern Eurasia based on human fossil records. As such, the discovery of the Xuchang skulls and the resulting assessment of the fossils dramatically increases information about the region's early population. He also noted that the fossils offer support for a pattern previously identified showing continuity in regional populations within eastern Eurasia, mixed in with long-term trends in connections in populations throughout Eurasia and human biology. "They reinforce the unity and dynamic nature of human evolution leading up to the modern human emergence," he added. Supported by the Chinese Academy of Science and the National Science Foundation of China, the current study also featured contributions from Xiao-Mei Nian, Xing Gao, Wu Liu, Li-Ping Zhou, Xiu-Jie Wu, and Zhan-Yang Li. Factors Affecting Human Evolution In a study published in the Journal of Applied Phycology, researchers showed that seaweed nutrients may have had a hand in human evolution. Humans diverged from their closest relatives, chimpanzees, about 5 to 7 million years ago and the transition required a host of nutrients that were particularly beneficial to developing bigger brains. Early humans didn't have a system for tracking food availability so they mostly consumed what was readily available, like seaweeds. They were also able to get their hands on fish, snails, and crustaceans along coastal areas, but seaweeds stood out because they were available all year and could easily be harvested even by children and women. Crucial nutrients found in seaweeds include taurine, magnesium, zinc, vitamin B12, iodine, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These nutrients allowed the primitive brain to develop into what it is today and continue to be beneficial to modern brains. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Worries that robots may end up replacing human workers have lately sparked debates over the role of artificial intelligence in corporate jobs. During a Fortune conference that tackled the subject and its various implications, voices from IBM and Google proceeded to dissipate concerns and state there's no need for alarm. Present at the Most Powerful Women International Summit in Hong Kong on March 2, women leaders of the two tech companies reassured the public that there's no need to worry about an A.I. takeover, as the technology is here to help and could significantly improve the activity of firms. According to Vanitha Narayanan, chairman of IBM India, the first corporate sector to gain the most from this technology would be that of service-oriented companies. Just like what her boss, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, previously explained at the World Economic Forum, Narayanan reaffirmed the idea of a partnership between humans and machine. Robots Could Allow Human Focus On High-Value Tasks By offering the example of IBM's Watson supercomputer, Narayanan made the case for supplementing human workforce with A.I., with emphasis on the collaboration between the two. "The average call center rep cannot handle 50 products. So they're using Watson in their call center not to replace the call center rep," said Narayanan. At the same time, Leonie Valentine, sales and operations managing director at Google Hong Kong, found a poetic analogy for the use of artificial intelligence, comparing it to a "murmuration" a flock of starlings that swoop to the skies "without any kind of preprogrammed system." In her opinion, this is "what the future of organization will look like." AI Makes Way For 'Human Intelligence' Valentine also argued that supplementing human workers with intelligent robots could ease the humans' workload, facilitating task management, and speeding up the work process. Turning to A.I. will, by no means, eliminate jobs but instead create the opportunity for service improvement. In turn, this will allow companies to "finally get to the place that's been Nirvana for the last 20 or 30 years in corporations." This point in organizational growth is about moving human employees over to "high-value" tasks, she said. It's about incorporating the critical thinking and decisiveness that only humans are capable of. For Valentine, the shift will rely on "value-based judgments and real-time decision-making and a human touch." 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Some 1,200 people in Europe are likely to die earlier than expected due to excess emissions from Volkswagen cars sold between 2008 and 2015. Sixty percent of these premature deaths will occur outside Germany, the home of Volkswagen vehicles, which underscores the fact that air pollution knows no boundaries. A group of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology arrived at these staggering statistics after they had examined the impact on public health of the excess emissions of the 2.6 million affected cars carrying the Volkswagen Group's brands VW, Audi, Skoda, and Seat sold in Germany. The study, in a report published in Environmental Research Papers on March 3, identified the countries outside the borders of Germany that are potentially affected by the excess emissions from cars fitted with the "defeat devices." These countries include Poland, France, and the Czech Republic. Dieselgate Scandal The German Volkswagen Group admitted in September 2015 that its 11 million cars sold worldwide from 2008 to 2015 were fitted with "defeat devices" a software that could cheat laboratory tests to make cars appear compliant with environmental standards. The admission, which was later known as the "dieselgate" scandal, came after the Environmental Protection Agency discovered that VW vehicles sold in the U.S. were installed with "defeat devices." The German carmaker had recalled all the affected cars sold in the U.S. and Europe but by then the excess emissions had already compromised public health. Pollution Knows No Boundaries Five hundred of the predicted 1,200 premature deaths in Europe or 40 percent will be in Germany. "(Pollution) doesn't care about political boundaries; it just goes straight past," study co-author Steven Barret, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, said. It goes without saying that the air pollution caused by a car in Germany will have its effects felt in neighboring countries. The study also warned of an additional 2,600 early deaths in Europe if the German carmaker fails to recall the affected cars and make them compliant with the European limit value by the end of the year. It added that the recall would also enable the company to save $4 billion. "We dont know if other manufacturers have these defeat devices," Barret added, "But there is already evidence that many other vehicles in practice emit more than the applicable test-stand limit value. So we're trying to do this for all diesel vehicles." Top Of The Pack Amid Scandal The Volkswagen Group posted a total revenue of $23.8 billion with a net profit exceeding $5 billion. The German carmaker was able to secure its most-coveted place in the industry despite the scandal. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. You can't fire Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold Schwarzenegger fires you! That's because the former California governor has just quit NBC's The New Celebrity Apprentice after wrapping up its season last January. What's more, the Terminator star blames the show's forerunner, current president of the United States and number one critic of the show, Donald Trump for the show's less than impressive ratings. It's not exactly a surprising reaction from the star given that Trump has poked Arnold's hosting of the show just earlier in February. Rumors Confirmed In an exclusive interview with Empire, Schwarzenegger confirmed the rumors and reports that the show's sponsors have been pulling out of the production. In the same interview, he explained that Trump has a huge part in why the show did not quite get the ratings that they were expecting. "When people found out that Trump was still involved as executive producer and was still receiving money from the show, then half the people [started] boycotting it," said Schwarzenegger in the interview. "With Trump being involved in the show people have a bad taste and don't want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show." Though the details of his departure as well as the show's future is still unclear, Schwarzenegger clearly states his love for the show, the network, its creators, staff, and crew. However, he maintains that he will no longer do the show even if the network asks him to. Trump-Schwarzenegger Feud Early in February Trump, who was already the president of the United States by then, mocked Schwarzenegger's hosting of the show and the low ratings that it's been getting compared to his running of the show. Schwarzenegger then responded in kind with a video tweet that expressed his message for the president, saying : "Why don't we switch jobs?" When the tweet came out, some believed that this was a ploy to boost the show's ratings, what with Trump staying on board as the show's executive producer. Now, however, the current standing of the show seems to point to a different direction. This wasn't the first time that Schwarzenegger was vocal about his opinions on Trump as even before the elections, he has stated his criticisms of Trump and even posted his presidential endorsement of John Kasich via Snapchat. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mumbai, Mar 4 (IBNS): Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor criticised paparazzi for taking pictures of her from an awkward angle during an event recently. She was dressed in a ruffled collar Rasario Atelier jumpsuit. Photographers took picture of the actress from an awkward angle. The issue later made headlines. Slamming paparazzi, Kapoor tweeted: "sexist nonsense. The photogs went out of their way to take these pics.. and frankly I don't give a damn,I'm proud of my body!" After more than three years, Uber Vice President of Product and Growth Ed Baker is officially resigning. This development comes at a time when the ride-hailing brand is facing sexism and sexual harassment allegations and recent reports of using a secret tool named Greyball to trick regulators, not to mention that it follows the departure of the company's Senior Vice President of Engineering Amit Singhal. Baker's Announcement And Replacement First reported by Recode, Baker is stepping down, and filling in for him is Uber Head of Marketplace Daniel Graf as interim product and growth chief. "I have always wanted to apply my experience in technology and growth to the public sector. And now seems like the right moment to get involved," the executive told his team via email. Baker joined Uber in 2013, and before that, he was Facebook's head of international growth after the social media company bought his dating app Friend.ly back in 2011. Uber Issues: The Ride-Hailing Ship Starts Getting More Holes Considering how Uber's workplace is under heightened scrutiny because of the aforementioned issues, the timing of Baker's resignation comes across as a little odd. According to Recode, an anonymous person informed Arianna Huffington, one of the company's board members, that Baker had a sexual encounter with another employee. Huffington is also part of the team that's investigating sexism and sexual harassment in the company. However, it should be noted that a case of sexual harassment wasn't filed against Baker, indicating that the other individual involved likely consented to the act. Other Recent Uber Scandals Hashing out more of the issues surrounding Uber, company CEO Travis Kalanick was caught in camera in a rather intense argument with an Uber driver over dropping fares. Shortly after, he took responsibility and admitted that he needed to "fundamentally change as a leader and grow up." More than that, Google sued Uber in February for stealing Waymo's self-driving car secrets, accusing former Google employee Anthony Levandowski. "We found that six weeks before his resignation this former employee, Anthony Levandowski, downloaded over 14,000 highly confidential and proprietary design files for Waymo's various hardware systems, including designs of Waymo's LiDAR and circuit board," the Waymo team said. That's not all either, as Uber had lost more than 200,000 users after the social media campaign #DeleteUber became widespread, where the company was said to have taken advantage of taxi drivers in protest. As a result, Lyft had more users than Uber for the first time ever. Recap Long story short, Uber is losing its Vice President of Product and Growth during a time when it has a lot on its plate, particularly allegations of sexism and sexual harassment and questionable practices to circumvent regulators. While the issues don't necessarily have a direct relation to Baker's resignation, the executive's leave is definitely a point of interest because of the timing. If you have an opinion regarding Baker stepping down from his position, feel free to let us know in the comments section below. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New York, Mar 4 (Just Earth News): The United Nations focal point for ending conflict-related sexual violence is in Iraq where she on Friday met with survivors of rape and other abuse by the Islamic State (ISIL). Zainab Hawa Bangura, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, visited the Girls and Women Support and Treatment Centre in Dohuk Governorate, northern Iraq. Accompanied by Gyorgy Busztin, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), she met with women and girls who had escaped from Mosul, where Iraqi forces launched an offensive two weeks ago to dislodge ISIL. According to a press release, the Centre a collaboration with the Dohuk Directorate General and in support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is at the forefront of addressing the needs of the Yazidi sexual violence survivors, including medical and psychosocial support. ISIL has systematically targeted the Yazidi community with rape and other sexual violence, including sexual slavery and forced marriage, according to the Office of Bangura whose legal and investigative teams have been working to aid survivors from the community. Bangura has repeatedly called for a multipronged approach from the global to the local levels, to aid the survivors and their families and help them reclaim a role in their community. As part of her visit to Iraq, Bangura has discussed the need for such support with Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechervan Barzani. In addition, she held discussions with Jassim Mohammed Al-Jaf of the Ministry of Migration and Displaced and with Faed Zaidan, the head of the High Judicial Council of Iraq. She also met with Sunni religious leaders to discuss reintegration of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, and to ensure that children born of rape are not ostracized by the community. Photo: UNFPA Iraq Source: www.justearthnews.com The president emphasized that people are voting for Nicaragua and by doing so they are also voting for peace. | Read More New York, Mar 4 (IBNS) : A week after the murder of Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian-origin businessman was shot dead in Lancaster County in the US state of South Carolina, media reports said. According reports, Harnish Patel, 34, was found dead with bullet wounds in the yard of his home. Reports quoted police as saying that Patel closed his store late in the evening on Thursday and left for home in his vehicle. He is survived by his wife and young child. Police are seeking information that could provide clues to the murder. So far no arrests have been made. Patel's death comes two days after President Donald Trump had condemned as "hate and evil" the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla in a Kansas City bar. Image: Facebook.com Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said Friday that she is supportive of building a mental health facility in Baton Rouge, but stopped short of describing how intensely she will lobby for a resurrected mental health tax that could be placed on ballots this year. Details emerged Thursday about a second attempt at passing a dedicated property tax for a mental health facility in Baton Rouge, after voters rejected the tax just a few months ago in December of 2016. Baton Rouge leaders: 2nd time may be the charm for resurrected mental health tax City leaders are mounting a second attempt at getting voter approval of a tax to build a men Under former Mayor-President Kip Holden's administration, it was customary for Holden's staff to bring tax items to the Metro Council for approval rather than Metro Council members bringing them up themselves. Holden was frequently their chief supporter, as he packed tax plans together and tried to sell them to the Metro Council and the public. But council members appear to be leading the charge on the second try for the mental health tax, as Metro Councilwoman Tara Wicker sponsored the announcement of the public hearing for the tax that the Metro Council will hold April 12. A majority of Metro Council members must agree to to put a tax proposal on the the ballot. If Wicker is successful, the proposal for a property tax would go before the voters in October. "I certainly have been an advocate for a mental health facility," Broome said in an interview on Friday. "I had no objections when asked by the council member about putting it on the agenda. As time evolves, I will be more specific in terms of my advocacy around the issue." The idea behind the tax is to fund a facility called the "Bridge Center," which would be a place where police could take non-violent offenders in psychiatric crisis instead of to jail. Officials have also said that people could could seek help themselves at the 30-bed center, which would also provide services for those who need to sober up. The tax would also fund a crisis response team of mental health professions to go out in the field with police and evaluate possible patients. The proposal, which has been a pet project of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, was narrowly defeated by voters in December. The concept had wide support across the political spectrum among East Baton Rouge Parish officials, but some were skeptical last fall about moving forward at a time when so many property owners were struggling after the August flood. During the campaign to pass the mental health tax last year, BRAF hired former Lafayette Corrections Director Rob Reardon as the executive director of the Bridge Center. But Reardon stopped working there after the tax failed, and now works for Catholic Charities. He said Thursday he was not involved in the second attempt to get the tax on the ballot. Assistant Parish Attorney Ashley Beck said Metro Council members legally have the ability to place election items on the agenda without prior approval from the administration. The Metro Council has authority to call elections in East Baton Rouge Parish, and only needs a majority vote of the Metro Council to do so, she said. Beck also noted that the announcement of the public hearing for April 12 that Wicker sponsored was simply a legally required public notice. When the tax measure is placed on the April 12 agenda for the public hearing, Wicker or another council member or Broome's administration could then sponsor it as well. While she was campaigning last year to become mayor-president, Broome supported the initial variation of the mental health tax. On Friday, she said she wants to ensure the public is given more information about the tax this time, as a lack of information may have been what caused its failure with 51 percent of voters in December. "The more folks become aware and engaged in the process and understand the value, the more people we have on the team moving forward," Broome said. The property tax proposal would again be for 1.5 mills, costing $18.75 a year for a homeowner with a $200,000 home that takes homestead exemption. The tax would also be in effect for 10 years, with collections starting in 2018 and ending in 2027. If the Metro Council agrees to put the tax back onto ballots, voters should see it again on October 14 as they vote for a state treasurer replacement for now U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville. Baton Rouge was once again near the top of the Site Selection magazine rankings of economic development activity in mid-sized cities. The city ranked second overall in the magazines rankings of cities with populations between 200,000 to 1 million. The list counted the number of significant corporate projects, which is defined as new facilities and expansion that involve a capital investment of at least $1 million, create 20 or more jobs or add more than 20,000 square feet of new floor area. There were 48 projects that met those criteria in Baton Rouge during 2016. Omaha, Nebraska, the top performing mid-sized metro area, had 50. For 2016, Baton Rouge ranked fifth nationally, while the city finished second in the 2015 and 2014 rankings, fourth on the 2013 list and topped the survey in 2012 and 2011. Magazine puts BR metro area No. 1 for new, expanded corporate projects The Baton Rouge Area Chamber announced Thursday that Site Selection magazine chose the Capit The consistent growth and number of projects in the region speak to the business climate, talent and momentum we have, said Adam Knapp, president and chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. The only other Louisiana city to make the Site Selection list was Alexandria, which was tied for fourth with Janesville-Beloit, Wisconsin, and Winchester, Virginia, for economic growth in cities with populations of 200,000 or less. Alexandria had eight projects during 2016 that met the Site Selection standards. Since the days of Huey Long, Louisiana has been a state quite dependent on steady tax revenue to build and maintain its infrastructure, its public buildings, and to help propel the educational aspirations of its people. Under the severance taxes of the Kingfish, Louisiana got modern roads and public schools. LSU became a world-class university. Those were the days. Today, Despite Gov. John Bel Edwards efforts to restore Louisianas commitment to revenue for public infrastructure and quality services for citizens, GOP budgetary tactics (in vogue since the Bobby Jindal years) continue to mire our budget in the bog. Our roads and bridges have been in pitiable disrepair for years. Our colleges and universities (including LSU) have faced the evisceration of their academic programs and the elimination of scores of faculty positions. How did we get here? It is quite remarkable that a state so dependent on severance taxes for the past century should turn and cut the cord under Jindal for the past eight, and then be surprised to find our state starving to make ends meet. What do we do now? Even after eight years of cataclysmic cuts to the state's health care and education services, die-hard Jindalistas still desire to drive such services further into the ground. Indeed it is Jindals reckless ideology thats to blame. For years, Jindal and our legislators have knelt joyously before the grimacing maw of Grover Norquist in service to the same brand of no-tax hyper-conservatism that has ransacked the solvency of states like Louisiana since the rise of the Tea Party. If Louisiana wants to live successfully in the 21st century, then we need to decide for whose benefit do we budget our budget. The people? Or conservative intelligentsia that lead us to our current state of fiscal ruin? How do we fix it? Louisiana needs taxes we needed them under Huey Long, and we need them now. Public services like education, healthcare, and infrastructure, though they cost oodles of money, help to elevate the well-being of all our people, and can help us again to be a successful, modern state. But we need to pass revenue measures to do it. We should continue to modernize Louisiana and help fulfill the aspirations of all Louisianans. What stops us? Why don't we just tax effectively enough to do what we need to do? Under the Kingfish, we did it before, and we achieved prosperity for much of the rest of the 20th Century. Can we reach prosperity in the 21st? Lets reconnect with the successes of our past, and see how far we can go. Patrick Gibbens history professor New Iberia By Press Trust of India: Jaipur, Mar 3 (PTI) Seventeen persons were killed when their jeep collided with a truck in Rajasthans Hanumangarh district today, police said. The mishap occurred in Hanumangarh town police station area on Rawatsar-Hanumangarh mega-highway. The ill-fated jeep was on its way to a nearby town with the passengers. The bodies have been shifted to a local hospital where the autopsies are going on, SHO Anwar Khan said. PTI SDA PRG AAR --- ENDS --- advertisement Donald Trump might have courted controversy for branding media outlets "the enemy of the American people", but here in Australia, a far more insidious attack on press freedom and individual privacy is already under way. For all the obsession by conservative culture warriors about the potential for legal action resulting from the Racial Discrimination Act, two instances last week demonstrated that freedom of expression is actually under direct threat from the draconian actions of government. It was revealed on Wednesday that Attorney-General George Brandis has authorised ASIO to access the telecommunications data of a small number of journalists, apparently snooping in an attempt to uncover sources. The implications for democratic accountability are disturbing. ASIO chief Duncan Lewis refused to disclose how many of these so-called journalist information warrants had been obtained, saying the number was small and to give a precise figure would only invite speculation as to the likely targets. The secrecy that surrounds these warrants is unnecessary, and the system created for oversight does not allow news organisations to scrutinise the claims. Security agencies should be given sufficient powers to protect the community. But to invoke "national security" as a blanket excuse is dangerously vague. The issue goes to the retention of metadata under laws introduced by the Abbott government in 2015, with security agencies able to trawl through telephone records, mobile phone locations, email receipts and other electronic footprints left in this digital age. The move to "mandate" that politicians live in their electorate seems to assume that otherwise an MP cannot possibly know what voters want. You don't need to live in wealthy areas to know what the rich and greedy want. Liberal Party politicians aspire to live in these areas. However, if they had to live outside affluent areas, where people rely on penalty rates to put food on the table, then they might better appreciate the financial struggles of ordinary workers. The politicians' home address is not the most important thing, it's their policies and what they do about them. Paul Kennelly, Caulfield North THE FORUM Tenuous link to life I am a nurse in the public health system. If you are able to complain to doctors and nurses that your surgery has been delayed, be thankful. It means an emergency theatre is running. Doctors, nurses, anaesthetic teams and theatre techs will be operating on head injuries, burn victims, transplant patients, emergency surgical cases and generally trying to save lives. Be thankful your broken bone or other minor surgery is not a priority. In the same hospital will be families and significant others wondering if the operation that is currently delaying yours will save their loved one. Daily we see the tenuous balance between life and death. So, before you complain to staff, look around and see the tears of pain and loss, or hopefully elation, in others' eyes. Name and address withheld Slaves to the machine The eight richest people in the world have as much as the bottom 3.8 billion. The wealth of the seven richest people in Australia is greater than the bottom 1.73 million households. And what are our overlords doing about this burgeoning inequality, which is high on the list of issues vexing our restive electorates? Slashing the wages of the marginally employed, lowering corporate tax rates and gifting our gas to mega corporations. While politicians scratch their heads at our disillusionment we shake our fists. There they sit and here we stand, yet we are bound together in our impotence, both slaves to the machine. Seduced by power and avarice, pacified by stuff, coerced by debt and co-opted by fear, we scratch for the crumbs from the high table, dream of our elevation and wail at the moon. And the machine ploughs on, devouring the planet for the grand purpose of elevating the few above the many. So high that the winners need never wallow in the destruction wrought. As long as we worship at the altar of endless growth, we will only have ourselves to blame. Peter Rushen, Carnegie Turnbull is all heart Malcolm Turnbull is all heart. I heard him say that the cuts in penalty rates would be introduced gradually. In other words, people will have time to get used to being poorer than have it happen all at once. Good on him Lesley Black, Frankston Problem solvers once The pastoral wool industry sustained our economy through two world wars, the Depression and the post-WWII population boom. Despite today's hi-tech trappings and tertiary education rates of 30-40 per cent, innovation, per se, doesn't feature. Despite all of Mr Turnbull's talk, Australia's economy still hinges largely on farming, mining and population growth. Yet innovation has traditionally been the linchpin. Charles Bean, in On the Wool Track (1910), writes of the daily sheep run with men making saddles, "wagons, shafts, iron hinges, gates, steam sawing, engine driving, forging iron". Ordinary people built homesteads and other buildings, making bricks and fittings by hand. Today, middle-class welfare abounds, tax avoidance is rife, total national debt exceeds $6trillion, manufacturing is near extinct, poverty is soaring and prisons are overflowing. Meanwhile, world-class inventions go overseas for lack of backing. How has 40 years of neoliberal ideology benefited Australia? Barbara Chapman, Hawthorn Hollow claims Pharmacists have persuaded governments that only pharmacists should own pharmacies and that their number and location should be restricted. These positions are largely based on the argument that professional standards and therefore consumer safety in regard to medications, would be eroded if others "controlled" the professional conduct of pharmacists. In light of recent revelations regarding the recommendation and sale of millions of products by pharmacists for which there is no proven efficacy, such claims of professionalism seem hollow. No other health profession has these restrictions placed on them. Jenny Callaghan, Hawthorn Do right by ABC That the ABC's managing director Michelle Guthrie told the Senate she will not be advocating for a specific budget but would "work within what she is given" is unprecedented. This will surely give permission to any government wanting to slash and burn. The ABC has the largest number of radio and TV channels of any network spread across the nation, and has a raft of new digital platforms for committed audiences. All of this is regularly achieved within a budget of about $1 billion a year. By comparison commercial TV alone enjoys annual revenues of about $4 billion. Given its current funding the ABC's performance is remarkable consistently high ratings, among the nation's most trusted organisations, leads its competitors in the use of social media, and in association with Fairfax offers the best investigative journalism. Given the critical importance of our diversification into an "agile" economy why not invest well in its future? Why are we paying Ms Guthrie $1 million a year if she's not prepared to do her job? Trevor Barr, Hawthorn Inconvenient facts The expression "alternative facts" is often derided as being a euphemism for "lies". However, alternative facts may be just that: accurate pieces of evidence in addition to those that have already been presented. Nick Miller's balanced article about links between crime and immigrants in Sweden is a good example (Extra, 26/2). This link is not as black and white. Sweden is neither a Nordic paradise in which immigrants do not commit crimes because they are universally welcomed, nor is it experiencing a crime wave perpetuated by newcomers. The reality is more nuanced. Only ideologues ignore evidence that conflicts with their established views. Rather than "alternative facts', it is often better to call them "inconvenient facts". Rod Wise, Glen Iris Watered-down lies It is interesting how the more passive phrase "false news" has been introduced into political language, when in fact the true meaning is to "lie". The definition of which is "to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive". I can understand why Americans, and the rest of the world, are horrified when the US President "lies". Our culture depends on speaking the truth. We teach our children it is fundamental to being a good person and creating trust. It is a dangerous situation when "lies" are watered down as "false news". Christina Foo, Wahroonga, NSW Give us truth about dairy The dairy industry representatives claiming that non-dairy products called "milk" are misleading must think the public are idiots. No one buys soy, almond or rice milk in confusion, thinking they are buying dairy milk. On the contrary, they purposely buy what is not dairy milk due to allergies or other choices. Plant-derived milks are called "milk" simply because they serve a similar purpose to have with cereal and to add to coffee and tea. If the industry wants the truth out there about dairy milk, bring it on. Then the public will learn that dairy milk was destined for baby cows, who are taken away from their mothers at a very young age. Female calves are destined for the same continuous cycle of pregnancy as their mothers, to ensure constant milk production. Meanwhile, male calves are separated from their distressed mothers, and transported without food or water, to be slaughtered. Pauline Hopkins, Beaconsfield Little risk from tritium The article "Holy cows" (News, 26/2) discusses the mid-1990s burial of cows treated with a dye tagged with tritium so as to be traceable. Tritium is an isotope of that which decays to helium 3, namely He3. This sole decay product is stable and poses no risk to health. Furthermore, if the burial took place in 1995, almost two half-lives have elapsed and only 25 per cent of the original tritium will exist. The electrons emitted in the decay are low energy, and are insufficient to penetrate human skin. They become a health risk only when the tritium is inhaled as a gas or ingested. If ingested it is reported to have a biological half life of seven to 14 days and so does not accumulate in the body. Given the passage of time, not a great deal of recognisable cow will be present. The labelled dye will have dispersed over a very large area and be highly dilute. Thus it is highly credible that "recent and extensive testing confirmed there is no risk to residents or groundwater". What does challenge credibility is the estimate of the minimum $300 million in clean-up costs and 8125 dump truck disposal loads. Any remaining fugitive tritium would be so dilute as to be below any detection threshold. Pauline Hanson's One Nation has emerged as the Turnbull government's most reliable voting partner in the Senate, defying early predictions that the upper house in this term of Parliament would be even less manageable than before. An analysis of Senate voting patterns by Fairfax Media shows Ms Hanson who regularly attacks both major parties for being out of touch with voters sided with the government on 74 per cent of votes from August to December last year. There were 183 votes over this period. By contrast, Derryn Hinch voted with the government 61 per cent of the time, Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm 60 per cent and the Nick Xenophon Team (NXT) 54 per cent. On issues where the Coalition and Labor were divided, One Nation voted with the government 85 per cent of the time, compared with 77 per cent for Senator Leyonhjelm and 66 per cent for the NXT senators. Maybe it is my Q&A appearances or my horrible Twitter history. Perhaps it's my brief dabbling with political opinion pieces, the same way others dabble with bisexuality at university. Because, over the years, conservative newspaper columnists have dismissively painted me as a smug, leftie, inner-city, activist arsehole. And they're right especially the "arsehole" bit. But the last time I marched against anything until recently was 2003. I was an honours student and John Howard was about to commit Australian troops to the Iraq War. It seemed to me and my friends call us crazy! that this was, how you say, insane. Given the countless deaths and the emergence of Islamic State, though, I don't think we should gloat over who was right. Benjamin Law. Credit:James Brickwood I haven't joined a protest since, partly because I wonder if protests help, but largely because I've been disgustingly lazy very busy. After Donald Trump's inauguration as US president in January, though, something snapped. Seeing the Women's March that overwhelmed US cities and took place on every continent on Earth Antarctica included knocked the air out of me. I'm sitting at a white-cloth silver-service table on an outdoor jetty that stretches into Lake Garda, in Italy's north. It is early evening and the water is dark and quiet, supremely beautiful, with massive snowcapped mountains lurching up out of the depths directly across the lake. I'm staying at the Belfiore Park Hotel near the ancient town of Brenzone, about halfway up the lake's 52-kilometre length on the eastern side. Here, the water is narrow, more like a river than the vast expanse that makes the lake feel like an ocean in the south. An occasional family of swans paddles home as evening closes in, and perhaps the two friendliest waiters in Italy, Marcello and Alber, light candles and pour drinks before serving dinner to a half-dozen or so tables. Alber, the younger, has already introduced me to Aperol spritz, by now surely the Italian national drink. Marcello, his boss, doesn't raise an eyebrow when I opt for another one of those instead of wine. The view from Riva del Garda, on the northern shore of Lake Garda. Credit:Getty Images I feel welcome, absurdly at home, and deeply relaxed. On this trip I chose Garda over Lake Como following a few days in Milan. After the caffeine-fuelled pace of the city, the pretentiousness that seems to strut hand in hand with high fashion, and a couple of unusually difficult encounters with bar staff, the thought of more fashionistas going gaga for George (Clooney, who owns a Como lakeside villa) was too much to bear. I craved bucolic beauty, picturesque waters and a deep connection with nature. And I longed for the warmth and friendliness I'd encountered in Italy's south, in Tuscany and even in Rome. The spring/summer catwalk season of 2009 may not have been a landmark month for many, but it is firmly etched into the mind of Victoire Dauxerre. Then 18, she had been labelled one of the most successful 20 models at Paris Fashion Week, booked for couture powerhouses from Dior to Chanel, Valentino to Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga to Givenchy, and Italian Vogue had called to ask her to be the face of their next cover. Beneath the glamour, however, she was crumbling. In the eight months that she had been modelling, the 5ft 10in Parisienne had dropped from a size 8 to a size 2. What started as a desire to meet the standards of the modelling industry had turned into a full-blown eating disorder; she was surviving solely on apples and liquids, and using laxatives and enemas on a daily basis to keep her weight down. Her hair was brittle and falling out. Her periods had stopped. She was hallucinating and passing out. Her skeleton, she later found out, was akin to that of a 70-year-old. Former model Victoire Dauxerre has written a book detailing the pressure faced by young models in a market saturated with teenagers and the underweight. Credit:Instagram/victoiredauxerre "It was the worst time of my life," she says. "I was so lonely. Everyone loved me because I was so skinny. I know it's all relative - I was complaining because I was travelling all the time in five-star hotels and wearing Dior. I lost all my friends when I was doing that. But you don't belong to yourself any more, either." After months of behaving like a "robot", turning up to castings barely functional because of hunger, and exhausted from walking everywhere to burn calories instead of taking cabs, enough was enough: Dauxerre quit the industry, beginning by saying no to that Vogue cover. She started eating. But her issues remained unresolved. "When I stopped [modelling], I felt so lonely and ashamed, because I hated my body. I also felt like I'd failed as a model. Big tobacco has exploited a loophole in Australia's world-first plain-packaging laws, which allowed smokers to ditch the now famous drab packaging. The Department of Health has received 1054 individual complaints involving 746 cases since the December 2012 legislation banning tobacco companies from putting their products in anything other than dark olive brown packaging that feature graphic health warnings. Plain packaging laws in Australia are some of the toughest in the world. Credit:Nic Walker Of those cases, 459 were cleared and 135 warning letters were issued, according to figures revealed in a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday, with an ACT retailer receiving the only fine, paying $2040 for "non-compliant cigars". But the department could not say whether Imperial Tobacco, one of the world's biggest tobacco companies, received a warning for producing what it described as a "fresher, premium product" for its Peter Stuyvesant brand which allowed customers to shed the government-mandated packaging and use a plain silver soft pack enclosed inside. When the GWS Giants train on Tom Wills Oval this season, they will be running out from the WestConnex Centre. This week's announcement that the Sydney Motorway Corporation, the publicly funded body responsible for the controversial $17 billion WestConnex motorway project, would sponsor an AFL team have drawn allegations the government is using public money for "cynical" political advertising. The St Peters Interchange that will make up part of Westconnex, shown here in an artist's impression. "By all means the government should support the work sporting clubs do in the community but be upfront about it," said NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley. "This is nothing more than a sneaky attempt to buy some brownie points for WestConnex." The corporation, which is structured as a private entity but funded by taxpayers, is refusing to disclose how much money it is spending on the three-year deal that grants it naming rights to the western Sydney team's training centre. By Press Trust of India: Kolkata, Mar 4 (PTI) Iranian woman architect Leila Araghian, the chief designer and architect of the iconic Tabiat Bridge in Tehran, today said a bridge can be more than just a structural project. "A bridge can just be a simple structural project, connecting two places out of necessity. Or a bridge can be more architecturally sophisticated, having some context with the place," Leila told PTI. She is in the city to attend Connecting Histories, a an international architectural convention organised by CREDAI Bengal and Indian Institute of Architects. "Our project in Tehran falls in the second category. It is a complex cultural project having some activity. The bridge has handrails, lighting, green space, lively interior," she said about the pedestrian bridge, which has won several international awards including the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2016. advertisement Pointing out that the cities are increasingly becoming car-oriented, she said "cars dont give much space to pedestrians. We want to have good quality human environment for everyone." She said rather than the role of an architect, it is the role of everyone - landscape designer, architect, urban planner, civic bodies - to create good quality human environmenmt for pedesrians, not for cars. Leila referred to Florence, Venice and also few Scandinavian countries where some bridges are more than just connecting places. "Bridges can be more than civil structural projects and built with an architectural approach", she said. MORE PTI SUS MM --- ENDS --- There was a chaotic clean-up on the Bruce Highway at Caloundra on Saturday morning after a truck crashed into the median strip, causing heavy traffic delays. In a separate incident, a man in his 20s was killed after a head-on collision between two cars on the Gold Coast about 1.30am. A man in his 20s has been killed in a head-on crash on the Gold Coast while commuters were left frustrated on the Bruce Highway after a truck rollover near Caloundra. Less than two hours later, a truck heading south crashed and rolled just past the Caloundra on-ramp about 3am, causing police to funnel traffic through one lane on each side. The truck driver was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Australian Traffic Network spokeswoman Amelia Oberhardt said southbound traffic was "nasty", with delays stretching back more than five kilometres back to Sippy Downs. Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy's bid to tackle his party's gender gap has been a given a much-needed boost, with a woman finally preselected into a safe Liberal seat ahead of next year's state election. After Liberal preselections in Brighton, Nepean, Narracan and Burwood were all won by men in recent months, 37-year-old Goodyear procurement manager Bridget Vallence bucked the trend when she was chosen on Saturday as the new candidate to replace retiring MP Christine Fyffe in the outer eastern seat of Evelyn. Matthew Guy is wrong on crime. Credit:Paul Jeffers The well-regarded Liberal nudged out a competitive field including Ms Fyffe's son, Scott before eventually beating key rival Grant Hutchinson (who is aligned with controversial Liberal numbers man Marcus Baastian) in the final round, 39 votes to 31. "This sends the right message to the party," one senior parliamentarian told The Sunday Age. "Yes, we need more women, but we also need quality women. This is a great result." Tens of thousands of first home buyers will no longer have to pay stamp duty on properties worth up to $600,000 under an Andrews government plan to make housing more affordable. Long-awaited reforms to be unveiled on Sunday will give new home owners savings of up to $15,000 by exempting them from stamp duty on new and existing properties, in a bid to help more Victorians to break into the expensive housing market. A $50 million pilot program will also give about 400 people the chance to co-purchase a dwelling with the government, which will offer to take an equity share of up to 25 per cent for each property in turn reducing the deposit that a first home buyer would otherwise pay. The so-called "HomesVic" program will begin in January next year, targeting couples earning up to $95,000 and singles earning up to $75,000. Buyers will need a 5 per cent deposit to be eligible, and when the property is sold, the government will recover its share of the equity. Templestowe College has a different approach to the increasingly popular VCE option, which lets students receive the certificate without sitting exams. Illustration: Matt Golding "We don't want this to be a dirty little secret where kids are meant to feel ashamed," Mr Hutton said. "I want to bring it out into the light and present it as a really viable option." He said the move would alleviate stress among students and ensure teaching was focused on learning rather than teaching to a test. He said it would also benefit those who choose the ATAR pathway because they attended extra classes where they learnt how to maximise their performance. Mr Hutton said the ATAR had become "harder and harder" to justify since the uncapping of university places. "Essentially the unis can take as many kids as they can put through," he said. "Perhaps it was fit for purpose once, but why should every kid be subjected to this ranking system when it is only the top 10 to 15 per cent who are being ranked for physio, medicine and dentistry?" Around 15 per cent of students at the school are doing at least one unscored VCE subject, and many of these students will finish without an ATAR. This number is expected to increase. The school encourages these students to take time off after they finish school and then apply to directly to universities. Melanie Martin is the sort of student who probably would have received an ATAR in the '90s. She receive an A-plus average for all her unit 1 and 2 subjects last year, but decided to wave goodbye to the ATAR this year. She is doing the unscored VCE, and hopes to volunteer for the SES when she finishes school before joining the police force. The 16-year-old said her whole approach to school had changed. "It's more enjoyable," she said. "I am remembering things, and going in depth rather than just skimming the surface and learning facts for school-based assessments," she said. The school has also abolished year levels and under a new pilot, Templestowe College student can apply for any course at Swinburne University without an ATAR. The school's move away from the ATAR coincides with universities increasingly looking at different ways of selecting their students. Australian Council for Educational Research's research director in tertiary education, Daniel Edwards, said new approaches to admissions had sprung up since the introduction of the demand-driven system in 2012. He said universities were more open to partnering with schools, and were encouraging mature-age students to apply directly through universities. Dr Edwards said admissions should not just be based on the ATAR, and suggested that universities focus on particular VCE subject scores or offer admissions tests. Victoria University's senior research fellow George Messinis said there was "growing skepticism" about the value of ATARs among employers and some institutions within the tertiary sector. Washington: US President Donald Trump has launched extraordinary accusations against former president Barack Obama, accusing him of "wiretapping" Trump Tower during the US elections. Trump issued the allegations in a series of early morning tweets on Saturday, but offered no evidence to support the allegation. "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!" Trump said. A spokesperson for Obama denied the allegations in a statement: "A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice. A Delhi court on saturday granted bail to Delhi-based Media Exim Pvt. Ltd's director RK Nanda and former Director JB Subramaniyam on furnishing Rs 1 lakh bond each. Delhi court grants bail to two more accused in the VVIP chopper scam By Indo-Asian News Service: A court here on Saturday granted bail to two more accused in the case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore ($528 million) AgustaWestland helicopter deal. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of Delhi-based Media Exim Pvt. Ltd's Director RK. Nanda and former Director JB Subramaniyam on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 1 lakh and sureties of the like amount each. advertisement After considering a supplementary charge sheet in the case, the court had earlier said there were sufficient evidence against Nanda and Subramaniyam under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June last year filed a fresh charge sheet against British national Christian Michel James, Media Exim, Nanda and Subramaniyam in its ongoing money laundering probe into the helicopter deal. MASSIVE KICKBACKS According to the ED, Media Exim is a shell company of James and allegedly incorporated for facilitating transactions of kickbacks paid to James by Finmeccanica, a group firm of AgustaWestland. James allegedly received around Rs 225 crore as kickbacks from AgustaWestland for the deal inked for the purchase of 12 helicopters in the guise of transactions for performing multiple work contracts in the country. The agency is said to have found that of the kickbacks received by James, Rs 6.33 crore was routed to India through his shell company Media Exim from his Dubai-based global services, Free Zone Establishment (FZE). "Nanda and Subramaniyam were appointed Directors of Media Exim Pvt. Ltd., who willingly and knowingly connived with James and helped him in acquiring immovable and movable properties or assets in Delhi, which have already been attached," the ED had said. INTERPOL NOTIFIED ED and CBI had also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against James after a city court issued a non-bailable warrant against him. Investigators said James is currently staying in Dubai. Earlier the court had granted bail to other accused in the case, including former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based lawyer and businessman Gautam Khaitan. The first charge sheet was filed in the case in November 2014 against Gautam Khaitan, his wife Ritu, Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix and Gerosa and Haschke. ALSO READ| Agusta Exclusive: Diaries reveal Euro 16 million bribes to political family ALSO READ| Full text of Agusta middleman Christian Michel's interview to India Today --- ENDS --- Princess Madeleine of Sweden wears the Aquamarine Kokoshnik (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images ) March is the month of the aquamarine, and well be celebrating some of the grandest royal aquamarine tiaras each Saturday this month. Were kicking things off with one of my very favorites: the aquamarine kokoshnik owned by Swedens Princess Margaretha. Princess Madeleine of Sweden wears the tiara at the 2015 Nobel Prize Ceremony (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images ) Its said that this tiara originally belonged to Margarethas grandmother, Margaret of Connaught, who was the first wife of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden. The tiara also has a coordinating aquamarine and diamond brooch. The set was supposedly a later addition to Margarets jewelry collection, not one of her wedding gifts. The maker of the tiara is unknown, although I see similarities in the diadem to pieces made by Koch, a German court jeweler. Both the tiara and the brooch feature absolutely enormous aquamarines; the tiara places delicate lattice-like diamond elements in between the large blue stones to form the traditional kokoshnik shape. Princess Sibylla wears the tiara at her pre-wedding gala in 1932 (Wikimedia Commons) Were probably all familiar with the tragic story of Margaret of Connaughts death, which led to the division of her jewels among her children. If this piece was indeed a part of her collection, it was inherited by her eldest son, Gustaf Adolf, who was expected one day to become king. His wife, Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, debuted the tiara at a ball ahead of their civil wedding in Coburg in 1932. Sibylla wore the aquamarines throughout her lifetime, even after the untimely death of her husband in a 1947 plane crash. She was the de facto first lady of Sweden following the death of Queen Louise, and she was regularly bedecked in jewels. When Princess Sibylla died in 1972, the aquamarines were inherited by her eldest daughter, Princess Margaretha. She had worn the tiara even before Sibyllas death; above, you can see her wearing the tiara in 1964. As a young woman, Margaretha wore the tiara on many occasions, including at the wedding of her youngest sister, Princess Christina, in 1974. Margarethas daughter, named Sibylla for her grandmother, also wore the heirloom tiara for her own wedding to Baron Cornelius von Dincklage in 1998. Princess Margaretha wears the tiara at the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria in 2010 (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images ) After the 1998 wedding, there was a long stretch of time where the aquamarines were not seen in public. Many feared that they had been sold. And then, in June 2010, Princess Margaretha unexpectedly appeared at the wedding of her niece, Crown Princess Victoria, wearing both the aquamarine tiara and the coordinating brooch. The tiara was apparently a last-minute choice for Victorias wedding; in the press release sent out by the royal court detailing the history of the jewels worn by the kings sister, Margaretha was noted as wearing the Baden Fringe Tiara. (She did eventually wear the fringe at a Swedish royal wedding Princess Madeleines nuptials in 2013.) There were persistent rumors, however, the the tiara was sold and that the buyer was Margarethas brother, the king. This theory was bolstered in 2014 when her sister, Princess Christina, wore the tiara at the representatives dinner in Stockholm. Princess Margaretha wears the tiara and brooch at the wedding of Prince Carl Philip in 2015 (Ian Gavan/Getty Images ) However, Princess Christina has said publicly that Margaretha does still own the tiara but now keeps it in the vaults in Sweden with the rest of the Bernadotte jewels, where the rest of the members of the family have access to it. As Margaretha lives a quiet life in the English countryside, it certainly makes much more sense for other members of the family to get more use out of the piece. Margaretha only wears gala jewels these days when she visits Sweden, so the tiara is there for her to use when she wants, as she did for Prince Carl Philips wedding in June 2015. Princess Madeleine wears the tiara at the 2015 Nobel Prize Ceremony (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images ) And Princess Madeleine has done just that: since December 2015, she has worn her aunts tiara at the Nobel Prize ceremony, at a tea party for sick children, in an official portrait, and for a state banquet. Note: This is an updated version of an earlier post, with new text and images. Ever since Donald Trumps shock election victory, Bill Maher has welcomed all matter of right-wing trolls to his HBO show Real Time. There was Tomi Lahren, who was out of her depth; Piers Morgan, who got his ass handed to him by a C-list comedian; and Milo Yiannopoulos, who managed to manipulate his hostthat is, before resigning from his Breitbart post in disgrace. This week brought Jeffrey Lord, CNNs most embarrassing Trump fanatic. Lord, a former Reagan administration staffer, has made a career out of cognitive dissonance and logical fallacies. His most famously absurd argument, and one that he repeats ad nauseum, is that the Democrats should apologize for their part in slavery, Jim Crow, and the KKK, while conveniently overlooking the fact that the Republican Party absorbed the majority of these racist Southern Democrats via Nixon and Goldwaters southern strategy. Since 2013, Lord has been one of Trumps biggest media cheerleaders, obfuscating and qualifying every outrageous thing his dearest leader does. More of a serf, really. On Friday nights Real Time, it was more of the same. And Maher wasnt having it. He started off with the upper hand, though. Lord, using his trademark loose logic, sought to explain Trumps support by homing in on Hillary Clintons basket of deplorables comment, claiming that people in the media look down on them and basically have contempt for them, and they look at Donald Trump as somebody that can go out there, and stand up, and dish it right back. Clinton, for the uninitiated, said that half of Trumps supporters belong in a basket of deplorables, painting them as racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it. It was a boneheaded statement and one that Trump seized on, saying it showed her true contempt for everyday Americans by writing off nearly half the country. Of course, half of Trumps supporters constitute around 31.5 million peopleor 9.6 percent of the countrybut the damage was done. The real fireworks concerned Russia, and this weeks revelation that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had not only conducted two undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador during the electionwhile the Russians were reportedly hacking the DNCbut also appeared to have lied about it to Congress under oath during his nomination process. I dont think you did catch Jeff Sessions in a lie, Lord told Maher. I read today, again, the specific questions asked to him by Senator Al Franken and Senator Patrick Leahy, and it was in reference to a CNN story, as a matter of fact. That was the reference. He was talking about the CNN story. He was not talking about had he ever met Russians period. That is half-correct. While Frankens initial query began with the CNN report, it concluded with: If there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do? Sessions replied, Senator Franken, Im not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I didnt havedid not have communications with the Russians, and Im unable to comment on it. Sessions, oddly enough, offered up that he did not have communications with the Russians even though it wasnt asked of himwhich Maher hastened to point out. He wasnt even asked that question! He just volunteered I never met with the Russians. And then he met with the Russians twice. Why do you think he recused himself? He got caught, said Maher. Lord then claimed he would absolutely be in favor of an investigation into Trump-Russia ties if anybody could show me if the Russians got into any voting machine anywhere in America, adding patronizingly, Thats how you hack an election, Bill. No, no. Thats one way you can hack an election. You can manipulate the votes in other ways, replied Maher, before getting serious. Lets not play games here, Mr. Lord. I like you and I heard youre a very nice guy, but dont bullshit me. There are other ways you can affect an election, and one of them is to hack the emails of one sideone sideand release those as a slow drip-drip-drip-drip. You know what could clear so much up? added Maher. If Donald Trump would release his tax returns. Why doesnt he release his tax returns, as every other president has done in my lifetime? It seems like a slap in the face of the American people, and also it seems like hes hiding something. Indeed, every elected president since Richard Nixon (who wasnt exactly aboveboard) has released their tax returns in an effort to be transparent to the public. Trumps opponent, Hillary Clinton, released hers during the campaign, but Trump has broken with tradition in refusing to release his. Jeffrey Lord is, of course, totally fine with thisas he is with all things Trump. I dont think he should ever release his tax returns. Weve had presidents in the United States from George Washington to Lyndon Johnson whove never released a single tax return. Was Franklin Roosevelt a bad president because he didnt release his tax returns? I dont think so. I just think its at this stage irrelevant, said Lord, who really just referenced George Washington never releasing his tax returns when the first personal income tax was introduced by Abraham Lincoln. It is so not irrelevant and you know its not irrelevant! Be honest with me, sir. Just be honest with me, sir, and Ill be your best friend, pleaded Maher. This becomes a political gotcha game. I mean, if he releases, theyll say, oh, he did this, he did this. We need to get the country moving again, right? asked Lord. Not if the country is being led by someone who was put there by a foreign power, fired back Maher, alluding to Russian hacking. I certainly would deny that, Lord responded. Maher then cited the Oct. 7 joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which concluded, The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process. Lord denied that the intelligence community made the aforementioned conclusionone that was backed up by a 13-page Joint Analysis Report (PDF) from the DHS and FBI, as well as a Jan. 6 intelligence report claiming that Vladimir Putin and Russia tried to help Trump by discrediting Hillary Clintonand even referred to WikiLeaks as Wikipedia, before claiming that hes for an investigation. If that werent enough, Maher grilled Lord about Trumps admiration for Putin, referencing how Putins approval rating stood at a lowly 12 percent pre-Trump, and is now hovering around 32 percent. The satirist brought up a recent Newsweek story asserting that Putin has poisoned at least 30 people, to which Lord reacted, Not like Stalin or Franklin Roosevelt, though, who murdered millions. Yes, rather than agree that its bad for Putin to allegedly poison multiple people, Lord chose to redirect blame onto FDR. Were not doing that now, shot back Maher. Are we fighting Hitler?! If I am there when Grace dances, I dance, wrote poet W.H. Auden about partaking of the spirit of the moment. My own riff might be: If I am there when holiday foods are being eaten, I eat. By doing so I feel a rather loose link to ancient traditions, especially as I take religion with a grain of salt or, at this season, sugar. Had I remembered, for example, that March 1 was St. Davids Day in Wales, I would have ordered leeks vinaigrette, either with toasted almonds at Vaucluse or with walnuts at Le Coucou as finding Welsh cock-a-leekie soup might not be possible. (Why leeks? The vegetable honors St. David because in the 7th century he is said to have advised Briton soldiers to wear the oniony stalks in their caps as a way to distinguish themselves from their Saxon enemies on the battlefield.) There are, of course, many savory holiday foods especially with Passover and Easter in the offing, both of which are marked one way or another with spring greens, eggs, and lambsigns of springtime and renewal. But right now, and through the Easter season, sweet is the flavor of observance and buns are the iconic holiday foods of many cultures. I am determined to find at least one of each, starting with a hot cross bun, that light, sweet yeasty bread studded with candied fruits. The little domed delicacies are glazed to shiny temptation and are marked with a cross of sugar white frosting. As lovely with morning coffee as with afternoon tea or a glass of white wine, hot cross buns are a Shrove or Fat Tuesday tradition in England. This year they are being celebrated in London by the estimable chef Fergus Henderson at his St. John Bakery and several other of his outposts with Bite My Buns parties. For the most part, the other buns are variations of what might best be described as crullers or doughnuts with variations in form and fillings. Most are fried, a custom that is said to date back to a time when, at the arrival of spring, cooks tried to use up the leftover cooking oils and fats saved during the winter. The best-known example of that group in America is the humble jelly doughnut, a big, fist-sized yeast bun filled with jam such cherry, raspberry, or apricot, and liberally dusted with sugar. A descendant of the German Berliner pfannkuchen, which is at this season called either fastnachtkuchen or faschingkrapfen, honoring either Fastnacht, Fat Tuesday, or the bust-out pre-Lenten carnival, Fasching. Stylishly trimmed down and a bit more compact in form, the eggy, spongey, cinnamon-scented Portuguese malasadas are Mardi Gras favorites as are the much-loved Polish paczki (PAN-tshki), a much more tightly wrapped, fried crunchy cruller, which at this season is likely to be filled with fragrant rose petal jam instead of the usual fruit preserves. The bakery of A. Blikle in Warsaw is most famous for pasczki. Thats a long way to go for a pastry even for me, but maybe I can find some at a Polish bakery no farther away than Brooklyn. Perhaps the richest and most elegant of all such buns are those made throughout Scandinavia and called semlor in Sweden and variations of fastelavnsboller in other Nordic countries. These slightly flat, puffy buns are baked, not fried, and are split to be filled with almond paste and, for good measure, cloudlets of whipped cream. At their most traditional in Sweden, the cardamom scented semlor are served in bowls and set adrift in a little vanilla-flavored warm milk. The Jewish springtime celebration of Purim offers two iconic pastries. Eastern European or Ashkenazic Jews order hamantaschen, the crisp triangular baked pastries filled most traditionally with poppy seeds, known as mun, or the velvety thick clove-accented black prune jam, known as lekvar. These days, however, that filling may be chocolate, or other types of jam or even ecumenically with dolce de leche. As Purim marks the downfall and defeat of the anti-Semitic tyrant Haman, some say the form of hamantaschen refers to his tri-cornered hat, but in fact, in both German and Yiddish, a taschen is a pocket, so who knows? All I know is that these treats are delectable. Sephardic Jews, of mainly Spanish and Portuguese descent, prefer orejas de Haman, or Hamans ears, that are more or less delectably chewy ear-shaped knots of fried dough glazed with orangey honey. Both Greeks and Italians set Easter breakfast tables with sweet yeast breads braided around colored eggs, basket-style. For the Greeks that date this year will be April 16th, which is when Orthodox Easter falls on the lunar calendar. This season, is also when Russians order up their lavish two-part treat, pashka and kulich, always served and eaten together. Paskha is a tower or cube of soft white cheese studded with candied fruits and blended with egg yolks and cream. It is meant to be spread on slices of kulich, a tall tower of sweet bread, much like a colorfully iced panettone. Sides of both are marked in red frosting with the letters XB symbolic of the Easter greeting, Christ has risen. Early on Easter morning, both are carried to church in baskets to be blessed by priests, and only then can they appear on the festive breakfast table. Naturally, all this talk has made me hungry. Now is the time to bite some buns! Days after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a Pentagon agency was given a top-secret assignment to come up with technology to protect the president. What they looked atfrom gassing bystanders to arming Secret Service agents with nonlethal squirt gunswas a lesson in the futility of perfect security. Imagine angry protesters surrounding President Donald Trumps motorcade as it heads down Fifth Avenue in New York. Now, imagine Secret Service agents spraying a gas that instantly pacifies those protesters; the hostility melts away and the crowd is suddenly docile. In late 1963, just weeks after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, scientists taking part in a top-secret Pentagon project came up with just such an outlandish proposal, as well as many others, including a squirt gun that could incapacitate bystanders. The proposal to gas crowds, however, was perhaps the most bizarre. There also exists a need for a system which would make an unfriendly crowd become friendly almost instantaneously, read the classified report by a Pentagon contractor. This goes beyond the desire to divert a crowd, as could be done by the prompt and generous use of cash money. The possible use of gasses, sound, lights and other chemical biological or psychological agents to achieve such a change as well as other attributes they might possess for crowd control will require further study. The military division that sponsored this research was the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which was founded in 1958 to help get America into space. Though better known today as the agency that laid the groundwork for the internet, stealth aircraft, and drones, DARPA also played a key role in a number of highly classified projects in the 1960s, including a secret plan to develop technology to protect the president of the United States from assassination. Until today, the only public references to this project was a single brief footnote in an obscure 1975 report, and a brief mention by former Rand Corporation analyst Anthony Russo, who helped Daniel Ellsberg leak the Pentagon Papers. Russo called the presidential protection work particularly special, noting that its classification is higher than top secret. He revealed nothing else about it, however. But on Nov. 21, 2013, just one day short of the 50th anniversary of Kennedys death, in response to my Freedom of Information Act Request, the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland, declassified and released a majority of the files related to this project. A subsequent FOIA lawsuit I won against the Defense Department, as well as interviews I conducted for a new book covering the history of DARPA, provided more details. What those records and interviews reveal is a project that explored ideas ranging from the ambitious to the outrageous. While certainly not all of the proposals came to fruition, DARPAs project was a bellwether for the massive rise of presidential protection, from high-tech armored automobiles to aircraft with elaborate countermeasures. It was also an early lesson in understanding how over-the-top the business of protecting the president could get. *** The Friday night Kennedy was assassinated, Robert Sproull, the newly appointed director of DARPA, had dinner with his two deputies, Robert Frosch and Charles Herzfeld. It was a somber evening, Frosch recalled, and consisted of the three normally loquacious scientists eating in silence, with each occasionally interjecting the repeated statement, The presidents been shot. The assassination laid bare the shortcomings in presidential protection. The midnight-blue presidential limousine that carried Kennedy to his death had blue mouton rugs and lap robes with hand-embroidered presidential seals. On bad weather days, a protective bubbletop made of plastic panels allowed the public a clear view of the president. The car was even outfitted with a hydraulic rear seat that could elevate the president. The bubbletop wasnt necessary in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, when temperatures reached the low 70s. The limousine traveled in the motorcade with its top down, though it wouldnt have made much difference either way. The four-door Lincoln Continental convertible fit the image of Camelot, but the vehicle offered no protection against the bullets that ripped through Kennedy, killing him instantly. Secret Service agents at the time of the assassination were little more than armed bodyguards. The commander in chief needed better protection, starting with the presidential limousine, but Secret Service agents had no experience developing, or even buying, armored vehicles. The Defense Department did, however, and so within days of the assassination, the White House turned to the Pentagon for help, and the Pentagon turned to the scientists at DARPA. Word comes down from Harold Browns office, it was the director of defense research and engineering, at the time, that somebody in the White House, though it was never clear whether it was the president or someone else, thinks something should be done about a better armored limousine, Frosch, DARPAs deputy director at the time, recalled. Even at five years old, DARPA was already regarded in the Pentagon as an agency that could quickly solve complex problems. Need an agency to develop a worldwide network of seismic sensors to detect secret Soviet nuclear tests? DARPA could do it. The agency also had a fast-growing classified program in counterinsurgency focused on Southeast Asia. The work, focused on the growing conflict in Vietnam, gave the agency experience researching potential anti-assassination technologies ranging from vehicle armor to sniper detection. So, on the Monday after Kennedy was killed, DARPA was told to start looking for ways to protect the president. The first order of business was keeping the project secret. The newly sworn-in Lyndon Johnson was going to be running for reelection soon, and he wasnt interested in anything that would make it look like he was cowering behind bulletproof glass. If Johnson found out about an entire project dedicated to protecting the president, hed be furious. We couldnt possibly let the project be known, recalled Sproull. As soon as it became known, it would be killed, and that was complicated because ordinary security isnt enough. You know the Pentagon leaks like a sieve. So, how are we going to keep it quiet? DARPA officials were known for breaking rules, or at least bending them. When Sproull, a university physicist, accepted the job as director, he used his personal sailboat to travel to Washington, D.C., charging the government mileage as if he were driving his car. Under his leadership, DARPA did everything from equipping Vietnamese soldiers with technologies to fight in the jungles to pursuing a computer network that would lay the foundations of the modern internet. But conducting a presidential protection program hidden from the president himself took DARPA to an entirely new level. The project needed to be conducted in strict secrecy, so it was attached to DARPAs counterinsurgency office, which was already highly classified. Putting it there was a way of keeping the research below the radar, while also taking advantage of the agencys experience in unconventional warfare. Even so, within a few weeks of starting, Kermit Gordon, the powerful director of the U.S. Bureau of the Budget, got word of the nascent project and demanded a meeting with the Pentagons Harold Brown, who brought along the DARPA director. Gordon, a normally staid bureaucrat, was in shock. He just kept repeating that if President Johnson found out about DARPAs work, they would all lose their jobs, even Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. As the low man on that totem pole, the DARPA director was the most expendable. I was no problem, but Kermit Gordon was thinking of his own head, sure, Sproull recalled. Brown, who like Sproull was a physicist, calmly explained his position to Gordon, laying out what DARPA was doing to keep the project quiet and small. Well, Kermit, what do we do? Brown finally asked. Gordon sighed and replied: Well, I think therere only two things possible. One is we shut up the shop this afternoon, not tomorrow, but this afternoon. Or, the other is, we go over [Johnsons] head. I suggest we go over his head. The governments White House budget director had just proposed they go over the newly sworn in presidents head. And thats exactly what happened: DARPA embarked on a project to protect the president, without the presidents approval, or even knowledge. A formal memo from Browns office on Dec. 3, 1963 laid out DARPAs broad assignment. DARPA was to help immediately armor the presidential limousine, and then brainstorm ideas for other technologies and strategies to protect the commander in chief. By the end of December, the work was given the formal name, Project Star, short for Strategic Threat Analysis and Research. Privately, however, Brown, took to calling it Operation Barn Door, because, as Harold Frosch put it, thats what you [close] after the horses have already escaped. *** Project Star was launched with a few hastily arranged meetings between White House and DARPA officials. The immediate priority was Operation Quick Fix, which involved the armoring of the presidential automobile. Amazingly, even though the original automobile was regarded as a crime scene, and briefly impounded by Chief Justice Earl Warren as part of his commission to investigate the assassination, the Secret Service was intent on returning that same vehicle to service. The main difficulty was adding sufficient armor to protect against bullets, but not so much weight that the entire chassis would have to be redesigned. In the end, the cars lower doors were armored with titanium alloy plates, and steel was placed on the floor. It turned out to be more difficult to redesign the bubble top with curved glass. It took several attempts to manufacture the bulletproof glass, without it cracking. DARPA was also assigned primary responsibility for designing the follow-on automobiles, and to find ways to help ensure the presidents security while traveling, whether in his official car, on a helicopter, or while giving a speech. DARPA would, in essence, be the go-to agency for technical ideas on security. Just a month into the project, however, DARPA was butting heads with the Treasury Department, which at the time was in charge of the Secret Service. DARPA officials were frustrated with their counterparts lack of technical expertise, which often led agents to propose weapons that sounded like they were inspired by a Roadrunner cartoon. For example, the Treasury Departments Law Enforcement Coordinator, Arnold Sagalyn, began to hound DARPA for a nonlethal weapon that would immediately disable a potential assassin. Sagalyn, a former assistant to famed American prohibition agent Elliot Ness, knew a lot about murder, prostitution, and organized crime, but not much about weapons technology. Sagalyn seemed to think new technology could be developed in weeks, much to the frustration of DARPA officials, who knew that designing such weapons might take years. DARPA looked at the options, and found that sound weapons couldnt reliably disable people, tear gas couldnt be directed at a single individual, and most of the other options either had too short a range or were unreliable. In one handwritten memo, DARPAs Col. Harry Tabor, who was in charge of Star, sarcastically griped that Sagalyn was disappointed that we had not yetin the several weeks we have been in contact with himproduced and tested an effective non-lethal weapon for control of individuals and crowds. DARPA officials did test some of the weapons the Treasury Department had in mind, like a ninja-inspired billy club with a stabbing end that projected out at high speed. It turned out to be comically bad, particularly if you consider a Secret Service agent trying to use it against a would-be assassin. Either the club collapsed after several uses, or the users lost their grip. Other proposed weapons, like an aerosol gun that dispensed tear gas, risked disabling the agent using the weapon if he or she hadnt donned a gas mask ahead of time. At one point, DARPA, at the Secret Services request, paid for the development of a high-powered squirt gun that was designed to disable a single person in a crowd. The gun would fire a high-power stream of liquid containing capsicum, the active ingredient in tear gas. Getting the liquid to go out in a relatively concentrated stream beyond 20 feet was difficult (and if someone was indeed an imminent threat to the president, the more likely weapon of choice for any Secret Service agent would be a regular gun). The frustration went both ways, however. The Treasury Department mocked DARPAs James Bond-inspired suggestions, like a proposal to electrify the chrome strips of the presidential limousine to prevent crowds from overturning the vehicle. An armored vehicle would be too heavy to overturn anyhow, the Treasury Department pointed out. For technical expertise, DARPA turned to some of its trusted contractors, including Rand Corp., best known for ruminating on nuclear Armageddon. The contractors came up with some proposalssuch as gassing unfriendly crowdsthat never made it off the drawing board. Other concepts of more technical promisesuch as creating a metal screen of rotating rods that would deflect bullets while still allowing visibility of the presidentwere deemed impractical. Project Star also included brainstorming sessions that produced ideas that ranged from the obvious, like having the president wear body armor, to the far-fetched, like a mirage producing system that involved heating the air or gas around the president to change the index of refraction (in other words distorting light, which would make it harder for an assassin to take aim). Some suggested tactics failed the proverbial snicker test, such as having the president continuously move about when in the car, or use armor disguised as a sunshade, which might require spreading false weather reports to justify its use. One proposal examined under Star was to have a continuous stream of air flowing in front of the presidents speaker stand. It was thought this airflow might slightly deflect bullets or other projectiles, at least enough to protect the president from a direct hit. Simple calculations showed that the air stream would have a minimal effect on anything except tomatoes, and even then, the scientists predicted the tomato thrower would be able to correct his or her aim by the second or third throw. On the other hand, a variation of that idea, to have a continuous air stream directed at flags positioned behind the president, was adopted, recalled Harold Brown. The rationale was that a waving flag background could confuse a shooters aim, he wrote me, when I emailed him recently about Project Star. How that has worked out in theory or practice I have no idea. *** By the fall of 1964, DARPA officials were frustrated with constant pestering from the Treasury Department. The Secret Service wanted nifty gadgets and futuristic weapons, and DARPAs scientists wanted to take an analytical approach to presidential protection. No one seemed to agree on the overall goal of the project. Was it technology development? Was it threat analysis? Call off Star, read one plaintive handwritten note, in DARPAs project files. Project Star burned out on its own the following year. At that point, DARPAs contributions included its work on the Quick Fix presidential limousine, the design of the two second-generation automobiles, upgrades to the presidential helicopter, some two-dozen classified studies covering various aspects of presidential security, and the squirt gun. Though the squirt guns were delivered in 1965, the Project Star files note they were misplaced, and apparently never used. Perhaps the most important lesson of Star, as one Rand analyst working for DARPA noted, is that perfect security is not always the desirable goal. If you let the Ppresident roam free with no protection or restrictions, his chance of survival for any extended length of time would be nil, the analyst wrote. On the other hand, to minimize the risk of assassination, the President should be kept in a lead-lined box buried several thousand feet underground; but he would then have zero ability to perform his job. Today, the president travels with massive advance teams, motorcades with sophisticated countermeasures, not to mention heavily armed Secret Service agents. The irony of Project Star is that almost nothing DARPA or its contractors proposed (short of spraying civilians with a happy gas) was as ambitious as the presidential security complex that emerged over the past half century. Even with their imaginations set free, the nations military scientists never dreamed of a security bubble as elaborate as the one that protects the president today. As for DARPA, its modest contributions to presidential security were largely forgotten, buried in secrecy. On the other hand, its counterinsurgency office, to which the project was attached, expanded rapidly over the next decade. Among other technological novelties, DARPA sponsored an armed drone designed to identify and kill individual Vietc Cong fighters. DARPA may not have done much to prevent presidential assassination, but ironically, the progeny of its drone work, the Predator, eventually became one of the most effective tools of targeted killing in modern history. Excerpted from The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World by Sharon Weinberger, published by Knopf. Copyright 2017. So, how could then-Senator Jeff Sessions NOT have asked Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about Russian hacking when they met on Sept. 8? After all, it was widely known by then that the Russians had committed the cyber equivalent of the Watergate burglary. As a senator, as a Trump supporter, as a patriotic American, Sessions had the duty to challenge the ambassador about Russias efforts to influence and therefore undermine the American electoral process. Imagine if Sessions were still a prosecutor and he had reason to believe that he was sitting down with a member of a burglary ring and failed to challenge the man. As he recounted at this weeks press conference where he announced his recusal from any investigation into Russian hacks, Sessions and two of his senior staffersboth retired Army colonelsdid discuss several matters with the ambassador during the visit. We listened to the ambassador and what his concerns might be, Sessions said. It was just normal things. Sessions reported that he did not recall a lot of what was said, But I do remember saying Id gone to Russia with a church group in 1991, and he said he was not a believer himself but he was glad to have church people come there. Indeed, I thought he was pretty much of an old-style Soviet-type ambassador. Sessions added that he had also talked a little bit about terrorism as I recall and somehow the subject of the Ukraine came up. I had had the Ukraine ambassador in my office the day before. Russia had unquestionably violated Ukraines sovereignty and broken international law, but Kislyak insisted his country was completely in the right. And to listen to him Russia had done nothing that was wrong in any area, and everybody else was wrong with regard to the Ukraine, Sessions reported. Sessions had apparently suggested otherwise. It got to be a little bit of a testy conversation at that point, he allowed. Yet Sessions does not seem even to have mentioned, much less challenged, the Russians transgression against American sovereignty as well as violation of international law by taking a cyber axe to the underpinnings of our democracy. A paranoid person might think that Sessions did not want to discuss the hacking in front of the two colonels, who are presumably paragons of patriotism. Or, maybe Sessions simply shared Trumps view, which the future president had expressed in July, when he engaged in some Trumpian near-humor and said he HOPED the Russians would find Hillary Clintons 30,000 missing emails. Is it possible that Sessions would feel compelled to speak up for Ukrainian sovereignty but not for American sovereignty? Theres an old Ukrainian saying, Buvaye, shcho j korova litaye, meaning Cows also happen to fly. A Department of Justice spokeswoman said nothing at all when asked via email why Sessions had apparently not even mentioned the hacking to the ambassador. Sessions can be excused not broaching the subject when he and Kislyak met briefly in more public circumstances on July 18, the first day of the Republican convention. But you have to wonder about him when you consider what he said later in the month on CNN. This whole problem with Russia is really disastrous for America, for Russia and for the world, he said. Donald Trump is right. We need to figure out a way to end this cycle of hostility thats putting this country at risk, costing us billions of dollars in defense, and creating hostilities. And the September meeting was in the privacy of Sessionss senate office. They had plenty of time to discuss whatever Sessions deemed important. On Jan. 10, Sessions failed to mention the meeting at all when he testified under oath during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination for attorney general. Senator Al Franken asked him about reports of contacts between Trump surrogates and people connected to the Russian government. I did not have communications with the Russians, and Im unable to comment on it, Sessions said. In light of this weeks revelations that Sessions had in fact met at least twice with the Russian ambassador, some have suggested that our new attorney general might have committed perjury. He has rightfully recused himself from the wider and still widening investigation into Russian efforts to influence the election. President Trump is standing by Sessions, and engaged in a little more Trumpian near-humor when he tweeted an old photo of Senator Chuck Schumer having a Krispy Kreme donut with Vladimir Putin at a Lukoil station when the Russian president was visiting New York. We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite! the president said. Meanwhile, almost nobody who lies to Congress gets criminally charged. A famous 1994 photo shows the top executives of the tobacco industry in a line, solemnly swearing to tell the truth just before they testified that they believed cigarettes are not addictive and do not cause cancer. They were not even indicted as their product continued to kill people by the thousands. There seems to be next to no chance that Sessions will end up behind bars even if he was lying. Unless a cow flies. Jenna Jameson is once again the talk of the porn industry. An icon with close to 200 adult films under her belt, Jameson is still idolized by many women getting their start in the biz. But there will never be another Jenna. The former Queen of Porn has achieved more mainstream recognition than any female porn star, despite remarking at the 2008 AVN Awards, Ill never, ever, ever spread my legs again in this industry. Ever. While shaming the adult industry is apparently forgivable, a series of alt-right social media tirades has forced even Jamesons most ardent supporters in the XXX world to reexamine the woman whos come to represent it. Since the start of her conversion to the Jewish faith, a journey she embarked on in order to marry her shady Israeli jeweler/fiance Lior Bitton, Jameson has adopted a fierce and public anti-Islam stance, ranting against Muslims online and clapping back at those in disagreement. She regularly shares stories and videos about the alleged havoc wreaked by adherents of Islam from dubious far-right sites like the pro-Trump agitprop outlet Breitbart and conspiracy theory forum Infowars, along with bigoted replies from her army of close to 700,000 Twitter followers. Her XXX industry defenders, who would mostly like to remain nameless, point out that the terror of ISIS hits a bit close to home for Jameson, who is eight months pregnant with Bittons baby. She tweeted: My husband is a morrocan Jew his family was forced from morocco by the escalating violent Muslim climate there. But then there was the time Jameson made headlines for her apparent defense of the KKK. Jameson tweeted: Do the klu klux klan follow a religion that orders the death of apostates? When was the last time we saw a klan member blow up infidels? Shortly after her alleged defense of the KKK, Jameson followed it up with another tweet clearly not in favor of the Klan, or Democrats: Yes, and thank god theyve been all but eradicated and forced into obscurity no thanks to the democrats who created them. (The KKK was affiliated with the Southern Democrats, but those people were mostly absorbed into the Republican Party following the implementation of Nixon and Goldwaters southern strategy.) Jameson claims it was all a misunderstanding in the service of defending her family. She explained to The Daily Beast, Another Twitter follower compared ISIS to the KKK and I responded with facts. Saying I defend an organization that wants the death of all Jews is wrong. I am Jewish and so is my family. Nonetheless, many who revered her as an outlaw-idol of porn now find her tirades on Twitter shocking. Shes progressively gotten more aggressive and I feel like shes trying to be controversial, says 21-year-old porn star Janice Griffith. Being a sex worker people look down on us, were stereotyped and put into these rigid boxes of who they think we are and what we do, and now shes doing that to other people. I expected better from her. Before entering porn almost four years ago, Griffith looked up to Jameson, admiring her shrewd business acumen and the space she carved out for herself, but now says she feels bad for her. I try to stay away from the crazy, I dont follow Jenna Jameson or Trump, says Griffith, whos changed her Twitter handle to janice hates trump to weed out the undesirables. Arguing politics on social media is an exhausting waste of time for adult film actress Richelle Ryan, who says she learned her lesson after putting her two cents in during the election. When I came out and posted a couple of tweets supporting Trump I had so much backlash! It was so stressful to constantly defend myself, so I applaud anybody that can dish it back, says Ryan. Before she entered porn ten years ago, Ryan was an exotic dancer by the name Jenna, paying homage to her idol. And Ryans admiration for the former porn goddess hasnt dissipated. She has a lot of balls. I respect anyone that comes out and speaks his or her mind, says Ryan. Its extremely draining to argue with people over politics because youre not going to win. We all have our own views. Its that lack of restraint that one of her old colleagues remembers most about her. As fellow contract girls for Wicked Pictures in the mid-90s, former adult actress Serenity (who left the industry over 12 years ago) encountered Jameson frequently over the yearson the same sets, signing at the same conventions, and attending the same meetings. The Jenna I knew back then wasnt so political but I dont find it surprising or out of character. Thats just Jenna, Serenity tells The Daily Beast. Jenna is a flamboyant personality. Its why she was separated from the pack. Yet, some may wonder how its possible to respect Jamesons public defense of Milo Yiannopoulos, an alt-right fellow traveler who was forced to resign in disgrace from his perch at Breitbart after video emerged of him defending hebephilia. Jameson tells The Daily Beast that she does not condone Milos comments, but empathizes with him. I think people were quick to judge and label him without realizing he was a victim of sexual abuse, says Jameson. Having been a victim myself, I know people can deal with the pain of victimization with callousness. Shes had a lot of pain in her life, notes Serenity. It wouldnt surprise me if that were coming through on some of her stances. The 42-year-old ex-porn star clearly appears happy to embrace the controversy of her alt-right views. She idolizes Ann Coulter (I want to be her when I grow up) and the illuminati-obsessed Paul Joseph Watson, has called Iran a cancer, regularly shares anti-Muslim scare stories, and even tweets anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about George Soros funding cabals of liberals (the irony is apparently lost on her). She even trolled Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who is a Muslim, into blocking her on Twitterbefore declaring him anti semetic for doing so. Jamesons attacks on outsiders are rubbing the porn industry the wrong way, especially when so many women in porn understand what it feels like to be marginalized firsthand. Its shocking that someone who has represented the adult industry can be so intolerant. Born in Serbia, and then raised in a Serbian community in Canada, it wasnt until her teens that Nina Kayy relocated to the United States. Kayy, a 28-year-old adult actress, no longer looks up to Jameson and finds her controversial outbursts on social media disturbing. Shes a minority too: shes a woman and she was an adult performer. Shes also been harassed so I dont understand why she cant relate to other minorities, says Kayy. For me, its very important to not be complicit when it comes to race, bigotry or homophobia. You have to be active in fighting it. Identifying as neither Democrat nor Republican, Kayy says she simply has a problem with hate. I dont want to make excuses for her. Shes an adult woman with her own agency. She didnt grow up in a privileged environment. She was stripping as a teenager and her last name was inspired by a bottle of whiskey. She didnt have a perfect life so I dont know why she feels so privileged, says Kayy. Her comments are extremely ignorant and its disturbing to see hate speech like that from someone who should know better. She is allowed to have an opinion but we also have to call her out when its hateful and offensive. As a fellow mother, Alana Evans, vice president of APAG (Adult Performers Actors Guild) and an active porn star, understands that being pregnant can be stressful and worries about Jamesons condition. When youre pregnant you cant always do other things, but its not healthy for a woman in this stage of her pregnancy to be engaging in arguments with people, says Evans. I would love to come over, turn the phone off, rub her belly and say its okay, were not going to talk to anyone until these babies are out because shes gone off the deep end. Meanwhile, not everyone is surprised to see that Jameson has embraced the corrosiveness of the alt-right. Nothings changed, says her ex-husband Brad Armstrong. Shes not news shes a cautionary tale. Conventional wisdom locates the origins of Americas bizarre gun culture in the experiences of frontiersmen on the fault lines of civilization, and sturdy yeoman farmers who formed the nucleus of all the colonial militias and the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. Out of the trials of the frontier experience and the War for Independence, historian Richard Hofstadter tells us in a much-celebrated 1970 essay, America as a Gun Culture, the idea gradually took hold in the national consciousness that citizens unfettered access to guns was a vital counterpoise to the tyrannies that plagued the peoples of the Old World, especially those perpetrated by self-aggrandizing kings and standing armies. The prominent role firearms played in Euro-Americans seizure of the continent from its indigenous inhabitants, especially the iconic flintlock musket, the Winchester repeating rifle, and the Colt 45 caliber revolver, went far in cementing the myth that real Americans have always been prepared to defend their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of firearms. The gun culture in America today draws much of its sustenance from this myth-encrusted, flagrantly politically incorrect version of our past, as well as from an eclectic array of gun-toting heroes and anti-heroes, whose willingness to pull the trigger when the going gets tough appears to set them free from the mundanities and petty frustrations that loom so large in contemporary American life. By Press Trust of India: Kollam/Thiruvanathapuram, Mar 4 (PTI) The mortal remains of a jawan, who was found dead after a sting video on the "abuse" of buddy system in the army, were laid to rest here after a fresh autopsy was conducted following insistence of his family, who raised doubts over this demise. Earlier, the body of the 33-year-old jawan, Roy Mathew, was brought to Thiruvanathapuram, the state capital, from Maharashtra by a flight this morning. advertisement Mathew was found hanging from the ceiling of a room in an abandoned barrack in Deolali cantonment in Maharashtras Nasik on Thursday. His relatives refused to accept that he would have ended his life. Alleging that there were marks of beating on his feet and blood had clotted in some parts, his relatives, including wife Finy, refused to accept the body until a fresh post-mortem was conducted in Kerala. Following the plea of the family, a re-post-mortem was conducted at the Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital after which the body was taken to Karuvelil in Ezhukon in Kollam district for the final journey. Hundreds of people offered tributes to the soldier as the coffin draped in the Indian Tricolour was kept for public homage. The funeral was held later at a local church. Earlier, the family alleged that disrespect was shown to the body as it was left unattended in a trolley for nearly half an hour at the airport. Finy, who was at the airport to receive his mortal remains, said, "I need to get justice. I want to know how it happened. I want to see him." Relatives have alleged that there were injury marks on his body. Mathew had gone missing on February 25 after he purportedly figured in an expose by a news portal on the "abuse" in the orderly system in the army. Army has said it had not questioned Mathew after the video surfaced, which showed soldiers, working as sahayaks, walking dogs of senior army officials or taking their children to school. Mathew had joined the army 13 years ago and was working as artillery gunner with the Rocket Regiment 214 in Nasik camp since the last one year. KPCC President V M Sudheeran laid a wreath on the body before it was taken to his home town, over 70 km from Thiruvanathpuram. PTI UD BN ARK --- ENDS --- Our country is in a crisis that threatens to set us back 400 years. I know this sounds dramatic, and I am not talking about politics, Im talking about reversing the Age of Reason, which ushered in a period of unprecedented intellectual, economic, and social growth. The Enlightenment, as it is also called, drew a line in the sand between rumor and fact, between testable hypotheses and anecdote, and between demonstrable facts and nonsense. Prior to the Age of Reason, people who heard voices in their heads might have been drowned or burned at the stake as witches; by the 20th century we had identified a biological disease that causes this (schizophrenia) and developed drugs to treat it. The Age of Reason led us to the germ theory of disease, penicillin, andalthough it took a while and is still not ubiquitouswomens rights, child labor laws, and a reduction in racism. And, until the last few months, it allowed we citizens to engage in constructive discussion with elected officials about public policy matters, based on facts. It has allowed a free and independent press, with trained investigative journalists, to help us understand what is true and what is not. If the current administration brands as fake facts they find inconvenient, it undermines the entire political system. If we are going to throw out facts as a prerequisite to discussion, we are reversing centuries of cognitive progress. Part and parcel of the Age of Reason is education. I have devoted the past 25 years of my life to being an educator and education works, particularly science education that teaches evidence-based thinking. And fortunately, education knows no boundaries of economic class, race, or religion, and it helps people across a wide range of IQs. Thats right, education does not privilege people at the high end of the IQ spectrum. A new construct, the Rationality Quotient (RQ) is completely independent of IQ, and we see people at both ends of the IQ scale showing both high and low RQ. Heres an example: Steve Jobs was clearly a brilliant person. But he was low in RQ in at least one life-changing way. When he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he ignored the advice of his doctors because he didnt trust conventional Western medicine. Instead, he followed an unproven program by an alternative medicine practitioner. By the time Jobs realized that it wasnt working, it was too late for conventional medicine to do anything for him. Now Ive been a bit sloppy with language. I referred to conventional Western medicine and alternative medicine but let me clear: The very phrase alternative medicine is nonsense. There are not two kinds of medicine. When a treatment has been shown to work, we call it medicine. When there is no evidence for it at all, we call it alternative medicine. As soon as there is substantive evidence that it works, it ceases to be alternative medicine and it is just plain medicine. (This formulation is from the great British journalist Ben Goldacre.) The antidote to low rationality is science education, and an understanding that evidence-based thinking isnt something you do once, its something we have to remind ourselves to practice over and over. Why do so many of us want to trust our gut and avoid rational thought? First, it is hard. We evolved in a world where gut and observation served us well as hunter-gatherers; there was no one compiling statistical information for us; math was not a thing. Second, as victims of information overload, we are all worn out, inundated with data and pseudo-data. We throw up our hands and say we dont have the time to think through every claim we encounter. Third, most of us lack either the education to engage in evidence-based thinking or we lack the role models to do it, or both. The failure to use evidence-based thinking showed up in a recent experiment by Claudia Fritz at the University of Paris VI on the preferences that master musicians have for certain aged violinsviolins that were, as it happens, built during the dawn of the age of reason. Twenty of the top violinists in the world were given 12 violins to play. Half were prized older instruments, Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesu violins, and half were modern. The violinists wore goggles so that they couldnt see the violins, and the new ones were nicked up a bit so that the violinists couldnt feel the difference either. The musicians were given two opportunities to play them, in a small salon and in a concert hall; they were allowed to bring a golden ears friend to act as a second judge. Their task was to rank order the violins in terms of desirability and to label them as old or new. These highly trained and highly discerning musicians utterly failed. Now thats not a failure of rationalitythats a good application of the scientific method. The failure of rationality came when Fritz, et al. shared their data with the musicians. Even after having seen the results with their own eyes (and heard them with their own ears!), they remained unconvinced. Said one, the one thing that you cannot put into a new violin is that its been played for 300 yearsthese instruments change and develop. Said another, I would absolutely buy a new instrument, but for a later generation. They need to be broken in. Why is it that musicians and scientists reach different conclusions when considering the same data? Perhaps for the same reason that voters reach different conclusions when considering the same statements, claims, and data presented by politicians. We engage in expectation-driven perception, and opposed to evidence-driven perception. Expectations retune neurons and change the way our retinas, our eardrums, and our brains work. They cause firing patterns in our brain consistent with what we think we saw or heard rather than what we actually saw or heard. Simply knowing that an instrument has a certain history could alter auditory pathways so that they actually sound better to usthat is, if we know which one were hearing. Simply knowing that a person whose political views usually align with ours is speaking may cause us to evaluate the information less critically. Lord Chesterfield understood, over two hundred years ago, that we form impressions of others based on what we see and what we think, and that the seeing tends to overpower the thinking simply because seeing is so much easier than thinking. But we would do well to remember the words of his friend Voltaire: Those who can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities. When we listen to someone we like, such as an elected official whom we have supported, we tend to accept what they say more trustingly, even gullibly. We filter their remarks through a cognitive bias that they have our best interests at heart. We focus on aspects of the remarks that confirm our hopes, and we discount those that confirm our fears. We do the opposite with elected officials whom we oppose, thinking there cant be anything of value in what they say. This has led to the current polarization of political parties, and obstructionism in congress. Evidence-based thinking would have us evaluate each statement objectively, and avoid jumping to conclusions. But thats hard to do. As Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert has shown, under conditions of cognitive overload, we are much less likely to be able to do this. So it takes some work. We need role models in positions of authority and influence to show us how evidence-based thinking works. Fortunately we have three institutions to help us, institutions that are the foundation of a free and democratic society, institutions that need our support more than ever. They are the judiciary, independent press, and the scientific method. When the panel of federal judges reviewed the Trump administrations immigration ban, note the language in the ruling: We find no evidence. Journalists reported that there was no evidence of WMDs in Iraq. Science reports no evidence of a link between vaccinations and autism. Former Republican President George W. Bush said in an interview recently that an independent press is indispensable to democracy. Cutting funding to education, interfering with judges and the press should never be made political issuessupporting them supports the power of reason. Daniel J. Levitin is Founding Dean of Arts & Humanities at the Minerva Schools at KGI and Distinguished Faculty Fellow at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. His newest book is Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post Truth Era. Fake news isnt new to scientists. Theyve been dealing with the fallout from fake news for decades. Heres the problem. Every day about 4,000 papers are published in the worlds medical and scientific literature. As expected, these studies follow a bell-shaped curve; some are excellent; some are awful; and most are more or less mediocre. In other words, its not hard for scientists to find some journal somewhere that will publish their findings, no matter how ill conceived or irreproducible. For example, in 1974, John Wilson, a pediatric neurologist in London published a paper in the Archives of Disease in Childhood claiming that the pertussis (whooping cough) component of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine caused about 50 children in the Hospital for Sick Children in London to suffer blindness, epilepsy, paralysis, or mental disabilities. Fears of the pertussis vaccine crossed the ocean. On April 19, 1982, Lea Thompson, a veteran correspondent for NBC News, aired a one-hour special titled DPT: Vaccine Roulette. The images were riveting. Children stared vacantly into space with withered arms and legs, seizing, crying, helpless. Parents all told the same story; our children were fine, then they got this vaccine, and look at what happened. The media covered Vaccine Roulette as fact. Anti-vaccine advocacy groups were born. Congress held special hearings. Manufacturers suffered an avalanche of lawsuits. And parents avoided the pertussis vaccine, resulting in massive outbreaks. During the next decade, 14 studies showed that the pertussis vaccine hadnt caused brain damage. In addition, genetic studies performed 25 years later (when the genetic tools were available) found that the children Thompson had described most likely had Dravets Syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by early-onset seizures and severe developmental delays. Although Vaccine Roulette had mischaracterized children who had received the DTP vaccine as vaccine-injured, the notion that a vaccine could cause permanent harm was born. In the late 1990s, more fake news scared more parents. In February 1998, a British doctor named Andrew Wakefield published a paper in The Lancet claiming that the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine caused autism. Again, the media exploded. And again, thousands of parents chose not to vaccinate their childrenhundreds in the United Kingdom were hospitalized with measles and four died from the disease. As had been the case during the pertussis vaccine scare, the academic and public health communities responded. Seventeen studies performed in seven countries on three continents found that the MMR vaccine didnt caused autism. Later, an investigative reporter in London found that Andrew Wakefield had misrepresented clinical data as well as failed to inform his colleagues that he had received money through a personal-injury lawyer to essentially launder legal claims through a medical journal. As a consequence, Wakefields paper was retracted and he lost his license to practice medicine. Nonetheless, the fear that vaccines might cause autism persists. As a consequence, measles, a disease that had been eliminated from the United States in 2000, is back. Ten years after Wakefields bogus study, another fake news story scared more people about vaccines. In 2001, a journal called Medical Hypothesis published a paper by two parent activists, Lyn Redwood and Sally Bernard, claiming that the signs and symptoms of autism were identical to mercury poisoning. Because some vaccines contained thimerosalan ethylmercury-containing preservativeRedwood and Bernard reasoned that vaccines were causing autism. Two years later, Karin Nelson and Margaret Bauman, neurologists from the National Institutes of Health and Harvard Medical School, respectively, showed that autism and mercury poisoning were in fact quite different. Children with mercury poisoning suffered a narrowing of their field of vision whereas children with autism didnt. Children with mercury poisoning often developed psychosis whereas children with autism didnt. And children with mercury poisoning had heads that were smaller than normal whereas children with autism had larger heads. In support of Nelson and Baumans observations, seven studies later showed that children who had received thimerosal-containing vaccines were at no greater risk of autism than those who had received the same vaccines that didnt contain thimerosal. Nonetheless, the fake news about thimerosal has continued. On February 15, 2017, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. RFK Jr. was accompanied by Nico LaHood, a criminal district attorney from Texas, Del Bigtree, the producer of an anti-vaccine movie, Tony Muhammed, a reverend from the Nation of Islam, and Robert DeNiro, a popular actor. (Come for the fake news; stay for a photo op.) LaHood explained that one of his children had suffered hives following a vaccine, which he characterized as an autoimmune reaction that led to autism (hives isnt an autoimmune reaction; its a histamine-mediated reaction); Tony Muhammed explained that a monkey virus that had contaminated early lots of a polio vaccine had caused more than 90 million Americans to develop cancer (more than 30 epidemiological studies have since shown that this contaminating virus never caused cancer in people); RFK Jr. continued to advance the disproven hypothesis that thimerosal in vaccines caused autism (ignoring the fact that during the last 15 yearswhen thimerosal has been out of vaccines given to young childrenthe incidence of autism has increased); and Robert DeNiro thanked everyone for being there, said he agreed with RFK Jr., and sat down. If nothing else, this press conference proved that the best way to learn about science and medicine probably isnt from a panel consisting of two lawyers, one filmmaker, an actor, and a reverend. At the National Press Club event, RFK Jr. informed the audience that President Trump, concerned about the rising rates of autism, is considering appointing him to head a commission to oversee vaccine safety and scientific integritycommissions that already exist. RFK Jr. said that his commission would be made up of Americans of the highest integrity that might include corporate CEOs and doctors on television. In other words, people with no experience in the design, research, manufacture or testing of vaccines and no expertise in areas like immunology, virology, microbiology, statistics, biology, or epidemiology. Ignorance, despite RFK Jr.s enthusiasm for his personal vaccine commission, is never an advantage. A federal vaccine safety commission of the type described by RFK Jr. is unlikely to have teeth. Most of the important decisions about vaccines are made at the state level. Nonetheless, RFK Jr. would be given yet another platform for more fake news that could cause more parents to avoid vaccines and more children to suffera federal commission working against the health of children. Paul A. Offit, MD is a professor of pediatrics and director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and the author of Autisms False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure (Columbia University Press, 2008) While sources unilaterally agree that the queen and Prince Philipwho will host Donald Trump when he makes a state visit to Britain later this yearwill be nothing less than entirely charming and hospitable to their American visitor, the same cannot be automatically said of the younger generation of royals. Understandably, many fear that Harry and William may not feel particularly enthusiastic about extending the hand of friendship to a man who, not long after their mothers death in 1997, told radio host Howard Stern he could have nailed Diana if he really wanted to and would have slept with her, without hesitation. Royal biographer Penny Junor, the author of an authoritative series of best-selling Royal biographies on Charles, William, and Harry told The Daily Beast: I wouldnt think they had any idea about it until recently. My guess it was an idle boast but, boast or not, William would take a dim view. He and his brother are, not surprisingly, very touchy about their mother. Christopher Andersen, author of the best selling biography of the Windsor women Game of Crowns told The Daily Beast, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have all privately expressed their distaste for Trump. Trump went after Diana so aggressively, peppering her with phone calls, showering her with flowers, that she complained to a friend he was giving her the creeps. None of the young royals want to be suddenly confronted with protestors, or appear to be cozying up to Trump. By all accounts, Trump is over the moon about the possibility of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the queen and members of the Royal Family. My sense is that the queen will remain her usual unflappable self and that Prince Philip, who is famous for his animosity toward the press and penchant for making politically incorrect statements, will get along just fine with Trump. But when it comes to the younger royals, especially given his crude comments about Diana after her death, it is hard to imagine that Charles, William, Harry and Kate will view Trump as anything but crass and overbearing. The British TV presenter Selina Scott, a friend of Dianas, claimed in the Sunday Times that Trump bombarded Diana at Kensington Palace with massive bouquets of flowers writing: As the roses and orchids piled up at her apartment, she became increasingly concerned about what she should do. It had begun to feel as if Trump was stalking her. As well as there being personal reasons for animosity between Trump and the Prince of Wales, there are political ones too. Credible reports have emerged that the presidents staff have been trying to get messages via back channels to Prince Charles not to lecture Trump on climate change. The incontestable fact is that Charless views on the environment, globalism, and other issues run directly contrary to Trumps. The problem is that Charles is notably less willing than his mother to suppress his personal feelings in the cause of constitutional diplomacy (he refused to attend a banquet for the Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2016, for example, in protest at that countrys dismal human rights record and his support for the Dalai Lama), and its hard to see the two men quietly agreeing to disagree. And as for Kate Middleton, can one really expect her to be sweetness and light to Trump, who outright and unapologetically victim-blamed her on Twitter after a long-lens photographer took a picture of her sunbathing topless in France? Who wouldnt take Kates picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate! Trump wrote, later adding, Kate Middleton is greatbut she shouldnt be sunbathing in the nudeonly herself to blame. The photos were taken from a distance of over a mile at a private house in France owned by Williams cousin David Linley. The inevitable resurrection of those less than politic tweets ahead of Trumps U.K. visit will undoubtedly infuriate Harry and William, who are understandably defensive about privacy issues. While there is sympathy for the unpleasant task the younger generation of royals find themselves in, there is also a general belief that Charles and his family have a duty to rise above it, smile, and think of England. If the Royal family can be said to have a purpose beyond raising funds for charity, then it is surely to foster positive relations with powerful foreign leaders. He is a democratically elected president, whose views are considerably more democratic than many of the heads of state the queen has had to entertain before, says one source, She entertained Ceausescu for Gods sake! The queen is a pragmatist, that is all. She is very used to the Donald Trumps of this worldshe married one, after all. She is used to straight-talking men and she is used to volatile men; her father was volatile, and her husband is a straight talker. There is nothing very extraordinary about people like Donald Trump in the upper reaches of society, where people still do quite often speak their mind. Andersen says that Trump will bring his daughter Ivanka on the trip, mainly for the purpose of acting as a buffer with William, Kate, and Harry. It is he says, an astute move: Not only do these burnished millennials all look like they stepped out of the pages of Vogue, but William and Kate and Ivanka and Jared, all roughly the same age, can bond over what its like raising toddlers and protecting them from the glare of the media spotlight. And, quite possibly, compare notes about thin-skinned, headstrong fathers and fathers in-law. Americas patron saint for bipartisanship, Arthur Vandenberg, was far from saintly in his personal life. This nasty, petty, egotistical, womanizing, isolationist Michigan Senator from 1928 to 1951 did good: His conversion to interventionism helped ennoble American politics and win the Cold War. Johnny-one-note historians, who reduce history to punchlines, claim Vandenbergs isolationism ended when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. But Vandenberg delivered his interventionist manifesto, which was so revolutionary it was called the speech heard round the world, three years later on Jan. 10, 1945. That day, this foe of Franklin Roosevelt endorsed Roosevelts foreign policy; this zealot for Congressional prerogatives supported expanding presidential power; and this isolationist endorsed Americas participation in the United Nations. World War II has put the gory science of mass murder into new and sinister perspective, he reasoned. Our oceans have ceased to be moats which automatically protect our ramparts. Facing such threats, he said: The commander in chief should have instant power to act. Born poor in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1884, Vandenberg became a millionaire publisher of the Grand Rapids Herald. He gained the inside track to incumbency by being appointed to complete a Senate term in 1928, then won three subsequent campaigns. In the 1930s, he was a rare effective Republican opposition voice in Washington. He combatted Franklin Roosevelts New Deal domestic policy as too expansive, expensive, and centralized. In 1934, he and Senator Joseph Nye condemned Americas participation the Great War as a great betrayal, a scam. 2017 is on track to be the most violent year on record for transgender people in the United States. In the first 60 days of this year, there have already been seven reported killings of transgender womensix of them black, one Native American. In the past week alone, two black transgender women living in New OrleansChyna Doll Depree and Ciara McElveenwere murdered within a single 48-hour period, as local media first reported. If this violence continues to emerge at its current rate, 2017 will see over 40 reported transgender killings by the end of the year. By comparison, LGBT media outlet The Advocate tallied 27 reported killings of transgender people in all of 2016. It is unclear whether the murder rate is increasing or whether victims are being more accurately and consistently identified as transgenderbut it is clear that the danger transgender people face is not dissipating. The continuing attacks have left transgender women of color, like Houston-based blogger and prominent trans activist Monica Roberts, feeling lucky to be aliveand outraged that so many others in her community wont ever see old age. Ive been fortunate enough to be around on this planet now approaching 55 years24 of it in this community, Roberts said in a video message she and fellow members of Black Transwomen, Inc. recorded in response to the 2017 murders. The sad part, to me, is these folks that we lost this month are under age 40. Two of them are under age 30. They will never see a 30th birthday, or 40th birthday, or 50th birthday. And that pisses me off as an elder. The stories of these seven deaths are indeed all the more tragic for the youth of the victimsand for the sheer brutality with which their lives were discarded. Mere days into 2017, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, police only found the body of 28-year-old transgender woman Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow because, as KSFY reported, a neighbor reported a strong odor coming from the apartment. Just days prior, police in Madison County, Mississippi, had found 41-year-old Mesha Caldwell, a transgender hair and makeup artist, dead on the side of a rural road outside of Jackson, as Mississippi News Now reported. Caldwell had died from multiple gunshot wounds. I feel like how you are going to kill a person and throw them out the car? That is the most heartbreaking thing, Caldwells brother, Cedrick, told the local news outlet. I feel like if you did it, hold up for it. If you were man enough to do it, be man enough to hold up for it. In early February, 23-year-old JoJo Striker was found shot to death in an empty parking garage in Toledo, Ohio, as WTOL reported. Later that month, a single gunman shot 24-year-old Tiara Richmond multiple times in a car in the Chicago neighborhood of Englewood, as the Chicago Tribune reported. And in late February, the string of murders in New Orleans began. On Feb. 19, 18-year-old Jaquarrius Holland died from a gunshot to the head, as the Monroe News Star reported. The next week, Chyna Doll Depree, also known as Chyna Gibson, was shot to death outside a shopping center, as NOLA reported, with neighbors reporting they heard 10 gunshots. And on Feb. 28, Ciara McElveen was stabbed multiple times before being dragged out of a car by the driver, as NOLA reported. Police say that the murders do not seem to be connected. Part of the difficulty with tallying these homicidesas The Daily Beast has previously reportedis that the local media outlets who first report them often misgender the victims, even when informed of their transgender status. When 25-year-old transgender cosmetology student India Clarke was found dead in 2015, for instance, one local TV station used the chyron Man Dressed as Woman Found Murdered. That leaves the task of holding local media outlets accountable to supportive family members and friends of the victims. As a result, transgender homicide victims do not always become legible as such until daysor even weeksafter they have been slain. Some cases may never become known, which is why reporters typically introduce the figure of total transgender killings with the qualifier at least. Often, Monica Robertswho did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for an interviewdraws national media attention to the initial misgendering through her blog TransGriot. For example, even though JoJo Striker was killed on Feb. 8, it wasnt until Valentines Day that Roberts learnedand relayed on her blogthat she was transgender. Similarly, Jaquarrius Holland died on Feb. 19 but Black Transwomen, Inc. didnt discover that Holland was transgender until March 1, when they released a statement condemning the local media for misgendering her. It results in not only the delayed recognition and response in the trans community of us honoring our last trans sisters, it is disrespectful to their memory and can delay justice in these cases, the statement read. The national LGBT media advocacy group GLAAD has also called on news outlets to respect and use the lived identity, name, and pronoun of the victim, in accordance with both GLAADs own guidelines and AP style. On Tuesday, Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin called anti-transgender violence an urgent crisis for our country in a statement, pleading with elected leaders, the media and our own communities to finally address this epidemic of violence. These murders, as Griffin pointed out in his statement, come at a difficult moment for the transgender rights movement more broadly. While young transgender women were being murdered in New Orleans, the Trump administration rolled back Title IX guidance to schools instructing them to allow transgender students to use restrooms corresponding with their gender. Later this month, a 17-year-old transgender boy named Gavin Grimm will appear before the Supreme Court to fight for the right to use the boys bathroom in his Gloucester County, Virginia, high school. But as transgender actress and activist Laverne Cox has been observing on her recent press tour, these two issuesrestrooms and violencereally boil down to one simple question: Do trans people have a right to live? When trans people cant access public bathrooms, we cant go to school effectively, go to work effectively, access health care facilities, Cox told Chris Matthews last week. Its about us existing in public space. Its really about us not existingabout erasing trans people. That questionDo trans people have a right to live?is one that will be answered by transgender women of colors resilience in the face of fatal threats. As Roberts said, piggybacking on Coxs point, in Black Transwomens video response to 2017s transgender killings: Im sorry. I do have a right to exist and have since the day I came on this planet. And if you dont like the fact that I transitioned in 94, too damn bad. By Press Trust of India: Bhubaneswar, Mar 4 (PTI) Noted sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has been invited by the Economic Development Board (EDB), Bahrain to a sand art workshop cum training programme. Around 30 teachers from the Ministry of Education in Bahrain will participate in this workshop which is being organised by (EDB), Pattnaik said. Sudarsan said he would teach various techniques of creating sand art during the five-day workshop. The workshop will be held at beach, where the participants will be able to create their own sand sculptures. advertisement The workshop will start tomorrow. "I am happy about this training programme. We will teach them different aspects of sand art so that they can create sand sculptures," said Pattnaik. Sudarsan said he had recently created the world?s tallest sand castle at Puri. PTI SKN RG --- ENDS --- On July 1 last year, gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's prominent area Gulshan and killed 20 people, mostly foreign nationals. By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: The main arms supplier of Holey Artisan Bakery terror attack was arrested on Tuesday night by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit of Dhaka Metro Police. Mizanur, alias Boro Mizan was intercepted from the Kakoli rail crossing in capital's Banani area. CTTC's Additional Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam said, "He supplied arms and ammunition for the Holey Artisan Bakery terror attack of July 1 last year, that claimed 29 lives." advertisement According to officials of CTTC, Mizan is a key member of Neo Jamaat-ul-Mujhahideen (JMB), who used to operate from Shibganj area in Chapainawabganj district. Police says, he was also the 'military chief' of Junud-al Tawhid, before joining hands with the Gulshan Cafe or Holey Artisan Bakery terror attack mastermind Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury. The police had produced Mizan before a metropolitan magistrate court seeking 10-days remand but instead the court set a date for next hearing on March 5. On July 1 last year, gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's prominent area Gulshan and killed 20 people, mostly foreign nationals. Two police officials were also killed during the 12-hour hostage standoff. --- ENDS --- "When did this court say dogs have bigger fundamental rights than human beings? Who said that? But culling should only be carried out in accordance with law," Justice Dipak Misra said. SC recently lashing out at vigilante groups in Kerala indulging in culling of dogs. By Harish V Nair: The Supreme Court said on Friday that no authority has the power to issue directions for indiscriminate killing of stray dogs and any culling should only be in accordance with law. "When did this court say dogs have bigger fundamental rights than human beings? Who said that? But culling should only be carried out in accordance with law," Justice Dipak Misra told petitioner Sabu Stephen of Kerala, who favoured elimination of dogs, and said that the apex court was giving too much importance to strays. advertisement ANIMAL BIRTH CONTROL RULES The SC made it clear that Animal Birth Control Rules (ABC rules) formulated under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, mandated the killing of only 'rabies afflicted, incurably ill or mortally wounded dogs'. Regarding troublesome dogs, the Act says that on receiving a complaint, animal welfare board activities shall take them away and sterilise them. DOG CULLING IN KERALA Though the comments pertained to stray dog menace in Kerala, it has implications in Delhi with nearly three lakh stray dogs amidst calls for their elimination. Senior lawyer Dushyant Dave, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, had earlier said that he felt lakhs of strays in the national Capital are an eyesore and urgent measures should be implemented to remove them from the streets. On January 17, the court had expressed shock at a submission that such canines should be completely eliminated across the country and said that strays too have a right to live, and there cannot be any blanket order for culling. "Look, there cannot be any such blanket order. Though culling of stray dogs is permissible, there has to be a balance and a proper method," the bench observed. Lashing out at vigilante groups in Kerala indulging in culling of dogs and also encouraging the act, the court had recently asked the government to take strict action against them including lodging criminal cases. WHAT DID THE SUPREME COURT RULING SAY The bench had also banned imparting training to children or distribution of subsidised air guns to kill strays or publicly propagate that there is war against them. The SC bench has clubbed petitions filed by dog lovers and the Animal Welfare Board of India challenging the orders of Kerala (2006) Bombay (2009) and Karnataka (2013) allowing local authorities to cull stray dogs. On March 10 last year, the court had ordered every state to sterilise and vaccinate all stray dogs in a bid to control their population and spread of rabies. The court is reviewing rules which allowed municipal commissioners in most states to order killing of troublesome stray dogs. Justice Misra had said that the court's task would be to end the 'anomaly and incongruity' between different central and state rules on the issue of stray dog culling. advertisement Also read Kerala dog-culling: Maneka Gandhi, NGO protest against barbaric act Is culling the solution to stray dog menace in Kerala? Pro-culling activists carry out mass killing of stray dogs in Kerala's Varkala --- ENDS --- By Ananth Krishnan: China today made a fresh pitch to India to join its "Belt and Road Initiative," which India has been wary of because a key corridor under the plan passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Fu Ying, the spokesperson of the National People's Congress (NPC), said India would benefit from Chinese President Xi Jinping's pet project. "The Belt and Road is a connectivity programme for economic development and will also benefit India," Fu said. "So we need to bear in mind the larger picture." advertisement Fu's remarks came a day ahead of the annual 10-day session of the NPC, which will approve economic policies for the next year and also likely approve plans to boost BRI. CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR 'VIOLATES INDIAN SOVEREIGNTY' At the February 22 Strategic Dialogue in Beijing, China once again expressed interest in India's sending a high-level representative to a BRI Summit to be held in the Chinese capital this summer. Stressing that India was a "pro-connectivity country" with a number of regional connectivity projects, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar conveyed to China that it was a fact that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was part of China's Belt and Road Initiative and "violates Indian sovereignty because it runs through PoK". "The issue is not about connectivity per se," Jaishankar said. "The fact is CPEC is part of this particular initiative and CPEC violates Indian sovereignty because it runs through PoK. Therefore since they are a country very sensitive to sovereignty concerns it was for them to see how a country whose sovereignty has been violated can come on an invitation. We would like to see what proposals anybody has in that regard." INDIA AND CHINA NEED TO 'MORE SENSITIVE' TO EACH OTHER'S CONCERNS: FU NPC spokesperson Fu answered a question on the recently concluded India-China Strategic Dialogue in Beijing as well as on recent troubles in ties, specifically the resistance India has faced from China in sanctioning the Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar at the UN Security Council and in entering the Nuclear Suppliers Group, as well as India's BRI concerns. While not directly commenting on the first two issues, Fu said it was natural to have differences but that India and China "need to be move sensitive to each other's concerns, so we can better address them." "We cannot allow issues that cannot be worked out for the moment to stop us from moving forward," added Fu. The NPC spokesperson, who is a veteran diplomat, former Vice Foreign Minister and member of the NPC's foreign affairs committee, said bilateral ties had overall "advanced rapidly", particularly on the trade front where Fu pointed out it had grown from around $2 billion in the late 1990s when she was working in the Foreign Ministry. "I thought I would never see $20 billion in my lifetime, and last year it exceeded $70 billion," she said. advertisement ALSO READ: India's CPEC concerns 'unwarranted', says Chinese media After blocking sanctions against Masood, China asks UN to protect 'Silk Road' from terror WATCH VIDEO: India + America vs Pakistan + China on Masood Azhar ban: UN backs US move --- ENDS --- Locals took to streets and pelted stones on forces to help militants escape from the cordon. Security forces used teargas shells to disperse the protesters, who didn't relent. By Ashraf Wani: Clashes erupted after security forces cordoned off Hafoo Nazneenpora hamlet in Tral township of south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Saturday evening. A police official said that Army and SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police laid a cordon around the village after receiving information about the presence of militants. He said that no exchange of firing has taken place so far. advertisement However, locals took to streets and pelted stones on forces to help militants escape from the cordon. Security forces used teargas shells to disperse the protesters, who didn't relent. Also read: Jammu and Kashmir: Security forces worried as stone-pelting incidents rise in rural areas On Friday, cordon was laid by security forces in Chilipora Shopian where stone pelters also put hurdles for security forces in carrying search operation resulting in escape of two holed-up militants from the area. Earlier last week, protesters and stone pelters also resorted to stone pelting when cordon and search operation was launched in Pattan town of Baramulla district in north Kashmir by security forces after an input about presence of militants in town. Also read: J-K: 2 Hizbul terrorists, including Burhan Wani aide, trapped in encounter with forces Main stream political parties like National Conference and ruling-PDP have openly opposed the statement of army chief last month in which he warned stone-pelters and militant sympathisers in the valley for providing safe escape to militants. --- ENDS --- Plan your week ahead in SE Iowa with these local events Your guide to getting off the couch and out the door this week in Southeast Iowa. In a complaint to the EC, the Congress alleged that Modi took out the roadshow in Varanasi from BHU (Banaras Hindu University) "without the necessary permission from the competent authority". By Press Trust of India: The Congress has appealed to the Election Commission to book Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders for alleged violation of the model code by holding a roadshow in Varanasi without prior permission. The poll panel, on its part, has sought a detailed report on the issue from the state poll authorities. In a complaint to the EC, the Congress alleged that Modi took out the roadshow in Varanasi from BHU (Banaras Hindu University) "without the necessary permission from the competent authority". advertisement ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IN 10 POINTS "It is requested that action be taken and FIRs registered against all BJP leaders, including Narendra Modi, who were part of the roadshow", said K C Mittal, AICC secretary in-charge of legal and human rights cell. The Election Commission has said it is ascertaining the facts and will act further on the basis of the report. "We are ascertaining the facts. We have asked the state poll authorities to send a detailed report on the issue", Deputy Election Commissioner Vijay Dev told PTI. The opposition party said that the entire video recording of the roadshow had been shown by various channels and that election authorities must also have recorded the same. Mittal said the roadshow covers three assembly seats of Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt and Varanasi North and Modi also visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Kaal Bhairo Temple during the event. "All this was done without any requisite permission for conducting the roadshow from the competent authority of the Election Commission", Mittal said. On a whirlwind day in his Lok Sabha constituency to rally voters around the BJP in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Modi took out the roadshow, offered prayers at the two historic temples and paid tributes to Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya on Saturday. His roadshow was held on a day when 49 constituencies went to polls in the sixth phase of UP Assembly elections and people in large numbers turned out as Modi's cavalcade moved at a snail's pace. BJP leaders believe the event, broadcast live on most regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to polls in the final phase on March 8. The seven-phase assembly polls in UP end on March 8 and results will be out on March 11. WATCH VIDEO --- ENDS --- This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Residents and business owners in the Third Taxing District are invited to attend and participate in an East Norwalk Community Forum to discuss the improvement of East Avenue. The open house-style forum is cosponsored by the Eastern Norwalk Neighborhood Association, the Third Taxing District Commission and the East Norwalk Business Association, and will take place Saturday, March 11 from 9-10:30 a.m. in the Community Room of The Marvin Senior Housing on Gregory Boulevard. Come see some updated plans for the East Avenue Roadway Improvement project, including the latest design for lane and sidewalk improvements at the railroad bridge. Neighborhood residents are especially encouraged to share their thoughts and suggestions For more info on the forum, email info@eastnorwalk.org. The George Washington Carver Community Center is asking residents to invest in the next generation of Norwalk children with their 24-hour Social Media Fundraising Event. Residents will get in opportunity to help Norwalk students by donating $10 or more to the community center when it hosts its inaugural Carver Giving Day Musical Telethon on March 9. The Carver Gymnasium will be transformed into a concert hall, as residents are invited, free of charge, to see a host of locally grown musical talent, ranging from Norwalk rapper FNX to The Voice season 9 finalist Berdine Joseph and more. Doors open at 4 p.m., and the show will run from 5-9 p.m. For those unable to attend, the event will be streamed live on the Carver Facebook page, so those interested can tune in there to catch all the fun. Donations for the Carver will also be collected at www.FCGives.org. The inaugural Giving Day concert was put together with help from Factory Underground Studios, and with sponsorship from GE Capital, Factset, Willis Towers Watson, AIM For a Better Tomorrow, FNX and DJ Connect. EAST NORWALK The Carver wont be the only Norwalk staple mobilizing on Giving Day, as the Norwalk Historical Society will also participate in Fairfield County Giving Day on Thursday, March 9, Fairfield County Giving Day is an annual 24-hour challenge, where donations of $10 or more are made online at FCGives.org. Non-profit organizations from Fairfield County compete for cash prizes. Organizations that raise the most money or have the most unique individual donors, can win cash prizes from $5,000 to $20,000. The Norwalk Historical Society will host a power hour stretch from 12-1 p.m. All money earned will go toward new exhibits and programs at Mill Hill Historic Park and Norwalk Historical Society Museum. SOUTH NORWALK With a change of seasons right around the corner, it will out with the old and in with the new at the Maritime Garage Gallery. Art that represents music, tones paired with visions of grandeur, will be on exhibit at the Maritime Garage Gallery this spring. For their spring installment, the gallery will be debuting its new Chromatic exhibit, which will feature art that shows the visual crossing of the sense of hearing and sight. Exhibiting artists include Binnie Birstein of Norwalk; Tania Canteli of Beacon, N.Y.; Ashley Nelson and Mary Grace Leone of West Haven; Lori Slotkin of Darien; Eric Chiang of Westport; Heidi Lewis Coleman and Mari Gyorgyey of Stamford. Jeanine Esposito and Frederic Chiu of Beachwood Arts in Westport, were guest jurors. The Maritime Garage Gallery is part of the Parking Authoritys Art in Parking Places initiative, an effort to support art in public spaces making Norwalk a more vibrant destination. The gallery is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Share your neighborhood news To share your community and neighborhood news with The Hour, contact Pat Tomlinson at 203-354-1046, or at ptomlinson@hearstmediact.com. In a bid to enhance its combat capabilities in the virtual domain, the defence ministry is working towards establishing a new cyber agency to tackle attempts by Chinese and Pakistani hackers to break into its systems and networks. By Ajit Kumar Dubey: The US and Soviet Union had their Cold War from the mid-to-late 1900s. Now India is fighting a Code War with its nosy neighbours. In a bid to enhance its combat capabilities in the virtual domain, the defence ministry is working towards establishing a new cyber agency to tackle attempts by Chinese and Pakistani hackers to break into its systems and networks. advertisement "The tri-services integrated defence staff (IDS) is coming up with a unit to tackle the cyber warfare domain and it will be staffed with personnel from all the three services," senior government sources told Mail Today. WHAT IS THE INTEGRATED DEFENCE STAFF The IDS is a tri-services organisation that works directly under the defence ministry but has officers and men from the army, navy as well as air force, and is responsible for tasks and projects involving the assets and men from all three services. "The forces have already started pooling in their resources in the cyber domain under the new agency, which would be headed by a major general-rank officer. The organisation will have both offensive and defensive capabilities in cyber warfare," said the sources. The development comes against the backdrop of around 22,000 pages of data purportedly related to submarines that a French government-owned company was building for the Indian navy being leaked to the media last year. There have been thousands of online attacks on various government websites and systems including defence-related ones in recent years, with fingers often pointing towards China and Pakistan. EFFORTS TAKEN SO FAR Till now, the army, navy and air force have their own separate cells dealing with cyber issues and they have also developed individual networks for safe communication and data exchange. The information networks created by the forces are state of the art and are capable of detecting any violation at centralised locations within a few microseconds. "If anybody puts in a pen drive in a computer of the military network, our men sitting in Delhi and other centralised locations can detect it within no time and prevent any leakage or attack immediately," said the sources. "This step of creating a new cyber agency, which would be a precursor to a cyber command, is in the right direction. Now the focus should be on creating infrastructure for manufacturing totally indigenous information and communication technology equipment," said information warfare expert Pavithran Rajan. TESTING TIME To test its capabilities, the new agency has also carried out its first cyber warfare exercise under which Indian forces carried out attacks on their own networks to check for loopholes and steps required to strengthen the system, the sources informed. "The forces deduced that cyber should be the first agency to be raised for dealing with the increasing instances of attacks on military networks and systems," they said. advertisement The command of the new agency would be on rotational basis for the three services, which means that if it is first headed by an army officer, he would be succeeded by navy and air force officers. The head of the unit would report to the chief of integrated defence staff Lt Gen Satish Dua who heads the organisation at present. The government had deferred the demand for creation of new commands for cyber, special forces and space under senior lieutenant generalrank officers and asked the forces to first create capabilities for such commands. The decision to put off the creation of new commands was taken soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told senior military commanders that while global powers were reducing the number of their personnel, Indian forces were continuously demanding expansion in size. The armed forces had initiated the demand for creation of three new commands during the UPA government where the three services had decided to take one command each for themselves, setting up three army commander-equivalent positions. The country has only two operational tri-services commands including the strategicallylocated Andaman and Nicobar command in Port Blair, which will now likely have an officer from the navy as its head permanently. The other tri-services organisation is the strategic forces command, which looks after the nuclear arsenal including the Agni-series missiles for the nuclear command authority headed by the Prime Minister. advertisement The government is now considering a four-star officer appointment in the form of permanent chairman for the chiefs of staff committee. All tri-services issues are expected to go to him once the office is created. Also Read Cyber attack post surgical strike: Indian techies hack into Pakistan government network Cyber attacks caused more than 20 per cent revenue loss in 2016: Cisco --- ENDS --- Currently Reading SEEN: Near and Far Aid gala 2017 The American and French Revolutions provide a contrast between principle and ideology; between prudence and fanaticism; between prescriptive rights and extravagant ambitions; between historical wisdom and utopianism; between free government and democratic despotism. A little book forgotten for a century and a half, Friedrich Gentzs Origin and Principles of the American Revolution, compared with the Origin and Principles of the French Revolution, has recently been reprinted in the United States. For the revolutions of our own century have given it renewed meaning. In the first year of the nineteenth century John Quincy Adams, only thirty-three years old, was Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to Prussia. Adams educated himself the whole of his life; and, perfecting his German during his residence at Berlin, he translated from the Berlin Historisches Journal (April and May, 1800) a long article on the French and American Revolutions by Friedrich Gentz, a rising Prussian man of letters, three years older than the precocious Adams. Gentz was the founder, editor, and sole contributor to this remarkable magazine of ideas. These were men of mark: Adams would become President of the United States, and Gentz, with Metternich, the architect of European conservatism. It cannot but afford a gratification to every American attached to his country, Adams wrote to Gentz, to see its revolution so ably vindicated from the imputation of having originated, or been conducted upon the same principles, as that of France. Gentz had studied under Kant, but Burkes Reflections had converted the young man to conservative principles, and, abhorring the theories and consequences of the French Revolution, he had translated the Reflections into German, thus exerting his first influence upon European politics and making his reputation. Like Gentz, the younger Adams had been profoundly influenced by Burke; and though he tried to act the role of arbiter between Burke and Paine, Adams really was persuaded by all Burkes principal arguments. His Letters of Publicola, published in 1791, had demolished Paines Rights of Man and had cudgeled the French revolutionaries, enraging Jefferson. The Americans, young Adams had written, had not fallen into the pit of radical abstract doctrine: Happy, thrice happy the people of America, whose gentleness of manners and habits of virtue are still sufficient to reconcile the enjoyment of their natural rights with the peace and tranquillity of their country; whose principles of religious liberty did not result from an indiscriminate contempt of all religion whatever, and whose equal representation in their legislative councils was founded upon an equality really existing among them, and not upon the metaphysical speculations of fanciful politicians, vainly contending against the unalterable course of events and the established order of nature. Thus Adams was of one mind with Gentz, and saw in Gentzs essay the most succinct and forceful contrast between the moderate polity of the American colonies, founded upon a respect for prescriptive rights and custom, and the leveling theories of French radicalism. Only the word Republic was common to the two new dominations, Adams perceived; and the French Republic already had ceased to contain any element of true representative government. Adams translation of Gentz was published anonymously at Philadelphia in the same year, and was not reprinted until 1955. This little book has Adams style strongly imprinted upon it in translation; but in thought and structure, Gentzs writing bears the mark of Burkes Reflections and Schillers Thirty Years Warbooks which, by a curious coincidence, incalculably influenced both Gentz and the present editor in their early years. The folly of true and thoroughgoing revolutionwhich the American War of Independence was notwas the great theme of Gentzs thought and action from 1791 until the end of his life. In 1827, defending his career against the strictures of a woman he loved, he summarized with a high sincerity the principles that had moved him: I made my choice in my twenty-fifth year. Fascinated before that by the new German philosophy and also, no doubt, by some supposedly new disclosures in the field of political science, which in those days, however, was still very unfamiliar to me, I recognized my mission clearly and distinctly with the outbreak of the French Revolution. At first I felt, and later knew, that by virtue of the talents and abilities that nature had reposed in me I had been called as a champion of the established, and a foe to innovations. Neither my station in life, my circumstances and expectations at the time, my manner of living, nor any sort of inborn or acquired prejudice, nor any worldly interest, determined this choice. All my earlier political articles were written at a time when, wholly confined to reading and study, I had not the slightest connection with any important political figure, either within or without the country where I lived. That some of these articles should have made my name familiar in higher circles was only natural. By the power of his pen, the obscure Gentz rose to be the associate of kings and the designer of the Concert of Europe. In the end, he did not prevail against the titanic powers of revolution, but he chose, like Cato at Utica, to defy destiny for the sake of truth. I have always been conscious that despite the majesty and power of my superiors, despite all the lonely victories that we achieved, the spirit of the age would prove mightier in the end than we; that thoroughly as I have despised the press for its extravagances, it would not lose its dread ascendancy over all our wisdom; and that guile, no more than force, would be able to stay the great wheel of time, as you have written with equal truth and beauty. But that was no reason for me not to carry out the task faithfully and persistently, once it had fallen to me; only an unworthy soldier deserts his flag when fate seems inimical, and I have enough pride to say to myself in darker moments, Victrix causa this placuit, sed vista Catoni. Yet the battle is not always to the strong; and as the dead Cato in some sense conquered Caesar, so Gentzs ideas have had their vindication in the twentieth century. The dominant liberal school of nineteenth-century historians embraced the view that the French Revolution had been a noble and irrevocable stride forward toward a universal domination of peace and enlightenment and brotherhood, and they confounded the American and French revolutions as virtually identical manifestations of the same progressive movement. Even Gladstone, who read Burke through and through, concluded that Burke and his school had been utterly mistaken about the nature of the French Revolution. The Napoleonic interlude, the liberals maintained, had been only a passing reaction against the forces of charity and light which found their expression in French Revolutionary doctrines. It required the catastrophes of the twentieth century, and the grim recurrence of what Professor Talmon calls totalitarian democracy and Lord Percy of Newcastle calls totalist democracy, to convince the liberal mind that possibly something was wrong with the first principles of the French innovators. With Burke, and with the Adams Presidents, Gentz perceived that disaster would come inevitably from the fallacies of Turgot and Condorcet and Rousseau and Paine. This little tract contains the essence of Gentzs whole lifelong argument. The American Revolution, he contends, wasas Burke had said of the Glorious Revolution of 1688a revolution not made, but prevented. The American colonists stood up for their prescriptive rights; their claims and expectations were moderate, and founded upon a true apprehension of human nature and natural rights; their constitutions were conservative. But the French revolutionaries, hoping to make human nature and society afresh, broke with the past, defied history, embraced theoretic dogma, and so fell under the cruel domination of Giant Ideology. Prudence and prescription guided the steps of the Americans, who simply preserved and continued the English tradition of representative government and private rights; fanaticism and vain expectations led the French to their own destruction. Burke, at the beginning of the American Revolution, had declared that the colonists were trying to conserve, not to destroy; they sought to keep liberties gained through historical experience, not to claim fanciful liberties conjured up by closet-philosophers; they were not only devoted to liberty, but to liberty according to English ideas, and English principles. Abstract liberty like other mere abstractions is not to be found. Liberty inheres in some sensible object. Again and again, Gentz touches upon the profound differences between American and French principles which the course of history, since 1776, has now made clear to the scholars of the twentieth century. He contrasts, for instance, the Americans sound understanding of natural rights with the French illusion of the abstract rights of man, a sort of magic spell, with which all the ties of nations and of humanity were insensibly dissolved. This is the French heresy of vox populi, vox Dei, recently analyzed by Lord Percy of Newcastle in his Heresy of Democracy. The pretended right of the people to do whatever they liked, Gentz insisted, would swallow up all the ancient and precious and hard-earned rights of groups and individuals. And so it came to pass. The Americans sought security; the French, through their armed doctrine, irresponsible power. As the American revolution was a defensive revolution, it was of course finished at the moment when it had overcome the attack, by which it had been occasioned. The French revolution, true to the character of a most violent offensive revolution, could not but proceed so long as there remained objects for it to attack and it retained strength for the assault. The verdict of the historians, liberal or conservative in their assumptions, now veers round to Gentzs position. The Americans of 1776, Mr. Clinton Rossiter writes, were among the first men in modern history to defend rather than to seek an open society and constitutional liberty; their political faith, like the appeal to arms it supported, was therefore surprisingly sober Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of this political theory was its deep-seated conservatism. However radical the principles of the Revolution may have seemed to the rest of the world, in the minds of the colonists they were thoroughly preservative and respectful of the past. The political theory of the American Revolution, in contrast to that of the French Revolution, was not a theory designed to make the world over. Mr. Louis Hartz, though differing from Professor Rossiter in much, concurs here: Symbols of a world revolution, the Americans were not in truth world revolutionaries. The past had been good to the Americans and they knew it. Instead of inspiring them to the fury of Bentham and Voltaire, it often produced a mystical sense of Providential guidance akin to that of Maistre. With the French the whole attitude toward history, continuity, and the contract of eternal society was ruinously different. So France, exhausted by fasting under the monarchy, Paine puts it, made drunk by the bad drug of the Social Contract, and countless other adulterated or fiery beverages, is suddenly struck with paralysis of the brain; at once she is convulsed in every limb through the incoherent play and contradictory twitchings of her discordent organs. At this time she has traversed the period of joyous madness, and is about to enter upon the period of sombre delirium; behold her capable of daring, suffering, and doing all, capable of incredible exploits and abominable barbarities, the moment her guides, as erratic as herself, indicate an enemy or an obstacle to her fury. A penetrating modern critic of history and politics, Mr. Daniel Boorstin, in The Genius of American Politics, comes to a conclusion identical with Gentzs: The American Revolution was in a very special way conceived as both a vindication of the British past and an affirmation of an American future. The British past was contained in ancient and living institutions rather than in doctrines; and the American future was never to be contained in a theory. The Revolution was thus a prudential decision taken by men of principle rather than the affirmation of a theory. But the French, as Tocqueville wrote, halfway down the stairs, threw themselves out of the window in order to reach the ground more quickly. By seeming to tend rather to the regeneration of the human race than to the reform of France alone, it roused passions such as the most violent political revolutions had been incapable of awakening. It inspired proselytism, and gave birth to propagandism; and hence assumed that quasi-religious character which so terrified those who saw it, or, rather, became a sort of new religion, imperfect, it is true, without God, worship, or future life, but still able, like Islamism, to cover the earth with its soldiers, its apostles, and its martyrs. It is the contrast between principle and ideology that Gentz gives us; between prudence and fanaticism; between prescriptive rights and extravagant ambitions; between historical wisdom and utopianism; between free government and democratic despotism. These confIicting forces are at war in the world still, and the prescriptive authority of English and American politics confronts the leveling frenzy of ideology and the ferocity of the enraptured Jacobin. This essay was originally published in Contemporary Review (November 1956) and is republished here with gracious permission from The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal. The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politicswe approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now. The featured image is Death Of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton by John Trumbull (17561843) and is in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Children of all ages gathered at the Grand Island Public Library on Friday to celebrate beloved author Dr. Seuss 113th birthday. Children crowded into the librarys Bookingham Palace, where the birthday celebration began the mornings activities. The children started with Dr. Seuss reading pledge. The pledge reflects what Dr. Seuss is all about, encouraging reading and making it fun. The first verse of the pledge reads: I promise to read, each day and each night. I know its the key, to growing up right. In the spirit of the pledge, the Cat in the Hat made an appearance for the children to read the book that Seuss wrote about him. Before the activities began and the refreshments were served (special Seuss cupcakes and orange drink), the Lorax (another favorite Seuss character) appeared at the celebration to lead the children in a chorus of Happy Birthday to the beloved author, who, if he was alive on Thursday, would have celebrated the 113th anniversary of his birth. Celine Swan, youth services librarian, said Friday was the last day of a week of reading activities for children at the library celebrating Seuss birthday. Swan said the librarys celebration of Seuss birthday is an annual event. Its part of the National Education Associations Read Across America Initiative, which calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2. The library celebrated it on Friday because more kids were able to come because Grand Island Public Schools were not in session. More than 50 kids and their parents or caretakers were at the library Friday for the celebration. We really want kids to love reading Dr. Seuss books because they are so awesome for learning to read because they have those rhymes and they are fun and zany, Swan said. She said the library has a large collection of Seuss books year-round. After the birthday celebration, the children were able to participate in activities such as making a Cat in the Hat hat or Lorax mustache, Dr. Seuss musical chairs, a Dr. Seuss tattoo and the Dr. Seuss Workout Challenge. If they do all 10 stations, they got a prize. The Seuss birthday celebrations has made a difference in encouraging kids to learn to read. We have kids who come back and say they remember reading Dr. Seuss books here and that they were the books that got them to love reading, Swan said. We hear a lot of really positive feedback from not only kids but adults who said these books have really made a difference in their lives. Some of the young mothers who brought their children to the library for the Seuss birthday program also attended when they were children growing up in Grand Island, Swan said. Words definitely come alive as Dr. Seuss is zany and has a lot of Seussical pictures and cute things that are not scary for kids and make them feel comfortable and get that young brain working, she said. With each Seuss story, the children learn an important life lesson. For example, The Lorax is a light-hearted but cautionary tale that, if society does not collectively take responsibility for the stewardship of the environment, our own world will soon be like the one that the Lorax left behind. During the birthday celebration, the cupcakes were decorated with Truffalos from the Truffula Tree from The Lorax. We talk with the kids about taking care of the earth and the environment, Swan said. Broncs, bulls and brawn were in full force Friday at the Rodeo Grand Island at the Heartland Events Center. Rodeo Grand Island hosted professional bull riders, bareback bronc riders and more for the 2017 Wrangler Champions Challenge. Chairs were nearly full as many awaited the rodeo stars. Steve and Kristin Fay of Cody, Neb. brought their two sons, Hesston and Cooper, and their sons friend, Carson Lancaster. The family celebrated Coopers 11th birthday by getting rodeo tickets. Hesston, 9, Carson, 10, and Cooper all sat in their seats, equipped with soft pretzels and cheese, before the rodeo began. Hesston and Cooper, who were clad in button-up shirts and sleek cowboy hats, were especially excited to see a few of their favorite rodeo stars. The pair lit up with excitement when talking about how much they love the rodeo. My favorite is the saddle bronc, Cooper said. Lancaster and Hesston said they liked the bull riding the best. Cooper would get to see his favorite event first, while the other two boys waited until the very end to see the bull riders. Steve Fay competed in the Rodeo Grand Island Ranch Rodeo held Thursday night. He competed with the Valentine Livestock team, who placed second. Ranching and rodeo could be in Hesston and Coopers blood, but Steve said hed let them make their own path. Whatever they want to do, Steve said of his sons futures. The boys said they love rodeo and admire many of the world-champion rodeo stars theyd soon see. Orin Larsen, 25, of Inglis, Manitoba, was just one of many talented riders present on Friday night. Larsen is twice a college champion and a young, but accomplished rider. He is a two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier. Larsen, who now lives in Gering, Neb., said he was happy to be competing in Grand Island. Though hes originally from Canada, Larsen said competing in Central Nebraska is pretty special. Its kind of like a hometown rodeo, Larsen, who recently competed in Arlington, Texas, said. Larsens dad used to ride bulls in the 1970s and 1980s. Larsen has two brothers that also compete in rodeo. He said he started out as a kid riding sheep, then steers before he worked his way up to bareback broncs. Hes been riding bareback broncs for about 10 years, he said. Physically, Larsen said he prepares for bareback bronc riding by stretching well. He said his event is considered a younger mans sport and is the most physically demanding sport compared to other rodeo events. Its harder on your body than everything else, Larsen said. He said staying healthy is important for those who compete in rodeo. He tries not to get jerked by the horse, but he said its just kind of part of it. If we get injured and go home, we dont get a paycheck. So its vital to stay healthy, Larsen said. The secret to mentally prepare? Larsen said he tries to keep a clear mind when riding the bucking horse. As far as your mindset goes, its pretty blank honestly, Larsen said. You dont want to think too much, because then youll think on the horse and youll already be two steps behind. If he doesnt keep a clear mind, I usually get drilled on the ground pretty hard. Larsen was probably once a lot like Hesston, Cooper and Carson, looking up to rodeo competitors. Larsen was the second rider of the night, as bareback broncs went first. He shifted forward and backward along with the bucking horse. His white cowboy hat flew off his head and landed in the dirt. He ended up winning the event with an 87-point ride. Larsen said he loves getting to work in front of a crowd. As soon as you hear the roar of the crowd, theres nothing like it, Larsen said. Im very fortunate to do what I do for the sheer fact that I get up in the morning and I love what I do. "The Capital should be free from the tag of being a transit point and consumption point of illegal arms," a senior officer quoted Police Commissioner saying to his men. By Mail Today Bureau: The Capital's trigger-happy criminals have the police worried and the top cop has now asked his men to chase down gunrunners. Data show a big jump in firearms usage in both street crimes and heinous offences such as murder. Youngsters in particular are brazenly supplying and using illegal firearms, say top officers at the police headquarters. Sources say police commissioner Amulya Patanik, who took charge about a month ago, instructed his department's licensing unit to be careful about issuing and renewing arms permits. Since then, the process has become more stringent. advertisement "The Capital should be free from the tag of being a transit point and consumption point of illegal arms," a senior officer quoted Patnaik saying to his men. FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW India has some of the strictest gun laws in the world, a remnant of British rule, which aimed to disarm its subjects. But illegal weapons are prevalent, largely in the backwoods. The data in possession with Mail Today reveals that in 2016, as many as 775 illicit firearms and 7,251 ammunition were seized in the city. The previous year, 431 firearms and 5,153 ammunition were confiscated. Also, the percentage of firearms usage in murders in the city has also went up from 13 per cent to 15 per cent. Sources say a countrymade pistol can be purchased in the Capital for Rs3,000 to Rs40,000. The price of an AK-47 is around Rs2.5 lakh, Walther PPK pistols come for about Rs3 lakh, Mauser pistols for Rs50,000 and self-loading rifles (SLRs) for around Rs1.5 lakh. SPECIAL TEAMS FORMED Apart from the district police, the department's special cell and crime branch have been asked to nab gunrunners. Requesting anonymity, a senior officer told Mail Today: "A special team has been formed in each district to keep tabs on the entire chain illegal firearms supply. Comprehensive details will then be shared with the senior officials and accordingly plans will be made to put an end to the supply of illegal firearms in the city." Another senior officer in the special cell said a recent study on the source of the illegal firearms seized by Delhi Police revealed areas such as Khargone, Pachori and Datepahari in Madhya Pradesh as well as neighbouring districts are fast turning into manufacturing hubs with the guns then smuggled to crime-prone states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar by a tribe called the Sikligars. Members of this blacksmith Sikh community have been making guns for generations. Several of these illegal weapon manufacturers have been arrested in MP over the years. The Naxals are among their biggest clients. During a meeting with Patnaik, sleuths from Madhya Pradesh's special task force reportedly informed him that the dense forest and treacherous terrain discourages the police from going after the gunrunners. advertisement Patnaik, sources said, officially communicated with Madhya Pradesh Police to conduct a joint operation in the area. Police sources said the Sikligars' expertise lies in making exacts replica of a Mauser pistol, which is a semi-automatic firearm, originally made by a German arms manufacturer of that name. "Various lathe machines are being used by these manufacturers to make these illegal firearms," said a senior police officer. "Pistols manufactured by them are of high quality and sophisticated and it is difficult to differentiate these illegally manufactured pistols from imported ones. They send the weapons to Delhi through their carriers and at times they use children and women to deliver arms." Also Read Delhi Police nab gunrunners after shootout Delhi Police arrests gunrunner, seize 27 semi-automatic pistol --- ENDS --- A hearty Saturday Salute goes this week to Dan Naranjo and all the local people who have joined with him in planning a memorial service for Elizabeth Chase-Cosby, a homeless woman who died last weekend in a Grand Island park. Naranjo said that since the news of her death was reported, people across the community have been expressing their concern about her and hopes that something could be done to remember her life, even though she repeatedly refused offers for help. Originally from New Hampshire, Chase-Cosby has a sister in Bangor, Maine, who told Naranjo she thought his offer to conduct a prayer service in honor of Elizabeth was a great idea. She said the family had been searching for her for five years and had no idea how she ended up in Nebraska. Naranjo said the prayer service will be an opportunity to pray not only for Chase-Cosby, but also for all homeless people who are walking in her shoes. The service will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at All Faiths Funeral Home. This is a wonderful way for our community to come together to recognize the plight of the homeless right here in Grand Island and throughout Central Nebraska, as well as to recognize that a child of God died all alone in one of our city parks. Students helping those in need We also continue to be impressed by stories of how our youngsters are helping those in need through community service projects. This past week, 13 Career Pathways Institute students from Grand Island Senior High pitched in to paint the residential hallways at the Hope Harbor shelter. Jamie Kuebler, a CPI English teacher, challenged his students to decide how they could help people in the community. After some brainstorming, they did some research into different organizations serving the homeless in Grand Island. Kuebler talked to Liz Mayfield at Hope Harbor, who told him the shelter had needed its hallways to be painted for a long time, but didnt have the manpower to get it done. That was a perfect match for the students and they set to work. Other students worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grand Island during a recent fundraiser and about five students have gone to the Salvation Army several times to help serve meals. Another group of students is helping a family whose home burned down on Christmas morning to build a dining room table using some of the wood salvaged from their house. These all are great examples of how students can help a variety of people in need in their hometown. We salute all of them and their teacher who has helped them direct their skills to specific projects. When Andy Feller joined the Edwardsville Police Department 14 years ago, they had no crisis intervention program. A couple of years later, Feller, who graduated from SIUE and has a twin brother who is also a police officer, finished his own Crisis Intervention Team training and began teaching the tools and techniques of the CIT model to other officers. Recently Feller spoke to a room filled with mental health experts from agencies such as Chestnut Health Systems and the National Alliance on Mental Illness - who met at Bella Milano in Edwardsville. When he was 23 years old, Feller was startled to learn that his mother was considering hospitalization. The call that day changed not only his life but his professional career. It was a call out of the blue, and I had no idea he told the gathering of 50 or so people. I think my connection to crisis intervention has been just because of that phone call. When Feller took his first CIT test a dozen years ago it covered signs and symptoms officers should be looking for whenever they encounter a person with mental illness. The test was written, and his score of 97 was one of the best. Still, the training didnt fully address the challenges officers face on the front lines. But that has been changing. Today crisis intervention training includes a 40-hour class that begins with a history and overview of mental illness and shifts quickly to role playing. And in recent years Feller has become one of the areas experts on crisis intervention. Four years ago, Wellspring Resources honored him as a Mental Resources Hero. The agency is a mental wellness resource group serving Madison and several neighboring counties. In their news release highlighting the award, Edwardsville police wrote: Andy has fostered the use of experienced and certified CIT officers as evaluators in the training program as well as worked to build and train a troop of improvisational actors that are used for accurate role play in a peer-to-peer setting. One of those classes, Feller said recently, covers something known as compliant surrender, which focuses on verbal tactics officers can use to de-escalate and gain compliance without violence. Its a lot about distance, Feller said. and its about the impairment of the individual. Because if an individual is impaired in any way, they are 15 to 16 times more likely to commit a violent act. Distance is really our friend in the evaluation. Though officers are certainly authorized to use force if necessary, no one likes to use it. In the role-playing situations, Feller uses a team of 18 actors from St. Louis and Chicago. Their function is key because they can give officers immediate feedback after a session. Other evaluators in the room can provide feedback as well. In recent years the written test has been dropped from Crisis Intervention Team certification requirements. In its place, is a role-playing-based evaluation that now includes dispatchers, corrections and civilian employees. The shift toward a crisis intervention model has been slow. It may have started as early as 1986 after a police shooting in Memphis of a person with a mental illness. But it took a while for the initial spark to grow. It ignited the community there though the initial spark was slow to spread. When Feller first started teaching the class, there were seven classes with about 30 people per class; today there are 34 training session, often with 45 to 60 people. But two factors have worked to exacerbate the problem: de-funding and de-institutionalization. In the early 1960s, there were more than 20,000 beds state-wide for those with mental illness; today there are fewer than 850, Feller said. Many of those who needed help wind up in emergency rooms, for as many as 10 days. Thats going to end very quickly here because the judges are starting to get involved, Feller said. Among the loudest voices in the call for better alternatives for those with mental illnesses has come from sheriffs across the state, as well as police chiefs. Cook County estimates that 37 percent of people incarcerated there have a mental illness. Feller says that if you take into consideration that six out of 10 people with a mental illness are not diagnosed, it pushes the total to more than 75 percent of the people in local jails who suffer from mental illness. Still, there have been some successes. One was huge. The situation involved a developmentally disabled 20 year-old female in Edwardsville. She had a chromosomal disorder and had been diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome. At age 3 she was adopted. Over the years, the Edwardsville Police Department had had numerous encounters with her, Feller said. One day, when she was 20 years old, police received calls that she had walked away from her home four different times. Several people who had walked or jogged by called to tell police they saw her crouching behind a bush, whispering for help. Feller became involved in the crisis on the third day. Around 5 p.m. the woman walked away from her home again. Police found her an hour or so later, lying on her back, and took her to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, Feller had been talking about her case with a social worker from a state mental health agency in Belleville. The womans need for highly-skilled care seemed initially to be cost prohibitive. Initially, the higher skilled care the woman needed seemed to be a major stumbling block. It was the day before she was going to be let out, Feller said. A group home was not going to accept her because they felt they were not prepared for her. But a few phone calls later the state came through. So every once in a while you can count on the state to come through. Today Feller is a field training officer with the Edwardsville Police Department. He trains new officers and helps them develop their careers and set expectations. Hes also a bike officer. Not motorcycle. Bicycle. The speech to the mental health professionals at Bella Milano included a gentle warning that drew nervous laughter. Do not come through town trying to speak on your cell phone, or text, he said, because I will pull you over. Glen Carbon residents will soon have the opportunity to harness the power of the sun. The Village of Glen Carbon and the Madison County Sustainability Program have partnered to introduce a bulk solar group purchase program for residents and businesses in Madison County. Organizers say the program will reduce carbon emissions while providing participants the opportunity to invest in their own high-quality renewable energy solar installation. Kim Petzing, Madison County sustainability coordinator, said the program itself will have no costs to Madison County or Glen Carbon. The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) administers the program. The organization has introduced successful solar programs throughout Illinois including Urbana-Champaign, Bloomington-Normal and the Village of Godfrey. The program works by enrolling enough interested residents and businesses that the solar power systems can be purchased and installed in bulk. Glen Carbon Cool Cities Solar Ambassador Chris Krusa said the more people involved in the program, the bigger the discounts will be. Buying in bulk will significantly reduce the costs of solar systems and installation, he said. Depending on how many people sign up, participants could see discounts between 15 to 20 percent. St. Louis-based solar installation firm StraightUp Solar was selected in a competitive bid process as the program's installer. Petzing said if the program is successful, it will save residents of Madison County money on their utility bills. I am thrilled we are working with residents, businesses, farms and other organizations throughout Madison County in order to save them money on solar installations and their utility bills she said. We are also helping the environment in the process. Krusa said the solar systems have the potential to pay for themselves over time. In addition to the discounts offered by the installer, a 30-percent federal tax credit is available to further reduce the cost of solar installation. Above and beyond the monthly savings on your electric bill, participants may also qualify for solar renewable energy credits from the State of Illinois, he said. All this means is that a residential solar system could pay for itself in less than seven years. Petzing said over the next few months MREA will provide free education sessions for prospective participants. MREA will hold one-hour long education sessions cald Solar Power Hours, she said. The first Solar Power Hour is scheduled for 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 14, at the Glen Carbon Police Department Community Room. Peter Murphy, solar program manager at MREA, said he is excited to build the program. Were very excited to build on our recent success of group purchasing programs around Illinois with Solarize Madison County/Glen Carbon, he said. The support of the Village of Glen Carbon, the Madison County Sustainability Program and the Glen Carbon Cool Cities Committee is invaluable to helping increase solar adoption locally. Following Tuesdays severe thunderstorm, its likely Madison County residents and local business owners are filing insurance claims and assessing damages. However, Attorney General Lisa Madigan stated in a press release that its usually during the calm after the storm when scammers look to exploit individuals who may be in need of property repairs. As people assess damage and begin to clean up the devastation left by the storms, it is critical to be aware that scam artists may be targeting residents and businesses with repair scams. I encourage residents and business owners to be cautious before hiring contractors they do not know, particularly if those individuals are soliciting door-to-door, Madigan said. General contractors are not required by state law to be licensed; however, some municipalities do require permits. Edwardsville Police Department Lieutenant Charles Kohlberg said there is one state requirement for general contractors. If a contractor is coming in for a roof permit, theyre going to be doing work on the roof, theyre required to have proof of license in the state of Illinois. There wouldnt be any type of license requirement if youre going to have siding work done for the contractor, Kohlberg said. Insurance adjusters are required to be licensed as well by the Illinois Department of Insurance. Madigan said there are a few tips that families and businesses should follow when making arrangements with a contractor: Be wary of contractors who go door-to-door to offer repair services. Ask for recommendations from people you know and trust. Get written estimates from multiple contractors and dont be rushed into a deal. Get all of the terms of a contract in writing and obtain a copy. Never make full payment until all of the work has been completed to your satisfaction. Never pay in cash. Be aware that you have the right to cancel a contract within three business days if you signed it based on the contractors visit to your home. In the case of disaster repair, you have the right to cancel the contract within five days of when your insurance carrier denies your coverage. Ask to see required state licenses. If the contractor doesnt have a required license, that should raise a red flag. Kohlberg said in the city of Edwardsville, the police department also has a few tips of choosing the right contractor to conduct business with. Be very careful of people that just approach you, approach your residence without having background information on them. Do a little bit of research on the contractor, make sure theyre a legitimate organization, check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure they have good ratings, check their complaint status and see if there are any complaints against them and what types of complaints that theyve had, but definitely do your homework on the contractor before you decide to have any work done on your residence or business, he said. If there is a problem or a suspicion of fraud regarding a contractor in the area, Kohlberg said its recommended that the property owner contact the Edwardsville Police Department at 656-2131. If they believe that there is a contractor thats potentially tempting to offer them a fraudulent service, they can feel free to give us a call and we can send an officer out to talk to them and investigate, try to make a determination whether or not this is a legitimate organization, Kohlberg said. Other resources for local residents and business owners who suspect fraud activity are encouraged to call the Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-243-0618 in Springfield or visit the Better Business Bureaus website at www.bbb.org for more information. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia Sat, March 4, 2017 Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil and his wife took to the pavement and walked from Liung Sari Restaurant to Paviljoen Hotel and also from Bobber Cafe to Paviljoen Hotel. The mayor hopes to encourage citizens, especially students, to make walking a habit. "By walking, we are taking an important step in promoting our health. We can also save money and, of course, help reduce traffic congestion," he said. Mayor Ridwan Kamil made the statement while officiating the program Nyatakan Cintamu Dengan Berjalan Kaki (Declare Your Love for Walking), at Paviljoen Hotel in Bandung last Wednesday. -(-/-) Two groups took part in the action -- one group led by the mayor, and the other led by Mrs. Atalia, his wife. A big group of elementary school and junior high school students also participated in the program. Ridwan Kamil said people should just walk to nearby locations. For medium distances, he said, students can ride their bikes, and for those whose schools are far away, he expressed the hope that they get dropped off 500 meters from school and walk the rest of the way so there will not be as many cars stopping in front of the school, causing congestion. "Lets make it a habit to walk if were going somewhere close by. For medium distances, we can ride our bicycles, and when were driving our children to school, lets stop about half a kilometer from school and walk the rest of the way to help reduce traffic congestion in front of the school," he said. The schools participating in this effort are BPK Penabur, Sekolah Kristen Yahya, Taruna Bakti and SMP 7 Kota Bandung. Ridwan Kamil said that children should develop the habit of walking in order to continue the activity when they grow up. -(-/-) "Hopefully children will grow to love walking and continue doing so throughout their lives," he said. Bandung mayoralty is committed to this program and had a stone inscription declaring the governments seriousness in support of this movement signed by Mayor Ridwan Kamil. The debate over the real parentage of Dhanush continues to rage on. On the one hand, a Madurai couple - Kathiresan and Meenakshi - claim that the actor is their son. On the other, Dhanush is denying these claims and is alleging that the couple is trying to blackmail and extort money from him. By Akshaya Nath: Much like a scene from a movie, film star Dhanush and his family have been going through a tough journey with an old couple from Madurai claiming to be the parents of the actor. The case filed by the couple in the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court asks for a maintenance of Rs 65,000 per month from Dhanush. advertisement The drama started with the couple - Kathiresan and Meenakshi - seeing similarity between Dhanush and their son who ran away from home to join the film industry. Later the couple showcased a birth certificate of their son Kalaiselvan. They also showed his transfer certificates from school. This was further countered by Dhanush's lawyers who presented his birth certificate which was issued by the Corporation of Madras and also his school transfer certificate. Now while the case is in court, Dhanush's school teachers have come out in support of the Kolaveri star saying that they have evidence of the fact that Dhanush did his schooling from Thai Sathya Matriculation school from LKG to 10th standard. "He was a very shy boy, but also very naughty and he did his schooling from LKG to 10th standard. He was an above average student and had got 62-63% in his 10th boards. We have his mark sheets in our records. His parents are Kasthuri Raja and Vijayalakshmi," said Sudha Vijaykumar, the Principal of Thai Sathya Matriculation school. Claims and counter claims: 1. Kathiresan and Meenakshi claim Dhanush is their son Kalaiselvan who ran away from home to persue a career in films and they traced him only after Dhanush's 'Manmada Rasa' song was released. Dhanush claims that he was born and brought up in Chennai and he did his schooling in the city and that his parents are Kasthuri Raja and Vijayalakshmi. 2. The elderly couple in Madurai claim Dhanush's real name is Kalaiselvan Dhanush claims that his name was RK Vengadesha Prabhu at the time of birth when his father was called Krishnamoorthy, but later, his father changed his name to Kasthuri Raja. Dhanush's name was changed from Vengadesha Prabhu to K Dhanush. 3. The elderly couple claims that their son's birth was in Madurai and that his birth certificate and school transfer certificates are in their custody. Dhanush has presented his birth certificate and transfer certificate of his schooling in Chennai. Identification test: On February 28, Dhanush had to present himself before the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court to get an identification mark-verification test and later on March 2, further hearing of the case was also heard in the court and now the case has been adjourned to March 9. advertisement The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on February 14 had even suggested a DNA test to resolve the issue but then Dhanush and his lawyers had declined this saying that the claims of the elderly couple was false and that the case has to be quashed. Moreover, the maintenance amount requested by the elderly couple has been highlighted by Dhanush and his lawyers, and they have stated that the couple are being used to blackmail and extract money from the actor. The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, which is hearing the case has been clear on its part. On February 14, the court had said that whichever side is found to be presenting the false details will be severely punished. Will Dhanush be able to prove that Kasthuri Raja and Vijayalakshmi are his real parents or will he be paying maintenance allowance to couple from Madurai? Well it is just a matter of time before we know the climax of this drama. ALSO READ: Couple claims Dhanush is their son, Madurai court summons Kolaveri D star ALSO READ: Dhanush appears in court with mother to quash Madurai couple's claims ALSO SEE: Dhanush, Hansika, Trisha's private photos leaked advertisement ALSO READ: Baasha re-release is more phenomenal than a Jackie Chan release, says Latha Rajinikanth WATCH: Dhanush appears in court to verify birthmarks --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali Sat, March 4, 2017 King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia arrived at Balis I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport for a six-day vacation on Saturday afternoon. "King Salmans flight landed at 5:53 p.m. local time," said Arie Ahsanurrohin, the head of communications and legal affairs at state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura at Ngurah Rai Airport. Journalists were banned from entering the area where the Saudi king and his entourage arrived. It was the king's advance team that had reportedly asked to ban journalists on the grounds that it was a private visit. Fifty Balinese dancers were preparing to perform a Balinese welcome dance for the king's arrival, which was apparently moved to another part of the airport from the initially planned location near the Air Force base. (Read also: King Salmans arrival in Bali to affect 39 flights) Officials greeting King Salman included Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, who was wearing traditional Balinese attire, Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Petrus R. Golose and Udayana IX District Military Command commander Maj. Gen. Kustanto Widiatmoko. From the airport, King Salman and his entourage went directly to St. Regis Bali Resort, where they are scheduled to stay for six days. Traffic police officers closed the Bali Mandara toll road around 15 minutes before the king's entourage passed along it. Security around the airport was heightened hours before the king aircraft touched down. Fully equipped military and police personnel safeguarded the area. King Salman and his entourage are expected to stay in Bali until March 9. The luxurious beachfront hotel St. Regis Bali Resort has been booked for the king's Bali holiday. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 4 2017 President Joko Jokowi Widodos infrastructure ambition is opening opportunities, not only for construction firms, but also for bankers as more lenders are now setting their sights on the sector. After PT Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) managed to book a 24.2 percent increase in net profit last year, to Rp 11.3 trillion (US$844.73 million) on the back of its infrastructure loans, publicly listed PT Bank Pembangunan Daerah Jawa Barat (Bank BJB) is now targeting to pour more loans into the sector this year. Based in Bandung, West Java, the regional bank is eyeing credit growth of 13 percent in 2017, mainly from commercial loans in which infrastructure credit makes up a significant portion, by around 15 percent. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login The United States recent denial of entry for a Muslim teacher from Britain and the detention of Muhammad Ali Jr. at a Florida airport upon his return from Jamaica, reportedly due to his religion and his Arabic-sounding name, have worsened fears among Indonesian Muslims preparing to study in the US. There are reasons for these fears: Ali Jr., the son of the legendary American boxer, is a US citizen, and Britain and Jamaica are not even among the blacklisted countries. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eileen Ng (Associated Press) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sat, March 4, 2017 A North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to harm his family unless he confessed to the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader, calling it a plot to tarnish his country's honor. Ri Jong Chol spoke to reporters in Beijing shortly after he was released and deported by Malaysian authorities, who said there's no evidence to link him to Kim Jong Nam's killing at Kuala Lumpur's airport on Feb. 13. Police never said what they believed Ri's role was in the attack. Ri accused police of presenting him with "fake evidence" and threatening to kill his family who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. Malaysian authorities on Friday deported the only North Korean detained in the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader, and issued an arrest warrant for another whose whereabouts are unknown. Ri Jong Chol, who had been held since Feb. 17, was released because of a lack of evidence to charge him and was handed over to immigration officials for deportation because he didn't have valid travel documents, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said. Immigration Director-General Mustafar Ali confirmed that Ri had flown out of the country, escorted by two North Korean Embassy officials, and that "he is blacklisted from entering Malaysia." Police never said what they believed Ri's role was in the attack on Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport. Malaysia is looking for seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom are believed to have left the country on Feb. 13, the day Kim died. Two other people remain in custody, both women one Indonesian, one Vietnamese accused of smearing Kim's face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. Police have said three other North Korean suspects, including an official at the North Korean Embassy and an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, are believed to still be in the country. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said an arrest warrant was issued Friday for the Air Koryo employee, Kim Uk Il. Police say he arrived in Malaysia on Jan. 29, about two weeks before Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was killed. Malaysian authorities have not said why they want to arrest Kim Uk Il. Kim Yong Nam's death has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. On Thursday, Malaysia announced it is scrapping visa-free entry for North Koreans. Malaysia's Foreign Ministry ramped up the pressure on Friday, saying it was "greatly concerned" about the use of the nerve agent. "Its use at a public place could have endangered the general public," the ministry said in a statement. Malaysia has not directly accused North Korea of being behind the killing, but the statement came hours after a North Korean envoy rejected a Malaysian autopsy finding that VX killed Kim, saying the man probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, also said that if VX had been used, others besides Kim would have been killed or sickened. The women charged with murdering Kim at an airport terminal were caught on grainy surveillance video smearing what Malaysian authorities say was VX on his face and eyes, though both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Kim died within 20 minutes, authorities say. No bystanders reported falling ill. Malaysia's finding that VX killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory, and North Korea is widely believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons including VX. North Korea is trying to retrieve Kim's body, but has not acknowledged that the victim is Kim Jong Un's half brother, as Malaysian government officials have confirmed. North Korea refers to the victim as Kim Chol, the name on the diplomatic passport he was carrying when he died. Malaysian police are doing the same; they are seeking next-of-kin who could provide a DNA sample and make a positive identification, steps they say are needed for authorities to give up the body. Kim is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau. Khalid, the national police chief, brushed off the North Korean envoy's claim of a heart attack. "We have our experts who are qualified to determine the cause of death of Kim Chol. Our investigations, supported by expert reports, confirmed that Kim Chol was murdered. North Korea can say what they like but the facts remain," Khalid told the AP. Malaysian police said the female suspects had been trained to go immediately to the bathroom and wash their hands after attacking Kim. The police said the four North Korean suspects who left the country the day of the killing put the VX liquid on the women's hands. Police can't confirm whether the two women may have been given antidotes before the attack. An antidote, atropine, can be injected after exposure and is carried by medics in war zones where weapons of mass destruction are suspected. North Korea has a long history of ordering killings of people it views as threats to its regime. Kim Jong Nam was not known to be seeking political power, but his position as eldest son of the family that has ruled North Korea since it was founded could have made him appear to be a danger. Kim Jong Nam reportedly fell out of favor with his father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. (**) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 4 2017 To better prepare for crises, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) will require banks to design recovery plans to solve financial problems they may face in the future. The new prerequisites will particularly apply to 12 domestic systematically important banks, said Sukarela Batunanggar, head of the OJK supervisory framework and crisis management department. Systematically important banks are banks with significant assets and capital, whose bankruptcy could bring about a significant impact on the overall economy. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dandy Koswaraputra (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 4, 2017 King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud expressed his appreciation for Indonesian people who demonstrated inter-religious unity, hoping all citizens would uphold the value of tolerance in society. We should be able to go hand-in-hand with Indonesians and strengthen inter-religious communications between us, King Salman said on Friday during an interfaith dialogue that had been initiated by the government. President Joko Jokowi Widodo had arranged a meeting between King Salman and Indonesian interfaith figures in Jakarta to discuss socio-religious issues. Twenty-eight interfaith figures representing various religions, such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam and Confucianism, attended the historic meeting. Each representative had a chance to share aspirations and hopes with the king and most of them were hoping that the head of state of Saudi Arabia could play a significant role in fostering harmony among the religious communities in Indonesia. All religions attempt to protect human rights and the happiness of the people. So, it is important to fight against radicalism and extremism, Jokowi said before opening the dialogue. (Read also: 3,200 security personnel deployed for King Salmans visit) President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (center) along with Saudi Arabia's King Salman (right) leads a dialogue with interfaith figures in Jakarta on March 3 to talk about socio-religious issues.(State Palace/Leily Rachev) Previously, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Syaifuddin said the meeting aimed to send a message of peace to the world that religions should not be used as a tool to achieve political goals that could lead to extremism, radicalism and terrorism. This is something that we are now preparing. We will make use of King Salmans state visit to hold an interfaith dialogue to build a shared understanding on how to fight extremism, Lukman said. King Salman met the religious leaders of various faiths during his 12-day visit of Indonesia, the longest leg of his month-long tour of Asia. The visit by the Saudi king after 47 years could herald a new start in relations between the two countries, one as the host and custodian of Islamic holy sites, and the other as the country with the largest Muslim population. (dan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 4, 2017 The Trade Ministry will approach six countries, mostly non-traditional markets, to try and expand Indonesian exports and discuss the potential of sealing trade agreements during a series of high-level meetings with members and partners of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) next week. The six countries are the United Arab Emirates (UAE), South Africa, Bangladesh, Iran, the United States and the United Kingdom (UK). The UAE, South Africa, Bangladesh and Iran are IORA members, while the US and the UK are IORA partners that will participate in the meetings from March 5 to March 7. (Read also: IORA members meet in Bali) Weve agreed with Saudi Arabia to conduct a joint study [on a trade agreement] and we will discuss similar issues with the six countries during the IORA Summit, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said on Friday at a press conference on the IORA. Inking trade agreements such as free trade agreements and preferential trade agreements is a crucial part of Indonesias strategy to boost exports in the middle-term. The largest economy in Southeast Asia has struggled to maintain its export growth as the prices of commodities, which make up a sizeable portion of the countrys overseas shipments, have fallen over the past few years. Overall exports declined by 3.95 percent to US$144.4 billion last year according to data from the Central Statistics Agency. This year, the Trade Ministry will set a more moderate export growth target, hoping that exports will surge by 5.6 percent from an earlier projection of 11.9 percent. (lnd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 4, 2017 The Industry Ministry hopes to help establish 20,000 new small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector by 2019. Gati Wibawaningsih, the ministrys SME director general, said her office aimed to facilitate the formation of more than 5,000 new SMEs in 2017 alone. By now, we already have around 166,000 SMEs, she told reporters Friday. SMEs are key business entities that drive economic growth in Indonesia. The government is encouraging the development of new SMEs as part of its efforts to boost the number of entrepreneurs in the country, which lags behind other Asian countries such as Singapore, China and Japan. (Read also: Indonesia provides free domain names for SMEs) To provide wider market access, the ministry will promote SME products through the creation of a digital platform equipped with an online marketing and e-payment system called E-Smart SMEs, Gati added. She further said factories run by industrial SMEs had enormous room for improvement because at present, 92 percent of products at market places were imported, giving domestic businesses an opportunity to replace them. Other forms of government support for industrial SMEs include the certification of products, assistance in purchasing machinery and equipment as part of industrial restructuring and promoting local and international exhibitions. (yon/lnd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim and Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 4 2017 In a display of religious tolerance, 28 leaders of Indonesias major religions Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Protestantism and Catholicism took part in a dialogue with Saudi Arabias King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Friday. In the closed-door meeting, which lasted about 30 minutes, the monarch praised Indonesias religious life and called on the leaders to embrace one another to ensure that the rights of every believer were upheld. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali Sat, March 4, 2017 Inbound and outbound flights from Balis I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport might be delayed due to the arrival of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Departing from Brunei Darussalam, the Saudi king and his entourage are expected to arrive in Bali at 5:45 p.m. The representative of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I at Ngurah Rai Airport said 22 domestic and 17 international flights would be affected by the kings arrival. Flight movements will be stopped for at least 45 minutes as the Saudi Arabian royal aircraft lands at the airport, the Bali airport operator said. Based on a Notice to Airmen [NOTAM] issued by the Transportation Ministry, flight activities will be suspended for 45 minutes, starting from 5:30 p.m. until 6:15 p.m., Angkasa Pura communication and legal head Arie Ahsanurrohin said on Saturday. He added that the flights affected by King Salmans visit included some departing for Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Other flights might also be affected. This is part of the standard operational procedure for VVIP security," Arie said. Angkasa Pura I has also prepared a special parking lot for the royal aircraft. The parking lot for the kings aircraft will be near the Indonesian Air Force [TNI AU] base," he said. (ebf) In one of the tweets, Trump said the alleged wiretapping took place in his Trump Tower skyscraper in New York, but there was "nothing found". By Reuters: US President Donald Trump on Saturday accused former President Barack Obama of wiretapping him in October during the late stages of the presidential election campaign, but offered no evidence to support the allegation. "How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!," Trump said in a series of tweets on his Twitter account early on Saturday. "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!" advertisement Obama's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The White House also did not respond to a request to elaborate on Trump's accusations. NO PRESIDENT CAN ORDER WIRETAP Former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes strongly denied Trump's allegations. "No president can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you," Rhodes wrote on Twitter. In response to Trump's tweet about a lawyer making a "great case," Rhodes responded: "No. They couldn't. Only a liar could do that." A Trump spokeswoman said the Republican president is "having meetings, making phone calls and hitting balls" at his golf course in West Palm Beach. In one of the tweets, Trump said the alleged wiretapping took place in his Trump Tower office and apartment building in New York, but there was "nothing found." Trump's administration has come under pressure from Federal Bureau of Investigation and congressional investigations into contacts between some members of his campaign team and Russian officials during his campaign. DEFLECTOR-IN-CHIEF AT IT AGAIN House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi ridiculed Trump's assertions. "The Deflector-in-Chief is at it again. An investigation by an independent commission is the only answer," she wrote on Twitter Saturday. Several Republicans on Saturday again urged an investigation into a series of intelligence-related leaks. Obama imposed sanctions on Russia and ordered Russian diplomats to leave the United States in December over the country's involvement in hacking political parties in the November 8 US presidential election. On Saturday, Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat who is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News that Trump "is not credible when it comes to talking about Russia." Swalwell downplayed Trump's allegation. "I think this is just the president up early doing his routine tweeting," he said. "Presidents don't wiretap anyone. These are pursued by the Department of Justice in accordance with the FBI and signed off by a judge." WARRANT NEEDED FOR WIRETAP Under US law, a federal court would have to have found probable cause that the target of the surveillance is an "agent of a foreign power" in order to approve a warrant authorizing electronic surveillance of Trump Tower. advertisement Several conservative news outlets and commentators have made similar allegations about Trump being wiretapped during the campaign in recent days, without offering any evidence. Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned in February after revelations that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office. Flynn had promised Vice President Mike Pence he had not discussed US sanctions with the Russians, but transcripts of intercepted communications, described by US officials, showed that the subject had come up in conversations between him and the Russian ambassador. Trump has often used his Twitter account to attack rivals and for years led a campaign alleging that Obama was not born in the United States. He later retracted the allegation. Watch Video: Trump accuses Obama of wiretapping him during election campaign Also Read: Donald Trump lashes out at FBI for failing to stop leaks to media How Donald Trump's merit-based immigration proposal could benefit Indians --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Bekasi, West Java Sat, March 4, 2017 State-owned electricity company PLN has kicked off the construction of an Rp 850 billion (US$63.3 million) facility to distribute electricity in Jakarta and Bekasi, West Java. PLNs general manager for business development in western Java, Robert Apriyanto Purba, said the high-voltage gas insulated substation would produce 500 kilovolt (kV) of electricity upon completion in mid-2018. We are optimistic that this new facility can support the provision of electricity for residents as well as industry in Bekasi and the eastern part of Jakarta, Robert said during the groundbreaking event in Bekasi on Friday. Located on a 5.3-hectare plot of land in Rawalumbu, Bekasi, the facility will use gas insulated switchgear developed by PT Siemens Indonesia. (Read also: PLN to buy waste-based power from 7 cities) PLN regional business director for western Java, Murtaqi Syamsuddin, said the technology would reduce the space needed for power transmission and thereby address the lack of land available in Greater Jakarta. Demand for electricity in Jakarta rose by 6.5 percent each year, he added. Were building high-voltage distribution plants around Jakarta to anticipate future demand, Murtaqi said. Apart from the Bekasi facility, PLN is also developing two substations in Duri Kosambi, West Jakarta, and Priok, North Jakarta, and will build another one in Muara Karang, North Jakarta. (ecn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 4, 2017 As it is now more open to foreign capital, Saudi Arabia has invited Indonesia to invest in the Persian Gulf economy and benefit from its many untapped business opportunities. The worlds major oil producing nation has struggled to spur economic growth after the 2014 oil price cash left the country with high budget deficits. Saudi Arabia is moving away from its heavy dependence on the oil sector and diversifying its revenues from other sectors, said General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman. This transformation wont happen unless our private sector cooperates with the international business community, including businesses here, he said during an Indonesia-Saudi Arabia Business Forum recently. (Read also: Indonesia must take advantage of partnerships with Saudi Arabia: Analyst) Saudi Arabia has launched a master plan called Vision 2030 that aims to increase the proportion of foreign direct investment to 5.7 of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020, from 3.8 percent at present. In line with this ambition, the contribution of the private sector is expected to rise from 40 percent of GDP to 65 percent, while the share of non-oil exports is set to climb from 16 percent to 50 percent. Saudi Arabia could serve as a trade hub to nearby countries in Asia, Africa and Europe, according to Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. (lnd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 4, 2017 Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said that during a meeting with Adel Zaid Al Toraifi, Saudi Arabias Culture and Information Minister, the Saudi expressed surprise at the condition of the press in Indonesia. We talked about Saudi Arabia, a country that is reportedly getting more open to press freedom. I explained to him that after the start of the reform era, Indonesia declared the 1999 Press Law, under which there is no more press censorship from the government. He was quite surprised to hear about that, Rudiantara said as quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Friday. Apart from the development of press freedom, the ministers also discussed the organization of 2017 World Press Freedom Day, which will be held in Indonesia in May. (Read also: Many MoUs to be signed during King Salmans visit) Rudiantara said both Indonesia and Saudi Arabia needed to take advantage of the event to strengthen their cooperation in the field of media and information. They [the Saudi delegates] are interested in learning from Indonesia how to manage the press, he told journalists. Saudi Arabia also wanted to know more about how Indonesia managed media corporations via the Press Council, he added. They want to learn about all of those issues so they will send a special delegation to attend World Press Freedom Day, said Rudiantara. (mrc/ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 4 2017 During French Foreign Affairs and International Development Minister Jean-Marc Ayraults visit to Indonesia in late February, a new organization called the French Renewable Energy Club was launched in Jakarta. The club was officially inaugurated by Ayrault during an event attended by Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan, French renewable energy federator Jean Ballandras, French Renewable Energy Association vice president Xavier Daval and representatives from French companies who are members of the club. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agus Maryono (The Jakarta Post) Purwokerto Sat, March 4, 2017 At least 4,200 contract midwives from the National Village Midwife Forum (Forbides) from across the country plan to stage a protest against President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Health Minister Nila Moeloek over uncertainty of their employment status. The rally was planned after the midwives were informed that they had not passed the civil servant selection test. They claimed the decision went against a memorandum of understanding (MoU) promised by the government on the promotion of 38,000 village midwives to civil servants. We have coordinated with the members of Forbides all across Indonesia and we will demand the government to realize their promise. There were midwives that did not pass the selection [test] even though they had been working for more than 10 years. This is not fair, Banyumas Forbides chairperson Tevia Ari Mustikarini said on Friday. (Read also: Rural midwives plead for govt recognition) She said one of the commitments of the MoU was to promote the 38,000 midwives as contract civil servants and then as regional employees, with no enforcement of an age restriction. As many as 4,200 midwives over 35 years old were declared to have failed the test because of their age. The midwives claimed the process was unfair as they had gone through the entire selection procedure. Meanwhile, Banyumas Employment Office head Achmad Supartono said the 2012 regulation on contract civil servants stipulated that the age limit for servants was 35 years old. Those that did not pass the selection test would be hired as contract workers. (rin) (lead article) Amnesty Now! Stop raids, deportations! Trump attack on immigrant workers faces obstacles Detroit News via AP/Todd McInturf President Donald Trumps executive orders calling for increased deportations of immigrant workers are bumping into major roadblocks. This includes protests led by immigrant workers across the country, opposition from workers debating the moves, as well as from the Mexican government and U.S. military and police officials. The deportation of fellow workers is less popular than ever among workers in the United States including among those who voted for Trump who face the carnage from the worldwide capitalist economic crisis. Many know that the target of the raids and deportations is not just workers without papers the measures are aimed at dividing the working class and pushing down all our wages and living conditions to benefit the propertied rulers. New Department of Homeland Security guidelines open the door to broader raids and deportations. But Trump continues to say the focus will be on workers without papers who have been found guilty of crimes. We are removing gang members, drug dealers and criminals, Trump said in his Feb. 28 speech to Congress. Bad ones are going out as I speak tonight and as I have promised. Before the session, Trump floated a trial balloon about a bipartisan plan for a pathway to legal status for undocumented workers without criminal backgrounds. Its still to be seen what exact course the administration will end up pursuing. That is being fought out. The DHS guidelines say that immigrants who illegally enter the U.S. no matter what country they are from will be returned to the territory of the foreign contiguous country from which they arrive in other words Mexico while they await court hearings. But the Mexican government says theyll refuse to take them. We told them that was impossible, Mexico Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, told the press Feb. 24. While Trump prides himself on being a tough negotiator, the Mexican government has strong cards in its deck as well. New York Times columnist Eduardo Porter noted Feb. 22 the apprehensions of Mexican immigrants at the border are the lowest in 40 years. Because of high unemployment in the U.S. and tighter policing of the border, fewer Mexicans are coming to the U.S. than are returning to Mexico. Last year the Mexican government deported more than 143,000 Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans who attempted to pass through Mexico to the U.S. In effect the wall, as it were is Mexico, Porter said. If the capitalist government in Mexico stopped deporting Central Americans, it could double or triple the numbers reaching the U.S. Tens of thousands have marched across Mexico protesting the Trump administrations threat to dump immigrants it deports into Mexico, regardless of where they come from. One banner in Mexico City read, Gracias, Trump, for unifying Mexico. The White House has also floated the possibility of sharply increasing tariffs on goods imported from Mexico. Some 80 percent of Mexican exports $21 billion go to the U.S. But thats not a one-way street either. U.S. agribusiness exports $17.7 billion a year to Mexico, their third largest customer, in products ranging from corn and wheat to corn syrup. Small farmers and agribusiness alike are worried that an increase in tensions between the two governments could hit them hard. Little enthusiasm from military, cops There is little support among the military brass for turning the armed forces into auxiliary immigration agents. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly went to Mexico City Feb. 23 with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for discussions with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. There will be no repeat no use of military force in immigration operations, he said. The retired Marine Corps general also said there will be no repeat, no mass deportations. Instead, Kelly said, immigration agents would focus on criminals, essentially the policy during the presidency of Barack Obama. Many police chiefs have spoken out against their officers acting as immigration cops, fearing it would destroy immigrants willingness to talk to them. I would rather have my officers focused on going after violent criminals and people breaking into homes than going after nannies and cooks, Houston Chief Art Acevedo told the press. Over 350 people jammed the city council chambers at a town meeting Jan. 10 in Kingston, a town in rural New York, to debate whether cops there should ask people about their immigration status. Police Chief Egidio Tinti said they had a longstanding unwritten policy against asking people about their papers. The debate lasted three hours with dozens of speakers, speaking 3 to 1 in favor of making Kingston a sanctuary city. The council approved the policy 5-3. In his speech to Congress, Trump raised imposing new restrictions on legal immigration, as well as targeting workers without papers. He called for switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system. Trump isnt the only one to call for shifting immigration rules to favor admitting more smart people tech whizzes, entrepreneurs and meritocrats, but hes among the most brazen. Cutting working-class immigration, Trump says, will raise workers wages and help struggling families including immigrant families. But growing numbers of workers refuse to buy into pitting workers against each other no matter where they were born. Jim George, 68, who lives in Perry, Iowa, home to a Tyson Foods meat-packing plant, told the Washington Post Feb. 26 that though he voted for Trump, he doesnt agree with deportations. These are good folks, he said. This place would not be functioning without the folks that have come in here. The Post ran interviews with a number of workers in rural and small-town Iowa who said the same thing. Related articles: Socialist Workers Party says fight for amnesty Founder of sanctuary group fights her own deportation Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) Protests hit cop attack on youth in California ANAHEIM, Calif. Three hundred people took to the streets here Feb. 22 after a confrontation the day before between 13-year-old Christian Dorscht and off-duty Los Angeles cop Kevin Ferguson. Videos taken on the scene and widely circulated online show Ferguson grab Dorscht by the neck, drag him across lawns and over a hedge, and, when confronted by other young people, take out his gun and fire a shot. Young people have continued to demonstrate since, demanding the cop be prosecuted. Dennis Richter, Socialist Workers Party candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, and other SWP members have built and joined the actions. Let go of me, Im only like 13, Dorscht says as he is dragged. Other youth on the scene say the adult never identified himself as a cop. After some schoolmates try to get him away, the cop pulls a concealed gun from his waistband and fires a shot into the ground. Dorscht and a 15-year-old youth who had tried to free him were arrested and charged with assault and battery. A dozen other young people were taken to the cop station and grilled. No charges were filed against the cop. In an interview on KTLA-TV after he was released, Dorscht said the incident began when the cop cursed at a girl he accused of stepping on his lawn. I said, Hey, thats not how you treat a lady. And then he came at me, Dorscht said. He hit me. I ran to the street to run away from him, and he got me. This cop is just irate, starts charging after this poor kid, a neighbor who witnessed the incident said, backing up the boys account. The cop accuses the teenager of threatening to shoot him. I didnt say that. Why are you lying? Dorscht is shown in the video saying. I said Im going to sue you. Outrage at what the video shows, and that the cop is walking free, sparked hundreds to march around the area the next night. It could have been me, my friend or someone from my family, said Jocelyne Gutierrez, 21. Twenty-three people were arrested. Isolated incidents of violence and vandalism occurred. My son Joel Acevedo was killed by the Anaheim police department July 22, 2012. He was 21 years old, home health care worker Donna Acevedo told Richter at a protest Feb. 24. My son was running away. He was beaten, handcuffed and shot in the back of the head. Im not going to let anyone forget. Its very important that we continue to fight police brutality. The role of the cops whether in Anaheim or Los Angeles is to protect the private property of the capitalist rulers and to intimidate people, to get us to feel like there is nothing we can do about the conditions we are forced to live in, Richter said. Any questioning of how we are being treated is seen by the cops as resistance to be met with force on their part. At another demonstration of 100 in front of the Anaheim Police Station Feb. 26, Richter joined in a lively discussion and debate over an open mike. The police were not created to serve and protect. The police were created to intimidate immigrants. The police were created to protect property and to be used against people of color, Irvine high school student August Carleton said. We need to tell the police to represent people of color. The cops have to be held accountable. They arent above the law, said Theresa Smith, whose son Caesar Cruz was killed by the Anaheim police in 2009. What that officer did to those youth is come out with a loaded gun. Theres no difference between a Mexican cop and a white cop. They work for the same white supremacist system, said Naui Huitchilopochtli, a university utility worker. A couple of speakers said we should drive the cop involved in the shooting out of the neighborhood. The system is built to oppress people of color. If you are white you have less chance of being killed. Sure some get killed but more as an outlier, said Stephanie Lindo, a Black student attending Biola University. What is role of the cops? Im white. Its not only Black and brown people killed by cops. These guys are killers and killers kill, said Sara Hertl, whose brother Justin was killed by the Anaheim cops in 2003 in front of their grandmother. My brother was 23 years old. He wasnt a gang member. Its not about race. We demand the cop who manhandled the teenagers and shot his gun be arrested, charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law, Richter said. We live under the system of capitalism. Blacks and Latinos are disproportionately killed by cops and fill the prisons in a larger percentage than Caucasians. Do you know how many killings Los Angeles County cops have been charged with since 2000? he asked. Some in the crowd shouted back, Zero? Thats right, zero, Richter said. But there is another side of this, he said. There is no such thing as white people. Tens of millions of working people who face economic carnage all across the country no jobs, dangerous jobs, low pay, no health care, drugs and suicide. The majority are Caucasian. While a higher percentage of Blacks and Latinos are killed by cops than Caucasians, more Caucasians are killed by cops, he said. We live in a class-divided society. Workers have common interests no matter what our nationality and have a common enemy, the system that keeps in power the millionaires and billionaires of all hues who benefit from the cops protection and run this country. My party the Socialist Workers Party says working people need to build a working-class movement of the majority to take political power out of their hands, Richter said, like Fidel Castro and the people of Cuba did. They control their own destiny today. Related articles: France: Rallies condemn cop rape assault Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) Malcolm X, revolution in Cuba share same ideals NEW YORK Malcolm X was one of the most notable political and revolutionary personalities of the 20th century, Alejandro Castillo, speaking on behalf of Anayansi Rodriguez, Cubas ambassador to the United Nations, told a crowd of over 200 people Feb. 21 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. The meeting marked 52 years since the revolutionary Black leader was assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom. The way he developed his political thinking, particularly during the last years of his life, Castillo said, led him to understand that the popular revolution that succeeded in the small neighboring island of Cuba in 1959 also represented the ideals he was fighting for. Others who spoke included professor and activist Johanna Fernandez, who moderated the meeting; William Sales, author of From Civil Rights to Black Liberation: Malcolm X and the Organization of Afro-American Unity; Gail Walker, executive director of IFCO/Pastors for Peace; and Dr. Evelyn Erickson, a graduate of the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana. Were here to honor the lives of two extraordinary figures in world history, Fernandez said, Malcolm and Fidel Castro. The two revolutionaries met each other in September 1960 when Castro came to address the United Nations. U.S. authorities connived to deny Castro and the Cuban delegation hotel lodging in Manhattan. Malcolm invited the Cubans to stay at the Hotel Theresa, where he joined thousands lining the streets waving Cuban flags, welcoming them to Harlem. When that historic meeting between Malcolm and Fidel took place, Castillo said, it showed they shared the same dreams and aspirations for the independence of other oppressed people worldwide, particularly in Africa. When Che Guevara went to Africa and joined fighters in the Congo taking up arms against Belgian and U.S. imperialism, Castillo said, The spirit of Malcolm was also there together with those Cuban and African combatants. When tens of thousands of Cuban voluntary combatants heeded the call of their African brothers and joined the 15 year-long battle against the troops of the South African apartheid regime who invaded Angola, Castillo said, Malcolm was there because he was a forerunner and pioneer of internationalism. The ideas of Malcolm retain their full validity, he said. Therefore, our best tribute to Malcolm X can be no other than to continue fighting. Our best tribute to Malcolm X can be no other than to continue defending our socialism in Cuba and fighting against the U.S. blockade, he said. Cuba has put itself on the line for Blacks in Africa, the Caribbean and Black people here, Sales told the audience. When Reagan sent U.S. troops against the revolution in Grenada, he said, Cuban construction workers fought and died defending that revolution. Thousands of Cubans helped to defeat South Africa in Angola, he said, facilitating the end of apartheid. We have to thank the Cuban Revolution under the leadership of Fidel Castro for supporting us. Walker described how IFCO has worked to support Cuba for decades, beginning with material-aid caravans organized by her father, the late Lucius Walker, the groups founder. She described how he faced U.S. government harassment and served time in jail for solidarity with Cuba. Washington continues to go after IFCO today, including moving to strip the group of its tax-exempt status. Erickson described how Castro had initiated the Latin American School of Medicine. ELAM, the schools Spanish acronym, has trained thousands of doctors from around the world for free. The only condition has been that graduates agree to start their practice in working-class neighborhoods when they return home. Meeting participants applauded when Castillo concluded his remarks saying, Our best tribute to Malcolm X can be no other than to keep in our hearts an everlasting gratitude to the people of Harlem. Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) Devastation by floods in Calif. caused by capitalism, not rain SAN JOSE, Calif. We should have been notified. We should have been evacuated sooner. It would have prevented a lot of damage, Carmen Grota told members of the Socialist Workers Party visiting the working-class area of San Jose that flooded Feb. 20 when the Coyote Creek poured over its banks. Up and down the streets in this largely Latino and Asian neighborhood were piles of destroyed furniture, toys and other ruined belongings. What the politicians and bourgeois press insist as they wring their hands at their supposed powerlessness is that the social tragedy caused by the massive rainfall and flooding in California is the unfortunate but unavoidable result of natural causes. But the disaster for working people here is a product of sharp inequalities that are a result of the class relations imposed by capitalism. In much of the capitalist world, workers only find housing they can begin to afford in low-lying areas given to flooding. This neighborhood is densely packed with families with larger households, nearly twice as many per square mile than the rest of the city, 38 percent of whom were born abroad. A big pile of ruined belongings stood outside the De Albas home. We had no warning, Mindy De Alba, who works as a customer service representative, told us. My mom called me at work saying the house was flooded. You have things like those Amber Alerts, her mother Maria said. Why couldnt they at least have put out something like that? De Alba said the family had to be rescued by one of the boat crews that moved from house to house, pulling families and pets out of the filthy water. My hats off to the rescuers, she said. They did a great job. Hundreds of homes, apartments and trailer homes were inundated, some to the rooftops. Most people we talked to, like the De Alba family, first heard about the flood not from city officials but from friends, relatives or co-workers. Many became aware of it only when they saw advancing water. Several told us that their flood insurance covered only the structure of their homes, but nothing inside. Homeless people who camped along the creek were among the first to confront the rising waters. Some had to be rescued from trees they climbed to escape. Hours after the floodwaters inundated the area, the government issued a mandatory evacuation order for 14,000 residents. After a long drought California has been hit by a series of strong rainstorms. Already deteriorating infrastructure at dams and other structures is cracking under the strain. In February, the emergency spillway at Californias highest dam, in Oroville, began to break apart, leading to the belated evacuation of 188,000 people. At least four people have died in the storms. The flooding in San Jose came after the reservoir at the nearby Anderson dam overflowed, sending water rushing down into Coyote Creek. The reservoir is limited to 68 percent of capacity because of its proximity to an earthquake-prone fault line the state failed to notice when the dam was built. After inspectors belatedly discovered the dam was vulnerable to a major quake, capacity was restricted and construction was begun to strengthen the dam but it wont be finished until 2024. In the face of inaction by city officials, it was left to residents and their neighbors, friends and relatives to help each other. Carman Grotas husband, a lineman for a tech company, worked with neighbors to unclog the drain down the street. Four days after the flood, Gabriel Bravo, a maintenance worker with the school district, was still pumping water from his basement onto the sidewalk. He told us the house, bought by the family in 1982, has been condemned, with the foundation too damaged to salvage. The water district went and measured the creek for three straight days and nobody said anything to us, he said. Then boom the water came. Bravo, along with four other workers we spoke to, subscribed to the Militant newspaper. Interest in the paper increased when we showed them an article explaining how the revolutionary government and the people in Cuba were organized to prevent the loss of life during Hurricane Mathew in 2016. When the hurricane hit Haiti and the U.S., people were left to fend for themselves. Over 1,000 were killed in Haiti and at least 23 in the U.S. The same Category 4 hurricane ravaged Cuba, but there was not a single fatality. The government and people mobilized to evacuate everyone, and their pets, from harms way, and organized to rebuild homes and infrastructure afterwards. The difference between Cuba and the United States is the revolution workers and farmers made there in 1959, we explained, and overturned the capitalist social relations we suffer under here. In the wake of the outcry over the lack of notice and support from the city, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo was forced to admit something had gone terribly wrong. If the first time a resident is aware that they need to get out of a home is when they see a firefighter in a boat, Liccardo told a Feb. 22 press conference, something went wrong. Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home There are 50 tiger reserves under the jurisdiction of the NTCA - such as the Jim Corbett, Dudhwa, Melghat, Bandhavgarh, Periyar, etc. Separate guidelines will be framed for the 733 different kinds of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the country such as alpine and flower valleys, bird habitats, marine, reptile and coastal parks, etc. For example, Odisha's Gahirmatha Beach, where Olive Ridley Turtles come to lay eggs in March may be completely barred at that time, sources said. One would not be allowed to pick up even a blade of grass from the Rhododendron Sanctuary in Sikkim, where the large and showy pink flowers bloom en masse. And, in certain Himalayan protected areas, their 'carrying capacity', including the number of vehicles and tourists that can be allowed, the timings, etc, will be reassessed. A senior MoEF officer said there is no 'ecotourism' guideline in place at present. Chief Wildlife Wardens of Protected Areas are empowered to permit and regulate the entry of visitors. However, the lack of guidelines leaves room for discretion and associated issues. "There are two related existing laws - one, the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980, which says any non-forestry activity in a jungle is unlawful and has to be compensated by afforestation or money. Now, if a road is built for tourism purpose, does it amount to diversion or management?" said an officer. "Similarly, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, says a wildlife habitat must not be disturbed. But without allowing the youth or nature enthusiasts to visit the area, how do we expect them to appreciate conservation? So various states started posing these questions and we had to look into framing 'eco-tourism' guidelines," he informed. Another officer said, "Earlier, there were very few people touristing sanctuaries. But now, wildlife safari amounts to one-third tourism in India. In such a scenario, we need to regulate it. We are also considering financial controls such as increasing the fare of visiting such parks." As per NTCA's guidelines, each tiger reserve is divided into three zones - core, buffer and corridor. The visitors are not allowed into the core tiger habitat and in the other two as well, it is strictly moderated. (front page) Greek workers in gunsight of IMF, EU rulers as crisis deepens In the name of tough fiscal targets, people who might otherwise survive are dying, Michalis Giannakos, leader of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees union, told theJan. 1. Our hospitals have become danger zones. Working people in Greece face rising mortality rates, an increase in life-threatening infections and a growing shortage of medical equipment. Today 2.5 million Greeks have no health care coverage, out of a total population of 11 million. These are just a few of the most dramatic reflections of the devastating impact on working people of the yearslong so-called Greek debt crisis beginning in 2010. The insolvency of the Greek government deepened by unequal trade relations in Europe and relentless pressure for payment on Greek bonds in the hands of banks and private investors worldwide has worsened years of economic recession. This crisis is exacerbated by the economic impact of the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Syria, landing in Greece and increasingly refused entry elsewhere in Europe. All of this portends more carnage for workers and farmers. The possibility of the withdrawal of Greece from the European Union, a so-called Grexit, is once again on the table. Under the political and economic pressure of the slow-burning world capitalist depression, this would deepen already sharpening conflicts in the EU, threatening the breakup of the 28-nation capitalist trade block which was cobbled together in 1993 with Berlin at the helm. In 2015 the EU, joined by the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, imposed a series of deepening cuts on government social programs and union rights in return for a bailout package of international loans. Though they had been elected earlier that year on an anti-austerity platform, the Syriza party the Coalition of the Radical Left and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras agreed to virtually every one of the demands of U.S. and European finance capital. Some of the measures took effect this January. In response, farmers have been blocking highways at a number of Greeces northern border crossings. On Feb. 14, 2,000 farmers descended on Athens, demanding relief from rising taxes and attacks on their pensions. Ordinary people support our blockades, protest leader Vangelis Boutas said. The $97 billion bailout loan Athens accepted in 2015 included a $2 billion cut in the countrys pension system. The loan arrangement, the third since 2010, ends in 2018. Payments to bondholders of $2.2 billion due in July require the Syriza government to inflict ever more damage on working people. The IMF says it wont participate in a further bailout unless some of Greeces debt to the bondholders is written off. Theyve concluded that the full amount is unpayable, and that continuing to push for it threatens getting the most possible. But the rulers in Berlin are opposed, refusing to forego any of the capital owed to them. In a mid-January Times of London interview, President Donald Trump accurately said that the EU is basically a vehicle to promote the interests of German capitalists. The Trump administration adds a new wild card to the EUs problems, on top of Brexit in the U.K. and the Greek crisis. Why is Greece again on the brink? It seems like deja vu. Will it ever end? Ted Malloch, Trumps pick for U.S. ambassador to the EU, recently told a Greek TV late night chat show. I would have to say that the odds are higher that Greece itself will break out of the euro. Whether the eurozone survives I think is a question that is very much on the agenda. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble has demanded the Tsipras government implement its current commitments to take more out of the hides of workers and farmers or suffer the consequences. The IMF and EU bureaucrats, as well as the German government, all agree it is the workers and farmers of Greece that must pay. But for their own reasons, Athens and Brussels, looking over their shoulders at the growing anger of working people, are opposed to the depth of cuts imposed by the IMF. We cannot accept IMF insistence on further cuts in pensions, Greek Labor Minister Effie Achtsioglou said in a letter to the Financial Times. Insisting on further pension cuts while Greek pensioners barely have enough to live on is not the way to address public discontent. As the biggest contributor making 17.5 percent of all the contributions to the IMF Washington will have veto power over any action taken by the group over Athens. The Greek rulers unpayable debts are just one result of the ongoing world contraction of capitalist trade and production, exacerbated by the unequal relations between Athens and Berlin that flow from Greeces lower level of productivity and industrial development. Similar economic disparities also affect Italy, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. In the European Union, the capitalists everywhere extol the principle of ever greater union while they fight to drive down the wages and living conditions of working people within their borders to be more competitive. The ruling classes of the larger powers like Germany seek to reinforce their domination, using their greater strength to extract profits at others expense, deepening the exploitation of toilers and in their weaker rivals. This is what is now playing out in Greece, where one-quarter of the working class is unemployed. And 46 percent of young people aged 15 to 24. Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (special feature) Lenin, Fidel and the role of the individual in history Socialist revolutions in Russia and Cuba based on the liberating capacities of working people Thank you Isabel. And a thank you to the companeros of Ciencias Sociales publishing house for giving me the opportunity to participate in this important event marking the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution. As Isabel has indicated, Im not a historian by occupation. If I had a Facebook page which I dont I would list my occupation as communist. That is what has guided my actions since I became a conscious political person more than fifty years ago and joined the communist movement in the United States, the Socialist Workers Party. As all the great revolutionary leaders of the working class have taught us from Marx and Engels, to Lenin and Fidel no one becomes a Marxist without being a student of science and history. Not history as it is taught in the academies an incomprehensible catalog of names, dates, events, and above all rationalizations for the existing fact of capitalist social relations. What Im talking about is living history, in which we working people are the protagonists. The existing class struggle, the historical movement going on under our very eyes, to use the words of the Communist Manifesto. And always from the point of view of a person who automatically asks Was tun? And what is to be done? It is in that spirit that Isabel and the companeros of Ciencias Sociales invited me to participate today. Pathfinder Press, where part of my activity is centered, has published dozens of books on the Bolshevik Revolution and its ongoing continuity. Some of them are available on the table at the side of the room. And, as the pamphlet you all received a copy of explains, Pathfinder itself Was Born with the October Revolution. Two great socialist revolutions Dear Companero Raul, There were two great socialist revolutions in the twentieth century, one in Russia, the other in Cuba. Neither was the product of a single individual. Both were the result of the operations of capitalism itself. But without the presence and political leadership of Vladimir Lenin and of Fidel Castro Ruz at decisive moments in those historic battles by working people, there is no reason to believe either revolution would have been victorious. Apart from Lenin and Fidel, the history of the twentieth century and the twenty-first is unthinkable. Both of them, Marxist students of science and history, gave their lives to uprooting the dog-eat-dog exploitation, oppression, and compulsion on which the capitalist world order depends and replacing it with a workers state, with new social and economic relations based on the liberating capacities of working people and the youth they inspire. [Fidels] highest achievement was forging in struggle a revolutionary cadre, a communist cadre, capable of leading the workers and farmers of Cuba to establish the first free territory of the Americas and successfully defend it for more than five and a half decades against the determination to destroy it by the mightiest and most brutal empire the world has known. His life work, Cubas socialist revolution its example, and above all its ongoing march stand as his monument. He needs no other. Last November, in the hours following the death of Fidel, Jack Barnes, the national secretary of the Socialist Workers Party in the United States, sent a message on behalf of the party to companero Raul. I want to begin by quoting from that letter, which states with clarity the theme of my remarks today: Lenin, Fidel and the Role of the Individual in History. You each received a copy of this message as well. A tribute to Lenin and Fidel Our discussion here today is as much part of the Havana International Book Fairs tribute to Fidel and hisleadership of the Cuban Revolution as it is to Lenin and the 100th anniversary of October. No other events did more to change the course of history in our epoch and open the road forward for all humanity. And, as the message to Raul says, it is likely that neither revolution would have succeeded without the presence and leadership of Lenin and Fidel at decisive turning points. Debate among revolutionists over the reciprocal action of objective and subjective factors in the historical process is not new, of course. It goes back to the foundations of Marxism. Georgi Plekhanovs classic 1898 essay on The Role of the Individual in History a polemic against the Narodnik current in Tsarist Russia, which exalted the lone hero as an autonomous creator of history was one sided and mechanical. But it influenced the generation being won to Marxism in the years before the betrayal of the leadership of the Second International in face of the first interimperialist slaughter. Would the October Revolution have succeeded without both the presence and the political leadership of Lenin at decisive moments in 1917? Could another revolutionary leader, or a combination of them, have assumed Lenins place? Leon Trotsky, whose standing in the leadership of the Bolshevik Revolution was second only to Lenins, wrote about this question more than once in the years after Lenins death. As those of you here today are well aware, Trotsky was the organizer of the insurrection and then of the Red Army that successfully defended the young Soviet republic from the combined forces of domestic and international reaction from London and Paris, to Tokyo and Washington, to the so-called White armies of Russias defeated landlords, capitalists, and monarchists. And for those who come from a different political past than I do, Ill add that despite Trotskys differences with Lenins unwavering course that made possible the toilers victory, after Trotsky unreservedly joined Lenin in rejecting conciliation with the Mensheviks and other class collaborationists in mid-1917, from that time on in Lenins words there has been no better Bolshevik. From April to October and beyond In his in the chapter Who Led the February Insurrection? Trotsky answered that question as follows: it was led by conscious and tempered workers educated for the most part by the party of Lenin. Lenins leadership was thus crucial not only after the February Revolution but in the years leading up to it, years during which Lenin was in exile. Lenins leadership took on a decisive and irreplaceable character, however, from his post-February political reorientation of the Bolshevik leadership boldly presented in the April Theses through the October insurrection and beyond. No one else could have taken Lenins place, and he could not have led the working class to victory from afar. There are moments in politics when timing and unflinching determination is everything. Fidels clarion call to action in 1956, announcing to the world that before years end the men of the Granma expedition will be free or we will be martyrs, is such an example. Lenins presence on the front lines of the revolutionary struggle sheltered by workers in the proletarian districts of Petrograd was necessary to the success of the proletarian revolution. As was Fidels leadership in the Sierras, protected by peasants and rural toilers among whom the Rebel Army began laying the foundations of the new social order. And Lenins political leadership of the Bolshevik party at critical moments was equally irreplaceable. The Bolshevik party led the workers and peasants to victory. But it was Lenin who led the leaders of the revolution. It was Lenin who stabilized the party and won the fainthearts in the Bolshevik leadership through the waverings of March and April, to the perilous July days, and beyond. It was Lenin who insisted on publicly announcing the date of the insurrection, without which it would have likely failed. The political authority Lenin had earned among the cadres through years of revolutionary struggle was equal to none. Chance played a role too. We can ask ourselves, what might have been the course of history had the German high command, for its own reasons, not allowed Lenin to travel by train through German lines to Sweden, and then on to Petersburg in April 1917? Or if Lenin had been mortally wounded by his would-be assassin in August 1918? Or felled by a stroke such as those that ended his political life a few years later? Writing from exile in 1935, Trotskys conclusion was unambiguous: For the sake of clarity I would put it this way. Had I not been present in 1917 in Petersburg, the October Revolution would still have taken place on the condition that Lenin was present and in command. If neither Lenin nor I had been present in Petersburg, there would have been no October Revolution: the leadership of the Bolshevik party would have prevented it from occurring. From Moncada to 1959 and beyond Returning to the Cuban Revolution, the parallels are inescapable. The historical conditions that gave rise to the Batista coup, the Centenary Generation, and the revolutionary struggle for power led by Fidel had been gestating for years. Objective conditions were more than ripe. But without Fidels leadership, would the bold call to action the assault on the Moncada Garrison have been organized? Would the Granma landing and the November 30 uprising in Santiago have occurred? If by chance Fidel had been killed in any of these events, or struck down in combat during the revolutionary war, had he been felled by the traitor resting next to him in the Sierras would the July 26 Movement and Rebel Army have defeated the offensive of Batistas 10,000 troops? Would they have won the political authority to displace the scheming bourgeois opposition leaders with their Miami Pacts and other conciliationist maneuvers? Would the Cuban people have achieved the unprecedented feats of holding the imperialist empire to the north at bay for decades, defeating the army of the South African apartheid regime, and leading the epic battle of the Special Period to victory? Without Fidels steady moral, political and military leadership of the leadership over more than 60 years would Cubas socialist revolution, despite all historical odds, still be on course today? No one can prove a negative. But as historical materialists, we have to say that all evidence makes it unlikely. A proletarian line of march Fidels leadership, like Lenins, was proletarian leadership. Fidel spoke less frequently in class terms, but the class line of march was the same. As Raul reminded us, Fidel led a revolution of the humble, by the humble and for the humble. Like Lenin and Che, he believed in the capacity of ordinary human beings to accomplish what others believed to be impossible, and, above all, to transform themselves in the process. Our revolution started from scratch, from nothing, Fidel said in 1987. We did not have a single weapon; we did not have a penny, even the men who started the struggle were unknown, and yet we confronted the thousands of soldiers, and the revolution triumphed because we believed in man. The revolutionary war had one and only one objective: to take power as quickly as possible, with the least possible cost in human lives. With a minimum of weapons and a maximum of moral values, to cite a Radio Rebelde broadcast from the Sierras in August 1958. Politics begin where millions of men and women are, Lenin told the Extraordinary Congress of the Russian Communist Party in March 1918, where there are not thousands, but millions, that is where serious politics begin. That is what guided the Bolsheviks during the tumultuous years of the Russian Revolution and its early struggle for survival. It is what guided and continues to guide the Cuban leadership to this day. Imperialism lost Cold War Some twenty-five years ago, shortly after the collapse of the meringue, to use Fidels term, the Socialist Workers Party adopted a resolution entitled US Imperialism Has Lost the Cold War. (It is published in the magazine of Marxist politics and theory,, and is available on the table over there.) At the time, there was hardly a soul on the planet who didnt think we were delusional. Including here in Cuba, where you were living through the darkest days of the Special Period. Today, perhaps, we arent so alone in holding to that view. The Cold War was never about bringing down a bureaucratic caste in the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies. For the imperialist rulers, it was always about trying in vain to hold off the inevitable acceleration and sharpening of the class struggle on both sides of what they called the Iron Curtain. It was about trying to convince working people on both sides that they were enemies of each other not allies in order to divide, weaken, and conquer. The meringue fell first, but today it is the European Union, NATO, and other institutions of imperialist rule that are cracking. All the unresolved contradictions of the last century are reemerging with explosive force. And the privileged classes everywhere are scrambling to try to find ways to protect their interests from the humble majority, those who Hillary Clinton during her presidential election campaign scornfully labeled the deplorables. The exploiters scramble to find ways to deny their fear. On the 100th anniversary of the great October Revolution, there are those who say the occasion should be commemorated with angry denunciations and shouts of Never Again! For our part, we can affirm with confidence, as Fidel did in his words to the closing session of the Cuban Communist Party congress last April, that it will not be another century before another event like the Russian Revolution occurs, in order that humanity have another example of a magnificent social revolution that marked a huge step in the struggle against colonialism and its inseparable companion, imperialism. Related articles: 100th anniversary of Bolshevik Revolution discussed at Havana event Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home The FIR was ordered for publishing advertisements without EC's approval. EC orders filing of FIR against BJP's Manipur unit for flouting RPA norms By Indo-Asian News Service: The Election Commission (EC) on Friday ordered an FIR against office-bearers of the BJP's Manipur unit and certain newspapers for publishing advertisements without its approval. In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur, the EC has ordered that the FIRs under Section 188 of IPC, against the BJP state unit office-bearers and the newspapers be lodged. The guilty parties carried the advertisements on Friday in contravention of its orders and violation of Representation Of People's Act (RPA). advertisement The EC had instructed all stakeholders to not publish any advertisements on March 3 and 4 without pre-screening and subsequent approval by state-level Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC). The newspapers which carried the advertisements are: Sangai Express (Manipuri and English editions), Poknapham, People's Chronicle, Naharolgi, Thoudang, Imphal Free Press, Echel Express and Huiyen Lanpao. The poll panel has also sought a compliance report by Monday. The first phase of the state assembly election will be held on Saturday, March 4 in 38 assembly constituencies. ALSO READ| EC orders FIRs against 3 candidates in UP, 1 in Manipur ALSO READ| EC bars govt from announcing NCSK chiefs name --- ENDS --- A woman recovering from anorexia is on the hunt for a stranger who handed her an encouraging note on a train. Rose, who has requested her name to be changed, was travelling to The Recover Clinic in Brighton for a day of outpatient treatment for her condition when a woman approached her, gave her a note and slipped away. The heartwarming note acknowledged the tough time Rose was going through, saying: Everyone goes through troubles in life, some more serious than others. I cant help but notice yours and Im so sorry. (The Recover Clinic) The writer then goes on to give Rose words of encouragement, telling her: You will get through this, keep fighting. One day youll realise you have more good days than bad NEVER GIVE UP. Eating Disorder Awareness Week Rose has released the letter duringto try and find the woman who wrote it. She says she was moved by the impact a strangers kindness and good will can have, and wants to share her story to show others going through recovery that, although it can feel lonely, there are always people out there who want to help and support you, whatever your circumstances. Tentang Situs Slot Online Resmi MGS88 Nama Situs MGS88 Minimal Deposit Rp. 10.000,- (Sepuluh Ribu Rupiah) Proses Deposit 2 Menit Metode Deposit Bank Transfer, Pulsa, E-Wallet Judi Online Terbaik Slot Online, Judi Bola, Casino Online, Togel Online, Tembak Ikan Provider Slot Gacor Mudah Maxwin Pragmatic Play, PGSoft, MicroGaming, Habanero Slot Gacor Gampang Menang Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza, Wild West Gold, Starlight Princess Win Rate 98% RTP Live Slot Gacor Tertinggi Hari Ini Terbaru Terlengkap Selamat datang di halaman RTP live dan informasi soal slot gacor hari ini dari situs MGS88 yang setiap hari selalu update. Berdasarkan RTP Live MGS88, Anda bisa mendapatkan informasi tentang slot online yang saat ini yang sedang Gacor atau onfire dengan persentase yang terbukti akurat, ini bisa menjadi rekomendasi anda sebelum memilih permainan slot online di situs MGS88. Cek RTP Slot sekarang juga bosku Klik Provider Slot Untuk Mengetahui RTP Slot Secara Real Time Selamat datang bagi kalian yang sedang mencari situs RTP Live terlengkap dan terkini hari ini. Sangat sesuai jika Anda mengunjungi website MGS88 RTP live untuk informasi tentang permainan slot yang lagi gacor dengan slot RTP yang terupdate. Persentase kemenangan yang kami berikan tentunya diambil dengan data yang sangat valid dan hanya untuk permainan slot yang tersedia di situs MGS88. RTP yang tersedia juga akan selalu diperbarui setiap hari berdasarkan level kemenangan yang diberikan kepada member kami. Memang sih untuk bermain slot itu tergantung hoki dari setiap pemain, Namun RTP live atau bocoran slot dari yang kami sediakan ini adalah data autentik dari banyaknya pemain yang telah bermain dan mencapai kemenangan tinggi. Sederhananya, kalau banyak pemain yang menang di dalam 1 permainan slot, karena itu permainan slot tersebut akan mempunyai persentase RTP yang sangat tinggi. Namun kami tegaskan sekali lagi, ini bukan sebuah paksaan kami situs MGS88 untuk anda bermain di game slot yang mana. Ini bisa dijadikan sebagai referensi atau tolok ukur, boleh dicoba kalau anda mempunyai feel yang kuat dalam memainkan permainan game slot. Anda dapat mengakses kapan saja dan di mana saja selama anda siap bermain. Jangan ragu untuk bertanya ya seputar pola putaran terhadap kami, sebab kami juga menyediakannya loh. Apa itu RTP Live? RTP Live ialah informasi mengenai persentase tertinggi saat ini dari hasil RTP Live dengan bocoran kemenangan pemain saat ini. RTP Live merupakan singkatan dari Return To Play atau bisa juga diartikan sebagai Return to Player. Karena itu, para pemain slot sekarang jika ingin mengetahui seberapa besar kemenangannya, bisa dengan memainkan permainan yang akan dimainkannya dan bisa untung dengan mudah dan tentunya maksimal. Apa itu RTP Slot? RTP Slot juga dikenal sebagai return to player atau pengembalian ke Pemain. RTP slot ialah persentase dari nilai pengembalian semua uang yang dipertaruhkan pemain dari waktu ke waktu. Dengan kata lain, RTP juga dianggap sebagai salah satu fitur slot yang mengembalikan uang pemain saat pemain kalah. Persentase digunakan untuk menghitung RTP dalam permainan slot. Misalnya, jika slot memiliki RTP 97%, itu berarti untuk setiap 100.000 koin yang hilang di slot, slot dapat mengembalikan 97.000. Jika Anda mengetahui RTP sebuah permainan slot, Anda dapat memutuskan permainan slot mana yang akan dimainkan tanpa kerugian besar. Apakah Angka Persentase RTP Slot Itu Penting? Biasanya pemain slot itu tidak memperhatikan RTP dalam permainan yang akan dimainkan, biasanya setelah anda mengisi saldo utama anda akan langsung buru-buru memainkannya. Yang terakhir 90-96% mempengaruhi jumlah kemenangan. Semakin tinggi jumlah RTP yang digunakan, semakin luas peluang untuk mendapatkan keuntungan. Akan namun itu segala tak secara 100% menjamin kemenangan kau dalam bermain, RTP itu cuma sebagai kalkulasi pengeluaran anda saja selama bermain slot.Dengan adanya RTP, kau dapat mengerjakan pengaturan atas uang yang akan kau pertaruhkan nanti pada ketika bermain.Untuk itu pada ketika kau bermain slot dan telah mengalami banyak kekalahan di satu permainan, direkomendasikan kau pindah ke permainan slot lainnya yang RTP nya lebih tinggi dari permainan yang tadi kau mainkan. Keuntungan Menggunakan Bocoran RTP Slot Hari Ini Situs MGS88 Akan dengan senang hati akan beberapa keuntungan yang didapatkan jika anda bermain slot dengan menggunakan RTP Live yang telah disediakan. Berikut Keuntungannya : Peluang Kemenangan Meningkat Tentu saja, saat bermain slot online, menang adalah hal yang paling penting. Di sinilah RTP berperan sebagai metode atau metode baru yang akan membantu Anda memilih permainan slot persentase tinggi. Mendapat variasi dalam Memainkan Game Slot Pastinya banyak pemain slot online yang hanya memainkan 3-5 permainan slot saja. Namun dengan RTP Live slot akan memberikan banyak game slot lain yang bisa anda coba. Tentunya semua permainan slot memiliki potensi kemenangan yang besar, jadi jangan hanya mengandalkan beberapa permainan saja. Menambah Pengalaman Dalam Bermain Slot Keuntungan terakhir adalah Anda tentu saja menambah pengalaman dan keahlian dalam permainan slot online. Dengan berbagai macam permainan slot yang dimainkan, Anda pasti mengetahui karakteristik dari setiap permainan slot yang Anda mainkan. Akibatnya, Anda pasti bisa dianggap sebagai pemain slot yang andal, yang pasti akan meningkatkan peluang Anda untuk menang besar menggunakan RTP. Daftar 8 Situs Dengan RTP Slot Live Tertinggi Hari Ini Ada banyak penyedia mesin slot online di internet. Tetapi tidak semuanya memiliki peluang tinggi atau RTP Live Slot yang sangat tinggi. Tapi jangan khawatir, berikut ini adalah situs slot gacor yang akan memberikan bocoran slot dengan RTP Live Tertinggi: RTP Live Slot Pragmatic Play (RTP Slot 97.85%) RTP Live Slot PG Soft (RTP Live 96.15%) RTP Live Slot Habanero (RTP Slot 95.89%) RTP Live Slot CQ9 (RTP Live 98.83%) RTP Live Slot Spade Gaming (RTP Live 94.99%) RTP Live Slot Micro Gaming (RTP Slot 95.39%) RTP Slot Live Top Trend Gaming (RTP Live 96.14%) RTP Slot Live JOKER123 (RTP Live 97.45%) Itulah Daftar 8 Provider Slot Gacor dengan RTP Live teratas diatas tentunya kami analisa terlebih dahulu. Anda bisa membuktikannya langsung dengan mengklik banner atau meprovider game slot yang sudah tersedia di atas. Saran kami yaitu Anda harus memainkan semua penyedia slot di atas untuk mencapai peluang kemenangan terbaik. Daftar Slot RTP Live Tertinggi Sering Kasih Jackpot Selain mempertimbangkan RTP Slot Gacor yang ada, sebenarnya ada banyak faktor penting untuk menang dalam permainan judi online. Sebab ada banyak game yang memiliki fitur dan mekanisme unik dan bisa membantu anda meraih Jackpot yang sangat besar. Berikut ini akan kami ulas daftar 5 game slot paling populer karena sering memberikan jackpot: RTP Live Gates of Olympus Gates of Olympus adalah game slot teraneh dan terbaik di Indonesia. Karena permainan mesin slot ini paling populer karena kakek Zeus dapat mengizinkan pengganda x500. Selain itu, fitur dan mekanik Gates of Olympus juga sangat menguntungkan untuk memenangkan Grand Jackpot. Secara teoritis, RTP slot langsung Gates of Olympus bernilai 96,50%, yang berarti peluang Anda untuk memenangkan MaxWin cukup tinggi. RTP live Sweet Bonanza Sweet Bonanza adalah permainan slot terpopuler kedua. Game slot bertema buah dan permen yang lezat ini sepertinya akan menarik banyak perhatian karena tergolong slot gacor yang mudah menang. Secara teoritis, slot Sweet Bonanza RTP bernilai 96,48%, yang berarti peluang Anda cukup tinggi untuk memenangkan jackpot. RTP Live Wild West Gold Wild West Gold adalah permainan slot bertema koboi yang juga populer di kalangan penggemar konspirasi. Permainan slot Wild West Gold sendiri kerap menawarkan kejutan jackpot bagi para pemainnya. Selain itu, nilai RTP Live Slot menunjukkan indeks tertinggi hari ini, yang berarti sangat layak dan sangat direkomendasikan. RTP Live Starlight Princess Slot Starlight Princess ini memiliki gaya dan fitur yang mirip dengan Gates of Olympus. Perbedaannya hanya pada desain dan karakter gamenya saja, karena memiliki fitur dan mekanik yang sama tentunya RTP slot teoritis pada game slot ini sama yaitu 96,50%. RTP Live Cash Elevator Mungkin sebagian dari Anda baru mengenal slot Cash Elevator. Namun dari data benchmark yang diungkap, ternyata banyak sekali yang menikmati permainan slot ini. Dengan fitur dan mekanisme unik seperti Lift up and down asli, slot ini juga memiliki slot RTP Live dasar 96,64% yang juga memiliki mekanisme yang sangat menguntungkan untuk memperlancar tingkat kemenangan besar. Bocoran Jam Main Slot Gacor Hari Ini Dalam bermain permainan slot online itu tidak bisa dilakukan dengan sembarangan yah. Jadi, Jika anda bermain pada waktu tertentu seperti yang akan kita bahas sesaat lagi, ada kemungkinan anda untuk mendapatkan kemenangan lebih tinggi. Jam RTP Slot Gacor merupakan bocoran jam main slot yang akan memberikan anda kapan waktu yang pas dalam bermain game slot. Tentu saja seluruh provider slot online memiliki jam tertentu dalam memberikan peluang kepada para pemainnya untuk mendapatkan kemenangan. Disini kami akan memberikan anda Bocoran Jam Slot Gacor yang Paling Akurat Hari ini: Jam Slot Gacor Pragmatic Play 02:30 WIB - Jam 05:25 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Habanero 14:26 WIB - Jam 17:38 WIB Jam Slot Gacor CQ9 00:45 WIB - Jam 05:53 WIB Jam Slot Gacor PG SOFT 14:25 WIB - Jam 17:35 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Joker123 17:41 WIB - Jam 20:42 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Microgaming 22:30 WIB - Jam 00:35 WIB MGS88: Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Pay4D Resmi dan Terpercaya MGS88 adalah situs game slot online Gacor terbaru yang bermitra dengan Pay4D, Pay4D sendiri merupakan daftar situs game slot online terpercaya dengan berbagai macam permainan judi yang mudah dimenangkan seperti Game Bola, Casino Online, Slot Pay4D, Tembak Ikan dan Pay4D Online Permainan togel seperti Singapura, Hongkong, Sydney dan lain-lain. Tujuan utama kami adalah menjadi situs judi online Pay4D yang menyediakan layanan judi online terbaik di Indonesia. Kami juga salah satu situs resmi PAY4D di Indonesia yang pasti akan membayarkan semua kemenangan kepada semua member kami, karena kepercayaan dari semua member kami adalah prioritas utama kami sebagai mesin slot 4d Asia terbaik di Asia, khususnya di Indonesia. Dalam melakukan sistem transaksi sistem simpanan dapat dilakukan dengan mudah melalui mobile banking dan electronic banking berupa bank BCA, BSI, BRI, BNI, Cimb Niaga, Permata dan Mandiri. Selain itu, transaksi e-wallet juga tersedia melalui Dana, Gopay, LinkAja dan Ovo serta dapat digunakan untuk pulsa tanpa dipotong. Untuk mempermudah dan kenyamanan dalam melakukan registrasi atau melakukan setiap transaksi, MGS88 menyediakan layanan live chat dan Whatsapp terhubung langsung dengan customer service online 24 jam. Mengenal Istilah Dalam RTP SLOT Di slot RTP Live Anda akan melihat berbagai fitur yang mungkin tidak Anda pahami masing-masing. Namun jangan khawatir, disini sebagai situs slot gacor MGS88 kami akan memberikan penjelasan lengkap mengenai tentang istilah yang ada di RTP SLOT dibawah ini. By Indrajit Kundu: A 36- year-old man has been arrested by police in West Bengal's Murshidabad district with fake currency worth Rs 2 lakh on Saturday. Acting on a specific tip off, officers of Samsherganj Police Station in Murshidabad arrested Alom Sheikh from Dhulian Feri Ghat area and seized one hundred fake notes of recently introduced Rs two thousand. The accused, who hails from Baishnabnagar in neighbouring Malda district, has been taken to Baharampur police station for further interrogation and will be produced before court tomorrow. advertisement Also read: Kolkata Police busts fake notes racket, 5 arrested "We are probing where he got these fake notes from. He was planning to take the consignment to Baharampur," informed Murshidabad Police Superintendent Mukesh. Post the introduction of new denomination notes, this is the second time in West Bengal where seizure of such a huge haul of fake currency notes has taken place. Also read: BSF seizes fake new 2,000 denomination notes worth 2 lakh rupees from West Bengal's Malda Last month, a man was arrested in Murshidabad district with 40 counterfeit Rs 2,000 notes. With inputs from Binod Patel --- ENDS --- By Press Trust of India: From Shirish B Pradhan Kathmandu, Mar 4 (PTI) A grand investment summit held in Nepal drew investment commitment of a record USD 13.5 billion from six countries, with China pledging a whopping USD 8.3 billion and India lagging far behind with USD 317 million. The fund that foreign investors are interested in investing into Nepal is more than half of the countrys estimated gross domestic product of USD 21 billion recorded in the last fiscal year. advertisement At the end of the two-day summit yesterday, six Chinese companies pledged USD 8.3 billion, or 61 per cent of the total investment commitment. The Chinese companies have expressed interest to invest in sectors ranging from hydropower, smart grid, airport and railways to roads, drinking water, healthcare and mineral. The biggest investment pledge came from China Machinery Engineering Corporation, which is planning to spend over USD 3 billion to build a hydropower project, a hospital and metro lines in Kathmandu. This was followed by commitment of USD 2.4 billion from Bangladeshs Himadri Foods (Pran-RFL Group) which eyes on investing in food and construction sectors. Investors from Japan and United Kingdom have pledged USD 1 billion investment each while Sri Lankan and Indian companies have pledged to bring investment worth USD 500 million and USD 317 respectively, according to Minister for Industry Nabindra Raj Joshi. "This is the beginning of glorious days for Nepal," said Joshi, who took initiative to host the Nepal Investment Summit 2017. This achievement, however, has added more responsibilities on the governments shoulders, he said. "We will have to work hard to foster favourable investment climate and pave the way for every foreign investors to enter and exit the country without facing any difficulty," he pointed out. Organised jointly by the Ministry of Industry, the Investment Board Nepal (IBN) and the National Planning Commission, the summit was attended by over 750 delegates, including over 280 foreign investors. "We have already caught up with five to six investors who have made the pledges. And they are pretty serious about investing in Nepal," IBN CEO Maha Prasad Adhikari said. "We will follow up on this issue in the coming days." Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was here on a two-day visit to attend the summit, said the step taken by the Nepal government to reach out to investors from across the world, and those in India, will bring positive results. PTI SBP ZH --- ENDS --- Hundreds march as shooting of boy shocks Thai south More than 1,000 people marched in Thailand's insurgency-torn south on yesterday (Mar 3) to condemn the killing of a Buddhist family, including an eight-year-old boy, as a sudden spike in violence undercuts progress in peace talks. deathviolence By AFP Saturday 4 March 2017, 09:42AM More than 1,000 people marched in Thailand's insurgency-torn south on March 3 to condemn the killing of a Buddhist family, including an eight-year-old boy, as a sudden spike in violence undercuts progress in peace talks. Photo: AFP The under-reported rebellion waged by Malay Muslim insurgents against the Buddhist-majority Thai state has killed more than 6,800 people, mostly civilians, since it erupted 13 years ago. That toll rose Thursday after suspected militants ambushed the car of a deputy village headman, shooting him dead along with his eight-year-old son, wife and sister-in-law. The family were driving to school on a remote road in the Ruso district of Narathiwat province when the gunmen attacked. The ambush provoked outrage from religious leaders and civil society groups from both the Muslim and Buddhist communities, who came together for Friday's march through Ruso. Dozens of local school children also joined the demonstration, carrying a banner that said "stop the shooting, stop the killing". "The aim of the rally is to denounce the killing of innocent people," said Colonel Ruangsak Buadaeng, a local police commander. Thursday also saw a 44-year-old Muslim leader killed in a drive-by shooting and three plainclothes soldiers gunned down in front of stunned shoppers at a night market in Pattani province. The insurgents, who operate in tight and secretive cells, rarely claim their attacks. Shootings are frequent but it is often hard to work out whether they are related to the rebellion, criminal activity or personal disputes in the region. But Thursday's wave of violence appeared timed to undermine recent gains made in peace talks between the army and the Mara Patani an umbrella group claiming to represent the insurgents. The Thai army and the Mara Patani this week agreed to create a limited "safety zone" in the region, as a trust building measure. The deal, tantamount to a highly localised ceasefire, was a small but rare step forward in years of stuttering talks. But analysts say the Mara do not represent the most active armed militant faction and have played down the significance of the "safety zone" announcement. The Malay Muslim majority deep south was colonised by Thailand over a century ago. Locals accuse Thailand of steam rolling their unique identity and culture as well as rights abuses. Insurgents mostly aim their attacks at security forces, local officials and public school teachers, who are viewed as collaborators with the state. Last September a bomb planted outside a school in Narathiwat province left three dead, including a four-year-old girl, triggering widespread condemnation. Myanmar national, 23, commits suicide in Phuket Town PHUKET: Phuket City Police have confirmed the death of the 23-year-old Myanmar National found dead in a room on Sakdidet Road, Phuket Town yesterday afternoon (Mar 3) was caused by suicide. suicide By Eakkapop Thongtub Saturday 4 March 2017, 12:52PM A friend of the man told police that he was very nice person and he always helped other people. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub A friend of the man told police that he was very nice person and he always helped other people. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Lt Nuchari Longkaew of Phuket City Police told The Phuket News that she received information that a young man from Myanmar had hanged himself. Rescue workers and police attended the scene and found the man dead after hanging himself. Lt Nuchari said. There were no traces of struggle, and we found the rope he used to hang himself tied to the roof in the bedroom, Lt Nuchari said. A friend of the man told police that he was very nice person and he always helped other people. He also had planned to go back to Myanmar to see his mother, Lt Nuchari said. The body of the man has been taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital. If you or anyone you know is in need of mental health services, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand at their 24-hour hotline 02-713-6791 (English), 02713-6793 (Thai) or Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). New tobacco control law passed, 20 now minimum age for buying tobacco The National Legislative Assembly on Friday passed the final reading of the Tobacco Control Bill, which raises the minimum age to legally buy cigarettes from 18 to 20 years and bans the sale of individual cigarettes. drugspolitics By Bangkok Post Saturday 4 March 2017, 09:28AM Anti-tobacco activists pose with their posters during a past campaign. The National Legislative Assembly on Friday passed amendments to the Tobacco Control Bill, aimed at reducing the number of people taking up the habit. Photo: Jiraporn Kuhakan The assembly unanimously endorsed the bill, which amends the Tobacco Control Act, with 202 votes debating it for nearly eight hours on Thursday and Friday. The bill is aimed at better control of tobacco products and protecting people's health in line with Thailand's adoption of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The convention emphasises the protection of public health, especially the young. The bill provides for a national committee on tobacco control. The public health minister will chair the panel, which will propose measures to control tobacco products, protect non-smokers' health and rehabilitate smokers' health. The new law prohibits the sale or provision of tobacco products to people aged under 20, instead of under 18 as previously. Violators are liable to a prison term of up to three months and/or a fine of up to B30,000. It bans the production and sales-oriented importation of packs containing fewer than 20 cigarettes. Violators can be fined up to B300,000. In addition, the law prohibits the sale of individual cigarettes instead of packs of 20. The penalty is a fine up to B40,000. The NLA's scrutiny committee deleted a clause in the bill that banned smokers from being appointed an expert member of the national tobacco control committee, to avoid discrimination. Dr Jate Sirataranont, NLA member and head of the scrutiny committee, said the new law is expected to reduce the number of new smokers by an estimated 200,000 a year. The new restrictions become effective once published in the Royal Gazette. Novotel Phuket Phokeethra welcomes new Executive Assistant Manager PHUKET: Novotel Phuket Phokeethra has announced the appointment of Sumontha Urvois as its new Executive Assistant Manager. tourism By The Phuket News Saturday 4 March 2017, 10:00AM Sumontha Urvois, the new Executive Assistant Manager at the Novotel Phuket Phokeethra. Ms Sumontha joined AccorHotels in March 2000. In her 16 years of experience in AccorHotels she has worked at the Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, Novotel Ipswich and Sofitel Hua Hin. Most recently, she was the Executive Assistant Manager at Grand Mercure Phuket Patong. I am glad to have the opportunity to work with General Manager Khun Thierry Le Ponner and look forward to ensuring that we go beyond the guest expectations at Novotel Phuket Phokeethra, Ms Sumontha said Novotel has over 470 hotels and resorts in 61 countries, located in the heart of major international cities, business districts and tourist destinations. AccorHotels is present in 95 countries with more than 4,000 hotels and 240,000 employees. Relatives seek help finding Russian tourist missing from Koh Tao SURAT THANI: A 23-year-old Russian woman holidaying on Koh Tao has been missing for more than two weeks, prompting relatives and a hotel operator to seek police help to find her. tourism By Bangkok Post Saturday 4 March 2017, 08:33PM Valentina Novozhyonova, 23, was scheduled to check out of her hotel on Feb 16 but never showed up. (Photo taken from Samui Times via Supapong Chaolan) Valentina Novozhyonova, 23, was scheduled to check out of her hotel on Feb 16 but never showed up. (Photo taken from Samui Times via Supapong Chaolan) Sitthiporn Pathaweesrisutha, owner of the Koh Tao Hostel on the popular tourist island, officially alerted police on Friday that guest Valentina Novozhyonova had disappeared. Ms Novozhyonova, 23, had checked into the hotel on Feb 11 and was due to check out on Feb 16. However, she did not contact the hotel staff to return her room key on Feb 16. They waited several days as they assumed she might have travelled somewhere. However, she failed to show up. When the staff finally checked her room they found her belongings, including her passport, a mobile phone and a camera, still there. A Russian man, Sergey Busagin, also asked Koh Tao police to help find Ms Novozhyonova as her relatives had been unable to contact her, said Pol Lt Col Chokchai Sutthimet, chief inspector at the Koh Tao station. The missing woman is about 170cm tall, with light brown hair and a "V" tattooed on her left wrist. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to alert the Koh Tao police station at 077-456098. Officers led by Pol Lt Col Napa Senathip, deputy investigation chief at the station, on Saturday inspected the missing woman's room and asked the hotel to supply a list of guests staying at the hotel around the time she disappeared. The team examined her mobile phone records and asked local businesses, including diving operators, if they recalled seeing the woman. They also questioned the hotel operator and staff but found nothing suspicious. Pol Maj Gen Apichart Boonsriroj, chief of the Surat Thani police, said he had assigned Pol Lt Col Witthaya Pitak, investigation chief from the Surat Thani office to coordinate with local police. The office will examine footage from closedcircuit television cameras in hopes of finding a trace of the missing tourist or determining her travel route. After treating his final patient on Wednesday, Dr. Alan Langvardt tried logging into the computer system, only to find his access no longer granted. He laughed, saying it looks like his retirement is official. Langvardt, a family practitioner, first walked through the doors of Beatrice Medical Center in July of 1974 and, over 42 years later, saw his last patient on Wednesday, March 1. I don't think it's totally processed yet, Langvardt said. In some respects, it's been really busy, but in the last several weeks, everybody's been trying to get in, so they're kind of my old pioneer patients. It's really been enjoyable, but it's sad to see them. When he first started, visits to his office cost around seven dollars, though he wasnt opposed to trading a basket of tomatoes for a visit. Things got a little tricky when the bureaucracy of insurance got involved, he said, but his interest was in patient care, and thats what he excelled at. Things have changed quite a bit over the past four decades, Langvardt said, one of the biggest being the breadth of services rendered by a doctor back then compared to now. Other than a couple of internal medicine doctors, he said, there werent any specialists in Beatrice, which meant that role fell to him and his fellow doctors. When we came to town, there hadn't been any new doctors for seven or eight years, he said. We just did a little of everything. We took care of people in the hospital, newborn babies, intensive care unit. If it was your day, you worked in the emergency department. Langvardt is a soft spoken man with a firm handshake. Patients he saw when he first started just kept coming back. Hes delivered the children of the people he first started seeing, and then he delivered their grandchildren. No great-grandchildren, he said. If I would have kept doing obstetrics, I might have done it, but we stopped doing that several years ago. Langvardt, who graduated medical school from the University of Nebraska, did his residency in Lincoln at Veterans Hospital and St. Elizabeth Hospital, where he learned surgery techniques that would serve him well. Langvardt remembers one night where a baby was born lifeless. He and another doctor worked tirelessly, trying everything they could think of to revive the baby, they tried intubation, and performed CPR for 45 minues, but the baby wouldnt breathe. There was no heartbeat. Langvardt covered the baby with a towel and his colleague went to tell the parents the baby didnt make it. Then, the towel started moving. Langvardt thought it might be reflexes, but no, it was the baby, under the blanket, fighting back to life. His colleague then got to tell the parents that the original news was wrong. It was as close to a miracle as Ive ever seen, Langvardt said. The baby grew up and went to college. The family moved away, he said, but a few years ago, the mother brought him back in to say hello. Replacing Dr. Langvardt will be difficult, not just for the patients he saw, but for the community as a whole. Family practitioners are getting harder to come by, Langvardt said, and a lot of that has to do with schooling. Paying back student debt is a large undertaking, and the more lucrative, high tech specialties mean that debt can be paid off quicker, and that means fewer small town family doctors. We know that Dr. Langvardt is going to leave a void, said Diane Vickers, director of the Beatrice Community Hospital Marketing Department. But we think we have some great physicians in place. A new doctor was recently added at Beatrice Women and Childrens Clinic, she said, and theres an active search for new family practitioners in town. Dr. Langvardt is a family doctor in the true sense of word, Vickers said. We wish him well, and we know he would like to spend more time with own family. Beatrice Medical Center threw a retirement celebration for Langvardt on March 2, inviting the many patients and people he's worked with since 1974. Langvardt said hell miss his practice, but hes looking forward to spending time with his grandchildren after he retires. That, he said, is one thing being a doctor didnt allow much of. The only downside was you never got to see any of your family, Langvardt said. As I look back, we were horribly busy, but it was fun. Prajapati's passport has also been revoked for 4 weeks and a look out circular too has been issued. By India Today Web Desk: Police issued non-bailable warrants against UP Minister Gayatri Prajapati and six others who are accused of gangrape. Prajapati's passport has also been revoked for 4 weeks and a look out circular too has been issued. Earlier today, Uttar Pradesh Police searched for Gayatri Prajapati and conducted raid in Kanpur. Meanwhile, yesterday all airports and exit points across the country were put on high alert to prevent the minister from fleeing the country. Non bailable warrant issued against Gayatri Prajapati and 6 others. Prajapati's passport revoked for 4 weeks, look out circular issued pic.twitter.com/qB7IzZWum5 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) 4 March 2017 advertisement The alleged offence was first committed in October 2014 and was repeated till July 2016, but when the accused tried to molest the minor daughter of the victim, she wrote to the state DGP in October 2016, requesting the officer to take action. Intelligence agencies have learnt that the Samajwadi Party minister, who is also contesting the Uttar Pradesh assembly election from Amethi, plans to leave the country to avoid arrest. According to official sources, a Letter of Cancellation (LC) will soon be opened against him and all airports have been alerted to prevent the 49-year-old Prajapati from fleeing abroad. Also read: Airports, exit points across country on alert for absconding rape-accused SP minister Gayatri Prajapati A letter of cancellation is a technical term used for alerting immigration authorities about any possible move by a suspect to leave the country. Whenever the passport of a suspect comes for immigration clearance at any exit point of the country, the computer screen warns the official to not let the person leave. BJP ATTACKS SAMAJWADI PARTY OVER PRAJAPATI CASE The Prajapati episode has given the BJP fresh ammunition to hit out at the Samajwadi Party over the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh. Also read: Smriti Irani: Either Akhilesh is incompetent or he is protecting rape-accused minister Gayatri Prajapati Earlier on Friday, BJP chief Amit Shah hit out at the Samajwadi Party government for not promptly arresting Prajapati and slammed Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for campaigning for Prajapati. Also read: Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapati trying to kill us, alleges gangrape victim's family Akhilesh Yadav has time till March 11 to arrest Prajapati. Otherwise when we form the government, we will hunt him down and arrest him, BJP chief Amit Shah has said. WATCH THE VIDEO: --- ENDS --- India's public health system is underfunded and overburdened as it struggles to meet the needs of more than 1.2 billion people, about 40 per cent of whom live below the poverty line. A patient named Ram Babu had to be dragged by his family members to a doctor on the third floor. By Priyanka Sharma: Ram Babu was suffering from jaundice and was in no condition to walk. But his family could not find a stretcher or wheelchair at GB Pant Hospital, one of Delhi's biggest super speciality healthcare centres. So, relatives had to alternately carry and drag the patient to the third-floor gastroenterology department. "This is my third visit to the hospital and I have not received a single stretcher or a wheelchair for easy commuting to the doctor," said his wife, Sheela. "It is very painful to reach the doctor." advertisement The super speciality OPD for neurology, gastroenterology, cardiology and psychiatry caters to at least 2,000 patients every day, but has just one wheelchair and two trolleys to transport invalid patients. Suleeman Ahmed carried his ailing son in his arms to the neurology OPD on the second floor. "For the OPD patients, the hospital has provided only one stretcher and a wheelchair, despite knowing that there is a flood of critically ill patients. Not only me, all patients are facing a tough time here," he told Mail Today. India's public health system is underfunded and overburdened as it struggles to meet the needs of more than 1.2 billion people, about 40 per cent of whom live below the poverty line. Fifty-year-old Ramesh Kumar too was hauled by his relatives to the doctor's chamber. His son, Vijay, says he is getting used to the inconvenience. "This hospital fails to provide even basic facility to patients," he said. Requesting anonymity, a senior doctor said due to acute shortage of wheelchairs and trolleys, a serious patient has to crawl to the concerned department and this can even prove fatal. "Despite being informed about the scarcity, hospital authorities have turned a blind eye to the problem," he said. Mail Today had in November reported how officials at the state-run hospital were asking patients and their relatives to wait their turn for an MRI scan till 2019 as demand was piling up with the lone scanner lying inoperative. Patients allege the institute is also not well equipped with medicine. A hospital source said, "A patient is getting one out of five medicines listed in his prescription. He or she is asked to buy other drugs from the market." The hospital's medical superintendent Dr Dharmender Gupta refused to speak to Mail Today. He asked the reporter to contact hospital director Dr Rajiv Chawla. Chawla too didn't respond to calls and messages to his mobile phone. Meanwhile, the Delhi government has tied up with 41 private hospitals to address the issue of delay. Heath minister Satyendar Jain said the government would soon announce the scheme, which would also ease the burden on the government's health infrastructure. advertisement The AAP government said it has joined hands with 41 NABH-accredited hospitals for the purpose. The free facility will be provided to patients if the waiting period for surgery in government hospitals exceeds one month. These surgeries, including heart bypass, kidney stone removal, cataract, would be provided free of charge under the scheme. The government will reimburse the hospitals at CGHS rates for the complete treatment including pre-surgery consultation, surgery, medicines, food and hospital stay. Also read 3 years, that's how long you have to wait for an MRI at Delhi's GB Pant Hospital Delhi hospitals refuse to perform surgeries on overweight patients --- ENDS --- What county auditors want voters to know ahead of the midterm election elections The man identified as Md. Ali Pallikunhi is a resident of Kasaragod, Kerala. He arrived from Dubai by Emirates flight. By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: A man was arrested on Saturday with 2 gold bars of 1 kg each worth Rs 61,42,000 at CSI Airport. The man identified as Md. Ali Pallikunhi is a resident of Kasaragod, Kerala. He arrived from Dubai by Emirates flight. He had crossed the Green channel. He was followed from bay area and was found dropping some hard substance in the toilet located near immigration counters. advertisement Thereafter, the toilet was opened and the 2 gold bars recovered. Also read: 3 nabbed smuggling gold in their rectum at Mumbai airport A case was booked and the passenger was arrested. The gold was given to him by one Rashid at Dubai Airport to be delivered to some unknown person at Mumbai Airport. Also read: Mumbai: Foreign currency and gold valued Rs 80 lakh seized at airport --- ENDS --- The officials have been sending her emails and she is reverting all the queries. She has not been contacted over phone. So far, the information provided by her seems to be fruitful," special commissioner of police (operations), Dependra Pathak told Mail Today. SFI activists held a protest march against RSS and ABVP against their alleged attack on education, democracy and social Justice from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Friday. By Mail Today: Even after three days of registration of the case, Delhi Police have failed to identify the two suspects, who had allegedly threatened to rape and kill Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, following her tweet. According to senior police officials close to the investigation, the display pictures on the suspects' account might have been changed -which is why the team is unable to identify the two suspects, who had threatened Kaur on social networking sites. They said, the accounts could also have been deactivated after the matter was highlighted. HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW On Friday crime branch officials contacted Gurmehar. "The officials have been sending her emails and she is reverting all the queries. She has not been contacted over phone. So far, the information provided by her seems to be fruitful," special commissioner of police (operations), Dependra Pathak told Mail Today. Kaur, the daughter of a martyr and a student of BA first year of Lady Sri Ram college has deactivated her Facebook account. Senior officials assured that deactivation of her account won't hamper the case. In the initial probe, it has been learnt that her twitter handle and Facebook account are linked. Whatever she used to tweet, was shared on her Facebook wall too. When one such tweet got her into threats, Kaur approached the DCW with screenshots of the threats. Based on that, the Delhi Police registered a case by the Cyber Cell under IPC sections 354A (Sexual harassment), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 67 of IT act (transmitting obscene material in electronic form). On Thursday, the crime branch has written an official letter to the service provider regarding the access of details of the two Facebook users who had threatened her. A senior official said they are waiting for a reply from the Facebook authority that is expected to come in next few weeks. Kaur had started the campaign "I am not afraid of ABVP", following recent cases of campus violence. However, as the controversy grew, she withdrew it and left for Jalandhar to be with her family, requesting that she should be left alone. advertisement Also Read Fresh video of Gurmehar drinking, dancing with friends in car is fake, says her mom Does Gurmehar Kaur have any AAP connection? These viral pics suggest so Is Gurmehar Kaur an anti-national, a peace warrior or brainwashed youngster? --- ENDS --- Taking a break from previous years, the India Today Group's signature event will be held in Mumbai for the first time on March 17-18 and will stir and fuel new ways of thinking. By Mail Today: The India Today Conclave, where the sharpest minds from across the globe converge to discuss and debate issues from around the world is back. Taking a break from previous years, the India Today Group's signature event will be held in Mumbai for the first time on March 17-18 and will stir and fuel new ways of thinking. This year, it is exploring the concept of 'The Great Disruption' for its 16th edition. It will feature groundbreaking ideas, innovative experiences and thoughtprovoking debates. advertisement Some of the finest experts will be on hand - thought leaders who analyse our age, politicians who determine our headlines, policy makers who shape our future, and entertainers who sprinkle stardust our mundane existence. There will be two days of talking, listening, thinking, doing and experiencing. From former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to President of India Pranab Mukherjee and titans of the corporate world - Reliance Industries Chairman & MD Mukesh Ambani, Mahindra Group executive chairman Anand Mahindra, Godrej Group chairman Adi Godrej and HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh - the list of speakers this year is bigger and bolder, heralding a wave of change. Bollywood legends Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, along with India's top actresses Anushka Sharma, Alia Bhatt and Kalki Koechlin, will explore the changing landscape of cinema. The Conclave will also witness the worldwide premiere of short films by Sudhir Mishra, Nandita Das and Tigmanshu Dhulia. Speaking on the occasion, Conclave director Kalli Purie said, "This edition of the India Today Conclave is a progressive and directional platform that aims to contribute in rebuilding the disrupted social order. This specially designed multisensory experience, spread across two days will be a great opportunity to listen to some of the sharpest minds across the world, get inspired and take some meaningful memories back home." "We believe that significant conversations are the way to generate solutions and the Conclave promotes just that. From mobile movie premieres, spell-binding stage performances, curated experiences and gourmet delights - there's lots that one can enjoy at the Conclave, apart from a powerful thought flow." When & where: March 17 & 18, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai --- ENDS --- Born in 1533, Michel De Montaigne, who studied law to subsequently become counsellor to the Parlement of Bordeaux, decided to devote himself to reading and writing. Out of his many works, The Complete Essays, is rated to be one of the 100 famous books of all time. In one of the essays called On books, he wrote, The most appropriate historians and writers for me are those who linger more over motives than events. It is important that we leaf our way through different authors, ancient and modern, so as to learn about the matter which they treat in their divergent ways. It is in this context that one must study a particular essay by Winston Churchill where he approached the question of alien life. Although Churchills writings mused on topics like, what will the postwar world look like? Or how best to save the British Empire, he wrote a significant treatise entitled, A History of the English Speaking Peoples, a four-volume history of Britain from Caesars invasions in 55 BC to World War I in 1914. The legendary leader also focused on other topics, which in their singularity were diverse and thought provoking. One example was, Is there life on other planets? He reflected Montaignes thoughts by writing lucidly on matter that was inspired by the study of astrophysics, expressed, as though, through a scientists mind. This long lost 11-page typewritten essay emerged because of astrophysicist Mario Livios article written in a recent edition of the journal Nature, where Livio analysed Churchills essay. Churchill concluded the essay with a rational mind, With hundreds of thousands of nebulae, the odds are enormous that there must be immense numbers, which possess planets whose circumstances would not render life impossible. He wrote this essay just before World War II and more than half a century before exoplanets, or, planets that orbits a star outside the solar system, was discovered. His publishers family handed over the essay to the US National Churchill Museum, in the 1980s. The museums director, Timothy Riley, thrust the typewritten essay into the hands of Livio, who affirmed that Churchill had indeed done his homework, to write on such a complex subject. Churchills erudite notions were, perhaps, the result of his interactions with Frederick Lindemann, Churchills friend and his official scientific adviser. Livio writes that Churchills thought process on this diverse topic was remarkable. The essay begins with a dramatic question, Are we alone in the universe? He reasons with rational thoughts, reflecting on the essential conditions for life to exist, beginning with the first requisite, which is liquid water. Churchill further elaborates that forms of life could indeed depend on other forms of liquid, but by our knowledge, at present, life is not supported by anything other than water. That is exactly what scientists pursue today; they follow water to try and establish new forms of life. What does it take for liquid to be there? His question explains what the world of science terms as the habitable zone. He articulates that in our own solar system, only Mars and Venus could possibly harbour life outside Earth. He noted that other planets like the moon and asteroids lacked sufficient gravity to trap gasses for the atmosphere. This revealed his healthy scepticism, writes Livio, who specifies the rationale, which possibly encouraged Churchill to write this essay. The essay was written prior to a significant world war, making Churchill reflect on the fate of the world. It was also on the eve of his becoming Britains Prime Minister. Churchills skill as a writer helped support his lavish lifestyle and his competence won him the 1953 Nobel Prize For Literature, which included a cash award equivalent to US $2,75,000 today. He read books that spanned a wide spectrum of subjects and as this narrative signifies, he was interested in science. He anticipated the power of atomic weapons and their threat to mankind. He envisaged a bomb, no larger than an orange, enough to destroy a township. Two out of three essays on scientific topics were published in 1942, but this essay of Churchills, on life beyond Earth, being unpublished, remains a mystery. It is important as a topic and was a reflection of Churchills mind during the troubled 20th century. His analysis of life existing elsewhere in the universe, of course, has no tangible evidence, but nevertheless, is plausible as a theory. Irom Sharmila's party- Peoples Resurgence Justice Alliance (PRJA) convener Erendro Leichombam was on Saturday attacked by unknown persons in Imphal. Following the attack, Leichombam has been rushed to hospital, reports said. Voting for the first phase of polling in Manipur is underway. The election covers 38 constituencies in 1,643 polling stations. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed electorates in the state to cast their votes in the 11th State Legislative Assembly Elections. "Today (Saturday) is the first phase of the Manipur assembly polls. I appeal to voters in the seats polling today to turnout in record numbers and vote," Modi tweeted. Brisk voting with a turnout of over 80 per was recorded in the first phase of Manipur Assembly elections, 2017 on Saturday. The first phase was held in 38 constituencies for which 1,643 polling stations were set up. Voting was held in Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Phezerol districts. Officials said the final figure would go higher as this was only the preliminary report at 3 pm when polling officially ended. There are 5,44,050 male and 5,75,220 female voters for the first phase polling. 168 candidates are in the fray in the first phase. Polling was peaceful except for some minor incidents. Peoples Resurgence Justice Alliance (PRJA) convener Erendro Leichombam was allegedly attacked by unknown persons at Thangmeiband Sinam Leikai in Imphal. Erendro, who is the lone male candidate of PRJA, sustained minor injury and was rushed to RIMS hospital. He was later discharged after providing first aid. Human rights activist Irom Sharmila was among the voters who casts votes early in the morning. She cast her vote at Khurai Assembly constituency. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded 38 candidates, the ruling Congress has fielded 37 candidates in the first phase. The election is seen as a close fight between the Okram Ibobi Singh-led Congress government and the BJP. The Congress has been in power in the state for the last 15 years. The second phase of polling will be held on March 8 and results will be declared on March 11. (With inputs from Agencies) Tripura would supply an additional 60 MW of electricity to Bangladesh, over the 100 MW of power the state is providing to that country, a minister said here on Saturday. The 100 MW electricity being supplied to the neighbouring country since March 23, 2016, is in addition to the 500 MW Bangladesh is already receiving from West Bengal. "Bangladesh has sought 100 MW electricity from India to solve its power crisis in the eastern part of the country. India's Power Ministry wanted to know whether the Tripura government is ready to provide additional 100 MW of power to Bangladesh," Tripura Power and Transport Minister Manik Dey said. "Following the queries of the central government, we have at once informed the Union Power Ministry that the Tripura government was ready to supply 100 MW more electricity to Bangladesh." "However, Bangladesh has no infrastructural ability as of now to take additional 100 MW of power. Therefore, they would now take 60 MW of electricity after developing transmission facilities on their side," he added. "During my visit to Bangladesh in February last year, (Bangladesh Prime Minister) Sheikh Hasina requested us to provide additional 100 MW of electricity and I instantly agreed on the issue. I had requested her to approach the Indian government on the matter," the minister said. "Though currently we are supposed to supply 100 MW of power, some times Bangladesh taking 110 MW to 115 MW of power to fulfil their requirement." A 47-km double circuit transmission line was erected, linking the power grid at Surjyamaninagar in western Tripura to the Comilla power grid in eastern Bangladesh, to supply electricity to the neighbouring country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina, along with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on March 23, 2016, launched through video-conferencing from their respective offices in New Delhi, Dhaka and Agartala, the supply of 100 MW of power. Tripura Power Minister said that to supply the additional power to the neighbouring country, officials of India and Bangladesh would meet in Dhaka during March and sign an agreement. Officials of Tripura State Electricity Corporation would also join the process. The state-owned North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), under the Union Power Ministry, commissioned the 101 MW capacity Monarchak project in western Tripura (just 10 km from the Bangladesh border). The central government-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has also commissioned its biggest 726 MW-capacity commercial power project in southern Tripura's Palatana, 60 km south of Agartala. The Rs.10,000 crore gas-based Palatana plant, which supplies power to seven of the eight Northeastern states, is a hallmark of the cooperation between both countries, as Bangladesh ensures smooth passage of heavy project equipment and turbines to Palatana through its territory by road and waterways from Haldia port in West Bengal. "With the commissioning of Palatana and Monarchak power projects (both gas-based), Tripura already become a power surplus state. If we supply additional power to Bangladesh we would be able to earn extra revenue," Dey added. Meanwhile, NEEPCO Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) A.G. West Kharkongor arrived here on Friday to study the gas supply problem of the 101 MW capacity Monarchak project, commissioned by the NEEPCO, a mini-ratna company under the union power ministry. "Due to insufficient supply of gas to Monarchak power plant by the ONGC, the project has been generating much less than the installed capacity," Kharkongor. "However, the gas supply problem is expected to be resolved in a month or two," he said quoting ONGC officials. The NEEPCO chief said that due to huge delay in generating full capacity power from the project, the company has already incurred a loss to the tune of Rs.218 crore so far. ONGC's executive director S.C. Soni said there are "certain technical issues" to supply gas to Monarchak power plant. "Though we are almost ready to supply required gas to NEEPCO power plant, there are some technical and other issues that are being resolved. However, all these matters would be settled soon," Soni said. Meanwhile, a Bangladesh government official said here that his government has taken a determined road map to increase the generation of power to a large extent in the near future. "Our government has undertaken an ambitious plan to generate 24,000 MW power by 2021; 40,000 MW power by 2031 and 60,000 MW by 2041," a Bangladesh government official said, requesting not to be named. India and Bangladesh had formed a company Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company limited to set up a coal-fired 1,320 MW (660X2 MW) capacity power plant at Rampal in the country's southeastern coastal area. However, some environmentalists and local people opposed against the commissioning of the Rampal project, near Sundarbans in Bangladesh. During his visit to Dhaka on June 6-7 in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed power supply from Tripura with Hasina. Modi had declared that India would eventually enhance the power supply to Bangladesh to 1,100 MW. Intensifying the poll battle of luring voters in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2017, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday launched a mega roadshow in Varanasi. The rally, covering 10 km-long route, started from Kutchery. It will end at Girijaghar (Godaulia locality), . Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior Bharatoya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are also in Varanasi to attract voters. Modi reached his assembly constituency (Varanasi) on Saturday morning and offered prayers at Kashi Temple ahead of his roadshow. Besides, BJP president Amit Shah, who is already in UP, on Friday said the voters of Uttar Pradesh have already decided on the next government in the first five phases and achhe din (better days) will begin from March 11. The Election Commission has announced that vote counting will be held on March 11. Meanwhile, polling for the sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2017 is underway and around 25 per cent electors had cast their votes till the last data received at 11 am. As the senior national and state leaders take to the street to woe voters, it is a challenge for the security forces to maintain peace in the state which has the highest population in India. According to reports, Central paramilitary forces carried out flag march in sensitive areas in the morning. India and Mali, during the visit of Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar to the west African nation, have agreed to cooperate at all levels in the fight against terrorism the External Affairs Ministry said on Saturday. "Both parties identified terrorism as a grave threat to peace and prosperity and agreed to cooperate at a bilateral, regional and multilateral level to combat this menace," the ministry said in a statement following Akbar's visit to Mali on March 2-3. "Both sides also exchanged views on issues of common interest such as UN reforms, development issues, South-South cooperation and promotion of renewable energy," it stated. During his visit to Mali, Akbar co-chaired the first ever Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between India and Mali along with Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop. "The cordial discussions reviewed the bilateral engagement between the countries in various sectors like agriculture, energy etc and laid out areas of future co-operation, particularly in security and technology," the statement said. "Both parties expressed satisfaction at the enhancement of bilateral relations and progress achieved in implementation of outcomes from the visit of Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari to Mali in September 2016." Akbar also reiterated India's commitment to Mali's geographical and ideological integrity and assured India's support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Diop thanked India for its assistance of $500,000 for the reconstruction of the world heritage site of Timbuktu. India will host the largest exhibition of Timbuktu manuscripts titled "When Taj Mahal meets Timbuktu" later this year. Both parties identified terrorism as a grave threat to peace and prosperity and agreed to co-operate at a bilateral, regional and multi-lateral level to combat this menace. Both sides also exchanged views on issues of common interest such as UN reforms, development issues, South-South co-operation and promotion of renewable energy. "Minister Akbar's visit would be followed by a series of high-level visits from Mali to India including the visit of Minister of Culture and Minister of Investment Promotion and Private Sector," the ministry statement said. Endorsing the importance of creating employment and entrepreneurial opportunities through professional and technical education, delegates of South African countries look towards India for collaboration. Delegates from nine countries in South Asia that include Zambia, Togo, Sudan, Botswana, and seven states from India participated at the day-long national conference Creating employment and entrepreneurial opportunities through professional and technical education. It was organised by APG Shimla University on Saturday. During the conference, emphasis was laid on developing comprehensive strategies for young people and imparts value-based higher education to eradicating the problem of unemployment through education. High Commissioner Republic of Guinea Tarcisus Eri expressed keenness to collaborate with India to address the issue of unemployment for upgrading the competitive skills and expertise of the citizens especially youth of his country in the long run. "Our country would like to collaborate with fast developing countries such as India that are willing to share its developing experiences, expertise, technology, placements in educational institutions, competitive skills and innovative ways of doing business. World class institutions in India can train help the youth, he said. Kenya High Commissioner Osman Mohamed Ali underlined the need for generating awareness so that youth just do not run for white collar jobs, at a time when rise in population was leading to rise in unemployment. There is need to train the youth and to create awareness that all jobs are equal, to bring change in ones life. Empowering youth with vocational training and to enable them to create jobs through entrepreneurship and skill development is the need of the hour, he said. High Commissioner Togo, Kanyl Galley Logosu Teko proposing recommendations underlined the need to promote entrepreneurial programmes, introduce youth empowerment schemes, provide equipment to graduates of different skill acquisition centres, cut the colonial form of education, and redesign school curriculum so as to gear this towards entrepreneurship, taking into account the specificities of the countries. Tripura would supply an additional 60 MW of electricity to Bangladesh, over the 100 MW of power the state is providing to that country, a minister said here on Saturday. The 100 MW electricity being supplied to the neighbouring country since March 23, 2016, is in addition to the 500 MW Bangladesh is already receiving from West Bengal. "Bangladesh has sought 100 MW electricity from India to solve its power crisis in the eastern part of the country. India's Power Ministry wanted to know whether the Tripura government is ready to provide additional 100 MW of power to Bangladesh," Tripura Power and Transport Minister Manik Dey told IANS. "Following the queries of the central government, we have at once informed the Union Power Ministry that the Tripura government was ready to supply 100 MW more electricity to Bangladesh." "However, Bangladesh has no infrastructural ability as of now to take additional 100 MW of power. Therefore, they would now take 60 MW of electricity after developing transmission facilities on their side," he added. "During my visit to Bangladesh in February last year, (Bangladesh Prime Minister) Sheikh Hasina requested us to provide additional 100 MW of electricity and I instantly agreed on the issue. I had requested her to approach the Indian government on the matter," the minister said "Though currently we are supposed to supply 100 MW of power, some times Bangladesh taking 110 MW to 115 MW of power to fulfil their requirement." A 47-km double circuit transmission line was erected, linking the power grid at Surjyamaninagar in western Tripura to the Comilla power grid in eastern Bangladesh, to supply electricity to the neighbouring country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina, along with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on March 23, 2016, launched through video-conferencing from their respective offices in New Delhi, Dhaka and Agartala, the supply of 100 MW of power. Tripura Power Minister said that to supply the additional power to the neighbouring country, officials of India and Bangladesh would meet in Dhaka during March and sign an agreement. Officials of Tripura State Electricity Corporation would also join the process. The state-owned North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), under the Union Power Ministry, commissioned the 101 MW capacity Monarchak project in western Tripura (just 10 km from the Bangladesh border). The central government-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has also commissioned its biggest 726 MW-capacity commercial power project in southern Tripura's Palatana, 60 km south of Agartala. The Rs 10,000 crore gas-based Palatana plant, which supplies power to seven of the eight northeastern states, is a hallmark of the cooperation between both countries, as Bangladesh ensures smooth passage of heavy project equipment and turbines to Palatana through its territory by road and waterways from Haldia port in West Bengal. "With the commissioning of Palatana and Monarchak power projects (both gas-based), Tripura already become a power surplus state. If we supply additional power to Bangladesh we would be able to earn extra revenue," Dey added. Meanwhile, NEEPCO Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) A.G. West Kharkongor arrived here on Friday to study the gas supply problem of the 101 MW capacity Monarchak project, commissioned by the NEEPCO, a mini-ratna company under the union power ministry. "Due to insufficient supply of gas to Monarchak power plant by the ONGC, the project has been generating much less than the installed capacity," Kharkongor "However, the gas supply problem is expected to be resolved in a month or two," he said quoting ONGC officials. The NEEPCO chief said that due to huge delay in generating full capacity power from the project, the company has already incurred a loss to the tune of Rs 218 crore so far. ONGC's executive director S.C. Soni said there are "certain technical issues" to supply gas to Monarchak power plant. "Though we are almost ready to supply required gas to NEEPCO power plant, there are some technical and other issues that are being resolved. However, all these matters would be settled soon," Soni told IANS. Meanwhile, a Bangladesh government official said here that his government has taken a determined road map to increase the generation of power to a large extent in the near future. "Our government has undertaken an ambitious plan to generate 24,000 MW power by 2021; 40,000 MW power by 2031 and 60,000 MW by 2041," a Bangladesh government official told IANS in Agartala requesting not to be named. India and Bangladesh had formed a company Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company limited to set up a coal-fired 1,320 MW (660X2 MW) capacity power plant at Rampal in the country's southeastern coastal area. However, some environmentalists and local people opposed against the commissioning of the Rampal project, near Sundarbans in Bangladesh. During his visit to Dhaka on June 6-7 in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed power supply from Tripura with Hasina. Modi had declared that India would eventually enhance the power supply to Bangladesh to 1,100 MW. A court on Saturday granted bail to two more accused in the case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore ($528 million) AgustaWestland helicopter deal. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of Delhi-based Media Exim Pvt. Ltd's Director R.K. Nanda and former Director J.B. Subramaniyam on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 1 lakh and sureties of the like amount each. After considering a supplementary charge sheet in the case, the court had earlier said there were sufficient evidence against Nanda and Subramaniyam under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June last year filed a fresh charge sheet against British national Christian Michel James, Media Exim, Nanda and Subramaniyam in its ongoing money laundering probe into the helicopter deal. According to the ED, Media Exim is a shell company of James and allegedly incorporated for facilitating transactions of kickbacks paid to James by Finmeccanica, a group firm of AgustaWestland. James allegedly received around Rs 225 crore as kickbacks from AgustaWestland for the deal inked for the purchase of 12 helicopters in the guise of transactions for performing multiple work contracts in the country. The agency is said to have found that of the kickbacks received by James, Rs 6.33 crore was routed to India through his shell company Media Exim from his Dubai-based Global Services FZE. "Nanda and Subramaniyam were appointed Directors of Media Exim Pvt. Ltd., who willingly and knowingly connived with James and helped him in acquiring immovable and movable properties or assets in Delhi, which have already been attached," the ED had said. ED and CBI had also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against James after a city court issued a non-bailable warrant against him. Investigators said James is currently staying in Dubai. Earlier the court had granted bail to other accused in the case, including former Indian Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based lawyer and businessman Gautam Khaitan. The first charge sheet was filed in the case in November 2014 against Gautam Khaitan, his wife Ritu, Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix and Gerosa and Haschke. Carrying out his campaign trail in his Lok Sabha constituency ahead of the last phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Varanasis Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Saturday. Huge crowd of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters greeted him in front of the university as he drove inside the campus and continued his roadshow to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. PM Modi offered prayers at the Kashi temple amidst the protests outside the Kashi temple as BJP workers demanded removal of SP posters. He also offered prayers at the Kaal Bhairav Temple before addressing an election rally in Jaunpur at 3pm. Besides Modis visit, the city is also buzzing for the series of rallies and roadshows to be held later during the day jointly by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati in Rohaniya. Security forces have been beefed up in the city for the high-profile rallies. Hours before PM's visit, a minor scuffle between BJP and SP workers broke outside the Singh Dwar in BHU campus. Also some SP workers arranged a stage in the middle of the route road blocking the way for the PM's visit and the police had to forcefully remove it. Seven SP workers.were detained in the incident. The sixth phase of the state assembly elections is underway on Saturday for the 49 assembly seats. The election results of the state will be announced on March 11. The WhatsApp hotline to General Bipin Rawat was launched by the Indian Army after several jawans posted grievance-filled videos on social media. By Manjeet Negi: Army's WhatsApp number launched to address the grievances of jawans has been filled up with spam messages from Pakistanis who are using it to abuse India. The number, +91 9643300008, was launched on January 28 by the Army Headquarters to address the grievances of the jawans who were going on social media with their videos. "We have been receiving messages in large number from Pakistan and that is why, we have barred all Pakistani numbers from sending messages to it. The intent is to keep it only for our usage," Army sources said here. advertisement The Army has so far received over 30,000 messages on the number, a majority of which were sent by Pakistanis who have been speaking against India and its Army. NO. SET UP AFTER VIRAL VIDEOS The Army had set up the WhatsApp number so that its soldiers could pose their problems directly to Army Chief General Bipin Rawat instead of going to social media. The move came after a series of videos were posted online by personnel from the army, IAF and central police forces regarding various conditions that they work under. There is an existing system of grievance redressal within the Army which is prompt but in case a soldier has exhausted all grievance redressal forums and is still not happy, he may contact the Army chief's office through the new number. Also read: Use of smartphones not banned for jawans, clarifies Army chief General Bipin Rawat Also read: Government creates web-based grievance redressal system --- ENDS --- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Armed forces demanded One Rank One Pension (OROP) and nothing happened for 40 years, but the The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government fulfilled the promise. For 40 years our forces demanded OROP but nothing happened. I had promised BJP Govt will deliver on OROP and we did, Modi said while addressing a rally in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP). Talking about surgical strike on terror camps in September 2016, the prime minister questioned those people who questioned the strike and demand proofs. We are so proud of what our forces did. It was done after elaborate planning & is being talked about world over, Modi said. Sadly, there are some people who are so driven by political considerations that they want to question our armed forces, he added. Those who question surgical strikes- come to Jaunpur & ask the families of the martyrs. Why politicise issues of national security, Modi said. Meanwhile, Modi thanked the people for attending his rallies. In this scorching heat also I can see a Jan Sagar. Wherever I turn, I can see only people. Thank you for coming to bless us, Modi said. Loans of small farmers will be waived off in the first cabinet meeting after a BJP Government assumes office in Uttar Pradesh, he added. I have a question in my mind do we belong? This simple yet profound question was recently posed by Sunayana Dumla, the widow of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, the Indian engineer who died in the bar shooting in Olathe, Kansas. Her heartbreaking question assumes significance because the tragic shooting is being investigated as a possible hate crime, and it comes against a backdrop of rising anti-immigrant sentiments in the US. Although the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, has suggested that it would be absurd to claim any connection between President Trumps statements on immigrants and Muslims and the shooting in Kansas, certain facts are shockingly clear. First, the Kansas shooter, Adam Purinton, hurled racial slurs at the two Indian men at the bar in Olathe, and asked them to get out of my country before shooting them and another American, Ian Grillot, who pursued Purinton. Shortly after this incident, Purinton was allegedly heard at another bar talking about shooting two Middle Eastern men. Is it a mere coincidence that the shooters zeal for cleansing his country of Middle Eastern men (notwithstanding the apparent confusion in this regard between people of Middle Eastern and South Asian origin) comes close on the heels of President Trumps anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric and recent executive orders? On the contrary, Americans who view immigrants with suspicion and resentment have had their biases and prejudices vindicated by recent pronouncements and policies emanating from Washington, DC. The actions and words of the new administration can be perceived as emboldening perpetrators of hate crimes. The resentment at the so-called browning of America, anger at foreigners stealing American jobs, or the fear of Muslim refugees planning to attack America are no longer popular constructs driven by conspiracy theorists. Instead, these grievances and fears, often irrational, have received the Presidential seal of approval. The resentment towards the outsider, the Muslim refugee, the brown-skinned immigrant in other words, targets who can conveniently be blamed and easily confronted has reached dire proportions. Amidst a bleak social and economic landscape for working class families in large swathes of America devastated by loss of jobs, wage stagnation, the opioid epidemic, and a rise in suicide rates the temptation to blame the proverbial outsider and even take matters into ones hand cannot be accidental. This is especially true when the rhetoric and fury emanating from the Alt-Right media and more recently from Washington, DC keep muddying the waters, without offering any meaningful long-term solutions to the socioeconomic troubles plaguing the white middle class. In fact, the emergence of a certain trend towards a more intolerant, racist, and a less welcoming society has been quite clear for some time now. According to the FBI, hate crimes increased by 6 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014, and the increase was mainly driven by a surge in attacks against American Muslims. Not surprisingly, there was a spurt in hate crimes following Mr. Trumps victory in the election last November. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there were 867 incidents of hate crime involving harassment or intimidation in just the ten days following the presidential election between November 9 and 18. These data were compiled by the Center based on both direct reporting by the public to its website and from media reports. A disconcerting 280 of these 867 incidents, or almost a third, were motivated by anti-immigrant sentiments. Over the past three and a half months, incidents of hate have involved assaults against Muslims; graffitis, racial slurs and harassment targeting African-Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and other minority groups; and bomb threats against Jewish Community Centers. Depressingly, the list only keeps growing with each passing day. Of course, even among immigrants, individual circumstances vary. Many still feel welcome and relatively secure in their homes, communities, and work places. I know my family and I do, living in a predominantly White suburb of Houston, Texas traditionally Republican, and a vibrant city with racially and ethnically diverse population. There are friendly, smiling faces greeting us in our neighborhoods, at my daughters school, at the local grocery or pharmacy, and in restaurants. There are few, if any, in the immigrant community here who would wish to pack their bags and leave because of a single tragic incident. Unfortunately what is also true is that nationwide, among immigrants as well as ethnic and religious minorities, there is a heightened sense of insecurity, in general. A certain fear of being targeted, of being singled out, or even being insulted or attacked because of appearance, skin colour, or religion. While some of that was true even before the elections last November, the fear and anxiety have certainly grown over the past few months, and in particular, during the first five weeks of the new administration. There is a palpable sense of unease and foreboding. Perhaps of living in fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents turning up on doorsteps, or the fear of being targeted for their appearance or of a frustrated angry gunman cutting short a life full of promise. Of somebody turning the American dream to a crushing nightmare. Ironically, it seems spring is arriving early at least in the southern United States. It has certainly announced its arrival here in southeast Texas, with mild temperatures, the occasional heavy shower and abundant sunshine. The wildflower buds swaying in a light breeze are about to burst forth in all their splendor and dash of colour. But a wintry chill continues to linger in many hearts. The fog refuses to lift, since for many, their greatest source of security and hope a sense of belonging has been replaced by their worst fear a sense of abject rejection mixed with fear and uncertainty. Sunayana Dumlas question gnaws at our minds and tugs at our heartstrings. Do we belong? It is one of those timeless questions that immigrants and refugees everywhere have asked themselves, but unexpectedly strong and loud reverberations of this question are now being felt of all places in this nation of immigrants. The writer has a PhD in public policy analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School and is now a Senior Researcher with Mathematica Policy Research in Princeton, New Jersey. Hemant G Contractor is the first Chairman of the statutory Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. He joined PFRDA in October 2014; before that he was Managing Director of State Bank of India and served in several important positions in the bank that he had joined as a probationary officer in 1974. In an interview, Contractor talks about the National Pension System (NPS) that has been given a boost in the Budget. Excerpts: Q. The Union Budget has provided new benefits to NPS subscribers. What are the changes that will be effective from April? A. From 1 April, the National Pension System subscribers will get tax exemption on partial withdrawal of up to 25 per cent from their accounts. This will be in addition to the current exemption available on 40 per cent of the corpus at the time of final withdrawal when the subscriber reaches 60 years of age. Secondly, self-employed individuals have been brought at par with government employees in terms of deductions under Section 80CCD of the Income-Tax Act. The self-employed will now be eligible for a tax deduction of up to 20 per cent of the gross income, up from the current 10 per cent. The two changes, likely to be cleared by Parliament this month, are part of the Finance Bill in the Union Budget 2017-18. Q. What is your subscriber base and size of the pension fund? A. The number of NPS subscribers has grown substantially to 1.47 crore. The assets under management currently stand at Rs 1.67 lakh crore. Government employees, both central and state, account for the majority of the NPS subscribers. The other category is of private or self-employed individuals. In terms of subscriber base, the NPS has been growing at the rate of 40 per cent and 46 per cent in fund size. We plan to grow at the same rate this year and next. Q. What is the average equity exposure of the NPS? A. Equity allocation has been capped at 50 per cent for the private sector. In case of the government employees, equity exposure has been limited to 15 per cent. However, as of now, the average equity exposure for NPS stands at 13 per cent. It may go up in future. Q. What has been the rate of return for the NPS? A. NPS has been giving healthy return to investors. The average rate of return over the last five years has been a little over 10 per cent. Q. The NPS has a big tax disadvantage vis-a-vis EPF and PPF. What does it mean for an investor looking to invest in a pension fund? A. The NPS has a slight disadvantage as compared to Employees Provident Fund and Public Provident Fund. Both PPF and EPF have been enjoying the advantage of exempt, exempt, exempt (EEE) status, whereas the NPS remains an exempt, exempt, tax (EET) scheme. Our request to the government is that we should be placed at par with other such schemes. While the government didnt entirely agree with our demand, it exempted 40 per cent of the corpus from tax last year. Earlier, the entire amount was taxed. The subscribers have to mandatorily use 40 per cent of the maturity corpus to buy annuity product. This amount is also tax free. So effectively, the tax paid is paid on only 20 per cent of the NPS amount. And if you put 50 per cent into annuity, the entire amount becomes tax free. People can get around this tax problem by judiciously managing their retirement fund. Q. What are the steps being taken to popularise the NPS? A. To make it easier for people to create a retirement corpus, we have made the process of opening NPS account simple and online since last year. The contributions can be made to the account via an app. We have also reduced the minimum contribution from Rs 6000 to Rs 1000 per annum. The PFRDA has launched a campaign through our distributor network to popularise it. We have also been training bank officials and post office employees engaged in selling the product. People can also join us as pension advisors to propagate the pension product. Q. In the previous budget 2016-17, the government had provided an option to subscribers of EPF to switch to NPS. What has been the response like? A. The switch has not happened till today as there are some statutory changes that are required in the EPF Act. Also the fact that the EPF is an EEE product and ours is an EET product, acts as a deterrent. It should be placed at par with the EPF to be able to attract more subscribers. Q How does one subscribe to NPS? A. We have subscribers from all strata of society. However, it is mandatory for the government employees who joined service after 1 January 2004. People from private sector can join the scheme using Aadhaar or Pan card as identity proof. The registration can be done on our website in 10 minutes. Q. When are you inducting new pension fund managers? A. PFRDA is soon going to announce names of nine pension fund managers. They have been selected on the basis of the variable price model. Six of them are existing ones and three will be new. Q. What are the steps being taken to make NPS more attractive? A. To benefit the customers, the PFRDA has recently allowed a second central record keeping agency, Karvy, in addition to the existing agency, NSDL. The competition ushered in by the entry of the second record keeping agency has led to a reduction in maintenance fee. Karvy, which will be fully operational from 1 April, will be charging an annual fee of around Rs 60, less than one-third of the fee charged by NSDL. With this, the old agency has also been forced to bring down the rates. The benefit will be passed on to the customers. NPS, which is already a very low cost scheme, will see rates going down further. The impact of the low fee structure on a persons corpus would be quite substantial. One per cent reduction in fee would make a difference of Rs 20-30 lakh per account. New Delhi is disturbed over reports suggesting that Pakistan was mulling over allowing the Afghan Taliban to set up a political office in Islamabad. We are verifying these reports but if they are true, they confirm what India has been saying for years that Pakistan is in league with the Afghan Taliban, a source said. "Any such move would only worsen the situation in Afghanistan at a time when the international community was doing its best to help Afghanistan stand on its own feet", the source added. Afghan Taliban already has an overseas office in the Qatari capital of Doha with an official address and authorised representatives for peace talks. However, the Doha office is seen as an entity with no political legitimacy. It is learnt that the proposal to have the Afghan Taliban office in Islamabad came up for discussion at the tripartite meeting on Afghanistan between Pakistan, Russia and China in Moscow in December, 2016. Kabul had taken strong exception to those tripartite talks, saying any meeting on Afghanistan without the presence of any representative from the embattled nation would be an exercise in futility. At the Moscow meeting, the three countries had not only discussed the proposal to allow the Afghan Taliban to open an office in Islamabad but also agreed to get individuals connected with the outfit delisted from the UN sanctions committee list. New Delhi has clearly perceptible differences with even Russia, its staunch ally, over the situation in Afghanistan. It has expressed its vehement opposition to involving the Afghan Taliban in any peace talks until it eschews violence and reaffirms its faith in the Afghan Constitution. New Delhi made its position clear in this regard even at the six-nation meeting on Afghanistan hosted by Moscow last month at which Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India and Russia were present. The peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban has also floundered due to a sharp increase in violence in the trouble-torn nation in recent weeks. Recent border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan have only aggravated the situation. President Donald Trump's defence of torture has set a precedent for other countries to follow, even if the US does not act on it, a UN official said on Friday. Trump's support for waterboarding and other such techniques shows a "staggering level of ill-preparedness to govern," said UN rights rapporteur Ben Emmerson. "We are in a situation where we have the first ever democratically elected head of state in the world who positively advocates torture," he told reporters in Geneva. "And that is a state of affairs which lays down a gauntlet, it lays down a precedent. It enables other states to point and to say well Why shouldn't we?" Trump said days after his inauguration he thinks waterboarding and other techniques widely seen as torture "absolutely" work, but would defer to his CIA and Pentagon chiefs on whether to reinstate them. "That statement in itself, never mind whether it is implemented, in itself, has undermined the international prohibition on torture," said Emmerson. It has thereby "elevated the risk that suspects will be tortured producing unreliable, often useless intelligence," and increasing the risk of terrorism in response, he added. In a speech yesterday, Emmerson the UN's rapporteur on protecting rights and freedoms while countering terrorism had lashed out at Trump. To hear the new US leader "glibly extolling the virtues of torture as a weapon in the right against terrorism was enough to make my blood run cold," he said. "It shows a staggering level of ill-preparedness to govern. Re-introducing waterboarding "for reasons of jingoistic populism" would "fuel the resentments that stoke the risk of terrorism," he said. "All this leaves one wondering whether lasting progress in this field is ever going to be possible," he added. The British UN official was speaking at the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council, currently underway in Geneva. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Another Indian seems to have become a victim of hate crime in the United States. Indian-origin businessman Harnish Patel was shot dead near his home in South Carolina. Signboard at Harnish Patel's Lancaster store says it is closed due to family emergency. (Photo: @GSuskinWSOC9) By Indo-Asian News Service: With the nation still in shock from the killing of an Indian engineer in the US last week, another Indian-origin businessman has been shot dead outside his home in South Carolina, media reports said. On Thursday night, Harnish Patel had closed his shop at 11.24 p.m. and barely ten minutes later he was shot dead outside his house in Lancaster, a media report said. advertisement Patel's death comes two days after President Donald Trump had condemned as "hate and evil" the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, the previous Wednesday in a Kansas bar. Local officials in Lancaster, however, did not believe that Patel's killing was a bias crime as investigations are on, The Herald reported. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," County Sheriff Barry Faile said on Friday. In the February 22 Kansas killing, Kuchibhotla was shot dead by a man screaming, "Get out of my country". Harnish Patel's store is closed after he was shot dead. (Photo: @C_FloresWBTV) Harnish Patel's store is closed after he was shot dead. (Photo: @C_FloresWBTV) Another Indian Alok Madasani, who was with the victim at a bar, and an American, Ian Grillot, who tried to stop the shooting, were also shot and injured. Adam Purinton, a white and a former Navy SEAL was arrested and charged with murder. He had reportedly said that he had shot two Iranians after shooting the Indians. The hate crime was condemned by leaders in both the US and India. In his State of the Union address to the joint session of the Congress on February 28, Trump said: "Last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a Nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms." Local WSOCTV said that in Lancaster there was a lot of anger over the killing of Patel, who was considered an important member of the community and a kind person who treated his customers as friends and helped law enforcement. Harnish Patel's home on Craig Manor Road, Lancaster in South Carolina. (Photo: @GSuskinWSOC9) His store was close to the Sheriff's office and deputies often frequented the store. Faile said on TV that Patel was a "great family man" and a friend. The station said that Patel was survived by his wife and child in elementary school, who were at home when he was killed. People had created an impromptu shrine outside Patel's Speed Mart store by leaving balloons and flowers in his memory, the station said. A sign on door read, "Store closed for few days because of family emergency. Sorry for the inconvenience." advertisement A tearful customer, Nicole Jones, told the station that when someone didn't have money, Patel gave them food. "I would have no idea who would do this to him as good as he is to everybody," she said. A store employee, Keira Baskin, said that he only wanted the best for his employees and his family. On Thursday night a woman called the police and said that she heard screaming and gunshots and when sheriff's deputies arrived there they found Patel dead from apparent gunshot wounds a few feet from his house, WBTV reported. Police found two shell casings at the crime scene. A police dog could not pick up any scent to follow from there, WSOCTV reported. --- ENDS --- The terrorists fled from the spot amid heavy cross-fire with Indian security forces. By Ashraf Wani: Militants holed up in Chilipora village of Kashmir's Shopian district since Friday evening escaped today. The terrorists fled from the spot amid heavy cross-fire with Indian security forces. Late Friday night, security forces had cordoned off the Chilipora village after receiving inputs regarding the presence of two militants. During the cordon off, holed up terrorists started firing at the personnel of 55 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operation Group of Jammu-Kashmir Police. advertisement More details awaited. Also read: J-K: Encounter between militants, security forces underway in Shopian district Also read: Jammu and Kashmir: Civilian killed, CRPF jawan among four injured in Pulwama grenade blast --- ENDS --- In the course of his Lok Sabha election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that they would double the income of farmers. Finance Minister Arun Jaitely echoed the same in his budget speech of 2016. A three day agri-leadership summit from March 18 to 20 will provide the platform to focus on this, along with other Modi favourites like the soil health card. The summit will be sponsored by Haryana government and held in Surajkund. Progressive farmers who have managed to brand their products and market them well will share their experiences and dole out tips to others. Concepts like 'peri-urban agriculture', which is all about growing for the city nearby, 'climate-smart agirculcure', which is obviously about weather-appropriate cultivation, will be introduced to farmers. The summit will also give a push to organic farming, which will prove beneficial for farmers in the long run, micro-irrigation, branding and marketing. Haryana agriculture minister O.P.Dhankar said Prime Minister Modi had asked the states to meet the challenge of doubling the income of farmers by the year 2022. Therefore, some working groups have been formed to achieve this goal. "The adoption of peri-urban concept of agriculture is a step forward in achieving this target. Different states have different challenges in their agriculture sector and while some states have adequate water for irrigation, some others are in deficit. The concept of climate smart agriculture or risk agriculture has already been adopted in some countries so as to meet the challenge posed by climate to the agriculture sector. For instance, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is an initiative to meet such challenges," elaborated Dhankar. GST (Goods and Services Tax) could finally be implemented from July, indicated Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday. "It looks on track. Subject to Parliament approval, it looks like the possible date of implementation of GST is July 1," he said after meeting of the 11th GST Council. The council has approved draft central GST bill and the draft integrated GST bill, paving way for presenting them in the budget session. The state Goods and Services Tax (SGST) Bill and the Union territory Goods and Services Tax (UTGST) Bill would be taken-up for approval after their legal vetting in the next meeting of GST Council scheduled on March 16. While the Central GST, IGST and the Union Territory GST bills will be taken to parliament when it reassembles on March 9 to continue the discussion of the budget, the states will have to pass their state GST laws and fix tax rates before the GST can roll out. Jaitely, however, is confident they will be able to do so by July 1. As per the approved bill, there will be a state-wise single registration for a taxpayer for filing returns, paying taxes,and to fulfill other compliance requirements. Most of the compliance requirements would be fulfilled online, thus leaving very little room for physical interface between the taxpayer and the tax official. A taxpayer has to file one single return state-wise to report all his supplies, whether made within or outside the State or exported out of the country and pay the applicable taxes on them. Such taxes can be Central GST, State GST, Union Territory GST or Integrated GST. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the central GST and integrated GST legislations have been broadly agreed upon at the Council meeting on Saturday. (With inputs from Vijaya Pushkarana) "Real estate should be brought under GST. Everybody knows that a lot of blackmoney finds its way into real estate and bringing real estate under GST will help in curbing black money," Sisodia said. In its last meeting, the council had cleared the way to compensate states in case of revenue loss on account of GST. Hundreds of thousands of voters came out to cast their ballots in the penultimate phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on Saturday, with around 57 per cent turnout recorded. However, officials said that the percentage could go up as those waiting in line at the formal end of polling at 5 pm would be allowed to cast their vote. >> Read: Over 84% polling in first phase in Manipur The electorate in the phase, covering 49 constituencies in seven eastern districts of the state, comprised 1.72 crore people, while there were 635 candidates including 175 Independents in the fray. The turnout, marginally lower than that seen in the first five phases, was however higher than the 55.04 percent recorded in the last polls in 2012. According to officials, 58.67 per cent polling was logged in Kushinagar, 58 per cent in Azamgarh and Gorakhpur while in Ballia, 57.27 per cent voters exercised their franchise. With Saturday's polling, elections to 363 constituencies of the sprawling state's total 403 has come to an end. Prominent candidates in the fray in Saturday's round included Swami Prasad Maurya, who had last year switched from the Bahujan Samaj Party to the Bharatiya Janata Party, and former BJP state chief Surya Pratap Shahi. While Maurya is contesting from Padrauna, Shahi was fighting from Pathardeva. Voting in Azamgarh, the Lok Sabha constituency of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, picked up considerably after recording the lowest turnout in the first few hours. Mulayam Singh did not campaign in his constituency following a fallout with his son Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who replaced him as the party President. Mau, where mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was fielded by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), reported steady polling through the day. A minor scuffle was reported from the Sadar area in Mau where police had to resort to a baton-charge. This phase of polls has around 20 percent of candidates with criminal record, with 109, or around 17 percent having serious criminal charges like murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women according to Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Party wise, 18 out of 45 candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 24 out of 49 candidates from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), 5 out of 36 candidates from Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), 15 out of 40 candidates from Samajwadi Party (SP), three of 10 candidates from Congress, and 22 out of 175 Independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits as per ADR data. Meanwhile, Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency and is set to vote in the last phase of polls on March 8, saw road shows being conducted by Modi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and ally Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, and also a rally by BSP supremo Mayawati. Former RSS leader Kundan Chandrawat of Madhya Pradesh, who retracted his statement offering Rs 1 crore for the head of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has said that he will continue to speak against the CPI(M)s murderous politics in Kerala. Said Chandrawat to THE WEEK, Thanks to my statement, everyone, across the length and breadth of the country, knows what is happening in Kerala. Communists have become destroyers of the nation. I know I crossed the limit that day. I got very emotional, which I shouldnt have. But even today the chief minister of Kerala has not taken action against the culprits in his party. He and his government should abide by the Constitution and take action against the workers of the CPI(M) who constantly target and kill the workers of the RSS and the BJP. If Vijayan is not able to do it, he is not fit to be the chief minister of a state of the republic of India. Chandrawat said that he was not afraid of threats and that he would proudly defend his motherland till his last breath. >>Read: Waiting for Modi govt's response, says Yechury The RSS had earlier removed Chandrawat from all his posts after his comment on Vijayan triggered controversy. I have no problems with the RSS. There was pressure from various quarters to act against me. In the RSS, there is no membership. I can continue to be an RSS man even if I am not officially a part of the organisation, said Chandrawat, who belongs to Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. The Madhya Pradesh Police on Saturday filed a case under section 505 of the Indian Penal Code against Chandrawat. Said Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI(M)s secretary in Kerala, The National Investigation Agency should examine if a case under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act can be registered [against Chandrawat]. Bigg Boss contestant Keith Sequeira and actress Sanjeeda Shaikh will be seen together in this show. Keith Sequeira and actress Sanjeeda Sheikh will be seen together in an upcoming STAR Plus show. By India Today Web Desk: Bigg Boss 9 contestant Keith Sequeira and actress Sanjeeda Shaikh have started shooting for their upcoming romantic drama Kya Tu Meri Laage in the dunes of Rajasthan. Keith and Sanjeeda have also attended workshops for this upcoming STAR Plus show. Along with Sanjeeda and Keith, Kya Tu Meri Laage also stars actress Sara Khan, who was seen as Surpanakha in STAR Plus' Siya Ke Ram. advertisement Show's producer Siddharth Malhotra shared a pic of the team shooting in Jodhpur with a note that said, "First shot rolled of our new show for @StarPlus all the best to my team @iamsanjeeda @keithsequeira #alchemyfims #kyatumerilaage." ??...soonnnn A post shared by Sanjeeda Shaikh (@iamsanjeeda) on Mar 2, 2017 at 10:20pm PST Actress Sanjeeda Shaikh has not shared much about the show but has been sharing beautiful pictures from Khimsar Fort where she is currently shooting for Kya Tu Meri Laage. The pretty actress was last seen in Colors' Ishq Ka Rang Safed. Model turned actor Keith will be making a comeback as a lead on TV after a long time. He played a lead in his first show Dekho Magar Pyaar Se in 2004 and was last seen in Zee TV's Doli Armaano Ki. --- ENDS --- India is the continuity factor at present in the Indo-US ties, given the change of administration in the US, said Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar. Jaishankar is on a tour of the United States along with Economic Secretary Rita Teaotia. The visit is largely to establish relationships with the new administration as well as pave the way for a meeting between Donald Trump and Narendra Modi. He said while clearly there are changes in how the US is looking at itself, let alone the world, it should not really be an impediment to the relationship. He pointed out that the last three US administrations were significantly different from each other, yet the US-India relationship grew to a higher level with each one. The Indian delegation met several new officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, US Homeland Secretary John F. Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt Gen H.R. McMaster and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, discussing a range of issues from the global strategic landscape to economic and military ties. Two issues, however, popped up at every interactionthe hate killing of an Indian techie at Kansas and the Trump administration's decision to cap the H1B visas. The Kansas shooting, Jaishankar said, was tragic but the act of an individual and added that India was assured that the US justice system was at work to bring the criminal to book. It is being prosecuted as a hate crime.'' On the visa issue, he said We have made our point quite forcefully explaining to the new administration that this was not as much an immigration issue as it was an economic one. If America wants to brings its manufacturing back home, this visa system will actually benefit them, as much as it does India. The foreign secretary said gauging the response of the US administration, he got a sense that they were looking at expanding the political, security and defence co operation, but at this stage, most of it was conceptual. On the economic side, We saw a very strong interest in growing out trade and increasing investments and finding ways of cooperating with each other.'' Trump administration looks at the world differently from its predecessors. We need to absorb that and adapt to it and look at new possibilities of cooperation but certainly the sense was that they would like to do more with India,'' said Jaishankar. For many, Timbuktu may be a mythical place or a metaphor for a faraway place. This West African city will come alive in India later this year when the largest exhibition of Timbuktu manuscripts titled "When Taj Mahal meets Timbuktu will be held. Located in Mali, Timbuktu would also get a generous assistance of 0.5 million US dollars from India for the reconstruction of its world heritage site. India promised assistance and signed a number of agreements with Mali during the visit of Minister of State for External Affairs, M.J. Akbar. He was on a bilateral official visit to this country from March 2-3. Akbar co-chaired the first ever Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between India and Mali along with Foreign Minister of Mali Abdoulaye Diop. The cordial discussions reviewed the bilateral engagement between the countries in various sectors like agriculture, energy etc and laid out areas of future co-operation, particularly in security and technology, MEA officials said. Akbar reiterated Indias commitment to Malis geographical and ideological integrity and assured Indias support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both parties identified terrorism as a grave threat to peace and prosperity and agreed to cooperate at a bilateral, regional and multi-lateral level to combat this menace. Both sides also exchanged views on issues of common interest such as UN reforms, development issues, South-South co-operation and promotion of renewable energy, official statement added. The next meeting of the JCM will be held in 2019. Akbars visit would be followed by a series of high-level visits from Mali to India including the visit of the minister of culture and the minister of investment promotion and private sector. With the nation still in shock from the killing of an Indian engineer in the US last week, another Indian-origin businessman has been shot dead outside his home in South Carolina. On Thursday night, Harnish Patel had closed his shop at 11.24 p.m. Barely ten minutes later he was shot dead outside his house in Lancaster. Patel's death comes two days after President Donald Trump had condemned as "hate and evil" the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla. Local officials in Lancaster, however, did not believe that Patel's killing was a bias crime as investigations are on, The Herald reported. "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," County Sheriff Barry Faile said on Friday. Local WSOCTV said that in Lancaster there was a lot of anger over the killing of Patel, who was considered an important member of the community and a kind person who treated his customers as friends and helped law enforcement. His store was close to the Sheriff's office and deputies often frequented the store. Faile said on TV that Patel was a "great family man" and a friend. The station said that Patel was survived by his wife and child in elementary school, who were at home when he was killed. People had created an impromptu shrine outside Patel's Speed Mart store by leaving balloons and flowers in his memory, the station said. A sign on door read, "Store closed for few days because of family emergency. Sorry for the inconvenience." A tearful customer, Nicole Jones, told the station that when someone didn't have money, Patel gave them food. "I would have no idea who would do this to him as good as he is to everybody," she said. A store employee, Keira Baskin, said that he only wanted the best for his employees and his family. On Thursday night a woman called the police and said that she heard screaming and gunshots and when sheriff's deputies arrived there they found Patel dead from apparent gunshot wounds a few feet from his house, WBTV reported. Police found two shell casings at the crime scene. A police dog could not pick up any scent to follow from there, WSOCTV reported. Patel's death comes two days after President Donald Trump had condemned as "hate and evil" the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla. Local officials in Lancaster, however, did not believe that Patel's killing was a bias crime as investigations are on, The Herald reported "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," County Sheriff Barry Faile said on Friday. In the February 22 Kansas killing, Kuchibhotla was shot dead by a man screaming, "Get out of my country". Another Indian, Alok Madasani, who was with the victim at a bar, and an American, Ian Grillot, who tried to stop the shooting, were also shot and injured. Adam Purinton, a former Navy SEAL was arrested and charged with murder. He had reportedly said that he had shot two Iranians after shooting the Indians. The hate crime was condemned by leaders in both the US and India. In his state of the union address to the joint session of the Congress on February 28, Trump said: "Last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a Nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms." The number of civilians escaping the fighting in Mosul has increased significantly as battles intensify between US-backed Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants, and some have been exposed to chemical agents, the Red Cross said on Friday. Iraqi armed forces meanwhile said they had captured another district as they push towards the densely packed old city center where the fighting is expected to become tougher. Among casualties in the past 48 hours, five children and two women were treated for exposure to chemical agents, suffering blisters, eye redness, vomiting and coughing, said the International Committee of the Red Cross. The United States has warned that Islamic State could use weapons containing sulfur mustard agents to repel the offensive on the northern Iraqi city. Iraqi forces captured the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris river on February 19. Defeating Islamic State in Mosul would crush the Iraqi wing of the caliphate declared by the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2014, over parts of Iraq and Syria, although the group is expected to continue a campaign of insurgent attacks. The Iraqi military believes several thousand militants, including many foreigners, are hunkered down in Mosul among the remaining civilian population, which aid agencies estimated to number 750,000 at the start of the latest phase of the battle. The battle for Mosul has killed and wounded several thousand people since it started on October 17, according to aid agencies. "We have noted a significant increase in displacement in last week, 30,000 in west Mosul, 4,000 a day or so," Matthew Saltmarsh, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, told a news briefing in Geneva. "Of course the military fighting is intensifying by the day," Bastien Vigneau, the emergency director for Mosul operations at the UN children's agency UNICEF, told the briefing. Speaking from Erbil, east of Mosul, he said over 100,000 children are among the 191,000 who have been displaced in total from the city since October. Among them, UNICEF identified 874 children who were unaccompanied or separated. More than half have been reunited with parents, and the rest are being taken care of by extended family. The militants are using suicide car bombers, snipers and booby traps to counter the offensive waged by the 100,000-strong force of Iraqi troops, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Iranian-trained Shi'ite Muslim paramilitary groups. The Iraqi forces captured the Wadi Hajar district on Friday, an advance that allows them to link up all their forces in the south of the city, starting from the Tigris river and ending in the Mamoun district, according to military statements. Intra-Kurdish fighting erupted on the sidelines of the battle, highlighting the risk of conflict and turf war between the multiple forces arrayed against Islamic State, many of which lean on regional patrons for political support and arms. The clash broke out when Peshmerga Rojava forces moved towards the border with Syria, encroaching on territory controlled by a local affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The Peshmerga Rojava is made up of Kurds from Syria and was formed and trained in Iraq with the backing of Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish Regional Government in northern Iraq. The clashes, which lasted several hours, pitted them against the YBS, which was set up there by the PKK after it came to the aid of the Yazidi population when the area was overrun by Islamic State in the summer of 2014. Most Yazidis are still displaced from their homes, but some families who returned to Sinjar fled again on Friday. "It's a struggle between two political parties but the victims are the Yazidis," said 19-year from the town of Khanasor where the clashes took place. "Aren't they supposed to be fighting Daesh (Islamic State)? Let them go and get rid of them." The accused have been booked under non-bailable sections of POCSO Act and Juvenile Justice Act, Peravoor Circle Inspector, Sunil Kumar, who is the investigating officer in the case, said on Saturday. By Press Trust of India: Eight people, including five nuns, have been booked for hiding facts related to the alleged rape of a minor girl by a vicar of a church in the district. The in-charge of the private hospital at Kuthuparamba in the district, where the 16-year-old gave birth to a boy on February 17, along with two others besides the nuns, have been booked. advertisement The accused have been booked under non-bailable sections of POCSO Act and Juvenile Justice Act, Peravoor Circle Inspector, Sunil Kumar, who is the investigating officer in the case, said on Saturday. A report has also been submitted to the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Kannur district police superintendent against the Chairman and a member of the Child Welfare Committee of Wayanad district for hiding facts in the case, he said. The report recommends action against them for concealing details of the newborn from the authorities. The vicar was arrested on February 28 based on a complaint lodged by the victim's mother with the childline that Fr Robin alias Mathew Vadakkancheril had "sexually exploited" her daughter last year. He was also removed from office by the church authorities. The offence came to light after the girl, a resident of Neendunokki in the district, gave birth to a baby boy at a private hospital in Koothuparamba on February 7. The 11th standard student was studying in the school in which the accused was also the manager, police said. Robin had attended a public programme on February 25 and left the place the next day, after police lodged a case against him under IPC section 376 (Rape) and the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He was picked up from Chalakkudy in Thrissur district and brought here. ALSO READ: Airports, exit points across country on alert for absconding rape-accused SP minister Gayatri Prajapati --- ENDS --- A manhunt for the driver of a sport utility vehicle that crashed into an insurance building this week led to another man being arrested following after the search of a Wymore residence. On Tuesday night, Gage County Sheriffs deputies were on Abbott Street searching for Brandon Kopf, a Beatrice resident with an active felony warrant out of Lancaster County. A vehicle that matched the description of Kopfs car drove past and deputies initiated a traffic stop at Caseys General Store on West Court Street, according to a press release. Instead of stopping, the vehicle sped out of the parking lot and headed east on Court Street toward downtown. Deputies gave chase, but lost sight of the vehicle when it appeared to turn north at Eighth Street. The black SUV hit a fire hydrant and plowed through the side of the brick insurance building at 800 Court Street. Kopf then fled on foot, deputies believe. On Thursday afternoon, deputies and the U.S. Marshals Metro Area Fugitive Task Force went to 212 N. Ninth St. in Wymore searching for Kopf. The departments obtained information that Kopf associated with a man who lives at the residence. A female resident answered the door and gave authorities permission to search the residence, according to Gage County Court documents. Authorities did not find Kopf who was still at large Friday morning but instead found a man identified as Brian A. Hunkins, 45, hiding in a bedroom closet. In the same bedroom and in plain view was a H&R 922 revolver in an open safe within reach of Hunkins, who is a convicted felon prohibited from possessing a firearm. Deputies also observed multiple glass pipes and prescription pill bottles. The female resident gave authorities consent to further search for drugs, court documents state, and 3.2 grams of methamphetamine was recovered, along with a digital scale and $724 cash. One of the pill bottles found contained 58 Vioxx pills, a legend drug. Another $31 and a baggie with white residue were found in a vehicle in the garage. Hunkins was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of a firearm during a drug violation, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug money, possession of a legend drug and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $25,000 with a 10 percent deposit Friday. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) The External Affairs Ministry today said the county sheriff in Lancaster in the US has suggested that the killing of a 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner there may not be a hate crime. Condoling the death of Harnish Patel, an official in the ministry said the local authorities were investigating the case and the government will remain in touch with them. advertisement The Indian Consulate General in Atlanta is in touch with the victims family, he said. It is deputing a consular official to meet the family and offer condolences and any required assistance, the official said. It is also in touch with the local community organisation of expat Indians, including those from Gujarat, he added. Patel, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead with gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, the local coroner and police officials had said. The incident comes just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. PTI PYK SC --- ENDS --- The late soldier's widow wants to know what happened to her husband and seeks justice. By Indo-Asian News Service: The widow of the soldier, Lance Naik Roy Mathew, 33-year-old soldier from Kerala, who was reported missing from a cantonment in Maharashtra and later found dead in an abandoned barrack, has demanded justice. "I want justice and I want to know what happened to my husband," Finy, Mathew's wife, said on Saturday at the Thiruvananthapuram airport where his body arrived earlier in the saturday morning. advertisement The 33-year old soldier had been reported missing since February 25 and his decomposed body was found hanging from the ceiling of the abandoned barrack in Deolali Cantonment, Nashik. AN OBSCURE AFTERMATH A relative said: "He was a jawan and served the country for 14 years. The entire episode seems to be mysterious and no one knows what has happened to him. And even after the body arrived, the convention is to immediately drape the coffin in the Indian tri-colour and that too did not take place." The same relative approached the district collector seeking permission for a re post - mortem. "The request came today (Saturday) morning and soon the sanction was given for it. The re-post mortem will be conducted at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital and then the body would be handed over," said Kollam Sub Collector K.Chithra. WHAT PRECEDED THE UNFORTUNATE END Mathew was part of a video on the 'Sahayak System', which went viral on the social media. Hailing from Karuvelil in Kollam, Kerala, he was posted as an orderly attached with a Colonel at the Deolali School of Artillery. In the video, Mathew had reportedly said that higher officials allegedly mistreated their 'Sahayaks' and forced them to do petty jobs, like polishing shoes, washing clothes and taking their pet dogs for walks. The alleged sting video, captured through hidden cameras with faces masked, had gone viral on social media networks, as he raised questions on the 'Sahayak System'. ALSO READ| Jawan suicide case: Army blames 'guilt' factor, but family says he was harassed ALSO READ| Army jawan who featured in sting criticising sahayak system found dead --- ENDS --- MBABANE Married couples in the community of kaLaMlalati in the Shiselweni region will allegedly not be able to register for marriage certificates. The same goes for aspiring businesspeople who will allegedly not be a in a position to obtain business licences and renew firearm licences. Members of the community will also not be able to obtain death certificates for their departed loved ones. This after the Shiselweni Regional Administrator Themba Masuku allegedly stopped the headman of kaLaMlalati from using a stamp he disapproved of which he said the headman was using illegally. Masuku is alleged to have informed the headman to stop using the stamp after he saw it stamped on documents brought to the offices of the RA for signature by students who were filling in scholarship forms. The veracity of these allegations is still to be tested in court. The headman, Abraham Mathunjwa, is represented by Chazile Thwala of B.S Dlamini and Associates. The RA is yet to file responding papers. Mathunjwa, said he was called to the RAs offices together with the vice headman and the Zombodze Emuva headman Mbabazeni Nkonyane on February 3, 2017. That is where Masuku allegedly informed them that the stamp Mathunjwa was using, he was doing so illegally. The area of kaLaMlalati falls under Lihambate Lenkhosi and it is not a chiefdom. Mathunjwa alleged that the area was declared to fall under the Zombodze Emuva umphakatsi by the late King Sobhuza II. He alleged that they used the Zombodze Emuva Royal Kraal for issues that require royal kraal authority. The headman further alleged that in 1979, the late king declared that he was the areas chief, indvuna and chiefs runner and also gave the community an inkhosikati. However, Masuku, in a letter he wrote to Mathunjwa ordering him to stop using the stamp, said there was a ruling that was issued by the king declaring that the residents of kaLaMlalati should be under the authority of Mbilaneni. Masuku made it clear in the letter that his office would not assist those whose documents have been stamped with the illegal stamp of KaLaMlalati. He said for now the students would not be frustrated by the decison. The regional administrator stopped the use of the stamp and emphasised on the issue that the people of KaLaMlalati be under Mbilaneni Royal Kraal. He further stopped the Zombodze Emuva Royal Kraal from helping the people of KaLaMlalati area. MANZINI Irked members of the Swaziland Principals Association (SWAPA) demanded answers from the National Executive Committee (NEC) after discrepancies were spotted in a financial report presented to members. This transpired yesterday at Prince Mfanyana Hall head teachers had met for their annual general meeting.NEC Treasurer Nkosinathi Ginindza first presented the financial report of 2015, which was accepted but when it came to the 2016 report, the head teachers were not so welcoming. According to the head teachers, there is money that is not accounted for in the financial report of 2016 and it reflects very high expenditure compared to that of the previous year. Head teacher of Ka-Boyce High School, Lungelo Nhlengetfwa, was first to raise his concern after the 2016 report had been presented. Clarity I am worried about the inconsistency in the financial report of 2016; I think I would need clarity on when the organisations financial year starts and when it ends because it is not clear in the documents in which we were given. He said on scrutinising the financial report, to him it was clear that there is money that disappeared or had not been accounted for and requested from the chairperson that the NEC clarify on what really happened. On the financial reports, the one for 2015 reflects that the financial year ended on December 31, 2015 and the bank balance was E262 964.87. On the other hand, the financial statement for the next financial year reflected that it came to an end on November 9, 2016. This alleged discrepancy drew interest from other head teachers who also sought clarity on the date at which their financial year comes to an end. Nhlengetfwa said it meant that the money, which is E1 561.62, disappeared overnight because on January 1, 2016 this sum did not reflect in the closing bank balance of the previous year, which was December, 31, 2017. Organising Secretary of the NEC, Zanele Dlamini, tried to justify the inconsistency as she highlighted that there is a month which the schools are closed and therefore very little funds of the organisation are used during that period and it could be possible that such an incident could be a result of the funds not balancing. Highlighted A member of the organisation also highlighted that it was possible that the money not accounted for was deducted for bank charges. SWAPA Vice President Welcome Mhlanga admitted there were inconsistencies in the presented financial statement. He said the Treasury Department would be called to explain what happened and said it must give clear answers on the matter on how the funds were utilised. Big Bend High School Head Mistress Lindiwe Zwane suggested that the media should be sensitive when reporting about the organizations financial reports because it was a delicate matter. A side view of the Mbabane Government Hospital. MBABANE Young boys who are patients at the Mbabane Government Hospitals Childrens Ward are falling victim to sexual escapades by an abandoned child who is much older than them. The boy arrived at the hospital at a young age and has lived there for over a decade now. He is reported to be mentally challenged, even though parents of some of his victims claim that he is mentally sound when it comes to sexual issues. Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula has since confirmed the incidents after he requested the hospital to compile a report on the matter as it is of a serious nature. He said he was more concerned about the abuse that the children are subjected to and its implications, both on their physical and psychological health. One parent, who had taken her son to the hospital, related how she was shocked at discovering the incident in the duration she stayed at the hospital with her son. There are these disabled and abandoned children who are kept at the hospital. Before my son was attended to, we were admitted there for two weeks. There is this one guy *Dombolo who would come daily in the ward selling sweets and chips. He would also play with the boys, not the girls who were in the ward. She said they thought he was being friendly with the children, only to find that they were yet to discover more about his motives behind playing with the boys. Apparently a few other parents have reported this to the matrons but nothing is being done. He still stays at the childrens ward and he bribes the children with the sweets not to talk. The shocked mother said on the day she learnt about the boys escapades, her son wanted to go to the toilet. She said Dombolo offered to accompany her son to the toilets but when a long time elapsed with them not coming back, she became concerned and went there to investigate. I found my son in the toilet with this guy. He looks like a retard but ingcondvo iphelele yonkhe because he speaks things that make sense. When I opened the door I found Dombolo with his pants on his knees and he started pretending as if he was relieving himself. The distraught woman said she went out of the toilet with her son and questioned him about what was going on in there and he told her that Dombolo had ordered him to perform oral sex on him and also touched his private parts with his finger. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) Identifying terrorism as a "grave threat", India and Mali have agreed to cooperate with each other at bilateral, regional and multi-lateral levels to combat the menace. In a release after the two-day (March 2-3) visit of Union Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar to Mali, the External Affairs Ministry said today that the two countries also exchanged views on issues of common interest such as UN reforms, those related to development, South-South cooperation and promotion of renewable energy. advertisement "Both parties identified terrorism as a grave threat to peace and prosperity and agreed to co-operate at a bilateral, regional and multi-lateral level to combat this menace," the release said. During his visit, Akbar, along with Foreign Minister of Mali Abdoulaye Diop, co-chaired the first ever Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between the two countries during which he reiterated Indias commitment to the West African countrys geographical and ideological integrity and promised support to its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the ministry said. On his part, Diop thanked India for its "generous" assistance of USD 0.5 million for the reconstruction of the world heritage site of Timbuktu. India would be hosting the largest exhibition of Timbuktu manuscripts, titled When Taj Mahal meets Timbuktu, later this year, the ministry said. The discussions reviewed the bilateral engagement between the countries in various sectors such as agriculture, energy etc. and laid out areas of future cooperation, particularly in security and technology. Both the countries expressed satisfaction at the enhancement of bilateral relations and progress achieved in implementing the outcomes of Vice-President Hamid Ansaris visit to Mali in September, 2016. Akbars visit would be followed by a series of high-level visits from Mali to India, including those of the Minister of Culture and Minister of Investment Promotion and Private Sector of that country, the ministry said. PTI PYK RC --- ENDS --- The Trinamool Congress supremo alleged that rather than supporting the poor, the Centre was snatching away their rights. By Indrajit Kundu: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday slammed the Centre over its proposal to link Aadhaar card with mid-day meals and ICDS scheme. The Trinamool Congress supremo alleged that rather than supporting the poor, the Centre was snatching away their rights. "Now even infants (0-5 years) will need Aadhar cards? Aadhaar card for mid-day meals and ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme)? Shocking! 100 Days' Work also not spared," she tweeted. advertisement She added, "Instead of helping the poorest of the poor, the downtrodden and our favourite children, why are their rights being snatched away?" Also read: Aadhaar card may become mandatory for online train ticket booking Earlier this week, the Human Resources Development Ministry came up with a notification making it mandatory for students to have an aadhaar number for getting midday meals. Not only this, even the cook-cum-helpers engaged in preparing midday meals would also now be required to have aadhaar cards. --- ENDS --- Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams As homelessness worsens in the city and the state increases rent subsidies for poor families to keep them off the streets, a Christian nonprofit in western Queens is evicting its longtime tenants to open a shelter. The irony of the move by the New York School of Urban Ministry in Astoria has not been lost on the remaining residents or area lawmakers, who have been fighting to let the tenants stay in their single-room homes on the grounds the units are rent-stabilized. There were 39 residents living in the building on 31-65 46th St. back in November when the Rev. Peter DeArruda, executive director of the ministry, told them they had to move out by the end of the year. There was outrage in the community that a faith-based group would resort to such heartlessness right before Christmas. The low-income New Yorkers, many of whom had lived in the building for years, paid between $400 and $500 a month and were prime candidates for a homeless shelter themselves. By mid-February only 12 tenants were left, despite repeated attempts by state Sen. Michael Gianaris to encourage all the renters to stand their ground and assert their legal rights. The dozen stalwarts said they had endured harassment and intimidation. Gianaris, U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley and state Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas urged the state attorney general to investigate the pastor for tossing the tenants out of their homes during the holidays. The lawmakers attached a document indicating the ministry had paid off the mortgage and owned the property outright. But Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said DeArruda told him the building was not financially viable and he wanted to lease it to a shelter operator. AG Eric Schneiderman then ordered the pastor to rescind the eviction notices until a court reviewed the rent-stabilization question. On behalf of the tenants, the Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit to stop the evictions last month. And Gianaris introduced legislation that would prohibit the blacklisting of tenants who take their landlords to court and then face discrimination when looking for other housing. DeArruda has remained silent about his motives. But it is disappointing to have a Christian organization that has provided a rental haven for 33 years suddenly lumped in with the citys unscrupulous landlords. The pastor owes the tenants and the community an explanation for his sudden transformation into a profit-seeking property owner. As a charitable organization, the ministrys top priority should be the people already living under its own roof. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams William Lewis When we look at the contemporary street demonstrations across the country and look at the ones from the past, we find some similarities. We can begin with the street demonstrations of the 1930s during the Great Depression. They were mainly labor groups that marched in the streets. During that time their interests were mostly economic issues, such as wage increases and medical insurance. One aspect of this period during the 1930s was that there was almost no violence. In the 1960s, street demonstrations began with political issues such as freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, but by the end of the 1960s the anti-war movement had taken over everything else in protest, as participants campaigned constantly against the Vietnam War.The students had a violent part in these demonstrations. The most violent display occurred at the Democratic convention in 1968 in Chicago. There were numerous student uprisings and situations, however, where students took over college campuses. Today, many college administrations and faculty members are encouraging students to oppose the present federal administration. Today the issues are social from the standpoint that the students opposition is mainly against the federal policy of immigration and building a security wall on the southwest border of our country with Mexico. In addition, there is widespread opposition to President Donald Trump, from a personal standpoint. Violence has occurred in the present, but police are more trained in handling street demonstrations than they were in earlier periods of time. Street demonstrations, no matter how peaceful, can have an effect on government. They can slow down government progress. A society that has continuous disruption whether it is violent or peaceful cannot endure permanently. In our country to maintain our republic, political differences can be challenged by democratic means during elections. Constant endless disruptions of society weakens our government and way of life. A society must agree to a type of government and abide by it. Our country has come a long way since the first national convention and has grown under our present form of government. A long way into the future our country, which is great, will become greater if we can all work together for our common good. Beaver County preparing for robust Election Day turnout As the Nov. 8 midterm election approaches, nearly 114,000 people are registered to vote in Beaver County. Celebrities looking for a good time in the 1950s didn't just stick around Los Angeles; they took a quick flight up to San Francisco for a weekend of drinking, dancing and colorful debauchery. San Francisco's nightlife seems tame today compared to the vibrant, all-hours scene it used to be. When LIFE magazine sent photographer Nat Farbman to capture San Francisco's booming restaurant and club scene in 1956, he came back with an array of stunning color photographs. The images show famed SF hotspots like the hungry i, Blue Fox restaurant and Sinaloa Club, all packed to the gills. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate New York A former journalist fired for fabricating details in stories made at least eight of the scores of threats against Jewish institutions nationwide, including a bomb threat to New York's Anti-Defamation League, as part of a bizarre campaign to harass and frame his ex-girlfriend, federal officials said Friday. Juan Thompson, 31, was arrested in St. Louis and appeared there in federal court Friday on a cyberstalking charge. He politely answered questions and told the judge he had enough money to hire a lawyer. A crowd of supporters who attended would say only that Thompson had no criminal record. His lawyer didn't comment. Federal officials are investigating 122 bomb threats called in to Jewish groups in three dozen states since Jan. 9 as well as a rash of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries. Thompson started making his own threats Jan. 28, a criminal complaint said, with an email to the Jewish History Museum in New York City written from an account that made it appear as if it was being sent by an ex-girlfriend. "Juan Thompson put 2 bombs in the History Museum set to go off Sunday," it said. He followed that up with similar messages to a Jewish school in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and to a school and community center in Manhattan, authorities said. In another round of emails and calls, he gave the woman's name, the court complaint said. The Council on American-Islamic Relations received an anonymous email saying the woman put a bomb in a Dallas Jewish center. Thompson, who is black, took to Twitter: "Know any good lawyers?" he wrote. "Need to stop this nasty/racist (hash)whitegirl I dated who sent a bomb threat in my name." He later tweeted to the Secret Service: "I'm been (sic) tormented by an anti-Semite. She sent an antijewish bomb threat in my name. Help." Police say it was a hoax created to make the woman look guilty. He also made threats identifying the woman as the culprit, authorities said. It's not clear why Jewish organizations were targeted. Thompson was fired from the online publication The Intercept last year after being accused of fabricating quotes and creating fake email accounts to impersonate people. The first phase covered 38 constituencies for which 1,643 polling stations were set up in areas spread over Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur among others. By India Today Web Desk: First phase of Manipur Assembly elections ended today, with over 80 per cent voter turnout being recorded till reports last came in. As many as 1,643 polling stations were set up in areas spread over Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. More than 11 lakh voters exercised their franchise to decide the fate of 168 candidates in the fray. advertisement There was heavy security in parts of the state amid continual clashes with the United Naga Council. More than 250 companies of central paramilitary forces were deployed on duty with the Assam Rifles and Army aiding in providing security cover. No major law and order issues were reported. This election marks the debut of Irom Sharmila's People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) party. Here are the live updates: No major law and order problems were reported. Officials said this number was expected to go higher. According to preliminary reports, the first phase of polling saw more than 80 per cent voting. Polling time for the first phase ended at 3 pm. 69 per cent voter turnout has been reported till 1pm in the ongoing first phase of elections. PRJA party candidate Erendro Leichombam has been rushed to hospital after he was attacked by members of rival contesting party in Imphal. PRJA party candidate Erendro Leichombam being treated at hospital after attack. 43 per cent voting recorded till 11 am. 29 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 10 am. 21 per cent voting recorded till 9 am. Irom Sharmila casts her vote at booth no. 3/39 of Khurai Assembly constituency, says confident of victory. Polling in Kongpal in Imphal east's Khuria area witnessed participation of differently-abled and elderly people. #ManipurElection2017 Differently abled people and the elderly being assisted at polling booth no. 3/40 in Kongpal (Khurai, Imphal East) pic.twitter.com/FfdnvlBIz8 ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 10 per cent voter turnout recorded in the first hour of polling. First time voter shows her inked finger after casting vote at a polling booth in Manipur's Bishnupur #ManipurElection2017 pic.twitter.com/jm0DXl97IG ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 People queue up outside polling booths in Nambol's Utlou village, voting to begin shortly Manipur set to go to polls today in the first of its two-phased elections across 38 Assembly constituencies. pic.twitter.com/UMcwjHQjI9 ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 Also read Manipur Assembly Election: Polling in first phase on 38 constituencies today Manipur Assembly election: Voter turnout of 69 per cent recorded till 1 PM --- ENDS --- New York President Donald Trump, his administration under siege for contacts with Russian officials, is calling for "an immediate investigation" into Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer's own ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump's evidence? A 14-year-old photo of Schumer and Putin holding coffee and doughnuts in a New York City gas station. The president on Friday tweeted a photo of the two men, calling for a probe into Schumer's "ties to Russia and Putin" and called the New York senator "A total hypocrite!" Trump did not say where the photo came from, but Schumer quickly pointed out that it was taken in 2003 when Putin ventured to New York to celebrate the opening of a Russian-owned Lukoil gas station on Manhattan's west side. Several news organizations covered the event, which drew far more political star power than the average gas station opening. Schumer, in his own tweet, said he would "happily talk" under oath about his meeting with Putin, which took place "in full view of press and public." He then challenged Trump to do the same. And, a short time later, he posted a follow-up in which he further poked fun at the photo, noting "And for the record, they were Krispy Kreme donuts." On the same trip to the United States in 2003, Putin traveled to Camp David, Maryland, where he met with Republican President George W. Bush and the two held a joint news conference. Trump's tweet came just hours after the conservative website Drudge Report made the photo its lead image. And that was a day after the photo was unearthed by the pro-Trump blog Gateway Pundit. Sixty-five percent of police and prosecutors statewide missed a mid-February deadline to report how many untested rape kits are collecting dust on their shelves. A new state law intended to clear hefty backlogs and mandate timely testing of rape kits obligates law enforcement to report the data. However, confusion about when the deadline would fall, how to count the kits and even if reporting would be required at all may have led to a low level of participation. A total of 586 law enforcement agencies were obligated to send data to the state by Feb. 17 but only 265 agencies (45 percent) made the deadline and 63 agencies (10 percent) filed late. Those who did participate identified a backlog of 1,678 sexual offense evidence kits that have not yet been tested. Until Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law last November regulating the maintenance and testing of rape kits, New York was one of few states where evidence collected from sexual assault victims did not have to be processed in a timely manner. Not only can the DNA collected in a kit help prosecute an attacker but it can also be added to federal databases to help resolve open cases. "This bill shines a light on, and attempts to resolve, a pressing concern. Survivors of sexual assault deserve to have their evidence kits processed in the fastest and most effective manner possible," Cuomo wrote in his approval memo. A report issued Wednesday by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services details which agencies are holding on to the hundreds of untested kits and which agencies failed to report. About 45 percent of the Capital Region law enforcement agencies who responded to the poll said they don't have any untested sexual offense evidence kits. Albany police has six untested kits, Saratoga Springs reported 23 and Schenectady 75. Troy police did not respond to the state poll but told the Times Union they had no backlog. Schenectady ranked fourth statewide for the number of untested rape kits sitting idle on department shelves. The Nassau County Police Department has a whopping 374 untested kits. The State University of New York campus police reported 183 and Binghamton has 95. Statewide, troopers have not analyzed 57 kits. Neither the district attorney nor the sheriff's office in Albany, Greene and Schenectady counties reported data to the state. About a dozen other Capital Region agencies also failed to respond. The 258 agencies statewide that still haven't sent in their tally have been given a one month extension. "DCJS will contact agencies and offices that did not provide information for this report, reiterate the importance of reporting to the state and work with those agencies and officers to facilitate reporting of their data," the state agency said. The original bill did not ask police and prosecutors to take an inventory of untested kits. That mandate was agreed upon when Cuomo signed the bill Nov. 28, 2016, but was not officially approved until Feb. 1, 2017 -- one month before DCJS needed to publish their report. On Dec. 5, 2016, DCJS told law enforcement agencies that the rule, requiring an inventory of untested rape kits, would likely be passed by state lawmakers and take effect Feb. 26 with the rest of the law. In both a posted letter and email, DCJS warned police and prosecutors this meant they would need to have data ready by mid-February. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. The agency then sent four more reminders as the deadline approached, including one saying the rule had been finalized. Trade organizations also told members about reporting obligations. On Jan. 17, DCJS sent the link to a five-question, online form where agencies could report how many untested rape kits they had in custody. Ten days later, the state agency announced all submissions had been voided because police and prosecutors had mistakenly counted drug screening kits separately than the rape kits they accompanied. The instructions were clarified and the poll was started again. By Feb. 27, only 45 percent of police and prosecutors had responded. The state won't know if law enforcement agencies and forensic laboratories are following the various other provisions outlined in the bill, which took effect Feb. 26, for another four months. Law enforcement agencies are now required to send all new rape kits to a lab within 10 days. The lab is required to test those kit within 90 days. Labs are also newly required to submit quarterly reports on the number of rape kits they receive, the number they processed and the number not tested. Police and prosecutors must report quarterly how many rape kits they receive, how many are sent to a lab, how long they had a kit before sending it to a lab, and how many untested kits they have not yet sent. The changes lawmakers approved on Feb. 1 also included a provision requiring labs, prosecutors and police to report why a rape kit was deemed ineligible for testing, starting Nov. 28, 2017. The amendment directs labs to analyze each kit and develop DNA profiles, if possible, within 120 days of receiving the kit. Labs must submit results to police and prosecutors within 90 days of the assessment. Phineas Taylor Barnum is remembered as a notorious showman and huckster, but it's probably worth noting that he was also a politician a Republican state legislator and mayor in Connecticut in the dozen years just after the Civil War. So maybe we shouldn't be surprised to hear his name so often invoked when people talk about today's politicians. He was one of them. In fact, Donald J. Trump told an interviewer early last year that he considered the comparison to be a compliment. "We need P.T. Barnum, a little bit, because we have to build up the image of our country," the man nobody expected to be president told NBC's Chuck Todd. Barnum, a man of outsized ego, was a master of the con, unabashed about employing exaggeration and outright lies to draw attention and make money. You just don't see that anymore, do you? More Information Rex Smith is editor of the Times Union. Share your thoughts at http://blog.timesunion.com/editors. See More Collapse There was an echo this week, though, to my very favorite story about Barnum. When he was still in his 30s, Barnum bought a small museum in lower Manhattan, which he renamed after himself (who would do that?) and used as a showplace for some of his curiosities. It became so popular drawing as many people each day in the 1840s as the Metropolitan Museum of Art does now that Barnum couldn't keep guests flowing through its galleries. To sell more 25-cent tickets, Barnum needed a plan to get museum-goers in and out faster. So he put up signs that directed people to what seemed to promise a new exhibit: "This Way to the Egress." Folks didn't know what an egress was an odd bird, maybe, like a toucan or a blue-footed boobie? but soon people made their way through the door that promised the "egress." At that point they found themselves outside, with re-entry to the museum possible only by laying down another quarter. "Egress," people learned too late, was a word from Latin meaning "exit." Barnum had simply shown them the door. Barnum came to mind this week after a stunt in Washington that sent reporters, members of the House and at least one U.S. senator on a wild goose chase or, more accurately, a failed treasure hunt trying to find a copy of the bill that is supposedly the agreed-upon Republican plan to replace Obamacare. No ordinary citizens have seen the "repeal and replace" bill, though House Speaker Paul Ryan has said the White House, Senate leadership and House Republicans all are unified behind it. Apparently not too many members of Congress have caught a glimpse of the bill, either, because when word got out that it was locked up in a guarded basement office across from the Capitol, lawmakers went scurrying to take a look. It was for naught. Staffers moved the bill to keep it away from prying eyes though it's unclear why, since the bill is supposed to go before a committee next week. That was frustrating to the legislators who showed up to read it, including Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, and Rep. Paul Tonko, a Democrat from the Capital Region. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. "This is being presented as if it's a national secret, as if it were a plot to invade another country," Paul complained. He insisted that its provisions "should be debated in public," which hardly would seem to be a controversial notion in American democracy. Here in Albany, we have plenty of experience with legislation that is kept secret until it's about to be voted upon. It's a way of disabling potential opponents, by preventing them from having enough time to get citizens lined up behind their point of view. That's how the so-called SAFE Act, a gun control bill reviled by many upstate voters, was quickly enacted in 2013. What's unclear is why there should be secrecy about a marquee issue for President Trump and Republican congressional leaders, the focus of at least 60 repeal votes by the Republican-led Congress during Barack Obama's presidency. You may be suspicious that the problem is that the replacement proposals are unpopular not only among citizens nationwide, a majority of whom now support the Affordable Care Act, according to polls, but also among many GOP lawmakers and their financial backers. Key Republicans in the House told Fox News last week that they can't get behind what they've heard is in the new plan. Maybe that's why their leaders aren't showcasing the bill: They want to spring it on Congress and hope to carry the day in a quick vote before constituent opposition can crystallize. Congress playing citizens as suckers? Don't think it hasn't happened before. By the way, P.T. Barnum never actually said, "There's a sucker born every minute." But if members of Congress treat voters as though they think that's true, they might pretty quickly find out what an egress is. The Titusville Rotary Club hosted its annual Farm City Day on Tuesday, in the conference room at Benson Memorial Library. Rotary members welcomed guest speaker Jason Troyer (second from right); joining Troyer are (from left) Rotary members Ron Kerr, Traci Speer, and Jack Preston. Speer serves as president of the Titusville Rotary Club. [March 03, 2017] MTS President and CEO Jay Forbes to leave company upon expected close of transaction with Bell Canada WINNIPEG, March 3, 2017 /CNW/ - (TSX: MBT) Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS) today announced that President and CEO Jay Forbes will be leaving the company following the expected successful closing of its pending transaction with BCE Inc. (BCE) (NSX, NYSE: BCE) on March 17, 2017. Forbes joined MTS in January 2015 and led a significant two-year transformation effort, culminating with the recent sale of the company to BCE for $3.9 billion. He also oversaw the successful sale of Allstream Inc. to Zayo Group Canada Inc. and launched several initiatives designed to make MTS a truly customer first organization. "I want to sincerely thank Jay for the remarkable job he has done at MTS," said David Leith, Chair of the Board of Directors for MTS. "Under his leadership, MTS brought increased value and service to our customers, delivered more than $1 billion of value to shareholders and secured vital investments in the future of our province and communities. We are appreciative of his tremendous efforts and we wish him nothing but success in his future endeavours." "With the arrival of the new Bell MTS combination, the time will be right for me to move on and pursue new opportunities," said Forbes. "I cannot even begin to express my immense gratitude to the board, my management team and our employees for their tireless efforts over the past two years. They should be proud of their accomplishments and look forward with excitement to a bright future as Bell MTS." CLOSING AND ELECTION DATE The Election Deadline for MTS shareholders has been set for March 14, 2017. A detailed description of the Arrangement is set forth in the MTS management information circular dated May 26, 2016 (the Circular). Shareholders can obtain a copy of the Circular as filed with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities at www.SEDAR.com. The letter of transmittal and election form that was previously mailed to registered MTS shareholders, and is also available on our website at www.mts.ca/investors and on www.SEDAR.com, explains how registered shareholders can deposit their MTS common shares, elect the form of consideration they wish to receive and obtain payment for their MTS common shares once the Arrangement is completed. The letter of transmittal and election form also includes disclosure on the U.S. federal income tax considerations with respect to the Arrangement for U.S. tax payers, which was not determinable at the time the Circular was mailed. MTS shareholders in the United States are urged to read this disclosure. Election of Consideration MTS shareholders may elect to receive either (i) the cash consideration of $40.00 per MTS common share, or (ii) the share consideration of 0.6756 of a BCE common share for each MTS common share. Shareholders may only elect to receive cash consideration or share consideration for all their shares; shareholders may not elect to receive a combination of cash and shares. However, any election by a shareholder is subject to proration and rounding, such that the aggregate consideration to be paid to MTS shareholders will be 45% in cash and 55% in BCE common shares, and therefore shareholders may ultimately receive a combination of cash and BCE common shares by operation of the proration provisions of the Arrangement. Election Deadline Reminder Registered shareholders may make an effective election by depositing with Coputershare Trust Company of Canada, on or prior to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on March 14, 2017, a duly completed letter of transmittal and election form indicating their election, together with the certificates (if applicable) representing their MTS common shares. The letter of transmittal and election form is available on our website at www.mts.ca/investors and on www.SEDAR.com or by contacting Computershare Trust Company of Canada. Any questions regarding receipt of the cash or share consideration, including any request for another copy of the letter of transmittal and election form, should be directed to Computershare Trust Company of Canada by phone at 1-877-982-8757 (toll free in North America) or by email at [email protected]. Non-registered shareholders that hold MTS common shares through an intermediary, such as a broker, investment dealer, bank or trust company, should carefully follow the instructions and deadlines from the intermediary that holds shares on their behalf and should contact such intermediary with any questions about their election. Shareholders who may have made an election through an intermediary prior to the date of this news release may wish to contact their intermediary prior to the election deadline to verify that their election has been made properly. Any MTS shareholder who fails to properly make an election prior to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on March 14, 2017 will be deemed to have elected to receive, for each MTS common share, the cash consideration, subject to proration and rounding. MTS recommends that MTS shareholders take the necessary steps to ensure that their letter of transmittal and election form is returned to Computershare Trust Company of Canada by 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on March 14, 2017. There can be no guarantee that Canada Post will be able to deliver the letter of transmittal and election form and enclosures by such time, and MTS shareholders using a courier service or mailing through Canada Post, by regular post, registered mail or otherwise, do so at their own risk. An MTS shareholder who has elected to receive share consideration or cash consideration but, because of proration, receives a combination of BCE common shares and cash, will be required to make a joint election to obtain a full or partial tax deferral. A tax instruction letter providing certain instructions on how to complete the tax election may be obtained at BCE's website at bce.ca/investors/shareholder-info/mts-acquisition on closing, which is expected on March 17, 2017. Forward-looking statements disclaimer This news release contains forward-looking statements and information (collectively, the "forward-looking statements") including, but not limited to, those relating to the proposed acquisition by BCE of all of the issued and outstanding MTS common shares, the satisfaction or waiver of conditions to the closing of the Arrangement, the scheduled closing date of the Arrangement, the benefits expected to result from the Arrangement and other statements that are not historical facts. As a consequence, actual results in the future may differ materially from any expectation, conclusion, forecast or projection in such forward-looking statements. Therefore, forward-looking statements should be considered carefully and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Examples of statements that constitute forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "project", "should", "anticipate", "could", "target", "forecast", "intend", "plan", "outlook", "see", "set", "pending", and other similar terms. All forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbour provisions of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize and we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe our expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as may be required by Canadian securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are provided herein for the purpose of giving information about the proposed transaction referred to above and its expected impact. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Completion of the Arrangement remains subject to a number of conditions precedent and termination rights, some of which are outside of MTS' control, including, without limitation, the operation and performance of the MTS business in the ordinary course until closing of the Arrangement, the maintenance of the required regulatory approvals, the maintenance of legality of closing and compliance by MTS with various other covenants contained in the Arrangement Agreement, all of which are subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions. There can be no certainty, nor can MTS provide any assurance, that all conditions precedent to the Arrangement will be satisfied or waived and that the Arrangement will occur, or, if satisfied or waived, when they will be satisfied or waived or that the expected closing date will occur. There can also be no assurance that the strategic, operational or financial benefits expected to result from Arrangement will be realized. For additional information on the assumptions and risks underlying certain forward-looking statements made in this news release, please see the Circular, a copy of which can be obtained at www.SEDAR.com. About MTS MTS delivers a full suite of information and communications services for Manitobans Wireless, Internet, TV, Phone Service and Security Systems plus a full suite of Information Solutions, including Unified Cloud and Managed Services. MTS actively gives back to organizations that strengthen communities, providing sponsorships, grants and scholarships, value-in-kind support and volunteer commitment in Manitoba. MTS Inc. is wholly owned by Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (TSX: MBT). For more on MTS' products and services, visit mts.ca. For investor information, visit www.mts.ca/aboutus. SOURCE MTS Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Brisk polling with a voter turnout of 69 per cent was recorded till 1 PM in the first phase of Manipur assembly election today. Polling will end at 3 PM. By Press Trust of India: Brisk polling with a voter turnout of 69 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in the first phase of Manipur Assembly election today. 69 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in the first five hours of voting, Manipur Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan said. State Nodal Officer (Elections) W Chandrakumar Singh said, "Given the circumstances in the state and the nature of voting, turnout is likely to increase after 2 pm." advertisement No violence has been reported from anywhere in the state. The rise in voter turnout reflected a sense of responsibility among the voters, Singh said. Activist Irom Sharmila cast her vote at a polling booth in Khurai Assembly constituency. Elections are being held today in 38 assembly constituencies in the first phase. In all, 168 candidates are in the fray in this phase. An electorate of 19,02,562 comprising 9,28,573 male voters and 9,73,989 female voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. There are around 45,642 new voters. Polling will end at 3 pm. ALSO READ: Manipur Assembly polls: Our fight is not symbolic, contesting to win, says Irom Sharmila Manipur Assembly election: Why is NOTA a preferred option for Manipuri youth ALSO WATCH: Manipur Assembly election: Voting under way for first phase --- ENDS --- Sharmila said PRJA's fight was not just symbolic and that her team was working hard to win. PRJA has raised Rs 20 lakhs for elction expenses through crowdfunding while crores have been spent by other parties. By Indrajit Kundu: With her party People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) making its political debut in the Manipur elections today, Irom Sharmila once again renewed her challenge to chief minister Ibobi Singh. "I feel really responsible as a citizen of India especially with this role of leadership for my state," she told India Today after casting her vote. Sharmila said PRJA's fight was not just symbolic and that her team was working hard to win. advertisement "It is not just symbolic. We are fighting to win. The response is positive and I'm confident," she said. PRJA's campaign has been unique in the electoral landscape of Manipur given the high pitched battle between the Congress and BJP. ABOUT PRJA Irom Sharmila's party has been relying heavily on small door-to-door campaigns as against the massive public rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi in Imphal. PRJA has raised Rs 20 lakhs for elction expenses through crowdfunding while crores have been spent by other parties. "Our stand against money and muscle power is a big example to the whole corrupted system of electoral politics in Manipur," says the Iron Lady of Manipur. On her party's agenda, she adds, "The young are attending our meetings in large number. Our party is based on youth for change. There are lots of those who want to see change." Also read: Manipur Assembly election: Why is NOTA a preferred option for Manipuri youth Also read: Manipur: BJP office attacked in Imphal, party alleges Congress involved Also read: Election Commission orders FIR against Manipur BJP office-bearers, 8 newspapers --- ENDS --- Enthusiastic Nerds, Assemble Every tradeshow we attend is heavily populated with enthusiastic nerds like ourselves, but gaming-focused tradeshows are a special case. GDC, located in lovely San Francisco, is brimming with the people who actually make the games you love as well as many of the people who make the hardware that lets you run those games. This year, we saw quite a bit of hardware, as a matter of fact, much of it in the form of technology that youll be enjoying in the next round of VR, AR, and MR devices. We also, of course, got a look at some exciting new PC and VR games. One of us also competed against a professional wrestler in a VR game of speed while another one of us may or may not have swooned. It was a good show for Toms Hardware. What follows is some of the highlights. MORE: Best Virtual Reality Headsets MORE: The History Of Virtual Reality LG Will Compete In The High-End VR HMD Market The emergence of LGs own VR HMD is striking for a couple of reasons. First of all, it was quite impressive. In the two brief demos we saw, we found the image quality to meet, if not surpass, anything weve seen in an HMD. Further, it has tracked controllers, as well as base stations that give it outside-in tracking. It's every inch a high-end HMD on the order of the Rift, Vive, and PSVR. It will be a true competitor whenever LG finalizes the design, which its designers plans to do once they take home the feedback they gleaned from GDC attendees. It may even offer some form of mixed reality. However, it's incredibly similar to the HTC Vive, and that's because Valve is the LG headset's ODM. Which raises a number of intriguing and exciting questions about how much of the Vive's IP belongs to HTC versus how much belongs to Valve, and whether well be seeing more Vive-like HMDs from more manufacturers soon. MORE: Best Graphics Cards MORE: Desktop GPU Performance Hierarchy Table Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti Nvidia pulled the curtain back on its highly-anticipated GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. Whereas AMD revealed almost nothing about its RX Vega, Nvidia was more forthcoming with the new green team flagship GPU. With purportedly higher performance than even the $1,200 Titan X, the GTX 1080 Ti comes in at $700 and pushed the price of the GTX 1080 to a keen $500. Moreover, it's coming next week. The GTX 1080 Ti's Founder's Edition features 3,584 CUDA cores with 11GB of GDDR5X. The outputs also received a makeover, with the DVI-D port seen on previous Nvidia GPUs getting the boot in favor of increased ventilation. The memory backend was shaved down, but Nvidia said it performs around 30% faster than the GTX 1080. However, the claim that it even beats out the Titan X is questionable (we can't imagine it beating a Titan X by significant margin, but the forthcoming reviews will tell the story), but everything about the GTX 1080 Ti (at least, on paper) portends a new top-tier graphics card that won't cost as much as a Titan-series GPU, which is a great thing for the enthusiast GPU market. MORE: The Oculus Rift Review MORE: Oculus Rift Vs. HTC Vive Vs. Playstation VR Oculus Rift Price Plummets Talk about surprises. Of all the things you thought Oculus would do at GDC, a price change probably wasnt one of them. Nevertheless, the company did exactly that at Epic Games' State of Unreal keynote event. Prior to the announcement, the Oculus Rift and Touch bundle would cost you $800. Now, you can purchase the two devices at a combined cost of $600, the original price for the Rift headset. The Touch controllers initially launched with a $200 price tag. In addition, the company also reduced the price of additional Constellation trackers. What once cost $79 is now just $59. The price drop might just be what Oculus needs to turn things around in light of recent events. In a court case against ZeniMax Media, Oculus was cleared of any charge related to the misappropriation of trade secrets. However the company, co-founder Palmer Luckey, and Brendan Iribe, the head of the companys PC VR division, were found guilty of a breach in a non-disclosure agreement and both parties now have to pay a combined total of $500 million to ZeniMax. To make matters worse, ZeniMax filed an injunction that would could prevent the sales of both the Rift and Samsung Gear VR devices. With the price drop, Oculus might be offloading as much of its HMDs as possible while gaining more funds to help pay for the punishment. In any case, the barrier to entry for high-end VR is now slightly lower. If you have the money, you should think about getting your own Oculus Rift VR bundle. MORE: The Oculus Touch Motion Controller Review MORE: Nvidia GameWorks VR Explained New VR Locomotion Tricks We saw a slew of developers addressing the known issues of VR locomotion, with several games including Brass Tactics, Vindicta, and Sprint Vector all taking a new approach to movement within a virtual environment. Classic locomotion (whereby you press a button and propel forward or backwards) has been problematic for a large percentage of VR users, and teleport functions are inept in competitive first-person shooter games (especially multiplayer games). In the case of Vindicta and Sprint Vector, which would undoubtedly be a puke festival with push-button locomotion, the solution is to make the user swing their arms. For Brass Tactics, the playfield could be moved around the user, who would have to grab and pull parts of the map to traverse it. On paper, these seemed like insufficient answers to the problem, but after we tried it, we were somewhat dumbfounded that a simple change of physical interaction could affect the comfort of your experience so significantly. It could be described as a Jedi mind trick, but as silly as the concept sounds, we can attest to its legitimacy. MORE: The HTC Vive Review MORE: HTC Vive VR Launch Titles A Harbinger: Cloudgates Use Of Vive Trackers For as much as VR has blown us away, there are many features missing from even the highest-end HMDs that we have all sort of excused as something that will be fixed down the road. One of those is additional tracking, be it tracking handheld devices like rifles for first person shooters or full body tracking. It's extremely disorienting, if not downright alarming, when you're in a virtual space and look down only to discover that your body did not accompany your brain and eyes into the simulated environment. Well, almost a year past the release of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, were getting further down the road, and it's time some of these issues are seriously addressed. The Vive trackers are an effort to do so. You can stick them on various devices--or, it turns out, appendages--to add more tracking for a VR experience. Cloudgate Games uses three of them to bring your torso and body into VR and create a full-body avatar for its dinosaur-hunting game, Island 359. The setup is still a work in progress, but it does work; expect this to be a harbinger of the expanded tracking innovations to come to VR titles. MORE: Best Gaming Laptops MORE: Best PC Builds Acer Mixed Reality HMD Developer Kit We're not entirely sure what's going on in Wintel land these days. Microsoft and Intel are working together to push the XR market forward by providing guidance around specs and designs for mainstream XR HMDs and the midrange PCs that will support them. (Also, there's HoloLens and Project Alloy, neither of which really line up with the mainstream HMD/PC plans.) This is absolutely a necessity for the nascent industry, and the latest step is that Microsoft and Acer co-announced a mixed reality development kit HMD called the Acer Windows Mixed Reality Development Edition. Although this device is likely a harbinger of more, similar HMDs to come, we know little about it. The revealed specs list is sparse; we know that it offers 1440x1440 per eye resolution (on LCD) with a refresh rate of 90Hz, built-in audio out and a 3.5mm mic jack, and a two-ended HDMI 2.0 and USB 3.0 cable, and that it will do mixed reality somehow. What we don't know is a price, nor when we might see a final consumer version, nor how theyll implement the mixed reality part of things. It is, in a way, a black box--and that's an apt larger metaphor for Wintels plans for the market. Much has been said about it, but little has been defined. We believe that partially, Microsoft and Intel are hoping that device makers will fill in the gaps from the framework theyve been given, but it seems that those hardware companies might want some more specifics. Chicken, egg, repeat. But at least now theres an egg. (Or is it a chicken? Eh, you know what we mean.) MORE: Best Cases MORE: Best CPU Cooling Integrated Eye Tracking (SMI And Tobii) Integrated eye tracking in virtual reality just graduated from a concept into a real thing thanks to the efforts of SMI and Tobii, with both companies demoing their technology in a fully-integrated HTC Vive headset. The end results of each of the different eye-tracking solutions were visually indiscernible; both integrations feature a ring of illuminators around the lenses, and both have the cameras installed behind the lenses. Both were impressively accurate, non-obtrusive (it's no longer a sensor bar bolted into an HMD), and easy to calibrate (so long as you don't wear glasses, like Seth Colaner, our News Editor). SMI and Tobii's demos were inherently different, but they were similar in nature, showcasing the use cases for eye tracking within VR. However, whereas Tobii showed us the basics (targeting, social, and NPC interaction), SMI also showcased foveated rendering techniques. Having two different eye-tracking technologies competing against each other in the same market space (in this case, HTC Vive integration) presents developers and consumers with an interesting choice. Does one choose SMI for its low-cost integration (the parts still cost under $10) or Tobii for its relationships with big-name publishers (which, in theory, could manifest more games developed specifically for Tobii)? The answer to that likely depends on which side of the developer/consumer table you sit, but having two eye-tracking technology companies is better than one, and it portends a possible long-term play of an ecosystem of HMDs with different levels of features and quality. MORE: Best CPUs MORE: Best Memory The War For Mordor Continues Monolith Productions is back with the next chapter of its Middle-earth series. To kick off the week, the company announced Middle-earth: Shadow of War, which arrives later this year on August 22. Just like the first game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, you will control the Ranger named Talion and his elvish Wraith counterpart, Celebrimbor. The duo are taking their fight against Sauron and his dark army even further in the sequel by raising their own army of Orcs. The series Nemesis system, which let you eliminate or capture Orc bosses as you fought your way up to the ranks of the stronger captains, was also improved for the second game. Monolith briefly mentioned the term Nemesis Fortresses, which could mean that the strongest foes will hide in their keeps, and youll have to attack it with your own forces. For now, the studio released a single trailer for the game. However, it plans to show off the first bits of gameplay on March 8. If youre curious about what youll need to run the game, you can check out the hardware requirements, which showed up on Steam just a few days after the announcement. MORE: Best Virtual Reality Headsets MORE: The History Of Virtual Reality Xbox Gets A Game Streaming Service Later this spring, those with an Xbox One will have the option of growing their library of titles even further. Microsoft introduced Xbox Game Pass, which will have more than 100 games in its catalog ready to stream, for $10 per month. What sets Xbox Game Pass apart from other game streaming services is that you dont have to stay connected to an Xbox server to play a game. Instead, you can download it and play it locally on your console without the need for a constant online connection. The library will consist of both Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles, and if youre a Game Pass subscriber, you can purchase the Xbox One titles in the library and their add-on content at a discount. Microsoft didnt reveal a release date, and theres also some concern that the service wont be available on the PC. Initially, the announcement FAQ mentioned that the service would be available on the console as well as Windows 10 devices. However, the page has since been amended to say that it was available only on the Xbox One. MORE: Best Graphics Cards MORE: Best Gaming Monitors Tasty New VR Titles Predictably, at the Game Developers Conference (an event where developers who develop games gather to talk about game developments), we saw a number of new and upcoming VR titles. Some of them look like good clean (or maybe not so clean) fun, like the cartoonish and bloody GORN, whereas others surprised us with new types of gameplay. CCP Games went with something completely different with its sportsy Sparc, From Other Suns promised to be the spiritual sequel to Subet Games 2012 title FTL (in space!), and we saw yet another tabletop VR game with Blade And Soul. 4A Games, the guys behind the Metro series, outed a shooter title set in a frozen dystopia called Arktika.1. Also, this week Epic Games announced that its (closest thing to a) AAA title, Robo Recall, will be free. MORE: The HTC Vive Review MORE: HTC Vive VR Launch Titles "The lack of communication from the University sparked criticism from many students living on campus, believing this decision left them in the dark." Student safety story roundup of a recent alleged sexual assault by an illegal alien after a drunken good times that's worth a click when we talk about increasing crime around the City College . . .There's a bit of outrage about the quotes in this story but they seem appropriate given that these are just allegations and not proven crimes at the time of this writing . . . Amateur politicos continue their blood feud in a fight to the death over incredibly small stakes . . .In fairness to both sides, here are double links that are supposed to damage both sides of an ongoing recall fight . . .Again, neither one of these stories is very exciting inasmuch as they both demonstrate the continued decline of an increasingly politically charged community.You decide . . . "My aim is to unite all Greeks in a great national effort to get the country out of the impasse," main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said "My aim is to unite all Greeks in a great national effort to get the country out of the impasse," main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is touring Fokida region, on Friday said. "I believe that we can succeed. Your smile and optimism is the best proof that this country deserves a better future," he said, adding that he is committed to tour all the country in order to talk with the locals and listen about their problems. 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 Greece was now in the final stages of negotiations to conclude the second review, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in joint statements with his French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve Greece was now in the final stages of negotiations to conclude the second review, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in joint statements with his French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve in Athens on Friday. The Greek premier expressed confidence that a comprehensive agreement that would end the crisis for both Greece and Europe was now closer than ever. "I am extremely confident that we are closer than ever to concluding, not just a review, but a comprehensive agreement that will simultaneously mark the end of a long crisis for Greece and Europe," he said. Cazeneuve, on his part, stressed the very close ties between Greece and France and expressed France's complete confidence in Greece, its future and its ability to contribute to the building of Europe in a decisive and useful way. "Greece currently has every prospect for growth and investments, all the reforms are progressing," he said. France will always be at Greece's side, Cazeneuve added, as it was currently assisting in the completion of the second review. Both Greece and its partners had the necessary will and this would lead to good results and good compromises, he said, adding that the commitments made by all sides for measures to ease Greek debt must be examined at the Eurogroup. Priority to social rights Tsipras urged that priority be given to social rights in Europe, otherwise the entire European project would find itself constantly disputed. "We want a strong and binding pillar of social rights," he said. In this sense, he added, it was very important that the completion of the review will act as a strong message that the beginning of the end for austerity policies was happening in the country where the harshest austerity was imposed. With Cazeneuve, he said, they agreed that European labour and social rights must be restored in Greece as soon as possible. As crucial decisions and critical elections loomed in Europe, Tsipras added, its leadership had a responsibility not to let Europe "cross the Rubicon" of the populist far right. "We must identify the causes that give momentum and popular support to an anti-European rhetoric and talk again about the founding values of the EU and the European vision, from which we have drifted," he said. Asked whether some countries might continue to raise objections to a completion of the review, Tsipras expressed certainty that all sides now understood that a comprehensive agreement for Greece was a win-win proposition that benefited everyone. Greece had met its commitments and was showing signs of recovery and seriousness, as well as having some strong allies in its efforts, he added. Questioned about the blocking of decisions on Greece's debt by some countries, Cazeneuve said that the aim was to overcome the obstacles through the right compromises, so as to arrive at the right decisions for growth and jobs. Regarding the debt, he said there were tangible results and optimism about the future. "We want the issue of debt restructuring to be handled in a way that is effective, realistic and immediate," Cazeneuve commented, adding that the commitments were being met. "We have full confidence in the reform process and all the efforts made until now," the French prime minister said, noting that this was not wishful thinking but based on tangible results. Staff-level agreement Reforms were continuing and must continue, as was the case in France, while anything done jointly in Europe must aim to boost employment, growth and solidarity, he added. According to Tsipras, a staff-level agreement before the next Eurogroup on March 20 was "fully achievable" and he noted that the government had reached an honest compromise, under which there would be zero additional austerity if Greece succeeded in meeting fiscal targets. Equally crucial to the negotiations for the measures in 2019 and beyond, he added, was the issue of growth that must come now, and not in 2019. The current encouraging signs must also be reflected in the real economy, Tsipras said, with priority given to creating jobs and attracting investments. On the refugee crisis, Cazeneuve said France desired solidarity and will express this in the form of substantive cooperation with Greece over the coming months on this issue. "We want to prove that Europe is protection on the issue of migration also, to protect Europe from the far right and populism," the French premier said. Outlining a social and developmental model for the EU, Cazeneuve told Tsipras that he shared the same ambitions for the EU. "We have common interests, a common purpose and common values," he said. 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 Greece and its creditors representatives have yielded no results after three days of negotiations in Athens. The Greek government has focused on secondary issuers in an effort to avoid a debacle in the new series of talks, while the conflicting positions between Greece and its European creditors on the results of the February 20 EuroGroup results, as well as the counter-measures promised by the Greek government has also caused delays. During the first three days the tough and unyielding stance the IMF has adopted via its representative Delia Velculescu has made it apparent that it is determined to set the tone in the negotiations and not budge until its conditions are met. The diastase between the IMF and Greece could not be further apart. This was confirmed both by reports of a verbal spat between Velculescu and Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, as well as reports that the IMF believed no substantive progress had been made in the first three days of talks. 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 Greece is not currently considering the purchase of stealth aircraft for the Hellenic Air Force Greece is not currently considering the purchase of stealth aircraft for the Hellenic Air Force since the cost would be excessively high, Alternate Defence Minister Dimitris Vitsas clarified on Friday, talking to Skai radio. The minister noted that a single stealth aircraft cost 100 million euros, while this amount had to be multiplied by five to take into account the cost of maintenance and support infrastructure. "Maybe in 2025," Vitsas added. What was currently underway, the minister said, was a programme to upgrade the present fleet of aircrat and other weapons systems, with a bduget of around 475 million euros a year for about 10 years. A request to this effect has been sent to the U.S. government, he added. Vitsas explained that there were various scenarios for upgrading the fleet and that the government had requested details about the cost, the time involved and the offset benefits for Greek industry. The reply from the U.S. government was expected at the end of spring, he said. "There is a necessity, the potential threat to Greece exists - I do not want to overdramatise things but it exists. Therefore, there is a need for defensive protection," he added, pointing out that Greece was in an area of "multiple tensions". Commenting on the press reports about a possible "incident" involving Turkey in Cyprus' territorial waters, Vitsas said there was no information in support of this and pointed to the denial issued by Cyprus' government. 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 UN Secretary General Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide has said he is convinced that the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leader are committed to the Cyprus talks process UN Secretary General Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide has said he is convinced that the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leader are committed to the Cyprus talks process. On Friday, Eide held talks with President Nicos Anastasiades, and is set to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on Saturday, in an effort to overcome the impasse reached in talks. In statements after the meeting Eide said that he had a good meeting with President Anastasiades and that they explored ways of overcoming this current impasse in the talks but also what to do when the talks resume. I think we need to use our time as effectively as possible in order to shape the methodology for the last outstanding issues, he said. He said he agreed with a public statement made by President Anastasiades about the need to think about the methodology that they have been following. I fully agree with that and we discussed some ideas. These ideas I will share with Mr Akinci he said, adding that it is very much about trying to see how the essential outstanding issues can be structured in such a way that we remember what is important and what is more secondary. My strong sense is that the will is there, he added. Eide said that these weeks were the most difficult in the process but we must not allow the sustained progress of the 22 months to be destroyed by what is essentially an issue that is outside of the talks themselves, which has to do with the parliamentary vote that happened some weeks ago in the Greek Cypriot side and also the way that it has been reacted to. Issue of trust Noting that there is an issue of trust, he said that his optimism over the talks in various statements he had made is based on the trust, the partnership, the leadership and the will of the two leaders to go the extra mile. Right now, Eide said, that trust is not at its best moment, adding that if we are not helping, all of us, the leaders to overcome this impasse in their own personal trust I think it will be difficult to re-establish the intercommunal trust which is also necessary. I have seen nothing over the last weeks even that suggested to me that it is not possible to overcome the division of Cyprus. I am fundamentally convinced that it is within the realm of the possible he continued. Eide said that issues outside of the process itself can play a negative role if they evoke historic traditional fears and concerns of one community or the other and added that even if we overcome this issue now there may be new attempts to derail the process. We want to get back to where we were I cannot tell you when, but I will do whatever we can, he added. Asked if he proposed anything specific such as a dinner between the two leaders, he said that we discussed some ideas; I met one of the two leaders, and I will see the other tomorrow so if there is anything concrete to say you will have to wait. Replying to a question, he said that he cannot see any motive from any leader not to return to the talks, noting that both of them have dedicated much of their life to the settlement, both of them have been elected on a clear platform of solution and both of them have invested 22 steady months in the process. He added that if one side or the other does not want to continue, then he will not understand it. I have not heard it, definitely not here, and I am convinced that when I go to the north tomorrow I will also hear a commitment to the process, he said, adding that certain issues have to be settled first but the determination is there that is my strong conviction. Source: CNA 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 Main opposition leader called on employees of the greater Athens area's urban rail provider to end their industrial actions Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday called on employees of the greater Athens area's urban rail provider (metro, tram, suburban lines) to end their industrial actions, charging that "citizens are the only ones not at fault." Unionists at the state-run mass transit provider, known as STASY, declared a 24-hour strike on Wednesday and again on Friday, causing gridlock on the already congested Greek capital's main roadways. The union's main demand is for the government to rescind a decision transferring the commercial exploitation of metro stations and affiliated sites (billboards, exhibition spaces, vending etc) to the overall mass transit entity in the greater Athens area, known as OASA. 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 Shahid Kapoor recently took to Instagram to share a really cute picture of daughter Misha. By India Today Web Desk: Rangoon tanked miserably and with that, obviously, Shahid Kapoor's mood went on a downhill slide. But how can you stay glum for long when you have a woochie-koochie-koo like Misha back home? The actor is back to finding solace in her little girl, Misha Kapoor. Shahid recently took to Instagram to share this very cute picture of Misha. RepostBy @mira.kapoor: "Moo Moo here and a Moo Moo there" A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) on Mar 3, 2017 at 8:11am PST advertisement The birth of Misha, much like the birth of Taimur Ali Khan, had become a national event of sorts. After the baby was born, Shahid took great pains to keep the baby away from the paparazzi's glare. Because the flash would hurt li'l Misha's eyes. Anyway, how can you bear to hide such a sweet-looking bundle of joy for long? Shahid slowly began to share pictures of Misha on social media... Hello world. ?? A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) on Feb 8, 2017 at 12:37am PST ...and well, when do we expect to see Misha on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Shahid and Mira Rajput? The waiting begins. ALSO READ: After Rangoon getting leaked, will Shahid-Kangana's film see further dip in collections? ALSO SEE: How Mira's 'Prince Charming' Shahid Kapoor makes all other husbands look bad WATCH: Media troubles my wife but she handles it well, says Shahid Kapoor --- ENDS --- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi symbolically inaugurated the first phase of Siemens megaproject in Egypt on March 2. The event marked an important milestone towards the completion of the project, which will boost the countrys power generation capacity by 45 per cent when finished. Together with its local partners Orascom Construction and Elsewedy Electric, Siemens broke all records in modern power plant construction by connecting 4.8 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity to the grid in only 18 months after the signing of the contract for the companys biggest single order ever. Complementary to the megaproject, Siemens supports the development of future highly skilled Egyptian workforce, and has announced the details of a strategic alliance agreement between Germanys Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the company to support occupational training in Egypt. The announcement was made by Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens at an event, which was attended by local officials and business leaders. As part of the agreement, Siemens will join forces with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of BMZ, for the establishment and the operation of a joint training centre as well as the strengthening of one selected Egyptian public vocational training institute. The programme was designed in line with Egypts objectives outlined in Egypt Vision 2030 to promote long-term economic growth, create new jobs and increase the competiveness of Egyptian industries. In addition to building a modern and efficient power infrastructure for the Egyptian people, Siemens is also supporting the training of a local workforce of more than 5,500 talented individuals in the next four years, said Kaeser. This strategic partnership with Germanys Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development signifies a new milestone in Siemens history in Egypt, and underscores our joint commitment to support the countrys long-term growth and development. Gerd Muller, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, said: Sustainable development needs private investment and a qualified workforce. Our close cooperation with Siemens will ensure that the new vocational training centre takes the needs of the local job market into account. We want to provide the basis for further investment and more jobs in Egypt. Occupational training and the development of local skills are crucial to boosting local growth and increasing hiring prospects in the power industry and other sectors of the economy. For instance, in the energy sector alone, more than 20,000 workers and technicians are engaged at Siemens three power plant sites during implementation. The new training centre will serve as a sustainable vocational and industry-specific training provider that enriches the countrys technical talent pool. When completed, the approximately 2,000 sq m facility, which will be built in the Ain Sokhna area, will serve to train 5,500 selected technicians and engineers over four years. Career starters will be trained in advanced skills such as operation, maintenance, and repair in the energy sector; in addition to vast range of cross-industrial electrical and mechanical trades; automation and control, mechatronics as well as other areas that are important for the Egyptian economy. Located at the New Suez Canal Development Zone, the facility will offer the latest technology, simulating real-life conditions, using a variety of training courses and different approaches to prepare technicians and engineers throughout the region with specific skills that will be needed in their careers. Siemens and GIZ will also strengthen one public vocational training institute, following the example of the German vocational education system to meet future professional and business demands. Successful graduates will be offered the opportunity to join the BMZ-Siemens training center and later on have the chance to join the expanding industry sectors in Egypt. The construction of the training centre is scheduled to begin in 2017, with the facility scheduled to open in 2018. Siemens is one of Germanys largest private educational institutions with training programs for 9,000 apprentices and university students. The construction works for Siemens megaproject in Egypt are enormous. More than 1,600,000 tons of material - including 960,000 tons of concrete and 48,000 tons of rebar steel - will be processed until completion. At Beni Suef, massive excavation works were necessary to prepare the site, leading to the removal of around 1,750,000 cu m of rocks. This is equivalent to the volume of the smaller Giza pyramid. When completed, each of the three power plants, located at Beni Suef, New Capital and Burullus, is set to become the biggest gas-fired combined-cycle power station in the world. Altogether, the three power plants will have a combined capacity of 14.4 GW. To increase the capacity of the transmission network nationwide, Siemens has successfully put the first three substations into operation that will transmit the electricity generated by the three power plants to Egypts power grid. The three substations, Etay El-Baroud, Maghagha and Kafr El Zayat, were ready for operation within ten months from signing the contracts, to match the implementation timeframe of the power plants. In December 2016, Siemens and El Sewedy Electric T&D, signed a contract with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) for the design, engineering, supply and installation of six substations, located in the cities of Maghagha, Etay El-Baroud, Banha, Wadi El-Natroun, Assiut and Kafr El Zayat. The remaining substations will be completed and connected to the grid by the end of December 2017. Siemens megaproject in Egypt also comprises 9-year service and maintenance agreements for the three power plants to help ensure the long-term reliability, availability and optimal performance of the units. The service and maintenance operations will be supported by Siemens digital services products and offerings, tapping into the companys advanced data analytics. Financing was also an important source of support for the megaproject: The financing package for the Siemens part of the contracts was structured by Siemens Financial Services (SFS). It also included a tailored guarantee concept. The financing of major parts of Siemens and its local partners scope, for the three power plants, was provided by a consortium of international and regional banks. The credit facilities are largely covered by Export Credit Agencies. - TradeArabia News Service Malta-based Medservs Middle East subsidiary, METS, has been awarded a new long-term contract by Japanese Sumitomo Corporation, for the supply chain management of Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) to Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). The contract, the largest ever won by the Medserv group to date, is for an initial period of five years with a five-year extension option. It is a very exciting time for the company. This multi-million dollar contract results from the recently signed $1.2-billion contract between PDO and Sumitomo and positions PDO as the anchor tenant at Duqm as of mid-2018. They expect up to two shipments a week, each shipment carrying 3,000 metric tonnes of pipe. This equates to approximately 70 truck-loads each and every day for five years to be managed/handled by METS Oman," said Anthony Diacono, chairman, Medserv. "We are delighted to be playing a part in this and are committed to continuing to add value to PDOs operations in the Sultanate of Oman. The contract award is testament to METS ability to deliver reliable, high quality supply chain management services, Diacono said. METS will be opening up a new facility of 117,000 sq m at the new port of Duqm in Oman in order to be able to cater for the significant increase in volumes of product to be handled as a result of this contract, it said. Sumitomo and METS are delighted to place in-country value at the heart of this contract delivery and to contribute to the strategic objective of the Government of Oman to establish Duqm as PDOs logistics hub of the future. This new facility will bring employment opportunities for around 60 people, the company said. The new contract will include additional services over and above the previous contract Sumitomo held with METS, and will consist of inspection and rig ready / rig return services. The new facility will be able to service this expansion in scope of work with Sumitomo and PDO, and will also be able to offer the full range of Medserv logistics and engineering services from the Duqm Base, it said. - TradeArabia News Service Danfoss, a leading manufacturer of electronic and mechanical components and controls for air-conditioning, heating, refrigeration, industrial, and water systems, has announced the launch of its first technical support office in Saudi Arabia. Serving clients in the kingdom for over 50 years through distributors and agents, Danfoss is now expanding its presence in the region through investing in the new office, said senior officials during a ceremony held at Sofitel Cornice Hotel in Jeddah to mark the office launch. The facility will provide technical support on the ground and as per companys international standards, they stated. At the event, senior Danfoss executives from Dubai office welcomed Mazen Batterjee, the vice chairman, Jeddah Chamber of commerce, and Mutlaq Al Tayyari, the general manager, Saso Makkah Al Mukarramah Branch, as well as Ole Frijis-Madsen, the Ambassador of Denmark to Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia is a key market and having an official presence in the region will not only further cement our position as a market leader, but will also provide our clients with the unparalleled customer service and technical support that Danfoss proudly delivers through a local office," stated Levent Taskn, Danfoss president of the Turkey, Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. The company is also firmly committed to supporting Saudi Arabia to reach its 2030 vision through providing the most innovative and sustainable solutions for the cooling, heating and industrial sectors. Not new to the region, Danfoss has been working on many projects in the Kingdom including airports, seaports, hospitals, and financial districts to increase the energy efficiency of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) sector, as well as refrigeration and other industrial systems. "To be further investing in expanding our footprint in the Middle East is a very exciting time for us at Danfoss," he added. Ole Frijis-Madsen said Danish companies will be close partners in the implementation of the ambitious and timely Vision 2030 which the Saudi leadership wisely introduced last year. "Denmark is known for its quality, reliability, innovation, design and customer focus. Danfoss is one of the companies that reflect all of these unique qualities as a truly global organisation with proud Danish roots," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) plans to launch a new airline - Al-Maha Airways - in July as part of its big expansion strategy, said a report. The GACA also aims to convert all regional airports in the kingdom into international airports and link small cities together without the need for passengers to travel by Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to reach their destinations under this ambitious plan, reported The Saudi Gazette, citing a senior official. Captain Abdul Hakim Al Badr, Gaca VP (Air transport and security and safety) said the plan to license a new Saudi airline company was to ensure fair competition among operating airlines. It will also help reduce air ticket prices and improve quality of service. We want to open ticket fares without putting any cap in order to promote fair competition, he stated. Well also license a new ground service company, he added. Hinting at Gacas plan to privatise airports, Al-Badr said: "We intend to discard ownership of airports in the near future. Our role will be limited to supervision. Airports that receive flights from outside the Kingdom will be named international airports. Consequently the standards and licenses of international airports would be applied on them, stated the top official. "We have also approved a model for regional airports to link smaller cities without passing by Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, he added. Movenpick Hotels & Resorts, one of the leading hotel groups in the world, has just made another international expansion by opening the Movenpick Residences Ekkamai Bangkok. This is the second time the hotel group opened a property in Thailand. Movenpick Residences Ekkamai Bangkok is the first serviced apartments by the brand in Asia, offering standard Movenpick hospitality to its guests. This time, however, they're bringing the their services to guests looking for quality, luxurious apartments. The property is located in the Ekkamai neighborhood in Bangkok, a strategic location because of its proximity to fine dining restaurants and numerous shopping options. The whole property is built with the collaboration with Nusasiri, of one of Thailand's best developers. For a limited-time offer, Movenpick Residences introduced a special rate for its one-bedroom residence of THB 30,000 per month. And, if you're able to book a unit before April 30th, you will receive a complimentary two-night stay in Khao Yai. Some of the features of the residences include a 25-metre outdoor saltwater swimming pool, an indoor rooftop fitness center, and a function room for meetings and other business activities. All apartments are designed with contemporary decor, the kitchens are already furnished with the finest equipment, and all apartments have access to complimentary Wi-Fi. Andrew Langdon, Movenpick Hotels & Resorts global chief development officer, said in a statement: "We are delighted to partner with such a well-established name in Thai real estate as we extend Movenpick's reach beyond hotels and resorts into the fast growing serviced apartment sector." "The high quality of finishing and variety of spacious layouts, combined with our Swiss attention to detail is sure to make Movenpick Residences Ekkamai Bangkok a high-demand option in an area that's already popular with long-term expatriates," he added. If you're looking for the highest quality apartments in Thailand, look no further. Book a unit at Movenpick Residences Ekkamai Bangkok now! See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Spring is one of the best seasons of the year. The weather is not too warm and not too cold, flowers blossom everywhere, and you can just feel the natural life thriving after the cold days of the winter season. There are destinations all over the planet that are perfect if you love spring. These places are best enjoyed in this season, so make sure you plan your spring travel well. Here are some of the best places to go to this spring: Portugal. Portugal's capital, Lisbon, is beautiful any time of the year, but you'll get an extra special treat if you go here during spring. Walk in the city's centuries-old streets, and be captivated by the exquisite charm of this country. The Netherlands. Amsterdam is at its most beautiful peak during Spring, especially when you go to Keukenhof, a place 25 km out of the city center where tulips of different colors start to bloom. Amsterdam is not just a Sin City; it's a great place to appreciate spring as well. USA. Particularly New York, The Big Apple is more welcoming than intimidating during spring. The weather is much more tolerable, and Central Park is at its full bloom. Soak up the vibrant culture that is New York during spring for a really memorable travel experience. Japan. During spring every year, the Japanese cherry blossom trees are a wonderful sight to behold. Head on to Osaka, where your 360 view is overwhelmed by falling leaves and pink petals. You could also walk through the Expo 70 Commemorative Park for a really nice nature walk. Morocco. It's capital, Marrakech, is a myriad of twisting alleys and cramped spaces-but that's where its charm lies. Make sure to visit here in the spring for a more tolerable weather, and be a part of Morocco's colorful chaos. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Maldives President Abdulla Yameen wants to create mass tourism and mega-developments on the island instead of having sustainable energy to generate money to fight climate change. Reports are circulating that the president is negotiating to sell Faafu Atoll, which consists of 19 coral islands, reefs and lagoons to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz for $10 Billion. Buying the atoll could attract more tourists because of the development the government plans with the Faafu, turning it into a Riviera-style super-resort with sea sports, six-star hotels, high-end housing and several new airports, The Guardian reports. Although Yameen has denied the deal, he explained that it would "feature the Maldives on the world chart more boldly than anything else." Meanwhile, about a third of the inhabited islands of Maldives will be abandoned for people to relocate in larger isles. The development of Faafu will let the locals have easier access to schools, hospitals, and facilities. At the same time, Housing Minister Mohamed Muizzu said they want to develop better living conditions in the islands within a small period. The islands left by the locals will also be turned into a tourist destination by bidding it to developers. The notion of having mass tourism and mega-developments is backed by the Office of the Director of the government's Marine Research Centre. Director Shiham Adam said that tourism and resort development would save Maldives as the island needs money to survive. However, many have opposed the idea, saying that mass tourism will only bring negative impacts in the islands. The government dismissed the notion of the immediate sea level rises that will swallow the island by 2100. It acknowledges the fact though they will increase carbon emissions to bring millions of tourists each year. They argued the fact that Maldives only emit about 0.003% of global emissions, and the island has the right to develop like those in the US and Europe. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 A Mumbai-based model got herself in trouble at the Sahar International Airport after she joked about her friend carrying a bomb. By Mustafa Shaikh: A 27-year-old model was arrested at the Sahar International Airport in Mumbai after she joked about her friend carrying a bomb. The incident took place at the airport's T2 on Thursday night. Kanchan Thakur was on her way to board a plane to Delhi. After passing the security check at the boarding gate, Thakur told the flight security guard that there was a bomb in her friend's bag, who was right behind her. advertisement Thakur's joke turned sour when a panicked security guard informed CISF and had their bags offloaded. Also read: Bengaluru techie held for making hoax bomb threat calls, killing wife As the incident led to a delay in take off, Thakur took back her claims saying she was joking. Following an argument with the airport security, Thakur was taken to the police station and an FIR was registered. She was then arrested on Friday, and later released on table bail. Also watch: --- ENDS --- The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services has released the names of two inmates killed Thursday during a riot at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. Damon Fitzgerald, 39, was serving 310 to 470 years for charges out of Douglas County including two counts of first-degree sexual assault, robbery, burglary, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, assault by a confined person and third-degree assault on a peace officer. Michael Galindo, 31, was serving 12 to 21 years for robbery, forgery, misdemeanor attempted possession of a controlled substance, driving under suspension and sale of alcohol to a minor out of Buffalo and Scotts Bluff counties. Corrections Director Scott R. Frakes said a prison staff member had been assaulted earlier Thursday, before the disturbance began about 1 p.m. Any loss of life is tragic," he said in a news release Friday morning. "The TSCI staff handled the situation extremely well, which limited the incident to a small number of participants and minimal damage." Friday afternoon, Frakes said at a news conference that what happened was not a riot and that a full investigation will be needed to determine whether the day's events were the result of inadequate staffing, poor management or other factors. It has been nearly two years since two inmates were killed at Tecumseh during the Mother's Day riot in 2015. The Thursday incident took place in the same housing unit badly damaged then. And as in 2015, inmates set fires inside the unit and on the yard, but this time, damage was not extensive, the Corrections Department said. Staff members reported a fire on a mini-yard connected to one of the housing units about 1:30 p.m., and about 40 inmates on the mini-yard and inside one-half of the housing unit were ordered to go to their cells but refused, the department said. When it became clear it was unsafe, staff left the dayroom and secured the door leading to the rest of the housing unit. Several fights occurred between the inmates, and emergency response teams entered the area at 4:30 p.m. to secure it. Inmates set some fires in the housing unit. On May 10, 2015, the maximum-security prison on the outskirts of Tecumseh in Johnson County was the scene of a riot that lasted two days and left two inmates beaten to death and two others injured. Nearly 20 prison workers were endangered and stranded in offices and the prison yard tower that day, and millions of dollars in damage at the maximum-security prison was caused by fires, broken windows and destruction of computers and cameras. Understaffing and stress from mandatory overtime were among factors blamed in that Mother's Day riot. Since then, the Nebraska Legislature has investigated those problems and others. No one has been charged in the deaths of sex offenders Shon Collins and Donald Peacock, but half a dozen men were charged in the fire and assaults. Weve seen so many improvements over the last year and a half and I am proud of my team, said Tecumseh Warden Brad Hansen. This incident is a reminder that this is a dangerous business and we must remain vigilant as we keep people safe. Friday morning, ACLU of Nebraska said the Thursday riot is "yet another painful reminder that Nebraskas prison system is failing our state." "The ACLU has documented experiences of hundreds of inmates who have been denied health care, access to rehabilitation programs, have been assaulted, or put into solitary confinement instead of receiving appropriate mental health care," Executive Director Danielle Conrad said in a release. "Front line staff have shared publicly their difficult work conditions including low pay, low morale, forced overtime as well as fears about staff assaults. Nebraskas prison system has been over emergency levels of 140 percent for nearly a decade." Conrad said her first thoughts are of the safety of staff and inmates, but blasted what she called horrific conditions of confinement. "For years, Nebraska corrections officials and policy makers have been aware of the inhumane conditions under which thousands of inmates have been living," she said. "Our state has failed to invest the resources needed to remedy the situation or enact meaningful criminal justice reforms. The most recent riot is another unfortunate but expected result of a system that is failing our state." Conrad noted as well that black, Latino and Native Americans are vastly overrepresented in Nebraska's prison population, as are people who have mental illness. We renew our call to the Nebraska Legislature to pass meaningful reforms that are pending this session to slowly remedy the longstanding crisis in Nebraskas prison system. We call on Governor Pete Ricketts to declare an emergency and bring smart reform now." It is not a question of if litigation will be filed, she said. It is a question of when. "Our lawmakers must pass legislation now to minimize the additional cost to taxpayers needed to fix our failing prison system." The Nebraska State Patrol is leading the criminal investigation into Thursday's riot, and the Nebraska State Fire Marshal is investigating the fires. Corrections staff and investigators will also conduct an internal critical incident review. By India Today Web Desk: Akhilesh-Rahul roadshow in PM Modi's constituency Varanasi; galaxy of senior leaders to attend To prove their might in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress are leaving no stone unturned to ensure Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's roadshow is a hit. Trump administration might separate mothers, children at Mexico border advertisement Part of the reason for the proposal is to deter mothers from migrating to the United States with their children, said the officials, who have been briefed on the proposal. RGV asks Tiger Shroff to be less Urmilaish: Bollywood teaches you how to be a 'real' man Ram Gopal Varma thinks Tiger Shroff should take a leaf out of his father Jackie Shroff's book and learn to be more 'manly.' Eoin Morgan ton lifts England to win over West Indies in first ODI After Eoin Morgan's latest century, England squeezed the life out of the West Indies to win the opening one-day international of their three-match series by 45 runs. --- ENDS --- Sukhmeet Bhasin Tribune News Service Bathinda, March 4 City residents have come out in support of Gurmehar Kaur, the 20-year-old Delhi University student who has faced threats of rape and violence for voicing her opinion on social media against the ABVP, the student wing of the BJP. Prof NK Gosian, principal of Malwa College, said freedom of expression was a fundamental right of every individual and Gurmehar had put forward her stand. Who has given the ABVP the right to give certificate to the people or tell them what they can speak in this democratic country, he asked. CA Atul Garg said he supported Gurmehar Kaur on her right to express her opinion. The threats of violence and brutality that she faces are wrong, he added. Garg said these incidents were creating terror in the young minds and stopping them from expressing their views Sakshi Goyal, a student, said, We need to respect women on social media. Women must stand up for their rights and should not be afraid to voice their opinion. Women have been suppressed from expressing themselves since ages. I appreciate Gurmehar Kaur who came out and put forward her views. Shilpa Gupta, a teacher, said it was extremely sad that a young girl had been threatened by goons of a national political party. The issue of equality of women is just confined to discussions but in reality, Indian society is so male-oriented it doesnt tolerate women coming out of their old zones and expressing themselves, Sahil added. Dr Vitul K Gupta said the girl had said everything right except when that the war had killed her father as in reality, Pakistan killed him and there was no doubt about it. He said the ABVP was acting like fascists as whoever was speaking against it had to bear the wrath of the party members. The BJP is in power and slowly they are implementing the RSS agenda, he added. Dr Gupta said, We are disappointed that Gurmehar has left her campaign in between. she should continue it. Gurmehar Kaur, a student of Delhis Lady Sri Ram College, had posted on Facebook a picture of herself holding a placard that said, I am a student of Delhi University. I am not afraid of the ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me, following last weeks violence in Ramjas College in Delhi University. The post went viral with hundreds of shares. She also held a poster saying Pakistan did not kill my dad, war killed him. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 4 Two shooters were today arrested on the charge of attempting to murder a financier, who was shot at thrice at the busy market of Burail in Sector 45 on February 22. Three persons, including the victims wife Usha, were arrested yesterday for hatching the conspiracy. Co-accused Himanshu, alias Gujjar, a resident of Mehlana village, Sonipat, and Vaibhav, alias Tannu, a resident of Alipur, Delhi, were arrested from Meerut today. Another accused shooter Sandeep is still absconding. The police presented them before a court, which sent them to police remand. Usha, Himanshu and Vaibhav are on police remand till March 7. While co-accused Ravi and Balram are on police remand till March 6 and March 5, respectively. The police told the court that they had to recover weapon, iron rod and bloodstained trousers from the interrogation of the accused. Deal was struck for Rs 75,000, a plot According to police, the interrogation of the accused revealed that the wife of victim Karan Singh, a resident of Sector 46, had a dispute with her husband. On this, she got depressed and wanted to take revenge from him. For this purpose, she hired goons and consequently contacted Himanshu, who has a criminal record. The deal was struck at Rs 75,000 and to arrange a 200 sq yd plot in Sonipat for Himanshu. After this deal, she, along with Himanshu, Vaibhav and Sandeep, hatched a conspiracy to kill Karan. These persons attacked Karan Singh with rifle and an iron rod with an intention to kill him, but he survived. Special teams under the supervision of DSP (South) Deepak Yadav and Inspector Paramjit Kaur Sekhon were constituted to work out the case. New York, March 4 A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in the US has been shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. Harnish Patel, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said. Patel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroners Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11.33 pm after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel did not appear to be a factor in the crime. I dont have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated, Faile said. Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patels home to offer condolences to his family. Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody, Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patels store, told WBTV. Jones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. If you didnt have the money, hed let people have food, Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before, and did anything he could to help out in tough times. Hes watched my kids grow up, which is why its painful. From day one hes been amazing, just awesome, and I just dont understand the sense behind it, Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his familys life, and did that. Patels death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling get out of my country. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an enviornment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country. US President Donald Trump had condemned the Kansas shooting. He had said America stood united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms. India's External Affairs Ministry quoted Lancaster county sheriff as saying that the killing may not be a hate crime. An official in the ministry said the Indian Consulate General in Atlanta is in touch with the victim's family. PTI Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 3 To minimise litigation and pave the way for cordial landlord-tenant ties, the Haryana Assembly today amended the PEPSU Tenancy and Agricultural Lands (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2017, the Punjab Land Revenue (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2017, and the Punjab Security of Land Tenures (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2017. These were passed unanimously. Revenue Minister Capt Abhimanyu called it a milestone in the history of land reforms. Under the Punjab Land Revenue (Haryana Amendment) Act, one would not have to repeatedly visit the offices of the SDM, DC, Divisional Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) for the purpose of land demarcation, khasra-girdawari, mutation and land division. A new mechanism would be put in place to ensure this. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Also, compensation for crop damage due to natural calamities would be given directly to the tenant (actual tiller). The tenant and the landowner would have to file an affidavit and there would be no fear of the land being usurped. The Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act ensures lease of agricultural land to the private sector on a long-term basis in a way that the farmers/landowners do not lose their ownership rights. It enables the private sector to set up model agricultural farms, invest in farm equipment and bring in agriculture technology. The tenants were at a disadvantage under the old land-leasing laws, having no access to institutional credit, insurance and other support services. The amendments will correct this as well as promote agricultural efficiency, Capt Abhimanyu said. Gurugram, March 4 The acting chief of Gurugram's Sadar Police Station was allegedly found shot dead in his office on Saturday under mysterious circumstances. Earlier, it was stated that officer Kuldeep Kumar committed suicide but a top cop denied the suicide theory. Additional chief of Sadar Police Station Kuldeep Kumar, who was currently acting chief as regular SHO Vijay Kumar was on leave, had reached the police station in routine manner. According to the staff there, he was looking happy and met his juniors in a normal manner. The policemen posted at the Sadar Police station heard a gunshot around 2.35 pm and found Kumar lying in a pool of blood in the room. Earlier it was believed that he committed suicide but later in the day, Gurugram Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar said that it could not be stated that it was suicide without a proper investigation. "This is to clarify that Inspector Kuldeep's death cannot as of now be categorised as a suicide. This will need investigation before a conclusive finding is arrived at," Khirwar said. Kumar was rushed to nearby Medicity Medanta hospital but was declared brought dead by doctors. IANS Ex-diplomat and former MP Syed Shahabuddin dead. Former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and MP Syed Shahabuddin, who was suffering from prolonged illness, died at a hospital in Noida on Saturday morning. By Indo-Asian News Service: Former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and MP Syed Shahabuddin, who was suffering from prolonged illness, died at a hospital in this UP city, adjoining the national capital, on Saturday morning. He was 82. "Shahabuddin, former President of All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat left for heavenly abode this morning at 6.22 a.m.," said close associate Navaid Hamid, who is currently heads the organisation. advertisement Shahabuddin, who is survived by his wife and four daughters, was buried at Panjpeeran cemetery in Nizamuddin with a large number of prominent Muslim figures in attendance. LINE OF WORK Born in 1935 in Ranchi, now in Jharkhand, he joined the IFS in 1958 but took premature retirement in the 1970s to delve into politics. As a diplomat, he lobbied for the creation of Bangladesh and rallied support in Latin America -- where he was posted at that time -- for Indian intervention in the affair. Although considered to be in the good books of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he was one of the few diplomats who were openly anti-Emergency. Within eight months of relinquishing service, Shahabuddin was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1979 from Kishanganj in Bihar, a Muslim majority constituency that sent him to Lok Sabha multiple times but remained neglected by him as far as area development is considered. Shahabuddin shot to further prominence during the Ramjanmabhoomi movement as he remained at the forefront of the movement from the Muslims' side. Although seen by many as a fundamentalist hawk thanks to his tough stance on Babri Masjid and Shah Bano issues, Shahabuddin was a practitioner of left of centre politics and proudly called himself a socialist. VP ANSARI CONDOLES DEATH Condolences poured from every quarter as the news of his demise spread. Vice President Hamid Ansari, who was also an IFS officer, condoled his death. In a message, Ansari said: "Syed Shahabuddin was a man of deep convictions, he pursued issues that were dear to him with great tenacity and determination." "I am deeply saddened to learn of the demise of renowned political leader, scholar, diplomat and former parliamentarian Shahabuddin," Ansari said, adding that passing away is a personal loss as Shahabuddin was his friend. Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi and other leaders also condoled the death. "My condolence to the family of Syed Shahabuddin Saheb IFS and Ex-MP. May his soul rest in peace," Heptulla said in a tweet. Owaisi said that Shahabuddin's death is great loss to nation and Muslim minorities in particular. He added that it will take many years to see a politician and intellectual like him. advertisement Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy in a tweet, said: "Sorrow at my dear friend Syed Shahabuddin's death this morning. He sacrificed a flourishing IFS career to enter politics. Giant intellectual." --- ENDS --- Tribune News Service Shimla, March 4 The Union Health Ministry has granted permission to increase postgraduate seats in the IGMC, Shimla, and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC), Tanda, for 2017-18, pursuant to the revision of the teacher-student ratio. The approval has been granted to increase 39 seats in MD (medicine) and MS (surgery) courses, including 31 in the IGMC and eight seats in the Tanda medical college, a spokesperson for the state Health Department said here today. The seats have been increased following the decision of the Union Government across the country and allowing one professor to have three PG students and associate professor, two students instead of one at present. The Director, medical college, had sent the faculty position in the IGMC and Tanda medical college and the seats have been increased on the basis of the strength of the faculty. Some more seats will be added as some faculties did not give the exact staff position and March 9 has been fixed as the deadline for seeking more seats against the leftout faculties, official sources said. In the IGMC, the seats in MD (general medicine) has been increased from 9 to 13, in MS (general surgery) from 12 to 15, in MS (Orthopaedics) from 5 to 6, in MS (OBG) from 5 to 12, in MS (ENT) from 4 to 5, in MD (Radio-diagnosis) from 5 to 14, in MD (Anesthesiology) from 12 to 17 and in MD (Respiratory Medicine) from 2 to 3. For DRPGMC, Tanda, the seats for MD (Paediatrics) have been increased from 5 to 6, in MS (Orthopaedics) from 3 to 6 and in MD (Anesthesiology) from 9 to 13. Srinagar, March 4 A fierce gunbattle broke out late Saturday evening in Tral in south Kashmir after security forces cordoned off a house where three to five top Hizbul Mujahideen militants were holed up. Officials sources said special forces of army were deployed to carry out a combing operation in the area. Earlier, a rifle of a CRPF man was snatched even as the encounter was on in Tral. Curfew has been clamped in this area, 10 km from here, as protesters had gathered near the encounter site, they said. Half of the house was brought down by the security forces but militants were still firing on them. Poster boy of banned Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit Burhan Wani belong to this area. TNS/PTI Mona A slice of Delhi 6 with its aromatic flavours and lip-smacking delicacies is out to make its presence felt right here in Chandigarh as Karims opens its doors! In Sector 7, the majestic door opens to the street, which resembles the one leading to the Jama Masjid, with vendors taking their place. The interiors are plush, but the menu they promise is the same as the original that goes way back to 1913. Haji Zain Ul Abedin, the fourth-generation owner of the eatery established in 1913, has a commanding presence. Punjabis have been our biggest patrons, and here we are in their place, opens up the man who has brought his own chefs and spices. Even the gosht used here is procured from Delhi. Though the eatery has a few branches in Delhi, its the first outing out of NCR, and Zain Ul Abedin wants to give his customers as authentic an experience as ever. Right form Mutton barra to chicken stew and biryani! The place offers an advantage, feels the man, Back at the original place we have problems of space and pollution but this offers the perfect setting for our patrons. Punjabis are foodies and though no alcohol is served here, Zain Ul Abedin is hopeful that the pull of the taste would make patrons visit the place again and again. Karims is the legendary taste that people love to go back to and Mughlai is the popular palate here, so here is our another offering, says Manish Goyal who brings Karims to Chandigarh. By and large the mood at Karims launch is upbeat, people are only too happy to have their own branch and if this venture is successful, Zain Ul Abedin with the fifth generation thats handling the business is open to taking Karims to other cities as well. Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 4 Amid evidence of over 50 per cent of antibiotic use in hospitals being inappropriate, Indias apex medical research body, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), today issued guidelines for the treatment of 10 common infections. The effort aims to stem the growing trend of disease-causing pathogens becoming resistant to antibiotics due to irrational use. This first-ever set of Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines is meant for all healthcare settings and is open to further revisions depending on the data generated from implementation. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Secretary (Health Research) and ICMR Director General Soumya Swaminathan said the guidelines were evidence-based and drawn from the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network the ICMR implemented in some select hospitals to test the trends in antibiotic resistance. It is estimated that 50 per cent or more of hospital antimicrobial use is inappropriate. We hope that the new treatment guidelines will be instrumental in guiding the treatment and will bring down inappropriate prescription of antibiotics in hospital settings, she said. The Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines are important because this is for the first time that any treatment guideline has been made available based on Indian data. Most antimicrobial treatment guidelines available are based on pathogenic bacteria easily available in the Western literature. Now for the first time we have guidelines which are based on reliable Indian antimicrobial resistance data from domestic healthcare settings, said Kamini Walia, ICMR scientist who led the guidelines project. India is facing an increasing challenge of growing antibiotic resistance among bacteria. While irrational antibiotic use by patients at their own end is one reason for this problem, another is inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals. To assess the trend in resistance, ICMR recently conducted its first-ever survey of the use of antibiotics in healthcare institutions and found most were not implementing its critical Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme (AMSP) developed in 2013 to ensure effective antibiotic prescription and prevent drug resistance among pathogens. ICMR had studied 20 tertiary hospitals (12 government and eight private) and found only half had functional AMSP teams and 40 per cent had AMSP documents which are critical for implementation of the programme. Lucknow/Imphal, March 4 An estimated 57.03 per cent voters cast their votes in Uttar Pradesh and a record 84 per cent in Manipur, the Election Commission of India said on Saturday as the mammoth excercise of elections in five state assemblies all but ends on Saturday. Azamgarh, the Lok Sabha constituency of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, after recording the lowest turnout in the first four hours, picked up considerably and at 1 pm it registered 41 per cent polling. The SP patriarch did not campaign in his constituency following a fallout with his son Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who replaced him as the party President. Mau where mafia don turned politician Mukhtaar Ansari was fielded by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) reported steady polling through the day. A minor scuffle was reported from the Sadar area in Mau where police had to resort to lathicharge. Over 1.72 crore voters from 49 constituencies are deciding the fate of 635 candidates, of whom 175 are fighting independently. Polling was slow in the first two hours, which later picked up steadily. There are several interesting contests in this phase as Swamy Prasad Maurya of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Surya Pratap Shahi, BJP, Shyam Bahadur Yadav, SP and others battle it out. While Maurya is contesting from Padrauna, former state Bharatiya Janata Party chief Surya Pratap Shahi is fighting from Pathardeva. Among the early voters was BJP's MP from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath. Most number of candidates are in Gorakhpur city where 127 candidates are in fray for its nine seats, while the least seven are in Mohammadabad Gohna seat in Mau. Manipur recorded a a tenative 84 per cent voting, and was likely given that people still waited in queues to cast their votes. "In the last two elections it was around 80 per cent. This time it is likely to increase. We are waiting for the final figures, which we will get after 5.30 pm," OSD to Chief Electoral officer Manipur, Karam Bono Singh said. In all, 168 candidates are in the fray in this phase. Prominent among them are Speaker Th Lokeswar Singh, ministers I Hemochandra Singh, Govindas Konthoujam, Kh Ratankumar Singh and T Manga Vaiphei, Manipur PCC President TN Haokip, former ministers Phungzathang Tonsing, and Y Erabot Singh and BJP leader Th Chaoba Singh. While the polling was by and large peaceful, Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) convener Erendro Leichombam filed a police complaint that he was attacked by some unidentified men at Sinam Leikai. "Two persons pelted stones at my car at Sinam Leikai when I was travelling in it around 11 am," Leichombom told newsmen. Sinam Leikai falls in Thangmeiband assembly constituency where polling was held today and Leichombom, a Harvard graduate and former World Bank Fellow who also served in UNDP, is contesting from the seat. The officer-in-charge of Imphal police station confirmed that a complaint had been registered and said Leichombom was not injured in the attack, police said. "He had lodged a police compliant and he had also lodged a complaint with us," Manipur Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan said. PRJA founder and human rights activist Irom Sharmila also cast her vote at a polling booth in Khurai assembly constituency. A last round of voting remains in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The state will cast its vote in one of the most anticipated phases on March 8. Votes for all five assemblies will be counted on March 11. Agencies New Delhi, March 4 Alienating Kashmiris by not solving their issues would only lead to Pakistan taking advantage of the situation, former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said here today. The road to Islamabad is via Srinagar, and not the other way around. It is not to Srinagar via Islamabad, Sinha said at a book release function. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) I have been involved in the Kashmir issue for the last few months and I have come to this conclusion that the issues of our people (Kashmiris) should be settled first in order to tackle the disputes with Pakistan, he added. The senior BJP leader said that once the issues of our people were settled, solving the ones involving Pakistan would become easier through joint efforts with the Kashmiris. They (Kashmiris) have been alienated, which will only let Pakistan take advantage of the situation. On Indias foreign policy, Sinha said it had too many rigidities. What happened 40 years ago has become an article of faith. Though we have changed a lot, we should do away with the remaining rigidities, he said, adding that a countrys foreign policy must be based on flexibility. PTI Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, March 4 The BJP today backed out of the race for the post of Mumbais Mayor after the Shiv Sena went ahead and announced its candidate for the post. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters here that the BJP would not contest the elections for the post of Mayor and would extend support to the Shiv Sena candidate instead. The people of Maharashtra have given a lot of respect to the BJP. As they have won two more seats than us, we will not contest the standing committee elections. We will help Shiv Sena candidates. We will not sit in the Opposition, Fadnavis said. The Shiv Sena had earlier announced that it was fielding Vishvanath Mahadeshwar for the Mayors post and Hareshwar Worlikar for the post of Deputy Mayor. After winning 84 seats in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the Shiv Sena went on to bag the support of four Independent corporators. The Congress with 31 members in the corporation has said it would support the Shiv Sena in the March 8 poll only if it withdrew from the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre. After backing out of the mayoral race, Fadnavis said he was confident that there was no threat to his government. The BJP has 122 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly and is short of 22 MLAs for a majority in the House. Mumbai, March 4 Decks were cleared for the election of Shiv Sena candidate as the Mayor of Mumbai after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced that the BJP will not contest the March 8 Mayoral polls. He also made it clear that the decision of the BJP should not be read as a "surrender" to ensure stability of his government. "The people of Mumbai voted overwhelmingly for the BJP as they believed in our agenda of transparency in the civic administration. Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party while we were two seats behind them. We did not get the numbers to have a Mayor of our own," Fadnavis told reporters at his official bungalow here. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has 84 corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation while the BJP falls two short of the formers count in the cash-rich civic body. "BJP will also not contest elections for the post of Deputy Mayor and for the standing, improvement, education committees as well as for posts of chairpersons in the BEST committee," the Chief Minister said. "We would have needed the support of other parties to have our Mayor," he said. The BJP had two options, either to have a Mayor by taking outside support, which meant compromising on the issue of transparency, or justify the faith and trust given to us by the people, Fadnavis said. "We chose the second option," he said. "The issue of Mumbai Mayor has nothing to do with the stability of my government. It is stable. Yesterday, Shiv Sena Ministers attended the cabinet meeting and we agreed on various issues," he said. "The party's 82 corporators will be 'watchdogs' of transparency in the civic administration," Fadnavis said. To a question on whether the BJP will vote for Shiv Sena in the Mayoral election, he said his party will vote for the Sena if needed. "The BJP will not support any other party apart from the Sena," the Chief Minister said. "We will not be in Opposition. No decision in the civic body can now be taken without our consent. We will support the Shiv Sena on all issues related to the development of the city," he said. As the BJP has 82 corporators in the BMC, it will get equal representation in the standing, education, improvement and BEST committees. On whether the BJP plans to be a "remote control" in the civic body, Fadnavis said, "We want to give control of the city to its people." He said the issue of contesting the Mumbai Mayoral election was debated within the BJP's core committee for the last two days. "BJP posted spectacular success in the recent municipal council, zilla parishad, panchayat samiti and municipal corporation polls. We got 1.2 lakh votes in these elections. "The recent polls were held across 198 Assembly constituencies. Our graph has increased since the 2014 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. This shows people have shown faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's transparency and development agenda," the Chief Minister said. "We can have a BJP mayor in eight of the 10 municipal corporations since we have a majority," Fadnavis said. The Chief Minister said the state government will set up a committee comprising former bureaucrats Ramanath Jha, Gautam Chaterjee and Sharad Kale to make recommendations on how to bring transparency in all the municipal corporations. "The committee has been given three months to come up with recommendations," said Fadnavis. He also said the Lokayukta will be requested to appoint a new Uplokayukta with special jurisdiction for Mumbai. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena welcomed BJP's stand and said it is thankful to the Chief Minister for respecting the sentiments of people. "We welcome the BJP's stand and are thankful to the Chief Minister that he finally understood and respected the sentiments of people, who are with the Sena and support the party," Shiv Sena Minister Diwakar Raote said. On the Chief Minister's comment that BJP corporators will act as 'watchdogs' of transparency, he said Fadnavis should emulate his stand in the state government as well. "We have never said no to transparency. We too want a transparent administration. But the same level of transparency should be applied to the state government as well. "Yesterday, our Ministers in cabinet meeting conveyed this to the CM. We expect him to take the first step which will be strongly backed by us," Raote said. PTI Rajkot, March 4 Fake currency notes amounting to Rs 3.92 crore have been seized from a car belonging to a city-based financier lodged in jail, police said on Saturday. The currency notes were suspected to be printed by Ketan Dave, a city-based financier, who is currently in judicial custody on charges of cheating scrap dealer Nitin Patel, they said. The Rajkot police found the car parked at one Sukhsagar Society here on Friday night, after the questioning of two of Daves accomplices, Parth Terraiya and Umang Gajjar, who are also in jail. We searched the parked car owned by Dave and found fake currency amounting to Rs 3.92 crore, Rajkot Police Commissioner Anupamsinh Gehlot told reporters. Genuine currency notes of Rs 80,000 were also seized from the car, he added. The accused had used high-quality paper and ink making it difficult to figure out if the currency is fake, Gehlot said. Also, investigation is underway to ascertain whether the accused had circulated the fake currency in local market or in banks (through deposits), he added. Police had arrested Dave and his business partner Shailesh Bambhaniya after Patel filed a complaint of cheating on February 24. Subsequent police raids on Daves office premises unearthed fake currency amounting to Rs 57 lakh. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Patel in the FIR said Dave and Bambhaniya had promised to lend him Rs 50 lakh in cash on the condition that he issue a cheque of the same amount in the name of their financial firm. Patel had issued a cheque but failed to get the money from them following which he lodged a complaint with the A division police station here. Their interrogation had led the police to nab the two accomplices (Terraiya and Gajjar) whose questioning led the police to seize the fake currency, Gehlot said. PTI Washington, March 4 The US has assured India that the H-1B visas issue was not a priority for it and would be part of the larger immigration reforms package that the new Trump administration is working on. The assurance came amid an ongoing debate in the US and reported moves by the Trump Administration to bring out an executive order to curtail the use of H-1B visas. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) There was a sense that there is a recognition of the contribution of the Indian tech sector. Certainly this is not very much... not a priority of the government. They are concerned with the immigration issue... most of the issues are quite different, visiting Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia told reporters at a news conference here. Nevertheless when it is addressed, it would be part of the overall immigration package, Teotia said. Teotia, along with Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, is currently in the US meeting top officials of the Trump administration and the Congressional leadership. India has been strongly taking up the case of H-1B visas with the Trump administration. #WATCH: Indian partnership important for growing America says Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on H1B visa (in Washington D.C) pic.twitter.com/bMGAIqf32p ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 During their meetings with the top administration officials, including Commerce Secretary William Ross, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and with the Congressional leadership, the visiting Indian officials conveyed that H-1B is a category of trade and services which actually helps American economy to be more competitive. If the Trump Administrations intention is to bring back American companies to America and attract more foreign investment in America and therefore have more growth in the near term, then it was important growing America remains competitive. So, there would actually be (a) growing need for this partnership, Jaishankar said. H-1B, he noted, was a trade and business issue and not an economic issue, even though in the US context it was seen as part of the immigration basket. What I would remind you that the President himself in his address to the Congress preferred a merit-based approach to the subject. We heard across the board a lot of respect expressed for Indian skills in the United States, Jaishankar said. We have certainly made our point quite forcefully both in the Congress and the Administration. We believe it has been met with a degree of understanding, he said in response to a question. PTI The party named Vishwanath Mahadeshwar and Hamangi Waralikar its candidates for the mayor and deputy mayor's posts respectively. By Mayuresh Ganapatye: The Shiv Sena has ended the suspense over who its candidates for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) mayor and deputy mayor posts will be. The party declared Vishwanath Mahadeshwar and Hamangi Waralikar its candidates for the mayor and deputy mayor's posts respectively. This is third term of Mahadeshwar. In his first tenure, he was the chairman of BMC's Education Committee. Mahadeshwar also served as a member of the standing committee. Mahadeshwar, a well-educated man, served as the principal of Raje Sambhaji Junior college. In this election, Mahadeshwar won from ward number 87 by defeating BJP's Mahesh Parkar and Congress' Dharmesh Vyava. BMC's deputy mayor candidate Hamangi Waralikar. advertisement MAHADESHWAR, WORLIKAR FILE NOMINATION On Saturday, Mahadeshwar and Worlikar filed their nomination for mayor and deputy mayor's posts. The decision was taken in a closed-door meeting of senior leaders of the Shiv Sena at Matoushree. This meeting was chaired by party chief Uddhav Thackeray who inquired about these two candidates from senior leaders and then confirmed their names. Now it's clear that the BMC mayor will be from the Shiv Sena as BJP has decided not to contest for the mayor's post and respect the BMC election mandate given by Mumbaikars. On the 8th of this month, Mumbai's new mayor will get elected and new standing committee will come in force. Also read | Mumbai mayoral battle: Fadnavis' masterstroke snatches away Shiv Sena's joy of victory WATCH VIDEO --- ENDS --- New York, March 4 Days after the killing of an Indian engineer in an apparent hate crime, an Indian-origin businessman who was well-liked in his neighbourhood was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster, South Carolina, on Thursday night. Harnish Patel, 43, had closed his shop at 11.24 pm and barely 10 minutes later was shot dead outside his house, according to media reports. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Patels death comes two days after President Donald Trump had condemned as hate and evil the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla. He was shot dead in a pub the previous Wednesday in Olathe, Kansas, by a white man who screamed, Get out of my country. Officials in Lancaster said they did not believe that Patels killing was a bias crime and that investigations were continuing, according to The Herald. I dont have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated, County Sheriff Barry Faile said on Friday. Patels store was near the Sheriffs office and deputies often frequented the store. Faile said on TV that Patel was a great family man and a friend. The station said that Patel is survived by his wife and child in elementary school, who were at home when he was killed. People had created an impromptu shrine outside Patels Speedee Mart store by leaving balloons and flowers in his memory, the station said. Investigators believe he drove from the store directly home, where he was confronted by his killer when he got out of the vehicle, a police statement said. The store is between 3-4 miles from the house. In the February 22 Kansas incident in which Kuchibhotla was killed, another Indian, Alok Madasani, who was with him at a bar, and an American, Ian Grillot, who tried to stop the shooting, were shot and injured. A white Navy veteran Adam Purinton, 51, was arrested and charged with murder. He had reportedly said that he had shot two Iranians after shooting the Indians. WSOCTV said that in Lancaster there was a lot of anger over the killing of Patel, who was considered an important member of the community and a kind person who treated his customers as friends and helped law enforcement. A tearful customer, Nicole Jones, said when someone didnt have money, Patel gave them food. I would have no idea who would do this to him as good as he is to everybody, she said. A store employee, Keira Baskin, said that he only wanted the best for his employees and his family. IANS Washington, March 4 Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said on Saturday that the Kansas shooting, in which an Indian engineer was killed, should be treated as an individual act and the American society was very much against it. Jaishankar, who along with Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia, held a series of meetings with top officials of Trumps administration and Congressional leaders, said the tragic incident in Kansas featured in many of their discussions. What we heard from very high-level, we should regard this as an act of an individual. Two, the American justice system was at work, it could bring the perpetrators of this act to justice. It is being prosecuted as a hate crime, Jaishankar said. What we have seen in the last few days, whether it is White House statement, or Presidents reference to it in his address to the Congress or what the (House) Speaker said after he met us...almost everybody we met, even people perhaps whose responsibility did not directly deal with this, we heard expressions of deep sorrow, deep regret and a sense of that we should really treat this as an individual act. And the American system and the American society was very much against it, he said. The incident, which is being investigated as a hate crime by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has sent shockwaves among the Indian-Americans across the country. Members of the community met Kansas Governor Sam Brownback seeking his assurance in protection of Indian-Americans in the state. Several Indian-Americans from in and around Washington DC and its suburb gathered at Dupont Circle in the national capital to hold a candlelight vigil in memory of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, who was shot dead in Kansas City last week. Every tragedy brings us Americans closer. We as a nation have always risen from adversities and we stand together this evening to make sure that we dont lose another American to hate or violence. It does not matter what your race, religion or colour is. We all bleed the same, said Indian-American Republican leader from Virginia Puneet Ahluwalia. Utsav Chakrabarti of the World Hindu Council said the tragic incident shows the need for an honest discourse at grassroots level about the fact that radical Islam is a religious ideology, not a racial identity, because continued normalisation of the latter, perpetuates such heinous and barbaric hate crimes against people of colour, including Hindus and Sikhs. Srinu would have been 33, six days from now on March 9, had he not fallen victim to blind hate on that dark and deadly night of February 3 in Kansas. A gentle Hindu life cut short because of bigotry, said Ahmar Khan in his remarks. PTI KV Prasad/ Shahira Naim Tribune News Service Varanasi/ Lucknow, March 4 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday mocked Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for the rape charges that his minister Gayatri Prajapati faces, as he accused the state government for not having him arrested despite Supreme Courts orders. While people recite Gayatri Mantra before starting anything auspicious the Samajwadi -Congress alliance chants Gayatri Prajapati mantra Modi said at the Parivartan Sankalp rally in Jaunpur. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Attacking the Samajwadi government for the poor law and order situation, the prime minister said that in UP police stations worked like the Samajwadi Party office. I promise that when the BJP comes to power in UP the police stations will function like police stations and the jails would return to being jails and not remain the citadels of the bahubaali (musclemen), Modi said, claiming the BJP would celebrate Holi with its victory in UP. The governments first decision would be loan waiver for farmers. Claiming that his government advocated Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas instead of Kuch ka saath, Kuch ka vikas Modi charged Yadav for ensuring electricity only for his ancestral village of Sefai as well as the constituencies of his special friends rather than for all. In reaction to Yadavs oft-repeated remark that even Modi would vote for the SP if he travelled by the newly built Agra-Lucknow Expressway, he claimed that even the CM would refuse to vote for his party if he cycled down the road with his new-found friend (referring to Rahul Gandhi without naming him). Exited crowds of mostly young men jostled to be caught on television cameras, forcing Modi to pause on several occasions to call for calm. Modi previously held a road show in Varanasi where he is scheduled to remain during the next two days till campaigning for the final phase of the 7-phase polling in UP comes to an end on Monday. Arriving from Delhi in the morning, Modi began the 15-km yatra at one of the most famous landmarks--the gate of Banaras Hindu University. Before setting off on the journey through the narrow lanes, he offered floral tributes at the statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, founder of BHU. Glad he is going in an open jeep otherwise there is no meaning of a roadshow, said Joginder Singh Oberoi and uncle Raghubir Singh Oberoi. Hundreds of supporters donning the saffron cap and waving party flags crowded the avenue leading to the gate. Chanting slogans of Modi, Modi, Jai Shri Ram and Koi nahin hai takkar mein, the enthusiastic supporters positioned themselves at various points on motorbikes to join the rally. A battery of Union Ministers has been camping in the city, adding weight to the campaign in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency, where prestige understandably is at a premium. BJP chief Amit Shah conceded that the outcome of the UP polls could in a way be treated as a referendum on the work of the Modi government at the Centre that crossed the halfway mark. Lucknow, March 4 A non-bailable warrant has been issued against Uttar Pradesh Minister Gayatri Prajapati and six others over allegations of gang-rape, police said on Saturday, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi wondered why it was taking them so long to have the leader arrested. "Passport of rape accused minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati has been impounded," ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said. Police will ask the Ministry of External Affairs to have the passport cancelled to prevent the Samajwadi Party leader from fleeing the country. Police have also issued a look-out notice and are currently conducting raids at Lucknow, Kanpur and Amethi to find the minister. The development came a day after airports across the country were alerted of Prajapatis possible flight from the country. The states Special Task Force had been enlisted to prevent him from crossing the countrys borders. Uttar Pradesh shares a porous border with Nepal and is manned by SSB, a border guarding force of the Union Home Ministry. Official sources said a Letter of Cancellation (LC) will soon be opened against the minister. Prajapati and some of his aides have been accused of gang-raping a woman and molesting her daughter. The victims approached the Supreme Court, which directed police to register an FIR. Prajapati went missing soon after the courts directive. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday promised to cooperate. PTI/Agencies Jaipur, March 4 Rajasthan Education Minister Vasudev Devnani has received a threat letter over renaming of the Akbar Fort in Ajmer. The Akbar Fort in Ajmer was renamed as Ajmer Museum some time back by the Rajasthan government. "MoS Education Devnani has forwarded the threat letter to office of Superintendent Police in Ajmer on February 21 for probe and action, SP Nitin Deep said on Saturday. "Letters bearing the name Taranum Chisti and type-written in Hindi were sent to the ministers home in Ajmer", Deep said. BL Meena, the Station House Officer of Kotwali police which is investigating the case said a letter was written on December 16 and bore a date stamp of December 30, 2016.The complaint was referred from the SP's office to the local Kotwali Police Station for probe, he said. The sender threatened "stern action" against the minister for renaming the fort, Meena said. Built by Mughal emperor Akbar in 1570 AD, the Fort is situated at Naya Bazaar in Ajmer. The Fort was once the residence of Prince Salim, the son of Akbar, and presently houses a collection of Mughal and Rajput armour and sculpture. Emperor Jahangir had read out the 'farman' permitting the British East India Company to trade with India from this Fort. Devnani, MLA from Ajmer north constituency, is state minister (independent charge) for Primary and Secondary Education, Rural development and Panchayti Raj. Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria told the assembly : "Appropriate action will be taken in the matter". PTI/ OC Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 4 The Centre today approved the draft of key supporting legislations to enable possible rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1. The GST Council cleared the final draft of the Central GST (CGST) Bill and Integrated GST (IGST) Bill, thus paving the way for their introduction in Parliament in the ongoing Budget Session. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The remaining two legislations State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) Bill and UT Goods and Services Tax (UTGST) Bill which would be almost a replica of the CGST Act, would be taken up for approval after their legal vetting in the next council meeting on March 16. The main features of the cleared draft Bills include a business entity, which may include small businesses with an annual turnover up to Rs 20 lakh, not being required to register with the GST regime unless done voluntarily. An agriculturist, to the extent of supply of produce out of cultivation of land, too would be exempted. There is a special provision for traders, some manufacturers and restaurants. A business entity with a turnover up to Rs 50 lakh can avail the benefit of a composition scheme under which it has to pay a much lower tax rate and has to fulfil very minimal compliance requirements. The composition scheme is available for all traders, select manufacturing sectors and for restaurants in the services sector, a statement said. Also, the CGST and IGST Bills provide for an anti-profiteering provision to ensure that the reduction of tax incidence is passed on to consumers. In order to mitigate any financial hardship being suffered by a taxpayer, a commissioner has been empowered to allow payment of taxes in instalments. In order to prevent cascading of taxes, input tax credit would be admissible on all goods and services used in the course or furtherance of business, except on a few items listed in the law, the statement said. There will be a state-wise single registration for a taxpayer for filing returns, paying taxes and to fulfil other compliance requirements. A taxpayer has to file one single return state-wise to report all his supplies, whether made within or outside the state or exported out of the country and pay the applicable taxes on them. Such taxes can be CGST, SGST, UTGST and IGST. The councils 11th meeting, held under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, lasted just over two hours, probably the shortest so far. It ended in broad unanimity. Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service Kolkata, March 4 Approached for budi mas hospital (the old ladys hospital), the drug store owners face breaks into a smile. He is only too willing to guide you to the hospital founded by Subasini Mistry, a vendor, who barely five years ago would sell vegetables at the local Park Circus Market. She stopped going there after she fractured a leg, says Ajay Kumar Mistry, Subasinis son. Reluctant to claim credit, a modest Subasini says she could not have achieved much had not some public-spirited citizens come to her aid. The turning point in Subasinis life came when she lost her husband, a daily-wager, to an illness owing to lack of medical help. This was in the Seventies. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The unexpected death left me shaken, and I resolved to set up a hospital where the poor were treated free of cost, she says. After her husbands death, three of her four children were sent to a childrens home away from Kolkata. The eldest child, a daughter, remained with Subasini to help her with daily chores. By the Nineties, a determined Subasini had saved enough money to buy a piece of swamp in the citys Hanspukur area on which the hospital was eventually raised. Ajay, one of Subasinis children sent to the orphanage, became a doctor. He is now chairman of the trust which runs the three-storey Humanity Hospital with 52 beds, including 10 in the ICU. While four doctors are on the hospital rolls, some others visit periodically. They too treat patients free of cost. Sundays are especially busy with a stream of eye patients turning up. When this reporter visited the hospital on Thursday, the OPD was empty. Ajay attributed it to the ongoing construction. With donations, the hospital plans to have an elevator capable of carrying 15 persons as well as a pathology laboratory. While the poor are given free treatment, we take a nominal fee from those not so poor, he explained. Decision to not contest for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation mayor's post taken out of respect for people's verdict, says Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. By Mustafa Shaikh: The BJP will not contest for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor's post, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said. The Shiv Sena won 84 seats, while the BJP finished a close second with 82 after results of BMC polls were declared on February 23. After making big gains in the Maharashtra civic body polls, the BJP seems to have relented before the Uddhav Thackeray outfit. advertisement Fadnavis says this decision was taken out of respect for the people's verdict. SUPPORT SHIV SENA ON MUMBAI's DEVELOPMENT "We will not sit in Opposition. We will support the Shiv Sena on the development of Mumbai, but also look at the efficiency of the ruling party. We will not compromise on transparency", the chief minister said. The BJP, however, will keep a check on Shiv Sena by appointing a state committee to study transparency in BMC. "Apart from not contesting the Mayor's election, the BJP will not fight the Standing Committee election also. We will see to it that transparency remains the basic issue. We are appointing a state committee with three members to submit a report on how Mumbai can be made more transparent", Fadnavis added. The committee will consist of senior bureaucrats Ramnath Jha, Gautam Chatterjee and Sharad Kale. It been asked to submit its report in three months on the functioning and rules of corporations in the state. We will not be in the opposition,we will support the ruling party but will not compromise on transparency:CM Devendra Fadnavis on BMC pic.twitter.com/hGlsAf3F7c The Fadnavis government will request Maharashtra Lokayukt to allow a deputy Lokayukt specifically to look after graft issues in Mumbai. Despite the constant tug-of-war that goes on between the BJP and the Shiv Sena, the chief minister added that the BJP didn't want to strike a compromise with other parties only to be at the helm of affairs at the BMC, something that would have led to a coalition that was not transparent. WATCH VIDEO --- ENDS --- Our Correspondent Jaipur, March 4 Veteran journalist and media adviser in Rajasthan Energy Department Vishwas Kumar Sharma passed away at SMS Hospital here on Saturday after a protracted illness. He was 70. Having 40 years of journalism experience, especially in vernacular Hindi, Vishwas had worked for Rajasthan Patrika, Dainik Navjyoti and Dainik Bhaskar as special correspondent before joining the BJP government as adviser in Power Companies. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot condoled the death saying he was a dedicated and honest scribe. The cremation will be held at Lalkothi crematorium in the afternoon. KV Prasad Tribune News Service Varanasi, March 4 Politics is indeed fiercely competitive, and as the electoral battle for UP entered the home stretch, no combatant was willing to concede the other any space to attract the attention of the ultimate decision-maker, the humble voter. The holy city of Kashi, as this place is popularly known, today saw top leaders of the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance traversing narrow and congested lanes, demonstrating their strength through roadshows. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi played solo for the BJP, CM Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vIce- president Rahul Gandhi led the SP-Congress show. The poster boys, as the BJP prefers to refer to them, stole the limelight in this show of optics with Kannauj MP and Akhileshs wife Dimple Yadav joining them. It was not just a show of strength. Both sides added spirituality, praying at the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple, added in the last to the Akhilesh-Rahul schedule at the instance of AICC general secretary Mohan Prakash after the PM bowed before the deity earlier. The PM offered prayers at Kaal Bhairav Temple too. Setting the tone early in the day, Modi stood through the sunroof of his armoured vehicle as he wound his way from the citys most significant landmark the gate of the Banaras Hindu University and in a significant gesture paid floral tributes at the statue of Pt Madan Mohan Malviya, founder of the institute of learning. For the PM to travel in this fashion may have been a nightmare for his security personnel, but the former clearly struck a chord with the audience. This is it. How can one have a roadshow otherwise without being seen in the open, gushed Joginder Singh Oberoi, who runs a departmental store on the avenue leading to BHU, as he clicked pictures. Youth donning saffron scarves and caps, waved the party flags with gusto, chanting Jai Shri Ram and Modi-Modi slogans while many of them revved their motorbikes joining the cavalcade as it crawled through a 10-km route. The SP-Congress roadshow matched in strength and spirit, with the young on either side putting their energies together raising slogans. UP ko yeh saath pasand hai, the tag line, was oft-repeated through the roadshow. Lashing out at the spectacle at a rally in neighbouring Rohaniya town, BSP chief Mayawati claimed onlookers did not bring votes alluding to the large number of BJP workers from Gujarat and elsewhere descending on Varanasi. For the city authorities, it was a challenge to ensure the show went on at different times and different routes and there was no convergence at any intersection. Bathinda, March 4 Irate public today damaged three private buses on the Jaito-Goniana road after one of the buses hit a motorcycle on which a poor couple from Akalia village was riding. Sukhmandar Singh and his wife Jaswinder Kaur were rushed to a hospital, where the condition of Jaswinder is said to be critical. The area residents threw stones and punctured the tyres of the three buses, which belongs to Raj Transport Company. Police officials reached the spot and stopped the public from putting the buses on fire. The residents demanded stringent action against the bus driver, who hit the motorcycle. The protesters also demanded adequate compensation for the injured couple who did menial jobs to earn money. TNS Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 4 In a complete turnaround, superior judicial services officers regularly promoted on the basis of their seniority in Punjab have been placed at the bottom of seniority after the direct recruits. Available information suggests four session judges, as a result, may have to deal with the issue of their reversion. Acting on a bunch of petitions, Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court also directed recasting of the seniority list. The devolvement took place on a petition by Kanwaljit Singh Bajwa and other judicial officers through a battery of lawyers, including Anupam Gupta, DS Patwalia and Puneet Gupta. The Bench was told that the petitioners were appointed against direct recruitment quota posts after advertisement for recruitment was issued in February 2008. The respondents included judicial officers regularly promoted on the basis of seniority and officers promoted by way of a limited departmental competitive examination. The recruitment/promotion committee for superior judicial services initially circulates a tentative seniority list for inviting objections. The committee, subsequently, ruled that the objections by the petitioners were not sustainable and the tentative seniority list did not require alteration. But, a High Court judge in September, 2015 offered his comments in terms of which the matter required re-consideration. It was put up in the full court meeting, where the committee report was accepted before the final seniority list was circulated, which was impugned in the present petitions. Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 4 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed Punjab to give details of the amount to be paid to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) as subsidy to the agricultural sector. Justice Rajesh Bindal issued the direction on a petition focusing on the payment of dues to retired employees and other related issues. The state government provides subsidy amounting to crores of rupees per annum to agricultural consumers and below poverty line (BPL)/reserved category consumers. The PSPCL is stated to be under Rs 25,500-crore debt. The state governments failure to clear the amount pending against the subsidy bills is being cited as a major reason for this debt. From 2010-11 to 2015-16, the PSPCL supplied subsidised power worth Rs 50,624 crore and Rs 3,561 crore to the agriculture sector and BPL users, respectively. The direction came about three months after the High Court rapped the state for diverting funds for advertisements instead of making payments to retired employees in the run-up to the Assembly polls. Taking cognisance of the non-payment of Rs 319.03 crore to the retired employees, Justice Bindal, on a previous date of hearing, had said: The newspapers and other media are full of advertisements making tall claims and launching new schemes, for which funds are being provided. The state may be in the election mode, but the dues of the employees, serving or retired, or any amount due towards other persons, cannot be diverted. Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 4 A day after Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur was trolled again, this time over a video wherein a girl resembling her was seen singing and dancing in a car, her mother today reacted sharply. It is unfortunate that the people who have been trolling Gurmehar are indulging in mischievous acts. They even used an old video of a girl having a slight resemblance with Gurmehar to troll her again. God will not spare such acts of wrongdoers, Rajwinder Kaur said. Though Gurmehar refused to talk to the media, she tweeted: The girl in the car wasnt me. But whether she was or she wasnt, was it okay to shame her like that? Rajwinder Kaur said: It is clear to everyone that the girl is not Gurmehar. The car is a left-hand drive vehicle, not prevalent in India. Still people have been posting all sorts of comments. A first-year student of Lady Shri Ram College, Gurmehar has been getting rape threats and was trolled for over a week after she dared the ABVP on social media following a clash at Delhi University. Throw me out of India, Panjoli dares Vij Fatehgarh Sahib: SGPC member and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Karnail Singh Panjoli on Saturday challenged Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij to get him thrown out of the country as he agreed with Gurmehars views. Panjoli was reacting to the statement of Vij, who had stated that those supporting Gurmehar should be shunted out of the country. He also urged Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to dismiss the mentally ill minister from the Cabinet. India doesnt belong to any political party as the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech to all citizens. Gurmehar is a citizen of the country and a martyrs daughter. She has every right to express her feelings,the Akali leader added. TNS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 4 The Punjab Police today announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh and a Sub-Inspectors post to anyone who provides information about the killers of two Dera Sacha Sauda followers. DGP Suresh Arora visited Khanna yesterday and held a meeting with DIG, Ludhiana range, SK Kalia and Khanna SSP Satinder Singh in this regard. We have announced a reward of Rs 50 lakh and a post of SI for information about the assailants. The identity of anyone who provides information will be kept secret, Kalia said. Kalia, who is heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to crack the case, said the police needed support from the public in identifying the assailants. In the ongoing probe into the dera followers killing, the police have quizzed over 10 persons who were involved in terrorist activities or heinous crimes in the past. Several criminals lodged in various jails are also likely to be taken on production warrant for questioning. Dera followers Satpal Joshi (65) and his son Ramesh Joshi (45) were shot dead by unidentified persons outside a Naam Charcha canteen at Jagera village, Ahmedgarh, about 55 km from Ludhiana, on February 25. Both were shot in the head with a .32-bore weapon from point-blank range. We have formed 16 teams, which are working on this case, Kalia said. The police are yet to identify the assailants, who are visible in CCTV footage, wearing caps and having their faces covered. Angered at the killings, dera followers had blocked the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road and refused to cremate the bodies, demanding that the killers be arrested at the earliest. The dera supporters agreed to cremate the bodies and lifted the road blockade after the intervention of Punjab Police Director General of Police (Law & Order) Hardeep Dhillon. Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 3 A fresh agreement between Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir was signed this afternoon for the completion of the Shahpur Kandi Dam project, 11 km downstream Ranjit Sagar Dam, work on which was abandoned two years ago following a dispute. The pact, signed between Punjabs Secretary (Irrigation) KS Pannu and his counterpart in J&K Saurabh Bhagat in the presence of Centres representative Dr Amarjit Singh, will have to be ratified by the respective state governments. The project is worth Rs 2,285 crore. About 206 MW of power is to be generated by this hydro-power project on the Ravi. Punjab has been insisting on its early completion to stop the Ravi waters from flowing into Pakistan via the Madhopur headworks in Pathankot. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Sources said the Prime Ministers Office had intervened to get the agreement signed afresh. The PM wants to maximise the use of the Indus, Jhelam and Chenab waters when the states concerned are not even able to contain the flow of the Ravi into Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan are expected to discuss issues related to the Indus waters later this month. Earlier, several meetings between Punjab Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal and his counterpart in J&K were held to clinch the issue. The J&K Government had been arguing that since Punjab had terminated all water agreements in 2004 by enacting a law, the agreement on Shahpur Kandi too stood abrogated. Under the new agreement, the crest level of 398.40 metres, as decided by the Chief Engineers of the two states, would be the basis for resuming work on the project. Consequently, the Central Water and Power Research Station would carry out a study to assess the crest levels of head regulators to ensure that the mandated share of 1,150 cusecs of water was available to J&K. Punjab will execute the project. A committee headed by a member of the Central Water Commission will monitor it.The balance cost on account of compensation for land acquisition in respect of Thein Dam would be borne by Punjab. Twenty per cent of power generated would be provided to J&K at the rate of Rs 3.50 per unit. Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 4 The SGPC has shot off a communique to DGP Suresh Arora to take action against the unscrupulous elements who morph pictures of Sikh gurus on social media. In a press release issued here today, SGPC President Kirpal Singh Badungar stated that it hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community that morphed pictures of the revered Sikh gurus were being circulated on social media and networking sites. He added that the Sikh sangat settled abroad had also complained in this regard. He urged the DGP to direct the cyber crime cell of the Punjab Police to immediately take action against the people behind it. The announcement not only raised eyebrows of his detractors and opponents in other parties, but also took many in his own party by surprise. By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday surprised many by announcing the decision of not fielding a candidate for the Mayor's post in the bitterly fought BMC polls. The announcement not only raised eyebrows of his detractors and opponents in other parties, but also took many in his own party by surprise. Many call it as a masterstroke by the chief minister of snatching away the joy of victory from the Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena which pipped BJP just by 2 seats and was constantly attacking the CM will now be left with no choice than to welcome the CM's decision. The BJP will now be playing role of a 'watchdog' in the richest civic body and constantly nag the Shiv Sena, something similar to what the Shiv Sena does at the state govt and at the Centre. And so is the case with his detractors inside the party. advertisement Also read: BJP not to contest for BMC mayor's post, says Chief Minister Fadnavis But, this is not the first time that Devendra took such unusual decision. During the Municipal Corporation polls, Fadnavis chose his own team of trusted lieutenants. The choice surprised many and equally angered some of the old hands. In Pune, Fadnavis chose a key player in city's real estate industry and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kakade to helm the Municipal polls. The move did not go down well with his party leaders in Pune. In fact, when CMs rally in Pune had to be cancelled due to poor attendance, the divide in the party came to the fore. But, eventually the result spoke for themselves. Fadnavis's choice was proven right, when BJP got a thumping majority in the Pune Municipal Corporation for the first time. Similarly, the CM chose a low profile MLA Mahesh Landge as his man on mission at the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. The decision making regarding ticket distribution and managing the campaign was left completely to Landge. The Pimpri Chinchwad Corporation was always known as a bastion of the NCP. Former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar camped in the area during the elections, but Landge secured a thumping victory for his party. Also read: Mumbai mayoral battle: NCP to stay away from Shiv Sena-BJP, says Maharashtra party president Sunil Tatkare In Mumbai, though, Aashish Shelar was the man leading the mission, another new entrant in the party Prasad Lad was hand-picked by the CM to lead the backroom strategy. Lad, who recently crossed over from the NCP, was closely seen with Devendra Fadnavis in all the crucial meetings. Known as 'resourceful', Lad's choice as CM's Man Friday was questioned by some in the party. But, the BJP's solid show in Mumbai ending in a neck-to-neck fight with the Shiv Sena silenced the critics who questioned CM's choice of his army. In Maharashtra politics, it was Maratha strongman Sharad pawar who was known to take unusual decisions that had shock value. His decisions, though, surprised many, but had a long term impact on state's politics. Fadnavis is slowly, but steadily mastering the art of shock treatment. advertisement WATCH THE VIDEO: Also read: Who will be the mayor of Mumbai? Suspense continues as BJP, Shiv Sena refused to blink --- ENDS --- Tribune News Service Sangrur, March 4 A 42-year-old farmer, Raghuvir Singh, committed suicide by hanging himself from a fan at his house in Nangla village last night. The family saw his body in the morning and informed the police. Sources said he ended his life as he failed to repay a debt of Rs 5 lakh he had taken from a bank. Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), Lehragaga block, president Dharminder Singh Pashor said Raghuvir had only one acre and that too he had mortgaged to a bank some years ago and taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh. He used to work as a labourer in the fields of other farmers to repay his debt. However, for the past few days he was not getting proper work as a labourer, said Pashor. New York US tech giant Google will release a new Pixel smartphone later this year. The device, with the built-in personal Google Assistant, will directly competes with the Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) "The device will remain 'premium' in its next iteration and the company is not interested in offering a low-cost version, preferring instead to let that segment be addressed by its external hardware partners," techcrunch.com quoted Rick Osterloh, Google SVP of Hardware as saying. Launched last year, Pixel is the first smartphone that works as an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator. The 5-inch smartphone is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset, 4GB of RAM and runs on Android Nougat 7.0 operating system. The device also has Pixel Imprint -- a fingerprint scanner on the back of the smartphone for quick access to all apps, texts and e-mails. IANS Jasmine Singh I couldnt stop crying when I saw how desperately Mumtaz (Tabu) tried to keep her kids away from the sex trade she had been forced into. I was scared that my kids would meet the same fate as mine, says Sangeeta (name changed), a sex worker from Dharavi, as she draws similarities between her life and fate of Tabus character in National Award winning film Chandni Bar. Thankfully, Sangeetas nine-year-old daughter and five-year-old son have not met this filmy end. The two have been rehabilitated by an NGO working to bring sex workers and their kids out of this dreaded life. They are now studying in a private school in Mumbai. Sangeeta meets her kids only four to five times a year, at a distant relatives flat in Mumbai. While Sangeeta is one odd case of a sex worker who doesnt have to worry about the future of her kids, others in the sex trade are not so lucky. They do not see any future for their children, let alone a bright one! Despite the Supreme Courts directives to rehabilitate sex workers and efforts for their easy amalgamation in the society, bringing the sex workers and their children to mainstream and their acceptance by society is still the biggest hurdle in this process. Many non-government organisations, state and central governments have been constantly trying to find social acceptance for sex workers and their children in society. But the success rate has not been satisfactory. Out of nearly 30 lakh female sex workers in India, operating in 14 regions (Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Goa and Tamil Nadu), 35.47 per cent of them enter the trade before the age of 18 years. Does this mean that these institutions and organisations have failed to amalgamate the kids of sex workers in the society? Have they failed in helping them go to schools like other normal children? Though there are no formal figures available, the NGOs that work among sex workers say that they try their best to pull their kids out of the muck, but this definitely takes a lot of convincing. Priti Patkar, a social activist and co-founder of Prerna, works with women and children in red light districts of Mumbai. She was shocked to see the intergenerational trafficking. She says she has seen three generations of family soliciting customers on the same street. The children born there ended up as prostitutes or became a part of various other activities of sex trade. Priti has been working for the protection and rescue of children and women victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation for the past 28 years. Having conceptualised and founded the worlds first night care centre for children of women working in red light districts, Priti didnt have it easy with the families. The biggest challenge, however, was to find volunteers who would agree to work with the children of sex workers. Then, of course, we had to literally chase the mothers and children so as to convince them to be a part of the programme. But with an estimated 40 per cent children still in the prostitution industry, most NGOs still have a tough time in finding a newer life and social acceptance for them. Only a lucky few like Sneha (name changed) from Chandigarh and Pooja are living a normal life. Sneha (31), a sex worker from Chandigarh, married a small-time businessman from the city a few years back. They have two boys who go to a well-known private school. While Sneha and her husband are comfortable talking about the past, it has not been an easy journey for the couple. One day, he just asked if I would want to live a regular, happily married life, away from all this, shares Sneha as her eyes swell up with tears. Sneha was sceptical, I thought, maybe he just wanted to either sell me off or make me his mistress, she giggles now. Ask this duo about social acceptance, and you find them staring at each other silently. I did tell my parents, but no one else knows, says the husband. He had to start afresh socially as he broke ties with all his old friends because they knew about Snehas past. On the other hand, 14- year-old Pooja is comfortable sharing her story on an NGOs Facebook page that helped her acquire a new identity. My mother was brought to Falkland Road in Mumbai by her friend in 2008. I started living with her in the pinjar (cage). Soon, she enrolled me into Prerana's night care centre. The place kept me safely away from the clutches of the men who came to the brothel. Sneha and Poojas stories may have a fairy-tale ending of getting a chance to live life with dignity, but the picture is not all that rosy for others who have opted out of the trade with some help. Rescued sex workers or rehabilitated ones are always under a constant threat of being found out by the pimps, who usually try to drag them back into the trade. However, the bigger problem that needs a solution is something else. Will our society that judges everything on parameters of morality ever attain a level of thinking where it can accept sex workers and their kids with open arms, or would Sneha and Pooja remain one-off stories ? Let us hope for a happy ending. Pushpesh Pant Musallam is a quintessentially celebratory dish. While murgh musallam is the commonest avatar, camel musallam is stuff fantasies that are made of. In between falls the now rarely encountered baqra musallam. Now, most food lovers are also content drooling over a well-made salim raan pot-roasted hind leg of a goat. The vegetarians are dished out, more often than not, a lauki musallam, which is bottle gourd packed with a filling of assorted vegetables, hung curd or paneer. Now, the trouble is that all these recipes are cumbersome and take a long time to cook. However, amid all these recipes, what has always stayed with me is bandgobhi musallam, the way mom cooked it. She would most often make this refreshingly light and quick fix recipe when guests arrived at short notice. It had the crunch of a salad and left a subtle spice after-taste on the tongue. Try it and trust us, you wont be disappointed. Band Gobi Musallam Ingredients 1 cabbage (medium sized, firm, outer leaves removed) 2 onions (medium sized, peeled and grated or ground) 2 tomatoes (medium sized, blanched, skin removed, pulped) 1/2 cup green peas (shelled, preferably fresh) 2 potatoes (peeled, washed and cut in halves) 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1 bay leaf 1 inch cinnamon 2-3 cloves 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 brown cardamom 1 tsp cumin powder 1-1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/4 red chilli powder A few blades of mace Salt to taste 2 tbsp oil Method Take a sharp knife and make deep cuts through the cabbage in a criss-cross manner, taking care that the head remains intact and the quarters remain joined. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add whole spices. When these change colour, put in the grated onions, tomatoes and garlic-ginger paste. Add potatoes and peas along with powdered spices and salt. Stir fry on medium flame until oil separates. Sprinkle a few drops of water if required. Now place the cabbage in the masala and carefully place some spice mixture in the spaces created by deep cuts. Drape it evenly with the fried spice. Crush the blades of mace and sprinkle. Add 3 tablespoon hot water and cook without pressure for 10 minutes on medium-low flame. Serve with phulka or rice and daal. Noor Zaheer Just one day out of 365 days for half of the worlds population is, from any angle, an unfair deal. However, a day can mark the beginning of a movement and thus become a symbol of resistance, of uprising or of assertion and more than that, a point from which new power can be drawn to keep an idea and struggle alive. International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women's Day, is celebrated on March 8 every year. The earliest Women's Day observance was held on February 28, 1909, in New York organised by the Socialist Party of America to mark the first anniversary of the 1908 strike of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. Today, the day might have become simply an occasion for people to express their love for the women in their life and around them in a way somewhat similar to Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. However, it is an event with a well-defined political flavour. In 1917 demonstrators marking International Women's Day in Saint Petersburg went on a flash strike that initiated the February Revolution. The call that day was for "Bread and Peace", demanding the end of the World War I, end to food shortages and an end to Tzardom. No one imagined that 'Women's Day' would initiate the revolution. But in the morning, textile workers left their work in several factories and sent delegates to ask for support for the strike from other industrial units. This led to mass strike with thousands of workers out in the streets. Immediately after the revolution, the Soviet Union in 1917 declared March 8 a national holiday and it soon spread to other nearby countries. Almost 60 years later Women's Day was observed in 1975 in Iceland which had the streets of Iceland teeming with lakhs of women, paving the way for the first female president in the world, Vigdis Finnbogadottir. In the West, International Women's Day was first observed as a popular event after 1977 when the UN General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women's rights and world peace. Again the human rights theme designated by the UN holds strong political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide. Essentially, this is a day that marks the contribution and equal partnership of women to world economy, growth and development. March 8 became a symbol of women power and womens struggle for their rights, their organised assertion of equality and their fight for justice. And it is with the acceptance of a day as a symbol that opened the floodgates of consumerism that is forever on the look out of a market. Marketing a symbol is the best way to kill the movement behind the symbol and feminists are probably right in presuming that this was a well thought-out plan. The most recent example is the Gulabi Gang. The movement that had begun to spread to other states with women organising themselves into groups and taking up their own fights lost its steam when a film on the same subject with the same name was released. Marketing has its own process of packaging, promoting and selling which has nothing to do with the need; market creates a desire that replaces the need at the ground level. Then products are launched with the sole aim to satiate the desire of the consumer and create a forgetfulness of the need. These products are promoted competitively to enhance their value as possessions and the will to change the basics which had, till now, guided the movement, is submerged in tokenism. Following the Soviet Revolution in 1917, the holiday was predominantly celebrated in communist and socialist countries. It was celebrated by the communists in China from 1922, and by Spanish communists from 1936. After the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, the state council proclaimed on December 23 that March 8 would be made an official holiday. In India, the working class woman has been left out in the cold while the IWD has been usurped by the middle-class that indulges in shopping, excursions and pampering. It is not just individual women who have succumbed to the marketing of March 8 and the consumerism associated with it. Organisations, too, have mellowed down their commitment to gender justice and gender equality and focus mainly on larger female gatherings as a show of strength, colourful banners, demonstrations on official protest sites in case of Delhi it being Jantar Mantar and speeches by well-known names. In these large gatherings of symbolic celebration to mark the womens day one can see the complete absence of new songs, different slogans, powerful skits and plays that connect to the treatment of women who are workers, farmers, teachers or housewives. The absence of the movement for women empowerment and a celebration of their contribution to nation building should be marked by a growing cultural footprint which is absent in these demonstrations. Another aspect that has to be addressed through reflection and analysis is the position of the men. It is impossible to separate womens struggles from the support by men. Patriarchy and men have to be differentiated. How many organisations working with women hold debates and discussions on this aspect of the struggle? The market is full of cards, flowers, jewellery, restaurant vouchers and what not proclaiming IWD but will these do anything for the daily wager or the house help who never gets any of these gifts. She may not be even aware that there is a day celebrating womanhood. The writer is a social activist and author of My God is a Woman Harish Khare I think it is time we recognised that this arrangement of staggered polling has degenerated into an absurdity. The seven-week long polling exercise in Uttar Pradesh not only seems interminable but is also beginning to take a disproportionate toll on our collective sanity. Staggered over seven phases, the exercise seems to have lost its sanctity and has got reduced to an unending spell of name-calling, inducing the politicians to cheapen themselves further after each phase. This staggering has consequences for other states. Punjab has been without a popular government for more than a month because the votes for the Punjab Assembly would not get counted till the UP exercise is done with. Uttarakhand, too, is without a government. It began as a much-needed assertion and control by the Election Commission, during the TN Seshan era, over the electioneering processes. The ECI earned worldwide recognition and respect for maintaining its institutional autonomy and ensuring that violence, money, fraud and intimidation are minimised and that no ruling party gets any undue advantage. All this is fine and needs to be much appreciated. But now it is obvious that the staggering of elections has become a ritual. We need to take a balanced view. Elections remain as expensive as ever. And because political parties would not submit themselves to any control in matters of funding, the elections remain the cause for much of black money, with or without demonetisation. The argument for staggering a poll schedule is that it enables the commission to ensure deployment of security forces. On the other hand, the fact is that only less than 2 per cent of polling booths are deemed to be sensitive. The unstated assumption is that we are teeming with large armies and bands of criminals who will overwhelm a smaller number of security personnel. This is an exaggeration. More than the numbers, what is needed is a definite perception that the security forces would be firm and fair. The prolonged, staggered format has been gamed. All stakeholders and busybodies the local newspapers, national and regional television channels, financers, cadres, gunrunners, liquor barons, criminals, bent policemen, biased officials regroup themselves after each phase to contaminate the election process. In the current contest, the Prime Minister has allowed himself to get involved extensively in a state election. And, as officials tell, since all decision-making has got concentrated in one person, no decisions are being made till the Prime Minister frees himself from the time-consuming electioneering. There is a certain banality to the rites of seeking votes. National energy and attention are getting sucked into petty pursuits. As a nation, we all have been made to feel and act small. THE Union Territory administration has talked of a green tax on commercial vehicles entering Chandigarh. About time. A basic principle should be invoked: the polluter has to pay. If Chandigarh has to retain its high quality of life, it is very much necessary that all possible preventive ideas and steps be introduced to minimise degradation of its environment, its air and its water. Resources have to be found and its citizens should be prepared to fork out taxes to enable the authorities. This is the price citizens in great cities all over the world pay. Environmental concerns should be of interest to all across the spectrum. Pollution adversely affects the rich and the poor alike. And, everyone ends up paying a much higher price if the citys air or water gets contaminated. As it is, I have noticed a marked deterioration in the civic services in the last one-and-a-half years. The parks are being poorly maintained; the garbage collection, street-sweeping are indifferently attended to. The traffic is getting chaotic by the day. Harsh measures and stiff fines are inevitable if Chandigarh needs to retain its City Beautiful tag. Citizens need to be educated and involved in protecting the citys environment. THERE are not that many political leaders who have the skill or the craft and, the intellectual courage to write a newspaper column. Nor do we have much of a tradition of ministers and political leaders churning out their memoirs. Belting out a column makes a demand on the author which is different from writing a full-length book of memoirs. Reminiscences and memoirs tend to inject post-facto rationalisation, even reflect changed loyalties. The weekly format, on the other hand, forces the columnist to show his hand, intellectual biases and political affiliations. It is usually out-of-office politicians who dabble in the art of column-writing, which demands both discipline and diligence. I think Mani Shankar Aiyar and K Natwar Singh were perhaps the first to establish the sect; then, P Chidambaram followed; and, later Manish Tewari joined the band. All three of them happen to be Congressmen and stand out as odd men out. The Congress party does not encourage much familiarity with the world of ideas and ideologies; it encourages conformism and abets sycophancy. Manish goes against this grain. He has put together his newspaper pieces in a book titled Decoding a Decade The Politics of Policy-making. It is to be launched in Chandigarh on Monday at a function in Panjab University. Manish has done me the honour of asking me to be in conversation with the author. Manishs pieces command attention and respect. Intelligence, political socialisation and education, and experience inform these writings. He does not write like a pamphleteer; instead, there is a hint of a policy wonk at work. In all too brief an introduction, he dares to make the claim that the much-maligned political class has not done all that badly by the nation or by the citizens the republic has been sustained; the rites of peaceful transfer of power firmly established; there is reasonable assurance of a fair and level playing field for electoral contestations; and, a constitutional architecture that ensures a kind of institutional equilibrium stands consecrated. I think the sharper pieces in this collection are those written after May 2014; not because these are as could be expected sharply critical of the Modi sarkar but because these are reflections by a more seasoned and a more experienced mind. Take for example his thoughtful piece, The geopolitics of Pathankot, written a few weeks after the terrorist attack at the Pathankot Air Force base. He gently chides the new government that diplomacy on the hop is not a great idea. And, he makes a case that the Modi government had been played for a song. He points out: The myth of differences between the civilian government and the military establishment in Pakistan is a good cop, bad cop act that Pakistan has perfected to play the international community along and blindside India. Partisanship in domestic politics does not behove a nation that aspires to a global stature. Manish points out that it was the Vajpayee government that had initiated the Next Step in the Strategic Partnership, the blueprint for a closer relationship between New Delhi and Washington; and, then, Manish reminds us that the moment BJP was out of government, it started opposing every aspect of the Indo-US engagement with a vengeance. This collection, Decoding a Decade, makes an easy reading and offers a clue as to the deepening bitterness in our national affairs. I am very much touched to have received two cheques, for Rs 500 each, from Mr VK Kapoor from Abohar in Fazilka district. The money is meant for Mrs Neelu Sarin and Mr UK Sharda, the two good Samaritans who were mentioned in Kaffeeklatsch two weeks ago. In the covering note, handwritten on the back of a flyer, Mr Kapoor, who is 69 years old, says he is sending the money out of my meagre pension. This is a very heartwarming example of civic consciousness. Do join me in raising a cup of coffee to salute Mr Kapoor. kaffeeklatsch@tribuneindia.com Gopeshwar, March 4 Hundreds of people sat on a dharna at an ancient temple here to force the district administration to stop digging a sewer line close to its main gate that they say amounts to desecration of the shrine. Residents of Gopeshwar town converged on the Gopinath Mandir last night after they came to know that a sewer line was being laid just two metres from its main gate. They sat on a dharna in protest against the sewer construction which they said violates the Constitution as the ancient temple is a protected area. They refused to budge despite repeated attempts by the administration and continued with their dharna at the temple in the presence of police personnel who are there to facilitate digging work for the sewer line. The revered shrine, one of the Panch Kedar pilgrimage centres, is spread over one acre at a height of 4,500 feet. It is said to be 3,000 years old and is protected under the Union Culture Ministrys Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act. According to the Act, no construction or repair work can be taken up in 300 metres of the temple without the prior permission of the Culture Ministry. Sushila Devi, a protester, said the construction of the sewer line near the temple amounts to desecration of the centuries-old temple, which could not be allowed. If a sewer line is dug only two metres away from the temples main gate, dirty water will flow into it, she said. Lily Dhasmana, Deputy Superintendent in charge, Archeological Survey of India, has also written to the Chamoli district administration asking it to immediately stop digging work for the sewer line as it was in violation of the law. Chamoli SP Priti Priyadarshini said the police force was on the site at the orders of the DM. PTI Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 4 The Spring Festival 2017 today kick-started amid cultural performances and variety of flowers, vegetables, fruits bonsai, medicinal and potted plants visible in the lawns of Raj Bhawan. Governor KK Paul inaugurated the festival and exhorted people to feast their eyes on the diversity of horticulture on display. This event is a welcome change from the hurly and burly of life, I exhort you all to nurture flowers and vegetables in your homes, Paul said as he went through the flower exhibits and vegetables put on display for the competition. He also released the first day postal cover carrying the pictorial representation of Badri Tulsi. A small cultural show comprising Kukhri dance by the Army and yogic exercises by students from Haridwar left everyone mesmerised. Several hobbyists have put up their exhibits on display in a variety of interesting pots, bamboo containers and beautifully decorated crates that were innovatively put into use. I have used this plastic box to grow ajwain, strawberries and other spices. It is so easy to pluck them and use them in the kitchen, said Harnam Kaur, a hobbyist. Vegetables grown by inmates of the Selaqui jail such as cabbages and succulent pumpkins in earthen pots are also on display. Uttarakhand has emerged a key grower of gerbera, carnation, orchids and roses. Several local growers from Naya Gaon came armed with bright red, yellow, cream and orange coloured gerberas. Our hands are full all around the year, supplying flowers to the Delhi market, said Sudesh Kamboj, a flower grower. These Gerbera spikes fetch good price in the market and Uttarakhand annually produces approximately around 14.70 crore spikes. Significantly, several institutions engaged in diverse horticulture activities had put up stalls to spread information about various scientific techniques developed by them. The VCSG Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry (Ranichauri campus) has come up with an innovative fruit harvester developed by VC Prof Mathhew Prasad. This is a very convenient tool for fruit growers and can help farmers immensely, said DR RG Upadhyay, Joint Director, Extension. There were also several competitions to keep children engaged and help them sharpen their latent skills such as painting and philately competitions. BD Kasniyal Pithoragarh, March 4 Volunteers of the India-Nepal joint forum, in cooperation with Environix Trust and the Uttaranchal Development Institute, held two indoor public meetings at Champawat and Ritha Sahib today. They informed people about the ill-effects of the proposed Pancheswar Dam project on the Kali river. Women and children will be the worst affected. The governments remain active till the project work is completed. They do not take the rehabilitation issue seriously, said Chitrng Thapa, a journalist based in Nepal and a member of the forum. The forum members said people living near the Kali were afraid of their future and feeling insecure. We demand a concrete work plan to rehabilitate oustees of Pancheswar Dam before the project gets approval by the Centre and the state government, said Dr Sridhar, president of the India-Nepal forum. The members demanded that local communities be given share in participation when the governments are making such decisions. Pancheswar is one of ancient region along the Kali river and has developed its own system of living. A proper plan should be framed, Dr Sridhar added. Beijing, March 4 China said on Saturday that it would increase its defence spending by around 7 per cent this year, as it vowed to guard against outside meddling in its territorial disputes. The increase in defence spending was announced by Fu Ying, the spokesperson of Chinas parliament, the National Peoples Congress (NPC), ahead of its annual meeting. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) China will raise its defence budget by around 7 per cent this year, Fu said. She said Chinas defence spending will remain around 1.3 per cent of the countrys GDP. We call for a peaceful settlement through dialogue and consultation (of the disputes). At the same time we need the ability to safeguard our sovereignty and interests and rights, Fu said. In particular, we need to guard against outside meddling in the disputes, she said. Fu, however, did not elaborate on what meddling she was referring to and also did not mention the disputes in question. Chinas claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea have caused a lot of concern in the region. Last year, China increased its defence spending by 7.6 per cent, allocating about 954 billion yuan (around USD 143.7 billion), the lowest increase in six years. Chinas announcement to increase defence spending comes after US President Donald Trump vowed a 10 per cent increase in Americas military spending. The 10 per cent proposed increase for the US defence budget of about USD 600 billion was expected to add another USD 54 billion to it. Much of Chinas defence budget was expected to go for the development of the navy. The increase in Chinas military expenditure, especially for the navy, is aimed at safeguarding the countrys fast expanding overseas interests and is in response to the unstable security situation in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese military experts were quoted as saying by the state- run Global Times last week. Chu Yin, associate professor at the University of International Relations, said, Chinas rapid military development is a recurrent trend with the countrys rising economic power, and is entirely legitimate and reasonable. It doesnt need Trump as an excuse, he told the daily. How can China protect millions of overseas Chinese and huge amounts of overseas investment and projects worth billions of US dollars without a powerful navy? Chu asked. The global security situation has worsened in recent years, and China has conducted several successful evacuation missions for Chinese nationals, such as in Libya and Yemen, and such missions require the PLA navy to have reliable capability on a global scale, Chu said. Additionally, China is currently the worlds largest trading nation, so the country is heavily reliant on free trade, and the world also needs to trade with China, Chu said. The report, citing China National Radio, said Chinas overseas investment in 2016 has reached USD 221 billion, surging 246 per cent compared with 2015. So the Chinese navy has to gain enough ability to protect those key trade routes around the globe, Chu said. Song Zhongping, a military expert who used to serve in the Second Artillery Corps, now called the Rocket Force, said Chinese military has not reached high standards set by President Xi Jinping. Xi has set higher standards for the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), and honestly, the Chinese military hasnt met some of those standards yet, and thats why we have military reform and the budget for national defence will continue to rise, he said. For example, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, as part of the One Belt and One Road initiative, requires a large and advanced navy, because this Road covers the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, Song said. Yin Zhuo, a rear admiral and a senior researcher at the PLA Navy Equipment Research Centre, told China Central Television that in order to protect Chinas sovereignty and national interests, the PLA navy at least needs five to six aircraft-carriers to maintain presence in specific regions. Currently China has one aircraft carrier and building another one with plans for the third. In addition, an anonymous PLA air force officer said, due to the US Pivot to Asia strategy since the Obama era, the possibility of military conflict is increasing in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan Straits, and East and South China seas, so there is no reason for us not to increase the defence budget. PTI During his 7-km long roadshow in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra stopped his convoy at Madanpura to receive flowers and a shawl from Muslims of the city. By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi was measure to show the BJP's strength as Uttar Pradesh entered the last lap of Assembly election. Modi's cavalcade passed several localities of Varanasi on the seven-kilometre stretch from the BHU to Kashi Vishwanath temple. When his convoy passed through Madanpura area of Varanasi, a group of Muslims greeted PM Modi with bouquet of flowers. advertisement When Modi saw them holding flowers for him, he got his specially designed SUV stopped and accepted the flowers extending his hands to them. READ| Modi at Jaunpur: Mothers, daughters not safe under Akhilesh rule At another place, another group of Muslims threw a shawl towards his fleet, which Modi caught in air and put it on his head as mark of respect to the greeters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his roadshow in Varanasi. (Photo: AP) Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his roadshow in Varanasi. (Photo: AP) Earlier, Modi was criticised for refusing to wear a skull cap in 2011 during his sadbhavna (goodwill) fast at Ahmedabad when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Later in 2014, Modi had invoked Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru in his defence. READ| Uttar Pradesh election: Narendra Modi's first roadshow in Varanasi as PM In a television interview Modi had said, "If by wearing a cap one becomes a symbol of unity then nobody has ever seen Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru wearing this kind of a cap." Modi also said, "My job is to respect all communities, respect the values of all communities but I have to accept my own values. I live with my values. Hence, I don't bluff people by wearing a cap, or getting clicked." After his massive roadshow, PM Modi visited Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples in Varanasi and offered prayers and performed aarti. ALSO READ|Ahead of final phase of polling, Varanasi provides a fitting finale ALSO READ|Modi supporters create ruckus over Akhilesh-Rahul poster on mosque near Kashi Vishwanath temple ALSO WATCH|My life's purpose will be fulfilled if I work for you, says Modi in Varanasi --- ENDS --- KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 Malaysia on Saturday expelled the North Korean ambassador to the country, declaring him "persona non grata" and asking the envoy to leave Malaysia within 48 hours. The move comes nearly three weeks after Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was murdered at Kuala Lumpur's airport with a toxic nerve agent. US and South Korean officials have said he was killed by agents of the North Korean regime. Kang Chol, North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, said last month his country "cannot trust" Malaysia's handling of the probe, and also accused the country of "colluding with outside forces" in a veiled reference to bitter rival South Korea. Malaysian foreign minister Anifah Haji Aman said in a statement on Saturday that Malaysia had demanded an apology from the ambassador for his comments, but none was forthcoming. "Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," Anifah said. Reuters Kuala Lumpur, March 4 Malaysia said on Saturday it was expelling the North Korean ambassador, escalating a diplomatic row between the two countries over the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Ambassador Kang Chol was declared persona non grata and asked to leave Malaysia within 48 hours. Kim Jong Nam, the leaders half-brother, was murdered on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, after being assaulted by two women who Malaysian police believe smeared his face with VX. The ambassador had said last month that Pyongyang cannot trust Malaysias handling of the investigation, and accused the country of colluding with outside forces, in a veiled reference to bitter rival South Korea. Malaysian PM Najib Razak called the comments "diplomatically rude". Foreign Minister Anifah Haji Aman said in a statement on Saturday that Malaysia had demanded an apology from the ambassador, but none was forthcoming. Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation, Anifah said. Reuters Seoul, March 4 North Korea warned on Saturday that the US will pay dearly if it relists Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism following the murder of leader Kim Jong-Uns half-brother in Malaysia last month. Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was killed on February 13 at a crowded Kuala Lumpur airport in an attack with VX nerve agent, which is considered a weapon of mass destruction. Seoul has said from the start that the isolated North is behind the Cold War-style assassination. South Korean and Japanese media, citing diplomatic sources, have since reported that the US has been mulling placing the North back on its terror list, which includes Iran and Syria. The US will keenly realise how dearly it has to pay for its groundless accusations against the dignified North if it relists it, the regimes foreign ministry spokesman told state-run newswire KCNA. The spokesman maintained that Pyongyang opposed all forms of terrorism and accused the US of trying to tarnish its reputation. Gone are the days when the US could stigmatise at random to oppress those countries incurring its displeasure, while having the world under its control, the official added. The nuclear-armed North was first designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1987 when its agents bombed a South Korean plane killing all 115 on board. But it was taken off the list in 2008 after Pyongyang took steps toward freezing its nuclear facilities. However, since then the North has resumed its activities, conducting four atomic tests and numerous missile tests despite the fact that they are banned under several UN Security Council resolutions. The North has denied any involvement in Kim Jong-Nams murder, accusing the South, the US and Malaysia of a smear campaign. Two women, one Vietnamese and one Indonesian, have been arrested over the murder. The only North Korean to have been detained, Ri Jong Chol, was released this week due to lack of evidence. Ri has denied any role in the assassination and accused of Malaysian police trying to frame him with fabricated evidence to defame the North. AFP WASHINGTON, March 4 US President Donald Trump on Saturday accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him in October during the late stages of the presidential election campaign, but offered no evidence to support the allegation. "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!," Trump said in a series of Tweets on his Twitter account early on Saturday. Obama's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. In one of the Tweets, Trump said the alleged wire tapping took place in his Trump Tower skyscraper in New York, but there was "nothing found". Trump's administration has come under pressure from FBI and congressional investigations into contacts between some members of his campaign team and Russian officials during his campaign. Obama imposed sanctions on Russia and ordered Russian diplomats to leave the US in December over the country's involvement in hacking political groups in the November 8 US presidential election. Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned in February after revelations that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office. Flynn had promised Vice-President Mike Pence he had not discussed US sanctions with the Russians, but transcripts of intercepted communications, described by US officials, showed that the subject had come up in conversations between him and the Russian ambassador. Trump has often used his Twitter account to attack rivals and for years led a campaign alleging that Obama was not born in the US. He later retracted the allegation. Waiver on Russian deal Facing a new wave of questions about his ties to Russia, Trump is telling advisers and allies that he may shelve at least temporarily his plan to pursue a deal with Moscow on the Islamic State group and other national security matters, according to administration officials and Western diplomats. In conversations with diplomats and other officials, Trump and his aides have ascribed the new thinking to Moscow's recent provocations. But the reconsideration of a central tenet of the president's foreign policy underscores the growing political risks in forging closer relations with Russia, as long as the FBI investigates his campaign associates' connections to Moscow and congressional committees ramp up their probe of Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. Trump's new skepticism about brokering a deal with Moscow also suggests the rising influence of a new crop of advisers who have taken a tougher stance on Russia, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and new national security adviser HR McMaster. During his first meeting with National Security Council staff, McMaster described Russia, as well as China, as a country that wants to upend the current world order, according to an administration official who attended the meeting. Michael McFaul, who served as President Barack Obama's ambassador to Russia, said that while Trump has been open about wanting warmer relations with Russia, "he hasn't picked people to the best of my knowledge at senior levels that share that view". European allies also have been pushing the Trump administration not to make any early concessions to Russia. To bolster their case, European officials have been tailoring their rhetoric to appeal to Trump's business background, including emphasising the risks of negotiating a bad deal, rather than more nuanced arguments, according to one Western diplomat. Given Trump's "America First" mantra, foreign officials emphasise how US standing in the world could be diminished by making concessions to Russia instead of focusing on the importance of the US and Europe sticking together to counter Moscow. Trump, who spoke favorably about Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout the campaign, is said to have shown interest in a broad deal with Russia that could address cooperation in fighting the Islamic State, nuclear arms control agreements and Russia's provocations in Ukraine. Reuters/ AP Washington, March 4 President Donald Trump today accused his predecessor Barack Obama of wire tapping his office in New York just before the 2016 presidential elections and likened the alleged surveillance of his communications to the Watergate scandal. Trump made the allegations in a series of tweets, but did not provide any evidence to substantiate his claims. Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Trump said. Is it legal for a sitting President to be wire tapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!, he said, claiming that Obama had defied a court rejection to tap his office. Trump also called Obama a Bad (or sick) guy! and compared the alleged tapping of his New York office to the Watergate, the scandal in the early 1970s which brought down President Richard Nixon. How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! he said. I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! Trump tweeted. There was no immediate reaction from the office of Obama. He also tried to defend Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general facing questions over his meeting with the Russian ambassador to Washington during the 2016 presidential election campaign. The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs......, he said. Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone, Trump said in another tweet. Trump's top administration officials have been facing charges of contacts with Russian officials during and after elections. One of his close aides Gen (rtd) Michael Flynn had to resign following such allegations. Flynn had promised Vice President Mike Pence he had not discussed US sanctions with the Russians, but transcripts of intercepted communications, described by US officials, showed that the subject had come up in conversations between him and the Russian ambassador. Trump has often used his Twitter account to attack rivals and for years led a campaign alleging that Obama was not born in the US. He later retracted the allegation. Agencies Amid firestorm, US Prez waivers on Russia deal Facing a new wave of questions about his ties to Russia, President Donald Trump is telling advisers and allies that he may shelve at least temporarily his plan to pursue a deal with Moscow on the Islamic State group and other national security matters. In conversations with diplomats and other officials, Trump and his aides have ascribed the new thinking to Moscow's recent provocations. But the reconsideration of a central tenet of the president's foreign policy underscores the growing political risks in forging closer relations with Russia, as long as the FBI investigates his campaign associates' connections to Moscow. AFP Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 4 Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar today said the United States is very optimistic about its relationship with India. Jaishankar, who is in the US for a four-day visit, met various members of the Trump administration and held discussions on a variety of issues. It is reliably learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to the US in the first half of the year and Jaishankars visit will also lay the groundwork for the PMs visit later. Jaishankar also raised Indias concerns about the H1B visa reforms which the Trump administration is considering. One of the purposes behind his visit was to sensitise the new US administration of Indias concerns in light of the recent Kansas shooting. Other issues like the situation in Afghanistan, terrorism and trade were also discussed in the meetings. Overall, (the) sense was that the administration has a very positive view of the relationship, positive view of India, said Jaishankar in his media interaction later in Washington DC. The (US) Congress has been extraordinarily supportive of the growth of this relationship. Since there has been a change in the political landscape, we thought engaging them was something which was important, he noted. The US also reached out to India to assuage its concerns over the changes that are likely to be introduced in the H1B work visas. There was a sense that there is a recognition of the contribution of the Indian tech sector. Certainly this is not very much ... not a priority of the (US) government. They are concerned with the immigration issue ... most of the issues are quite different, said visiting commerce secretary Rita Teotia who is currently in the US with Jaishankar. Nevertheless when it is addressed, it would be part of the overall immigration package, Teotia added. Dates are also being worked out for the India visit of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and commerce secretary Wilbur Ross to hold the first India US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue under the Trump administration. It is significant to note that the FS held a number of key meetings in the US and met the top leaders of the new Trump administration. Jaishankar met Tillerson, commerce secretary Ross, secretary of Homeland security Gen (retd) John Kelly, national security advisor R McMaster, and deputy assistant to the President, Ken Juster. He also met the top leadership of the US Congress, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and the House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. These meetings give an indication that the US administration is also reaching out to India and wants to maintain the continuity in the relationship. Tokyo, March 4 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is due to visit Japan, South Korea and China this month to discuss North Korea on his first trip to the region since he took up his post, Japanese media reported on Saturday. Tillersons trip would come as the United States and China try to put relations on an even keel after a rocky start following the election of President Donald Trump, as well as amid heightened tension over North Korea following the killing in Malaysia of the half-brother of its leader. A US State Department spokesman said: We dont have any travel to announce at this time. The Japanese and South Korean and foreign ministries could not be reached for comment. Chinas Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Japans Kyodo news agency, citing diplomatic sources, said Tillerson was expected in Japan on March 17-18 and would meet Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. Tillerson and Kishida were likely to discuss the timing of a visit to Japan by Trump, Kyodo cited its sources as saying. In China, Tillerson would meet Foreign Ministry Wang Yi and possibly President Xi Jinping, Kyodo reported, adding that the two sides were expected to arrange a meeting in the United States between Xi and Trump for as early as April. Tillerson and Wang spoke by telephone last month, when they affirmed the importance of a constructive US-China relationship. Tillerson last month urged China to do all it could to moderate North Koreas destabilising behaviour after its latest in a series of ballistic missile tests. Trump, who has attacked China on issues from trade to the South China Sea, met Chinas top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, last month, his first face-to-face talks with a member of the Chinese leadership. The White House said at the time the meeting was a chance to discuss shared security interests and a possible meeting with President Xi. In Seoul, Tillerson is expected to meet Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se. They will likely discuss North Koreas weapons programme as well as the recent murder of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kyodo reported. South Korean intelligence and US officials say the murder in Malaysia was an assassination organised by North Korean agents. Reuters The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has called for a state-wide dharna and protest to demand the ouster of Bihar minister Abdul Jalil Mastan. By Rohit Kumar Singh: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has called for a state-wide dharna and protest to demand the ouster of Bihar minister Abdul Jalil Mastan, who called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "Naxal" and a "Dacoit" at a Congress-organized Jan Vedna rally in Purnea on February 22. Mastan has since apologised for his comments. By calling for the dharna, the NDA has effectively stepped up pressure on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to sack his ministerial colleague. advertisement NDA leaders have fanned out across the state, and will stage dharnas at all district headquarters. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that although Chief Minister Nitish maintains that he neither frames nor protects anyone, he's shielding Mastan and not expelling him from his cabinet. "The Minister has said that he was not present at the rally on the day, so what is the purpose of him apologising for his tirade against the PM," asked senior BJP leader Sushil Modi. The BJP alleged that the nation's sentiments were hurt by the insult to the PM, and have threatened to carry on with their agitation in the street, as well as inside the Assembly. For the last three days, the NDA hasn't allowed the Assembly to function as a result of the Mastan issue. ALSO READ: Bihar minister, who encouraged supporters to beat PM Modi's photo with slippers, apologises Bihar minister asks crowd to beat PM Modi's photo with slippers; BJP demands his explusion from cabinet WATCH VIDEO: WATCH: Bihar minister calls PM Modi 'dacoit', hits his photo with slippers --- ENDS --- The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre, Medical Council of India, Dental Council and CBSE on a petition filed by the SIO to include Urdu as one of the languages in which students can respond to questions in the NEET exam. By Harish V Nair: If Student Islamic Organisation (SIO) has its way, very soon students will be able to appear for NEET, the top medical entrance exam, with Urdu too, as a medium. The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre, Medical Council of India, Dental Council and CBSE on a petition filed by the SIO to include Urdu as one of the languages in which students can respond to questions in the NEET exam. HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Till now apart from English and Hindi, the other languages in which the exam is permitted are Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese, Telugu,Tamil and Kannada. SIO's lawyer contended that earlier there was no request from any state to allow Urdu as medium but of late Maharashtra and Telengana has come up with such a demand and that should be taken note of. A bench headed by Justice Kurian Joseph took this fact into consideration while issuing the notice. The organisation said that the decision to not include Urdu is unjustified and biased toward students who complete their higher secondary and senior secondary education in Urdu medium. The Ministry has so far added 10 different languages to the list of languages in which NEET exam will be conducted this year. The organisation said that this seemed to be a selective discrimination toward a language despite repeated representation. The organisation explained that currently Urdu stands at number six among the languages spoken in India. It is also listed in Schedule VIII of the Indian Constitution. The organisation said that a large number of students study science in Urdu language and NCERT too prints its textbooks in Urdu. In support of its arguments, SIO said that Gujarati, Kannada, Oriya, and Assamese, the seventh, eighth, tenth, and twelfth most spoken languages in India respectively have been included as options of medium for appearing in the exam. The organisation highlighted that a huge number of students study science in Urdu language in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana etc. The state governments have also made requests to the Union Health Ministry to include Urdu as one of the language medium. SIO said that the exclusion of Urdu deprives a large populace from appearing in the exam. They are either forced to appear in a language which they did not opt for during secondary education or not appear in the exam at all. This leaves them with very less options to pursue medical education as NEET is going to be the only entrance exam to be conducted for admission to courses in Medical Institutes in India. --- ENDS --- advertisement Australian Story delves into the unsolved murder of Perth brothel owner Shirley Finn, killed in 1975, ahead of an expected coronial inquiry. I didnt know this would become the most intriguing murder case in Western Australias history. Terry Willesee, journalist When Shirley Finns body was found slumped in the front seat of her Dodge, with four bullet holes to the back of her head, there was no doubt it was a professional hit. But the question remains, who did it and why? Rumours of police and political involvement in the June 1975 murder have swirled around the case from the outset, some believing that Shirley Finn was silenced after threatening to reveal the secrets of powerful figures in Western Australia. In Monday nights episode of Australian Story, we hear for the first time from Jacqueline, an acquaintance of Shirley Finn, about the brothel madams fears and the reported threat made against her by a senior police officer just days before her death: He told me to shut my mouth, watch what I said or bang. Shirley Finns daughter Bridget Shewring was a schoolgirl at the time of the killing. She has been tormented by the failure to find her mothers killer and fought tirelessly for an independent inquiry. There are people out there who know who murdered my mother. Id like to see them brought to justice. Bridget Shewring, daughter In 2004 her hopes of an inquiry were buoyed when she met journalist Juliet Wills, who had begun investigating her mothers murder. The more I learned about Shirley Finn the more disturbed I became about the level of corruption in this story. Juliet Wills, journalist and author A decade later, Juliet has interviewed dozens of people about the murder. She recently handed startling new evidence to authorities in a successful attempt to secure the coronial inquest Bridget so desperately wanted. This program includes interviews with people who knew Shirley Finn, most of whom are speaking publicly for the first time in the hope of encouraging others to come forward to assist the upcoming inquiry. The date of the coronial inquiry has yet to be set. It is expected to commence later this year. 8 pm Monday 6 March on ABC. Seaside crime drama The Coroner has been axed by the BBC. The series, which airs as a daytime drama in the UK, screens in Australia on ABC. BBC said in a statement, After two fantastic series, The Coroner wont be returning as we look for opportunities to bring through new programmes for the BBC1 daytime audience. Wed like to thank the brilliant cast and production team for all of their hard work. The series stars Claire Goose as single mum Jane Kennedy who returns to her hometown of Lighthaven in south Devon to investigate murders alongside former childhood sweetheart Detective Sergeant Davey Higgins (Matt Bardock). ABC is yet to screen the second season. Source: Radio Times In 2014 the first season of the searing UK mystery The Missing we were there every step of the way as Tony Hughes (James Nesbitt) searched aimlessly for this kidnapped son Oliver, with Detective Julien Baptiste (Tcheky Karyo). Despite its vague, some might say unsatisfying, ending the series returns with a new case and new characters, save for Baptiste as the anthology link. Turning 180 degrees, our story now opens with the unexpected arrival of a missing girl, 11 years after her disappearance. Its an approach 2016 UK drama Thirteen also took -and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt tackled with comedy. The backdrop is a British military base in Germany, 2014. Alice Webster (Abigail Hardingham) stumbles into the town square, barefoot and dazed before collapsing. Her parents Gemma (Keeley Hawes) and Capt. Sam Webster (David Morrissey) cannot believe the news they had long given up on: Alice is alive. With son Matthew (Jake Davies), the family struggle to deal with a range of emotions. Is this Alice? How is it possible? Where had she been? 11 years weve waited. I cant believe it, says Gemma. French detective Julien Baptiste is contacted when German authorities realise Alice was held hostage with another missing girl, Sophie Giroux, one of Baptistes unsolved cases. Despite his years in retirement, he cannot help but involve himself in a case that may yield answers and closure. But writers Harry and Jack Williams never take the easy options with their work. The Missing takes place across two time periods, asking the audience to keep up with its layered tapestry. They only reveal jigsaw pieces of their complex tale and if the first season was any indication, there will be plenty of twists in store. Tcheky Karyo is once again wonderfully introspective as Baptiste, bringing gravitas and flaws to a role that rises above routine crime hero. Keeley Hawes ensures we empathise with a mother whose world has upended, David Morrissey signals how far these ricochets have impacted his life, and Jake Davies suppresses the anger of a teenage brother and son. Director Ben Chanan, who helms all 8 episodes of this saga, roots us in an icy forest setting, and fills the screen with striking scenery. The Missing remains gets off to a dense and satisfying opening. Highly recommended. The Missing premieres 8:30pm tonight on BBC First. According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the mastermind of the Holey Artisan cafe attack in Gulshan, Tamim Chowdhury, who was killed in Narayanganj drive, joined hands with Kashem and formed Neo JMB in Bangladesh in 2013. By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have arrested banned militant outfit Neo JMB's spiritual leader Maulana Abul Kashem. At a press briefing on Friday, Counter-terrorism unit chief Monirul Islam said, Kashem was arrested from Dhaka's Senparha Parbata area around 11 pm on Thursday. Kashem was working as a principle at a Madrasha in Dinajpur's Ranibandar area, said police. According to DMP, the mastermind of the Holey Artisan cafe attack in Gulshan, Tamim Chowdhury, who was killed in Narayanganj drive, joined hands with Kashem and formed Neo JMB in Bangladesh in 2013. advertisement Police claimed that Kashem was involved with the mainstream JMB since 1998. He made the outfit more violent by using his own ideology in the context of Bangladesh in different activities of the organisation. He also led the outfit for some time after its chief Maulana Saidur Rahman was arrested in 2009. A number of top Neo JMB leaders including its chief Tamim Chowdhury, Nurul Islam Marjan, Sohel Mahfuz and northern regional commander Rajib Gandhi were his followers. Also Read: Bangladesh: Dhaka Police arrests main arms supplier of Gulshan Cafe terror attack Previously, the police had been trying to arrest him on the basis of the information provided by the arrested militants. Police also claimed that Kashem has written three books on religious extremism, Dawlar Asal Roop, Jihad Keno Korben and Islami Basanta. These books were mandatory in the training of Neo JMB recruits. CTTC chief Monirul Islam said before joining Neo JMB, Kashem was acting as an ameer of one portion of banned militant organisation JMB. Before being killed, Neo JMB leader Tamim took advice from him, Monirul told our Dhaka correspondent. Monirul also said, Maulana Kashem was involved in several attacks of the JMB and Neo JMB. Involvement of Kashem came out during the investigation and in the testimony given by many arrested JMB members. He was also known as 'Boro Hujur' among JMB members and top leaders. Earlier, on July 1, last year, militants attacked Holey Artisan cafe in the capital's Gulshan area and killed 20 people including 17 foreigners. Watch Video: Neo JMB's spiritual leader Maulana Abul Kashem arrested in Dhaka --- ENDS --- Howard University students protested during the celebration of the school's 150th anniversary. Students expressed their concerns about the school president's relationship with the Trump administration. On Monday, Howard University president Wayne Frederick met with President Trump along with other presidents of historically black colleges across the nation. The Washington Post reported that Vice President Mike Pence also met with the HBCU leaders and praised them on how they "transformed lives through education." Pence admitted that he and Trump admire the contributions that HBCUs have provided to American students. He also said that the Trump administration will continue its commitment in making sure that historically black colleges and universities are given the credit and attention that they deserve. The Associated Press, via WBRC Fox 6 News added that, on Tuesday, President Trump has signed an executive order which focused on his commitment to the welfare of HBCUs. He also said that the schools will get top priority at the White House. HBCU leaders are hoping that Congress will reinforce President Trump's actions in strengthening the schools with increased funding. They are hoping for an allocation of $25 billion for infrastructure, college readiness and financial aid, among others. Meanwhile, students at Howard University are protesting against President Frederick's meeting with Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, according to NBC Washington. The school's celebration of its 150th anniversary was filled with tension as students voiced out their concerns against the school president. Some feel blindsided about what Frederick had done and are urging him to be more transparent to students. There are still students, though, who disagreed with the protests. Moreover, students want the Howard University administration to reject any additional federal funding that would be the result of Trump's executive order, WAMU noted. Some students who believe that the Trump administration stands for fascism and call on the university to stand for something. A 47-year-old man has been arrested after a bomb threat that targets Muslim students at Concordia University was revealed. The risk led to the forced evacuation of three buildings at the school's downtown campus. At 2 a.m. ET on Thursday, a police team and canine unit searched an apartment on Darlington Avenue in Cote-des-Neiges, CBC reported. Three buildings were evacuated after a letter was sent to several media outlets suggesting that bombs would be set off at the engineering, computer science and visual arts integrated (EV) complex as well as the Hall building. Evacuation of the EV complex and the Hall building started on 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Concordia University announced by 12:07 p.m. that the Guy-De Maisonneuve (GM) building, which is connected to the EV building, will also be evacuated. The authorities were unable to find anything suspicious during their search. The buildings were reopened Wednesday afternoon and evening classes as well as midterm exams pushed through. The letter was allegedly from a group named the Council of Conservative Citizens of Canada (C4). They complained about Muslim students at the university. The suspect said that explosive items were placed inside the buildings. Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard expressed his worry about everyone's safety when he heard about the letter. He described the bomb threat as "a despicable act" that must be "condemned by all of society." Concordia University spokesperson Chris Mota admitted that they were made aware of the bomb threat at around 9 a.m. They immediately contacted Montreal police and cooperated with the officials. According to the National Post, the suspect Hisham Saadi made an appearance at the Montreal courthouse on Thursday afternoon via video conference from Bordeaux Prison. He faced charges of inciting fear of terrorist activities, issuing a death threat as well as interrupting the students and personnel of Concordia University from their activities. No explosives or related materials were found at Saadi's apartment. Concordia president Alan Shepherd said that they are relieved that the bomb threat suspect has been arrested. By Press Trust of India: Srinagar, Mar 4 (PTI) No rules were bent for the appointment of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelanis grandson as research officer, an autonomous body of Jammu and Kashmirs Tourism department said here today. Reacting to media reports in a national daily today, the spokesman for Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) said proper selection procedure was followed in the appointment. advertisement The post for the research officer was advertised on October 3 last year for which 196 applications were received. Out of these, interview letters were sent out to 35 candidates, he said. The interviews for the post were held in November last following which Anees-ul-Islam, grandson of Geelani was selected. Anees had topped the merit list prepared by the five-member interview panel, the spokesman said. He said the SKICC had received the clearance from the state Criminal Investigation Department late last month, and nothing adverse was found against Anees. "The selection was done in a transparent manner and anyone can access the files as well as the notings through an RTI," the spokesman added. PTI SKL SRY --- ENDS --- Tom Campbell North Carolina's Constitution is essentially a social contract between the people and its government.Former House Speaker Joe Mavretic has long maintained that every generation should review and renew that social contract but it's been almost 50 years, more than a generation, since such a review was undertaken.The 1971 Constitution of North Carolina was the culmination of a process that began in 1967, when the North Carolina State Bar conducted a study into possible changes. After many months of deliberation a draft constitution was proposed, presented to the General Assembly which, after lengthy debate and many votes, in 1969 overwhelmingly passed it and asked voters to affirm the new Constitution in November 1970. It passed by a 61 percent margin and took effect in 1971.Since that time we have added more than 20 amendments. Some include allowing the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to serve two consecutive four-year terms, requiring that the legislature pass a balanced state budget, permitting the governor the veto power (one of the last states in the nation to do so), requiring that all judges be lawyers and allowing state income taxes to be computed on the same basis as the federal income tax. Some amendments removed articles, such as the elimination of the poll or capitation tax and removing the limits for computation of property taxes. The latest amendment, in 2012, was Amendment One, the so-called "same sex" provision. It stated the only recognized domestic union in our state was a marriage between one man and one woman, an amendment declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014.Almost every session of the General Assembly sees further amendments proposed and the 2017 session is no exception. No less than four are currently being discussed, including capping the personal income tax rate at 5.5 percent, changing the method by which members of the State Board of Education are selected, limiting the powers of both state and local government to take private property for public purposes (Eminent Domain) and repealing Article 1, Section 4 of the current Constitution prohibiting our state from seceding from the United States.In recent years we have seen a large increase in the number of court cases requiring our judiciary to interpret our Constitution. Coupled with the fact it has been a long time since the entire document was reviewed and so many amendments have been added it is now time to demand a top to bottom re-examination of this essential document that defines the functions of our government, duties of various officials and our rights as citizens.Constitutional changes are a serious proposition that demand reasoned deliberations, input from many voices and considerations as to the impact changes might have. The State Bar could once again be the group to study and recommend revisions to our Constitution, sending them to our legislature for further debate and approval. This process would likely take some years to complete, but we strongly suggest that our state and its people would be better served to do so instead of continuing the practice of piecemeal amendments.Some of the currently proposed amendments might have merit, but there is no urgent argument why they could and should not wait until the entire Constitution undergoes scrutiny and revision. Let us urge our lawmakers to initiate such a process rather than stringing even more amendments to a 46-year-old document. Radha Ravi in the right, is facing a lot of flak owing to his derogatory remark By Akshaya Nath: March 1 saw state wide celebration by the DMK as part of DMK's acting President MK Stalin's birthday. However, it was actor-politician Radha Ravi's insensitive speech which grabbed the limelight and that too for all the wrong reasons. Ravi who last week rejoined Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), mocked DMK's political rivals using a metaphor that has generated a widespread negative opinion. advertisement In his speech he mocked disabled children and made facial expression insulting them and also, called political parties like the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), disabled children who want to play with normal children. DISABILITY GROUPS LAMENT APATHY OF MINISTERS The disability groups and organizations, who have taken this issue seriously protested outside Ravi's residence and demanded that the actor-politician apologises for his behaviour. Talking to India Today, Deepak Nathan, Vice President of Disabled Federation said that the comments made were derogatory and uncalled for. He said, "Radha Ravi was speaking in a derogatory manner about Ramadoss and Vaiko by sighting an analogy and acting like a disabled person on stage. It was very very bad and he has disgraced disabled people and watching that has brought tears in our eyes." Talking about the insensitivity with which disabled people are treated in the state by politicians, Deepak said, "It is not new in Tamil Nadu politics and there have been many instances where disabled persons have been ridiculing disability. We want an FIR registered against Ravi and we have submitted a petition at the the Teynampet police station. We have done a hartal and dharna. Radha Ravi says that he is trying to apologise, let him apologise in the court of law we are not going to leave this matter". PMK CONDEMNS RAVI'S STINT The PMK which was one of the party that was mocked by Ravi was also highly critical of the act. PMK spokesperson, Vinobha said, "Radha Ravi's statement is malicious and one like hurting the sentiments of disabled people, who are the children of god, and we from the PMK condemn such a statement. Radha Ravi has recently joined the party and hence he is making all the noise to get attention. Only will he apologise only then these people will forgive him. The parties in the state should act in a matured manner and refrain from such talks." Radha Ravi who was with the AIADMK and even won the assembly election from Saidapet constituency in 2001 joined the DMK on February 28, on the day of his mother's death anniversary. advertisement Speaking to the media after joining the DMK in the presence of the acting president MK Stalin, Ravi said, "Only the DMK will win the elections in the state in future. AIADMK is not there now. Only Stalin has a present and future". ALSO READ| Nadigar Sangam: Vishal recommends expulsion of Sarath Kumar, Radha Ravi --- ENDS --- The agenda of today's protest was action against the alleged ABVP violence, freedom of speech and expression on campus and justice for Rohith Vemula. By Shalini Lobo: Over 700 people gathered at Mandi House for an all Citizen's March against the alleged ABVP violence that broke out on February 22 at Ramjas College. Protesters, including teachers from the Delhi University Teachers Union, students and activists affiliated with the AISA and SFI, demanded the arrest of perpetrators involved in the violence. The main agenda of the demonstration was to punish those responsible for the violence on Delhi University. "The ABVP goons responsible for beating up students and teachers must be punished. We want peace on campus," said Jayshree a students from Delhi university. advertisement Political leaders like Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, KC Tyagi, Yogendra Yadav, activists like Kavita Krishnan and students including Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Sheila Rashid, who were found in the nationalism storm last year, were also part of the demonstration. IT's A PROTEST OF ALL CITIZENS: LEFT LEADER "This is not a protest of Left parties. It is a protest of all citizens who are against the violence of ABVP", said Kavita Krishnan, a prominent Leftist leader who also participated in the march. "Every dictator has oppressed the voices against him, terming them anti-national. The ABVP is doing the same in our universities", Krishnan added. "We will definitely take the matter up in Parliament. The BJP is trying to take over the autonomy of the Delhi University and destroy the social and secular fabric of campuses," said KC Tyagi of the JD(U). "Students have the right to say what they want and write what they want. Let courts decide if it is national or anti-national. Ideologies should not be suppressed. You can agree or disagree with it. And now people are on the streets because they need freedom of speech and expression which is their fundamental right," said Kanhaiya Kumar, who faced sedition charges when he was caught in the middle of the nationalism storm last year. The agenda of today's protest was action against the alleged ABVP violence, freedom of speech and expression on campus and justice for Rohith Vemula. (WITH INPUTS FROM ABHISHEK ANAND) Also Read: Two ABVP members out of party for 'indiscipline' Delhi: SFI holds demonstration against ABVP, demands action against 'goons' --- ENDS --- Entrepreneur and Keeping up with the Kardashians television personality Scott Disick will kick off the grand opening celebration month of Sugar Factory American Brasseries newest location at the Fashion Show in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 18. The candy themed event will take place from 6-8 p.m. French label Balenciaga said it was making "radical changes to the casting process" after scores of models were forced to wait in a cramped stairway for hours at Paris Fashion Week. (Photo: AFP/Patrick Kovarik) Maida Gregori Boina - a major backstage figure on the Paris fashion scene - denied accusations that she locked at least 150 women in the stairway in the dark while she left to eat. She described the allegations against her and her associate Rami Fernandes as "inaccurate and libellous". The pair were sacked by Balenciaga hours after an Instagram post by rival US casting director James Scully denounced them as "serial abusers", claiming their treatment of the models was "sadistic and cruel". The furore has highlighted how vulnerable even relatively top level models can be at "cattle call" castings for the elite catwalk shows in Paris, New York and Milan. Boina denied that she had turned off the lights on the waiting models, blaming an electricity cut late on Sunday at Balenciaga's Paris headquarters. "The models did not wait for three hours in the dark, not even one hour," she wrote in an email to the Business of Fashion website. "We ate our lunch in the casting facility and we did not lock the models in the stairwell and turn out the lights. That would be completely inhumane. 'TIP OF THE ICEBERG' "Throughout the entire process, we provided the most comfortable accommodations allowable based on the facilities provided," she added. And Boina accused Scully of "misrepresented the facts for personal career gain". Scully responded by ramping up his allegations against Boina and Rami, and insisting that the Balenciaga incident on Sunday was only the tip of the iceberg in a modelling industry rife with abuse. Several models told AFP that they were forced to wait in a hot and airless stairway for between two and three-and-a-half hours with no access to a toilet. They also claimed the door had been closed on them and the lights turned off. Balenciaga, one of the most influential brands on the catwalk at the moment, said it was making "radical changes to the casting process" after the incident. "Balenciaga condemns this incident and will continue to be deeply committed to ensure the most respectful working conditions for the models," it added in a statement. A spokesman declined to respond to Boina's claim that the fault lay with the brand. Despite the code of silence that permeates the fashion business, several leading models took to social media to condemn the way they are their colleagues are treated at castings. Synam, the French model agency union, also told AFP that it been warnings for years about the "deteriorating situation". "Things have to change. Sometimes we let things go too far before we open our eyes to what is going on," its president, Isabelle Saint-Felix, said. Young talent: Conductor Niklas Benjamin Hoffmann (centre) speaks with local media at a press conference in Ha Noi yesterday. The German winner of the 14th Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition in 2016 will conduct the LSO concert tonight. Photo courtesy of the organiser Its a huge pleasure for the LSO to come to Viet Nam. As we know that we are the first British orchestra to perform in this country, all the musicians of the LSO, its the real joy to visit your very beautiful country, she said. McDowell also expressed her appreciation for the concert organisers, including the sponsor national carrier Vietnam Airlines, and concert producer Thanh Viet Production. There is a growing link between our two countries and we are thrilled that you have been the ones to bring the orchestra and celebrate the culture exchange between Great Britain and Viet Nam, McDowell said. That is the way we look forward to the future by sharing our cultural experiences together and enhance our understanding through culture, she added. McDowell stressed that the LSOs aim is to bring the greatest music to the widest possible audiences, and here in Ha Noi, the orchestra will be able to extend that idea to audiences in Viet Nam. Each year we have a large open-air performance in Trafalgar Square in London, so this is a similar event that we hope will bring musical passion to thousands of people in Ha Noi. For health reason, Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan will not be able to conduct tonights performance as announced in an earlier press release. Instead, Niklas Benjamin Hoffmann German winner of the 14th Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition in 2016, will take up the baton. Attending the press conference yesterday, the 27-year-old conductor seemed shy when speaking with local media. He expressed his delight to be in Ha Noi together with the famous LSO. Under Hoffmanns baton, who has experience working with some of the most important orchestras in Germany, including the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Weimar, and the Leipzig Central German Radio Symphony Orchestra, the 95-member LSO will open the concert with Vietnamese national anthem, Tien Quan Ca (The Marching Song) by Van Cao. The concert will continue with the overture Festive by Russian composer Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich, following by interludes Four Sea (Movements 1, 2, 4) by British Benjamin Britten. The repertoire will also feature Symphony No 2 by Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff, with which conductor Hoffmann won the LSO Conducting Competition last November. According to the concert organiser, alongside the main stage which has been set up on Ly Thai To Square by Hoan Kiem Lake, the concert will be shown to an even larger audience via three 400-inch screens placed at both ends of inh Tien Hoang Street and in ong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square. Weve got a fantastic set up in the square, a wonderful sound system, so I think everyone will be able to enjoy it, said LSO managing director McDowell. Before the performance by the LSO, which will start at 7.45pm and last until 9.30pm, the Ha Noi-based Maius Philharmonic Viet Nams only private symphony orchestra, conducted by Luu Quang Minh, will take to the stage for a 30-minute show. German Chancellor Angela Merkel awaits the arrival of the new European Parliament President Antonio Tajani at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, February 24, 2017. photo source; REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke "Such a plan is in the works," the source said. Separately, government spokesman Steffen Seibert added that "we are not denying" reports of the planned meeting. NFG advises the State to consider lowering price-composing factors such as import tariffs and value added tax rates to reduce the price of milk formula products for children under six years of age.- Photo congan.com.vn The NFG suggested that the State allows the return to market-based pricing. This proposal is a part of the 2017 White Book released in Ha Noi on Wednesday. Under decisions 1079/QD-BTC and 857/QD-BTC issued by the finance ministry in 2014 and 2015, respectively, a price ceiling was imposed on milk products for children under six years of age from June 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016. The NFG has proposed that the Government refrain from controlling the prices of these products by extending the existing price ceiling or through additional controls. The States intervention in the business activities of enterprises through administrative measures such as price ceiling run counter to its aspiration to achieve a full market economy, it said. We are concerned that such measures not only impact the business performance of enterprises in the short- to medium-term, but also affect long-term trade and investment prospects in general. The Governments interference in the business decisions of enterprises sends a negative signal to investors that Viet Nams investment climate is not genuinely stable, open or integrated, the NFG said. As per data released by market research company AC Nielsen in July 2015, the market for formula milk for children under six shrunk by 11 per cent in the 12 months after Decision 1079 was implemented. This might have been caused by the negative psychological impact the price ceiling had on consumer behaviour. Furthermore, up to 60 per cent of the public report that they have experienced moderate to no benefit from the states price intervention measures, the AC Nielsen report said. According to the NFG, since the price ceiling regulation was put in place in 2014, many costs have increased, such as Viet Nams ong exchange rate and the cost of electricity and labour, all of which impact milk manufacturers and distributors. In this context, one of the biggest international milk companies decided to exit the Vietnamese market in 2016. The group said the Government should clarify the objectives and the intended beneficiaries of its price control measures. When necessary, it should impose price stabilisation measures for a restricted period of time and only on essential products that are needed to meet the basic needs of the people, as stipulated in the Law on Pricing. With regard to the milk formula market, the Government should not control the prices of products in the mid-tier and premium segments. It should impose price stabilisation measures only on the economy segment to improve low-income consumers access to these products, the NFG said. The State must consider lowering price-composing factors such as import tariffs (5 per cent for imports from ASEAN and 10 per cent for other countries, which is higher than in other countries in the region) and value added tax rates to reduce the price of milk formula products for children under six years of age, it advised. There are an estimated 888 milk products across the premium, mid-tier and economy segments, offering an incredibly diverse selection of products to meet the diverse needs of Vietnamese consumers. By Press Trust of India: Indus meet doesnt amount to Indo-Pak talks resumption: India New Delhi, Mar 3 (PTI) India today downplayed its participation in an upcoming meeting in Pakistan to discuss various aspects of the Indus Waters Treaty, saying it does not amount to resumption of government-level Indo-Pak talks, which have been stalled over terrorist strikes by Pak-based groups. advertisement Senior government officials insisted the Permanent Indus Commission, which will meet in Lahore later this month, deals with technical matters concerning implementation of the Indus Water Treaty and not with any political aspect. Indias participation comes nearly six months after New Delhi decided to suspend talks on the pact in the wake of the terror strikes by groups based across the border. Noting that the commission has met 112 times since 1960, they said the Indian representative to the commission has accepted an invitation by his Pakistani counterpart for the meeting. No date has been set for the meeting. "Mutually convenient dates and mutually agreeable agenda are worked out directly by the commissioners themselves and the government has no role in this regard," said a senior government official. "The commission is not concerned with political aspects," he said, adding that "there is no shift" in the governments stance. Declaring that "blood and water cannot flow together", Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a meeting in September to review the treaty in the backdrop of the terror strikes, including the Uri attack. After the meeting, officials had announced that the government has decided to suspend further talks and increase the utilisation of rivers flowing through Jammu and Kashmir to fully exercise Indias rights under the pact. The last meeting of the commission was held in May 2015. The commission, which has officials from both the countries as its members, was set up under the 57-year-old treaty to discuss and resolve issues relating to its implementation. The commission is a body entrusted with everyday implementation of the IWT, which mandates it to meet at least once every year, alternately in India and Pakistan. PTI PYK VJ SC ZMN --- ENDS --- Imagine if all this happened during Obama's first weeks in office 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 Unless new antibiotics are developed quickly, people will once again die from common infections. The World Health Organization on Feb. 27 issued an urgent call for scientists to develop these new drugs, and for governments to fund the research. VOA's Carol Pearson reports. Scientists and engineers are constantly looking for more efficient ways to harvest energy from sustainable sources, such as the sun, wind, ocean waves and river flows. Researchers from Brown University have teamed up with a company from Rhode Island to build an innovative power generator suitable for slow-flowing rivers and tidal canals. VOA's George Putic reports. Keeping the Chinese economy steaming ahead is a priority for China's Communist Party leaders. That issue and others will be topics in the coming days when China hosts high-level political meetings in Beijing. To better understand some of the challenges the world's second-largest economy faces, VOA's Bill Ide visited Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province in China's northeastern rust belt. The CPI-M has asked the Kerala government to register a case against RSS leader Kundan Chandrawat, who declared a Rs 1 crore bounty for beheading Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. By India Today Web Desk: The Communist Party of India - Marxist on Saturday asked the party-led Kerala government to register a case against Madhya Pradesh Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Kundan Chandrawat, who declared a Rs 1 crore bounty for beheading Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the Vijayan government has no option but to register a case, as he did not expect any action from the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh, where the speech was made. advertisement "Even the NIA (National Investigation Agency) can go forward and register a case, but that also won't happen because the country is ruled by the BJP and hence no case would be registered," Balakrishnan said. "So, we (the CPI-M) have asked the Kerala government to register a case against the RSS leader given the graveness of his comment, as it could have an impact in our state," said Balakrishnan, who's a former Home Minister. He said that the RSS taking action against Chandrawat wasn't enough and that in the larger interest, a case should be registered. The RSS leader was stripped of his posts on Friday, following a huge public outcry. On March 1, Chandrawat declared the bounty in the presence of BJP MP Chintaman Malviya, BJP MLA Mohan Yadav and other RSS leaders. The video of the incident went viral. On Thursday, Chandrawat said he didn't regret his remarks. The Kerala unit of the RSS, on its part, claimed Chandrawat didn't speak for the organisation. (Inputs from IANS) ALSO READ : RSS leader retracts statement on Kerala CM; expresses regret WATCH VIDEO: RSS leader relieved of duties after offering Rs 1 crore to behead Kerala CM --- ENDS --- Ive been doing this work for 20 years, and weve never seen anything like that many bomb threats in a row, Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center told VOA recently, referring to a string of some 100 threats made to Jewish organizations since January. At least three Jewish cemeteries were attacked in the past two weeks, in St. Louis, Missouri; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Rochester, New York, in a case discovered March 3. In all cases, headstones of Jewish graves were knocked over or defaced. Hundreds of headstones were damaged, including some dating back to the 1800s. On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Juan Thompson, 31, on suspicion of making bomb threats to several Jewish community centers as well as the New York-based Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy organization that tracks anti-Semitic attacks. The ADL evacuated its offices in New York February 22 and in San Francisco February 27 because of bomb threats. Also Friday, FBI officials met with members of the Jewish community in New York to discuss the anti-Semitic threats. The group of Jewish organizations in attendance released a statement thanking the FBI for its extraordinary effort investigating the threats. Trump speaks out President Donald Trump began his first speech to Congress Tuesday with a rare reference to the crisis. Recent threats against Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last weeks shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms, Trump said. Trump then moved on to other topics. Critics said he should have spent more time on the issue and laid out an action plan to discourage further threats. The Trump administration drew criticism in January for a Holocaust remembrance statement that failed to make specific mention of Jews. Instead, it commemorated the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust. White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks later explained to CNN, We took into account all of those who suffered, political prisoners, homosexuals, gypsies, Poles, disabled people, and many others as well as Jews. Pence tours former concentration camp While Trump, whose daughter and son-in-law are Jewish, has said little about the threats and attacks, Vice President Mike Pence made two high-profile appearances last month in support of the Jewish community. On February 19 while on a visit to Germany, Pence toured the former Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. A few days later, he visited the St. Louis cemetery in the United States where nearly 200 Jewish gravestones were vandalized. In a speech in Washington, Trump called the St. Louis attack a horrible and painful act. Pence echoed that, calling the vandalism vile. He said the administration condemns it in the strongest terms. He praised the people of St. Louis for rallying around the Jewish community after the attack. There is no place in America for hatred, prejudice, or acts of violence, or anti-Semitism, Pence said. Public figures called to do more Professor Steven Goldstein, national director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, told VOA Trump should focus on the threats with a televised speech centered on hate crimes. The president should give a prime-time, televised address outlining specifically what he will do to combat not just anti-Semitism, but all forms of hatred, including Islamophobia, racism, anti-Mexican sentiment, sexism, anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual) bias, and prejudice against the differently abled, he said. Goldstein said public figures have an influence on other peoples behavior and a responsibility to set a good example. When we turn away from calling out hate, he said, and when we deny or refuse, as Donald Trump did, refuse to include Jews in his Holocaust remembrance statement a few weeks ago, and dug in his heels when we pointed it out, that helps create an incubator of hate in America. Unless our leaders speak out for justice, he said, there will be some elements in this country that will take [the lack of official comment] as a permission to do the very worst that human impulse can do. Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center agreed, noting that President George Bush handled anti-Muslim attitudes very differently after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Immediately after 9/11 in late 2001, President Bush repeatedly made the statement that Arabs are not our enemy, Muslims are not our enemy, Potok said. He also did symbolic things like stand in the National Cathedral with an imam. Potok pointed out that anti-Muslim hate crimes fell dramatically the following year, from 481 in 2001, to just 155 in 2002. On February 27 the Anti-Defamation League released a suggested action plan for the Trump administration to bolster its position on hate crimes. The plan calls for a federal interagency task force on fighting hate crimes, a president-appointed White House coordinator for fighting hate crimes, and presidential support for federal and state funding designed to protect students from discrimination on college campuses and in public schools. Perhaps most notable, however, is the plans final point, in the words of ADL national director Jonathan Greenblatt: The president and his Cabinet must make the point to call out bigotry at every opportunity. ... All our leaders must call out hate whenever and wherever it appears. Paula Fox, a prize-winning author who created high art out of imagined chaos in such novels as Poor George and Desperate Characters and out of the real-life upheavals in her memoir Borrowed Finery, has died at age 93. Her daughter, Linda Carroll, told The Associated Press that Fox died Wednesday at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. She had been in failing health. Abandoned as a girl by her parents, a single mother before age 20, Fox used finely crafted prose to write again and again about breakdown and disruption, what happens under the surface of things. In Poor George, her debut novel, Fox told of a bored schoolteacher and the teen vagrant who upends his life. Desperate Characters, her most highly regarded work of fiction, is a portrait of New York Citys civic and domestic decline in the 1960s, a plague symbolized by the bite of a stray cat. It seems to me that in life, behind all these names and things and people and forces, theres a dark energy, Fox told The Associated Press in 2011. Late-life revival Her work was out of print for years, but she enjoyed a late-life revival thanks to the admiration of such younger authors as Jonathan Franzen, David Foster Wallace and Jonathan Lethem. She lived for decades in Brooklyn and was a revered figure in the New York City boroughs thriving literary community. Her other books included the novels A Servants Tale, The Western Coast and a memoir about living in Europe after World War II, The Coldest Winter. Fox also wrote more than a dozen childrens books, including The Slave Dancer, winner of the Newbery medal in 1974. Borrowed Finery, published in 2001, was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle award. She might have written more novels, but a head injury sustained from a mugging in Jerusalem in the 1990s left her unable to write long fiction. She instead began working on memoirs and shorter pieces. Difficult childhood Born in New York City in 1923, Fox was the daughter of novelist-screenwriter Paul Fox and fellow screenwriter Elsie Fox. Paula Fox remembered her father as a drunk given to interminable, stumbling descriptions of the ways in which he and fellow writers tried to elude domesticity. Her mother was a sociopath who kicked her out of the house as a young girl. Fox lived everywhere from a plantation in Cuba to a boarding school in Montreal. Living in Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s, she danced with John Wayne and encountered John Barrymore, yellowing with age like the ivory keys of a very old piano. Marlon Brando was a friend, and Courtney Love is her granddaughter, born to Carroll, whom a 19-year-old Fox gave up for adoption. Her brother-in-law, Clement Greenberg, was among the 20th centurys most influential art critics. Although a devoted reader since childhood, she didnt publish until past 40. She worked for years as a teacher and as a tutor for troubled children and was married briefly for a second time, to Richard Sigerson, with whom she had two sons. She finally settled down with her third husband, translator and Commentary editor Martin Greenberg, whom she met after he had rejected a story she submitted for the magazine. On a Friday night in September 2014, Boko Haram fighters attacked the village of Guza in northeastern Nigeria, killing and kidnapping young boys as they burned homes and looted. Ismael, now 15, survived that night of terror and hid in his house for 40 days, afraid that if he ventured outside for even a moment, terrorists would abduct him the fate that has befallen many other boys in his region. My elder sister advised me to dress like a girl and flee to the nearby villages to save myself, Ismael said through a translator in the town of Maroua, Cameroon, where he recently arrived. After an odyssey that included more than two years in detention in Cameroon for suspected ties to Boko Haram, Ismael is now being assisted by a local organization, The Cameroon Institute for Children. Ismael will go to school, and eventually to be reunited with his surviving family members. But for now, he is one of about 85,000 Nigerians who have fled to Cameroon to escape the brutality of Boko Haram. Struggling to cope Authorities in Cameroon, where Nigerians fleeing for their lives have been arriving for the past few years, say the government is struggling with the economic, security and humanitarian impact of the tide of refugees. It is clear the war comes at a high cost, Prime Minister Philemon Yang told a visiting delegation from the U.N. Security Council on Friday. It is the first time the Council has come to Cameroon, a sign of its concern that not enough attention has been paid to the threat to peace and security that Boko Haram poses. The prime minister said his country's coffers have been severely depleted by the drop in global oil prices. We are asking that the international community gives us support, that the international community supports our programs, supports us financially and especially supports us eventually for economic development in the region, he told the Security Council envoys. Refugees need assistance In addition to the more than 85,000 refugees it hosts from Nigeria, and more than 150,000 others who have fled sectarian violence in the neighboring Central African Republic, Cameroon has also seen nearly 200,000 of its own citizens displaced by Boko Haram, as the terrorists spread into isolated and insecure areas in the country's Far North Region, close to the Nigerian border. Boko Haram has conducted 75 suicide attacks in Cameroon since 2014, according to Max Schott, the chief U.N. humanitarian coordinator in the country. Even more troubling is that the group uses women and children to carry out most of those attacks. It is essential to address the root causes of the crisis by addressing poverty, marginalization and underdevelopment, Schott told the delegation from U.N. headquarters, while continuing to expand humanitarian assistance. But some progress has been made against the terrorists. The enemy is now on the back foot, and being held on the back foot and scrambling for cover in the forests, Cameroon's defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, told the Security Council visitors. A combination of better equipment and training for his soldiers and improved bilateral cooperation with Nigeria has contributed to the gains, he said. International attention The delegation of U.N. Security Council ambassadors is on a four-country mission to the Lake Chad Basin Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria to see first-hand the effects Boko Haram have had on the population there. We came in order to show this will no longer be a neglected crisis, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said. The diplomats met separately Friday in Yaounde with President Paul Biya and Prime Minister Yang, as well as a number of ministers and U.N. agency representatives. They then ventured north to Maroua, a 90-minute flight from the Cameroonian capital, to meet with civil society representatives, displaced persons, refugees and humanitarians. An expected meeting at an IDP camp did not take place, but some residents came to see the diplomats at the airport and discuss their situation. When we go back to New York we will not sit idle, Senegal's ambassador Fode Seck promised reporters. This visit must have some follow-up, he added. China says its defense budget will increase by about 7 percent this year, marking the second year in a row China has kept its military spending to a single digit percentage increase. The exact number for defense spending in 2017 will be released Sunday when parliament begins its annual session. Chinas neighbors, however, have become increasingly suspicious of the countrys military tactics following Chinas rapid expansion in the South China Sea, where it has created artificial islands capable of supporting military facilities. Parliament spokeswoman Fu Ying sought to dismiss any misgivings Chinas neighbors might have. Look at the past decade or so, there have been so many conflicts, even wars, around the world resulting in serious, large numbers of casualties and loss of property, so many refugees destitute and homeless, she said. Which one has China caused? Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim all or parts of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer South China Sea, which is rich in fisheries as well as possible undersea fossil fuel reserves. News of Chinas military budget comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S., the worlds strongest military power, would increase its military spending by 10 percent, even as the country begins to end wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Cardinal Joseph Zen, the most senior Roman Catholic figure in China, says he is deeply skeptical about a reputedly imminent agreement between Chinese leaders in Beijing and Pope Francis in the Vatican. Zen, the former bishop of Hong Kong, told VOA he is most concerned about the possibility that a rapprochement between China and the Vatican will give Chinas government a role in the nomination of Catholic bishops there. A deal between the church and the communist government would be seen by many as a diplomatic coup for Pope Francis, after more than six decades of difficult relations with China. But it is feared such an agreement could carry with it a resolution in Chinas favor of the highly controversial issue of selecting bishops. Pope choice of bishops is key Reports of an agreement between the church and the Chinese leadership have been building for months, but details of what that agreement might consist of are still unverified. Zen, who retired in 2009, freely admits he is an outspoken opponent of Chinas communist-dominated system of government. In the present situation, he told VOA, I cannot see how there might be a good deal to be struck between the Vatican and Beijing. In earlier interviews, the 85-year-old senior cleric has spoken more pungently, telling Britains Guardian newspaper, for example, that giving Beijings secular authorities a role in choosing Catholic bishops would be a surrender by the Vatican, and that the people sooner or later will see the bishops are puppets of the government and not really the shepherds of the flock. Zen, interviewed by telephone from Hong Kong, told VOA the only acceptable way to include Chinese authorities in the choosing of new bishops is if nomination starts and ends with the pope. If Beijing accepts the primacy of the Vatican in ecclesiastical matters, Zen said, theres hope to have a good agreement. But if it begins with the government, it is not acceptable. Troubled church-state history China expelled Catholic missionaries after the Communist Party took power in 1949 and broke relations with the Vatican in 1957. Since then, the government has allowed Catholics to practice only in churches overseen by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, an official organization staffed in part by communist officials. Patriotic Catholics do not recognize the popes authority in the appointment of bishops or other church matters, despite Catholic doctrine that requires bishops to be named and appointed by the Vatican. Bishops in China are, in effect, appointed by the government. That dilemma prompted many Chinese Catholics loyal to the pope to go underground years ago. The Catholic News Agency reported that an agreement with China is a major effort of the current pope, and the highly charged issue of which entity will have greater say in appointing bishops is central to talks that have been under way for months. Those talks hit a bump in December, however, when a bishop supported by the Beijing government but not approved by the Vatican ordained a new group of senior Chinese clerics. The current leader of the Hong Kong diocese, Cardinal John Tong, wrote in his diocesan newspaper three weeks ago that if Beijing and the Holy See agree that both sides have a role in appointing bishops, Chinese Catholics will have essential freedom but lack entire freedom. Genuine or fake freedom? Zen likened this stance to elections in Hong Kong, where voters want universal suffrage and the right to directly nominate candidates for the former British territorys chief executive. China insisted that candidates would not be chosen by a popular vote, but rather picked by a pro-Beijing committee. It is the question of genuine or fake freedom, not the question of full or partial freedom, Zen told VOA. Zen said he believes Catholics who remain loyal to the pope and who have long worshiped underground are concerned that the Vatican may abandon them. If theres a bad agreement, the underground believers, and even some priests and believers belonging to the official church in China would feel that they have been betrayed because they have suffered for so long just for being loyal to the Roman Church and the Holy See. To Zen, the key issue in China-Vatican relations centers on whether Beijing is willing to relinquish control of religious affairs. The government is going to control the church, which is a big problem, he said. The government has no plan, or will, to give up control over the church. They have been doing so for so many years, so how can they let it go? Theres absolutely no reason, right? The most important thing for the Communist Party is to control, he said. You can only do what the party allows you to do. A U.N Security Council delegation visiting Chad and Niger expressed support Saturday for countries in West Africa that are battling Boko Haram and coping with the humanitarian fallout from the war on terror. Boko Haram terrorists are threatening territory in both Chad and Niger and are launching attacks on their populations and militaries. Just two weeks ago, Niger lost 16 soldiers in an attack by the group in the north of the country. Chad's Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke told VOA that terrorism could not be defeated solely by military means. Development is necessary, he said, so that the people will not listen only to the extremists. This strategy was echoed by Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou, who said his country needed better infrastructure, education, health care and jobs for its youth. He told the visiting Security Council ambassadors that "social and economic development promote democracy." Chad and Niger are both at the very bottom of the U.N. Development Index. In addition to struggling with extreme poverty, they are coping with severe humanitarian crises, trying to feed and shelter hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and refugees who have fled Boko Haram's reign of terror, as well violence in Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, who is co-leading the Security Council's visit, acknowledged the need for a holistic approach in dealing with the effects of the crisis. "We have come to understand more deeply the root causes of all of these crises," Rycroft said. "You cannot tackle terrorism without also tackling poverty; you cannot tackle terrorism without thinking about education, employment, social development, agriculture, human rights, the role of women and children in society, refugees and so much more." A Multinational Joint Task Force made up of countries from the Lake Chad Basin Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Benin has about 10,000 troops on the ground working to end the threat of Boko Haram. The council visited the task force headquarters in N'Djamena on Saturday, where they were told the terrorist group had been "substantially degraded" and pushed out of many of its strongholds to the hundreds of islands that dot Lake Chad. The task force said it had killed about 828 Boko Haram fighters since January 2016 and had arrested more than 600 others. The force has also destroyed 32 Boko Haram camps. But as these two countries continue to spend heavily on containing security threats, development continues to suffer. Unless new antibiotics are developed quickly, people will once again die from common infections. The World Health Organization has issued an urgent call for scientists to develop these new drugs, and for governments to fund the research. Dr. Trish Perl, chief of infectious diseases at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said if there are no effective antibiotics, it will affect the entire practice of medicine. You all of a sudden understand what it was like to practice medicine maybe 50, 70, 80 years ago, when there weren't antibiotics, Perl said. Without antibiotics, surgery will become much more dangerous. Doctors will be unable to treat diseases caused by E. coli, a bacterium that causes urinary tract infections and diarrhea. Even a virus such as the flu, which can lead to bacterial pneumonia, will mean these viruses will ultimately claim even more lives. WATCH: Doctors Alarmed by Post-Antibiotic Future New antibiotics needed New antibiotics are urgently needed against bacteria that pose the greatest threat to human health. Those most at risk: residents of nursing homes, hospital patients, and children. Children may have weaker immune systems than adults, and they receive smaller doses of antibiotics than adults do. For the longest time we've had a number of different antibiotics in the pipeline at any given time, so whenever we ran out of the ability to use one, we would move to the next one," Dr. Michael Bell, an expert in drug-resistant pathogens at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told VOA. But that's no longer possible. Joe Larsen, the director of biological, chemical and radiological and nuclear countermeasures at the Department of Health and Human Services, said his department drew up a list of pathogens several years ago that were becoming resistant to antibiotics. Funding needs to change There are antibiotics in the pipeline, but the numbers are insufficient ... to deal with the increasing rates of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, he said. Larsen's department invests in pharmaceutical and bio-tech firms to make drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for public health emergency preparedness. Larsen is hopeful that a new antibiotic will be approved by the Food and Drug Administration later this year. He also said two to three more antibiotics are being developed that should be available in a year or two. The WHO said it's too expensive for pharmaceutical companies to develop new antibiotics on their own because they wouldn't recoup their investment. Larsen agrees that the way antibiotics are commercialized needs to change. Bacteria are constantly changing One reason is that the more an antibiotic is used, the less effective it becomes. That's because bacteria are constantly changing and finding new ways to resist the drugs that kill them. Once they find a way, they can pass on the gene so other bacteria can become drug-resistant as well. To preserve the effectiveness of an antibiotic, Larsen said the profits from selling these drugs can't be linked to the volume of sales the way the market normally works. He said the solution lies in public-private partnerships between governments and pharmaceutical or biotech firms. In the meantime, antibiotic resistance is very real. Lauri Hicks, who leads research on antibiotic use and resistance trends at the CDC, said, We are seeing greater than 2 million episodes of antibiotic resistant infections each year in the U.S. alone. Twenty-three thousand of these episodes result in death. Dont overuse antibiotics The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked hospitals and doctors to be careful not to overuse antibiotics. But beyond overuse, Bell, of the CDC, said there are other reasons these drugs are being rendered powerless. Antibiotic resistance is being generated by not only using too many antibiotics, but also by spread of infection by lack of hygiene, from unintended contact with soiled surfaces, so the infection-control side is equally important, he said. Patients can also help. On its website, the CDC says to take antibiotics as prescribed and finish the prescription, even if you feel better. Still, urgent action on a global level is needed to prevent the catastrophe that a post-antibiotic era would cause. Nationalist Serbian lawmakers booed the European Union's top diplomat Federica Mogherini on Friday as she addressed their parliament during tour aimed at addressing concerns about rising tensions in the Balkans. Mogherini's trip to all six Western Balkans states, still scarred by wars fought in 1990s along political, ethnic and religious lines, is meant to lay the groundwork for an EU foreign ministers meeting on Monday and a summit on Thursday. Several EU leaders have expressed alarm at a variety of problems there and some blame Russia for seeking to destabilize the region, EU officials say. At Mogherini's speech to the Serbian parliament, members of the Serbian Radical party chanted: "Serbia! Russia! We don't need the [European] Union!" Four deputies from the nationalist Dveri party held banners reading: "Serbia does not trust Brussels." Playing down the heckles during a speech that focused on the EU accession talks which Serbia hopes to complete by 2019, Mogherini later told reporters: "It is not nice to be rude to a lady!" Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's pro-EU coalition has a comfortable majority in parliament but the popularity of pro-Russian nationalists is on the rise. In 2016, the Radicals returned to the Serbian assembly after several years. Next Week's Summit At their summit next week, EU leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment "to support stability and to deepen political and economic ties with and within the region," according to an early draft of their joint statement. That is despite weariness in EU states including France and the Netherlands where eurosceptic parties pose a challenge to the status quo in their own elections in coming weeks. The EU has made Serbia's accession conditional on normalizing its ties with Kosovo but tensions have been on the rise this year. Serbia's ally Moscow refuses to recognize the 2008 independence of Kosovo, which has an association agreement with the EU. Their neighbor Macedonia - which aspires to join both EU and NATO - has not been able to form a government since elections in December as the president has refused to give a mandate to a coalition that includes ethnic Albanians. A genocide lawsuit that Bosnia lodged against Serbia at the International Court of Justice angered Bosnian Serbs as well as officials in neighboring Serbia. In Montenegro, both pro-Western and anti-Western opposition parties are boycotting the parliament following a recent vote in which they say people were intimidated to back the government. Russian Influence? Russia opposes the accession of Balkan states into the EU has accused Europe and NATO of meddling in Macedonia's political crisis. The EU believes Moscow is encouraging Bosnia's Serbs to seek independence and may have encouraged a move to unseat Montenegro's leader as he seeks to join NATO. A border dispute between ex-Yugoslav EU members Croatia and Slovenia, adds to the mix of instability, EU officials say. Malaysian authorities have deported a North Korean man who was held as a suspect in connection with last month's death of Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Ri Jon Chol arrived in Beijing, China, Saturday after he was released from Malaysian custody due to lack of evidence to charge him. Ri told reporters outside the North Korean embassy in Beijing that Malaysian authorities used coercion to try to extract a confession from him and said they were trying to damage the honor of North Korea. I realized that this is a conspiracy, a plot, to try to damage the status and honor of the Republic, he said. Denies being at airport He said he was not at the airport on the day of the killing and said he did not know about the claim that his car was used in the crime. I didn't go [to the airport] and I had no reason to go. I was just doing my work, Ri said. Ri, 45, of North Korea, had been in custody in Malaysia for nearly two weeks following the February 13 attack on Kim at an airport in Kuala Lumpur. Part of a prank? The two main suspects in the case, Siti Aisyah, 25, of Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong, 28, of Vietnam were charged with murder on Wednesday. The women were not asked to enter pleas in the case but have said they are innocent, and believed they were taking part in a prank for a television show. They each face the death penalty if convicted, and are due back in court in April. They are accused of being the two women shown on security camera footage smearing something on Kim Jong Nam's face in the departures area of the airport. He died 20 minutes later from what authorities say was the effects of the powerful VX nerve agent. North Korea asks for body North Korea has not confirmed that the dead man is Kim Jong Nam, and is demanding that Malaysia release the body. Kim Jong Nam was the older estranged brother of Kim Jong Un. Kim Jong Nam was once considered the heir apparent to lead North Korea, but he fell out of favor with their father, the late dictator Kim Jong Il, after a failed 2001 attempt to enter Japan on a forged passport to visit Disneyland. Since then, Kim Jong Nam had lived in virtual exile, primarily in the Chinese territory of Macau. Gambian authorities have released 98 prisoners, mostly from the notorious Mile 2 prison, an Interior Ministry spokesman said Friday, as the country seeks to turn a page on the authoritarian era of ousted former President Yahya Jammeh. The release followed the freeing of about 170 prisoners two weeks ago. Gambian President Adama Barrow last month replaced the head of the military, a pillar of his predecessor Jammeh's government, and dismissed several senior military officers. The former head of prisons was arrested. Barrow won an election in December, but Jammeh refused to accept the result. Jammeh eventually fled into exile in Equatorial Guinea in January, after coming under pressure from regional leaders who sent troops to Gambia to force him to leave. Rights groups say Jammeh's opponents were tortured, and some died, in detention centers, including the Mile 2 Central Prison in Banjul. Interior Ministry spokesman Lamin Baba Njie said by telephone that 79 people had been released from Mile 2, and a further 19 from other prisons. "The releases are part of the prisons reform agenda," he said. Security of Indian nationals in the US and H-1B visa issue grabbed the centre-stage in the meeting By India Today Web Desk: Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, who was on a four-day US tour, Friday morning said that he conveyed to the new Trump administration on why partnership with India is important for the American economy. Jaishankar said the discussions were aimed at sensitising India's concern over security of Indian nationals and the H-1B visa issue."If the Trump administration's intention is to bring back American companies to America and attract more foreign investment, there will be more growth and so it is important that America remains competitive," Jaishankar said in the context of H-1B visa. advertisement Jaishankar held meetings with a number of senior US officials--Secretary of state Rex W Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John F Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt Gen HR McMaster, House Speaker Paul Ryan and senior members of the Congress He said, he has extended an invitation to Tillerson and Ross to visit India. The Foreign Secretary said the visit was productive and that the Trump administration is willing to take the relationship forward. ALSO READ| Jaishankar meets US NSA, discuss bilateral ties ALSO READ| H1-B visas help American firms remain competitive, says Indian envoy Navtej Sarna --- ENDS --- Georgia, responding to an intervention from a European court, on Friday suspended a ruling from a domestic court that had placed the country's biggest independent TV station under the control of a close ally of the government. The country's supreme court on Thursday ordered broadcaster Rustavi 2 returned to its former co-owner, businessman Kibar Khalvashi, in a move critics at home and abroad called an attempt to muzzle the media. Rustavi 2's attorneys challenged the ruling at the European Court of Human Rights, which on Friday ordered its temporary suspension. "We will follow this procedure," Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani told reporters, adding that the Strasbourg-based court had also instructed the government to abstain "from interfering with the broadcaster's editorial policy in any manner." Government officials have accused the popular TV station of bias, while critics fear Khalvashi a close supporter of the ruling Georgian Dream party will silence the only strong media voice critical of the government. President weighs in President Giorgi Margvelashvili, who is at odds with the ruling party, on Friday added his voice to earlier U.S. and OSCE criticism of the ownership change. "The international community perceives the process ... not as a court case, but as a political process, which impacts media freedom and the pluralistic environment in Georgia," he said in a televised statement. Tsulukiani said the European court's interim measure was in force until March 8, when it would examine the case further. The TV station has been fighting court battles in Georgia since August 2015, when a lower court found in favor of Khalvashi, who says he was forced to give up his controlling stake under the former government of Mikheil Saakashvili. The Supreme Court judgment confirmed that ruling Thursday. Georgian Dream defeated Saakashvili's party in an election in 2012 and strengthened its hold on power in another ballot in October 2016. A man near the cordoned-off area near the baggage claim for international arrivals at Dulles International Airport questioned Mirriam Seddiq as she stood with her sign offering free legal assistance. As Seddiq later tells the story, he sneered, Would you take these Muslims home with you? She looked down at herself, then back up at him before responding that she does, indeed, take a Muslim home every night: herself. Seddiq is an Afghanistan-born lawyer and one of the lead organizers of lawyers advising international passengers at the D.C.-area airport of their legal rights. Although President Donald Trumps travel ban is on hold following a decision by federal appeals court judges last month, the Dulles Justice Coalition is staying put with a table near Baggage Claim 13, anticipating a new, revised travel order that had been promised this week. Personal, professional merge Many of the volunteers who spend 12 hours a day fielding questions at the airport are immigrants themselves. Our entire community felt personally targeted, said Sirine Shebaya, a civil rights and immigration lawyer. The moment merged personal and professional issues for Shebaya, a native of Lebanon who came to the United States in 2000. She says her background as an immigrant is why she focused on domestic law, rather than international. Thats the reason I do civil rights, said Shebaya, who trains volunteers at the airport and is also working on sanctuary legislation in Maryland. Its a way of really asserting your belonging someplace to try to make it better. Alongside Seddiq and Shebaya, hundreds more attorneys, protesters and volunteers descended on Dulles, as well as other major U.S. international airports, such as New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and more, in the days following the January 27 announcement and rollout of the travel ban. Among Trumps first executive orders, the travel ban virtually stopped travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries, as well as all refugees. Immigration officials at the airports scrambled to handle arriving passengers who were en route when the order came down, detaining some, turning others back. The Trump administration leaned heavily on the premise that the travel order was for national security. Critics decried the mandate as biased against refugees and travelers from the affected countries. Immigrants helping immigrants Trumps three immigration-related executive orders have galvanized lawyers across the country. Omar Jadwat, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants Rights Project, says he has noticed in 15 years of working on immigration issues the personal connection to recent immigration is definitely something that draws people to the field. What you find so often, speaking to people, is what drew them into this area of work is a firm family understanding of immigration to their lives and to the country, Jadwat said. At the California-based National Immigration Law Center, staff attorney Nora Preciado has worked on issues affecting low-income immigrants for 11 years, starting during the latter part of former President George W. Bushs second term. I went to law school sort of inspired or spurred on by my and my familys experience being here undocumented, just knowing that there were a couple of times where the system failed us, Preciado said. It brings a different aspect to why I do this perhaps additional motivation to staying in this fight and feeling like, not a different, but an added responsibility, than someone else, she said. What were doing now feels so momentous, you sort of do feel the weight of history, Preciado added. Its hard to not see this in the context of 20 years from now, to look back at the enormous sea change in the way we see immigrants in this country. Watch: Khizr Khan Volunteer Legal Service at Dulles Airport Waiting game Though the legal issues at the airport subsided after the court stay, the Dulles Justice Coalition continues training attorneys and other volunteers on how to be prepared for the next travel order, which may come next week, teaching them what questions to ask families of detained passengers and what rights different visa-holders have at the airport. Among the lawyers who volunteered this week was Khizr Khan. An immigrant from Pakistan and the father of a slain U.S. soldier, Khan rose to national prominence last year after speaking against Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric at the Democratic National Convention. I came here to strengthen myself, Khan said at the airport Thursday, to know that if it got dark for me, they would be standing here for me. VOA Urdu reporter Sarah Zaman contributed to this report. Overriding objections by China, India will allow the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to make a religious visit to the far northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, a border territory partially claimed by China. On Friday, Beijing warned India against the weeklong visit scheduled for next month, saying it will cause severe damage to bilateral ties and to peace and stability in the China-India border area. India dismissed Chinas concerns with Foreign Ministry spokesman Gopal Bagley saying, the governments position is well known and has not changed. Official to meet Dalai Lama Indias junior home minister, Kiran Rijiju, said there is no reason to stop the Dalai Lama, as he is coming as a religious leader. Rijiju, who is Prime Minister Narendra Modis point man on Tibetan relations, told the Press Trust of India that he would meet the Dalai Lama as a devotee during his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which is home to a famed Buddhist monastery in Tawang. The Tibetan spiritual leader also visited it eight years ago. China claims about 90,000 square kilometers in Arunachal Pradesh, calling it South Tibet. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday that Beijing strongly opposes the Dalai Lama visiting border areas and that it has urged India not to provide a platform to the Dalai clique. China calls the Tibetan spiritual leader a dangerous separatist. India's assertive stand Analysts in New Delhi say the green light to the Dalai Lamas visit and the federal ministers plan to be present when he visits Tawang indicate a more assertive stand taken by the Modi government, whose relations with China have come under strain in the past year, partly because of Beijings increasingly close ties with Pakistan. Its basically meant to take a tough line on China. They are being more bold on that (Dalai Lama) issue, according to Manoj Joshi at New Delhis Observer Research Foundation. Maybe the government thinks they can extract some leverage from this, he says. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee hosted the Dalai Lama in December at the presidential palace along with other Nobel laureates at a conference on childrens rights. It was the Dalai Lamas first meeting with an Indian head of state in 60 years. New Delhi also dismissed Chinese objections to that meeting, calling it a non-political event. Indian leaders have seldom shared a public platform with the Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959, although they have had private meetings with him. Last month, a Taiwanese parliamentary delegation visited Delhi, angering Beijing, which regards Taiwan as an integral part of China. Despite decades of talks, the two Asian neighbors, who fought a brief war in 1963, have failed to resolve a boundary dispute. Delia Douglas experience growing up has been different from the rest of her schoolmates. In any of the storybooks that I was reading growing up, I remember the families always looked a certain way. Both parents matched, she said. Even it seemed like in many of the storylines that were about animal families, both bears kind of looked the same, and the baby bear looked the same. These storybooks did not reflect her family. Douglas father is African American and American Indian. Her mother is white. And Douglas is married to William Haight, who is white. They have a 5-year-old daughter who is fair skinned, with light hair. Especially in the first three years of my daughters life, people often would stop and ask me if I was the nanny. There were days when that would be incredibly frustrating, Douglas recalled. Mixed-race background Life hasnt always been easy for Douglas brother Ronnie Nells, who shares her mixed-race background. I was pulled over, I think, once a month for a year, and just asking where I was headed and what I was doing, or another cop would stop me, said Ronnie Nells. The Pew Research Center finds that 4 in 10 mixed-race Americans with black as a part of their racial makeup say they have been unfairly stopped by police. Sixty-nine percent say most people see them as black, and that their experience is more similar to the black community. It was 50 years ago that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws that prohibited mixed marriages. Since then, there has been a sharp increase in interracial marriages. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of mixed-race Americans is growing three times faster than the U.S. population as a whole. The U.S. Census projects the multiracial population will triple by 2060. In the 1970s, 1 percent of children were of mixed race. That number has grown to 10 percent. Many mixed-race Americans, including Damona Hoffman who is Russian Jewish and African American, find living in Los Angeles is much easier for biracial people than in other cities. Viviane Arlotto, who is South Korean and Belgian, grew up in many different places, including South Korea and the United States, and agrees Los Angeles is more accepting of people of mixed race. World City Center Arlotto and Hoffman send their children to World City Center in Los Angeles, a preschool where 30 percent of the students are multiracial. I grew up in a really homogenous neighborhood and felt like the other [race] so it was important for my son to be in a place where he felt normal, Arlotto said. The co-founder of World City Center, Rebecca Bernard, is multiracial. Her mother is white, from the American Midwest. Her father is Afro-Latino from Costa Rica. She remembers growing up struggling with her own identity. The 80s were not a time when it was necessarily celebrated, but I dont feel like it came with the stigma of the 60s and 70s. It was this strange, becoming normal type of a situation to have mixed-race households. Now, its even becoming more common. Bernard interviews parents at her school and incorporates cultural elements into the curriculum. We use cooking. We use art. We use songs. We use stories to really just solidify that that is you, and that is OK, and youre perfect just how you are, she said. What President [Barack] Obama did was he brought hope for somebody like my children and myself that identity as multiracial, or biracial, or a person of color. He just brought hope that they too could be president one day, said Sonia Smith-Kang, who is with Multiracial Americans of Southern California (MASC). How to talk to children about race For the past 26 years, the advocacy group has been teaching communities how to talk to children about race. In the year 2000, the U.S. Census actually allowed for individuals to check more than one box, so now each person was able to see, for instance, Im Mexican and black, so I was able to check more than one box. And so weve noticed an uptick in the amount of multiracial folks, Smith-Kang said. Smith-Kangs husband is Korean American with immigrant parents. He said his parents originally expected him to marry a Korean woman. To me it wasnt anything. But my parents, they were a little surprised. I have to say they werent accepting of it at first, he said. Smith-Kang said there was fear of a language barrier, but the Korean grandparents came around, and the children speak Korean and Spanish to communicate with grandparents of both sides. Families who are multiracial and multicultural, [are] usually multilingual as well. They understand the importance of knowing another language, said Angelika Getmanchuk, founder of WorldSpeak School in Los Angeles. It is a multilingual immersion school that includes Mandarin, Spanish and French as options for the students, about 80 percent of whom are mixed race. Many mixed-race Americans see a growing social acceptance of people of mixed backgrounds. Jordan on Saturday executed 10 men convicted of terrorism charges, including deadly attacks on tourists, Jordanian security forces and a local writer, the government spokesman said. It was the largest round of executions since pro-Western Jordan launched its crackdown on Islamic extremists more than two years ago. The kingdom is a key member of the U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State group, the extremist group that controls parts of neighboring Iraq and Syria. The men were hanged at dawn Saturday at Swaqa Prison in central Jordan, government spokesman Mohammed Momani said in a statement carried by the state news agency Petra. Five others were executed for other crimes, including rape, he said. Momani said the assailants executed Saturday for terror convictions had been involved in five incidents, from a 2003 bombing attack on Jordans embassy in Iraq to the September 2016 shooting of a high-profile writer on the courthouse steps in the Jordanian capital of Amman. Also listed was a 2006 shooting attack on a group of tourists at a Roman theater in the center of Amman. A British man was killed in the attack. Forces loyal to Libyas top eastern military commander, General Khalifa Haftar, say they have pounded Islamist militia fighters who captured the key oil ports in the country. Haftars forces had controlled the Libyas oil triangle district since September of last year. Libyan media reports that air force fighter jets loyal to General Haftar attacked Islamist militia forces holding part of the oil port of Sidra and an airfield in the nearby oil port of Ras Lanouf. Haftars spokesman, Colonel Ahmed al-Mismary described the fighting to journalists. He said that airstrikes are continuing and that his forces have begun a counterattack against the Islamist militia holding the area and recaptured part of the Ras Lanouf airfield, while reinforcing the area around Ras Lanouf with fighters from the east of the country. He said the goal was to crush the militia, so that it wont return to the area. Militia forces, calling themselves the Benghazi Defense Brigades, began the surprise attack on Sidra and Ras Lanouf on Thursday. A militia spokesman, Yasser Jebali, claimed his men were holding their ground. He said there was heavy fighting in the area and that 50 or 60 armored personnel carriers loyal to General Haftar tried to encircle his forces, but failed. The militia attack coincided with a visit to Moscow by Libyas internationally-backed national unity government Prime Minister Fayez el-Seraj. Seraj, whose government still has not been approved by the countrys parliament in Tobruk, said his forces were not responsible for the attack. Seraj also insisted that both General Haftar and parliament speaker Aguila Saleh were blocking mediation efforts by Egypt to hold a face-to-face meeting between himself and the general. Qatar-based Libya al-Ahrar TV, which backs Islamist militias in Tripoli and Misrata, claimed that the Benghazi Defense Brigades were made up of fighters from Benghazi, which is now under Haftars control. It claimed that Haftar was using mercenaries from Chad, a charge which his spokesman denied. The Benghazi Defense Brigades were reported to have captured the Libyan desert oil oasis of Jaffra in December. It was not clear who was supporting the group, but former U.N. special envoy for Libya Tarek Mitri said in an interview last year that certain Gulf countries were backing them covertly. Mamdouh Salameh, a London-based oil analyst, told Libyan TV that control of the countrys two largest oil ports [Ras Lanouf and Sidra] are always a main interest of the countrys militias and of the national unity government because they are the key to the countrys economy and ultimate control of Libya. Martin Kobler, the outgoing U.N. special envoy for Libya, in a tweet late Friday, urged all parties to refrain from further escalation and to ensure the protection of civilians and of Libyas natural resources and oil facilities. Malaysia has expelled the North Korean ambassador in a continued fallout from the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Uns half-brother at the Kuala Lumpur airport last month. In a statement, Malaysias Foreign Ministry labeled the ambassador persona non grata after he criticized the investigation into the assassination. "The expulsion of the DPRK (North Korea) ambassador is... an indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities," it said. Malaysia sent a notice to the North Korean Embassy Saturday informing Ambassador Kang Chol he needs to depart the country within 48 hours. The statement also said Malaysia asked for, but did not receive, an apology from North Korea for its attack. Kim Jong-Nam was poisoned with an extremely dangerous nerve agent. South Korea blames North Korea for the killing, though Pyongyang has called the investigation politically motivated by its enemies. Not only is the Mexican government not building a wall; it's spending $50 million to beef up its legal aid to migrants who fear deportation, a response to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. All 50 Mexican consulates in the U.S. on Friday launched legal assistance centers to form partnerships with nonprofit groups and tap lawyers to help those fearing Trump's policies. The diplomatic effort comes as the two countries are in a rift over Trump's plans for a border wall. While Trump says Mexico will pay for it one way or another, Mexico says it won't. It was also unveiled less than two weeks after new guidelines came out aimed at aggressively detaining and deporting immigrants by increasing the number of federal agents and strengthening cooperation with local law enforcement. We are prioritizing legal matters Miami's Mexican consul general, Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia, said Friday that these centers would become authentic advocates of the rights of Mexican migrants. What changes today is that we are prioritizing legal matters over everything. Previously, we didn't have the need to seek so much legal support for our people, he said. But now, we need to protect them against an eventual deportation. Mexican consulates are forming partnerships with law schools, immigration clinics and nonprofit groups that litigate on behalf of immigrants. The centers are staffed with Mexican lawyers who can refer cases to organizations or clinics. They are also reaching out to private law firms interested in taking on pro bono work. Worried about their children Consulates from Mexico and other Central American nations have been juggling numerous inquiries in recent months from migrants concerned about their fate and that of their U.S.-born children. Zabalgoitia said the increase in requests for documents and help is enormous, as he pointed to a waiting room with dozens of people carrying folders of documents in need of birth certificates, Mexican passports and other identifications. I used to sign two birth certificates a week. Only yesterday, I signed 15. The increasing demand comes from people like Gloria Portillo, who went to the Mexican consulate in Phoenix on Friday to renew her passport. Her visa expired three years ago, and now she is trying to start the process of becoming a legal resident after marrying a U.S. citizen but fears something could happen in the meantime. We've been here all of our lives, we have kids, and of course we're afraid to be deported, she said, also speaking of friends and relatives living in the U.S. illegally. Dozens of people visited the consulate in St. Paul, Minnesota, some lining up along the walls and asking the consul general questions. In the Philadelphia mission, which also covers Delaware and southern New Jersey, daily appointments at the consulate have doubled to 400 people, Consul General Alicia Kerber-Palma said. Near Boston, Mexican diplomats have been meeting with families at churches and community events to explain the challenges of claiming U.S.-born children, without dual nationality, after deportation. Fear of going back to Mexico Mexican diplomats in Houston, where half a million Mexican immigrants live, said requests for Mexican birth certificates at the consulate are up 50 percent since Trump begin announcing tough measures to curb illegal immigration. The tolerance is gone. I think that's the best way of describing it, said Oscar Solis, a first secretary of the Mexican consulate in Houston. It's like in wars. They come for one person and many who are innocent or not really involved end up paying. Divina Ciriaco, a 45-year-old housekeeper who lives in the Miami area, said she is gathering all the Mexican documents she would need for her U.S.-born boy to go along with her if she is deported. We live in fear of going back to Mexico, to the violence, the poverty we suffered, said Ciriaco, who migrated along with her husband and two children 20 years ago from the state of Guerrero. She gave birth to her third child in Miami. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for that day to come. Islamic State has taken credit for executing a kidnapped officer of Pakistans prime intelligence agency a day after police found his body in the central city of Multan. Local police identified the slain man, Umar Mubin Jilani, and quoted witnesses as saying militants dropped his body on a busy road early Saturday morning before driving away. They said the body was dressed in an orange uniform like detainees at the U.S.-run Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba. Jilani, 33, was kidnapped in June, 2014, by a group of gunmen while he was on his way to work in Multan where he was serving in a counterterrorism unit of Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, the country's main spy agency. On Sunday, an Islamic State global media wing on its website claimed responsibility for executing the intelligence officer. A message inscribed on Jilanis shirt said Daesh Pakistan killed ISI spy and mentioned the date when he was kidnapped, according to police officials. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. An official at the spy agency confirmed to VOA that Jilani was an ISI operative. Requesting anonymity, the official said that a major manhunt is underway in Multan to locate perpetrators of the crime but would not discuss further details. Stepped-up attacks The Middle East-based Islamic State terrorist group lately has stepped up attacks in Pakistan. The deadliest strike took place last month when an IS suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded Sufi shrine in southern Sindh province, killing more than 90 devotees and wounding over 300 more. The victims mostly belonged to the minority Shi'ite Muslim community. Multan and adjoining southern districts of Pakistan's most populous Punjab province have traditionally hosted radical Islamic groups, some of which are blamed for extremist and sectarian violence in the country. The southern region is considered the heartland of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi or LeJ, an outlawed Sunni militant group blamed for deadly attacks against Shiite Muslims. Some Pakistani officials suspect LeJ members have lately joined hands with ISs regional franchise Khorasan Province to promote the Middle East-based terrorist groups extremist ideology in Pakistan-Afghanistan region. The government, however, insists IS has no organized presence in Pakistan and security forces are determined not to allow the terrorist group to establish a foothold in the country. Officials say that IS is plotting attacks in Pakistan from its save havens in border regions of neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan's military has recently launched a new nation-wide counterterrorism operation, which is also tasked to target suspected militant hideouts in Punjab. Pakistans prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, on Friday ceremonially broke ground on an $81 million U.S.-funded component of a larger dam project to be built in North Waziristan, a volatile tribal region that until recently was condemned as the epicenter of global terrorism. Officials say that, once completed, the $230 million Kurram Tangi Dam would promote local agriculture and generate 83.4 megawatts of environment-friendly power. Sharif told the ceremony at the project site that it marks the beginning of a new era in North Waziristan and acknowledged the U.S. financial assistance. This also declares the end of an era of fear and chaos in an area occupied by terrorists but [the] local population is now regaining control over its affairs, he said. Sharif said Pakistani troops and law enforcement agencies lost thousands of personnel before evicting terrorists from North Waziristan. The counterterrorism operation also forced tens of thousands of civilian families to flee their homes, he said, but vowed to complete the repatriation process in the next few months. The Pakistani military is supervising reconstruction projects in the post-operation phase within the poverty-stricken Waziristan territory bordering Afghanistan. Economic development and employment The American and Pakistani partnership will provide irrigation to approximately 6,500 hectares of land and produce 18 megawatts of hydropower, a statement issued in Islamabad quoted U.S. ambassador to Pakistan David Hale as saying. The Kurram Tangi Dam will bring economic development and employment to the region, thereby reducing poverty, he added North Waziristan has for years served as a hideout for al-Qaida-linked terrorists and a training ground for the Taliban and its ally, the Haqqani network, that has waged a deadly insurgency against the U.S.-backed Afghan government. The mountainous region has also been the scene of U.S. drone strikes, killing hundreds of militants plotting attacks against American and NATO forces across the Afghan border. In his speech Friday, Sharif also vowed to step up the process of reforms in North Waziristan and six other semi-autonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border, which are all governed by the federal government through a set of controversial British colonial-era laws. The proposed reforms for the poverty-wracked tribal belt, known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, are primarily aimed at canceling the existing laws and merging the region with the adjacent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The plan still must be approved by parliament. If enacted, it would set up a five-year merger process, a 10-year development plan and a major upgrade of the legal system, including an additional 20,000 police officers in the sprawling, largely lawless region. Shah Rukh Khan recently responded to the suggestion by Logan star Hugh Jackman that the Raees actor would be suitable to play Wolverine. By India Today Web Desk: In a recent interview, Hugh Jackman who has played the character Wolverine for seventeen years straight, was asked who he would like to see as the next Wolverine. Hugh casually suggested, "Shah Rukh Khan." The news of this almost broke the internet all over India as X-Men, Wolverine and Shah Rukh fans in our country began to voice their opinions about Hugh Jackman's latest statement. Some liked the idea, some hated it and some were plain amused. advertisement Now, Shah Rukh Khan finally opened up on the debate and admitted that all is well except he needs hair on his chest to play Wolverine. Hair on the chest lady?need hair on the chest!! Working on it though. Love Hugh & Wolverine. https://t.co/LZKOqhLPdU Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) March 3, 2017 Reacting to a blog by a fan, Shah Rukh Khan wrote, "Hair on the chest lady?need hair on the chest!! Working on it though. Love Hugh & Wolverine." Hugh Jackman first played Wolverine in the year 2000 in the film X-Men. Since then he has made nine appearances as the character, his final being the recently released Logan. Shah Rukh Khan has previously played a superhero in the film Ra.One, which was a critical failure and a mediocre box-office hit. It remains to be seen if Shah Rukh dons a cape, wears a suit or gets some armored claws for a second time in Bollywood. Or Hollywood... MOVIE REVIEW: LOGAN ALSO SEE: Hugh Jackman's journey as Logan from 2000 to 2017 WATCH: Hugh Jackman speaks on SRK playing Wolverine, and his love for Virat Kohli --- ENDS --- Waqas Goraya had planned to move back to his native Pakistan and settle down after his wife finished her postgraduate studies in the Netherlands this month. Now the idea seems impossible to the social media activist, who paid an enormous price for blogging to raise political awareness and campaign against human rights violations, religious intolerance and extremism in Pakistan. Goraya, an IT consultant, vanished in January with four other secular activists in Pakistan a group that became known as the "missing bloggers." Released three weeks later under mysterious circumstances, Goraya won't discuss the circumstances of his disappearance, where he was held or who his captors were for fear of repercussions for family and friends in Pakistan. "Talking about extremism and criticizing the establishment in a country like Pakistan got me in trouble," Goraya told Voice of America in a telephone interview from the Netherlands, where he returned after his captivity. "That's a no-go area for Pakistan and no one talks about it. Not anti-Pakistan "There can be confusion, but we've never been anti-Pakistan or anti-Islam or anti-society," said Goraya, who lived in the Netherlands before making a visit to Pakistan last year. "We're not losers sitting in a dark place and just blogging about negative things. That's not the case." If his captors' goal was to shut him up, it's working, Goraya said. He is too frozen to resume his social media activism, at least for now. "Abduction is 10 percent of the horror. The other 90 percent begins after you're released," he said. "I'll continue blogging, but it will take some time." Goraya's wife, Mesha Saeed, said, "Waqas's abduction has jolted us as a family, and we need time to recover from the shock. When Waqas came back, he couldn't sleep for days. He just wanted to see me and our son all the time." Pressured on all sides, Pakistan has become a dangerous, even deadly place for journalists. It ranks 147th in the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). "Journalists are targeted by extremist groups, Islamist organizations and Pakistan's feared intelligence organizations, all of which are on RSF's list of predators of press freedom," the group's website says. "Although at war with each other, they are all always ready to denounce acts of 'sacrilege' by the media." Human rights watchdog Amnesty International recently wrote an open letter urging Pakistan's government to take concrete measures to protect the lives of bloggers, activists and journalists. Security agencies suspected Human rights activists and lawmakers say enforced disappearances, including torture, have become a norm in Pakistan and that the country's security agencies are responsible. "Human rights activists and NGOs, the broader community and journalists believe the bloggers were abducted by the Pakistani intelligence agencies," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The missing persons are often mistreated and then told upon release that if they speak, there will be retaliation against them or their families or their friends." Adams added. "I'm not sure if this happened in the bloggers' case." Pakistan's Interior Ministry and army have repeatedly and strongly denied any involvement in or link to the abductions of bloggers and other activists over the past few years. "The army or intelligence agencies had nothing to do with the abduction of the bloggers," Major General Asif Ghafoor, director general of the armed forces media wing, said in a statement to VOA. Pakistani defense analyst Ayesha Siddiqa believes the bloggers were "made an example of" because they crossed the line by reporting on sensitive political issues controlled by the powerful military. "The state doesn't want people to remember the way Baluchistan is being run," Siddiqa told VOA. "It's a political problem, essentially, and that's how it should be dealt with, rather than militarily." Goraya and several friends started their social media activism in 2011 to create "some sort of discourse," he said. "The turning point in my life was the murder of Salman Taseer, who was killed in 2011 because he demanded to review the blasphemy law," Goraya said. "That was the time I realized, 'We have to speak.' " Audience expanded The sole purpose was awareness. His anonymous blogging through the Facebook page "Mochi" quickly grew a huge audience. After his disappearance, he is pondering new plans for the future. There was a campaign against the bloggers on social media, and some well-known TV hosts blasted them, too. Amir Liaquat Hussain showed content and screenshots from their Facebook pages and labeled them as "blasphemers.'' The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority banned him from appearing on television for spreading hate speech. "Right now, it looks like I may never be able to go back to Pakistan," Goraya said. "I'll be a marked person due to blasphemy, and it doesn't matter how hard I try to explain myself. They'll not listen to me." Human rights defenders, social activists and families of bloggers believe that such blasphemy allegations are aimed at punishing activists for criticizing the government and the military. "The best way in Pakistan to silence voices is to accuse somebody of blasphemy, and people will come and dispense justice in their own way." Siddiqa said. It may seem odd that the world's largest land mammal would be afraid of bees, but Kenya-based research and conservation group Save the Elephants has used the elephants' fear of being stung around the eyes, mouth and trunk to deter them from crop-raiding. It is doing this through "beehive fences," which they have found to be 80 percent effective. "Elephants have come to my farm but they couldn't manage to enter the farm," said Hesron Nzumu, a farmer who lives near the Tsavo East National Park in Kenya. "They see the beehive and they are really afraid of the bees. When they see them, they run away." Research findings by Save the Elephants, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and the Mwakoma community near Tsavo East have been published in the journal Conservation Biology. Researchers used data collected over a three-and-a-half-year period from 10 farms near Tsavo East where 131 beehives were placed. They found that only 20 percent of the 253 elephants that entered Mwakoma farms during that time managed to break the fences. Strong fencing wire outlined the boundary of each trial plot of 0.4 hectares, upon which dummy hives and real hives were alternately suspended every 10 meters. If an elephant disturbed the wire, it would also anger the bees, making the fence essentially "moveable," unlike other stationary deterrents. "It's a sustainable, long-term, low-cost solution for these small-scale farms, and we're not at all pretending this is going to work on a large-scale, for 100-acre farms; this is for the one-acre, two-acres farms, who have absolutely minimal income," said Lucy King, who heads the Human-Elephant Coexistence Program at Save the Elephants, and is the lead author of the paper. Honey provided by the bees gives farmers added income, says King, who offers an example of a farmer in her study who makes $22 per month. With earnings from honey, he and his colleagues could each make as much as an extra $100 to $200 a year a significant increase. Nzumu is one of the farmers who has benefited from the honey. "The beehive protects my farm from elephants," he said. "Secondly, I harvest the honey and sell it and sometimes we use it at home. Most of the honey we sell so that we can reduce poverty and also pay school fees for our children." Nzumu added that the bees also help with pollination of his crops. When it comes to poaching, sedentary farmers rarely become poachers, says King, but she adds that it is not uncommon to hear of farming communities that turn a blind eye when poachers come into the area because they are angry at the elephants. Like many other conservationists, King argues that in the long term, human-wildlife conflict will be a bigger threat to elephants than poaching. "And it's just going to be such a conflict because they require so much food and they need to move across the landscape. If they don't, they start to damage vegetation in a very quick manner. And so these elephants have to be allowed large areas of land. And it's becoming less viable in Africa, which is developing so fast and the human population is expanding so fast," King said. King says that farmers have promoted the fences to their neighbors, resulting in 24 farms in the area now using them. And it looks like the buzz is spreading: Beehive fences are being tested in 14 countries across Africa and Asia. Sinn Fein, the Irish nationalist party, has fallen just short of becoming the largest party in elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly. In results declared early Friday, the Democratic Unionist Party led with 28 seats, just one more than Sinn Feins total. At stake in the outcome from Thursdays snap election is the revival or demise of power-sharing between Irish Catholics and British Protestants, the central objective of the U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord nearly two decades ago. Seeking to be No. 1 Sinn Fein was seeking to overtake the Protestants of the Democratic Unionists and become the No. 1 party for the first time in Northern Ireland, an achievement that would have given Sinn Fein the right to the top government post of first minister. Sinn Feins new leader in Northern Ireland, 40-year-old Michelle ONeill, was mobbed by supporters as the results rolled in. ONeill, the daughter of an Irish Republican Army veteran with childhood memories of the conflict that claimed 3,700 lives, represents a leadership shift within Sinn Fein to the first post-war generation following the IRAs 1997 cease-fire and 2005 disarmament. Thin margin of core support Fridays final Northern Ireland-wide total of first-preference votes, the core measure of party popularity, showed the Democratic Unionists narrowly on top with 28.1 percent, down 1 point from the last election 10 months ago. Sinn Fein trailed with 27.9 percent, up 4 points, the narrowest sectarian gap in Northern Ireland electoral history. Commentators credited the Sinn Fein surge to Catholic voters anger at the Democratic Unionists, especially outgoing First Minister Arlene Foster, who was blamed for overseeing a wasteful green energy program and for fostering a culture of insults and disrespect toward Sinn Fein. Voter turnout reached nearly 65 percent, 10 points higher than last year. Former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness triggered the election by resigning in January, declaring the vote a referendum on Fosters leadership. McGuinness, a former IRA commander recently diagnosed with a rare and often fatal disease, didnt seek re-election. Cranes dot the skyline of China's northeastern city of Shenyang. And from the street level, the slowing growth of the Chinese economy seems like a mirage in this rust-belt city. Shenyang's main street, Qingnian Dajie, or Youth Avenue, which also is known as the "Golden Corridor," is lined with massive shopping malls and high-end outlets carrying everything from Louis Vuitton to Prada. There's even a Ferrari dealership. Beyond the facade of a city that is building all the trappings of a modern metropolis, though, is a different story. Slowing growth has hit hard China's industrial heartland in the northeast. For years, the region was seen as the engine of China's economy. The area is rich in natural resources and has long been an industrial base for the rest of the country. Not long ago, it was contributing about 10 percent to the country's growth. Recession in 2016 Now, that engine is stalling. Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning, the only Chinese province to slip into a recession last year. And how bad things really are is anyone's guess. Liaoning's governor, Chen Qiufa, admitted last year that from 2011 to 2014, city and local governments in the province had been systematically inflating their growth figures. The Chinese Communist Party-backed People's Daily even reported that by 2014, some local governments inflated figures by as much as 23 percent. Despite that, streets like Youth Avenue are lined with massive projects. There is a towering 568-meter building under construction, as well as a sprawling W Hotel and shopping complex, even as others only blocks away remain empty. Nor does one need to look far to find advertisements for office space. Around 40 percent of the city's commercial space is unoccupied. Policy and faith Chinese officials are clearly concerned about the region, and the northeast is expected to be a key topic during the "Twin Sessions," top-level political meetings that begin Friday and include China's rubber-stamp legislature, the National People's Congress, and a top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, or CPPCC. Spokesman Wang Guoqing of the CPPCC highlighted the importance of the northeast at a pre-meeting news conference. "Looking at our work over the past year, there are many tough tasks that remain regarding rejuvenating the northeast," Wang said. "To rejuvenate the northeast, we not only need strong policy support, but also solid faith." However, it's unclear what kind of policy solutions officials might offer up during the meetings. Restructuring the region's debt-burdened state-owned enterprises is one big challenge. Keeping younger residents in places like Shenyang, who can help grow and drive the economy, is another, said Sabrina Wei, head of North China research for real estate services firm Cushman and Wakefield. "Infrastructure creates some jobs, but how long will it last? It could help northeast China maintain its GDP growth for maybe two or three years," Wei said, "but after that, how to stimulate the economy that's another question." The central government seems set on a continued program of throwing money and projects in the northeast's direction. It has earmarked billions of dollars to support that effort and listed some 130 projects. Uncertainty looms For those whom VOA spoke with on the streets in Shenyang, who have forged their careers around this transforming city for better or worse, uncertainty is a big challenge. One resident, surnamed Yang, who owns a small shop selling IT goods, said retailers like those here are not just dealing with a slowing economy. "Times are tough now for those in the IT industry," she said. "Amid the economic slowdown, profit margins are tighter, sales are on the wane, and then there's the impact of online sales." Another longtime Shenyang resident surnamed Li, who works in the finance sector, said big money was drying up. "Working in the financial sector is not as vibrant as it used to be, and the sector isn't as prosperous as it used to be," Li said. "Personal loans are still easy to come by, but business in the financial sector is not good and overall prospects have worsened." But some areas such as tourism have room for growth, according to one man surnamed Zhang. He said that while many residents in Shenyang easily travel on their own to Japan and South Korea, there is growing demand to visit Southeast Asia. "I've worked all kinds of sales jobs, sold phones, real estate," Zhang said. "That helped me get to know a lot of people, and is why I've switched over to work in the travel industry." More attractive opportunities Keeping residents in Shenyang is difficult, and many that we spoke with say they worked at one time or another in other parts of the country. Shenyang and many cities in the northeast struggle to keep college graduates at home because many find jobs and opportunities in places like Beijing, Shanghai and other coastal cities more attractive. And as the population of northeastern residents shrinks and talent flows elsewhere, some joke that everywhere you go there are people from dongbei, the Chinese word for northeast, to be found. But that's not good for the local economy. Watch: Solutions for China's Rust Belt Elusive Amid Economic Slowdown "If you lose people and there are only older people there, there is no hope," said Cushman and Wakefield's Wei. She said that finding a way to get people to stay, find good jobs and contribute to the local economy is a big challenge, and an important one. Somalias new prime minister says that dozens of people, mainly women and children, have died from water-borne diseases within the last two days as a result of the enduring drought in the country. At a press conference Saturday in Mogadishu, Hassan Ali Khaire, announced the deaths, providing the first official figure after months of severe drought. I was informed today that more than 110 people have died due to the current drought only for the past 48 hours in parts of Somalia, particularly Bay and Bakol regions, Khaire said. He called on Somalis and the international community to put together a life-saving emergency response. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing for $24.6 million to provide life-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable victims of Somalia's drought. Humanitarian agencies report alarming similarities between the current situation in Somalia and the 2011 famine that killed more than one quarter of a million people. U.N. aid agencies recently warned there is only a two-month window to avert a drought catastrophe in Somalia. Local residents report there is an outbreak of diarrhea in parts of the Bay and Bakol regions in the southwest part of the country. In one village, 60 people reportedly died from the disease. Outbreaks of diarrhea, and some cases of measles are striking down people, mainly children already weakened by hunger, Abdullahi Omar Mohamed, the chairman of the Ow-diinle village in Bay region, told local media on Saturday. City of Death Bay region's provincial capital city, Baidoa, was once nicknamed the "City of Death" and is remembered as perhaps the hardest hit by the 1992 famine that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. It drove the high profile U.S. humanitarian effort in Africa that ended with dead Americans being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, and the "Black Hawk Down" helicopter shootdown that changed U.S. policy in Africa. Meanwhile, health officials in Somalia's northwest Somaliland region have said that at least seven people have died from disease and malnutrition related to the drought. News of the deaths and the spreading diseases has sparked alarm among aid workers, who are struggling to deal with the humanitarian crisis and the looming famine brought on by the severe drought and conflict in Somalia. According to the United Nations, the crisis in Somalia threatens 6.2 million people, more than half the population. Conditions are driest in the north. Crop production and livestock numbers have fallen sharply after back-to-back poor rainy seasons last year. Thousands of people have fled into overflowing camps for internally displaced people in major cities in recent months in search of food and sanctuary, but many still remain in the few al-Shabab-held towns and rural areas where aid agencies have only limited access due to insecurity. Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo declared a state of disaster earlier this week as the Horn of Africa nation struggles with the drought and food crisis. Cuba is struggling to maintain the supply of some premium cigar brands in the face of poor tobacco harvests and rising demand, experts said at the industry's annual cigar festival. El Nino weather that brought excessive rains and unseasonable drought damaged all Cuban crops, including the delicate tobacco plants needed for its signature product and fourth-biggest goods export. "The quality used to be better," said tobacco factory worker Mavelys Linares on one of the tours organized by the festival to western Pinar del Rio province, where most of Cuba's tobacco is grown. "It just doesn't have the same texture." Linares spends eight hours each day stretching out wrinkled brown tobacco leaves after they have been harvested, strung out to dry in airy barns and fermented for six months. Good and bad "It's the fault of the weather. There are good years and bad ones," said Linares, 43, whose husband has a plantation. Industry experts said Cuba had been unable to keep up the supply of certain top-tier brands as a result of the bad crops. They gathered to attend the weeklong Habanos festival that ended Friday. "They have been limited in their tobacco of Cohiba Behikes by difficult crop years," said David Savona, editor of Cigar Aficionado magazine, which named that particular smoke Cigar of the Year in 2010. "And there seem to be fewer of certain big cigar sizes. Cohiba Esplendidos are little hard to find right now. Big cigars need a big leaf." Quality counts Savona and other cigar connoisseurs said restricted supply was not necessarily a bad thing. "If you don't have the good tobacco to make Cohiba, you shouldn't make it, and Cuba understood this," said Christoph Puszkar, marketing director of 5th Avenue Products, which imports Habanos to Germany, Austria and Poland. "We check 20 to 30 percent of all the goods coming into our markets. We have not had a bad impression of quality." The supply crunch comes as demand for Cuban cigars rises abroad because of growth in emerging markets and at home because of a jump in tourism. Sales of Cuba's cigars rose 5 percent last year to $445 million. Cuban cigar maker Habanos said at its annual news conference launching the festival that sales at home were increasing in tandem with the 13 percent increase in visitors to the Caribbean island fueled by more relaxed U.S. travel rules, part of the normalization of relations between the Cold War foes. The United States also lifted restrictions on the amount of Cuban cigars American travelers could take home with them as part of the same policy, further boosting demand. Short supplies Manuel Froehlich, who owns a shop in Zurich selling Caribbean rum, coffee and cigars, said he was struggling to source a variety of Cuban products. "We usually sell Cuban coffee in our shop, but for two years we haven't been able to source it," he said. "They don't have enough even for the domestic market because there are so many tourists. "Cigars, which make up half our revenue, are also hard. We started to have supply issues last year, and it just got worse." Hopes are high that a better harvest this year should help a bit with those supply issues. "Of course, you have to store the tobacco first, before they can use it," said Puszkar. "Supply should be slightly better from the beginning of the third quarter of this year." A group of Aboriginal transgender women have traveled more than 3,000 kilometers to take part in Sydneys world-famous Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. They have spent decades fighting for recognition within the indigenous community on the remote Tiwi Islands. About 30 transgender women from the islands off the coast of Australias Northern Territory will march Saturday for the first time with thousands of other participants in outfits colored with glow-in-the-dark paint emblazoned with traditional patterns and totems. Known as "sistagirls," the groups trip has been financed through various fundraising campaigns. They bring to Sydney a story of struggle and defiance. It has taken the women many years to gain acceptance in their remote Indigenous communities, where attitudes have shifted slowly. Several of the women have committed suicide in the past. Born a male, Simon Miller now identifies as a woman. [I] did not know about sistagirls until I was, like, 22. When I am [a] sistagirl, I feel like 100 percent true to me and I feel happy, you know, and when I am, like, dressing like a boy and that I feel, like, depressed and feels really awkward and uncomfortable, Simon said. Sydneys gay and lesbian Mardi Gras began as a civil rights rally in the late 1970s. It was born out of solidarity for New York's Stonewall movement, and called for an end to discrimination against gays and lesbians. The group has a loud political voice, as campaigners continue their efforts to persuade Australias leaders to legalize same-sex marriage. Opponents of the march, including some Christian groups, have in the past described it as a public parade of immorality and blasphemy." The U.S. State Department is defending the low-profile release of its annual human rights report Friday, amid criticism of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's break with tradition by failing to publicly present the report. A senior Trump administration official briefed reporters on the 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and rejected criticism from some human-rights groups and lawmakers that the briefing was not announced a day in advance, was not on camera and did not feature Tillerson. "The report speaks for itself. Were very, very proud of it. The facts should really be the story here," the senior official said Friday. "Secretary Tillerson spoke quite clearly in his confirmation hearing about his views of the impact of human rights on, and the importance to, U.S. interests." The official noted Tillersons remarks during the hearing were "very clear about our commitment to human rights and the guiding principle that our values are our interests in the conduct of our foreign policy." When questioned by reporters, the senior administration official did not explain why Tillerson did not unveil the report, but did say that the State Department wanted to get it out without delay. Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First both issued statements sharply criticizing the low-key rollout of the report, which reflects thousands of hours of painstaking work. The annual effort is read carefully by both governments and human-rights defenders around the world. However, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, wrote in a tweet that while Tillerson may not have wanted to face reporters questions, he still laid out his departments basic commitment to human rights in the reports preface: "Our values are our interests when it comes to human rights. The production of these reports underscores our commitment to freedom, democracy, and the human rights guaranteed to all individuals around the world." Sarah Margon of Human Rights Watch noted in a statement that Tillersons absence "reinforces the message to governments, rights activists and at-risk minorities that the State Department might also be silent on repression, abuse, and exploitation." Late Thursday, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio tweeted out his disappointment in the way the report was released. "For 1st time in a long time @StateDept #humanrights report will not be presented by Secretary of State. I hope they reconsider," the Republican senator wrote. In an overview, the 2016 report did not specifically highlight any countries. As is customary, it does not rank or compare countries' human-rights records. The senior administration official who briefed reporters said the report shows the global human-rights situation is mixed, with progress in some areas and worse abuses in others. The official highlighted torture, extra-judicial killings and gender discrimination as particular human-rights problems. The report offers country-by-country analysis of 199 countries, and it paints a devastating picture of conditions in Syria: "The government arbitrarily and unlawfully killed, tortured and detained persons on a wide scale. Government and pro-government forces conducted attacks on civilians in hospitals, residential areas, schools and settlements for internally displaced persons [IDPs] and refugee camps; these attacks included bombardment with improvised explosive devices, commonly referred to as 'barrel bombs.'" The State Department noted that the United Nations reported increased use of incendiary weapons in Syria during 2016, including napalm, white phosphorus and chlorine gas, and added, "The government continued the use of torture and rape, including of children." The U.S. report also detailed a grim situation in Venezuela, including the "systematic, politicized use of the judiciary to undermine legislative branch action and intimidate and selectively prosecute critics; indiscriminate police action against civilians leading to widespread arbitrary detentions, unlawful deprivation of life, and torture; and government curtailment of freedom of expression and of the press." With the new administrations views on Russia in the spotlight, the report says Russia has "a highly centralized, authoritarian political system dominated by President Vladimir Putin." It also outlined the suppression of dissent in Russia, restriction of access to free and fair elections and discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities, members of the LGBT community and migrant workers. President Donald Trump has accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of wiretapping his offices at Trump Tower in New York City before the November 2016 presidential election. In a series of tweets Saturday, Trump likened the alleged wiretaps to the Watergate political scandal that eventually led to the resignation of former president Richard Nixon in 1974. Trump did not offer proof of any wiretaps. Obama's office has not responded to the accusations. In a tweet, former National Security Agency analyst and counter-intelligence officer John Schindler suggested the president's accusations may pertain to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), which permits the legal surveillance and collection of information between foreign countries and their agents. The highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin, said if the Obama administration did surveil activities at Trump Tower, it would have needed authorization from the FISA court. "Thats why we have the FISA courts," Cardin said Saturday on CNN. "The executive branch cannot act on its own. They must get the consent of a court before they can do those types of activities. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Saturday if the campaign was wiretapped at Trump Tower, "It would be the biggest political scandal since Watergate." "Im very worried," Graham added at a town hall in Clemson, South Carolina. "Im very worried that our president is suggesting that the former president has done something illegally. I would be very worried if, in fact, the Obama administration was able to obtain a warrant, lawfully, about Trump campaign activity with foreign governments. So its my job, as a United States senator, to get to the bottom of this." It was disclosed earlier this week that Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak met at Trump Tower in New York in December with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and with since-ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn was fired after just 24 days on the job when information emerged that he had lied to top officials about the nature of his conversations with Kislyak. Revelations of the Trump Tower meetings surfaced after Attorney General Jeff Sessions admitted earlier in the week he met twice with Kislyak during last year's presidential campaign and failed to disclose those talks during his Senate confirmation hearing. Sessions has since said he would stay out of any federal investigation of alleged Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential election. White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks said Thursday the meetings at Trump Tower were intended to "establish a line of communication" between the incoming administration and the Russian ambassador. She added that Kushner also met with representatives of as many as two dozen other countries. U.S. government officials meet with representatives of foreign governments on many occasions and for many reasons, but the Trump administration had denied for months there was any contact between Russian officials and the new president's campaign. On Friday, the Breitbart News website published a report about conservative radio host Mark Levin's allegation that Obama conducted what he called a "silent coup" of the president by employing "police state" tactics. The article alleged the Obama administration took steps in its waning days to "undermine Donald Trump's presidential campaign and, later, his new administration. Trump's White House strategic advisor Stephen Bannon was once the executive chairman of Breitbart before being appointed to his current position. The claims come as the Trump administration faces mounting pressure from multiple FBI and congressional investigations into contacts between members of his campaign team and Russian officials. Senator Cardin, who received classified information from the outgoing Obama administration about Russia's interference in last year's presidential elections, has called for an independent investigation into meetings Attorney General Jeff Sessions had with the Russian ambassador. VOA's White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman contributed to this report. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Iraq has issued a warning about the possible use of chemical weapons in Mosul where Islamic State militants are battling U.S.-backed Iraqi forces. This is horrible, said Lise Grande, deputy special representative of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, who has called for an investigation. She said if the alleged use of chemical weapons is confirmed, it would be a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime, regardless of who the targets or the victims of the attacks are. The International Committee of the Red Cross says seven people have been admitted to a hospital near Mosul and are being treated for suspected exposure to chemical agents. Robert Mardini, ICRCs regional director for the Middle East, said five children and two women receiving treatment at the hospital are showing clinical symptoms consistent with an exposure to a blistering chemical agent. The symptoms include blisters, redness in the eyes, irritation, vomiting and coughing. The use of chemical weapons is absolutely prohibited under international humanitarian law, Mardini said. We are deeply alarmed by what our colleagues have seen and we strongly condemn any use of chemical weapons, by any party, anywhere. The alleged attacks are reported to have happened this past week in eastern Mosul. By Akshaya Nath: Eight fishermen from Tamil Nadu's Pudukkottai district were arrested by Sri Lankan officials yesterday. Seven of these fishermen are being held in Triconmalee in Sri Lanka, and will be presented in court at the earliest. The other fisherman attempted suicide soon after being taken into custody, and has been admitted to the Triconmalee hospital. In just the past week, 26 fishermen and four trawler boats from India have been taken into custody. In total, more than 50 fishermen are under arrest, and more than 130 trawlers are in the Sri Lankan government's custody. Yesterday's arrests came after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi K Palanisamy requested the Centre's intervention in the issue of fishermen being taken into custody by Sri Lanka. "We will very well be the last generation of fishermen in the country. The continuous arrests and the threat that we face on a day-to-day basis has made many people to move to other occupations," said Esther, a fisherwoman from Ramanathapuram district. Talking about the delayed action by the Sri Lankan and Indian governments, Alexander said, "After the two countries talk...we thought that there will be an end to our problems, but sadly the situation still continues and our fishermen still face arrests and threat of being killed in the sea all the time." Fishermen from the coastal districts of Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam, Pudukkottai, Tuticorin and Karaikkal have decided to go on a strike. They're also planning to conduct a road roko on February 6. ALSO READ: Ten Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy advertisement --- ENDS --- Women and children crossing together illegally into the United States could be separated by U.S. authorities under a proposal being considered by the Department of Homeland Security, according to three government officials. Part of the reason for the proposal is to deter mothers from migrating to the United States with their children, said the officials, who had been briefed on the proposal. The policy shift would allow the government to keep parents in custody while they contest deportation or wait for asylum hearings. Children would be put into protective custody with the Department of Health and Human Services, in the "least restrictive setting" until they can be taken into the care of a U.S. relative or state-sponsored guardian. 'Catch and release' Currently, families contesting deportation or applying for asylum are generally released from detention quickly and allowed to remain in the United States until their cases are resolved. A federal appeals court ruling bars prolonged child detention. President Donald Trump has called for ending "catch and release," in which migrants who cross illegally are freed to live in the United States while awaiting legal proceedings. Two of the officials were briefed on the proposal at a February 2 town hall for asylum officers by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum chief John Lafferty. A third DHS official said the department was actively considering separating women from their children but had not made a decision. DHS, HHS and the White House did not respond to requests for comment. About 54,000 children and their guardians were apprehended between October 1, 2016, and January 31, 2017, more than double the number caught over the same time period a year earlier. Republicans in Congress have argued that women are willing to risk the dangerous journey with their children because they are assured they will be quickly released from detention and given court dates set years into the future. Immigrant rights advocates have argued that Central America's violent and impoverished conditions force mothers to immigrate to the United States and that they should be given asylum status. Legal challenges Implementing the new policy proposal "could create lifelong psychological trauma, especially for children that have just completed a perilous journey from Central America," said Marielena Hincapie, executive director at the National Immigration Law Center. Hincapie said the U.S. government was likely to face legal challenges based on immigration and family law if it decided to implement the policy. The policy would allow DHS to detain parents while complying with a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals order from July 2016 that immigrant children should be released from detention as quickly as possible. That order said their parents were not required to be freed. To comply with that order, the Obama administration implemented a policy of holding women and children at family detention centers for no more than 21 days before releasing them. Strain on resources Holding mothers in prolonged detention could also strain government resources, said Randy Capps of the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington nonprofit. "You are talking about a pretty rapid increase in the detention population if you are going to do this," Capps said. "The question is really how much detention can they afford." DHS Secretary John Kelly last week ordered immigration agents to deport or criminally prosecute parents who facilitate the illegal smuggling of their children. Many parents who arrive on the U.S.-Mexico border with their children have paid smugglers to guide them across the dangerous terrain. Backers of U.S. President Donald Trump held rallies across the country Saturday. The "Spirit of America" rallies were organized by a group called the Main Street Patriots, which is made up of some of the same people that founded the Tea Party movement eight years ago to voice concerns about the way the federal government operates. Trump, driving through Florida toward his Mar-a-Lago resort, stopped his motorcade briefly to see a group of about 100 cheering supporters at the roadside. The cheering, flag-waving group had set up an elaborate display, with flashing lights, images of Trump and his campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," and other messages decrying the president's Democratic critics in Congress. Debbie Dooley, a leader of the group and co-founder of the Tea Party, told Time magazine the rallies held Saturday were meant to be a positive response to recent negative events held by Trump's political rivals. "This is not a Tea Party rally," she told Time. "We're not anti-this and anti-that. We're very focused on not having negative signs, making sure they're positive and upbeat." Ralph King, a founder of the Main Street Patriots, told Cleveland.com, though, that the rallies were meant to shame Republicans who haven't embraced Trump, more than to counter Democratic opposition. "Donald Trump's biggest roadblock is going to be the Republicans," King told the website. Rich Black, a rally organizer in Berkeley, California, told a CBS reporter the rally there was also meant to serve as "a march for free speech" a response to violent protests last month at the University of California-Berkeley that forced conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos to cancel a scheduled speaking engagement. "This cannot go unchallenged anymore," Black told a local television station. "What you saw on February 1 [was] innocent people, including bystanders, being physically assaulted by these thugs. Let's call it what it is." At least 60 pro-Trump rallies were scheduled to take place throughout the country Saturday in large cities like Washington, small cities like Conway, South Carolina (population: 19,000) and cities as far removed as Honolulu, Hawaii. While most events were peaceful, a few clashes occurred. In Berkeley, Trump supporters and protesters clashed, with some hitting each other over the head with the wooden sticks from their signs, police said. There were also minor scuffles reported in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Nashville, Tennessee. Science students from across Africa met in Zimbabwes capital of Harare to share their ideas and inventions at the inaugural Africa Science Buskers Festival. The event, which organizers say targets more than 20,000 students in Zimbabwe alone, aims to inspire and develop a love of science among primary and secondary schoolchildren. Among the participants in Harare is Jan-Williem Verhoef, 13, of the Hoerskool Garsfontein School in South Africa. The aspiring scientist exhibited what he says is his own discovery, inspired by his habit of being lazy. In 10 years, he predicts, Africa will have a self-washing car on the market. "I have a bad habit of being lazy, and every Sunday I am being pledged to wash my dad's car and I strongly disagree with that," he explained. "Basically, I looked into nature and found that the white flower has property of staying clean in very dirty, unclean conditions. This is due to the surface of the orchid flower. Usually you think that smoother surface is a cleaner one, but actually it is not the case. The rougher surface is the cleaner, but the difference is, it has to be extremely small. So we find these nanostructures of this flower everywhere." It is that type of creative thinking that has festival organizers saying Africa has the potential to excel, just like the United States and other first-world countries, if it sets its base right. Knowledge Chikundi, with aid from the Australian government, is coordinating the Africa Science Buskers Festival. He says the program is planned for other parts of Africa, as well. "The main message is to make students love science," Chikundi said. "So we should create an excitement for science. The science fairs have created billionaires. Bill Gates is a product of intel science fair. So we said, 'Why can't we promote science through the science fairs?' Our students are good, but we want them to apply what they know in solving some of the challenges. Sometimes we send themes to our students and some of the themes are based on every day challenges like water, water pollution and things like that." Also present at the fair was a science student who aims to produce nanofertilizer. Carol Van Rooyen says 10 years from now, her discovery will result in less pollution in Zimbabwe's water from chemicals in fertilizers. "In 10 years to come, Zimbabwe will be self-sufficient in agriculture [with] sustainable agriculture," she said. "No nutrient loss to the environment; no increased cost on importing fertilizers because we will be self-sufficient; no costs to purifying water, because there is nanotechnology; fertilizers, which are nutrient user-efficient, low cost and reduced frequency of application. That is what I promise." President Donald Trump's administration continues to grapple with new revelations of previously undisclosed meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, following U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' admission that he met twice with Kislyak during last year's presidential campaign and failed to disclose those talks during his Senate confirmation hearing, Sessions said Thursday he would stay out of any federal investigation of alleged Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential election. He said no one should see his decision as confirmation that any probe is currently underway. President Trump and White House officials, however, also must contend with the fallout from meetings the Russian ambassador held at Trump Tower in New York in December with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and with since-ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn was fired after just 24 days on the job when information emerged that he had lied to top officials about the nature of his conversations with Kislyak. While House spokeswoman Hope Hicks said Thursday the purpose of the meetings at Trump Tower was to "establish a line of communication" between the incoming administration and the Russian ambassador. Such meetings are common, she contended, and added that Kushner also met with representatives of as many as two dozen other countries. Asked Friday why the Trump Tower meeting was just recently disclosed, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said "this wasn't a secret. It was just ... frankly, I didn't know about it, and so I don't think anybody saw it as a big deal. There was no policy discussion." Asked about reports that Kislyak escaped reporters' notice by using a less visible entrance to Trump Tower, Spicer's deputy, Sarah Sanders, said she was unsure whether that was correct, but would look into it. Repeated denials U.S. government officials meet with representatives of foreign governments on many occasions and for many reasons, but the Trump administration had denied for months there was any contact between Russian officials and the new president's campaign. Noting that only Russia is accused of hacking into Democratic Party emails in an effort to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in the November U.S. election, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, said Friday Sessions should be questioned once again by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which first reviewed his appointment as attorney general over his failure to disclose the meetings. "He certainly made a seemingly false statement," Blumenthal said in an interview (MSNBC television). "I'd like him to explain what was said." Two congressional investigations into Russia's meddling in the election are underway, and the FBI is conducting its own probe. However, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which is conducting one of the probes, has accused James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, of withholding information. "In order for us to do our investigation in a thorough and credible way, we're going need the FBI to fully cooperate, to be willing to tell us the length and breadth of any counterintelligence investigations they are conducting," Congressman Adam Schiff told reporters after a committee briefing with Comey on Thursday. Schiff suggested the Justice Department led by Attorney General Sessions, which oversees the FBI, could have advised Comey to withhold information: "It was unclear whether that decision was a decision he was making on his own or a decision he is making in consultation with the Department of Justice." There was no comment from the FBI about Schiff's remarks. RNC encounters Meetings between Ambassador Kislyak and Trump's campaign also occurred during last July's Republican National Convention, at a time when campaign officials were working behind the scenes to ensure the Republican Party's policy platform did not propose sending weapons to Ukraine to defend itself from Russian and rebel forces. The USA Today newspaper reported Thursday that two Trump campaign national-security experts met with Kislyak at the convention in Cleveland. Sessions said Thursday his first of two meetings with Kislyak took place at the convention, where he and Kislyak talked about terrorism and Ukraine. He described the meeting as "testy" at one point, during a discussion of Russia's involvement in Ukraine. Sessions said the second meeting with the ambassador occurred at his Capitol Hill office in September and was part of his job as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. However, questions have lingered about whether Sessions and the ambassador discussed the political campaign. Several other members of the Armed Services Committee said they never met with the Russian ambassador and could not imagine a reason for doing so, since diplomatic contacts between foreign ambassadors and U.S. senators normally go through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The controversy has prompted some Democrats to call for Sessions' resignation because they believe he lied during sworn testimony at his confirmation hearings. WATCH: Sessions on contact with Russian officials "An honest man" President Donald Trump, who earlier Thursday said he does not think Sessions should recuse himself, called his attorney general "an honest man" who could have stated his response at the hearing more accurately. "The Democrats are overplaying their hand. They lost the election and now they have lost their grip on reality. It is a total witch-hunt," the president's statement said. At Sessions' January 10 confirmation hearing, Democratic Senator Al Franken asked what Sessions would do if evidence surfaced that anyone in the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government. "I'm not aware of any of those activities," Sessions replied. "I have been called a surrogate a time or two in that campaign and I didn't have, did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it." He told the reporters Thursday he never had any intention to mislead anyone and that his answers were "honest and correct" as he understood the question at that time. But he said "in retrospect, I should have slowed down and said "but I did meet one Russian official a couple of times. That would be the ambassador." The attorney general is the top law-enforcement officer in the United States. The White House and Republicans have accused Democrats of playing politics with the issue. Since U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last October that Russia had interfered in the U.S. presidential election, a flurry of news reports and leaks has raised more questions than answers about the growing national controversy. Weeks before Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations into the matter because of two previously undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, during the 2016 presidential campaign, law enforcement and lawmakers began looking into the allegations. FBI The FBI is leading at least three separate investigations into allegations of Russian interference in the election and possible Russia-Trump connections, Reuters reported last month, citing unnamed current and former government officials: * The FBI's Pittsburgh field office, which is in charge of cybersecurity investigations, is seeking to identify the people who breached the Democratic National Committee's computer systems last year. * The bureau's San Francisco office is trying to identify the people suspected of being behind the "Guccifer 2" online handle, which posted stolen emails of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta. * FBI counter-intelligence agents in Washington are looking into leads from informants and foreign communication intercepts. In what may have been a fourth FBI inquiry related to Russia and Trump, the bureau investigated a series of conversations that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had with Kislyak but did not disclose to Vice President Mike Pence, leading to Flynn's resignation on Feb. 14. Congress In Congress, meanwhile, at least five standing committees and one subcommittee are in various stages of investigations into Russian interference in the U.S. election and reported contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials. Among them: * The Senate Intelligence Committee, with jurisdiction over 17 intelligence agencies, is in the early stages of a probe launched in January. Initially focused on Russian hacking and misinformation efforts during the election, it has since been broadened to cover what committee members have described as contacts between Russian officials and the U.S. political campaigns. * The Senate Judiciary Committee, with oversight over the Department of Justice and the FBI, is carrying out its own investigation and has asked the Department of Justice for a briefing and documents related to circumstances leading up to Flynn's resignation. * The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, chaired by Russia hawk Lindsey Graham, announced in early February plans to investigate Russian meddling. The panel has jurisdiction over the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, as well as the FBI. * The House Intelligence Committee, charged with oversight of 17 intelligence agencies, is investigating "intelligence or counter-intelligence issues" involving Russia and the election. * The House Judiciary Committee, with oversight over the Department of Justice, is conducting its own investigation, with Republican members planning to write a letter to Attorney General Sessions requesting his cooperation with the Russia probe. * The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the Congress's main investigative committee with government-wide oversight jurisdiction, is looking into leaks of classified information about Flynn and his contacts with Russia and has sent a letter to Leading Authorities, a speakers bureau, to inquire whether Flynn received any payment from the Russian government for an appearance at a Moscow gala in 2015. Other Congressional committees such as the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings about the Russian hacking allegations last summer. Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, wrote to the White House last month seeking information about Flynn's contacts with Russia. But of all of the Congressional probes, perhaps the most consequential is being led by the Senate Intelligence Committee, the panel responsible for such high-profile investigations as the inquiries into the CIA's controversial torture practices in 2014 and the 2012 militant attacks on two U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya. Not only does the committee have the widest jurisdiction over intelligence matters with staff and resources to investigate them, but the committee's investigation into the Russian interference enjoys the support of its ranking Democratic member, Mark Warner, even as other Republican-led congressional investigations have been criticized by Democrats as partisan. Options regarding investigations Andrew Kent, a professor at Fordham Law School in New York who has written extensively about the investigations into Trump and Russia, said the FBI and congressional committees are focused on different aspects of the suspected Trump-Russia connections. "The FBI focus is going to be at looking at whether any federal laws were broken," Kent said. "The congressional committees can look a little bit more broadly and don't have a focus on whether specific laws were broken." While none of the investigations is truly independent, Kent said, there are at least four options to carry out such a probe: a congressional select committee with joint Republican-Democratic control; a congressionally-created bipartisan commission similar to the 9/11 panel; a special prosecutor; or an independent counsel with the full delegated power of the attorney general. But given White House opposition and Republican control of Congress, he said none of the options seem likely at the moment. Richard Ben-Veniste, the former chief of the Watergate Task Force that investigated former President Richard Nixon in the 1970s, said Sessions should hand over control of the investigations to Acting Attorney General Dana Boente, who is a career prosecutor. Boente is "an experienced prosecutor and far more likely to be deemed credible in terms of supervising the investigation," Ben-Veniste said. Another candidate would be Rod J. Rosenstein, a career prosecutor and the current U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, who has been nominated by Trump as deputy attorney general. A confirmation hearing has been set for March 7. "Senators will obviously have lots of questions for him about Trump-Russia issues," Kent said. In Congress, while Republicans have roundly rejected Democratic calls for a select committee to investigate any Russia-Trump connections, the idea is likely to gain traction as new information comes to light, Kent said. With the extent of the Trump campaign's ties to Russia unknown, Ben-Veniste said it is too early to say that the Russia questions will lead to a Watergate-style inquiry. However, he said he saw one parallel between the two high-stakes scandals. "Historically we've seen similar circumstances where the party, in protecting its reputation, has said that it is unnecessary to create any special investigative apparatus to ensure the public of the integrity of the investigation," he said. "Each time those initial protests are overcome and a special investigation takes place, it has been shown that there is fire behind the smoke." A California high school has made millions of dollars from the initial public offering of shares in Snap, the company behind the Snapchat photo messaging application. The board of the Saint Francis high school in Mountain View agreed to invest $15,000 in seed money in Snap in 2012, when the company was just getting started. They had been invited to do so by one of the student's parents, a venture capital investor, the high school president says in a letter issued to the school community Thursday. The school held onto the investment until this week, when Snap shares sold for $17 each in an IPO. The share price rocketed another 44 percent higher when trading began Thursday. The school was quoted by media including website Quartz as saying they sold two-thirds of their shares at $17 each, to raise $24 million. "The school's investment in Snap - which this morning announced the completion of its IPO - has matured and given us a significant boost,'' said the high school president, Simon Chiu, in the letter. A lawyer in Zimbabwe says two journalists and a publishing executive have been arrested for an article reporting that the health of 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe is deteriorating. Human rights lawyer Obey Shava said Friday that the article was published in Zimbabwe's NewsDay newspaper. The story Thursday mentioned a "fresh health scare.'' Mugabe, who turned 93 last month, flew to Singapore on Wednesday for what his spokesman called a "scheduled medical review.'' Shava says reporter Richard Chidza, editor Wisdom Mudzungairi and executive Sifikile Thabete face a charge of insulting the president. Shava works for Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, a group that says it has represented nearly 200 people charged with the same crime. People convicted of insulting Mugabe can face jail time, though some cases have been thrown out. Two Muslim women in Hyderabad have been divorced over WhatsApp by their husbands living in the US. The two women have lodged complaint with the police. By India Today Web Desk: Two divorces in a Hyderabad family have ignited the debate over triple talaq. Two women living in Hyderabad were divorced over WhatsApp by their respective husbands. The husbands are brothers, who decided to divorce their wives one after another over the mobile chatting app. Heena Fatima was divorced by her husband Syed Fayazuddin Hussain in a few weeks ago. They had married in February, 2013. advertisement Four years later Hussaini, who lives in the US sent three words over WhatsApp - Talaq, Talaq, Talaq - and completed the process of divorce. Later, he also sent the divorce papers from the US. In the second case, Mehreen Noor, married to Hussaini's brother Mohammad Abdul Aqeel, was divorced by her husband over WhatsApp. Mehreen received a WhatsApp message from Akheel that she had been divorced. WOMEN SEEK JUSTICE Having been divorced unilaterally and without seeking consent, Heena and Mehreen have decided to fight back. Heena has been quoted in reports as saying, "Sharia law lets you divorce me, but who is going to look after our children? Doesn't Sharia law ask of you to take care of your children?" On the other hand, Mehreen said that she was not even sure about the name of her husband at the time of their wedding. She has been quoted as saying, "I found out after marriage that my husband's real name is Usman Qureshi. Now, without citing any reason, he has sent me divorce." "They (the two brothers) have made marriage a joke," said Mehreen. Heena and Mehreen have lodged police complaint in Hyderabad. TRIPLE TALAQ CASE IN SUPREME COURT The incident has come to light at a time when the matter of triple talaq is being considered by the Supreme Court. The apex court has recently asked a constitution bench to examine the validity of triple talaq. The Centre has given its opinion against triple talaq saying that religious practices cannot override the rights of women. --- ENDS --- Since February 28, 2017, Google News Lab and the European Journalism Center (EJC) have coordinated French and foreign companies for the duration of the French presidential election campaign. Both organizations rely on the experience of ProPublica, which directed the media against Donald Trump during the US election campaign. They not only bring together media, but also schools that provide them with "experts". Companies that have reached an agreement with Google News Lab and the European Journalism Center (EJC) for the duration of the French presidential campaign are: AFP, Bellingcat, Bloomberg, Buzz Feed News, Journalist Training Center, Center France, Channel 4, Sciences Po School of Journalism, Euractiv, Euronews, Explicite, Facebook, Factoscope , France24-Les Observateurs, FranceTelevision, Global Voices, International Business Times, LExpress, La Provence, La Voix du Nord, LAvenir, LCI, Liberation, London School of Economics, Mashable-France 24, Meedan, Nice-Matin, West-France, Street 89, StoryFul, Street Press, South-West. For example: during the transition period, Buzz Feed News published a hoax stating that the Russian intelligence services had a compromising file against candidate Donald Trump. Moscow would therefore have been in a position to blackmail the President of the United States. ProPublicas partners had largely republished this "verified" allegation, despite the protests of the president-elect. It has proven to be purely defamatory. Learn how to winterize different parts of your home such as the chimney, furnace, windows, doors, gutters and smoke detectors Danny Masterson. Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images Danny Masterson, the actor best known for his role on That 70s Show, is currently being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for sexual assault. Three women have come forward and disclosed that they were sexually assaulted by Masterson during the early 2000s, an LAPD spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter this afternoon. The LAPD confirmed the investigation after longtime Scientology investigator Tony Ortega first reported the investigation on his website, the Underground Bunker, this morning. Masterson, a Scientologist who is currently starring in Netflixs The Ranch with his old That 70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher, denies the claims. To refute them, Mastersons rep released a lengthy statement disparaging two of the alleged victims to The Hollywood Reporter. The statement also suggests that former Scientologist Leah Remini encouraged the alleged victims to report Masterson to the police. Based on reading the anti-Scientology blog that posted this story, the statement reads, these false allegations appear to be motivated to boost Leah Reminis anti-Scientology television series since [alleged victims] only came forward after connecting with Leah Remini. So far, no charges have been filed. We will update this post as more information becomes available. Photo-Illustration: Vulture Campy teen dramas have given us so much. Its been nearly two decades since two up-and-coming teen stars met on Dawsons Creek, and Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps have become one of Hollywoods closest friendships ever since. When Philipps was added as a series regular and met Williams, the two became inseparable. Through hard times (Heath Ledgers death), good times (postGolden Globes pasta!) and every red carpet imaginable, Williams and Philipps can often be found side by side. Im so in love with her, Williams told People in December. Shes proof that the love of your life does not have to be a man! Thats the love of my life right there. So now, a history of one of Hollywoods best friend couples: 1998: Michelle Williams stars as Jen Lindley on Dawsons Creek, the WBs teen drama that will go on for six seasons. 2001: Fresh from a main role on Freaks and Geeks, Busy Philipps joins Dawsons as recurring character Audrey Liddell during the shows fifth season. Here they are on a totally normal night out in 2001, in outfits Busy later (aptly) described as garish: October 2005: Michelle gives birth to Matilda Ledger, her child with Heath Ledger. Busy and the couples Brokeback Mountain co-star Jake Gyllenhaal are named godparents. January 2006: Michelle and Busy attend their first awards show together at the years Screen Actors Guild awards. Williams was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Brokeback Mountain, which had two other nominations. March 2006: Michelle (nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Brokeback) went to the Oscars with two dates: Heath Ledger and Philipps. January 23, 2008: The day after Heath Ledger was found dead in his Soho apartment, Busy made her way to Michelles Brooklyn apartment. Busy stayed at Michelles Brooklyn apartment with Williamss mother, Carla Ingrid Williams. A Daily News report said that Busy was the only friend staying with Michelle and her family in the wake of Ledgers death. Williams mom and best friend, actress Busy Philipps, were waiting for them last night in Boerum Hill, where Felicity star Keri Russell stopped by with a condolence card. Friends said Williams was bereft and concerned for a child too young to grasp the tragedy. April 2008: In an interview with the Daily News about her role in the rom-com Made of Honor, Busy declines to go into detail about Ledgers death or the familys grieving. Other than actress, writer, wife and mother-to-be, Philipps is close friends with her Dawsons Creek co-star Michelle Williams and godmother to Williams daughter, Matilda, with the late actor Heath Ledger. Philipps declined to discuss the personal and tough situation for this story. April 2008: In an Elle interview, Michelle remembers when Busy told her that their old Dawsons Creek co-star Katie Holmes was dating Tom Cruise in 2005. I was shocked. [My actress pal Busy Philipps] called and said, Youre never going to believe who Katies with now. And Im like, Who? And she said, Whos the biggest movie star you can think of? I said this is embarrassing Tom Selleck?! December 2010: Busy accompanies Michelle to a screening of Blue Valentine. Also that month another L.A. playdate. February 2011: The pair attend a party for The Kings Speech. Later that month, when shes nominated for Best Actress for Blue Valentine, Michelle brings Busy to the Oscars. October 2011: The pair attend the 15th annual Hollywood Film Awards Gala, where Michelle is honored with the Hollywood Actress Award for her work in My Week With Marilyn. That same month, Philipps praised her pals performance to the Los Angeles Times (and says shes keeping her fingers crossed for Michelle to score an Oscar nom). What if Im the hex? Philipps wondered aloud. I guess well know if I get to go again. Maybe the third time is the charm? I was privileged enough to see an early cut of the film. I cant speak to the final product, but her performance is amazing, she said of Williams work. Its really crafted, you know? Its not like some caricature. January 2012: The duo was together on the Critics Choice Awards red carpet. At a Cougar Town event, Busy also says that shes keeping her fingers crossed for a Williams win: January 2012: After winning Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for her work in My Week With Marilyn, Michelle thanks her daughter, everyone who worked on the film, and her BFF/Golden Globes date Busy. And then, that same month, Busy was Michelles date to the 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards. February 2012: The women are together on the Indie Spirit Red Carpet, where Williams wins for My Week With Marilyn. That same month they go to the Oscars together. January 2013: The best friends are back onscreen together. Michelle Williams guest stars on Busy Philippss show Cougar Town, as Busys characters foster sister: Michelles boyfriend at the time, Jason Segal, third wheels the pairs vacation. Busy also told The Advocates Brandon Voss that she and Michelle are closer than anyone, but theyre just friends: Michelle Williams, your BFF, took you as her date to big events during last years awards season. How did you react when you heard the lesbian rumor? Honestly, this is the first Im hearing it! I get why people would say that about us, though. It does seem plausible. Its like Oprah and Gayle or Dolly Parton and her best friend. I believe sexuality is fluid, and women can have a deep love and affection for other women. My friendship with Michelle has stood the test of time, and weve been together through many different versions of our lives. I love her as deeply as I love almost anyone. But we dont do it. The gay rumors for me actually started in high school with my best friend Kate. For our senior yearbook page we submitted a cute picture of us being silly, almost kissing, with a caption that read, The rumors are true. Unfortunately, the yearbook staff deemed it inappropriate. May 2014: Busy on Broadway (supporting Michelle in Cabaret). You need to go see Cabaret if you're in New York because MY BEST FRIEND KILLED IT. pic.twitter.com/lY8yqoenTH Busy Philipps (@BusyPhilipps) May 3, 2014 December 2014: NYE in the Maldives. 2015: Theyre Jeopardy! official. October 2015: Busy tells Elle she counts Michelle as style inspo. In terms of friends style, if you had to choose one of your celebrity friends who had fall style that you would love to steal, who would it be? Oh. Funny. I suppose Michelle [Williams] for all the Louis Vuitton, right?Ha! Yes. Great answer. Ive always loved Michelles style. I have to say my friendship with her was, in terms of fashion, incredibly illuminating. We became friends when I was 21, and shed just turned 21 and had been working for a long time and was sort of into fashion and knew cool brands. Brands, whatever? Designers. June 2016: Michelle and Busy, together at the Tonys. Williams was nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Play for Blackbird. December 2016: While on Manchester by the Seas press tour, Michelle gushed to People about how great Busy is: Im here with my best friend, Williams, 36, says as she sips a glass of champagne at a screening of her film, sponsored by Louis Vuitton, and held at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York and on Sunday. Im so in love with her, she says, Shes proof that the love of your life does not have to be a man! Thats the love of my life right there. November 2016: At a Manchester screening: December 2016: And in what is ostensibly a port-a-potty, post-Critics Choice Awards: Later that night, Michelle had to re-pierce Busys ear: January 2017: Together at the SAG Awards, where Manchester and Williams are nominated. Busy snapped a stealth pic of Michelle before they headed to the Golden Globes together. Later that night they appropriately ate pasta, because awards shows are long and boring, especially when Michelle doesnt win. February 2017: Busy shares a watercolor rendering of this very beautiful and important friendship. And then they held hands on their flights out of LAX! February 2017: Together again at another Oscars (Williams nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Manchester by the Sea). Whats a night out without a mirror selfie? The ultimate sign of best friendship: Theyve stayed close through the best and worst of times, and Busy can get a pic that features both of their best angles: Additional reporting by Jake Nevins and Britina Cheng. Beauty and the Beast. Photo: Disney Russia may ban Beauty and the Beast over the films much-teased, meekly delivered gay content. The country, which is notoriously hostile to LGBTQ rights, has a law that prohibits the spreading of gay propaganda among minors. According to the BBC, several Russian government officials are pushing for the banning of Beauty and the Beast on the grounds that it violates the law in question. One such official and major proponent of the 2013 law, MP Vitaly Milonov, condemned the films shameless propaganda of sin in a letter revealed publicly on Saturday. Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has not made a decision, but has announced his intention to screen the film for such content before its release. As soon as we get a copy of the film with relevant paperwork for distribution, we will consider it according to the law, he said. By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha Washington, Mar 4 (PTI) The Trump Administration has a "very positive view" of the Indo-US relationship and a lot of interest in taking the ties forward, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said today after his wide-ranging talks with senior Cabinet members and top officials here. "Optimistic" about the continuation of the upward trajectory of the bilateral relationship, Jaishankar told Indian reporters here that the India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which was started under the previous Obama administration, would be held later this year. advertisement Dates were being worked out for the India visit of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to hold the first India US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue under the Trump administration. "Overall, (the) sense was that the Administration has a very positive view of the relationship, positive view of India," said Jaishankar, who along with Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia, is on a visit here to engage with the new Trump administration. "We saw a lot of goodwill and a lot of interest in taking the relationship forward," he said. Jaishankar, during his visit, held a number of key meetings here, including with Secretary of State Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security Gen (retd) John Kelly, National Security Advisor R McMaster, and Deputy Assistant to the President, Ken Juster. The visiting Indian officials, accompanied by the Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Sarna, also met the top leadership of the US Congress, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker and his House counterpart Congressman Ed Royce. They also met Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate India caucus, and Co-Chairs of India Caucus in the House Congressman George Holding and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Jaishankar and Teotia, during their visit, interacted with US businesses through the US India Business Council. "The (US) Congress has been extraordinarily supportive of the growth of this relationship. Since there has been a change in the political landscape, we thought engaging them was something which was important," Jaishankar said. "Broadly with the (US) administration, we explained to them the progress that the India US relation has made in the last many years. So it was a full spectrum (of) discussions," he said. MORE PTI LKJ ASK ASK --- ENDS --- Waco has a special place in the heart of at least one Live Oak Classical School student, so spending an afternoon cleaning up trash around a nearby nonprofit agency seemed natural. Autumn Knowles, 18, grew up in Waco and plans to attend Baylor University. Her Tuesday afternoon visit a block over from the school to help clean up at Sallys House a Salvation Army house for homeless families with fellow classmates is but one of many efforts planned by Live Oak teacher Nik Pontasch to be a good neighbor. Going to school here, theyve always been like, Be careful, theres a lot of homeless people, Knowles said. Its kind of weird thinking theres so many and . . . theres a lot of people here that could do something (to help) and dont. I feel like it would be really easy to with the amount of wealthy people in Waco. Maj. Anita Caldwell, with the Salvation Army of McLennan County, said she was moved by Live Oak officials efforts to be a great neighbor. I just love that. I think thats beautiful. Thats a gift for people in community, to support each other in community and find ways to make a difference without it being necessarily a lot of money, Caldwell said. Now it makes me want to figure out how I can be a good neighbor to Live Oak. Caldwell said Pontasch contacted the Salvation Army to ask what they could do, so out came the rakes, garbage bags and gloves. Volunteers allow Sallys House staff time to focus more on their duties and caring for the homeless families who stay in the house at the corner of South Fourth Street and Clay Avenue, Director Ykenya Robertson said. It costs about $100,000 a year to operate Sallys House, which rarely has a bed not slept in, and the organization is about $40,000 short so far this year in covering its operational budget, said Robertson and Major Bradley Caldwell, with Salvation Army of McLennan County. Outside of donations, Sallys House receives some of its funding from grants, kettle money, United Way assistance and a few other avenues. Expenses cover personnel costs, electricity, water, taxes, bed replacements, and other basic necessities. But funds also go to things like supplying underwear for the guests, Anita Caldwell said. Most of those who stay in one of the four rooms at Sallys House have nothing, so even having clean, or any, underwear to provide them as they wash their clothes in the facilitys washer and dryer is important, she said. Staff also tries to provide toys, stuffed animals, or coloring books for the children who stay in the home. One of the four rooms is for single women. Anita Caldwell said there are often college students who have dropped out of school and need a place to stay temporarily while they get back on their feet. 3 rooms for families The other three rooms are dedicated to families, whether its a couple and their children, or mother and her children, or father and his children. Guests are allowed to stay five days in the home, unless they agree to work with a staff member to gain housing. We then start case management. Thats not the right word; theyre not cases or people to be managed. We are our supporting them in finding solutions, Anita Caldwell said. Once they enter their home, we are happy to walk along beside them as they find the solution thats going to work for them. Its not imposing on someone. Its walking alongside that person. Many people only need a week to regain their footing after a crisis in their life, she said. They just need someone who says, You can change your life. Youve got it, you can do it, and were here to help you, walk along beside you to get to that next step, she said. Pontasch, who is in his second year teaching at Live Oak, said he hopes to make volunteer trips with his students on a monthly basis. He said teaching is not just about educating childrens minds, but educating the whole person and developing a childs heart for others. Pontasch said he hopes to help create a generation of youths who care about the right things. Robertson said shes amazed by the Live Oak students enthusiasm for volunteering. Picking up trash blown by the wind, Live Oak student Will DeGraffenried, 16, said volunteering at Sallys House was the right thing to do. Its helpful because the people who run it, they have to worry about the people who stay there, and if they dont have to constantly worry about whether theres trash all over the place, its one less thing they have to think about, he said. By Press Trust of India: From Aditi Khanna London, Mar 4 (PTI) British and Indian scientists have collaborated for a new research project aimed at studying the impact of climatic changes on agriculture in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The project, set up at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, will be led by Hartmut Boesch and Harjinder Sembhi in the UK and Professor Sachichi Tripathi in India, University of Leicester said in a statement. advertisement "The Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) is a very important region for the regional food supply and the use of EO data will give us novel means of studying the sensitivity of this area to environmental changes," said Boesch, reader in Earth Observation at the University of Leicester. The IGP extends across Northern India connecting to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal and is region of large scientific and economic interest. Increasing agricultural production and industrialisation to meet the demands of a growing population coupled with human-induced disturbances threaten the natural ecosystem in this region. "This project presents an exciting opportunity for UK and Indian researchers to align their scientific expertise to understand and address the environmental challenges that exist already and are likely to continue to affect communities around the IGP," said Sembhi, Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Leicester. Changes have been observed, impacting the quality of air and emissions of greenhouse gases and therefore the need to monitor land-use and the regional greenhouse gas budget is becoming critical, the statement said. In addition to these pressures, large climatic variations such as extreme changes in rainfall or temperature can also significantly impact crop productivity, food and water security in the future, it said. Funded by the UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKEIRI) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the project will focus on combining expert knowledge in Earth observation space sensors, highly accurate ground-based measurements with state-of-the-art models of the land surface to determine the climatic drivers of yield modulations and its relation to greenhouse gas emissions. It has also created new partnerships with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Indian Institute for Technology-Delhi (IIT-Delhi). It is being described as the first international research programme of its kind to bring together the UK Earth observation community with Indian experts to address the challenges in monitoring climate impacts on agriculture. The use of novel Earth observation datasets used in the project will provide a much better understanding of regional and long-term changes across the IGP and how they impact agricultural yield, the statement said. advertisement The project is also focused on the transfer of skills and training of young scientists and students of both countries to help build a sustainable partnership, it said. PTI AK MRJ KJ AKJ KJ --- ENDS --- Britain Hall has been in Waco for three years. Hes been a barista at Dichotomy Coffee & Spirits for close to a year and has been married for three months. He moved from the Lubbock area after his father got a job in town. And so far, Hall has been enjoying his new life. Its been good, but I think Im a little too liberal for Waco, Hall said. I met my wife here and ended up staying. But I think were going to leave pretty soon to go to Denton. But Ive met a lot of really cool friends in Waco, and its been a great place to work. But as a man who was born female, when he stops to think about transgender rights up for debate at the federal and state level, he said more could be done at the local level simply by showing a willingness to understand the transgender community. This includes schools doing enough to protect students rights, especially after President Donald Trumps administration lifted federal guidelines regarding bathroom use for transgender students Feb. 22, he said. Trumps administration will let states and local school districts interpret whether federal sex discrimination laws apply to gender identity, according to a letter distributed by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice. The decision at the federal level doesnt look like it will kill a Texas bill that would force people to use public bathrooms in schools and state and local government buildings that correspond with their biological sex, according to multiple media reports. The Texas Privacy Act, or Senate Bill 6, sits in the Senate State Affairs committee for Texas 85th Legislature and is expected to be the subject of a public hearing Tuesday. Last May, Midway and Waco Independent School District officials spoke up about how their districts would handle federal guidelines passed under former President Barack Obamas administration. Since Trumps reversal, officials with the countys two biggest school districts have said they will wait to see what happens at the state level. Work with students Right now, we just work directly with students for any kind of an issue, whether its transgender privacy issues or medical issues or anything like that, Midway spokesperson Traci Marlin said. We just work with students one on one to make sure they feel their needs are met and we work with their parents, and thats been working for us. So were going to continue that for now. When the Obama guidelines were announced, Midway and Waco ISD officials said they were fielding many phone calls from parents about transgender issues, and both districts stated they were already following most of those guidelines. Midway ISD officials said they would have had to change policies to comply with the new guidelines, but almost a year later, Midway ISD has clarified the stance. Marlin said if the guidelines had been an actual change in law, the district would have had to consider policy changes. Were not going to need to change policy because we dont have a written policy about it, and everythings going just fine. We havent had any issues or any calls about it this year at all, Marlin said. We abide by laws and UIL regulations. So right now we dont have a written policy, and theres not a change needed either way. Waco ISD has a similar stance that it will maintain the status quo and watch the state Legislature. If we have a transgender student on a Waco ISD campus, we work with that child and their parents and address any concerns or questions on an individual basis, Waco ISD spokesperson Bruce Gietzen said. We will continue that practice, which to this point has been very successful at meeting the needs of all our students. Gietzen couldnt say how many students in the district identify as transgender, citing privacy and nondiscrimination policies. The districts nondiscrimination statement says Waco ISD is an equal opportunity educational provider and employer and doesnt discriminate on the basis of sex or genetic formation. Separate but equal States can take actions that protect transgender students, but Senate Bill 6 isnt one of them, Hall said. And the decision to lift federal guidelines sends a message that the federal government doesnt care about this part of the nations population, he said. It seems like there are individuals who do feel uncomfortable using certain restrooms, and so theyre kind of telling them they have an option to use a restroom that is in the nurses office or some alternative restroom that is single-stalled so they can use the restroom by themselves to feel safe, Hall said. My problem with that is, its separate but equal. That defeats the purpose, and they should be able to use the restroom of the gender they identify with. If I was a trans student and someone said, So you dont feel comfortable using those restrooms with the gender thats on your birth certificate? You can use this restroom, it would make me feel like a freak or like I didnt deserve to use the public accommodations everyone else does. An estimated 700,000 transgender individuals live in the U.S., according to a 2011 report from the Williams Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles, which may be the latest data available. But a 2015 New York Times article states the transgender population is difficult to estimate for several reasons. The U.S. Census Bureau and other record keepers dont ask about gender identity, and many gender identity distinctions dont have clear definitions, according to the article. Texas is not very nice to LGBT people, especially right now to trans people, Hall said. I think a lot of people react the way they do, in the South particularly, toward trans people because they are afraid of them. Theyre different, and theyve probably never known a trans person. Its easy for people to demonize other people when they havent had interactions with them or personally know them. To most, Hall still passes as a woman, he said. He keeps his hair long as a personal preference and binds his chest every morning to give himself a more masculine look until the day he can have reconstructive chest surgery. Hes been taking hormones for six months to start his official transition, he said. Now that my voice has started to drop and Im starting to grow hair literally everywhere and becoming more masculine, its kind of frightening to say the least, Hall said. I dont feel safe in mens restrooms, just because I feel I would get harassed just because of how I look. Hall is supported for who he is at work, but he has an employee restroom available if hes uncomfortable. However, this can still create a separate but equal mindset when he thinks about it, he said. Its not about whether people should be afraid of trans people, Hall said. People should be talking about how trans people are afraid of other people. Hall grew up in a small town near the Panhandle, and he said the majority of Farwell, Texas, has probably voted straight-ticket Republican the past 40 years. Texas has been a Republican state for the past 40 years, last backing Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter in 1976, according to the Texas Tribune. Being judged Beyond knowing others are either afraid or unwilling to learn about the transgender community, the hardest part for Hall is running into people who judge him before getting to know him, he said. I try to volunteer and contribute to society, try to educate myself and feel like I am an educated person, Hall said. A lot of people dont realize Im trans. Theyre just uncomfortable with the fact that what they see me as an extremely masculine woman, even though thats not how I identify. They automatically assume Im a masculine female and are uncomfortable. You can usually tell by the way people look at you, and sometimes in public, people are confused why Im so masculine. Hall hasnt experienced much bullying in Waco, he said. The worst incident hes faced was when a local pharmacy technician snickered and made snide comments behind the counter as he bought his hormone pills, he said. Other than that, conversation about the transgender community doesnt come up a lot, except on social media. He mostly stays away from negativity on Facebook, but saw a post recently on a transgender student-wrestler from Fort Worth. The comments were disheartening and ignorant, he said. People defined the student as it and stated it should be put into a mental hospital, he said. Thats the inherent problem people have, an idea of what should and shouldnt be, Hall said. Thats also part of the issue with Senate Bill 6 and the Trump administrations recent decision, he said. But while its important to know the decision by Trumps administration and Senate Bill 6 are connected, the two issues have separate ramifications and what local schools are doing right now is reasonable, InterWaco Chairwoman Carmen Saenz said. InterWaco is a local LGBT advocacy group affiliated with Equality Texas, the largest statewide organization dedicated to equality for the LGBT community. From what I know, our local school districts are making accommodations that seem fair to families and the administration, Saenz said. We have an active, vibrant transgender community here in McLennan County, from kids at 13 to adults in their 70s. The Trump administrations recent letter rescinds guidelines clarifying that federal protections based on sex extend to transgender students, Saenz said. The letters from both administrations were only guidelines though, and dont change protection laws already in place, she said. Our focus is now on watching the nominations and letting our national officials know were watching the nomination process for U.S. Supreme Court, Saenz said. Thats where its going to play out. Because, again, neither letter had the power of enforcement behind them. Shortly after his inauguration in January, Trump nominated appellate Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court position that has been open for more than a year, since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. And with the opening remaining, Trumps new guidance may give the court an easy out if theyre seeking to avoid a major ruling on transgender rights, in a case from Virginia expected to be heard soon, according to the Associated Press. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a press release Feb. 22 praising the Trump administrations guidance and saying the issue should be left to states. Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst filed SB 6 shortly before the legislative session started, with Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks support. Since filing, 14 others have signed on as co-sponsors, including McLennan Countys Republican Sen. Brian Birdwell. Patrick also sent a press release after the Trump guidance was published, praising its embrace of state control. Deeper debate But Hall said the bathroom bill battle is just a pawn. The debate is more about the rights of transgender people to exist in public space, he said. If you take away access to public accommodations, youre telling trans people they dont need to be public because they cant use those accommodations everyone else is using, Hall said. People should be treated equally to do whatever they want to do. I dont know any trans people who go into restrooms to harm other people. Trans people have enough anxiety about passing as the gender they feel like they are in public restrooms without having some sort of violent act toward another person. I personally feel trans people are portrayed as child molesters or theres something wrong with them, or theyre sexual deviants, and thats simply not the case. Certain issues shouldnt be left up to states, and transgender rights fall into that category, Saenz said. The role of the federal government is to protect the rights of the minority against the will of the majority when that will would take rights away, Saenz said. If it were left up to states, there would still be states where interracial marriage would be illegal, and race wouldnt be a protected class, Saenz said. Both, too, had federal rulings to act on. While officials wait to see what happens on the state level, Saenz said InterWaco has a strong relationship with the city and county governments. She knows her group can always turn to community leaders if theres an issue, she said. The reality is, the transgender people have been using the bathroom for years and years and years, and its never been an issue, Saenz said. No matter how the bathroom debate pans out though, Hall said he isnt going stop telling his story. The right to use a public restroom is too important to not talk about in the face of a much larger issue, he said. There are trans people here. Its not just happening in big cities or places that are more liberal. There are trans people everywhere. Theyre just afraid to come out or theyre afraid of rejection or hatred or literally being killed because of it, Hall said. Because people still get killed for being trans. To me, people need to know trans people are normal, and they could be making your coffee every morning. They literally could be the people you interact with every day. Wacos congressman said he has been able to reach out to voters in the district whose political tendencies dont align with his positions and at least have constructive conversations. Rep. Bill Flores said liberal constituents he met with are concerned about the direction of the United States under President Donald Trump, but he thinks they walked away from meetings thinking I dont have horns growing out of my head. On areas like leaning into the immigration question, I think theyre surprised. They think theres a standard conservative approach thats anti-immigrant, but its not, Flores said. I think theyre pleased with that. Flores top immigration priority is border security, followed by fixing the visa program, not a wall dividing the United States from Mexico, he said. Without naming names, Flores also said there are some people working in the White House who concern him. Ive told (constituents) those names. That made them feel better, Flores said. Flores said he met with about 40 voters throughout the district in the last week of February. Texas 17th Congressional District includes Waco, Bryan, College Station and sections of Austin. Some parts of our population are really, for lack of a better term, freaked out about having Donald Trump as president, Flores said. Because of that, theyre taking every action and usually coupling it with one of his extreme statements from his campaign and putting them together and coming to the worst possible outcome. Its made it pretty difficult to have some of these conversations. Many Republican lawmakers were met with rancor at town hall meetings last month on issues including Trumps executive orders on immigration and GOP plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Town hall meetings Flores, who got more than 60 percent of the vote in November to win a fourth, two-year term, will host town hall meetings in mid-April. Not all of them, but some (town hall meetings across the country) have been unruly, Flores said. Its unfortunate. If you really want to have engagement with an elected official you have to have a rational dialogue. You cant have a dialogue when youre screaming your lungs out and carrying a sign. Thats not dialogue. Theres no value to be added in having that kind of a disruptive event. Mary Mann, president of Texas Democratic Women of Central Texas, said she and a small group met with Flores in Waco last week. We had a very cordial meeting, Mann said. We appreciated his time. We felt that he should have had a town hall, and I told him that in our comments. Mann also said Flores should speak with more families affected by hard-line immigration policies and should have taken a more forceful support of investigations into Trumps alleged ties to Russia. This whole Putin-love concept really bothers me, Flores said. Im not sure I get it. Flores said he supports the two congressional committees investigating Russian ties. I have the utmost confidence in them, he said. When they say we need a special investigation, weve already got two investigations, and this is the place to start. Flores also said he has pulled back from social media as a way to interact with voters. Weve gotten to where we dont even try to answer on Twitter or Facebook, he said. By giving an answer thats tangible, its just an invitation to have them scream at you. My social media is not kid-friendly anymore because of the things that other people post. Its unfortunate. Its a tool that used to be pretty effective, but until people can start following the golden rule treat me the way youd want me to treat you its just not effective. The highly anticipated first trial of a biker arrested in the May 2015 shootout at Twin Peaks was delayed Friday on a defense request for more time. Judge Ralph Strother of Wacos 19th State District Court granted a motion from attorney Landon Northcutt to delay the April 17 trial of one of his three clients, Christopher Julian Carrizal, Christopher Jacob Carrizal or Jerry Edward Pierson. It still is not clear, Northcutt said, which of the three is going to trial first, and Strother did not set another trial date on Friday. Strother said he will confer with 54th State District Judge Matt Johnson, who is presiding over half of the cases of the 155 bikers indicted in the Twin Peaks incident, before setting another trial date. Strother conferred with District Attorney Abel Reyna, prosecutors Michael Jarrett and Amanda Dillon and Northcutt in his chambers for about 20 minutes before Strother announced in open court that he reluctantly was granting the continuance, but said he understands the necessity to do so. Reyna left court quickly after the hearing and declined comment. He declined to say if his office opposed the trial postponement. Northcutt, of Stephenville, said after the hearing that the DAs office recently provided Twin Peaks defense attorneys with a terabytes worth of information and evidence in the case and he needs more time to analyze the information. A terabyte is equal to 1,024 gigabytes. Northcutt said he cant be sure which of his three clients, who are all Bandidos, will stand trial first because the DAs office has not designated a defendant for the first trial and is playing hide the ball. Speedy trial motion As Reyna was leaving the courtroom, Houston attorney Paul Looney asked Strother if his client, Cody Ledbetter, could take the April 17 trial date left vacant by the continuance. Looney filed a renewed demand for speedy trial motion Friday morning and implored the judge to allow his client to take the trial date. Strother denied the motion but set a Sept. 11 trial date for Ledbetter. Well, its better than what I had when I got here, said Looney, who has pressed for the earliest possible trial date for his client on several occasions. For the life of me I will never understand if you have 154 defendants who dont want to go to trial and one who wants to go to trial why that person cant go to trial. It just baffles me. Strother said he still plans to have a large jury panel brought in March 24 for a Twin Peaks trial so the group can fill out questionnaires to aid attorneys in jury selection. After the panel fills out the documents, the group will be told at a later date when to report for jury selection, the judge said. Nine bikers were killed and dozens were wounded during an exchange of gunfire between the Bandidos and Cossacks biker groups. Some of those killed were shot by law enforcement officers. All 155 indicted in the incident are charged with first-degree felony engaging in organized criminal activity. Earlier this week, Wacos 10th Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the appeal of a ruling by Johnson that denied a motion to disqualify Reyna from prosecuting the Twin Peaks cases. A ruling is pending before the three-member intermediate appellate court. In an important decision thats unusual for being almost unanimous, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday clarified the constitutional rule for the design of majority-minority legislative districts, perhaps the single most significant issue in contemporary voting-rights law. The redistricting in this case took place under the old rules, before the court struck down a section of the Voting Rights Act. Still, the decision points the way to the constitutional doctrine of the future: voting-rights law thats more consensual than has been the historic norm. State legislatures will be evaluated more carefully to see whether they have relied on race as the predominant factor in district design. If they have, the courts now have a bit more room to conclude that the racial motive was justified and not unconstitutional. The backdrop to the case, Bethune-Hill v. Virginia State Board of Elections, is a set of 12 redistricting decisions taken by the Virginia House of Delegates after the 2010 census. The state set out to achieve its redistricting before the 2012 elections, which means the action took place before the Supreme Court decided the landmark 2013 case of Shelby County v. Holder. In the Shelby County case, a conservative majority including Justice Anthony Kennedy struck down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1964. Section 5 required states with a history of racial discrimination in voting matters to preclear any redistricting with the Department of Justice. Preclearance mattered in the Virginia case. The 12 majority-minority districts had all lost some black voters between 2000 and 2010. The Virginia legislature set out to keep those districts majority-minority and satisfy the Department of Justice under President Barack Obama. To achieve that, the legislature adopted the goal of getting each of the 12 districts to contain a black voting-age population of at least 55 percent. When voters challenged the new districts, the constitutionality of the new plan went to a special three-member federal district court, standard for voting-rights challenges. The court upheld all the districts but for different reasons. In 11 cases, the district court said that the challengers had failed to prove that there was an actual conflict between the redistricting plan and traditional redistricting principles. Thus, it dismissed the challenge to those 11. The Supreme Court held that this was too high a bar for the challengers to have to cross. In his opinion for the court, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that challengers dont necessarily have to show that the voting district is weirdly shaped or otherwise untraditional to prove racial gerrymandering. They just have to show that race was the predominant motive for the redistricting. Kennedy admitted that most of the time, the way to make that showing would be through evidence of a district that deviates from ordinary shape. He even admitted that the Supreme Court had never found a district to be created for predominately racial reasons in the absence of such design weirdness. But he insisted that a deviation from ordinary district design was not necessary to prove racial predominance. This ruling sent the case back to the district court to re-examine the 11 districts. But, crucially, with respect to the 12th and final district the Supreme Court upheld the district courts conclusion. The lower court concluded that race had been the predominant motive in forming the 12th district. But it also held that the state legislature had narrowly tailored the design to meet the interest of satisfying Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act by getting preclearance. (In the only dissent filed in the case, Justice Clarence Thomas disagreed with this part of the holding.) In practice, this part of Kennedys opinion signals to the district court that it could find that race was the predominant motive in designing the other 11 districts and nevertheless still bless those districts which were composed using the same goal of 55 percent black voting-age population as the one district that the Supreme Court upheld. This explains, in part, the compromise between liberals and conservatives in the usually divisive area of voting-rights law. For liberals, the opinion means that existing liberal redistricting from before 2013 can be upheld. And it opens the door to the possibility progressively minded state officials doing redistricting can be given some leeway to pick specific targets of black voters without violating the Constitution. To the courts conservatives, including Kennedy and Chief Justice John Roberts, the decision pushes lower courts to take a closer look at racially minded redistricting, focusing on motives. They can tolerate reliance on the 55 percent goal in this case because, after 2013, preclearance can no longer be used by states as an excuse. There could still very well be a battle between the liberals and the conservatives over whether such targets remain lawful after 2013. Justice Samuel Alito, in a separate concurrence, hinted as much. But its also possible the two sides are looking toward a more lasting compromise for the post-2013, post-preclearance world. Liberals can live with close assessments of racially motivated redistricting provided there is room for the courts to conclude that it is constitutionally permissible to preserve majority-minority districts. And conservatives or at least Kennedy and Roberts might be prepared to let majority-minority districts stand in those instances where legislatures adopt them, even without the threat of preclearance. If that were so, the U.S. Supreme Courts history of 5-4 voting rights decisions might be coming to an end. Noah Feldman is a professor of constitutional law at Harvard University and was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. His books include Divided by God: Americas Church-State Problem and What We Should Do About It. It didnt feel good, did it? Its the biggest check youll likely write all year. You just paid your property taxes. Its no longer a matter of if your property taxes went up, its how much. Yet this doesnt have to be the case. Take a second to review your property tax bill and youll likely see that the largest portion goes to your school district. In fact, more than half (53.97 percent) of all local property taxes paid by Texas property owners in 2015 were levied by school districts, according to the Texas Comptrollers most recent Biennial Property Tax Report. Texas properties are in high demand, which translates to increased market value and higher appraisals, making Texas real estate a wise investment. Some blame skyrocketing local property taxes on these increased appraisals. Its safe to say all Texans want their properties to rise in value, so lets not vilify increasing appraisals. But we also want a sustainable way to fund our states public school system. There is a way we can realize increasing appraisals, decrease our local property tax burden and still fund our public schools: Increase the states contribution to public education so property owners arent bearing the brunt at the local level. This wont be an easy task, but we at the Texas Association of Realtors agree with former state Rep. John Otto, who chaired the House Appropriations Committee in the 2015 legislative session, about how to start. A discussion needs to take place to determine the proper way to share public education costs between the state and local property taxes, Otto said. And once that goal is achieved, school districts should be able to lower their tax rates when the state no longer receives the benefit of growth in property values. The state once paid a much larger share of the cost to fund public schools. It was only a few years ago that Texas public schools were funded 50 percent by local property taxes and 50 percent by the state. Today, your share of the funding through local property taxes is about 62 percent and the states share is about 38 percent. This imbalance is largely because the state is benefiting from increased property values. Translation: You are paying more in local school property taxes because your property value went up as the state share decreased. Over the next two years, its estimated that Texas public schools will see an additional 165,000 students at an added cost of $2.65 billion. Over that same two-year period, the state will receive the benefit of your local school property taxes growing by $3.56 billion simply because properties increased in value. This will further reduce how much the state contributes to fund schools, which will then further increase your share and the cycle will continue. If the Texas Legislature doesnt act to balance state and local contributions to public education, who will pay this cost? You will. To further complicate matters, depending on your ZIP code, your money may not stay local. There are mechanisms in place to distribute school property taxes from some so-called property-wealthy school districts to property-poor school districts. So how do we resolve this situation? Our school finance system has become so complex that taking any steps toward reform will require addressing several other areas of funding. Maybe youve heard terms like Robin Hood, ASATR, recapture and golden pennies, all of which play a role in the system. There is no easy answer to comprehensive reform, but we have to start the discussion. Former state Sen. Florence Shapiro witnessed this complexity firsthand when she chaired the Senate Education Committee from 2003-2012: There are many issues that need to be resolved in the Texas school finance system. We have discussed fairness and distribution in the system for decades, yet an equitable solution has not been enacted. Furthermore, the imbalance of state vs. local share of public education funding has become an increasing problem as we rely more and more on local property taxpayers money. The Legislature must significantly reform the public school finance system. There are many voices to be heard and this Legislature seems poised to listen and take action, for which I commend my former colleagues. The leaders with the power to change this system are meeting right now. The 181 elected members of the Texas Legislature are responsible for determining the states budget, including the states share of public school funding. Its a great sign that the House set aside $1.5 billion in its proposed budget specifically to address recapture, ASATR, and equity, thereby ensuring that public school taxes are devoted to public schools and not spent on something else. And we agree with former Sen. Shapiro and former Rep. Otto that its time to discuss the proper way to share public education costs between the state and local property taxes. Once that goal is achieved, school districts should be able to lower their tax rates and give local property owners the break they deserve. It will take a lot of work to revamp our school finance system, but we believe Texas schoolchildren and taxpayers are worth it. Vicki Fullerton chairs the Texas Association of Realtors. Jaime Lee is governmental affairs communications manager for the association. WAHOO Burglars took over $500 in merchandise from the Mid-Town Amoco BP in Wahoo early Thursday morning. At approximately 1:50 a.m. March 2, two masked individuals broke through the glass on one of the entrance doors to the convenience store, said Wahoo Police Chief Ken Jackson. The burglars did not take any money, but took cigarettes and Red Bull soda, said Store Manager Tammy Nelson. They were in my building about two minutes, Nelson said. Jackson said the two individuals wore masks and no vehicle was observed in the video footage. Nelson said she has seen the security footage and one of the two burglars leapt over the counter and back to get the good they were after and believes them to be younger in age. Wahoo Police did process the scene when the store was not yet open and is waiting on some lab results. Nelson said her store has not been broken into before and she does not believe they were targeted for any reason. Since the convenience store was closed, no one was in the building during the burglary, she said. But we had quite a mess to clean up. There was glass everywhere. It took us two-and-a-half hours to clean up all the glass, Nelson said. Anyone with information can provide it anonymously at to Saunders County Crime Stoppers at 402-443-8181 or www.saunderscountycrimestoppers.com. We certainly encourage anyone with information about this to call crime stoppers. Its our best avenue to get information, Jackson said. With the Midterm Elections less than one week away: What do you consider the top issues that you will be voting on to be corrected by your better representation? Education Crime Big Government getting Bigger Biden /Democrat controlled Spike in Energy Cost Inflation created by Legislation of Majority in Power Gender Reassignment Corrupted Bureaucratic /Service (DOJ, FBI, etc.) Institutions Abortion Discredited Legacy Media Ending the Corruption of Dishonest Politicians Corruptive Influence of Social Media Wide Open Southern Border The Constable Chandrapal stole these carbines when he came home in Agra on leave and was trying to sell them off, but due to the high price, nobody was buying them. By Siraj Qureshi: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad have arrested a BSF constable from village Murentha in Sikandra area of Agra for stealing two Beretta automatic carbines with magazines from the BSF armoury at his post Khetanbar Kutti in West Bengal, where he was posted since the past several months. The Constable Chandrapal stole these carbines when he came home in Agra on leave and was trying to sell them off, but due to the high price, nobody was buying them. An FIR was filed in the Dinhata Police Station in West Bengal and the Frontier IG of BSF Rakesh Agarwal expressed his doubts on Chandrapal to the UP ATS IG Aseem Arun. advertisement The BSF had got information about the availability of these weapons in the market and informed Aseem Arun, who formed an Anti-Terror Squad team, which arrested Chandrapal from his farm. According to the ATS officials, Chandrapal's phone had been placed on surveillance and his activities were being observed. When the doubts became clear, he was arrested and the carbines were recovered from his house. Chandrapal had arrived in Agra on 18th February on a month's leave. His father, Jaipal Singh, said that Chandrapal had joined BSF in 2012 and added that his son was angry with BSF as he could not get leave when he wanted, so he stole these guns. Italy made Beretta carbines are the first choice of the paramilitary forces and they are quite expensive in the global market. --- ENDS --- Qualified accountant and active share investor Angie Ellis. "The men tend to have a better understanding of the utilities, materials and energy sectors and the women tend to know more about healthcare, consumer discretionary and consumer staples," she says. "It's great to have this knowledge mix." Ellis has had success, as have other women who participate in the Shares Race that can be seen each week in these pages, by doing their own research and only buying shares in companies they understand. Some of Ellis' best investment ideas have come from the products she loves. For example, one of her tips, Lovisa, the fashion jewellery retailer, has its head office in Melbourne's Camberwell where Ellis lives. Its share price has doubled since the middle of last year. "The stores were always packed and I would go into them and ask the shop assistants how they found working there," she says. Another is BWX which, among other body, hair and skin-care products, makes Sukin, Ellis's favourite skin-cream. Biological factors Research does suggest that women can be more successful share investors than men. This has been linked to women more commonly adopting the strategy of "buy and hold", with less turnover and lower transaction costs. Recep Peker, research director at Investment Trends, says surveys the researcher has done into the habits of clients of online share brokers going back to 2010 show behavioural differences between the sexes. "Female share investors tend to trade less frequently than their male counterparts," Peker says. "On average, they place seven trades for every 10 that men do," he says. The gender difference in investing behaviour doesn't always work in women's favour. "Men are also more likely to use fundamental or technical analysis, while women are more likely to get tips from their friends," Peker says. Life priorities tend to drive women's financial decisions, according to research into women and money published last year by Professor Roslyn Russell, a professor of household finance at RMIT's school of economics, finance and marketing. "They will tend to put their family first and themselves last," Russell says. This usually means prioritising day-to-day household financial decisions rather than long-term investment decisions, she says. "Of course, men can have those priorities too, but I think that there are differences in gender identities and gender roles," she says. The study also looked at women's "financial self-efficacy" (FSE), which refers to their ability to manage their finances and is often taken as a good proxy for confidence and financial capability. Women aged 40 to 59 have the lowest levels of FSE and the most negative views about their financial futures. Women in this age group are also the most worried about running out of money in retirement. Women over 60 have higher levels of FSE and much brighter views of their future. It seems that life experience gives confidence in making financial decisions, Russell says. Angie Ellis says she benefits from the experience of the retiree investors in her groups. "They are serious about their investment decisions and don't take too many risks," she says. "They want to preserve their cash and it is very interesting to learn from them how they are managing their portfolios." All female While some women prefer talking over share ideas with men and women, some women find advantages in all-female groups. Kaye Rees, 56, founded Trading for Blondes in 2010, which has also participated in the Shares Race. It has between about eight and 10 women ranging in ages from their mid-40s to mid-60s who meet regularly to discuss stock ideas over dinner at a restaurant in Bentleigh in Melbourne. "I wanted to create an environment where women felt comfortable just having a chat about stocks and what they have in their portfolios," Rees says. "To put it broadly, I think that women interact a bit differently," she says. "For example, there's no competition at all, which is something that I sometimes have noticed with guys," she says. "It is not a criticism, but there are differences. With this group we talk about anything and turning to talking about stocks just pops up." Rees says having the different age groups is good, as the beginners can learn from the more experienced retiree investors, especially as the group uses "technical analysis", that is, using graphs to help pick shares. Joan Ponsford, 74, another participant of the Shares Race, has been investing in shares for decades. "Some males can be gung-ho and look at their portfolios every day and go berserk if something goes wrong," she says. She thinks that women do tend to be careful in terms of capital preservation and thinking long-term; probably many have not had that much money in the past. On the other hand, she thinks that too many women rely on advisers, rather than doing their own research. Ponsford, who lives in Bendigo, has always managed her own finances. When her partner died she inherited his shares, including his mining stocks. She is not interested in the mining stocks and is in the process of weeding some of them out of her portfolio. Ponsford prefers companies she knows and understands. Her granddaughter did some work experience at Redbubble, which provides provides artists with a way to make money from their designs by printing them on clothing and homewares. Ponsford had a look at the company and invested in it as a speculative play, which is yet to pay off. A pick of hers that has paid off, is Incitec Pivot, the maker of fertilisers, chemicals and explosives. The shares were trading at about $2.80 in September last year and are now worth about $3.60. Keep it simple A favourite quote of Ellis' is from legendary American fund manager Peter Lynch. "If you're prepared to invest in a company, then you ought to be able to explain why in simple language that a fifth grader could understand, and quickly enough so the fifth grader won't get bored." That is advice that is followed in her investment groups. "We have to explain how our stock picks will generate cash, will grow and strengthen their economic moats, the barriers to competitors," Ellis says. One of her best tips is a2 Milk. "I noticed that most of my girlfriends were buying it and I did some research and presented it to one of my investment groups I attend as a 'buy' at 80c," she says. The company sells its premium milk to China, US and Britain and a 10 per cent share of the Australian fresh milk market. The shares in a2 Milk are now worth more than $2.20. The company was founded in New Zealand in 2000 and its shares are also listed on the New Zealand sharemarket. The Barnett government's plans to "take the sale of Western Power to the election" could come back to haunt them, with almost 60 per cent of people in an exclusive Fairfax Media poll opposed to the sale. In November, the WA government flagged it was planning to sell off 51 per cent of the state's poles and wires, which is expected to generate $11 billion, with $8 billion to pay down debt and $3 billion for a "next generation account". The sale of Western Power will be a key election battleground ahead of the March poll. Credit:Erin Jonasson But a ReachTEL poll commissioned for Fairfax Media on Friday found 58.7 people disagreed with the sale of Western Power, and just over 28 per cent were happy with the privatisation of the utility. Premier Colin Barnett told WAtoday late last month he was happy to make the sale of Western Power a key election platform. Western Australia is in for one of those crazy weekends of mixed-up weather. In the Perth metropolitan area we are expecting hot and humid weather with tops close to 40 degrees. This cyclone modelling map, reportedly produced by Oz Cyclone Chasers, has caused a few raised eyebrows. Credit:Northern Territory News At the same time The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has issued a flood warning for parts of the Kimberley AND bushfire warnings for the Pilbara and Goldfields. Meanwhile a group of amateur weather watchers has produced some cyclone modelling which has caused a few raised eyebrows. To prove their might in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress are leaving no stone unturned to ensure Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's roadshow is a hit. By Supriya Bhardwaj: It's roadshow versus roadshow in Varanasi today. And to prove their might in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress are leaving no stone unturned to ensure Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's roadshow is a hit. A galaxy of senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Raj Babbar, Deependra Hooda, Jitin Prasada, Dharmendra Yadav and workers from both parties have landed in the holy city to take part in a 10-km long roadshow. advertisement DIMPLE YADAV TO ATTEND Dimple Yadav, the MP from Kannauj and wife of UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, will also be present.This is the first time she's attending one of the SP-Congress alliance's roadshows. The Rahul Gandhi-Akhilesh Yadav roadshow will start from Ambedkar Chauraha and will move towards Girijaghar Chauraha via Nadeshar-Chowka Ghat Pani Ki Tanki-Doshipura, Gol Gaddha Pili Kothi, Maidagin-Chowk and Gadaulia. They've already conducted roadshows in major UP cities like Lucknow, Allahabad and and Agra. Preparations are in full swing at Ambedkar Chowk. Though the roadshow will start around 1:30 PM, the supporters of both party have started gathering at this point. 'CHALO KASHI' Apart from holding a joint roadshow in Varanasi, the SP-Congress alliance has launched a social media campaign 'Chalo Kashi'. The aim is to reach out to students in universities and colleges across the country, and to enlist them to take part in the ongoing election campaign in Varanasi. So far, more than 5000 students have joined this campaign. The students are heading towards Varanasi and other constituencies. They're taking part in door to door campaigns, street plays and distributing letters, which contain the alliance's 10 promises, in villages. Today's SP-Congress roadshow comes during the 6th phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections. Varanasi, however, goes to the polls on March 8 - the seventh and last phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly election. Results will be announced on March 11. ALSO READ: Uttar Pradesh Assembly election LIVE Smriti Irani: Either Akhilesh is incompetent or he is protecting rape-accused minister Gayatri Prajapati Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance will continue after Uttar Pradesh Assembly election: Rahul Gandhi WATCH VIDEO: UP Assembly polls: Akhilesh, Rahul hold roadshow in Allahabad --- ENDS --- An estimated 57.03 per cent voters cast their ballots today in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections covering 49 Assembly seats, including Mau, where gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is in the fray. By Press Trust of India: An estimated 57.03 per cent voters cast their ballots today in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections covering 49 Assembly seats, including Mau, where gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is in the fray. "The polling was approximately 57.03 per cent and passed off by and large peacefully," office of UP Chief Electoral Officer said here. The polling percentage on these 49 seats was 55.04 in the 2012 state assembly polls. advertisement The poll percentage in the first phase of the current state polls was 64.22. It was 65.16 in the second phase, 61.16 in the third phase, 60.37 in the fourth phase and 57.37 in the fifth phase. 635 CANDIDATES IN FRAY Around 1.72 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, were eligible to cast their votes in today's round. A total of 635 candidates, including 63 women are in the fray in this phase. Besides SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's Azamgarh being in focus, Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency of firebrand BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, and Mau, where jailed gangster-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari is in fray, also figured in the penultimate phase of polling. This phase also covered some districts bordering Nepal. The districts where polling is going on in the sixth phase are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency has 10 assembly seats, of which SP had won nine in 2012, but this time Mulayam has not addressed a single meeting in his parliamentary constituency. The prestige of Union minister Kalraj Mishra, who represents Deoria in the Lok Sabha, is also at stake in this phase of the crucial state polls. BJP is contesting from 45 seats, while its ally Apna Dal is trying its luck in one seat in this phase. Another BJP partner Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party is contesting from three seats. While BSP fielded candidates on all 49 seats, SP is contesting from 40 seats and Congress from nine seats under an alliance. POLLING HELD IN MANIPUR Meanwhile, in first phase polling in Manipur, 84 per cent turnout in phase one of Manipur Assembly election in nearly three-fourths of the polling stations. According to reports, approximately 84 per cent (tentative) voting in Manipur in the first phase of assembly elections, the Election Commission has said. 87 per cent voting in Imphal East, its highest ever for the constituency. As many as 38 constituencies spreads across six districts in the hill state voted in the first phase. However, officials said the final figure would go higher after final report comes. advertisement There was no major law and order issues reported during voting that took place at 1,643 polling stations. Voting was held in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and Phezerol districts. There were 5,44,050 male and 5,75,220 female voters for the first phase of polling. --- ENDS --- ATWT's Magnussen to Guest on Tamblyn's UNUSUALS AS THE WORLD TURNS star Billy Magnussen (Casey) has taped an episode of the new Amber Tamblyn ABC series THE UNUSUALS. The episode, "... FLASHBACK: Brenda Benet Commits Suicide (1982) Actress Brenda Benet kills self, star in soap Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 9, 1982 Brenda Benet, a hated seductress in the DAYS OF OU... FLASHBACK: Joan Crawford Takes Daughter's Soap Opera Role 1968 (Updated With Audio!) Joan Crawford Takes Daughter's Soap Opera Role by Robert Windeler New York Times October 23, 1968 Joan Crawford, the 60-year-old ... THE REVOLUTION's Harley Pasternak Sued For Malicious, Outrageous, Offensive and Intentional" Attack On Two Men Celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, co-host of canceled ABC Daytime talk show THE REVOLUTION, was busted in January for punching two Manhat... TELENOVELA WATCH: Turkish Dramas Dubbed into Spanish Including 'Amor de Contrabando,' 'Las Mil y Una Noches' & 'Que culpa tiene Fatmagul?' One of the more surprising trends in Spanish speaking television is the ascendance of Turkish dramas in Latin American markets. Even count... Doug Stevenson Dead at 56, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW's Lee Sentell Actor Douglas Stevenson, who played Lee Sentell on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, from 1979 to 1982 has died at age 56. SEARCH fans will remember ... An approximate 57.03 per cent voter turnout was registered till 5pm in the sixth phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election today, the Election Commission has said. By India Today Web Desk: 57.03 per cent turnout was registered till 5pm in the sixth phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election today, the Election Commission has said. In the sixth phase, apart from Samajwadi Party (SP) patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency, the other districts that went to polls were Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria and Ballia. advertisement The Samajwadi Party contested on 40 seats and Congress on 9 under the alliance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 45 seats and its ally Apna Dal on one. Another BJP partner Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party contested on 3 seats, and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party fielded candidates on all 49 seats. Around 1.72 crore voters, including 94.60 lakh men and 77.84 lakh women, were eligible to cast their votes in this round to decide the fate of 635 candidates. Here are the live updates: Approximate polling percentage recorded is 57.03 per cent as sixth phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh election ends. #UPPolls2017: Polling ended for sixth phase of elections of UP elections. Visuals from a polling booth in Gorakhpur, UP. pic.twitter.com/9RyIZkcxRI ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 7.85 per cent voting recorded till 1 pm in the sixth phase of UP elections 2017. 23 per cent voting till 11 am in 6th phase. Other parties have been in UP for far too long now but they haven't been able to bring any change: Rajyavardhan Rathore, BJP 11 per cent voting recorded till 9 am in the sixth phase of UP elections 2017. 10.7 per cent voting registered in Deoria till 9 am. 11 percent voting turnout in Azamgarh till 9 am. High polling recorded across Azamgarh in the initial hours. Voters especially youth coming out in good number. Voting peaceful so far. Defect reported in EVM machine at booth number 313 in Maharajganj. Problem in two EVMs at different booths in Kushinagar. Have not been able to cast my vote till now, my name is missing from the voters list: Voter at booth no.3705 in Gorakhpur #UttarPradeshpolls pic.twitter.com/KTWe4HNt8Z ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) 4 March 2017 Special efforts made for differently abled voters, they are being assisted by volunteers and wheelchairs: Nikhil C Shukla, Mau District Magistrate. Voting on 49 seats across 7 districts in sixth phase underway. #UttarPradeshpolls: Voting on 49 seats across 7 districts in sixth phase underway, visuals from Mau booth no. 280 pic.twitter.com/5O2Sb764QB ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) 4 March 2017 BJP MP Yogi Adityanath casts his vote at a booth in Gorakhpur #UttarPradeshPolls: Yogi Adityanath casts his vote at booth no. 3705 in Gorakhpur pic.twitter.com/2CWIrxbqAV ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) 4 March 2017 Today is the first phase of the Manipur Assembly polls. I appeal to voters in the seats polling today to turnout in record numbers & vote. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 4 March 2017 Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets appealing people to participate in the polling. ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ?? ? ? ? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?? ? ?? ??? Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 4 March 2017 #TopStory Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh & Ballia to go to polls today in the sixth phase of UP elections. pic.twitter.com/ANVMJY01Yp ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 --- ENDS --- By WestKyStar & WKCTC Staff Feb. 28, 2017 | 10:46 PM | PADUCAH, KY NEA's Read Across America is a reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss. As part of the national celebration, WKCTCs Theres No Place Like Space will be held March 6 from 6 7:30 pm in the colleges Matheson Library to bring together local kids, teenagers and adults to promote reading and literacy. Its important for us to continue this tradition to encourage the importance of becoming a lifelong reader, said Megan Dotson, WKCTC reading program coordinator. The Cat in the Hat will make appearances and visitors are encouraged to bring a camera and snap a photo with him. Participants can enjoy refreshments, listen to stories, play games, and make crafts during the free event. Each child will also receive a goodie bag. For more information about the Read Across America event on the WKCTC campus, contact Megan Dotson at 270-534-3354 or megan.dotson@kctcs.edu. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the National Education Associations (NEA) Read Across America and West Kentucky Community and Technical College is once again hosting a free event to celebrate the annual project. Astros take World Series title over Phillies in six games Advertisement By WestKyStar & Paducah Main Street Feb. 25, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY By WestKyStar & Paducah Main Street Feb. 25, 2017 | 01:57 PM | PADUCAH, KY Paducah Main Street, a division of the City of Paducah Planning Department, is hosting a free seminar for local businesses, entrepreneurs, and artists. The Branding Your Business seminar will be Thursday, March 9 at 9 am at Maiden Alley Cinema. The guest speaker will be Todd Duff, CEO of Innovations Branding House, a Paducah company that focuses on developing business marketing solutions. The team at Innovations Branding House builds full marketing campaigns for clients including print pieces, website design, rebranding, and video production. Duff speaks at local and national venues on the topics of marketing, business development, public relations, and social media. Pre-register by calling 270-444-8690. Seating is limited. During the seminar, Duff will guide the attendees through a process of understanding how to answer the following questions for their businesses: How does your customer perceive your business? What is your total customer experience? Are you branding your business to get maximum customer recognition? Are you setting your business apart from the competition? There will be a question and answer session allowing participants to gain further insight. Downtown Development Specialist - Paducah Main Street Director Melinda Winchester says, In my regular meetings with local small businesses, the owners have told me that they would like to have more information on customer perceptions, marketing, and branding. Im excited to provide the opportunity for local businesses, artists, and entrepreneurs to gather in one place to learn from Todd Duff and from each other. He and his team at Innovations Branding House provide so many avenues for businesses to improve their customer experience. For more information about the Branding Your Business seminar and to pre-register, contact Winchester at 270-444-8690. Additional information can be found at www.paducahmainstreet.org or the Paducah Main Street Facebook page. Paducah Main Street, a 2017 Accredited Kentucky Main Street Community, follows the National Main Streets Four-Point Approach emphasizing organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring. The goal is to encourage downtown revitalization and economic development within the context of historic preservation. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 25, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 25, 2017 | 12:51 AM | PADUCAH, KY Book for Hope is hosting its 2nd annual Just Imagine Childhood Cancer Walk in Paducah on September 9th at Noble Park, and you can register beginning Friday. The event will start at 9 am at the park's shelter 16, with registration/activities beginning at 8 am. The reason behind the name, Just Imagine, comes from wanting to imagine a world without cancer. We at Book for Hope believe this is possible. It is hard to find a family that has not been touched in some way by cancer, whether it be a family member or friend. Childhood cancer only receives 4% of cancer research funding, while adult cancer receives 96%. We at Book for Hope believe that children deserve better treatment, and that is where we come into play. Childhood cancer is on the up rise. We give the book "Its Christmas Again" written by Gaylon Hayden, President of Book for Hope, to families with children battling cancer, as well as adults to educate them about experiences they may undergo after being diagnosed with cancer. The organization has stocked hospital libraries with the book, too. With the proceeds of the walk, 50 percent will go to childhood cancer research, and the other half to helping local families. The organization's fundraising site www.bookforhope.org will be up and running by March 10th. Anyone who pre-registers on or before August 21 will get a free t-shirt in their runner's packet. Anyone who registers after that date may get a shirt based on availability. Free activities such as Zumba, games, face painting, DJ, photo booth and props, snow cones, Dippin Dots, and etc. will begin at 8 am along with registration. Atmos Energy will be providing free lunch to all participants. By WestKyStar & WKCTC Staff Mar. 03, 2017 | 05:27 PM | PADUCAH, KY An integral part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), WKCTC has been recognized by The Aspen Institute as one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation each of the four times the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence has been awarded. WKCTC was recognized for providing students with strong job training and continuing higher education opportunity, for achieving high completion and transfer rates, and for providing strong employment results for its graduates. We want to ensure that we are meeting relevant community needs to boost educational access, attainment and closing achievement gaps, Dr. Reece said. We really hope educators, business, community and religious leaders come out and meet our team. For more information, contact Janett Blythe, 270-534-3079 or Janett.blythe@kctcs.edu The mission of West Kentucky Community and Technical College is to provide excellence in teaching and learning, promote student success, and support economic development. West Kentucky Community and Technical College will kick off its Education Express: Connecting Communities Tour with stops in Carlisle County and in Massac County, IL March 15-17.WKCTC President Anton Reece announced the tour during the Paducah Chamber of Commerces Power in Partnership breakfast Thursday at the Julian Carroll Convention. WKCTC was the sponsor of the breakfast which featured Lauren K. Brand, associate administrator for Intermodal Systems Development for the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration.Dr. Reece said his vision for WKCTC includes expanding more into the region the college serves. We are going out to communities throughout our four river area; my entire team and I will be saturating these areas, spending quality time, not only in the schools but also with our nontraditional students, businesses and industries and exploring workforce training opportunities.The tour is part of an effort for college officials to meet the communities it serves as well as for educators, parents and students to meet WKCTC faculty and staff. WKCTC personnel will be at: Carlisle County High School from 9 am to noon, March 15 to speak to high school students A meet and greet reception from 4-6 pm March 17 in the Carlisle County Community Room, 65 John Roberts Dr. in Bardwell. Massac County High School from 9 am to noon, March 16 to speak to high school students A meet and greet reception from 5-7 pm March 16 at Central Hall, 1009 North Ave. in Metropolis.West Kentucky is a two-year, comprehensive, regional college serving more than 8,000 students annually. The college offers more than 250 associate degree, diploma and certificate options in more than 40 academic and career programs, with classes offered in Paducah and Hickory as well as online. By National Weather Service Mar. 04, 2017 | 08:37 AM | PADUCAH, KY After preliminary damage surveys from the past week's severe storms, meteorologists at the National Weather Service office have determined that at least five tornadoes were spawned in southern Illinois and western Kentucky.The Wednesday morning squall line that raced across the region with 80-mile-per-hour gusts also produced an EF-2 rated tornado in Graves County near Cuba. It was on the ground about a mile and half, with a 200-yard wide path and peak winds of 120 miles per hour.The twister destroyed one home, and blew a mobile home and a machine shed off their foundations. About a dozen trees were uprooted, and even some cemetery grave markers were blown about thirty feet.Late Tuesday night in Trigg County, an EF-1 tornado traveled about 8 miles through the southeast part of the county. It was 400 yards wide at times, with peak winds about 105 mph. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted, a grain bin was destroyed, several barns were damaged and many homes received siding or roof damage.In southern Illinois on Tuesday night, a weak 75-mile-per-hour tornado caused mainly tree damage along a 4-mile path west of Carbondale, and a 95-mph twister did the same from southeast of Carterville for seven miles before it dissipated north of Marion.But the biggest tornado of the outbreak happened near Carmi, IL, about 10 pm Tuesday. It had peak winds of 152 miles per hour (EF-3), and was on the ground for more than 45 minutes, covering over 45 miles before it ended near Oakland City, IN. It was reported to be a quarter mile wide as it crossed the Wabash River into Indiana.Along the way, it destroyed almost three dozen homes, farm buildings and mobile homes in Illinois, and more than a hundred structures in Indiana were destroyed or damaged. One person who was camping was injured. On the Net: Narendra Modi held a roadshow and a town hall rally in Varanasi while Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav also took out a roadshow. Mayawati, meanwhile, addressed a rally on the outskirts of the city. By Javed M. Ansari : On Saturday, Varanasi provided a fitting finale, as grand a climax as one could have asked for to this bitter and gruelling elections in Uttar Pradesh. It was a riot of colour, a mass of people, as Narendra Modi's challengers, Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi, sought to match the prime minister move for move, symbolism for symbolism, temple for temple. advertisement The massive mobilisation on both sides brought this chaotic holy city to a grinding halt. BSP supremo Mayawati, largely functioning under the radar in this high voltage, high octane election, addressed a massive rally on the outskirts of the city, underlining the point that the battle for Uttar Pradesh is by no means a two horse race. Prime Minister Modi grabbed eye balls in the morning, staring on a long winding road show, and was cheered on by his supporters. As is his wont, he garlanded every statue in sight and rounded it off with an hour-long darshan at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Two hours later, the alliance responded with an equally impressive show. Samajwadi Party and Congress workers put on a huge show of strength with a roadshow that covered seven kilometres in six hours. Their supporters thronged the roads, waiting long hours merely to catch a glimpse of Akhilesh, Dimple and Rahul Gandhi. By the time the road show came to an end at the Girjaghar Chowk late in the evening, the crowd had swelled unimaginably. Earlier in the day, the supporters came in under attack, after miscreants pelted them with stones. Also read | Modi violated model code by holding roadshow in Varanasi sans permission, Congress writes to EC LEADERS MAKE A BEELINE FOR TEMPLE The prime minister visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple in the afternoon, while Rahul, Akhilesh and Dimple paid obeisance at the temple in the evening. Both sides were careful to push all the right buttons in this politically sensitive city. In putting on such a major show of strength in Varanasi , Akhilesh and Rahul sought to convey several messages. They are not just taking the battle to the prime minister's home turf (Varanasi is Modi's Lok Sabha constituency), they were in many ways taking a leaf out of Modi's book and paying him back in the same coin. The presence of a large number of union ministers and the fact that the Modi is having to spend the last three days of the campaign in his constituency has turned it into a massive prestige issue for the prime minster. If today's massive turnout converts into votes for the alliance, the BJP may very well have a big reason to worry. advertisement Also read | When Modi stopped his fleet to accept flowers, shawl from Muslims in Varanasi Also watch | Battleground UP: PM Modi, Akhilesh and Rahul talk of the town in Varanasi --- ENDS --- Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world A key witness in the gangrape case, in which Uttar Pradesh Minister Gayatri Prajapati is an accused, has alleged that the victim was forced to record her statement in hospital. He also said that a senior police official tried to kill him. UP Minister and gangrape accused Gayatri Prajapati is considered close to SP founder Mulayam Singh and SP leader Shivpal Yadav. (Photo: PTI file) By India Today Web Desk: While Uttar Pradesh Minister Gayatri Prajapati is still at large, a key witness in the gangrape case, in which the SP leader is an accused, has alleged that he was attacked by a senior UP police official in the hospital, where victim is admitted. Speaking to India Today, the witness said, "We were attacked. The CO tried to kill us in hospital. The girl was forced to give statement." advertisement "There is threat to our lives. We don't have faith in Delhi Police and Uttar Pradesh Police. We appeal to the Prime Minister to provide us security," the witness told India Today. READ| Airports, exit points across country on alert for absconding rape-accused SP minister Gayatri Prajapati RAPE CASE AGAINST GAYATRI PRAJAPATI: THINGS TO KNOW An FIR has been lodged after the Supreme Court order against Gayatri Prajapati in a case of alleged gangrape of a woman and molestation of her daughter. Gayatri Prajapati is contesting Uttar Pradesh election from Amethi and has been elusive since the FIR was registered against them. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Daljeet Chaudhary has said that the police have got some information about Gayatri Prajapati's whereabouts. Police teams are conducting raids on the relevant places. According to Chaudhary, police have got inputs from Kanpur and Jalaun about his possible hiding places. The close relatives and associates of Gayatri Prajapati are also being questioned. These people include those Prajapati has been in touch in recent days. The phone numbers of Prajapati and his family members have been put on surveillance, Chaudhary said. The ADG said that police got inputs about Prajapati trying to leave the country. But, police got their act together and issued alert foiling his attempt to flee, he said. Ten teams of Uttar Pradesh police are looking to Gayatri Prajapati. The special task force (STF) and crime teams are also involved in the case. ALSO WATCH| --- ENDS --- Responding to Akhilesh Yadav remark that the PM would vote for SP if he travels on Agra Lucknow Expressway, Modi asked the UP CM to ride on Jaunpur city roads. By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today upped its ante against Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at an election rally at Jaunpur targeting over gangrape case against Uttar Pradesh Minister Gayatri Prajapati. He said, "Mothers and daughters are not safe in under Akhilesh Yadav government. Should not women feel as secure as men?" "While the rest of the nation chants Gayatri mantra when people embark on a new mission, but the SP-Congress alliance sing Gayatri Prajapati hymn," the PM said. advertisement "Even after the Supreme Court's order, Gayatri Prajapati went to cast his vote. Police are now looking for him. The CM is protecting the accused," Modi said. READ| Varanasi: Modi supporters create ruckus over Akhilesh-Rahul poster on mosque near Kashi Vishwanath temple WHAT ELSE MODI SAID: THINGS TO KNOW Akhilesh Yadav asked me to ride on Agra-Lucknow Expressway and said that if I traveled on that road once, I will vote for the SP. I ask him to ride on his bycycle with his new friend (Rahul Gandhi) on the roads of Jaunpur. He will not give his vote to SP. The brave jawans of Army carried out the surgical strike. The world is still studying the surgical strikes conducted by the soldiers. It's unfortunate that some people within the country have raised doubts over surgical strikes for politics. They sought proof of surgical strikes. I tell them to go to the mothers of martyrs of Jaunpur. Results will be announced on March 11 and two days later on March 13, the entire nation will celebrate Holi with the BJP victory in Uttar Pradesh. Do you get 24-hour electricity in Jaunpur? (Shouts of No, No from the crowd) Your Chief Minister says he is providing 24-hour power supply. Akhilesh Yadav is misleading and spreading lies about power supply. About 18,000 villages in the country and 1500 villages in Uttar Pradesh did not have power supply. I decided to connect every village of the country with electricity. Now, 90 per cent villages have power supply. If the BJP comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, then as an MP from the state, I will ensure that the government's first decision is waiver of loans of small farmers. For 40 years our forces demanded OROP but nothing happened. I had promised a BJP government will deliver on OROP and we did. They got angry when I said 'Karname are speaking and not Kaam'. So, I decided to verify again by searching on the UP government websites. The UP government websites clearly showed what their 'Karnamas' were. But, when I said it they removed that content from the websites. PM Modi had to stop during his speech a few times due to continuous slogan shouting by the supporters. ALSO READ| Uttar Pradesh election: Narendra Modi's first roadshow in Varanasi as PM ALSO WATCH --- ENDS --- Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow in Varanasi as the BJP tried to give a final push to its chances of winning the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. Voting is underway in 49 Assembly segments today while the remaining 40 will go to the polls on March 8. By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have saved his best for the last phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. Modi today held a roadshow in Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency as he gave one last push for the BJP in the final phases of Uttar Pradesh election. It was Modi's first roadshow as the Prime Minister in his own constituency of Varanasi, which is considered not only as the cultural epicentre of Purvanchal but the political nerve centre of the eastern Uttar Pradesh, which is voting for 49 seats today. advertisement The last phase of Assembly election will see 40 remaining Assembly segments go to polls on March 8. READ| Modi in Varanasi LIVE: Supporters chant 'Modi-Modi' roadshow heads to Kashi Vishwanath temple Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Varanasi. (Photo: @ANI_news)( Supporters of the BJP chanted slogans through the entire length of his roadshow which progressed from the gates of the BHU to Kashi Vishwanath temple. Cries of 'Modi-Modi', 'Ghar-Ghar Modi, Har-Har Modi' and 'Jai Shri Ram' filled the air in Varanasi as the caravan moved at a slow pace while the Prime Minister waived hands at the supporters and onlookers, who had turned out in huge numbers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Varanasi. (Photo: @ANI_news) After reaching Varanasi, Modi first paid floral tributes to freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and then proceeded with the roadshow. Modi has been criticised by local leaders from the Opposition camp for not paying a visit to the temple after winning the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as he had promised. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Varanasi. (Photo: @ANI_news) The roadshow looks to have electrifying effect on the supporters of the BJP, as PM Modi expressed his gratitude to the people of the city by doing 'Namaste' in full public view mounting on an open jeep. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Varanasi. (Photo: @ANI_news) Out of five assembly constituencies under Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, the BJP currently hold three while the Samajwadi Party has two in its kitty. The BJP is contesting on four seats while its ally Apna Dal has fielded candidate from remaining one seat under Varanasi parliamentary constituency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Varanasi. (Photo: @ANI_news) --- ENDS --- Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In 2017, Protestants are marking the 500th anniversary of Reformation. It seems like a big deal, until you visit Ethiopia and meet members of a church that traces its origins as far back as 2,000 years ago. Ethiopian Christians date the origin of their church back to the baptism of the Ethiopian court official by Phillip, as recorded in the book of Acts. There are also suggestions the apostle Matthew preached in Ethiopia. But it wasnt until the fourth century that Christianity was declared the state religion. Today, this ancient tradition is kept alive through churches scattered throughout the country, in cities and towns, on island and hilltop monasteries and especially in the city of Lalibela, one of the holiest cities for the Orthodox faithful. I was able to visit Lalibela and its 11 amazing rock-hewn churches in February while on a trip to visit Canadian Foodgrains Bank projects in Ethiopia. The churches were built in the 13th century, during the reign of King Lalibela. According to legend, an angel gave him a vision to build a second Jerusalem in Ethiopia following his visit to the original Jerusalem. Also according to legend, it took only 23 years to build the churches because humans worked during the day, and angels worked at night. What makes the churches so astounding is that they were built from the top down, not from the bottom up like other buildings. The ancient carvers, working entirely by hand, dug deep into the volcanic rock to create large trenches around huge blocks of stone. They then tunnelled into these blocks, creating rooms with columns, cornices, arches, windows and doors. Traces of foreign influences can be found in the churches, such as Maltese crosses and swastikas, which are associated with India. Either there were carvers from afar who helped build the churches, or travellers brought back ideas from foreign lands. Of all the churches, Biete Ghiorgis, or House of St. George, is my favourite. Carved in the shape of a cross some distance from the others, the roof is flush with the mountainside but the door is many metres down below. My tour guide for the visit was Hailu Abara, who grew up in Lalibela. His grandfather was the priest at St. Georges church; he has fond memories of playing at the churches, including in the caves now used by monks for devotions. There is something very spiritual about this place, he told me, adding that Ethiopian Orthodox believers consider a visit to this second Jerusalem so holy that visitors will be blessed for seven generations. Accordingly, thousands make a pilgrimage to Lalibela each year, especially at Christmas, Epiphany and Easter with many of them walking, sometimes barefoot, over rough roads and mountain passes. For Hailu, Lalibela is more than just an interesting archeological site, it is a place of worship. Walking through the churches, you can see he is right; along with the tourists, worshippers can be observed at prayer and contemplation. And each church has a priest on hand to minister to the faithful. At the House of the Saviour of the World, I was blessed by a priest holding the gold cross of Lalibela. Dating back to the 12th century, the seven-kilogram cross is considered one of Ethiopias most precious religious heirlooms. Receiving a blessing with it is very special, Hailu told me. While Hailu is devoted to his church, he is concerned about its future fewer young people are attending or showing interest in the priesthood. One reason, he says, might be because worship services are in Geez, an ancient language that only priests know. Nobody understands what they are saying, Hailu says, adding that maybe we need a reformation to make the church relevant to young people. Unless there are changes, he fears the churches in Lalibela could end up as nothing more than ancient curiosities, not places of worship. There is more that could be said about the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia, such as how Ethiopians believe the Ark of the Covenant is not lost, but rather resides in a secret location in Ethiopia. The stories vary, but it was either given by King Solomon to a King Menelik of Ethiopia, it was stolen or the whole thing was set up by an angel. Whatever the reality, it is all fascinating and mysterious just like the amazing cave churches of Lalibela. Jdl562000@yahoo.com The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 03/03/2017 (2074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Shortly after Premier Brian Pallister said Friday that Manitoba is at the breaking point in dealing with migrants and needs help, the federal government said it was sending two cabinet ministers to Manitoba today. We need a national plan because its not going to go away, Pallister told reporters. Weve all heard the noise from the U.S. Later, the Liberal government announced Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale would visit Emerson today. The Manitoba border town has had to cope with a surge of migrants crossing from the United States. Fellow cabinet minister Jim Carr, the minister responsible for Manitoba, is expected to accompany Goodale. JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Early Sunday morning, February 26, 2017, eight migrants from Somalia crossed into Canada illegally from the United States by walking down this train track into the town of Emerson, Man., where they will seek asylum at Canada Border Services Agency. The ministers will meet and thank the officials, workers, volunteers and agencies on the ground, who have been dealing with the recent increase in irregular border crossings. The ministers will hold a brief media availability during their visit, Ottawa officials said. Pallister wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Feb. 21 asking for help. Pallister could not say Friday how much money and other resources Manitoba is seeking; his staff said details will not be available until next week. Its a moving target, the premier said. Its escalating. At least 190 people have entered Canada near the Emerson border crossing this year. Energy and resources are running out, according to people working on the front lines, Pallister said. The premier said the surge of asylum seekers is putting a heavy burden on housing, social services, education especially English as an additional language and Legal Aid Manitoba, which handles the paperwork and legal process for the newcomers. Amid calls for stepped-up enforcement along the border, Goodale has said existing resources were being shifted. Because asylum seekers are crossing from the U.S. in only three or four provinces and because it may not be seen as a large problem on a national scale, Ottawa may be treating it as a Manitoba problem rather than a Canadian one, Pallister acknowledged. Fred Chartrand / The Canadian Press Files Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale is scheduled to visit Emerson to assess the situation today. The premier spoke Friday morning with his Quebec counterpart, Philippe Couillard. Quebecs borders have also seen an influx of asylum seekers. He shares those concerns, Pallister said, adding the number of asylum-seekers hits Manitoba disproportionately compared with other provinces. Pallister has directed provincial officials to identify provincial resources being diverted to deal with the ongoing issue and to identify from which other front-line services those staff and resources are being moved. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Prime+Minister+February+21+2017+Refugee+Claimants A poster of UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi became the bone of contention as Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed towards the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. The BJP objected, protested and made sure that the Varanasi administration removed it from a nearby mosque. By Rohit Kumar Singh: It was an ugly scene at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow proceeded to the historic religious place. Supporters of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress had put giant sized poster of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his ally Rahul Gandhi just in front of Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. advertisement This poster was out up allegedly on the Bibi Razia mosque just in front of the Gyan Vapi entrance gate from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to enter the temple. READ| Modi in Varanasi: PM offers prayers at Kashi Vishwanath, Kaal Bhairav temple Just minutes before PM Modi was to arrive at the temple, the BJP workers protested over the poster and had a verbal duel with the police and officials from local administration. The protesters created a ruckus over the Akhilesh-Rahul poster when PM Modi was heading to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The BJP demanded that the posters be removed immediately but the local administration vacillated a bit. 'VIOLATION OF POLL CODE' As the posters were put up on Bibia Razia mosque, the BJP complained to the local administration terming it a violation of the model code of conduct. The BJP workers said, "The building on which the poster has been hung is a religious place. Putting up posters on religious buildings is a violation of model code of conduct and the Election Commission's guidelines." Mosque building from which Akhilesh-Rahul poste was pulled down after BJP workers protested. (Photo: Rohit Kumar Singh/India Today) "The administration here is hand in gloves with the ruling party and therefore not removing the poster of Rahul and Akhilesh", said a BJP supporter. As the administration hesitated before entering the mosque premises and removing the posters of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, the BJP workers kept gathering at the place. Finally, the Varanasi administration removed the posters of Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. MODI'S ROADSHOW AND TEMPLE VISITS Earlier in the day, the BJP workers had alleged that police and local administration had pulled down decorative balloons which BJP has out on route of PM Modi's road show Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the Kashi Vishwanath temple and offered prayer after a massive road show. Modi also visited Kaal Bhairav temple to offer prayer. READ| Uttar Pradesh election: Narendra Modi's first roadshow in Varanasi as PM It was Narendra Modi's first roadshow in Varanasi after he became the Prime Minister following his successful campaign in the Lok Sabha polls in 2014. Modi had then promised to come back and offer prayer at the temple. advertisement ANOTHER POSTER OF AKHILESH-RAHUL Earlier, another poster of Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi had evoked sharp reactions from the local BJP supporters. This poster was put up by Samajwadi Party workers. Poster of Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi earlier appeared in Varanasi. The poster showed Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav riding a Mahabharata rath dressed as Lord Krishna and warrior prince Arjuna. Rahul was shown driving the chariot while Akhilesh wielded bow and arrow. --- ENDS --- Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 03/03/2017 (2074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA When Manitoba RCMP Const. Abram Letkeman was charged with manslaughter this week, he joined a growing rank of officers who have tarnished the reputation of Canadas national police force in recent years. Since 2012, at least 195 Mounties have been charged with a criminal offence in Canada, including at least four in Manitoba in the last two years alone. The cases have ranged from stealing guns from an evidence locker to impaired driving while off-duty to a conviction for torturing and starving a child. Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press files For the national police organization, whose motto is Maintiens Le Droit or Defend the Law, its a troubling trend, where, on average, a Mountie is arrested every nine days. According to statistics provided by the RCMP on the request of the Winnipeg Free Press, an RCMP officer is charged with a crime on average about every nine days in this country. For the internationally recognized police force, which motto is Maintiens Le Droit or Defend the Law, its a troubling trend. Almost 200 (charged) over a five-year period is an alarming number, said Robert Gordon, a criminology professor at Simon Fraser University. And what they are doing about it difficult to see. The RCMP statistics indicate 188 officers were charged with a crime between Jan. 1, 2012 and Oct. 6, 2016. The RCMP has not provided an update, but the Free Press has tracked down at least seven cases since then. Very few of the incidents involving an arrest of an RCMP officer make it into a public news release. The number of officers charged is kept in each division, but RCMP headquarters took four months to compile the national numbers going back five years. A spokesman said numbers prior to 2012 would be harder to compile because they are not kept electronically. It has been almost two months since the Free Press requested the data for the remainder of 2016 and while it was promised by the beginning of February, the number has not yet been provided. Gordon said there doesnt seem to be any eagerness by the RCMP to be transparent about how many of its officers are getting into trouble. If theyre not reporting it, nobody can ask questions about it, he said. One third of the officers, 62, were on duty when they were charge of an alleged offence, and 37 of those were charged with assault. The other two-thirds, 126 officers, were charged with offences off duty. The RCMP says the most common charge for off-duty officers is drunk driving although they provided no statistic to support that. The cases the Free Press could find include a number of impaired driving offences, but also weapons offences, theft, insurance fraud, child luring, drug trafficking, criminal harassment and sexual misconduct. The officers involved run the gamut from rookies with just a few years on the force to veterans who have been on the job for more than 25 years. The most high-profile case recently involved an Ottawa RCMP officer who was found guilty last fall in a horrific case that included torturing, starving and sexually assaulting his 11-year-old son. There are at least five known cases in Manitoba since September 2014, including the case this week involving Const. Letkeman. The others involve sexual exploitation of a nine-year-old, sexual assault of a 17-year-old, theft of guns from an RCMP evidence locker, and domestic assault. The charges these numbers show only the number charged not the number convicted are yet another stain on the reputation of Canadas storied national police force. The RCMP is still digging out from the scandal involving a culture of harassment towards its own female members. An internal RCMP investigation uncovered up to 20,000 female officers and civilians might have been the victim of sexual abuse, discrimination or harassment since 1974. The RCMP did not provide a spokesperson to discuss the number of its officers who end up charged with a crime. In statements released with the data, the RCMP said although the number of members criminally charged represents a very small percentage of all members, the RCMP takes criminal charges seriously and takes appropriate action. The number of officers charged represents a small fraction of the total number of officers, only about one-fifth of one per cent each year. Over the last five years it represents about one per cent of the total number of RCMP officers in Canada. In most cases when an officer is charged with a crime, they are suspended with pay pending the outcome of the criminal proceeding. In some circumstances, the officer has already resigned by the time charges are laid. That happened last year when a six-year veteran Manitoba RCMP officer was charged with sexual exploitation involving a 17-year-old. The officer was charged in September but had resigned from the force the previous spring, while the investigation was underway. Other times the officer resigns after charges are laid. In 2014, an RCMP officer in Arborg, Man., was charged with sexual assault and sexual interference of a nine-year-old child. As of last fall those charges were still before the courts but the officer has resigned. The RCMP does have a Code of Conduct, which was updated in 2014, and officers accused of breaking it can be hauled into a hearing. That includes those facing a criminal charge. Cpl. Jason Prettie was charged in 2015 with theft under $5,000 for stealing two guns from the Minnedosa RCMP detachment in 2009. In January 2016, he pleaded guilty in exchange for a conditional discharge and unsupervised probation. Last month, he had a conduct hearing in Ottawa to determine his fate. The remedial measures an officer can receive for breaking the code of conduct include dismissal from the force but can be less punitive. A finding of serious misconduct can result in a demotion for up to three years and forfeiture of more than 80 hours of pay. A corrective finding can result in deferral of a promotion, or forfeiting up to 80 hours of pay. An officer convicted of a criminal offence is not automatically dismissed from the force. Gordon says most police officers would be repulsed by news their colleagues are stealing and involved in sexual assault. Paul McKenna, a Dalhousie University professor and longtime police consultant as president of Public Safety Innovation Inc., said people should be concerned by the number even if it isnt a large percentage of the total number of RCMP officers. This is a deeply troubling problem and it requires a great deal more public attention, said McKenna. He said the fact the RCMP cant easily put their hands on the number of officers charged suggests the RCMP itself isnt properly tracking when its members get into trouble with the law. They should have that knowledge at the very tips of their fingers, he said. It is the lynchpin for public trust in policing. He pointed to a 2009 Supreme Court decision which now means every police service in Canada has to release information in its files about charges and convictions of its own officers that could be relevant to a case. That trial involved a man charged and convicted of drug offences who found out after conviction, but before he was sentenced, that the officer who was the main witness against him was himself charged with drug offences. Ultimately the man was acquitted. Both Gordon and McKenna said when officers get into trouble it can affect the outcome of cases they were investigating. McKenna said even if only one per cent of charges are tossed out because an officer involved in the investigation gets into trouble with the law, it would be too much. Its important the public know when there are bad officers and police should be more than willing to talk about it, he said. Both Gordon and McKenna said the RCMP should look at its recruitment, training and supervising processes to address the problem. McKenna said there is an ongoing debate about whether officers should be required to have more education before entering the RCMP training program. Research has told us better educated officers tend to have fewer complaints against them, he said. NDP Public Safety Critic Matthew Dube said the statistics are certainly cause for concern. Its a recognition there perhaps is a need for a culture change to ensure the trust of the public, said Dube. He said more civilian oversight and accountability are necessary. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodales office provided a statement to the Free Press responding to the statistics. Although the number of RCMP members criminally charged represents a very small percentage of all members, any criminal charge is a serious matter, the statement says. Canadians rightly expect officers to meet high standards of professionalism. RCMP members are subject to the same laws as all Canadians and are also subject to the Code of Conduct of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The statement says the new code of conduct means misconduct is addressed faster and more effectively, with the emphasis on remedial and corrective solutions rather than just punishment. The government is developing a plan to address post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues which affect police officers. The statement says Goodale has made very clear to RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson that he expects comprehensive, transparent investigations, serious disciplinary measures, support for victims and concrete action to end toxic workplace behaviour. mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. EMERSON At the Emerson fire hall, only a five-minute drive from where freezing men and women stagger through frigid fields on most nights, Ralph Goodale stood at a podium and pledged federal government support. But as of now, he said, Canada will not reconsider the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, the document that has recently motivated more than 200 asylum seekers to attempt to cross the border in treacherous weather. The public safety minister, dispatched by Ottawa Saturday to tour border facilities, said little of note in a 26-minute news conference. His message was largely one of reassurance: long on affirmations, short on new specifics. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources, arrive at a local fire hall to speak to media after a visit with officials in Emerson, Manitoba, Saturday. So Goodale thanked the community of Emerson, suddenly thrust into an international spotlight as asylum seekers slip over the nearby border. The response in the community of 650 people has been truly inspiring, Goodale said. You have represented the very best instincts and values of Canadians in responding to this asylum-seeking situation, the minister added. The way the community has reacted to it has been a very fine example of Canada. That was not the only message Goodale came to Emerson to deliver. The laws of the country are being enforced, he said, in a thinly veiled response to Tory critics. Canada will respect its international obligations, he added. He noted how governments are collaborating to address the urgent situation. He also pledged the federal government will ensure agencies on the front lines have enough resources to meet the growing need. That includes the CBSA and the RCMP, who Goodale said were currently properly resourced. If they need additional physical resources to cope with the volumes, we will get that recommendation from the CBSA, he said. Well monitor things very carefully to see how that changes and respond accordingly. For Emerson, whose fire department has shouldered a heavy load, the feds will reimburse $30,000 to ease the strain on their budget. RM of Emerson-Franklin Reeve Greg Janzen said he was pleased with that commitment. The support and communication has been almost overwhelming, in a way, Janzen said, with a nod to the nearby throng of national and international media. I cant be more pleased, because we are all talking on a constant basis. Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, speaks to media after a visit with officials at the fire hall in Emerson, Manitoba, Saturday, March 4, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods That collaboration Janzen described could become more pressing. Emerson is already standing in an international spotlight on asylum seekers and migration. That spotlight may get brighter yet in the weeks and months to come. Spring is coming. As it approaches, bringing more amenable weather, advocates for asylum seekers think the numbers of people slipping over the border could skyrocket further. How is Ottawa planning for that possibility? Goodale demurred from specifics. One thing about a contingency plan, especially when it involves international borders and issues of international implications, you dont speculate about that plan in advance, he said. Anticipating what will be the impact of weather, are there other variables that will bear on the circumstances the key thing is to make sure all of our agencies on the ground in Emerson have the resources necessary to do the job. He wouldnt commit to how the government will support settlement agencies such as Welcome Place in Winnipeg, which has taken the lead on assisting asylum seekers. Many of those agencies are struggling to meet the increased need. We want to see them in a position to be able to discharge that humanitarian compassion for which they are justifiably very proud, Goodale said. (Immigration) Minister Hussen will carry on that dialogue with them. Goodale was clear on one thing: at this time, Canada will not reconsider the Safe Third Country Agreement. Under the agreement, most people seeking refugee status in either Canada or the U.S. must make their claim in the first of the two countries they reach. (There are exceptions, including for families and unaccompanied minors.) That means most people hoping to making a refugee claim in Canada cannot enter at a border crossing; they will be turned away. Instead, many make their way to the edge of North Dakota, and walk across the border at night. In January, at least one asylum seeker lost all of his fingers and a toe to frostbite after slogging hours through waist-deep snow. They emerged just a few kilometres away from where Goodale held his news conference. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, speaks to media as Greg Janzen, Reeve of Emerson-Franklin listens in after a visit with officials at the fire hall in Emerson, Manitoba. Advocates would like to see the Safe Third Country Agreement rescinded, to allow asylum seekers to report safely to a border station to make their claim. Goodale shook his head and said no when asked about that idea. It has proven to be an effective and compassionate tool, Goodale said, of the agreement. The immigration department at this stage has no basis upon which to doubt its continued efficacy. Which leaves the question: with the U.S. implementing or preparing to implement a variety of crackdowns on refugee claims, undocumented immigration and visa applications, does Ottawa still consider it a safe country for refugees? The UN has given that verification, Goodale said. Theres no information available to Canada that would contradict that. melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 03/03/2017 (2074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The province has directed the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority to find $83 million in annual budgetary savings, and it wants the job done quickly. In a letter dated Feb. 17, the government asked for a plan by March 31 that would eliminate the equivalent of about three per cent of the WRHAs annual spending for the budget year beginning April 1. Deputy health minister Karen Herd, who penned the letter, said Friday the directive does not mean that the region, which oversees city hospitals and a host of health programs, will not receive new incremental money to meet rising costs, including those from labour agreements. JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files WRHA CEO Milton Sussman (above) says all departments must find savings. Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen says other health authorities must make cuts, too. She said the Health Department has determined the region must find $83 million in efficiencies if its going to balance its books in the coming year. The Pallister government will table its budget on April 11. In October, the WRHA was on pace to incur a deficit of from $90 million to $100 million for the fiscal year that ends March 31. At the time, officials including Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen said there was no reason to panic, that budget numbers often improve over the course of the year. Earlier this week, Goertzen announced the WRHA would incur a deficit of about $30 million this year on a budget of $2.6 billion. Further, he said his department would finish the year with a large enough surplus to ensure the provinces health system remained in the black. An official later explained that delays in the completion of capital projects was the main reason for the departments surplus. The Pallister government is determined that departments and regional health authorities not overspend their budgets in the coming year, as it wrestles with a billion-dollar deficit. The WRHA was not the only health region directed to find efficiencies. The provinces four other health authorities were told to come up with a combined $42.5 million in annual savings. Milton Sussman, president and CEO of the WRHA, doesnt dispute that it will be necessary to find $83 million in savings to balance the regions books in the future. I think its consistent with numbers we have identified as well, he said. The region has set a higher savings target because some initiatives may not take effect until after the start of the fiscal year. Sussman said it was premature to say which programs might be cut. The province has directed that two-thirds of the targeted savings come from eliminating programs that are either outdated, offer little bang for the buck or are not considered core services. The other one-third in cost savings must come from finding ways to deliver programs more efficiently. Sussman, who has led the WRHA since October 2015, said all health care sites and programs have been asked to make proposals for savings. He said there are a number of ways to boost efficiency. For example, he said, the WRHA has higher rates of overtime than other jurisdictions, and patients here spend longer in hospital for the same illnesses than they do elsewhere. The region could do a more efficient job in deploying nursing and health care aide staff, he said. On the non-clinical side, savings are possible through more effective purchasing, Sussman said. Were looking at a range of options. On Thursday, Goertzen told reporters he wants health authorities to reduce senior management ranks, similar to whats happening in government and at Crown corporations. He wants them to avoid any duplication in programs. Im sure theyll look at places where we are doing things that might not be done in other provinces, or dont fit within the context of the health-care system, the minister said. Goertzen said in his time as minister hes had requests to fund landing strips in some communities because medical planes use the runways. He said thats not a Health Department function. Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union, said shes alarmed at the speed in which the government is demanding that health regions come up with such large savings. She noted that the Progressive Conservatives have given themselves eight years to balance the provinces books. You cant tell me that youre going to slash $83 million from the Winnipeg health-care budget alone and not have some kind of negative impact on patient care, said Gawronsky, whose union represents 16,700 health workers across the province. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. People in Manitoba are still being incarcerated at a higher rate than residents of any other province in Canada, and the majority of them have not been convicted of the alleged crimes keeping them behind bars, new Statistics Canada data show. More than 2,420 adults were incarcerated in Manitoba in 2015-16 and about 66 per cent of them were on remand, meaning they were accused of criminal offences but were awaiting trial. The number of people on remand has gone up by two per cent since 2014-15, according to the data released this week. That ranks Manitobas incarceration rate 242 per 100,000 adults as the highest of the provinces and fourth-highest in Canada behind Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon. JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The Winnipeg Remand Centre. While all of the other western provinces reported increases in their incarceration rates, Manitobas rate hasnt changed since the previous year. The number of Manitoba youth in custody is decreasing, the data show. The youth incarceration rate dropped by nine per cent in 2015-16 compared with the previous year, but Manitoba is still jailing youth at the second-highest rate in Canada, topped only by Yukon territory. Saskatchewan had the third-highest youth incarceration rate in the country, with 19 per 100,000 youth compared with Manitobas 24 per 100,000. Manitoba also had the highest rate of youth serving sentences in the community of all the provinces and territories that provided data to Statistics Canada. University of Winnipeg criminologist and former corrections officer Michael Weinrath said its a sad reality that Manitoba locks up more people per capita than in any other province, the majority of them indigenous, and corrections costs continue to climb. If you look at whats happened in the justice system over the last, say, 10 years, every time there was a spectacular incident, politicians and the (former provincial government) NDP are pretty complicit in this said well, hire more police officers and well lobby Ottawa for more punitive measures and well have a zero-tolerance for any sort of violation of bail. And so whats happened is weve hired more police, theyre very aggressive in arresting people for violations of court orders and probation orders, and non-predatory crimes, he said. Men and women end up going to jail and we end up with over-crowded facilities. We end up with mattresses on the floor. We end up with gymnasiums not being used for constructive recreation but just to house people. Weinrath said hiring more police and prosecutors hasnt helped, noting the crime rate has increased in recent years. Manitobas crime rate was the second-highest among the provinces as of last year, but national crime rates have been on a general decline. If this was a strategy that was supposed to move us forward, its not working, he said. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba Public Insurance saved ratepayers $31.6 million from 2012 to 2015 by catching cheaters and recovering money from fraudulent claims, the Crown corporation reported Friday. The provinces public auto insurer said in a news release that MPIs special investigation unit checks about 3,000 suspicious claims annually with its team of investigators, most of whom are primarily retired police officers. Actions which are of a criminal nature would constitute fraud (such as) staged collision, collecting MPI injury benefits while continuing to work; owner give-up of a vehicle (theft); arson of a vehicle; making false statements, MPI spokesman Brian Smiley told the Free Press in an email. MPIs 13th annual education and awareness campaign puts the focus on combating insurance fraud in order to keep automobile insurance rates as low as possible. It works closely with police agencies and operates a dedicated TIPS Line at 985-8477, or toll-free at 1-877-985-8477. The bottom line is that insurance fraud costs everyone, so we encourage all Manitobans to come forward through our TIPS Line to report suspected auto-insurance fraud and speak out against this kind of illegal behaviour, MPI vice-president Ward Keith said. All calls are anonymous. Insurance fraud automobile, home or health care costs Canadians more than $3 billion a year in premiums, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Organizations around the world lose an estimated five per cent of their annual revenues to fraud, according to a survey of fraud experts conducted by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. staff Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 03/03/2017 (2074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Winnipeg man will not go to jail for trying to pull off a $500,000 kidnap-for-ransom of a 14-year-old family friend. Harpreet Kanda, 24, was given a two-month conditional sentence and one year of probation Friday after pleading guilty to impersonating a peace officer, uttering threats and conveying false messages. His lawyer, Scott Newman, told the Free Press Kanda had an excellent pre-sentence report that shows him to be an extremely low risk to public safety. Kanda has been on bail in the community for more than three years without incident. John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press Files Kanda went on trial last year, only to change his plea and admit responsibility halfway through the trial. Kanda admitted he had several people convinced he was a Winnipeg police officer, including the victim and his parents. Kanda contacted the teenage male in January 2014 and took him to a downtown hotel under the guise of needing to speak with him about an investigation. The boy was led to believe he risked being arrested and prosecuted if he didnt co-operate. While the boy stayed in the hotel room playing video games, Kanda wrote a ransom note, which he dropped off at the boys home. (The victim) has been kidnapped by the Russian Mafia, the note began. The note demanded $500,000 otherwise we will kill him. Dont try to call police. You will have lost your son. You have one day to give us the ransom. Wait for a call. We have our eye on you at all times, it said. Kanda put himself in the midst of the case by going to the familys home after they contacted police. His story quickly fell apart. Const. Harminder Singh told court Kanda couldnt keep his version of events straight. The boys aunt told police she believed Kanda was the last to see him earlier that day. Singh asked Kanda about it, which prompted a series of puzzling replies, court was told. Kanda first claimed he was supposed to pick up the boy to play video games, but never did. Singh asked him where he went. Kanda said he went and got pizza, but then was unable to say where from. He changed his story, saying he had spent time with another friend at a 7-Eleven. Singh asked for the name of the friend. He changed his story again, Singh testified. This time, Kanda said he had spent the evening alone, sitting outside a Winnipeg nightclub looking at the girls walking by. I had formed an opinion that there was something suspicious, and he was hiding some information, Singh testified. I wondered why he changed his story three times. Police began to close in after learning from the boys family that Kanda had told them he was training to be a police officer. Officers arrested him for impersonation. They discovered a hotel room key in his wallet and an airsoft gun in his vehicle. Both were later linked to the case. Hours later, Singh said he was approached by the missing boys father indicating hed received a strange call from an employee at the Hotel Royal Plaza downtown. He said he had a male here, that his friend had dropped him here and wished to speak to you for a ride, Singh recalled what the father had been told. The teen had been holed up for several hours inside a room at the hotel. He got out and police were called. In the room, officers found a duffel bag containing a laptop computer and pellet gun, both belonging to Kanda. The boy was not injured. Kanda was initially charged with kidnapping, extortion and weapons offences, but those charges were stayed after he pleaded guilty to the lesser offences. mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. THE province is asking the public for input on Ottawas carbon pricing plan. Manitoba announced Friday it is launching an online survey so Manitobans can have their say on the carbon pricing plan being imposed by the federal government, Sustainable Development Minister Cathy Cox said in a statement Friday. Last fall, Ottawa was criticized for the unilateral way it rolled out its plan. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in October that Ottawa planned to set a national floor price on carbon that all provinces would have to levy on emissions. He gave provinces two years to adopt the carbon price plan or a cap-and-trade system that would meet Canadas requirements under the Paris climate change accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. About 85 per cent of Canadians live in jurisdictions that have some kind of price system on greenhouse gases. British Columbia and Quebec run programs and at the time of Trudeaus announcement both Ontario and Alberta announced plans to roll out programs of their own early this year. At the time, the provincial government responded to Trudeaus carbon pricing plan by saying it would develop its own after conducting public consultations. Premier Brian Pallister also ruled out a cap-and-trade program but wasnt definitive on a carbon tax. The province moved on that promise in Fridays announcement. The federal government is directing all provinces to bring in a carbon price beginning in 2018, Cox said. While Manitobans understand the importance of environmental protection, our government has an equal responsibility to ensure we stimulate investments in clean energy and green growth that will create sustainable jobs throughout our province, she said. We want Manitobans to tell us what impact this will have on their families and to tell us their ideas of other steps we could take to grow our economy while we protect our environment. The province wants Manitobas plan for greenhouse gas emissions to focus on energy-saving technologies. The online survey offers the public a platform for suggestions on initiatives that potential carbon pricing revenues could be directed toward. The province said these could include lowering income taxes, providing rebates for low-income households, investing in water projects to address the risks of increased flooding, or providing offsets for increased hydroelectricity rates. The minister added she hopes climate change initiatives in Manitoba will pay off in new jobs and clean technology. A made-in-Manitoba plan, created with the input of Manitobans, will build upon our strengths and allow us to prosper while doing our part to fight climate change, Cox said. The priorities for Manitobas climate plan will be to reduce carbon emissions causing climate change, adapt to climate change impacts and preserve wetlands and vulnerable ecosystems. The climate change survey is available on the consultation website at www.manitoba.ca/climateandgreenplan. alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. IT was 22 years ago when actor Keanu Reeves, a freshly minted action star after the hit movie Speed, made a bold career pivot, signing on to perform the title role of Hamlet on the stage of the Manitoba Theatre Centre in the winter of 1995. According to local industry sources, Reeves will be returning to Winnipeg this spring to shoot the movie Siberia (not to be confused with the 2013 NBC TV series of the same name, which was largely filmed in Birds Hill Provincial Park). The 52-year-old actor, still a hot action star in the wake of the US$130 million gross of John Wick Chapter 2, plays a diamond dealer trying to sell blue diamonds of questionable origin in Russia, falling in obsessive love with a Russian cafe owner along the way. Presumably, Reeves will feel more comfortable with his Winnipeg gig this time out. Not long after performing the Melancholy Dane, Reeves told this reporter he had initially felt like a deer in the headlights confronted by a looming truck with the word Hamlet across its front. Siberia may be more in his comfort zone. The film is to be directed by Matthew Ross, best known for the recent feature film Frank & Lola, another story of obsessive love starring Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots. The script was written by Scott B. Smith (A Simple Plan). Reeves is one of three actors making a return trip to Winnipeg. Sir Ben Kingsley, currently in town shooting the serial killer thriller Nomis opposite Henry Cavill and Alexandra Daddario, played the lead role of an alcoholic hitman in the 2007 film You Kill Me directed by John Dahl. According to the Internet Movie Database, actor Stanley Tucci has also joined the cast of Nomis. Tucci played a passionate ballroom dance contestant in the 2004 film Shall We Dance opposite Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. The year continues to be a busy one for the Winnipeg film industry, which enjoyed a genre movie boom beginning in November with the back-to-back shooting of the First World War zombie thriller Trench 11, starring Rossif Sutherland, Incident in a Ghostland, starring French pop icon Mylene Farmer, the psychological thriller Behind the Glass, starring India Eisley, Mira Sorvino and Jason Isaacs, and Cult of Chucky, the seventh film in the Childs Play franchise, starring Fiona Dourif and Jennifer Tilly, which wrapped production last week. In that vein, city crews are also gearing up for a post-apocalyptic genre film titled Break My Heart 1000 Times, an adaptation of a young adult novel by Daniel Waters. According to a report in Variety, actress Bella Thorne (The DUFF, Scream: The TV Series) is set to star in the film, set in a world in which the barrier between the living and the spirits of the dead has been lifted. randall.king@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @FreepKing If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Think about $17.2 million. Thats how much FP Newspapers, publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and a relatively small player in the Canadian newspaper industry, generates in taxes annually for federal, provincial and local governments. If you want to think about the economic impact of the disruption of traditional news media, think about that $17.2 million, which goes to pay for schools, paving roads, financing health care and defending Canadian borders. Now ask how much Google and Facebook pay in taxes in Manitoba, where FP operates daily and community papers. Hint: you dont need a lot of zeroes. TIMUR EMEK / DAPD / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Facebook and Google objected to a parliamentary committee proposal that would see a tax imposed on digital advertising in foreign-based media. So you might be surprised to learn representatives of these two firms were recently complaining before a House of Commons committee about a proposal that would see a tax imposed on digital advertising in foreign-based media. They called the 10 per cent withholding tax on ad spending a punitive tax on advertisers. The tax was recently proposed in the Shattered Mirror, a report on the news media industry by the Public Policy Forum. Perhaps, because they pay so little tax in Canada themselves, the Google and Facebook representatives are unaware of all the punitive taxes paid by traditional news media rooted in this country, employing thousands of people and generating news and information that is vital to the communities they serve. The intent of the digital tax is to generate some federal revenues from the billions of ad dollars that foreign-based digital companies take out of the country every year. The money generated by the digital tax, an estimated $300 million to $400 million annually, would be used to help traditional news media transition in the digital world. The digital tax proposal is one of a number in the Public Policy Forum report aimed at creating more fairness in the way media are taxed in Canada. The current tax system is so ludicrous that it provides better tax treatment to foreign companies than to Canadian news media. If you buy a digital subscription to the Winnipeg Free Press, we have to charge you provincial and federal sales tax, a cool 13 per cent, boosting a $16.99 monthly charge to $19.20. Youll pay no sales tax to buy a digital subscription to the Wall Street Journal. When it comes to advertising, existing income tax laws cover print and broadcast media, but not digital. Therefore, a Canadian advertiser cannot deduct as a business expense the cost of an ad in the printed New York Times, but can deduct the expense of an ad on nytimes.com. The tax story does not stop at the federal level. Look down the list of what FP pays and youll see $634,000 for provincial health and education, $334,000 for workers compensation, $911,000 for employment insurance, $2.1 million for the Canada Pension Plan, $572,000 in municipal property taxes, $3.7 million in GST, more than $2 million in PST and more than $7 million in income taxes for the company and employees. This is a good measure of what a company such as the FP gives back to the communities that support its newspapers from the Winnipeg Free Press to the Steinbach Carillon. It is also whats missing from the new digital economy that is disrupting companies like ours. The major digital players, almost all foreign-based, are not employing significant numbers of people locally and are not putting significant tax dollars into the local, provincial and national economies where they earn all their money. Its not punitive to impose a new tax on this activity. Its overdue. Bob Cox is publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and chair of News Media Canada. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. After the Nixon shocks of August 1971, and the Republican administrations careless imposition of a 10 per cent special surcharge on Canadian imports, the Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau was understandably apoplectic. Immediately, the federal bureaucracy in Ottawa turned its attention to crafting a forward-looking blueprint to nullify or reduce Canadas economic dependence on our southern neighbour. Several months later, it delivered to the government what became widely known as the third option, after having quickly dispensed with the first two (doing nothing and seeking greater integration with the U.S.). At its heart, the controversial approach was intended to pursue a comprehensive long-term strategy to develop and strengthen the Canadian economy and other aspects of its national life and in the process to reduce the present Canadian vulnerability. The centrepiece of the strategy was a sharp focus on trade diversification that is, away from the U.S. and toward other regions of the world. Then-prime minister Trudeau was a firm believer in the counterweight strategy of neutralizing the asymmetry in power with the U.S. by strengthening relations with other major powers and thus balancing off Canadas overreliance on the United States. It was also about sending a signal to officialdom in Washington that for Canada, the U.S. was not the only game in town. SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left) and U.S. President Donald Trump each have agendas on Canada-U.S. trade. The strategy eventually manifested itself in a 1974 contractual link with the European Economic Community (EEC) and the 1976 Canada-Japan Framework for Economic Co-operation. The main weakness of these diversification efforts, however, was that as commercial exchange between Canada and the EEC and Japan increased modestly in the first few years, trade with the United States tripled over that same period. Much of Trudeaus embrace of diversification was about political symbolism. He was trying to reassure anxious Canadians that Canada was putting itself in a position to avoid a future U.S. shock, to appease growing economic nationalist sentiments in the country and to demonstrate that Ottawa was capable of acting autonomously and independently on the world stage. We now see current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following in the footsteps of his father. He recently went to Europe to sign, after years of negotiations and months of delay, the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). And the Trudeau Liberals are working diligently to convince the Japanese especially in the wake of the aborted Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal to negotiate a comprehensive free trade pact with Canada. The key question to ask, of course, is: has anything fundamentally changed since our efforts at trade diversification in the 1970s? Arguably, the short answer is no. Yes, its true that finding alternative trading partners to the U.S. is not a bad thing. Its also true that improving access to a market of 510 million Europeans is not going to hurt us economically. But we shouldnt be fooled into thinking that the European market as was the case in the 1970s is some sort of transatlantic Shangri-la for Canadian exporters. The CETA undoubtedly will benefit specific sectors of the Canadian economy, such as automobiles, pork and seafood, but it wont fundamentally change the Canada-EU commercial landscape or Canadas reliance on the U.S. Part of the problem is that Ottawa cannot compel reluctant Canadian companies to seek out trade opportunities in Europe, or Japan. Many of them already have lucrative arrangements with partners and supply chains in the United States and with lower transportation costs. They are also comfortable with the language of North American commerce, share similar business practices, outlooks and culture. Both are reassured by a strong belief in the rule of law. The reality is that the United States is still going to be our most important friend and ally, best customer (with the Mexicans coming in at third place) and key security partner. And as the Prime Minister found out on his recent visit to Europe, Canada has a certain cache with EU leaders precisely because of our unique bilateral relationship with the U.S. That relationship is not going to change because of trade diversification and the implementation of CETA. Indeed, Canada will continue to struggle with the challenge of insulating itself from its dependence on the U.S. marketplace. But Im convinced that Trudeau already knows this which explains why he is so focused on fortifying NAFTA in a Trumpian world. There really is no other practical option, because the tyranny of geography makes it so. Peter McKenna is professor and chair of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/03/2017 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Its a whole lotta coulda, woulda, shoulda coming from Manitobas official Opposition and its shameful the way NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine is trying to rewrite history. On Thursday, the Progressive Conservative government introduced legislation to broaden the role of Manitobas childrens advocate. Ms. Fontaine, who was elected in 2016 as MLA for St. Johns, said her private members bill introduced in the last session was identical to the new act, and if the Tories had passed it, the reforms would have come into effect that much sooner. WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Files NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine Has Ms. Fontaine forgotten that it was the NDP that was in power when the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry report was tabled by commissioner Ted Hughes? Mr. Hughes submitted his report in 2013 and the NDP government released it publicly in January 2014. In it, Mr. Hughes made a number of recommendations, many that the Selinger government ignored or studied to death. Had she lived, Phoenix would be 17 this April. Instead, she was killed by her mother and stepfather when she was five and her death was not discovered until nine months later. She had been bounced back and forth between her mother, her father and foster homes, and the actions or inactions of the social workers involved in her care came under considerable criticism, revealing a broken system. The NDP finally acted on some of the recommendations from the Hughes report, introducing legislation in 2015 that expanded the powers of the Office of the Childrens Advocate. The expansions outlined by then-family services minister Kerri Irvin-Ross were watered down, tightly constraining what information could be made public. For the childrens advocate, it was paramount to make public investigations following a case when a child dies or is injured while in care within a year of having contact with Child and Family Services. The NDP dragged its feet on doing that and, as a result, some critics saw the legislation as toothless. But no matter, it never became law anyway, killed by an election call that ended badly for the governing NDP. The new legislation, tabled by Families Minister Scott Fielding on Thursday, allows the office to release reports into child deaths that, under current legislation, are passed on only to the families minister, the chief medical examiner and the provincial ombudsman. It also allows for the sharing of information with other childrens advocates in other provinces. It gives the advocates office more power. It expands the group of children for whom they can advocate. It puts into place recommendations from Mr. Hughes. Finally. More than three years after the inquiry report was tabled and $14 million spent investigating how the five-year-old girl could have died and no one noticed. In the aftermath, other children have died, have been injured, have been ignored. But now an independent childrens advocate can release that information publicly and shed some light on a government entity that has for too long been allowed to act in the shadows. Its hard to understand how Ms. Fontaine can somehow find some moral high ground, taking cheap shots at the government for being slow to act, when her party did little to ensure the childrens advocate had some teeth. The views pretty good from the cheap seats. Travelers flying out of the La Crosse Regional Airport are finding fewer choices as airlines pack more passengers onto fewer flights. The reason, airlines say: They dont have enough pilots to fly their planes. Researchers at the University of North Dakota estimate the nation will need about 250 more airline pilots this year, a shortage expected to balloon to nearly 15,000 in the next decade as the number of pilots in the pipeline dwindles amid an unprecedented wave of retirements. As a result, regional airlines which serve about 65 percent of the nations airports, including La Crosse are cutting service, according to the industrys trade group. The Regional Airline Association says hundreds of communities have lost some flights as a result of the pilot shortage, and a handful have lost service entirely. The RAA warns pilot shortages could result in 300 planes being parked by 2020. Between 2013 and 2016, the RAA estimates more than 200 U.S. airports lost more than 20 percent of their flights. In that time period, La Crosse saw a 27 percent reduction in the number of scheduled departures, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The airport currently has six flights a day to Minneapolis and Chicago, the only destinations offered since Delta dropped its service to Detroit in 2013. Meanwhile, the number of people flying out of La Crosse has remained fairly steady, down about 10 percent during the last 15 years. There just arent as many empty seats. In 2002, airlines filled a little more than half the seats on their flights out of La Crosse. Last year, it was more than 80 percent. With only one in four area travelers using the La Crosse airport, airport manager Clinton Torp said its reasonable to think La Crosse could support twice as many daily flights. Were filling the planes up, Torp said. What we need is more capacity. Bottleneck in pilot pipeline The problem, according to the RAA, stems from stricter training regulations mandated by Congress after a commuter plane crashed into a home in Buffalo, N.Y., killing 50 people. Among the new requirements, pilots now must log 1,500 hours instead of just 250 before they can fly for a commercial airline. Thats left more than a quarter of licensed pilots ineligible to take those jobs, according to the Regional Airlines Association. Under the old model, Torp said new pilots might spend a year working as a flight instructor while accumulating the hours needed to sign on with an airline. Now were seeing people having to tow banners, crop dust, or be a flight instructor for many, many years, Torp said. But the Air Line Pilots Association, the worlds largest union representing airline pilots, argues service to small communities is being affected by economics, not a pilot shortage. The median annual wage for commercial airline pilots is more than $117,000, although according to ALPA starting salaries of less than $30,000 are common at many regional airlines. Those that have boosted pay, benefits and quality of life have had no problem filling cockpits, the union says. Many airlines have recognized that hiring qualified pilots becomes easier when they increase pay and benefits and create career-advancement opportunities, according to a union position statement. According to FAA data, the number of licensed commercial pilots has been falling steadily since even before the new regulations took effect. Last year, there were just over 96,000 about 25 percent less than in 2009. The RAA says the shortage persists in spite of pay bumps for first officers. Despite the constraints on service, the La Crosse airport boosted revenues from car rentals thanks to more business travelers and concession sales, offsetting a roughly 30 percent reduction in the terminal fees charged to airlines in an effort to attract additional service. It helps the airlines bottom line, which makes La Crosse more enticing, Torp said. Torp said the airport increased efficiency to absorb the 6.5 percent reduction in overall operating revenues. Fewer Cessnas, more Gulf Streams The La Crosse airport has also seen a steady decline in overall operations thanks to a drop in recreational aeronautics. As baby boomers hang up their wings, there are fewer younger pilots filling the ranks, in part because of the higher cost of training and flying. Aviation used to be a really inspiring thing, Torp said. We havent done a good job of inspiring todays youth. Torp said general aviation has a minimal impact on airport finances, and theres been a concurrent increase in corporate air travel, which is a positive, he said. Less Cessnas and more Gulf Streams. Is the concerted Democrat plan to obfusticate the purpose of government by the unprecedented delaying of President Trump's appointments, while galvanizing with the organized protesters' directive to obstruct the process of governing, at the federal level, working for the Democrat brand? Yes, Democrats will finally create a Socialist Progressive utopia if they remain banded together. No, the nation is in dire straits, on so many levels, and needs immediate repair. I'm busy with my important life, such as it is, and don't care. 68 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is not one to be upstaged by a non-politician, especially when the non-politician is the President of the Good Ole USofA. He has enacted a little-known clause in the Constitution that no one has ever heard of which will allow any Senate Minority Leader to call Congress into Special Session whenever said Minority Leader finds himself completely flummoxed.By use of this Unknown Constitutional Provision, he is calling all of Congress back into a Special Chuck Session tomorrow to explain why he feels The Donald is the first President of the United States who can't be trusted, except for all the other Republican Presidents who also could not be trusted.My sources have been all over this developing story and have obtained a transcript of his speech. I am more than willing to share it with you...I know much of Senator Schumer's address seems a bit disjointed. In his defense, allow me to say that he has been under a lot of stress as of late.Would I kid u?Smartfella Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi held separate roadshows in Varanasi as Uttar Pradesh underwent its sixth phase of polling today. By Press Trust of India: Lusty slogans resonated through the narrow lanes and flag-waving supporters cheered heartily as top leaders of major contenders for power in Uttar Pradesh descended on this ancient temple town in a last gasp effort to swing the voters in their favour. Leading the virtual parade of the top guns was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned his visit to the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples into an impromptu roadshow, a day ahead of the one planned for tomorrow. advertisement Before beginning the roadshow through the winding streets of the city, Modi also paid floral tributes at the statue of Hindutva ideologue Madan Mohan Malviya at the Banaras Hindu University, in moves loaded with symbolism in a campaign which saw BJP revive the divisive talk of Ram temple and the PM seemed appealing to religious sensibilities by his graveyard and crematorium remark. Modi's roadshow came on a day when the sixth phase of polling in 49 constituencies, including Gorakhpur and Azamgarh in the state was underway. BJP leaders feel that the hours-long event, broadcast live on most of the regional TV news channels, will help their cause when the 40 remaining seats go to the polls in the final phase on March 8. Also read: When Modi stopped his fleet to accept flowers, shawl from Muslims in Varanasi 'MODI TERE NAAM BANARAS' Slogans like Subah Banaras, sham Banaras; Modi tere naam Banaras and Modi, Modi greeted Modi as he waved from an open top vehicle covered with marigold. The only other time Modi held a roadshow here was in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls after he picked Varanasi as one of his seats. The BJP swept the 2014 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, along with its ally Apna Dal. Down in the dumps in the politically crucial cow belt state for the last 15 years before its spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which has not declared its chief ministerial candidate for UP, is banking on the personal charisma of Modi to catapult the party back to power again. Also read: A divided Muslim front can translate into a BJP win Samajwadi Party president and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, also led a roadshow with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the Kashi Vishwanath temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi. advertisement Amid chanting of shlokas, Akhilesh, sporting the red Samajwadi Party cap, was seen kneeling at the temple and seeking the blassings of the priests. Also read: Varanasi doesn't need to be Kyoto, city's top mahant slams PM Modi's idea SP-CONG SUPPORTERS COME UNDER ATTACK Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party and Congress supporters were pelted with stones during their roadshow. Following the attack, the city police asked Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi to speed up their event. The Varanasi police feared that the Samajwadi Party and BJP workers could come face-to-face and clashes could break out between the two groups. Also watch: Varanasi: SP-Congress supporters pelted with stones during joint roadshow --- ENDS --- The Sauk County case against a man allegedly caught in the act of an August burglary is just the tip of the iceberg, according to several law enforcement officers familiar with the matter. It was really one of the better investigations that Ive been a part of in 25 years of law enforcement, said Columbia County Detective Lt. Roger Brandner. Officers from multiple agencies had been tailing Mark D. Goad, 53, of Madison, for days before he was captured in the act of an alleged burglary at a Reedsburg tavern. Investigators say they now have evidence tying Goad to 15 burglaries in a six-county area. Pattern emerges In early August, detectives said they noticed similarities between burglaries reported in multiple jurisdictions. The details were shared in crime alerts sent to law enforcement agencies statewide. The burglaries typically occurred around the same time in the middle of the night. The burglar would cut power to the business phone and security system, eliminate outdoor lighting, and seemed to have used a special solution to eliminate DNA and fingerprint evidence. We started noticing a pattern entry point and tool mark impressions, Brandner said. Agencies coordinated to have their officers document the license plates of any vehicles spotted driving during certain times of night. Using that data, the Lake Mills Police Department zeroed in on Goad as a potential suspect. The Madison man made headlines in 2011 when police suspected him in connection with dozens of business burglaries in Madison, Dane County, and Janesville. Goad was arrested on a parole warrant after a foot chase in which he allegedly jumped from a second-story hotel room in an attempt to escape officers. He later was convicted of two counts of felony burglary and one count of felony resisting or obstructing an officer. Investigation fast tracked Once local agencies identified Goad as a suspect in the August burglaries, they knew they were potentially dealing with someone who was crafty and might use extreme measures to escape. That was why with this investigation, we tried to fast track it as much as possible, said Columbia County Detective Sgt. Ben Oetzman. Tailing Goad wasnt easy, said Lodi Police Chief Scott Klicko. Without giving themselves away, investigators had to follow him along back roads between Madison and Lodi, where his was the only vehicle. Klicko said officers even followed Goad to the Minnesota border, and stopped him for an alleged traffic violation when he returned to Wisconsin. The stop allowed them to get eyes on Goad, and confirm that it was still him driving the vehicle. On Aug. 21, investigators alerted Reedsburg police that Goad had been in their area, potentially to scope out his next heist. Officers spotted Goad after 3 a.m. wearing a ski mask and black clothes, crouched near the back entrance of a local bar with a bag of tools, according to a criminal complaint. He was wearing an ear bud connected to a police scanner, which Brandner said was intended to monitor local police chatter. It didnt help him because investigators already were wise to that tactic, and had been using alternative means of communication. After his arrest, in which officers allegedly were forced to use a Taser on Goad multiple times, investigators used location data from his cell phone to tie him to prior burglaries. They even compared reflective material on his shoes to the reflections shown on surveillance videos to tie him to one crime scene, Klicko said. Case delayed Investigators are preparing to refer charges against Goad in relation to 15 burglaries throughout Columbia, Dodge, Juneau, Jefferson, Sauk, and Rock counties, Oetzman said. After his August arrest, Sauk County prosecutors charged Goad with burglary, possession of burglary tools, criminal damage to property, and resisting an officer. The case has been delayed because four attorneys have withdrawn from Goads case. His next court date is May 9. This article was updated March 10, 2017, to clarify information about Goad's 2011 arrest. Its not every day that Jenna Schultz instructs her students to quietly bring live farm animals in and out of her classroom at Baraboo High School. But during FFA week, its becoming a tradition. This year, the high schools agriculture education teacher and a few students brought in a baby pig for one staff member to kiss during a Friday pep rally that ended FFA week. Last year, they brought a calf. Throughout FFA week, students voted for which teacher they wanted to kiss the pig by putting money in jars with a staff members name on it. There were about four staff members they could choose from, Schultz said. Whoever raised the most money agreed to kiss the pig. The money was counted, and the winner was announced during Fridays rally. After hearing his name over the loud speaker, Baraboo Police School Resource Officer Mike Pichler slowly made his way to center of the high school gymnasium and asked students whether he should smooch the swine on the nose or forehead. The nose was a lot drier than I thought, Pichler said after kissing the pig in front of the entire student body. I thought it would be like a wet dogs nose, but it was dry. Its all in good fun though, and the money is for a good cause. Students raised $160 to have Pichler kiss the pig, which will be donated to the Baraboo Food Pantry. Schultz said FFA students also made and sold cookies and conducted a food drive that will benefit the food pantry. Students also organized dress-up days and participated in other agriculture-related activities throughout FFA week, which took place Feb. 18-25. The assembly was held Friday because school was canceled Feb. 24 due to poor weather. During the assembly, the student body was invited to participate in the agriculture Olympics. The competition pitted grade levels against one another in events like horse barrel racing, sack racing, hay bale tossing, milk chugging and pedal-tractor racing. Some high school staff members got involved in the festivities with a choreographed dance routine. Schultz said she believes the assembly and FFA week went well for the Baraboo chapter of the agricultural organization. She hopes the fun activities might introduce other students to the range of opportunities available through agricultural-related job fields. I think its a good way to get more students involved and to learn that FFA is about more than farming, she said. Its about agriculture as an industry and all the facets that go with it. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt announced Friday that his office will conduct a criminal interdiction due to concerns about an event scheduled at a Beaver Dam business. Schmidt said there are concerns about a gathering that is planned at Pops Eatery, 1102 Madison St., Saturday. However business owner Musa Hajdini said Friday he has no party scheduled for Saturday. Instead, he said he would have a local DJ under an arrangement that has been in place since 2015. In that arrangement a promoter brings in a DJ or band and keeps the cover charge while his business retains food and beverage sales. Weve had numerous problems with them in the past, Schmidt said. On Feb. 18 a similar deployment was conducted on Highway 151 and Madison Street in Beaver Dam. Eleven Dodge County squads spent six hours in the area making 23 traffic stops that led to 10 citations. Hajdini said he believes police are racially profiling people and targeting his business. Referring to the Feb. 18 enforcement action, Hajdini said, They targeted black people. Its a shame. Schmidt said the area that will observed this weekend is Highway 151 from Beaver Dam to Columbus as well as the Madison Street area in Beaver Dam. The extra patrol will be conducted from 9 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday. Police Chief John Kreuziger said Beaver Dam Police will have four additional officers to patrol the area as well. According to Kreuziger Madison police said two different parties are scheduled at Pops Eatery. This event is reported to have the same individuals who were involved in the incident on Feb. 18 which resulted in numerous arrests and citations, Schmidt said. There were also numerous fights and disturbances both inside the establishment and in the parking lot by patrons of that event. Individuals were arrested for weapons, drugs and disorderly conduct. We have received credible information that the individuals involved have gang ties. It is believed that the same individuals were involved in the shooting that took place on the east side of Madison, Schmidt said in a press release. Four men were shot during a disturbance early morning Feb. 19 in the parking lot the BP Gas Station, 4222 E. Washington Ave., on Madisons east side. None of the four men shot, all between 26 and 28 years old, suffered life-threatening injuries. Schmidt said that Madison investigators believe some of the dozens of people at the shooting site have gang affiliations, both in Madison and in Beaver Dam, where they believe the incident initially started on Feb. 18. Hajdini said constant surveillance and patrol have ruined the reputation of his business. It makes it sound like I supply a party to gangsters, Hajdini said. Im an honest small business owner. Im against drugs and criminals. Ive always been (against them). Hajdini said he has, in fact, cooperated with police numerous times. He said he has helped them identify people, and has supplied them with video footage from his business. But Kreuziger said Friday that Pops is in danger of losing its liquor license. Last week a 17-year-olds nose was fractured in a fight while he was in Pops Eatery without a guardian. Beaver Dam has a demerit point system to guide the Beaver Dam Administrative Committee in making possible suspensions and revocations of liquor licenses. If a licensee exceeds 200 demerit point violations within a rolling 18-month period, the owner could lose his or her license. Kreuziger said Pops Eatery will be at 300 points, depending on what assessments result from the incident with the teen in the bar. Hajdini, who has owned the business since 1999, said he has been unfairly singled out after making heavy investments in the community. The city of Beaver Dam has ruined my life. I dont know if its because of my race, my language or my religion, Hajdini said. What theyre doing to me is all racist. Im not leaving without a fight. Local Scouts will canvas neighborhoods to help area pantries and food banks Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts from south-central Wisconsin will be going door-to-door this March to collect food for area families in need. Part of the annual Scouting for Food good turn, Scouts will be going around the community to solicit food donations for local food banks and pantries. Saturday, March 4, Scouts will distribute fliers and plastic bags to neighborhood homes in south-central Wisconsin. The following Saturday, March 11, Scouts will return to those areas to pick up and deliver the food. Individuals who wish to help with Scouting for Food but do not receive a flier and plastic bag on their door can bring food donations to any area Festival Foods. Festival Foods is the title sponsor of the 2017 Scouting for Food effort. Scouting for Food is an annual event sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America. Each year, local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts canvas neighborhoods to solicit food donations by placing plastic bags and fliers on area homes. One week later, the Scouts return to pick up and deliver the food to local food banks and pantries. In 2016, local Scouts from the Glaciers Edge Council, BSA collected almost 100,000 lbs. of food to help area families in need, and provided nearly 35,000 hours of service to communities across the Council. Three people from Illinois are facing multiple charges after allegedly burglarizing homes and other property in the town of Germantown on Feb. 9. Jacob R. Caso, 20, of McHenry, Illinois is charged with burglary of a dwelling, burglary of a building, misdemeanor theft, three counts of criminal damage to property, and theft of movable property between $5,000 and $10,000. Caso could face $25,000 fines, imprisonment of no more than 12 years and six months, or both, for each of the felony burglary charges. For the misdemeanor theft charge, Caso could face a $10,000 fine, a nine-month prison term, or both. Each criminal damage to property charge carries a possible $10,000 fine, no more than nine months in prison, or both, and the theft of movable property charge carries a $10,000 fine, no more than six years in prison, or both. Patrick M. Fallaw, 24, of Wonder Lake, Illinois, faces the same charges as Caso. Melissa A. Falster, 19, from Spring Grove, Illinois, faces a burglary, building or dwelling charge, and a charge for criminal damage to property. According to a criminal complaint, in the early morning hours of Feb. 9, the Juneau County Sheriffs Office was called to investigate two suspicious males walking around a house and onto a porch in the town of Marion. However, the two men left the residence before police arrived. Less than an hour later, a deputy spotted an abandoned vehicle along County Highway G, partially blocking the westbound lane of traffic. The deputy also noticed a yellow UTV traveling east on a snowmobile adjacent to the highway. Police eventually shined a spotlight on the UTV. Falster began walking across the field with her hands in the air. She told police she was riding on the UTV with two friends, Caso and Fallaw, and they had fled the scene, telling her the UTV was stolen. Fallaw was apprehended near a residence on Sandstone Drive. He told police he was sleeping on a porch because his vehicle had ran out of gas. The deputy told Fallaw he knew there was another male with him, but Fallaw declined to provide additional information. He was taken into custody. Two officers, along with the assistance of a K-9, checked a residence to find Caso. After opening the door, they smelled a fresh, whole pizza that was placed on top of an oven. They noticed the door had been kicked in. Based on an interview with Falster, she told police Fallaw said he lived in an area near County Highway G. Their vehicle had run out of gas near Shacks Road and they told Falster they were going to a Fallaws house to get more fuel. A while later, the two men returned with a yellow Cub Cadet UTV, saying it was Fallaws. According to the report, deputies believe they broke into a garage to steal the UTV. Falster was arrested with being party to a crime. Upon further investigation, police believe several properties had been burglarized in the subdivision along Sandstone Drive. Around 6 a.m. an officer located Caso standing next to a wood pile. He had apparently been sleeping as he was startled when the officer apprehended him. One of the officers noticed several colored rings in Casos pants pocket and believed they were stolen. As the investigation unfolded, officers determined the house Caso broke into had been rummaged through extensively. Deputies contacted the home owner, who stated the only people that should ever be at the house are her son and daughter. The son, who lives in Illinois, was called and notified of the incident. Officers investigated other homes in the subdivision. A resident said he noticed someone had broken into his mothers Ford Explorer, along with his step-fathers vehicle, a Chevy Tahoe. Some candy was taken from that vehicle and, based on the investigation, wrappers were found in Caso and Fallaws pockets. The pair allegedly broke into another vehicle in the subdivision, taking a pair of winter gloves. When investigating the UTV, detectives also found a BB gun that was allegedly stolen. Later in the day, deputies also investigated a break-in of a truck in the same subdivision and determined $40 was taken. The truck was stored in a pole shed and the thieves allegedly gained access by breaking through two windows. It was later determined Caso was a fugitive from Illinois. He had violated probation on Dec. 27 and was issued a felony warrant by the McHenry County Sheriffs Department. The department requested Caso to be extradited back to Illinois on Feb. 14. Caso has a pre-trial conference scheduled for April 12 at 9 a.m. at the district attorneys office. On May 4, Caso will have a plea hearing at the Juneau County Justice Center at 12:45 p.m. Fallaw is scheduled to have an arraignment at the Justice Center on April 6 at 12:45 p.m., while Falster has a plea hearing scheduled for 12:45 p.m. on May 4, also at the Justice Center. Items are listed under the day of the event only, running as space permits prior to the event. To submit items, call 745-3511, email jcutsforth@capitalnewspapers.com or visit www.portagedailyregister.com. Include name and phone number. TODAY Corned beef and cabbage dinner: 5 to 7:30 p.m. Knights of Columbus fish fry, Knights of Columbus Hall, 918 Silver Lake Drive, Portage. Cocktails at 4 p.m. FamilyFunEvent: 10 a.m. Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Open to children up to age 12 and their families (children must be accompanied by an adult). This month the department will hold an Art-o-Rama that will feature multiple stations of art activities, including a bread painting station for snacking. This one-hour, drop-in program is free. Registration is not required and all supplies will be provided thanks to funding by the Friends of the Library. For more information, call 742-4959, ext. 211 or check the Childrens Department Face Book page. Griefshare support group: 10 a.m. to noon, Portage United Methodist Church, 1804 New Pinery Road, Portage. Offered to individuals suffering from the loss of loved one(s). Meetings are held weekly on Saturdays. Call Laurie at 608-450-1081 or Jen at 608-345-8928 or visit www.griefshare.org for more information. Unique Singles Monthly Breakfast: 8:30 a.m. Dinos Restaurant, 2900 New Pinery Road, Portage. All single men and women older than age 50 welcome. The group is strictly social with no dues or officers. SUNDAY, MARCH 5 Bingo: 3 to 5 p.m. VFW Hall, 215 W. Collins St., Portage. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Hard cards are $1 and chips are available. All are welcome. Runs the first and third Sunday of each month. Zumba: 5:30 p.m. Rusch Elementary School, Portage. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com. MONDAY, MARCH 6 Euchre card party: 6:30 p.m. Bethlehem Lutheran Church, W8267 Highway 33 East, Portage. Public welcome. Contact: Cloe, 429-2363. Knights of Columbus: 7 p.m. meeting, Knights of Columbus Hall, Silver Lake Drive, Portage. Zumba/Zumba Toning: 6 p.m. Harrisville. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com. TUESDAY, MARCH 7 Photography Interest Group: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Northwoods Inc., Highway 51 South, Portage. Meet with fellow photographers to share photos and tips, explore new ideas and inspire creativity for upcoming events. Call Fred Baewer with questions at 608-742-4691. Zumba Toning: 4:30 p.m. Woodridge Primary School, Portage. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8 Bingo: 5:30 p.m. 131 Restaurant, North Main Street, Pardeeville. Bingo will be played every Wednesday, except the first one of the month. Free blood pressure screenings: 1 to 5 p.m. Divine Savior Healthcare, 2817 New Pinery Road, Portage. No appointment necessary. Call 745-6405 for more information. Do not eat, smoke, drink caffeine or exercise for 30 minutes prior. Museum: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Portage World War II Museum, 119 E. Cook St., Portage. Free tours for veterans every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The tours take 2 1/2 hours. For information, call 608-697-3690. St. Vincent de Paul free medical clinic: 9 a.m. to noon. Wilz Drugs lower level, 140 E. Cook St., Portage. No appointments needed. Information needed is name, date of birth and a contact number. A chiropractor is available from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays. A foot clinic is available every week. The clinic can do exams and prescribe medications. Physical therapist available. Discounted medications are available at Wilz and Walmart. Call Bonny Oestreich, RN, at 608-234-0159 for information. Writing group: Writers at the Portage, 5:30 p.m. Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. New writers and any genre welcome. Zumba/Zumba Toning: 5 p.m. Montello. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com. Zumba: 5:30 p.m. 1208 Northport Road (the former Freedom Carpeting building). This is a $5 drop-in class. For more information, contact Deb at DJMACK00001@yahoo.com or Rena at 697-6713. THURSDAY, MARCH 9 Cookie sale: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. front lobby, Divine Savior Healthcare, 2817 New Pinery Road, Portage. On the second Thursday of each month, the Volunteer Partners of Divine Savior bake Smart Cookies. Cookies are 50 cents each or $5.50 per dozen. Cookie selection varies month to month, but chocolate chip is always available. All proceeds benefit scholarships for students educating in healthcare-related fields. Wisconsin Department of Transportation public involvement meeting: 5 to 6:30 p.m. Portage Municipal Building, 115 W. Pleasant St., Portage. Discussion of preliminary design for the resurfacing of WIS 16, including a proposed safety improvement project at the I-39/WIS 16/WIS 127 ramp terminal in Portage. The meeting will follow an informal open house format with a brief presentation at 5 p.m. Columbia County leaders were met with overwhelming agreement and a sprinkling of gallows humor during a listening session Friday with Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel in Portage. Law enforcement and local representatives squeezed into the roundtable discussion at the Law Enforcement Center, during which Schimel, flanked by state Sen. Luther Olsen and state Rep. Keith Ripp, inquired about the pressing matters in Columbia County. It was the 21st session he has conducted since taking office in January 2015. The meeting had a sparse, open agenda, but with expectations coming from clear precedent, as opioid addiction took up the majority of the 90-minute meeting. Im interested to know and in some counties Ill hear that methamphetamine is a bigger problem whats it look like here in Columbia County, asked Schimel, opening the discussion. Were having issues with heroin, opiates, I think meth is starting to come back, said Sheriff Dennis Richards. But heroin is the biggest issue, along with the prescription drugs. Part of the problem, he said, was generally slow institutional response, in that by the time authorities orient resources to where they need to be, there is a new problem to address. Lodi Police Chief Scott Klicko and Columbus Police Chief Daniel Meister talked about how their departments have been supplying the anti-overdose medication naloxone, marketed as Narcan, to officers. Divine Savior Healthcare Vice President of Patient Care Jan Bauman responded to one billing question saying that the hospitals Charity Care cases has increased. I dont have the exact numbers, but its either Charity Care or and I dont like to use the term refusal to pay, people who will not pay for their care or any portion of it, it has escalated over the past few years. At the same time, she said, responding to a Schimel question, there has also been an increase of infants born with addictions, some of those patients going to Meriter in Madison where there is a neo-natal intensive care unit, treatment that costs upward of tens of thousands of dollars. We just had one last week and usually they just show up on your door and they havent had any pre-natal care, she said. They have their first visit to the doctors because they know they will be delivering in x-weeks. Despite the open floor, Schimel was looking for a particular point of view, asking around for someone from Health and Human Services, eventually provided by a late-arriving Katie Day, administrator of the division of children and families and 16-year veteran of the department. We have seen an increase in the number of referrals relating to caregivers who are using drugs, said Day describing the Drug Endangered Children program. Obviously, if there is out-of-home care, that is a lot of trauma that is put on a child and the family. So, Ive got a truck full of money outside and youre all going to have a competition to see who gets it, said Schimel, received with a handful of polite chuckles. But its important to learn more about these things. And anybody chime in. This was followed by an explanation of the demands on the education system as special-needs children with drug-related conditions grow up and go to school. Schimel asked the group where people in Columbia County go for resources to deal with addiction. Day responded that the Columbia County Medication Assisted Treatment program refers clients to resources, but with a lack of available providers, and operating on a three-year grant shared with Sauk and Richland counties. Columbia County Board Chairman Vern Gove was offered thanks in the meeting for his part in the board making funds available to get the project off the ground prior to grant disbursement. Although over the past year the county has developed the MAT program and is on the verge of opening a drug court, when asked if there were sufficient resources within Columbia County, District Attorney Jane Kohlwey shot back: Not sufficient. Were scratching the surface at best, said Judge W. Andrew Voigt. All of this came as no surprise to Schimel, he said, with the previous 20 meetings featuring the same complaints and concerns. Unless we figure out a way to pay people enough to attract them into this work, were not going to do it, especially in more rural counties, and you are far from the most rural county on this tour so far, he said. Youve got more resources than some, youve got less resources than some, said Schimel after the meeting. Youre kinda right down the middle of the pack. Highlighting the concern among law enforcement about the availability of naloxone, Schimel said that it was a notable win in terms of changing the attitude of the work to social welfare: For them to even want that is kind of a new phenomenon and its good news. Its good news for our profession. As far as the crime and punishment side of the equation, Schimel counts roughly 50 counties (out of 72) that have drug courts or are on track to start them, such as Columbia. You know, hopefully, these prevention efforts and Im very optimistic they will start to make a difference such that as we get a few more years down the road, the demands are going to depress, said Schimel. So well hopefully see our prison populations diminish and those people will become productive members of the community instead of the snowball rolling down the mountain that happens when you lock somebody up. At the Columbia County Jail, a prisoner has had his sizeable bail paid in cash, but its likely he wont be going anywhere before May. Brian Swift, 39, of Sesser, Illinois, appeared at an extradition hearing Thursday in Columbia County Circuit Court, having no disagreement with being transported to face charges of burglary, furnishing prohibited articles, criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a criminal instrument from a March 2016 incident. Swift is accused of breaking into the Pardeeville Piggly Wiggly early in the morning of July 25 and robbing the store safe. On Oct. 7 he made his initial appearance in court from the Columbia County Jail and was ordered to be held on $25,000 cash bond. A month later his bond was reduced to $10,000 cash. On Jan. 26, defense attorney Jennifer Cunha again argued for a lower bond, asking Judge Alan White to lower bond to $7,000 cash. In lieu of that, White ordered $8,400 cash bond, so that if Swift were to flee, the estimated restitution amount would be roughly paid to the Columbia County Clerk of Courts. I paid 84 hundred-dollar bills and I have a receipt from when I posted the bond. For some reason they are refusing to release him. I knew he didnt get to come home, said Swifts father, Curtis Swift. The reason why I posted bond was that otherwise they hold him in jail there and if he would be in jail one way or the other, I figured Arkansas will extradite him and get him down there and once hes there, the bondsman said, Ill work with him to get him released. On Jan. 26, the elder Swift drove from southern Illinois to Portage to post bond, as confirmed in a call with the supervising jail officer. Swift paid in cash and his son was brought down from his cell to sign his cash bond, which included provisions for travel to Illinois and Arkansas for the purposes of court appearances, according to a Feb. 9 hearing with White. And now theyre kind of reneging on it. Its on the record, so Im at a loss for everything. This would not, probably, happen in any other state, said Swift. When you do actually struggle and come up with the money and drive up there and almost kill yourself doing it, and then you leave your money and you get back home and then you find out the judge isnt going to do what he said he was going to do. Although conditions were met for his release in the burglary case filed on Sept. 20, 2016, on Thursday Swift appeared in an extradition case filed that day. In that case, with discussion of transferring Swift to custody of Newton County (Arkansas) authorities, District Attorney Jane Kohlwey did not support the idea of Columbia County losing custody of Swift as he still had an open felony case, and White agreed, denying release. The $8,400 is still being held by the Columbia County Clerk of Courts, to be applied to any fines, court costs or restitution, although the bond could be returned by request and through another bond hearing, according to a Columbia County Circuit Court clerk. As Swifts attorney and family consider what to make of Thursdays decision, his next scheduled appearance in court is a May 3 arraignment hearing. It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Donald Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute. Consider his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. It was reported as fiery and blistering, but it was also full of contradictions. In the speech, President Trump correctly pointed out that the last 15 years of United States military action in the Middle East has been an almost incomprehensible waste of moneysix $6 trillion, he saidand that after all that U.S. war and meddling the region was actually in worse shape than before we started. It would have been better for U.S. presidents to have spent the last 15 years at the beach than to have pursued its Middle East war policy, he added, stating that the U.S. infrastructure could have been rebuilt several times over with the money wasted on such militarism. All good points from the president. But then minutes later in the same speech he seemed to forget what he just said about wasting money on militarism. He promised he would be upgrading all of our military, all of our military, offensive, defensive, everything, in what would be one of the greatest military buildups in American history. This greatest military buildup is in addition to the trillions he plans on spending to make sure the U.S. nuclear arsenal is at the top of the pack in the world, as he told the press last Thursday. And that is in addition to the trillion-dollar nuclear modernization program that is carrying over from the Barack Obama Administration. Of course when it comes to nuclear weapons, the U.S. already is at the top of the pack, having nearly 7,000 nuclear warheads. How many times do we need to be able to blow up the world? At CPAC, President Trump is worried about needlessly spending money on military misadventures, but then in the same speech he promised even more military misadventures in the Middle East. Where is the money going to come from for all this? Is the president going to raise taxes to pay for it? Is he going to make massive cuts in domestic spending? In the same CPAC speech, President Trump reiterated his vow to massively lower taxes on the middle class, reduce taxes on American business, and make our tax code more simple and much more fair for everyone. And thats all good. So its not coming from there. Will he cut domestic spending? The president has indicated that he also wants a massive infrastructure modernization program launched in the near future. The plan will likely cost far in excess of the trillion dollars the president has suggested. That leaves only one solution: printing money out of thin air. It has been the favorite trick of his predecessors. While he correctly condemns the $20 trillion national debt passed down from previous administrations, his policies promise to add to that number in a massive way. Printing money out of thin air destroys the currency, hastening a U.S. economic collapse and placing a very cruel tax on the working and middle classes as well. Following the presidents constantly changing policies can make you dizzy. Thats a shame because the solution is very simple: end the U.S. military empire overseas, cut taxes and regulations at home, end the welfare magnet for illegal immigration, and end the drug war. And then get out of the way. By Press Trust of India: Taking a dig at Opposition parties amid the Delhi Taking a dig at Opposition parties amid the Delhi University row, Naidu said out of 740 universities in the country, only five to six varsities have witnessed some kind of agitation by a handful of students "having idealogical affiliations with ultra Left and Maoists." "The Congress and the Left parties are mainly responsible for promoting tensions, disaffection and unrest on some of the campuses. This is a well-known fact and it is an integral part of their political approaches and strategies. advertisement "For the Congress, it is politics of convenience. For the Left parties, weakening the system is an inherent part of their inflexible ideology," he said. He said the "disproportionate publicity" by a section of media was also responsible for creating a false impression of unrest among students. "I appeal to all political parties (that) we are ready for a debate. Lets debate and discuss. You are (not) allowing debate in the Parliament...," he said. To a query on the Assembly elections in five states, Naidu said the BJP would win in all states but refused to name the partys chief ministerial candidate for in Uttar Pradesh. PTI GDK NSK ASV --- ENDS --- Builders FirstSource, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and supplies building materials, manufactured components, and construction services to professional homebuilders, sub-contractors, remodelers, and consumers in the United States. It offers lumber and lumber sheet goods comprising dimensional lumber, plywood, and oriented strand board products that are used in on-site house framing; manufactured products, such as wood floor and roof trusses, steel roof trusses, wall panels, stairs, and engineered wood products; and windows, and interior and exterior door units, as well as interior and exterior trims and custom products under the Synboard brand name. The company also offers gypsum, roofing, and insulation products, including wallboards, ceilings, joint treatments, and finishes; and siding, metal, and concrete products, such as vinyl, composite, and wood siding products, as well as exterior trims, other exteriors, metal studs, and cement products. In addition, it provides other building products and services, such as cabinets and hardware, as well as turn-key framing, shell construction, design assistance, and professional installation services. The company was formerly known as BSL Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Builders FirstSource, Inc. in October 1999. Builders FirstSource, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Dallas, Texas. The following companies are subsidiares of NOV: APL France SAS, APL Norway AS, APL do Brasil Ltda., ASEP Otomotiv Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Acker Holdings LLC, Ackerman Holdings C.V., Ackerman Holdings GP LLC, Advanced Production and Loading, Advanced Wirecloth S. de R.L. de C.V., American Pipe and Construction International, Ameron B.V., Ameron International, Ameron International Corporation, Ameron Pole Products LLC, Ameron Polyplaster Industria E Comercio de Tubos Ltda., Ameron Singapore Holding LLC, Andergauge Limited, Andergauge Redback LLC, Arabian Rig Manufacturing Company, Big Red Tubulars Limited, Bondstrand Ltd., Brandt Oilfield Services (M) Sdn. Bhd., C.M.A. Canavera S.R.L., CJSC Fidmash, CJSC Novmash, Chemineer Inc., Coil Services Middle East LLC, Cooperatie Intelliserv Holding U.A., Cooperatie NOV NL U.A., Danco AS, Elmar Far East Pty Ltd, Enerflow Industries, Environmental Procedures LLC, Fiber Glass Systems (Qingdao) Composite Piping Co. Ltd., Fiber Glass Systems L.P., Fiber Glass Systems Oman L.L.C., Fiberspar, Fiberspar Australia Pty. Ltd., Fibra Ingenieria y Construccion S.A., FidService LLC, Fjords Processing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fjords Processing AS, Fjords Processing Australia Pty Ltd, Fjords Processing France SAS, Fjords Processing Korea Co. Ltd., Fjords Processing Limited, Fjords Processing Middle East DMCC, Fjords Processing UK Ltd., Fryma S.a.r.l., GPEX L.P., Grant Prideco (Jiangsu) Drilling Products Co. Ltd, Grant Prideco (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Grant Prideco III C. V., Grant Prideco Inc., Grant Prideco Jersey Limited, Grant Prideco Mauritius Limited, Grant Prideco Netherlands B.V., Grant Prideco PC Composites Holdings LLC, Grant Prideco S. de R.L. de C.V., Grant Prideco de Venezuela S.A., GustoMSC B.V., Hebei Huayouyiji Tuboscope Coating Co. Ltd., Hydralift AmClyde Inc., Hydralift France SAS, Inspecciones y Pruebas No Destructivas S. de R.L. de C.V., IntelliServ Norway AS, Intelliserv GP Holdings LLC, Intelliserv Inc., Intelliserv International Holding Ltd, Intelliserv LLC, JiangYin Tuboscope Tubular Development Co. Ltd, Keystone Tower Systems Inc., MSI Pipe Protection Technologies UK Limited, Merpro Group Limited, Midsund Bruk AS, Mono Group Pension Trustees Limited, Mono Pumps New Zealand Company, Monoflo NOV S.A.I.C., Moyno Inc., NKT Flexibles I/S, NOV (Asia) Inc., NOV (Barbados) Holding SRL, NOV (Barbados) SRL, NOV (Caymans) Ltd., NOV (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., NOV - Oil Services Angola LDA., NOV APL Limited, NOV Africa Pty Ltd, NOV Australia Pty Ltd, NOV Azerbaijan LLC, NOV Brandt Europe France, NOV Brandt Oilfield Services Middle East LLC, NOV CAPS Pte. Ltd., NOV CV1 GP LLC, NOV CV2 GP LLC, NOV Canada ULC, NOV Completion Tools LLC, NOV Completion and Production Solutions Korea Ltd., NOV Denmark Cooperatief U.A., NOV Downhole Argentina LLC, NOV Downhole Bolivia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Colombia LLC, NOV Downhole Comercializacao de Equipamentos para Petroleo Ltda., NOV Downhole Congo LLC, NOV Downhole Eurasia Limited, NOV Downhole Italia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Kazakhstan LLC, NOV Downhole Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Downhole Pty Ltd, NOV Downhole Thailand LLC, NOV EU Acquisition SNC, NOV Elmar (Middle East) Limited, NOV Eurasia Holding LLC, NOV Expatriate Services Inc., NOV FGS Malaysia Sdn Bhd, NOV FGS Singapore (Pte.) Ltd, NOV Flexibles Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Flexibles Holding ApS, NOV Fluid Control B.V., NOV GEO GP LLC, NOV GEO LP1 C.V., NOV GEO LP1 LLC, NOV GEO LP2 C.V., NOV GEO LP2 LLC, NOV Gabon SARL, NOV Germany GmbH, NOV Germany Holding GmbH, NOV Ghana Limited, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Equipment Manufacturing LLC, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Products Middle East FZE, NOV Grant Prideco L.L.C., NOV Holding Danmark ApS, NOV Holding Sub UK 1 Limited, NOV Holding UK 1 Limited, NOV Holding UK 2 Limited, NOV Holdings B.V., NOV India Private Limited, NOV Intelliserv UK Limited, NOV International Holdings C.V., NOV International Holdings GP LLC, NOV International Holdings LLC, NOV Intervention & Stimulation Equipment US LLC, NOV Intervention and Stimulation Equipment Aftermarket Comercio de Equipamentos e Servicos Ltda., NOV Kenya Limited, NOV Kostroma LLC, NOV Kuwait Light & Heavy Equipment Repairing & Maintenance Co., NOV LP (Trading) LLC, NOV MFG India Private Limited, NOV Mexico Holding LLC, NOV Middle East FZCO, NOV Mozambique Limitada, NOV NL Mexico Holding B.V., NOV Oil & Gas Services Egypt (S.A.E), NOV Oil & Gas Services Senegal S.A.R.L., NOV Oil & Gas Services Uganda Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Ghana Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Nigeria Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Tanzania Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Vostok LLC, NOV Oilfield Solutions Ltd., NOV Park II B.V., NOV Process & Flow Technologies AS, NOV Process & Flow Technologies Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies Pte. Ltd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies UK Limited, NOV QFZ LLC, NOV Rig Solutions Pte. Ltd., NOV Romania LLC, NOV Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd., NOV Saudi Arabia Trading Co., NOV Services Ltd., NOV Servicios de Personal Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., NOV Tanajib Kuwait for Services and Maintenance of Oil Rigs Refineries and Petrochemicals W.L.L., NOV Tuboscope Italia S.R.L., NOV Tuboscope Middle East LLC, NOV Tuboscope NL B.V., NOV Tubulars and Connectors Ltd., NOV UK (Angola Acquisitions) Limited, NOV UK Finance Limited, NOV UK Holdings LLC, NOV UK Holdings Limited, NOV UK Korea LP, NOV Wellbore Technologies Norway LLC, NOV Wellbore Technologies do Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Wellsite Services Germany GmbH, NOV Worldwide B.V., NOV-BLM SAS, NOVM Holding LLC, NOW International LLC, NOW Nova Scotia Holdings LLC, NOW Oilfield Services LLC, NQL Holland B.V., National Oilwell (U.K.) Limited, National Oilwell Algerie, National Oilwell Varco (Beijing) Investment Management Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco (Thailand) Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Algeria, National Oilwell Varco Almansoori Services, National Oilwell Varco Bahrain WLL, National Oilwell Varco Belgium SA, National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S, National Oilwell Varco Egypt LLC, National Oilwell Varco Eurasia LLC, National Oilwell Varco Guatemala Limitada, National Oilwell Varco Guyana Inc., National Oilwell Varco Hungary Limited Liability Company, National Oilwell Varco Korea Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco L.P., National Oilwell Varco MSW S.A., National Oilwell Varco Mexico S.A. de C.V., National Oilwell Varco Muscat L.L.C., National Oilwell Varco Norway AS, National Oilwell Varco Peru S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Petroleum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Poland Sp.z.o.o., National Oilwell Varco Pte. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Rig Equipment Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Romania S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Solutions S.A. de C.V., National Oilwell Varco UK Limited, National Oilwell Varco Ukraine LLC, National Oilwell Varco de Bolivia S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco de Chile - Servicios Limitada, National Oilwell Varco do Brasil Ltda., National Oilwell de Venezuela C.A., National-Oilwell Pte. Ltd., National-Oilwell Pty. Ltd., PT Fjords Processing Indonesia, PT H-Tech Oilfield Equipment, PT NOV Oilfield Services, PT National Oilwell Varco, PT PROFAB INDONESIA, Pesaka Inspection Services SDN.BHD., Pipex Limited, Pipex PX Limited, Pridecomex Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., R&M Energy Systems Australia Pty Ltd, R&M Energy Systems de Argentina S.A., R&M Energy Systems de Venezuela C.A., R&M Singapore Holding LLC, RE.MAC.UT. S.r.l., RHI Holding LLC, ReedHycalog International Holding LLC, ReedHycalog L.P., ReedHycalog LLC, ReedHycalog UK Limited, Robannic Overseas Finance A.V.V., Robbins & Myers B.V., Robbins & Myers Foundation, Robbins & Myers GP LLC, Robbins & Myers Holdings LLC, Robbins & Myers Holdings UK Limited, Robbins & Myers Inc, Robbins & Myers Inc., Robbins & Myers Italia S.R.L., Robbins & Myers N.V., Rodic S.A. de C.V., Romaco S.a.r.l., STAR Sudamtex Tubulares S.A., STSA, Screen Manufacturing Company Unlimited, Slip Clutch Systems Limited, South Seas Inspection, Subseaflex Holding ApS, T-3 Energy Preferred Industries Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., T-3 Energy Services Cayman Holdings Ltd., T-3 Energy Services Cayman Ltd., T-3 Energy Services LLC, T-3 Energy Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., T-3 Investment Corporation IV, T-3 Mexican Holdings Inc., Telluride Insurance Limited, Tianjin Grant TPCO Drilling Tools Company Limited, Tuboscope & Co. LLC, Tuboscope (Holding U.S.) LLC, Tuboscope Brandt de Venezuela S.A., Tuboscope Norge AS, Tuboscope Vetco (France) SAS, Tuboscope Vetco (Osterreich) GmbH, Tuboscope Vetco Capital Limited, Tuboscope Vetco Moscow CJSC, Tuboscope Vetco de Argentina S.A., Tubular Coatings Solutions Ltd., Tucom Composites Polyester Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Urban WLY LP, Varco BJ B.V., Varco CIS LLC, Varco International de Venezuela C.A., Varco L.P., Varco US Holdings LLC, Vetco Enterprise GmbH, Vetco Saudi Arabia Ltd., Visible Assets Inc., Wilson International, Woolley Inc., XL Systems Antilles N.V., XL Systems Europe B.V., XL Systems International Inc., voestalpine Tubulars Corporation, voestalpine Tubulars GmbH, and voestalpine Tubulars GmbH & Co KG. Read More The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various property and casualty insurance products and services in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Commercial Lines, Personal Lines, and Other. The Commercial Lines segment offers commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, and workers' compensation insurance products, as well as management and professional liability, marine, specialty industrial and commercial property, monoline general liability, surety, umbrella, fidelity, crime, and other commercial coverages. The Personal Lines segment provides personal automobile and homeowner's coverages, as well as other personal coverages, such as personal umbrella, inland marine, fire, personal watercraft, personal cyber, and other miscellaneous coverages. The Other segment markets investment management services to institutions, pension funds, and other organizations. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. markets its products and services through independent agents and brokers. The company was formerly known as Allmerica Financial Corp. and changed its name to The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. in December 2005. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts. According to a new study, yoga can actually serve as a replacement for antidepressant. By Indo-Asian News Service: If you are diagnosed with depression, just take a deep breath and join yoga classes to experience significant reduction in symptoms without the side effects associated with antidepressants, new research suggests. "This study supports the use of a yoga and coherent breathing intervention in major depressive disorder in people who are not on antidepressants and in those who have been on a stable dose of antidepressants and have not achieved a resolution of their symptoms," explained corresponding author Chris Streeter, Associate Professor at Boston University School of Medicine in the US. advertisement Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common, recurrent, chronic and disabling. The findings, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, provide support for the use of yoga-based interventions as an alternative or supplement to pharmacologic treatments for depression. Due in part to its prevalence, depression is globally responsible for more years lost to disability than any other disease. Up to 40 per cent of individuals treated with antidepressant medications for MDD do not achieve full remission. This study used lyengar yoga that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of posture and breath control. Also Read: Every gym junkie will love Ira Trivedi's 10-minute yoga routine Individuals with major depressive disorder were randomised to the high dose group, three 90-minute classes a week along with home practice, or the low dose group, two 90-minute classes a week, plus home practice. Both groups had significant decreases in their depressive symptoms and no significant differences in compliance. Although a greater number of participants in the high dose group had less depressive symptoms, the researchers believe attending twice weekly classes (plus home practice) may constitute a less burdensome but still effective way to gain the mood benefits from the intervention. Compared with mood altering medications, this intervention has the advantages of avoiding additional drug side effects and drug interactions, Streeter said. "While most pharmacologic treatment for depression target monoamine systems, such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, this intervention targets the parasympathetic and gamma aminobutyric acid system and provides a new avenue for treatment," Streeter explained. --- ENDS --- Fear 2 Freedom: Students support survivors of sexual assault Fear2Freedom: Students helps create after-care bags at the Fear2Freedom Celebration Event in Trinkle Hall Wednesday night. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Fear2Freedom: Students watch a video in which survivors of sexual assault share their stories. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Fear2Freedom: A stuffed bear is included in the kit to bring comfort to survivors. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Fear2Freedom: Students write notes to include in the after-care kits. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Fear2Freedom: Students participate in an exercise meant to illustrate how sexual violence can feel. Photo by Skip Rowland '83 Photo - of - Hide Caption On Wednesday evening, students put aside their studies and instead dedicated their evening to assembling after-care packages filled with clothes, toiletries, counseling resources and personal notes for survivors of sexual assault. Together with Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and Delta Chi fraternity, William & Marys fourth annual Fear 2 Freedom Celebration Event in Trinkle Hall aimed to bring awareness of sexual assault, domestic violence, sex trafficking and child abuse to college students. {{youtube:medium:left|fTQOAcuzDJ8}} Founded by Rosemary Trible in 2011, Fear 2 Freedom is a global non-profit organization dedicated to delivering survivors of sexual assault into freedom by bringing them healing and hope through support and awareness. The organization partners with 18 colleges around the country, including William & Mary, to host Celebration Events with the goal of educating students about the somber reality of sexual assaults, empower them to become a tangible part of the solution and, ultimately, ease the transition from fear to freedom for survivors. Throughout the evening, W&M students had the opportunity to participate in Fear 2 Freedoms two-fold mission to Be the Change and Restore the Joy. Beginning the evening, W&M President Taylor Reveley gave a few words about the importance of combating sexual assault on campuses through awareness, policies and support. Anne Marie Baker, the senior director of national campaign and programs, spoke briefly about the founding of the organization and what the evening ahead would hold for those in attendance. Sexual assault is a huge problem across our nation, she said. You hear about major cases in media, but for each case that you hear about, tens of thousands more occur that we never hear about. Fear2Freedom, she stated, was founded to place the power in the hands of students to be the change on their college campuses through awareness, but more importantly, to bring comfort to those who have been sexually assaulted. According to Baker, celebration events around the country have been responsible for creating over 15,000 after-care kits that are meant to bring immediate comfort to survivors in the aftermath of an assault. When a survivor of sexual assault goes to the hospital for help, they undergo a Physical Evidence Recovery Kit, or P.E.R.K., exam. As part of the process, the survivor is required to leave his or her clothing behind as evidence and leave with hand-me-down clothing or paper scrubs. The clothing inside the after-care kits, however, returns some of the dignity to survivor by providing them with comfortable clothing and access to resources, said Baker. Also included in the kit was freedom bear, a small stuffed bear that doubles as a counseling tool to deal with the emotions and fears that follow the ordeal of assault. While freedom bear serves to bring comfort, Baker noted, the personal notes that students wrote would add to that comfort. Supplies for the kits were purchased with a $2,500 first-place prize that Kappa Kappa Gamma won during spring impact week, a student philanthropy initiative in which student organizations compete to get their community-service projects funded. Juanita Graham from Avalon Center of Williamsburg introduced the services offered by Avalon and then, invited students to participate in an interactive activity. She had 13 students volunteer to read a personal story of a survivor. As each student read a line of the story, they covered another student with a small blanket, to illustrate what sexual violence can look and feel like, Graham said. She prompted students in the audience to give ways in which they could help a survivor of sexual violence. With each answer, she removed a blanket, and, layer by layer, she demonstrated just how students could help free a survivor from the weight of sexual violence. Before the opening program concluded, students were invited to take a stand and pledge, led by Reveley, to end sexual assault on- and off-campus. Students then commenced packing the after-care kits filled with resources, love and support that were the focus of the evening. I think its really important for us to stand up as a community and say that we really support survivors, said Catherine Weed 17, the student campus coordinator for the event and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. At the end of the night, volunteers created 145 after-care kits and loaded them into a vehicle to be distributed to Sentara Williamsburg, Childrens Hospital of the Kings Daughters and Avalon of Williamsburg. I think this provides a lot of immediate support, Weed said. I think its really good, because you just really need support in that moment when youre at the hospital and going through that. Its nice to know that theres a community of people that care. A Bright Future Online For Council Tenants Across Wrexham This article is old - Published: Saturday, Mar 4th, 2017 Sheltered housing tenants are now able to enjoy internet access following the completion of a project to install Wi-Fi in a number of facilities across the County Borough. Tenants have also been given help to get online thanks to taster courses set up by Wrexham Council and UCATT (Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians). Wi-Fi has now been installed in the majority of Wrexham Councils sheltered housing schemes. The work was funded by the Welsh Government from the Intermediate Care Fund. A number of iPads have also been supplied to sheltered housing schemes for the use of the tenants. Training for tenants has been provided thanks to taster sessions set up by Wrexham Councils Digital Inclusion Officer, Clare Denoven, with help from the sheltered housing wardens and a number of volunteer tenants. A number of schemes, including Erw Gerrig in Rhos, have also benefitted from extra training sessions and equipment provided by UCATT. UCATTs Wales Union Learning Fund Learning Organiser, Marie OMara, explained: This was originally an initiative set up in partnership with Wrexham through UCATTs (Union for Construction Allied Trades and Technicians) Wales Union Learning Fund project funded by the Welsh Government. In September 2013 Erw Gerrig was the first unit we approached to take part in the community side of the UCATT project and this is where I found tenant, John White, who became the UCATT Learning Champion for the unit. John was really adept at using his laptop and phone and other residents often came to him for help when they were struggling with their own devices. We provided support for John and computer equipment funded through the project including laptops, a printer, 2 Hudls (tablets) and accessories for the unit. She added: John has done a fantastic job, he ran basic computer sessions for residents at Erw Gerrig every couple of weeks for a couple of hours, the residents really enjoyed the course, some have now bought their own equipment and others have started buying products on line often saving them money. With Wi-Fi now installed we are now looking to take this initiative into other units at Wrexham Council. The scheme has been welcomed by Local Member for Pant, Cllr Mark Owens, who said: Weve made a huge step forward with digital inclusion here and its a massive advantage for our sheltered housing tenants to have online access and the training to help them to make the most of it. Its been great seeing the enthusiasm of the tenants as they discover what they can do online, whether its talking to relatives and friends via email, or following their own interests and Im delighted that the schemes have been so successful here at Erw Gerrig, as well as at other schemes across the County Borough. Lead Member for Housing, Cllr Ian Roberts, concluded: The completion of the scheme to install wi-fi in our sheltered housing schemes is great news for our tenants and its a another step in the right direction in terms of modernising our housing and bringing properties up to a 21st century standard. Its also good to see that so many tenants have been able to benefit from the training programmes available and that were enabling them to use the internet to their advantage. This is the second of a series of articles on the recent Berlin international film festival, the Berlinale, held February 9-18, 2017. The first part was posted March 2. Finally, a feature film about the legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt! The timelessness of his music makes one too easily forget that it emerged in a very real and troubled worldcharacterised by an enthusiasm for everything American in the 1920s and 1930s, by socialist aspirations, by the threats of French fascists, by mass strikesa time when Paris was regarded as a Mecca for American jazz musicians, the period of the German occupation of France, the Resistance and the flood of refugees from the war across Europe. Django, the debut film of Etienne Comarwho deals relatively loosely with Reinhardts biographyfocuses on the year 1943, when the Nazis tried unsuccessfully to convince Django to undertake a tour of fascist Germany. Reinhardt (Reda Kateb, whose father was an Algerian actor) is initially uncertain. He is drawn to the prospect of sold-out concert halls. He is also of the opinion that the war between rival groups of Gadjos (non-Gypsies) is none of his business. In the end, artistic considerations lie behind his rejection of the offer. The Nazis, who could not entirely block the spread of jazz in Germany, demand a clean jazz from Django, preferably without syncopation, without blues, played only in optimistic major tones and with very brief improvisations; in short, a completely neutered music. This is unacceptable to the artist. A blonde admirer, Louise de Klerk (Cecile de France), advises him to flee, but the vain musician enjoys his reputation in Paris as the King of Swing (following the departure of a number of outstanding American musicians) and continues to rely on the protection of a jazz-loving Nazi officer. Only when the pressure increases and Manouche [Romani people in France] are sent to work deployments in Germanyas the deportations are officially calleddoes Django flee with his family to the French-Swiss border. For the many Manouche and Sinti [Romani people of Central Europe] in Django, who speak exclusively in their language, Romanes, the film must have been an affair of the heart. Comar (who also co-wrote the screenplay, based on a 2013 novel by Alexis Salatko) dispenses with such banalities as presenting Roma as spontaneous anarchists who instinctively reject bourgeois society, or as representatives of a nature-based, alternative way of life. Roma families playing idyllically in a forest are suddenly confronted with Nazi machine guns. In the next scene we see Django Reinhardt, the acclaimed guitarist, in a magnificent concert hall. This is the tightrope that someone in his position walks. The illiterate Django laps up the glamorous world of the rich and famous, and imitates Hollywood film star Clark Gable. On the Swiss border, however, the King of Swing becomes a defenseless refugee whose mother (Bimbam Merstein) fights for her son to play for a few francs in a pub in order to feed the family. When Django plays the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, the bar-keepers face lights up. Occasionally Django is contemptuous of Gadjos, but the film refrains from condemning his audiences and refrains from cliches about other forms of culture. Rather it reveals the lack of perspective of an oppressed minority, which has internalized its suffering as fugitives and outsiders over many generations. On several occasions Django makes clear that the French police and military hounded Roma with the same ruthlessness as the Nazis. But we also witness Roma joining the Resistance. Django lives in the middle of Paris. He is not indifferent to the opinion of Gadjos who also play in his band. What Django shared with non-gypsies of his generation was, above all, an enthusiasm for America and its music. The arrival of jazz in Europe was a major cultural event and something of a symbol of freedom. Already as a 13-year-old banjo player, Reinhardt listened enthusiastically to bands from the US. Unfortunately, the film makes barely any reference to this formative period that contributed to Reinhardts original musical path. The films Django exudes a strong attachment to traditional gypsy music (the film features prominently at the start his well-known gypsy song Black Eyesalbeit in swing style). In fact, the real Django Reinhardt drew inspiration from many sources. He was interested in the music of Bartok and Debussy (the latter inspired many Hollywood composers), he went to the ballet and began to paint. Unlike many European contemporaries, he was able to swing as well as the best American jazz players and (according to legend) could personally replace a whole rhythm section. This is why so many of the US greats lined up to jam with him. Reinhardts music is finely played in the film by the outstanding Stochelo Rosenberg Trio. Kateb plays the guitarist with the poker face, who, with bells attached to his ankles, could entice an entire concert hall of the master race into dancing to his tune. Even the hardline Nazis, who raise their glasses and quote the German poet Friedrich Ruckert for a free, a German Europe, succumb to the power of his music and lose control for a short time. Reinhardt undoubtedly undergoes a development in the film. At the outset he is very naive. On seeing Hitler in 1943 for the first time in a cinema, Django chortles at the clown on the screen. At the end of the film, however, Reinhardts Requiem is performed; a piece he composed for and devoted to all the Roma victims of the Second World War. His tonal language has changed and become more universal. The score of the Requiem has been lost and only fragments remain. Nevertheless, the score based on the fragments composed by the Australian musician and composer Warren Ellis is deeply touching, in particular during the choral section (sung in Romanes). The notion that Django Reinhardt might have opened up different musical paths is fascinating and, one hopes, may encourage young Manouche and Sinti musicians to go further than the limits imposed by playing exclusively gypsy swing. Django is to be welcomed for dealing with a neglected chapter of historythe persecution of Roma under the Nazis. At the same time, Comar shows the contradictory nature of his main character who pragmatically tries to survive between the fronts. His ignorance of social and political developments and not least his egoism render Reinhardt blind to the impending catastrophe. He is free only in music. In the film, he is able to make it to Switzerland with his family. In reality, Reinhardts situation was more desperate. Swiss officials refused him entry due to his status as a gypsy. To be continued Canadas Liberal government is set to unveil the extension and possible expansion of two of its foreign military deployments. Announcements are expected in coming days on extending the Canadian Armed Forces mission in Ukraine, where 200 soldiers are training Ukrainian Army units to fight pro-Russian separatists in the countrys east, and on continuing Canadas role in the Mideast war and possibly expanding it into Syria. The latter move would be made in conjunction with an anticipated decision by US President Donald Trump to drastically increase the US military presence in Syria and Iraq. According to the National Post s Matthew Fisher, a veteran correspondent with close connections to the upper echelons of the military and Defence Department, the Canadian military is discussing various options for a mission to Syria. Canada was previously involved directly in the Syria war with CF-18 fighter jets, but these were withdrawn last spring by Trudeau, at the same time as his government extended and expanded Canadas military intervention in the Middle East. Eight hundred Canadian troops are currently involved in the war in Iraq and Syria, including a contingent of some 200 Special Forces troops who have provided training and frontline direction to the Kurdish Peshmerga. Some of the Canadian Special Forces are active on the Iraq-Syria border alongside Kurdish forces, attempting to block ISIS fighters from leaving Mosul. Canadian reconnaissance and refueling aircraft also still operate in the region in support of the US-led coalitions air war. Fisher suggested in his February 27 piece that one potential option could see Canada being asked to contribute boots on the ground to defend so-called safe zones in Syria. Trump has indicated his support for such an option, which would necessitate the deployment of a substantial number of soldiers to the country and amount to a dramatic escalation of the US war for regime change against the Assad government in Damascus. It would place Canadian troops on an increasingly fractious front line as a growing number of regional and major powers compete for influence. The potential for this conflict to spiral into a much wider war was underscored earlier this week when Washington accused Russia of bombing one of its Syrian proxies, with US embedded troops only two miles away. Since coming to power in 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made clear that his main foreign policy goal is to deepen military-strategic and economic ties with the United States, so as to shore up North Americas global dominance and enable Ottawa to intervene more aggressively around the world to uphold Canadian imperialist interests. When Trudeau met Trump in their first face-to-face meeting at the White House last month, he renewed Canadas pledge to enhance military and security cooperation with Washington and signaled Ottawa will support Trumps efforts to create a more aggressive North American trade bloc, whether through a renegotiated NAFTA or a new pact. The joint statement issued by the two leaders at the conclusion of their February 13 meeting proclaimed the Canada-US partnership to be an indispensable alliance in the defense of North America and other parts of the world, through NATO and other multilateral efforts. Trudeau and Trump also committed to expanding NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command), which was created during the early stages of the Cold War and continues to be largely aimed at Russia, including in the Arctic. Over the past week, Canadian Armed Forces troops and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) special forces have been carrying out sovereignty exercises in the Arctic, aimed at asserting Canadas territorial claims in the Far North. Operation Nunalivut began February 23 and runs until March 10. Around 200 armed forces personnel are involved in the exercises, which have included underwater dives by demolition and reconnaissance experts. A recent article published by the MacDonald-Laurier Institute under the provocative title Why is Russia getting ready for war in the Arctic? urged Canada to step up its activity in the Far North and make preparations for a potential clash with Moscow. Canada has been in the forefront of NATOs anti-Russia offensive in Eastern Europe and the Baltic. News reports say that the government will formally announce an extension of the Ukraine training mission next week. Trudeaus Liberals have maintained the virulently anti-Russian stance adopted by the Harper Conservatives, continuing Canadas role as one of Ukraines most important international allies. The Trudeau government has also committed to lead a NATO battalion in Latvia, one of four NATO forward deployed battalions in the Baltic States and Poland designed to menace and encircle Russia. This will involve 450 Canadian troops being stationed in Latvia indefinitely. In a further indication of the Liberals determination to stick to a firmly anti-Russian line, Trudeau appointed Chrystia Freeland as foreign minister in January. Freeland is on a Kremlin blacklist that prevents her from traveling to Russia because of her outspoken support for the ultra-nationalist regime that came to power in Kiev as a result of the February 2014, US-orchestrated, fascist-led coup against the countrys elected, pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych. Speaking to the Globe and Mail, an anonymous senior government official left no doubt about the deployments extension. Canada understands that Ukraine, and everybody who is a stakeholder and supporter, really wants mission renewal, the official said. Ruling circles in Canada have seized on pronouncements by Trump and other top US officials demanding that NATO member-states hike their military spending to the equivalent of at least 2 percent of GDP to intensify pressure on the Liberals to increase military spending. An ongoing Defence Policy Review is considering a wide range of options for the military, including Canadas participation in the US anti-ballistic missile defence shield. On Friday, the National Post reported that its sources had revealed that a recommendation Canada join the defence shield was sent to cabinet this week. Contrary to its name, the shield is aimed at developing the capacity to wage a winnable nuclear war. After attending a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels last month, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan sent the strongest signal yet that major spending increases will be implemented at the conclusion of the policy review. We knew that spending by the previous government was low and the defence policy review allowed us to do a thorough analysis of what was required, he stated. Yes, this will require defence investments. The Liberal parliamentary secretary for defence, John McKay, indicated that the hike in defence spending could come as early as the 2017-18 budget, which is to be tabled in the next few weeks. At present there is a built-in $600 million annual increase in Canadas military spending. Because of their determination to forge close ties with the Trump administration, Trudeau and his Liberals have delayed implementing a planned deployment of 600 soldiers to Africa as part of a UN-managed peace operation. In truth, such a mission would be anything but peaceful or altruistic. As is openly admitted by the military, it would involve Canadian forces in an Afghan-style counterinsurgency war. And it would be aimed at securing Ottawa greater geopolitical influence and at protecting Canadian imperialisms substantial economic and business interests on the African continent. However, the Trump administrations lack of enthusiasm for UN operations, coupled with the prospect of increased demands from Washington for greater military commitments from Canada elsewhere, have resulted in the Liberals postponing the deployment. The most likely candidates for such an intervention are Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congocountries where Canadian mining companies have extensive investments. Friday was the last day of work for 1,300 General Motors hourly employees at the GM Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. Less than a year after being hired and promised full-time positions by GM and union officials, the workers are out of a job. Medical insurance is running out at the end of the month, and there are few prospects for decent jobs in a city where 117,000 workers are unemployed. The job cuts in Detroit provide a far more realistic picture of the US economy than soaring stock markets or the Fed officials fantasies about full employment. Yet the layoff of 1,300 workers was not even deemed newsworthy by the local media. It also did not rate a mention by President Trump, who has appointed GMs CEO to his corporate advisory board. The Detroit job cuts follow more than 2,000 GM layoffs in Lansing, Michigan, and Lordstown, Ohio in January. They anticipate a far greater onslaught as US corporations restructure in response to the global economic slowdown and increasing international competition. In the US, automakers are cutting production due to a growing glut of unsold cars. Commercial aircraft manufacturer Boeing, which cut eight percent of its workforce last year, announced Friday that 1,880 workers had accepted voluntary retirements. The company said more job cuts are expected in 2017 amid falling orders and tight competition with European-based Airbus, which announced 1,200 job cuts a few months ago. A new layoff announcement is made virtually every day in the retail, banking and technology sectors. These are part of an international process. On Wednesday, Chinas labor minister, Yin Weimin, said the country will cut another 500,000 steel and coal jobs this year. Last year, 726,000 workers lost their jobs in the coal and steel industries, or 40 percent of the 1.8 million jobs the government said would be eliminated in those industries as part of a massive restructuring of state enterprises. In addition to the job cuts, corporations are seeking to transform their workforces into largely casual, temporary laborers, hired and fired at will, like the Detroit-Hamtramck GM workers. According to the Government Accountability Office, contingent workers now comprise 40.4 percent of all employees. Under Obama, 95 percent of all new jobs created in the US since the so-called economic recovery began have been part-time and temporary. In the European Union, more than half of all new jobs since 2010 have been through temporary contracts. The corporations are also accelerating their plans to dump their pensions and retiree health care obligations and continue to shift the cost of medical coverage on to workers. This month, 22,600 retired coal miners or their widows were notified that they will be losing health care benefits on April 30, when funding for their insurance plans expire. More than one million working or retired Americans are currently covered by pension plans that are in imminent danger of insolvency, according to the Pension Rights Center. The Trump administration, packed with billionaires, is planning to slash corporate taxes and eliminate workplace safety, environmental and labor regulations. In his address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump declared that his government has undertaken a historic effort to massively reduce job crushing regulations. The increase in military spending outlined in his new budget will be paid for by slashing food stamps and other essential programs, while the ultra-reactionaries appointed to key agencies set their sights on the privatization of public education and the elimination of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. As Wall Street is celebrating the Trump administrations plans for a massive handout to the corporations and banks, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has pledged that his corporatist and anti-working class organization is absolutely committed to partnering with Trump. Trumps fascistic rants against immigrant workers and endless claims that foreign countries and foreign workers are destroying jobs and lowering wages is a calculated effort, aided and abetted by the unions, to divide the working class and block a unified response to the escalation of the class war policies at home and ever greater imperialist militarism abroad. Responding to the speech, Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO labor federation, told Fox News that the unions were prepared for Trump to rewrite the rules of the economy, particularly on trade and immigration policy. Trumps speech was the presidents finest moment, the union head said, signaling that hes about to start doing business rather than playing for the camerathat was a good sign. Far from condemning the presidents xenophobic and racist slanders against immigrants, the AFL-CIO head signaled his support for an even more brutal immigration policy, including against legal residents. I was actually pleasantly surprised, Trumka said, to hear him say the system is broken and its legal immigration, as well as undocumented peoplehe talked about them a lotbut this was the first time he spoke about legal immigration being used to drive down wages. Weve been saying that for a long time. Trumka said that workers voted for the president because they wanted him to rewrite the rules of the economynot for the rich, not for the wealthy, not for corporate America, not for Wall Street but for themand so hes been a mixed bag on that. The unions would tout the good things he did and criticize the bad, Trumka said, echoing the lie that trade wars and mass deportation were good for American workers. Will we partner with him? Absolutely, Trumka said. Will we partner with him to try to rewrite the immigration rules of the country? Absolutely Using the bully pulpit to say this is your country, this is where you owe your allegiance, this is where you should be investing and building, that is a good thing. The trade unions have been a chief conduit for spreading nationalist poison among workers for a very long time. In the early 1980s, as American capitalism fell into decline and its corporations confronted international competitors, the unions promoted economic nationalism to justify their integration into the structure of corporate management and collusion in the destruction of the jobs and living standards of the workers they claimed to represent. While the unions have worked closely with the Democrats in overseeing the attack on jobs and wages for decades, they now see income opportunities in Trumps efforts to entice corporations to Buy American, Hire American. This has nothing to do with the interests of workers. Rather, the union executives want to restore their lost income through the influx of new dues-paying members, regardless of whether they are earning poverty wages. The unions are not workers organizations, but labor-management syndicates that are hostile to the interests of the working class. New organizations of struggle, including rank-and-file factory and workplace committees, democratically controlled by workers and committed to the methods of the class struggle, must be built to resist the coming attacks on jobs, living standards, essential social services and all the basic social rights of the working class. Above all, workers must reject economic nationalism. Workers in every country face the same struggles and confront the same enemy: the global capitalist system, which enriches a handful of billionaires at the expense of the broad masses of working people whose collective labor creates societys riches. To unite the working classblack, white, native-born and immigrant, in the US and around the worldworkers must build a political movement, independent of both capitalist parties, the Democrats and Republicans, to fight for international socialism and against the danger of world war. After just four months in office, tensions inside the Croatian government coalition are mounting. Although the conservative Democratic Union (HDZ) and the right-wing liberal Most (Bridges) party are agreed on a right-wing programme, the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic is in deep crisis. The conflict was triggered by a meeting of Plenkovic with the honorary president of the liberal Croatian Peoples Party (HNS), Vesna Pusic. This fuelled rumours that the HDZ might quit the coalition with Most and form a government with the HNS, which currently has nine seats in the Croatian parliament. And so the permanent crisis in this Balkan state continues. In September last year, elections were held after the government coalitionalso an alliance of the HDZ and Most, under the independent pharmaceutical manager Tihomir Oreskovicbroke apart in June after just four months. The HDZ emerged as the winner in the subsequent elections. With 61 parliamentary deputies, it is just ahead of the Social Democrats (SDP), with 54. In third place is Most, with 13 deputies. With the votes of some independent deputies and representatives of the smaller parties, the HDZ and Most have secured a fragile government majority. Ever since, the HDZ, which is based on right-wing nationalists, sections of the military and the Church, has been in constant conflict with Most. Most represents better-off middle class layers and sections of big business, which are demanding aggressive reforms to satisfy the interests of the corporate elite. Many observers assume that the government could collapse following the regional elections in May. The background of the crisis is the complete alienation of the political parties from the population. The government programme on which the HDZ and Most have agreed is a declaration of war on the working class. Most has insisted on the establishment of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with neighbouring countries, which is supposed to transform the region into a paradise for cheap labour and low taxes. To this end, the government is planning a tax reform that will massively benefit corporations. These would be largely exempt from regulations in the areas of environmental protection and workers rights. The coalition partners have also agreed a restructuring of public finances. The budget deficit is to be reduced with the aim of obtaining a much better credit rating. The two parties also consider a reform of the education system necessary, meaning the abolition of free education. These social attacks are accompanied by a massive militarization of Croatia. Conscription, which was abolished in 2008, is to be gradually reintroduced. This would comprise several weeks of compulsory basic training. The aim is to make the armed forces popular among young people, Plenkovic said of the plan to introduce conscription in 2019. The armed forces, which currently consist of about 21,000 men, are to be made more attractive for the generations which can no longer remember the times of the Great Patriotic War. Plenkovic stands in the tradition of the right-wing nationalists, who, with US and German support, ensured the breakup of Yugoslavia in a series of fratricidal wars. Civil rights groups are warning of the militarisation of society. In January, it was announced that Croatia wants to replace its arsenal, comprising mainly Soviet-era materiel, with new NATO equipment. Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic said there were also plans for the purchase of fighter jets, which was confirmed by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in December. The acquisition is to be made by the end of 2017. In recent months, verbal confrontations with Serbia have also increased. It is significant that four months after taking office, Plenkovic has still not visited the neighbouring country. Croatia vehemently rejects the inclusion of Serbia in the European Union. Journalist Norbert Mappes-Niediek remarked recently on broadcaster Deutsche Welle: Europe is a powder keg. But the Balkans is the fuse. The conflicts are the most dangerous. They cannot be isolated. And precisely in the present situation, in which the world has become so unstable and there is no longer any predominant power, it is much easier for the conflicting parties in the Balkans to seek allies among the greater powers. This is a situation like 1914. This, most of all, should give grounds for fear. In this climate, right-wing and openly fascist groups are gaining impetus. Recently, several hundred neo-fascists from the A-HSP demonstrated in the Croatian capital Zagreb. Dressed in black, the participants shouted slogans from the fascist Ustashe movement. They waved a flag of the neo-Nazi German National Party (NPD) and welcomed the election of Donald Trump in the US. Attacks on refugees, members of the Serb minority in Croatia and homosexuals are becoming increasingly more frequent. The ruling HDZ has close links with these ultra-right forces. This became clear recently, when veterans of the 1990s civil war erected a plaque near the former Jasenovac concentration camp. This was the site where the Ustasha regime, which collaborated with Nazi Germany, murdered tens of thousands of Serbs, Croats, Jews and Roma between 1941 and 1945. The plaque commemorated the fallen fascists with the Ustasha salute Za Dom Spremni! (At the ready for the homeland!), which corresponds to the German Heil Hitler. When this resulted in fierce criticism, Plenkovic said the plaque had nothing to do with the world war. They were honouring the dead of the war of independence. Mark Curtis, in his Secret Affairs: Britains collusion with radical Islam, has investigated how Britain worked with state sponsors of terrorism as well as radical Islamic groups in the post-World War II period in the energy-rich Middle East and Central Asia. Curtis book presents a devastating indictment of the criminality of successive governments in the post-war period, whose dirty wars, covert operations, attempted coups, collusion with the US extraordinary renditions, kidnappings and torture, assassinations and special operations illustrate the bloody role of British imperialism. Britains collusion with Islamist fundamentalist forces, prepared to use atrocities to achieve their objectives, is in sharp contrast to the official line that Britain is conducting a war on terror. Curtis, a former research fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and former Director of the World Development Movement (now called Global Justice Now), has written other useful books, including Web of Deceit and Unpeople, which expose the lies put out by successive governments to cover for Britains imperialist depredations. His own purpose is to explain the rise of home grown terrorists in Britain, in the context of the coordinated bombings on London transport on July 7, 2005 (7/7) that killed 52 people and injured more than 700; and British intelligence claims that they prevented 12 terrorist plots in Britain during the 2000s and knew of the existence of 2,000 terrorists organised in 200 networks. Curtis argues, using evidence from declassified files from the National Archives, Hansard reports, leaks and government statements, that this is not simply the result of Britains wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, but of two further factors. First, Britains decades-long support for some of the most noxious regimes on the planet, such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that have sponsored Islamist groups for their own purposes. Second, the willingness of successive British governments to work with reactionary right-wing forces, including radical Islamists and terrorist groups, to prop up authoritarian regimes allied to Britain, undermine unstable regimes perceived as hostile to British interests and install more pliant regimes. While the US role in sponsoring Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is well known. Britains part in fostering Al Qaeda and similar groups and/or working with them, sometimes in cooperation with Washington as a junior partner or sub-contractor, sometimes on its own account, has generally been omitted. Britains broader strategy has been to keep the people of the region tied to a capitalist perspective and the Middle East divided so that no single power dominates oil supplies. Its purpose was twofold: to preserve the commercial position of its oil giants Shell and BP, which controlled one-sixth of the worlds oil and 40 percent of the Gulfs oil, mostly in Iran and Kuwait; and to retain the financial benefits derived from the substantial Arab foreign exchange reserves in sterling that accrued from oil. Operations against bourgeois nationalist governments in the 1950s For decades, Britain has worked with Jihadi groups on an ad hoc basis, switching sides as the need arises. In the early 1950s, Britains spy agency MI6 worked with the CIA to topple the nationalist regime of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq, who planned to nationalise BPs Iranian oil operations. A key ally in the early stages of their plans were Shiite clerical forces loyal to Ayatollah Kashani, later to become the mentor to Ruhollah Khomeini, who was among the MI6/CIA sponsored-crowd protesting against Mosaddeq in 1953. The British dropped Kashani as being too hostile to British interests, but not before using his forces as shock troops to pave the way for the return of the Shah, who imposed a dictatorial regime subservient to his patrons. Britain cooperated with the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in a bid to undermine Colonel Gamal Abdul Nassers newly installed and fiercely nationalist regime. It was after a failed assassination attempt that Britain, along with France and Israel, invaded Egypt at the end of October 1956 to overthrow Nasser, even though British officials feared that the political beneficiaries would be the Brotherhood. Britain again used the Brotherhood to foment dissent in Syria during the late 1950s and provide the basis for two abortive coups, with Prime Minister Harold Macmillan authorising the assassination of key government and military officials and the leader of the Syrian Communist party. Britains backing for the House of Saud A key element in Londons efforts to contain secular Arab nationalism in the late 1950s was its backing for Saudi Arabias theocratic and authoritarian regime, which controlled the regions largest oil reserves. The Saudi royal family, which uses and exports its own brand of Islamism, Wahhabism, to legitimise its tyrannical rule, welcomed the Brotherhood, recently expelled from Egypt, and, along with the CIA, poured money into their religious seminaries and enterprises. This was part of its broader strategy of promoting the rise of right-wing political Islam, and countering and suppressing the growth of any progressive political tendencies within the working class. The House of Saud is believed to have spent $50 billion since the 1970s promoting Wahhabism around the globe, in what one US think tank describes as the largest worldwide propaganda campaign ever mounted. Israels destruction of the Arab armies, in the space of six days in June 1967, played a major role in politically discrediting the secular nationalist regimes of Egypt and Syria, and their backers in the Soviet Union. They had proved incapable of reconciling their differences and taking even the most elementary precautions to protect their equipment and installations from surprise attacks by Israel, much less defeating Israel. Disillusionment with bourgeois nationalism enabled the revival, during the 1970s, of the Muslim Brotherhood and similar forces throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The Islamist groups were able to fill the political vacuum created by the insistence of the Stalinists and their Pabloite supporters that the working class had no independent political role to play. A further defeat of the Arab powers in the October 1973 war and the quadrupling of oil prices in 1973 served to enrich the feudal states of the Arabian Peninsula and to enhance their influence. As Curtis explains, this led Britain to make frantic and obsequious efforts to ensure that this newfound wealth was recycled through the City of London. Following the loosening of controls on the movement of capital in 1979 and especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the City became a major centre for the promotion of Islamic banking and Islamic finance across the world. Militant Islamic groups benefited from the new-found wealth of the oil-rich states both directly and indirectly. Popular support for Islamic groups began to grow throughout the region, particularly among the most impoverished layers and the rural poor, due to their provision of basic social services funded by the religious authorities in the Gulf. As a result, by the end of the 1970s, Arab nationalismwith the possible and temporary exception of Palestinian nationalismwas largely a spent force. In Iran, the betrayals of the Stalinised Tudeh party paved the way for the establishment of an Islamic theocracy following the popular uprising in 1979 against the Shahs tyrannical regime. This inspired and promoted a network of Shiite groups, including Amal and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shiite opposition elements to the Iraqi regime, and Shiite minorities in the Gulf States. And it encouraged the growth of other Islamist tendencies, including Sunni groups, which both Washington and London promoted in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The imperialist powers viewed Sunni groupings as a mechanism for countering Moscows influence in the Middle East and internationally; as a political weapon against radical nationalists, such as the Baath Parties in Syria and Iraq; ballast for the reactionary monarchs of Jordan and Saudi Arabia; and as an anti-Communist force through which to divert the oppressed masses with radical sounding rhetoric. Britains role in the Afghan war Al Qaeda and its former leader Osama bin Laden, who had direct links with Saudi intelligence from the early years of the anti-Soviet Jihad in Afghanistan in the 1980s, was a vital element of that policy. It was only one of a number of such groups that Riyadh bankrolled during the Afghan war. As Curtis explains, while the British government, in public, denied any military involvement in the war, in reality it had been providing covert assistance to Afghani Islamists even before the war started and authorised MI6 operations in the first year of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. MI6 activated its longstanding network of spies and coordinated training alongside the CIA and Pakistans intelligence service, the ISI. Britains SAS played a direct part in the war, unlike its US counterparts, because it was subject to far less oversight. It trained and supported various Islamist groups and directed them in covert guerrilla operations against the southern Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The end of the Afghan war in 1989 left the Islamists as the dominant political force in the country, vying among themselves for control of Afghanistan. Foreign Jihadis who received military training at the hands of the British went home to set up organisations to fight their own governments and mount terrorist attacks. Britain continued to support some of these groups in the 1990s, using them as proxy forces in Bosnia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Libya. They launched terrorist attacks, first in Muslim countries and then in the US and Europe. Britains support for Pakistan Britain also backed a second state sponsor of terrorist groups, Pakistan, after General Zia ul-Haqs seizure of power in a coup in 1977, supplying it with arms. Lacking a political base, Zia sought the support of the mullahs, promoted the rise of Islamism and backed the Jamaat-i-Islam, which was the main conduit for Saudi aid to the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan. He also supported the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Assembly of Islamic Clergy), which ran a massive network of religious schools. Zia and the Islamists aim was to channel the increasing discontent of the masses with the corrupt bourgeois parties away from left politics. In this, they had the whole-hearted support of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and successive British governments which provided Pakistan with diplomatic cover, arms, military training, aid and foreign direct investment. Two major terrorist groups were established. The first was Harakat al-Jehad al-Islami. One of its split-offs was trained by the British-funded Haqqani faction in Afghanistan and went on to recruit thousands of volunteers to fight there, including thousands of Britons of Pakistani descent, and later became active against Indian forces in Kashmir. Kashmir has now become a major flashpoint that could trigger a war between two nuclear-armed states. The second developed out of a Sunni missionary organisation reportedly established with seed money from Bin Laden that joined the Afghan Jihad. It too mounted attacks on Indian-administered Kashmir, becoming Pakistans largest jihadist organisation with which the 7/7 London bombers had close links. Britain supported Pakistans use of Islamist terrorist groups for covert operations in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Chechnya, the location of the huge energy resources of Central Asia, thereby facilitating British energy corporations access to the region. At the very least, it acquiesced in Islamabad and Riyadhs funding and arming of the Taliban, which emerged victorious after a brutal civil war in Afghanistan in 1996, thereby entrenching Al Qaeda. To be continued Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced this week that 113 Australian ambassadors, high commissioners and consul-generals from around the world will gather in Canberra for three days of intense talks later this month. It is the first time that such a number of top-ranking diplomatic officials have been summoned back to Australia. The summit, Bishop asserted, would discuss a foreign policy reset. The ostensible reason for the summit is for Bishop, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other Liberal-National government ministers to canvas the views of senior diplomats on the content of a new Foreign Policy White Paper, scheduled to be published mid-year. The last such white paper was released in February 2003, on the eve of Australias participation in the illegal US invasion of Iraq. The US, that document asserted, was pre-eminent and no other country or group of countries would be capable of challenging it in the foreseeable future. The US-Australia military alliance was declared as indispensable to Australian imperialist interests. Fourteen years on, the world situation has radically altered. The situation is even profoundly different from June 2010, when the then governing Labor Party ousted Kevin Rudd as prime minister in large part because of his hesitation to commit Australia to a confrontational US foreign policy against Chinalater dubbed the pivot to Asia by the Obama administration. While not mentioned in official statements, there is no question what lies behind the discussion of a reset. The Trump administrations America First agenda and the manifest conflicts it has provoked in US ruling circles have produced consternation in the Australian political and strategic establishment. Trumps policy has placed a question mark over the calculations that led the dominant sections of the Australian ruling class to support Obamas pivot and the associated Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Obamas build-up of American military power in Asia was overwhelmingly welcomed in Australian ruling circles. It was expected that the pivot would pressure the Beijing regime to retreat from its aspirations to become the regional power in Asia, which threatened Australian strategic influence, particularly in Indonesia and the South Pacific. The exclusion of China from the TPP, and therefore denial of privileged access to US markets, was expected to compel Beijing to bow to Washingtons economic dictates and further open its own domestic markets to external competition. The pivot, Obama declared, would ensure that the US would write the rules of the road for trade in the 21st century, not China or other countries. Australian-based corporations and investors would gain in the process, initially through greater access to regional markets and ultimately in China itself. The Australian ruling class, under successive Labor and conservative governments, facilitated Obamas agenda by granting additional American military access to bases in the country and full-throated support for, or direct participation in, US intrigues, spying and interventions around the globe. The fact that Australian exports to China continued to grow and Beijing signed a favourable free trade agreement with Canberra in 2015 was hailed as proof that aligning with the US had no negative economic consequences. With few exceptions, the Australian elite, including the Turnbull government and the Labor Party opposition, confidently anticipated that Hillary Clinton would be elected as US president and continue the general policies of the Obama administration. Those expectations lie in tatters. Trump has repudiated the TPP and is instead demanding bilateral arrangements that would benefit American-based corporations but would likely be detrimental to Australian corporate interests. His administration has threatened to force China, Japan and other countries into negotiations by imposing tariffs on their goods. This could plunge world trade into turmoil and impact sharply on Australias massive exports of iron ore, coal, natural gas and other raw materials, above all, to China, Japan and South Korea. Even one of the most ardent defenders of the US alliance, the Australians foreign editor Greg Sheridan, bewailed Trumps abandonment of the TPP as a blow to Australia, a tragedy and a strategic loss. Sheridans no less pro-US and anti-Chinese counterpart, Fairfax Media international editor Peter Hartcher, declared Trumps repudiation of the TPP as the moment the US gave the world to China. In an abrupt turn, Hartcher effectively called for a shift in Australias foreign policy orientation toward Beijing. Most ominously, the Trump administration has threatened that if China does not grant its economic demands, it will repudiate Washingtons longstanding formal recognition of Beijings claim to sovereignty over the island of Taiwanthe One China policyand intensify US challenges to Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea. China has responded with veiled counter-threats of war. Already, the Trump White House has threatened direct military action against the North Korean regime, which China has historically regarded as a buffer state between its own borders and US-aligned South Korea and which it went to war in 1950 to defend. The Australian ruling class is left to contemplate an alliance with the US that could lead to economic ruin and, as a result of the countrys virtual integration into the US military posture in Asia over the past six years, immediate involvement in any conflict with China. The potential fault-lines between Washington and Canberra are becoming evident. The Turnbull government this week actively participated in talks in Japan on the Chinese-initiated Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which excludes the US. Yesterday, the Australian trade minister issued a carefully worded criticism of the Trump administration over its threats to undermine the World Trade Organisation. Turnbull reportedly personally intervened to ensure that China was invited to send a representative to talks in Chile later this month on whether the TPP could continue in some form without US involvement. Turnbull and Trump have already had one heated phone conversation and are not due to even meet until at least May. The acrimony reputedly centred on Turnbulls insistence that the US honour a sordid agreement made with Obama for the US to take refugees from Australian-run detention camps in the South Pacific. Reports suggest that the tensions may have been sparked by Turnbulls refusal to commit to sending more Australian military forces to the Middle East or to conducting operations in the South China Sea. In 2011 and 2012, Turnbull was one of the few establishment figures who criticised the Labor governments embrace of the US pivot on the grounds it could disrupt economic relations with China. While Turnbull shelved his concerns after his Liberal Party took office, a faction of the ruling elite is now urging him to take steps to extricate Australia from Trumps even more bellicose anti-China agenda. This week, former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating again lambasted successive Australian governments for failing to pursue a positive strategic policy of engagement with China rather than a negative one. Keating declared the upcoming White Paper was a valuable opportunity for Turnbull and Bishop to elaborate a positive approach. At this point, any questioning of the US alliance is largely being kept out of view. Instead, the Panglossian conception is being advanced by various analysts, in a debate on the Lowy Institute think tank web site, that Australia can convince the Trump administration to back away from its unilateralism and take its allies interests into account. For its part, the Turnbull government is denying the existence of any rifts and issuing repeated pro forma statements on the enduring nature of the alliance and the crucial US role in upholding the post-World War II rules-based global ordereven as the Trump administration moves to dismantle the last vestiges of these longstanding relations. The fears in the Australian elite were summed up in a comment on the Lowy Institute web site by Sam Roggeveen, a former intelligence official, now strategic analyst. US and Australian economic and strategic interests, Roggeveen wrote, have never clashed directly but they are beginning to do now. He warned: What if the government needs to make moves which could harm us economically, or which could damage our standing with our ally, or which could lead to the commitment of military forces in North Asia? The public needs to be prepared for such potentially dramatic shifts... Given the history of American intrigue in Australian politics, it can be taken as given that actions are underway by US agencies to try to ensure that such concerns do not result in Canberra attempting to make any foreign policy shift away from Washington. Indian supporters of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) are holding a public meeting entitled World War and the Russian Revolution in Chennai on March 5. The event is part of the ICFIs commemoration of the centenary of the October 1917 Revolution, including the forthcoming online lecture series. Under the Trump administration, US imperialism is stepping up its war preparations against China, posing the danger of a catastrophic war between nuclear-armed powers. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, having already transformed the country into a frontline state against China, are intensifying Indias military-strategic alliance with the US. These moves are part of Indias great power ambitions. Last August, New Delhi signed an agreement giving the US military access to Indian bases. The country has become a major service and repair hub for the US Seventh Fleet, the naval armada at the centre of US war preparations against China. These developments pose the danger of drawing all of South Asia into a military conflagration between the US and China, with deadly consequences for the working class and oppressed masses in the region and internationally. The Chennai meeting will discuss the deepening crisis of US and world capitalism, as well as the drive toward a third world war and dictatorial forms of rule by the imperialist powers. Speakers will explain that the only way to prevent such a disaster is the mobilisation of Indian workers as a part of an international anti-war movement of the working class to put an end to the outmoded capitalist system, the source of imperialist war. Herein lies the contemporary relevance of the Russian Revolution in October 1917, the first shot of the world revolution, which arose out of the immense devastation of World War I. Workers today need to draw the political lessons of the struggle by Lenin, Trotsky and Bolsheviks, who organised and led the Russian working class to seize power. We call upon workers, students, youth and intellectuals to attend the Chennai meeting, which will discuss the revolutionary tasks now facing the working class and the oppressed masses. Date and Time: Sunday March 5, 10.00 a.m. Venue: ICSA Center, Opposite Connemara Library, Egmore, Chennai8 The March 1 White Paper on Europe issued by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was billed as the most significant global policy response by the executive of the European Union (EU) to Britain's unprecedented vote to leave the EU last year. The Brexit vote last June was the first in a series of political blows dealt to the EU. Italian voters turned down a pro-EU constitutional referendum last autumn, and voters are going to the polls this spring in Dutch and French elections dominated by the rise of far-right, anti-EU parties exploiting deep popular anger at the EU's austerity policies. Should France's neo-fascist National Front (FN) take power on its anti-euro and anti-EU program, the prospect of a collapse of the EU and of its central Franco-German axis is very real. Above all, the election of Donald Trump as US president, and his denunciation of the EU as a tool of Germany to strangle other European countries, showed that the main historic driver of attempts to unify European capitalismUS imperialismis divided over the EU. During the election campaign, as the Obama administration and the EU stoked conflicts with Russia over Syria and Ukraine, Trump explicitly raised the possible use of nuclear weapons in Europe. Juncker's document shows that the leaders of the EU executive, which is especially close to Berlin, have nothing to propose to address the ongoing social collapse and drive to war. While it tries to put the best possible face on the situation, it paints a devastating, deeply pessimistic picture of the EU. The five scenarios that it forecasts, in broad and vague lines, foresee escalating divisions and political disunity inside the EU's existing borders, and advocate trying to paper them over with calls for rearmament. For generations, Europe was always the future, the document begins, having noted in its foreword that on March 25, EU leaders will meet in Rome to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1957 Treaty of Rome that launched attempts to integrate capitalist Europe. Today, however, the EU is unmistakably the past: as the White Paper admits, its population faces a prospect of war and relentless social decline. The document warns of vast foreign dangers, including both wars and terrorism in the Middle East and Africa and the ongoing build-up of troops on our eastern borders. It does not add that the leading EU powers participated from within the NATO alliance in creating these dangersthrough a decades-long campaign of wars for regime change in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and beyond, and since the 2014 NATO-backed putsch against a pro-Russian government in Ukraine, after which they launched a vast military build-up on Russia's borders. In line with multi-billion-euro military spending increases by Germany, France, and beyond, as well as the recent return to the military draft in Sweden, it bluntly calls for massive rearmament and war preparations. It writes, Europe cannot be naive and has to take care of its own security. Being a 'soft power' is no longer powerful enough when force can prevail over rules. This drive to war goes hand-in-hand with escalating fears of a new global economic break-down rooted in a collapse of free trade. Noting doubts over the future of international trade and multilateralism, the document foresees that standing up for free and progressive trade and shaping globalisation so that it benefits all will be a growing crisis. One of the main causes of the growing discrediting of international capitalism and trade, the White Paper admits, is the social collapse left behind by the aftershocks of the 2008 economic crash. Addressing the legacy of the crisis, from long-term unemployment to high levels of public and private debt in many parts of Europe, remains an urgent priority. The challenge is particularly acute for the younger generation, it states. For the first time since the Second World War, there is a real risk that the generation of today's young adults ends up less well-off than their parents. The White Paper forecasts a constant relative decline of Europe's demographic and economic weight: its share of world population is expected to pass from 25 percent in 1900 to 4 percent in 2060, and its share of the global economy from 26 percent in 2004 to under 20 percent by 2030. The White Paper outlines five vaguely defined strategies for how the remaining 27 EU member states could try to remain together: carrying on, nothing but the single market, those who want more do more, doing less more efficiently and doing much more together. The fact that carrying on with the agreements signed before and just after Brexit is only one of five optionsand one that would not prevent the EU's unity from being tested in the event of major disputes, the White Paper assertsunderscores the enormous fragility of the EU. The White Paper foresees the distinct possibility that the EU might collapse into just a single market free-trade zone. The press and political commentators pointed out that the appeal to continue uniting only those who want more would lead to the formation of a core EU and the de facto relegation to second class status or outright exclusion of countries who do not want more of the EU. Hungarian Economy Minister Mihaly Varga explicitly denounced this possibility, warning that strong actors could try to sideline others, producing social unrest in states left behind. There's a real threat that [those] who favour a two-speed Europe will say that those who're in the euro area are in, and those who are out of the euro are out, he declared. At the same time, there are increasing indications that key euro zone member states could decide to abandon the euro currency. Besides the possibility of a FN presidential victory in France, the Dutch parliament has commissioned a report evaluating the pros and cons of the euro for the Netherlands, and Italian bank Mediobanca published a report in January claiming that Italian public debt servicing would not be harmed by Italy's exit from the euro. Amid the crisis of European capitalism, institutions built over decades, ostensibly to avert a new war between the European powers like the two world wars of the last century, are collapsing. The great contradictions of capitalism that the great Marxists explained would provoke international revolutionary struggles a century ago, at the time of World War I and the 1917 revolutionabove all, between global economy and the nation state systemhave returned. Reacting to the White Paper, the press pointed to deep divisions and electoral crises in Europe, concluding that they kept Juncker from proposing anything more definite or ambitious for the EU. With the White Paper, Le Monde wrote, Juncker is hoping to take back control of a ship that has been navigating heavy waters for several months. The federalist is constrained and forced to become a realist. Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group risk consultancy said, Junckers proposals arent going to be particularly ambitious. Germany and France disagree about what to do with the Eurozone, and states in Central and Eastern Europe want more powers to return from Brussels following Brexit. That sets clear limits on what Junckers plan can achieve. The Financial Times of London cited a report by Italian consulting firm MacroGeo, titled Europe in the Brexit and Trump Era: Disintegration and Regrouping. The report, the FT wrote, asserts that the EU in its present form is most likely going to decompose, even if pro-integrationists such as Emmanuel Macron, the French independent centrist, and Martin Schulz, the German Social Democrat, win this years elections. 'By the 2021-22 electoral cycle, the EU might be entering the last five years of its real existence,' the report says. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration is considering military attacks and regime-change operations against North Korea as part of a review of US strategy regarding the small, isolated state. Any aggressive US action toward the Pyongyang regime threatens to provoke retaliation that could plunge the Korean Peninsula into conflict. According to the Journal, Trumps deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland initiated the comprehensive rethink two weeks ago at a meeting of national security officials. She asked for proposals on North Korea, including those described by one official as well outside the mainstream. Her request was for all options to be considered, including military action. The leaked details are another indication that the Trump administration is making North Korea a top priority. During a dinner earlier this week with select journalists, Trump branded North Korea as a world menace and declared it had to be dealt with soon. A senior administration official told the media on Tuesday that North Korea and its nuclear program were the greatest immediate threat to the US. The White House focus on Pyongyang is part of its far broader and reckless preparations for a confrontation with China, North Koreas ally, aimed at arresting the historic decline of US imperialism. Trump has threatened trade war measures against Beijing, military action over Chinese islets in the South China Sea, and renunciation of the One China policy that has underpinned US-China relations for nearly four decades. North Koreas own actions in expanding its nuclear and missile programs have nothing to do with defending the North Korean people. They have been aimed from the outset at securing an end to the decades-long US blockade of the country and its integration into global capitalism. Pyongyangs nationalist ideology and bloodcurdling threats are utterly reactionary, dividing North Korean workers from those in the South, Japan, the US and internationally, while providing the US with a pretext for its military expansion in North East Asia. The US and South Korean militaries have just begun two months of annual war games involving more than 300,000 troops, along with a US aircraft carrier strike group, sophisticated F-35B stealth fighters and possibly nuclear-capable B-52 or B-1B strategic bombers. South Korea also came one step closer this week to installing a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile battery on its soil after acquiring land for its installation. Beijing is bitterly opposed to a THAAD battery placement in South Korea, which is part of the Pentagons wider deployment of anti-missile systems in Asia in preparation for a war with China. The Wall Street Journal indicated that one purpose of military threats against Pyongyang could be to force Beijing to cripple the North Korean economy, either to compel North Korea to accede to US demands or bring about regime change. The heightened prospect of US military action in North Korea could encourage China to take steps Washington has long sought to choke off Pyongyangs economic lifeline, it said. Beijing has already agreed to tough UN economic sanctions against Pyongyang and last month suspended imports of coalNorth Koreas largest export item. However, China is wary about provoking a crisis that could lead to a collapse of the Pyongyang regime and the integration of the Korean Peninsula under Washington aegis. The Journal also reported that US officials have already raised with allies the prospect of military action against North Korea. During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes visit to the US last month, US officials on several occasions stated that all options were under consideration to deal with North Korea. The Japanese side found the scenario worrisomegiven that Japan could be a target for North Korean retaliation. The White House deliberations on regime change and military action are not simply a ploy to put pressure on China, however. Before Trumps inauguration, a discussion was already well under way in top American foreign policy and military circles over the failure of the Obama administrations strategic patience toward Pyongyang. The policy was hardly patient: the US responded to North Korean nuclear tests with harsher sanctions and refused to negotiate with Pyongyang prior to it meeting US demands for disarmament. Since North Koreas fifth nuclear test last September, a mounting chorus of US officials has called for pre-emptive military strikes against Pyongyang, ostensibly to prevent it developing an international continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US mainland. Last October and November respectively, former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Mike Mullen and General Walter Sharp, former commander of US forces in South Korea, suggested that the US had to pre-emptively destroy any ICBM on its launch pad. In December, Senator Lindsey Graham announced he would introduce legislation to authorise the president to conduct such strikes. As president-elect, Trump in early January tweeted that wont happen, in response to an announcement by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that the country was in final stages of preparing to test an ICBM. The implication was that the Trump administration would use military force to destroy the missile. A number of analysts have warned that military action could quickly spiral out of control, leading to very high casualties on the Korean Peninsula and drawing in other powers, such as China. Bruce Klingner, a commentator with the right-wing Heritage Foundation, last month urged caution, saying a pre-emptive attack could trigger an all-out war with nuclear-armed North Korea. He noted that Pyongyang has a million-man army just across the de-militarised zone from South Korea and enough artillery in place to devastate Seoul. While the Trump administrations review of US strategy on North Korea has not ruled out negotiations with Pyongyang, this is the least likely option. The White House recently blocked back channel discussions between North Korean officials and US academics and former officials. It is also being urged to reinstate North Korea on the US State Departments list of state sponsors of terrorisma move that would, in all probability, end the prospect of talks. According to the Wall Street Journal, the White House review completed its first phase on Tuesday. The proposals are now to be refined for presentation to Trump, who is under growing political pressure to take action against North Korea. Asia South Korea: HIH shipbuilding workers strike Around 1,500 unionised workers, out of 15,000 at Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Ulsan, one of South Koreas three largest shipbuilders, walked out for eight hours on February 23, and 800 the following day, over failed wage negotiations and a proposed split of the firms non-shipbuilding business. The major issue is the company restructure over which workers held several limited strikes in July and August. In June, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye called for bone-crushing overhauls of the three shipbuilding companies, HHI, Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). The proposed restructure includes massive cuts to wages, jobs and conditions. Samsung plans to reduce its workforce by 40 percent by the end of 2018. DSME wants to slash wages by 20 percent, sell two of its five floating dry-docks and reduce its workforce to 10,000 positions. HHI announced last October that it would split into six units: Robotics, Global Services, Electric & Energy Systems, Construction Machinery, Green Energy, and Heavy Industries. According to the union, at least 2,000 workers will be forced to relocate from Ulsan to Seoul. The failed negotiations on wages, which entered its 82nd round on Wednesday, also triggered strike action. Management wants the base wages frozen at 100 percent of a months salary and has offered 1.5 million won ($US1,320) as an incentive. The union rejected the incentive, claiming it included employees returning 20 percent of their annual salary for a year. Filipino jeepney drivers and owners hold second strike Jeepney drivers and owners of transport groups PISTON, Stop and Go Coalition, and No to Jeepney Phase-out Coalition struck in most major cities across the Philippines on Monday over government plans to phase out passenger jeepneys 15 or more years old. The government ordered schools to close for the day in an attempt to minimise the effect of the strike. Metro Manila and cities in the three major island groups of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao were affected. Their action followed a national stoppage on February 6 over the issue. The Duterte government claims it wants to modernise transport vehicles and make them environmentally friendly. The union groups allege that only big companies can afford the vehicle replacements demanded and have suggested an upgrade of their jeepneys and improved enforcement of road-worthiness rules. A meeting last week with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and unions failed to reach agreement. Under the draft plan, a jeepney operator was required to have 7 million pesos ($US140,393) to get a franchise. The operator must have 20 units by 2018 and increase the fleet to 40 units in 2019. Operators were to install GPS and Wi-Fi into the jeepneys. The jeepney phase-out will affect more than 600,000 drivers and 250,000 operators. Burmese garment workers locked out Around 500 workers at the Chinese owned Hundred Tex garment factory in the Shwe Lin Ban industrial zone, Yangon, were locked out last week, following demonstrations over the sacking of their union leader. Management claimed the factory was closed to repair equipment damaged during the protest action. Workers initially walked out on January 30 when their union leader was fired upon returning to work after two weeks of certified sick leave. Management claimed the leave had not been approved but workers said he was sacked for organising protest action in December forcing an agreement from Hundred Tex to pay correct wages and entitlements, costing the company around 70 million kyat ($US51,300). Management has not honoured the agreement. Workers complained that they have been paid less than the daily minimum wage of 3,600 kyat ($2.65), have not received overtime payments according to the law, and the customary skills bonus has also been withheld. Burmese wood factory workers protest wage cut About 60 workers at the Kan Kaung Chin Yadanar wood products factory in Mandalay region downed tools on Wednesday and held a sit-in protest to demand reinstatement of piece-job rates and benefits. They complained that factory management cut these after the introduction of the 3,600 kyat daily minimum wage law in 2015. A protesting worker said the piece-job rate had been halved while benefits for regular attendance, annual increments and overtime bonuses have been reduced. Workers also want a rest area and medical benefits. They threatened to hold more sit-in protests if management and the authorities continued to ignore their demands. Indian bank workers hold national strike All banking transactions and clearing house operations came to a halt across India on Tuesday as over one million bank employees from the public sector, private, foreign, co-operative and regional rural banks walked out on a raft of demands. The strike was coordinated by the United Forum of Bank Unions, representing nine unions, mainly to protest against the governments decision to merge five associate banks with the State Bank of India (SBI) Workers fear that the merger would result in the closure of a large number of branches, loss of employment opportunities and curtail banking services to common customers. They termed the move as denationalisation reform. Other grievances were for compensation to employees for unpaid overtime work done as a result of the governments demonetisation program and the end to outsourcing of permanent jobs due to labour reform in the banking sector. SBI-affiliated bank workers have been holding limited strike action for over 12 months over the merger proposals. However, the action has been mostly sporadic and kept within individual state boundaries. East Delhi sanitation workers strike again Sanitation workers from the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) stopped work on February 23 to protest salaries that have not been paid for a month. Their action follows a strike in January over delayed wages. Over 16,000 EDMC sanitation workers and other employees walked out on January 6 over the non-payment of three months salaries. They ended the strike after 11 days when the EDMC paid their wages in full but falsely assured them that wages would in future be paid on time. Sanitation workers now have not been paid for one month and other workers for two months. For over 50 days a group of workers has been holding a protest hunger strike outside the EDMC headquarters in Patparganj demanding timely payment of salaries. They said the delay in salary payments has been ongoing for two years. Pakistan: Hyderabad sanitary workers shut down services Following February 7 protests, Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) workers shut down sewerage pumping stations and water supply systems on Tuesday causing sewerage to flood parts of the city. Workers said 850 employees and 560 retired HDA workers have not received wages or pensions for over four months, while over 1,300 non-permanent workers have not been paid for six months. Provident and gratuity funds also have not been paid. Tuesdays sewerage shutdown lasted for six hours. Workers have threatened to take further action if authorities continued to ignore their demands. Karachi prosecution department workers strike Prosecution Department workers in Karachi struck on Monday to demand seven years of unpaid medical and utility allowances and long-delayed promotions. The walkout followed 11 days of two-hour rolling stoppages. Striking workers lodged a petition in the Sindh High Court and warned that they would extend the strike indefinitely if their demands were not met. Abbottabad sanitary workers end strike Sanitary and water workers at the Abbottabad Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) ended a two-day strike on Tuesday, after talks with city authorities. The workers walked out on Monday to protest the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governments decision to form the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA). Workers fear that around 350 will lose their jobs when WASA takes over sanitation responsibility from the TMA. Garbage collection in Abbottabad and Havelian was affected. Workers threatened to interrupt the citys water supply if their fears were not addressed. Strikers accepted the assurance from the TMA that their demands would be discussed in the Tehsil Council, and that they would not be transferred to the WASA until it becomes fully functional. Sri Lankan paramedics and nurses demonstrate Following protests last week, public sector paramedics demonstrated again outside the Colombo National Hospital on Monday with several demands. They want a suitable pay scale for graduates, the creation of a directors post in the health ministry for paramedics and a suitable method to measure language skills. On Wednesday, the All Island Nurses Union demonstrated outside the health ministry in central Colombo over various demands, including salary arrears and systematic promotions. Sri Lankan government education employees strike All administrative officers, including school principals and education directors in Sri Lankas public education service, launched a sick-note campaign on Tuesday against the education ministers arbitrary decisions on administrative policies. Functioning of related institutions, including ministry of education, department of education, zonal education offices and schools, was paralysed by the industrial action. Australia and the Pacific Victoria: Parmalat workers remain locked out Following failed negotiations over a proposed enterprise agreement (EA) in the Fair Work Commission (FWC), locked out Parmalat dairy processing workers in Echuca in northern Victoria voted yesterday on a previously rejected management-proposed enterprise agreement (EA). The ballot was to be supervised by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) at the plant. Sixty maintenance and production workers at the plant have been locked out since January 18. The workers, who are members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) and Electrical Trades Union (ETU), are maintaining a 24-hour picket outside the plant. Parmalat has tried pressure the workers into accepting the new agreement by applying to the FWC to have the existing EA terminated and then forcing them onto the inferior industry award. Negotiations for a new work agreement began in August. Parmalat offered a 3 percent pay rise in exchange for major cuts in the hourly pay of all new employees. The unions claim the company wants to reduce new employees wages by $8 an hour or 20 to 30 percent less than the existing hourly rate. Production workers are paid around $30 an hour. New Zealand supermarket workers protest A group of FIRST union members demonstrated outside the New World Centre City in Dunedin, on New Zealands South Island, on February 25 against the wage gap between North Island and South Island Foodstuffs employees. The store management and the union are currently negotiating a new collective agreement. New World stores are owned by the Foodstuffs Co-operative. Foodstuffs workers on the South Island have been campaigning for over a year to gain wage parity with their North Island colleagues. A union spokesman said Foodstuffs South Island workers were paid up to $2 less an hour than Foodstuffs North Island workers. Papua New Guinea civil registry office staff strike National Civil Registry office workers in Port Moresby stopped work and locked the premises on Tuesday demanding wages. Workers alleged that they had not been paid for over two years. At least 50 recipients of the National Identity project and others who were attempting to register were turned away by angry staff. A witness told media that clients, realising the workers desperate situation, would sometimes buy them lunch. Solomon Islands: Malaita government workers protest Around 50 employees from the provincial government of Malaita, an island of the Solomon Islands group, demonstrated outside the Premiers office on Monday to demand delayed wages. The workers were met by the provincial secretary who told them the government was in a money-strapped situation. He had earlier promised to sort out their salary payments by February 24. Thirteen hundred workers lost their jobs Friday when General Motors phased out the second shift at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. The layoffs are a major blow to workers and to the city, which is already the poorest big city in America with an official unemployment rate of nearly 10 percent and a real jobless rate much higher. While some workers have enough seniority to transfer to other plants, many losing their jobs were temporary workers promised by GM and the United Auto Workers (UAW) that they would be turned into full-time, permanent workers. Now, less than a year after being hired onto the new shift to meet increased demand, they are being laid off, months, if not weeks, short of qualifying for transfers and supplemental unemployment benefits. Medical coverage will be terminated at the end of the month. Neither the national nor local news media covered the layoffs. President Trump and Detroit Mayor Duggan, a Democrat who has touted the comeback of the city, did not say a word about the loss of 1,300 jobs. As for the UAWwhich has a 9.4 percent ownership stake in GM and a seat on its board of directorsit was silent on the layoffs, sending out a text instead quoting a 1970 speech by former union president Walter Reuther saying, This union is not about Solidarity House; it is not about your local union headquarters; this union is about the men and women that we represent. The UAW forced through a contract in 2015 that expanded the use of lower-paid temporary workers to facilitate layoffs such as these. The worlds third largest automaker made $12 billion in pre-tax profits in 2016, up from $11 billion in 2015, from its North American operations, with industry analysts pointing to the benefits of the UAW contract, which allows the dumping of workers when demand is down without paying for early retirement buyouts. The company is currently spending $12 billion on stock buybacks and dividends for its richest investors. A WSWS Autoworker Newsletter reporting team spoke to workers outside the GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant on the last day on the job for the 1,300 workers who are being laid off. Workers expressed widespread bitterness and anger over the layoffs. Several noted that while permanent GM employees were being laid off, the company was retaining many temporary workers, who do not have the full rights and benefits of regular workers and can be super-exploited by management. Many workers told the WSWS it was a terrible day and that they were disgusted, both with GM management and the UAW. One worker with eight years at GM said, I have been through this myself. I know what it is like. I have been a temporary worker before. The mood in the plant is very sad. Larry, a young worker at the plant, said he was one of those facing layoff. A lot of people are going to be affected. People are bracing for it, to get prepared. You got to figure out a way to somehow keep going. A few people are going over to the Romulus plant, maybe about 10 percent. There are also some workers being sent over to first shift. But, I would say about 75 percent are being laid off. They are out in the street. It is terrible we have to go through this. Mike, a worker with 5 years at the plant, said, I feel bad. They are not being given a chance to hire in as permanent workers. Most of them are temps, but they are really great workers. He spoke about the silence of the UAW and the big business media on the layoffs. I wish it would garner some attention. I think all this talk about Russia is a big witch-hunt and a diversion. They are trying to take our focus off the issue of jobs. They should not be just laying people off and scattering them to the winds to find employment. Some of the workers here are really disgruntled. They thought they would be hired in and now they are out of jobs. It doesnt add up. With GM making record profits. Asked his view on the role of the UAW, he added, GM and the UAW are in each others pockets. A temporary GM worker who is facing layoff stopped to talk. She said only workers who clock in for work Friday, the last day before the layoff, would be eligible for recall in the future. If you dont come in today, you are automatically disqualified. It is not so bad for me because I have another job, but I have friends that work for GM and I think it is unfair. They worked really hard. GM made all these promises. It makes you feel unappreciated, that you are walking away with nothing. You did all this work and you might not be called back. Not everyone has a backup plan. We didnt get any profit sharing. Everyone makes the same cars, but not everyone gets the profit sharing, which isnt fair. She commented on the news blackout of the layoffs by the big business media. I think it is really unfortunate. It affects a lot of people. It is like we are just numbers to them. We are replaceable. If something happens you just find someone else to do it. This is my last day at work, said Mike, a young worker who quit another job to hire into GM. I missed qualifying for transfer rights by one week. Others missed out on SUB (supplemental unemployment benefits) by weeks. Im originally from the coal and steel mining area near Pittsburgh. I had another job but I thought the auto industry would be more secure and better paying. Now, less than a year later, Im out of work like a lot of others. Willie, a worker at New Center Stamping, an auto parts supplier that provides panels and assemblies for the Big Three in Detroit, also spoke to the WSWS. He said he was aware of the layoffs taking place. Who is looking out for the workers? I have a friend that works for Fiat Chrysler. He asked me what I was going to do. It is sad, they have families. Everyone needs to take care of their families. It is bad that a job lays you off. It seems no one has anyones back. You dont want to be out here on the street, with a wife and children and have no way to take care of them. I keep thinking about it. In this city, we need more neighborhoods to be rebuilt. It would be nice to look at something besides fields and abandoned houses. But no one is saying anything. This is a good city. We need a chance to rebuild. There are a lot of people who want to work and take care of their families. Thousands are marching today in London in defence of the National Health Service (NHS). They represent the millions around the country opposed to the destruction of the NHS and who want to defend the right to free and universal public health care. However, this is only the latest of many demonstrations in defence of the NHS. And each one is held under conditions of a worsening crisis, as health care is starved of funds in an act of deliberate sabotage. This is to better pave the way for the privatisation of profitable sectors, the introduction of a possible insurance-based scheme as a form of rationing and the destruction of vast swathes of chronic health care, including geriatric services. The destruction of the NHS is being carried out through Sustainability and Transformation Plans, under which fully 26 billion of vital resources will be removed from the NHS by 2021. One in six of the UKs 175 accident and emergency departments face being closed or downgraded in the next four years. By the time of the 2020 General Election, virtually nothing will be left to defend of an NHS that will have suffered more than 40 billion in cuts in a decade. Public health systems, along with the right to education and social housing, are being dismantled all over the world. In January, the British Red Cross said the NHS was facing a humanitarian crisis, just as it said of Greecethe country that is the European Unions experiment in imposing savage levels of austerity. The ideological and commercially driven basis of this offensive by the Tory government was epitomised by one of its ideologues, Karol Sikora, who denounced the NHS on the BBCs Newsnight as the last bastion of communism, requiring a plethora of private providers to enter and the introduction of a user-pays system. Todays protest has been called by the Health Campaigns Together coalition and the Peoples Assembly and has the backing of national trade unions, including Unite, Unison, the GMB and the British Medical Association (BMA). The Peoples Assembly is backed by the Trades Union Congress and includes the Green Party, Counterfire, the Communist Party of Britain, Left Unity and the Stop the War Coalition. All these organisations will correctly blame the Tories for bringing the NHS to the brink of destruction, but they will not and cannot explain how this has been allowed to happen. Political responsibility rests with the Labour Party and the trade unions. It was the pro-capitalist, right-wing Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown which paved the way for the coming to power of the Tories. In office from 1997 until 2010, Labour laid the groundwork for the destruction of the NHS by the widespread use of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), first introduced by the Tories as a means of transferring wide areas of the public sector to private corporations. Through the building of new hospitals under PFI, a colossal slice of government funds was handed over to the banks, with hospital trusts burdened with a massive 65 billion in total repayment costs. The aim was to hand over all non-core services to private corporations, with only clinical services remaining with the NHS. None of this was opposed by the trade unionswho only ever verbally protested Labours policies, while at all times urging support for the Labour government. Even after the formation of the Conservative/Liberal Democrats coalition, nothing fundamentally changed. In 2012, with no opposition from Labour under Ed Miliband, the Tories passed the Health and Social Care Act, which finally ended the duty of the health secretary of the day to provide health care for all in the UK. Instead, the health secretarys duty is now to arrange provision, so as to allow the private sector to take control. Eighteen months ago, there was an attempt by hundreds of thousands of people to oppose this New Labour agenda and initiate a fight back. Workers and young people flocked into the Labour Party to elect Jeremy Corbyn as leader, not because of any specific policy he put forward, but because he was seen as an opponent of the Blairites. Today, Corbyn will be given pride of place on the platform of speakers and all those in attendance will be told to place their hopes on the election of a Corbyn-led Labour government in 2020. The reality is that in the 18 months since his election, Corbyn has done nothing to oppose the Blairites, or the Tory government with which they are in a de facto alliancewithout which there can be no defence of the NHS. Time after time, Corbyn has placed party unity above political principle. He even put the Blairites in his shadow cabinet, where they mounted an attempted coup to get rid of him. On every programmatic question, moreover, he ceded the initiative to his opponentsgranting a free vote on war in Syria, on replacing Trident and even instructing Labour councils to implement Tory cuts. Last year, 50,000 junior doctors struck against a rotten contract imposing seven-day working with no additional funding. Corbyn, in alliance with the trade unions, played a major role in the isolation and eventual defeat of the junior doctors. He made one appearance on a picket line in April, but only while placidly calling for the government to reach a negotiated settlement with the BMA. This allowed the government the time required to concoct a dirty deal with the BMAon whose junior doctors committee Corbyn supporters had leading positionsenabling the inferior contract demanded by the Tories to be imposed last December. Following Labours defeat in the Copeland by-election, the Blairites are seeking once again to remove Corbyn. Yet the coup plotters, the acolytes of Blair and Peter Mandelsonwho has declared, I work every single day to bring forward the end of [Corbyns] tenure in officesit unchallenged as Labour MPs, councillors and union officials. On Thursday, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell responded with a pathetic overture, stating that he was, [H]olding out hands from my wing of the party, from Momentum we established, to those people in [the Blairite think tank] Progress. And, yes, Peter Mandelson. Whatever the verbal pledges made regarding the NHS by Corbyn, McDonnell and various union leaders, their sincerity should be measured against their readiness to ally with such open enemies of the working class. They should be expelling them from the Labour Party but are instead, once again, calling for unity. The election of Corbyn has not made an iota of difference to the character of Labour as a party of big business, austerity, militarism and war. Health workers and all those who want to fight in defence of the NHS must now undertake to build a new leadership, which fights on the basis of a socialist programme. In 2012, the Socialist Equality Party initiated the NHS FightBack campaign to take forward such a struggle among health workers and throughout the working class. Contact us today at NHS FightBack. On Thursday, the government of Sweden announced plans to reintroduce the draft. The Scandinavian country with a population of 10 million, which has not been directly involved in a military conflict for over two centuries, is girding up for war against Russia. Swedish officials were unambiguous that recruits should be prepared to fight Russia. The Russian illegal annexation of Crimea [in 2014], the conflict in Ukraine, and the increased military activity in our neighborhood are some of the reasons for the re-introduction of conscription for the first time since 2010, a spokesperson for the countrys Ministry of Defence told the BBC. Under the plan, all citizens born between 1999 and 2000 will be conscripted next year. Of the 100,000 Swedes that fall in this category, 13,000 will be ordered to receive a physical examination, and 4,000 young men and women will then have to begin an eleven-month military service on July 1. Workers and youth across Europe should regard this announcement, which is supported by all parties in Sweden, including the Swedish Left Party, as a warning. After two devastating world wars in the 20th century, even the ruling class in supposedly peace-loving Sweden is again recruiting the cannon fodder for a new great war. The government wants to introduce a method of recruitment, which is more stable, and extends our military capabilities because the security situation has changed, explained Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist. We had difficulties staffing our fighting units on a voluntary basis and we have to fix that somehow. At the end of 2016, Sweden's civil protection authority (MSB) invited all municipalities to prepare in case of war. Emergency shelters were to be prepared, and emergency evacuation procedures were to be drawn up. A few days later, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced a new security strategy and an increase in the defence budget. The military is to be strengthened, after going in the other direction for many years. Similar developments are taking place in all the major imperialist countries. In Germany, the defence budget is being raised, the army enlarged and the reintroduction of conscription is under discussion. President Donald Trump recently justified a ten percent increase in the US defence budget with the words: We have to start winning wars again. In Europe, the massive rearmament is directed primarily against Russia, and is increasingly bound up with direct preparations for war. NATO is currently deploying combat troops and tanks to Eastern Europe and establishing so-called Battle Groups in Lithuania (led by Germany), Estonia (United Kingdom), Latvia (Canada) and Poland (USA). Earlier this year, German tanks bearing the Iron Cross, the insignia retained by the modern German army despite its notorious use by the Nazis, rolled into Lithuania, just a few hundred kilometres from the Russian border. Leading NATO generals are calling for a grand strategy against Russia. In an interview with the Financial Times on Thursday, British General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, who is also deputy NATO commander in Europe, said that Russia remained a threat so long as Vladimir Putin holds power. It could have catastrophic consequences if the West was not unified in its response to a competitor who has all the levers of power in its hands. Also on Thursday, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) promised the Baltic states that Germany would honour its commitment to the NATO alliance. At the Amari Airbase in Estonia, von der Leyen said it was important ... that Estonia and our friends in the alliance in recent years, were able to rely firmly on Germany and its commitments and that they will also rely firmly on Germany and its promises in the future. And in Lithuania's Rukla, speaking in front of the first German combat troops to be stationed in Eastern Europe since Hitler's war of extermination against the Soviet Union, Gabriel said, The security of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is synonymous with German security. The statements by Gabriel and von der Leyen underscore how far the imperialist powers are prepared to go. Article 5 of the NATO Treaty stipulates that an armed attack against one or more parties shall be considered an attack against them all and that if such an armed attack occurs, each of them ... will assist the Party or Parties so attacked ... including the use of armed force. To put it plainly: If one of the ultra-nationalist and fanatically anti-Russian governments in the Baltic states provokes a border conflict with Russia, then Berlin and NATO are committed to go to war against the second largest nuclear power in the world. Last month, the World Socialist Web Site asked, How many people would die in such a conflict? Almost certainly many millions, if not billions. According to a report by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, even a limited nuclear war would lead to more than a billion deaths, mainly due to severe climate disruption. According to the US National Academy of Sciences, a full nuclear war would directly cause up to four billion deaths. In the years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the supposed triumph" of capitalism, such scenarios were dismissed as scaremongering from a time long past. But now, as on the eve of the First and Second World War, the ruling class is concluding that a new great war is likely or even inevitable, and say so openly. In an editorial in the German newspaper Die Welt, headlined The world faces its defining moment, the German historian and political advisor Michael Sturmer warns of a no longer unthinkable event that the brakes fail, control is lost and world order is nothing more than a pipe dream. For half a century, war with Russiaaccidental or deliberatehas never been as close as at present. The danger Sturmer evokes of a destructive moment can only be prevented by the construction of a new anti-war movement. A year ago, in a statement entitled Socialism and the Fight against War, the International Committee of the Fourth International outlined the political basis for the building of such a movement: * The struggle against war must be based on the working class, the great revolutionary force in society, uniting behind it all progressive elements in the population. * The new anti-war movement must be anti-capitalist and socialist, since there can be no serious struggle against war except in the fight to end the dictatorship of finance capital and the economic system that is the fundamental cause of militarism and war. * The new anti-war movement must therefore, of necessity, be completely and unequivocally independent of, and hostile to, all political parties and organizations of the capitalist class. * The new anti-war movement must, above all, be international, mobilizing the vast power of the working class in a unified global struggle against imperialism. The building of a new socialist and internationalist movement of the working class is the most urgent political task. A state election in Western Australia (WA) on March 11 could become a political disaster for the federal Liberal-National government, with media polls predicting likely defeat for the ruling Liberal Party of Premier Colin Barnett. Conditions in the former mining boom state illustrate the economic and social reversal faced by many workers across the country since the boom started to unravel in 2012. In some suburbs of Perth, the state capital, official jobless rates exceed 20 percent and many more workers have been pushed into low-paid and casualised employment. Over the past five years, WA has gone from being the fastest growing state to the most recessionary. The economy has shrunk almost 11 percent, led by a near-40 percent drop in business investment. Once heavily-dependent on iron ore royalties, the state budget has a $3 billion annual deficit and, according to the state treasury, is heading for debt of $41 billion. The opposition Labor Party is committed to slashing spending to reduce the deficit and has failed to gain much ground. Bitter memories also remain of the last Labor government, from 2001 to 2008, which starved basic services of funds while using enormous mining royalties to cut taxes for the wealthy. More fundamentally, the Labor Party at every level of Australian politics has functioned for decades as a ruthless instrument of big business, working with the unions to impose sweeping corporate restructuring and austerity measures. Under these conditions, the WA election has become a testing ground for the aspirations of Senator Pauline Hansons anti-immigrant One Nation party, assisted by prominent media promotion, to exploit the social discontent and political disaffection. Hanson is trying to emulate US President Donald Trump, posturing as anti-elite outsider and adopting his slogan of drain the swamp. Like the American billionaire, she is seeking to divert widespread anger at the political establishment into reactionary nationalist and protectionist directions by witch-hunting Muslims and scapegoating overseas workers. Hanson will spend the next week campaigning in WA. Currently polling at between 8 and 13 percent, her party hopes to win enough seats in the upper house to hold the balance of powera Liberal or Labor government would need its votes to push legislation through parliament. In a bid to survive, and to make a pitch in Hansons extreme right-wing direction, the Liberal Party struck a preference vote swap deal with One Nation. The pact was not simply a WA initiativethe negotiations with One Nation involved key figures in the federal Coalition government, including Finance Minister Mathias Cormann. There are indications, however, that the deal may have backfired, further haemorrhaging support for the Liberals. The agreement preferenced One Nation above the rural-based Nationals, who hold ministries in Barnetts government, exacerbating rifts in the national Liberal-National Coalition. The Nationals retaliated by directing preferences in some electorates to the Greens, endangering Liberal Party seats. Barnett also outraged working people by vehemently supporting the recent federal Fair Work Commission ruling to slash the Sunday penalty wage rates on which many workers and young people depend to live. He called on the WA Industrial Relations Commission to match the decision for state-based awards, under which about 15 percent of West Australians are employed. According to a February 3 Newspoll, Barnetts satisfaction ratings remained the lowest ever recorded by a state leader at only 32 percent. Yet, the Labor Party has been unable to capitalise on the hostility because of its own pro-business policies. Likewise, the support for the Greens, a pro-capitalist party appealing to well-off sections of the middle class, remained on just 9 percent support. Cynically, Labor Party leader Mark McGowan, an ex-naval officer, is posturing as an opponent of the governments plans to sell-off a 51 percent stake in WAs electricity network, Western Power, a move that inevitably will eliminate thousands of jobs and push up household power prices. The Liberals hope to raise $11 billion from the privatisation to meet the debt reduction demands of the financial markets, which stripped WA of its AAA credit rating in 2013. Labors stance is a fraud. Labor governments in other states have privatised electricity and other assets to satisfy the corporate elite, an offensive that was accelerated by the last federal Labor government from 2007 to 2013. Moreover, as McGowan told a gathering of business leaders last December, Labor intends to meet their budget-slashing demands by cutting public sector jobs and services. McGowan unveiled a plan to reduce the number of senior public servants by 20 percent and introduce 20 new key performance indicators for government service delivery. He said Labors policies represented a revolution in how government is conducted. Shadow treasurer Ben Wyatt recently said Labor had identified recurrent spending cuts worth about $200 million, and would initiate a service priority review to target further savings. To reduce the state debt would take years of consistent strong budgeting that WA Labor delivered under [former premier Geoff] Gallop. Such cuts will deepen the assault on health, education, welfare and other social programs that began under the previous WA Labor governments, and which were then intensified by the Liberals once the mining tax revenues collapsed. WA already has the countrys worst public school student-teacher ratio15.7. In 2013, the Barnett government eliminated about 500 teaching jobs and more than 400 education assistant positions. Labor has promised to restore only 120 teaching jobs and 300 education assistants and is being supported by the education unions, which were instrumental in blocking opposition to the job cuts. In public hospital emergency departments, the percentage of patients waiting four hours or less dropped from around 80 percent to 75 percent between 201112 and 201516, far below the national target of 90 percent. Since 201213, the number of social housing units has declined from 42,496 to 39,969, while the level of need has soared. According to welfare agencies, almost 10,000 people are now homeless in WA, and in 2016 one charity, St Vincent de Paul, turned away 17,000 requests for assistance. In the states north, mining towns have been decimated by job losses and property price collapses, forcing many residents to leave. Thousands of workers who once worked on mining projects, often on a fly-in, fly-out basis, generating super-profits for the mining conglomerates, have been thrown on the scrapheap. Perths suburbs have some of the worst unemployment rates nationally: to the south Armadale 18.0 percent and Mandurah 23.8 percent, to the north: Balga-Mirrabooka 22.0 percent and Girrawheen 21.5 percent. Hanson falsely claims to represent the interests of ordinary working people. She has professed to oppose the electricity privatisation, while calling for further cuts to government spending. One Nation has already assisted the federal Coalition government to push through welfare cutbacks. Above all, Hanson has sought to split the working class, fomenting divisive, anti-Muslim sentiment. One Nations nationalist and protectionist policies also echo the efforts of the trade unions to divert workers discontent down anti-Chinese and anti-foreign worker channels. Hanson denounces welfare recipients, effectively blaming unemployed youth and workers, as well as foreign workers, for the relentless destruction of jobs and conditions by Australian corporations. No matter which party heads the next WA government, with or without One Nations help, the assault on the working class will intensify. As the West Australian reported last month, Barnett and McGowan have been put on notice by WA Treasury that the states finances are in crisis, with debt and deficit blowing out. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Representatives of liberal-leaning groups joined conservative organizations Friday, participating in a forum about reforming Florida's complex criminal-justice system. The Project on Accountable Justice, hosted by Florida State University, aims to modernize the state's prison system, with goals of increasing public safety while saving taxpayer money and creating more fairness in criminal sentences. The wide range of organizations involved in the discussion say reforms are essential, as costs run too high and sentencing guidelines are often too strict and not uniform. Vikrant Reddy is with the Libertarian Charles Koch Institute. He says harsh tough-on-crime policies and sentences are no longer doing much to improve public safety. The Southern Poverty Law Center's Scott McCoy agrees. He says sentences are often very different, depending on the age, race and gender of the accused. A host of criminal justice reform proposals will be debated by the legislature during the 2017 session, starting next week. Among them are reducing prison terms for lower-level, non-violent criminals, along with mandating the use of civil citations for minors who commit misdemeanor offenses. GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Troopers have identified the man who was killed in a Havana crash Thursday night. One person has died as a result of a crash in Gadsden County. Florida Highway Patrol released details early Friday morning. Troopers say it happened just before 10 p.m. Thursday night near Fairbanks Ferry Road and Cairo Concord Road in Havana. FHP said that Nelson Mosley was traveling westbound on County Road 12 (CR 12) when he failed to follow a left hand curve and traveled onto the north shoulder of the road. Troopers said that Evans over-corrected and caused to travel across both lanes, while rotating counterclockwise. The car then hit a ditch and began to overturn numerous times before coming to final rest on its roof. Clarence Evans, who also in the car, was pronounced dead on the scene. The crash is still under investigation. Troopers say it is unknown whether the fatality was the driver or passenger of the car at the time of the crash. The suspected driver was located, at his residence, this morning. This is a developing story and updates will be made available once more information is released. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Mayor Andrew Gillum is addressing the media in Tallahassee Friday afternoon about his newly announced run for governor. Mayor Gillum addressed a number of topics Friday like education and energy consumption. Gillum also discussed claims that just three days into his campaign he's already facing violations when it comes to emails sent from a the city's system that were not related to government business, Meanwhile, the CEO of an Orlando firm has filed to run for governor. Democrat Chris King is the founder of Elevation Financial Group, which creates a affordable housing for families. He graduated from Harvard University and earned his law degree from the University of Florida. He said in a statement that he wants to "give voice to millions of Floridians who are struggling to make it and haven't given up hope that we can do better." Gillum will be hosting the first rally for his campaign this weekend. It's set for tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Kleman Plaza. And yet, the US government knew nothing about the construction of sophisticated tunnels along Mexicos border with the US, such as the one that had tunnelled beneath the ground into San Diego. It allowed both Hezbollah operatives and the Mexican mafia to cross into US territory unseen, and to set up gangs within the US. These tunnels were similar to those their Lebanese cousins used to transport rockets and other weapons from Syria during past conflicts with Israel, and also to supply insurgents in Gaza. Additionally, the US, has seen apprehended drug dealers, who adorned with Hezbollah tattoos which hints at how comprehensive the terror groups drug enterprise is, and how its been made easier by the fact that Americans of Lebanese descent are running various drug networks on the US side of the border. As far back as 2010, the Tucson Police Department reported that the presence of radical groups in the prison system had increased, and that upsurge of inmates were becoming radicalized, and how Hezbollah tattoos were being discovered on incarcerated felons. Iran has found ideological and political sympathy among the various administrations in Latin America, as many of the more radical Latin American leaders share its hatred for the US, leading to the recent strengthening of ties with the Iranian leadership. Mohammad Hassan Ghadiri, one of the regimes ambassadors to Mexico, who supported Ruhollah Khomeinis ideology, and was a fervent anti-Semitic, spent his time in Mexico trawling deprived areas, actively seeking out and converting young Mexicans to embrace radical form of Shiite Islam, and persuading them to travel to Qom in Iran for religious study. Although this happened in Mexico, it could easily be replicated in any US inner city, where unemployment is high, and youths feel that society that has no room for them. Ghadiri was troubling in that he urged his young recruits to access the servers of US defence installations, and stated his views of desiring the annihilation of Israels Zionist regime. Hezbollah has been well entrenched in Mexico For decades, and US intelligence reports suggest they have a well-established sleeper cell network within the US itself. Many analysts believe that Hezbollah has not carried out a spectacular on US soil is that Iran needs to win influence in Latin America, and Hezbollah needs the cash made on the misery of the Wests desperate drug addicts.Terror attacks would cost them a vast amount of US dollars. In an article for Al Arabiya, Tony Duheaume, author of four books about the the Iranian regim writes, the Iran deal, which the Iranian regime has adhered to insofar as it sees fit, by agreeing to curb certain aspects of its nuclear program, which gives it a chance to build up its armed forces, fuel foreign wars such as those in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and regain its prestige within the international community. So as long as this agreement remains in place, Iran will have billions of dollars pouring into its coffers from cash being returned after being impounded as a result of Western sanctions, imposed through the Iranian regimes dogged pursuit of nuclear weapons. He adds, So with the Iranian Qods (Jerusalem) Force which is an elite armed division, acting on behalf of its sister organization the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and takes on extra-territorial operations such as covert action in foreign lands on its behalf known to direct Hezbollah operations, it has kept tight reins on the terror groups present day terrorist activities. Estimates point to more Lebanese living abroad, than live in Lebanon, so with such vast numbers living in Latin America and the US, there are certain to be criminal elements found, and many Lebanese emigres have become hooked up in the coccaine trade, and Hezbollah is enmeshed with these criminal groups. Duheaume writes, It has been known for several years that dealing in drugs with the Mexican mafia is a lucrative source of income as far as Hezbollah is concerned, having come into contact with its leadership through its dealings with guerrilla groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia FARC) for decades. FARC is still a designated terrorist group, said to have at one point produced 70 percent of the worlds cocaine, plus having been responsible for 90 percent of the drug on sale within the US. Hezbollah makes the perfect partner for any group that is at odds with its government, according to Duheaume. Not only is Hezbollah an insurgency group, whose talent in asymmetric and urban warfare is second to none, brought about through rigorous training at Qods Force training camps, it also has a talent in all other forms of insurgency expertise. Its list of techniques includes training snipers for assassinations, teaching the fundamentals of intelligence systems, methods of obtaining secure communications, and much more besides. So with expert bomb-makers within its ranks, with all of the knowledge you could ask for in both the design and the planting of explosive devices, it is no surprise that such techniques in bombings have taken a sudden upsurge on the streets of Mexico since Hezbollah arrived on the scene. With past Mexican governments unable to control the cartels, violence escalated rapidly, and with Hezbollah training gang members in fully equipped training camps, the situation is now way out control. Still, no wall will protect a country from sleeper cells that are already established on its soil. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Tallahassee Police are asking for your help in finding a missing 26-year-old man last seen on Florida State's campus. The Tallahassee Police Department said that Edward H. Neuse was last seen on Feb. 27 around 8;15 a.m. on FSU's campus. Neuse is about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds, with a muscular build. They say he has blue eyes, sandy blonde hair and his beard is fuller than pictured and is red. It is unknown what Neuse was last seen wearing. He may be driving a 2000 green Toyota Tacoma Pickup (2 door) displaying FL tag ADJS17. Anyone with information about Neuses whereabouts is asked to call the Tallahassee Police Department at (850)891-4200. A new assessment of Irans naval forces, strategy and capability was obtained by Bloomberg News. Its titled, Irans Naval Forces: A Tale of Two Navies. The 44-page publication is an update to a 2009 version. The updates says that the expiration, will allow Iran to pursue foreign acquisitions that have been inaccessible since sanctions were imposed. Many who agree with President Donald Trump that the nuclear deal is the worst deal ever negotiated, will likely reference the Navys report. As it is, home-grown weapons are already being produced by Iran, and many of those Iranian designs look suspiciously like copies of Chinese, Russian, and North Korean arms. In just a few short years, it will be able to make enormous purchases like the Russian SS-N-26 Yakhont cruise missile, which it has already been sold to the regime in Syria. The report Bloomberg cites, agrees with other analyses that describe Irans defensive strategy as the ability to rain destruction upon neighboring states, along with vital waterways such as the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. Repelling a military invasion isnt what Iran is not worried about, but rather bolstering their image, making the cost of retribution for Irans enemies unacceptably high. A recent article in Breaking Defense warns about the problems for American strategists, and our allies in the Middle East, that Irans growing arsenal of cruise missiles poses. Only Israel has a decent chance of intercepting advanced cruise missiles like the stealthy Kh-55 upgrade that was used by Russia in Syria. which are troubling with just conventional warheads, let alone nuclear ones. According to Breaking Defense, the Trump administrations recommended course of action will include blocking Iran from procuring missile technology, it will target cruise missiles with new sanctions, and will deploy more defenses around Irans likely targets. The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs argues that Yemen has become a test ground for Irans weapons, as well as a training ground for Hezbollah instructors. The JCPA is concerned that Iran and Hezbollah are refining equipment and techniques they plan to use against Israel, including sophisticated surface-to-air missiles and drones. Iranian Drone technology seems to have advanced recently. A DNA analysis has confirmed that a body found near Zillah in September is that of a 24-year Tiffany Tarail Baez Captain William Chrismon Washington Police Department Washington Police have arrested Tiffany Tarail Baez age 41 of Lindbeth Drive Greenville for the fatal crash on Tuesday evening. Baez surrendered herself at Washington Police Department Thursday afternoon. Baez was charged with felony hit and run and driving while license revoked. Police are working with the District Attorney's Office and additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation continues. Baez was placed in Beaufort County Detention Center with a $50,000 bond. Recently resigned National Security Advisor Michael Flynns book was an underground hit in Farsi. The team that includes Pompeo, Mattis, McMaster, and Kelly show no desire for a strategic alliance with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as they view Iran as the chief sponsor of international terror. They take chants of Death to America very seriously. Former President Obama tried to use a policy of appeasement to strengthen ties between the US and Iranian leaders, as well as to protect the negotiations that brought about the JCPOA, better known as the Iran nuclear deal. Recently, Iranian officials warn that secret elements of the nuclear deal should not be made public. Adam Kredo, award-winning political reporter, writes, Senior Iranian officials are warning the Trump administration about disclosing secret agreements related to the nuclear deal that have long been hidden from the public by the Obama administration, according to recent comments that prompted pushback from senior sources on Capitol Hill. This warning follows Kredos Washington Free Beacon report that disclosed that Flynn had been pushed out of office in part because he intented to release these documents to the American public. However, the documents in question are not classified. According to Kredo, Secret side deals related to the nuclear agreement remain unclassified but have been stashed in a secure location on Capitol Hill, making it difficult for staffers and lawmakers to view them. Individuals seeking to view these documents must have security clearance and are barred from taking notes or speaking about what they see. Would release of the arrangements that Obama/Kerry/Rhodes/Jarrett agreed to with Iran give clarity to the debate over what Trump should do regarding Iran? That the Iranians dont want the documents made public seems to add importance to doing just that. Its been said that the National Security Council wants to release documents such as those in the bin Laden stash. A terrific article was published in Israel about the joint Iranian-North Korean nuclear weapons project. It presents a timeline and l analysis, which is summarized by the authors this way: Iran is steadily making progress towards a nuclear weapon and is doing so via North Korea. Iran is unwilling to submit to a years-long freeze of its military nuclear program as stipulated by the July 2015 Vienna Nuclear Deal. North Korea is ready and able to provide a clandestine means of circumventing the deal, which would allow the Iranians to covertly advance that nuclear program. At the same time, Iran is likely assisting in the upgrading of certain North Korean strategic capacities. What is in those documents stored away in the Capitol Building? There is currently great excitement about Russian secrets, and perhaps its time to look at Iranian secrets, too. Juan M. Thompson, a disgraced former journalist, was charged on Friday after being arrested for making a wave of bomb threats to Jewish organizations while posing as an ex-girlfriend in retaliation for breaking up with him. Thompson, 31, was arrested in St. Louis, the first case to emerge from a federal investigation into a surge of threats against Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) and schools that has rattled American Jews. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "What we have seen over the past weeks has been a spate of threats that is nearing almost 100, covering 40 states, targeting Jewish institutions across the country," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller. "New York has not been immune from these threats." NYPD responds to Thompson's arrest X NYPD's Miller responds to Thompson's arrest (Photo: Reuters) Responding to Thompson's arrest, Miller said, "I think we were able to shed some light on that today with the arrest made by the FBI in St. Louis, of an individual who is responsible for some number of these acts, particularly a handful that concern New York City. Thompson "As you make these threats from behind whatever technical curtain you use, we will shine a light in whatever direction we have to, you will be uncovered, you will be caught, and you will be charged. And if there are other individuals, and I think it is likely that there are, this investigation will lead to their identity, too," added Miller. Federal prosecutors described a vicious, months-long harassment campaign in which Thompson allegedly used fake email accounts to accuse the woman of possessing child pornography, driving drunk and, finally, making bomb threats targeting Jewish groups. Thompson's home (Photo: Reuters) US authorities are examining more than 100 threats made against JCCs by phone this year, which appear unrelated to the Thompson allegations. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey met with Jewish leaders on Friday to discuss the ongoing investigation. US Jewish institutions targeted by threats (Photo: CNN) A criminal complaint unsealed in Manhattan accused Thompson of threatening organizations including a Jewish museum in New York and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). All occurred after the first flood of phone threats in early January. The hoax threats against JCCs have stoked fears of a resurgence in anti-Semitism and forced the evacuation of many centers, including some with day care for young children. Prosecutors said Thompson wanted to portray his ex-girlfriend as an anti-Semite, a characterization he repeated on Twitter. It was unclear if he shared those sentiments, and his recent posts did not include explicit anti-Semitism. But the ADL said he had been "on the radar" due to his past activities, including "rants against white people." Thompson was a reporter for the Intercept, a news website, until he was fired last year for allegedly inventing sources and quotes. Intercept editor Betsy Reed said the website was "horrified" by his arrest. Thompson made an initial appearance on Friday in US court in St. Louis on one count of cyber stalking, where a judge ordered that he remain in federal custody, according to media reports. He is likely to be extradited to New York to face prosecution. His court-appointed lawyer was not immediately available for comment. 'Nasty racist white girl' The Intercept said in February 2016 that Thompson employed a fake email account to pose as a source and try to hide his fabrications. After his girlfriend broke up with him in July 2016, prosecutors said, Thompson used the same technique during months of increasingly vicious harassment. A day after the breakup, Thompson sent an email purportedly from a news producer to her boss at a New York social service company, according to the complaint. The email claimed she had been pulled over for drunk driving and sued for spreading a sexually transmitted disease. In the following weeks, the woman received messages from a supposed relative of Thompson, falsely claiming Thompson was on his deathbed after a shooting. Thompson threatened to publicize nude photos of her and told the US Secret Service on Twitter she had threatened the president, prosecutors said. He also sent an anonymous message to a national children's welfare organization claiming she had child pornography on her phone. In late January, Thompson began emailing bomb threats to Jewish groups using his own name and then accused her on Twitter of having framed him. He also sent threats pretending to be her, according to the complaint. One email called for a "Jewish Newtown," in a reference to the 2012 massacre of 26 children and educators at a Connecticut school. On Feb. 24, he posted on Twitter, "Know any good lawyers? Need to stop this nasty/racist #whitegirl I dated who sent a bomb threat in my name." Authorities are still investigating the JCC threats as well as the desecration of headstones at Jewish cemeteries in Philadelphia, St. Louis and Rochester, New York. St. Louis police will question Thompson about the graveyard vandalism, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. In a statement, Doron Krakow, the president of the JCC Association of North America, said the group was "gratified" by the arrest. "We trust that the perpetrators behind all of the threats will be swiftly identified and brought to justice," Krakow said. Amid a surge of bomb threats and vandalism Jewish institutions nationwide, members of Atlanta's Jewish community have felt a familiar wave of apprehension about what may come next. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Because all of that, and worse, has happened in the city before. Jewish headstones vandalized in current wave of anti-Semitic violence Six decades ago, during the turmoil of the civil rights era, 50 sticks of dynamite blasted a ragged hole in Atlanta's largest synagogue. A generation earlier, in 1915, Jewish businessman Leo Frank was lynched during a wave of anti-Semitism. Some fear that history is once again arcing toward the viperous climate that set the stage for the earlier violence. "It's heartbreaking to see the attacks and threats and desecration of Jewish cemeteries in recent days," said playwright Jimmy Maize, whose play The Temple Bombing is on stage this month at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre. "I have to say that writing this play feels too much like history repeating itself." His play, which addresses anti-Semitism, fear and courage through the drama of the 1958 explosion, was inspired by a book by Atlanta author Melissa Fay Greene. "We learned over several decades the power of hate speech," Greene said. "It can lead to people being harmed and killed." This past weekend, more than 100 headstones were discovered toppled or damaged at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia. In New York, a Rochester cemetery was targeted this week in the latest in a string of anti-Semitic incidents around the county. Cemetery officials said Thursday at least a dozen grave markers were desecrated. Jewish community centers and schools in several states also have been targets of recent bomb scares. On Friday, federal officials said that 31-year-old former journalist Juan Thompson is a suspect in at least eight of the threats made against Jewish institutions nationwide, and a bomb threat to New York's Anti-Defamation League. Atlanta has played a prominent role in American Jewish life since the late 1800s. Jewish immigrants began some of its most successful businesses, according to the Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Atlanta was at the forefront of the new, industrial South, and many of its factories were Jewish-owned, said Jeremy Katz, archives director at Atlanta's William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum. Jewish businessmen gained respect and became community leaders. But their success also led to anti-Semitism from Southerners who felt left behind by the changing economy, said Stuart Rockoff, the former historian for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life. "There was this push and pull, and it was kind of a powder keg that ignited with the Leo Frank case," Katz said. "Before the Frank case, Jews were fairly accepted in the community because social lines were drawn by color of skin rather than religion, so Jews really flourished in the South." Everything changed on a spring day in 1913, when 13-year-old factory worker Mary Phagan was found strangled in the cellar of Atlanta's National Pencil Company. Frank, the factory's manager, was arrested and put on trial. As newspaper articles inflamed anti-Semitic passions in and around Atlanta, he was convicted and sentenced to death. Georgia Gov. John Slaton, convinced Frank was innocent, commuted his sentence to life in prison. In August 1915, a mob snatched Frank from the state prison in Milledgeville and drove him to Marietta, where Phagan had lived, and hanged him from an oak tree. "The Leo Frank case showed that Jews were not immune from that type of violence and discrimination," Rockoff said. In the following years, many Jews didn't speak of the Frank case. But by the late 1940s, Rabbi Jacob Rothschild at The Temple in Atlanta had begun speaking out against racial injustice in Atlanta, said his son, William Rothschild. Some believe that made the synagogue a target for extremists. The bomb exploded about 3:30 a.m. Oct. 12, 1958. A few hours later, during Sunday morning classes, "there would have been hundreds of children in the building," said Peter Berg, now senior rabbi at The Temple. But the children hadn't yet arrived, and no one was injured. "I remember feeling emptiness," recalls Carol Zaban Cooper of Atlanta, who was 14 when her synagogue was bombed, and went on to become active with the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. "I felt hollow, numb." Alfred Uhry, author of the play and movie "Driving Miss Daisy," attended The Temple as a child and had just moved to New York when it was bombed. He recalls the horror of seeing a photo of the destruction in The New York Times. "It showed a side of the building blown off, and I had gone to Sunday school there," Uhry said. A bombing suspect's first trial ended with a hung jury and the second with an acquittal. Atlanta Mayor William Hartsfield said "every political rabble-rouser is the godfather of these cross burners and dynamiters who sneak about in the dark and give a bad name to the South." Atlanta Constitution Editor Ralph McGill called it a harvest of hate. One day after the blast he wrote, "It is the harvest of defiance of courts and the encouragement of citizens to defy law on the part of many southern politicians." "To be sure, none said go bomb a Jewish temple or a school," he added in the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial. "But let it be understood that when leadership in high places in any degree fails to support constituted authority, it opens the gate to all those who wish to take law into their own hands." Racial hatred put everyone in danger, McGill wrote. "When the wolves of hate are loosed on one people, then no one is safe." A photo of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton glancing at a newspaper headline about US Vice President Mike Pence using private email has gone viral on social media, with thousands of people commenting on it. Pence and others involved in the Republican presidential campaign last year criticized Clinton's use of a private email server during her time as US Secretary of State. Clinton was on an airplane traveling from Boston to New York on Friday when a fellow passenger snapped a photo of her glancing down at Friday's USA Today newspaper front page headline "Pence used personal email in office". Pence's use of an AOL email account was first reported by the Indianapolis Star on Thursday. It said Pence used the account, which was hacked last summer, at times to discuss sensitive matters and homeland security issues while he was governor of Indiana. British electro gods the Pet Shop Boys might be going Middle East, despite the fact that life is arguably not so peaceful here. Yedioth Ahronoth found that the duo is on the cusp of signing on to perform at a very gay bash at Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park during the city's June's Pride Parade. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, who make up the Pet Shop Boys, are to be the delicious crown jewel at the center of a DJ bonanaza celebrating the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, as well as those looking to explore. The Pet Shop Boys (Photo: Joseph Sinclair) The duo has already visited Israel three times, in 1999, 2009 and 2013. Becoming a beacon of 80s magic, the Pet Shop Boys took their first steps in the music industry in 1981 and quickly rose to the top of the charts. Their hits include Go West, West End Girls, Love Etc., Always on my Mind, Domino Dancing and New York City Boy, as well as a truly superb cover to West Side Story's Somewhere. At present, they have sold over 50 million copies worldwide. The vigilance of Border Patrol officers stationed near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron prevented a terrorist attack by a young Hebron resident who came to the outpost in an attempt to cross over with a knife in his pocket. The suspect, who had already come through the outpost earlier this morning, had returned in order to attempt and make his way around security. His return raised the suspicion of the fighters and asked him to take off his coat for an additional security check. This time, one of the fighters recognized a knife in his pants' pocket. The fighters disarmed him and arrested him. A diaper informing parents when it is time to change it is just one of the Israeli gadgets that will be presented in next week's international conference for medical devices titled MEDinISRAEL, which plays both on the word "medical" and the Israeli pronunciation of "Made in Israel." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The conference is helmed by the Export Institute in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Industry as well the Foreign Affairs and Health Ministries, and guests from all over the world are expected to attend. The device alerting parents when the diaper is full is suitable for both babies and adults. It attaches to the diaper with Velcro, without making contact with fluids or skin, explained Eyal Kabir from Digisense, who developed it. ECG shirt (Photo: Yariv Katz) "We can be alerted if there is fluid, the amount and the color, and it can help caregivers know, for example, if the baby is suffering from dehydration or a nutritional deficiency." The system includes an application, which is installed on your phone and allows the caregiver or the parent to store information and receive real-time alerts. In addition, the sensors can detect whether the baby is sleeping on its back or stomach, if, God forbid, there is apnea, and even if the child is flatulent. Another device to be presented in the exhibition is a home ultrasound monitor called Compass. The device, weighing only 300 grams, enables self-examination of the fetus' heartbeat anywhere, at anytime. The device was approved by the British Standards Institute, and is able to provide an accurate reading of the fetus's pulse as well as the mother's pulse in a few minutes. The information is automatically transmitted to your phone application, which can be then transferred to the attending physician. "The idea came to me on the birth of my third son," said HerMED CEO Dudi Groberman, the company that developed the product. "One day, my wife was concerned she couldn't feel the fetus, and after a long night in the hospital, I decided to develop a product that will cater to such events." The company believes that in the future, the data would be fed into a computer at the clinic which would save time on waiting for the medical examination. Home ultrasound Another product is a polo shirt that monitors medical parameters such as ECG, heart rate and breathing and allows measuring them at home. "We considered a shirt in which the ECG electrodes are placed in advance and then you would only have to wear it," said Limor Nuri from Health Watch, the company that developed the product. "The shirt is intended for people who have been diagnosed as suffering from heart disease or are at risk." "The number of companies dealing in medical devices in Israel is unusually high by international standards," said Export Institute Chairman Ramzi Gabbay. "The technologies of Israeli companies are deeply rooted in the academic institutions and are used in the best medical centers in the world." Former President Obama tried to improve relations, using a policy of appeasement with Iran. Now the Trump Administration is trying a hardline position against Iranian hostility. Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who serves on the Committee on Armed Services, and Representative Michael McCaul, another Republican from Texas, who is also chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in an opinion piece for USA Today, Iran is the worlds foremost state sponsor of terror, and we are alarmed by their increasing assistance to a whos who list of Islamist militant groups. They say its time to start pushing back against the regimes support for our terrorist enemies. Cruz introduced a bill earlier this year, directing the State Department to decide whether the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) meets the criteria to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Cruz and McCaul believe that the Trump administration should designate the IRGC as an FTO, because the IRGC is responsible for exporting the Islamic Republics radical ideology and supporting terror across the globe, they say. According to Cruz and McCaul, even without the IRGC, Tehran is known as the chief patrons of Hezbollah, who have killed Americans from Beirut to Baghdad. Tehran also provides financial and military support of Hamas, who has launched thousands of rockets at Israel. Hamas and Hezbollah have both been designated as FTOs by the State Department. Cruz and McCaul accuse Iran of supporting al-Qaeda. The 9/11 Commission Report described strong evidence that Iran facilitated the transit of al-Qaeda members into and out of Afghanistan before 9/11, including future 9/11 hijackers. Additionally, they say that when the US invaded Afghanistan, some of al-Qaedas top leaders fled to Iran in fact, Osama bin Ladens son Hamza, who has followed in his fathers footsteps, relocated there. Iran allows its territory to be used as a pipeline for al-Qaeda fighters and funding, and refuses to bring the operatives to justice. Iran allegedly put al-Qaeda operatives under house arrest, but Cruz and McCaul say that instead, they have allowed them to return to the battlefield. They point to al-Masri who, until he was killed in a drone strike earlier this week, was allowed to leave Iran for Syria, where he operated as al-Qaedas second-in-command. Reports regarding the treasure trove of intelligence found in bin Ladens compound in 2011, reveal a close, symbiotic relationship between the Iranian regime and al-Qaeda. Iran is our main artery for funds, personnel, and communication, bin Laden wrote to subordinates in Iraq, warning them not to threaten attacks in Iran. The Treasury and State departments have been warning us for years, publicly calling out Irans harboring of al-Qaeda operatives. Cruz and McCaul write, The terror group has used its protected status in Iran to fund and support new operations, and to escape U.S. counterterrorism efforts so it can rebuild the leadership cadre decimated by targeted drone strikes. When the Treasury Department sanctioned three Iran-based al-Qaeda leaders this past July, it noted they were part of a new generation of al-Qaeda operatives. The Texas Republicans add, The takeaway here is obvious: the murderous radicals who planned 9/11 are replenishing their ranks, and they are doing so with the support and protection of one of Americas biggest foes. We cannot allow that to happen. They want the al-Qaeda networks operating in Iran to be shut down. The fact that the Trump team are clear about the Iranian threat, is encouraging to Cruz and McCaul, who say they should now also focus on the Iran-led axis of terror, including by designating the IRGC as a terror group. As well, further negotiations on the nuclear deal must address Tehrans harboring of al-Qaeda members. Cruz and McCaul claim we must pressure our allies to do the same. They conclude by saying, We will never appease Iranian leaders into moderating their extremism. But we can protect our country and our interests by standing up to them. Joseph Federico Announces 2017 NJ MET, Inc. Electronic Testing Lecture Series Joseph Federico, Director of NJ MET, Inc., an electronic component testing company, announced its Electronic Testing Lecture Series for 2017. "The series will kick off in Clifton, NJ on April 21st and conclude at the DMSMS Conference in Tampa, Florida on December 6, 2017," said Joseph Federico. "The lecture series will include informative industry updates in electronic testing, screening and qualification as well updates in current developments in risk mitigation counterfeit testing," added Joseph Federico from NJ MET, Inc.'s headquarters in Clifton, NJ. The following cities are currently confirmed for 2017: April: Clifton, NJ, Long Island NY May: Danbury, Hartford CT June: San Diego, CA (News - Alert), Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA July: Chicago, IL, Rome, Italy August: Denver, CO September: Dubai, (UAE) October: Dallas, TX, Houston, TX November: Hunstville, AL, Phoenix, AZ December: Tampa, FL, Orlando FL Joseph Federico added that additional cities are currently in the planning along with the exact date and location information. For further information on attending any of the conferences, please call Joseph Federico or Devika Rana at NJ MET Inc, Clifton, NJ at (973) 546-5393. Please visit the NJ MET, Inc. website for information on the electronic testing and consultation services. For over 38 years, NJ MET, Inc. has been a pioneer in the Commercial, Military, Aerospace, Industrial, Automotive and Medical fields providing worldwide quality electronic component procurement, screening and qualification testing of electronic component products. NJ MET, Inc. is AS9100 Rev. C / ISO9001:2008 certified and recently successfully completed of The Defense Logistic Agency's (DLA) laboratory suitability assessment and are now qualified to test federal stock classes (FSC) 5961 (Semiconductor Devices) and FSC 5962 (Microcircuits) to DLA's QTSL test requirements. NJ MET, Inc. is also registered with GIDEP, SAE International, ERAI, ASTM, ITAR, IEEE (News - Alert), and ANSI/ESD20.20. Their employees have hands on training in the Counterfeit Components Avoidance Workshop by The Components Technology Institute, Inc. The company just celebrated 38 years of Laboratory Procurement and Testing Services. NJ MET, Inc. has an outstanding A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170303005746/en/ It was bound to be Deja Vu! Mr S(The Aspiring Singer) and Saurav back together for another trip. The last trip we had together was the "Triund" trip and it was bloody darn good one. The trip started on a bad note(as usual)as it took me 200 bucks to go from Kalkaji to Old Delhi Railway station. A railway station always brings the Metrosexual Indian to ground Zero...the crowd,the collective sweat,the cacophony all combine together to form that unique orchestra that Luciano Pavarotti would have been proud of.Dimple Yadav joins CM Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi's roadshow in Varanasi #uppolls2017 pic.twitter.com/Z5TCVObTvM
ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017